Recaps

Lin Bai welcomed the Overturning Heavens Sect and Worship Heaven Sect delegations to Drunken Immortal Pavilion, where several young prodigies provoked him and his companions. After the elders withdrew, Meng Qinxian and Nie Shang revealed their troubles within their sects, while Lin Bai remained baffled by the killing intent he felt toward Feng Chuan.

• Lin Bai welcomed the elders and prodigies from Overturning Heavens Sect and Worship Heaven Sect to Drunken Immortal Pavilion for the night.
• Wang Heng taunted Lin Bai for not joining the competition, and Lin Bai challenged him to spar before learning his name and dismissing his boastful claims.
• Di Hong and Feng Chuan made lewd advances toward Hu Zhiyao and Li Guxian, and Hu Zhiyao's full-strength palm only forced Feng Chuan back two steps.
• Lin Bai felt an inexplicable, nearly uncontrollable urge to kill Feng Chuan, while Qian Hen and the elders separated the young prodigies from the gathering.
• Meng Qinxian and Nie Shang stayed with Lin Bai after the elders left, complained about their standing in their sects, and Nie Shang praised Hu Zhiyao's strength.

Lin Bai spoke with Nie Shang and Meng Qinxian about Feng Chuan and the Devil Palace’s plans for the coming contest, but neither could reveal their sects’ secrets or stop the looming battle. He returned with the delegations to the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace, where the Renaming Ceremony was set for the next day and the Palace Master summoned him.

• Hu Zhiyao and Lin Bai asked about Feng Chuan, but Nie Shang postponed explaining his background until after the martial contest.
• Lin Bai laid out the Devil Palace’s three aims: test its opponents, seek a settlement, and ensure the other sects honored the wager if they lost; Nie Shang and Meng Qinxian said their sects could no longer avoid the battle.
• Qian Hen changed the subject to drinking, and Lin Bai ordered the group to prepare to leave for the Devil Palace.
• At dawn, Lin Bai and Qian Hen boarded the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace’s cloudship, while the delegations of the Overturning Heavens Sect and Worship Heaven Sect traveled on their own ships.
• Lin Bai led the cloudships back to the Devil Palace, where Elder Yao Daogu arranged lodging and told him that the Palace Master wanted to explain the Renaming Ceremony’s procedures.

Lin Bai attended a high-level meeting in the Palace Lord Great Hall before the Renaming Ceremony, where the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace prepared for its martial contest with Overturning Heavens Sect and Worship Heaven Sect. The Palace Master ordered five godchildren to compete, and Yan Congjiao confidently promised victory while questioning the others’ confidence.

• Yao Daogu took over arranging lodgings for the delegations from Overturning Heavens Sect and Worship Heaven Sect, while Lin Bai brought Li Guxian, Hu Zhiyao, and the others to Ascension Peak.
• Lin Bai and the goddesses entered the Palace Lord Great Hall, where the Palace Master, elders, lineage heads, and godchildren had gathered.
• The Palace Master and Lin Bai discussed the visiting sects’ caution, and Saint Elder Luo Yuanjing explained that the contest’s wager would provide a pretext for war rather than guarantee either side would surrender territory.
• The Palace Master told Yan Congjiao, Duanmu Lin, Shen Yunfan, Mo Guyu, and Zhao Yuanchen to compete the next day and win.
• Yan Congjiao vowed that he would win, then challenged the other four godchildren to show whether they could do the same.

The Nine Underworlds Demon Palace’s God Children prepared for the prodigy contest as Hu Zhiyao reported on the powerful Worship Heaven Sect disciple Feng Chuan. Elder Shi Renshan then explained the Renaming Ceremony’s opening sacrificial rites, leaving the palace preparing for the ceremony and contest the next day.

• Yan Congjiao declared that the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace would win, and Zhao Yuanchen mocked him for refusing to accept defeat in an earlier contest.
• The participating God Children pledged to do their utmost, while Hu Zhiyao reported that Feng Chuan had endured her full-force strike without injury.
• The Palace Master expressed confidence in the Demon Palace’s prodigies, increasing the pressure on them before the contest.
• Shi Renshan outlined the Renaming Ceremony’s first stage: worshiping the ancestors, the earth, and Heaven, with the Palace Master and Emperor performing key offerings.

Lin Bai and the Palace Lord finalized the proceedings for the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace’s Renaming Ceremony, including its rites, banquet, and young talents’ contest. As the ceremony approached, Lin Bai remained inexplicably restless and arranged for Yi Jinyun to sit with the Seven Nights Divine Sect’s delegation.

• Elder Shi Renshan explained the ancestral, earth, and heaven rites, then described how Yi Gu would transfer the Seven Nights Divine Sect’s authority to the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace.
• Elder Shi Renshan outlined the Demon Palace Banquet and the contest among young talents from the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace, Overturning Heavens Sect, and Worship Heaven Sect.
• The Palace Lord approved the ceremony’s arrangements and ordered participating high-ranking members to wear ceremonial robes and avoid mistakes.
• Lin Bai returned to the Imperial Palace and went to the Immortal Cleansing Pool to bathe before the early ceremony.
• Yi Jinyun asked Lin Bai what troubled him, and he said he felt increasingly restless before arranging for her to sit in the Seven Nights Divine Sect’s section.

On the eve of the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace's Renaming Ceremony, Lin Bai prepared for the event and learned that Yi Jinyun would attend at his side to reassure the Seven Nights Divine Sect. At Ascension Peak, the Demon Palace’s leaders assembled and discussed preparations for the martial competition, though they still did not know who the opposing sects would field.

• Lin Bai dressed in his ceremonial robes and watched the brightly lit Demon Palace Mountains as martial artists prepared for the ceremony.
• Old Wen told Lin Bai that Yi Jinyun needed to attend with him because the Seven Nights Divine Sect wanted to show their alliance publicly, and Lin Bai agreed.
• Lin Bai, Yi Jinyun, Old Wen, and Dao Child Yu You flew to Ascension Peak, where hundreds of Demon Palace leaders had gathered before the Palace Lord Great Hall.
• Duanmu Xin told Lin Bai that the Palace Master and Saint Elders had yet to arrive and that the group would depart for Ancestor Heaven Mountain at dawn.
• Lin Bai asked Duanmu Lin, Shen Yunfan, Mo Guyu, and Zhao Yuanchen about the martial competition preparations, and Duanmu Lin said the Overturning Heavens Sect and Worship Heaven Sect would choose their competitors on the spot.

Lin Bai learned that Elder Shi Renshan had arranged for him to walk beside the Palace Master during the Renaming Ceremony procession, a position rooted in the Holy Lord's reforms. Shi Renshan then hinted that the Holy Lord may have belonged to the Heaven Swallowing Race, leaving Lin Bai unsure whether the elder was warning or testing him as the procession began.

• Elder Shi Renshan explained the procession order and told Lin Bai that he would walk beside the Palace Master, ahead of the Great Mystic Art Users.
• Shi Renshan revealed records suggesting that the Holy Lord's power to obtain others' memories came from the Heaven Swallowing Race, and Lin Bai concealed his shock.
• Lin Bai wondered whether Shi Renshan had been warning or testing him, then decided to discuss the matter with the Palace Master after the ceremony.
• The Palace Master and five Great Mystic Art Users emerged from the Palace Lord Great Hall and led the assembly toward Ancestor Heaven Mountain.
• Lin Bai took Yi Jinyun's hand and followed beside the Palace Master, while the Saint Elders and other Great Mystic Art Users followed behind.

Lin Bai traveled with the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace procession to Ancestor Heaven Mountain for the sacrificial ceremony and learned from Old Angler not to doubt Elder Shi Renshan’s arrangements. As the guests gathered beneath the Holy Lord’s immense statue, Chu Junyou, Wang Zhengyang, and Qi Lingyu discussed the mysterious destruction of the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace a hundred thousand years earlier.

• Old Angler reassured Lin Bai that the Devil Palace accepted Elder Shi Renshan’s arrangements and urged him to represent the palace with confidence.
• Lin Bai addressed the Great Mystic Art User as Elder Angler, set aside his doubts, and continued toward Ancestor Heaven Mountain beside the Palace Master.
• The procession arrived at Ancestor Heaven Mountain, where guests occupied its three banquet platforms beneath a gigantic statue of the Holy Lord.
• Wang Zhengyang told Chu Junyou that the Holy Lord’s statue still inspired overwhelming pressure, and Chu Junyou praised the Holy Lord’s rise before regretting his past conflicts.
• Wang Zhengyang, Chu Junyou, and Qi Lingyu questioned how the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace had been destroyed so completely and suspected that hidden forces had helped bring about its downfall.

The Palace Master of the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace arrived at Ancestor Heaven Mountain with Lin Bai and the Demon Palace’s high-ranking figures for the ceremony marking the Palace’s rebuilding. He greeted the gathered sects and flourishing forces, who welcomed him and reminded him of their shared responsibilities, as the ceremony prepared to begin.

• The dancers and singers cleared Ancestor Heaven Mountain, and the musicians changed to solemn music as the Palace Master’s arrival was announced.
• Millions of Nine Underworlds Demon Palace martial artists knelt and greeted the Palace Master while he and Lin Bai approached the mountain.
• Chu Junyou, Wang Zhengyang, Qi Lingyu, and the other guests stood to welcome the Palace Master as he arrived with Lin Bai and the Demon Palace’s leaders.
• The Palace Master greeted the guests in the middle section and said the rebuilding of the Demon Palace would let him answer to its ancestors.
• The flourishing forces’ elders congratulated the Palace Master and urged the Demon Palace to fulfill its duties and stand with them against their shared predicament.

The Seven Nights Divine Sect surrendered its territorial seal and map to the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace, formally ending its rule over its territory. The Palace Master promised that the Seven Nights Divine Sect would retain its capital and surrounding regions, while the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace became one of the Devil Realm Eastern Region’s four Flourishing Sects.

• At Saint Elder Shi Renshan’s instruction, Nine Underworlds Demon Palace warriors summoned Yi Gu and the Seven Nights Divine Sect elders to the mountaintop with their territorial seal and map.
• The Palace Master of the Demon Palace promised Yi Gu that the Seven Nights Divine Sect would keep its capital and fifteen thousand-state regions, and would still be treated as a top sect.
• Yi Gu presented the Seal of Authority and territorial map to the Palace Master, formally surrendering the Seven Nights Divine Sect’s authority over its land.
• The Devil Realm Eastern Region recognized the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace as a Flourishing Sect and renamed the Seven Nights Divine Sect’s former territory.
• Li Guxian reflected on how the Demon Palace had won the Seven Nights Divine Sect’s submission without destroying it, while Yi Gu exchanged a relieved glance with Lin Bai before returning to his seat.

Lin Bai and the Palace Lord of the Demon Palace performed the opening sacrifices of the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace’s ritual while discussing Shi Renshan’s suspicion that Lin Bai belonged to the Heaven Swallowing Race. The ceremony continued with ancestral rites and a ritual dance, which the Palace Lord explained could no longer contact the Immortal World.

• Yao Daogu began the sacrificial ritual, and Lin Bai and the Palace Lord of the Demon Palace took Eternal Fire torches to the altar before the Holy Lord’s statue.
• As they walked, Lin Bai told the Palace Lord that Shi Renshan suspected the Holy Lord had belonged to the Heaven Swallowing Race, and she warned Lin Bai to avoid using the Devouring Power.
• The Palace Lord and Lin Bai ignited the altar before the Holy Lord’s statue and prayed for the Demon Palace’s lasting prosperity.
• Lin Bai sacrificed a torch at the Earth Ancestor Hall, praying to the Earth Mother for the Demon Palace’s prosperity and peace throughout the world.
• The Palace Lord sacrificed at the Heavenly Venerable Hall, praying for talented martial artists and smooth cultivation paths.
• Dancers surrounded the three sacred sites and performed a mysterious ritual dance, and the Palace Lord told Lin Bai that modern sacrifices could no longer communicate with the Immortal World.

At the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace banquet, Lin Bai learned about the martial world's decline and tasted the rare liquor Yanluo's Banquet. A mysterious Slovenly Daoist appeared, drank Lin Bai's wine, and left his origins unclear as the liquor brought Lin Bai's past vividly to mind.

• The Palace Lord of the Demon Palace explained that ancient sacrificial rites once connected the Spirit Realm to the Immortal Realm, and warned that martial cultivation had declined across the realms.
• After the sacrificial ritual ended, the Palace Lord of the Demon Palace began the banquet and introduced Lin Bai to Water Cloud Brew before offering him the stronger Huang Quan Ghost Brew, also called Yanluo's Banquet.
• A Slovenly Daoist suddenly appeared beside Lin Bai, drank his cup of Yanluo's Banquet, and recited verses about the wine.
• The Slovenly Daoist told Lin Bai he had once drunk Yanluo's Banquet in the Spirit Realm, but ignored Lin Bai's questions and continued drinking from the wine pot.
• Lin Bai drank a fresh cup of Yanluo's Banquet, and its force brought vivid memories of his past century of cultivation to his mind.

Lin Bai drank the Yanluo's Banquet and nearly lost himself in memories of the happiness that had followed his hardships, but the Slovenly Daoist's words brought him back to his senses. Lin Bai later shared the wine with Chu Junyou, Wang Zhengyang, and Qi Lingyu, who each faced its intoxicating memories in their own way.

• Lin Bai drank the Yanluo's Banquet until the Slovenly Daoist's sighs woke him from his memories, and he thanked the Daoist for the warning.
• The Palace Lord of the Demon Palace told the Slovenly Daoist that Lin Bai needed to face the wine's trial, then gave him a vat to split with his master.
• Lin Bai joined Chu Junyou, Wang Zhengyang, and Qi Lingyu and explained that the wine was the Yanluo's Banquet.
• Wang Zhengyang and Qi Lingyu described the wine's power to draw drinkers into their memories, and Chu Junyou said it could both disrupt and temper one's Dao heart.
• Chu Junyou, Wang Zhengyang, and Qi Lingyu drank the wine and briefly sank into their memories before recovering, though Qi Lingyu asked Lin Bai for another cup.
• Lin Bai shared the remaining wine among the three men, recognizing that Qi Lingyu was drawn to its memories amid Qi Tian Sect's troubles.

Lin Bai, Chu Junyou, Wang Zhengyang, and Qi Lingyu drank Yanluo's Banquet at the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace ceremony, where the Palace Lord promised to help Qi Lingyu's territory and welcomed the assembled guests. The chapter leaves Lin Bai and the other guests sharing wine in the uppermost area, while Meng Qinxian and Nie Shang decline to join them.

• Chu Junyou asked the Palace Lord of the Demon Palace for more Yanluo's Banquet and returned with four jugs for the table.
• Lin Bai warned Qi Lingyu that the wine could get him drunk, but Qi Lingyu drank heavily to escape his troubles.
• Qi Lingyu asked the Palace Lord for wine, and the Palace Lord promised to find a way to help protect Qi Lingyu's territory before giving him four jugs.
• Wang Zhengyang paid his respects to the Palace Lord and received a jar of Yanluo's Banquet for the group.
• Lin Bai and Chu Junyou invited their friends from the Chu Kingdom and Ten Thousand Saints Mountain delegations to join them, and the Palace Lord gave each arriving guest a jug of wine.
• Meng Qinxian and Nie Shang declined Lin Bai's invitation, while Ji Ruoci and Shen Haoyue joined the gathering.

At the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace’s renaming banquet, Lin Bai and the other guests discussed the Demon Palace’s need to win the Eastern Region’s trust through benevolent rule. The Overturning Heavens Sect and Worship Heaven Sect then began their martial contest, and five Demon Palace God Children volunteered to face their challengers.

• Lin Bai, Chu Junyou, and Wang Zhengyang discussed how the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace needed time and benevolent governance to overcome its hated reputation.
• Mo Nan and Li Xuanqiu asked Lin Bai about the coming contest and the Demon Palace’s chances, while the guests drank Yanluo’s Banquet and grew merry.
• Yao Daogu spoke privately with the Palace Lord of the Demon Palace, after which elders from the Overturning Heavens Sect and Worship Heaven Sect requested a martial exchange.
• Meng Qinxian and Wang Heng represented the Overturning Heavens Sect, while Nie Shang, Feng Chuan, and Di Hong represented the Worship Heaven Sect.
• The Palace Lord of the Demon Palace declined to send Lin Bai and invited the God Children and Goddesses to fight; Yan Congjiao, Duanmu Lin, Shen Yunfan, Mo Guyu, and Zhao Yuanchen volunteered.

The Nine Underworlds Demon Palace agreed to let the Overturning Heavens Sect and Worship Heaven Sect choose their opponents for the martial contest. The first match began between Meng Qinxian and Zhao Yuanchen, leaving the guests to watch two similarly matched fighters test their inherited arts and combat skill.

• Yan Congjiao, Duanmu Lin, Shen Yunfan, Mo Guyu, and Zhao Yuanchen volunteered to represent the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace in the contest.
• Crown Prince Chu Junyou ordered the Zhao Xing Office to investigate Feng Chuan, Wang Heng, and Di Hong, while Lin Bai and the others watched the arena.
• Yan Congjiao agreed to let the Overturning Heavens Sect and Worship Heaven Sect choose their opponents, irritating the Palace Lord of the Demon Palace and Shi Renshan.
• Meng Qinxian chose Zhao Yuanchen as his opponent, and the Palace Lord of the Demon Palace approved their first match.
• The Palace Lord of the Demon Palace set the contest rules, and the guests cleared the arena as the five Great Mystic Art Users protected Ancestor Heaven Mountain.
• Lin Bai, Wang Zhengyang, and Crown Prince Chu Junyou discussed the fighters' inherited arts and concluded that combat experience and reactions could decide the evenly matched battle.

Lin Bai and his companions analyzed the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace’s disadvantage in the coming martial contest as Meng Qinxian faced Zhao Yuanchen. Their opening exchanges revealed that both Holy Sons possessed extraordinary physical strength, and the chapter ended with them recognizing each other’s formidable constitutions.

• Wang Zhengyang and Chu Junyou suspected that Overturning Heavens Sect and Worship Heaven Sect had prepared specifically for the Demon Palace’s fighters, while Lin Bai warned that the battle would ultimately depend on the fighters’ abilities.
• Yao Daogu and Elder He Gongji set up formations on Ancestor Heaven Mountain before Meng Qinxian and Zhao Yuanchen began their match.
• Zhao Yuanchen fired a storm of scarlet arrows from his bow, but Meng Qinxian endured the blasts without injury and charged at him.
• Meng Qinxian and Zhao Yuanchen chose to meet each other’s attacks with their fists, creating a devastating shockwave as hidden Great Mystic Art Users repaired the resulting cracks in space.
• After they staggered apart, Meng Qinxian praised Zhao Yuanchen’s physical strength, and Zhao Yuanchen suggested that Meng Qinxian possessed a special constitution.

Meng Qinxian and Zhao Yuanchen fought an evenly matched close-quarters battle while Lin Bai and the others discussed Meng’s secret constitution and how to overcome powerful body refiners. The fight remained unresolved, with Zhao Yuanchen relishing the rare chance to face an equal.

• Zhao Yuanchen asked Meng Qinxian about his special constitution, but Meng changed the subject and charged at him.
• Lin Bai asked Chu Junyou about Meng’s constitution, and Chu Junyou said he would have the Zhao Xing Office investigate it.
• Meng Qinxian and Zhao Yuanchen traded powerful punches and kicks, healing their superficial wounds as the prolonged fight continued.
• Lin Bai explained that a lethal weapon such as his Heaven Measuring Ruler could break through a body refiner’s defenses, while Qi Lingyu said he had spotted openings in the fighters’ defenses.
• After a thunderous exchange sent them flying apart, Zhao Yuanchen praised the battle as his first painful fight against an evenly matched opponent.

Meng Qinxian trapped Zhao Yuanchen in a formation prepared by the Overturning Heavens Sect, abandoning their contest of physical strength and earning Zhao Yuanchen’s furious condemnation. Zhao Lingyang denounced Meng Qinxian, but the Demon Palace’s Palace Lord confirmed that the tactic did not break the match rules.

• Zhao Yuanchen challenged Meng Qinxian to continue their physical contest, but Meng Qinxian changed his mind after seeing the Overturning Heavens Sect elders’ urging gazes.
• Meng Qinxian used a robe covered in formation text to form a powerful array that sealed Zhao Yuanchen inside, then knocked him back when he tried to escape.
• Zhao Yuanchen called Meng Qinxian a coward and attacked the formation, but his punch only made its golden chains ripple.
• Meng Qinxian urged Zhao Yuanchen to admit defeat, while the surrounding martial artists criticized the Overturning Heavens Sect’s underhanded plan and Meng Qinxian struggled with his shame.
• Zhao Lingyang rose in anger and berated Meng Qinxian, but an Overturning Heavens Sect elder argued that Meng had not broken the rules, and the Demon Palace’s Palace Lord agreed.

Meng Qinxian defeated Zhao Yuanchen by trapping him in a formation that drained his power, but Zhao refused to surrender and the Palace Lord of the Demon Palace stopped the battle before the formation could kill him. Meng Qinxian won the first battle but faced public scorn, while Wang Zhengyang observed that Zhao had gained fame through his defiant loss.

• The Palace Lord of the Demon Palace ruled that Meng Qinxian's tactics were within the rules, and Zhao Yuanchen attacked the golden-character cage without breaking it.
• Zhao Yuanchen transformed through the Brahma Immortal Demon Art, but Meng Qinxian activated the formation to absorb his flames and spiritual power.
• Zhao Yuanchen refused to admit defeat and exhausted himself attacking the cage, so the Palace Lord of the Demon Palace ended the battle and declared victory for the Overturning Heavens Sect and Worship Heaven Sect.
• Meng Qinxian withdrew the formation and tried to help Zhao Yuanchen, who rejected him and left with Zhao Lingyang as the crowd jeered at Meng Qinxian.
• Lin Bai lamented the cost of Meng Qinxian's victory, while Chu Junyou defended his tactics and Wang Zhengyang explained that Zhao Yuanchen had become famous despite losing.

After Meng Qinxian’s controversial victory, Lin Bai and his allies realized that Overturning Heavens Sect and Worship Heaven Sect knew the Demon Palace’s match roster and were controlling the challenges. Lin Bai stalled for time with a toast, and Li Guxian proposed that the sides take turns choosing opponents, but Yan Congjiao’s taunts sparked a public clash with Zhao Yuanchen.

• After Meng Qinxian won the first match, Wang Zhengyang and Chu Junyou warned Lin Bai that an informant in Nine Underworlds Demon Palace may have leaked the roster and that the next matches could be traps.
• Lin Bai toasted the assembled guests to ease the tension, then secretly warned Li Guxian that the Demon Palace could not keep letting its rivals choose opponents.
• The elder of Worship Heaven Sect announced that Nie Shang would enter the second match, and Nie Shang began choosing a Demon Palace God Child to challenge.
• Li Guxian interrupted and proposed that the Demon Palace and its rivals take turns choosing the matches.
• Yan Congjiao mocked the Demon Palace’s God Children, prompting Zhao Yuanchen to threaten him in front of the guests and expose their hostility.

Li Guxian challenged the arrangement that let Overturning Heavens Sect and Worship Heaven Sect choose their opponents first, while Yan Congjiao fell silent after Elder Shi Renshan warned him. The Demon Palace’s Lord forced Lin Bai to weigh in on the dispute, leaving him stunned.

• The Worship Heaven Sect Elder tried to use Yan Congjiao’s approval to preserve the old arrangement, but Li Guxian insisted that the factions take turns choosing their opponents.
• Elder Shi Renshan coughed to stop Yan Congjiao from speaking, and the elders of Overturning Heavens Sect and Worship Heaven Sect realized Lin Bai had likely seen through their scheme with help from Wang Zhengyang and Chu Junyou.
• The elders discussed how Chu and Ten Thousand Saints Mountain needed the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace to stabilize the Eastern Region amid threats from the other regions.
• The Worship Heaven Sect Elder invoked the Palace Master’s dignity to oppose changing the agreement, but Li Guxian offered to take full responsibility for her proposal.
• The Palace Lord of the Demon Palace said he would consider Li Guxian’s request and asked Lin Bai for his opinion, making Lin Bai spray out his wine in surprise.

After the rules changed to let each contender choose an opponent, Second God Child Duanmu Lin challenged Worship Heaven Sect’s Saint Son Nie Shang, and the two began a cautious exchange of attacks. Watching them, Lin Bai realized Chu Junyou knew that Nine Underworlds City lay underground, confirming his suspicion that the Eastern Region’s peak forces had concealed its location.

• Lin Bai supported the rule that each martial artist could choose an opponent once, and Palace Master adopted it for the contest.
• First God Child Yan Congjiao offered to fight, but Duanmu Lin chose the second match and challenged Nie Shang instead.
• Nie Shang accepted Duanmu Lin’s challenge, explaining that the sect’s preparations had been intended for another opponent and that he would rely on his own strength.
• Duanmu Lin and Nie Shang exchanged fast attacks while probing each other’s abilities.
• Chu Junyou said Nine Underworlds Demon Palace had been hidden underground, and Lin Bai recognized that the Eastern Region’s powerful factions knew where Nine Underworlds City was.

Lin Bai watched Duanmu Lin fight Nie Shang and realized Duanmu Lin might have inherited two Mystic Arts of Great Mystic Art Users, including one created by Saint Elder Duanmu Peng. Duanmu Lin unleashed the Nine Underworlds Ascension Art and trapped Nie Shang with its Icy Shackles, as Lin Bai reflected that his own Five Elements Scripture might also be a complete Great Mystic Art.

• Wang Zhengyang and Chu Junyou discussed Nie Shang’s Three Incense Worship Heaven Art and the history of Mystic Arts of Great Mystic Art Users.
• Lin Bai reasoned that Duanmu Lin might cultivate both the Nine Underworlds Ascension Art and a secret Mystic Art created by Saint Elder Duanmu Peng, potentially making him stronger than Yan Congjiao.
• Duanmu Lin and Nie Shang exchanged hundreds of moves without either gaining an advantage, and Duanmu Lin decided to use his trump card.
• Duanmu Lin summoned black ice spikes and cast Icy Shackles, sealing Nie Shang’s escape routes.
• Lin Bai considered how Great Mystic Arts developed into complete inheritances and suspected that his Five Elements Scripture was also one.

Nie Shang ignited the Essence Fire of Worship Heaven Sect’s Three Incense Worship Heaven Art and overwhelmed Duanmu Lin with a rapid series of attacks. Duanmu Lin emerged from the rubble alive but gravely wounded, and spectators believed the Devil Palace was about to lose the second battle.

• Nie Shang broke free of Duanmu Lin’s Icy Shackles and used Heaven Piercing Sword Finger, but Duanmu Lin split the descending attack with his Sea of Blood Divine Light.
• Duanmu Lin drove Nie Shang into retreat with the Sea of Blood Divine Light until Nie Shang stopped fleeing and ignited an Essence Fire on his left shoulder.
• Chu Junyou explained that the Three Incense Worship Heaven Art strengthened Nie Shang while burning through his own strength, and Nie Shang immediately charged Duanmu Lin.
• Nie Shang shattered Duanmu Lin’s defenses, punched him in the face, and followed with successive arts that slammed him into Ancestor Heaven Mountain.
• Luo Yuanjing stabilized the cracking mountain with a formation disk, and Duanmu Lin eventually walked out of the dust gravely wounded and barely alive.