Chapter Summaries

Lin Bai reassured Meng Qinxian and Nie Shang after they warned him that his Supreme Avatar made him a target, while the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace debated how to respond to its exposed plans. Dongyu used Goddess’s desire to survive to secure a possible escape, leaving the Palace’s next move uncertain.

• Nie Shang and Meng Qinxian warned Lin Bai that his Supreme Avatar and ties to Chu made him vulnerable to rival forces, and Lin Bai said Goddess was not as foolish as he had thought.
• In the Princess's Office study, Li Guxian urged Goddess and Dao Child Yao Qian to execute Meng Qinxian and Mu Cang to plunge the Devil Realm into chaos, but Yao Qian advised caution.
• Goddess weighed the proposals while Li Guxian and Yao Qian debated how to respond to Wolf Marquis’s intervention and the exposure of their plans.
• Dongyu recovered some strength as the Carefree Powder faded, but the Dragon Binding Spike prevented him from regaining control over Lin Bai.
• Dongyu relied on Goddess’s ambition and desire to live, believing she would accept his trade and take the chance to escape.

Lin Bai tested ways to remove the Dragon Binding Spikes while Nie Shang secretly freed Meng Qinxian and Li Gu and planned to stay behind for Lu Qingjun and Yi Heze. The chapter left Lin Bai considering the Heaven Swallowing Dao Fruit and Nie Shang preparing to face the danger alone.

• Lin Bai found that the Supreme Avatar and Heaven Swallowing Dao Fruit were his only remaining ways to remove the Dragon Binding Spikes.
• Nie Shang used his devouring power to dissolve the Dragon Binding Spikes in Meng Qinxian and Li Gu, then told them to conceal their recovered strength and escape when the chance came.
• Nie Shang urged Meng Qinxian and Li Gu to leave for their sects, but refused to abandon Lu Qingjun and Yi Heze.
• Meng Qinxian and Li Gu promised to keep Nie Shang's actions secret and pretended that the Dragon Binding Spikes still sealed them.
• Mu Cang and Dao Child Yao Qian arrived at the dungeon as Nie Shang continued considering how Lin Baixian might be persuaded to compromise.

Lin Bai and Dao Child Yao Qian arranged a deal with Li Guxian, while Meng Qinxian waited to rescue Nie Shang. Li Guxian chose to let them leave, but Meng Qinxian’s forces attacked the Princess’s manor as the carriages departed.

• Lin Bai refused to leave without Meng Qinxian and Nie Shang until Li Guxian agreed to his deal, and Dao Child Yao Qian warned that they would perish together if the Zhao Xing Office attacked.
• Dao Child Yao Qian brought Nie Shang out of the manor, and Nie Shang quietly spoke to Meng Qinxian before boarding a carriage.
• Li Guxian sent Lin Baixian away with Dao Child Yao Qian and prepared carriages for the others, showing that she had accepted Lin Bai’s deal.
• Meng Qinxian ordered the Blood Chu Tinghan into the manor under a blood barrier to find the captives and kill anyone who resisted.
• Nine carriages left the Princess’s manor without opposition, while Meng Qinxian’s forces followed at a distance.

Blood Luo Daoguo’s forces rescued Meng Qinxian and Nie Shang, then took control of their safety and subdued the Marquis. Prince Hong Estate and the Blood Dragon Legion joined forces to investigate Four Gloom Demon Palace strongholds as Huang Qiong was taken to Zhao Linbai.

• Blood Luo Daoguo’s warriors defeated the Marquis, broke his limbs, sealed his dantian, and took charge of protecting the four Saint Sons.
• Meng Qinxian and Nie Shang recovered their cultivation and resisted Mu Cang, but the Blood Dragon Legion intervened and shielded them.
• Young Lord Long explained Wolf Li Gu’s plan to Chao Yushi, who deduced that Four Gloom Demon Palace strongholds were hidden in the surrounding streets.
• Chao Yushi urged the Blood Dragon Legion to seal off and search the streets, and Young Lord Long agreed to coordinate with Chu Tinghan.
• Huang Qiong was taken to Zhao Linbai while the two forces converged and prepared to investigate the exposed plan.

Li Guxian took Lin Bai out of the imperial capital, promising to lead him to Lu Qingjun and Yi Heze if he helped her shake off the Zhao Xing Office and Chu Tinghan. Chu Tinghan refused Lin Bai’s order to stop following them and continued the pursuit, determined to protect him and capture Li Guxian.

• Li Guxian persuaded Lin Bai to use his authority as Wolf Marquis to get past the city guards and leave the capital with her.
• Chu Tinghan ordered the Zhao Xing Office to track Lin Bai and Li Guxian using every available means.
• Li Guxian said she would take Lin Bai to Lu Qingjun and Yi Heze only if they lost their pursuers, and Lin Bai agreed to tell the scouts to stop following.
• Lin Bai ordered the Zhao Xing Office and Chu Tinghan to abandon the pursuit, but Chu Tinghan declared his orders invalid and continued watching them.
• Chu Tinghan learned that two Holy Sons remained inside the imperial capital, including another friend of Lin Bai.

Lin Bai grew impatient with Li Guxian’s delays and forced her to reveal where Lu Qingjun and Yi Heze were hidden. After breaking the Dragon Binding Spikes and overpowering her, he began searching her memories, but found that key parts had been mysteriously erased.

• Lin Bai suspected Li Guxian had been keeping him occupied while the sect leaders traveled to the imperial capital, and concluded that Lu Qingjun and Yi Heze were likely there.
• Lin Bai demanded that Li Guxian disclose their location, but she refused and reminded him that the Dragon Binding Spikes still sealed his power.
• Lin Bai used the Heaven Swallowing Dao Fruit to shatter the Dragon Binding Spikes, seized Li Guxian, and threw her into the mountain when she would not answer.
• Lin Bai began a Soul Search on the badly injured Li Guxian and saw memories of her family and past, including memories of Lin Bai himself.
• Lin Bai found that Li Guxian’s memories of the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace headquarters and certain encounters had been erased, and continued searching for Lu Qingjun and Yi Heze.

Lin Bai searched Wang Zuoxian’s memories and uncovered the Four Gloom Demon Palace’s extensive plans for the Chu Emperor’s Birthday Celebration. In the underground palace, an ancient throne reacted to power from the Imperial Capital of Chu, raising fears that the Devil Lord might still be alive.

• Lin Bai searched Wang Zuoxian’s memories as she screamed, and Nie Shang learned that she had used a blood-sacrifice formation to coordinate the Four Gloom Demon Palace’s plans.
• Nie Shang recognized that the old man who had taken Meng Qinxian and Yi Heze seemed familiar, while Lu Qingjun escaped after Nie Shang persuaded him to return to the Imperial Capital.
• The Four Gloom Demon Palace abandoned its plan to capture Wang Zhengyang and Lu Qingjun after Nie Shang’s intervention disrupted the operation.
• In the underground palace, the ancient throne trembled and its runes shone, drawing black-robed martial artists who recognized the aura as possibly belonging to the Devil Lord.
• A kneeling martial artist received a message from the glowing runes, and the others left to investigate the power that had triggered them.

Old Huo led the Zhao Xing Office into the Third Prince's Estate to search for Lu Qingjun and Yi Heze, but Chu Tinghan and the estate's defenders demanded that he show Lin Bai's jade token and wait for the Third Prince. A powerful martial artist confronted Old Huo, and the standoff ended with Old Huo pressing ahead despite the threat of a clash.

• Chu Tinghan rebuked Old Huo for lacking the authority to inspect the jade token, while Old Huo argued that the Third Prince should be informed before the estate was searched.
• The estate's defenders and Chu Tinghan's forces faced Old Huo, whose demonic sword revealed his strength and drew a warning from a powerful martial artist inside the estate.
• The powerful martial artist asked Old Huo to wait fifteen minutes for the Third Prince, but Old Huo refused and threatened anyone who tried to stop him.
• Old Huo summoned martial artists to reinforce his side and accused the estate of obstructing an investigation into Lu Qingjun and Yi Heze.
• Chu Tinghan and the Marquis called the unauthorized intrusion rebellion, but Old Huo ignored them and flew deeper into the estate.

Lin Bai learned that Chu and other powerful forces were uncovering his identity and that Chu sought to keep him within its territory, partly to protect its future and Chu Tinghan. After the operation, Prince Liang reviewed the capture of Nine Underworlds Demon Palace infiltrators, and Lin Bai confirmed that the four rescued Saint Sons were the only ones in the imperial capital.

• Prince Liang told Lin Bai that investigations into the Barren Ancient Continent would reveal his identity and that the Heaven Swallowing Race had ties to the demon world.
• Lin Bai asked how many people knew his identity, and Prince Liang said the Chu imperial family and the sixteen strongest forces were investigating him.
• Prince Liang urged Lin Bai not to act recklessly with his Supreme Avatar and explained that he wanted Lin Bai to remain in Chu for both political and personal reasons.
• Chu Tinghan reported that Lin Bai had helped rescue the four Saint Sons and capture core Nine Underworlds Demon Palace martial artists.
• Zhu Mo said the captured infiltrators had been sent to the Inferno for interrogation.
• Lin Bai told Prince Liang that, as far as he knew, the four Saint Sons were the only ones in the imperial capital.

Prince Liang ordered a continued investigation into the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace and promised Lin Bai a possible prince’s title for his service. Lin Bai left the Tianshui Sect disciples to assist the operation, then visited Lu Qingjun and Yi Heze, learning that Lu Qingjun’s younger sister was also missing.

• Lin Bai urged Prince Liang to keep investigating the Chu imperial clan and its allied families and sects for hidden enemies.
• Prince Liang assigned Chu Tinghan, Chu Zimo, and Chu Tingxue to investigate, ordered stronger security, and authorized killing confirmed or suspected Nine Underworlds Demon Palace agents.
• Prince Liang said he would report Lin Bai’s contributions to the Chu Emperor and suggested Lin Bai might be granted a prince’s title.
• Lin Bai left Bai Yifei, Zhou Xinjin, and the other Tianshui Sect disciples to support Prince Liang’s operation, then went to the Seven Absolutes City residence.
• Lin Bai found Lu Qingjun and Yi Heze protected by the Blood Dragon Legion and learned that Lu Qingjun’s younger sister, Lu Lingjun, was missing along with other Seven Absolutes City people.

Lin Bai learned that the imperial clan had summoned the leaders of the Devil Realm’s Eastern Region to a banquet at Perilous Tower’s Star Plucking Platform. As the sect leaders gathered, they recognized that the rare assembly could shape the region’s future, and the story left them about to begin their discussion.

• Ancestor Zu Zhangbai told Lin Bai that the imperial clan had invited Tianshui Sect to a midnight banquet at Star Plucking Platform.
• Lin Bai met Prince Chen, who explained that the banquet would bring together the Eastern Region’s top sect leaders and discuss the mounting crisis, including the attack on Horizon Pass.
• Lin Bai and Ancestor Zu Zhangbai discussed how such a gathering recalled the assembly that planned the destruction of the Four Gloom Demon Palace a hundred thousand years earlier.
• Sect Master arrived at the Crown Prince’s residence and saw the exhausted Eighth Prince, Prince Chen’s strategists, and representatives of major families and sects.
• The assembled leaders took their seats at Star Plucking Platform, and Prince Chen signaled that the meeting should begin.

The Third Prince argued that the captured Holy Sons and Holy Daughters could not be relied on to make their sects and Lineages risk their own interests, and proposed a two-pronged diplomatic approach. He asked Prince Chen to meet Wang Zhengyang and Qi Lingyu at the grand banquet and assess their positions.

• The Third Prince explained that sects could replace captured or dead Holy Sons with secretly cultivated Secluded Prodigies and would prioritize their own survival if rescue seemed impossible.
• He revealed that the Li family had sent Li Mo into seclusion and appointed Lin Bai as Holy Son, suggesting Li Mo's seclusion was an excuse to replace him.
• His Highness Li Xian said the Crown Prince knew of the matter and that he had reported it to their father.
• The Third Prince said the royal family would negotiate with the leaders of Ten Thousand Saints Mountain's territory and Qi Tian Sect's territory, while Prince Chen would meet Wang Zhengyang and Qi Lingyu.
• The Third Prince asked Prince Chen to go early to the grand banquet at Star Plucking Platform and determine whether the two Holy Sons would pressure the powerful marquises in their territories.

Tianshui Sect prepared to attend the imperial clan’s sudden banquet at Star Plucking Platform as the war threatened its hopes of recovery. Prince Chen revealed that the conflict seemed unavoidable, while Chu Xi and the Third Prince continued organizing the gathering.

• Zhang Bailiu asked Lin Bai what Prince Chen had said about the imperial clan’s plans, and Lin Bai explained that he had not met Wang Zhengyang or Qi Lingyu.
• Zhang Bailiu worried that the war would drain Tianshui Sect and ruin its comeback, but Prince Chen said the clan’s will could not be resisted and that dangers might bring opportunities.
• Zhang Bailiu led Lin Bai, Pan Qing, and the limited Tianshui Sect delegation to Perilous Tower after the imperial clan’s carriage arrived.
• Prince Chen climbed the tower’s crumbling staircase and found Star Plucking Platform suspended above an abyss, while Lin Bai complained about the tower on the way up.
• Chu Xi welcomed Tianshui Sect at the platform, directed Lin Bai to sit with her friends, and asked the remaining leaders what the other three peak factions thought.

At the Star Plucking Platform, Li Xian apologized for the Li Family’s past conflicts, but Chen Yule said old grudges could not be erased by a few words. Qian Hen then gave Chen Yule and Zhang Bailiu Enlightenment Pills, leaving Lin Bai slighted as the factions gathered.

• Li Xian greeted Lin Bai and Chen Yule and apologized for the Li Family’s past conflicts, but Chen Yule said their grudges could not be resolved so easily.
• Qian Hen approached Chen Yule and Zhang Bailiu, exchanged teasing insults with Tong Lancun, and gave the two men jade bottles as gifts.
• Zhang Bailiu recognized the gifts as Enlightenment Pills that could help them break through to the Greater Purity Dao Fruit Realm, and Chen Yule and Tong Lancun accepted them.
• Lin Bai noticed that Qian Hen had given him nothing and felt humiliated, while Qian Hen addressed him with a sneer.

Lin Bai and the other major Chu State forces discussed their reluctance to join a war, but acknowledged they would have to obey the royal family. At Star Plucking Platform, Lin Bai met with Wang Zhengyang and concluded that Chu State was preparing for war.

• Chen Yule, Huang Qingyun, Yi Song, and Lin Bai said their forces did not want war but would have to follow Chu State's orders.
• The Sect Master of Ten Thousand Saints Mountain arrived at Star Plucking Platform and took a seat near Chu State's delegation.
• Wang Zhengyang approached Lin Bai, and Lin Bai asked the others to give them privacy.
• As leaders from Chu State and the Devil Realm Eastern Region gathered, Lin Bai and Wang Zhengyang discussed the rushed banquet and the captured Sacred Sons.
• Lin Bai told Wang Zhengyang that he believed Chu State's attitude was war.

At Star Plucking Platform, Lin Bai, Wang Zhengyang, and Qi Lingyu prepared to discuss the crisis facing the Eastern Region as the sect leaders gathered. Lin Bai recognized Yi Gu among Seven Nights Divine Sect’s delegates and learned that he was the sole heir of Yi Heng, leaving Lin Bai to reconsider their old friendship.

• Lin Bai and Wang Zhengyang watched the grim leaders of the top sects arrive at Star Plucking Platform as war threatened the Eastern Region.
• Qi Lingyu joined Lin Bai and Wang Zhengyang, questioned the Chu royal family’s sudden banquet, and agreed to confer with them.
• Lin Bai spotted Yi Gu seated behind the Sect Master of Seven Nights Divine Sect and reacted with shock at his changed appearance and status.
• Wang Zhengyang deduced that Yi Gu was Yi Heng’s only son and the sole heir of Seven Nights Divine Sect.
• Lin Bai recalled that Yi Gu had once sought a secret art at Tianshui Sect to save an elder and realized he had meant his father.

Wang Zhengyang explained that Yi Heng’s poisoning had left the Seven Nights Divine Sect unable to govern, allowing the Zhang and Li Families to contest control. Lin Bai decided to support his friend Yi Gu and set out with Wang Zhengyang and Qi Lingyu to invite him.

• Wang Zhengyang told Qi Lingyu and Lin Bai that Yi Heng had been poisoned and incapacitated after quelling a regional conflict, leaving Yi Wen to resume control of the sect.
• Wang Zhengyang explained that the Seven Nights Divine Sect’s affiliated families had grown powerful and that the Zhang, Zhao, and Li Families were challenging the Yi Family’s authority.
• Lin Bai saw the Zhang and Li leaders surrounded by confident young heirs while the Yi Family’s younger generation appeared dispirited.
• Lin Bai proposed supporting Yi Gu, and Wang Zhengyang and Qi Lingyu agreed to help him.
• Lin Bai, Wang Zhengyang, and Qi Lingyu walked toward the Seven Nights Divine Sect’s seats to invite Yi Gu, drawing the attention of the Star Plucking Platform.

Lin Bai, Qi Lingyu, and Wang Zhengyang approached the Seven Nights Divine Sect to invite its territory to discuss matters with the other regions. They rejected the Zhang and Li families’ attempts to appoint their own representatives and called on Yi Gu to take his rightful place as the sect’s Saint.

• Lin Bai, Qi Lingyu, and Wang Zhengyang drew the gathering’s attention as they walked together to the Seven Nights Divine Sect’s territory.
• The three Saints saluted Yi Wen and explained that they wanted the Seven Nights Divine Sect’s territory represented in their discussions.
• Zhang Baoyu and Li Ting each volunteered to represent the territory, upsetting Yi Wen by appearing to take authority from him.
• Lin Bai addressed the withdrawn Yi Gu as Yi Wen’s grandson and Yi Heng’s son, then invited him to join the discussion.
• Qi Lingyu declared that Yi Gu was the rightful Saint and future leader of the Seven Nights Divine Sect, while Wang Zhengyang urged him to hurry.

Yi Gu accepted the responsibility of establishing himself as the Seven Nights Divine Sect’s Holy Son, while Lin Bai, Qi Lingyu, and Wang Zhengyang discussed their territories’ positions on a coming war. The Qi Tian Sect and Ten Thousand Saints Mountain territories both supported fighting, but their Holy Sons remained captive in the Northern Region.

• Yi Wen agreed to let Yi Gu join Lin Bai, Qi Lingyu, and Wang Zhengyang after recognizing that their invitation could legitimize Yi Gu’s claim as Holy Son.
• Yi Gu stood, saluted the three Holy Sons as the Seven Nights Divine Sect’s Quasi-Holy Son, and followed them to discuss the crisis.
• Lin Bai said Yi Gu had chosen to shoulder his responsibility and would need to pursue the Holy Son position after returning to his sect.
• Qi Lingyu urged Yi Gu to stop worrying about his gravely wounded father and seize the Holy Son position, and Yi Gu accepted his advice.
• Qi Lingyu said the Qi Tian Sect would fight if necessary, though its Holy Sons were still in the Northern Region and could be used as leverage.
• Wang Zhengyang said Ten Thousand Saints Mountain also intended to fight and win, warning that the Southern Region might exploit any weakness in the East, while its Holy Sons were likewise held in the Northern Region.

Lin Bai asked Yi Gu to explain the Seven Nights Divine Sect’s position on the coming war with the Northern Region. Yi Gu described the sect’s internal divisions and the conflicting stances of the five major sects in its territory, leaving the question of cooperation unresolved.

• Lin Bai asked Yi Gu where the Seven Nights Divine Sect stood, and Yi Gu said it supported fighting but could not easily unite its divided territory.
• Yi Gu asked Chu, Qi Tian Sect, and Ten Thousand Saints Mountain to help if the Northern Region invaded, offering gratitude in return; Qi Lingyu and Wang Zhengyang neither promised nor refused.
• Yi Gu said Overturning Heavens Sect and Worship Heaven Sect would resist to the last, while Pure Yang Sect and Phoenix Valley favored negotiating and ceding territory.
• Yi Gu explained that Overturning Heavens Sect, Worship Heaven Sect, and the Seven Nights Divine Sect bordered the Northern Region and would likely lose land first, while Azure Lotus Sect bordered Chu.
• Yi Gu said Azure Lotus Sect had lost prestige and produced few outstanding prodigies after Chu defeated it and its Holy Daughter was sent to Bright Moon Pavilion’s Moon Palace as a Courtesan.