Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Laozi leaves Nuwa’s palace, believing she is delaying Fuxi’s recovery and obstructing the Human Emperor arrangement. He reports her to Hongjun, while Black Tortoise goes to Xu Tong on Kunlun Mountain.
• Hongjun summons the Sages to settle the dispute over the Human Race and the Kongtong Seal. Nuwa argues that Fuxi’s true spirit has not recovered and offers an alternative: Laozi should hand over the seal.
• Yuanshi tries to undermine Nuwa, urging Hongjun to revoke Fuxi’s Heavenly Sovereign position. Hongjun rejects the proposal, saying the position is already settled.
• Zhunti and Jieyin unexpectedly support Nuwa, accusing Laozi and Yuanshi of trying to monopolize the seal. Their intervention turns the dispute into a broader confrontation.
• Hongjun ultimately rules that the Kongtong Seal must remain with Laozi for now. He gives Nuwa a Spirit-Stabilizing Pill for Fuxi and orders that, once stabilized, Fuxi must enter the Human Path through reincarnation.

Character developments and interactions

• Nuwa remains composed and assertive, defending her brother and challenging Laozi’s refusal to cooperate. She is reassured that Fuxi’s position is secure, so Yuanshi’s attempt to revoke it does not unsettle her.
• Laozi seeks Hongjun’s backing when he cannot answer Nuwa’s arguments. He ends the meeting satisfied by the ruling.
• Yuanshi attempts to pressure Nuwa but instead drives Zhunti and Jieyin into openly supporting her, frustrating Laozi.
• Zhunti and Jieyin depart from their usual cautious stance and align with Nuwa, though their delight suggests their support may also serve their own interests.
• Hongjun maintains authority but rules in Laozi’s favor, reflecting hostility toward Nuwa as well as concern over the prescribed course of events.

Significant themes

• Power and favoritism: Hongjun’s decision preserves Laozi’s control of the seal and appears to disadvantage Nuwa.
• Duty versus personal loyalty: Nuwa’s concern for Fuxi conflicts with the demand that he proceed into reincarnation.
• Political maneuvering: The Sages use accusations, alliances, and appeals to authority to influence the outcome.

Key plot points

• After Hongjun insists that Fuxi’s reincarnation proceed, Nuwa takes the Spirit-Stabilizing Pill he gave her to Xu Tong for examination. Xu Tong confirms it is safe.
• Nuwa asks whether Fuxi can be freed from the Kongtong Seal’s role in anchoring Human Race fortune. Xu Tong has no immediate solution, but hints that circumstances may change when the Three Pure Ones fall out.
• Xu Tong suspects Hongjun gave Nuwa the pill partly to warn her about her closeness to him.
• Nuwa uses the pill to restore Fuxi’s true spirit. Laozi and Heavenly Venerable Yuanshi wait outside, claiming they are there to guard her, but their real concern is that further delay is costing them fortune.
• Once Fuxi’s spirit is restored, Nuwa takes him to the Underworld. Houtu is waiting to guide his spirit into the Six Paths of Reincarnation.

Character developments and interactions

• Nuwa moves from caution and hesitation to accepting that Fuxi’s reincarnation can no longer be delayed. She remains protective of her brother and firmly warns Laozi and Yuanshi not to interfere.
• Xu Tong supports Nuwa as an ally but avoids acting directly against the Three Pure Ones while they remain united. He is secretly benefiting from the fortune flowing from Laozi and Yuanshi through the Chaos Bead.
• Laozi and Yuanshi conceal their urgency behind polite assurances, but their anxiety over losing fortune grows. Yuanshi is especially impatient.
• Houtu appears ready to oversee Fuxi’s reincarnation, reflecting her expertise in the Underworld and the Six Paths.

Significant themes

• Power and political maneuvering: The Kongtong Seal, Heavenly Sovereign’s appointment, and the flow of fortune shape the characters’ choices.
• Family loyalty and duty: Nuwa wants to protect Fuxi, even as she must accept his destined role.
• Hidden motives and mistrust: Hongjun’s gift, the Three Pure Ones’ “concern,” and Xu Tong’s apparent restraint all carry strategic implications.

Plot points

• With Fuxi’s true spirit about to enter reincarnation, Laozi urges Nuwa to move forward with the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors plan, which will eventually restore Fuxi’s memories and establish him as the Human Race’s Heavenly Sovereign.
• Houtu proposes taking custody of the Kongtong Seal to stabilize human fortune. Laozi refuses, unwilling to surrender the seal or let Tongtian’s allies benefit from it.
• Nuwa watches Fuxi enter reincarnation, then leaves the Underworld. Soon afterward, Zhunti and another Western Sage arrive to speak with Houtu.
• Zhunti argues that the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors will bring immense merit, and suggests that members of the Witch Clan could become candidates. This immediately catches Houtu’s interest.

Character developments and interactions

• Houtu reveals how strongly she still cares for the Witch Clan and her brothers. She suspects Hongjun manipulated the Witch-Demon War to advance his own plans, including the Human Race’s rise. Though she presents herself as indifferent to merit, Zhunti recognizes that the Witch Clan is her vulnerability.
• Laozi remains protective of the Kongtong Seal and distrustful of Nuwa and Houtu’s apparent alignment with Tongtian. He leaves with Yuanshi after refusing Houtu’s proposal.
• Nuwa stays quiet in the dispute but is determined to help secure the Kongtong Seal while concealing her ties to Xu Tong.
• Zhunti approaches Houtu with a calculated offer, carefully tailoring his pitch to her concern for the Witch Clan.

Significant themes

• Hidden agendas and political maneuvering: Sages interpret one another’s actions through alliances, rivalries, and the pursuit of fortune.
• Merit and power: The Kongtong Seal and sovereign positions are valuable not only symbolically but as sources of influence and merit.
• Loyalty and resentment: Houtu’s enduring attachment to the Witch Clan shapes her choices, while her suspicions of Hongjun deepen.
• Control over the Human Race’s future: The plan for the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors is presented as both a stabilizing measure and a strategic contest over who will guide humanity.

Key plot points and events

• Zhunti proposes that Houtu put members of the Witch Clan forward to compete for the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors positions. The Witch Clan would earn most of the merit, while Zhunti and Jieyin’s disciples would receive a smaller share.
• Houtu, tempted by the chance to help her people, consults Xu Tong before agreeing.
• Xu Tong warns that the positions have effectively been predetermined as part of Hongjun’s plans for Dao Integration. Fuxi is destined to become the Heavenly Sovereign because he is Nuwa’s elder brother—not because Nuwa secured the role for him.
• Houtu accepts Xu Tong’s warning and rejects Zhunti’s proposal, saying she will aid the Witch Clan in other ways.
• Zhunti returns to the Western Lands and tells Jieyin that Houtu refused. Both are baffled, since they believed their combined strength and Houtu’s support could challenge Hongjun.

Character developments and interactions

• Houtu shows her continuing loyalty to the Witch Clan, but her trust in Xu Tong guides her decision. She chooses caution over a potentially risky opportunity.
• Xu Tong reveals how much he understands Hongjun’s plans and the danger of disrupting them. He cautions Houtu because a challenge could provoke Hongjun into escalating the conflict.
• Zhunti and Jieyin are frustrated and confused by Houtu’s refusal. Their plan relied on her willingness to act as the Witch Clan’s champion and potentially bear the consequences.

Significant themes

• Predestination and political maneuvering: Major roles are presented as already assigned, limiting the freedom of other factions to compete.
• Loyalty and responsibility: Houtu seeks merit for her people, while Xu Tong emphasizes the broader consequences of pursuing it.
• Power and risk: Challenging Hongjun could bring benefits, but also threaten the balance of the world—and the Western Lands’ own interests.

Plot points and events

• Zhunti and Jieyin decide to seek a Witch Clan candidate—most likely from the Jiuli Tribe—to gain influence over the Human Race’s Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. They hope to benefit from Hongjun’s karmic debt to the Western Lands.
• Before they can act, Hongjun’s Daoist Attendant delivers a warning: Hongjun wants them to watch an important event involving the Human Race. The brothers suspect Hongjun has noticed their plans and consider abandoning their scheme, though they remain reluctant.
• Hongjun visits Xu Tong and directly asks what he thinks of Fuxi becoming the Human Race’s Heavenly Sovereign. Xu Tong gives a neutral answer, saying the decision belongs to Hongjun.
• A system alert reveals the stakes: if Fuxi does not become Heavenly Sovereign, Hongjun’s attempt to merge with the Dao may fail. Xu Tong chooses to remain in seclusion rather than interfere, judging that Hongjun would closely monitor him and anyone acting on his behalf.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhunti and Jieyin remain ambitious but cautious. Their wish to advance the Western Lands leads them to consider exploiting the succession, yet Hongjun’s warning makes them wary. Zhunti is more determined to keep looking for an opening, while Jieyin is more openly discouraged.
• Hongjun shows urgency by personally consulting Xu Tong and monitoring potential interference in Fuxi’s appointment.
• Xu Tong stays outwardly calm and noncommittal. Privately, he is pleased that Fuxi’s rise could make Fuxi an ally once his former-life memories return, but he avoids acting while Hongjun is vigilant.

Significant themes

• Ambition versus caution: the Western sages seek merit and influence, but Hongjun’s authority limits their maneuvering.
• Political stakes behind destiny: Fuxi’s appointment affects not only the Human Race but also Hongjun’s Dao Integration.
• Strategic patience and self-preservation: Xu Tong treats restraint as the wisest choice when direct action could bring severe consequences.

Plot points and events

• Xu Tong examines the single-use enhanced Treasure-Dropping Golden Coin, which can seize another person’s magical treasure without cost, with success depending on their relative strength. He decides that freeing Fuxi would be worth spending it, since Fuxi could become a powerful ally.
• The Human Race continues to develop, while Hongjun keeps watch over the other Sages, making it difficult for them to leave their cultivation grounds.
• As Fuxi comes of age, the Black Tortoise appears and accepts a limited role as his “half-teacher.” He declines to become the full Teacher of the Heavenly Sovereign, partly because he considers Xu Tong his master and wants to avoid upsetting their relationships.
• Laozi and Yuanshi had expected Tongtian to gain the teacher’s position—and the fortune that would come with it. Furious that the Black Tortoise has taken the role instead, they decide to cut ties with Tongtian.
• Laozi declares that the Three Brothers’ bond is over and that he and Tongtian will be enemies from then on.

Character developments

• Xu Tong weighs the value of freeing Fuxi against using his rare treasure-stealing power and sees Fuxi as a key future ally.
• The Black Tortoise shows loyalty to Xu Tong and caution about the consequences of becoming Fuxi’s full teacher.
• Laozi and Yuanshi move from frustration over lost fortune to open hostility toward Tongtian, placing material and political interests above brotherhood.
• Hongjun is relieved that Xu Tong does not become Fuxi’s teacher, since he regards Xu Tong as troublesome.

Character interactions and themes

• The Black Tortoise’s decision reflects his personal loyalty to Xu Tong, even when it costs him fortune and status.
• Laozi and Yuanshi’s relationship with Tongtian collapses over the anticipated loss of merit and fortune.
• The chapter emphasizes loyalty versus self-interest, the corrupting power of fortune and ambition, and the growing political struggle over the Human Race and its destined leaders.

Key plot points and events

• Xu Tong senses that the Heavenly Dao has severed his ties to Laozi and Heavenly Venerable Yuanshi, ending the fortune and merit he had gained through them. He returns to secluded cultivation.
• With the Three Pure Ones’ alliance fractured, Nuwa visits Xu Tong to discuss securing the Kongtong Seal. Fuxi has reincarnated among the Human Race, where the Black Tortoise is his teacher, and is expected to become their Heavenly Sovereign.
• Xu Tong reveals a single-use Treasure-Dropping Golden Coin that can forcibly seize another person’s magical treasure. He lets Nuwa inspect it and plans to use it to obtain Laozi’s Kongtong Seal for Fuxi.
• Xu Tong warns that Laozi will recognize Nuwa’s involvement once the Seal anchors the Human Race’s fortune, creating serious conflict between them. Nuwa accepts the risk, prioritizing her brother.
• Xu Tong remains in seclusion, leaving Nuwa to carry out the plan herself.

Character developments and interactions

• Xu Tong is pragmatic and supportive: he has prepared a way to free Fuxi from personally anchoring the Human Race’s fortune, while acknowledging the political cost. He also admits the outcome benefits him.
• Nuwa shows fierce loyalty to Fuxi and growing confidence in confronting Laozi. She believes that, with Fuxi, Xu Tong, and Houtu on her side, she can withstand opposition.
• Xu Tong and Nuwa share trust and mutual support. Nuwa thanks him for helping her brother; Xu Tong treats the assistance as natural between fellow Daoists.

Significant themes

• Family loyalty and sacrifice: Nuwa is willing to risk a major feud with Laozi for Fuxi’s sake.
• Power, alliances, and political maneuvering: The Three Pure Ones’ split reshapes the balance of power and creates an opening to claim the Kongtong Seal.
• Fortune and responsibility: The Seal’s role in sustaining the Human Race’s fortune makes control of it consequential—and difficult to reverse.

Key plot points and events

• Nuwa visits Laozi and secretly uses Xu Tong’s enhanced Treasure-Dropping Golden Coin to take the Kongtong Seal.
• Laozi senses that he has lost something but cannot divine what. He assumes Nuwa is acting for Xu Tong and decides that splitting from the Three Pure Ones was still the right choice.
• Nuwa brings the seal to Wa Huang Palace, intending to use it to anchor the Human Race’s fortune once her brother Fuxi becomes its Heavenly Sovereign.
• Fuxi, whose cultivation has advanced through the Human Race’s fortune and merit, formally declares himself Heavenly Sovereign. Nuwa then sends him the Kongtong Seal.
• Fuxi activates the seal to stabilize the Human Race’s fortune. Its use reveals to Laozi that he has lost control of it.
• The seal’s role brings another surge of fortune and merit to Nuwa and Xu Tong, while Laozi and Yuanshi realize they gave up their connection to those gains. Hongjun is also angered, believing Xu Tong misled him about Black Tortoise’s ties to him.

Character developments

• Nuwa acts decisively to secure the Kongtong Seal and help Fuxi, while becoming increasingly impressed by Xu Tong’s extraordinary methods.
• Fuxi rises to leadership of the Human Race and accepts responsibility for protecting its fortune.
• Laozi moves from vague unease to fury once he understands that the Kongtong Seal has been taken and repurposed.
• Xu Tong remains offstage but benefits greatly through his connection to Black Tortoise and his role in the events.
• Hongjun becomes more distrustful of Xu Tong after seeing him profit from Black Tortoise’s appointment.

Significant themes

• Fortune, merit, and power: Strategic roles and alliances can yield enormous rewards, even without direct action.
• Consequences of severed ties: Laozi and Yuanshi’s decision to part ways with Xu Tong leaves them excluded from later gains.
• Deception and hidden influence: Nuwa conceals her purpose, and Xu Tong’s influence operates indirectly through Black Tortoise.
• Protecting collective prosperity: Fuxi uses the Kongtong Seal to keep the Human Race’s fortune from dissipating.

Character interactions

• Nuwa questions Laozi about the Three Pure Ones’ separation, then quietly takes the seal; Laozi misreads her visit as an attempt to claim fortune.
• Nuwa and Fuxi coordinate indirectly: she provides the seal just as he becomes Heavenly Sovereign.
• Black Tortoise serves as Fuxi’s teacher, but much of the resulting merit flows to Xu Tong because Black Tortoise owes his position to him.
• Laozi and Yuanshi regret their break with Xu Tong, while Laozi directs his anger at Nuwa for taking the seal.

Plot and key events

• Laozi discovers that the Kongtong Seal—his own treasure—is anchoring the Human Race’s fortune. Furious with Nuwa, he intends to confront her, but Hongjun’s attendant reminds him that the Sages are confined to their cultivation grounds until the Three Sovereigns take their places.
• Laozi agrees to wait, though he vows to settle accounts with Nuwa afterward.
• Once the Three Sovereigns are established, the Human Race’s fortune and standing as the protagonist of heaven and earth are secured. The three Sovereigns travel to Wa Huang Palace to visit Nuwa, their mother.
• With the attendant gone, Zhunti and Jieyin resume plotting. They have selected Chi You of the Jiuli Tribe as their candidate for one of the Five Emperors.
• Zhunti visits Chi You, who is already renowned among his people for his strength and leadership. Chi You doubts that a member of the Jiuli Tribe could become one of the Five Emperors, but Zhunti argues that he can overcome opposition by proving himself.

Character developments and interactions

• Laozi struggles to contain his anger over the use of his Kongtong Seal, but accepts the restriction imposed by Hongjun’s attendant and postpones his confrontation with Nuwa.
• Zhunti and Jieyin work together to exploit the coming Five Emperors succession, choosing Chi You because of his exceptional abilities and strong Witch Clan ancestry.
• Chi You is portrayed as powerful, popular, and a natural future chief. He is cautious and skeptical when Zhunti approaches, even threatening him with an axe, but listens to the proposal.
• Hongjun’s attendant enforces his master’s order while recognizing that he is no match for Laozi if the Sage chooses to ignore it.

Significant themes

• Power and political maneuvering: The Sages scheme to influence the Human Race’s leadership and claim merit or fortune.
• The importance of human destiny: Securing the Three Sovereigns stabilizes the Human Race’s place in the world, a matter Hongjun considers more important than the Sages’ interests.
• Identity and ambition: Chi You’s Jiuli and Witch Clan heritage appears to bar him from imperial status, but Zhunti presents strength and victory as a way to overcome that limitation.
• Restraint and delayed conflict: Laozi’s anger remains unresolved, held back only by Hongjun’s authority.

Key events

• Zhunti visits Chi You and offers to help him become one of the Five Emperors. Chi You considers the prospect but sets it aside for the moment.
• Houtu, who witnessed the meeting, worries that Zhunti’s plan could endanger the Jiuli Tribe, descendants of the Witch Clan.
• She asks Xu Tong for advice. He says Chi You’s bid is unlikely to succeed because the Human Race would not accept a Witch Clan member as one of its Five Emperors. If Houtu actively backs the campaign, the Jiuli Tribe may be suppressed—but could ultimately integrate into the Human Race. If she stays uninvolved, the tribe should face little lasting harm.
• Houtu struggles with the possibility that integration might mean the Jiuli Tribe’s people would no longer count as members of the Witch Clan, and asks for time to decide.
• Meanwhile, Laozi and Yuanshi confront Nuwa at Wa Huang Palace over the Kongtong Seal, which has begun anchoring Human Race fortune. Nuwa admits she wanted it to serve that purpose but denies knowing how Laozi’s seal came into her hands. Laozi demands that she return it.

Character developments and interactions

• Chi You is tempted by the Five Emperors’ position but avoids dwelling on the uncertain future.
• Houtu shows her protective concern for the Jiuli Tribe and is torn between preserving its Witch Clan identity and allowing it to join the Human Race.
• Xu Tong gives Houtu a clear account of the possible outcomes but leaves the decision to her.
• Nuwa maintains a composed, evasive denial despite Laozi’s accusations.
• Laozi, usually dignified, is so angered by Nuwa’s conduct that he openly confronts her. He admits he did not realize the Kongtong Seal was missing until it began affecting Human Race fortune.

Significant themes

• Identity and assimilation: Houtu must weigh the Jiuli Tribe’s survival and prospects against its distinct Witch Clan heritage.
• Political ambition and risk: The struggle for the Five Emperors’ position could bring serious consequences for the Jiuli Tribe.
• Power, ownership, and deception: The dispute over the Kongtong Seal pits Laozi’s claim of ownership against Nuwa’s denial and raises questions about how it changed hands.

Key plot points and events

• Nuwa and Laozi clash over the Kongtong Seal. Nuwa refuses to return it because it now anchors the Human Race’s fortune; Laozi insists the treasure has greater, undiscovered value.
• Hongjun intervenes and mediates a compromise: Laozi reluctantly accepts compensation, while Nuwa keeps the seal. Hongjun prioritizes protecting the Human Race’s fortune.
• Houtu asks Xu Tong how to help the Jiuli Tribe compete for a place among the Five Emperors. He advises her to send the Great Witches to the tribe and let them choose a leader to support.
• Houtu sends them, and the Western Teachings’ two Sages are pleased, seeing the Great Witches’ presence as a boost to the Jiuli Tribe’s chances.
• The Great Witches observe Chi You and judge him the tribe’s strongest prospect. Impressed by his leadership and care for his companions, they decide he is worth following. Rain Master notes that Chi You’s character recalls Gonggong.

Character developments and interactions

• Nuwa holds firm on protecting the Human Race, while acknowledging that she owes Laozi compensation.
• Laozi reveals his attachment to the Kongtong Seal is driven not only by its present role but by its likely hidden potential.
• Hongjun acts as mediator, weary of further disruptions but determined to safeguard the Human Race.
• Houtu trusts Xu Tong’s advice and takes decisive action, while also ensuring the Great Witches understand their purpose.
• Xing Tian, Feng Bo, and Rain Master assess Chi You together. Their initial reservations about his strength give way to respect for his leadership and character. Xing Tian finally approaches him openly, though Chi You had already noticed the group.

Significant themes

• Duty versus personal interest: Nuwa’s refusal to surrender the seal and Hongjun’s intervention put the Human Race’s welfare ahead of individual claims.
• Leadership and merit: Chi You earns the Great Witches’ support through his conduct, not merely his strength or status.
• Fate and opportunity: The Jiuli Tribe’s bid for the Five Emperors is uncertain, but Houtu’s actions create a chance for it to succeed.

Key plot points and events

• Xing Tian asks Chi You whether he wants to become one of the Human Race’s Five Emperors. Chi You admits he wants it but doubts he can overcome the political and cultural obstacles.
• Xing Tian promises that the Great Witches will support him, while noting that Chi You lacks the awe-inspiring presence expected of a ruler.
• Chi You says his real goal has been to keep the Jiuli Tribe safe and help the Witch Clan integrate into the Human Race.
• Xing Tian gives Chi You a jade pendant, which transports him to a dark space where he meets Houtu.
• Houtu reveals that she arranged the Great Witches’ support, but explains that Chi You can never truly become one of the Five Emperors because of his Witch Clan identity.
• Her deeper aim is for the Witch Clan to disappear as a separate people and endure within the Human Race. Chi You’s defeat is necessary to bring about that integration.
• Though saddened by the burden, Chi You agrees to accept failure—and even death—if it serves the Witch Clan.

Character developments and interactions

• Chi You shifts from cautious skepticism to understanding the purpose of the plan. His loyalty to his people outweighs his personal ambitions and survival.
• Xing Tian acts as an encouraging supporter, offering Chi You the Great Witches’ backing and delivering Houtu’s summons.
• Houtu reveals the painful strategy behind her support: she is willing to sacrifice Chi You’s prospects for the Witch Clan’s long-term survival.
• Chi You and Houtu’s conversation moves from confusion and shock to a solemn agreement, while Xing Tian’s earlier confidence contrasts with Houtu’s awareness that Chi You is destined to lose.

Significant themes

• Sacrifice for collective survival: Chi You accepts personal ruin for his people’s future.
• Identity and integration: The Witch Clan may survive not as a separate group, but through absorption into the Human Race.
• Power versus destiny: Chi You may be capable and supported, yet his ancestry makes success impossible.
• Leadership and burden: The chapter frames Chi You’s proposed rise as a role that demands suffering rather than reward.

Key plot points and events

• Chi You asks why the Witch Clan cannot produce one of the Human Race’s Five Emperors. Houtu explains that the role currently requires pure human blood, so Chi You’s mixed heritage makes him ineligible.
• Houtu reveals that Hongjun is closely guarding the Human Race’s position. Because the Witch and Demon Clans once threatened humanity, any renewed ambition could provoke their destruction.
• Understanding the danger, Houtu recognizes that backing Chi You for the title could have put the entire Witch Clan at risk. Chi You accepts the situation and agrees to bear the cost for his people; Houtu promises him a place in the Underworld afterward.
• Back among the Jiuli, Chi You’s ambition becomes known. His people support him, and, encouraged by Xing Tian and the other Great Witches, the tribe begins conquering neighboring tribes to build its influence.
• The Jiuli win easily, aided by their formidable warriors. Chi You is wounded in the campaigns but grows stronger. Xing Tian predicts that the tribe could soon control the whole world.

Character developments

• Chi You learns that his mixed ancestry bars him from the Five Emperors, despite his abilities. He accepts the burden for the Witch Clan, but becomes markedly quieter and more somber.
• Houtu feels guilty about asking Chi You to pursue a doomed goal. She tries to compensate by offering him a future position in the Underworld.
• Xing Tian remains an enthusiastic, battle-minded supporter. His confidence helps drive the Jiuli toward war, while Houtu privately fears his impulsiveness and lack of judgment.
• The Jiuli Tribe rallies behind Chi You, seeing him as its strongest and most capable candidate.

Significant themes

• Identity and exclusion: Chi You’s mixed blood disqualifies him from a position tied to human leadership.
• Sacrifice and loyalty: Chi You is willing to endure personal defeat for the Witch Clan’s future.
• Power and political limits: Strength alone cannot overcome bloodline rules or the threat posed by higher authorities.
• War as transformation: The campaigns expand the Jiuli’s influence while changing Chi You from a cheerful youth into a withdrawn figure.

Character interactions

• Houtu warns Chi You about the political stakes and offers him a place in the Underworld as consolation.
• Chi You responds respectfully but withdraws into silence, showing the emotional weight of what he has learned.
• Xing Tian and the Jiuli warriors encourage Chi You’s ambition and turn that support into military expansion, even as Houtu worries that their recklessness may bring disaster.

Key plot points and events

• Chi You has become the unquestioned ruler of the Jiuli Tribe, though he privately knows his campaign is fated to fail and feels trapped by the duty to his people and the Witch Clan.
• After repeatedly surviving battles with unlikely ease, Chi You realizes someone is arranging events in his favor. Zhunti appears as an avatar, renewing his offer to be Chi You’s teacher.
• Zhunti wants to be Chi You’s sole teacher so the Western Teachings can claim the merit and providence associated with the Five Emperors. Chi You accepts outwardly but sees Zhunti as an outsider and treats him mainly as a source of help and supplies.
• Zhunti resents the Witch Clan’s lack of deference but cannot withdraw after the Western Teachings have committed themselves to Chi You.
• The Yellow Emperor emerges as Chi You’s rival, backed by powerful allies—including figures strong enough to challenge Xing Tian.
• Rumors portray Chi You as a reincarnated Demon God and the Witch Clan as man-eating monsters. Fear leads some tribes to surrender to Chi You, while others submit to the Yellow Emperor for protection.

Character developments and interactions

• Chi You appears kingly and formidable but remains inwardly conflicted, accepting his doomed role without truly yielding to it. He gives Zhunti formal respect while keeping emotional distance.
• Zhunti is driven by the chance to strengthen the Western Teachings, but his pride and frustration grow when Chi You and the Witch Clan fail to honor him.
• The Witch Clan supports Chi You, while Xing Tian is presented as a formidable force who complicates Zhunti’s plans.
• The Yellow Emperor becomes a powerful competing leader, attracting strong allies and the support of tribes that fear Chi You.

Significant themes

• Fate versus resistance: Chi You believes he must lose, yet cannot accept that outcome wholeheartedly.
• Power and political advantage: Zhunti’s mentorship is motivated less by personal care than by the spiritual benefits it may bring his sect.
• Reputation and fear: Rumors shape how tribes choose sides and can benefit or harm those they target.
• Uneasy alliances: Chi You and Zhunti cooperate despite mistrust, while both remain focused on their own larger interests.

Key plot points and events

• Hongjun has spread rumors portraying Chi You as a threat to the Human Race, undermining his prospects of becoming one of its Five Emperors.
• Zhunti warns Chi You about the damage, but Chi You says he has known about the rumors and considers them unimportant. He believes only fools would be swayed by them.
• Chi You sees the Yellow Emperor as his sole remaining rival. Zhunti has arranged for helpers to arrive and urges Chi You not to risk a decisive battle before they do.
• Chi You and his Witch Clan allies have struggled to govern the tribes they conquered. Zhunti’s disciples previously helped them organize and control those territories.
• Xing Tian enthusiastically favors attacking the Yellow Emperor as soon as the reinforcements arrive, assuming the Witch Clan’s superior fighting ability will ensure victory.

Character developments and interactions

• Chi You remains confident and dismissive of public opinion, focusing instead on defeating the Yellow Emperor. He appreciates Zhunti’s practical support.
• Zhunti is increasingly frustrated and doubtful about backing Chi You, whom he sees as a capable fighter but a poor strategist and administrator. He nevertheless continues to help, arranging reinforcements and urging caution.
• Xing Tian treats the political setback as a military simplification: with other tribes aligned under the Yellow Emperor, he sees only one enemy left and wants to attack.
• Chi You and his allies depend on Zhunti’s disciples not only for military support but also for managing conquered tribes—an area where the Witch Clan has repeatedly struggled.

Significant themes

• Reputation and political legitimacy: Rumors can weaken a leader’s support even without changing the facts.
• Force versus governance: Military strength may win territory, but holding and administering it requires different skills.
• Confidence versus strategy: Chi You and Xing Tian trust their battlefield advantage, while Zhunti worries that poor judgment could undo it.
• Allies and dependence: Chi You’s campaign increasingly relies on Zhunti and his disciples for expertise the Witch Clan lacks.

Key plot points and events

• Zhunti’s disciples arrive at the Jiuli Tribe to support its campaign against the Yellow Emperor, despite looking down on the tribe’s rough living conditions. They mostly keep to themselves and cultivate, wary of the powerful Great Witch Xing Tian.
• Chi You leads the Jiuli forces to confront the Yellow Emperor in a decisive battle, prepared to die.
• As they fight, the Human Race’s fortune surges, obscuring the duel from outside observers—even Hongjun.
• Chi You halts the battle and privately tells the Yellow Emperor that he is destined to lose and die. He explains that the Jiuli Tribe could win through its full strength, but its survival depends on his defeat.
• Chi You asks the Yellow Emperor to protect the Jiuli people and, if possible, heal the divide between the Witch Clan and the Human Race. The Yellow Emperor agrees to the first request but warns that the second will be difficult.

Character developments

• Chi You accepts his foretold death with resignation and a sense of release, placing his people’s future above his own.
• The Yellow Emperor begins the encounter confident in his cause, but comes to understand Chi You’s sacrifice and agrees to honor his wishes.
• Zhunti’s disciples show their discomfort with the Jiuli Tribe’s way of life and their caution around Xing Tian.

Significant themes

• Fate and sacrifice: Chi You believes his death is necessary for the Jiuli Tribe to survive.
• Leadership and duty: He accepts defeat to protect his people.
• Reconciliation: The chapter raises the possibility of repairing the longstanding rift between witches and humans, while emphasizing how difficult that will be.
• Prejudice and cultural distance: The disciples’ disdain for the Jiuli people contrasts with Chi You’s honorable concern for their future.

Character interactions

• The disciples privately disparage the Jiuli Tribe and avoid Xing Tian.
• Chi You and the Yellow Emperor begin as opponents, but their hidden conversation becomes a frank exchange about fate, victory, and the future of the Jiuli people.
• The Yellow Emperor accepts responsibility for protecting the tribe, though he hesitates over the broader task of reconciliation.

Plot points and events

• Mortally wounded and facing the Yellow Emperor, Chi You reveals that he had planned for the Jiuli Tribe to join the Human Race’s other tribes after his death. He asks the Yellow Emperor to treat the Jiuli people well.
• Chi You explains that the Human Race’s rulers are not chosen by merit alone: outsiders have been manipulating the succession of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. He urges the Yellow Emperor to make the Human Race stronger and free it from their control.
• The Yellow Emperor questions why Chi You is entrusting these tasks to him. Chi You takes the Yellow Emperor’s weapon and kills himself, asking him to remember his promises.
• The Human Race’s fortune surrounding them flows into the Yellow Emperor after Chi You dies. Rather than celebrate, the Yellow Emperor reflects on how his life may have been controlled by hidden forces.
• Zhunti, watching from above, is shocked that Chi You lost and suspects he deliberately yielded. Frustrated, he takes his disciples away.
• Xing Tian finds Chi You’s body and cannot believe the outcome. Convinced that the Yellow Emperor must have used an underhanded method, he wonders if the Yellow Emperor resorted to slaughtering humans to make a Witch-Slaying Sword.

Character developments and interactions

• Chi You accepts his death as a way to secure the Jiuli Tribe’s future. Though he respects the Yellow Emperor as a worthy rival, he regrets that obligations to his Witch Clan people prevented a fair contest. His final act shows trust in the Yellow Emperor.
• The Yellow Emperor wins but feels no triumph. Chi You’s revelation turns his attention from victory to the threat of outside influence over the Human Race.
• Zhunti is dismayed that events have defied his expectations and leaves in anger.
• Xing Tian reacts with grief and suspicion, unable to reconcile Chi You’s defeat with what he knows of his strength.
• Chi You and the Yellow Emperor share a final exchange: Chi You entrusts him with the Jiuli people and the Human Race’s independence, while the Yellow Emperor struggles to accept a victory shaped by Chi You’s choice.

Significant themes

• Sacrifice and legacy: Chi You gives his life to protect his people’s future.
• Self-determination versus manipulation: The revelation that outsiders influence Human leadership unsettles the Yellow Emperor and threatens the Human Race’s freedom.
• Victory without joy: The Yellow Emperor’s success brings responsibility and doubt rather than celebration.
• Honor and misunderstanding: Chi You’s deliberate sacrifice is incomprehensible to Zhunti and Xing Tian, who interpret the outcome through their own expectations.

Key plot points and events

• Hongjun observes the battle without intervening. He is satisfied that Chi You has died, since he would have killed him himself if Chi You had threatened to become one of the Human Race’s Five Emperors.
• Chi You’s soul enters the Underworld, where Houtu comforts him and reveals why she arranged his death: Hongjun would never allow someone with Witch Clan blood to rule as a Human Emperor, and Chi You’s rise could have led to the destruction of the Jiuli Tribe.
• The battle ends with most of the Jiuli Tribe surrendering. Chi You had arranged their surrender in advance to preserve his people, though he had not told them he would die.
• The Yellow Emperor recognizes that the surrender was planned and orders his forces not to harm the Jiuli. He accepts their submission, securing victory and bringing the conflict to a close.

Character developments and interactions

• Chi You accepts his death without resentment, putting his tribe’s survival first. Once he learns the truth, however, he becomes furious at Hongjun’s control over the Human Race and vows to confront him when he has enough power.
• Houtu reveals the political forces behind Chi You’s fate and reassures him that resistance may someday be possible, thanks to Xu Tong and the allies gathering against Hongjun.
• The Yellow Emperor shows political insight by understanding that the Jiuli’s surrender was deliberate. Rather than pursue further violence, he respects Chi You’s plan and protects the surrendered tribe.
• Hongjun is portrayed as a powerful, calculating authority who is willing to eliminate threats while avoiding actions that might damage his reputation.

Significant themes

• Sacrifice for one’s people: Chi You accepts death to protect the Jiuli Tribe from annihilation.
• Power and injustice: Chi You is excluded from leadership not because of his actions, but because of his Witch Clan ancestry and Hongjun’s control.
• Survival through compromise: The Jiuli Tribe’s surrender preserves its people, even as it costs them their leader and independence.
• Hope for future resistance: Houtu suggests that a coalition led by Xu Tong may eventually challenge Hongjun’s dominance.

Key plot points and events

• After Chi You’s defeat and apparent death, Xing Tian refuses to accept the outcome and attacks the Yellow Emperor’s forces with overwhelming fury.
• A flash of power from the jade pendant on Chi You’s corpse kills Xing Tian instantly. He recognizes the power as Houtu’s, but the pendant disappears with his body, leaving only his head behind.
• The Yellow Emperor concludes that Chi You’s death was part of a plan. He resolves to strengthen humanity so it can never again be controlled by hidden powers, then takes charge of the Human Race.
• In the Western Lands, Zhunti and Jieyin suspect that someone secretly engineered Chi You’s defeat. They rule out Houtu, Nuwa, Xu Tong, and Hongjun, and conclude—without proof—that Laozi and Heavenly Venerable Yuanshi interfered because of an old grudge over the Kongtong Seal.
• Zhunti wants to confront them, but Jieyin urges caution. The two decide to bide their time and seek revenge through schemes rather than a direct fight.

Character developments and interactions

• Xing Tian changes from a determined warrior into a grief-stricken avenger, only to be killed by the very power he associates with Houtu.
• The Yellow Emperor grows more wary of forces operating behind the scenes and adopts a long-term goal of protecting humanity from outside control.
• Zhunti and Jieyin move from suspicion to a confident—but possibly mistaken—accusation against Laozi and Yuanshi. Zhunti’s anger is tempered by Jieyin’s reminder that their opponents have greater resources.
• Chi You’s apparent death is revealed to be connected to a concealed arrangement involving the jade pendant, though its full purpose remains unclear.

Significant themes

• Hidden influence and manipulation: The battlefield’s outcome appears shaped by forces beyond the visible conflict.
• Misdirected suspicion: Zhunti and Jieyin build a confident theory from circumstantial evidence, showing how old grudges can distort judgment.
• Power and vulnerability: Even powerful figures can be defeated through unseen plans, while differences in resources shape conflicts among equals.
• Unity and independence: The Yellow Emperor’s resolve centers on making humanity strong enough to resist control.

Plot points and events

• Laozi and Yuanshi have unknowingly alienated every Sage except Hongjun. Zhunti and Jieyin suspect them, while Laozi senses a threat and assumes Nuwa is plotting against him.
• Xu Tong continues cultivating and wants more Innate Spiritual Treasures to add laws to the Chaos Bead. He considers asking Nuwa or Houtu, but avoids doing so because it would create unwanted karmic obligations.
• Xu Tong sees the coming Investiture Calamity as an opportunity. In this timeline, without an Interception Sect, its likely targets are the Western Teachings and the followers of Laozi and Yuanshi.
• Because the calamity will strengthen the Heavenly Dao and advance Hongjun’s Dao Integration, Xu Tong summons Nuwa and Houtu to discuss how to disrupt it.
• He proposes two possible approaches. The first would prolong the calamity by making its conflicts end without resolution, but it would be risky and could provoke Hongjun. Xu Tong begins to introduce a gentler second approach, but the chapter ends before explaining it.

Character developments

• Xu Tong shows strategic patience: he wants powerful treasures but is careful not to incur debts, and he weighs ways to hinder Hongjun without exposing himself unnecessarily.
• Houtu’s resentment toward Hongjun has deepened because of Chi You’s suicide, despite Chi You now being with her.
• Nuwa remains cautious, recognizing that she and Houtu lack the strength to withstand Hongjun if he attacks.

Character interactions

• Xu Tong openly shares his prediction and plans with Nuwa and Houtu, treating them as trusted allies.
• Nuwa and Houtu ask what they should do; Nuwa voices concern about the danger of Xu Tong’s first proposal.
• Laozi misreads his ominous intuition as evidence that Nuwa is moving against him, setting up further conflict.

Significant themes

• Power and risk: A bold strategy may damage Hongjun’s plans, but also invite retaliation.
• Karmic entanglement: Xu Tong avoids obtaining treasures in ways that would create obligations.
• Changing fate: The altered timeline redirects the Investiture Calamity toward different groups.
• Suspicion and misjudgment: Several characters act on incomplete information, potentially deepening existing divisions.