Chapter Summaries

Hun Xiu first bluffed the Great Golden Crow into retreating, but the Queen Mother persuaded the Jade Emperor to send them back to arrest Yao Ji. When the Great Golden Crow attacked Hun Xiu, Hun Xiu revealed overwhelming power and sent him crashing to the ground.

• Hun Xiu confidently claimed to be Yao Ji’s husband and frightened the Great Golden Crow into withdrawing with Tianpeng and the soldiers.
• Hun Chan praised Hun Xiu, while Yao Ji questioned whether her husband was truly mortal; Hun Xiu reassured her and promised to protect the family.
• The Great Golden Crow and Tianpeng reported their retreat to the Jade Emperor, and the Queen Mother argued that Hun Xiu was probably no expert.
• The Jade Emperor ordered the Great Golden Crow and Tianpeng to arrest Yao Ji despite the uncertainty about Hun Xiu’s strength.
• After several days, the Great Golden Crow and Tianpeng returned to Guanjiang Estuary with soldiers, and Hun Xiu taunted the Great Golden Crow.
• Hun Xiu dispelled the Great Golden Crow’s aura, overwhelmed him with his own power, and sent him flying to the ground, where he spat blood.

Hun Xiu drove Great Golden Crow away with overwhelming pressure, while Yao Ji worried that the Heavenly Court would endanger her family and planned to plead with the Jade Emperor. After Great Golden Crow reported Hun Xiu’s strength, the Jade Emperor hesitated to retaliate, but the Queen Mother urged him to send more Golden Crows.

• Hun Xiu crushed Great Golden Crow with his pressure, warned him to tell the Jade Emperor not to provoke him, and let him leave with Tianpeng and the Heavenly troops.
• Yao Ji questioned Hun Xiu’s claim that he was a mortal, and Hun Xiu insisted that Great Golden Crow had simply been weak.
• Yao Ji told Hun Xiu she planned to go to Heaven and ask the Jade Emperor to spare her family, but Hun Xiu claimed he could destroy the Heavenly Court instantly.
• Great Golden Crow told the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother that Hun Xiu’s pressure had overwhelmed him and delivered Hun Xiu’s warning.
• The Jade Emperor questioned whether Hun Xiu was truly that strong and hesitated to act, while the Queen Mother urged him to send more Golden Crows.

After the Jade Emperor sent the Second, Third, and Fourth Golden Crows with Tianpeng to capture Yao Ji’s family, Hun Xiu effortlessly defeated them and sent them back to Heaven with a warning. Yao Ji realized she had badly underestimated Hun Xiu’s strength and could no longer understand him.

• The Queen Mother angered the Jade Emperor by suggesting he should bow his head to someone, and he ordered the Second, Third, and Fourth Golden Crows to capture Yao Ji’s family.
• Hun Xiu warned Yao Ji and the others that their pursuers had arrived as the three Golden Crows and Tianpeng appeared in the courtyard.
• Hun Xiu sent the Second Golden Crow flying with a single step, then trapped the Third and Fourth Golden Crows in an invisible magical storm.
• Tianpeng attacked Hun Xiu with his Nine-Toothed Rake, but the storm swept him up and destroyed his armor.
• Hun Xiu spared the four Heavenly Court warriors, warned them that the Jade Emperor had provoked someone he should not have, and sent them away in the storm.
• Yao Ji realized Hun Xiu was far stronger and more mysterious than she had believed.

Hun Xiu confronted the Jade Emperor in the Jade Pool, rejected a Great Emperor’s post, and warned the Heavenly Court to leave Yao Ji alone. The Jade Emperor then went to Primeval Lord of Heaven and secured his agreement to join a plan to kill Hun Xiu with Nuwa and Shakyamuni.

• The Jade Emperor saw Second Golden Crow, Third Golden Crow, Fourth Golden Crow, and Tianpeng return wounded, and Second Golden Crow admitted they could not defeat Hun Xiu.
• Hun Xiu appeared in the Jade Pool, introduced himself as Yao Ji’s man, and refused the Jade Emperor’s offer of a Great Emperor’s position, demanding the Jade Emperor’s throne instead.
• Hun Xiu warned the Jade Emperor not to target Yao Ji again, destroyed the Jade Pool with a surge of power, and left through a black hole.
• The Jade Emperor went to Jade Void Palace on Mount Kunlun and told Primeval Lord of Heaven that Hun Xiu was an unknown, unfathomable threat who had refused recruitment.
• The Jade Emperor proposed that he, Primeval Lord of Heaven, Nuwa, and Shakyamuni join forces to kill Hun Xiu, and Primeval Lord of Heaven agreed.

Jade Emperor Haotian gathered Primeval Lord of Heaven, Nuwa, and Shakyamuni to eliminate Hun Xiu, but Hun Xiu effortlessly defeated all four in Chaos. He held a giant foot above them as they lay helpless, leaving their lives in his hands.

• Primeval Lord of Heaven failed to divine who Hun Xiu was, while Haotian recruited Primeval Lord of Heaven, Nuwa, and Shakyamuni to confront him.
• Haotian restored the Jade Pool and waited as the three powerful figures arrived, then led them away to fight in Chaos.
• Hun Xiu sensed the group approaching, left Yao Ji at home, and confronted Haotian and his allies in Chaos.
• Haotian, Primeval Lord of Heaven, Nuwa, and Shakyamuni attacked together, but Hun Xiu's divine power overwhelmed them and left them barely alive.
• Hun Xiu mocked the defeated group and raised a gigantic foot over them, while Haotian and the others lay trapped and expected death.

Hun Xiu defeated Haotian, Nuwa, Primeval Lord of Heaven, and Shakyamuni, taking half of each of their divine souls and sparing them with a warning. Haotian went into seclusion and entrusted the Heavenly Court to the Queen Mother, who eagerly claimed the throne, while Hun Xiu returned to Yao Ji.

• Hun Xiu stopped his foot before crushing Haotian and the others, then extracted half of each of their divine souls and warned them not to provoke him again.
• After Hun Xiu left, the injured Haotian, Nuwa, Primeval Lord of Heaven, and Shakyamuni blamed Haotian for leading them into the fight and departed, wary of Hun Xiu.
• Haotian returned to the Heavenly Court, where the Queen Mother was shocked by his injuries, and he later announced that he would enter seclusion and leave its affairs to her.
• The Queen Mother sat on Haotian's throne and delighted in the authority she had long desired.
• Hun Xiu returned safely to Yao Ji at Soul Manor, boasted of his strength, and exchanged teasing remarks with her.

Hun Xiu told Yao Ji that he had defeated Haotian, Primeval Lord of Heaven, Nuwa, and Shakyamuni, but she doubted his claim. Meanwhile, the Queen Mother summoned the Five Extremes War Gods and six Golden Crows to seize Yao Ji’s family, and the Golden Crows realized the Five Extremes War Gods were being deployed.

• Hun Xiu told Yao Ji that he had defeated Haotian, Primeval Lord of Heaven, Nuwa, and Shakyamuni without killing them, but she struggled to believe him.
• The Queen Mother resolved to prove her ability to rule while Haotian was in seclusion and ordered the Five Extremes War Gods to assemble.
• The Queen Mother summoned the Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Golden Crows, along with the Little Golden Crow, to take down Yao Ji’s family.
• The Five Extremes War Gods arrived at the Jade Pool, and the Sky War God asked where Haotian was.
• The Queen Mother said Haotian had entrusted the Three Realms to her during his seclusion, and the Sky War God accepted her authority.
• The Six Great Golden Crows arrived and were surprised to see the Five Extremes War Gods gathered there.

The Queen Mother sent the Five Extremes War Gods and Six Great Golden Crows to capture Yao Ji, who surrendered to protect her children and was suppressed beneath Peach Mountain. After learning that Yao Ji's husband Hun Xiu was absent and her children were unharmed, the Queen Mother ordered the Five Extremes War Gods to execute them.

• The Five Extremes War Gods questioned the Six Great Golden Crows about Hun Xiu, then descended with them to Soul Manor and found Yao Ji with her three children.
• Yao Ji agreed to return to the Heavenly Court if the Five Extremes War Gods spared her children, gave Hun Jian her Celestial Eye, and left after shielding the siblings behind a barrier.
• The Queen Mother accused Yao Ji of breaking heavenly law, and when Yao Ji challenged her, the Queen Mother suppressed her beneath Peach Mountain.
• The Five Extremes War Gods told the Queen Mother they had not seen Hun Xiu and had spared the children as promised, so the Queen Mother ordered them to execute the three siblings.
• Little Golden Crow asked the Queen Mother to spare Aunt Yao Ji's sons.

Hun Xiu freed Yao Ji from Peach Mountain and left a decoy in her place, while the Five Extremes War Gods tried to kill her children. Hun Xiu secretly rescued the three siblings, and Queen Mother ordered the Six Great Golden Crows and one hundred thousand Heavenly Soldiers and Generals to search the Three Realms for them.

• Little Golden Crow asked Queen Mother to spare Yao Ji's children, but she insisted they had to die for violating Heavenly Laws.
• Hun Xiu appeared before Yao Ji beneath Peach Mountain, broke her restraints, and created a false Yao Ji to take her place.
• Hun Jian, Hun Jiao, and Hun Chan left Soul Manor to seek masters and grow stronger so they could rescue their mother.
• The Five Extremes War Gods found the siblings and announced Queen Mother's order to kill them, but Hun Xiu secretly whisked them away before the attack landed.
• The Five Extremes War Gods reported their failure, and Queen Mother ordered the Six Great Golden Crows to lead one hundred thousand Heavenly Soldiers and Generals in a search for the siblings.
• The siblings found themselves in a safe, unfamiliar place, and Hun Jian tentatively called out to ask whether their father had rescued them, but received no answer.

Hun Xiu secretly protected Hun Jian and his siblings as they grew into disciples of True Person Yuding and followed their destined adventures. After Haotian learned that the Queen Mother had imprisoned Yao Ji, he punished her and tried to free Yao Ji, but neither he nor the Queen Mother could break the chains.

• Hun Xiu kept Yao Ji from revealing themselves to Hun Jian and his siblings, saying they needed trials to grow.
• Hun Jian and his siblings became disciples of True Person Yuding, met Nezha, stirred up the East Sea, and obtained the Lotus Lantern while the Heavenly Court pursued them.
• After recovering, Haotian learned that the Queen Mother had captured Yao Ji, struck the Queen Mother, and ordered her imprisoned in the Cold Palace.
• Haotian ordered the Heavenly Court to stop pursuing Hun Jian and tried several times to break the chains binding Yao Ji, but failed.
• Haotian told the Queen Mother that Hun Xiu had defeated him, Primeval Lord of Heaven, Nuwa, and Shakyamuni, and urged her to release Yao Ji.
• At Peach Mountain, the Queen Mother tried to break Yao Ji's chains but failed and told Haotian she could not do it.

Haotian and the Queen Mother failed to free Yao Ji, while Haotian suspected an unseen power was manipulating events. When Hun Jian and his siblings tried to rescue their mother, a phantom of Haotian appeared from Peach Mountain and defeated them, leaving the real Haotian trapped and framed.

• The Queen Mother failed to break Yao Ji’s Heavenly Dao chains, and she and Haotian left Peach Mountain without freeing her.
• Haotian learned that Hun Xiu had vanished and that Hun Jian and his siblings were following the expected course, so he waited for the hidden force behind events to reveal itself.
• True Person Yuding told Hun Jian and his siblings that the Heavenly Court had withdrawn its warrant, but the three resolved to split Peach Mountain and rescue their mother.
• Hun Jian and his siblings failed to damage Peach Mountain, and a powerful phantom resembling Haotian emerged, suppressed them, and claimed to be the Jade Emperor.
• The phantom vanished, and Hun Jian and his siblings left to grow stronger while the real Haotian regained his freedom and called for the hidden power to appear.

Haotian discovered Hun Xiu was behind the events unfolding in the Three Realms and chose not to oppose him, while Hun Jian and his siblings trained and later distinguished themselves in the Mystic Sect war. In the High Cloud Palace, Haotian offered them a reward, but Hun Jian asked him to release Yao Ji, a request Haotian could not fulfill.

• Hun Xiu appeared before Haotian, claimed he was following the script Haotian had laid out, and warned him not to approach Peach Mountain.
• Haotian told Primeval Lord of Heaven, Nuwa, and Shakyamuni that Hun Xiu was guiding the story, and they agreed to let events proceed.
• Hun Jian and his siblings returned to True Person Yuding after failing to break open Peach Mountain, then chose to cultivate in seclusion.
• Hun Xiu told Yao Ji that their children needed hardship and strength of their own, while promising that nothing would happen to them.
• The Heavenly Court and the Mystic Sect joined forces in the Investiture of the Gods, where Hun Jian, Hun Jiao, and Hun Chan performed well.
• Haotian offered the siblings a reward, but when Hun Jian asked him to release Yao Ji, Haotian told him to choose something else.

Hun Xiu appeared before Haotian and announced that he intended to interfere in the Journey to the West. After Haotian told Primeval Lord of Heaven, Nuwa, and Shakyamuni, Shakyamuni concluded that none of them could change Hun Xiu’s decision.

• Hun Jian and his siblings left the High Cloud Palace, and Hun Xiu appeared there under a suppressive divine power.
• Hun Xiu revealed that he knew about the planned Journey to the West and said he wanted to interfere in it.
• Haotian agreed to discuss Hun Xiu’s request with Primeval Lord of Heaven, Nuwa, and Shakyamuni, then summoned them to the High Cloud Palace.
• Haotian told the others that Hun Xiu planned to interfere, and they reacted with shock before Primeval Lord of Heaven questioned how Hun Xiu had learned of their secret plan.
• Haotian said Hun Xiu might know everything they discussed, and the others turned to Shakyamuni for a decision.
• Shakyamuni realized their choices could not affect Hun Xiu’s decision and concluded that they had no choice but to accept their fate.

Hun Xiu forced the rulers of the Three Realms to accept changes to the Journey to the West, while Hun Jian failed to break Peach Mountain and free his mother. Years later, as Sun Wukong’s staged rise unfolded, Curtain Roller arrived at Hun Jian’s Soul Manor with an imperial decree.

• Hun Xiu appeared before Haotian, Primeval Lord of Heaven, Nuwa, and Shakyamuni, then ordered Hun Jian and Hun Jiao to replace Tianpeng and Curtain Roller on the Journey to the West, using their mother’s release as leverage.
• Hun Jian, Hun Jiao, and Hun Chan attacked Peach Mountain together, but it remained unharmed; True Person Yuding explained that only power beyond the Dao could split it, and Hun Jian collapsed in despair.
• True Person Yuding impersonated Subhuti, taught Sun Wukong, and expelled him, while the leaders of the Three Realms secretly arranged the monkey’s rise and havoc in Heaven.
• Nezha told Hun Jian at Soul Manor that Sun Wukong had wreaked havoc in Heaven, and Hun Jian questioned why Haotian had not stopped him.
• Curtain Roller arrived at Soul Manor carrying an imperial decree, surprising Nezha and prompting him to wonder what Haotian had planned for Hun Jian.

Hun Jian accepted Haotian’s decree to capture Sun Wukong after learning it might give him a chance to save his mother, then overwhelmed the monkey demon at Flower and Fruit Mountain. True Person Yuding arrived to prevent his disciples from killing each other, but found Hun Jian already fighting Sun Wukong and feared he might kill him.

• Curtain-Raising General told Hun Jian that capturing Sun Wukong could earn him an opportunity to save his mother, so Hun Jian accepted Haotian’s decree.
• Hun Jian brought Hun Jiao and Hun Chan to the Heavenly Court, where Haotian promised that success would give them a chance to rescue their mother.
• Hun Jian went alone to Flower and Fruit Mountain and easily blocked Sun Wukong’s attacks before forcing him to his knees with a powerful strike.
• True Person Yuding rushed to Flower and Fruit Mountain to stop Hun Jian and Sun Wukong, but encountered Hun Jiao and Hun Chan and learned Hun Jian was already below.
• True Person Yuding feared Hun Jian might have killed Sun Wukong and hurried to find out how the battle was going.

Hun Jian defeated Sun Wukong, then learned from True Person Yuding that Sun Wukong was his junior disciple and delivered him to the Heavenly Court. After Sun Wukong escaped the Eight Trigrams Furnace with new strength, he headed to the High Cloud Palace and struck Shakyamuni, who stood unharmed.

• Hun Jian defeated Sun Wukong, but True Person Yuding stopped him from killing the monkey and revealed that Sun Wukong was his disciple too.
• Hun Jian sealed Sun Wukong’s mana and delivered him to Jade Emperor Haotian, who handed him over to the Grand Supreme Elder.
• Hun Jian and True Person Yuding suspected the Buddhist Sect had arranged Sun Wukong’s Havoc in Heaven as part of a larger scheme.
• The Grand Supreme Elder put Sun Wukong in the Eight Trigrams Furnace, where he gained Fiery Golden Eyes and a body of bronze walls and iron bones after forty-nine heavenly days.
• Sun Wukong fought his way toward the High Cloud Palace and hit Shakyamuni on the head with his Golden Cudgel, but Shakyamuni was unharmed.

After Shakyamuni suppressed Sun Wukong beneath Five Elements Mountain, he prepared the Six-Eared Macaque to replace him. Five hundred years later, Sun Wukong joined the Journey to the West party, and the chapter ended when the real Sun Wukong and his impostor confronted each other.

• Sun Wukong spat on Shakyamuni, who suppressed him beneath Five Elements Mountain and vowed to make him pay.
• Shakyamuni named the Six-Eared Macaque Sun Wukong and trained him to replace the real Sun Wukong.
• During Sun Wukong’s five-hundred-year imprisonment, Hun Jian and his siblings failed to free their mother, while True Person Yuding visited Sun Wukong.
• Haotian promised to release Hun Jian and his siblings’ mother if they protected Tang Xuanzang and helped obtain the scriptures, so they joined the Journey to the West party and rescued Sun Wukong.
• Shakyamuni sent the Six-Eared Macaque, disguised as Sun Wukong, to replace him, and the two appeared together before Tang Xuanzang and his companions.
• The two Sun Wukongs fought, while Tang Xuanzang asked Hun Jian and his siblings which one was real.

Hun Jian led the two indistinguishable Sun Wukongs to Jade Spring Mountain, believing True Person Yuding could identify the real one. When they arrived at Golden Radiance Cave, Yuding’s calligraphy reading “Real” and “Fake” unsettled the counterfeit, who began to suspect that Yuding was a hidden expert.

• Hun Jian’s Celestial Eye and the Jade Emperor Haotian’s Monster-Revealing Mirror both failed to distinguish the two Sun Wukongs.
• The two Sun Wukongs visited several powerful figures, none of whom identified the real one, and then decided to seek Shakyamuni at Spirit Mountain.
• Hun Jian redirected them to Jade Spring Mountain, saying his Master could reveal which Sun Wukong was real.
• The real Sun Wukong recognized Subhuti as his Master and eagerly agreed to go, while the counterfeit accepted with confidence.
• At Golden Radiance Cave, True Person Yuding dropped a sheet bearing the words “Real” and “Fake,” making the counterfeit wonder whether Yuding was secretly powerful.

True Person Yuding exposed the fake Sun Wukong after he called him “Master,” and Hun Jian defeated the impostor when he tried to flee. The fake Sun Wukong remained defiant and insisted his name was Sun Wukong as Hun Jian tried to learn who was behind him.

• Hun Jian told True Person Yuding what had happened, and True Person Yuding realized one of the two Sun Wukongs was an impostor.
• True Person Yuding identified the fake Sun Wukong because he called him “Master” instead of “True Person.”
• Sun Wukong fought the fake Sun Wukong out of Golden Radiance Cave, but Hun Jian blocked the impostor’s escape and defeated him.
• Sun Wukong tried to kill the fake Sun Wukong, but Hun Jian stopped him so he could question the prisoner.
• Hun Jian asked who was behind the fake Sun Wukong and what his name was, but the impostor insisted his name was Sun Wukong.

The fake Sun Wukong was rescued by Shakyamuni, and the Journey to the West eventually reached Spirit Mountain. When Hun Jian, Hun Jiao, and Hun Chan went to collect Jade Emperor Haotian’s promised reward, he claimed Hun Xiu had secretly suppressed their mother, Yao Ji, provoking Hun Jian to attack him.

• Hun Chan suggested that the fake Sun Wukong might genuinely be named Sun Wukong, but Shakyamuni intervened and rescued him from Hun Jian and the others.
• Shakyamuni returned the failed fake Sun Wukong to his rear garden and gave him another chance to try again.
• Hun Jian and his companions completed the journey to Spirit Mountain, then Hun Jian, Hun Jiao, and Hun Chan went to the High Cloud Palace to demand that Jade Emperor Haotian fulfill his promise.
• Jade Emperor Haotian revealed that Hun Xiu was stronger than him and claimed that Hun Xiu, not Haotian, had suppressed Yao Ji.
• Hun Jian accused Haotian of slandering his father and thrust his blade at him.