Chapter Summaries

Tianshui Sect’s disciples arrived in the Imperial Capital to take part in the Imperial Autumn Hunt, while Lin Bai stayed out of it because of the political risks surrounding the princesses. After Pan Qing warned the disciples to avoid those tied to Prince Liang and the Third Prince, they gathered with Lin Bai to share news.

• More than thirty Tianshui Sect disciples, including Bai Yifei, Zhou Xinjin, Li Juenian, and Yi Zien, arrived in the Imperial Capital.
• Pan Qing told the disciples they had been summoned to participate in the Imperial Autumn Hunt, while Lin Bai would not take part.
• Yi Zien, Bai Yifei, and Li Juenian questioned the decision and recognized that the princesses involved in the hunt were tied to rival political factions.
• Pan Qing explained the danger of Lin Bai’s participation and urged the disciples to keep their distance from Chu Tinghan, Chu Tingxue, Princess Miaofeng, and Princess Xiangxian.
• Lin Bai welcomed the disciples to his courtyard with food and wine, and they exchanged news about the Imperial Capital and Tianshui Sect.

Lin Bai reunited with Tianshui Sect disciples and heard that the sect had secured Water Mirror Sea and was thriving, while the Third Prince planned to use the Imperial Autumn Hunt to draw Lin Bai away from Prince Chen. The chapter ended with Ye Danyang arriving under the Chu Emperor’s orders to treat Lin Bai, despite Lin Bai pretending to be too injured to receive visitors.

• Bai Yifei told Lin Bai that the Tianshui Sect had destroyed the Heaven and Earth Gate’s remnants, subdued the Three Great Demon Clans, and attracted many new disciples.
• Lin Bai warned the gathered disciples that the imperial capital was troubled by demonic cultivators, evil cults, and the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace as the Chu Emperor’s Birthday Celebration approached.
• The Third Prince and Old Huo discussed using the Imperial Autumn Hunt to arrange a marriage between Lin Bai and Princess Miaofeng or Princess Xiangxian, hoping to separate Lin Bai from Prince Chen.
• Old Huo suspected that Lin Bai’s injuries were not severe and warned that Prince Liang might also seek the Tianshui Sect’s support.
• Lin Bai asked Qiao Mo to turn away Ye Danyang, but Qiao Mo returned to report that Ye Danyang had come under the Chu Emperor’s orders and insisted on treating him.

Ye Danyang, the Celestial Mystery Pavilion's chief alchemist, came to examine Lin Bai under Emperor Chu's orders on the eve of the Imperial Autumn Hunt. Lin Bai dropped his feigned illness when Ye Danyang saw through it, and Ye Danyang revealed that Emperor Chu had sent him specifically to expose the deception.

• Lin Bai realized Emperor Chu had sent Ye Danyang so he could recover in time to join the Imperial Autumn Hunt, and agreed to receive him.
• Lin Bai sealed his spiritual power and pretended to be gravely injured before Ye Danyang entered with Qiao Mo.
• Qiao Mo blamed Lin Bai's lingering injuries on an attack by remnants of the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace, but Ye Danyang said Lin Bai would be fully recovered by the hunt.
• Ye Danyang asked Qiao Mo to leave and challenged Lin Bai to get up or be examined.
• Lin Bai revealed that he was healthy, and Ye Danyang explained that Emperor Chu had sent him to expose Lin Bai's feigned illness.

Ye Danyang came to expose Lin Bai’s feigned illness before the imperial hunt, but Lin Bai questioned him about concealing the truth behind the First and Second Princes’ deaths. Ye Danyang left after Lin Bai revealed he had recorded their conversation, while Lin Bai continued pretending to be gravely injured and promised to visit him.

• Ye Danyang told Lin Bai that Emperor Chu had sent him to expose Lin Bai, and said he would report what he found truthfully.
• Lin Bai asked Ye Danyang why he had lied about the First and Second Princes’ deaths, suggesting they had been killed by the God-Devil Calamity Poison.
• Ye Danyang denied knowing anything, but his reactions betrayed his distress as Lin Bai pressed him about the princes’ deaths.
• Lin Bai showed Ye Danyang an Image Recording Pearl and said it had recorded their conversation.
• Ye Danyang dismissed Lin Bai’s words as the rambling of an injured man and left to report to Emperor Chu, while Lin Bai promised to visit him once he recovered.

Ye Danyang confirmed Lin Bai’s supposed severe injuries to the Chu Emperor, keeping Lin Bai’s deception intact. Lin Bai planned to investigate Ye Danyang’s connection to the princes’ deaths after the Imperial Autumn Hunt while nourishing his demon sword with nine Dao Fruits.

• Ye Danyang told Pan Qing and the Tianshui Sect elders that Lin Bai was severely injured and left to report to the Chu Emperor.
• Lin Bai concluded that Ye Danyang knew the truth about the First Prince and Second Prince’s deaths and planned to retrieve his files after the Imperial Autumn Hunt.
• Lin Bai told Pan Qing that he had reached an uneven deal with Ye Danyang and that the Chu Emperor would likely believe the report.
• Lin Bai decided to use his nine Dao Fruits to nourish the demon sword into a half-step Grand Yi Divine Weapon.
• Ye Danyang told the Chu Emperor that Lin Bai’s bones and meridians were shattered and his Dao Fruit was damaged, and the Chu Emperor dismissed him.

The Chu Emperor and a shadowy figure discussed Ye Danyang’s lie on Lin Bai’s behalf and whether it could prevent the Emperor from forcing Lin Bai to act. As the Imperial Autumn Hunt approached, Tianshui Sect prepared its participants and warned them about the Imperial Clan’s involvement and the new Holy Son of the Heaven and Earth Gate.

• The Chu Emperor insisted Ye Danyang would not betray the Imperial Clan, while a shadowy figure pointed out that Ye Danyang had lied to protect Lin Bai.
• Patriarch Pan Qing announced that the Imperial Autumn Hunt would begin in three days at the Southern Sky Hunting Garden and that numerous sects, clans, and members of the Imperial Clan would attend.
• Lin Bai noticed Yan Han on the participant list, and Patriarch Pan Qing explained that the new Holy Son of the Heaven and Earth Gate was exceptionally powerful and connected to the Earth Demon.
• Lin Bai warned Bai Yifei and the other Tianshui Sect warriors to be cautious of Yan Han, while Patriarch Pan Qing explained that some top sects would attend only as spectators.
• Patriarch Pan Qing named the twenty Tianshui Sect warriors who would participate and cautioned them about attracting the princesses’ attention and being drawn into an Imperial Clan marriage alliance.
• As the hunt neared, discussion spread through the Imperial Capital about which warriors the four princesses would choose as husbands.

An imperial eunuch escorted Pan Qing, Lin Bai, and Tianshui Sect’s disciples to the Southern Sky Hunting Garden for the Imperial Autumn Hunt. They arrived at Sky Profound Peak to rest before the hunt began the next day, and Lin Bai found the ancient landscape calming.

• An old eunuch arrived at Tianshui Sect’s temporary palace by Emperor Chu’s order and invited Pan Qing, Lin Bai, and the disciples to the Southern Sky Hunting Garden.
• Pan Qing and the others boarded the deer carriages and entered the hunting ground through a teleportation array.
• Lin Bai saw enormous Ferocious Beasts reacting to the intruders, while the Purple Dragon Legion protected the carriages from their attacks.
• The eunuch brought the group to the Southern Sky Seventy-Two Peaks and assigned Tianshui Sect a temporary palace on Sky Profound Peak.
• After the eunuch departed, Lin Bai admired the hunting ground’s tranquil scenery and felt his mind grow calm.

Lin Bai reunited with old friends and fellow sect prodigies at the Nine Heavens Waterfall before the Imperial Autumn Hunt. As the hunt was set to begin the next day, Yi Song warned that the sects wanted them to avoid standing out and attracting the imperial family’s attention as potential royal sons-in-law.

• The Second Elder assigned the Tianshui Sect disciples their residences in the Southern Sky Seventy-Two Peaks, and Pan Qing suggested they visit the Nine Heavens Waterfall.
• Yi Song invited Lin Bai and the Tianshui Sect’s outstanding disciples to the waterfall, where Lin Bai met Yi Song, Qian Hen, Chen Yule, Huang Qingyun, Shui Mo Dan, and other old friends.
• Shui Mo Dan offered Lin Bai his flesh as a remedy for his injuries, but Lin Bai declined.
• Qian Hen explained that he had prepared a congratulatory letter and gifts for Lin Bai’s appointment as Holy Son but had left Chu before the news arrived.
• Yi Song told Lin Bai that the hunt began the next day and that the sect elders had warned them not to stand out, lest the imperial family choose them as sons-in-law.

At Yi Song’s banquet overlooking Nine Heavens Waterfall, Meng Qinxian and Dugu Ming reignited their feud, and threats from Zhao Xiantu and Li Mo drew Celestial Immortal Sect and Chen Yule into the dispute. The martial artists split into opposing groups, leaving the gathering on the brink of conflict as young masters from afar watched and mocked them.

• Yi Song asked Lin Bai about his exploits, and Meng Qinxian boasted about the battle at Bright Moon Pavilion before Nie Shang reminded him that Dugu Ming had ambushed him.
• Dugu Ming overheard Meng Qinxian’s boast and traded insults with him, prompting Nie Shang to threaten to join the fight if Dugu Ming insulted Seven Nights Divine Sect’s territory.
• Zhao Xiantu and Li Mo warned Meng Qinxian and Nie Shang not to cause trouble in Chu, and Dugu Ming mocked them for being on another faction’s turf.
• Yi Song defended his guests by invoking Celestial Immortal Sect, and Chen Yule joined him as Zhao Xiantu and Li Mo stood against them.
• Martial artists from the two pavilions took opposing sides, while young masters nearby laughed at the growing dispute.

Huo Chunqiu and other Crown Princes from the Western Domain Seventy-Two Kingdoms arrived at Nine Heavens Waterfall and mocked the Chu martial artists for arguing instead of fighting. After Qian Hen explained the Western Domain’s rival kingdoms, Chen Yule and Huo Chunqiu exchanged insults, leaving their confrontation on the verge of violence.

• Huo Chunqiu introduced himself as the Crown Prince of the Fire Immortal Kingdom, and several other Crown Princes from the Western Domain Seventy-Two Kingdoms announced their identities.
• Qian Hen explained that the Fire Immortal Kingdom and Shuixian Kingdom were the strongest remnants of the divided Five Elements Kingdom and were vying to become a Flourishing power.
• Huo Chunqiu mocked Zhao Xiantu and the other Chu martial artists for arguing without fighting.
• Chen Yule told Huo Chunqiu not to meddle in Chu's affairs, and Huo Chunqiu called him an ignorant savage.
• Chen Yule retorted that Huo Chunqiu's kingdom was petty and warned him that he was courting death.

At the Imperial Autumn Hunt, Huo Chunqiu challenged Chen Yule after taking offense at an insult to the Fire Immortal Kingdom. Zhu Mo stopped their fight and warned the guests against causing trouble, leaving Chen Yule to judge Huo Chunqiu a formidable opponent.

• Huo Chunqiu grew enraged at Chen Yule's description of the Fire Immortal Kingdom and charged at him with two fireballs.
• Chen Yule refused Lin Bai's offer to intervene and countered Huo Chunqiu with the Dragon Gate Sword.
• Zhu Mo and Great Purity Dao Fruit Realm warriors appeared and halted the fight with an overwhelming force.
• Huo Chunqiu mocked the Zhao Xing Office, then withdrew after threatening Chen Yule.
• Zhu Mo urged the Chu Kingdom's young talents to show both authority and bearing toward their guests before departing.
• Chen Yule told Yi Song that Huo Chunqiu seemed formidable and was stronger than anyone in the opposing pavilion.

Lin Bai asked Qian Hen about the Devil Realm’s power structure beyond the Eastern Region, and Qian Hen outlined the four Flourishing forces in each of the four territories. The group learned that hidden powers also lurked beyond the forces known to the world.

• Lin Bai admitted that he knew little about the Devil Realm’s Western, Northern, and Southern Regions, and Chen Yule and Lu Qingjun said they knew little as well.
• Qian Hen drew on his travels with the family caravans to describe the Flourishing forces of the four territories, noting that the Five Elements Kingdom had lost its former strength.
• Qian Hen explained that the Northern Region’s harsh conditions had fostered a Hundred Clans tradition, and he named several powerful clans beneath its Flourishing forces.
• Lin Bai and the others learned that sixteen Flourishing forces held influence across the Devil Realm, while countless mysterious powers operated in secret.
• Qian Hen cited the Five Elements Kingdom and the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace as examples of Flourishing forces whose remnants endured after their decline or destruction.

After a banquet among the Holy Sons and Holy Daughters, Lin Bai sat beneath the moon with Qiao Mo, who hinted at her feelings for him as he spoke of someone pretending to be a fool. The conversation was interrupted when Lin Bai spotted a disguised intruder moving toward the main peak of the Southern Sky Seventy-Two Peaks.

• Meng Qinxian and Yi Song drunkenly called for the others to keep drinking after the banquet.
• Pan Qing praised the Tianshui Sect disciples for seeing the wider world and urged them to broaden their horizons or prepare for the hunt.
• Qiao Mo joined Lin Bai beneath the moon and hinted that she had someone in her heart, while Lin Bai spoke of a person who kept pretending to be a fool.
• Lin Bai used his Asura Dharma Eyes to spot a black-clad intruder evading the formations and heading toward the main peak.

Lin Bai spotted a Black-Clad Figure sneaking into Emperor Chu’s residence on the main peak and warned Lord Zhu Mo, who sought an imperial decree to search it. The intruder returned to a group of conspirators, revealed that Lin Bai had nearly caught him, and the group decided to continue their plan.

• Lin Bai followed a Black-Clad Figure through the Southern Sky Seventy-Two Peaks and watched him evade the formations before entering the main peak.
• Qiao Mo stopped Lin Bai from trespassing on Emperor Chu’s residence, and Lin Bai asked her to bring Lord Zhu Mo.
• Lin Bai told Zhu Mo that someone had infiltrated the main peak, and Zhu Mo agreed to request an imperial decree to search it.
• The Black-Clad Figure returned to a hall where several dozen martial artists were waiting and said Lin Bai had nearly discovered him.
• The conspirators considered abandoning their plan, but one of them insisted they continue because chances to enter the Southern Sky Hunting Garden were rare.

Zhu Mo told Emperor Chu and Prince Chen that Lin Bai had seen a mysterious intruder enter the main peak without triggering any formations. The Emperor ordered an investigation without alarming the Southern Sky Hunting Garden and granted Lin Bai permission to enter the main peak freely.

• Zhu Mo used the hidden formation in his residence to report Lin Bai’s sighting to Emperor Chu and Prince Chen.
• Zhu Mo explained that the intruder had crossed the Southern Sky Seventy-Two Peaks without triggering their formations and vanished inside the main peak.
• Prince Chen agreed to investigate the participating sects and families while keeping the Southern Sky Hunting Garden calm, and Emperor Chu said his visit in two days would go ahead.
• Emperor Chu granted Lin Bai permission to enter the main peak freely and told Prince Chen to leave the details to him.
• Zhu Mo informed Lin Bai of the decision at dawn, and Lin Bai agreed to set the matter aside for now while remaining ready to catch the intruder.

Lin Bai and his companions encountered a proud, sword-wielding woman on a mountain path in the Southern Sky Hunting Garden. After she clashed with Meng Qinxian and challenged Lin Bai, her entourage revealed that she was Princess Chu Tinghan, Princess of Liang Wang.

• Lin Bai toured the Southern Sky Seventy-Two Peaks with Meng Qinxian, Yi Heze, Lu Qingjun, and the others while they discussed the upcoming hunt.
• The group met a beautiful, arrogant woman surrounded by young masters, and her men ordered them to clear the path.
• Meng Qinxian refused to yield, and the woman attacked him with a sword before threatening to kill him.
• Lin Bai stepped in to calm the dispute, but the woman sent sword intent at him, which he withstood unharmed.
• After Lin Bai identified himself as the Holy Son of Tianshui Sect, the woman recognized him, and her entourage named her Princess Chu Tinghan and demanded that he make Meng Qinxian kneel and apologize.

Lin Bai confronted Princess Chu Tinghan after her followers demanded an apology, and the two challenged each other over who was Chu’s foremost young prodigy. Chu Tinghan vowed to defeat Lin Bai and prove her worth to Prince Liang without becoming a political marriage pawn.

• Chu Tinghan’s followers introduced her as Princess Liang and demanded that Lin Bai make Meng Qinxian apologize, but Chu Tinghan focused her attention on Lin Bai.
• Lin Bai tried to leave with Meng Qinxian and the others, and Chu Tinghan asked whether he would join the next day’s autumn hunt.
• Lin Bai claimed injuries prevented him from joining the hunt, and Chu Tinghan said she would kill him if he had participated.
• Lin Bai challenged Chu Tinghan to fight when an opportunity arose and taunted her about accepting defeat, prompting her to promise she would admit it herself if she lost.
• After Lin Bai left, Chu Tinghan vowed to prove she was superior to him and resolved to show Prince Liang she could win a realm through her own strength rather than marry for political gain.

Lin Bai and the other Tianshui Sect members prepared for the Imperial Autumn Hunt and traveled to the Ascension Celestial Palace for its opening. The hunt had not yet begun, and the chapter ended as the realm’s leading sects and Chu’s imperial family took their designated seats.

• Lin Bai explained that Chu Tinghan’s royal backing and formidable, battle-honed swordsmanship accounted for her arrogance.
• Lin Bai said the leading factions were unlikely to fight seriously at the hunt while Chu’s political situation remained tense.
• Lin Bai watched for the black-clad man but saw only the Zhao Xing Office’s Purple Dragon Legion patrolling the peaks.
• Lin Bai and the Tianshui Sect members donned their formal robes and followed an old eunuch to the Ascension Celestial Palace.
• The sects and lineages took seats according to rank, with Emperor Chu’s throne above the imperial family and the Demon Realm’s leading sects.

The martial artists gathered at the Ascension Celestial Palace for the Imperial Autumn Hunt, where Lin Bai observed the assembled factions and the Western Domain guests. Chu Emperor arrived in a grand procession, accompanied by the imperial princes and a mysterious veiled woman.

• Lin Bai returned the toasts of gathered martial artists while the Saint Sons and Saint Daughters of Chu and other domains took their seats.
• Lin Bai noticed Huo Chunqiu and the other Saint Sons from the Western Domain Seventy-Two Kingdoms sneering at Chu's dancers.
• Thousands of guests filled the palace, while the Purple Dragon Legion patrolled and Prince Chen arranged security for the hunt.
• A herald announced Chu Emperor's arrival, and the assembled martial artists rose as heavenly music filled the air.
• Chu Emperor entered on a dragon carriage drawn by nine golden flood dragons, accompanied by Eunuch Gui, Prince Chen, the Third Prince, a veiled woman, and the imperial family.

Emperor Chu arrived at the Imperial Autumn Hunt and presided over a lavish banquet, where Lin Bai noticed the disgraced Fallen Immortal seated among the imperial clan. Emperor Chu ended the festivities by inviting Chu Kingdom martial artists to hunt powerful beasts in the Southern Sky Hunting Garden.

• Emperor Chu arrived at the Ascension Celestial Palace with Prince Chen, the Third Prince, and Fallen Immortal, and the gathered martial artists bowed to him.
• Lin Bai saw that Fallen Immortal had been seated beside the princes and princesses, and recalled her past as Prince Hong's daughter before she was sent to the Moon Palace.
• The banquet began with music, dancers, and rare delicacies as martial artists from across the Demon Realm celebrated with Emperor Chu.
• After several rounds of wine, Emperor Chu pointed toward the Southern Sky Hunting Garden and asked Chu Kingdom martial artists to kill its powerful exotic beasts for the feast.