Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• The Witch Race and Demon Race arrive at Nuwa’s Wa Emperor Palace for her Dao sermon. Though the Witch and Demon leaders dislike one another, Dijiang reminds the Ancestral Witches that the Dao Ancestor’s truce is still in effect, and both groups proceed peacefully.
• At the palace entrance, Soaring Serpent welcomes the arriving Ancestral Witches and Iron-Eating Beasts, then reunites with Gungun.
• Gungun and Soaring Serpent tease each other about stealing milk and eggs. Their mock accusations draw confused looks from everyone around them, and the joking ends with Soaring Serpent chasing Gungun in anger over being called “stinking snake” and Gungun protesting that he is a guest.
• Houtu and Dijiang treat the quarrel as familiar play and lead the others into the palace. The Iron-Eating Beasts accompanying Gungun follow them.
• The Demon Race arrives just as Soaring Serpent is chasing Gungun. Kunpeng sees an opportunity to take back the Vermilion Bird Banner, which Gungun possesses.

Character developments and interactions

• Dijiang shows restraint and leadership, keeping the Ancestral Witches from provoking the demons during the truce.
• Dijun and Taiyi remain confident that the Demon Race will benefit more than the Witch Race from Nuwa’s sermon.
• Gungun and Soaring Serpent reveal a close, teasing friendship. Their exchange suggests they know embarrassing details about one another, but their banter quickly turns into a comic chase.
• Houtu responds warmly to their antics, while Dijiang recognizes their bond and lets them be.
• Kunpeng is opportunistic: he sees the chase as a chance to reclaim the banner without openly confronting Gungun.

Significant themes

• Truce and political rivalry: The Witch and Demon Races remain enemies, but the Dao Ancestor’s decree temporarily restrains them.
• Friendship through teasing: Gungun and Soaring Serpent’s insults mask familiarity and affection.
• Humor amid high-stakes gathering: The arrival of powerful beings for a Dao sermon is briefly overshadowed by the pair’s undignified squabble.
• Opportunity and ambition: Kunpeng immediately looks for a way to exploit the commotion for the Demon Race’s advantage.

Key plot points and events

• Kunpeng sees Soaring Serpent’s pursuit of Gungun as a chance to recover the Vermilion Bird Banner. He hopes that helping Nuwa’s battle pet will earn her favor and shield him from consequences.
• Bai Ze notices that the chase seems suspicious: despite both pursuers’ great power, neither uses magic, and Soaring Serpent—famed as the God of Deception—has not caught the slower Gungun.
• Kunpeng urges Dijun to seize Gungun and bring him before Nuwa, but Taiyi and Bai Ze advise against intervening. Dijun accepts their caution, and the Demon Race continues toward the Wa Emperor Palace.
• Soaring Serpent is surprised that the demons do not take his bait. He abandons the attempted setup, catches Gungun, and pins him down—only for Gungun to kick him away with a technique Soaring Serpent recognizes as his own.

Character developments

• Kunpeng remains patient and opportunistic, but backs off when his plan to involve the Demon Race is rejected.
• Bai Ze demonstrates keen judgment by spotting the inconsistencies in the chase and preventing the demons from being drawn into a political trap.
• Dijun is tempted by Kunpeng’s proposal but ultimately chooses caution after hearing Taiyi and Bai Ze.
• Soaring Serpent is exposed as a schemer, yet his plan fails when the demons refuse to intervene; his confidence returns when he attacks Gungun directly.
• Gungun appears comic and slow-moving, but shows he can counter Soaring Serpent with impressive force and skill.

Character interactions

• Kunpeng tries to persuade Dijun to act, while Taiyi and Bai Ze argue for restraint.
• Dijun praises Bai Ze’s strategic insight, reinforcing the Demon Race’s trust in him.
• Soaring Serpent and Gungun trade blows—and apparent signature techniques—in a slapstick exchange that suggests they may have learned from each other.

Significant themes

• Cunning and perception: Bai Ze’s careful observation defeats Soaring Serpent’s attempted deception.
• Political caution: The demons avoid turning a private dispute into a conflict between powerful factions.
• Patience and opportunism: Kunpeng waits for a better chance to reclaim the banner.
• Comic reversals: The chase and the battle undercut the characters’ grand reputations with absurd, playful surprises.

Plot points and events

• Gungun and Soaring Serpent accuse each other of stealing spells, then tumble into a childish fight.
• The Three Pure Ones—Laozi, Yuanshi, and Tongtian—arrive and catch them brawling. Tongtian finds the spectacle amusing and teases them; Yuanshi scolds him, while Laozi tells all three to stop arguing.
• Laozi praises Gungun’s fortune, cultivation, and grasp of the Dao, then secretly tells him something before the Three Pure Ones leave for Nuwa’s sermon.
• Soaring Serpent boasts about criticizing Laozi behind his back and is immediately struck by heavenly lightning. Gungun jokes that he looks cooked; Soaring Serpent recovers and complains.
• The two head to the Wa Emperor Palace for the sermon. Soaring Serpent reveals that Nuwa wants to meet Gungun afterward, leaving Gungun alarmed.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun and Soaring Serpent remain rivals but share a comic, familiar rapport, trading insults, fighting, and then traveling together.
• Tongtian is playful and provocative, even inviting the pair to keep fighting. Yuanshi acts as the stern elder, while Laozi is composed and authoritative.
• Laozi’s praise marks Gungun as unusually gifted and blessed, though the content of his private message is not revealed.
• Gungun is wary of Nuwa’s invitation, especially because Houtu has warned him to avoid her and he fears becoming entangled in future events. Soaring Serpent, by contrast, sees the meeting as a possible way for Gungun to secure a fallback amid the coming War of the Liches.

Significant themes

• Comic irreverence amid divine grandeur: even powerful immortals brawl, banter, and tease one another.
• Power and consequences: Soaring Serpent’s careless disrespect draws an immediate supernatural punishment.
• Loyalty, self-preservation, and uncertain allegiance: Gungun’s place as Houtu’s battle pet sits uneasily beside Soaring Serpent’s suggestion that he seek protection from Nuwa.
• Fate and foreshadowing: the coming sermon, Nuwa’s request, and the War of the Liches hint at dangers and choices ahead.

Key events

• Gungun and Soaring Serpent arrive at Nuwa’s palace bickering. Gungun greets the assembled gods respectfully; Nuwa rebukes Soaring Serpent for his casual manners.
• Ao Yue and Meng Zhang of the Dragon Race arrive, filling the last seats. Ao Yue exchanges a restrained greeting with Taiyi, who says he had planned to bring him.
• Nuwa expounds the Dao for a hundred years. The gathered immortals listen intently, while the Witch Race cannot benefit and sits through the discourse in frustration.
• Afterward, Nuwa rewards Gungun for insights it once offered her on Mount Buzhou: first with Spirit Spring Jade, then with the Yin-Yang Spirit Pearls. Gungun reacts indifferently to the jade but is delighted by the pearls.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun remains blunt and self-satisfied, tolerating Soaring Serpent’s teasing and quietly unimpressed by a gift it already owns several times over. Houtu understands its reaction and laughs.
• Soaring Serpent is irreverent with Nuwa, but quickly corrects himself when she demands proper respect.
• Nuwa is grateful to Gungun and generous with her gifts, though she briefly wonders why the jade does not please it. Its enthusiasm for the pearls reassures and pleases her.
• Ao Yue’s exchange with Taiyi hints at a complicated connection between them. Gungun and Ao Yue share a brief, cordial greeting.
• Patriarch Styx and the other listeners thank Nuwa; she recognizes that Styx gained insight, though not necessarily toward his eventual path to the Dao.

Significant themes

• Respect and hierarchy: Nuwa’s status as a Sage shapes the gathering and requires even familiar companions to observe ceremony.
• Gratitude and reward: Nuwa acknowledges Gungun’s past help through valuable gifts.
• Different paths to understanding: The Dao affects listeners differently, while the Witch Race’s inability to benefit underscores their separation from it.
• Humor and hidden abundance: Gungun’s deadpan response to the jade—and delight at the rarer pearls—adds comic contrast to the solemn discourse.

Key plot points and events

• Gungun receives a Spirit Spring Jade and two especially powerful Yin-Yang Spirit Pearls. It briefly imagines challenging Quasi-Saints, then remembers how many powerful figures could still defeat it and resolves to stay cautious.
• Nuwa declares that the Three Powers—heaven, earth, and humanity—are incomplete. She establishes the Demon Teaching, then the Witch Teaching, and the Heavenly Dao recognizes both.
• Nuwa names Feng Ling, a human born directly from her, ruler of the Human Race. She gives Feng Ling three sacred treasures and grants her the surname Nuwa.
• Nuwa then invokes the Human Race to complete humanity among the Three Powers. A great cloud of merit enters her, strengthening her aura. Those present sense that the Way of the Three Powers has emerged.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun gains valuable treasures but remains wary of its own limits. Its private thoughts hint that Nuwa’s actions may soon upset Houtu.
• Houtu bristles at Nuwa’s apparent alignment with the Demon Race and exchanges a tense, defiant look with her. She is confused when Gungun warns her not to become angrier.
• Nuwa reveals a broader plan: although she will teach both demons and witches, she says she will not take responsibility for the Demon Race’s prosperity. Her successive proclamations leave the assembled gods shocked and suspicious.
• Dijun and Taiyi initially welcome Nuwa’s Demon Teaching, expecting her support, but become wary after she establishes the Witch Teaching as well.
• The Ancestral Witches fear that Nuwa’s actions will strengthen their rivals, though her Witch Teaching also unsettles them because it is imposed without their consent.
• Feng Ling joyfully accepts Nuwa’s gifts, new surname, and charge to rule humanity.

Significant themes

• Power and political balance: Nuwa’s teachings affect both demons and witches, shifting the balance among the world’s factions.
• Heavenly mandate and legitimacy: The Heavenly Dao’s sanction and Nuwa’s merit establish her authority.
• The Three Powers: The chapter defines the cosmic order as heaven, earth, and humanity, with Nuwa positioning herself at the center of all three.
• Caution amid ambition: Gungun’s decision to remain humble contrasts with the growing scale of Nuwa’s plans.

Key plot points and events

• After Nuwa establishes the Demon Teaching and Witch Teaching, the Three Pure Ones, Jieyin, and Zhunti worry that she may use them to dominate the Primordial World. Nuwa offers no explanation.
• Nuwa creates ten incarnations from her own intestines and appoints them the Ten Shamans of Spirit Mountain, charging them with teaching witch methods and arts to the Witch Race. The Ancestral Witches’ anger gives way to surprise.
• To provide for the demon race, Nuwa gives Dijun a stele inscribed with profound demon methods. Dijun accepts it but suspects he has been brushed off.
• Nuwa ends her hundred years of preaching and announces that Taisu Heaven will be sealed for ten thousand years.
• Gungun hopes to avoid meeting Nuwa, fearing Houtu’s anger over the new Witch Teaching. Tongtian conveniently spirits him away, claiming he has business with him.
• In private, Tongtian asks Gungun to find an Iron-Eating Beast better than Yuanshi’s mounts and send it to Kunlun as his own. He gives Gungun three-lights divine water as payment, mentioning that it can nourish the golden mandala seedling Gungun obtained from River Styx.

Character developments and interactions

• Nuwa acts decisively to establish teaching traditions for both the Witch and demon races, while remaining unmoved by the other future sages’ suspicions. She lets Tongtian take Gungun rather than insisting on their meeting.
• The future sages—especially the Three Pure Ones, Jieyin, and Zhunti—quietly recognize that Nuwa’s authority may threaten their future standing, but they are not yet powerful enough to challenge her.
• The Ancestral Witches shift from fury to astonishment when Nuwa provides the Witch Race with teachers.
• Dijun receives Nuwa’s demon-method stele respectfully, though he feels the gesture is dismissive and is intimidated by her status.
• Gungun pragmatically accepts Tongtian’s intervention because it lets him avoid displeasing either Houtu or Nuwa. He is then drawn into Tongtian’s petty rivalry with Yuanshi.
• Tongtian is playful and forceful: he treats Gungun as a useful go-between, teases him about being a mount himself, and bribes him with divine water.

Significant themes

• Power and hierarchy: Nuwa’s new teachings raise fears that she will dominate the world, while the maxim that beings beneath sages are “ants” underscores the imbalance between mortals and sages.
• Education as influence: By creating teachers and providing sacred texts, Nuwa extends her authority through institutions as well as force.
• Rivalry and status: Tongtian’s effort to outdo Yuanshi over mounts turns the chapter’s grand divine politics into comic personal competition.
• Self-interest and survival: Gungun navigates powerful figures by choosing the option that best protects him, while the others act according to their own ambitions and concerns.

Key plot points and events

• Tongtian gives Gungun a bottle of Three Lights Divine Water and demands that he find him an Iron-Eating Beast mount better than Yuanshi’s—or become Tongtian’s mount himself.
• Gungun argues that choosing an Iron-Eating Beast would make Tongtian look as if he were copying his elder brother. Tongtian recognizes the point and asks Gungun to find him a mount from another race instead.
• Tongtian warns Gungun to avoid Nuwa and Soaring Serpent, saying that getting close to Nuwa could bring disaster. He hints that her establishment of the Way of the Three Powers will create serious problems for the Three Pure Ones, but refuses to explain further.
• Gungun connects Tongtian’s warning with Houtu’s earlier cautions and suspects Nuwa’s role in the Three Powers may entangle the Three Pure Ones—and him—in future conflict.
• After exchanging a knowing acknowledgment with Laozi, Gungun leaves Taisu Heaven with Houtu and the other witches, relieved to get away.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun uses tact and flattery to steer Tongtian away from an impulsive choice, while privately maintaining his independence and wariness. He accepts the divine water and agrees to find another kind of mount.
• Tongtian is competitive with Yuanshi and sensitive to appearing like an imitator. Though he teases and threatens Gungun, he also gives him a serious warning and shows concern for his safety.
• Houtu remains protective of Gungun. His private relief at leaving makes her anger fade, reinforcing their affectionate, familiar bond.
• Laozi and Gungun share a brief, silent acknowledgment that hints at an earlier confidential exchange.

Significant themes

• Rivalry and reputation: Tongtian’s mount choice matters not only for its quality but for how others might interpret it.
• Forewarnings of political and cosmic conflict: The Three Powers—heaven, earth, and humanity—may reshape alliances and threaten the Three Pure Ones.
• Protection versus independence: Powerful figures try to guide Gungun away from danger, while he weighs their warnings and draws his own conclusions.
• Humor and affection: Threats, teasing, and Gungun’s irreverent inner commentary lighten an otherwise ominous scene.

Key plot points

• As the Witch Race returns to the Primordial World, Houtu asks Gungun why Tongtian took him aside. Gungun explains that Tongtian hired him to find a suitable mount and paid him with three lights divine water.
• Dijiang turns the discussion to Nuwa’s newly established Way of the Three Powers. He sees it as an obstacle to the Witch Race’s ambition, while Gungun corrects him: it consists of the Demon Teaching, Witch Teaching, and Human Race—not teachings of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity.
• Houtu reminds Gungun that the Witch Teaching has reduced the fortune he gained as Witch Scribe, but Gungun says he feels regret rather than anger.
• Ao Yue and Meng Zhang approach and ask to speak privately with Gungun about the Dragon Race and the Iron-Eating Beast Clan. Houtu is wary, but agrees that Ao Yue can visit Gungun at Mount Buzhou later.
• Taiyi calls Ao Yue back. Ao Yue leaves, citing urgent business, and Meng Zhang follows. Dijun then warns Taiyi that he will bring the Dragon Race under Demon control himself if Taiyi fails to do so soon.
• Dijiang praises Gungun for supposedly driving a wedge between the Dragon and Demon races, then instructs him to persuade Ao Yue to abandon his post as Taiyi’s Dharma Protector and bring the Dragon Race over to the Witches. Gungun reluctantly agrees, though he privately insists he never meant to sow discord; he is mainly interested in the Dragon Race’s future ties to the Iron-Eating Beast Clan and its fortune.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun remains practical and reluctant to involve himself in political schemes. He accepts Dijiang’s orders out of duty, even though the Witch leader misunderstands his motives.
• Houtu protects Gungun’s autonomy, challenges Dijiang’s imprecise understanding of Nuwa’s teachings, and grants Ao Yue permission to meet Gungun later.
• Dijiang interprets events through the Witch Race’s struggle for dominance and turns Gungun’s accidental role into a deliberate political strategy.
• Ao Yue is torn between his responsibilities to the Dragon Race and his position as Taiyi’s Dharma Protector. He avoids a confrontation by leaving, but his departure deepens tensions.
• Taiyi struggles between loyalty to the Demon Race and his personal connection to Ao Yue. Dijun increases the pressure by threatening to conquer the Four Seas himself.
• The Witches and Dragon envoys exchange formal courtesies despite their rivalries, showing that diplomacy temporarily takes precedence over open conflict.

Significant themes

• Conflicting loyalties: Ao Yue and Taiyi are caught between personal bonds and political duties.
• Power and ambition: The Witch and Demon races compete for control, while Nuwa’s teachings create a new constraint on both.
• Misunderstanding and unintended consequences: Dijiang mistakes Gungun’s interests for political maneuvering, and Gungun’s actions acquire significance he never intended.
• Pragmatism over anger: Gungun’s restrained response to losing fortune contrasts with the escalating tensions around him.

Plot points

• Quan Jiu, a respected Great Shaman of the Dijiang Tribe, returns with A Li, a woman of the Human Race, and announces that he intends to marry her.
• The Witches around him object, considering humans too weak and the match beneath a Great Shaman’s status.
• Meanwhile, the Ancestral Witches return to Mount Buzhou and discuss Nuwa’s newly established Witch Teaching. Dijiang worries that resisting it could drive Nuwa into alliance with the Demon Race, leaving the Witches unable to withstand both the Demon Race’s formation and a Sage.
• Quan Jiu brings A Li before the Ancestral Witches and formally asks Dijiang’s permission to marry her. Dijiang reacts furiously and raises his hand to punish him.

Character developments and interactions

• Quan Jiu shows steadfast devotion, declaring that A Li is the only woman he will marry and pleading for permission despite the likely disapproval of his people.
• A Li shares his affection but is visibly nervous and respectful before the Ancestral Witches.
• Dijiang shifts from strategic concern over Nuwa and the Demon Race to anger at what he sees as Quan Jiu’s disgraceful choice.
• Gungun is about to speak during the Witches’ discussion, but Quan Jiu’s arrival interrupts him.
• Houtu remains quietly annoyed with Gungun over his earlier remark that explaining things to Witches is exhausting.

Significant themes

• Love versus status and social expectations: Quan Jiu’s commitment to A Li conflicts with the Witches’ belief that rank and strength should determine an appropriate marriage.
• Prejudice and hierarchy: The Witches regard the Human Race as weak and inferior, making their opposition reflect broader racial and political values.
• Power and political vulnerability: The Witches’ response to Nuwa is constrained by the danger of provoking a Sage while already facing the Demon Race.

Plot points and events

• Quan Jiu insists on marrying A Li despite Dijiang’s objections that such a union would damage the Witch Race’s standing. He accepts punishment but refuses to give her up.
• Dijiang strikes A Li when she shields Quan Jiu. She is gravely injured, and Quan Jiu desperately tries—and fails—to heal her.
• Gungun intervenes. As he examines A Li, he discovers she is pregnant with a child bearing Witch Race blood.
• Gungun saves her with two Immortal Pills and divine power, restoring her primordial spirit and healing her body. A Li wakes to find Gungun’s face close by, while he has pushed Quan Jiu out of the way to check on her.

Character developments and interactions

• Quan Jiu shows that his love for A Li outweighs duty and status. His grief and pleading reveal a vulnerable side unseen in a mighty Great Shaman; the news that he may become a father deepens his hope and urgency.
• A Li risks her life to protect Quan Jiu and asks him not to defy Dijiang for her, showing both devotion and concern for his safety.
• Dijiang tries to enforce Witch Race custom and authority, but A Li’s near-death and the pregnancy unsettle him. He permits Gungun to save her, though he still intends to have her expelled from Mount Buzhou.
• Gungun acts compassionately, rescuing A Li despite the dispute. His unexpected, comic eagerness to check on her provides a lighter ending.
• Houtu urges Dijiang to be patient and reasonable; Gonggong questions Gungun’s discovery.

Significant themes

• Love challenges racial boundaries, custom, and public expectations.
• Duty and collective honor conflict with personal choice.
• The unexpected pregnancy may transform a forbidden relationship into a matter of consequence for the Witch Race.
• The scene contrasts the fearsome power of the Ancestral Witches with the vulnerability of love, while humor softens the dramatic turn.

Plot points and events

• Gungun revives A Li with an Immortal Pill after she was gravely injured while shielding Quan Jiu. He discovers she is pregnant with a boy whose mixed Witch–Human heritage means he will remain in the womb for another three thousand years.
• The news changes Dijiang’s decision about the couple: unwilling to kill an innocent child of Witch blood, he spares A Li and Quan Jiu.
• Dijiang strips Quan Jiu of his post as the Witch Race’s emissary and banishes the couple to the Miao Lands in the Southern Wastes, where they must remain unless he gives permission to leave.
• Though he still disparages the Human Race and threatens it if A Li mistreats Quan Jiu, Dijiang ultimately permits the marriage. He orders the wedding for the next day, grants the Human Race one hundred thousand years of Witch protection as the betrothal gift, and provides six Iron-Eating Beasts as escorts.
• Houtu offers the couple her blessing and hopes they will live in harmony.

Character developments and interactions

• A Li awakens, learns she is pregnant, and responds with wonder and tenderness. She believes she is unworthy of Quan Jiu and feels she must repay his devotion, yet remains confident that the Human Race will one day become strong.
• Quan Jiu is overjoyed to learn he will be a father and accepts his demotion and exile without protest. His eagerness to marry A Li makes Dijiang suspect he deliberately conceived a child to force approval, though Quan Jiu denies knowing about the pregnancy.
• Dijiang shifts from opposing the match to allowing it, constrained by the child’s Witch blood and Quan Jiu’s determination. His approval is grudging and comes with punishment, a stern warning, and practical support for the Human Race.
• Gungun acts as A Li’s rescuer and the first to detect the pregnancy. His playful, boastful manner irritates Quan Jiu, especially when he examines A Li, but his intervention saves both mother and child.
• Houtu supports the couple and offers a gentler blessing than Dijiang.

Significant themes

• Love and sacrifice: A Li risks her life for Quan Jiu, while Quan Jiu refuses to abandon her despite the consequences.
• Family and reconciliation: The unborn child makes the couple’s union harder to reject and bridges Witch and Human bloodlines.
• Prejudice and power: Dijiang continues to demean the Human Race, even as he grants it protection; A Li quietly believes its status can change.
• Mercy mixed with punishment: The marriage is approved, but only alongside Quan Jiu’s loss of rank and the couple’s exile.

Chapter summary

• Plot and events: No story events occur. The author explains that they took a day off because writer’s block made a chapter feel wrong. Repeated revisions only revealed more problems, and time ran out before they could fix it.
• Character developments and interactions: There are no fictional characters or character interactions. The author speaks directly to readers, affectionately calling them “buddies,” and asks them to share ideas.
• Themes: The note touches on creative frustration, the limits of revision, and the need to pause when work isn’t coming together. It also emphasizes the value of reader support and collaboration.

Key plot points and events

• After the wedding date is set, Quan Jiu takes his future wife, A Li, to the Yellow River so she can spend the day with her family.
• Gungun realizes their child will be Chi You, a descendant of both Witch and Human peoples. Houtu considers what such a child should be called, and Gungun suggests the Witch-Human Race.
• Houtu proposes sending Iron-Eating Beasts to the Southern Wastes to accompany Quan Jiu and A Li after Quan Jiu’s banishment. Gungun pretends to fall asleep to avoid agreeing.
• Houtu exposes the act by threatening to withhold spirit fruit. Gungun wakes immediately and objects that his people should not be sent away to serve as companions.
• Houtu asks what animals might accompany the family and what mount would suit their future child. Gungun recommends Taicang Primeval Oxen, which can provide milk.
• Hou Yi adds that Nine-Colored Mystic Birds could return to their homeland in the Southern Wastes and provide nourishing, unhatched eggs. Gungun enthusiastically supports the plan, and Houtu approves it.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun reveals his knowledge of Chi You’s future: Chi You will ride an Iron-Eating Beast but will eventually be defeated by Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan. Fearing that Houtu will blame him for Chi You’s death, he resists sending his clan to the Southern Wastes—until he can reshape the proposal to involve oxen and birds instead.
• Houtu shows concern for Quan Jiu and A Li’s future loneliness and interest in honoring their unusual child. She listens to Gungun’s objections, while also teasing him and using his love of spirit fruit to end his feigned sleep.
• Hou Yi contributes a practical alternative, suggesting the birds can return safely to their ancestral home under Quan Jiu’s protection.
• Houtu and Gungun’s exchange is playful but reveals their differing priorities: Houtu wants to help the couple, while Gungun is protective of his own people.

Significant themes

• Mixed identity and belonging: The future child can be understood as both Witch and Human, inspiring the idea of a Witch-Human people.
• Care and community: The group seeks ways to help Quan Jiu and A Li build a life in exile, though Gungun insists that support should not come at his clan’s expense.
• Fate and foreknowledge: Gungun’s awareness of Chi You’s tragic future shapes his choices, even as the others remain unaware of the full reason for his concerns.

Key plot points and events

• Relieved that Houtu will not send Iron-Eating Beasts to the Southern Wastes, Gungun agrees to Hou Yi arranging for Taicang Primeval Oxen and Nine-Colored Mystic Birds to accompany Quan Jiu instead.
• Houtu asks whether the Witch Race can reclaim its fortune and escape Nuwa’s control through the Witch Teaching. Gungun proposes that an Ancestral Witch obtain primordial purple qi and become a Saint, but admits the plan seems impossible.
• Houtu rejects the idea that impossibility means they should not try. She argues that the Witches, like the Three Pure Ones, are Pangu’s heirs and should have a chance to receive primordial purple qi.
• One by one, the Ancestral Witches rally behind Houtu. Dijiang agrees that producing a Saint may be the only way to break the Witch Race’s predicament, and all twelve depart for Zixiao Palace to confront Hongjun.
• Gungun tries to stop them but is too late. Left behind, it frets that its offhand suggestion has triggered a reckless mission, then disappears.

Character developments

• Houtu shifts from asking for advice to taking bold, decisive action. She asserts the Witch Race’s claim to equal standing among Pangu’s heirs.
• Gungun remains wary and pragmatic. Its attempt to offer a hypothetical solution becomes an actual course of action, leaving it regretful and anxious.
• The Ancestral Witches reveal their unity and pride in their heritage, though their eagerness to act alarms Gungun.
• Hou Yi remains supportive and practical, first accepting his assignment and later trying to reassure Gungun.

Significant themes

• Inheritance and fairness: The Witches challenge why the Three Pure Ones received primordial purple qi while they did not.
• Self-determination: Houtu resists Nuwa’s attempt to shape or control the Witch Race through the Witch Teaching.
• Courage versus caution: Houtu and her siblings choose to pursue even an unlikely chance, while Gungun emphasizes the risks and doubts their ability to succeed.
• Words and consequences: Gungun’s casual proposal unexpectedly becomes a collective plan.

Character interactions

• Houtu consults Gungun, but turns his reluctant suggestion into a serious initiative.
• Gonggong, Zhurong, Qiang Liang, Zhu Jiuyin, Xuanming, and the other Ancestral Witches affirm Houtu’s position and join her.
• Dijiang’s support—and his mastery of spatial travel—makes the group’s departure immediate.
• Hou Yi attempts to comfort Gungun, who responds by lamenting that the Witches take its words too literally.

Key plot points and events

• The twelve Ancestral Witches go to Zixiao Palace, convinced that Hongjun’s refusal to give their race primordial purple qi has left them vulnerable to Nuwa’s newly founded Witch Teaching.
• They demand the final wisp of primordial purple qi, arguing that, as Pangu’s descendants, they deserve the same opportunity for sagehood as the Three Pure Ones.
• Hongjun refuses, saying the purple qi has no destined affinity with the Witch Race and that no Witch could use it to become a sage.
• Instead, he gives Houtu the Earth Emperor Seal. It grants her a Heaven-recognized position governing the earth, its fortune, and the appointment of local gods—including the Mountain God of Spirit Mountain.
• Hongjun sends the Witches away with the seal, telling Houtu she will understand his decision in the future.
• Nuwa defends her attempt to establish the Three Powers as a way to prevent a catastrophic war like the Dragon-Han Catastrophe. Hongjun rebukes her, declares that she has acted against Heaven’s will, and seals her within Taisu Heaven until the Witch-Demon Calamity ends.

Character developments and interactions

• The Ancestral Witches move from anger at Nuwa’s restrictions to blaming Hongjun for denying them a sage. Their collective resentment intensifies, though they remain deferential only on their own terms.
• Houtu distinguishes herself by bowing respectfully and making a measured appeal. She is intrigued by the Earth Emperor Seal and its authority, but remains disappointed that it cannot provide the status of a sage.
• Hongjun rejects the Witches’ demand while offering Houtu a powerful alternative role. He also reveals a firm commitment to Heaven’s course, punishing Nuwa despite her peaceful intentions.
• Nuwa appears as an idealist seeking to restrain both great races and protect the wider world. Her exchange with Hongjun ends in her confinement.
• Gungun, in the opening passage, recognizes that Hongjun would never grant the Witches sagehood and worries about their reaction.

Significant themes

• Destiny versus entitlement: The Witches’ Pangu lineage does not guarantee them primordial purple qi or sagehood.
• Power and political legitimacy: The Earth Emperor Seal turns the Witches’ claim to earthly rule into an authority formally recognized by Heaven.
• Heaven’s will versus personal morality: Nuwa seeks to prevent mass bloodshed, but Hongjun insists that sages cannot oppose Heaven’s ordained course.
• The cost of preventing conflict: The effort to restrain the Witch and Demon Races may itself impede the rise of other races and the unfolding of the world’s larger order.

Key plot points

• Hongjun seals Taisu Heaven, trapping Nuwa inside Wa Emperor Palace.
• Soaring Serpent returns from Chaos with a Starry Sky Behemoth but is badly injured when he tries to break through the barrier.
• Nuwa explains that Hongjun has confined her and asks Soaring Serpent to return to the Primordial World to protect the Human Race. Though he wants to stay beside her, he agrees after she promises they will meet again within a million years.
• Nuwa stresses that Soaring Serpent matters to her even more than the Human Race, revealing the depth of their long-standing bond.
• On Mount Buzhou, the twelve Ancestral Witches return. Hongjun has denied them the last primordial purple qi but given Houtu the Earth Emperor Seal instead.
• Qiang Liang and Zhurong suspect the seal is merely a consolation prize. Houtu, however, senses it may genuinely be meant for her, leaving the others surprised.

Character developments and interactions

• Nuwa is distressed by her confinement but remains composed and focused on protecting the Human Race. Her farewell to Soaring Serpent reveals deep affection and concern for his safety.
• Soaring Serpent demonstrates loyalty by offering to remain outside Taisu Heaven. He ultimately accepts Nuwa’s command and sets out to watch over humanity.
• Houtu responds to Hongjun’s refusal with quiet conviction, trusting her intuition about the Earth Emperor Seal.
• Qiang Liang and Zhurong voice the witches’ anger and distrust of Hongjun, viewing his offer as an attempt to placate them.
• The chapter’s central interactions are Nuwa’s heartfelt exchange with Soaring Serpent and the Ancestral Witches’ disagreement over Houtu’s new seal.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and attachment: Soaring Serpent’s devotion and Nuwa’s concern for him complicate the claim that Saints are detached from mortal bonds.
• Power and political maneuvering: Hongjun’s confinement of Nuwa and refusal of the witches’ demand reshape the balance of influence.
• Destiny versus suspicion: The witches question whether the Earth Emperor Seal is meaningful or a political substitute, while Houtu trusts her sense of its purpose.
• Responsibility in absence: Nuwa entrusts the vulnerable Human Race to Soaring Serpent while she is unable to protect it herself.

Plot points and events

• The Witch Race arranges Quan Jiu and A Li’s wedding, celebrates for nine days, then banishes the couple to the Southern Wasteland Miao Lands. Taicang Primeval Oxen and Nine-Colored Mystic Birds accompany them; both groups are rewarded or fulfilled by the relocation.
• The twelve Ancestral Witches, Gungun, and several Great Shamans travel to Mount Youdu. Using the Earth Emperor Seal, Houtu becomes Earth Emperor and receives the Heavenly Dao’s recognition and the earth’s providence.
• A surge of merit helps restore Houtu’s previously incomplete primordial spirit. Realizing how much karma the Witch Race has accumulated, she vows to protect the earth and its mountains and rivers.
• Houtu appoints the Ancestral Witches to divine offices. Ju Mang becomes Forest God and begins restoring barren, corrupted lands; Gonggong becomes Water God and purifies the earth’s rivers and lakes. The other Ancestral Witches also assume divine roles, increasing the Witch Race’s providence.
• Gungun asks to govern several mountains, but Houtu instead appoints him Spirit Mountain God and Orthodox Yin-Yang God, responsible for the Witch Teaching and yin-yang affairs. He accepts reluctantly, concerned that the appointment may offend Nuwa, and his divine power rises dramatically.

Character development and interactions

• Houtu moves from receiving authority to taking responsibility for the earth. Her recognition of the Witch Race’s accumulated karma motivates her vow to protect the world and appoint divine guardians.
• Ju Mang is unenthusiastic about his office but accepts it for Houtu’s sake; his actions nevertheless begin healing the land.
• Gonggong readily agrees to help his sister and uses his new role to restore the waters.
• Gungun seeks a grand mountain-governing post, jokes with Hou Yi about being a “capable bear,” then is surprised by Houtu’s unexpected appointments and complies.
• The earth’s inhabitants respond to each new divine office by bowing and acclaiming its holder.

Significant themes

• Duty and service: Houtu and the appointed gods use their power to benefit the earth’s living beings.
• Karma and responsibility: Houtu recognizes that the Witch Race’s actions have created a burden they must address.
• Restoration and natural order: The new divine roles begin healing damaged land and water and protecting their inhabitants.
• Authority and providence: Heavenly recognition strengthens both the gods’ power and the Witch Race’s standing.

Summary

• Dijun decides to attack the Dragon Race. Frustrated that Ao Yue has not accepted his offer to join the Demon Race, Dijun orders an immediate campaign to seize the Four Seas. He argues that delay could let the Dragon Race ally with the increasingly powerful Witch Race, making victory much harder. Taiyi objects that the promised time for Ao Yue to decide has not expired, but Dijun leaves him behind to oversee the Heavenly Court and takes command himself.
• Taiyi is torn between duty and affection. He resents Ao Yue’s refusal despite having offered the Dragon Race considerable autonomy and status within the Demon Race. At the same time, he is unhappy that Dijun is rushing to war, leaving him conflicted and angry at both of them.
• The Three Pure Ones discuss the shifting balance of power. They conclude that Houtu’s recognition as Earth Emperor has weakened Nuwa’s control of the earthly fortune, while Laozi observes that the Three Powers themselves remain intact. Tongtian and Yuanshi agree that Nuwa has overreached by trying to dominate their fortunes.
• Laozi attains sagehood and establishes Renjiao. At the Yellow River, where his good corpse has been teaching the Human Race, Laozi declares that he will become a sage and found Renjiao to guide humanity. The Taiji Diagram anchors the new teaching’s fortune, the Human Race recognizes him as its leader, and immense merit descends. His declaration sends a sage’s pressure across the world, interrupting the plans of the Ancestral Witches, Gungun, and Dijun.
• Nuwa loses further influence. From the Wa Emperor Palace, she recognizes that Laozi has claimed a large share of Human Race fortune. With Houtu’s rise also diminishing her influence over the land, Nuwa’s grasp on the fortunes of the Three Powers is slipping.

Character developments and interactions

• Dijun shifts from waiting to decisive military action, prioritizing the Demon Race’s strategic position over Taiyi’s concerns.
• Taiyi is caught between loyalty to Dijun and his attachment to Ao Yue; his failed attempt to delay the war deepens his frustration.
• Laozi moves from quiet observation to a public, decisive assertion of authority by becoming a sage and founding Renjiao.
• Tongtian and Yuanshi set aside their usual differences to agree that Nuwa should not monopolize the Three Powers’ fortune.
• Nuwa reacts with anger as Laozi’s action and Houtu’s status undermine her influence.
• Gungun and the Ancestral Witches, like Dijun, are forced to pause as Laozi’s sagehood transforms the situation.

Significant themes

• Power and fortune: The struggle among the Demon Race, Witch Race, Dragon Race, and sages is shaped by control over the Four Seas and the spiritual fortune of the Three Powers.
• Alliance versus ambition: Taiyi’s personal bond with Ao Yue conflicts with Dijun’s drive to strengthen the Demon Race.
• The limits of domination: The Three Pure Ones reject Nuwa’s attempt to control all Three Powers, while Laozi’s founding of Renjiao demonstrates how new institutions can redistribute authority.
• Destiny and timely action: Laozi recognizes his moment and acts decisively, while Dijun likewise chooses action before the balance of power shifts further.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Yuanshi and Tongtian each become Sages and establish their own teachings. Their new teachings claim much of the fortune Nuwa had gathered through the Three Powers, leaving her with only a fraction of Heaven’s fortune, half of Humanity’s, and none of Earth’s.
• Furious at the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa vows to remember the insult and seek revenge someday, though she recognizes she cannot challenge all three Sages now.
• Gungun considers which Sage’s Dao he should visit to hear preached. He favors Taiqing, whose teachings he expects to benefit him most and who previously invited him to Kunlun with the promise of an opportunity.
• Houtu instructs Gungun and the Ancestral Witches to increase their oversight of the Witch Teaching now that the age of Sages has begun. The Ancestral Witches depart to carry out their duties.
• Rather than personally take on all his assigned work, Gungun decides to appoint deputy gods. Hou Yi eventually understands that Gungun intends to delegate the tasks, but rejects the idea of seeking a divine post and behaving similarly.
• While flying over the Northern Sea, Gungun meets Ao Yue. Ao Yue congratulates him on his new Earth divine position and begins asking how he learned about the five beings destined to save the world. Heavenly Court war drums interrupt the conversation, prompting Ao Yue to look east in alarm.

Character developments and interactions

• Nuwa shifts from shock at losing her fortune to simmering resentment, setting up a possible future conflict with the Three Pure Ones.
• Gungun remains practical, sleepy, and self-interested. Though he considers the Sage teachings and accepts Houtu’s orders, he plans to fulfill his responsibilities by appointing deputies rather than doing everything himself.
• Hou Yi is initially confused by Gungun’s plan, then recognizes its cleverness. He briefly considers seeking a divine position too, but decides it would be beneath his dignity and returns to his preferred pastimes.
• Ao Yue approaches Gungun with a serious question about the future, but the sudden war drums prevent him from getting an answer.

Significant themes

• Power and fortune: The Three Pure Ones’ rise reshapes the balance of influence among the Sages, provoking Nuwa’s anger.
• Duty versus delegation: Gungun treats divine office as a role that can be managed through capable deputies, while Hou Yi views such delegation as undignified.
• A changing age: The emergence of the Sages brings new political and religious arrangements, while the Heavenly Court’s war drums signal that conflict may also be imminent.

Key plot points and events

• After the Dao Ancestor forbids a major Witch–Demon war for a million years, both sides accelerate their efforts to bring independent races under their control.
• The Demon Race launches a major assault on the Dragon Race. Dijun personally leads a million soldiers, aiming to conquer the Four Seas.
• Ao Yue rushes back to defend his people. Gungun divines the situation and realizes the Dragon Race’s defeat could also harm the Iron-Eating Beast Clan, whose fortune is tied to theirs.
• Gungun reasons that the Witch Race cannot intervene without violating the Dao Ancestor’s decree, while the Saints have little reason to help the Dragon Race.
• A mysterious voice from the Demon Realm suddenly contacts Gungun and advises it to go to Pure Tenuity Heaven and seek Yuanshi’s help. The chapter ends before Gungun acts on the advice.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun is anxious about the Dragon Race’s danger and its potential consequences for its own clan. Its comic boasts about future greatness contrast with its genuine concern and loyalty to Houtu, whom it does not want to abandon.
• Ao Yue shows urgency and commitment to the Dragon Race by immediately leaving to return to the East Sea. His desire to preserve the race’s independence is presented as an obstacle to seeking Witch protection.
• Dijun demonstrates the Demon Race’s determination by committing a vast force and leading the campaign himself.
• The mysterious voice—someone Gungun remembers with fear—offers a possible solution and appears to know that Gungun can reach the Demon Realm. It claims a fated connection with Gungun and directs it toward Yuanshi.

Significant themes

• Power and political independence: Smaller, unaffiliated races face pressure to submit as the Witch and Demon races prepare for future conflict.
• Fate and shared fortune: The Dragon Race’s peril may affect Gungun’s clan because their fortunes are linked.
• Loyalty versus self-interest: Gungun jokes about alternate paths to power but chooses to remain loyal to Houtu.
• Humor amid danger: Gungun’s grandiose fantasies and aversion to hardship provide comic relief against the looming threat of war.