Ashes of Love Episode 52 Recap, Plot

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Xu Feng returned to the Xianxian Hall to pay respects to his late parents, but he couldn't find Tu Yao's memorial tablet. Run Yu arrived and halted his search, declaring that Tu Yao was unworthy of being enshrined there. Run Yu accused the late Heavenly Emperor and Tu Yao of feigning righteousness for tens of thousands of years, having no true achievements, only "endless slaughter and dominating suppress."

He even asserted that, if not for the greater good, the late Heavenly Emperor's tablet wouldn't deserve a place there either. Xu Feng condemned Run Yu's judgment, reminding him that Tu Yao was his legal mother and had raised him for millennia. He questioned if Run Yu felt "no shame" after killing his father and forcing his mother to her death.

Xu Feng expressed profound disappointment, calling Run Yu an "ungrateful and cruel hypocrite" whom he once regarded as a brother. Run Yu retorted that Xu Feng had been willfully blind for millennia under his parents' protection. He detailed how the late Heavenly Emperor manipulated power and Tu Yao acted tyrannically, leading to countless innocent deaths across the six realms.

Run Yu then posed a series of rhetorical questions: why did the late Water Immortal arrange Jin Mi's marriage to him instead of Xu Feng? Why did his rebellion succeed so easily? Why did no one in the vast Heaven Realm object when Tu Yao leapt from Linyuan Tower? He concluded that these events occurred because Xu Feng's parents were "reactionary and deserted by their followers."

He then provoked Xu Feng further by claiming that, as the Heavenly Emperor, he now possessed the entire Heaven Realm, including Jin Mi, and confidently asserted that "Since I could kill you with Jin Mi, we can kill you again." Enraged, Xu Feng drew his bow and aimed an arrow at Run Yu. To Xu Feng's dismay, his former subordinates, whom he had personally promoted and fought alongside, now surrounded him, having abandoned him for Run Yu.

Xu Feng bitterly congratulated them for their opportunism. Run Yu then commanded the generals to apprehend Xu Feng for trespassing. Suddenly, Jin Mi appeared, shouting "Stop!" and stepped between them. She offered herself, stating, "I killed you back then. . . You can kill me." Xu Feng, believing she was merely putting on another performance, scoffed at her "play" and forcibly took her as he left the Xianxian Hall.

Fearing for Xu Feng's safety, Jin Mi blocked Run Yu's path, pleading with him not to pursue. Run Yu, agitated, refused to promise anything and warned her his "patience isn’t endless." In desperation, Jin Mi pressed an ice blade against her own chest, vowing to "die with him" if Run Yu didn't let Xu Feng go. Xu Feng made his way to the Southern Heavenly Gate.

Along the way, his former loyal generals, recalling Xu Feng's past acts of bravery and kindness, allowed him to pass freely without hindrance, despite Run Yu's order. Xu Feng thanked them for "making an exception," but declared that "as we take different paths, we can’t work together." With a decisive gesture, he cut a piece of his robe, proclaiming, "Our connection comes to an end. If we fight against each other later, show no mercy."

Immortal Tai Si reported to Run Yu that many of the generals had intentionally let Xu Feng escape. Pojun stepped forward, confessing he deliberately allowed Xu Feng to pass due to life-saving favors from the past, and other generals followed suit. Run Yu, though displeased, chose to forgive them, stating, "The law cannot be enforced when everyone is an offender in this case."

He acknowledged their "loyalty" to Xu Feng, but sternly warned that "this behavior can never go on like this." He instructed them to "strictly observe your duty and be loyal to Heaven Realm," subtly implying that their debt to Xu Feng was now paid, lest they incur a new one to him.

Jin Mi continued to kneel outside Xuanji Palace, pleading with Run Yu to spare Xu Feng, emphasizing that he now possessed the entire Heaven Realm while Xu Feng had nothing. Run Yu, however, remained inside and ignored her pleas. He confessed his unease to Kuang Lu, admitting he had underestimated Xu Feng's influence. Despite being alone, Xu Feng still commanded "the support of the masses," particularly the loyalty of military leaders like Pojun.

This popularity made Run Yu wary of a potential rebellion. He dismissed Kuang Lu's attempts to reassure him, concluding that "It’s time for them to cut the connection" with Xu Feng. Xu Feng buried Tu Yao's most cherished item, the magic fireball, which was the late Heavenly Emperor's token for her, creating a cenotaph for his mother. He questioned Mu Ci about Tu Yao's true character, wondering if she was "as evil as what others said."

Reflecting on Run Yu's accusations, Xu Feng admitted that he had grown up under his parents' protection, believing their every decree was righteous and never once "doubted and self-reflected." He now felt immense guilt for not having "tried to persuade them when they made mistakes," accepting "responsibility for their tragedy." When Mu Ci recounted seeing his mother weeping alone in secret, Xu Feng acknowledged that both his father and he were to blame for her downfall.

Xu Feng lamented his inability to spend quality time with her before her death. He confided in Mu Ci that facing Run Yu, he felt "helpless," unable to "refute him" or "defend the last dignity of my parents." He found Heaven Realm to be a "strange" place, no longer his "hometown," and mourned the withered phoenix tree. Mu Ci gently corrected Xu Feng's despair, quoting the late Water Immortal: "Wherever makes me feel at ease is my hometown."

Mu Ci then shared his own past of losing his family and homeland, initially driven by "hatred," but eventually realizing his family had saved him "not to live with hatred" but for him to "have a good life," leading him to embrace "hope" instead. Meanwhile, Liu Ying encountered Sui He, who was acting suspiciously. Liu Ying confronted her, but Xu Feng intervened, assuring Liu Ying that Sui He "won’t hurt me" and was merely gathering tonics for him.

He defended Sui He, stating she "saved me and gave me another life," and he owed her a debt. Liu Ying offered herself, Mu Ci, and her father as Xu Feng's new family. She then presented Xu Feng with vermilion bird eggs to help him recover his magic power.

The sight of the eggs brought back painful memories for Xu Feng, recalling Jin Mi's past mistake of inadvertently eating a vermilion bird egg, and his own harsh words to her back then. Later, on their way back, Liu Ying noticed Mu Ci's hair had begun to turn white, a sign of his diminishing life force. Mu Ci confessed he would "keep aging. . . and even forget you."

Liu Ying, dismissing his fears, reminded him of their "10 years" together and vowed, "we’ll face it together." Jin Mi, weakened and exhausted, remained kneeling outside Xuanji Palace until Run Yu finally agreed to her plea. Immediately after, she collapsed. She awoke to find herself confined by a ward within her room.

Kuang Lu explained that Run Yu, worried about her safety, had set the ward to prevent her from leaving and taking further risks, urging her to "understand his pain." Unable to break the powerful barrier herself, Jin Mi summoned Yan You for help. Yan You recognized Run Yu's strong ward and admitted he couldn't break it directly, but promised to find a solution.

He then informed Jin Mi that news of Xu Feng's resurrection in the Demon Realm was widespread, and Run Yu, infuriated, had issued a decree to "cancel Xu Feng’s immortal register and banish him from Heaven Realm forever." Jin Mi realized Run Yu's promise to "let him off" was a cruel banishment. She lamented that Run Yu was "no longer the previous peaceful Night Immortal" and that the "hatred of his mom’s death" continued to plague him.

She reminisced about simpler times as Xu Feng's little book attendant in Heaven Realm, when Xu Feng was "arrogant and mighty" and Run Yu "gentle and kind," regretting that those days "can’t go back." She attributed their current predicament to the Yun Elixir and admitted she felt she had "let him down." Alone in his chambers, Run Yu reflected on the betrayals and sacrifices he had made. Feeling abandoned and unappreciated, he vowed to be "merciless."

He summoned Immortal Tai Si late into the night and commanded him to issue a decree announcing to all six realms that Fire Immortal Xu Feng had "trespassed the Xianxian Hall," shown "great disrespect for the late Heavenly Emperor," and "violates the rule of Heaven Realm." The decree ordered Xu Feng's "immortal register is cancelled now and he can never enter Heaven Realm." Immortal Tai Si, after a moment of hesitation, acknowledged the order.

Upon learning of the harsh decree, Moon Immortal rushed to confront Run Yu. He questioned Run Yu's decision, reminding him that he was already Heavenly Emperor and should "let him off." He pleaded for leniency, emphasizing that Xu Feng was his "brother" and that banishing him from Heaven Realm, knowing the demons in the Demon Realm "hate him so much," was tantamount to "killing him." Despite the Moon Immortal's impassioned pleas, Run Yu remained unmoved.

When Kuang Lu mentioned Jin Mi had intervened to save him, Run Yu coldly confirmed it, declaring, "They are finished. You can give up, uncle." He then ordered his guards to escort the distressed Moon Immortal away.

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