Chapter Summaries

Hongjun tried to force Houtu to become Reincarnation, but the Ancestral Witches formed the Great Array of the Heavenly Gods and Fiends with Xing Tian taking Zhou Ming’s place, driving Hongjun to flee. Inside the Immortal Slaying Formation, Zhou Ming confronted the six Sages, and Yuanshi, Taiqing, and Tongtian attacked him while Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti held back.

• Hongjun threatened Houtu, but Dijiang ordered the Ancestral Witches to form the Great Array of the Heavenly Gods and Fiends.
• Xing Tian took Zhou Ming’s place in the array, and the assembled Ancestral Witches caused Hongjun to flee into Chaos.
• Yuanshi claimed the Sages would defeat Zhou Ming, while Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti distanced themselves from the confrontation.
• Zhou Ming challenged the six Sages to settle matters through strength, and Jieyin, Zhunti, and Nuwa refused to continue fighting.
• Yuanshi persuaded Taiqing and Tongtian to join him, and the three attacked Zhou Ming inside the formation.

Zhou Ming suppressed the Three Pure Ones inside the Immortal Slaying Sword Formation while Jieyin and Zhunti revealed that they had concealed his strength. Pangu's Will wounded Hongjun as he fled, and the Ancestral Witches broke the formation, leaving Zhou Ming and Pangu's True Body facing the Six Sages over their ambush.

• Zhou Ming overpowered the Three Pure Ones despite their access to Heavenly Dao power, and Yuanshi realized Zhou Ming had hidden his strength when fighting Jieyin and Zhunti.
• Jieyin and Zhunti denied deceiving the Three Pure Ones, while Nuwa was relieved that she had not joined their attack on Zhou Ming.
• Laozi asked Zhou Ming for a truce, but Zhou Ming refused and continued attacking the Three Pure Ones.
• Dijiang summoned Pangu's Will, which struck Hongjun with an ax and wounded him as he escaped into Chaos.
• The Ancestral Witches used Pangu's True Body to shatter the Immortal Slaying Sword Formation and surrounded the Six Sages alongside Zhou Ming.
• Zhou Ming told the Six Sages they would answer for joining forces to ambush him.

Zhou Ming forced the Six Sages to pay for attacking the Witch Clan, taking future merit from Jieyin and Zhunti, more Human Race Destiny from Nuwa, and two treasures from Taiqing and Yuanshi. After the Sages left, Zhou Ming told Houtu and Pingxin to continue establishing their Great Vows.

• Zhou Ming demanded one-third of Jieyin and Zhunti's future merit, an extra ten percent of the Human Race's Destiny from Nuwa, and the Taiji Diagram and Pangu Banner from Taiqing and Yuanshi.
• Jieyin and Zhunti tried to negotiate but accepted Zhou Ming's terms and left the Sea of Blood.
• Nuwa accepted Zhou Ming's demand, leaving him with sixty percent of the Human Race's Destiny, and then departed.
• Yuanshi protested, but Taiqing handed over the Taiji Diagram and Yuanshi surrendered the Pangu Banner before the Three Pure Ones left.
• Zhou Ming watched the Three Pure Ones depart, intending their unequal treatment to sow discord among them.
• After Dijiang and the others withdrew Pangu's True Body, Zhou Ming told Houtu and Pingxin to resume establishing their Great Vows.

Pingxin completed the Six Paths of Reincarnation, and Zhou Ming used the Earth Book to open and stabilize the Underworld. The Earth Dao emerged, leaving Pingxin as its lord.

• Pingxin transformed as the Six Paths of Reincarnation took shape, devouring most of the Sea of Blood and alarming Ancestor Minghe.
• Zhou Ming borrowed Zhen Yuanzi's Earth Book and used it to open the Underworld beneath the Six Paths while stabilizing the Primordial Wilderness.
• Merit flowed to Zhou Ming, Ancestor Minghe, Zhen Yuanzi, Houtu, and the Reincarnation and Underworld, and Pingxin appeared as their ruler.
• Pingxin established the Eighteen Layers of Hell, the Yellow Springs Road, the River of Forgetfulness, the Ten Palace Yama Kings, and the Great Emperor Fengdu.
• Pingxin proclaimed Reincarnation established and called for the Earth Dao to emerge, becoming the Lord of the Earth Dao.

After Pingxin established the Underworld, she warned Zhou Ming that she planned to control the Earth Dao rather than become bound by it. She appointed Zhen Yuanzi as Great Emperor Fengdu and offered Minghe the role of Lord of the Asura Path, leaving both with a chance to become Earthly Dao Saints.

• Pingxin thanked Zhou Ming for helping establish the Underworld, and he advised her not to unify with the Earth Dao.
• Pingxin led Zhou Ming, the Ancestral Witches, Zhen Yuanzi, and Minghe through the Underworld to the Imperial Palace of Great Emperor Fengdu.
• Pingxin offered Zhen Yuanzi the vacant position of Great Emperor Fengdu, but he hesitated and suggested an Ancestral Witch instead.
• Minghe eagerly asked for the position, but Pingxin said his killing nature made him unsuitable and offered him the role of Lord of the Asura Path.
• Zhou Ming encouraged Zhen Yuanzi to accept, and Zhen Yuanzi agreed to become Great Emperor Fengdu and help govern the Underworld.

Pingxin established the Underworld's leadership, appointing Zhen Yuanzi as Great Emperor Fengdu, Minghe as Lord of the Asura Path, and the Ancestral Witches to govern its other offices. In Zixiao Palace, Hongjun worried over the Heavenly Dao's silence and resolved to delay fully Unifying with Dao while preparing an escape route.

• Pingxin bestowed the title and Earth Dao authority of Great Emperor Fengdu on Zhen Yuanzi, revealing that his position could eventually lead him to Sainthood.
• Pingxin named Minghe Lord of the Asura Path, and he pledged himself to her service.
• Pingxin asked Dijiang and the other Ancestral Witches to serve as the Ten Palace Yama Kings, while Dijiang agreed to fill lower Underworld posts with members of the Witch Clan.
• Zhou Ming left Pingxin in charge of the Underworld and told her to contact him if important matters arose.
• Hongjun recalled how Zhou Ming and the Witch Clan had enabled the Earth Dao to awaken, and feared they would next support the Human Dao.
• Hongjun suspected the Heavenly Dao's silence concealed a scheme involving him, so he decided to delay Unifying with Dao and prepare a way to escape its control.

After their defeat by Zhou Ming, the Three Pure Ones agreed to study the Sky-Opening Mark but first decided to establish their sects and recruit disciples. When Yuanshi and Tongtian’s invitations drew promising western cultivators toward Kunlun Mountain, Jieyin and Zhunti opened the Western Teachings and hurried to intercept them.

• Tongtian proposed that the Three Pure Ones jointly comprehend the Sky-Opening Mark to draw on Pangu’s inheritance and challenge Zhou Ming’s overwhelming power.
• Taiqing advised Yuanshi and Tongtian to establish the Chan Sect and Interception Sect before entering seclusion, and both agreed.
• Yuanshi and Tongtian announced that they would lecture and accept disciples at Kunlun Mountain, prompting countless cultivators to head there.
• Zhunti and Jieyin discovered that promising western cultivators were traveling east to join the Three Pure Ones and feared for the Western Teachings’ future.
• Jieyin and Zhunti announced that the Western Teachings would accept disciples, then hurried toward the eastern border to stop the cultivators from leaving the West.

At Kunlun Mountain, Yuanshi accepted Daoist Burning Lamp into the Chan Sect as Deputy Sect Master after refusing to take him as a disciple, while Tongtian completed accepting disciples into the Interception Sect. A thousand years later, the three Sages preached for ten thousand years, then entered seclusion to seek a higher realm.

• Daoist Burning Lamp passed Yuanshi's trial and asked to become his disciple, but Yuanshi refused because they had both studied in Zixiao Palace.
• Yuanshi appointed Burning Lamp Deputy Sect Master of the Chan Sect, and Burning Lamp accepted the position.
• Yuanshi instructed his Chan Sect disciples to cultivate on Kunlun Mountain for a thousand years before he and his Martial Uncles preached the Dao.
• Tongtian completed accepting disciples, including Duobao, Jin Ling, Wudang, and Guiling, into the Interception Sect.
• Taiqing, Yuanshi, and Tongtian preached the Dao to their disciples for ten thousand years.
• Yuanshi and Tongtian warned their disciples to cultivate diligently and obey the sect rules, then the three Sages vanished to enter seclusion.

Wu proposed moving the Human Race away from its current territory, citing Saint Taiqing’s nearby dojo, an important task he needed to undertake, and the possibility of a future calamity. The ancestors and Xuandu agreed to migrate, and Wu was left to reveal the destination they expected him to have chosen.

• Wu called Sui Ren Shi, You Chao Shi, Zi Yi Shi, and Xuandu to discuss migrating the Human Race.
• Sui Ren Shi, You Chao Shi, and Zi Yi Shi objected, warning that migration would mean abandoning their homeland and risking many lives on the journey.
• Wu explained that Shouyang Mountain was too close, he needed a safer place for an important task, and the Human Race might face a future calamity.
• Sui Ren Shi, You Chao Shi, and Zi Yi Shi agreed that the Human Race should migrate, and Xuandu pledged to follow Wu’s arrangements.
• Sui Ren Shi asked where the Human Race could find safety, and Xuandu said Wu must already have a destination in mind.

Wu proposed moving the Human Race toward the outskirts of the Witch Clan’s sphere of influence near Buzhou Mountain to improve their safety. The leaders agreed to begin the migration, while Wu kept secret the dangerous task he planned to undertake once they had a stable base.

• Wu proposed migrating the Human Race near Buzhou Mountain, where the Witch Clan’s reputation could deter threats.
• Sui Ren Shi, You Chao Shi, Zi Yi Shi, and Xuandu initially feared the Witch Clan would see the migration as a threat, but Wu explained that the Human Race could settle on the fringes of its territory.
• The four leaders agreed to migrate, and they urged Wu to abandon any dangerous task that might put him at risk.
• Wu said Empress Pingxin’s incarnation as Reincarnation and the emergence of the Earth Dao had created a brief period of balance, but he refused to reveal what he intended to do.
• Wu called for the migration to begin as soon as possible, with the Human Race’s Ancestral Land moving first and the other tribes following in batches.

Wu welcomed Hou Yi back from Pangu Hall and discussed the Human Race’s safety and future with him. Hou Yi proposed moving the tribe beside the Houtu Tribe, then challenged Wu to a spar.

• Hou Yi visited Wu after returning from Pangu Hall, and the two greeted each other warmly.
• Wu explained that he had moved the Human Race near the Witch Clan because the Primordial Wilderness had grown dangerous and his people needed protection.
• Hou Yi assured Wu that the Witch Clan would protect the Human Race and urged him to move beside the Houtu Tribe, offering to have Kua Fu and other tribespeople help.
• Wu accepted Hou Yi’s offer to arrange the move, though he had privately considered the loss of the Human Race’s independence.
• Hou Yi proposed a spar, offering to suppress his cultivation to Wu’s late Grand Unity Golden Immortal stage, while Wu tried to avoid fighting him.

Wu accepted Hou Yi’s offer to test his Martial Dao in a fight, and their battle proved Wu was exceptionally strong despite his defeat. Hou Yi left to arrange the Human tribe’s relocation beside his tribe, where Wu expected to keep improving through more sparring.

• Wu agreed to fight Hou Yi after Hou Yi promised to suppress his cultivation to Wu’s level and use no bow or arrows.
• Wu and Hou Yi fought barehanded in the wilderness, and Hou Yi’s physical strength initially drove Wu back.
• Wu adapted to Hou Yi’s attacks and used varied Martial Dao techniques to launch a counteroffensive, devastating the surrounding terrain.
• Hou Yi defeated Wu, then praised his strength as nearly comparable to a Great Witch of the Witch Clan.
• Hou Yi told Wu that he and Kua Fu would help relocate the tribe, and warned that the Witch Clan’s fighters would challenge Wu often.
• Wu welcomed the prospect of frequent battles and said they would benefit his Martial Dao.

After ten thousand peaceful years, Wu left seclusion and created three thousand written characters for the Human Race, seeking to preserve its civilization and inheritance. Their appearance shook the Primordial World and drew the attention of its powerful figures as Wu began writing the characters into its rules.

• Wu decided the Human Race was secure enough for him to attempt creating its own written characters, a task he had delayed while fearing the Heavenly Dao’s response.
• He entered seclusion and spent tens of thousands of years studying Heaven and Earth, enduring repeated failures before finding inspiration and creating the first characters.
• Wu emerged from seclusion, declared that he had created three thousand characters for the Human Race, and called on the Great Dao and Pangu to bear witness.
• The Primordial World shook, dark clouds covered the sky, ghosts and deities wept, and powerful figures across the world sensed the creation of writing.
• Wu began writing characters such as “Human,” “Heaven,” “Earth,” “Sun,” and “Moon” into the rules of the Primordial World.

Hongjun questioned the Heavenly Dao for allowing Wu to create written language, and learned it was waiting for Pangu’s Will to fade before confronting the Witch Clan. Wu completed the Human Race’s script, earned vast merit, and announced that their wisdom and history could now be preserved.

• Hongjun asked why the Heavenly Dao had not stopped Wu, and the Heavenly Dao said a tribulation would fail while Zhou Ming could intervene and Pangu’s Will still restrained them.
• The Heavenly Dao told Hongjun to Unify with Dao so it could gain more authority, and Hongjun agreed while privately suspecting it was scheming against him.
• Wu finished writing three thousand characters, which entered the rules of the Primordial World, and a massive Golden Light of Merit descended upon him.
• Sui Ren Shi, You Chao Shi, Zi Yi Shi, Xuandu, Hou Yi, and Kua Fu arrived and asked Wu what he had done.
• Wu announced that the Human Race now had its own written language, and the tribespeople cheered at the chance to preserve their civilization.

Wu accelerated the Human Race’s development and cultivated the Martial Dao, while the Human Race’s leaders decided to migrate some tribes and help him overcome a cultivation bottleneck. The chapter ended with Sui Ren Shi, You Chao Shi, Zi Yi Shi, and Xuandu preparing to join Wu in seclusion to derive the Martial Dao.

• Zhou Ming waited for a reaction from the Heavenly Dao and Hongjun after Wu created writing, but neither responded, so he resumed comprehending the Great Dao.
• Wu advanced the Human Race by introducing animal husbandry, farming, irrigation, and other practices, but failed to find or cultivate the Five Grains and focused instead on the Martial Dao.
• Over ten thousand years, the Human Race grew stronger through frequent sparring with the Witch Clan, and Wu and the other four leaders reached the Grand Unity Golden Immortal Realm.
• Sui Ren Shi proposed that some Human Race tribes migrate beyond the Witch Clan’s territory, and Wu agreed that the Human Race should develop independently.
• Wu asked Sui Ren Shi, You Chao Shi, Zi Yi Shi, and Xuandu to help him derive the Martial Dao, and they agreed to enter seclusion with him after arranging the migration.

The Three Pure Ones ended their long seclusion after failing to decipher the Sky-Opening Mark and returned to teach their disciples. Yuanshi learned of tension between his Chan Sect disciples and Tongtian’s Interception Sect disciples, while both brothers announced that they would lecture on the Great Dao in a hundred years.

• Yuanshi, Tongtian, and Taiqing discussed their limited progress studying the Sky-Opening Mark and agreed to leave seclusion and teach their disciples.
• At Yuqing Palace, Guang Chengzi told Yuanshi that Tongtian’s disciples were noisy and disorderly on Kunlun Mountain.
• Yuanshi told his disciples to avoid conflict and said he would discuss the matter with Tongtian.
• Yuanshi announced that he would lecture on the Great Dao in a hundred years, and the Chan Sect disciples withdrew happily.
• At Shangqing Palace, Daoist Duobao reported that Tongtian’s disciples had cultivated diligently during his seclusion.
• Tongtian announced a Great Dao lecture in a hundred years, and his disciples left the hall in good spirits.

Taiqing summoned Tongtian and Yuanshi to address Yuanshi’s complaints about Tongtian’s disciples disturbing Kunlun Mountain. After the brothers argued over the disciples’ conduct and origins, Taiqing calmed them and arranged for all their disciples to attend a joint lecture in a hundred years.

• Yuanshi accused Tongtian’s disciples of making noise, disrupting his Chan Sect disciples, and neglecting their cultivation.
• Tongtian checked what had happened and defended his disciples, saying they cultivated diligently and gathered only after finishing their practice.
• Yuanshi insulted Tongtian’s disciples and their humble origins, and Tongtian argued that anyone devoted to the Great Dao could join the Interception Sect.
• Taiqing stopped the brothers’ quarrel and told Tongtian to discipline his disciples while urging Yuanshi to be more tolerant.
• Taiqing proposed that the three brothers lecture all their disciples together after a hundred years, and Yuanshi and Tongtian agreed.

After a lecture on Kunlun Mountain, Venerable Lord Yuanshi provoked Sect Master Tongtian into agreeing to a contest between their disciples. The Interception Sect won, and Yuanshi punished the Chan Sect disciples, whose resentment toward the Interception Sect deepened.

• After the Sages’ lecture, Venerable Lord Yuanshi proposed a contest between the Chan Sect and the Interception Sect, and Sect Master Tongtian reluctantly agreed to hold it ten thousand years later.
• Venerable Lord Yuanshi ordered the Chan Sect disciples to win, while Tongtian urged the Interception Sect disciples to do their best without arrogance or mockery.
• Ten thousand years later, the Interception Sect won more matches than the Chan Sect at the Kunlun Mountain contest.
• Daoist Duobao defeated Guang Chengzi with a succession of treasures, and Venerable Lord Yuanshi left in anger.
• Venerable Lord Yuanshi ordered Guang Chengzi, the Twelve Golden Immortals, and Burning Lamp into secluded cultivation until they advanced to the next realm, and the Chan Sect disciples began to resent the Interception Sect.

Di Jun celebrated the birth of his ten sons as Zhou Ming watched and considered whether the Heavenly Dao would still use them to trigger a calamity. On Mount Sumeru, Zhunti and Jieyin agreed to promote the Immortal-Monster Era, while Jieyin remained troubled by his slow progress in cultivating laws.

• Di Jun invited powerful figures from across the Primordial Wilderness to celebrate the ten princes’ births, and the Witch Clan sent Xing Tian as its representative.
• Zhou Ming watched the celebration and wondered whether the Heavenly Dao would still push the ten Golden Crows toward their deaths; he warned himself that anyone who schemed against the Witch Clan would pay with their life.
• Zhunti told Jieyin that the Heavenly Dao wanted them to promote the Immortal-Monster Era and argued that the Golden Crows’ birth gave them an opportunity to weaken the Immortal Court and Demon Clan.
• Jieyin voiced his doubts but agreed to Zhunti’s plan, while Zhunti said he could carry it out alone and urged Jieyin to focus on cultivating laws.
• Jieyin admitted that he had only reached the threshold of the Primordial Golden Immortal realm and privately feared that becoming Sages through merit had severed their path to proving the Dao through laws.

Di Jun caught his ten sons playing recklessly in the Heavenly Court and ordered Taiyi to supervise their cultivation until they could control their Solar True Fire. Taiyi promised to take them to the Primordial Wilderness one at a time, with him accompanying them, once they showed progress, and led them back to train.

• The ten little Golden Crows played through the Heavenly Court, burning plants and injuring servants until Di Jun and Taiyi arrived.
• Di Jun restrained the Golden Crows, scolded them for failing to control their Solar True Fire, and ordered Taiyi to supervise their cultivation.
• Taiyi defended his nephews, but Di Jun insisted they could not go out freely until they had mastered their flames.
• Taiyi told the Golden Crows he would occasionally take them out to play if they made progress in cultivation.
• Taiyi agreed that one Golden Crow at a time could visit the Primordial Wilderness with him before mastering their flames, while the others stayed to cultivate.
• Taiyi led the ten Golden Crows back to their palace to begin cultivating.