Chapter Summaries

Li Changshou challenged Daoist Randeng to settle their personal grudge in the Heavenly Court, then exposed Randeng’s crimes and fought him while waiting to see whether the Western Teachings would intervene. With the Sea-Calming Divine Pearls, Li Changshou extinguished Randeng’s Spirit Lamp and defeated him, leaving the ancient body inside the Stone Coffin sealed in ice and taking the lamp.

• Li Changshou declared his intent to kill Randeng over their personal enmity, and Guang Chengzi and Immortal Nanjixian ultimately did not oppose the duel.
• Zhao Gongming kept Huang Long from intervening while True Lord Taiyi and True Lord Yu Ding pretended to fall asleep, and Li Changshou ambushed Randeng with the God-Slaying Spear.
• Randeng used a Stone Coffin to recover from repeated attacks, and Li Changshou used the Heavenly Eye to reveal that Randeng had refined several Great Thousand Worlds for vitality.
• Li Changshou balanced Randeng’s Dao realm and attacked him, then used the Sea-Calming Divine Pearls to pour water into the Stone Coffin and extinguish Randeng’s Spirit Lamp.
• An ancient Daoist emerged from the Stone Coffin and explained that Randeng had been a thought born from his corpse; after the Daoist returned to the coffin, Li Changshou took the Spirit Lamp and sealed the frozen coffin with the Taiji Diagram.

Li Changshou defeated Randeng, exposed his crimes, and contained the ancient stone coffin beneath the Reincarnation Pagoda while shaping the fallout across the Three Realms. After returning to Heaven and proposing a Heavenly Court position for Immortal Nanjixian, he spotted a graceful figure waiting outside Taibai Hall; elsewhere in the Chaos Sea, a young Daoist examined a group of imposing figures.

• Li Changshou sealed Randeng’s Spirit Lamp, received congratulations from the assembled immortals, and attended the Jade Emperor’s audience about Randeng.
• Li Changshou steered public rumors toward Randeng’s crimes and the Heavenly Court’s fairness, while Chan Teaching and the Western Teachings reacted with alarm.
• Li Changshou had the stone coffin buried beneath the Reincarnation Pagoda in Fengdu City and spoke with Ksitigarbha about power, the Heavenly Court, and Heavenly Dao.
• Li Changshou escorted Guang Chengzi and Immortal Nanjixian to the Middle Heavenly Gate, then invited Nanjixian to become a Heavenly Court god of Fortune, Prosperity, and Longevity.
• Li Changshou returned to Taibai Palace and noticed a graceful figure pacing outside Taibai Hall, while a young Daoist in the Chaos Sea examined a group of imposing figures.

Li Changshou welcomed Youqin Xuanya to a banquet on Lesser Qiong Peak after returning from placing the stone coffin with Ksitigarbha, and the gathered immortals discussed Randeng’s defeat and the approaching Great Calamity. After the guests departed, Li Changshou privately gave Zhao Gongming Randeng’s Universe Ruler, revealing a way to advance the Twenty-four Sea-Calming Divine Pearls.

• Li Changshou brought Youqin Xuanya to Lesser Qiong Peak, where Ling'e and the gathered immortals welcomed her.
• Li Changshou told the immortals that the stone coffin had been placed with Ksitigarbha, and they discussed Randeng’s death, their hidden trump cards, and the Great Calamity.
• The immortals feasted for three days before departing, while Li Changshou stayed behind to consult his teacher about the corpse in the stone coffin.
• Zhao Gongming returned to meet Li Changshou privately, and they discussed strengthening his body and the limits of the Twenty-four Sea-Calming Divine Pearls.
• Li Changshou gave Zhao Gongming Randeng’s Universe Ruler, which Zhao Gongming recognized as the catalyst that could help him turn the pearls’ illusory worlds into real ones.

After Randeng’s death, Li Changshou carefully managed relations with the Chan Teaching and secured Immortal Nanjixian an honorary Heavenly Court post. As he returned to the Heavenly Court, Empress Nuwa and Lord Tongtian summoned him at the same time, leaving him unsure where to go first.

• Li Changshou encouraged Ling'e to keep cultivating and copying the Steady Character Scripture so she could remain by his side for a long time.
• Three years after killing Randeng, Li Changshou visited Jade Void Palace to plead guilty to Venerable Celestial of Primordial Beginning.
• Li Changshou explained his suspicions about Randeng’s role in the Chan Teaching’s plans and offered to help counter the Western Teachings.
• At Li Changshou’s request, Venerable Celestial of Primordial Beginning agreed that Immortal Nanjixian would accept an honorary Heavenly Court post.
• As Li Changshou headed toward Empress Nuwa’s summons, Lord Tongtian called him to Biyou Palace, forcing him to choose which Saint to visit first.

Li Changshou visited Nuwa and Lord Tongtian after they summoned him, carefully managing their expectations while learning that Nuwa wanted his help escaping the Heavenly Dao’s restraints. He rejected her proposed alliance and then heard Tongtian’s plan to retrieve the Chaos Bell from the Chaos Sea, leaving him facing another dangerous undertaking.

• Li Changshou sent Paper Daoist Bodies to both Saints, told Lord Tongtian he would visit Nuwa first, and then met Nuwa in her palace.
• Nuwa asked about the coming Investiture of the Gods tribulation and warned Li Changshou that the Heavenly Dao had arranged for the Western Teachings to benefit from their apparent hardship.
• Nuwa asked Li Changshou to ally with her and help free her from the Heavenly Dao, but he insisted he only wanted to survive the calamity and leave the Primordial World afterward.
• Li Changshou returned to Biyou Palace, where Lord Tongtian showed him strange beasts from the Chaos Sea and explained that Jie Teaching would face the calamity without relying on a treasure to suppress its fortune.
• Lord Tongtian revealed that he had found traces of the Chaos Bell and asked Li Changshou to accompany him into the Chaos Sea to retrieve it, offering him most of the treasure’s future use.

Li Changshou secretly joined Lord Tongtian’s search for the Chaos Bell while staging a Heavenly Court campaign against the Outer Realm Demons to conceal his absence. Twenty-three years later, the Qingping Sword guided their ship toward its target, while Houtu revived Qi Yuan’s soul and told him to forget his past life before reincarnating to help Changshou.

• Li Changshou agreed to accompany Lord Tongtian into the Chaos Sea, asking that their trip remain quiet and have a time limit.
• The Jade Emperor publicly appointed the Golden-Winged Great Peng Bird and Ao Yi to lead a campaign against the Outer Realm Demons, giving Li Changshou cover for his departure.
• Li Changshou traveled aboard Kunpeng with Zhao Gongming, Holy Mother Jinling, and Holy Mother Guiling, using the Taiji Diagram to monitor the Primordial World and prepare a return route.
• After twenty-three years, the Qingping Sword pointed the way, and Li Changshou turned Kunpeng toward the Chaos Bell.
• Houtu restored Qi Yuan’s soul in the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk and advised him to drink Meng Po’s Soup and forget his past life before reincarnating.

Li Changshou and Lord Tongtian led a pursuit that trapped the Chaos Bell with help from Zhao Gongming, Holy Mother Jinling, Holy Mother Guiling, and the Taiji Diagram. The bell remained defiant and sealed itself against their control, leaving Li Changshou to find a way to win its willing submission.

• Zhao Gongming and Holy Mother Jinling repeatedly tried to intercept the Chaos Bell with Jin Peng, while Lord Tongtian pursued it and Li Changshou waited with Kunpeng for the right opportunity.
• Li Changshou coordinated with Lord Tongtian and the others to drive the Chaos Bell toward Kunpeng, where Holy Mother Guiling and the Taiji Diagram helped block its escape.
• Li Changshou used the Great Dao of Balance and the Universe Ruler to knock the Chaos Bell back into Kunpeng's mouth just before it escaped.
• Inside Kunpeng, Lord Tongtian told Li Changshou to subdue the captured bell, but the Chaos Bell sealed itself by shifting its time out of the present.
• The Chaos Bell refused to serve Jie Teaching, explaining that it had chosen to help Donghuang Taiyi out of affection and would not risk itself suppressing the teaching's destiny.

Lord Tongtian restrained the Chaos Bell but continued insisting that Li Changshou take it, while Li Changshou warned that possessing it could draw the Heavenly Dao’s suspicion. Meanwhile, Lin Tian Hall prepared for war against the Western Teachings’ Incense God Kingdom, and Jiu Jiu heard what seemed to be her absent senior uncle Xiao calling to her.

• Lord Tongtian and Li Changshou argued over who should claim the Chaos Bell, until Tongtian froze it after it emerged from hiding.
• Li Changshou told Lord Tongtian that Nuwa had asked him to ally with her during the great calamity, and explained that he had declined further ambitions beyond leaving the Primordial Wilderness with his loved ones.
• Lord Tongtian proposed exploring the Chaos Sea with Li Changshou after the calamity, but Li Changshou gently refused his company.
• More than a decade later, Lord Tongtian summoned his disciples and Li Changshou near the Five Continents to decide the Chaos Bell’s fate.
• Venerable Wangqing laid out Lin Tian Hall’s objectives as its forces gathered to launch an all-out war against the Incense God Kingdom.
• Jiu Jiu left the meeting and returned to her courtyard, where she heard her senior uncle Xiao call out before the voice vanished.

Li Changshou negotiated a compromise allowing the Chaos Bell to protect a new sect formed from the Jie Teaching’s core disciples, then captured the Heavenly Demon Venerable and prepared for the coming Investiture of the Gods calamity. As he returned to the Primordial World, he saw a colossal blood-red sword hanging over the Five Continents, signaling that the Killing Calamity had taken form.

• Li Changshou persuaded Lord Tongtian and the Chaos Bell to consider using the treasure to suppress the fortune of a new sect, leaving Lord Tongtian to let the Jie Teaching disciples decide.
• Lord Tongtian captured the Heavenly Demon Venerable, while Li Changshou and Jin Peng stayed behind to deal with the Outer Realm Demons and secure the demon’s Spirit Core.
• Li Changshou controlled the Primordial God and Demon, gathered an army of Good Heavenly Demons, and established strongholds beyond the Heavenly Dao’s reach.
• Li Changshou returned to the Primordial World after reviewing his plans and worrying that the Investiture of the Gods calamity would involve a battle between Saints.
• Li Changshou used the Art of Observing Qi and saw a colossal blood-red sword above the Five Continents, revealing that the Killing Calamity had begun to take form.

Li Changshou returned from the Chaos Sea, reported to the Jade Emperor and Grand Pure Sage, and prepared for the coming Investiture of the Gods calamity. He confronted Ao Yi with the Dragon Clan’s abuses and sent him to warn the clan, then enlisted Seven Emotions to help restore the Great Mage’s interest in worldly affairs.

• Li Changshou told Quan Tong that Tong Tian had found the Chaos Bell but had not subdued it, and Quan Tong warned him that the great calamity was near.
• Li Changshou returned the Taiji Diagram, Universe Ruler, and Earth-Leaving Flame Light Banner to the Grand Pure Sage, who tasked him with helping the Great Mage regain interest in worldly matters.
• Li Changshou spent thirty-three years refining pills, then sent batches to several Daoist sects and brought Ao Yi to Anshui City.
• Li Changshou showed Ao Yi records of the Dragon Clan’s crimes against humans and told him the clan’s arrogance threatened its survival; he gave Ao Yi a jade talisman for his father and warned the Dragon Clan to prepare for bloodshed in the calamity.
• Li Changshou visited Seven Emotions in the Shang Kingdom and asked her to help change the Great Mage’s state of mind, then decided to enlist Kong Xuan in his plan.

Three months after the Great Mage awakened, Li Changshou arranged for him to meet Kong Xuan and helped Kong Xuan confess her feelings. The chapter ended with Kong Xuan embracing the Great Mage as the Taiji Diagram sealed the pavilion, anchoring him to the present world.

• The Great Mage received Teacher's message about the Southern Continent, and Kong Xuan accompanied him from Xuandu City.
• Li Changshou met them in Shang State and directed the Great Mage to Anshui City, where a temple celebrated his deeds among the Human Race.
• Li Changshou entertained the Great Mage while Kong Xuan prepared with Longji and two Tianya Pavilion elders to pursue a relationship with him.
• Li Changshou shared wine with the Great Mage, then left after a heavenly general delivered a summons from Wood Duke.
• Kong Xuan approached the wine-dazed Great Mage and declared that she wanted to become his cultivation partner and give him her surname.
• The Taiji Diagram sealed the pavilion as Li Changshou watched, believing Kong Xuan had anchored the Great Mage to the present world.

Li Changshou visited Flower-Fruit Mountain to inspect the Stone Monkey and the Demon Race, then secretly followed Xiao Lan as she fled an attack and found refuge near Xuanyuan's Ceremonial Tomb. He recognized the demons gathering there as future figures in the cataclysm but chose not to interfere with the Heavenly Dao's arrangements.

• Kong Xuan seduced the Great Mage, and the two became Dao companions; Quan Tong and Li Changshou discussed her place in the cataclysm and shared wine brewed from the Lover's Tree.
• Li Changshou traveled to Flower-Fruit Mountain, found the Stone Monkey gestating within the Sky-Mending Spiritual Stone, and withdrew when the Heavenly Dao Lord warned him not to touch it.
• Li Changshou observed Xiao Lan leave Flower-Fruit Mountain and get attacked by demons who had once been spared through her pleas.
• Xiao Lan escaped into the Southern Continent, where Heavenly Court lightning destroyed her pursuers, and she collapsed near a cave inhabited by a Pheasant Spirit, a Jade Pipa, and other demons.
• Li Changshou found a stele identifying the place as Xuanyuan's Ceremonial Tomb and recognized the gathering demons as future cataclysm figures, but decided not to meddle.

Li Changshou prepared Li Jing to descend the mountain and continued laying plans as the Investiture of the Gods calamity drew closer. Ling'e suddenly comprehended her Dao, bringing her Golden Immortal Tribulation early and leaving Li Changshou to help her face it.

• Li Changshou trained Li Jing in secret for three months, then revealed himself and urged Li Jing to prepare to protect Chentang Town and the Southern Continent.
• Li Changshou gave Li Jing a brocade pouch of supplies and fatherhood books, prompting Du Xian Sect's Elders to mistakenly tell Li Jing to call him Father.
• Li Changshou continued monitoring the approaching calamity, considering the fate of his master and reviewing the pieces he had placed across the world.
• Ling'e's Dao fully matured as a pink lotus appeared above her, and her Golden Immortal Tribulation arrived ahead of schedule.
• Li Changshou moved Ling'e to the rear mountain and prepared to help her withstand the tribulation.

Ling'e underwent her Eternal Life Tribulation under the Dao Ancestor’s unusually gentle protection and became an Eternal Life Immortal. Afterward, the Dao Ancestor sent Ling'e away and made Li Changshou take the tribulation lightning she had left over.

• Heavenly Court watched as Ling'e began her tribulation, while Longji and a giant female relative arrived to support her and Li Changshou stood by to protect her.
• Ling'e accidentally addressed the Dao Ancestor as the Dao Ancestor rather than the Heavenly Dao, and the Dao Ancestor manifested, reassured her, and sent down gentle lightning.
• Ling'e passed the tribulation with little harm as the Dao Ancestor guided her through it, while Lingzhu Zi lamented his stalled cultivation and vowed to become a hero like Li Changshou.
• After two hours, Ling'e completed her tribulation and thanked the Dao Ancestor, who invited her to visit Purple Cloud Palace with Li Changshou.
• The Dao Ancestor pushed Ling'e aside and directed her remaining tribulation at Li Changshou, who was engulfed by tens of thousands of purplish-red lightning bolts.

After Ling'e survived her Longevity Tribulation, Li Changshou learned that Lingzhu Zi’s cultivation bottleneck came from a flaw in his innate foundation. He and the Chan Teaching immortals devised a way for Lingzhu Zi to reincarnate and cultivate anew, but left the final choice to him.

• Li Changshou recovered from Ling'e’s tribulation and received a summons from True Lord Yu Ding, True Lord Taiyi, Yang Jian, and True Person Huang Long.
• Li Changshou deduced that True Lord Taiyi’s careless advice had worsened Lingzhu Zi’s despair over his stalled cultivation.
• The immortals examined Lingzhu Zi and found that his spirit-pearl origins left his Dao foundation innately deficient, preventing him from reaching the Golden Immortal Tribulation.
• Li Changshou and the others agreed to prepare a reincarnation plan that would preserve Lingzhu Zi’s memories, spiritual nature, and cultivation while giving him an Innate Dao Body.
• Li Changshou insisted that Lingzhu Zi must decide for himself whether to reincarnate, while True Lord Taiyi admitted he would accept his disciple remaining ordinary.

Li Changshou helped Lingzhu Zi resolve his doubts about cultivation and prepare to reincarnate to reshape his foundation. As Lingzhu Zi said goodbye to his friends and Jade Rabbit, the two promised to remain good brothers for life, while Li Changshou went to meet Matchmaker.

• Li Changshou guided Lingzhu Zi to examine why he cultivated and urged him to strengthen his Dao heart and protect the weak.
• Li Changshou arranged Lingzhu Zi’s reincarnation and foundation reshaping, warning that he would lose his memories temporarily and that the process carried risks.
• Lingzhu Zi shared a farewell drink with Ao Yi and Bian Zhuang, then decided to visit Jade Rabbit before leaving.
• Jade Rabbit hesitated to meet Lingzhu Zi as Fairy Heng'e urged her to confront her feelings, while Lingzhu Zi called out his thanks and farewell outside Guanghan Palace.
• Jade Rabbit ran out and promised Lingzhu Zi they would be good brothers for life, and Lingzhu Zi waved goodbye as Ao Yi carried him away.
• Li Changshou arrived at the Hall of Marriage to meet Matchmaker.

Li Changshou helped True Lord Taiyi prepare Lingzhu Zi for reincarnation, then continued arranging the Heavenly Court’s plans for the Dragon Clan and the wider world. A message from King Qin Guang revealed that Li Changshou’s master, Qi Yuan, was close to reincarnating, leaving Li Changshou reflecting on how to help him in his next life.

• Fairy Yunxiao used the Primordial Golden Dou to separate Lingzhu Zi’s Divine Soul from his original spirit stone, and True Lord Taiyi took both away to prepare for reincarnation.
• Li Changshou wrote letters for True Lord Taiyi, who went with True Person Huang Long and True Lord Yu Ding to the Netherworld and secured permission for Lingzhu Zi to pass through the Reincarnation Pagoda as a Fetal Spirit.
• Li Changshou and Yunxiao discussed the Heavenly Dao’s role in Lingzhu Zi’s fate, Ling’e’s safety, and whether Yunxiao would leave the Primordial Wilderness with him after the great calamity.
• Li Changshou considered how to prevent conflict between the Dragon Clan and the Heavenly Court, and envisioned reshaping the balance of power across the Three Thousand Worlds.
• A messenger delivered King Qin Guang’s message that Qi Yuan’s soul had re-formed in the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk and needed only more nourishment before reincarnating.
• Li Changshou decided he should find Qi Yuan a good match in his next life as a way to repay his master’s care.

Li Changshou and Ling'e visited the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk to see Qi Yuan before he reincarnated, and Qi Yuan gave them his final counsel. After Qi Yuan departed, Li Changshou knelt and remembered the moment their master-disciple bond began.

• Li Changshou told Quan Tong that he grieved because Qi Yuan would reincarnate without retaining any connection to him, and Quan Tong comforted him over wine.
• Li Changshou took Ling'e to the Netherworld, accompanied by Jin Peng and a grand Heavenly Court honor guard sent by Quan Tong.
• King Qin Guang recognized Quan Tong's avatar arriving in Fengdu City and summoned the Yama Kings and officials to receive him.
• Ling'e and Li Changshou reunited with Qi Yuan at the Treasure Pool, where Qi Yuan praised them and urged Li Changshou to serve the Three Realms and care for Ling'e.
• Qi Yuan walked toward reincarnation after asking Li Changshou and Ling'e not to follow, and Li Changshou knelt in grief as he recalled Qi Yuan first taking him in as a disciple.

After Old Daoist Qi Yuan reincarnated, the Investiture of the Gods calamity began to gather around the Southern Continent and the human succession. The Saints of Chan Teaching and Jie Teaching summoned their disciples to explain how they would face the coming calamity.

• Li Changshou questioned Houtu about the Heavenly Dao and Pangu God's remaining will, then agreed to ask the Jade Emperor to protect mortals from the calamity.
• Old Daoist Qi Yuan reincarnated amid strange omens, while the Calamity Sword descended toward the Shang Kingdom and alerted powerful figures across the Primordial World.
• Li Changshou discovered that the Netherworld had held a disorderly but grand farewell ceremony for his Master, and Ox-Head and Horse-Face scolded the musicians who had played funeral music.
• Venerable Celestial of Primordial Beginning told the Chan Teaching disciples that the calamity would center on the Human Emperor's succession and that disciples could send others to answer it in their stead.
• Lord Tongtian warned the Jie Teaching disciples not to approach Li Changshou or act rashly, ordered them to remain in seclusion, and later sent Wen Zhong and Holy Mother Huoling to the Southern Continent.

Li Changshou took Ling'e on a three-year tour of the Primordial Wilderness before visiting Three Immortal Island, where Jie Teaching's leaders questioned him about Qi Yuan's reincarnation as Jiang Shang. The chapter left Daoist Duobao rushing to the Southern Continent to try to bring Jiang Shang into Biyou Palace.

• Li Changshou left the Netherworld with Ling'e and decided not to visit Qi Yuan's reincarnated body, instead taking her sightseeing across the Primordial Wilderness.
• Quan Tong waited for three years near Jiang Shang's home, expecting Li Changshou to appear, while Li Changshou and Ling'e continued their travels elsewhere.
• Li Changshou visited Chan Teaching's immortal mountains, then arrived with Ling'e at Three Immortal Island, where Yunxiao welcomed them and Daoist Duobao and other Jie Teaching leaders were gathered.
• Daoist Duobao asked whether Jiang Shang would cultivate, and Li Changshou said he would avoid meeting his master's reincarnated body and leave the decision to others.
• After hearing Li Changshou's answer, Daoist Duobao abruptly departed for the Southern Continent to approach Jiang Shang.