Chapter Summaries

Zhu Bajie fled to Guangjiang Pass and joined Nezha and the Upper Cavern Eight Immortals against Nine-Headed Worm, whose strength surged after a Black Lotus appeared. Nine-Headed Worm revealed that Erlang Shen was under attack at Guangjiang Pass, then engulfed the group in demonic qi.

• Zhu Bajie recognized Nezha fighting Tie Guai Li, Han Xiangzi, and Han Zhongli, then asked them to help him escape Nine-Headed Worm.
• Zhu Bajie told Nezha and the immortals that Tathagata had died and Demon Ancestor Wutian had destroyed Buddhist sanctuaries, prompting Nine-Headed Worm to attack them.
• Nine-Headed Worm revealed a Black Lotus and overwhelmed the group; Zhu Bajie transformed into a giant and shattered his demonic saber, but was badly wounded.
• Nezha noticed that Nine-Headed Worm was far stronger than before and asked Tie Guai Li to contact Lü Dongbin for help.
• Nine-Headed Worm revealed that Black-Robed Grand Protector and the other protectors were attacking Erlang Shen at Guangjiang Pass, and Nezha saw that the True Lord Erlang Temple had disappeared beneath demonic clouds.
• Nine-Headed Worm engulfed Zhu Bajie, Nezha, and the others in demonic qi as Nezha cried out for Erlang Shen.

Sun Wukong saw through the false Guanyin and defeated the Arm-Reaching Ape, who had been empowered by Wutian’s demonic qi. After the Ape dispersed, Sun Wukong sensed danger at Guangjiang Pass and headed there.

• Sun Wukong sensed Zhu Bajie being swept away by demonic qi, then questioned Guanyin about Wutian and the fallen Buddhas.
• Sun Wukong attacked Guanyin and exposed the disguise as the demonic Arm-Reaching Ape.
• Sun Wukong and the Arm-Reaching Ape fought, and Sun Wukong wounded him despite their comparable Golden Immortal auras.
• The Arm-Reaching Ape unleashed the Black Lotus’s demonic qi, but Sun Wukong’s precise strike overwhelmed him and sent his arm and staff flying.
• The Arm-Reaching Ape dispersed into demonic qi, and Sun Wukong leaped toward Guangjiang Pass.

Yang Jian killed the Nine-Headed Worm with a devastating strike, but its demonic qi had already corrupted Nezha, Zhu Bajie, and the Eight Immortals. Sun Wukong arrived and recognized the corruption as Wutian’s demonic qi, while the wounded heroes faced the threat of falling into the demonic path.

• The Nine-Headed Worm overwhelmed Nezha, Zhu Bajie, Tie Guai Li, Han Zhongli, and Han Xiangzi with demonic qi.
• Yang Jian sent his Three-Pointed Double-Edged Halberd across tens of thousands of miles and beheaded the Nine-Headed Worm with one strike.
• Yang Jian tried to remove the demonic qi from Nezha but found it had already reached his primordial spirit, and he told Zhu Bajie he could not save him either.
• Tie Guai Li learned that the demons had taken the demonized Lü Dongbin and the other captured immortals when they retreated.
• Sun Wukong arrived, saw that the others had been afflicted, and identified their demonic qi as Wutian’s.

Sun Wukong and Yang Jian fought to force their way past Puhua Tianzun so the demonic aura corroding their companions could be dispelled. Gu Shaoshang stopped the battle with a wisp of his will, ordered the group brought to him, and considered the mystery behind Wutian’s destruction of the Buddhist sect.

• Sun Wukong said that only powerful experts could dispel Wutian’s demonic aura, so Tie Guai Li and the others headed for the Ninth Heaven to seek Gu Shaoshang.
• Nezha gave Yang Jian the Limitless Fortune Golden Elixir and begged him to kill him before the demonic aura consumed his primordial spirit; Yang Jian instead carried him toward the Heavenly Court.
• Puhua Tianzun refused to let Sun Wukong, Yang Jian, and the others pass the South Heaven Gate, and Sun Wukong and Yang Jian attacked him.
• Gu Shaoshang’s voice dispersed Puhua Tianzun’s thunder and forced Sun Wukong, Yang Jian, and the Heavenly Court’s soldiers to kneel; he then ordered the group brought to the Hall of Miraculous Mist.
• Gu Shaoshang received the afflicted immortals and reflected on Wutian’s rapid defeat of the Buddhist sect and the unexplained nirvana of the two Buddha Ancestors.

Gu Shaoshang removed the demonic qi from Han Zhongli and the others, then confronted Wutian, who had hidden within that qi. Wutian explained his origins and the destruction of Spirit Mountain before declaring Gu Shaoshang his next target.

• Gu Shaoshang expelled the demonic qi from Han Zhongli, Han Xiangzi, Tie Guai Li, Zhu Bajie, and Nezha, then contained it in a golden net.
• Gu Shaoshang confronted Nezha over stealing Old Lord's golden pills, but sent him to return them to the Palace of the Golden Millet.
• Wutian emerged from the demonic qi and revealed that he had hidden inside it while Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie carried him to Lingxiao Palace.
• Wutian explained that he had formed from Kinnara's anger after Tathagata embraced Greater Vehicle Buddhism and had absorbed the world's accumulated resentment and baleful qi.
• Wutian recounted destroying Spirit Mountain, killing its defenders, and devouring Tathagata's golden body before naming Gu Shaoshang his next target.

Gu Shaoshang struck down Wutian’s avatar and went directly to Spirit Mountain, where he destroyed Mount Sumeru with a single stomp and exposed the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas imprisoned beneath it. He then faced Wutian and declared that he was next.

• Gu Shaoshang froze Wutian’s avatar and blasted it apart, then ordered Puhua Tianzun to gather the Heavenly Court’s gods and proceed to Spirit Mountain.
• Gu Shaoshang crossed the Three Realms on a Golden Light Great Dao and confronted Wutian at the Great Thunder Sound Temple.
• Gu Shaoshang unleashed his Blood Qi and stomped, causing Spirit Mountain and Mount Sumeru to split apart and collapse.
• Gu Shaoshang’s attack destroyed the demonic domain beneath the mountain, revealing Guanyin Bodhisattva, Golden Cicada, Ananda, and other sealed Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
• Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie watched in shock as Gu Shaoshang turned toward Wutian and said that he was next.

Gu Shaoshang attacked Wutian at Mount Sumeru, crushing his demon army and striking the black sun formed from accumulated demonic energy. Wutian’s defense held against the assault, and Gu Shaoshang sensed something as he prepared to unleash Buzhou Break.

• Wutian unleashed the demonic energy he had accumulated over 1.4 billion years, darkening the Three Realms and sending hundreds of millions of demons to attack Gu Shaoshang.
• Gu Shaoshang seized the demon army and its Golden Immortal leaders in his giant hand, crushing them and absorbing the surrounding demonic energy.
• Gu Shaoshang struck Wutian with a fist empowered by the 1.2 billion particles in his body, and Wutian gathered the Three Realms’ demonic energy into a black sun to block it.
• Sun Wukong rescued the powerless Buddhas and Bodhisattvas from the clash’s aftershocks as Gu Shaoshang’s fist battered the black sun.
• Wutian offered to end the conflict and glanced toward the Hall of Miraculous Mist, while Gu Shaoshang sensed something and unleashed Buzhou Break.

Gu Shaoshang learned that Wutian planned to complete his demonic path by retrieving Taiyi’s hidden will, then pursued him into his demonic domain. His incarnation killed Joyful Buddha and forced Guanyin to reveal that Tathagata and Ran Deng had engineered Wutian’s rise to subdue the Heart of Heaven and turn the Three Realms into a Buddhist kingdom.

• Kunpeng and Lu Ya flew toward the Hall of Miraculous Mist to retrieve Taiyi’s will while Gu Shaoshang’s punch drove Wutian into his demonic domain.
• Guanyin warned that Wutian could attain supreme power if Lu Ya retrieved the will, but Gu Shaoshang tore open the domain and pursued Wutian into the layers between worlds.
• Sun Wukong challenged the Buddhas over their concealment, then headed toward the Hall of Miraculous Mist as Gu Shaoshang’s incarnation remained behind.
• Gu Shaoshang’s incarnation used the Immortal Slaying Gourd to kill Joyful Buddha and threatened to destroy Buddhism.
• Guanyin revealed that Tathagata and Ran Deng had arranged Kinnara’s fall and Wutian’s rise to deceive the Three Realms’ powers, subdue the Heart of Heaven, and create a Buddhist kingdom.

Gu Shaoshang left the silent Buddhas at the ruins of Lingshan and returned to the Heavenly Court, where Kunpeng and an invading demon army battled the celestial forces. As Lu Ya entered the Hall of Miraculous Mist to seek the Demon Emperor’s will, Gu Shaoshang arrived at the Ninth Heaven and the battle continued.

• Gu Shaoshang questioned Guanyin and the Buddhas about their plan for Wutian, but they refused to reveal it, so he warned them and left Lingshan.
• Sun Wukong rejected Guanyin’s attempt to tell him the Buddha Ancestor’s prophecy and left, while Zhu Bajie stayed to protect the weakened Buddhas.
• Golden Cicada questioned whether Greater Vehicle Buddhism truly saved sentient beings, and Zhu Bajie challenged Upali’s claim that strict precepts could save the Three Realms.
• Gu Shaoshang searched for Wutian without finding him, then went to the Hall of Miraculous Mist as Kunpeng fought the Heavenly Court’s emperors within the Star Dou Great Array.
• Lu Ya entered the Hall of Miraculous Mist to retrieve the Demon Emperor’s will while Kunpeng held off the Heavenly Court’s emperors.
• Millions of Heavenly Soldiers and gods fought an invading demon army led by two powerful demons, while the Great Sage Who Moves Mountains joined the battle and suddenly faltered.

Gu Shaoshang opened a gateway to the Primordial World and combined his particle-born avatars to fight Bull Demon King and the demon army. After driving Bull Demon King into retreat and severing several of Nine Phoenixes’ heads, he watched the Heavenly Soldiers and Generals launch a counterattack.

• Great Sage Who Moves Mountains recognized Gu Shaoshang, and Bull Demon King urged the demons to attack his avatar.
• Gu Shaoshang summoned tens of thousands of avatars, whose fist seals killed hundreds of thousands of demons before they merged into his body.
• Bull Demon King transformed into a giant and attacked Gu Shaoshang, but Gu Shaoshang struck him flying with one punch and sent Great Sage Who Moves Mountains retreating with him.
• Gu Shaoshang used the Immortal Slaying Flying Knife to sever several of Nine Phoenixes’ heads, and Nine Phoenixes escaped into the void between dimensions.
• The divine generals recognized Gu Shaoshang, and millions of Heavenly Soldiers and Generals surged forward to attack.

After defeating the demon armies, Gu Shaoshang used their souls to advance the Primordial World’s evolution, bringing him closer to breaking through into the Void Comprehension Realm. As demonic energy swept across the Three Realms and converged on Wutian at Spirit Mountain, Gu Shaoshang stood within the dark demonic domain, facing the threat of Wutian attaining the Dao.

• After the Bull Demon King and Nine Phoenixes retreated, the Heavenly Court routed the demon forces while Gu Shaoshang gathered the dead and wounded for the Primordial World.
• The Future Lord used the demons’ flesh and souls to nurture life and emerging wills in the Primordial World, accelerating its evolution and paving the way for Gu Shaoshang’s breakthrough.
• Gu Shaoshang reassured the divine generals that their battle with Wutian was not a cause for concern, then sent them to tend to the battlefield.
• Lu Ya broke through the starry barrier above the Hall of Miraculous Mist and seized the golden will left by Demon Emperor Taiyi despite the Queen Mother’s warning.
• Demonic energy erupted throughout the Three Realms, magnified the darkness and evil thoughts in living beings, and surged toward Wutian at the ruins of Spirit Mountain.
• Two hidden mighty beings arrived above Spirit Mountain to search for Wutian’s demonic domain, while Gu Shaoshang stood inside it surrounded by black demonic dragons.

Gu Shaoshang fought Wutian as Wutian completed his transformation into a dark force encompassing all beings and remade his demon domain as a Pure Land. Gu Shaoshang broke through into the Void Comprehension Realm and struck with a powerful punch, but Wutian dispersed into darkness that enveloped his Fist Seal.

• Gu Shaoshang searched Wutian's demon domain and learned that the seventeen ancient Buddhas' sarira were the Buddhist sect's backup plan against Wutian.
• Wutian absorbed the demonic qi and completed his Heavenly Demon Great Dao, declaring himself to be all beings, including both demon and Buddha.
• Wutian transformed the ruined demon domain into a seemingly blissful Pure Land, while Gu Shaoshang judged its freedom from human feelings and desires to be an Avici Hell.
• Gu Shaoshang advanced into the Void Comprehension Realm and attacked Wutian with a fist that surpassed his previous strikes.
• Wutian dispersed into pure darkness and contained Gu Shaoshang's Fist Seal within the night sky he had become.

Wutian tried to possess Gu Shaoshang by flooding him with the accumulated demonic qi of the Three Realms and Six Paths. Gu Shaoshang rejected Wutian’s illusions and heart demons, leaving Wutian’s assault still underway.

• Wutian enveloped Gu Shaoshang in a demonic net and poured the dark qi of the Three Realms and Six Paths into him to seize his body.
• Wutian revealed that he wanted Gu Shaoshang’s body to subdue the will of heaven and consume the Three Realms and Six Paths.
• Gu Shaoshang saw through an illusion of an ordinary life as Gu Wang and shattered the phantom cauldron and figure that appeared in it.
• Gu Shaoshang declared that Wutian’s illusions could not bind him, and Wutian responded by summoning figures from Gu Shaoshang’s memories as heart demons.

Gu Shaoshang accepted Wutian’s demonic intent after merging with his inner demons, then ordered the Future Lord to use it to evolve the Primordial World. The change began the Great Tribulation of Fierce Beasts, and the Future Lord asked Gu Shaoshang to give it a name.

• Gu Shaoshang walked among his inner demons and merged with the demon that had taken his form, causing the land of inner demons to collapse.
• Wutian, badly injured after seeing an unfathomable phantom, burned away his body, Black Lotus, and dark sky to send his demonic intent into Gu Shaoshang.
• Gu Shaoshang opened his eyes in the gap between worlds and asked the Future Lord whether Wutian’s demonic intent could evolve the Primordial World.
• The Future Lord confirmed that it could, and Gu Shaoshang ordered every thought within the demonic intent to be integrated into the Primordial World.
• The Future Lord dispersed the dark thoughts across the Primordial World as Gu Shaoshang declared the beginning of the Great Tribulation of Fierce Beasts and allowed the Future Lord to seek an incarnation there.
• The Future Lord asked Gu Shaoshang to bestow a name upon it.

Gu Shaoshang suppressed Wutian and refused Buddhism’s request to restore Tathagata’s Golden Body, leaving Spirit Mountain’s leaders to seek Tathagata’s reincarnation. Guanyin found a white snake who might be Old Mother of Mount Li’s disciple, while Gu Shaoshang turned his attention toward Bai Suzhen.

• Gu Shaoshang named Future Lord Hong Shang and instructed him to watch over the Primordial World’s evolving calamity.
• Gu Shaoshang returned to Spirit Mountain, where Guanyin asked him to restore Tathagata’s Golden Body; he said it had been burned away and declared that Tathagata would not return.
• Guanyin offered seventeen ancient Buddhas’ Sarira in exchange for rebuilding the Golden Body, but Gu Shaoshang refused and left for the Hall of Miraculous Mist.
• Guanyin searched for Tathagata’s reincarnation and found only that he was somewhere in the Great Tang; she then noticed a white snake who might belong to Old Mother of Mount Li’s lineage.
• Gu Shaoshang received the Heavenly Court’s immortals and gods, considered pursuing Kunpeng and Lu Ya, and sensed Bai Suzhen in Nanzhanbuzhou.

Gu Shaoshang received Zhen Yuanzi’s congratulations and explained that his cultivation did not depend on subduing the White Snake World’s will of heaven. Meanwhile, Bai Suzhen completed her transformation into human form and went to Emei Golden Summit seeking Guanyin’s guidance, where she encountered Gu Shaoshang.

• Gu Shaoshang saw Bai Suzhen tempering herself with lightning over Qingcheng Mountain and continued cultivating in the Hall of Miraculous Mist.
• Zhen Yuanzi visited Gu Shaoshang, presented him with three Ginseng Fruits, and asked whether his path required subduing the will of heaven.
• Gu Shaoshang told Zhen Yuanzi that his cultivation depended on himself rather than any single world’s Dao, and Zhen Yuanzi left unsettled.
• Bai Suzhen shed her skin, transformed into a young woman, and left Qingcheng Mountain to seek guidance from a great power.
• Bai Suzhen learned that Guanyin would appear at Emei Golden Summit and followed the pilgrims there.
• Bai Suzhen sensed a gaze, turned, and saw Gu Shaoshang among the crowd.

Gu Shaoshang watched Guanyin mislead Bai Suzhen into searching for Tathagata’s reincarnated spirit child, then followed events with interest. As Bai Suzhen sought helpers, she approached Zhang Bainin and pinned him to the ground, leaving him crying that he had been molested.

• Bai Suzhen sensed a fleeting aura from Gu Shaoshang, then went to Emei Golden Summit to worship Guanyin.
• Guanyin told Bai Suzhen that she had to repay an old debt of gratitude by finding a young man with a swastika imprint on his back.
• Gu Shaoshang realized Guanyin intended to use Bai Suzhen to find Tathagata’s reincarnated spirit child and chose not to interfere.
• Bai Suzhen decided to seek helpers and encountered Zhang Bainin and his two companions on the road below Emei Mountain.
• After hearing the men speak about her, Bai Suzhen dragged Zhang Bainin off his horse, stripped him, and pinned him face-down on the ground.

Bai Suzhen and Xiao Qing escaped Li Taibai after a fierce battle revealed the Tang Dynasty’s formidable strength. They set out for Chang'an to find Fan Lihua, while Bai Suzhen began teaching Xiao Qing how to conceal her demonic qi.

• Bai Suzhen defeated Zhang Bainin’s advances, then confronted Xiao Qing and a young man in green in the forest.
• Li Gongfu and Li Taibai arrived with constables after the ghosts reported being injured by the constables’ blood qi.
• Li Taibai fought Bai Suzhen while his river of sword qi trapped Xiao Qing, but Bai Suzhen seized Xiao Qing and blasted their way out.
• Li Taibai stopped Li Gongfu from pursuing the demons and decided to report the encounter to Li Shimin.
• Bai Suzhen agreed to let Xiao Qing accompany her as she searched for a man with a swastika mark on his back.
• Bai Suzhen planned to teach Xiao Qing a technique to conceal demonic qi before they went to Chang'an to find Fan Lihua.

Zhang Bainin and Du Fu arrived at Chang'an as Li Taibai entered the city and Xiao Qing and Bai Suzhen followed in disguise. Yun Ye intercepted Bai Suzhen and Xiao Qing, escorted them toward the imperial palace, and Gu Shaoshang set out to meet his disciple, Li Shimin.

• Zhang Bainin and Du Fu admired Chang'an's soldiers, then saw Li Taibai arrive on sword light; Du Fu declined the martial examination and left to climb Mount Tai and pursue his sword dao.
• Zhang Bainin recognized Bai Suzhen beneath her disguise and hurried away, while Xiao Qing drove their carriage through Chang'an's gates.
• Yun Ye stopped Bai Suzhen and Xiao Qing inside the city, revealed that seven Earth Immortals and the Tang forces had surrounded them, and escorted them toward the imperial city.
• Xue Dingshan praised Yun Ye for capturing the two demons without casualties, and Yun Ye ordered the soldiers to withdraw.
• Gu Shaoshang surveyed Li Shimin's growing control over the Great Tang's fortune and dragon aura, then headed to the palace to meet his disciple.

Bai Suzhen and Xiao Qing were brought before Li Shimin, but the Great Celestial Venerable’s arrival turned the audience into a confrontation over whether mortals should bow to the gods. Li Shimin rose to Golden Immortal as the Human Emperor, then knelt and revealed that Gu Shaoshang was his master, the Martial Ancestor.

• Yun Ye escorted Bai Suzhen and Xiao Qing into Great Ming Palace, where Bai Suzhen refused to kneel before Li Shimin and explained that she had come to find someone and repay a kindness.
• Purple qi and heavenly music announced the Great Celestial Venerable’s arrival, and Gu Shaoshang traveled into Chang'an in his jeweled carriage surrounded by gods.
• Gu Shaoshang demanded that Li Shimin kneel, but Li Shimin declared that he was the Human Emperor and challenged the gods’ right to rule over mortals.
• Li Shimin cast off his imperial regalia as the Human Dao energy of Nanzhanbuzhou entered him, raising him to Golden Immortal and affirming that the people, not the gods, had made him Human Emperor.
• When Gu Shaoshang again demanded that Li Shimin kneel, Li Shimin bowed nine times and addressed him as his master, revealing that the Great Celestial Venerable was the Martial Ancestor.