Chapter Summaries

Lu Changfeng used the Black Dragon Banner to control twelve Terracotta Warriors at once, turning Shi Jiao’s plan to exhaust him against the valley’s defenders. Shi Jiao then reclaimed his roots and compressed them into a powerful ironwood body before attacking Lu Changfeng.

• Lu Changfeng ordered twelve Terracotta Warriors into battle, each using a different martial art to fight the enemy forces.
• Shi Jiao recognized that Lu Changfeng was controlling all twelve puppets independently and using earth qi from the Black Dragon Banner to keep his strength from running out.
• Shi Jiao abandoned his plan to exhaust Lu Changfeng and drew the roots spread throughout Soul Bewitching Valley back toward the central tree.
• Shi Jiao compressed his roots, earth qi, and accumulated essence into a dark-golden ironwood body and grew his face back.
• Shi Jiao demanded that Lu Changfeng surrender, then sent countless roots whipping toward him.

Lu Changfeng turned the tide against Shi Jiao and the Fifth Realm experts by using his talismans and Black Dragon Banner to destroy their formation. He left every Fifth Realm fighter dead, standing amid the battlefield with twelve Terracotta Warriors behind him.

• Shi Jiao coordinated his roots with Yue Longyuan and the other experts to overwhelm Lu Changfeng, while Shen Lingyue remained trapped by the Qi Poison and Demonic Sound.
• Lu Changfeng was struck by a root, then fired four Golden Crow Splits the Firmament talismans to blast the attackers and scatter their formation.
• Lu Changfeng used the Black Dragon Banner and Central Peace Spear Technique to kill Yue Longyuan and Shangguan He.
• Lu Changfeng blocked Fang Wendao's fire attack with water, then pierced him through the chest.
• Lu Changfeng defeated Li Wuchang, Zhou Yan, Sikong Xuan, and Pei Shuji with the banner's earth qi and his Six Meridian Divine Sword.

Lu Changfeng’s ambush against Shi Jiao failed when Shi Jiao struck his mind with the Great Void Divine Sword Scripture and bound him with roots. Shi Jiao began transferring his soul into Lu Changfeng, while Snow Robe revealed that Lu Changfeng had taken the bait.

• Lu Changfeng sent the Terracotta Warriors to overwhelm Shi Jiao, then attacked with three divine swords and the Black Dragon Banner.
• Shi Jiao revealed the face on his trunk as a trap and used the Great Void Divine Sword Scripture to stun Lu Changfeng, causing the Terracotta Warriors to collapse.
• Shen Lingyue attacked Shi Jiao with the Tai'e Sword, but Shi Jiao’s roots blocked him as Shi Jiao began the Corpse Liberation Rebirth Art.
• Shi Jiao left his ironwood body and sent his divine soul, memories, and cultivation toward Lu Changfeng’s brow.
• Snow Robe watched from the shadows and said that Lu Changfeng had finally taken the bait.

Lu Changfeng revealed that he had prepared two protections against Shi Jiao’s attempt to possess him: the Cave Profound True Light and the Black Tortoise Crystal. After forcing his way into Lu Changfeng’s sea of consciousness, Shi Jiao found the Consciousness-Only Sword waiting for him, and Lu Changfeng admitted he had deliberately lured him out of his tree body.

• Lu Changfeng’s Cave Profound True Light talisman burned Shi Jiao’s divine soul as it tried to enter his body.
• The Black Tortoise Crystal shielded Lu Changfeng and hurled Shi Jiao back, but Shi Jiao forced his weakened soul past the barrier and into Lu Changfeng’s sea of consciousness.
• Shi Jiao found Lu Changfeng’s Consciousness-Only Sword aimed at him, with Lu Changfeng waiting behind it.
• Shi Jiao asked whether Lu Changfeng had deliberately let the roots bind him, and Lu Changfeng confirmed that he had lured Shi Jiao into abandoning his body.
• Lu Changfeng explained that Shi Jiao’s ironwood body could not wield its Sixth Realm power fully, so its attack could not truly immobilize him.

Lu Changfeng defeated Shi Jiao by letting him attempt possession and destroying his divine soul with Consciousness-Only Sword Intent. With the ironwood tree spirit dead and Shen Lingyue treated, Lu Changfeng and Shen Lingyue left the valley on the Spirit Vulture.

• Shi Jiao's memories passed before him as Lu Changfeng's sword intent dissolved his divine soul, and Lu Changfeng gained the Corpse Liberation Rebirth Art.
• The ironwood tree split and fell, ending Shi Jiao's thousand-year existence.
• Lu Changfeng freed himself from the roots and treated Shen Lingyue's Yin-Yang Curse Seal, earning the max-level Stunning Spear.
• Lu Changfeng and Shen Lingyue boarded the Spirit Vulture and flew away from the valley.
• When Shen Lingyue asked what would have happened if Lu Changfeng's plan had failed, Lu Changfeng said there had been no 'what if.'

At a banquet at the Shu Mountain Sword Sect, Lu Changfeng modestly described his self-taught Sword Dao and received thanks from Shen Guannan, who felt a new reverence for him. Lu Changfeng declined the sect’s invitation to stay longer and prepared to leave for Chang’an the next day.

• Shen Lingyue toasted Lu Changfeng for saving Shen Guannan and removing the threat to Bashu.
• Liu Qianfan asked who taught Lu Changfeng the Sword Dao, and Lu Changfeng said he had no master and had only dabbled after obtaining Wind-Raising and Marquis Wu’s legacy.
• Wang Maozhong comforted Liu Qianfan about being unable to compare with Lu Changfeng.
• Shen Guannan thanked Lu Changfeng and promised to repay him, while Lu Changfeng urged him to recover and study the Great Void Divine Sword Scripture.
• Snow Robe begged to stay longer for the food, but Lu Changfeng told Shen Lingyue and Xu Yuanzhi he had to leave for Chang’an the next day.

Lu Changfeng reunited with Luo Qingge in her secluded valley, while the Heaven, Earth, and Human Three Fiends waited through a storm at Langya Ferry for the Eastern Sea Visitor. The visitor appeared in a tiny white skiff gliding steadily across the raging waves.

• Lu Changfeng left Shu Mountain Sword Sect and flew east on Lingbo with Snow Robe.
• Lu Changfeng found Luo Qingge in a secluded valley, and they embraced and kissed inside her cottage.
• Snow Robe was shut out of the cottage and complained to Azure Luan while eating a rabbit head.
• The Heaven, Earth, and Human Three Fiends guarded Langya Ferry under Princess Taiping's orders as a storm battered the coast.
• A tiny white skiff emerged from the waves and glided toward the ferry without rocking.

Xu Chi and Xu Xiao arrived at the Langya landing to demand the release of Liu Ciyuan and Liu Xuance. Xu Chi killed the three Demon brothers and sent a threat to the Princess's Residence before he and Xu Xiao vanished, intending to proceed through strategy.

• Xu Wujiu spotted the two white-robed arrivals and signaled Heavenly Demon Xi Changkong and Earth Demon Li Wuji to prepare an ambush.
• Xu Chi uncovered Yin Wujiu's secret letter, severed his hand, and rewrote the message identifying himself and Xu Xiao while demanding the release of Liu Ciyuan and Liu Xuance.
• Xi Changkong and Li Wuji attacked Xu Chi together, but he killed them both with two flicks of his fingers.
• Xu Chi drained Yin Wujiu into dust, placed the message in the Silent Falcon's tube, and released the bird.
• Xu Xiao warned Xu Chi not to underestimate their opponents, and the two left the Langya landing after agreeing to win through strategy.

Lu Changfeng recounted his dangerous journey to Bashu to Luo Qingge, then asked her to marry him after the matter with Dragon-Slaying City was settled, and she accepted. Luo Qingge also explained that Princess Taiping’s growing power had brought her into open conflict with the Crown Prince’s faction, while Lu Changfeng decided to take matters one step at a time.

• Lu Changfeng told Luo Qingge how he had used himself as bait to draw Shi Jiao out, and she clung to him in fright and relief.
• Lu Changfeng asked whether Luo Qingge would marry him once the Dragon-Slaying City matter was settled, and she tearfully agreed.
• Luo Qingge explained that Princess Taiping’s influence at court had grown and that the Eastern Palace’s ministers were pushing to curb her power.
• Lu Changfeng recognized that Li Lingyue and Li Longji’s factions were bound to clash, but decided to focus on Dragon-Slaying City and the threat from the Eastern Sea.
• Luo Qingge fell asleep in Lu Changfeng’s arms, and he tucked her in and kissed her forehead.

Lu Changfeng returned to Chang'an on the Mid-Autumn Festival to check on Li Lingyue, leaving Luo Qingge a jade pendant and a letter. He found Li Lingyue overwhelmed by political attacks, and she greeted him with an embrace and a forceful kiss.

• Lu Changfeng left Luo Qingge a jade pendant and letter, then traveled back to Chang'an with Snow Robe.
• Jinghong told Lu Changfeng that Li Lingyue was handling state affairs and was in a bad mood.
• Li Lingyue read memorials accusing her of plotting rebellion and reflected that she had never wanted to become emperor.
• Li Lingyue sensed Lu Changfeng's arrival, rushed to the hall entrance, and embraced him.
• Li Lingyue breathed in Lu Changfeng's scent, then kissed him.

Li Lingyue vented her frustration over the impeachment memorials by kissing Lu Changfeng, then asked him to read and discuss them. As they reviewed the court papers, Lu Changfeng found a proposal to give Tubo the Nine Bends of Hexi and reacted furiously.

• Li Lingyue kissed Lu Changfeng in Chenghui Hall, then spent two hours with him before asking him to help read her memorials.
• Lu Changfeng read Yao Chong's memorial accusing Li Lingyue of usurping authority and warned that her power could lead to another Wu Zhou calamity.
• Li Lingyue showed Lu Changfeng her detailed rebuttal, defending her conduct and reminding Yao Chong of her role in securing the Tang succession.
• Lu Changfeng agreed that Li Lingyue's reply was justified, and she set aside the dispute as the Mid-Autumn family banquet approached.
• Lu Changfeng read Yang Ju's memorial proposing that the Nine Bends of Hexi be granted to Tubo as a bathing estate for Princess Jincheng and angrily called him stupid.

Lu Changfeng discovered that Emperor Li Dan had approved ceding the Nine Bends of Hexi to Tubo, and he wrote a memorial for Li Lingyue urging him to revoke the decision. After Li Lingyue departed for the palace banquet, Lu Changfeng received warnings about danger in the Eastern Sea and a threat from two Xu Family disciples, while the Heaven, Earth, and Human Three Fiends were reported dead.

• Lu Changfeng condemned Governor Yang Ju’s proposal to give Tubo the Nine Bends, and Li Lingyue explained that Li Dan had approved it out of guilt toward Princess Jincheng.
• Lu Changfeng wrote a memorial arguing that the Nine Bends were vital to the Great Tang’s defenses, and Li Lingyue took it with her to the palace.
• Li Lingyue left for the Mid-Autumn banquet after Lu Changfeng warned her about her cultivation backlash and told her to use a signal arrow if danger arose.
• Jinghong brought Lu Changfeng a letter from Su Yanqiu warning him of an ominous divination and the Eastern Sea, along with a letter threatening the Princess’s Residence unless it released Liu Ciyuan and Liu Xuance.
• Jinghong reported that the Heaven, Earth, and Human Three Fiends had been killed at Langya Ferry, and Lu Changfeng ordered the residence to guard the two prisoners and began searching its files for information about Xu Fu.

At the Mid-Autumn banquet, Princess Taiping used a memorial and Yang Ju’s confession of Tubo bribery to persuade Li Dan to reject ceding Nine Bends. In the Ten Directions Secret Prison, Lu Changfeng learned about Xu Fu, Xu Xiao, and Xu Chi from Kangjinlong, then dismissed the threat they posed.

• Princess Taiping presented a memorial arguing that Great Tang must not surrender Nine Bends, and Li Dan and Li Longji read it as the officials passed it around.
• Xiao Zhizhong, Cen Xi, and the other chancellors urged Li Dan to reject the proposal and investigate Yang Ju.
• Princess Taiping pressured Yang Ju into confessing that he had accepted bribes from Tubo’s tsenpo to secure the cession of Nine Bends.
• Li Dan ordered Yang Ju imprisoned and his accomplices hunted, then declared that Great Tang would not surrender Nine Bends.
• Lu Changfeng threatened Kangjinlong with making Liu Ciyuan suffer again, prompting Kangjinlong to reveal Xu Fu’s origins and describe Xu Xiao and Xu Chi’s abilities.
• Lu Changfeng dismissed Kangjinlong’s warning that Xu Xiao and Xu Chi would threaten him, and ordered the guards to lock Kangjinlong up.

On the way back from the banquet, Li Lingyue suffered a qi backlash and was nearly killed by an underground assassin, but Lu Changfeng saved her and treated her. The assassin escaped toward the imperial palace, while Li Lingyue recovered and quietly struggled with wanting more from her relationship with Lu Changfeng.

• Li Lingyue told Zhao Lanjun how Lu Changfeng's advice had helped her oppose ceding the Nine Bends region, then suffered a sudden surge of rampaging true qi.
• An assassin burst from beneath the road and attacked Li Lingyue with a steel whip, but Lu Changfeng deflected the killing blow with his Wind-Raising Sword.
• The assassin fled underground toward the imperial palace, and Lu Changfeng carried Li Lingyue back to the Princess's Residence after giving her a Blood Bodhi.
• Lu Changfeng used the Shennong Ruler and Shennong Qi to suppress Li Lingyue's qi backlash and warned her to rest and avoid cultivating.
• Li Lingyue and Lu Changfeng suspected the attacker might be framing Yue Zhenyuan, and Lu Changfeng urged her not to jump to conclusions.
• After Lu Changfeng left to stand guard, Li Lingyue reflected that she wanted more from him than their existing arrangement.

Lu Changfeng weighed the three paths ahead for Li Lingyue as her alliance with Li Longji appeared close to breaking down. He decided he could no longer leave her fate to chance, and their conversation ended with Li Lingyue acknowledging that he saw the danger clearly.

• Lu Changfeng examined the Spirit Rhinoceros Horn he had received for treating Li Lingyue, then considered how the present conflict was beginning to resemble history.
• Lu Changfeng compared three possible paths: Li Lingyue could surrender power, lose and flee with his help, or fight to defeat Li Longji; he believed she would reject surrender and that the other paths carried grave risks.
• Lu Changfeng recognized that his bond with Li Lingyue made him unwilling to abandon her, despite the danger and trouble of helping her prevail.
• Li Lingyue asked why Lu Changfeng was sighing, and he told her he was thinking about what lay ahead for her and the Crown Prince.
• Li Lingyue pointed out that Lu Changfeng had said Li Longji was not behind the assassination, and Lu Changfeng replied that he might be in the future; Li Lingyue acknowledged that he saw the situation clearly.

Li Lingyue struggled to choose between yielding, fleeing, and fighting Li Longji, while Lu Changfeng urged her to decide soon. Realizing he had focused on keeping her alive rather than protecting himself, she resolved to defeat Li Longji within three months.

• Li Lingyue admitted that she did not want the throne but could not see what defeating Li Longji would gain her.
• Lu Changfeng offered three paths: surrender her power, flee with him if defeated, or strike first and win.
• Li Lingyue rejected surrender and fleeing, and asked what would happen after she defeated Li Longji.
• Lu Changfeng told Li Lingyue to decide within three months and left to deal with the Xu brothers and Dragon-Slaying City.
• Li Lingyue realized Lu Changfeng had considered only how to keep her from dying, then vowed to defeat Li Longji within three months.

After recovering from the assassination attempt, Li Lingyue received Li Longji, who denied responsibility and offered the Golden Scale Guards to help investigate. Lu Changfeng had planned to draw out the Xu Family brothers by staging an execution, and his whispered advice left Li Lingyue considering whether to accept Li Longji’s offer.

• Lu Changfeng and Li Lingyue shared breakfast, and Li Lingyue cheerfully said she had figured some things out without explaining further.
• Lu Changfeng considered staging an execution to lure out the Xu Family brothers and trace their connection to the Liu Family.
• A guard announced that Li Longji had arrived to see Li Lingyue, and she ordered that he be admitted.
• Li Longji checked on Li Lingyue, denied involvement in the assassination, and offered the Golden Scale Guards to investigate.
• As Li Lingyue began to respond, Lu Changfeng sent her a Silent Voice Transmission advising her to put the guards to use.

Li Lingyue put Lu Changfeng in charge of using the Golden Scale Guards against Dragon-Slaying City, and they planned to draw its members out with a public execution. The chapter ended with Li Lingyue writing a decree accusing the group of treason and announcing the execution of Liu Ciyuan and the other rebels that afternoon.

• Li Lingyue told Li Longji that Dragon-Slaying City was behind the assassination attempt, and Li Longji offered the Golden Scale Guards to assist her.
• Li Lingyue assigned Lu Changfeng to lead the operation, and Li Longji agreed to send Chen Xuanli and his men to report to him.
• After Li Longji left, Li Lingyue recalled how she had protected him as a child, and Lu Changfeng reminded her that times had changed.
• Lu Changfeng proposed announcing a public execution at the East Market to lure Dragon-Slaying City into rescuing Liu Ciyuan and Liu Xuance.
• Lu Changfeng dictated a decree blaming Dragon-Slaying City for treason and ordering Liu Ciyuan and the other rebels publicly executed that afternoon, and Li Lingyue wrote it out.

After an assassination attempt, Li Lingyue sent evidence against Dragon-Slaying City to her allies and summoned her trusted officials. She ordered them to impeach her at court the next day so she could openly strike back against the Crown Prince’s faction.

• Li Lingyue had Zhao Lanjun deliver a letter about Dragon-Slaying City to the Ministry of Justice and the palace, then sent Lu Changfeng to prepare at the Ten Directions Secret Prison.
• Li Lingyue wrote to Xiao Zhizhong, Cen Xi, and Dou Huaizhen, asking them to meet her after court.
• At Chenghui Hall, Li Lingyue told her confidants to impeach her the next day, listing charges of faction-building, collusion with Dragon-Slaying City, and plotting to frame the Crown Prince.
• Li Lingyue explained that the impeachment would let her strike back openly, and Xiao Zhizhong and the others agreed to prepare the memorials.

Yan Mingxiao learned that Princess Taiping’s Residence planned to use a public execution to draw out Dragon-Slaying City, while Luo Qingge trusted Lu Changfeng to handle the danger. Xu Xiao and Xu Chi decided to rescue the prisoners indirectly by sending Siming to disrupt the execution and exploit the rivalry between Li Lingyue and Li Longji.

• Yan Mingxiao read the proclamation announcing the execution of Dragon-Slaying City members and warned Luo Qingge that the ancient sect might retaliate.
• Luo Qingge explained that Princess Taiping’s Residence had staged the execution to lure Dragon-Slaying City into the open and said she trusted Lu Changfeng to oversee it.
• Yan Mingxiao asked Luo Qingge how she would handle Lu Changfeng’s relationship with Princess Taiping, and Luo Qingge said she would accept him because he had promised to marry her.
• Xu Xiao and Xu Chi concluded that they had to save Liu Ciyuan and Liu Xuance to avoid the Liu Family’s retaliation, despite expecting an ambush.
• Xu Xiao sent Siming, disguised as his double, to interfere with the execution and use the conflict between Li Lingyue and Li Longji to create an opening.