Chapter Summaries

Nezha reluctantly obeyed True Man Taiyi’s order to remain in Xiqi and help Jiang Ziya, despite his loyalty to Yin Shang. Meanwhile, Wen Zhong secretly helped Huang Feihu hide his true body, then sent Chao Lei’s army against Xiqi, where Nangong Kuo defeated and captured Chao Lei.

• True Man Taiyi ordered Nezha to stay in Xiqi and assist Jiang Ziya, and Nezha accepted despite resisting the command in his heart.
• Huang Feihu told Wen Zhong that his true body had to remain hidden while his clay-bodied avatar continued posing as a defector in Xiqi.
• Wen Zhong staged a campaign against Huang Feihu and secretly escorted Huang Feihu’s true body to an isolated estate outside Zhaoge.
• Wen Zhong sent Chao Lei with twenty thousand Shang troops toward Xiqi, where Jiang Ziya dispatched Nangong Kuo with five thousand soldiers to meet them.
• Chao Lei and Nangong Kuo fought outside Xiqi, and Nangong Kuo dragged Chao Lei from his horse and had him bound.

After Chao Lei surrendered to Xiqi, he tried to persuade his brother Chao Tian to do the same, while Wen Zhong learned that King Zhou had secretly planned the defections as a deception. Chao Tian pretended to surrender and plotted an ambush, but Jiang Ziya anticipated him and had him captured.

• Nangong Kuo defeated Chao Lei, and Jiang Ziya and Huang Feihu persuaded the captive general to surrender to Xiqi.
• Chao Lei volunteered to bring his brother Chao Tian over to Xiqi, while Huang Feihu privately questioned his loyalty to Yin Shang.
• Wen Zhong received King Zhou's secret letter and learned that the apparent defections and defeats were part of a plan to mislead Xiqi and the immortals.
• Chao Lei rode to the border and persuaded Chao Tian to surrender, but Chao Tian secretly prepared an ambush against Xiqi.
• Jiang Ziya anticipated Chao Tian's treachery and sent Xin Jia and Nangong Kuo to lie in wait for him.
• Xin Jia and Nangong Kuo surrounded Chao Tian's troops, captured him after a failed attempt to break through, and accepted the surrender of his soldiers.

Jiang Ziya maneuvered Chao Lei’s family into Xiqi while Wen Zhong used the situation to launch a Shang campaign led by Zhang Guifang. After Zhang Guifang routed Xiqi’s generals with his name-calling magic, Nezha entered the battle, defeated him, and forced the Shang army to retreat.

• Jiang Ziya sent Chao Lei back to Zhaoge to bring his family to Xiqi, while keeping Chao Tian detained as a hostage.
• Wen Zhong let Chao Lei’s family leave the capital, then ordered Zhang Guifang to lead thirty thousand troops against Xiqi.
• Feng Lin killed Ji Shugan, and Zhang Guifang used his Name-Calling Dismount Technique to capture Nangong Kuo and Huang Feihu.
• True Man Taiyi ordered Nezha to assist Xiqi, and Nezha rode out to face the Shang army.
• Nezha burned away Feng Lin’s Crimson Bead, resisted Zhang Guifang’s magic, and drove him and the Shang army back to camp.

Jiang Ziya returned to Kunlun Mountain to ask the Primordial Heavenly Venerate for help against Great Shang’s hidden forces. He received treasures and instructions for Xiqi, then left with a warning not to answer anyone who called his name before he reached home.

• Jiang Ziya traveled from Xiqi to Kunlun Mountain and was escorted to the Jade Void Palace by the sorrowful White Crane Boy.
• Jiang Ziya told the Primordial Heavenly Venerate that Xiqi lacked the strength and allies to face Great Shang’s hidden immortals.
• The Primordial Heavenly Venerate revealed that the Investiture of the Gods and the God-Beating Whip were Jiang Ziya’s chance to enter the immortal path and ordered him to build the Investiture Platform in Xiqi.
• The Primordial Heavenly Venerate gave Jiang Ziya the defensive Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner and assured him that destined helpers would join Xiqi.
• The Primordial Heavenly Venerate warned Jiang Ziya not to answer or turn around if anyone called his name before he reached Xiqi, and Jiang Ziya promised to obey.

Jiang Ziya met Shen Gongbao on his way back to Xiqi and broke Primordial Heavenly Venerate’s warning by answering him. Shen Gongbao’s offer to help concealed a desire for Jiang Ziya’s treasures, but the treasures’ Jade Purity power repelled him when he tried to touch them.

• Shen Gongbao called out to Jiang Ziya, who ignored his master’s warning and answered him.
• Shen Gongbao offered to descend to Xiqi and help Jiang Ziya fight the Great Shang forces.
• Jiang Ziya welcomed Shen Gongbao’s offer and prepared to take him to Xiqi.
• Shen Gongbao asked to inspect the Investiture of the Gods and the God-Beating Whip, and Jiang Ziya brought them out while his judgment was clouded by Killing Intent.
• Shen Gongbao reached for the treasures, but their Jade Purity power struck him back and suppressed his greed.

Shen Gongbao tried to seize Jiang Ziya’s supreme treasures, then attacked him when his scheme was exposed. White Crane Boy rescued Jiang Ziya, but azure spiritual light tied to Fairy Yunxiao helped Shen Gongbao escape, leaving Jiang Ziya to depart Kunlun with unanswered questions.

• Shen Gongbao revealed his greed for Jiang Ziya’s treasures, threatened Xiqi, and attacked him with his sword.
• Jiang Ziya used the Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner to defend himself, but Shen Gongbao’s relentless techniques began to overwhelm him.
• White Crane Boy arrived and struck at Shen Gongbao, who escaped through the Immortal-Mortal Passage with help from azure spiritual light.
• White Crane Boy recognized the light as Fairy Yunxiao’s method and concluded that Shen Gongbao had secretly allied with the Jie Sect.
• Jiang Ziya thanked White Crane Boy and asked why Shen Gongbao had changed, but White Crane Boy said Shen Gongbao was no longer a Chan Sect disciple.
• Jiang Ziya put away the supreme treasure and left Yuxu Immortal Domain alone, still confused by Shen Gongbao’s betrayal.

Jiang Ziya recruited Bai Jian to guard the newly built Investiture Platform outside Xiqi, establishing a place to receive the souls of the coming war. Meanwhile, Wen Zhong brought the Four Sages of Nine Dragon Island to aid the Shang camp, where they healed Zhang Guifang and Feng Lin.

• Jiang Ziya encountered Bai Jian, an ancient Yellow Emperor-era commander whose remnant soul guarded the Blood Abyss, and invited him to protect the Investiture Platform.
• Bai Jian agreed, and Jiang Ziya brought him to Xiqi and asked the Martial King to authorize construction of the platform.
• Jiang Ziya selected a blessed site outside Xiqi, and workers built the Investiture Platform in ten days.
• Jiang Ziya appointed Bai Jian to guard the completed platform and receive the fallen souls of the Three Realms.
• Wen Zhong sought aid from the Four Sages of Nine Dragon Island, who returned to the Shang camp with him.
• The Four Sages healed Zhang Guifang and Feng Lin, restoring their strength and lifting the Shang soldiers' morale.

The Four Sages of Nine Dragon Island routed the Zhou Army with their dragon-blooded beasts and demanded Xiqi submit to Great Shang, but Jinzha arrived to help Jiang Ziya and persuaded Nezha to fight. The Zhou forces returned to battle, where Nezha and Jinzha engaged three of the Four Sages while Wang Mo faced Jiang Ziya.

• The Four Sages of Nine Dragon Island used the fierce presence of their mounts to make the Zhou Army's horses collapse and scatter its troops, while Nezha and Huang Feihu remained unmoved.
• Wang Mo demanded that Xiqi submit to Great Shang, provide supplies, and hand over Huang Feihu; Jiang Ziya stalled for time and withdrew the army into Xiqi City.
• Jiang Ziya pleaded with Nezha to fight, but Nezha refused until Jinzha arrived, announced Manjusri Guangfa Tianzun had sent him, and persuaded Nezha to help defend Xiqi.
• Jiang Ziya reorganized the troops and led them out of the city to face the Four Sages again.
• Nezha fought Yang Sen and Gao Yougan, Jinzha engaged Li Xingba, and Wang Mo confronted Jiang Ziya.

Wenshu rescued Jiang Ziya from Wang Mo and restrained him so Jinzha could kill him, forcing the Shang Army to retreat. After the Four Sages sought revenge, Jiang Ziya and Nezha killed three more of them, leaving Li Xingba to flee for reinforcements.

• Wang Mo struck Jiang Ziya with the Heaven-Opening Pearl and chased him until Wenshu arrived and froze the attack.
• Wenshu ordered Jinzha to execute Wang Mo, and Jinzha killed him with the Dragon-Escaping Stake.
• The remaining sages and the Shang Army retreated, while Jiang Ziya thanked Wenshu and asked him to help Xiqi; Wenshu refused and vanished.
• The surviving Four Sages regrouped and demanded battle, so Jiang Ziya led Jinzha, Nezha, and Huang Tianxiang out to meet them.
• Jiang Ziya killed Gao Yougan with the God-Beating Whip, and Nezha killed Yang Sen and Feng Lin.
• Li Xingba fled to Zhang Guifang's camp to seek reinforcements.

After Zhang Guifang and the remaining Shang generals fell, Wen Zhong sent Lu Xiong, Fei Zhong, and You Hun against Xiqi, while Jiang Ziya devised a way to avoid a costly frontal battle. Jiang Ziya performed a ritual on Qi Mountain that brought summer snow and froze the battlefield, leaving the armies facing an unnatural winter.

• Zhang Guifang refused Jiang Ziya’s offer to surrender and killed himself, while Muzha caught and killed the fleeing Li Xingba.
• Wen Zhong learned that the Four Sages and the other Shang generals had died, then appointed Lu Xiong commander and Fei Zhong and You Hun as deputies for another campaign.
• Fei Zhong and You Hun tried to flee the camp, but Wen Zhong’s guards stopped them and confined them to their tent.
• Lu Xiong led fifty thousand Shang troops to Qi Mountain Pass, where Jiang Ziya weighed the risks of a direct battle and devised a plan.
• Jiang Ziya performed a ritual on Qi Mountain, summoning black clouds, snow, and freezing winds that covered the battlefield in ice.

Jiang Ziya defeated Lu Xiong’s army at Mount Qi, but the Four Generals of the Mo Family turned the battle against Xiqi and captured Nezha, Huang Tianhua, and Longxuhu. Xiqi withdrew behind its walls as Yang Jian continued secluded cultivation on Xuan Shui Divine Continent.

• Jiang Ziya routed Lu Xiong’s army with a sudden freeze, executed Fei Zhong and You Hun, and ordered Lu Xiong executed after he refused to surrender.
• Wen Zhong sent Mo Liqing, Mo Lihong, Mo Lihai, and Mo Lishou to attack Xiqi with their four Magic Treasures and divine arts.
• Nezha deliberately held back his strength and allowed the Four Generals of the Mo Family to capture him.
• Huang Tianhua and Longxuhu tried to rescue Nezha but were defeated and captured by the Four Generals of the Mo Family.
• Jiang Ziya ordered Xiqi’s army to retreat behind the city walls and defend the camp rather than face the enemy again.
• Yang Jian continued secluded cultivation on Xuan Shui Divine Continent as his physical body’s nine revolutions neared perfection.

Yang Jian obeyed King Pan’s order to join Xiqi and aid the Zhou Army in the Investiture tribulation, despite questioning why this would help the Jie Sect. He arrived at the Xiqi camp, where Jiang Ziya welcomed his support, while Yang Chan was left behind on Azure Nether Island.

• King Pan summoned Yang Jian from seclusion and ordered him to go to Xiqi, assist Zhou against Shang, and guide Jie Sect disciples into the Investiture of the Gods.
• Yang Jian accepted the order and descended from Xuan Shui Divine Continent toward the mortal world.
• Yang Chan saw Yang Jian enter the tribulation and asked Yang Jiao to join him, but Yang Jiao refused because their intervention could upset the balance and violate Azure Nether Island’s rule.
• Yang Jian arrived at the Xiqi camp, where Jinzha and Muzha recognized him and Jiang Ziya greeted him as a fellow cultivator.
• Yang Jian told Jiang Ziya that he had come by King Pan’s command to assist Xiqi, and Jiang Ziya welcomed the support.

Yang Jian openly joined Xiqi and helped Jiang Ziya defeat the Great Shang army, killing the Four Generals of the Mo Family and sending their souls to the Investiture Platform. After the victory, Nezha reunited with Yang Jian and greeted him excitedly as Second Brother Yang.

• Zhunti and Jieyin saw Yang Jian join Xiqi and decided his arrival spared their Buddhist disciples from entering the battle.
• Jiang Ziya removed Xiqi's refusal-to-fight placard and rode out with Yang Jian to face the Four Generals of the Mo Family.
• Yang Jian used the Mirror of Pure Origin and Wonderful Dao to expose the Flower Fox Marten, then killed it with his Three-Pointed Double-Edged Spear.
• Yang Jian broke the Four Generals' combined attack with his third eye and killed all four, whose souls were drawn into the Investiture Platform and recorded as the Four Generals of the Mo Family.
• Xiqi's soldiers celebrated as the Great Shang camp collapsed, and Nezha and Huang Tianhua were rescued.
• Nezha rushed to Yang Jian and called him Second Brother Yang, prompting Yang Jian to respond warmly.

After the Four Generals of the Mo Family were killed, Wen Zhong led a million-strong Great Shang army west to attack Xiqi. At Huanghua Mountain, he defeated its four bandit leaders and recruited them into his army.

• Wen Zhong ordered Great Shang's army to march west and avenge the Four Generals of the Mo Family.
• At Huanghua Mountain, Deng Zhong, Xin Huan, Zhang Jie, and Tao Rong blocked the army and demanded its supplies.
• Wen Zhong offered the four mountain leaders a chance to submit and earn merit by joining the campaign against Xiqi.
• Xin Huan attacked Wen Zhong, and the four leaders joined forces against him.
• Wen Zhong defeated all four with the Male and Female Twin Whips and offered them another chance to submit.
• Deng Zhong, Xin Huan, Zhang Jie, and Tao Rong surrendered to Wen Zhong and joined his command.

Wen Zhong suffered a series of defeats against Xiqi after Jiang Ziya struck him down with the God-Beating Whip, and his generals died protecting him. Desperate for revenge, he sent Ji Li to recruit the Ten Heavenly Lords, who eagerly agreed to join the campaign.

• Wen Zhong charged Xiqi’s forces, but Jiang Ziya used the God-Beating Whip to knock him off the Ink Qilin and turn the battle into a Shang Army rout.
• Jiang Ziya launched a nighttime raid that burned the Shang camp and inflicted another defeat on Wen Zhong’s army.
• Wen Zhong led his remaining forces out again, and Deng Zhong, Xin Huan, and the other four generals fell while protecting him.
• Wen Zhong sent Ji Li to Golden Ao Island to ask the Ten Heavenly Lords for help against Xiqi.
• The Ten Heavenly Lords welcomed the chance to join the war and set out for the great camp at Zhaoge.

The Dragon Clan entered the Investiture of the Gods war on Great Shang’s side, alarming Xiqi and deepening the imbalance between the factions. Yang Jian stopped Nezha from trying to get himself killed by the dragons to enter the list, leaving Nezha unsure how to fulfill Empress Nuwa’s charge.

• Lord Candle Dragon ordered the Dragon Clan to join Wen Zhong and attack Xiqi, driving the foreign races away from the human borders.
• The Dragon Clan arrived at Great Shang’s camp, and Wen Zhong realized the war had become a contest for the Investiture’s opportunities.
• Jiang Ziya saw the Dragon Clan’s alliance with Great Shang and Jie Sect as a dire threat to Xiqi.
• Nezha considered provoking the Dragon Clan into killing him so he could enter the Investiture, but Yang Jian used the Precious Lotus Lantern to shield their conversation.
• Yang Jian explained that Nezha’s extraordinary origin and True Man Taiyi’s protection would prevent the dragons from killing him, leaving Nezha panicked and asking what he should do.

Yang Jian advised Nezha to seek Nuwa’s protection so he could enter the Investiture of the Gods with his fleshly body, while Jiang Ziya failed to secure help against the Dragon Clan’s reinforcements. The next morning, Wen Zhong challenged Xiqi to surrender or face destruction.

• Yang Jian told Nezha to follow Ran Deng’s future defection and provoke Primordial Heavenly Venerate, while asking Nuwa to protect him from the saint’s strike.
• Nezha hesitated to ask Nuwa for help because he felt indebted to her, and Yang Jian ended their private conversation without revealing Nezha’s origins.
• Jiang Ziya asked Nezha and Yang Jian for reinforcements, but both refused, leaving him distressed about Xiqi’s prospects.
• At daybreak, Wen Zhong and the Dragon Clan cultivators challenged Xiqi, and Wen Zhong demanded that Jiang Ziya surrender or face the destruction of his camp and city.

As Xiqi’s forces neared defeat against Wen Zhong and the Dragon Clan, the Kirin Clan suddenly arrived to reinforce them. The Kirin and Dragon clans then began a savage battle, each fighting to die and claim a place in the Investiture of the Gods.

• Wen Zhong ordered the Shang army and Dragon Clan cultivators to attack, and Xiqi’s forces were quickly overwhelmed.
• Jiang Ziya despaired as the Chan Sect’s promised reinforcements failed to arrive and Xiqi’s army continued to retreat.
• The Kirin Clan descended to reinforce Xiqi, declaring that they had come out of gratitude to Primordial Heavenly Venerate.
• Primordial Heavenly Venerate, surprised by the Kirin Clan’s arrival, decided their support would help Chan Sect oppose the Dragon Clan and Jie Sect.
• The Dragon Clan turned its attacks toward the Kirin Clan, and both clans fought a bloody battle with a tacit balance between their losses.

The Dragon Clan and Kirin Clan’s death battle blocked the war between Great Shang and Xiqi until Maitreya moved the fighting beyond the Nine Heavens. With the battlefield cleared, the Ten Heavenly Lords set up the Ten Absolute Formations, and Jiang Ziya summoned Xiqi’s immortals and armies.

• Jiang Ziya and Wen Zhong watched the Dragon Clan and Kirin Clan’s battle create a deadly barrier that halted both armies.
• Jieyin and Zhunti ordered Maitreya to move the Dragon-Kirin battlefield so Xiqi could resume its campaign against Great Shang.
• Maitreya used his Buddha Light to shift the battling clans beyond the Nine Heavens, where they immediately resumed fighting.
• Wen Zhong ordered the Ten Heavenly Lords to establish the Ten Absolute Formations before Great Shang’s camp.
• Jiang Ziya sounded the General-Gathering Bell and sent Immortal-Summoning Talismans to assemble Xiqi’s forces.

Yao Tianjun used the Soul-Falling Formation to scatter Jiang Ziya’s soul, plunging Xiqi into chaos. Primordial Heavenly Venerate preserved Jiang Ziya’s remnant soul and sent Immortal Nanji to revive him, then ordered Ran Deng to oversee the Ten Absolute Formations.

• Yao Tianjun shot three arrows at Jiang Ziya’s straw effigy, scattering all three of Jiang Ziya’s souls and seven spirits.
• Jiang Ziya’s apparent death threw Xiqi’s army, officials, and Chan Sect immortals into panic and disorder.
• Jiang Ziya’s remnant soul drifted to Kunlun Mountain, where Primordial Heavenly Venerate protected it with Three Lights Divine Water and a Pure Lotus.
• Primordial Heavenly Venerate ordered Immortal Nanji to return Jiang Ziya’s soul to his body and revive him.
• Primordial Heavenly Venerate warned Ran Deng to remain loyal to the Chan Sect and appointed him to preside over the stalemate of the Ten Absolute Formations.