Chapter Summaries

Lin Tian confronted the Chan Sect and Spirit Mountain forces on Putuo Island, where fourteen Quasi-Saints trapped him in two overlapping formations. He entered the formations without hesitation and remained protected by the Chaos Bell as Buddha of Immeasurable Life demanded his surrender.

• Lin Tian entered the Purple Bamboo Grove clearing while Black Bear Monster and the others followed behind him.
• Immortal Elder Antarctic revealed the Taiji Two Forms Four Symbols Formation, the Mighty Dragon-Elephant Prajna Formation, and the forces of fourteen Quasi-Saints.
• Lin Tian charged into the overlapping formations, surprising Immortal Elder Antarctic and the others.
• Lin Tian summoned the Chaos Bell to protect himself from the formations' yin-yang power and Buddhist attacks.
• Buddha of Immeasurable Life mistook Lin Tian's stillness for fear and threatened him, while Immortal Elder Antarctic and Guang Chengzi resented Spirit Mountain's attempt to claim the credit.

Lin Tian ignored the Chan Sect and Spirit Mountain’s threats, smashed their combined formations apart with the Kongtong Seal, and counterattacked with the Executioner Immortal Sword Formation. He killed the Buddha of Immeasurable Life and Immortal Elder Antarctic, leaving the other Quasi-Saints terrified.

• Lin Tian endured the attacks from the two formations and decided to break them by force.
• Lin Tian struck the formations twice with the Kongtong Seal, shattering them as Black Bear Monster and the Jiejiao disciples halted their charge.
• Lin Tian deployed the Executioner Immortal Sword Formation across the Purple Bamboo Grove and killed the Buddha of Immeasurable Life.
• Lin Tian targeted Immortal Elder Antarctic, whose treasures and retreat could not protect him from the sword qi.
• The remaining Saints and Quasi-Saints feared that any of them could be Lin Tian’s next victim.

Lin Tian faced the Primordial Heavenly Venerable, Jieyin, and Zhunti after killing two more Quasi-Saints on Putuo Island. He chose a mission to destroy the three Saints’ Spiritual Power Clones and declared that he would do it in one move.

• Lin Tian killed two Quasi-Saints, leaving Guanyin and the remaining Chan Sect and Spirit Mountain members terrified.
• Jieyin and Zhunti blamed the failed plan on their followers but prepared to intervene to protect the survivors.
• The Primordial Heavenly Venerable, Jieyin, and Zhunti sent their Spiritual Power Clones to Putuo Island.
• Lin Tian’s Spirit Vine True Self offered him a reward for destroying all three clones, and he accepted the mission.
• The Primordial Heavenly Venerable demanded that Lin Tian submit or die, but Lin Tian vowed to destroy the three clones with one move.

Lin Tian annihilated the Spiritual Power Clones of the Primordial Heavenly Venerable, Jieyin, and Zhunti with the Green Duckweed Sword, establishing his fearsome reputation across the Three Realms. He destroyed Putuo Island, while Guanyin and the few other survivors reached Spirit Mountain and faced the failure of their mission.

• Zhunti attacked Lin Tian with a punch, but Lin Tian stopped it effortlessly and prepared to counterattack.
• Lin Tian struck with the Green Duckweed Sword, annihilating the Spiritual Power Clones of the Primordial Heavenly Venerable, Jieyin, and Zhunti and killing many Quasi-Saints.
• The remaining Quasi-Saints fled through a teleportation grand formation, while Lin Tian became renowned throughout the Three Realms.
• Lin Tian used the Banana Leaf Fan to submerge Putuo Island, destroying Guanyin's cultivation grounds.
• Guanyin and the other survivors teleported to Spirit Mountain, where the True Buddhas realized that their mission had failed.

After months of strengthening the Human Race, Lin Tian prepared to lead them against Spirit Mountain as Xuanzang’s party arrived to complete the Journey to the West. The chapter ended with Great Tang’s leaders and soldiers pledging to overthrow the gods and Buddhas.

• Guang Chengzi left Spirit Mountain with the four surviving members of the Twelve Golden Immortals, while Jieyin and Zhunti vowed to destroy the Human Race after the Journey to the West Calamity ended.
• Lin Tian taught at the Academy for two months as the Human Race grew stronger, then received the mission to conquer Spirit Mountain.
• Xuanzang and his companions reached Spirit Mountain, where Zhu Bajie mocked the damage from Lin Tian’s earlier battle and Xuanzang urged everyone not to cause trouble.
• Lin Tian summoned Jixia Academy’s senior members and Great Tang’s military representatives, reminded them why they had begun cultivating, and announced that they would soon march on Spirit Mountain.
• The assembled Human Race leaders and fighters enthusiastically pledged to follow Lin Tian and overthrow the heavenly gods and Buddhas.

Lin Tian prepared Great Tang for war against Spirit Mountain while Xuanzang rejected Tathagata’s offer to restore Golden Cicada’s memories and discovered that the scriptures were blank. Xuanzang left Spirit Mountain with his companions, and Kashyapa and Ananda reported the incident to Tathagata.

• Lin Tian ordered Xu Mao Gong, Cheng Yaojin, and Chen Guangrui to assemble Great Tang’s cultivators, open the Treasure Vault, and prepare for the army’s passage to Spirit Mountain.
• Xuanzang and his companions met the assembled Buddhas, and Xuanzang asked Tathagata for the scriptures without showing them deference.
• Tathagata offered to restore Xuanzang’s Golden Cicada memories and cultivation, but Xuanzang refused and held on to Lin Tian’s Voidbright Stone.
• Kashyapa and Ananda demanded gifts from Xuanzang and gave him blank scriptures when he had none to offer.
• Xuanzang and his companions examined the scriptures, left them behind, and departed Spirit Mountain.
• Kashyapa and Ananda returned to Tathagata and told him what had happened.

After Xuanzang refused to retrieve the scriptures, Tathagata ordered Jeweled Banner King Buddha and Great Vow Merit Buddha to kill him and his companions. Xuanzang crushed the Voidbright Stone, bringing Lin Tian and Great Tang forces to Spirit Mountain, where they launched a devastating attack.

• Daoist Jieyin ordered the Buddhas not to let Xuanzang leave Spirit Mountain, and Tathagata sent Jeweled Banner King Buddha and Great Vow Merit Buddha to kill the Scripture-Seekers.
• Monkey Sun sensed the attackers and urged Xuanzang to crush the Voidbright Stone as Jeweled Banner King Buddha struck at them.
• Lin Tian appeared through the teleportation passage, stopped Jeweled Banner King Buddha's palm, and Great Tang cultivators poured onto Spirit Mountain.
• A Great Tang cultivator beheaded Jeweled Banner King Buddha, and the invading forces overwhelmed Spirit Mountain's poorly equipped monks.
• Tathagata gathered Spirit Mountain's quasi-saints to confront Lin Tian and warned them to preserve their strength if the battle turned against them.

Lin Tian overwhelmed Spirit Mountain’s Quasi-Saints while the Human Race fought its way through the mountain. Buddha Wutian then arrived with the Devil Race and revealed himself as the exiled Kinnara, leaving Spirit Mountain caught between two assaults as he battled Tathagata.

• Lin Tian killed Great Vow Merit Buddha and shattered Spirit Mountain’s Mountain-Guarding Formation with the Kongtong Seal, holding off its Quasi-Saints.
• Lin Tian told Spirit Mountain’s Quasi-Saints to let their followers fight the Human Race without interference, then endured their furious attacks.
• A spatial passage opened above Spirit Mountain, and Buddha Wutian arrived with the Devil Race, declaring that he would annihilate the Buddhas.
• Spirit Mountain recognized Wutian as the exiled Kinnara, who blamed Tathagata and Spirit Mountain for Axiu’s death and vowed to turn them into demons.
• Wutian and Tathagata fought as the Demon Realm’s Quasi-Saints engaged the Buddhist Sect’s fighters, while Lin Tian watched and revealed that Wutian was his disciple and had arrived through his arrangement.

Lin Tian’s forces defeated Spirit Mountain as Wutian revealed that he regarded Lin Tian as his master. With Spirit Mountain broken and the Great Tang’s power expanded across the Western Ox-Herding Continent, Lin Tian asked Xuanzang what he planned to do next.

• Tathagata tried to escape with Spirit Mountain’s Quasi-Saints, but used his lotus throne to break through Wutian’s seal and fled with several Buddhas and disciples.
• Lin Tian offered to spare Spirit Mountain’s monks if they surrendered, and many laid down their weapons while the holdouts were killed.
• Wutian stepped down from his lotus throne, bowed to Lin Tian, and called him Master, shocking the Great Tang cultivators and the Saints Jieyin and Zhunti.
• The Great Tang absorbed Spirit Mountain’s dependent kingdoms, while Lin Tian rescued Immortal Bi Lu and the other Jiejiao members and sent them back to Golden Turtle Island.
• Lin Tian asked Xuanzang what he planned to do after his journey west had reached a satisfactory conclusion.

After the Buddhist Sect’s fall, Xuanzang rejected it and became Lin Tian’s disciple, then absorbed merit that greatly strengthened the westbound party. He reunited with his parents and returned to the Golden Mountain Temple, where Elder Faming offered him the abbacy.

• Xuanzang told Lin Tian he planned to visit the Golden Mountain Temple and his parents, and Lin Tian offered to accept him as a disciple.
• Xuanzang became Lin Tian’s disciple, received the Eight-Nine Arcane Art, and cultivated as the Merit Golden Light raised his strength to peak Great Encompassing Golden Immortal; Monkey Sun advanced to Quasi-Saint, while the others reached Great Encompassing Golden Immortal.
• After the party returned to Great Tang, Xuanzang reunited with Chen Guangrui and his wife, and Lin Tian gave his new disciple several Innate Spiritual Treasures.
• Lin Tian accompanied Xuanzang to the desolate Golden Mountain Temple, where Elder Faming welcomed him back and offered him the position of abbot.

After Chen Yi let go of his obsession with the Buddhist Sect, Lin Tian sensed the Human Race’s fortune rising and turned his attention to cultivation. He began investigating the Chaos Pearl and encountered a fleeting, overwhelming will within it.

• Chen Yi realized the Human Race’s flourishing had surpassed the Buddhist promise of the Elysium World, and his cultivation bottleneck began to loosen.
• Lin Tian sent Chen Yi back to the Academy to stabilize his cultivation before attempting to break through to Quasi-Saint.
• The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors celebrated Lin Tian’s victory over Spirit Mountain and resolved to cultivate so they could aid the Human Race in the future.
• Lin Tian studied the Chaos Pearl and sent a wisp of soul power into it, briefly sensing what he believed was the Heavenly Dao’s will before it vanished.

Lin Tian entered the Chaos Pearl to cultivate the Power Law, while Ancestor Hongjun intervened to watch over him. In the Heavenly Court, the Jade Emperor ordered the Nine Luminaries Star Lords to stir up conflict among the Great Tang heirs and disrupt the Human Race.

• Lin Tian entered the primordial world inside the Chaos Pearl to cultivate the Power Law.
• Ancestor Hongjun sensed that someone had favored Lin Tian and sent a streak of red light to watch over him.
• The Jade Emperor grew angry while hunting and demanded that the Nine Luminaries Star Lords locate the fleeing Buddhist Quasi-Saints.
• The Nine Luminaries Star Officials proposed exploiting tensions over the Great Tang succession to weaken the Human Race.
• The Jade Emperor assigned the Nine Luminaries Star Lords to sow discord among the Great Tang heirs and make trouble for Lin Tian.

The Nine Luminaries Star Lords recruited the Seven Northern Dipper Star Lords for a mission to sow discord among the Great Tang princes, intending to claim credit and leave their companions to bear the risks. They approached Li Chengqian, who feared Lin Tian’s influence threatened his claim to the throne, and offered to help him become emperor.

• The Jade Emperor approved the Nine Luminaries Star Lords’ request to bring the Seven Northern Dipper Star Lords on their mission.
• Li Chengqian learned that Lin Tian was secluded at Jixia Academy and worried that Lin Tian’s power and popularity could undermine his succession.
• After celestial visitors arrived at the Eastern Palace, Li Chengqian welcomed them respectfully.
• The Nine Luminaries Star Lord and the Big Dipper Star Lord told Li Chengqian that heaven had marked him as a Human Sovereign and that they would help him take the throne.
• Li Chengqian accepted their claim that he was chosen by fate, then admitted that his hold on the throne was uncertain.

Li Chengqian trusted the Heavenly Court Star Lords’ promise to help him claim the throne and agreed to lead them to Jixia Academy, where they planned to exploit the commotion to enter its Treasure Vault. They reached the Academy while Lin Tian was in seclusion, and Li Chengqian’s arrogant demands brought him face-to-face with Xu Mao Gong.

• The Nine Luminaries Star Lord persuaded Li Chengqian that taking control of Jixia Academy would help him secure the throne.
• The Nine Luminaries Star Lord and the North Pole Star Lord urged Li Chengqian to act arrogantly, while secretly planning to use him as a distraction to enter the Academy’s Treasure Vault.
• Li Chengqian agreed to their plan, and the Heavenly Court group flew with him to Jixia Academy.
• Li Chengqian demanded that the Academy open its gates and welcome him, and Xu Mao Gong arranged for him to be admitted.
• Xu Mao Gong told Li Chengqian that Lin Tian was in seclusion and that he was responsible for the Academy’s affairs.

Li Chengqian tried to seize control of Jixia Academy, but his arrogance enraged its people and exposed his contempt for the commoners. As the academy hesitated to act because he was Lin Tian's elder brother, a voice from within ordered Xu Mao Gong to grant Li Chengqian's wish.

• Li Chengqian announced that the Eastern Palace would take over Jixia Academy, prompting anger from the academy's people and alarm among the Nine Luminaries Star Lords.
• The Nine Luminaries Star Lords argued that Jixia Academy belonged to the Great Tang, but Xu Mao Gong rejected their claim and the academy's great encompassing golden immortals gathered to resist.
• Li Chengqian demanded to know why Lin Tian was better than him, and Xu Mao Gong challenged him to compare what each had done for the common people.
• Li Chengqian called the common people lowborn slaves, so Xu Mao Gong ordered the academy's people to seize him.
• Li Chengqian invoked his status as Lin Tian's elder brother, causing the academy's people to hesitate, then insulted them again.
• A voice from within Jixia Academy told Xu Mao Gong to grant Li Chengqian's wish.

Lin Tian emerged from seclusion and found Li Chengqian causing trouble at Jixia Academy with the Heavenly Court’s help. He ordered Li Chengqian’s execution, leaving the Nine Luminaries Star Lords scrambling to distance themselves.

• Lin Tian’s emergence frightened Li Chengqian and alarmed the Heavenly Court agents, who had expected him to remain in seclusion.
• Lin Tian threw the battered Big Dipper Star Lord before Li Chengqian and the others, exposing the failed attempt to infiltrate the Treasure Vault.
• Lin Tian appeared at Jixia Academy and ordered his people to seize Li Chengqian and set a date for his execution.
• Li Chengqian protested that he was the crown prince and Lin Tian’s elder brother, but Lin Tian ignored him.
• Li Chengqian begged the Nine Luminaries Star Lord to save him and revealed that the Star Lord had sent him to cause trouble, prompting the Star Lord to feign ignorance.

Lin Tian ordered Li Chengqian executed and killed the Nine Luminaries Star Lord and Big Dipper Star Lord after they tried to escape. In Chang’an, Li Shimin accepted Li Chengqian’s death and asked his ministers who should become the next heir; Wei Zheng and Xiao Yu both proposed Lin Tian.

• Li Chengqian accused the Nine Luminaries Star Lords of manipulating him, but Lin Tian ordered him killed, and a Jixia Academy student executed him.
• The Nine Luminaries Star Lord and Big Dipper Star Lord tried to flee when Lin Tian’s people moved to seize them, but Yuchi Gong killed them both.
• Lin Tian sent Li Chengqian’s remains and an account of his crimes to Chang’an, where Li Shimin read the report and declared that Li Chengqian deserved to die.
• Li Shimin asked Wei Zheng and Xiao Yu who should succeed Li Chengqian as heir, and both ministers answered that Lin Tian should take the position.

The Heavenly Dao invested Lin Tian as the Human Sovereign, strengthening his cultivation and deepening his connection to the Human Race. Li Shimin arranged an investiture ceremony in Chang'an, while Lin Tian remained focused on cultivation.

• Hongjun announced that the Heavenly Dao had invested Lin Tian as the Human Sovereign for his role in the Human Race's flourishing.
• Lin Tian merged the Heavenly Dao's golden seal with his Kongtong Seal and felt his strength and understanding of Imperial Law rise.
• The Three Sovereigns at Fire Cloud Palace celebrated Lin Tian's investiture and planned to congratulate him and offer their assistance.
• Daoist Zhunti and Daoist Jieyin worried that opposing Lin Tian would bring heavy karma and could lead to Spirit Mountain's destruction.
• Li Shimin ordered a sovereign's investiture ceremony to be held in three days, and invitations went out across the Three Realms.
• Three days later, Chang'an bustled with people as Lin Tian showed little interest in mundane affairs and focused on cultivation.

Lin Tian returned to Chang'an and refused to take charge of state affairs, recommending Li Zhi while warning Li Shimin and his ministers about hidden threats to the Human Race. At Lin Tian’s Human Sovereign investiture celebration, Great Emperor Ziwei arrived intending to disrupt the ceremony, and another quasi-saint appeared.

• Lin Tian arrived in Chang'an and told Li Shimin he would rather cultivate than manage state affairs, recommending Li Zhi as a future ruler.
• Lin Tian explained the Heaven-and-Earth Karmic Calamity and earlier calamities to Li Shimin and the ministers, then urged them to keep strengthening the Human Race.
• Great Emperor Ziwei arrived at the celebration with false smiles, intending to cause trouble on the Jade Emperor’s orders.
• Great Emperor Ziwei looked down on Lin Tian’s gathering after seeing no allied quasi-saints among the guests.
• Another quasi-saint aura descended, and a graceful woman appeared before the assembled guests.

Lin Tian accepted congratulations on becoming Human Sovereign, rebuffed Great Emperor Ziwei, and welcomed the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, strengthening the Human Race’s standing. Back at his residence, he sensed a powerful demonic presence near Li Zhi’s princely residence and decided to investigate.

• Nine Phoenixes delivered ten drops of Pan Gu Blood Essence from Houtu, and Lin Tian accepted the gift.
• Holy Mother Wudang and Great Immortal Zhen Yuanzi arrived and were escorted to the Imperial Garden, angering Great Emperor Ziwei.
• Great Emperor Ziwei insulted the other guests, attacked Lin Tian, and fled after Lin Tian slapped him away.
• The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors of Fire Cloud Palace arrived, adding eight Quasi-Saints to the Human Race’s ranks.
• After the banquet, Lin Tian returned to his Prince’s Residence and sensed a powerful demonic aura near Li Zhi’s residence, prompting him to investigate.