Chapter Summaries

King Chai Ning arrived with his fleet and overwhelmed the Blood God Sect forces at Bone Mountain. As the Sect Leader of the Blood God Sect threatened to surrender and reveal what he knew to Chu, figures hidden in the void began to stir.

• The Lord of Wu En City used the God King Scattering Stars Formation to injure and kill several Great Purity Dao Fruit experts, until King Chai Ning arrived with his fleet.
• King Chai Ning struck the God King Avatar with his halberd, forcing the Lord of Wu En City to spit blood, and Prince Chen handed the battlefield over to him.
• King Chai Ning ordered his warships to fire their God of War Cannons, destroying Bone Mountain and the God King Avatar; Lin Bai escaped on his flying sword.
• The Lord of Wu En City demanded that the Sect Leader of the Blood God Sect call on his promised allies, but the Sect Leader mocked him and called out to those hiding in the void.
• The Sect Leader of the Blood God Sect threatened to surrender and tell Chu everything he knew, prompting ripples to appear in the surrounding void.

Prince Chai Ning attacked Bone Mountain and nearly killed the Blood God Sect's Sect Leader, but three black-mist Primal Chaos Dao Fruit experts intervened. As they prepared to fight Prince Chai Ning, the Blood God Sect's Sect Leader plunged toward the ground to pursue Lin Bai, and the other forces withdrew from the battlefield.

• Prince Chai Ning charged the Blood God Sect's Sect Leader and struck at him with his halberd.
• One of three concealed Primal Chaos Dao Fruit experts appeared and blocked Prince Chai Ning's attack.
• The three experts agreed to give the Blood God Sect's Sect Leader a quarter of an hour to capture Lin Bai before taking him away.
• The three concealed experts blocked Prince Chai Ning and announced that they would fight him together.
• Prince Chen, the Five Great Families and Seven Sects, and the Zhao Xing Office withdrew from Bone Mountain.
• The clash between the four Primal Chaos Dao Fruit experts sent a devastating wave across a hundred thousand miles and shook Ke Province.

Lin Bai was captured by the Sect Leader of the Blood God Sect while King Chai Ning battled three Primal Chaos Dao Fruit experts. King Chai Ning used the King's Seal to trap them and launched a devastating counterattack.

• Lin Bai fled the battle but the Sect Leader of the Blood God Sect caught him and struck him down, leaving him too weak to resist.
• The Sect Leader of the Blood God Sect picked Lin Bai up and prepared to leave with the three other experts after they disengaged from King Chai Ning.
• King Chai Ning activated the King's Seal, sealing the space and preventing the four enemies from escaping.
• King Chai Ning attacked with his halberd, crushing half of one expert's body and shattering another's physical form.
• The second expert's soul struck the King's Seal's spatial barrier and bounced back as the four enemies realized King Chai Ning was far stronger than they had expected.

King Chai Ning defeated the Sect Leader of the Blood God Sect and the three attackers, killing the sect leader when a Nine Underworlds Demon Palace powerhouse tried to rescue them. He brought Lin Bai back to Prince Chen, then ordered Zhu Mo to pursue the fleeing Blood God Sect members.

• King Chai Ning overwhelmed the Sect Leader of the Blood God Sect and the three men, who sent a distress signal to the palace for reinforcements.
• A giant hand used the Great Underworld Hand to seize the four fighters, but King Chai Ning shattered its finger and killed the Sect Leader of the Blood God Sect.
• A gentle force freed Lin Bai and carried him onto the Flood Dragon, while the black hand withdrew into the void.
• King Chai Ning brought Lin Bai to Prince Chen, and Chu Junyou gave the badly injured Lin Bai pills to stabilize his condition.
• King Chai Ning ordered Zhu Mo and the Zhao Xing Office warriors to pursue the scattered Blood God Sect members and capture or kill them.

After the Blood God Sect's defeat at Bone Mountain, Lin Bai woke in Fengling City and explained why the Sect Leader had taken him. The cleanup in Ke Province continued, while Lin Bai stayed under guard to recover from his severe injuries.

• Prince Chen stationed the central camp in Fengling City as the Zhao Xing Office and King Chai Ning's army hunted the Blood God Sect's fleeing disciples.
• Lin Bai awoke at the Tianshui Sect's residence, where the Third Elder and Zheng Yuan watched over him as his companions came to visit.
• The Third Elder and Zheng Yuan explained that the Blood God Sect's remnants and corrupted officials still had to be dealt with, though the Zhao Xing Office would handle the investigations.
• The Third Elder asked why the lord of Wu En City had taken Lin Bai, and Lin Bai claimed the Blood God Sect's Sect Leader intended to seize his body to escape the Five Signs of Decay poison.
• The Third Elder said Chen Yule had escaped Bone Mountain and alerted Prince Chen, and that his contribution might earn him a marquisate.
• The Third Elder ordered Lin Bai to remain in Fengling City and recover, since his injuries would take at least half a month to heal.

As Lin Bai recovered, Qin Yao recounted how King Chai Ning rose from a Qian family prodigy to one of Chu’s Twelve Army Kings through three decisive military campaigns. She then explained Chu’s noble ranks and what the title of High Minister meant.

• Lin Bai, Qiao Mo, and Yi Gu discussed King Chai Ning’s strength after his battle against four enemies.
• Qin Yao described King Chai Ning’s early cultivation, his victory in the Hunting Realm, and his appointment as a High Minister and general.
• Qin Yao recounted how King Chai Ning crushed the Qi River Thousand Provinces rebellion and earned the title of An Tian Marquis.
• Qin Yao explained how King Chai Ning rescued the Chu Emperor from a rebellion in the Hunting Realm and later defeated the Qi Tian Sect after a century of border fighting, earning the title of king.
• Qin Yao listed Chu’s noble ranks and explained the limited privileges of Chu Scholars and the standing of High Ministers.

Qin Yao explained how the Kingdom of Chu’s noble titles granted martial artists access to cultivation resources through taxes and fiefs. Lin Bai learned that marquis titles could not be inherited, while kings could pass theirs down, and that fewer than a hundred people in the capital held kingly titles.

• Yi Gu asked why martial artists sought noble titles, and Qin Yao explained that titles brought cultivation resources.
• Qin Yao described the four noble ranks and how City Marquises, Two-Character Marquises, and One-Character Marquises collected taxes from their territories.
• Qin Yao explained that Two-Character Kings received a province’s taxes, while One-Character Equal Kings received taxes from ten provinces, and warned that imperial princes were members of the royal clan.
• Lin Bai noted that fiefs outside the Imperial Authority Eighteen Provinces could be poor, and Qin Yao agreed that most noble fiefs lay beyond those provinces.
• Qin Yao said kings could pass their titles down, marquises could not, and fewer than a hundred martial artists in the capital held kingly titles.

After the blood-light array over Ke Province was destroyed, the Chen Family invited Lin Bai and other Tianshui Sect members to a banquet in Fengling City. The gathering began with polite exchanges between the elders, while Lin Bai discovered the extraordinary value and effects of the wine and dishes.

• The Celestial Mystery Pavilion’s Formation Daoists and Zhao Xing Office warriors located and destroyed more than a dozen Blood God Sealing Pagodas, dispersing the blood-light array over Ke Province.
• Third Elder told Lin Bai and the others that the Chen Family had specifically invited them to a gathering, and they agreed to attend despite Lin Bai’s recovering injuries.
• Bai Yifei objected to Lin Bai being brought along, but Third Elder insisted the group attend to broaden their horizons.
• A Chen Family elder welcomed the Tianshui Sect party and exchanged courteous apologies with Third Elder over their earlier dispute at the Bone Mountain camp.
• Lin Bai tasted the banquet’s spiritually potent dishes and learned from Qin Yao that the Fairy Brew cost one hundred thousand purple gold per jug.
• Bai Yifei mocked Lin Bai for being astonished by the wine’s price.

At the Chen Family banquet, Chen Yun fixed Lin Bai with a hostile stare, then proposed a martial competition between the Chen Family and Tianshui Sect disciples. Bai Yifei eagerly accepted, hoping to prove himself to Chen Yule.

• Lin Bai saw Chen Yun arrive with Chen Yule and was surprised by her restored beauty and maturity.
• Chen Yun glared at Lin Bai with killing intent, leaving him confused about why she seemed to resent him.
• Chen Yule publicly toasted Lin Bai and thanked him for helping Prince Chen, while a Chen Family elder probed the Tianshui Sect's political ties.
• Chen Yun interrupted the tense conversation and proposed a friendly martial competition between the Chen Family and Tianshui Sect disciples.
• Bai Yifei accepted the competition, believing it would give him a chance to impress Chen Yule and establish his reputation.

Chen Yun arranged a martial contest between the Chen Family and the Tianshui Sect, where Bai Yifei won the opening match but the Tianshui Sect lost eight of nine bouts. Chen Yun then pointedly asked to see Chen Yule fight Lin Bai, but Chen Yule offered to spar with Bai Yifei instead.

• Chen Yule and the elders agreed to hold a friendly martial contest between the Chen Family and the Tianshui Sect.
• Bai Yifei defeated Chen Molin after the two exchanged hundreds of moves.
• The Tianshui Sect lost eight of the nine contests, including matches fought by Qiao Mo and Qin Yao.
• Chen Yun said the bouts were boring and pointed at Lin Bai, asking to watch Chen Yule fight him.
• Chen Yule noted that Lin Bai was injured and offered to fight Bai Yifei instead, and Bai Yifei accepted.

Chen Yule humiliated Bai Yifei with a casual burst of sword intent, then ended their duel when Chen Yun lost interest. Lin Bai challenged Chen Yule next, leaving the banquet stunned as the chapter ended with the two preparing to fight.

• Chen Yun remained resentful toward Lin Bai over Luo Cong’s downfall, while Bai Yifei eagerly accepted a chance to spar with Chen Yule.
• Chen Yule repelled Bai Yifei’s domineering fist techniques with a casual strand of sword intent and revealed it was not the Chen Family’s Lingbo Sword Intent.
• Chen Yule stopped the duel because Chen Yun was bored, humiliating Bai Yifei before the gathered guests.
• The Chen Family elder apologized to the Tianshui Sect’s Third Elder, while Bai Yifei returned to his seat in anger and Chen Yun continued to ignore Chen Yule.
• Lin Bai challenged Chen Yule despite his injuries, and Chen Yun urged Yule to accept; Lin Bai said he could handle him easily.

Lin Bai challenged Chen Yule to a duel despite his injuries, and Chen Yule suspected he was the masked sword cultivator who had defeated him years earlier. As they prepared to fight on the water, Lin Bai proposed adding stakes to their contest.

• Lin Bai dismissed warnings from Qiao Mo, Qin Yao, and Yi Gu, then provoked Chen Yun and agreed to fight Chen Yule.
• Chen Yule displayed the Dragon Gate Sword, forged from Burial Dragon Emperor Gold, and spoke about his devotion to the sword.
• Chen Yule asked whether Lin Bai was the mysterious sword cultivator who had defeated him beside Embrace Moon Riverside in Sang Province, but Lin Bai refused to confirm it.
• Chen Yule invited Lin Bai to make the first move, and Lin Bai stopped him to suggest adding stakes to their duel.

Lin Bai and Chen Yule wagered over their duel, with Lin Bai asking for Dragon Blood Wine and Chen Yule seeking an honest answer about whether Lin Bai was the person he had asked about earlier. As Chen Yule unleashed the Chen Family’s Slaughter Sword Intent, Lin Bai prepared to face his powerful attack.

• Lin Bai asked Chen Yule to wager Dragon Blood Wine on their duel, and Chen Yule offered him a jar of the potent liquor.
• Lin Bai drank half the jar at once, astonishing Chen Yule, Chen Yun, and the Chen Family’s elder with his ability to withstand it.
• Chen Yule promised to send Lin Bai a hundred jars of Dragon Blood Wine after returning to the capital, while asking for an honest answer about whether Lin Bai was the person he had asked about earlier if he won.
• Lin Bai accepted the wager and told Chen Yule to attack without holding back, promising to do the same when he struck.
• Chen Yule gathered his sword intent across Fengling City and condensed it into the Dragon Gate Sword, prompting Qiao Mo, Qin Yao, and Yi Gu to identify his technique as the Chen Family’s Slaughter Sword Intent.

Chen Yule unleashed the Chen Family’s dangerous Slaughter Sword Intent against Lin Bai, who answered with his own azure lotus sword intent. Their powers clashed in a stalemate that shook Fengling City, drawing its leading experts to witness the fight.

• Yi Gu identified Chen Yule’s sword intent as a fragment of the Slaughter Sword Immortal’s inheritance, while the Chen Family Elder worried that Chen Yule could not fully control it.
• Chen Yule attacked Lin Bai with the Dragon Gate Sword, unleashing a blow that devastated the courtyard and shook Fengling City.
• Lin Bai drank the last of his wine, then raised an azure lotus sword intent using his three-revolution Sword Heart.
• Lin Bai and Chen Yule’s sword intents collided and remained evenly matched, forcing nearby elders and martial artists to retreat.
• The Five Great Families and Seven Sects’ experts, Prince Chen, and their Holy Sons and Holy Daughters arrived and watched Lin Bai hold Chen Yule to a draw.

During Lin Bai and Chen Yule’s escalating sword-intent clash, Lin Bai glimpsed the Azure Lotus Sword Immortal and nearly broke through to the third stage of the Azure Lotus Swordplay. The experts intervened to save Fengling City and stop Chen Yule from losing his reason, but their suppression ended Lin Bai’s chance to advance.

• Lin Bai saw a phantom of the Azure Lotus Sword Immortal, and the Azure Lotus Swordplay showed signs of entering its third stage.
• Chen Yule’s Slaughter Sword Intent consumed his reason as both sword intents surged and devastated several streets of Fengling City.
• Prince Chen ordered Zhu Mo to gather the elders and separate Lin Bai and Chen Yule before the city fell into chaos.
• The two sword intents shattered the eleven experts’ first attempt to suppress them, revealing the powerful wills hidden within them.
• The eleven experts suppressed the sword intents on their second attempt, restoring Chen Yule’s reason and interrupting Lin Bai’s comprehension.

Lin Bai and Chen Yule’s sword-intent clash ended with Chen Yule conceding defeat, while Prince Chen learned the fight stemmed from Chen Yun’s grudge over her husband. Prince Chen met Chen Yun to ask her to leave Lin Bai alone, but she refused and revealed her husband’s life depended on Lin Bai.

• Lin Bai steadied Chen Yule after their sword-intent clash, and Chen Yule conceded the battle while Lin Bai called it a draw.
• Prince Chen arranged new lodgings for the Chen Family and ordered the gathered martial artists to disperse.
• Lin Bai explained to Prince Chen that Chen Yun had provoked the fight, and Prince Chen promised to speak with her before announcing the group would return to the imperial capital in half a month.
• Prince Chen summoned Chen Yun to Listening Heart Garden and asked her not to target Lin Bai.
• Chen Yun refused, saying she would make Lin Bai suffer if her husband died, and Prince Chen asked why she still loved a man who had abandoned her.

Chu Junyou refused Chen Yun’s plea to save her husband, Luo Cong, and warned her not to involve the Chen Family in the matter. Half a month after the Blood God Sect’s defeat, its remnants and corrupted city lords were still being hunted as the crisis in Ke Province began to wind down.

• Chu Junyou recalled how Chen Yun had rejected Emperor Chu’s marriage decree and pleaded for her family’s sake, then told her he would not help save Luo Cong.
• Chu Junyou explained that Luo Cong had guarded the Blood God Sealing Pagoda, built from the bones of at least one hundred thousand martial artists, and promised only to spare him the Zhao Xing Office’s tortures.
• Chen Yun threatened to make Lin Bai die with Luo Cong, but Chu Junyou warned her against seeking help from the Chen Family and revealed that Lin Bai was his only friend.
• Chen Yun left the courtyard after criticizing Chu Junyou’s new princely bearing, and Chu Junyou watched her go with a sigh.
• Over the next half month, the Zhao Xing Office and King Chai Ning’s army hunted the scattered Blood God Sect followers, while Prince Chen delayed dealing with the compromised city lords because of their powerful connections.
• The Blood God Sect’s crisis in Ke Province began to subside, and disciples of the Five Great Families and Seven Sects departed Azure Lotus City for the imperial capital.

Tianshui Sect arrived in the Imperial Capital after its victory in Ke Province and settled into its palace, where Third Elder warned the disciples about the city’s many rules. The next morning, Lin Bai went sightseeing with his companions and asked to visit Divine Armory Pavilion.

• Third Elder led Tianshui Sect from the teleportation array to its newly cleaned palace, where Prince Chen’s servant announced that Emperor Chu would reward the victors in three days.
• Third Elder and Zheng Yuan lectured the disciples deep into the night about Imperial Capital and palace rules, warning them not to provoke anyone.
• The next morning, Qiao Mo, Qin Yao, Yi Gu, and others invited Lin Bai to explore the Imperial Capital, and he agreed.
• Lin Bai asked about Divine Armory Pavilion, and Yi Gu explained that its rankings often sparked rivalries and conflicts between sects.
• Qin Yao supported Lin Bai’s plan, and the group set out to visit Divine Armory Pavilion.

Lin Bai and his companions visited Divine Armory Pavilion and examined the Chu Nation martial artist rankings. Yi Gu interpreted the Dao God Rankings as evidence of political tensions among the imperial clan, the five great families, and Liang Wang, while Lin Bai continued reading the list.

• Lin Bai, Qiao Mo, Qin Yao, and Yi Gu entered Divine Armory Pavilion and viewed its rankings for Chu Nation martial artists.
• Yi Gu explained that the rankings updated when listed martial artists died, and Lin Bai examined the Dao God Rankings.
• Lin Bai noticed that the top ten included the holy sons of all five great families, one holy son from the seven great sects, and three of Liang Wang's children.
• Yi Gu argued that the rankings revealed the five great families' growing threat and Liang Wang's potential challenge to the imperial succession.
• Yi Gu explained that gaining power brought resources and benefits to one's sect, family, or dynasty, and Lin Bai continued studying the rankings.

Lin Bai discovered that killing Ling Hai Ri had put him at the bottom of the Chu Kingdom's Dao God Rankings, drawing hundreds of challengers who tried to provoke him into a fight. As Lin Bai and his companions considered escaping, Ke Ling of the Heaven and Earth Gate arrived and insulted Tianshui Sect, escalating the confrontation.

• Lin Bai saw Bai Yifei ranked ninety-ninth and found his own name at four hundred ninety-ninth on the rankings.
• Martial artists challenged Lin Bai in the Divine Armory Pavilion, hoping to claim his place near the bottom of the list.
• The crowd surrounded Lin Bai and his companions, taunting him and insulting Tianshui Sect when he did not accept a challenge.
• Lin Bai and his companions decided to force their way out, but Ke Ling and his Heaven and Earth Gate disciples blocked them.
• Ke Ling mocked Tianshui Sect and leered at Qiao Mo and Qin Yao, prompting the Tianshui Sect group to glare at him in anger.