Chapter Summaries

Jieyin understood Bei Ming’s hint about the Earth Book and left for the West, while Bei Ming entrusted Ling Yan’s safety to Nüwa if his plan failed. Ling Yan returned with the demonized Kong Xuan, and Nüwa and Bei Ming discussed how to use the Canonization of the Gods to divide the Three Pure Ones.

• Bei Ming showed Jieyin the Earth Book, and Jieyin grasped its significance, pledged himself to the West, and departed.
• Bei Ming told Nüwa that his failure could bring extinction and entrusted Ling Yan to her protection; Nüwa promised to safeguard her.
• Nüwa divined that Ling Yan had saved Kong Xuan, a descendant of Yuan Feng and a new member of the Phoenix Race faction.
• Ling Yan reported destroying a Demon Sect stronghold at Golden Vegetarian Mountain and presented the demonized Kong Xuan, whom Nüwa agreed to train.
• Nüwa warned that the Literary Sect was active in the Human Realm Nine Provinces, and Bei Ming outlined a plan to provoke war between the Chan Sect and Jie Sect and split the Three Pure Ones.
• Nüwa joked that Tongtian would be left with crutches after the Saints crippled him, while admitting she had no sympathy for him.

Bei Ming gave Ling Yan Hongmeng Purple Qi and tasked her with organizing the Literary Sect for the Investiture Cataclysm. As the Mystic Gate sects prepared to act, the Human Realm’s Hundred Schools of Thought continued to contend amid the wars of the Nine Provinces.

• Nüwa returned to Mount Qixi to purify Kong Xuan and observe how the Mystic Gate sects and Hundred Schools of Thought discussed the Immortal Path, Divine Path, and Reincarnation.
• Bei Ming gave Ling Yan Hongmeng Purple Qi, explained Nüwa’s interests in Fuxi, and told Ling Yan to coordinate the Literary Sect’s response to the Investiture Cataclysm.
• Ling Yan ordered Literary Sect disciples serving in the Heavenly Court to limit their interference in human affairs and summoned those without Divine Positions to the Shuangyun Mountain Range for reorganization.
• The Twelve Golden Immortals began planning to accept disciples and enter the tribulation, while the Tongtian Sect Master warned Jie Sect disciples to stay behind closed cave gates.
• The Western Religion spread its teachings in the Human Realm as feudal wars and debates among the Hundred Schools of Thought continued across the Nine Provinces.

The Hundred Schools of Thought developed ideas drawn from the Mystic Gate, while Xuantian took the form of Guiguzi and founded the School of Diplomacy. Jiang Ziya and Shen Gongbao reached Kunlun Mountain to seek a master, where Yuanshi Tianzun recognized Jiang Ziya as the Person of Heavenly Mandate and saw the karmic bond between the two travelers.

• Confucianism, Mohism, and other schools emerged as Human Race thinkers adapted and developed ideas from Mystic Gate sects.
• Zhuang Zhou, Yang Zhu, Zou Yan, and founders of the Medical, Agricultural, Military, School of Names, and Legalist schools advanced their doctrines.
• Xuantian took the form of Guiguzi, founded the School of Diplomacy, and recruited talented heroes.
• Jiang Ziya, a minor member of the Jiang Clan of Qi State, set out to Kunlun Mountain to seek a master.
• Jiang Ziya met Shen Gongbao on the road, and the two became sworn brothers before Shen Gongbao helped them reach East Kunlun.
• Yuanshi Tianzun recognized Jiang Ziya as the Person of Heavenly Mandate and saw that Shen Gongbao's help had formed a deep karmic bond between them.

Yuanshi Tianzun accepted Jiang Ziya as a direct disciple and Shen Gongbao as a nominal disciple, recognizing the karma that bound them to the coming Canonization of the Gods. The chapter left Shen Gongbao reflecting on his failed attempts to join other sects and the advantages of entering the Chan Sect.

• Yuanshi sent White Crane Boy to bring Jiang Ziya and Shen Gongbao from outside the mountain to Jade Void Palace.
• Jiang Ziya and Shen Gongbao bowed before Yuanshi and asked to learn the Chan Sect's Immortal Techniques.
• Yuanshi accepted Jiang Ziya as his Direct Disciple because he was the Person of Heavenly Mandate for the Canonization of the Gods.
• Yuanshi accepted Shen Gongbao as a Nominal Disciple, citing his different nature and his karma with Jiang Ziya.
• Yuanshi saw that Heaven's Mandate would lead Shen Gongbao to help Jiang Ziya complete the Canonization of the Gods and planned to guide the Chan Sect through the tribulation.
• Shen Gongbao recalled seeking instruction from the Literary Sect and considering other sects before choosing the Chan Sect.

Ling Yan gathered the Literary Sect disciples to discuss the coming Investiture Cataclysm and ordered them to exploit the conflict between the Chan Sect and Jie Sect. She dispatched seven disciples to the Human Realm, where Moyuan asked which side they should support.

• Yuanshi sent Jiang Ziya and Shen Gongbao to Nanji Xianweng to learn the Chan Sect's Immortal Techniques.
• Ling Yan assembled the Literary Sect disciples at Shuangyun Mountain Range and explained that the Mystic Gate would bear the brunt of the Investiture Cataclysm.
• The disciples debated attacking Haotian and seizing the Heavenly Court, but Xue Ling, Lei Li, and Ranmu argued against it.
• Ling Yan declared that the disciples would settle their disputes through battle and outlined a strategy to pit the Chan Sect against the Jie Sect while guarding against the Three Religions joining forces.
• Ling Yan ordered Moyuan, Suyao, Wukong, Yun Biao, Lan Sheng, Wang Du, and Lei Li to monitor both sects in the Human Realm and fan the flames.
• Moyuan asked Ling Yan which side the Literary Sect should favor in the Warring States.

Ling Yan prepared the Literary Sect’s disciples for the Canonization of the Gods battle while Moyuan and others went to the mortal world to recruit disciples. At Mount Qixi, Nüwa healed Kong Xuan, gained his allegiance, and bestowed upon him five Innate Spirit Treasures.

• Ling Yan explained why Qin was destined to unify the land and ordered Ranmu, Xue Ling, and the others to train in their mountain-protecting formation.
• Ling Yan’s disciples drilled the formation until their coordination improved and its spiritual light spread across the Shuangyun Mountain Range.
• Moyuan, Suyao, Wukong, Yun Biao, Lan Sheng, Wang Du, and Lei Li set out for the mortal world to recruit disciples without directly interfering in Human Race affairs.
• Nüwa freed Kong Xuan from the Five Elements Cage and used the Qi of Creation to clear the demonic qi from him.
• Kong Xuan accepted Nüwa’s offer to serve as Mount Qixi’s protector, and she bestowed the Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth Spirit Pearls upon him.

Kong Xuan accepted Nüwa’s appointment as Protector of Mount Qixi and received five spirit pearls, then learned that Ling Yan had saved him from demonic qi. Nüwa sent Lu Ya to the human realm to assist Qin in unifying it and seek a breakthrough through the coming calamity.

• Nüwa gave Kong Xuan five spirit pearls and told him to remain on Mount Qixi until summoned.
• Kong Xuan asked about the woman who had saved him, and Nüwa identified her as Ling Yan, Chief Disciple of the Literary Sect.
• Kong Xuan met Lu Ya, who introduced himself as a menial servant of Mount Qixi and suggested they visit and discuss the Dao.
• Nüwa reminded Lu Ya that Di Jun had entrusted him to her and warned him against entanglement with the Human, Wu, and Demon races.
• Lu Ya explained that his cultivation was stalled by lingering Karma and asked to enter a calamity to seek a breakthrough.
• Nüwa ordered Lu Ya to assist Qin in unifying the human realm, and Lu Ya left Mount Qixi for the Human Realm Nine Provinces.

Sun Bin avenged himself on Pang Juan, whose name became the first listed on the Investiture of the Gods List, while Qin’s reforms survived Shang Yang’s death and the state prepared to rise. Yuanshi Tianzun summoned Jiang Ziya to leave the mountain and enter the human realm.

• Xuantian warned Sun Bin to guard against betrayal before Sun Bin left Yunmeng Marsh to join Pang Juan in Wei.
• Pang Juan persecuted Sun Bin, who escaped to Qi and helped defeat Wei at Guiling and Maling, where Pang Juan died.
• Pang Juan’s True Spirit entered the Investiture of the Gods List as its first name, and Yuanshi Tianzun blamed the Mystic Turtle for setting the cataclysm in motion.
• After Duke Xiao of Qin, Ying Quliang, died, Shang Yang was executed, but Ying Si upheld Qin’s reforms and received aid from Moyuan, Chijingzi, and Yuding Zhenren’s disciples.
• Yuanshi Tianzun summoned Jiang Ziya, the Person of Heavenly Mandate, to leave the mountain and enter official service.

Jiang Ziya was summoned by Yuanshi Tianzun and appointed to leave the mountain to aid the unification of the Human Race's Nine Provinces during the Investiture Cataclysm. Yuanshi gave him the God-Smiting Whip and the Heavenly Book Investiture of the Gods List, sending him into the calamity with the Chan Sect ready to support him.

• Jiang Ziya met Shen Gongbao on his way to the Jade Void Palace, where Shen Gongbao silently brooded over Jiang Ziya's preferential treatment and their uncertain purpose in the Chan Sect.
• Yuanshi Tianzun told Jiang Ziya that he was a Person of Heavenly Mandate and ordered him to enter the Red Dust and aid the unification of the Human Race's Nine Provinces.
• Yuanshi Tianzun bestowed the God-Smiting Whip and the Heavenly Book Investiture of the Gods List on Jiang Ziya, explaining their powers and how he could summon Chan Sect disciples for help.
• Yuanshi Tianzun had Daoist Randeng and Kushou return from the West, while the Heavenly Origin Sect prepared for the coming battle.

Jiang Ziya and Shen Gongbao descended from Kunlun Mountain on separate paths, while Gongsun Yan prepared to fight Long Jia’s Wei forces at Hexi. After the Four Sages of Nine Dragon Island joined Wei, Moyuan, Chijingzi, and Yuding Zhenren appeared in the Qin camp.

• Jiang Ziya accepted Yuanshi’s Spirit Treasures and left Kunlun Mountain to assess the rulers and states of the Human Realm.
• Nanji Xianweng told Shen Gongbao that Yuanshi had ordered him to descend the mountain, and Shen Gongbao left Kunlun burdened by doubts about Jiang Ziya.
• Gongsun Yan and Zhang Yi settled in Qin after failing to find success elsewhere, and Gongsun Yan led Qin’s army against Long Jia’s Hexi Garrison.
• Long Jia invited the Four Sages of Nine Dragon Island to help defend Wei, and they agreed to target Qin’s commanders and generals rather than its foot soldiers.
• Moyuan, Chijingzi, and Yuding Zhenren sensed the Jie Sect cultivators in Wei’s camp and arrived at the Qin camp.

Gongsun Yan planned to lure the Wei army into an ambush at Hexi while the Chan Sect prepared to kill the Four Sages of Nine Dragon Island. When the Four Sages attacked, a sudden sword strike destroyed their mounts, leaving the Qin cavalry to regroup and continue the encirclement.

• Gongsun Yan greeted Moyuan as his martial uncle, but Moyuan told him to address him as a senior brother because Mystic Turtle and Moyuan were of the same generation.
• Gongsun Yan outlined a plan to capture Hexi and destroy the eighty thousand Wei soldiers, asking Moyuan, Chijingzi, and Yuding Zhenren to deal with the Four Sages of Nine Dragon Island.
• Chijingzi and Yuding Zhenren agreed to kill the Four Sages, while Moyuan said he would watch over the Literary Sect's disciples and prevent secret interference.
• The next morning, Gongsun Yan feigned weakness and lured Long Jia's army into an ambush at Hexi.
• The Four Sages descended on their mounts, disrupted the Qin cavalry, and charged Gongsun Yan while three of them hurled Spirit Treasures.
• A sword light struck down all four mounts, and the Qin cavalry steadied its ranks and resumed the encirclement.

Yuding Zhenren and Chijingzi killed the Four Sages of Nine Dragon Island, allowing Qin to win the Battle of Hexi and expand eastward. As Gongsun Yan left Qin and rose to prominence in Wei, Moyuan warned Ying Ji about the Chan Sect’s unavoidable involvement in the coming conflict.

• Yuding Zhenren killed Yang Sen, Gao Yougan, and Li Xingba, while Chijingzi killed Wang Mo, sending all four Jie Sect disciples’ True Spirits to the Investiture of the Gods List.
• Gongsun Yan led Qin to victory at Hexi, where the army defeated Wei, captured Long Jia, and earned Gongsun Yan the title of Da Liangzao.
• Moyuan told Chijingzi that the Guiguzi lineage’s disciples were special to the Literary Sect, then warned Ying Ji to distinguish Qin’s state affairs from conflicts among immortals.
• Gongsun Yan left Qin and recommended Zhang Yi to Ying Si; Zhang Yi helped Qin seize Wei territory and secure its eastward advance.
• After Gongsun Yan returned to Wei, he gained King of Wei’s favor, defeated Chu at Xingshan, and pursued a Vertical Alliance to preserve Wei.

Gongsun Yan allied with Shen Gongbao to seek Jie Sect support for the Five States Attack Qin, while Jiang Ziya surveyed the states and met Zhang Yi in Qi. Zhang Yi arranged for Jiang Ziya to be kidnapped and taken to Qin State, and attacked him with a talisman.

• Gongsun Yan enlisted Shen Gongbao to persuade Jie Sect disciples to support his vertical alliance against Qin State.
• Jiang Ziya traveled through the states and judged Zhao State to have the potential to contend for the world, while he dismissed the prospects of several others.
• In Linzi, Zhang Yi visited Jiang Ziya's fortune-telling stall and invited him to accompany him to Qin State, but Jiang Ziya refused.
• After leaving, Zhang Yi ordered his attendants to seize Jiang Ziya and bring him to Qin State.
• Zhang Yi and his men blocked Jiang Ziya in a secluded place, and Zhang Yi launched a talisman at him.

After Jiang Ziya became Qin’s National Preceptor, Chan Sect disciples gathered in Xianyang and alarmed Ying Ji, who consulted his master Moyuan about the changing balance of power. Moyuan reassured him that Literary Sect disciples would soon arrive, and Yun Biao introduced Wei Ran and Bai Qi as two of them.

• Zhang Yi trapped Jiang Ziya with the Turtle Shell Binding Talisman and brought him to Xianyang, where he became Qin’s National Preceptor after speaking with Ying Si.
• Chan Sect disciples, including Li Jing and the three Zhas, gathered at Jiang Ziya’s mansion, while the changed history left Nezha’s former victims alive and removed several figures’ ties to the Chan Sect.
• Worried that Chan Sect disciples were gaining influence at court, Ying Ji contacted Moyuan and warned that Jiang Ziya’s growing authority was reducing his own.
• Moyuan told Ying Ji that Gongsun Yan’s campaign against Qin could draw Chan Sect disciples into battle against Jie Sect disciples, and said Literary Sect disciples would soon join Qin.
• Yun Biao brought Wei Ran and Bai Qi to meet Moyuan, identifying them as his disciples with close ties to Qin.

Moyuan tested Wei Ran and Bai Qi’s military and political abilities, then sent them with Yang Jian to serve Ying Ji in Qin State as the Investiture of the Gods conflict approached. They arrived in Xianyang and received a warm welcome, though peace was not expected to last.

• Moyuan ordered Wei Ran and Bai Qi to go to Qin State and serve Ying Ji, while Yun Biao left to meet Zhao Gongming at Emei Mountain.
• Moyuan tested Wei Ran and Bai Qi in eight historical battle scenarios, where Bai Qi won the first seven and Wei Ran outmaneuvered him politically in the final scenario.
• Yang Jian arrived with the Xiaotian Dog, and Moyuan instructed him to oversee battles between immortals without meddling excessively in mortal affairs.
• Wei Ran and Bai Qi discussed their strengths and agreed that Bai Qi needed a stable rear to win on the battlefield.
• Moyuan sent Yang Jian, Wei Ran, and Bai Qi to Qin State, where Ying Ji welcomed them with a grand banquet in Xianyang.

Shen Gongbao helped Gongsun Yan complete a five-state alliance against Qin, but Yan withdrew and Chu held back, leaving only the Three Jin forces to face Qin. As the Ten Heavenly Lords prepared to use their Ten Jue Formation against the Chan Sect, Shen Gongbao set out to provoke a clash with his former sect.

• Shen Gongbao invited the Ten Heavenly Lords to join Gongsun Yan's alliance, and Chu, Han State, Zhao, Wei State, and Yan State swore to attack Qin.
• King Huiwen of Qin sent Ying Ji and Jiang Ziya to Hangu Pass and dispatched Zhang Yi to persuade Yan State to withdraw; King Huai of Chu kept his troops in place.
• Gongsun Yan met with Shen Gongbao and the Ten Heavenly Lords, who agreed that their Ten Jue Formation could hold off the Qin army.
• Zhao Jiang asked Shen Gongbao to scout Hangu Pass and check whether the Chan Sect's disciples had arrived, and Shen Gongbao agreed while plotting to disrupt their plans.
• Gongsun Yan warned that the Chan Sect's Twelve Golden Immortals might enter the battle, prompting Holy Mother Jinguang to object and Yuan Jiao and Bai Li to boast that the Chan Sect would not dare challenge their formation.

Shen Gongbao visited Hangu Pass and revealed the Ten Heavenly Lords’ formations to Jiang Ziya. Jiang Ziya sent a message to Jade Void Palace to summon Chan Sect aid against them.

• Shen Gongbao left the allied camp at night and slipped into Hangu Pass, where Yang Jian and the others surrounded him.
• Jiang Ziya identified Shen Gongbao as his junior fellow disciple and invited him to speak privately.
• Shen Gongbao told Jiang Ziya that Gongsun Yan had invited the Ten Heavenly Lords of the Jie Sect and described their Ten Jue Formation.
• Jiang Ziya decided to ask his senior brothers for help breaking the formations.
• Shen Gongbao left Hangu Pass, and Jiang Ziya sent a communication talisman to Jade Void Palace.

The Chan Sect arrived at Hangu Pass to break the Ten Jue Formation, while the Chu State waited to see how the battle would turn out. Deng Hua entered Qin Wan’s Heavenly Absolute Formation and was killed.

• Ying Ji explained to Jiang Ziya that the Literary Sect’s elders would not necessarily join the war, while the Qin and allied armies maintained their standoff outside Hangu Pass.
• The Chu State decided to wait for the outcome of the formation-breaking before choosing whether to send its army.
• Daoist Randeng arrived with the Twelve Golden Immortals, and Yang Jian warned Bai Qi and Wei Ran to stay close and avoid becoming sacrificial fighters.
• Deng Hua arrived on Yuanshi Tianzun’s command and volunteered to break Qin Wan’s Heavenly Absolute Formation.
• Qin Wan disoriented Deng Hua with the Three-Head Banner, then cut off his head with a sword.

The Chan Sect broke the Heavenly Absolute Formation and the Earthly Blazing Formation, killing Qin Wan and Han Dulong and capturing Zhao Jiang. Meanwhile, Yun Biao defeated Zhao Gongming at chess and criticized the Jie Sect’s lack of order, leaving Zhao Gongming to reflect on the sect’s divisions.

• Qin Wan killed a Chan Sect general in the Heavenly Absolute Formation, but Manjushri entered protected by Celebrating Clouds, bound Qin Wan with the Dragon-Escaping Stake, and killed him to break the formation.
• Zhao Jiang challenged the Chan Sect with his Earthly Blazing Formation, and Han Dulong entered at Daoist Randeng’s command but was killed by its thunder and fire.
• Juliusun entered the Earthly Blazing Formation, bound Zhao Jiang with the Binding Immortal Rope, and captured him after breaking the formation.
• Dong Quan challenged the Chan Sect with his Wind Roar Formation, but Gongsun Yan failed to stop him and the Chan Sect withdrew; Daoist Randeng proposed borrowing the Wind-Fixing Pearl from Du'e Zhenren.
• Yun Biao lost a chess game to Zhao Gongming and argued that the Jie Sect’s many followers lacked the order and coordination of the Literary Sect, prompting Zhao Gongming to consider the division between inner and outer sect disciples.

Yun Biao told Zhao Gongming that the Ten Heavenly Lords were facing the Chan Sect at Hangu Pass, prompting Zhao to set out to help them. Yun Biao revealed that he had used the news to draw Zhao into the Investiture Cataclysm, then warned him that leaving Emei Mountain could cost him his life.

• Zhao Gongming dismissed his connection to King Wuling of Zhao as minor, while Yun Biao explained that the battle at Hangu Pass involved the Jie Sect.
• Yun Biao told Zhao Gongming that the Ten Heavenly Lords had challenged the Chan Sect with the Ten Jue Formation and might already have suffered losses.
• Zhao Gongming judged that the Ten Heavenly Lords could be overwhelmed by the Chan Sect's combined forces and decided to go to Hangu Pass.
• Yun Biao said he would accompany Zhao Gongming, and Zhao challenged him over whether the Literary Sect meant to oppose the Jie Sect.
• Yun Biao admitted that he had used the Ten Heavenly Lords to lure Zhao out and warned him to remain on Emei Mountain to preserve a chance of survival.