Chapter Summaries

Gu Changqing told Tongtian, Nuwa, and Houtu that the second Journey to the West would restore its scripture-seeking quartet, but declared that he could overturn the Heavenly Mandate’s plans. In the Heavenly Court, Yaochi questioned Haotian’s order to send two officials to aid the Buddhist School, warning that it would weaken their power.

• Gu Changqing explained that Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing would join Sanzang and Sun Wukong on the second Journey to the West.
• Gu Changqing said the Heavenly Mandate’s plans could be overturned, and Tongtian, Nuwa, and Houtu accepted his confidence.
• In the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, Yaochi asked Haotian whether the Heavenly Court truly had to help the Buddhist School.
• Yaochi warned Haotian that sending Marshal Tianpeng and General Juanlian to escort Sanzang would weaken the Heavenly Court and strengthen the Buddhist School.

Haotian and Yaochi accepted that they had to obey the Dao Ancestor’s Imperial Edict, while Marshal Tianpeng and General Juanlian descended to join Sanzang and Sun Wukong. The group prepared for a new Journey to the West, each carrying different motives, as Dao Ancestor Hongjun declared it was time to act.

• Haotian told Yaochi that the Heavenly Court had to obey the Dao Ancestor’s Imperial Edict and send Marshal Tianpeng and General Juanlian west.
• Marshal Tianpeng and General Juanlian vanished from the Heavenly Court and descended to the mortal world.
• Sanzang and Sun Wukong appeared and gathered with Tianpeng and Juanlian in a grotto-heaven.
• Sanzang vowed to complete the Journey to the West, attain his Buddhist status, and avenge the humiliation of his previous life.
• Tianpeng and Juanlian privately feared the Interception Sect but felt unable to refuse the Dao Ancestor’s order.
• Dao Ancestor Hongjun looked toward the Primordial World and said the time had come to act.

Hongjun and the Elder of Chaos left Zixiao Palace as a storm began brewing across the Primordial World. At Biyou Palace, Tongtian, Nuwa, Houtu, and Gu Changqing completed the refinement of the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe before a deafening sound erupted outside.

• Hongjun summoned the Elder of Chaos, and the two left Zixiao Palace together.
• The Heaven-Opening Divine Axe was completely refined in Biyou Palace.
• Tongtian praised the axe's power and marveled that Gu Changqing had refined it faster than Tongtian, Nuwa, and Houtu combined.
• Gu Changqing dismissed Tongtian's praise while drinking from his Wine God Gourd, and Nuwa and Houtu smiled at his modesty.
• A deep, deafening heavenly sound erupted outside Biyou Palace, ending the celebratory mood.

Dao Ancestor Hongjun and the Elder of Chaos arrived together at Golden Ao Island, leaving the Interception Sect fearing their combined assault. As the disciples worried that Gu Changqing had found no answer to the Taisu True Exposition, Tongtian, Gu Changqing, Nuwa, and Houtu emerged from Biyou Palace to face the two visitors.

• Dao Ancestor Hongjun and the Elder of Chaos descended upon Golden Ao Island, alarming cultivators throughout the Primordial World.
• Onlookers feared the pair had come to crush the Interception Sect, recalling the Elder of Chaos’s defeat of the Three Sages and the Immortal-Slaying Sword Array.
• Daoist Duobao and the Interception Sect disciples prepared for battle, but they worried that Gu Changqing had no way to counter the Taisu True Exposition.
• Tongtian, Gu Changqing, Nuwa, and Houtu rushed out of Biyou Palace and appeared together in the heavens above Golden Ao Island.

The Elder of Chaos taunted Gu Changqing for returning from Chaos without finding Lord Taisu or a way to break the Taisu True Exposition, and boasted that the Interception Sect had no answer to his power. The chapter ended with Gu Changqing remaining indifferent while Tongtian, Nuwa, and Houtu exchanged strange looks.

• Hongjun and the Elder of Chaos confronted Tongtian, Nuwa, Houtu, and Gu Changqing above Golden Ao Island as cultivators feared a battle.
• The Elder of Chaos mocked Gu Changqing for supposedly failing to find Lord Taisu in Chaos.
• Gu Changqing ignored the taunts and drank from the Wine God Gourd without replying.
• The Elder of Chaos laughed and bragged about the Taisu True Exposition, while Tongtian, Nuwa, and Houtu showed strange expressions.

Gu Changqing revealed that Hongjun and the Elder of Chaos had fallen into his trap, then showed he knew about Hongjun’s secret plans for the second Journey to the West. Hongjun declared that the Interception Sect had no right to interfere, but Gu Changqing and the other Three Sages remained unfazed.

• The Three Sages realized Gu Changqing had feigned weakness to lure the Elder of Chaos and Hongjun into a trap.
• Gu Changqing drunkenly asked whether the second Journey to the West was beginning and whether the Heavenly Court’s two appointed gods had descended to the mortal realm.
• Hongjun realized Gu Changqing knew about his secret arrangements, but quickly regained his composure.
• Hongjun declared that the Interception Sect had no right to interfere in the Journey to the West and unleashed his killing aura against its Four Saints.
• Tongtian, Nuwa, and Houtu remained calm as Hongjun’s aura passed over Gu Changqing without affecting him, and Gu Changqing smiled.

Gu Changqing faced Hongjun and the Elder of Chaos as they launched a combined assault, while Tongtian, Nuwa, and Houtu intervened to hold back their attacks. After drinking from the Wine God Gourd, Gu Changqing summoned an ancient, massive axe from Biyou Palace.

• Hongjun unleashed a full-strength blast of Heavenly Dao power at Gu Changqing, and the Elder of Chaos summoned a devastating chaos storm.
• Tongtian, Nuwa, and Houtu joined forces to block Hongjun's divine radiance and the Elder of Chaos's storm.
• Hongjun and the Elder of Chaos kept their attention on Gu Changqing and waited to see what hidden power he would reveal.
• Gu Changqing drank deeply from the Wine God Gourd, then summoned an ancient, massive axe from Biyou Palace.

Gu Changqing summoned the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe and struck at the Elder of Chaos, while Hongjun tried to keep Sect Master Tongtian, Empress Nuwa, and Earth Sovereign Houtu from aiding him. The axe split the sky and tore open a vast rift, leaving the outcome of the clash unresolved.

• Gu Changqing manifested the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe, shocking the beings across the Primordial World.
• Hongjun and the Elder of Chaos rejoiced at the axe’s appearance and inferred that Gu Changqing had not mastered the Taisu True Exposition.
• Hongjun moved to pin down Sect Master Tongtian, Empress Nuwa, and Earth Sovereign Houtu while the Elder of Chaos confronted Gu Changqing and demanded the axe.
• Gu Changqing ignored the Elder of Chaos, drank from the Wine God Gourd, and awakened the axe’s heaven-opening will.
• Gu Changqing swung the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe, tearing open a rift that stretched billions of miles and split the sky.

The Elder of Chaos used the Taisu True Exposition to erase Gu Changqing’s Heaven-Opening Divine Axe strike, leaving the watching beings stunned by the technique’s power. The Elder of Chaos remained ready to fight, while the chapter ended with the observers struggling to believe that even Pangu’s supreme relic had been neutralized.

• Gu Changqing unleashed the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe, tearing through the void and terrifying the living beings watching the battle.
• The Elder of Chaos stood firm in the axe’s path and raised his hands to form the Taisu True Exposition’s mudra seals.
• The Elder of Chaos’s power halted the chaos astral wind and trapped the axe light in place.
• The Taisu True Exposition eroded the axe light until the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe strike vanished completely.
• The onlookers cried out in disbelief that the Elder of Chaos had neutralized Pangu’s supreme relic.

The Elder of Chaos neutralized Gu Changqing’s Heaven-Opening Divine Axe and demanded that Gu Changqing hand it over. Gu Changqing stayed calm and challenged him to try, leaving their confrontation poised to continue.

• The Elder of Chaos’s Taisu True Exposition dissolved Gu Changqing’s Heaven-Opening Divine Axe, shocking the watching cultivators.
• The Elder of Chaos mocked Gu Changqing for failing to wield the axe and demanded that he surrender it.
• The Jie Sect Disciples and the Three Sages watched anxiously, fearing Gu Changqing would lose his remaining trump card.
• Gu Changqing drank his wine, burped, and told the Elder of Chaos to try taking his treasure.
• The Elder of Chaos dismissed Gu Changqing’s defiance as stubborn bluster and prepared to press his attack.

The Elder of Chaos revealed a Taisu Dao Seal made tangible through the Taisu True Exposition, and Gu Changqing recognized its nature. The Elder unleashed the seal, whose descending light suppressed Gu Changqing’s overwhelming aura.

• The Elder of Chaos summoned a strange Dao Seal that could be seen but not sensed, bewildering the onlookers and the three Sages.
• Gu Changqing recognized that the Elder had condensed a tangible Dao Seal using the Taisu True Exposition.
• The Elder of Chaos laughed and sent the Taisu Dao Seal crashing down toward Gu Changqing.
• A vast curtain of colorless light enveloped the area around Gu Changqing and began suppressing his aura.

The Elder of Chaos used the Taisu Dao Seal to suppress Gu Changqing, then moved to seize the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe. The Three Sages stayed calm because they knew Gu Changqing was pretending to be trapped as part of a plan to draw out the Elder of Chaos and Hongjun’s trump cards.

• The Taisu Dao Seal suppressed Gu Changqing’s aura and cultivation, alarming cultivators and the disciples of the Interception Sect.
• Tongtian, Nuwa, and Houtu remained composed because they knew Gu Changqing had learned the Taisu True Exposition and its method of countering it.
• The Three Sages understood that Gu Changqing was pretending to be suppressed to lure the Elder of Chaos and Hongjun into revealing their trump cards.
• The Elder of Chaos gloated over Gu Changqing’s apparent helplessness and declared that the Dao Seal prevented him from using his cultivation.
• The Elder of Chaos unleashed chaotic power toward the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe and tried to seize it while Gu Changqing appeared suppressed.

The Elder of Chaos used the Taisu Dao Seal to suppress Gu Changqing and reached for the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe, while Gu Changqing calmly drank wine. The three sages assumed Gu Changqing was pretending to be helpless, but the Elder of Chaos seized the axe without resistance.

• The Elder of Chaos declared Gu Changqing crippled and formed a giant palm from his Chaos Laws.
• Gu Changqing drank calmly as the palm approached, easing the Jie Sect disciples’ panic.
• Tongtian, Nuwa, and Houtu believed Gu Changqing was feigning weakness and waiting to counterattack.
• The Elder of Chaos’s giant palm bypassed Gu Changqing and seized the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe without resistance.
• Tongtian, Nuwa, and Houtu realized Gu Changqing had not acted as the axe was taken.

The Elder of Chaos seized the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe while Gu Changqing remained trapped in the Taisu Dao Seal. The Interception Sect and watching cultivators feared the Elder of Chaos had become nearly unstoppable, while Tongtian, Nuwa, and Houtu suspected Gu Changqing was acting deliberately and wondered why he had allowed the axe to be taken.

• The Elder of Chaos took the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe from Gu Changqing as the Taisu Dao Seal kept Gu Changqing subdued.
• Daoist Duobao and the other Interception Sect disciples panicked, while Golden Spirit Holy Mother tried to rush toward Gu Changqing and Wudang Holy Mother restrained her.
• Watching cultivators concluded that the Elder of Chaos now combined the Taisu True Exposition's defense with the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe's overwhelming offense.
• Tongtian, Nuwa, and Houtu recalled that Gu Changqing had learned how to break the Taisu True Exposition and questioned why he had let the Elder of Chaos take the axe.

The Elder of Chaos took the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe while Gu Changqing remained apparently suppressed by the Taisu Dao Seal, leaving the Three Sages to trust that he was concealing his true intentions. Believing Gu Changqing defeated, the Elder of Chaos and Hongjun departed for Zixiao Palace with the axe, while Gu Changqing remained silent.

• Tongtian, Nuwa, and Houtu suspected Gu Changqing was pretending to be helpless and chose to trust his plans.
• The Elder of Chaos recovered from his shock and celebrated possessing the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe.
• The Elder of Chaos mocked Gu Changqing for failing to stop him, while Gu Changqing quietly drank from the Wine God Gourd without responding.
• Hongjun concluded that Gu Changqing was no longer a threat and exchanged a knowing glance with the Elder of Chaos.
• The Elder of Chaos secured the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe, and he and Hongjun flew toward Zixiao Palace.

The Elder of Chaos and Hongjun took the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe while Gu Changqing remained apparently suppressed by the Taisu Dao Seal, leaving the Primordial World fearful of the Profound Gate’s growing power. Back in Biyou Palace, Tongtian asked Gu Changqing why he had not intervened.

• The Elder of Chaos took the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe, and the gathered cultivators feared that no one could oppose him.
• Cultivators fled from Golden Ao Island, wary that the humiliated Interception Sect might vent its anger on them.
• Tongtian, Nuwa, Houtu, and Gu Changqing returned to Biyou Palace after the onlookers dispersed.
• Tongtian questioned Gu Changqing about why he had not acted, trusting that his disciple had a reason.

Gu Changqing reassured Nuwa, Houtu, and Tongtian that he had deliberately let the Elder of Chaos take the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe so the Heavenly Dao could nurture it. In Zixiao Palace, Hongjun and the Elder of Chaos celebrated their possession of the axe and planned to claim the Primordial World.

• Nuwa and Houtu warned Gu Changqing that the Elder of Chaos wielding the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe left their alliance at a great disadvantage, while Tongtian watched in silence.
• Gu Changqing said the axe's origin was incomplete and that he had intended to borrow the Heavenly Dao's power to nurture it.
• Nuwa, Houtu, and Tongtian suspected that Gu Changqing meant to have the axe strengthened in the Elder of Chaos's hands before reclaiming it, but Gu Changqing offered no further explanation.
• In Zixiao Palace, the Elder of Chaos admired the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe as Hongjun declared the Profound Gate invincible and dismissed Gu Changqing as a threat.
• The Elder of Chaos agreed with Hongjun and said the Primordial World would soon have a new master.

The Four Saints celebrated after learning that the Elder of Chaos had seized the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe for the Profound Gate. Hongjun refused to let them wield it and said he and the Elder of Chaos would refine it together.

• Laozi, Yuanshi, Jieyin, and Zhunti arrived at Zixiao Palace and congratulated Hongjun on obtaining the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe.
• Yuanshi asked Hongjun whether the Four Saints could wield the divine axe, and the others showed their eagerness to use it against Gu Changqing and their rivals.
• Hongjun refused, explaining that the axe needed to be refined with the power of the Heavenly Dao before anyone could safely control it.
• Hongjun told the Elder of Chaos that they needed to join forces to bring the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe under their control.

Hongjun and the Elder of Chaos tried to erase Gu Changqing’s powerful imprint from the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe so the Profound Gate could use it. As their forces worked on the treasure in Zixiao Palace, the axe suddenly jolted violently.

• Hongjun’s reasons for requiring further refinement of the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe were revealed: Gu Changqing’s imprint was deeply fused with its origin and could make the treasure unusable or turn against its holder.
• The Elder of Chaos had returned with the axe instead of pursuing Gu Changqing’s other treasures because he needed Hongjun’s and the Profound Gate’s power to erase the imprint.
• After the Four Saints withdrew, Hongjun and the Elder of Chaos joined forces to refine the axe in the Main Hall of Zixiao Palace.
• Hongjun’s Heavenly Dao laws and the Elder of Chaos’s Chaos power surrounded the axe and began eroding its imprints.
• As the refinement continued and their power intensified, the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe jolted violently.

Hongjun and the Elder of Chaos tried to refine the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe, but its hidden aura grew stronger as it absorbed their power. Gu Changqing, sleeping on Golden Ao Island, secretly strengthened his imprint within the axe and waited for them to believe it was under their control.

• Hongjun and the Elder of Chaos sensed a mysterious aura from the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe and continued refining it, believing it was a remnant of Pangu or a trick left by Gu Changqing.
• The Elder of Chaos noticed the axe was absorbing their refining power, while Hongjun insisted they should persevere despite his unease.
• The Elder of Chaos continued refining alongside Hongjun because the axe was essential to reclaiming the Chaos Bead and seeking revenge.
• Gu Changqing stirred in his sleep on Golden Ao Island as his hidden intent remained connected to the axe and absorbed the power Hongjun and the Elder of Chaos poured into it.
• Gu Changqing kept sleeping and drinking, waiting for Hongjun and the Elder of Chaos to think they had gained control of the axe.