Chapter Summaries

Lin Bai read Yun Fusheng’s records about the Heaven Swallowing Race and learned how Yun Fusheng had received a sword heart from a dying friend. The account explained the sword heart’s mysterious nature and cultivation stages, leaving Lin Bai with insights but no clear method for cultivating one himself.

• Lin Bai read that members of the Heaven Swallowing Race needed tens of thousands of Dao Fruits for each breakthrough and that one member had chosen to seek opportunities rather than slaughter others.
• Lin Bai continued reading Yun Fusheng’s account of sword cultivation and learned that Yun Fusheng had received a sword heart from a dying friend who gave up his own life to pass it on.
• Yun Fusheng described the sword heart as power condensed within the heart and said its cultivation depended on opportunity, with no fixed rules.
• Lin Bai read that sword-heart cultivation was divided into Nine Transformations, though Yun Fusheng had known no one beyond the First Transformation apart from a rumored Devil Realm Sword God who had reached the Third.
• Yun Fusheng recorded that possessing a sword heart greatly accelerated sword cultivation, allowing him to master a profound sword technique in months rather than centuries.

Lin Bai finished studying Yun Fusheng's cultivation insights before Qin Yuyan told him that the Kun Long had reached the Crimson Moon Divine Sect. The group arrived at Crimson Moon Mountain City, where Qin Yuyan described the sect's layout and forbidden Back Mountain Region, including the Mountain of the Seated Immortal.

• Lin Bai reread Yun Fusheng's insights on cultivation and the Sword Heart, deepening his understanding of swordsmanship.
• Qin Yuyan told Lin Bai that the Kun Long had entered the Crimson Moon Divine Sect's territory and would reach Crimson Moon Mountain City at dawn.
• Lin Bai, Qin Yuyan, and Jiang Xuansu went onto the Kun Long's back, where they discussed the pressure facing Eternal Devil Sect disciples and the Crimson Moon Divine Sect's stronger internal unity.
• The Kun Long arrived at Crimson Moon Mountain City, and Qin Yuyan explained where the Crimson Moon Divine Sect's outer, inner, and direct disciples lived.
• Qin Yuyan pointed out the forbidden Back Mountain Region and said it held Natural Treasures and the Mountain of the Seated Immortal, prompting Lin Bai to look toward it with a grim expression.

Lin Bai and the Eternal Devil Sect disciples arrived in Crimson Moon Mountain City, where Vice Sect Master Wei Wuyu welcomed them and arranged for them to stay at Azure Dragon Estate. After the sects set a date for their martial competition, Lin Bai went sightseeing with Jiang Xuansu and Qin Yuyan, learning that the Crimson Moon Divine Sect used Fire Crystal Stones as currency while Celestial Spirit Stones circulated throughout the Devil Realm.

• Wei Wuyu welcomed the Eternal Devil Sect and reunited with Third Elder Ke Yu, his longtime friend, before arranging for the disciples to stay at Azure Dragon Estate.
• Lin Bai was assigned a courtyard near Qin Yuyan and Jiang Xuansu and waited there under orders not to leave.
• The elders announced that the Dao Venerable disciples' martial competition would begin in five days and last seven days, and allowed trial disciples to tour the city.
• Lin Bai left Azure Dragon Estate with Jiang Xuansu and Qin Yuyan to explore Crimson Moon Mountain City.
• Qin Yuyan explained that the Crimson Moon Divine Sect traded with Fire Crystal Stones, while Celestial Spirit Stones were widely used across the Devil Realm.

Lin Bai, Jiang Xuansu, and Qin Yuyan explored Crimson Moon Mountain City and learned about Celestial Spirit Stones and local currency. As they drifted through the city at night, a mysterious boatman offered to procure anything for a price.

• Qin Yuyan explained the value and uses of Celestial Spirit Stones, then exchanged one for 750,000 Fire Crystal Stones.
• The three spent the day exploring Crimson Moon Mountain City, sampling food and wine and buying treasures.
• Qin Yuyan urged Lin Bai and Jiang Xuansu to help spend her remaining fortune, but they declined her offers to buy them expensive gifts.
• While the three rode a painted boat along the river at night, a mysterious figure in a straw rain cape drew alongside and offered to obtain anything they wanted for enough Fire Crystal Stones.

Lin Bai, Qin Yuyan, and Jiang Xuansu met a Dark Pavilion agent and bought a detailed map of the Crimson Moon Divine Sect and the surrounding region. The agent then revealed that Hua Qian was investigating Qin Yuyan and was likely to approach her soon, potentially provoking a bloody clash.

• Qin Yuyan introduced herself, Jiang Xuansu, and Lin Bai to the Dark Pavilion agent as siblings newly arrived from Xuanzhou.
• Lin Bai asked the agent for a highly detailed map of the Crimson Moon Divine Sect and the surrounding area, and Qin Yuyan paid thirty thousand Fire Crystal Stones for it.
• The Dark Pavilion agent returned to offer information for another five thousand Fire Crystal Stones, and Qin Yuyan paid him.
• The agent told Qin Yuyan that Hua Qian, an inner disciple from a prominent family, had become obsessed with her and was investigating her identity.
• The agent warned Qin Yuyan that Hua Qian would likely invite her to tour the lake and admire the moon within an hour, and that refusing could lead to a bloody clash.

A Dark Pavilion informant revealed that Hua Qian had commissioned an investigation into Qin Yuyan, warning her that the powerful playboy had taken an interest in her. As Lin Bai studied a map of the Mountain of the Seated Immortal and worried about sneaking past the Crimson Moon Divine Sect’s Grand Elders, Hua Qian’s pleasure boat approached, leaving the group unable to avoid a confrontation.

• A Dark Pavilion informant told Qin Yuyan that Hua Qian had commissioned an investigation into her and explained that the Pavilion did business with anyone who paid.
• Lin Bai studied a map showing the Mountain of the Seated Immortal near the Crimson Moon Divine Sect’s forbidden rear mountains, surrounded by Grand Elders’ secluded residences.
• Jiang Xuansu and Qin Yuyan explained that Hua Qian’s interest in Qin Yuyan could cause trouble, but neither wanted to fight him openly, so they asked Lin Bai to help.
• Lin Bai agreed to return to Azure Dragon Estate to avoid Hua Qian, but his boat met Hua Qian’s lavish pleasure boat, where the young master stared drunkenly at Qin Yuyan.

Lin Bai, Qin Yuyan, and Jiang Xuansu were blocked on the river by Hua Qian, who tried to force the two women aboard his pleasure boat. When Hua Qian ordered his men to attack, Jiang Xuansu destroyed the boat with a single controlled strike, leaving its occupants badly wounded.

• Lin Bai tried to steer the painted boat to shore, but Hua Qian maneuvered his pleasure boat into its path and demanded that Qin Yuyan and Jiang Xuansu join him.
• Qin Yuyan and Lin Bai refused Hua Qian's invitation, and the women accompanying him insulted Qin Yuyan and Jiang Xuansu.
• Hua Qian ordered more than twenty martial artists to seize the two women and kill Lin Bai.
• Jiang Xuansu rose into the air and shattered Hua Qian's pleasure boat with one palm, seriously wounding everyone aboard while leaving them alive.

Jiang Xuansu destroyed Hua Qian’s pleasure boat, and Qin Yuyan sealed Hua Qian and the other martial artists beneath the river. After returning to the Azure Dragon Estate, Lin Bai joined Qin Yuyan, Jiang Xuansu, and Third Elder as Third Elder prepared to discuss the incident.

• Jiang Xuansu blasted Hua Qian’s pleasure boat apart, and Qin Yuyan used a Command Talisman to press Hua Qian and the other martial artists onto the riverbed.
• Third Elder Ke Yu and Vice Sect Master Wei Wuyu watched the confrontation and recognized Jiang Xuansu’s palm technique as Yan Donglai’s Three Imprints of Eastern Arrival and Qin Yuyan’s talisman as the Sentient Imprisonment Immortal Token.
• Wei Wuyu warned Third Elder that Hua Qian’s family held influence in Crimson Moon Mountain City, and Third Elder agreed to speak with Qin Yuyan about withdrawing the talisman.
• Lin Bai, Jiang Xuansu, and Qin Yuyan returned to the Azure Dragon Estate, where Lin Bai studied a map in his residence.
• Third Elder appeared in Qin Yuyan’s courtyard and summoned Lin Bai, Qin Yuyan, and Jiang Xuansu to discuss the incident.

Lin Bai took Jiang Xuansu into the Crimson Moon Divine Sect’s forbidden rear mountain grounds and asked her to pretend they were lovers if they were discovered. The martial contest was two days away, and Lin Bai’s reason for entering the restricted area remained unstated.

• The Third Elder reprimanded Jiang Xuansu and Qin Yuyan for their clash with the Crimson Moon Divine Sect, and ordered Qin Yuyan to retrieve the Sentient Imprisonment Immortal Token.
• The Third Elder reminded Lin Bai to keep a low profile while carrying out the Sect Master’s task and forbade him, Jiang Xuansu, and Qin Yuyan from leaving the Azure Dragon Estate before the martial contest.
• After five days, Lin Bai invited Jiang Xuansu out alone, and she agreed despite the Third Elder’s restriction.
• Lin Bai led Jiang Xuansu into the Crimson Moon Divine Sect’s forbidden rear mountain grounds.
• Lin Bai asked Jiang Xuansu to claim they were lovers who had wandered into the forbidden area if anyone stopped them, leaving her shocked and blushing.

Lin Bai and Jiang Xuansu posed as lovers to investigate the Crimson Moon Divine Sect’s rear mountain, but an elder caught them and sent them away. Later, Lin Bai used the Heaven Concealing Jade Pendant to sneak into the forbidden ground alone and reached the vicinity of Mountain of the Seated Immortal.

• Lin Bai persuaded Jiang Xuansu to accompany him into the rear mountain, and the two chatted like lovers to conceal their purpose.
• An old man stopped Lin Bai and Jiang Xuansu in the forbidden ground, but believed their sightseeing excuse and let them leave.
• Jiang Xuansu realized Lin Bai had been investigating the rear mountain’s guards, and the two returned to Azure Dragon Estate without alerting Third Elder or Qin Yuyan.
• At dusk on the seventh day, Lin Bai used the Heaven Concealing Jade Pendant and a disguise to slip back into the forbidden ground alone.
• Lin Bai passed the secluded elders undetected and approached the towering Mountain of the Seated Immortal, wondering if it was his destination.

Lin Bai explored Mountain of the Seated Immortal but was nearly discovered by a Black Hide Hellhound and a powerful elder, forcing him to retreat to Crimson Moon Mountain City. He told Jiang Xuansu and Qin Yuyan that he planned to undergo his tribulation there, and they settled on the competition’s sixth or seventh day as the best opportunity.

• Lin Bai sensed the formations and secluded experts around Mountain of the Seated Immortal, while the Black Hide Hellhound detected his presence.
• The old man followed the Black Hide Hellhound into the forest and found signs that an intruder had passed through, then decided to strengthen the forbidden grounds’ defenses.
• Lin Bai escaped to Crimson Moon Mountain City and returned to Azure Dragon Estate, still shaken by how close he had come to being caught.
• Jiang Xuansu and Qin Yuyan confronted Lin Bai about his plan to undergo his tribulation at Mountain of the Seated Immortal, and he admitted that he had nearly finished scouting the route.
• Qin Yuyan advised Lin Bai to wait until the competition’s sixth or seventh day, and Lin Bai agreed that he would time his tribulation to finish as the sect prepared to return.

Lin Bai and the Eternal Devil Sect disciples arrived at the Battle Arena for their competition against the Crimson Moon Divine Sect, where the hostile crowd jeered and chanted for them to be beaten to death. While many disciples were intimidated, Lin Bai’s fighting spirit surged, and he welcomed the challenge.

• The Third Elder gathered the competition disciples for a late-night meeting, while the elders told the training disciples they could attend the matches.
• Lin Bai, Jiang Xuansu, Qin Yuyan, and the other training disciples traveled with the Eternal Devil Sect’s contingent to the Battle Arena in Crimson Moon Mountain City.
• Martial artists in the packed plaza insulted and provoked the Eternal Devil Sect disciples as they crossed toward the arena.
• The Crimson Moon Divine Sect’s spectators roared, “Beat them to death,” when the Eternal Devil Sect entered the Battle Arena.
• Lin Bai suppressed his surging battle intent and remarked to Jiang Xuansu that the hostile welcome made things interesting.

Lin Bai watched the Eternal Devil Sect’s Dao Sovereign disciples face the jeers and intimidating crowd at the Battle Arena before the competition against the Crimson Moon Divine Sect began. After Vice Sect Master Wei Wuyu announced the rules, Fang Zeyun and Situ Kong stepped forward to fight the opening match.

• Lin Bai, Jiang Xuansu, and Qin Yuyan took their seats while martial artists from the Crimson Moon Eighteen Provinces jeered at the Eternal Devil Sect’s disciples.
• The Crimson Moon Divine Sect’s disciples entered the arena, where spectators praised Liu Puyu, Yu Guan, and Tian Luo as promising talents.
• Vice Sect Master Wei Wuyu announced the competition rules and declared the Dao debate and martial competition underway.
• Fang Zeyun of the Crimson Moon Divine Sect challenged the Eternal Devil Sect, and Situ Kong of the Heng Province Alliance answered him.

Fang Zeyun and Situ Kong opened the Eternal Devil Sect and Crimson Moon Divine Sect’s disciple competition with a prolonged battle that ended in a draw. Lin Bai recognized the match as a face-saving arrangement between the sects and said the later battles would be genuine contests.

• Fang Zeyun and Situ Kong exchanged blows in the first match while spectators from both sects cheered them on.
• Lin Bai predicted the match would end in a draw, explaining that the fighters were holding back and using flashy techniques.
• After 450 exchanges, Fang Zeyun and Situ Kong agreed to stop and declared the match a draw.
• The judges announced the draw, and the crowd grew more eager for the next battle.
• Lin Bai told Qin Yuyan that both sects had arranged the match to protect their reputations and would fight seriously in the battles that followed.

Lin Bai watched the martial contest and warned that Qi Song was a formidable opponent when Li Yumen stepped forward to fight him. Qi Song defeated Li Yumen with one move, and Lin Bai and the others comforted Li after his loss.

• A Crimson Moon Divine Sect disciple defeated an Eternal Devil Sect disciple, and Lin Bai explained how fighters sought openings in their opponents’ defenses.
• The Eternal Devil Sect won five matches in a row, and Lin Bai wagered that Li Yumen would soon take the field.
• Qi Song entered the arena for the Crimson Moon Divine Sect, and Lin Bai and Jiang Xuansu sensed that he was far stronger than he appeared.
• Li Yumen challenged Qi Song, who shattered his defenses and knocked him from the platform with one move.
• Li Yumen later approached Lin Bai, and Lin Bai, Jiang Xuansu, and Qin Yuyan reassured him after his defeat.

As the Eternal Devil Sect and Crimson Moon Divine Sect traded victories in the martial contests, Lin Bai prepared to leave the matches and secretly enter the Crimson Moon Divine Sect’s forbidden rear mountain grounds. The chapter ends with him approaching the forbidden area under the concealment of the Heaven Concealing Jade Pendant.

• The Eternal Devil Sect lost the first day’s contests, rallied on the second, and traded close results with the Crimson Moon Divine Sect over the next three days.
• Li Yumen won two matches, and Wu Linxian won one as the contests continued.
• Lin Bai told the Third Elder that he needed secluded cultivation and received permission to miss the next two days of matches.
• Lin Bai borrowed the Tribulation-Passing Immortal Garment from Qin Yuyan and spent the night learning how to use it.
• On the sixth day, Lin Bai pretended to cultivate, concealed his aura with the Heaven Concealing Jade Pendant, and slipped out of Azure Dragon Estate.
• After checking that most people were focused on the Battle Arena, Lin Bai headed toward the Crimson Moon Divine Sect’s forbidden rear mountain grounds.

Lin Bai secretly reached the summit of Mountain of the Seated Immortal and, after merging with its immortal phantom, gained a profound sense of the Heavenly Dao. His presence triggered a nine-thousand-mile tribulation cloud, and the Black Hide Hellhound recognized him as the intruder it had scented before.

• Lin Bai used the Heaven Concealing Jade Pendant to slip into Crimson Moon Divine Sect’s rear mountain and bypassed its formations with Soul Skill: Restriction Break.
• Lin Bai reached the summit, paid respect to the immortal phantom, and sat where the aura of the Great Dao was strongest.
• Lin Bai merged with the phantom and experienced a vision of the world and the workings of the Heavenly Dao.
• A tribulation cloud stretching nine thousand miles formed above the mountain, startling Crimson Moon Divine Sect’s secluded elders and ancestors.
• The Black Hide Hellhound barked at the summit, and its old man suspected that Lin Bai was the person the hound had scented in the forest.

As Qing Luo’s tribulation gathered above Mountain of the Seated Immortal, elders and sect disciples witnessed nine thousand li of lightning clouds—the legendary mortal-world limit. Jiang Xuansu and Qin Yuyan realized the clouds might explain why the Eternal Devil Sect’s leaders had invested so much in Qing Luo, and the chapter left his tribulation about to begin.

• The old man and the Black Hide Hellhound saw the immense lightning clouds and chose not to approach the mountaintop, fearing the tribulation would strike them too.
• During the matches at the Battle Arena, Qin Yuyan asked Jiang Xuansu why the Eternal Devil Sect valued Qing Luo so highly and had arranged special support for his tribulation.
• Jiang Xuansu said she knew of no special quality beyond Qing Luo’s exceptional combat instincts, though she recalled that the Immortal Buddha Grotto’s old ancestors had favored him.
• Jiang Xuansu and Qin Yuyan saw the clouds reach nine thousand li, exceeding Jiang Xuansu’s own eight-thousand-two-hundred-li tribulation clouds.
• Jiang Xuansu explained that nine thousand li marked the legendary limit and was said to herald a future Supreme, while Qing Luo’s tribulation had yet to descend.

Lin Bai underwent a lightning tribulation on Mountain of the Seated Immortal, using the mountain’s terrain and his Five Elements Dao Body to endure each strike with his astonishing physical strength. By the fifth tribulation, the watching elders and Crimson Moon Divine Sect ancestors were stunned by his resilience.

• Lin Bai awakened as thunder gathered above Mountain of the Seated Immortal and discovered that it tempered his body while the mountain’s earth veins shielded him from the pressure.
• Lin Bai endured the first lightning tribulation with support from the mountain’s terrain and his Five Elements Dao Body, but did not break through to the Dao Realm.
• Lin Bai withstood the second and third tribulations, then rose into the air and faced the lightning without using a treasure.
• The elders and ancestors watching speculated that Lin Bai was attempting to reach the Nine Tribulation Dao Realm in one breakthrough and marveled at his physical strength.
• The fifth lightning tribulation descended, and Lin Bai remained unbowed, leaving the watchers astonished.

Lin Bai endured the nine ordinary tribulation bolts on the Mountain of the Seated Immortal, while Yang Lou and the Crimson Moon Divine Sect’s Sect Master watched and discussed recruiting him. As the Sect Master approached Lin Bai, an even mightier tribulation descended, and nine hundred million li of tribulation clouds gathered overhead.

• Lin Bai realized his suppressed cultivation had drawn all his tribulations at once and prepared to face them with the treasures in his Storage Bag.
• Lin Bai endured the seventh, eighth, and ninth ordinary tribulation bolts, though the attacks grew increasingly powerful.
• Yang Lou identified Lin Bai as an outsider and suggested recruiting him into the Crimson Moon Divine Sect; the Sect Master said he had made arrangements.
• After the ordinary tribulation clouds dispersed, the Sect Master stepped toward the Mountain of the Seated Immortal and was struck back by a crushing force.
• Yang Lou saw the tribulation clouds gather again across nine hundred million li and recognized that a far greater tribulation was beginning.