Chapter Summaries

• Bi’an is defeated at Mount Buzhou: Jiu Feng beats the Dragon Prince in a brief fight. Hou Yi stops her from attacking again, gives Bi’an a wreath as a condolence gift from Gungun, and tells him the Witch Race does not welcome dragons because Ao Yue serves as a Dharma Protector of the Demon Race. Bi’an leaves a magically sealed letter from Ao Yue for Gungun and departs.
• Ao Yue learns the mission failed: Contacting Bi’an by spell, Ao Yue hears that the Witch Race barred him from the mountain and that Hou Yi received the letter. Though concerned the Witches may discover its contents, Ao Yue does not blame Bi’an. He plans to visit Gungun himself after Torch Dragon’s funeral.
• Kunpeng calls for war: At the Heavenly Court, the Demon Master urges Dijun to send 300,000 troops against the Dragon Race, arguing that Ao Yue’s allegiance does not mean the Dragon Race has submitted to the court—and that the Four Seas’ resources should belong to the Demon Race. Dijun is tempted but hesitant because Ao Yue is Taiyi’s Dharma Protector.
• Taiyi intervenes: Taiyi arrives in anger, declares the Dragon Race under his protection, and threatens Kunpeng. He summons the Demon-Summoning Banner, leaving the confrontation unresolved as the chapter ends.
  Character developments and interactions: Bi’an remains courteous despite Jiu Feng’s insults and defeat, while Jiu Feng is openly contemptuous of him. Hou Yi acts as mediator, protecting the injured Bi’an and accepting Ao Yue’s letter. Ao Yue shows trust in Bi’an and concern about the letter’s secrecy. Kunpeng’s ambition to expand Demon Race control clashes with Taiyi’s personal loyalty to Ao Yue and the Dragon Race; Dijun is caught between political gain and Taiyi’s authority.
  Themes: The chapter explores political ambition, divided loyalties, and the difference between an individual’s allegiance and their people’s independence. The Dragon Race’s refusal to submit—and the Witches’ distrust of its Demon Court ties—sets up a broader struggle for territory and power.

Key plot points and events

• Taiyi nearly kills Kunpeng with the Demon-Summoning Banner after Kunpeng proposes a campaign against the Dragon Race. Dijun intervenes, takes the banner, and postpones any decision until he can consult Ao Yue.
• After the officials leave, Dijun reprimands Taiyi for threatening the Demon Master in public and risking Kunpeng’s loyalty.
• Taiyi argues that Kunpeng and Ao Yue’s blood feud makes their coexistence dangerous, and that removing Kunpeng could persuade the Dragon Race to join the Heavenly Court.
• Dijun refuses to sacrifice a powerful ally. He says the court must manage rivalries among its many subject races rather than try to eliminate every feud.
• Worried that Ao Yue’s long absence signals he may leave, Taiyi is sent to the East Sea to speak with him and invite the Dragon Race to join the Demon Race under generous terms. Dijun says he will personally keep the Demon-Summoning Banner from Taiyi.
• Taiyi departs for the East Sea, privately hoping to deal with Kunpeng after the War of the Liches.

Character developments and interactions

• Dijun acts as both ruler and elder brother: he prevents violence, protects Kunpeng’s political value, and insists on maintaining order across the Demon Race. Though angry with Taiyi, he redirects him toward diplomacy with Ao Yue.
• Taiyi reveals that his concern for Ao Yue outweighs his brother’s broader strategy. He believes Kunpeng’s feud with Ao Yue threatens the court, but ultimately obeys Dijun—while retaining a future plan to kill Kunpeng.
• Kunpeng escapes immediate danger and leaves knowing Dijun has not yet committed to attacking the Dragon Race. His proposal has nevertheless sharpened the conflict between him and Ao Yue.
• Ao Yue, though absent, is central to the dispute. His distance from the Heavenly Court worries Taiyi, while Dijun assumes his absence is simply due to his ties to Torch Dragon and the East Sea.

Significant themes

• Personal loyalty versus political duty: Taiyi acts to protect Ao Yue, while Dijun prioritizes the court’s stability and military needs.
• Managing conflict rather than erasing it: Dijun accepts that a vast alliance will contain rivalries and seeks to keep them from undermining the larger cause.
• Power, restraint, and ambition: Taiyi has the strength to challenge Kunpeng but yields to Dijun; his concealed intent suggests the danger remains unresolved.
• Political integration through compromise: Dijun offers the Dragon Race autonomy and positions in the Heavenly Court to secure its allegiance.

Chapter summary

• Plot and events: This is an author’s note about the book’s subscription performance, not a story chapter. The first paid chapter received 1,200 subscriptions—respectable, but below the author’s hopes. Subscription numbers vary widely, and some readers have stopped reading after the first paid chapter.
• Character development: No fictional characters appear or change. Author Old Dream speaks directly to readers, describing the work as a personal creative project and explaining that subscription income helps cover living expenses.
• Themes: The note emphasizes the challenges of writing for a niche audience, the effects of differing versions and settings on reader expectations, and the importance of supporting creators through official subscriptions.
• Interactions: Old Dream appeals to readers to keep following the story and, if they can afford it, enable automatic subscriptions. The note closes with thanks and a bow of gratitude.

Chapter summary

Key events

• Houtu gathers Gungun and the shamans on Mount Buzhou and asks him to dance for their amusement, citing his earlier performances while dealing with resentful energy and demons.
• Gungun resists, but the shamans offer him spirit fruits, wine, weapons, and jars of beast milk. Hou Yi adds rare milk from a powerful Cloud-Hunting Leopard.
• Faced with the growing pile of gifts—and the group’s cheerful insistence—Gungun finally agrees, while insisting to himself that he is giving in to their enthusiasm, not performing for rewards.
• Houtu adds instructions: Gungun should dance before his Spirit-Washing Cauldron and beat a drum. Gungun realizes this resembles the ritual-like Spirit-Communing Dance used to control the cauldron.
• He decides to use the occasion to cleanse the demon souls and resentful energy inside the cauldron, using the Purification Drum rather than the World-Cleansing White Lotus. He begins dancing before the assembled shamans.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun remains proud and theatrically indignant about being treated like a performing bear, but his fondness for valuable food and gifts undermines his resistance. He turns the unwanted performance into a chance to handle work he already needed to do.
• Houtu is playful and persistent, using both encouragement and gifts to persuade him. Her request to include the cauldron and drum also points Gungun toward a practical purpose for the dance.
• Hou Yi joins the encouragement, contributes a particularly tempting gift, and promises to dance with Gungun afterward.
• The shamans eagerly cheer Gungun on, seeing the dance as a welcome diversion from their dull routine rather than understanding its deeper significance.

Significant themes

• Pride versus temptation: Gungun defends his dignity even as rewards steadily win him over.
• Community and amusement: The shamans’ friendly, collective enthusiasm turns the event into group entertainment.
• A useful purpose beneath comedy: What begins as a silly performance also serves as a ritual to purify the cauldron.

Chapter Summary: “Spirit-Communing Dance”

• Gungun purifies the demon souls: Gungun performs the Spirit-Communing Dance before the Spirit-Washing Cauldron, chanting its incantation while beating the Purification Drum. The cauldron opens and releases a black pillar of light as it erases the souls’ memories and drains their magical power.
• Bifang’s grudge is revealed: Bifang recognizes Gungun and threatens to seek revenge after reincarnation. Gungun dismisses the threat, still unaware of the full history behind Bifang’s anger. Houtu explains to Hou Yi that, during an earlier battle, Gungun fled in panic at the sound of Taiyi’s Chaos Bell and accidentally sent Bifang flying, leaving him vulnerable to Xingtian. Bifang had mistaken the mishap for a deliberate attack.
• Houtu orders a secret killing: Though Gungun dislikes destroying primordial spirits and will likely release Bifang’s soul to reincarnate, Houtu tells Hou Yi to follow it secretly and kill Bifang permanently. Hou Yi agrees.
• The witches join Gungun’s dance: What begins as an amusing spectacle turns into a communal celebration. Great Shamans Ganzhu and Minxian join Gungun, followed by more witches, and eventually Hou Yi. Houtu permits them to join so long as everyone is enjoying themselves.
• The dance’s purpose is explained: Gungun tells Hou Yi that beings at the Heavenly Immortal level can channel magical power through the dance to commune with the cauldron and use its power against departed souls. The incantation, unlike the dance, requires sufficient primordial-spirit strength. Intrigued, Hou Yi and several Great Shamans begin channeling their own power.

Character Developments and Themes

Gungun remains cheerful and irreverent even while carrying out a grim task, and his accidental role in Bifang’s earlier injury underscores his chaotic, often oblivious nature. Hou Yi moves from amused observer to willing participant, while Houtu balances indulgence toward the witches with a concealed plan to eliminate Bifang. The chapter mixes ritual and comedy with darker themes of revenge, reincarnation, and the moral tension between releasing a soul and destroying it permanently.

Plot and events

• While Gungun performs the Spirit-Communing Dance beside the Spirit-Washing Cauldron, Hou Yi and several Great Shamans try imitating him.
• Hou Yi discovers that dancing while channeling magical power lets him use the cauldron to draw in wandering souls from a vast area. The other witches begin doing the same.
• Gungun quickly cuts off their connection: the dance can bind souls, but only someone with a primordial spirit can complete the work of cleansing and preparing them for reincarnation. That would leave Gungun with an overwhelming backlog.
• Houtu proposes storing captured souls in the cauldron and having members of Gungun’s Iron-Eating Beast Clan help process them. After learning that sufficiently powerful dancers can commune with the cauldron from afar—with the incantation-holder’s permission—she orders Gungun to teach the Spirit-Communing Dance to the entire Witch Race.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun is protective of his time and reluctant to take on more work, but explains the dance’s limits and eventually agrees to teach it. His comic frustration contrasts with the witches’ enthusiasm.
• Hou Yi is excited by the dance’s potential as a weapon against the Demon Race, but worries that its usefulness is limited if Gungun alone must handle every captured soul.
• Houtu responds pragmatically: she seeks ways to distribute the workload, then recognizes the dance’s strategic value and expands its use across the Witch Race.
• The witches eagerly follow Hou Yi’s lead, turning Gungun’s private ritual into a potential collective military technique.

Significant themes

• Collective power versus individual burden: The witches can capture souls together, but their lack of primordial spirits leaves Gungun responsible for the difficult final steps.
• Practical innovation: A ritual meant for spiritual purification is unexpectedly adapted into a tool with military potential.
• Authority and control: Access to the cauldron depends on Gungun’s incantation, allowing him to regulate who can use it and when.

Key plot points and events

• Houtu orders Gungun to teach the Spirit-Communing Dance to the Witch Race. Though mortified, he gives in when she and the Great Shamans pressure him.
• Hundreds of thousands of witches gather to learn the dance. The Ancestral Witches initially question its value, since they had expected Gungun to create witch script, but Dijiang recognizes that the dance can restrain demon souls—especially when paired with the Spirit-Washing Cauldron.
• Houtu tells Gungun to announce the dance to Heaven. Though he resists being remembered as a dancing instructor, the promise of merit changes his mind.
• Gungun declares the dance a Witch ritual for binding spirits, restraining souls, and conducting sacrifices. Heaven responds with a vast cloud of merit, which Gungun eagerly claims.
• Dijiang names him the Witch Race’s “Enlightenment Sage,” or Witch Scribe, and the gathered witches bow to him.

Character developments

• Gungun moves from embarrassed, unwilling instructor to enthusiastic claimant of merit. His vanity and dignity matter less once he realizes the dance may bring him spiritual reward.
• Houtu shows confidence in Gungun’s contribution and gently manipulates his reluctance by reminding him about merit.
• Dijiang demonstrates pragmatic leadership: he values anything that strengthens the Witch Race and formally recognizes Gungun’s achievement.
• The other Ancestral Witches shift from skepticism to acceptance after Dijiang explains the dance’s strategic use.

Significant themes

• Unexpected forms of cultural achievement: The Witch Race gains a meaningful tradition through dance rather than writing.
• Pragmatism over pride: The Ancestral Witches accept the dance because it offers practical protection, regardless of how unconventional it seems.
• Merit and recognition: Gungun’s embarrassment gives way to ambition when his teaching earns heavenly merit and a lasting title.

Character interactions

• Gungun’s comic resistance contrasts with Houtu’s firm insistence and the Great Shamans’ pressure.
• The Ancestral Witches debate the dance’s worth, with Dijiang guiding them toward a practical assessment.
• Houtu privately encourages Gungun to make the announcement, while Dijiang publicly elevates him before the Witch Race.
• The witches’ collective bow transforms Gungun from reluctant teacher into an honored cultural figure.

Key events

• Gungun’s Spirit-Communing Dance earns it a huge increase in merit and the title of Witch Scribe. Though it could use that merit to pursue a major breakthrough, it chooses to preserve it as future protection. It is embarrassed that the dance has made it famous across the Primordial World.
• Kunpeng feels insulted that Gungun now holds a position comparable to his own as Demon Master. Meanwhile, Dijun worries that the dance could weaken the Demon Race by restraining spirits, and decides to visit Fuxi.
• On Mount Kunlun, the Three Pure Ones discuss Gungun’s achievement, then fall into their familiar dispute over Tongtian’s disciples. Laozi stops the argument.
• Nuwa, frustrated by her inability to discover how to fulfill her Great Dao, rejects Fuxi’s suggestions for an outing until he proposes Mount Buzhou. They set off to visit Houtu and see the newly titled Witch Scribe.
• Gungun shows the witches the remaining dance movements, projected in the sky, and they respectfully call it “Witch Scribe.” Houtu arrives and comments that she never expected Gungun to be “this sort of bear,” leaving it confused.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun values merit and security over immediate power, but its comic pride is wounded by its new reputation as a dancing teacher. Its self-image as a fearsome Great God clashes with the witches’ affectionate respect.
• Kunpeng resents Gungun’s rise, while Dijun responds more strategically, recognizing the dance as a possible threat to demons.
• Nuwa feels inadequate beside others’ achievements, but Fuxi reassures her and encourages her to seek insight through travel. Their sibling relationship is warm and teasing.
• Yuanshi and Tongtian continue to clash over Tongtian’s disciples; Laozi acts as the mediator.
• Houtu treats Gungun fondly, though her remark about its character surprises it.

Significant themes

• Merit versus power: Gungun sees merit as a lasting safeguard, not merely a resource to spend on cultivation.
• Reputation and identity: Gungun’s public fame conflicts with the formidable image it wants to maintain.
• Rivalry and political consequences: The dance’s spiritual effects may alter the balance between witches and demons.
• The difficulty of the Great Dao: Nuwa’s struggle emphasizes that creating a dance or script is not comparable to pursuing Sainthood.

Key events

• Gungun finishes teaching the Witch Race the Spirit-Communing Dance and asks Houtu for a hundred-thousand-year break. She agrees, amused by his escape, while wondering about his odd explanation that dance lessons incur more karmic debt than writing.
• Alone in his hall, Gungun admits he is embarrassed about teaching the dance, then gives up worrying and falls asleep.
• Three days later, Fuxi and Nuwa visit Mount Buzhou. Houtu says the Witch Race will use the million-year truce with the demons to govern the earth, do good, and let its inhabitants prosper—an approach that surprises Xuanming. Houtu covers for Gungun by saying he is in seclusion recovering from damage to his primordial spirit.
• In the East Sea, Ao Yue rejects Taiyi’s proposal to merge the Dragon Race into the Demon Race, though he is willing to join the Heavenly Court himself to repay a debt. Remembering Torch Dragon’s instructions, he prepares to visit Gungun at the Iron-Eating Forest and sends for gifts, including dragon milk.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun remains comic and self-conscious, but his teaching has helped the Witch Race catch up with the Demon Race. He secures a long rest and retreats from further attention.
• Houtu shows growing concern for practical governance and publicly presents a peaceful plan for the truce. She protects Gungun’s privacy with a plausible excuse.
• Xuanming is caught off guard by Houtu’s unexpectedly benevolent plans, while Nuwa and Fuxi respond approvingly.
• Ao Yue draws a firm boundary between his personal obligations and the Dragon Race’s independence. His decision to seek out Gungun suggests he values Gungun’s counsel or connection.

Significant themes

• Service and reward: Gungun’s contribution earns him rest, even as the chapter jokes about “payment” and karmic debt.
• Peaceful governance versus militarization: The Witch Race must decide how to use the million-year truce; Houtu favors public welfare, though Xuanming’s instinct is continued military training.
• Loyalty and independence: Ao Yue can honor his own obligations without surrendering his clan’s legacy or autonomy.

Plot points and events

• Ao Yue receives a basket of the Dragon Race’s finest Spirit Fruits and several jars of dragon milk from Bi’an. He thanks him, asks after his injuries, and tells him to rest and use the treasury’s medicines if needed.
• Ao Yue recalls Bi’an’s clash with Great Shaman Jiu Feng and vows to settle the debt if they meet again. He also reflects on Torch Dragon’s instructions: the Dragon Race’s opportunity depends on obtaining the Vermilion Bird Banner and Qilin Seal.
• After sleeping for three days, Gungun earns 1,000 Lazy Fish Points and buys the system’s limited-time Heaven-Earth Bowl, a Supreme-Grade Innate Spirit Treasure that can seal vast spaces. The purchase leaves it with 9,762,300 points.
• A Lesser Witch summons Gungun to meet Houtu and visitors Fuxi and Nuwa. Gungun initially ignores the summons while inspecting its new treasure, but gets up when it hears Nuwa is there.
• At a gathering in Gungun’s orchard, Nuwa teases Houtu about Gungun’s greed, its miniature Penglai built from borrowed spirit soil, and an old trick in which it disguised itself, lured Ox Ancestor into chasing it, then beat him. Houtu coughs and struggles to defend her pet.

Character developments

• Ao Yue appears protective of Bi’an and increasingly determined to advance the Dragon Race’s fortunes, while holding a grudge against Jiu Feng.
• Gungun’s defining laziness persists, but its excitement over rare treasures quickly overcomes its sleepiness. It also dislikes being addressed by its formal new title, “Witch Scribe.”
• Nuwa is playful and sharp-tongued, showing she knows Gungun’s history well. Houtu remains fond of Gungun but is embarrassed by its reputation.

Significant themes

• Power and ambition: Ao Yue’s plans revolve around recovering powerful artifacts to restore the Dragon Race’s prospects.
• Greed and comic self-interest: Gungun’s treasure-hunting and opportunistic behavior provide humor and contrast with the chapter’s political concerns.
• Reputation and familiarity: Nuwa’s teasing reveals that Gungun’s misdeeds are well known, even among powerful figures.

Character interactions

• Ao Yue treats Bi’an warmly and appreciatively, though both remain mindful of the Dragon Race’s burdens.
• The Lesser Witch approaches Gungun deferentially and warns it not to offend Nuwa; Gungun responds casually and reluctantly agrees to go.
• Nuwa jokes with Houtu about Gungun’s past, while Houtu’s awkward reaction suggests she recognizes the stories are true.

Key plot points and events

• Nuwa and Houtu discuss Gungun’s past theft of milk from the Ox Ancestor. Houtu argues that, in the brutal Primordial World, his actions were not especially wicked—and that he spared the Ox Ancestor’s life.
• Nuwa summons Gungun, who arrives by being dropped from the air and complains about the rough landing. He greets Nuwa and Fuxi.
• Nuwa teases Gungun about his weight and lack of dignity. Houtu and Xuanming defend him, noting that he is now a Witch Scribe.
• Nuwa explains that she wants to learn from Gungun’s understanding of the Witch Dance, hoping it will deepen her comprehension of the Creation Dao. She restores his damaged primordial spirit with creation divine power, then begins expounding the Dao.
• After listening—or appearing to listen—for several hours, Gungun is caught dozing. To cover himself, he asks Nuwa to use her creation power to help him plant a bitter bamboo shoot.

Character developments and interactions

• Houtu shows fierce affection and protectiveness toward Gungun, defending his behavior and dignity while quietly enjoying Nuwa’s frustration.
• Gungun remains irreverent, food-minded, and easily distracted, but is respectful toward powerful figures when prompted. His request at the end reveals that practical interests matter more to him than abstract instruction.
• Nuwa is confident and generous: she heals Gungun and shares her Dao knowledge, but also enjoys teasing him and expects him to take the discussion seriously.
• Xuanming backs Houtu’s defense of Gungun and reminds Nuwa that he is a Witch Scribe. Fuxi is present as a calm, approving observer.
• The group’s banter reflects familiar affection: Houtu and Xuanming indulge Gungun, while Nuwa alternates between playful criticism and genuine care.

Significant themes

• Different moral codes: Houtu judges Gungun by the harsh, survival-driven standards of the Primordial World, while Nuwa’s offer to “discipline” him suggests a more conventional ideal of virtue.
• Affection beneath teasing: The characters mock and scold one another, but their exchanges convey closeness and concern.
• The contrast between lofty Dao and everyday appetite: Nuwa’s profound exposition is undercut by Gungun’s sleepiness and his request for help growing food.

Key plot points and events

• Nuwa challenges Gungun over apparently sleeping during her lecture on the Dao. To avoid her displeasure, Gungun theatrically praises her and addresses her as “Lady Nuwa,” amusing Fuxi and easing Nuwa’s irritation.
• Fuxi gives Gungun a spiritually potent pumpkin as a reward. Nuwa questions Fuxi’s claim that she is in a good mood, then asks Gungun how he came to understand the Witch Dance.
• Gungun explains that the dance was already inscribed in his innate Spirit-Washing Cauldron. He argues that using something innate accords with the natural order, while admitting that laziness also made it an appealing shortcut.
• Gungun’s comments about the innate prompt Nuwa to rethink her Creation Great Dao. The Primordial Purple Qi within her stirs, and she gains a flash of insight.
• Recognizing that Nuwa is entering a deeper state of comprehension, Fuxi removes Gungun so she will not be disturbed. He brings him to Houtu and Xuanming, where Gungun promptly starts eating the pumpkin.
• Fuxi explains that Gungun’s account helped Nuwa advance toward sagehood. Houtu and Xuanming worry, since they would prefer that no second sage arise in the Primordial World.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun remains irreverent, food-loving, and quick-witted. His exaggerated flattery defuses Nuwa’s anger, while his unconventional reasoning—part philosophy, part laziness—accidentally inspires her.
• Nuwa moves from annoyance to reluctant amusement, then from questioning Gungun to serious contemplation. His words give her a new angle on her Creation Great Dao.
• Fuxi is affectionate and protective of Nuwa. He rewards Gungun for cheering her up, teases his sister, and swiftly clears the room when she gains insight.
• Houtu and Xuanming are surprised by Nuwa’s progress and share concern about the political and spiritual consequences of another sage.

Significant themes

• Nature and the innate: Gungun’s belief that the natural, innate way can be preferable to deliberately created methods sparks Nuwa’s insight.
• Unexpected wisdom: A casual, partly self-serving explanation can carry profound implications.
• Blessing amid danger: Fuxi contrasts the world’s reputation for perilous competition with Gungun’s seemingly effortless, food-filled good fortune.
• The consequences of enlightenment: Nuwa’s advance is a spiritual breakthrough, but one that others view with apprehension.

Plot points

• With Nuwa deep in Dao comprehension, Fuxi asks to remain at Mount Buzhou to guard her. Houtu agrees, though she and Xuanming privately dislike the possibility that Nuwa could become a sage.
• Houtu takes Gungun to the Houtu Tribe’s camp and confronts it for helping Nuwa gain an insight. She fears a sage might threaten the Witch Race, especially in the coming Witch–Demon conflict.
• Gungun argues that Nuwa cannot become a sage from a few words alone, and that a sage must follow Heaven’s will. It also suggests that Nuwa might remember a debt of kindness if she does attain sagehood.
• Testing Gungun’s loyalty, Houtu asks whether it would leave her for Nuwa. Gungun firmly says no, while privately imagining future titles and ambitions Houtu does not understand.
• Houtu hears Gungun’s thoughts but conceals this, choosing instead to soothe it with a fresh fruit and ask how she can comprehend the Reincarnation Great Dao.
• Gungun realizes Houtu’s interest in reincarnation may have arisen from watching its earlier actions with the Demon Souls. It warns that Houtu’s incomplete Primordial Spirit and lack of Primordial Purple Qi make attaining a Great Dao difficult, and suggests reincarnation may be its Dao. Houtu dismisses this and calls Gungun’s path the “Silence Dao”—nearly calling it the “Lazy Dao.”

Character developments and interactions

• Fuxi acts as Nuwa’s protective, responsible brother and recognizes the political tension behind the Witches’ politeness. He privately feels indebted to Gungun.
• Houtu shifts from anger and suspicion to affection and curiosity. Her anxiety over Nuwa’s potential power reveals how seriously she views threats to the Witch Race, while her hidden ability to hear Gungun’s thoughts gives her a new advantage.
• Gungun remains comically food-motivated and evasive, but its thoughts reveal ambition beneath its apparent laziness. It is startled to learn that its actions may have shaped Houtu’s path toward reincarnation.
• The exchanges between Houtu and Gungun mix genuine concern, teasing, and manipulation: she scolds it, tests its loyalty, placates it, and then seeks its guidance.

Significant themes

• Destiny and influence: Small actions may set others on a path toward major revelations, as Gungun’s conduct may have inspired Houtu’s interest in reincarnation.
• Power and political fear: The prospect of Nuwa becoming a sage alarms Houtu because divine power could alter the balance of the Witch–Demon conflict.
• Loyalty and self-interest: Gungun professes loyalty to Houtu, while privately weighing its own future ambitions.
• Knowledge and concealment: Houtu hides that she can hear Gungun’s thoughts, while Gungun is forced to guard its own thoughts as the conversation turns unexpectedly serious.

Key plot points

• Gungun gives Houtu the Falling Treasure Coin, claiming its ability to turn fortune into treasures—and those treasures into useful things—makes it a model of transformation and, by extension, reincarnation.
• Houtu accepts the explanation and takes the coin to study, hoping it might help her comprehend the Dao despite her incomplete Primordial Spirit and lack of primordial purple qi. She warns Gungun not to see Nuwa again, since Nuwa’s future rise to sagehood could harm their interests.
• Gungun recalls his promised hundred-thousand-year leave and quickly departs for the Iron-Eating Forest, worried that his presence might give Houtu more ideas and hasten her realization of reincarnation.
• At Crouching Bear Hall, the Iron-Eating Beasts welcome Gungun as their Ancestral Bear and ruler. He enters a hidden minor world and places the Twelfth-Grade Pure World White Lotus above its lotus pond, asking it to protect his fortune after the War of the Liches.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun uses earnest-sounding but self-serving logic to persuade Houtu to take the coin, then flees to delay her progress toward reincarnation. He remains torn between wanting to become Nether Emperor and fearing that Houtu will achieve that role first.
• Houtu is intrigued by Gungun’s argument and determined to prove that she can attain the Great Dao despite her limitations. She shows both gratitude toward Gungun and concern about Nuwa’s future influence.
• Gungun and the Iron-Eating Beasts interact as monarch and subjects: they bow to him, and he grants them permission to rise.

Significant themes

• Transformation and reincarnation: Houtu’s search for the Reincarnation Great Dao is framed through Gungun’s deliberately loose analogy between transformation, fortune, and treasures.
• Ambition and self-interest: Gungun helps Houtu while simultaneously trying to delay her, protecting his own aspirations.
• Fortune and future conflict: The white lotus is entrusted with safeguarding Gungun’s luck against losses expected after the War of the Liches.

Plot points and events

• Gungun eats two seeds from the World-Cleansing White Lotus, gaining a warm surge of divine power. Thinking about the future War of the Liches—and humanity’s coming suffering—he worries that his power cannot change the larger course of events. He hopes the lotus can help him protect the people and gods he cares about.
• Half a month later, Ao Yue arrives at the Iron-Eating Forest to visit Gungun. The guards are impressed by the Dragon Prince’s status but also reveal that the clan has powerful defenses and a Taiyi Golden Immortal stationed at its entrance.
• Gungun, initially asleep, agrees to receive Ao Yue. After offering Gungun a basket of spirit fruit and beast milk, Ao Yue asks to borrow the Vermilion Bird Banner to remove the extreme yin cold afflicting several Dragon Clan elders injured in the Dark Sea.
• Gungun offers to heal the elders himself, but Ao Yue insists on borrowing the banner and proposes leaving his Dragon God Heaven-Slaying Halberd as collateral. Gungun declines the halberd and instead asks for one of three other treasures—the Azure Dragon Whip, Black Tortoise Seal, or White Tiger Token—as collateral. The chapter ends with Ao Yue looking displeased and Gungun misunderstanding his reaction.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun is shown to be lazy and fond of food, but also deeply anxious about future disasters and determined to protect those he values. He is cautious about incurring obligations, waiting to hear Ao Yue’s request before accepting his gifts. His insistence on valuable collateral contrasts with his claim of generosity.
• Ao Yue is respectful and sincere, seeking help for injured members of his clan. He offers his own weapon as security and is willing to meet Gungun’s conditions, though Gungun’s counteroffer appears to trouble him.
• Their interaction is cordial but comic: Ao Yue brings gifts and makes a careful request, while Gungun’s appetite and businesslike caution shape the negotiation.

Significant themes

• Responsibility and power: Gungun fears that he cannot prevent great historical calamities, yet hopes to protect those close to him.
• Trust and obligation: Both characters navigate the risks of favors and borrowed treasures, with Gungun insisting on collateral.
• Comic contrast: Gungun’s solemn concern for the future sits alongside his sleepiness, appetite, and unexpectedly demanding bargaining.

Key plot points and events

• Ao Yue seeks to borrow Gungun’s Vermilion Bird Banner to treat an elder of the Dragon Race. Gungun asks for one of three specific treasures as collateral, making both of them suspect the other knows the secret of the Five Numinous Treasures.
• They reveal what they know: Ao Yue holds the Azure Dragon Whip, Black Tortoise Seal, and White Tiger Token; Gungun has the Vermilion Bird Banner and once held the Qilin Seal, which he gave to Four-Unlike in exchange for the Qilin Clan’s submission to the Witch Race.
• Gungun refuses to lend the banner but proposes that they cooperate to gather all five treasures and claim the merit for saving the world. After playful haggling, they settle on a 40–60 merit split, with 40 percent for Gungun and 60 for Ao Yue.
• To overcome their mutual distrust, Gungun persuades Ao Yue to link the fortunes of their clans. They jointly petition the Heavenly Dao, which approves the pact.
• Taiyi in the Heavenly Court and Houtu on Mount Buzhou both sense the alliance and curse Gungun and Ao Yue.

Character developments and interactions

• Ao Yue begins suspicious and guarded, but becomes more open after learning that Gungun shares his knowledge and ambitions. Though he finds Gungun’s grand claims ridiculous, he ultimately accepts the risk of joining their clans’ fortunes.
• Gungun is shrewd and persuasive beneath his comic, boastful manner. He frames the alliance as mutual insurance and appeals to both clans’ hopes of rising through world-saving merit.
• Their conversation shifts from wary bargaining to candid exchange and an unusually binding partnership. Their shared goals—protecting their clans and gaining merit—help bridge their political differences as Demon and Witch allies.

Significant themes

• Trust and mutual dependence: Linking clan fortunes makes betrayal costly and cooperation beneficial.
• Ambition and survival: Both characters hope that merit from saving the world can revive or elevate their declining or lesser-known clans.
• Comedy alongside high stakes: Gungun’s shameless negotiation and extravagant dreams contrast with the serious consequences of binding two clans’ destinies.
• Political compromise: Despite their opposing affiliations, the characters find common ground in a shared objective.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points

• Furious that the Dragon Race has linked its fate with the Iron-Eating Beast Clan rather than the Demon Race, Dijun orders Taiyi to go to the Iron-Eating Forest and persuade Gungun, the Ancestral Bear, to join the Heavenly Court. He gives Taiyi the Demon-Summoning Banner for the mission and orders him to bring Ao Yue back under guard.
• Taiyi warns that the Dao Ancestor has forbidden a major Witch–Demon war for a million years. Dijun says he will first try persuasion, but threatens to cut off sunlight, moonlight, and starlight from the forest if Gungun refuses.
• Houtu learns that Gungun linked the Iron-Eating Beast Clan’s destiny with the Dragon Race’s. She suspects Ao Yue is using Gungun to protect the Dragon Race from the coming Witch–Demon conflict, and sets out to confront them.
• Gungun and Ao Yue complete the alliance between their clans. Gungun reassures Ao Yue about a future catastrophe and asks him to seize the Yin-Yang Two-Qi Vase from Golden Roc, Kunpeng’s younger brother. Ao Yue refuses, insisting he will settle his grievance with Kunpeng personally and will not attack a weaker opponent.
• Sensing Taiyi’s arrival, Gungun hurriedly activates the forest’s formation and raises the Heaven-Earth Bowl as an additional defense. Taiyi’s golden fireball strikes the bowl at the chapter’s end.

Character developments and interactions

• Dijun is angered by the Dragon Race’s decision but remains willing to trust Taiyi with the Demon Race’s supreme treasure. His orders reveal both political urgency and a readiness to pressure Gungun.
• Taiyi remains loyal to Dijun, though he is uneasy about violating the Dao Ancestor’s prohibition and reluctant to act against Ao Yue.
• Houtu is protective of Gungun and distrustful of Ao Yue, whom she sees as a shrewd political schemer. Her frustration is directed at both Ao Yue’s influence and Gungun’s apparent naivety.
• Gungun is confident in his long-term plans but casual about the coming disaster. He tries to recruit Ao Yue to obtain a treasure, using Kunpeng’s past attack as leverage.
• Ao Yue remains cautious about Gungun’s predictions and refuses to exploit Golden Roc for revenge, valuing personal honor over an easy opportunity.

Significant themes

• Political alliances and survival: The Dragon Race’s tie to the Iron-Eating Beast Clan may help it avoid the worst consequences of the coming conflict.
• Loyalty versus autonomy: Dijun seeks to bring Gungun into the Heavenly Court, while Gungun has already made an independent alliance.
• Honor and revenge: Ao Yue rejects Gungun’s plan to target a weaker opponent and insists on confronting Kunpeng directly.
• Foreknowledge and danger: Gungun knows a catastrophe is coming, but his confidence contrasts with Ao Yue’s doubts and the escalating threats around them.

Plot points and events

• Gungun uses the Heaven-Earth Bowl to shield the Iron-Eating Forest and its inhabitants from Eastern Emperor Taiyi’s solar true fire. The treasure withstands the attack, and Gungun reassures the clan that their home is safer than the recently destroyed Wutong Forest.
• Taiyi confronts Gungun and Ao Yue, questioning Gungun about the bowl and accusing Ao Yue of tying the Dragon Race’s fortune to the Iron-Eating Beast Clan—and, indirectly, to the Witch Race.
• Taiyi demands that Gungun submit to the Heavenly Court, offering him a Demon God title, three treasures, and a future post as a Demon Sage. He threatens to cut the forest off from the sun, moon, and stars, preventing the clan from cultivating, and to destroy it after the Dao Ancestor’s million-year deadline.
• Ao Yue tries to defend his decision and offers to swear that the Dragon Race will not aid the Witches against the demons. Taiyi says the Dragon Race can no longer stay out of the conflict, especially since the Heavenly Emperor is determined to seize the Four Seas.
• Faced with Taiyi’s ultimatum, Gungun denounces the Demon Race’s coercive rule and its destruction of Penglai and the Wutong Forest. Taiyi responds with more solar fire, but the bowl’s barrier holds.
• Taiyi summons the Chaos Bell. Its toll shatters the barrier, leaving Gungun’s confidence in the bowl—and its supposed vulnerability only to the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe—thoroughly shaken.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun shifts from nervous reassurance to open defiance, choosing to confront Taiyi rather than submit. Its thoughts reveal that its alliance with the Dragon Race was partly motivated by the future promise of dragon-related fortune.
• Ao Yue remains respectful toward Taiyi but stands by his choice to link the Dragon Race’s fortune with Gungun’s clan. He is alarmed by Taiyi’s threats and by Gungun’s sudden boldness.
• Taiyi is shown as both politically calculating and ruthless: he sees the alliance as a threat to Demon Race control and is willing to endanger an entire clan to enforce submission.

Significant themes

• Power and coercion: Taiyi’s offer of advancement is paired with threats, showing how the Demon Race secures obedience.
• Loyalty and political neutrality: Ao Yue insists the Dragon Race serves its own interests, while Taiyi argues that the looming war makes neutrality impossible.
• Courage and resistance: Gungun’s fear gives way to a risky stand against a vastly stronger opponent.
• The limits of protection: The Heaven-Earth Bowl initially appears nearly invincible, but the Chaos Bell demonstrates that even powerful defenses can be overcome.

Key plot points and events

• Eastern Emperor Taiyi’s Chaos Bell shatters both Gungun’s Heaven-Earth Bowl barrier and the Iron-Eating Forest’s Innate Kuiwood Grand Formation.
• Gungun sends the Iron-Eating Beasts to safety in Crouching Bear Hall, whose connection to the hidden Twelfth-Grade Pure World White Lotus protects those inside. He also uses a spell to move the stragglers there.
• Taiyi’s attack continues with fireballs raining down on the forest. Ao Yue transforms into a vast dragon and intercepts them, buying Gungun time.
• Gungun’s plan is to appeal to the Dao Ancestor, Hongjun. He publicly accuses Taiyi of disregarding Hongjun’s decrees and calls on him to intervene, framing Taiyi’s actions as a threat to the Dao Ancestor’s authority.
• Hongjun hears the appeal but gives no immediate visible response. However, Gungun’s public complaint alarms other powerful figures: Tongtian and Yuanshi appear and order Taiyi to withdraw. Zhunti also arrives, further escalating the confrontation.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun shifts from blustering confidence to desperate improvisation, but remains resourceful: he prioritizes his clan’s safety and uses public “tattling” as a political weapon.
• Ao Yue admits that he still wants Gungun to join the Heavenly Court, yet he helps defend the Iron-Eating Beasts rather than abandon Gungun. He intercepts Taiyi’s attacks despite knowing he is no match for him.
• Taiyi is shown acting aggressively and disregarding the limits imposed by Hongjun’s decrees. The arrival of rival powers visibly darkens his mood.
• Tongtian and Yuanshi intervene in defense of Hongjun’s authority, directly warning Taiyi to stop. Gungun’s accusations help draw them into the conflict.

Significant themes

• Political power and accountability: Gungun turns a personal crisis into a public challenge to Taiyi’s legitimacy.
• Cunning versus force: Though Taiyi’s magical power overwhelms Gungun’s defenses, Gungun survives by protecting his people and appealing to stronger political forces.
• Loyalty and complicated allegiances: Ao Yue serves the Demon Race and the Dragon Race, yet still chooses to help Gungun in the moment.
• The authority of decrees: Taiyi’s defiance raises the question of whether even the most powerful rulers must answer to higher authority.

Key plot points and events

• Laozi initially prepares to intervene but stands down when other powerful figures step forward. Jieyin readies himself to support Zhunti, while Fuxi decides Nuwa is safe and continues watching events unfold.
• Zhunti confronts Eastern Emperor Taiyi for invading the Iron-Eating Forest during the Dao Ancestor’s million-year truce. Yuanshi and Tongtian threaten to fight Taiyi in Chaos, and Zhunti offers to join them.
• Faced with the prospect of fighting all three, Taiyi withdraws, though he vows to destroy the Iron-Eating Beast Clan when the truce ends. Gungun boldly declares that the clan will resist him.
• Taiyi calls Ao Yue back to the Heavenly Court. Ao Yue chooses to obey, but he and Gungun promise to meet again—and Gungun promises to bring two Numinous Treasures.
• After Taiyi leaves, Zhunti gives Gungun the golden Great Dream Sutra, claiming he expects no repayment and is following the Dao Ancestor’s example of spreading teachings. Gungun accepts it while suspecting Zhunti has a hidden motive.
• Tongtian, Yuanshi, and Laozi all offer Gungun refuge or aid. Laozi cuts off the conversation between Kunlun and the forest to stop Yuanshi and Tongtian from arguing.
• Zhunti leaves after encouraging Gungun to read the sutra. Gungun surveys the damaged forest and laments the troubles that come with being exceptional. A cool, clear voice then speaks from behind it.

Character developments

• Taiyi is forced to restrain his anger and retreat, but remains resentful and threatens future revenge.
• Gungun shows both comic self-preservation and unexpected courage: it flatters powerful allies, stands up to Taiyi, and quietly plans to move the clan to the Underworld before the truce expires. Its acceptance of Zhunti’s sutra is strategic as well as grateful.
• Ao Yue remains loyal to Taiyi despite his bond with Gungun, choosing to return to the Heavenly Court while preserving their friendship and promise.
• Zhunti presents himself as a protector of the Dao Ancestor’s decree and a generous teacher, but Gungun suspects the sutra conceals an ulterior purpose.
• The Three Pure Ones reveal an interest in Gungun’s unusual origins, merit, and treasure. Laozi acts as the calm elder trying to manage his bickering brothers.

Significant themes

• Power and restraint: Taiyi’s strength is checked by the danger of facing multiple formidable opponents.
• Cleverness and survival: Gungun uses bold words, flattery, and future planning to protect itself and its clan.
• Political maneuvering beneath generosity: Zhunti’s gift may be less selfless than it appears, while Gungun recognizes that gifts can carry hidden intentions.
• Promises and loyalty: Ao Yue honors his duty to Taiyi without abandoning his friendship with Gungun.
• Reputation and merit: Gungun’s growing prominence attracts both protection and rivalry from the world’s great powers.