Chapter Summaries

Shen Gongbao and Daoist Randeng plotted to escape the Chan Sect after the Saints’ battle, using Xiqi’s succession dispute to draw Yun Zhongzi away. They slipped out of Xiqi undetected, leaving Yun Zhongzi on his way to Ji Fa’s residence.

• After Primordial Lord Tianzun’s edict summoned the Chan disciples back to Kunlun Mountain but omitted Shen Gongbao, Randeng revealed that Saint Zhunti had agreed to help him and Shen Gongbao leave the sect.
• Randeng warned that Yun Zhongzi could expose or obstruct their escape, so Shen Gongbao proposed exploiting the rivalry between Bo Yikao and Ji Fa to lure Yun Zhongzi away.
• Shen Gongbao arranged for Ji Shudan to ask Yun Zhongzi to mediate the dispute between his brothers, then persuaded Yun Zhongzi that preventing bloodshed would be meritorious.
• Yun Zhongzi agreed to accompany Ji Shudan to Ji Fa’s residence, while Shen Gongbao returned to Randeng.
• Randeng and Shen Gongbao vanished from the Quiet Room without leaving a trace.

Randeng and Shen Gongbao fled Xiqi for the West, but Primordial Lord Tianzun caught them before they crossed into its lands. Zhunti shielded them and challenged Yuanshi to fight in the Chaos, where their battle began.

• Randeng and Shen Gongbao fled toward the western lands, hoping to reach the Two Saints of the West's protection.
• Primordial Lord Tianzun appeared and prepared to kill the two defectors, but Zhunti's Saintly will intervened and saved them.
• Yuanshi demanded that Zhunti hand over Randeng and Shen Gongbao, while Zhunti refused and defended their choice to join Buddhism.
• Zhunti agreed to fight Yuanshi in the Chaos and told Randeng and Shen Gongbao to go to Spirit Mountain for Jieyin to receive them.
• Yuanshi attacked Zhunti with the Three Treasures Jade Ruyi as their battle began.

Primordial Lord Tianzun beat Zhunti until his golden body shattered, then dropped his demand for revenge over Randeng and Shen Gongbao but failed to reclaim the Chan disciples’ True Spirits. As Jieyin and Zhunti prepared to leave, Nuwa stopped them to settle her own account.

• Primordial Lord Tianzun attacked Zhunti in Chaos, and Taiqing Saint, Nuwa, Jieyin, and the other Saints arrived to watch.
• Taiqing Saint blocked Jieyin from intervening, while Zhunti admitted fault and told Jieyin to let Primordial Lord Tianzun vent his anger.
• Primordial Lord Tianzun shattered Zhunti’s golden body and agreed to forgive the matter of Randeng and Shen Gongbao.
• Primordial Lord Tianzun demanded the Chan disciples’ True Spirits, but Zhunti argued that they would be better off in the West, and Primordial Lord Tianzun tacitly accepted his reasoning.
• Jieyin began taking the injured Zhunti back to Spirit Mountain, but Nuwa stopped them and demanded they settle their account with her.

Empress Wa confronted Zhunti over the poem he had inscribed in her palace and attacked him and Jieyin with the Diagram of Mountains and Rivers and the Creation Cauldron. As Jieyin and Zhunti struggled to withstand her assault, Zhunti exposed Primordial Lord Tianzun as a participant, leaving Taiqing Saint stunned.

• Empress Wa accused Zhunti of inscribing the humiliating poem in her palace and demanded an explanation.
• Empress Wa attacked Jieyin and the wounded Zhunti with the Diagram of Mountains and Rivers and the Creation Cauldron.
• Jieyin defended them with the Twelve-grade Golden Lotus of Merit but could not fight back while protecting Zhunti.
• Primordial Lord Tianzun hesitated to intervene, fearing that doing so would reveal his involvement.
• Zhunti called on Primordial Lord Tianzun and revealed that he had also participated in the matter.
• Taiqing Saint turned to Primordial Lord Tianzun and asked whether he had made a move as well.

After Taiqing Saint persuaded Primordial Lord Tianzun to seek a settlement, Nuwa demanded half the merit from the West’s future prosperity as compensation from Jieyin and Zhunti. When the Two Saints of the West refused, Nuwa resumed her assault, while Taiqing Saint and Primordial Lord Tianzun realized she might be preparing to free herself from the Heavenly Dao.

• Taiqing Saint stopped Primordial Lord Tianzun from joining the battle and urged him to settle his Karma with Nuwa through compensation.
• Primordial Lord Tianzun offered compensation, but Nuwa said she would deal with Jieyin and Zhunti first.
• Jieyin and Zhunti offered spirit treasures and Spiritual Roots, but Nuwa dismissed them and asked what they could truly provide.
• Nuwa demanded half the merit the West would gain after its Great Prosperity, and Jieyin and Zhunti refused.
• Taiqing Saint and Primordial Lord Tianzun suspected Nuwa wanted the merit to prepare for breaking free from the Heavenly Dao.
• Nuwa declared that Jieyin and Zhunti would not leave and intensified her attack with the Creation Cauldron and the Diagram of Mountains and Rivers.

Nuwa forced Jieyin and Zhunti to negotiate over the merit from the Great Prosperity of the West after overwhelming them in battle. They swore to give her ten percent, and Nuwa then turned to Primordial Lord Tianzun to settle their score.

• Nuwa battered Jieyin and Zhunti with the Creation Cauldron and threatened to make them fall unless they offered her merit.
• Zhunti offered five percent, but Nuwa rejected it and demanded thirty percent before lowering her demand to twenty percent.
• Jieyin and Zhunti explained they could offer only ten percent because they had promised Zhou Ming one-third and owed merit to others and the Heavenly Dao.
• Nuwa accepted ten percent, and Jieyin and Zhunti swore an oath to transfer it to her.
• Jieyin took the injured Zhunti and fled west to Spirit Mountain, while Nuwa confronted Primordial Lord Tianzun about settling their score.

Nuwa secured half the Merit offered to Jieyin and Zhunti, while Primordial Lord Tianzun agreed to seek Merit through the Great Prosperity of the West. On their way back to Mount Sumeru, Zhunti proposed that Buddhist disciples serve in the Underworld to earn Merit, and Jieyin agreed to approach Pingxin Fellow Daoist after Zhunti recovered.

• Nuwa demanded half the Merit Jieyin and Zhunti had offered her, and Primordial Lord Tianzun agreed to her terms.
• Nuwa departed, and Taiqing Saint urged Primordial Lord Tianzun to seek Merit through the Great Prosperity of the West.
• Daoist Zhunti lamented that their promised shares to Zhou Ming and Nuwa threatened their ability to repay the Heavenly Dao.
• Daoist Zhunti proposed sending Buddhist disciples to the Underworld to help deliver suffering beings in exchange for Merit.
• Daoist Jieyin approved the plan, and the two agreed to select suitable disciples and discuss it with Pingxin Fellow Daoist after Zhunti recovered.

After the Jie Sect survivors arrived at the Heavenly Court, Haotian welcomed them and set out the terms of their service. He granted Saint Mother Jinling a supreme post and appointed Wen Zhong and Jiang Ziya to important roles, leaving the former Jie Sect disciples as Heavenly Court ministers.

• Saint Mother Jinling led the recovered Jie Sect survivors from Golden Ao Island to the Heavenly Court, where they accepted that they would have to serve under Haotian.
• Haotian told the newcomers to follow Heavenly Court rules and obey his orders, and Saint Mother Jinling agreed as long as his commands were fair and reasonable.
• Haotian appointed Saint Mother Jinling Great Emperor Qinghua of the East Pole and placed Saint Mother Wudang, Saint Mother Guiling, Sanxiao, Zhao Gongming, and the others under her command.
• Haotian appointed Wen Zhong Universal Thunder Lord of the Nine Heavens and revealed that Wu had secured the position for him, prompting Wen Zhong to thank the King of Great Shang.
• Haotian assigned Jiang Ziya to assist Taibai Jinxing with government affairs and instructed Taibai Jinxing to arrange the appointments as the Jie Sect members withdrew.

Haotian celebrated after securing the Jie Sect’s allegiance to the Heavenly Court and planned how to place the arriving Chan Sect disciples under his authority. He intended to use the two sects’ rivalry to strengthen his control while humiliating Primordial Lord Tianzun through his disciples.

• Haotian left the Lingxiao Treasure Hall and told Yaochi that Saint Mother Jinling had accepted the position of Great Emperor Qinghua of the East Pole in exchange for the Jie Sect members obeying his commands.
• Haotian anticipated the Chan Sect disciples’ arrival and recalled how Guang Chengzi and Immortal Weng of the South Pole had once pressured him.
• Haotian planned to give Yun Zhongzi an idle post but send the remaining Chan Sect third-generation disciples to patrol the South Heaven Gate as Heavenly Soldiers and Generals.
• Haotian said Guang Chengzi and the other fallen Chan Sect disciples would serve under Saint Mother Jinling after reincarnating, placing Chan Sect Golden Immortals beneath Jie Sect disciples.
• Yaochi approved Haotian’s plan, recognizing that the arrangement would keep the two sects competing and prevent them from joining forces against the Heavenly Court.

After uniting the Human Clan’s territory, Wu abdicated in favor of Yin Jiao and set out for Huoyun Cave with Queen Jiang, Consort Huang, Su Daji, and the three demons. Yin Jiao and Yin Hong remained behind to win the people’s hearts, with the hope of joining Wu once their work was complete.

• Wu passed the Human Emperor Sword and throne to Yin Jiao, charging him with uniting the people’s hearts as well as their lands, while Yin Hong promised to support his elder brother.
• Wu told Queen Jiang and Consort Huang that he was returning to Huoyun Cave, and both chose to accompany him.
• Su Daji and the Three Demons of Xuanyuan Tomb pleaded to stay with Wu, and Queen Jiang and Consort Huang persuaded him to let them come along.
• Outside Chaoge, Wu urged Yin Jiao and Yin Hong to govern well and care for the people, then promised they could visit Huoyun Cave when their Merit was complete.
• Wu departed for Huoyun Cave with his companions, while Yin Jiao, Yin Hong, and the officials knelt to see him off.

Wu returned to Huoyun Cave after unifying the Human Clan, and the Forefathers celebrated his achievements. He announced that Hongyun could prepare to attain Hunyuan and that he would enter seclusion to develop a Human Clan Hunyuan Dao.

• Wu arrived at Huoyun Cave with Queen Jiang, Consort Huang, and the others, where the Human Clan Forefathers welcomed him.
• Wu asked Ziyi Shi to settle Queen Jiang and Consort Huang, and she led them and Su Daji with the Three Demons of Xuanyuan Tomb into the cave abode.
• Wu told Hongyun that Human Path Fortune had begun gathering and that he could prepare to attain Hunyuan once the people's hearts fully united.
• Hongyun announced that he would enter seclusion to prepare for attaining Hunyuan, then flew to his secluded cave abode.
• Wu revealed that his mortal trial had given him new insight into the Martial Path and that he would enter seclusion to develop a Hunyuan Dao belonging to the Human Clan.
• The Human Clan Forefathers urged Wu to begin immediately, and he headed to his Quiet Room to enter seclusion.

Zhou Ming, Houtu, Di Jiang, and Zhu Jiuyin merged the Primordial Fragments into the Pangu Realm, transforming it into a true, self-sustaining world. Zhou Ming declared it a home and foundation for the Wu Clan’s future.

• Zhou Ming and the others finished erasing the Primordial World's imprints from the Primordial Fragments and traveled to the Pangu Realm.
• Wangshu greeted the group, and Zhou Ming praised her cultivation while she credited her recovery to his help and Moon Star's Origin Essence.
• Zhou Ming ordered Di Jun and the others to stop the Zhou Tian Xing Dou Great Array and revealed the Primordial Fragments to the assembled Demon Clan and Immortal Court Great Powers.
• Zhou Ming, Houtu, Di Jiang, and Zhu Jiuyin broke down the fragments and used their Great Daos to merge their power into the Pangu Realm.
• The last fragment merged, and the Pangu Realm became a complete world that Zhou Ming could establish as the Wu Clan's home.

After the Pangu Realm became a true world, Zhou Ming prepared to enter seclusion and pursue the realm of Hunyuan Grand Unity Golden Immortal. He and Houtu, Di Jiang, and Zhu Jiuyin began studying Pangu’s three Heaven-Opening Marks, while the other Great Powers secluded themselves to comprehend the newborn world’s Laws.

• Di Jiang, Houtu, and Zhu Jiuyin celebrated the completion of the Pangu Realm as Zhou Ming announced that he would attempt another breakthrough.
• Zhou Ming told Di Jun, Taiyi, East King Duke, West Queen Mother, Candle Dragon, Wangshu, and the other Great Powers to stop operating the Zhou Tian Xing Dou Great Array and study the new world’s Laws in seclusion.
• Di Jun and the others thanked Zhou Ming, then scattered to find places to cultivate.
• Zhou Ming returned to Pangu Hall with Houtu, Di Jiang, and Zhu Jiuyin and announced that he would study Pangu’s legacy using the three Heaven-Opening Marks.
• Zhou Ming revealed the three marks, and he and the others focused on comprehending their boundless Dao Rhyme.

After recovering from a thousand years of seclusion, Zhunti learned that Buddhism had grown under Randeng and Shen Gongbao and agreed with Jieyin to send Dizang and other disciples to the Underworld to earn merit. Zhunti and Jieyin then traveled to the Sea of Blood to discuss the plan with Pingxin Fellow Daoist.

• Zhunti emerged fully recovered from seclusion, and Jieyin welcomed him beside the Eight Treasures Merit Pool.
• Jieyin told Zhunti that Randeng and Shen Gongbao had helped convert most of the Jie Sect disciples into Buddhism.
• Zhunti asked about their plan to repay their merit debt by taking posts in the Underworld, and Jieyin named Dizang as the leader.
• Jieyin said he had chosen additional disciples skilled in Buddhist Dharma and salvation to accompany Dizang.
• Zhunti and Jieyin left Mount Sumeru and appeared above the Sea of Blood to discuss the plan with Pingxin Fellow Daoist.

Pingxin received Jieyin and Zhunti in the Underworld after Minghe eagerly volunteered to escort them. Once Zhen Yuanzi and Minghe had left the hall, Zhunti revealed that the two Saints had come to help Pingxin resolve a hidden danger facing the Underworld.

• Zhen Yuanzi reported that the Eighteen Levels of Hell had been repaired and the Six Paths of Reincarnation were operating smoothly, while Minghe worried about his standing in the Netherworld.
• Pingxin sensed Jieyin and Zhunti's arrival, and Minghe rushed to volunteer to welcome the two Saints before Zhen Yuanzi could go.
• Minghe escorted Jieyin and Zhunti through the Underworld to Pingxin Hall, where they felt the formidable power of the Earthly Dao.
• Zhunti hinted that their business was private, so Minghe and Zhen Yuanzi took their leave at Pingxin's permission.
• Zhunti told Pingxin that he and Jieyin had come to help resolve a great hidden danger facing the Underworld.

Zhunti and Jieyin offered to send Buddhist disciples into the Underworld to deliver sinful ghosts in exchange for Merit, and Pingxin agreed to share some. Zhunti then asked for Underworld territory and a formal Divine Office for a Buddhist disciple, prompting Pingxin to question the demand.

• Zhunti argued that accumulated resentment and sinful souls threatened the Underworld and offered Buddhist disciples to deliver them.
• Pingxin saw through the Two Saints of the West’s motives, and Zhunti admitted that Buddhism sought Merit to repair its foundation and repay debts to the Heavenly Dao.
• Pingxin agreed to give Buddhism a portion of the Merit for delivering vicious ghosts, while reserving ordinary souls and the Six Paths of Reincarnation’s operation.
• Zhunti asked Pingxin to grant Buddhist disciples territory in the Underworld and an official Divine Office.
• Pingxin called the request excessive and warned that Underworld Divine Offices concerned the Earthly Dao and could not be granted lightly.

Pingxin agreed to let the Western Teachings establish a base on Yin Mountain and appoint Dizang as King Dizang to guide evil ghosts in the Underworld, subject to her authority and laws. The deal stalled when Zhunti and Jieyin demanded more Merit than Pingxin's offered one percent.

• Zhunti assured Pingxin that Buddhist disciples in the Underworld would only guide souls, obey her commands, and avoid interfering with its powers.
• Pingxin accepted the proposal, designated Yin Mountain as the Buddhists' residence, and appointed Dizang as King Dizang.
• Pingxin warned that she would punish Dizang or any Buddhist disciple who overstepped the Underworld's laws.
• Zhunti and Jieyin agreed to send Dizang and his disciples to the Underworld as soon as possible.
• Zhunti asked how much Merit the disciples would receive, and Pingxin offered one percent.
• Zhunti and Jieyin protested that one percent was too little, with Zhunti demanding at least twenty percent.

Pingxin negotiated with Zhunti and Jieyin to let Buddhism disciples guide departed souls in the Underworld for one percent of the Merit. After they accepted and left for Mount Sumeru, Pingxin summoned Zhen Yuanzi and Ancestor Minghe, who praised her deal as a way to secure labor for the Underworld at little cost.

• Zhunti demanded thirty percent of the Merit, but Pingxin offered only one percent and warned that the deal was off if they kept haggling.
• Zhunti and Jieyin quickly accepted the one-percent share, then left the Underworld and agreed that the arrangement would provide the West with a lasting source of Merit.
• Pingxin summoned Zhen Yuanzi and Ancestor Minghe back to Pingxin Hall and explained the transaction.
• Ancestor Minghe realized Pingxin had secured Buddhism disciples to guide souls for a tiny share of the Merit and enthusiastically praised her strategy.

Pingxin agreed to let Dizang and Buddhist disciples serve in the Underworld, confident she could control them and determined to make them earn their share of its merit through its hardest work. After the Western Saints summoned Dizang and explained his new post, they prepared him to go to the Netherworld.

• Zhen Yuanzi warned Pingxin that the Western Saints might exploit the Underworld, but Pingxin said she would reincarnate anyone who broke her rules.
• Pingxin ordered Zhen Yuanzi to establish the Buddhist disciples' residence at Yin Mountain and assign them the Underworld's dirty, exhausting, and dangerous jobs.
• Minghe proposed sending stubborn ghosts from the Asura Path to Dizang, and Zhen Yuanzi agreed that the Underworld's ancient evil ghosts should be dealt with.
• At Mount Sumeru, Jieyin and Zhunti summoned Dizang and told him that Pingxin had agreed to let him oversee the salvation of departed souls in the Netherworld.
• Zhunti told Dizang that several hundred Buddhist disciples would serve under him as he spread Buddhism and accumulated merit.

Dizang embraced his calling to guide the dead and arrived at Yin Mountain with Jieyin, Zhunti, and hundreds of Buddhist disciples. After he vowed not to become a Buddha until hell was empty, Pingxin decided to leave him unaided and see what he could accomplish in Avici Hell.

• Dizang accepted Jieyin and Zhunti's mission to deliver the souls of the Netherworld, believing it was his Dao.
• Three days later, Jieyin and Zhunti brought Dizang and several hundred Buddhist disciples to Ghost Gate Pass, where Ancestor Minghe led them to the bleak Yin Mountain.
• Dizang showed no fear of Yin Mountain's resentment, and Zhunti urged him to begin his work there.
• Dizang vowed to deliver suffering beings across the Six Paths and never become a Buddha until hell was empty, prompting the Heavenly Dao to shower him with Merit Golden Light.
• Minghe recognized Jieyin and Zhunti's scheme to draw merit from the Underworld, but Pingxin ordered him to let Dizang proceed.
• Pingxin told Zhen Yuanzi to provide the Buddhists no further help and said she would watch to see whether Dizang could make a lotus bloom in Avici Hell.