Chapter Summaries

Di Yi revealed that the Human Emperor Sword had acknowledged Zi Shou as its master on the day he was born, explaining why he had guarded and prepared his son so carefully. Zi Shou claimed the sword and embraced his destiny, while Di Yi entrusted it to him as the future of Great Shang and the Human Clan.

• Zi Shou asked Di Yi why he had treated him with such extraordinary care, and Di Yi revealed that the Human Emperor Sword had acknowledged him at birth.
• Di Yi told Zi Shou that the Human Clan's destiny had chosen him to become a true Human Emperor.
• Di Yi directed Zi Shou to open an ancient wooden box, and the Human Emperor Sword rang out and opened it by itself.
• Zi Shou grasped the sword, and its fortune flowed into him as their auras fused without resistance.
• Di Yi entrusted the Human Emperor Sword to Zi Shou, who raised it toward the firmament with new ambition.

As Di Yi neared death, he summoned Wen Zhong and entrusted him with protecting the Great Shang Dynasty and Zi Shou. The chapter ended with Wen Zhong swearing to defend the realm and its new sovereign for as long as he lived.

• Di Yi sent Zi Shou to summon Grand Tutor Wen Zhong.
• Wen Zhong entered Di Yi’s bedchamber, and the two renewed their old address as Daoist Friends.
• Di Yi recalled their friendship and said he could die without regrets after their years of ruling and defending Great Shang.
• Di Yi asked Wen Zhong to protect the Great Shang Dynasty and guide the young, untested Zi Shou after his death.
• Wen Zhong tried to channel magical power into Di Yi, but Di Yi stopped him and accepted that his time had come.
• Wen Zhong swore to protect the realm and the new sovereign as long as he lived.

Di Yi entrusted Wen Zhong with the King-Beating Golden Whip and charged him, Zi Shou, Bi Gan, and Shang Rong with protecting Great Shang and guiding its heir. After Di Yi died, Zi Shou inherited the throne, and the seal on his brow began to crack as an ancient memory stirred.

• Di Yi gave Wen Zhong the King-Beating Golden Whip and decreed that he could discipline Zi Shou if the prince betrayed the Human Clan or abandoned his duties.
• Zi Shou accepted Wen Zhong as Grand Preceptor and vowed to heed his counsel, while Wen Zhong promised to serve Great Shang until his death.
• Di Yi summoned Bi Gan and Shang Rong, charged them with assisting Zi Shou, and urged his son to become a true Human Emperor.
• Di Yi died after asking Wen Zhong to discuss the Dao with him in another life, and the people of Chaoge mourned him with nine funeral chimes.
• As Di Yi passed away and the destiny of the Human Emperor shifted to Zi Shou, the seal on Zi Shou's brow cracked and an ancient memory began to awaken.

After Di Yi's death, the Saints sensed that the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation had begun, and the Western Saints prepared to use a Daoist Friend to ignite it. At Pangu Hall, Zhou Ming and Houtu awaited Di Jiang and Zhu Jiuyin's breakthroughs, hoping to secure greater gains in the coming upheaval.

• Primordial Lord Tianzun, Tongtian, the Taiqing Saint, and Nuwa sensed Di Yi's death and the approaching Tribulation, each responding according to their own concerns.
• Zhunti and Jieyin welcomed the rising chaos in the East as an opportunity for the Western Teachings to prosper.
• Zhunti told Jieyin he had arranged for a Daoist Friend with close Karma to the Human Clan to willingly start the Tribulation.
• Houtu told Zhou Ming that the Tribulation had arrived, and Zhou Ming noted that Di Jiang and Zhu Jiuyin were close to attaining the Dao.
• Zhou Ming said he and Houtu should wait for Di Jiang and Zhu Jiuyin to emerge from seclusion so the Wu Clan could gain more from the coming upheaval.

After Di Yi’s death, Zi Shou completed his enthronement rites and received an overwhelming surge of Human Path Fortune that restored Wu’s ancient memories. He declared himself the Human Emperor of the entire Human Clan, and the chapter ended as ministers and officials hailed him while powerful figures across the realms sensed a change in human fortune.

• Seven days after Di Yi’s death, Zi Shou performed the ancestral rites before the ministers and officials of Great Shang.
• In the Human Clan Sacred Hall, Zi Shou felt an uncanny familiarity with the statue of the Martial Ancestor before paying respects to the sages and ancestors.
• Wen Zhong presented Zi Shou with the Royal Seal and Human Emperor Sword, and Zi Shou took them as he ascended the throne.
• The Human Clan Ancestral Vein sent immense Human Path Fortune into Zi Shou, breaking Empress Pingxin’s seal and restoring Wu’s ancient memories.
• Zi Shou declared himself the Human Emperor of the Human Clan, and Wen Zhong, Bi Gan, Shang Rong, and the assembled officials knelt to hail him.
• Fuxi and the others in Huoyun Cave reacted with gratification, while Nuwa, Taiqing, Primordial Lord Tianzun, Tongtian Sect Master, Jieyin, and Zhunti sensed a change in human fortune.

Di Xin used his ambition to unite the realm as a pretext to establish a Hall of Honored Sages, planning to draw Li Jing’s family and the unborn Spirit Pearl to Chaoge. He appointed Fei Zhong and You Hun to recruit talent, setting his plan in motion.

• Di Xin reflected that he wanted Nezha, the Spirit Pearl, to become a general of Great Shang rather than a disciple and weapon of the Chan Sect.
• Di Xin declared his ambition to sweep away the Four Barbarians and unite the Nine Provinces, winning pledges of support from Fei Zhong, You Hun, Wen Zhong, and the other officials.
• Di Xin proposed a Hall of Honored Sages that would accept talented people regardless of rank or origin, and Wen Zhong, Shang Rong, and Bi Gan approved.
• Di Xin assigned Fei Zhong and You Hun to establish the Hall of Honored Sages, and they eagerly accepted the order.

Di Xin used Fei Zhong’s report about Lady Yin’s two-year pregnancy to identify Nezha as a potential talent and rejected Wen Zhong’s warning that the child might be a demon or reincarnated power. He ordered Li Jing and his family brought to Chaoge, where Nezha would be born under the court’s watch, then stopped Wen Zhong to discuss another important matter.

• Di Xin declared that the Great Shang would recruit extraordinary talents, even those not yet born, prompting Fei Zhong to report Lady Yin’s two-year pregnancy.
• Wen Zhong warned that the unborn child might be a demon or reincarnated Great Power and advised investigating or eliminating the threat.
• Di Xin insisted that any child born from a human mother was a subject of the Human Clan and would have to obey his rule.
• Convinced by Di Xin’s resolve, Wen Zhong withdrew his objections, and the court praised the king.
• Di Xin ordered Fei Zhong to bring Li Jing, Lady Yin, and their family safely to Chaoge, placing Li Jing under Wen Zhong’s command to guard the capital.
• After dismissing court, Di Xin asked Wen Zhong to stay and discuss an important matter.

Di Xin told Wen Zhong he wanted a grand formation to cover Chaoge, detect cultivators, and suppress their magic power by drawing on Human Path Fortune and the mountains and rivers of the Nine Provinces. Wen Zhong doubted that even such a formation could restrain Daluo Golden Immortals, but Di Xin remained confident.

• Di Xin kept Wen Zhong behind and announced his plan to establish a formation across Chaoge City.
• Di Xin explained that the formation would detect cultivators entering Chaoge and suppress those below the Quasi-Sage realm unless he permitted them to use magic.
• Wen Zhong agreed that the Jie Sect could provide experts for a sensing formation but questioned whether any formation could suppress Daluo Golden Immortals.
• Di Xin proposed using Human Path Fortune and the mountains and rivers of the Nine Provinces as the formation’s foundation.
• Wen Zhong warned Di Xin not to underestimate Daluo Golden Immortals, and Di Xin assured him that he understood their power.

Di Xin proposed using Human Clan fortune to protect Chaoge with a peerless formation and persuaded Wen Zhong to seek the Jie Sect experts needed to build it. Wen Zhong departed for Golden Ao Island, while Di Xin resolved to make Chaoge dangerous for the Chan Sect.

• Wen Zhong judged Di Xin’s plan to harness Human Path Fortune in a formation feasible but said it required expert arrangers.
• Di Xin named Yunxiao, Qiongxiao, Bixiao, and the Ten Heavenly Lords as candidates, and Wen Zhong realized Huoyun Cave had informed the King about the Jie Sect.
• Di Xin told Wen Zhong to tell Saint Mother Jinling that the Tribulation was approaching and the Human Emperor would advance and retreat alongside the Jie Sect.
• Di Xin clarified that Huoyun Cave would not intervene, but declared that the Human Clan’s fortune would stand with the Jie Sect as long as he did.
• Wen Zhong vowed to invite the Sanxiao and the Ten Heavenly Lords to Chaoge, then left for Golden Ao Island.
• Di Xin watched Wen Zhong depart and resolved to turn Chaoge into a stronghold against the Chan Sect.

Wen Zhong asked Saint Mother Jinling and Tongtian Sect Master to support Di Xin’s plan to use Human Path Fortune to protect Chaoge from immortals and gods. Tongtian approved the alliance and ordered the Sanxiao and Ten Heavenly Lords to go to Chaoge.

• Wen Zhong returned to Golden Ao Island and told Saint Mother Jinling about Di Xin’s formation plan, his Human Path Fortune, and Huoyun Cave’s support.
• Wen Zhong argued that the Jie Sect’s fate was bound to Great Shang and that helping Di Xin could help the sect break its deadlock.
• Saint Mother Jinling brought Wen Zhong to Jade Palace so Tongtian Sect Master could decide whether to support the proposal.
• Tongtian Sect Master approved the alliance and told Wen Zhong to return to Chaoge while he sent the Sanxiao and Ten Heavenly Lords there.
• Saint Mother Jinling voiced concern about Di Xin’s confidence, and Tongtian said the coming Tribulation would be more interesting than expected.
• Two streams of azure light carrying Tongtian’s will flew toward Three Immortal Islands and the Ten Heavenly Lords’ cave abode.

Tongtian Sect Master summoned the Sanxiao and the Ten Heavenly Lords and ordered them to Chaoge to help the Human Emperor create a formation fueled by Human Path Fortune. Yunxiao led the thirteen disciples toward the Human Clan, tasked with studying the formation and discovering what made the emperor a potential key to the Jie Sect's tribulation.

• Yunxiao, Qiongxiao, and Bixiao received Tongtian Sect Master's summons and traveled from the Three Immortal Islands to Golden Ao Island.
• Tongtian Sect Master ordered the Sanxiao, the Ten Heavenly Lords, and the others to go to Chaoge and help the Human Emperor set up a grand formation.
• Tongtian Sect Master explained that the formation would use Human Path Fortune to suppress the cultivation of immortals and gods below the Quasi-Sage realm within Chaoge.
• Tongtian Sect Master appointed Yunxiao to lead the mission and instructed her to study the unusual formation and observe the Human Emperor.
• Yunxiao led the thirteen Jie Sect disciples as they departed for the Human Clan.

Wen Zhong returned to Chaoge with word that the Golden Ao Island immortals had agreed to help Di Xin build a formation. Yunxiao and the other twelve arrived and assessed Di Xin’s plan to use Human Path Fortune to make Chaoge impassable to immortals and gods, but said they first needed to survey the city and devise a formation diagram.

• Wen Zhong told Di Xin that Grandmaster had agreed to send the Martial Uncles to help establish the formation.
• Di Xin and Wen Zhong welcomed Yunxiao, Qiongxiao, Bixiao, and the Ten Heavenly Lords as they arrived above Chaoge.
• Yunxiao and the others sensed Chaoge’s powerful Human Path Fortune and were impressed by Di Xin’s bearing.
• Di Xin asked whether the formation could be built, and Yunxiao said it was theoretically feasible but would require surveying Chaoge’s earth veins and Fortune before they could devise a formation diagram.

Yunxiao and the other Jie Sect Daoists surveyed Chaoge City to plan a formation that would draw upon Human Path Fortune. They discovered that immortals could not safely guide the power themselves, so Yunxiao decided to ask Di Xin whether he could command it.

• Di Xin gave Yunxiao and the other Daoists permission to inspect all of Chaoge, ordering Wen Zhong to accompany them and grant them access.
• Over several days, Yunxiao, Sanxiao, and the Ten Heavenly Lords mapped Chaoge’s earth veins and fortune nodes by walking through the city and sensing them directly.
• Qin Wan reported that Chaoge’s earth veins were linked to the Nine Provinces and that its immense Human Path Fortune repelled their Divine Sense.
• The Daoists identified the formation’s core and a general layout but realized that immortals could not guide Human Path Fortune without risking catastrophic backlash.
• Yunxiao decided the group would meet Di Xin and ask how he planned to command the Human Path Fortune.

Yunxiao reported that the grand formation for Chaoge was ready to be planned, but guiding Human Path Fortune into it required the Human Emperor. Di Xin refused to summon a forefather from Huoyun Cave, took responsibility himself, and left Yunxiao wondering whether he was more than an ordinary Human Emperor.

• Yunxiao told Di Xin that the formation’s design was ready, but only he could guide Human Path Fortune into it.
• Yunxiao and Qin Wan urged Di Xin to invite a former Human Emperor from Huoyun Cave to oversee the dangerous task.
• Di Xin declared that guiding the fortune was his duty and insisted he had absolute confidence, persuading Yunxiao and the other Jie Sect immortals to trust him.
• Yunxiao said the Grand Ancestral Temple would serve as the formation’s core, and Di Xin ordered the immortals to finish their preparations.
• After leaving the hall, Yunxiao wondered whether Di Xin was truly nothing more than the Human Emperor.

Yunxiao and the Jie Sect disciples discussed Di Xin’s unsettling confidence and suspected he was more than an ordinary mortal. Yunxiao then urged them to perfect their formation to protect the Jie Sect’s honor, and they set out to make Chaoge City a forbidden ground for immortals and gods.

• Qiongxiao and Bixiao questioned Yunxiao’s claim that Di Xin did not seem like an ordinary Human Emperor.
• Yunxiao explained that Di Xin’s confidence and composure felt deeper than an emperor’s majesty or the power of Human Path Fortune.
• Qin Wan and Zhao Jiang agreed that Di Xin had inspired an uncanny, soul-deep pressure in them.
• Yunxiao reminded the group that their task was to build a flawless formation and defend the Jie Sect’s reputation.
• The disciples pledged to pour their knowledge into the formation, and Yunxiao led them back to deduce its diagram and variations.

Fei Zhong arrived at Chentang Pass with The King's decree summoning Li Jing and his family to Chaoge. He explained that The King regarded Li Jing's unborn child, carried for more than two years, as a heaven-bestowed prodigy to be raised as a Pillar of the State.

• Fei Zhong arrived at Chentang Pass and announced himself to Commander Li Jing.
• Li Jing welcomed Fei Zhong anxiously, fearing The King had learned of his wife's unusually long pregnancy.
• Fei Zhong delivered The King's decree summoning Li Jing and his family to Chaoge to serve under Grand Tutor Wen Zhong.
• Li Jing accepted the decree, astonished that The King had rewarded him despite his uncertainty about the reason.
• Fei Zhong told Li Jing that The King viewed his unborn child as a qilin child and intended to raise the child as a Pillar of the State.

Fei Zhong delivered the King’s decree declaring Li Jing and Lady Yin’s unborn child an auspicious Qilin Child, lifting the couple’s fears about the long pregnancy. Three days later, Li Jing’s family departed Chentang Pass for Chaoge, carrying a child whose role in the coming tribulation remained unknown to them.

• Fei Zhong showed Li Jing the King’s decree and said the unborn child was a Qilin Child of the Human Clan and an auspicious omen.
• Li Jing thanked the King and arranged to travel to Chaoge after preparing for Lady Yin’s journey.
• Li Jing told Lady Yin that the King had declared their child a virtuous reincarnation and an auspicious omen, and she wept with relief.
• Three days later, Fei Zhong and Li Jing led the family’s convoy out of Chentang Pass toward Chaoge.

Primordial Lord Tianzun noticed that Li Jing's family had left Chentang Pass and traced the change to Di Xin's decree summoning them to Chaoge. Dismissing the Human Emperor as no threat, he planned to have Taiyi take Spirit Pearl back to Kunlun after the child was born and vowed to destroy Great Shang during the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation.

• Primordial Lord Tianzun sensed that Spirit Pearl's fate had shifted when Li Jing's family convoy left Chentang Pass.
• He considered whether another Saint had interfered, then traced the Karma surrounding Li Jing to Di Xin's decree summoning the family to Chaoge.
• Primordial Lord Tianzun concluded that Di Xin wanted to claim Spirit Pearl as a future pillar of the Human Clan and mocked the Human Emperor's ambition.
• He decided Taiyi would bring Spirit Pearl to Kunlun after his birth, while postponing the plan to settle Karma with the East Sea Dragon Clan.
• Primordial Lord Tianzun vowed to make Di Xin pay and reduce Great Shang to ashes once the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation ended.

Di Xin welcomed Li Jing to Chaoge and placed him under Grand Tutor Wen to oversee the city’s defenses, while urging him to bring his sons Jin Zha and Mu Zha into Great Shang service. After Li Jing left, Di Xin resolved to thwart the brothers’ future rebellion against Shang.

• Fei Zhong reported that he had brought Li Jing and his family from Chentang Pass to Chaoge, and Di Xin praised him for carrying out the task.
• Di Xin summoned Li Jing and ordered him to serve under Grand Tutor Wen and help oversee Chaoge’s defenses.
• Di Xin asked about Li Jing’s sons, and Li Jing explained that Jin Zha and Mu Zha were studying under immortals.
• Di Xin told Li Jing to have Jin Zha and Mu Zha serve Great Shang when they returned, and Li Jing promised to bring them to Chaoge.
• After Li Jing and Fei Zhong left, Di Xin reflected that Jin Zha and Mu Zha had once led the rebellion against Shang and resolved to stop them.

Yunxiao and the twelve Interception Sect immortals completed and began raising a grand formation across Chaoge City, drawing on its earth veins and the Human Clan's Fortune. The formation took shape, and Yunxiao called on Di Xin to infuse it with Human Path Fortune to activate it fully.

• Yunxiao reported that the thirteen immortals had finished deducing the formation and told Di Xin it could be set, with his help needed at the moment it was completed.
• Di Xin ordered Wen Zhong, Bi Gan, and Shang Rong to keep order in Chaoge while the formation was being raised three days later.
• Yunxiao and the twelve immortals took their assigned positions around Chaoge and began imprinting the formation into the city's earth veins.
• The city's tremors frightened the people, but Bi Gan, Shang Rong, and the Shang Army calmed the crowds and prevented interference.
• Yunxiao linked the twelve immortals' power with Chaoge's earth veins and the ancestral temple's incense, completing the formation and enclosing the city in an invisible barrier.
• Yunxiao called on Di Xin to pour Human Path Fortune into the completed formation.