Chapter Summaries

Chun Zang accepted Tun Tian as his disciple Zhen Jie and prepared to leave Little Linglong Temple with his companions to continue seeking the scriptures. Xiao Hua parted from Chun Zang without revealing his questions, then learned that the mysterious golden light left by Namo Maitreya Buddha had been meant for Jiang Liuer in his previous life.

• Chun Zang accepted Tun Tian as Zhen Jie, and Zhen Jie received Buddhist light when Chun Zang touched his crown.
• Chun Zang introduced Zhen Jie to Zhen Feng, Zhen Han, and Zhen Kong, then ordered them to set out for Changsheng Town.
• Zhen Jie claimed the title of eldest senior brother, made Zhen Han carry the scriptures, and rode Dragon Horse Zhen Feng down the mountain.
• Chun Zang told Xiao Hua that he had once been called Jiang Liuer and departed to continue his journey, while Zhen Kong thanked Xiao Hua and followed him.
• Thunderclap True Person told Xiao Hua that the golden light had emerged from Ancient Cai Li's remains and had been left for Jiang Liuer by Namo Maitreya Buddha in his previous life.

Xiao Hua prepared to leave Great Snow Mountain after Maitreya Buddha’s fruition and discovered a second mysterious key resembling the one from the Dragon Island ruin. He sent Sun Jian back to the Three Great Continents, where they discussed Sun Jian’s mission, Xiao Hua’s plans for the Daoist sect, and the prospect of peace between the Creation Sect and the Immortal Palace.

• Thunderclap True Person gave Xiao Hua a key found inside the Heaven and Earth Child Pagoda, and Xiao Hua compared it with the key from the Dragon Island ruin.
• Xiao Hua and Thunderclap True Person decided to leave Great Snow Mountain after Maitreya Buddha’s fruition and agreed the site was no longer suitable for a Teleportation Array.
• Xiao Hua summoned Sun Jian from Shenhua Continent and told him only two hundred years had passed since they entered the Heavenly Prison.
• Sun Jian vowed to expose Sun Hao and avenge his grievance, while Xiao Hua urged him to protect his life and act cautiously.
• Xiao Hua told Sun Jian he would support the Daoist sect and warned that he would retaliate against conspiracies by the Immortal Palace.
• Sun Jian promised to report Xiao Hua’s position to Immortal Emperor Gouchen and said he hoped the Creation Sect and Immortal Palace could coexist peacefully.

Xiao Hua arranged a foothold in the Pure Land World and prepared his disciples to return to the Creation Sect. He urged them to keep the sect’s interests first while avoiding worldly entanglements that could hinder their cultivation.

• Xiao Hua promised Sun Jian that the Creation Sect would not oppose the Immortal Palace under his leadership, then accepted Sun Jian’s jade slip of Dragon Palace locations and sent him on his way.
• Xiao Hua and Thunderclap True Person decided to establish a foothold in the Pure Land World, and Thunderclap True Person deployed thirty thousand Creation Sect disciples to set up a formation.
• Xiao Hua released Fu Zhiwen and the other disciples, welcomed them back to the Three Great Continents, and asked about their plans for the future.
• Liu Yi, You Zhongquan, Wang Zhengfei, and Fu Zhiwen assured Xiao Hua that they would not seek power within the Creation Sect and would put its interests first.
• Fu Zhiwen recognized Xiao Hua’s concern that worldly affairs could impede their cultivation, and the disciples promised to remain focused on their goals.

Xiao Hua confronted the consequences of Shenhua Continent’s growing population and Creation Sect’s expansion, while learning how Liu Yi and You Zhongquan had suppressed a deadly feud between their families. He then worked with Thunderclap True Person to choose a hidden site for a Teleportation Array, leaving Thunderclap to build a connection to Black Wind Ridge.

• Xiao Hua sent the disciples back to Cangxian Continent and kept Jiang Hong and Liu Yi behind, while Yuan Ya returned to Shenhua Continent ahead of his group.
• Liu Yi confessed that a Liu Family descendant had poisoned a You family disciple, triggering a battle that left more than four hundred people dead or injured before Liu Yi and You Zhongquan intervened.
• Xiao Hua forbade the first three generations of his disciples from killing one another and told Jiang Hong to strengthen other lineages on Shenhua Continent.
• Xiao Hua and Thunderclap True Person discussed the limits of controlling Shenhua Continent and Xiao Hua’s worries about the disciples’ cultivation and future after his ascension.
• Xiao Hua and Thunderclap True Person selected a secluded location underground and gave Thunderclap the Great Universe Shifting Token to build a Teleportation Array linking it to Black Wind Ridge.

Xiao Hua set out for the South Sea Dragon Palace while Maitreya Buddha World Honored One arrived at Thunder Sound Temple to reshape his golden body. There, Great Sun Tathagata World Honored One and Rāgaratna Tathagata revealed that the two missing gold foils of the Baye Linglong Scripture were held by the past and current Buddha Lords.

• Xiao Hua told Thunderclap True Person he would investigate the force in the Sacred Realm of a Thousand Demons and go to the South Sea Dragon Palace first.
• Thunderclap True Person warned Xiao Hua that the Dragon Palaces were dangerous, but Xiao Hua departed for the South Sea after the puppets excavated the space.
• Xiao Hua tried to exceed the Lightning Evasion Technique but found the Heaven and Earth Laws stopped him, then continued toward the South Sea with the Thunderous Roar of the Nine Heavens.
• Maitreya Buddha World Honored One reached Thunder Sound Temple and entered the Lotus Cleansing Pool, where his golden body failed to become more substantial.
• Great Sun Tathagata World Honored One and Rāgaratna Tathagata explained that the Baye Linglong Scripture was imperfect and that its missing gold foils were held by the past and current Buddha Lords.

Maitreya Buddha World Honored One received the past and present world cultivation methods, returned to his position as Future Buddha, and began contemplating the Buddhist teachings. Great Sun Tathagata World Honored One and Rāgaratna Tathagata then wondered why the previous Maitreya Buddha had relinquished his Buddha position and whether he had made further moves through his karmic obstacles.

• Great Sun Tathagata World Honored One and Rāgaratna Tathagata gave Maitreya Buddha World Honored One their cultivation methods and warned that a future heart tribulation might lead him to harm Thunder Sound Temple.
• Maitreya Buddha World Honored One entered the Lotus Cleansing Pool, reshaped his present-life body, and appeared throughout the Pure Land as the Future Buddha Lord.
• Xiao Hua watched the Buddhist light spread as Wen Qu and Thunderclap True Person discussed Maitreya Buddha World Honored One's good fortune, then Xiao Hua flew toward the distant misty waves.
• Great Sun Tathagata World Honored One taught Maitreya Buddha World Honored One to contemplate the teaching that there was no cultivation, life, tempering, or golden body, and Maitreya Buddha World Honored One entered seclusion.
• Rāgaratna Tathagata asked why the previous Maitreya Buddha had abandoned his Buddha position, and Great Sun Tathagata World Honored One suggested that an unforeseen change had forced him to leave it.

Great Sun Tathagata World Honored One and Rāgaratna Tathagata discussed Chun Zang’s attainment and the mystery of Ananda, then Great Sun Tathagata World Honored One predicted a struggle over the Future Buddha’s position. In the South Sea, Xiao Hua completed his Great Ascension lightning tribulation and set out with Jiang Hong to find the South Sea Dragon Palace, whose outer defenses lay ahead.

• Great Sun Tathagata World Honored One explained that Chun Zang was the present-life fleshly body of Namo Maitreya and wondered where Ananda was, while Rāgaratna Tathagata questioned the Maitreya Buddha World Honored One’s motives.
• Great Sun Tathagata World Honored One said two rivals for the Future Buddha’s position would clash at Thunder Sound Temple.
• Xiao Hua released his suppressed cultivation in the South Sea and endured several dozen days of lightning tribulation, advancing his Daoist realm into the Tribulation Stage.
• Unable to locate the South Sea Dragon Palace with Sun Jian’s jade pupil, Xiao Hua released Jiang Hong, who identified their location and agreed to guide him.
• After flying for more than ten days, Jiang Hong pointed out the Dragon Palace’s territory and described its outer formation and patrol defenses.

Xiao Hua set out to visit the South Sea Dragon Palace and forced his way through its formidable defenses aboard the Thunder Boat. He reached the palace, but the South Sea Dragon King and his generals had not appeared, leaving Xiao Hua suspicious of their response.

• Jiang Hong warned Xiao Hua not to underestimate the Four Seas Dragon Palace, and Xiao Hua sent him back to Shenhua Continent before heading to the South Sea.
• Xiao Hua drove the Thunder Boat into the formation, smashing through crystal defenses, Gale Force Wind, and attacks of water columns and reefs.
• The Thunder Boat’s assault alerted the Sea Patrol Yakshas and summoned shrimp soldiers and crab generals, while Xiao Hua announced that he had come to visit the South Sea Dragon King.
• Xiao Hua saw the vast South Sea Dragon Palace and discovered that its steps concealed a whirlpool leading to the seabed, but no Dragon general came out to greet him.
• A Sea Patrol Yaksha addressed Xiao Hua as Dragon Master and said he had sent subordinates to report, but he did not know the Dragon King’s whereabouts or where the South Sea Dragon generals were.
• Xiao Hua sensed something in the palace and looked toward it as the Sea Patrol Yaksha pleaded with him to calm down.

Ao Dai hesitated over a plot to eliminate the other South Sea Dragon Palace crown princes, while a masked dragon clansman urged him to claim the golden throne. When an enemy breached the weakened defenses, Ao Dai learned that his palace scheme had been interrupted by an unexpected invasion.

• Ao Dai questioned whether he had to kill the other crown princes, and the masked dragon clansman pressed him to seize the throne.
• Ao Dai admitted that he feared severing family ties and worried that the South Sea Dragon King would suspect and punish him.
• The masked dragon clansman argued that the crown princes would show Ao Dai no mercy and urged him to take advantage of the sleeping princes.
• Ao Dai ordered the guards to silence a warning from outside, then learned that an enemy had broken into the South Sea Dragon Palace through its weakened defensive formation.

Ao Dai followed the Dragon race member’s advice and killed the First Crown Prince and the Dragons held with him, intending to blame Xiao Hua. Outside the South Sea Dragon Palace, Xiao Hua waited for the Dragon King to receive him, then forced his way toward the entrance when no one appeared.

• Ao Dai panicked when Dragon generals seemed to be charging the palace, but the Dragon race member persuaded him that their arrival could be used to justify killing the three Crown Princes.
• Seeing Xiao Hua arrive in a mirror, the Dragon race member urged Ao Dai to kill the Crown Princes and shift the blame onto Xiao Hua, whom he disparaged as an unworthy Dragon Master.
• Ao Dai beheaded the First Crown Prince and the Dragons beside the other golden tables, then ordered the Dragon generals to clean up and prepare a reception for Xiao Hua.
• The Dragon race member, identified as Senior Xie, left after Ao Dai promised to respect the elders’ wishes if he took the throne.
• Xiao Hua waited outside the South Sea Dragon Palace to borrow its Teleportation Array and obtain Metal-Wood Primordial Magnetism, but the Dragon King did not appear.
• Xiao Hua announced he would force his way in and stepped toward the Dragon Gate, where golden dragon scales swept out to attack him.

Xiao Hua arrived at the South Sea Dragon Palace seeking an audience with the South Sea Dragon King, but learned that Ao Tong was away. The Fourth Crown Prince, Ao Dai, welcomed Xiao Hua with a banquet, where the chapter left them preparing to drink and talk.

• Ao Dai greeted Xiao Hua, apologized for misunderstanding him in the Diecui Relic Realm, and offered to help with his business while Ao Tong was away.
• Ao Dai invited Xiao Hua to the Dragon Palace Great Hall for a banquet, and Xiao Hua accepted without suspicion.
• Ao Dai explained why the South Sea Dragon Palace had opened only a side entrance and praised the authority of Xiao Hua's Dragon Master title.
• Ao Dai hosted Xiao Hua in the hall and watched as Shell Maidens served a Spirit Severing Flower alongside the feast.
• Ao Dai raised a goblet and welcomed Xiao Hua to the South Sea Dragon Palace on Ao Tong's behalf.

Xiao Hua drank Ao Dai’s Spirit Bewildering Wine without being overcome and found that it slightly strengthened his bloodline, while Ao Dai’s attempt to use him as a scapegoat began to unravel. Xiao Hua could not get permission to use the teleportation passage, but Ao Dai’s reaction to his request for Metal-Wood Primordial Magnetism left open the possibility that he could help with that instead.

• Ao Dai served Xiao Hua Spirit Bewildering Wine, but Xiao Hua resisted its illusion and drank several cups, gaining a small improvement to his bloodline power.
• Ao Dai watched Xiao Hua remain unaffected and grew worried that his plan to frame him was slipping out of control.
• Xiao Hua asked where the South Sea Dragon Palace’s other crown princes were, and Ao Dai said they were away and that he could not decide Xiao Hua’s affairs.
• Ao Dai refused Xiao Hua permission to use the secret teleportation passage because only the South Sea Dragon King had its activation token.
• As Xiao Hua prepared to leave, Ao Dai urged him to stay and asked about his other request.
• Xiao Hua asked whether the South Sea Dragon Palace possessed Metal-Wood Primordial Magnetism, and Ao Dai reacted as though he might be able to arrange it.

Ao Dai persuaded Xiao Hua to help remove the South Sea Dragon Palace’s Metal-Wood Primordial Magnetism, promising him access to a teleportation passage. As they reached the sealed site, Ao Dai’s praise of Xiao Hua’s strength concealed his determination to use him as a scapegoat.

• Ao Dai told Xiao Hua that the Metal-Wood Primordial Magnetism hindered the South Sea Dragon Palace and said the Dragon King would welcome its removal.
• Ao Dai sent a message to the Dragon King, received approval to accompany Xiao Hua, and confirmed that Xiao Hua could use the teleportation passage.
• Ao Dai and Xiao Hua rode a whale-drawn carriage through the vast South Sea Dragon Palace toward the magnetism.
• Ao Dai explained that the Dragon King had provided a token to let Xiao Hua enter the Dragon Formation sealing the site.
• Xiao Hua effortlessly shrank the enormous token with his control of space, astonishing Ao Dai, who resolved to continue using Xiao Hua as a scapegoat.
• The pair approached a dazzling seven-towered palace where the Metal-Wood Primordial Magnetism glowed beneath the Dragon Formation.

Xiao Hua entered Seven Star Hall to seek Metal-Wood Primordial Magnetism, while Ao Dai staged an injury and accused him of attacking the South Sea Dragon Palace. The hall’s seven structures activated an apparent Eighth Level Trial, and Ao Dai ordered his forces to surround it as Xiao Hua descended inside.

• Ao Dai brought Xiao Hua to Seven Star Hall and explained that the token would let him enter.
• Xiao Hua noticed the seven halls’ unusual arrangement, then followed the whirlpool into Seven Star Hall.
• After Xiao Hua disappeared, Ao Dai cut himself with the Dragon Slaying Saber and told his subordinates to report that Xiao Hua had attacked and taken the trial token.
• Ao Dai ordered the Dragon Palace alerted and called for troops and elder consecrates, claiming concern for his three elder brothers inside the hall.
• When Seven Star Hall rumbled and appeared to activate its Eighth Level Trial, Ao Dai instructed Ao Pu to encircle the hall and summon his forces.
• Xiao Hua studied the hall’s Big Dipper-like layout, noticed that several star positions differed, and allowed the whirlpool to carry him inside.

Xiao Hua entered the Seven Star Hall to reach the Metal-Wood Primordial Magnetism and fought through the hall’s escalating defenses. As he tested his strength inside, Ao Dai grew anxious outside, and an aged voice demanded to know what was happening.

• Xiao Hua entered the Seven Star Hall and found its dragon formation concealed the primordial magnetism beneath dark jade seawater.
• Xiao Hua destroyed waves of water swords and explosive light balls as the Seven Star Hall’s defenses intensified.
• Seven reef-like formations burst apart and revealed ancient dragon patterns, Primordial Chaos phenomena, and attacking dragon-shaped lights.
• Xiao Hua enlarged his Dharma Body Golden Body and smashed the dragon lights with his fists.
• Ao Dai worried that Xiao Hua might escape or demand an explanation, just before an aged voice questioned him about what was happening.

Ao Dai kept the South Sea Great General from entering Seven Star Hall without surrendering his command seal, then persuaded him to activate the hall’s grand formation. Inside, Xiao Hua broke through one trial only to face a Giant Stone Formation, where his domain power was suppressed.

• Ao Dai lied about the princes’ situation while the South Sea Great General questioned him about the First Crown Prince and the activated eighth-level trial.
• Ao Dai demanded that the Great General leave behind his Great General’s Order before entering Seven Star Hall, warning that Xiao Hua could use it to escape.
• The South Sea Great General ordered a hundred thousand sea clans to gather and activated Seven Star Hall’s grand formation after detecting flaws in its defenses.
• Xiao Hua shattered the dragon manifestations and watched the trial’s space transform into a Giant Stone Formation.
• Xiao Hua tried to extend his domain power against the stone spheres, but a strange fluctuation suppressed it beyond his physical body.

Feng Wu’s attempt to attain Great Sagehood triggered the recognition of all seven stars of the Big Dipper, and the demon Great Sages tried to stop him. With Heavenly Dao Xiao Hua absorbing the star mysteries, Feng Wu completed his transformation, while the resulting celestial signs drew the attention of a Black Armored Dragon.

• Feng Wu discovered that all seven stars of the Big Dipper were carving patterns into his body, making his ascension far more dangerous than an ordinary demon’s.
• The demon Great Sages roared and halted the descending pillars of starlight, but a powerful Heavenly Phoenix consciousness took control of Feng Wu and broke through their restraint.
• Xiao Hua summoned Heavenly Dao Xiao Hua, who absorbed the mysteries of the seven star patterns as Feng Wu’s body shone and rose to stand level with the Great Sages.
• A surge of power shattered the storm over the Sacred Realm of a Thousand Demons and revealed the Big Dipper in the sky, prompting demons across the land to absorb the increased star-and-moon energy.
• A Black Armored Dragon emerged from an abyss, realized that a new Great Sage had ascended, and flew toward the Great Sacred Hall to discover who it was.

Feng Wu underwent the Demon Race’s Stars Arching Towards the Saint trial while Xiao Hua was trapped in his phoenix body and overwhelmed by the starry visions. After Xiao Hua let Feng Wu take control, Feng Wu rose toward the stars, but the Big Dipper’s pillars descended and left him panicked.

• The stars above Xiao Hua revealed Primordial Chaos Worlds, then unleashed starlight that imprisoned him and began forcing vast insights into his mind.
• Feng Wu explained that the Demon Race could attain the Great Sage position by gaining recognition from the stars beyond the heavens and receiving a star mark.
• Xiao Hua realized the trial belonged to Feng Wu and let Feng Wu’s consciousness control their body, allowing the incoming starlight to strike all at once.
• Feng Wu’s phoenix body rose into the starry sky, where Xiao Hua saw demon sages formed beneath the stars and understood that each cultivation path expressed the Heavenly Dao differently.
• As Feng Wu approached the Big Dipper, its seven stars poured their primordial aura into him, then flashed and sent seven enormous pillars of starlight toward his body.

Feng Wu began attaining Great Sainthood under all seven stars of the Big Dipper, while the Great Sages tried to stop him and a powerful Heavenly Phoenix consciousness took control of his body. The resulting celestial upheaval revealed the Big Dipper across the Sacred Realm of a Thousand Demons, and the Black Armored Dragon set out to discover who had ascended.

• Feng Wu drew the acknowledgment of all seven Big Dipper stars, whose descending pillars of starlight threatened to shatter his body as the Great Sages roared and halted them.
• A powerful Heavenly Phoenix consciousness seized Feng Wu's body, broke through the Great Sages' restraint, and let the seven pillars inscribe star patterns into him.
• Xiao Hua summoned Heavenly Dao Xiao Hua, who absorbed the star mysteries as Feng Wu's radiance suppressed the Great Sages and restored the shattered void.
• Feng Wu's transformation sent a force into the Sacred Realm of a Thousand Demons, dispersing its storm clouds and revealing a starry sky dominated by the Big Dipper.
• The Black Armored Dragon emerged from a northern abyss, recognized that a demon had attained Great Sainthood, and flew toward the Great Sacred Hall to investigate.

Xiao Hua and Feng Wu completed the Stars Arching Towards the Saint, with Feng Wu’s phoenix form rising far above the Demon Race Great Sages and receiving seven star imprints. Xiao Hua then returned to the Dragon Palace to search for Metal-Wood Primordial Magnetism, while the other Great Sages headed toward the Great Sacred Hall to investigate the new ascension.

• The Crimson Flame Vermilion Bird witnessed the Big Dipper blaze with all seven stars and realized an extraordinary Great Sage had ascended.
• Feng Wu’s demon phoenix rose more than six hundred zhang above the other Great Sages, whose star forms dimmed and closed their eyes before it.
• The Great Sacred Hall’s star bridge appeared, but the demon phoenix shattered it and vanished from the void after absorbing the starry insights.
• Xiao Hua returned to his original form in the Dragon Palace, and Feng Wu said he had comprehended more than a hundred thousand years of star imprints while remaining at the ninth grade of Yuan Force.
• Xiao Hua and Feng Wu flew deeper into Seven Star Hall to search for Metal-Wood Primordial Magnetism as the Sacred Realm’s storm gathered again.
• The Crimson Flame Vermilion Bird and the other four Great Sages set out for the Great Sacred Hall, unaware that the new Great Sage had destroyed its star bridge.