Chapter Summaries

Wu went to Empress Pingxin to arrange his reincarnation into the Human Race, choosing to seal his memories until he became Human Emperor. After he entered the Human Dao reincarnation passage, Pingxin concealed all traces of his reincarnation with the Earth Dao.

• Wu arrived before the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk and greeted Empress Pingxin.
• Wu asked Pingxin to reincarnate him into the Human Race with his memories sealed until he ascended to the position of Human Emperor.
• Pingxin agreed to seal Wu's memories within his True Spirit so they would awaken when he gained the Human Race's Destiny/Fortune.
• Pingxin opened the Human Dao reincarnation passage, and Wu stepped into its radiance.
• Pingxin used the authority of the Earth Dao to erase traces of Wu's reincarnation from the Heavenly Secrets.

Zhou Ming told Houtu that the Person of Destiny had been born and that he had secretly observed him for more than a decade. He left for Jinao Island to place Jiang Ziya with Tongtian and test whether the authority to confer the gods followed the person or the sect.

• Zhou Ming told Houtu that the Person of Destiny had been born long ago and that it was time to visit Jinao Island.
• Zhou Ming explained that the Heaven's Secrets obscured the Person of Destiny and that he had found him using specific knowledge.
• Zhou Ming speculated about finding both people with the Flying Bear Aspect and having Tongtian take them as disciples.
• Houtu said that Jiang Ziya joining the Interception Sect and Shen Gongbao joining the Chan Sect would let Zhou Ming test whether the authority to confer the gods followed the person or the sect.
• Zhou Ming left Buzhou Mountain and headed toward Jinao Island to secure Jiang Ziya before the Tribulation's baleful energy brought unforeseen changes.

Zhou Ming visited Tongtian at Jinao Island and revealed that he had found a person with the Flying Bear Aspect, whom Tongtian had long sought as a potential disciple. He warned that two people bore the aspect and that the one they were going to find was unlikely to become the Person of Destiny if Tongtian accepted him, leaving Tongtian confused.

• Tongtian waited for his disciples to find the Person of Destiny, but the Heavenly Secrets gave him no clues.
• Zhou Ming arrived at Jinao Island, and Tongtian welcomed him into Biyou Palace.
• Zhou Ming told Tongtian he had found someone with the Flying Bear Aspect and would take him there.
• Zhou Ming revealed that two people possessed the Flying Bear Aspect, though he had located only one.
• Zhou Ming warned that the person they would seek was unlikely to become the Person of Destiny if Tongtian took him as a disciple, and Tongtian asked why.

Zhou Ming warned Sect Master Tongtian that Hongjun and the Heavenly Dao might prevent the Interception Sect from gaining the advantage in the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation. Tongtian agreed to test Hongjun’s response by seeking the Investiture and God-Beating Whip, then left with Zhou Ming to find the Person of Destiny.

• Zhou Ming told Sect Master Tongtian that the Interception Sect’s power could make the Heavenly Dao and Hongjun unwilling to let it safely survive the Tribulation.
• Tongtian doubted Zhou Ming’s warning, but Zhou Ming urged him to test Hongjun by requesting the Investiture of the Gods and God-Beating Whip after accepting the Person of Destiny as a disciple.
• Zhou Ming predicted that Yuanshi might find the other person with the Appearance of the Flying Bear just as Tongtian set out for Zixiao Palace, making Tongtian uneasy.
• Tongtian resolved to accept the Person of Destiny first, and he and Zhou Ming left Biyou Palace to find that person.

Zhou Ming led Sect Master Tongtian to Jiang Ziya, whose hidden fortune marked him as the Person of Destiny, and Tongtian took him as his final disciple. Tongtian then carried Jiang Ziya toward Jinao Island before planning to visit Zixiao Palace.

• Zhou Ming showed Sect Master Tongtian the village where Jiang Shang was chopping firewood and revealed him as the Person of Destiny.
• Tongtian descended into Jiang Shang’s courtyard and offered to take him as a disciple.
• Jiang Shang accepted, revealed his courtesy name was Ziya, and learned that his new master was the Sage Tongtian.
• Tongtian named Jiang Ziya his final disciple and took him from the village to Jinao Island.
• Tongtian thanked Zhou Ming and said he would settle Jiang Ziya on Jinao Island before setting out for Zixiao Palace.

Hongjun discovered that Zhou Ming had enabled Tongtian to find Jiang Ziya, and the Heavenly Dao ordered him to guide Yuanshi toward Shen Gongbao instead. Hongjun followed its instructions, though he remained uneasy about the Heavenly Dao’s intentions.

• Hongjun traced Tongtian’s discovery of Jiang Ziya to Zhou Ming, but an immense power severed his attempt to investigate further.
• The Heavenly Dao told Hongjun to hint to Yuanshi that he should take Shen Gongbao as his disciple and give him the Investiture of the Gods.
• Hongjun warned that Tongtian might resist and create more variables, but the Heavenly Dao dismissed Tongtian as unable to overturn its plans.
• Hongjun agreed to carry out the Heavenly Dao’s instructions and sent Mystic Light into the web of Heavenly Secrets to guide Yuanshi toward Shen Gongbao.

Venerable Lord Yuanshi located Shen Gongbao, the leopard demon carrying the Destiny of the flying bear, and accepted him as his disciple to secure the Chan Sect’s position in the coming Tribulation. He brought Shen Gongbao to the Jade Void Palace, privately intending to keep him as a nominal disciple and use him in the Tribulation, then prepared to visit Zixiao Palace for the Investiture of the Gods and God-Beating Whip.

• Venerable Lord Yuanshi deduced that the Person of Destiny was near Kunlun Mountain and tracked the flying-bear Destiny to a leopard demon.
• Venerable Lord Yuanshi struggled over whether to accept a demon as his disciple, then asked the meditating Shen Gongbao his name.
• Venerable Lord Yuanshi offered to take Shen Gongbao as his disciple, and Shen Gongbao eagerly accepted and kowtowed to his new master.
• Venerable Lord Yuanshi carried Shen Gongbao back to the Jade Void Palace while privately deciding to make him a nominal disciple and use him in the Tribulation.
• Venerable Lord Yuanshi resolved to go to Zixiao Palace to obtain the Investiture of the Gods and God-Beating Whip from the Dao Ancestor.

Sect Master Tongtian and Venerable Lord Yuanshi met outside Zixiao Palace and each claimed to have found the Person of Destiny. Tongtian concluded that Hongjun was scheming against the Interception Sect, and the two entered the palace to ask Dao Ancestor to judge.

• Sect Master Tongtian arrived at Zixiao Palace, where Venerable Lord Yuanshi appeared shortly afterward.
• Tongtian told Yuanshi that Jiang Ziya, who bore the Flying Bear Aspect, had become his final disciple, but Yuanshi insisted his own disciple was the true Person of Destiny.
• Yuanshi accused Tongtian's disciple of being fake, while Tongtian suggested that Yuanshi's disciple might be the impostor.
• Yuanshi's claim that he had found his disciple by deducing the Heaven's Secrets convinced Tongtian that Hongjun's scheme targeted the Interception Sect.
• Tongtian and Yuanshi agreed to ask Dao Ancestor to decide who was qualified to take charge of the Investiture of the Gods, then entered Zixiao Palace.

Venerable Lord Yuanshi and Sect Master Tongtian asked Dao Ancestor Hongjun to decide which of their disciples was the Person of Destiny. Hongjun named Shen Gongbao and gave Yuanshi the Investiture of the Gods and the God-Beating Whip, while Tongtian left after questioning the decision.

• Venerable Lord Yuanshi and Sect Master Tongtian each told Hongjun they had found a disciple with the Flying Bear Aspect and requested the Investiture of the Gods and the God-Beating Whip.
• Hongjun asked for the disciples’ names, and Yuanshi named Shen Gongbao while Tongtian named Jiang Shang, courtesy name Ziya.
• Hongjun declared Shen Gongbao the true Person of Destiny and sent the two treasures to Venerable Lord Yuanshi.
• Sect Master Tongtian asked why Jiang Ziya could not be the Person of Destiny, and Hongjun replied that Shen Gongbao bore Heaven’s Mandate.
• Sect Master Tongtian accepted Hongjun’s answer and left Zixiao Palace, while Venerable Lord Yuanshi took the treasures and departed in high spirits.

Sect Master Tongtian summoned the Interception Sect and revealed that the Chan Sect had found the Person of Destiny and taken charge of the Investiture of the Gods. He accepted Jiang Ziya as a personal disciple to protect him, while Venerable Lord Yuanshi named Shen Gongbao the Chan Sect’s nominal disciple and entrusted his teaching to Immortal Official Nanji.

• Sect Master Tongtian recalled the Interception Sect disciples to Jinao Island and told them the Chan Sect had found the Person of Destiny and seized the initiative in the Tribulation.
• Zhao Gongming and the other disciples expressed confidence in the Interception Sect’s strength, while Sect Master Tongtian warned them to protect their lives and flee if necessary.
• Sect Master Tongtian introduced Jiang Ziya as his new personal disciple and told Daoist Duobao to teach him cultivation methods.
• At Jade Void Palace, Venerable Lord Yuanshi told the Chan Sect disciples that Shen Gongbao was the Person of Destiny and had been accepted as a nominal disciple.
• Venerable Lord Yuanshi assigned Shen Gongbao’s instruction to Immortal Official Nanji and ordered the Chan Sect to prepare for the Tribulation.

Tongtian visited Zhou Ming at Pangu Hall after learning that the Investiture of the Gods and God-Beating Whip had gone to the Chan Sect, confirming Zhou Ming’s warnings about the Interception Sect’s peril. He asked Zhou Ming to show his sect and its disciples a way through the Tribulation, leaving Zhou Ming’s response unresolved.

• Tongtian left Biyou Palace and hurried to Buzhou Mountain to seek a path for the Interception Sect’s survival.
• Zhou Ming and Houtu anticipated Tongtian’s arrival and discussed the danger facing him and his disciples.
• Zhou Ming welcomed Tongtian into Pangu Hall and asked whether the events he had predicted had come to pass.
• Tongtian explained that Yuanshi had presented Shen Gongbao as the Person of Destiny, and the Dao Ancestor had awarded the Investiture of the Gods and God-Beating Whip to the Chan Sect.
• Tongtian admitted he could not see a way forward and bowed to Zhou Ming, asking him to guide the Interception Sect and its tens of thousands of disciples.

Zhou Ming advised Tongtian to train Jiang Ziya in military strategy and statecraft so he could reduce Interception Sect casualties by helping Great Shang during the Tribulation. Tongtian agreed that his disciples would not show mercy to the Chan Sect, but asked Zhou Ming how the Interception Sect could withstand the Dao Ancestor and Heavenly Dao.

• Tongtian told Zhou Ming that he had taken Jiang Ziya as his personal disciple and intended to protect him during the Tribulation.
• Zhou Ming said Jiang Ziya could help the Interception Sect despite his poor aptitude, and urged Tongtian to teach him military affairs and governing before sending him into the human dynasty.
• Tongtian agreed to arrange Jiang Ziya's training, while Zhou Ming explained that Jiang Ziya could lessen the sect's losses but Tongtian alone would determine its fate.
• Zhou Ming warned Tongtian not to let the bond between the Three Pure Ones make his disciples hold back against the Chan Sect.
• Tongtian said he had already told his disciples to treat Chan Sect members as enemies during the Tribulation, then asked what path remained if the Dao Ancestor intervened.

Zhou Ming reassured Tongtian that the Witch Clan would prevent Hongjun and the Heavenly Dao from intervening directly, but warned that Tongtian still faced three Sages. He advised Tongtian to derail the calamity’s intended course by forcing the Chan Sect to help create chaos, leaving Tongtian asking how to do it.

• Zhou Ming promised Tongtian that Hongjun and the Heavenly Dao would not make a move, and that he would hold them off if they intervened.
• Tongtian thanked Zhou Ming and vowed that he and the Interception Sect would repay his kindness.
• Zhou Ming warned Tongtian that he still faced three Sages and could not rely on strength alone to survive the calamity.
• Zhou Ming told Tongtian to muddy the calamity and create variables outside the Heavenly Dao’s control.
• Zhou Ming said Tongtian would need to force the Chan Sect to join him, leaving Tongtian asking for instructions.

Zhou Ming advised Sect Master Tongtian to disrupt the Chan Sect’s plans by sending its disciples onto the Investiture of the Gods, while warning him to guard against covert attacks and Yuanshi’s retaliation. Tongtian left with a strategy to consider, and Zhou Ming told Houtu that the coming events would be exciting, though Tongtian’s success would not change the Tribulation’s final outcome.

• Zhou Ming prompted Sect Master Tongtian to realize that putting Chan Sect disciples on the Investiture of the Gods could force Yuanshi to interfere with its rules to protect them.
• Zhou Ming warned Sect Master Tongtian that the hidden, chaotic Heavenly Secrets made covert schemes dangerous, so he should caution his disciples against ambushes.
• Zhou Ming warned that Yuanshi might personally attack Interception Sect disciples if they killed Chan Sect Golden Immortals, and Tongtian promised to consider the danger carefully.
• Sect Master Tongtian thanked Zhou Ming and Houtu, then left to plan how to draw the Chan Sect into the conflict.
• Houtu asked whether Tongtian could succeed, and Zhou Ming replied that the coming events would be exciting but would not greatly affect the Tribulation’s final outcome.

Zhou Ming explained to Houtu that the Investiture of the Gods was only a pretext for the Tribulation, which aimed to wear away the Three Pure Ones’ remaining world-creating merit so Hongjun could force them to take Saint-Slaying Pills. He revealed that the deeper plan might be to make the Sages shatter the Primordial Wilderness, leaving Houtu stunned.

• Houtu asked why the Interception Sect’s fate would not affect the Tribulation’s outcome, and Zhou Ming said the Investiture of the Gods was merely an excuse to draw the Sages into conflict.
• Zhou Ming explained that the Three Pure Ones’ remaining world-creating merit protected them from being forced to take Saint-Slaying Pills, and that the Tribulation’s Karma was meant to exhaust it.
• Houtu realized Hongjun intended to act against the Three Pure Ones once their merit was gone, but questioned whether Sage battles could generate enough Karma.
• Zhou Ming said the Sages’ battles could shatter the Primordial Wilderness and cause immense deaths, producing enough Karma to erase the Three Pure Ones’ protection.
• Houtu suspected that Hongjun and the Heavenly Dao intended to use the Sages to destroy the Primordial World, and stared at Zhou Ming in disbelief.

Zhou Ming explained to Houtu that Hongjun and the Heavenly Dao intended to shatter the Primordial Wilderness and weaken Pangu’s will. Since they could not prevent the Tribulation, he proposed protecting Buzhou Mountain so Pangu’s will would retain its foundation.

• Zhou Ming told Houtu that Hongjun and the Heavenly Dao wanted to destroy the Primordial Wilderness so they could escape Pangu’s will and no longer fear the Witch Clan.
• Houtu realized the Witch Clan would be vulnerable without Pangu’s protection and insisted they stop the Sages from fighting.
• Houtu proposed warning the Three Pure Ones and suppressing or killing them if they refused, but Zhou Ming explained that such measures would not end the threat and could make matters worse.
• Houtu asked Zhou Ming for a plan, and he said they should protect Buzhou Mountain because it concentrated Pangu’s will.
• Zhou Ming proposed guarding Buzhou Mountain while maximizing the Witch Clan’s interests as the Primordial Wilderness suffered damage.

Zhou Ming explained to Houtu that the Witch Clan should collect fragments of the shattering Primordial Wilderness and use them to transform the Pangu Realm into a real world that could shelter Father God's will. Houtu accepted his plan to put the Witch Clan's interests first, and Zhou Ming said they would now watch the Sages' conflict unfold.

• Houtu asked Zhou Ming how the Witch Clan could benefit after deciding to protect Buzhou Mountain rather than the whole Primordial Wilderness.
• Zhou Ming told Houtu to gather fragments of the Primordial Wilderness, then explained that they would use their Primordial Origin to strengthen the Pangu Realm instead of reforging the old world.
• Zhou Ming revealed that a transformed Pangu Realm could shelter Father God's will and eventually house Buzhou Mountain, giving the Witch Clan a world beyond the Heavenly Dao and Hongjun's control.
• Houtu realized Zhou Ming had long planned to make the Pangu Realm the Witch Clan's foundation and accepted that they should seize the opportunity created by the coming destruction.
• Zhou Ming said the Witch Clan did not need to act yet and could simply watch the show.

Tongtian tested Jiang Ziya’s cultivation and his skill in military strategy and statecraft, then explained that Jiang’s strengths had a role in the Interception Sect’s coming tribulation. Jiang left to meet Jin Ling, ready to descend the mountain and study under Wen Zhong.

• Tongtian learned that Jiang Ziya had made little progress in cultivation but had excelled at military strategy, political tactics, and governing a state.
• Tongtian told Jiang to descend the mountain and study under Wen Zhong, prompting Jiang to fear he was being expelled from the sect.
• Tongtian reassured Jiang that he would remain his disciple and explained that the journey was a trial tied to the Interception Sect’s future Destiny.
• Tongtian promised to reconstruct Jiang’s immortal foundation after the Tribulation, and Jiang vowed to serve the sect and fulfill his master’s expectations.
• Tongtian sent Jiang to Jin Ling, who would escort him down the mountain and make arrangements; Jiang reached her cave abode and requested an audience.

Saint Mother Jin Ling brought Jiang Ziya to Chaoge and entrusted him to Wen Zhong so he could learn statecraft and military affairs. Wen Zhong made Jiang Ziya an adviser at the Grand Tutor's Mansion, where Jiang Ziya began studying frontier reports.

• Saint Mother Jin Ling transported Jiang Ziya from Jinao Island to Chaoge.
• Saint Mother Jin Ling introduced Jiang Ziya to Wen Zhong and explained Sect Master Tongtian's orders for his training.
• Wen Zhong agreed to teach Jiang Ziya but chose not to recommend him for an official post.
• Wen Zhong arranged for Jiang Ziya to live at the Grand Tutor's Mansion and serve as his adviser.
• Wen Zhong gave Jiang Ziya military reports from the East Sea frontier, and Jiang Ziya eagerly began studying them.

After three years in Chaoge, Jiang Ziya had mastered court affairs and military strategy, earning Wen Zhong’s admiration. When he learned he had been summoned back to Jinao Island, Saint Mother Jin Ling arrived at the Grand Tutor’s Mansion to escort him.

• Jiang Ziya advised Wen Zhong to defend the northern border and cut off Yuan Futong’s supplies rather than begin a major conflict.
• Wen Zhong praised Jiang Ziya’s political and military skill, while Jiang Ziya confessed that he longed to return to Jinao Island and pursue immortality.
• Wen Zhong told Jiang Ziya that he had finished his training in Chaoge and that Jin Ling had summoned him back to Jinao Island.
• Jiang Ziya excitedly prepared to leave, then followed Wen Zhong into the courtyard when a sacred aura descended.
• Saint Mother Jin Ling arrived on a golden road of light, and Wen Zhong and Jiang Ziya bowed to welcome her.