Chapter Summaries

Gu Changqing urged Hou Yi to confront the Ten Golden Crow Princes alone, trusting him to kill nine while the Ancestral Witches watched for intervention by the Demon Court’s leaders. Hou Yi returned to the Witch Clan and confronted the Ten Golden Crows, whose expressions changed at his arrival.

• Gu Changqing suspected Jieyin and Zhunti had provoked the Ten Golden Crow Princes and resolved to thwart their scheme.
• Zhurong and the other Ancestral Witches prepared to attack the Ten Golden Crows, but Gu Changqing told them that Hou Yi alone should kill nine.
• Houtu trusted Gu Changqing’s judgment, and Dijiang agreed to send Hou Yi while the others watched for Di Jun and Tai Yi to appear.
• Dijiang opened a spatial passage that brought Hou Yi back to the Witch Clan.
• Hou Yi threatened the Ten Golden Crows, and their expressions changed drastically.

Hou Yi confronted the Ten Golden Crows and killed Zhong Lang with a single arrow, leaving the surviving princes and the onlookers stunned. Hou Yi realized Gu Changqing had been right about the Demon Court’s lack of intervention, while Dijiang and the others reacted to Zhong Lang’s death in the Underworld.

• Hou Yi faced the Ten Golden Crows alone, and their taunts enraged him.
• Zhong Lang dismissed Hou Yi’s bow and claimed solar true fire could burn away any arrows.
• Hou Yi shot Zhong Lang, piercing through his solar true fire and erasing his life and primordial spirit.
• The remaining Golden Crow Princes cried out in fury and horror as everyone stared in silence.
• Hou Yi wondered why Di Jun and Tai Yi had not intervened, then recalled that Gu Changqing had predicted he could kill the princes without the Demon Court’s protection.
• Dijiang and the others erupted over Zhong Lang’s death in the Underworld, while Gu Changqing remained unsurprised.

Hou Yi killed nine of the ten Golden Crows as they tried to flee, while Gu Changqing watched from the Underworld and had told Hou Yi to spare one. Hou Yi stopped with one Golden Crow remaining, and Gu Changqing declared that the time had come.

• Dijiang and the others wondered why the Demon Court had not reacted to Zhong Lang's death, while Gu Changqing knew Jieyin and Zhunti had concealed the Golden Crows' departure and deaths.
• Hou Yi vowed to kill the Golden Crows for their slaughter of a million living beings and shot Bo Huang dead as the princes tried to escape.
• Hou Yi fired several arrows and killed the remaining Golden Crows until only one was left.
• Hou Yi stopped because Gu Changqing had told him to kill nine and spare one, then glanced toward the Underworld.
• Gu Changqing recognized the moment and said the time had come.

Gu Changqing struck the Demon Court to break Zhunti's concealment, revealing the outside world to Di Jun and Taiyi. They learned that Hou Yi had killed nine of the Ten Golden Crows and confronted him, only to hear that their sons had burned millions of living beings—something they claimed they had never ordered.

• Gu Changqing sent a sword strike toward the Demon Court and said it was time for Di Jun and Taiyi to learn the truth.
• Gu Changqing's strike broke Zhunti's concealment, letting Di Jun and Taiyi see the outside world and the dead Golden Crows.
• Di Jun and Taiyi rushed outside, where they saw Hou Yi standing with his bow beside the nine dead Golden Crows.
• Di Jun attacked Hou Yi, but Hou Yi met his strike with an arrow and was driven back tens of thousands of li.
• Di Jun accused Hou Yi of killing his innocent sons, and Hou Yi pointed out the devastation and deaths caused by the Ten Golden Crows.
• Di Jun and Taiyi were dumbfounded by Hou Yi's accusation and insisted they had never ordered the Golden Crows to cause such destruction.

After nine of the Ten Golden Crows died, Di Jun and Tai Yi learned that an unidentified Great Demon had lured them from Tang Valley and broken Di Jun’s Spatial Barrier. Tai Yi suspected Gu Changqing, and Di Jun accepted the accusation and called him out to answer for his sons’ deaths.

• In the Western Teachings, Zhunti and Jieyin wondered how Di Jun and Tai Yi had sensed the Golden Crows’ deaths before their plan was complete, then resolved to wait for the Witch and Demon Clans to go to war.
• Di Jun questioned the sole surviving Golden Crow, who revealed that a Great Demon had urged the ten brothers to attack the Witch Clan and helped them break through the Spatial Barrier.
• Tai Yi ruled out the Ten Demon Saints, while Hou Yi denied that the Witch Clan had plotted against the Golden Crows.
• Di Jun realized the culprit was not the Witch Clan and raged over the deaths of his nine sons.
• Tai Yi suspected Gu Changqing, and Di Jun shouted a challenge, demanding that Gu Changqing appear and repay the blood debt.

Jieyin and Zhunti schemed to make Di Jun blame Gu Changqing for the Ten Golden Crows’ deaths, while Tongtian suspected the Western Teachings were responsible. Gu Changqing appeared before Di Jun and Tai Yi, denied plotting against their sons, and insisted that drinking in the Underworld mattered more to him than the princes.

• Jieyin and Zhunti rejoiced that Di Jun and Tai Yi suspected Gu Changqing and hoped the accusation would intensify the Demon Court’s pursuit of him.
• Duobao, Jin Ling, Zhao Gongming, the Three Xiao, and other Interception Sect disciples defended Gu Changqing, while Tongtian suspected Jieyin and Zhunti had framed him.
• Gu Changqing arrived drunk with the Eleven Ancestral Witches behind him and feigned surprise at the Ten Golden Crows’ deaths.
• Di Jun accused Gu Changqing of sneaking into the Demon Court and plotting against his sons.
• Gu Changqing denied the accusation, saying he had been drinking in the Underworld and that the Ten Golden Crow Princes mattered less than his wine.

Gu Changqing denied plotting against the Ten Golden Crows and accused Jieyin and Zhunti of masterminding their actions. He invoked karma and summoned a Merit Golden Wheel, leaving the assembled beings waiting to see how it would expose the culprits.

• Gu Changqing denied responsibility for the Ten Golden Crows' deaths and called out Jieyin and Zhunti as the true culprits.
• Jieyin appeared and angrily accused Gu Changqing of slander, while Di Jun began to believe his denial.
• Gu Changqing said karma would reveal the truth, unsettling Jieyin and Zhunti by claiming he had come prepared.
• Gu Changqing pointed to the million beings killed by the Ten Golden Crows and said their karmic burdens would fall on the mastermind.
• Gu Changqing shouted for the Merit Golden Wheel to manifest.

Gu Changqing used the Merit Golden Wheel to make the karma from the deaths of a million innocents visible and promised it would expose the true culprit. When Jieyin tried to stop him, Gu Changqing refused and sent the gathered karma surging toward the western lands.

• Gu Changqing manifested the Merit Golden Wheel and declared that all dharmas were empty but karma was not, making the world's hidden karma visible.
• Gu Changqing explained that the karma would reveal who was responsible for the deaths of a million innocent beings, and the gathered black mist accumulated above the world.
• Jieyin and Zhunti panicked as they realized the karma could expose the Western Teachings' involvement and damage its fortune.
• Jieyin called on Gu Changqing to stop and proposed settling the matter through discussion, but Gu Changqing refused, saying he would prove his innocence with facts.
• Gu Changqing commanded the Merit Golden Wheel, and the gathered karma surged toward the western lands.

Karma from the deaths of the Ten Golden Crows engulfed the Western Teachings, severely diminishing its fortune and leaving Jieyin and Zhunti devastated. Jieyin blamed Di Jun and Tai Yi for the calamity, and Di Jun responded by ordering the Demon Race to march against the Western Teachings.

• Karmic backlash poured into the Western Teachings, terrifying its disciples and beginning to consume their cultivation and fortune.
• Jieyin used the Demon-Quelling Pestle and Zhunti raised the Eight Treasures Merit Pool to counter the karma, but they could not stop it from overwhelming them.
• The Western Teachings lost at least thirty to forty percent of its fortune, and Jieyin and Zhunti collapsed in despair.
• Jieyin swore vengeance on Gu Changqing and insisted to Di Jun and Tai Yi that he had acted on Heaven's behalf.
• Di Jun, enraged by Jieyin's words, commanded countless billions of demons to march against the Western Teachings.

The Demon Race launched a full-scale attack on the Western Teachings at Mount Sumeru, seeking revenge for the Ten Golden Crow Princes, after Gu Changqing’s schemes redirected their fury. The Witch Clan planned to exploit the battle, while the Sages and Hongjun watched in alarm and confusion.

• Di Jun ordered countless demons to attack Mount Sumeru and avenge the Ten Golden Crow Princes, taking advantage of the Western Teachings’ karmic backlash.
• Dijiang and the other Ancestral Witches decided to wait until the Demon Race was weakened before attacking it.
• Tongtian and his disciples marveled at Gu Changqing’s control over karma, while Tongtian watched the Demon Race and Western Teachings fight without concern for either side.
• Laozi and Yuanshi worried that Gu Changqing might use his karmic methods against them because of the karma they had accumulated.
• Hongjun sensed the turmoil and expected the Witch-Demon War, but was dumbfounded when he saw the Demon Race attacking the Western Teachings.

Hongjun learned that Gu Changqing had redirected the Demon Race against the Western Teachings, disrupting his plans for the Witch-Demon calamity. As the Demon Race ravaged the Western Teachings and Jieyin ordered his disciples not to fight back, Gu Changqing watched with the Ancestral Witches and reflected on how his scheme had succeeded.

• Hongjun divined that Jieyin and Zhunti had schemed against the Ten Golden Crows and been exposed, then realized Gu Changqing had turned the Demon Race against the Western Teachings.
• Hongjun worried that Gu Changqing's actions could weaken the Demon Race and upset the heavenly mandate requiring both the Witch and Demon Clans to be destroyed.
• The Demon Race attacked the Western Teachings, and Di Jun and Tai Yi unleashed solar true fire that burned its spirit roots and immortal herbs.
• Jieyin ordered the Western Teachings' disciples not to fight back, fearing further conflict would bring them overwhelming karma.
• Gu Changqing watched the destruction while drinking with Xuanming, and Dijiang praised him for steering the Demon Race against a Saint's Lineage.
• Gu Changqing reflected that his plan had worked because he already knew Jieyin and Zhunti's true nature.

Gu Changqing ordered the Witch Clan to gather a million warriors and prepare to attack the Demon Court after the Demon Race’s assault on the Western Teachings. As Taiyi used the Chaos Bell to shake Mount Sumeru, the battle threatened to bring down the sacred mountain.

• Gu Changqing asked the Eleven Ancestral Witches about their progress in the Pangu Emperor Heaven-Opening Sacred Art, then ordered them to assemble a million warriors for war.
• Gu Changqing warned Dijiang and the other Ancestral Witches that the Witch Clan had to destroy the Demon Race, and Dijiang ordered Xing Tian to gather their warriors at Buzhou Mountain.
• The Demon Race continued its devastating assault on the Western Teachings while Gu Changqing and the Ancestral Witches watched from above.
• Taiyi confronted Jieyin and Zhunti, declaring that the Western Teachings’ destruction would not repay the Ten Golden Crows’ deaths.
• Taiyi rang the Chaos Bell, shaking Mount Sumeru until cracks appeared and the mountain seemed close to splitting apart.

Di Jun and Tai Yi demolished Mount Sumeru, provoking Jieyin and Zhunti as the Western Teachings’ foundations were shaken. Just as the two sides prepared to fight, Hongjun appeared and ordered them to end the conflict without pursuing it further, leaving Jieyin stunned at being forced to accept the loss.

• Di Jun and Tai Yi demolished Mount Sumeru, and Gu Changqing began plotting to annex the Western World for the Interception Sect.
• Jieyin and Zhunti confronted Di Jun and Tai Yi, furious that the Demon Race had destroyed their Sage Dojo.
• Taiyi defied the Western Sages and vowed to destroy their teachings, while Gu Changqing toasted him from afar.
• Hongjun descended and ordered both sides to stop and not pursue the matter further.
• Jieyin froze, realizing Hongjun’s decree meant he had to accept Mount Sumeru’s destruction.

Dao Ancestor Hongjun halted the fighting between the Demon Race and the Western Teachings, then demanded that Gu Changqing return to Zixiao Palace. Gu Changqing dismissed the accusation that he was defying heaven, leaving everyone waiting to see how Hongjun would respond.

• Dao Ancestor Hongjun declared the conflict between the Demon Race and the Western Teachings over without investigating its causes.
• Gu Changqing mocked Hongjun's decision, drawing the Dao Ancestor's anger.
• Hongjun called Gu Changqing an Anomaly and ordered him to Zixiao Palace, offering to teach him supreme Dao arts and grant him a sage position.
• Bixiao called Hongjun shameless, and Tongtian admonished her before leaving Biyou Palace to intervene.
• Gu Changqing joked that he had only picked Othershore Flowers to brew wine and asked how that counted as defying heaven.

Gu Changqing defended his visit to the Underworld as a harmless search for Othershore Flowers and wine, but Hongjun dismissed his explanation and tried to seize him. Tongtian intervened to protect his disciple and pleaded to take him back to the Interception Sect, offering to confine him there.

• Gu Changqing and the Eleven Ancestral Witches argued that he had entered the Underworld only to pick Othershore Flowers and make wine.
• Hongjun rejected their defense and sent a colossal palm of laws to subdue Gu Changqing and take him to Zixiao Palace.
• Tongtian sent a sword shadow to block Hongjun's attack, then arrived and shielded Gu Changqing.
• Hongjun accused Tongtian of betraying the Profound Gate by attacking him.
• Tongtian pleaded with Hongjun to spare Gu Changqing and promised to confine him within the Interception Sect.

Tongtian tried to protect Gu Changqing from Hongjun, but Hongjun restrained him and demanded that he stand down. Gu Changqing refused to flee and challenged Hongjun to explain how he could control someone without fate.

• Tongtian offered to confine Gu Changqing within the Interception Sect if Hongjun spared him, but Jieyin urged Hongjun not to trust the promise.
• Hongjun ordered Tongtian to stand down, then used strange Dao patterns to pin him in place when he refused.
• Tongtian urged Gu Changqing to flee into the Outer Chaos Region, but Gu Changqing refused because he did not want to leave the Primordial World's fine wines.
• Gu Changqing told Hongjun that his power came from using his authority as the Heavenly Dao Representative to control the fates of living beings.
• Hongjun declared that he would erase Gu Changqing's fate, and Gu Changqing asked how Hongjun would deal with him if he had no fate.

Gu Changqing summoned the Karmic Wheel and made his Fate Mark disappear, proving that he could evade Hongjun’s threat to erase it. He claimed Heaven and Earth permitted his existence, leaving Hongjun to wonder whether killing him would bring a terrible backlash.

• Hongjun challenged Gu Changqing’s claim that he had no Fate Mark, and Gu Changqing summoned the Karmic Wheel.
• The Karmic Wheel appeared above Gu Changqing as a golden divine peak and mysterious patterns filled the Universe.
• Tongtian and the other Sages saw Gu Changqing’s Fate Mark grow indistinct until it vanished from their perception.
• Hongjun demanded to know what had happened, and Gu Changqing declared that he had grasped the mysteries of Heaven and Earth.
• Hongjun considered that Heaven and Earth might permit Gu Changqing to exist, and feared killing him could bring a tremendous backlash.

Gu Changqing bluffed that heaven and earth protected him, making Hongjun hesitate and allowing him to leave unharmed. Later, he admitted to Tongtian that he had nearly given himself away, while Tongtian remained eager to learn whether Gu Changqing could erase fate.

• Gu Changqing claimed heaven and earth protected him, and Hongjun hesitated to attack because he feared the consequences of killing him.
• Gu Changqing drank, announced he was returning to his wine, and swaggered toward Golden Ao Island as Hongjun watched without stopping him.
• Tongtian expressed relief that Gu Changqing had survived and vanished from the scene after giving Hongjun a meaningful look.
• Jieyin and Zhunti urged Hongjun not to let Gu Changqing escape, but Hongjun rebuked them for failing to act themselves.
• Tongtian asked Gu Changqing whether he could erase fate for himself and the Interception Sect's disciples, and Gu Changqing admitted he had nearly given himself away.

Gu Changqing revealed to Tongtian that he had only concealed his fate mark, deceiving Hongjun, and returned safely to the Interception Sect. Tongtian confined him to his cave until he became a Sage, but Gu Changqing’s drunken words hinted that he still defied the Heavenly Dao.

• Gu Changqing explained that he had temporarily hidden his fate mark and joked that Hongjun would be furious if he learned the truth.
• Tongtian realized Gu Changqing’s concealment technique could not be used to erase the fate marks of the Interception Sect’s disciples.
• Gu Changqing and Tongtian returned to Golden Ao Island, where the disciples celebrated Gu Changqing’s safe return and looked forward to wine brewed from the Othershore Flower.
• Tongtian dismissed the disciples and confined Gu Changqing to his cave until he became a Sage, warning that the Heavenly Dao might act next time.
• As Tongtian left, Gu Changqing murmured that his fate was his own, not heaven’s, leaving Tongtian helpless.

Gu Changqing resolved to strengthen his Karmic Wheel and create the final form of his Nine Sword Divine Ability while Hongjun’s growing intervention threatened him. As the Western Teachings struggled to recover from Mount Sumeru’s destruction, the Witch Clan confronted Di Jun and Tai Yi, bringing the final war between the Witches and Demons closer.

• Tongtian left Gu Changqing’s cave abode after realizing he could not truly confine him.
• Gu Changqing decided to improve his Karmic Wheel until it could deceive even Sages and the Heavenly Dao.
• Gu Changqing began cultivating the final form of his Nine Sword Divine Ability, envisioning a sword spanning countless trillions of miles.
• Jieyin and Zhunti rebuilt the Western Teachings, but Mount Sumeru’s destruction caused their fortune to drain away.
• Dijiang and the other Ancestral Witches confronted Di Jun and Tai Yi and declared that the Witch and Demon Clans would settle their accounts.