Chapter Summaries

Jiang Ziya’s forces broke Chong City’s resistance, and Chong Heihu captured his elder brother Chong Houhu and nephew Chong Yingbiao before surrendering them to Xiqi. Jiang Ziya publicly listed Chong Houhu’s crimes as the people demanded justice.

• Jiang Ziya weakened Chong City’s morale by posting and reading proclamations of Chong Houhu’s crimes, then ordered a full assault.
• Chong Yingbiao led Chong City’s troops against the Zhou Army, but was defeated and forced to retreat inside the city.
• Chong Heihu entered Chong City under the pretense of bringing reinforcements, then had Chong Houhu and Chong Yingbiao seized at a banquet.
• Chong Heihu opened the city gates and escorted Chong Houhu, Chong Yingbiao, and the remaining defenders to the Xiqi camp, where he surrendered to Jiang Ziya and Ji Chang.
• Jiang Ziya recited Chong Houhu’s ten crimes before the gathered people, who pleaded for his execution.

Ji Chang witnessed Chong Houhu and Chong Yingbiao’s execution and saw Xiqi’s power grow as northern lords submitted, but his guilt and nightmares drove him to divine his fate. He glimpsed the Immortal Tribulation’s hidden game and realized Xiqi was being manipulated, yet the Heavenly Dao prevented him from revealing what he had seen.

• Jiang Ziya ordered Chong Houhu and Chong Yingbiao executed, and the people of Chong City celebrated their deaths.
• News of the executions spread, and northern lords sent envoys to submit to Ji Chang, greatly expanding Xiqi’s strength and prestige.
• Ji Chang became haunted by the execution and feared that he had betrayed Yin Shang by raising troops against a fellow lord.
• Ji Chang used the Fuxi Divination Technique and glimpsed immortal factions manipulating the Investiture Tribulation, with himself and Xiqi serving as pieces in their game.
• Ji Chang returned to his body unable to speak of his vision, while Qing Ya asked her master why he cared about him, and the master cited Ji Chang’s son Ji Fa as a figure who changed the Human Race’s fate.

After glimpsing the Heavenly Dao’s chess game, King Wen Ji Chang died after making Jiang Ziya and Ji Fa promise not to attack Shang. Ji Fa became Martial King and placed Jiang Ziya in control of Xiqi, but both remained troubled as a wider conflict approached.

• Ji Chang, gravely ill after seeing immortals and gods play chess above the Sky Dome, summoned Jiang Ziya and made him swear not to urge Ji Fa to attack Shang.
• Ji Chang told Ji Fa to succeed him, obey Jiang Ziya as his Imperial Father, rule through virtue, and avoid war; Ji Fa agreed before his father died.
• Jiang Ziya presided over three days of mourning as Xiqi grieved Ji Chang’s death.
• After the mourning period, Ji Fa inherited the position of Marquis of the West at the Ancestral Temple.
• At the ministers’ urging, Ji Fa proclaimed himself Martial King, established Xiqi as the capital, and entrusted Jiang Ziya with military and political affairs.
• Martial King reaffirmed his father’s peaceful policies, while Ji Fa remained unsettled and Jiang Ziya recognized that the Heavenly Dao’s game could bring a storm beyond Xiqi’s control.

On New Year's Day, Su Daji lured Lady Jia to Zhaixing Tower and used her demonic art to make King Zhou appear to molest her. Lady Jia leapt to her death, and Daji believed her plot to destroy Huang Feihu had succeeded, while a faint crimson gleam vanished from the blood below.

• Su Daji greeted Lady Jia warmly, persuaded her to become sworn sisters, and invited her to Zhaixing Tower.
• King Zhou secretly confirmed with Golden Phoenix that preparations were in place, then followed Daji and Lady Jia to the tower.
• Su Daji clouded King Zhou's outward consciousness and made him appear to attack Lady Jia, though he remained aware and unable to resist.
• Lady Jia denounced King Zhou and Daji, broke free, and leapt from Zhaixing Tower to her death.
• Su Daji rejoiced at the apparent success of her scheme, as a nearly imperceptible crimson gleam flashed from Lady Jia's blood and disappeared.

After Daji caused Consort Huang to fall to her death, Huang Feihu learned that his wife Lady Jia and sister had both died and declared that he would rebel against King Zhou. Torn between his family’s generations of loyalty to Yin Shang and his desire for vengeance, he was alone in his bedchamber when three figures appeared.

• Consort Huang confronted Daji over Lady Jia’s death, and King Zhou shoved her while Daji secretly broke the railing, causing Consort Huang to fall to her death.
• A palace eunuch told Huang Feihu that Lady Jia and Consort Huang had both died at Zhaixing Tower, and his trusted generals urged him to leave King Zhou’s service.
• Huang Feihu vowed to rebel and avenge his wife and sister, and the people in King Wucheng’s Mansion donned mourning clothes and prepared to leave Zhaoge.
• Huang Feihu privately wrestled with whether King Zhou had deceived him about their plans to defend Great Shang, and three figures suddenly appeared in his bedchamber.

Golden Phoenix revealed that King Zhou had staged Huang Feihu’s apparent rebellion to protect Great Shang’s forces during the Investiture of the Gods tribulation. Huang Feihu left Zhaoge with a Substitute Clay Figurine and his family hidden in a secluded mountain estate.

• Golden Phoenix reunited Huang Feihu with Lady Jia and Consort Huang and explained King Zhou’s plan to make his departure from Zhaoge appear to be a rebellion.
• Golden Phoenix warned Huang Feihu that some of his deputy generals might be disloyal, and Huang Feihu recalled how two officers, including Zhou Ji, had urged him to defect to Xiqi.
• Golden Phoenix gave Huang Feihu a Substitute Clay Figurine so he could deceive the heavens and carry out the staged rebellion.
• Huang Feihu decided to use his apparent defection to identify traitors and gather soldiers loyal to Great Shang, then asked Golden Phoenix to protect his wife and sister.
• Huang Feihu rode out of Zhaoge in feigned panic, while Golden Phoenix sent Lady Jia and Consort Huang to a secluded mountain estate.

Wen Zhong learned that Huang Feihu’s rebellion was part of King Zhou’s secret plan, then left to pursue him while Shen Gongbao remained at court. Shen Gongbao revealed his Chan Sect origins and promised Jie Sect support against Xiqi, leaving King Zhou wary of the schemes behind his arrival.

• King Zhou privately told Wen Zhong that Huang Feihu’s defection was a feigned part of their plan, then publicly ordered Wen Zhong to capture him.
• Wen Zhong left Zhaoge with an army, leaving Shen Gongbao alone before King Zhou.
• King Zhou questioned Shen Gongbao, who first claimed to be a Jie Sect disciple and then admitted that he had formerly served Primordial Heavenly Venerate in the Chan Sect.
• King Zhou suspected that Shen Gongbao’s defection concealed a deeper scheme and decided to ask Immortal Golden Phoenix about it later.
• Shen Gongbao claimed he had come under Niang Niang Yunxiao’s orders and boasted that the Jie Sect’s disciples could help Great Shang defeat Xiqi.

King Zhou appointed Shen Gongbao Imperial Preceptor, while Primordial Heavenly Venerate watched his plan for Jiang Ziya and Shen Gongbao unfold. Zhunti and Jieyin then proposed joining forces with Yuanshi to send Jie Sect disciples and the Remnants of the Three Clans onto the Investiture of the Gods, provoking his fury.

• King Zhou praised Shen Gongbao and appointed him Imperial Preceptor, and Shen vowed to help Great Shang defeat Jiang Ziya and Xiqi.
• Primordial Heavenly Venerate watched from Jade Void Palace and considered Shen Gongbao’s role in restraining Jiang Ziya and advancing the plan to overthrow Great Shang.
• Zhunti and Jieyin left Mount Sumeru and visited Yuanshi at Jade Void Palace to discuss the Investiture of the Gods.
• Zhunti proposed that the Chan Sect and Western Teach join forces to send Jie Sect disciples and the Remnants of the Three Clans onto the Investiture of the Gods.
• Yuanshi condemned the proposal as a shameless scheme against his younger brother Tongtian, while Zhunti and Jieyin defended it as following Heaven’s will.

Primordial Heavenly Venerate agreed to a Heavenly Dao-backed alliance with Zhunti and Jieyin against Jie Sect, while Human Dao observed their scheme. Unaware of the pact, Tongtian welcomed any move that would speed up the God Conferment tribulation and asked Yunxiao to help push events forward.

• Yuanshi acknowledged that Jie Sect's power and defiance of Heavenly Dao threatened the other sects, and agreed to ally with Western Teach to protect the Chan Sect.
• Zhunti presented a contract, and Yuanshi, Zhunti, and Jieyin bound themselves to send Jie Sect disciples onto the Investiture of the Gods and share the resulting benefits.
• Human Dao examined the contract and sensed the Saints' schemes through the Human Dao River.
• Tongtian remained unaware of the alliance and saw the accelerated tribulation as a way for his disciples to escape mortal karma and gain opportunities.
• Tongtian told Yunxiao that the stalled God Conferment tribulation made him restless and asked her to help push it forward.

The Dragon and Kirin Clans struggled to find a legitimate way to join the Investiture of the Gods, while the Phoenix Clan had already placed Kong Xuan and its hidden elites in the war. Lei Li went to Azure Nether Island to seek Xuan Qing’s help, where he found Xuan Qing, Xuan Ming, and You Hui discussing the Kirin Clan’s request.

• Candle Dragon and the Dragon Clan elders lamented that their clan had no natural reason to enter the human war, while Lei Xing and the Kirin elders feared both staying out of the tribulation and forcing their way in.
• Lei Xing asked Lei Li to seek help from Xuan Qing, and Lei Li reluctantly agreed to ask the Dao Venerable once on the Kirin Clan’s behalf.
• Lei Li arrived at Azure Nether Island, where the Qing Ya Sisters told him that Xuan Qing had been waiting for him.
• Lei Li watched Xuan Qing, Xuan Ming, and You Hui play a chess game that revealed visions of the Great Dao and the Measure Tribulation.
• Xuan Qing recognized that Lei Li had come to ask about the Kirin Clan entering the tribulation, while Xuan Ming said their chance at sainthood would be preferable to it going to Yuanshi and Zhunti.

Xuan Qing and Nuwa advised Lei Li on how the Kirin Clan could enter the Investiture of the Gods Calamity without disrupting the balance between Shang and Xiqi. After learning that the Dragon Clan had already arranged its own involvement, Lei Li returned to mobilize the Kirin Clan.

• Xuan Qing told Lei Li to seek Nuwa’s help and warned that the Kirin Clan’s direct support for either side could throw the war out of balance.
• Xuan Qing teleported Nuwa and her new disciple, Su Daji, from Nuwa Palace to Qingming, where Su Daji realized Nuwa regarded Xuan Qing as her teacher.
• Nuwa advised the Kirin Clan to stay between Shang and Xiqi and enter the war under the pretext of auspicious signs and restoring peace.
• Nuwa explained that the Dragon Clan had already tied its mortal branch to Nezha and Li Jing while keeping room to change its support.
• Lei Li returned to the Kirin Creation Divine Continent and ordered elite cultivators to prepare to enter the mortal world and join the Investiture of the Gods Calamity.

Nuwa brought Su Daji to Azure Nether Island, where Xuan Qing, Xuan Ming, and You Hui bestowed treasures and powers to help her cultivate and protect her family. After Nuwa and Su Daji departed, Xuan Qing reported that Yang Mei had found thousands of Chaos Dao Realms, though none could become Origin Dao Realms.

• Nuwa asked Xuan Qing to give Su Daji a formal gift, and he bestowed the Qingning Disaster-Relieving Fan to help her stabilize her Dao Heart and cultivate.
• Xuan Ming gave Su Daji a Golden Thread of Destiny that could alter fate on a small scale, while You Hui gave her a Purple Thread of Reincarnation that could offer opportunities for the dead in the Underworld.
• Su Daji resolved to use the gifts to protect her father and family in Jizhou, and Nuwa took her away from Azure Nether Island.
• Xuan Ming asked Xuan Qing whether Yang Mei had found World Origin in Chaos, and Xuan Qing contacted Qin through the River of Great Dao for an update.
• Xuan Qing reported that Yang Mei had found thousands of Chaos Dao Realms, including several with abundant origins, but their incomplete laws prevented them from becoming Origin Dao Realms.
• Xuan Ming and You Hui welcomed the news, believing continued accumulation of World Origin could eventually advance the Primordial World.

Su Daji learned about her Grandmaster’s supreme status and the dangers of the divine threads, then discovered that Empress Houtu was one of her martial uncles. Nuwa left Daji with Yang Chan on Creation Divine Continent before returning to the mortal world and the Investiture of the Gods Calamity.

• Su Daji asked Nuwa about her Grandmaster, and Nuwa explained that he was the Primordial’s strongest ancient being whom even Dao Ancestor Hongjun treated with respect.
• Nuwa warned Daji not to rely on her powerful background or use the Golden Thread of Destiny and Purple Thread of Reincarnation carelessly.
• Nuwa told Daji that Empress Houtu and another mighty figure were her martial uncles, while withholding details about three others.
• Su Daji grew secretly pleased at the thought of her connections, but Nuwa told her to cultivate before expecting to meet or rely on her martial uncles.
• Nuwa took Daji to Creation Divine Continent and entrusted her to Yang Chan, then returned to the mortal world to join the Shang-Zhou conflict and Investiture of the Gods Calamity.

Lei Li persuaded the Kirin Clan to enter the Investiture of the Gods conflict as neutral Auspicious Signs, while Huang Feihu escaped Wen Zhong’s pursuit and passed through Lintong Pass with Xiao Yin’s help. Huang Feihu and his party fled westward beyond Great Shang territory.

• Lei Li reported Xuan Qing and Nuwa’s instructions to Ancestor Kirin and proposed that the Kirin Clan descend to halt the fighting between Great Shang and Xiqi.
• Ancestor Kirin worried that interfering would anger the Chan and Jie sects, but Lei Li reassured him that the clan could act without taking sides.
• Wen Zhong’s forces trapped Huang Feihu and his party at White Deer Forest, but True Lord Qingxu Daode teleported them to safety and misled Wen Zhong into returning to Zhaoge.
• Huang Feihu reached Lintong Pass, where Zhang Feng failed to defeat him and later ordered Xiao Yin to launch a night raid on his camp.
• Xiao Yin killed Zhang Feng, revealed the scheme to Huang Feihu, and opened Lintong Pass so Huang Feihu and his party could escape westward.

Huang Feihu escaped Chen Tong’s Fire Dragon Dart by using a Substitute Clay Figurine, then traveled toward Zhaoge with Wen Zhong while his apparent corpse remained at Tong Pass. When Huang Tianhua revived that body, Huang Feihu began experiencing both bodies’ lives at once, leaving him with two parallel threads in the struggle ahead.

• Chen Tong killed the apparent Huang Feihu and Zhou Ji with his Fire Dragon Dart, but Huang Feihu secretly escaped using a Substitute Clay Figurine.
• Wen Zhong revealed that he had broken free of True Lord Qingxu Daode’s spell and had followed Huang Feihu to help him return safely to Zhaoge.
• True Lord Qingxu Daode sent Huang Tianhua to Tong Pass with the Immortal Flower Basket and Moye Treasure Sword, ordering him to save Huang Feihu and kill Chen Tong.
• Huang Tianhua used immortal medicine to revive the apparent Huang Feihu and Zhou Ji at Tong Pass.
• As the real Huang Feihu traveled with Wen Zhong, he suddenly experienced the Tong Pass body’s awakening as well and realized he seemed to be in two places at once.
• Wen Zhong reassured Huang Feihu that the two bodies were a safeguard arranged by King Zhou, and that he would need to learn to manage both lives.

Wen Zhong taught Huang Feihu a secret technique to control his twin bodies, but clarified it would not make him a Jie Sect disciple. After Zhou Ji revealed the Huang family’s tragedy to Huang Tianhua, the youth awoke consumed by grief and hatred and urged his father to return to Zhaoge and avenge their family.

• Wen Zhong taught Huang Feihu the Concentration and Body Control Secret Technique and told him it carried no Jie Sect lineage or disciple status.
• Huang Feihu adapted to his perfected clay-embryo body and reunited with Huang Tianhua at Tong Pass.
• Huang Feihu concealed the family’s tragedies from his son, but Zhou Ji recounted the deaths of Lady Jia and Consort Huang and the ruin of the Huang household.
• Huang Tianhua collapsed from grief, and Huang Feihu blamed Zhou Ji for disrupting his plans and silently vowed to make him pay.
• After waking, Huang Tianhua rejected returning to Green Peak Mountain and urged Huang Feihu to raise troops, kill King Zhou, and avenge their family.

Huang Tianhua killed Chen Tong and captured Tong Pass, then parted from Huang Feihu, who led his group toward Xiqi. At Cloud Piercing Pass, Chen Wu welcomed Huang Feihu’s exhausted party with a banquet and got them all drunk, leaving them defenseless.

• Huang Feihu left his tent to confront Chen Tong, while Huang Tianhua urged his father to avenge his death.
• An Immortal Basket caught Chen Tong’s Fire Dragon Dart, and Huang Tianhua killed Chen Tong with the Moye Treasure Sword.
• Huang Tianhua broke through the defenses and captured Tong Pass, then said farewell to Huang Feihu and promised they would meet again in Xiqi.
• Huang Feihu and his party reached Cloud Piercing Pass, where Chen Wu pretended not to know of their rebellion and welcomed them inside.
• Chen Wu hosted a lavish banquet and repeatedly urged the group to drink until Huang Feihu’s soldiers were all dead drunk and the camp lay undefended.

Huang Feihu escaped Chen Wu’s burning attack at Cloud Piercing Pass and killed him before leading his surviving soldiers toward Xiqi. At Jiepai Pass, the burning of the garrison’s provisions broke Huang Gun’s resolve, and he chose to join his son in abandoning Shang.

• Chen Wu set fire to Huang Feihu’s camp, but Huang Feihu woke his men and led them out of the flames.
• Huang Feihu killed Chen Wu with his spear and continued west toward Jiepai Pass.
• Huang Gun ordered his soldiers to capture Huang Feihu, who submitted without resisting.
• Zhou Ji, Huang Ming, Long Huan, and Wu Qian distracted the defenders while one of them burned Jiepai Pass’s grain and fodder.
• Zhou Ji urged Huang Gun to follow Huang Feihu and join Zhou, and Huang Gun abandoned Shang and chose to go with his son to Xiqi.

At Sishui Pass, Han Rong and Yu Hua captured Huang Feihu’s group, prompting True Man Taiyi to send Nezha to rescue them. Nezha set out for the pass while Ao Bing returned to the East Sea Dragon Palace, where Ao Guang revealed that the Dragon Clan had already made secret plans for the tribulation and ordered him to await instructions.

• Yu Hua used the Soul-Slaughtering Banner to capture Huang Feihu, Huang Gun, Zhou Ji, and the other soldiers at Sishui Pass, while Huang Feihu concealed his strength and pretended to be captured.
• Huang Gun begged Han Rong to spare his son and their followers, but Han Rong ordered the captives imprisoned and sent to Zhaoge for judgment and execution.
• True Man Taiyi foresaw Huang Feihu’s danger and sent Nezha to rescue the group and guide them safely to Xiqi.
• Nezha packed his Magic Treasures, told Ao Bing he was entering the Investiture Tribulation, and flew toward Sishui Pass on his Wind-Fire Wheels.
• Ao Bing returned to the East Sea Dragon Palace and urged Ao Guang to act, but Ao Guang explained that the Dragon Clan’s ancient leaders had already prepared for the tribulation and instructed him to await their decree.

Nezha broke Sishui Pass and rescued Huang Feihu and his companions, then escorted them to Xiqi, where Huang Feihu pledged his clan to Zhou. After Nezha greeted Jiang Ziya, the chancellor began considering how to recruit Nezha’s father, Li Jing.

• Nezha stormed Sishui Pass, defeated Yu Hua and Han Rong, and freed Huang Feihu, Huang Gun, Zhou Ji, and the others.
• Nezha saw that Huang Feihu’s body contained only a divided spirit linked to his true self in Zhaoge, but kept the discovery to himself.
• Nezha escorted Huang Feihu’s party to Xiqi, where Huang Feihu formally joined Zhou and offered his clan to Jiang Ziya.
• Nezha greeted Jiang Ziya as his martial uncle, and Jiang Ziya considered using him to persuade Li Jing to defect from Great Shang.
• Nezha recognized that Jiang Ziya was probing him for a way to recruit Li Jing.