Chapter Summaries

Nezha emerged from the flesh ball, and Li Jing learned that his strike had damaged the child’s foundation and earned his resentment, though True Man Taiyi promised to repair the damage. Years later, Nezha remained at home while Jiang Ziya returned to Zhaoge and reunited with Song Yiren.

• Nezha emerged from the flesh ball and sought refuge with Lady Yin after Li Jing nearly struck him with his sword.
• True Man Taiyi told Li Jing that the strike had destroyed Nezha’s chance to absorb the Innate Spiritual Objects, but promised to rebuild his Dao Foundation.
• Nezha called Li Jing a bad man, accepted the Universe Ring and Heaven-Mixing Silk, and bowed to True Man Taiyi as his teacher.
• Nezha chose to stay with Lady Yin, and True Man Taiyi agreed to wait at Jinguang Cave until Nezha was older.
• Nezha grew into a mischievous child whose clashes with Li Jing were often mediated by Lady Yin.
• Jiang Ziya returned to Zhaoge, found his house unchanged, and reunited with his sworn Big Brother, Song Yiren.

After returning from Kunlun, Jiang Ziya reunited with Song Yiren, who arranged a marriage for him and began preparing an elaborate wedding. Jiang Ziya accepted his sworn brother’s support despite his uncertainty about settling into mortal life.

• Song Yiren welcomed Jiang Ziya home and insisted on finding him a suitable wife.
• Jiang Ziya spent the night organizing his cultivation notes, then suppressed his hunger because his house had no food and he had no money.
• Song Yiren returned at dawn and told Jiang Ziya he had arranged a marriage with Madam Ma, a sixty-eight-year-old unmarried woman, and gave him money.
• Jiang Ziya accepted Song Yiren’s support and promised to care for himself, though he remained unsure how to earn a living in the Mortal Realm.
• Song Yiren sent servants to decorate the house for the wedding and admitted that he would have less time to support Jiang Ziya because of his responsibilities in Zhaoge City.

Jiang Ziya married Madam Ma, then failed at several businesses until he followed Song Yiren’s advice and became a successful fortune-teller in Zhaoge. His growing reputation drew the attention of the Three Demons of Xuanyuan Tomb, and the Jade Pipa Spirit framed him publicly after he saw through her disguise.

• Jiang Ziya agreed to marry Madam Ma to fulfill Song Yiren’s and his late parents’ wishes, and their wedding brought in many gifts and influential guests.
• Jiang Ziya lost his capital selling flour, running an eatery, and trading livestock, while Madam Ma sold her dowry jewelry to support the household.
• Song Yiren advised Jiang Ziya to earn a living by telling fortunes, but his stall went unnoticed for four or five months.
• Jiang Ziya gave an accurate reading to a passerby, and his reputation spread until crowds lined up at his stall.
• The Three Demons of Xuanyuan Tomb sent the Jade Pipa Spirit to test Jiang Ziya, but he recognized her demonic aura and seized her wrist.
• The Jade Pipa Spirit cried out that Jiang Ziya had harassed her, drawing an angry crowd around the stall.

Jiang Ziya exposed the Jade Pipa Spirit in King Zhou’s hall and was appointed a court official. The injured spirit joined Daji and the Nine-Headed Pheasant Spirit in plotting to enter the palace and turn King Zhou against Jiang Ziya, while King Zhou suspected Daji’s demonic nature but felt bound by Empress Nuwa’s Imperial Edict.

• Bi Gan brought Jiang Ziya and the Jade Pipa Spirit to King Zhou after they accused each other in the street.
• King Zhou ordered the Pipa Spirit burned, and Jiang Ziya’s Samadhi True Fire exposed her true form and drove her to flee.
• King Zhou praised Jiang Ziya and appointed him Lower Grand Master and Directorate of Astronomy.
• The Pipa Spirit told Daji how Jiang Ziya had injured her, and Daji proposed that she and the Nine-Headed Pheasant Spirit win King Zhou’s favor to use the court against him.
• The Pipa Spirit and the Nine-Headed Pheasant Spirit found women to possess and returned to Zhaoge, while Daji approached King Zhou with a request he anticipated.

Daji brought the Jade Pipa Spirit and the Pheasant Spirit into Zhaoge, where King Zhou made them favored consorts, while the demons worried that Jiang Ziya would expose them. Daji then persuaded King Zhou to build Lutai, and the chapter ended with him asking who would supervise its construction.

• Daji asked King Zhou to welcome her two younger sisters, and the Jade Pipa Spirit and the Pheasant Spirit entered the palace as Ximei and Lady Wang.
• King Zhou grew more devoted to his three favored beauties and neglected court affairs, while Jiang Ziya recognized them as demons and prepared to remonstrate.
• Shang Rong stopped Jiang Ziya from speaking, and Lady Wang learned that he had destroyed a Pipa Spirit and feared he would expose her.
• Lady Wang urged Daji to get rid of Jiang Ziya, but Daji and Hu Ximei warned against acting rashly because he was protected by the Primordial Heavenly Venerate and watched by loyal ministers.
• Daji showed King Zhou a painting of Lutai and promised that building it would bring immortality and eternal wealth.
• King Zhou eagerly agreed to build Lutai, then asked who could supervise its construction.

Daji persuaded King Zhou to order Jiang Ziya to oversee the extravagant Lutai project, and Jiang Ziya refused, denounced the tyrant, and fled from the palace. He escaped by leaping into the river, while King Zhou concealed his true intentions by announcing that Jiang Ziya had drowned.

• Daji recommended Jiang Shang to supervise the construction of the Lutai, and King Zhou issued the order.
• Jiang Ziya saw that the Lutai plans would exhaust the people and treasury, so he remonstrated with King Zhou and refused the decree.
• King Zhou feigned anger and ordered the guards to seize Jiang Ziya after Jiang Ziya called him a foolish tyrant.
• Jiang Ziya fled through the palace, jumped from Nine Dragon Bridge into the river, and vanished.
• King Zhou ordered people to spread the story that Jiang Shang had defied the decree and drowned while fleeing punishment.

After fleeing Zhaoge and divorcing Madam Ma, Jiang Ziya left for Xiqi. King Zhou sought Golden Phoenix’s help to protect Queen Jiang from Daji and the other demons, while Daji summoned Fei Zhong to ask what he knew about the queen.

• Jiang Ziya fled to Song Family Village, told Madam Ma what had happened, and divorced her when she refused to leave Zhaoge for Xiqi.
• Queen Jiang rebuked King Zhou for neglecting the realm, and he dismissed her while worrying that Daji and the other demons would harm her.
• Daji, Hu Ximei, and Lady Wang left King Zhou alone, and Daji resolved that Queen Jiang had to be removed to claim his affection.
• King Zhou prayed to Nuwa, and Golden Phoenix appeared, promised to protect Queen Jiang through a trial, and gave him a jade pendant so he could summon her.
• Daji summoned Fei Zhong, and after he offered to serve her, she asked how well he knew Queen Jiang.

Daji and Fei Zhong framed Queen Jiang and Jiang Huanchu for an attempted assassination of King Zhou, using Jiang Huan as their false witness. King Zhou ordered their arrest, and Queen Jiang accepted that she had lost the struggle while fearing for her two sons.

• Daji approved Fei Zhong's plan to bribe Jiang Huan and frame Queen Jiang for an assassination attempt.
• Jiang Huan attacked King Zhou at Fengong Tower, and Daji pretended to save him before the guards seized the maidservant.
• Under torture, Jiang Huan falsely accused Queen Jiang and Jiang Huanchu of plotting to assassinate the King and rebel.
• Fei Zhong and You Hun urged King Zhou to arrest Queen Jiang and Jiang Huanchu, and Daji added a calculated show of doubt about Queen Jiang's guilt.
• King Zhou ordered the Imperial Guards to arrest Queen Jiang and Jiang Huanchu, who learned of the accusation before the guards arrived.
• Queen Jiang recognized that she had been framed, gave up hope of winning against her accusers, and worried that her two sons would be caught in the calamity.

Golden Phoenix rescued Queen Jiang and Jiang Huanchu by leaving doubles to be arrested for the alleged assassination of King Zhou. She brought them to a secluded estate, where King Zhou arrived and reunited with Queen Jiang, remorseful for her suffering.

• Golden Phoenix created doubles of Queen Jiang and Jiang Huanchu, then secretly transported the real pair away as Fei Zhong and You Hun arrested the doubles.
• Fei Zhong and You Hun spread rumors that Queen Jiang and Jiang Huanchu had plotted to assassinate King Zhou, while Daji, the Nine-Headed Pheasant Spirit, and the Jade Pipa Spirit celebrated.
• Queen Jiang and Jiang Huanchu questioned Golden Phoenix about why she had saved them, then panicked when someone knocked at the estate gate.
• Golden Phoenix opened the gates with her Immortal Power, revealing King Zhou, who thanked her for preserving Queen Jiang and Jiang Huanchu.
• After Golden Phoenix departed, King Zhou embraced Queen Jiang and apologized for her suffering.

King Zhou revealed to Queen Jiang and East Earl that his foolish behavior was an act tied to the Investiture of the Gods tribulation, then entrusted them with secretly building a force to aid Great Shang. After they parted, Golden Phoenix escorted them toward Sanshan Pass while King Zhou returned to the palace to maintain his disguise.

• King Zhou explained the heavenly tribulation, Empress Nuwa’s arrangements, and his deception to Queen Jiang and Jiang Huanchu.
• King Zhou told Queen Jiang and East Earl to hide, recruit troops, and prepare a secret force, with Kong Xuan at Sanshan Pass providing support.
• Queen Jiang and East Earl accepted King Zhou’s command and discussed plans for gathering provisions, weapons, and soldiers through the night.
• Queen Jiang asked about Yin Jiao and Yin Hong, and King Zhou assured her that he had arranged for their safety.
• Golden Phoenix escorted Queen Jiang and East Earl west toward Sanshan Pass, while King Zhou returned to the palace to continue pretending to neglect state affairs.

King Zhou approved the torture of the substitutes for Queen Jiang and Jiang Huanchu, who both died in the dungeon without admitting to treason. Daji welcomed their deaths as a chance to strengthen her hold over the harem, while King Zhou was shaken by the news despite knowing the real Queen and East Earl were safe.

• King Zhou approved Imperial Concubine Huang’s request to gouge out Queen Jiang’s eye and brand her hands so the deception would fool Daji and the watching Immortal Saints.
• Queen Jiang’s substitute endured the tortures, proclaimed her innocence, and died without confessing.
• Jiang Huanchu saw Queen Jiang’s body and stabbed himself through the heart with a sword.
• Imperial Concubine Huang panicked as news of the deaths spread through Zhaoge before she could report them.
• Daji celebrated Queen Jiang and Jiang Huanchu’s deaths as the removal of obstacles to her power over the harem.
• King Zhou heard the news and was overcome with alarm and grief despite knowing the dead were substitutes.

After realizing a demon’s scheme had nearly made him kill his true wife and father-in-law, King Zhou summoned Imperial Concubine Huang and Huang Feihu to his bedchamber. He accused Imperial Concubine Huang of forcing the Queen and the royal father-in-law to their deaths, and Huang Feihu could only protest that there must have been a misunderstanding.

• King Zhou recoiled in terror at the thought that a demonic trick had nearly made him kill his true beloved and father-in-law.
• King Zhou ordered Imperial Concubine Huang and Huang Feihu to appear before him immediately.
• Imperial Concubine Huang arrived terrified and begged King Zhou to spare her, while Huang Feihu entered alarmed and demanded to know what had happened.
• King Zhou declared that Imperial Concubine Huang had personally forced the Queen and her father to their deaths.
• Huang Feihu stared at his sister in shock and pleaded with King Zhou that the accusation had to be a misunderstanding.

King Zhou staged Imperial Concubine Huang’s imprisonment to convince Daji and her allies that he remained a foolish, violent ruler, while secretly keeping Huang Feihu and the Huang Family as loyal military support. He revealed the ruse to Huang Feihu, who asked why the king was disguising himself as incompetent.

• King Zhou ordered Imperial Concubine Huang dragged to the dungeon as Huang Feihu watched without pleading.
• After the guards left, King Zhou dropped his fury and invited the stunned Huang Feihu to sit.
• King Zhou told Huang Feihu that the imprisonment was a performance for outsiders and that his sister should avoid the ordeal.
• King Zhou explained that he needed to conceal Huang Feihu’s military strength and preserve the Huang Family as support against Daji and her allies.
• Huang Feihu realized King Zhou’s public displays of incompetence might have been deliberate and asked why he had disguised himself.

King Zhou revealed his secret plan to Huang Feihu, who pledged to stand with him against the Heavenly Dao and the Saints. Meanwhile, Yin Jiao and Yin Hong suspected their mother's death was part of a larger plot and resolved to seek justice themselves.

• Golden Phoenix appeared in the hall and placed a Phoenix True Seal on Huang Feihu so even a Saint could not detect the secret.
• King Zhou told Huang Feihu about the God Conferment Secret Record and the fake deaths of Queen Jiang and the East Earl, then named him the only person he could fully trust.
• Huang Feihu pledged loyalty to King Zhou and vowed to defy the immortals and gods alongside him.
• King Zhou declared that he would defy heaven and fight for the Human Race if the Heavenly Dao or Saints threatened Great Shang.
• Yin Hong stopped Yin Jiao from rushing to confront King Zhou, warning him that their mother's death involved a major hidden scheme.
• Yin Jiao and Yin Hong decided to seek justice for their mother themselves.

Yin Jiao and Yin Hong forced Jiang Huan to confess that Fei Zhong and You Hun had ordered her to frame Queen Jiang, with Daji providing a jade pendant as proof. Yin Jiao killed Jiang Huan and the brothers attacked Daji at her banquet, but she escaped behind the Imperial Guards, leaving the princes facing an armed barrier.

• Yin Jiao and Yin Hong confronted Jiang Huan in the Cold Palace and demanded to know who had framed their mother.
• Jiang Huan confessed that Fei Zhong and You Hun had coerced her and that Daji had given her a jade pendant as proof.
• Yin Jiao killed Jiang Huan with the Giant God Axe despite Yin Hong's warning to keep her alive for further questioning.
• The brothers broke into Daji's banquet and pursued her as she called for help and accused them of rebellion.
• Daji used a maid to delay the princes, escaped into the ranks of Imperial Guards, and left them blocked by the soldiers.

Yin Jiao and Yin Hong were trapped after attempting to avenge Queen Jiang, but Consort Yang helped them escape Zhaoge City through a secret passage. King Zhou then ordered a citywide search and commanded that the brothers be captured and executed.

• Yin Jiao and Yin Hong fought their way through the Imperial Guards but were cornered at the sealed palace gates.
• Consort Yang pulled the wounded brothers into a secluded alley and sent them through a secret passage with two eunuchs.
• Consort Yang distracted the guards while Yin Jiao and Yin Hong escaped Zhaoge City.
• King Zhou heard that the princes had fled, and Golden Phoenix assured him that she had made arrangements.
• Shang Rong and the ministers pleaded for the princes, but Fei Zhong and You Hun urged King Zhou to hunt them down.
• King Zhou ordered a citywide search and pursuit, and soldiers rode out after Yin Jiao and Yin Hong.

Kong Xuan rescued Yin Jiao and Yin Hong from the Imperial Guards under Empress Nuwa’s order and brought them to his tent. There, the brothers reunited with their mother, Queen Jiang, whom they had believed dead.

• As the Imperial Guards cornered the wounded Yin Jiao and Yin Hong, Five-Colored Divine Light enveloped them and made them disappear.
• Kong Xuan brought the brothers to his military tent, where their injuries had been healed.
• Yin Jiao and Yin Hong thanked Kong Xuan, who told them that he had acted under Empress Nuwa’s Imperial Edict.
• Queen Jiang entered the tent, and the brothers rushed to embrace their mother, shocked to find her alive.

Yin Jiao and Yin Hong learned that their mother had survived and that the upheaval in Great Shang was part of a divine scheme to seize control of the Human Dao. As Kong Xuan explained that Empress Nuwa was turning the scheme against its plotters, Guang Chengzi and Chi Jingzi arrived at Sanshan Pass to claim the princes, and Kong Xuan secretly concealed Queen Jiang and Jiang Huanchu.

• Jiang Huanchu told Yin Jiao and Yin Hong that the woman who died in prison had been an immortal-made substitute, and Kong Xuan explained the God Conferment scheme.
• Kong Xuan revealed that the immortals sought to demote the Human King and seize the Human Dao, prompting Queen Jiang and Jiang Huanchu to condemn the plan.
• Queen Jiang asked Kong Xuan to return her to Zhaoge, but he refused and assured her that Immortal Golden Phoenix was protecting King Zhou.
• Kong Xuan explained that Empress Nuwa had recognized the Saints' true scheme and was using the God Conferment tribulation to protect Great Shang and the Human Race.
• Guang Chengzi and Chi Jingzi arrived at Sanshan Pass after pursuing Yin Jiao and Yin Hong, and Kong Xuan shielded Queen Jiang and Jiang Huanchu from their notice.

Guang Chengzi and Chi Jingzi tried to take Yin Jiao and Yin Hong as disciples, but Kong Xuan drove them away and accepted the brothers himself after receiving permission from the Dao Venerable. He revealed that they had joined Azure Nether Palace, a lineage that included Empress Nuwa, leaving them hopeful that the sect could protect Great Shang and the Human Race.

• Guang Chengzi and Chi Jingzi invoked the Primordial Heavenly Venerate’s decree to claim Yin Jiao and Yin Hong as disciples, but Kong Xuan’s aura forced them to the ground.
• Kong Xuan accused the Chan Sect immortals of plotting, forbade them from meddling in Sanshan Pass, and sent them fleeing.
• Yin Jiao and Yin Hong knelt and asked Kong Xuan to accept them, but he initially refused because he needed his sect’s approval.
• The Dao Venerable authorized Kong Xuan to establish his own lineage and accept disciples, so Kong Xuan agreed to take the brothers as his disciples.
• Kong Xuan told Yin Jiao and Yin Hong that they were fourth-generation disciples of Azure Nether Palace and that Empress Nuwa was his martial aunt.

King Zhou maintained his disguise as a debauched ruler while Shang Rong remonstrated against his neglect of Great Shang and collapsed outside the hall. King Zhou had Golden Phoenix save Shang Rong and send him into peaceful retirement, where Shang Rong learned the truth about the king’s apparent behavior.

• King Zhou learned that Kong Xuan had rescued Yin Jiao and Yin Hong, then feigned rage at soldiers who failed to capture them.
• Daji and her companions tried to draw King Zhou deeper into pleasure as officials worried over the abandoned court and the crumbling realm.
• Shang Rong knelt outside King Zhou’s bedchamber and offered a death remonstrance, but King Zhou continued his disguise without responding.
• Shang Rong collapsed after kneeling through the day, and King Zhou asked Golden Phoenix to save him.
• Golden Phoenix transported Shang Rong to a prepared cottage, where he found King Zhou’s letter urging him to retire from court.
• Shang Rong read the letter and realized King Zhou’s debauchery was a deliberate disguise amid the immortals’ and gods’ interference.