Chapter Summaries

Gu Changqing forced Zhunti to surrender a strand of Geng metal origin qi after Jieyin and Zhunti had already given him the Twelve-Grade Golden Lotus of Merit. Jieyin and Zhunti fled in fury, while Gu Changqing returned with Tongtian to the Interception Sect, having further antagonized the Sages.

• Gu Changqing demanded that Jieyin and Zhunti cut a strand of Geng metal origin qi from themselves, arguing that the Golden Lotus was only Jieyin's apology for their attack.
• Tongtian backed Gu Changqing and threatened Zhunti with the Immortal-Slaying Sword Array if he refused to hand over the Geng metal qi.
• Zhunti cut a strand of Geng metal origin qi from his foundation and gave it to Gu Changqing, then warned that he would remember what happened.
• Jieyin and Zhunti transformed into streaks of light and left, while Gu Changqing said he would use the qi to brew wine.
• The onlookers marveled that Gu Changqing had humiliated the two Sages, and Gu Changqing followed Tongtian back to the Interception Sect.
• Within the Western Teachings, Jieyin and Zhunti raged over their losses.

Jieyin explained that he had surrendered the Twelve-Grade Golden Lotus of Merit to avoid violating the forty-eight vows that bound him and Zhunti to the Heavenly Dao. Amid the Western Teachings’ despair over Gu Changqing, Ksitigarbha announced that he had discovered his Dao in the Underworld, while Tongtian and Gu Changqing returned to the Interception Sect.

• Zhunti blamed Jieyin for giving Gu Changqing the Twelve-Grade Golden Lotus of Merit, but Jieyin explained that fighting would risk heavenly punishment for breaking their vows.
• Zhunti realized Jieyin’s decision had protected them and the Western Teachings, then cursed Luohu for destroying the West’s spiritual veins.
• Maitreya, Medicine Tathagata, and the other Western Teachings disciples lamented how far Gu Changqing surpassed them.
• Ksitigarbha arrived from seclusion and told Jieyin and Zhunti that he had gained insight into his Dao, which lay in the Underworld.
• Tongtian and Gu Changqing returned to the Interception Sect, stirring the sect into an uproar.

After Gu Changqing humiliated Jieyin and Zhunti, his actions strengthened the Interception Sect’s reputation and fortune. He used the Twelve-Grade Golden Lotus of Merit to suppress the sect’s fortune, then staggered off to brew wine.

• The Interception Sect disciples praised Gu Changqing for standing against Jieyin and Zhunti, while experts across the Eastern World celebrated their losses.
• The sect’s fortune surged, and Tongtian rejoiced at the benefits Gu Changqing had brought to the Interception Sect.
• Gu Changqing recognized that the sect lacked a treasure to suppress its fortune and wondered whether the Twelve-Grade Golden Lotus of Merit could serve that purpose.
• Gu Changqing raised the Twelve-Grade Golden Lotus of Merit over Golden Ao Island, causing merit light to gather the sect’s fortune into circling Fortune Golden Dragons.
• Tongtian realized that Gu Changqing had suppressed the sect’s fortune and praised him, while Gu Changqing headed to his cave abode to brew wine.

Gu Changqing brewed immortal wine with the origin qi of Geng Metal, intending to help the Interception Sect disciples improve their sword cultivation. As more than a hundred thousand disciples gathered to drink, Ancestor Minghe set out for Golden Ao Island to seek Gu Changqing’s guidance.

• Gu Changqing combined Geng Metal qi with primordial spirit spring water to brew wine for the Interception Sect disciples.
• Ancestor Minghe lamented that Houtu’s establishment of the Underworld had weakened the Blood Sea and impeded his cultivation.
• Ancestor Minghe decided Gu Changqing might help him comprehend the Dao and traveled to Golden Ao Island.
• The disciples smelled the unusually sharp wine fragrance and gathered outside Gu Changqing’s cave abode.
• Gu Changqing laid out long tables and cups, and more than a hundred thousand disciples drank their fill.

After Bixiao drank Gu Changqing’s Geng Metal Immortal Brew, her sword intent surged, prompting the Interception Sect disciples to drink and seek similar transformations. Tongtian went to investigate the drunken gathering and was stunned to see his disciples displaying powerful sword arts.

• Bixiao drank a cup of Geng Metal Immortal Brew, and her sword intent erupted with unexpected strength.
• Bixiao said the wine had caused her Sword Dao to operate involuntarily and infused it with a more domineering force.
• More than one hundred thousand Interception Sect disciples flocked to Gu Changqing’s cave abode and drank the wine together.
• Tongtian heard the disciples’ drunken chatter and left Biyou Palace to investigate.
• Tongtian saw Zhao Gongming, Jin Ling, and Duobao manifesting astonishing sword techniques, and he was left dumbfounded.

Tongtian drank Gu Changqing’s Gengjin wine and discovered that it had sublimated his Sword Dao, while the Interception Sect’s disciples underwent astonishing transformations. Ancestor Minghe arrived to meet Gu Changqing, who opened the sect’s protective formation and invited him inside.

• Tongtian saw the Interception Sect’s disciples radiating immense Sword Intent and suspected Gu Changqing’s wine had transformed them.
• Tongtian drank a bowl of Gengjin wine and felt his Sword Intent undergo an origin-level sublimation.
• Tongtian joined the disciples in drinking, pleased by the wine’s effects.
• Ancestor Minghe arrived at Golden Ao Island and called out to request an audience with Gu Changqing.
• Gu Changqing, already heavily drunk, opened the Interception Sect Protective Formation and invited Ancestor Minghe inside.

Ancestor Minghe visited Golden Ao Island and asked Gu Changqing for guidance about the Blood Sea’s decline after Houtu established the Underworld. Gu Changqing accepted Minghe’s gift and answered with cryptic verses about heaven, a wavering emperor star, and killing, leaving Tongtian and Minghe alarmed.

• Gu Changqing activated the Interception Sect Protective Formation and let Ancestor Minghe enter Golden Ao Island.
• Ancestor Minghe greeted Tongtian and Gu Changqing, then offered Gu Changqing three Blood Sea Red Essence Immortal Fruits.
• After accepting the fruits, Gu Changqing asked Minghe to explain his purpose for visiting.
• Minghe described how Houtu’s establishment of the Underworld beside the Endless Blood Sea had eroded its power and asked Gu Changqing to show him a path forward.
• Gu Changqing suggested Minghe already had an idea, then recited verses about heaven, a wavering emperor star, and killing, causing Tongtian and Minghe to react with alarm.

Gu Changqing exposed Ancestor Minghe’s suppressed desire to slaughter and urged him to follow his Dao Heart. Minghe wondered whether killing the heavens, earth, and all living beings could lead him to attain his Dao.

• Gu Changqing declared that Heaven nurtured humanity and hinted that a world-shaking upheaval would begin, alarming Tongtian.
• Ancestor Minghe realized Gu Changqing had voiced the killing impulse buried in his Dao Heart and asked how he knew.
• Gu Changqing told Minghe to follow his own heart, then called for him to kill the heavens, the earth, and all living beings.
• The Interception Sect disciples recoiled in fear, while Tongtian recognized Gu Changqing’s words as guidance suited to Minghe’s blood-soaked path.
• Ancestor Minghe asked whether following this method would let him achieve his Dao, and Gu Changqing slowly waved his hand.

Gu Changqing told Ancestor Minghe that his Dao of killing could let him attain the Dao but not become a sage, while Minghe resolved to test his claim. After Minghe left, Tongtian pressed Gu Changqing about his knowledge of the Underworld and the Heavenly Dao, but Gu Changqing blamed it on drinking.

• Gu Changqing told Ancestor Minghe that his Dao of killing could help him attain the Dao but could not let him prove the Dao and become a sage.
• Minghe doubted Gu Changqing's warning, thanked him for his guidance, and promised to share any heavenly merit he gained before leaving Golden Ao Island.
• Gu Changqing considered that Minghe might eventually join the Underworld after failing to prove the Dao.
• Tongtian asked Gu Changqing how he had known about the Underworld, Houtu's rise to sagehood, and Minghe's Dao.
• Gu Changqing claimed that drinking enough had revealed those secrets, leaving Tongtian incredulous.

Tongtian accepted Gu Changqing’s explanation of his extraordinary insights and returned to Biyou Palace to enter seclusion. Alone, Gu Changqing prepared for the coming Witch-Demon War by using his Great Dao Merit to forge an eighteen-layer Merit Golden Wheel.

• Tongtian recalled Gu Changqing’s past feats, accepted that his wine granted him unusual insight, and decided not to press him for answers.
• Tongtian said the wine had transformed his sword intent and returned to Biyou Palace to enter seclusion.
• Gu Changqing predicted the Witch-Demon War would resume after the million-year truce, but said the two clans would not be wiped out as before.
• Gu Changqing reasoned that the Witch Clan could retreat into the Underworld, while the Heavenly Dao might punish him for changing the tribulation’s course.
• Gu Changqing summoned the Great Dao Merit he had gained when Houtu became a Sage and used it to condense a Merit Golden Wheel for protection and greater combat power.
• Gu Changqing completed an eighteen-layer Merit Golden Wheel, with nine layers turning forward and nine in reverse, and admired its power.

Gu Changqing completed his Merit Golden Wheel and used it to deduce the Heaven and Earth Guillotine, a devastating blade divine art that shattered his cave abode and shook even Tongtian. Its appearance above Golden Ao Island alarmed factions throughout the cosmos.

• Gu Changqing completed the Merit Golden Wheel and continued deducing the Heaven and Earth Guillotine.
• Gu Changqing manifested the Heaven and Earth Guillotine, whose golden light tore apart laws and order and destroyed his cave abode.
• The Interception Sect disciples, including Duobao, Jin Ling, Zhao Gongming, and the Three Xiao, watched the enormous guillotine appear and feared its power.
• Tongtian awoke in Biyou Palace, recognized that the guillotine could cleave heaven and earth, and wondered how Gu Changqing had created it.
• The Heaven and Earth Guillotine illuminated the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, and Shouyang Mountain, Kunlun Mountain, the Demon Court, and the Witch Clan were thrown into turmoil.

Gu Changqing’s Heaven and Earth Guillotine shocked the Human Sect, Chan Sect, and Demon Court, while Gu Changqing replenished his magical power on Golden Ao Island. The Demon Court chose not to disturb Di Jun and Tai Yi in seclusion, leaving the factions wary as they awaited what came next.

• Laozi sensed the Heaven and Earth Guillotine and confirmed through his divine sense that Gu Changqing had created it, leaving Xuandu terrified.
• The Twelve Golden Immortals recognized Gu Changqing’s technique and feared they could not withstand it, while Yuanshi rebuked them and began plotting against Gu Changqing.
• Bai Ze and the other Demon Saints worried that Gu Changqing was intimidating the Demon Court, but Bai Ze argued they should not disturb Di Jun and Tai Yi in seclusion.
• The Six Demon Saints decided to wait for Di Jun and Tai Yi to finish devising a grand formation, and the Demon Court returned to uneasy quiet.
• Gu Changqing drank wine on Golden Ao Island to restore his magical power and cast meaningful glances in several directions.

Gu Changqing's Heaven and Earth Guillotine awed the Primordial World and brought greater fortune to the Interception Sect. He began considering how to claim the future merit of teaching the Human Emperor, while three thousand years passed as he continued cultivating.

• Gu Changqing withdrew the Heaven and Earth Guillotine, and the watching beings resolved never to provoke him as the Interception Sect's fortune grew.
• Tongtian praised Gu Changqing, who declared that he wanted every Interception Sect disciple to become powerful like a dragon.
• Tongtian said ordinary disciples could not gain the merit that empowered Gu Changqing's divine ability, prompting Gu Changqing to consider the human race's future merit and the title of Teacher of the Human Emperor.
• Gu Changqing spent the following years drinking and cultivating, strengthening the Heaven and Earth Guillotine and deriving more divine powers from the Merit Golden Wheel as three thousand years passed.

The Ancestral Witches discussed Houtu’s confinement and their hopes for the growing Earth Dao, while the Demon Saints worried that the Witches were plotting. Di Jun and Taiyi emerged from seclusion and announced a great array powerful enough to challenge the Pangu Phantom.

• Zhurong angrily blamed Hongjun and the Heavenly Dao faction for keeping Houtu from using her power against the Demon Race.
• Houtu told Dijiang and the other Ancestral Witches that the Earth Dao and the Six Paths of Reincarnation could eventually help her leave the Underworld and allow them to become Sages.
• Dijiang and the other Ancestral Witches expressed their gratitude to Gu Changqing and vowed to repay him.
• Bai Ze and the other Demon Saints worried that the Ancestral Witches were conspiring with Houtu against the Demon Race.
• Di Jun and Taiyi emerged from seclusion and revealed that they had devised the Primal Chaos Star Dou Great Array, which they said could clash with the Pangu Phantom.

Di Jun and Tai Yi explained the Demon Court's plan to forge the Primal Chaos Star Dou Great Array, while Gu Changqing continued to advance his sword arts and Great Dao of Wine. Gu Changqing sensed a change in the Endless Blood Sea, where Ancestor Minghe attained enlightenment.

• Di Jun and Tai Yi explained how the Demon Court would forge Star Banners and use the Primal Chaos Star Dou Great Array against the Witch Clan.
• Di Jun ordered the Demon Court's experts to enter seclusion and forge the Star Banners before the truce ended.
• Gu Changqing cultivated in the Interception Sect, improving his sword arts and bringing his mastery of the Great Dao of Wine close to half.
• Gu Changqing sensed an unusual aura from Ancestor Minghe in the Endless Blood Sea and watched for developments.
• Ancestor Minghe realized that he had attained enlightenment.

Ancestor Minghe created the Asura Clan and established the Asura Sect, expecting the Heavenly Dao to grant him sagehood. The Asura were born with bodies and intelligence but appeared cruel and bloodthirsty, leaving Minghe waiting to see whether his creation would earn merit.

• Ancestor Minghe sensed a heavenly mandate to create the Asura Clan and believed this could let him become a sage.
• Minghe proclaimed that he would create the Asura Clan and establish the Asura Sect, then gathered blood qi from the Endless Blood Sea to form its members.
• Living beings across the world debated whether Minghe could become a sage, while Tongtian watched the creation with Gu Changqing on Golden Ao Island.
• Tongtian suggested Minghe's method resembled Nuwa's creation of humans, but Gu Changqing told him to wait and let events unfold.
• Minghe completed the Asura Clan's bodies and awakened their intelligence with Blood Fiend Aura, but the Asura appeared cruel and bloodthirsty.
• Minghe sensed something was wrong and waited to see whether the Heavenly Dao would recognize his creation and bestow merit.

Ancestor Minghe created the Asura Clan and received the Heavenly Dao’s approval, but despite assimilating its merit and reaching the Lesser Sage realm, he failed to become a Sage. He asked Gu Changqing why, and Gu Changqing replied that the Heavenly Dao was heartless and its decree could not be defied.

• The Heavenly Dao approved Ancestor Minghe’s creation of the Asura Clan and sent down merit, part of which entered Gu Changqing.
• Gu Changqing appeared near the Endless Blood Sea and thanked Ancestor Minghe for sharing the merit he had promised.
• Ancestor Minghe absorbed the merit, broke through the Quasi-Saint realm into the Lesser Sage realm, and tried to condense a Sage Dao Fruit.
• The merit ran out before Ancestor Minghe could become a Sage, leaving him devastated and bewildering the watching beings.
• Ancestor Minghe asked Gu Changqing why he had failed, and Gu Changqing replied that the Heavenly Dao was heartless and heaven’s decree could not be defied.

Ancestor Minghe failed to attain Sagehood, confirming Gu Changqing’s prediction, but Gu Changqing suggested Minghe might still find a path through the Underworld. Jieyin and Zhunti then arrived with Ksitigarbha, whom Gu Changqing recognized as already awakened.

• Gu Changqing explained that the Heavenly Dao would not allow Ancestor Minghe to become a Sage, leaving Minghe and the watching cultivators in despair.
• Laozi and Yuanshi rejoiced at Minghe’s failure, while Tongtian and the Jie Sect Disciples marveled that Gu Changqing had predicted it.
• Ancestor Minghe asked Gu Changqing if he had any hope of attaining the Dao, and Gu Changqing hinted that the answer lay in the Underworld.
• Jieyin and Zhunti arrived at the Endless Blood Sea with Ksitigarbha, and Gu Changqing noted that Ksitigarbha had already awakened.

Gu Changqing recognized that Ksitigarbha’s vow to deliver departed souls would let the Western Teachings claim a share of the Underworld’s fortune, and he watched as Jieyin and Zhunti brought Ksitigarbha to take his station there. Just as they tried to send him into the Underworld, a furious voice rejected their authority and blasted Ksitigarbha away.

• Gu Changqing saw through the Western Teachings’ motives and resolved to return the favor after they had once tried to convert him.
• Jieyin and Zhunti arrived with Ksitigarbha, noticed Gu Changqing, and set aside their hostility toward him to focus on their disciple.
• Jieyin announced that Ksitigarbha wished to deliver departed spirits and would take his station in the Underworld.
• Jieyin and Zhunti surrounded Ksitigarbha with sage light and prepared to send him into the Underworld.
• A voice from the Underworld demanded to know since when it was theirs to command, and its force hurled Ksitigarbha away, leaving him battered and vomiting blood.

Houtu struck Ksitigarbha and refused to let him enter the Underworld, but the Heavenly Dao intervened to protect him and empower the Western Sages’ claim. As Jieyin and Zhunti celebrated, Gu Changqing spoke a cryptic line that shocked Ancestor Minghe.

• Houtu hurled Ksitigarbha away with a powerful blow and warned that she would kill him if he entered the Underworld again.
• Jieyin accused Houtu of defying Heaven, but Houtu declared that the Heavenly Dao had already suppressed her and could do nothing more to frighten her.
• Ksitigarbha swore he would not become a Buddha until hell was emptied and asked Houtu to let him enter the Underworld, but she rejected his plea.
• The Heavenly Dao sent divine radiance and Chains of Order to protect Ksitigarbha, prompting Jieyin and Zhunti to declare that he could now enter the Underworld.
• Gu Changqing stood beside Minghe and recited a cryptic line about dragons, tigers, wind, clouds, and each holding half the sky, leaving Minghe visibly shaken.