State

A high-ranking imperial Daoist master serving as the emperor's spiritual advisor. Huangfu Tiangang, the Grand Liang State Preceptor, is depicted as a detached, world-weary figure riding a green ox backward.

Definition

Story context

Buckle up, folks—this chapter doesn't take prisoners. Li Huowang executes a high-cost, high-reward gambit by triggering the **Intercalating the Five Phases** ritual from the *Thousand Greats Record*, transforming himself into a temporary, horrifying juggernaut. The Ao-Jing Sect's burning discipline gets turned on its head as he single-handedly reverses the siege, and a key defection from within their ranks seals the Eldest Princess's fate. But the victory is as hollow as his final, emptied-out body—reminding us that *Dao Gui Yi Xian* never hands out power without demanding your pound of flesh first.

Why it matters

This chapter is a pure adrenaline rush with a twist of body horror and a dash of philosophical seasoning. Everything is paced for maximum impact: the ritual activation, the reversal, the betrayal, the hollow aftermath. But what makes it special is the State Preceptor's cameo—he doesn't say much, but his presence acts as a narrative mirror, reflecting Li Huowang's monstrous transformation against the cold, eternal gaze of true Daoist transcendence. If you're here for the visceral combat and the satisfying fall of a stuck-up princess, you won't be disappointed. If you're here for the creeping dread of "what did I just become," the last paragraph will haunt you.