Chapter Summaries

Grand Supreme Laozi tried to persuade Qin Xuan to go to Zixiao Palace and discuss the Investiture of the Gods, but Qin Xuan used the request to bargain for a treasure. The chapter ended with Grand Supreme Laozi refusing to give up his Heaven and Earth Xuanhuang Exquisite Pagoda.

• Grand Supreme Laozi told Qin Xuan that Dao Ancestor Hongjun wanted him at Zixiao Palace to discuss the coming tribulation.
• Qin Xuan considered how to undermine Hongjun's plan while using the tribulation to strengthen the Earthly Dao and Human Dao.
• Qin Xuan questioned whether Grand Supreme Laozi could protect him from Hongjun at Zixiao Palace and said his siblings could not be disturbed from their cultivation.
• Grand Supreme Laozi urged Qin Xuan to state his conditions, and Qin Xuan asked for the Heaven and Earth Xuanhuang Exquisite Pagoda.
• Grand Supreme Laozi sprang to his feet and declared that giving up the pagoda was impossible.

Qin Xuan persuaded Grand Supreme Laozi to trade the Heaven and Earth Xuanhuang Exquisite Pagoda for a promise to protect Xuan Du during the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation, while planting ambition in Laozi to strengthen the Dao Sect. He then went to the Netherworld and proposed that Pingxin Niangniang use the tribulation to establish divine positions for the Earthly Dao.

• Grand Supreme Laozi refused to give Qin Xuan the Heaven and Earth Xuanhuang Exquisite Pagoda until Qin Xuan brought up Xuan Du’s safety.
• Qin Xuan promised Xuan Du would survive the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation, and Grand Supreme Laozi handed over the pagoda after asking for a Great Dao oath and being rebuffed.
• Qin Xuan privately urged Grand Supreme Laozi to recruit more disciples and become a true Dao Ancestor before departing.
• Grand Supreme Laozi returned to the Eight Views Palace and used a palace lantern to suppress the Dao Sect’s destiny in place of the pagoda.
• Qin Xuan met Pingxin Niangniang in the Netherworld and proposed establishing divine positions for the Earthly Dao during the Investiture of the Gods.

Pingxin and Qin Xuan discussed how the Earth Dao could appoint divine offices, and Qin Xuan proposed using the Investiture of the Gods after refining it with Earth Dao power. Pingxin agreed to retrieve it when the time was right, then insisted Qin Xuan accompany her to visit Zhen Yuanzi.

• Nether River told Pingxin that Qin Xuan’s proposal and her decision must be correct, pleasing her before he left the hall.
• Qin Xuan proposed using Zhen Yuanzi’s Book of Earth for the Earth Dao’s investiture and refining the Investiture of the Gods with Earth Dao power.
• Pingxin eagerly prepared to go to Zixiao Palace to take the Investiture of the Gods, but Qin Xuan persuaded her to wait until a Heavenly Dao Saint received it.
• Pingxin agreed to accompany Qin Xuan when they later persuaded the Saint holding the Investiture of the Gods to hand it over.
• Qin Xuan planned to visit Hongjun while Pingxin went to Zhen Yuanzi, but Pingxin grabbed his arm and insisted he accompany her to Zhen Yuanzi.

Qin Xuan toured the Eighteen Levels of Hell with Pingxin, where he discovered Duke Dong was chanting punished souls into annihilation and learned how the Witch Clan had long evaded the Underworld’s rules. After catching a disturbing glimpse of Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun cultivating together, Qin Xuan left for Zixiao Palace, while Pingxin secretly followed to stand ready to protect him.

• Qin Xuan saw Duke Dong chanting over a tortured soul until it collapsed and dispersed, and Pingxin confirmed that this was how he tried to save souls.
• Qin Xuan learned that the Witch Clan and later Witch-Humans had been exempted from Meng Po’s soup and the Eighteen Levels of Hell, leaving the Ten Yama Kings with a vast backlog of irregular cases.
• Qin Xuan used a wisp of Divine Sense to see Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun sitting face-to-face with their palms pressed together, then pretended not to know what their relationship was.
• Qin Xuan told Pingxin he would visit Zixiao Palace, and she warned him to be careful.
• After Qin Xuan vanished into the Primordial Chaos, Pingxin concealed her aura and followed him to the edge of the Primordial World's barrier, ready to intervene if he faced danger.

After Yuanshi Tianzun recalled his disciples from the Heavenly Court, he explained the coming Investiture of the Gods Tribulation and blamed Haotian for bringing it about. Yuanshi Tianzun, Grand Supreme Laozi, and Tongtian then struck Haotian in succession, while Jieyin and Zhunti considered joining in.

• Yuanshi Tianzun returned to Jade Void Palace with the Eleven Golden Immortals and told them the Dao Ancestor had decreed the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation.
• Yuanshi Tianzun warned Guang Chengzi and the other disciples that they might die and have their True Spirits placed on the Investiture of the Gods, then promised to find a way to protect them.
• Yuanshi Tianzun struck Haotian in the Lingxiao Treasure Hall and announced that Haotian had disrespected a saint and must be punished.
• Grand Supreme Laozi struck Haotian too, embedding him in the floor, and Tongtian secretly delivered another blow that nearly flattened him.
• Yuanshi Tianzun wondered whether someone was impersonating him, while Zhunti suggested that he and Jieyin help Haotian dispel his karmic burden.

Jieyin persuaded Zhunti to avoid challenging Haotian, while Tongtian and Pingxin’s impersonations made the Primordial World believe Yuanshi Tianzun had struck Haotian three times. Yuanshi plotted to shift his disciples’ tribulation onto new disciples, and Qin Xuan confronted Hongjun over the coming Investiture of the Gods Tribulation.

• Jieyin warned Zhunti that imitating the Eastern saints would bring Haotian’s grudge upon the Western Sect, and Zhunti accepted his advice.
• Pingxin sensed Tongtian’s impersonation of Yuanshi Tianzun and impersonated Yuanshi herself to make a third declaration against Haotian.
• Yuanshi Tianzun realized someone was impersonating him but stayed silent to protect his reputation, then suspected Jieyin and Zhunti and considered making new disciples bear the killing tribulation instead of Guang Chengzi and the others.
• Jieyin and Zhunti feared they were about to take the blame for someone else, while Qin Xuan mocked Hongjun over Haotian’s humiliation.
• Hongjun asked Qin Xuan to discuss the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation, and Qin Xuan angrily challenged him for making an unreasonable demand despite knowing Qin Xuan controlled humanity’s fate.

Qin Xuan negotiated with Hongjun over the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation and used Hongjun’s fear of disrupting it to secure four Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures. Hongjun agreed that Mystic Gate disciples could enter human territory only if they did not attack mortals, and Qin Xuan held out his hand for the treasures.

• Hongjun tried to morally pressure Qin Xuan into allowing the tribulation, but Qin Xuan argued that Hongjun could resolve it by killing the Chan Sect Golden Immortals responsible.
• Hongjun threatened that the tribulation would sweep through the human race, so Qin Xuan stood to leave and promised to send Mystic Gate disciples who entered human territory to the Investiture of the Gods.
• Hongjun realized that Qin Xuan’s opposition could prevent the tribulation from unfolding and hurried to stop him, asking what it would take to reach an agreement.
• Qin Xuan demanded ten Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures, then negotiated down to four after Hongjun offered three and insisted that four was his limit.
• Qin Xuan asked Hongjun to forbid Mystic Gate disciples from attacking mortals, and Hongjun agreed before Qin Xuan held out his palm for the treasures.

Qin Xuan left Zixiao Palace with four Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures after making Hongjun promise to restrain the Mystic Gate disciples in human territory. Hongjun summoned the saints to discuss the Investiture of the Gods, but their meeting began with Yuanshi Tianzun and Tongtian quarrelling before Hongjun asked how their discussions had progressed.

• Hongjun gave Qin Xuan four Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures and agreed to restrain his disciples from committing evil in human territory.
• After Qin Xuan left, Hongjun summoned all the saints to Zixiao Palace to discuss the Investiture of the Gods.
• Zhunti and Tongtian taunted Yuanshi Tianzun over his attacks on Haotian, and Yuanshi and Tongtian nearly came to blows.
• Grand Supreme Laozi intervened and stopped Yuanshi Tianzun and Tongtian from fighting, while Jieyin and Zhunti watched with satisfaction.
• Hongjun appeared before the saints, asked how their discussions had gone, and heard Tongtian address him as Dao Ancestor rather than Teacher.

The saints argued over who should enter the Investiture of the Gods, then agreed that disciples’ fates and abilities would determine who survived the tribulation. Hongjun revealed that a flying-bear omen would identify the one destined to lead the tribulation and introduced the God-Beating Whip, leaving the saints eager to claim its power.

• Grand Supreme Laozi refused to put Xuan Du on the list, and Hongjun gave him no response.
• Yuanshi Tianzun wrote dozens of nominal Chan Sect disciples onto the Investiture of the Gods, then clashed with Tongtian over whether their disciples should be sent onto it.
• Jieyin proposed letting each disciple’s strength and fate decide whether they survived or entered the list, and Grand Supreme Laozi, Yuanshi Tianzun, and Tongtian agreed.
• Hongjun accepted the proposal and said the one destined to preside over the tribulation would be marked by a flying-bear omen at birth.
• Hongjun presented the God-Beating Whip and explained that its wielder could command the deities on the Investiture of the Gods.

Hongjun announced that the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation would begin in a hundred years and would grant its key treasures to the sect destined to fill the list. As the sects prepared, Yuanshi Tianzun ordered the Chan Sect to target the Jie Sect, while Yuanshi and Grand Supreme Laozi began discussing their plans.

• Zhunti pleaded with Hongjun to give the Investiture of the Gods and God-Beating Whip to the West, while Yuanshi Tianzun and Grand Supreme Laozi objected.
• Tongtian decided to seek Daoist Qin Xuan’s help in seizing the treasures, and Hongjun declared that the destined sect would receive them before announcing the tribulation’s start in a hundred years.
• Yuanshi Tianzun ordered the Chan Sect disciples to send every Jie Sect disciple onto the Investiture, put Guang Chengzi in charge, and told them to search for the person bearing the appearance of a flying bear.
• Grand Supreme Laozi warned Grand Master Xuan Du to stay safe during the tribulation and to call on him or silently recite Dao Venerable’s title if danger arose.
• Yuanshi Tianzun visited Grand Supreme Laozi on Shouyang Mountain and asked about his plans for the tribulation; Grand Supreme Laozi said he would govern through nonaction and let nature take its course.

Yuanshi Tianzun persuaded Grand Supreme Laozi to appear united against Tongtian during the coming Investiture of the Gods Tribulation, though Laozi kept his commitment deliberately vague. Qin Xuan returned to the Three Immortal Islands, reassured Nuwa about the human race, and then received a visit from Tongtian.

• Yuanshi Tianzun warned Grand Supreme Laozi that Tongtian and the Western Sages might become threats, and urged the brothers to join forces.
• Grand Supreme Laozi gave Yuanshi Tianzun a noncommittal reply that Yuanshi took as agreement, then Yuanshi left Shouyang Mountain and looked toward the West.
• Qin Xuan returned to the Three Immortal Islands and met Nuwa, who had emerged from seclusion worried about the human race.
• Qin Xuan told Nuwa that a tribulation centered on the human race was coming and explained how the Sages' disciples might be entered on the Investiture of the Gods.
• Nuwa took comfort in Qin Xuan's protection, and Tongtian arrived to pay Qin Xuan a visit.

Qin Xuan warned Tongtian that keeping the Jie Sect disciples secluded would not protect them from traps and the confusion of the tribulation. Tongtian accepted Qin Xuan as his brother and agreed to send Duobao and the others to the human race, while Qin Xuan considered entering the struggle by reincarnating as Di Xin.

• Qin Xuan cautioned Tongtian that the Investiture of the Gods would pit the Jie Sect against the Chan Sect, but Tongtian said he had ordered his disciples to stay in seclusion.
• Qin Xuan explained that Jie Sect disciples might descend from their mountains to avenge endangered followers and be ambushed by the Chan Sect.
• Tongtian argued that his connection to his disciples would let him sense danger, but Nuwa and Qin Xuan warned that other Saints and tribulation qi could obscure the heavenly secrets.
• Tongtian admitted his plan was flawed, asked Qin Xuan for guidance, and was deeply moved when Qin Xuan called him his brother.
• Qin Xuan urged Tongtian to have Duobao and the others go to the human race proactively, and Tongtian agreed.
• Qin Xuan considered reincarnating as Di Xin to take part in the tribulation while keeping his true self behind the scenes.

After decades of preparation for the Investiture of the Gods, Jiang Ziya and Shen Gongbao met on the road to Kunlun and were both accepted as disciples by Yuanshi Tianzun. Yuanshi Tianzun then left for Zixiao Palace to seek Hongjun over the Magic Treasures.

• Qin Xuan arranged matters with the Twelve Ancestral Witches, then went to the Underworld with Pingxin and entered the Six Paths of Reincarnation after giving up a drop of heart’s essence blood.
• Jiang Ziya was born in Lü under a flying-bear omen, but his family had fallen into ruin and he spent years wandering and failing to find an immortal master.
• Near Kunlun Mountain, Shen Gongbao saved Jiang Ziya from a demon and persuaded him to travel together.
• After several years on the road, Jiang Ziya and Shen Gongbao reached Kunlun and knelt at its mountain gate to seek the Dao.
• Yuanshi Tianzun recognized both men as destined figures, accepted them as disciples, and gave them the Jade Pure Immortal Art.
• Yuanshi Tianzun left for Zixiao Palace to find Hongjun, while White Crane Boy led Jiang Ziya and Shen Gongbao away to arrange their lodging.

Shen Gongbao was assigned a crude cave by the prejudiced White Crane Boy, then silently tied black threads around White Crane Boy's fortune. White Crane Boy suffered a lightning strike and lost both arms before Guang Chengzi finally recognized him, while Shen Gongbao watched from below.

• White Crane Boy gave Jiang Ziya an elegant cave on Kunlun Mountain but assigned Shen Gongbao a remote stone cave at the foot of the mountain.
• Shen Gongbao challenged White Crane Boy's biased arrangement and silently wound black threads around his fortune.
• White Crane Boy flew toward Jade Void Palace and was struck by lightning, then fell into a crater and crawled out charred.
• A flying blade severed White Crane Boy's right arm, and Guang Chengzi arrived and mistook him for a demon.
• Guang Chengzi severed White Crane Boy's left arm before recognizing him, then stepped away as White Crane Boy described his misfortune.

Jiang Ziya left Kunlun Mountain after Yuanshi Tianzun told him he was destined to remain mortal, and he headed for Chaoge to assist an enlightened ruler. Meanwhile, Qin Xuan secretly gave Di Xin a system, which activated after Di Xin woke in the Primordial World and began cultivating through a mysterious golden figure in his Sea of Consciousness.

• Guang Chengzi fled after realizing White Crane Boy had been injured by his treasured blade, while White Crane Boy slowly made his way back toward Jade Void Palace.
• Yuanshi Tianzun concluded that Jiang Ziya could not cultivate because he bore the tribulation fortune of the calamity, and he later ordered Jiang Ziya to descend Kunlun Mountain.
• Jiang Ziya said farewell to Shen Gongbao, left Kunlun Mountain, and eventually set out for Chaoge to assist an enlightened ruler.
• Qin Xuan installed a task system in Di Xin, and he explained to Pingxin that he would provide its rewards himself.
• Di Xin woke in Chaoge believing he had transmigrated, then received the Investiture of the Gods System, its Nine Revolutions Profound Origin Technique, and protection from heavenly scrutiny.
• Di Xin discovered a golden figure in his Sea of Consciousness that was steadily raising his cultivation.

Di Xin learned that Queen Jiang had not yet borne him heirs and resolved to protect her and their future children, while Hongjun tried to push Jieyin and Zhunti into provoking Nuwa to start the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation. The brothers refused despite Hongjun’s punishment, leaving his plan stalled.

• Di Xin summoned Bi Gan to learn how far events had progressed and resolved to prevent his loyal ministers and generals from meeting their tragic fates.
• Queen Jiang came to check on Di Xin, and he embraced her and sought to conceive an heir after discovering Yin Jiao and Yin Hong had not yet been born.
• Hongjun noticed that the expected events around Di Xin and Nuwa had not unfolded as planned, so he stirred the heavenly secrets to alert Jieyin and Zhunti.
• Zhunti proposed clouding Di Xin’s mind during his visit to Nuwa Palace, but Jieyin warned him against provoking Nuwa, Qin Xuan, and the Twelve Ancestral Witches.
• Jieyin and Zhunti pretended to know nothing of the heavenly secrets, so Hongjun seized their Primordial Spirit imprints and tortured them.
• Jieyin and Zhunti endured Hongjun’s punishment without yielding, and Hongjun stopped because he could not kill them while bound by his karmic debt to the west.

Hongjun forced Yuanshi Tianzun to accept a task after Jieyin and Zhunti refused, while Nuwa discovered the plot against her in Qin Xuan’s Investiture of the Gods. In Chaoge, Di Xin reached court and questioned why he should personally honor Nuwa, just before the events of the book were due to unfold.

• Hongjun appeared in Jade Void Palace and pressured Yuanshi Tianzun into accepting his decree after Yuanshi tried to redirect him to Jieyin and Zhunti.
• Nuwa read the Investiture of the Gods, learned that Jieyin and Zhunti had plotted to provoke her through Di Xin, and considered Daji’s role in the coming events.
• Di Xin and Queen Jiang spent the night together, and Di Xin realized he had forgotten to ask her about the court’s situation.
• Shang Rong requested that Di Xin visit Nuwa Palace the next day to offer incense for Nuwa’s holy birthday.
• Di Xin asked what merit Nuwa had earned for the state to deserve a personal visit from the Son of Heaven.

At court, Di Xin refused to visit Nuwa Palace, citing the ancient demon race’s slaughter of humanity, while his ministers urged him to reconsider. A system mission then offered rewards for how he handled the visit, leaving Di Xin tempted by its treasures but wary of provoking Saints Jieyin and Zhunti.

• Di Xin rejected the officials’ concerns and forbade anyone from mentioning a visit to Nuwa Palace, shocking the court with his account of the demon race’s slaughter of humanity.
• Bi Gan remonstrated with Di Xin and urged him to withdraw the decree and offer incense at Nuwa Palace, and the other officials joined him in pleading.
• A system mission appeared, offering rewards for visiting Nuwa Palace and responding to the Saint’s plot in different ways.
• Di Xin considered the He Tu Luo Shu and Primordial Chaos Heaven Measuring Ruler rewards but worried that exposing the masterminds would mean offending Jieyin and Zhunti.

After learning from Bigan that Dao Venerable Qin Xuan had radically changed the Primordial World’s history, Di Xin reconsidered his potential allies and planned his next steps. He led the court to Nuwa Palace, where a sudden gust revealed Nuwa’s statue and Queen Jiang stabbed him with a jade hairpin as instructed.

• Di Xin questioned Bigan about ancient history and was stunned by how much the Primordial World differed from his memories.
• Di Xin realized Qin Xuan’s arrival had altered history and considered Qin Xuan and the human-protective Nuwa potential allies.
• Queen Jiang brought Di Xin porridge, then left him to think; that night, she and Di Xin discussed matters at length.
• The next day, Di Xin and Queen Jiang led the court in a grand procession to Nuwa Palace.
• A gust lifted the curtain from Nuwa’s statue, and Queen Jiang followed Di Xin’s instructions by stabbing him in the buttocks with a jade hairpin.

Di Xin resisted the spell compelling him to insult Nuwa and secretly changed the poem’s meaning while the Western Sages saw the original. Nuwa tracked down Jieyin and Zhunti and confronted them in the void.

• Queen Jiang entered Nuwa Palace under an illusion as Di Xin prepared to write, while Yuanshi Tianzun concealed his presence and left.
• Jieyin and Zhunti watched from afar, guessed that Yuanshi was behind the plot, and discussed telling Nuwa.
• Di Xin used a brush fitted with hidden barbs to pierce his hand and partially break free of the spell.
• Di Xin wrote a poem that praised Nuwa’s statue but blamed the Western Sages, while Jieyin and Zhunti saw the original insulting verse.
• Nuwa detected Jieyin and Zhunti, tore open the void, and appeared before them in fury.