Chapter Summaries

Plot points

• Gonggong wakes Gungun and scolds him for sleeping through preparations for the coming War of the Liches and the Witch Race’s assault on the Heavenly Court. He says the Witch Race’s leader has ordered them to get ready, and Houtu’s instruction is to withdraw as soon as Dijun dies.
• Gungun recognizes that the war is near and hurries to meet Houtu, while Gonggong leaves for Mount Buzhou.
• In the Netherworld’s Earth Emperor Hall, Houtu performs a ritual that channels merit into the Witch Race’s fortune, strengthening it ahead of the conflict.
• Houtu and Gungun discuss the plan to break the Demon Race’s Zhou Tian Star-Dipper Formation, Kunpeng’s role, and the danger that Kunpeng might take control of the defeated demons.
• Gungun proposes finding a new Demon Race leader acceptable to both the Witch Race and the demons. He asks to travel to the East Sea and arrange for this candidate to meet Eastern Emperor Taiyi. Houtu approves.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun shifts from drowsy comic relief to a strategic adviser, showing concern for the Witch Race’s future and anticipating the political consequences of victory.
• Gonggong is impatient with Gungun’s apparent laziness, but accepts his decision to consult Houtu before the campaign.
• Houtu is composed and resolute. She strengthens the Witch Race while acknowledging the limits on her ability to intervene openly, and trusts Gungun to pursue his proposal.
• Gungun and Houtu share a cautious, cooperative relationship: they agree Kunpeng will likely honor the plan but should not be allowed to inherit leadership of the Demon Race.

Significant themes

• Preparation and restraint: The Witch Race must prepare for war while following the strategy to withdraw after Dijun’s death.
• Power and political succession: Defeating the Demon Race is not enough; who leads it afterward could shape the balance between the races.
• Trust and uncertain alliances: Kunpeng is viewed as untrustworthy, yet useful under the saints’ agreed plan.
• Hidden influence and responsibility: Houtu can aid her people in secret, but open intervention would invite criticism.

Key plot points and events

• After leaving the Netherworld, Gungun travels to the East Sea and summons Ao Yue. Nearby, the giant turtle and silver dragon Ao Han stop fighting when they see the powerful visitor.
• Gungun explains that the Witch-Demon War is nearing its end and the Demon Race is destined to lose. Bai Ze has offered to lead demons in surrender, while Kunpeng has secretly agreed to help the Witch Race destroy the Zhou Tian Star-Dipper Formation in exchange for protection and a chance to secure his own position.
• Ao Yue realizes Kunpeng intends to emerge from the war as ruler of the surviving Demon Race. Gungun urges Ao Yue to contend for that leadership instead, arguing that Kunpeng could threaten both the Dragon Race and the Iron-Eating Beast Clan.
• Ao Yue initially hesitates, citing his departure from the Demon Race and his past battles against it. Gungun reminds him that Eastern Emperor Taiyi once promised he could always serve as the Eastern Emperor’s Protector.
• Ao Yue ultimately agrees to seek Taiyi’s endorsement in the Nine Hells and, after the war, challenge Kunpeng for control of the Demon Race.

Character developments

• Gungun acts as a political mediator, using candid reasoning—and a deliberately relaxed conversation over ice pops—to persuade Ao Yue. He admits the decision also protects his own clan, whose fortunes are tied to the Dragon Race.
• Ao Yue moves from guarded reluctance to accepting a renewed role in the Demon Race’s future. His loyalty to Taiyi and concern for the Dragon Race help settle his decision.
• Kunpeng is revealed as a calculating opportunist: he plans to exploit the Demon Race’s defeat to gain power, while cooperating with the Witch Race for personal advantage.

Significant themes

• Pragmatism and political survival: Both sides make arrangements around the war’s inevitable outcome.
• Loyalty and legitimacy: Taiyi’s old promise may give Ao Yue the authority and trust needed to reclaim leadership.
• Interconnected fortunes: The Dragon and Iron-Eating Beast clans’ alliance makes the Demon Race’s future a matter of shared security.
• Power and ambition: Kunpeng’s maneuvering contrasts with Ao Yue’s sense of duty and Gungun’s effort to prevent a dangerous ruler from gaining control.

Character interactions

• Gungun and Ao Yue speak as old friends, but their conversation is also a negotiation about leadership and clan interests.
• Gungun’s reminders of Taiyi and warnings about Kunpeng persuade Ao Yue more than forceful argument would; the shared ice pops soften the serious exchange.
• Ao Yue’s earlier rivalry with Ao Han briefly frames the East Sea as turbulent, but the chapter’s central conflict shifts to the looming contest for the Demon Race’s leadership.

Plot points and events

• Yinglong urges Tongtian to support a Human Emperor candidate from the Youxiong Tribe. He argues that it is strong, has ties to the Iron-Eating Beast Clan, and produced Renjiao figures Xuandu and Zhenwu. Tongtian recognizes Yinglong hopes Gungun might help, but doubts the bear will oppose Houtu.
• Tongtian realizes the Nine Li Tribe may have support from both Houtu and Yuanshi. He decides Jiejiao should back Youxiong instead, reasoning that Xuandu’s connection to the tribe might also win support from the senior brother Laozi.
• After meeting Tongtian, Yinglong tells the waiting Jiejiao disciples that the outer disciples are to stay in their abodes and avoid the approaching War of the Liches.
• Turtle Spirit reports seeing Gungun arrive at the East Sea Dragon Palace and suspects it came to enlist the Dragon Race for the Witch Race. Tongtian cannot divine anything about Gungun, whose fate is concealed, and sends Turtle Spirit with an edict summoning it to Golden Turtle Island.
• In the Demon Realm, a black-robed figure who has concealed Gungun’s heavenly secrets senses Tongtian’s divination attempt. He decides not to warn Gungun, hoping to see whether its response might provoke a conflict between Hongjun and the Three Pure Ones.
• At the Dragon Palace, Ao Yue shows Gungun the completed Azure Dragon Realm, explaining that he has delayed moving his people there until the prophesied catastrophe arrives. This reminds Gungun of Torch Dragon’s vision of the heavens collapsing and the world running red with blood. Gungun worries about the Witch Race’s fate but admits it cannot predict what will happen or convince them of a future it does not itself believe.
• When Tongtian’s edict arrives, Gungun suspects its visit to the East Sea may have been a mistake. It asks Ao Yue to prepare for their return to the Netherworld, then goes out to receive the summons.

Character developments and interactions

• Tongtian shifts from dismissing Yinglong’s proposal to recognizing the strategic stakes and choosing to back Youxiong. His inability to divine Gungun’s whereabouts frustrates him, but he treats the summons as a chance to meet it.
• Yinglong shows political calculation in proposing Youxiong, hoping to gain Gungun’s aid and secure Jiejiao a stake in the Human Emperor contest. He expresses gratitude when Tongtian agrees.
• Turtle Spirit moves from waiting outside the palace to reporting her sighting of Gungun and carrying Tongtian’s edict. She is puzzled by Tongtian’s urgency.
• Gungun is increasingly burdened by its uncertainty about the coming catastrophe and its inability to protect the Witch Race. It avoids explaining its misgivings to Ao Yue, who accepts its request to prepare for departure.
• Ao Yue acts as Gungun’s host and shares his cautious plan to shelter the Dragon Race in the Azure Dragon Realm.

Significant themes

• Political and religious rivalry: The Human Emperor contest draws the Saints and their disciples into strategic competition.
• Fate versus uncertainty: Prophecies and concealed heavenly secrets shape events, yet even powerful beings cannot know the future with certainty.
• Responsibility and helplessness: Gungun feels responsible for the Witch Race but recognizes that it may be unable to change their fate.
• Protection amid catastrophe: Ao Yue’s unfinished relocation reflects the effort to prepare for disaster without knowing when or how it will strike.

Key plot points and events

• Tongtian summons Gungun to Golden Turtle Island through Turtle Spirit Holy Mother, where Gungun observes that the island is well managed and free of the unruly demons and monsters he remembers from Kunlun.
• Tongtian offers his Supreme-Grade Innate Spirit Treasure, the Primordial Dust Whisk, in exchange for Gungun’s Twelfth-Grade Pure World White Lotus. He admits he has wanted the lotus since founding Jiejiao, despite first claiming Jiejiao’s fortune needs no support.
• Gungun refuses to commit, saying the lotus anchors his race’s fortune and that he must consult Houtu. He also reminds Tongtian that he is merely Houtu’s pet and lacks freedom over such an important treasure.
• Pressed by Tongtian, Gungun suggests that the Hetu Luoshu—likely to become available after the Witch-Demon conflict—could instead anchor Jiejiao’s fortune. He speculates it may eventually be entrusted to him.
• Tongtian abruptly ends the negotiation and sends Gungun away with a second fly-whisk. Alone, he becomes excited by the prospect of acquiring the Hetu Luoshu himself and considers Gungun’s suggestion a useful lead.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun handles Tongtian’s pressure with flattery, evasions, and strategic appeals to Houtu’s authority. Though outwardly frightened, he protects the White Lotus while offering an alternative that redirects Tongtian’s attention.
• Tongtian shifts from solemn and imposing to openly frustrated, revealing how urgently he wants the White Lotus. Once he hears about the Hetu Luoshu, he abandons the trade and begins plotting to obtain it independently.
• Turtle Spirit Holy Mother respectfully delivers Tongtian’s summons and guides Gungun to the palace, then leaves them to speak privately.
• The conversation is marked by a comic mismatch: Tongtian tries to intimidate Gungun, while Gungun uses Tongtian’s own claims and Houtu’s status to stall him.

Significant themes

• Power, ownership, and obligation: Gungun’s possession of the White Lotus does not mean he can freely trade it; its importance to his race and his dependence on Houtu constrain him.
• Political maneuvering: Both characters conceal or revise their intentions—Tongtian disguises his urgency, while Gungun uses careful misdirection to avoid surrendering the treasure.
• Fortune and strategic treasures: The White Lotus and Hetu Luoshu are valued not only for their power but for their ability to anchor a sect’s or realm’s fortune.
• Comic contrast between appearance and intent: Tongtian’s saintly majesty gives way to impatience and scheming, while Gungun’s timid performance masks a calculated response.

Key plot points and events

• Gungun returns from visiting Tongtian with the mid-grade innate treasure Formless Dust Whisk. He jokes that it is a poor reward compared with the higher-grade treasure he had hoped to receive, then travels with Ao Yue to the Netherworld.
• With Houtu’s permission, Gungun escorts Ao Yue through the Nine Hells to meet the imprisoned Eastern Emperor, Taiyi.
• Meanwhile, Ao Guang tries to use his father’s absence to assert authority and arrange a banquet. His guards ignore him, and his mother, Zitong, orders him to Tranquil Heart Hall to reflect.
• When Ao Guang protests that he has no real power as Dragon King, Zitong explains that leadership requires composure, concern for the whole Dragon Race, and the strength to hold the position. She shows him a vision of an ordinary dragon being eaten by a Garuda, challenging him to understand the dangers faced by his people.
• In the Nine Hells, Taiyi is relieved to see Ao Yue but assumes Gungun may have captured him. He dismisses Gungun, who bristles but leaves at Ao Yue’s request.
• Alone with Taiyi, Ao Yue asks why his attempted self-corpse has appeared with Golden Crow feathers, despite his wings seeming to derive from dragon bones. Taiyi’s clenched hands suggest he knows the truth.

Character developments

• Gungun remains boastful, irreverent, and touchy about being underestimated, but accommodates Ao Yue’s wish to speak privately with Taiyi.
• Ao Yue is respectful toward Taiyi yet determined to confront a personal mystery. His question signals growing suspicion about his own origins.
• Taiyi shows deep concern for Ao Yue, but his reaction to the Golden Crow feathers suggests he is hiding important information.
• Ao Guang voices his frustration at being a powerless ruler, while Zitong forces him to confront the responsibilities and hardships of leadership.
• Zitong emerges as a forceful authority who prioritizes the Dragon Race’s welfare over her son’s comfort or pride.

Significant themes

• Leadership and responsibility: A ruler must serve the people and understand their lives, not merely claim a title.
• Power and legitimacy: Ao Guang’s lack of authority contrasts with the strength and judgment expected of a Dragon King.
• Identity and hidden origins: Ao Yue’s Golden Crow-like features raise questions about his lineage and the secrets behind his nature.
• Respect and pride: Gungun’s wounded pride and Taiyi’s dismissiveness create tension, while Ao Yue acts as mediator.

Character interactions

• Gungun and Ao Yue travel together as allies; Ao Yue tempers Gungun’s anger when Taiyi insults it.
• Taiyi greets Ao Yue warmly but distrusts Gungun, revealing both his protectiveness and his limited knowledge of events outside the prison.
• Zitong confronts Ao Guang, rebuking his selfish ambitions and using the vision to make him consider ordinary dragons’ suffering.
• Ao Yue presses Taiyi for an honest explanation, and Taiyi’s concealed reaction leaves the chapter’s central mystery unresolved.

Plot points and events

• Outside the Nine Hells, Ao Yue confronts the imprisoned Eastern Emperor Taiyi about the secret behind their relationship. Taiyi refuses to explain or admit involvement, confirming Ao Yue’s suspicions.
• Recalling Torch Dragon’s final words about his duty as the Ancestral Dragon’s Son, Ao Yue decides to abandon the Demon Race and return to the East Sea.
• When Gungun asks him to lead the Demon Race, Ao Yue refuses. He then transforms into a winged dragon and cuts off his own wings before flying away.
• Gungun restores the severed wings with his yin-yang law, revealing that they were originally golden and covered in Golden Crow feathers—a sign of Taiyi’s connection to Ao Yue.
• Houtu arrives and agrees with Gungun that Ao Yue should still be supported as a candidate to lead the Demon Race. His claim is stronger than Kunpeng’s, and Meng Zhang could help him defeat Kunpeng.
• Houtu teases Gungun for supposedly failing to notice Taiyi and Ao Yue’s relationship. Their playful exchange escalates when Gungun privately assumes she is testing him and thinks insulting thoughts about her.
• Houtu kicks Gungun into the Nine Hells, ending the chapter.

Character developments and interactions

• Ao Yue chooses his identity and duty as a dragon over the Demon Race, relinquishing his place in its leadership. Severing his wings symbolizes a decisive break with his former role.
• Taiyi remains silent despite Ao Yue’s questions, leaving their relationship unresolved and deepening Ao Yue’s hurt.
• Gungun supports Ao Yue’s candidacy for practical reasons but hides how much he knows. His self-image as clever and dignified clashes humorously with Houtu’s teasing.
• Houtu evaluates the political risks of backing Ao Yue, then shifts into affectionate mockery of Gungun. She ultimately responds to his unspoken insults with a very literal kick.

Significant themes

• Duty and identity: Ao Yue returns to his roots and obligations as a dragon rather than accepting power over the Demon Race.
• Secrecy and trust: Taiyi’s silence strains his bond with Ao Yue, while Gungun’s concealed knowledge complicates his relationship with Houtu.
• Political legitimacy and power: Ao Yue’s connection to Taiyi strengthens his claim, though his ability to control the Demon Race remains uncertain.
• Comedy amid tragedy: Ao Yue’s painful sacrifice contrasts with the banter and slapstick surrounding Gungun and Houtu.

Key plot points and events

• Houtu kicks Gungun into a crater near the cage holding Taiyi. Gungun quickly heals itself, then briefly fantasizes about overthrowing the Saints and ruling the Primordial World—until falling rubble knocks it out of its grandiose mood.
• Gungun taunts the imprisoned Taiyi about its past schemes and eats a peach in front of him. It then tosses two objects into the cage, which become Ao Yue’s severed Golden Crow wings.
• Taiyi is horrified and demands to know what happened. Gungun explains that Ao Yue removed the wings himself after learning the truth about his origins and choosing to remain the Ancestral Dragon’s son rather than embrace his demonic heritage.
• Gungun reveals that the Demon Race’s defeat is nearly certain: the Saints have agreed to help the Witch Race defeat it, Kunpeng has secretly agreed to undermine the Demon Emperor’s formation, Bai Ze intends to surrender, and Nuwa’s Demon-Summoning Banner has passed to her good corpse.
• Gungun explains that it had brought Ao Yue to seek Taiyi’s authority for leading the demons who surrender, believing Taiyi would support him. But Ao Yue’s decision to remain a dragon makes that plan unlikely.
• As Gungun prepares to leave, Taiyi stops it and asks whether it truly wants to help Ao Yue lead the Demon Race. Gungun admits its motive is self-interest: Ao Yue’s leadership would benefit Gungun more than Kunpeng’s.

Character developments

• Gungun shifts between comically inflated ambition and practical caution. Though it boasts of a destiny to rule the world, it is shrewd and candid about pursuing political advantage.
• Taiyi initially maintains a proud silence, but Ao Yue’s wings expose his grief and guilt. He recognizes that Ao Yue’s bond with the Ancestral Dragon and his chosen identity outweigh any claim Taiyi might make on him.
• Ao Yue, though absent, is defined by his painful choice: he rejects his demonic identity and mutilates himself to remain aligned with the Dragon Race and the father he admires.

Significant themes

• Identity and belonging: Ao Yue’s mixed origins force him to choose between competing family and racial identities.
• Political power and loyalty: The Demon Race’s alliances unravel, and Gungun’s support is guided less by loyalty than by calculated advantage.
• Family, admiration, and regret: Taiyi recognizes that his own relationship with Ao Yue cannot erase the childhood reverence Ao Yue developed for the Ancestral Dragon.
• The collapse of old powers: The Saints’ decisions, Nuwa’s anger, and defections within the Demon Race make its defeat appear inevitable.

Character interactions

• Gungun and Taiyi trade barbs: Gungun mocks Taiyi’s position and composure, while Taiyi dismisses Gungun as childish.
• Ao Yue’s wings transform their exchange into a serious discussion of his parentage, loyalties, and emotional pain.
• Gungun gives Taiyi a blunt account of the shifting political situation, then reveals its practical proposal for placing surrendered demons under Ao Yue.
• Taiyi’s final question suggests he is considering Gungun’s proposal despite its openly self-serving motives.

Key plot points and events

• Taiyi writes a demon decree with part of his primordial spirit and entrusts it to Gungun. The bear is to give it to Ao Yue only if he agrees to lead the demon race; otherwise, Gungun must keep it secret.
• Gungun leaves the Nine Hells, resentful that Houtu kicked him. Rather than seriously rebel, he decides to preserve his dignity by fleeing to Qingcheng Mountain.
• There, he finds Soaring Serpent imprisoned beneath the mountain by a Saint’s Edict Talisman. Soaring Serpent identifies Yuanshi as the likely culprit, who suppressed him after he disciplined Yuanshi’s disciple.
• Gungun tries to remove the talisman but is blasted away and cannot help free Soaring Serpent. He promises to keep him company, though only for ten years—far less than the kalpa-long sentence Soaring Serpent faces.
• In the Heavenly Court, Dijun learns that Gungun has left the Netherworld. With the Witch forces gathering and the Saints refusing to help, he plans to capture Gungun as leverage to delay their attack. He hopes the extra time will let him reach the same level of cultivation as Houtu.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun remains comic, self-important, and affectionate beneath his bluster. His attempt to defend his “dignity” by running away is quickly exposed as an excuse to seek company and comfort.
• Soaring Serpent begins furious and desperate to escape, then calms as Gungun talks with him. He teases the bear but also recalls their friendship and admits he misses his former life with Nuwa.
• Their exchange helps Soaring Serpent recognize that Houtu’s kick probably had a reason: she may have seen through Gungun’s lie about when he learned of Ao Yue and Taiyi’s relationship. Gungun realizes Houtu’s greater cultivation may make his usual acting ineffective.
• Houtu allows Gungun to leave, apparently understanding that he needs a change of scenery.
• Dijun is determined to protect the demon race through his own power, but his grand confidence worries Lou You, who suspects he may be losing his reason.

Significant themes

• Friendship and companionship: Gungun cannot free Soaring Serpent, but staying with him eases both their distress.
• Pride versus vulnerability: Gungun’s claims of dignity mask hurt feelings and a need for comfort.
• Power and dependence: The demon race’s isolation from the Saints pushes Dijun toward an ambitious, potentially reckless plan.
• Humor amid danger: Comic banter contrasts with Soaring Serpent’s imprisonment and the looming war between the demons and witches.

Plot points and events

• Lou You worries that Dijun’s plan to capture Gungun could provoke the Witch Race into an early, disastrous war—especially if Houtu and the other powerful Witches come to rescue the bear. Still, he decides that taking the risk may be better than doing nothing.
• On Qingcheng Mountain, Gungun frets that Houtu’s growing intelligence will make life harder. Soaring Serpent reassures it that its lazy routine should keep it out of trouble. Their conversation turns to the white snake and Soaring Serpent’s regret at having intervened when Yuanshi tried to capture her.
• That night, Gungun’s Calamity-Averting Suona sounds a warning. Gungun escapes a sudden blast of solar true fire, but Dijun attacks, overwhelms it, and appears to capture it.
• Dijun, believing his plan has succeeded, carries the bear toward the Heavenly Court, hoping the capture will deter the Witches long enough for him to reach a higher immortal realm.
• The apparent capture is revealed as a trick: Gungun returns to Qingcheng Mountain, having used Ancestral Bear Shedding Its Shell to leave a substitute behind. It announces it is leaving, and Soaring Serpent realizes Gungun is abandoning their promised ten-year companionship after only half a day.

Character developments and interactions

• Dijun acts boldly despite Lou You’s warnings, driven by desperation and confidence in his plan.
• Lou You remains a cautious adviser but ultimately accepts the gamble.
• Gungun is still sleepy and easygoing, yet reacts quickly to danger and reveals a clever escape technique.
• Soaring Serpent shifts from teasing and reassuring Gungun to cultivating while trapped, then is left exasperated when Gungun departs.
• The chapter contrasts their casual banter with the sudden violence of Dijun’s attack; Gungun and Soaring Serpent’s friendly, teasing bond ends on a comic note.

Significant themes

• Risk and political escalation: Dijun’s scheme may provoke the very war he hopes to avoid.
• Appearances and deception: Dijun mistakes Gungun’s decoy for the real bear.
• Complacency versus readiness: Gungun’s laziness masks quick instincts and a useful hidden ability.
• Comic relief amid danger: The chapter’s dramatic attack is undercut by Gungun’s return and its abrupt departure from Soaring Serpent.

Plot points

• Gungun escapes Dijun’s surprise attack by using the Shell-Shedding Mystique, leaving behind one of the prepared panda-fur bodies containing an evil spirit. He returns to the Netherworld and theatrically appeals to Houtu for justice.
• Dijun brings the decoy to the Heavenly Court and threatens to kill the supposed Ancestral Bear unless the Witches surrender the Twelve Capital Divine Fiend Banners.
• The decoy insists it is a dead monkey demon placed in Gungun’s body, then explodes when it bows. Kunpeng recognizes the trick: Gungun has escaped through a shell-shedding technique.
• Realizing the hostage plan has failed and war may come, Dijun orders the Demon Race to mobilize and summons reinforcements.
• Houtu orders Xingtian and the Witch tribes to attack the Heavenly Court immediately. She warns that Fuxi may not be trustworthy and commands that the campaign must not stop without her permission.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun proves resourceful, having prepared decoy bodies in advance, and uses humor and feigned grief to conceal his survival and stir Houtu’s response.
• Dijun shifts from confidence to alarm after his capture attempt fails; he recognizes the danger of having provoked the Witches.
• Bai Ze urges the Demon Race to prepare for battle, despite having previously favored surrender.
• Kunpeng identifies Gungun’s escape method, exposing the deception to the Heavenly Court.
• Houtu responds protectively toward Gungun, then turns decisively against Dijun. Her distrust extends to Fuxi, whose ties to both sides make his loyalty uncertain.
• Xingtian eagerly accepts Houtu’s command to lead the assault.

Significant themes

• Deception and survival: Gungun’s prepared doubles turn Dijun’s apparent victory into failure.
• Escalation and the cost of mistrust: Dijun’s attack undermines the chance of surrender and pushes both sides toward war.
• Loyalty and authority: Houtu’s distrust of Fuxi leads her to insist that only her own command can halt the campaign.

Key plot points and events

• Houtu leaves to help the Witch Race prepare for the coming war. Gungun realizes Dijun’s attack on him could serve as a pretext for ending the truce and drawing other powers into a confrontation with the Demon Race.
• Gungun stages his own death, summoning Dizang and claiming that Dijun ambushed him at Qingcheng Mountain. He asks Dizang to tell the Saints to avenge him, then sends Changqin, Xiong Zhan, and Xiong Meng to seek help from different powers.
• After making his Primordial Spirit appear to enter the Reincarnation Tunnel, Gungun is rescued by the Western Saints and the Three Pure Ones. He feigns confusion upon returning to his body.
• The Western Saints accept the supposed attack as grounds to settle accounts with the Demon Race and set out for the Heavenly Court with five disciples. Tongtian also leads Jiejiao disciples there, using Changqin’s debt to Gungun as his justification. Yuanshi prepares to go as well, while Laozi decides to stay behind.
• The Witch Race mobilizes for a “Heaven-Slaying Campaign.” Hongjun recognizes that the gathering powers threaten to disrupt heaven’s plans and sends a streak of purple light toward the Heavenly Court.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun proves himself a crafty strategist: he turns his injury into a staged death designed to provoke intervention against Dijun while keeping his own survival hidden.
• Dizang is sincerely horrified by Gungun’s apparent death. He rushes to inform the Western Saints, showing his loyalty and concern; the Saints trust his account.
• Tongtian is eager to act but wants a defensible reason. Yinglong supplies one through Changqin’s debt to Gungun, and Tongtian pretends the idea was his own before openly admitting he also hopes to claim the Hetu Luoshu.
• Yuanshi responds to the bears’ appeal by condemning the Demon Race’s violation of the truce and preparing his Pangu Banner. Laozi declines to intervene, trusting Gungun to manage his own affairs.
• Hongjun views Dijun’s impulsive attack as a major disruption to the intended course of the kalpa and moves to intervene.

Significant themes

• Deception as strategy: Gungun’s theatrical “death” manipulates rivals and allies alike, converting a personal attack into a political crisis.
• Pretexts, justice, and self-interest: The Saints frame their intervention as repayment of a karmic debt or defense of the truce, while also pursuing their own aims.
• The struggle between fate and agency: Gungun’s scheme sets events in motion, but Hongjun’s belief that a kalpa requires sacrifice suggests larger forces may still override individual plans.

Chapter Summary: “Taking One Day Off”

• Key events: The author explains that there will be no chapter update today. After attending a teaching-certification interview and returning home around 5 p.m. without lunch, they ate dinner, fell asleep from exhaustion, and woke at 8:30 p.m. They are now taking another online exam and expect to have no time to write.
• Character development: No story characters appear or change; this is an out-of-story notice from the author.
• Themes: The message emphasizes the demands of work and study, the need for rest, and the author’s consideration for readers.
• Interactions: The author tells readers not to wait up, asks them to return tomorrow, and thanks them for supporting and recommending the novel.

Key plot points and events

• Facing the imminent Witch–Demon war, Dijun returns to the Jade Pool to try to break through to primordial unity. He believes this is the Demon Race’s only chance, but finds his Dao difficult to comprehend.
• Hongjun sends Dijun a violet Star Gate and urges him to make use of it. Dijun enters, unaware that Houtu and several Saints soon arrive at the Heavenly Court seeking him; Fuxi is left to receive them.
• The gate brings Dijun to the hidden Violet Star Domain, where he meets the Violet Star Deity, a powerful but reclusive ruler of the stars.
• Dijun invites him to join the Heavenly Court as an equal emperor. The Violet Star Deity refuses, judging the Demon Race’s defeat likely: Houtu is Saint-level, Chi You can help complete the Witch formation, and the Witch Scribe Gungun has ties to the Saints.
• Instead, the Violet Star Deity advises Dijun to abandon the Demon Race and wait out the war. Dijun rejects the idea, explaining inwardly how much he has sacrificed for his people. He offers to share the Demon Race’s future dominion with the other Star Deities if they help him.
• The Violet Star Deity declines again and begins to teleport away. Dijun attacks him with solar true fire before he can disappear, ending the chapter on a cliffhanger.

Character developments and interactions

• Dijun shifts from anxious strategizing to fierce resolve. His commitment to the Demon Race is personal, rooted in the losses of his children, wife, and brother, rather than mere ambition.
• The Violet Star Deity is revealed as capable and politically cautious. Though he bears an imperial title and has the strength to matter, he prefers to remain hidden until victory is certain and refuses to risk himself for Dijun’s cause.
• Their courteous tea-side conversation turns into a sharp clash: Dijun tries first to recruit the Violet Star Deity, then presses him with an offer of shared power; the latter’s repeated refusal prompts Dijun’s sudden attack.
• Hongjun intervenes indirectly by providing the Star Gate, while Houtu and the Saints’ arrival raises the pressure on Dijun even as he is away.

Significant themes

• Loyalty versus self-preservation: Dijun refuses to abandon a cause that has cost him dearly, while the Violet Star Deity sees survival as more valuable than attachment to a fragile faction.
• Power and political calculation: The coming war appears to hinge on whether Dijun can reach Saint-level strength or gather enough allies to offset Houtu and the Witch Race.
• The cost of leadership: Dijun’s rule has demanded profound personal sacrifices, complicating the Violet Star Deity’s view of the Demon Race as merely an acquired alliance.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Dijun kills the Violet Star Deity. After the deity refuses to aid him against the Witch Race, Dijun attacks and defeats him, then devours his essence to increase his own power. He resolves to use the Star Gate to hunt down and consume the other innate star deities, hoping to become strong enough to overcome Houtu.
• Hongjun observes the killing. The Violet Star Deity’s death leaves the Violet Star without its innate ruler, allowing the Investiture of the Gods List to assign the newly available position of Emperor Ziwei. Haotian suspects Hongjun may be using events to clear innate gods from divine offices, though Hongjun does not explain his larger purpose.
• Gungun retrieves the Forestwood Demon God. Feeling uneasy, Gungun travels into Chaos and takes the Demon God’s physical body—a tree—from its guarded location. Yao Ji tries to stop him, but Gungun deflects her attack and wounds her with a glare. Jade Pool arrives, heals Yao Ji, and tells her not to pursue Gungun: the body belongs to him, and Hongjun cannot justly prevent him from reclaiming it.
• Gungun restores and recruits the Demon God. Back at the Iron-Eating Forest, Gungun replants the sapling and nourishes it with divine water and golden lotus flowers. Though the Demon God has no primordial spirit and only a small, newly formed consciousness, it agrees—apparently in exchange for the offerings—to help Gungun later.
• The Witch-Demon War begins. Gungun senses the attack as the eleven Ancestral Witches lead the Witch Race against the Heavenly Court. Their opening lightning assault causes heavy Demon Race casualties.
• Fuxi is caught between the parties. At the Jade Pool, he wants to lead the Demon Race and limit losses, but Houtu and several Saints keep him from leaving while demanding compensation for Dijun’s earlier attack on Gungun. Fuxi tentatively offers three grotto-heavens and blessed lands; the others reject the proposal.

Character developments and interactions

• Dijun shifts from seeking allies to pursuing power through consumption. His willingness to devour the Violet Star Deity marks a ruthless escalation in his response to the Demon Race’s plight.
• Gungun acts boldly and independently, reclaiming what he considers his property despite Hongjun’s authority. He sees his treatment of Yao Ji as a lesson against relying on powerful connections, while also judging himself protected by his status and the limits on Hongjun’s ability to intervene.
• Yao Ji shows herself as a dutiful but confrontational guard; she attacks Gungun and invokes Hongjun’s command, only to be decisively outmatched. Jade Pool restrains her from escalating the conflict and explains why Hongjun must act within limits.
• Fuxi remains committed to limiting casualties and easing the Demon Race’s defeat, but his wish for a controlled, peaceful settlement conflicts with Houtu and the Saints’ demand that Dijun’s actions be answered.
• Hongjun and Haotian frame the chapter’s political backdrop: Hongjun watches events without directly intervening, while Haotian begins questioning the purpose behind the newly available divine office.

Significant themes

• Power gained through sacrifice and predation: Dijun seeks strength by consuming fellow deities, while the war threatens to exact a broader cost in lives.
• Authority constrained by legitimacy: Hongjun’s power is immense, but Jade Pool stresses that he cannot act purely on personal preference; his actions must be justifiable to all beings.
• Property, loyalty, and obligation: Gungun claims the Demon God’s body as his own and cultivates a future alliance by caring for it and offering it gifts.
• Conflicting approaches to war: Gungun prepares for the conflict, Dijun pursues overwhelming strength, and Fuxi tries to reduce casualties—yet the Witch-Demon clash begins before a settlement can be reached.

Key plot points and events

• The Saints refuse Fuxi’s proposed settlement and demand that Dijun answer for attacking Gungun and repeatedly defying the Dao Ancestor’s decree. Several Saints privately hope to obtain the Hetu Luoshu, each for their own purposes.
• Dijun’s Evil Corpse, Golden Crow Daoist, arrives and challenges the Saints’ authority to interfere in the Witch-Demon conflict. He also proposes making his surviving son, Lu Ya, ruler of the Demon Race, tempting Zhunti to support them.
• The discussion breaks down. Golden Crow Daoist accuses Houtu of hypocrisy, while Yuanshi threatens him with the Pangu Banner. Houtu insists she is seeking justice for Gungun, not acting on behalf of the Witch Race.
• Golden Crow Daoist launches an attack, and the original Dijun returns to command the Zhou Tian Star-Dipper Formation. Contrary to expectations, the formation activates almost instantly and blocks Zhurong’s assault on the Heavenly Gate.
• Dijun orders Kunpeng to fight Zhurong. Kunpeng, who had been hiding and considering betrayal, obeys under pressure. Their clash delays Zhurong’s return to the Witch army.
• The formation’s star power devastates the Witch forces. Dijiang and Chi You struggle to resist, while the Jade Pool is destroyed in the ensuing battle.
• Houtu attacks Dijun with the Six Paths of Reincarnation Disk, but he repels it by drawing on the formation’s immense power. Yuanshi realizes Dijun’s body contains multiple star origins.
• Dijun declares that, with his family and people threatened and the Saints favoring the Witches, he will fight with everything he has—even if Heaven’s laws condemn him—and unleashes a final attack.

Character developments and interactions

• Dijun shifts from being the subject of the Saints’ demands to an openly defiant leader willing to risk divine punishment. His connection to multiple star origins explains the formation’s extraordinary strength.
• Golden Crow Daoist acts as Dijun’s combative proxy, confronting the Saints and escalating the dispute into battle.
• Houtu remains composed during the negotiations but retaliates fiercely once the Witch army is attacked. She is shocked when Dijun overpowers her treasure.
• Zhunti briefly considers supporting Lu Ya, his disciple, as Demon ruler, revealing the conflict between personal loyalty and religious advantage.
• Tongtian and Yuanshi press the case against Dijun, but their threats also expose the Saints’ self-interest and their own interference in the war.
• Kunpeng is caught between his concealed intentions and Dijun’s command, while Zhurong treats him as an enemy and fights him without knowing the full situation.
• Dijiang and Chi You prioritize regrouping the Witch forces and preparing their own formation, but the sudden activation of Dijun’s formation leaves them exposed.

Significant themes

• Power and hypocrisy: The Saints condemn others for defying heavenly decrees while themselves intervening in the conflict.
• Family, loyalty, and survival: Dijun’s grief and fear for the Demon Race drive his rejection of restraint.
• Bargaining and opportunism: Both the Saints’ interest in the Hetu Luoshu and Zhunti’s consideration of Lu Ya show how justice is entangled with advantage.
• Escalation and unintended consequences: A negotiation over accountability collapses into a larger battle, with ordinary Witch warriors suffering the greatest losses.

Key plot points and events

• Houtu uses the Six Paths of Reincarnation Disk to shield the Witch army from Dijun’s overwhelming starlight. Dijiang struggles to contain Zhurong, whose reckless charge leaves him exposed to Kunpeng.
• Yuantu and Abi interrupt Kunpeng, giving Zhurong a chance to return. The Golden Crow Daoist then joins the fight, but Dijiang uses spatial and speed laws to protect Zhurong.
• The Ancestral Witches and Chi You assemble the Twelve Heavenly Gods and Demons Formation. Dijun strengthens the Zhou Tian Star-Dipper Formation by drawing on the stellar deities’ origins, but the strain makes him bleed.
• Dijun’s attack threatens Houtu, so four Saints intervene to protect her. Their combined strike wounds Dijun, though he keeps fighting and turns his forces against the Witch army.
• Bai Ze leads the Demon Sages into battle. Hou Yi, Xingtian, Jiu Feng, and the Great Shamans rally the Witch forces; the battlefield becomes a massacre.
• Gungun leaves his solitude and attacks Kunpeng, forcing him to feign defeat under a secret threat concerning Kong Xuan. Gungun then confronts the Golden Crow Daoist, bombarding him with explosive treasures.
• The Witch formation finally summons Pangu’s true form. Recognizing the Demon Race’s defeat, Dijun tells Kunpeng to lead a retreat. Instead, Kunpeng strikes Dijun and steals Hetu Luoshu—but discovers the star formation remains intact and that he is trapped inside it.

Character developments and interactions

• Dijun grows increasingly desperate and ruthless. He pushes his body beyond its limits to sustain the formation, accepts the Saints’ intervention as a setback, and continues fighting even after being injured. He trusts Kunpeng to lead the retreat, only to be betrayed.
• Houtu proves powerful enough to challenge Dijun’s strengthened formation, but briefly feels genuine concern at its force. Her importance to reincarnation explains why the Saints step in to protect her.
• Dijiang acts as a wary commander, chastising Zhurong for charging ahead and using his powers to get him back safely. He then coordinates the formation with Chi You.
• Zhurong is bold but impulsive; his eagerness to fight puts him at risk, though he eventually obeys the order to return.
• Kunpeng appears loyal and frightened, but his submission is an act. He takes advantage of Dijun’s trust to steal the star-chart treasures, though his escape fails.
• Gungun shifts from contemplative isolation to active combat. His attack on Kunpeng is driven by a hidden bargain and his threat to kill Kong Xuan; his feud with the Golden Crow Daoist is personal and intense.
• Bai Ze hesitates before committing the Demon Sages, weighing the forces and the Saints’ limited support, then obeys Dijun. Hou Yi and other Witch leaders respond by charging into battle.

Significant themes

• War’s indiscriminate cost: Even with powerful leaders and formations, ordinary soldiers die in vast numbers.
• Duty, strategy, and recklessness: Dijiang’s caution contrasts with Zhurong’s impulsiveness, while commanders make choices under immense pressure.
• Betrayal and fragile loyalty: Kunpeng’s attack exposes how quickly apparent allegiance can collapse when defeat seems certain.
• Power and its price: Dijun’s borrowed stellar strength is formidable but physically damaging; Houtu’s power and the Saints’ intervention also show how the balance of the war depends on forces beyond ordinary combat.
• Fate and uncertainty: Gungun wonders whether the slaughter is heaven’s will, while the chapter ends with Kunpeng’s escape plan collapsing unexpectedly.

Chapter summary

The New Year is approaching, and the narrator feels overwhelmed as responsibilities and problems continue to accumulate. They decide to take the day off.

• Key events: The narrator acknowledges mounting pressures and chooses to step away for a day.
• Character development: The decision suggests a need for rest and a willingness to pause rather than keep pushing.
• Themes: Stress, work-life balance, and the importance of taking time to recover.
• Character interactions: No interactions with other characters are described.

Key plot points and events

• The Witch–Demon war reaches its climax as Dijun drives the Zhou Tian Star-Dipper Formation to its full power. The Pangu True Form counters with the Demon-Slaying Sword, and their collision shatters the formation and shakes the Primordial World.
• In the chaos, Dijun attacks Kunpeng for betraying him. The Star Chart prevents Kunpeng from escaping, and Dijun’s Solar True Fire leaves him plummeting toward the earth; his fate is unresolved.
• The battle’s shock waves trigger disasters across all five regions:
  • East Sea: The sea eye’s seal breaks. Ao Yue uses his Dragon Pearl to slow its pull and leads aquatic creatures to safety.
  • Southern Wastes: Primordial Phoenix’s seal on the Undying Volcano fails. Lingguang absorbs lava into himself to protect nearby life.
  • North: Floods and released ferocious beasts devastate the region. Zhiming opens the Black Tortoise Realm as a refuge.
  • Western Lands: The Dark Abyss opens, releasing corrupting demonic energy. Jieyin and Zhunti are forbidden by Heaven’s will to intervene, so Jian Bing combats the corruption and turns himself into a refuge for survivors.
  • Central Wilderness: Falling stars destroy settlements. Huanglin orders the Qilin Clan to shelter other races, then takes the Qilin Seal to rescue them. He uses it to sever his Corpse of Evil, Daoist Qiyuan, who stays behind to reinforce the clan’s defenses.
• On the battlefield, the Pangu True Form and Star Chart vanish. Dijiang and three other Ancestral Witches are mortally wounded and begin to disappear. Gungun uses its Heaven and Earth Bag to preserve their bodies, soul essence, and blood energy before they dissipate.

Character developments and interactions

• Dijun abandons restraint after recognizing the war is lost. His rage at Kunpeng’s betrayal gives way to grim acceptance of his own likely death.
• Kunpeng is exposed as a traitor and is punished by Dijun, though the chapter does not confirm whether he survives.
• Huanglin emerges as a decisive, compassionate leader in contrast to his fearful younger brother, Four-Unlike. He prioritizes sheltering the Central Wilderness’s peoples and reveals that he is close to the Quasi-Saint realm.
• Four-Unlike remains cowardly and self-protective, wanting only to save himself and the Qilin homeland. He ultimately gives Huanglin the Qilin Seal.
• Jieyin and Zhunti respond differently to their forced inaction: Jieyin is anguished and guilty, while Zhunti outwardly accepts Heaven’s decree but reveals his distress through clenched, bleeding hands.
• Gungun, shaken by the battle and grieving for the Ancestral Witches, acts quickly to prevent their complete destruction. Houtu and the surviving Witches witness this and turn to Gungun in stunned grief.

Significant themes

• War’s cost beyond the battlefield: The clash devastates the entire world, harming ordinary creatures and undoing earlier efforts to restore damaged lands.
• Duty and compassion: Several powerful figures choose to protect vulnerable populations, while Four-Unlike’s self-interest highlights the contrast.
• Power constrained by fate: Even Saints must obey Heaven’s will, leaving them unable to help despite their desire to intervene.
• Loss and preservation: The Ancestral Witches’ apparent deaths are the chapter’s central tragedy, while Gungun’s intervention leaves open the possibility that they can be saved.

Plot points and events

• Gungun tells Houtu that his Heaven and Earth Bag can preserve the dying Ancestral Witches in suspended states, giving them a chance to be saved later. Houtu accepts, relieved that her brothers have not been lost forever.
• Near death, Dijun tries to attack Gungun, but Houtu stops him. As the surviving Ancestral Witches prepare to kill Dijun themselves, he laments the uncertain fate of the Demon Race and detonates his own body.
• The blast drives back the nearby fighters, destroys Mount Buzhou, and unleashes the Heavenly River into the Primordial World, beginning an even greater catastrophe. Hongjun declares that the Witch-Demon Calamity is over.
• Nuwa breaks out of Taisu Heaven and confronts Hongjun, rejecting “heaven’s will” as an excuse for the devastation. She sets out to save the world, but senses something and flies toward Qingcheng Mountain.
• Gungun discovers that the Vermilion Bird Banner is trembling, suggesting its destined moment has arrived. At the East Sea, Ao Yue’s Azure Dragon Whip, White Tiger Token, and Black Tortoise Seal also respond, signaling that the time to save the world has come.

Character developments and interactions

• Houtu moves from shock to renewed hope after Gungun offers a way to preserve her dying brothers.
• Dijun faces death with concern for his people, then chooses self-destruction rather than fall into his enemies’ hands. His final act both ends the battle and worsens the world’s crisis.
• Gungun continues to act as a practical protector, first preserving the Ancestral Witches and then recognizing the Vermilion Bird Banner’s call.
• Nuwa emerges defiant and morally opposed to Hongjun’s appeal to fate, though her attention is suddenly drawn elsewhere.
• Ao Yue, having protected the aquatic races, recognizes that the moment foretold by his uncle has arrived.

Significant themes

• Hope amid irreversible loss: The Heaven and Earth Bag offers a possibility of restoring those who seem doomed.
• The cost of conflict: Dijun’s death ends the Witch-Demon Calamity but triggers a wider disaster.
• Fate versus responsibility: Nuwa challenges the use of “heaven’s will” to justify suffering and acts to intervene.
• Destiny and awakening: The trembling treasures suggest that multiple figures are being called to take part in saving the world.

Chapter summary

• With Mount Buzhou shattered, the sky torn open, and the Heavenly River flooding the world, Ao Yue and Gungun travel to the mountain to help save the Primordial World. Gungun carries the Vermilion Bird Banner; Ao Yue brings three other sacred treasures.
• As they wait for five powerful beings who are gathering to repair the world, Gungun reveals his political ambition. With the Witch and Demon races devastated or withdrawing, he proposes that he claim the Four Wastes while Ao Yue retakes the Northern Sea, then the two of them seize and divide the Heavenly Court. He would become Heavenly Emperor and Ao Yue the Sovereign of Heaven. Ao Yue is stunned but has no time to answer before the others arrive.
• The five arriving powers include Meng Zhang, Huanglin, Lingguang, Jian Bing (the Tiger Ancestor), and Zhiming. They need the corresponding Numinous Treasures to save the world. Jian Bing taunts Ao Yue and clashes verbally with Meng Zhang, but Ao Yue calmly stands up to him and returns the White Tiger Token. He also gives Zhiming the Black Tortoise Seal.
• Ao Yue entrusts the Azure Dragon Whip to Meng Zhang, thanking him for years of loyalty and protection. Meng Zhang is moved and vows to do everything he can for Ao Yue and the Dragon Race.
• Lingguang asks Gungun to return the Vermilion Bird Banner. Gungun protests comically that it was destined to be his, then insists he is surrendering it purely out of compassion for all living beings and hands it over.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun shifts from attending to the immediate crisis to openly plotting for power, treating the weakened world as an opening for himself and Ao Yue. His grand political schemes contrast with his playful self-importance and self-serving excuses.
• Ao Yue shows composure and maturity: he recognizes the catastrophe’s toll, refuses to be intimidated by Jian Bing, and demonstrates sincere gratitude toward Meng Zhang. Though surprised by Gungun’s proposal, he does not yet accept or reject it.
• Meng Zhang and Ao Yue share a deeply affectionate, trusting bond. Their exchange highlights years of mutual loyalty beneath their formal ruler-subject relationship.
• Jian Bing is proud and provocative, while Ao Yue answers his contempt with confidence. The tension is set aside so the world-saving task can proceed.
• Gungun’s private amusement at Ao Yue and Meng Zhang’s heartfelt reunion—and his theatrical exchange with Lingguang—provides comic relief amid the devastation.

Significant themes

• Ambition amid catastrophe: The disaster threatens all life, yet Gungun sees the collapse of the old powers as a chance to reshape political order.
• Loyalty and gratitude: Ao Yue’s bond with Meng Zhang stands against Gungun’s opportunistic calculations.
• The limits of innocence and control: Gungun argues that beings in the Primordial World are all subject to heaven’s will and can only strive to act with a clear conscience.
• Power and changing eras: With the witches and demons weakened, the balance of the world—and the future of the Heavenly Court—is up for grabs.