Chapter Summaries

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.

Zhunti, Jieyin, and Yuanshi forged a false Di Xin and made him write an insulting poem about Nuwa to provoke her. As Nuwa prepared to attack them, Zhou Ming effortlessly suppressed her Sage power without the three Sages noticing.

• Zhunti isolated the real Di Xin in a sealed space while he and the other Sages transformed an avatar into Di Xin.
• The false Di Xin wrote a poem praising Nuwa’s beauty and declaring that he would bring her to Chang Le.
• Shang Rong, Bi Gan, and the other ministers begged Di Xin to erase the poem, but the false Di Xin defended it as sincere admiration.
• Nuwa realized the Sages had deliberately humiliated her and erupted in fury, preparing to attack them.
• Zhou Ming pressed Nuwa’s shoulder and instantly suppressed her power, leaving her shocked while the three Sages remained unaware.

Zhou Ming restrained Nuwa from attacking Zhunti, Jieyin, and Yuanshi, insisting she wait and settle their Karma during the Investiture of the Gods Calamity. Nuwa questioned why he was pushing the Tribulation forward and demanded to know what she would gain by cooperating.

• Zhou Ming stopped Nuwa from pursuing revenge and persuaded her to watch the events unfold.
• Zhunti planted a suggestion in the ministers’ minds to keep them silent about the blasphemous poem, then returned the poem to the wall after Shang Rong’s attendant washed it away.
• Yuanshi, Jieyin, and Zhunti departed Nuwa Palace, while Nuwa confronted Zhou Ming about restraining her.
• Zhou Ming said the Sages’ schemes would help start the Tribulation and told Nuwa to cooperate until she could take revenge during it.
• Nuwa asked Zhou Ming what benefit she would receive from waiting, arguing that she could demand compensation from the Sages immediately.

Zhou Ming persuaded Nuwa to join his plan in the Investiture of the Gods Calamity by offering to cancel two of the debts of gratitude she owed him. After Zhou Ming left, Nuwa agreed to play her part and resolved to make the three Sages pay during the Tribulation.

• Zhou Ming offered to cancel one debt if Nuwa acted with the three Sages, and another if she made a move during the Tribulation.
• Nuwa accepted the bargain, agreeing to cooperate and act as Zhou Ming instructed.
• Nuwa asked why Zhou Ming needed her help, and he said his strength was too great for him to enter the Tribulation directly.
• Nuwa reasoned that Zhou Ming wanted her to help Tongtian against Yuanshi, Jieyin, Zhunti, and likely Taiqing, and Zhou Ming confirmed that she had guessed correctly.
• Zhou Ming told Nuwa to return to Wa Huang Palace and go to Chaoge to demand an explanation from That One, the Human Emperor, then vanished.
• Nuwa returned to Wa Huang Palace, vowing to retaliate against Yuanshi, Jieyin, and Zhunti as she prepared for her first performance.

Nuwa staged a furious attack on Chaoge, then claimed that Great Shang’s remaining destiny prevented her from punishing Di Xin and sent Jin Feng to announce Heaven’s Mandate for Zhou. The phoenix omen drew reactions from the sages, with Tongtian resolving to fight for the Interception Sect’s chance.

• Nuwa unleashed her Sage pressure and flew toward Chaoge, but two red beams from the royal palace formed a barrier that stopped her outside the city.
• Nuwa pretended to calculate the heavenly cycles and declared that Great Shang had twenty-eight years of destiny left, while threatening to bring down the dynasty another way.
• Nuwa ordered Jin Feng to go to Xiqi and cry out in her true form atop Mount Qi, and Jin Feng’s phoenix cry announced that Heaven’s Mandate was with Zhou.
• Jieyin and Zhunti celebrated the omen as the prelude to the Investiture of the Gods Calamity and the West’s rise.
• Yuanshi and Laozi reacted to the phoenix omen, while Tongtian vowed to defy Heaven’s Mandate and win hope for the Interception Sect.

Fei Zhong and You Hun misread the King's poem at Nuwa Palace as a signal that he wanted another consort, then plotted to pressure Su Hu into offering Su Daji. Their plan left Su Hu in Jizhou feeling an ominous unease.

• Fei Zhong asked You Hun what the King had meant by writing a poem at Nuwa Palace, and they concluded he wanted another consort.
• You Hun proposed Su Daji, the daughter of the Marquis of Ji, as a prospective consort for the King.
• You Hun persuaded Fei Zhong to make Su Hu offer his daughter voluntarily when the regional marquises came to Chaoge, using threats or inducements if necessary.
• Fei Zhong agreed to meet Su Hu with You Hun and make sure Su Daji entered the palace.
• Su Hu, reading military texts at his residence, felt a sudden chill and sensed an invisible threat spreading toward Jizhou.

Nuwa summoned the three demons of Xuanyuan Tomb and ordered them to enter Chaoge and bewitch Di Xin. She prepared them to bypass the city’s protective formation, and the demons left to carry out her plan, with the Nine-tailed Fox tasked to possess Su Daji without harming her soul.

• Nuwa summoned the Nine-tailed Fox, Nine-headed Pheasant Spirit, and Jade Pipa Spirit with the Monster Summoning Banner and ordered them to topple Great Shang by charming Di Xin.
• The three demons warned Nuwa that Chaoge’s Human Dao formation would suppress and kill them if they entered.
• Nuwa used the Power of Creation to remove their demonic aura and promised them a protective art that would let them enter the city safely.
• Nuwa ordered the Nine-tailed Fox to possess Su Daji and enter the palace, warning her not to harm Su Daji’s soul.
• Nuwa gave the Nine-tailed Fox a Protective Jade Talisman to conceal Su Daji’s soul and protect the fox, then dismissed the three demons.

The Nine-tailed Fox entered Su Daji’s body with the Creation Jade Talisman so she could infiltrate the palace and charm the Human Emperor. She left Su Daji trapped within her own body and prepared to wreak havoc across Great Shang Dynasty.

• The Nine-tailed Fox promised the Nine-headed Pheasant Spirit and Jade Pipa Spirit she would establish herself in the palace and later bring them there.
• The Nine-tailed Fox entered Su Daji’s room at Marquis Ji’s Manor and magically prevented anyone outside from hearing them.
• The Nine-tailed Fox restrained Su Daji and used Empress Nuwa’s Creation Jade Talisman to suppress her soul and take control of her body.
• The Nine-tailed Fox became Su Daji and declared she would enter the palace and overthrow the Human Emperor’s realm in Su Daji’s place.
• The disguised Nine-tailed Fox dismissed a maid who asked about the noise, then looked forward to meeting the Human Emperor.

“Su Daji” settled into her role at the Su residence and tried to persuade Su Hu to take her to Chaoge, hoping to reach The King and carry out Nuwa’s decree. Su Hu refused, so she turned to Su Quanzhong for support, leaving him unsure how to answer.

• “Su Daji” maintained her delicate, obedient act before the servants and her family.
• Su Hu told Su Quanzhong he would manage Ji Province while Su Hu traveled to Chaoge to pay respects to The King.
• “Su Daji” realized Su Hu’s journey was her chance to reach Chaoge and asked to accompany him.
• Su Hu firmly refused, citing the hardship and danger of the journey and insisting she stay in Ji Province.
• “Su Daji” tried to sway Su Hu with a pleading, coquettish appeal, then turned to Su Quanzhong and asked whether he also thought she was a burden.

Su Daji persuaded Su Hu to let her accompany him to Chaoge, and the convoy departed three days later. In the carriage, she revealed her demonic nature and anticipated bringing Di Xin and the empire under her influence.

• Su Daji tearfully appealed to Su Quanzhong and Su Hu to let her travel to Chaoge, and Su Quanzhong backed her request.
• Su Hu agreed to take Su Daji, but ordered her to stay inside the courier station in Chaoge and warned that he would send her home if she caused trouble.
• Su Daji promised to behave while privately planning to pursue her mission in Chaoge.
• Three days later, Su Hu's convoy departed Jizhou for Chaoge, with Su Quanzhong bidding farewell to his father and sister.
• Inside the carriage, Su Daji dropped her gentle act, handled the jade talisman from Empress Nuwa, and anticipated making Di Xin fall for her and surrender the empire.

Fei Zhong and You Hun pressured Su Hu to offer Daji to the King in exchange for influence, but Su Hu angrily refused and defended his daughter and the King. The two ministers left threatening retaliation and planned to recruit intermediaries before resorting to a royal edict.

• Fei Zhong and You Hun saw that Su Hu had arrived in Chaoge and went to visit him at the posthouse.
• Su Hu tried to refuse them, but Fei Zhong and You Hun entered anyway, claiming they had come to welcome the feudal lords on the King's behalf.
• You Hun urged Su Hu to send Daji to the palace, promising that Su Hu would become the King's father-in-law, while Fei Zhong warned that the King might issue an edict if he refused.
• Su Hu denounced the pair for encouraging the King to indulge in women and declared that he would never sell his daughter for honor or wealth.
• Fei Zhong and You Hun stormed out after threatening Su Hu, then agreed to find intermediaries and use the King's authority if he continued to refuse.