Chapter Summaries

Zhou Ming guided Tongtian Sect Master to Jiang Ziya, the person destined for the Tribulation, in a mortal village. Tongtian took Jiang Ziya as his final disciple and brought him toward Golden Ao Island, while Zhou Ming returned to Pangu Hall.

• Zhou Ming led Tongtian Sect Master to a secluded courtyard, where Tongtian sensed Jiang Ziya’s auspicious fortune.
• Tongtian descended into the courtyard and asked Jiang Ziya to become his disciple.
• Jiang Ziya eagerly accepted, and Tongtian revealed that he was the Saint and Master of the Jie Sect.
• Tongtian told Jiang Ziya to cultivate on Golden Ao Island and took him into the sky.
• Tongtian invited Zhou Ming to accompany them, but Zhou Ming declined and returned to Pangu Hall.

Hongjun discovered that Zhou Ming had helped Tongtian find Jiang Ziya, and the Heavenly Dao ordered him to guide Primordial Lord Tianzun toward Shen Gongbao instead. Hongjun obeyed, though he remained uneasy about the Heavenly Dao’s hidden intentions.

• Hongjun saw Tongtian take Jiang Shang as his disciple and found that Zhou Ming had concealed the trail from his deductions.
• Hongjun warned the Heavenly Dao that giving the Investiture of the Gods to Primordial Lord Tianzun could provoke Tongtian and create more Variables.
• The Heavenly Dao dismissed Hongjun’s concern and ordered him to guide Primordial Lord Tianzun toward Shen Gongbao.
• Hongjun accepted the order and used a strand of Mystic Light to clarify the Heavenly Secrets surrounding the other auspicious sign of a flying bear.

Primordial Lord Tianzun located Shen Gongbao, a leopard demon bearing the auspicious sign of a flying bear, and took him as his disciple to secure the Chan Sect’s position in the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation. He brought Shen Gongbao back to Jade Void Palace while privately deciding to use him as a nominal disciple and tool, then prepared to visit Purple Heaven Palace for the Investiture of the Gods and the God-Beating Whip.

• Primordial Lord Tianzun deduced that the Person destined for the Tribulation was near Kunlun Mountain and found Shen Gongbao meditating beside a stream.
• Primordial Lord Tianzun confirmed that Shen Gongbao was the Tribulation’s chosen figure, despite being a leopard demon, and struggled over whether to accept him.
• Shen Gongbao introduced himself, and Primordial Lord Tianzun offered to take him as a disciple; Shen Gongbao eagerly accepted and kowtowed to his new master.
• Primordial Lord Tianzun took Shen Gongbao to Jade Void Palace, intending to make him a nominal disciple and use him to undergo the Tribulation.
• Primordial Lord Tianzun decided to go to Purple Heaven Palace to retrieve the Investiture of the Gods and the God-Beating Whip from the Dao Ancestor.

Tongtian Sect Master and Primordial Lord Tianzun encountered each other at the Purple Cloud Palace while seeking the Investiture of the Gods. After learning that both had found a flying-bear-marked candidate, Tongtian concluded Hongjun was scheming against the Jie Sect, and the two entered the palace to ask the Dao Ancestor to decide.

• Tongtian Sect Master arrived at the Purple Cloud Palace and met Primordial Lord Tianzun at its gate.
• Tongtian told Primordial Lord Tianzun that Jiang Ziya, the person destined for the Tribulation, had joined his sect.
• Primordial Lord Tianzun declared that he had already found and taken another person destined for the Tribulation into his sect.
• Tongtian realized Primordial Lord Tianzun’s claim confirmed Zhou Ming’s warning and concluded Hongjun was targeting the Jie Sect.
• Tongtian and Primordial Lord Tianzun agreed to ask the Dao Ancestor who had the rightful candidate and authority over the Investiture of the Gods, then entered the palace.

Primordial Lord Tianzun and Tongtian Sect Master asked Dao Ancestor Hongjun to decide which of their disciples was destined for the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation. Hongjun declared Shen Gongbao the true candidate and gave the Investiture of the Gods and God-Beating Whip to Chan Sect, while Tongtian left after questioning the basis for the decision.

• Primordial Lord Tianzun and Tongtian Sect Master each claimed that their disciple bearing the auspicious sign of a flying bear was destined for the Tribulation.
• Hongjun asked for the disciples' names, and Primordial Lord Tianzun named Shen Gongbao while Tongtian named Jiang Shang, courtesy name Ziya.
• Hongjun declared Shen Gongbao the true Person destined for the Tribulation and handed the Investiture of the Gods and God-Beating Whip to Primordial Lord Tianzun.
• Tongtian asked why Jiang Ziya could not be chosen, and Hongjun answered that Shen Gongbao bore Heaven's mandate.
• Tongtian accepted the answer without further protest and left Purple Firmament Palace, while Primordial Lord Tianzun departed with the treasures.

Tongtian Sect Master summoned Jie Sect’s disciples and warned them to protect their lives in the coming Tribulation. He made Jiang Ziya his Direct Disciple, while Primordial Lord Tianzun revealed that Shen Gongbao was Chan Sect’s Person destined for the Tribulation and assigned him to Immortal Weng of the South Pole.

• Tongtian Sect Master summoned Jie Sect’s disciples to Golden Ao Island and told them Chan Sect had found the Person destined for the Tribulation and gained the initiative.
• Zhao Gongming and the other disciples boasted that Jie Sect’s strength would overcome Chan Sect, while Tongtian Sect Master cautioned them to show no mercy in battle but retreat when necessary.
• Tongtian Sect Master introduced Jiang Shang, courtesy name Ziya, as his new Direct Disciple and instructed Daoist Duobao to teach him cultivation.
• Primordial Lord Tianzun told Chan Sect’s disciples that Shen Gongbao was the Person destined for the Tribulation and had been accepted as a Named Disciple.
• Primordial Lord Tianzun entrusted Shen Gongbao’s instruction to Immortal Weng of the South Pole and dismissed the disciples to prepare for the Tribulation.

Tongtian Sect Master visited Zhou Ming at Pangu Hall after the Investiture of the Gods and the God-Beating Whip went to the Chan Sect. Realizing the Jie Sect had been plotted against and could not find a way through the Tribulation, he bowed and asked Zhou Ming to show his disciples a path forward.

• Tongtian Sect Master left Golden Ao Island and hurried to Buzhou Mountain to seek Zhou Ming's counsel.
• Houtu and Zhou Ming anticipated Tongtian's arrival and discussed how the Jie Sect's enemies had left it surrounded.
• Zhou Ming welcomed Tongtian into Pangu Hall and asked whether events had unfolded as he had predicted.
• Tongtian recounted how Shen Gongbao was named the Person destined for the Tribulation, leaving the Investiture of the Gods and the God-Beating Whip in the Chan Sect's hands.
• Tongtian admitted he could no longer see a way forward and bowed to Zhou Ming, asking him to point out a path for the Jie Sect's tens of thousands of disciples.

Zhou Ming explained how Jiang Ziya could help the Jie Sect by learning warfare and governance before joining a mortal dynasty, while warning Tongtian Sect Master not to spare Chan Sect disciples. Tongtian accepted the advice but asked how the Jie Sect could survive if the Dao Ancestor intervened.

• Tongtian Sect Master told Zhou Ming he had made Jiang Ziya his Direct Disciple and hoped to protect him during the Tribulation.
• Zhou Ming said Jiang Ziya should study warfare, troop formations, and governance so he could reduce Jie Sect casualties after descending the mountain.
• Zhou Ming warned Tongtian that the Jie Sect's fate depended on him and urged his disciples to show no mercy to Chan Sect opponents.
• Tongtian said he had already told his disciples to treat Chan Sect members as enemies during the Tribulation.
• Tongtian asked Zhou Ming what path the Jie Sect could take if the Dao Ancestor personally intervened.

Zhou Ming reassured Tongtian Sect Master that Hongjun and the Heavenly Dao would not personally intervene in the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation, but warned that the Jie Sect still faced formidable enemies. He urged Tongtian to disrupt the Heavenly Dao’s plans by forcing the Chan Sect to join him, leaving Tongtian asking how to do so.

• Zhou Ming promised Tongtian that the Wu Clan would prevent Hongjun and the Heavenly Dao from entering the fray, and that he would stop them if necessary.
• Tongtian’s despair lifted, and he vowed that he and the Jie Sect would repay Zhou Ming’s help.
• Zhou Ming warned Tongtian that three Saints could still threaten him and that the Immortal Execution Sword Formation could be countered.
• Zhou Ming told Tongtian to muddy the Tribulation with Variables instead of relying on a direct fight.
• Zhou Ming said Tongtian needed the Chan Sect’s help and should force them to join him, leaving Tongtian asking what he should do.

Zhou Ming showed Tongtian Sect Master how to break the deadlock by putting Chan Sect disciples on the Investiture of the Gods, forcing Primordial Lord to interfere with its rules. Tongtian left to plan, while Zhou Ming told Houtu that the coming events would be exciting but would not greatly affect the Tribulation’s final outcome.

• Zhou Ming prompted Tongtian Sect Master to consider how Primordial Lord would react if Chan Sect disciples were listed on the Investiture of the Gods.
• Tongtian Sect Master realized that targeting Chan Sect disciples could force Primordial Lord to undermine the Investiture’s rules and create Variables in the Tribulation.
• Zhou Ming warned Tongtian Sect Master to guard his disciples against covert schemes and against Primordial Lord personally retaliating if Chan Sect disciples died.
• Tongtian Sect Master thanked Zhou Ming and left to plan how to draw the Chan Sect into the conflict.
• Houtu asked Zhou Ming whether Tongtian could succeed, and Zhou Ming said the coming events would be exciting but would have little effect on the Tribulation’s final outcome.

Zhou Ming explained to Houtu that the Investiture of the Gods was a pretext for the Heavenly Dao and Hongjun to draw the Saints into a tribulation and erase the Three Pure Ones' remaining Heaven-Opening Merit. He revealed that their deeper scheme might be to make the Saints shatter the Primordial Wilderness, leaving Houtu horrified by the possibility.

• Zhou Ming told Houtu that filling the Heavenly Court with gods was not the tribulation's true purpose; provoking the Saints to fight was what mattered.
• Zhou Ming explained that the Three Pure Ones' remaining Heaven-Opening Merit protected them from being forced to take the Saint-Smiting Pill.
• Zhou Ming said the tribulation's slaughter would build up karmic burden and gradually exhaust the Three Pure Ones' remaining merit.
• Houtu questioned whether battles among Saints could generate enough karmic burden, and Zhou Ming suggested the conflict would shatter the Primordial Wilderness.
• Houtu realized Hongjun and the Heavenly Dao might be using the Saints to destroy the Primordial Wilderness, and she stared at Zhou Ming in disbelief.

Zhou Ming explained to Houtu that Hongjun and the Heavenly Dao wanted to shatter the Primordial Wilderness to weaken Pangu's Will and free themselves from its restraint. Since they could not prevent the destruction entirely, Zhou Ming proposed preserving Buzhou Mountain as the foundation of Pangu's Will and protecting the Wu Clan's interests.

• Zhou Ming told Houtu that the Primordial Wilderness's destruction would weaken Pangu's Will and leave the Wu Clan vulnerable to the Heavenly Dao.
• Houtu proposed stopping the Saints from joining the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation, then suggested suppressing or killing them if they refused.
• Zhou Ming explained that killing or suppressing the Saints would not stop Hongjun and the Heavenly Dao from finding another way to destroy the Primordial Wilderness.
• Houtu asked whether Zhou Ming had a countermeasure, and he said they should preserve Buzhou Mountain even if they could not save the whole Primordial Land.
• Zhou Ming resolved to keep Buzhou Mountain standing so Pangu's Will would retain its foundation, while the Wu Clan maximized its interests.

Zhou Ming revealed that the Wu Clan should gather fragments of the shattered Primordial Continent to transform the Pangu Realm into a complete world and shelter Pangu's Will. He left Houtu stunned with his plan to create a world wholly under the Wu Clan's control, potentially moving Buzhou Mountain there as well.

• Houtu asked Zhou Ming how the Wu Clan could maximize its interests after deciding to preserve Buzhou Mountain and abandon most of the Primordial Continent.
• Zhou Ming told Houtu to collect the fragments that would drift through Chaos when the Primordial Continent shattered.
• Houtu guessed that Zhou Ming wanted to reforge the Primordial Continent, but he rejected that plan as insufficient for the Wu Clan's interests.
• Zhou Ming explained that refining the fragments into the Pangu Realm would turn it into a complete world capable of sheltering part of Pangu's Will.
• Zhou Ming said the Wu Clan could eventually move Buzhou Mountain into the Pangu Realm and establish a world beyond Heavenly Dao and Hongjun's control.
• Houtu stared at Zhou Ming in shock as she grasped the scale of his plan.

Tongtian Sect Master assessed Jiang Ziya’s progress and sent him down the mountain to study under Wen Zhong, assuring him that the assignment was a trial for the Jie Sect and promising to rebuild his immortal roots after the Tribulation. Jiang Ziya left for Saint Mother Jinling’s cave abode, determined to fulfill his master’s expectations.

• Tongtian Sect Master learned that Jiang Ziya had made little progress in cultivation but excelled at military strategy and governing.
• Tongtian Sect Master told Jiang Ziya to descend the mountain and study practical affairs under Wen Zhong.
• Jiang Ziya mistakenly thought his master was driving him from the sect until Tongtian Sect Master explained the purpose of the journey and promised to reconstruct his immortal root bone after the Tribulation.
• Jiang Ziya pledged to fulfill his master’s expectations, then went to find Saint Mother Jinling, who would lead him down the mountain.
• Jiang Ziya reached Jinling’s cave abode and requested an audience.

Saint Mother Jinling brought Jiang Ziya to Chaoge to study under Wen Zhong, where he began learning about Great Shang’s military and government affairs. The chapter ended with Jiang Ziya engrossed in border reports and Wen Zhong quietly approving of his determination.

• Saint Mother Jinling took Jiang Ziya from Golden Ao Island to Chaoge and led him into Wen Zhong’s Grand Tutor’s Mansion.
• Wen Zhong greeted Saint Mother Jinling as his master and Jiang Ziya as his Martial Uncle.
• Saint Mother Jinling explained Tongtian Sect Master’s order for Jiang Ziya to learn governance and military affairs under Wen Zhong.
• Wen Zhong arranged for Jiang Ziya to stay in his mansion as an adviser and observe court business and military discussions.
• Wen Zhong gave Jiang Ziya reports from the East Sea border towns, and Jiang Ziya immediately began studying them with focus.

After three years of helping Wen Zhong govern the Great Shang Dynasty, Jiang Ziya learned that his training was over and that he could return to Golden Ao Island. Saint Mother Jinling arrived at the Grand Tutor's Mansion to take him back.

• Jiang Ziya advised Wen Zhong to defend against Yuan Futong's forces and wait for their supplies to run short before sending light cavalry to harass them.
• Wen Zhong praised Jiang Ziya's political and military skill, while Jiang Ziya said he still longed to pursue the Dao on Golden Ao Island.
• Wen Zhong told Jiang Ziya that he had nothing more to teach him and that Master Jinling had sent word summoning him back to Golden Ao Island.
• Jiang Ziya eagerly prepared to leave, then sensed a sacred aura descend over the Grand Tutor's Mansion.
• Saint Mother Jinling descended along a golden road, and Wen Zhong and Jiang Ziya greeted her respectfully.

Saint Mother Jinling brought Jiang Ziya back to Golden Ao Island after his three years in Chaoge, where he had learned mortal governance and military affairs under Wen Zhong. Tongtian Sect Master praised his progress and ordered him to remain on the island and cultivate.

• Saint Mother Jinling praised Wen Zhong for teaching Jiang Ziya well, and Wen Zhong gratefully credited his Grandmaster.
• Saint Mother Jinling took Jiang Ziya to Jade Palace, where Tongtian Sect Master welcomed them back.
• Jiang Ziya told Tongtian Sect Master that he had mastered Great Shang's laws, geography, military strategy, and governance.
• Tongtian Sect Master told Jiang Ziya to stop descending the mountain and cultivate peacefully on Golden Ao Island.
• Jiang Ziya left Jade Palace, grateful to have returned and eager to pursue the Dao as a Jie Sect immortal.

Shen Gongbao confronted Immortal Weng of the South Pole over his neglect, arguing that he needed greater strength to serve the Chan Sect in the coming Tribulation. He secured two divine abilities, but the exchange set the two disciples against each other.

• Shen Gongbao reflected on years of neglect at Jade Void Palace and resolved to take the initiative to improve his cultivation.
• Shen Gongbao visited Immortal Weng of the South Pole and requested guidance, invoking his role in the Investiture of the Gods and the Chan Sect’s plans.
• Immortal Weng of the South Pole pressured Shen Gongbao with his Daluo Golden Immortal aura, but Shen Gongbao refused to kneel and argued that his weakness could jeopardize the Chan Sect.
• Immortal Weng of the South Pole relented and bestowed the Jade Purity Divine Firmament Lightning Magic and the Soaring Ground Golden Light Technique on Shen Gongbao.
• Shen Gongbao left with the techniques, while Immortal Weng of the South Pole resented him and vowed to punish him after the Investiture of the Gods.

Primordial Lord Tianzun ordered True Person Taiyi to send Spirit Pearl into Lady Yin’s womb at Chentang Pass, where Taiyi would raise it as his disciple and use it to undergo the Tribulation. Taiyi carried out the task and set off toward the General’s Mansion, while Primordial Lord Tianzun dismissed Shen Gongbao’s ambitions and left Nanji to handle him.

• Primordial Lord Tianzun gave True Person Taiyi Spirit Pearl and the Universe Ring, Chaos Tunic, and Fire-Tipped Spear, ordering him to arrange Spirit Pearl’s birth and train it as his disciple.
• Primordial Lord Tianzun directed Taiyi to send Spirit Pearl into Lady Yin’s womb in Chentang Pass to settle the Chan Sect’s Karma with the Dragon Clan during the Tribulation.
• Taiyi warned Primordial Lord Tianzun that Shen Gongbao had demanded profound immortal arts from Nanji, but Primordial Lord Tianzun said Nanji would handle the matter.
• Taiyi left Jade Void Palace with Spirit Pearl and flew to Chentang Pass, reflecting on the difference between Spirit Pearl’s favor and Shen Gongbao’s low standing.
• Taiyi sent Spirit Pearl into Lady Yin’s womb and promised to return when the child was born.

As Di Yi lay dying, he entrusted Great Shang Dynasty to Zi Shou and declared that his son could become a Human Emperor like the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. Zi Shou doubted he could reach such heights, so Di Yi began to explain why he had raised him so closely; the chapter ended before he revealed the reason.

• Di Yi named Zi Shou his successor and charged him with governing Great Shang Dynasty and protecting its people.
• Zi Shou vowed to strengthen the dynasty but admitted he had no confidence he could equal the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.
• Di Yi said his expectation was based on a reason, not merely a dying man's wishful thinking.
• Di Yi asked Zi Shou why he had kept him by his side and personally directed his upbringing since childhood.