Recaps

Old Ancestor Yang Mei told Zhang Yifan that the people of the Shangyang Realm had been disappointed by the Primordial Continent’s progress, and Zhang Yifan brought him to live as a willow tree in his courtyard. In the Shangyang Realm, Bai Susu revealed that she sensed the aura of a powerful figure in the world’s soul, renewing everyone’s hope and resolve to fight for its success.

• Old Ancestor Yang Mei recounted his visit to the Empress and her warning to tell what he had learned only to someone capable of crushing her, so he had revealed everything to Zhang Yifan.
• Zhang Yifan inferred that Bai Susu’s side was in dire circumstances, told Fuxi and the others to keep the matter secret, and took Yang Mei to his courtyard.
• Yang Mei became a willow tree beside Zhang Yifan’s pond and discovered that the soil was Chaos Breathing Soil and the pond was the Spring of Life.
• In the Shangyang Realm, the elders told Bai Susu that the ninth seed of a Perfect World had failed and that they lacked resources to try again.
• Bai Susu said she sensed a trace of his aura in the world’s soul, leading the elders to believe he was restraining nine ultimate enemies while aiding the world’s evolution.
• Bai Susu and the others vowed to fight to the death to buy time for the new world’s arrival.

Wu Zetian announced that she would establish the Western Teachings as the state religion, despite Di Renjie's opposition and the Tang Dynasty's hostility toward Buddhism. She ordered Di Renjie beaten, then forced him to oversee the establishment, leaving the decision irreversible.

• Wu Zetian proposed establishing the Western Teachings as the state religion and asked the court who supported or opposed it.
• Wu Zetian asked Di Renjie for his opinion, and he opposed the proposal on behalf of the late emperor's final wish and the people's wishes.
• Wu Zetian rebuked Di Renjie for invoking the previous dynasty and ordered him to receive twenty court strokes.
• After Di Renjie endured the beating, Wu Zetian warned him against opposing her again and ordered him to oversee the establishment of the state religion.
• Wu Zetian dismissed the court, making the establishment of the Western Teachings as the state religion official and irreversible.

Western Teachings celebrated its apparent rise in Wu Zhou, while the Great White Snake believed the Jade Emperor was secretly guiding events toward a greater victory. After being beaten by Wu Zetian, Di Renjie explained how he would use the injury and his human identity to build public support for the state religion, then vowed that Western Teachings would fall again.

• Buddha Burning Lamp and the Western Teachings celebrated their influence in Wu Zhou and expected to become the Eastern Tang's state religion.
• The Great White Snake told Golden Mouse that the Jade Emperor was pursuing a larger plan tied to the Human Dao, then the pair set off for the Primordial Continent.
• Li Yuanfang found Di Renjie badly injured after Wu Zetian had beaten him, but Di Renjie said the beating was worth gaining the people's support.
• Di Renjie explained why he would refuse supernatural treatment and ordered Li Yuanfang to summon assistants for establishing the state religion.
• Di Renjie declared that Western Teachings' second decline was beginning and that it would never rise again.

Yuan Tiangang and Yuan Shoucheng secretly fueled resistance to Wu Zetian’s plan to establish the Western Teachings as the state religion and promoted Li Longji as a rallying figure. The Jade Emperor prepared for Li Er to enter the unfolding struggle, while Liu Chenxiang secured permission to visit the Eastern Tang Dynasty.

• Yuan Tiangang and Yuan Shoucheng posed as commoners to spread anger over Wu Zetian’s plan and build support for Li Longji.
• After the men dispersed, Yuan Tiangang and Yuan Shoucheng revealed themselves and continued their covert work to inflame resistance across the Eastern Tang Dynasty.
• The Jade Emperor said the Western Teachings’ rise would bring Li Er onto the historical stage as the mortal realm’s unification began.
• Liu Chenxiang snatched the Jade Emperor’s wine cup and asked to descend to the Eastern Tang Dynasty, and the Jade Emperor agreed.
• The chapter revealed that Liu Chenxiang would join two other youths to form the Three Young Titans and stir up the mortal realm.

Samantabhadra Bodhisattva secured the Western Teachings’ appointment as Wu Zhou’s State Preceptor and arrived in Luoyang to expand their influence. A passing glimpse of a white-clad youth unsettled him, though he soon dismissed the feeling and vanished.

• Samantabhadra Bodhisattva argued that the State Preceptor should be powerful, then declared himself the best candidate for the position.
• Buddha Burning Lamp appointed Samantabhadra Bodhisattva and ordered him to establish and expand the Western Teachings in Eastern Tang.
• Samantabhadra Bodhisattva arrived above Luoyang, confident that his appointment would bring him success.
• Samantabhadra Bodhisattva glimpsed a smiling youth in white entering the city and felt a sudden foreboding, but could not find him again.
• The youth in white ran through Luoyang’s streets as Gao Shi hurried after him, calling for him to wait.

Samantabhadra Bodhisattva arrived in Wu Zetian’s study to claim the post of Imperial Preceptor, and the two traded polite smiles while privately threatening each other. After Samantabhadra crushed and reshaped Wu Zetian’s shoulder bones during a forced massage, he asked who would oversee the state religion ceremony, and Wu Zetian summoned Di Renjie.

• Samantabhadra Bodhisattva entered Wu Zetian’s study, knocked out her guards, and announced that Saint Randeng had appointed him Imperial Preceptor.
• Wu Zetian pretended to welcome Samantabhadra, then needled him by calling him Venerable Samantabhadra of the Twelve Golden Immortals.
• Samantabhadra offered to take over important duties, but Wu Zetian ordered him to massage her shoulders and threatened him by lamenting that Wu Zhou depended on her health.
• Samantabhadra crushed Wu Zetian’s shoulder bones, then used magical power to reshape them while both concealed their anger behind smiles.
• Samantabhadra asked who would preside over the state religion ceremony, and Wu Zetian named Di Renjie and summoned him.

Samantabhadra Bodhisattva visited Wu Zetian and tried to uncover Di Renjie's past lives, but found no suspicious identity. He ordered the State Religion Investiture Ceremony to be held before the Heavenly Emperor Palace, setting up a direct provocation of the Heavenly Court.

• Di Renjie arrived at Wu Zetian's study on a stretcher after being beaten for opposing the Western Teachings as state religion.
• Wu Zetian introduced Samantabhadra Bodhisattva as Wu Zhou's Great National Teacher, and Di Renjie performed respect while refusing his offer to heal the injury.
• Samantabhadra secretly used his divine ability to investigate Di Renjie's past lives but found no sign of the Jade Emperor's people; Di Renjie privately knew he was Wenzhong reincarnated.
• Samantabhadra announced that the saints ordered the investiture ceremony held before the Heavenly Emperor Palace, with officials and notable capital figures attending.
• Wu Zetian accepted the order and directed Di Renjie to arrange the ceremony, while Samantabhadra celebrated his plan to provoke the Heavenly Court.

Chenxiang and the Howling Celestial Dog explored Luoyang, where a little boy repeatedly mistook Chenxiang for a girl and persuaded him to let him ride the dog. The chapter left them heading toward the Immortal Guest Inn with the boy, Du Fu, on the Howling Celestial Dog’s back.

• Chenxiang and the Howling Celestial Dog arrived in Luoyang, and Chenxiang planned to visit the Immortal Guest Inn.
• A little boy called Chenxiang a big sister despite Chenxiang repeatedly insisting he was a man.
• The boy praised the Howling Celestial Dog and asked to ride him in exchange for showing Chenxiang the inn.
• Chenxiang agreed, and the boy climbed onto the Howling Celestial Dog’s back.
• Chenxiang asked the boy his name and where he lived, and the boy said he was Du Fu and lived in Luoyang.

Chenxiang, the Howling Celestial Dog, and Little Du Fu entered Immortal Guest Inn after Du Fu insisted the dog was his brother. When Chenxiang realized he had no money to pay for their meal, a waiter stopped them from leaving, but Li Bai offered to cover the bill.

• Little Du Fu led Chenxiang and the Howling Celestial Dog to Immortal Guest Inn and insisted the dog was his brother when a waiter tried to keep it outside.
• Brother Dong recognized Du Fu as Luoyang City's notorious spoiled brat and let the group enter.
• Chenxiang ordered a feast, then admitted he had no money when Du Fu reminded him to pay the bill.
• Du Fu suggested they run, but a waiter blocked Chenxiang and accused her of trying to dine and dash.
• Li Bai laughed and offered to pay Chenxiang's bill.

In Luoyang, young Li Bai and Li Longji met again as mortals, while Chenxiang recognized their reincarnations and offered them a taste of extraordinary wine. The chapter ended with Chenxiang ordering cool boiled water to dilute the wine, leaving Li Bai and Li Longji baffled.

• Li Bai brought Gao Shi to the Immortal Guest Inn and offered to pay for a young man's meal, while Li Longji made the same offer.
• Chenxiang revealed that he was male, and Li Bai and Li Longji invited him to join their table.
• Li Bai and Li Longji felt an inexplicable familiarity when they met, then laughed and began sharing a table with Gao Shi.
• Howling Celestial Dog secretly told Chenxiang that Li Bai was Taibai Jinxing's reincarnation and Li Longji was Lord of Fire Li Er's reincarnation.
• Chenxiang offered the two men rare wine, then ordered four jars of cool boiled water to dilute it.

Chenxiang shared wine brewed by his great-grandfather Zhang Yifan with Li Bai, Gao Shi, and Li Longji, and a single drop diluted in water dramatically raised their cultivation. The chapter ended after Little Du Fu secretly drank from the wine gourd, prompting Chenxiang and the Howling Celestial Dog to rush to help him.

• Chenxiang diluted a drop of Zhang Yifan’s wine into jars of boiled water and served it to Li Bai, Gao Shi, and Li Longji.
• The wine’s power surged through Li Bai, Gao Shi, and Li Longji, raising Li Bai to the Nascent Soul Stage and Gao Shi to the peak of the Golden Core Stage.
• Li Bai, Gao Shi, and Li Longji praised the wine, and Chenxiang revealed that his great-grandfather Zhang Yifan had brewed it.
• Li Bai joked that he wanted a great-grandfather like Zhang Yifan, while Li Longji and Gao Shi expressed a wish to meet him.
• Little Du Fu secretly grabbed Chenxiang’s wine gourd and took a gulp, so Chenxiang snatched it away and the Howling Celestial Dog placed a paw on the boy.

Little Du Fu absorbed a mouthful of wine’s Great Dao fragments with help from the Howling Celestial Dog and the Human Dao Will, drawing the attention of powerful figures across the Primordial Continent. After he survived and advanced rapidly in cultivation, Chenxiang scolded him while Li Bai and Li Longji admired the wine and considered his potential.

• The Howling Celestial Dog helped Little Du Fu absorb the wine’s power, and the Human Dao Will intervened to assist him.
• The Human Dao’s movement alerted powerful figures across the Primordial Continent, including Buddha Burning Lamp, Zhuangzi, Fuxi, Houtu, and the Jade Emperor, who sent Samantabhadra to investigate Luoyang.
• The Jade Emperor and Yang Jian concluded that the Human Dao had acted to protect a future Human Dao Saint, and Yang Jian suggested Chenxiang watch for the person.
• Little Du Fu recovered from the wine and reached a cultivation realm Li Bai could not discern, so Chenxiang struck him for drinking recklessly.
• Li Bai and Li Longji defended Little Du Fu, then invited Chenxiang to share more of the remarkable wine.

Houtu visited Zhang Yifan to ask about the Human Dao’s stirrings and the Earth Dao’s prospects. Zhang Yifan explained that the Earth Dao depended on humanity’s flourishing and named three things it needed, leaving Houtu delighted and Zhang Yifan baffled by her sudden kiss.

• Houtu asked Zhang Yifan why the Human Dao Will had directed its power toward Luoyang, and he suggested she already knew a Human Dao Saint had appeared.
• Zhang Yifan revealed that Old Ancestor Yang Mei had been pinned down in his courtyard as a willow tree after reaching the Heavenly Dao Realm and touching the Great Dao’s threshold.
• Houtu asked how the Earth Dao could rise, and Zhang Yifan said it depended on the Human Dao’s flourishing, which would bring talented people to the Netherworld.
• Zhang Yifan identified the Earth Dao’s missing essentials as Yin Tianzi, the Yellow Springs Army, and the Ghost Cultivation Great Dao.
• Overjoyed, Houtu kissed Zhang Yifan and fled, while he assumed she was treating him like a grandfather.

Houtu received Zhang Yifan’s Great Dao-level Ghost Cultivation Method and began planning to spread it through the Netherworld, while playful teasing with Ao Bing brought back her joyful spirit. In Luoyang, Li Bai announced he would assassinate Wu Zetian, and Chenxiang and Du Fu joined in before Jinwu Guard soldiers burst into the inn.

• Ao Bing delivered Zhang Yifan’s Ghost Cultivation Method to Houtu and explained that preaching it could earn Great Dao Merit.
• Houtu teased Ao Bing, then asked Meng Xiaojiu to summon Little Qin and the others so she could speak with them.
• At an inn in Luoyang, Li Bai told Li Longji, Chenxiang, Gao Shi, and Du Fu that he intended to assassinate Wu Zetian.
• Chenxiang and Du Fu agreed to join Li Bai, alarming Li Longji and Gao Shi and shocking the other diners.
• Jinwu Guard soldiers stormed the inn and demanded to know who planned to assassinate the current emperor.

Li Bai openly declared that he would assassinate the emperor at the State Religion Investiture Ceremony, then fought off the Jinwu Guard before Howling Celestial Dog took the group away. He revealed that he meant to rally Great Tang against Wu Zetian and confirmed that he would carry out the assassination.

• Li Bai announced his plan to assassinate the emperor, and the Jinwu Guard surrounded him and the others at Immortal Guest Inn.
• Li Bai evaded the Jinwu Guard and used Green Lotus Sword Song to send the soldiers flying.
• Howling Celestial Dog sensed Samantabhadra Bodhisattva approaching and transported Li Bai, Li Longji, Gao Shi, Little Du Fu, and Chenxiang away.
• Samantabhadra Bodhisattva healed the Jinwu Guard and vowed to use Li Bai's head as a warning at the Investiture Ceremony.
• Outside the city, Li Bai explained that he wanted to raise the first cry against Wu Zetian and inspire Great Tang's people to resist.
• Li Bai confirmed to Li Longji that he intended to assassinate the Sacred Emperor.

Young Li Bai urged his companions to join him in assassinating Wu Zetian, but Zhang Yifan interrupted and reclaimed his stolen wine gourd from Chenxiang. After Chenxiang introduced the others to Zhang Yifan, Suirenshi arrived and insisted they address him as Ancestor.

• Young Li Bai condemned Wu Zetian's plan to establish the Western Teachings as the state religion and called on his companions to assassinate her during the investiture ceremony.
• Little Du Fu and Gao Shi agreed to join Li Bai, while Li Longji hesitated because he sought the throne rather than an assassination.
• Zhang Yifan appeared, beat Chenxiang for stealing his wine gourd, and took it back.
• Chenxiang introduced Li Bai, Li Longji, Gao Shi, and Du Fu to Zhang Yifan, and they bowed to him as Great-Grandfather.
• Suirenshi arrived and stopped Li Bai from calling Zhang Yifan Great-Grandfather, insisting that they call him Ancestor.

Zhang Yifan gave young Du Fu the courtesy name Zimei and ordered Suirenshi to stay with him for fifteen years. As young Li Bai and Gao Shi planned to stop Wu Zetian from making the Western Teachings the state religion, Li Longji revealed his imperial lineage and ambition to unite the mortal world, and the young men formed a bond before Zhang Yifan departed.

• Zhang Yifan bestowed the courtesy name Zimei on Du Fu and told Suirenshi to stay by his side for fifteen years as his study companion and playmate.
• Zhang Yifan asked young Li Bai and the others about their plan to assassinate Wu Zetian, and Li Bai declared he would risk his life to prevent the Western Teachings from becoming the state religion.
• Li Longji revealed that Wu Zetian was his grandmother and said he had a different path: restoring the Great Tang and uniting the mortal world of the Primordial Continent.
• Li Bai embraced Li Longji's ambition and proposed that he rally the Li imperial clan after Li Bai stirred rebellion at the investiture ceremony; Li Longji urged him not to die.
• Zhang Yifan warned Chenxiang against recklessness and departed, while Suirenshi remained with Du Fu; Li Bai and Li Longji agreed to meet again at the investiture ceremony.

Wu Zetian ordered the arrest and execution of the families of Li Bai, Gao Shi, and Du Fu to lure the would-be assassins, but Samantabhadra Bodhisattva persuaded her not to impose martial law and boasted that he could easily defeat them. Nine days later, the investiture ceremony began, and Chenxiang, Li Bai, Gao Shi, and Little Du Fu appeared at the grounds.

• Wu Zetian learned that Du Fu was among the people identified by the Jinwu Guard and ordered the arrests and executions of his, Li Bai's, and Gao Shi's clansmen.
• Wu Zetian ordered the city placed under martial law, but Samantabhadra Bodhisattva argued that the assassins needed to be able to enter the ceremony to walk into her trap.
• Samantabhadra Bodhisattva claimed that his late Quasi-Saint power could shatter the Great Tang with one palm and promised to create a small world to protect Wu Zetian.
• Samantabhadra Bodhisattva pressed Di Renjie about the ceremony preparations and warned him that any mishap would bring punishment, while Wu Zetian concealed her anger.
• Nine days later, the investiture ceremony began, and Chenxiang, Li Bai, Gao Shi, and Little Du Fu appeared at the grounds opposite the Heavenly Emperor Palace.

At Wu Zetian’s State Religion Investiture Ceremony, the Western Teachings gained official recognition as Wu Zhou’s state religion and Samantabhadra became National Teacher. The ceremony ended with young Li Bai openly defying Samantabhadra and demanding that the Bodhisattva kneel to him.

• Li Bai stopped Little Du Fu from rushing to his father on the execution platform, while Little Du Fu and Gao Shi worried over their relatives held hostage.
• Wu Zetian arrived at the ceremony and ordered Di Renjie to preside over it; Di Renjie announced that the Western Teachings would become Wu Zhou’s state religion.
• Samantabhadra displayed Buddhist miracles that healed and rejuvenated members of the crowd, prompting officials and dignitaries to praise him.
• Wu Zetian invested the Western Teachings as the state religion and conferred the title of National Teacher on Samantabhadra, boosting the Western Teachings’ destiny.
• When officials demanded that young Li Bai and the others kneel to Samantabhadra, Li Bai refused and proclaimed that Samantabhadra should kneel to him instead.

Li Bai stormed the State Religion Investiture Ceremony, killed a senior official, and attacked Wu Zetian before Samantabhadra Bodhisattva intervened. Samantabhadra ordered the rebels executed, and Gao Shi charged the execution platform after his Sixth Cousin was beheaded.

• Li Bai publicly challenged Samantabhadra Bodhisattva and killed a high-ranking official with one sword strike.
• Wu Zetian confronted Li Bai and taunted him for failing to attack her directly.
• Li Bai struck at Wu Zetian, but Samantabhadra Bodhisattva shattered the attack and protected her.
• Samantabhadra demanded the rebels kneel and kill themselves, then ordered the executioners to execute them.
• An executioner beheaded Gao Shi's Sixth Cousin, and Gao Shi charged toward the execution platform with his spear.

As Wu Zetian and Samantabhadra executed Gao Shi’s relatives, Li Bai called on the people of Great Tang to resist the Western Teachings. Chenxiang rallied the crowd with a freestyle song, but Samantabhadra prepared to kill everyone who joined the protest.

• Samantabhadra stopped Gao Shi from attacking the executioners as they beheaded Gao Shi’s relatives, and Li Bai, Gao Shi, and Little Du Fu mourned them.
• Li Bai condemned Wu Zetian’s plan to make the Western Teachings Great Tang’s state religion and urged the people to rise against her, but the crowd initially stayed silent.
• Chenxiang shouted for the Western Teachings to be driven out and sang a song urging Great Tang’s restoration, prompting hidden assassins and elderly citizens to join his chant.
• The cries spread through Luoyang and nearby cities, while Yunxiao and Bixiao watched from Heavenly Emperor Palace.
• Samantabhadra warned the protesters that their defiance would cost them their lives and unleashed a terrifying aura that froze them in place.

Samantabhadra tried to force the resisters to submit to the Western Teachings, but Li Bai rallied them with his defiance. After Samantabhadra killed hundreds or thousands of people and repeatedly struck Li Bai down, Li Bai revealed that he was Taibai Jinxing’s reincarnation, leaving Samantabhadra terrified and the Buddha blades frozen in midair.

• Samantabhadra bound the resisters with golden threads and offered to spare them if they knelt, confessed, and converted to the Western Teachings.
• Li Bai interrupted the wavering crowd, denounced Samantabhadra, and rallied the resisters to oppose Wu and Buddha without fear of death.
• Samantabhadra killed hundreds or thousands of resisters and blasted Li Bai to the ground when he attacked.
• Li Bai rose again, condemned Samantabhadra for looking down on mortals, and charged him once more.
• Samantabhadra imprisoned Li Bai in midair and sent blades of Buddha power to carve him apart.
• Li Bai declared that he was the reincarnation of Taibai Jinxing, causing the blades to stop and Samantabhadra to stagger back in terror.

Li Bai revealed himself as Taibai Jinxing’s reincarnation, prompting Samantabhadra to flee when Taibai’s phantom appeared. Samantabhadra returned after realizing the phantom was only a remnant, and their battle left Taibai weakened as he accused Samantabhadra of falling into demonic corruption.

• Li Bai claimed he was Taibai Jinxing’s reincarnation and defied Samantabhadra, who attacked him with a blast of Buddhist power.
• Taibai Jinxing’s phantom appeared behind Li Bai, blocked the attack, and frightened Samantabhadra into fleeing.
• Taibai explained to Li Bai that he was only a wisp of primordial spirit and that Li Bai remained himself.
• Samantabhadra returned, convinced he could defeat the weakened phantom, and attacked Taibai Jinxing.
• Taibai and Samantabhadra clashed, killing several people in the magical turbulence, and Taibai warned that Samantabhadra had fallen into demonic corruption.

Chenxiang shielded Li Bai from Samantabhadra Bodhisattva’s attack with a burst of Hunyuan power, then confronted the demonic Bodhisattva. After Chenxiang revealed his divine relatives and great-grandfather Zhang Yifan, Samantabhadra collapsed in terror.

• Samantabhadra fell into demonic deviation and launched a deadly attack at Taibai Jinxing’s phantom and Li Bai.
• Chenxiang stepped in front of Li Bai and erased Samantabhadra’s attack with a burst of Saint-like power.
• Samantabhadra discovered Chenxiang was a Primordial Chaos Grand Unity Golden Immortal, while the others reacted in shock.
• Chenxiang threatened Samantabhadra and identified himself as Liu Chenxiang, son of the Third Holy Mother, nephew of Erlang Shen, and grandnephew of the Jade Emperor.
• Chenxiang named Zhang Yifan as his great-grandfather, and Samantabhadra collapsed in terror.

Chenxiang revealed his powerful family ties and frightened Samantabhadra, then teased Du Fu by leaving him apparently unprotected. Suirenshi saved Du Fu and Human Dao Power struck Samantabhadra, leaving him terrified and weeping.

• Chenxiang revealed that the Heavenly Emperor was his uncle and Zhang Yifan was his great-grandfather, alarming Samantabhadra and astonishing Wu Zetian, Li Bai, Gao Shi, and Du Fu.
• Samantabhadra threatened Du Fu and Gao Shi, but Chenxiang joked that he would not protect them and tossed Du Fu toward Samantabhadra’s attack.
• Suirenshi caught Du Fu, dispelled Samantabhadra’s Buddhist palm, and warned Chenxiang not to frighten him.
• Suirenshi revealed himself to Samantabhadra, and Human Dao Power struck Samantabhadra with lightning, leaving him badly scorched and crying.