Chapter Summaries

Lin Bai’s relentless attacks failed to break Gongyang Hao’s Azure Lotus, but he pierced it with an ordinary thrust empowered by the Devouring Sword Soul. With his sword halted at Gongyang Hao’s throat, the Crown Prince ordered the duel to continue because Lin Bai had spared him.

• Lin Bai attacked Gongyang Hao’s Hundred Days Verdant Peak, One Zhang Azure Lotus for a quarter hour with Purgatory Seventy-Two Kills but could not break through.
• Gongyang Hao said that neither Dong Dian nor his disciples had ever overcome the defense, while Dong Dian regretted withholding the complete Purgatory Seventy-Two Kills from Lin Bai.
• Lin Bai said he had a master of his own and challenged Gongyang Hao’s confidence in his defense.
• Lin Bai used the Devouring Sword Soul to create a flaw in the Azure Lotus and thrust his sword to within an inch of Gongyang Hao’s throat.
• The spectators, Dong Dian, Tang Shu, and the Divine Capital Sword Saint reacted in shock, while the Crown Prince praised Lin Bai and declared that the battle should continue.

Lin Bai defeated Gongyang Hao and became the Dragon Platform’s number one, earning the Champion Marquis title and a King Grade Spirit Artifact. He rejected the Crown Prince’s marriage decree because he was already married, prompting the Iron Sword Marquis to angrily challenge his refusal.

• Gongyang Hao conceded to Lin Bai, and the Dragon Platform Elder declared Lin Bai the winner and this year’s number one.
• The Crown Prince and Shui Yunmeng confirmed that she would honor her agreement to marry Lin Bai, and the lords approved Lin Bai’s Champion Marquis title.
• The Crown Prince conferred the Champion Marquis title on Lin Bai, promised him a King Grade Spirit Artifact, and upheld the marriage agreement with Shui Yunmeng.
• Lin Bai accepted the title but asked the Crown Prince to withdraw the marriage decree because he was already married.
• The Crown Prince reacted coldly, and the Iron Sword Marquis angrily asked Lin Bai whether he thought Shui Yunmeng was unworthy of him.

Lin Bai refused Crown Prince’s marriage decree with Shui Yunmeng, who also rejected the match, and the decree was withdrawn. After the martial contest ended, Lin Bai was invited to the Badlands Prefecture while Gongyang Hao apologized to his master for losing.

• Iron Sword Marquis confronted Lin Bai for refusing the marriage, but Lin Bai firmly said he would not marry Shui Yunmeng.
• Shui Yunmeng also asked Crown Prince to withdraw the decree, and Iron Sword Marquis accepted her decision in exchange for the Crown Prince’s favor.
• Imperial Advisor invited the ten arena victors to visit the Heaven Surveillance Bureau on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
• After receiving his rewards, Lin Bai left Dragon Phoenix Pavilion with Huang Jinyu, who dragged him to the Badlands Prefecture.
• Gongyang Hao knelt before Divine Capital Sword Saint and apologized for losing, but his master laughed off the defeat.

The Divine Capital Sword Saint comforted Gongyang Hao after Lin Bai defeated him, explaining that his defensive sword technique had flaws and recounting how Lin Duo had once beaten him in three moves. Lin Bai then joined Dragon Court and Phoenix Pavilion martial artists at the Ninefold Immortal Palace, where he avoided revealing how he had broken Gongyang Hao’s defense.

• Gongyang Hao lamented that Lin Bai had broken through the Hundred Days Verdant Peak, One Zhang Azure Lotus, but the Divine Capital Sword Saint told him no sword technique was invincible.
• The Divine Capital Sword Saint revealed that Lin Duo had defeated him in three moves on the Flower River more than twenty years earlier.
• The Divine Capital Sword Saint urged Gongyang Hao to cultivate diligently and left the arena alone.
• Huang Jinyu brought Lin Bai to a gathering of Dragon Court and Phoenix Pavilion martial artists at the Ninefold Immortal Palace in Erotic Moon City.
• Lin Bai answered repeated questions about breaking Gongyang Hao’s defense by saying it had been a matter of luck.

Lin Bai encountered the Divine Capital Sword Saint, Dugu Xinghe, who challenged him in a sealed alley after his victory over Gongyang Hao. Dugu Xinghe exposed flaws in Lin Bai’s Purgatory Seventy-Two Kills and warned him against Dong Dian before leaving, while Lin Bai questioned his past actions against a sword-path genius.

• After leaving the Ninefold Immortal Palace, Lin Bai sensed a watcher in a dark alley and found an old man waiting there.
• The old man sealed off the alley with his power, attacked Lin Bai with an Azure Lotus sword technique, and sent him flying.
• Lin Bai recognized the old man as Dugu Xinghe, the Divine Capital Sword Saint, and accepted his challenge.
• Dugu Xinghe easily broke Lin Bai’s Purgatory Seventy-Two Kills, then revealed that Dong Dian had withheld its true teachings and three killing moves.
• Lin Bai stopped fighting and admitted defeat, and Dugu Xinghe warned him that Dong Dian was a poor teacher before walking away.
• Lin Bai challenged Dugu Xinghe over having struck down a sword-path genius more than twenty years earlier.

Lin Bai learned that Su Jin would be executed in seven days and agreed to investigate and rescue him, suspecting the public announcement was a trap. Su Xiaotian revealed the execution was tied to a succession struggle and could involve the Four Great Princes as well as the Crown Prince or Seventeenth Prince.

• Hua Meiren told Lin Bai that the Hanging Sword Bureau planned to execute Su Jin on the Dragon Slayer Platform in seven days, prompting Lin Bai to go to the Sword Alliance.
• Ye Qingxue begged Lin Bai to save Su Jin, and Lin Bai agreed while noting the execution announcement might be a trap and ordering White Crane to investigate.
• Ye Qingxue told Lin Bai that only seven loyal Sword Lake martial artists remained with her in the Divine Capital.
• Lin Bai summoned Su Xiaotian and asked why Su Jin would be executed now.
• Su Xiaotian said the execution was part of a succession struggle and reminded Lin Bai that the Four Great Princes were also alive.

Lin Bai learned that the Four Great Princes might be testing whether the Sacred Emperor was alive by targeting Su Jin, and he prepared the Sword Alliance for a crisis in seven days. The next morning, he returned to the Dragon Court and went with Mo Ling to meet Instructor Dong Dian, who intended to thank him and send him to the Dao Tower.

• Su Xiaotian explained that the Four Great Princes had spent centuries building power and might use Su Jin's execution to test the Sacred Emperor's condition.
• Lin Bai told White Crane to investigate the Four Great Princes and monitor key figures in the Divine Capital, then ordered him to select one thousand Apex Realm experts for a plan in seven days.
• White Crane said the Sword Alliance's members were eager to act, and Lin Bai warned that the coming operation could cost many of them their lives.
• Lin Bai suspected Prince Rong was behind the move against Su Jin and predicted that the Divine Capital would descend into chaos in seven days.
• The next morning, Mo Ling met Lin Bai at Little Yuan Mountain and took him to see Instructor Dong Dian, who planned to thank him and send him to the Dao Tower.

Lin Bai received Dong Dian’s recommendation to enter Dao Tower and traveled there with Mo Ling after obtaining an entry jade pendant. Dong Dian secretly intended for Lin Bai to retrieve an item that could help him reach the Dao-Seeking Realm, while Lin Bai arrived in Dao Tower’s miniature world.

• Lin Bai visited Dong Dian at Swordless Mountain, where Dong Dian thanked him for defeating Gongyang Hao and gave him a jade slip to enter Dao Tower.
• After Lin Bai and Mo Ling left, Dong Dian told Tang Shu and Liu En that he expected Lin Bai to obtain a valuable item for him and vowed to use it to defeat Dugu Xinghe.
• Mo Ling explained that Dao Tower lay in a miniature world above Dragon Phoenix Estate and that Lin Bai needed a passage token from the administrative office.
• Lin Bai presented Dong Dian’s recommendation at the Sun Palace administrative office and received a jade pendant that allowed him to enter Dao Tower.
• Lin Bai activated the pendant and was transported through a black hole to a verdant valley, where other martial artists were searching for opportunities.

Lin Bai toured the Thousand-Layer Dao Pavilion with Mo Ling, where martial artists studied the insights left in countless caves. They visited Xiao Panlong’s cave, but its Dao Bone remained beyond Lin Bai’s reach because its aura repelled practitioners of a different path.

• Mo Ling explained that the Dao Pavilion held more than seventy thousand caves containing the cultivation insights of powerful martial artists.
• Lin Bai read the insights left by Le Heng and learned that a rare Myriad Saint Dream Bloom had helped him reach the Quasi-Dao Realm.
• Mo Ling brought Lin Bai to Xiao Panlong’s cave and explained that its Dao Bone had helped nine martial artists comprehend Dao Resonance and break through into the Dao Realm.
• Lin Bai tried to enter Xiao Panlong’s cave but was repelled because he and Mo Ling cultivated the sword path while Xiao Panlong had cultivated fist techniques.
• Mo Ling explained that caves repelled martial artists whose Dao Resonance differed from their owners’, and Lin Bai withdrew rather than force his way inside.

Lin Bai visited Sword Immortal Hongnong’s cave dwelling and learned that its four inscrutable murals held a Dao Bone no one had understood. Intrigued, he returned the next morning to study them, while still considering how to save Su Jin from execution.

• Mo Ling led Lin Bai to Sword Immortal Hongnong’s abandoned cave dwelling, where he saw four murals that had stumped generations of martial artists, including Lin Duo.
• Lin Bai glanced at the murals, called them interesting, and left; Mo Ling later told Dong Dian, who ordered her to pursue Hongnong’s Dao Bone by any feasible means.
• Back at Little Yuan Mountain, Lin Bai thought about both Su Jin’s execution and the possible meaning of the four murals.
• The next morning, Lin Bai returned to Hongnong’s cave dwelling, activated the Dao Tower’s protective formation, and tried to work out how the murals connected.

Lin Bai realized that Mo Ling had been monitoring him and learned that comprehending Sword Immortal Hongnong's Dao Bone could earn him a token to enter the Celestial God Tomb. He returned to the Dao Pavilion and finally understood the four paintings, leaving him on the verge of obtaining the Dao Bone.

• Lin Bai repeatedly failed to comprehend Sword Immortal Hongnong's Dao Bone and noticed that Mo Ling appeared whenever he left the cave abode.
• Mo Ling told Lin Bai that those who obtained a Dao Bone could receive a token from the Dragon Court and Phoenix Pavilion to enter the Celestial God Tomb.
• Lin Bai concluded that Mo Ling had been monitoring him and that she had mentioned the tomb to keep him coming back to the Dao Pavilion.
• Lin Bai arranged with the Sword Alliance to act on Su Jin's matter three days later.
• Lin Bai interpreted the four paintings as depicting Hongnong's life and cultivation, from his village origins to his return to simplicity, and comprehended their meaning.

Lin Bai gained enlightenment in Sword Immortal Hongnong’s cave abode, grasped the essence of swordplay, and obtained the Dao Bone. He left to prepare for Su Jin’s approaching execution, only to find a large crowd waiting outside.

• Lin Bai practiced Ye Jinghong’s Supreme Sword and Lin Duo’s Dragon Slayer Swordplay, stirring powerful sword intent from the cave abode.
• Mo Ling alerted Dong Dian, and martial artists including Fu Tu, Gongyang Hao, and Huang Jinyu gathered outside; Tang Shu grew jealous of Lin Bai’s success.
• Lin Bai concluded that swordplay’s fundamental purpose was to kill, and the four paintings’ sword intent condensed into a golden Dao Bone.
• An ethereal voice recounted Sword Immortal Hongnong’s sorrowful life, and Lin Bai bowed to honor the senior’s guidance.
• Lin Bai left the cave abode with the Dao Bone to return for Su Jin’s approaching execution and was astonished by the crowd outside.

After obtaining Sword Immortal Hongnong's Dao Bone, Lin Bai refused Dong Dian's demand to hand it over and declared their debts settled. As Lin Bai left Swordless Mountain, Mo Ling's poison felled him, and she revealed her connection to the Poison God Family and the Seventeenth Prince.

• Lin Bai showed the Dragon Lord and Phoenix Lord the golden Dao Bone, and the Dragon Lord promised him a qualification to enter the Celestial God Tomb once he reached the Quasi-Dao Realm.
• Dong Dian invited Lin Bai to celebrate at Swordless Mountain, where he urged Lin Bai to give him the Dao Bone so he could attempt to enter the Dao Realm.
• Lin Bai refused, accused Dong Dian of withholding instruction in Purgatory Seventy-Two Kills, and said their debts and favors were settled before leaving.
• After Lin Bai had walked a hundred steps, his spiritual power turned chaotic and he collapsed, vomiting blood.
• Tang Shu said Mo Ling's rouge fragrance had harmed Lin Bai, and Mo Ling revealed she had used Carefree Corpse Bone Powder and carried a message from the Seventeenth Prince.
• Lin Bai recognized Mo Ling as a member of the Poison God Family.

Lin Bai was poisoned by Mo Ling and faced death until he accepted Dark Eye’s offer to use Heart Demon Implantation. Dark Eye took control of his body and rose to the Quasi-Dao Realm, confronting Dong Dian, Tang Shu, Mo Ling, and Liu En.

• Mo Ling revealed that he was a disciple of the Poison God Family and had poisoned Lin Bai with Carefree Corpse Bone Powder.
• Lin Bai realized Devouring Sword Soul could make the poison worse, while Dark Eye urged him to use Heart Demon Implantation and reminded him that his parents were waiting for him.
• Lin Bai accepted Dark Eye’s hand, allowing Dark Eye to manifest and take control of his body.
• Dong Dian ordered Tang Shu to extract Lin Bai’s Dao Bone and Liu En to claim his Celestial God Tomb qualification.
• As Tang Shu approached, Lin Bai’s hair turned white and his power surged to the Quasi-Dao Realm; Dark Eye opened his blood-red eyes and laughed at the mortal realm.

Lin Bai revived as Xuan Tong after absorbing Mo Ling’s poison and overpowered Dong Dian, Liu En, and Mo Ling. He killed Liu En and Mo Ling, leaving Dong Dian alive after humiliating him.

• Lin Bai rose again, identified himself as Xuan Tong, and absorbed the poison Mo Ling had used on him.
• Dong Dian attacked Xuan Tong with Purgatory Seventy-Two Kills, but Xuan Tong caught his sword between two fingers and forced him to his knees.
• Xuan Tong drew the Demon Sword and killed Liu En with a single strike.
• Mo Ling attacked Xuan Tong with her Poison Sword Dao, but he cut her throat and she collapsed dead.

Xuantong killed Tang Shu and planted a Dao Seed in Dong Dian, leaving him to watch his cultivation slowly drain away. Xuantong then cast a terrifying gaze over Divine Capital, alarming its powerful residents and prompting Iron Sword Marquis to deploy troops to protect his estate.

• Dong Dian attacked Lin Bai from behind, but Xuantong’s gaze caused him to collapse, and Xuantong explained that a Dao Seed would consume his cultivation and vitality.
• Tang Shu begged Dong Dian to save him, then offered to accept a Dao Seed when he realized his master would abandon him.
• Xuantong refused to plant a Dao Seed in Tang Shu and killed him with the demonic sword.
• Xuantong looked toward Divine Capital, and his gaze appeared in the clouds, startling Dragon Lord, Phoenix Lord, the Grand Tutor, and the eighteen first-rank Army Marquises.
• Iron Sword Marquis told Shui Yunmeng that the gaze was hostile and ordered the first, second, and third regiments of the Iron Sword Army to protect his estate.

Xuantong began targeting Divine Capital’s Quasi-Dao Realm martial artists, planting Dao Seeds in Marquis Tianwei and Marquis Blood Moon to drain their cultivation and strengthen his chance of reaching the Dao Realm. He left Marquis Blood Moon’s estate after infecting him, with both marquises’ lives now threatened by the Dao Seed.

• Xuantong left Dragon Court after telling Dong Dian that the Dao Seed needed time to mature, then headed for Marquis Tianwei’s Estate.
• Marquis Tianwei sent his wives and children away from Divine Capital, fearing the struggle between the Crown Prince and the Seventeenth Prince would plunge the city into chaos.
• Xuantong entered Marquis Tianwei’s Estate and defeated Marquis Tianwei, then planted a Dao Seed that began absorbing the marquis’s cultivation.
• Xuantong explained that the Dao Seed would make Marquis Tianwei his nourishment unless he could remove it, then left while the marquis concealed the attack from his soldiers.
• Xuantong went to Marquis Blood Moon’s Estate, defeated Marquis Blood Moon, and planted another Dao Seed before departing.

Xuantong implanted Dao Seeds in seven Army Marquises before visiting the Left Prime Minister, who used the Dao Heart Ring to stop him and bring Lin Bai back to consciousness. Lin Bai recognized the ring as Ling Tianzi’s work, while the Left Prime Minister revealed that the ring had been meant to meet someone like Xuantong.

• Xuantong told the Left Prime Minister that he had implanted Dao Seeds in seven Army Marquises and intended to target the other Quasi-Dao Realm experts.
• The Left Prime Minister showed Xuantong the Dao Heart Ring given to him by his master, Ling Tianzi.
• Xuantong recognized Ling Tianzi’s name and tried to flee, but the Dao Heart Ring trapped him and returned him to Lin Bai’s wrist.
• The ring dispelled Xuantong’s demonic transformation, and Xuantong collapsed unconscious as the Left Prime Minister carried Lin Bai inside.
• Lin Bai woke up, recognized the ring as Ling Tianzi’s craftsmanship, and heard the Left Prime Minister greet him.

The Left Prime Minister told Lin Bai that Ling Tianzi had left him the one-use Dao Heart Ring to help Lin Bai face Profound Eye himself. He offered to help Lin Bai win the support of the seven Army Marquises and even ascend the imperial throne, leaving Lin Bai to decide whether to trust him with his plans.

• The Left Prime Minister revealed that Ling Tianzi had been his master and that the Dao Heart Ring was meant for Lin Bai, warning him that it would shatter if removed.
• Lin Bai acknowledged that the ring could suppress him only temporarily and that he would ultimately have to choose to fight Profound Eye himself.
• Lin Bai recalled Profound Eye's actions during his possession and asked the Left Prime Minister to arrange a meeting with the seven Army Marquises so he could extract their Dao Seeds.
• The Left Prime Minister urged Lin Bai to win the seven Army Marquises' support, saying they commanded immense forces and would be valuable amid the coming struggle for the throne.
• The Left Prime Minister promised not to harm Lin Bai and offered his full support in helping Lin Bai ascend the imperial throne.

Yi Gong recounted how Ling Tianzi and Li Shanqing had saved him and explained that they had sent him to wait for Lin Bai. After learning that Su Jin’s execution was two days away, Lin Bai left for Swordless Mountain, where he found Dong Dian sitting beside the bodies of Liu En, Mo Ling, and Tang Shu.

• Yi Gong offered to help Lin Bai ascend to the imperial throne, then told him how Ling Tianzi and Li Shanqing had saved him after seven years of flight from rebel pursuers.
• Yi Gong explained that Ling Tianzi had later made him Left Prime Minister and given him the Dao Heart Ring so he could wait in the divine capital for Lin Bai.
• Lin Bai and Yi Gong agreed that Lin Bai would address him as Uncle Yi, and Yi Gong said Lin Bai had been unconscious for one day and one night.
• Lin Bai realized Su Jin’s execution was two days away, said he could not let Su Jin die, and left Yi Gong’s residence.
• Lin Bai went to Dragon Court and found Dong Dian sitting beside the corpses of Liu En, Mo Ling, and Tang Shu.