Chapter Summaries

Key events

• Laozi senses that the conflict between Yuanshi and Tongtian is a clash of their fundamental Dao principles and fears the brothers may part before the coming Immeasurable Calamity. He stops refining pills and withdraws into silence.
• Yuanshi formally names Nine Li chief disciple and heir of the Expounding Teaching. Guang Chengzi and the other disciples affirm the choice; Nine Li is deeply moved, though he awkwardly blames his tearful eyes on Yunxiao’s spell.
• In Chaos, Yuanshi and Tongtian battle over how their disciples’ wrongdoing should be handled. Yuanshi condemns Tongtian for delaying punishment of Chang Er, while Tongtian insists he intended the delay as a lesson, not favoritism. They also dispute Nine Li’s intervention against Chang Er.
• Tongtian summons the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords and challenges Yuanshi to enter the Zhuxian Formation. Yuanshi accepts, but after a hundred years the formation is withdrawn without a clear victor. The brothers return to their palaces and do not emerge.
• Duobao asks whether Tongtian defeated Yuanshi. Tongtian answers that he did not.

Character developments and interactions

• Laozi reveals deep affection for his brothers beneath his usual detachment and grieves at the possibility that their bond may break.
• Nine Li is confirmed as the Expounding Teaching’s successor. His fellow disciples’ confidence in him strengthens his sense of belonging and responsibility.
• Guang Chengzi supports Nine Li sincerely, acknowledging his abilities despite some envy.
• Yuanshi and Tongtian move from disagreement into open combat, each convinced that his own approach to justice and discipleship is right. Their fight ends unresolved, leaving their relationship—and Kunlun’s stability—in jeopardy.

Significant themes

• The central conflict is between Yuanshi’s rule-bound, Heaven-aligned justice and Tongtian’s inclusive teaching and belief in giving flawed disciples a chance to survive and learn.
• The chapter explores the tension between accountability and compassion, particularly when a teacher’s patience seems to excuse harm.
• Brotherhood, loyalty, and succession are also central: Laozi fears the family bond will fracture, while Nine Li’s appointment shows the importance of trust and communal recognition.

Key plot points

• Tongtian reflects on the limits of the Zhuxian Formation: it may threaten Zhunti, but the other Saints have treasures capable of countering it.
• Troubled by the conflict between Jiejiao and the Expounding Teaching, Tongtian tells Duobao he is considering leaving Kunlun rather than contesting it with his elder brother. He notes that places such as Penglai and Yingtai could serve as alternatives.
• Tongtian asks Yinglong to judge the dispute. Yinglong says Chang Er acted excessively and harmed Jiejiao’s reputation, while Nine Li’s attack was understandable because the Human Race is his maternal people. Tongtian concludes that Jiejiao was indeed at fault.
• Tongtian suspects Gungun’s repeated refusal to become his disciple may have reflected a sense that Jiejiao lacked the fortune and stability to support him. Still, Gungun brought Yinglong to the sect.
• Recognizing Yinglong’s talent, standing, and ability to manage others, Tongtian gives him the Primordial Dust Whisk and appoints him Chief Outer Disciple, responsible for overseeing Jiejiao’s outer disciples.
• On Mount Buzhou, Gungun relaxes in a hot spring, unaware of events on Kunlun, until a voice unexpectedly speaks from inside his shorts.

Character developments and interactions

• Tongtian shows humility and concern for Jiejiao’s reputation, acknowledging the sect’s mistakes and contemplating a major change of residence. He also entrusts Yinglong with leadership.
• Yinglong speaks cautiously but honestly when asked for his view. He accepts Tongtian’s appointment and promises to work harder.
• Duobao is distressed by Tongtian’s plan to leave Kunlun and tries to dissuade him despite being unwell.
• Gungun remains carefree and self-indulgent, setting up the chapter’s abrupt comic cliffhanger.
• Tongtian’s conversation with Yinglong is marked by candor, reassurance, and mutual respect; his exchange with Duobao reveals tension between loyalty to Kunlun and concern for Jiejiao.

Significant themes

• Different moral paths: Tongtian contrasts Jiejiao’s belief in preserving a “single thread of hope” with the Expounding Teaching’s emphasis on fixed order.
• Accountability and reputation: Tongtian accepts that his side bears responsibility for the dispute.
• Leadership and trust: Yinglong’s appointment reflects the value Tongtian places on judgment, authority, and practical management.
• Fortune and belonging: Tongtian wonders whether Jiejiao’s lack of a stabilizing treasure and its disciples’ weaker fortunes explain Gungun’s reluctance to join.

Key plot points and events

• A mysterious voice contacts Gungun through a seed of the World-Destroying Black Lotus. The speaker is a powerful, injured devil who previously helped Gungun obtain three demon-god legacies.
• The devil warns that the Three Pure Ones will soon separate and urges Gungun to help ease their tensions. Gungun refuses to get involved, preferring a quiet life of eating and sleeping.
• In the Demon Realm, the devil realizes that the Three Pure Ones’ split could weaken the chance of Pangu’s primordial spirit reuniting and help Hongjun destroy the Twelve Ancestral Witches. He decides to disrupt Hongjun’s plans.
• The devil gives Gungun an Innate Netherworld Fruit, promising it will add a hundred thousand years to his cultivation, and a fragment of his own soul. He instructs Gungun to cleanse the fragment in the Spirit-Washing Cauldron and arrange its reincarnation among the Witch-Human Race.
• The fragment’s future name will be Chi You. Gungun recognizes the significance, conceals the soul fragment in the cauldron, and agrees—reluctantly—to see where the plan leads.

Character developments

• Gungun remains comfort-loving and politically disengaged. Though frightened of the devil and wary of the danger involved, he is shrewd enough to infer the larger implications of the Chi You plan.
• The devil shows himself to be a strategic opponent of Hongjun, willing to use Gungun as an intermediary while concealing a soul fragment in the Primordial World.

Significant themes

• Power versus simplicity: Gungun rejects influence and ambition in favor of ordinary comforts.
• Manipulation and reluctant cooperation: The devil pressures Gungun while presenting the task as payment and reassurance.
• Hidden schemes and reincarnation: Chi You’s planned birth hints at a larger strategy connected to the Witch-Human Race and the coming upheaval.
• Fate and unintended consequences: Gungun’s seemingly small role may affect the balance of power among major forces.

Character interactions

• The devil repeatedly interrupts Gungun, alternately threatening, flattering, and bargaining with him; Gungun responds with fear, skepticism, and reluctance.
• The devil’s failed attempt to recruit Gungun to mediate between the Three Pure Ones prompts him to devise another plan.
• Gungun ultimately complies with the soul-cleansing task, despite fearing discovery by Hongjun and suspecting the devil’s motives.

Plot points and events

• Gungun finishes purifying a powerful demonic soul fragment in the Spirit-Washing Cauldron after three exhausting years. He plans to send it to the Nine Li Tribe when someone there becomes pregnant.
• Five years later, the system offers Gungun a Forestwood Chaos Seed for ten million Lazy Fish Points. Though the price consumes over half his points, he buys it. The seed contains the Forestwood Demon God’s remains and could eventually let him summon a body capable of one of the demon god’s strikes—but using it before reaching Quasi-Saint would be fatal.
• Five hundred years later, Gungun masters the Yin-Yang Law’s “Two Forms,” becoming the first known Great Luo cultivator to master two laws.
• Yuanshi, troubled by his growing conflict with Tongtian and their opposing views on disciples, sends Xiong Zhan to deliver Gungun a copy of the Primordial Scripture. He also asks Gungun for advice on how to deal with a younger brother who will not listen.
• Yuanshi briefly asks Nine Li whether he is happy in the Expounding Teaching, then hopes inwardly that his disciples will not repeat the Three Pure Ones’ estrangement.
• Tongtian recognizes Gungun’s new achievement and decides to leave Mount Kunlun before his relationship with Yuanshi deteriorates further. He sends Yinglong to congratulate Gungun and press him to provide the disciple or mount Tongtian plans to accept.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun shows both characteristic laziness and long-term ambition: he endures the cleansing work, spends heavily on a rare treasure, and continues cultivating until he masters a second law.
• Yuanshi is increasingly anxious and resentful about Tongtian’s acceptance of demon and beast disciples, yet still seeks counsel and shows concern for his own disciples’ happiness. His gift to Gungun reflects respect for Gungun’s cultivation.
• Tongtian remains committed to his disciples and recognizes Gungun’s exceptional talent, but concludes that separation from Kunlun may prevent a complete rupture with Yuanshi.
• Xiong Zhan respectfully carries Yuanshi’s gift and is caught off guard by the request for advice about a “younger brother.” Nine Li reassures Yuanshi that he is happy in the Expounding Teaching. Yinglong questions Tongtian’s decision but ultimately obeys.

Significant themes

• Power, preparation, and risk: The Chaos Seed offers immense strength, but only at the cost of a potentially fatal strain; Gungun invests in a future opportunity despite the danger.
• Recognition of achievement: Gungun’s mastery of two laws draws the attention and respect of both Yuanshi and Tongtian.
• Family and ideological division: The Three Pure Ones’ conflict over disciples and their respective teachings is eroding their brotherly bond.
• Loneliness and counsel: Despite their immense power, Yuanshi and Tongtian face personal troubles they struggle to resolve, while Yuanshi longs for guidance and fears the family’s divisions will be repeated among his disciples.

Key plot points and events

• Gungun has mastered the Yin-Yang Law and is secretly nurturing a Chaos Seed, watering it with Three Lights Divine Water and protecting it with a Two Forms diagram.
• Hou Yi visits to update Gungun on Witch Race affairs. The Witches have brought greater order to the Primordial World, but governing such a vast territory has overwhelmed the Ancestral Witches. They plan to establish Youdu City, create more Earthly Divine Positions, and recruit unaffiliated immortals to help govern.
• The Ancestral Witch plans to remove Yellow Dragon from his divine post and appoint more capable deputies, blaming Gungun for choosing a poor candidate.
• Hou Yi also relays a plan to speed up the growth and birth of Witch-Human children so one can be offered to the Shangqing Saint as a mount—ideally becoming his disciple as well. Gungun objects: premature birth could harm the children, and a Witch-Human serving a Saint as a mount would be inappropriate. A disciple might be possible, but Jiejiao may not be the best choice.
• Gungun and Hou Yi drop the subject and share hot pot.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun is increasingly skilled in Yin-Yang cultivation, but keeps the Chaos Seed secret and is fiercely protective of it. Its practical judgment also shows through in its objections to the Witch-Human mount plan.
• Hou Yi acts as a messenger for the Ancestral Witch, though he admits he too finds the mount proposal absurd. He listens to Gungun’s reasoning and accepts it.
• Their friendship is warm and informal: Hou Yi arrives casually, Gungun pulls him away from the seed, and they bond over Gungun’s cooking.
• Gungun’s failure to choose a useful official in Yellow Dragon is a source of embarrassment, while the Ancestral Witch’s decision to replace him underscores the Witches’ growing administrative needs.

Significant themes

• Governance and responsibility: The Witches’ success in bringing peace creates new burdens they are poorly equipped to manage.
• Dignity and kinship: Treating Witch-Humans—descendants of Pangu—as mounts conflicts with their status and the family-like relationship between the Witches and the Saints.
• Practical wisdom versus ambition: Gungun prioritizes children’s well-being and sensible alliances over a politically motivated but misguided plan.
• Humor and domesticity: The grand plans of gods and Witches are undercut by Gungun’s irreverent jokes and the pair’s shared meal.

Key plot points and events

• While sharing hot pot, Gungun and Hou Yi discuss what to do with the captured Kui Ox. Hou Yi says Houtu wants them to find a suitable Witch-Human to send to Jiejiao, using the Kui Ox only if no candidate is available. Gungun argues they should simply deliver the ox to Tongtian and let the Witch-Humans pursue their own futures.
• Xiong Zhan returns to the Iron-Eating Forest carrying the Primordial Scripture, copied by Yuanshi as a congratulatory gift after hearing Gungun had mastered two laws while still at the Great Luo realm. Gungun accepts it with great reverence.
• Xiong Zhan declines Gungun’s invitation to eat, eager to reunite with his clanmates. Hou Yi suggests Gungun join Yuanshi’s Expounding Teaching, but Gungun brushes off the idea and changes the subject.
• Elsewhere, Yinglong detects powerful demonic energy near the Yellow River and heads to investigate. An enormous eight-headed serpent is flooding the river, devastating human settlements. Feng Ling arrives and attacks it with Nuwa’s Heavenly Serpent Staff.

Character developments

• Gungun remains practical and pleasure-loving, but treats the Saint’s handwritten scripture as a precious treasure. He values the Witch-Humans’ independence and avoids explaining why he would not join the Expounding Teaching.
• Hou Yi continues to defer to Houtu’s authority, even when Gungun proposes a simpler course. His teasing suggestion that Gungun join Yuanshi’s sect shows their comfortable familiarity.
• Xiong Zhan shows loyalty to Gungun and Yuanshi, then eagerly reconnects with his clan.
• Yinglong acts on his concern for the human lands, while Feng Ling responds immediately and forcefully to the serpent’s attack.

Significant themes

• Duty versus autonomy: Houtu’s plans for the Witch-Humans contrast with Gungun’s belief that they should choose their own paths.
• Respect and prestige: Yuanshi’s handwritten gift signals Gungun’s growing standing among powerful immortals.
• Protection of the vulnerable: The serpent’s destruction of human settlements prompts Yinglong and Feng Ling to intervene.
• Humor and camaraderie: Gungun and Hou Yi’s banter lightens the political and supernatural discussions.

Character interactions

• Gungun and Hou Yi debate the Kui Ox, the Witch-Humans, and Gungun’s possible religious affiliation while sharing food.
• Xiong Zhan respectfully presents Yuanshi’s gift, then leaves to meet his clanmates.
• Hou Yi teases Gungun about joining the Expounding Teaching; Gungun dodges the suggestion and offers him another bite instead.
• Feng Ling confronts the eight-headed serpent as it ravages the Yellow River.

Plot points and events

• The Eight-Headed Demon Serpent attacks Feng Ling with supernatural blizzards. Though she wounds him, he regenerates almost instantly.
• Kuafu identifies the attacker as an innate demonic beast and smashes it into bloody mist with his wooden staff—but the creature reforms from its blood.
• Yinglong joins Kuafu in fighting the beast. Their repeated attacks cannot kill it, while Feng Ling leaves the battle to rescue people trapped in the flood.
• The floodwaters are poisonous and suppress magic, leaving the Human Race especially vulnerable. Many settlements are destroyed, and numerous people die or struggle to survive.
• At Kunlun, Zhenwu senses that his mother, A Ye, is in danger. His master permits him to leave and go to her aid.
• Soaring Serpent explains to Kong Xuan that the attacker is the Water Demon Beast, once the Water Spirit Pearl—one of five primordial demon beasts sealed by Nuwa. He says the catastrophe is a destined Human Race tribulation and will end only when the Demon-Suppressing One dies, finds life in death, and obtains the Demon-Suppressing Sword.
• Zhenwu reunites with his rescued mother. At her urging, he flies into battle with an immortal sword, but the Water Demon Beast knocks him away with a single tail strike.

Character developments and interactions

• Feng Ling proves courageous and compassionate: despite wanting to fight, she prioritizes saving her people.
• Kuafu and Yinglong join forces against the beast, but their strength is frustrated by its seemingly limitless regeneration.
• Zhenwu interrupts his cultivation out of filial devotion. After reassuring his mother, he responds to her appeal to defend the Human Race, though his first attack fails.
• Soaring Serpent reveals that even powerful beings cannot simply prevent a destined tribulation, prompting Kong Xuan to question his apparent inaction.
• A Ye is relieved to see her son and encourages him to help the two immortals defeat the threat.

Significant themes

• Destiny versus intervention: The catastrophe is described as a tribulation that cannot be ended until its foretold conditions are met.
• Sacrifice and duty: Feng Ling chooses rescue over combat, while Zhenwu risks himself to protect both his mother and the Human Race.
• Human vulnerability: The current generation is weaker than its ancestors and suffers greatly when confronted by an overwhelming supernatural threat.
• The limits of strength: Even repeated attacks by powerful fighters—and Zhenwu’s magical weapon—cannot overcome the Water Demon Beast’s regeneration and force.

Key plot points

• Zhenwu joins Kuafu and Yinglong against the Water Demon Beast, fighting bravely despite being outmatched. His sword shatters, and a beam from the beast wounds him fatally; he falls into the Yellow River. A Ye, watching, cries out and faints.
• As his primordial spirit drifts away, Zhenwu wonders why he charged into battle when he knew he was not strong enough. He believes anger over the destruction of his homeland and the deaths of his people drove him.
• Three days later, his spirit reaches Gungun at the Iron-Eating Forest. Gungun divines that the Human Race is facing its first great trial and that Zhenwu is central to overcoming it.
• Gungun refuses to defeat the beast for the humans, insisting that the Human Race must face its own tribulation and grow stronger. He urges Zhenwu to shed his belief in human weakness and recognize his true self.
• Gungun sends Zhenwu back to the Yellow River and gives him the Demon-Slaying Sword, which flies after him. Returning to battle, Zhenwu still doubts he can win and struggles to understand what Gungun meant by his “true self.”

Character developments and interactions

• Zhenwu shows courage and loyalty, but his strength is limited: he is only a Golden Immortal and has not yet realized his deeper nature. His defeat prompts a crisis of confidence; Gungun’s challenge begins to shift his view of himself and humanity.
• Gungun acts as a stern guide rather than a rescuer. He teaches Zhenwu that hardship is necessary for the Human Race’s development, then equips him with the Demon-Slaying Sword.
• A Ye is devastated by her son’s apparent death, while Kuafu and Yinglong continue fighting alongside him.
• Zhenwu’s conversation with Gungun centers on human weakness, self-reliance, and the responsibility to face one’s own trials.

Significant themes

• Self-reliance and growth through adversity: The Human Race must overcome its own first tribulation rather than depend on others.
• Identity and latent potential: Zhenwu must look beyond his assumptions about his weakness and discover his true nature.
• Courage born of loyalty: Though he expects defeat, Zhenwu fights because his people are in danger.

Key plot points and events

• In a mysterious space, Zhenwu meets Zhiming, the northern deity whose soul-fragment he is. Zhiming challenges him to consider whether his past willingness to fight was true bravery or reckless anger.
• Zhiming sends Zhenwu through the Human Race’s history. Zhenwu witnesses its growth and its costly struggles against powerful beasts, including the defeat of a Taiyi-level Ferocious Beast.
• Reflecting on these events, Zhenwu recognizes both the Human Race’s capacity to overcome its humble beginnings and the need to avoid needless sacrifice. He concludes that bravery requires judgment as well as courage.
• Zhenwu declares that he is, above all, human. His realization transforms his spirit, and he returns to the present.
• Gungun gives him the Demon-Slaying Sword and urges him to finish what he left undone. A Turtle-Snake offers to carry him; Zhenwu rejects being addressed as Zhiming but accepts the creature’s company. Re-embodied and armed, he flies toward the Yellow River.

Character developments

• Zhenwu moves beyond anger-driven self-sacrifice and his belief that humans are inherently inferior. He embraces human resilience, wisdom, and striving, while defining himself by his human identity rather than his connection to Zhiming.
• Zhiming acts as a stern mentor, forcing Zhenwu to examine his choices rather than simply praising his courage.
• The Turtle-Snake approaches Zhenwu with deference and asks to accompany him, while Zhenwu establishes that he is not Zhiming.

Significant themes

• Courage versus recklessness: bravery means knowing when to fight and when to withdraw.
• Human potential: a weak starting point does not determine what a people can achieve.
• Identity and belonging: Zhenwu acknowledges his divine and spiritual origins but chooses to identify first as human.
• Wisdom through history: the Human Race’s victories and losses teach him how persistence must be guided by judgment.

Character interactions

• Zhiming confronts Zhenwu’s assumptions and assigns him the journey through human history.
• Zhenwu’s vision of humanity’s collective struggle reshapes his understanding of Zhiming’s lesson.
• Gungun supports his return to action by providing the sword.
• The Turtle-Snake offers service; Zhenwu politely corrects its title for him before accepting a ride.

Key plot points and events

• In the Yellow River, Kuafu and Yinglong fight the Water Demon Beast for three days, but it repeatedly revives. Feng Ling has rescued the survivors, though more than half the humans in the basin have died.
• As Feng Ling prepares to sacrifice herself to seal the beast, Zhenwu arrives, alive and far more powerful than before. With his Demon-Slaying Sword, he cuts off the beast’s heads, which no longer regenerate.
• Yinglong dispels the hail while Kuafu’s magically transformed peach grove absorbs the floodwaters. Zhenwu then wounds the beast, drives back its attacks, and finally shatters its heart.
• Soaring Serpent explains that water can eventually restore the beast. He takes its corpse away to be suppressed on land, and advises Feng Ling to consider the Human Race’s future after the calamity.
• Xuandu arrives bearing the Supreme Pure Sage’s decree. Zhenwu is named the Renjiao Dharma-Protector Deity and Demon-Slaying Great Emperor. Merit is distributed among Zhenwu, Kuafu, Yinglong, the Iron-Eating Forest, and the Northern Sea. The humans and other beings celebrate the heroes.

Character developments

• Zhenwu returns transformed after understanding his true heart and awakening his true spirit. He acts without fear, defeats the demon, and accepts his new titles.
• Feng Ling moves from grief and desperation to relief and gratitude. She also takes Soaring Serpent’s counsel about the Human Race’s recovery seriously.
• Kuafu and Yinglong continue to work as a team: they control the flood and hail so Zhenwu can focus on the beast, and both receive merit for their aid.
• Soaring Serpent appears as an authoritative guide, securing the beast and offering direction for the survivors.
• Xuandu delivers the Sage’s decree, formally recognizing Zhenwu’s achievement and origin as a divided soul of Zhiming.

Significant themes

• Renewal after catastrophe: The Human Race suffers devastating losses, but survivors and their descendants are said to carry lasting fortune.
• Courage and self-realization: Zhenwu’s awakened spirit lets him face a seemingly immortal enemy without fear.
• Cooperation and shared merit: The demon is defeated through Zhenwu’s combat and Kuafu’s and Yinglong’s support.
• Victory requires lasting wisdom: The beast’s defeat is not enough; because water can revive it, its corpse must be contained away from rivers.

Character interactions

• Feng Ling initially watches Zhenwu’s return in disbelief, then thanks him for saving the Human Race.
• Zhenwu respectfully thanks Kuafu and Yinglong for controlling the flood and hail, and bows to Soaring Serpent upon learning his identity.
• Soaring Serpent advises Feng Ling and Zhenwu, while Xuandu’s decree elevates Zhenwu before the assembled humans and other beings, who honor all three defenders.

Summary

• Key events: Old Dream says they have caught a cold, with a headache and aching eyes that make it difficult to work at the computer. They request a day off so they can rest early and reset their sleep schedule.
• Character development: Old Dream is candid about feeling unwell and takes steps to prioritize rest. They also show consideration for others by reminding them to dress warmly as the weather gets colder.
• Themes: Self-care, rest, and looking out for one another.
• Interactions: Old Dream asks the group to approve their day off and closes with a friendly, caring reminder about the cold weather.

Plot points and events

• Kuafu and Yinglong correct the Yellow River survivors, clarifying that they are the Great Shaman of the Witch Race and the Dragon Emperor’s son, not the leaders of their respective peoples.
• Gungun receives merit for helping Zhenwu become the Demon-Slaying Great Emperor. He notices that Soaring Serpent and Kong Xuan have taken the Water Demon Beast’s corpse and wonders what they intend to do.
• Zhenwu stays to help Feng Ling rebuild the Human settlement and urges survivors to move away from the Yellow River. Soaring Serpent and Kong Xuan leave with the corpse, while Kuafu and Yinglong depart separately.
• Soaring Serpent plans to seal the Water Demon Beast in the dry Southern Wastes, since it can regenerate whenever its remains touch water. He notes that powerful karmic or solar fire could destroy it permanently.
• Just as he begins the seal, Hou Yi appears and challenges the pair for trespassing on Witch territory. He threatens Kong Xuan over the Phoenix Race’s submission to the Demon Race.
• Soaring Serpent recognizes that “Hou Yi” is actually Gungun in disguise. The bear insists he is the real Hou Yi, but Soaring Serpent mocks his appearance, weapons, and excuses, then attacks with the Lotus Lantern.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun’s receipt of merit prompts him to investigate Soaring Serpent’s plans, and he disguises himself as Hou Yi to confront him.
• Kong Xuan is anxious about being caught in Witch territory and defends his elder brother, saying the Eastern Emperor forced him into serving the Demon Race.
• Soaring Serpent is perceptive and irreverent: he sees through Gungun’s disguise and exposes his inability to use Hou Yi’s bow and arrows convincingly.
• Zhenwu and Feng Ling work together to restore the Human community, while Zhenwu encourages the survivors to seek safer homes.

Significant themes

• Identity and appearances: Gungun’s disguise fails under Soaring Serpent’s scrutiny.
• Political allegiance and responsibility: Kong Xuan’s family ties and the Phoenix Race’s submission complicate his claim that his brother had no choice.
• Safety and recovery: The humans’ rebuilding and planned migration show the effort to recover from catastrophe.
• Power and limits: The Water Demon Beast’s unusual immortality makes containment difficult, while Gungun’s bluff is undermined by his lack of Hou Yi’s abilities.
  The chapter ends as the Lotus Lantern’s multicolored light surges toward the disguised Gungun.

Key plot points and events

• Gungun’s disguise as Hou Yi is exposed when Soaring Serpent challenges him. They trade insults before fighting.
• Soaring Serpent’s Lotus Lantern cannot overcome Gungun’s Heaven-Earth Bowl, which traps him in its golden light.
• Gungun then captures Kong Xuan with a powerful pull. Kong Xuan attacks with his Five-Colored Divine Light, but Gungun is unharmed because his innate Yin-Yang Dao physique places him outside the five elements.
• Gungun seals Kong Xuan’s magic and orders Wind Earl and Water Master to imprison him beneath Crouching Dragon Mountain. He sees the capture as a way to protect himself from Kunpeng.
• Gungun releases Soaring Serpent and jokes about his plan to imprison the Water Demon Beast. When Soaring Serpent refuses to eat a fellow snake, Gungun claims the corpse for himself. Their teasing escalates until Gungun kicks Soaring Serpent away.

Character developments

• Gungun is revealed as powerful, confident, and strategically minded, but also irreverent and fond of provoking others. He acts decisively to secure Kong Xuan and guard against Kunpeng.
• Soaring Serpent is quick-tempered and proud, and his confidence in the Lotus Lantern is shaken when Gungun defeats him. Despite their hostility, he and Gungun banter with familiarity.
• Kong Xuan is formidable but surprised by Gungun’s resistance to his signature divine ability; he is ultimately captured and disarmed.

Significant themes

• Power and its limits: Legendary weapons and abilities can fail against an opponent with a natural counter.
• Political conflict and self-preservation: Gungun invokes the Dao Ancestor’s decree to justify capturing Kong Xuan while also anticipating Kunpeng’s threat.
• Comedic irreverence: Insults and jokes punctuate the combat, undercutting the characters’ grandeur.

Character interactions

• Gungun and Soaring Serpent move from a fierce magical confrontation to a comic exchange of taunts about age, food, and their respective species.
• Gungun dismisses Kong Xuan’s attack, captures him, and orders his imprisonment.
• Soaring Serpent warns Gungun that Kunpeng will seek revenge; Gungun replies that Kunpeng was already a threat.
• The chapter ends with Gungun turning Soaring Serpent’s threat to eat bear meat into a literal confrontation, kicking him away.

Key plot points and events

• After defeating Soaring Serpent, Gungun arrives at Crouching Dragon Mountain, where Wind Earl and Rain Master have trapped Kong Xuan. Gungun seals the mountain with the Heaven-Earth Bowl, intending to hold Kong Xuan as leverage over Kunpeng until after the War of the Liches.
• Gungun and Soaring Serpent resume their fight. Soaring Serpent uses the Landscape, Rivers, State, and Earth Diagram; Gungun counters with the Vermilion Bird Banner. Both are drawn into the diagram when Gungun grabs Soaring Serpent and drags him in with him.
• Houtu learns they are trapped. Since escaping requires Soaring Serpent’s World-Commanding Brush—and he is inside with Gungun—she leaves them to sort it out, trusting their friendship, and sends Xingtian to bring Buzhou spirit soil to the Human Race as goodwill from the Nine Li Tribe.
• Inside the diagram, Gungun and Soaring Serpent argue over who should let go first. A sudden blast of solar true fire interrupts them, and they encounter an earlier version of Eastern Emperor Taiyi, who believes they have arrived for Dijun’s wedding.
• Soaring Serpent uses the brush to make both of them Elegant Spirit Robes, which protect them from spells in the diagram. Rather than escape immediately, the pair pretend to be Demon Race guests and follow Taiyi to the wedding banquet, hoping to enjoy the Heavenly Court’s hospitality.
• They meet Dijun, who welcomes them as powerful Demon Race immortals and seats them at the wedding.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun acts pragmatically in capturing Kong Xuan, but remains playful and impulsive with Soaring Serpent. Though wary of entering the wedding banquet, he is tempted by curiosity and the chance to see the Heavenly Court.
• Soaring Serpent is Gungun’s rival and friend: they bicker, fight, and distrust each other’s promises, yet cooperate quickly when danger appears. He also shows confidence and resourcefulness by using the World-Commanding Brush to protect them.
• Houtu is calm and trusting toward Gungun, treating his predicament as a lesson rather than an emergency. She turns her attention to helping the recovering Human Race.
• Wind Earl and Rain Master obey Gungun’s orders and are told to treat Kong Xuan considerately despite holding him captive.
• Taiyi and Dijun mistake the intruders for Demon Race allies. Dijun’s interest in recruiting powerful immortals creates the opening for Gungun and Soaring Serpent to remain at the celebration.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and factional conflict: Gungun’s capture of Kong Xuan reflects the larger war between the Witch and Demon factions, even without personal enmity.
• Friendship beneath rivalry: Gungun and Soaring Serpent’s quarrels conceal a bond that leads them to face danger together.
• Choice and temptation: The pair could seek immediate escape, but curiosity and the allure of the Heavenly Court draw them into a risky detour.
• Care beyond conflict: Houtu’s aid to the Human Race shows compassion and diplomacy amid the broader struggle.

Key events

• Gungun and Soaring Serpent attend Dijun and Xi He’s wedding feast, where Gungun discovers Xi He’s Lunar Dew and enthusiastically drinks it.
• Dijun invites both Demon Race Great Luo deities to remain in the Heavenly Court and serve him. Soaring Serpent accepts readily; Gungun agrees too, partly to observe Dijun and Taiyi for weaknesses that might help the Witch Race in the future.
• Nuwa arrives as the wedding’s officiant. She recognizes Soaring Serpent and gently warns him that acting too freely can bring trouble. Gungun realizes that Nuwa’s incarnation knows about their origins and may have altered events inside the diagram.
• Soaring Serpent lends Gungun the World-Commanding Brush for protection, though he makes clear that Nuwa—not Gungun—is the reason he trusts the arrangement.
• Dijun returns with Xi He in a grand procession. Nuwa uses the Red Marriage Ball to establish the Heavenly Wedding, declaring the union of the Sun and Lunar Star rulers ordained by heaven. Merit is divided: 40 percent each to Dijun and Xi He, and the remaining 20 percent between Nuwa and the Red Marriage Ball.
• After the ceremony, Taiyi slips away. Gungun notices and urges Soaring Serpent to follow him.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun stays wary beneath his comic enthusiasm. He accepts a place in the Heavenly Court for strategic reasons, remains concerned about being exposed, and becomes curious about Taiyi’s departure.
• Soaring Serpent is openly loyal to Nuwa and comfortable with his privileged relationship with her. He and Gungun trade teasing insults, while Soaring Serpent’s warning to Gungun highlights their different levels of risk.
• Nuwa shows affection and concern for Soaring Serpent while maintaining her role as wedding officiant. Her knowing glance at the visitors suggests she understands their origins and the changes made within the diagram.
• Dijun is cheerful and welcoming, both as host and groom. Xi He appears as his smiling bride. Taiyi, by contrast, briefly reveals sadness while watching his brother’s marriage, recalling a love he lost.

Significant themes

• Duty versus personal motives: Gungun and Soaring Serpent accept Heavenly Court positions while keeping their own loyalties and purposes in mind.
• Love and loss: Dijun’s joy at marrying Xi He contrasts with Taiyi’s quiet grief over his own past love.
• Trust and loyalty: Nuwa’s bond with Soaring Serpent is reflected in her guidance and the treasures she entrusted to him.
• Fate and cosmic order: Nuwa’s declaration frames the marriage as a way to restore balance between yin and yang, and the resulting merit confirms its heavenly significance.

Plot points

• Gungun persuades Soaring Serpent to follow Eastern Emperor Taiyi, hoping to uncover a weakness or useful information for the coming War of the Liches.
• Using the World-Commanding Brush, Gungun creates a Chaos Bell effect that freezes time and space in the Heavenly Court, then makes himself and Soaring Serpent invisible and undetectable.
• Nuwa is unaffected by the spell. She warns Soaring Serpent to be cautious and asks him to keep her elder brother from becoming too involved with the Demon Race. Soaring Serpent agrees to meet her at Wa Emperor Palace after the cataclysm.
• The pair secretly follow Taiyi to the East Sea and into the Ancestral Dragon Hall, where they watch him evade guards and enter a bedchamber.
• There, they discover Taiyi with Dragon Empress Gengchen, the Ancestral Dragon’s first wife. Gengchen is crying and resisting as Taiyi speaks earnestly to her, leaving the observers stunned.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun shows ambition beneath his lazy reputation: he frames the pursuit as a serious effort to gain merit, and uses the brush’s reality-altering power to keep up with Taiyi.
• Soaring Serpent is reluctant but accompanies Gungun out of loyalty. He recognizes Taiyi’s near-unmatched strength and knows Gengchen from earlier travels.
• Nuwa demonstrates foresight and concern for both Soaring Serpent and her elder brother, setting a clear boundary against reckless action and excessive Demon Race entanglement.
• Gungun and Soaring Serpent trade observations and work together, though Soaring Serpent remains skeptical of Gungun’s motives.
• Taiyi and Gengchen’s meeting is the chapter’s major revelation; Gengchen’s tears and refusal suggest a troubled or unwanted encounter, though its purpose is not yet explained.

Significant themes

• Power and its limits: Taiyi is extraordinarily formidable, but Gungun believes strength does not eliminate vulnerability.
• Cunning and magical authority: The World-Commanding Brush lets Gungun reshape the situation, turning curiosity into covert surveillance.
• Loyalty and caution: Soaring Serpent balances friendship with Nuwa’s warning.
• Unexpected entanglements: The discovery of Taiyi and Gengchen hints at hidden relationships and political complications among the Primordial World’s powerful figures.

Key plot points and events

• Gungun and Soaring Serpent witness Eastern Emperor Taiyi embracing Dragon Queen Gengchen, the Ancestral Dragon’s wife and Ao Yue’s mother.
• Gungun is stunned: he had regarded Taiyi as a great hero, and has never heard of him having a partner. Soaring Serpent insists Nuwa had nothing to do with the apparent relationship.
• The sight prompts Gungun to reconsider Taiyi’s unusually close bond with Ao Yue. He suspects Ao Yue may be Taiyi and Gengchen’s son, which could explain both Taiyi’s devotion and the Ancestral Dragon’s hostility toward Ao Yue.
• Gungun reasons that the Ancestral Dragon might have spared Ao Yue because he loved Gengchen too deeply to punish her or the child. He persuades Soaring Serpent to investigate Ao Yue’s true form and parentage.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun moves from shock and disbelief to forming an elaborate theory. Though he briefly imagines switching allegiance for personal advantage, he rejects betrayal and remains committed to his side.
• Soaring Serpent initially dismisses Gungun’s speculation, but becomes intrigued by his reasoning and agrees to investigate.
• Taiyi is seen in a startlingly intimate moment with Gengchen, casting doubt on Gungun’s idealized image of him.
• Ao Yue is absent, but his relationship with Taiyi and conflict with the Ancestral Dragon become the focus of the pair’s suspicions.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and ambition: Gungun considers the benefits of changing sides but refuses to betray others.
• Love and its consequences: Gungun suggests the Ancestral Dragon’s love for Gengchen may have shaped his treatment of Ao Yue.
• Appearance versus hidden truth: The encounter makes Gungun question the accepted history behind Taiyi, Ao Yue, and the Dragon clan.
• Speculation and discovery: A shocking observation leads the characters to pursue a potentially world-changing secret.

Key plot points and events

• Gungun and Soaring Serpent search Ao Yue’s quarters in the Landscape, Rivers, State, and Earth Diagram, hoping to investigate rumors about his parentage. Ao Yue is absent, and they find no clues.
• They discuss the possibility that Ao Yue might be the son of Eastern Emperor Taiyi and Dragon Empress Gengchen. Soaring Serpent doubts it, while Gungun argues that Torch Dragon might have concealed such a secret to protect the Dragon Race’s future.
• Gungun uses the Haotian Mirror to observe Ao Yue in secluded cultivation. To reveal his true form, he attacks him with the Pangu Banner, reasoning that he can heal him and compensate him afterward.
• Ao Yue is badly injured and knocked unconscious. His transformation reveals a winged, stockier dragon unlike the divine dragon Gungun remembers. Soaring Serpent identifies the wings as Golden Crow Wings.
• The discovery leaves them alarmed: Ao Yue may have Golden Crow heritage. They also realize Yinglong has wings, prompting them to wonder whether Dragon Empress Gengchen was unfaithful to the Ancestral Dragon.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun is determined and resourceful, but his investigation is reckless: he chooses to injure Ao Yue rather than seek a gentler way to uncover the truth.
• Soaring Serpent is skeptical of the paternity theory and provides comic resistance to Gungun’s teasing. When Gungun’s hypothetical turns toward Soaring Serpent’s own wife and child, he quickly shuts the subject down.
• Their banter shows a familiar, teasing relationship, though both become serious when they see Ao Yue’s Golden Crow Wings.
• Ao Yue remains unconscious during the reveal, so he does not interact directly with the investigators.

Significant themes

• Bloodline, legitimacy, and inheritance: Ao Yue’s possible mixed ancestry could reshape assumptions about his place in the Dragon Race.
• Loyalty versus political interest: Gungun suggests Torch Dragon might prioritize the race’s future over family loyalty.
• Recklessness and consequences: Gungun’s pursuit of certainty harms Ao Yue, despite his promise to make amends.
• Humor amid danger: The characters’ teasing contrasts with the potentially world-shaking implications of their discovery.

Key plot points and events

• In the Landscape, Rivers, State, and Earth Diagram, Gungun and Soaring Serpent discover that Ao Yue—the Dragon Crown Prince—has Golden Crow wings, revealing a shocking secret about his parentage.
• Gungun secretly heals Ao Yue with Three Lights Divine Water and leaves him Flat Peaches, then takes himself and Soaring Serpent out of the diagram and back to the Primordial World.
• Soaring Serpent warns that Ao Yue might lead the Dragon Race to side with the Demon Race. He proposes capturing Ao Yue to prevent that and use him as leverage against Eastern Emperor Taiyi.
• Gungun refuses to attack Ao Yue, citing their friendship and the Dragon Race’s ties to his own Iron-Eating Beast Clan. He does, however, consider Ao Yue’s relationship with Taiyi potentially useful.
• Meanwhile, the recovered Kunpeng divines that Gungun has captured his younger brother Kong Xuan. Unable to rescue Kong Xuan directly or call on Dijun and Taiyi, Kunpeng devises a plan for revenge.
• Kunpeng intends to provoke the Golden Crow Crown Princes’ curiosity about the Human Race so they will eventually leave Sun Valley. He targets Kuafu, who is guarding the rebuilding Youxiong Tribe, hoping to create a counter-leverage against Gungun.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun is shaken by the revelation about Ao Yue but responds with compassion, healing him rather than exploiting his vulnerability. He balances strategic concerns with personal loyalty.
• Soaring Serpent is cautious and politically minded. He urges Gungun to anticipate the Dragon Race’s possible allegiance and proposes using Ao Yue as a hostage, but ultimately accepts Gungun’s decision.
• Kunpeng turns his anger over Kong Xuan’s capture into a calculated revenge plot. His resentment toward Gungun also stems from their rivalry and Gungun’s status as a Witch Scribe.
• The chapter contrasts Gungun and Soaring Serpent’s private discussion with Kunpeng’s plotting, setting up a potential confrontation involving the Golden Crow princes and Kuafu.

Significant themes

• Loyalty versus political allegiance: Ao Yue’s responsibilities to the Dragon Race may outweigh his ties to the Demon Race.
• Compassion versus expediency: Gungun declines to treat a friend as a bargaining chip, despite the strategic advantage.
• Leverage and retaliation: Both sides consider using influential figures and vulnerable allies to gain advantage.
• Hidden identities and secrets: Ao Yue’s parentage has major implications for the balance between the Dragon and Demon Races.

• Gungun’s plans and priorities: Gungun discusses Kong Xuan with Soaring Serpent, who explains that he saved the young phoenix because of Primordial Phoenix’s protection, his ties to Azure Luan and Fire Phoenix, and instructions to watch over him. Gungun agrees to shelter Kong Xuan, unconcerned about Kunpeng because the Ancestral Witches support it. After Soaring Serpent leaves, Gungun considers how the relationship between Eastern Emperor Taiyi and Ao Yue might be useful.
• Yinglong’s visit: Yinglong arrives with Tongtian’s request for Gungun to send a mount or promising disciple to Kunlun. He also reports increasing tension between Jiejiao and the Expounding Teaching, and Tongtian’s plan to leave Kunlun. Gungun agrees to help but is more interested in inspecting Yinglong’s true form: his wings are made of dragon bones, not Golden Crow feathers. Before Yinglong departs, Gungun urges him to avoid Jiejiao disciples with poor prospects. Yinglong realizes that, as Chief Outer Disciple, he may be able to expel unruly members.
• Changqin and Kui Ox arrive: After further time passes, Hou Yi brings Kui Ox and Crown Prince Changqin to Gungun. Zhurong wants Changqin to join Jiejiao as a direct disciple, though Houtu had suggested he enter as a mount. Changqin himself is willing to follow his divine father’s wishes. Gungun warns that other religious groups might be better choices, but ultimately agrees to take him to Jiejiao.
• Gungun’s unexpected request: Gungun asks Kui Ox how to win the heart of a beautiful female immortal. It explains that Hou Yi once promised Gungun could take away any female immortal Hou Yi fell for—and Gungun wants to make Hou Yi’s partner fall in love with it instead. Kui Ox and Hou Yi are left speechless.
  Character developments and interactions: Yinglong shows gratitude and growing initiative, turning Gungun’s advice into a plan to discipline Jiejiao. Changqin appears dutiful rather than eager, agreeing to pursue the path chosen by Zhurong. Gungun remains irreverent and opportunistic, while Hou Yi continues to treat it familiarly—sharing its milk tea—without anticipating its outrageous proposal.
  Themes: The chapter highlights loyalty and obligation within relationships and religious factions, the clash between sect ideals and their members’ conduct, and the humorous gap between serious spiritual affairs and Gungun’s mischievous schemes.