Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Chi You realizes the fighter is not Shennong. Gungun reveals himself while possessing Shennong’s body, immobilizes Chi You with the law of silence, and defeats him.
• Chi You recognizes Gungun as his teacher and submits. Gungun claims he is helping Shennong at Laozi’s request to prevent Chi You from provoking the Saints and being killed. He also coaches Chi You to publicly describe Shennong as divinely empowered and accept him as Human Race co-ruler.
• After staging their return from Mount Tai, the battered Chi You’s apparent defeat convinces onlookers that Shennong has won. With Chi You’s submission, Gungun helps Shennong unify the Human Race, including the Nuwa Tribe.
• Gungun later visits Shentu and Yulei at Peachstop Mountain to ask them to become Door Gods and protect humanity when the Ghost Gate opens, advancing Houtu’s plan.
• Meanwhile, Nuwa finishes forging the Witch-Slaying Sword. She summons Bai Ze and orders him, when Shennong’s succession is settled, to give the weapon to Xuanyuan so he can break Chi You’s great shaman body and defeat the Nine Li Tribe.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun proves powerful enough to defeat Chi You even through Shennong’s fragile body. Though he privately feels uneasy about eventually scheming against his respectful disciple, he manipulates events and carefully scripts Chi You’s public account.
• Chi You shifts from suspicion and resistance to deference toward Gungun, though he remains confused about the explanation he is given. He agrees to follow his teacher’s instructions.
• Nuwa moves from forging a weapon to openly preparing to counter Houtu’s growing influence over the Human Race. She frames her action as repayment for Houtu’s perceived encroachment.
• Bai Ze hesitates while weighing his past deliberations, then pledges obedience. He appears pleased by the prospect of conflict, despite keeping his reaction hidden.
• Gungun’s visit to Shentu and Yulei links his efforts to secure human protection with Houtu’s larger agenda.

Significant themes

• Deception and public legitimacy: Gungun stages Chi You’s defeat and dictates the story that will make Shennong’s authority appear unquestioned.
• Loyalty versus manipulation: Chi You’s respect for his teacher complicates Gungun’s intentions, while Bai Ze’s outward obedience conceals his enthusiasm.
• Power struggles among divine forces: Nuwa’s plan to arm Xuanyuan sets up a confrontation with Houtu and the Witch Race over influence in the Human Race.

Plot and key events

• Nuwa reasserts her control over the Demon Race through the Demon-Summoning Banner. She heals Bai Ze and orders him to help Xuanyuan defeat Chi You.
• In the Netherworld, Houtu decides that the annual opening of the Ghost Gate needs stronger leadership. She asks Crown Prince Changqin to give up his post as Eastern Ghost Emperor so Shentu and Yulei, powerful immortals with Primordial Spirits, can take over.
• Houtu compensates Changqin by promising him the Heavenly Court’s position of Emperor Ziwei, responsible for the stars. Changqin accepts the change out of loyalty to Houtu and his father, Tongtian.
• Houtu personally invites Shentu and Yulei to serve as Ghost Emperors. They agree both to oversee the Ghost Gate and to act as door gods, protecting the living from harmful spirits.
• Shentu proposes making the annual visit of the dead a festival. Houtu names it the Ghost Festival. Gungun later meets the pair, brings their instructions back to the Human Race, and has peach-wood charms bearing their names hung on household doors.
• The first Ghost Festival takes place in the seventh month. Countless guiltless ghosts visit the living world. The event mostly succeeds, though some conflicts arise between ghosts and the living.
• Tongtian considers intervening in the disturbances but decides the Netherworld should handle them. To guard against further trouble, he travels to Mount Mao.
• With the festival completed, Gungun prepares to resume Laozi’s assignment: help the Human Race overcome Ao Guang and Lu Ya, promote Shennong’s crops and medicines, and secure favorable decrees for the people and Gungun’s followers. The other major powers quietly make these tasks easier.

Character developments and interactions

• Houtu shows herself as a capable, increasingly authoritative ruler. She reorganizes Netherworld leadership while rewarding Changqin with a new post, and establishes the Ghost Festival as a compassionate custom.
• Changqin demonstrates humility and filial loyalty by surrendering a prestigious office without complaint. Houtu’s promise of the Ziwei position leaves him deeply moved.
• Shentu and Yulei emerge from seclusion to take on public responsibilities. Though wary of the extra work of being door gods, they agree to protect the living during the festival.
• Tongtian initially questions Houtu’s arrangements but accepts them once she explains Changqin’s future. He also recognizes that Houtu’s growing presence makes her increasingly formidable.
• Gungun completes Houtu’s task, then collapses from exhaustion before moving on to his next mission. His ambitions remain grand, though he underestimates how much powerful allies are shaping events in his favor.
• Nuwa and Bai Ze interact through Nuwa’s healing and command: Bai Ze accepts his assignment to aid Xuanyuan.

Significant themes

• Duty, loyalty, and reward: Changqin gives up his rank for the Netherworld, and Houtu ensures his service is recognized.
• Compassion and remembrance: The Ghost Festival lets the dead briefly reunite with their families before reincarnation.
• Order amid risk: A benevolent event still brings occasional disorder, underscoring the need for responsible governance and protection.
• Power and influence: Divine authorities shape appointments and events, while Gungun’s apparent success depends heavily on powerful figures clearing obstacles for him.

Key plot points and events

• Thirty years pass. Shennong, guided by Gungun, secures human access to the East Sea by defeating Dragon King Ao Guang, then wounds Demon Prince Lu Ya in the north. These victories restore Shennong’s standing and bring further blessings to humanity.
• As Shennong’s time as Human Sovereign nears its end, Gungun gathers the human leaders and proposes that Chi You marry Feng Lan, leader of the Nuwa Tribe. Both react with immediate dislike, and Gungun leaves them to consider it.
• Gungun later explains that Feng Lan is the reincarnation of Feng Ling, Nuwa’s uniquely cherished human child. A marriage could temper Nuwa’s opposition to Chi You becoming Human Emperor; it could also unite Nuwa’s descendants with Pangu’s bloodline and avert a dire fate.
• Nuwa has learned that each generation of her descendants is destined to protect humanity but also to suffer a tragic, sacrificial end. The foretold escape is for her descendants to carry Pangu’s bloodline.
• Hoping to protect Feng Lan, Nuwa orders Soaring Serpent to find suitable Witch men. He tries to abduct some, but Zhurong catches and attacks him. As Soaring Serpent flees, Houtu arrives at Nuwa’s palace and demands an explanation.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun prepares to leave Shennong’s body and makes strategic arrangements for Chi You and Feng Lan, presenting the marriage as beneficial to both their futures.
• Chi You resists the match, dismissing Feng Lan’s bloodline and admitting he neither likes her nor wants to force himself on her. He nevertheless understands the political benefit of gaining Nuwa’s favor.
• Feng Lan likewise reacts with distaste, though the chapter gives little of her perspective beyond her unwillingness.
• Nuwa is distressed by the fate imposed on her descendants and reluctantly seeks a way to break it. Her attempt to act through Soaring Serpent instead risks inflaming tensions with Houtu and the Witch Race.
• Soaring Serpent tries to carry out Nuwa’s order but is beaten by Zhurong, who regards the attempted abduction as an insult and demands accountability.
• Houtu confronts Nuwa directly, suggesting that the two goddesses’ existing rivalry may worsen.

Significant themes

• Fate versus agency: The characters seek loopholes in a destiny imposed by Heaven, while disagreeing over how much they can change it.
• Bloodline and political alliance: An arranged marriage is treated as a means of joining Pangu and Nuwa lineages and reshaping future generations.
• Protection and sacrifice: Nuwa’s descendants are assigned both a duty to humanity and a cruel cost for fulfilling it.
• Personal choice versus strategic necessity: Chi You’s reluctance—and Nuwa’s reluctant intervention—show the human and emotional costs of political solutions.

Key plot points and events

• Nuwa and Houtu trade barbed remarks over Soaring Serpent’s attempt to abduct Witch Race men. Their argument escalates into a clash of Creation and Reincarnation Divine Thunder, which lasts about fifteen minutes.
• Soaring Serpent returns to Taisu Heaven injured after Ancestral Witch Zhurong ambushes him. Nuwa heals him and refuses his suggestion to target the Witch Race members in the Heavenly Court, knowing Hou Yi and Xingtian would stop him.
• Rather than seek Houtu’s help, Nuwa sends Bai Shu to arrange a marriage between her elder brother, Fuxi, and Feng Lan, leader of the Nuwa Tribe and Feng Ling’s reincarnation.
• A month later, Fuxi’s edict announces Feng Lan as his principal wife. Shennong watches her wedding procession depart for the Fire Cloud Cave.
• Shennong realizes Nuwa’s plan: because Fuxi is a Witch-Human with Pangu’s bloodline, their descendants will carry that bloodline, altering the fate Nuwa wanted to break—and apparently excluding Chi You from his expected role.
• Houtu reacts furiously and orders the Underworld and Witch Race to publicize that Fuxi is marrying his own descendant, while emphasizing that Fuxi and Nuwa are siblings.

Character developments

• Nuwa is wounded in her pride by Houtu’s taunts but remains defiant. She avoids asking Houtu for help and instead uses a marriage alliance to pursue her aims.
• Houtu shifts from verbal sparring to political retaliation, using the marriage’s family relationship to embarrass Nuwa publicly.
• Soaring Serpent is chastened by his failed mission and Zhurong’s attack, though he still proposes another attempt.
• Shennong understands the larger consequences of Nuwa’s scheme and resigns himself to Chi You’s apparent fate.
• Fuxi and Feng Lan are joined through an arranged marriage, setting the central political and bloodline change in motion.

Significant themes

• Pride and face: Nuwa would rather devise another plan than ask Houtu for help.
• Fate and lineage: The marriage is intended to reshape the destiny of Nuwa’s descendants through Pangu’s bloodline.
• Power politics and reputation: Houtu counters Nuwa’s private strategy with public exposure and ridicule.
• Unintended consequences: Houtu’s earlier decision to give Fuxi Pangu’s bloodline creates the very opportunity Nuwa uses.

Character interactions

• Nuwa and Houtu’s strained sisterly relationship drives the chapter: their taunts turn into a divine clash, followed by competing political maneuvers.
• Zhurong ambushes Soaring Serpent, while Nuwa heals and advises her subordinate.
• Nuwa commands Bai Shu and Soaring Serpent to arrange Fuxi’s marriage.
• Houtu directs the Nether Soldiers and Witch Race to spread news of the wedding and its awkward family connection.

Key plot points and events

• Rumors spread through the Primordial World claiming Fuxi married Nuwa rather than Feng Lan. The story grows more scandalous: Fuxi and Nuwa are said to be siblings, making their marriage incestuous.
• The rumors begin with two technically true claims—that the Fuxi and Nuwa houses joined in marriage, and that Fuxi is Nuwa’s brother in a former life—but are deliberately twisted by gossipers.
• Gungun, inhabiting Shennong’s body, discovers the rumors have spread widely. He realizes Houtu is behind their initial dissemination, but chooses to feign sleep and stay out of the conflict.
• At Wa Emperor Palace, Nuwa is furious. She recognizes that Houtu has created plausible deniability: the false conclusion was spread by ordinary people, whom Nuwa cannot punish without causing mass slaughter. Nuwa asks for a way to confront Houtu, but her attendants have none. Bai Shu is absent.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun briefly considers intervening but decides self-preservation is wiser, pretending he never woke up.
• Nuwa shifts from anger at the rumors to frustration at being trapped by Houtu’s careful manipulation. She vents her fury by smashing the vessels on her table and demands a way to retaliate.
• Azure Luan and Fire Phoenix try to comfort Nuwa and kneel apologetically when they cannot offer a solution.
• Gungun and the attendants have a tense exchange: he warns them not to spread the rumors, only to learn they are already widespread.

Significant themes

• Public opinion as a weapon: Rumors can damage reputations and stir social change even when built from true facts.
• Plausible deniability and manipulation: Houtu can provoke harm indirectly while avoiding responsibility for the public’s distortions.
• Power constrained by consequences: Nuwa may be powerful, but stopping the gossip through force would punish countless innocents and risk catastrophe.
• Strategic disengagement: Gungun recognizes the danger of the conflict and deliberately stays uninvolved.

Plot points and events

• Bai Xi leaves Nuwa’s palace after agreeing to carry out the Empress’s plan: use Nuwa’s achievements to challenge Houtu’s claim to the title “Mother of the Earth.”
• Azure Luan warns that the plan could backfire and bring Nuwa’s anger down on Bai Xi. Fire Phoenix reveals that Bai Xi is taking the risk because she hopes to win the favor of Soaring Serpent.
• Fire Phoenix argues that Bai Xi’s love is unlikely to be returned: Soaring Serpent values innate deities as his equals, and no promotion could make Bai Xi one. Though shaken, Bai Xi chooses to continue with the task.
• Nuwa overhears the sisters’ conversation and reflects on Bai Xi, Soaring Serpent, and the Red Marriage Ball.
• Bai Xi carries Nuwa’s edict into the Primordial World, sparking a fierce dispute over whether Nuwa or Houtu deserves the title of Mother of the Earth. The argument escalates into battles: Guiche loses to Xing Tian; Bai Ze drives Xing Tian off; then Xing Tian, Hou Yi, and Jiu Feng together scare Bai Ze away.
• Gungun stays safely in Chen Capital, sleeping through the turmoil—which feels like a renewed Witch-Demon calamity.

Character developments and interactions

• Bai Xi is revealed as deeply devoted to Soaring Serpent. Despite hearing that her feelings may be hopeless, she persists, choosing to act on them rather than retreat.
• Fire Phoenix takes a blunt, protective role, trying to spare Bai Xi disappointment.
• Azure Luan accepts that Bai Xi must make her own choice, even if it hurts her: in love, the question is whether one is willing, not whether the risk is worthwhile.
• Nuwa quietly observes the exchange, suggesting her interest in Bai Xi’s feelings and the tangled connection with Soaring Serpent.
• The rival factions’ disputes spill into combat, with Bai Ze and the shamans trading victories.

Significant themes

• Unrequited love and personal choice: Bai Xi knows the odds are against her but chooses to keep trying.
• Status and innate nature: Soaring Serpent’s preference for innate deities makes social advancement insufficient to bridge the divide.
• Competing claims to honor: Nuwa’s creation and mending of the heavens are set against Houtu’s transformation into reincarnation and completion of the world.
• Political rivalry turning into violence: A contest over titles rapidly destabilizes the Primordial World.

Key plot points

• After six months, Gungun senses that Shennong is about to become the Human Emperor, but realizes one final step is needed.
• Wearing pajamas and sandals, Gungun—controlling Shennong’s aging body—leads the people of Chen Capital to the city walls. He asks what will become of humanity after his death.
• He reassures them that the Human Race will continue to grow strong, then gives an emotional farewell and appears to die, turning to dust as the people mourn.
• In the void, Gungun discovers that Human Emperor destiny has attached itself to both his primordial spirit and Shennong’s. Zhunti explains that he sent Gungun to help Shennong recover and now intends to settle their debt to Red Cloud.
• Zhunti rebuilds Shennong’s body from lotus root and leaves and restores him to life. Shennong returns to Chen Capital, where the people recognize him by the Five-Colored Dao Tassel and rejoice.
• A great merit cloud arrives: forty percent goes to Shennong, ten percent to Xuandu, and half disappears into the void. Zhenwu then presents Taishang’s decree to Shennong as Human Race Co-ruler.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun uses Shennong’s apparent death as a carefully staged farewell, showing concern for the people and helping secure Shennong’s succession. His surprise at the shared destiny hints that his role has had consequences beyond what he expected.
• Shennong is restored from death and finally returns to claim his rightful position as Human Emperor.
• Zhunti reveals that Gungun’s intervention was part of his effort to heal and revive Red Cloud, and declares that he and his senior brother have now repaid their debt.
• The Human Race moves from grief at Shennong’s apparent death to joyful recognition of his return. The Youqiong chief speaks for the people, affirming their hope in humanity’s future.

Significant themes

• Succession and continuity: Shennong’s farewell stresses that the Human Race’s progress must continue beyond any single ruler.
• Sacrifice and loyalty: Gungun’s staged departure reassures the people, while Zhunti’s actions fulfill an old obligation.
• Destiny, merit, and restoration: Shared imperial destiny, heavenly merit, and spiritual intervention combine to restore Shennong and formalize his authority.

Key events

• Zhenwu uses Shennong’s accumulated Human Emperor merit to heal his primordial spirit and awaken the true spirit of Red Cloud, an ancient immortal inhabiting Shennong.
• Red Cloud regains his memories and accepts Taishang’s decree, which names Shennong the Human Earth Emperor. He is granted ten years before he must retire to Fire Cloud Cave to safeguard humanity’s fortune.
• After Zhenwu leaves, Zhen Yuanzi reunites with Red Cloud/Shennong, and the old friends embrace tearfully.
• In the Western Pure Land, Zhunti offers Gungun a reward for helping repay the debt owed to Red Cloud. Gungun theatrically insists that refusing a gift would be disrespectful, then asks for increasingly valuable treasures. Zhunti rejects each request, and Gungun finishes by comparing Zhunti unfavorably with the more generous Supreme Pure Sage.

Character developments and interactions

• Shennong/Red Cloud shifts from mortal stubbornness and pain to the calm, insight, and gratitude of his awakened divine self. He accepts his appointment and honors Zhenwu and Taishang.
• Zhenwu acts firmly to protect and awaken Shennong, calming the crowd by explaining who he is and what he is doing.
• Zhen Yuanzi and Red Cloud share a deeply emotional reunion after a long separation.
• Gungun displays comic shamelessness and greed, exploiting Zhunti’s offer while maintaining a show of respectful humility. Zhunti, initially generous, becomes exasperated as Gungun demands treasures he cannot—or will not—give.

Significant themes

• Identity and awakening: Shennong’s body houses Red Cloud’s restored true spirit, changing his understanding and choices.
• Merit, duty, and retirement: Shennong’s achievements earn him honor, but his new station also requires him to leave worldly rule and protect humanity from Fire Cloud Cave.
• Friendship and reunion: The embrace between Red Cloud and Zhen Yuanzi emphasizes the lasting bond between old companions.
• Greed and generosity: Gungun’s escalating demands turn Zhunti’s well-meant reward into a comic contest, while the comparison with Renjiao highlights differences in resources and generosity.

Plot points and events

• Zhunti gives Gungun the Six Roots Purification Bamboo, a powerful treasure that can seal an opponent’s six senses. He reluctantly lets go only after Gungun keeps tugging at it; Gungun promptly falls and rolls down the mountain.
• Back at the Sacred Hall, Gungun asks why he received Human Emperor’s Fortune, not just the merit due to Shennong’s teacher.
• Zhunti explains that Houtu recognized Gungun’s entry into Shennong’s body as a form of reincarnation. Gungun and Red Cloud therefore shared Shennong’s body in a rare dual-soul shared body arrangement.
• Since Gungun was also Shennong, he was entitled to the fortune when Shennong became Human Emperor. Red Cloud will go to the Fire Cloud Cave; Gungun will not.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun is greedy for treasures but also confused about the spiritual and reincarnation rules. His main concern about receiving the fortune is whether it means he must go to the Fire Cloud Cave; he is relieved to learn he will not.
• Zhunti is both exasperated and fond of Gungun. Though reluctant to part with the bamboo, he gives it to him and patiently explains the unusual status of his shared incarnation.
• Jinnaluo briefly considers helping Gungun after his fall, but Zhunti tells him to leave Gungun alone.

Significant themes

• Identity and reincarnation: A shared body can make both souls Shennong, with consequences for status and fortune.
• Authority and interpretation: Houtu’s recognition determines whether Gungun’s possession counts as reincarnation.
• Comic greed and affection: Gungun’s treasure-grabbing and Zhunti’s reluctant generosity keep the supernatural exposition playful.

Plot points

• Gungun is relieved to learn that Red Cloud—not he—will have to enter the Fire Cloud Cave as the final Human Emperor. He also has no desire to divide his soul for reincarnation, since he believes it would hinder his cultivation.
• After reporting Shennong’s successful succession to Laozi, Gungun is warned to avoid the coming struggle over the final Human Emperor, which may involve Yuanshi, Tongtian, Houtu, and Nuwa.
• A clash outside the Great Clarity Palace draws their attention: Nuwa and Houtu are fighting with the Red Marriage Ball and the Six Paths of Reincarnation Disk.
• Laozi explains that the conflict grew from a rivalry over the honorific “Mother of the Earth.” Their followers fought several battles, escalating from clashes between subordinate forces to intervention by the Ancestral Witches, Nuwa, and finally Houtu.
• When Gungun urges Laozi to intervene, Laozi claims he cannot safely face both Saints. He then hands Gungun the Taiji Diagram and Yellow Mystic Tower and orders him, as Heavenly Emperor, to stop the fight.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun’s practical, self-preserving nature is clear: he is happy to avoid both the Human Emperor’s burdens and any risk to his own cultivation. His delight contrasts with Laozi’s restrained disapproval.
• Laozi first presents himself as cautious and protective, advising Gungun to stay out of danger. He then cleverly turns Gungun’s confidence in his treasures into an obligation to intervene.
• Nuwa and Houtu’s old grievances have erupted into open warfare. Gungun privately considers the history behind their feud, including Nuwa’s past dealings with the Witch and Demon races.
• Gungun is left stunned when Laozi makes him responsible for stopping two furious Saints.

Significant themes

• Self-preservation versus duty: Gungun seeks safety, but his position as Heavenly Emperor is used to compel him into danger.
• Old grudges and escalating conflict: Rivalries and past slights turn disputes among followers into a direct confrontation between powerful figures.
• Manipulation and responsibility: Laozi’s warning to avoid involvement gives way to a shrewd setup that places the burden on Gungun.

Plot points and events

• Laozi asks Gungun to stop Nuwa and Houtu from clashing, giving him the Taiji Diagram and Yellow Mystic Tower. Gungun initially refuses, but agrees after Laozi hints he might let him keep the treasures.
• Laozi sends Gungun into the path of the two Saints’ opposing treasures. Houtu and Nuwa, noticing him in danger, recall their attacks before they collide.
• Gungun uses the treasures to halt himself, then loudly presents Laozi’s request as a decree from the Three Pure Ones, warning the Saints that continued fighting will endanger the world.
• At Gungun’s urging, living beings across the Primordial World plead with the goddesses to stop. Houtu withdraws first, and Nuwa soon follows.
• Laozi confronts Gungun for falsely calling his request a decree. Gungun flatters him and argues that the Saints’ withdrawal proves Laozi’s authority, leaving Laozi exasperated.

Character developments

• Gungun shifts from frightened reluctance to bold action when tempted by the possibility of acquiring two supreme treasures. Once the danger passes, he protects himself with quick thinking, public pressure, and shameless flattery.
• Laozi shows himself to be calculating: he uses Gungun as an intermediary rather than risking a direct confrontation, then regrets the bear’s improvised wording.
• Nuwa and Houtu both demonstrate restraint by recalling their attacks and ultimately withdrawing, though their mutual hostility remains unresolved.

Significant themes

• Self-interest and opportunism: Gungun’s courage is closely tied to his hope of gaining powerful treasures.
• Power and persuasion: The Saints’ conflict is stopped not by force, but by Gungun invoking authority and the suffering of ordinary beings.
• Comic manipulation: Gungun turns Laozi’s vague instruction into an official-sounding decree, then uses flattery to escape blame.
• The cost of divine conflict: The creatures’ pleas underline how battles among powerful beings threaten the wider world.

Character interactions

• Laozi pressures Gungun into acting by offering him the treasures—and dashing his hopes of keeping them.
• Gungun addresses Nuwa and Houtu as he delivers his supposed decree, then appeals to the world’s inhabitants to plead for peace.
• After the Saints withdraw, Gungun and Laozi exchange a comic confrontation: Laozi objects to the fabricated decree, while Gungun praises his prestige and feigns helplessness.

Key plot points and events

• Gungun explains that he used the Three Pure Ones’ authority to stop Nuwa and Houtu’s fight. He believes taking sides—or appearing too neutral—could provoke either powerful woman, so invoking Laozi’s name was the safest choice.
• Laozi retrieves the Taiji Diagram and Yellow Mystic Tower, taps Gungun on the head, and leaves. Gungun jokingly assumes this means Laozi wants him to visit secretly for personal instruction, but Laozi denies it.
• Laozi sends Golden Horn back with the Wordless Heavenly Book, a talisman containing his Taiji insights and a vast collection of spells and transformations. He tells Gungun to study it himself.
• Gungun is delighted to acquire another treasure, though he doubts it will be especially useful to him. He shares his half-eaten Flat Peach with Golden Horn, who has been eyeing it.
• Reading that the book contains the Earthly Baleful Transformations and Somersault Cloud, Gungun decides he might raise a monkey for amusement—perhaps creating his own version of Sun Wukong.
• A giant black hole suddenly appears and swallows Gungun, abruptly ending the chapter.

Character developments

• Gungun remains calculating beneath his carefree, food-loving exterior. He carefully manages dangerous relationships, values treasures, and turns the book’s contents into a whimsical new plan.
• Laozi shows irritation with Gungun but ultimately gives him a substantial collection of knowledge, leaving him to learn independently.
• Golden Horn is eager for the Flat Peach and gratefully accepts Gungun’s generous, if comically modest, reward.

Significant themes

• Diplomacy and self-preservation: Gungun avoids taking sides by appealing to a higher authority.
• Knowledge and cultivation: Laozi’s book represents a storehouse of teachings, though mastering them is left to the recipient.
• Humor and ambition: Gungun treats cosmic treasures casually and imagines raising a monkey for entertainment.
• Unpredictable fate: The sudden black hole interrupts his plans without explanation.

Character interactions

• Gungun invokes Laozi’s name to restrain Nuwa and Houtu, then playfully misreads Laozi’s gesture as an invitation to private lessons.
• Laozi’s attendant Golden Horn delivers the book and receives Gungun’s leftover peach.
• Alone afterward, Gungun connects the book’s transformations to Sun Wukong and resolves to raise a monkey—before being swallowed by the mysterious black hole.

Plot points

• Houtu summons the Netherworld’s leading deities and orders a campaign against the Demon Race. She accuses them of spreading rumors that challenge her authority as “Mother of the Earth” and of injuring three Great Shamans.
• She appoints Gungun to lead six hundred thousand Nether Soldiers and the Netherworld’s major forces against the Demon Emperor Palace. Dizang is assigned to guide the war’s dead into the Underworld.
• Gungun initially balks, worried that the Netherworld army is badly outmatched. Houtu explains that the Ten Great Demon Sages are still severely weakened, and Gungun eagerly accepts the command.
• Afterward, Dizang privately urges Gungun not to attack because Lu Ya, a Demon Race prince, is his fellow disciple in the Western Religion. Gungun dismisses the concern, arguing that shared sect membership does not automatically make them allies. He also hopes to capture the Demon Race’s treasures.

Character developments and interactions

• Houtu shifts from anger to satisfaction when Gungun agrees to lead the campaign. Her order is also a strategic move against Nuwa: she intends to strike Nuwa’s supporters without directly starting a war between Saints.
• Gungun begins fearful and reluctant, but becomes confident once he learns the enemy is weakened. His willingness is driven partly by the prospect of winning valuable treasures. He teases and pressures Dizang, even threatening to take Dizang’s mount, Di Ting.
• Dizang is concerned about attacking a fellow disciple and tries to dissuade Gungun, but Gungun rebukes him for being too bound by sect ties. Their exchange exposes a gap between Dizang’s loyalty to shared religious affiliations and Gungun’s pragmatic view of alliances.

Significant themes

• Political power and retaliation: Houtu frames the campaign as both punishment for the Demon Race and a defense of her authority.
• Pragmatism versus loyalty: Gungun prioritizes interests and alliances over shared affiliation, while Dizang is troubled by the prospect of fighting a fellow disciple.
• Ambition and self-interest: Gungun’s eagerness grows when he imagines claiming the Demon Race’s treasures.
• Indirect conflict: Houtu uses a campaign against the Demon Race to weaken Nuwa’s influence while avoiding a direct confrontation between Saints.

Key plot points and events

• Dizang, reflecting on how his fellow Western Religion disciples abandoned him in the Underworld, begins to accept Gungun’s argument that being useful will protect him. He follows Gungun.
• In the Demon Emperor Palace, Lu Ya questions why the weakened Demon Race should fight for Nuwa. Bai Ze insists they must obey her as the Demon Teaching’s leader, though he fears Nuwa can overhear them.
• Bai Ze reassures Lu Ya that the Heavenly Court is unlikely to attack after accepting the Demon Race’s gifts and overture to restore relations. The next day, however, Bai Ze’s danger-sensing ability warns him that the Underworld is about to threaten the Demon Race.
• Gungun rallies a 600,000-strong Netherworld army by portraying Houtu as the rightful ruler and Mother of the Earth, and the Demon Race as her slanderers. The soldiers enthusiastically march north to war.
• Houtu approves of Gungun’s leadership and imagines using him in future conflicts, even against Nuwa.
• Nuwa sees the Underworld army advancing and condemns Houtu’s response as hypocritical and warlike. She summons the Demon Sages, promises to heal their wounds, and orders them to punish Houtu’s forces.

Character developments

• Dizang shifts from solitary, principled resignation toward Gungun’s pragmatic view that usefulness earns protection.
• Lu Ya is openly resentful of Nuwa and doubts the Demon Race’s loyalty to her, but defers to Bai Ze’s authority.
• Bai Ze acts as a cautious strategist, managing Lu Ya’s outbursts and anticipating the Underworld’s threat.
• Gungun reveals a talent for rallying troops through forceful, emotionally effective rhetoric.
• Houtu supports the campaign while remaining amused and approving of Gungun.
• Nuwa moves from watching events to direct intervention, backing the wounded Demon Race and escalating the conflict.

Significant themes

• Loyalty versus self-preservation: Dizang and the Demon Race weigh duty against the cost of serving powerful leaders.
• Propaganda and morale: Gungun frames a political dispute as righteous defense of Houtu’s honor to motivate the army.
• Power and vulnerability: The Demon Race’s wounds make it a tempting target, while the Underworld’s mobilization turns a dispute between leaders into a larger war.
• Hypocrisy and self-justification: Nuwa condemns Houtu’s aggression while praising her own compassion; Houtu’s “merciful” image coexists with a readiness to wage war.

Character interactions

• Gungun’s persuasion draws Dizang into following him and wins the Netherworld troops’ allegiance.
• Bai Ze rebukes Lu Ya’s criticism of Nuwa, then reassures him that the Heavenly Court is unlikely to attack.
• Gungun’s army acts in Houtu’s name, and Houtu silently approves his conduct.
• Nuwa responds to Houtu’s campaign by healing and rallying the Demon Sages, setting the stage for a direct confrontation between their forces.

Plot points and events

• The Demon Race fears an impending attack by Gungun and the Netherworld. Nuwa restores the Ten Great Demon Sages to full strength, giving the demons renewed confidence.
• Bai Ze secures Nuwa’s permission to use the Witch-Slaying Sword against Gungun if necessary.
• Gungun’s army advances into the Northern Lands. He orders a rapid campaign and plans to strip the demons of their possessions.
• Lu Ya worries that the demons cannot stop Gungun, despite their Lesser Stellar Formation, because Gungun’s treasures make him exceptionally hard to harm.
• After the Demon Sages return healed, Bai Ze warns Lu Ya that the Witch Race remains a greater threat than the Netherworld. He proposes capturing Gungun and trading him to Houtu for Taiyi, who is imprisoned in the Nine Hells.
• Lu Ya eagerly supports the plan, and the demons begin preparing an ambush.
• Nuwa overhears their scheme. She considers that Taiyi’s return could help restore balance between the Witch and Demon Races.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun remains relaxed and boastful, but is determined to move quickly and take the demons’ wealth.
• Bai Ze shows caution and strategic ambition: he seeks a weapon against Gungun and sees the bear’s capture as a way to rescue Taiyi.
• Lu Ya shifts from anxious helplessness to hopeful resolve when Taiyi’s possible return is raised.
• Nuwa supports the demons by healing them, yet weighs the wider political consequences of their plan.
• Shentu lightly jokes with Gungun about the demons cursing him, reinforcing their confident, informal rapport.

Significant themes

• Power and deterrence: Gungun’s treasures make him a formidable obstacle even against a large demon force.
• Political balance: Taiyi’s return could narrow the gap between the Witch and Demon Races.
• Strategic dependence: The demons rely on Nuwa’s aid but are urged by Bai Ze to take action themselves.
• Bargaining and hostage-taking: Gungun becomes a potential bargaining chip in the demons’ effort to recover Taiyi.

Key plot points and events

• Nuwa decides to strengthen the Demon Race so it can balance the Witch Race, whose influence now reaches across the Heavenly Court, the Underworld, and potentially the Human Race.
• She orders Azure Luan to retrieve the Human-Creating Whip and use it if the Netherworld army gains the upper hand. Nuwa explains that Gungun can be subdued by the whip because he has taken on Shennong’s Human Emperor fortune, making him count as human in the Heavenly Dao’s eyes.
• As Gungun’s army approaches the Northern Lands, his Warning Horn sounds. Suspecting Nuwa may intervene on the Demon Race’s behalf, he halts the advance and sends Dizang to challenge Lu Ya to fight at the border instead, sparing the Northern Lands from the invasion.
• Lu Ya reads Gungun’s message and erupts in fury. The letter mockingly calls Gungun Lu Ya’s new stepfather and demands that Lu Ya welcome him on his knees.

Character developments

• Nuwa acts as a strategic power broker, supporting the Demon Race not out of loyalty but to prevent the Witch Race from dominating the world.
• Azure Luan initially fears she is being sent to fight the overwhelmingly powerful Gungun, but regains confidence once Nuwa explains the whip’s special advantage.
• Gungun shows caution beneath his comic persona: he recognizes a possible threat, stops his army, and chooses a controlled battlefield.
• Lu Ya is provoked by Gungun’s deliberately insulting challenge.

Significant themes

• Balance of power: Nuwa seeks to restrain the Witch Race by bolstering its old rival.
• Divine loopholes and consequences: Gungun’s acquisition of Human Emperor fortune creates a vulnerability to a sacred weapon meant to subdue humans.
• Strategy and provocation: Gungun avoids an uncertain invasion and instead draws Lu Ya into a confrontation on his terms.
• Comedy amid high stakes: The chapter pairs cosmic political maneuvering with Gungun’s absurd, personal taunt.

Character interactions

• Nuwa reassures and instructs Azure Luan, explaining why the Human-Creating Whip can threaten Gungun.
• Gungun orders Dizang to deliver the challenge; Dizang is puzzled by his choice but follows the command.
• Lu Ya’s rage at the letter confuses Dizang, while Bai Ze discovers the insulting message and reacts with silent disbelief.

Plot points and events

• Gungun sends Lu Ya a taunting letter that invokes the deaths of Lu Ya’s mother and brothers, hoping to draw the Demon Race out of the defensible Northern Lands.
• Furious, Lu Ya orders an immediate attack despite recognizing the trap. Bai Ze knocks him unconscious, takes command, and refuses to march beyond the Northern Lands. He sends Dizang back to Gungun with a rebuke.
• Gungun is angered by Bai Ze’s response and considers retrieving the Chaos Bell to attack the Demon Race directly.
• Shennong arrives to help, explaining that Gungun once aided him when he became the Human Emperor. Gungun urges him to return, citing the importance of the Human Emperors to human fortune—but also shamelessly asks him for his Nine-Nine Soul-Scattering Gourd.
• Zhen Yuanzi appears with Shennong and reveals the Earth Embryonic Membrane, assuring Gungun they can help overcome the Demon Race.
• Gungun immediately orders the two newcomers to lead the assault while he and the Netherworld army follow behind.

Character developments and interactions

• Lu Ya is consumed by grief and vengeance, unable to resist Gungun’s provocation even though he sees the strategic danger.
• Bai Ze proves disciplined and politically cautious: he restrains Lu Ya, protects the Demon Race’s position, and takes charge despite the objections of other demons.
• Gungun combines strategic manipulation with comic shamelessness. He tries to provoke Lu Ya, dismisses Shennong’s offer for his own safety, then tries to obtain Shennong’s treasure—and finally volunteers others to lead the attack.
• Shennong shows gratitude and loyalty by coming to Gungun’s aid, while Zhen Yuanzi supports him and contributes a powerful defensive treasure. Their confidence contrasts with Gungun’s doubts about their ability to face the Demon Sages.
• Dizang serves as messenger between Bai Ze and Gungun and anxiously relays Bai Ze’s insults.

Significant themes

• Vengeance versus restraint: Lu Ya’s personal rage threatens the Demon Race’s strategic interests, while Bai Ze prioritizes survival and sound command.
• Provocation and political maneuvering: Gungun attempts to control where and how the battle occurs, but Bai Ze recognizes the trap.
• Gratitude and repayment: Shennong’s arrival reflects his desire to repay Gungun’s past help.
• Comic irreverence: Gungun’s self-serving requests and willingness to send his allies into danger undercut the chapter’s high-stakes military tension.

Chapter Summary: “Ghosts and Demons Go to War”

• Plot and events: Gungun leads the Netherworld army into the Northern Lands, with Zhen Yuanzi and the awakened Shennong acting as the vanguard. Zhen Yuanzi privately resents being dragged into the fight, but accompanies Red Cloud out of loyalty and concern for his safety. Shennong asks Gungun to let them handle the advance while the army follows.
  At the Demon Emperor Palace, Bai Ze recognizes that Zhen Yuanzi and Red Cloud’s arrival complicates the defense. He organizes the Demon forces: Ji Meng, Yingzhao, and Feilian will operate a Lesser Stellar Formation to attack anyone who enters it; Nine-Infant and Iron-Tooth will lead troops against the Netherworld army; and Bai Ze and the remaining Demon Sages will focus on capturing Gungun. Though their stated aim is to trade Gungun for the Eastern Emperor, Bai Ze warns that Gungun’s powerful defenses make him difficult to kill—and dangerous to underestimate.
  As the Netherworld army reaches the formation, Shentu dismisses it as a weaker version of the formation that once killed the Eastern King. Gungun remains wary, suspecting the Demon Sages may have recovered more of their strength than expected.
• Character developments and interactions: Zhen Yuanzi’s reluctance contrasts with his loyalty to Red Cloud, while Red Cloud’s generosity and sense of obligation have brought them both into the conflict. Shennong takes an active role as a military leader, coordinating with Gungun. Bai Ze demonstrates careful strategic thinking, assigning different forces to contain the vanguard, target the Netherworld troops, and capture Gungun. Gungun’s caution challenges Shentu’s confidence.
• Themes: The chapter emphasizes loyalty and repayment of debts, the difficulty of judging an opponent’s true strength, and the strategic importance of preparation. It also sets up the coming clash between the Netherworld and Demon forces, where confidence and assumptions may prove costly.

Plot and key events

• Gungun prepares the Netherworld army for a possible surprise attack, then repeatedly strikes the Demon Race’s Lesser Stellar Formation with the Heaven-Falling Bell. The treasure cannot break through from outside.
• Inside the formation, Demon Sages Ji Meng, Yingzhao, and Feilian attack Zhen Yuanzi and Shennong with a storm of thunderbolts. Zhen Yuanzi effortlessly dispels them, prompting the demons to strengthen the formation with their Corpse-Slaying Treasures.
• After two hours of stalemate, the Netherworld army’s morale begins to weaken. Gungun decides to counter the enemy formation by deploying the Twelve-Capital Heavenly Gods Baleful Formation.
• He summons twelve Witch-Humans, raises their cultivation with Nine-Turn Golden Pills, gives them the twelve Dutian Divine Fiend Banners, and teaches them how to form a weaker version of the ancient battle formation.
• The Poison Ancestral Witch Shebi Shi senses the twelve juniors’ attempt to commune with his spirit and lends them his power. His ancestral-witch true form appears, and Gungun orders it to charge into the Lesser Stellar Formation.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun shows tactical awareness and initiative: he anticipates an ambush, recognizes that the stalemate is harming morale, and devises a formation-based solution. He also personally corrects an error in the Witch-Humans’ formation.
• Zhen Yuanzi remains composed under the Demon Sages’ attack, demonstrating formidable power.
• Ji Meng, Yingzhao, and Feilian work together to control and reinforce the formation, but their assault fails to unsettle Zhen Yuanzi.
• The twelve Witch-Humans move from uncertainty about their ability to deploy the formation to carrying it out under Gungun’s guidance.
• Shebi Shi responds to the juniors’ summons by lending his true spirit, enabling the formation to manifest his true form.

Significant themes

• Strategy and adaptation: When brute force from outside fails, Gungun changes tactics and uses one formation to challenge another.
• Leadership and morale: Gungun understands that delay can weaken an army and acts before the Netherworld troops lose their fighting spirit.
• Inherited power and cooperation: The Witch-Humans combine their Pangu bloodlines, Gungun’s instruction, and Shebi Shi’s spiritual aid to accomplish what none could do alone.

Key plot points and events

• Twelve Great Luo Witch-Humans enter the Lesser Stellar Formation using the Twelve Heavenly Gods and Demons Formation, manifesting an unstable Ancestral Witch True Form. The Demon Sages fear it may eventually break the formation.
• Bai Ze orders Nine-Infant and Iron-Tooth to lead 300,000 demons out to attack Gungun’s 600,000 Netherworld troops, while the other Demon Sages delay the Witch-Humans, Zhen Yuanzi, and Shennong.
• Gungun has anticipated the attack and meets the demon army in battle. He quickly knocks Nine-Infant and Iron-Tooth aside, but Bai Ze and four more Demon Sages arrive and surround him.
• Bai Ze unleashes the Ten Thousand Beasts Scroll, worsening the Netherworld army’s losses, and joins the assault on Gungun. Iron-Tooth also blocks Yulei from coming to Gungun’s aid.
• Gungun uses the law of silence to briefly immobilize four attackers, then knocks them back. Protected by the Twelfth-Grade Pure World White Lotus and the Black Tortoise Water-Control Banner, he also wields the Heaven-Falling Bell.
• Bai Ze tries to seal the space around Gungun to bypass his protective treasures. Gungun counters with Netherworld in the Palm, drawing Bai Ze into a black expanse. The chapter ends before the outcome is revealed.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun proves he anticipated Bai Ze’s strategy and is far more formidable than the Demon Sages expected. His confidence is backed by preparation, powerful treasures, and an unusual silencing ability.
• Bai Ze remains a calculating commander, coordinating the attack and devising a clever way around Gungun’s defenses. Yet his own danger-sensing ability warns him too late that Gungun has a counter.
• Nine-Infant and Iron-Tooth follow Bai Ze’s orders and attack Gungun, but are swiftly repelled. Iron-Tooth then prevents Yulei from assisting Gungun.
• The Demon Sages cooperate in an attempt to capture Gungun and exchange him to Houtu for Eastern Emperor Taiyi. Their teamwork briefly gives them the advantage, but Gungun disrupts their assault.
• Yulei tries to come to Gungun’s aid but is intercepted.

Significant themes

• Strategy and counterstrategy: Bai Ze and Gungun anticipate each other’s moves, turning the battlefield into a contest of planning as much as strength.
• Power and preparation: Gungun’s treasures, abilities, and readiness let him withstand a numerical and tactical disadvantage.
• Unequal armies: The Netherworld forces suffer heavily because they are less developed and less naturally powerful than the Demon Race.
• Escalating conflict: The battle outside the formation coincides with the threat posed by the Witch-Humans’ unstable formation, leaving both sides under pressure.