Recaps

Ye Lin agreed to visit the Ten Thousand Sword Sect and wait for its young sword master’s mountain-descending ceremony before continuing to the Imperial Capital. As the group prepared to follow the sect’s disciples, Qin Unrivaled concealed his identity with a golden mask.

• Qin Unrivaled told Ye Lin that the forbidden lands beside the Ten Thousand Sword Sect were too dangerous to cross and that detouring would add considerable time.
• Ye Lin told two Ten Thousand Sword Sect disciples that his group was traveling from the Crimson Wasteland to the Imperial Capital.
• The disciples explained that the sect was holding its young sword master’s mountain-descending ceremony and invited Ye Lin’s group to wait for it to end.
• Ye Lin decided that attending the ceremony was safer and quicker than taking a detour, despite suspecting the disciples’ friendliness.
• Qin Unrivaled put on a golden mask and changed his aura before the group followed the disciples.

Ye Lin and his companions entered Ten Thousand Sword Sect territory, where Qin Unrivaled began to suspect that his imperial younger brother had arranged his poisoning and pursuit. At the sect’s Young Sword Master’s Mountain Descent Ceremony, a greedy attendant demanded a bribe, and Qin Unrivaled handed him a valuable Yin-Yang jade pendant.

• Two Ten Thousand Sword Sect disciples warned Ye Lin and his companions that the Fifth Prince was hunting cultivators from remote regions.
• Qin Unrivaled suspected that his imperial younger brother was behind his poisoning and pursuit.
• Ye Lin and his companions arrived at a plaza filled with Ten Thousand Sword Sect cultivators.
• The two disciples left the group with a potbellied attendant who offered them seats at the Young Sword Master’s Mountain Descent Ceremony in exchange for a bribe.
• Qin Unrivaled gave the attendant a top-grade Yin-Yang jade pendant, which the attendant eagerly accepted.

Yun Feiyan and her companions entered the Ten Thousand Sword Sect for its mountain-descending ceremony, where Ye Lin realized the White Lotus Cult had tracked them down. The three cultists singled out Qin Unrivaled, calling him the Fifth Imperial Brother as they approached.

• The fat man recorded Yun Feiyan's gift of a Yin-Yang Jade Pendant and let the group into the plaza.
• Qin Unrivaled offered to cover the group's expenses on their journey to the Imperial Capital.
• Ye Lin and his companions chose a remote seating area, but Qin Unrivaled noticed three powerful black-clad figures entering the plaza.
• Ye Lin recognized the figures as White Lotus Cult members and realized the group had been exposed.
• Zhang Wusheng assured Qin Unrivaled that the three could be defeated if none had reached the seventh level of Golden Immortal.
• The three figures approached Qin Unrivaled and called him the Fifth Imperial Brother, making his fury rise.

Qin Unrivaled deduced that the Fifth Prince had plotted to kill him and used a diviner to track people from remote lands. Cornered by three black-clad men inside Ten Thousand Sword Sect’s territory, he relied on their fear of exposing his identity and could only hope Ye Lin or the palace would help.

• Qin Unrivaled pieced together his theory that the Fifth Prince had allied with the White Lotus Sect and Yin-Yang Sacred Sect, poisoned him, and used a diviner to track his companions from remote lands.
• Three black-clad men approached Qin Unrivaled and told him they had finally found him.
• Qin Unrivaled warned the men that they were within the reach of Ten Thousand Sword Sect’s seventh-level Golden Immortal ancestor, so they sat down rather than attack.
• Qin Unrivaled recognized that calling for help would not stop his pursuers and hoped Ye Lin and the others, or the palace, would uncover what was happening.

The Ten Thousand Sword Sect’s Young Sword Master began his descent ceremony, but the arrival of Qin Rulie, First Prince of the Great Qin Imperial Dynasty, stunned the crowd and the sect. Qin Unrivaled recognized Qin Rulie as his mortal enemy, while the sect decided to humor the unexpected guest rather than question his identity.

• The Ten Thousand Sword Sect’s descent ceremony reached its final stage as the three men in black continued to watch Qin Unrivaled, Ye Lin, and the others.
• A dazzling streak of light descended onto the plaza, revealing Qin Rulie in a dragon robe.
• Qin Unrivaled identified Qin Rulie as the First Prince of the Great Qin Imperial Dynasty and his mortal enemy.
• Xu Feng considered the princes’ rivalry and how Qin Unrivaled’s powerful backing threatened Qin Rulie’s claim to the throne.
• Qin Rulie introduced himself and said he had come to congratulate the Ten Thousand Sword Sect’s Young Sword Master.
• The crowd and the sect were shocked by Qin Rulie’s arrival, but the sect chose to cooperate rather than risk challenging his identity.

Qin Rulie arrived at the Ten Thousand Sword Sect and called for his Third Imperial Brother, Qin Unrivaled, who realized he could no longer hide. After Qin Unrivaled appeared, Qin Rulie pretended to be outraged by his injuries and demanded to know who had harmed him, while Ye Lin suspected the prince was waiting for someone.

• Qin Rulie greeted the cultivators and announced that his Third Imperial Brother was also there.
• Qin Unrivaled worried that he had been caught up in a conspiracy and decided to reveal himself.
• Qin Unrivaled greeted Qin Rulie, who feigned concern and asked what had happened to his body.
• Qin Rulie unleashed his Golden Immortal pressure and demanded that Qin Unrivaled's attacker come forward.
• Ye Lin noticed Qin Rulie's performance and discussed escape routes with the others, suspecting the prince was waiting for someone.

Qin Rulie trapped the Ten Thousand Sword Sect and ordered his Golden Immortal forces to slaughter everyone gathered there. The sect patriarch appeared to confront him, insisting that the sect was his territory.

• Qin Unrivaled warned his brother that he could recover from his injuries, but Qin Rulie mocked him and revealed that the sect had been surrounded.
• A True Immortal tried to leave, but Qin Rulie's forces killed him, and the witnesses realized they were trapped in a struggle among princes.
• Qin Rulie ordered his forces to kill everyone, and more than thirty Golden Immortals unleashed blade auras against the gathered cultivators.
• The Ten Thousand Sword Sect patriarch arrived and demanded that Qin Rulie leave, declaring that the sect and its innocent guests were under his protection.

Qin Rulie brought his powerful retainer Wang Cang to kill Qin Unrivaled, while Wang Cang effortlessly overwhelmed the Ten Thousand Sword Sect's old ancestor. Qin Unrivaled tried to persuade Qin Rulie to spare him and join forces against their Fifth Brother, leaving Qin Rulie's decision unresolved.

• Qin Rulie summoned Wang Cang and ordered him to kill the Ten Thousand Sword Sect's old ancestor.
• Wang Cang severely wounded the old ancestor with overwhelming force, leaving him unable to fight back.
• Qin Rulie approached Qin Unrivaled and asked whether he wanted a slow torture or a quick death.
• Qin Unrivaled warned that killing him could alert their father and argued that their Fifth Brother was the greater rival for the throne.
• Qin Unrivaled offered to help Qin Rulie control the imperial court if Qin Rulie became Emperor, while he pursued his own path.

Qin Unrivaled tried to persuade Qin Rulie to spare him by offering to help deal with Fifth Brother, but Qin Rulie explained that his great power made him a threat regardless of his intentions. Qin Unrivaled realized that refusing to contend for the throne had made him a target, while the princes had concealed his troubles from the Emperor.

• Qin Unrivaled warned Qin Rulie that killing him would bring consequences and offered to help defeat Fifth Brother.
• Qin Rulie admitted Qin Unrivaled's argument made sense but said he could no longer turn back from killing him.
• Qin Rulie explained that the princes feared Qin Unrivaled's power and would not feel safe while he lived.
• Qin Unrivaled realized his refusal to compete for the throne had itself made him a target.
• Qin Unrivaled understood that the princes had joined forces to hide his troubles from the Emperor.

Qin Rulie revealed why he intended to kill Qin Unrivaled and moved to strike, but Ye Lin intervened and carried the Third Prince away. Qin Rulie pursued them alone after discovering that Ye Lin’s companions had defeated his subordinates.

• Qin Rulie told Qin Unrivaled he planned to kill him to secure the position of Emperor.
• Ye Lin appeared before Qin Rulie and said Qin Unrivaled could not die on the road to the Imperial Capital.
• Qin Rulie attacked Ye Lin, who grabbed Qin Unrivaled and fled rather than fight within the Great Qin Imperial Dynasty.
• Qin Rulie pursued them and found that Ye Lin’s companions had already defeated all the subordinates he had brought.

Ye Lin stayed behind to stop Wang Cang while Li Xiaoyao carried Qin Unrivaled to safety. As Wang Cang closed in, Ye Lin prepared to fight with the Nine Heavens Profound Thunder Sword Art, leaving Qin Unrivaled praying that he would survive because Qin Unrivaled's life soul was still in his grasp.

• Qin Rulie ordered Wang Cang to kill Ye Lin and the others so Qin Unrivaled could not return to the Imperial Capital.
• Wang Cang attacked as Ye Lin and the others fled, and Ye Lin handed Qin Unrivaled to Li Xiaoyao before staying behind.
• Li Xiaoyao carried Qin Unrivaled onward while Qin Unrivaled thanked Ye Lin, then realized his life depended on Ye Lin surviving.
• Ye Lin confronted Wang Cang alone and began invoking the Nine Heavens Profound Thunder Sword Art, Eye of Heavenly Punishment.

Ye Lin used the Eye of Heavenly Punishment to injure Wang Cang and escape. Qin Rulie ordered his men to pursue Ye Lin and kill Qin Unrivaled before the Emperor and court officials discovered his disappearance.

• Ye Lin summoned the Eye of Heavenly Punishment and left as it targeted Wang Cang.
• Wang Cang charged at the eye’s golden beam, which pierced his saber light and severed his arm.
• The eye dispersed, and Wang Cang’s arm began regenerating as he realized Ye Lin’s power could threaten him.
• Qin Rulie checked on Wang Cang, then ordered him to return and send more men after Ye Lin.
• Qin Rulie said Qin Unrivaled had to be killed before the Emperor and court officials learned he was missing.

Ye Lin, Wang Xiaoyun, and the others discussed the danger of escorting Qin Unrivaled toward the Imperial Capital after they encountered a Golden Immortal seventh-layer pursuer. Ye Lin insisted they continue despite the risks, leaving the group to decide whether to stay on the route.

• Wang Cang agreed that Qin Unrivaled had to die before the princes’ efforts to suppress news of the Third Prince’s disappearance were exposed.
• Zhang Wusheng warned Ye Lin’s group that a Golden Immortal seventh-layer cultivator had pursued them, and they had only completed one-tenth of the journey.
• Wang Xiaoyun told Zhang Wusheng that they could not abandon Qin Unrivaled because the First Prince had already marked them and they had no other way to gain a foothold in Western Qin Phoenix Province.
• Qin Unrivaled assured the group that Golden Immortal seventh-layer experts were rare among the younger generation in the Imperial Capital.
• Ye Lin said he could hold off seventh-layer pursuers while the others handled sixth-layer cultivators, and told anyone who wanted to quit that they were free to leave.

Ye Lin’s companions chose separate paths rather than pursue the treasure with him, leaving only Gu Qingzhi at his side. Xu Feng also departed west after Ye Lin revealed that a life-changing opportunity awaited him there.

• Wang Xiaoyun and his maid left Ye Lin, saying the treasure was not worth risking their lives for.
• San Zang and Zhang Wusheng also bid farewell to Ye Lin and departed.
• Gu Qingzhi chose to stay with Ye Lin, believing that following him would give her a boundless future.
• Ye Lin examined Xu Feng’s panel and confirmed that an opportunity to change his Destiny lay at the end of the western path.
• Xu Feng thanked Ye Lin and headed west, leaving Ye Lin and Gu Qingzhi behind.

After several companions left, Ye Lin agreed to accompany Qin Unrivaled to the Liuli Sacred Land, where Qin Unrivaled hoped to find a friend and gain protection. The group prepared to set out, with Qin Unrivaled worried that his brothers would act against him if his disappearance dragged on.

• Gu Qingzhi questioned Ye Lin about appearing secretly pleased that the others had left, but Ye Lin denied it.
• Qin Unrivaled apologized to Ye Lin for the party splitting up, and Ye Lin claimed the five departing members' quotas, giving him six treasury treasures in total.
• Qin Unrivaled urged the group to leave soon, explaining that delay could give his brothers more time to plot against him.
• Qin Unrivaled proposed visiting the Liuli Sacred Land to seek help from a close friend there, and Ye Lin agreed.

Ye Lin gathered his party to travel discreetly to Liuli Sacred Land, motivated by the promise of six supreme treasures and the need for more help. Meanwhile, the Fifth Prince heard the White Lotus Sect elder’s report about the Third Prince’s escape and the blood-robed man who wounded Wang Cang, but angrily accused the elder of lying.

• Ye Lin decided to travel without the conspicuous Flying Boat and led Qin Unrivaled and the others toward Liuli Sacred Land.
• The Fifth Prince berated a White Lotus Sect elder for letting the Third Prince escape again.
• The elder explained that the First Prince had forced the White Lotus Sect’s disciples to withdraw from the Ten Thousand Sword Sect.
• The elder reported that the First Prince’s shadow guards killed the Ten Thousand Sword Sect’s ancestor, but the Third Prince’s people then killed the shadow guards.
• The elder said a blood-robed man stopped Wang Cang and severed one of his arms, prompting the Fifth Prince to accuse him of making up the story.

The Fifth Prince questioned the White Lotus Sect leader’s report that a seventh-level Golden Immortal had severed Wang Cang’s arm and protected Qin Unrivaled. He ordered the sect to track Qin Unrivaled, but remained doubtful about the reported cultivator’s strength.

• The White Lotus Sect leader knelt before the Fifth Prince and insisted that the report was true, saying the First Prince was returning and could confirm it.
• The Fifth Prince considered how a powerful protector would make it harder to kill Qin Unrivaled.
• The Fifth Prince ordered the White Lotus Sect to locate Qin Unrivaled and monitor his movements, whether or not the sect attacked.
• After the sect leader left, a silver-masked man appeared, and the Fifth Prince speculated that the backwater might have produced another True Dragon.
• The silver-masked man said the report was unlikely and suggested that the vermin had used some method to injure Wang Cang.

The Fifth Prince decided to strengthen his plan to assassinate Qin Unrivaled before the prince’s father could intervene. Meanwhile, Qin Unrivaled and Ye Lin’s group reached Liuli Sacred Land, where a seductive woman challenged their request to meet the Saintess.

• The Fifth Prince told the masked man they would wait for his eldest brother and then use four Golden Immortal seventh-layer powerhouses to kill Qin Unrivaled.
• Ye Lin and the others arrived at Liuli Sacred Land after a day and a night of travel.
• Qin Unrivaled said his friend, the Saintess, would help them and led the group toward the sacred land.
• A woman in a red dress stopped them and asked their business.
• Qin Unrivaled asked to see the Saintess, but the woman questioned whether he could meet her just because he wanted to.

Qin Unrivaled brought Ye Lin and the others to Liuli Sacred Land, claiming its Saintess Yun Feiyan was an old friend who might help them. The Saintess arrived furious over how Qin Unrivaled had left her a hundred years earlier, and he faced her wrath alone.

• A Liuli Sacred Land woman demanded to know who Qin Unrivaled was and why he had come.
• Qin Unrivaled asked her to tell the Saintess that Yun Feiyan had come to see her.
• Qin Unrivaled warned Ye Lin to be ready to flee and explained that he hoped the Saintess could become a powerful ally.
• Ye Lin and the others moved behind Qin Unrivaled as a terrifying killing intent enveloped him.
• Yun Feiyan accused Qin Unrivaled of abandoning her a hundred years earlier and threatened to break his legs.

Qin Unrivaled was captured by Yun Zhilan, who confronted him over his past betrayal and demanded an explanation. After hearing his story, she agreed to trust him for the first and last time, leaving him with her help to survive his current calamity.

• Yun Zhilan confronted Qin Unrivaled with a sword and seized him as he tried to flee.
• Yun Zhilan threatened to kill Qin Unrivaled unless his explanation satisfied her, then let him speak.
• Qin Unrivaled explained his identity and experiences, including what happened a hundred years ago.
• Qin Unrivaled asked Yun Zhilan for help and promised to marry her after surviving his calamity.
• Yun Zhilan stopped Qin Unrivaled from swearing an oath and said she believed him, but warned him not to disappoint her again.

Qin Unrivaled asked Yun Zhilan to escort him back to the Imperial Capital, where he planned to confront his four brothers. Yun Zhilan agreed after negotiating terms with him, and thanked Ye Lin and the others for protecting Qin Unrivaled.

• Qin Unrivaled told Yun Zhilan that his four brothers were hunting him and had sealed off the Imperial Capital, then asked her to escort him there.
• Yun Zhilan asked Qin Unrivaled why she should help him, leaving him unable to answer.
• Ye Lin reflected on Yun Zhilan's strength while he and the others waited for their discussion to end.
• Yun Zhilan and Qin Unrivaled finished negotiating, leaving Qin Unrivaled looking miserable and Yun Zhilan smiling.
• Yun Zhilan thanked Ye Lin and the others for saving and escorting Qin Unrivaled, and said she would need their help going forward.

Ye Lin, Qin Unrivaled, and the others set out from Liuli Sacred Land to escort Qin Unrivaled to the Imperial Capital. Yun Zhilan led them aboard her Flying Boat, confident she could deal with any pursuers.

• Yun Zhilan thanked Ye Lin for fighting to uphold his promise, and he introduced himself and his companions.
• Ye Lin urged the group to stop exchanging pleasantries and begin escorting Qin Unrivaled to the Imperial Capital.
• Yun Zhilan led the group out of Liuli Sacred Land and brought out a conspicuous Flying Boat.
• Qin Unrivaled worried that traveling openly would reveal his location to his pursuers, but Yun Zhilan said she feared neither seventh-layer nor eighth-layer Golden Immortals.
• The group boarded Yun Zhilan's Flying Boat, which sped toward the horizon.

Ye Lin traveled toward the Imperial Capital aboard the Flying Boat while cultivating, and the four princes plotted to stop Qin Unrivaled before he arrived. The princes prepared to deploy their forces, but one questioned whether their plan would cause too much commotion.

• Ye Lin wished he had Know-All's Cloud-Piercing Shuttle as he continued toward the Imperial Capital aboard the conspicuous Flying Boat.
• Ye Lin began cultivating in his room while the journey remained free of trouble.
• First Prince Qin Rulie warned the other princes that the Imperial Capital's blockade would fail within half a month.
• The Fifth Prince reported that Qin Unrivaled had recruited Yun Zhilan, a seventh-layer Golden Immortal, to accompany him toward the Imperial Capital.
• The Fourth Prince proposed sending their shadow guards and four seventh-layer Golden Immortal experts to kill Qin Unrivaled on the road.
• One of the princes questioned whether the planned ambush would cause too much commotion.

The Fourth Prince persuaded the First Prince to commit fully to an ambush against Qin Unrivaled, warning that Qin would target the First Prince first when he reached the Imperial Capital. The First Prince agreed to the plan, realizing he had been used by his brothers and had no safe way to back out.

• The First Prince worried that a large-scale attack on Qin Unrivaled would draw the attention of rival factions in Western Qin Phoenix Province.
• The Fourth Prince argued that they had to intercept and kill Qin Unrivaled before he reached the Imperial Capital, and said the First Prince would bear the blame for his earlier direct attack.
• The Fourth Prince mocked the First Prince for exposing himself while the others could still erase their traces.
• The First Prince agreed to follow the Fourth Prince's plan and use all their power to kill Qin Unrivaled.
• The First Prince regretted not accepting Qin Unrivaled's offer of an alliance and blamed his failure on the unexpected sixth-level Golden Immortal who had held off a seventh-level Golden Immortal.

The princes planned to assassinate Qin Unrivaled in Silver Moon Valley as he traveled toward the Imperial Capital. Qin Rulie realized that if the plan failed, his brothers would abandon him and leave him to face their father’s wrath alone.

• The Fifth Prince agreed with the Fourth Prince that they had to kill Qin Unrivaled and asked where and when to intercept him.
• The First Prince, Qin Rulie, proposed setting an ambush in Silver Moon Valley, the only route to the Imperial Capital that did not cross forbidden territory.
• The Sixth Prince suggested preparing forces elsewhere, but the Fifth Prince said their fallback would be a second defense outside the Imperial Capital.
• The other three princes told Qin Rulie that he would be unlucky if the plan failed, then left him to handle the consequences.
• Qin Rulie regretted volunteering to kill Qin Unrivaled and suspected his brothers would blame him to save themselves, before recognizing he might do the same in their position.