Chapter Summaries

After the avalanche destroyed much of Brahma Sound Temple, Hu Xiaotian waited for Ji Feihua and worried about Liu Yuzhang’s schemes. Ji Feihua eventually reunited with Hu Xiaotian, and the two shared a meal in the snowy desert while Hu Xiaotian inferred that Ji Feihua had diverted Liu Yuzhang to pursue the skulls.

• Hu Xiaotian and Liu Yuzhang left the collapsed mountain with Xia Changming and Master Xiangyin, then agreed to meet in Kaner Town three days later.
• Hu Xiaotian sent Xia Changming to Lone Eagle Fortress to escort Xima to the Central Plains, then hid from Black Hu troops searching for him.
• Hu Xiaotian waited in Kaner Town until Ji Feihua arrived, and Ji Feihua said Liu Yuzhang was busy fighting over the skulls.
• Ji Feihua led Hu Xiaotian to a desert camp, where they roasted a sheep and shared food and wine.
• Hu Xiaotian deduced that Ji Feihua had met Liu Yuzhang and sent him after the skulls, then invited Ji Feihua to enjoy the night together.

Ji Feihua revealed that Ling Jiazi was Phantom, a powerful shapeless life-form whose possible awakening threatened Qiqi and everyone else. He left to seek the Skulls while Hu Xiaotian read Liu Yuzhang’s letter and learned the truth about Li Honghan’s crimes.

• Ji Feihua told Hu Xiaotian that Phantom had caused the conflict between the Fated Ones and the Time-Space Leapers, and might still be dormant rather than dead.
• Hu Xiaotian and Ji Feihua concluded that the Captain and Navigator’s Skulls could reveal how to open the underground palace and retrieve a weapon that might restrain Phantom.
• Ji Feihua asked Hu Xiaotian to marry Qiqi and crush the Xu Family, explaining that the Heavenly Man Myriad Images Diagram might help protect Qiqi if Phantom awakened.
• When Hu Xiaotian offered to serve as Ji Feihua’s medicinal catalyst, Ji Feihua angrily refused, flew away in the Winged Armor, and left him Liu Yuzhang’s letter.
• Hu Xiaotian read Liu Yuzhang’s account of events in Western Sichuan and learned that Li Honghan had poisoned the Prince of Zhou and murdered his own father.

Hu Xiaotian returned to Eastern Liang Commandery and discussed the worsening crisis in Great Yong, his plans to aid refugees, and the secrets of the Seven-Treasure Glazed Pagoda with Zhuge Guanqi. The story then shifted to Snow-Winding City, where Emperor Xue Daoming confronted Yuchi Chong during his visit to the Northern Frontier.

• Hu Xiaotian learned that Great Yong faced famine, deserters, and severe winter conditions, and ordered efforts to seek aid while helping refugees where possible.
• Hu Xiaotian visited Tong Ren Tang, spoke with Zhuge Guanqi about the Seven-Treasure Glazed Pagoda, and discussed Huo Shengnan and Yuchi Chong's refusal to return to Great Kang.
• Xue Daoming arrived at Snow-Winding City with Dong Tianjiang and met Yuchi Chong at the Marshal's Residence.
• Xue Daoming sarcastically challenged Yuchi Chong after the marshal expressed concern about the emperor's arduous journey, then kept him kneeling in the cold.

Xue Daoming visited the Northern Frontier, gave Yuchi Chong less than half the promised supplies, and appointed Dong Tianjiang as his deputy. As Li Chenzhou prepared to exploit the emperor’s journey against his political rivals, Dong Bingtai and Xiang Liren discussed the risks and Xue Lingjun’s apparent estrangement from Li.

• Xue Daoming told Yuchi Chong that the court could provide only limited supplies and appointed Dong Tianjiang Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Frontier army.
• Dong Tianjiang assured Yuchi Chong that he had no ambition to compete for command, while Yuchi planned to keep him from gaining real authority.
• Li Chenzhou learned that Xue Daoming had reached Snow-Winding City and told Shangguan Yunchong that they would use the visit to strike at the emperor’s supporters.
• Li Chenzhou considered Xue Lingjun’s growing distance from him and the possibility that she might reconcile with Xue Daoming.
• Dong Bingtai and Xiang Liren discussed the dangers of Xue Daoming’s journey and Yuchi Chong’s control of the Northern Frontier army.
• Xiang Liren reported that Xue Lingjun seemed to have lost hope in Li Chenzhou, and Dong Bingtai said the signs were stronger than that.

Xue Lingjun received a threatening letter exposing secrets from her past and was warned to sever ties with Li Chenzhou. After Li Chenzhou came to her residence expecting rejection, Xue Lingjun invited him inside and approached him in a carefully chosen red dress.

• Xiang Liren doubted they could defeat Li Chenzhou, but Dong Bingtai urged him not to give up.
• Xue Lingjun visited her late husband Hong Xinglian’s grave, where Shi Kuan delivered a letter and insisted she read it.
• After reading the letter, Xue Lingjun struck Shi Kuan and learned the writer demanded that she sever ties with the traitor.
• Shi Kuan offered Xue Lingjun a second letter, and she realized officials held dangerous secrets about her and the imperial family.
• Li Chenzhou saw an apparition of Jian Rongxin outside Xue Lingjun’s residence, then encountered Xue Lingjun as she returned.
• Xue Lingjun invited Li Chenzhou inside and later approached him dressed in red, while he felt an unfamiliar distance between them.

Li Chenzhou revealed his plan to depose Great Yong’s emperor and install Xue Lingjun, while a separate plot used an impostor emperor to force Yuchi Chong to surrender military command. The chapter ended with Xue Daoming anxiously asking Dong Bingtai whether the deception would fool Yuchi Chong.

• Xue Lingjun reconciled with Li Chenzhou, who confessed he planned to overthrow the emperor and put her on the throne.
• Troops surrounded the Minister of Personnel’s residence as unrest erupted in the Yong Capital.
• Dong Tianjiang threatened Yuchi Chong with the emperor’s safety, and Yuchi Chong agreed to surrender the Tiger Tally Seal the next morning if he could hand it to the emperor himself.
• Dong Tianjiang revealed that the Xue Daoming in the Northern Frontier camp was an impostor and warned him to maintain the deception.
• At the Golden Victory Tower, Xue Daoming worried that Yuchi Chong would see through the impostor, but Dong Bingtai assured him that few people had seen the emperor closely.

Yuchi Chong gathered the Northern Frontier generals before the emperor's review and condemned the court's suspicion and failure to provide for the army. He killed himself to secure his soldiers' future, and Huo Shengnan revealed the Tiger Tally Seal he had entrusted to her.

• Xue Daoming worried that Yuchi Chong might refuse to surrender the Tiger Tally Seal, but Dong Bingtai assured him their plan would succeed.
• Yuchi Chong arrived at the Command Platform and gave Huo Shengnan a bundle, telling her to open it after he was gone.
• Yuchi Chong honored the fallen and living soldiers, then explained how the Imperial Court had stripped his authority and left the army without adequate supplies.
• Yuchi Chong declared that he no longer understood what the soldiers were fighting for and cut his throat before the assembled troops.
• Huo Shengnan rushed to Yuchi Chong as he died, then opened his bundle and raised the Tiger Tally Seal before the kneeling generals.

Huo Shengnan revealed her identity and used Yuchi Chong’s Tiger Tally Seal to rally the Northern Frontier soldiers after his death. The soldiers captured the shadow emperor, while Li Chenzhou began arresting officials in the Yong Capital in the emperor’s name.

• Huo Shengnan showed her true face and persuaded the Northern Frontier officers to trust her authority and follow her orders.
• A hostile officer stabbed a soldier and fled, but Huo Shengnan shot him dead with an arrow.
• Dong Tianjiang heard the Northern Frontier soldiers approaching to avenge Yuchi Chong and fled, leaving the shadow emperor behind.
• The soldiers captured the shadow emperor, and Huo Shengnan knocked him unconscious after he claimed he was not the emperor.
• Li Chenzhou entered the Hall of Heavenly Harmony in armor, accused Sun Weiyuan of rebellion, and ordered his men to seize him.

Li Chenzhou seized the court while Xue Daoming was believed to be away, but Xue Daoming returned and exposed Li Chenzhou’s treason. As Li Chenzhou prepared to fight his way out, the emperor’s forces surrounded him.

• Xue Lingjun entered the court as Li Chenzhou accused Xiang Liren and Dong Bingkun of rebellion and ordered Sun Weiyuan taken away.
• Li Chenzhou killed Sun Weiyuan and presented a supposed secret edict authorizing Xue Lingjun to take charge.
• Xue Daoming appeared with Dong Bingtai, revealing that he had never left the Yong Capital.
• Dong Bingtai exposed Li Chenzhou’s father as Wen Chenghuan and accused Li Chenzhou of colluding with Great Kang, while Xue Lingjun disavowed him.
• Qiu Xianguang and the Sword Palace disciples joined the emperor’s side, and Li Chenzhou attacked Qiu Xianguang in an attempt to break through the encirclement.

Li Chenzhou fled the court as his followers surrendered, but Xue Shengjing revealed himself as the force behind the upheaval and seized control of the Hall of Heavenly Harmony. He pressured Xue Lingjun to reveal what happened in Benevolence Garden and who killed the emperor.

• Li Chenzhou used Shi Kuan’s punch to escape through the Golden Scale Guards, while Qiu Xianguang pursued him and the rebels laid down their weapons.
• Xue Daoming prepared to take the throne, but Xue Shengjing emerged from behind it and challenged his right to rule.
• Dong Bingtai ordered the guards to arrest Xue Shengjing, but the one-armed warrior killed several men and Shi Kuan’s Golden Scale Guards surrounded Dong Bingtai and Xue Daoming.
• Xue Shengjing told Xue Lingjun that he knew her secret and demanded that Xue Daoming explain the deaths of the Empress Dowager and the emperor.
• Xue Shengjing’s warrior displayed the severed heads of Dong Bingtai’s sons, and Xue Shengjing urged Xue Lingjun to reveal the truth about Benevolence Garden.
• Shi Kuan snapped Dong Bingtai’s neck, and Xue Shengjing again demanded that Xue Lingjun identify the emperor’s killer.

Xue Shengjing took the throne after Xue Lingjun accused Xue Daoming and Li Chenzhou, then demanded death and gave him the location of their mother’s prayer beads. Poisoned and cornered at the Duke of Jing’s Residence, Li Chenzhou awaited Xue Lingjun as she came to see him.

• Xue Lingjun accused Xue Daoming and Li Chenzhou of murder, and the officials acclaimed Xue Shengjing as emperor.
• Xue Shengjing spoke with Xue Lingjun about their childhood and his grievances, while she condemned his desire for the throne and begged him to kill her.
• Xue Lingjun told Xue Shengjing where their mother’s remaining prayer beads were and asked to see Li Chenzhou before she died.
• Poisoned and pursued by Qiu Xianguang and the Sword Palace disciples, Li Chenzhou collapsed in the snow outside the Li Family Ancestral Hall at the Duke of Jing’s Residence.
• Xue Lingjun arrived and looked upon Li Chenzhou, overwhelmed by sorrow over how she had helped lead him to ruin.

Xue Lingjun died by Li Chenzhou’s dagger, and Rong Shi killed Li Chenzhou after accusing him of killing Jian Xihe. Xue Shengjing ordered them buried together, then learned the other half of the Heavenly Man Myriad Images Diagram was with Hu Xiaotian and considered how to obtain it without provoking him.

• Xue Lingjun told Li Chenzhou that her second brother had taken the imperial throne and revealed what the imperial family had done.
• Xue Lingjun threw herself onto Li Chenzhou’s dagger and died in his arms; Li Chenzhou tried to kill himself afterward.
• Rong Shi broke Li Chenzhou’s arm and killed him, saying Li Chenzhou had killed his father, Jian Xihe.
• Xue Shengjing ordered Li Chenzhou and Xue Lingjun buried together after hearing of their deaths.
• Ren Tianqing told Xue Shengjing that Hu Xiaotian held the other half of the Heavenly Man Myriad Images Diagram and suggested using Rong Shi to pressure him.
• Xue Shengjing rejected Ren Tianqing’s proposal as unwise and said he would handle the matter himself.

Hu Xiaotian welcomed Great Yong’s special envoy and discovered it was Huo Xiaoru, now serving under Xue Shengjing. As they discussed Xue Lingjun’s death, Rong Shi, and the Northern Frontier, Huo Xiaoru demanded the Heavenly Man Myriad Images Diagram, leaving their negotiations unresolved.

• Hu Xiaotian sent Xia Changming, Zhuge Guanqi, and Xiong Tianba to assist Huo Shengnan in the Northern Frontier while seeking a route to reach them.
• Hu Xiaotian welcomed Great Yong’s mission and learned that its special envoy was not Xue Lingjun, though Huo Xiaoru’s handwriting appeared in the delegation’s documents.
• Huo Xiaoru met Hu Xiaotian at his residence and explained that Xue Lingjun had died alongside Li Chenzhou, who was killed by Rong Shi.
• Hu Xiaotian warned Huo Xiaoru that Rong Shi was one of his people after learning that Rong Shi had killed Li Chenzhou.
• Huo Xiaoru asked whether Hu Xiaotian had influenced Huo Shengnan’s revolt and demanded the Heavenly Man Myriad Images Diagram as her terms.

Hu Xiaotian negotiated with Huo Xiaoru over the Heavenly Man Myriad Images Diagram, securing safe passage for Rong Shi and Yuchi Chong’s soldiers before teasing her into kissing him. After winter, his forces captured the Yulan Kingdom, while Xue Shengjing faced unrest, Black Hu’s demands, and the consequences of releasing the soldiers; he called on Ren Tianqing to honor his promise to bring peace to the realm.

• Hu Xiaotian demanded that Huo Xiaoru secure Rong Shi’s release and allow Yuchi Chong’s three hundred thousand soldiers to enter the Ankang Grassland, and she agreed in exchange for a pledge that Great Kang would not attack Great Yong while Xue Shengjing lived.
• Hu Xiaotian made Huo Xiaoru’s kiss his third condition, and she kissed him before leaving him flustered.
• After winter ended, Huo Shengnan and Yu Tianxing led a campaign that seized the Yulan Kingdom in three days, and Hu Xiaotian proposed marriage to Qiqi with the kingdom as his betrothal gift.
• Xue Shengjing installed Xue Daohong’s young son as emperor while unrest spread through Great Yong, and Yuchi Chong’s former troops captured the Yulan Kingdom after recovering there.
• Black Hu demanded the Seven Northern Cities under its secret bargain with Xue Shengjing, while its army gathered at the border.
• Xue Shengjing reminded Ren Tianqing that he had promised to bring peace to the realm, and Ren Tianqing blamed him for releasing Yuchi Chong’s troops.

Qiqi and Long Xiyue discussed Hu Xiaotian’s return and his plans to ask for Qiqi’s hand, revealing Long Xiyue’s fierce devotion to him and her warning that Qiqi should not oppose him. Hu Xiaotian then approached the Kang Capital with Qin Yutong, Huo Shengnan, Zhuge Guanqi, and his officers, while crowds welcomed him as a celebrated savior.

• Long Xiyue told Qiqi that Hu Xiaotian was returning to ask for her hand, and Qiqi admitted she was jealous and unwilling to share him.
• Long Xiyue warned Qiqi not to harm Hu Xiaotian or act foolishly, and Qiqi challenged her views on the throne and affairs of state.
• Hu Xiaotian traveled toward the Kang Capital with more than a thousand followers, including Huo Shengnan, Zhuge Guanqi, and the pregnant Qin Yutong.
• Qin Yutong explained that the Heavenly Man Myriad Images Diagram only worked on descendants with a Fated One’s bloodline, while Hu Xiaotian remained unable to conceive a child with Huo Shengnan or Long Xiyue.
• Common people gathered along the road ten li from the Kang Capital to welcome Hu Xiaotian, whose reputation had grown through Long Xiyue’s and the Beggar Gang’s efforts.

Hu Xiaotian arrived in Kang Capital and went to the Imperial Palace at Qiqi’s request, while he and Hong Beimo discussed the unresolved Imperial Mausoleum mystery and the missing skulls. He reunited with Qiqi in the Diligent Governance Hall, where their teasing and sparring ended with her asking him to go easy on her.

• Hu Xiaotian arrived in Kang Capital, and Hong Beimo escorted him to the Imperial Palace after explaining that Qiqi had summoned him.
• Hu Xiaotian and Hong Beimo discussed preparations at the Imperial Mausoleum, the missing skulls, and the approaching seventh day of the seventh month.
• Yin Zheng led Hu Xiaotian through the palace and told him that people believed he had returned to ask for Qiqi’s hand.
• Hu Xiaotian entered the Diligent Governance Hall and found Qiqi waiting for him in a simple white dress.
• Qiqi and Hu Xiaotian traded teasing remarks and briefly sparred before she complained that he never went easy on her.

Hu Xiaotian proposed to Qiqi with a rose and a diamond ring, insisting he wanted her more than Great Kang’s realm. Qiqi accepted the ring and his proposal, and the chapter ended with Hu Xiaotian kissing her on the dragon throne.

• Hu Xiaotian teased Qiqi about remembering the outfit and ribbon she had worn when they first met, and she asked whether he was tired.
• Qiqi invited Hu Xiaotian to sit on the dragon throne with her, but he refused and they continued joking about his reluctance.
• Hu Xiaotian knelt before Qiqi, presented her with a red rose and diamond ring, and asked her to marry him.
• Qiqi accused Hu Xiaotian of wanting Great Kang’s realm, but he said he wanted her and promised not to interfere in her governance.
• Hu Xiaotian said their children could inherit the throne, and Qiqi accepted the ring on the condition that their eldest child take her surname.
• Hu Xiaotian lifted Qiqi onto the dragon throne and kissed her tenderly.

Hong Beimo visited the dying Ghost Physician Fu Wan, who revealed the history of the Time-Space Leap Team, Xu Mingying’s betrayal, and the danger posed by the Fated Ones. Fu Wan urged Hong Beimo to recover his research and repair the spaceship, then insisted on meeting Hu Xiaotian before he died.

• Hong Beimo brought medicine to Ghost Physician Fu Wan and told him that Hu Xiaotian had arrived in the Capital City.
• Fu Wan revealed that Liu Yuzhang was actually Lin Chao, who had sacrificed himself to save Xu Mingying and their unborn child when the Fated Ones attacked the Time-Space Leap Team.
• Fu Wan recounted how Xu Mingying killed Hu Zhicheng after losing her child, and how he later discovered that she had become Old Madam Xu and had tried to kill Hong Beimo.
• Fu Wan explained that the Fated Ones used the Heavenly Man Myriad Images Diagram to overcome their genetic flaws, making it urgent to repair the spaceship and leave.
• Fu Wan urged Hong Beimo to approach Hu Xiaotian for help, then asked to meet Hu Xiaotian himself because he feared he had little time left.

Hu Xiaotian met the dying Ghost Physician Fu Wan at the Heavenly Secrets Bureau and learned that Fu Wan was Hong Beimo’s adoptive father and a former member of the Time-Space Leap Team. Fu Wan began explaining the Fated Ones and their experiments, asking Hu Xiaotian to share what he knew in return.

• Hu Xiaotian learned that Baobao was recovering at the Heavenly Secrets Bureau and accepted Hong Beimo’s invitation to visit.
• Hong Beimo brought Hu Xiaotian to meet Ghost Physician Fu Wan, whose engraved Willow-Leaf Knife had revealed his presence.
• Fu Wan told Hu Xiaotian that Hong Beimo was his adopted son and that Liu Yuzhang had been captain of their Time-Space Leap Team.
• Fu Wan revealed that Liu Yuzhang and Old Madam Xu had once been lovers, but denied that he had betrayed Liu Yuzhang with her.
• Fu Wan said his cancer had spread and asked whether Hu Xiaotian had seen the Fated One at Brahma Sound Temple; Hu Xiaotian said someone else had.
• Fu Wan identified the white-furred monsters as Star Fiends used by the Fated Ones in experiments that created hybrid monsters, then demanded that Hu Xiaotian share what he had learned.

Hu Xiaotian told Ghost Physician Fu Wan how Phantom, an unknown life-form, may have manipulated the Fated Ones and the Time-Space Leap Project to survive. Fu Wan realized Phantom might still be alive and waiting for Hong Beimo to repair the spaceship, leaving him fearful that she could return to his homeland.

• Ghost Physician Fu Wan explained Ling Jiazi’s unusual blue blood and anatomy, which differed from both humans and the Fated Ones.
• Hu Xiaotian proposed that Ling Jiazi was a mysterious life-form who had infiltrated the Fated Ones’ spaceship and caused its emergency landing.
• Hu Xiaotian and Fu Wan concluded that Phantom had likely engineered the conflict between the Fated Ones and the Time-Space Leapers while seeking a weapon to subdue her.
• Hu Xiaotian said the Fated Ones stayed on the planet because they feared bringing Phantom back to their homeland, and that Hong Beimo’s efforts to repair the spaceship might relate to her.
• Fu Wan feared Phantom was still alive and could board the repaired spaceship to reach his home planet.