Chapter Summaries

Gu Changqing instructed Zhen Yuanzi to remain hidden while he plotted to provoke the Buddhist School’s Sages, Jieyin and Zhunti, into intervening. As the four Buddhist disciples searched Wuzhuang Temple and failed to find Zhen Yuanzi, Sun Wukong approached the Ginseng Fruit Tree, poised to knock down its fruit.

• Gu Changqing told Zhen Yuanzi to stay concealed in the hidden space beneath the Ginseng Fruit Tree and observe events.
• Gu Changqing decided to use the standoff at Wuzhuang Temple to draw Jieyin and Zhunti into the conflict.
• Ksitigarbha, Maitreya, Mahasthamaprapta, and Medicine Tathagata searched the temple but could not sense Zhen Yuanzi.
• Sun Wukong gazed at the Ginseng Fruits, declared he would knock some down, and alarmed the four Buddhist disciples.

Sun Wukong's desire to take Ginseng Fruit grew as Ksitigarbha and the other Buddhist figures chose not to stop him. He struck the Ginseng Fruit Tree with his staff and toppled it, leaving the Buddhist delegation horrified.

• Ksitigarbha considered whether Sun Wukong's urge to take Ginseng Fruit followed Zhunti's orders, then decided not to interfere.
• Maitreya, Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva, and Medicine Tathagata stayed silent and prepared to leave after the matter was settled.
• Sun Wukong's greed intensified, and he leaped up and swung his Chaos Spirit Treasure staff at the Ginseng Fruit Tree.
• Sun Wukong's blow shook Wuzhuang Temple and toppled the Ginseng Fruit Tree, sending its ten fruits rolling across the courtyard.
• Ksitigarbha, Maitreya, Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva, and Medicine Tathagata stared at the fallen tree in despair.

Sun Wukong toppled the Ginseng Fruit Tree at Wuzhuang Temple, leaving Sanzang and the Buddhist figures terrified of Zhen Yuanzi's response. As Ksitigarbha and the others tried to flee with Sanzang and his companions, a deep hum from within the temple stopped them in midair.

• Sun Wukong's staff strike uprooted the Ginseng Fruit Tree, scattering its fruits across the courtyard.
• Sanzang scolded Sun Wukong, who could not explain the strange power behind his strike.
• Observers outside Wuzhuang Temple realized the Buddhist School had made a mortal enemy of Zhen Yuanzi.
• Ksitigarbha ordered Maitreya, Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva, and Medicine Tathagata to flee with Sanzang, Sun Wukong, Marshal Tianpeng, and General Juanlian.
• A deep hum sounded from within Wuzhuang Temple and halted Ksitigarbha and the others in midair.

Zhen Yuanzi emerged from Wuzhuang Temple and confronted Ksitigarbha, Maitreya Buddha, Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva, and Medicine Tathagata for invading his sanctuary and destroying the Ginseng Fruit Tree. He demanded a satisfactory accounting and threatened that none of them would leave otherwise.

• Zhen Yuanzi's power froze Ksitigarbha and his three companions in midair as onlookers realized someone had restrained them.
• Zhen Yuanzi emerged from Wuzhuang Temple and told the Buddhist School Disciples they could not leave after destroying his Ginseng Fruit Tree.
• Qingfeng apologized to Zhen Yuanzi for failing to defend the temple, and Zhen Yuanzi told him to stand aside.
• Maitreya Buddha tried to justify their actions by blaming Qingfeng, but Zhen Yuanzi challenged his excuse.
• Ksitigarbha asked Zhen Yuanzi to forgive them, but Zhen Yuanzi rejected the apology and threatened to keep them there unless he received a satisfactory accounting.

Zhen Yuanzi challenged Jieyin and Zhunti to answer for the Buddhist disciples destroying the Ginseng Fruit Tree, but the two Sages remained silent. He then summoned the Earth Book, preparing to act against the imprisoned disciples.

• Zhen Yuanzi demanded that Jieyin and Zhunti personally explain the destruction of the Ginseng Fruit Tree, while onlookers recognized his challenge put the Buddhist School in a difficult position.
• Ksitigarbha, Maitreya, Mahasthamaprapta, Medicine Tathagata, Sanzang, and Sun Wukong remained trapped and unable to resist Zhen Yuanzi's power.
• Jieyin and Zhunti gave no response despite the passage of time, leading the onlookers to wonder whether they were stalling or abandoning their disciples.
• Zhen Yuanzi mocked the Sages for withholding an explanation and unleashed his aura across Longevity Mountain.
• Zhen Yuanzi swept his sleeve and released the Earth Book, which unfurled into a vast curtain of mysterious yellow light.

Zhen Yuanzi used the Earth Book to bind the Buddhist School disciples and grind away their Dao foundations until Zhunti appeared and freed them. Zhunti accused Zhen Yuanzi of going too far, and Zhen Yuanzi denounced the Buddhist School as corrupt and shameless.

• Zhen Yuanzi unleashed the Earth Book, whose Chains of Order bound Ksitigarbha, Maitreya, Sanzang, Sun Wukong, and the others and began stripping away their Dao foundations.
• The onlookers realized Zhen Yuanzi intended to force Jieyin and Zhunti to intervene before the Buddhist disciples were crippled.
• Zhunti appeared, shouted for Zhen Yuanzi to stop, and shattered the bindings around the Buddhist School members.
• Zhunti accused Zhen Yuanzi of going too far, drawing outrage from the onlookers.
• Zhen Yuanzi blamed the Buddhist School for its disciples' behavior and called its members despicable scoundrels.

Zhunti defended the Buddhist School’s actions at Wuzhuang Temple by invoking the heavenly mandate, leaving Zhen Yuanzi unable to answer. Just as Zhunti prepared to leave with his disciples, Gu Changqing appeared, shifting the crowd’s hopes toward a confrontation.

• Zhunti claimed the Journey to the West followed the heavenly mandate decreed by the Dao Ancestor and said no one else could be blamed.
• Zhen Yuanzi seethed but could not refute Zhunti, while onlookers condemned the Buddhist School’s use of the heavenly mandate as a shield.
• Zhunti ordered the Buddhist School’s disciples to leave and began gathering them with his Buddha light.
• Gu Changqing casually called Zhunti a tyrannical leader, making Zhunti stop and turn toward the voice.
• Gu Changqing appeared outside Wuzhuang Temple with his Wine God Gourd, and Zhen Yuanzi smiled in relief as the crowd welcomed his arrival.

Gu Changqing confronted Zhunti over the Buddhist School’s destruction of Zhen Yuanzi’s Ginseng Fruit Tree and demanded the Jade Pure Bottle as compensation. Zhunti refused, leaving the dispute unresolved.

• Zhunti realized that Gu Changqing had orchestrated events at Wuzhuang Temple and suspected he had secretly manipulated Sun Wukong into toppling the Ginseng Fruit Tree.
• Gu Changqing denied scheming and claimed he had merely spoken up for justice, while the onlookers laughed and Zhen Yuanzi took heart.
• Zhunti suppressed his anger and asked Gu Changqing what he wanted, recognizing that he could not defeat him.
• Gu Changqing demanded that Zhunti give Zhen Yuanzi the Jade Pure Bottle to revive the Ginseng Fruit Tree.
• Zhunti refused, declaring that Gu Changqing should not even think about it.

Zhunti refused to give Gu Changqing the Jade Pure Bottle, a treasure that anchored the Buddhist School’s fortune. The bottle then descended to Wuzhuang Temple on its own, and Gu Changqing recognized Jieyin’s aura as Zhunti realized his senior brother had sent it.

• Zhunti refused Gu Changqing’s demand for the Jade Pure Bottle despite knowing the Buddhist School was in the wrong.
• Gu Changqing teased Zhunti about his refusal and waited before responding.
• A Jade Pure Bottle descended from the Nine Heavens toward Wuzhuang Temple as the onlookers searched for who had sent it.
• Gu Changqing recognized Jieyin’s aura on the bottle and accepted it as Jieyin’s gift.
• Zhunti stared at the bottle in shock, realizing Jieyin had gone behind his back.

Zhen Yuanzi accepted the Jade Pure Bottle as compensation after Jieyin sent it to end the confrontation at Wuzhuang Temple. Zhunti left in humiliation, and Gu Changqing suspected the incident would drive a rift between the Buddhist School’s two Sages.

• Jieyin sent the Jade Pure Bottle to Gu Changqing, leaving Zhunti furious but unable to reclaim it.
• Gu Changqing said the bottle was compensation for Zhen Yuanzi and directed it toward him.
• Zhen Yuanzi accepted the Jade Pure Bottle and mocked Zhunti, Ksitigarbha, and the other Buddhist School members before letting the matter rest.
• Zhunti gathered Ksitigarbha, Maitreya, Sanzang, Sun Wukong, and the others, then fled toward the western horizon.
• Gu Changqing praised Jieyin’s decision and predicted it would create a rift between the Buddhist School’s two Sages.

Gu Changqing’s scheme cost the Buddhist School the Jade Pure Bottle and left a hidden rift between Zhunti and Jieyin. As the Ginseng Fruit Tree began to recover, Zhen Yuanzi questioned Gu Changqing’s methods, and Gu Changqing insisted he had acted reasonably.

• Zhunti resented Jieyin’s silence after he was forced to surrender the Jade Pure Bottle, while Gu Changqing saw the first crack forming between them.
• Cultivators outside Wuzhuang Temple celebrated the Buddhist School’s losses and praised Gu Changqing’s influence.
• Gu Changqing and Zhen Yuanzi watched the Jade Pure Bottle’s immortal nectar revive the damaged Ginseng Fruit Tree.
• Zhen Yuanzi asked why Gu Changqing had let the tree suffer instead of confronting the Buddhist School directly.
• Gu Changqing said he had avoided simply using a Sage’s power to intimidate Zhunti and called himself the most reasonable man.

After Gu Changqing forced the Buddhist School to surrender the Jade Pure Bottle, he left Wuzhuang Temple to return to his drinking. Zhen Yuanzi used the bottle’s immortal nectar to revive the Ginseng Fruit Tree, restoring life to the temple.

• Zhen Yuanzi sincerely thanked Gu Changqing for securing the Jade Pure Bottle and promised to repay his kindness.
• Gu Changqing declined to stay, then departed Wuzhuang Temple with his usual drunken, unsteady gait.
• Zhen Yuanzi turned his attention to the fallen Ginseng Fruit Tree and used the Jade Pure Bottle to pour immortal nectar over it.
• The immortal nectar restored the tree’s roots, trunk, and branches, while vitality spread throughout Wuzhuang Temple.

Zhen Yuanzi restored the Ginseng Fruit Tree with the Sweet Dew Immortal Rain, and the tree grew stronger with signs of a deeper transformation. Back at Biyou Palace, Gu Changqing revealed to Tongtian that his actions might help Zhen Yuanzi prove the Dao.

• Zhen Yuanzi guided the Sweet Dew Immortal Rain into the Ginseng Fruit Tree and used the Earth Book to preserve the Great Dao rhythm within it.
• The Ginseng Fruit Tree recovered, rose upright, and gained richer spiritual essence and faint Dao patterns.
• Zhen Yuanzi thanked Gu Changqing, sensing that the tree's changes might have consequences beyond its recovery.
• Gu Changqing returned to Biyou Palace, where Tongtian asked why he had engineered the events at Wuzhuang Temple.
• Gu Changqing told Tongtian that his plan might help Zhen Yuanzi embark on the path to proving the Dao.

Tongtian realized Gu Changqing had taken the Jade Pure Bottle to help Zhen Yuanzi comprehend the origin of space laws and pursue Dao attainment. An upheaval at Zixiao Palace interrupted the quiet in Biyou Palace, and Gu Changqing suggested that something there was finally about to succeed.

• Tongtian understood that the Jade Pure Bottle’s space laws could help Zhen Yuanzi advance beyond peak quasi-saint and begin his path to Dao attainment.
• Tongtian praised Gu Changqing for hiding his true purpose from Jieyin and Zhunti, while Gu Changqing brushed off the praise and pretended to doze.
• A powerful disturbance erupted from Zixiao Palace, shaking the laws beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens and awakening mighty experts across the Primordial World.
• Gu Changqing stopped snoring and, without moving, watched Zixiao Palace and murmured that it was finally about to succeed.

Hongjun and the Elder of Chaos completed the refinement of the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe and resolved to demonstrate the Profound Gate’s power to the Primordial World. As the axe’s aura drove back the Chaos storms outside Zixiao Palace, a dark-golden ray shot skyward.

• The Elder of Chaos and Hongjun admired the fully refined Heaven-Opening Divine Axe in Zixiao Palace.
• The Elder of Chaos declared that the axe and the Taisu True Exposition would let them defeat Gu Changqing and avenge his past losses.
• Hongjun proposed showing all living beings the Profound Gate’s power, and the Elder of Chaos agreed that it was time to assert their mastery.
• The Heaven-Opening Divine Axe’s aura caused the Outer Chaos Region’s storms and turbulence to retreat from Zixiao Palace.
• A dark-golden ray of light shot skyward from Zixiao Palace.

Hongjun revealed the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe and declared that he would inherit Pangu’s might and rule the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, directing the challenge at Gu Changqing. Gu Changqing woke in Biyou Palace, mocked Hongjun’s boast, and watched with an unreadable anticipation.

• Hongjun’s Heaven-Opening Divine Axe appeared over the Primordial World, overwhelming living beings with its power.
• Jie Sect disciples on Golden Ao Island recognized the axe as a treasure once forged by Changqing, while Hong Yun realized Hongjun was targeting him.
• Hongjun and the Elder of Chaos celebrated the fear across the world, and Hongjun proclaimed his intent to rule the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.
• Living beings understood Hongjun’s declaration was aimed at Gu Changqing, the Wine Sword Immortal.
• Gu Changqing woke in Biyou Palace, drank from his Wine God Gourd, and scoffed at Hongjun’s claim while anticipating what would follow.

Gu Changqing drunkenly left Biyou Palace and headed to the Outer Chaos Region, where Hongjun and the Elder of Chaos had displayed the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe to restore the Profound Gate’s authority. He arrived undetected and examined the axe, leaving Hongjun and the Elder of Chaos on guard.

• Tongtian recognized that Hongjun and the Elder of Chaos were using the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe and Pangu’s prestige to win back the Primordial World’s obedience.
• Gu Changqing drunkenly rose from his seat and flew toward the Outer Chaos Region, with Tongtian following and summoning Houtu and Nuwa.
• Jie Sect Disciples saw Gu Changqing and Tongtian depart and eagerly speculated that Gu Changqing would confront the Dao Ancestor.
• Hongjun and the Elder of Chaos praised their proclamation and the divine axe, believing the Profound Gate would regain its authority.
• Gu Changqing appeared beside the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe without Hongjun or the Elder of Chaos detecting him, then casually praised its grandeur.

Gu Changqing confronted Hongjun and the Elder of Chaos after they refined the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe, unsettling them with his claim that they had not disappointed him. When they threatened him with the axe, he calmly invited them to try killing him.

• Hongjun and the Elder of Chaos froze when Gu Changqing appeared in the Outer Chaos Region, despite wielding the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe.
• Gu Changqing praised the axe’s power and said the two had not disappointed him, leaving them and the Primordial World’s onlookers wondering whether he had arranged its creation.
• Tongtian, Houtu, and Nuwa watched from afar, and Tongtian regained confidence that Gu Changqing would fulfill his promise to reclaim the axe.
• The Elder of Chaos accused Gu Changqing of bluffing, while Hongjun threatened to crush him with the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe.
• Gu Changqing drank from his Wine God Gourd, pointed at the axe and himself, and challenged Hongjun and the Elder of Chaos to try killing him.

Gu Changqing remained unfazed as Hongjun and the Elder of Chaos prepared the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe’s overwhelming power against him. As the axe’s might continued to rise, Gu Changqing drank from his Wine God Gourd instead of preparing to fight.

• Gu Changqing told Hongjun and the Elder of Chaos to try attacking him, then stood calmly with his Wine Gourd.
• Hongjun suppressed his anger and began forming hand seals to unleash the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe’s true power.
• The Heaven-Opening Divine Axe drew in Chaos and shattered laws and order as its destructive power surged.
• Tongtian, Nuwa, and Houtu arrived and prepared to protect Gu Changqing if necessary.
• Gu Changqing raised the Wine God Gourd, drank several mouthfuls of wine, and burped.

Gu Changqing used the Taisu True Exposition to strip the power from Hongjun's Heaven-Opening Divine Axe, shocking Hongjun and the Elder of Chaos. The Elder of Chaos realized Gu Changqing had inherited the Dao Art from Lord Taisu, while Hongjun demanded to know how Gu Changqing had learned it.

• Gu Changqing drank from his Wine God Gourd, then formed seals as mysterious Dao Rhythm spread around him.
• The Elder of Chaos recognized the Taisu True Exposition and cried out in disbelief that Gu Changqing knew it.
• Gu Changqing ignored the Elder of Chaos and let the Taisu Dao Rhythm envelop the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe.
• The Dao Rhythm silently extinguished the axe's divine radiance and stripped away its power.
• The Elder of Chaos realized Gu Changqing had concealed his inheritance from Lord Taisu, and Hongjun angrily demanded to know how Gu Changqing had learned the art.