Chapter Summaries

Ye Wenshu considered whether to accept Faxian’s seventh-grade Bodhi seed and leave the contest, while Jiang Sheng investigated the lavish Buddha-Bathing assembly at True Enlightenment Temple. Just as Faxian began expounding the Dharma, an unseen voice interrupted him from the heavens.

• Faxian offered Ye Wenshu a seventh-grade Bodhi seed, hoping she would focus on breaking through to Void Refinement and stay out of Hengsha World’s contest with Shanhe World.
• Faxian invited Ye Wenshu to remain for a Dharma assembly at True Enlightenment Temple, and she stayed to observe the preparations.
• Jiang Sheng arrived in Origin Continent and learned that Faxian’s Buddha-Bathing rite would draw a major assembly, with the Mysterious Lady expected to descend.
• Thousands of monks gathered around Buddha statues as offerings of flower oils and fragrant balms fed incense-borne faith into them.
• Faxian began expounding the Dharma, but a voice from beyond the heavens challenged him, asking why he had not entered extinction if all dharmas ceased.

Jiang Sheng infiltrated the True Enlightenment Temple during the Buddha Bathing Ceremony after a disguised swordsman claiming to be Penglai Lingyuan drew Monk Faxian away. The ceremony reached its final night, when a brilliant sword-light attack shattered Faxian’s palm and its assailant again announced himself as Lingyuan.

• A swordsman claiming to be Penglai Lingyuan attacked the True Enlightenment Temple, and Monk Faxian went to fight him while Ye Wenshu watched.
• Jiang Sheng recognized the attacker as an impostor, used his Truth-Seeing Golden Pupils to inspect the temple, and slipped inside unseen.
• Ye Wenshu sensed that someone had observed her, while Monk Faxian and Fazhen discussed their plans and the need for guardian monk soldiers.
• The first attacker fled toward the Flame Continent, and Monk Faxian returned to preside over the three-day Buddha Bathing Ceremony.
• At midnight on the ceremony’s third night, another brilliant sword-light attack struck the temple and cleaved apart Monk Faxian’s Buddhist palm.
• The attacker declared, “Penglai, Lingyuan!”

Jiang Sheng revealed himself as Daoist Ling Yuan and fought Monk Faxian and Fazhen, overwhelming their defenses with a vast arsenal of treasures. He announced that he would strike once more and leave if they could block it, then unleashed a mottled sword light.

• Jiang Sheng arrived and shattered Faxian’s sword-light defense before summoning a Flame Dragon to battle Faxian’s Peacock.
• Faxian and Jiang Sheng sent their Buddhist pagodas, pestle, and iron gourd crashing against each other while Jiang Sheng forced Faxian back with an azure lotus palm.
• Fazhen attacked Jiang Sheng from behind, but struck a phantom; Jiang Sheng appeared behind him and nearly broke his white-lotus defense with the Meteor-Jade Dragon-Whisker Horsetail Whisk.
• Jiang Sheng brought forth eight treasures and battled the combined powers of Faxian and Fazhen, whose Buddhist palm shattered his first sword light.
• Jiang Sheng summoned the Four Swords of Azure, Purple, Vermilion, and Black, promised to leave if the monks blocked his next strike, and unleashed a mottled sword light.

Jiang Sheng confronted Faxian and Fazhen with a sword strike that was really aimed at Ye Wenshu, then met her on Willow Mountain to discuss Panfeng World’s relationship with the Buddhist Sect and Shanhe World. Ye Wenshu said she would not ally with the Buddhists and was willing to work with Jiang Sheng, joking that he was better-looking than Faxian.

• Jiang Sheng unleashed a sword of the Dao, and Faxian and Fazhen joined forces to stop it, only to realize he had targeted Ye Wenshu rather than them.
• Faxian and Fazhen returned to True Enlightenment Temple and discovered that Ye Wenshu and the Golden Palace Mysterious Lady were gone.
• On Willow Mountain, Jiang Sheng met Ye Wenshu and asked whether she had agreed to join forces with the Buddhist Sect.
• Jiang Sheng argued that Panfeng World and Shanhe World should settle their conflict within the family, and Ye Wenshu acknowledged Panfeng World’s past aggression.
• Ye Wenshu said she would not collude with the Buddhist Sect and was willing to work with Jiang Sheng because he was better-looking than Faxian.

Jiang Sheng returned to Heavenly Demon Palace and discussed the growing crisis in Panfeng World with Yu Yi, who planned to join Xuanmen against True Enlightenment Temple. Above the separated world, the three Dao-Ruling True Yang cultivators reflected on the limits of their search beyond the Chaos Void as conflict below neared.

• Yu Yi welcomed Jiang Sheng and learned that he had met the Golden Palace Mysterious Lady in Origin Continent.
• Yu Yi showed Jiang Sheng the battle in Flame Continent and explained that Kong Zhen and Jin Qiong were keeping Jue Kong occupied.
• Jiang Sheng warned Yu Yi that True Enlightenment Temple also had Juezhen, while Yu Yi said she intended to join Xuanmen and bring down a Bodhi Buddha Child.
• Jiang Sheng sensed Calamity Aura gathering toward Mystic Continent and Ancestral Province, and Yu Yi gave him a jade slip with her plans.
• In Pan Palace, Jinjue Buddha asked Daoist Lord Shangyang about his travels beyond the Chaos Void, and Shangyang said he had found no other universe in ten thousand years.
• Daoist Lord Shangyang urged Jinjue Buddha and the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor to focus on the coming disturbances among the younger cultivators.

Jiang Sheng and Yu Yi devised a plan to obscure the heavenly secrets and lure Fazhen and Fakong away so they could attack Faxian at True Enlightenment Temple. Ye Wenshu agreed to join Jiang Sheng for this strike, and Xuanyi and Lingwei completed the spell that would conceal the celestial signs for five days.

• Kong Zhen and Jin Qiong received Yu Yi’s plan and agreed that it was feasible.
• Jiang Sheng told Xuanyi and Lingwei that he supported the plan to draw Fazhen and Fakong deep into Flame Continent while Taiyi Primordial Spirits attacked Faxian.
• Jiang Sheng sent Xie Shu to Ancestral Province with a message asking Ye Wenshu to join him in eliminating Faxian.
• Ye Wenshu agreed to cooperate with Jiang Sheng alone for this operation, and Li Shubai and Lin Renxian supported the decision.
• After more than forty days of preparations, Xuanyi and Lingwei concealed the celestial signs from Corridor-Screen Mountain, creating a five-day window for the plan.

Ye Wenshu and Jiang Sheng attacked Faxian at True Enlightenment Temple while Fakong and Fazhen remained occupied on Flame Continent. Faxian survived Ye Wenshu’s first strike but was badly wounded by Jiang Sheng’s Heaven-Cutting sword, then faced their next attack.

• Fahui detected that the violent celestial signs had dimmed, and Fahua warned the other temples to be cautious.
• Fakong and Fazhen drove Kong Zhen and Jin Qiong’s exhausted Demon Race forces toward collapse on Flame Continent.
• Yu Yi revealed that the demon army’s retreat had drawn Fakong and Fazhen away while Jiang Sheng and Ye Wenshu moved to attack Faxian.
• Faxian sensed danger at True Enlightenment Temple, but Ye Wenshu appeared and struck him with her Lingxiao Sword Strike.
• Jiang Sheng followed with Heaven-Cutting, forcing Faxian to sacrifice three magical treasures and costing him two fingers.
• Jiang Sheng sent two sword lights toward the wounded Faxian and told him to enter nirvana.

Jiang Sheng and Ye Wenshu killed Faxian and destroyed the True Enlightenment Temple, then Jiang Sheng set a trap near the Flame Continent. Jin Qiong and Kong Zhen intercepted Fakong and Fazhen, and Kong Zhen warned Fazhen that Faxian was likely already dead.

• Jiang Sheng and Ye Wenshu overwhelmed Faxian; before dying, Faxian warned Fazhen and Fakong that danger had broken out behind them.
• Jiang Sheng sent Faxian’s remaining true spirit into reincarnation, then demolished the True Enlightenment Temple while sparing its monks and novices.
• Ye Wenshu returned to the Ancestral Province, while Jiang Sheng traveled to the border of the Origin Continent and the Flame Continent and planted four swords to prepare an ambush.
• Jin Qiong intercepted Fakong above the Flame Continent and attacked him with her golden feathers and wings.
• Kong Zhen confronted Fazhen and used the Five-Element Extinction Divine Light against his Prajna Wisdom Sword.
• Kong Zhen told Fazhen that Faxian would have entered final extinction before Fazhen could return, and Fazhen decided he and Fakong had to withdraw.

Fakong and Fazhen tried to retreat from Flame Continent after trouble struck True Enlightenment Temple, triggering battles across the other fronts. At the border with Origin Continent, Jiang Sheng trapped them in a Four Symbols Sword formation and invited them to face their tribulation.

• Fakong and Fazhen received word that True Enlightenment Temple was in danger and began retreating while calling for aid from their allies.
• Fahui, Fahua, and Fading attacked Xuanyi and Lingwei on Mystic Continent, while Fajing and Fayi pressed Guanghe and Juezhen on Gathering Grotto Continent.
• Kong Zhen and Jin Qiong pursued Fakong and Fazhen for days, preventing them from escaping Flame Continent.
• Fakong and Fazhen reached the border between Flame Continent and Origin Continent and sensed danger in the surrounding clouds and mist.
• Jiang Sheng revealed himself and formed the Four Symbols Sword formation around Fakong and Fazhen.

Jiang Sheng trapped Fakong and Fazhen in his sword formation and struck them with the Four Swords. After the four sword lights fell, he put away the formation and left, while their fate remained unclear.

• Jiang Sheng trapped Fakong and Fazhen in the completed sword formation, leaving them unable to see or sense the world outside it.
• Fazhen failed to find a way through the formation, and he and Fakong prepared to fight for their lives.
• Jiang Sheng told Kong Zhen and Jin Qiong that he had fulfilled his promise to the Heavenly Demon Palace, and they departed for Mystic Continent.
• Jiang Sheng declared that Fakong and Fazhen could leave if they survived the four sword strikes, then sent the Azure Sword at them.
• Fakong and Fazhen manifested their Dharma Images against the Azure, Purple, Vermilion, and Black Swords, but their luminous manifestations cracked as the four swords fell.
• Jiang Sheng put away the swords and formation diagram and left, with only crumbling wisdom light and spiritual light remaining in the air.

Jiang Sheng saved a grandfather and granddaughter from a demon in war-ravaged Flame Continent, then confronted the little girl’s belief that immortals had long vanished. Her words made him recognize that he had never truly experienced ordinary human life, and he asked whether she wanted to save people.

• Jiang Sheng saw a Foundation Establishment demon threaten an old man and his granddaughter, then killed it with a streak of light.
• The old man thanked Jiang Sheng and begged him to save the girl, but she refused to kneel and insisted that there had long been no immortals in the world.
• Jiang Sheng reflected on the Divine Path and realized that he had never truly experienced the mortal world or understood what ordinary people endured.
• Jiang Sheng asked the little girl if she wanted to save people, and she solemnly said that she did.

Jiang Sheng left a double named Yuchen on Flame Continent to teach Bright Moon and protect mortals from the demons and the battles of immortals. After explaining his choice to Lin Fan, Jiang Sheng reaffirmed that he would save as many people as he could to find peace with himself.

• Jiang Sheng gave the girl a Green Lotus Seed and left her to plant it and learn the arts.
• The seed grew into azure lotuses, from which Yuchen True Person appeared and agreed to teach the girl, Bright Moon, while they traveled to save people.
• Yuchen True Person and Bright Moon became known across Flame Continent for curing the sick, driving back demons, and easing suffering.
• Jiang Sheng sent Yuchen Buddhist teachings and magical treasures so his double could protect Flame Continent's people.
• Jiang Sheng settled the old man in Yingzhou and began cultivating in seclusion, but Lin Fan soon came to visit him.
• Jiang Sheng told Lin Fan that he would save as many people as he could, even if he could save only one.

Jiang Sheng explained to Lin Fan how the suffering of ordinary people in Panfeng World had unsettled him and led him to follow his heart as a protector. After realizing Jiang Sheng had found his Dao, Lin Fan watched him set out to end the world’s long-running turmoil.

• Jiang Sheng told Lin Fan that cultivators should not harm ordinary people and that the fighting in Panfeng World had disturbed him.
• Jiang Sheng described how practicing the Divine Path, reading Buddhist scriptures, and cultivating immortal arts had helped him follow his own nature.
• Lin Fan recalled Heavenly Emperor Donghua’s teachings and realized Jiang Sheng had found his Dao in his Dao Heart and Pure Yang nature.
• Lin Fan recognized the nascent Dao Fruit behind Jiang Sheng and understood that Jiang Sheng stood close to entering the Upper Three Realms.
• Jiang Sheng left to end the turmoil in Panfeng World after more than twenty years of fighting.

Fahui analyzed Hengsha World’s deteriorating position and sent Fading to Gathering Grotto Continent to negotiate with two Buddhist defectors. He then faced Xuanyi, Lingwei, Kong Zhen, and Jin Qiong alone on Mystic Continent, where his Meditative Suppression overwhelmed Jin Qiong.

• Fahui questioned how the Demon Race had reached Origin Continent and concluded that Ye Wenshu had joined Xuanmen, leaving Shanhe World poised to control six continents.
• Fahui sent Fading to Gathering Grotto Continent to offer the Jinchan Temple and Tianlong Temple cultivators forgiveness if they returned.
• Fahui assured Fahua that the four opposing Taiyi Primordial Spirit Realm cultivators could not escape his control.
• Fahui faced Xuanyi, Lingwei, Kong Zhen, and Jin Qiong alone on Mystic Continent.
• Jin Qiong charged Fahui with her Flowing-Fire Brilliant-Gold Spear, but his Meditative Suppression extinguished her sunfire and brought his palm down over her head.

Jiang Sheng arrived as Fahui held off Kong Zhen, Xuanyi, and Ling Wei, and his Wind-Calamity Sword struck Fahui’s golden bell barrier hard enough to crack it. Jiang Sheng identified himself to Fahui as Ling Yuan and greeted him.

• Fahui subdued Jinqiong with one palm and collected her into his golden alms bowl.
• Kong Zhen attacked Fahui with the Five-Element Annihilation Divine Radiance while Xuanyi and Ling Wei joined in, but Fahui shielded himself with a golden bell barrier.
• Kong Zhen asked when Ling Yuan would arrive, and Xuanyi and Ling Wei explained that Jiang Sheng was still in seclusion.
• Jiang Sheng arrived from beyond ten thousand li and struck Fahui’s golden bell barrier with the Wind-Calamity Sword, leaving a crack in it.
• Fahui recognized Jiang Sheng as Ling Yuan of the Penglai Dao Sect, and Jiang Sheng gave him a Daoist salute.

Jiang Sheng and Fahui agreed to settle the strife between their worlds with a duel, drawing the attention of cultivators across both worlds and three Dao-Ruling True Yang figures. As their battle raged across the sky, Jiang Sheng unleashed the Heaven-Cutting sword strike against Fahui.

• Jiang Sheng told Fahui he wanted their victory or defeat to end the conflict and spare ordinary people from further calamity.
• Fahui accepted Jiang Sheng's wager, and the two flew into the sky to begin their battle.
• Daoist Lord Shangyang, the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor, and Jinjue Buddha watched the duel as cultivators from both worlds followed it.
• Jiang Sheng and Fahui exchanged powerful sword techniques and Buddhist defenses across the heavens, leaving the onlookers unable to judge who held the advantage.
• Jiang Sheng's Qingping Sword gathered the power of the four phenomena, and he struck Fahui with Heaven-Cutting.

Bright Moon and Daoist Yuchen traveled through Flame Continent, where Jiang Sheng and Fahui’s battle wiped out a demon kingdom’s rulers and evildoers. On Gathering Grotto Continent, Fading tried to draw Guanghe and Juezhen back to Hengsha World, but their negotiations were interrupted when the monks recognized Jiang Sheng fighting Fahui overhead.

• Bright Moon and Daoist Yuchen reached a demon kingdom where nobles incited townspeople to attack them, and Bright Moon panicked as Daoist Yuchen watched.
• Jiang Sheng and Fahui noticed the demon kingdom during their battle, and Fahui’s wisdom light sent its great demons to reincarnation while Jiang Sheng’s thunder destroyed the other demons and evildoers.
• Daoist Yuchen told Bright Moon that his true self was fighting a gifted practitioner of Mahayana Buddhist doctrine, and Bright Moon watched the battle in awe.
• Fading arrived at Lingjue Temple and urged Guanghe and Juezhen to reunite with Hengsha World, citing the Buddhist Sect’s shared lineage and warning that Xuanmen and the Divine Path might join forces.
• Thunder interrupted Fading’s appeal, and Fajing, Fayi, and the others recognized Fahui fighting Lingyuan of Shanhe World in the sky.

Jiang Sheng and Fahui’s duel across three continents deepened their understanding of each other’s arts, while Guanghe escaped Fading’s verbal Zen. Jiang Sheng unveiled the second form of his Heaven-Cutting Sword, Severing Time, and its strike threatened to cut away Fahui’s true essence and lifespan.

• Fajing and Fayi recognized Penglai Lingyuan as the combatant and realized that Jiang Sheng and Fahui had been fighting across continents for days.
• Guanghe and Juezhen awoke from Fading’s verbal Zen, and Guanghe proposed that the duel in the sky decide the winner.
• Fahui attacked Jiang Sheng with a golden swastika seal, and Jiang Sheng countered with five-element true thunder.
• Jiang Sheng revealed that the Heaven-Cutting Sword had a second form and explained that he had comprehended Severing Time during his duel with Fahui.
• Jiang Sheng brought down Severing Time, and Fahui sensed that the strike could sever his true essence and take half his lifespan.

Jiang Sheng defeated Fahui in the Panfeng wager duel, securing Gathering Grotto Continent for Shanhe World. The three Dao-Wielding True Yangs agreed on how the Three Realms would be arranged and set their merger for a hundred years later.

• Jiang Sheng won the duel against Fahui, and Fahui conceded the wager and ordered Fading, Fajing, and Fayi to withdraw from Gathering Grotto Continent.
• Jiang Sheng returned to Mystic Continent after Guanghe thanked him, while Guanghe told Juezhen that Jiang Sheng would likely be their generation’s foremost figure.
• Jinjue Buddha, Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor, and Daoist Lord Shangyang approved the juniors’ wager and discussed the Three Realms’ merger.
• The three Dao-Wielding True Yangs divided the merged world’s continents and established plans for the Heavenly Court, the Underworld, and the major factions.
• The three Dao-Wielding True Yangs agreed that the Three Realms would merge in a hundred years.

At a celebratory banquet aboard the Three Mysteries Dharma Boat, Jiang Sheng, Xuanyi, and Ling Wei discussed the Three Realms’ coming merger and their sense that the recent Great Calamity was only a prelude. After the others planned to return to their worlds, Jiang Sheng decided to spend the next hundred years traveling through Panfeng World and experiencing mortal life.

• Xuanyi and Ling Wei reflected on how the wagered battle had ended and discussed the pressure of the two True Yang bearers of the Dao.
• Xuanyi and Ling Wei concluded that the Three Realms’ merger was only the beginning and sensed that a greater calamity had been postponed.
• Ling Wei asked Jiang Sheng what he planned to do during the hundred years before the Three Realms merged.
• Jiang Sheng said he would travel through Panfeng World and experience mortal life to temper his state of mind.
• After the banquet, Jiang Sheng bade the others farewell and departed.