Chapter Summaries

After Jingwei’s rescue, Shennong arranged the affairs of the human race and entered seclusion to pursue the Dao. The Witch Clan chose Chiyou to be reincarnated among the Jiuli, while the factions prepared to counter the Western Religion’s schemes.

• Jieyin and Zhunti concluded that the human race’s destiny had settled because one faction had compromised, then agreed to lie low and await another opportunity.
• Laozi, Yuanshi, and Tongtian decided to postpone confronting the Western Religion and instead planned to retaliate when the next Co-Lord of the Human Race appeared.
• Shennong told Du'e he would enter seclusion, made arrangements with Du'e, Tingyao, and the human leaders, and then withdrew to cultivate.
• Dijiang proposed that the Witch Clan give up teaching the next Human Emperor and secretly work with Yuanshi against the Western Religion, and the Ancestral Witches agreed.
• The Ancestral Witches chose Chiyou to resolve the future Co-Lord’s karmic ties to the Witch Clan, and Houtu helped reincarnate him into the human race’s Jiuli Tribe.

Chiyou was born in the Jiuli Tribe with a powerful Witch Clan bloodline, and Witchmen forces gathered under him as Jiu Feng secretly guided him. Years later, Cang Jie was born in the Yangwu Tribe and appeared profoundly dull, though he drew strange symbols in the dirt; the chapter left his unusual behavior unexplained.

• Chiyou was born amid a violent heavenly phenomenon, and the Jiuli tribespeople recognized his appearance as a sign of revered ancestral bloodline.
• Witchmen tribes rallied to Chiyou, while Jiu Feng taught him the Witch Clan's arts of slaughter and watched over him without taking him as a disciple.
• Jieyin and Zhunti suspected that the Witch Clan intended to support Chiyou as the next Co-Lord of the Human Race, but Jieyin told Zhunti to wait before intervening.
• Cang Jie was born in the Yangwu Tribe and remained unable to walk or speak as he grew, despite his parents' devoted care.
• Cang Jie wandered the tribe, ignored mockery, and drew strange symbols in the dirt while muttering words no one understood.

Dou Mu Yuan Jun awakened, triggering a stellar disturbance that quietly marked Fubao’s pregnancy and the birth of twenty-eight Star Lords. Meanwhile, Shennong established the Medical Dao with the Shennong Herbal Classic, earning boundless merit and recognition across the Three Realms.

• Dou Mu Yuan Jun awakened after endless years of slumber, and the stars of the heavens resonated in a vast disturbance.
• A faint silver starlight descended upon Fubao of the Youxiong Tribe, who became pregnant with the Human Race’s third Co-Lord.
• Twenty-eight newly formed Star Lords fell into small tribes surrounding the Youxiong Tribe, unnoticed by the myriad races.
• The Shennong Herbal Classic appeared in the Nine Heavens, and its principles made living beings more sensitive to medicinal plants.
• Shennong proclaimed the establishment of the Medical Dao, received boundless merit, and was praised by humans and revered by powerful beings across the Three Realms.

After Fubao remained pregnant for nine thousand years, Yuanshi ordered Guang Chengzi to protect her unborn child and help him compete with Chiyou for the position of third Human Emperor. Guang Chengzi left for the Youxiong Tribe, foreseeing that the heavens were about to change.

• Fubao's pregnancy reached nine thousand years, and Shaodian Shi grew increasingly distressed as she suffered and the child showed no sign of being born.
• Human Race medical experts found Fubao and her child healthy but could not explain the prolonged pregnancy.
• Yuanshi summoned Guang Chengzi and ordered him to secretly protect Fubao and her unborn child.
• Guang Chengzi asked whether Yuanshi wanted the child to support Chiyou, but Yuanshi told him to help the child contend with Chiyou for the position of third Human Emperor.
• Yuanshi suggested that his plan might draw in the Two Sages of the West, while Guang Chengzi departed for the Youxiong Tribe, warning that the heavens were about to change.

Fubao and Shaodian Shi struggled with the danger of her ten-thousand-year pregnancy until Guang Chengzi arrived at Youxiong Tribe to accept their unborn child as his disciple. Shaodian Shi led Guang Chengzi to meet Fubao and the child.

• Shaodian Shi urged Fubao to give up their child because her dwindling spiritual power threatened both her life and the unborn infant.
• Fubao refused to give up, and Shaodian Shi agreed to wait another eight hundred years while secretly planning to seek treasures in a secret realm.
• Guang Chengzi arrived at Youxiong Tribe and announced that he had come on Yuanshi's orders to accept Fubao's unborn child as his disciple.
• Shaodian Shi welcomed Guang Chengzi and led him to Fubao's residence.

Guang Chengzi saved Fubao and her unborn child, Xuanyuan Shi, then stayed to protect them and guide the boy as he grew into a gifted leader of the Youxiong Tribe. As Xuanyuan Shi's influence expanded, Guang Chengzi wondered how his rise and Chiyou's power would lead the human race toward its next Co-Lord.

• Guang Chengzi gave Fubao a golden pill that restored her strength and allowed her to safely carry the child, and he promised to remain in the Youxiong Tribe until the birth.
• Eight hundred years later, Fubao gave birth to Xuanyuan Shi, whom Guang Chengzi named and accepted as his disciple.
• Xuanyuan Shi mastered cultivation, military strategy, and governance, taking charge of the Youxiong Tribe at a young age.
• Sixteen talented people from neighboring tribes joined Xuanyuan Shi, and more tribes pledged allegiance as his influence grew.
• Guang Chengzi wondered whether Xuanyuan Shi would become the third Co-Lord and chose to stay by his side rather than consult his master.
• Chiyou, chieftain of the Jiuli Tribe, remained the human race's most powerful and promising candidate for the next Co-Lord.

Shennong worried that greed and conflict had replaced hunger and disease as the human race’s troubles, and sought guidance from Du'e. After Du'e reminded him that each Co-Lord had a distinct mission, Shennong accepted that he must find a successor and began searching for one.

• Shennong saw that the human race had escaped hunger and disease but was increasingly divided by greed and conflict.
• Shennong visited Du'e and asked how he should address the human race’s growing troubles.
• Du'e told Shennong that his mission was complete and that the next Co-Lord must resolve the current problems.
• Shennong accepted Du'e's counsel and decided to find a suitable successor.
• Shennong returned to Chendu and sent his subordinates through the tribes to gather information on potential successors.

Shennong weighed Chiyou and Xuanyuan as candidates to succeed him, then favored Xuanyuan after inspecting their tribes. Meanwhile, Thunder Marsh took Cang Jie as his disciple and prepared him to create a script for humanity; Shennong’s summons to Xuanyuan stirred resentment in Jiuli.

• Shennong sought Du'e's advice about choosing between Chiyou and Xuanyuan, but Du'e could not decide for him, so Shennong resolved to inspect both tribes himself.
• Thunder Marsh introduced himself to Cang Jie as a disciple of Dao Venerable Gou Chen and took him as his disciple after Cang Jie learned of his connection to Dao Venerable Xuanxiao.
• Cang Jie explained his ambition to create a script for humanity, and Thunder Marsh urged him to cultivate and understand the Great Dao before attempting it.
• After tens of thousands of years of cultivation and travel, Cang Jie reached the Golden Immortal realm, and Thunder Marsh gave him scripts and Dao Patterns gathered from the myriad races to guide his work.
• Shennong returned from inspecting the Jiuli and Youxiong tribes and favored Xuanyuan's benevolent rule over Chiyou's forceful leadership.
• Shennong summoned Xuanyuan Shi to Chendu, prompting celebration in Youxiong and indignation among Chiyou's followers in Jiuli.

Xuanyuan accepted Shennong’s invitation and was formally named his successor as Co-Lord of the Human Race, with the transfer set for a thousand years later. The announcement stirred resentment among the southern tribes, and Jieyin and Zhunti watched for a chance to exploit the brewing conflict between the Three Pure Ones and the Witch Clan.

• Taiwei and the other fifteen tribe leaders urged Xuanyuan to claim the Co-Lord position, and Xuanyuan agreed that he was ready to rule the Human Race.
• Xuanyuan met Shennong in Chen City and spoke with him through the night about the Human Race and its future.
• Shennong announced that he would abdicate in a thousand years and pass the position of Co-Lord to Xuanyuan Shi of the Youxiong Tribe.
• The Jiuli Tribe and other southern groups resented Xuanyuan’s succession, though Shennong’s prestige kept their opposition from erupting into open conflict.
• Jieyin and Zhunti considered supporting Xuanyuan to deepen the rift between the Three Pure Ones and the Witch Clan, but Jieyin decided they should wait for turmoil before acting.
• The major powers and Divine Ability users across the Primordial Wilderness watched Chen City and the Human Race’s unfolding succession.

Shennong abdicated the Co-Lordship of the Human Race to Xuanyuan, whose oath was witnessed by Heaven and Earth. Shennong received immense merit and rose to the Perfected Primordial Golden Immortal Realm, but failed to break through further; Houtu then sensed something in the void.

• Wu appeared as a clone and said he would not interfere in the disputes among the Sages or in the Co-Lordship.
• Shennong declared that he was abdicating the Co-Lordship to Xuanyuan of the Youxiong Tribe.
• Xuanyuan accepted the position and swore to protect and prosper the Human Race.
• The Human Race's destiny passed from Shennong to Xuanyuan as the Kongtong Seal suppressed the River of Destiny.
• Eighty percent of the gathered merit entered Shennong, raising his cultivation to the Perfected Primordial Golden Immortal Realm, but he could not break through further.
• Houtu sensed something in the void and looked up in surprise.

The Earthly Dao declared Shennong the master of humanity's Humanity Path, making him a Sage as he abdicated in favor of Xuanyuan. After Shennong departed, factions backed Xuanyuan and Chiyou, and mounting tensions left war waiting for a spark.

• The Earthly Dao appeared with the Six Paths Samsara Disk and named Shennong the master of humanity's Humanity Path, infusing him with primordial violet qi and elevating him to Sage.
• Shennong blessed humanity, entrusted its future to Xuanyuan, and departed for the void as the human subjects mourned his leaving.
• Xuanyuan accepted the burden of leadership and resolved to guide humanity toward a mightier future.
• The Asura Cult backed Chiyou, Western Religion's disciples operated in Xuanyuan's territory, and Haotian sent the Nine Heavens Profound Lady to aid Xuanyuan.
• Major powers and races took sides as tensions between the north and south intensified, with war awaiting a spark.

Xuanyuan tried to reconcile with Chiyou, but his envoys were killed in the south, deepening tensions between the northern and southern Human Race. His leaders split over whether to investigate the killings or attack the Jiuli Tribe, leaving Xuanyuan facing a choice that could ignite civil war.

• Xuanyuan sent envoys to Chiyou to negotiate unity and joint resistance against outside forces.
• The envoys were intercepted and killed in the south, and their corpses were marked with insults aimed at Xuanyuan and the northern tribes.
• Limu urged Xuanyuan to lead an immediate attack on the Jiuli Tribe and force Chiyou to submit.
• Taiwei argued that the killings did not fit Chiyou’s character and warned that the culprits might be trying to provoke a civil war.
• The northern leaders argued over whether to investigate the killings or retaliate, while Xuanyuan remained solemn and wary of escalation.

Xuanyuan accepted Feng Hou’s advice to declare war on Chiyou after the killing of his envoy, while Chiyou exposed the Western Religion’s role and prepared to march north. Both armies gathered for a confrontation on the Zhuolu Plains.

• Feng Hou persuaded Xuanyuan that he had to use the envoy’s death to rally the northern tribes and launch a campaign against Chiyou.
• Xuanyuan ordered the northern tribes to prepare for war and condemned Chiyou for the envoy’s ambush and killing.
• Chiyou tore apart a Western Religion disciple and warned his followers against using his name for secret plots.
• Pilánpo concealed his anger and wondered how Chiyou had discovered the Western Religion’s scheme.
• Chiyou revealed that he had monitored the Western Religion’s disciples and allowed their plot to proceed so it would provoke Xuanyuan and warn the religion.
• After receiving Xuanyuan’s proclamation, Chiyou ordered the Jiuli Tribe to march north to the Zhuolu Plains in three days.

Xuanyuan’s army fought Chiyou’s forces at Zhuolu and suffered a crushing defeat despite its overwhelming numbers. Xuanyuan withdrew north in humiliation while Chiyou’s allies celebrated, unaware of his contempt for them.

• Xuanyuan and Chiyou exchanged accusations and offers before rejecting peace and sending their armies into battle.
• Chiyou’s Witchmen and eighty-one Grand Unity Golden Immortal generals overwhelmed Xuanyuan’s soldiers and commanders over tens of thousands of years.
• Chiyou gained the upper hand in his duel with Xuanyuan, leaving him wounded and forcing Guang Chengzi to call for a retreat.
• Xuanyuan ordered the withdrawal, and his battered army fled north as Chiyou’s forces mocked them.
• Maitreya and Dashizhi celebrated Chiyou’s victory and their prospects for merit, while Chiyou looked on with cold disdain.

After Xuanyuan’s army suffered devastating losses at Zhuolu, Guang Chengzi sought reinforcements from the Chan Sect, while Chiyou pressed Maitreya to make the Western Religion oppose them. Both sects sent disciples toward the battlefield, leaving a larger confrontation poised to begin.

• Xuanyuan learned that the Human Race had lost more than ten billion clansmen at Zhuolu and blamed himself for the defeat.
• Guang Chengzi returned to Kunlun Mountain, and Yuanshi Heavenly Lord ordered the Chan Sect’s disciples to help Xuanyuan defeat Chiyou.
• Yuanshi privately hoped that the Western Religion would enter the conflict and become entangled in the struggle for human merit.
• Chiyou demanded that Maitreya have the Western Religion stop the Chan Sect’s disciples, and Maitreya reported the demand to Jieyin and Zhunti.
• Guang Chengzi and the Chan Sect’s disciples reached Zhuolu, while the Western Religion also sent disciples toward the battlefield.

Guang Chengzi and the other Kunlun immortals joined Xuanyuan to help him fight Chiyou, though they feared the Witch Clan might intervene. Yuanshi assured them the Witch Clan would stay out of the conflict, and the armies resumed battle with Xuanyuan's forces holding their ground.

• Guang Chengzi introduced Xuanyuan to the arriving immortals, and Xuanyuan explained his long struggle and defeat at Zhuolu against Chiyou.
• Immortal Official of the South Pole warned Xuanyuan that the Witch Clan could overwhelm them if it supported Chiyou, but Yuanshi assured them it would not intervene.
• Chiyou's forces challenged Xuanyuan's camp, and Xuanyuan led his allies onto the battlefield to face them.
• Chiyou mocked Xuanyuan and ordered his army to attack after True Man Yu Ding rebuked him.
• Xuanyuan's soldiers clashed with the Witchmen while Immortal Official of the South Pole, Guang Chengzi, and the others fought Chiyou's eighty-one generals, bringing the battle to a stalemate.

Immortal Official of the South Pole explained how the Human Race could use their own souls to empower weapons against the Jiuli Witchmen, and Xuanyuan rejected any plan that required sacrificing his people. When the council feared they still could not overcome Chiyou’s battle formations, an unknown visitor announced that he had a solution.

• Immortal Official of the South Pole told Xuanyuan to withdraw, then explained that the Witchmen’s Witch Clan aura protected them from ordinary weapons.
• Immortal Official of the South Pole revealed that Human souls could penetrate Witch Clan bodies, angering Xuanyuan and the Human Race leaders, who feared he meant sacrificing their people.
• Xuanyuan refused to slaughter anyone, and Immortal Official of the South Pole clarified that he could temporarily attach each person’s soul power to their own weapon.
• A Human Race leader warned that Chiyou’s formations and command could still defeat them, while True Man Taiyi suggested seeking help from the Interception Sect.
• Immortal Official of the South Pole said outside forces were likely unable to intervene, and an unseen visitor called from beyond the hall, claiming to have a solution.

The Nine Heavens Profound Lady gave Xuanyuan three plans and treasures that could counter Jiuli’s formations, fog, and morale, and Xuanyuan prepared humanity for a decisive battle ten thousand years later. At Zhuolu, Xuanyuan’s forces used those advantages to break Chiyou’s army, whose formation began to collapse as the fog cleared.

• The Nine Heavens Profound Lady presented Xuanyuan with the Heavenly Book of Military Strategy, the Chariot of the South Manufacturing Blueprint, and the Kui Ox Drum Manufacturing Blueprint.
• Xuanyuan ordered humanity to spread the strategies, build the chariots, and prepare the drums for a decisive battle against Chiyou at Zhuolu ten thousand years later.
• During those ten thousand years, Xuanyuan lost seven more battles to Chiyou, bringing his total defeats to nine.
• At Zhuolu, the Nine Heavens Profound Lady used her immortal banner and the Chariots of the South to guide Xuanyuan’s army through the black fog and surround the Witchmen.
• Xuanyuan’s soldiers wounded Witchmen with soul-infused weapons, while Hanba and Yinglong stopped the enemy’s wind and rain attacks.
• The Nine Heavens Profound Lady’s Kui Ox Drums shattered Chiyou’s army’s morale, and Xuanyuan’s disciplined forces surrounded the Jiuli Witchmen as their formation cracked and the fog dissipated.

Jieyin and Zhunti discovered that the other powers had manipulated events around Chiyou and Xuanyuan, but Sage Hongjun intervened before the furious Sages could fight. Xuanyuan unified humanity and began a new age of order, while Cang Jie continued his long study toward creating written characters.

• Zhunti awakened Maitreya and the other Western Religion disciples, but hundreds disintegrated their cultivation under the weight of their Karma, while the Eight-Treasure Merit Pool spent its merit trying to save the survivors.
• Jieyin realized that the Three Pure Ones, Houtu, Minghe, and others had guided Western Religion into its disastrous role; the assembled powers confronted the two Sages until Sage Hongjun ordered all Sages to withdraw.
• Jieyin and Zhunti returned to the West, and the other Sages dispersed; Xuanyuan then asked Chiyou whether he had deliberately lost, and Chiyou entrusted the Jiuli Tribe and Witchmen to him before returning to the Netherworld Underworld.
• Xuanyuan united the human tribes, replaced the tribal system with city-states, and moved his capital from Chen City to Zhuolu, ushering in a period of recovery and growth.
• Cang Jie continued studying the scripts of the myriad races, including Xuanxiao's Great Dao Ancestral Characters and Great Dao Derivative Characters, to prepare to create written characters.

Cang Jie created three thousand characters for the human race, completing the Dao of Script and earning recognition, treasures, and immense merit from Xuanxiao. He became the Literary Ancestor, helped Xuanyuan strengthen human governance, and left Xuanyuan preparing to choose the next Co-Lord of the Human Race.

• Cang Jie announced his creation of human writing and formed three thousand characters before the Three Realms.
• Xuanxiao's phantom recognized Cang Jie's achievement, bestowed two supreme treasures, and granted him merit that raised his cultivation to the Primordial Origin Golden Immortal realm.
• The Three Ancestors, Fuxi, and Shennong affirmed Cang Jie as the Literary Ancestor, while the Kongtong Seal bound him to Human Race Destiny and made him immortal as long as the human race endured.
• Cang Jie visited Xuanyuan in Xuanyuan City, recognized his position as Co-Lord, and declined to govern alongside him, choosing instead to educate the human race through writing.
• Cang Jie helped Xuanyuan record laws and administration, standardize decrees and rituals, and develop early state governance as the human race grew stronger.
• Xuanyuan sensed that his merit was nearing completion and resolved to find the next Co-Lord of the Human Race.