Recaps

Shen Gongbao tried to meet the Chan Sect disciples at the Ji Residence, but Ji Kao treated him as a threat and Immortal Elder Nanji rebuked and struck him. Nanji blamed Shen Gongbao for failing to retrieve the Investiture List and continued insulting him, leaving Shen Gongbao seething with resentment.

• Fu Feng reformed after Shen Gongbao smashed his body and suspected that Shen Gongbao belonged to the Witch Clan.
• Shen Gongbao identified himself as a Chan Sect Disciple and asked Ji Kao to pass word to the senior disciples, but Ji Kao refused to trust him and ordered him to wait outside.
• Immortal Elder Nanji emerged from the Ji Residence, slapped Shen Gongbao, and ordered him to apologize to Ji Kao.
• Shen Gongbao tried to explain that he had important news, but Nanji demanded the Investiture List and scolded him for failing to retrieve it.
• Nanji accused Shen Gongbao of seeking credit in West Qi and insulted his origins and abilities, while Shen Gongbao suppressed his resentment.

After Immortal Elder Nanji publicly humiliated and beat Shen Gongbao, Shen Gongbao left West Qi determined to join Great Shang and bring down West Qi. He met with Wen Zhong, planned how to subdue Chong Heihu, and returned to the Northern Border to prepare an army before setting out for Chong Heihu's territory.

• Immortal Elder Nanji insulted Shen Gongbao for failing to retrieve the Investiture List and slapped him repeatedly in front of the Chan Sect Disciples and the Ji Residence residents.
• Shen Gongbao left West Qi, resolved to prove himself, and chose to join Great Shang and oppose West Qi.
• Shen Gongbao flew to Chentang Pass and told Wen Zhong what had happened, including how he had subdued the seventy-two rebel factions of the North Sea.
• Shen Gongbao and Wen Zhong spent two or three days in Secluded Cultivation devising a plan to bring Chong Heihu to heel.
• Shen Gongbao returned to the Northern Border, assembled an army, and prepared the fiends before traveling alone to Chong Heihu's territory.

Shen Gongbao returned to Chong Heihu’s court after months away, provoking the ruler and his ministers by claiming he had brought a great gift. He left them staring at the object he tossed onto the floor.

• Chong Heihu and his ministers debated whether to ally with West Qi as it prepared to attack Great Shang.
• A guard announced that Shen Gongbao had arrived, and the ministers urged Chong Heihu to refuse him because they distrusted him.
• Chong Heihu ordered Shen Gongbao admitted after hearing him claim he would give three thousand Northern Border cities to Great Shang.
• Shen Gongbao greeted Chong Heihu and insisted he had brought a great gift, while the ministers accused him of deceit.
• Chong Heihu demanded Yuan Futong’s head, which Shen Gongbao had previously pledged to deliver, and threatened to kill him.
• Shen Gongbao dismissed Chong Heihu’s anger and tossed a round object onto the floor.

Shen Gongbao presented Yuan Futong’s head and the Three Thousand Cities to Chong Heihu, then exploited the king’s apology to whip him before persuading him to pursue the throne. The plan hit a setback when Cui Ying revealed that the command tally was incomplete, and Shen Gongbao explained that Liang Shang and the demons held the other half.

• Shen Gongbao brought Yuan Futong’s head to Chong Heihu and claimed he had brought the Three Thousand Cities under his control.
• Chong Heihu apologized, offered Shen Gongbao the Golden Whip, and invited him to vent his grievance, so Shen Gongbao whipped him several times.
• Shen Gongbao showed Chong Heihu a map, a great seal, and half a command tally, then urged him to absorb the Northern Border and contend for the Central Plains.
• Cui Ying warned that the incomplete command tally could not mobilize Yuan Futong’s former troops, and the ministers questioned Shen Gongbao.
• Shen Gongbao said Liang Shang, a general controlled by the demons, held the other half of the command tally.

Shen Gongbao offered Chong Heihu half of the military tally and proposed a plan to bring the Northern Border fully under his rule. Chong Heihu agreed to consider an ambush against the demons, leaving Shen Gongbao poised to lure them into it.

• Chong Heihu verified that Shen Gongbao’s military tally was genuine and promised to pardon and reward him if he recovered the other half.
• Shen Gongbao warned that Liang Shang’s demons would resist losing the tally and that he could not take it alone without risking a war.
• Chong Heihu demanded that Shen Gongbao retrieve the tally, but Shen Gongbao asked for death rather than promise what he could not accomplish alone.
• Shen Gongbao argued that controlling the Northern Border’s people and wealth mattered more than merely taking its troops and military tally.
• Shen Gongbao proposed luring the demons into an ambush, where Chong Heihu’s forces could kill them and secure the Northern Border.

Shen Gongbao proposed using Chong Houhu as bait to lure Yuan Futong’s former subordinates into an ambush, but Chong Heihu and his ministers suspected him of plotting against the New Dynasty. Shen Gongbao defended his motives and won Chong Heihu’s trust, leaving with an appointment as State Preceptor and authority over the Northern Border.

• Shen Gongbao proposed luring the demons with Chong Houhu as bait, prompting Chong Heihu’s ministers to accuse him of seeking the Northern Marquis’s death.
• Chong Heihu questioned whether Shen Gongbao had come on Wen Zhong’s orders, while Shen Gongbao defended his past service and threatened to leave.
• Shen Gongbao argued that killing a meritorious ally would damage Chong Heihu’s reputation and make other officials fear earning merit.
• Shen Gongbao denied seeking power, explained why he had chosen the New Dynasty, and noted that a fellow disciple had gone to assist West Qi.
• Chong Heihu praised Shen Gongbao and appointed him State Preceptor, giving him authority to subdue the Northern Border.

Chong Yingluan led a million troops to ambush Yuan Futong’s former followers, trusting Shen Gongbao to prepare a formation that he could control. When Shen Gongbao shattered a bell placed around the bound Chong Houhu’s neck, Chong Yingluan began losing control and Chong Houhu seized him by the throat.

• Chong Yingluan threatened Shen Gongbao as the army marched toward the ambush site, while Shen Gongbao promised him the greatest credit for defeating the demons.
• At the gourd-shaped valley, Shen Gongbao explained that his formation would conceal the army and trap the demons, and Chong Yingluan agreed to let him set it up while claiming control of it.
• Shen Gongbao planted Five Elements Flags, and the soldiers consecrated them with blood until Chong Yingluan sensed that he could command the space around him.
• Shen Gongbao gave Chong Yingluan a bell and told him to hang it on the bound Chong Houhu as the formation’s final step.
• Shen Gongbao shattered the bell, green smoke engulfed Chong Houhu, and Chong Yingluan rushed to check on him as his control slipped away.
• Chong Houhu shot an iron-hard arm from the smoke and clamped it around Chong Yingluan’s throat.

Chong Houhu broke free of Chong Heihu’s control, killed Chong Yingluan, and reclaimed command of the Northern Border with Shen Gongbao’s help. He then accepted Shen Gongbao’s proposed deed as a way to make amends for his failures.

• Chong Houhu emerged from the mist, awakened the National Destiny Golden Dragon, and freed himself and his subordinates from their restraints.
• Chong Yingluan’s subordinates were captured, and Chong Houhu ordered them killed while taking control of the remaining soldiers.
• Chong Houhu thanked Shen Gongbao and blamed himself for the Northern Border’s fall, but Shen Gongbao stopped him from taking his own life.
• Shen Gongbao offered Chong Houhu a deed to ease his guilt, and Chong Houhu agreed to undertake it.

Shen Gongbao lured Sang Qi and a horde of demons into Gourd Valley by promising them Chong Houhu. When Chong Houhu revealed the trap, a great formation and a million troops suppressed the demons, leaving them trapped and weakened.

• Shen Gongbao led Sang Qi and the demons into Gourd Valley, where they found Chong Houhu waiting in chains.
• Sang Qi and two other Demon Gods fought over who would seize Chong Houhu, while the other demons tried to approach him.
• Shen Gongbao stopped the fighting by urging the demons to examine Chong Houhu's restrictions before dividing their prize.
• Chong Houhu revealed himself and called for the formation as the demons turned to flee.
• A great formation and the Human Dao's National Fortune suppressed Sang Qi and the other demons by seventy percent.

Shen Gongbao helped Chong Houhu destroy the demons and gave him a tiger tally that helped restore his authority. Chong Houhu reclaimed much of the Northern Border, while Shen Gongbao returned to urge Wen Zhong and Li Jing to send reinforcements, but Li Jing rejected his account.

• Chong Houhu's million soldiers used their national fortune to crush the demons trapped in Gourd Valley, and Chong Houhu apologized to Shen Gongbao afterward.
• Shen Gongbao gave Chong Houhu the tiger tally and asked him to spare Liang Shang and the other former followers of Yuan Futong; Chong Houhu agreed and promised to reward Shen Gongbao's service.
• Chong Houhu used the tiger tally to bring Yuan Futong's former subordinates into his camp, while Liang Shang helped reclaim three-fifths of the Northern Border for Great Shang.
• Chong Houhu advanced into Chong Heihu's territory, and Chong Heihu's poorly trained forces repeatedly fell apart against him.
• Shen Gongbao returned to Chentang Pass and urged Wen Zhong and Li Jing to send reinforcements, but Li Jing mocked him and refused to believe him.

Wen Zhong argued with Li Jing over his refusal to mobilize without orders, while Nezha’s force advanced into Great Gan. Nezha killed Yang Biao and captured White Granary Pass, then continued with Shen Gongbao and allied troops toward Heaven’s Gift.

• Wen Zhong accused Li Jing of neglecting his sons, but Li Jing insisted he could not move his forces without the king’s command.
• Shen Gongbao led Nezha’s group through Great Gan’s outer territories and planned their advance toward White Granary Pass.
• Nezha challenged Yang Biao outside the pass and killed him with a spear thrust through the heart.
• Nezha took Yang Biao’s head, demanded the pass’s surrender, and Shen Gongbao’s soldiers captured White Granary Pass and absorbed its army.
• Shen Gongbao selected eight thousand troops and joined Chong Houhu’s scouts, and their combined forces surrounded Great Gan’s capital, Heaven’s Gift.

Chong Houhu’s million-strong army besieged Great Gan’s capital and crushed Chong Heihu’s rebellion, but Chong Heihu taunted him with the claim that only King Zhou could judge a king. Nezha defied that claim by firing an arrow at Chong Heihu on behalf of Cheng Tang’s Jiang Shan.

• Chong Houhu confronted Chong Heihu beneath the city walls, condemning his rebellion, while Chong Heihu defended it as a way to protect the people from King Zhou’s central rule.
• Chong Heihu dismissed commoners as rabble, and Chong Houhu threatened to storm the capital when he saw that his brother would not surrender.
• Chong Houhu’s forces began the siege, and Nezha charged into battle on his Wind Fire Wheels as Shen Gongbao watched for opposing Immortals.
• Chong Houhu’s army broke through the walls and surrounded the royal hall, forcing Chong Heihu to retreat inside.
• Chong Heihu taunted Chong Houhu that, as a king, only King Zhou could decide his fate, and Chong Houhu and his generals fell silent.
• Nezha drew his bow and fired at Chong Heihu, declaring that he would judge him on behalf of Cheng Tang’s Jiang Shan.

Nezha tried to execute Chong Heihu with the Heaven-Earth Bow and Sky-Shaking Arrow, but when the arrow vanished, he killed him with his Fire-Tipped Spear instead. The arrow struck Shi Ji’s incarnation, allowing her to survive her tribulation, but after she and Jade Cloud set out for Golden Ao Island, a storm swept Jade Cloud away.

• Nezha fired the Sky-Shaking Arrow at Chong Heihu, but it disappeared just before hitting him.
• Nezha killed Chong Heihu with his Fire-Tipped Spear, and Chong Houhu defended the killing as proof that Chong Heihu was not protected by the Heavenly Mandate.
• The Sky-Shaking Arrow reached Skeleton Cave and destroyed Shi Ji’s incarnation as it shielded Jade Cloud.
• Shi Ji revealed that she had survived by using her incarnation to undergo the tribulation, then prepared to return to Golden Ao Island with Jade Cloud.
• A fierce storm engulfed Shi Ji and Jade Cloud as they entered the East Sea, and Jade Cloud vanished when the skies cleared.

Shi Ji lost Biyun Boy during a mysterious storm and was blocked from returning to Golden Ao Island by a terrifying Wind Calamity. She turned back toward the East Sea Coast to seek Yun Zhongzi’s help, where she encountered several familiar figures.

• After the storm vanished, Shi Ji searched the nearby worlds for Biyun Boy and questioned Cangshan, the local water god, but learned nothing.
• Shi Ji tried to fly to Golden Ao Island, but an invisible Wind Calamity dragged her into a Spacetime Fragment and threatened to erode her Dao Fruit.
• Shi Ji retreated from the Wind Calamity, found that she could not contact anyone on Golden Ao Island, and decided to seek help from Yun Zhongzi at Chentang Pass.
• Shi Ji reached the East Sea Coast and confronted several familiar figures, asking what they were doing there.

Shi Ji confronted True Person Taiyi, Juliusun, and Daoist Tianzun on the East Sea coast and trapped them in a formation after suspecting their secret purpose. True Person Taiyi eventually tore open the formation and attacked Shi Ji, prompting the other two immortals to join in.

• Shi Ji revealed her Grand Unity Golden Immortal Perfect Stage cultivation and overpowered the three Chan Sect Immortals with her aura.
• When True Person Taiyi, Juliusun, and Daoist Tianzun tried to flee, Shi Ji sealed them inside a formation linked to the Earth Veins.
• Shi Ji demanded to know their purpose and threatened to take them to Chentang Pass to answer to Yun Zhongzi.
• True Person Taiyi refused to submit and attacked the formation with his Void-Escape Awl, damaging the Earth Veins as he escaped.
• True Person Taiyi hurled his Nine-Dragon Divine Fire Shield at Shi Ji, while Juliusun and Daoist Tianzun attacked with their Immortal-Binding Rope and Exquisite Qiankun Mirror.

True Person Taiyi, Juliusun, and Daoist Tianzun killed Shi Ji after trapping her in the Nine-Dragon Divine Fire Shield and burning her with Samadhi True Fire. After dividing some of Shi Ji’s spoils, they debated whether to continue to the East Sea or return to West Qi, and Juliusun argued that killing an Interception Sect Grand Unity Golden Immortal was already a great merit.

• True Person Taiyi trapped Shi Ji with the Immortal Binding Rope and Exquisite Qiankun Mirror, while Shi Ji struck him with her essence qi.
• Juliusun and Daoist Tianzun helped True Person Taiyi strengthen the Nine-Dragon Divine Fire Shield, and he added Samadhi True Fire.
• Shi Ji, unable to break free and weakened by the Wind Calamity, died as the fire burned her body and Primordial Spirit.
• True Person Taiyi took Shi Ji’s Storage Artifact and gave Juliusun and Daoist Tianzun portions of her treasures after they pressed him for a larger share.
• Juliusun and Daoist Tianzun warned that the Interception Sect might retaliate, and Juliusun proposed returning to West Qi with Shi Ji’s death as their merit.

After Shi Ji's Soul Lamp went out, the Interception Sect learned that she had died on the East Sea Coast and gathered to seek revenge. Daoist Duobao urged them to question Yun Zhongzi first, since he had recently gone to Chentang Pass.

• True Person Taiyi and the other two immortals returned toward West Qi rather than venture farther into the East Sea.
• Shi Ji's Soul Lamp shattered, and her disciples announced her death to the immortals in Heavenly Palace Immortal City.
• Ma Yuan arrived and demanded to know who had killed his junior sister, while Shi Ji's disciples urged him to avenge her.
• Zhao Gongming, the Three Xiāo, other Elite Outer Disciples, Daoist Duobao, and Golden Spirit Holy Mother gathered and reacted in shock.
• Daoist Duobao proposed asking Yun Zhongzi, who had recently gone to Chentang Pass, what had happened before deciding on revenge.

After Shi Ji’s Soul Lamp shattered, Daoist Duobao organized the Interception Sect to investigate her death and sought Yun Zhongzi’s help. Tongtian declined to intervene, so Duobao led the sect’s immortals toward the East Sea Coast to pursue the investigation, shocking the Primordial Wilderness.

• Daoist Duobao contacted Yun Zhongzi, who was stationed in Chentang Pass, to ask whether he knew anything about Shi Ji’s death.
• Yun Zhongzi said he had noticed no clues, and Duobao entrusted him with a preliminary investigation, sending him a wisp of Shi Ji’s scattered soul.
• Duobao led the Interception Sect’s immortals to Biyou Palace, where Tongtian said they could investigate themselves but would receive no help from him.
• Duobao urged the immortals not to let Shi Ji’s death go unanswered, and they agreed to follow his lead.
• Daoist Duobao led the Interception Sect’s vast mobilization toward the East Sea Coast, startling the Primordial Wilderness.

Daoist Duobao led millions of Interception Sect Immortals toward the Primordial Wilderness to avenge Shi Ji, whose death had alarmed the major powers. After questioning Cangshan about Shi Ji’s last movements, Golden Spirit Holy Mother suspected that Shi Ji had encountered a Calamity Tribulation.

• Daoist Duobao led millions of Interception Sect disciples toward the Primordial Wilderness, and news spread that they intended to avenge Shi Ji.
• Ao Guang joined the march with more than a dozen Grand Unity Golden Immortals, offering the East Sea’s support.
• Daoist Duobao stopped at Cangshan’s waters and demanded that the water god explain whether he had seen Shi Ji.
• Cangshan recounted meeting Shi Ji, who had repeatedly asked him about a storm despite the pleasant weather.
• Golden Spirit Holy Mother suggested that Shi Ji’s strange behavior might have been caused by a Calamity Tribulation, leaving the Immortals confused.

Daoist Duobao explained the Three Calamities to the Immortals investigating Shi Ji’s death, but Water God Cangshan said she had returned toward the East Sea Coast and sensed a disturbance there. The Immortals concluded that Shi Ji had likely died in a Human Disaster, but found the local Water Gods and Mountain Gods missing as they searched for clues.

• Daoist Duobao described Heaven, Earth, and Man Calamities and privately suspected Qingyuan had overcome him as a Human Disaster.
• Cangshan said Shi Ji had turned back toward the East Sea Coast, appeared frightened, and was not killed by a storm.
• The Immortals concluded that someone had likely killed Shi Ji in a Human Disaster, and Duobao agreed to investigate.
• Cangshan directed the Immortals to seek out nearby Water Gods and Mountain Gods, but Turtle Spirit Holy Mother questioned why he was a Water God.
• The Immortals found that local Heavenly Court outpost Immortals had been killed and continued onward without useful clues.
• Yun Zhongzi headed toward the East Sea waters and encountered two unexpected figures.

Yun Zhongzi traced Shi Ji’s death to an ambush by True Person Taiyi and two other Chan Sect Immortals, then encountered Daoist Zhunti and Daoist Jieyin in a tributary of the River of Time. They tried to recruit him as Vice Sect Leader of the Western Teachings and decided to take him to the Western Pure Land when he refused to engage.

• Yun Zhongzi used the Great Dao Laws to reconstruct how True Person Taiyi and two other Chan Sect Immortals had ambushed and killed Shi Ji.
• Yun Zhongzi glimpsed two familiar figures in the River of Time and tried to withdraw his Divine Abilities, but the rules trapped him as they approached.
• Daoist Zhunti and Daoist Jieyin greeted Yun Zhongzi as Hongyun and said they had come to repay his past kindness.
• Yun Zhongzi rejected their connection to his former incarnation, saying he was now Yun Zhongzi and that the past had scattered like smoke.
• Daoist Zhunti offered Yun Zhongzi the position of Vice Sect Leader and tried to bewitch him into joining the Western Teachings, but Yun Zhongzi remained silent.
• Daoist Jieyin said they would take Yun Zhongzi to the Western Pure Land to discuss the Great Dao.

Daoist Zhunti captured Yun Zhongzi while the Western Teachings' two Sages planned to conceal their role in Shi Ji's death and inflame conflict between the Chan and Interception Sects. The Interception Sect Immortals uncovered a partial record of the killing, leaving them convinced the Chan Sect was responsible.

• Daoist Zhunti captured Yun Zhongzi, and Daoist Jieyin reluctantly agreed that the Western Teachings should keep him.
• Daoist Jieyin proposed using nine truths and one falsehood to hide the Sages' involvement in Shi Ji's death and turn the Interception Sect against the Chan Sect.
• The two Sages altered the battlefield evidence, scattered Tribulation Qi, and vanished without leaving a trace.
• Daoist Duobao and the Interception Sect Immortals arrived at the East Sea battlefield and sensed Shi Ji's grief before her death.
• Daoist Duobao, the four Personal Disciples, and eight Quasi-Saints used Divine Abilities to reveal a partial vision showing True Person Taiyi, Juliusun, and Daoxing killing Shi Ji.

After seeing Shi Ji’s death, Daoist Duobao led the furious Interception Sect immortals across Great Shang to West Qi, where they demanded that True Person Taiyi and the other Chan Sect Immortals answer for her killing. The chapter leaves Taiyi and his companions panicking inside the city as millions of Interception Sect immortals threaten to storm it.

• The Interception Sect immortals watched a vision of True Person Taiyi, Juliusun, and Daoxing killing Shi Ji and erupted in anger.
• Ma Yuan, Lü Yue, and other Interception Sect immortals demanded revenge, and Daoist Duobao vowed to avenge Shi Ji.
• Daoist Duobao drew his sword and led millions of Interception Sect immortals toward West Qi.
• The Human Emperor of Great Shang let the Interception Sect pass through his territory without interference.
• Daoist Duobao and the immortals surrounded West Qi City, shouting for Taiyi, Juliusun, and Daoxing to come out and pay for Shi Ji’s death.
• True Person Taiyi and the other Chan Sect Immortals panicked inside West Qi City as the Interception Sect threatened to tear it down.

True Person Taiyi panicked when Duobao and the Interception Sect immortals surrounded West Qi City to demand justice for Shi Ji. After Qiushou Xian threatened the city, Guangchengzi heard Taiyi’s account and led the Chan Sect immortals out to test the Interception Sect’s strength.

• True Person Taiyi sensed the Interception Sect’s overwhelming auras outside West Qi and panicked as Juliusun and Daoxing pressed him for a plan.
• True Person Taiyi reassured Juliusun and Daoxing that the Interception Sect would not dare attack West Qi City.
• Qiushou Xian transformed into a giant, shook West Qi’s walls, and threatened to massacre the city unless the culprit was handed over.
• Guangchengzi and the other Chan Sect immortals confronted True Person Taiyi, Juliusun, and Daoxing over the crisis.
• True Person Taiyi blamed Shi Ji’s death on a fight in which she had tried to capture them, and Juliusun and Daoxing confirmed his account.
• Guangchengzi said the Chan Sect would stand by the three and led the immortals out to test the Interception Sect’s skills.

Guangchengzi led the Chan Sect and its allies out of West Qi to confront Daoist Duobao and the Sect of Interception, who had surrounded the city demanding the culprit responsible for Shi Ji’s death. The two sides faced off as Guangchengzi called for order, while True Person Taiyi and his companions agreed to conceal their responsibility.

• Guangchengzi rejected True Person Taiyi’s suggestion to yield and led the Chan Sect immortals and their allies toward the Sect of Interception.
• True Person Taiyi blamed Juliusun and Daoxing for helping make Shi Ji’s death possible, then ordered them to claim Shi Ji had provoked them and keep the truth hidden.
• Ji Chang warned Guangchengzi that the Sect of Interception had surrounded West Qi and demanded an explanation for a killing.
• Daoist Duobao demanded that Guangchengzi hand over the culprit or face a slaughter, as the Sect of Interception disciples threatened to storm the city.
• Guangchengzi challenged Daoist Duobao to control his followers so the two sides could discuss the matter.