Chapter Summaries

Heaven-Topping High Person and Orchid Fairy planned to control Li Chen and force him to pass the throne to Li Xian, while Zhao Wenyuan suspected Li Xian had secured their help. Back in the palace, Li Chen found Li Sining cultivating and watched her break seclusion to greet him, coughing up blood in the process.

• Heaven-Topping High Person revealed his plan to use a refined forbidden needle to control Li Chen and secure the throne for Li Xian without exposing the sect.
• Orchid Fairy offered to go to the Imperial Capital alone, but Heaven-Topping High Person insisted they wait until he had recovered so they could go together.
• Orchid Fairy told Li Xian that Heaven-Topping High Person would sacrifice his life force to make Li Chen pass the throne to him, and Li Xian rejoiced.
• Chancellor Zhao Wenyuan inferred from Li Xian's sudden happiness that the Heavenly Evolution Divine Sect had agreed to help him, and considered asking Master Yu for support.
• Li Chen returned to his bedchamber and found Li Sining cultivating; she forced herself out of seclusion, coughed up blood, and ran over to greet him.

Li Chen spent the day helping Li Sining cultivate and explaining the realms and awakened abilities. That evening, Chu Ruoyan returned to her family estate after meeting the Empress Dowager, leaving her father unsure how to advise her about serving both the Empress Dowager and Li Chen.

• Li Sining told Li Chen she had opened two meridians, and he explained the cultivation realms and the abilities she might awaken.
• Li Chen learned that the Empress Dowager had summoned Chu Ruoyan, but he remained unconcerned about how she would respond to her instructions.
• Li Chen reflected on the loyalty of his palace officials and guards, whose intelligence network kept him informed about events inside and outside the palace.
• The Chu Lineage celebrated Chu Ruoyan's prospects after the Empress Dowager's summons and a visit from her nephew, while her father advised her to obey both the Empress Dowager and Li Chen.
• Chu Ruoyan asked her father whom she should obey if the Empress Dowager and Li Chen gave conflicting orders, then revealed that she had mostly noticed the Empress Dowager's enormous breasts.

Chu Ruoyan thought about Li Chen and worried over Xiao Ming, who broke through to the mid Void-Breaking Realm while cultivating. Meanwhile, Feng Huai gathered officials hostile to Li Chen and called on them to support the Second Prince when he returned.

• Chu Ruoyan returned home from meeting the Empress Dowager without having listened to her advice, then worried that Xiao Ming might act recklessly.
• Xiao Ming ignored the Saint Remnant Soul's taunts, broke through to the mid Void-Breaking Realm, and decided to wait four more days before contacting Chu Ruoyan.
• Feng Huai gathered powerful ministers who resented Li Chen for stripping away their privileges and joined them in condemning the emperor.
• Feng Huai declared that he would support the Second Prince when he returned, leaving the assembled officials sober and wary.

Feng Huai forced veteran ministers to pledge allegiance to the Second Prince, Li Xian, while the Empress Dowager considered his request to return to the capital and chose to prepare for either outcome. The chapter left Li Xian receiving a report at his pavilion in the Heavenly Evolution Divine Sect.

• Feng Huai persuaded ministers at his banquet to support Li Xian, and men stationed outside kept hesitant guests from leaving.
• Feng Huai presented a pledge of allegiance, and the ministers signed it under threat of death.
• The Empress Dowager received Li Xian's secret letter asking whether she would support his return to the capital.
• The Empress Dowager said she preferred Li Chen and ordered her maid to prepare for either prince's victory, with more arrangements for Li Chen.
• A subordinate reported the latest developments to Li Xian in his private pavilion at the Heavenly Evolution Divine Sect.

Li Xian planned to exploit Li Chen’s humiliation of Master Yu while preparing for a future struggle against the Third Prince. Meanwhile, Li Chen detected an evil cultivation aura in the palace and traced it to the Cold Palace, where he suspected an unusual person was staying.

• Li Xian received reports that Feng Huai had joined him and the Empress Dowager remained ambiguous, then decided to visit Master Yu and return to the Imperial Capital.
• Li Xian planned to use Master Yu and his disciples to undermine Li Chen, while anticipating a later contest with the Third Prince over the dynasty’s forces and factions.
• Li Chen sensed a trace of negative energy while walking through the palace and suspected someone in the imperial harem was cultivating an evil art.
• Li Chen considered whether a consort’s hidden technique might have caused the Previous Emperor’s rapid decline and death.
• Li Chen followed the aura to the Cold Palace and recalled that an unusual person was there.

Li Chen visited Li Ran in the Cold Palace and learned that the disgraced prince had secretly developed a cultivation art despite his injuries. Li Chen declared his ambition to become emperor and entered Li Ran’s room, leaving the two poised to cooperate.

• Li Chen recalled how Li Ran’s talent and influence had collapsed after he was caught with the Previous Emperor’s favorite consort and brutally punished.
• Li Chen visited Li Ran in the Cold Palace, where Li Ran urged him to stay safe and avoid the palace’s struggles.
• Li Chen asked Li Ran what he would do if he wanted to become emperor, and Li Ran considered how Li Chen could help him escape and seek revenge.
• Li Ran revealed that he had secretly created a cultivation art that let him cultivate without relying on his meridians.
• Li Ran warned Li Chen that there would be no turning back, and Li Chen pushed open the door and entered.

Li Ran revealed his mother’s hidden resources and shared what she had learned about the previous dynasty, while Li Chen admitted he was already emperor and had reached the Saint Realm. The brothers agreed to help each other, and Li Chen tasked Li Ran with finding the five volumes of the Emperor Dragon Sutra.

• Li Ran offered Li Chen access to his mother’s hidden treasures in exchange for help, but Li Chen revealed that he was already emperor and in the Saint Realm.
• Li Chen explained how he had taken the throne, and Li Ran celebrated his victory over the scheming princes.
• Li Ran asked why Li Chen would tolerate his cultivation of an evil art, and Li Chen said he would not interfere because Li Ran had harmed no one.
• Li Ran promised to handle Li Chen’s political troubles and warned that the Empress Dowager might have ties to remnants of the previous dynasty.
• Li Ran explained that previous-dynasty nobles had used living victims to cultivate and described how the Li clan’s rebellion and the dynasty’s forbidden arts shaped the current court.
• Li Ran said the five volumes of the Emperor Dragon Sutra could counter sinister arts and strengthen Li Chen, and Li Chen assigned him to find them.

Li Chen learned from Li Ran about the former imperial family's plot to restore its rule, but he showed no concern and treated his throne as a game. He arranged for Li Ran to leave the Cold Palace secretly, and Li Ran departed resolved to honor their agreement; Li Chen then attended court the next morning.

• Li Ran warned Li Chen that former-dynasty loyalists had infiltrated the court and might target him, but Li Chen dismissed the danger and said he had become emperor for fun.
• Li Ran tried to leave the Cold Palace and stumbled into a pillar, then used his cultivation technique to sense the surroundings and navigate.
• Li Chen summoned Eunuch Cui and ordered him to arrange Li Ran's departure without drawing attention.
• Eunuch Cui dressed Li Ran in eunuch's clothes and escorted him out of the palace while flattering him because of Li Chen's favor.
• Li Ran realized Li Chen held real power in the palace and vowed to fulfill their agreement about the former dynasty's Emperor Dragon Sutra.
• Li Chen appeared at the Imperial Court the next morning on time.

At morning court, Liu Minghan’s proposal to cut military spending sparked a dispute that Chancellor Zhao Wenyuan settled by recommending a northern expedition, which Li Chen approved. The war declaration alarmed the Northern Court’s Khan and the Third Prince, while Deputy Chief Censor Zhang Ancang opened another clash by impeaching Feng Huai.

• Liu Minghan warned that rising military costs could bankrupt the treasury and advised disbanding idle troops, provoking objections from military officials.
• Li Chen asked Zhao Wenyuan to resolve the dispute, and Zhao proposed launching a northern expedition instead.
• Li Chen approved the expedition, ending the argument and prompting military officials to offer to capture the Northern Court’s Khan.
• The Northern Court’s Khan wondered why Li Chen had declared war so soon and suspected that his own side might have been compromised.
• The Third Prince feared that Li Chen had uncovered his intentions, while Zhang Ancang impeached Feng Huai at court.

Zhang Ancang impeached Feng Huai for failing to solve the Crown Prince’s murder, and Li Chen gave Feng Huai three months while allowing Zhang to inspect the case files. When Feng Huai defied the order by invoking the Previous Emperor, Li Chen killed him with a single strike, leaving the court terrified by his power.

• Zhang Ancang accused Feng Huai of making no progress in the Crown Prince’s murder investigation and challenged his ability to solve the case.
• Feng Huai defended his work while he and Zhang Ancang traded accusations before the court.
• Li Chen gave Feng Huai three months to solve the case and authorized Zhang Ancang to examine the Ministry of Justice’s files.
• Feng Huai objected to Zhang’s access and urged Li Chen to retract the order, citing the Previous Emperor’s trust in him.
• Li Chen killed Feng Huai with a burst of energy, shocking the assembled ministers with his Saint Realm power.

Li Chen killed Feng Huai for defying him, leaving the ministers terrified of his power. He appointed Pang Jin Minister of Justice, while the Empress Dowager learned of Feng Huai’s death and grew more eager to obtain Saint Realm power.

• Li Chen killed Feng Huai in court, and Li Sixing ordered the Imperial Guards to have the floor cleaned.
• Li Chen’s remark that he had restrained his strength frightened the ministers, especially those who had signed Feng Huai’s pledge of allegiance.
• Zhao Wenyuan recommended Pang Jin as the new Minister of Justice, and Li Chen approved the appointment without objection.
• The Empress Dowager heard that Li Chen had killed Feng Huai for openly defying him and reflected on how few people willingly relinquished power.

After Li Chen’s swift moves unsettled Li Xian, Guo Poyun decided to seek a place in the northern campaign despite his confinement. He arrived at the palace to find hundreds of military officers competing to volunteer, but Eunuch Cui barred everyone from entering without Li Chen’s summons.

• Li Xian recognized Li Chen as a serious rival but remained confident that his master’s support would secure victory.
• After hearing that Li Chen planned a northern campaign, Guo Poyun prepared to leave his residence and volunteer.
• Guo Zhenwei reminded Guo Poyun that he was still under confinement, then offered to convey his wish to Li Chen.
• Guo Poyun hurried to the palace and found hundreds of officers gathered to volunteer, many arguing over who deserved command.
• Guo Zhenwei tried to speak with Eunuch Cui at the gates, but Eunuch Cui returned his bribe and refused to admit anyone without Li Chen’s summons.

Guo Poyun tried to secure permission to join the Northern Expedition, while Li Chen appointed Pang Jin to investigate the Crown Prince’s death. The investigation began with Pang Jin preparing to pursue a suspected Ministry of Justice insider, and Zhao Wenyuan refused Guo Zhenwei’s request to intercede for his father.

• After Guo Zhenwei was rebuffed at the palace gates, Guo Poyun sent him to ask Chancellor Zhao Wenyuan to seek an audience with Li Chen on his behalf.
• Li Chen ordered Pang Jin and Zhang Ancang to investigate the Crown Prince’s death and told them to report any obstacles to him.
• Pang Jin recalled that the crime scene had been professionally cleaned and suspected a capable mid-ranking Ministry of Justice official was the mole.
• Pang Jin resolved to use his new authority and Li Chen’s support to identify the culprit, then planned to meet Zhao Wenyuan.
• Zhao Wenyuan told Guo Zhenwei to remind Guo Poyun that his own actions had led to his house arrest, and declined to plead with Li Chen for him.

Zhao Wenyuan reassured Pang Jin that he need only remain loyal to Li Chen, while Li Chen dismissed six ministers who had been coerced into pledging allegiance to the Second Prince. After finishing his work, Li Chen returned to his bedchamber, where a graceful figure rushed into his arms.

• Zhao Wenyuan received Pang Jin, who thanked him for recommending him and made clear he would not join a faction.
• Zhao Wenyuan praised Pang Jin's caution and told him to remain loyal to Li Chen.
• Six ministers confessed that Feng Huai had forced them to sign a pledge of allegiance to the Second Prince.
• Li Chen accepted their explanation, warned them not to repeat their mistake, and sent them away.
• Li Chen finished his work and returned to his bedchamber, where a graceful figure embraced him.

Li Chen took Li Sining out of the palace while Lin Yue'e arrested Atad, who had been plotting to abduct the Ninth Princess. After Atad threatened her with diplomatic pressure and denied wrongdoing, Lin Yue'e decided to investigate the place where she had caught him.

• Li Chen checked Li Sining's meridians and agreed to accompany her home to collect her belongings.
• Atad waited near the Ninth Princess's residence for a chance to abduct her, while his brother Altai returned to the Northern Court.
• Lin Yue'e responded to residents' reports and arrested Atad and two of his subordinates for loitering near the residence.
• Lin Yue'e questioned Atad, but he claimed he had only been strolling and threatened her with diplomatic pressure.
• After leaving the jail, Lin Yue'e decided to return to the arrest site and investigate Atad's suspected plot.

Lin Yue'e investigated the place where Atad had been arrested, but Xu Zifeng accosted her and Xue Wu stepped in to defend her. Their followers began fighting, while Xu Zifeng secretly possessed far greater strength than he let on.

• Lin Yue'e went to the site of Atad's arrest to continue her investigation.
• Xu Zifeng, drunk after visiting a pleasure house, tried to take Lin Yue'e to his estate for a drink.
• Xue Wu intervened and rebuked Xu Zifeng for harassing an officer.
• Xu Zifeng insulted Xue Wu's father, prompting Xue Wu to order his subordinates to attack.
• The two groups fought in the street as Lin Yue'e worried about the consequences for her assigned district.
• Xu Zifeng concealed his true strength, having reached the middle stage of the Six Harmonies Realm.

Xu Zifeng revealed his formidable strength by defeating Xue Wu and threatening Lin Yue'e, but Li Chen intervened and knocked him unconscious. After the others recognized Li Chen as the emperor and fled with their injured masters, he joined Lin Yue'e for a meal, where he complimented her outfit.

• Xu Zifeng overwhelmed Xue Wu, then grabbed Lin Yue'e and demanded that she drink with him.
• Li Chen restrained Xu Zifeng and knocked him unconscious with a single slap.
• Lin Yue'e and the attendants recognized Li Chen as the emperor and knelt before him; Li Chen excused those who had not known his identity.
• Li Chen accepted Lin Yue'e's invitation to a nearby eatery after her stomach rumbled.
• As they ate, Li Chen told Lin Yue'e that her outfit suited her well.

Li Chen gave Lin Yue'e his personal waist token after she described how powerful connections undermined her work as a constable, and she resolved to use his backing. He returned to Li Sining, warned her to wait until she could control her poisonous constitution before making treats, and the next day Lin Yue'e faced a new complaint at the government office.

• Lin Yue'e told Li Chen that influential connections forced her superiors to make her apologize to the people she arrested, despite her following the law.
• Li Chen gave Lin Yue'e his personal waist token and said he would back her as her emperor and superior.
• Lin Yue'e left their meal feeling deeply grateful to Li Chen and determined to make use of the token.
• Li Chen refused Li Sining's offer to make treats and told her to reach the Void-Breaking Realm before trying again.
• The next day, the Governor and Chief Constable confronted Lin Yue'e at the government office about what she had brought in the previous day.

Lin Yue'e defended her arrest of the Northern Envoys, then used His Majesty’s Insignia Plaque to silence the officials demanding she apologize. She kept Atad imprisoned and warned him that war with the Northern Court might leave him trapped there indefinitely.

• Lin Yue'e told the Governor and Chief Constable that she had arrested the Northern Envoys to prevent a possible abduction of the Ninth Princess, though she had no proof of their intent.
• The Chief Constable urged Lin Yue'e to apologize to Atad and release him, but she went to confront the officials and envoys herself.
• As Ministry of Rites officials and Atad berated her, Lin Yue'e displayed His Majesty’s Insignia Plaque and ordered everyone to kneel.
• Lin Yue'e ordered the officials to leave the County Yamen and told Atad he could remain in his cell forever.
• Lin Yue'e warned Atad that His Majesty planned to declare war on the Northern Court, leaving Atad terrified and begging to be released.

Lin Yue'e resumed her patrols after invoking Li Chen's authority, while Xu Zifeng learned that the emperor had beaten him and began searching for a way to retaliate. He left with no plan, deciding to investigate Li Chen's personal preferences for a weakness.

• Lin Yue'e dismissed the governor and chief constable's flattery and warned them to remember their duty to His Majesty.
• Xu Zifeng woke at the Prince of the South's Residence as his aunt Ji Lianyu treated his injuries.
• Xu Zifeng demanded revenge for the person who had struck him, and Ji Lianyu told him that Li Chen was the emperor who had beaten him.
• Xu Zifeng assured Ji Lianyu he had a way to deal with Li Chen, though he had no plan and only wanted to avoid looking weak in her eyes.
• Xu Zifeng considered his covert network and concluded he should search for a weakness in Li Chen's preferences.