Chapter Summaries

Plot points

• Yuanshi asks Gungun, the Netherworld Emperor, to arrange the reincarnation of Nine Li’s divided soul as a human. Nine Li hands over the soul, and Gungun agrees.
• Yuanshi also entrusts Gungun with a jade stone that has gained spiritual awareness, naming it Spirit Pearl Child. He explains that it is destined for Nuwa to become her Dharma Protector Attendant. Yuanshi plans to reveal the stone’s existence to her after Gungun has taken it away, and instructs Gungun to hand it over when she comes.
• Yuanshi turns the stone into a jade bead and gives Gungun a bottle of three lights divine water. Gungun tucks the bead into his shorts and leaves Kunlun with Nine Li.
• Nine Li apologizes for the defeat at Zhuolu. Gungun reassures him that the outcome was unavoidable and promises to help his divided soul become a great human emperor. He also tells Nine Li that Chi You is safe, honored as the Lord of War and serving as a mountain god among the Miao.
• Gungun lingers outside the Netherworld. Once Yuanshi removes the concealment around Spirit Pearl Child, Nuwa senses the stone’s connection to her and discovers it is with Gungun. Rather than send Soaring Serpent, she decides to retrieve it herself.
• The chapter ends as Nuwa arrives before Gungun in a spectacular display of a Saint’s power.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun dutifully accepts Yuanshi’s errands, while privately recognizing the awkwardness—and humor—of carrying a jade bead in his shorts. He comforts Nine Li with warmth and confidence.
• Nine Li feels responsible for the Zhuolu defeat but takes comfort in Gungun’s reassurance about his future and Chi You’s well-being.
• Yuanshi quietly engineers the meeting between Nuwa and Gungun by concealing, then revealing, the jade stone’s heavenly connection.
• Nuwa chooses to deal directly with Gungun, wary of the complications involving Soaring Serpent and Houtu.

Significant themes

• Fate and destiny: Gungun frames the battle’s outcome as predetermined, while Spirit Pearl Child’s role is likewise governed by a destined connection.
• Loss and renewal: Though Nine Li’s side lost at Zhuolu, Gungun presents reincarnation as a chance for a new path to greatness.
• Duty, loyalty, and compassion: Gungun carries out his obligations while showing concern for both Nine Li and Chi You.

Key plot points

• Gungun greets Nuwa cautiously, mindful of her conflict with Houtu. When Nuwa asks whether she has treated it well, Gungun first says “fairly well,” then quickly upgrades that to “exceedingly well” after seeing her displeasure.
• Nuwa says the Heavenly Dao has led her to something fated for her: Spirit Pearl Child, which she takes from Gungun’s shorts. Gungun reluctantly accepts the loss and offers it to her.
• As payment, Nuwa gives Gungun a five-colored stone left over from mending the heavens. Gungun briefly imagines it might become the monkey it wants to raise, but finds no life within it and leaves it on an island in the East Sea to gather spiritual energy. It then heads to the Sea of Blood to deal with Nine Li’s divided soul.
• Back at Wa Emperor Palace, Nuwa uses the Creation Law to give Spirit Pearl Child a primordial spirit and a child’s body. She names him Spirit Pearl Child and grants him the Universe Ring and Red Armillary Sash.
• Soaring Serpent returns to the palace and is startled to find the newly born child there. Spirit Pearl Child immediately teases him about his white hair.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun remains wary and calculating, balancing respect for Nuwa with concern about Houtu’s reaction. Though reluctant to part with Spirit Pearl Child, it accepts the exchange and humorously misreads the five-colored stone as a future monkey.
• Nuwa confidently claims Spirit Pearl Child as her fated possession, but compensates Gungun with a valuable relic. She then brings the child to life and provides him with a name and protective treasures.
• Spirit Pearl Child becomes a living, spirited child, showing gratitude to Nuwa before revealing a mischievous, teasing streak with Soaring Serpent.
• Soaring Serpent enters expecting a normal visit, only to be bewildered by the child and then made the target of his joke.
• The scene also hints at Nuwa’s strained relationship with Houtu, which shapes Gungun’s careful etiquette.

Significant themes

• Fate and exchange: Nuwa’s claim that Spirit Pearl Child is fated for her drives the transfer, while the five-colored stone serves as compensation.
• Creation and rebirth: Nuwa’s Creation Law transforms an intelligent but unembodied spirit into a living child.
• Comic misunderstandings: Gungun’s monkey-related hopes for the stone and Spirit Pearl Child’s blunt joke provide humor amid divine affairs.

Key plot points and events

• Spirit Pearl Child insults Soaring Serpent, who nearly burns him in retaliation. Nuwa intervenes, explains that the newly awakened child is still immature, and tells him to respect Soaring Serpent, her Dharma Protector. The conflict ends with Soaring Serpent storming off.
• Gungun reports to Houtu that Yuanshi plans to help Nine Li become one of the Five Emperors by reincarnating a divided soul. Houtu approves and orders Gungun to support him, since Nine Li’s success would benefit the Witch Race.
• Houtu laughs at the trouble Spirit Pearl Child is likely to bring Nuwa. Gungun privately speculates that Nuwa may abandon the child one day; Houtu reasons that their bond is currently ordained by heaven and takes satisfaction in being less constrained by the Heavenly Dao.
• More than two hundred years pass. Tang Yao becomes a great human emperor, while Nine Li’s divided soul is reborn in the Youyu Tribe as Yu Shun. Yun Zhongzi arrives on the day of his birth and becomes his teacher.
• Yu Shun grows into a filial, capable ruler, wins the approval of Four Peaks, and succeeds Tang Yao as Human Race Co-ruler. When catastrophic floods devastate the people, Yu Shun appoints Yu the Great to manage the waterways, beginning the flood-control effort.

Character developments and interactions

• Soaring Serpent and Spirit Pearl Child: Their antagonistic first encounter highlights Spirit Pearl Child’s provocative, childish behavior and Soaring Serpent’s quick temper. Nuwa attempts to mediate, but her protection of the child leaves Soaring Serpent feeling slighted.
• Nuwa: She shows affection and patience toward Spirit Pearl Child, while recognizing that both he and Soaring Serpent are difficult to manage.
• Houtu and Gungun: Houtu welcomes Nine Li’s planned rise and entrusts Gungun with helping him. Their exchange also reveals Houtu’s amusement at Nuwa’s predicament and her confidence in her independence from Heavenly Dao constraints.
• Yu Shun: He is introduced as an auspicious, virtuous figure who develops into a respected leader and responds to crisis by selecting capable ministers.

Significant themes

• Temper and immaturity: The opening quarrel shows how childish provocation and adult anger can escalate, while Nuwa struggles to balance discipline with compassion.
• Political maneuvering and destiny: Nine Li’s divided-soul reincarnation is a cautious strategy for securing his place among the Five Emperors, with the Witch Race’s interests also in play.
• Leadership through service: Yu Shun’s rise is marked by virtue and his appointment of Yu the Great, setting the stage for a major collective effort to save the people from flooding.

Plot points and events

• A sudden, immense flood erupts from cracks in the earth, devastating the Miao Lands and threatening the Human Race and other peoples. Restrictive formations and rescue efforts slow the disaster, but cannot stop the waters.
• The flood is revealed to be the Heavenly River water that fell during the War of the Liches and remained underground. Shifts in the earth’s crust have forced it back to the surface.
• Houtu considers diverting the water to the Four Seas or destroying it herself, but Hongjun forbids the Saints from interfering, declaring the flood a tribulation all living beings must overcome.
• Yuanshi is angry that he cannot help, since Yu Shun—his disciple Nine Li’s reincarnation—may lose his position if he fails to lead the Human Race through the crisis. Nine Li volunteers to go help his divided soul, Yu Shun.
• Witch, Dragon, and Iron-Eating Beast forces join the rescue efforts.
• At Hao Capital, Yu Shun faces calls to relocate the capital. He darkens at the suggestion, which he sees as potentially abandoning the people.

Character developments and interactions

• Li Ren, chief of the Nine Li Tribe, recognizes the flood as an unnatural, underground eruption and tries to hold it back with fire, but the scale of the disaster overwhelms him.
• Gungun remains comically indifferent, silencing Xiong Yuan with the Law of Silence so it can return to sleep.
• Houtu wants to protect the living but accepts Hongjun’s restriction for now, judging that the world may survive without her intervention.
• Yuanshi is frustrated by the decree but restrains himself. Nine Li shows loyalty both to his reincarnated soul and to the Human Race by choosing to act independently.
• Yu Shun must decide how to lead under pressure; his minister urges evacuation, while Yu Shun’s reaction suggests he resists a retreat that could look like abandoning his people.

Significant themes

• Self-reliance in crisis: Hongjun’s decree makes the living face the disaster without intervention from the Saints.
• Leadership and responsibility: Yu Shun’s authority and fitness to rule are tested by the flood.
• Limits of power: Even great figures cannot simply erase a disaster, whether because of its scale or higher authority.
• Duty and loyalty: Nine Li’s decision to help reflects his obligations to both his people and his reincarnated self.

Key plot points and events

• Yu Shun refuses to move the capital despite the flood, viewing retreat as dishonorable. Yun Zhongzi warns that the flood is extremely powerful and ancient water demons will obstruct any effort to control it.
• Nine Li arrives at the Hao Capital and uses his Great Shaman True Form to cleave through the flood, destroying many demons and forcing the survivors to withdraw.
• Nine Li explains that the waters came from the Heavenly River and are unusually difficult to contain. The Dao Ancestor has forbidden the Saints from intervening, so the living must handle the disaster themselves.
• Nine Li proposes using Taixi Pure Soil to build dams and digging channels to divert the water toward uninhabited regions. He promises to remain and help until the flood is controlled.
• In the east, Yu the Great’s efforts to tame the waters are thwarted by Wu Zhiqi, a powerful water demon who destroys the human cultivators’ array and kills many of them.
• As Yu the Great despairs, a white-robed figure strikes Wu Zhiqi and confronts him, identifying himself as a Celestial Person. Yu recognizes him as the White Emperor.

Character developments and interactions

• Yu Shun remains resolute and concerned for his people, but recognizes the scale of the crisis and asks Nine Li for help.
• Yun Zhongzi initially loses hope when he learns the Saints will not intervene, then accepts Nine Li’s reminder that they must rely on themselves.
• Nine Li emerges as a decisive protector: he drives back the immediate threat, explains the crisis, and commits to the long struggle ahead. He lets Yu Shun’s mistaken “Witch God” title stand.
• Yu the Great is shown as determined but overwhelmed by Wu Zhiqi’s strength. The White Emperor’s arrival offers him unexpected aid.
• Wu Zhiqi takes advantage of the flood to rampage and kill, openly boasting of his former status as a Demon God.

Significant themes

• Self-reliance and responsibility: With the Saints barred from intervening, mortals and their allies must confront the disaster themselves.
• Leadership under pressure: Yu Shun refuses to flee, while Nine Li and Yu the Great each face different aspects of the crisis.
• The scale of the flood: The Heavenly River’s waters and ancient demons make this a prolonged, coordinated struggle rather than a problem that one show of force can solve.

Key plot points and events

• Shaohao, now formally recognized as the White Emperor by Gungun, confronts the flood-causing Wu Zhiqi. Wu mocks Shaohao’s title and supposedly untested strength, and they begin a Great Luo-level battle.
• In the Heavenly Court, Ao Yue authorizes Yinglong to descend with Yunxiao, Qiongxiao, Bixiao, and Wuyun Immortal to help control the floods.
• Gungun sleeps through the unfolding disaster until the system’s notification about the Heavenly River’s return wakes his attention. After initially dismissing it, he realizes the flood is devastating the world, especially the Human Race.
• Learning that Houtu cannot intervene because of a decree from the Dao Ancestor, Gungun summons the Netherworld gods. He orders the Ten Halls of Yama to stay behind and manage the Netherworld while the other deities go to rescue survivors.
• Gungun dismisses concerns that the Dao Ancestor might punish them, arguing the prohibition was directed at Houtu, not the Netherworld gods. He then wakes Xiong Yuan and travels with him to Hao Capital.

Character developments

• Shaohao remains composed under Wu Zhiqi’s insults and defends his imperial title as a gift from the Heavenly Emperor.
• Wu Zhiqi displays unusual arrogance and contempt, boasting that Shaohao’s Great Luo cultivation comes from fortune rather than experience.
• Gungun shifts from carefree indifference to decisive action once he understands the scale of the flood. He is willing to defy the spirit—or narrow wording—of the Dao Ancestor’s order to save lives.
• Yinglong takes initiative in seeking permission to help, while Ao Yue responds by organizing support from the Heavenly Court.

Significant themes

• Duty versus idleness: Gungun’s comic laziness gives way to responsibility when he grasps the human cost of the disaster.
• Authority and interpretation: Gungun challenges the limits of the Dao Ancestor’s decree by distinguishing its stated target from those still free to act.
• Courage and legitimacy: Shaohao’s calm defense of his title contrasts with Wu Zhiqi’s belief that authority and strength must be earned through long experience.
• Collective aid: Heavenly Court and Netherworld forces mobilize separately to help manage the catastrophe.

Character interactions

• Shaohao and Wu Zhiqi trade challenges before their battle begins.
• Ao Yue gives Yinglong and his four companions a direct mission to assist with flood control.
• Gungun confronts the Netherworld gods over their inaction, hears Shentu’s explanation, and overrides his concern about possible punishment.
• Gungun wakes Xiong Yuan and brings him along to Hao Capital, setting up their involvement in the crisis.

Plot points

• Gungun reaches the Human Race’s capital, Hao Capital, and sees that a dike reinforced with Taixi Pure Soil is helping protect it. Wanting to do more than simply withstand the flood, Gungun uses the Earth-Separating Flameglow Banner to turn the floodwaters into earth.
• Hongjun intervenes from Zixiao Palace, magically pulling the banner away. Gungun ignores Xiong Yuan’s warning about the Dao Ancestor and pursues it into Chaos.
• The Golden Mother of Jade Pool intercepts Gungun and takes the banner, explaining that Hongjun ordered her to confiscate it and make Gungun stop interfering with the flood. Gungun refuses to accept the order and attacks her.
• Hongjun restrains Gungun with saintly light. Gungun questions his claim that the flood is heaven’s will, pointing out the suffering of humans and other earthly races. Hongjun insists that his actions serve the greater good and sends Gungun back to the Primordial World.
• Hongjun tells the Golden Mother to find Haotian, who has reincarnated as a human, and help him recover his memories so they can rule the Heavenly Court again. He also orders her to return Gungun’s banner after the flood recedes.
• Gungun crashes into the Central Wilderness, vows to remember Hongjun’s treatment, and climbs out of the crater.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun acts out of concern for the flood’s victims, but is also fiercely possessive of the banner. Gungun challenges Hongjun’s reasoning, yet cannot resist his power.
• Hongjun presents himself as the authority behind heaven’s order, dismissing Gungun’s objections as a matter of timing and greater purpose. He controls both Gungun’s intervention and the Golden Mother’s next task.
• The Golden Mother of Jade Pool carries out Hongjun’s command, but Gungun treats her seizure of the banner as theft and attacks her. Though she obeys Hongjun, her changed expression at the order to return the banner suggests reluctance.
• Xiong Yuan recognizes Hongjun’s involvement but hesitates over whether to act on the flood himself.

Significant themes

• Heavenly order versus compassion: Gungun’s desire to save those suffering in the flood conflicts with Hongjun’s insistence that it is heaven’s will.
• Power and obedience: Hongjun’s authority can override both Gungun’s intentions and the Golden Mother’s choices.
• Defiance and resentment: Gungun openly questions the Dao Ancestor and leaves the encounter with a lasting grudge.
• Fate and identity: Haotian’s human reincarnation sets up the possibility of recovering his former identity and position.

Plot points and events

• Gungun accepts that Hongjun has forbidden him from intervening in the flood. Though frustrated, he decides not to openly defy the Dao Ancestor. He leaves Xiong Yuan access to the Eight-Trigram Dragon-Locking Well and nine Great Cauldrons, allowing him to use them as needed.
• In the Huai River basin, Wu Zhiqi defeats Shaohao in battle, though Wu is also hurt. He withdraws into the water, while Yu the Great witnesses the defeat and sends survivors to report it to Yu Shun and seek help.
• Gungun finds the injured Shaohao and explains that Wu Zhiqi is an exceptionally powerful ancient Demon God, so the defeat is no disgrace. He urges Shaohao to abandon his arrogance and confront his weaknesses.
• Shaohao admits his mistake. Gungun assigns him ten thousand years of training under A Bei in the Seventy Transformations of Forest and Wood and Five-Element Spells.
• After receiving news of Shaohao’s defeat, Yu Shun asks Yun Zhongzi and Nine Li to deal with Wu Zhiqi. Yun Zhongzi is unable to help, while Nine Li hesitates because leaving could endanger the nearly completed flood-control effort around the capital.
• As Nine Li weighs his options, Yinglong arrives.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun is torn between his impulse to help and his need to obey Hongjun’s order. He chooses indirect support, equips Xiong Yuan to act, and shows compassion and authority in guiding Shaohao.
• Shaohao moves from shame and wounded pride toward humility, recognizing that his status as a Human Emperor does not make him invincible. He accepts further training.
• Xiong Yuan respectfully receives Gungun’s instructions and is given discretion to help with the flood.
• Wu Zhiqi demonstrates his formidable strength by defeating Shaohao, but his own injuries reveal that the fight was not effortless.
• Yu the Great is shaken by the defeat and seeks aid through Yu Shun. Yu Shun turns to his advisers, while Nine Li faces a conflict between helping the Eastern Yi and protecting the capital’s flood-control work.

Significant themes

• Humility and self-improvement: Shaohao’s defeat exposes his overconfidence, and Gungun frames honest self-assessment as essential to becoming stronger.
• Power and responsibility: Gungun must balance his desire to intervene with the limits imposed by Hongjun; Nine Li faces a similar choice between competing duties.
• Human ambition versus reality: Being the “protagonists of heaven and earth” does not make the Human Race rulers of all beings or guarantee victory.
• Preparation and cooperation: The flood crisis requires tools, training, and help from powerful allies—not merely status or individual strength.

Key plot points and events

• Yinglong arrives to help contain the floods. As God of the Four Seasons and ruler of the waters, he considers flood control his duty. Yu Shun explains that Wu Zhiqi is obstructing efforts in the Huai River Basin.
• Yinglong agrees to handle the Huai River and leaves to confront the crisis there. Nine Li remains responsible for the area around Hao Capital, while Yun Zhongzi warns him that Yinglong may earn a share of the flood-control merit. Nine Li accepts this, provided Yinglong genuinely helps the people.
• On the Huai River, Wu Zhiqi battles Wuyun Immortal and the Three Xiao Sisters, who have come under the Heavenly Sovereign’s orders. Wu Zhiqi acknowledges the authority of the Demon Race’s former decree but insists he cannot let the floods be controlled this time.
• Wu Zhiqi wounds Wuyun Immortal, then withstands the sisters’ Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation. He breaks it apart with a massive surge of demonic power and retrieves his Iron Rod.
• As Wu Zhiqi prepares to leave, Yinglong arrives and challenges him for injuring a Jiejiao disciple. Wu Zhiqi recognizes Yinglong as the Ancestral Dragon’s legitimate son and is visibly startled.

Character developments

• Yinglong returns to the Human Race in a sense of duty, taking responsibility for the Huai River floods rather than resting in the Heavenly Court.
• Nine Li shows no resentment over Yinglong’s likely share of merit; his priority is saving those affected and moving on to other flood-stricken regions.
• Wu Zhiqi is revealed as powerful and defiant, but not wholly indifferent to authority: he recognizes the old command to obey the Demon Race’s Dharma Protector, even as he refuses to yield.
• The Three Xiao Sisters are frustrated by their formation’s repeated failures, but they demonstrate coordination and resolve against Wu Zhiqi.

Significant themes

• Duty and public service: Yinglong and Nine Li put flood relief ahead of personal reward or past grievances.
• Authority versus conviction: Wu Zhiqi understands the commands governing him but follows his own determination to prevent the flood-control effort.
• Power and reputation: Wu Zhiqi’s victory over the sisters’ celebrated formation establishes him as a formidable opponent, while Yinglong’s arrival shifts the balance of the confrontation.
• Merit and cooperation: Nine Li accepts that credit can be shared when others meaningfully contribute to the common good.

Character interactions

• Yinglong and Nine Li exchange courteous greetings, but their past history leaves an undercurrent of tension.
• Yu Shun welcomes Yinglong and explains the Huai River problem, trusting that his intervention can help the Human Race.
• Yun Zhongzi raises the issue of shared merit; Nine Li responds generously and urges continued work.
• Wu Zhiqi taunts the Jiejiao fighters, defeats Wuyun Immortal, and dismisses the Three Xiao Sisters after breaking their formation.
• Yinglong’s challenge interrupts Wu Zhiqi’s departure, setting up a new confrontation.

Key plot points and events

• Wu Zhiqi, unnerved by Yinglong’s arrival, flees into the Huai River. Yinglong pursues him underwater, where the two fight fiercely.
• Meanwhile, Yunxiao tends to the injured Wuyun Immortal. She reassures Bixiao that Yinglong can defeat Wu Zhiqi, while rebuking Bixiao for proposing a brutal revenge.
• Yu the Great arrives by boat and invites the immortals aboard to rest. The Three Xiao Sisters accept, helping Wuyun Immortal onto the vessel.
• Underwater, Yinglong wounds Wu Zhiqi. The monkey tricks him with a decoy that transforms into a dragon whisker, then strikes Yinglong with his iron rod. Yinglong nevertheless catches Wu Zhiqi with his claw and carries him to the surface.
• A hidden mass of black qi watches Yinglong leave, complains that Wu Zhiqi was useless, and decides to seek another pawn. It mentions that a bear would have been suitable, but gives no further explanation.
• Yinglong brings his captive to the boat. The sisters praise his strength, and he modestly credits them and Wuyun for weakening Wu Zhiqi first. Wu Zhiqi then begins struggling again.

Character developments and interactions

• Yinglong demonstrates overwhelming strength and composure, but remains humble about his victory.
• Wu Zhiqi shifts from confidence to fear and desperation, using a clever decoy and surprise attack before ultimately being captured.
• Yunxiao acts as a calm leader, cares for Wuyun, and restrains Bixiao’s vengeful impulses.
• Bixiao is eager for revenge after Wu Zhiqi injured Wuyun; Qiongxiao admires Yinglong’s power. Their praise is tempered by Yunxiao’s reserved response.
• Yu the Great shows courtesy toward the immortals by offering them rest and hospitality.

Significant themes

• Strength and hierarchy: Yinglong’s lineage and power make him formidable even in Wu Zhiqi’s home territory.
• Humility and teamwork: Yinglong recognizes that the others’ efforts contributed to his success.
• Restraint versus revenge: Yunxiao insists that cultivators should not answer injury with cruelty.
• Hidden manipulation: The black qi’s search for a new pawn hints that the conflict is part of a larger scheme.

Key plot points and events

• After Wu Zhiqi is captured, Bixiao moves to strike him for his defiance. Yinglong stops her when he notices the Demon God is behaving abnormally.
• Wu Zhiqi briefly says, “The bottom of the Huai River…” before falling into a violent, apparently demonic frenzy. He breaks free, escapes into the river, and disappears.
• Yunxiao and Yinglong conclude that Wu Zhiqi has been corrupted—and suspect someone deliberately caused it. Yinglong seals the Huai River with a spirit talisman, asks the Three Xiao Sisters and Wuyun to keep watch, and flies to Heaven to report the incident.
• At court, Ao Yue announces that Wu Zhiqi’s corruption may be connected to something hidden in the Huai River. The assembled gods fear the incident signals that River Styx may be preparing to leave the Sea of Blood and intervene in the wider world.
• Gungun, watching events through the Haotian Mirror, also considers River Styx but thinks he has no clear motive. He dislikes the gods’ political scheming and says nothing as the court draws its own conclusions.

Character developments and interactions

• Yinglong shows caution and responsibility: he prevents Bixiao from attacking Wu Zhiqi, recognizes the danger, and moves to secure the river and alert Heaven.
• Yunxiao supports investigating before acting, while Bixiao is impulsive and frustrated but agrees to wait.
• Wu Zhiqi shifts from a subdued prisoner to a seemingly possessed, dangerous figure, suggesting a larger hidden influence.
• Gungun remains cynical and detached, observing the situation while trying to avoid involvement.
• Ao Yue formally brings the crisis before the court. The gods’ fear of River Styx grows through their discussion, though the chapter does not establish that he is responsible.

Significant themes

• Suspicion and uncertainty: The cause of Wu Zhiqi’s corruption is unknown, and characters speculate without proof.
• Power and political fear: The possibility that River Styx might enter the wider conflict alarms the Heavenly Court because of his strength and influence.
• Caution versus impulsiveness: Yinglong and Yunxiao favor restraint and investigation, in contrast with Bixiao’s initial urge to act.
• Misinterpretation: The gods quickly frame the crisis as a possible move by River Styx, while Gungun recognizes that they may be jumping to conclusions.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Ao Yue decides to lead an army to the Huai River to capture the demonic-corrupted Wu Zhiqi and investigate the floods. Gungun gives his approval, while privately suspecting that the Devil Ancestor—not River Styx—is behind the crisis.
• Concerned that River Styx may be involved, Ao Yue brings 300,000 Heavenly soldiers and generals, with Yinglong and Bi’an as vanguard commanders. He hopes to uncover evidence that would justify confronting the Asura Religion if necessary.
• Ao Yue captures Wu Zhiqi, but finds that someone has erased the relevant memories from his primordial spirit. As the troops search the riverbed, a hidden mass of black energy watches them.
• In the Demon Realm, Luo Hou observes the search and releases the black energy. It spreads into threads that demonic-corrupt many of the Heavenly soldiers and generals, causing them to attack one another.
• Ao Yue disperses a thread aimed at him and recognizes it as Luo Hou’s powerful demonic thought. He realizes the Devil Ancestor, presumed dead, may still be alive.

Character developments and interactions

• Ao Yue acts decisively and cautiously, using the flood crisis to investigate a possible threat from River Styx. His confidence turns to alarm when he recognizes Luo Hou’s power.
• Gungun remains outwardly impartial but privately distrusts the official suspicion of River Styx and suspects Luo Hou instead.
• Wu Zhiqi is captured, but his memories have been erased, leaving the investigators without answers.
• Luo Hou reveals himself as the hidden force behind the corruption, deliberately turning Ao Yue’s large army into a target.
• Ao Yue’s officers follow his command, then share his shock and fear when he identifies the Devil Ancestor.

Significant themes

• Power and political legitimacy: Ao Yue’s authority has grown, but he still views the independent Asura Religion as a potential rival.
• Misjudgment and hidden threats: The investigation initially centers on River Styx, while the true danger is Luo Hou.
• Corruption and manipulation: Luo Hou’s influence transforms the Heavenly Court’s own forces into enemies.
• The return of the supposedly dead: Ao Yue’s discovery raises the possibility that an ancient adversary has survived.**

Plot points and events

• In the Huai River, Ao Yue realizes that more than 70,000 of his 300,000 Heavenly Soldiers have been corrupted by demonic thoughts. He orders the unaffected troops to withdraw and uses his dragon form to dispel the corruption.
• Luo Hou allows the corrupted soldiers to flee, threatening to spread demonic influence. Ao Yue tries to pursue them, but Hongjun intervenes with Purple Heaven Divine Thunder, immobilizing the corrupted troops.
• Hongjun arrives and rescues those in the river, gathering the corrupted soldiers into his sleeve. Luo Hou angrily confronts him but cuts off his connection to the Primordial World before Hongjun can trace him.
• Hongjun confirms that Luo Hou had secretly influenced events and caused the floods by damaging the earth veins. He assigns Ao Yue responsibility for flood relief and permits the Heavenly Emperor and other beings to help now that Luo Hou has been contained.
• Watching through the Haotian Mirror, Gungun concludes that Luo Hou is more dangerous than Hongjun because of his nature and methods, and feels vindicated in choosing Xuanyuan over Chi You.

Character developments and interactions

• Ao Yue shows responsibility and concern for his troops, prioritizing their withdrawal and trying to stop the corrupted soldiers from escaping. He accepts Hongjun’s orders and asks whether the Heavenly Emperor can assist with relief efforts.
• Hongjun acts decisively, containing the immediate threat and taking responsibility for purifying the corrupted soldiers. He also recognizes Yunxiao’s potential and approves of the Three Xiao Sisters’ conduct.
• Luo Hou reveals his willingness to let corruption spread and remains defiant even after Hongjun thwarts him. His escape preserves the larger conflict.
• Yunxiao sharply stops Bixiao from speaking after Luo Hou’s voice is heard, showing caution and authority. Bixiao obeys, startled by her sister’s sternness.
• Yu the Great and the Three Xiao Sisters show reverence toward Hongjun, who grants them permission to rise.

Significant themes

• Dao versus demonic influence: Hongjun’s intervention checks Luo Hou’s scheme, though Luo Hou insists the conflict is not over.
• Responsibility and service: Ao Yue risks himself to protect his troops, and is tasked with helping flood-stricken people.
• The nature of evil: Gungun concludes that Luo Hou’s danger lies not only in his power but in his devilish disposition and destructive methods.
• A temporary victory, not an end: Hongjun stops the immediate threat, but Luo Hou escapes and promises the struggle will continue.

Plot points and events

• With the Saints and Gungun permitted to help, flood control accelerates: the Dragon Race moves water to the Heavenly River, the Witch Race digs channels, and Nine Li and the Expounding disciples eliminate water demons.
• Gungun has the Iron-Eating Beasts bring the nine Great Cauldrons to the Human Race. Yu Shun and Yu the Great reforged them with divine copper, immortal soil, and the human path’s primordial flame, creating the Nine Provinces Cauldrons, which embody Human Race fortune.
• The completed cauldrons bring Yu Shun’s merit to fruition. He becomes a Human Race emperor and yields the co-ruler’s position to Yu the Great.
• Yu the Great uses the cauldrons to suppress the earth veins across the Nine Provinces. The remaining floodwater recedes, ending the disaster. The Human-Creating Whip appears before him, confirming his authority as Human Race Co-ruler.
• The Golden Mother of Jade Pool returns Gungun’s Earth-Separating Flameglow Banner and reports that Haotian’s corrupted soldiers have been purified and returned to the Heavenly Court. Wu Zhiqi is to be handed over to the Human Sovereign for judgment.
• Gungun and Ao Yue discuss Haotian’s possible return. They decide the deeper issue is the Dao Ancestor’s control over the Heavenly Court, not Haotian personally.
• To strengthen their own authority, they plan to create a rank of Five Elders Heavenly Lords beneath themselves, drawing from River Styx and the Saints’ senior disciples. They set out for Shouyang Mountain to ask Laozi for Xuandu.

Character developments and interactions

• Yu Shun completes his role in the flood crisis and willingly passes leadership to Yu the Great in recognition of his work.
• Yu the Great moves from minister and flood-control leader to legitimate Human Race Co-ruler, using the Nine Provinces Cauldrons to restore order.
• Gungun shifts from personal resentment toward Haotian to pragmatic acceptance: Haotian is preferable to an unknown, potentially stronger replacement. He focuses instead on securing the Heavenly Court’s political standing.
• Ao Yue supports Gungun’s strategy and accompanies him to approach the Saints’ factions.
• The Golden Mother of Jade Pool acts as messenger for her master, returns Gungun’s treasure, and provides an update on the Heavenly Court’s forces and Wu Zhiqi.

Significant themes

• Collective effort and legitimacy: Flood control succeeds through cooperation among the dragons, witches, humans, and religious factions; the cauldrons turn that shared effort into lasting symbols of Human Race authority.
• Power through institutions and alliances: Gungun and Ao Yue seek influence not only through personal strength but by winning recognition from the Saints and organizing a new heavenly hierarchy.
• Pragmatism over personal grudges: Gungun’s attitude toward Haotian changes as he distinguishes the individual from the larger political force behind him.

Key plot points and events

• Gungun and Ao Yue visit the Saints to recruit their first disciples for the Heavenly Court’s new Five Elders. Gungun’s aim is not merely to add strength, but to secure the Saints’ symbolic support and balance the influence of the Witch and demon factions.
• Laozi agrees to let Xuandu take a nominal post as the Five Manifestations Spirit-Vision Great Emperor, provided he is not summoned unless necessary.
• At Yuanshi’s Mount Kunlun, Gungun proposes that Nine Li become the next Ancestral Witch. He plans to build Nine Li’s standing through the fortunes of the Heavenly Court, Underworld, and Human Race, so Houtu may eventually grant him Ancestral Witch essence blood. Yuanshi enthusiastically entrusts Nine Li to Gungun’s care.
• In the Western Pure Land, the Saints’ disciples vie for a place among the Five Elders. Jieyin selects Maitreya, rather than Dizang, who already serves in the Underworld. Gungun privately welcomes the rivalry this may create.
• After leaving the Pure Land, Gungun and Ao Yue encounter Soaring Serpent, who has stormed out of Nuwa’s palace after repeated clashes with her new attendant, Spirit Pearl Child. He declares he will stay away until Nuwa chooses between them. Gungun immediately invites him to join the Five Elders.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun shows himself to be a shrewd political operator. He uses respectful flattery and appeals to balance and administration to win the Saints’ cooperation, while pursuing his own goal of consolidating Heavenly Court authority.
• Ao Yue watches Gungun’s tactics with surprise, then follows his lead in paying Laozi respect. His reactions provide a wry counterpoint to Gungun’s confident maneuvering.
• Laozi is amused by Gungun’s argument and agrees, but protects Xuandu’s primary duty to Renjiao.
• Nine Li is startled by Gungun’s ambitious plan for his future; Yuanshi, proud of his disciple, eagerly supports it.
• Jieyin and Zhunti negotiate over which disciple should represent their religion. Maitreya is delighted by his appointment, while the other candidates show competitive ambition.
• Soaring Serpent is proud, hot-tempered, and deeply offended by what he sees as Nuwa favoring Spirit Pearl Child. His desire to make Nuwa regret her choice leaves him open to Gungun’s offer.

Significant themes

• Political legitimacy and symbolism: Saint disciples’ appointments signal support for Gungun, even if they add little military strength.
• Balancing power: Gungun seeks to prevent any single faction from dominating the Heavenly Court.
• Ambition and advancement: Nine Li’s proposed rise and the Western disciples’ competition show how status and fortune shape people’s choices.
• Pride and rivalry: Soaring Serpent’s quarrel with Spirit Pearl Child, and the Western disciples’ jockeying for position, reveal how personal resentments can become political opportunities.

Plot points

• Gungun and Ao Yue persuade Soaring Serpent to join the Heavenly Court as one of the Five Elders. Serpent accepts, mainly because the high-ranking title promises plenty of respect and ceremonial deference.
• Gungun reminds him of their old partnership ruling the Central Wilderness. Serpent agrees to return with them, and they celebrate at a welcoming banquet.
• The next day, Gungun and Ao Yue visit Tongtian on Golden Turtle Island to recruit Duobao. Tongtian initially objects, worried that Jiejiao has already sent many of its disciples to Heaven.
• Gungun explains that the Five Elders will coordinate matters involving the Saints’ teachings, allowing Heaven to carry out its responsibilities without directly diminishing the Saints’ authority. The Elders will not need to attend court regularly.
• Tongtian learns that the other Saints have agreed to send Nine Li, Xuandu, and Maitreya, while Soaring Serpent will lead the Five Elders. He then asks Duobao directly to accept the position.
• Duobao eagerly agrees, pleased by the prospect of outranking Yinglong. Tongtian reluctantly consents and tells him not to disgrace Jiejiao.

Character developments and interactions

• Soaring Serpent reveals that he is less interested in governing than in the prestige and respect attached to high office. Memories of his old alliance with Gungun soften his reluctance.
• Gungun uses friendly persuasion and careful diplomacy, presenting the Five Elders as a way to balance Heavenly Court authority with the Saints’ dignity. He also tactfully recruits Serpent and Duobao.
• Tongtian moves from suspicion and protectiveness toward reluctant acceptance once Gungun explains the role and notes that the other Saints have agreed.
• Duobao is ambitious and enthusiastic about the rank, viewing it partly as a chance to stand above Yinglong.
• The exchanges are marked by teasing familiarity: Gungun and Serpent revive their old camaraderie, while Tongtian questions Gungun sharply and jokes about Maitreya and Gungun’s weight.

Significant themes

• Prestige and status: Serpent and Duobao are drawn to the honor and rank of the positions, even when their practical duties are secondary.
• Diplomacy and shared governance: The Five Elders are designed to help Heaven oversee the wider world—including the Saints’ teachings—without openly challenging the Saints’ authority.
• Old bonds and changing eras: Serpent’s memories of ruling alongside Gungun connect their past alliance to a new role in the Heavenly Court.
• Institutional transition: Tongtian’s thought that “unless the old leaves, the new cannot come” reflects his acceptance that Jiejiao’s disciples must take on new responsibilities.

Chapter 446 Summary

Key plot points

• After appointing Soaring Serpent to the Heavenly Court’s Five Elders, Gungun and Ao Yue discuss what to do about River Styx and the Asura Religion, which was originally meant to hold one of the positions.
• They agree Soaring Serpent’s appointment is strategically useful: as Nuwa’s trusted subordinate, he signals her support for the Heavenly Court while Haotian is absent.
• Ao Yue suggests using Dizang, who has long opposed the Asura Religion’s practice of devouring souls near the Six Paths of Reincarnation, to keep River Styx in check. Gungun worries that this would offend River Styx.
• Gungun decides to approach River Styx directly and ask him, as Asura’s leader, to send an envoy to Heaven and publicly demonstrate his support. If he refuses, Dizang may watch the Asura Religion, with the Western Religion backing Dizang.
• Gungun departs for the Sea of Blood. Left behind, Ao Yue privately blames himself for the suffering his father, the Ancestral Dragon, endured.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun balances political strategy with personal caution. Though it once hoped to recruit River Styx, it distrusts his pursuit of power through killing and prefers a blunt approach, partly believing he responds better to strength than gentleness.
• Ao Yue shows concern about the Asura Religion’s influence and warns Gungun against underestimating potential threats. His composure falters when their discussion recalls the catastrophe that harmed his father.
• Gungun and Ao Yue work through their disagreement and settle on a compromise: first seek River Styx’s cooperation, then use Dizang as a fallback.
• Gungun’s recollection of River Styx’s past training, and the two favors River Styx owes it, hint at a complicated relationship that mixes familiarity with distrust.

Significant themes

• Power and political legitimacy: Heavenly appointments are tools for securing support and limiting Haotian’s future authority.
• Trust versus surveillance: The leaders must decide whether to bring River Styx into their coalition or guard against him.
• The burden of the past: Ao Yue’s final confession shows that unresolved guilt over his father’s fate continues to weigh on him.

Key plot points and events

• Gungun investigates River Styx’s refusal to support Ao Yue and suspects he is building strength to seize power. Ao Yue responds by strengthening the Heavenly Court’s position through an alliance with Zhunti: the Western Religion gains the Eightfold Heavenly Dragons, while Zhunti restrains River Styx and takes the Six-Winged Black Mosquito. River Styx and Dizang remain in a tense stalemate.
• The Heavenly Court formally appoints Soaring Serpent, Xuandu, Nine Li, Duobao, and Maitreya as the Five Elders Heavenly Lords, celebrating with nine days of festivities. The Golden Mother of Jade Pool worries that Ao Yue and Gungun have secured the support of nearly every Saint, making it harder for Haotian to reclaim power.
• Six peaceful years pass, but political tension grows among the Human Race. Yu the Great favors his son Qi and gives him increasing authority, apparently preparing to replace the traditional abdication system with hereditary rule.
• Wu Gan, a human ritual master, braves the trials at Spirit Mountain and crosses the Heavenly Gate to seek Gungun’s intervention. He claims Yu intends to make the Human Race’s leadership hereditary and pass the Human-Creating Whip to his descendants, leaving future generations powerless to resist.
• Wu Gan presents a blood-signed petition from prominent families. He says Qi has sealed off Nuwa Palace, preventing the petitioners from appealing directly to the Human Race’s creator. Gungun promises to consult the Saints before deciding what to do, heals Wu Gan, and grants him magic power. When Wu Gan insists on returning to help his people, Gungun reveals that he has only three days left to live and tells him to remain in Heaven.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun remains pragmatic and perceptive, trusting its instincts about River Styx and recognizing the seriousness of Wu Gan’s appeal. It sympathizes with the petitioner but acknowledges that it cannot unilaterally depose Yu.
• Ao Yue continues consolidating Heavenly Court influence, using diplomacy and alliances rather than relying only on force.
• River Styx is portrayed as ambitious and patient, quietly building the Asuras’ strength while waiting for a chance to challenge the existing order.
• Soaring Serpent shows his interest in Human Race affairs, verifies Wu Gan’s claims through divination, and questions why the appeal was not taken to Nuwa.
• Wu Gan is presented as a determined defender of popular choice. Despite his age and injuries, he risks his life to oppose hereditary rule and remains committed to returning to his people.
• Yu the Great and Qi become the focus of the chapter’s political conflict: Yu’s favoring of Qi suggests dynastic succession, while Qi’s blockade of Nuwa Palace signals a willingness to suppress opposition.
• The Golden Mother of Jade Pool grows increasingly anxious as Gungun and Ao Yue extend their influence across Heaven and the Saints.

Significant themes

• Popular consent versus hereditary power: The chapter frames abdication as a way for the people to choose a leader and hereditary rule as a threat to that choice.
• Power, legitimacy, and resistance: The Human-Creating Whip could make a ruling family’s authority nearly impossible to challenge, raising fears of permanent subjugation.
• Political maneuvering and alliances: Across both Heaven and the Human Race, influence is secured through diplomacy, appointments, and control of access to powerful figures.
• Duty and sacrifice: Wu Gan’s dangerous journey and refusal to abandon his people underscore his commitment to public service.

Chapter summary

Key plot points and events

• Heavenly Emperor Gungun hears that Yu the Great intends to end the Human Race’s Abdication System and pass power to his son Qi. Unsure whether to intervene—and unable to remove Yu while he holds the Human-Creating Whip—Gungun leaves the decision to the Saints.
• The Saints gather at Shouyang Mountain for their Fourth Pan-Primordial Conference. They disagree over whether Yu should be allowed to change the system: Yuanshi condemns the move as selfish and dangerous, while Tongtian and Nuwa argue that the Human Race should have room to determine its own future.
• Yuanshi points out that Yu’s whip can subdue all humans, making popular opposition ineffective. Houtu proposes confiscating it so Yu cannot force his plan through and future hereditary rulers cannot abuse it.
• The Saints unanimously approve. The whip is placed in the care of the Three Sovereigns at Fire Cloud Cave while Yu’s attempt to establish hereditary rule plays out. If hereditary rule succeeds, the whip will never again be given to a Human Sovereign.
• Nuwa sends Fire Phoenix with an imperial edict. Yu reluctantly surrenders the whip, hoping his future achievements may persuade Nuwa to return it, though the chapter makes clear that this will not happen. The Xia Dynasty is about to begin.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun recognizes the limits of his own judgment and delegates the decision, while jokingly comparing his reign favorably with Dijun’s. Soaring Serpent mocks both his laziness and his self-assessment.
• Yuanshi and Tongtian clash over whether the Saints should intervene. Yuanshi prioritizes established rules and protection from Yu’s personal ambition; Tongtian favors leaving room for change and uncertainty.
• Nuwa speaks as the Human Race’s Holy Mother and initially supports letting the people decide, but Yuanshi’s warning about the whip exposes the limits of that position.
• Houtu skillfully steers the discussion toward reclaiming the whip, using a compromise that gains broad support.
• Yu submits to the edict but remains hopeful that he can regain the whip. The decision quietly removes his strongest means of compelling the Human Race.

Significant themes

• Self-determination versus authority: The Saints debate whether the Human Race should control its own political future or be protected from a ruler’s unilateral decision.
• Power and safeguards: Confiscating the whip limits coercion and prevents future hereditary rulers from wielding overwhelming force.
• Uncertainty and restraint: The Saints choose not to decide whether hereditary rule should prevail; instead, they remove Yu’s decisive advantage and let events unfold.
• Political transition: The chapter sets the stage for hereditary rule and the founding of the Xia Dynasty.

Key plot points and events

• After Yu the Great’s death, his son Qi defeated Boyi and other rivals, then declared himself Human King. By appointing his son as heir, Qi founded the Xia Dynasty, making the Human realm a hereditary possession rather than a shared realm.
• The Heavenly Emperor Gungun learns that Qi sought entry to Heaven but failed the Spirit Mountain trial, then asked the Heavenly Court for music and dance scores. Irritated by Qi’s eagerness to enjoy kingship, Gungun grants the request—but secretly cuts 300 years from Qi’s lifespan.
• Two years later, Zhang Bairen’s long meditation ends. He recognizes his true identity as Haotian, the former lord of the Heavenly Court. His True Spirit awakens, restoring him to the one-corpse Quasi-Saint level, though he must rebuild his former divine body to regain his full strength.
• Haotian flies back to Heaven and tells Jade Pool to bring their daughters and the entire mountain stronghold with her. At the South Heaven Gate, however, the guards do not recognize him and bar his way.

Character developments and interactions

• Qi becomes the first hereditary Human King, consolidating power through war and establishing a dynasty.
• Gungun treats Qi’s ambition with mocking indifference and uses the Book of Life and Death to shorten his life. Ao Yue observes the act but chooses not to interfere.
• Haotian recovers his identity and divine power after years as Zhang Bairen. Jade Pool, who has waited for his return, is moved and readily follows him back to Heaven with their family and stronghold.
• The chapter ends with an ironic reversal: Haotian returns expecting to reclaim his place, only to be challenged by the Heavenly Court’s own guards.

Significant themes

• Hereditary rule and political legitimacy: Qi’s rise marks the shift from shared leadership to dynastic ownership.
• Power and virtue: Qi chooses the title “Human King” rather than “Human Emperor,” acknowledging that he does not match the prestige of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.
• Identity and restoration: Haotian’s awakening shows the force of recovered memory and self-knowledge, while his reduced strength highlights the cost of returning in a mortal body.
• Irony and upheaval: Both Qi’s new authority and Haotian’s return are undercut by unexpected consequences.