Chapter Summaries

Jiang Wenhuan and the nobles seized on the prospect of attacking the West Qiang to gain livestock and land, while Li Sui realized King Zhou had arranged the campaign as a test of the nobles’ loyalty. The nobles pledged money, provisions, laborers, and soldiers, leaving Li Sui to see how King Zhou’s offer of profit would guide their actions.

• Jiang Wenhuan urged an attack on the Qiang, and Ehe and Shaoge welcomed the chance for revenge.
• Hou Yan argued that Bo Yikao and the West Qiang threatened Great Shang and asked Li Sui to send an army against them.
• Hou Yan and the nobles offered money, provisions, laborers, and private soldiers to support the campaign.
• The nobles denounced Bo Yikao with accusations of cruelty and lawlessness, while Li Sui recognized their claims as distortions.
• Li Sui realized King Zhou had made the campaign and its profits a test: the troops would either suppress the nobles or attack the West Qiang, depending on the nobles’ choice.

Li Sui used the Dark Phoenix Jade Pendant to help Jiang Wenhuan mobilize an army against the West Qiang, while the nobles of Li Commandery backed the campaign for profit and pledged their allegiance to Great Shang. After Zi Shou published Hou Yan's memorial, nobles elsewhere began choosing sides and traveling to Chaoge to submit memorials.

• The nobles urged Li Sui and Jiang Wenhuan to attack the West Qiang, citing Bo Yikao's conduct and their own frontier grievances.
• Hou Yan persuaded Jiang Wenhuan that pacifying the Qiang could earn him kingship, and Jiang Wenhuan eagerly agreed to lead the campaign.
• Li Sui invoked the Dark Phoenix Jade Pendant, helped Jiang Wenhuan muster troops, and had the nobles jointly submit a memorial pledging allegiance.
• After several days of preparations, Jiang Wenhuan marched out with the army as the nobles supplied provisions and urged him to move quickly.
• Zi Shou published Hou Yan's memorial in the newspaper, prompting nobles to travel to Chaoge and submit memorials, including King Du Yu.

King Zhou met the nobles’ petitions in court wearing armor, while Shang Rong feared the session might turn violent. King Du Yu accused him of unjustly punishing nobles and argued that severe enforcement of the law was driving them from their homes, but King Zhou defended the punishments.

• King Zhou arrived in armor and took his seat, worrying Shang Rong about the nobles’ safety.
• Zi Shou read the nobles’ memorials and privately welcomed their accusations.
• King Du Yu accused King Zhou of executing nobles unjustly and called his conduct unworthy of a sovereign.
• Du Yu argued that the Wool Sweaters depended on the people’s labor and that the law’s harsh punishments had driven nobles to flee their homes.
• Zi Shou defended strict punishment, and Du Yu replied that nobles were pillars of the state and should not be punished.

The Yao Family Head appealed to Zi Shou to condemn the Ministry of Punishments for pursuing nobles, while the court assumed Yao Qi had been killed in Li Commandery. Li Jing revealed that Yao Qi had sent a letter, but the letter’s contents remained unknown.

• The Yao Family Head accused farmers of demanding excessive rent and portrayed nobles as victims of Zi Shou’s criminal laws.
• Li Jing asked whether the fugitive family member was named Yao Qi, prompting the Yao Family Head to intensify his appeal.
• Zi Shou realized Li Sui may have caught Yao Qi while investigating Hou Yan and admired the move.
• Li Jing produced a letter from Yao Qi, and the nobles and officials wrongly assumed it was his final letter before execution.
• Li Jing said Yao Qi was young but had broader horizons than everyone in the hall.

Li Jing revealed that Yao Qi and the nobles of Li Commandery had backed Jiang Wenhuan’s campaign against West Qiang with letters, troops, and supplies. The court’s nobles realized the campaign promised them a chance to seize Qiang livestock and profit from the wool trade, leaving the Yao Family Head bitter that they had missed out.

• Li Jing read Yao Qi’s letter, which praised King Zhou, condemned Bo Yikao, and urged Jiang Wenhuan to attack West Qiang.
• The Yao Family Head called Yao Qi’s letter a forgery, but Li Jing produced hundreds of genuine letters from Li Commandery’s noble families offering money, provisions, servants, and soldiers.
• Li Jing explained that Jiang Wenhuan had already marched against West Qiang without court funding, proving that the nobles had supplied the campaign themselves.
• The nobles in the hall realized that West Qiang’s livestock and wool offered far greater profits than raising sheep on enclosed land.
• The Yao Family Head flushed with bitterness over missing the opportunity and resented Yao Qi for helping outsiders instead of his own family.

Li Jing revealed that the nobles had rallied behind King Zhou and were offering money and grain for a campaign against the West Qiang, turning the court’s conflict with them into a shared pursuit of profit. Zi Shou realized the alliance had undermined his chance to gain more Foolishness Value, while the court began to suspect King Zhou would next move against the feudal lords.

• Li Jing presented letters showing that the nobles supported King Zhou and condemned those stirring up accusations against him.
• Li Jing argued that Great Shang should use the nobles’ support to campaign against Bo Yikao and the West Qiang.
• Wan Nian explained that conquering Qiang pastures would provide wool and wealth while avoiding the need to seize commoners’ fields.
• The Yao Family Head and other nobles offered money and supplies for the western campaign.
• Shang Rong praised King Zhou’s strategy, and Zi Shou realized the nobles’ loyalty had cut off his source of Foolishness Value.
• The ministers and nobles wondered whether King Zhou’s next move would be against the feudal lords.

Zi Shou moved the ancestral ceremony to Kunlun City to draw the Feudal Lords together and advance his plan to gain Foolishness Value. As preparations continued and Ji Fa arrived to inspect the city, Taibai Jinxing and the Nine Heavens Profound Lady appeared and dismissed the strength of the human forces.

• Zi Shou relocated the ancestral shrine to Kunlun City and arranged an expansive ceremony to attract Feudal Lords and increase his Foolishness Value.
• Bo Yi and Shu Qi inspected the lodgings, discussed defenses against Xiqi, and noted that visitors were paying admission to Kunlun City.
• Bo Yi and Shu Qi spotted Ji Fa touring the city, but Bo Yi said Zi Shou had ordered them to let Ji Fa do as he pleased.
• Bo Yi said Xiqi's troops could station near the city if they paid for their own provisions and admission.
• Taibai Jinxing and the Nine Heavens Profound Lady observed the Imperial Guards and judged that human forces could not overcome the great tribulation.

Taibai Jinxing and the Nine Heavens Profound Lady descended to Kunlun City to observe the Human Race’s ancestral ceremony, while the Heavenly Emperor worried about Long Ji and the coming tribulation. In Chaoge, Zi Shou waited idly for the ceremony, confident it would restore his foolishness value as the world moved toward war.

• The Nine Heavens Profound Lady warned Taibai Jinxing not to underestimate the Human Dao’s fortune, though they believed the Heavenly Court would ultimately bring down King Zhou and raise Zhou.
• Taibai Jinxing and the Nine Heavens Profound Lady discussed the Heavenly Emperor’s plans for Long Ji and descended to Kunlun City to examine the ancestral ceremony.
• The Heavenly Emperor worried that Long Ji might be caught in the great tribulation, then continued inspecting the Three Realms while snacking on Flat Peaches and immortal dew.
• Taibai Jinxing and the Nine Heavens Profound Lady observed the crowds in Kunlun City unseen and discussed how the Three Teachings had already become entangled in the coming tribulation.
• Zi Shou spent the settlement period in drunken idleness after his foolishness value fell below zero, trusting that the ancestral ceremony would restore it.
• Feudal Lords from across the world began traveling to Kunlun City as the ancestral ceremony approached and a storm gathered across the Three Realms.

Chong Yingbiao told Guangchengzi he could not abandon Great Shang despite the heavenly mandate that Shang would fall and Zhou would rise. Guangchengzi let him descend the mountain and gave him the Sky-Flipping Seal.

• Chong Yingbiao tried to leave his cultivation grounds, but Guangchengzi appeared and asked whether he planned to go down the mountain.
• Chong Yingbiao explained that he remained a subject of Shang, while Guangchengzi warned that the calamity would destroy Shang and that even he could not change its course.
• Guangchengzi told Chong Yingbiao to return with him to the Jade Void Palace, but Chong Yingbiao recalled King Zhou's kindness and resolved to remain loyal to Shang.
• Chong Yingbiao declared that he was a minister of Shang, and Guangchengzi lifted his pressure and gave him the Sky-Flipping Seal before letting him go.

At the ancestral rites in Kunlun City, the King of Wu explained to the King of Shu that the title Son of Heaven carried divine favor and that the gathered Feudal Lords planned to condemn King Zhou. As the Imperial Carriage arrived and a bell-like sound reached the Grotto-Heavens, immortals and gods sensed that the Great Tribulation was drawing near.

• The King of Shu asked the King of Wu why he had come to Kunlun City, and the King of Wu explained the significance of the Son of Heaven and the Feudal Lords' plans to condemn King Zhou.
• The King of Wu introduced Fajie, who denounced King Zhou's association with fiends and vowed to strike down any demons at the ancestral rites.
• The King of Shu doubted that Fajie could threaten Lady Su, while the King of Wu praised the Qi Refiner and relied on his protection.
• The Imperial Carriage entered Kunlun City under the protection of the Three Hundred Royal Guards as cannons thundered and the sun rose over the Emperor-Climbing Platform.
• A bell-like sound scattered clouds over the Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands, and immortals and gods recognized that the Great Tribulation was drawing near.

During the Ancestor Worship ceremony in Kunlun City, Zi Shou invited the Feudal Lords onto the Emperor-Climbing Platform and challenged the crowd to object to him leading the sacrifices. In Youli, Ji Chang divined that the Great Tribulation was set and reflected on Yin Shang’s rise and fall as the skies darkened.

• Zi Shou arrived at the ceremony with Daji, impressing the gathered Feudal Lords, nobles, and ministers.
• Zi Shou invited the Feudal Lords to join him on the Emperor-Climbing Platform, and Bo Yi led the day’s solemn rites.
• As the final sacrifice approached, Zi Shou asked who objected to him leading the sacrifices to the ancestors of the Human Race, and someone called out, “I object!”
• In Youli, Ji Chang paused his work, divined that the Great Tribulation was set, and concluded that King Zhou would not survive it.
• Ji Chang recalled Yin Shang’s history and likened its fall to weeds sinking into the mud before leaving to bring in the laundry.

Tu Xingsun and several minor nobles publicly denounced King Zhou during the ancestral sacrifice, but Chong Yingbiao defended the king and beat Tu Xingsun with the Sky-Flipping Seal. As Tu Xingsun kept cursing and threatening Chaoge, a Demon-Subduing Pestle suddenly struck the ground.

• Tu Xingsun revealed himself and declared that he refused to submit, prompting several obscure nobles to denounce King Zhou as an unworthy tyrant.
• Fajie recognized Tu Xingsun as a disciple of Juliusun who had gone to Chaoge to serve as an official.
• Chong Yingbiao appeared and defended Zi Shou, arguing with Tu Xingsun over the king’s supposed crimes.
• Tu Xingsun began casting a spell, but Chong Yingbiao distracted him and struck him repeatedly with the Sky-Flipping Seal.
• Tu Xingsun threatened that Xiqi would rise and Chaoge would burn, while Chong Yingbiao taunted him and demanded that he submit.
• A Demon-Subduing Pestle fell from the sky and planted itself in the earth.

Wei Hu and the Yellow Turban Strongmen brought the Eight Steeds and unearthed the feudal lords’ ancestral coffins, allowing Tu Xingsun to accuse Zi Shou of dishonoring the ancestors. As purple qi formed a bridge from Ji Fa to the Son of Heaven’s carriage, Ji Fa proclaimed himself Son of Heaven and challenged King Zhou to acknowledge his guilt.

• Wei Hu arrived with the Yellow Turban Strongmen, and their display frightened the assembled feudal lords and nobles.
• The Eight Steeds appeared, signaling the arrival of a carriage associated with the Son of Heaven.
• Wei Hu used the Demon-Subduing Pestle while the Yellow Turban Strongmen raised the feudal lords’ ancestral coffins from underground.
• Tu Xingsun accused Zi Shou of secretly moving the coffins, while Zi Shou realized the accusation was a false framing built around his earlier plans.
• Purple qi formed a cloud bridge from the Eight Steeds’ carriage to Ji Fa, who proclaimed himself Son of Heaven in his father’s place.
• Ji Fa walked toward the carriage and demanded that King Zhou of Shang acknowledge his guilt.

Ji Fa publicly accused Zi Shou of ten crimes and demanded that he submit to Heaven’s punishment. Zi Shou admitted he had acted like a benighted ruler, while his ministers realized that reputation no longer mattered and a battle with Zhou was inevitable.

• Ji Fa declared that Zi Shou’s ten crimes justified his overthrow and recited charges ranging from extravagance and harsh punishments to disrespecting the gods and murdering Feudal Lords.
• Zi Shou privately recognized that many of Ji Fa’s accusations had some basis in his policies and actions.
• Zi Shou told Ji Fa that he had admitted long ago to being a benighted ruler.
• Shang’s ministers understood that they would support Zi Shou regardless of his reputation, since the Feudal Lords and nobles were their enemies.

Ji Fa led the feudal lords in condemning King Zhou during the ancestral rites, but the ancestors’ spirits stirred and their mournful sigh resonated across the world. Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan left Fire Cloud Palace, determined to protect the Human Race from outside interference in its mortal affairs.

• Ji Fa urged the feudal lords to continue the ancestral rites and treat King Zhou’s alleged crimes as established before the ancestors.
• Ji Fa saw ancestral silhouettes and glowing cloud qi above the coffins as the nobles interpreted the manifestation as proof of King Zhou’s guilt.
• Shennong, Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan, and Fuxi discussed the scattered Human Dao fortune and saw purple qi appear in the east as Ji Fa proclaimed Heaven’s Mandate with Zhou.
• The Ancestor Statues and coffins trembled, and ancestral spirits sighed across the world as cultivators witnessed a long dragon of fortune.
• Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan insisted that dynastic succession was natural but that no one should interfere in wars among the Human Race, then took his sword from Fuxi and left Fire Cloud Palace.

The Human Race’s ancestors manifested in Kunlun City, erased their achievements from the steles, and left Ji Fa shaken as he understood their three sighs. Wei Hu redirected attention toward the demonic aura, prompting Fajie to confront Daji.

• The ancestors manifested in Kunlun City, and their three sighs pierced the hearts of those present before the spirits faded.
• The ancestors’ achievements vanished from the stone steles, and Ji Fa realized King Zhou’s actions had helped the ancestors regain the Human Race’s reverence and fortune.
• Ji Fa understood that the ancestors’ sighs mourned his claim to be the Son of Heaven, the dispute over their history, and the coming war’s cost to the Human Race.
• Wei Hu noticed Ji Fa’s distress and claimed the ancestors had recognized Zhou’s Son of Heaven while sighing over Shang and Zhou’s sins.
• Fajie followed Wei Hu’s accusation, invoked his dharma power, and challenged Daji as a demon defiling sacred ground.

Zi Shou defended Daji when Fajie exposed her fox form, then turned the confrontation into a public celebration by having her dance. The dance ended as a golden, enormous hand tore through the sky.

• Fajie used a banner to reveal Daji's fox ears and nine tails, alarming the Feudal Lords and nobles.
• Zi Shou confronted Fajie and attacked him with the Tai'a Sword, driving him back with powerful blows.
• Zi Shou declared Daji's nine tails a sign of imperial rule, then used the Universe-Connecting Silk and asked her to dance.
• Daji danced before the assembled nobles while Zi Shou beat a drum, and she used blood from his injured finger as makeup.
• After Daji finished dancing, a great golden hand tore through the sky.

A mysterious giant hand seized Fajie and took him to the Western Paradise after rebuking him, leaving the rulers and nobles shaken by the power of the Immortals and Gods. Later, Yuanshi Tianzun sent an ancient scroll into the sky, where it unfurled as the Investiture List appeared over Kunlun City.

• A giant hand descended over Kunlun City, rebuked Fajie for his arrogance, and carried him away to the Western Paradise.
• The nobles watched in fear as the voice behind the hand recited a verse praising Patriarch Bodhi’s immortality and power.
• Ji Fa concluded that the Immortals and Gods supported Zhou and that replacing Shang would improve people’s lives.
• Yuanshi Tianzun warned his disciples that the tribulation was written into their destinies and told them to take care as they passed through it.
• Yuanshi Tianzun sent an ancient scroll out of the Jade Void Palace, and a white crane carried it toward Kunlun City.
• The scroll unfurled in the sky as Wei Hu knelt and asked the Sect Master to bestow the treasure, while a heavenly voice announced the beginning of the great tribulation and the appearance of the Investiture List.

The Investiture List flew toward Ji Fa, but a golden sword and four slaughter swords challenged it before golden imperial radiance tore the list in two. Ji Fa received one half, while Shen Gongbao seized the other half and the sword hilt from the battlefield.

• The Investiture List chose Ji Fa, drawing the feudal lords’ attention as it flew toward him.
• A golden longsword struck the list and halted it, but began to falter in their clash.
• An unknown immortal sent four swords to aid the golden sword, and their combined attack threatened everyone nearby.
• Golden radiance rose from Kunlun City, drove back the four swords, and strengthened the golden sword as it struck the Investiture List.
• The Investiture List split in two under the clash and tribulation lightning; Ji Fa received one half, while Shen Gongbao snatched up the other half and the sword hilt.

Zi Shou recounted Great Shang’s mounting rebellions and humiliations, then declared war on every neighboring state and the Eight Hundred Vassals. With the conflict now unavoidable, he accepted the coming tribulation while remaining unsure whether he could change his fate.

• Zi Shou listed the rebellions, disasters, and insults Great Shang had suffered over the past five years before the ministers, feudal lords, and nobles.
• Zi Shou had Shen Gongbao read his declaration accusing himself of ten crimes and announcing a punitive campaign, but tore up the scroll and stopped him.
• Zi Shou declared war on Western Rong, the Northern Di, the Eastern Yi, Nanyue, Zhou, Qi, Chu, Yan, Zhao, Wei, Han, Jin, Zheng, Wu, Shu, and all the Eight Hundred Vassals.
• The feudal lords recognized that Zi Shou was staking Great Shang’s state altars on a final struggle, while Zi Shou expected them to further condemn him.
• Zi Shou accepted the coming tribulation, though he wondered whether the system and Foolishness Value might change his eventual fate.