Chapter Summaries

Lin Bai took Shangguan Xiu hostage to learn how to escape the desert, then fled with Chu Tinghan and emerged from the buried city. He found the three unconscious Pacifying Heaven Sword Sect disciples and invited them to leave with him.

• Lin Bai threatened Shangguan Xiu with his sword and asked how to escape the desert; Shangguan Xiu told him to follow the bright star in the southwest after nightfall.
• Lin Bai struck Shangguan Xiu toward the Golden Imperial Guards, seized Chu Tinghan, and escaped; Shangguan Xiu warned his guards not to pursue and vowed to settle the score after recovering.
• Lin Bai and Chu Tinghan raced through the underground passages, and Lin Bai said Shangguan Xiu's injuries made pursuit unlikely.
• Lin Bai blasted through the sand and emerged near the buried city where he had encountered the Pacifying Heaven Sword Sect disciples.
• Lin Bai found the three disciples unconscious beneath a wall and told them he had found a way to leave and that they should come with him.

Lin Bai rescued three Pacifying Heaven Sword Sect disciples and used his Azure Lotus Sword Intent to split the gloom over the Yellow Sand World, guiding the trapped martial artists out by a prominent southwestern star. After leaving the desert, he tried to part ways with the injured Chu Tinghan, but she insisted on staying with him.

• Lin Bai and Chu Tinghan found three Pacifying Heaven Sword Sect disciples nearly buried in the sand, and Lin Bai lifted them onto his flying sword.
• Lin Bai realized the Yellow Sand World was the Yellow Sand Goddess and, unable to see the southwestern star, cleaved open the gloom with his Azure Lotus Sword Intent.
• Lin Bai told the lost martial artists to follow the prominent southwestern star, and he and Chu Tinghan led them toward it with the rescued disciples.
• Lin Bai and the other martial artists left the Yellow Sand World and reached a barren Gobi, where they thanked him before going their separate ways.
• Lin Bai handed the rescued disciples back to their sectmates and left with Chu Tinghan, then told her they should part after crossing the Gobi.
• Chu Tinghan insisted on accompanying Lin Bai until her injuries healed or they left the Hunting Realm, while Lin Bai refused.

Lin Bai agreed to help Chu Tinghan search for Prince Liang's Estate’s martial artists and let her travel on his flying sword while she recovered. After Lu Qingjun contacted him about an Azure Mist Kun Peng, Lin Bai set off to meet him and hunt the enormous creature.

• Lin Bai agreed to bring the injured Chu Tinghan along while they searched for her younger siblings or other martial artists from Prince Liang's Estate.
• Chu Tinghan climbed onto Lin Bai's enlarged flying sword and, claiming the wind was too strong, wrapped her arms around his waist.
• Lu Qingjun contacted Lin Bai through the Telepathic Bracelet and said he had found an Azure Mist Kun Peng.
• Lin Bai eagerly flew toward Lu Qingjun to hunt the Azure Mist Kun Peng, while Chu Tinghan asked where they were going.

Lin Bai and Chu Tinghan entered the Giantwood Forest while following the Telepathic Bracelet’s signal toward Lu Qingjun, and learned that the towering trees were Sky-Pillar Giantwood. The Azure Mist Kun Peng attacked them, and Lin Bai realized it was using its superior speed to wear them down.

• Lin Bai followed the Telepathic Bracelet east, cutting down several aberrant species on Tianshui Sect’s hunting list before entering the Giantwood Forest.
• Chu Tinghan identified the thousand-zhang trees as Sky-Pillar Giantwood and suggested taking some, but Lin Bai’s Sword Qi failed to damage one, so they continued onward.
• Lin Bai and Chu Tinghan cautiously searched the foggy, thorn-covered forest for Lu Qingjun, guided by the Telepathic Bracelet.
• The Azure Mist Kun Peng burst through the treetops and chased Lin Bai and Chu Tinghan through the forest.
• Lin Bai sent four flying swords at the Azure Mist Kun Peng, but it dodged the sword formation and continued its pursuit.
• Lin Bai judged the beast to be at least at the Grand Luo Dao Fruit Realm and realized it was trying to exhaust them rather than block their path.

Lin Bai and Chu Tinghan realized the Azure Mist Kun Peng was trying to exhaust their spiritual power, so Lin Bai stopped fleeing and fought it. He injured the beast with the Heaven Measuring Ruler, but its innate divine ability severely wounded him before it fled into the clouds.

• Lin Bai explained to Chu Tinghan that the Azure Mist Kun Peng was keeping its distance to drain their spiritual power, and they decided to fight instead of continuing to flee.
• The Azure Mist Kun Peng attacked Lin Bai with a roar and wind blades, while his four flying swords became trapped in its steel-like feathers.
• Lin Bai's Demon Sword could not pierce the beast's defenses, but his Heaven Measuring Ruler shattered feathers on its left wing and drew blood.
• The Azure Mist Kun Peng unleashed its innate divine ability, blasting Lin Bai a thousand miles away and destroying the surrounding giant trees.
• Lin Bai survived with severe injuries, and the wounded Azure Mist Kun Peng flew into the clouds, leaving blood behind.

Lin Bai and Princess Tinghan fought the Azure Mist Kun Peng, but it escaped, drawing a crowd of powerful martial artists. Ling Wen and the concealed Shen Xinghe appeared, and Lin Bai learned that the Kun Peng had attracted many experts who had yet to capture it.

• Lin Bai let the injured Azure Mist Kun Peng escape rather than risk pursuing it, and Princess Tinghan joined him.
• Lu Qingjun arrived with Seven Absolutes City martial artists and learned that Lin Bai had fought the Kun Peng.
• Ling Wen, the Witch Sect's Holy Son, greeted Lin Bai and revealed the hidden presence of Shen Xinghe, the Soul Refining Sect's Holy Son.
• Ling Wen declared that he would compete with Lin Bai for the Azure Mist Kun Peng, collected a drop of its blood, and left.
• Lin Bai asked Lu Qingjun why so many experts had gathered, and Lu Qingjun explained that the elusive Kun Peng had drawn them all.

Lin Bai and Lu Qingjun discussed how to find the Azure Mist Kun Peng, while Chu Tinghan publicly claimed Lin Bai was her husband and stirred up gossip. After Lin Bai followed the beast’s flight path, Chu Tinghan warned him that the Demon Realm would not let him leave for the Spirit Realm.

• Lu Qingjun told Lin Bai that the Azure Mist Kun Peng had repeatedly escaped their traps and that they had not found its lair.
• Lin Bai and Lu Qingjun agreed to search Giantwood Forest for the beast’s lair, and Lu Qingjun cautioned Chu Tinghan against straying because she was injured.
• Chu Tinghan called Lin Bai her husband in front of Lu Qingjun, then claimed they had consummated their marriage when Lin Bai protested.
• Lin Bai told Lu Qingjun he would follow the blood trail from the Azure Mist Kun Peng’s wound, then flew into the clouds with Chu Tinghan following.
• Lin Bai told Chu Tinghan he might leave the Demon Realm, but she warned that the Chu Empire and the wider Demon Realm would treat his departure for the Spirit Realm as betrayal.

Lin Bai and Chu Tinghan searched Giantwood Forest for Azure Mist Kun Peng after realizing the Witch Sect Holy Son Ling Wen might use its blood to track it. They found nothing, and Lu Qingjun warned that Seven Absolutes City might abandon the hunt if another day passed without a trace.

• Chu Tinghan challenged Lin Bai's faith that Prince Chen would let him leave the Chu Empire, but stopped when Lin Bai warned her not to bring it up again.
• Chu Tinghan suggested Ling Wen had taken Azure Mist Kun Peng's blood to track its location, prompting Lin Bai to resume searching carefully.
• Lin Bai and Chu Tinghan searched Giantwood Forest for a full day but found no sign of Azure Mist Kun Peng.
• Lu Qingjun summoned Lin Bai and Chu Tinghan and said many hunters had already left; he asked Lin Bai whether Seven Absolutes City should give up if they found nothing the next day.

Lin Bai concluded that the Azure Mist Kun Peng’s lair was probably not in Giantwood Forest but on a nearby peak higher than the forest canopy. He led Lu Qingjun, Chu Tinghan, and the Seven Absolutes City disciples to an immense mountain, hoping it was the beast’s lair.

• After the search of Giantwood Forest failed, Lin Bai realized the Azure Mist Kun Peng’s lair might lie outside the forest, since it could fly vast distances and had fled upward into the sky.
• Lin Bai reasoned that the lair was likely on a nearby high mountain too large for the beast to hide in ordinary terrain.
• Lin Bai revealed that he had previously passed a towering mountain and led Chu Tinghan, Lu Qingjun, and the Seven Absolutes City disciples toward it.
• Lin Bai and the group found the immense mountain rising far above the surrounding peaks and headed for its summit to investigate.

Lin Bai, Lu Qingjun, and the Seven Absolutes City disciples found the Azure Mist Kun Peng’s blood on a towering mountain, then encountered Ling Wen of the Witch Sect. Ling Wen exposed a Soul Refining Sect Lingering Soul tracking the group and confronted a hidden Soul Refining Sect martial artist, whose appearance left the conflict between the sects unresolved.

• Lin Bai spotted the Azure Mist Kun Peng’s blood on the mountainside, confirming it had returned to its cave on the peak.
• Ling Wen arrived with Witch Sect disciples and told Lin Bai that someone had secretly followed his group.
• Ling Wen plucked a Lingering Soul from a Seven Absolutes City disciple’s hair and explained that it was a tracking method used by the Soul Refining Sect.
• Ling Wen devoured the Lingering Soul with a mouth that appeared in his palm, then called for the hidden Soul Refining Sect members to reveal themselves.
• A Soul Refining Sect martial artist emerged from twisted space and challenged Ling Wen, who said he was helping Lin Bai and accused the Soul Refining Sect of stealing Witch Sect techniques.

Lin Bai confronted Shen Xinghe, the Holy Son of the Soul Refining Sect, after Ling Wen helped expose the Northern Region’s ambush. As the others headed toward the Azure Mist Kun Peng, Lin Bai stayed behind and asked whether the Northern Region had decided to make war on the Eastern Region.

• Ling Wen threatened Shen Xinghe, revealing the shadowy figure as the Holy Son of the Soul Refining Sect, and claimed Lin Bai owed him a favor for exposing the danger.
• Lin Bai thanked Ling Wen, and Ling Wen declared that each group would compete for the Azure Mist Kun Peng by its own ability.
• Ling Wen warned Lin Bai about Shen Xinghe and left with the Witch Sect disciples for the mountaintop.
• Lin Bai sent Lu Qingjun and the Seven Absolutes City disciples ahead, then remained alone with Shen Xinghe.
• Lin Bai questioned Shen Xinghe about the Northern Region’s hostility and asked whether it had decided to act against the Eastern Region.

Lin Bai faced Shen Xinghe, the Soul Refining Sect's Divine Son, after the Witch Sect's Divine Son disrupted Shen Xinghe's plan to use the Azure Mist Kun Peng against him. As their first clash began, the Chu Emperor and the sect ancestors watched, and the Eastern Region's leaders recognized that war with the Northern Region might be unavoidable.

• Shen Xinghe abandoned his plan to hunt the Azure Mist Kun Peng and targeted Lin Bai, but Ling Wen exposed the Yin Soul he had hidden in a Seven Absolutes City disciple.
• Lu Qingjun, Ling Wen, and their companions went to the mountaintop while Lin Bai and Shen Xinghe confronted each other in the clouds.
• The martial artists watching from Ascension Celestial Palace anticipated the first battle between high-rank Divine Sons in the Hunting Realm.
• Eunuch Gui told the Chu Emperor that Shen Xinghe had mastered the Nether Void Art, and the Chu Emperor watched the confrontation with interest.
• The Chu Emperor exchanged glances with the ancestors of Seven Nights Divine Sect, Qi Tian Sect, and Ten Thousand Saints Mountain, who recognized they might need to prepare for war with the Northern Region.

Lin Bai confronted Shen Xinghe of the Soul Refining Sect in the Hunting Realm and learned that the war between the Northern and Eastern Regions had already begun. Shen Xinghe trapped Lin Bai in his Netherworld Hell Dao Art and seized his soul with a chain.

• Lin Bai questioned Shen Xinghe about the Northern Region's plans, and Shen Xinghe said the war had already begun.
• Shen Xinghe declared Lin Bai his enemy and spread a mass of shadow to trap him.
• Lin Bai cut through the shadows with his demonic sword, but Shen Xinghe vanished from sight.
• Lin Bai used his four flying swords to fend off ghostly hands before Shen Xinghe's Netherworld Hell enveloped him.
• Shen Xinghe summoned black and white figures whose chain pierced Lin Bai's flying swords and wrapped around his neck, threatening to drag away his soul.

Lin Bai fought the Soul Refining Sect's Holy Son, whose soul attacks and shadowy forms resisted Lin Bai's sword techniques until Lin Bai wounded him and exposed his true body. Enraged, the Holy Son unleashed a powerful Dao Art, and Lin Bai activated his Five Elements Dao Body to withstand the attack.

• The Soul Refining Sect's Holy Son used soul-hooking chains and a mourning staff to attack Lin Bai's soul, but Lin Bai resisted and struck back with his sword techniques.
• Lin Bai's Dragon Slaying Skill shattered the Holy Son's shadowy forms, dispelling the chains and forcing the Holy Son to reveal his true body.
• Lin Bai mocked the Holy Son's appearance as observers in the Ascension Celestial Palace reacted, and the Holy Son grew furious.
• The Soul Refining Sect's Holy Son summoned the Judge of Hell and sent its brush crashing down at Lin Bai, injuring his soul and body.
• Lin Bai activated his minor-success Five Elements Dao Body as the brush strike descended.

Emperor Chu recognized Lin Bai's Five Elements Scripture and ordered a secret investigation into his Spirit Realm connections and possible ties to the Heaven Swallowing Race. Meanwhile, Lin Bai fought the Soul Refining Sect's Saint Son, who summoned the Soul Refining Banner and unleashed silver souls as the battle continued.

• Emperor Chu recognized that Lin Bai had cultivated a complete Five Elements Scripture and ordered Eunuch Gui to investigate Lin Bai's background in the Spirit Realm.
• Emperor Chu instructed Eunuch Gui to secretly check whether Lin Bai appeared in the Heaven Swallowing Race's clan register without alerting its higher-ups.
• Emperor Chu concluded that Lin Bai was the Child of Tribulation and worried that the coming age of great contention would threaten the Chu Nation's future.
• Lin Bai blocked the Soul Refining Sect's Saint Son's Judge of Hell strike, shattered the phantom, and wounded the Saint Son with a sword slash.
• The Soul Refining Sect's Saint Son summoned Yama's Descent and clashed with Lin Bai's Heaven Measuring Ruler, sending both fighters flying and coughing blood.
• The Soul Refining Sect's Saint Son unleashed the Soul Refining Banner, but Lin Bai's four flying swords cut down the ordinary souls before the Saint Son summoned several hundred silver souls.

Lin Bai fought the Soul Refining Sect's Holy Son, who used waves of souls to trap him in the Ten Thousand Souls Devour Spirits Formation. Lin Bai broke the formation with his devouring power and launched a black river of sword intent at his opponent.

• The Soul Refining Sect's Holy Son sent Silver Souls into the formation, and one tore flesh from Lin Bai's back before Lin Bai crushed it with the Heaven Measuring Ruler.
• Lin Bai charged the Soul Refining Sect's Holy Son, but Gold Souls blocked his attacks while more Silver Souls joined the formation.
• Lin Bai secretly used the Devouring Heaven Dao Method to sweep away the Black Souls and Silver Souls, breaking the formation and cracking the Soul Refining Banner.
• Lin Bai pursued the Soul Refining Sect's Holy Son and unleashed the Astonishing Immortal Sword Intent as an endless black river.

Lin Bai’s sword intent nearly killed the Soul Refining Sect Saint, but the Saint summoned an Ancestor’s soul from his banner and broke free. As Lin Bai faced the summoned spirit, he learned why the Northern Region sought to invade the Eastern Region: its people fought for survival.

• Lin Bai’s Black Tide swallowed the Soul Refining Sect Saint and his nine Gold Soul guards, cutting the Saint with sword intent.
• The Soul Refining Sect Saint summoned an Ancestor’s soul from his Soul Refining Banner, and the spirit shattered Lin Bai’s sword intent.
• The wounded Saint escaped the Black Tide while Lin Bai studied the Ancestor’s hollow-eyed spirit.
• Lin Bai learned that Northern Region sects preserved Ancestors’ souls and that its Three Great Sects had once preyed on people for their cultivation, bodies, and souls.
• Lin Bai understood that the Northern Region’s long effort to invade the resource-rich Eastern Region was driven by survival.

Lin Bai fought the Soul Refining Sect's Saint and a powerful Ancestor's soul, which could not be harmed by ordinary attacks. After the Saint devoured nearby souls and reached the Grand Luo Dao Fruit Realm, Lin Bai was driven into a desperate position but unleashed his Crimson Lotus Sword Intent and charged back into the fight.

• Lin Bai fused the Yellow Springs Demon Bone and raised his cultivation before confronting the Ancestor's soul.
• The Ancestor's soul overwhelmed Lin Bai in close combat, and the Soul Refining Sect's Saint used a secret art to make the soul immune to Lin Bai's sword attack.
• The Soul Refining Sect's Saint devoured the drifting black souls, reached the Grand Luo Dao Fruit Realm, and joined the Ancestor's soul in attacking Lin Bai.
• The Ancestor's soul disarmed Lin Bai, and the Saint struck him hard enough to send him flying and demand that he commit suicide.
• Lin Bai rejected the Saint's taunts, unleashed his Crimson Lotus Sword Intent, and charged at both enemies with the Demon Sword and Heaven Measuring Ruler.

Lin Bai unleashed Crimson Lotus Sword Intent and overwhelmed the Soul Refining Sect's Holy Son, while observers in Ascension Celestial Palace debated Lin Bai's swordsmanship and the dangers of the Azure Lotus Sword Immortal's inheritance. The Soul Refining Sect's Holy Son was left badly wounded and on the verge of defeat.

• Lin Bai used Crimson Lotus Sword Intent to drive the Soul Refining Sect's Holy Son backward with a relentless series of attacks.
• Lin Bai struck the Ancestor's soul away with the Heaven Measuring Ruler when it tried to attack him from behind.
• Experts in Ascension Celestial Palace praised Lin Bai and Shen Xinghe, then recognized that Lin Bai had developed a sword intent of his own from Azure Lotus Sword Intent.
• The experts warned that Lin Bai had not obtained the Azure Lotus Sword Immortal's complete inheritance and worried that pursuing it could lead him to cultivation deviation.
• Lin Bai severed the Soul Refining Sect's Holy Son's left arm, leaving him in disarray and close to defeat.

Lin Bai overwhelmed the Soul Refining Sect's Holy Son and tried to finish him, but the Holy Son sacrificed part of his divine soul to escape aboard the Soul Refining Sect's Nether Ferry. Lin Bai learned the ship's name from Ling Wen as the Seven Absolutes City martial artists gathered around him.

• Lin Bai battered the Soul Refining Sect's Holy Son with his Crimson Lotus Sword Intent and drove him to the brink of defeat.
• Lin Bai trapped the Holy Son in a formation of four flying swords and attacked with the Demon Sword and Heaven Measuring Ruler.
• The Soul Refining Sect's Holy Son tore out part of his divine soul and summoned the Nether Ferry, which carried him and the ancestor's soul into the dark void.
• Lin Bai searched the area with his Asura Dharma Eyes but found no trace of the escaped Holy Son.
• Ling Wen identified the ship as the Soul Refining Sect's Nether Ferry, while Lu Qingjun, Chu Tinghan, and the others checked that Lin Bai was unharmed.