Chapter Summaries

Black Gold Tathagata took control of Tathagata Buddha’s body and killed the Evil Lord, but the Evil Lord left hidden poisonous blood essence inside Buddha Burning Lamp. Tathagata Buddha rescued Buddha Burning Lamp and headed for the Primordial Continent, unaware that he was carrying a calamity back to the Western Teachings, while a burly man arrived at Chang'an City.

• Old Black Tathagata warned Tathagata Buddha that the Evil Lord was targeting his body and had infected him with deadly evil poison.
• After sensing the poison, Tathagata Buddha yielded control to Black Gold Tathagata, who attacked the Evil Lord and Buddha Burning Lamp.
• The Evil Lord unleashed his power and was destroyed by Black Gold Tathagata, but secretly left poisonous blood essence inside Buddha Burning Lamp.
• Black Gold Tathagata returned control to Tathagata Buddha and explained that the Black Supreme’s disciples commonly slaughtered and devoured one another.
• Tathagata Buddha found himself outside the Taiqing World, then carried Buddha Burning Lamp toward the Primordial Continent, unaware of the poison within him.
• A tall, burly man rode a Divine Might Steed to the gates of Chang'an City.

The Taiqing Saint King learned from the corpse general’s fading remnant that Randeng might be an incarnation of the Evil Lord and a threat to the Primordial Continent. In Chang’an, An Lushan arrived at the famed Immortal Guest Inn, planning to make a declaration that would shock the world.

• The corpse general’s remnant praised the Taiqing Saint King, called him someone’s shadow, and warned him to be wary of Randeng before fading away.
• The corpse general revealed that the Evil Lord was also named Randeng and that the Buddhist Randeng might be his reincarnated contingency.
• The Taiqing Saint King considered warning the Primordial Continent’s powerhouses but chose to watch Randeng and Tathagata contend with Zhang Yifan instead.
• The Taiqing Saint King began studying the Great Dao artifact, hoping it would help him enter the Great Dao Realm.
• An Lushan arrived at Chang’an’s Immortal Guest Inn and declared that he would make a world-shaking announcement.

An Lushan entered the Immortal Guest Inn and mocked the idea that Great Tang’s people could become immortal citizens, calling Li Longji a puppet of the Heavenly Court. Li Linfu confronted him from a private room where Li Longji and Yang Yuhuan were present, warning that he would be beheaded under Great Tang law.

• An Lushan entered the Immortal Guest Inn with a Heavenly Character Card and surveyed its luxurious interior and celebrated calligraphy.
• Guests praised Li Longji’s recent ascension to Immortal Emperor and imagined Great Tang becoming an immortal realm in the mortal world.
• An Lushan told the guests that ordinary people would still face death and mocked Li Longji as a Heavenly Court puppet.
• Li Linfu emerged from a private room and accused An Lushan of high treason, declaring that he would be beheaded.
• An Lushan looked up at Li Linfu and faintly asked whether that was so.

An Lushan provoked Li Longji and Li Linfu at the Immortal Guest Inn, then claimed he was the ruler of Yan State and offered his vast territory to Great Tang. He swore he was no Heavenly Court pawn and challenged Li Linfu to swear the same oath.

• An Lushan accused Li Longji of being a puppet and suggested Li Linfu might be a reincarnated Heavenly Court pawn.
• Li Linfu denounced An Lushan as a slanderer seeking rebellion, but An Lushan cited past Heavenly Court influence within the Li imperial family.
• Yang Yuhuan questioned An Lushan's motives and argued that his offer to conquer the Western Niuhe Continent might serve the Heavenly Court's interests.
• An Lushan revealed that he ruled Yan State and offered its territory and more than two billion subjects to Xuanzong of Great Tang.
• An Lushan swore that five thunderbolts should strike him if he was a Heavenly Court immortal or pawn, then challenged Li Linfu to take the same oath.

An Lushan deflected Li Linfu’s challenge by swearing he was not a pawn of the Western Teachings, winning Li Longji’s approval. Li Longji appointed him military governor over Pinglu, Fanyang, and Hedong, while Yang Yuhuan concealed her plans for revenge against the Heavenly Court.

• An Lushan challenged Li Linfu to swear an oath, and Li Longji silently approved the idea of using oaths to test his ministers.
• Yang Yuhuan suggested An Lushan might be connected to the Western Teachings, prompting Li Linfu and the guests to accuse him of being a spy.
• An Lushan swore that he was not a reincarnated Western Teachings figure or their pawn, and Yang Yuhuan saw that Li Longji was pleased.
• Li Longji revealed himself at the inn, praised An Lushan, and appointed him military governor of Pinglu, Fanyang, and Hedong.
• An Lushan knelt and pledged his service to Li Longji, while Yang Yuhuan privately vowed revenge against the Jade Emperor and the Heavenly Court.

Li Shimin was enraged by Li Longji’s oath requiring Great Tang officials to reject the Western Teachings and Heavenly Court, but Meng Xiaojiu explained that Great Tang needed to suffer a setback and urged the Yellow Springs Army to focus on the Skeleton Empire. At Spirit Mountain, Tathagata Buddha found Howling Celestial Dog fighting a mysterious white dog, then Howling Celestial Dog charged at him.

• Li Shimin tried to return to Chang'an and punish Li Longji, but Zhangsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, Cheng Yaojin, and Li Zhi stopped him because the Yellow Springs Army faced threats in the Netherworld.
• Meng Xiaojiu told Li Shimin that Great Tang needed to tumble before it could be rebuilt, and said the Jade Emperor was amused rather than angry about Li Longji’s actions.
• Li Shimin and his commanders discussed the Skeleton Empire’s powerful Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin Skeleton Army and the Skeleton Emperor, then set out for the front lines.
• Tathagata Buddha returned to Spirit Mountain and entered the World-Destroying Great Array, where he saw Howling Celestial Dog fighting a white dog.
• Howling Celestial Dog ran toward Tathagata Buddha and attacked him.

Tathagata Buddha returned to Spirit Mountain and found Howling Celestial Dog had escaped and grown to the Heavenly Dao Realm Fifth Heaven, while Yang Jian was gone. Saint Randeng merged with his clone and entered one of the Twenty-Four Buddhist Kingdoms, where the Evil Lord took over his body; Randeng then corrupted the kingdoms into the Twenty-Four Evil Buddha Kingdoms.

• Howling Celestial Dog fought Tathagata Buddha, revealed his immense cultivation, and left after warning that his master would spread news of Tathagata's return.
• Tathagata Buddha reunited Saint Randeng's clone with his true body, raising Randeng's cultivation to Saint Fourth Heaven Realm.
• Tathagata Buddha told Saint Randeng to steal the Primordial Continent's Heavenly Dao Laws ahead of a great war expected within thirty years in the Mortal Realm.
• Saint Randeng entered a Buddhist kingdom and discovered it had grown into a high-grade great chiliocosm after absorbing eight hundred Heavenly Dao Laws.
• The Evil Lord seized Saint Randeng during their struggle, and both were destroyed, leaving Randeng's body as an evil Buddha at Saint Ninth Heaven.
• Evil Buddha Randeng set out to corrupt the remaining Buddhist kingdoms, transforming all Twenty-Four Buddhist Kingdoms into the Twenty-Four Evil Buddha Kingdoms.

Yang Jian told the Jade Emperor that Tathagata had reached the Heavenly Dao Realm Fifth Heaven and slaughtered Yang Jian’s forces, while the Jade Emperor explained his deeper plan to claim authority over the Human Dao rather than control the Human Emperor. With baleful energy rising in the Mortal Realm, the Jade Emperor asked Yang Jian to join him in Fengxian County for the Mid-Autumn Festival as a great calamity approached.

• Yang Jian reported that Tathagata had killed his subordinates and nearly slain him and Howling Celestial Dog after reaching the Heavenly Dao Realm Fifth Heaven.
• The Jade Emperor and Yang Jian worried that Tathagata’s rise might signal danger for Nuwa and the others confronting Dao Ancestor Hongjun in Zixiao Palace.
• The Jade Emperor told Yang Jian that An Lushan had conquered the Northern Kuru Continent and Shi Kefa had seized half of the Eastern Divine Continent for Great Tang.
• The Jade Emperor revealed that Li Longji’s killing of three sons would not derail his plans because he sought authority over the Human Dao, not the Human Emperor’s position or obedience.
• The Jade Emperor asked Yang Jian to accompany him to Fengxian County for the Mid-Autumn Festival, warning that baleful energy signaled an approaching great calamity.

During a Mid-Autumn visit to Zhang Yifan, the Jade Emperor revealed his plan to use Tathagata Buddha's attack on Great Tang to force the Human Dao into dependence on him. Zhang Yifan approved his scheme, and the Jade Emperor asked whether he should worsen the crises in the Eastern Tang Dynasty.

• The Jade Emperor, Yang Jian, and the Seven Fairies arrived at Zhang Yifan's courtyard with festival gifts, and Zhang Yifan welcomed them and sent the Jade Emperor and Yang Jian to help in the kitchen.
• Kitchen God Zhang Ziguo told the Jade Emperor that Suirenshi had returned to Huoyun Cave, and Zhang Yifan explained that the Human Dao's coming rise had drawn its ancient powers back.
• The Jade Emperor said Tathagata Buddha had emerged from seclusion at the Heavenly Dao Realm Fifth Heaven and explained that Tathagata would scheme against Li Longji and Great Tang to obstruct his pursuit of the Human Dao.
• The Jade Emperor revealed that he planned to let Tathagata plunge Great Tang and the Human Dao into crisis so humanity's powerful figures and the Human Dao would turn to him for help.
• Zhang Yifan praised the Jade Emperor's plan to settle the Human Dao's fate and become the supreme ruler of the Primordial Continent.
• The Jade Emperor asked Zhang Yifan whether he should intensify the growing crises and baleful energy in the Eastern Tang Dynasty, leaving Yang Jian bewildered.

The Jade Emperor revealed a plan to exploit the Great Tang’s ambition to unify the Mortal Realm, setting it against the Western Teachings while encouraging the Tang people’s pride. He ordered Yang Jian to have Di Renjie and the Demon Race leaders carry out the scheme within one year.

• The Jade Emperor explained that secretly spreading the belief that unifying the Mortal Realm was necessary to establish a new Human Emperor would push the Great Tang toward conflict with the Western Teachings.
• Princess Tianshou realized the plan would make the Great Tang and the Western Teachings fight while the Heavenly Court stayed out of the conflict.
• The Jade Emperor proposed having the myriad races flatter the Great Tang’s common people to inflate their pride and strengthen their drive to unify the Mortal Realm.
• Yang Jian and Princess Tianshou praised the scheme, and Yang Jian suggested publicly proposing the unification strategy at a Great Tang ceremony so Li Longji would have to accept it.
• The Jade Emperor told Yang Jian to inform Di Renjie and the Demon Race leaders to carry out the strategy, giving them one year.

After more than twenty years apart, Du Fu reunited with Gao Shi and asked him to urge Li Longji to end Great Tang’s wars, but Gao Shi said the drive to unify the Mortal Realm could not be stopped. When Yang Imperial Consort gave birth to a son, Du Fu insisted on entering the palace with Gao Shi the next day, leaving Gao Shi worried about what he might say.

• Gao Wenju told Gao Shi that a visitor named Zimei had come, and Gao Shi recognized him as Du Fu and hurried to welcome him.
• Du Fu and Gao Shi reunited warmly, exchanged memories of their youth, and Du Fu impressed Gao Wenju with a line of poetry.
• Du Fu asked Gao Shi to pass a plea for peace to Li Longji, but Gao Shi explained that the public’s desire for unification and the generals’ campaigns made stopping the wars impossible.
• Du Fu lamented the suffering of common people in both the rise and fall of dynasties, and thunder sounded over the mansion.
• A servant announced that Yang Imperial Consort had given birth to a son and that the court would celebrate together the next day.
• Du Fu declared that he would enter the palace with Gao Shi, and Gao Shi reluctantly agreed while fearing Du Fu would speak unwisely.

Yang Imperial Consort gave birth to a son, and Li Longji named him Great Tang’s crown prince, unaware that the child was Shiva reincarnated and part of Tathagata Buddha’s scheme. When Suirenshi arrived to congratulate the family and took the baby in his arms, he shivered and realized something about the child was extraordinary.

• Yang Imperial Consort gave birth beneath auspicious signs, and Li Longji promised to make their son crown prince.
• An Lushan, Shi Kefa, and Yang Imperial Consort revealed their secret allegiance as reincarnated Asura demons, with the newborn Shiva poised to take control of Great Tang.
• Tathagata Buddha celebrated that his plan had placed the Human Dao and Great Tang’s future in the Asura Clan’s hands.
• Suirenshi arrived with the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors’ congratulations, and Li Longji handed him the baby.
• Suirenshi trembled when he held the child, sensing a power that alarmed him.

Suirenshi failed to divine Li Longji’s newborn son, who was named Li Heng and announced as Crown Prince. At court, Du Fu objected to the investiture, and after An Lushan ordered him beaten, Suirenshi slapped An Lushan twice, provoking Li Longji’s anger.

• Suirenshi tried to probe Li Longji’s newborn son but suffered a backlash, then praised the child as extraordinary.
• Li Longji named his son Li Heng and declared that he would be invested as Crown Prince.
• At morning court, Du Fu objected to Li Heng’s investiture, and Gao Shi admitted that he had brought Du Fu to court.
• An Lushan ordered the guards to seize Du Fu and beat him, but Suirenshi slapped An Lushan.
• Suirenshi slapped An Lushan a second time, and Li Longji rose in anger as imperial pressure filled the court.

Du Fu returned to the Great Tang court, where Li Longji recognized him as his younger brother after the Destiny Golden Dragon reacted violently to Du Fu’s attempted bow. Du Fu accused Li Longji of killing his three nephews and openly declared that he had come to berate him, leaving the court stunned.

• Suirenshi struck An Lushan and urged Li Longji to look closely at the commoner before the throne.
• Du Fu tried to kneel before Li Longji, but the Destiny Golden Dragon roared in terror, and Li Longji caught him before he could bow.
• Li Longji recognized Du Fu as his fourth brother, welcomed him, and showed him the child he held.
• Du Fu reminded Li Longji that he had killed his eldest, second, and third nephews, provoking Li Longji’s anger.
• Du Fu pointed at Li Longji and declared that he had come to berate him, shocking the court.

Du Fu confronted Li Longji over the court’s fear and the suffering caused by ongoing wars, and his rebuke drove the emperor to spit blood. Du Fu ended by asking Li Longji to travel incognito through Great Tang before deciding whether to continue the campaign against Western Niuhe Continent.

• Du Fu announced that he had come to scold Li Longji, leaving the court officials trembling and Gao Shi fearing for his life.
• Li Longji defended his achievements and the Kaiyuan Flourishing Age, but Du Fu condemned the officials’ fear and said Li Longji’s court fell short even of King Zhou’s.
• Li Longji spat blood in rage, then praised An Lushan, Shi Kefa, Yang Guozhong, and Li Linfu as loyal ministers; they knelt and pledged themselves to him.
• Du Fu asked Li Longji to end the wars so the common people could recover, while An Lushan disputed that the people were suffering.
• Du Fu dismissed An Lushan’s interruption and urged Li Longji to travel incognito through Great Tang before deciding whether to continue the campaign against Western Niuhe Continent.

Li Longji rejected Du Fu’s plea to delay war and ordered An Lushan and Shi Kefa to prepare Great Tang’s ninety million soldiers for an invasion of Western Niuhe Continent in three months. An Lushan and Shi Kefa revealed their plan to use the campaign to undermine Li Longji and advance Li Heng, Shiva’s reincarnation, toward the throne.

• Du Fu urged Li Longji to consider the suffering of the people and let the realm recover for twenty years, but Li Longji refused to delay his campaign against the Western Teachings.
• Li Longji dismissed Gao Shi as commander of Great Tang’s three armies and appointed An Lushan grand marshal, with Shi Kefa as deputy marshal.
• Li Longji ordered An Lushan and Shi Kefa to reorganize and provision the ninety million soldiers, then attack Western Niuhe Continent in three months and unite the Mortal Realm within three years.
• After a three-day feast, An Lushan celebrated his new command with Shi Kefa and declared that their schemes had led Li Longji to kill three sons, while Shiva had reincarnated as crown prince Li Heng.
• An Lushan and Shi Kefa planned to force Li Longji to yield the throne to Li Heng, thwart his ambition to unite the Mortal Realm, and seize the position of Human Emperor for themselves.

As Great Tang prepared to wage war against the Western Teachings, Zhang Yifan revealed that Ao Bing and Howling Celestial Dog had opportunities to attain the Great Dao in the Mortal Realm. Ao Bing and Howling Celestial Dog set out to pursue theirs, while Tathagata Buddha prepared to face Great Tang’s approaching army.

• Old Bai and Old Jin sensed that an opportunity was approaching, closed their noodle house, and left Chang'an City.
• Zhang Yifan told Ao Bing that she had an opportunity to attain the Great Dao and urged her to travel the Primordial Continent; she reluctantly left the farmhouse to seek it.
• Zhang Yifan told Howling Celestial Dog that the dog clan could contend for an opportunity, and Howling Celestial Dog hurried away to pursue it.
• Zhang Yifan told Emperor Xin, Zhang Ziguo, Four Unlike, and the others to remain in the courtyard, saying their greatest opportunity was staying with him.
• Three months later, Great Tang’s ninety million troops reached the borderlands of Western Niuhe Continent, and Tathagata Buddha rose to meet the coming war.

The Great Tang army conquered half of the Western Niuhe Continent while Tathagata Buddha prepared a counterattack using Asura agents hidden throughout the Mortal Realm. As the campaign’s apparent success stirred the Great Tang, Old Bai and Old Jin discovered that a rural teahouse owner was an Asura, warning that the war was about to change.

• The Great Tang army swept into the Western Niuhe Continent, capturing cities and recruiting surrendered forces as it advanced.
• Tathagata Buddha told Samantabhadra Bodhisattva that more than ten billion Asuras had been planted across the Four Great Continents, including within the Great Tang, and ordered Western Teachings members to attack after three days.
• An Lushan and Shi Kefa secretly planned to wear down the Great Tang’s elite troops and resources while pretending to serve as its loyal marshals.
• Over three months, the Great Tang army captured half the Western Niuhe Continent, and reports of victory strengthened the Great Tang’s destiny and excited its people.
• Old Jin sensed a powerful bloody aura in a rural teahouse owner, and Old Bai recognized the man as an Asura of Heavenly Immortal cultivation.
• Old Bai and Old Jin realized that the Asura’s presence pointed to a hidden conspiracy and feared that the campaign was about to take a turn.

Old Bai and Old Jin warned Li Longji that tens of thousands of Asura Clan members had appeared in Great Tang, but Yang Yuhuan reframed their report as praise for the empire and accused them of sinister intentions. She ended the chapter with murderous intent as the two cultivators tried to press their warning.

• Old Bai and Old Jin investigated the Asura Clan’s presence across Great Tang and traveled to Chang'an to inform Li Longji.
• Li Longji welcomed the two cultivators and recognized them as the former owners of the Platinum Noodle House.
• Old Bai and Old Jin reported that tens of thousands of Asura Clan members had appeared in Great Tang and urged Li Longji to investigate.
• Yang Yuhuan arrived with Li Heng, and Li Longji celebrated as the infant called him Daddy for the first time.
• Yang Yuhuan presented the Asura Clan’s arrival as evidence of Great Tang’s appeal, and Li Longji accepted her explanation.
• When Old Jin continued to urge caution, Yang Yuhuan accused the two men of undermining Great Tang and directed murderous intent toward them.

Yang Yuhuan threatened Old Bai and Old Jin after they warned Li Longji about the Asura Clan, then secretly informed An Lushan and Shi Siming that their plan had been noticed. Tathagata escalated the war, and after Great Tang suffered heavy losses and was driven from Western Niuhe Continent, Old Bai and Old Jin saw signs that the people’s support was weakening.

• Yang Yuhuan accused Old Bai and Old Jin of sowing confusion, but Li Longji dismissed them after enjoying their fearful deference.
• Old Bai and Old Jin concluded that Yang Yuhuan might be a pawn like Su Daji, while Yang Yuhuan secretly sent news of their visit to An Lushan and Shi Siming.
• An Lushan ordered Shi Siming to alert Tathagata, who mobilized more Western Teachings disciples and intensified attacks on Great Tang.
• Great Tang gathered vast donations and recruited hundreds of millions, but Western Teachings reclaimed territory as the war consumed tens of millions of troops.
• Tathagata ordered Arhats and Bodhisattvas to attack across several continents, and Great Tang was driven out of Western Niuhe Continent.
• Old Bai and Old Jin observed declining populations and morale in a Northern Kuru Continent city and wondered how Great Tang would respond.