Recaps

After a month recovering from arranging the formation, Yunxiao and the other Interception Sect immortals prepared to leave Chaoge for Jinao Island. Di Xin reaffirmed his alliance with the Interception Sect as they departed, then reflected that the pieces were in place and the true players had yet to enter the game.

• Wen Zhong asked Di Xin whether the formation had succeeded, and Di Xin confirmed that it could suppress Grand Unity Golden Immortals automatically and even Quasi-Saints under his control.
• A month later, Bixiao, Qiongxiao, Qin Wan, and the other immortals recovered their strength and said Chaoge's Human Dao aura made them uncomfortable.
• Yunxiao decided the group should return to Jinao Island and report to their Master, then sent word to Wen Zhong.
• Wen Zhong led Yunxiao and the others to the Nine Chamber Hall to bid farewell to Di Xin.
• Di Xin thanked the immortals and promised to advance and retreat together with the Interception Sect as the Tribulation approached.
• Yunxiao and the twelve other immortals flew toward Jinao Island, while Di Xin watched them leave and said the pieces had returned to their positions.

Yunxiao reported to Sect Master Tongtian that the formation in Chaoge could suppress even Quasi-Saints when Di Xin activated it, and described the Human Emperor’s extraordinary command of Human Dao Destiny. Tongtian considered Di Xin a new variable in the Investiture of the Gods Calamity and ordered his disciples to prepare for the coming tribulation.

• Yunxiao and the other twelve disciples returned to Biyou Palace and reported to Sect Master Tongtian that they had completed the Chaoge formation.
• Yunxiao explained that the formation could suppress Grand Unity Golden Immortals on its own and might suppress Quasi-Saints when Di Xin guided its power.
• Yunxiao described Di Xin’s confidence and effortless control of Human Dao Destiny, comparing his ability favorably to the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors of Huoyun Cave.
• Sect Master Tongtian called Di Xin an interesting variable who could benefit the Interception Sect during the Investiture of the Gods Calamity.
• Sect Master Tongtian praised the disciples and ordered them to prepare for the coming tribulation, and they withdrew from Biyou Palace.

After Nezha was born amid auspicious signs, Li Jing saw him absorb his innate spiritual energy and transform from a ball of flesh into a healthy baby. The King sent word that he would accept Nezha as his disciple and teach him the Martial Dao, leaving Li Jing and Lady Yin overwhelmed with joy.

• Li Jing waited anxiously as Lady Yin gave birth beneath a scarlet pillar of light and a strange fragrance that spread across Chaoge City.
• The midwife brought Li Jing a glowing ball of flesh, which he guarded until it shrank and revealed a healthy baby boy.
• Li Jing named the child Nezha and celebrated when the infant grabbed his finger with surprising strength.
• Fei Zhong arrived with The King's decree that he would accept Nezha as his disciple and teach him the Martial Dao.
• Li Jing told the awakened Lady Yin that The King had chosen Nezha as his disciple, and the parents rejoiced over their son.

After Nezha was born in Chaoge, Yuanshi ordered True Lord Taiyi to take Lingzhuzi as his disciple and bring him to Jade Void Palace. True Lord Taiyi discovered that an array within Chaoge suppressed his Magic Power, so he fled and returned to Kunlun Mountain to report to his master.

• Yuanshi sensed Lingzhuzi’s birth and sent an Edict ordering True Lord Taiyi to go to Chaoge and take him as his disciple.
• True Lord Taiyi flew toward Chaoge, confident that the child’s parents would welcome the chance for their son to study under a Sage.
• Di Xin sensed True Lord Taiyi approaching and expected him to run into the trap prepared for Chan Sect.
• True Lord Taiyi entered Chaoge and fell from the sky when the city’s invisible force suppressed his Magic Power.
• True Lord Taiyi fled beyond the city gate, tested the boundary, and realized that Human Dao Destiny was suppressing immortals inside Chaoge.
• True Lord Taiyi decided to return to Kunlun Mountain and report the array to Yuanshi.

True Lord Taiyi returned to Kunlun after Chaoge City’s formation suppressed his Magic Power, prompting Venerable Lord Yuanshi to identify Tongtian’s influence and assess the Human Dao Destiny behind it. Yuanshi sent Taiyi back to accept Lingzhuzi as his disciple, granting him a protective seal against danger.

• True Lord Yuanshi questioned True Lord Taiyi about returning without Lingzhuzi, and Taiyi explained that a formation in Chaoge City had stripped away his Magic Power.
• Venerable Lord Yuanshi inspected Chaoge with his Divine Thought and found a formation powered by Human Dao Destiny, whose methods he recognized as originating with Tongtian’s teachings.
• Yuanshi concluded that only a Sage could currently break the formation, but doing so would incur overwhelming Human Dao Karma, and decided the Tribulation would offer the best opportunity.
• Yuanshi told Taiyi to go to Li Jing’s residence and accept Lingzhuzi as his disciple, then gave him a protective seal that could keep him safe inside the formation.
• Reassured by the seal, True Lord Taiyi set out for Chaoge City again.

True Lord Taiyi came to Li Mansion to claim Nezha as his disciple, but learned that the Human Emperor had already accepted the child and begun teaching him Martial Dao. Li Jing refused Taiyi’s demand to dissolve the bond and ordered him to leave.

• Li Jing celebrated Nezha’s birth with Lady Yin when a servant announced that True Lord Taiyi had arrived from Kunlun Mountain.
• True Lord Taiyi introduced himself as a disciple of Venerable Lord Yuanshi and told Li Jing that he had come to take Nezha to Golden Light Cave as his disciple.
• Li Jing awkwardly revealed that The King had already accepted Nezha as his disciple and begun teaching him Martial Dao.
• True Lord Taiyi condemned the Human Emperor and ordered Li Jing to have him dissolve the master-disciple relationship.
• Li Jing defended The King, refused to change Nezha’s established bond, and told True Lord Taiyi to leave if he had come to steal a disciple.

Li Jing rejected True Lord Taiyi’s offer to take Nezha as a disciple, declaring his loyalty to the Human Emperor and Great Shang. After being driven out, True Lord Taiyi blamed Di Xin and headed to the imperial palace to confront him.

• True Lord Taiyi offered to take Nezha as his disciple, but Li Jing refused and defended Nezha’s bond with the Human Emperor.
• Li Jing ordered the steward to show True Lord Taiyi out, and the steward warned him that guards would be called if he stayed.
• Outside Li Mansion, True Lord Taiyi restrained his anger because Chaoge City’s formation suppressed his Magic Power, then decided to confront Di Xin.
• Li Jing told Lady Yin what had happened and reaffirmed that he would side with the King over the Chan Sect.
• Lady Yin remained worried about the consequences for Jin Zha and Mu Zha after Li Jing’s refusal.

True Lord Taiyi went to Chaoge to demand that Di Xin surrender Nezha, but Di Xin refused and used the Human Dao Destiny to suppress him. Protected by Venerable Lord Yuanshi’s seal, True Lord Taiyi escaped the palace after Di Xin warned him not to return.

• True Lord Taiyi demanded that the palace guards summon Di Xin to receive him personally, but they ordered him to follow Chaoge’s rules or leave.
• The guards escorted True Lord Taiyi to the Nine Chamber Hall, where Di Xin made him wait before asking why he had come.
• True Lord Taiyi demanded that Di Xin end his bond with Nezha and order Li Jing to hand the boy over, but Di Xin refused.
• True Lord Taiyi invoked Venerable Lord Yuanshi and threatened consequences, prompting Di Xin to unleash Chaoge’s Human Dao Destiny and force him toward his knees.
• Venerable Lord Yuanshi’s protective seal shielded True Lord Taiyi from being fully suppressed, and Di Xin warned him before ordering him to leave.
• True Lord Taiyi fled the Nine Chamber Hall without replying.

After True Lord Taiyi fled Chaoge, Di Xin expected Chan Sect to retaliate over his refusal to surrender Nezha. Taiyi reported the confrontation to Venerable Lord Yuanshi, whose fury at Di Xin’s defiance left a Sage’s response looming.

• Di Xin regretted that True Lord Taiyi had fled without giving him grounds to demand compensation, but expected Chan Sect to try again to take Nezha.
• True Lord Taiyi crossed Chaoge’s gate and regained his magic power, then brooded over the overwhelming force he had felt from Di Xin and the Human Dao Destiny.
• Venerable Lord Yuanshi contacted True Lord Taiyi and asked why the protective seal in his Primordial Spirit had activated.
• True Lord Taiyi recounted his failed attempt to take Nezha as his disciple, blaming Li Jing and Di Xin while exaggerating the palace confrontation.
• Venerable Lord Yuanshi erupted in anger, calling Di Xin’s defiance an insult to Chan Sect and declaring that he courted his own death.

After Di Xin thwarted True Lord Taiyi in Chaoge, Venerable Lord Yuanshi refused to confront the Human Dao array directly and instead gave Taiyi a way to disguise himself as human. Taiyi planned to wait for Li Jing and Di Xin to lower their guard before secretly returning to take Nezha back to Kunlun Mountain.

• Venerable Lord Yuanshi told True Lord Taiyi that breaking Chaoge’s array would risk severe Karma and damage the Chan Sect’s Destiny.
• Venerable Lord Yuanshi ordered True Lord Taiyi to bring Lingzhuzi, reborn as Nezha, back to Kunlun Mountain, regardless of Li Jing’s refusal.
• Venerable Lord Yuanshi gave True Lord Taiyi a Sage-made mark that disguised his aura as human and let him evade the array’s suppression temporarily.
• True Lord Taiyi refined the mark and recovered his ability to use Magic Power within the array’s limits.
• True Lord Taiyi decided to wait until Li Jing and Di Xin relaxed their vigilance before sneaking back to take Nezha.

True Lord Taiyi infiltrated Chaoge and abducted Nezha, believing Venerable Lord Yuanshi’s methods had bypassed the city’s formation. Di Xin personally concentrated Chaoge’s Human Dao Destiny to suppress him, recovered Nezha, and left Taiyi captured and disgraced.

• True Lord Taiyi used a concealment spell to enter Chaoge without triggering the formation’s passive defenses.
• True Lord Taiyi infiltrated Li Mansion, rendered Li Jing and Lady Yin unable to wake, and carried Nezha away.
• Di Xin sensed his Human Emperor Destiny imprint on Nezha being touched and tracked True Lord Taiyi through Chaoge’s formation.
• Di Xin concentrated the city’s Human Dao Destiny and crushed True Lord Taiyi’s Magic Power as he fled toward the gates.
• Di Xin retrieved Nezha, then mocked True Lord Taiyi for stealing an infant and told him no one could take anyone from Chaoge without his permission.

Wen Zhong arrived in Chaoge and learned that True Lord Taiyi had tried to steal Nezha from Di Xin. Di Xin offered to spare Taiyi in exchange for several Innate Spiritual Treasures, but when Taiyi refused, Di Xin declared that he would imprison him.

• Wen Zhong rushed to the scene after sensing a disturbance in Chaoge’s Human Dao Destiny and found Di Xin holding Nezha while True Lord Taiyi struggled in a pit.
• Di Xin told Wen Zhong that Taiyi had sneaked into Li Jing’s residence to steal his disciple, and Wen Zhong condemned Taiyi for disgracing the Chan Sect.
• Di Xin asked how Taiyi should be dealt with, then said he would let him go if he paid several Innate Spiritual Treasures as compensation.
• Taiyi refused to hand over his treasures and challenged Di Xin to kill him, believing the Human Emperor would not dare provoke the Chan Sect.
• Di Xin declared that Taiyi would remain imprisoned in Chaoge unless he provided satisfactory compensation, while Taiyi resolved to wait for Venerable Lord Yuanshi to rescue him.

Di Xin stopped Yuanshi Sage from taking True Lord Taiyi, then extorted four treasures from him in exchange for releasing Taiyi. After Taiyi fled Chaoge City, Di Xin dismissed Wen Zhong’s worries about offending the Chan Sect and returned to the palace with Nezha.

• Yuanshi Sage descended with his pressure and demanded that Di Xin release True Lord Taiyi, but Di Xin refused and challenged him to trade treasures for Taiyi.
• Di Xin threatened to keep Taiyi imprisoned through the Tribulation, so Yuanshi Sage ordered Taiyi to surrender his Spiritual Treasures.
• Di Xin selected the Chaos Tunic, Universe Ring, Fire-Tipped Spear, and Feng Fire Wheels from Taiyi’s treasures, and Taiyi handed them over under his master’s orders.
• Di Xin released Taiyi, who fled Chaoge City as Yuanshi Sage’s pressure dissipated.
• Wen Zhong warned Di Xin that he had offended the Chan Sect and Yuanshi Sage, but Di Xin said the Great Shang Dynasty would not have been spared either way and returned to the palace.

True Lord Taiyi returned to Kunlun Mountain to beg Venerable Lord Yuanshi for forgiveness after Di Xin exposed his plans in Chaoge. Yuanshi ordered him to abandon Nezha, find a new disciple in Xiqi, and wait until the Tribulation began to settle accounts with Di Xin.

• True Lord Taiyi knelt outside the Jade Void Palace and apologized to Venerable Lord Yuanshi for bringing humiliation upon the Chan Sect.
• Venerable Lord Yuanshi said Di Xin’s control of Chaoge’s formation had exposed Taiyi, and reassured him that he was not entirely to blame.
• Taiyi asked what to do about Nezha, but Yuanshi decided they had to give him up because Chaoge’s formation suppressed their Magic Power and Yuanshi could not personally retrieve him.
• Yuanshi told Taiyi to sever his Karma with Nezha and find a suitable disciple in Xiqi to help face the coming Tribulation.
• Yuanshi said the Chan Sect would abandon its other arrangements in Chaoge and settle its score with Di Xin after the Tribulation began.
• True Lord Taiyi left the Jade Void Palace and flew toward Xiqi, vowing that his grudge with Di Xin was not over.

Jieyin and Zhunti agreed to pursue their plan despite the risks posed by Di Xin’s Human Dao Destiny formation, and decided to recruit Yuanshi to conceal their actions. After Zhunti sent Maitreya the order, Maitreya prepared to begin the operation from North Sea City.

• Zhunti urged Jieyin to proceed with their plan, while Jieyin warned that Di Xin’s formation could expose them to immense Karma.
• Jieyin agreed to support Zhunti’s plan and said he would lend him his strength.
• Zhunti proposed recruiting Yuanshi, arguing that Yuanshi’s grievance against Di Xin and the plan’s benefits to the Chan Sect would make him willing to help conceal the Heavenly Secrets.
• Jieyin agreed to bring Yuanshi into the scheme so the three Sages could act together.
• Zhunti sent Maitreya a golden decree, and Maitreya received the order and prepared to begin the plan.

Zhunti traveled to Kunlun Mountain and persuaded Yuanshi to join a scheme against Di Xin at Nuwa’s upcoming birthday celebration. The three Sages planned to conceal their interference and use Di Xin’s offense against Nuwa to hasten the Great Shang Dynasty’s fall.

• Zhunti left Mount Sumeru to seek Yuanshi’s help in teaching Di Xin a lesson.
• Zhunti proposed provoking Di Xin into offending Nuwa at her birthday celebration, while three Sages concealed their scheme and shared its karmic consequences.
• Yuanshi agreed to travel to Chaoge and assist Zhunti and Jieyin.
• Zhunti returned to Mount Sumeru and told Jieyin that Yuanshi had agreed.
• Zhunti and Jieyin waited beneath the Bodhi Tree as their conspiracy against Di Xin began.

At court, Di Xin approved a campaign against Yuan Futong’s North Sea rebellion and ordered Wen Zhong to pacify the region completely. He kept Li Jing in Chaoge for his future plans and sent Wen Zhong to muster troops and depart quickly.

• Wen Zhong reported that Yuan Futong and seventy-one other vassals had rebelled in the North Sea, and Shang Rong, Bi Gan, and other officials urged Di Xin to send troops.
• Di Xin ordered Wen Zhong to lead the campaign and completely incorporate the North Sea into Great Shang Dynasty, preventing any future rebellion.
• Di Xin ordered Wen Zhong to leave Li Jing in Chaoge, intending to use him in future plans involving Li Jing’s sons and the Chan Sect.
• After dismissing the court, Di Xin privately urged Wen Zhong to take care on the long campaign and told him to muster troops and depart quickly.

Di Xin watched Nezha train and praised his rapid progress, then warned him to prepare for powerful enemies who would threaten Great Shang and his family. He gave Nezha a day off to visit his parents, while reflecting that the peace would end when Xiqi raised its rebellion.

• Di Xin arrived at the palace martial arena and watched Nezha destroy a black-iron target with his spear.
• Di Xin praised Nezha’s training and reflected that the child had reached the Heaven Immortal realm before turning six.
• Di Xin warned Nezha that powerful enemies would soon threaten Great Shang, his parents, and his master, and Nezha vowed to drive them away.
• Di Xin doubled down on Nezha’s training plans but then gave him the day off to visit his parents at Li Mansion.
• Nezha flew home on his Wind Fire Wheels, and Di Xin watched him go while anticipating the coming conflict with Xiqi.

Wen Zhong prepared to march to the North Sea and asked Jin Ling to invite Jiang Ziya to assist Di Xin in Chaoge. After Wen Zhong departed with the army, Di Xin focused on the coming danger at Nuwa Palace and the plot against Great Shang’s Destiny/Fortune.

• Wen Zhong told Di Xin that he had finished mobilizing the troops and was ready to set out for the North Sea.
• Wen Zhong explained that he had asked Jin Ling to bring Jiang Ziya to Chaoge, and Di Xin agreed to make use of him.
• Wen Zhong vowed not to return to court until the North Sea was pacified, then left the palace to lead Great Shang’s army north.
• Wen Zhong saluted the royal palace from atop his Black Qilin and led the army out of Chaoge.
• Di Xin watched the army depart and resolved to give Wen Zhong a different Great Shang and a different ending when he returned.
• Di Xin identified Nuwa’s holy birthday on the fifteenth day of the third month as the true killing trap and decided to play along with the plot against Great Shang’s Destiny/Fortune.

Di Xin agreed to lead the court to the Nuwa Palace for Empress Nuwa’s birthday, anticipating the Sages’ plan to provoke him and begin the Investiture of the Gods Calamity. Before departing, he used Human Dao Destiny to conceal his true nature as Daoist Zhunti, Daoist Jieyin, and Venerable Lord Yuanshi secretly headed toward Chaoge.

• Shang Rong and Bi Gan urged Di Xin to lead the officials to the Nuwa Palace, and Di Xin approved the ceremony and entrusted its preparations to Shang Rong.
• On the fifteenth day of the third month, Di Xin secretly infused himself with Human Dao Destiny to hide his identity from the Sages.
• Huang Feihu presented the royal carriage, and Di Xin led the procession from the palace toward the Nuwa Palace.
• Daoist Zhunti and Daoist Jieyin left Mount Sumeru, expecting the event to begin Cheng Tang’s decline and create an opportunity for Western Teachings.
• Venerable Lord Yuanshi departed the Jade Void Palace, vowing to punish Di Xin for humiliating Chan Sect.

Zhou Ming told Houtu that Jieyin and Zhunti were plotting against the Human Emperor and Nuwa, then went to Wa Huang Palace to invite Nuwa to Chaoge to watch their scheme unfold. Nuwa insisted she could avoid the Investiture of the Gods Calamity by staying secluded, but Zhou Ming warned that others might not let her remain uninvolved.

• Zhou Ming told Houtu that Jieyin and Zhunti were scheming against the Human Emperor and Nuwa, and Houtu watched a royal procession head toward Nuwa Palace in Chaoge through a water mirror.
• Zhou Ming arrived at Wa Huang Palace, where Nuwa welcomed him after ordering Jin Feng to open the gates.
• Zhou Ming invited Nuwa to Chaoge to watch a show connected to her, but Nuwa questioned why she should approach the center of the coming Tribulation.
• Nuwa said she had sealed Wa Huang Palace to avoid Karma and believed the Investiture of the Gods Calamity could not reach her.
• Zhou Ming warned Nuwa that closing her palace gates would not guarantee she could stay out of the Tribulation, leaving her alarmed.

Zhou Ming warned Nuwa that others planned to use the Human Emperor’s actions on her sacred birthday to make her start the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation. Nuwa agreed to go with him to Chaoge as a spectator, while Zhou Ming privately intended to keep the events on his own course.

• Zhou Ming explained that Nuwa’s connection to humanity made her a target in a plot to open the Tribulation.
• Zhou Ming revealed that the Human Emperor was expected to visit the Nuwa Palace on her sacred birthday and might provoke her into punishing him.
• Nuwa doubted that a mortal could anger her enough to start the Tribulation, but agreed to travel to Chaoge and see the scheme for herself.
• Zhou Ming and Nuwa agreed they would only observe events and then crossed the void toward Chaoge.
• Zhou Ming privately resolved to stop Nuwa from interfering if she tried to change events.

At Nuwa Palace, Jieyin, Zhunti, and Yuanshi joined forces to manipulate Di Xin and bring about the downfall of the Great Shang Dynasty, while Zhou Ming and Nuwa watched from above. Di Xin appeared to break free of Zhunti’s mind-bewildering spell, leaving the three Sages’ plan in doubt.

• Di Xin arrived at Nuwa Palace to offer incense as Jieyin, Zhunti, and Yuanshi prepared to act against him.
• Zhou Ming stopped Nuwa from confronting the three Sages, urging her to watch their scheme unfold.
• A strange wind lifted the veil from Nuwa’s statue, and Yuanshi concealed the Heavenly Secrets while Jieyin suppressed Di Xin’s Human Dao Destiny.
• Zhunti sent his spell into Di Xin’s mind, and Di Xin pretended to become dazed as the three Sages believed their plan had succeeded.
• Di Xin suddenly regained his clarity, and Yuanshi angrily demanded to know why Jieyin and Zhunti could not control him.

Zhunti repeatedly tried to bewitch Di Xin into insulting Nuwa, but Di Xin broke free each time before writing anything. The ministers followed Di Xin back to the palace, while Zhunti, Jieyin, and Yuanshi were left stunned by the failed scheme.

• Zhunti strengthened his bewitchment, and Di Xin praised Nuwa's statue before regaining his composure without writing a poem.
• Yuanshi berated Zhunti and Jieyin for their repeated failures, and Zhunti insisted that Di Xin would not resist again.
• Zhunti used nearly all his Sage power, and Di Xin pretended to be bewitched and demanded brush and ink to write a poem.
• Di Xin stopped before the brush touched the wall, acted confused, and denied that he would write in Nuwa's temple.
• Di Xin left the temple with the ministers, while the three Sages remained stunned in the void.

After Di Xin resisted the Sages’ bewitchment and left Nuwa Palace, Zhunti proposed impersonating him to write a poem and make his ministers believe Di Xin had written it. Nuwa thought the plot had failed, but Zhunti, with Yuanshi’s tacit approval, began carrying it out as Di Xin departed.

• Yuanshi angrily demanded an explanation from Zhunti after the three Sages failed to bewitch Di Xin.
• Jieyin urged Zhunti to abandon the scheme, but Zhunti insisted they could not give up.
• Zhunti proposed isolating the area, impersonating Di Xin, writing the poem, and convincing the ministers that Di Xin had written it.
• Jieyin warned that the plan would bring severe karma and provoke Nuwa, but Zhunti argued that concealing the truth would make it work.
• Zhunti seized a trace of Di Xin’s aura and began the plan, while Yuanshi helped obscure the Heavenly Secrets.
• Nuwa believed the Sages had failed, and Zhou Ming questioned her teasing remark about their scheme.