Chapter Summaries

The Demon-Subduing Emperor explained the Nine Heavens Demon-Quelling Grand Array and asked Ling Qing and the others to deal with the Six Heavenly Demon Kings while the array purified Northern Julu Continent. Years later, the array spread across the continent, and Ling Qing confronted Sin Demon’s forces at a treacherous pool.

• The Six Heavenly Demon Kings stirred up demons and monsters across Northern Julu Continent to delay the Demon-Quelling Army’s array while secretly attempting to escape.
• The Demon-Subduing Emperor asked Ling Qing and the other visiting cultivators to hunt down the demons once his grand array was complete.
• The Demon-Subduing Emperor explained that the Nine Heavens Demon-Quelling Grand Array would purge the continent’s resentment, suppress minor demons, and let Ling Qing and the others travel rapidly to dangerous regions.
• After several years, black-and-white profound qi spread across Northern Julu Continent, forcing out and dispersing its buried resentment and transforming some perilous places into blessed lands.
• Ling Qing arrived above a treacherous pool where Sin Demon led demons and monsters in an array, and Sin Demon realized the location could not be held.

Ling Qing returned to Wudang Mountain after defeating and detaining demons, then discussed with Iron Crutch Li and Han Zhongli why the Six Heavenly Demon Kings’ campaign seemed strangely weak. As the Eight Immortals gathered, a divine general summoned them to the Demon-Subduing Emperor.

• Ling Qing crushed the demons with his grand array, while Sin Demon's avatar fled, and he sent the captured demons to the Demon-Subduing Tower at Wudang Mountain.
• Ling Qing joined Iron Crutch Li and Han Zhongli in the Immortal Gathering Pavilion and asked where the other Eight Immortals had gone.
• Ling Qing said the Six Heavenly Demon Kings’ actions seemed hollow, and Iron Crutch Li and Han Zhongli agreed that the Emperor’s preparations and focus on the grand formation mattered most.
• Han Zhongli advised Ling Qing to secure his foundation, follow circumstances, and remember that the Emperor could seek aid from the Heavenly Court.
• Zhang Guolao, Lu Dongbin, and the others returned, and a divine general arrived to summon the immortals to the Emperor.

The Demon-Subduing Emperor learned that the Six Heavenly Demon Kings and other demons had left the Northern Julu Continent, and he planned to turn their trapped incarnations into the demon heads of his tribulation. A new report revealed that the demons had escaped through Sunken Void Island and gone beyond the myriad heavens.

• The Demon-Subduing Emperor told Ling Qing and the others that the Six Heavenly Demon Kings, the Dragon Demon King, and other demons were no longer in the Northern Julu Continent.
• The Demon-Subduing Emperor said he would capture the Six Heavenly Demon Kings' remaining incarnations, sever their ties to their true bodies, and reshape them as independent demon heads.
• Ling Qing and the others agreed to help him, while the Nine Heavens Demon-Quelling Grand Array sealed the Northern Julu Continent and trapped the demons' incarnations inside.
• A memorial arrived with news that the Six Demons had gone beyond the myriad heavens.
• The Demon-Subduing Emperor reported that the Six Heavenly Demon Kings, the Dragon Demon King, and six other demons had appeared on Sunken Void Island, forced their way through its northern gate at a cost, and escaped beyond the myriad heavens.

The Dragon Demon King and the Six Heavenly Demon Kings gathered their forces and planned to approach Sunken Void Island without attracting the Demon-Subduing Emperor’s attention. After demanding proof that the demon kings could guide them to the newborn world beyond the heavens, the Dragon Demon King and King Yu Rong ensured the twelve demons were linked together before they moved to the North Pole.

• The Dragon Demon King and the other six old demons returned to the Dragon Demon Palace, gathered a million demon soldiers, and joined the Six Heavenly Demon Kings.
• The Essence Demon proposed approaching Sunken Void Island through the desolate Arctic region and waiting for a chance to break through.
• The Dragon Demon King demanded to know how they would reach the newborn world beyond the heavens, and the Essence Demon produced a pearl whose aura could guide them.
• King Yu Rong proposed linking all twelve demons so they could find one another if separated, and the Essence Demon agreed.
• King Yu Rong directed the twelve demons through a ritual that linked them for the duration of the operation, after which they camped near Sunken Void Island and waited.

The Six Heavenly Demon Kings and Dragon Demon King's group crippled Sunken Void Island’s defenses and passed through its portal, leaving several guardians infected with demonic qi. Ling Qing and the Eight Immortals arrived to investigate and Iron Crutch Li treated the afflicted guardians, while Brocade-Robed Marquis remained hidden among the demons beyond the portal.

• The Six Heavenly Demon Kings and Dragon Demon King's group exploited the island’s weakened water veins to sabotage its grand array and force their way through the black-hole passage.
• Brocade-Robed Marquis concealed himself as a streak of white light and followed the demons through the passage, while the Nine-Lived Jade Cat treated the injured guardians and reported the crisis.
• The Demon-Subduing Emperor sent Ling Qing, the Eight Immortals, and their companions to Sunken Void Island to assess its defenses and investigate the demons’ purpose.
• The Nine-Lived Jade Cat welcomed the delegation and led them to the cell where Sky-Boring Marquis and the others were suffering from demonic qi.
• He Xiangu and the others cleared the cell of demonic qi, and Iron Crutch Li gave the four guardians golden pills that calmed them and drove the qi from their bodies.

The Nine-Lived Jade Cat asked Iron Crutch Li and the others to rescue Brocade-Robed Marquis, who had infiltrated the demons heading beyond the heavens. Ling Qing and the Eight Immortals entered the perilous Realm of Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind and followed Brocade-Robed Marquis’s trail, while Ling Qing began contemplating the realm’s power.

• The Nine-Lived Jade Cat explained that Brocade-Robed Marquis had followed the demons beyond the heavens and asked the Eight Immortals to find and rescue him.
• Iron Crutch Li warned that Sunken Void Island needed protection, so the Nine-Lived Jade Cat summoned the Seven Northern Dipper Star Lords and left Dan Sheng behind.
• The Nine-Lived Jade Cat gave Iron Crutch Li a secret art to locate Brocade-Robed Marquis, and Ling Qing and the Eight Immortals used Azure Palace gateways to prepare for their journey.
• Ling Qing entered the black hole and emerged in a raging sea of flames before joining Iron Crutch Li and the others aboard He Xiangu’s lotus boat.
• Iron Crutch Li used the secret art to guide the lotus boat through the Realm of Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind, where shifting directions made their pursuit of Brocade-Robed Marquis uncertain.
• As the lotus boat continued toward Brocade-Robed Marquis, Ling Qing withdrew to the cabin to contemplate the realm.

Ling Qing refined four elemental swords and used them to elevate the Primordial Unity Banner, merging Emperor Miaoyuan with its elemental spirit worms to create a chaos-like origin spirit worm. When Ling Qing could not use the banner to generate the qi of the one origin, the Eight Immortals and the others explained that the treasure lacked the necessary foundation.

• Ling Qing drew primordial fire qi into the Vermilion Bird Sword and refined it into a four-tribulation spiritual treasure.
• Ling Qing refined the Black Tortoise Sword, Yellow Dragon Sword, and Feilian Sword with water, earth, and wind primal qi.
• Ling Qing sent the four swords' spirit beasts into the Primordial Unity Banner, raising it to the realm of a spirit treasure.
• Emperor Miaoyuan gathered pure earth, water, wind, and fire qi, merged with the banner's spirit worms, and formed a chaos-like origin spirit worm.
• Ling Qing found that the Primordial Unity Banner could not produce the qi of the one origin, and the Eight Immortals and the others told him it lacked the foundation for it.

Ling Qing suppressed the earth, water, wind, and fire primal qi with his Immortal-Ending Sword and forged the Vermilion Bird Sword and Primordial Unity Banner. He learned that the banner needed time and nourishment to mature, while the Eight Immortals resumed pursuit of the Six Heavenly Demon Kings.

• Ling Qing used the Immortal-Ending Sword to calm the primal qi and gathered fire primal qi to forge the Vermilion Bird Sword.
• The Eight Immortals discussed the Immortal-Ending Sword’s power, and Iron Crutch Li redirected their pursuit of the Six Heavenly Demon Kings.
• Ling Qing refined the Primordial Unity Banner by combining the Four Images and the spiritual radiance of his incarnations, but could not advance it further.
• He Xiangu explained that the banner needed nourishment and time to develop like an embryo of an innate spirit treasure.
• Ling Qing understood that forcing the banner to mature prematurely would be like pulling up seedlings to help them grow.

Ling Qing traveled through the domain of earth, water, wind, and fire, refining treasures and helping his incarnations advance their Daos. As Emperor Miaoyuan cultivated the Primordial Unity Banner and Wondrous Splendor Emperor tempered the Immortal-Ending Sword, Ling Qing brought out Canglingzi’s spirit pearl and the methods for refining the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords.

• Ling Qing set the Primordial Unity Banner atop the lotus boat to gather primordial Qi, and used the Immortal-Ending Sword to cut down dangerous surges.
• Emperor Miaoyuan refined the gathered Qi through cycles of transformation, advancing to a one-tribulation Heavenly Immortal.
• Ling Qing discussed his insights with the Eight Immortals, who took turns tracking the Six Heavenly Demon Kings and cultivating.
• Ling Qing focused on Wondrous Splendor Emperor, who wielded the Immortal-Ending Sword to temper destructive tribulation Qi and deepen his understanding of the Innate Qi and slaughter-tribulation paths.
• Ling Qing took out the spirit pearl Canglingzi had given him and the refinement methods for the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords.

Ling Qing used Wondrous Splendor Emperor and the Spirit Pearl to begin laying the foundation for the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords, then led the Eight Immortals through the Realm of Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind while refining treasures. After they escaped a violent primordial qi storm, they found a rare spiritual treasure embryo and learned how perilous it would be to use such an embryo to attain Great Luo.

• Ling Qing combined Wondrous Splendor Emperor's power and the four sword methods within the Spirit Pearl, beginning a framework for the Four Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation.
• Ling Qing and Wondrous Splendor Emperor used the Spirit Pearl and Primordial Unity Banner to suppress the elemental qi and help the Eight Immortals gather it.
• Ling Qing refined spiritual treasures from the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords' methods while the group pursued the Six Heavenly Demon Kings.
• Ling Qing, his nine avatars, Lu Dongbin, and the Eight Immortals struggled to escape a storm of water, fire, and wind primordial qi.
• A brilliant streak struck the group's defenses and forced them out of the storm, where Han Zhongli caught a gray-black pearl containing a spiritual treasure embryo.
• Iron Crutch Li and Han Zhongli explained that the embryo might eventually become an innate treasure or a Chaos Mystic Embryo, but using its world-opening tribulation to attain Great Luo would be extremely dangerous.

Iron Crutch Li and the Eight Immortals caught up with the Six Heavenly Demon Kings and the Dragon Demon King, then sent Ling Qing’s incarnation, Emperor Miaoyuan, to contact the Brocade-Robed Marquis and prepare a way to escape. As the demons investigated disturbances in their water-essence ocean, Emperor Miaoyuan slipped into their demonic clouds.

• Iron Crutch Li sensed the Six Heavenly Demon Kings’ trail, and Han Zhongli led the group toward them in the lotus boat.
• The group found that the Six Heavenly Demon Kings and the Dragon Demon King had joined their formation clouds to an ocean of water primordial qi, shielding their forces as they traveled.
• Iron Crutch Li and Han Zhongli argued that rescuing the Brocade-Robed Marquis was their priority, and Ling Qing proposed sending Emperor Miaoyuan to contact him secretly.
• With the Primordial Unity Banner, Emperor Miaoyuan infiltrated the water-essence ocean, assimilated part of it, and caused disturbances that the demons mistook for a passing beast.
• Essence Demon sent Sin Demon and King Yu Rong to investigate, allowing Emperor Miaoyuan to slip into the demonic clouds.

Emperor Miaoyuan infiltrated the Dragon Demon King's army and rescued the Brocade-Robed Marquis, who revealed that the Demon Alliance sought the Chaos Mystic Embryo. The Eight Immortals realized the demons planned to forge innate spiritual treasures from the world's origin and resolved to thwart their scheme and claim a share of the world.

• Emperor Miaoyuan disguised himself as a sea-worm demon, found the Brocade-Robed Marquis inside the formation, and brought him through the Azure Palace to the Lotus Boat.
• Essence Demon discovered the disturbance left by Emperor Miaoyuan and warned the other demons that the Demon-Subduing Emperor might be pursuing them.
• The Eight Immortals escaped the Demon Alliance's search and questioned the Brocade-Robed Marquis, who explained that the demons were targeting a completed primordial qi vortex called the Chaos Mystic Embryo.
• Iron Crutch Li deduced that the demons hoped to refine the world's principles and origin into innate spiritual treasures to aid their future ascent to Great Luo.
• Han Zhongli and Lu Dongbin explained how the Emperor's plan could cut off the six demons' retreat, and the Eight Immortals agreed to frustrate the demons and claim part of the world.

The Six Heavenly Demon Kings and their allies debated how to escape Ling Qing’s surveillance, deciding they might sacrifice their millions of demon troops to break free. Ling Qing’s group could still track them through the Immortal-Slaying Spirit Pearl, leaving their escape plan compromised.

• Ling Qing and his companions kept the demon alliance under watch while guarding against the Six Heavenly Demon Kings secretly abandoning their troops.
• The Dragon Demon King and the other demons reasoned that the Eight Immortals or other Supreme Purity allies might be aiding Ling Qing, making a direct confrontation risky.
• The Roc Demon King proposed entering or creating a storm vortex in the Realm of Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind to shake off their pursuers.
• The demons weighed the loss of their millions of troops, who were intended to protect them during the opening of a new world, against the danger of remaining under surveillance.
• The demons chose to abandon their troops and flee toward their destination, unaware that Ling Qing could track them using the Immortal-Slaying Spirit Pearl.

The Eight Immortals and Ling Qing fled as the demon alliance stirred up a vortex of elemental qi, but the upheaval gathered all four elements and threatened to sweep both groups away. With the vortex drawing close and their escape faltering, Lu Dongbin proposed one last way to survive.

• Zhang Guolao urged the Eight Immortals to retreat, and Han Xiangzi noticed the ocean of elemental qi churning beneath the demonic clouds.
• Iron Crutch Li led the Eight Immortals away as the demon alliance stirred the ocean into a vortex and fled in another direction.
• Ling Qing’s group and the demon alliance briefly crossed paths, allowing the Six Heavenly Demon Kings to identify Ling Qing, the Eight Immortals, and the Brocade-Robed Marquis of Sunken Void Island.
• The vortex gathered all four types of elemental qi, and the demon kings sacrificed weaker demons’ mana and life force to speed their escape.
• Cao Guojiu warned that Ling Qing’s group would be swept into the expanding vortex, and Lu Dongbin said only one option remained.

Ling Qing and the Eight Immortals escaped the collision of two primal qi vortices and continued pursuing the demon alliance. Both sides reached a maturing Chaos Mystic Embryo, where they waited for its world to open.

• Lu Dongbin led Ling Qing and the others toward an established four-element qi vortex to evade the newly formed one, and the two vortices collided behind them.
• Ling Qing and the others watched the vortices begin circling like a Taiji diagram, then left to pursue the Six Heavenly Demon Kings.
• The Six Heavenly Demon Kings and their party escaped after sacrificing a third of the demon army and headed for the newborn world they had discovered.
• The demon alliance reached the Chaos Mystic Embryo and camped nearby while primordial beasts were destroyed by its vortex storms or assimilated by the embryo.
• Ling Qing and the others caught up with the demon alliance and arrived at the world-opening site.

Ling Qing studied the Great Dao’s Chaos Mystic Embryo as it matured, then prepared with the Eight Immortals and Brocade-Robed Marquis for the dangerous moment when the new world opened. As the embryo began to pulse, Han Zhongli assigned the group roles to hinder the Demon Alliance and survive the first strike.

• Ling Qing and his companions hid near the newborn world while the Six Heavenly Demon Kings and their allies established a demonic formation.
• Ling Qing comprehended the Chaos Mystic Embryo and compared its formation with the mystic embryos he had created through spirit treasures.
• Thousands of powerful desolate beasts gathered as the primordial qi around the embryo dwindled and was absorbed.
• The Chaos Mystic Embryo began to pulse, and Iron Crutch Li warned that the first strike of world-opening could kill them.
• Iron Crutch Li explained that the Demon Alliance and desolate beasts would compete to claim the newly formed world’s space and its benefits.
• Han Zhongli ordered Dao Qing to retreat with the Immortal-Slaying Spirit Pearl, sent Brocade-Robed Marquis to infiltrate the enemy formation, and led the others to hold the demons back.

As the Chaos Mystic Embryo awakened, the Demon Alliance and the Eight Immortals entered the World-Opening Tribulation, while Ling Qing stayed back with the Immortal-Slaying Spirit Pearl as a reserve. The giant began creating a world from chaos, and the Demon Alliance survived the first blow at the cost of most of its forces, then hid to gather energy.

• Ling Qing and the Eight Immortals retreated behind the Demon Alliance as the Chaos Mystic Embryo stirred, with the Eight Immortals planning to use the alliance as a shield and Ling Qing keeping the Azure Palace as an escape route.
• The thousand-handed, thousand-eyed giant emerged and began opening heaven and earth, annihilating charging desolate beasts and shaping chaotic primordial qi into the beginnings of a world.
• The Six Heavenly Demon Kings and the Dragon Demon King used their formation to withstand the first wave, draining the strength of their demons and the Brocade-Robed Marquis.
• The Brocade-Robed Marquis contacted Ling Qing through the Azure Palace, and Ling Qing sent him energy to replace the mana drained by the formation.
• After fewer than one million demons survived the passage through earth, water, wind, and fire, the Demon Alliance leaders chose to hide and draw in energy rather than attack the giant.

The Eight Immortals and the Brocade-Robed Marquis disrupted the Demon Alliance’s attack, but their strike drew the giant’s wrath and forced them to flee. The Eight Immortals reached safety and reunited with the Brocade-Robed Marquis, but Iron Crutch Li stopped Ling Qing and the Marquis just as they prepared to come to them.

• The Eight Immortals lured powerful desolate beasts toward the Demon Alliance while the Brocade-Robed Marquis secretly sabotaged its formation.
• The Demon Alliance concentrated its attack on Cao Guojiu, but the Brocade-Robed Marquis destroyed formation nodes, allowing Cao Guojiu to escape and sending the demonic beam into the giant’s palm eye.
• The giant turned its many eyes toward the demons, while Iron Crutch Li and the others led desolate beasts into the weakened formation and shattered it.
• Iron Crutch Li sensed danger and led the Eight Immortals away before the giant’s divine light erased the Demon Alliance’s location.
• The Eight Immortals escaped into earth, water, wind, and fire, then confirmed that the Brocade-Robed Marquis had safely left the world after retreating to Ling Qing.
• Ling Qing and the Brocade-Robed Marquis offered to use Azure Palace to join the Eight Immortals, but Iron Crutch Li suddenly shouted for them to wait.

Ling Qing fled the expanding world-womb membrane while gathering creation tribulation qi and channeling chaos primal qi into the Azure Palaces. After Brocade-Robed Marquis joined him, Iron Crutch Li asked him to remain outside as an escape point while the others regrouped within the world.

• Ling Qing fled the Chaos Mystic Embryo's explosion and gathered creation tribulation qi with the Immortal-Slaying Spirit Pearl.
• Brocade-Robed Marquis asked Ling Qing to take over the demon-devil formation's mana drain, and Ling Qing supplied it with elemental qi transformed from chaos primal qi.
• Ling Qing used the Primordial Unity Banner to ease the Eight Immortals' struggle against the chaos primal qi and continued fleeing ahead of the expanding world.
• Brocade-Robed Marquis reached Ling Qing and recognized the barrier as the expanding world-womb membrane.
• Iron Crutch Li told Ling Qing to stay outside as a reference point for escape, so Brocade-Robed Marquis transferred to the Eight Immortals' side while Ling Qing kept running.

The Eight Immortals began shaping the nascent world through the Eight Trigrams, helping the World-Opening Primordial Spirit while seeking a way to expose the Six Heavenly Demon Kings. The demons escaped the Primordial Spirit’s attack but suffered severe injuries, and the Eight Immortals’ actions drew the attention of powerful beasts.

• The Eight Immortals agreed to establish the Heavenly Dao by occupying eight directions and evolving the Eight Trigrams, with Brocade-Robed Marquis moving between them to provide aid.
• Lu Dongbin, He Xiangu, and the other immortals formed the palaces and used the Eight Trigrams to shape heaven and earth, creating mountains, marshes, fire, water, thunder, and wind.
• The World-Opening Primordial Spirit recognized that the Eight Immortals’ work aided the world’s creation and focused again on fighting the desolate beasts, while some beasts began evolving primordial qi through their own Dao.
• The Six Heavenly Demon Kings, Dragon Demon King, and their allies escaped with the demon army using the Sin Demon’s Yellow Springs Sea of Suffering and the Macaque King’s nether-passing secret art.
• The World-Opening Primordial Spirit’s divine light struck the fleeing demons, badly injuring them and damaging the Macaque King’s and Sin Demon’s foundations; the Macaque King emerged spitting essence blood, his white fur dimmed.