Recaps

Marquis Ji Chang of the West tried to recruit Jiang Ziya, who repeatedly refused until Ji Chang carried him to the carriage. Just as they were about to return to Xiqi, Jiang Ziya stopped Ji Chang and asked him to show how sincere he was.

• Marquis Ji Chang of the West invited Jiang Ziya to leave the mountain, but Jiang Ziya claimed his aching legs made the journey impossible.
• Ji Chang prepared to leave, then offered to carry Jiang Ziya himself when Jiang Ziya continued to refuse.
• Ji Chang carried Jiang Ziya to the main road while thinking about how Jiang Ziya would behave before the Human Emperor of Chaoge.
• Ji Chang set Jiang Ziya in the carriage and invited him to return to Xiqi for a feast.
• Jiang Ziya stopped Ji Chang from entering the carriage and said he wanted to see how sincere Ji Chang truly was.

Ji Chang struggled with whether to preserve his dignity or submit to Jiang Ziya to secure heavenly support for Xiqi. He chose to lead Jiang Ziya’s carriage himself, leaving Ji Fa and the ministers watching as he began to falter from exhaustion.

• Ji Chang reflected on the gods’ schemes and the Human Emperor’s strength as he weighed whether to refuse Jiang Ziya or become his servant.
• Ji Chang told Jiang Ziya he would lead the horse and attend his stirrups if Jiang Ziya would leave the mountains and help Xiqi.
• Ji Fa and the ministers protested, but Ji Chang ordered Ji Fa not to interfere and told him to watch.
• Ji Chang took the reins and struggled to pull the stubborn horse forward while Ji Fa and the ministers followed in tears.
• After a short distance, Ji Chang’s legs began to tremble as exhaustion and anguish overwhelmed him.

Marquis Ji Chang of the West collapsed after enduring Jiang Ziya’s humiliating trials, then threatened to stop pursuing his help and let Xiqi remain at peace. Jiang Ziya agreed to aid him and declared that Xiqi would rule for eighteen hundred years, leaving Ji Chang to realize the gods and buddhas had already planned Xiqi’s future.

• Marquis Ji Chang of the West collapsed in the mud after leading Jiang Ziya’s horse and holding its stirrup, and the ministers helped him up.
• Ji Chang told Jiang Ziya he would no longer force him to help and that Xiqi could abandon rebellion and settle for peace.
• Jiang Ziya left his carriage and agreed to help Ji Chang achieve his kingly ambitions, while Ji Chang regarded him with contempt.
• Jiang Ziya claimed that Ji Chang’s earlier acts of carrying him and leading his horse totaled eighteen hundred steps, meaning Xiqi would possess the realm for eighteen hundred years.
• Ji Chang realized Jiang Ziya’s prediction meant the gods and buddhas had privately planned Xiqi’s future and treated it as a chess piece.

Jiang Ziya entered Xiqi, gained command of its military, and learned that its forces numbered more than six million. He divided the troops around Mount Qi and began having them farm instead of training for war, leaving Xiqi’s people baffled.

• Jiang Ziya submitted to Marquis Ji Chang of the West and returned with him to Xiqi, where the people welcomed them.
• Marquis Ji Chang appointed Jiang Ziya Right Prime Minister of the Spirit Terrace, and Jiang Ziya made Wu Ji General of Martial Virtue.
• Xiqi prepared for war against Yin Shang, built military supplies and fortifications, and Jiang Ziya became known as Grand Duke Jiang.
• Jiang Ziya took control of Xiqi’s military and discovered that it had more than six million soldiers, with enough allied forces to raise an army of ten million.
• Jiang Ziya sent two million troops each to the northern and southern parts of Mount Qi and led the remaining troops to farm near the mountain.

Nangong Shi complained to Ji Chang that Jiang Ziya had taken Xiqi’s six million soldiers away from military training to farm. Ji Chang defended the decision despite sharing doubts about Jiang Ziya, and Nangong Shi left after being promised that Jiang Ziya would be held accountable if he failed.

• Nangong Shi went to Ji Chang’s chambers and condemned Jiang Ziya for making Xiqi’s soldiers farm while Yin Shang’s troops trained.
• Ji Chang said Jiang Ziya had claimed the reason was a secret of heaven, though Ji Chang admitted he could not replace him and had little power.
• Nangong Shi called Jiang Ziya a swindler, and Ji Chang sharply ordered him to stop speaking so vulgarly.
• Ji Chang promised to judge Jiang Ziya’s abilities and give Xiqi an accounting if he proved incompetent.
• Nangong Shi accepted the promise and left, while Ji Chang remained troubled by the ministers’ growing hostility toward Jiang Ziya.

Ji Chang’s illness and dependence on human flesh worsened as he blamed the Human Emperor and Jiang Ziya for Xiqi’s decline. Meanwhile, Jiang Ziya organized Xiqi’s massive army into farming formations at Mount Qi.

• Ji Chang coughed up blood and realized his failing fortune was draining Xiqi’s, while he resented the Human Emperor and Jiang Ziya for leaving him powerless and near death.
• San Yisheng brought Ji Chang a broth made from a child, and Ji Chang eagerly devoured the meat while San Yisheng reflected on the people he had killed to keep him fed.
• San Yisheng left Ji Chang’s dark room in anguish, remembering that killing Ruhua had made him an executioner and wondering when the bloodshed would end.
• At Mount Qi, Jiang Ziya directed an army of millions in clearing and farming the land, dividing the soldiers into three formations according to who knew one another.

Jiang Ziya welcomed Wei Hu, who arrived to assist Xiqi and announced that Dao De Tianzun would also come. Han Dulong and Xue Ehu brought the Grain-Holding Rice Measure, and Jiang Ziya led all three to meet Marquis Ji Chang of the West.

• Jiang Ziya learned that Wei Hu had come to serve as his assistant and that Dao De Tianzun would soon descend to help.
• Wei Hu told Jiang Ziya that Han Dulong and Xue Ehu were fetching the Grain-Holding Rice Measure.
• Jiang Ziya held a feast for Wei Hu, who drank until he passed out.
• Han Dulong and Xue Ehu arrived and handed Jiang Ziya the Grain-Holding Rice Measure.
• Jiang Ziya took Wei Hu, Han Dulong, and Xue Ehu to meet Marquis Ji Chang of the West.

Jiang Ziya presented King Wen of Zhou with the Grain-Holding Rice Measure, a treasure that gathered and ripened grain from across the land to supply Xiqi’s army. Xiqi then founded Western Zhou, and wavering lords began offering their support as the new state openly stood against Yin Shang.

• Jiang Ziya returned to Xiqi with Han Dulong, Xue Ehu, and Wei Hu and presented the Grain-Holding Rice Measure to Ji Chang.
• Jiang Ziya demonstrated that the measure could produce grain without running out by gathering and ripening grain from thousands of li away.
• Ji Chang appointed Han Dulong and Xue Ehu as grain-guarding generals and made Wei Hu the general in charge of grain, rewarding all three.
• Jiang Ziya and the ministers prepared to found a state, and three days later Ji Chang declared Western Zhou and became King Wen of Zhou.
• The people of Western Zhou celebrated the new state and its support from immortals, while news of the founding prompted wavering lords to extend support.

Yang Jian descended from Yu Ding Zhenren’s mountain to aid Jiang Ziya, but his travels through Yin Shang challenged the rumors about the Human Emperor. In a western swamp, Yang Jian encountered a bloodthirsty, three-headed monster and prepared to confront him.

• Yang Jian’s parents were separated when Haotian Shangdi imprisoned Yao Ji beneath Peach Mountain and executed Yang Tianyou.
• Yang Jian became Yu Ding Zhenren’s disciple and quickly reached the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal realm, so Yu Ding Zhenren sent him down the mountain to aid Jiang Ziya.
• Yang Jian traveled through Yin Shang and heard people praise the Human King as a benevolent ruler, contrary to the rumors he had heard.
• Yang Jian wandered into a vast, miasma-filled swamp and heard a roar that unleashed violent winds and flying stones.
• A huge three-headed creature appeared, transformed into a horned young man in blood-colored armor, and fixed its bloodthirsty gaze on Yang Jian.
• Yang Jian sensed the young man’s overwhelming bloodlust and resolved to kill him before he could harm more innocents.

Yang Jian defeated the three-headed demon dragon after a fierce battle and proposed that the demon dragon stay by his side. The demon dragon rejected the offer in anger, leaving his fate unresolved.

• Yang Jian drew his immortal sword and fought the disguised demon dragon, eventually kicking him into a distant mountain range.
• The demon dragon transformed into his true three-headed form and attacked Yang Jian.
• Yang Jian released the Sky-Pouncing Eagle, which fought the demon dragon until Yang Jian recalled it, badly wounded.
• Yang Jian outmaneuvered the demon dragon and struck him with his Demon Slaying Sword until the exhausted beast fell into the swamp and returned to human form.
• The demon dragon told Yang Jian to kill him, but Yang Jian offered to keep him by his side instead.
• The demon dragon angrily refused to become Yang Jian's dog.

Yang Jian made the three-headed demon dragon transform into a three-pointed, double-edged blade, then traveled to Mount Luojia, where he unexpectedly reunited with his long-lost sister, Yang Chan. The siblings embraced and shared how they had been separated and how Yang Chan had come to live with True Person Cihang.

• Yang Jian offered to spare the three-headed demon dragon if it became a weapon, and the demon dragon transformed into a three-pointed, double-edged blade.
• Yang Jian tested the blade, found it suited him, and discovered it could also turn into a black folding fan.
• Yang Jian traveled to Mount Luojia and asked a patrolling disciple to announce his visit to True Person Cihang.
• Yang Chan came out to meet Yang Jian, recognized him, and rushed into his arms in tears.
• Yang Jian and Yang Chan reunited after more than ten years apart and recalled their separation during the calamity that struck their family.
• Yang Chan told Yang Jian that she had wandered after they were separated until True Person Cihang took her as a disciple because of her unusual bloodline.

Yang Jian visited his younger sister Yang Chan on Mount Luojia and questioned True Person Cihang about the Heavenly Dao and the campaign against Yin Shang. After Cihang warned him to obey the Heavenly Dao and aid Jiang Ziya, Yang Jian left the mountain and set his eyes on Chaoge.

• Yang Jian reunited with Yang Chan, who introduced him to her master, True Person Cihang.
• Yang Jian told True Person Cihang that the people praised the Human Emperor and questioned why he should help Zhou campaign against Yin Shang.
• True Person Cihang warned Yang Jian not to question his master or the Heavenly Dao, and said Heaven favored Xiqi over Yin Shang.
• Yang Jian angrily asked why heavenly law had condemned his parents and himself, and why he was expected to help Zhou.
• True Person Cihang distinguished Haotian Shangdi's laws from the Heavenly Dao and urged Yang Jian to aid Jiang Ziya; Yang Jian agreed.
• Yang Jian spent several days with Yang Chan on Mount Luojia, then returned to the Primordial World and looked toward Chaoge.

Yang Jian went to Chaoge to judge the Human Emperor for himself, but the city’s prosperity and powerful cultivators convinced him that the ruler was enlightened. At a restaurant, he mistook General Wang Yong’s wife for a yao and accused her of hiding in Chaoge, leaving her to threaten him with her husband’s authority.

• Yang Jian traveled to Chaoge and saw its auspicious atmosphere and many powerful cultivators, which made him doubt the claim that the Human Emperor was foolish.
• Yang Jian noticed a Golden Immortal old man selling sugar figures and grew more convinced that Chaoge was thriving under an enlightened ruler.
• Yang Jian entered a restaurant run by General Wang Yong’s wife, sensed Yao Qi on her, and ordered food and wine while deciding to question her.
• Yang Jian drank wine he believed contained Yao Qi and demanded that Wang Yong’s wife reveal what she was hiding in Chaoge.
• Wang Yong’s wife denied being a yao and warned Yang Jian that her husband was a true immortal and grand general commanding a hundred thousand elite cavalrymen.

Yang Jian killed Wang Yong’s wife after mistaking the human woman for a demon, then fled Chaoge when he realized his mistake and faced the angry crowd. Wang Yong arrived to find Zhang Lin dead, collapsed in grief, and recalled how she had helped him rise from an orphan to a general.

• Yang Jian struck the woman with immortal power, killing her and blasting a hole through the restaurant.
• After examining her with his third eye, Yang Jian discovered that she was an ordinary human tainted by Yao Qi, then fled as the crowd gathered and powerful figures approached.
• Wang Yong arrived, found Zhang Lin dead, and broke down while holding her body.
• Wang Yong remembered how Zhang Lin had chosen him, helped their household prosper, and supported his rise through the army to become a general.
• Wang Yong recalled that he had received the Human Emperor’s inheritance in the tavern Zhang Lin had opened.

After his wife Linlin died, Wang Yong broke down and tried to kill himself, but Madam Song reminded him that their nine-year-old son needed him. The old immortal urged him to seek help from His Majesty the Human Emperor, and Wang Yong rushed to the imperial palace carrying his wife.

• Wang Yong mourned Linlin’s death and raised his hand to strike himself with the Human Emperor’s inherited technique.
• The old immortal used a spirit snake formed from a sugar figure to stop Wang Yong from killing himself.
• Madam Song slapped Wang Yong and reminded him that their nine-year-old son would need his care.
• Wang Yong abandoned his suicide attempt and, after the old immortal suggested seeking help from His Majesty the Human Emperor and the Human Dao Saint, ran toward the imperial palace with Linlin.

Ye Xuan restored Zhang Lin’s body, summoned her soul, and revived her, after which she described the young man who had killed her. Su Daji reported that the suspect could open a third eye, leaving Ye Xuan and Wang Yong facing the mystery of the attacker.

• Wang Yong brought his dead wife to Ye Xuan, who promised to revive her.
• Ye Xuan repaired Zhang Lin’s body, summoned her soul, and used his power to revive her at the Heavenly Immortal realm.
• Zhang Lin awoke and thanked Ye Xuan, while Wang Yong rejoiced at having his wife back.
• Ye Xuan asked what had happened, and Zhang Lin explained that a young man had accused her of carrying Yao Qi before striking her down.
• Su Daji told Ye Xuan that the young man was striking in appearance and could open a third eye that radiated a fierce presence.

Ye Xuan learned that Yang Jian had killed a woman in Chaoge and resolved to eliminate him, while Yang Jian reached Xiqi and joined Jiang Ziya’s forces. As Xiqi celebrated the arrival of the powerful three-eyed immortal, Ye Xuan continued cultivating and paid the rebellion no attention.

• Ye Xuan identified the third-eyed killer as Yang Jian and decided he could not be allowed to live.
• After leaving the palace, Wang Yong embraced Zhang Lin and carried her away at a run, insisting they would never be separated again.
• Yang Jian arrived at Mount Qi, where Jiang Ziya welcomed him and appointed him vanguard general, promising rewards and help rescuing his mother.
• Jiang Ziya introduced Yang Jian to Han Dulong, Xue Ehu, and Wei Hu, and Xiqi held a welcoming banquet as news of his arrival spread.
• People in Xiqi celebrated Yang Jian’s arrival, while people in Yin Shang wondered why Chaoge had not responded to Xiqi’s growing momentum.
• Ye Xuan resumed cultivating, focused on confronting the Saints and Dao Ancestor Hongjun rather than intervening in Xiqi’s rebellion.

After Jiang Ziya asked the Antarctic Immortal to raise Xiqi’s morale, the Antarctic Immortal decided to recruit a black bird from Kunlun for a heavenly omen. He visited the secluded Daoist Zhunti, who appeared to refuse his request before the Antarctic Immortal offered him Fire Jujubes.

• Jiang Ziya used the god-summoning incense to ask the Antarctic Immortal to stage a spectacle that would boost Xiqi’s soldiers’ morale.
• The Antarctic Immortal conceived of having a black bird appear in Xiqi and traveled to Kunlun to seek a mighty black bird.
• The Antarctic Immortal reached the bird’s secluded cabin and greeted its resident as Daoist Zhunti.
• Daoist Zhunti questioned why the Antarctic Immortal had come and seemed to refuse his request before hearing it.
• The Antarctic Immortal offered Daoist Zhunti several handfuls of Fire Jujubes, and Daoist Zhunti recognized their value.

The Antarctic Immortal persuaded Daoist Lu Ya to go to Xiqi and display his divine might without directly entering the Great Tribulation of the Investiture of the Gods. Lu Ya arrived at Jiang Ziya’s camp, where Jiang Ziya wondered why the Antarctic Immortal had brought a powerful rogue cultivator instead of making other arrangements.

• The Antarctic Immortal explained that he wanted Daoist Lu Ya to make a show of strength in Xiqi, and Lu Ya agreed after hearing his praise.
• Jiang Ziya waited anxiously in the Xiqi military camp after lighting the spirit-invoking incense, but the Antarctic Immortal did not appear for two days.
• The Antarctic Immortal and Daoist Lu Ya arrived above the camp, and Jiang Ziya, Yang Jian, Han Dulong, Xue Ehu, and the others greeted them.
• The Antarctic Immortal introduced Lu Ya as a mighty expert from Kunlun, and the group hurriedly paid their respects.
• Jiang Ziya asked Lu Ya about his lineage, and Lu Ya said he cultivated alone and belonged to no sect or immortal mountain.

Jiang Ziya was reprimanded by the Antarctic Immortal for his foolish conduct, while Daoist Lu Ya revealed his true form above Mount Qi. The dark bird’s cry stirred Xiqi’s fortune and convinced its people that heaven favored their cause, leaving Ji Chang to suspect Jiang Ziya had brought about the omen.

• Jiang Ziya offended the Antarctic Immortal, then humbly invited him and Daoist Lu Ya to take their seats when he noticed the Antarctic Immortal’s killing intent.
• The Antarctic Immortal scolded Jiang Ziya for his foolish and hypocritical behavior and warned him to think before he acted.
• At a banquet in the main camp, Daoist Lu Ya revealed his enormous golden bird form and circled above Mount Qi.
• The bird’s cry stirred Xiqi’s fortune, and Xiqi’s people and soldiers interpreted it as a phoenix’s auspicious cry and proof that heaven favored them.
• Ji Chang watched from Xiqi City and suspected Jiang Ziya had caused the spectacle, while recognizing that Xiqi’s fortune had been roused.

Ji Chang weakened under the pressure of Xiqi’s rising fortune as rumors unsettled Yin Shang, while Yun Zhongzi prepared Lei Zhenzi to descend the mountain and meet his dying adoptive father. The chapter ended with Lei Zhenzi frozen by his master’s magic, anxiously begging for help so he could reach Xiqi in time.

• Ji Chang collapsed after the sight of Xiqi’s fortune overwhelmed him, while Xiqi’s people celebrated and Yin Shang’s people grew uneasy over Chaoge’s silence.
• Yun Zhongzi decided that his disciple Lei Zhenzi was ready to descend the mountain and face the great tribulation.
• Yun Zhongzi told Lei Zhenzi that Jiang Ziya had gone to Xiqi and that his adoptive father, King Wen of Zhou, was near death.
• Lei Zhenzi hurried to leave for Xiqi, but Yun Zhongzi froze him and pointed out that his limited cloud-riding technique would not get him there in time.
• Lei Zhenzi cried and begged Yun Zhongzi to help him reach his adoptive father before he died.

Lei Zhenzi ate Yun Zhongzi’s Immortal Apricots of wind and thunder, enduring a painful transformation into a monster with powerful wings. He learned to control the Wings of Wind and Thunder and vanished in a flash, eager to use his new strength to see his adoptive father.

• Yun Zhongzi warned Lei Zhenzi that the Immortal Apricots could turn him into a monster until he reached the Daluo Golden Immortal realm, but Lei Zhenzi chose to eat them so he could see his adoptive father.
• Lei Zhenzi swallowed both Immortal Apricots, and their forces raged through him as Yun Zhongzi used his power to help him endure and refine them.
• Lei Zhenzi transformed into a blue-green, red-haired monster as the wind and thunder forces settled inside his body.
• Two enormous wings emerged from Lei Zhenzi’s back, one wreathed in lightning and the other in wind, and Yun Zhongzi named them the Wings of Wind and Thunder.
• Lei Zhenzi flapped his new wings, summoned a gale and lightning, then shot away as a streak of light.

Yun Zhongzi saw that Lei Zhenzi’s new Twin Wings of Wind and Thunder had greatly increased his speed and combat power, but realized he lacked a weapon. He gave Lei Zhenzi a cudgel made from a branch of his Immortal Apricot Tree, and Lei Zhenzi tested its power.

• Lei Zhenzi returned to Yun Zhongzi after testing his wings and explained that they gave him mastery of the Great Dao of Wind and Thunder and combat power close to a Daluo Golden Immortal.
• Yun Zhongzi realized Lei Zhenzi had no suitable weapon and went into his cave to seek one.
• Yun Zhongzi asked the Immortal Apricot Tree for a branch, and the tree agreed to give one.
• Yun Zhongzi shaped the branch into a golden-yellow cudgel and presented it to Lei Zhenzi.
• Lei Zhenzi accepted the cudgel and swung it, unleashing roaring wind and thunder.

Lei Zhenzi descended from Mount Zhongnan with a magical weapon to help Jiang Ziya in the Campaign Against Shang. After explaining his origins and revealing his wings, he challenged the Xiqi camp, and Yang Jian stepped forward to fight him.

• Yun Zhongzi gave Lei Zhenzi a magical weapon and sent him down the mountain, and Lei Zhenzi tearfully took leave of his master.
• Jiang Ziya heard that a frightening winged monster had appeared outside the camp and went out to confront him.
• Lei Zhenzi introduced himself as King Wen of Zhou’s son and Yun Zhongzi’s disciple, and explained that a heavenly marvel had changed his appearance.
• Jiang Ziya welcomed Lei Zhenzi and asked him to demonstrate his abilities before the other disciples.
• Lei Zhenzi flew above the camp and challenged anyone to fight him, prompting Yang Jian to transform his folding fan into a three-pointed, double-edged blade.

Yang Jian and Lei Zhenzi fought a fierce battle with their divine weapons, and Yang Jian gradually gained the advantage through his stronger cultivation foundation. Lei Zhenzi unleashed a vast storm of lightning and sent a giant lightning dragon at Yang Jian, leaving the clash unresolved.

• Yang Jian and Lei Zhenzi introduced their Three-Pointed Double-Edged Blade and Golden Cudgel, then charged at each other and fought for over a thousand moves without either gaining the upper hand.
• Lei Zhenzi formed a ball of lightning and hurled it at Yang Jian, who met it with a powerful blade strike that sent their forces raging across the sky.
• Yang Jian and Lei Zhenzi emerged largely unharmed, but Lei Zhenzi's clothes had been blasted apart by the explosion.
• Lei Zhenzi pressed his attack with the Golden Cudgel, but Yang Jian's steadier cultivation and stronger foundation gradually put Lei Zhenzi at a disadvantage.
• Lei Zhenzi transformed into a lightning-wreathed figure, gathered countless bolts of lightning on his Golden Cudgel, and fired a giant lightning dragon at Yang Jian.