Chapter Summaries

After Tathagata failed to attain the Dao despite Buddhism’s full support, the Saints suspected that the Slaying Three Corpses Method had a fundamental flaw. Taiqing, Primordial Lord, and Nuwa headed to Spirit Mountain to question Jieyin and Zhunti, who anticipated their arrival.

• Zhou Ming and Houtu discussed Tathagata’s failure and concluded that the Saints would seek answers from them, though Zhou Ming said only something beyond ordinary benefits could persuade him.
• Taiqing considered whether merging the Three Corpses was impossible, while Primordial Lord and Nuwa also sensed that Tathagata’s failure might expose a flaw in the method.
• Nuwa contacted Taiqing and Primordial Lord, and the three Saints agreed to go to Spirit Mountain and ask Jieyin and Zhunti about Tathagata’s attempt.
• Taiqing, Primordial Lord, and Nuwa set out for Spirit Mountain as Jieyin and Zhunti sensed their approach and recognized that Tathagata’s failure had alarmed them.

After Tathagata failed to attain the Dao, the Five Saints confirmed that the Slaying Three Corpses Method had a fundamental flaw. They agreed to visit Hongyun in Huoyun Cave to settle Jieyin and Zhunti’s Karma and learn how Hongyun and Zhen Yuanzi overcame the method’s dead end.

• Taiqing, Primordial Lord, and Nuwa arrived at Spirit Mountain and asked Jieyin and Zhunti why Tathagata had failed.
• Jieyin explained that Three Corpses Repelling caused an origin-level division, and the Five Saints concluded that the Slaying Three Corpses Method had a problem at its root.
• Taiqing proposed that Jieyin and Zhunti settle their Karma with Hongyun and ask him about the method, since he and Zhen Yuanzi had attained the Hunyuan Great Unity Golden Immortal realm.
• Zhunti argued that all five Saints should go, and he suggested Nuwa’s connection to the Human Clan could help gain them a better reception at Huoyun Cave.
• Nuwa, Taiqing, Primordial Lord, Jieyin, and Zhunti agreed to leave together and visit Hongyun.

Jieyin and Zhunti visited Huoyun Cave with Taiqing, Primordial Lord, and Nuwa to settle their longstanding Karma with Hongyun, offering most of their treasures and accumulated Merit. Hongyun accepted the payment but returned the Eight Treasures Merit Pool, then asked the five Saints to leave, though they had not yet raised the matter they truly came to discuss.

• Jieyin and Zhunti brought Taiqing, Primordial Lord, and Nuwa to Huoyun Cave as witnesses while seeking to settle their Karma with Hongyun.
• Hongyun revealed that the Martial Ancestor and several Human Clan Forefathers were secluded to cultivate the Martial Path's Subsequent Realm, startling the five Saints with the Human Clan's progress toward Hunyuan.
• Jieyin and Zhunti offered the Twelve-grade Golden Lotus of Merit, Jieyin's Treasure Banner, several Innate Spiritual Treasures, the Eight Treasures Merit Pool, and their accumulated Merit.
• Hongyun declared the Karma from yielding the seats at Purple Cloud Palace settled, and the invisible shackles binding Jieyin and Zhunti shattered.
• Hongyun accepted the offered treasures and Merit but returned the Eight Treasures Merit Pool to preserve Buddhism's foundation.
• Hongyun told the five Saints to return if they had no other business, recognizing that they had not yet asked what they had truly come to discuss.

Hongyun explained that the Five Saints’ Three Corpses could not merge because their spiritual treasures came from different sources, leaving their origins incomplete and preventing them from proving Hunyuan through Laws. He told them to seek Zhou Ming’s guidance after severing their Saint Positions, and the Five Saints departed with this knowledge.

• Jieyin and Zhunti asked Hongyun whether the Slaying Three Corpses Method was inherently flawed after Tathagata failed to prove Dao.
• Hongyun confirmed the method had a problem and explained that the three spiritual treasures used to house the corpses needed to share the same origin.
• Hongyun revealed that the Five Saints’ incomplete origins prevented them from proving Hunyuan through Laws, and that their Saint Positions bound them to the Heavenly Dao.
• Taiqing asked how Hongyun and Zhen Yuanzi had completed their origins, and Hongyun implied that Zhou Ming had helped them.
• Hongyun told the Five Saints to seek Zhou Ming’s guidance after severing their Saint Positions, and they thanked him before leaving.

After Haotian failed to attain the Dao, the Five Saints recognized that Hongjun had not given them his true teachings and gathered at Spirit Mountain to decide how to escape Heavenly Dao’s control. They agreed to sever their Saint Positions together when an opportunity arose, though Jieyin and Zhunti still needed to accumulate enough Merit.

• Haotian failed to attain the Dao, and the Five Saints watched the Heavenly Court’s fortune collapse.
• Hongyun mocked the Five Saints for receiving no true teachings from Hongjun, and they left Huoyun Cave in silence.
• Jieyin invited Taiqing, Primordial Lord, and Nuwa to Spirit Mountain, where the Five Saints discussed their blocked Dao Paths.
• Taiqing proposed that all five Saints sever their Saint Positions at the same time, and the others agreed.
• Primordial Lord and Nuwa described the resources they could use to settle their Heavenly Karma, while Jieyin and Zhunti admitted they had nearly exhausted The West’s reserves.
• Taiqing warned Jieyin and Zhunti to gather Merit quickly and said he sensed the opportunity would arrive soon.

Jieyin and Zhunti realized they lacked the Merit needed to sever their Saint Positions and decided to seek a loan from the Underworld. They left Spirit Mountain to offer themselves and all of Buddhism as collateral to Pingxin.

• Taiqing, Primordial Lord Tianzun, and Nuwa warned Jieyin and Zhunti to settle their Merit debt before leaving Spirit Mountain.
• Zhunti lamented that Buddhism had spent all its reserves settling its Karma with Hongyun and could not gather enough Merit in time.
• Jieyin identified the Underworld as the greatest source of accumulated Merit and proposed borrowing from Pingxin.
• Jieyin and Zhunti agreed to use themselves and all of Buddhism as collateral for the loan.
• Jieyin and Zhunti left Spirit Mountain and flew toward the Netherworld to meet Pingxin.

After failing to attain the Saint Position, Haotian learned that Tathagata had failed as well and discovered that his Three Corpses had repelled one another during their attempted merger. He decided to visit Purple Cloud Palace after recovering from his injuries to ask the Dao Ancestor why the method had failed.

• Haotian sat despondently in the Lingxiao Treasure Hall after exhausting his Merit and damaging his foundation in his failed attempt to attain the Dao.
• Yaochi comforted Haotian and told him that Tathagata had also failed despite the support of Buddhism and Saints Jieyin and Zhunti.
• Haotian told Yaochi that his Merit had been sufficient, but his Three Corpses had repelled one another when he tried to merge them.
• Haotian wondered whether the problem lay in the Slaying Three Corpses Method, but withheld his suspicions from Yaochi.
• Haotian rejected Yaochi's suggestion to seek help from Hongyun or Zhen Yuanzi and decided to ask the Dao Ancestor at Purple Cloud Palace after he recovered.

Jieyin and Zhunti asked Empress Pingxin to lend them Merit so they could sever their Saint Positions and escape the Heavenly Dao’s control, pledging Buddhism’s allegiance in return. Pingxin agreed, intending to remove the Heavenly Dao’s supports before the final battle.

• Jieyin and Zhunti arrived in the Netherworld and followed Zhen Yuanzi to Pingxin Hall to meet Empress Pingxin.
• Jieyin and Zhunti asked Pingxin to lend them Merit so they could settle their Karma with the Heavenly Dao and sever their Saint Positions.
• When Pingxin challenged their request, Zhunti offered the allegiance of both brothers and all Buddhism to Pingxin and the Wu Clan.
• Pingxin agreed to provide enough Merit when they acted, and Jieyin and Zhunti pledged to obey the Wu Clan without divided loyalties.
• After they departed, Pingxin told Zhen Yuanzi that she would uproot the Heavenly Dao’s supports, whether the Saints could later prove the Dao or not.

Haotian and Yaochi traveled to Purple Heaven Palace to seek guidance, but found it hidden and received no answer. As they left, a faint light entered Haotian, while Hongjun continued battling the Heavenly Dao’s attempt to Devour him.

• After recovering from his injuries, Haotian left the Heavenly Court with Yaochi to seek an audience with the Dao Ancestor.
• Haotian and Yaochi found that Purple Heaven Palace had vanished into the Chaos and concluded that the Dao Ancestor had hidden it from them.
• Haotian and Yaochi repeatedly begged the Dao Ancestor for an audience and guidance, but the Chaos gave no response.
• Haotian accepted that their visit had failed and turned back toward the Heavenly Court with Yaochi.
• A faint streak of light silently entered Haotian’s body as he and Yaochi departed.
• Inside the hidden Purple Heaven Palace, Hongjun resisted the Heavenly Dao’s attempt to Devour him and prepared to fight back.

Haotian and Yaochi mourned their failed attempt to attain the Saint Position until Hongjun manifested a wisp of Divine Sense to reveal the flaws in the Slaying Three Corpses Method and offer them a way forward. He promised to help them rebuild their Dao Foundation and asked them to deliver a future message to Zhou Ming, leaving them to decide whether to trust his new method.

• Haotian decided to visit Hongyun with Yaochi and prepare a generous gift after Hongjun refused to receive them.
• Hongjun's phantom appeared in Yaochi Immortal Realm and explained that his True Body was occupied merging with the Dao.
• Hongjun sent Haotian and Yaochi information revealing that the Slaying Three Corpses Method had flaws, prompting their anger and humiliation.
• Hongjun offered to guide Haotian and Yaochi through the Method of Shattering the Three Corpses and promised to compensate them after merging with the Heavenly Dao.
• Hongjun said he would later ask Haotian and Yaochi to deliver a message to Zhou Ming and revealed that he had also given Zhou Ming the method.
• Haotian realized that Zhou Ming's method explained how Hongyun and Zhen Yuanzi had attained Hunyuan, then apologized for his momentary loss of composure.

Hongjun placed his Divine Sense in the Haotian Mirror and ordered Haotian and Yaochi to keep his existence secret. Haotian and Yaochi decided to verify Hongjun's Cultivation Method with Hongyun before using it, and prepared to visit Huoyun Cave.

• Hongjun attached his Divine Sense to the Haotian Mirror so Haotian and Yaochi could contact him through it.
• Haotian asked permission to enshrine the mirror in the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, and Hongjun agreed.
• Haotian and Yaochi switched to Primordial Spirit transmission and discussed whether Hongjun's Cultivation Method was trustworthy.
• Haotian decided they would cultivate the method only after Hongyun confirmed it matched the one he used.
• Yaochi went to select treasures for their visit to Huoyun Cave while Haotian suspected Hongjun planned to use them to deliver a message to Zhou Ming.

Haotian and Yaochi visited Hongyun to verify that the Method of Shattering the Three Corpses bestowed by the Dao Ancestor was genuine. Hongyun confirmed it matched his own method and gave them his cultivation insights, leaving them with renewed hope and deep gratitude.

• Haotian and Yaochi brought the Jade Slip containing the Method of Shattering the Three Corpses to Huoyun Cave and asked Hongyun to inspect it.
• Hongyun realized Hongjun had deliberately given Haotian the method and wondered what role the Dao Ancestor intended for him.
• Haotian explained that he feared a hidden trap and asked whether the method matched the one Hongyun cultivated.
• Hongyun confirmed the method was exactly the same, and Haotian and Yaochi relaxed with relief.
• Hongyun gave Haotian a Jade Slip containing his cultivation insights, and Haotian and Yaochi thanked him before leaving.

Haotian and Yaochi decided to seek Hongjun’s guidance while using Hongyun’s insights to judge whether it was trustworthy. Hongyun suspected Hongjun had used them to send Zhou Ming a message, and Zhou Ming concluded that Hongjun’s merging with the Dao was not going smoothly.

• Haotian persuaded Yaochi to study Hongyun’s insights in seclusion before asking Hongjun for guidance, so they could compare the two and avoid being misled.
• Hongyun wondered why Hongjun had given Haotian the complete Method of Shattering the Three Corpses and suspected it was meant to reach Zhou Ming.
• Hongyun asked Daoist Friend Wu to watch Huoyun Cave, then traveled to Pangu Hall to tell Zhou Ming and Houtu what had happened.
• Zhou Ming heard Hongyun’s account and said Hongjun’s merging with the Dao appeared to be going poorly.

Zhou Ming revealed to Hongyun that Hongjun was secretly battling the conscious Heavenly Dao for control of the Primordial World and had sent Haotian to signal that he might need help. Although Hongyun and Houtu wanted to exploit the conflict, Zhou Ming said he had failed to find the Purple Firmament Palace and would not attack even if he found it.

• Zhou Ming told Hongyun that Hongjun had once made a deal with him and that the Heavenly Dao possessed an independent consciousness.
• Zhou Ming explained that Hongjun was fighting to devour the Heavenly Dao's consciousness, had fallen behind, and used Haotian to pass him a message through the Method of Shattering the Three Corpses.
• Hongyun realized Hongjun had arranged for Haotian to seek Zhou Ming's help, and Zhou Ming confirmed his deduction.
• Hongyun proposed that he, Zhou Ming, and Houtu kill Hongjun and the Heavenly Dao while they were weakened.
• Zhou Ming said he had searched Chaos for the Purple Firmament Palace but could not find it because Hongjun and the Heavenly Dao had hidden it.
• Zhou Ming declared that even if he found them, he would not attack, leaving Hongyun and Houtu confused.

Zhou Ming persuaded Hongyun not to interfere while Hongjun and the Heavenly Dao were still fighting, arguing that waiting would leave both sides exhausted and expose their trump cards. After Hongyun departed, Zhou Ming dismissed concern about Haotian and Yaochi and said the Wu Clan would wait for the winner to emerge.

• Zhou Ming convinced Hongyun that an attack would make Hongjun and the Heavenly Dao unite against the Wu Clan and that they should wait until both had spent their strongest methods.
• Hongyun worried that the survivor could become far stronger, but Zhou Ming said the disadvantaged Hongjun would likely seek help when the struggle grew most desperate.
• Zhou Ming assured Hongyun that the Wu Clan would prevail regardless of which side won, and Hongyun agreed to wait in Huoyun Cave for further news.
• After Hongyun left Pangu Hall, Houtu asked whether they should watch Haotian and Yaochi, but Zhou Ming said they posed no meaningful threat.
• Zhou Ming told Houtu that the Wu Clan's only task was to wait for Hongjun and the Heavenly Dao to decide the victor.

Haotian and Yaochi sought Hongjun’s guidance on shattering their Three Corpses and learned a faster, simultaneous method. After confirming they still had time before delivering Hongjun’s message to Zhou Ming, they returned to seclusion and began the dangerous cultivation.

• Haotian and Yaochi reviewed Hongyun’s advice on shattering the Three Corpses, then went to the Lingxiao Treasure Hall to ask Hongjun for further instruction.
• Hongjun explained how to shatter and recover the three corpse sources, then revealed a shortcut that used resonance to shatter all three simultaneously.
• Haotian and Yaochi declined Hongjun’s offer to protect them during the process because they feared placing their lives in his hands.
• Haotian asked when they would need to deliver Hongjun’s message to Zhou Ming, and Hongjun said the timing had not yet arrived and they had time to cultivate.
• Back in the quiet chamber, Haotian chose Hongjun’s faster method despite its risks, and he and Yaochi began their cultivation.

Minghe proved the Hunyuan Great Dao in the Netherworld, and Tongtian soon attained the same realm in seclusion at Pangu Hall. After thanking Zhou Ming and Houtu, Tongtian was asked how he planned to proceed.

• Pingxin and Zhen Yuanzi sensed Minghe nearing a breakthrough and discussed how the Earthly Dao needed his strength.
• Pingxin used the Earthly Dao's law to stabilize Minghe's magic power, and Minghe proved the Dao.
• Minghe thanked Pingxin for her help and pledged to follow her direction, while Zhen Yuanzi congratulated him.
• Zhou Ming explained to Houtu that the Heavenly Dao's struggle with Hongjun had loosened its suppression of the Primordial Wilderness, making law comprehension easier.
• Tongtian emerged from seclusion at Pangu Hall as a Daluo Golden Immortal of the Origin and thanked Zhou Ming and Houtu for their assistance.
• Zhou Ming asked Tongtian how he planned to walk the road ahead.

Tongtian decided to visit his former disciples rather than rebuild the Jie Sect, and Zhou Ming approved his plan to spread the Method of Shattering the Three Corpses. Tongtian headed west to give the method to Jieyin and Zhunti and see his disciples, while Zhou Ming revealed that this would also undermine the Heavenly Dao’s arrangements.

• Tongtian told Zhou Ming and Houtu that he would visit the western Spirit Mountain and the Heavenly Court, then return to Golden Ao Island to cultivate in seclusion rather than revive the Jie Sect.
• Zhou Ming told Tongtian that his former disciples, including Zhao Gongming, Sanxiao, and Duobao, had found positions in the Heavenly Court and Buddhism, though they lacked their former freedom.
• Tongtian asked permission to pass the Method of Shattering the Three Corpses to his disciples, and Zhou Ming agreed that the method no longer needed to be kept secret.
• Zhou Ming asked Tongtian to give the method to Jieyin and Zhunti, and Houtu explained that they had joined the Underworld and planned to break free of the Heavenly Dao.
• Tongtian set off for the west to deliver the method and visit Duobao and the other disciples, while Zhou Ming told Houtu that spreading it would shake the Heavenly Dao’s arrangements across the Primordial Wilderness.

Tongtian arrived at Spirit Mountain after attaining the Hunyuan Great Dao, and Jieyin and Zhunti apologized for converting his disciples during the Investiture of the Gods. Tongtian set aside his anger after learning the disciples had prospered and asked to see Duobao.

• Jieyin and Zhunti sensed Tongtian's arrival and recognized that he had attained the Daluo Golden Immortal of the Origin.
• Jieyin and Zhunti welcomed Tongtian to Spirit Mountain and congratulated him on reaching the Hunyuan Great Dao.
• Tongtian rejected their praise and made clear he had not come to reminisce.
• Jieyin and Zhunti apologized for converting the Jie Sect disciples and offered to let them return to Tongtian's sect.
• Tongtian eased his sword intent after confirming the disciples had been treated well and asked Jieyin to summon Duobao.
• Jieyin sent a message to Duobao, telling him to come to the Eight Treasures Merit Pool.

Tongtian reunited with Duobao at Spirit Mountain and comforted him over Jie Sect’s fall, but refused to rebuild the sect or let Duobao abandon his place in Buddhism. He offered Duobao a cultivation method that could help him and the others recast their Dao Foundations and perhaps attain the Dao.

• Jieyin summoned Duobao to the Eight Treasures Merit Pool, where Duobao recognized Tongtian and greeted his former master.
• Duobao confessed that he blamed himself for failing Jie Sect and becoming Buddhism’s Buddha Ancestor, but Tongtian comforted him and praised how he had cared for their former fellow disciples.
• Duobao proposed gathering Buddhism’s former Jie Sect disciples and rebuilding the sect, but Tongtian refused, saying they were settled in Buddhism and that Jie Sect belonged to the past.
• Duobao offered to give up his Tathagata Buddha seat and serve Tongtian, but Tongtian told him to remain in Buddhism for the sake of his future cultivation.
• Tongtian revealed that he had come to pass on the Method of Shattering the Three Corpses, which could help them recast their Dao Foundations and possibly attain the Dao.