Chapter Summaries

Hongjun tried to stop Gu Changqing from interfering with the Human race’s tribulation, then offered him a Sage Dao Fruit to win him over. Gu Changqing ignored the offer’s significance and asked whether the fruit could be used to brew wine.

• Hongjun warned Gu Changqing that the Human race’s tribulation was part of the Heavenly Mandate and threatened immense karma for resisting it.
• Gu Changqing feigned drunken ignorance and declared that he did not understand or care about the Heavenly Mandate.
• Hongjun recognized Gu Changqing’s defiance but refrained from attacking him because killing him would bring overwhelming karma.
• Hongjun offered Gu Changqing a Sage Dao Fruit and promised he would become the eighth Sage between heaven and earth.
• Tongtian urged Gu Changqing to kneel and thank Hongjun, but Gu Changqing asked whether the Sage Dao Fruit could be used to brew wine.

Hongjun offered Gu Changqing a Sage Dao Fruit to bind him with Heavenly Dao constraints, but Gu Changqing refused because it could not be used to brew wine. Hongjun threatened him and left, while Gu Changqing showed no sign of taking the warning seriously.

• Gu Changqing said he would only accept Hongjun’s Sage Dao Fruit if he could use it to brew wine, and Tongtian tried to smooth over his remark.
• Hongjun explained the benefits of becoming a Sage, but Gu Changqing lost interest when he learned the Dao Fruit could not brew wine.
• Hongjun considered Gu Changqing an Anomaly and had planned to use the Sage position to constrain him through the Heavenly Dao.
• Hongjun urged Gu Changqing to accept the opportunity, and Tongtian also tried to persuade his disciple to become a Sage.
• Gu Changqing refused, saying he wanted to drink freely, so Hongjun threatened him with heavenly retribution and then left.

Gu Changqing rejected Hongjun’s offer of a Sage’s seat, recognizing it as a Heavenly Dao trap, while Tongtian warned him to stop interfering in human affairs. Gu Changqing dismissed the warning and invoked a line about seeking ghosts and gods rather than the people.

• Hongjun left Golden Ao Island in anger after Gu Changqing refused the Sage’s seat, and Tongtian explained the refusal to Duobao and the other disciples.
• Gu Changqing revealed that he understood the Sage’s seat was a cage and believed his Great Dao of Wine and innate sword heart would let him pursue the Hunyuan path instead.
• Tongtian returned to Gu Changqing’s cave abode, scolded him for defying Hongjun, and warned him that the Dao Ancestor could punish him.
• Tongtian urged Gu Changqing to stop interfering in human affairs, saying Ji Ren could protect the human race and that its fate should be left to it.
• Gu Changqing laughed at Tongtian’s advice and recited, “Alas, he drew closer at midnight in vain-not asking of the people, but of ghosts and gods!”

Gu Changqing rejected Tongtian’s advice to restrain himself, reaffirmed his resolve to defend humanity, and brewed a new wine from his Sword Dao origin that strengthened his innate sword heart. Meanwhile, Laozi and Yuanshi visited Hongjun to learn what had happened, and Hongjun admitted that they had underestimated Gu Changqing.

• Gu Changqing told Tongtian that he cared about the will of the common people more than the Heavenly Dao’s grand course, and Tongtian accepted that he could not change his disciple’s mind.
• Tongtian promised to protect Gu Changqing, who thanked his master before Tongtian returned to Biyou Palace.
• Gu Changqing used his Sword Dao origin to brew Sword Dao Origin Immortal Brew, drank it, and fell asleep while the wine nourished his innate sword heart.
• Gu Changqing’s name spread across the world as powerful figures speculated about Hongjun’s angry departure from the Interception Sect.
• Laozi and Yuanshi visited Hongjun in Zixiao Palace, and Hongjun told them they had underestimated Gu Changqing.

Hongjun told Laozi and Yuanshi that Gu Changqing rejected his false offer of sagehood, and the three sages worried that he might pursue the Primordial path. Thousands of years later, the human race had grown stronger under Ji Ren’s guidance, and he considered formally establishing the Mount Shu Sword Sect.

• Hongjun explained that Gu Changqing had seen through—or dismissed—his false promise of a sage position, and he proposed that Gu Changqing might seek the Primordial path.
• Laozi and Yuanshi feared that Gu Changqing’s ambition and potential could threaten the Heavenly Mandate and leave them unable to stop him.
• Thousands of years passed, and tens of thousands of human youths and maidens practiced Gu Changqing’s weakened sword techniques at Mount Shu under Ji Ren’s instruction.
• Ji Ren observed the human race’s growing strength and decided it might be time to formally establish the Mount Shu Sword Sect.

Ji Ren prepared to establish Mount Shu as a human Daoist lineage and sent two envoys to invite Gu Changqing as its Patriarch. As Gu Changqing’s Sword Heart advanced to the Dao-attaining level, the envoys arrived at Golden Ao Island seeking an audience with him.

• Ji Ren sent two Golden Immortal humans to Golden Ao Island with a jar of wine to invite Master Wine Sword Immortal to Mount Shu’s founding ceremony.
• The envoys departed while Mount Shu’s disciples eagerly anticipated meeting their true Patriarch.
• Duobao and the other Interception Sect disciples visited Gu Changqing’s cave abode for guidance but found him asleep and left without answers.
• Gu Changqing’s Innate Sword Heart erupted with sword energy, and he awoke to discover he had attained the Dao and formed his own Sword Dao.
• Two human envoys arrived outside Golden Ao Island asking to see Patriarch Wine Sword Immortal, shocking the Interception Sect disciples.

Two human envoys arrived at Golden Ao Island to invite Gu Changqing to Mount Shu’s founding ceremony on Ji Ren’s orders. Gu Changqing initially refused, but he agreed to go when they offered him fine wine.

• The envoys told Tongtian they had come to invite Patriarch Wine Sword Immortal to Mount Shu’s founding ceremony.
• Tongtian opened the protective formation and sent the envoys to Gu Changqing’s cave abode.
• Gu Changqing, visibly drunk, confirmed he was the Wine Sword Immortal but refused the invitation so he could keep drinking.
• One envoy summoned a jar of wine brewed with Dao Enlightenment Leaves, and Gu Changqing drank nearly all of it at once.
• After the envoys promised him all the wine he could drink, Gu Changqing happily agreed to visit the humans’ lands.

Gu Changqing and the Three Xiao arrived at Mount Shu, where Ji Ren established the Mount Shu Sword Sect and raised Empress Wa Sword to suppress Human Fortune. As the new sect celebrated its founding, Laozi erupted in anger in the Great Luo Heaven.

• Gu Changqing left Golden Ao Island for Mount Shu with two humans, and the Three Xiao joined him, claiming they wanted to share fine wine.
• The group reached Mount Shu in a few days, with Gu Changqing heavily drunk and supported by the Three Xiao as he descended.
• Ji Ren greeted Gu Changqing and asked him to proclaim the Mount Shu Sword Sect, but Gu Changqing said he had come only to drink.
• Yunxiao told Ji Ren that the sect was meant for him to establish, so Ji Ren proclaimed the Mount Shu Sword Sect and opened its Sword Dao to all humans.
• Ji Ren summoned Empress Wa Sword above Mount Shu, and Human Fortune gathered to bless it as Gu Changqing praised his wine.
• Laozi grew furious at Ji Ren and Gu Changqing inside the Eight Scenic Palace of the Great Luo Heaven.

Ji Ren established the Mount Shu Sword Sect, and the Human rejoiced as their fortune surged and the world’s mighty experts took notice. Laozi and Xuandu descended to stop Ji Ren, appearing before the Human amid a show of Sage power.

• Laozi grew furious over Ji Ren’s founding of a Dao Lineage and ordered Xuandu to descend with him to the Human.
• The Mount Shu Sword Sect’s establishment gathered human fortune around the Empress Wa Sword and inspired the Human to celebrate their newfound strength.
• The Three Xiao praised Gu Changqing, who dismissed the credit and sensed signs of the Human Dao emerging among the Human.
• Laozi denounced the Human for establishing a Dao Lineage, then appeared with Xuandu before the Human under an overwhelming Sage aura.

Laozi arrived at Mount Shu to oppose Ji Ren founding the Mount Shu Sword Sect, claiming it violated the Heavenly Mandate and would bring calamity upon the Human. Gu Changqing challenged Laozi’s motives and rallied Ji Ren with a declaration of purpose, leaving the Human caught between fear and renewed resolve.

• Ji Ren defended founding the Mount Shu Sword Sect as being in accordance with the Human’s will and prosperity, while Xuandu threatened to attack him.
• Gu Changqing’s voice stopped Xuandu and accused Laozi of ignoring the Human until the Mount Shu Sword Sect was about to be founded.
• The Human turned against Laozi and the Human Sect, questioning why they should keep worshipping them.
• Laozi warned that founding the Mount Shu Sword Sect would bring monstrous karma and heavenly punishment upon the Human, making the crowd doubt Ji Ren’s plan.
• Gu Changqing declared that a true man should establish a heart for Heaven and Earth and a destiny for the living people, shocking Ji Ren.

Ji Ren took Gu Changqing’s drunken words as guidance and declared the Mount Shu Sword Sect the Human race’s orthodoxy, while Laozi challenged Gu Changqing’s right to interfere. As Laozi’s anger threatened to spark a battle, Tongtian bestowed a shadow of the Qingping Sword on Ji Ren, reinforcing the Mount Shu side and deterring Laozi.

• Ji Ren understood Gu Changqing’s words as a call to uphold his original purpose of strengthening the Human race, then declared the Mount Shu Sword Sect its unshakable orthodoxy.
• Laozi argued that Gu Changqing, as a disciple of a Saint, no longer belonged to the Human race or had the right to meddle in its affairs.
• Gu Changqing said he had come only to drink, and the Three Xiao Fairies and the human crowd backed his explanation.
• Laozi’s aura surged as he grew furious, while Gu Changqing became vigilant and the gathering braced for a fight.
• Tongtian announced that he would congratulate his grand-disciple and sent Ji Ren a shadow of the Qingping Sword.
• The crowd saw Tongtian’s timely gift as support for Gu Changqing and Ji Ren and a warning to Laozi, whose expression darkened.

Laozi challenged Ji Ren’s claim to Human sovereignty by revealing a Kongtong Seal and declaring the Human Sect the rightful orthodoxy. Ji Ren and Gu Changqing recognized that Laozi’s seal was a forgery, while the real Kongtong Seal was in Gu Changqing’s hands.

• Tongtian defended his blessing of Ji Ren and warned Laozi that Gu Changqing was his disciple.
• Gu Changqing sensed Tongtian’s growing protectiveness and felt warmed by his master’s support.
• Xuandu urged Laozi not to let Human fortune fall to Gu Changqing and Ji Ren, but Laozi hesitated because Tongtian and the Empress Wa Sword deterred him.
• Laozi argued that Ji Ren lacked legitimate standing without the Kongtong Seal and claimed his own Human Sect was the rightful orthodoxy.
• Laozi displayed a Kongtong Seal, and Ji Ren realized it was fake because the genuine seal belonged to Gu Changqing.

Laozi invoked a Kongtong Seal and used it to draw humanity’s fortune away from Mount Shu, convincing many that the sect’s defeat was inevitable. Gu Changqing challenged the treasure’s authenticity and revealed another divine light, ending the chapter with the question of what Laozi’s seal really was.

• Laozi summoned the Kongtong Seal and demanded that Ji Ren dismiss Mount Shu’s tens of thousands of disciples.
• Gu Changqing questioned whether Laozi’s Kongtong Seal was as powerful as he claimed, prompting Laozi to channel humanity’s fortune into it.
• The seal’s radiance transformed the humans, and many onlookers concluded that Mount Shu was doomed.
• Xuandu boasted that Laozi was invincible, while Ji Ren remained unmoved by Laozi’s command to dissolve Mount Shu.
• Gu Changqing asked what Laozi held if it was the Kongtong Seal, then flicked a finger and summoned another ray of divine light.

Gu Changqing exposed Laozi’s counterfeit Kongtong Seal by revealing the true treasure, turning the Human Sect’s attempt to claim human fortune into a public humiliation. Laozi left with Xuandu after threatening Gu Changqing, while the human race celebrated its newfound control over its destiny; Nuwa observed the events from Wa Huang Heaven.

• Gu Changqing showed the true Kongtong Seal, and it drew human fortune that formed four Fortune Golden Dragons and nourished the human territories with the Ageless Spiritual Spring.
• Laozi’s shocked reaction revealed that his own Kongtong Seal was fake, and Gu Changqing mocked him for pretending to possess the treasure.
• Laozi threatened Gu Changqing and the Human Sect vowed not to let the matter rest, but Gu Changqing dismissed him and refused to see him off.
• Laozi departed with Xuandu, and the human crowd praised Gu Changqing for securing their control over their own destiny.
• Gu Changqing resumed drinking, while Nuwa watched the events at Mount Shu from Wa Huang Heaven with astonishment.

Nuwa realized that the Kongtong Seal both anchored Human fortune and strengthened the Humans, and she resolved to aid them. On Mount Shu, Gu Changqing received the Humans' and the Three Xiao's admiration before he ran out of wine and decided to return to the Interception Sect.

• Nuwa saw the Kongtong Seal nourish the Humans and decided to help them pursue a stronger future, even if it meant defying the Heavenly Mandate.
• The Humans celebrated Gu Changqing for thwarting Laozi and Xuandu and preserving their fortune.
• The Three Xiao praised Gu Changqing, who denied that he had opposed Laozi and claimed he had come only to drink.
• After finishing the last jar of wine, Gu Changqing complained that Ji Ren had not prepared enough and announced that he would return to the Interception Sect.

Gu Changqing left Mount Shu after drinking his fill, while the humans and Ji Ren respectfully saw him off. In Great Luo Heaven, Yuanshi proposed involving Dao Ancestor Hongjun to curb Gu Changqing, but Laozi doubted that even Hongjun could stop him.

• Gu Changqing denied that his departure had any profound purpose, saying he would drink at Mount Shu for millions of years if its wine never ran out.
• Gu Changqing left Mount Shu with the Three Xiao Sisters, and Ji Ren and the humans bowed to see him off.
• Laozi sensed the humans' farewell to Gu Changqing and angrily lamented the prestige and faith power Gu Changqing had gained.
• Yuanshi visited Laozi and suggested asking Dao Ancestor Hongjun to restrain Gu Changqing.
• Laozi recalled that Hongjun had already failed to sway Gu Changqing with the offer of becoming a Sage, and doubted that Hongjun could solve the problem.

Yuanshi persuaded Laozi to accuse Gu Changqing before Daoist Ancestor Hongjun, hoping to remove the obstacle he posed to the Twelve Golden Immortals. Back at the Interception Sect, Gu Changqing entered a profound state of enlightenment, and his growing sword intent spread across Golden Ao Island.

• Yuanshi convinced Laozi that Gu Changqing's Mount Shu Sword Sect threatened the Profound Gate and should be reported to Daoist Ancestor Hongjun.
• Yuanshi said he wanted Gu Changqing dead because his strength prevented the Twelve Golden Immortals from rising, and Laozi agreed to join the accusation.
• Laozi and Yuanshi set out together for Zixiao Palace to petition Daoist Ancestor Hongjun.
• The Interception Sect's disciples celebrated Gu Changqing's achievements, while Duobao and the other Personal Disciples acknowledged how greatly he surpassed them.
• Gu Changqing returned to his cave abode and entered a rare state of enlightenment after drinking Ji Ren's wine brewed with Dao Enlightenment Leaves.
• A vast sword intent formed within Gu Changqing and spread across Golden Ao Island, alarming the Interception Sect's disciples.

Gu Changqing’s growing sword intent sent Duobao flying when he tried to comprehend it, alarming the Interception Sect disciples. Tongtian arrived and, instead of blaming Gu Changqing, told Duobao and the others that they had nearly ruined something momentous for his disciple.

• Gu Changqing’s sword intent swelled above Golden Ao Island, and Duobao sat outside his cave abode to comprehend it.
• A strand of sword intent blasted Duobao away, leaving the disciples stunned and worried that Gu Changqing was drunk and could not recognize them.
• Duobao, Jin Ling, Wudang, Zhao Gongming, and the Three Xiao tried to wake Gu Changqing and shield him from punishment as his sword intent continued to grow.
• Wudang Holy Mother prepared to use her Eight-Treasure Cloudlight Incense Pouch, but Tongtian appeared and ordered them to stop.
• Tongtian examined Gu Changqing’s cave abode, then reproached Duobao and the others for nearly ruining something momentous for Gu Changqing.

Tongtian stopped the disciples from interfering with Gu Changqing, explaining that his overwhelming aura came from a profound Sword Dao transformation beyond their ability to withstand. Gu Changqing declared himself the Interception Sect’s Wine Sword Immortal and vowed to forge a sword for the ages, and Tongtian finally announced that the sword was already forged.

• Wudang Holy Mother and Duobao questioned Tongtian for protecting Gu Changqing after his aura sent Duobao flying, but Tongtian said they might have disrupted Gu Changqing’s cultivation.
• Tongtian explained that Gu Changqing’s Sword Dao cultivation had reached a level far beyond the disciples’, leaving Duobao and Wudang shaken by the difference in their strength.
• Gu Changqing sat upright in his cave and spoke of becoming the Interception Sect’s Wine Sword Immortal, forging a sword for the ages with bones as the mold and flesh as the blade.
• Tongtian silenced the gathered disciples and watched as nothing visibly changed around Gu Changqing, despite their expectations of seeing an Immortal Sword appear.
• When Duobao wondered whether Gu Changqing had failed, Tongtian declared that the sword was already forged and Gu Changqing had succeeded.

Gu Changqing forged himself into an immortal sword and unleashed a power that shattered stars and shook the world, leaving Tongtian astonished. Meanwhile, Laozi and Yuanshi accused Gu Changqing before Hongjun and urged him to have Gu Changqing killed, but the three sages sensed a sudden disturbance before Hongjun could respond.

• Tongtian explained that Gu Changqing had forged himself into an invincible immortal sword rather than simply merging his body with the Sword Dao.
• Gu Changqing drank from his Wine Gourd, rose into the sky, and broke through the Interception Sect's protective array.
• Gu Changqing's sword radiance shattered the stars around him, devastated lands, and stirred enormous waves across the East Sea.
• The Interception Sect's disciples and Tongtian marveled at Gu Changqing's overwhelming power, and Tongtian recognized the potential of his sword-forging technique.
• Laozi and Yuanshi accused Gu Changqing of harming the Human Sect and defying the Profound Gate, then urged Hongjun to kill him.
• Before Hongjun could answer, Laozi, Yuanshi, and Hongjun sensed something and turned toward it.