Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Eight powerful figures—including Gungun, Houtu, and the Saints—return to the Primordial World, heralding a possible new conflict. Zhen Yuanzi senses their return.
• Taiyi reflects on why his mastery of the imperial dao law has not yet allowed him to attain the Dao. He declines to congratulate Haotian, but agrees to send Ao Yue a gift.
• The group confronts Hongjun. Laozi accuses his former master of betraying them and trying to control the world.
• Hongjun denies seeking power or fortune. He claims he gave the Three Pure Ones Saint-Felling Pills to curb their conduct and persuade them to leave the Primordial World, freeing its inhabitants from their influence.
• To support his case, Hongjun criticizes Yuanshi’s rigid laws, Tongtian’s indiscriminate recruitment of disciples, and Laozi’s calculated accumulation of Human Race fortune. His explanation unsettles the Three Pure Ones and prompts doubts among Jieyin, Zhunti, and Nuwa.
• Gungun rejects Hongjun’s defense as self-serving: if Hongjun wanted the Three Pure Ones to change, he could have ordered them to do so rather than secretly poisoning them. He urges everyone to attack, then charges in himself.

Character developments and interactions

• Taiyi remains preoccupied with his stalled progress toward the Dao, while maintaining a hard boundary between the Demon Race and the Ancestral Bear.
• Hongjun presents himself as acting for the world’s living beings, but his claims leave the others suspicious. He confronts each of the Three Pure Ones with specific accusations.
• Laozi, Yuanshi, and Tongtian react differently to Hongjun’s criticisms: Laozi grows slightly uncomfortable, Yuanshi’s composure barely shifts, and Tongtian looks awkward.
• Gungun cuts through the debate with blunt skepticism and impulsive action. He even uses Jieyin and Zhunti as shields before pushing them toward Hongjun, turning the confrontation into a fight.

Significant themes

• Power versus public interest: Hongjun claims his actions served ordinary beings rather than his own authority, but others question whether that justification excuses coercion.
• Manipulation and trust: The Saints must weigh Hongjun’s accusations against their knowledge of his secretive methods.
• Religious authority and responsibility: Hongjun’s critique raises questions about how the Three Pure Ones used their influence, laws, disciples, and access to fortune.
• Action versus debate: Gungun’s response highlights the group’s distrust and impatience with political explanations: instead of continuing to argue, he chooses to fight.

Plot points and events

• Gungun and Houtu lead the Saints in a direct assault on Hongjun. Although Hongjun tries to divide them by blaming the Three Pure Ones and pointing to the Saints’ past mistakes, the group distrusts him and joins forces.
• Their combined attacks overwhelm Hongjun’s current, artificial body. He drives them back but escapes before Houtu can trap him with the Six Paths of Reincarnation Disk.
• The Saints learn that Hongjun’s original body remains sealed in the Saint Pagoda in the Depths of Chaos, alongside Luo Hou. They estimate the seal may last around thirty thousand years, though they cannot be sure. Houtu warns that defeating Hongjun will mean little unless they can prevent his escape next time.
• Hongjun returns to Jade Capital Mountain injured but dismisses the wound as minor. He reveals his larger plan to the Innate Divine Tree: using the Heavenly Great Dao—which he attained after the Investiture of the Gods Calamity—to fuse the Immortal Dao and Demon Dao, thereby annexing the latter.
• Hongjun says he spared Luo Hou during the Dragon-Han Catastrophe because he intended to combine their opposing Daos once he possessed a power greater than either. He later manipulated events so that his original body would be sealed with Luo Hou, while his primordial spirit waited to escape through Wutian. Now he begins fusing the Immortal Dao with fragments of Wutian’s demonic spirit, intending to reunite with his original body and become truly unbeatable.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun acts decisively and helps rally the Saints, but struggles to explain why Hongjun fled if he is not currently strong enough to defeat them. It offers a plausible warning that Hongjun may have another scheme and could become much more dangerous if he recovers his original body.
• Houtu joins the battle and later emphasizes the need to prepare carefully to keep Hongjun from escaping again.
• The Saints set aside old disagreements to fight together. Yuanshi argues that Hongjun’s manipulation and past actions make his claims of impartiality suspect; Tongtian supports the united attack, Laozi joins his brothers, and Nuwa is reminded of her resentment over Hongjun’s past imprisonment of her.
• Jieyin and Zhunti are initially pushed into the fight by Gungun but ultimately attack alongside the others. Zhunti recognizes that Hongjun’s present body is a substitute and tries to use his treasure to dispel it.
• Hongjun emerges as a patient strategist rather than merely a weakened opponent: he has concealed his attainment of the Heavenly Great Dao and has been arranging events toward a transformative fusion.
• The Innate Divine Tree questions Hongjun’s theory and motives, but Hongjun openly explains his plan, suggesting considerable trust—or confidence—in their relationship.

Significant themes

• Unity versus division: Hongjun’s attempt to exploit the Saints’ faults fails when they choose cooperation over suspicion.
• Power and vulnerability: Hongjun’s substitute body can be beaten by the united Saints, yet his ability to escape and his hidden Great Dao make him far from harmless.
• Manipulation and trust: The Saints’ past grievances make Hongjun’s claims difficult to accept, while Gungun’s distrust of him shapes the group’s resistance.
• Ambition and transcendence: Hongjun seeks to surpass the limits of individual Daos by fusing the Immortal and Demon Daos through the Heavenly Great Dao, pursuing freedom from every possible restraint.

Key plot points and events

• While the Saints refine a powerful Heavenly Net to capture Hongjun, Gungun senses something is wrong but cannot identify the problem. Rather than help with the treasure, it travels into Chaos to create its own world, Beyond Heaven.
• Gungun builds the world from scratch, populating it with souls taken from Hell and guiding life through immense spans of evolution. The creatures eventually become humans and develop a history that advances to the end of the Ming Hongxi reign. Gungun establishes Crouching Bear Hall as its Daoist palace and invites those with a destined connection to visit.
• Ao Yue decides to pass the Heavenly Sovereign position to his younger brother, Yinglong. He has already negotiated support from Lu Ya and arranged a future marriage alliance between their families. Yinglong is moved, but accepts the burden reluctantly, believing the Dragon Race needs one of its own to hold the throne.
• In the Ming Kingdom, Zhu Zhanji forces through the deposition of Empress Hu Shanxiang and appoints Consort Sun Shi empress, intending to make their son Zhu Qizhen heir. Ministers and the Empress Dowager oppose him, but he silences resistance by having one outspoken official beaten to death. Yu Qian protests but survives when Zhu Zhanji dismisses court.
• Zhu Zhanji later dies, leaving Zhu Qizhen the throne and ordering Empress Dowager Zhang and Empress Sun to govern from behind the curtain. On the day Zhu Qizhen ascends, Hongjun awakens after successfully absorbing Wutian’s Demon Dao. He still needs to unite this with his true body’s absorption of Luo Hou’s Demon Dao to attain transcendence.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun reveals a nostalgic motive for creating Beyond Heaven, shaping its world and history according to its own wishes. Its invitation marks the completion of a major personal undertaking.
• Ao Yue shows foresight and commitment to dynastic continuity, while insisting that his own ambition is spiritual transcendence rather than family life. Yinglong’s blunt suggestion that Ao Yue fears remarriage briefly punctures his composure. Yinglong, though touched by his brother’s confidence, feels trapped by the responsibility he must accept.
• Zhu Zhanji shifts from a capable ruler praised for prosperity and military success toward an autocratic one, prioritizing his preferred heir and consort over custom and counsel. His clashes with the ministers and Yu Qian expose the growing gap between his authority and their sense of duty.
• Hongjun’s progress raises the stakes: his success is an important step toward transcendence, even as the Saints prepare to oppose him.

Significant themes

• Creation, nostalgia, and the shaping of history: Gungun turns personal longing into an entire world, exercising creator-like power over life and time.
• Duty versus personal ambition: Ao Yue and Yinglong weigh cultivation against the obligations of succession and the Dragon Race.
• Power and accountability: Zhu Zhanji’s early achievements give way to coercion when he rejects advice and uses force to secure his choices.
• Transcendence and looming conflict: The Saints’ plan to capture Hongjun contrasts with his hidden progress toward a greater transformation.

Key plot points and events

• Hongjun waits for his original body to return, believing that once it reunites with his Primordial Spirit, he will become impossible to challenge. Although the Ancestral Bear is temporarily exposed in Beyond Heaven, Hongjun decides not to attack, wary of a trap or retaliation from Houtu and the Six Saints.
• In Beyond Heaven, Gungun celebrates attaining Primordial Unity. After welcoming a host of honored guests, he argues that the Heavenly Court should not have an eternal ruler and announces his intention to pass on the Heavenly Emperor’s throne.
• Gungun names his eldest nephew, Nine Li, as his chosen successor. He cites Nine Li’s Pangu ancestry, human and Witch heritage, Quasi-Saint cultivation, and standing as Jade Pure’s foremost disciple.
• Nine Li says he is not yet ready to become emperor. Gungun therefore appoints him Heavenly Emperor’s Heir Apparent, to inherit the throne after completing Three Corpse Slashing, and immediately assigns him responsibility for Heavenly Court affairs.

Character developments

• Hongjun remains confident in his coming supremacy but shows caution, choosing patience over a risky opportunity to kill the Ancestral Bear.
• Gungun presents his abdication as a matter of proper succession, while privately hoping to repay Nine Li and hand off the work of governing. He accepts Nine Li’s hesitation but ensures his nephew will begin shouldering official duties.
• Nine Li displays humility and a sense of responsibility by declining the throne until he feels prepared. He accepts the heir-apparent role and promises to serve diligently.

Character interactions

• Gungun addresses the gathered immortals and justifies Nine Li’s suitability; no one dares object, and many consider him qualified.
• Nine Li respectfully calls Gungun “Uncle” and asks for more time. Gungun responds with a compromise: Nine Li will inherit later but begin governing now.
• Gungun and Ao Yue exchange a knowing, approving glance after the appointment.

Significant themes

• Transcendence and ambition: Different beings define transcendence according to their status; Hongjun’s ultimate ambition is freedom from every constraint.
• Legitimacy and succession: Gungun frames the transfer of power as a safeguard against permanent rule and presents Nine Li’s mixed heritage and credentials as grounds for his legitimacy.
• Duty versus readiness: Nine Li’s humility contrasts with Gungun’s eagerness to entrust him with power—and administrative work.
• Caution and patience: Hongjun delays acting because immediate advantage is not worth the risk.

Plot points

• After nearly a million years ruling together, Gungun and Ao Yue prepare to step down as Heavenly Emperor and Heavenly Sovereign. They discuss succession plans meant to preserve balance among the Iron-Eating Beast, Witch, and Demon races.
• Gungun has appointed Nine Li, a Witch-Human, as crown prince. He explains that Nine Li’s marriage to Xiong Meng will keep the Iron-Eating Beast Clan connected to the Heavenly Court’s fortune.
• Gungun and Ao Yue are surprised to learn that Nine Li and Xiong Meng have chosen to marry. Gungun approves, judging them well matched and emphasizing that their mutual affection matters most.
• Nine Li tells Xiong Meng that Gungun has made him crown prince and ordered him to begin handling government affairs, though he will formally take the throne after advancing his cultivation.
• Xiong Meng jokes that Gungun is eager to hand off his duties. She asks whether she will become Heavenly Queen when Nine Li succeeds him; Nine Li assures her she will.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun shows a pragmatic, generous approach to succession: he prioritizes political stability and repays old debts by allowing the Witch Race a greater share of Heavenly Court power.
• Ao Yue questions whether appointing a non-Iron-Eating Beast heir could harm Gungun’s clan, but accepts the logic of Nine Li and Xiong Meng’s marriage.
• Nine Li is respectful toward Gungun and cautious about taking the throne before he is strong enough. He is devoted to Xiong Meng and content with a single wife.
• Xiong Meng is playful and ambitious, but her affection for Nine Li is genuine. She denies plotting for power, though she delights in the prospect of becoming Heavenly Queen.

Significant themes

• Political balance and alliance-building: Marriage and succession are used to maintain cooperation among powerful races.
• Duty, inheritance, and repayment: Gungun frames his decisions as both practical governance and repayment of karmic obligations.
• Love alongside ambition: Nine Li and Xiong Meng’s relationship is personal, even as it places them at the center of the Heavenly Court’s future.

Key plot points

• The Heavenly Emperor names Nine Li his heir, while the Heavenly Sovereign names Yinglong his. Nine Li is also set to marry Fortune God Xiong Meng, making her future Heavenly Queen.
• The Ancestral Witches celebrate Nine Li’s succession as a chance for the Witch Race to share in the Heavenly Court’s power. They become alarmed, however, when they learn Yinglong is to marry Lu Ya’s future daughter, potentially placing Demon-blooded descendants on the other throne.
• The Witches visit Houtu and ask her to prevent the Dragon–Demon marriage alliance. She explains that the arrangement is part of the Saints’ effort to preserve balance between the Witch and Demon factions: Nine Li’s rise makes a future ruler with Demon blood politically necessary. Blocking that alliance could also cost Nine Li his place as heir.
• Houtu advises the Witches that Nine Li’s accession will bring their race immediate benefits, while the Demon Race’s possible gain lies generations in the future. The Ancestral Witches accept that they cannot overturn the Saints’ decision, though Zhurong remains resentful.
• On the Solar Star, Taiyi worries that Nine Li’s succession will disadvantage the Demon Race. He orders Lu Ya and his wife, Su Xin, to produce a daughter for the planned marriage alliance. If they cannot conceive naturally, he intends for Lu Ya himself to drink magical Childbearing Spring Water until he bears one.

Character developments and interactions

• The Ancestral Witches move from triumph to anxiety: they welcome Nine Li’s inheritance, but fear the Dragon–Demon alliance may restore Demon influence. Their visit to Houtu shows their trust in her judgment, though they chafe at the Saints’ authority.
• Houtu remains pragmatic and politically perceptive. She understands the succession arrangements as a compromise designed to maintain factional balance, rather than a straightforward victory for either side.
• Zhurong is exuberant about Nine Li’s prospects but hot-tempered and frustrated when Houtu explains that the Witches cannot act freely.
• Taiyi takes a forceful, comic approach to securing the Demon Race’s future, treating Lu Ya’s reproductive role as a matter of political duty.
• Lu Ya is stunned and embarrassed by Taiyi’s plan, while Su Xin responds calmly and promises to accept the child as her own.

Significant themes

• Political balance and succession: The heirs’ marriages and bloodlines are tools for maintaining a balance between rival powers.
• Power versus lineage: A ruler’s ancestry matters as much as personal ability, especially when the Witches and Demons fear one another’s influence.
• Limits of ambition: Despite the Witches’ gains, the Saints’ broader political consensus constrains what they can achieve.
• Comic domesticity amid grand politics: Taiyi’s blunt solution to a dynastic problem turns celestial succession into an awkward family matter.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points

• Taiyi insists Lu Ya drink the Childbearing Spring Water and bear a child himself. He argues that a child with Lu Ya’s exceptional Golden Crow bloodline would secure a powerful heir for the Demon Race and eventually make a worthy Heavenly Queen. Lu Ya is horrified, while Taiyi refuses Lu Ya’s suggestion that he bear the child instead. The North Mountain Goddess agrees to help conceal the plan.
• The Ancestral Witches worry that the Demon Race may eventually regain influence through Lu Ya’s descendants. Their attention shifts when Witch Drums sound from the Mortal Realm.
• On the northern frontier, grassland tribes revolt after Zhang Kejian, a relative of the Ming imperial family, is killed for repeatedly murdering herders and plundering their property. Emperor Zhu Qizhen ignores Minister Yu Qian’s objections, punishes him, and orders a 500,000-man campaign that he will lead personally.
• The tribes unite under Oirat leader Esens. Their grand shaman uses ancient Witch Drums to devastate the Great Wall’s defenders, allowing the allied army to break through and advance into Ming territory.
• As the Ming army marches north, Zhu Qizhen dismisses urgent reports of defeats and presses onward. When he loses confidence, his eunuch Wang Zhen persuades him to divert the army toward the emperor’s hometown, ostensibly to rest before a decisive battle.
• The Northern Desert army anticipates the change of route and ambushes the exhausted Ming forces. The 500,000-man army is destroyed, many officials die, and Zhu Qizhen is captured. Ming’s fortune collapses.
• The Ancestral Witches had planned to have members of the Nine Li Tribe assist Esens, but their intervention has not yet begun. Gungun observes the disaster and sends the Crimson Firmament Sword, empowered by the Kongtong Seal, toward the Mortal Realm to kill Zhu Qizhen.

Character developments and interactions

• Lu Ya recoils at the idea of male pregnancy and tries to redirect the plan toward Taiyi, but Taiyi rebukes him. The North Mountain Goddess responds dutifully to Taiyi’s instructions.
• Zhu Qizhen is portrayed as vain, impulsive, and unwilling to heed sound advice. His confidence in his imperial lineage gives way to doubt, but pride and Wang Zhen’s counsel lead him into a disastrous detour.
• Yu Qian stands firm against an unjust war, openly challenging the emperor despite the personal cost. Zhu Qizhen silences and punishes him rather than reconsidering.
• Esens exploits Ming’s political misjudgment and the Oirat shaman’s Witch Drums to unite the tribes and gain a decisive military advantage.
• The Ancestral Witches debate whether to interfere in human affairs, then decide to act indirectly through the Nine Li Tribe. Gungun, however, intervenes directly at the end, targeting Zhu Qizhen.

Significant themes

• Pride and disastrous leadership: Zhu Qizhen’s arrogance, poor judgment, and refusal to listen turn a manageable frontier dispute into a national catastrophe.
• The cost of ignoring justice and counsel: Zhang Kejian’s abuses provoke the tribes, while Yu Qian’s warnings about the war’s motives and risks go unheeded.
• Power and political legitimacy: The chapter links military defeat to the collapse of Ming’s fortune and presents the sword and Kongtong Seal as instruments of the Human Path.
• Indirect intervention: The Ancestral Witches seek to influence events through the Nine Li Tribe while avoiding direct involvement, whereas Gungun acts independently and decisively.

Plot points and events

• After the Ming army is destroyed at Tumu Fortress, Esens captures Emperor Zhu Qizhen. He intends to use the emperor’s capture to demand the Ming realm’s surrender and resume the Northern Yuan’s conquest.
• Before Esens can act, a sword flies from afar, breaks through Zhu Qizhen’s imperial protective light, and kills him. Esens concludes that someone deliberately prevented him from keeping the emperor alive, then orders his army to continue toward the Ming capital.
• In Heaven Beyond Heaven, Gungun reclaims the Crimson Firmament Sword and explains that he killed Zhu Qizhen because an emperor who disgraced the Ming people’s achievements deserved a greater punishment. He declines to intervene in the broader war, viewing human civil conflict as a recurring cycle. He and Ao Yue then set off to visit Gungun’s miniature world, Blue Star.
• In the Ming capital, news of Zhu Qizhen’s capture and death throws the court into turmoil. With the northern army advancing rapidly and now less than a hundred li away, ministers debate fleeing south or defending the capital.
• Yu Qian argues fiercely against retreat, urging Prince Cheng, Zhu Qiyu, to call up reinforcements and defend the city. As the crisis deepens, ministers increasingly back Zhu Qiyu as emperor, while agreeing that Zhu Qizhen’s young son should remain heir. Zhu Qiyu accepts their support, and the court acclaims him as emperor.

Character developments and interactions

• Esens shifts from surprise at the unexpectedly easy victory to ambitious demands for Ming territory. After Zhu Qizhen’s death, he pragmatically continues the invasion and orders the emperor’s body treated with formal respect.
• Zhu Qizhen is shown as frightened and ineffective in defeat. His plea to be released fails, and he is killed by Gungun’s sword before Esens can exploit him politically.
• Gungun distinguishes his past mortal identity as Zhu Gaochi from the later Ming emperors, refusing to treat them as his descendants in any personal sense. He judges Zhu Qizhen’s conduct but otherwise leaves the human war alone.
• Ao Yue questions Gungun about the conflict between their descendants; Gungun’s detached view leads Ao Yue to agree before they depart together.
• Yu Qian emerges as the capital’s resolute defender. He directly challenges advocates of retreat and argues that abandoning the north would endanger both the realm and its people. He ultimately endorses Zhu Qiyu’s accession, grounding it in the late emperor’s alleged preference.
• Zhu Qiyu moves from considering the throne to accepting it under mounting military pressure and broad ministerial support. His accession is presented as a practical choice to provide stronger leadership in the crisis.

Significant themes

• Power and responsibility: Zhu Qizhen’s failure as ruler contrasts with Yu Qian’s commitment to defending the state and its people.
• The cycle of human conflict: Gungun regards wars among humans as recurrent and largely beyond intervention, reserving his involvement for greater calamities.
• Duty versus self-preservation: The debate over retreat centers on whether leaders should preserve themselves and the court or risk defending the capital and northern population.
• Legitimacy and succession: The ministers justify Zhu Qiyu’s accession through both political necessity and claims about the late emperor’s preferred heir.

Plot points and events

• In the Ming Kingdom, ministers proclaim Zhu Qiyu emperor despite Empress Dowager Sun’s opposition. Zhu appoints Yu Qian Minister of War and gives him command of the capital’s defense; the kingdom mobilizes against the steppe invasion.
• On Blue Star, Gungun and Ao Yue observe a world resembling the Primordial World but without spiritual energy. Its people cannot cultivate, so they have developed cannons through experimentation. They note both the ingenuity of this technology and humanity’s enduring tendency toward warfare.
• Gungun’s Warning Horn sounds, signaling danger. He suspects Hongjun or Luo Hou may be involved.
• In Chaos, Black Robe finds the Saint Pagoda and calls for Luo Hou. The pagoda instead draws him in and drains his demonic power and life essence. Black Robe realizes Wutian sent him into a trap; Luo Hou acknowledges his loyalty but uses him to restore his strength.
• Luo Hou attacks Hongjun and breaks free by destroying the Saint Pagoda, escaping with the God-Slaying Spear and only half his body remaining. Hongjun recognizes that Luo Hou escaped before being fully devoured and heads toward Chaos. The Saints abandon their work on the Super-Ultra Heavenly Net and rush there as well.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhu Qiyu accepts the throne and immediately entrusts Yu Qian with defending the capital. Yu Qian responds with formal obedience and takes on the task.
• Gungun and Ao Yue share observations about Blue Star’s history, technology, and religion. Gungun’s amusement turns to alarm when his horn warns of danger.
• Black Robe moves from hopeful devotion to horror when he discovers Wutian’s mission has led to his death. Luo Hou recognizes Black Robe’s loyalty but sacrifices him to regain power.
• Luo Hou demonstrates his desperation and determination by severing part of his own body and fighting his way out; Hongjun responds quickly once he senses the escape.

Significant themes

• Political upheaval and duty: Zhu Qiyu’s accession and Yu Qian’s appointment frame a kingdom acting decisively under threat.
• Ingenuity amid conflict: Blue Star’s people create effective weapons despite lacking cultivation, though their creativity serves warfare.
• Loyalty exploited by ambition: Black Robe’s devotion is manipulated, and Luo Hou’s survival takes precedence over his follower’s life.
• Containment and escape: The Saint Pagoda proves powerful but ultimately fails to hold Luo Hou, setting up a wider confrontation.

Key plot points and events

• Houtu senses the Saint Pagoda shatter and realizes the confrontation with Hongjun has arrived. She prays to Pangu for victory, unaware that his petrified heart beats once in response.
• Gungun organizes a rapid coalition: Ao Yue is sent to recruit the Demon Race and obtain the Hetu Luoshu; Hou Yi and Maitreya are dispatched to seek support from the Witch Race and Fire Cloud Cave.
• Gungun equips itself with an extensive collection of defensive and offensive treasures, including the Three Powers Seal, Chaos Bell, three lotus treasures, Overlord Armor, and Ten Thousand Bears Banner.
• Hongjun reaches Chaos first, reunites his primordial spirit with his true body, and releases an overwhelming aura. He appears to have regained—and perhaps surpassed—his former peak strength.
• Gungun, Houtu, Tongtian, Laozi, Yuanshi, Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti gather to confront him. Hongjun asks whether they truly mean to oppose him, but the group’s past grievances and mistrust leave little room for reconciliation.
• Jieyin and Zhunti hesitate, hoping to avoid a fight. Gungun prevents them from backing down by declaring that they and the other Buddha Lords must stand against Hongjun.

Character developments and interactions

• Houtu faces the coming battle with solemn resolve, driven by concern for the Witch Race and the fate of Pangu’s world. Seeing Gungun’s mountain of equipment also makes her acutely aware of how poorly armed she is.
• Gungun takes charge of preparations and presents a bold, defiant front, though its elaborate arsenal suggests it recognizes the danger. It also forces the hesitant Jieyin and Zhunti into the conflict.
• Tongtian arrives frustrated that Hongjun escaped so quickly and vows to demonstrate the full power of the Zhuxian Formation, having brought the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords.
• Jieyin and Zhunti reveal doubts about fighting Hongjun, but Gungun’s declaration commits them publicly.
• Hongjun is composed and confident, apparently preferring to test whether his former followers will oppose him before battle begins.

Significant themes

• Preparation against overwhelming power: The allies scramble to assemble forces and treasures, yet Hongjun’s restored strength may still exceed what they faced before.
• Loyalty, grievance, and divided allegiance: Past betrayals and old rivalries drive most characters toward resistance, while Jieyin and Zhunti’s hesitation shows that not all are equally committed.
• The fate of the world and its peoples: Houtu’s prayer frames the coming conflict as a struggle over Pangu’s creation and the Witch Race’s future.
• Uneasy humor amid danger: Gungun’s extravagant equipment and forceful handling of the Buddha Lords lighten the scene without diminishing the threat.

Summary

Key plot points and events

• Gungun persuades Jieyin and Zhunti to stand with the other Saints against Hongjun. He argues that if they do not challenge Hongjun now, the Dao Ancestor will eventually eliminate them too. Zhunti accepts the risk, and Jieyin joins him.
• Hongjun reveals that he has incorporated the Demon Dao, wielding its destruction law alongside his power. He effortlessly neutralizes Tongtian’s Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation and blocks attacks from the assembled Saints.
• Gungun publicly declares that Hongjun should no longer be recognized as Dao Ancestor, proposing instead that Laozi be honored as the Supreme Dao Ancestor. The others endorse the claim, citing Laozi’s leadership of the Daoist order and questioning Hongjun’s right to the title.
• Enraged, Hongjun attacks. The Saints launch a coordinated assault using their Numinous Treasures, but Hongjun’s power overwhelms them. Zhunti’s golden body shatters, Jieyin and several others are injured, and Tongtian’s formation is destroyed.
• With the group badly outmatched, Gungun proposes a new strategy: the Three Pure Ones should combine their powers to summon Pangu’s primordial spirit, as the Ancestral Witches once summoned Pangu’s true form.
• Laozi explains that their incompatible paths had previously prevented the formation from working. Gungun suggests that the other Saints can pour their power into Laozi to help him harmonize the Three Pure Ones’ powers. They do so, and Laozi calls on Yuanshi and Tongtian to establish the long-unrealized Three Pure Ones Grand Formation. Hongjun watches calmly, leaving the outcome uncertain.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun acts as strategist and instigator, pushing the Western Sages to commit, provoking Hongjun by challenging his title, and devising the formation plan when direct combat fails.
• Zhunti shifts from reluctance to acceptance, recognizing that inaction may be even more dangerous. His trust in Gungun remains evident, though he is badly hurt in battle.
• Jieyin follows Zhunti’s decision and fights alongside him, showing solidarity with his junior brother and the other Saints.
• Laozi accepts the title of Supreme Dao Ancestor without concern, treating it as recognition of his position as leader of the Daoist order. He then takes charge of the last-ditch formation.
• Yuanshi and Tongtian, usually at odds, unite in supporting Laozi’s new title and agree to attempt the formation together.
• Hongjun reveals a transformed, greatly enhanced power after incorporating the Demon Dao. He remains composed even as the Saints prepare their new gambit.
• The Saints’ cooperation grows from political alliance into direct mutual support: they fight together, then channel their power through Gungun and Laozi.

Significant themes

• Unity against overwhelming power: The Saints’ best hope lies not in individual strength but in combining their abilities.
• Risk versus survival: Zhunti accepts that confronting danger now may be safer than waiting for Hongjun to act against them.
• Legitimacy and authority: Gungun’s challenge reframes the title of Dao Ancestor as a matter of recognition and political allegiance, not simply power or past deeds.
• Old divisions overcome: The Three Pure Ones’ conflicting paths—and Yuanshi and Tongtian’s rivalry—must be reconciled for their formation to succeed.
• Uncertainty and hubris: Despite their bold plan, Hongjun’s calm reaction suggests that their apparent breakthrough may not be enough.

Plot points and events

• Laozi, empowered by five Saints, combines his Taiji Way with Yuanshi’s and Tongtian’s to complete the Three Pure Ones Grand Formation. Together with Gungun and the others, they summon a colossal Pangu Primordial Spirit.
• The Pangu figure attacks Hongjun, who argues that it lacks Pangu’s true spirit and consciousness. Their battle begins: Pangu’s punch destroys what appears to be a false body of Hongjun, but Hongjun strikes back with destructive demon light, injuring and weakening the Primordial Spirit.
• To strengthen their defense and offense, the group equips Pangu with the Taiji Diagram, Chaos Bell, and Pangu Banner. Hongjun acknowledges the added threat but remains confident he can win.
• Pangu’s heart at the Mount Buzhou ruins reacts to the battle, summoning the Seven Ancestral Witches. They rush toward Mount Buzhou, while Hou Yi leads the remaining Great Shamans to the Heavenly Court to help form the Zhou Tian Star-Dipper Formation.
• Maitreya returns with the Hetu Luoshu, borrowed from Fuxi, to support the Heavenly Court’s preparations. Fuxi stays behind to protect the Human Race’s fortune.
• Pangu’s will shakes both the Solar and Lunar Stars. Taiyi interprets this as a sign to honor Ao Yue’s request and orders the Demon Race’s powerful members to join the Heavenly Court’s formation.

Character developments and interactions

• Laozi, Yuanshi, and Tongtian cooperate closely, combining their powers and coordinating the use of the three supreme treasures.
• Gungun contributes the Chaos Bell, becoming an important part of the group’s defense.
• Hongjun shows both long-standing apprehension toward Pangu and firm confidence in his own superiority.
• Taiyi overcomes his hesitation about risking the Demon Race and commits its forces after interpreting Pangu’s influence as guidance. Ao Yue is startled by this turn.
• Hou Yi seeks help from the Ancestral Witches, then adapts by bringing the remaining shamans to the Heavenly Court.

Significant themes

• Unity against overwhelming power: Saints, witches, demons, and Heavenly Court forces prepare to combine their strengths.
• Pangu’s enduring legacy: His heart, will, and power continue to influence events long after his death.
• Power versus identity: The summoned Pangu Primordial Spirit has immense strength but lacks Pangu’s consciousness and true spirit.
• Duty and risk: Taiyi’s choice reflects the tension between protecting years of effort and acting for the greater good.

Key plot points and events

• Hongjun reveals the Creation Jade Disc, a damaged supreme chaos treasure, and uses its insights to interfere with the three treasures—Taiji Diagram, Pangu Banner, and Chaos Bell—held by Pangu’s Primordial Spirit.
• Hongjun explains that the treasures were meant to separate according to the Great Dao’s will. Since the group reunited them to summon Pangu’s Primordial Spirit, the treasures break free and fly away.
• Hongjun gathers Purple Heaven Divine Thunder, but Ao Yue’s Zhou Tian Star-Dipper Formation strikes him with a powerful beam of starlight.
• With Pangu’s Primordial Spirit and the star formation still unable to guarantee victory, Houtu proposes another plan: rescue four critically injured Ancestral Witches and restore the Twelve Heavenly Gods and Demons Formation.
• Gungun offers to refine Houtu’s Ancestral Witch essence blood and take the missing role in the formation. Houtu will transmit the formation’s mysteries to him, while she and Nuwa use their laws and three lights divine water to save the four Witches.

Character developments and interactions

• Hongjun remains confident and composed. He demonstrates that the Creation Jade Disc gives him a way to counter the reunited treasures, and claims he has transcended fate.
• Gungun shifts from defender to strategist, proposing himself as a substitute for Houtu in the formation. His familiarity with Witch techniques and confidence in his power convince the others.
• Houtu takes the initiative, combining her Law of Reincarnation with Nuwa’s Creation Law to save her brothers and restore the formation.
• Nuwa identifies the difficulty: Houtu no longer has an Ancestral Witch body, and the recovered essence blood alone does not solve the problem. Gungun answers by explaining how he can refine it and help complete the formation.
• The Saints discuss the worsening crisis and ultimately agree to Gungun’s plan.

Significant themes

• Fate and cosmic order: Hongjun’s account of the treasures’ separation shows the consequences of opposing the Great Dao.
• Cooperation and adaptability: The group seeks a combined solution—rescue, formation, and merged powers—after their original strategy fails.
• Sacrifice and loyalty: Houtu risks a difficult rescue to restore her brothers and bring the Witch forces back into the struggle.
• Knowledge as power: Gungun’s experience and understanding of the formation may compensate for his lack of an Ancestral Witch body.

Plot and events

• The Saints believe that combining the Pangu True Form with the Pangu Primordial Spirit could defeat Hongjun. Hongjun argues that both are only remnants of the fallen Pangu and cannot match the original god.
• Hongjun attacks the Pangu Primordial Spirit with Purple Heaven Divine Thunder. Gungun counters by expanding the Merit Golden Lotus beneath it, while Laozi places the Yellow Mystic Tower overhead, giving it formidable protection.
• At Pangu Hall, the Seven Ancestral Witches discover that Pangu’s Heart is still there. It speaks for the first time in ages, ordering them to take it to Chaos and help Houtu. Ju Mang obeys despite the risk of revealing the heart’s existence.
• When the Witches emerge carrying the heart, its immense aura spreads across the Primordial World, startling the surviving deities and drawing their attention.
• Hongjun senses Pangu’s aura while fighting the Pangu Primordial Spirit. He repels an attack from the Zhou Tian Star-Dipper Formation and evades the Primordial Spirit’s punch, then casts a powerful Violet Firmament seal intended to imprison the Primordial Spirit and its protective treasures in Chaos forever.

Character developments and interactions

• Hongjun remains confident in his superiority, but Pangu’s newly revealed aura alarms him. Unable to break through the Primordial Spirit’s defenses easily, he shifts from direct attacks to sealing it away.
• Gungun and Laozi cooperate to protect the Pangu Primordial Spirit, relying on the Merit Golden Lotus and Yellow Mystic Tower after losing the three great innate treasures.
• Ju Mang takes responsibility for carrying out Pangu’s command, while Zhurong and the other Witches accept his decision and join him on the journey to Chaos.
• The Seven Ancestral Witches show reverence toward Pangu and readiness to risk exposing their race’s secret to aid Houtu.

Significant themes

• Incomplete legacy versus original power: Hongjun insists that inheriting fragments of Pangu’s strength cannot restore the complete god.
• Duty and sacrifice: The Witches reveal a secret they have guarded for ages because Pangu commands them to help Houtu.
• Strength and protection: Pangu’s heart is described as the source of strength, while the lotus and tower demonstrate how defense can prolong a seemingly unequal battle.
• Escalating stakes: Pangu’s aura changes the balance of the conflict, prompting Hongjun to attempt permanent imprisonment rather than simply overpower his opponents.

Key plot points and events

• Hongjun attempts to seal Pangu’s Primordial Spirit, but Gungun reveals the four Innate Five-Direction Flags. Their combined protections repel the sealing light.
• Laozi leads the Saints in channeling their power through Pangu’s Primordial Spirit. It attacks Hongjun, while Laozi tries to exhaust him by forcing him to dodge and spend strength on Spatial Displacement.
• The Zhou Tian Star-Dipper Formation repeatedly distracts Hongjun, giving Pangu’s Primordial Spirit chances to strike. One punch lands, but Hongjun withstands it; the Yellow Mystic Tower then blocks his Destruction Law.
• Ju Mang and six other Ancestral Witches arrive carrying Pangu’s heart. Hongjun attacks them with Purple Heaven Divine Thunder, but the God-Slaying Spear appears and shields them, allowing the Witches to reach safety inside Pangu’s Primordial Spirit.
• Pangu’s heart speaks through an ancient voice, declaring that the physical body is still missing and calling for the Dutian Fiendgod Formation.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun is exhilarated by the fight and boasts that Hongjun has run out of options, while his magic power helps sustain the defenses.
• Laozi remains composed and directs the Saints’ teamwork, adapting quickly when Hongjun changes targets.
• Hongjun’s confidence is shaken as his sealing attempt fails and Pangu’s Primordial Spirit, the star formation, and the spear frustrate him.
• Houtu and the Ancestral Witches reunite inside the Primordial Spirit. Ju Mang entrusts Pangu’s heart to Houtu, fulfilling their father’s instruction.
• Luo Hou, though absent, intervenes through the God-Slaying Spear, frustrating Hongjun and protecting the Witches.

Significant themes

• Cooperation against overwhelming power: Saints, the star formation, the Ancestral Witches, and unseen allies combine their strengths.
• Escalating stakes and hidden forces: Pangu’s heart and the God-Slaying Spear reveal that Hongjun’s opponents have unexpected support.
• Endurance and adaptation: Both sides adjust tactics as defenses and attacks repeatedly counter one another.

Plot points and events

• The Witch Race reveals that Pangu’s heart has survived, still bearing traces of his spirit and able to speak. Houtu explains that the heart has always been hidden in Pangu Hall, a secret known only to the Ancestral Witches.
• Gungun feels slighted at not being told, though Houtu privately thinks he has been well rewarded and cared for by the Witch Race.
• Laozi directs the group to free Dijiang and the other injured Ancestral Witches, have Gungun refine Houtu’s essence blood and learn the Twelve Heavenly Gods and Demons Formation, and have Houtu and Nuwa heal the wounded.
• Seeing Pangu’s heart alongside the Pangu Primordial Spirit and True Form, Hongjun judges that Pangu still cannot be resurrected—but recognizes that their combined strength may threaten him. He tries to flee into Chaos, intending to absorb Luo Hou’s Demon Dao and return stronger.
• The Five Sacred Beasts intercept Hongjun and trap him in the Five Elements Formation. They explain that others are temporarily guarding Heaven’s four poles in their place and that they have come at Pangu’s command.
• Hongjun rejects their loyalty, reveals his deep resentment toward Pangu, and destroys the formation. He then pierces the Sacred Beasts with Immortal Dao Light; they begin dissolving as the chapter ends.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun reacts with indignation to being excluded from the secret, while Houtu reassures him that the secret was kept from everyone outside the Ancestral Witches—not just him.
• Laozi takes charge, assigning the work needed to restore the wounded and strengthen Gungun.
• Hongjun shifts from strategic caution to open fury. His private thoughts expose his belief that Pangu’s creation of the world came at the cost of countless demon gods, and that he is entitled to claim what Pangu made.
• The Five Sacred Beasts demonstrate their unity and willingness to sacrifice themselves for Pangu’s cause. Hongjun answers their defiance with overwhelming violence.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and sacrifice: The Sacred Beasts risk their lives for Pangu despite never having met him.
• Secrecy and belonging: Gungun’s resentment highlights the tension between being valued and being trusted with a group’s deepest secrets.
• Competing views of history and justice: Pangu is honored as the world’s creator, while Hongjun sees him as a conqueror who sacrificed others for his own purpose.
• Power and resistance: The Sacred Beasts’ collective formation can threaten even Saints, but Hongjun’s superior force ultimately overwhelms them.

Key plot points and events

• Hongjun kills the Sacred Beasts, causing the pillars at the Primordial World’s five poles to collapse. Heaven and earth fall into chaos, and the Western Spiritual Veins are damaged again.
• Jieyin and Zhunti realize Hongjun’s actions threaten all living beings. While Nuwa and Houtu continue reviving the fallen Ancestral Witches, the two Buddhas attack Hongjun to buy them time.
• Despite their courage, Jieyin and Zhunti are badly overpowered. Starlight briefly delays Hongjun, giving him time to recognize that absorbing the Demon Dao may be changing his nature and convictions.
• Nuwa and Houtu succeed in restoring Dijiang, Zhu Jiuyin, Qiang Liang, and Roushou. With the other Ancestral Witches, all twelve are reunited, and Gungun urges them to form the Twelve Heavenly Gods and Demons Formation.

Character developments

• Jieyin and Zhunti put the survival of the Primordial World above their own safety, fighting Hongjun even though they know they are outmatched. Zhunti’s attachment to the Western Lands’ people is especially clear.
• Hongjun shows the first signs of fear and self-doubt, questioning whether the Demon Dao has altered who he is.
• Nuwa and Houtu complete the difficult work of reviving the Ancestral Witches while supporting the larger battle.
• Gungun uses his understanding of the formation to help prepare the reunited Ancestral Witches, though balancing that work with aiding Laozi strains him.

Significant themes

• Sacrifice for others: Jieyin and Zhunti risk everything to protect the world’s inhabitants.
• Power and moral corruption: Hongjun’s union with the Demon Dao may be changing his identity and ideals.
• Destruction and responsibility: Hongjun’s pursuit of power brings catastrophe to the world and its people.
• Renewal and unity: The Ancestral Witches’ resurrection offers a chance to turn the tide.

Character interactions

• Jieyin and Zhunti agree to hold Hongjun off, with Zhunti choosing to fight rather than restrain his senior brother.
• Nuwa and Houtu work together to revive the fallen Witches as the others defend them.
• Gungun coordinates with the newly revived Ancestral Witches, who respond immediately to his command to form their battle formation.

• Plot and events: This is an author’s promotional note for Two-World Card Master, rather than a chapter of the novel. It introduces Jiang Shu, who finds himself in a Spirit Card world after sleeping—and then discovers he can return to the real world. The story follows his travels between the two worlds and his use of Spirit Cards, including the Iron-Eating Beast, Nine-Heart Begonia, and Invisibility Cloak.
• Character development: Jiang Shu is described as morally self-directed rather than conventionally noble; no specific changes in his character are shown here.
• Themes and setting: The premise combines fantasy card creation and beast taming with urban life, romance, and the freedom of moving between two worlds. The note suggests a playful, indulgent tone.
• Character interactions: No story interactions are depicted. The author speaks directly to readers, asking them to bookmark the novel and, if they enjoy it, recommend it.

Summary

• At the beginning of the month, Old Dream takes a day off to rest.
• Old Dream tells everyone else to go to bed early, apologizing for the change in routine.

Character developments and interactions

• Old Dream is shown prioritizing rest and gently encouraging the others to do the same.
• The interaction is brief and considerate: Old Dream explains the situation and apologizes.

Themes

• Rest and self-care: Taking time off is presented as a sensible choice.
• Consideration for others: Old Dream communicates the change and looks out for everyone’s well-being.

Key plot points

• Hongjun tries to escape, but the Twelve Ancestral Witches activate the Dutian Gods and Demons Formation, drawing in Chaos’s baleful energy and manifesting the Pangu True Form. The Zhou Tian Star-Dipper Formation also blocks his route.
• The Pangu Heart calls for the Pangu body and spirit to be united. Houtu leaves Nuwa to sustain the Three Pure Ones Grand Formation and uses the heart to connect the Pangu True Form with the Pangu Primordial Spirit.
• Hongjun attacks Houtu. Jieyin tries to shield her, but his treasure is destroyed; the Six Paths of Reincarnation Disk blocks part of the blow. Though pierced and dissolving into reincarnation light, Houtu continues the fusion.
• Laozi creates three incarnations through “One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones.” Together with Nuwa, they supply him with power so he can push the Pangu Primordial Spirit toward the physical form.
• Zhunti restrains Hongjun long enough to buy the others time, declaring that he will defend the Western Lands even at the cost of his life. Hongjun breaks free and kills him. Blood rains across the Primordial World, and Zhunti’s statue at Spirit Mountain goes dark, confirming that a Saint has fallen.

Character developments and interactions

• Houtu acts with resolute self-sacrifice, continuing her task despite a mortal wound. Her address to Nuwa as “Senior Sister” revives their earlier closeness; Nuwa responds warmly and agrees to hold the formation.
• Nuwa, Laozi, and the other Saints cooperate under immense strain to sustain the formations and bring Pangu’s spirit and body together.
• Jieyin twice risks himself to protect Houtu and later reacts in anguish to Zhunti’s death.
• Zhunti transforms fear into defiance, standing against Hongjun out of loyalty to the Western Lands and its people. His sacrifice gives the others time but costs him his life.
• Hongjun grows increasingly enraged at the resistance. A brief change in his eyes hints at something unsettling beneath his usual demeanor.

Significant themes

• Sacrifice and duty: Houtu and Zhunti accept devastating personal costs for a greater cause.
• Unity against overwhelming power: Witches, Saints, and formations combine their strength to challenge Hongjun.
• Loyalty and belonging: Zhunti’s devotion to the Western Lands defines his final stand, while Houtu and Nuwa’s sisterly bond resurfaces under pressure.
• The cost of resistance: The effort to reunite Pangu’s spirit and body continues, but the struggle claims a Saint and leaves Houtu’s fate uncertain.