Chapter Summaries

Key plot points

• Gungun traps Bai Ze inside his personal “Netherworld in the Palm,” but becomes stuck himself behind Bai Ze’s powerful Eightfold Calamity Seal.
• Guiche and the other Demon Sages surround Gungun and use the World-Wrapping Cloth to contain him. They plan to take him away, but struggle to lift the bundle until they work together.
• Gungun taunts the demons and threatens to kill their leader, though the sealed bundle prevents him from acting.
• Shentu returns with news that he has successfully awakened the Forestwood Demon God. Gungun uses a spell to connect with the Demon God’s body on Mount Buzhou and draw on its power.
• Gungun’s strength rises to the peak of the Quasi-Saint realm. He transforms into the Forestwood Demon God’s True Form, breaks Bai Ze’s seal with a single punch, and turns the tables on the demons.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun shifts from trapped and boastful to genuinely formidable once he accesses the Demon God’s power. His confidence proves justified, and his jokes and threats keep the demons off balance.
• Shentu returns as the key reinforcement, having completed the mission Gungun entrusted to him.
• Guiche and the Demon Sages move from apparent control of the situation to alarm as Gungun’s transformation begins. Guiche’s frustration at being unable to lift the bundle adds a comic pause to the confrontation.
• Bai Ze, though trapped inside Gungun’s world, remains influential through the seal that restrains Gungun—until the Demon God’s power breaks it.

Significant themes

• Hidden strength and reversal: The demons believe they have captured Gungun, but his unexpected power overturns their advantage.
• Preparation and loyalty: Gungun’s foresight in sending Shentu to awaken the Demon God becomes decisive.
• Power and transformation: Gungun’s connection to the Forestwood Demon God enables him to surpass his former limits.
• Humor amid danger: Gungun’s insults, threats, and the demons’ struggle to carry him contrast with the battle’s high stakes.

Plot points

• Overwhelmed by the Demon Sages’ coordinated assault, Gungun unleashes his Forestwood Demon God form. His power rises to a level unmatched beneath the Saints.
• He captures Guiche, shrugs off Qinyuan’s spiritual treasure, and destroys the Lesser Stellar Formation with a single blast. The trapped Netherworld forces break free and turn the battle against the Demon Race.
• Gungun rampages through the enemy ranks, devastating Demon Race troops and severely injuring several Demon Sages.
• Azure Luan arrives from Chaos with the Human-Creating Whip, acting on Nuwa’s orders. Its power is a natural counter to Gungun’s Forestwood body and the Human Emperor’s providence he carries; two strikes send him flying and leave him in agony.
• Recognizing the whip’s effect, Gungun orders Shentu and Yulei to stop Azure Luan, then retreats toward the Demon Emperor Palace with the captured Feilian.
• Shentu and Yulei block Azure Luan. They point out that the whip subdues humans, but neither of them is human—an obstacle Nuwa apparently failed to warn her about.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun shifts from near-invincible confidence to genuine pain and anger when confronted with a weapon tailored to counter him. He quickly identifies the reason for its effectiveness and adapts by withdrawing.
• Azure Luan begins the encounter anxious but grows confident after her first successful strike. Her confidence falters when Shentu and Yulei reveal that the whip may not work on them.
• Shentu and Yulei prove to be practical allies: they help contain the threat while Gungun escapes.
• The Demon Sages’ attempt to overwhelm Gungun collapses once he transforms, reversing the battle’s momentum.

Significant themes

• Power and its limits: Even overwhelming strength has vulnerabilities when an opponent uses the right counter.
• Turning points in battle: Gungun’s transformation breaks the formation and changes the war’s balance, while Azure Luan’s arrival briefly checks his advance.
• Unreliable confidence and incomplete knowledge: Azure Luan trusts Nuwa’s plan, but discovers too late that its assumptions about the enemy are incomplete.

Plot and events

• Gungun races toward the Demon Emperor Palace, reasoning that Azure Luan’s Human-Creating Whip can threaten him because of his ties to the Human Race. He chooses not to use the Kongtong Seal, preserving it as a last-resort trump card.
• On the battlefield, Zhen Yuanzi strikes Ji Meng down and turns to fight Iron-Tooth, while Red Cloud holds his own against three Great Luo demon gods.
• With the palace’s defenders dwindling, Demon God Yan Zuo orders the others to carry the unconscious Lu Ya to Nuwa for safety. He stays behind to hold off Gungun.
• Yan Zuo attacks with everything he has, declaring that he can repay the late Emperor Dijun’s kindness only with his life. Gungun kills him, destroying his weapon as well.
• The fleeing demons mourn Yan Zuo and escape with Lu Ya. Gungun gathers Yan Zuo’s scattered soul fragments rather than pursuing them.
• Gungun enters the palace, smashes its gates, and begins looting it. His goal is to damage the Demon Race’s prestige and weaken its unity, as Houtu instructed.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun remains pragmatic: he avoids unnecessary risks and does not chase Lu Ya, whose connections to Nuwa and Zhunti make him politically complicated. Yet he shows a measure of respect for Yan Zuo by collecting his soul fragments.
• Yan Zuo is revealed as fiercely loyal to Dijun and protective of Lu Ya, willingly sacrificing himself so the Crown Prince can escape.
• The Demon defenders grieve Yan Zuo but follow his final order, prioritizing Lu Ya’s safety over their possessions.
• Zhen Yuanzi shows no mercy to Ji Meng, driven by his longstanding grudge against Kunpeng and the Demon Race’s attempt to recruit him.
• Red Cloud is shown fighting effectively against multiple opponents.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and sacrifice: Yan Zuo’s death demonstrates that demons can be devoted and compassionate toward their own.
• Pragmatism and restraint: Gungun chooses his strategic objective over a pursuit that would bring little benefit.
• War’s personal cost: The demons’ grief contrasts with the conflict’s larger political aims.
• Power and legitimacy: Destroying the palace is meant not only to cause material loss, but also to undermine the Crown Prince’s authority and further divide the Demon Race.

Plot points and events

• Houtu watches the Netherworld forces gain the upper hand and orders Hou Yi, Xingtian, and Jiu Feng to retrieve Azure Luan and the Human-Creating Whip.
• On the battlefield, Shentu and Yulei overpower Azure Luan. Yulei cuts off the hand holding the whip, and the two severely beat her. The whip is powerful against humans but offers no protection against them.
• The three Great Shamans arrive. Hou Yi initially assigns Jiu Feng to escort Azure Luan back, but after she objects, he takes Azure Luan, her severed hand, and the whip himself.
• Nuwa tries to stop Hou Yi with her divine pressure, but Houtu counters her intervention. Hou Yi escapes to the Netherworld.
• Xingtian and Jiu Feng join the battle. Their arrival boosts the Netherworld army, and the demon forces are routed.
• At the Wa Emperor Palace, Nuwa seethes over Azure Luan’s defeat and the loss of her treasure. She cannot retaliate without risking a direct clash with Houtu and reigniting conflict between Saints.

Character developments and interactions

• Houtu acts decisively to protect her forces and seize the Human-Creating Whip, directly checking Nuwa’s attempt to interfere.
• Nuwa is furious and humiliated, but restrains herself because of the rules governing Saints and the danger of escalating the conflict.
• Hou Yi prioritizes Houtu’s orders and quickly exploits Houtu’s intervention to carry out the escort.
• Jiu Feng resists being assigned the escort, prompting Hou Yi to take over.
• Shentu and Yulei demonstrate that Azure Luan’s special weapon is ineffective against them, then return to the battle alongside the arriving Witches.

Significant themes

• Power has limits: The Human-Creating Whip is formidable against humans, but its authority does not extend to every opponent.
• Restraint and political rules: Even powerful Saints must weigh pride and retaliation against the consequences of breaking established boundaries.
• War’s shifting momentum: The Netherworld’s battlefield advantage becomes a rout once its reinforcements arrive.
• Humiliation and retaliation: Nuwa’s wounded pride and lost treasure create a new personal grievance, though she is not yet able to act on it.

Plot points and events

• The chapter explains the long-running rivalry between Nuwa and Houtu. Nuwa once tried to govern both the Witch and Demon races to prevent war, but Hongjun confined her to Taisu Heaven, and her plan failed.
• Houtu later altered Fuxi’s reincarnation, making him a Witch-Human. Nuwa retaliated by arranging for her descendant Feng Lan to marry him, thereby securing a Pangu bloodline and avoiding a grim fate for her descendants. Houtu suspected Nuwa was mocking her and spread true but misleading claims that Nuwa and Fuxi had married.
• Nuwa responded by promoting her own claim to the title “Mother of the Earth.” The dispute escalated into conflict between the Netherworld and the Demon Race, ending in a Demon defeat and the capture of Nuwa’s mount, Azure Luan.
• Houtu takes the Human-Creating Whip from Azure Luan and summons the Three Pure Ones and the Two Western Sages. She argues that the whip can control all humans, including the Human Emperor, and that its power should not remain solely in Nuwa’s hands. The chapter ends as she asks Laozi, head of Renjiao, for his view.

Character developments and interactions

• Nuwa is frustrated and trapped in a political mess of her own making; she wants to retaliate but is reluctant to confront Houtu directly.
• Houtu proves calculating and vindictive, yet careful not to cross Nuwa’s ultimate boundary: she sends Azure Luan to the Nine Hells rather than kill her.
• Laozi appears to understand Houtu’s real aim and privately considers whether he could take custody of the whip. Tongtian, by contrast, needs Houtu to explain the concern.
• Hou Yi carries out Houtu’s orders, first returning with Azure Luan and then leaving to summon the Saints. Zhunti follows the conflict with amusement.

Significant themes

• Retaliation and escalation: small slights and indirect schemes grow into political and military conflict.
• Power over the Human Race: the whip’s ability to suppress humans raises the question of who should control such influence now that humanity is central to the world.
• Pride and restraint: Nuwa and Houtu avoid direct confrontation while continuing to undermine each other through proxies and policy.

Key plot points and events

• Zhunti argues that the Human-Creating Whip should not remain in one Saint’s hands. He even suggests that the Western Religion take custody, but the other Saints’ skeptical reactions force Jieyin to dismiss the proposal as a joke.
• Laozi agrees that the whip is dangerously powerful: it can subdue anyone of the Human Race, regardless of strength. He says Nuwa should be involved in any decision about it because it is her treasure.
• Since the other Saints have strained relationships with Nuwa, Zhunti is chosen to invite her. Nuwa arrives surrounded by an impressive array of treasures, making the gathered Saints wary and provoking Houtu’s envy and suspicion.
• Houtu and Nuwa nearly clash, but Zhunti persuades them to set aside their quarrel long enough to discuss the whip.
• Houtu argues that the Human-Creating Whip should not be controlled by one Saint, since the Human Race are the protagonists of heaven and earth. Nuwa counters that Houtu—or Gungun—may possess the Kongtong Seal, which can appoint and depose Human Emperors.
• Houtu denies the accusation and challenges Nuwa to provide evidence. She then asks the Saints to support her principle that no single Saint should have complete control over humanity. All five—including Zhunti—agree.
• Houtu gives Nuwa a choice: relinquish sole control of the whip, or face the possibility that the protagonists of heaven and earth will be replaced. Nuwa is left feeling ganged up on.

Character developments and interactions

• Houtu takes the lead in challenging Nuwa’s exclusive control of the whip. Though she resents Nuwa, she presents her demand as a matter of preventing any one Saint from dominating humanity.
• Nuwa arrives prepared and suspicious, responds sharply to Houtu’s accusations, and remains defiant when the other Saints side against her.
• Zhunti tries to mediate the goddesses’ hostility and takes satisfaction in believing his “humble” standing helped secure peace. His earlier attempt to claim the whip for the Western Religion is treated as opportunistic.
• Laozi emphasizes both the whip’s danger and the need to include its owner in the discussion. The other Three Pure Ones avoid inviting Nuwa because of past conflicts.
• Houtu and Nuwa maintain a tense, competitive relationship: they briefly cooperate to keep the peace, then return to open suspicion and rivalry.

Significant themes

• Checks on concentrated power: The Saints debate whether a treasure capable of controlling the Human Race should belong to one individual.
• Political authority and influence: Religious status, creation, reincarnation, and control of imperial succession all provide ways to shape humanity.
• Coalitions and self-interest: The Saints’ agreement with Houtu appears principled, but the gathering is also shaped by old grudges and competing claims.
• Rivalry beneath diplomacy: Humor and polite mediation soften the scene, but distrust and resentment remain close to the surface.

Plot points

• Nuwa is enraged by Houtu’s suggestion that the Protagonists of Heaven and Earth—the human race—could be replaced. This would diminish Fuxi’s status as Human Emperor, so Nuwa attacks Houtu in the Earth Emperor Hall.
• Houtu counters with the Chaos Bell and her earth-law powers. Nuwa defends herself with nine-heavens breathing soil and attacks with the Red Marriage Ball and the Landscape, Rivers, State, and Earth Diagram.
• The five other Saints watch from above. Laozi proposes that they intervene together to prevent the duel from causing a catastrophe.
• Laozi, Yuanshi, and Jieyin each reveal powerful defensive treasures, leaving Zhunti and Tongtian to notice that they are less protected. Tongtian draws his Green Duckweed Sword; Zhunti, pleased to find a “kindred spirit,” displays his Seven-Treasure Wonderful Tree.

Character developments and interactions

• Nuwa shows how fiercely she values Fuxi’s position and the human race’s status, losing her temper despite her usual deference to Houtu.
• Houtu stands her ground and meets Nuwa’s attack with formidable powers and relics.
• Tongtian is unsettled by the women’s strength, reconsidering his belief that he ranks near the top among the Saints. He is also embarrassed when he realizes the others are better equipped for defense.
• Zhunti is reluctant to join the intervention because he fears being hurt, then finds comfort in Tongtian’s similarly limited defensive showing.
• Laozi, Yuanshi, and Jieyin present a united front, confidently preparing to restrain the duel.

Themes

• Status and identity: Replacing humanity as the world’s leading race would threaten Fuxi’s standing and Nuwa’s pride.
• Power and humility: The duel forces Tongtian to reassess his own strength.
• Comic solidarity: The Saints’ cautious coordination and Tongtian and Zhunti’s mutual recognition undercut the grandeur of their divine posturing.

Summary

• Conflict among the Saints: Before intervening in the clash between Houtu and Nuwa, the Saints prepare for battle. Jieyin lends Zhunti the Azure Lotus Treasure Banner for protection, while Tongtian is left without a defensive treasure and feels slighted by his brothers Laozi and Yuanshi. The Saints then rush to stop the fight.
• The intervention goes badly: Nuwa’s Landscape, Rivers, State, and Earth Diagram traps Jieyin, while Houtu punches Zhunti in the eye—a physical attack that bypasses the banner’s magical defenses. Laozi blocks Houtu and Nuwa’s combined assault with the Yellow Mystic Tower. Yuanshi warns that their battle could destroy Houtu’s Underworld. Houtu recognizes the danger and forces Nuwa back, but the two remain furious and agree to resume their fight in Chaos, away from the Primordial World.
• Gungun arrives at the worst moment: Returning from a successful outing, Gungun finds the Saints gathered and tries to retreat, but Laozi pulls it back into the group. It hides behind Houtu, who reassures it that the gathering is about an “unwelcome guest”—a remark Nuwa takes as an insult.
• The Human Race’s status is challenged: Houtu explains that the Saints had agreed the Human-Creating Whip should not remain in one Saint’s hands. She says the alternative is to replace the Human Race as the Protagonists of Heaven and Earth. Asked what people should replace them, Gungun first defends the Human Race, then suggests its own Iron-Eating Beast kind as a possible replacement—immediately angering Nuwa.

Character developments and interactions

• Tongtian feels neglected by Laozi and Yuanshi, whose treasured gifts have gone elsewhere; his resentment adds comic tension to the Saints’ alliance.
• Jieyin and Zhunti show their close bond when Jieyin gives Zhunti his banner. Zhunti is grateful, but still gets hurt in the ensuing fight.
• Houtu balances her anger toward Nuwa with concern for the Underworld and the larger world. She also puts Gungun on the spot with a politically charged question.
• Nuwa remains fiercely protective of her treasure and offended by Houtu’s demands, though Gungun’s defense of the Human Race briefly softens her expression.
• Gungun is cheerful, timid around the assembled Saints, and bluntly self-interested: it supports the Human Race, but would also happily nominate its own species.

Significant themes

The chapter mixes brotherly loyalty and perceived favoritism with the limits of power: even Saints must consider the damage their conflicts can cause. It also explores political rivalry over authority and the Human Race’s future, punctuated by Gungun’s comic, opportunistic ambition.

Key plot points and events

• Gungun asks Houtu to make the Iron-Eating Beast Clan the Protagonists of Heaven and Earth. Houtu humorously dismisses the request and tells Gungun to get the Saints’ approval.
• Gungun canvasses the Saints. Laozi refuses; Yuanshi agrees only if Gungun gives up all its offices and returns to the Iron-Eating Forest.
• Gungun rejects Yuanshi’s conditions and turns to Tongtian, who offers support if Gungun leaves the Western Religion and gives Jiejiao the Twelfth-Grade Pure World White Lotus. Gungun refuses, insisting it will honor its commitments.
• Tongtian kicks Gungun in irritation. Zhunti intervenes, praises Gungun’s loyalty, and angrily accuses Tongtian of trying to poach his deputy leader. He threatens to recruit Tongtian’s disciples in return.
• Before Gungun can press Zhunti for support, Nuwa ends the dispute: the Human Race will remain the protagonists, and the Saints must explain what they will do about the Human-Creating Whip.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun is ambitious and shamelessly self-interested, but also politically calculating: it solicits support from each Saint, weighs the consequences of switching sides, and presents itself as loyal to the Western Religion.
• Houtu indulges Gungun’s appeal only to redirect it toward the Saints, while privately enjoying her apparent victory over Nuwa.
• Yuanshi shows some openness to Gungun’s argument but attaches a condition that would strip it of its many powerful positions.
• Tongtian tries to lure Gungun away from the Western Religion, then reacts with physical irritation when it refuses.
• Zhunti rewards Gungun’s loyalty and confronts Tongtian, shifting their interaction from apparent camaraderie to rivalry.
• Nuwa, furious at the spectacle, reasserts the Human Race’s status and forces the discussion back to the Human-Creating Whip. Houtu’s private taunt leaves their rivalry unresolved.

Significant themes

• Power and overreach: Gungun’s clan already holds extraordinary influence, making its bid for even greater status difficult for the Saints to accept.
• Loyalty versus self-interest: Gungun’s refusal to defect is presented as fidelity, but is also a strategic choice to avoid making enemies.
• Religious and political rivalry: The Saints bargain over allegiance and influence, while their disputes threaten to overshadow the larger question of the Human Race’s future.
• Comic ambition: Gungun’s brazen request and the Saints’ reactions turn a cosmic succession debate into a farcical contest.

Plot points

• Nuwa and Houtu continue trading threats and insults privately after their confrontation.
• Gungun, disappointed that the Iron-Eating Beasts cannot become a protagonist race, asks Zhunti to reconsider. Zhunti explains that the clan’s innate nature makes this impossible and reminds him that his own offices already bring considerable authority and fortune.
• Zhunti offers a compromise: the Western Religion can choose the final three of the Five Emperors and arrange for them to be reincarnated Iron-Eating Beasts. He also suggests they could be humans with Iron-Eating Beast bloodlines. Gungun is delighted, though Houtu physically stops him from singing in gratitude to Zhunti.
• The Saints turn to discussing the Human-Creating Whip. Nuwa releases Jieyin from her Landscape, Rivers, State, and Earth Diagram, then apologizes to him and Zhunti for her earlier actions. They exchange formal bows.
• Houtu restores the Earth Emperor Hall and invites everyone back inside to continue the discussion before the final Human Emperor takes his place.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun shifts quickly from despair to excitement when Zhunti offers a route for Iron-Eating Beasts to share in the Five Emperors’ fortune. His eagerness to bargain—and his loyalty to Zhunti—amuses Houtu, who resents that he has never sung for her.
• Zhunti tries to help Gungun while acknowledging the limits imposed by the Iron-Eating Beasts’ nature. His proposal shows the Western Religion’s interest in influencing the Human Emperors.
• Houtu remains playful but possessive of Gungun and takes charge of moving the Saints’ discussion forward.
• Nuwa appears calmer after the earlier conflict and makes a diplomatic effort to repair relations with the Western Sages. Her ability to imprison a Saint in her diagram has made a strong impression on them.
• Houtu and Nuwa maintain their rivalry beneath outward cooperation, while the Saints cautiously resume business.

Significant themes

• Power, fortune, and political influence: Divine titles and the selection of human rulers are treated as sources of authority and opportunity.
• Compromise and ambition: Gungun cannot make his clan a protagonist race, but Zhunti offers a narrower way for its members to participate in human history.
• Diplomacy after conflict: Nuwa’s apology and the formal exchange of bows show the effort required to preserve alliances among powerful figures.
• Rivalry beneath civility: Houtu and Nuwa’s private barbs contrast with the Saints’ polite public conduct.

Plot points and events

• The Saints agree that the Human-Creating Whip will remain with the Human Race and be passed down to each new Human Race Co-ruler. They send it into Chaos, where it will wait for the next Co-ruler; Shennong is skipped because he is already advancing toward becoming an Emperor.
• After the gathering, Houtu asks Gungun to sing. His private thoughts reveal ambitious plans for his Iron-Eating Beast clan, but Houtu interrupts them with a punch.
• Gungun tries to appease Houtu with a song, which she mocks as terrible. When he silently criticizes her in return, she sings a deliberately insulting version of his song and kicks him away.
• Xingtian and Jiu Feng report that the Demon Race has been routed. Houtu declines to pursue its scattered survivors, judging that the defeat has already broken the threat.
• Gungun returns through a spatial passage, baffled and aggrieved about why Houtu attacked him.

Character developments and interactions

• Houtu is affectionate but easily exasperated with Gungun. She reads his thoughts, teases him, and disciplines him physically; afterward, she shows restraint toward the defeated demons.
• Gungun remains boastful, scheming, and oblivious to how his thoughts and behavior appear to others. His confidence in his singing—and his handsome appearance—is thoroughly challenged.
• Xingtian and Jiu Feng defer to Houtu’s decision, even though Jiu Feng had wanted to finish off the scattered demons.
• The Saints reach a compromise that preserves Nuwa’s connection to the Human-Creating Whip while placing it under the authority of future Human Co-rulers.

Significant themes

• Authority and succession: The Whip becomes a lasting symbol of Human leadership, distinct from the Human Emperor’s office.
• Restraint after victory: Houtu chooses not to pursue a weakened enemy, preferring to let its defeat stand.
• Comic contrast: Gungun’s grand ambitions and inflated self-image clash with his hapless treatment at Houtu’s hands.

Key plot points

• Houtu reprimands Gungun for flattering Zhunti with song. Zhunti’s promise that three of the Human Race’s Five Emperors may have Iron-Eating Beast ancestry is beneficial, she admits, but could leave Gungun owing him a major karmic debt.
• Houtu gives Gungun a powerful seal forged from Mount Buzhou’s fallen peak and bound with ghostly baleful intent. Gungun suggests calling it the “Heaven Bear Seal,” but Houtu insists on “Heaven-Flipping Seal.”
• Houtu asks Gungun to stop involving himself so readily with other powerful figures, to keep his distance from Nuwa’s palace, and not to sing for Zhunti again. She makes an exception: he may sing for her. She also rewards him with beast milk.
• In Chen Capital, Shennong and Zhen Yuanzi return after helping the Netherworld’s army defeat two Demon Sages and several Demon Gods. Shennong feels he has repaid some of his debt to Gungun.
• Shennong’s daughter, previously called Nuwa, arrives as an azure bird and tells him that a new teacher has renamed her Jingwei. Zhen Yuanzi cannot identify the teacher through divination; she claims the teacher is the Primordial World’s foremost female immortal.

Character developments and interactions

• Houtu scolds Gungun but also shows affection and concern, recognizing how exhausted he is. Her warnings reflect her desire to protect him from accumulating obligations and entanglements.
• Gungun remains deferential and comically cautious, though he is puzzled by Houtu’s concerns. He accepts the treasure and her instructions, and is surprised by her possessiveness about his singing.
• Shennong grows more confident that he has repaid some of his obligation to Gungun through his contribution in battle.
• Jingwei returns with a teacher and a new immortal identity. Her mysterious teacher’s status intrigues both Shennong and Zhen Yuanzi.

Significant themes

• Obligation and karmic debt: Gifts and favors can create lasting ties, even when they seem advantageous.
• Protection and affection: Houtu’s stern reprimands conceal genuine care for Gungun.
• Identity and transformation: Shennong’s daughter adopts the name Jingwei after gaining an immortal body and a teacher.
• Humor amid divine politics: Gungun’s anxious inner thoughts and Houtu’s insistence on naming the seal lighten the chapter’s supernatural conflicts.

Key plot points and events

• Jingwei reveals that her teacher is the Queen Mother of the West, appointed by the Dao Ancestor as leader of the female immortals. Shennong approves of the match, while Zhen Yuanzi admits the Queen Mother is more capable—at least to keep Jingwei happy.
• Jingwei proudly vows to become the second-greatest female immortal, amusing both her father and Zhen Yuanzi.
• In the Heavenly Court, Long-Eared Dingguang Immortal reports to the Queen Mother that Yao Ji has repeatedly visited the mortal realm, grown close to a human man, and allegedly embraced him.
• The Queen Mother initially mocks his claim, but he explains that Yao Ji has bullied him and shows spell-inflicted injuries. He admits he hopes the Queen Mother will punish Yao Ji and protect him from Haotian.
• Though she scorns his scheming, the Queen Mother accepts his report because it gives her a chance to strike at Haotian while claiming to uphold heavenly law. She summons Judicial Heavenly God Bi’an and orders him to retrieve Yao Ji and her mortal family.
• Bi’an accepts the assignment and mobilizes two thousand soldiers, accompanied by Zhu Ganglie and Curtain Roller, to descend to the human realm.

Character developments and interactions

• Jingwei is cheerful, ambitious, and proud of her new teacher; her teasing question prompts Zhen Yuanzi to humor her.
• Shennong responds with affectionate support, accepting Jingwei’s correction of her name.
• Zhen Yuanzi recognizes the Queen Mother’s identity but keeps his own confidence about their relative strength to himself.
• The Queen Mother of the West is shrewd and politically cautious: she sees through Dingguang Immortal’s flattery and motives, yet uses his information to pursue her own aims without openly exceeding her authority.
• Long-Eared Dingguang Immortal emerges as calculating and self-interested. He seeks protection and hopes to replace Yao Ji, disguising ambition as loyalty.
• Bi’an acts as an impartial official carrying out the Queen Mother’s order; Zhu Ganglie and Curtain Roller eagerly join the expedition.

Significant themes

• Ambition and pride: Jingwei’s bold aspiration contrasts with Dingguang Immortal’s concealed careerism.
• Law and political maneuvering: The Queen Mother frames a personal opportunity for revenge as the neutral enforcement of heavenly rules.
• Power and vulnerability: Dingguang Immortal’s status as a Saint’s disciple offers little protection against Yao Ji’s abuse, while his injuries become leverage.
• Family and affection: Shennong’s warmth and Jingwei’s playful confidence provide a lighter counterpoint to the Heavenly Court’s intrigue.

Key plot points

• Houtu notices that Yao Ji has violated Heavenly Law by descending to the mortal world and becoming involved with a human. Gungun, the Heavenly Emperor, is surprised to learn of it and investigates.
• The mortal is Xu Yuan, a snake enthusiast who once impressed Soaring Serpent by not fleeing when it appeared in its terrifying true form. Soaring Serpent rewarded him with three wishes: tribal leadership, a vastly extended lifespan, and the chance to find a loving wife.
• To fulfill the last wish, Soaring Serpent gave Xu Yuan a red thread stolen from Nuwa’s good corpse. Xu Yuan later threw it at Yao Ji, who was injured and distracted after battling Long-Eared Dingguang Immortal. The thread’s power made her fall in love with him.
• Gungun judges Xu Yuan’s misuse of his good fortune to be a grave crime deserving severe punishment. He avoids taking responsibility for Yao Ji’s case, leaving it to Bi’an, the Judicial Heavenly God. Houtu calls him slippery.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun remains casual and politically evasive: he cares little about Yao Ji’s violation and deliberately distances himself from the judgment.
• Houtu is composed and perceptive, guiding the conversation toward the consequences of the affair.
• Xu Yuan rises from an ordinary snake-loving mortal to a powerful, long-lived tribal chief through Soaring Serpent’s gifts, but his attempt to secure love with the red thread turns his fortune into a crime.
• Soaring Serpent rewards Xu Yuan’s genuine enthusiasm for snakes, though it cannot provide the love he wants directly and instead gives him a means to compel it.
• Yao Ji is unwittingly bound by the red thread while vulnerable; her relationship with Xu Yuan is not presented as freely chosen.

Significant themes

• Fortune and responsibility: Xu Yuan receives extraordinary opportunities but uses them recklessly, transforming good luck into calamity.
• Consent and manipulation: The red thread forces Yao Ji to love Xu Yuan, making their relationship fundamentally coercive.
• Power and accountability: Gungun’s position as Heavenly Emperor contrasts with his reluctance to handle a politically sensitive case.
• Humanity’s status: Houtu notes that humans are collectively protagonists of Heaven and Earth, even though individuals are usually insignificant—making Xu Yuan’s rise a rare stroke of fortune.
  The chapter also foreshadows Yang Jian’s later appearance and hints that Yao Ji’s affair will become entangled with the war between Xuanyuan and Chi You.

Plot points

• Gungun decides not to intervene in Yao Ji’s case, leaving it to Ao Yue and Bi’an; the Heavenly Laws do not clearly cover someone forced to long for the mortal world.
• Bi’an arrives at the Guanjiang Tribe with Heavenly soldiers to arrest Yao Ji for secretly marrying a mortal. Yao Ji confesses and submits, but Bi’an also seizes her husband, Xu Yuan.
• The tribespeople protest, but Bi’an silences them with his power and takes Yao Ji and Xu Yuan to the Heavenly Court.
• In the High Firmament Hall, Ao Yue divines that Yao Ji’s feelings were caused by the Red Thread, though neither Bi’an nor the Queen Mother had understood the cause.
• Ao Yue cuts the thread. Yao Ji’s love disappears, and she suddenly remembers her relationship with Xu Yuan as something she never freely chose. Furious and horrified, she turns on him.

Character developments and interactions

• Yao Ji initially accepts responsibility to protect Xu Yuan, then desperately pleads for his innocence when he is captured. Once freed from the Red Thread’s influence, her affection vanishes and becomes anger.
• Xu Yuan is powerless during the arrest and is brought before Ao Yue, still unaware of the supernatural cause of his marriage.
• Bi’an carries out the arrest strictly under the existing law, treating both Yao Ji and Xu Yuan as offenders and threatening the tribe against interference.
• Ao Yue balances legal duty with the uncertainty created by an unanticipated case. He shows restraint toward Yao Ji and resolves the immediate problem by severing the Red Thread.
• Gungun remains detached, judging the matter not worth the effort of consulting Yuanshi or revising the laws.

Significant themes

• Law versus justice: The Heavenly Laws prescribe punishment for longing for the mortal world but do not account for coercion, leaving Ao Yue to confront the limits of rigid rules.
• Consent and manipulated desire: The Red Thread has shaped Yao Ji’s feelings without her knowledge, raising the question of whether she is truly responsible for what she did.
• Power and authority: The Heavenly Court’s enforcement overrides the tribe’s protests, while Yao Ji’s and Xu Yuan’s lack of power leaves them vulnerable.
• Love as fragile and imposed: When the Red Thread is cut, Yao Ji’s love vanishes instantly, revealing how artificial and unstable it was.

Plot points

• Ao Yue restrains Yao Ji as Xu Yuan begs for protection. He asks Judicial Heavenly God Bi’an what punishment fits a mortal who plotted against and defiled a goddess; Bi’an rules that Xu Yuan must be sent to the Land of No Return Across Ten Thousand Calamities. Xu Yuan is taken away and killed, with his spirit sent to the Nine Hells.
• Nuwa’s new decree arrives, establishing detailed laws about gods and “mortal longing.” Gods forced into it are innocent and must be released, while willing participants face severe punishment; if a god has a child with a mortal, either the god or the child may remain.
• Ao Yue declares Yao Ji innocent and releases her. Nuwa’s messenger also reminds him that Soaring Serpent was at fault and asks that Yao Ji not be mistreated; Ao Yue agrees.
• Ao Yue nevertheless admonishes Yao Ji for abusing her rank against Long-Eared Dingguang Immortal and fighting him in the mortal world. He dismisses court, leaving Yao Ji furious and humiliated.

Character developments and interactions

• Yao Ji resents the mortal encounter not because she fears punishment, but because she feels her purity and reputation have been violated. Bi’an’s assumption that she had loved Xu Yuan enrages her; she insists she would never fall for a mortal and storms off.
• Ao Yue enforces the punishment against Xu Yuan and the new law, but treats Yao Ji’s case with a mix of sympathy and sternness. He publicly clears her while still reprimanding her conduct.
• Bi’an admits he misunderstood Yao Ji, then tries to get her to review the new rules because she oversees mortal longing. He follows her despite her anger, concerned that she fulfill her duties.
• Fire Phoenix delivers Nuwa’s decree and conveys the Empress’s concern that Yao Ji be recognized as innocent.

Themes

• Consent and accountability: The new law distinguishes forced involvement from willing conduct and assigns consequences accordingly.
• Honor and humiliation: Yao Ji’s deepest distress comes from perceived damage to her dignity and reputation.
• Power and restraint: Yao Ji is cleared of wrongdoing in the encounter but is still held accountable for misusing her status against others.
• Duty despite personal feelings: Bi’an reminds Yao Ji that her anger does not absolve her from her responsibilities.

Plot and events

• The Queen Mother of the West learns that Nuwa’s new law on mortal longing has spared Yao Ji from punishment. She dismisses Long-Eared Dingguang Immortal’s warning that Yao Ji may resent her for reporting her, then sends flat peaches to congratulate Shennong on his departure for Fire Cloud Cave.
• In the Netherworld, Houtu wonders whether Nuwa’s law was planned in advance or prompted by Soaring Serpent’s affair. She concludes that Nuwa now controls much of the Heavenly Court through Gungun, who is asleep beside her, and turns her attention to the coming contest for the Human Emperor’s throne.
• After several years, Shennong leaves for Fire Cloud Cave. His attempt to choose a successor fails: the tribal chiefs’ support is divided evenly between Xuanyuan and Chi You. Knowing neither will yield, Shennong departs regretfully, and the Human Race splits into two rival camps.
• On Mount Kunlun, Yuanshi agrees to help Chi You, whose victory would benefit both Nine Li and Expounding Teaching. He sends Iron-Eating Beasts Xiong Zhan and Xiong Meng to aid Chi You and gives Nine Li the Dragon-Subduing Mace, a weapon meant to counter Yinglong.
• On Golden Turtle Island, Yinglong asks Tongtian to aid his side. Tongtian begins forming a Great Dao Seed from his sword power; its intended use is not yet revealed.

Character developments and interactions

• Houtu shifts from considering Nuwa’s motives to focusing on the Human Emperor struggle, while treating the sleeping Gungun with gentle familiarity.
• Shennong recognizes that peace is unlikely but makes one last effort to unite the tribes before leaving. His departure marks the end of his rule without a named successor.
• Xuanyuan and Chi You emerge as equally supported rivals. Xuanyuan has strengthened his position through military campaigns and diplomacy, while Chi You retains the backing of Nine Li and Yuanshi.
• Yuanshi openly commits resources to Chi You, supporting his disciple Nine Li with two powerful fighters and a specialized weapon.
• Yinglong and Tongtian coordinate their response on Xuanyuan’s side, setting up a broader conflict between the teachings’ supporters.

Significant themes

• Inevitable conflict: Shennong’s efforts cannot prevent the Human Race from dividing and going to war.
• Power and political allegiance: Tribal support, magical weapons, and influential factions shape the succession contest.
• The involvement of higher powers: Saints and other major figures intervene in a struggle that will decide the Human Race’s future.
• The limits of the past: The weakened Nuwa Tribe illustrates how former prestige cannot guarantee present influence.

Key plot points and events

• Tongtian gives Yinglong the Heaven-Cutting Great Dao and sends him to help Xuanyuan become Human Emperor, confident that Yinglong will soon reach the Quasi-Saint realm.
• Tongtian and Yuanshi argue over whether Xuanyuan or Chi You should rule. Each backs his preferred candidate, and they agree to settle the matter through their own efforts.
• Six years pass as fighting between the Youxiong and Nine Li tribes intensifies, making Xuanyuan and Chi You the clear contenders.
• Before joining the coming war, Hanba says goodbye to her white-furred fox and leaves it supplies, fearing she may not return.
• Xuanyuan tells Hanba she may bring the fox, but she refuses, believing it would die if their side lost. He reassures her that he will win.
• Hanba asks whether she should take a position in the Underworld, as her mother once suggested. Xuanyuan leaves the choice to her and says her happiness matters most.
• In the Netherworld, Jiu Feng asks Houtu whether she should fight for Xuanyuan or Chi You. Houtu advises her to support her husband, noting that Xuanyuan’s victory could also benefit the Witch Race.

Character developments

• Yinglong receives a powerful new teaching and accepts the responsibility of supporting Xuanyuan.
• Tongtian and Yuanshi become more openly antagonistic, each firmly committed to a different candidate.
• Hanba shows attachment to her fox but also a grim readiness to face danger. She is uncertain about her future and possible Underworld role.
• Xuanyuan displays confidence about the war while treating his daughter with warmth and respect for her independence.
• Jiu Feng struggles between loyalty to her husband and sympathy for Chi You, but Houtu’s counsel gives her clarity.

Significant themes

• Rivalry and political allegiance: The struggle for the Human Emperor draws the immortals and the Witch Race into competing factions.
• Family loyalty and divided kinship: Jiu Feng’s dilemma reflects the conflict between marital duty and blood ties.
• Choice and self-determination: Xuanyuan lets Hanba decide her own path rather than imposing one.
• Love amid uncertainty: Hanba’s farewell to the fox and Xuanyuan’s reassurance show tenderness against the looming threat of war.

Summary

After Jiu Feng leaves, Houtu and Gungun are alone in the Earth Emperor Hall. Houtu asks Gungun to prepare food. Though he initially refuses, he produces a magical Kitchen God Cauldron that can recreate any dish he has eaten. Houtu jokes that she wants a Nine-Turn Golden Pill, then settles on braised rabbit. Gungun reaches through space to snatch a rabbit from the Soft-Bone Rabbit Race—now flourishing again after its near-extinction—and the cauldron cooks it. Houtu enjoys the meal while Gungun returns to chewing bamboo.
As they eat, Houtu asks who will win the contest for the final Human Emperor position: Chi You or Xuanyuan. She reasons that Chi You has Yuanshi’s backing and might also gain support from her elder brothers, but she cannot reveal that Chi You is a reincarnation of part of the Devil Ancestor’s soul without risking that Luo Hou finds out. Gungun predicts Xuanyuan will win, certain that Nuwa will help him because Chi You is Houtu’s subordinate and Xuanyuan is not.
Houtu praises Gungun for understanding Nuwa, but he nearly admits that he thinks Nuwa shares Houtu’s pettiness and grudge-holding. He quickly disguises the thought as a conclusion based on Houtu’s descriptions of her. Houtu hears his unspoken thoughts and silently vows to make him regret the comparison. She then offers him a rabbit bone with the manner of someone feeding a dog. Gungun protests that he is an Iron-Eating Beast, not a dog; Houtu replies that he can chew bones, so there is no problem.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun remains food-loving, blunt, and comically self-assured. He uses the cauldron to satisfy Houtu’s request, offers a confident prediction about the contest, and accidentally provokes her with his private judgment of her temperament.
• Houtu shifts from teasing Gungun about cooking to sharing a meal and discussing serious political stakes. Her outwardly warm treatment of him contrasts with her concealed irritation and plans for playful revenge.
• Their interaction mixes practical cooperation, affectionate teasing, and a sharp comic mismatch: Houtu treats Gungun like a pet, while he insists on his dignity as a bear.

Significant themes

• Humor and character contrast: Gungun’s literal honesty and appetite play against Houtu’s teasing and hidden scheming.
• Politics and secrecy: The Human Emperor contest is shaped by powerful backers, while knowledge of Chi You’s origins must be kept from Luo Hou.
• Trust and interpretation: Gungun predicts Nuwa’s actions by comparing her temperament to Houtu’s—a comparison Houtu takes personally.
• The ordinary alongside the grand: Divine politics unfold over a meal, with magical cooking and comic banter softening the larger conflict.

Key plot points and events

• Xuanyuan’s Youxiong forces and Chi You’s Nine Li forces meet on the Zhuolu Plains to decide who will rule as Human Emperor.
• The two leaders trade offers of surrender, each claiming the right to rule. Neither yields, and Chi You rallies his army.
• Xuanyuan summons thunderclouds and rain against the Nine Li troops. Wind Earl, a Great Shaman, redirects the downpour toward Xuanyuan’s army.
• Jiejiao disciples ask Guang Chengzi—Xuanyuan’s teacher—to stop the rain. Guang Chengzi does so, then faces Wind Earl.
• Guang Chengzi hopes to take a minor injury and use it as an excuse to withdraw. Instead, both he and Wind Earl appear to be blasted backward. The spectators interpret this as Guang Chengzi fighting bravely, though he suspects Wind Earl deliberately made him look effective.
• Encouraged by what he believes is his teacher’s support, Xuanyuan orders an attack. Chi You rallies his own troops, and the armies clash, beginning a massive civil war.

Character developments and interactions

• Xuanyuan moves from guarded rivalry to renewed respect for Guang Chengzi, believing his teacher has finally fought sincerely for him.
• Chi You presents himself as both a rightful ruler, citing his divine ancestry, and a compassionate leader concerned about the human cost of war. He nevertheless commits to battle when Xuanyuan refuses to yield.
• Guang Chengzi remains conflicted: he wants to avoid fighting for Xuanyuan, but is pressured into action by the Jiejiao disciples. His attempt to escape responsibility is mistaken for genuine heroism.
• Wind Earl helps Chi You by turning Xuanyuan’s rain against the Youxiong army, then seems to cooperate in making Guang Chengzi’s effort appear impressive.
• The rival groups of immortals and disciples become directly involved in the armies’ confrontation, with Jiejiao supporting Xuanyuan’s side and Expounding Teaching figures joining Chi You’s.

Significant themes

• Misunderstanding and appearances: Guang Chengzi’s reluctant, self-serving actions are read as genuine loyalty, while he misreads Wind Earl’s performance.
• Rival claims to legitimacy: Xuanyuan and Chi You both assert that they deserve the Human Emperor’s throne.
• The human cost of power: Chi You invokes the suffering war will bring, but neither leader is willing to surrender.
• Escalation into conflict: Failed negotiation gives way to supernatural interference and then full-scale battle.