Chapter Summaries

The Liang Emperor brooded over his plan to kill Gao Yunyi and protect his throne, then panicked when the Immortal entered the palace. Gao Yunyi took the dragon throne and demanded that the emperor bow to him.

• The Liang Emperor concluded that Zhao Huang’s favor with Gao Yunyi threatened his rule and resolved to continue the plot to kill the Immortal.
• A palace attendant announced Gao Yunyi’s arrival, and the Liang Emperor feared his conspiracy had been discovered.
• Gao Yunyi entered Yangxin Hall and casually greeted the Liang Emperor, who pretended to welcome him respectfully.
• Gao Yunyi sat on the dragon throne and rebuked the Liang Emperor for failing to bow before an Immortal.

Gao Yunyi visited the imperial palace and confronted the Liang Emperor, who secretly resented him and wanted to kill him. After Gao Yunyi rejected the emperor’s hope for eternal life and left him a Spirit-Gathering Pill, the emperor collapsed and crawled toward it.

• The Liang Emperor knelt before Gao Yunyi, who noticed the emperor’s hostility on his minimap.
• Gao Yunyi questioned why the Liang Emperor had not taken the Spirit-Gathering Pill, and the emperor dismissed his trembling attendant before answering.
• Gao Yunyi mocked the emperor’s hope for an elixir of eternal life and said he would never give one to an emperor.
• Gao Yunyi left the Spirit-Gathering Pill by the Liang Emperor’s feet and went to explore the palace.
• After Gao Yunyi departed, the Liang Emperor spat blood, collapsed, and crawled toward the pill.

Gao Yunyi wandered freely through the Liang Kingdom's imperial palace and entered the Imperial Garden, where he witnessed a princess order a servant beaten to death. When the princess confronted him, she became infatuated with his appearance.

• Gao Yunyi strolled through the palace as attendants and guards knelt before him, and he passed through the Gate of Heavenly Purity into the inner court.
• An attendant explained that Still Abyss Hall was being built to nurture the emperor's nature and calm his heart, and Gao Yunyi mocked the emperor's condition.
• Gao Yunyi went to the Imperial Garden, where a princess had a young eunuch beaten to death for hurting her cat, Jintuan.
• The princess demanded that Gao Yunyi stop, but he ignored her until he turned around; she then blushed and called him handsome.

Minghua Princess mistook the handsome Gao Yunyi for a potential prince consort, then grew furious when he ignored her and ordered him seized. Gao Yunyi’s command turned her attendants against her, and he left the imperial garden as Minghua Princess cried for help.

• Minghua Princess admired Gao Yunyi’s appearance and imagined rules for him as her future prince consort.
• Minghua Princess demanded Gao Yunyi identify himself, then ordered her attendants to seize him when he remained silent.
• Gao Yunyi ordered the palace cat killed, and a palace maid obeyed, avenging her paired companion whom Minghua Princess had killed.
• Minghua Princess threatened the attendants and Gao Yunyi, but Gao Yunyi said he did not want to see her again and left the garden.
• Minghua Princess screamed for help as the palace attendants closed in, but her cries could not escape the inner palace.

After Minghua Princess died because palace servants obeyed an Immortal’s decree, the Liang Emperor suppressed his rage and accelerated his plan to oppose the Immortal. He ordered Mao Gang to finish Still Abyss Hall in five days and recruit key allies, including Pei Jingxuan, for the dangerous undertaking.

• A palace attendant reported Minghua Princess’s death, and the Liang Emperor ordered the execution of the servants responsible before learning they had acted on the Immortal’s decree.
• The Liang Emperor feared the Immortal’s power and decided he could no longer delay his plan.
• He summoned Mao Gang and ordered Still Abyss Hall completed within five days.
• The Liang Emperor told Mao Gang to notify his loyal subordinates and warned that Pei Jingxuan’s success would determine their victory or defeat.
• Mao Gang accepted the plan to slay an Immortal, eager to earn a lasting reputation.

While the emperor and Eldest Princess Xiao Zhaohuang’s power struggle continued around him, Gao Yunyi fished at Phoenix Yi Lake with Zhang Qingyan and the little fatty, then visited Xiao Zhaohuang as she embroidered his portrait. The chapter left Xiao Zhaohuang blushing as Gao Yunyi admired the embroidery and asked if it was meant for him.

• Gao Yunyi fished with Zhang Qingyan and the little fatty, but caught nothing while they landed fish.
• Gao Yunyi summoned Bai Suzhen to churn Phoenix Yi Lake and sweep fish, shrimp, turtles, and crabs onto the shore.
• Gao Yunyi ordered Zhang Qingyan and the little fatty to gather the catch for an all-fish feast.
• Xiao Zhaohuang worked on an embroidered portrait of Gao Yunyi in her private loft.
• Gao Yunyi appeared behind Xiao Zhaohuang, praised her embroidery, and asked whether the portrait was for him.

Gao Yunyi repaid Xiao Zhaohuang’s gift by using an immortal technique to print a lifelike portrait of her onto satin. Xiao Zhaohuang added a poem to the portrait and resolved to protect him at any cost.

• Gao Yunyi asked Xiao Zhaohuang for satin and used his photography and printing functions to create a portrait of her.
• Xiao Zhaohuang mistook the portrait for an immortal art that had drawn her soul into the satin.
• Gao Yunyi gave Xiao Zhaohuang the portrait and reminded her to give him the embroidery she was making for him.
• Xiao Zhaohuang embroidered a poem onto the portrait and vowed to protect Gao Yunyi, even if doing so brought ruin upon Great Liang.

Rumors spread through the Capital that the Immortal was a murderous demon, while Zhang Qingyan tried to leave the Ministry of War Minister's Residence to defend his big brother's reputation. Zhang Erhai blocked him and warned him not to get involved in a political struggle he could not influence, and the chapter ended with father and son preparing to fight in earnest.

• Rumors accusing the Immortal of being a demon and blaming him for the Capital's troubles spread through the marketplaces and alleyways.
• Zhang Qingyan tried to leave the residence, but Zhang Erhai challenged him to get past him first.
• Zhang Erhai criticized Zhang Qingyan's crude fighting and explained that the rumors were part of a struggle among powerful people.
• Zhang Qingyan attempted a sneak attack and insisted he had to defend his big brother, even if he could not stop the rumors.
• Zhang Erhai revealed his battle-scarred, muscular physique, leaving Zhang Qingyan stunned by the demon-like shape of his back.

Xiao Zhaohuang ordered the Pacification Investigation Office to crush rumors about the Immortal while investigating secret deliveries to Jade Spring Mountain and the rapid construction of Still Abyss Hall. The chapter left her determined to hold Mao Gang accountable for the deaths of more than a thousand workers and to uncover the hall’s purpose.

• Xiao Zhaohuang ordered the Pacification Investigation Office to intensify its hunt for people spreading rumors about the Immortal, and said Lu Maoxiu would assist from the Court of Judicial Review.
• The Black-Clad Mysterious Person reported that saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal had been secretly transported to Jade Spring Mountain through channels involving the Ministry of Works, the Wu Household, and the Directorate of Heavenly Observations.
• The Black-Clad Mysterious Person said palace attendants had become eager to help the Pacification Investigation Office after the Immortal executed Minghua Princess, and reported that His Majesty was secluded in Yangxin Hall with a declining appetite.
• Xiao Zhaohuang learned that Still Abyss Hall was nearly finished after Mao Gang accelerated construction, causing more than a thousand craftsmen and laborers to die from exhaustion or illness.
• Xiao Zhaohuang ordered an investigation into the Ministry of Works and the Directorate of Heavenly Observations and demanded that everyone involved in Still Abyss Hall's construction be brought to the Imperial Prison for questioning.

Zhang Qingyan fought his father, Zhang Erhai, for a full day and night to earn the right to leave the residence. After defeating him, Zhang Qingyan headed out to stand by his big brother, while Zhang Erhai recovered and ordered a carriage to follow him.

• Zhang Qingyan and Zhang Erhai fought in the training grounds, and Zhang Erhai was impressed by how quickly his son learned and improved.
• Madam Zhang begged them to stop, but Zhang Erhai kept trying to prevent Zhang Qingyan from leaving, while Zhang Qingyan insisted he could not abandon his big brother.
• Zhang Qingyan finally knocked Zhang Erhai down and declared that he had won.
• Zhang Qingyan apologized to his father and staggered out of the residence.
• Zhang Erhai revealed that he was safe, and Madam Zhang arranged a carriage to follow Zhang Qingyan to Jade Spring Mountain.

Zhang Qingyan visited Gao Yunyi at the Temporary Palace Villa to warn him that people were calling him a demon from beyond this world, but Gao Yunyi showed no concern. When Zhang Qingyan tried to stay on the mountain, Gao Yunyi ordered him to leave, and Zhang Qingyan departed in tears.

• Gao Yunyi mistook the battered Zhang Qingyan for a monster and had Bai Suzhen swallow him before recognizing him.
• Zhang Qingyan told Gao Yunyi that people in the Capital were claiming he was a demon from beyond this world.
• Gao Yunyi dismissed the rumors as the gossip of ants, leaving Zhang Qingyan to fear that he might crush those spreading them.
• Zhang Qingyan said he had fought his father to come comfort Gao Yunyi and intended to stay, but Gao Yunyi threatened to have Xiaobai see him out.
• Zhang Qingyan left the Temporary Palace Villa and wept outside its closing gates.

Xiao Zhaohuang’s arrests of officials from the Ministry of Works and the Bureau of Astronomy heightened fears that she was moving against the throne. The Liang Emperor offered her the crown but demanded she release the prisoners, and she refused.

• The Pacification Investigation Office arrested hundreds of officials from the Ministry of Works and the Bureau of Astronomy, with the Ministry of Justice, Court of Judicial Review, and Five-City Military Command assisting.
• People in the Capital feared Xiao Zhaohuang was preparing to seize the throne, though she still needed a legitimate claim.
• Xiao Zhaohuang entered the Hall of Heavenly Worship and paid her respects to the Liang Emperor, who had become frail and aged.
• The Liang Emperor led Xiao Zhaohuang to the dragon throne and offered to issue an edict passing Great Liang's realm to her.
• The Liang Emperor told Xiao Zhaohuang to release the arrested officials, but she refused outright.

Xiao Zhaohuang refused the Liang Emperor’s demand to release the people she held and rejected his efforts to persuade or threaten her. Their confrontation ended with her openly warning that she might repeat the Xuanwu Gate incident, while the emperor’s guards ignored his order to seize her.

• The Liang Emperor offered Xiao Zhaohuang anything she wanted, and she demanded Command of All the Armies.
• The Liang Emperor ordered her to release her prisoners and threatened to strip her of her princess title, but Xiao Zhaohuang refused.
• Xiao Zhaohuang argued that the Immortal’s presence benefited the Liang Kingdom, while the Liang Emperor insisted the Immortal had to disappear to restore the Xiao Household’s power.
• The Liang Emperor pleaded with Xiao Zhaohuang not to obstruct his plans, but she refused again and he angrily ordered guards to seize her.
• Xiao Zhaohuang warned that she would carry out an incident at Xuanwu Gate if the Liang Emperor persisted, then left as the guards did nothing.
• The Liang Emperor spat blood and swallowed his last Immortal Elixir.

The Eldest Princess suppressed rumors about the Immortal as the Capital awaited a possible seizure of the throne. At the Temporary Palace Villa, Cao Zhengchun confessed that he had spied on Gao Yunyi and warned him of the emperor's plan to strike that night, prompting Gao Yunyi to offer him a pill after he took poison.

• The Eldest Princess ordered a brutal crackdown on people accused of defaming the Immortal, filling prisons and leaving the Capital fearful.
• Cao Zhengchun confessed to Gao Yunyi that he had reported his actions to the emperor and was secretly the director of the Eastern Depot.
• Cao Zhengchun warned Gao Yunyi that Bureau of Astronomy personnel were working on mysterious supplies beneath the villa, though Gao Yunyi had already noticed people underground.
• Cao Zhengchun revealed that he had taken poison to atone for betraying the emperor and urged Gao Yunyi to flee before an attack that night.
• Gao Yunyi refused to leave and gave Cao Zhengchun a red pill to keep him alive.

A massive explosion destroyed the Temporary Palace Villa on Jade Spring Mountain, and Xiao Zhaohuang and Zhang Qingyan rushed to confirm the Immortal’s safety. Zhang Erhai suspected the emperor had plotted to kill the Immortal, while the capital moved toward lockdown.

• After learning that explosive materials had been secretly transported to the Temporary Palace Villa, Xiao Zhaohuang ordered the Phoenix Plume Guards to prepare to go to Jade Spring Mountain.
• An explosion shook the capital and sent flames and smoke rising from Jade Spring Mountain, prompting Xiao Zhaohuang to hurry toward the villa.
• The Black-Clad Mysterious Person ordered the Phoenix Plume Guards to the mountain and directed the Five-City Military Command to lock down the capital.
• Zhang Erhai and Madam Zhang saw the smoke from Jade Spring Mountain, and Zhang Erhai suspected the emperor had tried to slay the Immortal.
• Zhang Qingyan emerged from his room and insisted on going to Jade Spring Mountain, so Zhang Erhai gave him an identification token to get through the north gate.

Gao Yunyi survived the emperor’s bomb with only 50 HP lost, then prepared to unleash his Clear Sky Sword Domain on the hostile forces closing in. Xiao Zhaohuang rode out of the capital toward him as Phoenix Plume Guard cavalry advanced through the city.

• Gao Yunyi’s Moonlight Protection shielded him from the explosion, and he laughed at the emperor’s failed attempt to kill him.
• Gao Yunyi noticed red hostile forces approaching across the minimap and decided to slaughter them before confronting the emperor.
• Gao Yunyi invoked the Clear Sky Sword Domain.
• Xiao Zhaohuang rode Red Hare through the locked city gate after soldiers recognized her as the Eldest Princess.
• A rider carrying Zhang Erhai’s Military Credential was allowed through the gate, and the Phoenix Plume Guard then charged down the street.

The Divine Pivot Battalion charged Jade Spring Mountain after its deputy commander betrayed the Eldest Princess for promises of rank and wealth. Gao Yunyi revealed his overwhelming Sword Intent, leaving the soldiers kneeling and their commander fleeing as he prepared to show no mercy.

• The Divine Pivot Battalion's deputy commander led ten thousand soldiers toward Jade Spring Mountain, believing an explosion had gravely wounded the immortal there.
• The soldiers saw a sword of light enveloping the mountain and found Gao Yunyi standing unharmed amid the ruined Temporary Palace Villa.
• The deputy commander called Gao Yunyi's appearance an illusion and ordered the soldiers to shoot arrows at him.
• The arrows shattered against an invisible barrier, and Gao Yunyi unleashed Sword Intent that filled the ruins with azure sword lights.
• Many soldiers dropped their weapons and knelt, while the deputy commander turned and fled.
• Gao Yunyi said, "Go," as his sword lights gathered around the kneeling soldiers.

The Immortal unleashed Thousand Illusory Sword Shadow, slaughtering the soldiers surrounding the palace ruins, while Xiao Zhaohuang and Zhang Qingyan failed to enter Jade Spring Mountain because the Immortal had sealed it with a sword barrier. They watched from the foot of the mountain as sword light and explosions erupted halfway up the slope.

• The Immortal’s Thousand Illusory Sword Shadow killed thousands of soldiers and drove the rest from the palace ruins.
• Xiao Zhaohuang reached Jade Spring Mountain, tried to ride up and was repelled by the Immortal’s sword barrier.
• Xiao Zhaohuang failed to break through the barrier even with the Nation-Guarding Divine Sword and waited at the mountain’s foot.
• Zhang Qingyan arrived to save his big brother, but his horse crashed and he was thrown to the ground.
• Zhang Qingyan repeatedly charged the barrier despite his injuries, while Xiao Zhaohuang urged him to give up.
• Sword light and booming erupted halfway up the mountain, and Xiao Zhaohuang and Zhang Qingyan watched from below.

Gao Yunyi used his Clear Sky Sword Domain and overwhelming powers to rout the army attacking Jade Spring Mountain, while Bai Suzhen rampaged among the fleeing soldiers. As he continued slaughtering them, he discovered that Maybach had deserted and spotted the disguised deputy general among the retreating troops.

• Gao Yunyi pursued the fleeing army, weakening the soldiers with his Sword Domain and killing them with fire, lightning, and freezing attacks.
• Gao Yunyi released his Spirit Pets, and Bai Suzhen appeared and crushed the routed soldiers with her massive body and water blasts.
• Gao Yunyi found that Maybach was missing despite being marked as deployed, and decided the deserting Spirit Pet would not be spared.
• Gao Yunyi unleashed Thousand Illusory Sword Shadow and tore apart more than a thousand fleeing soldiers.
• The deputy general fled disguised as an ordinary soldier and regretted obeying the emperor's promise of glory.

Eldest Princess Xiao Zhaohuang ordered the Phoenix Plume Guards and the Pacification Investigation Office to seal Jade Spring Mountain after Wang Yanan reported that the Divine Pivot Battalion had rebelled. As the Immortal slaughtered the fleeing rebels, Xiao Zhaohuang confronted Chu Xiao, who escaped her but was trapped by a barrier of sword light.

• Wang Yanan reported to Xiao Zhaohuang that the Divine Pivot Battalion had rebelled, and Xiao Zhaohuang ordered her to help guard every exit from Jade Spring Mountain.
• Xiao Zhaohuang blamed the Pacification Investigation Office for failing to detect the rebellion and gave Wang Yanan a chance to redeem herself by capturing the rebels.
• The Immortal’s attacks devastated Jade Spring Mountain and killed the rebels as they fled, while Xiao Zhaohuang, Zhang Qingyan, and Wang Yanan waited below.
• Xiao Zhaohuang confronted Chu Xiao, the Divine Pivot Battalion’s deputy general, and refused to forgive his betrayal.
• Chu Xiao tried to flee, but a barrier of sword light stopped him and trapped him on the mountain.