Chapter Summaries

Phoenix reported to Wu Zetian that Tai'an remained in seclusion, while the Big Dipper Pavilion prepared a mission against the Iron Hand Group and Di Renjie’s allies began a covert operation to rescue the Crown Prince. The chapter ended as Qianniu Guards entered a tunnel beneath the palace to move against the Serpent Spirit.

• Phoenix told Wu Zetian that Tai'an had not left her residence, then withdrew from the hall.
• Hidden Spirit Zhang Bin revealed that he had saved Lu Cheng and invited him to join the Big Dipper Pavilion.
• Youqin told Zhang Bin that the Pavilion Master had sent them to investigate the Iron Hand Group, gather evidence, and protect Li Han in Yangzhou.
• Xiao Hui learned that the Crown Prince had not returned, and Blood Spirit arrived at the Crown Prince’s Palace.
• The false Li Xian showed Di Renjie and the others where Serpent Spirit members were housed inside the palace.
• Huan Bin ordered the Qianniu Guards into the tunnel to begin the covert operation.

Di Renjie and the Qianniu Guards entered the Crown Prince’s Palace, only to discover that Huan Bin, Xiao Mei, and others had laid a trap for them. Just as Li Yuanfang and Hui Wenzhong appeared to turn the tables, Hui Wenzhong revealed himself as another Serpent Spirit mole and disabled Li Yuanfang.

• Huan Bin led the Qianniu Guards through the tunnel and into the Side Hall, where Di Renjie’s party rescued the imprisoned Crown Prince Li Xian.
• Di Renjie found Huan Bin’s men had captured the troop commanders, and Huan Bin revealed that he was the Serpent Spirit’s First Hall master.
• Xiao Mei sealed Li Xiao’s, Zhang Huan’s, and Li Lang’s acupoints as Di Renjie explained how Huan Bin and Xiao Mei had orchestrated the Cold Light Temple attack to seize Yuan Tiangang.
• Li Yuanfang and Hui Wenzhong arrived, claiming that Xiao Mei’s assassin sister had been captured, but the purple-clad Xiao Mei entered unharmed with Lu Cheng.
• Hui Wenzhong attacked Li Yuanfang and admitted to Di Renjie that he was a Serpent Spirit mole.

Yuan Tiangang revealed that he had survived and had manipulated Di Renjie into destroying Xiao Qingfang’s power so he could reclaim control of Serpent Spirit. He explained how Hui Wenzhong was planted among Di Renjie’s allies and admitted that he had posed as the Viper-clad assassin sent to kill Li Yuanfang.

• Yuan Tiangang unmasked himself as the real Yuan Tiangang and revealed that the dead man at Serpent Spirit’s headquarters had been the real Lu Cheng.
• Yuan Tiangang and Huan Bin explained that they had used Xiao Mei to guide Di Renjie into destroying Xiao Qingfang’s headquarters and killing her.
• Di Renjie deduced that Hui Wenzhong had staged his break with Xiao Qingfang and the poisoning to infiltrate Di Renjie’s side.
• Yuan Tiangang revealed that he had passed Hui Wenzhong a note during the night at the snake den and later guided the group to Tuo Luo Land.
• Yuan Tiangang had Ruyan subdued with smoke and ordered Hui Wenzhong to kill Li Yuanfang.
• Hui Wenzhong admitted that he had disguised himself as the Viper-clad assassin to deceive Di Renjie and Xiao Qingfang.

Di Renjie exposed Yuan Tiangang and Xiao Mei’s roles in the Serpent Spirit’s plot, including Hui Wenzhong’s murder of Xiao Qingfang. Yuan Tiangang revealed that the Luo River Mystery would strike the next morning and tried to recruit Di Renjie, who refused and denounced him as Yuan Tiangang threatened his life.

• Di Renjie explained how Hui Wenzhong faked his death and infiltrated the dungeon, then revealed that Yuan Tiangang had ordered him to kill Xiao Qingfang.
• Hui Wenzhong recounted killing the wounded Xiao Qingfang and her guards as they fled through the mountain tunnels.
• Yuan Tiangang said the Luo River Mystery would begin the next morning with an eclipse and catastrophic flooding, and declared that Di Renjie would be kept as their talisman.
• Di Renjie exposed Xiao Mei as a Serpent Spirit spy, citing the Qingyang Inn murders and the deliberately planted snake-marked note as evidence.
• Yuan Tiangang offered Di Renjie power and status if he joined the rebellion, but Di Renjie rejected and condemned him, prompting Yuan Tiangang to threaten that Di Renjie’s death was near.

Di Renjie exposed Yuan Tiangang’s identity and revealed that he had lured the conspirators into disclosing their plans while Wang Xiaojie’s forces attacked the Crown Prince’s Palace. The rebels were defeated, but Yuan Tiangang escaped into a rooftop fight with Li Yuanfang and Li Xiao.

• Di Renjie deduced that Yuan Tiangang was not Lu Cheng after linking his burned calculations to the Luo River secret and having Di Chun watch his room.
• Di Renjie told Yuan Tiangang that Wang Xiaojie’s Right Awe Guard had attacked the palace, and Huan Bin returned wounded to confirm the rebels were losing.
• Di Ruyan revealed herself beneath her disguise as Little Feng and killed Xiao Mei, while Li Yuanfang and Li Xiao revealed they had been pretending to be incapacitated.
• Li Xiao killed Hui Wenzhong as Right Awe Guard troops emerged from the underground tunnel and fought the men in purple.
• Wang Xiaojie entered the hall, killed Huan Bin, and secured Di Renjie and Crown Prince Li Xian as the remaining rebels surrendered.
• Yuan Tiangang fled, and Li Yuanfang and Li Xiao pursued him across the rooftops.

Li Xiao and Li Yuanfang defeated Yuan Tiangang, and Di Renjie reported that Serpent Spirit’s rebellion had been crushed. After the surge destroyed Linde Hall, Wu Zetian agreed to keep Yuan Tiangang’s capture and the affair’s secrets out of public view.

• Yuan Tiangang used sword light to wound Li Xiao, but Li Yuanfang struck him with his chain blade, and Zhang Huan, Li Lang, and the others captured him.
• Di Renjie warned Li Xiao and Li Yuanfang that the surge was coming and ordered them to evacuate everyone from Shangyang Palace.
• The surge flooded the tunnels and caused Linde Hall to collapse as Wu Zetian and the court watched from the Hunting Viewing Platform.
• Di Renjie told Wu Zetian that the Crown Prince had been rescued and Serpent Spirit’s rebels had been defeated.
• Di Renjie asked to handle Yuan Tiangang’s disposal secretly, and Wu Zetian agreed to keep the truth from public view.

Di Renjie poisoned Yuan Tiangang, then grew suspicious of Li Xiao and Big Dipper Pavilion and chose to leave court with Li Yuanfang. Wu Zetian approved Di Renjie’s resignation, and as he departed Luoyang, he found Wang Xiaojie, Li Kaigu, Quan Shancai, and Li Xiao waiting at the Ten-Li Farewell Pavilion.

• Di Renjie gave Yuan Tiangang poisoned wine, and Yuan Tiangang warned that Big Dipper Pavilion was a powerful force and questioned whether Li Xiao was truly Li Xiao.
• Di Renjie suspected Li Xiao was connected to Big Dipper Pavilion and decided that he and Li Yuanfang should leave court before Wu Zetian could act against them.
• Wu Zetian approved Di Renjie’s request to retire after realizing his departure was meant to put her at ease.
• Di Renjie, Li Yuanfang, Ru Yan, Di Chun, and their companions left Luoyang quietly at dawn and stopped at the Ten-Li Farewell Pavilion.
• Di Renjie was surprised to find Wang Xiaojie, Li Kaigu, Quan Shancai, and Li Xiao waiting at the pavilion.

Di Renjie left the court for Jiangzhou with Wu Zetian’s support, while Li Yuanfang was appointed to accompany him. Years later, Di Renjie and the officials forced Wu Zetian to restore Li Xian to the throne, but revealed that Li Wan’er’s Big Dipper Pavilion had secretly become a powerful force.

• Di Renjie tearfully said farewell to the Crown Prince and the officials, and Li Xiao gave him and Li Yuanfang Supreme member tokens for First-Rank Residence.
• Wu Zetian decreed that Di Renjie would retire with his original rank in Jiangzhou, with the Qianniu Guards protecting him and the state paying his expenses; she also appointed Li Yuanfang Acting General of the Qianniu Guards to attend him.
• As Wu Zetian neared death, Di Renjie, Li Yuanfang, Zhang Jianzhi, and other officials escorted Li Xian into Shangyang Palace and demanded that Wu Zetian restore the throne to its rightful line.
• Wu Zetian said she had already planned to pass the throne to Li Xian, while Li Wan’er asked that her mother be allowed to depart in peace.
• Di Renjie revealed that he knew Li Wan’er was the Pavilion Master of Big Dipper Pavilion, and Li Wan’er admitted she had built it for self-preservation and had no interest in the throne.
• Wu Zetian asked Li Wan’er to strip her of her imperial title after her death, bury her with her father, and spare the Wu clan; Li Wan’er agreed and warned that Li Xian and the other elder brother were unfit rulers.

After the Empress died, Li Wan'er handed the throne to her brother, gave the new emperor advice, and left the court to wander the martial world. Decades later, she visited the dying Di Renjie and eventually encountered Yuan Tiangang in the Imperial Library, where she confronted him over his covert attacks on the Wu Clan.

• Li Wan'er ordered the Big Dipper Pavilion to support the new emperor, advised him to value the people, and said she would leave after her vigil at the mausoleum.
• After Li Wan'er disappeared from court, Princess Tai Ping caused upheaval, but Li Longji later restored the nation's strength through good governance.
• More than twenty years later, Li Wan'er visited the critically ill Di Renjie, who said the current emperor had not disappointed him, and she discussed the Xiantian Realm with Li Yuanfang.
• Di Renjie died half a month later, and Li Wan'er attended his funeral before disappearing again and living under various disguises.
• In the Imperial Library, Li Wan'er met Yuan Tiangang and accused him of causing the Wu Clan's deaths; he dismissed her authority to stop him.

Over centuries, Li Wan'er founded the Twelve Grottoes and watched Great Tang collapse, eventually accepting that she could not restore the past. In Luzhou, she encountered Yuan Tiangang traveling with a boy and asked him to show the child mercy.

• Li Wan'er lived through successive dynasties, advanced to the late Xiantian Realm, and witnessed Zhu Wen overthrow Great Tang and found Liang.
• In Qianjiang, Li Wan'er founded the Twelve Grottoes, made Li Tan its Second Grotto Master, and established the organization as a refuge apart from worldly struggles.
• Li Wan'er told Li Tan that the Li Clan had failed the people and that the Twelve Grottoes would not intervene in political struggles.
• In Luzhou, Yuan Tiangang and a boy entered an inn, where Yuan Tiangang killed the armed men who tried to rob them.
• Li Wan'er, disguised as an old woman, recognized Yuan Tiangang and asked him to show the boy mercy; Yuan Tiangang denied understanding her request.

Li Wan'er gave Li Xingyun a martial arts manual, confronted Yuan Tiangang over his plans to restore Great Tang, and then traveled to Heavenly Mountain to free a mysterious girl from an icy pool. The girl attacked Li Wan'er after she declared herself the girl's boss, but her water droplets vaporized before reaching her.

• Li Wan'er visited Li Xingyun at Sword Hut, gave him a cultivation method, and told him to practice it secretly.
• Li Wan'er opened Yuelai Inn with help from Chen Xuanqing and Chen Xuanya, then argued with Yuan Tiangang about his plans for Great Tang and her own pursuit of martial arts.
• Li Wan'er warned Yuan Tiangang that he had only ten or twenty years to live, and they parted on bad terms.
• At Heavenly Mountain, Li Wan'er froze the pool holding a chained girl, who broke free of her restraints and leaped onto the stone platform.
• Li Wan'er told the girl she was her boss, and the girl attacked her with water droplets that vaporized before reaching her.

After seven years under Li Wan'er's guidance, Ying Gou had grown stronger while remaining unreliable, and news of the Dark Nether Cult's search for a man and a woman reached the inn. Li Wan'er then experienced a sudden transformation as a mysterious flame burned through the Five Elements qi in her body.

• Li Wan'er took Ying Gou under her wing, gave her the Hunyuan True Scripture, and told her it might help her reach the Shenxiao Stage.
• Seven years later, Ying Gou was close to the Shenxiao Stage, and Xuan Qing and Xuan Ya dealt with thugs who had come to the inn.
• Xuan Qing returned after confronting the thugs and told Li Wan'er that the Dark Nether Cult was active in Yuzhou City and searching for a man and a woman.
• Li Wan'er watched a green-clad girl kick a drunken white-haired youth away after he clung to her leg and called her his wife.
• Li Wan'er returned to the inn and meditated, where a mysterious scarlet flame appeared in her triple burner and melted the Five Elements qi into milky-white qi before spreading into her five viscera.

Li Wan'er completed a breakthrough in Five Qis Returning to Origin, gaining clear insight into her body and absorbing the morning's purple qi. In the inn, she found Li Xingyun being attended by two Phantom Sound phalanx Sacred Maidens, whose flirtation provoked Ji Ruxue's jealousy and a dispute over their standing.

• Li Wan'er restored the five qi to their origins, cleared the obstructions in her body, and gained a sudden understanding of its meridians and acupoints.
• Li Wan'er absorbed purple qi from the sunrise before going to the inn's main hall.
• Li Wan'er found Li Xingyun being massaged by Miao Chengtian and Xuan Jingtian, and learned they were Phantom Sound phalanx Sacred Maidens sent by the Empress.
• Miao Chengtian and Xuan Jingtian flirted with Li Xingyun, while Shangguan Yunque called their approach a honey trap.
• Li Xingyun declared Ji Ruxue his woman, but Miao Chengtian and Xuan Jingtian dismissed her jealousy and asserted their superior status in the Phantom Sound phalanx.

Li Xingyun and the others learned that A-Jie was the corpse ancestor Ying Gou, drawing the attention of the Dark Nether Cult and Tongwen Hall. Half a month later, the Empress visited Yuelai Inn to see A-Jie, but she refused the Dark Nether Cult’s attempt to bring her back, and the Empress asked to meet the innkeeper.

• Li Xingyun greeted Li Wan'er warmly, while A-Jie briefly spoke as Ying Gou and recognized Li Xingyun’s Li Tang bloodline before insisting she was A-Jie.
• Shangguan Yunque recognized Ying Gou and panicked, and Li Wan'er revealed her fearsome reputation to the shocked Miao Chengtian and the others.
• News of Ying Gou’s return reached the Dark Nether Cult, where Meng Po, Yang Yan, and Yang Miao discussed the implications, while Li Siyuan considered recruiting her for Tongwen Hall.
• Half a month later, the disguised Empress visited Yuelai Inn, recognized A-Jie as Ying Gou, and asked Xuan Ya to bring her the inn’s specialties.
• Chang Haoling and Chang Xuanling arrived to welcome Ying Gou back to the Dark Nether Cult, but A-Jie rejected them and they withdrew to report to Meng Po.
• Xuan Qing arrived at the inn, and the Empress asked to meet the innkeeper after learning Xuan Qing was heading to the back courtyard.

Li Wan'er sent Xuan Qing to Luoyang to protect Li Xingyun, who was caught in the Underworld Emperor Zhu Yougui’s ambush. Xuan Qing arrived at Jiaolan Hall and intervened as Zhu Yougui attacked Li Xingyun and his companions.

• Xuan Qing told Li Wan'er that Zhu Yougui had captured Lu Linxuan and lured Li Xingyun to Luoyang, and Li Wan'er ordered her to go there.
• The Empress wondered whether Li Wan'er was the legendary Tai'an Princess after hearing her speak of her imperial parents.
• A month later, Xuan Qing entered Luoyang and found Zhu Yougui battling Li Xingyun and Shangguan Yunque outside Jiaolan Hall, while Ji Ruxue was bound.
• Zhu Yougui defeated Shangguan Yunque and struck Li Xingyun down, leaving him coughing Black Blood.
• Xuan Qing rushed to Li Xingyun's defense, and Zhu Yougui attacked her as she drew her sword to fight him.

Xuan Qing and the others defeated Zhu Yougui, while Yuan Tiangang urged Li Xingyun to restore Great Tang, but Li Xingyun refused the throne and left with Ji Ruxue and Lu Linxuan. On her way back to Yuzhou City, Xuan Qing came upon Li Siyuan attacking the maddened Zhang Xuanling, and intervened just as Li Siyuan was about to strike.

• Meng Po freed Ji Ruxue, distracting Zhu Yougui long enough for Xuan Qing to wound him.
• Yuan Tiangang announced that Great Liang had fallen, then called on Li Xingyun to ascend the throne and restore Great Tang.
• Li Xingyun refused to become emperor and left with Ji Ruxue and Lu Linxuan, while Yuan Tiangang ordered Shi Yao to take over the Dark Nether Cult.
• Xuan Qing encountered Li Siyuan and Li Cunzhong fighting Zhang Xuanling in a forest outside Luoyang City.
• Li Siyuan exploited Zhang Xuanling's anguish to attack him, but Xuan Qing grabbed Li Siyuan's fist and stopped the strike.

Xuan Qing rescued Zhang Xuanling from Li Siyuan, and her reminder of his family restored his memories and reignited his desire for revenge. Zhang Xuanling left for Heavenly Master Manor, while Xuan Qing returned to Yuzhou City and reported the outcome of her mission.

• Xuan Qing persuaded Li Siyuan to leave Zhang Xuanling alive, and Li Siyuan vowed to obtain the Five Thunder Heavenly Heart Formula.
• Xuan Qing told Zhang Xuanling about his wife Xu Huan and Heavenly Master Manor, prompting him to regain his memories and swear revenge on Li Siyuan.
• Xuan Qing warned Zhang Xuanling that attacking Tongwen Hall alone would be suicidal, and he decided to return to Heavenly Master Manor instead.
• Xuan Qing arrived at Yuzhou City and told Li Wan'er, Xuan Ya, and Elder Sister that Zhu Wen, Zhu Yougui, and Zhu Youwen had died at Jiaolan Hall and Li Xingyun had rejected the throne.
• Li Wan'er said Li Xingyun should be left alive to learn from his own experiences.

Li Wan'er, Shui Yunji, Meng Po, and the Witch King gathered at Weapon Repository Valley after Yuan Tiangang summoned them, where Li Wan'er challenged his view of the world's upheavals. Yuan Tiangang called on the regional powers to restore Great Tang, but Li Keyong confronted him over his son Cunxu's death and escaped when Yuan Tiangang attacked.

• Li Wan'er arrived at Weapon Repository Valley and joined Shui Yunji and Meng Po before they entered the underground altar.
• Yuan Tiangang appeared and greeted Li Wan'er, who argued that dynasties naturally rose and fell and that he had wasted centuries resisting that cycle.
• Yuan Tiangang urged the regional powers to unite beneath Great Tang's banner, and Meng Po, the Witch King, and Shui Yunji each declared their positions.
• Li Keyong entered and accused Yuan Tiangang of ignoring him despite his allegiance to Great Tang, citing Cunxu's murder and the loss of six Guardians.
• Yuan Tiangang declared Li Keyong an obstacle and attacked, but Li Keyong threw his guards at him and vanished.

Li Wan'er defeated Yuan Tiangang's challenge, revealed her identity as Princess Tai'an, and agreed to help his plans only if Li Xingyun and his rival succeeded through their own abilities. Several years later, Ying Gou broke through to the Divine Firmament Rank at Yuelai Inn, while Li Xingyun reflected on his ancestor and the chaos surrounding the throne.

• Li Keyong fought Yuan Tiangang but was ambushed, controlled by the Witch King's bell, and killed by the attacker using the Supreme Sage Qian Kun Skill.
• Li Wan'er clashed with Yuan Tiangang, destroyed the altar, and revealed her youthful appearance after her disguise was lost.
• Li Wan'er ordered the witnesses to keep her identity secret and agreed to remove obstacles for Yuan Tiangang's candidates, but warned him not to disturb her again.
• Yuan Tiangang explained that Li Wan'er had lived for centuries through her martial talent and that the Twelve Grottoes' true strength remained unknown.
• Several years later, Ying Gou broke through to the Divine Firmament Rank at Yuelai Inn, and Li Xingyun pondered his ancestor's power and her failure to save the Great Tang.

After dying beneath heavenly punishment, Li Wan'er possessed a young girl's body in the world of the World Association and joined as a maid to rebuild her strength. She watched Xiongba teach Qin Shuang the Frost Fist, recognizing that he had concealed part of his martial arts from his disciples.

• Li Wan'er recalled the Fifteen Grottoes’ rise and her death during tribulation, then awakened in a young girl's body in a plague-stricken village.
• Li Wan'er buried the villagers and planned to seek Blood Bodhi at Lingyun Grotto while avoiding the Fire Qilin until she had regained strength.
• Li Wan'er reached Heavenly Mountain and, finding that the World Association would not recruit disciples for another year, became a maid assigned to Bu Jingyun.
• Bu Jingyun ordered Li Wan'er not to enter his room or disturb his martial arts practice without permission.
• Xiongba addressed the World Association disciples, announced that they would be taught martial arts, and summoned Qin Shuang, Bu Jingyun, and Nie Feng.
• Xiongba demonstrated the Frost Fist to Qin Shuang, while Li Wan'er observed and realized that he was withholding part of his knowledge.