Recaps

Tongtian gave Duobao the Method of Shattering Three Corpses, which could repair the flaws left by Severing Three Corpses and allow cultivators to pursue Hunyuan. He then 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, leaving them to pass it on to their disciples.

• Tongtian passed Duobao the Method of Shattering Three Corpses and told him to share it with Jie Sect disciples who had Severed Three Corpses.
• Duobao thanked Tongtian and vowed to cultivate until he attained Hunyuan and could follow his master again.
• Jieyin and Zhunti emerged from hiding, and Tongtian gave them a Jade Slip containing the method from Zhou Ming.
• Tongtian warned Jieyin and Zhunti that they could not cultivate the method unless they severed their Saint positions.
• Zhunti asked whether they could pass the method to their disciples, and Tongtian told them to decide whom to teach.
• After Tongtian left, Jieyin and Zhunti decided to pass the method to Yaoshi, Maitreya, and their other disciples.

Tongtian visited Saint Mother Jin Ling in the Heavenly Court, heard how the Jie Sect disciples had fared, and refused her plea to rebuild the sect. He gave her a cultivation method to share with the others, then left for Jinao Island, while Jin Ling resolved to make the Jie Sect’s lineage shine again.

• Tongtian appeared in the Great Emperor of the Eastern Pole Residence, where Saint Mother Jin Ling recognized her master and greeted him emotionally.
• Jin Ling recounted the Jie Sect disciples’ hardships and urged Tongtian to reopen Biyou Palace and rebuild the Jie Sect.
• Tongtian refused, saying the disciples had their own paths and that rebuilding the sect would not restore its former glory.
• Tongtian gave Jin Ling the Method of Shattering Three Corpses and instructed her to pass it to Gongming, Yunxiao, and the other disciples.
• Tongtian departed for Jinao Island without meeting San Xiao, and Jin Ling vowed to make the Jie Sect’s Dao lineage shine again.

Tongtian returned to Jinao Island after reaching the Daluo Golden Immortal of the Origin and received Taiqing and Yuanshi, who apologized for their betrayal during the Investiture of the Gods Era. He treated them as estranged fellow Daoists but advised them to seek Zhou Ming’s help before attempting to sever their Saint positions and escape the Heavenly Dao.

• Tongtian raised Jinao Island from the East Sea and restored its protective formation, then reflected on the vanished glory of Jie Sect.
• Yuanshi sensed Tongtian’s new aura, and Taiqing joined him at Jade Void Palace as they agreed to visit their third brother and admit their past wrongs.
• Taiqing and Yuanshi entered Jinao Island, apologized to Tongtian for conspiring against him, and heard him say he had let go of the past.
• The three spoke awkwardly before Taiqing and Yuanshi prepared to leave without discussing Jie Sect or Chan Sect.
• Tongtian warned Taiqing and Yuanshi that breaking free of the Heavenly Dao was perilous and advised them to seek Zhou Ming’s help at Pangu Hall.

Taiqing and Yuanshi decided to seek Zhou Ming’s help in severing their Saint positions and gathered Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti at Spirit Mountain. Jieyin and Zhunti revealed that they had borrowed merit from Pingxin in exchange for Buddhism serving the Witch Clan, and all five then set out for Pangu Hall.

• Taiqing and Yuanshi agreed to visit Pangu Hall and ask Zhou Ming for help, then summoned Nuwa to meet them at Spirit Mountain.
• Taiqing told Jieyin and Zhunti that Tongtian had advised them to seek Zhou Ming’s assistance with severing their Saint positions.
• Zhunti admitted that he and Jieyin had borrowed merit from Pingxin and pledged themselves and Buddhism to the Witch Clan.
• Taiqing, Yuanshi, and Nuwa accepted the revelation and agreed to continue their journey together.
• Jieyin and Zhunti joined the others, and all five flew from Spirit Mountain toward Buzhou Mountain.

Taiqing, Yuanshi, and Nuwa joined the Witch Clan’s camp and asked Zhou Ming to protect them when they severed their Saint positions. Zhou Ming promised his aid and gave the three a cultivation method, leaving the Heavenly Dao’s position in the Primordial Wilderness further weakened as the group prepared for the coming conflict.

• Zhou Ming and Houtu watched Taiqing, Yuanshi, Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti arrive together at Pangu Hall.
• Zhunti asked Zhou Ming to protect him and Jieyin when they severed their Saint positions, and Taiqing, Yuanshi, and Nuwa confirmed they had the same request.
• Nuwa, Taiqing, and Yuanshi each pledged to follow the Witch Clan’s commands in exchange for Zhou Ming’s protection.
• Zhou Ming promised to intervene if the Heavenly Dao obstructed the five Sages and gave Taiqing, Yuanshi, and Nuwa the Method of Shattering Three Corpses.
• The five Sages left to prepare, and Houtu and Zhou Ming concluded that the Heavenly Dao’s foundation had been hollowed out.

While Hongjun baited the Heavenly Dao into committing all its power to devouring him, the Primordial Wilderness was freed from its suppression. Zhou Ming urged the five allied Sages to seize the opening and act against the weakened Heavenly Dao.

• Taiqing reminded Nuwa, Jieyin, Zhunti, and Yuanshi to wait for the right moment and act together, and Yuanshi promised not to falter.
• In Zixiao Palace, Hongjun refused to merge with the Heavenly Dao and provoked it into unleashing its full power against him.
• Hongjun compressed his Primordial Spirit into the Jade Disc of Creation and waited to strike back when the Heavenly Dao's power ebbed.
• The Heavenly Dao's effort to devour Hongjun left the Primordial Wilderness without its usual suppression, which Houtu and the five allied Sages sensed.
• Zhou Ming confirmed that the Heavenly Dao had committed all its strength and told the five Sages through a voice transmission to act.

Taiqing, Yuanshi, Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti severed their Heavenly Dao Saint positions, but the Heavenly Dao let them go without punishment. Zhou Ming examined them for hidden marks and found none, though he remained wary of the Heavenly Dao’s motives.

• Taiqing, Yuanshi, Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti renounced their Saint positions and offered the Sky-Opening Mark and merit to repay their karmic debts.
• The five former Sages waited for heavenly punishment, but their Hongmeng Purple Qi left their Primordial Spirits and vanished on its own.
• Houtu and Zhou Ming wondered why the Heavenly Dao had released the five so easily, and Zhou Ming summoned them to Pangu Hall.
• Zhou Ming examined the five former Sages and found no remaining Hongmeng Purple Qi or marks left by the Heavenly Dao.
• Zhou Ming told the five to cultivate the Method of Shattering Three Corpses, then told Houtu that they would meet the Heavenly Dao’s schemes with their own rules.

Hongjun’s plan to exploit the Heavenly Dao’s absorption of five strands of Hongmeng Purple Qi failed when the strands vanished to an unknown place. He retreated into a defensive stance and concealed his strength, waiting for the Heavenly Dao to lower its guard so he could strike.

• Hongjun expected the Heavenly Dao to reclaim the five strands of Hongmeng Purple Qi after Taiqing and the other Sages severed their Saint positions, creating an opening for his counterattack.
• The five strands vanished instead of returning to the Heavenly Dao’s source, and Hongjun realized his plan had encountered a fatal complication.
• The Heavenly Dao told Hongjun it had anticipated his scheme and refused to give him an opening by absorbing the Purple Qi.
• Hongjun abandoned his immediate counterattack and resolved to endure the Heavenly Dao’s assault until it believed it had won.
• Hongjun withdrew his power behind the Jade Disc of Creation and disguised himself as near defeat while the two sides continued their struggle of attrition.

With the Heavenly Dao focused on its struggle against Hongjun, Zhou Ming brought Di Jun, East Prince Gong, and the other former Demon Race and Immortal Court powers back from the Pangu Realm. He told them the Primordial Wilderness had become a rare opportunity for cultivation and warned Houtu that a decisive battle with the Heavenly Dao was approaching.

• Zhou Ming decided to use the Heavenly Dao’s withdrawal from the Primordial Wilderness to strengthen the Witch Clan’s position and release the powers held in the Pangu Realm.
• Zhou Ming summoned Di Jun, East Prince Gong, and the others, telling them they could return because the Heavenly Dao was occupied elsewhere.
• Zhou Ming brought everyone back to Buzhou Mountain and condensed the Pangu Realm into a chaos-colored pearl.
• Zhou Ming explained the struggle between Hongjun and the Heavenly Dao and urged the returning powers to cultivate while the Heavenly Dao’s influence was withdrawn.
• Zhou Ming told Houtu he foresaw a coming decisive battle and believed Hongjun would lose; Houtu agreed to prepare.

Haotian and Yaochi completed the dangerous method of shattering the Three Corpses and reforged their Dao foundations. After Hongjun told them that the Five Sages had severed their Saint positions and warned them to remain available, they chose to focus on cultivating toward Hunyuan and entered seclusion again.

• Haotian and Yaochi emerged from seclusion after shattering the Three Corpses and fusing their magic power into complete Dao foundations.
• Haotian and Yaochi thanked Hongjun in Lingxiao Treasure Hall for teaching them the method.
• Hongjun revealed that Taiqing, Yuanshi, Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti had severed their Heavenly Dao Saint positions, and told Haotian and Yaochi to cultivate without entering death seclusion.
• Haotian and Yaochi concluded that the weakened Heavenly Dao offered a chance to advance, but that they needed strength to survive the coming war between the Witch Clan and the Heavenly Dao.
• Yaochi arranged the Heavenly Court's affairs, and Haotian and Yaochi returned to the quiet chamber to cultivate toward Hunyuan.

Wang Shu and Taiyi attained the Hunyuan Great Dao in the Netherworld, while West Queen Mother and Candle Dragon achieved the same in Huoyun Cave. All four left to report their breakthroughs to Sage Zhou Ming.

• Pingxin, Zhen Yuanzi, and Minghe sensed Wang Shu and Taiyi proving their Dao in the Netherworld and contained the resulting forces.
• Wang Shu and Taiyi emerged from seclusion as Hunyuan Daluo Golden Immortals and thanked Pingxin for protecting them.
• Taiyi said he and Wang Shu would go to Pangu Hall to report to Sage Zhou Ming, and Pingxin allowed them to leave.
• Ancestor Wu and Hongyun witnessed West Queen Mother and Candle Dragon emerge from seclusion after attaining Hunyuan with the aid of Human Dao Destiny.
• After learning Wang Shu and Taiyi had also succeeded, West Queen Mother and Candle Dragon left for Buzhou Mountain to report to Sage Zhou Ming.

Wang Shu, Taiyi, West Queen Mother, and Candle Dragon proved the Dao and joined Zhou Ming’s forces, but Zhou Ming warned Houtu that the Heavenly Dao might have secretly gathered enough Hunyuan fighters to match them. As the decisive battle approached, Zhou Ming and Houtu prepared for the possibility that Pingxin and the others would face overwhelming odds while the thirteen siblings fought the Heavenly Dao.

• Zhou Ming explained to Houtu that the Heavenly Dao’s weakened suppression and the Earth Dao and Human Dao’s aid had allowed four cultivators to prove the Dao at once.
• Wang Shu, Taiyi, West Queen Mother, and Candle Dragon thanked Zhou Ming, then followed his order to stabilize their new cultivation in seclusion.
• Zhou Ming warned that the Heavenly Dao knew of their growing strength and might have secretly cultivated as many Hunyuan combatants as their side.
• Zhou Ming told Houtu that the thirteen siblings would confront the Heavenly Dao while Pingxin and the others fought its forces, and that further breakthroughs might come too late.
• Houtu resolved to defeat the Heavenly Dao as quickly as possible so Pingxin and the others would have a better chance of surviving.
• Zhou Ming and Houtu accepted that the decisive battle was near and waited for the Heavenly Dao and Hongjun’s conflict to reach its outcome.

In Zixiao Palace, the Heavenly Dao Will taunted the weakened Hongjun as it prepared to devour him and claim his power. Hongjun’s hidden allies, Destiny and Karma, then struck from within the Heavenly Dao, giving him a chance to unleash his accumulated strength.

• The Heavenly Dao Will told the nearly exhausted Hongjun that its victory was certain and that it would devour his Primordial Spirit and Dao Fruit.
• The Heavenly Dao Will grew complacent as it mocked Hongjun and savored his apparent defeat.
• Hongjun suddenly raised his head and demanded to know why the others had not struck.
• Destiny and Karma’s hidden remnant souls erupted from within the Heavenly Dao’s source and attacked its will.
• The Heavenly Dao’s chains of law faltered, and Hongjun unleashed the power he had accumulated over countless Kalpas.

Hongjun joined the remnant souls of the Destiny Demon God and the Karma Demon God in a strike that wounded the Heavenly Dao. The Demon Gods revealed they had hidden within its origin for countless Kalpas, and they launched their full assault alongside Hongjun.

• Hongjun used the Jade Disc of Creation and the Law Chains to pierce the core of the Heavenly Dao Will, while the remnant souls of Destiny and Karma attacked from within.
• The wounded Heavenly Dao recognized Destiny and Karma and reacted with shock and rage at their survival.
• Destiny and Karma explained that they had bound their remnant souls to the origins the Heavenly Dao devoured, turning its stolen power into a trap.
• Hongjun urged the Demon Gods to press their attack before the Heavenly Dao recovered, and they claimed to know its weaknesses from observing it within its origin.
• Destiny and Karma unleashed their dormant powers, and Hongjun charged the Heavenly Dao's core with the Jade Disc of Creation.

Hongjun joined forces with the remnant souls of Destiny and Karma to destroy the Heavenly Dao, but it suddenly became complete and revealed that it had manipulated them all along. Hongjun realized the Heavenly Dao had used his scheme to draw Destiny and Karma out of its origin, leaving the three trapped in its grasp.

• Hongjun, Destiny, and Karma attacked the Heavenly Dao from outside and within, bringing its origin close to collapse.
• Hongjun and the two remnant souls combined their power for a final strike against the weakened Heavenly Dao.
• The Heavenly Dao instantly repaired its origin and effortlessly absorbed their combined attack.
• The Heavenly Dao revealed it had staged the conflict and never needed to devour Hongjun to become complete.
• Hongjun realized the Heavenly Dao had used him to draw Destiny and Karma out of its origin, and the two Demon Gods understood they had been deceived as well.

The Heavenly Dao explained that it had chosen Hongjun and orchestrated his Unifying with Dao to force Destiny and Karma out of its source. Hongjun realized he had been baited from the start, and the Heavenly Dao declared that it had cleared the way for its next move.

• The Heavenly Dao revealed that it had chosen Hongjun because his Chaos Demon God identity and ambition made him an ideal pawn.
• Destiny and Karma demanded to know why the Heavenly Dao had allowed them to survive and grow within its source.
• The Heavenly Dao explained that destroying them directly risked erasing its own intelligence because they were deeply entangled with its source.
• The Heavenly Dao described how it used Hongjun's Unifying with Dao to make Destiny and Karma strong enough to believe they could escape by leaving its source.
• Hongjun accepted that he had fallen into the Heavenly Dao's trap, while it announced that the stage was clear.

The Heavenly Dao destroyed Destiny and Karma, then revealed that it wanted Hongjun’s Chaos Demon God body to escape the Primordial Wilderness and pursue the Great Dao. Hongjun refused to surrender, and the Heavenly Dao prepared to force him into submission.

• The Heavenly Dao overwhelmed Hongjun, Destiny, and Karma with a single attack, then targeted the weakened Destiny and Karma.
• Hongjun tried to shield Destiny and Karma, but the Heavenly Dao broke through his barrier and annihilated both demon gods.
• The Heavenly Dao dismissed Destiny and Karma’s claims that they would return, then turned its full attention to Hongjun.
• Hongjun questioned why the Heavenly Dao still wanted to devour him after becoming complete, and the Heavenly Dao explained that it needed his Chaos Demon God body to escape the Primordial Wilderness.
• Hongjun refused to let the Heavenly Dao take his body, and the Heavenly Dao declared that it would force him to comply.

The Heavenly Dao suppressed Hongjun, thwarted his attempt to self-detonate, and devoured his consciousness to take over his body. Now controlling Hongjun’s perfected Dao body, it turned its attention toward the Primordial Wilderness and the helpers waiting there.

• The Heavenly Dao bound Hongjun with Law Chains, intending to capture his Chaos Demon God body intact.
• Hongjun resisted with the Jade Disc of Creation, then tried to self-detonate rather than let the Heavenly Dao claim his body.
• The Heavenly Dao sealed Hongjun’s Primordial Spirit and cut off his connection to his origin, stopping the self-destruction.
• The Heavenly Dao devoured Hongjun’s consciousness as he left a final vow that he would return.
• The Heavenly Dao fully took over Hongjun’s body and prepared to draw his helpers from the Primordial Wilderness into its final transformation.

Haotian and Yaochi received Hongjun’s urgent message that he had failed and were told to deliver two hidden locations to Zhou Ming at Pangu Hall. Concluding that Hongjun could no longer protect them, they decided to defect to the Witch Clan and not return to the Heavenly Court.

• Hongjun sent Haotian the locations of the Heavenly Dao space and Zixiao Palace and ordered him to tell Zhou Ming that he had failed.
• Haotian and Yaochi rushed toward Pangu Hall while considering what Hongjun’s failure meant and why he sought Zhou Ming’s help.
• Yaochi urged Haotian to join the Witch Clan, arguing that Hongjun could no longer protect them and could not be trusted.
• Haotian agreed to defect to the Witch Clan and said they would not return to the Heavenly Court after reaching Pangu Hall.
• Haotian and Yaochi flew at full speed toward Buzhou Mountain.

Haotian and Yaochi brought Zhou Ming word that Hongjun had failed to unify with the Heavenly Dao and delivered coordinates for the Heavenly Dao Space and Zixiao Palace. When Zhou Ming prepared to accompany them to the Heavenly Court, they revealed their fear of Hongjun's lingering Divine Thought and pledged themselves to the Witch Clan for protection.

• Haotian told Zhou Ming that Hongjun had failed and handed over a Jade Slip containing the locations of the Heavenly Dao Space and Zixiao Palace.
• Haotian explained that Hongjun had left a Divine Thought in the Haotian Mirror and had just contacted them through it.
• Zhou Ming ordered Haotian and Yaochi to take him to the Heavenly Court to inspect Hongjun's Divine Thought.
• Haotian and Yaochi admitted they feared returning to the Heavenly Court in case Hongjun's Divine Thought harmed them.
• Haotian and Yaochi knelt before Zhou Ming and Houtu and pledged to obey the Witch Clan in exchange for protection during the coming calamity.

Zhou Ming accepted Haotian and Yaochi into the Witch Clan despite warning them that the coming calamity could threaten even Origin-level immortals. He returned with them to the Heavenly Court, where Hongjun’s Divine Thought demanded that Zhou Ming fulfill their agreement by killing the Heavenly Dao and saving Hongjun’s true body.

• Zhou Ming warned Haotian and Yaochi that the coming calamity could kill even Origin-level immortals, but they insisted on joining the Witch Clan.
• Zhou Ming accepted Haotian and Yaochi, then told Houtu to wake the Ancestral Witches and summon their allies to Pangu Hall.
• Zhou Ming took Haotian and Yaochi back to the Heavenly Court to meet the Divine Thought hidden in the Haotian Mirror.
• Hongjun’s Divine Thought appeared and told Zhou Ming that the Heavenly Dao had broken free of his control.
• Hongjun urged Zhou Ming to go to Zixiao Palace, kill the Heavenly Dao, and save his true body as promised.

Zhou Ming saw through Hongjun’s plea for help as a test and questioned him about the Heavenly Dao. Hongjun revealed that his true body was doomed and explained how his plan with the remnant souls of Destiny and Karma had failed, ending with the revelation that the Heavenly Dao had anticipated their attack.

• Zhou Ming told Hongjun that his plea was a test and demanded to know how his plan against the Heavenly Dao had failed.
• Hongjun admitted that his true body was certainly dead and that the Heavenly Dao would consume his Dao Body and much of his Origin Dao Fruit.
• Hongjun explained that he had discovered the remnant souls of Destiny and Karma hidden within the Heavenly Dao’s origin and sought to join forces with them.
• Hongjun said he used himself as bait to draw the Heavenly Dao into a confrontation while Destiny and Karma waited to strike from within.
• Hongjun revealed that their combined attack had nearly collapsed the Heavenly Dao’s origin, but they had all been pieces on its board from the start.

Hongjun explained how the Heavenly Dao used him to draw Destiny and Karma out of its source, allowing it to become whole, but he knew nothing about its current state. Zhou Ming seized Hongjun’s remaining Divine Thought to search it himself, while Haotian and Yaochi watched in silence.

• Hongjun told Zhou Ming that the Heavenly Dao had manipulated him into freeing Destiny and Karma from its source, completing itself in the process.
• Zhou Ming asked about the Heavenly Dao’s current condition, and Hongjun said their connection had been severed when it became whole.
• Hongjun declared that Destiny and Karma were certainly dead, but Zhou Ming doubted they had been eliminated for good.
• When Hongjun said he had shared everything he knew, Zhou Ming reached out to search his Divine Thought himself.
• Hongjun accepted being seized without resistance, while Haotian and Yaochi exchanged uneasy glances.

Zhou Ming completely erased Hongjun’s remnant Divine Thought, took the Haotian Mirror, and searched the Heavenly Court as well as Haotian and Yaochi for hidden schemes, finding nothing. He ordered Haotian and Yaochi to summon the Heavenly Court’s Primordial Unity Golden Immortal-level officials and above, beginning the Witch Clan’s takeover.

• Zhou Ming searched Hongjun’s remnant Divine Thought and found no hidden fallback or clues to his true trump card.
• Zhou Ming refined the remnant Divine Thought until Hongjun’s imprint was completely erased, then took the Haotian Mirror after Haotian and Yaochi refused to keep it.
• Zhou Ming swept his Divine Thought through the Heavenly Court and found no other traces of Hongjun, though the absence of any backup seemed suspicious to him.
• Zhou Ming examined Haotian and Yaochi’s Primordial Spirits and Dao Bodies, found them clean, and told them there was no problem.
• Zhou Ming ordered Haotian and Yaochi to summon every Heavenly Court immortal official at the level of Primordial Unity Golden Immortal and above, and they left to carry out his order.

Zhou Ming gathered the Primordial Wilderness’s strongest allies in Pangu Hall and assigned them roles in a two-front war against the perfected Heavenly Dao and Luohu’s hidden forces. The meeting ended when the Demon Realm’s seal beneath Spirit Mountain shattered and demonic energy began pouring out.

• Zhou Ming told the assembly that the Heavenly Dao had reached perfection and said they needed to strike before it purged the Primordial Wilderness.
• Zhou Ming planned to take the Ancestral Witches into Chaos to form the Thirteenfold Great Array of the Heavenly Gods and Fiends and attack the Heavenly Dao’s true body.
• Zhou Ming revealed that the Heavenly Dao had preserved Luohu in the Demon Realm, where he had gathered power and a demon army, and asked the other allies to hold them back.
• Zhou Ming assigned Di Jun’s Demon Race to form the Great Formation of the Stars and ordered East Prince Gong to lead the Myriad Immortals Formation.
• Zhou Ming directed Jieyin and Zhunti to borrow the Four Swords of Zhu Xian from Duobao and join Taiqing, Yuanshi, and Tongtian in forming the Immortal Slaying Sword Formation.
• The formation sealing the Demon Realm beneath Spirit Mountain shattered, releasing a surge of demonic energy as Zhou Ming and the others watched.