Recaps

Envoy Zhang and Zheng Tianyuan feared the ransom and the captured sect scions were a ploy to provoke war, so they summoned the scions’ furious supreme elders. The elders were talked out of attacking, leaving both sides to swallow their anger and consider how to rescue their sons without breaking the agreement.

• Envoy Zhang and Zheng Tianyuan suspected the Thousand Sects Alliance was trying to provoke an all-out war and contacted the captured scions’ fathers instead of alerting their sect masters.
• Several supreme elders arrived at the Mountain of Ten Thousand Spirits and angrily berated Envoy Zhang and Zheng Tianyuan for letting their sons be captured and maimed.
• The supreme elders watched the Image Recording Stone and demanded to charge at the enemy, but Lu Qingshan warned that an attack could get their sons killed.
• Envoy Zhang told the Thousand Sects Alliance elders that the ransom was ten Heaven Tier magical artifacts, ten million spirit stones, and supreme-grade pills.
• The Heavenly Baleful Valley elders were persuaded not to attack, and both sides held back to avoid giving the other grounds to start a war.

Lu Qingshan warned the Thousand Venerables Alliance that Heavenly Baleful Valley had kidnapped disciples to provoke an unauthorized sect war and invite punishment from the Emperor Pavilion. Both sides agreed to stay calm and wait for negotiations, leaving the hostages in captivity for now.

• Lu Qingshan explained that Heavenly Baleful Valley had kidnapped disciples and was trying to bait the alliance into an unauthorized war.
• The supreme elders realized that fighting would let the Emperor Pavilion sanction their sects and potentially destroy the alliance.
• Lu Qingshan argued that the hostages were unlikely to be killed and that refusing to take the bait would push Heavenly Baleful Valley toward releasing them for benefits.
• The Heavenly Baleful Valley supreme elders accepted the plan to stay calm, and Zheng Tianyuan promised to seek spirit herbs to regrow the captives' severed limbs.

Chun Xiaobai discovered that the hostage-takers’ fathers were refusing to pay ransom because they feared strengthening their rival sects, so he lowered his demands and escalated the threat. The Heavenly Venerable Alliance’s elders still interpreted the new footage as a provocation and resolved to keep resisting.

• Chun Xiaobai learned from Fang Yuan and Xiao Zhang that the sects had abundant Heaven Tier magical artifacts, and realized their elders were stalling instead of paying.
• With only one day left before the kidnapping deadline, Chun Xiaobai ordered more Mirror Image Talismans and decided to lower the ransom demands.
• Chun Xiaobai cut the Heavenly Venerable Alliance’s price in half and the Heavenly Baleful Valley’s price to thirty percent, then altered the hostage images to show their remaining thighs removed.
• Fang Yuan and Xiao Zhang delivered the new Image Recording Stones to both sects, and the Heavenly Venerable Alliance’s elders howled at the footage of their sons.
• Lu Qingshan urged the Heavenly Venerable Alliance’s elders not to accept the ransom terms, arguing that the artifacts would make the Heavenly Baleful Valley too powerful.

Chun Xiaobai’s ransom demand was ignored by both the Heavenly Venerable Alliance and Heavenly Baleful Valley, leaving him disappointed in the value of his hostages. He turned to Ye Liuli to press the issue, and she realized her sect’s refusal to pay had put her in immediate danger.

• The Heavenly Venerable Alliance’s leaders decided to endure Chun Xiaobai’s threat rather than surrender five Heaven-Tier Magical Artifacts, and Heavenly Baleful Valley’s leaders likewise refused his demand for three.
• Chun Xiaobai waited until dawn for a response, then concluded that the sects were willing to abandon their sons rather than pay the ransom.
• Chun Xiaobai decided to use his last resort and headed toward the cave where Gu Shuangshuang, Ye Liuli, and Qin Ruoxue were held.
• Chun Xiaobai released Ye Liuli’s seal, and she accused him of breaking his promise to let her go.
• Chun Xiaobai blamed the sects for ignoring his discounted ransom terms, and Ye Liuli realized his anger might be taken out on her.

Chun Xiaobai forced Ye Liuli to cooperate with his ransom demand by threatening and humiliating her, then turned to Gu Shuangshuang for help. Gu Shuangshuang unexpectedly claimed she was not her father's biological daughter, leaving Chun Xiaobai stunned.

• Ye Liuli threatened to slaughter the Mountain Bandits and vowed revenge, so Chun Xiaobai slapped her and decided he could no longer show mercy.
• Chun Xiaobai threatened to kill Ye Liuli unless she cooperated, then recorded himself demanding her dowry from Heavenly Baleful Valley's Sect Master.
• Ye Liuli swallowed her anger and warned Chun Xiaobai to hope he lived long enough to spend the treasures.
• Chun Xiaobai released Gu Shuangshuang's seal and demanded her cooperation, but she said she had already asked her father for ransom.
• Chun Xiaobai accused Gu Shuangshuang's mother of having an affair, and Gu Shuangshuang revealed she was not her father's biological daughter.

Chun Xiaobai saw through Gu Shuangshuang’s feigned tears and discovered she was eager to conspire with him to extort her wealthy father. After they struck a deal, Gu Shuangshuang began recording a kidnapping plea and claimed she was pregnant, leaving Chun Xiaobai stunned.

• Gu Shuangshuang pretended her father had learned of her mother’s affair and planned to use Chun Xiaobai to kill them, but Chun Xiaobai saw through her act and slapped her.
• Gu Shuangshuang dropped her performance, sympathized with Chun Xiaobai’s hard childhood, and proposed splitting a larger ransom from her father.
• Chun Xiaobai agreed to join Gu Shuangshuang’s plan to rob her father’s hidden treasuries.
• Gu Shuangshuang put on her clothes, activated an Image Recording Stone, and staged a plea for her father to rescue her.
• Gu Shuangshuang hinted that she was pregnant, leaving Chun Xiaobai shocked.

Chun Xiaobai and Gu Shuangshuang plotted to ransom Qin Ruoxue after Gu revealed her powerful ties to the Emperor Pavilion. The chapter ended with Gu preparing a ransom recording and assuring Chun Xiaobai that she would not try anything as long as treasure was involved.

• Gu Shuangshuang persuaded Chun Xiaobai to ransom her by listing treasures she wanted him to demand from her father.
• Gu Shuangshuang recognized Qin Ruoxue and told Chun Xiaobai that she secretly belonged to the Emperor Pavilion, making her valuable to ransom.
• Chun Xiaobai returned Gu Shuangshuang's Storage Bag after she insisted her sealed Dantian meant she could not escape.
• Gu Shuangshuang put Qin Ruoxue on a bed, used Passion Powder on her, and recorded a ransom demand for treasures and valuables.
• Chun Xiaobai warned Gu Shuangshuang not to cause trouble, and she promised she only cared about treasure.

Chun Xiaobai sent Fang Yuan and Xiao Zhang to deliver new ransom demands to both factions, while Envoy Zhang realized Qin Ruoxue’s identity could bring the Emperor Pavilion into the dispute. The Righteous Alliance’s leaders learned the price had risen and Envoy Zhang decided to ask the Alliance Leader what to do.

• Chun Xiaobai cut Gu Shuangshuang’s ransom demands in half, then gave Fang Yuan and Xiao Zhang Image Recording Stones to deliver to the two factions.
• Fang Yuan and Xiao Zhang brought an Image Recording Stone to the Righteous Alliance, where Lu Qingshan claimed their refusal to compromise had forced the kidnappers to contact them.
• Envoy Zhang activated the recording, revealing Chun Xiaobai’s demands for fifty Heaven-Tier Magical Treasures and a hundred million spirit stones, along with Qin Ruoxue in distress.
• The Righteous Alliance’s supreme elder beat Lu Qingshan after the price hike, but Envoy Zhang stopped the others from joining in.
• Envoy Zhang suspected Qin Ruoxue was connected to the Emperor Pavilion and said he had to ask the Alliance Leader to decide.

The Heavenly Baleful Valley learned that Ye Liuli had been kidnapped and that the Righteous Alliance might be provoking them into breaking the Emperor Pavilion’s laws. Ye Xiaotian arrived to take charge, but a report that the Thousand Sects Alliance was attacking the valley left Zheng Tianyuan suspecting the threat was real.

• Envoy Zhang sent a message while the Heavenly Baleful Valley elders watched the recording and realized the ransom negotiations might be a trap involving Ye Liuli.
• Zheng Tianyuan decided to consult the Sect Master, and Ye Xiaotian arrived in a fury, demanding to know where his daughter was.
• Zheng Tianyuan and the elders explained their suspicions that the Righteous Alliance wanted to provoke the valley into violating the Emperor Pavilion’s laws.
• A Manager reported that the Alliance Leader of the Thousand Sects Alliance was leading the Heavenly Sect in an attack on the valley.
• Zheng Tianyuan realized the Manager might not be acting and urgently asked whether the report was true.

Ling Tianchen learned that the Heavenly Baleful Valley had mobilized its entire sect, and he feared the consequences if Qin Ruoxue was harmed. As the Valley’s forces assembled near the Mountain of Ten Thousand Spirits, Ye Xiaotian asked for news of the Thousand Sects Alliance’s side.

• Ye Xiaotian ordered the Heavenly Baleful Valley’s elders to summon their disciples after realizing the Thousand Sects Alliance had surrounded them.
• Ling Tianchen questioned Envoy Zhang, who said the evidence pointed to the Heavenly Baleful Valley abducting the alliance’s core disciples.
• Ling Tianchen decided to contact Ye Xiaotian, but a scout reported that one million Heavenly Baleful Valley disciples and its supreme elders were advancing toward the Mountain of Ten Thousand Spirits.
• Ling Tianchen realized Qin Ruoxue’s connection to the Emperor Pavilion made the crisis dangerous for him and sent a message to the Palace Master of the Mystic Ice Palace.
• Ye Xiaotian watched as the Heavenly Baleful Valley’s War Puppets and Flying Boats assembled, then asked about the Thousand Sects Alliance’s forces.

Ye Xiaotian learned that the Ten Great Sacred Sects were marching on Heavenly Baleful Valley and called for powerful allies to reinforce him. Meanwhile, Chun Xiaobai mistook the mobilization for preparations to gather his ransom before realizing the factions might be preparing for battle instead.

• Ye Xiaotian heard that five hundred top sects were gathering, then learned the Mystic Ice Palace Master was leading the Ten Great Sacred Sects toward Heavenly Baleful Valley.
• Ye Xiaotian ordered the Pill Alliance, Artifact Refining Alliance, Talisman Masters Association, Ten Thousand Demons Cavern, and Netherworld Hall to send aid.
• Chun Xiaobai worried that Fang Yuan and Xiao Zhang had been captured, but they returned and reported that leaders and sects were mobilizing with Heaven-Tier Magical Treasures.
• Chun Xiaobai initially thought the factions were assembling treasures to pay his ransom, but Bai Jin'er warned they might be preparing for war.
• Chun Xiaobai realized his exorbitant ransom demand may have ended negotiations and blamed Gu Shuangshuang for steering him away from accepting a smaller payment.

Chun Xiaobai learned from Gu Shuangshuang that the Emperor Pavilion watched over the Eastern Region, and he feared its territory might include the land of the powerful woman who had sent him to the Cultivation World. Determined to earn money and grow strong enough to escape, he revised his ransom demands and sent Fang Yuan and Xiao Zhang to deliver them.

• Chun Xiaobai scolded Gu Shuangshuang for disrupting his ransom scheme, and she explained that Qin Ruoxue's status and his high demands had driven the captors to suspicion and brinkmanship.
• Gu Shuangshuang described the Emperor Pavilion as a force that hunted monsters and demons and remained over the Eastern Region's sects after its monsters were gone.
• Chun Xiaobai connected the Emperor Pavilion to the woman who had sent him to the Cultivation World and resolved to earn money and gain strength so he could leave her territory.
• Chun Xiaobai told Gu Shuangshuang to stay in the cave and brushed aside Bai Jin'er's concerns about the Mountain of Ten Thousand Spirits becoming a battlefield.
• Chun Xiaobai reduced his ransom demands and gave revised Message Transmission Talismans to Fang Yuan and Xiao Zhang, who flew off in separate directions to deliver them.

The Thousand Sects Alliance and the Heavenly Baleful Valley faced off over Qin Ruoxue, while Bing Ningyue arrived determined to rescue her disciple. Although the Valley sharply reduced its ransom, the Alliance and the Sacred Sect representatives rejected the offer and prepared to fight.

• Bing Ningyue arrived with the Thousand Sects Alliance at the Mountain of Ten Thousand Spirits and worried about Qin Ruoxue's safety.
• Ling Tianchen received a message that the Demon had reduced the ransom to one Heaven-Tier Magical Treasure, ten million spirit stones, and a tenth of the demanded pills and talismans.
• The Thousand Sects Alliance's leaders initially welcomed the reduced ransom, but the Sacred Sect representatives took offense at being called out without a fight.
• An elder claimed the Demon had backed down out of fear, and Lu Qingshan urged the assembled forces to punish the Valley and bring Qin Ruoxue back unharmed.
• The Alliance's leaders rallied behind Lu Qingshan and called for battle.

The Sacred Sects agreed to join Ling Tianchen’s forces in attacking the Thousand Sects Alliance, while Ye Xiaotian gathered the Heavenly Baleful Valley and six commercial alliances with their own Sacred Sect allies. A message from the opposing side lowered its ransom demand, which Ye Xiaotian’s allies mistook for surrender and took as encouragement to fight.

• Bing Ningyue agreed to let the Sacred Sects attack the opposing forces, and Ling Tianchen ordered a message sent threatening them.
• Ye Xiaotian assembled the Heavenly Baleful Valley, six commercial alliances, and ten Sacred Sect representatives to oppose the Thousand Sects Alliance.
• A representative asked Ye Xiaotian and the alliance leaders to discuss how they would divide the spoils after the battle.
• A Heavenly Baleful Valley disciple delivered a Message Transmission Talisman, and Ye Xiaotian rewarded him for his composure.
• Ye Xiaotian read that the opposing side had reduced its ransom demand from fifty Heaven-Tier Magical Treasures and five hundred million spirit stones to one treasure and ten million spirit stones.
• Ye Xiaotian’s allies interpreted the reduced ransom as a retreat, laughed at the opposing side, and grew more eager to attack.

After both sides rejected the ransom negotiations and prepared to fight, Chun Xiaobai realized the Mountain of Ten Thousand Spirits was in danger and his extortion scheme had failed. He searched for another way to recover his losses but concluded that fleeing was his only option.

• Ye Xiaotian ordered his allies to reply to the Sacred Sect, “wash your necks and wait,” and they prepared for battle.
• Chun Xiaobai read the hostile replies and blamed Gu Shuangshuang for ruining his plan to collect ransom.
• Chun Xiaobai beat Gu Shuangshuang, then immobilized her after her resentful stare unsettled him.
• Fang Yuan and Xiao Zhang warned Chun Xiaobai that disciples and demon beasts were already retreating from the Mountain of Ten Thousand Spirits.
• Chun Xiaobai realized the rival factions intended to use the conflict to weaken each other and seize resources, while he faced ruin.
• Chun Xiaobai considered his remaining options and decided that he had to flee.

Fang Yuan and Xiao Zhang sent a final ransom demand for five million spirit stones as the Thousand Sects Alliance prepared to attack the Heavenly Baleful Valley. The alliance dismissed the reduced demand and grew eager to strike, leaving the hostages' fate uncertain.

• Fang Yuan hardened his resolve and sent another ransom message demanding five million spirit stones, his final offer before he killed the hostages and fled.
• The Thousand Sects Alliance finished its preparations to attack and arrange the spoils, while Bing Ningyue worried about rescuing Qin Ruoxue and other leaders fretted over their captive heirs.
• Lu Tianyun urged the alliance to strike, and the Sacred Sect representatives agreed as Bing Ningyue prepared to give the attack order.
• A disciple delivered a new battle report, and Ling Tianchen read the message announcing that the Heavenly Baleful Valley had lowered its ransom to five million spirit stones.
• The alliance and Sacred Sect representatives laughed at the demand, declared that they would not negotiate, and called for an immediate assault on the Heavenly Baleful Valley.

Lu Qingshan proposed paying the Heavenly Baleful Valley five million spirit stones before attacking, while Bing Ningyue approved the plan and the allied army advanced. Meanwhile, Ye Xiaotian hurried the opposing coalition toward battle, hiding his fear for his captured daughter as the forces prepared to clash.

• Lu Qingshan proposed handing over five million spirit stones and then immediately attacking the Heavenly Baleful Valley, winning the elders' approval.
• The chapter recounted how Yun Huoyue killed a young man from the Emperor Pavilion, leaving the Azure Cloud Sect feared and shunned despite the Emperor Pavilion declining to pursue the matter.
• Bing Ningyue gave Ling Tianchen a Storage Ring containing the ransom, and he sent a messenger to deliver it before ordering the allied forces forward.
• More than ten thousand Warships carried millions of disciples toward the Heavenly Baleful Valley as war horns sounded across the Mountain of Ten Thousand Spirits.
• Ye Xiaotian urged the opposing War Puppet legions onward, concealing his worry for his captured daughter while Sacred Sect representatives promised overwhelming force.

Ye Xiaotian’s forces advanced toward the Mountain of Ten Thousand Spirits after he dismissed Chun Xiaobai’s five-million-spirit-stone ransom demand. Chun Xiaobai, furious at getting no payment, took his anger out on the captive Ye Liuli.

• Ye Xiaotian received Chun Xiaobai’s message, mistook the ransom demand for a surrender, and ordered his army to advance at full speed.
• The Sacred Sect representatives and Heavenly Baleful Valley’s elders laughed at the Thousand Sects Alliance’s supposed poverty and agreed that it should fuck off.
• Xiao Zhang returned to Chun Xiaobai and explained that Ye Xiaotian was leading the army north and had rejected the ransom demand.
• Chun Xiaobai grew furious over receiving no spirit stones and rushed into the cave to confront Ye Liuli.
• Chun Xiaobai lifted Ye Liuli’s restriction and slapped her backside as she cursed and struggled against him.

Chun Xiaobai punished Ye Liuli and Gu Shuangshuang after their actions ruined his ransom plan, then prepared to deal with Qin Ruoxue. Fang Yuan’s excited claim that they were rich interrupted him, and Chun Xiaobai feared the fatty had betrayed him.

• Chun Xiaobai restrained his anger toward Ye Liuli but tore her dudou, kissed her to silence her insults, and shoved her away after complaining about her breath.
• Chun Xiaobai released Gu Shuangshuang’s seal and slapped her, blaming her advice for costing him a hundred million.
• Gu Shuangshuang mocked Ye Liuli, prompting the two women to clash until Chun Xiaobai angrily ordered them both to shut up.
• Chun Xiaobai turned toward Qin Ruoxue, but Fang Yuan shouted from outside that they were rich.
• Chun Xiaobai suspected Fang Yuan had defected and readied himself to flee from the cliffside cave.

Chun Xiaobai discovered a tracking mark on the five million spirit stones and ordered everyone to flee before Bing Ningyue’s forces arrived. As the group escaped with their hostages, he freed Qin Ruoxue but stopped to spank her after she threatened him with the Mystic Ice Palace.

• Chun Xiaobai used his Treasure-Seeing Divine Eye to spot a hidden blue halo on the Storage Ring, then destroyed Bing Ningyue’s divine soul mark and took the spirit stones.
• Bing Ningyue sensed that her mark had vanished, feared a powerful cultivator was nearby, and ordered her forces to advance at full speed.
• Chun Xiaobai packed the spirit stones, hurried Fang Yuan, Xiao Zhang, and Bai Jin’er into carrying the hostages, and ordered them to leave the cave abode.
• Chun Xiaobai released Qin Ruoxue’s restriction, but when she threatened him with the Mystic Ice Palace, he pulled her over and spanked her.

Chun Xiaobai collapsed the cave to erase evidence, then escaped with Fang Yuan and the others to a hidden hideout where they planned to disguise themselves as victims. Qin Ruoxue and Ye Liuli vowed to pursue him, while Chun Xiaobai split up his group until the danger passed.

• Chun Xiaobai dressed Qin Ruoxue, Ye Liuli, and Gu Shuangshuang, then used Hidden Dragon Piercing the Abyss to collapse the cave and conceal its traces.
• Chun Xiaobai took Fang Yuan and the others away, leaving Qin Ruoxue, Gu Shuangshuang, and Ye Liuli at the cliff; Qin and Ye vowed not to let him escape.
• Chun Xiaobai brought his group to a hidden cave three hundred li away, where more than forty sealed people could help them pose as victims.
• Chun Xiaobai told Fang Yuan and the others to change into their old disciple uniforms and pretend to wake alongside the other captives.
• Chun Xiaobai ordered the group to separate and regroup later at their departure point in Heavenly Baleful Valley.

Chun Xiaobai and his companions planned to split up after escaping, while the Thousand Sects Alliance and Heavenly Baleful Valley mobilized for battle over competing accusations of kidnapping and extortion. Both armies halted ten li apart, each convinced its scheme had succeeded and ready to fight.

• Chun Xiaobai told Fang Yuan and the others to assess the situation outside, then either split up and lie low or flee amid the fighting.
• Ling Tianchen spotted Heavenly Baleful Valley’s approaching army and ordered the Thousand Sects Alliance to prepare for battle, believing the valley had used negotiations to stall them.
• Ye Xiaotian and Zheng Tianyuan concluded that the Thousand Sects Alliance had also staged its bargaining to catch the valley off guard.
• Both armies advanced, spread into battle formations, and stopped ten li apart as weapons and war puppets were readied.

The Thousand Sects Alliance and Heavenly Baleful Valley traded furious accusations of kidnapping and extortion as both sides tried to claim the moral high ground before battle. Envoy Zhang turned his accusations toward the Sacred Sect representatives supporting Heavenly Baleful Valley, leaving them stunned by the Alliance’s shameless rhetoric.

• Zheng Tianyuan accused the Thousand Sects Alliance of kidnapping Heavenly Baleful Valley’s Saintess, Ye Liuli, and threatened to destroy them.
• The Thousand Sects Alliance’s leaders rebuked Envoy Zhang for letting Zheng Tianyuan speak first, and Envoy Zhang accused Heavenly Baleful Valley of abducting Alliance prodigies and abusing female disciples.
• Ye Xiaotian roused Zheng Tianyuan, who accused the Alliance of seeking Heavenly Baleful Valley’s Puppet Secret Art and demanded the return of Ye Liuli and the Core Disciples.
• Envoy Zhang accused Heavenly Baleful Valley of repeated extortion and vowed to reclaim its gains, then condemned the Sacred Sect representatives for supporting the valley.
• The Sacred Sect representatives realized the Thousand Sects Alliance was adept at disguising its own kidnapping and extortion as righteous conduct.

The Thousand Sects Alliance and Heavenly Baleful Valley accused each other of kidnapping disciples, Saintesses, and relatives, while both sides struggled to make sense of the identical claims. Bing Ningyue suspected a hidden Spirit Transformation cultivator had orchestrated the kidnappings, but she could not work out who was behind them or why.

• A Sacred Sect representative demanded that Heavenly Baleful Valley return its Saintess and core disciples, prompting both armies to notice that their accusations mirrored each other.
• Ling Tianchen and other Alliance leaders demanded their people and ransom back, while Ye Xiaotian dismissed their claims as lies.
• Bing Ningyue and leaders on both sides sensed that their enemies' anger seemed genuine, but they suppressed their doubts and continued trading accusations.
• Bing Ningyue recalled that someone had erased her divine soul imprint from a Storage Ring, a feat that required a powerful Spirit Transformation cultivator.
• Bing Ningyue wondered whether an unknown force had kidnapped Qin Ruoxue and the others, and feared that the culprit might know Qin Ruoxue's identity and be willing to provoke the Emperor Pavilion.

Ye Xiaotian and Ling Tianchen ordered searches for a possible third party near the Mountain of Ten Thousand Spirits while their forces traded accusations. Lu Qingshan accused the opposing side of colluding with the Devil Race, and Ye Xiaotian immediately turned the charge back on the Thousand Sects Alliance, leaving both armies terrified of the Emperor Pavilion’s response.

• Ye Xiaotian suppressed his urge to attack and ordered an elder to investigate whether a third party was near the Mountain of Ten Thousand Spirits.
• Ling Tianchen ordered a similar search, and a Nascent Soul True Lord from each side left to investigate.
• As the two sides continued shouting accusations, Lu Qingshan declared that the opposition was colluding with the Devil Race and trying to frame the Thousand Sects Alliance.
• The crowd fell silent as the accusation raised the threat of an investigation by the Emperor Pavilion’s Heavenly Patrol Guards.
• Bing Ningyue told Lu Qingshan to shut up, while Ye Xiaotian accused the Thousand Sects Alliance of abducting his daughter and disciples to conceal its own dealings with the Devil Race.