Recaps

At Wu Zhou’s investiture ceremony, Samantabhadra threatened Gao Shi, but the Howling Celestial Dog’s intervention awakened Lord of Fire Li Er’s Spear Dao inheritance in him. The Howling Celestial Dog then forced Samantabhadra to address him as Master Hua, humiliating the Great National Teacher before Wu Zetian and the assembled crowd.

• Samantabhadra restored his appearance with Wu Zhou’s national destiny and threatened to expose Du Fu, then offered to make Gao Shi his disciple.
• Gao Shi rejected Samantabhadra’s offer and declared his loyalty to the Great Tang, prompting Samantabhadra to attack him.
• The Howling Celestial Dog sent Law Power into Gao Shi, awakening Lord of Fire Li Er’s Spear Dao inheritance and drawing the Heavenly Dao Law of Spear into him.
• Taibai Jinxing celebrated Gao Shi inheriting Li Er’s legacy, then vanished into starlight.
• The Howling Celestial Dog revealed himself and made Samantabhadra call him Master Hua, enraging Wu Zetian and shocking the crowd.

At Wu Zetian’s enfeoffment ceremony, Samantabhadra insulted the Howling Celestial Dog after first bowing to it, and the dog and Suirenshi sealed his cultivation. Chenxiang, Li Bai, Gao Shi, and Little Du Fu beat Samantabhadra in public for two hours before Wu Zetian ordered them to stop.

• Samantabhadra reacted to the crowd’s mockery by denouncing the Howling Celestial Dog, who ordered the others to beat him.
• The Howling Celestial Dog and Suirenshi sealed Samantabhadra’s Quasi-Saint Peak cultivation, leaving him unable to defend himself.
• Chenxiang, Li Bai, Gao Shi, and Little Du Fu attacked Samantabhadra, with Little Du Fu striking him repeatedly in the crotch.
• Di Renjie stepped in front of Wu Zetian as the officials backed away, while the beating continued before the gathered crowd.
• After two hours of beating Samantabhadra until he was covered in blood, Wu Zetian rose and ordered everyone to stop.

Li Bai and his companions disrupted Wu Zetian’s investiture ceremony, and Li Longji was wounded while saving her from Li Bai’s staged attack. After the rebels escaped, Li Bai explained that Li Longji had planned the rescue to strengthen his standing as a possible heir to Wu Zetian.

• Li Bai attacked Wu Zetian, but Li Longji stepped in front of her and was gravely wounded.
• Di Renjie warned Li Bai that Wu Zhou’s destiny protected Wu Zetian, stopping him from attacking her again.
• Wu Zetian ordered the rebels seized and their nine clans exterminated, while Li Bai and his companions escaped after publicly urging people to overthrow her rule.
• In a mountain forest, Li Bai revealed that he had staged the attack on Wu Zetian after Li Longji secretly signaled him, so Li Longji’s rescue would sway Wu Zetian toward the Li Tang imperial clan.
• Li Bai greeted Suirenshi and asked why he had not acted to kill Samantabhadra.

After the investiture ceremony collapsed, Wu Zetian punished the Jinwu Guards while Buddha Burning Lamp ordered a continent-wide hunt for Li Bai, Du Fu, Gao Shi, and their allies. As rebellions spread across the Eastern Lands, Wu Zetian privately questioned Di Renjie about her rule and the Heavenly Court, ending with a dangerous question about whether he truly understood her.

• The Howling Celestial Dog explained that Zhang Yifan had bestowed the spear-path essence on Gao Shi, who vowed to cultivate and defend the world.
• Wu Zetian ordered the arrest and execution of Jinwu Guard officers who had attended the failed ceremony, then commanded officials to root out rebel factions.
• Buddha Burning Lamp issued a kill-on-sight order for Li Bai, Du Fu, Gao Shi, and the others, while unrest and rumors of overthrowing Wu Zetian spread through the Eastern Lands.
• Wu Zetian asked Di Renjie whether her major decisions had been right, then questioned whether he was reincarnated from someone on the Heavenly Emperor's side.
• Wu Zetian revealed that she had pledged loyalty to the Heavenly Emperor and described her fear of failing his plans, while Di Renjie carefully pretended not to understand.
• Wu Zetian looked at Di Renjie with a flash of killing intent and asked whether he truly did not understand.

Wu Zetian confronted Di Renjie over his secret dealings and his protection of Du Fu, then revealed she understood Du Fu was chosen by the Human Dao. She had Di Renjie imprisoned and ordered a brutal campaign against the uprisings, seeking to intensify the turmoil in Wu Zhou.

• Wu Zetian questioned Di Renjie about Li Dan’s attempted rebellion and the Li clan revolts, while Di Renjie denied knowing about them and reminded her that he had warned her before.
• Wu Zetian challenged Di Renjie about protecting Du Fu, and he claimed Du Fu reminded him of his late sister’s son before accepting blame for Du Fu’s rebellion.
• Wu Zetian revealed that she believed Du Fu was chosen by the Human Dao and that she had knowingly indulged him, then asked whether Di Renjie served Heaven Court; he remained silent.
• Wu Zetian ordered the Jinwu Guard to strip Di Renjie of his office and imprison him in Cell Number One of the Heaven Ward.
• Wu Zetian appointed Wu Chongxun Grand Marshal of Pacification, made Samantabhadra Chief Staff Officer, authorized Buddhist temples to arm their monks, and ordered rebels’ nine clans exterminated.

Wu Chongxun accepted Samantabhadra as his master and vowed to use the campaign against the unrest to destroy the Li imperial clan and expand the Western Teachings’ power. In the Heavenly Prison, Di Renjie reassured Li Yuanfang that his imprisonment was safe, then asked him to read the hearts of court officials.

• Wu Sansi celebrated Wu Chongxun’s appointment as Grand Marshal of Pacification and urged him to help secure the realm for the Wu family.
• Samantabhadra took Wu Chongxun as his disciple and gave Wu Sansi a spiritual pill that restored his strength.
• Wu Chongxun revealed that he was the reincarnation of Vajra Fist Bodhisattva and promised Samantabhadra to slaughter dissidents while advancing the Western Teachings.
• Li Yuanfang entered Di Renjie’s prison cell after recovering his former-life cultivation, and Di Renjie told him his imprisonment was safe.
• Di Renjie asked Li Yuanfang whether he could understand the hearts of people in officialdom.

In the Heavenly Prison, Di Renjie explained to Li Yuanfang that his apparent imprisonment was part of the Jade Emperor’s vast plan, with Wu Zetian secretly playing a role in it. He then revealed that the plan concerned not only humanity but also the Earthly Way, leaving Li Yuanfang bewildered.

• Li Yuanfang told Di Renjie that Wu Chongxun was massacring officials and that many of Di Renjie’s disciples had fled, surrendered, or joined the uprising.
• Di Renjie said Wu Zetian was secretly protecting him and was one of the Jade Emperor’s pieces in the mortal world.
• Di Renjie explained that the Jade Emperor intended to turn people against the Western Teachings and prepare Li Longji to become the Human Emperor.
• Di Renjie revealed that Wu Zetian understood the Jade Emperor’s plan and had deliberately acted as a villain.
• When Li Yuanfang lamented the suffering caused by the bloodshed, Di Renjie said the Jade Emperor’s plan also concerned the Earthly Way, leaving Li Yuanfang confused.

Di Renjie explained to Li Yuanfang how the Jade Emperor’s hidden game could use the deaths from the human conflict to strengthen the Netherworld and raise the earthly path. Suirenshi confirmed that the Yellow Springs Army was one of the conditions for the earthly path’s rise, leaving Di Renjie and Li Yuanfang stunned by the scale of the plan.

• Di Renjie told Li Yuanfang that the Jade Emperor’s human-realm strategy had an overt struggle for the Human Emperor’s position and a hidden game concerning the earthly path.
• Di Renjie explained that Wu Zetian’s mention of reincarnation had led him to realize that the dead from the conflict could become a secret ghostly force in the Netherworld rather than reincarnate.
• Di Renjie said the Jade Emperor sought to raise the Heavenly Path, earthly path, and human path together so the Primordial Continent could advance.
• Suirenshi arrived, assured Di Renjie that their conversation was shielded from investigation, and warned him to be cautious about revealing such matters.
• Suirenshi confirmed that Zhang Yifan had told Empress Houtu that the earthly path’s rise required three conditions, including the Yellow Springs Army.

Suirenshi delivered the Jade Emperor’s order allowing Di Renjie and Li Yuanfang to reclaim their cultivation while keeping it secret, and warned that the mortal world would change in three years. In Wu Zhou, Wu Chongxun’s purge and the Western Teachings’ surveillance tightened their grip as Wu Zetian introduced Yunxiao to Li Longji, then Wu Chongxun forced his way into the palace.

• Suirenshi told Di Renjie and Li Yuanfang they could reclaim their cultivation but must conceal their magical power, and said the mortal world would change in three years.
• Wu Chongxun used his authority to purge officials while Samantabhadra’s disciples monitored and punished people across Wu Zhou.
• Wu Zetian visited the recovering Li Longji, named him Prince Chu, and introduced Yun Niang as his attendant.
• Li Longji realized Yun Niang was Yunxiao and heard her voice in his mind urging him to accept Wu Zetian’s offer.
• Wu Chongxun ignored Wu Zetian’s order to wait, shoved aside a female official, and entered the palace hall in armor.

Wu Chongxun threatened Wu Zetian and defied her order to arrest him, while Yun Niang repeatedly slapped him in front of the court. After Wu Zetian’s guards hesitated to act against Wu Chongxun, Li Longji declared that he would capture and execute the Grand Marshal himself.

• Wu Chongxun entered the hall in armor and reported that Li Xian had plotted rebellion, presenting a newly embroidered dragon robe as evidence.
• Wu Zetian rebuked Wu Chongxun for arresting Li Xian without her permission, but Great Bodhisattva Samantabhadra defended him and threatened the Emperor’s authority.
• Li Longji ordered Yun Niang to slap Wu Chongxun, and Yun Niang struck him three times before Samantabhadra intervened.
• Wu Chongxun threatened to kill Li Xian and his household, and Wu Zetian ordered his dismissal and imprisonment, but the Jinwu Guards hesitated to arrest him.
• Wu Chongxun taunted Wu Zetian and threatened Li Longji’s father, Li Dan, and Li Longji answered that he would seize and behead Wu Chongxun.

Li Longji revealed that he was healthy and a cultivator, then confronted Wu Chongxun in the palace before Wu Zetian sent everyone away. At the Grand Marshal's Mansion, Samantabhadra and Wu Chongxun plotted to eliminate Li Dan and Li Longji, force Wu Zetian to abdicate, and deal with Di Renjie.

• Li Longji leaped from bed, seized a guard's saber, and attacked Wu Chongxun, revealing his strength as a cultivator.
• Wu Chongxun blocked Li Longji's strike and admitted that he cultivated the Buddhist path under Samantabhadra.
• Wu Zetian ordered Wu Chongxun, Samantabhadra, Li Longji, Yun Niang, and the Jinwu Guard to leave, then lamented her declining power in the empty hall.
• Wu Chongxun returned to his mansion and discussed Li Longji with Samantabhadra, who suspected the young prince was a Heavenly Court agent.
• Samantabhadra proposed framing Li Dan and forcing Wu Zetian to abdicate if she continued protecting Li Longji; Wu Chongxun agreed to assassinate Li Dan and Li Longji.
• Samantabhadra told Wu Chongxun that they also needed to subdue or kill Di Renjie.

Wu Sansi visited Di Renjie in the Heavenly Prison to recruit him for Wu Chongxun’s planned rule, but Di Renjie reacted furiously upon learning the emperor was confined and the Wu family intended to seize the throne. Wu Sansi’s offer ended with a threat after Di Renjie refused to accept the usurpation.

• Wu Chongxun told Samantabhadra to arrange for Wu Sansi and two Bodhisattvas to win over or kill Di Renjie.
• After three months in the Heavenly Prison, Di Renjie and Li Yuanfang had recovered much of their cultivation and secretly enjoyed wine and food in their cell.
• Wu Sansi visited Di Renjie with two Bodhisattvas, offered him poisoned wine, and invited him to return as Prime Minister on Wu Chongxun’s authority.
• Wu Sansi told Di Renjie that Li Xian had been executed, Wu Zetian was confined, and Wu Chongxun controlled the court and planned to become emperor.
• Di Renjie condemned Wu Sansi for treason and refused to accept the offer, prompting Wu Sansi to release his killing intent.

Wu Sansi tried to force Di Renjie to submit with poisoned food and threats, but Di Renjie revealed overwhelming power when two Bodhisattvas attacked him. After Di Renjie killed them, Wu Sansi was left terrified and helpless.

• Wu Sansi offered to restore Di Renjie's office and threatened to ruin his reputation if he refused, but Di Renjie rejected the offer.
• Wu Sansi claimed the meal was poisoned and threatened to turn Di Renjie's corpse into a puppet, yet Di Renjie continued eating and drinking calmly.
• After two hours passed and Di Renjie remained alive, Wu Sansi realized the poison had failed and ordered the two Bodhisattvas to kill him.
• The Bodhisattvas attacked, but Di Renjie's Quasi-Saint Peak aura crushed their assault and forced them to their knees.
• Li Yuanfang blocked the Bodhisattvas' escape, and Di Renjie killed them with a single palm strike.
• Wu Sansi trembled in terror as Di Renjie approached and patted his shoulder.

Di Renjie let Wu Sansi believe he was free before Li Yuanfang killed him and seized his soul. After the Heavenly Prison burned down and Wu Chongxun found his father's head, he urged Samantabhadra to force Wu Zetian to abdicate that day.

• Di Renjie mocked Wu Sansi's pleas for mercy, then Li Yuanfang killed him as he fled and captured his soul for later use.
• Di Renjie and Li Yuanfang left Luoyang, and Li Yuanfang set the Heavenly Prison ablaze.
• Wu Chongxun learned of the fire, then found Wu Sansi's severed head outside the Marshal's Mansion and broke down in grief.
• Samantabhadra recognized Wu Sansi's head and promised Wu Chongxun that his death would be avenged.
• Wu Chongxun urged Samantabhadra to make Wu Zetian abdicate that day and seize the throne.

Wu Chongxun and Great Bodhisattva Samantabhadra launched a coup to seize Wu Zhou’s throne and eliminate Li Dan and Li Longji. Wu Chongxun stormed Wu Zetian’s palace and demanded her abdication, but she refused even as he threatened her with his blade.

• Wu Chongxun persuaded Great Bodhisattva Samantabhadra to back an immediate assault on the palace, and Samantabhadra ordered Li Dan and Li Longji captured and killed.
• Wu Chongxun’s forces marched on the imperial palace, killing those who tried to stop them and filling it with the sounds of battle.
• Wu Chongxun confronted Wu Zetian and mocked her warning that his coup would bring punishment for treason.
• Wu Chongxun kicked Wu Zetian to the ground, then demanded the Imperial Seal and her abdication.
• Wu Zetian refused to surrender the throne to Wu Chongxun.

Wu Zetian endured beatings and pressure from Wu Chongxun and Great Bodhisattva Samantabhadra, who demanded the Imperial Seal and her abdication. She rejected their offer of Buddhahood and struck back at Wu Chongxun with a golden hairpin.

• Wu Chongxun beat Wu Zetian and demanded to know where she had hidden the Imperial Seal.
• Great Bodhisattva Samantabhadra offered Wu Zetian a chance to abdicate peacefully and promised to help her become a Bodhisattva.
• Wu Zetian mocked Samantabhadra about his humiliating defeat during the investiture ceremony, provoking his anger.
• Wu Chongxun beat Wu Zetian again and threatened to have her beaten every day unless she obeyed him.
• Wu Zetian challenged Wu Chongxun to beat her to death, then stabbed his neck with a golden hairpin, leaving him with a huge wound.

Wu Chongxun imprisoned Wu Zetian after she failed to force him to yield, while Yun Niang revealed herself to Li Longji as the teacher from his dreams. Li Longji recognized her and knelt to acknowledge her as his master.

• Wu Zetian struck Wu Chongxun in the neck, but his mana healed him, and he beat her while the Wu Zhou Dynasty's fate kept her alive.
• Wu Chongxun ordered soldiers to destroy the hall, seal it, and deny Wu Zetian food and water, hoping she would take her own life.
• In the darkness, Wu Zetian murmured about her fate and called out to her third son, while secretly smiling.
• At Prince Chu's Mansion, Yun Niang teased Li Longji as he calmly read despite the upheaval in Luoyang.
• Yun Niang prompted Li Longji to recall who had called him an idiot and grandaunt, leading him to recognize her as the teacher from his dreams.
• Li Longji knelt before Yun Niang and paid his respects to her as his master.

Yun Niang learned that Li Longji had another dream mentor, who was the Jade Emperor, and discovered that the mentor had guided him to stay in Luoyang and secretly build an army. The chapter ended with Yun Niang questioning whether the Dragon Martial Army’s commander would remain loyal to Li Longji amid the chaos.

• Li Longji called Yun Niang his Second Master and revealed that an earlier dream mentor he called Grand Master had taught him.
• Li Longji said Grand Master had the surname Zhang, wore an imperial robe, and taught him the way of an emperor, leading Yun Niang to realize he was the Jade Emperor.
• Li Longji explained that Grand Master had advised him to remain in Luoyang and use Wu Chongxun’s many enemies to build his reputation and gather support.
• Li Longji revealed that Grand Master had guided him from age three, and that he had secretly built a three-hundred-thousand-strong Dragon Martial Army by age five.
• Yun Niang asked whether the Dragon Martial Army’s commander would still obey Li Longji instead of seeking power for himself.

Li Longji explained his plan to resist Wu Chongxun by relying on a hidden army, drawing public attention, and exposing any forged imperial edict. Wu Chongxun framed Li Dan for treason and surrounded Prince Chu's Mansion, demanding that Li Longji surrender.

• Li Longji told Yun Niang that Chen Xuanli commanded three hundred thousand Dragon Martial Army soldiers hidden among Luoyang's citizens and ready to mobilize.
• Li Longji explained that staying in Luoyang would draw the realm's attention and force Wu Chongxun to prove whether any imperial edict was genuine.
• Yun Niang pointed out that Wu Zetian's support for the Western Teachings could also affect the struggle, then fell asleep beside the desk.
• Wu Chongxun arranged for the Western Teachings to plant letters and a dragon robe in Li Dan's residence, then arrested Li Dan for treason.
• Wu Chongxun led troops to surround Prince Chu's Mansion, destroyed its plaque, and demanded that Li Longji surrender.

Wu Chongxun surrounded Prince Chu’s Mansion after arresting Li Dan, but Li Longji remained calm and sent him a note instead of fleeing. Wu Chongxun and Samantabhadra read it and reacted with shock and anger, leaving the note’s contents unknown.

• Wu Chongxun arrived with several thousand troops and surrounded Prince Chu’s Mansion after arresting Li Dan on treason charges.
• Li Longji told his panicked servant not to disturb Yun Niang’s nap and refused to flee.
• Li Longji wrote a note and sent the servant to deliver it to Wu Chongxun.
• Wu Chongxun stopped his soldiers from breaking down the gate and took the note from the trembling servant.
• Wu Chongxun roared in anger after reading the note, and Samantabhadra read it and reacted with alarm.

Li Longji forced Wu Chongxun and Samantabhadra to enter Prince Chu's Mansion by threatening Wu Chongxun's family and grandfather's soul, then calmly provoked the marshal while hosting him for tea. Samantabhadra suspected the Heavenly Court had secretly paved the way for Li Longji, and the confrontation continued over tea.

• Wu Chongxun asked Samantabhadra to have the Western Teachings rescue his wife, son, and grandfather's soul, but Samantabhadra suspected the Heavenly Court had prepared Li Longji's rise for years.
• Li Longji invited Wu Chongxun inside for tea, and his servant warned him not to leave if he cared about his family and grandfather's soul.
• Samantabhadra decided they had to enter Prince Chu's Mansion, while Wu Chongxun ordered his soldiers to guard the gates and stand ready to attack.
• Inside the study, Li Longji told Wu Chongxun to lower his voice so he would not wake Yun Niang, prompting Wu Chongxun to recognize the maid who had slapped him.
• Li Longji calmly freed himself when Wu Chongxun grabbed his collar and taunted him about becoming emperor, while Samantabhadra urged Wu Chongxun to remain calm.
• Li Longji welcomed Samantabhadra and Wu Chongxun to sit, then ordered his servants to bring the finest tea.

Li Longji negotiated the release of his father and Wu Chongxun’s family while secretly buying time for the Dragon Martial Army to attack. With Wu Chongxun’s mansion and camp under assault, he forced Wu Chongxun and Samantabhadra to retreat and publicly portrayed Wu as having escorted Li Dan home.

• Li Longji proposed exchanging the hostages, then revealed Wu Chongxun’s wife, sons, and grandfather’s soul before demanding that Li Dan be brought in.
• Wu Chongxun and Li Longji exchanged their families, but Samantabhadra hesitated before allowing the exchange to proceed.
• After the hostages were released, Wu Chongxun tried to order an attack, but messengers reported that his mansion had been seized and his main camp was under assault.
• Li Longji revealed that he had secretly mobilized the Dragon Martial Army, while Yun Niang’s hoe frightened Samantabhadra into fleeing with Wu Chongxun.
• Li Longji announced that Wu Chongxun had escorted Li Dan home and deserved a title, leaving Luoyang’s people to believe Wu had lost the struggle for the throne.

Li Longji asked Yun Niang why she had not killed Samantabhadra and Wu Chongxun, and she explained that the people of the Eastern Land needed time to suffer enough to rise against Wu Zhou. As Li Longji prepared to fight for the throne himself, the chapter revealed that Heaven and the Netherworld were also using the time to prepare for greater struggles.

• News of Li Longji defeating Wu Chongxun reached Gao Shi, Li Bai, and Chenxiang, who prepared to attack Shanxi Circuit.
• Li Longji asked Yun Niang why she had spared Samantabhadra and Wu Chongxun, and she explained that the Western Teachings were not yet a threat and the people had not suffered enough to rebel.
• Yun Niang told Li Longji to fight Wu Chongxun himself so he could earn the people's support rather than relying on her to put him on the throne.
• Yun Niang revealed that Heaven's immortals were cultivating, humanity had to rise without outside aid, and the Netherworld needed time to rebuild its ranks.
• Empress Houtu began teaching the Ghost Cultivation Great Dao to the Netherworld's leaders, including Li Shimin.

After his death, Li Shimin arrived in the Netherworld and learned that he had been appointed to serve there instead of entering reincarnation. Meng Xiaojiu brought him to meet Empress Houtu, whose presence left him awestruck.

• Ox-Head and Horse-Face escorted Li Shimin to King Qin Guang, who greeted him enthusiastically and revealed he had been waiting for him for more than ten years.
• King Qin Guang told Li Shimin that, by the Jade Emperor’s and Empress Houtu’s orders, he would remain in the Netherworld and work there as a colleague.
• King Qin Guang introduced Meng Xiaojiu, who said Empress Houtu was waiting for Li Shimin, and Li Shimin agreed to visit King Qin Guang later.
• Meng Xiaojiu guided Li Shimin through bustling Fengdu City and explained that its residents were virtuous departed souls awaiting rebirth, while vicious spirits were handled elsewhere.
• Meng Xiaojiu brought Li Shimin to Empress Houtu’s cave mansion, where he knelt and paid his respects as she opened her eyes.

In the Netherworld, Saint Houtu turned Li Shimin into a Ghost Immortal and accepted him as her first disciple. She sent him with Meng Xiaojiu to meet old acquaintances, leaving Li Shimin curious about who awaited him.

• Saint Houtu welcomed Li Shimin and, at Meng Xiaojiu's insistence, he sat down and agreed to call her Ninth Master.
• Li Shimin admitted he had not yet adjusted to being dead and joked that he would get used to the Netherworld after being dead longer.
• Saint Houtu used her power to solidify Li Shimin's soul into a Ghost Immortal body, making him young again.
• Saint Houtu told Li Shimin that the Jade Emperor had also arranged for him to serve the Netherworld, and Li Shimin gratefully praised the Jade Emperor and Houtu.
• Saint Houtu asked Li Shimin to become her disciple, and he eagerly accepted as her first disciple.
• Saint Houtu told Li Shimin that Meng Xiaojiu had arranged a residence for him and sent him to meet old acquaintances.