Chapter Summaries

Lin Bai faced twenty elite disciples from the Cloud Heaven Sword Sect and the Heaven and Earth Gate, who joined forces to kill him on the combat stage. As the battle began, Ke Ling unleashed the Earth Demon's remnant soul power and Liu Mian drew a damaged Grand Yi Divine Weapon.

• Elder Qin ordered ten Cloud Heaven Sword Sect disciples, including its Three Kings and Seven Sword Children, to attack Lin Bai without restraint.
• Ten renowned Heaven and Earth Gate disciples, including its Holy Son Ke Ling, joined the ten Cloud Heaven Sword Sect disciples on the stage.
• The crowd and Tianshui Sect members worried about Lin Bai, but the crow insisted the twenty opponents were no match for him.
• Ke Ling and Liu Mian agreed to attack Lin Bai, and Ke Ling awakened the Earth Demon's remnant soul power without losing control of himself.
• Liu Mian drew a damaged Grand Yi Divine Weapon as the twenty disciples surrounded Lin Bai.

Lin Bai faced an assault from the Heaven and Earth Gate and Cloud Heaven Sword Sect after revealing the Astonishing Immortal Sword Intent. He evaded all nineteen attackers with ease, leaving the battle ongoing.

• The gathered experts recognized Ke Ling's power as the Earth Demon's residual soul and identified Liu Mian's broken sword as the Gazing Sky Sword.
• A Heaven and Earth Gate disciple provoked Lin Bai, who knocked him off the arena with a glance.
• The elders and experts recognized that Lin Bai had cultivated the Tianshui Sect's Astonishing Immortal Sword Intent, astonishing Chu Xi and the Elders Council.
• Ke Ling and the remaining Heaven and Earth Gate disciples attacked Lin Bai, while Liu Mian and the Cloud Heaven Sword Sect disciples joined them.
• Lin Bai dodged the nineteen martial artists' attacks without drawing his sword and calmly poured himself another cup of wine.

Lin Bai defeated the nineteen attackers with a wine-born tide of Sword Intent, leaving Liu Mian and Ke Ling badly wounded. He took the Gazing Sky Sword, then tossed it before the Tianshui Sect’s Ancestral Temple and challenged the Cloud Heaven Sword Sect to earn it back.

• Lin Bai evaded the combined attacks of the nineteen martial artists until they grew anxious and exhausted their techniques.
• Lin Bai drank Dragon Blood Wine and spat out a vast tide of Sword Intent that blasted seventeen attackers from the arena and injured Liu Mian and Ke Ling.
• Lin Bai kicked Liu Mian away and took the cracked Gazing Sky Sword from him.
• Lin Bai threw the Gazing Sky Sword onto the steps before the Tianshui Sect’s Ancestral Temple and declared the Cloud Heaven Sword Sect could reclaim it only by producing someone who defeated him or a future Tianshui Sect Holy Son.
• Elder Qin grew furious as Lin Bai turned away from the Cloud Heaven Sword Sect and faced Ke Ling.

Lin Bai crushed Ke Ling’s resistance after defeating the Cloud Heaven Sword Sect, while the Heaven and Earth Gate’s Ma Qiuming tried to protect Ke Ling and caution Lin Bai by invoking the death of Li Lingtian. Lin Bai turned that warning against them and demanded that Ke Ling kneel and kowtow to Li Lingtian if he wanted to live.

• The Twenty-Seven Sects of Chu lamented the Cloud Heaven Sword Sect’s defeat and the loss of its sacred artifact, the Gazing Sky Sword.
• Lin Bai overwhelmed Ke Ling’s Earth Demon remnant Soul Power, kicked him down, and shattered the remnant soul within him.
• Ke Ling tried to leave the arena, but Lin Bai dragged him back, crushed his ribs and arm, and refused to let him escape.
• Ma Qiuming recalled the Heaven and Earth Gate’s order to protect Ke Ling because he might revive the Earth Demon, then praised Lin Bai and alluded to Li Lingtian’s death as a warning.
• Lin Bai challenged Ma Qiuming’s veiled threat and demanded that Ke Ling kneel and kowtow three times to Li Lingtian to earn his life.

Lin Bai demanded that Ke Ling kneel and kowtow to Li Lingtian, while the Tianshui Sect’s disciples rallied behind him and their rising momentum appeared in the heavens. As Ma Qiuming and the Tianshui Sect’s elders clashed over the demand, the Third Prince offered to mediate, but Ke Ling’s choice remained unresolved.

• Lin Bai gave Ke Ling three breaths to choose between kneeling and kowtowing to Li Lingtian or dying, and Ke Ling trembled, unable to decide.
• The Tianshui Sect’s disciples shouted for Ke Ling to atone, and a crimson flame rose above them as experts declared that the sect’s fortunes were gathering.
• Ma Qiuming accused Chu Xi and the Tianshui Sect of humiliating their guests, but Chu Xi denied that she was forcing Ke Ling to kneel.
• Ma Qiuming threatened that the Heaven and Earth Gate would discipline the Tianshui Sect’s disciples, and the Second Elder warned him to sit down and criticized the Gate for causing trouble after its disciples lost to Lin Bai.
• The Third Prince called on both sides to step back and offered to mediate the dispute.

Lin Bai rejected the Third Prince’s attempt to reconcile Tianshui Sect and Heaven and Earth Gate, forcing Ke Ling to kneel and kowtow before ending their feud. After the banquet’s challenges ended, two White Bone Sect visitors revealed their plan to open the Demon Refining Tower and recover the Yellow Springs Demon Bone.

• The Third Prince tried to mediate, but Lin Bai insisted that Ke Ling must kneel or die, while Prince Chen invoked the royal ancestor’s injunction to stop the Third Prince from interfering.
• Lin Bai’s sword intent overwhelmed Ke Ling, who knelt and kowtowed three times; Lin Bai felt the karma between himself and Li Lingtian disappear.
• Old Daoist Ma Qiuming led Heaven and Earth Gate away, and Lin Bai asked for more challengers before stepping down when no one came forward.
• A man and woman at the White Bone Sect table suspected Lin Bai was the mysterious swordsman who took the Yellow Springs Demon Bone from Embrace Moon Riverside.
• The pair planned to open the Demon Refining Tower, free the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace ancestors, and retrieve the Yellow Springs Demon Bone before the guests departed.

After defeating the disciples of Cloud Heaven Sword Sect and Heaven and Earth Gate, Lin Bai celebrated his succession as Tianshui Sect’s Holy Son and toasted the visiting guests. He finished greeting the sects and lineages, leaving the banquet proceeding peacefully.

• Lin Bai drank and chatted with Qiao Mo, Qin Yao, Fang Yuanshu, Yi Gu, and the others after no one else challenged him.
• Lin Bai toasted the Third Prince, Chu Zimo, Chu Tingxue, and Prince Chen, who congratulated him and discussed meeting again in the imperial capital.
• Lin Bai thanked the Five Great Families and spoke with Chen Yule, who condemned Heaven and Earth Gate and Cloud Heaven Sword Sect for their conduct.
• Lin Bai thanked Yi Song and explained that he had been prepared for the arena battle.
• Lin Bai greeted Huang Qingyun and the Sacred Lotus Palace guests, then promised Shui Mo Dan extra roast chickens to take home.
• Lin Bai thanked the old monk from Kushan Sect for attending and nodded to Di Wuyan before moving on.

At Lin Bai’s Holy Son celebration, he learned Qian Hen had left him a warning about the Heaven and Earth Gate, the Third Prince, and Liang Wang. The Heaven and Earth Gate then issued a challenge for three months later, which Lin Bai accepted.

• The Qian family's Second Master gave Lin Bai Qian Hen’s letter, which congratulated him and warned him to beware the Heaven and Earth Gate, the Third Prince, and Liang Wang.
• Lin Bai toasted the guests and thanked the Tianshui Sect’s elders for their support during the ceremony.
• Ma Qiuming returned with a challenge flag and challenged Tianshui Sect disciples to a martial exchange at the Heaven and Earth Gate in three months.
• Lin Bai accepted the challenge and said he would face the Heaven and Earth Gate’s Dao God Realm martial artists.

After Heaven and Earth Gate challenged Tianshui Sect to a Dao debate, Lin Bai agreed to go alone in three months, though the elders wanted to accompany him. After his Holy Son succession, he celebrated with fellow Holy Sons and woke up from a massive Dragon Blood Wine hangover, with Qiao Mo caring for him and remembering that she was now effectively his fiancée.

• Lin Bai agreed to attend Heaven and Earth Gate's Dao debate in three months and said he would go alone, while the elders debated whether to accompany him.
• Tianshui Sect completed Lin Bai's Holy Son succession ceremony, and he continued living on Bright Moon Island.
• Lin Bai invited Chen Yule, Yi Song, Huang Qingyun, Shui Mo Dan, and other Holy Sons to drink, and they partied until dawn.
• Lin Bai woke with a severe hangover after drinking more than one hundred and thirty jars of Dragon Blood Wine, and Qiao Mo gave him a remedy.
• Qiao Mo cared for Lin Bai as he rested and recalled that her family's agreement meant she could now be considered his fiancée.

Lin Bai and the others rushed to Water Marsh Island after a powerful battle shook the Tianshui Sect, where they found a black-robed man who had destroyed the Cloud Heaven Sword Sect’s residence. Lin Bai fought him, and their clash shattered the island.

• Lin Bai promised Qiao Mo he would help her reclaim the Hundred Victories Pavilion, while she hinted that he mattered more to her than the pavilion.
• A tremendous battle shook the Water Mirror Sea, and Lin Bai discovered Crow was missing.
• Lin Bai went to investigate the disturbance, followed by Qiao Mo, Qin Yao, Fang Yuanshu, and the others.
• They found Water Marsh Island, the Cloud Heaven Sword Sect’s residence, burned to ruins and confronted a black-robed man who accused them of killing the sect’s disciples.
• The black-robed man attacked Lin Bai, and Lin Bai countered with his Demonic Sword and Astonishing Immortal Sword Intent; their clash shattered Water Marsh Island.

After Elder Qin of the Cloud Heaven Sword Sect attacked Lin Bai, he accused the Tianshui Sect of killing his disciples on Water Marsh Island. The Tianshui Sect began investigating the massacre, but the attacker’s identity remained unknown.

• Lin Bai barely survived Elder Qin’s sword strike, and the Tianshui Sect’s Second Elder arrived with reinforcements.
• Elder Qin claimed a Great Purity Dao Fruit Realm powerhouse had used the World Sealing Formation to trap him and slaughter the Cloud Heaven Sword Sect disciples on Water Marsh Island.
• The Grand Elder challenged Elder Qin to provide evidence for his accusation that the Tianshui Sect had ordered the attack.
• Tianshui Sect disciples recovered the Cloud Heaven Sword Sect corpses; nearly all of the Three Kings and Seven Sword Children were dead, while Liu Mian’s body was missing.
• The Grand Elder asked Elder Qin to describe the attackers and the techniques they had used.

Elder Qin described how masked attackers used a strange World Sealing Formation to slaughter Cloud Heaven Sword Sect disciples on Water Marsh Island, then fought him before escaping. The Grand Elder promised to investigate Tianshui Sect, while members of White Bone Sect left planning to provoke a larger conflict.

• Elder Qin recounted how white mist concealed the attackers as they killed Cloud Heaven Sword Sect disciples and an unknown Black-Robed Man fought him for several hundred rounds.
• Elder Qin accused Tianshui Sect of having a motive, but the Grand Elder denied responsibility and ordered the sect sealed off to find the attackers.
• Elder Qin agreed to stay and help investigate, demanding that the Grand Elder punish the culprits if they proved to be Tianshui Sect experts.
• Lin Bai left with Qiao Mo, Qin Yao, and the others, wondering whether Li Yuanzong was connected to the attack.
• After everyone dispersed, White Bone Sect members decided to choose a stronger target and make the incident provoke a major conflict with Tianshui Sect.

Lin Bai met with Bai Yifei and the other Saints after the attack, then learned that the attackers may have used martial arts associated with the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace. The group suspected the Demon Palace’s remnants were involved, while Bai Yifei discovered Lin Bai’s hidden identity as the mysterious sword cultivator.

• Lin Bai joined Chen Yule, Chen Yun, Yi Song, Huang Qingyun, and Shui Mo Dan at a bonfire, where Shui Mo Dan gave him a healing pill.
• Bai Yifei arrived, suspected Heaven and Earth Gate had instigated the attack, and said he trusted Lin Bai to uncover its origins.
• Lin Bai let Bai Yifei remain as Yi Song and the others discussed the attack, and Chen Yule identified the Thousand Lifetimes Palm and Myriad Souls Fist.
• Huang Qingyun revealed that the group knew Lin Bai was the mysterious sword cultivator from Embrace Moon Riverside and had taken a treasure from Demon Palace Mountain.
• Yi Song recognized the martial arts as techniques linked to the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace, and Bai Yifei was shocked to hear that its remnants might be involved.

Lin Bai and the others discovered that remnants of the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace were behind the attack on the Cloud Heaven Sword Sect and discussed why they had targeted the Tianshui Sect. They suspected the Demon Refining Tower was their goal and considered how the attackers might reach it, but their plan remained unknown.

• Yi Song told Lin Bai that traces of the Thousand Lifetimes Palm and Myriad Souls Fist linked the Cloud Heaven Sword Sect’s dead to the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace.
• Bai Yifei reminded Lin Bai that the Tianshui Sect’s Demon Refining Tower had once held imprisoned experts from the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace.
• Chen Yule described how outside histories accused the Tianshui Sect of imprisoning the palace’s experts to seize its treasures, provoking the Chu Kingdom.
• Lin Bai said the Demon Refining Tower was inside the Water Mirror World, guarded by Tianshui Sect elders, and restricted to Three Wonders Disciples.
• Lin Bai proposed that the attackers might distract the Tianshui Sect’s experts while breaking into the Water Mirror World, and the others understood how the diversion could work.

Lin Bai and the others reasoned that the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace remnants were creating disturbances to distract the Tianshui Sect and slip into the Water Mirror World. Yi Song believed Lin Bai might be their next target, but Lin Bai disagreed and prepared to explain why.

• Lin Bai and Bai Yifei explained that entering the Water Mirror World and reaching the Demon Refining Tower would require overcoming its barrier and powerful elders.
• Yi Song concluded that the attack on the Cloud Heaven Sword Sect had not caused enough chaos, so the remnants would likely strike again within one to three days.
• Yi Song proposed that Lin Bai was the likely next target because his death would throw the Tianshui Sect into turmoil.
• Yi Song and Chen Yule explained that they had stopped Lin Bai to analyze the threat and protect him, and Lin Bai thanked them.
• Lin Bai said he did not think the remnants would target him, and Huang Qingyun asked why he was so confident.

Lin Bai and his companions concluded that the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace remnants were more likely to target Prince Chen than Lin Bai or the other imperial princes. They set out for Prince Chen’s residence at Clearwater Bay, where the story left them arriving above the island.

• Lin Bai argued that the remnants would avoid targeting him and reasoned that they might instead attack the imperial family.
• Lin Bai, Yi Song, Chen Yule, and Huang Qingyun agreed that Prince Chen was the most vulnerable target.
• Lin Bai departed to protect Prince Chen, and Yi Song, Chen Yule, Huang Qingyun, Shui Mo Dan, and others joined him.
• Qin Yao explained that Prince Chen was staying at Clearwater Bay, separate from the Third Prince and Young Lord Liang Wang.
• Lin Bai and his companions reached the skies above Clearwater Bay, a fortified island within the Tianshui Sect.

Lin Bai and the others reached Clearwater Bay and learned that Prince Chen had gone into seclusion, while his companions hinted at a sealed past. Lin Bai exposed a fake maid as a remnant of the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace, then found a World Sealing Formation blocking his way into Clearwater Bay.

• Lin Bai and his companions arrived at Clearwater Bay and were told by a maid that Prince Chen was in closed-door seclusion.
• Chen Yule, Yi Song, and Huang Qingyun explained that Prince Chen had once been a peerless genius whose Heaven Mending Divine Eye was sealed by the Chu Emperor after a past mistake.
• As Lin Bai and the others left, Lin Bai noticed something strange and questioned the maid about Elder Chen, then realized she was impersonating someone from the Tianshui Sect.
• Lin Bai struck the maid and severed her arm, prompting her to use the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace's Blood Shadow Escape and flee into Clearwater Bay.
• Lin Bai pursued the maid but collided with an invisible barrier and recognized it as a World Sealing Formation.

Lin Bai and the others found Clearwater Bay sealed by a World Sealing Formation, and Lin Bai opened a breach before entering the white mist inside with Chen Yule, Yi Song, and Huang Qingyun. The mist separated them, and a sinister voice addressed Lin Bai as he searched for the others.

• Lin Bai recognized the barrier around Clearwater Bay as a World Sealing Formation, but Chen Yule, Yi Song, Huang Qingyun, and Shui Mo Dan could not break it with their formation-breaking treasures.
• Lin Bai cut a wide opening in the formation with his Demon Sword and warned the group about the white mist beyond it.
• Lin Bai told Qiao Mo and Qin Yao to alert the sect and other experts, assigned others to support them outside, and entered the formation with Chen Yule, Yi Song, and Huang Qingyun.
• Lin Bai found that the mist sharply limited his Asura Dharma Eyes, then realized Chen Yule, Yi Song, and Huang Qingyun had become separated from him.
• A sinister voice called to Lin Bai, saying the remnants of the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace had been waiting for a chance to approach him.

Lin Bai confronted the siblings from the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace, who trapped him in a soul cage and attacked him together. He emerged unharmed and counterattacked, forcing the brother to summon a towering Rakshasa ghost.

• Lin Bai recognized the siblings from their previous clash at Demon Palace Mountain and learned that they knew his identity.
• When Lin Bai asked about Prince Chen, the brother claimed Prince Chen was dead, and Lin Bai vowed to kill the siblings if that was true.
• The woman cast Soul Manipulation Art: Myriad Souls Cage while her brother unleashed Myriad Souls Fist: Soul Devouring Immortal Execution.
• Lin Bai survived the combined attack without injury, astonishing the siblings with his physical strength.
• Lin Bai struck back with his sword, and the brother summoned a three-headed, six-armed Rakshasa Ghost Shadow to defend himself.

Lin Bai fought Young Master Blood Shadow and Young Master Blood Spirit, then pretended to be near death to learn why they had come to the Tianshui Sect. After they revealed their plan to rescue prisoners and ignite a wider conflict, Lin Bai healed instantly and exposed his deception.

• Young Master Blood Shadow’s Rakshasa Ghost Shadow forced Lin Bai onto the defensive while Young Master Blood Spirit struck him with her Thousand Lifetimes Palm and sent him into a pit.
• Believing Lin Bai was dying, the siblings revealed that they were Young Masters of the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace and described its ranks of powerful officials.
• Young Master Blood Spirit said they had come to rescue their imprisoned predecessors and had created distractions to gain access to the Water Mirror World.
• Young Master Blood Spirit claimed the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace had spies throughout the Devil Realm Eastern Region, and Young Master Blood Shadow said they would kill Lin Bai and find Prince Chen.
• Lin Bai revealed that his injuries were an act, healed himself with the Five Elements Dao Body, and returned to peak condition, terrifying the siblings.