Chapter Summaries

Juliusun broke the Earth Fierce Array, captured Zhao Jiang, and hung him at the Western Qi camp gate to pressure the Intercepting Sect into rescuing Jade Cauldron. Enraged, the remaining Ten Heavenly Lords entered the arrays and accepted death without hesitation, leaving Shen Gongbao stunned by their willingness to enter the Human Emperor Banner.

• Juliusun defeated Zhao Jiang and Xue Ehu in the Earth Fierce Array, but Xue Ehu died and entered the Investiture of the Gods.
• Juliusun captured Zhao Jiang alive, sealed his cultivation, and arranged for Jiang Ziya to hang him from the Western Qi camp gate as leverage to exchange for Jade Cauldron.
• The Intercepting Sect disciples grew furious at Zhao Jiang's humiliation, and the remaining Heavenly Lords rejected Shen Gongbao's call to pause the fighting.
• The Ten Absolute Arrays were broken one after another as their Heavenly Lord defenders self-destructed, while the Expounding Sect's array-breaking attempts also cost peripheral disciples their lives.
• Holy Mother Gold Spirit urged Heavenly Lord Sun to stop, but he entered the Blood Transformation Array, declaring that the Ten Heavenly Lords would face death together.
• Heavenly Lord Yao asked Shen Gongbao to look after the Ten Heavenly Lords after they entered the Human Emperor Banner, leaving Shen Gongbao bewildered by their lack of fear.

Shen Gongbao refused to return Jade Cauldron after the Ten Absolute Arrays were broken, arguing that the Expounding Sect had not truly won and rejecting their threats. He declared that he alone would bear the blame for breaking his promise and prepared to fight, while Holy Mother Gold Spirit raised the Qingping Sword beside him.

• Shen Gongbao silenced the Expounding Sect's curses and argued that their use of lower-ranking disciples as bait made their victory no better than a draw.
• The Expounding Sect realized Shen Gongbao had shifted the argument from breaking the arrays to whether they had won, and Juliusun threatened to keep Zhao Jiang imprisoned unless Jade Cauldron was released.
• The Intercepting Sect disciples urged Shen Gongbao to hang Jade Cauldron in response, while Yang Jian stayed hidden and Nezha exchanged a knowing look with him.
• Shen Gongbao said the Intercepting Sect would avenge Zhao Jiang and the other Heavenly Lords, then insisted that his broken promise did not implicate the Intercepting Sect.
• Shen Gongbao raised the Human Emperor Banner and challenged the Expounding Sect to keep fighting, as Holy Mother Gold Spirit lifted the Qingping Sword.

Shen Gongbao’s defiance of the Expounding Sect escalated when Nánjí arrived and challenged Holy Mother Gold Spirit to hand him over. The Intercepting Sect answered with the Four Swords of Zhuxian, leaving the Expounding Sect facing the threat of a final battle.

• Shen Gongbao provoked the Expounding Sect Golden Immortals, but Taoist Randeng stopped Yijingzi from attacking him.
• Nánjí arrived on the Taiji Golden Bridge, learned what had happened, and confronted Holy Mother Gold Spirit over Shen Gongbao.
• Holy Mother Gold Spirit said the battlefield would follow Shen Gongbao’s orders, and Nánjí decided to fight rather than retreat.
• Holy Mother Guiling arrived with Daoist Duobao and other Intercepting Sect disciples.
• Daoist Duobao presented the Lu Xian Sword, and the Four Swords of Zhuxian appeared together, alarming Nánjí and the watching Sages.

Daoist Duobao and the Intercepting Sect reinforcements arrived on the battlefield, forcing Nánjí and Taoist Randeng to negotiate a new contest under the agreed rules. As the Western Qi forces prepared to leave, Shen Gongbao demanded that they return Zhao Jiang.

• Holy Mother Jinling used the Qingping Sword to make the Four Swords of Zhuxian resonate, intensifying the sword qi over the battlefield.
• Daoist Duobao confronted Nánjí and challenged the Western Qi forces to fight, while Shen Gongbao wished he had attacked immediately.
• Taoist Randeng proposed calling the previous contest a draw and restarting under the rule against using Sage Dharma Treasures, giving Nánjí a way to yield.
• Nánjí agreed to Randeng's proposal and left, then assigned the next round to Randeng, who accepted Maitreya's offer to fight.
• Randeng announced that Maitreya would represent his sect in the next match and insisted that Sage Dharma Treasures not be used.
• Shen Gongbao stopped the Western Qi forces as they departed and demanded that they return Zhao Jiang, so Randeng told Jiang Ziya to do so.

After Randeng agreed to release Zhao Jiang, Zhao Jiang unexpectedly self-destructed to reunite with the other Ten Heavenly Lords on Shen Gongbao’s Human Emperor Banner, killing Tu Xingsun in the blast. The Intercepting Sect vowed revenge, and Randeng withdrew with the Expounding Sect disciples, setting up another spell battle.

• Randeng accepted defeat and allowed Jiang Ziya to return Zhao Jiang to the Intercepting Sect.
• Zhao Jiang charged the Western Qi group and self-destructed, while Shen Gongbao drew his soul into the Human Emperor Banner to reunite him with the other Ten Heavenly Lords.
• Randeng protected Juliusun with Jieyin's Treasure Banner, but the blast killed Tu Xingsun and others nearby.
• Daoist Duobao and the other Intercepting Sect disciples vowed to avenge Zhao Jiang, while Yang Jian mourned his death.
• Randeng called for the next spell battle and secretly urged the Golden Immortals of the Expounding Sect to return.

After the battle ended, Shen Gongbao learned why Daoist Duobao and the Intercepting Sect had restrained their strength, then told them that Lu Ya planned to join the Investiture of the Gods battlefield. The group returned to the Great Shang camp for a banquet, where Duobao asked Shen Gongbao to introduce him to Lu Ya.

• Western Qi, the Expounding Sect, and the Western Sect withdrew, and Holy Mother Jinling explained to Shen Gongbao that the Intercepting Sect had to act within principled limits to avoid burdening Master Tongtian.
• Daoist Duobao assured Shen Gongbao that the Intercepting Sect would prevail and dismissed the Western Sect’s abilities.
• Shen Gongbao told Holy Mother Jinling and Daoist Duobao about Lu Ya and his Flying Dagger of Decapitation, and said Lu Ya would come to the battlefield after settling matters with Huang Tianxiang.
• Holy Mother Jinling asked Shen Gongbao to arrange a banquet and lodging for the Intercepting Sect disciples, and he and Grand Tutor Wen hosted them at the Great Shang camp.
• Daoist Duobao asked Shen Gongbao to introduce him to Lu Ya so he could study the Flying Dagger of Decapitation.

Lu Ya watched the Investiture Battlefield while Yang Jian prepared to return to Chaoge with Nezha and the Creation Cauldron. In Western Qi, Maitreya revealed his plan to use the Buddha Kingdom in the Palm to trap Holy Mother Gold Spirit and convert her.

• Lu Ya concealed his aura in the mountains near the Investiture Battlefield and waited for an opportunity.
• Holy Mother Gold Spirit told Yang Jian and Nezha to take the Creation Cauldron and Perfected Being Yuding to Chaoge.
• Nezha claimed that capturing Yang Jian and Perfected Being Yuding had earned him the merit to become the Great King's personal disciple.
• Yang Jian and Nezha departed for Chaoge, while Holy Mother Gold Spirit watched them leave and wished she could go with them.
• Maitreya showed Randeng the Buddha Kingdom in the Palm and explained that he planned to lure Holy Mother Gold Spirit inside so the Golden Light of Conversion could influence her.

Yang Jian and Nezha returned to Chaoge, where Yang Jian met Wu Tian, Queen Jiang, and Su Daji. The visit left Yun Zhongzi stunned to learn that Yang Jian was Wu Tian’s son.

• Yang Jian and Nezha arrived in Chaoge, and Nezha teased Yun Zhongzi into giving him a piece of Heavenly Dao merit.
• Yun Zhongzi recognized Yang Jian and led him and Nezha into the Royal Palace to meet Wu Tian.
• Queen Jiang welcomed Yang Jian, offered him merit, and urged him to call Wu Tian Father King.
• Su Daji told Yang Jian that Yang Chan was at Empress Wa Palace and gave him the Rivers and Mountains State Shrines Map for protection.
• Wu Tian looked at Yang Jian with affection, and Yun Zhongzi stared in disbelief when he learned Yang Jian was Wu Tian’s son.

Nezha brought Perfected Being Yuding to the Great Shang Royal Palace, where Yang Jian revealed that he was Wu Tian’s son and explained the truth to his teacher. Su Daji ordered Jade Cauldron to stay in the palace as her page, then used Creation Immortal Light to enforce the order.

• Nezha released Perfected Being Yuding from the Creation Qiankun Cauldron and Wu Tian accepted Nezha as his personal disciple.
• Yang Jian explained to Jade Cauldron that they were in the Great Shang Royal Palace and introduced Wu Tian, Su Daji, and Yun Zhongzi.
• Yang Jian revealed that his father, Yang Tianyou, was a reincarnation of the Martial Ancestor, making Yang Jian the Great King’s son; Jade Cauldron accepted the revelation and greeted the royals.
• Wu Tian said Jade Cauldron should not return during the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation, and Su Daji ordered him to remain in the palace as her page alongside Yun Zhongzi.
• Jade Cauldron objected to becoming a page, but Su Daji declared that she was informing him rather than asking and sent Creation Immortal Light toward him.

Yang Jian and Nezha left Chaoge to return to the Investiture of the Gods battlefield, while Maitreya challenged Great Shang with his Buddha Kingdom in the Palm. The Four Saints of Jiulong Island stepped forward to break it, despite Duobao warning them of danger.

• Perfected Being Yuding became a child attendant, and Yun Zhongzi tried to recruit him for card games while Yang Jian thanked him for understanding.
• Yang Jian said he and Nezha would return to the battlefield, but Nezha asked to stay one more day to visit his mother and speak with Su Daji.
• Nezha asked Su Daji to obtain the Great King's blood essence so he could share the royal bloodline, and she told him his status as the Great King's disciple made him a rightful Third Prince.
• After Yang Jian and Nezha left, Western Qi challenged Great Shang, and Maitreya unveiled his Buddha Kingdom in the Palm as a Dharma contest.
• The Four Saints of Jiulong Island volunteered to break Maitreya's Buddha Kingdom, and Duobao warned them to be careful.

The Four Saints of Jiulong Island entered Maitreya’s Buddha Kingdom in the Palm, resisted its power of conversion, and self-destructed rather than become puppets of the Western Sect. Shen Gongbao retrieved their souls with the Human Emperor Banner, and Holy Mother Gold Spirit prepared to face Maitreya herself.

• The Four Saints of Jiulong Island entered the Buddha Kingdom in the Palm and were gradually affected by its Buddha Light.
• Wang Mo realized the light was corrupting their minds and mana, then jolted Gao Youqian and the other two awake.
• Gao Youqian identified Maitreya’s attack as a method of conversion, and the four decided to die rather than be converted.
• The Four Saints of Jiulong Island self-destructed, but Maitreya reinforced his Buddha Kingdom and declared victory.
• Shen Gongbao used the Human Emperor Banner to retrieve the Four Saints’ souls from the Buddha Kingdom.
• Holy Mother Gold Spirit silenced the other Intercepting Sect disciples and chose to confront Maitreya, while Daoist Duobao handed her the Immortal Slaughtering Sword.

Holy Mother Gold Spirit escaped Maitreya’s Buddha Kingdom in the Palm, but Great Shang’s attempts to break it failed. As the battle stalled, Lu Ya finally arrived, and Holy Mother Jinling wondered whether he could break the deadlock.

• Holy Mother Gold Spirit used the Four Symbols Pagoda to escape the Buddha Kingdom in the Palm and warned that its Golden Light of Conversion could affect those trapped inside.
• Shen Gongbao urged Great Shang to suspend the battle and plan a safer way to break the Buddha Kingdom, and Duobao and Holy Mother Gold Spirit agreed.
• Great Shang withdrew for the day while Western Qi celebrated Maitreya’s success; Randeng offered to teach the divine ability, drawing the secret interest of several Expounding Sect disciples.
• Over the following days, Holy Mother Jinling and Duobao tried to break the Buddha Kingdom, but their efforts failed and Duobao worried about its effect on them.
• Lu Ya left his hiding place and arrived at Great Shang’s camp, where Shen Gongbao welcomed him eagerly and Holy Mother Jinling considered him a possible answer to the deadlock.

Lu Ya joined the Great Shang camp and confronted Maitreya on the Investiture Battlefield, determined to settle their old grievance with his Flying Dagger of Decapitation. Maitreya fled toward his Buddha Kingdom in the Palm, and the dagger struck its golden boundary.

• Shen Gongbao introduced Lu Ya to Daoist Duobao, Holy Mother Gold Spirit, and the other Intercepting Sect members.
• After hearing how Maitreya used the Buddha Kingdom in the Palm and Golden Light of Conversion, Lu Ya recalled Zhunti's role in the fall of the Golden Crows and agreed to test Maitreya.
• Lu Ya and the others went to the front lines, where Maitreya challenged the Intercepting Sect to send another opponent.
• Lu Ya stepped forward, recalled his promise to kill Maitreya, and brought out the Immortal Slaying Gourd.
• Maitreya fled toward the Buddha Kingdom in the Palm as Lu Ya's Flying Dagger of Decapitation pursued him and struck the golden Buddha Kingdom.

Lu Ya used the Flying Dagger of Decapitation to severely damage the Buddha Kingdom in the Palm, but Maitreya escaped by hiding within it. At the Great Shang banquet, Daoist Duobao examined Lu Ya’s gourd and realized its power came from its extraordinary materials, leaving Lu Ya’s origins mysterious.

• Lu Ya’s Flying Dagger of Decapitation split the Buddha Kingdom in the Palm, but Maitreya evaded the attack by hiding within it.
• Lu Ya called off the attack, and Shen Gongbao led the others back to the Great Shang camp for a banquet.
• Daoist Duobao praised Lu Ya’s treasure and asked to examine the Immortal Slaying Gourd, which Lu Ya readily handed over.
• Daoist Duobao concluded that the gourd’s crafting method was not especially remarkable and that its materials were the key to its power.
• Daoist Duobao asked whether the gourd came from the seven Primordial Calabashes of Mount Buzhou, and Lu Ya avoided answering by saying it could not be spoken of.

Lu Ya revealed the Seven Arrows Book with Nailhead as a way to kill Maitreya despite his hiding in the Buddha Kingdom in the Palm, but warned that the ritual would provoke a backlash from Maitreya’s Fortune. Shen Gongbao volunteered to perform it, confident the Great King would protect him, and left to begin the worship.

• Lu Ya explained that the Immortal Slaying Flying Saber could not easily target Maitreya while he hid within the Buddha Kingdom in the Palm.
• Lu Ya revealed the Seven Arrows Book with Nailhead and described a twenty-one-day ritual that would draw out Maitreya’s soul and destroy it.
• Lu Ya warned that using the technique would bring a backlash from Maitreya’s Fortune.
• Shen Gongbao volunteered to perform the ritual, believing the Great King would shield him and reward him for killing Maitreya.
• Lu Ya said Shen Gongbao’s role in the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation made him suited to bear the backlash, and Shen Gongbao accepted the book and left to set up the altar.

Maitreya was weakened by Shen Gongbao’s Seven Arrows Book with Nailhead, forcing Western Qi to refuse battle. Lu Ya remained with Great Shang and met Yang Jian and Nezha, who had just become Wu Tian’s personal disciple.

• Maitreya, Nánjí, and Randeng discussed Lu Ya’s mysterious origins and the danger of the Immortal Slaying Flying Saber.
• Maitreya refused Randeng’s offer of Jieyin’s Treasure Banner, saying his Buddha Kingdom in the Palm could shield him from Lu Ya.
• Randeng left to consult Sage Zhunti, while Western Qi lost its next battles against Great Shang.
• Maitreya’s strength and divine sense weakened over seven days as Shen Gongbao’s Seven Arrows Book with Nailhead took effect, and Western Qi refused Duobao’s challenge on the eighth day.
• Yang Jian and Nezha arrived at the Great Shang camp, and Nezha announced that Wu Tian had accepted him as a personal disciple.
• Lu Ya recognized Yang Jian as belonging to Wu Tian’s bloodline and felt sour when he heard Nezha had become Wu Tian’s disciple.

Lu Ya stayed with the group after Yang Jian and Nezha returned, and Holy Mother Jinling learned about their battle with Yuan Hong and Perfected Being Yuding’s situation. The group continued celebrating, while Yuan Hong remained a possible threat in Western Qi.

• Lu Ya decided to stay and secretly observe Yang Jian and Nezha, then Holy Mother Jinling introduced them to him and the Intercepting Sect disciples.
• Shen Gongbao assured the disciples that Yang Jian was one of them, and the group resumed drinking and celebrating Lu Ya’s defeat of Maitreya.
• Holy Mother Jinling asked Yang Jian why he and Nezha had returned late, and Yang Jian explained that they had fought the Seven Sages of Mount Mei.
• Yang Jian said Nezha and he had killed Yuan Hong’s six companions, while Yuan Hong escaped and might join Western Qi.
• Yang Jian told Holy Mother Jinling that the Goddess had forced Perfected Being Yuding to serve as her attendant boy, leaving him helpless.

Yang Jian, Nezha, and Holy Mother Gold Spirit agreed to guard Shen Gongbao’s straw effigy while Maitreya’s soul remained trapped by the Seven Arrows Book with Nailhead. Randeng and Zhunti headed to the Investiture Battlefield to investigate Lu Ya, but as they neared Western Qi’s camp, they realized Maitreya was in danger.

• Holy Mother Gold Spirit led Yang Jian and Nezha into the banquet, where Lu Ya warned Shen Gongbao to guard the straw effigy from Western Qi.
• Holy Mother Gold Spirit, Nezha, and Yang Jian promised to protect the effigy, and Shen Gongbao left to continue his daily worship.
• As Maitreya grew increasingly unconscious, Nánjí worried that Randeng was absent and could not explain Maitreya’s condition.
• Randeng met Zhunti and told him that Lu Ya’s Immortal Slaying Flying Saber seemed to be targeting the Western Sect.
• Zhunti agreed to accompany Randeng to the battlefield and secretly investigate Lu Ya, but they saw Western Qi’s camp and cried out that Maitreya was in danger.

Randeng returned to the Western Qi camp and discovered that Maitreya’s soul was being inexplicably drained, while Sage Zhunti investigated Lu Ya in the Great Shang camp. The chapter ended with Randeng asking Zhunti what bizarre spell could be harming Maitreya.

• Zhunti sent Randeng to investigate Maitreya’s peril, then secretly left to attend to his own business.
• Lu Ya sensed someone spying on him and alerted Duobao and the other Great Shang figures, but they found no trace of an intruder.
• Zhunti, who had been spying on Lu Ya, fled and grew puzzled by Lu Ya’s hidden treasure and familiar presence.
• Randeng arrived in Western Qi and learned from Nánjí and the others that Maitreya had fallen unconscious with an incomplete soul.
• Randeng witnessed an unseen power take another of Maitreya’s souls, then sent Zhunti a message asking what spell could cause it.

Sage Zhunti learned that Maitreya’s soul was trapped by Lu Ya’s Seven Arrows Book with Nailhead and planned to help Randeng retrieve the straw effigy. Their attempt was exposed when Nezha and Yang Jian revealed the trap, leaving Nezha daring the unseen intruder to take the effigy.

• Sage Zhunti identified Lu Ya’s Seven Arrows Book with Nailhead as the curse trapping Maitreya’s soul and told Randeng that the straw effigy had to be seized to save him.
• Randeng planned to use Ksitigarbha to draw Great Shang’s forces away while he entered their camp, and Nánjí secretly informed Yuanshi that Zhunti was nearby.
• The next day, Jin Ling stayed behind in Great Shang’s camp, ambushed Randeng when he tried to infiltrate it, and began fighting him.
• Sage Zhunti spotted what he thought was the altar holding the straw effigy and secretly tried to take it, but the Rivers and Mountains State Shrines Map revealed the scene was an illusion.
• Nezha and Yang Jian appeared beside the real straw effigy, and Nezha taunted the unseen intruder to show himself and take it from beneath his cauldron.