Chapter Summaries

At Chengtian Hall, Chunzang returned from seeking the scriptures and was directed to take the Buddha decree back to Jiangchao Temple. Ancestor Hongmeng arrived with True Person Riding Crane and challenged the Immortal Emperor Gouchen, while Xiao Hua rejected Hongmeng’s call to unite the Daoist sect against other traditions.

• The Immortal Emperor Gouchen refused to pardon Xin Xin, and Xiao Hua set aside his anger when he saw Chunzang waiting below.
• Chunzang returned the Buddha decree to Rāgaratna Tathagata, who instructed him to bring it back to Jiangchao Temple; Chunzang and his disciples departed.
• Ancestor Hongmeng arrived in Changsheng Town with True Person Riding Crane and another cultivator, displaying newly attained Mahayana power.
• The Immortal Emperor Gouchen rebuked True Person Riding Crane for leaving Penglai Fairyland, and Ancestor Hongmeng announced that Daoist cultivators would join Chengtian Hall.
• Ancestor Hongmeng proposed joining forces with Xiao Hua’s Creation Sect, but Xiao Hua argued that Daoists, Confucian cultivators, Buddhists, and the Demon Race should coexist and learn from one another.

Ancestor Hongmeng and An Yezi confronted Xiao Hua and the Buddhist and Immortal leaders as they gathered in Changsheng Town, before Chun Zang completed Seeking Scriptures in the Pure Land. The Buddha decree bestowed Buddha Fruits on Chun Zang and his companions, ending with Zhen Feng becoming a true dragon.

• An Yezi challenged Xiao Hua’s loyalties and praised Ancestor Hongmeng as the best leader for the Daoist sect.
• Rāgaratna Tathagata ordered Ancestor Hongmeng to leave unless he had come to observe the ceremony, and Hongmeng declared he had come to watch the golden body’s Opening Light.
• Chun Zang entered Jiangchao Temple and presented the Buddha decree, completing the three-hundred-year scripture mission.
• The Buddha proclaimed Chun Zang the Xuanji Merit Buddha and Zhen Kong the Desheng Demon-Slaying Buddha.
• The Buddha decree granted Zhen Jie the Heaven-Patrolling Arhat fruit, Zhen Han the Scripture-Protecting Dao-Good Vajra fruit, and Zhen Feng the Eight Divisions Heavenly Dragons fruit, transforming Zhen Feng into a true dragon.

During the consecration of Guanyin’s statue, its faith power unexpectedly flowed into Xiao Hua, revealing that he had attained Guanyin’s Buddhist Fruit and that the statue now bore his face. As Xiao Hua refused to go to Thunder Sound Temple, Chunzang made a vast vow to continue westward seeking scriptures, leaving everyone astonished.

• Rāgaratna Tathagata invited Immortal Emperor Gouchen to uncover and consecrate the statue of Namo Great Compassionate Guanyin.
• The statue’s faith power surged into Xiao Hua and triggered his attainment of Guanyin’s Buddhist Fruit.
• The statue’s face transformed to match Xiao Hua’s, and Immortal Emperor Gouchen declared that Xiao Hua had been the Cihang who aided the Dragon race at Changsheng Town.
• Rāgaratna Tathagata and Namo Great Wisdom Manjushri Bodhisattva congratulated Xiao Hua, but Xiao Hua refused to go to Thunder Sound Temple.
• Chunzang declared that he would continue westward seeking scriptures, and his vast vow produced an extraordinary Buddhist omen that shocked everyone.

Chun Zang declared that he would travel west across the Western Sea to seek the true Buddhist light, prompting Zhen Kong and Zhen Jie to join him. Xiao Hua supported their journey and gave Zhen Kong the As-You-Wish Staff, but his attempt to remove a restraint from Zhen Kong ended unexpectedly.

• Chun Zang explained that his childhood Nirvana vision had shown him the true origin of Buddhism in the west, beyond the Western Sea.
• Zhen Kong vowed to follow Chun Zang westward, and Zhen Jie also volunteered to join them.
• Chun Zang clarified that he sought the abyss of the Western Sea rather than Great Snow Mountain, leaving Xiao Hua to suspect his destination was connected to the Buddhist ruins on Xiaoyu Continent.
• Rāgaratna Tathagata said he would report Chun Zang's plan to Great Sun Tathagata World Honored One, but Zhen Kong argued that the matter did not concern Buddha Tathagata.
• Xiao Hua gave Zhen Kong the As-You-Wish Staff and encouraged him to escort Chun Zang westward, ending their former karmic bond.
• Xiao Hua struck Zhen Kong with lightning to withdraw his old restraint, but the expected Sun Moon Crown did not appear, and Xiao Hua summoned a phantom image over his head.

Xiao Hua exposed Desheng Demon-Slaying Buddha as the Six-Eared Macaque and learned that Yuan Tongtian had been killed after the deception went unchallenged at Thunder Sound Temple. Furious, Xiao Hua attacked the Six-Eared Macaque, and Rāgaratna Tathagata’s attempt to stop him failed to halt the lightning strike.

• Xiao Hua realized Desheng Demon-Slaying Buddha was not Yuan Tongtian and imprisoned him, while Zhen Jie explained his own absence during the earlier events.
• Chun Zang recounted how he had accepted the false Zhen Kong and realized he had avoided questioning the deception because he preferred him to Yuan Tongtian.
• Great White Golden Star and Namo Great Wisdom Manjushri Bodhisattva described what they knew about the two Zhen Kongs and confirmed that Yuan Tongtian had been killed by the impostor.
• Xiao Hua used Heavenly Eye to identify the false Zhen Kong as the Six-Eared Macaque and blamed Great Sun Tathagata for allowing Yuan Tongtian’s death.
• Rāgaratna Tathagata tried to shield the Six-Eared Macaque with a ninth-grade Buddhist lotus, but Xiao Hua’s lightning destroyed its Buddhist kingdoms and continued toward the macaque’s heart.

Chun Zang revealed his kinship with Xiao Hua and pleaded for Six-Eared Macaque, while Rāgaratna Tathagata privately explained how Ananda’s reincarnation had become entangled in the scripture-seeking journey and killed Yuan Tongtian. Xiao Hua released Six-Eared Macaque but still demanded justice, and the chapter ended with Six-Eared Macaque asking Xiao Hua to accompany him to the one person on Cangxian Continent who could judge his life or death.

• Chun Zang knelt and called Xiao Hua his uncle, asking him to spare Six-Eared Macaque long enough to hear Rāgaratna Tathagata’s account.
• Xiao Hua withdrew the lightning but warned Chun Zang that he would investigate Yuan Tongtian’s death and hold anyone responsible to account.
• Rāgaratna Tathagata privately told Xiao Hua that Six-Eared Macaque was Ananda’s reincarnation and had killed Yuan Tongtian after misjudging his loyalty to Xiao Hua.
• Chun Zang admitted his own remorse, and Xiao Hua absolved him while vowing to kill Six-Eared Macaque for Yuan Tongtian’s death.
• Six-Eared Macaque confessed his failings to Rāgaratna Tathagata and Chun Zang, then asked Xiao Hua to take him to the person on Cangxian Continent who could decide his fate.

Xiao Hua followed the Six-Eared Macaque toward the East Sea Shore to meet the mysterious mortal connected to Ananda, while the others remained in Changsheng Town. He became trapped in a powerful formation southwest of the town and discovered its layered flames with the Eye of Delusion Breaking.

• Xiao Hua agreed to follow the Six-Eared Macaque after the Hand of Cause and Effect stirred, and left the others to guard Changsheng Town.
• The Immortal Emperor Gouchen and Rāgaratna Tathagata stayed at Jiangchao Temple, while Wenqu assigned the gathered forces to investigate and guard the town’s surroundings.
• Thunder and fire erupted southwest of Changsheng Town, and Wenqu learned that Xiao Hua was blocked by a mysterious formation.
• Xiao Hua flew southwest with the Six-Eared Macaque, but the formation stopped his flight and disabled his teleportation and divine sense.
• Xiao Hua imprisoned the Six-Eared Macaque in Shenhua Continent and attacked the restriction with thunder, but his strikes had no effect.
• Xiao Hua opened the Eye of Delusion Breaking and saw that the formation consisted of countless layers of pale-red flames.

Xiao Hua investigated the forbidden formation trapping Changsheng Town and suspected the Four Great Families had built it to target Immortal Emperor Gouchen, while evidence also pointed to Buddhist Sarira Radiance. He left the trapped leaders in place to pressure Gouchen and continued examining the formation, ending with a meeting with Namo Great Wisdom Manjushri Bodhisattva.

• Xiao Hua brought Tianren to the southwest barrier, sent Chun Zang into Shenhua Continent, and discussed his possible methods for breaking the formation.
• Xiao Hua and Tianren concluded the Four Great Families may have lured Immortal Emperor Gouchen to Changsheng Town with a long-planned trap, while Wen Qu reported a similar barrier to the east.
• Xiao Hua decided not to break the formation yet, reasoning that the confinement could help him pressure Gouchen for information about Xin Xin’s imprisonment.
• Xiao Hua found that the Kunlun Mirror could not open a spatial passage and learned that the barrier also blocked Sun Jian’s Void Breaking Eye and likely prevented Wu Daoist’s teleportation technique.
• Great Sage Peng and Feng Wu identified Sarira Radiance around the northern barrier, leading Xiao Hua to suspect Thunder Sound Temple might be involved.
• Xiao Hua saw Namo Great Wisdom Manjushri Bodhisattva and Buddhist forces trying to break the western barrier, then greeted the Bodhisattva.

Xiao Hua recognized how he had attained Guanyin Bodhisattva’s Bodhisattva Fruit, but he and the others could find no way to escape the mysterious formation surrounding Changsheng Town. As they gathered at Jiangchao Temple, Gouchen and Rāgaratna Tathagata watched Ancestor Hongmeng and his companions, while judging that they were not responsible for the formation.

• Xiao Hua explained to Manjushri Bodhisattva how Buddha Bodhi’s accumulated merit had returned to him, allowing him to attain Guanyin Bodhisattva’s Bodhisattva Fruit.
• Xiao Hua questioned Manjushri Bodhisattva about Ananda and Maitreya Buddha, but Manjushri Bodhisattva refused to discuss matters involving the Buddha Lords and urged him to break the formation.
• Xiao Hua examined the clouds with the Eye of Delusion Breaking but found no flaw, then deployed forty thousand Creation Sect disciples to guard Changsheng Town.
• Wenqu and Heavenly Man suggested using the Lightning Evasion Technique or Xiao Hua’s demonic power, but Xiao Hua rejected both options and concluded the formation’s maker intended to trap them until they died.
• Xiao Hua, Wenqu, and Heavenly Man returned to Jiangchao Temple, where Gouchen and Rāgaratna Tathagata observed Ancestor Hongmeng, Riding Crane True Person, and Dark Night Son on Jiangchao Ridge.
• Gouchen and Rāgaratna Tathagata concluded that Ancestor Hongmeng had come to exploit the conflict around Xiao Hua, not to create the formation trapping Changsheng Town.

Xiao Hua and the gathered leaders compared clues about the strange formations surrounding Changsheng Town while Ancestor Hongmeng speculated about who had staged the ambush. The discussion ended with Xiao Hua publicly claiming Xingyue for Creation Sect and the others recognizing the breadth of his affiliations.

• Sun Jian and Namo Great Wisdom Manjushri Bodhisattva reported the golden lotuses and plain-colored clouds they had seen around Changsheng Town, while Thunderclap True Person found the Liao River’s current reversing at a barrier.
• The Golden-Winged Great Peng confronted Rāgaratna Tathagata over the Sarira Radiance, and Xiao Hua reported flaming clouds and a failed attempt to break the restriction in the southwest.
• Ancestor Hongmeng reasoned that the ambush targeted major powers and hinted that Xingyue might be involved; Xiao Hua declared that Xingyue belonged to Creation Sect and warned others not to target her.
• Ancestor Hongmeng proposed that the Four Great Families of Cangxian Continent had arranged the four formations, and Xiao Hua explained that he had released their captured disciples after the battle at Chaomu Cliff.
• Rāgaratna Tathagata apologized to Xiao Hua for doubting his compassion, and the Golden-Winged Great Peng and Immortal Emperor Gouchen enumerated Xiao Hua’s many titles and connections.

Xiao Hua and the others identified the formation around Changsheng Town as an Innate Four Directions Great Formation made from four of the Five Directions Innate Banners. Immortal Emperor Gouchen warned that Xiao Hua’s forces might also be under attack, and Xiao Hua demanded that he reveal where Xin Xin was imprisoned.

• Rāgaratna Tathagata recalled that the eastern Green Lotus Precious Color Banner released Sarira Radiance and was one of the Five Directions Innate Banners.
• Golden-Winged Great Peng identified the central Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner, and Immortal Emperor Gouchen named the southern Earth-Leaving Flame Light Banner and western Plain Cloud Boundary Banner.
• Wenqu concluded that the formation trapping Changsheng Town was a Four Directions formation missing the northern banner, while Golden-Winged Great Peng accused the Four Great Families of targeting Gouchen’s Imperial Throne.
• Immortal Emperor Gouchen warned Xiao Hua that the Nangong Family might be besieging the Creation Sect’s Soaring Dragon Mountain Range.
• Xiao Hua declared that he was not afraid of the Nangong Family and demanded that Gouchen reveal the location of the Heavenly Punishment Prisoner Crystal holding Xin Xin.

Immortal Emperor Gouchen and the Buddhist leaders tried to break the Four Directions Great Formation, but their powers were blocked. Xiao Hua discovered that the formation had sealed not only spiritual forces but also the air around Changsheng Town, leaving everyone unable to breathe.

• Golden-Winged Great Peng rebuked Immortal Emperor Gouchen, while Gouchen used his knowledge of the Heavenly Punishment Prisoner Crystal to pressure Xiao Hua into helping.
• Immortal Emperor Gouchen wielded the Son of Heaven Sword, but its righteous power could not break through the formation.
• Rāgaratna Tathagata and the Buddhist disciples tried to use faith power and the power of death, but the formation absorbed their efforts as well.
• Xiao Hua realized that the formation had cut off the flow of Vast Righteous Qi and Daoist Primordial Qi.
• Xiao Hua discovered that the area within a thousand li of Changsheng Town had been sealed against even ordinary air, and warned everyone not to breathe.

The Four Great Families appeared above Changsheng Town and issued a proclamation condemning Immortal Emperor Gouchen, demanding that he eliminate Xiao Hua and abdicate within ten days. Gouchen fell silent as the factions weighed their positions, and Xiao Hua began to address him.

• Xiao Hua saw that the people around Changsheng Town were still unaware that the Innate Four Directions Great Formation threatened their lives, and resolved to save them even if it exposed his secret.
• Dongfang Qionghao and the other Heads of the Four Great Families appeared and accused Gouchen of misrule, declaring their intention to attack the Immortal Palace and Creation Sect if he did not comply within ten days.
• Gouchen attacked the four figures with the Son of Heaven Sword, but the blade had no effect on them.
• Dongfang Qionghao recited the proclamation listing Gouchen's alleged ten crimes and calling on the realm to support the Four Great Families.
• The Four Great Families vanished, leaving Gouchen and his companions bewildered; Gouchen returned to his seat in silence while Great White Golden Star and Sun Jian grew worried.
• The Golden-Winged Great Peng mocked the proclamation, and Xiao Hua concluded that Gouchen had no viable allies against him before beginning to speak to the emperor.

Xiao Hua gathered his allies to discuss how to break the Innate Four Directions Great Formation surrounding Changsheng Town and protect its civilians. With no flaws found after days of searching, he reconsidered the sealed Liao River as night fell.

• Xiao Hua moved the Creation Sect disciples into Shenhua Continent and asked Wen Qu, Tian Ren, Thunderclap True Person, Feng Wu, and the Golden-Winged Great Peng to help find a way through the formation.
• Xiao Hua refused to hand Immortal Emperor Gouchen over to the Four Great Families, explaining that their control of the Immortal Palace would endanger the Dao Sect and the Creation Sect.
• The Golden-Winged Great Peng pledged his support to Xiao Hua, then left with Feng Wu and the others to inspect the formation for weaknesses.
• Xiao Hua searched the thousand-li formation with the Eye of Delusion Breaking for several days but found no flaw in its rosy-cloud barrier.
• Xiao Hua reached the mountain where Liu Yi and Yuan Ya had once roasted meat, noticed the unsettled villages nearby, and turned his attention to the Liao River sealed by the formation.

Xiao Hua discovered that water-blue Yingluo from Xin Xin’s Profound Origin Water Control Banner had appeared beneath the Innate Four Directions Great Formation, revealing where she was imprisoned. He followed the trail to the Sheji Town Paper suppressing her Heavenly Punishment Prisoner Crystal, and Wenqu confirmed Xin Xin must be beneath it.

• Xiao Hua returned to the Liao River and found the formation blocked him from reaching the place where he had retrieved the Yuzhou Cauldron.
• Xiao Hua spotted water-blue Yingluo from Xin Xin’s Profound Origin Water Control Banner and suspected they were a signal leading to her prison.
• Xiao Hua summoned Celestial Man, Thunderclap True Person, and Wenqu to seal the area, then used Demon Blade Shi to strike the Yingluo and draw out more of them.
• Xin Xin’s joyful emotions reached Xiao Hua through the surging Yingluo, which opened a path through the formation’s clouds.
• Xiao Hua followed the Yingluo to a golden paperweight, and Wenqu identified it as the Sheji Town Paper suppressing Xin Xin’s Heavenly Punishment Prisoner Crystal.

Xiao Hua and Wenqu pulled the Sheji Town Paper from beneath the Liao River, freeing Xin Xin from the Heavenly Punishment Prisoner Crystal. Xin Xin used the Profound Origin Water Control Banner to open a passage through the formation, leaving the group ready to escape.

• Wenqu and Xiao Hua used their powers to seize the Sheji Town Paper, and Xiao Hua changed its name to Xiao.
• Xiao Hua swallowed the Confucian fortune, and Xin Xin appeared from the water-blue Yingluo with the Profound Origin Water Control Banner.
• Xiao Hua reunited with Xin Xin and explained that they were trapped in the Innate Four Directions Great Formation and needed her banner to break through.
• Xin Xin activated the Profound Origin Water Control Banner and opened a passage through the surrounding clouds and flames.
• Xiao Hua asked Wenqu to notify Immortal Emperor Gouchen, the Golden-Winged Great Peng, and Rāgaratna Tathagata while Xin Xin maintained the passage.

Xiao Hua and Xin Xin escaped the breaking formation and emerged above the Liao River, where they stopped the flood before turning to face the Four Great Families’ army. Immortal Emperor Gouchen confronted Dongfang Qionghao, and Wenqu joined the emperor as battle began.

• Xin Xin empowered the Profound Origin Water Control Banner with her blood essence, allowing Immortal Emperor Gouchen, Rāgaratna Tathagata, the Golden-Winged Great Peng, and the others to leave the passage.
• Xiao Hua and Xin Xin emerged above the Liao River as the Innate Four Directions Great Formation collapsed, and Xiao Hua released Creation Sect disciples to protect Changsheng Town from the flood.
• Xin Xin used the Profound Origin Water Control Banner to guide the Liao River safely within its banks while Xiao Hua ordered his disciples to form ranks for battle.
• Xiao Hua saw millions of Four Great Families’ disciples surrounding Changsheng Town as Immortal Palace forces arrived and sealed off the region.
• Immortal Emperor Gouchen accused the Four Great Families of plotting against him and demanded their surrender, while Dongfang Qionghao refused and vowed to kill him.
• Wenqu joined Dongfang Qionghao’s side and declared that he would obey the emperor’s command to slay the rebels.

Tan Hua reflected on Chronicles of the Cultivating God's front-page feature, explained the novel's structure, and thanked the editors, readers, and Qidian for supporting six years of writing. Tan Hua left readers with a request to keep supporting the novel and asked newcomers whether they would read it from the beginning.

• Tan Hua said the front-page feature was an unexpected affirmation as Chronicles of the Cultivating God neared its ending.
• Tan Hua outlined the novel's four parts and explained that Part One was wuxia, Part Two was xianxia, and the later parts covered the Immortal Realm and Primordial God Realm.
• Tan Hua thanked Qidian's editors and staff for their work and support.
• Tan Hua named the Alliance Leaders and other readers who had supported the novel, then thanked readers who could not be listed individually.
• Tan Hua praised Qidian as a platform for pursuing writing dreams and asked readers to help Chronicles of the Cultivating God flourish.
• Tan Hua asked readers who had arrived through the feature whether they had the patience to read the novel from its earlier recommendation notes to this point.

Immortal Emperor Gouchen and his allies broke free from the Innate Four Directions Great Formation and attacked the Four Great Families around Changsheng Town. Each family’s leader raised a Four Directions Banner to defend against their attackers, and the battle remained unresolved.

• Wenqu’s Heaven and Earth Pagoda was blocked by Dongfang Qionghao’s Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner as Immortal Emperor Gouchen invoked heavenly punishment against Dongfang Qionghao and his disciples.
• Ximen Jianzhong revealed the Plain Cloud Boundary Banner to defend himself and Ximen Noble House disciples from the Golden-Winged Great Peng and Fengwu.
• Nangong Tianzhi raised the Earth-Leaving Flame Light Banner against Heavenly Human and Thunderclap True Person after realizing the Four Great Families’ plan to seize the Immortal Palace had failed.
• Heavenly Human transformed after absorbing the Heavenly Human White Bone and charged Nangong Tianzhi’s flame-cloud defenses, while Thunderclap True Person guarded his flank.
• Rāgaratna Tathagata summoned a massive Buddha palm against Beiming Chouqing, who raised the Green Lotus Precious Color Banner to defend the Beiming Noble House.

Immortal Emperor Gouchen and the Four Great Families fought to a standstill until strange disturbances and urgent reports revealed that countless devouring insects had appeared across the Three Great Continents. As reports described mass destruction in the Demon Realm, the Immortal Realm, and the Pure Land World, Xiao Hua and Sun Jian recognized the threat as the insects from the void.

• The Four Great Families' banners repelled attacks from Immortal Emperor Gouchen, Rāgaratna Tathagata, the Golden-Winged Great Peng, and Feng Wu while their forces fought across Changsheng Town.
• Immortal Emperor Gouchen ordered Xin Xin to help break Dongfang Qionghao's Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner, but strange sounds and ripples shook the heavens before she could act.
• Urgent messengers arrived from the Heaven's Secret Hall, the Creation Sect, and Thunder Sound Temple as the Great Sacred Hall sent a star-bridge message reporting insects devouring demon realms and leaving West Sea Dragon King Ao Hong's fate unknown.
• Xiao Hua and Sun Jian recognized the insects as the same terrifying creatures they had encountered in the void.
• Reports revealed that insects had destroyed ten nations near Cangxian Continent and had consumed temples and Buddhist disciples in the Pure Land World.