True ending guide for Road to Empress: The major true ending of the Li Tai route in Chapter 16. After choosing to leave the palace and unlock a new adventure, you seize the hairpi…
The major true ending of the Li Tai route in Chapter 16. After choosing to leave the palace and unlock a new adventure, you seize the hairpin, defeat Liu Xi in the Ultimate Showdown, and determine her fate once and for all.
Destiny Rekindled is the culminating true ending of Road to Empress on the Li Tai route. After surviving every conspiracy in the rear palace, the protagonist faces her ultimate nemesis Liu Xi in a final confrontation. By choosing to leave and seize the hairpin, you commit to a violent resolution — passing two consecutive QTE rounds in the Ultimate Showdown to kill Liu Xi and secure your freedom. This ending represents the protagonist taking full agency over her destiny rather than remaining a pawn of palace politics.
To reach this ending, the player must navigate the Chapter 16 Make-or-Break Choice by selecting “Leave and unlock a new adventure,” then choose to seize the hairpin and eliminate Liu Xi. Both QTE rounds must be passed; failure on either results in a Bad Ending. After Liu Xi’s death, the player chooses how to handle the body — stashing it, fleeing, or staging it as an assassination — and any choice leads to the Chapter/Game End with the Destiny Rekindled achievement. This is widely considered one of the most satisfying and definitive endings in the game.