Recaps

Wen Ning reported Wang Manman's case to Wen Zhong, who explained that Golden Cicada's records were kept on Spirit Mountain and gave Wen Ning a letter of introduction to Tathagata. Wen Ning left to investigate there, still curious about why Duobao Daoist had joined the Buddhist School.

• Wen Ning passed the Southern Heavenly Gate and visited Wen Zhong at the Thunder Department.
• Wen Ning told Wen Zhong that Wang Manman had carried her memories through reincarnations while waiting for Tang Sanzang, and that this was her final lifetime.
• Wen Zhong explained that Golden Cicada's records were on Spirit Mountain and outside the Taoist Heavenly Court's jurisdiction.
• Wen Zhong retrieved Wang Manman's Underworld records and wrote Wen Ning a letter of introduction to Tathagata.
• Wen Ning asked why Duobao Daoist had joined the Buddhist School, but Wen Zhong refused to explain.
• Wen Ning secured the letter and left for Spirit Mountain.

Wen Ning traveled with Lu Ming to the Great Thunderclap Temple to ask Tathagata about Wang Manman's connection to the Sandalwood Merit Buddha. He ended the chapter by asking whether the Buddha was there and willing to renew their bond.

• Wen Ning realized he did not know where the Great Thunderclap Temple was, and Lu Ming arrived to guide him.
• Wen Ning confronted Lu Ming about spreading rumors that he mooched meals from his godfather, and Lu Ming admitted he had started them.
• Lu Ming led Wen Ning west through cloud seas and a Barrier to Spirit Mountain and the Great Thunderclap Temple.
• A monk checked Wen Ning's letter of introduction from Wen Zhong and brought him to meet Tathagata in the Mahavira Hall.
• Wen Ning explained Wang Manman's situation and asked whether the Sandalwood Merit Buddha was present and willing to renew their bond.

After learning that the Sandalwood Merit Buddha had entered reincarnation by his own choice, Wen Ning returned to the Heavenly Court and set out for Mount Huaguo to seek answers from Sun Wukong. He and Lu Ming arrived at the mountain with a basket of peaches to offer him.

• Tathagata told Wen Ning the story of Ananda and revealed that the Sandalwood Merit Buddha had entered the cycle of reincarnation long ago.
• Wen Ning reported his visit to Spirit Mountain to Wen Zhong, who said the Buddhist School had not notified the Heavenly Court and suggested Sun Wukong might know where Tang Sanzang was reborn.
• Wen Zhong sent Wen Ning to Mount Huaguo to find Sun Wukong and advised him to bring peaches.
• Wen Ning bought a basket of immortal peaches, and he and Lu Ming flew east toward Mount Huaguo.
• Wen Ning and Lu Ming reached Mount Huaguo and saw little monkeys watching them from the trees.

Wen Ning visited Sun Wukong on Mount Huaguo to ask where Tang Sanzang had gone, and learned that Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva might know where he was reincarnated. Wen Ning and Lu Ming reached the eighteenth level of Hell and arrived before Kṣitigarbha and Truth-Listening.

• Sun Wukong welcomed Wen Ning and Lu Ming, then listened as Wen Ning explained that the queen of the Daughter Kingdom had asked him to find Tang Sanzang.
• Sun Wukong recalled Tang Sanzang saying he was going to wait for someone, but admitted he did not know where his former master had been reincarnated.
• Sun Wukong directed Wen Ning to ask Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva, who would know whether Tang Sanzang had entered the cycle of reincarnation.
• Wen Ning told Lu Ming to return to Heaven, but Lu Ming ran ahead toward the Underworld, eager to meet Truth-Listening.
• White Impermanence, Xie Bi'an, led Wen Ning and Lu Ming to the eighteenth level of Hell, where they found Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva seated beside Truth-Listening.

Wen Ning returned from the underworld with Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva’s cryptic poem and realized Tang Sanzang was close to Wang Manman. He ended the chapter trying to determine exactly where Tang Sanzang was.

• Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva confirmed that Golden Cicada had reincarnated, recited a poem, and sent Wen Ning back to the mortal world.
• Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva told Lu Ming to leave, and Lu Ming fled the underworld.
• Wen Ning invited Zhang Siyu to barbecue and told her he had almost found the person he was seeking.
• Wen Ning searched the poem’s meaning and concluded that Tang Sanzang was beside Wang Manman, though he still did not know where exactly.

Wen Ning solved the riddles and realized Tang Sanzang had been beside Wang Manman all along, reincarnated as the phoenix tree outside the Pavilion. Wang Manman and Tang Sanzang reunited, and Wen Ning left them together after telling Zhang Siyu the case was closed.

• Wen Ning told Wang Manman about the clues he had gathered from Buddha Tathagata, Sun Wukong, and Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva.
• Wen Ning explained that Tang Sanzang had been beside Wang Manman, but she had not recognized him.
• The phoenix tree revealed that he was Tang Sanzang and had waited more than thirteen hundred years to reunite with Wang Manman.
• Tang Sanzang explained that Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva had allowed him to become a tree so he could keep his memories outside reincarnation.
• Wang Manman embraced the phoenix tree and promised to stay and watch it bloom each spring.
• Wen Ning messaged Zhang Siyu that the case was closed and suggested celebrating with barbecue.

Wen Zhong summoned Wen Ning to explain that the Three Realms faced a fifth great calamity, a God-Demon Calamity fueled by corruption and evil in the mortal world. He revealed that the Jade Emperor had reincarnated in the mortal world to complete his merit before the Heavenly Court faced the coming tribulation, then sent Wen Ning back.

• Wen Ning left Zhang Siyu and Big Yellow to answer Wen Zhong's urgent summons to the Heavenly Court.
• Wen Zhong showed Wen Ning the marked map of the Three Realms and explained the four previous great calamities.
• Wen Zhong told Wen Ning that the fifth great calamity had begun and that his recent mortal-world cases had been trials preparing him for it.
• Wen Ning learned that the Jade Emperor had descended to the mortal world and reincarnated to perfect his merit before the tribulation.
• Wen Zhong identified the coming conflict as the God-Demon Calamity, with demons empowered by evil in the mortal world, and dismissed Wen Ning.

The Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning and the Primordial Heavenly Venerable discussed Wen Ning’s reincarnation as the Jade Emperor and the trials he must complete before returning to Heaven. They left the mortal world’s future uncertain, while the Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning looked forward to Wen Ning learning the truth.

• The Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning lost their chess game and complained to the Primordial Heavenly Venerable about his repeated defeats.
• The Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning asked whether the reincarnated Jade Emperor would complete his merit and help the Interception Sect win the God-Demon Calamity.
• The Primordial Heavenly Venerable warned that Wen Ning must endure every trial and that, as Jade Emperor, he would have to unite the Three Realms rather than serve only the Interception Sect.
• The Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning argued that Wen Ning’s joining the Interception Sect was destined because Wen Zhong was his master.
• The two sages watched Wen Ning play Honor of Kings in the mortal world, and the Primordial Heavenly Venerable said his understanding of mortal hardship made him suited to change Heaven’s rules.
• The Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning said he wanted to see Wen Ning’s reaction when he learned his identity, and the Primordial Heavenly Venerable told him not to frighten Wen Ning.

At Great Thunderclap Temple, Tathagata explained Golden Cicada’s choice to remain a phoenix tree and hinted that Wen Ning was destined to face the coming calamity. In the mortal world, a typhoon warning prompted Wen Ning to secure his shop and check on Wang Manman and the tree.

• Manjushri asked Tathagata whether Golden Cicada was safe from the rising calamity aura, and Tathagata said Golden Cicada had chosen his own karmic path to fulfill a promise.
• Tathagata said Golden Cicada would return when the woman beneath the tree had lived out her lifetime, and that the blooming phoenix flowers marked the time of destiny.
• Manjushri asked what the Buddhist School should do in the fifth Heaven and Earth Calamity, and Tathagata said someone was destined to face it but would not name Wen Ning.
• Wen Ning received a warning that Typhoon Wukong was approaching, cursed Sun Wukong, and helped neighbors move their belongings indoors.
• Wen Ning secured his shop and messaged Wang Manman to stay away from the Pavilion and asked whether the Tang Sanzang tree needed bracing; she said the campus was safe.

During the typhoon, Squirrel Spirit came to Wen Ning’s quiet shop for a bath and relayed that the City God wanted to discuss the storm with him. Wen Ning sensed Yao Qi in the wind and decided to visit the City God Temple, while Zhang Siyu stayed to finish bathing Squirrel Spirit.

• Wen Ning found his shop empty after the typhoon battered the alley, and learned Sparrow Spirit was busy caring for his new chicks.
• Squirrel Spirit arrived soaked and itchy, and Zhang Siyu began bathing him with tea tree shampoo.
• Squirrel Spirit said the typhoon had uprooted the old pine above his hollow and reported that the City God suspected a monster was behind the storm.
• Squirrel Spirit told Wen Ning that the City God had asked him to visit the temple to discuss the typhoon.
• Wen Ning sensed Yao Qi in the wind and prepared to leave for the City God Temple, while Zhang Siyu finished Squirrel Spirit’s bath.

Wen Ning visited the City God Temple during the typhoon and encountered a little girl who could see Chen Yang, the local City God. The grandmother took the girl away, leaving Wen Ning and Chen Yang to joke about his lack of mystique.

• Zhang Siyu stayed at the shop to wash two dogs, so Wen Ning went to the City God Temple alone.
• Wen Ning helped a little girl place incense and learned she and her grandmother were praying for the typhoon to end so her parents could work and earn money.
• Chen Yang appeared to greet Wen Ning, and the little girl recognized him as the City God.
• Chen Yang explained that children under six could sometimes see things ordinary people could not, then promised to find a way to stop the typhoon soon.
• The little girl asked Chen Yang to wait two more days so she could keep enjoying the typhoon, and her grandmother hurried her out of the temple.
• Wen Ning joked with Chen Yang that even a child could recognize him and that he was losing his mystique.

Chen Yang hosted Wen Ning to discuss a typhoon caused by a Flood Dragon making its passage to the sea. After learning it was an unusually powerful Evil Flood Dragon nearing its transformation into a black dragon, Wen Ning agreed to think of a way to stop it.

• Chen Yang welcomed Wen Ning with a lavish meal and explained that he had added six months to Old Zhao’s parents-in-law’s lifespans to settle Old Zhao’s unpaid karmic debt.
• Wen Ning asked about the monster behind the typhoon, and Chen Yang said the City God Temple’s Ghost Messengers had identified it as a Flood Dragon making its passage to the sea.
• Wen Ning read reports describing the Flood Dragon’s severe baleful energy, the destruction along its route, and a Ghost Messenger injured while investigating it.
• Chen Yang explained that the Flood Dragon was an Evil Flood Dragon that had grown powerful by devouring living beings and would become a black dragon if it completed its passage.
• Wen Ning agreed to think of a way to stop the Evil Flood Dragon.

After learning that the Evil Flood Dragon would reach the sea by tomorrow night, Wen Ning agreed to take Zhang Siyu to observe it but worried he could not defeat it. He asked Wen Zhong for help and received the Thirty-Six Heavenly Transformations, including Earth-Covering Golden Light, while Wen Zhong secretly sent Lu Ming to fetch a powerful seal.

• Wen Ning returned from the City God Temple with food and told Zhang Siyu that the Evil Flood Dragon was heading for the sea and causing destruction along its route.
• Zhang Siyu persuaded Wen Ning to let her accompany him the next day, and he made her promise to stay back, flee from danger, and not film the encounter.
• Wen Ning doubted his ability to face the thousand-year-old Evil Flood Dragon after realizing his practical experience was limited.
• Wen Ning prayed at the altar and messaged Wen Zhong, who transmitted the Thirty-Six Heavenly Transformations and urged him to master Earth-Covering Golden Light as an escape technique.
• Wen Zhong told Lu Ming to fetch the seal of the Heavenly Venerable of Universal Transformation through the Thunder of the Nine Heavens.

Wen Ning and Zhang Siyu arrived at the Canglang River as the Evil Flood Dragon’s baleful energy peaked, where nearby cultivators mistook them for ordinary people and warned them to leave. Zhang Siyu proved her identity as a disciple of Celestial Master Taoism and introduced Wen Ning as a formidable master, leaving him uneasy about the expectations she had raised before the battle.

• Zhang Siyu packed supplies, including pepper spray, and joined Wen Ning on the trip to the Canglang River during the typhoon.
• Wen Ning saw the Evil Flood Dragon’s dense black miasma churning above the river as cultivators gathered to watch or confront it.
• A Daoist and other cultivators warned Wen Ning and Zhang Siyu to leave, believing they were ordinary people in danger.
• Zhang Siyu identified herself as the daughter of Celestial Master Zhang Qingxuan and showed her Celestial Master Mansion token, convincing the cultivators.
• Zhang Siyu praised Wen Ning as a powerful master, and he quietly asked her not to exaggerate his abilities before the fight.

Zhang Siyu’s rallying words sent the cultivators charging into the Canglang River, but the Evil Flood Dragon quickly defeated them and came ashore. Wen Ning’s attempt to reason with the dragon failed, so he ordered everyone back and struck its forehead with a powerful bolt of lightning.

• Zhang Siyu’s introduction inspired the cultivators to leap into the Canglang River and attack the Evil Flood Dragon.
• The Evil Flood Dragon blasted the cultivators out of the river and emerged onto the embankment, intimidating the wounded survivors.
• Wen Ning tried to persuade the Evil Flood Dragon to stop hurting people, but it dismissed him and threatened to eat him.
• Wen Ning told everyone to fall back, charged the Evil Flood Dragon with Earth-Covering Golden Light, and hit its forehead with the Five Thunder Righteous Method.

Wen Ning was overwhelmed by the Evil Flood Dragon and refused to flee while Zhang Siyu and the other cultivators remained in danger. His plea brought Wen Zhong and the Thunder Department to the riverbank, where they confronted the Flood Dragon.

• The Evil Flood Dragon struck Wen Ning down and announced that he would eat the people on the riverbank.
• Wen Ning decided he could not escape and shouted for his godfather, Wen Zhong, to help him.
• After no one appeared at first, the Flood Dragon prepared to bite Wen Ning.
• Wen Zhong and the Thunder Department descended through the clouds, and Wen Zhong's presence immobilized the Flood Dragon.
• Wen Zhong questioned Wen Ning about why he had not run, and Wen Ning explained that the other cultivators would have been left behind.
• Wen Zhong directed the Thunder Department to focus on the Flood Dragon as the thunder drums pressed down the black energy above the river.

Wen Ning watched Wen Zhong and the Thunder Department slay the Flood Dragon, then hurried downstream to help with the ongoing flood. When a levee broke, Wen Ning used divine powers to stop and divert the flood, leaving the village officials stunned.

• Wen Zhong ordered the Thunder Department to strike the Flood Dragon with lightning until it died and its baleful energy dispersed.
• Wen Zhong warned Wen Ning that the flood would continue, and Wen Ning left to help evacuate villagers downstream.
• Wen Ning reached the lower Canglang River, where he saw villagers evacuating as floodwaters battered the levee.
• The levee broke upstream while villagers were still on the road, and Wen Ning rushed between the flood and the crowd.
• Wen Ning stopped the flood with Wind and Rain Summoning, dug a channel with Moving Mountains and Filling Seas, and diverted the water away from the village.

Wen Ning saved a village from a flood, then vanished in a streak of golden light. The National Special Affairs Processing Center identified him and planned an official visit after learning from a Daoist that Wen Ning had powerful support from immortals.

• Wen Ning stopped the flood, opened a drainage ditch to divert the water, and disappeared in a flash of golden light.
• The village official reported Wen Ning’s actions to the mayor, who referred him to the National Special Affairs Processing Center.
• The Center questioned the village official about Wen Ning’s appearance and abilities, took over the case, and told him not to spread the information.
• The Center contacted a Daoist whose name was on a list of cultivators active near the Canglang River, and he identified Wen Ning as the man who had fought the Flood Dragon.
• The Daoist told the Center that Wen Ning had no interest in joining and had immortals backing him, so the Center planned to contact him through official channels without causing trouble.

After Wen Ning’s rescue at the Canglang River brought him to the attention of the National Special Affairs Processing Center, Xu Zhao visited to assess him and invite him to join. Wen Ning declined the bravery award and left the invitation unanswered, but promised he would intervene again if people were in danger.

• Xu Zhao introduced himself as an officer from the National Special Affairs Processing Center and asked Wen Ning to speak with him.
• Xu Zhao confirmed Wen Ning had stopped the flood at Wanghe Village, classified his actions as emergency rescue, and offered him a bravery award, which Wen Ning declined.
• Xu Zhao formally invited Wen Ning to join the center, explaining its duties and the benefits of its permanent posts.
• Wen Ning pointed out that Xu Zhao knew he had powerful connections, and Xu Zhao admitted he had come to assess whether Wen Ning posed a threat.
• Xu Zhao asked whether Wen Ning would help again in a similar disaster, and Wen Ning said he would.
• Xu Zhao left his personal number and asked whether Wen Ning’s backers were in heaven; Wen Ning smiled without denying it.

Wen Ning visited the Thunder Department to thank its members for rescuing him at the Canglang River, bringing gifts and treating them to milk tea. After the gathering, Wen Zhong arrived and took Wen Ning with him.

• Wen Ning bought Moutai and cigarettes for his godfather before traveling to the Heavenly Court.
• Wen Ning ordered twenty cups of Immortal Dew Milk Tea for the Thunder Department and learned that news of his fight with the Evil Flood Dragon had spread.
• Wen Ning and Lu Ming carried the drinks and gifts to the Thunder Department, where Bai Lu and Meng Jiang teased Lu Ming about being stingy.
• Wen Ning thanked the Thunder Department for saving him, and the group shared milk tea and duck snacks.
• Wen Zhong arrived, told Lu Ming to clean up, and asked Wen Ning to come with him.

Wen Zhong brought Wen Ning to the Jade Void Palace, where the Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning praised Wen Ning for his actions at the Canglang River. The Heavenly Lord then revealed a mysterious golden booklet and told Wen Ning to take it.

• Wen Ning left the Thunder Department with Wen Zhong, who led him along a grim cloud path beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens.
• Wen Zhong brought Wen Ning into the Jade Void Palace, where many prominent Interception Sect members had gathered.
• The Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning called Wen Ning forward and teased him about bringing Maotai and Zhonghua cigarettes as gifts.
• The Heavenly Lord praised Wen Ning for holding his ground against the Evil Flood Dragon and buying his companions time at the Canglang River.
• The Heavenly Lord said he had not summoned Wen Ning merely to praise him, produced a golden booklet, and told him to take it.

The Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning revealed that Wen Ning was the Jade Emperor reincarnated and gave him the Jade Emperor's Golden Register, which recorded his deeds. Wen Ning accepted his fate after learning he would remain himself, but the Heavenly Lord warned him that reclaiming the throne and guiding the Heavenly Court through the God-Demon Calamity would be dangerous.

• The Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning gave Wen Ning the Jade Emperor's Golden Register and revealed that Wen Ning was the Jade Emperor reincarnated.
• Wen Ning panicked and questioned why he had no memories or signs of his divine identity.
• The Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning explained that Wen Ning had to accumulate merit equal to the Heavenly Stem Count before reclaiming the Jade Emperor's throne, and Wen Ning saw his past deeds recorded in the register.
• The Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning assured Wen Ning that he would remain himself after becoming the Jade Emperor, while Zhao Gongming and Wen Zhong showed their support.
• Wen Ning offered the Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning Moutai and Zhonghua cigarettes, which he gladly accepted.
• The Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning warned Wen Ning that the road ahead was dangerous and tied to the Interception Sect's defeat in the Third Investiture of the Gods War.

Hongjun revealed that the fifth heaven and earth calamity would be led by the Interception Sect, which was charged with protecting the Jade Emperor during his mortal reincarnation. Thirty years later, Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning watched Wen Ning leave Jade Void Palace and judged that he still needed much more tempering before becoming Jade Emperor.

• Hongjun summoned the six sages to Zixiao Palace and announced that the fifth calamity was approaching and the reincarnated Jade Emperor would weather it.
• Hongjun declared that the Interception Sect should lead the God-Demon Calamity and ordered Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning to protect the Jade Emperor and help him complete his merit.
• The sages agreed to Hongjun's decree, and Hongjun said the Jade Emperor remained within Reincarnation.
• Thirty years later, Wen Ning left Jade Void Palace with his empty canvas bag after visiting Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning.
• Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning told Zhao Gongming that Wen Ning could become a good Jade Emperor someday but still needed to earn many more meritorious deeds.

After learning that he was destined to become the Jade Emperor, Wen Ning examined the Jade Emperor's Golden Register and discovered that only predestined deeds counted toward his merit. The register rejected his appeal, leaving him arguing with it outside his home.

• Wen Ning returned home carrying the Jade Emperor's Golden Register and tried to process the revelation that he was the Jade Emperor's reincarnation.
• Wen Ning read the register's ten recorded deeds of merit, including his recent battle against the Evil Flood Dragon at Canglang River.
• Wen Ning questioned why his other good deeds were missing, and the register replied that only predestined events counted.
• Wen Ning protested the Heavenly Dao's final-interpretation clause, but eventually conceded and tucked the register away.
• Wen Ning asked how he could appeal, and the register sent the words "Appeal denied" into his sea of consciousness.

After returning from the Heavenly Court, Wen Ning learned that an ordinary client had asked his real estate shop to sell a small apartment, and he eagerly planned to follow up the next morning. He concealed the Jade Emperor reincarnation and coming calamity revelations from Zhang Siyu, then set them aside to focus on the apartment viewing.

• Wen Ning returned to the shop and found Zhang Siyu awake with instant noodles.
• Zhang Siyu told Wen Ning that Mr. Liu had left his number because he wanted to sell a nearby sixty-square-meter apartment.
• Wen Ning became thrilled at finally receiving an ordinary real estate listing and carefully saved Mr. Liu's contact information.
• When Zhang Siyu asked about his trip to the Heavenly Court, Wen Ning hid what he had learned and claimed he had attended routine meetings.
• Wen Ning told Zhang Siyu he would contact Mr. Liu in the morning and arrange to view the apartment.