Chapter Summaries

Shen Gui found a way around the Heavenly Edict by offering to enter both Nü Jiao and Yu the Great into the immortal registry. Tu Shan Feng returned to Yang City in time to stop Nü Jiao from sacrificing herself and told her to persuade Yu to accept the conferment.

• Yaochi reminded Shen Gui that he had approved the Heavenly Edict, which barred immortals from marrying mortals except when he took a mortal woman as his consort.
• Shen Gui decided to confer immortal status on Yu the Great as well as Nü Jiao, and Tu Shan Feng gratefully agreed to persuade them.
• After Tu Shan Feng and Wu Zhiqi left the Heavenly Court, Shen Gui considered whether the Qingqiu Tu Shan line might be connected to the Nine-tailed Fox and asked Tu Shan Feng to keep watch for clues.
• In Yang City, Nü Jiao drugged Yu the Great and Qi, then prepared to leave and die before Jun arrived so her death would protect Yu.
• Tu Shan Feng returned and stopped Nü Jiao, telling her the Heavenly Emperor had resolved the problem and that she only needed to persuade Yu to accept his conferment.
• Wu Zhiqi asked whether Yu would agree, and Tu Shan Feng threatened to take Nü Jiao back to the Qingqiu secret realm if Yu refused.

Yu the Great accepted the Heavenly Emperor’s offer to enter the immortal registry with Nü Jiao, giving up his chance to become Human Emperor. Shen Gui invested Yu as Great Emperor Dongyue and granted Nü Jiao a title, while Shun began preparing to abdicate.

• Nü Jiao told Yu the Great that the Heavenly Emperor would grant her an immortal registry, provided Yu entered it with her, and Yu agreed without hesitation.
• Tu Shan Feng returned to the Heavenly Realm to report Yu’s agreement to Shen Gui.
• Shen Gui proclaimed Yu as Great Emperor Dongyue Taishan Tianqi Rensheng and named Nü Jiao Imperial Consort of Dongyue.
• The decree changed public opinion in the human realm, and Jun turned back before reaching Yang City to avoid trouble.
• Shun learned that Yu had accepted the investiture and ordered preparations for his abdication ceremony to begin when Jun returned.

Shen Gui ordered Tu Shan Feng to watch for a young Nine-tailed Fox, though Tu Shan Feng and Yaochi explained how unlikely such a fox was. When Tu Shan Feng returned to Qingqiu, Tu Shan Ji hurried him to the ancient heavenly fox’s remains, where he saw something that left him frozen.

• Tu Shan Feng told Wu Zhiqi that Qingqiu foxes gained tails through cultivation and that no Nine-tailed Fox under a thousand years old existed in the clan.
• Yaochi explained the rarity of young Nine-tailed Foxes to Shen Gui and privately speculated about his preferences and his titles for the Demon Empress and Heavenly Consort.
• Tu Shan Feng returned to the Qingqiu Secret Realm after resolving Yu the Great and Nü Jiao’s matter.
• Tu Shan Ji excitedly pulled Tu Shan Feng to the core of Qingqiu, where Tu Shan Feng saw something that stunned him.

Tu Shan Feng discovered a newborn Nine-tailed Heavenly Fox inside the Qingqiu Mystic Realm, apparently born from the ancient Heavenly Fox’s corpse as the Tu Shan lineage’s long-awaited resurrection plan. He connected its arrival to Shen Gui’s recent warning and wondered whether the events were more than coincidence.

• The chapter explained that Demon Ancestor Luohu killed the ancient Heavenly Fox after she refused to join his side, and that her remains gave rise to the Qingqiu Tu Shan lineage and its mystic realm.
• The Tu Shan lineage came to believe the ancient Heavenly Fox had left behind a means to revive herself, and its members devoted themselves to finding it.
• Tu Shan Feng and Tu Shan Ji found a tiny fox with nine tails inside a sphere of light near the ancient Heavenly Fox’s corpse.
• Tu Shan Ji said the Nine-tailed Heavenly Fox had been born from the corpse and declared it the hope of the Tu Shan lineage.
• Tu Shan Feng recalled Shen Gui’s warning to watch for young Nine-tailed Foxes and questioned whether this birth was a coincidence.

Tu Shan Feng and Tu Shan Ji concealed the newly emerged fox remnant soul, while Hongjun and a mysterious woman sensed its existence. Meanwhile, Jun became Human Emperor, founded the Yu Dynasty, and helped establish protections for humanity; Yang Jian endured harsh training as Yang Chan enjoyed a pampered life on Kunlun Mountain.

• Tu Shan Feng confirmed that the news of the little fox was sealed and ordered Tu Shan Ji to keep it secret until it grew up.
• A woman in black suspected Qingqiu had survived, while Hongjun sensed a newly emerged Chaos Demon God remnant soul and judged that Heaven's Dao would scheme against it.
• After Shun, Jun became Human Emperor, abolished abdication in favor of hereditary succession, and established the Yu Dynasty.
• Jun and Yu the Great forged the Nine Cauldrons, divided the Nine Provinces, and established a barrier that suppressed unauthorized nonhuman cultivators.
• Wu Zhiqi drove Yang Jian through harsh training, while Yang Chan grew up pampered and taught by Primordial Heavenly Venerate on Kunlun Mountain.

Shen Gui contacted Primordial Heavenly Venerate to arrange for Yang Chan to return, but Primordial Heavenly Venerate tried to keep her at Kunlun Mountain and offered Cihang as Yao Ji’s replacement. Shen Gui let Yao Ji visit Yang Chan and promised to send Yang Jian too, while privately deciding to abduct Cihang.

• Yao Ji asked Shen Gui repeatedly when Yang Jian and Yang Chan could return, so Shen Gui contacted Primordial Heavenly Venerate through the Sky-Gazing Mirror.
• Yao Ji greeted Primordial Heavenly Venerate, and little Yang Chan appeared, saying she wanted to return to the Heavenly Palace because her mother missed her.
• Primordial Heavenly Venerate proposed that Yao Ji visit Yang Chan at Kunlun Mountain and offered to send Cihang to replace her as Shen Gui’s maid.
• Primordial Heavenly Venerate ended the call by pretending the signal was bad, frustrating Shen Gui and leaving Yao Ji astonished by his behavior.
• Shen Gui gave Yao Ji leave to visit Yang Chan and promised to send Yang Jian later, then decided he would abduct Cihang and summoned Yaochi.

Shen Gui left the Heavenly Court to complain to Hongjun that the Saints had disregarded his authority and mistreated those under his care. Hongjun summoned him to Purple Cloud Palace and ruled that the Heavenly Court needed more power, ending by declaring that the gods should be invested.

• Shen Gui instructed Yaochi to arrange for Cihang's ascension and have Yunxiao, Qiongxiao, and Bixiao assist her until he returned.
• Shen Gui entered the chaos to seek Purple Cloud Palace, but Hongjun prevented him from finding it.
• Shen Gui transformed into his turtle form and slept in the chaos until Hongjun summoned him into Purple Cloud Palace.
• Shen Gui tearfully accused Primordial Heavenly Venerate and Nuwa of undermining him and threatened to resign as Heavenly Emperor.
• Hongjun said the Heavenly Court needed enough strength to govern the Three Realms and declared that the gods should be invested.

Shen Gui persuaded Hongjun to initiate the Investiture of the Gods, and Hongjun summoned the six Sages to explain its purpose and rules. The Sages learned the great tribulation would begin in a thousand years, with them responsible for deciding who would be placed on the list.

• Shen Gui left the Purple Firmament Palace satisfied after Hongjun agreed to start the Investiture of the Gods.
• Hongjun summoned Nuwa, Laozi, Primordial Heavenly Venerate, the Sage of Golden Ao Island, Jieyin, and Zhunti to the Purple Firmament Palace.
• Hongjun said the Investiture of the Gods would supply officials to help the Heavenly Emperor govern the Three Realms, and he presented the Investiture and God-Beating Whip.
• Hongjun explained that invested cultivators would serve under the Heavenly Emperor but could cultivate faster by receiving the power of incense offerings.
• Hongjun told the six Sages to decide who would enter the list of three hundred and sixty-five official gods and announced that the great tribulation would begin in a thousand years.

After Hongjun announced a Great Calamity of Heaven and Earth, the saints argued over who would enter the Investiture of the Gods and realized they could not fill its required places. They left the gathering divided, with their alliance broken and the calamity left to fate.

• Nuwa left Purple Cloud Palace, saying she would return to Wa Huang Heaven and watch the events from afar.
• Laozi said the saints should prepare and placed the name Taishang Laojun on the Investiture of the Gods.
• Yuanshi, Tongtian, Jieyin, and Zhunti each added names, but chose only minor followers and left most of the required places unfilled.
• Laozi said they would leave the choices to fate during the calamity, and Jieyin and Zhunti departed, ending their alliance with the Three Pure Ones.
• Tongtian left, worried about his many disciples and Yuanshi's objections to his teachings, and Yuanshi and Laozi departed afterward.

Shen Gui returned to Moon-Gazing Palace and mistook Cihang, Primordial Heavenly Venerate’s disciple, for a maid sent by Yaochi. After Shen Gui accidentally appointed her his personal attendant, Cihang calmly accepted, leaving him uneasy about the arrangement.

• Shen Gui returned to Moon-Gazing Palace and noticed a woman in white reading in his bedchamber.
• Shen Gui assumed the woman was a temporary maid from Yaochi and asked her name and duties.
• The woman introduced herself as Cihang and explained that Primordial Heavenly Venerate had sent her to Heaven to await Shen Gui’s orders.
• Shen Gui realized Cihang was Primordial Heavenly Venerate’s disciple and recalled that he had called her his personal attendant by mistake.
• Shen Gui told Cihang to serve as his attendant until Yao Ji returned, and Cihang calmly agreed.
• Shen Gui wondered whether the arrangement would amount to switching to that kind of play, but decided not to order Cihang around like a maid.

Shen Gui discovered that Cihang was reading Western Teachings scriptures and suspected Jieyin and Zhunti were trying to draw her away from Primordial Heavenly Venerate. In Guanghan Palace, Changxi and Xihe panicked over Yaochi finding Shen Gui a beautiful maid and spiraled into melodramatic mutual blame while Chang'e tried to stop them.

• Shen Gui asked Cihang about her book and learned she had bought it in the mortal world because she found its teachings interesting.
• Shen Gui suspected Jieyin and Zhunti had placed the Western Teachings scriptures in Cihang's path and imagined Primordial Heavenly Venerate losing disciples after the Investiture of the Gods.
• Changxi rushed to Xihe and Chang'e with news that Yaochi had found Shen Gui a beautiful personal maid.
• Xihe and Changxi feared their master would punish them for failing to keep Shen Gui from taking other women, then blamed themselves and embraced in tears.
• Chang'e knocked Xihe and Changxi on the head, but Xihe continued warning her to flee before their master killed them all.

Chang'e was pressured by Xihe and Changxi to help care for and monitor their Grandmaster. In the Qing Qiu Secret Realm, the Tushan lineage panicked after Qing Qiu vanished following a breakthrough to the Golden Immortal realm.

• Xihe and Changxi decided they had to keep a closer watch on their Grandmaster and planned to prevent Yaochi from sending more women to care for him.
• Xihe and Changxi asked Chang'e to take care of their Grandmaster, promising to protect her from him.
• Tu Shan Feng returned to the Qing Qiu Secret Realm, and the Tushan lineage sealed it off to protect the newborn nine-tailed fox named Qing Qiu.
• Qing Qiu showed exceptional intelligence and cultivation talent, reaching the Golden Immortal realm and comprehending a trace of the Law of Illusion.
• Tu Shan Feng and the others discovered Qing Qiu had disappeared, and the entire Tushan lineage panicked.

Tu Shan Feng and Tu Shan Ji failed to find Qingqiu and considered asking the Heavenly Emperor for help. Meanwhile, Jun’s lack of an heir brought Bo Yi and Qi into consideration as successors to the Yu Dynasty.

• Tu Shan Ji reported that the clan could not find Qingqiu, and Tu Shan Feng reasoned that the secret realm’s restrictions could not have stopped her.
• Tu Shan Feng revealed that the Heavenly Emperor had once asked him to watch for a Nine-tailed Fox with less than a thousand years of cultivation.
• Tu Shan Feng decided to wait before telling the Heavenly Emperor about Qingqiu, but would seek his help if she did not return.
• Jun grew old without an heir, leaving the Yu Dynasty’s succession uncertain.
• Bo Yi and Qi emerged as possible successors, with Qi gaining support through his reputation and leadership of the You Chong Clan.

Xia Gui strengthened the Xia Dynasty and planned to visit Xuanyuan’s Tomb to boast of his achievements to his ancestor. Before his visit, Qingqiu arrived at the tomb where two minor demons had been living in hiding.

• Qi seized the Human Emperor’s throne from Bo Yi by force and renamed the Yu Dynasty the Xia Dynasty.
• Xia Gui inherited a troubled Xia Dynasty, then restored its strength with the help of ministers Zhong Gu and Guan Longfeng.
• Xia Gui planned to sacrifice at Xuanyuan’s Tomb on Xuanyuan’s birthday.
• A Nine-headed Pheasant Spirit and a Jade Pipa Spirit lived quietly in the tomb, where Xuanyuan tolerated their presence.
• Qingqiu, the missing fox-tailed girl sought by the Tushan Clan, arrived at Xuanyuan’s Tomb.

Little Qingqiu left the Qingqiu secret realm to explore the world and arrived at Xuanyuan's Tomb, where she demanded a place to stay from its demon occupants. After the Nine-headed Pheasant Spirit and the Jade Pipa Spirit refused, Qingqiu beat them into submission and declared herself their Big Sister Boss.

• Little Qingqiu used her Golden Immortal strength and Law of Illusion to leave the Qingqiu secret realm and travel for fun.
• Little Qingqiu reached Xuanyuan Hill, sensed two demons in Xuanyuan's Tomb, and went inside to ask for a place to rest.
• The Nine-headed Pheasant Spirit and the Jade Pipa Spirit rejected Little Qingqiu's request and threatened to eat her.
• Little Qingqiu struck both demons, declared Xuanyuan's Tomb her home, and named herself their Big Sister Boss.
• The Jade Pipa Spirit immediately supported Little Qingqiu, while the Nine-headed Pheasant Spirit hesitated to object.

Qingqiu subdued the Nine-headed Pheasant Spirit and established herself as the Big Sister Boss of Xuanyuan's Tomb. Meanwhile, Tu Shan Feng confessed to Shen Gui that he had concealed Qingqiu's existence, and Shen Gui ordered Yao Ji to summon her second brother as he prepared to discuss Xuanyuan's Tomb.

• Qingqiu knocked out the Nine-headed Pheasant Spirit, while the Jade Pipa Spirit pledged loyalty and introduced herself as Little Yu.
• Qingqiu transformed into a young woman, accepted the title of Big Sister Boss, and had the Jade Pipa Spirit call the unconscious Nine-headed Pheasant Spirit Little Jiu.
• Tu Shan Feng confessed to Shen Gui that he had concealed Qingqiu's information and begged him not to punish the Tushan Clan.
• Shen Gui forgave Tu Shan Feng and the clan but declared that if he found Qingqiu, she would no longer have ties to the Tushan Clan.
• Shen Gui sent Yao Ji to summon her second brother, then dismissed Cihang and Chang'e as he anticipated a discussion about Xuanyuan's Tomb.

Qingqiu hid in Xuanyuan Temple as Xia Gui arrived to worship at Xuanyuan's Tomb, but her concealment failed when she laughed at his prayers. Xia Gui saw her and froze, captivated by her beauty.

• Xia Gui's guards surrounded Xuanyuan's Tomb ahead of his procession to offer sacrifices.
• The Nine-headed Pheasant Spirit and the Jade Pipa Spirit urged Qingqiu to flee, but Qingqiu went to investigate instead.
• Xia Gui entered Xuanyuan Temple with his ministers and boasted of his achievements while worshipping Xuanyuan's statue.
• Qingqiu hid behind the statue, laughed at Xia Gui speaking to it, and lost her concealment.
• Xia Gui saw Qingqiu's face above the statue's shoulder and froze in awe.

After Xia Gui glimpsed Qingqiu at Xuanyuan Temple, he became obsessed with her image and neglected his rule, while Zhao Liang used a portrait to help him obtain Mei Xi. The chapter ended with Mei Xi smiling faintly after her skirt tore on a tree branch.

• Qingqiu hid herself from Xia Gui, who left Xuanyuan Temple believing he had seen an illusion, while Shen Gui watched the encounter through the Sky-Gazing Mirror.
• Xia Gui returned to the capital and withdrew from governing to paint the woman he had glimpsed, and Zhao Liang obtained one of his paintings.
• Zhao Liang found Mei Xi of You Shi State and showed Xia Gui her portrait, prompting Xia Gui to demand her from her father.
• After the ruler of You Shi State refused, Xia Gui conquered the state and took Mei Xi, while Zhao Liang became his trusted confidant.
• Xia Gui neglected state affairs and indulged in wine and pleasure with Mei Xi, and she smiled faintly when her skirt caught and tore on a tree branch.

Shen Gui watched how Cheng Tang overthrew Xia Gui and took the Xia throne, then looked forward to the coming Investiture of the Gods tribulation. The chapter left him eager to take part in the great tribulation himself.

• Mei Xi smiled at the sound of her skirt tearing, and Xia Gui promised to have someone tear it for her every day.
• As Xia Gui neglected state affairs, Zi Lu grew powerful, took the name Cheng Tang, and raised an army against him.
• Cheng Tang accused Xia Gui of fabricated crimes, and the fiefs rallied to his campaign against Xia.
• At the Battle of Mingtiao, Xia Gui ordered his army to surrender, and Cheng Tang's usurpation succeeded.
• Cheng Tang exiled Xia Gui and Mei Xi to Nanchao, where they both died the following year; he gave Xia Gui the posthumous title Jie.
• Shen Gui closed the Sky-Gazing Mirror after watching the events and anticipated the Great Tribulation of Investiture of the Gods.

Shen Gui began his plan to recover the power of the Mysterious Black Tortoise of the Northern Darkness and use the Investiture of the Gods tribulation to take the final step. As the Shang dynasty’s third prince was about to be born, Shen Gui invited Tongtian to become the child’s teacher and ally.

• Shen Gui met the Mysterious Black Tortoise of the Northern Darkness beneath Northern Profound City, and they entered the tribulation together.
• The Mysterious Black Tortoise of the Northern Darkness fell, and its spirit entered reincarnation, alarming the Three Realms’ great experts.
• The Saints considered whether to oppose Shen Gui or cooperate, and Tongtian withdrew from their alliance while the other Saints joined together.
• Shen Gui welcomed Tongtian’s choice to protect his disciples and realized he had gained an ally before the Mysterious Black Tortoise’s power returned.
• In Chaoge City, Shen Gui asked Tongtian to become the soon-to-be-born third son of Di Yi’s teacher, and Tongtian accepted the alliance.