Recaps

Zhang Xuezhou and Huang agreed that the Tur People had few reliable ways to defeat the giant moth, and Huang warned that Tuer Kalanduo would remain in danger if she left without a convincing purpose. Zhang Xuezhou devised a plan for Kalanduo to travel to Qinmeng and invite Zhou Xin, whose abilities might let him ambush the beast.

• Huang told Zhang Xuezhou that neither a Sixth Sequence Holder nor concentrated gunfire offered a reliable way to stop the giant moth.
• Zhang Xuezhou proposed taking Tuer Kalanduo away, but Huang warned that an oracle could not justify her departure without a useful mission.
• Huang explained that Tuer Kalanduo remained at risk because some Divine Grace Lineages had tacitly supported Tuer Lantu.
• Zhang Xuezhou realized Kalanduo could travel to Qinmeng to invite Zhou Xin, whose resistance to poison, acid, and impacts could help him fight the giant moth.
• Zhang Xuezhou planned to ask Zhou Yueyan about the sailing schedule so Kalanduo could invite Zhou Xin and give the Tur People a defensible reason for her departure.

Zhang Xuezhou tried to use a divine oracle to send Tuer Kalanduo to Qinmeng, but Grand Elder Tuer Yongduolu misinterpreted it and chose Tuer Kelanduo instead. Zhang Xuezhou and Ren Anran realized the unexpected plan could still help Tuer Kelanduo and her daughter gain control of the Tuer Clan, though it left Tuer Kalanduo in danger.

• Grand Elder Tuer Yongduolu woke from a stupor and claimed God had ordered the youngest, bravest, and most renowned to seek hope in Qinmeng.
• Zhang Xuezhou tried to steer the oracle toward Tuer Kalanduo, but Tuer Yongduolu insisted it referred to three people and named former chieftain Tuer Kelanduo as the renowned one.
• Tuer Yongduolu contacted the clan elders and chiefs, and they settled on sending Tuer Kelanduo to Qinmeng while Tuer Kalanduo remained behind.
• Ren Anran told Zhang Xuezhou that Tuer Kelanduo would need his help to find Zhou Xin, whose location in Qinmeng was closely guarded.
• Ren Anran explained that the oracle might keep the Tuer Clan from fighting the Ferocious Beast recklessly and could give Tuer Kelanduo and her daughter a chance to take control of the clan.

Zhang Xuezhou and Ren Anran planned to help Tuer Kalanduo gain influence in the Tuer Clan while the group struggled to repair their vehicle. They boarded aircraft sent by Tuer Yongduolu, but Zhang Xuezhou spotted red lights approaching and realized the giant moth had been watching them.

• Ren Anran explained that helping Tuer Kalanduo seize the initiative against the giant moth could earn the group a powerful ally and strengthen her position in the Tuer Clan.
• Zhang Xuezhou joined Zhang Manqian and Tuer Kalanduo in trying to repair the mountain vehicle, but they could not get it working.
• Tuer Yongduolu arranged for aircraft to take the group back and asked Ren Anran for aid for the Tuer Clan.
• Two aircraft arrived, and the group climbed aboard using a rope ladder.
• Zhang Xuezhou saw red lights approaching in the night sky and urged everyone to hurry, warning that the giant moth had been watching them.

After escaping the Gebala Cave Corridor, Zhang Xuezhou urged Tuer Kalanduo to prepare for trouble and obtain Soul Jade, while she took charge in Tutram City. New reports of deaths and a resurrection outbreak in Laiyata City left Tuer Kalanduo fearing the giant moth’s invasion was already spreading.

• Zhang Xuezhou warned Tuer Kalanduo that the giant moth might claim a hundred li as its territory and told her to blame it for disputed accounts, including the lost aircraft.
• Tuer Kalanduo returned to Tutram City, drove the Fourth Elder and his followers out of the shrine, and took three pieces of Soul Jade for Zhang Xuezhou.
• The Fourth Elder reported that half of Patriarch Tuer Lantu’s body had been found on Mount Aom, and Tuer Kalanduo blamed the Ferocious Beast.
• The Fourth Elder said Patriarch Tuer Nalan had gone mad, killed more than a thousand people in Laiyata City, and been killed by General Tuer Nuonuoqi with a rocket launcher.
• The Fourth Elder reported that the people killed in Laiyata City had risen again, and Tuer Kalanduo feared the giant moth’s eggs could turn the city into a disaster zone.

After twelve days unconscious in the Marquis of Pingyang’s residence, Zhang Xuezhou woke and learned that a pill had triggered a scandal involving the new emperor’s court. The medical examination cleared him, easing the Marquis’s troubles, while the emperor remained interested in finding a cure for Zhang Xuezhou’s head ailment.

• Zhang Xuezhou woke after twelve days and asked Rong Tianding whether they had accompanied the emperor to offer sacrifices to the ancestors.
• Rong Tianding told Zhang Xuezhou that medical officer Du Luo had blamed his collapse on something he ate and that Grand Astrologer Sima Tan had been knocked unconscious by the resulting stench.
• Zhang Xuezhou said he could not remember which pill he had taken, and Rong Tianding stopped pressing him when he realized the answer was meant for others to hear.
• Du Luo brought the Marquis of Pingyang, the new emperor, and Princess Yangxin to check on Zhang Xuezhou, and the Marquis apologized for the pill nearly harming him.
• The new emperor and Princess Yangxin agreed that the pill’s lack of effect was fortunate, and Du Luo’s examination found Zhang Xuezhou healthy enough to leave the residence’s care.
• The new emperor regretted Zhang Xuezhou’s short life expectancy but resolved to prioritize any effective treatment for his head ailment.

After recovering from the effects of the pill, Zhang Xuezhou suspected the gourd’s Spirit-Forging Pills had damaged his stomach and intestines, while the Life-Creating Fortune Pill had helped repair his Heaven and Earth Bridges. He decided he might need more of the rare pills and would eventually have to rely on Yao Yuanguang to reach the Eastern Heavenly Gate Secret Realm.

• The new emperor questioned Zhang Xuezhou about his health, accepted his explanation that the Grain Avoidance Technique helped him endure hunger, and agreed to a banquet celebrating his recovery.
• Zhang Xuezhou examined his body and concluded that the gourd’s Spirit-Forging Pills, rather than hunger, had likely caused his stomach and intestinal trouble.
• Zhang Xuezhou considered the dangers associated with the gourds and resolved to seek more Life-Creating Fortune Pills, possibly through Primordial Lord Golden Rosy Clouds.
• Zhang Xuezhou realized that reaching the Eastern Heavenly Gate Secret Realm might require Yao Yuanguang’s help, and planned to offer his martial uncle another gift when the time came.
• Rong Tianding invited Zhang Xuezhou to the banquet, and Zhang Xuezhou noticed that twelve days had passed and spring had arrived.

At the Marquis of Pingyang’s banquet, Sima Tan questioned Zhang Xuezhou about the poison pill and warned him that his credentials could cause trouble if he rose to high office. Sima Tan’s illness from the pill’s odor led Zhang Xuezhou to suspect that people who had taken pills refined in Yi Shuo’s gourd, including Chunyu Tiying, Zheng Wukong, and Wei Shao'er, might be in danger.

• Rong Tianding and Zhang Xuezhou attended the lavish banquet, where they mostly ate and drank while performances entertained the guests.
• Sima Tan introduced himself to Zhang Xuezhou and said that breathing in the odor around him had caused nausea, nightmares, and other symptoms.
• Sima Tan warned Zhang Xuezhou that his untraceable credentials might be challenged if he later held a position above Governor Wen Weng’s, and Zhang Xuezhou thanked him.
• Zhang Xuezhou explained that he still suffered spells of unconsciousness after a curse and skull surgery, but felt better after waking from the episode following the poison pill.
• Sima Tan recalled that the odor reminded him of Imperial Medical Officer Yili, and Zhang Xuezhou connected the smell to pills made in Yi Shuo’s gourd.
• Zhang Xuezhou reasoned that Chunyu Tiying, Zheng Wukong, and Wei Shao'er might be at risk because they had taken pills refined in the gourd.

At the Marquis of Pingyang’s banquet, the new emperor arranged for Dongfang Shuo and Sima Tan to travel together and planned a private performance by Wei Zifu. The banquet also served as a farewell before the emperor’s journey to pay homage to his ancestors, and Sima Tan left with a favorable impression of the Marquis.

• The new emperor asked Wei Qing to arrange for Dongfang Shuo and Sima Tan to share a carriage so they could grow closer.
• The new emperor summoned Wei Zifu, rewarded her with wine, and agreed to Princess Yangxin’s plan for a private performance after the banquet.
• The guests treated Zhang Xuezhou’s good health and attendance as proof that the Marquis of Pingyang had not poisoned a court minister.
• Princess Yangxin announced the emperor’s departure the next day to pay homage to his ancestors, revealing that the gathering was also a farewell banquet.
• Sima Tan judged that the Marquis of Pingyang had shown restraint and frugality, leaving him with a slightly favorable impression.

During the journey, Sima Tan drew closer to Zhang Xuezhou and learned that he carried a faint smell linked to a dangerous presence. Sima Tan suspected it came from the Marquis of Pingyang's pill and watched Zhang Xuezhou, unsure whether he or Zhang Xuezhou would die first.

• Sima Tan joined Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding's carriage and talked with them about women, marriage, and the prices of women in Chang'an City.
• Zhang Xuezhou probed Sima Tan's Yang Corporeal Soul abilities and learned how far Sima Tan could observe and travel.
• Sima Tan became part of Zhang Xuezhou's circle by the time the convoy made camp.
• Sima Tan examined Zhang Xuezhou and confirmed he carried a faint smell like the one associated with Yili and the Grand Empress Dowager.
• Sima Tan suspected the Marquis of Pingyang's pill caused the smell and kept watch on Zhang Xuezhou, while wondering whether he might die first.

The imperial convoy traveled toward Fengxi Marsh as Sima Tan told Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding legends about Emperor Gaozu and his defeat-reversing sword. Zhang Xuezhou arrived in the Liang Lands near the site where Gaozu slew the white dragon and began building Great Han's Fortune.

• The convoy reached the former Beast Taming Sect territory and neared Fengxi Marsh, where the King of Liang's sons were waiting for the new emperor.
• Sima Tan explained that the founding history of Great Han was difficult to verify because Emperor Gaozu's victories and rise seemed impossible to reconcile with the records.
• Zhang Xuezhou compared his own seven years of travels and errands with Gaozu's founding of a dynasty in the same span.
• Sima Tan described a sword that supposedly helped Gaozu turn defeat into victory, while Zhang Xuezhou connected the story to the Snake-Slaying Sword.
• Rong Tianding questioned the sword's rumored power, and Sima Tan said it eventually became too comfortable and lost its strength.
• The convoy entered the Fengxi Marsh area, where Zhang Xuezhou saw the King of Liang's tomb and the place where Gaozu slew the white dragon.

The new emperor traveled to Fengxi Marsh with witnesses and the Red Empyrean Sword to perform a sacrifice at the place where Emperor Gaozu had slain the dragon, hoping to strengthen his legitimacy. After Zhao Zhou completed the preliminary rites, the new emperor was unexpectedly told to read the sacrificial text himself.

• The new emperor arrived at Fengxi Marsh, where the five sons of the King of Liang greeted him with their troops.
• The new emperor recalled Emperor Gaozu’s legend at the stele and ordered his attendants to search the area while Zhang Xuezhou accompanied him and Sima Tan.
• The new emperor gave Zhao Zhou the Red Empyrean Sword and asked him to include it in a sacrifice to Emperor Gaozu.
• Zhao Zhou organized the officials and the King of Liang’s sons to prepare the altar, offer incense and livestock blood, play ceremonial music, and recite the rites.
• Zhao Zhou told the new emperor to read the sacrificial text, and the new emperor reluctantly stepped forward to improvise.

During the Fengxi Marsh sacrifice, Zhang Xuezhou used the Feng Shui Site Surveying Technique and realized the altar faced the wrong direction. He persuaded Sima Tan to challenge the ceremony’s orientation, leaving the new emperor and Zhao Zhou to decide how to proceed.

• The new emperor recited a sacrificial prayer, and Zhang Xuezhou noticed that its wording resembled the Tomb Scripture and Letting Be.
• Zhang Xuezhou reasoned that Fengxi Marsh might respond to the rightful imperial bloodline and a Fortune Technique sacrifice, then used his Feng Shui Site Surveying Technique to locate the correct direction.
• Zhang Xuezhou told Sima Tan that countryside sacrifices should face south of east and urged him to raise the issue with the new emperor.
• Sima Tan questioned the altar’s orientation, and the new emperor asked Zhao Zhou whether the claim was true.
• Unable to verify the rule, Zhao Zhou insisted the ceremony should also worship the southeast and suggested they could repeat the rites in other directions if necessary.

During the ancestral ceremony, an earth-and-rain phenomenon showed the new emperor a vision of Emperor Gaozu fighting a giant yao with the Red Empyrean Sword. After the emperor realized he had swapped the real sword for Princess Yangxin’s imitation, he completed the rite with the fake sword and claimed it as a symbol of his imperial legitimacy.

• The five kings watched the new emperor’s ceremony from the outskirts while Zhang Xuezhou and Sima Tan quietly praised his conduct and drew closer to each other.
• A dragon-like cry, trembling earth, rainbow light, and fine rain interrupted the ceremony, and Zhao Zhou urged the new emperor to perform another rite for the supposed auspicious sign.
• The new emperor used the confusion to have Attendant Guo swap the Red Empyrean Sword for Princess Yangxin’s imitation.
• While reciting the prayer, the new emperor saw a vision of Emperor Gaozu battling a huge white yao with the Red Empyrean Sword and wondered how the sword had helped him grow stronger.
• The rainbow’s light descended toward the altar, but the new emperor realized the real sword was gone and feared it had missed a chance to awaken.
• The new emperor took up the imitation, declared he would carry on his ancestor’s will, and raised the sword toward the sky.

The new emperor used the Red Empyrean Sword to secure the assembled officials and kings’ support for his rule. Zhang Xuezhou realized the sword was a fake and that the ceremony concealed the truth about the King of Liang’s transformation, leaving him aware of a dangerous secret about the emperor.

• The new emperor revealed the upright Red Empyrean Sword, prompting the assembled kings to abandon their schemes and Sima Tan to proclaim that Heaven blessed Great Han.
• Zhao Zhou bowed to the new emperor and declared that Emperor Gaozu protected him and that he had received Heaven’s mandate.
• The new emperor claimed the mandate of heaven, cut through the sword’s sandalwood box, and vowed to carry on his ancestor’s will as officials, kings, and soldiers shouted their support.
• While using the Acupoint-Fixing Technique, Zhang Xuezhou triggered a geomagnetic response that recorded the King of Liang’s sacrificial transformation into a white dragon.
• Zhang Xuezhou realized the emperor’s sword was not the real Snake-Slaying Sword and understood that the ceremony had been staged to strengthen the emperor’s position.

The Grand Empress Dowager and Grand Princess Dou reflected on the King of Huainan’s departure and their difficulty keeping the Great Han Dynasty stable. A message from Zhao Zhou announced that Crimson Firmament had been reborn, convincing the Grand Empress Dowager that Emperor Gaozu had chosen Liu Che.

• The Grand Empress Dowager judged that the King of Huainan was unfit to rule, and Grand Princess Dou admitted she had feared he might rebel.
• The Grand Empress Dowager and Grand Princess Dou worried that they could not control the vassal kings, defend the borders, or secure the dynasty.
• Old Eunuch Zhou delivered Zhao Zhou’s thousand-li message, which read, “Under Gaozu’s protection, Crimson Firmament is reborn.”
• Grand Princess Dou and the Grand Empress Dowager realized the message meant the Red Empyrean Sword could be used again.
• The Grand Empress Dowager accepted Liu Che as Emperor Gaozu’s chosen successor and the legitimate master of Great Han.

Zhang Xuezhou reopened the Yellow Springs passage at Fengxi Marsh and followed Hongku’s clues toward the dragon’s head. He reached the place where the King of Liang had begun his formation, suspecting it held an opportunity to cultivate the Fortune Technique.

• Zhang Xuezhou returned to Fengxi Marsh at night, imitated the new emperor’s tribute, and reopened the underground passage to the Yellow Springs.
• Zhang Xuezhou used the Ring of Method Control and a Water Avoidance Instruction to enter the Yellow Springs, where he found Hongku’s writing and route sketch.
• Zhang Xuezhou followed Hongku’s deductions toward the dragon’s head, using the Peacock Great Wisdom King’s feather and a Dust Avoidance Instruction to pass through soil.
• Zhang Xuezhou emerged on a green rock slab at the place where the King of Liang had begun building his formation and recognized it as a likely site for cultivating the Fortune Technique.

Zhang Xuezhou cultivated the Fortune Technique at the place where Emperor Gaozu slew the dragon and discovered that a being named Bai was trapped beneath the King of Liang’s spike. Bai explained the power of favor and predicted that the King of Liang’s fate could become Zhang Xuezhou’s own.

• Zhang Xuezhou gathered golden light from the dragon’s head and used Letting Be to cultivate the Fortune Technique, causing his power to increase.
• Bai spoke from beneath the spike and offered Zhang Xuezhou the world’s favor if he pulled it out.
• Zhang Xuezhou questioned Bai about favor and malice, then showed him the Ring of Method Control and the Peacock Great Wisdom King’s feather.
• Bai recognized the ring as his own and rejoiced when Zhang Xuezhou confirmed that the King of Liang was dead.
• Bai explained that the King of Liang had borrowed only part of his power of favor and had eventually suffered its backlash.
• Zhang Xuezhou realized that the King of Liang’s fate might someday be his own.

Zhang Xuezhou persuaded White to teach him the Dragon-Riding Technique and learned its limits and White’s reliance on the Power of Favor. White realized Zhang Xuezhou could absorb that power, leaving their relationship uncertain as he suspected Zhang might be a rival.

• Zhang Xuezhou pressed White for guidance and persuaded him to explain the Dragon-Riding Technique.
• White explained that the technique transferred its user to a marked dragon lair within a hundred li, making it useful mainly for escape.
• White described his Power of Favor and said its underlying Principle could not be bestowed on Zhang Xuezhou.
• White realized Zhang Xuezhou had absorbed some of his Power of Favor when he shook the iron spike.
• Zhang Xuezhou suggested he might not live another twenty years, and White lamented that the people reaching him were weak potential rivals who could absorb the Power of Favor.

Zhang Xuezhou used his blood to take form as a fish dragon in Bai’s soul space, gaining a stronger perception of favor and a body suited to water. Bai then strengthened his Fortune Body, which grew scales and three-clawed forefeet before Zhang Xuezhou returned to the bluestone rock.

• Zhang Xuezhou argued that gaining the power of favor could affect the Great Han Dynasty and possibly help Bai escape its suppression.
• Bai asked Zhang Xuezhou to put blood on the long nail and used the space to help him take form.
• Zhang Xuezhou appeared as a fish dragon, and Bai explained that he could better sense and benefit from favor in bodies of water.
• Bai breathed golden light onto Zhang Xuezhou, enlarging his Fortune Body and giving it fine scales and three-clawed forefeet.
• Zhang Xuezhou returned to the bluestone rock beside the nail, still holding the Golden Crow Great Emperor's feather.

Zhang Xuezhou escaped the Yellow Springs after realizing Bai had not answered the new emperor’s ancestral sacrifice, then searched Fengxi Marsh for the true source of the sign. He encountered Li Shaojun digging for a ginseng doll, and Li Shaojun inferred that Zhang Xuezhou had met the person who knew his secret.

• Bai promised Zhang Xuezhou further benefits if he removed the Soul-Suppressing Nail, undermined the Great Han Dynasty, and found him a suitable body, then fell asleep in the Yellow Springs.
• Zhang Xuezhou traveled through the Yellow Springs, realized water improved his condition, and questioned whether Bai was responsible for the new emperor’s sacrificial sign.
• After the Yellow Springs receded, Zhang Xuezhou emerged by Fengxi Marsh and repeatedly recited the ancestral prayer while searching for its hidden source.
• Zhang Xuezhou found Li Shaojun digging for a slippery ginseng doll and asked about his technique for dying ninety-nine times.
• Li Shaojun realized Zhang Xuezhou knew his secret and concluded that Zhang Xuezhou must have met the person who revealed it.

Zhang Xuezhou caught Li Shaojun digging at Fengxi Marsh and learned he was searching for a passage into an Underworld Secret Land near Bai. Li Shaojun revealed that Bai could inflict bad luck on people who had paid a price to meet him, leaving Zhang Xuezhou to consider whether Bai could do the same to him.

• Zhang Xuezhou confronted Li Shaojun about digging at Fengxi Marsh and asked whether he was trying to reach Bai.
• Li Shaojun chased after Zhang Xuezhou and proposed they work together to find a rumored secret land.
• Li Shaojun explained that the land might be an Underworld Secret Land, which contained cold Spiritual Qi and potentially valuable treasures.
• Li Shaojun told Zhang Xuezhou that Bai could remember a person's scent from their blood, hair, nails, or clothing and make them suffer misfortune.
• Li Shaojun recounted how Bai's quarter-hour curse made him fall, get soaked, be bitten by a snake, and struck by lightning.
• Zhang Xuezhou wondered whether Bai could make him unlucky, since his Fortune Technique might counter the effect.

Li Shaojun persuaded Zhang Xuezhou to stay at Fengxi Marsh and help investigate a possible Netherworld Underworld secret realm. After Zhang left, Li Shaojun entered the hidden space beneath the marsh, where poisonous miasma drifted around a pale yellow stream.

• Li Shaojun asked Zhang Xuezhou to help search Fengxi Marsh for a secret realm, offering to split any treasures equally.
• Zhang Xuezhou agreed to stay, helped Li Shaojun dig a deep pit, then left as night approached.
• Li Shaojun used the Treasure-Seeking Technique and saw colorful poisonous miasma rise briefly from the pit before it vanished.
• Li Shaojun used the Earth Escape Technique to burrow into the pool and entered a cold, dim space where miasma drifted around a pale yellow trickle.

Zhang Xuezhou discovered that the Marquis of Sui's Pearl was stirring the Yellow Springs Water, and followed it to an Underworld Secret Land. After entering, he found the place seemed to have been visited by the King of Liang and contained no Spiritual Qi.

• Zhang Xuezhou wandered through the Yellow Springs while waiting for Li Shaojun's plan to reveal the Underworld Secret Land.
• Zhang Xuezhou realized the Marquis of Sui's Pearl was disturbing the Yellow Springs Water and tossed it into the river.
• Zhang Xuezhou followed the pearl to the dragon's tail, where the Yellow Springs Water vanished beside a huge black boulder, and entered the secret land.
• Zhang Xuezhou secured the pearl, checked that he could return, and explored the secret land.
• Zhang Xuezhou suspected the King of Liang had visited the secret land before and discovered that it had no Spiritual Qi.

Zhang Xuezhou discovered that the black boulder suppressing Bai could turn Yellow Springs Water into Fortune, and his Fortune Technique rapidly reached minor accomplishment. His progress drew the attention of a powerful old man, who attacked him and exposed his hiding place.

• Zhang Xuezhou found an inscription on the black boulder and realized it was involved in suppressing Bai.
• The new emperor’s sacrificial prayer reached the secret land, and the boulder transformed Yellow Springs Water into golden light that improved Zhang Xuezhou’s Fortune Technique.
• Zhang Xuezhou recited the sacrificial text himself, unleashing a rain of golden lotuses that advanced his Fortune Technique to minor accomplishment.
• A powerful old man appeared and declared that anyone seeking Fortune who was not his descendant must intend to overthrow him.
• The old man pierced Zhang Xuezhou’s fish-dragon form with golden light, and Zhang Xuezhou fled into hiding before the man illuminated the darkness and found him.

Zhang Xuezhou fled a powerful spiritual guardian during a Fortune Technique clash until the Marquis of Sui's Pearl interrupted the fight. After learning Li Shaojun had arrived and the pearl had absorbed the guardian, Zhang decided to have Li risk exploring the dangerous area for treasure.

• Zhang Xuezhou dodged the formidable old man's attacks, waiting for the guardian's power to weaken.
• Zhang Xuezhou returned to the gray world and knocked Li Shaojun off balance as Li examined the Marquis of Sui's Pearl.
• Li Shaojun explained how he had reached Zhang, and Zhang realized the pearl had likely subdued the dead guardian.
• Zhang Xuezhou took back the pearl and concluded that it could affect Yin Souls, though not Bai.
• When Li Shaojun complained that he had found nothing, Zhang Xuezhou claimed he had found something valuable and considered using Li's many lives to explore it.