Chapter Summaries

Zhou Ming revealed that Wu Ming was his separated avatar and explained why he had acted in his stead. He borrowed Zhen Yuanzi’s Earth Book to search for Fangzhang and Mount Yingzhou, where something vital to the Wu Clan lay.

• Wu Ming led Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun to meet Zhou Ming, who revealed that he and Wu Ming were originally one.
• Zhou Ming explained that Wu Ming had handled the Wu Clan’s affairs and traveled the Primordial Wilderness while Zhou Ming and his siblings stabilized their cultivation.
• Zhou Ming asked to borrow Zhen Yuanzi’s Earth Book to find Fangzhang and Mount Yingzhou.
• Zhen Yuanzi explained that the islands appeared unpredictably and briefly, but agreed to lend Zhou Ming the Earth Book.
• Zhou Ming accepted the Earth Book and solemnly promised that the Wu Clan would repay Zhen Yuanzi’s kindness.

Zhou Ming took Di Jiang and Houtu to the Eastern Sea to find Fangzhang and Mount Yingzhou, while the other Ancestral Witches entered seclusion to pursue the Quasi-Sage Realm. After a hundred years, the Earth Book revealed the isles’ locations, and the three split up to search for the Purifying World White Lotus.

• Zhou Ming ordered the Ancestral Witches except Zhu Jiuyin to enter seclusion, then entrusted Wu Ming with the Wu Clan’s affairs while he traveled east with Di Jiang and Houtu.
• Zhou Ming spent a hundred years studying the Earth Book before two unusual earth-vein patterns appeared, revealing the locations of Fangzhang and Mount Yingzhou.
• Zhou Ming sent Di Jiang and Houtu to the western location and headed east himself, telling them to take the Purifying World White Lotus immediately if they found it.
• Zhou Ming passed through Mount Fangzhang’s innate array and began searching the island for the lotus.
• Di Jiang and Houtu entered Mount Yingzhou through its innate array, split up, and began searching the island.

Zhou Ming, Di Jiang, and Houtu retrieved the Pure World White Lotus and the remaining Sea Calming Divine Beads from the disappearing immortal islands. Back at Pangu Hall, Houtu and Di Jiang began preparations to refine their treasures, while Zhou Ming entered seclusion to prepare for the coming Great Calamity.

• Zhou Ming searched Mount Fangzhang, found the last twelve Sea Calming Divine Beads, and escaped just before the island vanished into another space.
• Houtu found the twelve-grade Pure World White Lotus on Mount Yingzhou, and she and Di Jiang fled as the island began to disappear.
• Zhou Ming gave Di Jiang the twelve beads, completing his set of thirty-six Sea Calming Divine Beads, and the three returned to Buzhou Mountain.
• At Pangu Hall, Zhou Ming instructed Houtu to refine the Pure World White Lotus and use it to forge an incarnation, while Di Jiang secluded himself to refine the beads.
• Wu Ming reported that the Primordial Wilderness remained relatively peaceful, and Zhou Ming gave him the Earth Book to return to Zhen Yuanzi before entering seclusion.

Wu Ming returned the Earth Book to Zhen Yuanzi and discussed the Wu Clan’s stance toward the rising Demon Race, insisting that the clan would fight back hard without seeking hegemony. He also predicted that none of the six disciples bestowed with Hongmeng Purple Qi would become Sages anytime soon, then departed Five Village Temple.

• Wu Ming returned the Earth Book to Zhen Yuanzi and thanked him for lending it.
• Zhen Yuanzi warned that Di Jun and Taiyi would see the Wu Clan as an obstacle, but Wu Ming said the Wu Clan would strike the Demon Race hard and prove it had no ambition to rule.
• Wu Ming explained that the Wu Clan’s show of force would also deter other factions from treating it as weak.
• Wu Ming told Zhen Yuanzi that the opportunity for the six disciples to become Sages had not yet arrived.
• Wu Ming finished his visit and left Five Village Temple.

After a thousand years, the Wu Clan and Demon Race had both grown stronger, and the Demon Race had unified its factions. Di Jun halted Taiyi’s push for an immediate war against the Wu Clan and chose to wait until the Zhou Tian Xing Dou Great Array was complete.

• The Ancestral Witches entered the Quasi-Sage Realm, and Zhou Ming and the twelve Ancestral Witches discovered that they could strengthen the Twelve Capital Gods and Demons Formation by including Zhou Ming and Pangu Hall.
• Di Jun and Taiyi completed the unification of the Demon Race, while Nuwa declined to return to the Heavenly Court and Fuxi agreed to assist Di Jun again.
• Taiyi urged Di Jun to lead the Demon Race in conquering the Primordial Wilderness, but Di Jun warned that the Wu Clan and Wu Ming made an all-out war too dangerous.
• Fuxi explained that the Wu Clan’s combined strength could make victory costly and that the emergence of Sages might change the balance of power.
• Di Jun revealed that he and Fuxi were deducing the Zhou Tian Xing Dou Great Array, and Taiyi agreed to wait for its completion before seeking supremacy.

Nuwa visited the Three Pure Ones on Kunlun Mountain to seek guidance on comprehending the Hongmeng Purple Qi, only to learn they had made no progress either. The four agreed to study it together, and began their joint meditation.

• Nuwa left Phoenix Nest Mountain for Kunlun Mountain, hoping the Three Pure Ones could guide her understanding of the Hongmeng Purple Qi.
• Laozi told Nuwa that he, Primordial Lord, and Tongtian had failed to gain insight despite studying the purple qi separately and together.
• Nuwa proposed that all four of them comprehend the Hongmeng Purple Qi as a group.
• The Three Pure Ones accepted Nuwa's proposal, and the four sat down to meditate on the purple qi together.

After a hundred years of failing to comprehend the Hongmeng Purple Qi, Nuwa persuaded the Three Pure Ones to join forces with Jieyin and Zhunti. The six agreed to study it together at Mount Sumeru, hoping their combined efforts would reveal how to become Saints.

• Nuwa and the Three Pure Ones failed to make progress with the Hongmeng Purple Qi after a hundred years of study.
• Nuwa proposed inviting Jieyin and Zhunti to join them, but Primordial Lord and Tongtian objected to working with the western Daoists.
• Nuwa warned the Three Pure Ones that Di Jun and her Elder Brother were developing the Zhou Tian Xing Dou Great Array, prompting them to accept her proposal.
• Nuwa and the Three Pure Ones traveled to Mount Sumeru and explained their plan to Jieyin and Zhunti.
• Jieyin and Zhunti eagerly accepted the invitation, and Laozi proposed that all six begin comprehending the Hongmeng Purple Qi together.

After a hundred years of failing to understand the Hongmeng Purple Qi, the six Great Powers debated inviting Kunpeng to join them, but Yuanshi and Laozi rejected the idea. Nuwa proposed asking Wu Ming for help, and the group set out for Buzhou Mountain.

• The Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti failed to make progress contemplating the Hongmeng Purple Qi for a hundred years and prepared to leave Mount Sumeru.
• Zhunti suggested inviting Kunpeng, who held the seventh strand, to join their efforts, but Yuanshi angrily objected and Laozi agreed that more people would not solve the problem without the right method.
• Nuwa recalled that Wu Ming had advised Hong Yun to give his strand to Kunpeng and seemed to have foreseen Hong Yun's calamity before the Hongmeng Purple Qi was bestowed.
• Nuwa proposed asking Wu Ming about the secrets of the Hongmeng Purple Qi, and the others agreed despite concerns about helping their potential rival.
• The six Great Powers left Mount Sumeru and flew toward Buzhou Mountain to seek Wu Ming.

Laozi, the other Three Pure Ones, Jieyin, Zhunti, and Nuwa visited Wu Ming to ask how to comprehend Hongmeng Purple Qi. After Tongtian revealed the Demon Race’s plans for the Zhou Tian Xing Dou Great Array, Wu Ming used their fears and his knowledge of future events to negotiate a price for his guidance.

• The six visitors asked Wu Ming how to comprehend Hongmeng Purple Qi, and Nuwa cited his past knowledge about Hong Yun as evidence that he knew more than he admitted.
• Wu Ming questioned why they were so desperate to become Sages, leaving Nuwa reluctant to explain the Demon Race’s plans in front of him.
• Tongtian revealed that Di Jun and Fuxi were deducing the Zhou Tian Xing Dou Great Array, prompting Jieyin and Zhunti to fear the coming conflict.
• Wu Ming inadvertently mentioned the first Witch-Demon Great War and the array’s future, shocking the visitors with how much he knew.
• Wu Ming suggested that the visitors feared the Demon Race would seize their Hongmeng Purple Qi, then asked what price they would pay for his guidance.

Wu Ming negotiated the price of sharing the method of becoming a Sage with the six guests in Pangu Hall, securing treasure-use rights, collateral, and a share of future merit. After all six agreed to his terms, they swore oaths, leaving their bargains binding.

• Laozi agreed to lend the Taiji Diagram to the Wu Clan for three uses, and Yuanshi Tianzun reluctantly accepted the same terms for the Pangu Banner.
• Wu Ming gave Tongtian the information for free, while Tongtian declined to cancel the Wu Clan's existing debt of a favor.
• Nuwa agreed to leave the Creation Cauldron with the Wu Clan until she became a Sage.
• Wu Ming demanded one-third of Jieyin and Zhunti's future Dao-lineage merit, then offered the Twelve-Grade Merit Golden Lotus as an alternative; Jieyin chose the merit condition.
• Wu Ming required the six guests to swear oaths, and Laozi, Yuanshi Tianzun, Tongtian, Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti all did so.

Wu Ming explained to the six disciples that their Hongmeng Purple Qi could not be comprehended until their destined opportunities to become Sages arrived, and urged them to focus on cultivation in the meantime. After reassuring them that the Demon Race would not dare seize their ordained Saint Positions, he watched them leave and decided to find the Demon Race an opponent.

• Nuwa handed Wu Ming the Creation Cauldron after the six disciples swore their oaths.
• Wu Ming told Laozi, Primordial Lord Tianzun, Sect Master Tongtian, Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti that Hongmeng Purple Qi could not be comprehended until their opportunities to become Sages arrived.
• Wu Ming urged the six to cultivate and strengthen their foundations while they waited for their destined opportunities.
• Wu Ming reassured the six that the Demon Race would not risk opposing Dao Ancestor Hongjun by taking their Hongmeng Purple Qi unless they provoked it themselves.
• The six left Buzhou Mountain, and Wu Ming decided to find the Demon Race an opponent for the sake of balance and the Wu Clan.

The Six Saints met at Kunlun Mountain and agreed to form an alliance until all six Proved the Dao, hoping to protect their Hongmeng Purple Qi amid rising tensions between the Demon Race and the Wu Clan. They left the gathering united in an alliance of offense and defense, with its members agreeing to deliberate together and support one another against external threats.

• Zhunti voiced his fear that the six could not be safe until they became Saints, and Yuanshi and Jieyin warned of threats from the Demon Race and the Wu Clan.
• Laozi asked the others for a plan, and Yuanshi urged them to become Saints as quickly as possible.
• Zhunti proposed that the six form an alliance and explained that others might secretly hinder them to prevent more Sages from ruling over them.
• Laozi, Yuanshi, Tongtian, Nuwa, and Jieyin accepted Zhunti's proposal, with Zhunti establishing that decisions would follow the majority and the alliance would dissolve once all six became Saints.
• Laozi declared that the six would share fortune and misfortune and face external tribulations together, and the group discussed the alliance's details.

Wu Ming visited East King Duke on Penglai Immortal Island and warned him that the Demon Race was deriving the Zhou Tian Xing Dou Great Array. He claimed the Wu Clan was prepared to defeat the Demon Race and had come to save East King Duke, who suspected Wu Ming intended to make the Immortal Court submit to the Wu Clan.

• Wu Ming arrived at Penglai Immortal Island and met with East King Duke in the Immortal Palace Great Hall.
• Wu Ming told East King Duke that the Demon Race was deriving the Zhou Tian Xing Dou Great Array, citing Nuwa and Fuxi's involvement.
• East King Duke reacted with alarm and questioned why Wu Ming had come to warn him.
• Wu Ming said he had come to save East King Duke, but East King Duke dismissed the offer and accused him of making alarmist claims.
• Wu Ming declared that the Wu Clan would defeat the Demon Race, prompting East King Duke to suspect he planned to demand the Immortal Court's submission.

Wu Ming warned East King Duke that the Demon Race would likely attack the Immortal Court and explained how to strengthen it without starting a war. East King Duke considered Wu Ming’s proposal to admit Dragon Clan elites as Guardian Divine Beasts, though the risks of their Karma remained a concern.

• Wu Ming told East King Duke that the Demon Race might target the Immortal Court after avoiding a decisive fight with the Wu Clan.
• East King Duke accused Wu Ming of trying to make the Immortal Court shield the Wu Clan, but Wu Ming urged him to prepare against the Zhou Tian Xing Dou Great Array.
• Wu Ming suggested that the Immortal Court recruit more people, and East King Duke objected that this would require dangerous wars or annexations.
• Wu Ming proposed taking in Dragon Clan elites as Guardian Divine Beasts so they could share in the Immortal Court’s Fortune without bringing the entire Dragon Clan’s Karma upon it.
• Wu Ming assured East King Duke that the Dragon Clan would accept the arrangement for the chance to improve its cultivation, and East King Duke fell silent to weigh the risks and benefits.

After hearing Wu Ming’s proposal, East King Duke decided to approach the Dragon Clan and traveled to the East Sea Dragon Palace. He revealed that he had an important offer to discuss, then discovered that the clan’s hidden elder was the supposedly fallen Quasi-Saint Candle Dragon.

• Wu Ming warned East King Duke about the Demon Race’s Zhou Tian Xing Dou Great Array and advised him to prepare a countermeasure before departing.
• East King Duke weighed the risks of taking in the Dragon Clan and resolved to pursue the opportunity, setting off for the East Sea Dragon Palace.
• Ao Hai welcomed East King Duke, but East King Duke declined the banquet and demanded to speak with someone authorized to make decisions for the Dragon Clan.
• Ao Hai went to seek the Ancestor, then returned with Candle Dragon, whose Quasi-Saint presence shocked East King Duke.
• Candle Dragon asked why East King Duke had come, and East King Duke prepared to state his purpose directly.

East King Duke tried to recruit Dragon Clan elites as Guardian Divine Beasts of the Immortal Court, promising them protection from Karma through its Fortune. He revealed the coming Witch-Demon war and the Demon Race’s Zhou Tian Xing Dou Great Array, but Candle Dragon remained uncertain as East King Duke hinted that the Immortal Court had a formation to oppose it.

• Candle Dragon initially rejected East King Duke’s invitation, but East King Duke clarified that he wanted only Dragon Clan elites to join as Guardian Divine Beasts.
• Ao Hai angrily objected to the Dragon Clan being treated like servants, while Candle Dragon questioned whether the offer was sincere.
• East King Duke argued that the Immortal Court’s Fortune could help Dragon Clan elites overcome the Karma hindering their cultivation.
• Candle Dragon suspected East King Duke wanted the Dragon Clan as a vanguard against whichever faction won the Witch-Demon war.
• East King Duke said Wu Ming had told him the Wu Clan would win but would not dominate the Primordial Wilderness, and revealed the Demon Race’s Zhou Tian Xing Dou Great Array.
• East King Duke claimed the Immortal Court had a formation capable of contending with the Demon Race’s array, but withheld its details until Dragon Clan elites joined.

Candle Dragon negotiated the terms for Dragon Clan elites to join the Immortal Court as Guardian Divine Beasts, and East King Duke accepted them. After East King Duke left, Candle Dragon revealed that the Dragon Clan's elders were near death and told Ao Hai to relinquish his position as East Sea Dragon King and go to the Immortal Court to focus on cultivation.

• Candle Dragon set four conditions for the Dragon Clan elites joining the Immortal Court: they would receive Guest Elder status, benefit from its Fortune, be free to leave if it neared collapse, and refuse to join wars of expansion.
• East King Duke accepted the conditions, and Candle Dragon agreed to consult the clan elders about which clansmen and how many to send.
• After East King Duke departed, Ao Hai questioned whether joining the Immortal Court was wise, and Candle Dragon asked whether the Dragon Clan had any better choice.
• Candle Dragon told Ao Hai that he and the other old dragons were nearing the end of their lives because of lingering wounds and the burden of suppressing the Dragon Clan's Fortune.
• Candle Dragon ordered Ao Hai to give up the East Sea Dragon King position and join the Dragon Clan elites at the Immortal Court to cultivate and prepare to lead the clan.
• Ao Hai accepted Candle Dragon's instructions and left to make preparations.

Candle Dragon brought forty-nine Dragon Clan elites to join the Immortal Court, but first demanded proof that East King could oppose the Demon Race’s Zhou Tian Xing Dou Great Array. The elites accepted the Immortal Court’s Fortune and joined under Ao Hai, while East King gained confidence that Wu Ming’s method worked.

• Candle Dragon led forty-nine Dragon Clan elites to Penglai Immortal Island, where East King welcomed them into the Immortal Court.
• Candle Dragon questioned East King’s ability to counter the Demon Race’s array, and East King revealed that the unfinished Myriad Immortals Array was only one step from completion.
• Candle Dragon entrusted the elites to Ao Hai, and the Dragon Clan members bowed to East King Duke and pledged to obey the Immortal Court.
• East King Duke granted the forty-nine elites the Immortal Court’s Fortune, which eased their Karma and loosened some of their cultivation bottlenecks.
• East King Duke sensed that the Immortal Court’s Fortune had grown stronger after absorbing the Dragon Clan’s power, and Candle Dragon departed for the Eastern Sea.

After ten thousand years in seclusion, Di Jun and Fuxi completed the Zhou Tian Xing Dou Great Array and prepared the Demon Race to drill it before pursuing hegemony over the Primordial Wilderness. Di Jun tasked Taiyi with selecting its banner bearers and gave him the Monster Summoning Banner to control them.

• Di Jun announced that he and Fuxi had successfully deduced the Zhou Tian Xing Dou Great Array, which could gather the power of the stars and millions of Demon Race warriors.
• Taiyi urged Di Jun to lead the Demon Race in conquering the Primordial Wilderness, but Di Jun ordered the divisions to assemble for array drills first.
• Di Jun showed Taiyi the completed Great Zhou Heavenly Star Banners and Lesser Zhou Heavenly Star Banners, then charged him with selecting loyal, powerful bearers.
• Di Jun gave Taiyi the Monster Summoning Banner and ordered him to bind each banner bearer's Natal Primordial Spirit within it.
• Taiyi agreed to select the bearers and use the banner to ensure their obedience, then left Lingxiao Treasure Hall to carry out Di Jun's orders.

As the Demon Race prepared for war, Wu Ming explained to the Twelve Ancestral Witches that the Heavenly Dao was their true enemy and intended to use the Demon Race to weaken the Wu Clan. He ordered the Wu Clan to gather at Buzhou Mountain as the great war approached.

• The Demon Race's military buildup alarmed the Primordial Wilderness's powers, and East King summoned the Immortal Court's forces to prepare for an attack.
• Di Jiang and Zhu Rong urged Wu Ming to strike first, but Wu Ming said the Demon Race was only a stepping stone to demonstrate the Wu Clan's strength.
• Wu Ming told the Ancestral Witches that the Heavenly Dao sought to destroy the Wu Clan, using the Demon Race to start a Tribulation and wear both races down.
• Wu Ming explained that the Heavenly Dao treated the Three Pure Ones as allies because they had entered Hongjun's sect, and warned that the Wu Clan must remain powerful and wary of schemes.
• Wu Ming cautioned the Twelve Ancestral Witches to protect themselves because the Thirteen Capital Heavenly God Evil Array depended on all its wielders.
• Wu Ming ordered every Wu Clan warrior recalled to Pangu Hall at Buzhou Mountain, and the Twelve Ancestral Witches agreed as war drew near.