Chapter Summaries

After Tongtian attacked Yuanshi and Zhao Gongming and the Three Xiaos captured Guangchengzi and Qingxu, the other Sages reacted to the escalating conflict. Yuanshi ordered Chan Sect disciples to gather for an assault on the Interception Sect.

• Tongtian pierced Yuanshi’s projection, while Zhao Gongming and the Three Xiaos subdued Guangchengzi and Qingxu and bound them at the Interception Sect’s grounds.
• Laozi learned of Tongtian’s attack and the disciples’ sudden strength, then left the Eight Scenery Palace to visit Yuanshi at the Jade Void Palace.
• Nuwa sensed the calamity stirring but chose to return to meditation, then received a mysterious message from the mortal world.
• Pingxin sensed the conflict and wondered whether a great opportunity near the Interception Sect could help her escape the Heavenly Dao’s restraints.
• Yuanshi erupted in anger over Tongtian’s actions and summoned Randeng and the remaining second-generation Chan Sect disciples to prepare an assault on the Interception Sect.

Tongtian confronted Jieyin and Zhunti over their attempt to recruit the Jie Sect Disciples into the Western Teachings and attacked them with the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords. The Twelve-Grade Golden Lotus of Merit and Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree helped the Two Sages of the West resist and flee, but Tongtian stopped them and demanded they leave something behind.

• Tongtian accused Jieyin and Zhunti of targeting the Jie Sect Disciples and attacked them with the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords.
• Jieyin and Zhunti denied the accusation, but Tongtian caught Jieyin revealing that he knew about the Seven Attendant Immortals.
• The Twelve-Grade Golden Lotus of Merit shielded Jieyin and Zhunti as the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords battered its defenses.
• Jieyin and Zhunti combined their treasures and power to hold off the swords, then turned to flee before Tongtian could form the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords Formation.
• Tongtian halted their escape and demanded that they leave something behind.

Tongtian used the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords to drive Jieyin and Zhunti away, and Zhunti lost the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree during their escape. The treasure fell into Lin Tian’s courtyard, where he found it beside his rocking chair.

• Tongtian struck Jieyin and Zhunti with the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords, forcing both Sages to flee and knocking the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree from Zhunti’s grasp.
• Tongtian realized the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree had fallen near the place Gongming and the Three Xiaos often visited, and he headed toward Lin Tian’s mountain peak.
• Lin Tian continued lying in his rocking chair as the system increased his strength and prompted him to write a new diary entry.
• A jade-like branch with seven differently colored offshoots fell into Lin Tian’s courtyard, and Lin Tian wondered what it was.

Lin Tian found a seven-colored branch, dismissed it as ordinary after the system denied it had an identity, and used it as a decoration after Erha fled from it in terror. Lin Tian went inside to write in his Great Dao Diary, while Tongtian appeared nearby and realized the courtyard was no ordinary place.

• Lin Tian found a glossy, seven-colored branch and wondered whether it was the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree, but the system called it an ordinary little branch with no identity.
• Lin Tian picked up the branch, sensed a faint warmth and profound presence, then tossed it to Erha as a chew stick.
• Erha recoiled in terror from the branch and ran into the courtyard, so Lin Tian placed it in a cup as a decoration.
• Lin Tian asked the system about hiding the house and learned he might receive a suitable reward by writing more diary entries.
• Lin Tian stepped onto the wooden zither and entered the house to write, and Tongtian emerged from space nearby and recognized that the courtyard was no ordinary place.

Tongtian discovered Lin Tian's mysterious courtyard while tracking the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree, but the Dao Ancestor summoned him to the Purple Cloud Palace before he could investigate. Unaware of Tongtian's visit, Lin Tian prepared a diary entry and learned that writing one would now earn him two system rewards.

• Tongtian found that the courtyard's formation blocked most of his Sage spiritual sense and suspected Lin Tian and the courtyard were extraordinary.
• Tongtian disguised himself as an ordinary cultivator and prepared to enter the courtyard to investigate and retrieve the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree.
• The Dao Ancestor summoned Tongtian to the Purple Cloud Palace, so Tongtian left without entering the courtyard.
• Lin Tian saw dark clouds and sinister winds outside the courtyard, mistook them for signs of another battle, and decided to write in his diary for a system reward.
• The system praised Lin Tian's laziness and promised two rewards if he finished a new diary entry, delighting Lin Tian before its next words astonished him.

Lin Tian discovered that a high-ranking member of the Chan Sect could read his new diary entries, so he wrote a misleading account condemning and mocking the sect. After finishing, he received two diary rewards and a bonus random draw, then opened the system space to inspect his rewards.

• The system warned Lin Tian that a high-ranking Chan Sect member was peeking at his diary, though they could only see entries written from that day onward.
• Lin Tian decided to continue writing because he still wanted the rewards, and he filled the diary with accusations about the Chan Sect and its role in suppressing the Human Clan.
• Lin Tian added fabricated claims about Chan Sect disciples, praising some as loyal while portraying others as traitors, and finished an entry designed to mislead its reader.
• The system granted Lin Tian two rewards and compensated him for the diary leak with a random draw usable within seven days.
• Lin Tian claimed both rewards and opened the system space to see what he had received.

Yuanshi prepared to attack the Interception Sect, but the Dao Ancestor summoned Tongtian to the Purple Cloud Palace before he could leave. A mysterious Great Dao Diary appeared in the Jade Void Palace, resisted Yuanshi’s attacks, and caught his full attention.

• Yuanshi gathered the Chan Sect disciples and planned to attack the Interception Sect, believing the Dao Ancestor would punish Tongtian instead of him.
• The Dao Ancestor summoned Tongtian to the Purple Cloud Palace, and Yuanshi assumed Tongtian would face punishment.
• A mysterious scroll struck Yuanshi on the forehead, then absorbed the force of his Immortal-Slaying God-Exterminating Treasure Saber.
• Yuanshi used Sage formations to bring the scroll closer, and golden light revealed its name as the Great Dao Diary.
• Yuanshi sealed the Jade Void Palace against outside detection and focused on examining the Great Dao Diary.

After fleeing Tongtian, Jieyin and Zhunti learned that the Dao Ancestor had summoned him to the Purple Cloud Palace. Zhunti discovered that his Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree had vanished, so he went to search near the mysterious courtyard while Jieyin set out to meet Yuanshi and Taishang.

• Jieyin and Zhunti fled Tongtian’s attack and discussed how their injuries had helped them make Tongtian appear to be in the wrong.
• The Dao Ancestor summoned Tongtian to the Purple Cloud Palace, prompting Jieyin and Zhunti to expect him to be held accountable.
• Jieyin proposed that they investigate the courtyard south of the Interception Sect and recover Zhunti’s Six Roots Pure Bamboo.
• Zhunti tried to summon his Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree but could not sense it anywhere.
• Jieyin reasoned that the courtyard might be suppressing the treasure’s Qi, then sent Zhunti to search the area while he went to meet Yuanshi and Taishang.

Yuanshi opened the Great Dao Diary hoping to learn the secrets of the Investiture of the Gods Calamity, but found it describing schemes by the Two Sages of the West against the Chan and Interception Sects. The diary’s accurate prediction about the calamity’s location left him wondering whether its warnings were true.

• Yuanshi secretly unrolled the Great Dao Diary and read its introduction, which promised secrets about the Primordial World and the Investiture of the Gods Calamity.
• Yuanshi bristled at the diary’s unflattering description of his personality but continued reading because he hoped it would guide him.
• Yuanshi read that the Two Sages of the West had manipulated the Chan and Interception Sects and planted spies among their disciples.
• Yuanshi doubted the accusation, then read the diary’s warning that the schemes would be exposed when the calamity erupted in the mortal world.
• Yuanshi realized the diary had predicted a detail he had only recently considered and began to suspect its contents were true.

Yuanshi read a Great Dao Diary claiming several Chan Sect immortals were planted by the Two Sages of the West, and he used divination to piece together their possible role in the Interception Sect conflict. He decided to pause the great battle, settle matters with Tongtian, and investigate Taiyi and Yu Ding.

• Yuanshi read the diary's warning that the Investiture of the Gods was a game and that traitors had infiltrated the Chan and Jie Sects.
• The diary named Taiyi Zhenren, Yu Ding Zhenren, Daoist Qingxu, and Guangchengzi as Western Teachings' planted pieces who would betray the Chan Sect.
• Yuanshi recalled Guangchengzi and Daoist Qingxu's quick defeats and suspected the Two Sages of the West had arranged them as part of a scheme.
• Yuanshi divined that Tongtian had attacked the Two Sages of the West after discovering their presence near the Interception Sect.
• Yuanshi decided to suspend the great battle, resolve his conflict with Tongtian, and investigate Taiyi and Yu Ding for suspicious behavior.

Yuanshi discovered that Guangchengzi and Daoist Qingxu had been Western Teaching pawns and suspected Taiyi and Yu Ding of the same betrayal. He restrained himself from confronting the Two Sages of the West until he could gather evidence, hid the Great Dao Diary, and was interrupted by Taishang’s arrival at the Jade Void Palace.

• Yuanshi read the diary’s final line and erupted in anger over Guangchengzi’s and Daoist Qingxu’s ties to the Western Teachings.
• Yuanshi considered attacking the Two Sages of the West but decided he needed evidence before confronting them.
• Yuanshi suspected Taiyi and Yu Ding because they had stayed away while Guangchengzi and Daoist Qingxu fought the Jie Sect Disciples, and he decided to question them when they returned.
• Yuanshi moved the Great Dao Diary into a hidden spatial formation and wondered whether its claims about the Heavenly Dao were true.
• Taishang called for Yuanshi from outside the Jade Void Palace, and Yuanshi welcomed him inside.

Jieyin, nursing an injury from Tongtian’s attack, reconsidered how to approach Yuanshi without revealing his alliance with Taishang. After overhearing Taiyi and Yu Ding worry about returning to the Chan Sect, Jieyin approached them and offered a way to avoid Yuanshi’s punishment.

• Jieyin recovered on his golden lotus and wondered why Tongtian had attacked both Yuanshi and the Western Teachings.
• Jieyin decided to seek Taishang’s help arranging a discreet meeting with Yuanshi so his cooperation with Taishang would remain secret.
• Jieyin noticed Taiyi and Yu Ding returning to the Chan Sect and overheard them discuss their fear of being punished for failing to save Guangchengzi and Daoist Qingxu.
• Jieyin appeared before Taiyi and Yu Ding, identified himself as a helper to the troubled, and offered a plan to spare them Yuanshi’s punishment.

Lin Tian received a hidden Dao Field formation and a cache of pills, including a Nine-Turn Pill meant to help him advance from True Immortal to Taiyi. Despite the system’s warning that his Peak Heavenly Immortal cultivation was too low, he swallowed the pill and decided to eat the remaining pills to force a breakthrough.

• Lin Tian claimed a formation that concealed his Dao Field and allowed sincere visitors to return or seek entry with his permission.
• The system rewarded Lin Tian with a Nine-Turn Pill, ninety-nine ordinary golden pills, and a Great Wall model, which he claimed along with the formation.
• Lin Tian checked his status and learned that he had reached Peak Heavenly Immortal.
• Lin Tian swallowed the Nine-Turn Pill before reaching True Immortal, despite the system’s warning that he would only reach Profound Immortal at his current strength.
• Lin Tian pointed to the ninety-nine remaining pills and said he would eat them all to try to reach Taiyi.

Lin Tian swallowed a Nine-Turn Pill and broke through from the peak of the Heavenly Immortal realm to the peak of the True Immortal realm, then bargained with the system for fifty more pills. As he stored the pills and casually ate one, Zhao Gongming arrived with his three younger sisters to seek an audience.

• Lin Tian took the Nine-Turn Pill and rapidly advanced to the peak of the True Immortal realm.
• Lin Tian complained that the pill had not taken him farther and persuaded the system to compensate him with fifty ordinary pills.
• Lin Tian stored the pills in a small golden gourd without noticing its brief mysterious presence, then ate one ordinary pill.
• Zhao Gongming called to Lin Tian from outside the fence, saying he had brought his three younger sisters to seek an audience.

Zhao Gongming and the Three Xiaos arrived at Lin Tian’s courtyard to thank him, their injuries still lingering after their battle with Guangchengzi and Daoist Qingxu. The courtyard’s spiritual energy helped restore them, but Zhao Gongming was stunned when he noticed the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree beside Lin Tian.

• Qiongxiao said the pill Zhao Gongming gave her had not healed her primordial spirit injury, but Lin Tian’s opportunity had helped her withstand Guangchengzi’s attack.
• Zhao Gongming proposed asking Lin Tian for healing medicine, but the Three Xiaos insisted they should not burden him further and would recover on their own.
• Lin Tian invited the four into his courtyard, where dense spiritual energy quickly eased their injuries and Zhao Gongming noticed a powerful formation obscured the scenery outside.
• Lin Tian appeared reclining in a pavilion and told them to sit; Zhao Gongming then recognized the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree in a bronze vase beside him.

Zhao Gongming and the Three Xiaos recognized the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree in Lin Tian’s pavilion, but Lin Tian said he used it as decoration. They returned the books that had helped them improve, thanked Lin Tian, and Zhao Gongming offered him the Dragon Binding Rope.

• Zhao Gongming and the Three Xiaos recognized Lin Tian’s potted treasure as Zhunti’s Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree and wondered how Lin Tian had obtained it.
• Lin Tian invited them to handle the tree, but Zhao Gongming nervously returned it to the table and asked where it came from.
• Lin Tian said he had found the tree by chance and kept it because it looked ornamental, then asked why Zhao Gongming and the Three Xiaos had visited.
• Zhao Gongming and the Three Xiaos returned Perfect World and Covering the Heavens with One Hand, and Lin Tian said he was glad the books had helped them improve.
• Zhao Gongming and the Three Xiaos thanked Lin Tian for the opportunity, and Lin Tian said they could borrow future books as well.
• Zhao Gongming presented Lin Tian with the Dragon Binding Rope as thanks, considering whether the Three Xiaos might offer him the Primordial Golden Dou if Lin Tian refused.

Zhao Gongming and the Three Xiaos accepted Lin Tian’s Dragon Binding Rope as a gift, then saw him casually eat a handful of radiant golden pills. They debated how to obtain pills for their primordial spirit injuries without incurring karmic debts or sacrificing the Primordial Golden Dou, and decided to leave it with Lin Tian temporarily while seeking other treasures to trade.

• Lin Tian accepted the Dragon Binding Rope from Zhao Gongming and the Three Xiaos, then offered them fish, but they declined and prepared to leave.
• Zhao Gongming and the Three Xiaos noticed Lin Tian eating a handful of brilliant golden pills and marveled at their apparent quality and abundance.
• Qiongxiao suggested asking Lin Tian for four pills to heal their primordial spirit injuries, but Zhao Gongming objected to asking without offering something in return.
• Zhao Gongming proposed trading the Primordial Golden Dou for pills, but Yunxiao and Bixiao explained that it was essential to their unfinished Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation.
• Qiongxiao suggested leaving the Primordial Golden Dou with Lin Tian temporarily and returning with other high-grade Dharma treasures to trade, and Zhao Gongming, Yunxiao, and Bixiao agreed to try.

Lin Tian gave Zhao Gongming and the Three Xiaos pills and reluctantly accepted their Primordial Golden Dou when they insisted. Before leaving, Zhao Gongming and the Three Xiaos spotted the Six Roots Pure Bamboo in Lin Tian’s pond and concluded he had taken it, along with the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree, from Zhunti after defeating the Two Sages of the West.

• Lin Tian gave Zhao Gongming and the Three Xiaos two pills each, then demonstrated how many more he had by eating several from his gourd.
• The Three Xiaos offered to leave the Primordial Golden Dou with Lin Tian until they could return with other treasures, but Lin Tian refused it at first.
• Zhao Gongming and the Three Xiaos insisted that Lin Tian accept the Primordial Golden Dou, so he pointed out a spot beside Erha where they could place it.
• As Zhao Gongming and the Three Xiaos prepared to leave, Zhao Gongming noticed green bamboo growing in the pond and asked why it looked familiar.
• The Three Xiaos recognized the bamboo as the Six Roots Pure Bamboo and inferred that Lin Tian had defeated the Two Sages of the West and taken both it and the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree from Zhunti.

Lin Tian mistook Zhao Gongming’s Dragon Binding Rope for an ordinary rope and used it to leash Erha, while the golden dipper quietly absorbed the pond’s spiritual energy and changed. A monk Lin Tian recognized from an earlier visit arrived outside the courtyard, apparently searching for something.

• Zhao Gongming and the Three Xiaos hurriedly left Lin Tian’s courtyard after staring at the pond.
• Lin Tian decided the strange rope was ordinary and tied Erha to a pillar with it when the dog tried to run away.
• The golden dipper absorbed spiritual energy from the pond and the Six Roots Pure Bamboo, beginning to develop a mysterious power of laws.
• The system told Lin Tian that a frantic monk was waiting outside, and Lin Tian recognized him as the monk from an earlier visit who had dropped the bamboo.

Taishang visited Yuanshi at the Jade Void Palace and proposed joining forces with the Two Sages of the West to break Tongtian’s Four Immortal-Slaying Swords Formation. Yuanshi was stunned to learn Taishang had already arranged the alliance, given the Western Sages’ many agents in the Chan Sect.

• Taishang appeared at the Jade Void Palace, where Yuanshi welcomed him and mentioned troubles within the Chan Sect.
• Taishang mistook Yuanshi’s complaint for concern about Tongtian and offered to help deal with him.
• Taishang explained that four Sages could break Tongtian’s Four Immortal-Slaying Swords Formation and collapse the Interception Sect.
• Taishang revealed that he had already discussed cooperation with the Two Sages of the West and could summon them when needed.
• Yuanshi realized Taishang had joined forces with the Western Sages despite their enmity with the Chan Sect.