Recaps

Lin Bai captured the Demon Subjugation Alliance’s remaining high-level warriors in the Yunhe Thousand Provinces and arranged to ransom them or enslave those whose clans refused. He then heard that the Guo Family had begun a fierce campaign against the Nine Sects and Seventy-Two Clans, and predicted the Guo Family would stop short of destroying them to preserve its value to the Devil Palace.

• Lin Bai questioned the captured Demon Subjugation Alliance warriors and offered to send them home if their clans and sects paid ransom, threatening to enslave those whose families refused.
• Lin Bai ordered the prisoners taken to the Night King and directed the Deep Probe Guard to deliver their letters, recordings, and tokens to their clans and sects.
• Old Wen reported that the Guo Family’s army had begun killing the Nine Sects and Seventy-Two Clans along the Yunhe River and had rejected their attempts to negotiate.
• Lin Bai explained that the Guo Family was fighting to prove its usefulness to the Devil Palace but would not completely crush its enemies, since that would cost it its leverage and risk sending its warriors to the frontier.
• Lin Bai concluded that the Guo Family only needed to maintain stability in the Yunhe Thousand Provinces, not exterminate the Nine Sects and Seventy-Two Clans.

Lin Bai reflected on how growing stronger had forced him to consider the consequences of his actions, then attended a council where the Palace Master confronted him over rebellions spreading across several territories. Lin Bai accepted responsibility for mishandling the Guo Family and proposed ransoming or exploiting captured Demon Subjugation Alliance martial artists as he and Elder Shen Yuan were tasked with restoring order.

• Lin Bai told Old Wen that his growing power and responsibilities had made him less free, and Old Wen recalled how youthful arrogance had cost him his family and sect.
• The Palace Master convened Lin Bai, Elder Shen Yuan, and other leaders, and Elder Shi Renshan reported rebellions across more than three hundred provincial boundaries in the Seven Mountains Thousand Provinces and several other territories.
• The Palace Master blamed Lin Bai for sparing the Guo Family instead of using them to establish authority, and Lin Bai admitted that his decision had been a mistake.
• The Palace Master assigned Elder Shen Yuan to handle the remaining trouble in Yunhe Thousand Provinces and ordered him and Lin Bai to address rebellions in the other territories.
• Lin Bai proposed demanding ransom for captured Demon Subjugation Alliance martial artists or placing Slave Seals on them for the Devil Palace's use, and Elder Shi Renshan agreed to oversee the plan.

Lin Bai yielded authority over the Yunhe Thousand Provinces to Elder Shen Yuan and lent him the Dragon Protector Guard, while remaining aboard the Night King as it reached the Guo Family’s Alliance Army. At the command camp, Elder Shen Yuan took charge and demanded to know how soon the rebels could be captured.

• Elder Shen Yuan told Lin Bai that he supported his plan but would take over the Yunhe Thousand Provinces under the Palace Master's order, and Lin Bai agreed to obey his authority.
• Lin Bai placed the Dragon Protector Guard under Elder Shen Yuan's command, while Old Wen warned that spies from the Demon Subjugation Alliance might be among them.
• The Night King followed the Yunhe downstream, and Lin Bai saw spies alert the Guo Family and Alliance Army before the Guo Family Head arrived to welcome the Devil Palace's envoy.
• Elder Shen Yuan ordered the Night King toward the Alliance Army's camp, while Lin Bai stayed on the terrace and reflected on the enormous forces fighting along the regional borders.
• The Guo Family Ancestor invited Lin Bai and Elder Shen Yuan to the central command camp, but Lin Bai stayed aboard the Night King as Elder Shen Yuan went in his place.
• Elder Shen Yuan took the principal seat in the command camp and asked how long the Guo Family would need to capture the rebels across the river.

Elder Shen Yuan rejected negotiations with the Nine Sects and Seventy-Two Clans, killed the Heavenly Dao Sect Master, and ordered the Devil Palace’s forces to crush the rebels. The Dragon Protector Guard launched its assault across the Yunhe River, leaving the conflict underway.

• The Guo Family Ancestor told Elder Shen Yuan that the Guo Family had reclaimed territory but could not quickly defeat the Nine Sects and Seventy-Two Clans.
• Elder Shen Yuan announced he would meet the rebels at dawn, while Lin Bai predicted the gathering would not lead to genuine negotiations.
• Elder Shen Yuan met the Nine Sects and Seventy-Two Clans on the Yunhe River and demanded they disband their armies within three days.
• When the Heavenly Dao Sect Master refused to cease hostilities, Elder Shen Yuan killed him by collapsing the space around him.
• Elder Shen Yuan ordered the Dragon Protector Guard to wipe out the rebel armies south of the Yunhe River, and its martial artists charged across the river.

Elder Shen Yuan led the Dragon Protector Guard and the Guo Family in crushing the resistance across the Yunhe Thousand Provinces, massacring clans and sects indiscriminately. Lin Bai questioned the slaughter, and Old Wen explained that Shen Yuan’s long life and accumulated losses had left him half-mad.

• Old Wen watched with Lin Bai and Dao Child Yu You as Elder Shen Yuan took command and ordered the Dragon Protector Guard to attack the Nine Sects and Seventy-Two Clans.
• Elder Shen Yuan broke the opposing forces’ defenses, while the Guo Family Ancestor ordered the Guo Family and the Alliance Army to advance and reclaim territory.
• Elder Shen Yuan condemned the Liu Family of Blue Province and ordered the Dragon Protector Guard to annihilate it, killing hundreds of thousands of its martial artists.
• Elder Shen Yuan continued destroying clans and sects across the South Bank, prompting Lin Bai to ask Old Wen whether the slaughter was truly necessary.
• Old Wen explained that Elder Shen Yuan had cultivated for more than 9,700 years, outlived nearly all his loved ones, and had become half-mad.

Lin Bai arranged for the Deep Probe Guard to spread contrasting accounts of the Devil Palace’s purge of the Yunhe Thousand Provinces, using public assurances of mercy and secret reports of slaughter to deter rebellion. As Elder Shen Yuan reached the Heavenly Dao Sect, his bloodlust intensified, and the chapter ended with him killing a Dragon Protector Guard martial artist before Lin Bai intervened.

• Lin Bai told Old Wen to publicize that the Devil Palace had executed only treasonous leaders while secretly spreading word that Elder Shen Yuan had slaughtered across three hundred provinces.
• The Deep Probe Guard spread both accounts throughout the Devil Palace’s territory as Lin Bai received information about other rebellious provinces and prefectures.
• The Heavenly Dao Sect fortified its mountain gate and prepared for Elder Shen Yuan’s approaching forces, while some members fled or were sent away as seeds for the sect’s revival.
• At the Heavenly Dao Sect, Elder Shen Yuan announced the coming battle would be his last in the Yunhe Thousand Provinces and that command would return to Lin Bai afterward.
• When a young Dragon Protector Guard martial artist praised following Elder Shen Yuan, Shen Yuan seized him, destroyed his body, and prepared to crush his soul before Lin Bai objected.

Lin Bai oversaw the destruction of the Heaven Dao Sect, ending the rebellion in the Yunhe Thousand Provinces, and ordered Elder He Gongwu to secure the region and manage its people’s view of the Devil Palace. As Elder Shen Yuan withdrew to recover from his growing instability, Lin Bai prepared to report to the Devil Palace and await the next plan.

• Elder Shen Yuan crushed a Dragon Protector Guard martial artist’s body, and Lin Bai had Old Wen bring the survivor’s soul back to the Night King for restoration.
• Old Wen explained to Lin Bai that powerful martial artists could lose their humanity and stability, and that personal bonds and hope helped anchor them to the world.
• Elder Shen Yuan and the Dragon Protector Guard destroyed the Heaven Dao Sect in half a day, ending the rebellion at the cost of more than a million lives.
• Lin Bai ordered Elder He Gongwu to take control of the Yunhe Thousand Provinces, suppress remaining rebels, and calm hostility toward the Devil Palace, warning that the He Family would be responsible for future unrest.
• Elder Shen Yuan returned to the Night King and entered secluded cultivation to regulate his condition, while Lin Bai ordered Old Wen to prepare a voice transmission chamber to contact the Devil Palace.

Lin Bai reported the aftermath of the Yunhe Thousand Provinces purge and learned that local rebellions were often bargaining tactics driven by excessive tribute demands and tolerated by powerful rulers. He then discussed the stalemate with the Northern Region, but the ancient powers were occupied, and the Devil Palace could sustain its border forces for only a year or two.

• Lin Bai told the Palace Master and the elders that Elder Shen Yuan had destroyed the nine great sects and their allies across three hundred provincial boundaries, and learned that Shen Yuan was in a half-mad state.
• Li Guxian explained that provincial rulers and sects inflated tribute demands, prompting minor powers to rebel and seek lower taxes, while the Devil Palace generally protected powerful interests to prevent larger uprisings.
• Lin Bai asked why the three ancient powers had not mediated the Northern Region invasion, and the Palace Master said they and most Great Mystic Art Users were occupied with a dangerous situation involving those who had entered the Devil Realm.
• Li Guxian said the border conflict had become a war of attrition, and Shi Renshan estimated that the Devil Palace could maintain its forces for only one or two years because of their immense daily costs.

Lin Bai discussed the need to restore taxes across the Devil Palace’s territory to sustain the border war and planned to move from Yunhe Thousand Provinces to Yaotai Thousand Provinces to suppress further rebellions. The Palace Master then revealed that the Qi Tian Sect’s defeat was certain, and Chu and the Devil Palace would prioritize the Northern Region before trying to reclaim its territory.

• Saint Elder Shi Renshan and Goddess Li Guxian told Lin Bai that the border war depended on support and tax revenue from the Devil Palace’s territory.
• Lin Bai said he would leave Yunhe Thousand Provinces after the He Family took over and proceed to Yaotai Thousand Provinces, then Nine Immortals Thousand Provinces and other territories.
• The Palace Master told Lin Bai to suppress rebellions in wealthy thousand-province territories and arrange for Shen Yunfan to prepare for his arrival in Yaotai Thousand Provinces.
• The Palace Master revealed that the Qi Tian Sect was certain to be defeated because the Burial Sky Smoke remained unresolved and the sect had exhausted its strength.
• The Palace Master said Chu and the Devil Palace would focus on the Northern Region first, then seek to reclaim the Qi Tian Sect’s territory, while the weakened Qi Tian Sect would likely survive with a small territory.

Lin Bai learned that Ten Thousand Saints Mountain had repelled the Western Region’s invasion, then summoned the He and Guo Families to set terms for the Yunhe Thousand Provinces before leaving. He forced the Guo Family to choose between sending its experts to the border or surrendering most of its wealth and sending its strongest fighters.

• Palace Master told Lin Bai that Ten Thousand Saints Mountain had driven back the Western Region’s army with ten Supreme Dao Fruit realm martial artists and ten Supreme Divine Weapons, and explained how it had kept the Western Region divided.
• Lin Bai and the others discussed who might be behind the simultaneous invasions, while Goddess Li Guxian suggested Ten Thousand Saints Mountain would not expose the truth even if it discovered it.
• Lin Bai learned that Elder He Gongwu planned to move the He Family’s ancestral grounds to the South Bank, then summoned He Gongwu and the Guo Family’s leaders aboard the Night King.
• Lin Bai reaffirmed that the Yunhe Thousand Provinces belonged to the He Family and reminded the Guo Family that it had failed to subdue the Nine Sects and Seventy-Two Clans.
• Lin Bai offered the Guo Family two choices: send all members above the Dao realm to the border, or surrender two-thirds of its foundations and send all members above the Grand Luo Dao Fruit realm.
• The Guo Family’s Ancestor chose the second option, agreeing to take two-thirds of the family’s foundations and its strongest martial artists to serve under Goddess Li Guxian, while Lin Bai warned him against deception.

Lin Bai secured the He Family’s resources and taxes for the Devil Palace’s frontier war before secretly leaving the Yunhe Thousand Provinces for the Yaotai Thousand Provinces. He arrived in Star Moon City to meet Shen Yunfan, where a Devil Palace spy recognized him at a tavern.

• Lin Bai ordered the Guo Family to surrender two-thirds of its foundation and send Grand Luo Dao Fruit Realm experts to the frontier under Goddess Li Guxian.
• Lin Bai told Elder He Gongwu to send the spoils from the South Bank and all taxes from the Yunhe Thousand Provinces to the Devil Palace within one month.
• Lin Bai secretly departed the Yunhe Thousand Provinces aboard the Night King and traveled to the Yaotai Thousand Provinces.
• Old Wen told Lin Bai that Shen Yunfan had arrived in Star Moon City five days earlier and was waiting for him.
• Lin Bai entered Star Moon City with Old Wen, Dao Child Yu You, and a small visible escort, while other martial artists followed in secret.
• A tavern keeper revealed himself as a Devil Palace spy and recognized Lin Bai, who noted that his concealed arrival had also evaded the Demon Subjugation Alliance’s spies.

Lin Bai met Shen Yunfan at the Cloud Immortal Tavern and reviewed the rebellion and political balance in the Yaotai Thousand Provinces. As Star Palace sent gifts to Lin Bai despite the Devil Palace spies failing to detect his arrival, he suspected Star Palace had extensive local intelligence.

• Lin Bai arrived at the Cloud Immortal Tavern in secret and reunited with Shen Yunfan, who had been waiting for him.
• Shen Yunfan reported that rebels were concentrated in the Thirty-Seven Southwestern Provinces and Northeast Seventy-Two Provinces, while Star Palace and the Duanmu Family had repeatedly suppressed them.
• Shen Yunfan explained that Star Palace resented the Devil Palace's decision to enfeoff the Yaotai Thousand Provinces to the Duanmu Family but wanted a chance to meet Lin Bai.
• Lin Bai decided to meet Star Palace's leader and learned that its strength included a late-stage Chaos Dao Fruit martial artist and possibly three Half-Step Supreme Dao Fruit experts.
• Lin Bai told Shen Yunfan that the Palace Master had chosen Duanmu Peng, Lei Qin, and Luo Yuanjing as Great Mystic Art Users and promised that he would choose people of his own.
• The tavern proprietor reported that Star Palace had sent gifts for Lin Bai, and Lin Bai remarked that the sect's local intelligence was impressive.

Lin Bai met Liu Hua, the Master of the Star Palace, who presented him with the heads of twenty-eight rebel leaders and said the Star Palace had largely crushed the uprising in Southwest Thirty-Seven Provinces. Liu Hua promised to eliminate the rebels in Northeast Seventy-Two Provinces within three months, then revealed evidence linking the Demon Subjugation Alliance to the unrest, leaving Lin Bai wary of both the alliance and Liu Hua’s political skill.

• Lin Bai agreed to receive the Star Palace delegation and sent word for the Duanmu Family to meet him in Star Moon City.
• Liu Hua introduced himself as the Master of the Star Palace and exchanged formal courtesies with Lin Bai.
• Liu Hua opened an iron chest containing the heads of twenty-eight rebel leaders and said the Star Palace had crushed most of the rebellion in Southwest Thirty-Seven Provinces.
• Liu Hua explained that rebel survivors had fled beyond the Star Palace’s reach and promised to destroy the forces in Northeast Seventy-Two Provinces within three months.
• Lin Bai asked why rebellion had arisen under the Star Palace’s rule, and Liu Hua named the Demon Subjugation Alliance as a suspected instigator.
• Liu Hua said Star Palace forces had fought Demon Subjugation Alliance martial artists and heard rebel leaders blame the alliance, while acknowledging that the claims were not fully verified.

At Star Moon City, the Star Palace Master explained that Star Palace had crushed the Southwest Thirty-Seven Provinces rebels and claimed a centuries-old connection to Devil Palace through its founder, prompting Lin Bai to reconsider granting the Yaotai Thousand Provinces to the Duanmu Family. Lin Bai summoned the Duanmu Family and weighed how to handle the competing claims without alienating either side.

• The Star Palace Master told Lin Bai that Star Palace had eradicated the Southwest Thirty-Seven Provinces rebels and uncovered the Demon Subjugation Alliance's involvement.
• The Star Palace Master showed Lin Bai a portrait identifying Yuan Canglang as Star Palace's founder and a Dao Child of Devil Palace, then described Star Palace's secret support for Devil Palace.
• Old Wen helped Lin Bai end the discussion by explaining that Lin Bai was injured and needed rest; after the Star Palace Master left, Old Wen cautioned that the claimed ancestral connection might not be verifiable.
• Lin Bai regretted granting the Yaotai Thousand Provinces to the Duanmu Family before learning of Star Palace's history, and ordered Shen Yunfan to bring the Duanmu Family's warriors to Star Moon City within three days.
• Lin Bai considered how to balance Star Palace's service and claim to its ancestral territory against the Duanmu Family's powerful standing.

Lin Bai confronted Duanmu Hong over the Duanmu Family’s response to the rebellions in the Yaotai Thousand Provinces, then devised a way to shift responsibility for resolving them. He summoned the Devil Palace Palace Master and Saint Elder Duanmu Peng and ordered an investigation into whether the Star Palace had aided the Devil Palace.

• Duanmu Hong arrived to meet Lin Bai, scolded Dao Child Yu You, and offered to replace her with Duanmu Family attendants.
• Lin Bai pressed Duanmu Hong about the rebellions, but she dismissed the rebels and said the Duanmu Family would handle them without his help.
• Duanmu Hong left to deal with the Northeast Seventy-Two Provinces, and Lin Bai realized her behavior gave him a way to pass responsibility to someone else.
• Lin Bai ordered Old Wen to prepare a voice transmission and invite the Palace Master and Saint Elder Duanmu Peng, and he sent spies to investigate the Star Palace’s past support for the Devil Palace.
• Lin Bai returned to the Night King and joined the voice transmission meeting, where the Palace Master asked whether he had come to hurry him about the swords.

Lin Bai confronted Saint Elder Duanmu Peng about Elder Duanmu Hong’s conduct in the Yaotai Thousand Provinces, but Duanmu Peng deflected the complaint and the Palace Master ended the meeting. The Palace Master later explained that both the Duanmu Family and the Star Palace posed political risks, leaving Lin Bai to resolve the province’s troubles while balancing their interests.

• Lin Bai told Saint Elder Duanmu Peng that Elder Duanmu Hong had dismissed his involvement in the Yaotai Thousand Provinces and proposed leaving the province in the Duanmu Family’s hands.
• The Palace Master asked Duanmu Peng whether Duanmu Hong could manage the province, and Duanmu Peng defended the Duanmu Family while apologizing for her temperament and promising to send senior members to discipline her.
• After the meeting ended, Lin Bai complained that the Star Palace and Duanmu Family made the Yaotai Thousand Provinces difficult to handle, and the Palace Master admitted he had failed to tell Lin Bai that the Star Palace had aided the Devil Palace.
• The Palace Master explained that the Duanmu Family had a vast network of registered and secret martial artists and warned that it could become too powerful.
• The Palace Master told Lin Bai that the Star Palace had slipped beyond the Devil Palace’s control and might have influenced the rebellion, while Lin Bai realized he needed to manage both factions carefully.

Lin Bai uncovered why the Star Palace had stirred up rebellion in the Yaotai Thousand Provinces, then learned that Great Mystic Art Users from other realms were secretly fueling conflict across the Devil Realm. The Palace Master explained the Northern Region border stalemate and tasked Lin Bai with stabilizing the Devil Palace’s territories without provoking rebellion.

• Lin Bai deduced that the Star Palace had encouraged unrest to bring him or another Devil Palace authority to the Yaotai Thousand Provinces and secure a meeting.
• The Palace Master warned Lin Bai to handle the Star Palace, the Duanmu Family, and their competing interests carefully, and Lin Bai declined to ask Goddess Li Guxian for help.
• The Palace Master revealed that Great Mystic Art Users from the Spirit Realm, Netherworld, and Demon Realm were interfering throughout the Devil Realm, keeping the Three Ancient Forces occupied.
• The Palace Master explained that the Chu Kingdom had rejected a massacre of Northern Region forces, while negotiations over land and resources had stalled into a war of attrition.
• The Palace Master ordered Lin Bai to resolve territorial affairs, restore tax collection, and curb powerful thousand-province rulers without driving them into rebellion.

After learning that the Star Palace had helped Phoenix Valley and the Pure Yang Sect with resources, Lin Bai struggled to decide whether to punish the Star Palace after granting its ancestral lands to the Duanmu Family. He went to Nine Heavens Tower to clear his head, where a Star Palace Elder arrived and began arranging to serve him.

• Lin Bai realized the Palace Master had supported his land grants to use him against powerful Devil Palace lineages.
• Reports from Phoenix Valley and the Pure Yang Sect confirmed that the Star Palace had sent them resources while assisting the Devil Palace's resurgence, leaving unclear whether it knew of their planned rebellion.
• Lin Bai refused the Star Palace's banquet invitation and asked Shen Yunfan how to resolve the conflict between the Star Palace and the Duanmu Family, but Shen Yunfan had no solution.
• Shen Yunfan led Lin Bai, Old Wen, Dao Child Yu You, and their guards to Nine Heavens Tower to try its famous wine.
• A Star Palace Elder arrived at the tavern, ordered the manager to give Lin Bai the best service at the Star Palace's expense, and told him to report the encounter to the Palace Master.

Lin Bai studied maps of Yaotai Thousand Provinces and its neighbors while considering how to address the Devil Palace’s troubles. He ordered Shen Yunfan to obtain detailed resource intelligence within three days, then agreed to receive the Star Palace Master, who had come to meet him.

• At Nine Heavens Tower, Shen Yunfan cut the Hundred Flower Cake incorrectly, and Lin Bai tasted its honey before turning his attention to maps of Yaotai Thousand Provinces.
• The proprietor told the Star Palace elder that Lin Bai and his companions were studying a map, and the elder ordered him to provide anything they wanted.
• Lin Bai asked Shen Yunfan about resources in Yaotai Thousand Provinces and the surrounding regions, then ordered the Deep Probe Guard to investigate them within three days.
• Lin Bai told Old Wen that favorable intelligence might let him eliminate two of the Devil Palace’s greatest troubles, then sampled the Nine Heavens Immortal Dew with his companions.
• When the Star Palace Master requested an audience, Lin Bai agreed to receive him rather than slight Star Palace.

Lin Bai met with the Star Palace Master, who explained how the Star Palace had lost much of Yaotai Thousand Provinces and asked him to reconsider the Devil Palace assigning it to the Duanmu Family. The chapter ended with Lin Bai listening without revealing his position.

• Lin Bai welcomed the Star Palace Master and his younger martial artists to a banquet at Nine Heavens Tower.
• The Star Palace Master introduced the younger generation, who addressed Lin Bai as their Senior Brother and hoped the Star Palace could return under the Devil Palace's command.
• Lin Bai asked about Yaotai Thousand Provinces, and the Star Palace Master explained that the Star Palace once controlled over seventeen hundred provincial realms during its Golden Generation.
• The Star Palace Master said neighboring powers had taken territory as the Star Palace declined, while the Star Palace retained Yaotai's most fertile southeastern lands.
• The Star Palace Master asked Lin Bai to consider the Star Palace's ancestral claim after the Devil Palace assigned Yaotai Thousand Provinces to the Duanmu Family.

Lin Bai realized that the Palace Lord was using the Yaotai Thousand Provinces rebellion to curb powerful local clans and avoid letting the Duanmu Family grow too strong. He promised the Star Palace an answer within seven days and ordered it to gather intelligence on the Demon Subjugation Alliance, while the Star Palace Master guessed that Lin Bai might be offering the Star Palace an opportunity.

• Lin Bai concluded that the Star Palace and other wealthy rulers of the Thousand Provinces posed threats to the Demon Palace, and decided not to give Yaotai Thousand Provinces outright to either the Duanmu Family or the Star Palace.
• Lin Bai told the Star Palace Master he would return within seven days with a final explanation and ordered the Star Palace to compile all intelligence on the Demon Subjugation Alliance in Yaotai Thousand Provinces and the surrounding regions.
• After leaving Nine Heavens Tower, the Star Palace Master explained to his juniors that Lin Bai had avoided making a definite promise so he would retain room to maneuver.
• The Star Palace Master reasoned that the Palace Lord had backed Lin Bai's allocation of Yaotai Thousand Provinces to weaken the Star Palace, but Lin Bai's request for intelligence might also give it an opportunity.
• The Star Palace Master ordered the Star Palace to search Yaotai Thousand Provinces for the Demon Subjugation Alliance, while the juniors discussed Lin Bai's connections to Princess Chenxian and Chu Tinghan.

Lin Bai used Star Palace’s investigation of the Demon Subjugation Alliance to set a trap involving the four neighboring provinces. He left the next move to those provinces, with Palace Master authorizing him to handle the matter as Emperor Child.

• Old Wen explained that Lin Bai’s order for Star Palace to investigate the alliance in neighboring provinces gave Lin Bai a chance to expose or suppress Star Palace if it abused the investigation.
• Shen Yunfan brought Lin Bai maps showing that Yaotai Thousand Provinces was smaller than its four neighbors but far richer, and Lin Bai concluded Star Palace had protected its most valuable territory.
• Palace Master of Star Palace presented a list of suspected Demon Subjugation Alliance members, and Lin Bai sent copies to the rulers of Shuiyun Thousand Provinces, Wannian Thousand Provinces, Chang'an Thousand Provinces, and Yongqing Thousand Provinces for investigation.
• Lin Bai told Shen Yunfan to make the matter public and warned the four rulers that Devil Palace would act if they failed to respond quickly.
• Old Wen contacted Palace Master, who understood that Lin Bai wanted advance notice in case events went awry and told him to let Lin Bai handle the matter.

Lin Bai explained to Old Wen that Star Palace’s Demon Subjugation Alliance list would draw the neighboring rulers to Yaotai Thousand Provinces, where their reactions could spark conflict. The head of the Zhou Family arrived to claim Star Palace had falsely accused families in his territory, and Lin Bai ended the audience by angrily denouncing Star Palace.

• Lin Bai told Old Wen that the rulers of the four neighboring thousand provinces would come to challenge Star Palace’s list, and said he had alerted the Palace Master because violence could follow.
• Old Wen explained why Duanmu Hong struggled to suppress rebels in Yaotai Thousand Provinces and described natural formations, barriers, and dangerous regions.
• Dao Child Yu You announced the head of the Zhou Family’s arrival, and Lin Bai predicted the other neighboring rulers would soon gather at the Cloud Immortal Tavern.
• The head of the Zhou Family secretly met Lin Bai and said Star Palace’s list wrongly implicated families and martial artists from the Chang'an Thousand Provinces.
• Lin Bai pretended to be outraged and condemned Star Palace for betraying his trust.

Lin Bai questioned the Zhou Family Head and the Heaven Sword Sect's sect master about Star Palace's investigation into the Demon Subjugation Alliance, while learning that the rulers of several neighboring Thousand Provinces opposed the inquiry. The rulers of Chang'an Thousand Provinces and Yongqing Thousand Provinces arrived to join the meeting, leaving Lin Bai convinced that the four provinces had coordinated to pressure him.

• The Zhou Family Head described Star Palace as powerful and oppressive, and Lin Bai kept him there after learning the Heaven Sword Sect's sect master had come to see him.
• The Heaven Sword Sect's sect master arrived and challenged Star Palace's list of suspected Demon Subjugation Alliance members, which included families and sects from Wannian Thousand Provinces.
• Lin Bai confirmed that Star Palace had submitted the list and argued that the investigation was necessary because the Heaven Sword Sect's sect master could not guarantee his province was free of alliance members.
• Dao Child Yu You announced that the Li Family Head of Chang'an Thousand Provinces and the island master of Qinghe Island in Yongqing Thousand Provinces had requested an audience.
• Lin Bai accused the rulers of four Thousand Provinces of coordinating to force his hand, though the Zhou Family Head denied that they had planned the visit together.

Lin Bai met with the Li Family Head and Wang Qingqing, then revealed a list accusing frontier territories of colluding with the Demon Subjugation Alliance. After the rulers condemned the accusations, Lin Bai proposed that the Star Palace investigate their territories while they investigated the Yaotai Thousand Provinces.

• The Li Family Head and Wang Qingqing met Lin Bai, and the four regional rulers gathered around his table.
• Lin Bai showed them the Star Palace's list, which named many important frontier strongholds across neighboring regions.
• The rulers called the list a false accusation intended to seize strategic territory, while Lin Bai pretended to share their suspicion.
• Lin Bai insisted that the allegations still had to be investigated and pointed out that the list largely omitted the Yaotai Thousand Provinces.
• Lin Bai proposed that the Star Palace investigate the rulers' territories while they investigated the Yaotai Thousand Provinces.