Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings 2018

As Dee Renjie (Mark Chao) settled into his new role as head of the Court of Judicature and Revision (Da Li Si), adorned with the esteemed “Dragon Taming Mace” bestowed by Emperor Gaozong (Chien Sheng), Empress Wu Zetian’s (Carina Lau) ambitions for unchecked authority began to stir unease. Seeking to neutralize this emerging threat, Wu dispatched Yuchi Zhenjin (Feng Shaofeng), the seasoned head of the royal guard, to command a coterie of skilled sorcerers in a clandestine operation to pilfer Dee’s prized mace. However, unbeknownst to Yuchi, Wu had secretly instructed the sorcerers to eliminate Dee altogether.

To outwit Wu’s machinations, Dee went into hiding, concealing his treasured Dragon Taming Mace and relying on his cunning to thwart her plans. Meanwhile, he tasked Yuchi with locating the missing relic, which led the latter to clash with one of the rogue sorcerers in a fierce battle, ultimately resulting in the adversary’s demise.

As Dee remained at large, Wu seized the opportunity to discredit him by stripping him of his position as head of the Da Li Si and declaring him a fugitive. Yuchi, upon returning the Dragon Taming Mace, found himself promoted to a position within the imperial court, with San Zang (Xian Gao), the sorcerers’ leader, taking center stage. The latter’s spectacular display of magical prowess was momentarily interrupted by the seemingly animate dragon statue, which slaughtered two of the other sorcerers and sent shockwaves throughout the palace.

Wu seized upon this chaos to condemn Yuchi for promoting Zang and orchestrating the carnage, leading to his swift arrest. Under the guise of a humble commoner, Dee infiltrated the palace, freed Yuchi, and conducted a meticulous investigation that revealed the truth behind the illusions: the dragon statue was merely an elaborate deception, while Zang had indeed met his untimely demise at the hands of the true culprit, who then assumed his identity. Furthermore, the two “dead” sorcerers were actually part of the scheme, having faked their own demises to further deceive the palace’s inhabitants.

As it transpires, the empress’s seemingly absolute authority was mere illusion, a product of deceitful promises from her adversaries. Behind the scenes, a malevolent force manipulated her, orchestrating a sinister plot that would shake the very foundations of the empire. The true masterminds behind this insidious scheme are revealed to be the vengeful Wind Warriors, a cult of Indian sorcerers who had once served the previous emperor but were brutally slaughtered and disfigured in his aftermath. Dee, with foresight and cunning, has secretly relocated the royal family and enlisted the aid of Shatuo Zhong (Lin Gengxin) and Moon Water (Sandra Ma), a defected sorceress with intimate knowledge of the enemy’s tactics. Together, they embark on a perilous quest to persuade Zen Master Yuan Ce (Ethan Juan), a powerful and enigmatic figure, to join forces against the army of illusionists, led by the enigmatic “Faceless Monster” (Wei Jia). The ensuing battle at Da Li Si unfolds as a spectacular display of magical prowess, with Faceless Monster’s formidable illusions pushing Dee and his men to the brink. However, just as all hope seems lost, Yuan Ce intervenes, vanquishing the leader of the Wind Warriors and restoring balance to the empire. With the forces of darkness vanquished, Dee and Yuchi are reinstated in their rightful positions, their honor and reputation restored.