Chapter Summaries

The author thanked readers for their support, wished them a Happy New Year, and explained that he had not hired a ghostwriter. He said he would gradually adjust the story’s structure after the Chu Emperor’s Birthday Celebration arc and noted that the next plot would involve surrounding and capturing Xia Jingzhi.

• The author offered readers early New Year wishes and thanked them for accompanying him.
• The author denied hiring a ghostwriter and said he had written every word of Swallowing Heaven Sword Emperor himself.
• The author explained that he had shifted focus toward relationships and competing interests in the Demon Realm, and had expanded the setting and its forces.
• The author acknowledged shortcomings in the Imperial Capital of Chu arc and the Chu Emperor’s Birthday Celebration, and said he would develop the Demon Realm’s forces further later.
• The author said he would gradually return to his earlier story structure after the Chu Emperor’s Birthday Celebration arc, which would be followed by a plot about surrounding and capturing Xia Jingzhi.

Lin Bai prepared to ambush Xia Jingzhi at Star Plucking Mountain and secured powerful weapons from Prince Chen. The plan was set to begin within two or three days, with Lin Bai equipped for the coming battle.

• Zu Zhangbai gave Lin Bai the Nine Seas Dragon Hunt Formation to help trap Xia Jingzhi.
• Lin Bai secretly led Bai Yifei, Zhou Xinjin, Yi Zien, Qiao Mo, Qin Yao, and others to scout Star Plucking Mountain, confirming it was isolated and well suited for the battle.
• Lin Bai and his companions surveyed the mountain and returned to the imperial capital before dawn.
• Lin Bai told Prince Chen that the group expected to act within two or three days.
• Prince Chen gave Lin Bai the Sun-Shooting Ballista, the Nine Dragons Truefire Shroud, and Chaos Divine Lightning, all Grand Yi Divine Weapons.

Lin Bai prepared for a final attempt to capture Xia Jingzhi and bring down the Third Prince, while urging the Chen Family to choose a side before the Chu Emperor's Birthday Celebration. The chapter left Chen Yule's father asking what he thought of the Chen Family's decision.

• Prince Chen gave Lin Bai three Grand Yi Divine Weapons and promised that the Blood Dragon Legion would rescue him if needed.
• Lin Bai left Prince Chen's Residence and reviewed the forces ready for the coming battle, while waiting for Chao Yushi and considering the Chen Family and Sacred Lotus Palace.
• Lin Bai delivered the Chen Family a letter that read, "Everything is ready!"
• Chen Yule read the letter to the Chen Family's ancestors, who recognized it as Lin Bai's final push for their decision.
• Chen Yule's father asked him what he thought the Chen Family should do.

Lin Bai sent Huang Qingyun the message that everything was ready and waited for Xia Jingzhi to take the bait. Desperate to finish refining Ghost God's Wail, Xia Jingzhi agreed to meet Tu Yue at Star Plucking Mountain, despite the Southern Border Insect Valley ancestor's misgivings.

• Lin Bai sent Huang Qingyun a letter bearing four words, then returned to Tianshui Sect's residence to wait for Xia Jingzhi.
• Xia Jingzhi learned from Fang Qingshan that Tu Yue possessed the Soul-less Spirit Bloom needed to complete Ghost God's Wail and wanted to trade with him personally.
• Xia Jingzhi agreed to meet Tu Yue at Star Plucking Mountain in three days to buy the Soul-less Spirit Bloom.
• Xia Jingzhi told the Southern Border Insect Valley ancestor and elders that he needed Ghost God's Wail as leverage against the Chu imperial family and the Third Prince.
• The Southern Border Insect Valley ancestor reluctantly approved Xia Jingzhi's plan and arranged for elders to accompany him.

With the Chu Emperor’s birthday celebration approaching, Lin Bai and the Tianshui Sect waited anxiously for the Prince Hong Estate to arrange a meeting with Xia Jingzhi. Fallen Immortal summoned Lin Bai to finalize an ambush at Star Plucking Mountain, where Tu Yue would lure Xia Jingzhi into their attack.

• Lin Bai told Bai Yifei and the others that they had no choice but to trust the Prince Hong Estate and wait for news.
• Fallen Immortal sent Lin Bai a message that the arrangements were ready and summoned him to Star Plucking Mountain in three days to confirm the ambush details.
• Lin Bai and the Tianshui Sect disciples went to the Prince Hong Estate, where they found Chao Yushi, Tu Yue, and the estate’s schemers and generals assembled.
• Chao Yushi told Lin Bai that Xia Jingzhi had agreed to meet Tu Yue at Star Plucking Mountain in three days.
• Tu Yue agreed to wait for Xia Jingzhi at the mountain while Lin Bai and his men lay in ambush, and Chao Yushi confirmed he had arranged Tu Yue’s escape from the imperial capital afterward.

Lin Bai coordinated a large force from Prince Hong Estate, the Heavenly Guard Battalion, and the Heavenly Water Sect to ambush and capture Xia Jingzhi at Star Plucking Mountain in three days. He arranged for the warriors to leave the Imperial Capital in secret, while Prince Chen prepared the Zhao Xing Office as backup.

• Chao Yushi committed thirty Grand Purity Dao Fruit Realm warriors and seven Grand Luo Dao Fruit Realm warriors from Prince Hong Estate, assigning them to intercept Xia Jingzhi’s rescuers.
• Lin Bai told the Heavenly Water Sect disciples to inform Ancestor Pan Qing and secretly move the sect’s experts toward Star Plucking Mountain.
• Lin Bai informed Prince Chen of Prince Hong Estate’s contributions and the capture plan, and Prince Chen arranged for the Zhao Xing Office to stand by near the eastern outskirts.
• Using Prince Chen’s command token, Lin Bai ordered the Heavenly Guard Battalion to leave the Imperial Capital in batches and rendezvous at Deer Cry Valley.
• Lin Bai returned to the Heavenly Water Sect’s palace, where Ancestor Zu Zhangbai and Ancestor Pan Qing prepared the sect’s forces for the battle in three days.

Lin Bai led the Tianshui Sect and Heavenly Guard Battalion forces to Star Plucking Mountain to prepare an ambush for Xia Jingzhi. Nearly a hundred Taiyi Dao Fruit Realm warriors took their positions, while Lin Bai kept the target’s identity secret and warned them to stay concealed.

• Lin Bai left the Imperial Capital with Bai Yifei and his companions after Sect Master Chu Xi urged him to return alive.
• Lin Bai used Voice Transmission Tokens to summon the scattered Tianshui Sect and Heavenly Guard Battalion warriors to Star Plucking Mountain.
• Lin Bai, Bai Yifei, and the others reached Star Plucking Mountain first, followed by Ancestor Pan Qing’s Tianshui Sect warriors and the masked Heavenly Guard Battalion.
• Lin Bai told the assembled warriors that they were comrades, explained that a restriction formation blocked Voice Transmission Tokens, and ordered them to conceal their auras across the surrounding area.
• Lin Bai refused to identify their target and warned that anyone who revealed their position would be executed, leaving the assembled forces braced for a major battle.

Lin Bai arranged an ambush near Star Plucking Mountain and waited for Xia Jingzhi, while Tu Yue confirmed that the Prince Hong Estate’s forces were ready to support Prince Chen. Xia Jingzhi failed to appear by the agreed time, but Lin Bai urged the others to keep waiting.

• Lin Bai deployed nearly a hundred Great Purity Dao Fruit Realm martial artists around Star Plucking Mountain and set up a Sound Transmission Formation.
• Tu Yue arrived, reported that Zhang Linghu was leading the Prince Hong Estate’s forces, and asked Lin Bai to remember their contributions if Prince Chen took the throne.
• Lin Bai concealed himself in a tree while the crow reported no unusual behavior among the Tianshui Sect and Heavenly Guard Battalion martial artists.
• Lin Bai and the hidden forces waited through the night for Xia Jingzhi, who did not arrive by midnight or the Hour of the Ox.
• Ancestor Pan Qing and Meng Hua asked whether they should keep waiting, and Lin Bai replied that catching a big fish required patience.

Lin Bai and Tu Yue waited at Star Plucking Mountain for Xia Jingzhi, while Fang Qingshan arrived late and nearly caused Tu Yue to abandon the trade. Xia Jingzhi eventually appeared with a swarm of black beetles, and Tu Yue confirmed his identity.

• Lin Bai ordered Ancestor Pan Qing and the Heavenly Guard Battalion to remain hidden when Fang Qingshan arrived instead of Xia Jingzhi.
• Fang Qingshan greeted Tu Yue and asked about the Soul-less Spirit Bloom, but Tu Yue rebuked him for arriving late and questioning his sincerity.
• Tu Yue prepared to leave Star Plucking Mountain after refusing to trade with Fang Qingshan before Xia Jingzhi arrived.
• Lin Bai spotted poisonous creatures gathering in the forest and realized Xia Jingzhi was near.
• Xia Jingzhi arrived with four others inside a vast swarm of black beetles, and he confirmed his identity to Tu Yue.

Lin Bai and Tu Yue ambushed Xia Jingzhi during a supposed exchange for the Soul-less Spirit Bloom, but Xia Jingzhi was warned and fought back with his insect allies. Lin Bai joined the battle as the Heavenly Guard Battalion and Tianshui Sect forces surrounded Xia Jingzhi, leaving him trapped.

• Xia Jingzhi confirmed Tu Yue's identity and prepared to complete the Soul-less Spirit Bloom deal.
• A hidden voice warned Xia Jingzhi that Tu Yue and Lin Bai had set a trap, and Tu Yue revealed his steel spear and attacked.
• Xia Jingzhi's beetles shielded him from Tu Yue's thrust, while Xia accused Tu Yue of betraying the Third Prince.
• Tu Yue fought off Heavenly Guard Battalion martial artists and pursued Xia Jingzhi, but an unseen opponent caught his spear and transformed into a White Snake.
• Lin Bai severed the White Snake's head with an azure sword strike and joined Tu Yue against Xia Jingzhi.
• A hundred Great Purity Dao Fruit Realm martial artists from the Heavenly Guard Battalion and Tianshui Sect surrounded Xia Jingzhi as Lin Bai ordered him to surrender.

Lin Bai and the allied forces moved to capture Xia Jingzhi, but a hidden Grand Luo Dao Fruit martial artist from Southern Border Insect Valley intervened. Pan Qing confronted the childlike intruder, whose Serpent God's Blessing swallowed Pan Qing’s Astonishing Immortal Sword Intent.

• Lin Bai identified Xia Jingzhi as the target and ordered the hundreds of Tianshui Sect and Heavenly Guard Battalion martial artists to capture him.
• Xia Jingzhi’s companions released venomous creatures and formed a poison dragon that repelled the attackers, revealing a concealed Grand Luo Dao Fruit martial artist from Southern Border Insect Valley.
• Lin Bai called on Pan Qing, who appeared and challenged the hidden Grand Luo martial artist with Astonishing Immortal Sword Intent.
• Pan Qing’s sword intent destroyed the black beetles shielding Xia Jingzhi and exposed his seven companions, including the childlike Grand Luo martial artist.
• The childlike martial artist transformed his arm into a White Snake and swallowed Pan Qing’s attack, naming the technique Serpent God’s Blessing.

Ancestor Pan Qing stalled the boy while Lin Bai and the others tried to capture Xia Jingzhi, who fought to escape. Just as Xia Jingzhi was trapped and about to be subdued, four Heavenly Guard Battalion martial artists intervened on his behalf.

• Ancestor Pan Qing fought the boy and told Lin Bai to capture Xia Jingzhi while he kept their opponent occupied.
• Xia Jingzhi scattered hallucinogenic powder to strike five Great Purity Dao Fruit Realm martial artists, then Qiao Mo and Qin Yao wounded him as he tried to break through.
• Ye Guyu trapped Xia Jingzhi with the Thunder Mountain Sealing Demon Formation, and Bai Yifei, Zhou Xinjin, Yi Zien, and Li Juenian moved to subdue him.
• Xia Jingzhi called for help, and four Heavenly Guard Battalion martial artists intervened to block Bai Yifei and the others.

Lin Bai trapped Xia Jingzhi and his allies inside a barrier after exposing spies within the Heavenly Guard Battalion, leaving Xia Jingzhi surrounded and close to capture. In the Imperial Capital, the Third Prince learned that Lin Bai had led the operation against Xia Jingzhi.

• Lin Bai recognized that several Heavenly Guard Battalion warriors were spies, while Bai Yifei and the others fought them to give Xia Jingzhi time to break Ye Guyu's formation.
• Xia Jingzhi escaped the formation but struck the barrier Lin Bai had been secretly activating, trapping him within its hundred-li radius.
• Tianshui Sect and the Heavenly Guard Battalion captured the Southern Border Insect Valley elders and the wounded spies, leaving Xia Jingzhi surrounded by more than eighty warriors.
• Lin Bai demanded that Xia Jingzhi surrender, revealing that he had spent two years planning the trap.
• Old Huo told the Third Prince that Lin Bai had led a hundred Great Purity Dao Fruit warriors to surround Xia Jingzhi at Star Plucking Mountain.

The Third Prince learned that Wolf Marquis Lin Bai had surrounded Xia Jingzhi at Star Plucking Mountain and sent Sun Moon Pavilion experts to rescue him. Fallen Immortal anticipated the response and ordered Prince Hong Estate’s former retainers to intercept them, leaving Zhang Linghu blocking their route.

• Old Huo told the Third Prince that Wolf Marquis Lin Bai had gathered hundreds of Great Purity Dao Fruit Realm martial artists to attack Xia Jingzhi at Star Plucking Mountain.
• The Third Prince ordered Sun Moon Pavilion’s Great Purity Dao Fruit Realm martial artists in the imperial capital to rush to Star Plucking Mountain and rescue Xia Jingzhi at any cost.
• Li Guxian secretly asked Dao Child Yao Qian to investigate what had happened in the imperial capital.
• A scout informed Chao Yushi that Xia Jingzhi had entered the trap and Tianshui Sect’s Nine Seas Dragon Hunt Formation had cut off observation of the battle.
• Fallen Immortal ordered Prince Hong Estate’s former retainers in the eastern outskirts to delay any unfamiliar Great Purity Dao Fruit Realm martial artists heading toward Star Plucking Mountain.
• Zhang Linghu and the former retainers intercepted the Sun Moon Pavilion experts, and Zhang Linghu invited them to stop and drink.

The Third Prince ordered the Sun Moon Pavilion to rescue Xia Jingzhi from Star Plucking Mountain, but Zhang Linghu and hidden warriors blocked their route in the eastern mountain forests. As the blockade turned into a major battle, the Third Prince dispatched powerful reinforcements and prepared to risk his father’s displeasure to keep Xia Jingzhi from Wolf Marquis.

• Hundreds of Sun Moon Pavilion Great Purity Dao Fruit Realm warriors were stopped outside the imperial capital by Zhang Linghu, who refused to let them pass.
• The Third Prince ordered the warriors to break through the blockade and save Xia Jingzhi, while Zhang Linghu summoned dozens of hidden Great Purity Dao Fruit Realm warriors to fight them.
• The battle spread through the eastern mountain forests and drew the attention of the imperial capital’s factions and five great lineages.
• The Third Prince ordered Tong Hong, Yu Rong, Mu Yuge, and Yan Pei to confront the Grand Luo Dao Fruit Realm warriors, and he contacted Uncle Yuan, a Primal Chaos Dao Fruit Realm expert.
• Old Huo warned that the Emperor was likely watching the conflict, but the Third Prince insisted that he would save Xia Jingzhi from Wolf Marquis regardless.

Deng Ming reached Star Plucking Mountain and discovered that Tianshui Sect had sealed it with the Nine Seas Dragon Hunt Formation, leaving the Third Prince to summon Uncle Yuan to break through and rescue Xia Jingzhi. Meanwhile, Tong Hong arrived to help the Sun Moon Pavilion break Prince Hong Estate’s blockade, while Zhang Linghu faced him in battle.

• Deng Ming slipped past Zhang Linghu’s blockade, reached Star Plucking Mountain, and found that the Nine Seas Dragon Hunt Formation prevented him from entering.
• Deng Ming told the Third Prince about the formation, and the Third Prince ordered Uncle Yuan to break it and rescue Xia Jingzhi.
• Tong Hong and the other Sun Moon Pavilion experts arrived at the forest blockade, and Tong Hong wounded Zhang Linghu with Sword Qi.
• Tong Hong identified himself as one of the Four Saints and fought Zhang Linghu, while ordering the Sun Moon Pavilion martial artists to press on toward Star Plucking Mountain.

The Sun Moon Pavilion’s Three Venerables and Four Saints held off Prince Hong Estate’s Grand Luo Dao Fruit Realm warriors, letting the Pavilion’s forces reach Star Plucking Mountain. There, they discovered an invisible barrier under attack by a mysterious Primal Chaos Dao Fruit Realm expert, and Deng Ming prepared them to enter once it broke.

• Zhang Linghu and Tong Hong fought while the Sun Moon Pavilion’s other Grand Luo Dao Fruit Realm warriors engaged Prince Hong Estate’s forces, allowing the Pavilion’s warriors to break through toward Star Plucking Mountain.
• Chao Yushi told Fallen Immortal that the Third Prince had sent the Sun Moon Pavilion’s elite to delay their forces, and he described the known identities and backgrounds of the Three Venerables and Four Saints.
• The Sun Moon Pavilion’s warriors gathered outside Star Plucking Mountain, where they initially saw no sign of trouble.
• A mysterious Primal Chaos Dao Fruit Realm warrior struck an invisible barrier around Star Plucking Mountain twice, cracking it without breaking through.
• Deng Ming rallied the Sun Moon Pavilion’s warriors to enter and rescue the person the Third Prince wanted saved as soon as the barrier shattered.

Lin Bai pressed his attack on Xia Jingzhi inside the barrier at Star Plucking Mountain, while Emperor Chu monitored the battle and questioned the origins of the Sun Moon Pavilion’s Primal Chaos expert. The barrier was close to breaking, and Emperor Chu ordered martial artists above the Primal Chaos realm not to interfere.

• Emperor Chu watched the battle through mirrors and learned that a Primal Chaos expert had broken Star Plucking Mountain’s barrier; his hidden agents identified the expert as One Sun of the Third Prince’s Sun Moon Pavilion.
• Emperor Chu ordered that martial artists above the Primal Chaos realm must not interfere in the battle at Star Plucking Mountain.
• Lin Bai continued attacking Xia Jingzhi and rejected his offers of poison and divine weapons in exchange for his life.
• Xia Jingzhi realized Lin Bai was trying to capture him before reinforcements from the Third Prince and the Southern Border Insect Valley could arrive.
• Lin Bai’s attacks shattered Xia Jingzhi’s defensive treasures as the barrier at Star Plucking Mountain developed more cracks.

Lin Bai and the others cornered Xia Jingzhi, who swallowed a secret-method pill to raise his strength and buy time for reinforcements. As an unknown Primal Chaos expert attacked the barrier from outside, Lin Bai battered Xia Jingzhi and moved to shatter his Dao Fruit before he could escape.

• Lin Bai and the gathered Great Purity Dao Fruit Realm martial artists attacked Xia Jingzhi while Pan Qing and Tu Yue kept his allies occupied.
• Xia Jingzhi swallowed a secret-method pill, enduring intense pain as his cultivation surged close to the Grand Luo Dao Fruit Realm.
• A powerful attacker shook the Tianshui Sect's secret-realm barrier, and Lin Bai suspected the force belonged to a Primal Chaos expert.
• Lin Bai trapped Xia Jingzhi with sword formations and battered him until he was bloodied and weakened.
• Lin Bai thrust his sword toward Xia Jingzhi's abdomen, intending to shatter his Dao Fruit and force him to surrender.

Lin Bai and his allies cornered Xia Jingzhi, but he merged with a giant poisonous toad and gained strength on the level of a Grand Luo martial artist. Lin Bai launched an attack, yet even the Demon Sword failed to pierce the creature's armored flesh.

• Lin Bai ordered Ye Guyu to hold the barrier and led the assault on Xia Jingzhi while the others sealed off the area.
• Xia Jingzhi swallowed a pill that boosted his strength, then released a giant poisonous toad from his Beast-Taming Pouch.
• Xia Jingzhi merged with the toad, reaching Grand Luo-level strength and driving back Bai Yifei, Zhou Xinjin, and the others with poisonous mist.
• Lin Bai warned that Xia Jingzhi's origins in the Southern Border Insect Valley made his methods difficult to predict, then formed the Heaven's Will Four Symbols Sword Formation.
• Xia Jingzhi's toad knocked away Lin Bai's flying swords, and Lin Bai's Demon Sword struck the creature but failed to pierce its flesh.