Zhou An transmigrates into the body of the young puppet emperor of the Qianyuan Empire, awakening between two imperial concubines in his bed. He absorbs the memories of his predecessor and realizes he is a figurehead controlled by the Empress Dowager, who has eliminated all other imperial princes and uses him as a temporary placeholder while she consolidates power. Someone in the palace is secretly poisoning him, adding urgency to his predicament. In his despair, the Map of Mountains and Rivers activates, a divine artifact that rewards him for lighting up locations by visiting them. He begins exploring the inner palace, lighting up Changle Palace and receiving an Essence Solidifying Pill that strengthens his body. He then lights up numerous other palaces, each yielding elixirs and treasures, and when he reaches Qianyang Palace, he obtains the Son of Heaven Sword, a legendary demon-slaying weapon. Summoned by the Empress Dowager to Eternal Life Palace, he lights it and gains the Kaiyuan Pill, which grants sixty years of internal force, and the Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady Records, a heavenly text containing Yin-Yang Art, military strategy, talisman arts, and divination. He instantly comprehends all its contents and begins secret cultivation. To maintain his cover as a debauched ruler, he continues his nightly activities in Changchun Palace, using Yin-Yang Art to reverse the energy drain and turn the concubines sent to weaken him into cultivation aids and potential allies. He meets the maid Qiulan, a childhood acquaintance, and appoints her as his trusted attendant, gaining valuable inside information. He encounters Lin Wan'er, a spy planted by the Empress Dowager, but with his enhanced perception he sees through her disguise and decides to use her as a double agent. During his first morning court, he feigns ignorance and illness, satisfying the Empress Dowager. He visits the imperial treasury, lighting up its map and acquiring precious materials, including a hidden golden dragon vein beneath the palace that becomes his secret cultivation ground. Using the resources from the map, he rapidly advances in martial arts, breaking through to the Houtian realm. He discovers a secret underground passage that may lead to freedom. In the treasury, he subdues a powerful serpent demon guarding the treasures, naming her Zizhu, and takes her as a loyal servant. He begins gathering other loyalists, including a deputy commander of the imperial guards, using his growing charisma and the Soldier Talisman to summon heavenly soldiers for protection. As his Coming-of-Age Ceremony and marriage to Shangguan Rong, the Empress Dowager's niece, approach, external forces from Western Regions send more beauties and harmful aphrodisiacs, hoping to hasten his death and destabilize the empire. Zhou An uses Yin-Yang Art to turn these attempts into nourishment, secretly strengthening himself. He eventually deduces that the poisoning plot is orchestrated not by the Empress Dowager but by another hidden faction aiming to trigger a succession crisis. With this knowledge, he formulates a counter-plan, using the Yin Talisman to craft protective charms and the divination techniques to foresee dangers. He continues breaking through cultivation levels, pushing his internal force to new heights. The story follows his painstaking accumulation of power, his cunning manipulation of court factions, and his ultimate goal to break free from the Empress Dowager's control and secure his survival and throne. By the current point, he has established a secret network, exposed some of the Empress Dowager's schemes, and prepared for the inevitable confrontation, ready to turn the tables on all his enemies.
