The Journey of Chongzi Episode 20 Recap
> The Journey of Chongzi Recap
An unusual phenomenon suddenly occurred in Tianshan, alerting everyone. The Heavenly Lake's waters churned violently, and the undersea passage was suspected to have been attacked and damaged. Qin Ke explained to Chong Zi that the six realms are connected through the Mortal World. Demon King Ni Lun, to conceal his movements during a past attack on the Immortal World, had secretly established a passage between the seabed of Wanyu Sea and the Heavenly Lake.
This passage allowed his demon army to reach the Immortal World directly from the Demon King Hall and launch a sudden attack on Tianshan. During that past attack, Tianshan Sect suffered heavy losses. Sage Xueling, despite his disciple Yin Shuixian's desperate pleas not to, sacrificed himself by using the Illusion Stone, a sect-protecting treasure that would devour his immortal soul, to buy time and save Tianshan.
After Sage Xueling's demise, Sage Chonghua used mud and sand from the Chigang River along with cold iron from the seabed to create a slurry that securely sealed this secret passage, preventing any incidents for many years. Now, with similar strange occurrences plaguing the Immortal World, Luo Yinfan resolved to personally travel to Buzhou Mountain to retrieve the Colorful Stone, a relic used by Nuwa to mend the sky, to repair the barrier.
He cautioned everyone not to act rashly before his return, despite the perilous nature of Buzhou Mountain. Shortly after Luo Yinfan departed, Yin Shuixian and other demonic forces broke through the barrier and surfaced. Min Yunzhong and Lord Lan, along with their disciples, quickly formed battle formations to confront them. Yin Shuixian, now a demonic protector, taunted them, stating she was no longer part of the immortal sects and that Sage Xueling’s death was due to their incompetence.
She threatened to show no mercy, even to Sage Xueling's former master. Mu Yu, while wishing to aid Tianshan, and Yu Du were tasked with guarding Nanhua to prevent demon infiltration there. As the three demon protectors fought united, the immortal sects, despite their full efforts, began to falter. Seizing an opportunity, Chong Zi approached Yin Shuixian, appealing to her reverence for Sage Xueling.
She questioned how Yin Shuixian could bear to destroy what Sage Xueling had sacrificed his life to protect, adding that Sage Xueling would not wish to see Tianshan disciples' blood spilled again on the Heavenly Lake banks. As Yin Shuixian hesitated, distracted by Chong Zi’s words, Luo Yinfan suddenly appeared and subdued the three demons by taking her hostage. Concerned for Yin Shuixian's safety, another protector, Yin Xinmo, reluctantly handed over the Resting Soil.
With both the Colorful Stone and Resting Soil secured, Luo Yinfan allowed the demons to retreat, promising no obstruction from the immortal sects. With the demons retreating, the immediate priority was to repair the undersea passage. The Heavenly Lake's bottom was treacherous, as explained by Qin Ke; it was filled with the pervasive turbid aura of heaven and earth, which had potent toxicity, capable of causing loss of consciousness and resisting even powerful spells.
Despite these dangers, Luo Yinfan, as Nanhua’s protector, insisted on descending first, with Min Yunzhong accompanying him for support. As they descended, the powerful currents and pervasive turbid aura began to erode their immortal bodies. Min Yunzhong, depleting all his spiritual energy, could not withstand it. Luo Yinfan swiftly used his remaining power to send Min Yunzhong back to the surface before he himself succumbed and sank into the depths.
Chong Zi anxiously waited by the lake, worried for her master. Yunji, seeing Chong Zi's weakened spiritual state from standing vigil, ordered her disciple Ting Xue to bring Chong Zi restorative medicine, Exquisite Jade Syrup. However, Ting Xue maliciously insulted Chong Zi, suggesting she was merely putting on a show. She then deliberately smashed the medicine bowl and falsely accused Chong Zi of violence and spilling the medicine.
Yunji initially rebuked Chong Zi, but Qin Ke, familiar with Chong Zi's character, vouched for her, asserting she wouldn't act capriciously without reason. Yunji, attributing Chong Zi's outburst to worry for Luo Yinfan, accepted Qin Ke’s explanation but still urged him to persuade Chong Zi to leave. Upon seeing Min Yunzhong emerge from the water alone, Chong Zi grew desperate.
After learning of Luo Yinfan's sacrifice to save Min Yunzhong, Chong Zi, despite her limited spiritual power and Min Yunzhong's warning that descending meant certain death, fearlessly plunged into the lake. She was surprised to find the turbid aura had no effect on her, speculating that Luo Yinfan might have somehow created a path for her. She quickly found an unconscious Luo Yinfan and administered spiritual energy to him mouth-to-mouth until he regained consciousness.
Guided by Luo Yinfan, Chong Zi used the Colorful Stone and Resting Soil to successfully repair the passage. The immense exertion of her spiritual power nearly caused her true form to be revealed. With the barrier repaired and the passage sealed, Min Yunzhong and Lord Lan were overjoyed and discussed holding a celebration feast. Luo Yinfan, however, had suffered severe damage to his vital energy and needed to enter seclusion in the Tianshan's Void Secret Realm to recuperate.
Meanwhile, Chong Zi's depleted spiritual power caused her visage-altering spell to wear off, revealing her original appearance. Yan Zhenzhu was shocked and tried to conceal it, but Ting Xue soon discovered her. Yan Zhenzhu rushed to inform Luo Yinfan, while Chong Zi faced interrogation from Min Yunzhong and others. Sima Miaoyuan seized the opportunity for personal revenge, brutally whipping Chong Zi and demanding to know how she came back to life and deceived everyone.
Luo Yinfan arrived in haste, shielding Chong Zi in his embrace. He vehemently denied Chong Zi’s identity as the former demon, stating that he himself had hidden her appearance to avoid misunderstandings and further complications, as her face merely happened to resemble the old Chong Zi. Yunji corroborated his story. Zhuo Yao, as Yunji's brother, readily believed her, but other sages remained skeptical, their gazes at Chong Zi filled with suspicion.
Luo Yinfan, angered, declared that Chong Zi, originally Wen Zi from Yangzhou, was the only disciple he had taken into Chonghua Palace and given her name. He stated she was unrelated to anyone else and issued a stern warning that anyone attempting to harm her again would face dire consequences. Back in their room, Luo Yinfan reaffirmed to Chong Zi that he had used a spell to hide her face, promising a full explanation later.
He then reapplied the spell and urged her to rest. Unconvinced, Min Yunzhong and Lord Lan discussed their suspicions. Lord Lan noted the demons' increasingly brazen actions coincided with Luo Yinfan taking Chong Zi as his disciple, suggesting a possible link and advocating for separating the master and disciple to prevent Chong Zi from corrupting Luo Yinfan’s resolve.
Luo Yinfan fiercely opposed this, stating that he was very sober, and it was the others who were confused by constantly being wary of an innocent girl. He further declared that if the immortal sects continued to harbor prejudice against Chong Zi, he would take her back to Zizhu Peak and seclude themselves from the world.
Acknowledging that the demons would surely return and only Luo Yinfan could effectively counter them, the other sages dropped the matter, even extending an invitation for Chong Zi to attend the celebration feast. Later, Qin Ke secretly examined Chong Zi, confirming she harbored no evil breath, which further perplexed him.
Chong Zi, through Qin Ke, learned the story of her former senior sister, also named Chong Zi, who was born with evil breath and deemed a traitor to Nanhua, ultimately killed by Luo Yinfan. Qin Ke, clearly still angry, advised Chong Zi to leave Nanhua, believing Luo Yinfan's heart was only for the common people and that he shouldn't fail another person after what happened to her senior sister.
Despite this painful revelation, Chong Zi steadfastly defended her master, declaring her willingness to stay in Nanhua, even if it meant being seen as stubborn. Qin Ke, seeing her unwavering resolve, conceded that it was no good to say more and urged her to think about it.
