Chapter Summaries

Qingyuan taught the Grand Unity Golden Immortal Path and then openly explained the Primordial Golden Immortal Method, challenging the limits imposed by Hongjun’s Immortal Dao. Hongjun endured the sermon and resolved to record Qingyuan’s teachings and spread his own version through the Heavenly Dao.

• Qingyuan lectured for millions of years on a path that let cultivators surpass the limits associated with their Daluo Flower’s grade by deepening their understanding of the Great Dao Law and crossing the Nine Heavens.
• Hongjun listened without interrupting, though Qingyuan’s teachings made his face grow ashen.
• Qingyuan began explaining the Primordial Golden Immortal Method in detail, including how Daluo Golden Immortals could enter the Primordial Origin Golden Immortal realm.
• Hongjun recognized that Qingyuan’s method was more complete and easier to cultivate than his Severing Three Corpses Method, and considered stopping the sermon.
• Hongjun suppressed his urge to attack Qingyuan and decided he could record the teachings, improve on them, and spread his version through the Heavenly Dao Saints.

Qingyuan explained the Primordial Origin Golden Immortal cultivation method to the assembly in Zixiao Palace, prompting even Heavenly Dao Saints to consider changing paths. After ten million years, he announced that he would teach the Primordial Daluo Golden Immortal method, while Hongjun reluctantly let him continue and Qingyuan focused on attracting disciples.

• Qingyuan taught the cultivators how the Primordial Origin Golden Immortal method strengthened the self and cultivated a Hunyuan Law, contrasting it with the Severing Three Corpses Method.
• The Heavenly Dao Saints, especially Jieyin and Zhunti, considered whether the new method could improve their foundations, though it conflicted with their existing cultivation path.
• Ten million years passed as Qingyuan explained the Primordial Golden Immortal method, and many listeners remained absorbed in his teachings.
• Qingyuan announced that he would next explain the Primordial Daluo Golden Immortal method, astonishing the assembly.
• Hongjun considered stopping Qingyuan but decided to let him teach, believing he could eventually suppress him after merging with the Heavenly Dao.
• Qingyuan continued teaching, intending to attract disciples and gain power and rewards.

Qingyuan finished teaching the Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortal Dao and announced that he would establish a Dojo in the Primordial Wilderness for those with affinity. After the other cultivators left Zixiao Palace, Hongjun challenged Qingyuan about his intentions, and Qingyuan demanded that he speak his thoughts openly.

• Qingyuan concluded his lecture, and many cultivators bowed to him and thanked him for teaching the Dao.
• Qingyuan announced that he would establish a Dojo in the Primordial Wilderness, where those with affinity could cultivate.
• Hongjun opened Golden Bridges and ordered the cultivators to leave Zixiao Palace in an orderly manner.
• After the lesser cultivators departed, Hongjun asked Qingyuan before the Saints what he planned to do in the Primordial Wilderness.
• Qingyuan said he wanted only to wander and teach disciples, then challenged Hongjun to openly state what he suspected.

Qingyuan and Hongjun ended their tense exchange, after which the Two Shakya reminded Hongjun of his promise to make the Western Lands flourish. Hongjun said the wider Primordial Wilderness would have to help, and the Two Shakya secured tentative support from Taiqing, Yuanshi, and Nuwa before turning to Tongtian.

• Qingyuan assured Hongjun that he respected his teachers and the Dao, and Hongjun dismissed the gathered saints.
• Daoist Zhunti and Daoist Jieyin complained that the Western Earth Veins had broken again and reminded Hongjun of his promise of Western Flourishing.
• Hongjun acknowledged the promise but said the whole Primordial Wilderness and its factions would need to support the effort.
• Daoist Zhunti asked Taiqing and Yuanshi for help, and both agreed to lend a hand.
• Nuwa said she would help if the others did, while Tongtian's response remained unresolved.

Qingyuan agreed to help the Two Shakya advance the Western Flourishing, but demanded a share of its merit. He proposed a thirty-seventy split, leaving the Two Shakya to decide whether to accept.

• Sect Master Tongtian angrily rebuked the Two Shakya for their past attacks on the Interception Sect and refused to help them.
• The Two Shakya pleaded with Dao Ancestor Hongjun to mediate, but Hongjun declined to intervene on their behalf.
• The Two Shakya begged Qingyuan for support, and he reminded Daoist Zhunti that he had asked him for help before.
• Qingyuan agreed to support the Western Flourishing in exchange for a share of its merit.
• Qingyuan proposed splitting the merit thirty-seventy, and Zhunti asked what division he had in mind.

Qingyuan negotiated a written agreement granting the Interception Sect seventy percent of the Merit from the Western Flourishing and the Western Teachings thirty percent. After leaving Zixiao Palace, he invited the Six Heavenly Dao Saints to Golden Ao Island to discuss the Great Dao and cultivation.

• Daoist Zhunti and Daoist Jieyin accepted Qingyuan’s proposed seventy-thirty split, and Qingyuan wrote the agreement specifying seventy percent for the Interception Sect and thirty percent for the Western Teachings.
• Daoist Zhunti and Daoist Jieyin protested the allocation, but Qingyuan refused to yield and argued that the Interception Sect deserved compensation for its losses.
• Hongjun and the others watched as both sides signed the agreement, making its terms binding.
• Hongjun dismissed the gathering, and Qingyuan invited the Six Heavenly Dao Saints to Golden Ao Island for a discussion of the Great Dao.
• Qingyuan arrived at Biyou Palace, greeted the Saints, and said he would share methods of the Great Dao and cultivation.

Qingyuan preached on the Great Dao to the saints at Biyou Palace while secretly visiting the Stone Fetus on an East Sea island. After centuries, the sermon ended and the saints departed.

• Qingyuan refused to take Sect Master Tongtian's seat and preached about applying and understanding the Great Dao Law as the saints listened.
• Jie Sect Disciples and other beings gathered around Biyou Palace to cultivate and trade while Qingyuan secretly left the sermon unseen.
• Qingyuan visited the Stone Fetus, reassured his disciple, and asked it to take part in a performance with him.
• Qingyuan agreed to teach the Stone Fetus to cultivate and promised to find someone to protect it before vanishing.
• After several centuries, the sermon’s radiance faded, and the Heavenly Dao Saints emerged from Biyou Palace and returned to their homes.

Saint Nuwa altered the rules around the Immortal Stone on Flower Fruit Mountain, but the stone rejected her claim about its origin. Meanwhile, the Primordial Wilderness entered a peaceful golden age, and Great Shang rose to unmatched power before an unexpected event disrupted its rise.

• Saint Nuwa used Rule Power to make future cultivators believe the Immortal Stone was a Sky-Mending Stone left by her, but the stone showed contempt for her intervention.
• The Interception Sect restored its standing, compensated its partners, and introduced strict internal oversight while imposing high tariffs on the Chan Sect and Western Teachings.
• Haotian used the Myriad Immortals List to recruit fallen powers into the Heavenly Court, while Zhang Bairen rose rapidly through its ranks.
• The Human Sect, Chan Sect, Demon Sect, Western Teachings, and other forces focused on discreet development as the Immortal Dao entered a golden age.
• Di Xin led Yin Shang to unite the East Sea Coast and make Great Shang the mightiest nation under heaven, but an unexpected event followed.

After Di Xin abdicated, his youngest son Di Tian died soon after taking the throne, and rival princes and regional lords plunged Great Shang into centuries of war and decline. When Di Xin returned from Huoyun Cave and tried to rebuild the kingdom, Venerable Yuanshi warned that interfering in the Human Race’s history would bring Heavenly Retribution, leaving Di Xin desolate.

• Di Xin abdicated to his youngest son, Di Tian, and left the Human Race to cultivate at Huoyun Cave.
• Di Tian died from excitement soon after ascending the throne without naming an heir, and princes and vassal lords fought for control of Great Shang.
• Centuries of warfare fractured the Nine Provinces, devastated their people and economy, and caused the vassal states to isolate themselves.
• Di Xin emerged from Secluded Cultivation, discovered Great Shang had fallen apart, and resolved to build a new Great Shang.
• Rule Power carried Di Xin to the Kunlun Mountains, where Venerable Yuanshi warned him not to interfere in the Human Race’s history.
• Di Xin left the Kunlun Mountains desolate after Venerable Yuanshi explained that he was no longer the Human Emperor and would suffer Heavenly Retribution if he intervened.

Di Xin wandered the Primordial Wilderness in despair after accepting that he could no longer interfere in the Human Race’s affairs, while Zhang Bairen survived increasingly dangerous assignments and continued rising in the Heavenly Court. Haotian personally welcomed Di Xin to the Heavenly Court, where Di Xin asked whether joining could let him help the Human Race.

• Di Xin grieved over the Human Race’s division and accepted that, no longer the Human Emperor, he had no right to interfere in its affairs.
• Haotian intensified Zhang Bairen’s training by transferring him to the dangerous military ranks and giving him difficult assignments through Yang Jian.
• Zhang Bairen survived his missions, rose rapidly in rank, and refused to receive most of the immortals who returned to curry favor with him.
• Haotian, Yaochi Queen Mother, and the immortal emperors of the Nine Heavens gathered at the Heavenly Gate to welcome Di Xin.
• Di Xin greeted the Heavenly Emperor and asked whether joining the Heavenly Court would allow him to help the Human Race.

Di Xin asked Haotian to help him end the Human Race’s feudal fragmentation, accepting the price of sharing its Fortune Aura and spreading Heavenly Court worship. With Houtu’s approval, Di Xin sacrificed his body to guide lost souls from the Yellow Springs while his Primordial Spirit became a divine statue above the Nine Heavens.

• Di Xin came to the Heavenly Court seeking a way to intervene in the Human Race’s divided and war-torn state.
• Haotian offered to help if Di Xin secured half the Human Race’s Fortune Aura for the Heavenly Court and established its worship among the people.
• Haotian consulted Houtu, who agreed on the condition that Di Xin guard the depths of the Yellow Springs and guide lost souls.
• Di Xin accepted, and his physical body descended into the Yellow Springs to form a path for lost souls to climb toward freedom.
• Di Xin’s Primordial Spirit transformed into a vast divine statue above the Nine Heavens, illuminating the Primordial Wilderness.

Di Xin descended toward the East Sea Coast to undergo tribulation while Haotian defended his actions against Venerable Yuanshi. The chapter ended with Venerable Yuanshi leaving after warning Haotian to keep his word.

• Haotian sent Di Xin’s consciousness into the Six Paths of Reincarnation while Di Xin’s body and Primordial Spirit remained elsewhere.
• Venerable Yuanshi confronted Haotian, accusing him of breaking the rules by letting Di Xin reincarnate into the Human Race.
• Haotian argued that Di Xin had not interfered in human affairs and had only been demoted to the Mortal Realm under an old Heavenly Edict.
• Venerable Yuanshi investigated the Heavenly Court’s regulations, then warned Haotian before departing.

Qingyuan established the Dao Sect, which spread throughout the Primordial Wilderness and strengthened its Immortal Dao without changing the Human Race’s divisions. A tremendous disturbance at the East Sea announced an Innate Spirit’s birth, while a golden light startled the Heavenly Court.

• Haotian watched Venerable Yuanshi depart and told Di Xin that his future achievements depended on him.
• Qingyuan founded the Dao Sect in West Kunlun, accepted disciples of every rank, and saw it grow to include a fifth of the Primordial Wilderness’s living beings.
• Di Xin’s consciousness passed through a hundred lifetimes without ending the Human Race’s cycle of division and unity, while Great Zhou eventually unified the Nine Provinces.
• A world-shaking explosion at the East Sea drew countless powers, but an unseen Saint’s threat prevented them from approaching the island.
• A golden light announced the birth of an Innate Spirit, and the Heavenly Emperor ordered Zhang Bairen to investigate the disturbance in the lower realm.

Haotian sent Zhang Bairen to investigate a golden light from the lower realm, where an Immortal Stone had become a Stone Monkey but lost its Innate Origin after eating mortal food. Zhang Bairen found the monkey at Flower Fruit Mountain, discovered the Water Curtain Cave Grotto-Heaven, and returned to report to the Heavenly Emperor.

• Haotian ordered Zhang Bairen to investigate the disturbance in the lower realm.
• Thousand-Mile Vision and Wind-Listening Ears told Zhang Bairen that the Stone Fetus had lost its Innate Origin after drinking springwater and eating wild peaches.
• Zhang Bairen found the Stone Monkey with a troop of monkeys at Flower Fruit Mountain as it leapt through a waterfall.
• Zhang Bairen followed the Stone Monkey through the waterfall and discovered the Water Curtain Cave Grotto-Heaven.
• Zhang Bairen returned to the Lingxiao Treasure Hall and reported his findings to the Heavenly Emperor.

Zhang Bairen was promoted to Imperial Lord despite fierce objections from the Heavenly Court officials. Centuries later, Stone Monkey confronted the death of an Old Monkey and learned that all beings eventually died of old age.

• Zhang Bairen reported that the Stone Fetus had lost its innate foundation after consuming mortal food and was now mortal.
• Haotian announced Zhang Bairen’s promotion, and Zhang Bairen and the other immortals urged him to withdraw the decree.
• Haotian named Zhang Bairen the Nine Heavens Mystic Spirit Great Virtue Radiant Light Vast Virtue Universal Transformation World-Saving Compassionate Imperial Lord and ordered him to attend court beside the throne.
• The immortals protested and sought help to reverse the promotion, but Zhang Bairen took his new seat at court and was immediately besieged by officials presenting memorials.
• Centuries later, Stone Monkey found an Old Monkey dead in Water Curtain Cave and asked whether everyone eventually died.
• An Old Monkey told Stone Monkey that all beings died as they aged, describing birth, aging, illness, and death as the ordinary way of the Human Realm.

Stone Monkey rejected the idea that monkeys had to die and be ruled by the Underworld, then learned from Old Monkey that Immortals could live forever beyond King Yama’s jurisdiction. He vowed to seek a master, learn immortality, and lead the other monkeys to eternal youth.

• Old Monkey tried to comfort Stone Monkey by saying that death from old age was simply the way of the world.
• Stone Monkey angrily stopped the monkeys from drinking and challenged why they had to be ruled in life and bound by the Underworld after death.
• Old Monkey recalled seeing people fly over Flower Fruit Mountain and learning that they were Immortals.
• Old Monkey explained that Immortals could fly, wield great powers, and live forever beyond King Yama’s jurisdiction.
• Stone Monkey excitedly vowed to find a master, cultivate immortality, and help all the monkeys attain eternal youth.

The Monkey King set out from Flower Fruit Mountain on a raft to seek immortality, dismissing Old Monkey’s warnings about the dangers of the outside world. A sudden storm smashed his raft and knocked him unconscious, leaving the gods and Buddhas guarding his voyage to rescue him and report the interference to Tathagata Buddha Patriarch.

• The Monkey King promised the monkeys he would attain immortality and bring them along, but Old Monkey warned that crossing the ocean and finding an Immortal would be perilous.
• The Monkey King rejected Old Monkey’s doubts and ordered the monkeys to prepare supplies and build a raft for his journey.
• The Monkey King sailed away from Flower Fruit Mountain and drifted across the sea for years before spotting a distant coastline.
• The Monkey King mocked Old Monkey’s warnings and urinated toward the heavens, whereupon a sudden storm sent a huge wave crashing into his raft.
• The wave shattered the raft and knocked the Monkey King unconscious, so the Eight Vajras, Eighteen Arhats, and other hidden guardians rescued him from the sea.
• An Arhat returned to the Western Pure Land to report the attack to Tathagata Buddha Patriarch.

Tathagata persuaded Jieyin and Zhunti to divide the Western Teachings into three autonomous Buddhist branches, and they appointed him leader of the Present Branch. When Maitreya reported that Monkey had fallen into the water, Jieyin asked Tathagata to plan the response, leaving Maitreya stunned.

• Tathagata proposed organizing the Buddhist Sect into Past, Present, and Future branches to expand its influence and Fortune Aura.
• Tathagata argued that the Saints could retain control by appointing or dismissing branch leaders, and Jieyin and Zhunti agreed to the plan.
• Jieyin and Zhunti named Tathagata the Buddha of the Present Branch and leader of the Buddhist Sect.
• Maitreya reported that Monkey had fallen into the water after angering the Heavenly Court, and Jieyin judged the punishment minor.
• Jieyin asked Tathagata how to handle the incident, and Tathagata began outlining a plan that protected Monkey while preserving the Heavenly Court's dignity.

Daoist Zhunti appointed Maitreya as the Future Buddha but gave Tathagata authority over the Buddhist Sect’s present affairs. Tathagata planned to establish Mahayana Buddhism outside the Western Pure Land, while Zhunti privately wondered whether he was an Interception Sect mole.

• Maitreya brooded over Daoist Duobao’s rise until Tathagata alerted him that Daoist Zhunti was calling.
• Daoist Zhunti told Maitreya he would become the Future Buddha and govern a Buddhist branch, but Tathagata would lead the Present Buddha branch and manage the sect’s current affairs.
• Maitreya objected to Tathagata’s authority, but Zhunti reprimanded him and sent him away.
• Tathagata proposed leaving the Western Pure Land to establish a new dojo, found Mahayana Buddhism, and welcome disciples from all walks of life.
• Daoist Zhunti told Tathagata to consult the Heavenly Emperor about the Buddhist Sect’s growth and preserve the Journey to the West.
• Daoist Zhunti asked Jieyin whether Duobao might be a mole sent by the Interception Sect.

Daoist Jieyin and Daoist Zhunti discussed whether Duobao could betray the Western Teachings and how to secure the Buddhist Sect’s rise. Jieyin then visited Daoist Randeng to recruit him as the Buddha of the Past, but Randeng asked why a Saint had come to his mountain.

• Daoist Jieyin reassured Daoist Zhunti that Duobao had no reason to betray the Western Teachings because he had nowhere else to pursue the Path of Supreme Ego.
• Daoist Zhunti left to make arrangements in the Human Realm and consult the First Disciple of Intercepting Sect about instructing the child destined for the tribulation.
• Daoist Jieyin proposed inviting Daoist Randeng to join the Buddhist Sect as the Buddha of the Past, offering him the Western Buddha Throne and equal standing.
• Daoist Jieyin arrived at Yuanjue Cave and asked Bai Shan to announce a guest from the West to Daoist Randeng.
• Daoist Randeng welcomed Daoist Jieyin and asked why a Saint had visited Spirit Vulture Mountain.