Recaps

Lu Changfeng used an All-Heaven Fiendish Thunder talisman and Xue Ne’s spear to kill Geluo Lu, then slew Yan Qiya, turning the battle in the Tang army’s favor. He saved the gravely wounded Wang Jingxian and began treating her as the defenders counterattacked.

• Geluo Lu used the Three Origins Blood-Exploding Secret Art to overwhelm Xue Ne and charge at Lu Changfeng, but Wang Jingxian intercepted him and was badly wounded.
• Lu Changfeng’s All-Heaven Fiendish Thunder talisman struck Geluo Lu, allowing Xue Ne to spear him from behind and kill him.
• After Yan Qiya cried out at Geluo Lu’s death, Lu Changfeng killed her with the Wind-Raising Sword.
• The Göktürk soldiers’ morale collapsed, and Lin Xiong led the Tang defenders in a counterattack.
• Lu Changfeng gave Wang Jingxian a Great Restoration Pill and used Shennong qi to treat her before she lost consciousness.

Wang Jingxian recovered in the Governor's Office after helping Lu Changfeng defeat the Göktürks, and learned that he planned to return to Chang'an soon. As she revealed her regret at not visiting Chang'an earlier, Gan Jiang and Mo Xie broke at their seals, and Wang Jingxian noticed Lu Changfeng's Sword Dao had advanced again.

• Wang Jingxian woke beside Snow Robe, and Lu Changfeng brought her medicine and thanked her for saving his life.
• Lu Changfeng told Wang Jingxian that the Göktürk army had retreated after Geluo Lu and Shaman Yan Qiya were slain, giving Youzhou a period of peace.
• Lu Changfeng said he would soon leave Youzhou for Chang'an, and Wang Jingxian asked what the city was like.
• Wang Jingxian told Lu Changfeng she regretted not visiting Chang'an a few years earlier, revealing her feelings as she looked at him.
• Gan Jiang and Mo Xie shook violently inside their sealed iron case, and Lu Changfeng summoned the swords into his hand.
• Wang Jingxian sensed that Lu Changfeng's Sword Dao had advanced and noticed her Army-Breaker Sword had grown timid in his presence.

Lu Changfeng left Youzhou after the victory banquet and exchanged parting gifts with Wang Jingxian. On the road toward Chang'an, two unfamiliar men blocked his carriage at a junction.

• Lu Changfeng returned Gan Jiang and Mo Xie to their sword-sealing case after warning them he would destroy their sentience if they resisted.
• Wang Jingxian asked Lu Changfeng about the Great Restoration Pill he had given her, and he agreed she could repay him by treating him when she next visited Chang'an.
• Xue Ne reported that Shen Bao had confessed to betraying Youzhou to the Göktürks and announced a victory banquet and farewell for Lu Changfeng.
• At dawn, Wang Jingxian gave Lu Changfeng her first forged knife, and he gave her a protective talisman before departing Youzhou.
• After traveling through Hebei Circuit, Lu Changfeng's carriage stopped when a young scholar and a gray-clad steward blocked the road.

Lu Changfeng accepted Prince Qiao Li Chongfu’s sealed memorial pleading for permission to return to the capital, while suspecting the prince had another purpose. After Lu Changfeng departed, Li Chongfu demanded to know why Zhang Lingjun had not attacked him, and Zhang Lingjun summoned the Nine-Sectioned Li Staff.

• Qing Dai identified the man blocking Lu Changfeng’s carriage as Prince Qiao, and Lu Changfeng went to speak with him.
• Li Chongfu asked Lu Changfeng to deliver his memorial pleading his case directly to the emperor, claiming that Empress Wei and Princess Anle’s watchers prevented him from sending it through official channels.
• Lu Changfeng suspected Li Chongfu’s account and his appearance on the road were not as they seemed, but accepted the memorial and continued toward the capital.
• After Lu Changfeng left, Li Chongfu angrily questioned Zhang Lingjun for failing to attack him and use him as an ingredient for the Human Origin Great Pill.
• Zhang Lingjun summoned the Nine-Sectioned Li Staff from the woods.

Zhang Lingjun abandoned his attempt to capture Lu Changfeng after the swords in his formation recoiled from Lu and he sensed Gan Jiang and Mo Xie in the carriage. Lu later discovered that the memorial’s paper concealed its contents and threw it away, leaving its purpose unknown.

• Zhang Lingjun dispelled the illusions around the tea shelter and revealed that all eighteen swords in his formation had turned away from Lu Changfeng.
• Zhang Lingjun told Li Chongfu that Lu’s Sword Dao had become formidable and that Gan Jiang and Mo Xie were likely sealed inside the carriage and being subdued.
• Zhang Lingjun urged Li Chongfu to return to Junzhou and promised to watch events in Chang'an and wait for a chance to eliminate Lu.
• Li Chongfu accepted Zhang Lingjun’s decision and left with him to continue the struggle against the court’s agents.
• On the carriage, Lu Changfeng asked Snow Robe to inspect the memorial, and Snow Robe noticed that its paper concealed whatever energy or contents it held.
• Lu Changfeng threw the memorial out the window and told Qing Dai to find an inn so he could wash away his bad luck.

Lu Changfeng reunited with Luo Qingge at her secluded residence near Chang'an after a month and a half away. She told him of a rumored flood dragon that might become the flying mount he wanted, leaving him intrigued by the possibility.

• Ink Jade led Lu Changfeng away from the road to meet Luo Qingge, while Qing Dai continued toward Chang'an with Snow Robe and Mo Li.
• Lu Changfeng followed Ink Jade through the elm grove to Luo Qingge's secluded residence.
• Luo Changfeng and Luo Qingge reunited and spent the night together.
• Luo Qingge told Lu Changfeng that rumors spoke of a flood dragon he might be able to capture as a mount.

Lu Changfeng learned that a Flood Dragon had appeared at Kunming Pool, then spent three days with Luo Qingge before returning to Chang'an. He arrived at the Princess of Zhen Guo’s Residence, where Li Lingyue was waiting for him in anger.

• Luo Qingge told Lu Changfeng that a creature resembling a Flood Dragon had emerged from Kunming Pool, drawing martial sects and powerful figures to Chang'an.
• Lu Changfeng teased Luo Qingge about her muddled remark, checked her pulse, and found that she was not pregnant.
• Lu Changfeng suggested that he and Luo Qingge keep trying to conceive, and the two spent the next three days together.
• Jinghong explained that Li Lingyue had grown furious after waiting three days for Lu Changfeng to return.
• Lu Changfeng entered the residence and headed to Yao Light Hall to see Li Lingyue.

Lu Changfeng returned to Yao Light Hall, where Li Lingyue confronted him with the missing Eight Formations Diagram disks and a contest for control ensued. After Lu Changfeng seized the disks, Li Lingyue kissed him and declared that she intended to devour him, too.

• Li Lingyue challenged Lu Changfeng over his supposedly late return, and he reminded her that the Purple Tenuity Scroll was still in his possession.
• Li Lingyue revealed the Flying Dragon Formation and Coiled Snake Formation disks, prompting Lu Changfeng to rush toward her to inspect them.
• Lu Changfeng and Li Lingyue exchanged several close-range moves, and he used an unusual touch that left her briefly weakened and flustered.
• Li Lingyue tossed the disks aside to distract Lu Changfeng, then sprang into his arms and kissed him.
• Li Lingyue told Lu Changfeng that she intended to devour him, too, as their kiss deepened.

Lu Changfeng told Li Lingyue about his dangerous mission in Youzhou, and she asked him to investigate the Flood Dragon in Kunming Pool. He agreed after teasing her into promising a reward, leaving them reconciled and intimate.

• Lu Changfeng told Li Lingyue how he had traveled to Youzhou and helped kill Geluo Lu, the Left Wing Chaqa, and a Shaman.
• Li Lingyue said Chang'an remained under control while Empress Wei pursued power and Li Xian's health worsened.
• Li Lingyue explained that a creature in Kunming Pool had transformed into a young Flood Dragon and that Empress Wei and Zong Chuke were searching for it.
• Li Lingyue asked Lu Changfeng to investigate the Flood Dragon and watch Empress Wei and Zong Chuke, and Lu Changfeng agreed while asking for a reward.
• Li Lingyue bit Lu Changfeng's shoulder after he teased her, then relented and promised to satisfy him.

Lu Changfeng burned Shangguan Wan'er's second poem rather than encourage her hopes, then led his guards to Kunming Pool. After forcing his way past the Golden Scale Guards, he faced Zhang Xuange, who challenged him over defying the Empress's orders.

• Lu Changfeng visited Su Bonian and the Eight Steeds, heard that Lan Die'er had returned to the Five Immortals Cult, and sent her a reply.
• Lu Changfeng read Shangguan Wan'er's poem proposing a partnership, refused to answer, and burned the letter.
• Lu Changfeng rode to Kunming Pool with Qing Dai and the Twenty-Four Floral Periods, but Golden Scale Guards blocked the entrance under Chancellor Zong's orders.
• Lu Changfeng knocked the guards' commandant into a willow and used the Eight Formations Diagram to bind nearly a hundred Golden Scale Guards with Wind Ropes.
• Zhang Xuange emerged and challenged Lu Changfeng for injuring imperial guards and entering a restricted area without authorization.

Lu Changfeng confronted Golden Scale Guards deputy commander Zhang Xuange, exposed the injustice done to Zhang’s father, and provoked him into attacking. Zhang’s lightning spear could not harm Lu, who effortlessly subdued and hurled him into a wall, leaving the gathered guards stunned.

• Lu Changfeng stopped the women of the Twenty-Four Floral Periods from responding to Zhang Xuange’s insults.
• Lu Changfeng recounted how Zong Chuke had framed Zhang Xuange’s father and condemned Zhang for serving the man responsible.
• Enraged, Zhang Xuange unleashed his lightning spear at Lu Changfeng, but Lu’s Indestructible Golden Body repelled the strike.
• Lu Changfeng seized Zhang Xuange by the throat, suppressed his power, and declared that a Fourth Realm expert was unworthy of challenging him.
• Lu Changfeng hurled Zhang Xuange through an old willow and into a lookout wall, stunning the Golden Scale Guards.

Lu Changfeng subdued Zhang Xuange, then used the Eight Formations to locate a powerful source of spiritual energy beneath Kunming Pool. As Princess Anle and Fifth Ying'er prepared a possible trap on shore, Lu Changfeng discovered an ancient Water-Curtain Barrier and suspected it concealed the Dragon's Lair.

• Lu Changfeng declared Zhang Xuange guilty of obstructing the investigation and attempted murder, then led the Plum Blossom Guards toward Kunming Pool without further resistance.
• Lu Changfeng deployed the Eight Formations to sense the pool and found an unusually active source of spiritual energy beneath the water.
• Lu Changfeng told the Twenty-Four Floral Periods and Qing Dai to guard the shore, then descended into Kunming Pool.
• Princess Anle discussed Lu Changfeng with Fifth Ying'er, who hinted at a deadly trap, and ordered Crimson Shadow House operatives to stand by to seize him if an opening appeared.
• Lu Changfeng found an ancient Water-Curtain Barrier on a rock deep beneath the pool and wondered if it marked the Dragon's Lair.

Lu Changfeng fought the young flood dragon at Kunming Pool, wounded it, and pursued it beneath the ice as the dragon’s appearance sent shockwaves through Chang’an. Empress Wei ordered Lu Changfeng seized and the dragon protected, but Princess Taiping challenged her account, leaving the two women in open confrontation.

• The young flood dragon ambushed Lu Changfeng underwater, struck him with lightning and its tail, and sent him flying out of Kunming Pool.
• Lu Changfeng counterattacked with a Buddha palm, then unleashed the Eight Formations Diagram and forced the flood dragon into retreat.
• Lu Changfeng froze part of the lake and slashed the flood dragon’s reverse scale before diving after it as witnesses sent news of the dragon to Chang’an.
• Zong Chuke and Empress Wei arrived, and Empress Wei declared the flood dragon auspicious and ordered the Golden Scale Guards to seize Lu Changfeng, killing him if he resisted.
• Princess Anle, Li Guo'er, tried to intervene, but Empress Wei silenced her.
• Princess Taiping, Li Lingyue, arrived and accused Empress Wei of misrepresenting Lu Changfeng’s actions, bringing the two powerful women into open conflict.

Lu Changfeng learned that Li Chongfu had framed him with Dragon-Falling Dust, then allied with the young Flood Dragon and discovered a Primordial True Dragon’s remains in its lair. After the Flood Dragon attacked Empress Wei’s guards and escaped, Li Lingyue took the apparently injured Lu Changfeng away, while Empress Wei and Zong Chuke resolved to eliminate him; in her carriage, Li Lingyue declared that he belonged to her.

• Lu Changfeng trapped the young Flood Dragon with Six Forces Lock, learned Dragon-Slaying City’s history from its memories, and realized Li Chongfu had exposed him to Dragon-Falling Dust.
• Lu Changfeng convinced the young Flood Dragon that they had both been framed, persuaded it to join him against their enemy, and followed it into its lair, where they found a piece of a Primordial True Dragon’s remains.
• The young Flood Dragon burst through the ice, blasted the shore near Empress Wei and the Golden Scale Guards with lightning, and flew away toward the southwestern sky.
• Lu Changfeng emerged from the pool pretending to be gravely wounded, and Li Lingyue rushed to support him and took him back to her residence.
• Empress Wei and Zong Chuke decided Lu Changfeng had to be uprooted, while Princess Anle and Fifth Ying'er anticipated an opportunity to act.
• In the carriage, Lu Changfeng admitted his injury was an act, and Li Lingyue told him she wanted everyone to know he belonged to her.

Lu Changfeng used the ancient true dragon bone to cultivate and challenge the fifth realm while Li Lingyue prepared the Princess's Residence for an expected attack. When a coalition of martial-world experts launched a midnight assault, Li Lingyue revealed her hidden allies, and Lu Changfeng emerged to confront Mo Xuanji at the chapter's end.

• Lu Changfeng absorbed the ancient true dragon bone's spiritual energy and began his all-out assault on the fifth realm.
• At midnight, the Three Sages of Penglai and numerous martial-world experts led an attack on the Princess's Residence.
• Li Lingyue identified the attackers and revealed her hidden allies, then ordered them to kill every intruder.
• The Three Sages of Penglai engaged Li Lingyue, Zhao Lanjun, and Mu Qinghong while the forces of the residence fought the other assassins.
• Mo Xuanji slipped through the battle, broke the cultivation chamber's stone door, and tried to enter.
• Lu Changfeng emerged from the chamber and trapped Mo Xuanji in a formation.

Lu Changfeng confronted Mo Xuanji after emerging from the secret chamber, revealing his fifth-realm cultivation and attacking with the Wind-Raising Sword and Mo Xie. Their coordinated assault overwhelmed Mo Xuanji, and Mo Xie’s strike pierced his defenses and left him numb and mentally impaired.

• Lu Changfeng emerged from the secret chamber and taunted Mo Xuanji, who struggled to divine the outcome of their confrontation.
• Mo Xuanji attacked Lu Changfeng with the Star-Rayed Loose-Hand Technique, but Lu Changfeng controlled the Wind-Raising Sword to hold him at a distance.
• Mo Xie joined the fight and attacked Mo Xuanji from behind, working in coordination with Lu Changfeng.
• Mo Xuanji divided his defenses between the two swords, but Mo Xie found an opening and thrust at his left ribs.
• Mo Xuanji struck Mo Xie’s blade with his palm, but her baleful aura pierced his protective astral qi, numbed his body, and disrupted his mind and true qi.

Lu Changfeng defeated and pinned Mo Xuanji, one of the Ten Absolutes, then used the Jade Rinsing zither to freeze and disrupt the attacking assassins. The Princess's Residence forces seized the opening to counterattack, leaving the battle in a rout.

• Lu Changfeng formed a Three Powers Sword Formation with Gan Jiang, Mo Xie, and Wind-Raising, wounding Mo Xuanji and blocking his escape.
• Lu Changfeng struck Mo Xuanji with a Buddhist palm and pinned him to the ground through his dantian with the Wind-Raising Sword.
• The battlefield's fighters saw Mo Xuanji's defeat, and the black-clad assassins and Three Sages of Penglai lost their confidence.
• Lu Changfeng summoned the Jade Rinsing zither and used its music to freeze the assassins' true qi and disrupt their senses.
• Li Lingyue, Mu Qinghong, and Zhao Lanjun launched a counterattack, and the Princess's Residence forces routed the weaker assassins.

Li Lingyue’s forces defeated the assassins attacking the Princess’s Residence, with Li Longji and Yue Zhenyuan arriving to help capture Fang Xingzhou. Lu Changfeng urged Li Lingyue to seize the moment and strike at Zong Chuke’s residence before the enemy learned what had happened.

• The remaining assassins fled after Mo Xuanji fell, while Baili Ce and Wei Lingxiao remained trapped by Zhao Lanjun and Mu Qinghong.
• Fang Xingzhou used his secret art to create two doubles and raced toward the western wall, but Li Lingyue destroyed the doubles and pursued him.
• Li Longji arrived with troops from the Prince Xiang’s Residence, and Yue Zhenyuan intercepted Fang Xingzhou with his Five Peaks Demon-Subduing Mace.
• Li Lingyue and Yue Zhenyuan subdued Fang Xingzhou, whose martial power was crippled before guards dragged him to the Ten Directions Secret Prison.
• Li Longji thanked Lu Changfeng and praised his role in turning the battle around.
• Lu Changfeng urged Li Lingyue to raid Zong Chuke’s residence that night, and she realized it was a chance to strike Empress Wei’s faction while it was still confused.

After helping Li Lingyue move against Zong Chuke, Lu Changfeng set out alone to confront Prince Qiao, Li Chongfu, in Junzhou. He stunned the gathered court forces by arriving on a living Flood Dragon, which bowed to him and carried him southwest.

• Li Longji approved of Lu Changfeng’s plan to deal with Zong Chuke, while Li Lingyue organized the Plum Blossom Guards to act.
• Lu Changfeng told Li Lingyue he would go alone to Junzhou because Li Chongfu was her nephew and involving her could put her in a difficult position.
• A living Flood Dragon descended from the sky and meekly lowered its head before Lu Changfeng.
• Lu Changfeng mounted the Flood Dragon, promised Li Lingyue he would return soon, and flew toward Junzhou.
• Li Lingyue, Li Longji, Yue Zhenyuan, and the gathered guards watched in shock as Lu Changfeng disappeared into the night.

Zhang Lingjun divined an ill omen at Prince Qiao's residence, but before he could explain, Lu Changfeng launched a sudden attack on Li Chongfu and Zhang Lingjun. Lu Changfeng overwhelmed Zhang Lingjun's defenses and Yellow Turbans Warriors, leaving the battle unresolved.

• Zhang Lingjun cast a hexagram that warned of a vicious threat at Prince Qiao's residence.
• Li Chongfu dismissed Empress Wei's spies and reassured Zhang Lingjun that their plan to use a Flood Dragon against Lu Changfeng would succeed.
• Lu Changfeng arrived and smashed the main hall with a golden Buddhist palm, then attacked Zhang Lingjun with a Three Powers Sword Formation and Opening-and-Closing Hands.
• Zhang Lingjun summoned eight Yellow Turbans Warriors, including two at the Fifth Realm, to defend him.
• Lu Changfeng evaded the warriors and identified the flaws in controlling the puppets.

Lu Changfeng exploited the Yellow Turbans Warriors’ lack of intelligence and fought Zhang Lingjun despite the Dragon-Binding Formation. He crippled Zhang Lingjun and pinned him to the ground, leaving him alive for questioning.

• Lu Changfeng used precise attacks to shatter the Yellow Turbans Warriors’ knees and exploit their puppet-like instincts.
• Zhang Lingjun activated the Dragon-Binding Formation, sealing away much of the Origin Qi in the battlefield.
• The Flood Dragon seized Li Chongfu from the shadows, distracting Zhang Lingjun as Lu Changfeng struck him with the Wind-Raising Sword.
• Lu Changfeng damaged the formation with a powerful stomp, then pierced Zhang Lingjun’s shoulder with the Mo Xie Sword during a three-sword assault.
• Lu Changfeng slammed Zhang Lingjun into the ground and destroyed his Dantian and major meridians, crippling his cultivation.
• Lu Changfeng pinned Zhang Lingjun to the ground with the Wind-Raising and Gan Jiang swords and said they could talk.

Lu Changfeng forced Zhang Lingjun to reveal his origins and plot, then healed him to obtain a reward before killing him and Li Chongfu. With Snow Robe’s help, he searched Prince Qiao’s Residence for treasure and prepared to return to Chang'an.

• Lu Changfeng threatened Zhang Lingjun through Li Chongfu until Zhang Lingjun confessed that he came from Dragon-Slaying City and planned to refine Lu Changfeng into a Human Origin Great Pill to help Li Chongfu claim the throne.
• Lu Changfeng treated Zhang Lingjun, gained Consciousness-Only Sword Intent from the Noble Physician's Canon, and then killed him with Sword Qi.
• Lu Changfeng killed Li Chongfu after explaining that Zhang Lingjun’s confession had only been meant to save Li Chongfu’s life.
• Snow Robe reunited with Lu Changfeng and used its searching ability to locate hidden treasures and Zhang Lingjun’s talismans in Prince Qiao’s Residence.
• Lu Changfeng collected the treasures and talismans, then left with the Flood Dragon to return to Chang'an.

After Li Lingyue slaughtered Zong Chuke’s household and imprisoned him, Empress Wei poisoned Li Dan to hold him as leverage. Lu Changfeng cured the poison and helped Li Xian break from Empress Wei’s control, leaving Li Xian to depose her and abdicate in favor of Li Dan.

• Li Lingyue had Zong Chuke’s household killed and sent him, stripped of his martial cultivation, to the Ten Directions Secret Prison.
• Fifth Ying’er proposed using Li Dan as leverage, and Empress Wei summoned him to the palace with a forged imperial decree and the Fate-Locking Seal.
• Li Lingyue and Li Longji confronted Empress Wei at the palace, where they found Li Dan poisoned and surrounded by Golden Scale Guards.
• Li Dan urged Li Lingyue not to yield to Empress Wei, while Li Xian stayed silent as Empress Wei accused his siblings of rebellion.
• Lu Changfeng declared Li Dan’s poison curable and used Consciousness-Only Sword Intent to help Li Xian regain his resolve.
• Li Xian stripped Empress Wei and Princess Anle of their titles, ordered them confined, and abdicated in favor of Li Dan.

Lu Changfeng used the Nine-Sectioned Li Staff and Nine Dragon Stone to break the Fate-Locking Seal threatening Li Dan, then left with Li Lingyue to recover. Alone with Li Longji, Li Dan reflected on their strained family ties and said there was no kinship in the imperial house.

• Lu Changfeng treated Li Dan with the Li Staff and Nine Dragon Stone while Li Lingyue and Li Longji watched anxiously.
• Lu Changfeng broke the Fate-Locking Seal, saving Li Dan, but the Nine Dragon Stone lost its power and Lu Changfeng was left exhausted.
• Li Dan and Li Longji thanked Lu Changfeng, and Li Lingyue took him back to her residence to rest.
• After they were alone, Li Dan spoke with Li Longji and concluded that there was no kinship in the imperial house.

After the palace coup, Li Dan told Li Longji to respect Princess Taiping as long as she remained cautious and blameless. At the Princess’s Residence, Lu Changfeng recovered, learned the coup’s outcome, and found treasures that might help him reach the fourth layer of the Shennong Glazed Glass Art; he then asked Li Lingyue to take him to the prison to examine its captured Grandmasters.

• Li Dan explained that Li Longji owed Princess Taiping and Lu Changfeng for saving him and the throne, and ordered Li Longji to respect his aunt if she continued to act with restraint.
• Li Longji accepted his father’s decision and left the Quiet Chamber as dawn approached.
• At the Princess’s Residence, Li Lingyue told Lu Changfeng that Fifth Ying’er was dead and Empress Wei and Anle had been imprisoned; she revealed that she had poisoned Empress Wei with Mind-Loss Powder.
• Lu Changfeng summoned Lingbo, which produced eight chests of treasures taken from Junzhou, including Seven-Colored Bodhi and rare medicinal substances.
• Lu Changfeng realized the treasures might help him reach the human golden elixir realm, the fourth layer of the Shennong Glazed Glass Art.
• When Li Lingyue asked what he wanted, Lu Changfeng asked to visit the prison and examine the captured Grandmasters, and she agreed to take him.