Chapter Summaries

The Phoenix Ancestor coordinated the Phoenix Race’s plan to calm the Southern Blazing Divine Fire and redirect it through Immortality Volcano in The South. Nearly ten thousand years later, the eruption remained contained, and Jieyin and Junti left for Ancestor Hongjun’s second sermon, hoping the plan would succeed.

• The Phoenix Ancestor received reports from across the region and coordinated the clansmen and spirit flames at their assigned positions.
• After sensing a Hundun fluctuation, the Phoenix Ancestor transformed into a phoenix, carried the Southern Blazing Divine Fire seed into the volcano, and calmed the surrounding flames.
• The Phoenix Ancestor used the seed to draw scattered fire back into Immortality Volcano, then directed it to erupt from the volcano’s exit.
• Phoenix Race members carried fire seeds into other volcanoes, causing pillars of flame to erupt across the southern continent and making the Primordial Land tremble.
• Beings flocked to Immortality Volcano in The South to cultivate fire-related laws, while others found that the crisis was contained and would not spread.
• Nearly ten thousand years later, Jieyin and Junti saw the volcano’s condition, prayed for the Phoenix Ancestors’ plan to succeed, and headed to Heaven Beyond Heaven for Ancestor Hongjun’s second sermon.

Houtu attended Hongjun’s second sermon to learn about paths beyond the laws she and the other Ancestral Witches pursued. Hongjun explained the four methods of attaining sainthood and taught the Three Corpses path, leaving Laozi and many others choosing how to pursue their cultivation.

• Houtu considered why Di Kun Dao Ancestor’s mastery of multiple laws had surpassed the power of relying on a single law, while her siblings remained committed to their own paths.
• Hao Tian and Yaochi opened the Purple Cloud Palace, and the assembled beings entered for Hongjun’s second sermon.
• Hongjun explained the path of the Quasi-Saint and described four methods of attaining sainthood: the Grand Unity Dao Fruit, the Nascent Dao Fruit, Three Corpses Dao Attainment, and Merit Dao Attainment.
• Hongjun began teaching the Three Corpses method, and the Three Pure Ones and other listeners compared it with the path of the Grand Unity Dao Fruit.
• Laozi hesitated as he considered the Three Corpses path, then made up his mind and felt his mana begin to change.

Shen Yuan met Hongjun and Luohu, who explained that Pangu’s opening of heaven and earth had revealed the Great Dao for later cultivators to follow and transform. After realizing he had never needed to grant Hongjun the status of First Ancestor of the Dao, Shen Yuan left in anger, while Hongjun and Luohu discussed how the altered Dao and Demon Struggle might unfold.

• Shen Yuan recognized Luohu and asked why he and Hongjun had returned before the Canonization of the Gods.
• Hongjun and Luohu explained that Pangu’s creation had manifested the Great Dao, and that later cultivators could inherit and advance it by forging their own paths.
• Shen Yuan asked how the Three Pure Ones and Hongjun’s place as their teacher related to Taoism and the stories that reflected the Primordial Wilderness.
• Luohu advised Shen Yuan not to cling to appearances, and Shen Yuan realized that he had not needed to give Hongjun the status of First Ancestor of the Dao.
• Hongjun admitted he had accepted Shen Yuan’s gift, prompting Shen Yuan to curse him, drain his tea, and vanish.
• Luohu noted that the Dao and Demon Struggle had changed in this life, and Hongjun and Luohu agreed to let events unfold naturally.

Shen Yuan reconnected with Di Kun and Wen Xuan, and they shared memories that helped the two understand their progress and the role of other variables. Di Kun then used Shen Yuan’s Chaos Energy to begin transforming five clumps of Essence Blood through the Five Paths of Reincarnation.

• Shen Yuan discovered that he could communicate with Di Kun and Wen Xuan again and shared his memories with them.
• Di Kun and Wen Xuan examined the memories, then told Shen Yuan to remain in Hundun and carry out the task already assigned to him.
• Di Kun and Wen Xuan discussed their progress in Enlightening the Mind and Seeing the Nature, the Dao of Three Talents, and Dong Wang Gong’s uncertain role as a variable.
• Di Kun returned to Reincarnation and released five drops of Essence Blood, into which five portions of a Nascent Soul from Mount Zhou merged.
• Di Kun waited for Shen Yuan’s Chaos Energy, then placed the five clumps of Essence Blood into the Five Paths of Reincarnation, where they began to change.

Nuwa and Fuxi witnessed the Innate Gourd Vine produce seven gourds and two extraordinary Black and White Gourds, while several gourds departed through mysterious forces. Nuwa took the nearly lifeless vine and the Nine Heavens Breath Soil, and the Three Pure Ones discovered the 24th Grade Creation Green Lotus, whose parts became treasures for each of them.

• Nuwa and Fuxi found the Innate Gourd Vine on Mount Zhou, where the gathered cultivators waited as its gourds ripened and heaven and earth lent it power.
• The vine matured seven gourds and two powerful Black and White Gourds before losing its vitality; the black gourd flew into the Primordial Starry Sky, the white gourd entered Reincarnation, and another gourd vanished.
• Eastern Emperor Taiyi, Hongyun, Nuwa, and the Three Pure Ones claimed their destined gourds and departed, while Nuwa found Nine Heavens Breath Soil beneath the vine and took both it and the vine.
• The Three Pure Ones followed a powerful aura into a cave and found a Lotus Pond filled with Three Lights Divine Water and a 24th Grade Creation Green Lotus.
• Laozi, Yuanshi, and Tongtian each called forth a part of the Green Lotus, which became the Taiyi Whisk, Three Treasures Jade Ruyi, and Green Duckweed Sword; they then collected the pond water and left.

Wen Xuan watched the 24th Grade Creation Green Lotus split and realized the Primordial Wilderness had changed as the Heavenly Dao emerged. He considered whether to seek a Dao companion but ultimately chose to focus on cultivating the Dao.

• Wen Xuan watched the Three Pure Ones depart as the 24th Grade Creation Green Lotus split and the Primordial Jade Lotus’s space vanished.
• Wen Xuan saw the former lotus’s True Spirit take shape as a Twelve-Petal Creation Green Lotus in Creation Space, and the Primordial Jade Lotus recognized him with delight.
• Wen Xuan observed that the Heavenly Dao had escaped the Pangu Jade Stone’s restraints and returned to the Primordial Wilderness.
• Wen Xuan reflected on how change and the pursuit of the Dao shaped the Primordial Wilderness and helped explain the Three Pure Ones’ conflict.
• Wen Xuan briefly considered finding a Dao companion, then dismissed the idea and chose to focus on cultivating the Dao.

Cultivators in the Trading Space discussed how the unsettled Law of Fire from Immortality Volcano had made cultivation dangerous and spread destruction across the Primordial Wilderness. They described Gong Gong’s worsening clashes with Zhu Rong and left the crisis unresolved as Phoenix Ancestor and others continued working to calm the volcano.

• A Law of Water cultivator said the active Law of Fire had caused chaos among the laws and made cultivation perilous.
• A tavern patron said Zhu Rong had repeatedly suppressed Gong Gong, whose growing irritability had fueled their fights.
• A being from the Earth Dao World argued that Gong Gong’s anger came from never defeating Zhu Rong, rather than falling into the demonic path.
• A Western ascetic said Jieyin and Zhunti had failed to stop the Fire Spirit Sands from turning part of the Western Continent into a forbidden zone.
• The cultivators discussed how Immortality Volcano’s effects had also created forbidden regions on the Eastern Continent and spreading volcanic islands in the South Sea.

After observing the Primordial Wilderness struggle with the excessive Law of Fire, Di Jun decided to establish the Demon Race to help balance heaven and earth. He and Eastern Emperor Taiyi set off for the Lunar Star to discuss restoring balance with Changxi and Xihe.

• Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi watched the Dragon Race, Kirin Race, Primordial Life Tree, Hongyun, and Zhen Yuanzi help stabilize the laws of heaven and earth in their territories.
• After five hundred years in seclusion and five hundred years of observation, Di Jun decided to establish the Demon Race and lead it in balancing heaven and earth.
• Eastern Emperor Taiyi offered to find a base for the Demon Race, but Di Jun warned against seizing territory while the Law of Fire was inflaming beings across the Primordial Land.
• Di Jun proposed visiting Changxi and Xihe on the Lunar Star to use the balance between the sun and moon to restore the laws of heaven and earth.
• Eastern Emperor Taiyi took Di Jun toward the Lunar Star.

Changxi and Xihe received Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi at Moonlight Palace to discuss an opportunity concerning the Primordial world. Changxi agreed to help and began preparing, while Xihe remained captivated by Di Jun after he left.

• Changxi reflected on how the Star Trees were improving the Primordial Starry Sky and accelerating the gestation of Star Gods.
• Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi arrived at Moonlight Palace to discuss an important matter with Changxi and Xihe.
• Di Jun explained his plan, and Changxi recognized its benefits for heaven and earth, the Lunar, and the Sun.
• Changxi and Di Jun discussed the details, then Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi returned to the Sun Star.
• Changxi saw Xihe gazing after Di Jun and teased her, prompting the sisters to tussle playfully.

As the Law of Fire disrupted the Primordial Land, Di Jun, Eastern Emperor Taiyi, Changxi, and Xihe established the Sun and Lunar Stars to restore the balance of yin and yang and the Five Elements. The Heavenly Dao appeared and rewarded them and those who had helped suppress the fire, while the transformed laws restored balance across heaven and earth.

• Formation masters and feng shui masters helped lessen the effects of the Law of Fire across the Primordial Land.
• As the third sermon approached, the Primordial Land darkened while Immortality Volcano’s fire blazed brighter than the Sun Star.
• The Lunar Star appeared, and Di Jun, Eastern Emperor Taiyi, Changxi, and Xihe pledged to use the Sun and Lunar Stars to balance yin and yang and protect living beings.
• The Great Dao and Heavenly Dao granted merit to the Sun and Lunar Stars, and the Heavenly Dao shared additional merit among those who had suppressed the Law of Fire.
• The Sun and Lunar Stars began revolving around heaven and earth, transforming the excess Law of Fire and restoring balance among the Five Elements.
• Dragon roars, tiger howls, phoenix cries, and turtle bellows resounded through heaven and earth.

Azure Dragon, Black Tortoise, Vermilion Bird, and White Tiger transformed into the Four Symbols constellations to regulate the Five Elements, while Ink Jade Qilin merged with the central earth. Ju Mang, Zhu Rong, Ru Shou, and Xuan Ming established the four seasons, and Merit was distributed among those who helped balance heaven and earth.

• Azure Dragon swore to mend the heavens and became the eastern Azure Dragon Constellation, while Black Tortoise, Vermilion Bird, and White Tiger became the other three constellations.
• The Four Symbols constellations drew in Chaos Spiritual Qi and sent Primordial Four Symbols Qi and the laws of the Five Elements into the Primordial Land.
• Ju Mang, Zhu Rong, Ru Shou, and Xuan Ming left Pangu Hall and linked their auras with the Four Symbols constellations.
• Ink Jade Qilin swore to suppress the central land and merged into the earth, but no starlight descended upon him.
• Ju Mang, Zhu Rong, Ru Shou, and Xuan Ming assigned spring, summer, autumn, and winter to the four constellations and established the seasonal cycle.
• Golden Merit appeared across the Primordial Continent and parts of the four seas, then was distributed among the Taiyin and Taiyang stars, the Four Symbols, the four extremes, and the four Ancestral Witches.

Wen Xuan realized that Hongjun and other ancient powers had shaped the Primordial Wilderness’s destruction and renewal as part of their paths to transcendence, leaving him burdened with karma. He resolved to wait for Hongjun’s third lecture and use the moment of his merging with the Dao to escape and test the Primordial Wilderness within his heart.

• Wen Xuan observed that the Heavenly Dao had grown denser and more complete, while Mount Zhou and the surrounding world had strengthened.
• Wen Xuan concluded that Hongjun had used the Primordial Wilderness as nourishment for his transcendence, and that Luohu and Pangu had followed related paths; he also suspected Di Jun had already transcended.
• Wen Xuan realized he had taken on karma and Fortune through his actions, then decided to escape when Hongjun merged with the Dao.
• Di Kun watched Reincarnation turn, drawing in weak remnant souls and a wisp of his own remnant thought.
• The Primordial Wilderness began to calm, and powerful experts flew toward the chaos for Hongjun’s approaching third lecture.

Shen Yuan rethought the meaning of opening the heavens and realized his own hesitation had kept him from creating a world. He opened the Ganges World, sacrificed himself to stabilize it, and his act was echoed by countless versions of him across the chaos.

• Di Jun, Xihe, and Changxi entered enlightenment outside Purple Firmament Palace while Eastern Emperor Taiyi protected them, and the gathered mighty figures used their Yin Yang Dao charm to cultivate.
• After the lecture began, Shen Yuan reflected on the Dao, karma, and his mistaken belief that the Primordial Wilderness had to be complete before he could open a world.
• Shen Yuan infused the Seven-Colored Lotus Seed with Mana and Chaos Energy, formed a giant axe from a Dao Fruit, and cleaved open the chaos.
• After sixty-four axe strikes, Shen Yuan planted the axe as a great tree and declared that he was opening the Ganges World.
• Shen Yuan merged his body and Mana into the tree, which stabilized the world; its two fruits became the sun and moon, and Shen Yuan's soul dispersed.
• Countless Shen Yuans appeared throughout the chaos and began opening heavens in many places.

As Chaos filled with newly born worlds, Shen Yuan's phantom appeared across new regions, while beings in the Primordial Wilderness sensed the ripples. After completing his lectures, Hongjun arranged discipleships and bestowed treasures and Primordial Violet Qi, leaving the final strand with Hongyun.

• Countless minor worlds formed in Chaos, and worlds born around Shen Yuan's opened world remained nearby as it expanded.
• Ripples swept through the Primordial Wilderness, and powerful figures including the Three Pure Ones, Jieyin, Di Jun, and Zhen Yuanzi briefly smiled.
• Hongjun ended his three lectures and announced that he would Merge with the Dao, then explained that the Mysterious Gate would have seven Saints.
• Hongjun accepted Laozi, Yuanshi, and Tongtian as personal disciples and bestowed treasures on them, then made Nuwa, Jieyin, and Junti his in-name disciples and gave them treasures.
• Hongjun distributed seven strands of Primordial Violet Qi among the six chosen disciples, and the final strand flew into Hongyun's body.

After Hongjun bestowed Primordial Violet Qi on Hongyun, he announced his imminent Merge with the Dao and sent the gathered powers to claim spirit treasures from Treasure-Dividing Cliff. The remaining figures returned to Purple Firmament Palace, where Hongjun began preaching the Dao again.

• Hongjun said Primordial Violet Qi could aid the path to sainthood but was not necessary, then bestowed his spirit treasures on those fated to claim them.
• Hongjun merged with the Dao, and the Heavenly Dao emerged as the Primordial Wilderness came under its control.
• The gathered powers took spirit treasures from Treasure-Dividing Cliff, with Tongtian obtaining more than ten thousand before the remaining treasures scattered across the wilderness.
• The Three Pure Ones, Jieyin, Junti, Nuwa, Fuxi, Di Jun, Changxi, Hongyun, and others returned to Purple Firmament Palace and took seats beside Hongjun.
• Hongjun began expounding the Dao, and everyone listened closely.

After the Heavenly Dao emerged and stabilized the laws, Wen Xuan reflected on how the Primordial Land’s history and future calamities were shaped by its condition. He then began tempering the Pangu Jade Stone, while the Primordial Jade Lotus sensed the changes and entered enlightenment.

• Wen Xuan observed the Heavenly Dao merge with Hongjun and stabilize the laws throughout heaven and earth.
• Wen Xuan reasoned that the Heavenly Dao’s interwoven laws made comprehension harder but allowed for more complete insights, and he considered how later calamities weakened the Primordial Land.
• Wen Xuan resolved to pursue his own path and used formations to draw earth veins, star essence, and the life-spirit rhymes of Primordial World Beings into the Pangu Jade Stone.
• The three sources tempered the Pangu Jade Stone and sent its revealed Pangu Dao charm into the jade stone wall.
• The Primordial Jade Lotus sensed the changes, absorbed the incoming spirit rhymes, and began comprehending their mysteries.

Ancestor Phoenix exhausted her mana and essence blood while trying to connect the fire veins across Immortality Volcano, but the final link remained blocked. As she collapsed, Zu Huang spoke, and the Law of Fire stirred throughout The South.

• After Hongjun left Purple Firmament Palace, the awakened cultivators exchanged bows and returned to their Dao fields.
• Ancestor Phoenix continued regulating Immortality Volcano while worrying about Zu Huang, who was deep within the Southern Blazing Divine Fire.
• Ancestor Phoenix used her essence blood to stabilize the formation as her mana ran out, damaging her origin and weakening her realm.
• The formation’s final connection remained incomplete, and Ancestor Phoenix collapsed after losing hope.
• Zu Huang called out to Ancestor Phoenix, and The South trembled as the Law of Fire grew active.

The Phoenix Race and the other living beings of The South completed the reshaping of the Immortality Volcanoes, and the Heavenly Dao rewarded their efforts with merit. The volcanoes became the Fire Domain, where living beings could seek innate spirit fires, and the Phoenix progenitors recovered from their life-threatening injuries.

• The Immortality Volcanoes erupted with countless flames as the laws of the Great Dao of Fire reappeared and an array formed over The South.
• The Phoenix Race and other living beings rose through the flames, absorbing their spiritual energy as the Phoenix Race healed its injuries.
• Ancestor Phoenix and Zu Huang emerged from the largest Immortality Volcano, recovered in the flames, and declared their work to the Heavenly Dao.
• The Heavenly Dao distributed merit among Ancestor Phoenix, Zu Huang, the other living beings of The South, and the largest Immortality Volcano.
• The flames settled atop the volcanoes, turning them into innate spirit-fire volcanoes that formed the Fire Domain, where living beings could attempt to subdue spirit fires.

Fuxi and Nuwa cultivated in seclusion after returning to Mount Zhou, and Nuwa discovered that the Elf race was connected to her Dao path. Di Kun surveyed the growing Earth Dao World, where new plants and factions had emerged and the Witch Clan had imposed order.

• Fuxi and Nuwa absorbed the Dao charm of living beings and gained insights into the laws of heaven and earth.
• Nuwa focused on the Elf race and sensed that it was connected to her Dao path.
• Di Kun calculated that Nuwa had taken the first step toward finding her Dao path, then surveyed the developed Earth Dao World.
• Earth Dao cultivators in the north used an array to turn yin qi and nether qi into spiritual qi and life essence, while plants such as Nether Grass and Ghost Locust Trees adapted to the world.
• Ghost cultivators fought over territory and attacked the Witch Clan, which retaliated by crushing the factions that resisted.
• Ghost Soul Willow Trees were planted to guard territories, reducing ambushes and helping restore peace across the Earth Dao World.

Di Kun reflected on how the Earthly Dao and Houtu related to reincarnation, then continued studying reincarnation by sending another thread of his Primordial Spirit into it. He believed reincarnation shaped cycles throughout the world and hinted that he had another purpose for his experiment.

• Di Kun reasoned that the Earthly Dao could nurture its own life and give the Witch Clan a proper home.
• Di Kun tried to deduce the Earthly Dao’s future but could see nothing beyond a veil of mist.
• Di Kun considered how Houtu might have become Empress Pingxin and used her body to guard reincarnation.
• Di Kun sent another memoryless, karma-free thread of his Primordial Spirit into reincarnation to deepen his understanding.
• Di Kun recognized reincarnation in the cycles of yin and yang, the seasons, time, and human dynasties, and recalled that he had another intention for sending in his spirit.