King Ying Zheng of Qin possesses the ability to preview memories, but suffers the backlash of the Heavenly Dao, and black blood seeps from the Nine Bronze Tripods. Worse still, his nemesis Xiang Yan has also returned, reborn with intelligence from his previous life and pressing him at every turn. At pivotal moments in history, from the campaign to destroy Chu to the Fengshan rites on Mount Tai, Ying Zheng must contend not only with military and political struggles, but also with the mysterious Heavenly Dao as it manifests to obstruct him. A Mohist defection, Yin-Yang arts, and Han Fei's hidden plan all converge. Is the Yin-Yang sorcery of Mi Hua, his wife through a political marriage, his salvation or his shackle? When Ying Zheng resolves to abolish burial sacrifices and challenge the foundations of the empire, where will the confrontation between him and Xiang Yan, spanning time itself, lead Qin? This is the epic tale of an emperor who defies fate in the narrow space between the tides of history and the fantastical Heavenly Dao.
