Chapter Summaries

Ye Xuan returned to Chaoge in triumph after crushing the North Sea rebellion and led the people in welcoming the army. The procession ended with fallen soldiers’ remains entering the city, and Ye Xuan vowed to honor them and provide for their families.

• Ye Xuan arrived in Chaoge with Wushuang, Daji, Grand Tutor Wen Zhong, and the victorious army, and the people welcomed them with cheers.
• Shang Rong presented Ye Xuan with wine, and Ye Xuan declared that the North Sea had been crushed and all under heaven should celebrate.
• Ye Xuan ordered the procession to make way for soldiers carrying bamboo tubes that held the names and details of the fallen martyrs.
• The people and the soldiers mourned as the martyrs’ remains entered the city, and Ye Xuan promised them places on the Immortal Stele of Merit.
• Ye Xuan granted the martyrs’ families honored-household status, triple compensation, free goods, lifelong care for parents, and support for their children, assigning Uncle Bi Gan to oversee it.

Ye Xuan led the victorious army into Chaoge, where the people welcomed them and the fallen soldiers received solemn honors at the Immortal Stele of Merit. After granting the troops ten days of leave, the chapter followed the warrior surnamed Wang as he reunited with his wife and son and remembered how he had built a family through military service.

• Ye Xuan accepted the people’s acclaim, then led the army into Chaoge toward the Immortal Stele of Merit.
• The townspeople celebrated the returning soldiers, and a cavalryman spotted his wife and son in the crowd but continued marching under military discipline.
• The soldiers’ ashes were placed in the merit tombstone, and the rites honored the fallen warriors.
• Ye Xuan granted the soldiers ten days of leave and announced a victory banquet and rewards for the army.
• The warrior surnamed Wang reunited with his wife and son outside the barracks and recalled his difficult childhood, enlistment, and marriage.
• Wang remembered following the army to suppress Su Hu’s rebellion and later fighting the North Sea Seventy-Two Feudal Lords with General Huang Feihu.

After Yin Shang reclaimed the North Sea, Ye Xuan watched Chaoge celebrate and then rewarded the victorious army with a lavish, weeklong banquet. As news of the victory spread and the people rejoiced, the fortune above Chaoge grew stronger.

• A soldier told his wife he had become a cavalry captain after earning merit in the North Sea, and she excitedly planned how to spend his increased pay.
• The soldier gave his son silver for candy, then carried his wife away while his brothers laughed at him.
• Ye Xuan returned to the imperial palace and looked down over the celebrating people of Chaoge.
• Ye Xuan led officials to the army camp, where he rewarded the troops and hosted a seven-day celebration, forbidding coercion and blessing couples who chose to marry.
• News of Yin Shang's victory spread throughout the land, and Ye Xuan saw Chaoge's fortune and the Black Bird of Fortune grow clearer and stronger.

After a month of preparation, Ye Xuan, speaking as Di Xin, announced that the Human Clan would abandon Taishang Laozi’s Great Dao of the Golden Elixir and establish its own cultivation lineage. Taishang Laozi objected, but Ye Xuan declared that no one could interfere, leaving the Primordial World waiting for the Saint’s response.

• Ye Xuan secluded himself for over a month to prepare to abolish the Great Dao of the Golden Elixir and create a cultivation path for the Human Clan.
• When Ye Xuan emerged, wondrous phenomena appeared over Chaoge and his fortune merged with the Human Clan’s, stirring powerful beings throughout the Primordial World.
• Standing atop the Star Picking Tower, Ye Xuan proclaimed that Di Xin would restart the Human Clan’s inheritance and abolish the Golden Elixir Dao.
• Taishang Laozi warned Di Xin not to act recklessly, and the powerful beings watching expected a confrontation.
• Ye Xuan declared that he would establish a new Dao lineage for the Human Clan and that no one could interfere, as Chaoge’s fortune surged.

Taishang Laozi sent Grand Master Xuandu to Chaoge with the Kongtong Seal to force Ye Xuan to abandon his plan to replace the Human Teaching’s Golden Elixir inheritance. Ye Xuan challenged Xuandu’s authority and defended his own achievements, leaving their struggle over the Human Clan’s fortune unresolved as powerful observers watched.

• Taishang Laozi ordered Grand Master Xuandu to take the Kongtong Seal to Chaoge and make Ye Xuan abandon his new inheritance.
• Grand Master Xuandu threatened to strip Ye Xuan of his position and sever Yin Shang’s fortune if he defied the Human Teaching.
• Ye Xuan challenged Xuandu’s right to condemn him and listed his achievements for the Human Clan, causing the fortune above Chaoge to settle.
• Grand Master Xuandu invoked his status as an Innate Human Race ancestor and guide to the sages to justify intervening.
• Zhen Yuanzi watched the confrontation from Wuzhuang Temple and wondered whether the Human Emperor would disrupt the Great Tribulation of the Investiture of the Gods.
• Empress Pingxin watched from the Nine Nether Underworld and hoped Ye Xuan would keep contending with the Saints.

Saints and powerful figures watched the Human Emperor’s impending challenge to the Human Teaching, as Empress Nuwa considered his plans to strip Grand Master Xuandu of the Heavenly Sovereign’s teacher title and take the Kongtong Seal. Nuwa worried that he might be unprepared, but remained willing to support him and waited to see what he would do.

• Saint Zhunti asked Saint Jieyin who would win the struggle over the Human Clan’s teachings, and Jieyin said the outcome was uncertain despite Xuandu’s advantages.
• Ancestor Minghe questioned the Human Emperor’s decision to abolish the Great Dao of the Golden Elixir without apparent preparations and awaited the result before deciding whether to honor his alliance.
• Empress Nuwa recalled how Taishang Laozi had taken much of the Human Clan’s fortune and suspected he had sent Xuandu to seize the Human Emperor’s remaining share.
• Nuwa approved of the Human Emperor’s aims and inferred that he intended to take Xuandu’s title as the Heavenly Sovereign’s teacher and claim the Kongtong Seal.
• Nuwa worried that the Human Emperor’s plan might be too reckless, but hoped he would not disappoint her.

Di Xin stripped Grand Master Xuandu of his Imperial Preceptor title and Human Clan status, causing Xuandu’s cultivation to fall. When Xuandu attacked him with the Kongtong Seal, Di Xin claimed the treasure, and a mysterious figure appeared as Xuandu considered striking again.

• Di Xin bowed toward the Fire Cloud Cave and condemned Xuandu as a traitor, revoking his position as Imperial Preceptor and his status as a member of the Human Clan.
• The Human Clan’s fortune boiled, and Xuandu’s cultivation rapidly declined after he lost the fortune he had drawn from his position.
• Xuandu ignored Taishang Laozi’s warning and attacked Di Xin with the Kongtong Seal.
• Di Xin beckoned the Kongtong Seal into his hand, leaving Xuandu furious and unable to reclaim it.
• As Xuandu considered attacking again, a figure appeared and horrified the watching beings of the Primordial World.

Taishang Laozi appeared in Chaoge to defend the Human Teaching’s claim to enlighten the Human Clan and preserve the Great Dao of the Golden Elixir. Ye Xuan challenged him over the Human Teaching’s failure to protect humanity and accused him of using the Golden Elixir Dao to restrict it.

• Taishang Laozi appeared before Ye Xuan and declared that only the Human Teaching was qualified to enlighten the Human Clan.
• Observers feared Taishang Laozi would defeat Ye Xuan and strip him of his position as Human Emperor, while Empress Nuwa mocked the Saint for abandoning his professed non-action to defend his interests.
• Ye Xuan questioned whether Taishang Laozi had ever protected the Human Clan during its past calamities.
• Ye Xuan argued that the Great Dao of the Golden Elixir had restricted the Human Clan and challenged Taishang Laozi for opposing his new Daoist lineage.

Ye Xuan challenged Taishang Laozi’s Great Dao of the Golden Elixir and defended the Human Clan’s right to rule and develop, gaining support from the Human Clan’s providence and the Primordial World’s latent awareness. Taishang Laozi lost the verbal contest, but observers doubted Ye Xuan could replace the cultivation path he wanted to abolish.

• Taishang Laozi defended the Great Dao of the Golden Elixir and demanded that Ye Xuan hand over the Kongtong Seal.
• Ye Xuan accused Taishang Laozi of restricting the Human Clan to benefit his own lineage and cited Xuandu as proof that humans could attain the Immortal Dao.
• Ye Xuan argued that the Human Clan’s providence, its role in restoring peace, and its stewardship of the Primordial World justified its status as master of heaven and earth.
• The Kongtong Seal settled in Ye Xuan’s hand, while the Human Clan’s providence stirred and gathered behind him.
• The Primordial World’s latent awareness echoed Ye Xuan’s argument, and observers said he had gained the upper hand over Taishang Laozi.
• Hidden divine power users warned that the Human Clan would have no cultivation lineage to follow if it abolished the Great Dao of the Golden Elixir.

Ye Xuan summoned Wuming to take on the karma of guiding the Human Clan after challenging Taishang Laozi’s Great Dao of the Golden Elixir. Wuming appeared before Taishang Laozi, leaving the onlookers stunned and his allies worried about the confrontation to come.

• Taishang Laozi argued that no one would dare take on the karma of guiding the Human Clan if Ye Xuan abolished the Great Dao of the Golden Elixir.
• Ye Xuan asked Wuming to appear, revealing that he had prepared a way to sever Taishang Laozi’s influence over the Human Clan.
• Wuming arrived beside Ye Xuan in Chaoge City, and the watching mighty figures sensed his immense power.
• Empress Nuwa recognized Wuming’s true identity and watched with interest as Ye Xuan’s plan unfolded.
• The Queen Mother of the West worried that Wuming could not stand against Taishang Laozi, while Kong Xuan silently prayed for his safety.

Ye Xuan took on the identity of Wuming to protect the Human Emperor and challenged Taishang Laozi over his obstruction of the Human Clan’s new Dao lineage. After Grand Master Xuandu attacked him, Wuming stopped the Eight Trigrams Purple Gold Furnace with the Soul-Scattering Red Gourd, whose red mist began spreading across the sky.

• Ye Xuan disguised himself as Wuming and accused Taishang Laozi of obstructing the Human Emperor and neglecting the Human Clan.
• Wuming denounced Grand Master Xuandu as a traitor, and Xuandu attacked him with the Eight Trigrams Purple Gold Furnace while Taishang Laozi let the attack proceed.
• Wuming released a torrent of red shifting sand from his gourd and blocked the Eight Trigrams Purple Gold Furnace in midair.
• A mighty figure recognized the gourd as Daoist Hongyun’s lost Soul-Scattering Red Gourd, and Yuanshi Tianzun realized Wuming had stolen it from the Jade Void Palace.
• Xuandu continued directing the furnace against Wuming as the gourd poured out more sand and soul-attacking red mist.

Wushuang used the Nine-Nine Soul-Scattering Red Gourd to overwhelm Grand Master Xuandu, breaking his attacks and crushing his Heaven and Earth Manifestation. As Wuming’s sand closed around Xuandu, an unexpected change interrupted the attempt to capture him.

• Grand Master Xuandu unleashed many magical treasures, then used Heaven and Earth Manifestation, but Wushuang’s red quicksand trapped him.
• Xuandu summoned a vast handprint, which collided with Wushuang’s sand hand and was destroyed.
• Xuandu attacked with the Seven Star Treasured Sword, but its star strike and other assaults failed to harm Wushuang.
• Wushuang used Sand Binding Coffin to crush Xuandu’s Heaven and Earth Manifestation and engulf him in sand.
• Wushuang continued tightening the sand around Xuandu, but an unexpected change occurred.

Disguised as Wuming, Ye Xuan challenged Taishang Laozi after defeating Xuandu and demanded the chance to pass on a new Human Clan inheritance. Taishang Laozi swore he would not interfere, and Ye Xuan prepared to begin with the Chaos Creation Brush.

• Taishang Laozi dispersed the quicksand and rescued Xuandu after Wuming defeated him.
• Ye Xuan condemned Xuandu for benefiting from the Human Clan's fortune without contributing to its history or defending it.
• Wuming accused Taishang Laozi of interfering in the duel, and Taishang Laozi mocked his ability to create an inheritance surpassing the Great Dao of the Golden Elixir.
• Wuming told Taishang Laozi that the Human Emperor had abolished the Great Dao of the Golden Elixir and demanded he stay out of the Human Clan's affairs.
• Taishang Laozi challenged Wuming to present his inheritance and swore to the Heavenly Dao that he would not interfere.
• Ye Xuan flew above Yin Shang, reflected on the Human Clan's potential, and took out the Chaos Creation Brush.

Wuming depicted the Human Clan’s ancestors resisting the Demon Clan and proclaimed that the Human Clan would rise and stand foremost among the Primordial World’s races. His words stirred the world’s fortune and drew a thunderous response, alarming Taishang Laozi and the other mighty figures.

• Wuming used the Chaos Creation Brush to paint the Human Clan’s ancestors battling demons to protect their people and preserve their lineage.
• The people of Chaoge wept as they recognized their ancestors’ sacrifices, while the watching ancient mighty figures fell silent.
• Wuming declared that he acted on the Human Emperor’s orders to establish a new orthodox tradition for the Human Clan, proclaiming, “The Human Clan shall rise!!!”
• The Primordial World trembled as its fortune surged, and Taishang Laozi feared that the Human Emperor could use it to derail the Investiture of the Gods.
• Wuming declared that the Human Clan would stand foremost among the Primordial World’s races, provoking thunder from the depths of the world.
• Wuming bowed from afar to the Human Emperor, and Nuwa laughed in Wa Huang Palace.

Ye Xuan, disguised as Wuming, revealed the Human Emperor’s new teachings by writing Great Dao maxims into the sky above Chaoge. The words stirred the Primordial World and granted the Human Clan spiritual nourishment and tangible benefits, while vast spiritual Qi and Dao resonance gathered overhead.

• Wuming praised the Human Emperor and announced that he would reveal the Human Emperor’s Dao lineage to the living beings of the Primordial World.
• Ye Xuan used the Chaos Creation Brush to write maxims such as “As heaven moves with vigor, so shall the Human Clan strive without cease!” into the sky, drawing spiritual Qi and Dao resonance toward Chaoge.
• Wushuang read the first maxims aloud as people across the Human Clan repeated them and became excited.
• Ye Xuan continued writing and chanting teachings about hardship, ambition, and perseverance, while mighty figures across the Primordial World watched the upheaval.
• The gathering fortune, spiritual Qi, merit, and Dao resonance remained above Chaoge, and humans throughout the Primordial World grew stronger, clearer-minded, or healthier.

Ye Xuan, in Wuming’s form, wrote profound truths that awakened the Human Clan and established its own spiritual foundation, provoking a world-shaking omen. The Human Clan began to emerge from ignorance, while Taishang Laozi watched his influence over them slip away.

• Ye Xuan continued writing Great Dao truths in the air, drawing merit and auspicious clouds that astonished the watching powers.
• Taishang Laozi realized the Human Clan’s new wisdom could outweigh his Golden Elixir inheritance and resented Grand Master Xuandu for losing the Kongtong Seal.
• Nuwa watched excitedly as Ye Xuan’s efforts threatened to sever the Human Clan’s ties with the Human Teaching.
• Ye Xuan wrote that the Human Clan should establish its own destiny, carry on lost teachings, open an age of peace, and strive to grow stronger, triggering thunder and lightning across the Primordial World.
• Ye Xuan recognized that his gamble on the hidden Human Dao had succeeded and that the Human Clan had gained a lasting spiritual foundation.
• The Human Clan awoke from its stupor with brighter eyes and stronger bodies, reverently looking toward the Human Emperor and Wuming.

Wuming and Ye Xuan received immense merit after enlightening the Human Clan, while Taishang Laozi challenged Wuming for giving the people no cultivation system. Wuming questioned why Taishang Laozi forced the Human Clan to follow the Great Dao of the Golden Elixir, leaving the dispute over the clan’s future unresolved.

• Wuming’s enlightenment of the Human Clan brought down vast merit, auspicious phenomena, and Dao resonance across Chaoge.
• Ye Xuan absorbed the merit and felt his power grow enormously, while Human Clan members across the Primordial World celebrated.
• Taishang Laozi argued that the Human Clan still lacked a cultivation system without the Great Dao of the Golden Elixir.
• Wuming asked Taishang Laozi to define the Dao, and Taishang Laozi described it as what each person sought for liberation.
• Wuming argued that different people could follow different Daos and accused Taishang Laozi of restricting the Human Clan to control its fortune.

Ye Xuan challenged Taishang Laozi’s control over the Human Clan’s cultivation and declared that the Human Emperor would decide its Dao. When Taishang Laozi demanded a replacement cultivation method after the Great Dao of the Golden Elixir was abolished, Ye Xuan called for Wuming to demonstrate one.

• Ye Xuan accused Taishang Laozi of restricting the Human Clan’s cultivation to control its providence.
• Taishang Laozi declared that the Human Clan would cultivate whichever Dao he ordered and threatened that his words determined whether they lived or died.
• Ye Xuan asserted that the Human Emperor, not Taishang Laozi, had authority to choose the Human Clan’s cultivation path.
• Taishang Laozi challenged Ye Xuan to present a usable cultivation method after abolishing the Great Dao of the Golden Elixir.
• Ye Xuan said the Human Clan could cultivate many Daos and ordered Wuming to demonstrate one for Taishang Laozi.

Wuming unrolled a scroll containing an inheritance created by His Majesty the Human Emperor, and a vision revealed Great Emperor Wushi battling demons and devils to protect the Human Clan. The Human Clan eagerly hoped to learn from the scroll, while Taishang Laozi watched with an ashen face.

• Wuming told Taishang Laozi that His Majesty the Human Emperor had created many inheritances and unrolled one of his scrolls.
• A vision appeared above Chaoge, showing an ancient battlefield filled with demons and devils slaughtering ordinary beings.
• An enormous hand wiped out countless demons and devils as a voice proclaimed that it stood alone at the peak of the immortal road.
• Great Emperor Wushi advanced across the battlefield, defeating his enemies and standing between them and the Human Clan.
• The vision’s words about Without Beginning stirred the Human Clan, who eagerly wondered if they could comprehend Great Emperor Wushi’s inheritance.
• Taishang Laozi’s face turned ashen.

Wuming revealed a Human Clan cultivation inheritance called Great Emperor Wushi, leaving Taishang Laozi unable to challenge the Human Clan’s decision to reject his Golden Elixir path. Wuming then unrolled another scroll, and the people of Chaoge awaited a second inheritance.

• Taishang Laozi recognized that Great Emperor Wushi was a cultivation path tailored to the Human Clan, while Grand Master Xuandu angrily rejected its boastful title.
• Wuming asked Taishang Laozi to compare the inheritance with the Great Dao of the Golden Elixir, and Taishang Laozi remained silent because the Human Clan had chosen its own path.
• Ye Xuan, disguised as Wuming, revealed that he had exposed the inheritance publicly to deter Taishang Laozi from interfering with or seizing it.
• Wuming unrolled another scroll, releasing a vast surge of power that spread across Chaoge and stirred the Primordial World.
• Empress Nuwa watched the spectacle and anticipated the Human Clan’s rise, while the people of Chaoge eagerly awaited the next inheritance.