Chapter Summaries

Fuxi entered Huoyun Cave to guard the Human Race’s fortune, and Hong Yun helped Shennong establish farming, trade, and medicine. When Ao Bing attacked fishermen and Shennong’s daughter Nuwa, the Three Fairies of Spirit Bamboo Mountain rescued them and drove him away.

• Fuxi accepted Laozi’s decree, entered Huoyun Cave, and left Shennong to rule the Human Race.
• Hong Yun became Shennong’s teacher and guided him in developing agriculture, farming tools, and the first marketplace.
• Hong Yun gave Shennong the Crimson Whip to help him identify medicinal plants and poisonous herbs.
• Nuwa played by the Eastern Sea when Ao Bing overturned fishermen’s boats and struck at her with a water column.
• Yunxiao, Qiongxiao, and Bixiao rescued Nuwa and the fishermen, punished Ao Bing, and sent him back to the Dragon Palace.
• Yunxiao reassured Nuwa that the fishermen were safe and said the Dragon Palace would compensate them for their ruined boats.

The Three Xiao sisters rescued Nuwa from Ao Bing, reunited her with Shennong, and took her as their disciple at Spirit Bamboo Mountain. There, Spirit Gourd Daoist deduced that Shennong carried a mysterious ancient aura and reacted with shock at the identity it revealed.

• Hong Yun met the Three Xiao sisters at the Shore of the Eastern Sea, learned they had rescued Nuwa, and resolved to seek justice from the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace.
• The Three Xiao sisters brought Nuwa to Chen Du, where Shennong tearfully reunited with his daughter and thanked her rescuers.
• Yunxiao sensed a familiar ancient aura around Shennong, and Shennong agreed to let the Three Xiao sisters take Nuwa as their disciple.
• The Three Xiao sisters brought Nuwa to Spirit Bamboo Mountain, where Spirit Gourd Daoist explained that Ao Bing had been destined to kill her and that she otherwise would have become Jingwei.
• Spirit Gourd Daoist investigated the strange aura around Shennong and exclaimed that he had discovered the identity behind it.

Spirit Gourd Daoist revealed that Nuwa’s father, Shennong, was the reincarnation of Mysterious Turtle, and the group planned to use the human race’s grievance against the East Sea Dragon Race to secure cooperation. The Three Immortal Sisters formally accepted Nuwa as their disciple Xuanling, bestowed treasures and cultivation knowledge on her, and prepared to refine her mortal body with Three Lights Divine Water.

• Spirit Gourd Daoist explained that Shennong was Mysterious Turtle reborn, and that his past friendship with Mysterious Turtle connected Nuwa to Spirit Bamboo Mountain.
• Spirit Gourd Daoist proposed using Ao Bing’s attack on Nuwa to negotiate rules and cooperation between the human race and the East Sea Dragon Race, including the dragons’ duty to bring rain and the humans’ worship of dragon totems.
• The Three Immortal Sisters named Nuwa Xuanling and bestowed the Flowing Cloud Light Robe, Golden Phoenix Eye-Dotting Hairpin, and Cloud-Treading Boots on her.
• Spirit Gourd Daoist gave Xuanling Three Lights Divine Water and a Pure World White Lotus, then the sisters brought her to the Nine Heavens Brocade Pavilion.
• Yunxiao imparted Spirit Bamboo Mountain’s foundational techniques and knowledge to Xuanling, then prepared to use the divine water to cleanse and refine her mortal body.

Xuan Ling refined her body with Three Lights Divine Water, reached the Human Immortal realm, and spent a century training on Spirit Bamboo Mountain. Spirit Gourd then brought her to Chen Du, where he proposed that Shennong pursue an alliance between humanity and the dragon race.

• Fairy Yunxiao guided Xuan Ling through the Three Lights Divine Water refinement, rebuilding her foundation and helping her break through to the Human Immortal realm.
• The Three Nymphs taught Xuan Ling, who befriended Spirit Bamboo Mountain’s residents and advanced her cultivation and other skills over a hundred years.
• Spirit Gourd and the Three Nymphs brought Xuan Ling to Chen Du, where Shennong and Ancestor Hong Yun welcomed them.
• Shennong asked Spirit Gourd for guidance on humanity’s future, and Spirit Gourd proposed using Xuan Ling’s dispute with Ao Bing to open negotiations with the dragon race.
• Spirit Gourd outlined cooperation on rainfall, shared resources, and mutual support, while Ancestor Hong Yun endorsed forming alliances.

Spirit Gourd Daoist proposed an alliance with the Dragon Race and a Twelve Zodiac Guardian Gods system to strengthen humanity, and Shennong won approval for both plans. The four Dragon Palaces began forming ties with humanity, while the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace hosted Shennong’s delegation and discussed cooperation after Ao Guang apologized for Ao Bing.

• Spirit Gourd Daoist proposed binding humanity’s fortune to twelve guardian races and cooperating with the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin Races, and Shennong agreed the plans deserved consideration by humanity’s leaders.
• Shennong convened the Human Race’s sages at Chen Du, where they approved the strategies, chose domesticated animals as the foundation for guardian candidates, and prioritized an alliance with the Dragon Race.
• Spirit Gourd Daoist helped Shennong establish cooperative agreements with the Western Sea, Northern Sea, and Southern Sea Dragon Palaces, whose envoys promised protection and aid in exchange for closer ties with humanity.
• Eastern Sea Dragon King Ao Guang apologized to Shennong and Nuwa Xuanling for Ao Bing’s past actions, punished Ao Bing, and welcomed Shennong’s delegation to the Crystal Palace.
• Spirit Gourd Daoist, Ancestor Hong Yun, the Three Firmaments, and Nuwa Xuanling accepted Ao Guang’s apology, after which both sides began discussing cooperation.

Venerable Spirit Gourd persuaded Ao Guang to establish an alliance between the Eastern Sea dragon race and the human race, and Shennong launched the Twelve Zodiac Guardian Gods plan. After the Gaotao Tribe’s former chief Yan manifested through his clay statue to repel a Plague Beast, Shennong and his advisers began investigating how tribes could enshrine heroic spirits as guardians.

• Venerable Spirit Gourd explained how an alliance with the human race could benefit the dragon race, and Ao Guang pledged Eastern Sea support, including favorable weather and troops to clear dangerous aquatic monsters.
• Shennong announced the Twelve Zodiac Guardian Gods plan, inviting tribes to form mutually beneficial partnerships with suitable neighboring races and enshrine them as guardian totems.
• Shennong rejected the Green Rhinos as guardians because they threatened a tribe’s people and farmland, ordering tribes to prioritize safety and report suitable candidates to Chen Du.
• A Plague Beast attacked the Gaotao Tribe, and the heroic spirit of former chief Yan emerged from his clay statue to help the warriors drive it away.
• The Gaotao Tribe enshrined Yan as its Guardian Venerable Heroic Spirit God, and the shaman recognized that prayers empowered the statue but could also bring harmful distracting thoughts.
• Shennong and the others verified the heroic-spirit practice and began researching and systematizing it for tribes with shamans.

Shennong expanded the Human Race’s divine protections by honoring Zhenyuanzi as the Ancestor of Earth Immortals, then oversaw the selection of twelve guardian races. The chapter ended with the Twelve Zodiac Guardian Gods forming the basis of a Human Dao Calendar and a powerful protective formation.

• Spirit Gourd proposed honoring Zhenyuanzi and integrating Mountain Gods and Earth Gods into the Human Race’s divine path, and Shennong agreed.
• Hong Yun carried Shennong’s proposal to Wuzhuang Temple, where Zhenyuanzi accepted the title of Ancestor of Earth Immortals and ordered earth spirits to protect the Human Race.
• Shennong held a sacrificial ceremony in Chen Du, and tribes began receiving help from Mountain Gods and Earth Gods as the earth-spirit lineage joined the Human Race’s protective systems.
• Shennong entrusted the continuing work to elders, then set out to taste herbs and write Shennong’s Hundred Herbs Scripture as the Human Race expanded.
• Shennong convened the Human Race Council Hall, where Gongsun Gaotao announced the twelve guardian races and their zodiac positions.
• The Human Race established the zodiac-based Human Dao Calendar and began developing the Twelve Yuan Chen Guardian Great Formation to protect its fortune.

Shennong strengthened Human Race’s protection by establishing alliances with the Three Auspicious Beasts and the Four Symbols Sacred Beasts, greatly expanding Human Race’s fortune. With the guardian system in place, he turned to completing the Hundred Herbs Scripture and finding a successor to the Human Emperor.

• Shennong proposed honoring the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin Races as the Three Auspicious Beasts and the four cardinal guardians as the Four Symbols Sacred Beasts, then combining them with existing guardian systems.
• Suiren and the other envoys secured Azure Dragon Lord Mengzhang’s agreement, including a promise that Human Race would someday help him attain the Dao as a Human Dao Sacred Beast.
• White Tiger Lord Jianbing, Vermilion Bird Lord Lingguang, and Black Tortoise Lord Zhiming agreed to guard Human Race’s western, southern, and northern territories.
• Wa and other Great Luo experts negotiated with the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin Races, which accepted the auspicious-beast positions and alliances with Human Race.
• The new alliances caused Human Race’s fortune to surge and formed a vast guardian formation across its territory, while Linghu, Kong Xuan, Sanxiao, and others at Spirit Bamboo Mountain recognized their contributions.
• Shennong continued compiling the Hundred Herbs Scripture and began seeking a successor who could learn the duties of the Human Emperor before his scripture was completed.

Houtu sent Chi You’s True Spirit to be reborn among the Human Race so he could compete for the next Human Emperor and help revive the Witch Race. Chi You and Xuanyuan rose as powerful leaders in the south and north, and Shennong began monitoring both as he searched for a successor.

• Houtu told Xuanming she would send Chi You’s True Spirit into the Human Race to compete for the Human Emperor’s position, then arranged for him to be born in the Jiu Li Tribe.
• Chi You and Xuanyuan were born in the Jiu Li and You Xiong Tribes, respectively.
• Chi You grew into a formidable warrior and expanded the Jiu Li Tribe through conquest, while Xuanyuan learned governance and strategy under Guang Chengzi and united nearby tribes through alliances.
• Shennong received reports about the rising Jiu Li and You Xiong Tribes and ordered his envoys to keep monitoring Chi You and Xuanyuan as potential successors.

Shennong investigated Chiyou and Xuanyuan as possible successors to the Human Emperor, admiring Chiyou’s achievements while questioning whether succession should follow popular support or Heaven’s Mandate. He remained undecided as Chiyou gathered eighty elite warriors, and the chapter ended with a dramatic change beginning on the night of Chiyou’s coming-of-age ceremony.

• Shennong visited the Jiu Li Tribe and observed Chiyou’s battlefield training, fair dispute resolution, and agricultural experiments.
• Shennong visited the You Xiong Tribe, where Xuanyuan taught astronomy and body-tempering and negotiated the integration of two small tribes.
• Shennong weighed Chiyou’s practical accomplishments against Xuanyuan’s extensive support and orderly governance, but hesitated over the role of Heaven’s Mandate in succession.
• Chiyou gathered eighty brave warriors and trained them in Battle Soul Valley, personally correcting their techniques and promising to share Jiu Li’s future glory.
• A dramatic change began on the night Chiyou experienced his coming-of-age ceremony.

Chi You’s sealed memories as a Great Witch awakened, causing the Human Emperor Imprint to reject him and choose Xuanyuan. Shennong summoned Xuanyuan to Chen Du, while Spirit Gourd Daoist inferred that Chi You’s Witch Clan identity could bring disaster and sent Shennong a warning.

• Chi You recovered his Great Witch memories and resolved to use the Human Emperor position to help the Witch Clan.
• The Human Emperor Imprint revealed Xuanyuan as its chosen successor and showed Chi You’s fortune turning earthen yellow.
• Shennong accepted the Imprint’s choice and sent an envoy to summon Xuanyuan to Chen Du for instruction in governance.
• Guang Chengzi felt relieved by Xuanyuan’s summons, and Xuanyuan prepared to travel to Chen Du.
• Spirit Gourd Daoist deduced that Chi You was the Great Witch’s reincarnation and suspected Empress Houtu and Xuanming intended to revive the Witch Clan through him.
• Spirit Gourd Daoist sent Shennong his deductions and a warning about Chi You.

After receiving Spirit Gourd Daoist’s warning that Chi You had awakened as the reincarnation of a Great Witch, Shennong confirmed Xuanyuan as the next Human Emperor and called him to Chen Du. Chi You accepted that he could not challenge Shennong openly, but planned to contest Xuanyuan later while developing a cultivation path that fused Witch techniques with human martial arts.

• Spirit Gourd Daoist warned Shennong that Chi You might be the reincarnation of the Great Witch Chi You and had chosen the Witch race over humanity.
• Shennong convened the human leaders and ministers, won their support for Xuanyuan, and issued a decree naming him successor and summoning him to Chen Du.
• Chi You learned of the decree, suppressed his anger, and ordered the Jiu Li Tribe to lie low, assess its allies, and strengthen its forces before competing with Xuanyuan.
• Chi You resolved that he might target Xuanyuan without harming Shennong and recognized that his mixed human-Witch body could cultivate both Witch techniques and human martial arts.
• Chi You began combining the two cultivation methods, seeking to surpass the limits of his previous life and forge a new path to greater power.

Chiyou emerged from seclusion and began strengthening his bid for the Human Emperor by targeting the Witch Person tribes and seeking support from the Witch Clan. After Pangu Hall opened its doors to him, he claimed that becoming Human Emperor could help revive the Witch Clan.

• Chiyou learned that Xuanyuan had gained Shennong's trust in Chen Du while Guang Chengzi strengthened You Xiong's defenses, and he ordered Kang Hui to eliminate Jiu Li's fence-sitters.
• Chiyou led plans to subdue the Black Rock, Cracked Stone, and Broken Water tribes, intending to unite the Witch People under Jiu Li and build support for his contest with Xuanyuan.
• Chiyou traveled alone to Pangu Hall and called for Jiu Feng, Xing Tian, and the other Witch Clan survivors to admit him.
• Jiu Feng ordered the doors opened, and Xing Tian and the survivors recognized Chiyou as their former Great Witch returned in a human body.
• Chiyou told the Witch Clan survivors he believed Empress Houtu and Saint Xuanming had sent him into human reincarnation so he could become Human Emperor and use the Human Race's fortune to revive the Witch Clan.

Chi You won the support of many Witch Clan warriors, but Jiu Feng kept part of the clan in Pangu Hall to preserve their last refuge. As Chi You built his power among the Witch People, Xuanyuan learned of his growing strength, and Shennong approached the end of his reign.

• Jiu Feng warned Chi You that the Human Emperor struggle carried the danger of the Saints’ schemes and refused to risk Pangu Hall’s remaining clansmen.
• Wind Master, Rain Master, and hundreds of warriors left with Chi You, while Jiu Feng, Xing Tian, and others stayed to guard Pangu Hall.
• Chi You stationed the Witch Clan warriors in his forbidden land and expanded his influence by conquering Witch Person tribes in the southwest.
• Xuanyuan learned that Chi You was secretly gathering strength and using his campaigns to avoid direct confrontation while expanding his base among the Witch People.
• Shennong completed his merits, bringing Xuanyuan close to inheriting the position of Human Emperor.