Chapter Summaries

Zhao Wuji fought Patriarch Bodhi at the foot of Spirit Mountain while Huang Tian visited Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva in the Netherworld and exposed how the Buddhist Sect’s plans burdened its residents with endless souls. The chapter left Ksitigarbha trying to steady the shaken Buddhist Monks after Huang Tian vanished.

• Patriarch Bodhi attacked Zhao Wuji with the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree, and Zhao Wuji retreated before summoning his Annihilation Gauntlets.
• Zhao Wuji used the gauntlets to shatter Patriarch Bodhi’s attack, and the two fought fiercely as Sun Wukong returned to the battlefield to support Great Sage Sun.
• Huang Tian met Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva beside the Blood Sea and questioned whether hell could ever be emptied under the Buddhist Sect’s plans.
• Huang Tian told Ksitigarbha that the Buddhist Sect’s actions caused more deaths and ghosts while its leaders enjoyed offerings on Spirit Mountain.
• The Buddhist Monks behind Ksitigarbha grew angry and lost faith, so Ksitigarbha told them to recite the Diamond Sutra with him after Huang Tian disappeared.

Zhao Wuji and Patriarch Bodhi ended their staged battle, and both sides withdrew from the battlefield. Back at Flower and Fruit Mountain, Zhao Wuji gave the Four Seas Dragon Kings the Ancestral Dragon Pearl to restore the Dragon Clan’s fortune, while Sun Wukong entered seclusion to cultivate.

• Zhao Wuji and Patriarch Bodhi agreed to stop fighting, and Zhao Wuji ordered the Buddhist Sect not to attack the Dragon Clan or Water Tribe as they managed the floods.
• Zhao Wuji, Great Sage Sun, Sun Wukong, and the Four Seas Dragon Kings returned to Flower and Fruit Mountain while the Buddhist Sect withdrew to Spirit Mountain.
• Zhao Wuji warned the Dragon Kings that their merit had not yet secured the Dragon Clan’s fortune and gave them the Ancestral Dragon Pearl to help gather it.
• The Four Seas Dragon Kings agreed to keep the pearl in the East Sea and left to begin gathering the Dragon Clan’s fortune.
• Sun Wukong asked to cultivate in seclusion, and Great Sage Sun assured him Flower and Fruit Mountain would be protected; Sun Wukong then entered a hidden cave in Water Curtain Cave.

Huang Tian revealed to Patriarch Styx that Hongjun’s three corpses occupied the remaining Heavenly Dao Saint positions, leaving Styx no chance to become a Saint in the Primordial Wilderness. As Styx’s resentment shook the Netherworld, Meng Po set out to encourage him to kill Ksitigarbha, while Huang Tian explained that Styx could attain the Dao by creating a Great Thousand World.

• Huang Tian entered Patriarch Styx’s secluded chamber and offered to explain why Styx could not become a Saint.
• Huang Tian revealed that Hongjun’s three corpses occupied the three vacant Heavenly Dao Saint positions, and Styx realized Hongjun had blocked his path to sainthood.
• Patriarch Styx’s fury filled the Blood Sea with resentment, shaking hell and alarming Heavenly Venerate Taiyi Rescuing from Suffering and Meng Po.
• Meng Po decided to offer Styx part of the Netherworld’s functions if he killed Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, then headed for the Sea of Blood.
• Huang Tian explained that Styx could attain the Primordial Dao by creating heaven and earth and opening a Great Thousand World.

Meng Po offered Patriarch Styx Netherworld authority in exchange for killing Ksitigarbha, and Huang Tian urged him to accept and move part of the Blood Sea into the Chaos Pearl. After seeing the Great Dao powers within the Pearl, Patriarch Styx asked Huang Tian to transfer nearly all of his foundation there.

• Meng Po visited Patriarch Styx and offered him part of Hell's authority if he killed Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.
• Huang Tian told Patriarch Styx to accept Meng Po's terms, then explained that the Buddhist Sect would intensify its attacks and conversion of the Asura Race.
• Huang Tian offered to move the Blood Sea into his spatial treasure, and Patriarch Styx agreed to transfer a portion as a safeguard.
• Patriarch Styx saw a world evolving inside the Chaos Pearl and discovered Great Dao powers he could comprehend.
• Patriarch Styx urged Huang Tian to move nearly the entire Blood Sea into the Chaos Pearl, and Huang Tian began transferring more of it.

After losing to the Dragon Clan, the Buddhist Sect attacked the Sea of Blood to restore its prestige and subdue the Asura Race. Patriarch Styx confronted the army with Zhao Wuji at his side, and Mahavairocana Tathagata called for an attack.

• Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva urged Tathagata Buddha to send Buddhist forces against the Sea of Blood, and Tathagata Buddha approved the attack.
• Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva led hundreds of millions of Buddhist forces to the Sea of Blood and ordered Patriarch Styx to surrender.
• Patriarch Styx emerged from the Sea of Blood, insulted Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, and challenged the Buddhist Sect's assembled Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
• Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva called on Patriarch Styx to reveal his hidden allies, and Zhao Wuji appeared from the void.
• Zhao Wuji accused the Buddhist Sect of hypocrisy, and Mahavairocana Tathagata ordered the others to attack.

Zhao Wuji and Patriarch Styx fought the Buddhist Sect army in the Netherworld, devastating its forces. Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and the other survivors escaped to Spirit Mountain, leaving Patriarch Styx furious and unable to pursue them.

• Zhao Wuji shattered the Buddhist Sect’s attacks and killed tens of thousands of monks with his punches.
• Patriarch Styx joined the battle with Yuantu, Abi, and the Twelve-Grade Karmic Fire Red Lotus, surviving attacks from Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and three other Bodhisattvas.
• Zhao Wuji unleashed a stronger punch that wiped out the Buddhist forces below the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm.
• Patriarch Styx moved to kill Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, but Bodhisattva Puxian warned him and Ksitigarbha escaped.
• The surviving Buddhas and Bodhisattvas fled toward Spirit Mountain, and a golden Buddha palm struck Patriarch Styx back into the Netherworld as he threatened to storm Spirit Mountain.

After Zhao Wuji annihilated the Buddhist Sect’s forces in the Netherworld, Huang Tian explained his opposition to the sect and revealed the vast strength at his command. Zhao Wuji then urged Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva to leave the Buddhist Sect, but Ksitigarbha refused to explain himself to his suspicious companions.

• In Wa Palace, Goddess Nuwa mocked Jieyin Saint and Zhunti Saint after Zhao Wuji’s attack killed nearly all the Buddhist monks who invaded the Netherworld.
• Zhao Wuji advised Patriarch Styx to cultivate and warned that he might face Jieyin and Zhunti next, then returned to Huang Tian.
• Huang Tian told Patriarch Styx that the Buddhist Sect’s doctrines must change and revealed that he commanded more than three thousand Saints and over ten thousand Quasi-Saint Great Perfection experts.
• Zhao Wuji intercepted Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and urged him to leave the Buddhist Sect and manage his Netherworld authority instead.
• Bodhisattva Guanyin and Mahavairocana Tathagata accused Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva of colluding with Zhao Wuji, while the others backed away from him.
• Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva declined to explain himself and said the Saints could judge whether he had betrayed the Buddhist Sect.

Jieyin and Zhunti suspected Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva had defected to the Netherworld and ordered the Buddhas back to Spirit Mountain without him. When Patriarch Styx revealed that the Sea of Blood had nearly vanished, the Buddhist forces blamed Ksitigarbha, who was left bewildered by the change.

• Jieyin and Zhunti concluded that Zhao Wuji and Houtu were trying to win over Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and keep him in the Netherworld.
• Jieyin ordered the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to return to Spirit Mountain but told Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva to stay behind and guard the Netherworld.
• The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas accused Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva of betraying them and causing the deaths of hundreds of millions of Buddhas.
• Huang Tian told Patriarch Styx to reveal the Sea of Blood, then vanished to avoid attracting spies.
• Patriarch Styx opened the Sea of Blood, revealing that it had almost entirely vanished and that the Asura Race and his 480 million Blood God Child Avatars were gone.
• The Buddhist forces accused Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva of arranging the attack on an empty Sea of Blood, while he wondered how Patriarch Styx had made it disappear.

Jieyin Saint and Zhunti Saint decided to strengthen the Buddhist Sect while abandoning Ksitigarbha to the Netherworld. After Zhao Wuji prompted him to withdraw, Ksitigarbha renounced the sect and fell into the Demonic Path, leaving Tathagata Buddha questioning his position and losing faith.

• Jieyin Saint and Zhunti Saint decided to train Maitreya Buddha, Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta, and Medicine Master Buddha to Quasi-Saint Great Perfection.
• Zhao Wuji told Ksitigarbha that the Saints had abandoned him, and Jieyin Saint ordered Ksitigarbha to remain in the Netherworld and deliver souls.
• Ksitigarbha withdrew from the Buddhist Sect, became Ksitigarbha of the Netherworld, and transformed into a demon.
• Tathagata Buddha watched Ksitigarbha's departure and suspected Saint Houtu had used the conflict to strengthen her authority over the Netherworld.
• Tathagata Buddha doubted the Buddhist Sect's prospects and his own path to sainthood, causing his Buddhist heart to grow unstable.

After Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva left the Buddhist Sect and fell into the Demonic Path, the Heavenly Court and the saints considered the consequences of his defection. Zhao Wuji brought Ksitigarbha to the Blood Sea, where Meng Po sought Patriarch Styx’s commitment to the Netherworld.

• The Jade Emperor ordered a deity to summon Heavenly Venerate Taiyi Rescuing from Suffering for details about the events in hell.
• Jieyin Saint and Zhunti Saint blamed Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva for betraying the Buddhist Sect, while Nuwa Saint and Sect Master Tongtian mocked them for driving him away.
• Nuwa Saint recognized that Zhao Wuji had tried to recruit Ksitigarbha, who had initially refused, but that the saints’ distrust had pushed him into the Demonic Path.
• Meng Po met Zhao Wuji by the Sea of Blood and declined to take Ksitigarbha away, saying Zhao Wuji had drawn him into the Demonic Path.
• Meng Po asked Zhao Wuji to discuss Patriarch Styx’s promise to join the Netherworld, and Zhao Wuji entered the Blood Sea with Ksitigarbha to find him.

Huang Tian sent Zhao Wuji to recruit Heavenly Venerate Taiyi Rescuing from Suffering, whose past identities as Yunzhongzi and Patriarch Hongyun were confirmed. Inside the Chaos Pearl, Taiyi marveled at its orchard and wondered whether Zhao Wuji was connected to a Saint or Dao Ancestor.

• Huang Tian praised Zhao Wuji for completing his mission and tasked him with recruiting Heavenly Venerate Taiyi Rescuing from Suffering.
• Huang Tian freed Ksitigarbha and offered to make him a Saint if he joined the reincarnation realm in Huang Tian's world.
• Zhao Wuji caught up with Heavenly Venerate Taiyi Rescuing from Suffering and confirmed that he had once been Yunzhongzi and Patriarch Hongyun.
• Zhao Wuji asked Taiyi to conceal the heavenly secrets, then brought him into the Chaos Pearl after Taiyi informed the Jade Emperor.
• Taiyi saw the Chaos Pearl's orchard, including an awakened Innate Gourd Vine, and wondered who had restored and cultivated its treasures.

Zhao Wuji confirmed that the first crimson cloud had once been Heavenly Venerate Taiyi Rescuing from Suffering’s body and learned it could help him reach the Primordial Great Luo Golden Immortal realm. They agreed to exchange the cloud for Heavenly Venerate Taiyi Rescuing from Suffering’s authority in the Netherworld, and the Ten Kings of Hell returned to his body.

• Zhao Wuji showed Heavenly Venerate Taiyi Rescuing from Suffering the crimson cloud and the Nine-Nine Soul Dispersion Gourd, prompting him to recall his former life as Patriarch Hongyun.
• Heavenly Venerate Taiyi Rescuing from Suffering explained that the crimson cloud was his foundation and could give him a chance to attain the Primordial Great Luo Golden Immortal realm.
• Zhao Wuji offered to give him the crimson cloud in exchange for his authority in the Netherworld, and Heavenly Venerate Taiyi Rescuing from Suffering agreed.
• Zhao Wuji and Heavenly Venerate Taiyi Rescuing from Suffering returned to the Netherworld, where Zhao Wuji handed over the crimson cloud.
• Heavenly Venerate Taiyi Rescuing from Suffering dismissed the Ten Kings of Hell, who declared that there would be no more Ten Kings of Hell before returning to his body.

Saint Houtu reclaimed full control of the Netherworld, reached the peak of the ninth realm of Sainthood, and realized she had already fused with the Human Dao. Her transformation made the Three Realms sturdy enough to withstand Saints, leaving the other Saints anticipating renewed conflict and the Western Saints fearing retribution.

• Saint Houtu reclaimed the authorities held by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and the Ten Kings of Hell, and the Netherworld expanded to include the Sea of Blood.
• Saint Houtu reached the peak of the ninth realm of Sainthood and recognized that transforming into the Six Paths of Reincarnation had already fused her with the Human Dao.
• Houtu became a Dao-Fused Saint, and her transformation made the Three Realms capable of withstanding the power of Saints.
• Nuwa Saint, Sect Master Tongtian, Grand Pure Heavenly Venerate of Virtue, and Yuanshi Tianzun considered how the world's changes could bring Saints back into the Three Realms.
• Zhunti and Jieyin feared that Nuwa Saint, Saint Houtu, Tongtian, and Yuanshi Tianzun would retaliate against them now that Saints could emerge.

Houtu confronted the awakened Hongjun after fusing with the Human Dao and began choosing candidates for its Saint positions. Huang Tian arranged for Patriarch Styx to become a Human Dao Saint and had Zhao Wuji return the Sea of Blood to the Three Realms.

• Hongjun and Houtu exchanged warnings about control of the Three Realms and the strength of their Dao fusion.
• Houtu considered who could fill the Human Dao Saint positions, including Patriarch Styx, Ksitigarbha, and Meng Po's incarnation.
• Huang Tian told Patriarch Styx that he could become a Human Dao Saint and instructed him to keep Huang Tian's existence secret.
• Zhao Wuji confirmed his alliance with Heavenly Venerate Taiyi Rescuing from Suffering, who left to enter seclusion and pursue the Primordial Great Luo Golden Immortal realm.
• After receiving Huang Tian's message, Zhao Wuji released the Sea of Blood from the Chaos Pearl, and the Sea of Blood and the Asura Race returned to the Three Realms.

Huang Tian received Houtu’s insights into reincarnation and used them to create a Netherworld within the Huang Tian Realm. His strength rose to the sixth level of the Primordial Boundless Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, where he began assessing his new Six Paths of Reincarnation.

• Huang Tian returned the Blood Sea to Minghe, left Ksitigarbha with him, and instructed them to await Saint Houtu’s summons.
• Houtu honored her agreement by imparting her insights into transforming into reincarnation, including a small amount of knowledge about the Dao-Fused realm.
• Huang Tian returned to the Huang Tian Realm and used Houtu’s insights to evolve a complete world of reincarnation.
• The emergence of the Netherworld unleashed a powerful aura that sent cultivators to the boundary of chaos and astonished the Tang Family.
• Huang Tian reached the sixth level of the Primordial Boundless Great Luo Golden Immortal realm and concluded that his Six Paths of Reincarnation was more complete than Houtu’s original creation.

Huang Tian prepared to retrieve Great Sage Sun from Flower and Fruit Mountain as the Primordial Wilderness approached a new era of Saints. Meanwhile, the Two Western Saints pressured the Heavenly Court over Taiyi Rescuing from Suffering's withdrawal from the Netherworld, hoping to secure support for Buddhism before the coming conflicts.

• Huang Tian saw that the Huang Tian Realm had grown to over six thousand five hundred Primordial Great Luo Golden Immortals and could amplify him to Primordial Grand Supreme Limitless Golden Immortal strength.
• Huang Tian decided to bring Great Sage Sun back from Flower and Fruit Mountain before the Two Western Saints could kill him.
• Mahavairocana Tathagata demanded that the Jade Emperor explain why Taiyi Rescuing from Suffering had relinquished his Netherworld authority, and Grand White Golden Star blamed Buddhism for abandoning Ksitigarbha.
• Grand White Golden Star stalled Mahavairocana Tathagata by telling him to wait in the Heavenly Court until Taiyi Rescuing from Suffering emerged from seclusion.
• Zhunti Saint and Jieyin Saint hoped the Heavenly Court would respond to their pressure and help protect them when Saints emerged, preserving Buddhism's Journey to the West plan.

A Saint’s aura erupted from Miao Yan Palace, leading the Heavenly Court, Buddhist Sect, and other powers to speculate that a new Saint had appeared. Huang Tian realized Heavenly Venerate Taiyi Rescuing from Suffering had attained the Dao of Primordial Unity, then headed for Flower and Fruit Mountain.

• A Saint’s aura burst from Miao Yan Palace, crushing the gods in the Hall of Divine Mists and alarming Mahavairocana Tathagata.
• The gods suspected Heavenly Venerate Taiyi Rescuing from Suffering had become a Saint, while an Inner Demon quietly arose in the Jade Emperor.
• Tathagata Buddha sensed the unfamiliar aura from the Heavenly Court and despaired that Martial Uncle Haotian had become a Saint while he had not.
• Saint Jieyin and Saint Zhunti speculated about the new Saint and worried that the Heavenly Court’s power threatened the Buddhist Sect.
• Nuwa realized the new Saint was neither one of the Six Saints nor a Human Dao Saint.
• Huang Tian recognized that Heavenly Venerate Taiyi Rescuing from Suffering had attained the Dao of Primordial Unity and went to Flower and Fruit Mountain.

Heavenly Venerate Taiyi Rescuing from Suffering merged with his past life as Hong Yun and attained the Primordial Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, a path beyond Heavenly Dao sainthood. After announcing a Dao assembly, he left the Three Realms' immortals and Quasi-Saints eager to learn his method, while Nuwa wondered how he had succeeded and questioned what Hongjun would do.

• Heavenly Venerate Taiyi Rescuing from Suffering absorbed the crimson cloud, merged his present and past lives as Hong Yun, and attained the Primordial Great Luo Golden Immortal realm.
• Meng Po announced his breakthrough throughout the Three Realms, shocking the immortals and Buddhas and dispelling the Jade Emperor's Inner Demon.
• Tathagata Buddha realized the new Primordial Great Luo Golden Immortal was Heavenly Venerate Taiyi Rescuing from Suffering rather than Haotian and reacted with manic laughter.
• Heavenly Venerate Taiyi Rescuing from Suffering thanked Meng Po and announced that he would hold a Dao assembly after stabilizing his realm, prompting the Three Realms' immortals and Buddhas to accept the invitation.
• Zhen Yuanzi welcomed the news at Five Villages Temple and hoped to learn the path to the Primordial Great Luo Golden Immortal realm.
• Nuwa speculated that Heavenly Venerate Taiyi Rescuing from Suffering had combined Heavenly Dao and Human Dao powers, then wondered what Hongjun would do now.

Saint Houtu offered Patriarch Styx and Ksitigarbha Human Dao saintly positions, and both accepted the opportunity to gain power. Patriarch Styx reached Saint Stage Two, while the chapter ended with his new saintly pressure startling the Three Realms.

• Hongjun reflected on Hongyun becoming a Primordial Great Luo Golden Immortal and escaping his schemes.
• Saint Houtu summoned Patriarch Styx and Ksitigarbha, offering them Human Dao saintly positions.
• Ksitigarbha asked whether becoming a saint could help him defeat Jieyin and Zhunti, and Saint Houtu explained that he might reach Saint Stage Three.
• Ksitigarbha accepted the opportunity, and Saint Houtu granted power from the Netherworld to him and Patriarch Styx.
• Patriarch Styx rose to Saint Stage Two, and his saintly pressure swept across the Three Realms.

Ksitigarbha became a Human Dao Saint and declared war on Jieyin and Zhunti, accusing them of forcing him onto the Demonic Path. As he advanced on Spirit Mountain, Patriarch Styx joined him, setting the stage for a battle between Saints.

• Hongjun lifted the restrictions on Heavenly Dao Saints and ordered Jieyin and Zhunti to clean house after Ksitigarbha became a Saint.
• Ksitigarbha’s Demonic Path aura rose to Saint Stage Three, but he failed to break through to Saint Stage Four.
• Ksitigarbha announced that Jieyin and Zhunti had pushed him into demonic cultivation and vowed to attack Spirit Mountain for revenge.
• Jieyin and Zhunti called Ksitigarbha a traitor, but Ksitigarbha swore on his Saint position that he had never colluded with the Netherworld, and heaven and earth did not punish him.
• Ksitigarbha set out from the Netherworld for Spirit Mountain, and Jieyin and Zhunti manifested their Saint Dharma Bodies to await him.
• Patriarch Styx followed Ksitigarbha and declared that he would not let a fellow Human Dao Saint face the two Saints alone.