Chapter Summaries

Shi Renshan devised a plan to counter the reports of corruption and theft targeting his faction by spreading accusations and escalating the conflict. His plan hit a snag when Duan Hui and Xiang Dinghan revealed that only their own families' martial artists held power in the two armies.

• Shi Renshan learned that Duan Hui and Xiang Dinghan had skimmed about half the military provisions allocated to the Sea Guard Legion and Divine Mountain Guard, triggering unrest after soldiers discovered their increased pay had been withheld.
• Shi Renshan warned that compensating the soldiers would confirm the families' guilt and leave them vulnerable to future accusations, then proposed stalling for time or blaming other families.
• After reviewing the reports, Shi Renshan focused on the Treasure Pavilion and the two armies, deciding to make the accusations bigger by drawing other families into the dispute.
• Shi Renshan ordered Shi Yuqing to report officials from rival families in the Treasure Pavilion and told Duan Hui and Xiang Dinghan to blame junior members of their families and accuse rival officials in the armies.
• Duan Hui and Xiang Dinghan told Shi Renshan that only members of their own families held power in the Sea Guard Legion and Divine Mountain Guard, leaving him shocked.

Shi Renshan criticized Xiang Dinghan and Duan Hui for replacing other families’ commanders in the Divine Mountain Guard and Sea Guard Legion, leaving the forces exposed as their families’ private armies. He proposed a way to shield them from the Demon Palace’s investigation, and they agreed to carry it out within three days.

• Xiang Dinghan and Duan Hui told Shi Renshan that their families had replaced the other families’ senior martial artists throughout the Divine Mountain Guard and Sea Guard Legion.
• Shi Renshan explained that keeping rivals in nominal positions could provide scapegoats and protect the families, while removing everyone from other families made the forces look like private armies.
• Duan Hui and Xiang Dinghan asked Shi Renshan for a solution, and he proposed appointing respected or expendable family members as deputy commanders, then reporting them for embezzlement and abuse of authority.
• Shi Renshan offered the alternative of surrendering control of both forces, but Duan Hui and Xiang Dinghan rejected it and promised to implement his plan within three days.
• Shi Renshan told them to proceed with his separate Treasure Pavilion plan by drawing martial artists from other families into the matter.

Lin Bai learned that the Nine Great Palaces’ moves against the Treasure Pavilion had stalled because Shi Family implicated officials from every family, while the campaigns against the Sea Guard Legion and Divine Mountain Guard had sparked mutinies. Old Wen explained why the Palace Master tolerated corruption within limits, leaving Lin Bai to consider the political costs of enforcing the law.

• Old Wen told Lin Bai that the Seventh Divine Hall and Ninth Divine Hall had accused Shi Yuqing and other Treasure Pavilion officials of corruption, and Shi Family had retaliated by implicating officials from all the families.
• Lin Bai concluded that punishing everyone involved would cripple the Treasure Pavilion, making the Hu Family and Murong Family patriarchs’ plan difficult to carry through.
• Old Wen reported that the Second Divine Hall and Third Divine Hall had withdrawn allied officials from the Sea Guard Legion and Divine Mountain Guard before spreading claims that Duan Family and Xiang Family were exploiting the soldiers, triggering a small mutiny.
• Lin Bai questioned why the Palace Master did not crack down on corruption, and Old Wen explained that punishing every implicated official would destabilize the Devil Palace without preventing future corruption.
• Old Wen said the Palace Master kept evidence of corruption and acted when officials crossed the rules, then clarified that he was offering his own view rather than repeating the Palace Master’s instructions.

Lin Bai learned that the Giant God Race could discover his identity and received the Reincarnation Art from the Palace Master as a means of concealment. He suspected the mysterious crow he had once met was the one who had passed the art to the Heaven Swallowing Race, but he did not know where the crow was.

• Lin Bai worried that improving his cultivation would expose him to the Giant God Race, while remaining at his current strength would leave him vulnerable.
• The Palace Master warned Lin Bai that the Shi Family and other major powers could contact the Giant God Race, and that the Devil Realm Eastern Region had drawn powerful visitors ahead of the divine medicine’s maturation.
• The Palace Master gave Lin Bai a Jade Slip containing the Reincarnation Art, which could randomly alter his appearance and aura for up to ten years.
• The Palace Master told Lin Bai that a black crow from the Demon Race had secretly passed the Reincarnation Art to the Heaven Swallowing Race.
• Lin Bai suspected the crow was the same bird he had met before, but kept his thoughts to himself because he could not be certain.

Lin Bai defended his campaign against the Shi Family, and the Palace Master agreed to back him in reclaiming the Treasure Pavilion and treasury after the Renaming Ceremony. The Palace Master then tasked Lin Bai with welcoming envoys from Overturning Heavens Sect and Worship Heaven Sect, while revealing the Devil Palace’s planned martial competition lineup.

• The Palace Master reprimanded Lin Bai for escalating the Treasure Pavilion and treasury dispute before the Renaming Ceremony, while Lin Bai argued that the Shi Family controlled much of the Devil Palace’s military and resources.
• Lin Bai insisted that he had been pushed into the Imperial Son position and needed the Palace Master’s support; the Palace Master advised him to restrain himself until he could strike a decisive blow.
• The Palace Master agreed to have Saint Elders Luo Yuanjing, Lei Qin, and Duanmu Lin support Lin Bai in reclaiming the Treasure Pavilion and treasury after the Renaming Ceremony.
• The Palace Master told Lin Bai that envoys from Overturning Heavens Sect and Worship Heaven Sect would arrive in Huang Long Thousand Provinces in three days, and Lin Bai agreed to welcome them.
• The Palace Master named Yan Congjiao, Duanmu Lin, Shen Yunfan, Mo Guyu, and Zhao Yuanchen as the Devil Palace’s martial competition participants, adding that Yan Congjiao would be released from confinement before the Renaming Ceremony.

Palace Master warned Lin Bai not to kill the First God Child before Shi Renshan fell, while explaining that the Devil Palace’s internal stability depended on avoiding upheaval before the Renaming Ceremony. Lin Bai arranged for the Second God Child and Third God Child to enter the Sea Guard Legion and Divine Mountain Guard, but the Palace Master remained unwilling to force a reckoning over corruption in the treasury and Treasure Pavilion.

• Palace Master advised Lin Bai to spare the First God Child until Shi Renshan was dealt with, and Lin Bai agreed that their rivalry did not have to end in death.
• Palace Master explained that Xiang Dinghan and Duan Hui had sacrificed several deputy commanders as scapegoats, allowing the Xiang Family and Duan Family to retain control of the Divine Mountain Guard and Sea Guard Legion.
• Lin Bai asked to place his people in both forces, then proposed sending the Second God Child, Duanmu Lin, and the Third God Child, Shen Yunfan, with members of their families.
• Lin Bai persuaded Palace Master to issue the order for Duanmu Lin and Shen Yunfan to join the guard forces, despite Shi Renshan's likely objections.
• Lin Bai raised abuses in the Treasure Pavilion and treasury, but Palace Master said that punishing the deeply entrenched families involved could tear the Devil Palace apart before the Renaming Ceremony.

Lin Bai met with the Palace Master, then gathered his allies to review their failed efforts against Treasure Pavilion and the treasury and his gains in the Sea Guard Legion and Divine Mountain Guard. With the Renaming Ceremony approaching, he prepared to welcome the delegations from Overturning Heavens Sect and Worship Heaven Sect.

• The Palace Master told Lin Bai to wait until after the Renaming Ceremony to address the conflicts and promised to punish a few leading culprits from Treasure Pavilion and the treasury.
• Lin Bai told Duanmu Lin and Shen Yunfan that the Palace Master would appoint them deputy commanders in the Sea Guard Legion and Divine Mountain Guard, with further posts open to their families' martial artists.
• Lin Bai reassured Li Guxian and Hu Zhiyao that the failed bid to take control of Treasure Pavilion and the treasury was not their fault and that the matter would be postponed.
• Lin Bai reminded Duanmu Lin and Shen Yunfan to prepare for the martial contest against Overturning Heavens Sect and Worship Heaven Sect before taking up their military appointments.
• Lin Bai agreed to welcome the incoming delegations as a reunion with his friends Meng Qinxian and Nie Shang, and asked Li Guxian and Hu Zhiyao to notify him when they entered Huang Long Thousand Provinces.

As the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace’s Renaming Ceremony approached, Lin Bai rode a ceremonial cloudship to escort the Overturning Heavens Sect and Worship Heaven Sect delegations. Enchanted by the Huang Long Thousand Provinces’ peaceful, bustling atmosphere, he changed plans to meet the delegations in Drunken Immortal City and entered the city quietly with a small group.

• The Nine Underworlds Demon Palace secured support from more than two-thirds of the Devil Realm Eastern Region’s sects, bolstered by the early backing of Ten Thousand Saints Mountain and the Chu Kingdom.
• Lin Bai, Li Guxian, Hu Zhiyao, Old Wen, and Dao Child Yu You departed aboard a powerful Devil Palace cloudship to meet the approaching Overturning Heavens Sect and Worship Heaven Sect delegations.
• Lin Bai observed the crowded, prosperous Huang Long Thousand Provinces and expressed his longing for a peaceful life.
• Li Guxian suggested waiting for the delegations in Drunken Immortal City, and Lin Bai agreed to host a feast there.
• Lin Bai ordered the cloudship to remain outside the city and entered Drunken Immortal City in ordinary clothes with Li Guxian, Hu Zhiyao, Old Wen, and Dao Child Yu You.

Lin Bai and his companions explored Drunken Immortal City, sampling its lively streets and learning about the city’s spirit-crystal currency and wine culture. After hearing that Drunken Immortal Pavilion offered the finest Evergreen Brew and a view over the city, Lin Bai led the group there.

• Lin Bai entered Drunken Immortal City with Li Guxian, Hu Zhiyao, Old Wen, and Dao Child Yu You, and admired its bustling shops and street life.
• At a meat-pie stall, Lin Bai asked about spirit crystals; Li Guxian explained how they were made, and Old Wen paid for the food with a spirit stone.
• Lin Bai enjoyed the meat pies while his companions held theirs, and the group continued sightseeing until nightfall.
• Walking beside the river, Lin Bai heard visitors praise Drunken Immortal Pavilion and its Evergreen Brew.
• Li Guxian and Hu Zhiyao pointed out the illuminated pavilion, and Lin Bai led everyone toward it.

Lin Bai and his companions reached the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, where an attendant mistook him for a wealthy young master and praised the pavilion’s Evergreen Brew. The attendant revealed that Lin Bai himself had praised the brew and sent Goddess Li Guxian to buy it, leaving Lin Bai astonished that his identity and habits were being discussed.

• Goddess Li Guxian told Lin Bai that the Overturning Heavens Sect and Worship Heaven Sect had been contacted and were expected to arrive by the following evening.
• Lin Bai and his companions walked through Drunken Immortal City and reached the towering Drunken Immortal Pavilion, which he discovered was a supreme-grade Dao Divine Weapon.
• An attendant assessed Lin Bai’s group, noticed the three women and Old Wen, and concluded that Lin Bai was a young master from a powerful lineage.
• The attendant asked whether Lin Bai’s group had reserved rooms, and Old Wen said they had come to admire the view, eat, and find lodging.
• The attendant promoted the pavilion’s Evergreen Brew by claiming that Lin Bai had praised it and that Goddess Li Guxian sometimes bought it for him, astonishing Lin Bai.

Lin Bai and his companions visited Drunken Immortal Pavilion and learned that its upper floors catered to powerful lineages seeking contact with the Devil Realm Eastern Region’s elite. They rented both remaining rooms on the ninety-ninth floor, paying with immortal jade.

• The attendant promoted Drunken Immortal Pavilion’s private rooms and claimed that Lin Bai’s romantic affairs and the visits of prominent figures were popular topics.
• The attendant explained the pavilion’s expensive upper floors, including how guests used them to meet powerful figures such as Wang Zhengyang and Chu Junyou.
• Lin Bai and Li Guxian joked about the attendant’s claim that she was Lin Bai’s confidante, while Old Wen instructed him to arrange the best rooms.
• Old Wen agreed to rent rooms on the ninety-ninth floor, and the attendant explained that one piece of immortal jade was worth ten thousand spirit stones.
• Old Wen paid twelve pieces of immortal jade and rented both remaining ninety-ninth-floor rooms for the group.

Lin Bai and his companions paid for the last two rooms on the Drunken Immortal Pavilion’s ninety-ninth floor and registered under a fabricated identity. As they climbed through the crowded pavilion, five drunken young men caught up with them and called out.

• Old Wen paid twelve immortal jades for the remaining two rooms on the ninety-ninth floor, and Manager Zhang registered the group as the Murong Lineage of Dragon King Mountain.
• Manager Zhang sent Li Qilang to escort Lin Bai and his companions upstairs, then ordered a lackey to investigate Dragon King Mountain and the Murong Family.
• Li Guxian explained that Dragon King Mountain was the Ninth Divine Hall’s newly assigned territory and that few people knew its location.
• Lin Bai chose to climb the stairs rather than fly, and the group passed through the pavilion’s lower floors toward the ninety-ninth floor.
• Five drunken young men noticed Li Guxian, Hu Zhiyao, and Dao Child Yu You, caught up with the group, and called for them to wait.

Lin Bai and his companions encountered Ruan Wei and other young men from the Ruan and Wang Families, who boasted of their expansion into the Thousand Heavens Southern Province and tried to court the women. After Hu Zhiyao threatened them, pageboy Li Qilang revealed that Lin Bai’s group was headed to the Drunken Immortal Pavilion’s ninety-ninth floor, leaving Ruan Wei stunned by their status.

• Ruan Wei introduced himself and his companions as members of the Ruan and Wang Families, then tried to impress Li Guxian and the other women.
• Li Guxian questioned how the families had risen among the Thousand Heavens Southern Province’s Eighteen Great Families, and Ruan Wei explained that they had migrated from the Qi Tian Sect’s territory and seized half the province.
• Ruan Wei claimed the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace had approved their presence through an elder of the Shi Family and boasted that his families would become powerful in the region.
• Lin Bai led his companions upstairs while Ruan Wei urged the women to seize the chance to marry into his families, prompting Hu Zhiyao to threaten him.
• Li Qilang warned Ruan Wei that the guests were going to the ninety-ninth floor and that offending them could implicate his families, leaving Ruan Wei shocked.

Lin Bai and his companions climbed Drunken Immortal Pavilion after Ruan Wei and his companions apologized, while Lin Bai and Li Guxian discussed Nine Underworlds Demon Palace’s duty to address the borderland crisis. Li Guxian suspected Azure Lotus Sect’s inaction was abnormal, and Lin Bai wondered whether it was secretly enabling Qi Tian Sect martial artists to enter the territory.

• Ruan Wei and his four companions backed away from Lin Bai’s group, and Ruan Wei apologized after Li Qilang revealed where they were headed.
• Lin Bai warned Ruan Wei that he would remember the Ruan Family and the Wang Family, then continued climbing with Li Guxian, Hu Zhiyao, and the others.
• Ruan Wei and his companions debated whether to inform their family elders and decided to ask Drunken Immortal Pavilion about Lin Bai’s identity first.
• Lin Bai asked Li Guxian whether Nine Underworlds Demon Palace had to handle the border crisis, and she explained its duty to protect its territory and described possible forceful or conciliatory responses.
• Li Guxian noted that Azure Lotus Sect had not intervened in the influx of Qi Tian Sect martial artists, and Lin Bai suspected it might be deliberately allowing them to enter.

Lin Bai and Li Guxian concluded that the Azure Lotus Sect was secretly building strength by backing the Demon Subjugation Alliance and sheltering martial artists fleeing the Qi Tian Sect's territory, but they lacked the means to confront it. Lin Bai and his companions reached their suite on the ninety-ninth floor of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, where Li Qilang was stunned by its lavish interior.

• Li Guxian suggested that the Azure Lotus Sect had secretly agreed to shelter martial artists from the Qi Tian Sect's territory in exchange for their future support.
• Lin Bai recognized the Azure Lotus Sect as a hidden threat strengthened by the Demon Subjugation Alliance and the refugees, while Li Guxian said they could not deal with it yet.
• Li Qilang overheard Lin Bai and Li Guxian mention the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace, the Azure Lotus Sect, and other major sects, and suspected they were powerful figures from the Demon Palace.
• Li Qilang led Lin Bai and his companions to the ninety-ninth floor, where they chose the eastern room and learned how the Drunken Immortal Pavilion's serving women helped their families form connections with powerful patrons.
• Li Qilang opened the eastern suite, revealing an expansive courtyard, palaces, cultivation rooms, and a terrace overlooking the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, and he was astonished by the view.

Lin Bai and his companions admired Drunken Immortal City from the ninety-ninth floor and learned about the city’s history and mysterious rulers. After they settled in, Hong Gu questioned Li Qilang about their identities, and he suspected they were important martial artists from the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace.

• Lin Bai, Li Guxian, and Hu Zhiyao admired the terrace’s view of Drunken Immortal City as Li Qilang explained how the city grew from a wilderness founded by the Zhao Lineage.
• Li Qilang told Lin Bai that the Zhao Lineage had fallen, while a mysterious force now controlled Drunken Immortal Pavilion and kept the city’s factions in check.
• Old Wen ordered every signature dish and more Evergreen Brew, and Li Qilang left his Voice Transmission Token before departing.
• Hong Gu met Li Qilang in the corridor and gave him more than a hundred spirit stones in exchange for information about Lin Bai and his companions.
• Li Qilang told Hong Gu that the guests appeared to be martial artists from the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace, leading her to wonder whether a holy son or daoist had arrived.

Hong Gu and Manager Zhang investigated Lin Bai and his companions after suspecting they were high-ranking figures from the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace. A hidden agent identified them as Emperor's Son Lin Bai, two goddesses, Dao Child Yu You, and Old Wen, leaving Hong Gu seeking one more confirmation.

• Hong Gu advised Manager Zhang to waive Lin Bai's charges and ask hidden agents whether any top figures had recently left the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace.
• Manager Zhang contacted a hidden agent, who said no Dao Children, holy sons, or God Children had left recently because of the upcoming Renaming Ceremony.
• The hidden agent revealed that Emperor's Son Lin Bai had left to receive delegations from the Overturn Heavens Sect and the Worship Heaven Sect, accompanied by Hu Zhiyao, Li Guxian, Yu You, and Old Wen.
• Hong Gu and Manager Zhang realized Lin Bai's party matched the guests staying upstairs, and Li Qilang exclaimed that they had served the Emperor's Son and his companions.
• Hong Gu asked the hidden agent to describe their appearances so she could confirm their identities.

Hong Gu and Manager Zhang sought to identify the guests on Drunken Immortal Pavilion’s ninety-ninth floor by matching a spy’s descriptions to their distinctive features. When Li Qilang served them wine, he confirmed Hu Zhiyao’s identity by spotting the tiny black mole beneath her right eyelid.

• Hong Gu questioned a spy about Lin Bai and his companions, learning that Dao Child Yu You favored plain black or white robes and Hu Zhiyao had a tiny mole beneath her right eyelid.
• Hong Gu told Li Qilang to inspect the women’s faces when he delivered food and wine to the ninety-ninth floor.
• Li Qilang led more than a thousand women carrying dishes up through Drunken Immortal Pavilion, stunning the martial artists watching from the lower floors.
• Old Wen let Li Qilang and the women bring in the food, then allowed Li Qilang to carry Evergreen Brew to the terrace and present it to the guests.
• Li Qilang stared at Hu Zhiyao’s right eye until she angrily threatened him, then apologized and left after confirming her tiny black mole.

Li Guxian deduced that Drunken Immortal Pavilion had identified Hu Zhiyao by the tiny mole beneath her eye, and Lin Bai told the others to contact Overturning Heavens Sect and Worship Heaven Sect. The pavilion’s former owner recognized Lin Bai’s group and went to greet him as an old friend from the Imperial Capital of Chu.

• Li Guxian explained that waiter Li Qilang had deliberately checked Hu Zhiyao’s face for her tiny black mole, prompting Lin Bai to dismiss the incident and urge contact with Overturning Heavens Sect and Worship Heaven Sect.
• Li Qilang reported the mole to Hong Gu and Manager Zhang, who concluded that the guests included Lin Bai, Hu Zhiyao, Li Guxian, and a Dao Child.
• Hong Gu and Manager Zhang informed the pavilion’s former owner, who recognized Lin Bai’s likely purpose in receiving the two sects’ delegations and decided to visit him.
• The former owner went to Lin Bai’s room and asked Old Wen to tell him that an old friend from the Imperial Capital of Chu had come to see him.

Lin Bai met Qian Hen, the Qian Family Holy Son, at Drunken Immortal Pavilion and discussed arranging supplies for the Nine Underworlds Demon Palace. Qian Hen revealed that the Eastern Region’s resources were being sent to support the Qi Tian Sect against the Southern Region, leaving Lin Bai to consider the wider war and its costs.

• Qian Hen arrived at Drunken Immortal Pavilion, recognized Lin Bai, and joined him and the Demon Palace’s Goddesses on the terrace.
• Qian Hen explained that Drunken Immortal Pavilion belonged to the Qian Family, which had expanded its businesses in the Huang Long Thousand Provinces and sought the Demon Palace’s support.
• After sending the pavilion staff away, Lin Bai asked Qian Hen about obtaining resources, especially healing medicines, for the Demon Palace.
• Lin Bai and Qian Hen discussed the danger of a prolonged war against the Demon Palace’s enemies and the immense supplies such a conflict would require.
• Qian Hen told Lin Bai that Ten Thousand Saints Mountain and Chu had approved sending Eastern Region resources, including the Qian Family’s, to support the Qi Tian Sect against the Southern Region.