Chapter Summaries

Chen Changsheng kept the Calamity sealed in a box and meditated on whether Buddhist teachings could redeem it, while Bai Ze led Tian Xuan, Chen Shisan, and Qian Bao'er to Cloud Mountain Temple in search of an Extraterrestrial Divine Weapon and its treasured Seven-Colored Golden Lotus. The group entered the temple, where Bai Ze made an extravagant offering and Tian Xuan questioned whether worship could protect anyone.

• Chen Changsheng hid the Calamity in his robes and meditated as Buddhist Thought Power gathered around him, seeking to test whether Buddhist teachings could redeem it.
• Bai Ze brought Tian Xuan, Chen Shisan, and Qian Bao'er to Cloud Mountain Temple, claiming its Vajra Pestle concealed an Extraterrestrial Divine Weapon suited to Tian Xuan.
• Bai Ze revealed that he also hoped to eat lotus root from the temple's treasured Seven-Colored Golden Lotus and led the group inside to offer incense.
• Bai Ze knelt before the Buddha statue, offered enormous incense sticks, and prepared vats of lamp oil, while Chen Shisan worshipped more conventionally.
• Tian Xuan declined to offer incense, arguing that people had to rely on themselves and that Buddha could not protect cultivators from heaven.

Tian Xuan met a beautiful Buddhist woman who foretold that he would destroy Buddhism and lose what he cherished most. That night, as Bai Ze and the Treasure Vomiting Rat prepared to steal Cloud Mountain Temple’s treasures, the woman arrived with the Seven-Colored Lotus Seeds, lotus root, and Vajra Pestle and urged them to flee.

• Tian Xuan was captivated by the woman in plain clothes and asked her to interpret his fortune.
• The woman foretold that Tian Xuan would destroy Buddhism and lose what he cherished most when he found the answer he sought.
• The woman said Bai Ze had karmic ties to a Sage and could not be divined, while Chen Shisan and Qian Bao'er’s karma could not be calculated either.
• Bai Ze planned to steal the Seven-Colored Golden Lotus and Vajra Pestle with the Treasure Vomiting Rat despite Tian Xuan urging him to let go of the treasures.
• The woman appeared at their door with five Seven-Colored Lotus Seeds, seven sections of lotus root, and the Vajra Pestle, then warned that they had to leave before the temple elders discovered the theft.

Bai Ze and the others escaped Cloud Mountain Temple with its treasures, while Linglong revealed that fate had shown her she would fall in love with Tian Xuan. She joined their journey to the Buddhist Kingdom, leaving Tian Xuan bewildered as Linglong explained the Seven-Colored Lotus Seed’s power.

• Bai Ze took the treasures and used a Jade Dao Platform to whisk everyone away from Cloud Mountain Temple.
• Linglong declared that she had left the Buddhist sect and warned Tian Xuan not to betray her.
• Linglong revealed her name, her ability to glimpse karma, and her vision that she and Tian Xuan would become destined lovers.
• Linglong explained she had let Bai Ze take the Vajra Pestle and Seven-Colored Golden Lotus to avoid changing fate or causing the lotus to be destroyed.
• Linglong decided to accompany Tian Xuan and the others to the Buddhist Kingdom, then explained that the Seven-Colored Lotus Seed could awaken an Innate Divine Ability.

The group consumed Seven-Colored Lotus Seeds, and Tian Xuan and Qian Bao'er awakened Innate Divine Abilities while Bai Ze and Chen Shisan did not. Linglong explained that the Treasure Vomiting Rat needed to eat treasures to produce them, and the rat retreated behind Chen Shisan after Bai Ze stole some lotus root.

• Linglong distributed Seven-Colored Lotus Seeds, giving Tian Xuan a slightly larger one, and Tian Xuan awakened a lightning-related Innate Divine Ability.
• Linglong explained that the lotus seed could only nourish Bai Ze's foundation and purify Chen Shisan's bloodline, since neither could awaken an Innate Divine Ability from it.
• Qian Bao'er awakened an unusual Innate Divine Ability that caused magical treasures to float above her head, and Bai Ze offered to study it.
• Linglong gave a large section of lotus root to the Treasure Vomiting Rat and explained that it had to eat before it could vomit treasures.
• Chen Shisan admitted that the rat had refused the fruit he offered, while Bai Ze admitted he knew it needed food but had never fed it.
• Bai Ze snatched some lotus root from the Treasure Vomiting Rat, which dragged the rest behind Chen Shisan.

Linglong guided Tian Xuan and the others toward the Buddhist Kingdom, while Heavenly Court’s ruler explained why he was letting Chen Changsheng and Nalan Xingde have their way. He sent money for Qian Bao'er and left the Northern Desert question unresolved as he watched Chen Changsheng’s plans unfold.

• Linglong told Tian Xuan and the others that she would guide them on the journey to the Buddhist Kingdom and handed Tian Xuan the vajra pestle.
• Qian Fang Kong apologized to Heavenly Court’s ruler for allowing Qian Bao'er to follow Chen Changsheng, but the ruler reassured him that he had approved of it.
• The ruler gave Qian Fang Kong a pouch of money for Qian Bao'er and said Chen Changsheng had helped train a capable general for Heavenly Court.
• The ruler said he would not seize the Buddhist Kingdom’s fortune because Chen Changsheng controlled it and could unleash a devastating weapon.
• The ruler agreed to give the South Plains to Nalan Xingde, explaining that Chen Changsheng’s goal of breaking through the Ascension Road aligned with Heavenly Court’s own goal.

A hidden Master planned to let Chen Changsheng weaken the Northern Desert and ordered his forces to aid Chen Shisan’s group as they fled Cloud Mountain Temple. After three years of training, Qian Bao'er and Tian Xuan had grown stronger, while Chen Shisan remained at the Other Shore Realm but had matured without losing his original heart.

• Master refused to withdraw his forces from the Northern Desert, reasoning that Chen Changsheng would eventually leave it weakened and ready for the Heavenly Court to take.
• Master ordered his people to avoid the three unclaimed Cave Heavens and expected Chen Changsheng to act against Huayang Grotto-Heaven.
• After learning that Chen Shisan and his companions had caused Cloud Mountain Temple's Buddhist Daughter to defect, Master ordered his forces to block the temple and help them recover.
• Linglong and Bai Ze trained Chen Shisan, Qian Bao'er, and Tian Xuan, while Qian Bao'er supplied resources and Bai Ze stole scarce materials.
• Bai Ze praised Tian Xuan's progress after he endured three attacks, then scolded Chen Shisan for making little cultivation progress over eighteen months.
• Chen Shisan reflected on how he had grown during three years of training while keeping the same heart he had carried from Gold Mountain City.

Bai Ze left after completing his task, and Chen Shisan’s group entered the Buddhist Kingdom, where Linglong questioned what love meant between her and Tian Xuan. Their conversation was interrupted by Meng Yu, who mistook Linglong for a woman pursuing Chen Shisan, before a monk confronted Meng Yu.

• Bai Ze left in frustration, while Chen Shisan insisted that Bai Ze was sad rather than miserable.
• Qian Bao'er reminded Chen Shisan of his promise to buy a meal, and he agreed to treat the group to plain noodles.
• Linglong asked whether she and Tian Xuan loved each other, and Chen Shisan said he did not know but believed they would soon separate.
• Meng Yu recognized Chen Shisan and accused Linglong of pursuing him, then realized her mistake when Tian Xuan returned and Linglong took his hand.
• A monk approached Meng Yu to seek alms, and she told him to go away before he revealed that they had met before.

Chen Changsheng reunited with Meng Yu, Tian Xuan, Qian Bao'er, Linglong, and Chen Shisan, then berated the group for their choices and warned them of the dangers ahead. He sent everyone except Chen Shisan back, forcing Tian Xuan to confront how far he had strayed from his goal of restoring the Demon Race.

• Chen Changsheng appeared at the gathering, pushed Meng Yu aside, and sat beside Chen Shisan.
• Chen Changsheng scolded Tian Xuan and Qian Bao'er, then rebuked Linglong for leaving Cloud Mountain Temple and meddling with karma.
• Chen Changsheng praised Chen Shisan for reaching the Other Shore Realm and contrasted his steady progress with the others' mistakes.
• Chen Changsheng ordered everyone except Chen Shisan to go back, explaining that Bao'er could retreat while Thirteen would face the dangers on his chosen path.
• Chen Changsheng pressed Tian Xuan to explain how his actions served his goal of surviving and restoring the Demon Race, leaving Tian Xuan unable to answer.

Chen Changsheng regretted involving Tian Xuan and the others in a dangerous path, while Nalan Xingde urged him to give them a chance. As Chen Shisan explained Tian Xuan’s deeper fears to Meng Yu, Chen Changsheng followed Nalan Xingde to see what the young people truly wanted.

• Chen Changsheng mocked Tian Xuan and Qian Bao'er, took two bowls of noodles, and left them behind.
• Nalan Xingde appeared before Chen Changsheng and argued that Tian Xuan deserved a chance to regain his confidence and continue along the path.
• Chen Changsheng refused to wager on Tian Xuan’s recovery, but followed Nalan Xingde to see what the young people wanted.
• On the inn roof, Chen Shisan told Meng Yu that Tian Xuan feared disappointing Chen Changsheng and blamed himself for failing to do better.
• Chen Shisan explained that Tian Xuan’s future as the Young Clan Leader of the Dark Bird Race required leadership and foresight, not merely greater cultivation.

Tian Xuan regretted failing to prepare and worried about the consequences awaiting him and Linglong, while Qian Bao'er questioned whether she still had the resolve to continue her journey. Nalan Xingde confronted Tian Xuan about drowning in guilt, and the sight of the moon helped free him from his turmoil.

• Tian Xuan returned the Vajra Pestle to Linglong, admitted he could not love her, and told her to blame him to avoid punishment from Cloud Mountain Temple.
• Qian Bao'er realized that she had lost some of her original ambition and doubted whether she could finish the journey, even though she had nearly reached its destination.
• Nalan Xingde visited Tian Xuan through a strand of Divine Sense and tried to encourage him, but Tian Xuan blamed himself for failing to prepare.
• Nalan Xingde rebuked Tian Xuan for dwelling on past mistakes and urged him to face their consequences bravely.
• Tian Xuan looked up at the bright moon, and his troubled heart was freed.

Tian Xuan overcame his fear and self-doubt, then told Chen Changsheng he would not leave despite being driven away. At breakfast, the group prepared to say farewell to Qian Bao'er, while Linglong was absent.

• Tian Xuan merged with his timid reflection and broke through to the Tian Xuan Realm.
• Tian Xuan thanked Chen Changsheng and vowed to stay and grow strong enough to help him; Chen Changsheng answered that he would always support him and told him to stay alive.
• Chen Changsheng told Nalan Xingde that he wanted the younger generation to grow stronger so they could live full lives, then noticed Chen Shisan had not returned their bowl.
• Chen Shisan found Tian Xuan waiting in the morning and agreed to host a farewell meal for Qian Bao'er.
• Tian Xuan reassured Qian Bao'er that her departure was not a final parting and that he and Chen Shisan would visit her.

Chen Shisan’s blunt farewell to Qian Bao'er made her flee in tears, while Meng Yu refused to hear what he had to say. Elsewhere, Chen Changsheng confronted a retired member of the Dark Bird Race and ordered Bai Ze to stay in the Buddhist Kingdom, taking the Round Ball Nalan Xingde had entrusted to him.

• Chen Shisan read Qian Bao'er a farewell note, and she ran out crying after hearing his words.
• Tian Xuan told Chen Shisan that his honesty had saddened Qian Bao'er and might cost him her spending money.
• Meng Yu refused to hear Chen Shisan out and left for the Buddha Fate Assembly, after which Chen Shisan and Tian Xuan ate the remaining food.
• Chen Changsheng told the old fisherman that he wanted to witness the Dark Bird Race’s destruction, and a ripple appeared near the old man’s hook after Chen Changsheng left.
• Bai Ze asked whether the old man would help Tian Xuan and Chen Shisan, but Chen Changsheng said he did not know and ordered Bai Ze to remain in the Buddhist Kingdom.
• Chen Changsheng demanded the Round Ball, and Bai Ze spat out the item Nalan Xingde had entrusted to him.

Chen Changsheng discovered that the ominous was connected to Small Worlds and Wu Li’s attack on the Ascension Road, so he headed to the Buddhist Kingdom to force Zhang Bairen to explain. There, Chen Shisan learned that Chen Changsheng intended him to seek the Buddhist Kingdom’s Merit Pool, but he hoped to obtain it by asking or paying rather than stealing.

• Chen Changsheng explained to Bai Ze that Wu Li’s attack on the Ascension Road had caused Small Worlds to merge with the current world, and that Wu Li must have faced a danger worse than the ominous.
• Chen Changsheng set off for the Buddhist Kingdom to question Zhang Bairen, saying he would beat him until he talked, and Bai Ze eagerly followed.
• Chen Shisan asked Tian Xuan how to join the Buddha Fate Assembly and whether the monks hit hard, explaining that Chen Changsheng had told him to prepare for a beating to strengthen his body.
• Tian Xuan told Chen Shisan that Chen Changsheng was targeting the Merit Pool, a sacred Buddhist treasure whose waters could grant the Zhang Liu Golden Body.
• Chen Shisan said he did not want to steal or seize the Merit Pool and suggested asking the Buddhist Kingdom to lend it or accepting payment, while Tian Xuan said they would only know by trying.

Chen Changsheng explained that Thirteen’s extraordinary swordsmanship was limited by his fragile body, and that he needed the Buddhist Kingdom’s Merit Pool to strengthen it. Chen Changsheng and Bai Ze waited for Thirteen to create an opportunity to use the pool without provoking the Buddhist Kingdom into destroying it.

• After Chen Changsheng sent Chen Shisan toward the Buddhist Kingdom, Tian Xuan complained about the plan, and Chen Changsheng struck him for speaking within range of his Divine Sense Realm.
• Bai Ze tried to head for the Buddhist Kingdom to take a Twelve Grade Merit Golden Lotus, but Chen Changsheng stopped it and warned it not to touch the lotus or Merit Pool.
• Chen Changsheng told Bai Ze that Thirteen’s first sword strike had injured him when Thirteen was still an ordinary mortal, using the damaged Zhenwu Sword after practicing Basic Sword Art for a day.
• Chen Changsheng explained that Thirteen’s instincts had restricted his cultivation to the Other Shore Realm because his body could not withstand his sword’s power, and that forcing a breakthrough would kill him after one sword.
• Chen Changsheng said Thirteen needed the Merit Pool’s accumulated Thought Power and Buddhist power to strengthen his body, but provoking the Buddhist Kingdom could lead its monks to destroy the pool.
• Bai Ze agreed not to touch the Merit Golden Lotus yet, and it settled beside Chen Changsheng as they waited for Thirteen to create an opportunity.

At the outer Buddha Fate Assembly, Chen Shisan learned that Loose Cultivators needed to compose a Buddhist poem to enter the inner gathering, while Tian Xuan went ahead and impressed the monks with a verse. Beneath the Bodhi Tree, Chen Changsheng praised Tian Xuan’s insight but said he still was not outstanding by Heaven’s Chosen standards.

• Chen Shisan asked Tian Xuan why the outer Buddha Fate Assembly seemed weak, and Tian Xuan explained that the important figures were inside.
• Tian Xuan told Chen Shisan that Loose Cultivators needed to write a verse showing affinity with Buddha to enter the inner gathering.
• Chen Shisan admitted he could not write poetry yet, so Tian Xuan went ahead and promised to find a way to bring him in later.
• Tian Xuan carved a Buddhist verse on a wall, causing bells to ring and Buddhist figures to appear across the kingdom.
• Monks invited Tian Xuan into the inner courtyard after witnessing his verse.
• Beneath the Bodhi Tree, Chen Changsheng said Tian Xuan had good insight but would destroy Buddha if he ever believed in it.

Chen Shisan struggled to understand Buddhist teachings at the outer Buddha Fate Assembly, then wrote a verse that stunned the Buddhist Kingdom and created a bodhi-tree apparition. At the Bodhi Tree, Bai Ze learned Chen Changsheng had not taught him and could not accept how extraordinary the verse was.

• Chen Changsheng explained to Bai Ze that books were only one way to understand the world's principles, while Bai Ze urged him to help Chen Shisan enter the assembly.
• At the outer assembly, Chen Shisan read a poetry manual while trying to figure out how to write a Buddhist Verse.
• Tian Xuan entered the inner assembly and told Meng Yu that his friend would arrive later, while avoiding Linglong and Qian Bao'er.
• Chen Shisan wrote a verse ending with “Originally there was nothing at all; where could dust arise?” and caused the Buddhist Kingdom to tremble as Buddhas and a bodhi tree appeared.
• Bai Ze woke beneath the Bodhi Tree, learned Chen Changsheng had not taught Chen Shisan, and became agitated over the boy's astonishing verse and terrible handwriting.

Chen Shisan entered the Buddha Fate Assembly after his Buddhist Verse was mistaken for proof that he was the Buddhist Kingdom’s Buddha Child. The assembly began with the revelation that the Desolate Heaven Emperor was dead, leaving the gathered cultivators stunned.

• Monks declared Chen Shisan the Buddhist Kingdom’s Buddha Child after his verse shook the kingdom, and he followed them into the assembly.
• Chen Shisan reunited with Tian Xuan, Meng Yu, Linglong, and Qian Bao’er, while Nangong Ruoxue reflected on how much he had changed.
• Master Huineng opened the Buddha Fate Assembly and explained that the Buddhist Kingdom sought someone fated to pull out the spear Desolate Heaven Emperor Wu Li had planted there.
• Nangong Ruoxue questioned the plan to defy the Desolate Heaven Emperor, and Master Huineng announced that the emperor was already dead.
• The assembly’s attendees rose in shock at Huineng’s revelation.

Chen Shisan asked the Buddhist Kingdom to lend him the Merit Pool in exchange for solving its trouble, while Tian Xuan faced accusations over Cloud Mountain Temple’s stolen Seven-Colored Golden Lotus. As the Buddhist monks attacked them, Tian Xuan resisted the Tathagata Handprint but was left unable to fight, and Huineng grew concerned about the powerful force behind him.

• Huineng presented a fragment of Heaven’s Mandate as proof that Desolate Heaven Emperor Wu Li was dead and offered the chance to claim it and become Lord of Buddha Country.
• Chen Shisan refused Heaven’s Mandate and the position of Lord of Buddha Country, asking instead to borrow the Merit Pool in exchange for helping the Buddhist Kingdom.
• Cloud Mountain Temple’s monks accused Tian Xuan of involvement in the theft of the Seven-Colored Golden Lotus, and Tian Xuan admitted he had bewitched Linglong into stealing it.
• Tian Xuan grabbed Chen Shisan and fled, but a Cloud Mountain Temple monk struck at them with the Tathagata Handprint.
• Tian Xuan countered with his Daoist Hunyuan Skill and other powers, survived the blow, and crashed down exhausted while Huineng wondered who had taught him the lost art.

Chen Shisan stood between the old monk of Cloud Mountain Temple and the wounded Tian Xuan, refusing to yield despite having both arms crippled and his swords broken. As Chen Shisan’s realm began to awaken as a sword, the shattered Zhenwu Sword unleashed its final attack on the old monk.

• Meng Yu and Qian Bao'er each asked their allies to rescue Chen Shisan and Tian Xuan, but Kongming Heaven and the Wan Tong Merchant Guild refused, saying they could not challenge the Buddhist Kingdom.
• Tian Xuan began healing while Chen Shisan promised to hold off the old monk until Tian Xuan could stand.
• The old monk’s Buddhist chants disrupted Tian Xuan’s healing and caused Chen Shisan to bleed, but Chen Shisan attacked and pierced the monk’s golden body with Three-Foot Green Edge.
• The old monk disarmed Chen Shisan, shattered his right hand, then damaged the Zhenwu Sword and crippled his left hand.
• Chen Shisan stood in the old monk’s way again and said his sword in his heart could not be broken as his realm began to take the form of a sword.
• The shattered Zhenwu Sword burst with sword qi and shot toward the old monk in its final glory.

The Zhenwu Sword destroyed itself to save Chen Shisan, but the old monk from Cloud Mountain Temple continued attacking. Meng Yu and Qian Bao'er stepped in to protect Chen Shisan, and Qian Bao'er was left unconscious after the monk shattered her Natal Magical Artifact.

• The Zhenwu Sword struck the old monk from Cloud Mountain Temple, shattered, and left him blinded in one eye; Chen Shisan collected its fragments despite his injuries.
• The old monk hurled a sword fragment at Chen Shisan, but Meng Yu deflected it and blocked his path after giving Chen Shisan a healing pill.
• Meng Yu challenged the old monk and was severely injured by his attack as the elder from Kongming Heaven stayed out of the fight.
• Qian Bao'er charged the old monk with her magical artifacts, declaring she acted for herself rather than the Wan Tong Merchant Guild.
• The old monk crushed Qian Bao'er's artifacts and shattered her Natal Magical Artifact, leaving her unconscious and her aura rapidly fading.