Chapter Summaries

Li Changshou began identifying worthy Shang officials for the Heavenly Court while guiding Zi Shou through a court challenge that strengthened his standing. As Wen Zhong’s ties to Zi Shou drew the attention of both Chan and Jie Teaching, Li Changshou wondered whether the Grand Tutor could become a vulnerability.

• Li Changshou noticed Youqin Xuanya had lost her spirit stones to the Chaos Bell, then began compiling a record of capable Shang ministers for the Investiture of the Gods.
• Li Changshou considered how the Western Teachings might retaliate and connected their plans to Li Jing and the coming conflict between Chan and Jie Teaching.
• Sixteen generals accused Zi Shou of killing victorious generals, but Li Changshou recommended Bi Gan hear the case, and Bi Gan asked Zi Shou to explain himself.
• Zi Shou defended his actions, accused the generals of plotting against him, and accepted punishment while urging Di Yi to spare the other ministers; his speech won him support in Chaoge.
• Li Changshou overheard Wen Zhong warn Zi Shou that the Grand Historian was an immensely powerful immortal, then worried that Wen Zhong’s influence could create danger.
• Guang Chengzi and the Jade Void Palace immortals discussed Wen Zhong’s rise, while Daoist Duobao urged Holy Mother Jinling to ask whether her disciple had made progress in Chaoge.

Li Changshou watched the struggle between Chan Teaching and Jie Teaching over Chaoge City's succession, intervening when their schemes threatened the Human Emperor. After the Heavenly Court warned both sides not to disrupt the Shang court, the conflict resumed with bloodshed, while Manjushri arrived at Chentang Pass and summoned Li Jing.

• Wen Zhong returned from Biyou Palace with Jie Teaching's support for Zi Shou, while Chan Teaching began backing Wei Zi Qi and placing disciples near Zi Shou.
• Zi Shou and Wen Zhong helped Huang Feihu rise to command Chaoge City's outer-city forces, and Chan Teaching responded with omens meant to undermine Zi Shou.
• Li Changshou intervened when a Chan Teaching immortal proposed altering Di Yi's memories, and he arranged a grand sacrifice that drew both teachings into a confrontation.
• Youqin Xuanya appeared at the sacrifice on the Jade Emperor's command and warned both teachings not to use spell arts to disrupt the Shang court or tamper with the Human Emperor.
• Two months later, Huang Feihu's deputy general was assassinated, and Li Changshou continued limiting the struggle to Chan Teaching and Jie Teaching.
• Manjushri arrived at Li Mansion in Chentang Pass and called for Li Jing, interrupting Li Jing and Madam Yin's private conversation.

Li Jing resisted Manjushri’s first attempt to take Jin Zha as a disciple and spent a hundred days teaching his son about military life and responsibility. Two years later, Jin Zha became Manjushri’s disciple, while news arrived that King Shang Di Yi had ascended upon rosy clouds.

• Manjushri came to Li Jing’s home seeking Jin Zha as a disciple, but Li Jing refused and invoked the teachings of his godfather, Li Changshou.
• Li Jing took Jin Zha to the military camp for a hundred days, where he taught him discipline and introduced him to the soldiers’ lives.
• Li Jing slew a demon beast that had ravaged the fields, then taught Jin Zha to protect mortals and told him about Li Changshou.
• Li Changshou visited True Lord Taiyi to warn him to guard Lingzhu Zi’s Fetal Spirit, and True Lord Taiyi asked whether Li Changshou knew where Lingzhu Zi would be reborn.
• Two years later, Manjushri returned with True Person Huang Long and True Person Puxian, apologized to Li Jing, and accepted Jin Zha as his disciple.
• News spread that King Shang Di Yi had ascended upon rosy clouds, and Li Changshou watched Chaoge City’s bustle from the Grand Historian’s Manor.

After Di Yi died, a forged succession decree threatened Zi Shou’s claim to the throne, but Zi Shou exposed the plot and secured the palace. He ascended as Great Shang’s king and declared that he would reform the kingdom and defy the Mandate of Heaven.

• Li Changshou went to the royal palace, where the Grand Minister announced Di Yi’s death and presented a decree naming Wei Zi Qi as successor.
• At the royal hall, Zi Shou ordered the ministers out and accused Wei Zi Qi of forging the succession decree with the help of outsiders.
• Zi Shou revealed that he had anticipated Wei Zi Qi’s coup and that Huang Feihu’s forces had prepared to defeat the rebels.
• Wen Zhong presented Di Yi’s genuine decree naming Zi Shou as king, while Huang Feihu reported that the rebel army had been purged.
• Zi Shou ascended the throne, vowed to reform Great Shang and defy Heaven, and a golden Azure Dragon gathered the kingdom’s National Destiny above Chaoge City.

Li Changshou resigned as Grand Historian, warned Wen Zhong against entangling the Jie Teaching in the mortal conflict, and traveled to the Holy Mother Temple as the great calamity approached. Nine years later, Mu Zha had left home to study under Daoist Cihang, and Li Changshou began preparing for Nezha’s reincarnation.

• Li Changshou resigned from his post and left Chaoge after King Zhou ascended the throne.
• Wen Zhong caught up with Li Changshou, and they discussed King Zhou, the Jie Teaching, and the coming calamity.
• Li Changshou warned Wen Zhong that bringing immortals into the Southern Continent to serve as officials violated Heavenly Court rules, then left him with advice to reconsider his path.
• Wen Zhong returned to Chaoge and resolved to keep Shang’s realm from collapsing while he remained Grand Preceptor.
• Li Changshou traveled to the Holy Mother Temple, then nine years later watched as Mu Zha left Li Jing and Yin Clan to become Daoist Cihang’s disciple.
• Li Changshou checked the Earth Scroll, realized Nezha’s reincarnation was near, and sent a Paper Daoist to Qianyuan Mountain to prepare.

Li Changshou and the Chan Teaching immortals prepared to reincarnate Lingzhu Zi into Yin Clan’s unborn child at Chentang Pass, while Li Changshou suspected a Western Teaching Saint might interfere. As the spirit fetus was about to enter Yin Clan’s womb, a giant hand descended on the military camp to seize Li Jing, and Li Changshou activated the Taiji Diagram.

• Li Changshou urged True Lord Taiyi to seek a Saint’s edict protecting Lingzhu Zi’s reincarnation, and Taiyi traveled to the Kunlun Mountains with True Lord Yuding.
• Li Changshou went to Chentang Pass with Yang Jian, where they prepared defenses around Li Mansion and watched over Yin Clan’s pregnancy.
• True Lord Taiyi and True Lord Yuding returned with a Saint’s Dao Charm for Lingzhu Zi, and the four immortals prepared to place the spirit fetus in Yin Clan’s womb.
• Li Changshou and True Lord Taiyi entered Yin Clan’s bedroom in disguise, put her into a dream, and began escorting Lingzhu Zi’s spirit fetus toward her.
• A massive hand appeared above the military camp and reached for Li Jing as a voice declared that the child belonged to the Western Sect; Li Changshou activated the Taiji Diagram.

Zhunti attacked Li Jing’s family to seize Lingzhu Zi’s reincarnated body, but Li Changshou and the others stopped him with the Taiji Diagram and Pangu Banner. After Zhunti contaminated Yin Clan with the Devil Ancestor’s Killing Intent, Lingzhu Zi chose to absorb it and proceed with reincarnation; Li Changshou protected his soul, while Taiqing confronted Zhunti in the Outer Void.

• Li Changshou used the Taiji Diagram to block Zhunti’s first attack, while Li Jing rallied the soldiers to protect Yin Clan and her unborn child.
• Taiyi chose to send Lingzhu Zi’s Fetal Spirit into Yin Clan, and Zhunti launched another attack that wounded True Lord Yu Ding, Taiyi, and Yang Jian before Pangu Banner drove him back.
• Zhunti secretly infected Yin Clan with the Devil Ancestor’s origin Killing Intent, and Li Jing chose to save his wife even if it meant losing the child.
• Lingzhu Zi chose to absorb the Killing Intent rather than let Yin Clan die, and Li Changshou extracted and sealed the harmful force while protecting Lingzhu Zi’s soul.
• In the Outer Void, Taiqing ambushed Zhunti and struck him down while preventing his injuries from becoming fatal.

After confronting a Western Teachings Saint over Lingzhu Zi’s fate, Li Changshou reassured the gathered experts and explained the political pressures shaping the coming Investiture of the Gods. He left Li Jing’s family preparing for the birth of Lingzhu Zi’s reincarnation, confident after his teacher sent him a vision of the child.

• Zhao Gongming, Yunxiao, and Heavenly Emperor Quan Tong rushed to Chentang Pass after sensing the clash, and Li Changshou assured them he was unharmed.
• Li Changshou gave Jie Teaching and Chan Teaching different accounts of the Western Teachings Saint’s attack, while Li Jing ordered notices posted to calm the townspeople.
• Yang Jian explained why Chan Teaching remained passive, and Li Changshou warned him to be more measured as the great conflict approached.
• Li Changshou told Li Jing and Madam Yin that Lingzhu Zi had reincarnated in her womb without his memories, then instructed them to treat him as their own son and prepare for the Killing Intent’s effects.
• Li Changshou received a vision of a cheerful child from his teacher, regained his confidence, and told Li Jing to honor several powerful figures and let Madam Yin rest.

Li Changshou reported the Chentang Pass events to the Jade Emperor, visited Yunxiao, and monitored King Zhou’s plans while trying to arrange Lei Zhenzi’s future. The chapter ended with a mysterious gray-robed Daoist confronting Maitreya in the Chaos Sea and asking whether he wished to return to the world.

• Li Changshou met the Jade Emperor’s incarnation, reported on Lingzhu Zi and the Western Teachings, and discussed a matter concerning the Dragon Clan.
• Li Changshou visited Bai Jian and Yunxiao, then watched King Zhou’s reforms and the gathering of the vassal lords in Chaoge City.
• Li Changshou tried to arrange Lei Zhenzi’s connection to Ji Chang, but Yun Zhongzi placed the infant in Ji Chang’s path and took him as a disciple.
• Li Changshou returned to the Heavenly Court and focused his attention on the soon-to-be-born Nezha.
• Maitreya found himself barred from returning to the Primordial World, then encountered a gray-robed old Daoist who asked if he wished to return.

Li Changshou watched King Zhou’s political maneuvers and focused on protecting Yin Clan’s pregnancy while Great Shang moved toward a crisis with its vassals. As King Zhou prepared to visit Nuwa’s temple, Li Changshou discovered a young dragon repeatedly seducing human fisher girls and left to observe the ceremony before dealing with him.

• Li Changshou judged King Zhou’s reorganization of the vassal lords as a risky bid to strengthen the Shang Kingdom, then chose not to interfere in mortal affairs.
• Li Changshou protected Yin Clan’s spirit embryo as King Zhou executed Nine Marquises, tortured E Chongyu, imprisoned Ji Chang, and sent Wen Zhong to suppress rebellions.
• Li Jing told Yin Clan that he guarded the frontier from demons rather than taking sides in the struggle for power, while Li Changshou prepared for Nezha’s birth.
• Li Changshou learned that King Zhou would visit Nuwa’s temple and planned to observe the ceremony and record what happened.
• Li Changshou watched a Little Green Dragon seduce and abandon a fisher girl, then caught him beginning the same courtship with another woman.
• Li Changshou decided to attend the Holy Mother Temple ceremony first and deal with the Little Green Dragon afterward.

Li Changshou attended King Zhou’s worship at Nuwa Temple and stopped Maitreya from attacking him, but Heavenly Dao intervened directly and prompted King Zhou to question Nuwa’s covered face. Li Changshou’s Paper Daoist burned away as he recognized that the event was proceeding through an openly imposed script.

• Li Changshou watched King Zhou’s procession arrive at Nuwa Temple, where officials recognized him as the former Grand Historian.
• King Zhou kept the worship ceremony simple and led the officials in offering incense and bowing to Nuwa’s statue.
• Li Changshou detected Maitreya trying to strike King Zhou and fought him outside the temple until the ceremony ended.
• Maitreya withdrew after Li Changshou warned that his actions risked backlash from Human Race Destiny.
• A streak of black light descended as the golden dragon of Human Emperor’s Destiny was immobilized, and King Zhou stopped to ask why Nuwa’s statue had its face covered.
• Li Changshou realized Heavenly Dao had forced the event forward, then let his exhausted Paper Daoist burn to ashes.

After the Heavenly Dao intervened in King Zhou’s visit to Nuwa’s temple, Li Changshou explained his plan to become the era’s greatest variable and sought guidance from Taiqing. Taiqing’s advice helped him abandon his cautious approach, and Li Changshou went to Guanghan Palace to expose a Heavenly Dao Taboo and pressure the Heavenly Dao.

• The Heavenly Dao seized control of King Zhou’s mind, causing him to disrespect Nuwa at her temple and triggering disasters across the Southern Continent.
• Li Changshou discussed the Heavenly Dao and the Ancient Demon Court with Bell Spirit, then asked her to protect Ling'e if events took a dangerous turn.
• Li Changshou went to Taiqing Temple and revealed that his thousand-year plan was to become the one variable the Heavenly Dao could not control.
• Taiqing told Li Changshou to sever his attachment to perfect plans, and Li Changshou realized he had to risk acting without preserving every advantage.
• Li Changshou appeared before Guanghan Palace, intending to use Senior Lang’s disciple identity to expose the Heavenly Dao Taboo and pressure the Heavenly Dao.

Li Changshou confronted the Heavenly Dao over its manipulation of King Zhou and the insult to the Human Race, taking Heng'e with him toward Huoyun Cave. After summoning the Human Race’s ancient sages and heroic spirits, he watched Suiren Clan lead them toward Purple Cloud Palace to demand an answer.

• Yunxiao and Qiongxiao worried that the Heavenly Dao had interfered with King Zhou, then learned that Li Changshou was at Guanghan Palace with Heng'e.
• Li Changshou persuaded Heng'e to accompany him and declared to her that he would seek an explanation from the Human Race’s ancient sages.
• Wood Duke tried to stop Li Changshou, and Saintess Nuwa warned him not to act recklessly, but he continued toward Huoyun Cave.
• Li Changshou called upon the sages and summoned the Three Sovereigns, Five Emperors, and the Human Race’s heroic spirits after a tribulation cloud appeared overhead.
• Suiren Clan opened a passage to Purple Cloud Palace, and Emperor Xuanyuan drew his sword and ordered the armies to advance.

Suiren Clan led the Human Race Heroic Spirit Army to Purple Firmament Palace to confront Hongjun and the Heavenly Dao’s selfish will. The army bound and suppressed that will at the cost of its own existence, and Suiren Clan passed the Human Race’s sacred flame to Li Changshou.

• Li Changshou shared his plans with Suiren Clan, who told him to follow them and leave the coming struggle to the elders.
• The Jade Emperor refused the Heavenly Dao’s order to send Heavenly Soldiers to guard Purple Firmament Palace, while the Saints cautioned their disciples not to intervene.
• Suiren Clan confronted Hongjun and declared that he would strike heaven; Laozi, Venerable Celestial of Primordial Beginning, and Lord Tongtian arrived as Heng'e asked Hongjun to return the missing piece of her Dao heart.
• Suiren Clan fought the Heavenly Dao’s manifested will, backed by the gathered figures of Human history, while Emperor Xuanyuan, Fuxi Clan, Shennong Shi, and Nameless helped bind it with Humanity’s Will and Heaven’s Shackles.
• The shackles suppressed the Heavenly Dao’s selfish will, and the Heroic Spirit Army became part of the Heavenly Dao; Suiren Clan died in Li Changshou’s arms, leaving him the sacred flame of the Human Race.

After Suiren Clan’s death, Li Changshou confronted Dao Ancestor in Violet Firmament Palace, accusing him of manipulating the Great Cataclysm and declaring his limits. He later explained part of the hidden scheme to Grand Master Xuandu and honored Suiren Clan, while quietly revising his own plan for defeating Dao Ancestor.

• Li Changshou asked Fuxi Clan and Shennong Shi to take Taiyin Star Lord back to Huoyun Cave, then went with Grand Master Xuandu to Violet Firmament Palace.
• Li Changshou accused Dao Ancestor of being the will behind Heavenly Dao, the Great Cataclysm, and many disasters, and challenged him to punish or erase him.
• Li Changshou told Dao Ancestor he would continue protecting the Human Race, his loved ones, the Jade Emperor, and the Heavenly Court, then left with Grand Master Xuandu.
• In the Chaos Sea, Li Changshou explained that he had confronted Dao Ancestor to make Suiren Clan’s sacrifice count, and that Dao Ancestor could not directly erase him.
• Dao Ancestor and a gray-robed old Daoist discussed Li Changshou’s growing uncontrollability and the flame of inheritance he had received from Suiren Clan.
• Li Changshou honored Suiren Clan with a spirit tablet, changed the number on his inner stone stele to four, and resolved to increase his odds of victory.

The author recapped the publicly revealed worldbuilding and current plot, including Senior Lang’s history and Li Changshou’s growing ability to escape the Dao Ancestor and Heavenly Dao. The author also discussed the novel’s future, upcoming schedule disruptions, and hopes for its readers and creative work.

• The author summarized Senior Lang’s arrival in the Chaos Sea, the ancient conflicts, the Human Race’s rise, and the hidden circumstances of Senior Lang’s death.
• The author clarified the Dao Ancestor’s unknown origins, Grand Pure Sage’s role, and Li Changshou’s ability to evade direct threats while those he cared about remained vulnerable.
• The author said the World-Conquering Arc would begin in roughly a hundred chapters and estimated that the novel would end after several more major climaxes, likely below four million characters.
• The author asked readers not to spam the novel’s jokes elsewhere and said updates might become unstable during a mid-September trip to Qidian.

Li Changshou mourned Suiren and reviewed how to gain strength against the Heavenly Dao, while Heng'e recovered a lost memory of Fu Xi. Wood Duke then feared Heavenly Dao retaliation for helping the Jade Emperor resist its command, and Nuwa began selecting demons to tempt King Zhou.

• Li Changshou told Ling'e that Suiren had died after helping seal the Heavenly Dao's selfish desires, and entrusted her with the Virtue of Fire Jade.
• Li Changshou reconsidered his plans for the Investiture of the Gods and concluded he needed a path to greater strength beyond the routes controlled by the Dao Ancestor.
• Heng'e confronted Li Changshou, who helped her realize that Fu Xi had been the person she once knew; she accepted his portrait of Senior Lang and left relieved.
• Wood Duke told Li Changshou that he and the Jade Emperor had resisted the Heavenly Dao's command to send Heavenly Soldiers against the Human Race Heroic Spirit army, and feared punishment.
• Nuwa examined the Monster Summoning Banner and chose Xiao Lan, a Nine-tailed Fox, as a candidate to influence King Zhou.

Li Changshou accepted Longji’s decision to enter the calamity and began arranging protections for her while watching the Heavenly Dao’s plans unfold. At Chentang Pass, Li Jing entrusted him with the Heaven and Earth Bow and Earth-Shaking Arrows, which Li Changshou began modifying with Great Witch Yi’s help.

• The Queen Mother told Li Changshou that Longji had to answer the calamity, and he insisted that Longji choose for herself.
• Longji chose to enter the mortal world to support the Heavenly Court and spare her master from being put in a difficult position.
• Li Changshou considered protections for Longji and surveyed events across the Southern Continent before returning his attention to Chentang Pass.
• Li Jing showed Li Changshou the Heaven and Earth Bow and Earth-Shaking Arrows that had fallen outside the military camp, and Li Changshou told him to display them as a treasure guarding the pass.
• Li Changshou drew the bow partly, then took it away to modify and secure it, consulting Great Witch Yi, who helped him dismantle it and study its construction.
• Li Changshou spent the night reassembling the bow and summoned Mr. Bai to come to the Five Continents within two months.

Li Changshou oversaw the birth of Li Jing and Yin Clan’s third son, whose spirit membrane dissolved when Yin Clan caught and comforted him. When the Devil Ancestor’s Killing Intent threatened the newborn, Li Changshou crushed it and left for the Nine Heavens Above.

• Li Changshou and Bai Ze discussed the restored family treasures and rumors about Li Changshou and Fairy Heng'e before Bai Ze departed.
• King Zhou ordered the vassal lords to follow eldest-son inheritance, and Su Hu refused to submit, prompting King Zhou to send Chong Houhu against Jizhou.
• As Yin Clan went into labor, Li Changshou and allies stationed around Chentang Pass prepared to protect the spirit embryo’s birth.
• Yin Clan caught the spirit-membrane-covered child and called him Zha'er, and her tears dissolved the membrane as he emerged and called her “Mother.”
• A mass of the Devil Ancestor’s Killing Intent attacked Li Changshou and the newborn, but Li Changshou crushed it and used the Lesser God-Slaying Spear to absorb the remaining Killing Intent.
• Li Changshou returned the Lesser God-Slaying Spear to Jin Peng and flew toward the Nine Heavens Above.

Li Changshou and the immortals welcomed Nezha’s birth, gave him safeguards against the Killing Intent within him, and watched over his early upbringing. A month later, Nezha met Young Master Ao outside Chentang Pass and broke his finger after mocking him as a long worm.

• Quan Tong named Li Jing and Yin Clan’s newborn son Nezha, and Li Changshou gave him a bracelet to warn of and absorb his Killing Intent.
• Li Changshou told Li Jing to reduce his military duties and educate Nezha, while Xiong Lingli, Yang Jian, and Jin Peng gathered on Chentang Pass’s wall.
• Li Changshou arranged auspicious signs around Chentang Pass as Nezha quickly learned to walk and explore, and True Lord Taiyi later accepted him as a disciple and gave him several treasures.
• Nezha wandered through Chentang Pass, with Li Mansion servants paying for the stalls and property he damaged.
• Nezha found Young Master Ao flirting with a woman in a village and called him a long worm.
• Young Master Ao tried to punish Nezha with a spell, but Nezha grabbed his finger and broke it.