Chapter Summaries

Chen Xiang accidentally burned confidential Censorate case files with his Six Ding Divine Fire, giving Chen Wei a way to conceal evidence tied to the Great Heavenly Venerable. Chen Wei and his officials agreed to report the troublesome files as destroyed and planned for him to seek forgiveness.

• Chen Xiang flew into the Inner Hall, grabbed confidential case files, and burned them to ash with his Six Ding Divine Fire.
• Ma Muzhi rushed in and realized the destroyed files held clues to a major target, while Yang Chan carried Chen Xiang away after pretending to scold him.
• Chen Wei recognized that Chen Xiang's actions had spared him from investigating or destroying evidence connected to the Great Heavenly Venerable.
• Chen Wei told Ma Muzhi and Pang Long to treat the Censorate's troublesome files as burned, and both officials agreed to inventory them as losses.
• Chen Wei said he would go before the Great Heavenly Venerable and beg forgiveness for his son's serious mishap.

Chen Wei went to Lingxiao Palace to accept responsibility for Chen Xiang burning the Discipline Inspection Court’s case files, but the Great Heavenly Venerable approved of the fire and told him to salvage whatever records remained. The Great Heavenly Venerable then offered to look after the two children, and Chen Wei left addressing him as Uncle.

• Chen Wei entrusted Ma Muzhi and Pang Long with keeping order at court and carried the ashes to Lingxiao Palace.
• Chen Wei apologized to the Great Heavenly Venerable for Chen Xiang burning the case files, and the Great Heavenly Venerable dismissed them as rubbish rather than evidence of wrongdoing.
• The Great Heavenly Venerable told Chen Wei to shoulder the blame and inspect the remains for any surviving documents.
• The Great Heavenly Venerable invited Chen Wei to send the two children to Lingxiao Palace so he could look after them.
• The Great Heavenly Venerable reminded Chen Wei that they were family, and Chen Wei called him Uncle.

Chen Wei brought Chen Xiang and Chen Xiaochan to Lingxiao Palace at the Great Heavenly Venerable’s request, while Yang Chan eagerly anticipated some peace at home with her husband. The Great Heavenly Venerable welcomed the children and proposed taking them for a stroll around the Heavenly Court once Chang Geng arrived.

• Chen Wei told Yang Chan that the Great Heavenly Venerable wanted to look after the children, and Yang Chan approved of sending them to Lingxiao Palace.
• Chen Wei kissed Yang Chan goodbye, placed the children in the Ruyi Cloud Brocade Pouch, and flew to Lingxiao Palace.
• The children woke inside the pouch, and the Great Heavenly Venerable ordered Chen Wei to let them out.
• Chen Xiang flew onto the Imperial Desk and tossed memorials and other important objects around while the Great Heavenly Venerable stopped Chen Wei from intervening.
• Chen Xiaochan quietly nestled into the Great Heavenly Venerable’s arms, and he praised her spirit.
• The Great Heavenly Venerable asked Chen Wei to stay until Chang Geng arrived so they could take the children for a stroll around the Heavenly Court.

Chen Wei piloted the Great Heavenly Venerable and Taibai Jinxing on an unannounced visit to the Military Affairs Camp, where they found Mortal Realm Immortals forced to conduct business through a tiny, knee-high window. The Great Heavenly Venerable arrived and demanded to know why the service window was so cramped.

• Taibai Jinxing suggested that Chen Wei take the Great Heavenly Venerable to inspect the military affairs office overseen by the Martial Virtue Star Lord.
• A Mountain God was sent to the back of the queue after the duty official rejected his military-loss accounts, despite his insistence that the seals were complete.
• The Great Heavenly Venerable's Greenwood Flying Boat landed in the queue, and an Immortal Official was pinned in place by the pressure from inside it.
• Chen Wei and Taibai Jinxing stepped out and stood aside as the Great Heavenly Venerable emerged carrying Chen Xiaochan and Chen Xiang.
• The Great Heavenly Venerable pointed at the service window and asked how anyone could conduct business in such a cramped space.

The Great Heavenly Venerable exposed the Military Affairs Office’s sham excuse for its low service window, then sat behind it and personally processed documents while teaching Chen Xiang and Chen Xiaochan about Heavenly Court’s rules. Chen Wei gained insight from the lesson and felt his Dao Fruit grow stronger.

• Chen Wei pressured the Military Affairs Office official until the man admitted the window had been built improperly, though he tried to excuse the lack of renovations.
• The Great Heavenly Venerable entered the cramped booth, stopped Chen Wei from tearing down its wall, and announced that he would handle the business himself.
• Chen Wei and Taibai Jinxing guarded the window as Chen Wei received the queued immortals’ documents and passed them to the Great Heavenly Venerable.
• Chen Xiang showed little interest in the armaments ledger, while Chen Xiaochan eagerly held it and listened to the Great Heavenly Venerable explain Heavenly Court’s rules.
• The Great Heavenly Venerable predicted Chen Xiang would become a military commander and Chen Xiaochan a civil official, and Chen Wei’s understanding deepened as his Dao Fruit grew more solid.

Wude tried to keep a low profile after his recent troubles, but the Great Heavenly Venerable arrived unannounced at the Military Affairs Government Office and exposed its obstructive procedures. Wude reached the office and found himself forced to grovel at the tiny service window as the Heavenly Venerable praised the rules he had imposed.

• Wude stayed in his mansion, lamented the loss of his aides, and received an urgent message that the Great Heavenly Venerable was inspecting his office.
• Wude learned that the Great Heavenly Venerable had entered the knee-high service window in the Side Hall, then hurried to the office on an Auspicious Cloud.
• Chen Wei helped the Great Heavenly Venerable process routine documents quickly, clearing much of the waiting queue.
• The Great Heavenly Venerable praised Chen Wei’s work to Taibai Jinxing and called for Wude to come see how the office should be run.
• Wude arrived, crawled to the window, and pressed his forehead to the floor as the Great Heavenly Venerable sarcastically praised his office rules.

The Great Heavenly Venerable reprimanded the Martial Virtue Star Lord over his office’s humiliating service window, then left him to order costly improvements. Chen Wei reflected on the Great Heavenly Venerable’s methods before Yang Chan ambushed him with a playful bedroom scene.

• The Great Heavenly Venerable praised the Martial Virtue Star Lord sarcastically and threatened to impose his window design across the Heavenly Court.
• The Great Heavenly Venerable departed with Chen Wei and Taibai Jinxing, leaving the Martial Virtue Star Lord to order the window enlarged and amenities provided for visitors.
• Chen Wei returned to the Chen Residence alone and thought about using the Great Heavenly Venerable’s subtle approach to wielding power.
• A formation locked Chen Wei inside the Bedroom as red smoke rose from the incense burners.
• Yang Chan appeared in disguise, bound Chen Wei with the Immortal Rope, and pulled him onto the Canopy Bed.

The Martial Virtue Star Lord, isolated after the Great Heavenly Venerable reprimanded him, accepted Chang Sheng’s proposal to loosen a Demon Seal and create a military crisis. He made Chang Sheng responsible for the seal inspections, positioning him as a scapegoat while keeping his own orders undocumented.

• Wude tried to enlist the Fire Virtue Star Lord’s support, but Fire Virtue refused and cut off the transmission.
• Chang Sheng reassured Wude that the office was running smoothly, then claimed his master had connections with Wude.
• Wude welcomed Chang Sheng and listened as he proposed deliberately loosening a Demon Seal to provoke a crisis and earn military merit.
• Wude decided to proceed while avoiding any written record that could implicate him.
• Wude assigned Chang Sheng oversight of office affairs and Demon Seal inspections, telling him to loosen the seals where appropriate.

Wude manipulated Chang Sheng into becoming his godson and assigned him to loosen the seal on a Primordial Great Demon. Chen Wei learned of the scheme through Ma Muzhi’s spy and decided to let it proceed so he could expose Wude’s crimes.

• Wude persuaded Chang Sheng that he could rise to become the next Chen Wei, made him his godson, and gave him a house beside his mansion.
• Wude instructed Chang Sheng to travel to the Northern Julu Continent and secretly loosen the seal on a Primordial Great Demon.
• Ma Muzhi delivered Chen Wei a detailed secret report about Wude and Chang Sheng, revealing that he had a spy inside Wude’s mansion.
• Chen Wei wondered about Ma Muzhi’s background but chose not to ask about the spy’s identity.
• Chen Wei ordered Ma Muzhi to watch Chang Sheng and let him release the demon so they could gather evidence against Wude.

Chen Wei wondered whether his meeting with Yang Chan had been arranged, but Yang Jian assured her that the encounter had spared her a devastating love tribulation. Their family reunion was interrupted by news that demons had escaped from Northern Julu Continent, and Yang Jian and Nezha welcomed the prospect of a war.

• Chen Wei tried divining the truth about his meeting with Yang Chan, then asked her whether it had seemed suspicious.
• Yang Chan teased Chen Wei for implying their meeting was a scheme, and he flattered her until she laughed.
• Yang Jian returned Chen Xiang and Chen Xiaochan to Chen Wei and privately told Yang Chan that a mighty being had interfered with her fated tribulation on Mount Hua.
• Yang Chan said she had no regrets about meeting Chen Wei, and Yang Jian accepted that she was happy.
• Nezha arrived and reported that demons had escaped from Northern Julu Continent, prompting Yang Jian and Nezha to consider the merits a war could bring.

Chen Wei was ordered to lead fifty thousand Heavenly Soldiers against Wuzhiqi and Nine-Headed Bird, while Yang Jian secretly offered him a chance to earn merit toward becoming a Daluo Golden Immortal. At the front, the Martial Virtue Star Lord manipulated Chang Sheng into plotting to kill Chen Wei so he could preserve his own path to power.

• Yang Jian appointed himself commander and ordered Chen Wei to suppress the demons within ten days, then privately urged him to earn military merit.
• For ten years, the Martial Virtue Star Lord kept his army at the edge of demon territory, staging a costly stalemate while both sides avoided serious fighting.
• Chang Sheng complained to the Martial Virtue Star Lord that his years of dangerous work had earned him no recognition.
• The Martial Virtue Star Lord promised Chang Sheng the Star Lord position and said he would report him as the rebellion's greatest hero.
• Wude warned Chang Sheng that Chen Wei might take the credit and ordered him to secretly recruit Wuzhiqi and Nine-Headed Bird to kill Chen Wei upon his arrival.
• Chang Sheng accepted the mission and left the tent to arrange the attack.

Chang Sheng tried to enlist Wuzhiqi and Nine-Headed Bird in a plot to kill Yang Jian and Chen Wei, but the demons agreed only for the promised merit. Two years later, Chen Wei’s army reached the Northern Julu Continent, where he deferred to Yang Chan before addressing the assembled officers.

• Chang Sheng told Wuzhiqi and Nine-Headed Bird that the Heavenly Court had sent Yang Jian, Nezha, and Chen Wei, and urged the demons to attack them.
• Wuzhiqi and Nine-Headed Bird refused to kill Chen Wei until Chang Sheng promised them immortal ranks and Heavenly Court merit; Chang Sheng secretly planned to kill them afterward.
• The Heavenly Court’s preparations took two heavenly days, equivalent to two years in the Mortal Realm, while the forces at the front maintained a bloodless standoff.
• Chen Wei’s fifty-thousand-strong Demon-Suppressing Army arrived in the Northern Julu Continent with Pang Long and Ma Muzhi, while Yang Chan stood beside Chen Wei as his powerful wife and ally.
• Chen Wei rallied the army, then gave Yang Chan the floor before taking his place in the command tent.

Chen Wei received a report from Wuzhiqi and Nine-Headed Bird exposing Chang Sheng’s plan to kill him, and he decided to use the demons to lure Chang Sheng into an ambush. He remained suspicious of Ma Muzhi’s intelligence network, while Yang Chan urged him to focus on securing a decisive military victory.

• Yang Chan backed Chen Wei’s command in public, then relaxed with him in the inner tent as Ma Muzhi arrived with a secret report.
• Chen Wei read Wuzhiqi and Nine-Headed Bird’s report, which revealed that Chang Sheng had ordered them to attack him during battle.
• Chen Wei questioned how Ma Muzhi had planted an agent among the demons, but Yang Chan stopped him from probing Ma Muzhi’s background.
• Chen Wei judged the demons’ pledge genuine and ordered Ma Muzhi to have them follow Chang Sheng’s plan and draw him into an ambush zone.
• After Ma Muzhi left, Chen Wei asked whether Yang Chan had placed him at his side, and she denied it without revealing who might have.
• Yang Chan told Chen Wei to focus on winning military merit and securing a promotion after their return to the Heavenly Court.

Chen Wei settled on advancing his Heavenly Court career gradually and demanded Wude Star Mirror as proof of Wuzhiqi and Nine-Headed Bird’s allegiance. After Chen Wei hinted that he knew Ma Muzhi’s talents concealed something deeper, Ma Muzhi revealed his own view of the Three Realms as a chessboard where all beings were pieces.

• Chen Wei embraced Yang Chan, thanked her for his success, and decided to pursue promotions steadily while setting aside questions about fate and schemes.
• After Yang Chan fell asleep, Chen Wei ordered Ma Muzhi to tell Wuzhiqi and Nine-Headed Bird to bring him Wude Star Mirror as their pledge of allegiance.
• Chen Wei asked Ma Muzhi when they had first worked together, and Ma Muzhi recalled their assignment to gather Spirit Grass on Mount Hua and meeting Yang Chan’s procession there.
• Chen Wei praised Ma Muzhi’s role in their timing and fate, then left the tent after patting his shoulder.
• Once sure no one was watching, Ma Muzhi dropped his deferential act, placed a black Formation Flag on the Martial Virtue Star Lord’s camp, and said all beings in the Three Realms were chess pieces.

Ma Muzhi’s rumors stirred both camps as Wuzhiqi and Nine-Headed Bird prepared to use the Martial Virtue Star Mirror as a pledge to join the Heavenly Court. Wude, suspecting the demons and believing Chen Wei was behind the rumors, gave the Star Mirror to Chang Sheng and sent him toward the demon camp as a scapegoat.

• Ma Muzhi’s detailed rumors spread through the immortal and demon camps, exciting the lesser demons with talk of a raid on Wude’s command tent.
• Wuzhiqi and Nine-Headed Bird rehearsed their Heavenly Court recruitment assessment and agreed to steal the Star Mirror as their pledge of allegiance.
• Chang Sheng told Wude that he had arranged the rumors with the demons, but Wude concluded that Chen Wei had manipulated events and that the demons could not be trusted.
• Wude gave Chang Sheng the Star Mirror and told him to flee south if anything happened, while secretly intending to use him as a target and eliminate the risk of being blamed for collusion.
• Chang Sheng accepted the Star Mirror and recited the Star Lord’s Residence rules as Wude ordered him to leave.

Yang Jian welcomed Chen Xiang and Chen Xiaochan to the Divine Hall of Justice and told them they were born immortals. Meanwhile, Chang Sheng secretly approached Wuzhiqi and Nine-Headed Bird with a plan to replace Martial Virtue Star Lord, but revealing the Wude Star Mirror put him in danger.

• Yang Jian learned about the Northern Julu Continent's schemes but focused on the war, then gave Chen Xiang and Chen Xiaochan Longevity Locks and invited them to stay with him.
• Chen Xiang asked why immortals treated him kindly, and Yang Jian explained that he and Chen Xiaochan were born immortals; the children then argued over whether they were immortals or Star Lords.
• Chang Sheng turned back from carrying the Wude Star Mirror to the Heavenly Court and entered the demon camp, hoping to use the demons and the coming conflict to claim Martial Virtue Star Lord's position.
• Chang Sheng told Wuzhiqi and Nine-Headed Bird that Martial Virtue Star Lord had entrusted him with the Wude Star Mirror and showed it to them.
• Wuzhiqi and Nine-Headed Bird decided to strike Chang Sheng, who remained unaware of their intent and began reciting the Star Lord's Residence rules.

Chen Wei rejected Wuzhiqi and Nine-Headed Bird’s claim to heavenly status, dismissing the Martial Virtue Star Mirror as fake and sending them away with documents that barred them from claiming a mountain or recruiting troops. The demons realized Chen Wei wanted them to target the Martial Virtue Star Lord Wude and decided to use the mirror to lure him into a meeting.

• Wuzhiqi and Nine-Headed Bird recounted killing Chang Sheng, who kept reciting household rules as Wuzhiqi beat him to death.
• Ma Muzhi gave the demons documents allowing them to remain spirits in Northern Julu Continent while forbidding them from claiming territory, recruiting troops, or proclaiming themselves kings.
• Chen Wei denied their request for immortal status, compared their lack of merit with the Bull Demon King’s standing, and declared the Martial Virtue Star Mirror fake.
• After leaving, Nine-Headed Bird explained that Chen Wei wanted them to kill the Martial Virtue Star Lord Wude, and Wuzhiqi realized the mirror was bait for him.
• Nine-Headed Bird proposed spreading word that they had Wude’s treasure so he would meet them, and Wuzhiqi agreed to the plan.

Wude tried to turn Wuzhiqi and Nine-Headed Bird’s offer into a trap, but his ambush failed when the Heavenly Soldiers he had stationed outside never arrived. The demons killed two of his confidants, leaving Wude to realize he had been outmaneuvered.

• Wude received a message from Wuzhiqi and Nine-Headed Bird offering to cooperate in exchange for a way out and the return of his Star Mirror.
• Wude decided to lure the demons into an ambush, then restored the jade slip and arranged a meeting.
• Wude met Wuzhiqi and Nine-Headed Bird at an abandoned cave, where they demanded both merit and his life.
• Wude overturned the stone table and ordered his confidants to attack, but Nine-Headed Bird swallowed two of them.
• Wude waited for his three thousand hidden Heavenly Soldiers to join the fight, then realized they had not come and that he had been tricked.

Commander Wang led three thousand Heavenly Soldiers to the cave but changed course when Yang Chan and Chen Wei confronted him. Nezha arrived and entered the battle, attacking Wude instead of helping him, while Wude realized South Dipper Star Lord’s promised support had failed him.

• Commander Wang prepared to charge the cave, but Yang Chan appeared with her Treasure Lotus Lamp and stopped the Heavenly Army.
• Commander Wang claimed he had brought the soldiers for drills and that demons were fighting inside the cave.
• Chen Wei summoned Nezha, who arrived with Heavenly forces and rushed into the cave after agreeing to spare Wuzhiqi and the Nine-Headed Bird.
• Yang Chan refused to enter the cave, and Chen Wei stayed outside with her.
• Nezha thrust his Fire-Tipped Spear at Wude instead of helping him, leaving Wude to curse South Dipper Star Lord for abandoning him.

Wude was mistaken for an impostor and nearly killed by Nezha, Wuzhiqi, and Nine-Headed Bird before escaping with a life-saving talisman. Injured and stranded in the Northern Julu Continent, he failed to get immediate help from the South Dipper Star Lord, then received directions from the Big Dipper Star Lord.

• Wude awakened the Wude Star Mirror, but Nezha accused him of impersonating the Martial Virtue Star Lord and attacked him.
• Wuzhiqi and Nine-Headed Bird joined Nezha's assault, and Wude was badly wounded despite insisting that he was genuine.
• Wude crushed a jade talisman from the South Dipper Star Lord and escaped to a remote part of the Northern Julu Continent.
• Wude contacted the South Dipper Star Lord, who promised to condemn Nezha and investigate but refused to prioritize rescuing him.
• The Big Dipper Star Lord contacted Wude and told him to fly west, where someone would meet him.