Chapter Summaries

With Venerable Yuanshi dead, a vast force of enemies surrounded Kunlun Mountain and threatened the Chan Teachings. Daoist Randeng refused to defend the sect, but the Dragon Emperor arrived, overwhelmed the Mountain-Protecting Array, and offered the disciples survival and a chance for revenge if they submitted to him.

• Tens of thousands of enemies, led by the Quasi-Saints Sea-Overturning Demon Saint and Ancestor Withered Glory, gathered outside Kunlun Mountain and attacked the Mountain-Protecting Array.
• Juliusun begged Daoist Randeng and Immortal Weng of the South Pole to save the Chan Teachings, but Randeng refused and condemned the Golden Immortals for their past arrogance and disrespect.
• Guangchengzi accused Randeng of betraying the sect, but the Dragon Emperor's arrival shook Kunlun Mountain and nearly overwhelmed its protective array.
• The Dragon Emperor mocked the dead Venerable Yuanshi and offered to spare the Chan Teachings and grant them power if they submitted to him and sought revenge on Qin Mu and the Sect of Interception.
• Guangchengzi initially bristled at the demand but wavered when the Dragon Emperor promised a chance for revenge.

Guangchengzi and the Chan Teachings disciples faced the Dragon Emperor’s demand to submit, but a mysterious power erupted from Kunlun Mountain and shattered the mountain’s protective array. Venerable Yuanshi then emerged alive, leaving the Three Realms stunned by the revival of someone erased by the Heavenly Dao.

• Guangchengzi wavered over submitting to the Dragon Emperor, but True Man Yu Ding and True Man Taiyi urged him to uphold the Chan Teachings’ pride and refuse.
• The Dragon Emperor crushed True Man Yu Ding and True Man Taiyi beneath his pressure, and Guangchengzi prepared to plead for their lives.
• A terrifying aura rose from Kunlun Mountain, pinned everyone in place, and shattered Venerable Yuanshi’s Saint-level Mountain-Protecting Array.
• Experts across the Three Realms sensed the aura and questioned whether Venerable Yuanshi had returned, while the Dragon Emperor remained immobilized and terrified.
• Venerable Yuanshi emerged from Yuxu Palace’s forbidden rear hall, and the Chan Teachings disciples recognized him as their revived master.
• The Three Realms’ watching experts were left in disbelief as news spread that Venerable Yuanshi had returned after being erased by the Heavenly Dao.

Taishang Laozi and Tongtian determined that the figure claiming to be Venerable Yuanshi was an impostor, though neither could identify its origin. As the false Yuanshi began to act at Kunlun Mountain, Tongtian chose to watch while Qin Mu remained in seclusion and prepared to defend the Sect of Interception.

• Taishang Laozi sensed that the figure at Yuxu Palace lacked the soul-vein of the Three Pure Ones and told Great Mage Xuandu that he was not Yuanshi.
• Taishang and Xuandu concluded that someone was using Yuanshi's appearance to reunite the Chan Teachings and turn its disciples into weapons.
• The Sect of Interception's disciples argued over whether to attack Kunlun Mountain, but Daoist Duobao urged them to wait for Qin Mu to emerge from seclusion.
• Tongtian confirmed that the figure was not Yuanshi and explained that someone had restored a weapon to the Chan Teachings by exploiting Yuanshi's name.
• Tongtian decided to observe the impostor rather than interrupt Qin Mu's seclusion, but summoned the Immortal-Slaying Four Swords and vowed to strike if the impostor targeted the Sect of Interception.

Nuwa, Minghe, and Hongjun recognized that the figure who had appeared in Yuxu Palace was not the resurrected Yuanshi, but an unknown being beyond the Heavenly Dao’s sight. After crushing the Dragon Emperor’s resistance, the figure revealed himself as the Primordial Heavenly Demon, leaving the Dragon Emperor desperate to flee.

• Nuwa concluded that the figure in Yuxu Palace was a loophole rather than Yuanshi, while Minghe ordered the Asura Clan to gather and guard against those who might exploit Qin Mu’s seclusion.
• Hongjun found no trace of the false Yuanshi in the Heavenly Dao’s records and warned that another force outside the game had appeared.
• The false Yuanshi suppressed the Dragon Emperor and the Rogue Cultivators, then struck the Dragon Emperor down with the Three Treasures Jade Ruyi.
• The Dragon Emperor questioned the figure’s identity, but the false Yuanshi ignored him, while the Chan Teachings disciples celebrated his return and Daoist Randeng attempted to make amends.
• The Dragon Emperor recognized the figure as the Primordial Heavenly Demon, who declared that Yuanshi no longer existed and that he had taken his place.
• The Dragon Emperor burned his origin, broke free of the suppression, and tore open the void to escape.

The being called the Primordial Heavenly Demon effortlessly stopped Dragon Emperor’s escape and annihilated him, revealing a coveted Origin Source. He claimed the treasure and turned his attention to Guangchengzi and the terrified Chan Teachings disciples.

• Dragon Emperor recognized Venerable Yuanshi as the Primordial Heavenly Demon and burned his origin to flee Kunlun Mountain.
• The Primordial Heavenly Demon froze the void, dragged Dragon Emperor back, and crushed him into a crater.
• Dragon Emperor pleaded for his life and offered eternal service, but the Primordial Heavenly Demon killed him with a single gray speck of light.
• Dragon Emperor’s complete Origin Source appeared, drawing the attention of Saints and other powerful beings, but none dared approach it.
• The Primordial Heavenly Demon claimed the Origin Source and turned his gaze on Guangchengzi and the trembling Chan Teachings disciples.

After the Chan Teachings disciples knelt to the Primordial Heavenly Demon, he chose Guangchengzi to receive the Dragon Emperor’s Primordial Chaos origin. The brutal infusion began transforming Guangchengzi, leaving his fate uncertain.

• Daoist Cihang and Juliusun praised the Primordial Heavenly Demon and led more than half of the Chan Teachings disciples to submit to him.
• Guangchengzi abandoned his resistance and knelt, followed by True Man Yu Ding, True Man Taiyi, Daoist Randeng, and Immortal Weng of the South Pole.
• The Primordial Heavenly Demon selected Guangchengzi and sent the Dragon Emperor’s Primordial Chaos origin into his glabella.
• Guangchengzi collapsed as the origin violently reforged his body and battered his Primordial Spirit with unbearable pain.

The Primordial Heavenly Demon forcibly empowered Guangchengzi with the Dragon Emperor’s Origin Source, driving him to the Primordial Chaos realm despite the danger. The Heavenly Dao finally responded by summoning the Primordial Chaos Heavenly Tribulation over Kunlun Mountain.

• Guangchengzi endured the violent Origin Source as the Primordial Heavenly Demon watched without offering help.
• Fuelled by hatred for Qin Mu and the Sect of Interception, Guangchengzi stopped resisting the energy and rapidly advanced through the Quasi-Saint and Sub-Saint realms.
• The Primordial Heavenly Demon commanded Guangchengzi to become a Saint, and Guangchengzi broke through to the Primordial Chaos realm.
• The Great Desolation’s Three Realms witnessed the signs of Guangchengzi’s breakthrough, while the Saints reacted with shock that the Heavenly Dao had not intervened.
• As Guangchengzi celebrated his new power, black tribulation clouds gathered over Kunlun Mountain, and Taishang Laozi identified them as the Primordial Chaos Heavenly Tribulation.

Guangchengzi drew down a Primordial Chaos Heavenly Tribulation after attaining the Primordial Chaos realm, but the Primordial Heavenly Demon intervened and revealed the Heaven-Burying Seal. The seal devoured the tribulation, leaving the Great Desolation’s Saints terrified of the demon’s power.

• The Heavenly Dao’s Primordial Chaos Heavenly Tribulation descended upon Guangchengzi, and its first strike destroyed his Heaven-Overturning Seal.
• Guangchengzi’s Dao heart collapsed, and he begged his master, the Primordial Heavenly Demon, to save him.
• The Primordial Heavenly Demon called the Heavenly Dao insignificant and halted the tribulation clouds with a wave, severing the Saints’ connection to the Heavenly Dao for an instant.
• The Primordial Heavenly Demon revealed the Heaven-Burying Seal and declared that it could bury the Heavenly Dao.
• The Heaven-Burying Seal devoured the tribulation clouds, and the Primordial Chaos Heavenly Tribulation vanished as the watching Saints stared in terror.

Guangchengzi attained Primordial Chaos after the Primordial Heavenly Demon devoured the heavenly tribulation with the Heaven-Burying Seal, and the Chan Teachings disciples pledged loyalty to their new master. As the Primordial Heavenly Demon sent Guangchengzi to summon Ji Fa and the Nine-Tailed Fox, the Great Desolation’s powers feared the Heavenly Dao’s collapse, while Hongjun concluded that Qin Mu was their only hope.

• The Primordial Heavenly Demon swallowed the heavenly tribulation with the Heaven-Burying Seal, allowing Guangchengzi to attain Primordial Chaos and terrifying the onlookers.
• The Chan Teachings disciples celebrated Guangchengzi’s ascension, pledged loyalty to the Primordial Heavenly Demon, and heard his promise that loyal followers could attain Sagehood.
• The Primordial Heavenly Demon ordered Guangchengzi to summon Ji Fa and the Nine-Tailed Fox from Western Qi, warning that refusal would bring them the Dragon Emperor’s fate.
• Nuwa, Ancestor Minghe, and Zhenyuanzi reacted with alarm to the Heaven-Burying Seal, while Minghe placed the Blood Sea army on full alert and sought news of Qin Mu.
• Hongjun identified the Primordial Heavenly Demon as an awakened cleanser from an earlier era and decided that Qin Mu was the only one who could oppose him, though Qin Mu remained in seclusion.

Qin Mu emerged from seclusion after attaining the Heavenly Dao Realm, a breakthrough that shook the Primordial World and Three Realms. After learning that the Primordial Heavenly Demon had arisen, Qin Mu received Dao Ancestor Hongjun, who arrived in urgent need of help.

• Qin Mu's aura erupted from the Nether Underworld, alarming Hongjun and the Underworld's officials while Qin Mu's allies recognized his imminent breakthrough.
• Qin Mu shattered the sealed cultivation chamber and emerged, having reached the Primordial Chaos Non-polar Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm, also known as the Heavenly Dao Realm.
• Empress Pingxin told Qin Mu that the Primordial Heavenly Demon had appeared, killed the Dragon Emperor with one finger, raised Guangchengzi to the Primordial Daluo Golden Immortal realm, and devoured a Heavenly Tribulation with the Heaven-Burying Seal.
• Qin Mu recognized the Heaven-Burying Seal as a relic tied to the ancient epochs and welcomed the prospect of confronting a powerful opponent.
• Hongjun tore through space into the Nether Underworld, saw Qin Mu's breakthrough, and arrived in obvious desperation.

Hongjun revealed that he was an epoch-spanning clone seeking the Immortal Seed and asked Qin Mu to stop the Primordial Heavenly Demon. Qin Mu agreed to consider helping only if Hongjun showed sufficient sincerity.

• Hongjun told Qin Mu and Empress Pingxin that survivors of earlier eras possessed bodies in the current era to evade the Heavenly Dao.
• Hongjun identified the Primordial Heavenly Demon as the powerful survivor of the second era, whose Heaven-Burying Seal threatened the Heavenly Dao.
• Qin Mu suspected Hongjun was a revived being, and Hongjun admitted that a clone of him lived through each epoch’s cycle to pursue transcendence.
• Hongjun explained that Qin Mu and the prematurely awakened Primordial Heavenly Demon had disrupted his carefully planned epoch and begged Qin Mu to fight the demon.
• Qin Mu weighed the danger to his friends and allies, then demanded that Hongjun show his sincerity before he would help.

Qin Mu bargained with Hongjun for two Saint positions in exchange for dealing with the Primordial Heavenly Demon, then returned toward the Sect of Interception to deliver the powers as a gift. Meanwhile, Guangchengzi demanded that Ji Fa and Daji come before his master, and Ji Fa answered with open defiance.

• Qin Mu demanded three Saint positions from Hongjun, who refused and ultimately agreed to surrender two.
• Hongjun formed two Saint Throne Origins and handed them to Qin Mu, who said he needed time to master his power and strengthen his allies before fighting the Primordial Heavenly Demon.
• Qin Mu told Empress Pingxin to hold the Underworld with his Clone, Yin Tianzi, and left for the Sect of Interception with a promised grand gift.
• Guangchengzi summoned Ji Fa and Daji to meet his master, warning that he would take them by force if they refused.
• Ji Fa smashed a jade table and released his Human Dao aura in defiance of Guangchengzi's Saintly Might.

Ji Fa confronted Guangchengzi after the newly ascended Saint came to Western Qi under the Primordial Heavenly Demon's orders, and easily overpowered him. Guangchengzi summoned the will inside a demonic seal, silencing the laws of heaven and earth and leaving Ji Fa facing a new danger.

• Ji Fa used Western Qi's Humanity Dao fortune to break Guangchengzi's attack and challenged him for threatening the city.
• Guangchengzi formed a Yin Yang millstone, but Ji Fa shattered it, seized him, and hurled him into a crater.
• Ji Fa pinned Guangchengzi beneath his foot as the Nine-Tailed Fox warned him that the Primordial Heavenly Demon was the greater threat.
• Guangchengzi drew on the power left within him, escaped Ji Fa, and activated a gray demonic seal to summon his master's presence.
• The Primordial Heavenly Demon's will stilled the laws above Western Qi, and Ji Fa sensed danger as his epoch brand grew faintly warm.

Ji Fa and the Nine-Tailed Fox agreed to accompany Guangchengzi to Kunlun rather than risk provoking the Primordial Heavenly Demon. They reached Yuxu Palace, where the Primordial Heavenly Demon ordered them to enter.

• The Nine-Tailed Fox warned Ji Fa that the Primordial Heavenly Demon’s mark could protect Guangchengzi, and Ji Fa stopped attacking rather than risk the demon’s retaliation.
• Guangchengzi invoked the Dragon Emperor’s death to warn Ji Fa, and the Nine-Tailed Fox persuaded him that the summons might have another purpose.
• Ji Fa agreed to go to Kunlun and ordered Western Qi’s officials to keep the kingdom secure while he was away.
• Guangchengzi opened a spatial passage, and he, Ji Fa, and the Nine-Tailed Fox traveled toward Kunlun while discussing the demon’s possible motives.
• The three arrived at Yuxu Palace, where Guangchengzi reported to his master and the Primordial Heavenly Demon told Ji Fa and the Nine-Tailed Fox to enter.

The Primordial Heavenly Demon identified Ji Fa and the Nine-Tailed Fox by their past-life identities and explained that Qin Mu’s rise had disrupted their plans to restore their strength. He offered to lift some suppression on their epoch imprints if they continued the Campaign Against Shang and occupied Qin Mu’s allies, leaving Ji Fa tempted by the chance to recover thirty percent of his power.

• Ji Fa and the Nine-Tailed Fox endured the demonic energy around Yuxu Palace and confronted the Primordial Heavenly Demon without bowing to him.
• The Primordial Heavenly Demon recognized Ji Fa as the Lord of the Human Dao from the 2,741st Epoch and the Nine-Tailed Fox as the Nine-Tailed Saint Emperor from the 2,996th Epoch.
• The Primordial Heavenly Demon revealed that Di Xin had taken Qin Mu as his master, redirecting Humanity Dao Fortune and disrupting the Investiture of the Gods Calamity.
• The Nine-Tailed Fox learned that Qin Mu had reached the Heavenly Dao Realm, and she and Ji Fa realized they could not compete with him for the Immortal Seed alone.
• The Primordial Heavenly Demon offered to restore thirty percent of their strength if Ji Fa continued the Campaign Against Shang and kept the Humanity Dao and Interception Sect occupied.

Primordial Heavenly Demon forced Ji Fa and the Nine-Tailed Fox to swallow demonic seeds, restoring their cultivation while placing their lives under his control. He ordered Ji Fa to launch Western Qi’s campaign against Great Shang within three days, promising to confront Qin Mu himself if he appeared.

• Primordial Heavenly Demon trapped Ji Fa and the Nine-Tailed Fox in Yuxu Palace and demanded that they swallow demonic seeds in exchange for power and a chance to undo their epoch seals.
• Ji Fa and the Nine-Tailed Fox attacked, but Primordial Heavenly Demon froze them with one finger and suppressed their powers.
• Ji Fa swallowed a demonic seed, recovered to the early stage of Primordial Unity Grand Unity Golden Immortal, and realized the seed could let Primordial Heavenly Demon detonate his Primordial Spirit.
• The Nine-Tailed Fox swallowed the second demonic seed and also recovered to the early stage of Primordial Unity Grand Unity Golden Immortal.
• Primordial Heavenly Demon ordered Ji Fa to raise Western Qi’s army within three days, seize Great Shang’s border pass, and force Di Xin to leave Chaoge.
• When Ji Fa asked what would happen if Qin Mu appeared, Primordial Heavenly Demon summoned the Heaven-Burying Seal and said he would face Qin Mu himself.

Qin Mu returned to Biyou Palace after breaking through to the Primordial Chaos Non-polar Grand Unity Golden Immortal and revealed that he had obtained two Saint Throne Origins from Hongjun. He chose Yunxiao to receive the first one and prepared to guard her as she entered seclusion.

• Qin Mu returned to Penglai Immortal Island, confirmed his breakthrough to Tongtian, and said the Primordial Heavenly Dao could no longer suppress him.
• Qin Mu discussed the Primordial Heavenly Demon’s threat with the Sect of Interception disciples, then sealed Biyou Palace to reveal his important news.
• Qin Mu presented a complete Saint Throne Origin and explained that Hongjun had given him two after their negotiations in the Underworld.
• Qin Mu chose Yunxiao for the first Saint Throne because her cultivation and formation skills would strengthen the Sect of Interception, and the others agreed.
• Yunxiao accepted the Saint Throne Origin, felt her realm begin to loosen, and prepared to enter seclusion while Qin Mu stood guard.

Qin Mu awarded the second Heavenly Dao Origin Saint seat to Xi He, explaining that she would complete his plan to control the stars alongside Heaven, Earth, and the Underworld. After the seats were settled, he turned to Daoist Duobao and asked whether he had sensed an obstruction on the path to Sainthood.

• Qin Mu gave the second Saint seat to Xi He, and the Sect of Interception members approved his choice.
• Xi He hesitated to accept the gift, but Qin Mu explained that she was essential to his plan for coordinating Heaven, Earth, Man, and the stars.
• Qin Mu pressed the Heavenly Dao Origin into Xi He's hands, and she agreed to accept it and watch over the stars.
• Qin Mu ended the celebration by asking Daoist Duobao whether he had sensed an obstruction to becoming a Saint.

Qin Mu told Duobao that the Investiture of the Gods Calamity would provide the opportunity for him to become a Saint. He ordered the Interception Sect to prepare for the coming conflict and privately focused on Lu Ya.

• Duobao explained that his primordial violet qi had not let him glimpse a path to Sainthood because he lacked a powerful opportunity and sufficient merit.
• Qin Mu identified the Investiture of the Gods Calamity as Duobao's chance to gain the merit and fortune needed for Sainthood.
• Qin Mu warned that the Primordial Heavenly Demon and Hongjun sought to use the calamity for their own ends, and declared that the Interception Sect would claim its share of the gains.
• Qin Mu ordered Duobao to reorganize the sect's formations and disciples, Zhao Gongming to patrol the East Sea, and Yunxiao and Xi He to refine their saint throne origins in seclusion.
• Qin Mu said he would seek out Duobao's opportunity himself and thought of Lu Ya.

Primordial Heavenly Demon confronted Lu Ya in Tanggu Valley and demanded the Great Sun Dao Source hidden in the Fusang Ancestral Root. He revealed that he planned to sacrifice the remnants of three thousand epochs to reopen the epochs and draw forth the Immortal Seed, while Qin Mu secretly watched.

• Qin Mu secretly observed Primordial Heavenly Demon entering Tanggu Valley to confront Lu Ya.
• Primordial Heavenly Demon exposed Lu Ya as the Lord of the Tenth Epoch and used gray laws to reveal the ancient Great Sun Divine Court within the Fusang Divine Tree.
• Primordial Heavenly Demon demanded Lu Ya's Great Sun Dao Source, offering to lift one layer of epochal suppression if Lu Ya handed it over.
• Lu Ya threatened to destroy the Dao Source unless Primordial Heavenly Demon explained his purpose.
• Primordial Heavenly Demon said he would sacrifice the residual Dao Sources of three thousand epochs to refine the Primordial Wilderness, reopen the epochs, and draw forth the Immortal Seed.
• Primordial Heavenly Demon pressed the Heaven-Burying Seal toward the Fusang Divine Tree as Lu Ya and Qin Mu realized the scale of his plan.