Chapter Summaries

Lin Bai received four newly forged Chu Emperors from Old Man Wuchuan, each made from a different Five Elements material for his Reverse Five Elements Sword Formation. When Old Man Wuchuan revealed that the Chu Emperor had ordered him to remain in the imperial capital and resume his post, Lin Bai urged him to leave at once, warning that the capital was dangerous.

• Old Man Wuchuan presented Lin Bai with four flying swords forged from Crimson Immortal Divine Iron, Azure Jade Bamboo, White Ice, and Mountain Heart, and Lin Bai praised their craftsmanship.
• Lin Bai asked whether Old Man Wuchuan still planned to leave the imperial capital, and Old Man Wuchuan explained that he had returned over the First Prince and Seventh Prince's deaths and hoped the old grudges could end now that Prince Chen was Crown Prince.
• Old Man Wuchuan told Lin Bai that the Chu Emperor had ordered him to remain in the capital, resume his position as the Celestial Mystery Pavilion's chief weapon refiner, and forge equipment for the Chu military.
• Lin Bai warned Old Man Wuchuan that the imperial capital was dangerous and urged him to resign and leave that night.
• After Old Man Wuchuan and Meng Ye entered the imperial city and came back out dejected, Meng Ye quietly told Lin Bai that the Chu Emperor had ordered Old Man Wuchuan to stay.

Prince Chen refined five flying swords by repeatedly separating his soul and placing it into the Lin Bais. The swords were completed after a month, while the Tianshui Sect continued reclaiming its treasured lands amid tensions between the royal family and the major sects.

• Prince Chen entered seclusion in his courtyard to refine the flying swords as the Imperial Capital's upheaval threatened to stir conflict across Chu.
• Ancestor Zu Zhangbai worked with Prince Chen's support to reclaim the Tianshui Sect's treasured lands, while the Heaven and Earth Gate delayed returning its holdings.
• Prince Chen separated his soul to complete the Lin Bais' refinement, but the strain left him pale and forced him to pause and recover before continuing.
• The five flying swords displayed distinct radiances and powerful sword might, prompting Ancestor Zu Zhangbai, Pan Qing, Chu Xi, Bai Yifei, and Zhou Xinjin to gather outside Prince Chen's residence.
• A month later, Prince Chen completed all five flying swords and silently commanded them to circle around him.

After a month in seclusion, Lin Bai emerged from a strange cultivation mishap that destroyed his residence and learned that the kidnapped Holy Sons and ancestors had vanished from the Imperial Capital. He concluded that the captors had escaped the sealed provinces, leaving everyone to wait for them to make demands.

• Lin Bai’s Chaotic Seven Elements Sword Formation warped his residence, and Ancestor Zhang Bailiu entered to check on him.
• Lin Bai emerged unharmed, restored the residence’s surroundings to normal, and asked about news from the Imperial Capital.
• Zhang Bailiu reported that the city had been quiet while King Chai Ning’s troops and the imperial forces searched the Fourteen Imperial Authority Provinces.
• Lin Bai reasoned that the kidnappers had left the provinces and that they had taken their hostages to demand something rather than kill them.
• Lin Bai and Zhang Bailiu joined the Tianshui Sect members, agreeing that they could only wait for the kidnappers to name their price.

After emerging from seclusion, Lin Bai discussed the Tianshui Sect’s finances, political maneuvering, and the many invitations he had received with Old Ancestor Zhang Bailiu. He left the sect to report the Heaven and Earth Gate’s obstruction to Prince Chen and renegotiate the Water Mirror Sea immortal-jade vein’s shares.

• Lin Bai and Old Ancestor Zhang Bailiu agreed that the abducted Holy Sons and old ancestors were probably still alive, and Lin Bai told him to report the Heaven and Earth Gate’s refusal to return the treasured lands to the imperial clan.
• Lin Bai warned Zhang Bailiu to handle the Water Mirror Sea Demon Races carefully and said the Tianshui Sect should seek a better share of the immortal-jade vein now that its circumstances had changed.
• Zhang Bailiu told Lin Bai that many Lineages had invited him to banquets, while the Zhao and Chen Families offered to lend the Tianshui Sect two Zhao Xiantu weapons for a hundred years.
• Zhang Bailiu gave Lin Bai a Storage Bag containing three hundred thousand immortal jades, which Lin Bai recognized as a substantial part of the Li Family’s reserves.
• Lin Bai said he would tell Prince Chen about the Heaven and Earth Gate and ask him to decide what to do.

Lin Bai prepared to enter seclusion to break through to the Great Purity Dao Fruit Realm while the Tianshui Sect handled invitations from powerful families and forces in the imperial capital. Ancestor Zhang Bailiu revealed that someone unexpected from the Southern Border Insect Valley had visited, leaving Lin Bai puzzled about the valley’s purpose.

• Lin Bai told Ancestor Zhang Bailiu that he did not want to become entangled with Li Mo and Zhao Xiantu, whose families were trying to repair relations after the Third Prince’s political defeat.
• Lin Bai decided to enter seclusion and instructed the Tianshui Sect to reject invitations from the Li and Zhao Families, while Bai Yifei and Zhou Xinjin would attend invitations from the Sect and the Lin Family on his behalf.
• Hou Chaobo warned that refusing all banquets could worsen the Tianshui Sect’s relations with other powers, and Zhang Bailiu agreed to manage the invitations while Lin Bai cultivated.
• Zhang Bailiu told Lin Bai that the Holy Maiden of the Southern Border Insect Valley had visited, but had left after learning Lin Bai was in seclusion without explaining her purpose.
• Lin Bai and Rong Yunxin wondered why the Southern Border Insect Valley had sent someone to visit, especially given its past hostility toward the Li Family.

Lin Bai accepted three hundred thousand immortal jades from the Tianshui Sect and concluded that the sect now treated him as its true Holy Son. As he began cultivating with a Nine-Twist Qin Yao, the Li Family grew alarmed by the sudden seclusion of the Chu Kingdom’s other Holy Sons and Holy Maidens.

• Grand Ancestor Zhang Bailiu arranged for Qiao Mo and Qin Yao to guard Lin Bai while he secluded himself in the temporary palace.
• Lin Bai received three hundred thousand immortal jades and realized the Tianshui Sect had chosen to support him beyond their original deal.
• Lin Bai swallowed the Nine-Twist Qin Yao and used the Seven Paths Scripture and immortal jades to cultivate his Heaven Swallowing Dao Fruit.
• The Li Family Head learned that Dan Ling, Chen Yule, Yi Song, and Huang Qingyun had entered seclusion, then asked about the remaining Holy Sons and Holy Maidens.
• The Li Family Head concluded that the wave of seclusions was suspicious and ordered someone to invite Yi Song or Chen Yule to the family.

The Li Family Head learned that the Holy Sons of the Chu Kingdom’s Four Families and One Sect had entered seclusion together, while the Imperial Guards were suppressing news from the capital. He ordered an investigation and decided Li Mo would enter the world as a Quasi-Holy Son, leaving the Li Family poised to abolish his Holy Son status.

• The Li Family Head demanded answers about the Imperial Capital, but the elders could only report that Zhao Li Xian and the Imperial Guards were sealing off news.
• The Li Family Head ordered the elders to investigate what happened outside the Imperial Capital and uncover what Zhao Li Xian and the Imperial Guards were concealing within three days.
• The Li Family Head asked the ancestors to approve abolishing the Holy Son, and they supported his decision while urging caution.
• The Li Family Head summoned Li Mo and told him to enter the world under the identity of the Quasi-Holy Son.
• Li Mo realized the family intended to remove him as Holy Son, accepted the arrangement, and left the ancestral hall.

The Zhao Xing Office concluded that the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace had spread news about the abductions of eastern-region Saints’ Sons and sect masters, while Chu remained uncertain about the kidnappers’ true purpose. It ordered an investigation into the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace’s role and the captives’ whereabouts as powerful forces began heading for Chu’s capital.

• The Zhao Xing Office explained that only Chu and the Four Gloom Demon Palace had the intelligence networks needed to spread news across the region so quickly.
• Du Yan suspected the Four Gloom Demon Palace was behind the turmoil, but an adviser argued that the palace lacked the courage to carry out the abductions alone.
• The Zhao Xing Office said the abducted Saints’ Sons and sect masters had not been killed, suggesting their captors had another motive connected to Chu.
• The Zhao Xing Office noted that the Sect Masters of Worship Heaven Sect and Overturning Heavens Sect had entered Chu, while other eastern-region powers were expected to follow.
• The Zhao Xing Office ordered its spies to investigate the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace’s purpose and discover where the captives had been taken.

Di Youyan returned to the imperial capital and appeared outside the Crown Prince's Residence, prompting Prince Chen to seek him out at Great Jiang Ping Temple. Prince Chen found Di Youyan asleep in the temple courtyard, while the Eighth Prince remained behind and warned him that ruling Chu would bring heavier burdens.

• Di Youyan appeared at the Crown Prince's Residence, and Grand Butler Zhou Wang recognized him and invited him inside.
• Di Youyan declined the invitation and left; Zhou Wang told the Crown Prince that he believed Di Youyan had gone to Great Compassion Temple.
• Prince Chen discussed Di Youyan's return with the Eighth Prince, who decided not to accompany him and warned him about the hardships of ruling Chu.
• Prince Chen went to Great Jiang Ping Temple, where several hundred monks were chanting scriptures.
• Prince Chen arrived in the temple's rear courtyard and found Di Youyan asleep at a stone table as he brewed tea.

At Great Compassion Temple, Prince Chen discussed the abduction of sect heirs and elders with the Crown Prince, who revealed that the Four Gloom Demon Palace had colluded with the Northern Region and that a high-ranking mole in Zhao Chujun helped the captives escape Chu Empire. The young monk recognized that the imperial clan’s succession rule had shaped the crisis, while the Crown Prince prepared to receive the sect leaders arriving in the capital.

• Prince Chen drank tea brewed by the young monk and urged him to stop blaming himself for the past and end his Silent Vow.
• The Crown Prince explained that the imperial clan had used the abductions to expose the Four Gloom Demon Palace’s alliance with the Northern Region.
• The Crown Prince revealed that the missing holy sons and ancestors might have been taken beyond the Eastern Region and that a high-ranking mole in Zhao Chujun had helped them escape.
• The young monk crushed his teacup in anger when the Crown Prince recalled the princes who had died because of the Eighth Prince.
• The Crown Prince said the sect leaders would arrive in eight or nine days and that Emperor Chu had ordered him to prepare for their reception.

Lin Bai emerged from more than two months of seclusion after breaking through to the Superior-Grade Great Purity Dao Fruit realm. He learned that the kidnapping of prominent sect heirs and pill masters had stirred turmoil across the Devil Realm, while the Tianshui Sect's dispute with the Heaven and Earth Gate remained unresolved.

• Lin Bai completed his breakthrough with the help of the Ninefold Spirit Pill, and Qiao Mo and Qin Yao congratulated him as he emerged from the secret chamber.
• Zhang Bailiu told Lin Bai that the Heaven and Earth Gate had reclaimed returned treasure lands and injured Tianshui Sect disciples while Qin Yao was occupied by the spreading kidnapping news.
• Lin Bai reasoned that the kidnappers had publicized the abductions after Zhao Linbai and the Imperial Guards suppressed the matter, prompting sects to head to the imperial capital for answers.
• Zhang Bailiu told Lin Bai that the Chu Emperor had ordered him to visit the Golden Hall as soon as he emerged from seclusion.
• Lin Bai agreed to raise the Heaven and Earth Gate's actions with the Chu Emperor, then went to the great assembly hall to hear more about the crisis.

Lin Bai questioned the Chu Emperor and Xing Si about the Eastern Region’s chances against the Northern Region and the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace. He learned that the Demon Palace had infiltrated major forces and was recovering its strength through hidden treasure troves, while the threat of an alliance left the coming war uncertain.

• Lin Bai asked the Chu Emperor how likely the Eastern Region was to win an all-out war, and the Chu Emperor claimed victory was certain without outside interference.
• Lin Bai asked about the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace, and Xing Si revealed that more than ten thousand agents had infiltrated Zhao Linbai and the imperial guards.
• Xing Si estimated that the Chu Emperor would have only a sixty percent chance against the Northern Region with the Demon Palace’s assistance.
• Xing Si explained that the Demon Palace had sealed its treasures in nine troves and had begun recovering its strength after finding several of them.
• The Eastern Region concluded that someone was likely forging an alliance between the Northern Region and the Demon Palace, and Xing Si asked how this related to the abducted holy son.

Lin Bai warned Emperor Chu that the Four Gloom Demon Palace might be manipulating the Northern Domain conflict to isolate and attack the Chu Kingdom and the One Night Divine Sect. The Sect Master proposed striking first by blaming the Northern Domain for abducting Eastern Domain hostages and preparing the Chu Kingdom to mobilize.

• Lin Bai argued that the Four Gloom Demon Palace had incited the Northern Domain and explained that the factions would clash over how to divide conquered territory.
• Lin Bai reasoned that the Four Gloom Demon Palace might target one of the prosperous Eastern Domain territories bordering the Northern Domain rather than seek control of the whole region.
• Lin Bai warned that the Chu Kingdom and the One Night Divine Sect could be left isolated if the Qi Tian Sect and Ten Thousand Saints Mountain withheld aid.
• The Sect Master said the Chu Kingdom should publicly blame the Northern Domain for abducting holy sons and ancestors and demand their return.
• The Sect Master proposed that the Chu Kingdom formally take a side and station troops along the border, while promising not to harm the hostages or trespass on the other forces' territories.

Chu Di and Lin Bai weighed the hidden dangers posed by Chu’s sects and families as Xiao Cangsheng left the palace. On his way to meet Chu Di, Xiao Cangsheng encountered Di Youyan, whose silence and identity left their reunion tinged with sorrow.

• Chu Di reflected that Heaven and Earth Gate and other powers had concealed their strength, while the Zhao Xing Office had been forbidden to investigate them.
• Lin Bai decided to send Xiao Cangsheng to help Sun Fan receive sect leaders and warn Heaven and Earth Gate, despite advisers’ objections.
• Xiao Cangsheng left the palace after Eunuch Gui let him go, then headed through the capital toward Chu Di’s residence.
• Xiao Cangsheng noticed a monk at a street stall and recognized him as Di Youyan, Ku Chan Sect’s former holy son.
• Di Youyan silently welcomed Xiao Cangsheng, who asked whether he could not speak or was cultivating a technique.
• Xiao Cangsheng referred to Di Youyan as the First Prince, and Di Youyan’s smile turned bitter.

Lin Bai and Prince Chen spoke with Di Wuyan, whose silence came from a painful past and a method he had developed to communicate through spiritual energy. As Prince Chen explained the danger facing the imperial capital, Di Wuyan showed his support for the Chu Emperor’s rise and revealed little about why he had returned.

• Lin Bai asked whether Di Wuyan had been born unable to speak, and Di Wuyan’s expression turned sorrowful as he recalled his painful past.
• Prince Chen explained that Di Wuyan had spent eight hundred years meditating in the Kushan Sect’s forbidden mountain and created a way to convey words and emotions through spiritual energy.
• Prince Chen told Di Wuyan that the Four Gloom Demon Palace and the Northern Region had joined forces, and that captured sect leaders and ancestors had been sent north.
• Prince Chen said the sect leaders were heading for the imperial capital, where the imperial family expected to face a major threat within about half a month.
• Di Wuyan smiled to show that he supported the Chu Emperor becoming Crown Prince, while Prince Chen explained that he had helped the imperial family for his own reasons.
• Di Wuyan indicated that he had returned to revisit the imperial capital and see old acquaintances, and that he no longer cared about the old struggle for the throne.

Lin Bai learned that the kidnappings of the Eastern Region sect leaders’ heirs had brought angry sect masters to Chu’s imperial capital, putting pressure on the imperial family. He proposed blaming the Northern Region with fabricated evidence, and Zhou Wang summoned Prince Chen and the Third Prince to the palace to carry out Emperor Chu’s plan.

• Prince Chen and the Third Prince told Lin Bai that the Sect Masters of Overturning Heavens Sect and Worship Heaven Sect had arrived to demand answers about the kidnappings.
• Lin Bai learned that Zhao Xing Office had found no clues and was fabricating evidence to support a claim against the Northern Region.
• Lin Bai proposed announcing that Northern Region martial artists had kidnapped the sect heirs, using the accusation to appease the sects and unite them against the North.
• The Third Prince and the Sect Master accepted that Emperor Chu would refine the plan and provide evidence for the accusation.
• Zhou Wang arrived with Emperor Chu’s order for Prince Chen and the Third Prince to enter the palace at once.

Lin Bai visited the Sect Masters of the Overturning Heavens Sect and Worship Heaven Sect as they waited for Emperor Chu to explain the disappearance of their Holy Sons and patriarchs. They thanked Lin Bai for his earlier efforts and asked him to help rescue Meng Qinxian and Nie Shang.

• The Sect Masters of the Overturning Heavens Sect and Worship Heaven Sect discussed Emperor Chu's refusal to meet them and planned to pressure Chu once other sects arrived.
• A servant announced that the Wolf Marquis had come to visit, and the two Sect Masters agreed to receive Lin Bai.
• Lin Bai greeted the Sect Masters and joined them for tea in their traveling palace.
• The Sect Master of the Worship Heaven Sect thanked Lin Bai for searching for Nie Shang, and the Sect Master of the Overturning Heavens Sect asked him to help rescue Meng Qinxian.

Lin Bai questioned the Sect Masters of the Overturning Heavens Sect and the Worship Heaven Sect about why they believed Chu had abducted Meng Qinxian and Nie Shang. They revealed their fear that Chu planned to invade the Seven Nights Divine Sect’s territory, while Lin Bai suspected someone had deliberately misled them.

• The Sect Master of the Overturning Heavens Sect and the Sect Master of the Worship Heaven Sect tacitly admitted that rumors had led them to blame Chu for Meng Qinxian and Nie Shang’s disappearance.
• Lin Bai insisted the two missing men had nothing to do with Chu, but the Sect Master of the Worship Heaven Sect accused him of acting as Chu’s lobbyist.
• The Sect Master of the Overturning Heavens Sect asked whether Chu planned to invade the Seven Nights Divine Sect’s territory, arguing that Chu might use the missing men as leverage and the fractured region as a foothold.
• The Sect Masters described the Seven Nights Divine Sect’s territory as deeply divided and vulnerable, prompting Lin Bai to recognize how dire its condition was.
• The Sect Master of the Worship Heaven Sect refused to reveal their information source, and Lin Bai asked whether someone might be deliberately misleading them.

Lin Bai convinced the Sect Masters of Worship Heaven Sect and Overturning Heavens Sect that their accusation against the Kingdom of Chu might rest on false information planted by the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace. The Sect Masters then demanded to know where the missing Holy Sons were and called on Emperor Chu to explain.

• The Sect Masters told Lin Bai they believed the Kingdom of Chu had abducted the Holy Sons and planned to seize the Seven Nights Divine Sect's territory, based on information they considered reliable.
• Lin Bai revealed that the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace had infiltrated the Zhao Xing Office and imperial guards with at least ten thousand spies, including senior officials.
• Lin Bai pointed out that the Kingdom of Chu would have no reason to abduct Holy Sons from Ten Thousand Saints Mountain's territory and Qi Tian Sect's territory if it intended to take only the Seven Nights Divine Sect's territory.
• The Sect Master of Worship Heaven Sect admitted their information had come from inside the Zhao Xing Office, and both Sect Masters began to suspect their source had been compromised.
• The Sect Master of Overturning Heavens Sect asked where the Holy Sons were and demanded that Emperor Chu explain their disappearance.

Lin Bai warned the Overturning Heavens Sect and Worship Heaven Sect that their missing Holy Sons might be in the Northern Region and urged Emperor Chu to prepare for a conspiracy. The chapter ended with Lin Bai explaining his fear that the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace might kill some captives in the imperial capital and frame the Chu Empire.

• Lin Bai told the two Sect Masters that he suspected the Northern Region and the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace had taken Nie Shang, Meng Qinxian, and other missing figures, though he had no proof.
• The Sect Masters asked whether Nie Shang and Meng Qinxian were alive, and Lin Bai said they were likely safe for now because the Eastern Region had not yet fallen into chaos.
• Lin Bai left the Sect Masters and changed course to the imperial palace, where he used his Zhao Xing Office token to request an audience with Emperor Chu.
• Lin Bai warned Emperor Chu that some Holy Sons and old ancestors might have stayed in the imperial capital instead of going to the Northern Region.
• Lin Bai proposed that the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace might kill those remaining captives and plant their bodies in imperial palaces or residences to make the Chu Empire appear responsible.