Chapter Summaries

Tian Heng persuaded the West Sea Army to volunteer for a dangerous mission by offering them posts as yin soldiers in the Underworld, despite opposition from aristocratic descendants. Thousands stepped forward, but the aristocratic leaders turned against him, leaving Tian Heng worried that failure would cost him his remaining support.

• Tian Heng rejected the aristocratic descendants’ objections and explained the benefits awaiting soldiers who died in battle and became yin soldiers.
• Tian Liang volunteered first, and thousands of West Sea Army soldiers followed his lead.
• Tian Heng promised that every volunteer would remain his brother and ordered Tian Liang to register them for the mission to exterminate the Buddhists.
• The aristocratic descendants stopped objecting but exchanged plotting looks, and Tian Heng realized they might undermine him.

Tian Heng prepared the West Sea Army for a campaign while his senior officers secretly turned against him, and he knowingly gave them an opening to defect. Meanwhile, Shen Er confronted the King of Qin inside the World in the Painting after witnessing him impersonate Shen Er to trick Tian Heng into taking the pills.

• Wu You and Tian Yusheng persuaded the West Sea Army's senior officers to abandon Tian Heng and seek their own prospects through the Buddhist temples.
• Tian Liang warned Tian Heng that Tian Yusheng and the others were dissatisfied and spoke proudly of their past lives.
• Tian Heng said he intended to give the officers an opportunity to betray him, since their hearts had already turned away.
• Shen Er confronted the King of Qin in the World in the Painting and revealed that he had seen him impersonate Shen Er to entice Tian Heng into accepting the pills.

The King of Qin confronted Shen Er and tried to win him over, but Shen Er refused to abandon Chen Qing and the Divine Path Style. Shen Er realized the King of Qin had inherited some of a Principal God's abilities, leaving Jiangnan vulnerable to his schemes while Chen Qing was away.

• The King of Qin intercepted Shen Er on his way back to Nanming Prefecture and praised him as the most dangerous member of the Shen Family.
• Shen Er and the King of Qin discussed why the Shen Family had not joined the King of Qin's earlier plans, and agreed that his failure had helped preserve the chance to resist the foreign heavenly demons.
• The King of Qin urged Shen Er to betray Chen Qing, but Shen Er said he wanted to see whether Chen Qing's ideals could succeed and refused to support the King of Qin.
• The King of Qin revealed that he intended to take Chen Qing's foundation, while Shen Er argued that Chen Qing had achieved more despite starting from nothing.
• Shen Er deduced that the King of Qin could locate Principal Gods because he had gained some of a god lord's abilities when he had still been inside Chen Qing.
• The King of Qin confirmed Shen Er's deduction, and Shen Er feared Jiangnan would fall into the King of Qin's hands unless Chen Qing returned.

Shen San and A Li learned that Tian Heng had returned with an extraordinarily powerful West Sea Army and planned a coordinated assault on the Buddhist temples. Shen San agreed to join him, leaving Shen Yuan and Tian Liang to defend Liuzhou, while Shen Yuan suspected something had happened to Shen Er.

• Old Wolf warned Shen San and A Li that the West Sea Army had become far stronger than before and was stationed fifty li away.
• A Li disguised herself as a soldier, and Tian Heng appeared at the city gate to explain that he planned to destroy the Buddhas by splitting his forces among three regions.
• Shen San learned that Shen Er had urged Tian Heng to give his soldiers the medicine, and Tian Heng said his former deputies had left to report the news.
• Tian Heng asked Shen San to join the campaign and promised to leave Tian Liang with ten thousand West Sea Army elites and a hundred Four Saints Army soldiers in Liuzhou.
• Shen San assigned Shen Yuan to support Tian Liang, and Tian Heng departed to deploy the troops.
• Shen Yuan told Shen San that Shen Er would never have acted that way unless Tian Heng was lying or something had happened to Shen Er.

A Li and Shen San ruled out Tian Heng as a traitor and concluded that Shen Er had been replaced by the King of Qin. Shen San warned that the King of Qin might target A Li for her ability, but she chose to stay and protect Chen Ying and face the danger herself.

• A Li confirmed that Tian Heng's memories were sound, and Shen San guessed Tian Heng had shared them to win greater rewards if their mission succeeded.
• Shen Yuan argued that Shen Er valued loyalty too much to betray Chen Qing, leading Shen San to suspect that Shen Er had been replaced.
• A Li identified the King of Qin as the likely culprit, and Shen San explained that he might evade detection because he shared an origin with Chen Qing.
• Shen San warned that the King of Qin might target A Li to steal her ability and urged her to go with him to Nanyang.
• A Li refused to leave Chen Ying and Ziyue's entrusted tasks behind, and she accepted that she might have to outwit the King of Qin herself.

The Heavenly Court observed Jiangnan’s campaign against Buddhism and discussed the human faction’s strength, including its fight with the Victorious Fighting Buddha. The Three-Eyed Divine General was intrigued by the upheaval but said Jiangnan was still far from eradicating Buddhism.

• Buddha light rose over Jiangnan as its forces began eradicating Buddhist temples on a scale that stunned the factions watching from afar.
• The Heavenly Court’s divine generals discussed how earlier factions had failed to eliminate Buddhism because they lacked troops and feared one another.
• The generals explained that Jiangnan’s human faction had openly challenged the ancient factions and that its emperor had fought the Victorious Fighting Buddha to a standstill.
• The Three-Eyed Divine General asked whether the report was certain, then became excited by the changes unfolding in the mortal world.
• When divine generals asked whether the Heavenly Court should intervene against Jiangnan and the Daoist School, the Three-Eyed Divine General said there was no need to rush because Buddhism was difficult to uproot.

Shen San entered Nanyang’s Underworld to investigate whether the city’s Door God had turned against Jiangnan, while Tian Heng waited outside with the West Sea Army. The Door God refused to meet Shen San and demanded an explanation, confirming their worst fears as the battle approached.

• Tian Heng brought the West Sea Army to Nanyang and agreed to let Shen San investigate before attacking.
• Shen San returned to the Underworld and learned that no trouble had been reported, but suspected the Door God might have been swayed by the Buddha Kingdom.
• Shen San ordered the Night Wandering God to summon the Door God to the Underworld temple.
• The Night Wandering God reported that the Door God refused to come and would not let the West Sea Army enter without an explanation.
• Shen San told Tian Heng that the Door God had refused, confirming that Nanyang’s defenses might be under hostile control.

Tian Heng began the siege of Nanyang City despite the heavy losses and the risk of fighting Jiangnan’s own defenders, trusting Shen San to help from inside. As the Heavenly Court watched, its generals discussed Chen Qing’s history and the eldest princess wondered whether he would again fall into Liu’s hands; Tian Heng’s army remained trapped in a battle with no way back.

• Tian Heng ordered the West Sea Army to attack Nanyang City, relying on Shen San’s promise to help from within.
• The city’s formations lit up as the Heavenly Palace and Demon Domain watched the siege begin.
• Heavenly Court generals discussed Jiangnan’s rapid mastery of formations and Chen Qing’s past conflict with Elder Liu.
• The eldest princess of the Long Household silenced the generals and asked whether Chen Qing was absent from Jiangnan and might fall into Liu’s hands again.
• After two costly assaults, Tian Heng ordered his men to maintain pressure while he waited for Shen San to open the way into the city.
• Tian Heng feared Shen San might have betrayed him, but continued the siege because his army had no path to retreat.

Shen San waited until the Blazing Yang Grand Formation activated before leaving the Underworld to confront the forces at Nanyang City’s gate. He left the Underworld in his deputies’ care and discovered that the Door God’s allies had been waiting for him.

• Tian Heng ordered the West Sea Army to keep pressure on the defenders while avoiding unnecessary casualties as the Blazing Yang Grand Formation activated.
• Shen San reassured the Underworld’s teachers and aides, then ordered his deputies to keep its barrier closed after he left.
• Shen San explained that the Underworld had to remain Jiangnan’s last refuge and urged its people to defend it, which they vowed to do.
• Shen San went alone into the city gate’s domain, where the Door God questioned whether he feared an ambush.
• A Buddhist figure greeted Shen San, confirming that the Door God had betrayed them and that his allies had been waiting for him.

Shen San outmaneuvered the two Buddhas who tried to kill him at Nanyang City’s gate. He left them trapped and surrounded by the united forces of the city and the West Sea Army.

• The two Buddhas attacked Shen San with King Level power, but one grew uneasy when Shen San remained calm.
• The Buddha’s giant palm struck the barrier and was blocked, while the Blazing Yang Grand Formation’s flames spread from his hand.
• Shen San revealed that the Buddhas had chosen the wrong person to turn, as the Door God had switched sides again.
• The outer formation went dark, allowing the West Sea Army and Door God Guard to surround the Buddhas together.
• The Buddhas demanded to know how Shen San had turned the situation against them, but he refused to explain and accused them of arrogance and failing to gather intelligence.

Shen San trapped two Buddha Kingdom Buddhas in Nanyang City by turning the gate god Qianliu against them, then joined Tian Heng’s army in killing them. The Heavenly Palace’s divine generals witnessed the humans defeat King Level beings and realized the old order had changed.

• Shen San withdrew from the Blazing Yang Grand Formation while Qianliu kept the two Buddhas trapped on the city gate.
• The Buddhas tried to persuade Qianliu to return to the Buddha Kingdom, but he rejected them and mocked their claims of immortality.
• One Buddha suspected the Thousand-Faced Fox had changed Qianliu’s mind, and Shen San silently recognized that A Li’s blood had altered the willow’s memories.
• Tian Heng ordered the army to form up, and the soldiers used the Blazing Yang Grand Formation and their army formation to wear down and kill both Buddhas.
• The Heavenly Palace’s divine generals watched the mortals kill two King Level Buddhas and realized the heavens had changed.

The Heavenly Court prepared to awaken its army while Ziwei considered sacrificing the demons who had sought its protection. As Elder Liu weighed the conflict with Chen Qing and the human world, a powerful Buddha appeared before the King of Qin outside Liuzhou and asked about his plans.

• The Three-Eyed Divine General warned Ziwei that Chen Qing and Jiangnan were dangerous, and reported that the Heavenly Soldier Pool could awaken its soldiers within five months.
• Ziwei ordered the Heavenly Court’s forces prepared and declared that it had to win this era or retreat to Data City.
• Elder Liu reflected on the growing conflict between the Buddha Kingdom and the human world, then told his grandson that a formidable expert in Liuzhou would stop the Thousand-Faced Fox.
• The King of Qin met a barefoot Buddha outside Liuzhou and asked his name.
• The Buddha asked whether the King of Qin had a plan for his journey and warned that he would kill him if the Thousand-Faced Fox took control of him.

Tian Liang waited outside Liuzhou’s Buddhist temple while the King of Qin and the Buddha debated the city’s prosperity and the Thousand-Faced Fox’s threat. The King of Qin revealed that A Li had a weakness, but the chapter ended before he explained it.

• Tian Liang calmed his impatient officers by promising them military credit and waited for the Thousand-Faced Fox and their opponents to make a move.
• The King of Qin and the disguised Buddha walked through prosperous Liuzhou and argued over whether its people’s improved lives were true happiness.
• The King of Qin proposed attacking directly, reasoning that the Thousand-Faced Fox would then have to target key figures amid the fighting.
• The Buddha considered whether Chen Qing might have helped A Li become a King and concluded that Chen Qing might take risks others would avoid.
• The King of Qin told the Buddha that A Li had a weakness.

The King of Qin explained the limits of A Li’s memory manipulation, and he and the Buddha sent the arhats out to provoke the army. As Tian Liang led the West Sea Army into a full charge, the King of Qin spotted A Li among the soldiers.

• The King of Qin told the Buddha that A Li needed time to realistically alter powerful beings’ memories, making her vulnerable when forced to act quickly.
• The King of Qin urged a direct attack, and the Buddha instructed Ananda to make his move.
• Tian Liang rallied the West Sea Army, and its soldiers charged the nearly thousand golden-bodied arhats.
• The arhats were caught off guard as the army attacked while the Buddha’s influence remained weak in Jiangnan.
• The Buddha questioned whether A Li was in the army, but the King of Qin insisted she was and declared that he had found her.

A Li used Tian Liang as bait and turned the King of Qin’s own swapping technique against him, trapping him in the ink-painting world. The King of Qin realized her scheme but hinted that another opponent might still act.

• The King of Qin took Tian Liang’s form and entered the battlefield, while Shen Er warned him not to underestimate A Li.
• A Li identified the disguised King of Qin by noticing his instinctive avoidance of Tian Liang’s personal guards and used the memory of his swap to make him target himself.
• A Li explained that she had inferred the King of Qin could use the golem’s power on himself, causing his technique to backfire because the real Tian Liang was already locked away.
• The King of Qin praised A Li’s scheme, then asked Master why he had not made his move.

A miserable-looking Buddha repeatedly reset the battlefield, giving the King of Qin’s forces another chance to identify and capture A Li. A Li concealed her awareness of the time loop thanks to Shen Er’s training, while the King of Qin remained unable to find her among Tian Liang’s guards.

• The miserable-looking Buddha used his ability to reset the battlefield, restoring the dead Buddhas and making Tian Liang and the soldiers repeat their charge.
• Shen Er realized the Buddha had reshaped the memories of those with a weaker cultivation gap, while he and the King of Qin remembered the loop.
• Shen Er deduced that the King of Qin wanted to locate A Li and take her Thousand-Faced Fox ability, but the King of Qin could not identify her among Tian Liang’s guards.
• Shen Er recalled that A Li had trained with him to keep her expression composed when faced with sudden terror.
• A Li hid her shock at the repeated battlefield and resolved that the King of Qin would lose no matter how many times he reset it.

Past Buddha argued that suppressing desire and spiritual energy could keep the Outer Heaven Demon Statues away, while Ziwei and the Three-Eyed Divine General rejected his philosophy and speculated that Elder Liu wanted him eliminated. The King of Qin failed three times to conceal Tian Liang’s replacement from A Li, and Past Buddha gave him two more attempts before their cooperation would end.

• Past Buddha lamented the suffering of living beings and argued that accepting the natural cycle of life and death would resolve the crisis of the fourth version.
• Ziwei and the Three-Eyed Divine General condemned Past Buddha’s philosophy, and the Three-Eyed Divine General suggested Elder Liu might be using Chen Qing to remove him.
• The King of Qin challenged Past Buddha to cycle events again so he could locate A Li, while Past Buddha weighed the karmic cost of altering the outcome without the Spacetime Jade.
• Past Buddha allowed the King of Qin two more attempts, and the King of Qin realized A Li had caught his secret swap of Tian Liang on all three tries.

Tian Liang’s loss of control disrupted the battle, but A Li turned the guards against the King of Qin, forcing him to release Tian Liang and break free. The Past Buddha then revealed that he had long plotted to capture the Thousand-Faced Fox and claim her abilities, and he moved to seize A Li himself.

• The King of Qin struck down his personal guards while A Li hid among them, and the Past Buddha suffered backlash from the major change to karma.
• A Li used the guards to attack the King of Qin, who realized she had prepared them to respond when he lost control of Tian Liang.
• The King of Qin released Tian Liang and used his spear to knock back the Four Saints Guard, while the Past Buddha refused to alter karma again.
• The Past Buddha identified A Li among the soldiers and used Heaven and Earth in the Palm to trap her.
• The Past Buddha revealed that he had planted a Buddha’s seed in the Thousand-Faced Fox long ago and intended to capture A Li alive to claim her abilities.

The King of Qin’s trap against Bitter-Faced Buddha was revealed after the Buddha discovered that A Li was not among the sealed soldiers. As Bitter-Faced Buddha fought back with a prepared time-corroding domain, the King of Qin unleashed swordsmanship powerful enough to make the ancient Buddha fear for his life.

• Bitter-Faced Buddha realized that his divine ability had not captured A Li and tried to retreat, but Tian Liang’s soldiers surrounded the area.
• The King of Qin revealed that he had anticipated Bitter-Faced Buddha’s betrayal and had rehearsed the ambush with the Shen Family.
• Bitter-Faced Buddha attacked the King of Qin, who forced himself to King Level and met the assault.
• Bitter-Faced Buddha activated Gara Absolute Domain, where time corrosion rapidly destroyed the King of Qin’s faith-infused spear.
• The King of Qin drew a shortsword and spread formidable sword intent through the dark domain, alarming Bitter-Faced Buddha.

The King of Qin defeated Elder Yang after revealing that he was actually Chen Qing, completing Elder Liu’s trap. Elder Yang died still questioning the plan to oppose the Void Golems, while Chen Qing declared that his time had passed.

• Elder Yang recognized the King of Qin’s sword intent but chose to fight rather than retreat from his domain.
• The King of Qin shattered Elder Yang’s domain, and Elder Yang realized his opponent was Chen Qing.
• Elder Yang understood that Elder Liu had used the South Sea battle to disguise Chen Qing and the King of Qin’s identities.
• Chen Qing explained that Elder Liu had targeted Elder Yang for scheming against A Li and refusing to leave humanity’s fate to the Void Golems.
• Elder Yang died after Chen Qing condemned him as a coward and told him to surrender his power.