Chapter Summaries

Gu Changqing explained to Nuwa that gathering the Four Mischievous Monkeys could awaken the Chaos Ape’s original consciousness, and that he had deliberately let the Buddhist School take Sun Wukong. Nuwa stayed to witness the coming “good show,” while Zhunti sensed another great opportunity for his disciple in the Four Seas.

• Gu Changqing told Nuwa that gathering the Four Mischievous Monkeys might awaken the Chaos Ape’s original consciousness and produce an uncontrollable outcome.
• Gu Changqing revealed that he had deliberately let the Buddhist School obtain Sun Wukong, expecting the monkey’s defiant nature to clash with its efforts to tame him.
• Nuwa regretted letting Zhunti take the Sky-Mending Stone, but Gu Changqing invited her to stay and watch what would happen.
• Nuwa settled into Gu Changqing’s cave abode, where they discussed the scriptures and the Dao.
• Zhunti sensed a great fortuitous opportunity awaiting Sun Wukong in the Four Seas.

Zhunti divined that the Sea-Calming Divine Iron in the East Sea was destined for Sun Wukong and decided to take his disciple there to claim it early. As Zhunti headed east, Gu Changqing sensed something from his cave abode on Golden Ao Island and looked toward the East Sea.

• Zhunti traced a karmic connection between Sun Wukong and the Sea-Calming Divine Iron at the bottom of the East Sea.
• Zhunti worried that claiming the treasure in the Dragon Race's territory could draw Gu Changqing's attention, but resolved to act for Sun Wukong's sake.
• Zhunti lifted Sun Wukong with Buddha light and set off from Vulture Peak toward the East Sea.
• Gu Changqing discussed the Dao with Nuwa on Golden Ao Island while drinking wine.
• Gu Changqing sensed a change, lowered his Wine God Gourd, and turned his gaze toward the East Sea.

Nuwa realized Gu Changqing had anticipated Zhunti’s arrival at the East Sea and followed him there to witness what would happen. At the Dragon Palace, Ao Cunxin intercepted Zhunti and Sun Wukong, but Zhunti claimed he had come in accordance with the Heavenly Mandate.

• Nuwa sensed Zhunti and Sun Wukong heading toward the East Sea and concluded Gu Changqing had foreseen their arrival and purpose.
• Gu Changqing invited Nuwa to accompany him to the East Sea, and they set out together.
• Ao Cunxin sensed Zhunti and Sun Wukong approaching the Dragon Palace and flew out to confront them.
• Ao Cunxin ordered Zhunti to halt and barred outsiders from entering Dragon territory.
• Zhunti calmly challenged Ao Cunxin, saying he had come in accordance with the Heavenly Mandate.

Ao Cunxin hesitated to give Zhunti the Sea-Calming Divine Iron after he claimed it was destined for Sun Wukong. Gu Changqing and Nuwa arrived, leaving Zhunti tense and unsure what they would do.

• Zhunti told Ao Cunxin that the Heavenly Mandate bound the Sea-Calming Divine Iron to Sun Wukong and demanded she hand it over.
• Ao Cunxin noticed Sun Wukong staring toward the Sea-Calming Divine Iron and wondered whether the Heavenly Mandate truly required her to yield it.
• Ao Cunxin hesitated, fearing both karmic consequences for the Dragon Race and her Master's displeasure.
• Gu Changqing and Nuwa descended into the East Sea, startling Zhunti.
• Zhunti realized Gu Changqing had anticipated his visit and had come to confront him.

Gu Changqing arrived in the East Sea as Zhunti guarded the Sea-Calming Divine Iron for Sun Wukong, then claimed the monkey was destined for the treasure. He revealed that his own new disciple also seemed to fit the Heavenly Mandate, leaving Zhunti dumbfounded.

• Zhunti accused Gu Changqing and Nuwa of hoarding supreme treasures and refusing to let the Buddhist School take the Sea-Calming Divine Iron.
• Gu Changqing drank from his Wine God Gourd and said he had come to congratulate Zhunti on taking a new disciple.
• Gu Changqing agreed that Sun Wukong and the Sea-Calming Divine Iron shared a fated opportunity ordained by the Heavenly Mandate.
• Gu Changqing said he had also recently taken a new disciple and that the Heavenly Mandate seemed to fit him as well.
• Zhunti realized Gu Changqing meant Wuzhiqi and was left confused by his claim.

Gu Changqing challenged Zhunti’s certainty that the Sea-Calming Divine Iron was destined only for Sun Wukong, claiming Wuzhiqi shared that opportunity. Zhunti’s divination confirmed Wuzhiqi had a genuine karmic connection to the treasure, leaving him stunned and Nuwa wondering whether the Heavenly Mandate could be rewritten.

• Zhunti rejected Gu Changqing’s claim that Wuzhiqi could share Sun Wukong’s destined opportunity.
• Gu Changqing summoned Wuzhiqi and invited Zhunti to divine the connection for himself.
• Zhunti used his divine sense to search for a karmic bond between Wuzhiqi and the Sea-Calming Divine Iron.
• Zhunti discovered that Wuzhiqi had a genuine, though weaker, connection to the Sea-Calming Divine Iron and was shocked.
• Nuwa considered whether the Heavenly Mandate could be rewritten.

Nuwa realized Gu Changqing had created a genuine karmic bond between Wuzhiqi and the Sea-Calming Divine Iron, leaving Zhunti unable to challenge his manipulation of fate. Zhunti, furious and unwilling to retreat, declared that he would take the Sea-Calming Divine Iron no matter what.

• Nuwa understood that Gu Changqing had woven a real karmic connection between Wuzhiqi and the Sea-Calming Divine Iron.
• Zhunti realized Gu Changqing was behind Wuzhiqi’s divined bond but could find no evidence to accuse him.
• Zhunti grew enraged as he recognized that Gu Changqing’s methods let him shape the Heavenly Mandate and karma.
• Zhunti declared that he would take the Sea-Calming Divine Iron, determined to salvage his pride even if he had to confront Gu Changqing.

Ao Cunxin confronted Zhunti over his attempt to take the Sea-Calming Divine Iron, while Gu Changqing watched without speaking. Zhunti hesitated to attack, wary that Gu Changqing would intervene, as Ao Cunxin asserted the Dragon Race’s claim to the iron.

• Gu Changqing ignored Zhunti, drank from his Wine God Gourd, and regarded the newly born Sun Wukong with amusement.
• Ao Cunxin stepped forward to face Zhunti, backed by the assembled Dragon Race and aquatic soldiers.
• Zhunti threatened Ao Cunxin but held back because he feared Gu Changqing might strike.
• Ao Cunxin declared that the Sea-Calming Divine Iron belonged to the Dragon Race and demanded to know whether Zhunti had asked their permission to take it.

Zhunti taunted Ao Cunxin about the Dragon Race’s dependence on Gu Changqing, but she calmly challenged him to fight. Gu Changqing said he would only watch, leaving Zhunti to face Ao Cunxin alone as he unleashed his Sage’s might.

• Zhunti mocked the Dragon Race’s past disgrace and claimed Ao Cunxin only dared defy him because Gu Changqing protected her.
• Ao Cunxin said she was unafraid to fight Zhunti even without Gu Changqing’s help and challenged him to dare face her.
• Zhunti sensed that Ao Cunxin’s confidence came from Gu Changqing and looked to him for an answer.
• Gu Changqing said he would only watch and would not interfere.
• Zhunti accepted Gu Changqing’s promise, turned back to Ao Cunxin, and released his Sage’s might.

Zhunti unleashed his full Sage power against Ao Cunxin while Gu Changqing refused to intervene. As the Swastika rune descended, Ao Cunxin summoned a colossal dragon claw that made Zhunti’s attack tremble.

• Zhunti formed a vast Swastika rune and sent it crashing down toward Ao Cunxin.
• The Dragon Race feared for their ruler and questioned why Gu Changqing would not help, while Gu Changqing continued drinking and watching.
• Nuwa urged Gu Changqing to intervene, but he said he would only watch and hinted that the outcome remained uncertain.
• Ao Cunxin faced Zhunti’s attack without fear and raised her hand toward the descending rune.
• A giant dragon claw burst from the void behind Ao Cunxin, darkening the East Sea and making Zhunti’s Swastika tremble.

Ao Cunxin used her emerging dragon-phoenix Great Dao to shatter Zhunti’s full-powered attack, proving she had begun forging her own path to Sagehood. The clash strengthened and clarified her path, while Nuwa recognized the significance of what she had witnessed.

• Zhunti realized Ao Cunxin’s dragon claw carried the beginnings of her own Great Dao and understood she was using his attack as a whetstone.
• Ao Cunxin’s dragon claw struck Zhunti’s enormous “Swastika” rune, sending cracks across it before shattering it completely.
• Ao Cunxin withdrew her claw, exhilarated as the clash’s lingering Great Dao helped refine her path to enlightenment.
• Nuwa watched the clash and recognized the Great Dao taking shape within Ao Cunxin.

Nuwa realized Ao Cunxin was nearing Sagehood by following the battle Great Dao, a path Gu Changqing had helped her uncover as the Dragon Race’s true nature. Ao Cunxin faced the future with confidence, and Nuwa waited to see how far she would go.

• Nuwa was astonished that Ao Cunxin had reached the threshold of Sagehood, adding to the Interception Sect’s growing ranks of Sage-level figures.
• Nuwa recognized that Ao Cunxin followed the battle Great Dao, despite her composed appearance and the path’s usual association with ferocity.
• Nuwa praised Gu Changqing for recognizing Ao Cunxin’s potential and shaping a path that suited her and the Dragon Race.
• Gu Changqing said the battle Great Dao was how the Dragon Race ought to be, and Nuwa understood that he had awakened their buried fighting spirit.
• Nuwa expressed anticipation about Ao Cunxin’s progress, and Ao Cunxin met her gaze with a confident smile as her battle began.

Ao Cunxin taunted Zhunti after shattering his attack, and he feared that fighting her would only help her perfect her path to attaining the Dao. When she charged again, Zhunti retreated until her pursuit forced him to stop.

• Ao Cunxin mocked Zhunti for failing to crush and kill her, while he held back because their clash had strengthened her cultivation.
• Ao Cunxin charged Zhunti with her dragon aura and battle intent surging around her.
• Zhunti tried to flee, but Ao Cunxin pursued him and taunted him for retreating despite being a Sage.
• Zhunti finally shouted that Ao Cunxin had gone too far and stopped retreating.

Ao Cunxin fought Zhunti head-on in the East Sea, enduring his supreme Divine Arts while her battle Great Dao grew stronger. Zhunti realized that continuing to fight would help her approach the Sage realm, but Ao Cunxin gave him no chance to withdraw.

• Zhunti unleashed the Great Sun Tathagata Palm at Ao Cunxin, who met it with a punch and suffered only a slight injury.
• Ao Cunxin’s battle Great Dao absorbed the battle’s lingering resonance and rapidly strengthened as she recovered.
• Zhunti recognized that Ao Cunxin was using him as a whetstone to advance toward Sagehood and wanted to leave.
• Ao Cunxin charged Zhunti again, forcing him to continue fighting.
• Zhunti used a series of powerful Divine Arts, but Ao Cunxin countered them with instinctive punches, kicks, and other direct attacks.

Ao Cunxin’s battle great dao awakened as she drove Zhunti toward defeat, while Sun Wukong began doubting the Buddhist School and his master. Zhunti sought a chance to escape as Gu Changqing watched Sun Wukong’s doubts take root.

• Ao Cunxin shattered Zhunti’s Buddhist techniques and grew stronger as their battle pushed her toward sagehood.
• Zhunti realized that fighting Ao Cunxin would make him a stepping stone for her advancement, and he looked for a chance to flee.
• Sun Wukong watched Ao Cunxin overwhelm Zhunti and began questioning the Buddhist School, his master’s strength, and his own origins.
• Gu Changqing observed Sun Wukong’s growing doubt and quietly drank his wine.

Ao Cunxin overwhelmed Zhunti with her relentless attacks, forcing him to defend while fearing she would attain the Dao through their battle. When he realized he could not obtain the Sea-Calming Divine Iron, Zhunti seized Sun Wukong and fled, leaving the onlookers stunned.

• Ao Cunxin battered Zhunti with increasingly powerful attacks, and he layered Buddha-light barriers around himself rather than risk strengthening her Battle Great Dao.
• Ao Cunxin mocked Zhunti and challenged him to attack, while he realized his plan to take the Sea-Calming Divine Iron had failed.
• Gu Changqing praised Ao Cunxin's fighting, and Nuwa remarked that Zhunti would become a laughingstock in the Primordial World.
• Zhunti abruptly turned away from Ao Cunxin, swept Sun Wukong up in Buddha light, and vanished into the high heavens.

Ao Cunxin defeated Zhunti, restoring the Dragon Race’s pride as Gu Changqing watched without intervening. As Gu Changqing prepared to leave, Ao Cunxin offered him the Sea-Calming Divine Iron, but he refused and told Wuzhiqi and the other two to stay in the East Sea and cultivate with her.

• The Dragon Race celebrated Ao Cunxin’s victory over Zhunti and thanked her for washing away their humiliation.
• Ao Cunxin said she had not enjoyed enough of the fight, astonishing Nuwa, Wuzhiqi, the Long-Armed Ape, and the Six-Eared Macaque.
• Gu Changqing dismissed the battle as boring and began to leave for Golden Ao Island.
• Ao Cunxin offered Gu Changqing the Sea-Calming Divine Iron, but he refused and told Wuzhiqi and the other two to remain in the East Sea and cultivate with her.

Gu Changqing left Ao Cunxin in the East Sea to teach Wuzhiqi, Six-Eared Macaque, and Long-Armed Ape on his behalf. As Gu Changqing and Nuwa departed, Nuwa realized that cultivating the four together would help the battle Great Dao take shape faster.

• Gu Changqing's decision to leave the three monkeys with Ao Cunxin stunned the East Sea, but Ao Cunxin resolved to follow his instructions.
• Wuzhiqi, Six-Eared Macaque, and Long-Armed Ape accepted Ao Cunxin as their teacher, and she promised to teach them the Great Dao on Gu Changqing's behalf.
• The Dragon Race beings watched with envy and wondered why Gu Changqing had arranged for the three monkeys to remain in the East Sea.
• As Gu Changqing and Nuwa traveled away, Nuwa observed that Ao Cunxin and the three monkeys shared the origins of the battle Great Dao.
• Nuwa praised Gu Changqing's foresight, concluding that their shared cultivation would help the battle Great Dao take shape faster.

Nuwa learned the truth about Sun Wukong and accepted Gu Changqing’s claim that the Battle Great Dao’s return was only a coincidence. After Gu Changqing predicted that the Buddhist School would accelerate the Journey to the West, Hongjun grew uneasy about his intervention, while the Elder of Chaos announced he was ready to move against Gu Changqing.

• Nuwa suspected Gu Changqing had arranged for the three monkeys to cultivate under Ao Cunxin, but he insisted their connection to the Battle Great Dao was coincidental and unimportant to him.
• Nuwa left after confirming that Zhunti had failed to obtain the Sea-Calming Divine Iron.
• Gu Changqing watched toward Vulture Peak and predicted that the Buddhist School would push the Journey to the West forward after its latest setback.
• At Zixiao Palace, Hongjun worried that Gu Changqing’s intervention signaled a plot against the Profound Gate.
• The Elder of Chaos said he had mastered some divine abilities from the Taisu True Exposition and suggested they could now act against Gu Changqing, delighting Hongjun.

The Elder of Chaos revealed a method that could unravel Sage-level divine arts in a few breaths, raising Hongjun’s hopes of defeating Tongtian and Gu Changqing. Zhunti then arrived at Zixiao Palace with Sun Wukong to request an audience.

• The Elder of Chaos told Hongjun he had mastered the Divine Art Evolution Method and could unravel a Sage-level Divine Art in a few breaths.
• Hongjun celebrated the breakthrough and declared that it would let their side suppress Tongtian and challenge Gu Changqing.
• Zhunti requested an audience with Hongjun, and Hongjun opened the doors of Zixiao Palace.
• Zhunti entered the palace with Sun Wukong, who was awed by Hongjun’s power.
• Zhunti bowed to Hongjun and began to address his master with evident grievance.