Recaps

Xu Yi recovered from the Immortal's Martial Performance and stored away the Blood River Flag and Wailing Stick, while Zhou Daogan and Xue Muhua watched him in astonishment. In the martial arena, Zhan Shence stood alone against Ming Shenzong's battered forces, and the fight's balance shifted when he put away his halberd.

• Xu Yi realized the Immortal's Martial Performance had brought him close to understanding sorrow in the Life and Death Realm, then stored the Blood River Flag and Wailing Stick in his Sumeru Ring.
• Xu Yi noticed two observers on nearby peaks, while Zhou Daogan and Xue Muhua were shocked that he had endured the Immortal's Martial Performance for so long.
• Ming Shenzong and Zhan Shence continued fighting after both sides lost their Liquid Condensation Realm allies, leaving Zhan Shence alone.
• Zhan Shence put away the Divine Dragon Halberd and revealed the speed, precision, and seemingly inexhaustible True Qi and Killing Intent that made him so dangerous.

Zhan Shence overwhelmed the remaining fighters on Dragon Head Peak, killing Song Tingshu just as Xu Yi rushed to intervene. The Seven Fiend Soul Tablet shattered after a star river opened above it, and Dragon Head Peak collapsed, burying the surviving contestants.

• Zhan Shence killed Purgatory Venerable and fought off Ming Shenzong, Shanshan Buddha, Mr. Su, and Song Tingshu.
• Song Tingshu shattered Zhan Shence's enormous palm shadow with his final attack, but Zhan Shence captured him and tore him apart.
• Xu Yi emerged from the ground and rushed toward Zhan Shence, seeking to save the two million gold coins he had invested in Song Tingshu.
• The Seven Fiend Soul Tablet tore free of Dragon Head Peak as Xu Yi recognized that Marquis Anqing's seal had been broken.
• On another continent, the Star Lord prepared to search for Mo'er by opening a star river with the essence of countless monsters.
• A star river opened above Dragon Head Peak and blasted the Seven Fiend Soul Tablet apart, triggering a collapse that buried the surviving contestants.

The collapse of Dragon Head Peak revealed a radiant palace as the Hundred Thousand Mountains fell and the Min River changed course, drawing the attention of powerful figures across the realm. Ji Lie flew to investigate the treasure-light, while Yao Junchi completed his Spirit-Beating Whip and was swept away by the same spectacle.

• Zhan Shence, Ming Shenzong, Mr. Su, Shanshan Buddha, and others fled as the Hundred Thousand Mountains collapsed and the Min River flooded in from the Eastern Sea.
• A pure-white palace appeared amid radiant treasure-light and shifted from Dragon Head Peak onto the ocean waves.
• Ji Lie killed a Mid Enlightenment Stage Flying Centipede, saw the northern starlight and treasure-light, and flew down from the Star-Picking Tower after recalling the Heavenly Inspector's prediction.
• Yao Junchi forged a Law Pattern into the Dragon Beard, creating a magical artifact, and vowed to use his Spirit-Beating Whip to torment the thief who had wronged Yao Wuhui.
• Two Daoist boys opened the Magic Cloud Cave after seeing the world-shaking treasure-light, and its radiance sent Yao Junchi flying.

A convoy bound for the Divine Capital witnessed a heavenly treasure’s light, while the wounded Ghost Master hid in the Dark Night Forest after fleeing three powerful pursuers. When treasure-light rose from Azure Dragon Mountain, he rushed toward it, as countless experts and sealed powers headed for Dragon Head Peak.

• Beichen told the bewitching monk that the convoy had passed Wei City and would reach the Divine Capital the next morning, but the monk ordered him to focus on his duties and return alone afterward.
• A river of stars appeared above the convoy, and treasure-light pierced the sky; the bewitching monk dismissed the omen and recited a warning about the dangers of seeking treasure.
• The Ghost Master recalled how Fan Mo Ke, King Jiang Bai, and the War Son of Heaven had driven him into the Dark Night Forest, where he hid while gravely wounded.
• A sword-light struck the beetle sheltering the Ghost Master, and he prepared to fight with the Skeleton Blood Bat King’s body.
• Treasure-light rose from Azure Dragon Mountain and dispersed the killing intent over the Dark Night Forest, so the Ghost Master hurried toward the mountain out of concern for the Imperial Tomb.
• Powerful figures emerged from sealed grounds and rushed toward Dragon Head Peak, while crowds filled the Space Gates and chaos spread through major cities.

Xu Yi disguised himself and headed toward the Void Divine Palace, where the Zhuge Family sealed the entrance with a formation. Zhan Shence challenged their leader, Old Man Zhuge, who claimed the barrier was meant to prevent another bloodbath.

• The Void Divine Palace appeared, and a curtain of light opened as cultivators rushed toward it.
• Xu Yi changed his face and bearing, spotted Xue Zihan among the imperial guards, and continued toward the palace without asking them to protect her.
• A Tai Chi-marked dragon boat surged ahead, and Old Man Zhuge used a tortoise shell and the Luotian Illusion Formation to seal the entrance.
• The leading dragon boat smashed into the sealed curtain, scattering its passengers and halting the advancing cultivators.
• Zhan Shence accused Old Man Zhuge of trying to claim the palace for the Zhuge Family, and Old Man Zhuge said he had sealed the entrance to prevent bloodshed.

Xu Yi joined the scramble to enter the Void Divine Palace as the Zhuge Family’s proposal set the gathered factions against one another. The Mu and Jiang Families reached the entrance under attack, and the chapter ended as their boats and crews began passing through its light curtain.

• The Dao Crown elder invited the Mu and Jiang Families to search the Void Divine Palace with the Zhuge Family, prompting the assembled cultivators to argue over his motives.
• The Mu and Jiang Families charged toward the entrance while rival groups attacked them, and Xu Yi joined those trying to follow them inside.
• Mu Feng’s attackers struck the Mu Family dragon boat with resonant walls of qi, shattering its barrier and damaging the boat.
• Mu Feng’s people used a counterblast to fend off pursuers and leaped through the palace’s light curtain.
• A composed middle-aged man broke the Jiang Family dragon boat’s barrier with an iron sword, and Jiang Cheng deployed the Riding Cloud Squad to defend it.
• The Mu Family entered the light curtain as the Jiang Family’s boat began to pass through.

An old man in blue rescued the Jiang Household members and Riding Cloud Squad from the attackers at the formation entrance, then was gravely wounded and thrown through the barrier. A Jiang Household token revealed his connection to the family, and Jiang Cheng and Jiang Neng suspected he was a Tomb-Guarding Elder sent to protect them.

• The old man in blue drove intruders off the Jiang Household's boat and pushed the stranded disciples through the light barrier.
• He used Stars Shift and Heavens Turn to break through the enemy ranks and shield the Riding Cloud Squad as they retreated.
• The composed middle-aged man wounded the old man in blue, and the cold-eyed young man struck him through the barrier as the Luotian Illusion Formation repelled the remaining attackers.
• Jiang Neng said no one recognized the old man, while Jiang Jie accused him of questioning the senior's identity, and Jiang Cheng stopped their argument.
• A crimson Jiang Household token fell from the old man's hand, prompting Jiang Jie to identify him as a possible Tomb-Guarding Elder.
• Jiang Cheng and Jiang Neng wondered whether the family head had secretly sent a Tomb-Guarding Elder to protect their party.

Xu Yi impersonated the Jiang Family’s Tomb Keeper after helping their disciples enter the Divine Palace, and the Jiang Family accepted his identity. The groups gathered to pay respects to Zhuge Zhengwo, who revealed that he had a favor to ask of the Jiang and Mu Families.

• Xu Yi let the Jiang Family believe he was their Tomb Keeper after using intercepted conversations and his knowledge of the clan to support his disguise.
• Xu Yi told the others that Zhou Daogan had badly wounded his dantian, making the groups less wary of his strength.
• Jiang Cheng explained Zhou Daogan’s background, and the Jiang and Mu Families went with their leaders to pay respects to Zhuge Zhengwo.
• Zhuge Zhengwo said he had allowed the Jiang and Mu Families into the Divine Palace because he wanted to ask them for a favor.

Zhuge Zhengwo explained that the Luotian Illusion Formation needed help from the Jiang and Mu Families to withstand the assault on the Void Heaven Divine Palace. As the attackers organized a stronger offensive, Jiang Neng warned that sending the elders inside to seek treasure while the disciples guarded the formation could leave all three families vulnerable.

• Zhuge Zhengwo explained the Luotian Illusion Formation's strengths and weaknesses, and Jiang Cheng and Mu Feng agreed to help maintain it.
• The attackers bombarded the formation with Heavenly Thunder Pearls and weapon energy, so disciples from the Jiang and Mu Families sent in their True Qi to stabilize it.
• The attackers organized nearly eight hundred people into bombardiers, weapon-energy fighters, and a killing formation supplied by Ming Shenzong, with Zhan Shence now following Ming Shenzong's orders.
• Zhuge Zhengwo warned that the sustained killing formation could seriously damage the Luotian Illusion Formation and that the three families had too few disciples to maintain it easily.
• Jiang Jie proposed leaving the disciples to guard the formation while the Liquid Condensation Realm elders searched for treasure, but Jiang Neng objected that the treasure could provoke the attackers to kill them once the formation fell.

Xu Yi persuaded the three families to invite another faction into the divine hall to help hold the formation, and Zhuge Zhengwo offered entry to the Upper Three Heavens. The Upper Three Heavens rushed for the dragon boat, but Zhan Shence attacked it to stop them from entering alone.

• Jiang Neng advised the three families to hold the formation until their leaders arrived, while Zhuge Zhengwo argued that they should invite more people inside.
• Xu Yi urged the families to prioritize reinforcing the formation and repay the Zhuge Family’s hospitality by accepting another faction.
• Xu Yi convinced Zhuge Zhengwo to choose based on a faction’s numbers and leader’s strength rather than its knowledge of formations.
• Zhuge Zhengwo offered entry to the Upper Three Heavens, prompting its disciples to race toward their dragon boat.
• Zhan Shence struck the dragon boat’s Protective Light Barrier and sent the vessel spinning to prevent the Upper Three Heavens from entering alone.

Zhang Liufeng used the Seven Marvelous Serpent to bring the Upper Three Heavens into the Void Heaven Divine Palace, where they joined the defenders. The Luotian Illusion Formation survived three assaults, and Zhuge Zhengwo predicted the attackers were nearly spent.

• Zhang Liufeng released the Seven Marvelous Serpent, escaped the pursuers with the Upper Three Heavens, and entered the palace.
• Zhuge Zhengwo, Jiang Cheng, and Mu Feng welcomed Zhang Liufeng and explained that they needed the Upper Three Heavens to help maintain the formation.
• Zhuge Zhengwo told Zhang Liufeng that the three families had invited them inside partly because of the Seven Marvelous Serpent.
• Ming Shenzong led the outside forces in a coordinated assault using Heavenly Thunder Pearls, Sword Qi, and a Qi Dragon, nearly shattering the Luotian Illusion Formation.
• Zhuge Zhengwo rallied everyone inside to reinforce the formation, which withstood three waves of attacks.
• Zhuge Zhengwo assured Zhang Liufeng that the formation would hold because the attackers had spent much of their strength and it could adapt to repeated attacks.

The four families stabilized the formation, agreed on rewards for those guarding it, and sent their Liquid Condensation experts into the divine hall to search for treasure. At the Tomb of Desire, Xu Yi discovered writing that linked the site to Jiang Hentian’s immortal opportunity and Ma Xiaoxiao, while Zhuge Zhengwo warned the group about danger and greed.

• The four family leaders left Elder Sun to oversee the formation and promised at least ten thousand gold to everyone who stayed behind.
• Zhuge Zhengwo, Mu Feng, Jiang Cheng, and Zhang Liufeng led their parties deeper into the hall, with Xu Yi joining the Jiang family despite his exhaustion.
• The four parties reached a blue curtain labeled Tomb of Desire, and Xu Yi sensed a discordant spot on the wall.
• Xu Yi read writing about Xiao Xiao and connected it to Ma Xiaoxiao and Marquis Anqing’s account of Jiang Hentian’s immortal opportunity.
• Zhuge Zhengwo cautioned that the Tomb of Desire might endanger them and that greed over any treasure could turn them against one another.

Xu Yi established fair rules for dividing treasures before the group entered the divine hall and discovered a vast medicinal field. After Xu Yi apportioned its Precious Medicine among the families, he claimed the spirit soil for the Jiang Family.

• Xu Yi proposed that whoever divided clustered treasures would choose last, and the other families agreed to give the Zhuge Family a tenth of their shares in gratitude for entry.
• The group crossed the light screen into a lush mountain valley, where a Zhuge Family youth spotted a treasure glow and led them to a large medicinal field.
• Jiang Neng rushed toward the Precious Medicine, but Jiang Cheng stopped him, and Zhuge Zhengwo warned that the field was protected by a restriction.
• Xu Yi agreed to divide the treasures impartially while Zhuge Zhengwo prepared to remove the formation.
• Xu Yi divided the twenty-six stalks of Precious Medicine among the families, gave the Zhuge Family the two extra stalks, and claimed the spirit soil for the Jiang Family.

Xu Yi and the others entered the Division of Soldiers Pavilion, where Xu Yi discovered the rules for claiming its treasures while the others recklessly spent their Soul Strength Values. The group left with their choices limited, and Zhuge Yu blamed the scramble on someone breaking their agreement.

• Xu Yi let Jiang Cheng and the others take Golden Bath Fruits and spirit soil from the medicine garden, and collecting the soil revealed the Division of Soldiers Pavilion.
• The group rushed into the pavilion and tried to seize its weapons, armor, books, and pills, but invisible barriers blocked them until Mu Feng opened a compartment with his Great Hand Seal.
• Xu Yi noticed faint writing on the wall, measured his Soul Strength Value, and used it to select two books and a set of armor from specific compartments.
• The others followed Xu Yi's example and learned that the pavilion's treasures were claimed using limited Soul Strength Values, which many had already wasted in their greedy scramble.
• Zhuge Zhengwo apologized to Xu Yi for losing his composure, while Zhuge Yu angrily blamed the treasure scramble on someone breaking their agreement and lamented her wasted points.

Zhuge Yu and Mu Huo blamed each other for the disaster, while Elder Liu tried to turn the other families against Xu Yi. Xu Yi defended his actions and revealed the treasures he had taken, as Zhang Liufeng secretly assessed his strength; outside the hall, the Unlucky Legion grew by nearly two hundred people.

• Zhuge Yu blamed Mu Bing and Mu Huo for charging forward first, and Mu Huo argued that Zhuge Yu had failed to warn them.
• Mu Feng and Zhuge Zhengwo stopped the argument before it could split the group apart.
• Elder Liu questioned why Xu Yi had not warned them, but Jiang Cheng explained that Xu Yi had needed time to read the tiny writing on the wall.
• Xu Yi defended himself, and Zhuge Zhengwo and Mu Feng reassured him while Zhang Liufeng apologized and asked what treasures he had taken.
• Xu Yi showed Explanation of the Transcendent Realm, Myriad Treasures Compendium, and Rock-Solid Armor, while Zhang Liufeng calculated their value and underestimated Xu Yi's strength.
• The Unlucky Legion outside the hall gained nearly two hundred new members from Dragon Head Peak and nearby cities.

Mr. Su collected a fortune for a plan that brought the gathered cultivators a way to break the formation protecting the palace. Meanwhile, Xu Yi and his companions encountered Monster Hunting Valley and entered despite the danger.

• Zhan Shence silenced the crowd so Mr. Su could explain his plan to break the formation.
• Mr. Su demanded payment and promised that the Ghost Slaying Sect would withdraw from the contest if the plan succeeded.
• The cultivators contacted their sects and Zhuge Family connections, and a Zhuge Family member sent them a counter-Luotian Illusion Formation method.
• Xu Yi and his companions left the Division of Soldiers Pavilion and found the entrance to Monster Hunting Valley.
• Xu Yi declared he would accept the risks and strode through the light gate.

Xu Yi entered the Monster Hunting Valley and learned that it was a Qitian Hall trial where participants earned points by hunting monsters for rewards. After discovering that the top participant who obtained a gold token could claim an Origin Body Pill, he chose to study the valley before risking a fight.

• Xu Yi arrived in a lush valley and sensed the abundant spiritual energy nourishing his body.
• A green object pursued Xu Yi until he let it touch his forehead, revealing the trial rules and identifying the valley as Qitian Hall's trial ground.
• Xu Yi learned that monster tokens were worth different point totals and that participants could exchange accumulated points for rewards.
• Xu Yi discovered that the highest-scoring participant who obtained a gold token could exchange it for an Origin Body Pill refined by Qitian Hall's master.
• Xu Yi decided not to rush into the valley and climbed an ancient pine to consult the Myriad Treasures Compendium.

Xu Yi discovered that the Origin Body Pill could grant a Transcendent Realm cultivator an Origin Embryo Body, then studied the realm’s stages while waiting inside Monster Hunting Valley. Outside, Zhuge Zhengwo rallied the hesitant cultivators into swearing to cooperate, but their agreement was interrupted by a bizarre arrival led by Elder Sun.

• Xu Yi read about the Origin Body Pill and memorized the stages of the Transcendent Realm, while concluding that the monsters could not cross into the bright area where he waited.
• Xu Yi sensed powerful auras beyond the boundary, but the monsters did not attack and the auras soon dispersed.
• Zhuge Zhengwo persuaded the gathered cultivators that turning back would endanger their cultivation prospects and urged them to unite against the trials ahead.
• The cultivators, including Mu Feng, Jiang Cheng, and Zhang Liufeng, swore a Heart Oath to cooperate and share the treasures in Monster Hunting Valley.
• Elder Sun led a flock of Mechanical Birds toward the group with disciples following, while more than a dozen at the rear suddenly spat blood and fell from their mounts.

Demons learned that humans had returned to their prison-like world and received orders to prepare for war, while Zhuge Divine Sense and Yao Junchi schemed to control access to the Tomb of Desire. They entered Monster Hunting Valley but found themselves rejected by its barrier, leaving them searching for a way through.

• Tiger Spirit summoned the demons and reported that humans had appeared in the forbidden zone, prompting the demons to learn that Ten Thousand Demon Valley was a human hunting ground and that the Mind Restriction had vanished.
• The giant eagle explained that the Demon Venerable hoped to free the demons from their prison with spatial arts, and Tiger Spirit delivered the Great King's orders to attack humans without drinking their blood.
• Zhuge Divine Sense and Yao Junchi joined forces, completed the Sky Locking Earth Trapping Formation, and kept Mu Shentong, War Son of Heaven, Fan Mo Ke, and King Jiang Bai outside the divine hall.
• Zhuge Divine Sense opened a passage for cultivators below the Soul Sensing Realm, intending to use them to search the Tomb of Desire, and he and Yao Junchi entered the light curtain.
• Zhuge Divine Sense and Yao Junchi tried to enter Monster Hunting Valley but were repeatedly thrown back, while people they carried passed through; Yao Junchi suggested sealing their cultivation and trying again.

Zhuge Divine Sense and Yao Junchi failed to enter the Void Divine Palace and lost their precious formation, so they tried to lure the other cultivators into helping them deal with a Cloud Swallowing Beast. Zhuge Divine Sense refused to let the others in without guarantees, leaving the group arguing over whether to cooperate.

• Zhuge Divine Sense and Yao Junchi were flung out of the palace entrance after their plan failed, and Zhuge Divine Sense mourned the loss of his formation and two supreme-grade formation stones.
• Yao Junchi proposed recovering Zhuge Divine Sense's losses by targeting the treasure vault they had passed, and Zhuge Divine Sense renewed his Heart Oath to share thirty percent of their gains.
• The two Old Ancestors rushed back to the main hall and warned the juniors not to enter, claiming a Cloud Swallowing Beast was inside.
• Zhuge Divine Sense and Yao Junchi argued over whether they could kill the beast themselves, prompting War Son of Heaven, Fan Mo Ke, King Jiang Bai, and Mu Shentong to offer their help.
• Zhuge Divine Sense rejected War Son of Heaven's offer to share the immortal opportunity, refusing to trust the four men without a firm agreement.

Zhuge Divine Sense and Yao Junchi persuaded War Son of Heaven and the others to pay for entry into the divine hall, then led them to Monster Hunting Valley, where nobody could enter. Fan Mo Ke exposed their likely deception but unexpectedly urged the others to accept the payment as worthwhile, leaving his motives unclear.

• Yao Junchi urged War Son of Heaven, Fan Mo Ke, King Jiang Bai, and Mu Shentong to pool treasures for passage, and they swore Heart Oaths before entering the divine hall.
• Zhuge Divine Sense accepted the treasures, reopened the formation for juniors, and led the group toward the Tomb of Desire.
• Zhuge Divine Sense and Yao Junchi brought the group to Monster Hunting Valley, but all six failed to pass through its curtain of light.
• Mu Shentong accused Zhuge Divine Sense and Yao Junchi of deceiving them, while Fan Mo Ke proposed separately questioning them about the Cloud Swallowing Beast.
• Fan Mo Ke then waved away the need for questioning and said the payment for passage had been worthwhile.

After the divine hall party set aside their grievances, Zhuge Divine Sense began searching for a way through its restrictions. Xu Yi entered the trial under a false identity and joined three participants, whose quarrels and deference to powerful families threatened to delay their search for the treasures in Monster Hunting Valley.

• Fan Mo Ke persuaded the group to cooperate, and Zhuge Divine Sense apologized before organizing a search for weaknesses in the formation.
• Xu Yi recognized Zhuge Yu when she appeared in his perception field, then watched as Hong Chuji and Chen Shaohua arrived and received their trial plaques.
• Xu Yi disguised himself as Northwest Azure Wolf Xue Lao San and approached the others, hoping to blend in.
• Hong Chuji threatened Chen Shaohua, then apologized after learning he belonged to the Yongzhou Chen Family.
• Xu Yi urged the group to stop arguing and head for Monster Hunting Valley before other teams claimed its treasures.

Xu Yi joined Zhuge Yu, Chen Shaohua, and Hong Chuji in Monster Hunting Valley, where the group collected cinnabar fruits while Zhuge Yu used her charm to secure Chen Shaohua’s loyalty. Their search was interrupted when Shanshan Buddha’s team arrived, and a member of that team claimed the fruit and insulted Zhuge Yu.

• Zhuge Yu, Chen Shaohua, and Hong Chuji agreed to make Zhuge Yu their leader and divide the spoils, assigning Xu Yi the smallest share before sending him into the forest first.
• Xu Yi picked a cinnabar fruit and noticed signs that the tree might be bait, then gave the fruit to Zhuge Yu, who claimed she would hold the treasures until they left.
• Zhuge Yu used her charm to calm Chen Shaohua when he objected to her keeping the team’s treasures, and Xu Yi sensed strange currents around them.
• The group collected a second cinnabar fruit and continued through the forest, finding abundant plants and unusually large animals.
• Hong Chuji blocked Shanshan Buddha’s team from reaching a third cinnabar fruit, but a man with Shanshan Buddha stepped forward, took it, and insulted Zhuge Yu.

Xu Yi and the others learned that the red-robed dwarf was a surviving member of the Shang family, who used an Azure Moon Horn to understand monsters and search for Precious Medicine. After Chen Shaohua and Zhuge Yu followed him, his guard Zuo Xin revealed his identity as the King of Assassins and threatened the Chen family.

• Zuo Xin demonstrated Dragon River Three Waves, and Hong Chuji recognized his Late Condensing Liquid Realm cultivation.
• The red-robed dwarf revealed that he could understand the Green-eyed Toad and make it disclose clues about Precious Medicine.
• Chen Shaohua identified the dwarf as a descendant of the Shang family, and the dwarf claimed upright sects had destroyed his family to steal its secret arts.
• The dwarf found another fruit tree while Chen Shaohua and Zhuge Yu followed him.
• Zuo Xin threatened Chen Shaohua and revealed his identity as the King of Assassins, prompting Hong Chuji to recognize him.

Xu Yi forced Merchant and Zuo Xin to let him travel with them, bringing Zhuge Yu, Chen Shaohua, and Hong Chuji along. The group found another Vermilion Fruit tree, but Hong Chuji destroyed its fruit, leaving Zuo Xin and Merchant furious as the standoff continued.

• Chen Shaohua and Hong Chuji withdrew after Zuo Xin intimidated them, but Xu Yi refused to leave.
• Xu Yi claimed he did not care if he died and insisted that Zhuge Yu, Chen Shaohua, and Hong Chuji join the group.
• Zuo Xin threatened Xu Yi with a dragon of Killing Intent, then deliberately let it pass him rather than risk violating the trial token’s restrictions.
• Merchant reluctantly allowed everyone to come along, and Chen Shaohua praised Xu Yi while Hong Chuji mocked him.
• The group found another Vermilion Fruit tree, but Hong Chuji used a sword of qi to destroy the fruit before Zuo Xin could claim it.
• Zuo Xin and Merchant raged at Hong Chuji, who fell silent as the standoff held.