Chapter Summaries

Li Jing learned that Nezha had killed Shi Ji Niangniang’s attendant, Azure Cloud Boy, and brought him to White Bone Cave to answer for it. Nezha provoked Shi Ji and fled when she attacked, and Taiyi True Person tried to kill her before Qing Ling intervened, leaving the conflict unresolved.

• Li Jing returned to Chentang Pass, discovered Nezha had shot the arrow that killed Azure Cloud Boy, and took his son to Shi Ji Niangniang.
• Nezha denied responsibility, attacked Shi Ji with the Universe Ring and Chaos Tunic, and ran when she took his treasures.
• Taiyi True Person arrived and demanded that Shi Ji take the matter to Jade Void Palace, then attacked her with the Nine Dragon Divine Fire Cover when she refused to back down.
• Qing Ling knocked away Taiyi True Person’s treasure and saved Shi Ji from the flames.
• Shi Ji greeted Qing Ling as her close friend, while Qing Ling and Taiyi True Person faced each other.

Qing Ling saved Shi Ji from Taiyi True Person and Nezha, while East King Duke guided Zhenyuanzi toward becoming an Earthly Dao Saint. As Great Shang declined under King Zhou’s obsession with Su Daji, Jiang Ziya finally became a Heavenly Immortal, and Primordial Heavenly Lord watched the Ninth Heaven as if awaiting what came next.

• Qing Ling subdued Nezha, spared him at Taiyi True Person’s request, and urged Shi Ji to return to Golden Ao Island.
• Zhenyuanzi visited East King Duke, who told him the Earth Book could serve as his Dao Proving Treasure and help him attain Earthly Dao Sainthood.
• King Zhou made Su Daji his consort and neglected governing Great Shang as the Thousand-Year Fox Spirit encouraged his indulgence.
• Primordial Heavenly Lord gave Jiang Ziya a Golden Pill from Saint Taiqing after Laozi confirmed Jiang Ziya was destined to carry out the Investiture of the Gods.
• Jiang Ziya refined the pill for three months and attained the Heavenly Immortal realm, while Primordial Heavenly Lord watched the Ninth Heaven.

Jun Tian Daoist proved the Dao in Chaos, reached the middle stage of Primordial Grand Unity, and returned to the Primordial World as a new Hunyuan Great Power. His arrival unsettled the Heavenly Dao and left the Saints wary as the Investiture of the Gods Calamity approached.

• Dong Wang Gong met Jun Tian Daoist in Chaos to witness his proving of the Dao.
• Jun Tian used the Jade Plate of Creation and Chaos Bell to open Jun Tian Realm, break through the Hunyuan shackles, and attain the middle stage of Primordial Grand Unity.
• Jun Tian returned to the Primordial World and established Jun Tian Realm as an external realm beneath it, prompting the Heavenly Dao to withdraw its pressure.
• Jieyin and Zhunti tried to understand Jun Tian's origins but could not uncover them, and they decided to watch his actions.
• Laozi, Primordial, and Tongtian gathered to discuss Jun Tian's appearance and its possible effect on the Investiture of the Gods Calamity.

Haotian worried that Jun Tian Daoist’s arrival could disrupt his plans for the Heavenly Court and the Investiture of the Gods. When Jiang Ziya became an immortal, East King Duke redirected the Investiture’s treasures from the Chan Sect to Shen Gongbao, leaving them lodged in Shen Gongbao’s primordial spirit.

• Haotian reflected on the Heavenly Court’s weakness and hoped Jun Tian Daoist would not interfere with his plans to expand its authority.
• Jun Tian Daoist returned to the newly established Jun Tian Realm without revealing himself, while East King Duke kept his identity secret.
• Jiang Ziya attained Heavenly Immortal cultivation after receiving a Golden Core from Primordial Heavenly Lord.
• The Investiture of the Gods and the God-Striking Whip descended from the Nine Heavens, but East King Duke used his power over destiny to divert them from the Chan Sect.
• The two treasures entered Shen Gongbao’s primordial spirit as he cultivated in Kong Xuan’s Daoist abode on Yin-Yang Divine Mountain.

Shen Gongbao received the Heavenly Mandate and the Investiture of the Gods, while Jiang Ziya learned he was not Heaven’s chosen and was sent away from Kunlun. At Chentang Pass, Nezha broke through to the late True Immortal realm and revealed that he was the reincarnated Demon Ancestor Luohu.

• Kong Xuan brought Shen Gongbao to East King Duke, who told him to refine two Heavenly Dao-bestowed Innate Spiritual Treasures and carry out the Investiture of the Gods.
• East King Duke ordered Shen Gongbao to descend to the human world and assist Xiqi against Di Xin, promising the Yin-Yang Lineage’s support.
• The Primordial Heavenly Lord sent Jiang Ziya down from Kunlun after the Investiture of the Gods went to the Yin-Yang Lineage, then reassured the Twelve Golden Immortals about the coming tribulation.
• After the confrontation with Lady Shi Ji, Nezha withdrew from public life and devoted himself to cultivation.
• Nezha broke through to the late True Immortal realm and revealed that he was Luohu, back in the Primordial World to reclaim what he had lost.

Luohu secretly returned as Nezha and cultivated while the Investiture of the Gods Calamity began. At Wuzhuang Temple, East King Duke helped Zhenyuanzi overcome an Inner Demon and see a path to becoming an Earthly Dao Saint, prompting him to begin proving the Dao.

• Luohu revealed that he had taken over Nezha's body and was secretly rebuilding his strength while hiding from the Saints and Heavenly Dao.
• Daji framed Empress Jiang, and King Zhou executed her; Shang Rong and Zhao Qi were also listed in the Investiture of the Gods.
• Guangchengzi and Chijingzi accepted Yin Jiao and Yin Hong as disciples, and Shen Gongbao brought the Investiture of the Gods to Xiqi, officially beginning the calamity.
• Zhenyuanzi studied the Earth Book at Wuzhuang Temple but grew obsessed with attaining sainthood and developed an Inner Demon.
• East King Duke arrived, helped Zhenyuanzi purge the Malevolent Qi, and suggested that he establish a lineage to strengthen the Earthly Dao.
• Zhenyuanzi grasped the Saint Opportunity, activated the Earth Book, and flew above Longevity Mountain to draw upon the Earthly Dao and release a Dao Sound.

Zhenyuanzi established the Earth Immortal Lineage and became the first Earthly Dao Saint after absorbing the Earthly Dao’s immense merit. Pingxin confirmed his new Saint Position, leaving the Primordial World’s Saints to reckon with the emergence of a new path to Sainthood.

• Zhenyuanzi declared the founding of the Earth Immortal Lineage and designated Mountain Gods, River Earls, City Gods, and Land Gods as its divine positions.
• Jieyin and Zhunti watched as the Heavenly Dao bestowed merit on Zhenyuanzi, but the merit alone did not make him a Saint.
• The Earthly Dao poured its merit into Zhenyuanzi, who broke through the Quasi-Saint Peak realm and became a Saint.
• East King Duke congratulated Zhenyuanzi, who then discussed the possibility that Shennong could become a Human Dao Saint.
• Pingxin arrived at Wuzhuang Temple, recognized Zhenyuanzi as an Earthly Dao Saint, and revealed that the Earthly Dao had its own Saint Position.
• Jieyin, Zhunti, and the Three Pure Ones considered how Earthly Dao Saints could change the balance of power and make the Primordial World’s future uncertain.

After Zhenyuanzi became an Earthly Dao Saint, the Three Pure Ones worried over the changing balance of power and agreed to reconcile the Chan and Jie Sects. They prepared to seek Netherworld Venerable Titles, while Haotian feared Zhenyuanzi’s Earth Immortal Lineage would erode the Heavenly Court’s authority.

• Laozi told Primordial Heavenly Lord and Tongtian that Saint Pingxin had reached Mid-stage Saint cultivation and warned them to unite against the coming calamity.
• Tongtian agreed to restrain the Jie Sect’s disciples and allow those lacking virtue to be listed on the Investiture of the Gods.
• Primordial Heavenly Lord proposed that the Three Teachings claim reserved Netherworld Venerable Titles, and the Three Pure Ones agreed to approach Pingxin, Zhenyuan, and Yin-Yang Dao Venerable.
• Haotian worried that Zhenyuanzi’s Earth Immortal Lineage had taken control of divine positions that should have belonged to the Heavenly Court.

East King Duke, Pingxin, and Zhenyuanzi agreed to expand the Netherworld’s vacant offices after Zhenyuanzi became an Earthly Dao Saint. The Saints gathered in the Netherworld and appointed disciples as the Five Directional Ghost Emperors, leaving Ksitigarbha’s new role as Western Ghost Emperor as the final appointment.

• East King Duke urged Pingxin and Zhenyuanzi to strengthen reincarnation by filling the Netherworld’s vacant divine offices.
• The Primordial Saints arrived in the Netherworld, congratulated Zhenyuanzi, and asked Pingxin to settle the appointments.
• Pingxin approved the proposal, and East King Duke established the Five Directional Ghost Emperor positions beneath Great Emperor Fengdu and the Lord of the Six Paths.
• East King Duke appointed Qing Ling as Central Ghost Emperor, while Laozi appointed Xuandu as Eastern Ghost Emperor, Primordial Heavenly Lord appointed Taiyi as Southern Ghost Emperor, and Tongtian appointed Zhao Gongming as Northern Ghost Emperor.
• Jieyin and Zhunti summoned Ksitigarbha and proposed him as Western Ghost Emperor, citing his vow and years guarding the Netherworld.

Pingxin and Fengdu appointed five disciples of the Saint sects as the Netherworld’s Directional Ghost Emperors, granting them titles, palaces, seals, and growing fortune. As the new emperors took office, Randeng Daoist brooded over his repeated exclusion from the Chan Sect and began entertaining audacious thoughts.

• Pingxin approved Qing Ling, Xuandu, Taiyi True Person, Zhao Gongming, and Ksitigarbha as candidates for the Five Directional Ghost Emperor positions.
• Fengdu invoked the Earthly Dao and appointed the five disciples, recording their titles in the Book of Life and Death.
• The new Ghost Emperors received Netherworld fortune, increased magical power, palaces, and seals as they assumed their offices.
• After the ceremony, the remaining Chan and Jie Sect disciples privately resented being passed over, while Randeng Daoist was especially bitter.
• Randeng realized Primordial Heavenly Lord would never favor him over his Direct Disciples, and audacious thoughts stirred in his heart.

Dissatisfaction over the Netherworld appointments exposed hidden tensions within the Chan Sect, while Minghe sought guidance from Zhenyuanzi on becoming a Saint. At Chentang Pass, Demon Nezha broke through to the Mysterious Immortal Realm and was approached by a mysterious figure who proposed a deal.

• Guangchengzi and several other Chan Sect disciples resented Taiyi True Person's appointment, while Daoist Duobao privately felt disappointed that Zhao Gongming had received the Interception Sect's position.
• The newly appointed Ghost Emperors met their subordinates in the Netherworld, where Minghe asked Zhenyuanzi how he had attained the Earthly Dao Saint Realm.
• Zhenyuanzi told Minghe that East King Duke had enlightened him, and Minghe resolved to seek guidance in a similar way.
• At Chentang Pass, Demon Nezha ended his cultivation and celebrated reaching the early stage of the Mysterious Immortal Realm.
• A black-robed stranger entered Nezha's protected chamber unnoticed, recognized that he was not the original Nezha, and offered to make a deal.

Demon Ancestor Nezha agreed to help Donor of the Darkness Church spread its faith among the Human Race in exchange for access to the Church’s cultivation arts. Meanwhile, Shen Gongbao helped Ji Chang raise a rebellion against Yin Shang, and Jun Tian warned East King Duke that an outside force might be influencing the Human Race.

• Donor revealed that he came from the Noah Great World and recruited Nezha to help establish the Darkness Church among the Human Race.
• Nezha agreed to cooperate and borrowed the Darkness Bible for a hundred days.
• Shen Gongbao reached Xiqi, won Ji Chang’s trust through fortune-telling, and persuaded him to rebel against Yin Shang.
• Ji Chang raised troops and marched on Chaoge, plunging the Human Race into war and stirring a new calamity.
• Jun Tian visited East King Duke and reported that an outside force was likely plotting among the Human Race, asking the Yin-Yang Lineage to investigate.

East King Duke sent Yang Jian to investigate suspicious plots against the human race and strengthened his treasures before Yang Jian descended the mountain. At Mount Mei, Yang Jian met a spirit dog with a Destined Affinity to him, defeated the seven cultivators pursuing it, and offered them compensation for the fruits it had eaten.

• Jun Tian Daoist warned East King Duke that someone might be plotting to seize the human race’s destiny, and East King Duke tasked Yang Jian with investigating.
• East King Duke strengthened Yang Jian’s Yin-Yang Dao Lotus and Three-Pointed Double-Edged Blade, while Jun Tian Daoist gave him a protective golden talisman.
• Yang Jian descended from the Three Immortal Islands and stopped at Mount Mei after sensing a living being with a Destined Affinity to him.
• A black spirit dog fled from the mountain and warned Yang Jian about wicked demons, but seven Mysterious Immortal cultivators caught up with them.
• Yang Jian defeated the seven cultivators, learned the spirit dog had eaten their Spiritual Fruits, and gave each cultivator a precious fruit from the Three Immortal Islands as compensation.

Yang Jian befriended the Seven Immortals of Plum Mountain and learned about the Darkness Church while investigating a threat to Human Race Destiny. Daoist Qingmu recruited Yuan Hong and the others into Zhenyuan’s Earth Immortal Lineage, and Yang Jian later left for the Human Race with Howling Celestial Dog.

• Yang Jian shared Spiritual Fruits with the Seven Immortals of Plum Mountain and accepted Howling Celestial Dog as his spiritual pet.
• Yang Jian stayed with Yuan Hong and his brothers for several months, then learned about the Darkness Church’s preaching gathering in Chaoge and suspected it might be tied to the plot against Human Race Destiny.
• Daoist Qingmu appeared and revealed that Yuan Hong carried the bloodline of the Tongbei Ape Monkey.
• Daoist Qingmu appointed Yuan Hong Mountain God of Plum Mountain, raised his cultivation, and brought the other six brothers into the Earth Immortal Lineage as subordinate gods.
• Yang Jian revealed that he belonged to the Yin-Yang Lineage, and the Seven Immortals expressed their gratitude and respect.
• Yang Jian eventually left Plum Mountain with Howling Celestial Dog and set off for the Human Race.

The Seven Immortals of Plum Mountain celebrated joining the Earth Immortal Lineage, while Zhunti sought a way to exploit the Chan and Interception Sects’ divisions during the Investiture of the Gods. He lured Randeng Daoist into a hidden formation and offered him a place in the Buddhist Gate, promising a path to Quasi-Sainthood.

• The Seven Immortals of Plum Mountain discussed their new backing under Zhenyuanzi and planned to travel to Cheng Tang to aid the Human Emperor.
• Jieyin and Zhunti worried that the Chan and Interception Sects’ reconciliation would leave the Buddhist Gate vulnerable during the Investiture of the Gods.
• Zhunti calculated that divisions within both sects remained and devised a plan to exploit them.
• The chapter described the factions among the Chan Sect’s Direct Disciples and the infighting among the Interception Sect’s outer disciples.
• Zhunti summoned Randeng Daoist into a formation that concealed their meeting from the Heavenly Secrets.
• Zhunti invited Randeng to join the Buddhist Gate as Buddha Ancestor and promised him a Quasi-Saint Position, but Randeng had not accepted by the chapter’s end.

Randeng persuaded Juliusun to leave Chan Sect and join the Buddhist Gate, while Cihang, Manjushri Guangfa Heavenly Lord, and Samantabhadra True Person chose to wait and see. Jieyin and Zhunti welcomed Randeng and Juliusun as Buddha Ancestors, advancing their cultivation and provoking Primordial Heavenly Lord's fury.

• Zhunti convinced Randeng that Chan Sect had denied him opportunities and promised to protect him if he joined the Buddhist Gate.
• Randeng invited Juliusun, Manjushri Guangfa Heavenly Lord, Samantabhadra True Person, and Daoist Cihang to consider leaving Chan Sect; Juliusun agreed, while the other three decided to wait.
• Ten years later, Randeng and Juliusun met Jieyin and Zhunti, who publicly declared their departure from Chan Sect and named them Randeng Ancient Buddha and Juliusun Buddha.
• Juliusun advanced to Great Luo Golden Immortal, while Randeng severed his Good Corpse and attained Quasi-Saint cultivation.
• Chan Sect disciples learned of the defections, and Primordial Heavenly Lord roared that Jieyin and Zhunti were asking for death.

After Randeng and Juliusun joined Buddhism, Primordial confronted Jieyin and Zhunti but could not overturn their conversion because it followed the Heavenly Mandate. He warned Chan Sect against further defections, while three disciples grew tempted to follow, and Jieyin secretly began another conversion.

• Primordial confronted Jieyin and Zhunti over Randeng and Juliusun’s departure, but accepted that they were fated to join Buddhism and returned to Kunlun.
• Jieyin and Zhunti took Randeng Ancient Buddha and Juliusun Buddha to the Spirit Mountain Dao Field, while Honghuang Beings watched Primordial leave without fighting.
• Primordial summoned his disciples, warned them against abandoning Chan Sect, and urged Guangchengzi and Taiyi to target Juliusun during the Investiture of the Gods Calamity.
• Daoist Cihang, Samantabhadra True Person, and Manjushri Guangfa Heavenly Lord regretted not joining Buddhism and wondered whether a Buddhist Saint would come for them.
• Jieyin secretly set out to convert more disciples, while some Interception Sect disciples on Golden Ao Island also began to waver.

Duobao left the Interception Sect after Jieyin revealed that he was destined to lead the Buddhist Gate, and he became Duobao Tathagata Buddha. Zhunti then made three Chan Sect disciples Bodhisattvas, prompting the Three Pure Ones to confront the Two Sages of the West before an unknown voice ordered them not to act.

• Jieyin summoned Duobao to a desolate island and persuaded him that his Buddha-nature and Heavenly Mandate called him to lead the Buddhist Gate.
• Duobao took refuge in Buddhism, and Jieyin named him Duobao Tathagata Buddha and the abbot presiding over the Buddhist Gate; his cultivation rose to the Mid-stage Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm.
• Tongtian’s sword intent spread across the Primordial World as he reacted to Duobao’s defection.
• Zhunti converted Daoist Cihang, Samantabhadra True Person, and Manjushri Guangfa Heavenly Lord into the Three Great Guardian Bodhisattvas, and each attained the rank of Golden Immortal.
• Laozi, Primordial Heavenly Lord, and Tongtian confronted Jieyin and Zhunti, and Tongtian challenged them to meet in the chaos; an unknown voice then ordered everyone not to act.

The Buddhist Saints secured Dao Ancestor Hongjun’s ruling that the Three Pure Ones’ disciples were destined to join Buddhism, though they could no longer convert Mystic Gate disciples afterward. At Spirit Mountain, Jieyin and Zhunti appointed Duobao, Randeng, Maitreya, and several Bodhisattvas to lead the now-complete Buddhist Gate, before Duobao began to report something to them.

• Tongtian challenged Jieyin and Zhunti with the Immortal Slaying Sword Array after the Three Pure Ones confronted them over their disciples entering Buddhism.
• Dao Ancestor Hongjun stopped the impending battle, ruled that six disciples were destined for Buddhism, and forbade further conversions from the Mystic Gate’s Holy Sects.
• The Three Pure Ones left after accepting Hongjun’s ruling, while Jieyin and Zhunti brought Duobao, Cihang, and the other new Buddhist disciples to Spirit Mountain.
• Jieyin appointed Randeng as Past Buddha, Duobao as Present Buddha and head of daily affairs, and Maitreya as Future Buddha, with Cihang, Samantabhadra, and Manjushri as Guardian Bodhisattvas.
• Duobao told Jieyin and Zhunti that he had something to report.

Duobao Tathagata received a Heavenly Dao revelation that the Buddhist Gate should claim a position of honor in the Heavenly Court, and the Saints agreed to send a disciple. Dao Ancestor Hongjun then ordered the Saints and other powerful figures to meet with Haotian to establish the vacant positions, and East King Duke and Queen Mother of the West prepared to attend with their children.

• Duobao Tathagata told Jieyin and Zhunti that the Heavenly Mandate called for a Buddhist disciple to hold a position of honor in the Heavenly Court.
• Jieyin deduced that the Buddhist Gate should seek a vacant position among the Six Emperors or Five Elders, and Duobao Tathagata and the disciples agreed.
• Haotian received Dao Ancestor Hongjun's edict ordering the Saints, Earthly Dao Saints, and Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortals to ascend to Heaven and establish its vacant positions.
• The other summoned powers received the edict and gathered their disciples to travel to the Heavenly Court.
• East King Duke and Queen Mother of the West decided to attend, and their sons Tai Cang and Qing Chan came out to ask where their parents were going.