Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Ancestor Minghe decides to establish the Asura Teaching, reasoning that other religious founders gained Heavenly Dao merit and that he might improve his cultivation.
• He declares the Sea of Blood his foundation, vows to teach the Asura people through six divisions and thirty-six thousand paths, and calls on the Heavenly Dao to bear witness.
• The Heavenly Dao responds with an overwhelming display, leading Minghe to believe he will receive a major reward.
• Daochen and the Three Pure Ones watch the disturbance with amusement, while Jieyin and Zhunti take it as a pointed reminder of their own humiliating history with Heavenly Dao merit.
• Instead of merit, the heavens unleash tens of thousands of enormous Chaos Divine Thunderbolts, each carrying the force of a late Quasi-Saint’s full-power attack. Minghe realizes he may be in mortal danger.

Character developments and interactions

• Minghe is ambitious and increasingly reckless in his pursuit of merit. He dismisses other powers as shortsighted, but his confidence collapses into terror when the thunder arrives.
• Daochen finds Minghe’s scheme comically foolish, viewing it as an attempt to reverse the damage caused by the ancient Dao-Demon War.
• Jieyin and Zhunti feel mocked by Minghe’s public appeal to the Heavenly Dao. Bitter and resentful, they resolve to retaliate against the Asura Race through Buddhist conversion efforts.
• The Three Pure Ones react with private admiration for Minghe’s audacity, though they regard his actions as another way of courting disaster.

Significant themes

• Ambition and recklessness: Minghe’s hope for advancement blinds him to the danger of his vow.
• Divine judgment and unintended consequences: A grand response from the Heavenly Dao proves to be a punishment, not a reward.
• Humiliation and rivalry: Jieyin and Zhunti’s resentment turns Minghe’s actions into a personal affront.
• Satire: The chapter contrasts Minghe’s lofty claims with the absurdly catastrophic result.

Plot and key events

• The Heavenly Dao answers Ancestor Minghe’s founding of the Asura Teaching not with merit, but with ten thousand bolts of Chaos Lightning. Panicking, Minghe gathers the six Asura clans and retreats with them into the depths of the Netherworld Sea of Blood.
• Powerful figures across the Primordial World watch in astonishment as the lightning gathers. Daochen, now a Sage, finds the spectacle hilarious.
• Daochen summons Bai Ze, who fears he is about to be punished for previously spoiling the Demon Emperor’s fun. Instead, Daochen orders him to deliver Minghe a Ginseng Fruit and a pointed congratulatory message.
• The lightning strikes the Netherworld Sea of Blood, dispersing much of its accumulated foul energy and unleashing enormous waves. Minghe shields the Asura clans with blood-red defenses powered by his Blood God Sons, but the lightning still shakes him and leaves him suffering.

Character developments and interactions

• Minghe shifts from panic to desperate protectiveness, shielding his people while inwardly regretting his decision to found a teaching.
• Daochen displays the confidence and power of a Sage, casually pulling Bai Ze from hiding. He jokes at Minghe’s expense, but his message also carries a threat rooted in their past rivalry.
• Bai Ze is terrified of Daochen at first, then cautiously questions the cruelty of sending Minghe a gift during his crisis. He ultimately obeys when Daochen’s tone turns cold.
• The Asura clans are largely helpless before the catastrophe; weaker members are knocked unconscious, while Minghe’s defenses protect them from the worst of the attack.

Significant themes

• Ambition and consequences: Minghe’s attempt to establish his own teaching brings calamity rather than recognition.
• Power and intimidation: Daochen’s Sagehood makes even powerful figures fear his authority.
• Mockery amid disaster: Daochen treats Minghe’s danger as entertainment, underscoring their antagonistic history and the chapter’s darkly comic tone.

Key plot points

• Ancestor Minghe’s attempt to establish the Demonic Dao and its many heterodox paths triggers a devastating tribulation of Nine Heavens Divine Thunder over the Netherworld Sea of Blood.
• Minghe survives by hiding beneath the sea and using his billion Blood God Son clones as shields, though more than half are destroyed. When a cold, seemingly Heavenly Dao presence appears, he and the Asura clansmen kneel and beg forgiveness; the presence eventually withdraws.
• Bai Ze arrives with a Ginseng Fruit from Demon Emperor Daochen. Wary that this is a trap, Minghe initially refuses to appear, but Bai Ze insists he will wait and reminds him he came on the Demon Emperor’s orders.
• Bai Ze presents the fruit as a reward for Minghe’s ambitious undertaking, urging him to keep founding heterodox sects and suggesting that sainthood might follow. Unable to keep a straight face, Bai Ze laughs; Minghe, humiliated and enraged, spits blood three times.
• Bai Ze leaves for the Heavenly Court, having completed his mission.

Character developments and interactions

• Minghe shifts from terrified survivor to suspicious host, then becomes the butt of Bai Ze’s mockery. His insistence on calling the punishment a “breakthrough” reveals his self-protective shamelessness, while his blood-spitting shows how deeply the ridicule wounds him.
• Bai Ze remains cautious around the dangerous tribulation, but firmly carries out Daochen’s order. He delivers the gift with deliberately ironic praise, openly laughing at Minghe’s failed scheme.
• The Asura clansmen follow Minghe’s lead, kneeling before the Heavenly Dao’s apparent presence.
• Minghe’s wary exchange with Bai Ze contrasts with Bai Ze’s confident, taunting humor: Minghe fears a Demon Race attack, while Bai Ze frames the gift as both a reward and a sarcastic warning.

Significant themes

• Hubris and unintended consequences: Minghe’s grand plan provokes a punishing response rather than the recognition he hoped for.
• Humiliation and reputation: His repeated misfortunes make him a public laughingstock, magnifying the personal cost of failure.
• Power and fear: Even a mighty Quasi-Saint is helpless before the Heavenly Dao’s overwhelming force.
• Irony: A supposed reward and encouragement become a vehicle for mockery, leaving Minghe worse off emotionally than the gift suggests.

Key plot points and events

• At the Jade Void Palace, the newly ascended Three Pure Ones discuss how to secure enough fortune for their sects. The Human Race’s fortune is largely held by Nüwa and Daochen, while Daochen also commands the Demon Race’s fortune.
• The Three Pure Ones recognize that Daochen is too powerful to challenge directly. Yuanshi, especially, resents him and fears that becoming a Saint still will not prevent Daochen from humiliating him.
• The Human Race is developing rapidly after Laozi taught it the Golden Core Great Dao. Its growth will eventually push it beyond the Eastern Seashore and into conflict with the Witch-Demon Clans.
• The clans are currently at peace: Daochen has made an arrangement with Dijiang, the demons avoid provoking the witches, and the Ancestral Witches are secluded. Laozi worries that if humanity expands while both clans are stable, it could be destroyed before it has a chance to rise.
• The Three Pure Ones conclude that a Witch-Demon war would give humanity room to grow, but they cannot find a safe way to provoke one. Their discussion is interrupted when Red Essence Child reports that Guangchengzi has been gravely wounded by the Great Shaman Xingtian.

Character developments and interactions

• Laozi remains outwardly calm but privately recognizes that humanity’s rise is precarious. Despite being treated as the Three Pure Ones’ leader, he has no solution and prefers to avoid taking action.
• Yuanshi is impatient, ambitious, and openly resentful of Daochen. His frustration spills over into a sharp rebuke of Tongtian, then he presses Laozi for an answer.
• Tongtian identifies the need to spark conflict between the clans, but Yuanshi dismisses his observation as useless because he offers no practical method.
• Daochen, though absent, dominates the conversation: his power, control of the Demon Race’s fortune, and willingness to retaliate make the Three Pure Ones reluctant to act.
• Red Essence Child’s urgent report shifts the chapter from strategic debate to an immediate crisis involving Xingtian and Guangchengzi.

Significant themes

• Power and political calculation: Even Saints must compete for fortune and influence, while fear of stronger rivals limits their choices.
• The cost of peace: Stability between the Witch-Demon Clans protects the present order but may prevent humanity from finding room to flourish.
• Ambition versus caution: The Three Pure Ones want to advance their sects, yet provoking either clan—or Daochen—could bring disastrous consequences.
• Humanity’s fragile rise: Human progress creates both opportunity and danger, as expansion may bring the race into conflict with powers far beyond it.

Key plot points and events

• Guangchengzi and Red Essence Child return to Mount Kunlun after being chased from Mount Buzhou by the Witch Clan. Guangchengzi is badly injured.
• Laozi and Tongtian question Red Essence Child and learn that the pair went to Mount Buzhou seeking spiritual treasures, hoping to regain face after an earlier defeat by Zhao Gongming and the Three Xiao Sisters.
• After finding two innate spiritual treasures, Guangchengzi identifies himself as a disciple of the Three Pure Ones. The Witch Clan takes this as an insult and pursues them, with Great Shaman Xingtian leading the attack.
• Xingtian is now outside Yuanshi’s Jade Void Palace, where several of Yuanshi’s other disciples are trying to hold him off.
• Tongtian and Laozi refuse to take responsibility for the dispute. Yuanshi decides he must confront it to protect his reputation, but warns his disciples that further trouble with the Witch Clan or Demon Race could get them expelled.

Character developments and interactions

• Yuanshi is fiercely protective of his disciples and reacts with anger, but recognizes that he has been pulled into a conflict he hoped to avoid. He strikes Red Essence Child and takes responsibility for the mess while threatening future punishment.
• Tongtian bluntly criticizes the disciples and leaves Yuanshi to handle the consequences.
• Laozi questions Red Essence Child to uncover the truth, then stays out of the dispute.
• Guangchengzi and Red Essence Child are shown as resentful after their previous defeat and reckless in pursuing revenge. Guangchengzi’s arrogance worsens the situation; Red Essence Child escapes by carrying the injured Guangchengzi.
• The Three Pure Ones’ differing responses expose their strained priorities: Tongtian and Laozi want to avoid entanglement, while Yuanshi feels bound by his duty to defend his disciples.

Significant themes

• Pride and consequences: Guangchengzi’s boastful claim of status turns a potentially manageable encounter into a fight.
• Loyalty versus prudence: Yuanshi’s devotion to his disciples forces him toward a conflict he would rather avoid.
• Political entanglement and karmic risk: A local dispute threatens to draw the Three Pure Ones into the wider tribal-demon conflict they had been trying to manipulate from a distance.

Plot points and events

• Yuanshi and Red Essence Child arrive at Mount Kunlun to find the grounds devastated by the Witch Clan’s battle with the Three Pure Ones. Yellow Dragon Daoist, Manjushri, and Samantabhadra have been badly beaten by the Great Witches.
• Yuanshi suppresses the Witch Clan with his Sage power, then demands they leave Mount Kunlun and accuses them of disrupting the sacred grounds.
• Xingtian refuses to withdraw unless Yuanshi hands over Guangchengzi, whom the Witch Clan accuses of stealing their treasure and harming their people. He argues that retreating without justice would make the Witch Clan appear guilty.
• Yuanshi avoids killing the Witches, wary of being drawn further into the Lich-Tribe calamity, but traps them in a barrier, intending to starve them into surrender.
• Laozi approves the restraint, believing the Witches will eventually leave rather than risk a direct confrontation. Tongtian is likewise relieved that the dispute has not turned into further violence.
• In the West, Jieyin and Zhunti are also anxious about the wider conflict, especially because of their enormous debts.

Character developments and interactions

• Xingtian shows the Witch Clan’s defiance and sense of justice, challenging Yuanshi while carefully avoiding words that could provoke a Sage unnecessarily.
• Yuanshi is furious at the damage and his disciples’ injuries, but tempers his response to avoid greater karmic consequences. His solution is coercive rather than conciliatory.
• Laozi prioritizes caution and limiting the Three Pure Ones’ involvement in the calamity; Tongtian hopes the conflict can still be settled peacefully.
• Yuanshi and Xingtian clash over responsibility: Yuanshi frames the Witches as disorderly intruders, while Xingtian points to Guangchengzi’s alleged theft and attacks as the cause.
• The injured disciples reunite with Yuanshi and take medicine, grateful for his arrival after being overwhelmed by the Great Witches.

Significant themes

• Power versus justice: Yuanshi’s authority lets him control the scene, but the Witch Clan insists that strength does not erase the need for accountability.
• Pride and reputation: Xingtian refuses to retreat because doing so would make the Witch Clan seem culpable; Yuanshi, meanwhile, protects his dignity and authority.
• Restraint amid looming catastrophe: The Sages avoid outright killing, not from reconciliation but from fear of karmic consequences and deeper entanglement in the Lich-Tribe calamity.
• Escalation through coercion: Yuanshi’s barrier postpones open combat but leaves the underlying grievance unresolved.

Plot points and events

• Jieyin and Zhunti worry that the Witch and Demon Clans’ restraint is preventing the Human Race—and their own religious orders—from gaining influence. The smaller clans cannot provide enough fortune to repay their heavenly Dao debt.
• With no good options, the brothers decide to ask Daochen for help spreading their doctrine among the Demon Race. To win his favor, Zhunti proposes capturing Ancestor Minghe, who has a history with Daochen, and presenting him as a token of goodwill.
• Minghe, recovering from injuries in the Netherworld Sea of Blood, senses danger and hides deeper within it.
• On Mount Kunlun, Xingtian and the other trapped Great Shamans refuse to yield to Yuanshi, while Yuanshi refuses to release or even notify them. Other groups also avoid intervening, leaving the standoff to fester.
• Jieyin and Zhunti arrive at the Sea of Blood in an impressive display of Sage power, purifying the vengeful ghosts and transforming them into novice monks. They call for Minghe, but neither he nor the Asura appear.

Character developments and interactions

• Jieyin shows practical desperation: despite fearing Daochen, he believes they must risk approaching him to escape their debt.
• Zhunti is wary of Daochen but devises the plan to capture Minghe, treating the old grudge as a way to gain favor.
• Minghe becomes suspicious of an unseen threat and retreats into hiding.
• Xingtian and the Great Shamans maintain their defiant spirit despite being trapped; Yuanshi responds with anger and stubborn pride. The Chan disciples likewise refuse to help them.
• Jieyin and Zhunti present themselves as serene, compassionate masters, but their plan to seize Minghe reveals their opportunism. Their grand entrance ends in irritation when everyone ignores them.

Significant themes

• Pride and impasse: The Kunlun conflict persists because neither Yuanshi nor the trapped Witches will back down.
• Debt and ambition: Jieyin and Zhunti’s pursuit of religious fortune is driven by the burden of their heavenly Dao debt.
• Appearance versus motive: The brothers’ saintly display contrasts with their self-serving scheme.
• Isolation and evasion: Minghe hides, while others avoid involving themselves in the Kunlun standoff, allowing conflicts to deepen.

Key plot points and events

• Jieyin and Zhunti, now Sages, arrive above the Netherworld Sea of Blood and begin converting its wronged souls and ghosts with Buddhist light and chanting. Ancestor Minghe refuses to appear.
• The pair intensify their Six-Character Mantra, which reaches the Asura Race and causes many Asuras pain; some begin to lose their ferocity and seem close to conversion.
• Minghe cuts off the mantra’s influence inside the Sea of Blood and shields the Asuras. He refuses to leave the protection of the Sea, fearing the combined power of two Sages.
• To avoid appearing openly defiant, Minghe sends the Asura Vemacitrin to speak for him. Vemacitrin claims Minghe is injured and secluded in recovery.
• Jieyin and Zhunti distrust the explanation. Lacking disciples for their Western Religion, they decide to take the Asuras to Mount Sumeru to strengthen their religion.

Character developments

• Minghe is wary and calculating: he protects his people but avoids direct confrontation, knowing the Sea of Blood is his safest defense.
• Jieyin and Zhunti move from preaching compassion to pursuing converts more forcefully. Their need to build up their religion shapes their interest in the Asuras.
• Vemacitrin obeys Minghe despite his fear, acting as the ancestor’s intermediary before the two Sages.

Significant themes

• Religious conversion and coercion: Buddhist teachings are presented as a force capable of overriding others’ identities and wills.
• Power and self-preservation: Minghe’s refusal to emerge reflects the danger of challenging stronger opponents and the importance of strategic refuge.
• Religious ambition: Jieyin and Zhunti’s stated compassion is complicated by their desire for disciples and religious influence.

Character interactions

• Jieyin and Zhunti’s displays of power provoke Minghe, who counters them to protect the Asuras.
• Minghe dismisses an Asura’s suggestion that he personally confront the Sages, then orders Vemacitrin to deliver a diplomatic excuse.
• Jieyin questions Vemacitrin and uses Buddhist light against him; Vemacitrin endures it while relaying Minghe’s message.

Key plot points and events

• Unable to draw Ancestor Minghe out, Jieyin and Zhunti turn their Buddhist conversion efforts on the Asura Race. They unleash the Great Vajra Mantra, filling the Netherworld Sea of Blood with Buddhist light, chanting, and an image of a vast Buddha Kingdom.
• The mantra penetrates Minghe’s defenses and begins transforming the asuras, softening their aggression and awakening reverence for Buddhism.
• Vemacitrin, whom Minghe had sent to dismiss the visitors, is converted first. Jieyin gives him the title Wrathless Vajra, and Zhunti grants him the Dharma name Chitra.
• When Vemacitrin asks what “Wrathless Vajra” means, Zhunti improvises that it means “no smiling.” Jieyin reluctantly backs him up, and the newly converted asuras adopt the rule by baring their fangs instead.
• More asuras join the Western Buddhist Sect, giving the two Sages a sizeable new following even though Minghe remains hidden.
• Just as Jieyin and Zhunti prepare to leave with their converts, a thunderous roar erupts from the Sea of Blood, setting up an interruption.

Character developments and interactions

• Jieyin and Zhunti shift from trying to confront Minghe directly to targeting his people. Their successful conversions delight them, though their solemn religious display is undercut by Zhunti’s absurd explanation and Jieyin’s exasperation.
• Vemacitrin/Chitra changes from a fierce, hostile asura into a reverent Buddhist disciple. He earnestly follows the instruction not to smile, reverting to a frightening expression when he suppresses his awkward grin.
• Ancestor Minghe is furious and alarmed as the chanting reaches his followers, but he does not appear before the chapter ends.
• Jieyin and Zhunti’s interaction is comic: Jieyin privately rebukes Zhunti for misleading their new disciple, then reluctantly supports him to avoid undermining a fellow Sage.

Significant themes

• Conversion as power: The Sages bypass Minghe’s defenses by influencing the Asura Race rather than attacking him.
• Religious authority and improvisation: Vemacitrin accepts the Sages’ teachings, while Zhunti invents a meaning for his title on the spot.
• Comedy through contradiction: A supposedly wrathless Buddhist order is defined by forbidding smiles, leaving its members grimacing with bared fangs.
• Victory with consequences: Jieyin and Zhunti gain converts, but the sudden roar suggests their success may provoke a new confrontation.

Key plot points and events

• Jieyin and Zhunti arrive at the Netherworld Sea of Blood to convert the Asura Race. Ancestor Minghe confronts them, furious that they are taking his people, but his apparent appearance is only a Dharma Body.
• Jieyin destroys the Dharma Body, then he and Zhunti strike the Sea of Blood with a Buddhist Demon-Subduing Seal before leaving. Minghe can only rage and curse from within his domain.
• Bai Ze and Fuxi report to Demon Emperor Daochen that Xingtian clashed with Guangchengzi and pursued him to Mount Kunlun. Yuanshi trapped the Witch Clan pursuers there, apparently intending to starve them into submission. The Twelve Ancestral Witches have not yet learned what happened.
• Daochen sees the dispute as an opportunity for the Demon Race. He orders his subordinates to inform the Ancestral Witches—deliberately delaying the message so that the trapped warriors suffer first and provoke a stronger response.

Character developments and interactions

• Minghe is enraged but remains too cautious to risk his true body against the two Sages. His reliance on a Dharma Body lets him vent his anger without confronting them directly.
• Jieyin and Zhunti act with confidence born of their Sagehood. They dismiss Minghe’s protest, destroy his projection, and continue their campaign to convert the Asuras.
• Daochen is calculating and opportunistic: rather than intervening directly, he plans to exploit Yuanshi’s aggression to redirect the Witch Clan’s hostility toward the Three Pure Ones.
• Bai Ze and Fuxi serve as Daochen’s informants and carry out his political maneuvering.

Significant themes

• Power and cowardice: Sagehood gives Jieyin and Zhunti overwhelming force, while Minghe’s caution leaves him powerless despite his resources.
• Manipulation and political strategy: Daochen turns another faction’s conflict into a tool for advancing Demon interests.
• Escalating conflict: Yuanshi’s attempt to pressure the Witch Clan risks provoking the Ancestral Witches and intensifying the Tribal-Demon Kalpa.

Summary

• The Primordial Heavenly Venerable has trapped witches in a barrier on Mount Kunlun, apparently expecting the Witch Clan to yield. But the witches regard surrender as an affront to their honor and are prepared to resist even at great cost. Their deaths would only intensify their anger toward the Three Pure Ones.
• Daochen reflects that the original Witch-Demon conflict has shifted into a confrontation between the Sages and the Witch Clan. The Demon Race is largely outside the struggle, and he intends to protect the demons under his control rather than risk himself trying to save everyone.
• Daochen sends Bai Ze to deliver a message to the Witch Clan—but deliberately tells him not to hurry. Bai Ze takes his time, and by the time he reaches Pangu Hall, several witches trapped near Mount Kunlun have died.
• The Witch guards initially react warily to Bai Ze, since relations between the clans remain tense despite earlier mediation. Once he explains that he has come on Daochen’s orders to meet Dijiang, they allow a messenger into the hall.
• Dijiang suspects Daochen has a reason for sending Bai Ze. Goumang appears to think the visit may relate to his plan to send Houtu and Xuanming to the Demon Race’s Heavenly Court. Dijiang understands the implication and prepares to receive Bai Ze.
• Before Dijiang can act, Xuanming stomps Dijiang and Goumang flat, apparently silencing their scheme. She then orders that Bai Ze be admitted. Bai Ze hears the commotion and is unnerved by the shaken messenger who comes to escort him inside.

Character developments and interactions

• Daochen remains calculating and self-interested, using strategy rather than force and letting the Sages bear responsibility for the escalating conflict.
• The Primordial Heavenly Venerable appears confident in his pressure campaign, though his unexplained sneeze hints at trouble beyond his awareness.
• Bai Ze is cautious and obedient, following Daochen’s instruction to delay; his composure falters when he senses the violence inside Pangu Hall.
• Dijiang tries to manage the situation and appears to understand Goumang’s intentions, but is abruptly overpowered by Xuanming.
• Goumang continues pursuing the idea of sending Houtu and Xuanming to the Demon Court, despite prior resistance.
• Xuanming asserts authority decisively, physically stopping Dijiang and Goumang before allowing Bai Ze to enter.

Significant themes

• Honor and resistance: The Witch Clan will not submit, even when refusal brings severe losses.
• Political miscalculation: The Sages’ actions are reshaping the conflict, potentially turning the planned Witch-Demon war into a struggle between the Sages and the Witch Clan.
• Self-interest and strategy: Daochen prioritizes his own faction’s survival and prefers manipulation and delay to direct confrontation.
• Power and internal conflict: The dramatic clash within Pangu Hall shows that tensions within the Witch Clan are as forcefully managed as its external disputes.

Plot points and events

• Demon Marshal Bai Ze reluctantly enters Pangu Hall to deliver a message from Demon Emperor Daochen, carrying a protective item in case the volatile Ancestral Witches attack him.
• The Twelve Ancestral Witches have grown much stronger during their seclusion: Xuanming, Dijiang, Rushou, and Houtu have reached the late Quasi-Saint stage, while Goumang has reached the mid stage.
• Houtu receives Bai Ze and asks why he has come. He reports that the Primordial Heavenly Venerable Yuanshi has trapped the Witch Clan’s Xingtian, Jiufeng, Kuafu, and their followers outside Mount Kunlun; unable to enter or leave, some have reportedly starved to death.
• The news enrages all twelve. Houtu asks for details, recognizing that Yuanshi has gone far beyond a dispute between juniors by personally attacking the Great Shamans and ordinary Witch Clan members.

Character developments and interactions

• Bai Ze is fearful and cautious, acutely aware of the Witches’ strength and their history of hostility toward demons. He is relieved when the relatively friendly Houtu, rather than the volatile Xuanming, addresses him.
• Houtu acts as the Witches’ composed, diplomatic voice, but the report quickly reveals her own anger at Yuanshi.
• Dijiang and Goumang try to maintain dignified composure after Xuanming has recently beaten Dijiang. Goumang’s recent cultivation progress gives him pride, though it has not spared him from being physically humbled.
• The Twelve Ancestral Witches shift from wary, almost ravenous attention toward Bai Ze to collective fury once they hear what Yuanshi has done. Their alliance with Daochen has kept them from feasting on demons for thousands of years, underscoring Bai Ze’s unease.

Significant themes

• Power and restraint: The Witches have stayed secluded and avoided confronting the Three Pure Ones, but see Yuanshi’s actions as an intolerable abuse of status.
• Loyalty and protection: The report turns the Witches’ attention to their endangered clan members, uniting them in anger.
• Comic contrast: Bai Ze’s terror and the Witches’ hungry stares provide humor alongside the serious threat of escalating conflict.

Plot points and events

• Bai Ze reports to the Twelve Ancestral Witches that Xingtian and other great shamans pursued Guangchengzi to Mount Kunlun and nearly killed him before the Primordial Heavenly Venerable intervened. Bai Ze exaggerates the story to inflame their anger.
• The witches condemn the Three Pure Ones and decide to attack Mount Kunlun. Dijiang restrains the furious Zhurong long enough to thank Bai Ze and send greetings to Demon Emperor Daochen.
• Bai Ze leaves, shaken by the witches’ power. He resolves to warn Daochen, recognizing that the Witch–Demon truce depends largely on the witches’ fear of him.
• The Twelve Witches depart for Kunlun in their true forms, with Dijiang carrying Pangu Divine Hall. Their killing intent alarms the powerful beings watching across the Primordial World, who debate whether the witches can threaten the now-enlightened Three Pure Ones.
• Jieyin and Zhunti welcome the prospect of a clash: they hope the resulting losses will weaken the Witch Clan and create an opening for the Human Race—and their own sect—to expand. They also decide to convert more Asura members.

Character developments and interactions

• Bai Ze acts as a provocateur, disguising his desire for conflict behind a show of concern for the Witch Clan. His fear of the witches’ growing strength prompts him to report back to Daochen.
• Dijiang shows restraint and political courtesy despite the witches’ fury, while Zhurong nearly rushes into battle impulsively. Houtu, usually composed, is also overcome with anger.
• Daochen remains an indirect force shaping the balance between the clans: both the witches’ restraint and Bai Ze’s caution stem from his power.
• Jieyin and Zhunti treat the potential battle as an opportunity, revealing their opportunism and ambition.

Significant themes

• Manipulation and provocation: Bai Ze’s embellished report turns an injury and intervention into a trigger for a major confrontation.
• Power and deterrence: The fragile Witch–Demon peace rests on Daochen’s strength, while the witches’ new cultivation raises fears of a shifting balance.
• Opportunism amid conflict: Jieyin and Zhunti see the threatened battle not as a tragedy but as a chance to advance their interests.
• Uncertainty over power: Observers disagree about whether Pangu Divine Hall and the witches can challenge the sages, building anticipation for the coming clash.

Key plot points and events

• In the Netherworld Sea of Blood, Ancestor Minghe suspects someone is plotting against him and decides to remain there indefinitely. He is unconcerned that Jieyin and Zhunti have taken some Asura followers: he can create more, and his Asura Teaching gains worldly fortune from its followers.
• Minghe privately vows to build that fortune over hundreds of millions of years, attain Sagehood, and eventually take revenge on the Sages who humiliated him.
• Jieyin and Zhunti are pleased by Minghe’s plans, hoping to return later and recruit more Asura. They also expect the coming conflict between the Three Pure Ones and the Twelve Ancestral Witches to create opportunities for Western Buddhism to spread among the Human Race.
• As the two Sages fantasize about their religion’s future dominance, two bolts of Nine Heavens Divine Thunder strike them. The converted Asura beside them are killed outright.
• Furious at losing followers and the worldly fortune they brought, Jieyin and Zhunti unleash their Sage pressure and prepare to find the attacker. Daochen appears from the direction of the lightning, leaving the two stunned.

Character developments

• Minghe shifts toward a strategy of patient isolation and long-term cultivation through his teaching’s worldly fortune, while holding onto a deep desire for revenge.
• Jieyin and Zhunti reveal their calculating ambition: they view the Asura mainly as a source of religious fortune and see wider conflicts as chances to expand their influence. Their composure collapses when their plans are disrupted.
• Daochen enters as the apparent attacker, though his motives and the consequences of the confrontation remain unknown.

Significant themes

• Religious followers as political and spiritual resources: The Asura’s value to the Western religion lies chiefly in the fortune they generate.
• Patient accumulation versus immediate ambition: Minghe plans to grow quietly over ages, while Jieyin and Zhunti seek opportunities to expand quickly.
• Revenge and humiliation: Minghe’s long-term goals are fueled by past disgrace.
• Power and unintended consequences: The Sages’ schemes are interrupted by a forceful intervention, turning their confidence into rage and surprise.

Character interactions

• Minghe indirectly benefits Jieyin and Zhunti by creating more Asura for them to recruit, though he does so for his own teaching’s growth.
• Jieyin and Zhunti discuss how the coming war and future visits to Minghe’s domain might help Western Buddhism prosper.
• After the lightning kills their new followers, the two Sages confront the apparent source—and encounter Daochen.

Key plot points and events

• Daochen suddenly appears before Jieyin and Zhunti, apparently after arriving from the direction of two powerful bolts of Chaos-infused Nine Heavens Divine Thunder.
• The newly ascended Sages panic and pretend they had only been testing their cultivation—not fighting or causing trouble.
• Daochen explains that he came out for a stroll after sensing someone speaking ill of him. Jieyin and Zhunti, realizing he may have heard them, theatrically vow to destroy whoever insulted him, despite being the culprits themselves.
• Amused by their over-the-top denials, Daochen decides not to confront them and heads toward Mount Kunlun, where a major encounter is about to unfold.
• Jieyin and Zhunti try to follow up on their desire to negotiate permission to preach among the Demon Race, but Daochen’s departure interrupts them.

Character developments

• Daochen remains calm, powerful, and playful. His effortless appearance unsettles the Sages, and he chooses to let their blustering slide.
• Jieyin and Zhunti show that, despite attaining Sagehood, they remain intimidated by Daochen. They quickly abandon their anger and resort to shameless flattery and denial.
• Jieyin takes the lead in smoothing things over, while Zhunti echoes—and even outdoes—his threats against the supposed offender.

Significant themes

• Power and insecurity: Jieyin and Zhunti’s new status cannot hide how far they believe they remain beneath Daochen.
• Hypocrisy and comic self-preservation: The pair condemn an unnamed offender who is, in fact, themselves.
• Political calculation: Their anger over Daochen’s killing of converted Asura fades because they expect Ancestor Minghe can help replenish their converts.
• Conflict held in check: Daochen anticipates that the coming confrontation at Mount Kunlun may not become a full battle, given the wider tribal-demon crisis and Laozi’s likely restraint.

Character interactions

• Daochen’s quiet arrival startles both Sages and exposes their fear of him.
• Jieyin and Zhunti exchange uneasy looks and discreetly push each other to maintain their polite facade.
• Daochen teases them by revealing he heard their insults; they respond with increasingly extravagant promises of vengeance.
• When Daochen heads to Mount Kunlun, the pair anxiously ask to accompany him, hoping to preserve their chance to negotiate with him.

Key plot points and events

• Daochen proposes visiting Mount Kunlun to see the Three Pure Ones. Zhunti and Jieyin reluctantly accompany him, hoping to keep Daochen close and quietly anticipating conflict between the Three Pure Ones and the Twelve Ancestral Witches.
• Outside Kunlun, the Ancestral Witches discover that Yuanshi’s golden barrier has trapped Xingtian, Jiufeng, Kuafu, and other Witch Clan members for a long time. Unable to obtain food, many have starved to death; even the surviving Great Shamans are near collapse.
• Zhurong and Xuanming fail to break the barrier. Dijiang then summons the Pangu Divine Hall, whose killing intent weakens it. The Ancestral Witches join forces, and their attacks spread cracks across the barrier.
• Laozi, Tongtian, and Yuanshi arrive. The Witches condemn the Three Pure Ones, especially Yuanshi, for using the imprisonment to force their clan to submit and causing their people’s deaths.
• Laozi and Tongtian are stunned by the prisoners’ condition. They had known Yuanshi was trying to restrain the Witches, but had not expected him to let the captives starve. They fear his actions may drag all Three Pure Ones into the coming Tribal-Demon Kalpa.

Character developments

• Jieyin and Zhunti put their interests first: despite fearing the Witches, they accompany Daochen to preserve their relationship with him and hope the conflict benefits them.
• Xuanming shows personal grief and fury over Xingtian’s suffering, since he belongs to her tribe and she helped raise him.
• Dijiang and the other Ancestral Witches respond to their clan’s deaths with collective force, attacking the barrier rather than backing down.
• Laozi and Tongtian turn against Yuanshi’s judgment, alarmed that his unilateral actions could endanger them all.
• Yuanshi is revealed as having imposed severe, potentially lethal punishment on the trapped Witches to compel their submission.

Significant themes

• Pride and stubbornness: The Witches refuse to yield, even at the cost of their own lives.
• The consequences of unilateral action: Yuanshi’s decision threatens to embroil his brothers in a major conflict.
• Loyalty and clan bonds: Xuanming’s anguish and the Witches’ retaliation stem from their ties to their people.
• Self-interest amid conflict: Zhunti and Jieyin view the brewing confrontation partly as an opportunity for their own side.

Character interactions

• Daochen leads Zhunti and Jieyin toward Kunlun, while they mask their reluctance with polite agreement.
• The Ancestral Witches confront the Three Pure Ones with accusations; their anger centers on Yuanshi, though they condemn all three.
• Xuanming’s reaction to Xingtian’s condition intensifies the Witches’ assault.
• Laozi and Tongtian’s alarm shifts the conflict from a Witches-versus-Yuanshi dispute into a threat to the Three Pure Ones’ unity and standing.

Key plot points

• The Primordial Heavenly Venerable realizes the karmic retribution haunting him comes from the Witch Clan members he trapped outside Mount Kunlun and left to starve while he was in seclusion.
• He removes the barrier, revealing that nearly all the hundreds of imprisoned Witches have died. Only Xingtian, Jiufeng, Kuafu, and Xiangliu are still alive, gravely weakened.
• Houtu uses Three Lights Divine Water to stabilize the survivors, though they will need centuries of recovery.
• The Twelve Ancestral Witches confront Yuanshi over the deaths. Zhurong and Dijiang accuse him of abusing his power, acting dishonorably, and bringing shame on the Sages.
• Yuanshi refuses to accept blame and threatens the Witches with the Pangu Banner. The Twelve answer with Pangu Hall and begin forming the Dutian Divine Fiend Formation, preparing for a confrontation.
• Laozi and Tongtian withdraw, leaving Yuanshi to handle the crisis alone. Yuanshi is furious at their departure and still insists the situation was not his fault.

Character developments and interactions

• Yuanshi is exposed as arrogant and careless: he underestimated the Witches’ resolve, caused their deaths through neglect, and responds to criticism with threats rather than remorse. His actions also risk entangling his fellow Pure Ones in the calamity’s karma.
• The Twelve Ancestral Witches act in solidarity, prioritizing their injured kin and then confronting Yuanshi as a united force. Their anger escalates from accusation to preparations for battle.
• Houtu shows compassion by tending to the survivors.
• Laozi and Tongtian condemn Yuanshi’s conduct and refuse to share responsibility for the fallout, signaling a growing fracture among the Three Pure Ones.

Significant themes

• Power and accountability: Sagehood does not shield Yuanshi from the consequences of his actions.
• Karma and unintended consequences: His attempt to force submission instead brings spiritual burden and political danger.
• Pride and blame: Yuanshi’s refusal to admit wrongdoing deepens the conflict.
• Loyalty and division: The Witches unite to defend their people, while the Three Pure Ones begin to split under the strain.

Plot and events

• Laozi and Tongtian abandon Yuanshi outside Mount Kunlun, making clear that he must handle the crisis alone and that they will distance themselves from any fallout.
• The Twelve Ancestral Witches demand an explanation for the deaths and injuries among their people, caused by Yuanshi’s disciples. Yuanshi cannot easily refuse responsibility, especially since Guangchengzi and Red Essence Child helped provoke the conflict.
• Yuanshi tries to retreat into the Jade Void Palace, but Dijiang blocks him with the Pangu Divine Hall. Yuanshi counters with a magical net formed from his power and briefly halts the Hall’s crushing descent.
• Rather than de-escalate, Yuanshi threatens to kill the Twelve Ancestral Witches. His taunts enrage them, and they invoke the Pangu True Form. Its aura is far stronger than before, leaving Yuanshi stunned.
• Daochen watches from a distance, suspecting the Witches’ real advantage lies in the Pangu Divine Hall. Jieyin and Zhunti, who hope a battle will weaken the Witch Clan, announce that they are leaving just as the confrontation erupts.

Character developments and interactions

• Yuanshi is trapped by his concern for his disciples and his pride. He tries to preserve his authority, but his threats only worsen the situation.
• Laozi and Tongtian choose self-preservation over solidarity, though Tongtian offers a brief warning before departing.
• Dijiang stands firm, seeking justice for the Witch Clan and a show of strength that will deter other Sages from attacking them.
• Xuanming and Houtu join the call to fight; even Houtu’s usual restraint gives way to anger.
• Guangchengzi watches fearfully from the Jade Void Palace, having helped create the crisis through his hostility toward the Witches.
• Jieyin and Zhunti privately welcome the prospect of war, hoping the Witches will lose enough members to weaken their formation.
• Daochen remains an amused, cautious observer, while noting that the Witches must have a deeper source of confidence than the Pangu True Form alone.

Significant themes

• Pride and escalation: Yuanshi’s refusal to yield face turns a demand for accountability into an imminent battle.
• Consequences and responsibility: His disciples’ actions place their teacher in a crisis he cannot simply disown.
• Power and deterrence: The Witches fight not only for their fallen but to protect their standing and discourage future attacks.
• Self-interest and political maneuvering: The Three Pure Ones and the Western pair choose their positions according to the risks and benefits to themselves.

Key plot points and events

• Jieyin and Zhunti eye an opportunity to plunder Mount Buzhou while it is largely unoccupied, hoping to reclaim treasures they previously lost. Daochen’s suspicious stare makes them hesitate to leave.
• The Twelve Ancestral Witches combine into Pangu True Form, whose immense presence alarms Laozi and Tongtian. Both fear Yuanshi’s confrontation could pull all Three Pure Ones into the Tribal-Demon Kalpa.
• Yuanshi refuses to back down, even though fighting the Witches risks escalating the conflict. The Witches promptly attack him with a Pangu Axe formed from killing intent.
• Yuanshi counters with the Pangu Banner, but its Chaos qi barely leaves a mark on Pangu True Form. As the Axe bears down, Laozi shields Mount Kunlun and the Three Pure Ones’ cultivation grounds with the Heaven and Earth Yellow-Gold Exquisite Pagoda—while pointedly refusing to protect Yuanshi or join the fight.

Character developments and interactions

• Jieyin and Zhunti reveal their opportunism, but Daochen’s scrutiny restrains them.
• Yuanshi remains too proud to retreat, despite recognizing the danger and being shocked by the weakness of his attack against Pangu True Form.
• Laozi prioritizes protecting the Three Pure Ones’ home and keeps himself out of the battle, leaving Yuanshi to face the Witches alone.
• Tongtian shares Laozi’s concern that Yuanshi’s choices will entangle them in the wider conflict, but does not intervene.
• The Twelve Ancestral Witches show the same impulsive, combative temperament associated with the Witch Clan: they answer Yuanshi’s refusal to yield with immediate force.

Significant themes

• Pride and stubbornness can make conflict unavoidable: Yuanshi will neither fight willingly nor admit fault, yet refuses to back down.
• The Witches’ overwhelming unity challenges the assumption that a Sage is untouchable.
• Self-interest and fractured loyalties shape alliances: Laozi protects his own domain, not his brother, while Jieyin and Zhunti look for personal gain.
• The chapter uses humor and irreverent language to undercut the grandeur of a high-stakes clash.

Plot and key events

• On Mount Kunlun, the Twelve Ancestral Witches’ Pangu True Form battles Yuanshi, the Primordial Heavenly Venerable. Laozi’s Yellow Exquisite Pagoda shields the mountain from destruction as Yuanshi’s attacks force the giant form backward.
• Though Yuanshi is a Sage wielding the Pangu Banner, the Pangu True Form withstands him. Its strength reflects the Witches’ improved cultivation, especially that of Dijiang, Xuanming, Houtu, and Rushou.
• A strike from Yuanshi’s banner shatters the Pangu Axe the Witches have manifested and makes their form grow faint—but they promptly recreate the axe, stronger than before.
• Daochen notices the Pangu Hall above the giant form and senses his Law of Strength imprint respond to it, suggesting the hall may hold another trace of that law. Jieyin and Zhunti interrupt his concentration by chanting; Daochen snaps at them, and they fall silent.
• Seeing the Witches recover, Yuanshi declares that he will kill all Twelve Ancestral Witches rather than tolerate an insult to his status as a Sage.

Character developments and interactions

• Yuanshi grows increasingly angry as his attacks fail to end the fight. He ultimately prioritizes defending his dignity over the wider consequences of the conflict.
• The Twelve Ancestral Witches demonstrate the growing power and resilience of their combined form: its axe can be destroyed, but it can be summoned again with even greater force.
• Daochen becomes more focused on the Law of Strength and its possible connection to the Pangu Hall, while showing irritation toward Jieyin and Zhunti. The two Sages are intimidated by him and obey when he tells them to stop chanting.
• Jieyin and Zhunti privately recognize how fortunate they are that Yuanshi—not they—is facing the Witches, since they lack a Xiantian Supreme Treasure. Guangchengzi, watching from the Jade Purity Realm, is likewise alarmed by the Witches’ potential.

Significant themes

• Power and its limits: Even a Sage with a supreme treasure cannot easily overcome the Witches’ combined might.
• Endurance and renewal: The recreated Pangu Axe shows that the Witches’ power can recover and intensify after a setback.
• Pride and reputation: Yuanshi’s concern for a Sage’s dignity drives him toward escalation.
• The mystery of Pangu’s legacy: The Pangu Hall may contain deeper secrets tied to the Law of Strength and Daochen’s cultivation.