Chapter Summaries

Haotian presided over the case of Yao Ji and her children, while Guang Chengzi and Immortal Official Nanji pressed for strict punishment. Nuwa intervened on the family’s behalf, Yuanshi opposed freeing Yao Ji, and Houtu’s Dao Body appeared as the dispute escalated.

• Taibai Jinxing brought Yao Ji, Yang Jiao, Yang Jian, and Yang Chan before Haotian, who questioned them about breaking her out of Peach Mountain.
• Yang Jian defended their rescue as filial duty, and Haotian acknowledged his point despite Guang Chengzi and Immortal Official Nanji demanding severe punishment.
• Nuwa arrived and asked Haotian to punish the siblings lightly and free Yao Ji, and Haotian agreed to her request.
• Yuanshi appeared and argued that Yao Ji must be imprisoned again, setting himself against Nuwa.
• As Nuwa and Yuanshi faced off, Houtu’s Dao Body appeared beside Nuwa.

Houtu mediated between Nuwa and Venerable Lord Yuanshi, securing Yao Ji’s release from suppression while requiring her confinement in Heaven and her children to earn merit on her behalf. After Yuanshi accepted the compromise, Nuwa gifted Yang Chan the Precious Lotus Lantern, and Haotian let Yao Ji reunite with her children in the Heavenly Court.

• Houtu proposed that Yao Ji remain confined in Heaven while Yang Jiao, Yang Jian, and Yang Chan accumulated merit to atone for her crimes, and Nuwa and Haotian approved.
• Venerable Lord Yuanshi agreed to Houtu’s compromise, and Haotian decreed that Yao Ji would no longer be suppressed while her children’s mountain-breaking crime would not be pursued.
• Nuwa gave Yang Chan the Precious Lotus Lantern, and Yang Chan accepted it after Haotian and Yao Ji urged her to do so.
• Haotian invited Yao Ji to stay in the Heavenly Court with her children, and the family left Lingxiao Treasure Hall together.

After Yuanshi repeatedly humiliated Haotian over Yao Ji, Haotian decided to ask their master to order the Chan Sect's Twelve Golden Immortals to serve in the Heavenly Court. Yaochi agreed to support him, and Haotian left for Zixiao Palace to make his appeal.

• Yaochi asked Haotian whether he would let Yuanshi's repeated pressure and humiliation go, and Haotian vowed to remember the debt.
• Haotian revealed his plan to summon the Chan Sect's Twelve Golden Immortals to Heaven as officials, and Yaochi warned that Yuanshi would oppose him.
• Haotian decided to seek an audience with their master and argue that the Heavenly Court needed capable officials.
• Haotian acknowledged that their master might side with Yuanshi, but resolved to make a tearful complaint if necessary.
• Yaochi agreed to stand by Haotian, but he told her to remain in the Heavenly Court and flew toward Zixiao Palace alone.

Haotian visited Hongjun in Zixiao Palace and asked him to persuade Yuanshi to send Chan Sect disciples to serve in the Heavenly Court. Hongjun agreed, but warned Haotian that their old affection would end here, leaving Haotian committed to confronting Yuanshi.

• Haotian waited outside Zixiao Palace until Hongjun admitted him, then described the Heavenly Court’s weakness and asked for help.
• Haotian proposed that Yuanshi send his Chan Sect disciples to take divine offices in the Heavenly Court.
• When Hongjun scrutinized his request, Haotian knelt and pleaded for help, invoking his and Yaochi’s long service.
• Hongjun asked whether Haotian was certain, and Haotian chose to proceed despite knowing it would sever ties with Yuanshi.
• Hongjun agreed to discuss the matter with Yuanshi and warned Haotian to conduct himself carefully; Haotian left without regret.

Haotian and Yaochi accepted that the Old Master would no longer help them, but found comfort in their renewed family ties with Yao Ji and her children. After promising to support the children’s efforts to free their mother, Haotian turned his attention to Yuanshi.

• Haotian told Yaochi that the Old Master had agreed to help but that they had exhausted his affection and could not rely on him again.
• Yaochi said they would stand with the Witch Clan if necessary, and Haotian agreed that their priority was peace and dignity in the Heavenly Court.
• Yaochi led Haotian to Yun Hua Palace, where Yang Chan amused Yao Ji by recounting her brothers’ embarrassing mishaps in Huoyun Cave.
• Yang Chan, Yang Jiao, and Yang Jian called Haotian their uncle, and Yao Ji explained that she had told them how he had helped reunite their family.
• Haotian urged the three siblings to cultivate and earn merit so Yao Ji could regain her freedom, and invited them to visit the Heavenly Court often.
• As Haotian and Yaochi left Yun Hua Palace, Haotian said Yuanshi would be the next to suffer.

After a nearly Kalpa-long debate on the Dao, Zhou Ming thanked Tongtian, then realized Tongtian’s difficulty comprehending Pangu’s Sky-Opening Mark might mean he had taken the wrong path. Tongtian was shaken by the suggestion as Zhou Ming departed for Buzhou Mountain, leaving him alone on Jinao Island to reflect.

• Zhou Ming and Tongtian ended their debate on the Dao, and Tongtian admitted that Zhou Ming had guided him far more than he had helped Zhou Ming.
• Zhou Ming urged Tongtian to devote more effort to comprehending Pangu’s legacy, but Tongtian said his progress with the Sky-Opening Mark had stalled despite years of effort.
• Zhou Ming wondered why Tongtian struggled so much and suggested that he might have taken the wrong path.
• Tongtian fell silent, recognizing that he had privately suspected the same possibility, while Zhou Ming offered reassurance without withdrawing his suggestion.
• Zhou Ming bid farewell and left for Buzhou Mountain, and Tongtian remained at Jinao Island pondering the possibility that his path was wrong.

After returning from Jinao Island, Zhou Ming learned that Tongtian could not comprehend Pangu’s Sky-Opening Mark because of the constraints of being a Heavenly Dao Sage. He heard that Haotian had secretly gone into Chaos, anticipated Hongjun’s involvement, and waited for the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation to begin.

• Zhou Ming told Houtu that Tongtian had made almost no progress comprehending Pangu’s Sky-Opening Mark and suspected his status as a Heavenly Dao Sage hindered him.
• Houtu reported that Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun had shattered their corpses and were stabilizing their realms, while Di Jun and East Prince Gong had mostly returned to the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm.
• Houtu told Zhou Ming that Haotian had suppressed Yao Ji beneath Peach Mountain after she married a mortal, and Venerable Lord Yuanshi had used the incident to humiliate Haotian.
• Houtu revealed that Xing Tian had reported Haotian secretly leaving the Heavenly Court and going into Chaos.
• Zhou Ming concluded that Haotian had gone to Zixiao Palace to seek Hongjun’s help and said they should wait for Hongjun to act.

Zhou Ming brought the restored former enemies into a newborn world and tasked them with refining Chaos Qi to help it evolve. He returned the River Diagram and Luo Script to Di Jun to lead the Great Formation of the Stars, then gave Di Jun and Xi He time to reunite with their nine Golden Crow sons before departing for the moon.

• Zhou Ming led Di Jun, East Prince Gong, Candle Dragon, and the other restored experts from Pangu Hall to the summit of Buzhou Mountain and opened a passage into a newborn world.
• The group discovered that the nine Golden Crows were alive in the new world's sky, and Zhou Ming explained that they had to refine Chaos Qi into Innate Spiritual Qi to speed the world's evolution.
• East Prince Gong raised concerns about refining Chaos Qi, so Zhou Ming revealed that the Great Formation of the Stars would greatly increase their efficiency.
• Zhou Ming returned the River Diagram and Luo Script to Di Jun and ordered him to coordinate the others in operating the formation.
• Zhou Ming gave the nine Golden Crows the day off to reunite with Di Jun and Xi He, then left Chang Xi in charge and appeared on the world's moon.

Zhou Ming confronted Wang Shu over the Primordial Origin needed to revive her, refusing to let her consume too much of the Primordial World's resources. Wang Shu insisted on at least a middle- or upper-tier Innate foundation, leaving their cooperation strained after Zhou Ming issued a final warning.

• Zhou Ming asked Wang Shu whether she had accumulated enough Destiny and merit to recover, and she said she needed several tens of thousands more years.
• Zhou Ming told Wang Shu that he had only agreed to restore her Innate Being foundation, not make her a top-tier Innate Being, because drawing too much Primordial Origin would harm the world.
• Wang Shu argued that a powerful foundation was her last chance to avoid the limits of an ordinary Acquired Being and said she needed at least a middle- or upper-tier foundation.
• Zhou Ming said the Primordial World's Origin and his plans took priority, offered her the foundation of an average Innate Being, and warned that demanding more could damage their cooperation.

Hongjun summoned the six Heavenly Dao Sages to Zixiao Palace and presented the Investiture of the Gods, which would bind named disciples to serve Haotian but could protect them from an approaching Tribulation. Yuanshi rejected the idea of listing his own disciples and, with Taiqing and Tongtian, shifted the burden onto Jieyin and Zhunti, leaving the Western Sages displeased.

• Hongjun summoned Taiqing, Yuanshi, Tongtian, Jieyin, Zhunti, and Nuwa to Zixiao Palace to discuss the Heavenly Court.
• Hongjun explained that Haotian had asked for disciples to fill Heavenly Court posts and revealed that he had agreed to the request.
• Hongjun presented the Investiture of the Gods and explained that those listed would obey Haotian but could use their divine positions to avoid the coming Tribulation.
• Yuanshi argued that his disciples’ past actions had followed Heaven’s will and insisted he would resolve their danger without listing them.
• Yuanshi proposed that Jieyin and Zhunti list their Western Teachings disciples, and Taiqing and Tongtian backed his suggestion.

The Sages argued over whether the Western Teachings should bear the burden of the Investiture of the Gods, but Hongjun ruled that the tribulation belonged only to the orthodox Mystic Gate. Jieyin, Zhunti, and Nuwa departed, leaving the Three Pure Ones to decide who would sign the list.

• Zhunti rejected Venerable Lord Yuanshi's attempt to make the Western Teachings take part in the tribulation and argued that the Chan Sect owed the karmic debt.
• Venerable Lord Yuanshi and Sect Master Tongtian claimed the Western disciples were better suited to serve in the Heavenly Court, while Saint Taiqing declared that the matter should fall to the West.
• Jieyin and Zhunti appealed to Hongjun, who ruled that the Western Teachings were outside the orthodox Mystic Gate's tribulation and had nothing to do with the Investiture of the Gods.
• Hongjun left the Sages to discuss how to sign the Investiture of the Gods, and Jieyin and Zhunti departed Zixiao Palace in relief.
• Nuwa said she had no disciples and no part in the matter, then left Zixiao Palace, leaving only the Three Pure Ones behind.

The Three Pure Ones tried to fill the Investiture of the Gods with their Good Corpse and lower-ranking disciples, but Hongjun erased the names chosen by Yuanshi and Tongtian and demanded candidates with deep roots, great fortune, and high cultivation. He gave them ten thousand years to reconsider before signing the Investiture again.

• Taiqing placed his Good Corpse, Taishang Laojun, on the Investiture of the Gods, while Yuanshi added more than a dozen Chan Sect followers and Tongtian added several dozen peripheral Interception Sect disciples.
• Yuanshi argued that Tongtian should provide more disciples, and Tongtian angrily defended his followers and their pursuit of freedom.
• Hongjun inspected the Investiture and erased every name except Taishang Laojun, declaring Yuanshi and Tongtian's choices unfit for the list.
• Taiqing asked to return and consider the matter, and Hongjun ordered the Three Pure Ones to come back and sign the Investiture of the Gods in ten thousand years.

After the Three Pure Ones argued over whose disciples should fill the Investiture of the Gods, Saint Taiqing postponed the decision for ten thousand years. Tongtian returned to Jinao Island, while Yuanshi rejected the idea of sending his disciples onto the list and flew back to Kunlun Mountain.

• Saint Taiqing warned Yuanshi and Tongtian that the Investiture of the Gods had to be filled or their disciples would face the Tribulation.
• Venerable Lord Yuanshi urged Tongtian to put poorly behaved Interception Sect disciples on the list, and Tongtian demanded that Yuanshi list his Twelve Golden Immortals first.
• Venerable Lord Yuanshi insulted Tongtian's disciples, and Tongtian insisted that Chan Sect disciples should face the killing Tribulation they had incurred.
• Saint Taiqing halted their quarrel and told them to return in ten thousand years to sign the Investiture of the Gods.
• Tongtian left for Jinao Island, and Saint Taiqing returned to Eight Sceneries Palace after advising Yuanshi to reconsider.
• Venerable Lord Yuanshi refused to let his disciples serve Haotian and flew to Kunlun Mountain.

On Mount Sumeru, Zhunti explained to Jieyin how the Investiture of the Gods could drive a wedge between the Three Pure Ones and give the Western Teachings a chance to prosper. The two decided to wait for the conflict to unfold, while acknowledging that Zhou Ming and the Witch Clan could disrupt their plans.

• Zhunti mocked Taiqing, Yuanshi, and Tongtian for their divisions and said their conflict would create an opportunity for the Western Teachings.
• Zhunti predicted that Yuanshi would try to place the Interception Sect's disciples on the Investiture of the Gods, while Tongtian would refuse and the two sects would fall out.
• Zhunti reasoned that Yuanshi would protect his own disciples during the Tribulation and target the Interception Sect, eventually seeking help from Jieyin and Zhunti against Tongtian's Immortal Slaying Sword Formation.
• Jieyin and Zhunti agreed that they could use the conflict to convert Eastern disciples to the Western Teachings, though they worried Zhou Ming and the Witch Clan might interfere.
• Zhunti and Jieyin chose to wait on Mount Sumeru for the Three Pure Ones to fall out before beginning their plans.

After the Six Sages met at Zixiao Palace and learned that the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation was coming, Tongtian worried that his Interception Sect’s disciples would be forced onto the list. He sought Zhou Ming’s advice at Buzhou Mountain, and Zhou Ming paused before answering.

• Tongtian brooded in Biyou Palace over the coming Tribulation and concluded that he could not protect the Interception Sect’s disciples by himself.
• Tongtian decided to seek Zhou Ming’s insight and flew from Jinao Island to Buzhou Mountain.
• Zhou Ming and Houtu sensed Tongtian’s arrival, and Zhou Ming welcomed him into Pangu Hall.
• Tongtian told Zhou Ming and Houtu that Hongjun had summoned the Six Sages, announced the Tribulation, and ordered them to sign the Investiture of the Gods.
• Tongtian asked Zhou Ming for a strategy to help the Interception Sect’s disciples survive the calamity; Zhou Ming considered his request in silence.

Zhou Ming told Tongtian that the Tribulation could not be avoided and that the Interception Sect could not escape it without losses. He urged Tongtian to sign the Investiture of the Gods and place some disciples on the list, but Tongtian remained confident that his sect could survive with only limited losses.

• Zhou Ming warned Tongtian that the Tribulation would happen and could involve the Sages, making it impossible for the Interception Sect to emerge unscathed.
• Tongtian asked Zhou Ming how to protect his sect, and Zhou Ming said absolute strength could do it, but Tongtian did not possess that strength.
• Zhou Ming identified signing the Investiture of the Gods as the best way through the Tribulation, and Tongtian asked if there was another path that spared his disciples from the list.
• Zhou Ming argued that placing some disciples' physical bodies on the list could preserve their lives and immortal paths, while granting them a share of the Heavenly Court's Destiny.
• Tongtian resisted, insisting that his powerful sect could protect most of its disciples and questioning whether they would accept service in the Heavenly Court.
• Zhou Ming recognized that Tongtian still believed the Interception Sect's strength and Myriad Immortals Come to Court would carry it through with only limited losses.

Zhou Ming warned Sect Master Tongtian that the Interception Sect’s strength could make it a target for Yuanshi and the Two Sages of the West during the Tribulation. Tongtian rejected the idea that Yuanshi would betray their brotherhood, but Zhou Ming claimed he had evidence of further reasons for an alliance.

• Zhou Ming told Tongtian that the Interception Sect’s overwhelming strength and numbers made its chances of surviving the Tribulation nearly zero.
• Tongtian said his Interception Sect could defeat Yuanshi’s Chan Sect, and Zhou Ming asked whether Yuanshi knew his own disciples could not win.
• Tongtian vowed to stop Yuanshi if he attacked Interception Sect disciples, but Zhou Ming asked whether he could withstand four Sages.
• Zhou Ming suggested Yuanshi might join Jieyin and Zhunti to crush the Interception Sect, save the Chan Sect’s disciples, and recruit Interception Sect disciples for the Western Teachings.
• Tongtian insisted that Yuanshi would never ally with outsiders against him, and Zhou Ming said he had evidence of other reasons for such an alliance.

Zhou Ming explained to Sect Master Tongtian that the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation concealed a greater struggle for Human Dao Authority, making the Interception Sect a target of the other Sages. Tongtian accepted Zhou Ming’s advice to let his disciples choose whether to ascend the list or risk the fight, then left Pangu Hall.

• Zhou Ming told Tongtian that the other Sages would use the Tribulation to destroy the Interception Sect and prevent Tongtian from claiming Human Dao Authority.
• Tongtian realized the Human Dao struggle lay behind the Investiture of the Gods and acknowledged that his sect faced disaster.
• Houtu understood Zhou Ming’s strategy in handing the Kongtong Seal to the Human Race, while Zhou Ming claimed he had acted for the good of all living beings.
• Zhou Ming advised Tongtian to send some disciples onto the Investiture of the Gods to preserve their lives and the sect’s inheritance.
• Zhou Ming suggested Tongtian explain the danger and let his disciples decide for themselves; Tongtian thanked him and left Pangu Hall.

Zhou Ming promised Tongtian that he could block one Sage during the coming tribulation, giving the Interception Sect a chance to survive. He revealed to Houtu that he intended to use that promise to obtain Tongtian’s Sky-Opening Mark, and explained why Tongtian and his disciples would still fight rather than surrender.

• Zhou Ming reminded Tongtian of the favor he owed him and promised to block one Sage if Tongtian reached a desperate situation.
• Tongtian thanked Zhou Ming and departed, encouraged by the possibility that the Interception Sect might survive.
• Houtu guessed that Zhou Ming wanted Tongtian’s Sky-Opening Mark, and Zhou Ming confirmed that he expected Tongtian to trade it for a chance to save his sect.
• Zhou Ming explained that Tongtian’s proud disciples would rather fight than submit, and that his promise of aid would make them even less likely to compromise.
• Houtu praised Zhou Ming’s foresight, then asked what he meant by the Saint-Slaying Pill.

Zhou Ming explained that the Saint-Slaying Pill let the Heavenly Dao control the Three Pure Ones and discussed whether he could also help Taiqing and Yuanshi. On Jinao Island, Tongtian summoned the Interception Sect disciples and warned them that the Tribulation was about to begin.

• Zhou Ming told Houtu that the Saint-Slaying Pill could kill a Sage and that the Heavenly Dao had prepared it to control the Three Pure Ones.
• Houtu asked Zhou Ming to help Taiqing and Yuanshi as well as Tongtian, and Zhou Ming said they could try if the risk was bearable.
• Tongtian arrived at Jinao Island and ordered Duobao to summon every Interception Sect disciple.
• The Interception Sect disciples gathered at Biyou Palace, where Tongtian told them their sect's survival was at stake and announced that the Tribulation was about to begin.