Chapter Summaries

Shangqing Great Dao Lord accepted Empress Houtu’s request to forge a sword for Qi WuHuo and planned to train him in person, while Houtu returned to discipline a reckless youth. In the mortal realm, the Demon Race exposed Great Firmament as a traitor by presenting his severed arm to the Human Emperor, whose shock and rage were later recast by Crown Prince Li Hui as a public display of joy.

• Shangqing Great Dao Lord agreed to forge a sword uniquely suited to Qi WuHuo and arranged to build a forge where he lived so he could teach him.
• Empress Houtu left to give a reckless youth a lesson, while she declined the Old Celestial Lord’s request to return to the Heavenly Court.
• The young Jade Emperor learned that the ancient Demon Race was stirring, as Li Zhai received a letter about a Demon Race messenger bound for the imperial capital.
• Daoist Tian Yangzi returned nine frontier cities to Li Zhai and explained that he refused to serve as a pawn against the general.
• The Demon Race’s hero presented the Human Emperor with Great Firmament’s severed arm and declared that Great Firmament had been a traitor, causing the Emperor to spit blood and collapse.
• Crown Prince Li Hui altered the court historian’s account so the Emperor’s shock and near-fainting were recorded as a reaction of joy.

Qi Wuhuo destroyed the forbidden Saint Embryo methods and left the Demon Realm after revealing his title, Supreme Xuanwei, despite the Great Sages’ attempt to keep him there. As Great Firmament prepared to ambush him on the journey east, Empress Houtu appeared before the Demon Emperor.

• Qi Wuhuo burned the collected Saint Embryo scriptures, including the original scroll, after reading their creator’s warning about the method’s slaughter and danger.
• The Demon Race’s Great Sages tried to make Qi Wuhuo stay, but he revealed his jade plaque and declared himself Supreme Xuanwei, so they let him leave.
• Qi Wuhuo departed with the Dragon Saint, intending to reach the East Sea and seek Great Sage Azure Dragon’s protection while helping resolve the Dragon race’s conflict.
• Great Firmament sensed Qi Wuhuo’s departure and prepared a powerful strike, while Qi Wuhuo and the Dragon Saint braced for the ambush.
• Great Firmament halted when the earth’s ley lines stirred and Empress Houtu appeared before him.

Great Firmament confronted Houtu after she defeated Gouchen, but Houtu killed him with one strike. Qi WuHuo escaped with Dragon Saint to the Eastern Sea, where they learned of Great Firmament’s death and heard that Houtu had come to see Qi WuHuo.

• Great Firmament unleashed his full power and attacked Houtu, but she shattered his weapon and killed him with the Sky-Shattering Mace in a single strike.
• Houtu said she had killed Great Firmament for attacking the Earthly Deity, fighting the Demon Race, and turning his murderous intent toward Qi WuHuo.
• Dragon Saint carried Qi WuHuo to the Eastern Sea, where Great Sage Azure Dragon told them Houtu had killed Great Firmament and destroyed his soul.
• The Sea Patrol Yaksha announced that Houtu had arrived and delivered her message to Qi WuHuo: “Stay right there this time. Do you hear me?”

After the victory banquet, Qi WuHuo left the Dongyue Seal behind and returned to his devastated hometown of Jinzhou, where he restored its ley lines by releasing the Saint Embryo’s power as rain. Exhausted, he slept on Ao Cang’s back and completed the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown, as Jinzhou flourished once more.

• Empress Houtu reunited with Qi WuHuo, reassured him that she had approved his appointment of the Mountain Gods, and brought him to the earthly spirits’ victory banquet.
• When Old Celestial Lord arrived with the Jade Emperor’s decree, the earthly spirits discovered that Qi WuHuo had left the Dongyue Seal behind and departed with Ao Cang.
• Qi WuHuo told Ao Cang that Jinzhou was his hometown, then reversed the Saint Embryo’s power and returned it to Jinzhou, restoring the prefecture’s ley lines and bringing rain and new growth.
• Qi WuHuo released the Saint Embryo into a river after Ao Cang advised him to let Heaven and Earth nurture it, and he fell asleep on Ao Cang’s back.
• As Ao Cang carried Qi WuHuo across the sky, Qi WuHuo completed the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown, and Ao Cang hailed him as a True Immortal.

Yun Qin was forced to attend the grand Nine Heavens ritual to enshrine True Martial, while the Jade Emperor and assembled immortals awaited the honoree. The ritual reached its climax, but True Martial failed to appear, leaving the Jade Emperor and the Celestial Court in shock.

• Yun Qin tried to avoid the ritual, but Yun Zhiyi and Weaver Girl insisted she attend because the Jade Emperor would be present.
• Yun Qin dressed in sword-immortal attire, joined her parents and Old Yellow Ox, and traveled to the Soaring Heavens Palace among the gathered immortals and Bodhisattvas.
• Yun Qin watched the Judicial Great Celestial Venerable arrive and secretly recorded the ceremony to show Wuhuo later.
• Old Celestial Lord recited the Jade Emperor's decree, appointing True Martial as Nine Heavens Patrol Envoy and granting him several titles.
• The ritual formation remained empty when Old Celestial Lord called for True Martial, and the Jade Emperor's anticipation turned to shock.

Qi WuHuo refused the Heavenly Court’s True Warrior investiture, condemning the Jade Emperor for celebrating while the dead were still being mourned. After hearing his words, the young Jade Emperor acknowledged his own failure and decided to meet Qi WuHuo in the mortal world.

• Qi WuHuo explained to Empress Houtu why he distrusted the Heavenly Court and would not accept the True Warrior title.
• Qi WuHuo criticized the Jade Emperor for failing to stop the Calamity and declared that Heaven was sick.
• Qi WuHuo cast the Jade Emperor’s decree into the river, rejecting the investiture.
• The young Jade Emperor watched the exchange through the Haotian Mirror and was shaken by Qi WuHuo’s accusations.
• The young Jade Emperor told Old Celestial Lord he would go to the mortal world to meet Qi WuHuo himself.

Qi WuHuo refused the Jade Emperor’s appointment and showed the Old Celestial Lord the deaths caused by the Heavenly Court’s failures, then explained his plan to unite the mortal realm and the other realms through fortune and destiny. The young Jade Emperor descended to meet him, and Qi WuHuo welcomed the tearful boy who claimed to be Little Jade.

• The Old Celestial Lord challenged Qi WuHuo for refusing the Jade Emperor’s appointment, and Qi WuHuo questioned the Heavenly Court’s claim that it could not interfere in mortal affairs.
• Qi WuHuo showed the Old Celestial Lord Jinzhou’s funeral banners and the underground memorial of the dead, explaining that he understood the Heavenly Court’s difficulties but had difficulties of his own.
• The Old Celestial Lord returned toward Heaven as grieving people begged him to restore their dead, and the young Jade Emperor decided to descend to see the mortal world himself.
• Qi WuHuo told Empress Houtu that he would complete Senior Brother Xuan Zhen’s record, unite the human nations, and build a system of fortune and destiny across the realms independent of Heaven.
• Qi WuHuo explained that a self-reliant mortal world could free the Jade Emperor from Haotian’s legacy, and the young Jade Emperor arrived at his door in tears, claiming his name was Little Jade.

Zhang Xiaoyu, the young Jade Emperor with a newly born consciousness, visited Qi WuHuo and struggled to control the power left in his body. After returning to Heaven, he recorded a plan to abandon Haotian’s court and establish a Celestial Court of his own.

• Empress Houtu invited Zhang Xiaoyu inside after his emotions overwhelmed him, and he told Qi WuHuo that he had lost his memory.
• Zhang Xiaoyu accidentally destroyed kitchen utensils and sent pottery crashing into the river, where an angry River God emerged; Qi WuHuo assumed he was a cultivator who could not control his strength.
• Qi WuHuo offered to help Zhang Xiaoyu regain control through sparring and hardship, while Empress Houtu observed him closely.
• Empress Houtu reunited Zhang Xiaoyu with Taiyi Salvation Heavenly Venerate and Great Master Xuan Du, then demanded that Xuan Du explain the Jade Emperor’s worsening condition.
• Taiyi Salvation Heavenly Venerate brought Zhang Xiaoyu back to the Soaring Heavens Palace, where he recorded his experiences and resolved to defy Heaven by creating a Celestial Court belonging to the Jade Emperor.

Zhang Xiaoyu decided to rebel against the Heavenly Court’s failing order, trusting Qi WuHuo as a possible ally and resolving to descend to the mortal world to reclaim his power. Qi WuHuo then met Xuan Du, who asked whether the Jade Emperor had returned to the Heavenly Court.

• Zhang Xiaoyu considered Qi WuHuo’s plan to unite the five directions and five realms and concluded that rebellion could give the Jade Emperor a chance to remake the world.
• Zhang Xiaoyu judged the Heavenly Court’s leaders unreliable and named Qi WuHuo as the person he trusted most for now.
• Zhang Xiaoyu recorded his plan to descend again, cultivate his power anew, and observe Qi WuHuo’s actions despite the risk to his body and soul.
• Qi WuHuo reflected on Zhang Xiaoyu’s strange arrival and the danger implied by his name and failing body.
• Empress Houtu returned with Xuan Du, who introduced himself to Qi WuHuo as his eldest senior brother.
• Xuan Du asked whether the Jade Emperor had returned to the Heavenly Court.

Xuan Du Great Master explained that the Jade Emperor’s apparent memory loss came from his soul being gravely wounded after the battle eight thousand years ago, leaving a child in his place. He urged Qi WuHuo to judge the Heavenly Court for himself, then gave him the Supreme Elixir Art and warned him not to trust the Jade Emperor’s childlike appearance.

• Xuan Du Great Master made Qi WuHuo call him senior brother before explaining the Jade Emperor’s condition.
• Xuan Du Great Master recounted how the Jade Emperor’s soul was severely injured after he subdued the chaos eight thousand years earlier, and how he later found a sixteen-year-old boy on the Imperial Seat.
• Xuan Du Great Master described the competing aims of the Heavenly Court’s powerful figures and told Qi WuHuo to see their different Dao paths before choosing his own course.
• Xuan Du Great Master warned Qi WuHuo that the Jade Emperor’s child had died more than six hundred times and might visit him again, then told him not to mistake the child for the Jade Emperor.
• Xuan Du Great Master returned the Supreme Elixir Art to Qi WuHuo, blaming Heavenly Marshal Yu Zhen for withholding it.
• Heavenly Marshal Tian Peng sensed someone mentioning him, then received a message from Xuan Du Great Master and opened it with concern.

Heavenly Marshal Tian Peng received Xuan Du’s urgent message, which only demanded that Qi WuHuo call him Big Brother, and decided to descend to see his junior brother. Meanwhile, Qi WuHuo studied Xuan Zhen’s unfinished Human Dao cultivation and set out to continue it before Di Ting told him the task he had requested was done.

• Xuan Du sent Tian Peng an urgent message asking Qi WuHuo to call him Big Brother Xuan Du, and Tian Peng decided to visit his junior brother.
• The Great Emperor Ziwei of the North Pole approved Tian Peng’s descent and planned to visit Houtu with Yun Qin accompanying him as a relative.
• Great Unity Salvation Heavenly Venerate watched Xuan Du’s message and declared that he could also be Big Brother Taiyi to Qingwei.
• Qi WuHuo read Xuan Zhen’s notes describing a Human Dao cultivation path that rewarded actions benefiting all sentient beings.
• Qi WuHuo vowed to try Xuan Zhen’s path and finish it, then heard Di Ting say that he had completed the task Qi WuHuo requested.

Qi WuHuo learned that the underworld would let unjustly killed souls return briefly to visit their families, while Old Yellow Ox discovered that the Northern Emperor might be arranging a marriage alliance between Qi WuHuo and Yun Qin. The Northern Emperor appeared after Old Yellow Ox challenged the idea of treating the pair as chess pieces, leaving the confrontation unresolved.

• Listening Truth told Qi WuHuo that the Ten Hall Yama Kings had agreed to let unjustly killed souls return to see their loved ones, and said Ksitigarbha King was still unconscious.
• Old Yellow Ox worried that Qi WuHuo and Yun Qin's ties to opposing powers made them a dangerous match, then asked Yun Qin to invite him along when she visited Qi WuHuo.
• Yun Qin decided to visit Qi WuHuo, and Star Lord Zuo Fu said the Northern Emperor would accompany her to the mortal world.
• Old Yellow Ox inferred that the Northern Emperor might use Qi WuHuo and Yun Qin as a marriage alliance to ease tensions between Heaven and Empress Houtu.
• After Old Yellow Ox objected to the pair being treated as chess pieces, the Northern Emperor revealed himself and asked what it would matter if he did so.

Great Emperor Ziwei of the North Pole set out with Yun Qin and Heavenly Marshal Tian Peng to visit Empress Houtu, while the young Jade Emperor recovered a fragment of his past and decided to join the meeting. Their unexpected convergence left Great Master Xuan Du stunned as he watched them head toward Qi WuHuo.

• Great Emperor Ziwei of the North Pole warned Old Yellow Ox to watch his words and actions before setting out with Yun Qin and Heavenly Marshal Tian Peng, who carried gifts for the visit.
• The young Jade Emperor dreamed of meeting Empress Wa and Fuxi, remembered that he was Zhang Xiaoyu, and wondered whether reliving Haotian's experiences could restore his fading Primordial Spirit.
• After seeing Great Emperor Ziwei of the North Pole's descent in the Haotian Mirror, Zhang Xiaoyu decided to attend the meeting and asked Taiyi Salvation Heavenly Venerate and Nine Spirit Yuan Sheng to escort him.
• Great Master Xuan Du saw Tian Peng bringing Great Emperor Ziwei of the North Pole and Yun Qin, while Taiyi brought the young Jade Emperor, all heading toward Qi WuHuo's home, and his smug smile froze.

Great Master Xuan Du rushed to prepare a gift for Qi WuHuo after learning that the Jade Emperor and the Great Emperor Ziwei had already sent theirs, while Yun Qin and Heavenly Marshal Tian Peng approached the mountain gate. In Jinzhou, Qi WuHuo tended to a grieving old man, who revealed himself as a mysterious being and spoke the word "Immortality."

• Great Master Xuan Du decided to outdo the Jade Emperor and the Great Emperor Ziwei with a grand gift, then went to Doushuai Palace and fought the Azure Ox Ancestor while collecting what he was owed.
• Yun Qin traveled with Heavenly Marshal Tian Peng, carrying a bundle of paintings and snacks as the two gifts followed behind her.
• Qi WuHuo taught the children of Jinzhou, bought food from the townsfolk, and went to the clinic to treat an old man overcome by grief.
• The old man questioned Qi WuHuo about death, suffering, and reincarnation, then revealed a serene presence and declared, "Immortality."

Great Emperor Changsheng of the South Pole met Qi WuHuo and argued that accelerating reincarnation could eventually grant Changsheng to all living beings, asking him to lend Fengdu’s authority. The chapter ended as Houtu Empress Earthly Deity faced Ziwei of the North Pole and Yun Qin asked where Wuhuo was.

• Great Emperor Changsheng of the South Pole revealed himself to Qi WuHuo and explained that he had come because Qi WuHuo had severed a calamity with one sword.
• Great Emperor Changsheng of the South Pole argued that universal Changsheng would end premature death and inequality, and proposed accelerating reincarnation to make it possible.
• Qi WuHuo accepted that Changsheng was not wrong but challenged the suffering and repeated deaths required by Great Emperor Changsheng of the South Pole’s plan.
• Great Emperor Changsheng of the South Pole asked Qi WuHuo to lend him Fengdu’s authority so he could demonstrate his method.
• Primordial Ying Yuanjun warned Houtu Empress Earthly Deity that Ziwei of the North Pole had arrived with Heavenly Marshal Tian Peng, and Houtu went out to meet them.
• Yun Qin greeted Houtu Empress Earthly Deity and asked where Wuhuo was.

Qi WuHuo challenged Great Emperor Changsheng of the South Pole’s case for immortality through reincarnation, but Changsheng left without taking Fengdu’s authority after secretly poisoning him with castor beans. Qi WuHuo returned to find Yun Qin visiting Empress Houtu and eagerly greeting him.

• Yun Qin visited Empress Houtu with Great Emperor Ziwei of the North Pole, and her gift eased Houtu’s hostility enough for her to welcome them inside.
• Great Emperor Changsheng asked Qi WuHuo to lend him Fengdu’s authority and defended reincarnation by arguing that a soul remained the same person across lifetimes.
• Qi WuHuo argued that experience and continuity made each reincarnated self different, and Changsheng challenged him to consider reincarnation with memories intact.
• Great Emperor Changsheng declined to seize Fengdu, urged Qi WuHuo to grow stronger and find his own answer, then revealed that the tea he had given him contained castor beans that affected immortals.
• After suppressing the poison, Qi WuHuo contacted Listening Truth and returned to his lodging, where he found Yun Qin visiting Empress Houtu and greeting him.

Ziwei Great Emperor of the North Pole drew Qi WuHuo into a private conversation about reincarnation, identity, and the dangers of pursuing longevity. After explaining that strict order and execution were necessary to restrain desire, he offered Qi WuHuo the position of Fourth Saint of the Northern Pole and admitted that he had established the order governing all living beings.

• Yun Qin visited Qi WuHuo with Empress Houtu, Ziwei Great Emperor of the North Pole, Heavenly Marshal Tian Peng, Star Lord Zuo Fu, and the three Primordial Ladies.
• Ziwei Great Emperor of the North Pole invited Qi WuHuo to a tea stall, where they discussed Great Emperor Changsheng of the South Pole's pursuit of longevity and whether reincarnated souls remained the same people.
• Qi WuHuo argued that a person was made by their memories and relationships, and that living forever as an empty consciousness would not be true longevity.
• Ziwei Great Emperor of the North Pole warned that unchecked longevity would inflame desire and cause chaos, and said death and harsh laws were necessary to preserve order.
• Ziwei Great Emperor of the North Pole offered Qi WuHuo the place of Fourth Saint of the Northern Pole, and admitted that he had established the order all living beings were expected to follow.

Qi WuHuo challenged the Great Emperor Ziwei of the North Pole’s justification for ruling through strength, accepted his Demon-Slaying token, and resolved to oppose him through the Way. The Jade Emperor and other powerful figures gathered at Houtu’s home, where their tense meeting was interrupted by Qi WuHuo’s teacher.

• The Great Emperor Ziwei of the North Pole argued that strength was necessary to enforce stable order, warned Qi WuHuo not to obstruct him, and gave him a Demon-Slaying token.
• Qi WuHuo accepted the North Emperor’s invitation to see the world from another perspective and considered how to defeat him through the Way rather than force.
• The Jade Emperor chose to continue to Houtu’s home with Taiyi, while Qi WuHuo and the North Emperor returned to find the Jade Emperor, Great Master Xuan Du, and others gathered there.
• Houtu comforted Yun Qin and gave her an ancient hairpin, while the North Emperor gave Qi WuHuo a black jade folding fan and the Jade Emperor offered the pair jade pendants.
• Qi WuHuo’s grey-robed teacher kicked open the door and announced his arrival, freezing when the assembled leaders turned to stare at him.

Di Ting accidentally entered Qi WuHuo’s house during a gathering of exalted gods, while Great Master Xuan Du arranged for the Old Green Ox to protect Qi WuHuo from Heavenly Court schemers. After the guests departed, Qi WuHuo and Yun Qin admitted that the heavens felt stifling, and Yun Qin proposed that they run away.

• Di Ting opened the door, saw the Emperors and disciples of the Three Pure Ones dining inside, and hurriedly apologized and retreated.
• The Old Green Ox mocked Di Ting for barging in, then realized Great Master Xuan Du intended to give him to Qi WuHuo as a mount and tried to escape.
• Great Master Xuan Du caught the Old Green Ox and explained that he wanted him to shield Qi WuHuo from meddling immortals.
• The Jade Emperor and Great Emperor Ziwei of the North Pole departed after the gathering, with Yun Qin granted permission to travel between the immortal and mortal realms.
• Alone together, Qi WuHuo and Yun Qin discussed their unhappiness with the stifling heavens, and Yun Qin suggested that they run away.

Qi WuHuo took Yun Qin away from the oppressive banquet and found comfort in her advice and friendship as he wrestled with the Emperors’ doctrines. Walking alone afterward, he encountered the Supreme One and formally acknowledged him as his teacher.

• Yun Qin suggested that she, Qi WuHuo, and their friends escape the stifling conflict, so Qi WuHuo took her to a quiet mountain lake.
• Qi WuHuo rode the wind with Yun Qin to a forest lake, where she advised him that he could challenge the one who imposed the order and return it to all living beings.
• Yun Qin exchanged Empress Houtu’s hairpin with Qi WuHuo’s folding fan, making the keepsakes gifts between friends rather than tokens of reconciliation between the Emperors.
• The Green Ox broke free of Xuandu’s Diamond Bangle, threatened to spread embarrassing stories about Xuandu, and rode away on the clouds.
• Qi WuHuo pondered the South Pole and North Pole Emperors’ doctrines as he walked through the dark mountains, then met the old man on a blue ox and paid his respects to Teacher.