Chapter Summaries

Lin Bai and Jiang Xuansu spent the day in a South Yi City tavern, where Lin Bai gathered rumors about Qi Province’s sealing and the Zhao Family’s remnants. As they prepared to leave, he overheard six armed strangers say that a mysterious thing had been lost, possibly giving the Zhao Family a chance to return.

• Lin Bai and Jiang Xuansu took a window table at a tavern and listened to the guests discuss the Evil Moon Grand Feast and Qi Province’s sealing.
• Lin Bai pieced together the story of the Zhao Family, which had once challenged the Yunling Li Family and had recently begun recruiting forces again.
• Lin Bai and Jiang Xuansu stayed at the tavern until nightfall, but Lin Bai heard no reliable explanation for Qi Province’s sealing.
• Six armed strangers arrived and quietly said that a thing had been lost and that the Yunling Li Family’s power was weakening.
• The strangers linked the loss to the Li Family’s past conflict with the Zhao Family and speculated that the Zhao Family might rise again.

Lin Bai learned that the Zhao family remnants had stolen the God-Demon Heart from Dusk City, causing Qi Province to be sealed. Jiang Xuansu explained that the God-Demon Heart could grant a martial artist the second awakening needed to embark on the Supreme Path, while Lin Bai recalled Yue Shuang and her potential Ghost God Child.

• Six men resumed discussing Qi Province’s sealing and revealed that the Zhao family remnants had stolen something from Dusk City.
• The men identified the stolen object as the God-Demon Heart, shocking Lin Bai, Jiang Xuansu, and the other martial artists in the tavern.
• Jiang Xuansu explained that the God-Demon Heart could trigger a second awakening and grant access to the Supreme Path.
• Lin Bai recalled that Yue Shuang’s Nine Yin Spirit Nurturing Body could produce a Ghost God Child with the same potential, and remembered that Yue Shuang was still inside the Soul Refining Banner.

Lin Bai and Jiang Xuansu heard that the Zhao Family remnants had taken the God-Demon Heart, prompting the Yunling Li Family to seal Qi Province. Lin Bai suspected the Li Family had deliberately lured the remnants out and left the story with him considering the risks of the family’s plan.

• Lin Bai reasoned that the God-Demon Heart could let a Martial Soul reach the Supreme Path through a second awakening and recognized why the Yunling Li Family valued it.
• An elderly drinker explained that the Zhao Family had found the God-Demon Heart, hidden it after the Li Family destroyed its forces, and that the Li Family sealed Qi Province after Zhao Family remnants took it from Dusk City.
• Jiang Xuansu asked whether the tale was credible, and Lin Bai argued that the Li Family’s decision to seal Qi Province suggested the rumors were largely true.
• Lin Bai questioned why Senior Li Xie expected the matter to be resolved within three to five days and concluded that the Li Family had likely set a trap for the Zhao Family remnants.
• Jiang Xuansu realized that the Li Family might use the trap to destroy the remnants and recover the God-Demon Heart, while Lin Bai admired the plan’s boldness and considered its risks.

Lin Bai and Jiang Xuansu learned that the Yunling Li Family had risked drawing powerful factions into a struggle over the God-Demon Heart, then obtained a passage token that could let them leave Qi Province. They chose to investigate the Zhao Family’s remnants, and Lin Bai suspected they might still be hiding in Dusk City.

• Jiang Xuansu decided to report the God-Demon Heart’s appearance to the Eternal Devil Sect, and Lin Bai urged the sect to move cautiously because other factions would seek the treasure.
• After drinking late into the night, Lin Bai and Jiang Xuansu visited Li Xie, who gave them a passage token and explained that it would open the World Sealing Formation for half an hour before turning to ashes.
• Lin Bai and Jiang Xuansu learned that the Tianheng Sect had already left South Yi City, then questioned why the Yunling Li Family was allowing them to leave so easily.
• Jiang Xuansu considered whether they should leave Qi Province, but Lin Bai produced a rough map and began searching for where the Zhao Family’s remnants might be hiding.
• After rejecting the Dusk Mountains as too obvious, Lin Bai wondered whether the Zhao Family’s remnants had never left Dusk City, and Jiang Xuansu suggested they might be hidden in plain sight.

Lin Bai and Jiang Xuansu traveled to Dusk City to investigate whether the Zhao Family's remnants had taken the God-Demon Heart, but the Li Family had sealed the city against entry and exit. As they wondered how to get inside, a tremendous shock came from within the city, as if someone were attacking its defensive formation.

• Lin Bai and Jiang Xuansu flew from South Yi City toward Dusk City instead of using a teleportation array that might reveal them to the Yunling Li Family.
• Lin Bai and Jiang Xuansu crossed the Dusk Mountains and encountered a white-robed man whose dangerous presence suggested he was a powerful expert guarding the region.
• Lin Bai and Jiang Xuansu concluded that the Zhao Family's remnants were likely hiding in Dusk City, where the Li Family was searching for them and the God-Demon Heart.
• Lin Bai and Jiang Xuansu reached Dusk City, but the soldiers refused to let them enter because the city was sealed.
• Lin Bai and Jiang Xuansu heard a tremendous tremor from inside Dusk City, apparently caused by an attack on its defensive formation.

Lin Bai and Jiang Xuansu followed the Zhao Family remnants and the Yunling Li Family into the Dusk Mountains, where the Li Family surrounded the wounded fugitives. The Zhao Family elder revealed the God-Demon Heart, leaving the Li Family to face the danger of taking it through the rival forces gathered around them.

• Lin Bai and Jiang Xuansu watched the Zhao Family remnants break through Dusk City's defensive formation, followed by Li Family experts and martial artists from other forces.
• Lin Bai and Jiang Xuansu entered the Dusk Mountains and followed the sounds of fighting between the pursuing factions.
• Lin Bai and Jiang Xuansu found several hundred Li Family experts surrounding a dozen badly wounded martial artists while other forces watched from the perimeter.
• A skinny old man from the Zhao Family remnants revealed the God-Demon Heart and warned that the Li Family would struggle to carry it away safely.

Lin Bai and Jiang Xuansu waited for the forces competing for the God-Demon Heart to weaken one another, then moved to intercept the fleeing Zhao family. Lin Bai struck at the last moment as the Li family's middle-aged man was about to kill the Zhao family elder.

• The Zhao family's elder revealed the God-Demon Heart, prompting the Li family's middle-aged man to reach for it as other forces attacked from the forest.
• The Zhao family's elder reclaimed the God-Demon Heart and led his wounded family members out of the encirclement while Li family martial artists were drawn away.
• Lin Bai and Jiang Xuansu disguised themselves and waited for a chance to seize the God-Demon Heart, judging that taking it amid the initial chaos would leave them trapped.
• Lin Bai and Jiang Xuansu pursued the Zhao family survivors after the Li family resumed its attack and reduced them to a handful of wounded fighters.
• As the Li family's middle-aged man struck at the Zhao family elder, Lin Bai rushed from the forest and slashed at him with the Violet Sword.

Lin Bai helped Jiang Xuansu seize the God-Demon Heart and flee the Dusk Mountains, then drew off one of her pursuers to conceal her trail. Jiang Xuansu escaped into the forest as Lin Bai lost the pursuer and vanished.

• Lin Bai interrupted the Li clan middle-aged man's attack on the Zhao clan martial artist, then fled when the man retaliated.
• Jiang Xuansu struck the Li clan middle-aged man, took the God-Demon Heart, and fled while he killed the Zhao clan martial artist and pursued her.
• Lin Bai realized that several concealed martial artists were hunting Jiang Xuansu and decided to hold them back while she escaped.
• Lin Bai attacked one concealed old man and kept him occupied until the man lost track of Jiang Xuansu.
• Lin Bai slipped away from the old man, who then lost both Lin Bai's and Jiang Xuansu's auras and furiously flattened part of the forest.

Lin Bai found Jiang Xuansu surrounded by eight peak Dao God martial artists and joined the fight to help her escape with the God-Demon Heart. He stayed behind to hold off the pursuers while Jiang Xuansu prepared to leave, and the battle intensified.

• Lin Bai concealed his aura with the Heaven Swallowing Dao Fruit and hurried through the Dusk Mountains toward Jiang Xuansu.
• Lin Bai discovered that Jiang Xuansu was fighting eight peak Dao God martial artists who were pursuing the God-Demon Heart.
• Lin Bai split the battlefield with a sword strike and told Jiang Xuansu to escape while he held off the pursuers.
• The Li family middle-aged man threatened Lin Bai, claiming the God-Demon Heart belonged to the Li family.
• One of the Dao God martial artists ignored the threat and charged at Lin Bai and Jiang Xuansu to seize the God-Demon Heart.

Lin Bai fought eight Dao God experts to help Jiang Xuansu escape with the God-Demon Heart, but Wan Zizhen intervened, reclaimed the treasure, and ordered the Yunling Li Family to lift the seal on Qi Province. Wan Zizhen announced that the Evil Moon Sect would offer the God-Demon Heart as a reward at the Evil Moon Grand Feast.

• Lin Bai held off eight Dao God martial artists while Jiang Xuansu fled, concealing his signature abilities to avoid revealing his identity.
• After Jiang Xuansu escaped, the eight Dao Gods turned their full strength on Lin Bai and left him gravely wounded.
• Just as Lin Bai prepared to use the powers of the Heaven Swallowing Dao Fruit and Supreme Avatar, Wan Zizhen arrived with Jiang Xuansu and stopped the fight.
• Jiang Xuansu told Lin Bai that Wan Zizhen had intercepted her, taken the God-Demon Heart, and brought her back.
• Wan Zizhen identified himself as the former top-ranked expert on the Evil Moon Dao God Rankings and ordered the Yunling Li Family to lift Qi Province's World Sealing Formation.
• Wan Zizhen said the Evil Moon Sect would place the God-Demon Heart in the Evil Moon Grand Feast reward pool for the winning talents.

Wan Zizhen stopped the battle in the Dusk Mountains, took the God-Demon Heart, and announced that it would be awarded at the Evil Moon Grand Feast. Lin Bai and Jiang Xuansu returned to their sect’s spirit boat, while Jiang Xuansu reflected on how much stronger the geniuses of the Evil Moon Thousand Provinces were.

• Wan Zizhen overwhelmed the eight Dao Gods, took the God-Demon Heart from Jiang Xuansu, and challenged anyone who wanted it to compete at the Evil Moon Grand Feast.
• The eight Dao Gods and the Li family's middle-aged man accepted Wan Zizhen’s decision and departed, while Lin Bai and Jiang Xuansu withdrew into the forest.
• Lin Bai and Jiang Xuansu regrouped with Liu Fuyun, Meng Qi, Gong Jian, and the others, who discussed the Evil Moon Sect’s strength and the contest for the God-Demon Heart.
• The Li family reported the events to its ancestral grounds, Qi Province lifted its travel ban, and the Eternal Devil Sect party set off for the Evil Moon Sect.
• Lin Bai secluded himself to heal, while Jiang Xuansu cultivated after realizing how small the Eternal Thirteen Provinces’ geniuses were beside those of the Evil Moon Thousand Provinces.

After Jiang Xuansu’s defeat by Wan Zizhen left her questioning her talent, Lin Bai tried to help her accept failure and regain her awe of the world. He left her to reflect before the Evil Moon Grand Feast, while explaining how the Evil Moon Sect planned to use the God-Demon Heart to restrain the Yunling Li Family and weaken rival forces.

• Seven days after recovering, Lin Bai learned from Meng Qi that Jiang Xuansu had remained in her room since the defeat in the Dusk Mountains.
• Lin Bai visited Jiang Xuansu and reassured her that losing to Wan Zizhen was no disgrace, but she lamented her failure and questioned whether Lin Bai had always thought her foolish.
• Lin Bai told Jiang Xuansu that the Eternal Devil Sect’s excessive protection had weakened her and might be holding back her breakthrough to the Great Purity Dao Fruit.
• Lin Bai urged Jiang Xuansu to accept failure and warned that the Evil Moon Grand Feast would claim the lives of many sheltered geniuses; he then left her to reflect.
• Lin Bai reasoned that the Evil Moon Sect had placed the God-Demon Heart in the Grand Feast’s prize pool to keep it from the Yunling Li Family and divert conflict toward whichever rival obtained it.

Wan Zizhen returned the God-Demon Heart to the Evil Moon Sect and reported that the Yunling Li Family had avoided confronting him. He revealed that Jiang Xuansu and a member of the Heaven Swallowing Race were in Qi Province, prompting the sect to consider alliances and investigate the new threat.

• Wan Zizhen delivered the God-Demon Heart to the cave and explained that the Yunling Li Family's powerhouses had withdrawn rather than confront him.
• Wan Zizhen told the cave's occupant that he had encountered Jiang Xuansu and another impressive martial artist in Qi Province.
• Wan Zizhen identified the second martial artist as a member of the Heaven Swallowing Race, shocking the person in the cave.
• Wan Zizhen proposed using the Returning Moon Sect against Wind and Snow Villa and the Purple Dawn Sect against the Eternal Devil Sect.
• The person in the cave ordered Wan Zizhen to investigate when the Heaven Swallowing Race member had joined the Eternal Devil Sect and uncover that person's purpose before deciding what to do.

The Eternal Devil Sect arrived in the Evil Moon Sect’s Moon Province for the Evil Moon Grand Feast and traveled to its lodgings in Star City. The feast was half a month away, and several rival sects had already arrived.

• The Eternal Devil Sect’s spirit vessel crossed peaceful Moon Province and approached the Evil Moon Sect’s Moon God Mountain.
• Wu Bo greeted Liu Fuyun and guided the spirit vessel through Moon God Mountain, explaining that other sects and families were arriving for the feast.
• The Eternal Devil Sect’s disciples saw the ancient Star City, where some residents mocked their sect as coming from a remote, impoverished land.
• Wu Bo brought the spirit vessel to the Eternal Devil Sect’s usual residence in Star City, and Liu Fuyun approved of the lodgings.

Lin Bai and Jiang Xuansu explored Star City and received the Star Ranking, a booklet listing the strongest participants in the Evil Moon Grand Feast. They discovered that Jiang Xuansu ranked fifty-fourth and Lin Bai ranked one hundredth among Dao Gods.

• Lin Bai woke after a night of rest, and Jiang Xuansu invited him to explore Star City with the other disciples.
• Lin Bai and Jiang Xuansu browsed the city's lively street stalls before following a crowd to the Star Pavilion.
• Lin Bai and Jiang Xuansu received free copies of the Star Ranking, which the Evil Moon Sect had compiled on prominent Grand Feast participants.
• Lin Bai studied the Dao God Rankings and memorized the names of the powerful martial artists listed there.
• Jiang Xuansu spotted her own name at fifty-fourth, and Lin Bai found himself ranked one hundredth as a seventh-grade Dao God.

The Evil Moon Sect placed Lin Bai last on the Star Ranking’s Dao God Rankings, exposing his identity as Qing Luo and drawing suspicion from other sects. Liu Fuyun tried to shield him as visitors arrived to investigate, while Lin Bai stayed in the Eternal Devil Sect’s residence awaiting the Evil Moon Grand Feast.

• Lin Bai and Jiang Xuansu saw that the Evil Moon Sect had ranked Lin Bai, a seventh-grade Dao God, one hundredth on the Dao God Rankings.
• Liu Fuyun warned Lin Bai and Jiang Xuansu that the ranking was deliberate and that the Evil Moon Sect might know Lin Bai was a member of the Heaven Swallowing Race.
• Liu Fuyun advised Lin Bai to stay inside the residence, and Lin Bai decided to cultivate in seclusion until the Evil Moon Grand Feast began.
• Daoist Zhang of Skywind Mountain visited Liu Fuyun and tried to learn about Qing Luo, but Liu Fuyun dismissed the ranking as a mistake and avoided answering.
• Other sect elders came to question Liu Fuyun about Lin Bai, leaving him overwhelmed with visitors for days.

Lin Bai studied the Star Ranking and the Evil Moon Grand Feast schedule while Qing Luo’s unexpected ranking stirred up Star City. After half a month of quiet, the Eternal Devil Sect’s disciples set out for the Moon God sacrifice, formally opening the feast.

• Qing Luo’s placement at one hundredth on the Star Ranking sparked rumors, questions, and resentment among martial artists across Star City.
• Liu Fuyun fielded visitors who questioned Qing Luo’s ranking, while Lin Bai studied the Star Ranking booklet and learned that the Dao God competition would take place last.
• Lin Bai learned that the Evil Moon Grand Feast would begin with a Moon God sacrifice, followed by competitions for Dao Venerable, Dao Immortal, and Dao God disciples.
• The Yunling Li Family arrived in Star City on the seventh day after the Eternal Devil Sect, completing the arrival of the participating sects and lineages.
• After the Evil Moon Sect invited them to the Moon God sacrifice, Liu Fuyun warned the Eternal Devil Sect disciples not to cause trouble, and they boarded a flying boat bound for Moon God Mountain.

Lin Bai and the Eternal Devil Sect arrived at the Evil Moon Sect’s Ancestral Temple for the Moon God sacrifice, where the Sect Leader opened the temple and entered alone. A powerful gaze then focused on something inside Lin Bai, leaving the reason unclear.

• Liu Fuyun led the Eternal Devil Sect disciples from their flying boat to their assigned place at the rear of the Ancestral Temple square.
• The Evil Moon Sect’s Sect Leader, Zhao, greeted the assembled sects and opened the Ancestral Temple’s doors.
• Several martial artists who used the Mystic Eye Technique to peer inside suffered painful backlash, and Lin Bai recognized the Evil Moon Sect’s warning as a show of dominance.
• The Sect Leader entered the temple as the Evil Moon Sect disciples knelt and worshipped outside.
• A mysterious gaze swept across the square and then focused on something inside Lin Bai’s body.

At the Evil Moon Sect’s sacrificial ceremony, the Moon God’s gaze fixed on Lin Bai and led him to realize that the Green Jade Fragments within him had slipped from his memory. The Ancestral Temple then attacked him, but the fragments repelled its force, leaving the cause of its reaction unresolved.

• Lin Bai felt the Moon God’s gaze single him out, though he could not tell what it was examining.
• Lin Bai concluded that the gaze was focused on the three Green Jade Fragments inside his body rather than the Heaven Swallowing Dao Fruit.
• Lin Bai realized he had completely forgotten the Green Jade Fragments for a time, which terrified him.
• The Ancestral Temple shook, drained the world’s spiritual energy, and sent an invisible force that bound Lin Bai.
• The three Green Jade Fragments flashed together and shattered the force, restoring calm around the Ancestral Temple.

The Moon Goddess awakened briefly within the Evil Moon Sect’s ancestral statue during a sacrificial prayer, then fell silent again. Liu Chongen asked the sect’s ancestor to guard the temple and seek a way to contact her remnant soul.

• Liu Chongen opened the Ancestral Temple and began the sect’s sacrificial prayer before the Moon Goddess’s statue.
• The statue radiated golden light, and Liu Chongen recognized the woman’s phantom as the Moon Goddess before bowing to her.
• The statue’s right arm broke off and crumbled, and Liu Chongen realized the Moon Goddess’s remnant soul had awakened for the first time since the sect was founded.
• After waiting a day without another sign, Liu Chongen told the assembled sects that the Moon Goddess had awakened and ordered them to return for the martial competition the next day.
• Liu Chongen summoned the Evil Moon Sect’s ancestor, explained what had happened, and asked him to guard the temple and try to contact the Moon Goddess’s remnant soul.