Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Gungun receives word that Mo Yi, chief of the Youxiong Tribe, has given birth to a daughter. He sends a large fish as a gift and appoints Xiong Yuan to visit the tribe and bless the child.
• When Xiong Yuan says the baby is named Chang’e, Gungun realizes she may be the legendary figure destined to fly to the moon. He wonders how her fate might connect to the Youxiong Tribe and looks toward the Lunar Star.
• Inspired by Chang’e’s arrival, Gungun becomes unusually industrious: he uses the nine slain Golden Crow princes’ remains to refine the Immortal-Slaying Flying Blade and extracts their solar origin to cultivate.
• Lu Ya, furious that Gungun is using his brothers’ bodies, vows revenge against the Iron-Eating Beast Clan. He disguises himself as a Daoist and visits the Youxiong Tribe, giving Mo Yi an “Immortal Pill” for Chang’e.
• The pill causes Chang’e to grow from an infant into an eighteen-year-old woman in moments. Mo Yi is alarmed and uncertain whether her daughter’s sudden growth will harm her.
• Xiong Yuan arrives to bless Chang’e and is stunned to find the newborn already grown.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun remains pragmatic about his limits, but Chang’e’s name unsettles him and prompts him to act on his solar-origin cultivation. His exchanges with Xiong Yuan show their familiar, teasing relationship: Gungun dislikes Xiong Yuan’s formal “old subject” manner, while Xiong Yuan remains dutiful and concerned for him.
• Xiong Yuan reflects on the passage of time and the pain of watching mortal generations age and die. He follows Gungun’s orders, bringing the gift and visiting the tribe.
• Mo Yi is happy to have a daughter but becomes conflicted and worried when Chang’e suddenly grows up. She introduces Chang’e to Xiong Yuan and urges her to show respect.
• Lu Ya shifts from anger to open hostility, resolving to destroy the Iron-Eating Beast Clan. His deceptive gift makes him the direct cause of Chang’e’s unnatural transformation.
• Chang’e is introduced as Mo Yi’s daughter and as a possible link to the famous lunar legend; her rapid growth leaves her identity and future uncertain.

Significant themes

• Fate and myth: Gungun suspects Chang’e is the legendary figure, foreshadowing a possible connection between her life and the moon.
• Revenge and escalation: Gungun’s use of the Golden Crow princes’ remains deepens Lu Ya’s hatred and threatens a wider conflict.
• Time and mortality: Xiong Yuan’s reflections contrast the long lives of immortals with the brief lives of humans.
• Unintended consequences and deception: Lu Ya’s seemingly beneficial gift brings a shocking, unwanted change to Chang’e and her family.

Key plot points and events

• Chang’e is brought before Gungun after the solar origin within her reacts strangely. Gungun’s inspection reveals no obvious abnormality, but it suspects she is not human.
• Gungun accuses Chang’e of being a disguised fiend and nearly strikes her. When she does not evade the blow, he arrests her anyway and orders her taken to the Nether Capital’s dungeon.
• To draw out whoever gave Chang’e’s mother, Mo Yi, the Immortal Pill, Gungun orders Xiong Yuan to reassure Mo Yi while publicly claiming that an impostor tried to harm him.
• Gungun seeks Zhunti’s advice. Zhunti identifies the likely force behind Chang’e’s connection to the Golden Crow origin and devises a plan to use her as bait to obtain the lunar origin.
• Zhunti gives Gungun a Third-Grade Golden Lotus for protection. Gungun then takes personal custody of Chang’e, transforms into a youth, and carries her toward the Iron-Eating Forest.
• Lu Ya watches from concealment and concludes that Gungun has fallen for his trap.

Character developments

• Gungun shifts from suspicion to calculated action. Though uncertain of Chang’e’s exact nature, he trusts his instincts, stages a public explanation, and turns the apparent danger into an opportunity.
• Chang’e remains confused and frightened, insisting she is an ordinary human. Her fear and failure to resist the attack deepen the mystery surrounding her.
• Xiong Yuan moves from surprise to doubt after recognizing Chang’e’s unusual bearing and the significance of the solar-origin disturbance.
• Zhunti acts as a perceptive strategist, quickly identifying the hidden hand behind events and equipping Gungun with a plan and a protective treasure.
• Lu Ya is revealed as the hidden observer who believes his scheme is succeeding.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus reality: Chang’e seems entirely human, yet Gungun’s instincts and the solar-origin reaction suggest otherwise.
• Deception and counter-deception: Gungun’s accusation, public cover story, and staged custody all serve a larger plan, while Lu Ya believes he is manipulating Gungun.
• Power and suspicion: An unexplained supernatural reaction prompts Gungun to act despite lacking proof, showing how uncertainty can drive conflict.
• Strategic opportunity: Zhunti reframes a troubling mystery as a chance to pursue the lunar origin.

Character interactions

• Gungun confronts and arrests Chang’e, while Xiong Yuan questions the decision and later accepts that her bearing is suspicious.
• Gungun consults Zhunti, who gives him confidential advice and the Golden Lotus.
• Gungun dismisses the escorting Witches, takes Chang’e himself, and speaks to her with unsettling familiarity.
• Lu Ya secretly observes Gungun’s actions and interprets them as evidence that his own plan is working.

Key plot points and events

• Gungun carries Chang’e toward the Iron-Eating Forest, pretending to desire her. Once there, he drops the act, has her imprisoned at the God-Imprisoning Platform, and orders the guards to bind and watch her.
• Xi He observes the pair and reveals her plan: once Gungun becomes attached to Chang’e, she will awaken Chang’e’s true spirit and summon her back to the Lunar Star. She hopes to draw Gungun, Hou Yi, and perhaps other Witch leaders into a trap in the heavens, where the Demon Race can destroy them and their clans.
• Dijun senses something amiss and discovers that the Lu Ya in the Jade Pool is only a feather decoy. He sends Nine-Infant to retrieve the real Lu Ya, who has gone to the lower realm.
• Zhunti prevents Lu Ya from returning to the Heavenly Court by persuading him to join the Western Religion. Lu Ya believes this will protect him from Gungun and allow him eventually to replace him.
• Gungun secretly tends a Chaos Seed using Golden Crow blood, hoping it will grow in time. He also keeps a short arrow made from the same material as Hou Yi’s Sun-Shooting Arrows.
• Three months later, Gungun visits the Western Pure Land. When Zhunti urges him and Lu Ya to set aside their grievances as fellow disciples, Gungun agrees—then announces that he wants to marry Chang’e, leaving Zhunti startled and Lu Ya alarmed.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun is revealed to be acting strategically, not romantically: he knows Chang’e is part of Xi He’s scheme and plans to turn it against her, potentially using Chang’e to reach the heavens and seize Xi He’s lunar origin. His sudden marriage proposal appears to serve that larger plan.
• Chang’e is confused and frightened by Gungun’s shifting behavior. She believes she is being abducted for his pleasure, then finds herself imprisoned without understanding what he means by her “original self.”
• Xi He is determined to avenge her sons, even at the cost of sacrificing her Good Corpse—Chang’e—and provoking a wider conflict.
• Dijun grows suspicious, but Zhunti’s concealment of heavenly secrets prevents him from uncovering Xi He’s actions. He recognizes the decoy Lu Ya too late to stop his departure.
• Lu Ya remains hostile toward Gungun but accepts Zhunti’s offer, hoping Western protection will shield him. Gungun needles him at their meeting, while Zhunti insists they behave as allies.
• Zhunti maneuvers to keep Lu Ya out of Dijun’s reach, while Jieyin disapproves of Zhunti’s opportunism but allows him to act.

Significant themes

• Deception and counter-plots: Xi He, Zhunti, and Gungun each conceal their intentions and attempt to exploit the others’ schemes.
• Fate versus agency: Chang’e is treated as a piece in competing plans, while Gungun tries to redirect the outcome for his own purposes.
• Power and political protection: The conflict’s balance shifts between the lower realm and the heavens, and religious affiliation offers Lu Ya a possible shield.
• Revenge and sacrifice: Xi He’s pursuit of vengeance drives her to risk herself, Chang’e, and entire clans.

Key plot points and events

• Gungun leaves Zhunti’s Pure Land after insisting he intends to marry Chang’e. Zhunti agrees, believing Gungun is serious, while Lu Ya privately celebrates the decision as part of his scheme.
• Gungun returns to Mount Buzhou and tells the Twelve Ancestral Witches that Chang’e is the reincarnated good corpse of Xi He, the Demon Queen. Chang’e has been captured and confined, and Gungun hopes to use her to draw Xi He out and kill her without violating the Dao Ancestor’s decree.
• The Witches pause work on the Demon-Slaying Sword to deal with Xi He. Gungun explains that Zhunti helped devise the plan and that Xi He is likely to retrieve Chang’e only after believing she has successfully lured one of her targets.
• Houtu initially objects to Gungun marrying Chang’e and proposes that Hou Yi pretend to marry her instead. Hou Yi is surprised but considers the plan.
• Gungun then suggests that he and Hou Yi marry Chang’e together, reasoning that this would make Xi He more confident in her trap. Gonggong and Zhurong enthusiastically support the idea because it would humiliate the Demon Race and Dijun. The other Ancestral Witches join in, and Dijiang approves the joint marriage.
• Concerned that Gungun’s preparations may not be enough to kill the powerful Xi He, Dijiang gives him a space-law pearl that can summon Dijiang to finish the job if necessary.
• Meanwhile, Dijun questions Xi He about what she instructed Lu Ya to do against Gungun and Hou Yi. Xi He remains silent, and Dijun leaves for the Jade Pool.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun presents himself as firm about marrying Chang’e, though his private thoughts reveal that he is playing a strategic role in a broader scheme. He shifts quickly from accepting the marriage plan to proposing a shared marriage with Hou Yi.
• Zhunti reluctantly respects Gungun’s apparent determination, while Lu Ya believes the arrangement is progressing according to his own hidden agenda.
• Houtu shows affection for Gungun but also treats him as a child and resists the idea of his marrying. Gungun’s attempt to appear wronged backfires when Houtu recognizes his manipulative inner thoughts.
• Hou Yi is caught off guard by being asked to marry Chang’e, but Gungun persuades him that the plan will help defeat Xi He.
• Gonggong and Zhurong turn the tactical plan into an opportunity to mock and disgrace the Demon Race. Dijiang ultimately prioritizes the plan’s potential and adds a safeguard.
• Dijun and Xi He remain at odds: he presses her for information about Lu Ya’s revenge plan, while she refuses to answer.

Significant themes

• Deception and strategy: Both sides are maneuvering through disguises, manipulation, and calculated appearances.
• Loyalty and trust: Zhunti weighs his bond with Gungun against the risk that Chang’e may betray him; the Witches coordinate to protect their allies.
• Power and contingency: The Witches recognize the danger posed by a Quasi-Saint and prepare a backup plan.
• Comic irreverence: The solemn threat of a major battle is repeatedly undercut by Gungun’s self-serving thoughts and the Witches’ gleeful focus on humiliating Dijun.

Chapter summary

Key plot points and events

• Dijun remains troubled by Lu Ya’s unexplained disappearance and suspects a hidden force is interfering with him. He cannot divine Lu Ya’s whereabouts, and Xi He will not reveal what their son intends to do.
• Taiyi reports that Gungun and Hou Yi will jointly marry Chang’e, a woman presented as the daughter of a human tribe’s chief. Dijun and Taiyi doubt she is truly human and suspect she is connected to the recent accusations surrounding the Ancestral Bear.
• At Mount Buzhou, Gungun tells Hou Yi that Chang’e is the reincarnation of Xi He’s “good corpse.” Their marriage is part of a plan to draw out a powerful demon and help Gungun seize the lunar origin. Gungun says Chang’e will die if Xi He falls, unless she can somehow sever their connection.
• Hou Yi accepts the arranged marriage but privately hopes Chang’e might be spared and allowed to live as a human. He then prepares for the wedding by sharpening arrows.
• Feeling uneasy about Chang’e’s fate, Gungun splits into black and white bears. The black bear handles the wedding preparations; the white bear—who carries Gungun’s emotional, yang side—visits Chang’e at the God-Imprisoning Platform.
• White-bear Gungun gives Chang’e a jade talisman and warns her that the marriage is staged. He tells her to shout “Seal” if a female demon tries to devour her. He introduces himself as Yangyi and promises she will soon be free.
• Taiyi, unable to enter the Iron-Eating Forest unnoticed, creates a feather avatar to keep watch and secretly follows Gungun. Several powerful figures, including the Three Pure Ones and Jieyin and Zhunti, sense Taiyi’s movements.

Character developments and interactions

• Dijun appears exhausted and increasingly suspicious, balancing concern about Lu Ya with his investigation of the Witch Race.
• Taiyi remains resentful toward Gungun for repeatedly involving the Saints, but follows Dijun’s orders and pursues his own investigation.
• Hou Yi is dutiful and cautious, yet shows compassion for Chang’e despite having never met her.
• Gungun is ruthless and strategic about using Chang’e in his plan, but his emotional side is troubled by the prospect of her suffering. His split into black and white bears makes this inner conflict explicit.
• Chang’e is confused by the revelations but trusts the kind-looking Yangyi enough to accept the talisman and his instructions.
• Dijun and Taiyi speculate about Chang’e’s identity; Gungun briefs Hou Yi on her origin; and Yangyi reassures Chang’e directly.

Significant themes

• Duty versus compassion: Gungun’s plan treats Chang’e as a means to an end, while Hou Yi and Gungun’s emotional side consider her welfare.
• Identity and divided selves: Chang’e is both a human woman and Xi He’s separated corpse; Gungun’s black-and-white split likewise distinguishes strategic action from emotion.
• Fate, secrecy, and surveillance: Hidden identities, failed divinations, disguises, and Taiyi’s covert pursuit suggest that several forces are maneuvering behind the scenes.
• Power and vulnerability: Chang’e is caught in conflicts among formidable beings, but the talisman gives her a small measure of protection and agency.

Key plot points and events

• Yuanshi uses the Pangu Banner to shatter the space around Taiyi, forcing the Golden Crow away from Gungun. Gungun remains unaware that Taiyi had been following him.
• Gungun visits River Styx at the Sea of Blood and learns that Styx has been trying unsuccessfully to create a race. Gungun suggests that Styx’s creations need spirits, not just life-giving energy.
• With Houtu’s permission, Gungun uses the Spirit-Washing Cauldron to cleanse the spirit of a fallen Devil. Styx merges it with bloody mud, successfully creating Bali, the first Asura. Together, Styx and Gungun create about a hundred Asuras.
• Styx declares the creation of the Asura Race and establishes the Asura Religion, anchoring it with the Twelfth-Grade Karma Fire Red Lotus. Heavenly merit descends, but despite the power it grants him—and Gungun’s offer of his own share—Styx neither attains sainthood nor severs his third corpse.
• Gungun gives Styx his share of the merit in exchange for three favors. He then reveals his real purpose: he needs to borrow Styx’s swords, Yuantu and Abi. Though Styx suspects Gungun intends to kill someone, he lends them without learning the details.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun proves observant and helpful: his simple question about giving the created beings spirits unlocks Styx’s breakthrough. He willingly shares his merit, but does so pragmatically, valuing Styx’s future goodwill more than the reward.
• River Styx moves from frustration at repeated failure to delight at creating the Asuras, then disappointment when his attempt to gain greater power falls short. He appreciates Gungun’s contribution and generosity, and repays him by lending his prized swords.
• Yuanshi intervenes unseen to stop Taiyi from following Gungun. Taiyi recognizes the Pangu Banner and leaves.
• Gungun and Styx develop a mutually beneficial relationship: Gungun assists with the Asuras’ creation, while Styx grants him three favors and the use of his swords.

Significant themes

• Creation requires more than raw power: Styx’s failed experiments succeed only after Gungun identifies the need for a spirit.
• Merit does not guarantee transcendence: Creating a race and founding a religion bring immense merit, but do not automatically make Styx a Saint—or even let him advance past his existing limit.
• Pragmatic generosity and reciprocity: Gungun’s gift of merit is both kind and strategic, turning immediate reward into a lasting obligation.
• Ambition and disappointment: Styx hopes to follow the examples of Nuwa and the Saints, but must confront the limits of his own path.

Chapter Summary: “Taking a Day Off”

This chapter contains no story events. The author explains that the plot is approaching the War of the Liches, but they have not yet worked out how to handle several remaining story issues. They request a day off to think and ask readers to subscribe to every chapter to support their writing and help cover rent.
Characters and interactions: There is no character development or interaction within the story; the chapter is an author’s note addressed directly to readers.
Themes: The note emphasizes the pressure of writing, the approaching climax, and the author’s reliance on reader support.

• Key events: Gungun borrows River Styx’s swords, Yuantu and Abi, to prepare for killing Xi He and taking the lunar origin without incurring karma. River Styx reveals that the loan repays one of the three favors Gungun owes him. When Gungun tries to turn an earlier hypothetical offer into a demand for the swords outright, River Styx kicks it out. Gungun reunites with its black-bear half at Mount Buzhou, briefly displays the swords’ power, then goes to sleep instead of preparing a formal wedding. The system rewards its stubborn laziness with points and lets it buy the Kongtong Seal, which appears in its portable world. Its arrival causes Di Jun’s Hetu Luoshu in the Heavenly Court to tremble, releasing traces of previously hidden heavenly secrets.
• Character developments: Gungun remains shrewd when planning against Xi He, but deeply committed to sleep and indifferent to ceremony. River Styx is amused by Gungun’s opportunism, then reveals his frustration that he has failed to sever his third corpse and advance toward the Dao. The system turns Gungun’s refusal to engage into a reward, reinforcing its “lazy fish” identity.
• Interactions: Gungun bargains with River Styx over the swords and a past favor, but is abruptly expelled when it pushes its luck. Its two bear forms reunite to restore the complete Ancestral Bear. Gungun ignores the system’s initial prompt, prompting a reward that it uses to obtain the Kongtong Seal.
• Themes: The chapter contrasts ambitious schemes with Gungun’s comic laziness: even as it prepares for a dangerous confrontation, it prioritizes sleep. Karma, favors, and divine power shape the characters’ choices, while the seal’s appearance signals that Gungun’s seemingly self-contained actions may affect wider heavenly affairs.

Key plot points and events

• While awaiting news about his son Lu Ya, Dijun’s Hetu Luoshu reveals a heavenly secret: the Witch-Slaying Sword can be forged from the resentment of living beings and the blood of Saints.
• Dijun quickly divines the sword’s forging method before the heavenly secrets become obscured. He believes the weapon will secure victory over the Witch Race and make him powerful enough to rival the Saints.
• The requirement for Saintly blood complicates his plan. After considering and rejecting the other Saints as sources, Dijun decides to approach Jieyin and Zhunti in the Western Lands.
• Zhunti has already hidden Lu Ya, so Dijun does not realize his son is nearby.
• Dijun offers the Western Religion future status and freedom to spread its teachings in exchange for the Saints’ blood. When that fails, Jieyin refuses on religious grounds. Dijun then asks whether they will simply gift him some instead, leaving both Saints stunned.

Character developments

• Dijun shifts from delighted confidence to practical concern when he learns the sword requires Saintly blood. His ambition remains undiminished: he tries both a political bargain and a verbal workaround to get what he needs.
• Zhunti is wary and unwilling to give more blood, especially after recently giving some to Gungun. The repeated requests also prompt him to wonder who has concealed the heavenly secrets about Gungun.
• Jieyin maintains a solemn, compassionate manner while firmly refusing Dijun’s request.
• Lu Ya remains hidden in the Western Lands, protected from his father’s discovery by Zhunti.

Significant themes

• Ambition and power: Dijun sees the sword as a path to victory, supreme authority, and freedom from fearing the Saints.
• Fate and obscured knowledge: Divination reveals the sword’s secret, while the ongoing tribulation and concealed heavenly secrets limit what even powerful figures can know.
• Religious principle versus self-interest: The Western Saints reject Dijun’s offer as a transaction, though their refusal also reflects their lack of faith in his promised victory.
• Comic negotiation: Dijun takes Zhunti’s polite “we certainly will not refuse” literally, then tries to sidestep the refusal by reframing the request as a gift.

Character interactions

Dijun approaches the Western Saints deferentially but immediately makes his visit transactional. Zhunti initially responds warmly, then freezes at the request for blood and privately resents being asked again. Jieyin politely refuses, and Zhunti backs him up. Dijun’s final distinction between a trade and a gift leaves the Saints speechless.

Key plot points and events

• Zhunti drives Dijun out of the Western Lands after Dijun asks for a Saint’s blood to make the Witch-Slaying Sword. Zhunti considers the request presumptuous and dangerous.
• Jieyin and Zhunti discuss the worsening devastation caused by the Demon–Witch conflict. They suspect both factions’ requests for Saint’s blood point to a larger plan. Zhunti admits he gave Gungun three drops.
• Humiliated but unable to challenge the Saints, Dijun recommits to defeating the Witch Race and consolidating the world’s power.
• Unable to obtain blood from a Saint, Dijun realizes that Nuwa’s first human, Feng Ling, received her Sacred Blood—and that the Nuwa Tribe descends from Feng Ling.
• Dijun orders Zhu Yan, a powerful Demon God, to lead troops to slaughter the Nuwa Tribe and bring back their blood essence for the Witch-Slaying Sword.

Character developments and interactions

• Dijun shifts from wounded pride and anger to ruthless confidence. He chooses mass murder, assuming Nuwa cannot intervene while confined by the Dao Ancestor.
• Zhunti initially reacts angrily to Dijun’s demand, then regrets losing his temper. Jieyin reassures him and frames their refusal as concern for the world.
• Jieyin and Zhunti share a moment of awkward surprise when Zhunti reveals he gave Gungun three drops of Saint’s blood.
• Dijun and Zhu Yan interact through a direct imperial command: Zhu Yan accepts the order and prepares to attack the Nuwa Tribe.

Significant themes

• Power and hierarchy: Dijun’s imperial status offers no protection against Saints, while he believes future supremacy will let him challenge them.
• Ambition overriding morality: Dijun treats an entire human tribe as material for a weapon.
• War’s cost and moral complexity: Jieyin sees both the Demon and Witch races as sources of immense suffering, despite recognizing the Demon Race’s earlier role in bringing peace.
• Religious compassion versus political calculation: The Western leaders speak of concern for living beings, while Dijun pursues victory regardless of the human cost.

Plot points and events

• The Nuwa Tribe remains in its ancestral homeland by the Yellow River, despite other tribes having left after the Water Demon Beast incident.
• A demon army arrives. Feng Ling, the tribe’s chief, sends her people to shelter in the Sacred Hall and prepares to confront the invaders. She tells an elder to summon Zhenwu if she cannot stop them.
• Demon commander Zhu Yan orders his deputy, Wu Zhiqi, to attack the humans while he fights Feng Ling. He attacks without explaining the reason for the invasion.
• Zhu Yan’s blows overwhelm Feng Ling, though Lady Nuwa’s Holy Spirit Cloak keeps her from being gravely injured at first. She sends word to the elder, who lights incense before Zhenwu’s statue.
• Zhenwu senses the danger and asks Laozi’s permission to help. Laozi refuses, calling the attack a Human Race tribulation and arguing that the Human Race needs a new “rightful lineage.” He knocks Zhenwu unconscious and tells Xuandu to take him away.
• Laozi says intervention is unnecessary because someone else has already gone. Just as Zhu Yan is about to deliver a potentially fatal blow, a burst of flame strikes his staff and saves Feng Ling. The winged divine serpent Soaring Serpent appears.

Character developments

• Feng Ling acts decisively to protect her people, but is badly outmatched by Zhu Yan. Her concern remains focused on the tribe’s survival rather than her own.
• Zhu Yan shows contempt for humans, viewing them as inferior creations, and attacks with confidence and cruelty.
• Zhenwu is eager to defend the Nuwa Tribe, but Laozi’s intervention prevents him from acting.
• Laozi reveals a willingness to let the tribe suffer as part of a larger plan to change the Human Race’s leadership.
• Soaring Serpent arrives at the moment Feng Ling is near defeat, setting up a new defender against the demon assault.

Significant themes

• Ancestry and belonging: The Nuwa Tribe stays in its ancestral homeland out of attachment and responsibility.
• Duty versus destiny: Zhenwu wants to rescue the tribe, while Laozi insists that the attack is part of a necessary tribulation.
• Change and legitimacy: Laozi challenges the idea that the Nuwa Tribe must remain the Human Race’s rightful lineage, arguing that leadership changes across the world.
• Power and prejudice: Zhu Yan’s contempt for humans accompanies his overwhelming force, while Feng Ling’s courage cannot overcome the gap in strength.

Character interactions

• Feng Ling organizes the elders and protects the tribe, then asks them to summon Zhenwu when the danger becomes clear.
• Zhu Yan dismisses Feng Ling’s status and attacks her; Wu Zhiqi carries out the order to assault the other humans.
• Zhenwu pleads with Laozi to intervene, but Laozi silences him and has Xuandu remove him.
• Soaring Serpent’s sudden arrival interrupts Zhu Yan’s attack and gives Feng Ling hope.

Summary

Key plot points and events

• The Demon Race’s army, led by Zhu Yan, attacks the Nuwa Tribe, apparently seeking the sacred blood that Lady Nuwa bestowed on its people. The demons kill and injure many before Soaring Serpent arrives.
• Soaring Serpent defeats Zhu Yan, binds him with the Demon-Binding Rope, and forces the demon army to withdraw. He refuses to let the demons continue without Lady Nuwa’s Sacred Edict, but avoids killing them, judging that a larger confrontation could put him and the humans in greater danger.
• Recognizing that the Nuwa Tribe cannot safely remain near the Yellow River, Soaring Serpent moves its survivors to the Southern Wastes, beside the Nine Li Tribe. The Nine Li warmly welcomes them and pledges to protect them.
• News of the attack outrages humans across the world. Tribes seek help from the Supreme Pure Sage and from the Witch Race.
• Hou Yi tells Gungun that the Demon Race may want the Nuwa Tribe’s sacred blood as a weapon against the Witch Race. Gungun rejects the idea of attacking or sacrificing the humans, instead proposing that the Nine Li and Nuwa peoples intermarry, bringing Nuwa’s bloodline into the Witch-Human Race.
• Gungun decides to consider how to respond to the Demon Race and travels to Shouyang Mountain to request an audience with the Supreme Pure Sage.

Character developments and interactions

• Soaring Serpent shows both strength and restraint: he protects the Nuwa Tribe, but avoids escalating the conflict into a war he may not be able to win. He works with Feng Ling to evacuate the survivors.
• Feng Ling is grateful for Soaring Serpent’s intervention, though she initially questions why he lets the demons go. She accepts the relocation when she understands the danger facing her people.
• Wu Zhiqi recognizes Soaring Serpent’s advantage and chooses withdrawal over further losses, despite resenting his defiance of the Heavenly Emperor’s authority.
• Gungun awakens from his usual indifference when he learns humans are being slaughtered. He rejects Hou Yi’s grim suggestion of eliminating the Nuwa Tribe to deny the demons its blood, and instead proposes protecting and integrating the tribe.
• Hou Yi brings Gungun the news and leaves the decision to him, balancing concern for the humans against the Witch Race’s security.

Significant themes

• Protection and responsibility: Soaring Serpent and Gungun both act to safeguard a vulnerable people, though by different means.
• Political restraint and power: Soaring Serpent’s victory does not erase the danger of provoking stronger enemies; survival requires measured choices.
• Identity and kinship: The Nuwa Tribe is treated as a sacred lineage of humanity, while intermarriage could unite human and Witch-Human communities.
• Bloodline as both heritage and weapon: The sacred blood gives the Nuwa Tribe spiritual importance but also makes it a target in the wider conflict.

Plot points

• Gungun visits Laozi and explains that he has been working to restrain the Witches and preserve balance between them and the Demons.
• He recounts the Demons’ repeated provocations: attacking the Iron-Eating Forest, ravaging the world with the ten suns, and later slaughtering members of the Human Race.
• Gungun warns that humans are closely connected to the Witches, so further attacks could drive the Witches to break the Dao Ancestor’s prohibition and start the Witch-Demon War.
• He also reports Houtu’s suspicion that the Demons are collecting human blood to extract sacred blood bestowed by Nuwa, potentially for a purpose harmful to the Witches.
• Laozi agrees that Gungun acted rightly, but says the conflict between Witches and Demons is destined by Heaven and cannot be prevented. He will address the Human Race situation when the time is right.
• Laozi gives Gungun a drop of his own sacred blood for Houtu, saying the Witches already possess what the Demons seek. He tells them not to interfere with his plans for the Human Race. Gungun accepts the message and leaves.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun presents himself as a humble mediator, but speaks firmly about the danger of the Demons’ actions and the need to protect living beings. He hopes to persuade Laozi to intervene, yet ultimately respects the Sage’s decision.
• Laozi praises Gungun’s understanding of yin and yang and acknowledges that his warning about the Human Race complicates the situation. However, he remains committed to waiting before acting and believes the larger conflict is unavoidable.
• Their exchange is respectful but tense: Gungun presses for immediate intervention, while Laozi offers reassurance and a practical message for Houtu without changing his broader position.

Significant themes

• Yin-yang balance: Gungun sees peace as dependent on balance between the Demon Race’s heavenly rule and the Witch Race’s earthly authority.
• Inevitability versus responsibility: Laozi invokes Heaven’s will, while Gungun argues that preventable provocations could bring disaster sooner.
• Justice and restraint: Gungun condemns the Demons’ violence and emphasizes the Witches’ patience under the sacred decree.
• Hidden plans and delayed action: Laozi’s promise that Gungun will later understand his choices suggests that his inaction has a larger purpose.

Key plot points

• After meeting Laozi, Gungun concludes that the Sage will not stop the Demon Race from attacking the Human Race. Frustrated, he decides to handle matters himself.
• On Mount Kunlun, Nine Li reports to Yuanshi, who praises his progress in the Eight-Nine Profound Art and gives him the Demon-Illuminating Mirror. Yuanshi permits him to avenge his mother’s people, but insists he act as a member of the Witch-Human Race, not on behalf of the Expounding Teaching.
• Gungun visits the Nine Li Tribe and releases a purified devil soul, hoping to strengthen the Witch-Human Race against future Demon Race attacks.
• The soul enters the womb of A Li, wife of the Great Shaman Quan Jiu. Their child is born just as Gungun arrives. A Li asks Gungun to take the boy as a disciple and name him. He declines formal discipleship but agrees to teach him if he wishes. He names the child Chi You.

Character developments

• Gungun remains wary of becoming entangled in karma, but acts pragmatically to help the Witch-Human Race by placing the devil soul among them. His arrival also makes him Chi You’s informal mentor and namesake.
• Nine Li is shown to be growing in power and preparing to defend his mother’s people. Yuanshi’s gift and permission give him both the means and moral support to act.
• Yuanshi displays affection for Nine Li while carefully separating his disciple’s personal action from the Expounding Teaching’s involvement.
• A Li seeks a lasting teacher and guide for her son, while Quan Jiu is warm and trusting but less concerned with formalities.

Significant themes

• Duty and institutional limits: Laozi and Yuanshi avoid direct intervention as Sages, while individual characters pursue their own ways of helping or taking revenge.
• Family and loyalty: Nine Li’s desire to protect his mother’s people and A Li’s concern for her newborn motivate the chapter’s key choices.
• Power, fate, and consequence: The coming conflict appears difficult to avert, and Gungun’s attempt to strengthen the Witch-Human Race may shape the future through Chi You’s birth.

Character interactions

• Gungun’s disappointment with Laozi contrasts with Yuanshi’s more personal support for Nine Li, though Yuanshi still limits the scope of that support.
• A Li asks Gungun to become Chi You’s master; Gungun refuses the title, while Quan Jiu readily agrees that family-like bonds make formal discipleship unnecessary.
• Gungun’s decision to name the child connects his intervention with the boy’s future role in the Witch-Human Race.

Concise Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Gungun names Quan Jiu and A Li’s newborn son Chi You, then reflects on the child’s possible future as leader of the Nine Li Tribe and eventual opponent of Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan. He hopes his support of the Youxiong Tribe—and the changed relationships among Guang Chengzi and Nine Li—will prevent a disastrous outcome.
• Houtu summons Gungun to discuss the Demon Race’s campaign against the Nuwa Tribe. He reports that Laozi refused to intervene and sent Houtu a drop of Supreme Pure Sage Blood, apparently warning her to stay out of the matter.
• Gungun persuades Houtu to shelter humans throughout Witch territory. He argues that the Demon Race might slaughter ordinary humans to pressure the Nuwa Tribe into surrendering, and that protecting humanity would also give the Witches moral standing if the demons attacked. Houtu agrees and issues orders across the Witch tribes.
• In the Heavenly Court, Di Jun learns that Soaring Serpent defied the order to attack the Nuwa Tribe, citing Nuwa’s command to protect humanity. Di Jun initially wants him seized, but Bai Ze warns that arresting Nuwa’s attendant could provoke her.
• Kunpeng counters that Di Jun must punish Soaring Serpent to preserve the Heavenly Emperor’s authority. Bai Ze accuses Kunpeng of repeatedly harming the Demon Race through past decisions and of now trying to provoke a clash with Nuwa.
• Their dispute escalates into a near fight before Di Jun stops them. With no proof to support Bai Ze’s accusations, he orders Kunpeng to capture Soaring Serpent himself, ostensibly to demonstrate his innocence.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun continues to act as a strategic mediator, urging Houtu to consider the human cost of the conflict as well as its military consequences. He is troubled by Chi You’s likely fate, but remains focused on protecting the Human Race.
• Houtu moves from questioning why ordinary humans need protection to accepting Gungun’s broader argument. Her decision makes the Witches guardians of the human communities within their lands.
• Di Jun is torn between caution toward Nuwa and concern for his authority. His final order to Kunpeng also lets him test the Demon Master’s loyalty.
• Bai Ze takes a principled but risky stand against provoking Nuwa, openly challenging Kunpeng and accusing him of undermining the Demon Race.
• Kunpeng presses Di Jun to punish Soaring Serpent, but Bai Ze’s counterattack puts him on the defensive. Di Jun’s order leaves him in an awkward position: he must carry out the very mission he advocated.

Significant themes

• Protecting the vulnerable: Gungun’s proposal treats human lives as important in their own right, rather than merely as a source of Sacred Blood or a strategic resource.
• Power, authority, and restraint: Di Jun must balance the dignity of his office against the danger of angering a Sage.
• Political factionalism: The clash between Bai Ze and Kunpeng exposes deep distrust within the Demon leadership, threatening the unity of their race.
• Changing fate: Gungun recognizes the danger of Chi You’s foretold path and hopes that altered alliances may soften its consequences.

Plot points

• Dijun pressures Kunpeng to prove his loyalty by capturing Soaring Serpent. Kunpeng agrees, fearing that refusal would expose him to punishment and that he is still bound to the Demon Race through the Demon-Summoning Banner.
• Dijun publicly praises Kunpeng and pretends he never believed Bai Ze’s accusations. He demands that Bai Ze apologize only after Kunpeng returns with Soaring Serpent, leaving Bai Ze’s position—and Kunpeng’s resentment—unchanged.
• Kunpeng reflects that his title of Demon Master gives him little real authority. Bai Ze has far more influence, and Kunpeng’s bitterness toward the Demon Race grows.
• Soaring Serpent returns to Taisu Heaven and reports to Nuwa that the Demon Race has attacked the Human Race. He drove off Zhu Yan and moved the Nuwa Tribe beside the Nine Li Tribe, but fears this protection will not hold.
• Nuwa says the Human Race cannot escape its tribulation and that Soaring Serpent has done enough. She directs him to find the Kongtong Seal, which is said to be in the mysterious Land of Black and White. She warns him to beware of Kunpeng and permits him to seek help from the Witch Race.

Character developments and interactions

• Kunpeng outwardly performs loyalty but remains resentful and trapped by his precarious position. He sees Dijun’s reassurance as political theater and recognizes Bai Ze as the Demon Race’s powerful, trusted official.
• Dijun uses praise and public gestures to manage Kunpeng while keeping him under pressure; he also reinforces Bai Ze’s standing.
• Bai Ze remains skeptical of Kunpeng and refuses to apologize before the mission is completed.
• Soaring Serpent is dutiful and concerned for the Human Race, but accepts Nuwa’s new mission despite not understanding where to find the treasure or why it matters. Nuwa’s warning suggests Kunpeng may become a direct threat.
• Nuwa reveals that she knows more than she explains: she says the fat bear has already tried to protect the Human Race, but its efforts will fail, and keeps the Kongtong Seal’s purpose secret.

Significant themes

• Power and political manipulation: Loyalty is demanded, performed, and exploited; titles do not necessarily confer real authority.
• Inevitability and limited agency: Nuwa presents the Human Race’s suffering as an unavoidable tribulation, even as characters try to protect it.
• Hidden knowledge and uncertain purpose: The Kongtong Seal’s location and function remain obscure, setting up a new quest.

Plot points and events

• Confined to Taisu Heaven, Nuwa accepts that she cannot prevent the Human Race’s coming calamity. She has Soaring Serpent stop protecting humanity to spare him from further trouble, though she vows revenge on the Demon Race for attacking the Nuwa Tribe.
• At Mount Buzhou, Gungun sets his wedding to Chang’e for three days later. The ceremony is a sham: he has spread extravagant stories of his devotion to Chang’e to make Xi He believe he is sincerely marrying her and lower her guard.
• On the wedding day, the Witches lift Mount Buzhou’s restrictive formations. Xi He sees this as her chance to take revenge and blasts Chang’e with moonlight, carrying her toward the Lunar Star and knocking Gungun and Hou Yi away.
• Gungun secretly slips a tiny gourd into Chang’e’s sash before the beam takes her. He then gives chase, shouting that Xi He should give Chang’e back. Hou Yi joins in with the same demand.

Character developments and interactions

• Nuwa is resigned but protective: she accepts her limits as a Saint, prioritizes Soaring Serpent’s safety, and takes the attack on her own descendants personally.
• Gungun is calculating beneath his comic, indulgent exterior. He uses a staged romance to manipulate Xi He, prepares for the coming fight, and plants an unknown item on Chang’e.
• Chang’e is frightened by her abduction, but internally resents both Gungun—who once imprisoned her—and Hou Yi. Their public cries of “Give me back my Chang’e!” embarrass her and misrepresent their relationship.
• Xi He is confident that the lifted formations guarantee her revenge, while the assembled Witches are poised to respond to the attack.
• Nuwa’s conversation with Azure Luan reveals the cost of her confinement; Gungun and Hou Yi’s coordinated wedding performance contrasts with Chang’e’s private anger and discomfort.

Significant themes

• Fate and limits of power: Even a Saint cannot overturn an ordained calamity or escape the Dao Ancestor’s confinement.
• Loyalty and kinship: Nuwa distinguishes the Nuwa Tribe from humanity generally because of its special blood ties to her.
• Deception and performance: Gungun’s fake wedding and exaggerated love stories are tactics in a larger plan.
• Freedom and agency: Chang’e is again swept into events controlled by others, and her thoughts expose the gap between their claims of affection and her experience of captivity.

Key plot points and events

• Chang’e remains unaware that she is Xi He’s good corpse, sent to kill Gungun and Hou Yi. Believing herself human, she is frightened by the supernatural events around her and angered that Gungun and Hou Yi’s public claims have damaged her reputation.
• Xi He protects Chang’e with the power of the Lunar Star’s origin, which Gungun cannot break directly. Gungun believes Xi He’s outward defense leaves her vulnerable within the passage linking her to Chang’e, and trusts his weapons—and Dijiang’s ability to teleport to Chang’e—to help him win.
• Gungun and Hou Yi transform into their immense true forms and charge toward the moon. In response, the Twelve Ancestral Witches deploy the Twelve Heavenly Gods and Demons Formation, summoning Pangu’s true form.
• Alarmed by the Witches’ move, Dijun orders the Demon Race to deploy the Zhou Tian Star-Dipper Formation. Laozi observes without intervening; Yuanshi also watches, accepting events as consistent with the Heavenly Dao.
• On Golden Turtle Island, Tongtian declares that his Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation surpasses both rival formations and can be broken only by four Saints together. His disciple and mount, Kui Ox, takes this boast literally, concludes Tongtian is invincible—and that he must therefore be the greatest mount—and plans to spread the news.
• The Witches complete their formation first. Dijiang demands that Xi He leave Chang’e behind, and Pangu’s true form reaches for the moonlit barrier.
• As Xi He urges Chang’e to awaken, Chang’e’s true spirit begins stirring. Mistaking Xi He’s attempt to reclaim her for an attack, Chang’e uses the Jade Talisman and cries “Seal!” The talisman’s demonic light races toward Xi He, but the Chaos Bell briefly arrests it. Pangu’s strike then shatters the lunar passage and the bell’s restraint. Gungun follows up by invoking his Demon-Slaying Flying Blade, but the chapter ends before its effect is shown.

Character developments and interactions

• Chang’e shifts from confused, resentful victim to someone who acts decisively on the warning she received. Her spiritual awakening begins, though she still misunderstands who Xi He is and why she is being taken.
• Gungun remains confident and strategic, relying on multiple weapons and Dijiang’s support while pursuing Chang’e. His repeated possessive-sounding cries frustrate Hou Yi.
• Hou Yi is embarrassed by the false impression that he wants Chang’e, but joins Gungun’s charge against the Demon Race.
• Xi He grows alarmed as Pangu’s true form threatens the lunar-origin protection she had considered unbreakable.
• Tongtian boasts of his formation’s supremacy while presenting himself as modest. Kui Ox enthusiastically turns the claim into a personal status fantasy, believing his master’s strength makes him the foremost mount.
• Dijun moves from fury and confusion over Xi He’s actions to urgent preparations for battle after Bai Ze warns him of the Witch formation. The other Saints largely remain observers.

Significant themes

• Escalation toward war: A personal struggle over Chang’e triggers the deployment of both races’ ultimate formations, bringing the larger Witch–Demon conflict close to its decisive battle.
• Mistaken identity and incomplete knowledge: Chang’e’s ignorance of her true nature leads her to misread Xi He’s intentions and act against her.
• Power and confidence: Xi He’s belief in the protection of lunar origin is challenged by Pangu’s overwhelming force, while Tongtian’s boast and Kui Ox’s naïve interpretation provide comic contrast to the looming catastrophe.
• Personal rivalry amid cosmic stakes: The chapter alternates between the impending devastation of two armies and the absurd, intimate rivalry over Chang’e—and over who ranks as the greatest mount.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Gungun’s hidden gourd fires the Sealing Demon Light, immobilizing Xi He and her Lunar Star Chart. Its Immortal-Slaying Flying Blade, forged from the bodies and souls of Xi He’s nine Golden Crow sons, pierces her chest.
• Taiyi rushes to protect Xi He but cannot overcome the Twelve Heavenly Gods and Demons Formation. The Chaos Bell blasts Gungun and Hou Yi away; Hou Yi is badly injured.
• Gungun heals Hou Yi with a drop of Three Lights Divine Water. When Bai Ze leads a Demon army to the Lunar Star, Gungun leaves Hou Yi to hold them off and goes to finish Xi He.
• Hou Yi rallies the assembled Witches and launches their attack on the Heavenly Court. This is Gungun’s plan: draw the Demon forces to the Lunar Star while the Witch army strikes the capital.
• Dijun, unable to leave the task of forming the Zhou Tian Star-Dipper Formation, urgently recalls Kunpeng and Nine-Infant to defend the Heavenly Court. Both answer the summons.
• Xi He breaks free of the fading seal, but the wound is draining her Lunar Origin. Gungun begins devouring that escaping power. Xi He realizes Gungun had planned the attack and that its relationship with Chang’e was a ruse to reach her.
• Rather than flee, Xi He detonates herself, apparently intending to kill Gungun and avenge her sons. The blast alarms Dijun, Lu Ya, and Houtu.
• Houtu urges Dijiang to save Gungun. The Pangu True Form knocks Taiyi away and prepares to reverse time, but Gungun survives on the Twelfth-Grade Pure World White Lotus, protected by the Vermilion Bird Banner.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun reveals the extent of its preparation and ruthlessness, using a weapon made from Xi He’s sons and exploiting Chang’e’s connection to her. It also shows generosity by healing Hou Yi, then returns to the dangerous task of confronting Xi He.
• Hou Yi recovers quickly and assumes command against the Demon army, leading the Witches toward the Heavenly Court.
• Xi He recognizes the deception and faces death with defiance. Her final choice is driven by vengeance for her children.
• Taiyi fights desperately to protect Xi He but is overwhelmed by the Witch formation. He is left with only his Primordial Spirit after Dijiang’s attack.
• Dijun is torn between saving his family and completing the formation needed to protect the Demon forces. He calls back Kunpeng and Nine-Infant despite their reluctance or prior evasions.
• Houtu’s concern for Gungun becomes explicit when Xi He explodes; Dijiang responds by turning the Pangu True Form toward the blast.

Significant themes

• Deception and strategic planning: Gungun’s apparent connection to Chang’e conceals a long-prepared plot, while the Witches use a diversion to split the Demon forces.
• Family, grief, and vengeance: Xi He’s suicide attack is motivated by the loss of her sons, while Dijun and Lu Ya react to her apparent death with anguish.
• Sacrifice and impossible choices: Xi He chooses revenge over escape, and Dijun must prioritize the formation even as his family is in danger.
• Hidden power and shifting expectations: Gungun’s survival depends on a legendary lotus that even powerful observers such as Tongtian did not expect it to possess.

Chapter summary

Key plot points and events

• Gungun survives Xi He’s self-destruction by using the Twelfth-Grade Pure World White Lotus and the Vermilion Bird Banner, though his protective treasures are damaged. He pretends not to know where the lotus came from, but Houtu sees through him and promises to deal with him later.
• The Twelve Ancestral Witches’ formation traps Taiyi, preventing his escape. As the Pangu True Form prepares to kill him, the Zhou Tian Star-Dipper Formation activates, its combined starlight striking the Witch formation and saving Taiyi.
• Gungun recognizes that the Demon Race has established its formation and urges the Witches to retreat. He helps Hou Yi escape, while leaving Chang’e behind; she survives because some of Xi He’s released essence entered her body.
• The Ancestral Witches refuse to withdraw, hoping to kill Taiyi and cripple the Demon Race. Dijun arrives, furious over Xi He’s death, and attacks them while pursuing Gungun and Hou Yi.
• Dijun swallows Gungun, Hou Yi, and the lotus throne, then threatens to keep them captive unless Houtu’s side releases Taiyi. Houtu urges Dijiang to accept, believing the Witches can still win the future war even if Taiyi survives.
• Hongjun descends and interrupts the confrontation. The Three Pure Ones and Two Western Sages arrive. Zhunti argues that the Witches acted in response to Xi He’s attempted murder of Gungun and Hou Yi, and asks Hongjun to rescue the captives. Yuanshi and Laozi support him.

Character developments

• Gungun demonstrates quick thinking and courage: he protects himself, recognizes the strategic shift, and acts to get Hou Yi out of danger. His attempt to conceal the lotus’s origin also reveals his usual evasiveness.
• Houtu prioritizes Gungun and Hou Yi’s safety over the chance to kill Taiyi, guided by her knowledge of the future conflict.
• Dijiang and the other Ancestral Witches struggle between securing a major military advantage and yielding to save their companions.
• Taiyi chooses retreat after Xi He’s death, but is trapped and left badly injured under the Chaos Bell.
• Dijun is consumed by grief and rage after losing Xi He, escalating the battle and using Gungun and Hou Yi as leverage.
• Zhunti, Yuanshi, and Laozi intervene politically on behalf of the captives, while Hongjun’s arrival shifts the conflict toward divine judgment.

Significant themes

• Strategy versus loyalty: The Witches weigh defeating the Demon Race against rescuing Gungun and Hou Yi.
• The cost of war: Xi He’s death, Taiyi’s injuries, and the threatened captives show how quickly personal losses fuel wider conflict.
• Power and its limits: Even supreme treasures such as the Chaos Bell cannot guarantee safety against an overwhelming force.
• Fate and foresight: Houtu’s confidence that the Witches will eventually prevail shapes her willingness to let Taiyi go.

Character interactions

• Houtu reprimands Gungun for hiding his treasure, then later advocates for his release.
• Gungun coordinates with Hou Yi to escape and urges the Ancestral Witches to retreat.
• Dijun’s threat places Houtu and Dijiang in a painful dilemma: free Taiyi or risk Gungun and Hou Yi’s lives.
• Zhunti confronts the Demon Race’s perspective by framing the Witches’ actions as a response to Xi He’s attack; Yuanshi and Laozi back his appeal to Hongjun.