Details
- Author
- Drew Royston
- Status
- Ongoing
- Chapters
- 145
- Rating
- 4.55 / 5
- Last updated
- Nov 2, 2026
- Published on
- Royal Road
The Emperor Without An Empire [Book 1 & 2 Complete]
4.55 · 145 chapters · Ongoing · updated Nov 2, 2026
ActionAdventureFantasy CraftingCultivationLitRPGPortal Fantasy / IsekaiProgressionWuxia
Why read this story?
- One of the highest rated stories in the catalogue.
- Actively updating: the last chapter was posted 1 day ago.
- A medium-length read at 145 chapters.
- A good fit if you enjoy Crafting, Cultivation and LitRPG.
About this story
They stole my empire, my cultivation, even my name. Their mistake was leaving me alive.
This body was called Shen Taros, so that's who I am now. Seven hundred years of experience packed into an eighteen-year-old with the spiritual capacity of wet parchment.
At least now I’ve got the numbers to tell me how far I’ve fallen.
A cultivator with god-like powers will hunt me within the year. If I haven't rebuilt my strength by then, well, that would be embarrassing in a rather permanent way.
So here I am, slumming it by opening meridians one painful breath at a time, learning alchemy from a terrifying mistress, and picking entirely avoidable fights with powerful people who consider themselves beyond justice.
Frankly, between all of that, working in a decrepit fish warehouse, and dodging loan sharks, I'm making remarkable progress.
They wanted this Emperor permanently retired. I'm afraid I'm going to have to disappoint them.
What to expect
- Slice of life
- System-lite LitRPG, although the numbers still ramp up as the chapters go by
- Non-traditional cultivation
- Base and community building
- Crafting, combat, and the merest dash of politics
- Chapters M-W-F
The Emperor Without An Empire [Book 1 & 2 Complete] is published on Royal Road. FicGems only lists the story's details and links to it; the chapters stay on the original site.