Chapter Summaries

Du Yu watched the Underworld powers clash over the accusation that the Eastern Peak Great Emperor of Mount Tai had ordered an attack on the Great Emperor of Fengdu. The dispute remained unresolved, and the sudden attack on Bao Zheng by the King of Biancheng revealed another apparent enemy among the Ten Courts of Yama.

• Zhong Kui fought Yulei and Shentu while the Eastern Peak Great Emperor of Mount Tai and the Ten Courts of Yama called for reinforcements.
• Du Yu asked Lady Houtu to intervene, but she refused to reveal her hidden refuge, so he urged her to summon the other seven Underworld Enforcers.
• Bao Zheng confronted the Eastern Peak Great Emperor of Mount Tai with the King of the Wheel's confession and evidence of a Soul-Dissolving Pill, while the Eastern Emperor denied ordering the attack.
• The Eastern Peak Great Emperor of Mount Tai's anger shook Mount Unreturning, and Jiang Ziwen used the Birth Chart to protect Bao Zheng from a surprise strike.
• Bao Zheng recognized the attacking treasure as the Divine Stone of Wo Jiao belonging to Bi Yuanbin, the King of Biancheng, and questioned why he had attacked.

Du Yu stepped into the standoff over the Eastern Peak Great Emperor of Mount Tai after the King of Biancheng accused him of ordering Bao Zheng’s murder. Though the leaders remained divided and suspicious, Du Yu announced that he had a plan to resolve the crisis.

• The King of Biancheng joined the Eastern Peak Great Emperor of Mount Tai, prompting Bao Zheng to accuse the Eastern Emperor of arranging an attack on him.
• Horse-Face used the Nine-Turn Soul-Washing Whip to interrogate the King of Biancheng, who named the Eastern Peak Great Emperor of Mount Tai as the one who ordered the attack on Bao Zheng.
• The Eastern Emperor examined the whip, found it genuine, and insisted he would not surrender, while Bao Zheng and the others considered arresting him.
• Du Yu emerged from the Stone Grotto, blocked the King of Qin'guang’s attack with his brush, and revealed that he was the new Operator at the Legend Management Bureau.
• Du Yu told the gathered leaders that he had a plan that might resolve the crisis.

Du Yu used Horse-Face’s Nine-Turn Soul-Washing Whip to establish that the Eastern Peak Great Emperor of Mount Tai had not ordered the assassination, but Zhong Kui tried to arrest him anyway. Du Yu stood in Zhong Kui’s way and fought him, ending with Zhong Kui recognizing that Du Yu was possessed by an evil ghost.

• Du Yu proposed questioning the Eastern Peak Great Emperor of Mount Tai with Horse-Face’s whip, and the Great Emperor agreed to answer questions about the incident.
• Du Yu asked whether the Great Emperor wanted to return to the Heavenly Court and whether he had sent assassins after the Northern Yin Great Emperor of Fengdu; the whip’s flames faded, confirming his answers were truthful.
• Du Yu told Horse-Face to release the Great Emperor, but Zhong Kui seized the whip and declared that he would take the Great Emperor into custody.
• Du Yu refused to let Zhong Kui take the Great Emperor, and Zhong Kui attacked with the Demon-Slaying Sword.
• Du Yu dodged Zhong Kui’s nine swords and struck at him with Zhongli Chun’s power, but Zhong Kui blocked the punch and recognized that Du Yu was possessed by an evil ghost.

Du Yu resisted Zhong Kui’s attempt to capture him and helped free the Eastern Peak Great Emperor of Mount Tai. The Ghost Emperors turned against Zhong Kui, and the Eastern Emperor drove him back, leaving Du Yu convinced that the man was innocent.

• Zhong Kui used the Ghost-Slaying Pouch to drain Du Yu’s strength, but Yingning’s Green Writing Brush struck him and Du Yu shielded it from Zhong Kui’s talismans.
• Mei Ghost criticized the Five Directions Ghost Emperors for standing by, prompting Yulei, Shentu, Zhao Wenhe, and True Person Wang to join the fight against Zhong Kui.
• Black and White Impermanence and Horse-Face and Ox-Head avoided helping Zhong Kui, while the Golden and Silver Generals supported Du Yu.
• Du Yu staged Horse-Face’s capture so Horse-Face could release the Eastern Peak Great Emperor of Mount Tai without openly defying Zhong Kui.
• The freed Eastern Emperor struck Zhong Kui into the mountainside and declared that no one could harm Du Yu.
• Dong Qianqiu checked on Du Yu, who said he had risked everything for riches and glory.

Du Yu uncovered that the King of Biancheng’s account of a secret order from the Eastern Peak Great Emperor of Mount Tai did not fit the historical record, and concluded that someone had manipulated the Yamas into attacking the Eastern Emperor. After the factions stood down, Du Yu told the Eight Great Underworld Enforcers that he suspected an insider in the Legend Management Bureau.

• Du Yu checked that Zhongli Chun, Yingning, and the writing brush were unharmed before Cui Jue urged everyone to stop fighting and investigate the person behind the conflict.
• Du Yu questioned the King of Biancheng, who said the Eastern Peak Great Emperor of Mount Tai had secretly promised him immortality in exchange for killing the leader of the Yamas thousands of years later.
• Dong Qianqiu pointed out that the King of Biancheng would have gone to the hill and become a Yama regardless, and the Eastern Peak Great Emperor denied ever giving him the order.
• Bao Zheng showed Du Yu a computer-printed letter that had brought the Yamas to Mount Unreturning, leading Du Yu and the Eastern Peak Great Emperor to suspect a plot against the Eastern Emperor.
• The Eastern Peak Great Emperor and the Yamas called off the fighting, agreed to investigate, and decided to release the King of the Wheel.
• Du Yu gathered the Eight Great Underworld Enforcers and said he suspected an insider in the Legend Management Bureau.

Du Yu persuaded the Eight Great Underworld Enforcers that a mole in the Legend Management Bureau had altered events by imitating the Eastern Peak Great Emperor’s voice. They disguised themselves poorly as robbers, seized the Bureau, and began preparing to question every employee, with Xiao Qi chosen as the first.

• Du Yu explained that a mole could have used a voice transmitter to deceive the King of the Wheel and the King of Biancheng, and urged the Underworld Enforcers to arrest the Bureau’s staff before the culprit could act.
• The Underworld Enforcers agreed to help, gathered magic treasures that could block transmissions, and followed Du Yu’s plan to storm the Legend Management Bureau in disguise.
• Du Yu and the masked Underworld Enforcers burst into the Bureau, restrained its employees, and stopped Xiao Qi from using the Concealment Art to hide.
• Du Yu confirmed with Dong Qianqiu that every employee was present, while the Enforcers secured the building, activated the Spirit-Locking Formation, and confiscated the staff’s phones.
• Mei Ghost selected Xiao Qi to be the first employee taken to Horse-Face for questioning.

Du Yu and the Eight Great Underworld Enforcers questioned the Legend Management Bureau staff but found no one involved in the strange transmission. Du Yu narrowed the culprit down to someone absent from the bureau, leaving the group with a new lead.

• Xie Bi'an revealed his identity as White Impermanence and explained that the group was investigating a threat to the Immortal Realm.
• Du Yu discovered that Lady Houtu had secretly joined the group and agreed to let her stay on the condition that she follow his instructions.
• Horse-Face questioned all forty-five bureau employees, including the voice transmitters, while Dong Qianqiu and Du Yu were also considered.
• Du Yu concluded that none of the bureau’s voice transmitters had sent the message that altered events in the Underworld.
• Du Yu ruled out Zhan Qisheng as the likely culprit and pointed out that one person from the Legend Management Bureau had not appeared.

Dong Qianqiu rejected the accusation that He Suoyi had attempted an assassination, and the story revealed how Old He had found and taken her in during the Song Dynasty. As Xu City fell to famine and cannibalism, he made the starving girl an immortal and opened the city gates, leaving its remaining inhabitants to be slaughtered.

• Dong Qianqiu insisted that He Suoyi could not have been responsible and fled to her office in tears.
• During the Jingde era, a starving girl named Qianqiu ate meat her father had cooked, unaware that he had slaughtered women to feed the city.
• When famine returned, Old Dong hacked off Qianqiu’s leg for food, and Third Brother fatally wounded her while trying to take part of her body.
• Old He appeared to the dying Qianqiu, offered to take her in as an immortal, and promised to wash her hair and spare her further suffering.
• Old He shattered Xu City’s gates, and the Jurchens slaughtered the 148 people left inside.

With Lady Houtu’s help, Du Yu’s group located He Suoyi, but a Grade A or higher legend went off course before they could set out to find him. Dong Qianqiu ordered Du Yu to stay behind while she and the others dealt with the emergency.

• Worried about Dong Qianqiu and the accusations against He Suoyi, Du Yu asked the Eight Great Underworld Enforcers to help find the director.
• Lady Houtu revealed she knew someone who could track He Suoyi, dismantled the Spirit-Locking Formation, and summoned Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and his Demon Beast, Truth-Hearing.
• Truth-Hearing listened to the world and its past and future, confirmed he had heard He Suoyi’s location, and prepared to lead Lady Houtu, Du Yu, the Eight Great Underworld Enforcers, Mei Ghost, and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva there.
• Dong Qianqiu joined the group, but an alarm announced that a Grade A or higher legend had gone off course.
• Dong Qianqiu explained that only He Suoyi could seal such a legend and told Du Yu to stay behind while she and the others responded immediately.

Du Yu learned that the Jade Emperor legend was a rare Mist Level case whose hidden events made its difficulty impossible to predict. Exhausted but determined, he prepared to enter the legend and follow its known plot, while Dong Qianqiu led the others to investigate the bureau’s crisis.

• Dong Qianqiu organized the investigation team and insisted on accompanying them, leaving Du Yu and Xiao Qi behind.
• Du Yu nearly collapsed from exhaustion but pushed himself to prepare for the mission with Xiao Qi and Xiao Jin.
• Xiao Jin explained that the legend was a Mist Level case with obscured footage and limited support from Xiao Qi.
• Xiao Qi told Du Yu that Zhang Youren became the Jade Emperor after Jiang Ziya accidentally appointed him, then became the Eastern Peak Great Emperor after Zhang Jian stole his identity and granted him Mount Tai.
• Du Yu accepted that he had to complete the legend’s known plot points despite not knowing what lay hidden in the mist.

Du Yu descended into the Shang dynasty legend as Zhang Zhen and learned that Zhang Youren had become the lord of all gods, while Zhang Jian’s connection to the investiture remained suspicious. The chapter left Du Yu discovering that he and Zhang San were bandits with powerful magic, as Zhang San attacked two young women.

• Du Yu awoke at the Investiture Altar as Zhang Zhen after the Investiture of the Gods had ended, and Xiao Qi told him that the Bureau could neither see nor hear what happened inside the legend.
• Zhang San told Du Yu that Zhang Youren and Zhang Jian had once looked only slightly alike, and Du Yu wondered how Zhang Jian could have been replaced by Zhang Youren.
• Du Yu spotted a black-robed figure who resembled Zhan Qisheng, but the figure vanished before Du Yu could catch up; Zhang Jian then joined Du Yu and Zhang San and concealed his conversation with Jiang Ziya.
• Zhang Jian told Zhang San not to take any lives, and Zhang San led Du Yu into the woods to rob travelers, calling it their old trade.
• Zhang San threatened two young women for their provisions, and Du Yu stumbled into one of them while trying to stop him.
• The two women used wind and fire magic against Zhang San, who raised a stone wall and counterattacked with flying rocks.

Du Yu intervened in a fight between Zhang San and two cultivator girls, then persuaded Zhang Jian that the stronghold should not rob or kill travelers. The group returned to the Zhang Family Stronghold, where Zhang Jian dismissed the victory feast and firmly put Zhang Qian in his place.

• Du Yu dodged the fire-wielding girl's attacks, then used Yingning to stop Zhang San from striking the white-clad girl and let both women escape.
• Du Yu argued with Zhang San that the chief had forbidden killing and told Zhang Jian he had let the girls go because robbing and killing them was wrong.
• Zhang Jian laughed at Du Yu's explanation, abandoned the search for food, and led the group back to the Zhang Family Stronghold.
• Zhang Jian told the stronghold members that Zhang Youren had died in battle and said he would rest instead of attending the victory feast.
• When Zhang Qian insisted on holding the feast, Zhang Jian sternly asked whether his word no longer carried weight, and Zhang Qian backed down.

Du Yu warned Zhang Jian that joining King of Zhou Ji Fa’s army could doom the stronghold, and Zhang Jian asked him to explain the story behind the warning. The two began talking through the tale deep into the night.

• Zhang San asked Du Yu why the chief had announced Zhang Youren died in battle, and Du Yu guessed the chief was embarrassed that Zhang Youren had become ruler of all the gods.
• Zhang Gouzi summoned Du Yu to Zhang Jian, who praised him for what he had said earlier and explained that he wanted the stronghold’s bandits to turn toward goodness.
• Zhang Jian told Du Yu he hoped to take the brothers to join the army so they could live peacefully, but Du Yu warned that the bandits would likely become targets and cannon fodder.
• Zhang Jian asked Du Yu to tell him the story of the hundred and eight bandits, and Du Yu began with the thirty-six Heavenly Gang and seventy-two Earthly Fiends.

Du Yu persuaded Zhang Jian not to rush into joining the imperial army, then learned Zhang Jian needed a successor at the Zhang Family Stronghold before he could exchange places with Zhang Youren and become lord of all gods. Du Yu planned to accept the Stronghold Chief role and abandon the bandits, but Xiao Qi warned him that the Grade A legend still hid a dangerous problem; after sleeping, Du Yu awoke to Zhang San asking if he could write.

• Du Yu told Zhang Jian the tragic story of the one hundred and eight heroes to warn him about the dangers of joining the imperial army, and Zhang Jian thanked him for changing his mind.
• Zhang Jian asked Du Yu to become the next Stronghold Chief and revealed he had five days left to switch places with Zhang Youren and claim the position of lord of all gods.
• Du Yu considered accepting Zhang Jian's request, then decided to rest before committing to the plan.
• Du Yu told Xiao Qi he intended to take the Stronghold Chief role and abandon the bandits, but Xiao Qi cautioned him that the legend's unresolved danger might still be nearby.
• Du Yu slept through unsettling dreams and woke late at night to find Zhang San watching him and asking whether he could write.

Du Yu tried to help Zhang San write an anonymous letter to the girl he loved, but a sudden attack killed Zhang San and plunged the Zhang Family Stronghold into chaos. Du Yu discovered Zhan Qisheng leading the slaughter while Zhang Qian challenged Zhang Jian, and the chapter left their confrontation unresolved.

• Du Yu asked Zhang San what he wanted to write, and Zhang San admitted he only wanted the girl to know he existed.
• Zhang San was killed at the doorway, and Yingning blocked an Ice Spike aimed at Du Yu.
• Du Yu learned from Xiao Qi that the unrest was likely the problem with the legend, then ran through the burning stronghold as its residents fought.
• Zhan Qisheng appeared and killed dozens, prompting Zhang Jian to confront him.
• Zhang Qian revealed that he had invited Zhan Qisheng to help him take control of the stronghold, but Zhan Qisheng said someone else had hired him to kill Zhang Jian.

Du Yu tried to save Zhang Jian from Zhan Qisheng, but negotiations failed and Zhang Qian’s men triggered a battle at the Mountain Stronghold. Zhang Jian fought Zhang Qian while Du Yu faced Zhan Qisheng, until Yingning appeared and destroyed Zhan Qisheng’s Tornado.

• Zhan Qisheng found Du Yu and demanded that Zhang Jian stay behind, while offering to let the others leave.
• Zhang Jian agreed to sacrifice himself for the Mountain Stronghold, but Zhang Qian’s men launched a prepared attack against Zhang Jian’s brothers.
• Zhang Jian gathered the dead and wounded men’s blood into a Blood Dragon and battled Zhang Qian, who countered with wood-element techniques.
• Zhan Qisheng sent a growing Tornado at Du Yu, leaving him with nowhere to dodge.
• Yingning appeared, disrupted the Tornado, and shattered it, leaving Zhan Qisheng stunned to see her.

A thousand years ago, Zhan Qisheng rescued Yingning from the future and found companionship with her while serving as an Operator for the Legend Management Bureau. After he defied the Bureau’s orders during the Kuafu legend and left, he saved Du Nanshan despite knowing the choice would alter history.

• Zhan Qisheng told Yingning that his mastery of the Great Dao of Time left him lonely, and she stayed with him in the jade pendant.
• Zhan Qisheng confided to Yingning that he regretted forcing Jingwei to die and become a seabird, and she comforted him.
• During the Kuafu legend, Zhan Qisheng argued with Dong Qianqiu over the order to make Kuafu chase the sun until he died.
• Zhan Qisheng completed the mission, told Kuafu the truth, and watched him die after creating a peach grove with his staff.
• Zhan Qisheng rescued Du Nanshan from the peach grove, disregarding Yingning’s warning that the man was destined to die and his descendants would become Supreme Pivots.

Zhan Qisheng left Yingning behind in the peach grove, and she spent five thousand years submerged in a lake, her grief and resentment growing. When they reunited, Yingning turned her sword on herself, but Du Yu and Zhan Qisheng caught the blade to stop her.

• Dong Qianqiu learned that Kuafu was dead and the Operator was missing, then ordered Zhan Qisheng's death reported as an accident.
• Zhan Qisheng left Yingning's Jade Pendant in the peach grove, and Du Nanshan later threw it into a deep lake at Yingning's request.
• Yingning remained underwater for five thousand years, while Du Yu and the others experienced her memories through her resentment.
• Yingning confronted Zhan Qisheng and nearly killed him, but stopped the ice sword at his throat.
• Yingning turned the ice sword toward herself, and Du Yu and Zhan Qisheng grabbed its blade to prevent her from striking.

Du Yu was briefly possessed by Zhongli Chun and stopped Yingning from sacrificing herself over Zhan Qisheng, who revealed that Old He had deceived him. Du Yu then helped Zhang Jian defeat Zhang Qian, leaving the Mountain Stronghold bandits to decide whether to surrender.

• Du Yu transformed as Zhongli Chun took control, attacked Zhan Qisheng, and stopped when Yingning begged him to spare Zhan Qisheng.
• Yingning agreed not to take her own life, and Du Yu discovered Zhongli Chun exhausted but unharmed in his inner world.
• Zhan Qisheng admitted that Old He had lied about finding Yingning and had promised a meeting in exchange for his help.
• Du Yu confronted Zhang Qian and joined Zhang Jian in the fight, breaking Zhang Qian's summoned tree so Zhang Jian's blood spear could cut off his left arm.
• Zhang Jian ordered the bandits to seize Zhang Qian, then told the Mountain Stronghold bandits to stop fighting or face his wrath.

After learning that Director He Suoyi had recruited Zhan Qisheng to assassinate Zhang Jian, Du Yu kept Yingning from leaving with Zhan Qisheng. Zhan Qisheng accepted her choice and asked Du Yu whether he needed help with the legend.

• After the rebellion, Zhang Jian mourned his dead brothers and told Du Yu he wanted to discuss the stronghold; Du Yu returned home with Yingning and Zhan Qisheng.
• Zhan Qisheng warned Yingning not to see Lady Houtu, and Du Yu realized Houtu was Kuafu’s grandmother and might know about Yingning’s role in Kuafu’s death.
• Du Yu revealed that Director He Suoyi had plotted against the Underworld emperors and wanted Zhan Qisheng to kill Zhang Jian before he became the Jade Emperor.
• Zhan Qisheng explained that the director had promised him a chance to see Yingning and to erase his name from the Bureau’s records in exchange for killing Zhang Jian.
• When Zhan Qisheng tried to take Yingning away, Du Yu insisted she stay with him, and Yingning entered the Green Writing Brush without resisting.
• Zhan Qisheng asked Du Yu his name, wondered whether Du Yu was his fated calamity, and offered to help with the legend.