Chapter Summaries

The Night Emperor’s forces purged the hidden agents of the Imperial General and the Right Prime Minister’s Residence across Badlands Prefecture. After learning his agents had been killed and his control over the prefecture lost, the Imperial General marched there with ten thousand troops.

• Assassination Hall martial artists killed Ning Sang and other agents in Badlands Prefecture, while Benevolence Hall arranged for Ning Sang’s family to leave the divine capital.
• Assassins killed a Sword Alliance traitor and a Right Prime Minister’s Residence agent as the purge spread through the prefecture.
• A frightened agent asked Su Xiaotian how to escape, but Su returned his spirit crystals and said there was no need to run; an assassin killed the man and stayed to guard Su.
• Su Xiaotian agreed to remain silent for the night while the assassin concealed himself nearby.
• The Imperial General learned that his hidden agents had been purged and that he had lost control of Badlands Prefecture.
• The Imperial General ordered an army of ten thousand to march to Badlands Prefecture under the pretext of suppressing the remnants of Sword Lake.

Lin Bai consolidated the Sword Alliance’s control of Badlands Prefecture and prepared to confront the Imperial General’s ten-thousand-man army. He lured the general and his troops into a fog-covered ambush, ordering his allies to capture the general alive.

• Quan Guang summoned the Hanging Sword Bureau on behalf of the Right Prime Minister’s Residence after learning the Sword Alliance opposed it.
• Lin Bai received word that the Imperial General was approaching Badlands Prefecture with ten thousand troops and ordered the Sword Alliance to prepare.
• Lin Bai sent Hua Meiren to recall Liu Dao and Ye Liang, and told Si Ce to arrange to become Prefectural Assistant.
• Lin Bai confronted the Imperial General at the edge of Badlands Prefecture and told him the Black Alliance was finished and no Sword Lake remnants were there.
• The Imperial General led his troops into the fog despite Lin Bai’s warning, and Lin Bai ordered White Crane’s forces to attack and take the general alive.

Lin Bai used mist and Yi Ersan’s disguises to split the Imperial General’s army into ambushes, then called Daoist Tianxin to confront Pang Bai. Tianxin revealed that Pang Bai had slaughtered their temple and argued that their master had altered the heavens to help Pang Bai, leaving Pang Bai in disbelief.

• Lin Bai ordered Yi Ersan to infiltrate the Imperial General’s formation and lead soldiers into alleys where Sword Alliance warriors ambushed them.
• Pang Bai exhaled a gale to disperse the mist, but Daoist Tianxin restored it with the Grand Heaven Cloud Mist Art.
• Daoist Tianxin confronted Pang Bai and accused him of slaughtering their temple to curry favor with the Imperial General.
• Pang Bai said the temple had been destroyed for harboring rebellious intentions and claimed he had spared Tianxin’s life.
• Daoist Tianxin said their master had altered the celestial phenomena to help Pang Bai prosper, and Pang Bai screamed that it was impossible.

Daoist Tianxin confronted Pang Bai over their master's fate-changing spell, while Lin Bai led the Sword Alliance in defeating the Imperial General’s army in the mist. The Imperial General fled, only to find Drunken Monk, Liu Dao, Hua Meiren, and Yi Ersan waiting to block his escape.

• Daoist Tianxin told Pang Bai that their master had used the Great Mystic Art to place Pang Bai’s star beside the Ziwei Emperor Star, but Pang Bai rejected his claims and attacked him.
• Lin Bai ordered White Crane to send the Sword Alliance’s hidden martial artists into the mist, where they overwhelmed the weakened soldiers.
• Yi Ersan, disguised as a soldier, tricked the Imperial General into fleeing with the First Regiment and Second Regiment, then reported the escape to Lin Bai.
• Lin Bai had Pigeon Hall announce that the Imperial General had abandoned his troops, prompting many of the remaining soldiers to surrender.
• The Imperial General escaped the mist and vowed to return with a hundred thousand troops, but Drunken Monk, Liu Dao, Hua Meiren, and Yi Ersan confronted him in the street.

The Sword Alliance defeated the Imperial General’s forces in Badlands Prefecture, captured Hua Zu, and took control of the prefecture. Lin Bai arranged for Hua Zu and the Prefectural Assistant to meet in Son of Heaven Palace, where Ye Qingxue appeared before them.

• The Imperial General threatened revenge, but Lin Bai ordered the Sword Alliance to kill everyone except him and captured him alive.
• By dawn, the Sword Alliance had killed three thousand enemy soldiers, received the surrender of seven thousand, and Daoist Tianxin avenged his fellow disciples by killing Pang Bai.
• Lin Bai declared Badlands Prefecture under the Sword Alliance’s control, ordered rewards for the fighters, and told White Crane to reopen the alliance’s businesses.
• That night, Hua Zu awoke in a tavern in Son of Heaven Palace and discovered the Prefectural Assistant there, then mistook their location for Badlands Prefecture.
• When Hua Zu and the Prefectural Assistant tried to leave, Ye Qingxue appeared and greeted them.

Ye Qingxue staged a conversation with the Imperial General and the Prefectural Assistant of Badlands Prefecture, pretending they had helped Sword Lake plot against Bai Xiao. Bai Xiao overheard the exchange as the Imperial General tried to use Ye Qingxue to gather Sword Lake’s remnants, leaving the General’s fate sealed in her eyes.

• Bai Xiao and Si Ce arrived at the restaurant and stopped outside the private room where Ye Qingxue met the Imperial General and the Prefectural Assistant of Badlands Prefecture.
• Ye Qingxue claimed the officials had helped Sword Lake’s failed attempt to assassinate Bai Xiao and asked them to arrange another attack.
• Bai Xiao overheard Ye Qingxue accuse the officials of betraying him, while the Imperial General questioned why Sword Lake had targeted him.
• Ye Qingxue explained that Sword Lake wanted to strike at Grand Tutor Bai Ye through his son and claimed more than three hundred Sword Lake martial artists remained in Divine Capital.
• The Imperial General told Ye Qingxue to gather the remnants and wait for his instructions, planning to capture them all, while Ye Qingxue saw his words as sealing his death sentence.

Si Ce’s plan exposed the Imperial General and the Prefectural Assistant of Badlands Prefecture to Bai Xiao as conspirators, while Ye Qingxue escaped. Si Ce later revealed that Lin Bai had arranged the operation, leaving the two officials facing severe punishment.

• Bai Xiao overheard Ye Qingxue and the Imperial General discussing a plot against him, then confronted them with the Prefectural Assistant of Badlands Prefecture present.
• Ye Qingxue attacked Bai Xiao, but a ninth-level Apex Realm elder wounded her and drove her out the window before pursuing her.
• Bai Xiao left to report to the Crown Prince, while Si Ce blocked the Imperial General and the Prefectural Assistant and left them to realize they had fallen into a Sword Alliance trap.
• The elder returned without capturing Ye Qingxue, who had escaped with help from several dozen experts.
• Si Ce met Ye Qingxue that night and explained that the Night Emperor had arranged the Sword Alliance’s aid and the scheme against the Imperial General and the Prefectural Assistant.

Lin Bai’s plan led to the arrest and execution of Imperial General Hua Zu and the death of the Prefectural Assistant of Badlands Prefecture. The Sword Alliance seized treasures from Hua Zu’s residence, and Si Ce took office as the new Prefectural Assistant.

• Si Ce told Ye Qingxue that Bai Xiao had alerted the Crown Prince, prompting the Hanging Sword Bureau to arrest Hua Zu and pursue the Prefectural Assistant.
• Lin Bai approved the Sword Alliance’s rewards for its fighters, ordered captured soldiers released, and quietly gave White Crane further instructions.
• The Hanging Sword Bureau arrested Hua Zu and killed the resisting Prefectural Assistant; five days later, Hua Zu was sentenced to death and executed the following day.
• Yi Ersan revealed that he had emptied Hua Zu’s treasury, and Lin Bai took eight thousand Immortal Azure Pills while assigning the rest to the Twelve Crows.
• Lin Bai dismissed concerns about the Right Prime Minister’s Residence and predicted that Si Ce would become the next Prefectural Assistant.
• Si Ce took office as the new Prefectural Assistant of Badlands Prefecture after Lin Bai returned to the Dragon Court.

Lin Bai arranged for Cold Sword to avenge his sister by killing the Prefectural Assistant of Badlands Prefecture, then returned to Dragon Phoenix Estate and advanced to the seventh level of the Apex Realm. With the Dragon Court Phoenix Pavilion tournament approaching, Lin Bai visited Dong Dian and was met with Tang Shu’s mockery.

• Lin Bai thanked Cold Sword for killing the Prefectural Assistant of Badlands Prefecture and told him to watch over the Sword Alliance while he was away.
• Cold Sword had taken his revenge for his younger sister, whom the Prefectural Assistant had abducted and whose corpse he later found in Flower River.
• Lin Bai used eight thousand Immortal Azure Pills to reach the seventh level of the Apex Realm, then practiced the Purgatory Seventy-Two Kills and other sword techniques.
• Lin Bai recalled that placing in the tournament’s top ten would let him enter the Heavenly Surveillance Bureau and seek information about his parents and Black Hell.
• Lin Bai visited Dong Dian at Swordless Mountain, where Tang Shu sarcastically suggested Lin Bai was not talented enough to watch his and Liu En’s sparring.

Lin Bai clashed with Tang Shu after Tang Shu mocked his swordsmanship, and challenged Dong Dian to guide him in the Purgatory Seventy-Two Kills. Dong Dian discovered Lin Bai had already reached minor mastery and agreed to let him spar with Tang Shu, who would suppress his cultivation to Lin Bai’s level.

• Tang Shu mocked Lin Bai for lacking talent, and Lin Bai retorted by calling Tang Shu a clown and criticizing the instructors’ failures against the Divine Capital Sword Saint’s disciple.
• Tang Shu’s anger flared as his sword intent surged toward Lin Bai, but Lin Bai warned him not to bring humiliation upon himself and revealed his own murderous aura.
• Dong Dian recognized that Lin Bai had cultivated the Purgatory Seventy-Two Kills to minor mastery, astonishing Mo Ling, Liu En, and Tang Shu.
• Tang Shu accused Lin Bai of using an improper method and asked Dong Dian for permission to fight him with his cultivation suppressed.
• Dong Dian permitted the spar and ordered Tang Shu to match Lin Bai’s realm, while Lin Bai warned that Tang Shu might die if he failed to hold back.

Lin Bai and Tang Shu sparred under Dong Dian’s supervision, but Lin Bai’s overwhelming sword technique nearly killed Tang Shu. Dong Dian intercepted the fatal strike by taking Lin Bai’s sword through his shoulder, then praised Lin Bai’s unmatched sword.

• Dong Dian permitted Lin Bai and Tang Shu to spar and promised to prevent either from dying.
• Tang Shu attacked with A Glimpse of a Thousand Years and a succession of sword techniques, but Lin Bai evaded them all.
• Lin Bai unleashed Purgatory Seventy-Two Kills and pierced through Tang Shu’s defenses toward his throat.
• Dong Dian intercepted Lin Bai’s strike and was pierced through the left shoulder instead of Tang Shu.
• Lin Bai withdrew his sword in alarm, and Dong Dian praised his sword technique while asking whether the two were satisfied.

Lin Bai accidentally wounded Dong Dian while stopping Tang Shu from attacking, then discussed a flaw he sensed in Purgatory Seventy-Two Kills with his mentor. Dong Dian explained the Dao Tower’s connection to the Celestial God Tomb, and Lin Bai returned to secluded cultivation ahead of the upcoming martial competition.

• Lin Bai’s sword pierced Dong Dian’s shoulder while Tang Shu hid behind him, and Dong Dian declared the grudge between Lin Bai and Tang Shu settled.
• Lin Bai questioned Dong Dian about an unevenness in Purgatory Seventy-Two Kills, but Dong Dian attributed it to Lin Bai rushing his progress.
• Lin Bai insisted he would enter this year’s martial competition and said he could defeat Gongyang Hao despite being at the seventh level of the Apex Realm.
• Dong Dian told Lin Bai that the Dao Tower offered a chance to obtain qualification to enter the Celestial God Tomb, which could let martial artists leave the Barren Ancient Continent.
• Lin Bai left Swordless Mountain and resumed secluded cultivation at Little Yuan Mountain to prepare for the competition.

As the Dragon Court and Phoenix Pavilion martial competition approached, Prince Rong arrived in the Divine Capital with Mo Wenshen and Wen Jia, who had grown into a fifth-stage Apex Realm expert. At a restaurant, Young Master Qian tried to secure Ji Wu’s support for the Crown Prince by promising him the Ji Family leadership if the Crown Prince took the throne.

• Disciples and prominent lineages returned to the Divine Capital ahead of the martial competition.
• Prince Rong entered the city in a grand procession accompanied by Mo Wenshen and Wen Jia.
• Mo Wenshen praised the Divine Capital and told Wen Jia he would meet its powerful figures and prodigies.
• Ji Wu and Young Master Qian discussed the princes and families withholding support from the Crown Prince.
• Young Master Qian promised Ji Wu the Ji Family leadership if the Crown Prince ascended the throne.

Ji Wu demanded that the Crown Prince secure him a qualification for the Celestial God Tomb before he would pledge his support, leaving Young Master Qian to report the terms. As the Divine Capital filled with visitors ahead of the martial competition, Grand Princess Shui Yunmeng visited Lin Bai to complain about being paraded before potential suitors.

• Ji Wu told Young Master Qian that he would support the Crown Prince if he obtained a Celestial God Tomb qualification, explaining that he needed a way to survive if the Crown Prince lost the succession struggle.
• Young Master Qian agreed to report Ji Wu's demand to the Crown Prince, while Ji Wu warned that the Seventeenth Prince had received the same offer.
• As martial artists arrived in the Divine Capital for the competition, lineages crowded the prestigious residences, and the Sword Alliance prospered in the Badlands Prefecture under Si Ce's relaxed restrictions.
• Grand Princess Shui Yunmeng barged into Lin Bai's palace with wine and complained that her father had been making her meet potential husbands.
• Lin Bai laughed at Shui Yunmeng's frustration until she glared at him with murderous intent.

Lin Bai learned about the favored contestants and political stakes of the Dragon Court and Phoenix Pavilion competition, then went to Dragon Phoenix Pavilion to take part in the preliminary round. He arrived at the arena, where Celestial Fiend Puppets had been set up for the contestants.

• Shui Yunmeng warned Lin Bai that most competitors would be ninth-stage Apex Realm martial artists and showed him Heavenly Treasure Pavilion's list of likely top-ten contestants.
• Shui Yunmeng described the rivalry between Liu En and Gongyang Hao and named other powerful contestants from Dragon Court and Phoenix Pavilion.
• Shui Yunmeng said the competition could affect who would become the Holy Kingdom's future sovereign, and Lin Bai realized it could give the Crown Prince and Seventeenth Prince a chance to contend.
• After five days of cultivation, Lin Bai followed Mo Ling to Dragon Phoenix Pavilion for the preliminary round.
• Lin Bai saw the crowded arena plaza, where Celestial Fiend Puppets stood ready on both sides.

Lin Bai arrived at the Dragon Phoenix Pavilion arena to take the preliminary test against a Celestial Fiend Puppet, where he clashed with Phoenix Pavilion disciple Liu Yuqing. After Liu Yuqing mocked him and the Dragon Court, Lin Bai challenged him to defeat the puppet in fewer moves, and another Phoenix Pavilion disciple intervened as their wager was being set.

• Mo Ling explained that defeating a Celestial Fiend Puppet would qualify Lin Bai for the public competition the next morning.
• Liu Yuqing mocked a Dragon Court disciple who had failed and disparaged the Dragon Court, drawing resentment from its disciples.
• After a Dragon Court disciple failed the test, Lin Bai stepped forward to challenge the Celestial Fiend Puppet.
• Liu Yuqing mocked Lin Bai for being at the seventh level of the Apex Realm, and Lin Bai challenged him to defeat the puppet in fewer moves.
• Liu Yuqing agreed to compete, and another young man called out for Liu Yuqing to accept Lin Bai's wager as the crowd recognized Senior Brother Wen Su.

Lin Bai faced Liu Yuqing’s challenge to defeat the Celestial Fiend Puppet and answered the Phoenix Pavilion’s mockery with a single sword strike. The crowd was left stunned after he split the puppet in two, and he challenged Liu Yuqing’s claim that nine moves was impressive.

• Wen Su arrived and encouraged Liu Yuqing, while Dragon Court disciples berated Lin Bai for representing them.
• Liu Yuqing defeated the Celestial Fiend Puppet in nine moves and challenged Lin Bai to do better.
• A Dragon Court elder secretly told Lin Bai that the puppet’s weak point was three inches beneath its armpit.
• Lin Bai stood still as the puppet attacked, then drew his demon sword and cut it cleanly in half with one strike.
• Lin Bai asked Liu Yuqing whether defeating the puppet in nine moves was really impressive.

Lin Bai passed the preliminary round by destroying the Celestial Fiend Puppet with one sword and learned that his exceptional showing had placed him in the fiercely competitive Dragon Arena. At dawn, he prepared for the tournament and Shui Yunmeng visited him, recognizing that he had qualified.

• Lin Bai cleaved the Celestial Fiend Puppet in two with a single sword, stunning the onlookers and leaving Liu Yuqing speechless.
• Wen Su dismissed Lin Bai’s victory and predicted that he would lose the official tournament, while Lin Bai told him they would meet the next day.
• The elder gave Lin Bai a tournament token marked Dragon Platform Seventy-Seven, and Mo Ling explained that the Dragon Arena held the fiercest competition, including Liu En and Gongyang Hao.
• Lin Bai returned to the Dragon Court, thanked Mo Ling for her help, and rested through the night before the tournament.
• At dawn, Lin Bai dressed in his tournament robe, and Shui Yunmeng visited him and praised his rapid progress and success in qualifying.

Lin Bai and Shui Yunmeng went to Dragon Phoenix Pavilion for the competition, where Lin Bai learned more about the fierce Dragon Arena and met Iron Sword Marquis and other familiar faces. Iron Sword Marquis encouraged him to do his best, while Wude Marquis arrived still resentful over Shui Qiudie’s victory against his son.

• Lin Bai and Shui Yunmeng discussed his rapid progress and learned that he would compete in the notoriously fierce Dragon Arena.
• At Dragon Phoenix Pavilion, Iron Sword Marquis arrived with Shui Qiudie and guards, praised Lin Bai for defeating the Celestial Fiend Puppet, and invited him to sit with them.
• Lin Bai saw that the Dragon Arena was far larger than the other arenas and realized its matches would be especially brutal.
• Iron Sword Marquis reminded Lin Bai that his cultivation was still limited and encouraged him to treat the competition as a chance to gain experience.
• Wude Marquis arrived with his children, including Wu Sheng, and toasted Iron Sword Marquis, but his expression darkened afterward; Shui Yunmeng remarked that he still blamed them for his son’s defeat to Shui Qiudie.

Lin Bai watched the Sacred Kingdom’s powerful figures gather at the Dragon Court Phoenix Pavilion Tournament as Lu Yin warned that the succession struggle was about to intensify. The chapter ended with Lin Bai learning that all eighteen first-grade Army Marquis Estates had independently stationed one hundred thousand troops outside Dragon Phoenix Estate, without receiving orders.

• The Right Prime Minister arrived after the Army Marquises, greeted Iron Sword Marquis and the two princesses, and took his place at the gathering.
• Lu Yin told Lin Bai that the Crown Prince and Seventeenth Prince would use the tournament to recruit support, making the event the opening act of the throne struggle.
• Lu Yin explained that the Sacred Kingdom’s major powers were still neutral, and that their eventual choices could trigger fierce fighting.
• Lu Yin revealed that Iron Sword Marquis Estate and the other first-grade Army Marquis Estates had each sent one hundred thousand elite soldiers to wait outside Dragon Phoenix Estate without orders.