Chapter Summaries

Ao Guang helped Duobao and Kong Xuan reconcile, then urged them to uncover who had provoked their dispute. When their divinations failed, Bi Xiao proposed using Yao Ji’s Kunlun Mirror to trace Shi Ji’s recent past, revealing Taiyi as the culprit and leaving the Floating Island disciples ready to punish him.

• Duobao apologized to Kong Xuan, and they agreed to put their misunderstanding behind them and spar another time.
• At Ao Guang’s suggestion, Duobao and Kong Xuan tried to divine who had stirred up trouble around Shi Ji, but the approaching Investiture of the Gods calamity obscured the Heavenly Secrets.
• Bi Xiao suggested that Yao Ji use the Kunlun Mirror to reverse time and retrace what had happened to Shi Ji.
• Yao Ji activated the Kunlun Mirror, which showed Nezha killing Biyun Boy before revealing Taiyi hiding on Skull Island.
• Duobao and the other Floating Island disciples recognized Taiyi and declared that he had earned his death.

Hong Yun and Tongtian brought the Jie Sect disciples to Kunlun Mountain after Taiyi impersonated Kong Xuan and injured Shi Ji. After watching proof of Taiyi’s deception, Yuanshi flew into a rage, and Tongtian demanded that Taiyi be placed on the list.

• Ao Guang urged Duobao to report Taiyi’s actions to Tongtian, and Duobao took Shi Ji back to Golden Ao Island.
• Hong Yun agreed to let Tongtian handle the matter and later traveled with him and their disciples to Kunlun Mountain.
• Yuanshi welcomed Hong Yun and Tongtian to Jade Void Palace, but Tongtian confronted him over his indulgence of his disciples.
• Tongtian showed Yuanshi an Imprint Stone recording Taiyi disguising himself as Biyun Boy and Kong Xuan, deceiving Nezha and severely injuring Shi Ji.
• Yuanshi crushed the Imprint Stone in fury, and Tongtian demanded that Taiyi be placed on the list as the Twelve Golden Immortals entered and Taiyi dropped his horsetail whisk in fear.

Hong Yun and Tongtian confronted Yuanshi over Taiyi’s attack on Shi Ji and his attempt to stir conflict between the Xuan Sect’s disciples. Yuanshi reluctantly crippled Taiyi’s cultivation to settle the matter, then erupted in anger after Hong Yun and Tongtian left Kunlun Mountain.

• Taiyi knelt before Yuanshi, Hong Yun, and Tongtian and begged them to spare him, while Shi Ji and the other disciples watched with resentment.
• Yuanshi pleaded with Hong Yun and Tongtian to forgive Taiyi, but Tongtian demanded punishment for Shi Ji’s injuries and Taiyi’s provocation.
• Tongtian proposed that Yuanshi cut off Taiyi’s Three Flowers and seal his Five Qi, and Yuanshi reluctantly agreed.
• Yuanshi used Jade Pure Immortal Light to disperse Taiyi’s Three Flowers and Five Qi, crippling his cultivation and reducing him to an ordinary mortal.
• Hong Yun and Tongtian departed Kunlun Mountain, and Yuanshi angrily denounced them as the Jade Void Palace fell into chaos.

In the ninth year of Di Xin’s reign, Daji joined Jiang Wan and Huang Feiyan in the palace and relentlessly wore him out while he pretended to neglect government. The women secretly handled his memorials, and Great Shang prospered, leaving Di Xin convinced that everyone around him was putting on an act.

• Daji entered the palace and used a potent tonic to draw Di Xin into another exhausting night together.
• Fei Zhong and You Hun proved capable ministers, won the approval of Ji Chang, Wen Zhong, and Shang Rong, and gained the people’s praise.
• Di Xin abandoned state affairs to indulge himself, while Jiang Wan, Huang Feiyan, and Daji secretly reviewed his memorials in his handwriting.
• Di Xin discovered the women’s work when he visited the Cabinet and confronted Ji Chang and the ministers about who had handled his memorials.
• Fei Zhong and You Hun revealed the truth, and the ministers praised the women as virtuous consorts while Di Xin lamented that everyone was putting on an act for him.

After Jiang Ziya’s cultivation barely improved despite a Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir, Yuanshi ordered him and Shen Gongbao to descend Kunlun Mountain and fulfill their heavenly mandate. Jiang Ziya agreed after Yuanshi promised he might become a god, and the two prepared to assist the ruler destined to replace Yin-Shang.

• Yuanshi gave Jiang Ziya a Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir, but it only advanced his cultivation from mid-stage to late-stage Void Refinement and Dao Integration.
• Yuanshi told Jiang Ziya and Shen Gongbao that a great tribulation and dynastic change were approaching, and ordered them to descend the mountain and assist a heroic ruler.
• Shen Gongbao pretended to plead to stay, while Jiang Ziya clung to Yuanshi’s trouser leg and begged not to be sent away.
• Yuanshi promised Jiang Ziya that he would rebuild his foundation after Jiang completed his heavenly mandate, and suggested he could become a god through the Investiture of the Gods.
• Yuanshi revealed that the heroic ruler was in the place where the phoenix cried and ordered Shen Gongbao to accompany Jiang Ziya.
• Jiang Ziya vowed to assist the heroic ruler and replace Yin-Shang, while the narration identified Ji Chang as the ruler he was meant to find.

Jiang Ziya and Shen Gongbao returned to Great Shang expecting to find a corrupt realm, but its prosperous harvest and smiling people made them question Yuanshi’s command to overthrow it. The two encountered Jiang Ziya’s old acquaintance Song Yiren as they grappled with their doubts.

• Jiang Ziya persuaded Shen Gongbao to accompany him down the mountain, while Shen Gongbao privately resolved to prove he was more capable than his senior brother.
• After reaching Great Shang, Jiang Ziya described the people’s past poverty, and Shen Gongbao agreed that such a realm would deserve to be overthrown.
• Jiang Ziya and Shen Gongbao saw farmers harvesting abundant crops and happy children, contradicting Jiang Ziya’s account of a suffering population.
• Jiang Ziya insisted Yuanshi could not be wrong, but Shen Gongbao urged him to face what they had seen, leaving both men uncertain about the teacher’s judgment.
• Song Yiren recognized Jiang Ziya on the road, and Jiang Ziya introduced Shen Gongbao before the three exchanged greetings.

Song Yiren arranged a marriage for Jiang Ziya, who reluctantly went through with the wedding to Ma Cuihua. When he lifted his bride’s veil, he discovered she was his childhood sweetheart, who had waited decades for him and still looked young.

• Jiang Ziya lamented to Song Yiren that he had been ordered to leave the mountain, and Song Yiren insisted he marry to continue the Jiang family line.
• Song Yiren proposed Ma Cuihua as Jiang Ziya’s bride, and Old Master Ma quickly agreed to the match.
• Song Yiren and Old Master Ma arranged the wedding for the following day, and Jiang Ziya married Ma Cuihua while still bewildered by events.
• Jiang Ziya considered using an illusion to avoid consummating the marriage, but Ma Cuihua revealed herself as his childhood sweetheart Huahua.
• Ma Cuihua told Jiang Ziya she had waited faithfully for decades, and Jiang Ziya wondered why she still looked so young.

Jiang Ziya stayed with Ma Cuihua instead of pursuing the mission Yuanshi had given him, while Shen Gongbao investigated Great Shang and discovered its strength and prosperity. Shen Gongbao joined the Hall of Gathering Sages, rose to a position in its Foreign Affairs Department, and eventually caught Di Xin’s attention.

• Ma Cuihua revealed that she had reached the Martial Dao Human Immortal realm, and she and Jiang Ziya married and spent their days together.
• Shen Gongbao urged Jiang Ziya to seek a heroic ruler, but Jiang Ziya refused to leave Ma Cuihua, so Shen Gongbao departed to investigate Great Shang.
• Shen Gongbao found Great Shang thriving under Di Xin’s rule and decided to meet the Sage Emperor before choosing whether to oppose the dynasty.
• A Martial Dao Mysterious Immortal official interviewed Shen Gongbao, demonstrated his power, and accepted him as a C-Class Human Guest Official.
• Shen Gongbao studied Great Shang’s systems, earned a promotion to B-Class Guest Official, and joined the Foreign Affairs Department.
• Di Xin heard Shen Gongbao’s name and welcomed him as his Imperial Advisor.

Di Xin welcomed Shen Gongbao into Great Shang and appointed him Imperial Advisor, winning his loyalty with praise and respect. Jiang Ziya learned of Shen Gongbao’s appointment and revealed his dynastic mission to Ma Cuihua, who warned him that Great Shang was far too powerful to overthrow.

• Di Xin praised Shen Gongbao, offered him the Imperial Advisor position, and secured his oath of loyalty to Great Shang.
• Di Xin introduced Shen Gongbao at court and appointed him Imperial Advisor, prompting officials to seek his favor.
• Song Yiren told Jiang Ziya that Shen Gongbao had become Imperial Advisor, leaving Jiang Ziya shocked and bitter.
• Jiang Ziya told Ma Cuihua that Yuanshi had tasked him with changing dynasties, and Ma Cuihua argued that Great Shang and Di Xin were too powerful to defeat.

Wen Zhong received news that Yuan Futong and seventy-two North Sea vassals had rebelled, then secretly asked Ji Chang to return to Xiqi and lead the other vassals in rebellion as part of an undercover plan. Ji Chang accepted the logic of the scheme and was left uneasy by Wen Zhong’s confidence in Di Xin.

• An urgent report announced that Yuan Futong and seventy-two North Sea vassals had risen against Great Shang, and Wen Zhong prepared to lead the campaign to suppress them.
• Wen Zhong invited Ji Chang to his residence at night and tested whether Ji Chang was loyal to Great Shang.
• Wen Zhong proposed that Ji Chang return to Xiqi and rally the vassals into rebellion, allowing Wen Zhong and Ji Chang to eliminate those opposing the Great King’s plans from within and without.
• Ji Chang warned that he might use the scheme to overthrow Great Shang, but Wen Zhong said he trusted Di Xin to have other means of stopping him.

Di Xin approved Ji Chang’s resignation, believing he was finally preparing to rebel, while Ji Chang and Wen Zhong secretly planned an undercover operation against the vassals to teach Di Xin to attend to state affairs. Ji Chang returned to Xiqi amid a phoenix’s cry, which people took as an auspicious sign, and a listener in Chaoge declared that a heroic ruler had appeared.

• Di Xin read Ji Chang’s resignation request and celebrated, thinking Ji Chang planned to rebel against Great Shang.
• Jiang Wan, Daji, and Huang Feiyan urged Di Xin to kill Ji Chang, but he claimed Ji Chang was part of a secret plan and persuaded them to stand down.
• Ji Chang asked Wen Zhong whether they should tell Di Xin about their Undercover Vassal Operation, and Wen Zhong insisted they keep it secret to surprise him and make him take state affairs seriously.
• Di Xin approved Ji Chang’s retirement, and crowds in Chaoge praised the departing chancellor as he left for Xiqi.
• A phoenix cry greeted Ji Chang upon his arrival in Xiqi, and news of it spread as people hailed him as a worthy sage.
• After hearing of the phoenix cry, someone in Chaoge exclaimed that a heroic ruler had appeared.

Ji Chang returned to Xiqi and, urged by Ji Fa, agreed to personally invite Jiang Ziya, a supposed worthy talent fishing by the Wei River. Jiang Ziya treated Ji Chang with studied arrogance, but Ji Chang questioned what skill he could teach him.

• Jiang Ziya learned that Feng Ming had arrived in Xiqi, wrote a letter while Ma Cuihua was away, and hurried west.
• Ji Chang returned to Xiqi, compared its hardship with Great Shang's prosperity, and resolved to learn from Shang's reforms.
• Ji Fa urged Ji Chang to seek out the mysterious fisherman at the Wei River, while Boyi Kao argued against personally inviting him.
• Ji Chang chose to visit the fisherman in person, and Jiang Ziya waited at the Wei River after Guang Chengzi assured him the visit would come.
• Ji Chang arrived with his sons and ministers, but Jiang Ziya ignored his greetings and declared that the fish had taken the hook.
• Ji Chang challenged Jiang Ziya's claim that he had been caught and asked what skill Jiang Ziya had to teach him.

Jiang Ziya advised Ji Chang to rebel against Great Shang, but Ji Chang secretly opposed the plan and judged Jiang Ziya’s abilities before appointing him. Jiang Ziya’s connection to Shen Gongbao then earned him a promotion, leaving him conflicted about his Junior Brother.

• Jiang Ziya warned Ji Chang that Xiqi was in danger and urged him to lead the vassals against Great Shang and establish a new dynasty.
• Ji Chang questioned Jiang Ziya about governing, impressed his guests with his practical knowledge, and privately judged Jiang Ziya talented but not yet fit for major responsibility.
• Ji Chang began reforms modeled on Great Shang and offered Jiang Ziya a post as Shangshu Lang.
• Ji Chang asked Jiang Ziya to recommend other talents, and Jiang Ziya revealed that Shen Gongbao was his Junior Brother and the Imperial Advisor of Great Shang.
• Ji Chang promoted Jiang Ziya to Shizhong because of his relationship with Shen Gongbao, leaving Jiang Ziya unsure whether to resent or thank him.

Ji Chang launched a rebellion against Great Shang, but Di Xin entrusted its suppression to Wen Zhong, who deployed generals against the vassal armies. As fighting began at Sishui Pass, Li Jing confronted his sons Jin Zha and Mu Zha, while Kong Xuan set out to aid Great Shang against the Chan Sect.

• Ji Chang rallied the Eight hundred vassals, declared the Zhou Dynasty, and secretly informed Wen Zhong of the allied army’s plans.
• Di Xin dismissed Shang Rong’s call to execute Ji Chang’s clan and left Wen Zhong to organize the defense against the rebellion.
• Wen Zhong assigned Huang Feihu, Li Jing, and Zhang Guifang to block the allied armies, while Shen Gongbao volunteered to attack Xiqi’s vanguard.
• Hong Yun summoned Kong Xuan, who learned the Chan Sect threatened his disciple and flew toward Great Shang.
• At Sishui Pass, the Chan Sect disciples fought the Jie Sect’s Nine Dragon Island Four Saints until Puxian and Manjushri pushed the defenders back.
• Li Jing arrived and ordered Jin Zha and Mu Zha to surrender, accusing his sons of joining the rebels against Shang.

Li Jing rejected Manjushri’s attempt to persuade him to join Great Zhou and fought Jin Zha and Mu Zha until Manjushri attacked him. Nezha arrived, wounded Manjushri with his spear, and faced him in battle at Sishui Pass.

• Manjushri urged Li Jing to abandon Shang and join Xiqi, but Li Jing refused and attacked Jin Zha and Mu Zha.
• Manjushri used the Dodge Dragon Pile to knock Li Jing down, and Jin Zha and Mu Zha refrained from attacking him.
• Nezha arrived and shattered two of Manjushri’s golden rings, then learned that Manjushri had attacked his father.
• Nezha charged Manjushri, pierced the Dodge Dragon Pile with his Sky Breaking spear, and wounded Manjushri despite his defenses.
• Manjushri retaliated with his Spiritual Treasures, and Nezha activated Three Heads and Six Arms to face him.

Nezha exhausted himself fighting Manjushri at Sishui Pass, and Kong Xuan arrived to punish Manjushri with a single palm. After Randeng asked Kong Xuan to let the Xiqi troops through, Kong Xuan refused, declaring that he had ties to Great Shang.

• Nezha overwhelmed Manjushri until Manjushri outlasted him and nearly captured him.
• Nezha invoked his Master, Kong Xuan, who appeared and agreed to spar with Manjushri.
• Kong Xuan struck Manjushri with one palm, sending him crashing into a distant mountain and leaving him seriously injured.
• Randeng asked Kong Xuan to allow the Xiqi troops to enter Sishui Pass, but Kong Xuan refused and said he had ties to Great Shang.

Kong Xuan invoked his connection to the Yin-Shang royal family to halt the Xiqi army at Sishui Pass, while the other fronts faced formations and confrontations between rival sects. As Shen Gongbao defended Great Shang against his former Chan Sect allies, a new figure arrived to support him.

• Kong Xuan claimed the Mysterious Bird was his relative and persuaded Ran Deng to let the Xiqi army wait three years at Sishui Pass.
• The Ten Heavenly Lords blocked Boyi Kao's army with the Ten Ultimate Formation, while Maitreya and other Western Sect disciples prepared to break it.
• Yang Jian met his father, Yang Tianbi, who told him they would watch the conflict from the sidelines while repaying their master's kindness.
• Jiang Ziya and Guang Chengzi confronted Shen Gongbao for serving Great Shang, but Shen Gongbao defended the Great King and rejected the claim that destiny favored Zhou.
• Dao Xing Tianzun attacked Shen Gongbao with his Demon-Subduing Pestle, and an unidentified supporter from the Great Shang army arrived, praising Shen Gongbao's words.

Zhao Gongming joined Shen Gongbao’s side and overwhelmed the Chan Sect disciples in battle with his powerful cultivation and treasures. As Guang Chengzi called in more reinforcements, Zhao Gongming challenged them all to attack him together.

• Zhao Gongming arrived to help Shen Gongbao and declared that the Chan Sect disciples would have to defeat him to take the pass.
• Guang Chengzi attacked Zhao Gongming with the Male Female Twin Swords and Soul Falling Bell, but the Five Elements Spirit Beads protected Zhao Gongming and he knocked Guang Chengzi back.
• Chi Jingzi joined Guang Chengzi, but Zhao Gongming’s Five Elements Spirit Beads and steel whip forced both Chan Sect disciples into retreat.
• Yu Ding joined the fight, yet Zhao Gongming still held his own against the three Chan Sect disciples.
• Huang Long charged Zhao Gongming in his true form, but Zhao Gongming bound him with the Dragon Binding Rope and threw him into the Shang army.
• Guang Chengzi called Spiritual Treasure Grandmaster into the battle, and Zhao Gongming invited all his opponents to attack him together.

Zhao Gongming drove back the Chan Sect attackers with the Golden Dragon Shear, then secretly admitted he was nearly out of Mana and sent Shen Gongbao to seek Jin Ling’s aid. As the Great Zhou army hesitated before the defended pass, Demon Master Kunpeng, known as Beiming Jerry, appeared in Jiang Ziya’s tent with a way to break through.

• Guang Chengzi called Dao Xing Tianzun and Qingxu Moral True Monarch to join the attack, while Shen Gongbao prepared to help Zhao Gongming.
• Zhao Gongming unleashed the Golden Dragon Shear, destroyed Dao Xing Tianzun’s mount, and frightened the six Chan Sect fighters into retreating.
• Zhao Gongming returned to the city with Shen Gongbao and revealed that he had been bluffing because his Mana was nearly exhausted.
• Zhao Gongming sent Shen Gongbao to Golden Ao Island with a letter asking Jin Ling to come to their aid.
• For three days, Zhao Gongming guarded the city wall and hung True Person Huang Long from the gate, keeping the Great Zhou army from attacking.
• Kunpeng appeared in Jiang Ziya’s command tent and offered a way to capture Zhao Gongming and break through the pass.

Demon Master Kunpeng taught Jiang Ziya the Seven Arrows Book of the Nail Head to curse Zhao Gongming, while the Chan Sect disciples avoided taking part. As Zhao Gongming fell unconscious and his disciples were killed, Hong Yun sent Lu Ya to warn his father and uncle that Kunpeng had overstepped his bounds.

• Kunpeng offered Jiang Ziya a ritual method to kill Zhao Gongming, explaining that he had joined the calamity after the Heavenly Dao promised to help him become a Saint.
• Guang Chengzi and the other Chan Sect disciples refused to perform the curse, so Jiang Ziya built the ritual platform and began bowing to Zhao Gongming's straw effigy.
• Black qi entered Jiang Ziya as he performed the ritual, while crimson aura slipped into Zhao Gongming as he feasted with the Shang commanders.
• Zhao Gongming realized he had been cursed and sent Chen Jiugong and Yao Shaosi to seize the cursed object, but Guang Chengzi and the others killed them.
• Zhao Gongming fell unconscious, and Hong Yun sent Lu Ya with a letter to his father and uncle, warning them that Kunpeng had overstepped his bounds.