Chapter Summaries

Zhang Jian entered Luan Sheng Kun Yue Dao Realm, chose its earth trial path, and discovered a torrent of Earth-aspected Ancestral Qi that could advance his Earth Sovereign Dao Qi. He passed the first two tower trials with ease and resolved to remain in the realm after completing the remaining trials.

• Zhang Jian sensed the realm’s vast Earth-aspected Ancestral Qi and chose the Nine Earth-Realm Towers trial path.
• Zhang Jian destroyed the first tower’s five waves of attacks and four guardians, passing with the Diagram of the Earth undamaged.
• Yu the Great and the Dao Lords watched Zhang Jian’s progress and remarked on his strength and his cultivation in Fire Cloud Grotto-Heaven.
• Zhang Jian entered the second tower and used his combined immortal art to suppress interference while repairing the Diagram of the Earth's Spiritual Apertures.
• Zhang Jian repaired all one hundred and eight spiritual apertures and decided to find a way to stay in the realm after passing the fifth trial.

Zhang Jian passed the third trial after defeating six Taiyi Heavenly Immortals, then broke the fourth trial’s primordial formation and entered the fifth, where he faced the powerful Twofold Dust-Mote Formation. He used the Earth Sovereign Trigrams and the Sheji King Cauldron to escape its confinement, revealing part of his hidden strength and impressing the Dao Sovereigns.

• Zhang Jian trapped four Taiyi Heavenly Immortals in the Heavenly Cycle Star-Dipper Formation, then used the Emperor Sui Burning World Method and the Diagram of the Celestial Stars to defeat six enemies and pass the third trial with full integrity.
• Zhang Jian entered the fourth trial and began breaking the Primordial Twofold-Yin-Yang Four-Symbols Formation by tracing its veins and disrupting its core.
• The Water Official Emperor and the Water Virtue Star Lord broke their own fourth-trial formations with supreme treasures, while Pure Yang Dao Lord secretly altered the trials to test Zhang Jian further.
• Zhang Jian entered the fifth trial and found himself inside the Twofold Dust-Mote Formation, a powerful ancient killing formation that surprised the Dao Lords watching in the Pure Yang Immortal Hall.
• Zhang Jian used the Earth Sovereign Trigrams to locate the formation’s gates, then summoned the Sheji King Cauldron and its Nine Cauldrons Formation to slow the formation and escape through a gateway with his Earth Emperor divine authority.
• The Dao Sovereigns were astonished by Zhang Jian’s revealed power and recognized him as a Dao Sovereign seed.

Zhang Jian broke through the seventh trial of the Dao Realm and paused before the eighth to study the earth-element Ancestral Qi. Meanwhile, Azure Glow Dao Lord visited Hundred Flowers Fairy, offered to help her secure a share in Donghua Realm, and learned of Zhang Jian’s progress.

• Zhang Jian broke the Two-Polarity Microdust Formation, passed the fifth trial, and sensed that his Earth Sovereign Dao Qi could not advance against the earth-element Ancestral Qi.
• Zhang Jian entered the sixth trial and faced an extraterritorial heavenly demon tribulation watched by powerful Devil Lords.
• Hundred Flowers Fairy heard that Zhang Jian had passed the fifth trial, reflected on her feelings for him, and welcomed Azure Glow Dao Lord, who offered to guide him in Donghua Realm.
• Azure Glow Dao Lord explained that Donghua Realm needed the Great Celestial Venerable’s and Her Majesty’s decree to enter the Heavenly Realm, and told Hundred Flowers Fairy to keep the Soul-Calming Pagoda because she could earn merit and fortune there.
• Zhang Jian passed the sixth and seventh trials while Water Official Emperor and Water Virtue Star Lord advanced through the trials as well.
• Zhang Jian stopped before the eighth trial to cultivate and try to comprehend the earth-element Ancestral Qi, despite the three-hundred-year limit.

Zhang Jian advanced toward becoming an Innate Sacred Being as he mastered the mysteries of earth-aspect Ancestral Qi. After passing the eighth trial and spending two hundred years perfecting his Earth Sovereign Treasure Wheel, he unleashed a surge of power that shook the Donghua Realm and spread across the heavens.

• Zhang Jian’s Earth Sovereign Treasure Wheel grew stronger as he absorbed earth-aspect Ancestral Qi, bringing him close to forming an Ancestral Qi Dao Fruit.
• Zhang Jian entered the eighth trial, where he had to defeat five waves of attackers while repairing fragile earth altars within three hundred years.
• Zhang Jian used the Diagram of Mountains, Rivers, and the State and his treasures to withstand the trial’s destruction, demonic corruption, and demon-god legions, then passed after more than a hundred years of repairs.
• Zhang Jian sat beside the ninth stone tower and absorbed Ancestral Qi for two hundred years to perfect the Earth Sovereign Treasure Wheel, while Water Virtue Star Lord and Water Official Emperor entered the ninth trial.
• Zhang Jian’s violet qi erupted from the Innate Dao Realm, shaking the Donghua Realm’s laws and Dao Qi networks before surging into the surrounding heavens.

Zhang Jian became the Earth Sovereign, completed his transformation into a congenital sacred being, and reached Taiyi Great Perfection before entering the ninth trial. He found the Heaven-and-Earth Dark-Yellow Womb-Membrane Formation manageable at first, but the third wave began to mirror his own techniques.

• Zhang Jian’s Earth Sovereign ancestral Qi fused with his body and Primordial Spirit, while the Three Sovereigns Heavenly Realm’s destiny protected him from hostile powers.
• Zhang Jian’s Taiyi Dao Fruit approached perfection, and Yu the Great and the Dao Lords celebrated the Paulownia Mountain Dao Lineage’s new sacred being.
• Zhang Jian entered the ninth trial after three hundred years of enlightenment, while Water Official Emperor failed and Water Virtue Star Lord passed the trial in another Dao Realm.
• Zhang Jian entered the Heaven-and-Earth Dark-Yellow Womb-Membrane Formation and used his Earth Sovereign authority and Diagram of Mountains, Rivers, and the State to resist its attacks.
• The formation began its third wave by reproducing Zhang Jian’s power of coordination, vibration, and resonance, leaving him to consider how to overcome it.

Zhang Jian escaped the Heaven-and-Earth Dark-Yellow Womb-Membrane Formation with his Eternal Immortal Treasures and completed the ninth trial, then received important duties tied to the Donghua Realm’s ascension. Yu the Great warned him about the dangers of his divine body and explained ways to cultivate it; after Zhang Jian returned to the Heavenly Realm, a golden imperial decree arrived at the Spirit Origin Emperor’s Residence.

• Zhang Jian broke through the formation’s attacks with the Diagram of Mountains, Rivers, and the State and the Azure Lotus World-Purifying Divine Flame, then exited the ninth trial.
• Pure Yang Dao Lord gave Zhang Jian a jade slip assigning him three tasks, including repairing five ancient formation diagrams and guarding a land ancestral aperture in the Donghua Realm.
• Yu the Great cautioned Zhang Jian that his divine body could make him a target and advised him to remain within the Heavenly Court’s territories.
• Yu the Great described cultivation paths for divine beings, including spreading ancestral qi through the heavens and fusing it with other dimensions, while warning that doing so could reveal Zhang Jian’s secrets.
• Zhang Jian returned to the Heavenly Realm with Azure Glow Dao Lord and Hundred Flowers Fairy, and a golden imperial decree arrived at the Spirit Origin Emperor’s Residence.

After receiving rewards from the Heavenly Court, Zhang Jian learned what he needed to qualify to spread his Earth Emperor Ancestral Qi through realms under its rule. He welcomed his family with a banquet, strengthened his residence, and prepared to worship his ancestors with his sacred body, hoping to gain extraordinary benefits.

• Zhang Jian received celestial treasures from Great White Star Lord, who explained that he needed over one hundred million external merit, a Heavenly Court rank above nine, and recognized accomplishments to seek approval to integrate his ancestral qi into other realms.
• Zhang Jian shared the gifts at a family banquet, learned that Zhang Chang'an's master would soon take her to the Kunlun Heavenly Realm, and watched his relatives gain from the immortal wine and Purple Qi Golden Flowers.
• Zhang Jian improved Spirit Origin Immortal Island by installing the Nine-Eyed Chaos Creation Divine Spring and a star formation, planting the lotus seed, and purchasing facilities for his residence.
• Zhang Jian studied the five ancient formation diagrams entrusted to him by Pure Yang Dao Lord and prepared to worship his ancestors with his sacred body after the visitors had departed.

After Zhang Jian's sacrifice yielded the Primordial Unity River-Luo Diagram, Azure Glow Dao Lord sent him the Three-Petaled Creation Azure Lotus, a mid-grade innate spirit treasure. Zhang Jian prepared for Donghua Realm's dimensional ascension, and as the event approached, he set out with the Water Official Emperor and Water Virtue Star Lord for the lower realm.

• Zhang Jian sacrificed vast quantities of gold and silver ingots and the Primordial Unity River-Luo Diagram at the Zhang clan ancestral hall.
• Azure Glow Dao Lord received twenty-six billion one hundred million flawless incense offerings and obtained the Primordial Unity River-Luo Diagram from the sacrifice.
• Azure Glow Dao Lord sent Zhang Jian the Three-Petaled Creation Azure Lotus, which Zhang Jian recognized as a mid-grade innate spirit treasure.
• Over the next three thousand years, Zhang Jian perfected his ancestral qi Dao Fruit, completed five formation diagrams for Pure Yang Dao Lord, and gathered tools to protect Donghua Realm's ancestral earth aperture.
• After learning that Donghua Realm's dimensional ascension would begin in three hundred years, Zhang Jian took leave from the Heavenly Court and traveled toward the Heavenly River with the Water Official Emperor and Water Virtue Star Lord.

Zhang Jian joined Heavenly Court deities in Donghua Realm’s defense preparations and was assigned to guard the Earth Ancestral Aperture beneath Verdant Jade Cliff. He helped rehearse the Heaven-and-Earth Dark-Yellow Womb-Membrane Formation with Lianshan Daojun and Ji Cheng, suspecting his position would be the enemy’s target but preparing a surprise of his own.

• The Water Official Emperor introduced Zhang Jian to the Turtle Marshal, Snake Marshal, and other high-ranking deities traveling to Donghua Realm.
• Zhang Jian arrived at Pure Yang Immortal City, where Qing Yao and Qiufeng discussed his growing influence and the possibility of serving him.
• At the Pure Yang Hall, Pure Yang Dao Lord warned the assembled immortals not to abandon their posts and ordered them to prepare for demonic attacks during Donghua Realm’s elevation.
• Zhang Jian, the Water Official Emperor, and Water Virtue Star Lord departed for their assigned defenses, with Zhang Jian heading to Verdant Jade Cliff’s Earth Ancestral Aperture.
• Zhang Jian joined Lianshan Daojun and Ji Cheng to rehearse the Heaven-and-Earth Dark-Yellow Womb-Membrane Formation and resolved to surprise any fiends who targeted his position.

Zhang Jian guarded the Donghua Realm’s earth ancestral aperture as the realm began its ascension, using the Myriad Immortals Formation to repel invading demons while studying the transformed earth Dao Qi Network. When devil forces attacked Verdant Jade Cliff, Zhang Jian confronted a powerful yellow-spring devil light, whose approach threatened to contaminate everything.

• Zhang Jian drilled the immortals in the Myriad Immortals Formation, took control of the earth ancestral aperture, and benefited from the fortune-suppressing power of the Grade Three Creation Azure Lotus.
• Immortal Qing Yao warned Zhang Jian of an ominous sign at Verdant Jade Cliff and reported that the Donghua Realm’s ascension would begin in ten years; Zhang Jian gave her an azure lotus to protect her from danger.
• The Donghua Realm began ascending, transforming its Ancestral Qi Wheel and law networks, while Zhang Jian studied the changes and strengthened his Diagram of Mountains, Rivers, and the State.
• Extraterrestrial demons invaded through spatial-temporal rifts, and the Myriad Immortals Formation and Zhang Jian’s earth formation slaughtered many of them as the realm’s inhabitants benefited from its transformation.
• Quartz Daoist asked Zhang Jian to defend the Shu Mountain Sword Sect from devil-path attackers at Verdant Jade Cliff, and Zhang Jian raised the Heaven-and-Earth Dark-Yellow Womb-Membrane Formation against them.
• A division of an otherworldly Devil Master’s Primordial Spirit sent a potent yellow-spring devil light through Zhang Jian’s formation toward the earth ancestral aperture.

As the Donghua Realm ascended toward the Heavenly Realm dimension, Zhang Jian helped defend its earth from devil attacks and agreed to purify a vast rift pierced by an ancient Devil Master’s blade. He descended into the rift with the Nine Heavens Azure Lotus Diagram while Lianshan Dao Lord faced approaching devil experts alone.

• Zhang Jian crushed and purified a Devil Master’s Yellow Springs devil light with the Heaven-and-Earth Dark-Yellow Womb-Membrane Formation as the Donghua Realm’s ascension accelerated.
• Zhang Jian studied the earth laws during the realm’s ascent while the Myriad Immortals Formation protected it from dimensional pressure and devil attacks.
• A powerful devil blade pierced the earth formation, devastated several provinces, and left a vast devil-qi abyss that killed the immortals guarding nearby earth spirit apertures.
• Lianshan Dao Lord asked Ji Cheng to repair the damage, but when Ji Cheng hesitated, he asked Zhang Jian, who agreed to purify the devil qi within about three months.
• Lianshan Dao Lord extracted the ancient Devil Master’s blade tip as Zhang Jian descended into the rift with the Nine Heavens Azure Lotus Diagram.
• Lianshan Dao Lord detected Devil Lords and a true Devil Master approaching, then went to meet them while Zhang Jian worked inside the rift.

Zhang Jian purified demonic qi, repaired the Donghua Realm’s damaged earth veins, and survived the escalating battle as the realm’s dimensional ascension neared completion. When Xuanyu Devil Master abducted Ji Cheng, Zhang Jian realized his caution had spared him the same fate.

• Zhang Jian used the Nine Heavens Azure Lotus Diagram to purify the enormous fissure, then repaired its damaged earth spiritual apertures in less than a month.
• Lianshan Daojun used the Heaven-and-Earth Dark-Yellow Womb-Membrane Formation to kill an extraterritorial Devil Master and the demonic experts with him.
• Zhang Jian concealed the spacetime fissure from a scouting Desire Demon, then continued repairing damage as the battle for the Donghua Realm intensified.
• As the Donghua Realm’s dimensional ascension entered its late stage, Zhang Jian grew more cautious and left most repairs to Ji Cheng.
• Xuanyu Devil Master froze and abducted Ji Cheng, then escaped through a spacetime fissure as a platinum divine light pursued him.
• Zhang Jian felt shaken and relieved that his caution had kept him from being abducted.

After Ji Cheng was abducted, Zhang Jian and Lianshan Daojun cautiously maintained the formation while Donghua Realm completed its ascension into the heavenly realm dimension. Zhang Jian gained profound insights into the earth’s transformation and received a great share of destiny and merit, while a further torrent of heavenly realm destiny descended upon Donghua Realm.

• Lianshan Daojun and Zhang Jian continued repairing and guarding the earth after Ji Cheng’s abduction, as hostile powers sought to exploit Donghua Realm’s approaching ascension.
• Nanhua Dao Lord attacked Myriad Venoms Dao Lord while Pure Yang Dao Lord guided him through the Myriad Immortals Formation; Nanhua shattered Myriad Venoms’ body, then clashed with King Ancestor Pan’s power.
• Zhang Jian watched the battle through his Earth Sovereign divine sense and became more cautious as the formation trapped or eliminated many immortals and demons.
• Zhang Jian and Lianshan Daojun maintained the Heaven-and-Earth Dark-Yellow Womb-Membrane Formation as high-dimensional power transformed the earth and Zhang Jian’s Diagram of Mountains, Rivers, and the State advanced.
• Donghua Realm entered the heavenly realm dimension, and Zhang Jian received substantial destiny and merit for helping repair the earth.
• A second, vast river of destiny descended from the heavenly realm dimension, astonishing the immortal deities and Daojuns who saw it.

After Donghua Heavenly Realm ascended, Zhang Jian gained fortune, took on the temporary office of Water Official Emperor, and secured Pure Yang Dao Lord’s approval to spread Earth Sovereign Ancestral Qi through the realm. Three thousand years later, Zhang Jian infused the perfected Ancestral Qi into Donghua Heavenly Realm, triggering a dramatic transformation.

• Pure Yang Dao Lord and the immortals received the fortune from Donghua Heavenly Realm’s ascension, while Zhang Jian gained fortune and merit for guarding its ancestral aperture.
• Heavenly River True Person told Zhang Jian he would reincarnate to restore himself and recommended Zhang Jian temporarily assume the office of Water Official Emperor.
• Zhang Jian met Pure Yang Dao Lord, who agreed to integrate Earth Sovereign Ancestral Qi into Donghua Heavenly Realm and offered him the position of Great Earth Sovereign, which Zhang Jian declined.
• The Heavenly Court approved Zhang Jian’s temporary appointment as Water Official Emperor, and he spent the following years fulfilling his duties and cultivating.
• Three thousand years later, Zhang Jian perfected three thousand kinds of Dao Qi, entered Donghua Heavenly Realm, and merged Earth Sovereign Ancestral Qi into it, setting off a startling transformation.

Zhang Jian merged the newly formed Earth Sovereign Ancestral Qi into the Donghua Heavenly Realm, then returned to take up his Water Official Emperor duties and investigated the disappearance of a hidden agent in the Netherworld Underworld. Meanwhile, Azure Glow Dao Lord entertained the Heavenly Court princesses, who teased Hundred Flowers Fairy about her connection to Zhang Jian.

• Zhang Jian merged the Earth Sovereign Ancestral Qi into the Donghua Heavenly Realm, strengthening its origin while recognizing that the new qi still needed refinement.
• Zhang Jian returned to the Water Official Emperor's Residence, assigned disaster-relief work to his officials, and heard that Zhu Yuan Judge had vanished from the Nine Nether Underworld Palace.
• Zhang Jian ordered Immortal Lord Jiazi to activate other hidden agents, investigate Zhu Yuan Judge's trail, and find an old possession for a divination by another immortal.
• Zhang Jian had Zhang Zhao and his family prepare to ascend from the Mount Zhou Realm and asked the Paulownia Mountain Dao Lineage to protect his foundations there.
• Azure Glow Dao Lord and the Incense Dao Lord discussed Zhang Jian's delayed sacrifice before the Incense Dao Lord's golden body withdrew as visitors arrived.
• Hundred Flowers Fairy visited Azure Glow Dao Lord with the Heavenly Court princesses, who teased her about Zhang Jian and her past rescue before Azure Glow Dao Lord changed the subject.

Hundred Flowers Fairy learned how she might gain strength, while Nether Origin Dao Lord’s scheme to lure Zhang Jian into danger failed. Zhang Jian resolved to remain cautious and went to Qingqiu to receive ascending immortals from the mortal realm, where the passage to the Heavenly Realm opened.

• Azure Glow Dao Lord reassured Hundred Flowers Fairy that Zhang Jian was protected in the Three Sovereigns Heavenly Realm and urged her to seek innate blessings to strengthen herself.
• Nether Origin Dao Lord and Left Sage Emperor failed to draw Zhang Jian out by detaining Zhu Yuan Judge, and Left Sage Emperor refused to target Zhang Jian’s mortal descendants.
• Instant Daoist failed to locate Zhu Yuan Judge through divination, convincing Zhang Jian that the search was a trap and strengthening his resolve to avoid traveling alone.
• Zhang Jian planned to bring his family and other immortals into the Three Sovereigns Heavenly Realm so he could develop his Ancestral Qi foundation.
• Zhang Jian arrived at Jiazi No. 13 Ascension Platform in Qingqiu with Extermination Ancestor and Azure Origin Patriarch to receive ascending immortals from the Paulownia Mountain Dao Lineage.
• The Ascension Platform began shining with milky-white immortal radiance, opening the passage to the Heavenly Realm.

Zhang Jian welcomed Zhang Yi, Zhang Xian, Ji Xueqiong, and many Great Xia immortals as they ascended to the Three Sovereigns Heavenly Realm, then sought King Patriarch Yu’s advice about reaching Dao Lordhood. When his Lotus King Treasure Mirror revealed a Dao Lord burning realms under Great Xia’s rule, Zhang Jian and Yu the Great moved to respond.

• Zhang Yi and Zhang Xian ascended, followed by Ji Xueqiong, Zhang Zhao, Si Lier, and many Great Xia officials and Paulownia Mountain immortals.
• Zhang Jian welcomed the newcomers, arranged their cleansing in the Transformation Immortal Pool, and held an Ascending Immortal Ceremony in Copper Furnace Prefecture.
• Zhang Jian planned for Zhang Zhao and Si Lier to establish a separate Zhang immortal clan, then visited King Patriarch Yu at Paulownia Mountain for guidance on attaining Dao Lordhood.
• King Patriarch Yu advised Zhang Jian to watch for opportunities at the Celestial Emperor Palace and Heavenly Soldiers Martial Arena, among other places.
• Zhang Jian sensed that realms under Great Xia’s rule were disappearing and used the Lotus King Treasure Mirror to trace their destruction to a shadowy figure approaching the Azure Mountain Realm.
• Yu the Great condemned the attacker, alerted the Three Sovereigns Palace, and descended with Zhang Jian as divine lights from the Three Sovereigns Heavenly Realm pursued the Dao Lord.

After returning to the Central Heavenly Realm, Zhang Jian reunited with his family, learned that his attacker had been identified, and secured permission to merge the Earth Sovereign Ancestral Qi into the Three Sovereigns Heavenly Realm. He received a middle-table invitation to the Jade Pool Peach of Immortality Banquet and arrived there with the Heavenly Official Emperor and Earth Official Emperor.

• Zhang Jian returned to the Central Heavenly Realm and arranged cultivation and future posts for his ascended clan members.
• Yu the Great informed Zhang Jian that Nether Origin Dao Lord of King Pan Dao Palace had attacked him out of anger over Myriad Venoms Dao Lord’s death, and that the Three Sovereigns Heavenly Realm had begun suppressing King Pan Dao Palace.
• Zhang Jian learned that the Jade Pool Holy Land would hold a Peach of Immortality Banquet, then received an invitation from Hundred Flowers Fairy placing him at the middle tables.
• The Assembly of the Three Sovereigns and Five Elders permitted Zhang Jian to merge the Earth Sovereign Ancestral Qi into the Three Sovereigns Heavenly Realm, increasing the providence flowing into his Fate Palace.
• Eighty-nine years later, Zhang Jian traveled to the Jade Pool Holy Land with the Heavenly Official Emperor and Earth Official Emperor as immortals and gods gathered for the banquet.

Zhang Jian attended the Jade Pool Grand Gathering, witnessed tensions between visiting immortals and star gods, and received warnings about the banquet’s dangers. He met Qingqiu Goddess and her companions, then revealed that Qingxia Fairy was his ancestor.

• Great Simplicity Dao Lord and the other Jade Pool Dao Lords welcomed the gathered guests, including Wu Xuan Dao Lord and Mysterious Numinous Doumu Heavenly Venerable, whose followers argued over the presence of spirit beasts.
• Lady Kui Star arrived with Big Dipper stars, and Earth Official Emperor and Heavenly Official Emperor discussed her connection to the Literary Star Lord.
• Zhang Jian entered Jade Pool Heavenly Realm with the Three Origins Emperor and presented Bodhi seeds as his gift.
• Heavenly Official Emperor advised Zhang Jian to eat and drink more, speak less, and avoid unknown objects at the gathering.
• Azure Glow Dao Lord pulled Zhang Jian aside, warned him about the banquet’s rules, and told him not to stare at the female immortals and goddesses.
• Qingqiu Goddess introduced Zhang Jian to several consorts and goddesses, and Zhang Jian told them that Qingxia Fairy was his ancestor.

At the Jade Pool grand banquet, Zhang Jian refined his Golden Lotus Concealment Technique while learning from the Black Dragon God that the gathering held deeper trials than mere cultivation and feasting. The Jade Pool opened and drew the attendees’ spirits into its waters for a contest where only ten survivors would receive rewards.

• Zhang Jian took seat 158 near the Bright Hall Pavilion and comprehended the Jade Pool Golden Lotus, advancing his Golden Lotus Concealment Technique with water and space dao profundities.
• The Black Dragon God introduced herself to Zhang Jian and explained that the banquet’s treasures rewarded discernment, fortune, and comprehension.
• Zhang Jian completed his study of the lotus and sensed powerful dao-fruit resonances colliding inside the Bright Hall Pavilion, where he observed the perspectives and arts of Dao Sovereigns.
• The Black Dragon God warned Zhang Jian that the Jade Pool was about to open, and the pool drew his Primordial Spirit and those of the other guests into its depths as tiny swimming fish.
• A dignified voice announced that the Jade Pool trial would follow its old rules: the final ten immortals and gods would receive generous rewards, while anyone unwilling to participate could withdraw.