Recaps

Yu Xinghe’s army reclaimed Kongyu City while pushing onward with the three great sects, and Oscar led Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, and Gu Rong toward the Star Dou Great Forest’s core. There, Tang Hao and Tang San’s group encountered Demon King, whose strength and control over wood overwhelmed them.

• Yu Xinghe ordered the exhausted Star Luo Empire army to continue following the three great sects and seize more cities.
• Oscar guided Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, and Gu Rong through the Star Dou Great Forest while Ning Rongrong remained behind.
• A terrifying beast tide roared toward Spirit City, and Chen Xin and Gu Rong sensed that a powerful soul beast was involved.
• Tang Hao identified Demon King as a potential ninth soul ring for Tang San and attacked it with his group.
• Demon King retaliated with roots and vines, and its ultimate wood attribute suppressed Tang San’s Blue Silver Emperor.

Tang Hao, Tang Xiao, and the Third Elder fought the Demon King in the Star Dou Great Forest but were forced to retreat after the Third Elder was poisoned. They encountered Ning Fengzhi and Oscar, who examined the ailing elder, while Tang San said he lacked the herbs needed to cure him.

• Tang Hao used Ring Explosion and attacked the Demon King while Tang Xiao and the Third Elder helped fend off its assaults.
• The Demon King pierced the Clear Sky Hammer with venomous arrows, poisoning the Third Elder, and Tang San gave him an antidote pill to suppress the poison.
• Tang San tried to resist the Demon King's suppression of his Blue Silver Emperor Martial Soul, but the Demon King overwhelmed the Blue Silver Domain.
• Tang Xiao and Tang Hao joined forces to create an opening and retreat with the Third Elder, whose condition worsened as the poison advanced.
• Tang San used spiritual herbs to temporarily suppress the poison and told Tang Hao that he lacked the ingredients for a cure.
• Ning Fengzhi and Oscar encountered the group, and Oscar examined the Third Elder's pulse with his Ice Spirit's chilly fingers.

Oscar used his Ultimate Ice to destroy the poison in the Third Elder, then learned that Tang San wanted help killing Demon King in the Star Dou Great Forest. Snow Empress sensed Sky Dream Ice Silkworm imprisoned in the forest and revealed that the nearly nine-hundred-thousand-year-old beast was innately weak.

• Oscar sealed the Third Elder in Ultimate Ice, destroying Demon King's poison and saving him.
• Tang San told Oscar and the others about Demon King and asked for their help entering the core region.
• Tang San killed three Thousand Jun Ant Emperors and absorbed their soul rings, which advanced into Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Rings and raised his Soul Power Level to ninety.
• Snow Empress sensed Sky Dream Ice Silkworm imprisoned by the soul beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest and explained that its immense cultivation did not give it great combat power.

Oscar joined Tang San’s group and the Clear Sky Sect in preparing to hunt Demon King, hoping the battle would lead him to Sky Dream Ice Silkworm. With Ning Fengzhi’s support, the group attacked Demon King in the Star Dou Great Forest, where Chen Xin’s sword assault began to break through its defenses.

• After Snow Empress explained Sky Dream Ice Silkworm’s history, Oscar resolved to find it by killing Demon King.
• Ning Fengzhi and the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect agreed to help Tang San hunt Demon King, and Tang Xiao promised them a favor from the Clear Sky Sect.
• Tang Hao warned the group that Demon King had hidden strength, while they planned their attack and assigned Gu Rong to protect Ning Fengzhi.
• Demon King confronted the returning group in the forest’s core and focused its attention on Oscar, whose Sea of Consciousness eased the pressure of its gaze.
• Ning Fengzhi boosted Tang Hao, Tang Xiao, and Chen Xin, while Chen Xin used Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Sect to cut through Demon King’s vines.
• Demon King raised massive roots from underground as the battle intensified.

Oscar froze Demon King's underground roots with Ultimate Ice, allowing Tang Hao and the others to destroy them before Demon King revealed its true body and attacked with spiritual control and the A Moment of a Thousand Years domain. The group countered with their own domains, but Tang San prepared to use the Sea God Trident as time ran short.

• Chen Xin, Tang Hao, and Tang Xiao attacked Demon King's surging roots, while Snow Empress urged Oscar to freeze them with Ultimate Ice.
• Oscar unleashed Snow Dance Shining Sun, freezing the roots so Tang Hao and the others could shatter them.
• Demon King revealed its Demon Eye Tree true body and used its many eyes to disperse Tang San's Purple Demon Godlight and paralyze Tang Hao.
• Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong defended against Demon King's demonic eye control, while the group began rapidly aging and losing vitality inside A Moment of a Thousand Years.
• Tang Hao, Tang San, and Oscar used their domains to contest Demon King's domain, and Tang San raised the Sea God Trident to attempt a decisive attack.

Tang San wounded Demon King with the Sea God Trident, and Oscar summoned Snow Empress to shatter Demon King's domain with Absolute Zero. As Demon King’s life force faded, Di Tian abandoned his assault on Spirit City and rushed back to the Star Dou Great Forest.

• Tang San pierced Demon King's domain with the Sea God Trident and destroyed a third of its body.
• Demon King tried to taint the Sea God Trident, but the artifact's radiance returned unharmed.
• Oscar appeared beside Demon King and summoned Snow Empress, who shattered the A Moment of a Thousand Years domain with Empress's Palm, Absolute Zero.
• Di Tian sensed Demon King's fading life force, transformed into a black dragon, and unleashed an attack aimed at Spirit City.
• Qian Daoliu and Bibi Dong joined forces to block Di Tian's attack and save Spirit City.
• Di Tian ordered the fierce beasts to return to the Star Dou Great Forest, while Zi Ji and Scarlet King suspected that Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had escaped.

As the Soul Beast tide retreated from Spirit City, Yu Xinghe and the allied forces tried to reclaim Zolls City for the Star Luo Empire. Their claim was challenged by Dai Mubai, who appeared on the city wall and declared himself the empire’s legitimate heir.

• Di Tian returned to the Star Dou Great Forest, and Scarlet King and the other ferocious beasts organized the Soul Beast army’s retreat from Spirit City.
• Qian Daoliu stopped Jiang Mo Douluo from confronting Bibi Dong and led her away from the battlefield with several consecrates.
• Yu Xinghe and the Clear Sky Sect elders discussed their approach to reclaiming Zolls City, then brought the Star Luo army and sect disciples to its walls.
• A man inside Zolls City challenged Yu Xinghe’s claim that his forces represented the Star Luo Empire, arguing that the Star Crown Sect had usurped the throne.
• Dai Mubai removed his mask on the city wall, declared himself the Star Luo Imperial Family’s legitimate heir, and asked the soldiers to choose between him and the Star Crown Sect.

Dai Mubai claimed the Star Luo throne and accused the Star Crown Sect of orchestrating the empire’s crisis, splitting the army at Zolls City. The three sects withdrew, while Yu Xinghe left to seek reinforcements, unaware that Dai Mubai was poised to take control of the cities he had captured.

• Yu Xinghe denounced Dai Mubai as a traitor, but Dai Mubai claimed he had been framed and that the Star Crown Sect had benefited from a conspiracy against the imperial family.
• Dai Mubai revealed his White Tiger martial soul, persuading part of the Star Luo army to follow him and dividing the force, with forty percent joining him.
• Kui Xin withdrew the Clear Sky Sect and Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect disciples rather than risk casualties in the dispute.
• Yu Xinghe decided to return to the Star Luo Empire for instructions and reinforcements, believing Dai Mubai could be defeated.
• As Yu Xinghe traveled back, the cities he had captured were set to become Dai Mubai’s possessions.

The Star Luo Emperor pursued political support instead of attacking Dai Mubai, while Tie Li intercepted Di Tian to test his spatial Soul Core and aid Tang Hao’s group. Di Tian’s return threatened to cut short the humans’ effort to kill the wounded Demon King.

• The Star Luo Emperor ordered officials to publicize his achievements rather than smear Dai Mubai or use military force.
• Tie Li blocked Di Tian on the way back to the Star Dou Great Forest and revealed his evolved Twin Martial Souls and Elemental Judgment soul ring.
• Tie Li and Di Tian fought, with Di Tian’s dragon pressure weakening Tie Li’s destruction attribute as their weapons clashed.
• Tang Hao decided the group had to kill Demon King quickly, while Oscar used the Snow Empress’s power and a Mirror Image Sausage to evade its attack.
• Demon King warned that Di Tian would kill the humans, then a blood-red figure shattered nine soul rings and poured their energy into Tang Hao.

Tie Li and Di Tian fought fiercely in the Star Dou Great Forest, where Di Tian used Spatial Guidance to shatter Tie Li’s Destruction Thunder Source. As the battle continued and the savage beasts headed after Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, Tang San began absorbing Demon King’s hundred-thousand-year soul ring while his allies sensed approaching beasts.

• Tie Li struck Di Tian with Destruction Thunder Source, but Di Tian used Spatial Guidance to shatter the attack along with the surrounding space.
• Tie Li and Di Tian resumed their battle, with Tie Li relying on his Thunder God Hammer and Di Tian enhancing the Black Dragon Sword with spatial power.
• Scarlet King ordered the savage beasts to keep away from the battlefield and drive soul beasts out of danger, then led them deeper into the forest to pursue Sky Dream Ice Silkworm.
• Tang Xiao urged Tang San to absorb Demon King’s five-pattern hundred-thousand-year soul ring before the approaching soul beasts arrived, and Tang San began absorbing it.
• Oscar whispered something to Chen Xin, Gu Rong, and Ning Fengzhi before disappearing, leaving them shocked and uncertain about what he had told them.
• Chen Xin and Gu Rong sensed Scarlet King and the other savage beasts approaching and discussed whether the beast tide had stopped its attack on Spirit City.

Oscar and Snow Empress persuaded Sky Dream Ice Silkworm to become Oscar’s soul spirit and channel his vast energy into him, while Tang Hao and the others fought the Star Dou Great Forest’s fierce beasts to protect them. As Sky Dream Ice Silkworm’s aura faded, the fierce beasts realized humans were involved and pressed their attack.

• Snow Empress appeared beside Oscar and told Sky Dream Ice Silkworm that she had become Oscar’s soul spirit.
• Snow Empress persuaded Sky Dream Ice Silkworm to become Oscar’s soul spirit, and he agreed to transfer his energy to raise Oscar’s Soul Power Level to ninety.
• Scarlet King sensed Sky Dream Ice Silkworm’s fading aura and realized human soul masters were trying to take him.
• Tang Hao, Tang Xiao, Chen Xin, and the Clear Sky Sect’s Third Elder blocked the fierce beasts while Gu Rong protected Ning Fengzhi.
• Ning Fengzhi used his Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda to strengthen the defenders as the fierce beasts gained the advantage.
• Zi Ji realized the humans had killed Demon King, and Bear Lord roared in fury.

Oscar raced to absorb Sky Dream Ice Silkworm’s energy and form a soul-spirit contract while Tang San completed his absorption of Demon King’s soul ring and joined the battle. Tang San trapped the fierce beasts in World of Wood, and Tie Li gained insight into spatial power after surviving Di Tian’s strongest strike.

• Snow Empress urged Sky Dream Ice Silkworm to seal his energy in Oscar’s soul bone and merge his spiritual origin into Oscar’s Sea of Consciousness.
• Tang San absorbed Demon King’s soul ring and right arm soul bone, gaining the ultimate wood attribute and control over nearby plant-type soul beasts.
• Tang San used his ninth soul skill, World of Wood, with his Blue Silver Domain to trap Scarlet King and the other fierce beasts.
• Di Tian, unable to sense the trapped beasts, unleashed a powerful fused darkness-and-space sword strike against Tie Li.
• Tie Li survived the attack, struck a mountain, and realized he could use unstable spatial power in the Thunder God Hammer.

Oscar succeeded in fusing a million-year soul ring as Di Tian arrived and attacked the humans in the Star Dou Great Forest. Tie Li intervened to cover their escape and unleashed his Thunder God Hammer's eighth soul skill against the beasts.

• Sky Dream Ice Silkworm broke through to one million years while Oscar fused its soul ring, and warned him that Di Tian was approaching.
• Oscar joined Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong, confirmed his success, and urged everyone to leave the Star Dou Great Forest.
• Di Tian attacked Tang San's World of Wood, forcing Tang San to withdraw it and freeing the wounded ferocious beasts trapped inside.
• Bear Lord charged the humans, but Tie Li bound it with the Chains of Destruction before Di Tian cut it free.
• Tie Li told the others to find a chance to escape, then used Azure Thunder Sky-Destroyer with his Thunder God Hammer.

Tie Li revealed that a God King had strengthened him to protect the sole Soul Master with a complete Thunder God Mark, and his divine-level battle with Di Tian erupted in the Star Dou Great Forest. Tie Li then used spatial power to take Tang San and the others out of danger, while the Thunder Spirit sensed Snow Empress within Oscar.

• Tie Li's complete Thunder God Mark activated the Thunder God's inheritance, and a God King deliberately granted him additional power, including his second martial soul.
• Tie Li unleashed his eighth soul skill, Divine Thunder Shattering Array, and clashed with Di Tian's Dragon God Claw at divine level.
• The collision created a blinding explosion that engulfed the battlefield, while Bibi Dong and Qian Daoliu sensed the divine-level auras from Spirit City.
• Tie Li used spatial movement to bring Tang San and the other Soul Masters outside the Star Dou Great Forest, and Gu Rong recognized his mastery of spatial power.
• The Thunder Spirit emerged from Tie Li and sensed Snow Empress within Oscar, but Tie Li called it back before Oscar revealed his soul spirit.

Tie Li learned that Oscar could attempt Soul Core cultivation and returned to the Thunder God Sect, where he assigned the Star Luo Empire crisis to his peak masters before preparing to cultivate his Third Soul Core. Meanwhile, Tang San brought Demon King's corpse to the Clear Sky Sect for study, and the Spirit Hall Empire recognized the newly established White Tiger Kingdom as its vassal.

• The Snow Empress told Oscar that Tie Li's dual Soul Cores explained his strength and offered to help Oscar cultivate Soul Cores.
• Tie Li returned to the Thunder God Sect, where Kui Xin reported that Dai Mubai's appearance had disrupted the Star Luo Empire's invasion of the Spirit Hall Empire.
• Tie Li left the response to Dai Mubai and the Star Luo Empire to the five peak masters while he prepared to cultivate his Third Soul Core.
• Tang San brought Demon King's corpse to the Clear Sky Sect, intending to study how powerful Soul Beast corpses might help human Soul Masters grow stronger.
• Tang San told Tang Hao that he would not allow a Fallen Soul Master to become emperor, regardless of his past bond with Dai Mubai.
• The Spirit Hall Empire issued a decree recognizing the White Tiger Kingdom as its vassal state.

Xue Ye decided to launch a counteroffensive against the weakened Spirit Hall Empire, relying on newly manufactured Godly Zhuge Crossbows and support from the three major sects. The Heaven Dou army rapidly reclaimed its border territory as Bibi Dong chose to preserve Spirit City's defenses and let the land go for now.

• Xue Xing urged Xue Ye to seize the opportunity to reclaim territory, and Xue Ye agreed that the empire needed a victory to restore its army's morale.
• Xue Ye sent Dugu Bo to recruit the three major sects, which agreed to support the campaign; Tang San also sent Tang Sect disciples to assist.
• Xue Ye ordered the Heaven Dou Empire's army to begin its counteroffensive with the support of the sects.
• Soul masters along the border argued over surrendering or resisting as the Heaven Dou army advanced and quickly reclaimed territory.
• Bibi Dong allowed the Heaven Dou Empire to retake some land because Spirit Hall's forces were depleted and she needed to protect Spirit City while preparing for a later offensive.

The Heaven Dou Empire used Godly Zhuge Crossbows and support from the Thunder God Sect and Clear Sky Sect to capture seven cities, but the Spirit Hall Empire fortified its eighth city with Soul Master legions. The armies clashed, and Bing Yun confronted Xie Yue as the battle began.

• The Heaven Dou Empire’s Godly Zhuge Crossbows overwhelmed Spirit Hall Empire forces, helping Xue Xing’s army capture seven cities and raising its morale.
• The Spirit Hall Empire strengthened the eighth city with seven Soul Douluo experts, the Mystic Shield Legion, and the Giant Strength Legion, commanded by Xie Yue and Yan.
• Bing Yun recognized Xie Yue and Yan, while a Thunder God Sect elder warned the disciples to prioritize their safety.
• Xue Xing’s forces and the Spirit Hall Empire’s army began fighting, with the Mystic Shield Legion blocking the crossbow volley and Thunder God Sect disciples attacking it with lightning.
• The Giant Strength Legion launched an assault as Xue Xing organized a counterattack, and Bing Yun attacked Xie Yue on the battlefield.

Xie Yue and Bing Yun fought as Yan and Beast Yin clashed nearby, turning the battlefield into a series of fierce Soul Saint battles. Yan unleashed his power to prove himself, while Bing Yun broke through Xie Yue’s defense with an empowered dragon claw.

• Xie Yue refused Yan’s help and fought Bing Yun one-on-one, while Yan watched from nearby.
• Beast Yin charged at Yan, whose anger at being dismissed and his declining standing in Spirit Hall fueled his determination to prove himself.
• Yan and Beast Yin traded attacks, with Yan’s magma breaking through Beast Yin’s lightning before Beast Yin forced his way through Yan’s flames and magma using his defense.
• Yan unleashed Lord’s Wrath, spreading fiery cracks across the battlefield, and Beast Yin answered by enlarging his body and strengthening his defenses.
• Bing Yun shattered Xie Yue’s Moon Blade defense with a dragon-claw strike enhanced by a soul bone, leaving Xie Yue stunned.

As the Heaven Dou Empire’s army retreated, Bing Yun and Beast Yin fought Spirit Hall’s Yan and Xie Yue to a standstill before their allies pulled them away. The Spirit Hall Empire then unexpectedly announced that the war would halt, with the opening of the All-Continent Soul Master Elite Tournament serving as a signal of peace.

• Beast Yin and Yan fought to a draw, and Yan unleashed his Flame Lord Martial Soul Avatar.
• The Clear Sky Sect disciples considered challenging Spirit Hall’s fighters as Xue Xing recognized that Heaven Dou’s army was losing its advantage.
• A Spirit Hall Soul Douluo attacked Bing Yun when he threatened Xie Yue, and a Thunder God Sect elder intervened to retrieve Bing Yun.
• As Heaven Dou’s forces retreated, Beast Yin refused to keep fighting Yan and returned to the Thunder God Sect elders.
• The Heaven Dou Empire withdrew after capturing seven cities, boosting its soldiers’ morale.
• The Spirit Hall Empire announced that the war would halt and that the All-Continent Soul Master Elite Tournament’s opening would signal peace.

The Spirit Hall Empire used the All-Continent Soul Master Elite Tournament and its prizes to build support for ending the war, while the Thunder God Sect and Clear Sky Sect remained wary of its motives. The tournament was set in White Tiger Kingdom, forcing the empires toward agreement, as Dai Mubai erupted over the Star Crown Sect’s growing influence in the Star Luo Empire.

• Bing Ju and the Thunder God Sect’s peak masters discussed the tournament while Tie Li remained in seclusion pursuing his third soul ring and Rank Ninety-Nine.
• The Spirit Hall Empire announced soul-bone prizes and promoted the tournament as a path to peace, drawing both support and accusations that it was using public opinion to pressure its enemies.
• Kui Xin proposed that the tournament be held in White Tiger Kingdom, and Bing Ju urged allied factions to press the proposal.
• The Thunder God Sect and Clear Sky Sect made their positions known, and the Spirit Hall Empire chose White Tiger Kingdom as the venue.
• The Star Luo Emperor accepted the proposal to end the war through the tournament, leaving the Heaven Dou Empire under pressure to agree.
• The Thunder God Sect selected Soul King disciples and two lower-ranked specialists for its team, while Dai Mubai smashed a jade table and cursed the Star Crown Sect’s threat to the Star Luo Empire.

Dai Mubai considered breaking the White Tiger Kingdom free from the Spirit Hall Empire, while Xue Beng exposed the Heaven Dou imperial family’s reluctance to fight. Oscar prepared to travel to the Far North for Soul Rings, and Chen Xin decided to test Oscar’s new Soul Core cultivation method.

• Zhu Zhuyun urged Dai Mubai to focus on freeing the White Tiger Kingdom from Spirit Hall’s control, and he asked whether her father had replied.
• Dai Mubai learned that the Clear Sky Sect and Thunder God Sect would enter the Soul Master Tournament, then withdrew to consider his plans.
• Xue Beng challenged the Heaven Dou imperial family to lead a campaign against the Spirit Hall Empire, but its members refused to command the army.
• Oscar reassured Ning Fengzhi that he could handle the Far North alone and left to tell Ning Rongrong about his journey.
• Chen Xin told Ning Fengzhi that Oscar had given him a new Soul Core cultivation method, and he decided to try it.

Tang San emerged from seclusion after condensing an Ultimate Wood Soul Core, then taught Tang Xiao how to cultivate one. As Tang Xiao began the process under Tang San’s protection, the Titan Giant Ape sensed something in the southwest and reflected on humanity’s rise.

• Tang San condensed an Ultimate Wood Soul Core using insights from the Demon King's corpse and reached Soul Power Level ninety-five.
• Tang Xiao told Tang San that his parents were together at the back mountain after his mother absorbed part of the Demon King's corpse.
• Tang San showed Tang Xiao his Soul Core and explained how to cultivate one, prompting Tang Xiao to begin condensing his own.
• Tang San kept the Clear Sky Sect elders from interrupting Tang Xiao and explained the benefits and demands of Soul Core cultivation.
• The Titan Giant Ape looked toward the southwest and told Sister Xiao Wu that it understood why humans had become the continent’s rulers.

Tang San learned about the new political balance and the upcoming Soul Master Tournament, while Tie Li broke through to Limit Douluo and received the call to begin Thunder God's Ninth Trial. Thunder God Sect and Clear Sky Sect sent teams to Zolls City, where the Thunder God Sect disciples drew attention upon arrival.

• Tang Xiao told Tang San about Soul Cores, the Spirit Hall Empire's truce, and Dai Mubai's White Tiger Kingdom, while several Clear Sky Sect elders refused to cultivate Soul Cores.
• Tang San declined to send Tang Sect's own team to the tournament and hurried to check on his mother.
• Tie Li completed the critical stage of forming his Third Soul Core, broke through to level ninety-nine, and heard that Thunder God's Ninth Trial could begin.
• Bing Yun sent Kui Xin and Lei Zhen to lead Thunder God Sect's tournament team to the White Tiger Kingdom.
• Clear Sky Sect also sent a team, and Thunder God Sect's disciples attracted admiration from the crowd when they entered Zolls City.

As the tournament teams arrived in Zolls City, Kui Xin reassured Lei Zhen that the Spirit Hall Empire would not attack them and allowed the Thunder God Sect disciples to explore. Shou Xi and Bing Zhao encountered Black Tiger Sect disciples who decided to test their strength, setting up a confrontation.

• The major sects and academies received different accommodations in Zolls City, and Lei Zhen worried the Spirit Hall Empire might harm them.
• Kui Xin told Lei Zhen that the Spirit Hall Empire would not risk its credibility by attacking the visiting teams.
• Kui Xin allowed Lei Xin, Kui Er, and a third disciple to explore the city, then Shou Xi and Bing Zhao also got permission to leave.
• Black Tiger Sect disciples spotted Shou Xi and Bing Zhao and persuaded their elder to let them test the Thunder God Sect disciples.
• Shou Xi offered Bing Zhao a meat bun, and someone nearby remarked that Thunder God Sect disciples liked meat buns.

Thunder God Sect disciples Shou Xi and Bing Zhao clashed with Black Tiger Sect contestants in the street, drawing the attention of rival teams. After Shou Xi slapped the Black Tiger Sect leader and Bing Zhao injured several attackers, Lei Xin arrived and confronted the Black Tiger Sect elder.

• Black Tiger Sect disciples provoked Shou Xi and Bing Zhao, and Shou Xi recognized them as contestants from the rival sect.
• Shou Xi revealed his Giant Thunder Beast martial soul and defeated the Black Tiger Sect leader with a slap.
• Six Black Tiger Sect disciples prepared to attack Shou Xi and Bing Zhao together while onlookers, including Clear Sky Sect disciples, watched.
• Bing Zhao revealed his Thunder Dragon martial soul and injured four of the six attackers with a burst of lightning.
• Lei Xin and two companions rushed over, and Lei Xin insulted the Black Tiger Sect before its elder stepped forward to challenge him.