Chapter Summaries

Fang Yang drew the Empress Dowager into his arms inside Daming Palace while the officials outside mistook her moan for a sign that she had been injured. Xiao Rongxue swore to kill Fang Yang, and the chapter left the Female Emperor watching him and the Empress Dowager together from the Dragon Throne.

• The officials heard the Empress Dowager moan and the Chancellor asked whether she had been injured.
• The Empress Dowager nestled in Fang Yang's arms, removed her shoes, and prepared herself while he teased her about their past encounter.
• Xiao Rongxue watched from the shadows, felt the same restless heat, and vowed to kill Fang Yang despite struggling to control herself.
• Autumn rain fell as the officials waited anxiously outside Daming Palace for news.
• Fang Yang appeared refreshed as the Empress Dowager rested obediently in his arms, while the Female Emperor watched and cursed them inwardly.

Fang Yang used the Female Emperor’s dragon qi to draw her into an uncontrolled cultivation session, leaving her humiliated when she regained her senses. She refused to submit to him, and the chapter ended as he approached her with an imposing air and she prepared to fight.

• The Female Emperor struggled to suppress her surging dragon qi, but Fang Yang drew her into his embrace and tapped her body, causing them to cultivate together on the Dragon Throne.
• After their dragon qi merged, Fang Yang’s power grew, and the Empress Dowager sensed that he had become far stronger.
• The Female Emperor awoke clinging to Fang Yang, realized how disheveled and marked she was, and restored her appearance with magic.
• The Female Emperor declared that she would never submit to Fang Yang, while he admitted her defiance made him want to conquer her.
• As the Female Emperor prepared to fight and call upon the Imperial Palace’s will, Fang Yang suddenly appeared directly before her.

Fang Yang kissed the Female Emperor, then agreed to meet her at Maple Forest Mountain the next day, while she planned to turn the meeting to her advantage. His conspicuous exit from Daming Palace fueled the officials’ suspicions, and Chancellor Zhang Jushan began to see him as a threat to his long-laid plans.

• Fang Yang kissed the Female Emperor and left her flustered, then agreed to meet her at Maple Forest Mountain the next day to treat Wudi’s injuries.
• The Female Emperor resolved to use the Maple Forest meeting to bring Fang Yang under her control.
• Fang Yang walked out of Daming Palace in full view of the officials, causing the Female Emperor to panic about what they would infer.
• The officials speculated about Fang Yang’s relationship with the Female Emperor and Empress Dowager, while Chancellor Zhang Jushan watched him warily.
• Zhang Jushan declared that anyone who threatened his plans would die, and expressionless palace guards briefly showed green flames between their brows.

Fang Yang left the Imperial Palace after confronting the Female Emperor, while the officials struggled to understand what had happened to her and the Empress Dowager. As ominous faceless shadows gathered around him in Kyoto, Mo Ke continued divining at Star-Seizing Temple, convinced that her master was the only hope against the Great Calamity.

• Fang Yang warned the Female Emperor that the Blood Rain Cult would take control of Tang Kingdom, and she refused to submit before spitting blood.
• The officials entered Daming Palace and noticed the Empress Dowager’s disheveled appearance and marks on the Female Emperor’s neck, leaving them confused about Fang Yang’s encounter with the two women.
• Xiao Rongxue blamed herself for placing a restriction on her younger sister and swore to kill Fang Yang once she recovered, despite her own growing feelings for him.
• Fang Yang walked through Kyoto, where faceless shadows emerged from the streets and alleys and surrounded him as the cultivators’ assembly drew near.
• At Star-Seizing Temple, Mo Ke divined that her master stood outside the Great Calamity’s constraints and was their sole hope, then sat still for three days and nights after glimpsing hope.

Mo Ke sensed that a forbidden land had emerged over Chang'an as the great calamity approached. In Kyoto, Wen Chanyi confronted a woman from the Drizzle Forbidden Land, who left to target Fang Yang while Wen Chanyi revealed she had been baiting rival forces.

• Mo Ke reflected on her growing uncertainty about her master, then noticed dark clouds gathering over Chang'an and suspected a forbidden land had emerged.
• Wen Chanyi remained in Kyoto's Pear Garden, where the Shanhai Devil Master had raised her strength to the five-leaf dharma body.
• A woman from the Drizzle Forbidden Land appeared before Wen Chanyi and challenged the Shanhai Forbidden Land's claim to Chang'an.
• The woman declared that she would attack Fang Yang, dismissed Wen Chanyi's caution, and vanished into the rain as the Pear Garden's ghosts shattered.
• Wen Chanyi revealed that she had been baiting enemies and judged the Drizzle Forbidden Land's newcomer disappointing.

Fang Yang was ambushed on Chang'an Street by the Drizzle Forbidden Land, but he revealed his formless demon body and black flame, turning the attack against its ghostly forces. He advanced through the flames as the vengeful ghosts burned away.

• A woman from the Drizzle Forbidden Land sent countless vengeful ghosts to surround Fang Yang on Chang'an Street.
• The woman mocked Fang Yang and declared that the Drizzle Forbidden Land would kill him and destroy his disciples.
• Fang Yang unleashed his formless demon body and ignited the black flame between his brows.
• The ghosts and Underworld River rain rushed toward the flame, but the fire melted the rain and burned the ghosts.
• Fang Yang walked forward along a road of flames as the wandering souls screamed and died.

Fang Yang overwhelmed the Paper Umbrella woman inside her ink-wash painting, destroying her attacks and breaking her escape attempt. He seized her as she fled and held her helpless in the rain, while she tried to win his mercy.

• Fang Yang slaughtered the Vengeful Ghosts and shattered the Paper Umbrella woman's confidence in the ink-wash painting's power.
• The Paper Umbrella woman summoned countless blood-red umbrellas, but Fang Yang's black flames burned through them and damaged her Soul Lamp.
• The Paper Umbrella woman fled toward a rift in the painting, realizing that Wen Chanyi had sent her to test Fang Yang and likely to her death.
• Fang Yang vanished from the woman's sight, then grabbed her by the neck and dragged her back from the rift.
• Fang Yang held the despairing woman aloft as her Paper Umbrella burned, and she tried to seduce him into sparing her.

Fang Yang killed the Paper Umbrella woman and escaped the Ink Wash Painting, warning the Drizzle Forbidden Land not to appear again. In Kyoto, Wen Chanyi watched the battle through a Water Mirror as she performed opera with Li Fenfen.

• The Paper Umbrella woman pretended to submit to Fang Yang, but secretly planned to take revenge and target his female disciples.
• Fang Yang rejected her seduction, burned her life-bound Paper Umbrella, and killed her.
• Fang Yang tore open the sky of the Ink Wash Painting, escaped its collapsing world, and threatened to destroy the Drizzle Forbidden Land if it returned.
• Wen Chanyi watched Fang Yang's victory through a Water Mirror while performing opera with Li Fenfen in the Pear Garden.

Wen Chanyi watched Fang Yang destroy the Paper Umbrella woman and struggled to explain her jealousy as a desire to protect her revenge plan. She used a restriction to pass her sensations through Fang Yang’s disciple’s Divine Sense, while the ruined ink painting appeared in the Drizzle Forbidden Land and released a charred Paper Umbrella.

• Wen Chanyi watched Fang Yang burn the vengeful ghosts and overpower the Paper Umbrella woman, growing wary of his strength.
• The Paper Umbrella woman begged Fang Yang to spare her and become his slave, provoking Wen Chanyi’s anger and jealousy.
• Fang Yang called the woman unworthy and crushed her beneath his foot as her Paper Umbrella burned.
• Wen Chanyi indulged her desire while using a restriction to make Fang Yang’s disciple experience the same sensations through Divine Sense.
• A ruined ink painting appeared in the Drizzle Forbidden Land, freezing the land and its creatures.
• A jade-like hand reached from a lake, opened the painting, and retrieved the charred Paper Umbrella.

The Devil Master of the Drizzle Forbidden Land revealed the realm’s blood-soaked true form, but its ancient restriction annihilated the vengeful ghosts trying to escape. He then approached the boundary and partially pushed his finger through it, longing to return to the Human Realm as his body began turning translucent.

• The Devil Master watched scenes from Chang'an Street and dismissed the Blood Rain Demon Venerable’s threat against the Drizzle Forbidden Land.
• He transformed the peaceful forbidden land into a hellscape, and its vengeful ghosts and evil gods surged toward the Southern Wilderness boundary.
• The restriction at the boundary dissolved the attackers and forced the surviving vengeful ghosts to retreat as the land returned to its peaceful appearance.
• The Devil Master crossed the forbidden land and pressed a finger through the restriction, partially entering the world beyond it.
• As the restriction’s light intensified, the Devil Master’s finger, arm, and then entire body began turning pale and translucent.

Ye Qinghong confronted the Drizzle Devil Master outside the Drizzle Forbidden Land, where her spear passed through the restriction and revealed a way the Underworld Race might escape. After leaving, Ye Qinghong struggled with desires transmitted through her severed divine soul and turned her gaze toward Kyoto, where her master was.

• The Drizzle Devil Master asked the spear-wielding girl why she had been circling the Drizzle Forbidden Land, and the girl thrust her spear through its restriction.
• The Drizzle Devil Master realized the girl had pierced the restriction and demanded to know how she had done it.
• The girl warned that the Underworld Race belonged inside the forbidden lands and that she would kill the Drizzle Devil Master if she stepped outside, then left.
• The Drizzle Devil Master returned the forbidden land to its peaceful disguise and resolved to destroy it when the approaching Great Calamity loosened the restriction.
• The girl cultivated beneath a locust tree but was overwhelmed by desire transmitted through her severed divine soul, which she sensed was connected to her master and a vengeful ghost.
• After the desire faded, the girl looked toward Kyoto and thought about the abnormal relationship between the vengeful ghost and her master.

Fang Yang continued cultivating with Lian Yue to restore his damaged lotus pedestal and prepare for the approaching calamity, while Ye Qinghong’s jealousy and uncertainty grew. The chapter ended with Fang Yang reaffirming his plan to win over his five disciples through intimacy.

• Ye Qinghong overheard Fang Yang and Lian Yue cultivating and fled in embarrassment when Fang Yang opened the window.
• Ye Qinghong felt bitter and lost as he remembered striving for Fang Yang’s approval and feared Lian Yue was surpassing him.
• Lian Yue woke exhausted and conflicted, but Fang Yang told her that more cultivation sessions would heal her injuries, and she left the bedchamber.
• Fang Yang examined his recovering lotus pedestal and considered how to restore it by winning his disciples’ affection instead of turning them into puppets.
• Fang Yang reflected that his efforts were meant to cherish his disciples, then fixed his gaze with a profound, entrancing intensity.

Fang Yang prepared for his outing with the Female Emperor while giving the White Snow Lion Cat a Transformation Pill, unaware of her attempt to seduce him. Ye Qinghong followed him through Chang'an Street, robbing demons to gather wedding goods as he resolved to marry his master; the cat began experiencing the pill’s effects after Fang Yang left.

• Fang Yang reviewed his new Pupil of Desire, Bed of Bliss, and Transformation Pill before heading out to meet the Female Emperor in the Maple Forest.
• Fang Yang recognized that the White Snow Lion Cat had become a spirit creature and gave her the Transformation Pill, naming her the Blood Rain Cult’s Guardian Divine Beast.
• Ye Qinghong resolved to abandon his wait for revenge and prepare to marry Fang Yang, then followed him out of the palace.
• Ye Qinghong killed a demon who was brutalizing civilians and took the demon’s Storage Bag to add to his wedding goods.
• Ye Qinghong continued roaming Chang'an Street after Fang Yang, robbing demons and collecting a large pile of goods.
• The White Snow Lion Cat wondered why Fang Yang had ignored her charms and began feeling unfamiliar changes from the Transformation Pill.

The White Snow Lion Cat took a transformation pill and fell asleep in the spring, imagining how she would win the Demon Venerable’s favor as a human. Meanwhile, the Princess Consort waited sadly for him to visit, and the Female Emperor destroyed a shadow in Ganlu Hall and discovered a sinister green flame that left her wary of a growing danger.

• The White Snow Lion Cat jumped into the spring as the pill took effect, then fell asleep while imagining her future human form and plans to win the Demon Venerable’s favor.
• The Princess Consort of the Southern Pacifying King painted the Blood Rain Demon Venerable while the little maid finished her chores and lamented how much the Princess Consort missed him.
• The little maid sat with the Princess Consort beneath falling maple leaves, both waiting for the Demon Venerable to return.
• The Female Emperor detected a shadow in Ganlu Hall and sent her golden dragon and Four Golden Leaves to suppress it.
• The Female Emperor extinguished the shadow but kept its eerie green flame, then wondered what it was and sensed a growing danger.

The Female Emperor wore the Soul-Capturing Lock she had crafted to capture the Demon Venerable and planned to lure him into her arrangements at the Maple Forest. After officials saw her power grow, she announced she would visit the Maple Forest with him, leaving Zhang Jushan bewildered.

• The Female Emperor fastened the Soul-Capturing Lock against her skin and endured its humiliating, uncomfortable fit so it could be nurtured.
• The Female Emperor told the Guard Commander that she would leave the palace for an outing with the Demon Venerable and ordered the guards to protect her.
• The Female Emperor struggled to walk in the Soul-Capturing Lock and vowed to punish the Demon Venerable for offending her.
• The civil and military officials reconsidered their suspicions when the Female Emperor entered Daming Palace with stronger dragon qi.
• The Female Emperor announced that she intended to visit the Maple Forest with the Demon Venerable, and Zhang Jushan looked on in bewilderment.

The Female Emperor insisted on touring Maple Forest with the Demon Venerable and ordered preparations for them to share a Flying Carriage, hoping to win his help against the Forbidden Lands. Zhang Jushan and the officials urged her to marry the Demon Venerable openly, leaving her stunned as the court united behind the proposal.

• The Female Emperor rejected her officials’ pleas to reconsider the tour and ordered the Ministry of Rites to arrange a shared Flying Carriage with the Demon Venerable.
• Zhang Jushan told the Female Emperor to take the Demon Venerable as a consort or empress and have a crown prince to secure the nation.
• The officials protested Zhang Jushan’s suggestion until he argued that an open marriage would prevent further scandals in Daming Palace.
• The ministers knelt together and beseeched the Female Emperor to marry the Demon Venerable for the sake of the realm.

The Empress Dowager persuaded Xiao Rongxue to help seduce and kill the Demon Venerable for the Heavenly Fox Clan, despite Xiao Rongxue’s shame and doubts about her sister’s motives. Xiao Rongxue finally chose a piece of black silk clothing, agreeing to take part in the plan.

• The Empress Dowager teased Xiao Rongxue about seducing the Demon Venerable and reminded her that they had planned to lower his guard together.
• Xiao Rongxue admitted she had once agreed to the plan but struggled with the idea of dressing provocatively after experiencing the Demon Venerable’s power through her divine soul.
• The Empress Dowager urged Xiao Rongxue to sacrifice her pride for the clan and showed her a wardrobe of daring clothes and accessories.
• The Empress Dowager claimed she had met the Demon Venerable to prevent the Female Emperor from winning him over and insisted her actions served the Heavenly Fox Clan.
• Xiao Rongxue questioned whether her sister had fallen for the Demon Venerable, but the Empress Dowager denied it and pressed her to choose an outfit.
• Xiao Rongxue reached into the wardrobe and selected a less revealing piece of black silk clothing.

The Empress Dowager learned that the Female Emperor planned to tour the Maple Forest with the Demon Venerable and join the ministers’ push for marriage, so she went to Daming Palace to confront her. She declared that the Demon Venerable was her man, then walked toward the Dragon Throne as the court watched in confusion.

• The Empress Dowager read a message about the Female Emperor’s planned Maple Forest outing and decided to seduce the Demon Venerable alongside Xiao Rongxue.
• The Female Emperor rejected the ministers’ proposal that she marry the Demon Venerable, while privately planning to win him over and later clear her reputation.
• The Empress Dowager overheard the marriage proposal outside Daming Palace and grew jealous and furious.
• The Empress Dowager told the guard commander that the Demon Venerable was her man and that the Female Emperor was trying to marry him, then forced her way into Daming Palace.
• The Empress Dowager answered Zhang Jushan’s question and walked toward the Dragon Throne as the Female Emperor and ministers watched.

The Empress Dowager accused the Female Emperor of taking the Demon Venerable from her and demanded that the Female Emperor either relinquish him or marry him alongside her. The Female Emperor refused to back down, while concealing her plan to lure the Demon Venerable into a trap and control him.

• The Empress Dowager confronted the Female Emperor in Daming Palace and accused her of competing for the Demon Venerable.
• The Empress Dowager told the assembled officials that she loved the Demon Venerable and challenged the Female Emperor to either give him up or marry him together with her.
• Chancellor Zhang Jushan asked whether the Empress Dowager's claims were true, and she confirmed them before the court.
• The Female Emperor recognized the Empress Dowager's provocation but hid her plans to gain the Demon Venerable's trust and trap him in the Maple Forest formation.
• The Female Emperor rejected the Empress Dowager's demand and declared that she had never admitted defeat and would not start now.

The Empress Dowager accepted the Female Emperor’s challenge to compete for the Demon Venerable and announced she would join the Maple Forest outing. In Kyoto, Zhao Cheng and other sect heirs plotted against the Demon Venerable while Guan Qinghan struggled with her feelings and used a Heart-Questioning Mirror to inspect her Dao Heart.

• The Empress Dowager applauded the Female Emperor’s declaration and said she would join her and the Demon Venerable on the Maple Forest tour.
• Zhao Cheng told the young sect masters gathered at Spring Breeze Pavilion that the Female Emperor planned to tour the Maple Forest with the Demon Venerable.
• The sect heirs expressed jealousy toward the Demon Venerable and agreed that they should expose him in front of the Female Emperor.
• Guan Qinghan brooded over her unhappiness and her lingering thoughts about the Demon Venerable, then summoned a Heart-Questioning Mirror.
• The Heart-Questioning Mirror revealed a black palace and a figure seated on a throne.