Chapter Summaries

Tongtian gave Duobao the Method of Shattering the Three Corpses, which could restore the origin damaged by the usual Three Corpses cultivation path. He also gave Jieyin and Zhunti the method on Zhou Ming’s behalf, but warned that they could not cultivate it unless they severed their Saint Positions; they resolved to pass it on to their disciples.

• Tongtian transmitted the Method of Shattering the Three Corpses and his cultivation insights to Duobao, who learned it could merge the Three Corpses back into his origin and repair his Dao Foundation.
• Tongtian told Duobao to pass the method to Jie Sect disciples who had followed the Three Corpses path, explaining that he would not meet them because they had settled into life within Buddhism.
• Duobao vowed to cultivate toward Hunyuan and reestablish the Jie Sect Dao Lineage, then left the Merit Pool.
• Jieyin and Zhunti appeared after Duobao left, and Tongtian gave them a Jade Slip containing the method on Zhou Ming’s behalf.
• Tongtian warned Jieyin and Zhunti that they could not cultivate the method unless they severed their Saint Positions, leaving them bitter despite receiving it.
• Zhunti proposed sharing the method with their disciples, and Jieyin agreed that they should first pass it to Medicine Master, Maitreya, and the others.

Tongtian visited Saint Mother Jinling in the Heavenly Court and refused her request to reestablish the Interception Sect, urging her and the other disciples to follow their own paths. He gave her a cultivation method to share with them, then departed for Golden Ao Island, while Jinling resolved to preserve the sect’s Dao Lineage.

• Tongtian appeared at Saint Mother Jinling’s residence and thanked her for enduring the years since the Interception Sect fell apart.
• Saint Mother Jinling described the disciples’ hardships and urged Tongtian to reopen the Jade Palace and rebuild the Interception Sect.
• Tongtian refused, saying the sect belonged to the past and that Jinling, Gongming, Yunxiao, and the others should follow their own paths.
• Tongtian gave Jinling the Method of Shattering the Three Corpses and told her to pass it on to Gongming, Yunxiao, and the other disciples.
• Tongtian left for Golden Ao Island without seeing the Sanxiao sisters, and Jinling vowed to make the Interception Sect’s Dao Lineage shine again.

Tongtian returned to Golden Ao Island after reaching the Daluo Golden Immortal of the Origin, and Taiqing and Yuanshi came to apologize for betraying him during the Investiture of the Gods. They parted without restoring their former brotherhood, and Tongtian left them with advice to seek Zhou Ming’s help in breaking free from the Heavenly Dao.

• Tongtian raised Golden Ao Island from the depths of the Eastern Sea and restored its protective formation.
• Primordial Lord Tianzun sensed Tongtian’s new aura, and Taiqing joined him in deciding to visit their Third Brother and admit their past wrongdoing.
• Taiqing and Yuanshi visited Tongtian at Jade Palace, apologized for their actions during the Investiture of the Gods, and heard him say that he had let go of the past.
• After a distant conversation, Tongtian advised them to seek Daoist Friend Zhou Ming’s help before attempting to sever their Saint Positions and escape the Heavenly Dao.

Taiqing and Primordial Lord decided to seek Zhou Ming’s help in severing the Saint Positions, then gathered the others at Spirit Mountain. After Jieyin and Zhunti revealed that they and all of Buddhism had pledged themselves to the Wu Clan, the five Saints set out together for Pangu Hall.

• Taiqing agreed with Primordial Lord that they needed Zhou Ming’s help and decided to seek his consent without delay.
• Taiqing summoned Nuwa to Spirit Mountain, where he told her, Jieyin, and Zhunti that Tongtian had advised them to ask Zhou Ming for assistance.
• Zhunti confessed that he and Jieyin had borrowed merit from Empress Pingxin in exchange for placing Buddhism under the Wu Clan’s command.
• Taiqing and Nuwa accepted the confession and urged Jieyin and Zhunti to join their journey to Pangu Hall.
• The five Saints left Spirit Mountain together and headed toward Buzhou Mountain.

The Five Saints came to Pangu Hall seeking Zhou Ming’s protection as they prepared to cut away their Saint Positions and break free of the Heavenly Dao. After they joined the Wu Clan’s camp, Zhou Ming promised to protect them and gave Taiqing, Primordial Lord, and Nuwa the Method of Shattering the Three Corpses; the story left them preparing for the coming confrontation.

• Zhou Ming and Houtu received Taiqing, Primordial Lord, Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti at Pangu Hall.
• Zhunti asked Zhou Ming to protect the five Saints while they cut away their Saint Positions, and Zhou Ming agreed to protect Jieyin and Zhunti as members of the Underworld’s camp.
• Nuwa, Taiqing, and Primordial Lord each pledged to obey the Wu Clan’s deployment in exchange for Zhou Ming’s protection.
• Zhou Ming gave Taiqing, Primordial Lord, and Nuwa Jade Slips containing the Method of Shattering the Three Corpses, which could help them complete their Dao Foundations.
• The five Saints left to prepare, and Houtu and Zhou Ming concluded that the Heavenly Dao had lost five pieces on the board.

Hongjun forced the Heavenly Dao to pour all its power into devouring him, creating an opening across the Primordial World. Zhou Ming urged the five Saints to act while the Heavenly Dao was weakest, and they prepared to seize the chance.

• Taiqing told Nuwa, Jieyin, Zhunti, and Primordial Lord to return to their Dao Fields and wait for the right moment to strike together.
• Hongjun resisted the Heavenly Dao in Purple Firmament Palace and provoked it into unleashing its full power against him.
• Hongjun hid his Primordial Spirit core inside the Jade Plate of Creation and waited for the Heavenly Dao to exhaust itself so he could counterattack.
• The Heavenly Dao's concentration on Hongjun caused its suppression and control over the Primordial World to vanish.
• Zhou Ming told Houtu that Hongjun had forced the Heavenly Dao to mobilize all its power, then urged the five Saints to act.
• The five Saints sensed the Heavenly Dao's absence, and a transmitted voice told them it had played all its trump cards and ordered them to act.

The Five Saints renounced their Heavenly Dao positions, but the Heavenly Dao let them go without punishment and their Hongmeng Purple Qi departed on its own. Zhou Ming found no hidden mark on them, yet suspected the Heavenly Dao had an unknown plan and urged them to strengthen themselves.

• Laozi, Yuanshi, Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti each severed their connection to the Heavenly Dao and relinquished their Saint positions.
• The Heavenly Dao sent no punishment, and the five strands of Hongmeng Purple Qi detached from the former Saints and vanished.
• Zhou Ming and Houtu questioned why the Heavenly Dao had released the Five Saints so easily, and Zhou Ming summoned them to Pangu Hall.
• Zhou Ming examined the five former Saints' primordial spirits and found no imprint or contingency left by the Heavenly Dao.
• Zhou Ming told the five to cultivate the Method of Shattering the Three Corpses and strengthen their own sources as he and Houtu prepared for the Heavenly Dao's unknown scheme.

As the Five Saints severed their Saint Positions, Hongjun expected the Heavenly Dao to reclaim their Hongmeng Purple Qi and expose itself to a counterattack. When the Heavenly Dao sent the five strands elsewhere instead, Hongjun abandoned that opening and concealed his strength while preparing to wait for another chance.

• Hongjun sensed the Five Saints severing their Saint Positions and expected the Heavenly Dao to absorb their Hongmeng Purple Qi.
• The five strands vanished to an unknown place rather than returning to the Heavenly Dao, ruining Hongjun's planned opportunity to strike.
• The Heavenly Dao revealed that it had anticipated Hongjun's scheme and refused to give him an opening.
• Hongjun decided to endure the Heavenly Dao's assault until it grew complacent, then withdrew behind the Jade Plate of Creation and disguised his weakening as defeat.

Zhou Ming brought Di Jun, East King Duke, and the other former Great Powers back from Pangu Realm after Heavenly Dao withdrew from the Primordial Wilderness, giving them a chance to pursue Hunyuan. He warned Houtu that Hongjun would lose to Heavenly Dao and ordered preparations for the final battle.

• Zhou Ming decided to use Heavenly Dao's absence to bring Di Jun, East King Duke, and the others out of Pangu Realm and reassert the Wu Clan's control over the Primordial Wilderness.
• Zhou Ming summoned the former Great Powers, announced they could return, and brought them to Buzhou Mountain before shrinking Pangu Realm into a Chaos-colored pearl.
• Zhou Ming explained that Heavenly Dao had withdrawn its power and urged Di Jun, East King Duke, and the others to seize the rare chance to comprehend Hunyuan.
• Di Jun, East King Duke, and the others left Pangu Hall to find Dao Fields and cultivate.
• Zhou Ming told Houtu that Hongjun could not defeat Heavenly Dao and said they should prepare for the final battle.

Haotian and Yaochi completed the dangerous Three Corpses Resonance, reforging their Dao Foundations, and learned from Hongjun that the Five Saints had severed their Heavenly Dao Saint Positions. They resolved to seize the weakened Heavenly Dao’s absence to cultivate toward the Origin and entered seclusion again.

• Haotian and Yaochi emerged from seclusion after shattering the Three Corpses and completing their Dao Foundations.
• They visited Hongjun in Lingxiao Treasure Hall to thank him for the method, and he told them the Five Saints had severed their Saint Positions.
• Hongjun explained that the Heavenly Dao was distracted by its final struggle with the Wu Clan and warned Haotian and Yaochi to keep cultivating while remaining ready to deliver a message to Zhou Ming.
• Back in Yaochi Immortal Realm, Haotian and Yaochi decided to pursue the Dao of the Origin before the coming great calamity.
• Yaochi arranged the Heavenly Court’s affairs, and both returned to the quiet chamber to cultivate.

Wangshu and Taiyi attained the Hunyuan Great Dao in the Netherworld, while West Queen Mother and Candle Dragon reached the same realm at Huoyun Cave. After learning that all four had succeeded in one day, West Queen Mother and Candle Dragon set out for Pangu Hall to report to Zhou Ming.

• Wangshu and Taiyi broke through to the Hunyuan Great Unity Golden Immortal realm in their stone chambers, and Pingxin contained their surging powers within reincarnation.
• Wangshu and Taiyi emerged, thanked Pingxin for safeguarding them, and departed for Pangu Hall to report to Zhou Ming.
• At Huoyun Cave, West Queen Mother and Candle Dragon emerged after attaining the Dao, thanking Wu and Hong Yun for guarding them.
• Hong Yun told West Queen Mother and Candle Dragon that Wangshu and Taiyi had also succeeded, making four new Hunyuan Grand Unity Golden Immortals in one day.
• Wu directed West Queen Mother and Candle Dragon to report to Zhou Ming, and they set out for Buzhou Mountain.

Wangshu, Taiyi, the West Queen Mother, and Candle Dragon attained the Hunyuan Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm and prepared for the coming battle. Zhou Ming warned Houtu that the Heavenly Dao might have secretly raised an equal force, leaving the allies uncertain whether their Hunyuan fighters could survive until the Twelve Divine Fiend Formation defeated it.

• Wangshu, Taiyi, the West Queen Mother, and Candle Dragon arrived at Pangu Hall, thanked Zhou Ming, and were sent into seclusion to stabilize their cultivation.
• Zhou Ming told the four that the Heavenly Dao or Hongjun would purge every threat after their conflict, and warned them to prepare for battle.
• Houtu counted ten Hunyuan Grand Unity Golden Immortals among their allies and asked Zhou Ming whether their strength was enough; he admitted he did not know.
• Zhou Ming reasoned that the Heavenly Dao had watched their forces grow because it might have raised an equal number of Hunyuan combatants in secret.
• Zhou Ming explained that he and his thirteen siblings would use the Twelve Divine Fiend Formation against the Heavenly Dao while Pingxin and the others faced its forces, possibly outnumbered.
• Houtu vowed that they would defeat the Heavenly Dao quickly to give Pingxin and the others a better chance of surviving, as Zhou Ming looked toward Chaos and awaited the final battle.

Hongjun endured the Heavenly Dao’s attempted devouring until its smugness gave Fate and Karma’s hidden Remnant Souls the opening to attack from within. With the Law Chains faltering, Hongjun unleashed the power he had saved to break free.

• The Heavenly Dao taunted Hongjun as it tightened its hold and tried to devour his Primordial Spirit and Dao Fruit.
• The Heavenly Dao’s satisfaction caused its will to lapse briefly as it savored Hongjun’s apparent defeat.
• Hongjun suddenly demanded that his allies make their move.
• Fate and Karma’s hidden Remnant Souls erupted within the Heavenly Dao’s origin and attacked it from within.
• The Law Chains around Hongjun faltered, and Hongjun released his accumulated power, shouting, “Open... for me!”

Hongjun and the hidden Remnant Souls of the Destiny and Karma Demon Gods struck the Heavenly Dao from within and without, severely injuring its core. As the Demon Gods unleashed their long-planned attack and Hongjun charged again, the battle for the Heavenly Dao's source continued.

• Hongjun used the Jade Plate of Creation to break the Heavenly Dao's Law Chains and stabbed at its core of will, cracking it open.
• The Heavenly Dao recognized the surviving Remnant Souls of the Destiny and Karma Demon Gods within its origin.
• Destiny and Karma revealed that they had hidden their Remnant Souls in the origins the Heavenly Dao devoured and had waited for the moment to strike.
• The Heavenly Dao gathered its leaking origin and began closing its wound as it prepared to counterattack.
• Destiny and Karma said they knew the Heavenly Dao's strengths and weaknesses from watching it across countless Eons, and Hongjun urged them to prove it.
• Destiny and Karma unleashed their hidden powers while Hongjun charged the Heavenly Dao's core with the Jade Plate of Creation.

Hongjun and the remnant souls of Destiny and Karma attacked the Heavenly Dao, believing they had brought it to the brink of destruction. The Heavenly Dao suddenly became complete and revealed that it had orchestrated their conflict to draw Destiny and Karma out of its origin.

• Hongjun, Destiny, and Karma struck the Heavenly Dao from outside and within, seemingly weakening its origin toward collapse.
• Hongjun urged Destiny and Karma to join him in a final attack, and they agreed.
• As Destiny and Karma left the Heavenly Dao's origin to join the strike, the Heavenly Dao instantly healed and dissolved their combined assault.
• The Heavenly Dao declared that it had become complete without devouring Hongjun and mocked his belief that it needed his Dao Fruit.
• Hongjun realized the Heavenly Dao had deliberately made him merge with the Dao and draw Destiny and Karma out, and Destiny and Karma understood they had been manipulated too.

The Heavenly Dao explained that it had engineered Hongjun’s merger with the Dao to draw Destiny and Karma out of its source without destroying itself. After revealing that every step had been planned, it declared that it would now clean up the remaining pieces.

• The Heavenly Dao revealed that Hongjun’s Chaos Demon God origins made him the ideal pawn for luring Destiny and Karma out of its source.
• Destiny and Karma demanded to know why the Heavenly Dao had allowed them to survive, and it explained that destroying them earlier might have extinguished its own spiritual wisdom.
• The Heavenly Dao described how it had guided Hongjun and allowed the two Remnant Souls to grow until all three believed they could defeat it.
• Hongjun realized he had been manipulated from the moment he discovered Destiny and Karma within the Heavenly Dao.
• The Heavenly Dao declared that its plan had succeeded and that it was time to clean up everything remaining.

The Heavenly Dao annihilated Destiny and Karma, then revealed that it wanted Hongjun’s Chaos Demon God body so it could escape the Primordial World and seek to prove the Dao. Hongjun refused to submit as the Heavenly Dao turned its full power against him.

• The Heavenly Dao overwhelmed Hongjun, Destiny, and Karma with a single attack, despite its damaged origin.
• The Heavenly Dao targeted Destiny and Karma, and Hongjun failed to protect them as their Remnant Souls were destroyed.
• Destiny and Karma warned that they would return, but the Heavenly Dao dismissed their words and turned its attention to Hongjun.
• Hongjun asked why the complete Heavenly Dao still wanted to devour him, and It explained that his Dao Body would let It leave the Primordial World.
• Hongjun refused to surrender his body, and the Heavenly Dao declared that his choice would not matter.

The Heavenly Dao defeated Hongjun’s resistance and took over his Chaos Demon God body, leaving Hongjun’s faint promise to return behind. In his newly claimed body, the Heavenly Dao turned its attention toward the Primordial World and the helpers Hongjun might send.

• The Heavenly Dao sent Law Chains to capture Hongjun alive, and Hongjun fought back with the Jade Plate of Creation.
• Facing defeat, Hongjun began to self-detonate, but the Heavenly Dao sealed his Primordial Spirit and cut off his access to his source power.
• The Heavenly Dao suppressed Hongjun and devoured his memories and will as Hongjun branded a final promise to return into spacetime.
• The Heavenly Dao completed the takeover, healed Hongjun’s body, and declared that he was now both the Heavenly Dao and Hongjun.
• The Heavenly Dao looked toward the Primordial World and invited Hongjun’s helpers to come aid its final transformation.

Hongjun urgently told Haotian to deliver two secret locations to Zhou Ming after admitting that he had failed. As Haotian and Yaochi raced toward Pangu Hall, they decided to defect to the Wu Clan and not return to the Heavenly Court.

• Hongjun sent Haotian and Yaochi to Lingxiao Treasure Hall and told Haotian to give Zhou Ming the locations of the Heavenly Dao Space and Purple Firmament Palace.
• Haotian and Yaochi realized that Hongjun’s failed attempt to merge with the Dao had left him in mortal danger and that he was seeking the Wu Clan’s help.
• Yaochi urged Haotian to defect to the Wu Clan, arguing that Hongjun could no longer protect them and could not be trusted.
• Haotian agreed that they would not return to the Heavenly Court after delivering Hongjun’s message to Zhou Ming.
• Haotian and Yaochi flew through Chaos toward Buzhou Mountain.

Haotian and Yaochi brought Zhou Ming Hongjun’s message and the locations of the Heavenly Dao Space and Purple Firmament Palace. They confessed their fear of returning to the Heavenly Court, then pledged themselves to the Wu Clan in exchange for protection in the coming Great Calamity.

• Zhou Ming asked Haotian whether Hongjun had sent him, and Haotian reported that Hongjun had failed.
• Haotian gave Zhou Ming a Jade Slip containing the coordinates of the Heavenly Dao Space and Purple Firmament Palace.
• Haotian explained that Hongjun had contacted him through a wisp of Divine Sense hidden in the Haotian Mirror.
• Zhou Ming told Haotian and Yaochi to accompany him to the Heavenly Court, but they admitted they feared Hongjun’s remaining Divine Sense.
• Haotian and Yaochi knelt before Zhou Ming and Houtu and pledged to follow Zhou Ming and obey the Wu Clan in hopes of gaining protection during the Great Calamity.