Chapter Summaries

Taibai Golden Star revealed that he wielded the Nine-Dragon Whip, a treasure empowered to act first and report later—even to depose the Heavenly Emperor—and used it to stop the Jade Emperor from targeting Yang Jiao and his siblings. He left the shaken Jade Emperor with an ancient cultivation method and promised loyalty, while advising him to seek the Old Lord’s help with the Journey to the West matter.

• The Jade Emperor was shocked when Taibai Golden Star withstood his power and remained unaffected by his Heavenly Emperor’s authority.
• Taibai Golden Star confirmed his identity and denied any intention to rebel, then revealed the Nine-Dragon Whip and its power to depose or install the Heavenly Emperor.
• The Jade Emperor abandoned his attempt to suppress Taibai Golden Star and angrily lamented that others controlled his rule.
• Taibai Golden Star asked the Jade Emperor to stop targeting Yang Jiao and his siblings, offered help finding someone loyal for the Journey to the West party, and advised him to consult the Old Lord.
• Taibai Golden Star apologized, presented the Jade Emperor with an ancient tome, and promised never to harm him or betray his loyalty.

The Jade Emperor struggled to understand Taibai Golden Star’s motives and the mysterious cultivation method he had left behind. He went to Tusita Palace seeking Taishang Laojun’s help and found Laojun waiting for him.

• The Jade Emperor questioned whether Taibai Golden Star was loyal after Taibai rejected his proposal and warned him about the Heavenly Court’s situation.
• The Jade Emperor read the Heavenly Emperor Myriad Tribulations Spirit-Crossing Boundless Scripture, which transformed into purple characters and entered his mind, giving him an instinctive grasp of its techniques.
• The Jade Emperor wondered about his identity, Taibai’s concern for Yang Jiao and the others, and why the previous Heavenly Emperor had chosen him, but abandoned those questions when they caused him pain.
• The Jade Emperor decided to seek Taishang Laojun’s help with Journey to the West and left Lingxiao Treasure Hall for Tusita Palace.
• Green Ox welcomed the Jade Emperor, explaining that Taishang Laojun had expected him, then led him to the main hall, where Laojun sat waiting.

The Jade Emperor met Taishang Laojun to discuss the Journey to the West and his struggle with Tathagata. Taishang Laojun promised support and revealed the planned pilgrims, leaving the Jade Emperor to negotiate with Marshal Tianpeng and secure the Heavenly River Navy himself.

• The Jade Emperor visited Taishang Laojun, who warmly served him tea and said his junior nephew made even better tea.
• The Jade Emperor explained his worries about competing with Tathagata and arranging the pilgrim to secure Fortune Aura and Merit.
• Taishang Laojun told the Jade Emperor not to fear winning or losing, saying someone would cover for him and that the pilgrim had already been chosen.
• Taishang Laojun revealed that his disciple Tianpeng, known in the Heavenly Court as Marshal Tianpeng, would send his good corpse to join the pilgrims and help the Jade Emperor.
• Taishang Laojun told the Jade Emperor to negotiate with Tianpeng himself if he wanted the Heavenly River Navy to serve him, and said Taibai Golden Star would explain another loyal Heavenly Court ally.
• Taishang Laojun said the Dragon Clan would provide a gifted young descendant, Sun Wukong would answer the calamity, and the Buddhist Sect would provide the pilgrims' leader.

The Jade Emperor learned from Taishang Laojun that the Buddhist Sect had only one planned scripture seeker, Jin Chanzi, and went to the Heavenly River to see whether Marshal Tianpeng would help him. Marshal Tianpeng welcomed him and seemed to recognize him, leaving the Jade Emperor puzzled.

• Taishang Laojun told the Jade Emperor that Jin Chanzi was the Buddhist Sect's scripture seeker and that Tathagata had cast him into Reincarnation.
• Taishang Laojun assured the Jade Emperor that Marshal Tianpeng would send his Good Corpse to the Human Realm to help him.
• The Jade Emperor left Tusita Palace and traveled to the Heavenly River to meet Marshal Tianpeng.
• Heavenly River Navy generals stopped the Jade Emperor from entering, and Marshal Tianpeng arrived, sent one general flying, and bowed to him.
• The Jade Emperor wondered whether he and Marshal Tianpeng had met before because Marshal Tianpeng looked at him like an old acquaintance.

The Jade Emperor visited Marshal Tianpeng, who agreed to send his Good Corpse on the scripture pilgrimage while he entered secluded cultivation. After returning to Lingxiao Treasure Hall, the Jade Emperor received word that the Curtain Rolling Divine General had come to see him.

• Tianpeng warmly welcomed the Jade Emperor to his camp, though he avoided discussing official affairs and deflected the Jade Emperor’s questions.
• Tianpeng agreed to pretend to commit a misdeed at the Heaven-Pacifying Assembly so the Jade Emperor could cast his Good Corpse down to the lower realm as a scripture pilgrim.
• The Jade Emperor and Tianpeng staged an angry parting by the Heavenly River, leaving the watching immortals baffled.
• The Jade Emperor returned to Lingxiao Treasure Hall, lamenting that he lacked true confidants and wondering who would become the other scripture pilgrim.
• Wang Lingguan reported that the Curtain Rolling Divine General requested an audience, and the Jade Emperor wondered whether he was the person Taibai Golden Star had mentioned.

The Jade Emperor, puzzled by the shifting attitudes of the immortals around him, visited the imprisoned Sun Wukong to see how he would respond. He reached the Five Elements Mountain and asked the pinned monkey whether he still remembered him.

• The Curtain Rolling Divine General offered to serve the Jade Emperor, leaving him puzzled by the general’s sudden loyalty.
• Queen Mother Niangniang refused to receive the Jade Emperor, and other immortals also avoided him or gave perfunctory replies.
• The Jade Emperor disguised himself and descended to the mortal realm to visit Sun Wukong at the Five Elements Mountain.
• The Golden-Headed Guardian reported that Sun Wukong had been pinned beneath the mountain for three years and fed Copper-Juice Iron Pills every day.
• The Jade Emperor crouched beside Sun Wukong and asked whether he still remembered him.

The Jade Emperor visited Sun Wukong beneath Five Elements Mountain and found him broken and unresponsive, which made the emperor fear that he, too, might be controlled by hidden forces. After the Jade Emperor left imperial wine for Sun Wukong, the Golden-Headed Guardian tried to claim it for himself, while the Four Duty Merit Officers refused to join him; a mysterious figure then appeared before Sun Wukong.

• The Jade Emperor questioned the unresponsive Sun Wukong beneath Five Elements Mountain and worried that hidden forces might control his own destiny as well.
• The Jade Emperor poured Sun Wukong a cup of imperial wine and warned the Golden-Headed Guardian not to meddle in matters beyond his duties.
• After the Jade Emperor departed, the Golden-Headed Guardian tried to persuade the Four Duty Merit Officers to share the wine, but they refused and threatened to report him.
• The Golden-Headed Guardian took the other Guardians away to divide the wine while the Four Duty Merit Officers resumed their watch.
• A mysterious figure appeared before Sun Wukong.

Wuzhiqi visited the broken Sun Wukong beneath Five Elements Mountain and urged him to seek sainthood, which could revive Flower Fruit Mountain’s dead monkeys. After Wuzhiqi vanished, Sun Wukong calmed himself and began sensing a strange light within his brow.

• Wuzhiqi appeared before Sun Wukong and offered him a banana beneath Five Elements Mountain.
• Sun Wukong explained that he had lost hope because his monkeys had died and he believed the Heavenly Court and Buddhist Sect left him nowhere to go.
• Wuzhiqi told Sun Wukong that attaining sainthood could bring the dead monkeys back to life and hinted that the Divine Ability in Sun Wukong’s brow might lead him to it.
• Wuzhiqi vanished, and Sun Wukong realized the visit was real when he found banana crumbs between his fingers.
• Sun Wukong steadied his restless mind and discovered a strange light within his brow.

The Heaven-Pacifying Assembly drew the Primordial Wilderness’s factions after rumors spread that Qingyuan and the Dao Sect’s Saints would attend. Qingyuan’s presence led the Saints to acknowledge the Jade Emperor, leaving the court’s powers reconsidering whether they could continue ignoring him.

• After rumors claimed Qingyuan and the Dao Sect’s Saints would attend, factions that had ignored the Jade Emperor’s preparations rushed to help or sought invitations.
• When the assembly began, guests filled the Heavenly Court, while Qingyuan took the seat of honor in the Jade Pool Fairyland among the Saints.
• The Jade Emperor toasted the Saints, but they ignored him until Qingyuan returned his toast and addressed him warmly.
• After Qingyuan’s gesture, the other Saints spoke with the Jade Emperor, who eagerly thanked them.
• The Three Realms’ great powers and Heavenly Court officials wondered whether they would still dare disregard the Jade Emperor after the Saints had shown him respect.

At the Heaven-Pacifying Assembly, the Jade Emperor tried to get Marshal Tianpeng to carry out an earlier plan, but Tianpeng refused to act in front of the gathered Saints and great powers. The West Sea Dragon King Ao Run then requested a marriage for Ao Lie, whose disrespectful conduct toward the Jade Emperor stirred tension before Haotian spoke.

• The Jade Emperor hosted the great powers at the Heaven-Pacifying Assembly, thanked Tathagata Buddha Patriarch, and invited the Buddhist Sect to help maintain order in the Primordial Wilderness.
• The Jade Emperor repeatedly signaled Marshal Tianpeng to act, but Tianpeng stayed seated and drank wine, unwilling to embarrass himself before the assembled Saints.
• Ao Run asked the Jade Emperor to grant a marriage between his son Ao Lie and Princess Wan Sheng, and the Jade Emperor approved and promised gifts.
• Ao Lie greeted the Jade Emperor without kneeling, prompting Ao Run to scold him until he reluctantly knelt and then quickly stood again.
• The Jade Emperor began to overlook Ao Lie's insolence, but Haotian suddenly spoke from his seat.

Haotian backed the Jade Emperor after Ao Lie insulted him, forcing the Dragon Clan to offer compensation and resources. The banquet resumed, but Imperial Guards suddenly rushed into the hall after the sound of shattered glass.

• Haotian confronted Ao Run and condemned the Dragon Clan for excusing Ao Lie's arrogance as a failure of discipline.
• Ao Guang offered a ten percent increase in tribute and twenty percent of the Dragon Clan's waterway Incense Power profits for a hundred years to win forgiveness.
• Haotian left the decision to the Jade Emperor, who accepted the apology and directed the Dragon Clan to coordinate the transfer of supplies with Taibai Golden Star.
• The banquet resumed, and the immortals recognized that Haotian had helped the Jade Emperor gain prestige and resources.
• Glazed glass shattered, the music stopped, and Imperial Guards rushed into the banquet hall.

The Jade Emperor punished the Curtain Rolling Divine General for defying him during the Heaven-Pacifying Assembly, then ordered action against Marshal Tianpeng for harassing Fairy Chang'e and damaging Heavenly palaces. Yang Jiao went to arrest Tianpeng, leaving the Jade Emperor poised to strengthen his authority in the Heavenly Court.

• The Curtain Rolling Divine General shattered the Glass Lamp, and his Imperial Guards obeyed him rather than the Jade Emperor until he ordered them to withdraw.
• The Jade Emperor ordered Yang Jiao to seize the Curtain Rolling Divine General and have him punished and demoted to the Mortal Realm.
• After Dao Master Qingyuan, the Saints, and many Great Powers left the Heaven-Pacifying Assembly, a divine general reported that Marshal Tianpeng had harassed Fairy Chang'e and wrecked palaces, including the Dipper-Ox Palace.
• The Jade Emperor condemned Tianpeng and summoned the chief of the Judicial Heavenly God Hall, while Yang Jiao set out with guards to arrest him.

After the Heaven-Pacifying Assembly, the Jade Emperor secured control of the Heavenly Court Imperial Guard and persuaded Marshal Tianpeng to hand over the Heavenly River Navy’s command tally and official seal while he went into seclusion. They staged Tianpeng’s punishment, which ended with him falling into the Beast Realm instead of the intended Reincarnation passage.

• The Jade Emperor reflected on appointing someone to oversee the Heavenly Court Imperial Guard and decided Taibai Golden Star was no longer worthy of his trust.
• Yang Jiao brought the bound Marshal Tianpeng to the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, then left him alone with the Jade Emperor.
• The Jade Emperor freed Tianpeng and asked where he would cultivate while his Good Corpse underwent Reincarnation; Tianpeng said he would enter Secluded Cultivation until Journey to the West ended.
• The Jade Emperor argued that the Heavenly River Navy might cause trouble without Tianpeng and persuaded him to hand over the command tally and official seal, promising to return them.
• The Jade Emperor staged Tianpeng’s punishment at the Immortal-Slaying Platform, but Tianpeng fell into the Reincarnation passage and accidentally took the route to the Beast Realm.

Marshal Tianpeng learned that his Good Corpse had fallen into the Beast Realm, and he and the Jade Emperor used the Haotian Mirror to track it. The mirror showed a pigsty where a sow was about to give birth, leaving Tianpeng convinced his Good Corpse would reincarnate as a pig.

• An immortal reported to the Jade Emperor that Marshal Tianpeng had fallen into the Beast Realm while fleeing execution at the Immortal-Slaying Platform.
• Marshal Tianpeng emerged from hiding and angrily confronted the Jade Emperor about the fate of his Good Corpse.
• The Jade Emperor reassured Tianpeng and used the Haotian Mirror to watch the Good Corpse's surroundings, which led to a pigsty.
• The Jade Emperor failed to change the Haotian Mirror's view despite repeatedly trying to locate the Good Corpse.
• Tianpeng saw the sow beginning to give birth and concluded that his Good Corpse would be reincarnated as a pig.

After beating the Jade Emperor and taking resources from him, Tianpeng went to Golden Ao Island to train with Qingyuan. Qingyuan sent Tianpeng into his pagoda and then drew Sun Wukong’s consciousness from beneath Five Elements Mountain to train alongside him.

• The Jade Emperor wondered why Tianpeng had not treated the reincarnation of his Good Corpse as a mortal grudge, then began cultivating with Taibai Golden Star’s technique.
• Tianpeng traveled across the East Sea, pleased that he had beaten Senior Brother Ji and taken resources from him.
• Tianpeng met Qingyuan on Golden Ao Island and asked to cultivate in his pagoda and study laws and Reincarnation.
• Qingyuan sent Tianpeng’s consciousness into the pagoda, saying he had originally planned to have Tianpeng wait for someone.
• Qingyuan sensed Sun Wukong’s rising will beneath Five Elements Mountain and drew his consciousness over to train with Tianpeng.
• Sun Wukong focused on finding the place in his mind that the mysterious Senior had mentioned, but a dark vortex swallowed his consciousness.

Sun Wukong escaped Five Elements Mountain by sending his consciousness into an unknown place, where he encountered a monk who claimed to be his master. Confused by Tang Sanzang’s accusations and insistence that they knew each other, Sun Wukong went to ask someone else for directions.

• Sun Wukong reflected on how Five Elements Mountain had suppressed him and recalled that a Senior had shown him a sliver of hope.
• Sun Wukong used that hope to escape Five Elements Mountain and awoke with his body and weapons intact in a foggy, unfamiliar place.
• Sun Wukong asked a meditating monk where he was, but the monk blamed himself for failing to discipline Wukong.
• Tang Sanzang accused Sun Wukong of refusing to admit his wrongdoing and disappointing him and Guanyin.
• Sun Wukong insisted he did not know Tang Sanzang, argued with him, and walked toward someone in the sky to ask for directions.

Sun Wukong denied Guanyin's accusations that he had joined the Bull Demon King to eat Tang Sanzang and fought her when she tried to seize him. As Guanyin unleashed her Thousand-Hand form, Sun Wukong prepared to answer with Manifestation of Heaven and Earth.

• Sun Wukong asked Guanyin and the other figure who they were, then tried to leave when they would not give him a clear answer.
• Guanyin accused Sun Wukong of breaking his vow to protect Jin Chanzi and joining the Bull Demon King to capture and eat Tang Sanzang.
• Sun Wukong denied the accusations, dodged Guanyin's enormous palm, and attacked her with more than a hundred copies wielding the Jingu Bang.
• Guanyin attacked Sun Wukong with her Willow Branch, but it repeatedly caught only his monkey-hair transformations.
• Tang Sanzang praised Guanyin for supposedly sparing Sun Wukong and urged her to stop fighting, angering her further.
• Guanyin revealed her Thousand-Hand form, and Sun Wukong said he would counter it with Manifestation of Heaven and Earth.

Sun Wukong used the Nine Spirits Heaven-Devouring Earth-Exhaling Star Profound Art to rapidly restore his strength, then fought Guanyin as she tried to stop him. He shattered her Thousand-Hand Guanyin manifestation with one punch, leaving her horrified by his power.

• Sun Wukong assessed his weakened body and recalled how the Nine Spirits Heaven-Devouring Earth-Exhaling Star Profound Art could help him recover his strength.
• Sun Wukong absorbed spiritual energy and the essences of the sun, moon, and stars, steadily strengthening his body despite the world's sparse energy.
• Guanyin accused Sun Wukong of injuring Zixia Fairy and seizing the Moonlight Treasure Box, then attacked him with her Thousand-Hand Guanyin manifestation.
• Sun Wukong dismissed Guanyin's divine abilities and broke all the manifestation's arms with a single punch.
• Guanyin stared in horror and disbelief at Sun Wukong's power.

Sun Wukong overwhelmed Guanyin in battle, then stole the Moonlight Treasure Box and demanded to know what it did. Guanyin secretly called the Buddhist Sect for help, while a newcomer arrived and called out to Sun Wukong.

• Sun Wukong shattered Guanyin's Dharma Aspect and mocked her threats, prompting her to flood the land with water from her Pure Bottle.
• Sun Wukong vanished from the ocean and appeared behind Guanyin, holding the Moonlight Treasure Box and questioning its purpose.
• Tang Sanzang teased Guanyin as she fought Sun Wukong, so she slapped him and then sealed his mouth.
• Guanyin secretly sent a signal to the Buddhist Sect for help while dodging Sun Wukong.
• A figure crossed the ocean, looked toward the fighters, and called out, asking whether Sun Wukong was the Great Sage.

Tianpeng searched for Sun Wukong in the strange world and found him battling Guanyin. The old friends recognized each other and traded accounts of how they had arrived, leaving Tianpeng and Sun Wukong facing Guanyin’s renewed attack.

• Tianpeng investigated the world and searched for the Senior Disciple Brother after learning about the Havoc in Heaven.
• Tianpeng found Sun Wukong fighting Guanyin and called out to him as the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.
• Sun Wukong initially failed to recognize Tianpeng, but believed him after Tianpeng recalled their conversation at Ziwei Immortal Emperor’s residence.
• Sun Wukong explained that his consciousness had reached this world after Tathagata imprisoned him beneath Five Elements Mountain, and that Guanyin had accused him of helping kidnap Tang Sanzang.
• Tianpeng explained that he had fled the Judicial Heavenly God officers and accidentally entered the Heavenly Court’s Reincarnation Site, where he became a pig in the Beast Realm.
• Guanyin condemned Sun Wukong as a demon monkey and demanded that he kneel and surrender.