Chapter Summaries

Key plot points

• Gungun recalls a terrifying encounter in the Demon Realm and wonders why a powerful devil has urged him to seek the Primordial Heavenly Venerable’s help for the Dragon Race.
• As fighting appears to begin, a North Sea dragon flies east. Gungun decides to stop him and send the Dragon Race to ask Yuanshi for help directly, avoiding personal involvement while still acting on the devil’s advice.
• In the East Sea, Dijun offers Ao Yue a final chance to bring the Dragon Race into the Demon Race. Ao Yue refuses, declaring that he will defend his people.
• Dijun attacks with the Immortal-Slaying Flying Blade. Ao Yue counters it with the Azure Dragon Whip, revealing the Ancestral Dragon’s companion treasure.
• Meng Zhang and the assembled dragons pledge to fight. Dijun orders his million soldiers to attack, and more than a hundred thousand dragons charge to meet them.

Character developments

• Gungun remains cautious and self-protective, but shows resourcefulness by arranging for the Dragon Race to seek aid themselves.
• Ao Yue rejects submission and demonstrates both greater resolve and newfound confidence by wielding the Azure Dragon Whip.
• Meng Zhang stands firmly beside Ao Yue and commits himself to defending the Four Seas.
• Dijun shifts from attempted persuasion to open warfare when Ao Yue refuses him.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and resistance: The Dragon Race chooses to defend its identity and homeland rather than submit.
• Caution and strategy: Gungun tries to help while minimizing his own risk.
• Legacy and courage: The Azure Dragon Whip connects Ao Yue to the Ancestral Dragon’s legacy, while the dragons’ battle cry affirms their enduring pride despite past losses.

Character interactions

• Gungun weighs the devil’s advice against his distrust, then redirects the task to the North Sea dragon.
• Dijun tries to recruit Ao Yue, then attacks him; Ao Yue’s whip frustrates Dijun’s weapon.
• Meng Zhang supports Ao Yue in battle, and the dragons rally behind them as Dijun’s army advances.

Key plot points and events

• Yellow Dragon travels to Pure Tenuity Heaven to ask Yuanshi, the Jade Pure Saint, to save the Dragon Race from the Demon Race’s invasion.
• Yuanshi corrects Yellow Dragon’s ceremonial wish that the Saint live “as long as Heaven.” Yellow Dragon panics and repeatedly apologizes, prompting Yuanshi to privately doubt his temperament, talent, and status—even though divination says Yellow Dragon is destined to become his disciple.
• Yuanshi agrees to help but reminds Yellow Dragon that he cannot speak for the entire Dragon Race, or even the North Sea Dragon Clan. Yellow Dragon offers to serve as Yuanshi’s mount, but Yuanshi rejects the offer and sends him home.
• Yuanshi reflects that few dragons seem suitable for his consideration, then orders his attendant to have Xiong Zhan wait while he goes to the East Sea.
• At the battlefield, Dijun overpowers Ao Yue and Meng Zhang, injuring both. He blames Taiyi for not previously placing their spirits under the Demon-Summoning Banner and intends to capture Ao Yue.
• Before Dijun can act, the Chaos Bell freezes him. Taiyi arrives in a blaze of light and orders the demons and dragons to stop fighting.

Character developments

• Yellow Dragon shows courage in seeking help despite his fear, but his anxious deference reinforces Yuanshi’s low opinion of him.
• Yuanshi follows Heaven’s apparent destiny despite his personal reluctance to accept Yellow Dragon as a future disciple. He agrees to intervene in the conflict but keeps his own plans private.
• Dijun remains determined to subdue the dragons and resents Taiyi’s earlier decision to protect Ao Yue’s cultivation.
• Taiyi makes a dramatic return to the battlefield, halting the fighting before Dijun can seize Ao Yue.

Significant themes

• Fate versus personal judgment: Yuanshi’s divination points to Yellow Dragon as his future disciple, despite his misgivings.
• Hierarchy and humility: Yellow Dragon’s fear of offending a Saint reflects the vast gulf between mortals and the powerful.
• The costs of war: The battle leaves the sea stained with blood and kills countless demons and dragons.
• Power and responsibility: Taiyi’s past choice to spare Ao Yue’s spirit—and its consequences—becomes a point of conflict with Dijun.

Character interactions

• Yellow Dragon approaches Yuanshi respectfully, receives a stern correction, and pleads for his people. Yuanshi grants the request but rejects Yellow Dragon’s offer of service.
• Yuanshi instructs the White Crane Attendant to summon Xiong Zhan before departing for the East Sea.
• Dijun attacks Ao Yue and Meng Zhang, blaming Taiyi for the difficulties he faces.
• Taiyi interrupts Dijun with the Chaos Bell and commands both sides to cease fighting.

Summary

• Taiyi intervenes in the Dragon–Demon conflict. The Demon soldiers greet him as the Eastern Emperor, while the Dragon Race fears that Taiyi and Dijun’s arrival means its destruction. Dijun rebukes Taiyi for blocking the attack, but Taiyi says he is clearheaded: destroying the Dragons would turn Ao Yue, once a Demon general and now Taiyi’s Dharma Protector, into an enemy and weaken the Demon Race.
• Taiyi offers Ao Yue a compromise. He argues that the Dragon Race may not survive independently if the Witch Race wins the coming War of the Liches. He proposes that the Dragons temporarily join the Demon Race while retaining control of the Four Seas, then regain independence if the Demons prevail. Ao Yue is promised further authority over the waters of the world. Seeing the bloodshed and weighing the offer, Ao Yue begins to waver. Dijun dislikes Taiyi’s concessions but allows them, prioritizing victory over the Witches.
• Gungun challenges Taiyi’s assurances. Appearing on the battlefield as a projected phantom, Gungun warns Ao Yue that Taiyi’s promises depend on the Demon Race winning—and that defeat could leave the Dragons with no future. He contrasts the strength of the two sides and notes that the Witches have respected the Dragons’ territory, while the Demon Race is already attacking them despite Ao Yue’s ties to it. Taiyi angrily tries to silence Gungun with Solar True Fire, but Gungun dispels his projection and escapes.
• A Saint appears. As Taiyi tries to resume persuading Ao Yue, a solemn verse rings across the battlefield, accompanied by celestial blossoms, golden lotuses, and vast purple qi. The chapter ends with the revelation that a Saint may have arrived.

Character developments and interactions

• Taiyi shows unexpected restraint and loyalty to Ao Yue, placing their bond and the Dragon Race’s future above Dijun’s immediate military plan. His generous offer also reveals how badly he wants the Dragons’ support. Gungun’s intervention visibly rattles him.
• Dijun remains convinced that the Demon Race must secure the Four Seas to defeat the Witches. Though furious at Gungun’s doubts, he grudgingly lets Taiyi negotiate.
• Ao Yue is torn between his duty as Dragon Crown Prince and his history with Taiyi. Taiyi’s argument and Gungun’s warning pull him in opposite directions, leaving his decision unresolved.
• Gungun acts as a blunt, protective counterweight to Taiyi’s persuasion, urging Ao Yue to consider the risks of trusting a faction whose victory is uncertain.

Significant themes

The chapter explores loyalty versus political survival, the dangers of conditional promises, and the cost of power struggles for smaller or vulnerable peoples. It also contrasts Taiyi’s personal compassion with Dijun’s strategic ambition, while leaving the looming war—and the Saint’s arrival—as major sources of uncertainty.

Chapter summary

Key plot points and events

• Saint Yuanshi arrives in the East Sea and orders the Demon Race to stop its invasion of the Dragon Race. He says Heaven’s will requires the dragons for a future undertaking and threatens to imprison Dijun beneath Qilin Cliff if he disobeys.
• Yuanshi rejects Taiyi’s proposal to recruit the Dragon Race into the Demon Race, insisting the dragons have no destined connection to it. He forces Dijun back when Dijun tries to attack Ao Yue.
• Ao Yue thanks Yuanshi but makes clear he is acting according to his own judgment, not out of allegiance to the Saint.
• Ao Yue tells Taiyi that the Demon Race’s repeated aggression makes it less trustworthy than the Witch Race. He also cites his debts to both Taiyi and Houtu, but refuses to repay Taiyi’s kindness by involving the whole Dragon Race.
• Because the Demon Race has killed his people, Ao Yue resigns as Taiyi’s mount and Dharma Protector. He declares that he will remain neutral and protect the Dragon Race’s ancestral lands.
• Taiyi prepares to challenge Yuanshi after seeing Dijun struck down, but Ao Yue warns him that fighting a Saint is hopeless and that the Demon Race must remain alert to the Witch Race. The dragons retrieve their dead and return to the Dragon Palace.
• Taiyi regrets failing to prevent the invasion and tells Ao Yue that the Eastern Emperor Palace will always welcome him.

Character developments and interactions

• Ao Yue shifts from serving Taiyi out of gratitude to placing responsibility for his people above personal loyalty. He draws a firm boundary: he will neither join the Demon Race nor side with the Witch Race.
• Taiyi is torn between his bond with Ao Yue and his loyalty to Dijun. Although he accepts Ao Yue’s departure, he recognizes that his brother’s actions have cost him a valued ally.
• Dijun reacts with anger to Yuanshi’s intervention and Ao Yue’s refusal, but is powerless against the Saint and the Pangu Banner.
• Yuanshi acts as a forceful enforcer of Heaven’s will, protecting the Dragon Race without presenting his intervention as personal favoritism.
• Taiyi’s deep bond with Dijun is emphasized when he immediately prepares to confront Yuanshi after Dijun is struck, despite the risk.

Significant themes

• Duty versus gratitude: Ao Yue appreciates Taiyi’s kindness but believes it cannot outweigh his duty to his people.
• The cost of ambition: Ao Yue warns that the Demon Race could undermine its future by pursuing expansion at the expense of its foundations.
• Power and authority: Yuanshi’s sainthood makes resistance futile, demonstrating the gulf between Saints and even the strongest beings below them.
• Neutrality and loyalty: Ao Yue refuses to let personal debts draw the Dragon Race into a larger political struggle.
• Brotherhood and regret: Taiyi’s loyalty to Dijun contrasts with his remorse over losing Ao Yue through the invasion.

Key plot points and events

• After Ao Yue leads the Dragon Race beneath the sea, the wounded Dijun orders the Demon Race to retreat. He knows he cannot defeat Yuanshi now and resolves to settle the score if he eventually becomes a Saint.
• Taiyi initially hesitates, remembering Ao Yue’s warning not to fight a Saint, but agrees to leave with Dijun.
• The brothers withdraw without bowing to Yuanshi. Yuanshi is displeased but lets the slight pass, reflecting that their future punishment will be severe enough. He returns to Pure Tenuity Heaven.
• From the North Sea, Gungun watches the retreat through a mirror. He wonders why Yuanshi intervened for the Dragon Race, but decides the outcome is what matters.
• Yellow Dragon arrives to thank Gungun and the Saint. Gungun appoints him Central Land Dragon Envoy, a subordinate Earth Deity tasked with helping govern the earth and restore balance to yin and yang.

Character developments

• Dijun retreats strategically, suppressing his anger while imagining future revenge.
• Taiyi chooses restraint over confrontation, following both his brother’s command and Ao Yue’s earlier advice.
• Yuanshi remains committed to Heaven’s mandate, though he is willing to overlook the brothers’ disrespect.
• Gungun acts on his growing responsibilities as a divine official, spotting Yellow Dragon as a useful and promising subordinate.
• Yellow Dragon moves from low-ranking young dragon to appointed Earth Deity, eagerly embracing the chance to rise.

Significant themes

• Restraint and deferred revenge: The Demon Race withdraws because it cannot win, while Dijun postpones retaliation.
• Heaven’s mandate and fate: Yuanshi frames his actions as obedience to Heaven, and he believes the brothers’ future suffering is already ordained.
• Fortune, loyalty, and opportunity: Gungun’s alliance with the Dragon Race leads him to reward Yellow Dragon with an influential role.
• Ambition and status: Yellow Dragon views the appointment as a chance to advance far beyond his modest origins.

Character interactions

• Dijun calls Taiyi away from the fight; Taiyi complies after reconsidering his earlier intentions.
• The brothers leave Yuanshi without paying him respect, creating a quiet but pointed breach of etiquette.
• Gungun reassures Yellow Dragon that the Dragon Race survived the invasion and credits the Saint’s intervention.
• Yellow Dragon expresses gratitude to both Yuanshi and Gungun, then accepts Gungun’s appointment with enthusiastic deference.

Key plot points and events

• Fifty years after appointing Yellow Dragon as his deputy, Gungun has spent his time sleeping while Yellow Dragon manages his duties as Earth Orthodox God. Houtu criticizes Gungun for delegating too much and says Yellow Dragon should be stripped of his position, since he has repeatedly needed help from Mount Buzhou.
• The Three Pure Ones announce simultaneous Dao lectures in the heavens. Houtu takes Gungun to hear Laozi’s teaching in Great Red Heaven, while her brothers attend the other lectures.
• In the Western Pure Land, Zhunti reveals that he has comprehended his own Sage Dao. He also recognizes that Jieyin understood his Dao long ago but delayed becoming a Saint so Zhunti would not be left behind.
• Zhunti chooses to travel the world to deepen his understanding rather than become a Saint immediately. Jieyin supports him, promising to wait in the Pure Land until he returns.
• A hundred years later, after Laozi finishes his lecture, Jieyin and Zhunti establish the Western Religion and become Saints. They declare its teachings, and Zhunti makes forty-eight great vows to deliver beings and establish a future Buddha-realm.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun remains easygoing and fond of sleep and food, relying on delegation to avoid work. His casual defense of Yellow Dragon’s performance clashes with Houtu’s more demanding judgment.
• Houtu continues to oversee the Witch Race and Gungun’s responsibilities, teasingly scolding him while still taking him along to the Dao lecture.
• Zhunti moves from preparing for sainthood to defining a personal path through travel, teaching, dependent origination, and great vows.
• Jieyin is shown as self-sacrificing and devoted to his junior brother: he delayed his own ascension for Zhunti and chooses to wait for him.
• Their exchange centers on mutual recognition and loyalty: Zhunti thanks Jieyin for his sacrifice, while Jieyin reassures him that the Pure Land—and their shared future as Saints—will remain.

Significant themes

• Duty and delegation: Gungun’s hands-off approach contrasts with Houtu’s expectations of responsibility.
• Compassion and brotherhood: Jieyin’s patience and sacrifice reveal the strength of his bond with Zhunti.
• A personal path to enlightenment: Zhunti seeks experience and understanding rather than rushing toward power.
• Vows and salvation: The Western Religion’s founding and Zhunti’s vows emphasize guiding and rescuing all beings.

Plot and events

• Jieyin and Zhunti attain sainthood, completing the six Saints of the Primordial World. After Laozi’s hundred-year sermon ends, the gathered immortals pay their respects to the new Saints and depart.
• Houtu leaves the Eight Sceneries Palace, while Gungun stays to hear about a promised “fated opportunity” from Laozi.
• Laozi explains that Gungun’s black-and-white coloring, its use of yin-and-yang power, and its possession of Nuwa’s Yin-Yang Spirit Pearls point to a deep affinity with the yin-yang Dao. He offers to teach Gungun—not as a disciple, but without creating karmic obligations.
• Gungun accepts. After three thousand years of study, it demonstrates a growing command of yin and yang and briefly manifests a trace of the laws.
• Laozi describes yin and yang as the Two Forms arising from Taiji, and suggests that what they will give rise to in the future depends on Gungun. He then dismisses it, and Gungun leaves after offering a deep prostration and expressing gratitude.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun shows caution about owing karma, but accepts the opportunity once Laozi assures it that their connection is one of teaching rather than discipleship. Its practice yields an early sign of real progress.
• Laozi recognizes Gungun’s natural affinity for yin and yang and offers guidance, while also teasing it about its gluttony, sleepiness, and cowardice. His cryptic remarks imply that Gungun may have a larger role in the Dao’s development.
• Houtu supports Gungun’s choice to stay and waits outside the palace.
• The exchange between Laozi and Gungun is cordial but gently comic: Laozi’s praise and instruction are mixed with blunt teasing, while Gungun remains respectful and privately protests the insults.

Significant themes

• Order and transformation: Taiji gives rise to yin and yang, which together form the Two Forms and may lead onward to the creation of all things.
• Fate and natural affinity: Gungun’s traits and past actions seem to have drawn it toward the yin-yang Dao.
• Teaching without obligation: Laozi distinguishes imparting knowledge from becoming a master, emphasizing that learning need not entail karmic debt.
• Potential and destiny: Laozi’s final statement hints that Gungun’s practice could shape what emerges from the Two Forms.

Key plot points and events

• After three thousand years inside the Palace of Eight Views, Gungun emerges and explains to Houtu that Taiqing taught him the Yin-Yang Great Way. Gungun says he did not become Taiqing’s disciple and incurred no karmic obligation.
• Houtu scolds Gungun for keeping her waiting, but his apologetic leg-pounding—and Xuanming’s teasing—softens her anger.
• Xuanming reports that Quan Jiu’s son has been born. Named Nine Li, he is the first witch-human: born with Golden Immortal cultivation and a primordial spirit, but physically weaker than a pure-blooded witch.
• Quan Jiu has established the Nine Li Tribe, also known as the Witch-Human Tribe. Its ox and dark bird totems were chosen by the Ox Ancestor and the Dark Bird chief. Intermarriage between witches and humans has become increasingly common.
• Houtu asks whether witch-humans will benefit the Witch Race. Gungun believes they will, since they can combine Daoist cultivation and witch arts. Houtu remains uncertain but decides to visit the child.
• Elsewhere, Tongtian resents Taiqing for keeping Gungun and teaching him, and orders Jiejiao to begin accepting disciples. He declares that anyone who comes seeking a master has a destined connection.
• Yuanshi also opens recruitment, but sets a stricter test: candidates must pass the Three Grand Arrays at Jade Clarity Peak.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun uses humor, flattery, and physical service to placate Houtu, while his new knowledge of the Yin-Yang Great Way marks a step in his cultivation.
• Houtu moves from irritation to amusement and concern for the Witch Race’s future; she takes an active interest in Nine Li and the new mixed lineage.
• Xuanming acts as messenger and lighthearted foil, teasing Gungun while explaining the growth of witch-human families.
• Tongtian responds to his suspicion that Taiqing is drawing Gungun away by opening Jiejiao’s doors broadly.
• Yuanshi likewise begins accepting disciples, but favors a selective approach based on trials.

Significant themes

• New identities and coexistence: Nine Li’s birth and the tribe’s formation show humans and witches beginning to build a shared community.
• Opportunity and uncertainty: Witch-humans may strengthen the Witch Race, though Houtu does not yet know what their emergence will mean.
• Rivalry among the Three Pure Ones: Taiqing’s teaching of Gungun prompts Tongtian and Yuanshi to make their own moves in the competition for disciples.
• Different ideas of inclusion: Tongtian welcomes all seekers, while Yuanshi requires them to prove themselves.

Plot points and events

• Houtu, Xuanming, and Gungun examine Quan Jiu and A Li’s child, Nine Li. They note that his body is weaker than a pure-blooded witch’s, but he has a complete primordial spirit and can learn Daoist arts.
• Quan Jiu offers to give Nine Li a drop of his precious essence blood so the child may eventually forge a Great Shaman Body. Xuanming objects because the sacrifice would badly weaken him; Houtu confirms he could lose much of his strength.
• Quan Jiu insists, explaining that he wants Nine Li to be strong enough to protect himself and his people. He and A Li hope the child can combine witch body-refinement techniques with a Saint’s teachings.
• Quan Jiu plans to seek admission for Nine Li to the Expounding Teaching, then the Western Religion if that fails, and finally Jiejiao. Houtu warns that the Jade Pure Saint, Yuanshi, is proud and may reject him, but agrees the family should try.
• Just then, Yuanshi announces that the Expounding Teaching is recruiting disciples through three trials at Jade Clarity Peak. Houtu assigns Gungun to help Nine Li train, provide protective treasures, and accompany him and Quan Jiu to the trials.
• Gungun protests that it is poor, but Houtu points out that most of her treasures are already in its possession. Gungun reluctantly agrees. Nine Li ends the scene by hugging Gungun and enthusiastically patting its belly, saying he is “playing with a bear.”

Character developments and interactions

• Quan Jiu shows devoted, self-sacrificing fatherhood, accepting a serious loss of strength for his son’s future.
• Houtu balances practical concern with support for Quan Jiu’s choice, then takes charge of Nine Li’s preparation.
• Xuanming reacts angrily to Quan Jiu’s plan but ultimately understands his paternal motivation.
• Gungun is proud of its growing power yet touchy about being underestimated. Its comic reluctance to share treasures contrasts with its eventual agreement to help.
• Nine Li appears fearless and playful, already treating Gungun like a toy.

Significant themes

• Parental love and sacrifice: Quan Jiu willingly risks his cultivation to give Nine Li greater opportunities.
• Mixed heritage and potential: Nine Li’s witch body and human-derived primordial spirit may let him unite two paths of cultivation.
• Ambition and opportunity: the family hopes he can become a Saint’s disciple and help the Witch Race’s future.
• Humor and status: Gungun’s boasts, Houtu’s teasing, and Nine Li’s playfulness lighten the serious discussion of power and destiny.

Plot points and events

• Nine Li meets Gungun and immediately treats the Ancestral Bear like a toy: he asks whether he can become as fat as Gungun, wants to keep him as a pet, and even suggests pulling out his teeth to make a weapon.
• Gungun is offended but tries to frighten Nine Li by showing his fangs. The child is fascinated rather than scared.
• Xuanming notices Gungun’s sharp teeth and jokes about whether he sheds them, prompting Gungun to insist that his permanent teeth cannot be replaced.
• Nine Li continues asking for hugs and calling Gungun his “big bear.” Quan Jiu scolds him for disrespecting an elder, but Houtu intervenes, saying Nine Li is only a child and genuinely likes Gungun.
• Houtu reassures Gungun that he needn’t fear the boy and suggests he give his nephew a present. Though initially reluctant to part with his treasures, Gungun relents and produces several items, beginning with the Ghost-Slaying Blade.

Character developments

• Nine Li is bold, affectionate, curious, and comically unaware of how provocative his requests are. Houtu sees his fearlessness as a promising quality.
• Gungun is proud of his status and secretly exasperated by Nine Li’s pet-and-teeth requests, but he ultimately gives in and shows generosity toward the child.
• Quan Jiu tries to teach Nine Li respect for elders, while also acknowledging that the newborn still has much to learn.
• Houtu acts as a calm mediator, protecting Gungun from the teasing while recognizing Nine Li’s innocent affection. She also prompts Gungun to welcome him with a gift.
• Xuanming is amused by the exchange, though her interest in Gungun’s teeth makes him wary.

Significant themes

• Childhood innocence versus adult dignity: Nine Li’s innocent affection repeatedly clashes with Gungun’s pride and status.
• Family and mentorship: Quan Jiu disciplines his son, while Gungun is positioned as an uncle who should guide and welcome him.
• Courage and potential: Houtu interprets Nine Li’s fearlessness as a sign that he may one day make his own place in the Primordial World.
• Affection expressed awkwardly: Nine Li’s teasing is his way of showing fondness, even when it irritates Gungun.

Character interactions

• Nine Li’s persistent demands provoke Gungun, while Gungun’s attempts to intimidate him only deepen the child’s fascination.
• Quan Jiu reprimands Nine Li; A Li hesitates to intervene, and Houtu steps in to settle matters.
• Houtu gently teases Gungun about liking children and encourages him to give Nine Li a gift.
• The chapter ends with Gungun handing Nine Li the Ghost-Slaying Blade, beginning his welcome as an uncle.

Key plot points and events

• Gungun gives Nine Li a powerful Golden Dragon Pearl, explaining that his Yin-Yang Spirit Pearls make it less useful to him. Nine Li is delighted and tries to drag Gungun off to brush his teeth, despite the bear’s protests.
• Houtu decides that she and Xuanming will teach Nine Li body refinement and manners. Using his father Quan Jiu’s blood essence, they train him to develop a Great Shaman body—the highest rank below an Ancestral Witch.
• Gungun speculates about Nine Li’s future: he might become Yuanshi’s disciple and later a Heavenly Court official, or join the Western Religion. He ultimately leaves the choice to fate and goes back to sleep.
• Five years later, Nine Li completes his cultivation. He returns stronger and more mature, formally apologizes to Gungun for his earlier rudeness, and asks him to teach spells so he can attempt the arrays at Jade Clarity Peak and become a Saint’s disciple.
• Gungun agrees to teach him the Seventy Transformations of Forest and Wood and several Five-Element Spells.

Character developments

• Nine Li grows from an impulsive, ill-mannered child into a disciplined young cultivator. He shows gratitude and respect, though he also knows how to flatter Gungun to get what he wants.
• Gungun remains indulgent, sleepy, and easily pleased by praise. Despite grumbling about Nine Li’s behavior, he is generous with his treasures and willing to help him pursue his ambitions.
• Houtu and Xuanming take responsibility for Nine Li’s training, combining physical cultivation with lessons in proper conduct.
• Quan Jiu supports his son’s progress by providing the blood essence needed for cultivation.

Significant themes

• Growth through guidance: Nine Li’s physical training and improved manners show how mentorship can shape both strength and character.
• Generosity and family bonds: Gungun treats Nine Li as a nephew, gives him valuable gifts, and helps him despite the boy’s earlier disrespect.
• Fate and ambition: Gungun considers several possible futures for Nine Li but recognizes that the choice—and its outcome—cannot be decided in advance.
• Humor and humility: Gungun’s mock dignity, laziness, and delight in compliments provide comic contrast to Nine Li’s increasingly serious ambitions.

Character interactions

• Gungun and Nine Li shift from a playful, exasperated dynamic to a more respectful uncle-and-nephew relationship.
• Houtu gently corrects Quan Jiu’s concern about Nine Li’s behavior, trusting Gungun to tolerate the child and planning to teach Nine Li proper manners.
• Nine Li’s formal apology wins Gungun’s forgiveness; his praise and request then persuade Gungun to become his spell teacher.

Summary

• The author explains a revision to Jiuli’s characterization in the preceding two chapters. Jiuli was initially imagined as a child who behaved badly through ignorance, with Houtu teaching them how to behave.
• The author decided that approach did not feel right and revised the dialogue. Jiuli is now a recently born child who likes Gungun and understands little about the world, but is generally obedient and sensible.
• Character development: Jiuli’s limited understanding is presented as a consequence of being newly born, not as misbehavior. Houtu’s role is therefore no longer to correct an unruly child.
• Themes and interactions: The note emphasizes thoughtful characterization and the distinction between innocence and disobedience. It also highlights Jiuli’s affection for Gungun.

Plot points and events

• After three more years studying under Gungun, Nine Li—now a Great Shaman—travels with his father, Quan Jiu, to Mount Kunlun to attempt the trials for admission as a disciple of the Primordial Heavenly Venerable, Yuanshi.
• Gungun refuses to come, partly because he still has not found Tongtian a promised mount and does not want to face the awkward possibility that Tongtian will ask about it.
• At Kunlun, Nine Li is initially intimidated by the crowd of candidates, but Quan Jiu reassures him and sends him into the trials.
• A bald Daoist, Guang Chengzi, warns Nine Li that the formations can injure those who fail. Nine Li thanks him but insists that refusing to try would guarantee failure. His resolve inspires Guang Chengzi to overcome his own hesitation and enter as well.
• Yuanshi notices Nine Li and recognizes his unusual qualities: at only eight, he has Golden Immortal cultivation, a Great Shaman’s body, and knowledge of Gungun’s Seventy Transformations of Forest and Wood. Yuanshi cannot determine whether Nine Li is fated to become his disciple, so he decides to watch his progress.
• Nine Li and Guang Chengzi clear the first formation together. In the second, the Desire Formation, they find the renowned deity Ran Deng apparently trapped. When Guang Chengzi identifies him, Nine Li admits he has heard of Ran Deng from his “uncle,” Gungun—prompting Guang Chengzi to doubt that Nine Li is really a bear.

Character developments and interactions

• Nine Li shows courage and determination despite his youth and initial insecurity. His practical maxim—trying leaves open the possibility of success—encourages Guang Chengzi.
• Quan Jiu supports his son with reassurance but remains outside the trials to await the outcome.
• Gungun remains an influential, if absent, teacher; Nine Li’s preparation attracts Yuanshi’s attention.
• Guang Chengzi shifts from indecision to confidence, then accompanies Nine Li through the first trial. Their friendly partnership is complicated by Guang Chengzi’s growing suspicion about Nine Li’s identity.
• Yuanshi is intrigued by Nine Li but reserves judgment, allowing the trials to determine whether the boy may become his disciple.

Significant themes

• Courage and initiative: Attempting a difficult challenge is better than surrendering before it begins.
• Destiny versus choice: Yuanshi cannot read a fixed outcome for Nine Li, leaving his success uncertain.
• Preparation and reputation: Nine Li’s unusual training and lineage make him stand out in a crowded competition.
• Humor and mistaken identity: Gungun’s bear identity and Nine Li’s claim that he is his “uncle” set up Guang Chengzi’s comic suspicion.

Key plot points and events

• Ran Deng breaks free of the second trial’s desires and notices Nine Li’s Forestwood inheritance. He recognizes Nine Li as the first Witch-human and a Great Shaman, then proceeds to the third trial.
• Ran Deng recalls losing a past battle over the Forestwood Demon God’s legacy to Gungun and Soaring Serpent. He blames their superior treasures and admits he hopes to join Yuanshi’s teaching chiefly to gain powerful gifts.
• Houtu asks whether Nine Li can become an Expounding Teaching disciple. Gungun thinks he can, with the Western Religion as a fallback, but dismisses Jiejiao as unstable and a poor fit for a Witch-human. Houtu argues that joining Jiejiao could help Nine Li grow, even if the teaching does not endure.
• Half a month later, Nine Li passes all three of Yuanshi’s formations and reaches the Jade Clarity Palace. He sends word to his father, Quan Jiu, who celebrates proudly. Gungun hears the news and prepares to leave for the East Sea.

Character developments

• Nine Li proves his perseverance and ability by passing the trials, despite emerging dusty and exhausted. His excitement reveals his youthful enthusiasm.
• Ran Deng is shown as calculating and treasure-minded, motivated less by devotion to a Saint’s teachings than by the prospect of acquiring treasures.
• Houtu is pragmatic but open-minded: she sees value in Nine Li joining Jiejiao, even if it is not a permanent home.
• Gungun remains casual and irreverent, but his relief at Nine Li’s success shows his concern for the child.

Character interactions

• Ran Deng recognizes Nine Li’s unusual heritage but keeps his suspicions to himself.
• Houtu and Gungun debate which Saint’s teaching would best suit Nine Li, with Houtu challenging Gungun’s assumptions about Jiejiao.
• Nine Li respectfully addresses the White Crane Attendant, who welcomes him as a senior brother despite being a non-disciple servant.
• Quan Jiu responds to the news with pride, while Gungun quietly acknowledges Nine Li’s achievement.

Significant themes

• Shamelessness and self-interest: Ran Deng’s comic recollections frame the chapter’s idea that audacity—and a willingness to pursue advantage—can triumph.
• Power, wealth, and status: The legacy battle and Ran Deng’s ambitions emphasize how treasures can matter as much as cultivation.
• Belonging and identity: Nine Li’s Witch-human nature complicates which religious teaching might accept him and where he can thrive.
• Different measures of success: Houtu values Nine Li’s growth and the Witch Race’s endurance, while Gungun weighs institutional stability and practical fit.

Key plot points and events

• Nine Li passes Yuanshi’s three great formations and is effectively accepted into the Expounding Teaching. Gungun thinks the talented witch-human’s new affiliation could also benefit the Witch Race.
• Gungun decides to travel to the East Sea. He plans to visit Ao Yue—partly to discuss the future merit of “saving the world,” and partly to enjoy the Dragon Palace’s food—but his main purpose is to fulfill his promise to Tongtian to find him a mount.
• Gungun considers the legendary Kui Ox, then decides Yinglong might be an even more impressive choice. He believes Tongtian’s status as a Saint should make Yinglong willing to serve him.
• Houtu warns that Yinglong is the Ancestral Dragon’s posthumous son, has the potential to lead the Dragon Race, and is especially cherished and cultivated by Ao Yue. She agrees to accompany Gungun to the East Sea.
• Houtu overhears Gungun’s thoughts about the future and becomes alert to the possibility that he is concealing important information about a coming world-saving event.

Character developments

• Gungun remains lazy and self-indulgent, but is resourceful and confident in his plans. His knowledge of future legends shapes his choices, though he underestimates the political and personal importance of Yinglong to the Dragon Race.
• Houtu shows concern for the Witch Race and its allies. Learning that Yinglong may one day serve an enemy of the witch-humans, she decides that placing him with Tongtian would be preferable—and that she should keep Gungun close.
• Nine Li makes a major step toward a promising future by passing Yuanshi’s tests and entering the Expounding Teaching.

Significant themes

• Fate and foreknowledge: Gungun uses knowledge of future legends to anticipate Nine Li’s prospects and identify potential mounts.
• Ambition versus attachment: Yinglong’s potential value to the Dragon Race conflicts with Gungun’s plans and Houtu’s strategic concerns.
• Duty and consequences: Gungun’s casual promise to Tongtian draws Houtu into a complicated mission.
• Comic contrast: Gungun treats a politically significant quest as an excuse for naps and feasting, while Houtu sees its deeper implications.

Character interactions

• Gungun’s pride in Nine Li’s success quickly turns into plans for his East Sea journey.
• Houtu challenges Gungun’s assumptions about finding a mount, then decides to accompany him after hearing his argument about Yinglong.
• Gungun’s mention of the future “merit of saving the world” catches Houtu’s attention, leaving her suspicious that he knows more than he has told her.

Key plot points and events

• Houtu learns that Gungun’s plan to recruit a Saint’s mount may earn merit for “saving the world.” Curious about what he knows, she decides to accompany him to the East Sea rather than let him go alone.
• At the Dragon Palace, Ao Yue welcomes Houtu and Gungun despite his lingering injuries from Dijun’s Solar True Fire. Gungun gives him Three Lights Divine Water, which should heal him, and reminds him that Saints now hold the greatest power in the Primordial World.
• Gungun argues that prominent members of allied races should build ties with Saints by becoming their disciples, mounts, or attendants. He has already sent Iron-Eating Beasts to serve the Jade Pure Sage and now seeks a Dragon Race candidate for the Shangqing Sage, Tongtian.
• Ao Yue initially suggests sending a dragon of ordinary rank. Gungun insists the position demands someone important. Ao Guang, the East Sea Dragon King, eagerly volunteers, but Ao Yue has him removed from the hall.
• Yinglong, Ao Yue’s younger brother and a son of the Ancestral Dragon, then offers himself. Ao Yue objects, but Gungun proposes that Yinglong become both Tongtian’s disciple and mount. He claims Jiejiao offers the best opportunity and that a Saint’s mount would be especially safe.
• Houtu realizes the arrangement could benefit the Witch-Human people too: since Nine Li has joined Yuanshi’s Expounding Teaching, a future Witch-Human child might be sent to Tongtian, giving the group ties to two Saintly schools. She begins to object to Gungun handing this opportunity to the Dragon Race.

Character developments

• Gungun is revealed as a shrewd, persuasive strategist. He mixes genuine concern for allied races with self-interested maneuvering to fulfill Tongtian’s request, presenting the mount role as both an honor and protection.
• Houtu remains composed but becomes increasingly curious about Gungun’s knowledge and plans. By the end, she recognizes the political value of his proposal and regrets not considering the opportunity for her own people.
• Ao Yue shifts from polite host to thoughtful leader weighing the Dragon Race’s future. Though reluctant to send his brother away, he cannot easily dismiss Gungun’s political reasoning.
• Yinglong demonstrates ambition and a strong sense of duty to his race, accepting the prospect of becoming a mount because it could strengthen the Dragon Race and advance his cultivation.
• Ao Guang provides comic contrast: he volunteers with excessive enthusiasm, prompting Ao Yue to have him dragged away.

Significant themes

• Power and survival in the age of Saints: The chapter frames the Saints as the real rulers of the world, making alliances with them essential for lesser races.
• Political pragmatism versus pride: Becoming a Saint’s mount may seem beneath a leader, yet Gungun presents it as a prestigious, protective position.
• Collective welfare and personal ambition: Yinglong’s choice may help his people while also giving him access to a Saint’s teachings.
• Humor and manipulation: Gungun’s earnest-sounding arguments, Houtu’s private calculations, and the dragons’ reactions give political maneuvering a comic tone.
• Interconnected fortunes: The Witch Race, Iron-Eating Beasts, Dragon Race, and Witch-Human descendants seek security through shared ties and strategic alliances.

Character interactions

• Houtu physically takes charge of Gungun’s journey, while silently listening to his thoughts and questioning his motives.
• Gungun and Ao Yue exchange cordial but strategic conversation; Gungun offers healing water, then presses him to consider a Saintly alliance.
• Ao Yue’s embarrassment over Ao Guang’s outburst contrasts with Yinglong’s calm, serious appeal.
• Gungun mediates between the brothers and reframes Yinglong’s proposal as a way to protect him and benefit the Dragon Race.
• Houtu listens throughout, then independently sees how the same strategy might secure Saintly connections for the Witch-Human people.

Plot points and events

• Gungun persuades Ao Yue that Tongtian, the Supreme Pure Saint, will accept Yinglong as both a disciple and a mount. Ao Yue entrusts his younger brother to Gungun, and Yinglong agrees to go with him.
• Houtu privately wonders whether Tongtian might also take a Witch-Human as a mount.
• In the Dragon Palace, Ao Guang rages at being denied the chance to become a Saint’s mount. His mother, Zitong, argues that the role would cost him freedom and might jeopardize his title as Dragon King.
• Zitong reveals that Ao Yue plans to move the Ancestral Dragon Hall and key Dragon Race leaders to the Azure Dragon Realm. Ao Guang realizes this could leave Zitong in control of the East Sea; she warms to the prospect, while he silently worries that he will remain a powerless king.
• Three days later, Gungun secretly meets Ao Yue. Ao Yue explains that he once sought information about the prophesied world-saving merit to protect the Dragon Race from the Demon Race, but the Demon Emperor’s invasion derailed his plans.
• Gungun claims he learned of the future catastrophe through repeated dreams, but admits he does not know when it will happen or who will save the world. Ao Yue says he has ordered Meng Zhang to build the Azure Dragon Realm as a refuge. Gungun pretends to have made similar preparations, privately noting that his clan will instead be moved to the Underworld.

Character developments and interactions

• Ao Yue demonstrates trust in Gungun by placing Yinglong’s future in his hands, and remains focused on protecting the Dragon Race from an unknown catastrophe.
• Gungun acts as a confident matchmaker and reassures Ao Yue, though he conceals both the limits of his knowledge and his own plans.
• Yinglong accepts the proposed apprenticeship and mount role, with Ao Yue reminding him to behave respectfully and return if he needs help.
• Ao Guang and Zitong clash over his ambition and status. Zitong’s political instincts surface when she recognizes that Ao Yue’s departure could give her authority over the East Sea; Ao Guang sees that this may leave him marginal even within his own family.
• Houtu remains watchful of Gungun and privately considers whether the Saints might accept more members of her side.

Significant themes

• Duty versus status and freedom: Ao Guang covets the prestige of serving a Saint, while Zitong stresses the restrictions and responsibilities such service entails.
• Family power and political succession: The Dragon leadership’s relocation could reshape authority, exposing tensions beneath the title of Dragon King.
• Trust and concealment: Ao Yue relies on Gungun, but Gungun withholds what he knows and presents a reassuring version of his preparations.
• Foreknowledge and survival: The uncertain catastrophe drives the Dragon Race toward refuge-building, while the chapter contrasts their preparations with Gungun’s more secretive alternative.

Plot points

• Gungun meets Ao Yue in the Ancestral Dragon Hall. Ao Yue plans to move the Ancestral Dragon Hall and his clan to the newly created Azure Dragon Realm, then focus on cultivation and try to sever his third corpse.
• Ao Yue asks Gungun to look after his full brother, Yinglong, and Gungun promises Yinglong will be well cared for after joining Jiejiao.
• Gungun slips back into the hall carrying Dragon Milk, hoping Houtu won’t realize he went to see Ao Yue. She has returned early and confronts him.
• Houtu learns from Gungun’s thoughts that he has already discussed “merit for saving the world” with Ao Yue. She reveals that her own primordial spirit recently gave her the same message and presses Gungun to explain what it means.

Character developments and interactions

• Ao Yue is wary of future upheaval despite the apparent peace. He prioritizes protecting his people and strengthening himself, and shows concern for Yinglong by asking Gungun to help him.
• Gungun remains evasive and food-focused, disguising his meeting as a trip to the dining hall. His private thoughts show he resents Houtu’s supervision, though he recognizes he has given her reason to distrust his judgment.
• Houtu uses a bluff to draw information from Gungun, but her concern is genuine: she suspects a world-threatening crisis may be approaching. She also recalls that Gungun’s past decisions tied the Iron-Eating Beast Clan’s fortunes to the Dragon Race and complicated the Witch Race’s plans.

Significant themes

• Foreboding and preparation: Even during a period of peace, characters anticipate disaster and prepare for survival.
• Trust and concealment: Gungun hides his dealings from Houtu, while she uses his thoughts—and a calculated bluff—to uncover the truth.
• Responsibility and consequences: Gungun’s earlier political choices have affected entire races, making Houtu’s vigilance understandable.
• The looming world crisis: The repeated phrase “merit for saving the world” suggests a major catastrophe, but its nature and solution remain unclear.

Plot points and events

• Houtu asks Gungun, her trusted Witch Scribe, how the Witch Race might gain merit by saving the Primordial World and strengthen its position in the coming War of the Liches.
• Gungun decides to offer a cautious analysis rather than reveal what he knows about the future. As he begins explaining that only a coalition of powerful beings could save the world, Heavenly Dao sends down nine-heaven mystic thunder and strikes him before he can finish.
• On Mount Kunlun, Yuanshi and Tongtian notice the lightning and speculate about what Gungun said. Neither can divine the cause. Laozi, tired of their bickering, seals the channels connecting their palaces.
• Laozi sends Xuandu to the East Sea with Three-Origin Golden Pills and a warning that Gungun should be more careful: another strike could severely damage his cultivation. Yuanshi likewise sends the White Crane Attendant with three-lights divine water to heal him and delivers the same admonition.
• Yuanshi formally accepts the immortals who passed his Three Grand Arrays into the Expounding Teaching. Ran Deng becomes deputy leader, while Nine Li is named the eldest disciple and receives three treasures. Yuanshi also bestows magical weapons and garments on several disciples, though Yellow Dragon is notably given no treasure in this passage.

Character developments and interactions

• Gungun weighs the risks of revealing future knowledge and chooses a guarded, practical answer. His attempt is cut short by the Heavenly Dao, underscoring how dangerous it is to speak too plainly about fate.
• Houtu treats Gungun as a confidant and takes his advice seriously; his sudden injury shocks her.
• The Three Pure Ones display their familiar contrasts: Tongtian boasts that he knows what happened, Yuanshi challenges him, and Laozi withdraws from their quarrel to restore quiet.
• Yuanshi shows particular approval of Nine Li’s concern and manners. Nine Li, in turn, worries about his uncle Gungun and thanks Yuanshi for helping him.
• Ran Deng accepts the title of deputy leader but is puzzled when Yuanshi gives Nine Li priority and does not immediately reward him with a treasure.
• Yellow Dragon is left confused and disappointed when Yuanshi names him a disciple but appears to skip his treasure.

Significant themes

• Fate and the limits of foreknowledge: Knowing what may happen does not necessarily let anyone change it; even Saints struggle to understand Heavenly Dao’s judgments.
• The danger of speaking about heaven’s secrets: Gungun’s thunderbolt suggests that certain truths cannot safely be voiced.
• Power, merit, and collective action: Houtu’s question links saving the world to the Witch Race’s strength and its prospects in the Lich War.
• Hierarchy and favoritism: The disciples’ ranks and uneven distribution of treasures expose the tensions and expectations within Yuanshi’s new school.

Key plot points and events

• Yuanshi gives treasures to nearly all his new disciples, but excludes both Ran Deng and Yellow Dragon. He says Ran Deng already owns powerful treasures; Yellow Dragon, he claims, needs more cultivation and restraint.
• Yuanshi appoints Nine Li to ring the palace bell and summon the disciples for daily teachings.
• As the disciples leave, Nine Li reveals that he is a Witch-Human: his father is Quan Jiu, a former Earth Walker of the Witch Race, and Ancestral Witch Houtu watched him grow up.
• Yellow Dragon eagerly seeks Houtu’s opinion of him, imagining it might signal favor. Nine Li finally relays her actual remark: she criticized the Ancestral Bear for choosing an ineffectual deputy—Yellow Dragon—and urged him to replace him. Yellow Dragon is devastated and collapses.
• Nine Li also explains that the Ancestral Bear once said Ran Deng could pass Yuanshi’s trials if he tried, but did not come himself because he supposedly wanted to leave the chance to become a Saint’s disciple for others.
• Tongtian overhears this and doubts the Bear’s supposed selflessness. Dissatisfied with the weak, demon-associated disciples who came to his sect, he worries Yuanshi will later mock Jiejiao’s followers.
• Tongtian sends the Ancestral Bear a copy of the Yellow Court Scripture and a warning to be more cautious. He also demands that the Bear fulfill his old promise to find him a mount—and now find a highly blessed true immortal to join Tongtian’s disciples—or face punishment.

Character developments

• Yellow Dragon goes from hopeful and eager to prove himself to crushed by the realization that both Yuanshi and Houtu hold him in low regard.
• Nine Li emerges as a well-connected but modest disciple, candid about his Witch-Human heritage and his ties to Houtu and the Ancestral Bear.
• Guang Chengzi is friendly toward Nine Li, though his curiosity about the Bear’s motives leaves him increasingly puzzled.
• Tongtian reveals insecurity about the standing and quality of his disciples, alongside pride in Jiejiao’s inclusive mission. His frustration turns into a plan to pressure the Ancestral Bear.

Significant themes

• Favoritism and status: Yuanshi’s gifts and judgments expose unequal treatment among disciples; lineage and reputation shape how others are received.
• Misplaced hope and humiliation: Yellow Dragon’s imagined importance contrasts sharply with Houtu’s harsh assessment.
• Different ideals of discipleship: Tongtian’s Jiejiao welcomes all who seek a master, while he fears its broad inclusiveness will be used to disparage its members.
• Reputation versus reality: The disciples accept Nine Li’s flattering account of the Ancestral Bear’s selflessness, while Tongtian suspects a less noble explanation.

Character interactions

• Yuanshi rebukes Yellow Dragon and dismisses Ran Deng’s request for a gift, establishing his authority through blunt judgments.
• Guang Chengzi and the other disciples warmly welcome Nine Li after learning of his Witch heritage.
• Yellow Dragon presses Nine Li for Houtu’s opinion, while Nine Li reluctantly delivers the painful message.
• Tongtian reacts to the disciples’ conversation by sending the Ancestral Bear a warning and a pointed list of demands.