Recaps

Yang Lingrui reunited with Yang Guanfeng, whom everyone had believed dead, and Murong Qiuhan improvised a story that he had returned from a secret mission. Yang Lingrui saw through her deception and realized the Yang Family remained a pawn of the Dynasty, but he concealed his anger as he embraced his Old Ancestor.

• Yang Lingrui revealed that the returned man was Yang Guanfeng, the Yang Family Old Ancestor, shocking those present.
• Murong Qiuhan recalled that Yang Guanfeng had been sent with Murong Ying Xuan as a guard and feared the Yang Family would learn he had been sacrificed in the Dynasty's plans.
• Murong Qiuhan welcomed Yang Guanfeng as a triumphant return, and he played along by claiming he had completed his mission.
• Murong Qiuhan and Yang Guanfeng presented their meeting as an official reception for a secret agent, but Yang Lingrui recognized that she had made up the story.
• Yang Lingrui briefly revealed his anger before hiding it and embracing Yang Guanfeng, saying the Old Ancestor had suffered.

Murong Qiuhan privately learned how Yang Guanfeng survived and assured him the Dynasty would compensate him, while he promised the Yang Family would remain loyal. He asked her to help him visit Murong Ying Xuan’s grave with Flying Swallow Grass, and she accepted with gratitude.

• Murong Qiuhan halted the troops in He'gou Town, distributed supplies to the townsfolk, and arranged funerals with Tiger Chasing.
• Murong Qiuhan visited Yang Guanfeng’s tent, but Yang Lingrui refused to leave him alone with her until Yang Guanfeng asked him to wait outside.
• Murong Qiuhan sealed the tent and asked how Yang Guanfeng survived; he explained that Ying Xuan’s hairpin had saved him.
• Murong Qiuhan promised compensation from the Dynasty, and Yang Guanfeng assured her the Yang Family would not let the matter affect its relationship with the Dynasty.
• Yang Guanfeng showed Murong Qiuhan Flying Swallow Grass and asked her to help him visit Murong Ying Xuan’s grave; Murong Qiuhan bowed and thanked him.

Yang Guanfeng arranged the cover story for his years undercover and learned how the Yang Family had fared during his absence. He chose a frontier fief near Befeng City to seek a spirit mine and give the family a path toward independence, then broke down remembering Yang Linghu.

• Murong Qiuhan and Yang Guanfeng agreed on a detailed account of his secret mission and intelligence from Befeng City.
• Yang Lingrui brought Yuan Cheng to see Yang Guanfeng and recounted the Yang Family’s events over the past twelve years, including Yang Linghu’s death.
• Yang Guanfeng chose a frontier area near Befeng City for the family’s fief and told Yang Lingrui to inform Lingqing.
• Yang Guanfeng left Yuan Cheng at the front lines to train under Yang Lingrui while he returned to report to the Dynasty.
• Yang Guanfeng considered how to guide the Blazing Spirit Mine beneath Befeng City and make it a foundation for the Yang Family’s independence.
• Yang Guanfeng remembered Yang Linghu’s life and teachings, then wept and called his name.

The Third Prince learned that his eldest brother was stationing troops on the northern front and sent elite forces east to confront him. In Qiulu City, Elder Yu hosted visitors from the Pan Family, whose talisman master exchanged techniques with him before revealing that Qin Qiongyu would attend the Gathering of Heroes Banquet.

• The Third Prince received news that his eldest brother was stationing troops on the northern front and feared an attack after the defeat in the south.
• The Third Prince ordered four Spiritual Connection Perfection cultivators to lead troops east and confront his eldest brother.
• Pan Yin, Pan Baocai, and Zhou Shijie visited Elder Yu to thank the Yang Family for helping Pan Baolu in Qinghe Town, and Pan Yin presented a gift.
• Zhou Shijie crafted a high-quality Water Talisman while Elder Yu demonstrated a fine-grade Divine Movement Talisman, giving both him and Chen Yang new insights.
• Zhou Shijie told Elder Yu that Qin Qiongyu of the Su Family of Jingyun Peak was a newly advanced Core Formation Talisman Master who would attend the Gathering of Heroes Banquet.

Chen Yang recognized Qin Qiongyu as the man who had helped torment Yang Lingrui in the Golden Scale Dharma Assembly’s illusion realm and arranged for Elder Yu to approach him at the Gathering of Heroes Banquet. Elder Yu offered Qin Qiongyu a fragmentary talisman arts text and asked for guidance about the Heavenly Talisman Secret Realm, leaving Qin to consider the seemingly generous visit.

• Chen Yang connected Zhou Shijie's description of Qin Qiongyu to the man who had helped torment Yang Lingrui in the illusion realm and decided to collect a debt from him.
• Chen Yang told Elder Yu his plan through Thought Transmission, and Elder Yu memorized it.
• Three days later, Elder Yu and Zhou Shijie traveled to the Gathering of Heroes Banquet in a mountain estate west of Autumn Deer.
• At the main banquet, Elder Yu visited Qin Qiongyu and offered him a fragmentary talisman arts text copied and aged by Chen Yang.
• Elder Yu explained that he hoped to trade the fragment for Qin Qiongyu's experience entering the Heavenly Talisman Secret Realm, while insisting Qin could keep it even if he declined.

Qin Qiongyu accepted the Yang Family’s incomplete talisman inheritance and secretly planned to cripple its talisman crafters with dangerous techniques. Chen Yang recognized the trap and found that the Star Palace absorbed its backlash, leaving Qin Qiongyu’s scheme unable to harm him.

• Qin Qiongyu verified Elder Yu’s story, accepted the inheritance, and took him on as an attendant.
• Qin Qiongyu studied the inheritance, crafted a Divine Movement Talisman, and planned to pass Elder Yu techniques that would damage his body over time.
• Elder Yu reported his success to Zhou Shijie, while a Su Family attendant overheard them and confirmed Qin Qiongyu’s belief that Elder Yu had sincerely sought his help.
• The next day, Qin Qiongyu brought Elder Yu to the main banquet and casually taught risky talisman-crafting techniques to the gathered masters.
• Chen Yang tested the techniques, recognized Qin Qiongyu’s plan, and watched the Star Palace absorb the backlash without harming him.

Chen Yang discovered that purified backlash power could disrupt cultivators’ enlightenment and breakthroughs, leading him to suspect his origins were extraordinary and to begin investigating them discreetly. At the Gathering of Heroes Banquet, three Spiritual Connection Talisman Masters began a public demonstration, and Chen Yang was astonished by the headmaster’s method of refining a breakthrough-enhancing talisman.

• Chen Yang learned that purified backlash power could interfere with another cultivator’s insight or breakthrough and wondered whether his powers came from the legendary power of creation.
• Chen Yang decided to investigate his origins by searching records of the Lesser Treasure Realm while keeping his purpose hidden.
• Yang Yuanliu followed Chen Yang’s instructions by cultivating an interest in Dynasty history and becoming a registered disciple of Chengtian Academy with access to its library pavilion.
• Chen Yang returned his main consciousness to his avatar as Qin Qiongyu finished advising Elder Yu about preparing for the Heavenly Talisman Secret Realm.
• Three Spiritual Connection Talisman Masters began demonstrating their craft at the banquet, and the headmaster of Tiger Chasing Talisman Mountain started refining an Essence Embracing and Unity Talisman.
• Chen Yang watched the headmaster’s technique and was amazed by the method.

Three Spiritual Connection Talisman Masters demonstrated their techniques at the Gathering of Heroes Banquet, and Qin Qiongyu began to achieve enlightenment while watching the official talisman master. Chen Yang secretly sabotaged Qin Qiongyu’s breakthrough, causing his enlightenment to collapse.

• The head of Talisman Mountain fused many sheets of talisman paper into a completed Essence Embracing and Unity Talisman.
• The Chengtian Academy mountain master recited a poem to create a Flowing Water Gentle Wave Talisman and refined it in a stream summoned from a landscape scroll.
• The Chongtian Palace official talisman master demonstrated traditional talisman-making techniques, prompting Qin Qiongyu to enter a state of enlightenment.
• Qin Qiongyu nearly pushed open a stone gate in his illusion but could not complete the final step, and the gate closed as his enlightenment collapsed.
• Chen Yang laughed from within Elder Yu’s sleeve and used malicious force to disrupt Qin Qiongyu’s enlightenment.

Chen Yang used evil power to disrupt Qin Qiongyu’s enlightenment, and Qin later tried to claim the valuable Essence Embracing and Unity Talisman during the treasure-bestowing ceremony. Just as the talisman flew toward him, visions of his failed breakthrough and miserable death arose in his mind.

• Chen Yang sent a small amount of evil power through the Star Sea Space, unsettling Qin Qiongyu and disrupting his attempted enlightenment.
• Qin Qiongyu struggled to regain his composure while watching the imperial capital’s royal Talisman Master refine a good-grade True Yang Severing Talisman.
• The Flowing Water Gentle Wave Talisman went to a Qi Gathering Talisman Master from the western Desert Sea, and the True Yang Severing Talisman went to a Core Formation Talisman Master from an imperial capital noble family.
• The Talisman Mountain sect master began bestowing the Essence Embracing and Unity Talisman, which Elder Yu and Zhou Shijie discussed as exceptionally valuable.
• Qin Qiongyu circulated the Su Family Main Lineage cultivation method as the Essence Embracing and Unity Talisman flew toward him, but visions of his failed breakthrough and death suddenly filled his mind.

Chen Yang redirected the Essence Embracing and Unity Talisman to Zhou Shijie rather than let the Yang Family claim it, deciding the inheritance in the Heavenly Talisman Secret Realm mattered more. He entered the Secret Realm behind Qin Qiongyu with Elder Yu, who used the chance to stay close to his target.

• The Essence Embracing and Unity Talisman turned away from Qin Qiongyu and Elder Yu before Chen Yang redirected it to Zhou Shijie, who accepted it on behalf of the Pan Family.
• Qin Qiongyu decided to skip the second selection round and prepare for the Heavenly Talisman Secret Realm, while Chen Yang explained why the Yang Family did not need the treasure talisman.
• Chen Yang and Elder Yu placed slightly above the middle in the second selection round, and a Core Formation Talisman Master from the imperial capital's nobility won the final competition.
• After the selection ended, Talisman Mountain's five Core Formation Cultivators opened the Secret Realm entrance, and the competitors entered according to their rankings.
• Elder Yu chose to enter alongside Qin Qiongyu, claiming he wanted more instruction, and Qin Qiongyu agreed after sensing traces of backlash on him.

Elder Yu and Qin Qiongyu passed two illusory trials in the Heavenly Talisman Secret Realm, while Chen Yang secretly benefited from the backlash force generated during Elder Yu’s talisman crafting. Qin Qiongyu then passed the second trial himself, but his renewed difficulty refining talismans left him shaken as the third trial began.

• Qin Qiongyu recognized that the three Qi Gathering talismans had to be layered right, left, and middle, and Elder Yu used them to open the stone door.
• Qin Qiongyu explained that Elder Yu had to craft a superior talisman to pass the second trial and offered to guide him.
• Elder Yu refined a nearly perfect superior Divine Movement Talisman while Qin Qiongyu mistakenly believed his guidance was making Elder Yu dependent on him.
• Chen Yang absorbed the backlash force entering Elder Yu, preventing it from causing Elder Yu tangible harm.
• Qin Qiongyu refined a superior early-stage Condensed Origin talisman and passed the second trial, but struggled despite his usual skill.
• The realm shifted to a dark violet ocean, and Qin Qiongyu questioned why his talisman-refining difficulty had returned.

Qin Qiongyu passed the final talisman-beast trial and entered what he believed were the ruins of the Ancient Talisman Sect. In a separate ruin chamber, Chen Yang used Spiritual Sense to unlock an ancient jade slip and obtained a complete set of Spiritual Connection Talisman Techniques.

• Qin Qiongyu dismantled the talisman beast’s talisman patterns and passed the third trial.
• Qin Qiongyu arrived at an ancient ruin with a standing Goddess Statue and concluded it was the Ancient Talisman Sect.
• Qin Qiongyu grew excited at the prospect of finding ancient talisman inheritances and headed toward the plaza.
• Elder Yu entered an underground cave dwelling, where Chen Yang helped him overcome a Spiritual Sense-sealed jade slip.
• Chen Yang received the memories of the Spiritual Essence Three Revolutions Talisman Manual and recognized it as a complete set of Spiritual Connection Talisman Techniques.

Chen Yang discovered that the Goddess Statue was siphoning fortune from four talisman masters and had trapped the Ancient Talisman Sect ruins. After it attacked him, he overpowered it with a display of force, and the statue begged him to spare its life.

• Chen Yang received an advanced talisman art inheritance and returned to the surface with Elder Yu to explore the ruins.
• Chen Yang saw Qin Qiongyu and three other talisman masters enter a trance beneath the Goddess Statue, which drew their primordial fortune into itself.
• The Goddess Statue awakened, noticed Chen Yang, and sealed the ruins off from the outside world, leaving Elder Yu unable to use his return token.
• Chen Yang sent Elder Yu back to the cave dwelling and confronted the Goddess Statue, which claimed the four masters belonged to it and tried to capture him.
• Chen Yang evaded the statue’s attack, threatened it with a blast of True Essence, and made it plead, “Exalted God... spare my life!”

Chen Yang learned that he had unknowingly cultivated both the Immortal and Divine Paths, and the Goddess Statue revealed how the Lingyuan Realm and its four continents had formed. After questioning her about her powers and the past, Chen Yang ordered her to torment Qin Qiongyu in an illusion and drain all his fortune power.

• The Goddess Statue revealed that she was the Spirit of the Heavenly Talisman Secret Realm and had grown by taking fortune power from talented cultivators.
• Chen Yang learned that he had combined Immortal Dao cultivation with Divine Dao powers, giving him abilities that complemented each other against different foes.
• The Goddess Statue recounted how the Lingyuan Realm had split into four regions and how the four continents emerged after the Divine Palaces shattered.
• Chen Yang concluded that the Shattered Divine Palace and his own identity were likely connected, but the Goddess Statue had no further memories to share.
• Chen Yang allowed the Goddess Statue to continue taking fortune power from cultivators, then ordered her to trap Qin Qiongyu in a repeated illusion of failure and drain his fortune.

Chen Yang secured the Goddess Statue’s talisman insights and claimed the other supreme treasures in the Heavenly Talisman Secret Realm. He discovered the remaining treasure, a Profound Truth Talisman Bead, but learned it could not be taken out of the realm.

• Chen Yang had the Goddess Statue open her mind and took the insights of eighteen ancient talisman cultivators directly from her spiritual world.
• The Goddess Statue teleported Chen Yang to a dungeon and showed him the preserved body of a Spiritual Connection Perfection talisman cultivator.
• Chen Yang ordered the Goddess Statue to preserve the body in a coffin and send it to the underground cave dwelling, where Elder Yu stored it.
• Chen Yang asked about the third supreme treasure, and the Goddess Statue took him to a village with a dark green Profound Truth Talisman Bead on an altar.
• The Goddess Statue explained that the bead was extremely valuable but could not be removed from the Secret Realm because its refining method had been lost.

Chen Yang devoured the Profound Truth Talisman Bead, then brought the Goddess Statue into the Shattered Divine Palace and refined her unspent power of creation and accumulated resentment into stronger divine power for her. After he and Elder Yu left the Heavenly Talisman Secret Realm, news spread that Qin Qiongyu had gone mad.

• Chen Yang swallowed the Profound Truth Talisman Bead, completing his collection of the Secret Realm’s three supreme treasures.
• Chen Yang brought the Goddess Statue’s consciousness to the Shattered Divine Palace, where she offered him her unrefined power of creation and accumulated resentment.
• Chen Yang used the jade tower to refine both forces and returned purified divine power that increased the Goddess Statue’s cultivation more than threefold.
• Chen Yang and Elder Yu used the return token to leave the Heavenly Talisman Secret Realm, and Elder Yu told others he had gained some insights into talisman arts.
• After the remaining cultivators were forcibly teleported out, talisman masters at the Gathering of Heroes Banquet learned that Qin Qiongyu had gone mad.

Qin Qiongyu emerged from the Heavenly Talisman Secret Realm mentally shattered, and Talisman Mountain’s sect master explained how repeated failures in an Ancient Talisman Sect trial had driven him to desperation. The account ended with Qin Qiongyu demanding another attempt even after his companions recognized they could not succeed.

• Qin Qiongyu returned from the Secret Realm raving that he had mastered an ancient talisman inheritance, and Jiang Chun'an and other Core Formation Cultivators calmed him with their arts.
• Jiang Chun'an told Yu Liyang that Qin Qiongyu and three other talisman masters had reached an Ancient Talisman Sect ruin, where their mental energy had been severely depleted.
• Talisman Mountain’s sect master brought the other three talisman masters to the hall and explained that the four had entered a dungeon trial linked to the Ancient Talisman Technique Inheritance Statue.
• Qin Qiongyu repeatedly helped the group reach the final stage, but his mistakes caused their first two attempts to fail.
• The four tried a third time, but two companions ran out of mental energy at the final stage, and Qin Qiongyu insisted they continue despite the others’ exhaustion.

Chen Yang ensured Qin Qiongyu’s final trial yielded nothing, leaving the Su Family talisman master mentally broken, while Elder Yu learned that Yang Guanfeng had returned safely. Yang Guanfeng paid respects at Murong Ying Xuan’s tomb, and Xuan Zhou reflected on the suffering that might lessen if the empire conquered the east.

• Qin Qiongyu’s companions refused to continue the dungeon trials and left, but he persisted alone until the Goddess Statue let him pass the final stage.
• Qin Qiongyu found the final room empty because Chen Yang had already taken the spiritual connection cultivator’s body, and he broke down after realizing his sacrifices had earned him nothing.
• Chen Yang left a consciousness mark with the Goddess Statue, then departed the Secret Realm after settling matters with Qin Qiongyu.
• Elder Yu met Gao Hui on the way home and learned that Yang Guanfeng was alive, had returned to the imperial capital, and was receiving honors from Xuan Zhou.
• Yang Guanfeng visited Murong Ying Xuan’s tomb, planted a rare Eastern Wilderness Flying Swallow Grass, and thanked her for saving his life.
• Xuan Zhou reflected that all people suffered and hoped conquering the east would bring some relief.

After Tiger Chasing conquered the Eastern Wilderness’s Southwest territories, Yuan Cheng and Dai Wei earned acclaim, and the Yang Family prepared them for Yang Yuanhong’s future fief. As regional tensions spread, Tiger Chasing’s forces gathered at Pine Mountain to protect Yang Lingrui as he prepared to break through into Core Formation.

• Yuan Cheng delivered supplies and helped residents in the newly conquered border town, while Dai Wei distinguished himself in battle as a squad commander.
• Yang Guanfeng selected Dai Wei and Yuan Cheng as key figures for Yang Yuanhong’s future and planned to move Yang Lingqing and Yang Yuanhong to the new fief after the Eastern Expedition.
• Tiger Chasing completed its purge of the old Southwest territories, and the Yang Family obtained an Essence Condensation Enlightenment Stone and rewarded its soldiers.
• The First and Third Princes of the Eastern Wilderness clashed, while the Tianyou Dynasty and Northwest sects began maneuvering amid the rising regional conflict.
• Murong Qiuhan, He Dingshan, Lu Changfeng, Wen Zishu, and Hong Yao gathered at Pine Mountain as Yang Lingrui prepared to enter Core Formation.

Guests gathered at the Yang Family to witness Yang Lingrui’s breakthrough, while Murong Qiuhan considered the family’s growing power and its long-term bid for independence from the Dynasty. As the ceremony began, a terrifying wind phenomenon gathered over Pine Mountain, and Lu Changfeng identified it as a sign that Yang Lingrui had embarked on the great path to heaven.

• Hong Yao traded barbed remarks with Wen Zishu, who had come to observe Yang Lingrui’s breakthrough.
• Hong Guang praised Yang Yuanhong’s physique, and Yang Guanfeng explained that the boy was Yang Linghu’s son.
• Murong Qiuhan praised Yang Lingqing’s role in guiding the Yang Family and reflected on the family’s rise and its plans to break free from Dynasty control.
• A chaotic mass of wind gathered above Pine Mountain, swallowing the clouds and sunlight as the assembled cultivators watched.
• Lu Changfeng told He Dingshan that ancient texts described a Primordial Chaos Divine Wind and said Yang Lingrui’s phenomenon signaled his path to heaven.

Yang Lingrui began forming his core with the dangerous Core Condensation Technique while facing a wind-phenomenon tribulation. He drew the tribulation into the stone chamber to harness its wind-aligned origin power, leaving the watching cultivators stunned and admiring his resolve.

• A vast wind anomaly formed over Pine Mountain as Yang Lingrui approached the Core Formation Realm, and the observers recognized signs of a tribulation.
• Yang Lingrui withdrew the Gold Ring and began using the Core Condensation Technique, while Lu Changfeng and He Dingshan moved closer to guard him.
• Murong Qiuhan comforted the worried Yang Lingqing as the onlookers feared Yang Lingrui would not survive the technique and tribulation together.
• Yang Lingrui accelerated the Core Condensation Technique, and the wind-phenomenon tribulation descended toward the stone chamber.
• Yang Lingrui’s Spiritual Incarnation seized the tribulation and dragged it into the chamber, prompting He Dingshan and Lu Changfeng to praise his courage.

Yang Lingrui successfully formed his core, and Chen Yang advanced to Mid Essence Condensation through the cultivation feedback. Over the following months, other Dynasty geniuses also reached Core Formation, while Yang Lingqing and Yang Yuanhong led the Yang Family east to establish their new fief.

• Yang Lingrui used the wind-aspect tribulation to form an unusually large Origin Core, reaching the Second Layer Essence Condensation stage as Chen Yang's divine power steadied his breakthrough.
• Yang Lingrui caught the wind phenomenon's lingering essence after breaking through, and Chen Yang received enough cultivation feedback to enter Mid Essence Condensation.
• Yang Lingrui thanked Lu Changfeng and He Dingshan, while the attending Core Formation Cultivators congratulated him and recognized the Yang Family as a great clan.
• He Shenglai emerged from seclusion as a Core Formation cultivator, learned that Su Lingyun had likely succeeded, and asked He Anping to inform the old ancestor that he was ready to enter the Lineage Secret Realm.
• Over the next three months, Shen Yue, Xiao Yize, Qiu Ran, He Shenglai, Su Lingyun, and other Dynasty geniuses broke through to Core Formation.
• Yang Lingqing and Yang Yuanhong led Yang Family cultivators and mortals east to their new fief.

Yang Yuanliu settled into a proofreading post in the Immortal Patrol Division’s Archives, where her interest in history and diligent work impressed the aging staff. After three months, Director Zou Zhongyi decided to personally teach her, despite knowing she would eventually leave.

• Xuan Zhou rejected the lower branch officials’ attempt to place Yang Yuanliu in the Assembly of Kings Pavilion, and Yang Yuanliu became a Proofreading Attendant in the Archives.
• Yang Yuanliu welcomed the history-focused posting, which also made it easier for her to pursue the task assigned by the Immortal Venerable.
• Yang Yuanliu quickly mastered her duties and used her spare time to study ancient texts and historical records, earning the Archives staff’s respect.
• After observing Yang Yuanliu’s dedication and thoughtful historical insights for three months, Zou Zhongyi resolved to personally teach her.

Yang Yuanliu uncovered records linking the Song clan of the Fenghuo Kingdom to a lost opportunity of Creation and suspected the clan still had surviving descendants. After he reported his findings to Chen Yang, Song Kaiyang broke out of prison in Wangyue City and fled west.

• Zou Zhongyi lent Yang Yuanliu the original Records of Eight Nations, and Yang Yuanliu found that the Song clan had discovered a Secret Realm opportunity containing the Merit of Creation.
• Yang Yuanliu read that Tiger Chasing destroyed the Fenghuo Kingdom but never recorded the Song clan's extermination, leading him to suspect that its bloodline survived.
• Yang Yuanliu reported his discoveries and suspicions to Chen Yang through Thought Transmission.
• Song Kaiyang killed the guards in his cell and severely wounded two Dynasty secret envoys before escaping west from Wangyue City.

After Song Kaiyang escaped west, Jia Huarai learned that the Tiger Chasing Emperor had long allowed the Song Clan to survive and maneuver in hopes of uncovering an opportunity hidden in its bloodline. The Emperor ordered a secret action, then questioned whether Tiger Chasing’s fortune had run out as he tried to predict who would claim the opportunity.

• Jia Huarai reported to the Tiger Chasing Emperor and Grand Preceptor that Song Kaiyang had wounded two secret envoys and fled toward the Desert Sea.
• The Grand Preceptor recalled that Jia Huarai had lost three wagers to the Emperor over the Song Clan’s hidden opportunity.
• The Emperor explained that he had spared a Song Clan descendant and monitored the family because he believed the old Song emperor had concealed the opportunity within the Lineage bloodline.
• The Emperor concluded that Song Kaiyang had obtained the key to unlocking the opportunity and had fled to the former Fenghuo Kingdom capital.
• The Emperor ordered the Grand Preceptor to issue a secret order, then proposed a wager to Jia Huarai about who would ultimately gain the opportunity.
• The Emperor sensed that his usual guidance had vanished and wondered whether the eastward war had exhausted Tiger Chasing’s fortune and fate.