Arc 18Chapters 426–450
No recap yet.
No recap yet.
Mu Qinglan followed Li Yuanqiu across several provinces and discovered that he had brought Azure Cloud Sect elders to Chun Xiaobai, where they were being drilled in formation. She watched in alarm as the elders moved in perfect unison, unsure what Chun Xiaobai had done to them.
Mu Qinglan found more than two thousand Azure Cloud Sect elders drilling in perfect formation and mistook their plans for a journey to the Sacred Land. After Chun Xiaobai told her to train with the newcomers, she disguised herself and joined them, intending to confront the person she believed had poached her sect members.
Mu Qinglan disguised herself to infiltrate a marching formation and find the mastermind behind her sect’s troubles. Meanwhile, Yun Huoyue arrived with Cangshan Daoist and Li Yuanqiu, then tried to win over Chun Xiaobai, who reacted with alarm to her advances.
Chun Xiaobai recruited Yun Huoyue and Cangshan Daoist for their usefulness, then prepared to set out for a sacred land. Yun Huoyue joined the training ranks under Bai Jin'er's strict orders, while Mu Qinglan quietly recognized Bai Jin'er as a promising leader.
Chun Xiaobai finished drilling the newcomers into disciplined formations and prepared to take them on a job, while Mu Qinglan wondered why a mere disciple was giving orders. The chapter ended with her asking a nearby female elder who Chun Xiaobai was.
Chun Xiaobai led a heavily armed force toward the Heavenly Water Sacred Land while Mu Qinglan suspected he had gathered them to attack it. After flying more than ten thousand li, the army stopped at the shore of an enormous lake.
Chun Xiaobai’s group reached the hidden entrance to the Heavenly Water Sacred Land, but he hesitated over how to breach its formation safely. After Mu Qinglan joined them in disguise, he finished planning his approach and ordered everyone to move out.
Chun Xiaobai secretly opened a spatial doorway into the Heavenly Water Sacred Land’s grotto heaven blessed land, while Mu Qinglan grew increasingly suspicious and angry about the elders’ defection. After the group entered, Mu Qinglan resolved to protect the Azure Cloud Sect’s name and make the person poaching its people pay.
Chun Xiaobai led the Incense Masters and the Azure Cloud Sect forces into the Heavenly Water Sacred Land’s grotto heaven, where Mu Qinglan located its palaces and guided them there. Chun Xiaobai and the Incense Masters slipped through a concealed formation, leaving Mu Qinglan to wonder whether they were sneaking in to steal.
Chun Xiaobai led Mu Qinglan and the Azure Cloud Sect elders through the Heavenly Water Sacred Land’s grotto heaven to target a core elder, while Mu Qinglan struggled to understand their suspicious behavior. After Chun Xiaobai planted a demonic sword at the elder’s door, the elder mistook it for a surprise from his disciple Nangong Zheng, and Mu Qinglan began to grasp what was happening.
Mu Qinglan attacked the Pill Addict after mistaking the elders’ secret gathering for a betrayal of the Azure Cloud Sect, killing him with one spear thrust. As the Heavenly Water Sacred Land surrounded Chun Xiaobai and the elders, a Black-Armored Army of more than two thousand troops broke into the Sacred Land.
Chun Xiaobai and the Azure Cloud Sect elders confronted the Heavenly Water Sacred Land while posing as black-armored Emperor Pavilion Envoys, and Chun accused the sacred land of harboring demons. Saint Lord Lingbo grew wary of the imposing force, while Mu Qinglan realized the deception and feared its consequences; the chapter ended with Li Qingfeng ordering the sacred land seized.
Chun Xiaobai and the Azure Cloud Sect elders posed as Emperor Pavilion investigators to intimidate the Heavenly Water Sacred Land, whose Saint Lord eagerly denied any ties to demon cultivators. Bai Jin'er seized a ninth-tier pill formula as illicit property, while Mu Qinglan watched in shock.
Chun Xiaobai and the Azure Cloud Sect elders pressured the Heavenly Water Sacred Land into handing over treasures and spirit stones while pretending to investigate demon cultivators. Though the sacred land’s Ancestors suspected extortion, they had no proof, and Saint Lord Lingbo warned them not to act.
Chun Xiaobai and Mu Qinglan tried to extort the Heavenly Water Sacred Land while posing as Emperor Pavilion Envoys, but Saint Lord Lingbo mistook their greed and nervousness for a trap meant to provoke the Sacred Land. The Sacred Land handed over its evidence and treasures without resistance, convinced it had seen through the scheme.
Chun Xiaobai and his group escaped the Heavenly Water Sacred Land after taking its money, while Mu Qinglan’s identity as the Azure Cloud Sect’s Sect Master remained hidden. The chapter ended with Chun Xiaobai mistaking her for an ancient sect Ancestor and calling her an old hag, enraging her.
Mu Qinglan confronted Li Qingfeng and the elders for secretly extorting Sacred Lands with Chun Xiaobai, but she calmed down after learning how much money the scheme could earn. She decided to tolerate Chun Xiaobai for now and wait until the Azure Cloud Sect had plundered every Sacred Land before demanding he hand over his share.
Mu Qinglan joined the elders’ extortion scheme and agreed to keep her identity secret while Chun Xiaobai accepted her into his group, believing she needed treatment. As Bai Jin'er calculated everyone’s wages, Bai Yutang rushed in with a warning that the Sect Master had infiltrated them.
Bai Yutang and Zhang Xuanhe decided to hide Mu Qinglan’s presence from Chun Xiaobai while the sect continued its lucrative business. Meanwhile, Cangshan Daoist celebrated Chun Xiaobai’s payment of five hundred million spirit stones, unaware that he had helped lead the Azure Cloud Sect into extorting sacred lands.
Cangshan Daoist urged Yun Huoyue to pursue Chun Xiaobai, while Chun Xiaobai discovered the value of the rare treasures he had received. Yun Huoyue approached him bashfully but was pushed away by Bai Jin'er, and Chun Xiaobai turned his attention back to recruiting incense masters for the Black Wind Stronghold.
Chun Xiaobai tried to reward his Grand Supreme Elders with promotions, salaries, and magical artifacts, while Mu Qinglan’s disapproval kept them from showing their excitement. Frustrated by their stiff silence, he fired Zhang Xuanhe and Zhao Wuji.
Chun Xiaobai secured the elders’ obedience with a monthly stipend and ordered Bai Yutang to find the coordinates of a nearby sacred land. Cangshan Daoist identified Cloudpeak Sacred Land, but Bai Yutang froze when Cangshan contacted its leader directly to request the coordinates.
After Cangshan Daoist unknowingly handed over Cloudpeak Sacred Land’s coordinates, Chun Xiaobai began preparing for the operation by seeking intelligence. Mu Qinglan reluctantly joined in and realized Chun Xiaobai’s careful planning made him more professional than she was.
Chun Xiaobai led the Azure Cloud Sect toward the Cloudpeak Sacred Land after Mu Qinglan shared what she knew about it. The disciplined army reached the Sacred Land’s hidden entrance, where Chun Xiaobai prepared to investigate while Bai Yutang distracted Cangshan Daoist with a chess game.
Chun Xiaobai led Mu Qinglan and the Azure Cloud Sect elders into the Cloudpeak Sacred Land to rob it while Bai Yutang stalled Cangshan Daoist. After Chun Xiaobai marked a wealthy side hall as their target, Mu Qinglan rushed ahead and threatened to disrupt the plan.