Chapter Summaries

After the Sect of Interception turned against him for opposing its plans for the Investiture of the Gods, Ling Xiao realized Tongtian had tacitly approved his expulsion. As Ling Xiao prepared to cut ties with the sect, a newly awakened system offered him three choices, leaving his decision unresolved.

• Zhao Gongming, Holy Mother Turtle Spirit, Lu Ya, and other disciples condemned Ling Xiao for opposing the Investiture of the Gods and accused him of betraying the Sect of Interception.
• Ling Xiao recalled the sacrifices he had made for the sect, including losing his cultivation while suppressing its karmic slaughter, and confronted the disciples over their ingratitude.
• Dingguang Immortal demanded that Tongtian expel Ling Xiao, while Duobao secretly supported the effort to remove his rival for the sect's leadership.
• Ling Xiao concluded that Tongtian had tacitly approved the scheme to cast him aside and declared that the Sect of Interception was not worth staying in.
• The God-tier Choice System appeared and offered Ling Xiao rewards for apologizing to Tongtian, severing ties with the sect, or refining its disciples, but he had not yet chosen.

Ling Xiao chose to sever his karma with the Sect of Interception and Tongtian, giving up his Heavenly Dao Merit and the Shangqing Dao Arts as he left Biyou Palace. He descended Kunlun Mountain with his Dao Heart at peace, where an old friend waited to see him off with Jade Nectar.

• Ling Xiao chose the system’s second option and received the Primordial Chaos Green Lotus Source, then declared before the Heavenly Dao that he was severing his ties with the Sect of Interception and Tongtian.
• Ling Xiao rebuked Qiong Xiao and the Golden-Winged Great Peng, dispersed his Heavenly Dao Merit to sever his karma, and walked out of Biyou Palace.
• Duobao demanded that Ling Xiao leave behind the Shangqing Dao Arts, so Ling Xiao stripped them from his Great Dao despite worsening his injuries.
• The Golden-Winged Great Peng tried to pursue Ling Xiao, but Kong Xuan stopped him, while Duobao ordered the disciples to keep silent about the events.
• Yuanshi Tianzun reflected that Ling Xiao’s departure would worsen the conflict between the Sect of Enlightenment and the Sect of Interception, and sent Yuding to see him off.
• Ling Xiao left Kunlun Mountain and met an old friend at its foot, who offered him Jade Nectar as a farewell drink.

After severing ties with the Sect of Interception, Ling Xiao used the Primordial Chaos Green Lotus Source to heal and rebuild himself, raising his foundation to the Twenty-Four Grade Pure World White Lotus. Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun invited him to Five Villages Temple and pledged their support.

• Ling Xiao drank Jade Nectar with Perfected Lord Jade Tripod, who lamented his injuries and offered the Sect of Enlightenment's help against the Sect of Interception.
• Ling Xiao left Kunlun Mountain and refined the Primordial Chaos Green Lotus Source, healing his Dao Wounds and recovering to the early stage of the Golden Immortal of Grand Dao realm.
• The source transformed Ling Xiao's foundation into the Twenty-Four Grade Pure World White Lotus, and he realized his potential could reach the Hunyuan Great Dao.
• As Ling Xiao wondered where to go, Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun arrived and invited him to Five Villages Temple.
• Hong Yun told Ling Xiao they had planned to help him restart cultivation and promised that they would stand by him.

Ling Xiao stayed at Five Villages Temple with Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun, while the Immortal Slaying Sword Formation and the Sect of Interception’s fortune became unsettled. At the Palace of Green Essence, Our Lady of Wudang and Our Lady of Golden Spirit blamed Ling Xiao, but Zhao Gongming revealed that he had reforged his Foundation and won the regard of Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun.

• Ling Xiao thanked Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun for welcoming him to Five Villages Temple, and Zhen Yuanzi said he would wait for the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation to seek Sagehood.
• Ling Xiao warned Zhen Yuanzi that the Sect of Interception would face several rival sects and hinted that Tongtian’s plans went beyond what Zhen Yuanzi imagined.
• The Immortal Slaying Sword Formation stirred at the Palace of Green Essence, and Our Lady of Wudang and Our Lady of Golden Spirit suspected Ling Xiao had caused the disturbance.
• Our Lady of Golden Spirit reported the formation’s unrest to Tongtian, who learned that the Sect of Interception’s fortune was again entangled with Karmic Slaughter and angrily condemned Ling Xiao.
• Our Lady of Wudang offered to capture Ling Xiao, calling him a cripple, but Zhao Gongming revealed that Ling Xiao had reforged his Foundation and earned the regard of Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun.

The Sect of Interception debated whether to bring Ling Xiao back after he recovered, but Xingtian and North Sea Black Tortoise opposed exploiting him, and Qiong Xiao went to persuade him. At the Heavenly Court, Haotian and Yaochi decided to seek Ling Xiao’s support by offering him one of the Six Imperial Thrones.

• Duobao told the Sect of Interception that Ling Xiao had recovered his cultivation and gained the favor of Great Immortal Zhenyuan and Hong Yun, prompting Our Lady of Wudang to propose inviting him back to deal with the sect’s Karmic Force of Slaughter.
• Xingtian and North Sea Black Tortoise condemned the sect for trying to reclaim Ling Xiao after driving him away, while Dingguang Immortal accused them of betraying the sect.
• Qiong Xiao volunteered to persuade Ling Xiao to return and apologize to Sect Master Tongtian, then left Kunlun Mountain.
• Yaochi urged Haotian to win Ling Xiao’s support, and Haotian decided to offer him one of the Six Imperial Thrones.
• Yaochi proposed sending the Mystic Maiden of the Nine Heavens to visit Ling Xiao at Five Villages Temple and said the Heavenly Court might entrust him with the Investiture of the Gods.

Qiong Xiao came to Five Villages Temple to persuade Ling Xiao to return to the Sect of Interception, but Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun backed Ling Xiao as he prepared to confront her. After Qiong Xiao offered to become his Dao companion, Ling Xiao was stunned, and the System began speaking in his mind.

• Qiong Xiao asked to meet Ling Xiao, but Qingfeng and Mingyue condemned the Sect of Interception and initially refused her entry.
• Ling Xiao told Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun he would meet Qiong Xiao, hoping the encounter would trigger his God-tier Choice System.
• Qiong Xiao entered Five Villages Temple and urged Ling Xiao to return, promising that the Sect of Interception would forgive him and welcome him back.
• Qiong Xiao offered to become Ling Xiao's Dao companion, prompting Mingyue to erupt and Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun to privately mock her.
• Ling Xiao questioned Qiong Xiao's offer, and the System's voice sounded in his mind.

Ling Xiao rejected Qiong Xiao and accepted the Primordial Measuring Ruler, while Hong Yun and Zhen Yuanzi defended him and drove her from Wuzhuang Temple. Humiliated and caught in the tribulation, Qiong Xiao left for Kunlun Mountain as the Mystic Maiden of the Nine Heavens arrived to bring Ling Xiao gifts from the Heavenly Court.

• Ling Xiao chose to ignore Qiong Xiao and received the Primordial Measuring Ruler, deciding to stop concerning himself with the Sect of Interception.
• Ling Xiao dismissed Qiong Xiao and continued drinking with Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun, who rebuked her and cut her cultivation down a level.
• Qingfeng and Mingyue threw Qiong Xiao out of Wuzhuang Temple after Ling Xiao told her to get lost.
• Qiong Xiao convinced herself that Ling Xiao had suffered qi deviation, and the tribulation's baleful qi began to entangle her True Spirit.
• The Mystic Maiden of the Nine Heavens arrived under orders from Queen Mother Yaochi and the Jade Emperor to visit Ling Xiao and present gifts.
• Qiong Xiao, wounded and humiliated, flew toward Kunlun Mountain while the Mystic Maiden entered Wuzhuang Temple.

At Five Villages Temple, Mystic Maiden of the Nine Heavens offered Ling Xiao the Pure Yang Sword and Penglai Immortal Island, revealing that the Jade Emperor intended to make him one of the Six Emperors. Ling Xiao accepted the sword and gained a sign of heavenly fortune, while Qiong Xiao returned to Kunlun Mountain and found Ling Xiao’s former disciples dismantling his cave abode.

• Mystic Maiden of the Nine Heavens visited Ling Xiao on behalf of the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother and presented him with the Pure Yang Sword and Penglai Immortal Island.
• Mystic Maiden of the Nine Heavens revealed that Ling Xiao was being considered for one of the Six Emperors and would oversee the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation.
• Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun urged Ling Xiao to accept the appointment and promised to support him against the Sect of Interception.
• Ling Xiao grasped the Pure Yang Sword and began refining it, and Mystic Maiden of the Nine Heavens saluted him as a Heavenly Emperor.
• Qiong Xiao returned to Kunlun Mountain and saw Dingguang Immortal and the others dismantling Ling Xiao’s cave abode.

Dingguang Immortal destroyed Ling Xiao’s cave abode and announced that he would seek to abolish the Sect of Interception’s Heavenly Rules. At Biyou Palace, Lu Ya called for Ling Xiao’s capture, provoking Xingtian and Tai Xuan to condemn the sect and declare that they would follow Ling Xiao out.

• Dingguang Immortal denounced Ling Xiao and destroyed his cave abode despite Qiong Xiao’s desperate efforts to stop him, then headed to the Palace of Green Essence to ask that the Heavenly Rules be abolished.
• Qiong Xiao collapsed after seeing the cave abode reduced to dust, while Lu Ya privately welcomed the prospect of escaping the sect’s rules.
• At Biyou Palace, Lu Ya blamed Ling Xiao for Qiong Xiao’s injuries and volunteered to capture him at Five Villages Temple.
• Xingtian and Tai Xuan rebuked Lu Ya and defended Ling Xiao, while the Golden-Winged Great Peng urged Sect Master Tongtian to punish them in the Immortal Slaying Sword Formation.
• Xingtian kicked the Golden-Winged Great Peng aside and, with Feng Bo, Yu Shi, and the North Sea Black Tortoise, renounced the Sect of Interception and followed Ling Xiao’s example.

Randeng stirred discord in the Sect of Interception over Ling Xiao’s Heavenly Rules, while Tongtian tried to punish Xingtian and the others for leaving the sect. Pingxin rescued them and severed their ties to the sect, leaving Duobao to decide the fate of the rules as its disciples fell into open dispute.

• Tongtian ordered Xingtian, the North Sea Black Tortoise, and the other dissenting disciples executed, but Yun Xiao argued that Ling Xiao’s Heavenly Rules of Interception should remain.
• Randeng entered with Perfected Lord Jade Tripod, Manjusri, and Yellow Dragon, challenged Tongtian’s use of Ling Xiao’s rules, and mocked the Sect of Interception’s divided disciples before departing.
• Tongtian ordered Xingtian, Feng Bo, the North Sea Black Tortoise, and the others executed after Randeng left.
• Pingxin swept Xingtian and the others into the Six Paths of Reincarnation and severed their karmic ties to the Sect of Interception; Tongtian’s attack with the Qingping Sword failed.
• Tongtian assigned Duobao full responsibility for deciding the fate of the Heavenly Rules of Interception, and the disciples began arguing over them.

Ling Xiao received the Primordial Chaos Dao Scripture and used it to create his own World-Cleansing Creation Dao, reaching the mid-stage Golden Immortal of Grand Dao. After learning that Daoist Duobao had abolished the Sect of Interception’s Heavenly Rules and that the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation was approaching, Ling Xiao prepared to head to the Heavenly Court.

• Ling Xiao chose to let the Sect of Interception’s Heavenly Rules be abolished and received the Primordial Chaos Dao Scripture from the system.
• Ling Xiao comprehended the scripture, refined his Dao, and reached the mid-stage Golden Immortal of Grand Dao.
• Ling Xiao created the World-Cleansing Creation Dao, while his sacred radiance helped cleanse Zhen Yuanzi’s karmic burden and Daoist Hong Yun’s Heart Demon.
• Zhen Yuanzi told Ling Xiao that Daoist Duobao had abolished the Heavenly Rules, leaving Sect of Interception disciples unchecked and causing chaos across the Primordial Wilderness.
• Daoist Hong Yun warned that the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation was drawing near, and Ling Xiao said he would slay demons, save living beings, and go to the Heavenly Court.

Ling Xiao returned to the Heavenly Court, where Haotian and Yaochi welcomed him and named him the Great Emperor of the Azure Radiance. Ling Xiao recognized Haotian’s ambition to rule the Three Realms and prepared to hear Dao Ancestor Hongjun’s decree proclaiming his new title.

• Ling Xiao left Five Villages Temple, and Mingyue reminded him that Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun would support him if he faced trouble in the Heavenly Court.
• Venus Tai Bai welcomed Ling Xiao on Haotian’s decree and escorted him through the Eastern Heavenly Gate to Lingxiao Palace.
• Haotian and Yaochi greeted Ling Xiao with the Heavenly Court deities and revealed that he would become the Great Emperor of the Azure Radiance, second in status only to them.
• Ling Xiao praised Haotian’s ambition to make all living beings submit, and Haotian avoided answering publicly before inviting him into Lingxiao Palace.
• Ling Xiao joined Haotian and Yaochi on the jade platform, where Yaochi proposed proclaiming Dao Ancestor Hongjun’s decree announcing his title.

Haotian announced Dao Ancestor Hongjun’s decree appointing Ling Xiao as the Great Emperor of the Azure Radiance and placing him in charge of the Investiture of the Gods. Ling Xiao accepted the role and the Heavenly Court’s additional duties, leaving the assembled deities to recognize his new authority as the tribulation approached.

• Haotian’s display of Heavenly Dao power alarmed the Sages, sect disciples, and Lu Ya, who resented Haotian for taking the throne he believed should have been his.
• Haotian recited Hongjun’s decree, appointing Ling Xiao Great Emperor of the Azure Radiance and giving him the Investiture of the Gods List and God-Slaying Whip.
• Ling Xiao accepted the decree, turned the Heavenly Dao Merit into a Merit Golden Wheel, and suppressed the signs of his cultivation advancing so he could keep tempering his foundation.
• Yaochi declared that Ling Xiao would temporarily hold the duties and authority of the four unfilled Sovereigns, while Haotian said the arrangement would help him coordinate the Heavenly Court during the tribulation.
• Ling Xiao accepted the workload but said the deities should bring routine matters to Haotian, then anticipated the reaction of the Sages and their disciples to his appointment.

Yuanshi Tianzun explained that Ling Xiao’s appointment as Great Emperor of the Azure Radiance had turned the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation into a struggle over whether the Heavenly Court would rule the Three Realms. At the Sect of Interception, the disciples discussed drawing Ling Xiao back with Dao companionship, and their attention settled on Yun Xiao, Qiong Xiao, and Bi Xiao.

• Guangchengzi and Cihang Daoist voiced the Sect of Enlightenment disciples’ fears that Ling Xiao might use his new authority and backing to move against them.
• Yuanshi Tianzun taught that the tribulation’s greater purpose was a contest for luck and authority, and Antarctic Immortal concluded that the Heavenly Court sought to become the orthodox power of the Three Realms.
• Perfected Immortal Taiyi said the Sect of Enlightenment should avoid offending Ling Xiao and build a good relationship with him, while Yuanshi Tianzun urged his disciples to contend for luck and follow the Heavenly Dao’s momentum.
• At the Palace of Green Essence, Dingguang Immortal demanded a way to bring Ling Xiao down, and Zhao Gongming suggested bringing him back to the Sect of Interception or binding him through Dao companionship.
• Kong Xuan argued that Ling Xiao’s return could give the Sect of Interception more of the Six Emperor positions, and the disciples turned to Yun Xiao, Qiong Xiao, and Bi Xiao to see how they would respond.

The Sect of Interception’s disciples argued over whether the Three Xiao Sisters should entice Ling Xiao to return, but Yun Xiao and Bi Xiao rejected the scheme and left Kunlun Mountain with Qiong Xiao. Meanwhile, Haotian welcomed Ling Xiao to his new residence in Great Net Heaven and told him he could later inspect Penglai Immortal Island.

• The Golden-Winged Great Peng and Lu Ya urged the Three Xiao Sisters to use their beauty to bring Ling Xiao back to the Sect of Interception, and Bi Xiao and Yun Xiao angrily refused.
• Lu Ya mocked Yun Xiao for not defending Ling Xiao when he was expelled, and Zhao Gongming threatened Lu Ya with the Twelve Fixed Sea Pearls.
• Qiong Xiao said she would apologize to Ling Xiao and become his Dao companion, while Yun Xiao and Bi Xiao reacted with disbelief.
• Zhao Gongming called on the Three Xiao Sisters to put the sect first, prompting Yun Xiao to seize her sisters and fly with them from Kunlun Mountain to the East Sea.
• Dingguang Immortal condemned the Three Xiao Sisters, while Duobao privately recognized that he could use them to control Ling Xiao if Ling Xiao returned.
• Haotian told Ling Xiao that his palace in Great Net Heaven was ready and that he could visit Penglai Immortal Island after handling matters in the Heavenly Court.

Ling Xiao named his Heavenly Court residence the Primordial Dao Palace, then entered the endless starry sky to comprehend the stars and refine Stellar Origin. As he cultivated, the Lunar Star trembled slightly.

• The Mystic Maiden of the Nine Heavens warned Ling Xiao that surviving Demon Clan remnants and the two beings on the Lunar Star remained in the endless starry sky.
• Ling Xiao inscribed the name Primordial Dao Palace on his residence with the Pure Creation Dao, easing some of the Mystic Maiden’s karmic sin.
• The Mystic Maiden thanked Ling Xiao, then returned to her Daoist sanctuary to pursue a breakthrough in cultivation.
• Ling Xiao left Great Net Heaven and traveled into the starry sky, where he saw the Solar Star and its revived Fusang Tree but could not enter through the Solar True Fire.
• Ling Xiao sat among the stars and used the Primordial Chaos Dao Scripture to comprehend stellar laws and refine Stellar Origin.
• As Ling Xiao cultivated, the Lunar Star trembled slightly.

Ling Xiao developed Star Chain Imprisonment, then followed a plea for help to the Lunar Star and uncovered a Chaos Void hidden within its core. There he found a dying figure being consumed by chaotic and murderous forces, whom he suspected was the Lunar Goddess.

• Ling Xiao tested Star Chain Imprisonment and planned to develop it into a transformation of the Myriad Stars Grand Formation.
• Ling Xiao sensed a plea for help from the Lunar Star and traveled there to investigate.
• Chang'e allowed Ling Xiao to explore the depths of the Lunar Star, warning him not to damage its origin.
• Ling Xiao reached the Lunar Star's core and used Pure Creation Dao to locate a hidden Chaos Void.
• Ling Xiao opened the Chaos Void with the Primordial Measuring Ruler, entered it, and sealed the rift with the Heavenly Investiture List.
• Ling Xiao found a figure surrounded by a storm of Chaos Sha Qi, Karmic Force, and murderous intent, and suspected she was the Lunar Goddess.

Ling Xiao met the imprisoned Lunar Goddess Wangshu, learned how the Creation Calamity and Pangu’s seal had worn away her strength, and used his Dao to cleanse her and free her. Wangshu recovered to the middle stage of Primal Golden Immortal, broke free of her remaining restraints, and asked to follow Ling Xiao back to the Primordial World.

• Wangshu explained that Pangu had sealed her in the Chaos Void after the Creation Calamity, where harmful energies eroded her origin, Primordial Spirit, and True Spirit.
• Ling Xiao agreed to help Wangshu endure the painful cleansing and introduced himself before beginning the ritual.
• Ling Xiao used the Pure World White Lotus, World-Cleansing Creation Dao, Primordial Chaos Measuring Ruler, and Star Chain Imprisonment to remove and seal the energies harming Wangshu.
• After several months, Wangshu recovered her strength and rose to the middle stage of Primal Golden Immortal.
• Ling Xiao used the God-Slaying Whip and his Heavenly Dao authority to sever the power Pangu had left restraining Wangshu.
• Wangshu thanked Ling Xiao for saving her and asked to follow him back to the Primordial World.

Ling Xiao brought Wangshu to Penglai Immortal Island, while Yun Xiao and Qiong Xiao decided to visit him and seek forgiveness for the Sect of Interception. As the sisters approached, Ling Xiao and Wangshu sensed that old enemies were coming.

• Ling Xiao invited Wangshu to Penglai Immortal Island, and Wangshu learned about his past and wondered how he had reshaped his Foundation.
• Wangshu told Ling Xiao that Chang'e was Changxi's benevolent corpse incarnation and that Xihe and Changxi were not on the Lunar Star, then transported him toward Penglai Immortal Island.
• Qiong Xiao admitted that she and her sisters had wronged Ling Xiao, while Bi Xiao blamed him and refused to forgive him.
• Yun Xiao decided that she and Qiong Xiao would visit Penglai Immortal Island to apologize, and Qiong Xiao dressed herself in clothes Ling Xiao had once liked.
• Ling Xiao and Wangshu arrived at Penglai Immortal Island, where Ling Xiao dismissed the Heavenly Court's attendants and rewarded them with Heavenly Dao Merit.
• Ling Xiao and Wangshu sensed that Yun Xiao and Qiong Xiao were approaching and recognized them as old enemies.

Ling Xiao welcomed Yun Xiao and Qiong Xiao to Penglai Immortal Island, choosing a system reward that granted him the Twelfth-Grade World-Ending Black Lotus. When the sisters accused him of mistreating them and challenged his relationship with Wangshu, he rebuked them and struck Qiong Xiao with Mana.

• Ling Xiao told Wangshu he would let the Sect of Interception bring about its own downfall rather than seek revenge himself.
• Yun Xiao and Qiong Xiao arrived at Penglai Immortal Island to speak with Ling Xiao, and the system offered him three choices.
• Ling Xiao chose to meet the sisters and quietly watch their performance, receiving the Twelfth-Grade World-Ending Black Lotus.
• Ling Xiao let Yun Xiao and Qiong Xiao enter the island, where Yun Xiao demanded to know who Wangshu was and Qiong Xiao accused Ling Xiao of disgracing them.
• Ling Xiao rejected Qiong Xiao's claim that he needed their forgiveness, defended Wangshu, and struck Qiong Xiao, warning her against disrespecting the Heavenly Emperor again.