Feud Recap, Plot, Synopsis

Feud Synopsis

Hua Ruyue, the Immortal Venerable of the Four Spirits, and Bai Jiusi, the Great Accomplished Mystic Venerable, were once an inseparable pair of immortal lovers, sharing a common origin. Yet, a grave misunderstanding led to their bitter enmity. Following their painful separation, the devastating loss of their child, and Hua Ruyue's brutal demise, both wrestled fiercely with their conflicting emotions of love and hatred. They eventually realized they were merely pawns in a much grander scheme. As an immense catastrophe loomed, they set aside their personal animosities and united their strength to protect all of existence.

Feud Recap

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• 10
• 11
• 12
• 13
• 14
• 15
• 16
• 17
• 18
• 19
• 20
• 21
• 22
• 23
• 24
• 25
• 26
• 27
• 28
• 29
• 30
• 31
• 32

Li Qingyue had been a gatekeeping disciple of the top cultivation sect, Jingyun Sect, for eleven years, yet remained an ordinary disciple. Still, she kept an upward heart, firmly believing that one day she would become a standout.

While she was dutifully guarding the mountain gate, she overheard the elders of the sect discussing that the next Sect Leader candidate, Jingyun Sect's number one disciple Meng Chu, had violated sect rules for falling in love with a demon girl and refusing to repent. He was to be expelled from the sect. Just then, Qu Xingman slowly approached the gate. Li Qingyue, guarding the entrance, was no match for her and was defeated in a single move.

Qu Xingman easily entered the sect — she had come to rescue her beloved Meng Chu. Qu Xingman caused havoc in Jingyun Sect and even used Li Qingyue as a human shield. Because she was unable to dodge due to her role and position, Li Qingyue was struck by a sword thrust by a sect elder and was seriously injured.

After just one day of rest, when Li Qingyue was still gravely wounded, Senior Brother Jiang Bian came to summon her to guard the gate again. But since she was still unfit, Jiang Bian had to take her place. Jiang Bian lived up to his name, chattering incessantly in front of Li Qingyue. Li Qingyue had wanted to ask him for a cup of water, but Jiang Bian never gave her a chance to speak.

After talking nonstop about how the demon girl stirred up trouble in the sect, he turned and left. Due to internal injuries, Li Qingyue needed medicine. However, the medicine hall told her she had to be treated by Lv Suguan first before she could get it. At that time, though, Lv Suguan was completely preoccupied with Qu Xingman and had no intention of treating anyone.

Before leaving, Lv Suguan still told Li Qingyue to go up the mountain to find some Gold Marrow Grass. With no other choice, Li Qingyue had to climb the cliff herself to gather the herb. While picking herbs, she encountered a monkey guarding the plants. Startled by the monkey, she fell off the cliff. Just as she was about to hit the ground, her body suddenly stopped in mid-air. Countless water droplets appeared around her, gradually gathering into human form.

Bai Jiusi appeared in front of her. Li Qingyue was deeply captivated by Bai Jiusi's ethereal and otherworldly aura, frozen in awe. The monkey that had fallen off the cliff with her suddenly woke up and, enraged, lunged at Bai Jiusi. Fearing Bai Jiusi would be knocked over, Li Qingyue instinctively rushed forward. The two of them ended up falling together into a bed of flowers, embracing each other. Li Qingyue’s pure-hearted nature also caught Bai Jiusi’s attention.

After returning, Li Qingyue kept thinking about the encounter, wondering if he was her fated one from the heavens. To find clarity, she even read some romance novels. Just then, Senior Brother Zhang Suan came to deliver her medicine. Seizing the opportunity, Li Qingyue asked him about the customs of betrothal gifts. Since she didn’t get a definite answer, she brought all her life savings and went to see Bai Jiusi, claiming it was her betrothal gift to him.

Bai Jiusi was very surprised and seemed to recognize her. Li Qingyue ignored his questions and began introducing her family background. Bai Jiusi accepted the betrothal gift and followed her back to Jingyun Sect. After returning to the sect, Li Qingyue had to hide Bai Jiusi to prevent others from discovering him. Even when fetching meals, she took portions for two people, which raised suspicion among her fellow disciples.

Bai Jiusi was also very delicate — he refused to wear the plain clothes Li Qingyue had found and found the sect’s food unpalatable. At night, Li Qingyue even gave up her bed for Bai Jiusi and slept on the floor herself. Wanting to find fruits that Bai Jiusi liked, Li Qingyue went out to search. When she returned that night, she happened to encounter Lv Suguan attempting to escape with Meng Chu.

Lv Suguan forcibly dragged Li Qingyue into their plan. Zhang Suan, worried about Li Qingyue, came to check on her room that night. Qu Xingman took all the blame for the attempted escape and still insisted on her love for Meng Chu without admitting any wrongdoing. Li Qingyue was mistakenly seen as one of the people who helped Qu Xingman escape.

She tried to explain herself but was reported for harboring a man in her room — suspected to be someone from a demonic sect. The three were imprisoned. Qu Xingman asked Li Qingyue if she really had taken in an outsider. At that moment, Li Qingyue didn’t know how to respond — just as Bai Jiusi appeared at the place where she was being held.

The sect leader sent people to search Li Qingyue’s room. Although they didn’t find any outsiders, they did find traces that someone else had been there. Jiang Bian even brought out a man’s clothing from Li Qingyue’s room, insisting she must be hiding someone. Zhang Suan kept defending her. At that moment, Zhang Suan’s master wanted him to return to his side.

It turned out Zhang Suan had voluntarily guarded the mountain gate for three years, and still insisted on continuing. Li Qingyue was very happy to see Bai Jiusi and asked him to help clarify things. However, Bai Jiusi lied, claiming that he, too, was a member of the demonic sect. Upon hearing this, Li Qingyue recalled what had happened to Meng Chu and decided to distance herself from Bai Jiusi.

The sect leader brought Li Qingyue to the main hall, where the elders questioned her about who was in her room. Since Bai Jiusi had admitted to being from the demonic sect earlier, Li Qingyue hesitated, but under the elders’ pressure, she had no choice but to say his name. The elders didn’t believe her, because “Bai Jiusi” was the name of Heavenly Lord Dacheng, and they thought Li Qingyue was lying.

News of Li Qingyue hiding Bai Jiusi spread quickly throughout the inner sect. Many of her fellow disciples found it hilarious, and Jiang Bian kept spreading rumors among them. Zhang Suan wanted to rescue Li Qingyue but was stopped by a junior who had joined the sect with him. Because Li Qingyue couldn’t say where Bai Jiusi was, the sect elders decided to abolish her cultivation and expel her from the sect.

Just as they were inflicting pain on her, Bai Jiusi suddenly appeared to stop them. The elders assumed Bai Jiusi was a demonic cultivator and tried to set up a formation to fight him, but they were no match for him. Just as they were about to act, Xuanwei, who had been in closed-door cultivation, appeared and acknowledged Bai Jiusi’s identity. Only then did everyone in the inner sect believe Li Qingyue.

Bai Jiusi also publicly declared that Li Qingyue was his Dao companion. Li Qingyue lay on a bed and woke from his coma, surrounded by sect members. Everyone tried hard to curry favor with Li Qingyue, especially Jiang Bian, who had previously spoken ill of her and now tried his best to please her. Li Qingyue was still in a daze, not knowing what had happened while she was unconscious.

When she saw Bai Jiusi in the main hall, she was filled with confusion. The elders once again confirmed whether Bai Jiusi had chosen Li Qingyue as his Dao companion. After Bai Jiusi gave a firm affirmation, the elders began praising Li Qingyue. One elder even said they would hold the wedding ceremony for Bai Jiusi. Li Qingyue was still puzzled when she heard this, and was surprised to learn that she was the one marrying Bai Jiusi.

Just as she was about to ask Bai Jiusi, he left. To prepare for Li Qingyue’s wedding, the elders began to inquire into her background. They wanted to see if she might secretly be the descendant of some reclusive master. But Li Qingyue’s family was very ordinary—she had no other relatives left.

Zhang Suan was assigned to protect Li Qingyue, and when he learned that she had once lived with Bai Jiusi and had feelings for him, he felt a bit disappointed. Since it was the wedding of Heavenly Lord Dacheng, the elders placed great importance on it. As Li Qingyue was alone, her master Qingyang was required to attend on the day of the wedding.

When Qingyang returned and met Li Qingyue, everyone around had been flattering and praising her these past days, but only her master calmly asked whether she had truly thought about the path ahead and the many inappropriateness that might come from marrying Bai Jiusi. With her master’s guidance, Li Qingyue went to find Bai Jiusi and asked why he had chosen her. She learned that Bai Jiusi truly liked her.

Joyful, on the way back to the sect, she was found by Lv Suguan, who wanted her to intercede on her behalf. Li Qingyue brought up the times she had previously sought help from Lv Suguan and how she had been dragged into sharing blame that night. She advised Lv Suguan to let go—everyone had their own cultivation path and shouldn’t interfere with others so easily. Zhang Suan was deeply saddened to see Li Qingyue getting married.

Li Qingyue carefully selected many spiritual herbs and gave them to Zhang Suan, hoping they would help him recover his meridians and become a prodigy once more. On the day of the wedding, the entire sect came together to send Li Qingyue off to the Ninth Heaven. As she left, Li Qingyue turned back and took one final look at Zhang Suan.

Li Qingyue arrived at Canglei Palace, where the steward Cang Tu and the maidservant Ning Yan came to greet her. When Li Qingyue saw the scenery in the courtyard, she was surprised—she thought the place where Bai Jiusi lived would be modest. But upon hearing it was prepared for her, she felt somewhat awkward. Li Qingyue had thought she would live with Bai Jiusi, and had imagined a grand ceremony for their wedding, which clearly wasn’t the case.

After settling Li Qingyue in, Cang Tu went to report to Bai Jiusi, who was reminded of his past with her. Li Qingyue waited anxiously all day, but even by evening, Bai Jiusi had not come. Ning Yan thought Li Qingyue would be very upset and went to comfort her, only to find that Li Qingyue was simply hungry.

Since they were in the immortal realm, where immortals rarely ate, Ning Yan could only bring her some fruits to stave off hunger. After a few bites, Li Qingyue instantly felt invigorated and marveled at how amazing the fruit was. It turned out the fruits she had eaten were from Ning Yan, who had cultivated into an immortal from a divine tree.

After eating her fill, Li Qingyue, with nothing else to do, wanted to seek out Bai Jiusi and consummate their marriage. But the area was vast, and there was no path down the mountain—only flight would get her there. Since Li Qingyue could not fly and could not leave her station, she had to use Ning Yan’s vines to slowly descend.

Although she made it down the mountain, the vastness of the Nine Heavens meant it would take ten days to reach Bai Jiusi’s residence. Determined not to be the bride who spent her wedding night alone, Li Qingyue resolved to stay awake for ten days and ten nights.

That night, Li Qingyue entered a forest and wandered into a stone forest, where three brothers had once made a bet involving a mortal woman and were now too ashamed to open their eyes. After chatting, they learned Li Qingyue couldn’t fly and decided to teach her a lesson. Following Ning Yan’s advice, Li Qingyue announced herself as Bai Jiusi’s wife, but the brothers still didn’t back down and ended up injuring her.

When Li Qingyue next woke, she found herself in a room, lying on a bed. She quickly took out her medicine to treat her injuries and began to look around. The room was very large and elegant in a simple way. She tried to speak with someone, but finding the room empty, she quietly packed her things and left.

At the main hall, Bai Jiusi was in the middle of a meeting with other immortals when the topic of Li Qingyue came up. Just then, Li Qingyue entered the hall. No one recognized her, and since she had intruded without permission, they scolded her and told her to leave. Bai Jiusi then introduced her identity to the others. Li Qingyue returned to their residence with Bai Jiusi and brought out fruits she had once picked for him.

Seeing the fruits, Bai Jiusi was reminded of their past together. He thought Li Qingyue had brought them up on purpose to provoke him, but Li Qingyue looked completely confused. After Li Qingyue left, Zhang Suan continued to train hard. However, the spiritual medicine Li Qingyue had given him could only strengthen his body, not restore his energy core.

Zhang Suan was still unable to recover his past power, and during his free time, he continued to think about Li Qingyue. On their wedding night, Li Qingyue asked Bai Jiusi when he had started liking her. Bai Jiusi refused to say. Li Qingyue shared her tragic life story—how she had always been ignored until Bai Jiusi came into her life and made her feel what it was like to be protected. Bai Jiusi was deeply moved by her words.

The next morning, when Li Qingyue woke again, Bai Jiusi was nowhere to be seen. Cang Tu brought her some fruit for the road and, citing rules, told her she had to leave. Left with no choice, Li Qingyue departed. Cang Tu found Bai Jiusi fishing and informed him that Fan Jiaojiao was getting married that night. Since Fan Jiaojiao took a wife every year, Bai Jiusi paid it no mind.

That evening, Li Qingyue got lost after wandering into a forest. She bumped into a woman in red, who panicked and warned her about a man-eating demon before running off. Li Qingyue stumbled into a wedding procession. Mistaking her for the bride, the group sealed her mouth before she could explain. She fainted upon being placed into the bridal sedan. In a daze, Li Qingyue was brought to the wedding site. At the critical moment of the ceremony, Bai Jiusi arrived.

Fan Jiaojiao, upon realizing he had married the wrong person—and that it was actually his master’s wife—panicked and kept trying to explain himself to Bai Jiusi. Cang Tu also kept explaining to Li Qingyue and briefly introduced her to the general situation of the Nine Heavens. After Cang Tu left, Li Qingyue was alone. She felt thirsty but couldn’t find a cup to hold water, so she searched everywhere and discovered a child hiding inside a cabinet.

The child insisted on telling Li Qingyue a story. Helpless, Li Qingyue listened for a bit and was shocked to realize the story was about her. She quickly covered her ears, unwilling to hear more. At the end of the tale, the child suddenly tried to eat her, startling Li Qingyue. Just then, Ningyan appeared and drove the child away.

Ningyan explained that the child was called Yin Tongzi, who fed on brains, and next time if they met again, Li Qingyue could just cover her ears and not listen to the story. After the experience of being mistakenly married, Bai Jiusi didn’t ask Li Qingyue to return to her former residence. Instead, she stayed at Bai Jiusi’s place, and Ningyan was brought to keep her company. Li Qingyue was putting on makeup.

Ningyan was surprised, not understanding what makeup was, thinking that Li Qingyue was painting on her own face. Li Qingyue dressed herself up exquisitely and went to see Bai Jiusi. But at Bai Jiusi’s door, the two gatekeepers—the Great General and the Grand Marshal—argued over who should report her arrival and ended up fighting. Li Qingyue waited the entire day, but the two hadn’t finished fighting. Helpless, she returned.

When she came again the next day, the same thing happened—the two were fighting again, and she had no choice but to leave. Li Qingyue believed Bai Jiusi was angry at her for carelessly getting married to someone else in a wedding ceremony, yet she couldn't even see him. Not knowing much about relationships between men and women, Li Qingyue imitated the methods from romance novels and boldly confessed her love to Bai Jiusi in different ways.

The stories in the books spread quickly in the immortal realm and eventually reached Bai Jiusi’s ears. As she spent more time with Yin Tongzi, Li Qingyue became less afraid of him. They even spent their days together, and Yin Tongzi loved the fruit she had. While Li Qingyue was reading a book, Bai Jiusi suddenly showed up and took away all her books.

But Li Qingyue had already memorized the contents and that night secretly sneaked into Bai Jiusi’s room, although it didn’t have much effect. Still, she wanted Bai Jiusi to teach her magic. At first, Bai Jiusi was confused. Li Qingyue explained that her spiritual power was weak and she couldn’t always trouble Bai Jiusi.

Besides, since Bai Jiusi shone like the sun and moon and she was merely a mortal who would age and die, she hoped to cultivate so she could spend more time with him. Moved by her words, Bai Jiusi agreed to teach her. While learning magic, Li Qingyue unintentionally revealed that she could control Fire-Parting. Having eaten Ningyan’s fruit for a long time, Li Qingyue grew a little tired of it.

Ningyan suggested she ask Bai Jiusi to build a kitchen for her. Li Qingyue thought Bai Jiusi would easily agree, but he refused. So she proposed a chess match—if she won, he would have to build the kitchen. While they were playing, Fan Ling Er returned. Hearing there was a young lady visiting Bai Jiusi, Li Qingyue grew jealous and used the excuse of bringing tea to see who it was. Upon seeing Li Qingyue, Fan Ling Er became hostile.

It was her father, Fan Jiaojiao, who held her back. Fan Ling Er had always liked Bai Jiusi. Back at her own place, she blamed her father for hiding the fact that Bai Jiusi had married. But after seeing Li Qingyue’s appearance, she understood why Bai Jiusi would choose to marry a mortal. That night, unwilling to give up, Fan Ling Er sent a shadow to assassinate Li Qingyue.

The shadow approached Li Qingyue’s bed and was about to strike when Yin Tongzi, hidden inside the cabinet, suddenly opened the door and spoke, giving Li Qingyue a chance to react. Li Qingyue fought with the shadow, but because her spiritual power was weak, she was no match and took the opportunity to escape. She ran off to find Ningyan, who had turned into a divine tree to rest, but no matter how much she called, Ningyan wouldn’t wake up.

Meanwhile, Fan Jiaojiao came looking for Fan Ling Er, worried that his daughter might act impulsively and cause trouble for Li Qingyue. He tried to persuade her to let go of personal feelings and consider the bigger picture. Fan Ling Er didn’t say much, just brushed him off. Seeing his daughter acting so nonchalant, Fan Jiaojiao thought nothing had happened.

But as he was leaving, he noticed her shadow was missing and realized she had used the Shadow Killing Technique to try to assassinate Li Qingyue. He immediately rushed to stop it. Li Qingyue was forced to the edge of a cliff by the shadow. Caught off guard, she fell. Bai Jiusi sensed Li Qingyue was in danger. Just before she hit the bottom, a vine caught her. However, a white flood dragon appeared in the lake below.

Li Qingyue panicked, not knowing what to do. Bai Jiusi arrived in time and forced the dragon back into the lake. Bai Jiusi asked Li Qingyue why she was at the bottom of the lake. Li Qingyue told him she had been attacked, but Bai Jiusi didn’t believe her, thinking she had ulterior motives. He even considered killing her, but when he saw that she wasn’t lying, he couldn't bear to do it. Watching her fall unconscious, he withdrew.

Zhang Suan, constantly worried that Li Qingyue might be bullied in the heavens, had been training hard, determined to ascend and find her. His master, seeing his dedication, told him that the Chiyang Fruit was about to mature. It could not only heal Zhang Suan’s damaged Qi Sea but also help him ascend. However, many people would fight over it. Zhang Suan made up his mind to seize it and asked about the origin of the Heavenly Lord Dacheng.

He also inquired about a former ancient god named Divine Lord Siling, who could rival Bai Jiusi and used to live in the Canglei Palace, the first place Li Qingyue had stayed after arriving in the Nine Heavens. It was Bai Jiusi who led a group to kill Divine Lord Siling and even took control of her white snake mount. Li Qingyue remained unconscious. Bai Jiusi investigated the attempted assassination, but no one had seen any shadow.

Because of her cultivation technique, Ningyan had lost all five senses and was unaware of what had happened. Fan Jiaojiao and Fan Ling Er were also present, listening to Cang Tu’s report. Fan Ling Er deliberately misled them, claiming Li Qingyue had made an excuse to approach the Cold Pool. Fan Jiaojiao, afraid his daughter would get into trouble and expose the truth, urged her to either leave or confess and apologize.

Li Qingyue finally woke up, much to Ningyan’s joy. The first thing Li Qingyue asked was whether Bai Jiusi had visited her. Upon learning he hadn’t, she began to question the true reason Bai Jiusi had married her. She even asked Ningyan about the origins of the white snake in the Cold Pool. But Ningyan only knew the Cold Pool was a forbidden area and had no knowledge of the snake.

Meanwhile, Bai Jiusi learned that the seal of Hell Ruins had weakened again and rushed off to reinforce it. Li Qingyue wanted to go out but discovered that Bai Jiusi had ordered the Grand Marshal and Great General to guard her courtyard, preventing her from coming and going freely. So she decided to learn magic from Ningyan. Bai Jiusi went to find Yin Tongzi and finally learned the truth about what had happened that night.

Realizing he had wrongly accused Li Qingyue, Bai Jiusi immediately ordered a kitchen to be built for her. Li Qingyue also heard from Yin Tongzi that Bai Jiusi had been secretly visiting her. Knowing Bai Jiusi truly cared for her, their relationship deepened once again. She also unexpectedly found out that the white snake at the bottom of the Cold Pool was going to be refined the next day.

At night, Li Qingyue used puppet magic to pretend she was secretly cultivating, then went to the bottom of the Cold Pool. Bai Jiusi also wanted to observe Li Qingyue’s feelings toward the white snake, so he checked on her that night. At first, he felt relieved seeing Li Qingyue cultivating, but when he realized she was using puppet magic, he immediately rushed to the bottom of the Cold Pool and found her attempting to kill the white snake.

He intervened to stop her. However, since Li Qingyue had already sustained serious injuries, Bai Jiusi, acting out of urgency, struck too hard and caused her to fall unconscious on the spot. Li Qingyue's injuries were extremely severe, and Bai Jiusi had no choice but to call Li Mo back for help with treatment.

However, because Li Qingyue had previously taken a pill that forcibly increased her cultivation, her body couldn’t withstand it, and now she had suffered severe internal injuries. She was suffering from backlash and beyond medical help. In order to understand what Li Qingyue had done, Bai Jiusi had Li Mo wake her up and asked her about trying to slay the white snake.

It turned out Li Qingyue wanted to kill the snake because, in her childhood, she saw it arrive at her village and bring disaster to the people. It was also the reason she lost all her family and ended up following her master to the Jingyun Sect—she wanted revenge. Bai Jiusi didn’t want Li Qingyue to die like this. From Li Mo, he learned that a Chiyang Fruit was about to appear in the mortal world.

It could help one become an immortal. If Li Qingyue, as a mortal, became an immortal, she wouldn’t have to die. Ningyan, upon learning that Li Qingyue was dying, also pleaded with Bai Jiusi to save her. Meanwhile, Zhang Suan was also competing with his fellow disciples for the Chiyang Fruit. However, because it was guarded by a divine beast, no one could easily obtain it. Instead, Bai Jiusi appeared and effortlessly took the Chiyang Fruit.

Zhang Suan was unwilling to accept that he had lost the only chance to ascend to the heavens and see Li Qingyue. He tried to stop Bai Jiusi but couldn't even withstand a single move from him. He watched helplessly as Bai Jiusi left with what he saw as his only hope, and hatred began to grow in his heart. After saving Li Qingyue, she was deeply moved and grateful, declaring that her life now belonged to Bai Jiusi.

But suddenly, Bai Jiusi coughed up blood and seemed seriously injured. Li Qingyue was very worried, but Bai Jiusi didn’t tell her the truth and simply asked her to leave first. Zhang Suan, after being struck by Bai Jiusi, was seriously injured and remained unconscious for three days. Lv Suguan saved him. Upon waking, Zhang Suan, unwilling to accept the loss of his only chance, immediately sought out his master.

After inquiring, he learned that the Chiyang Fruit was ineffective on immortals. From this, he deduced that something must have happened to Li Qingyue, which was why Bai Jiusi had descended to the mortal realm to fight for the Chiyang Fruit to prolong her life. After consuming the Chiyang Fruit, Li Qingyue’s cultivation progressed rapidly. Grateful for Bai Jiusi’s actions, Li Qingyue wanted to repay him and decided to make him some delicious food.

However, since Bai Jiusi was in seclusion, she didn’t get to see him. Bai Jiusi had been cultivating to heal his injuries—the very injuries inflicted on him by Li Qingyue in her past life on the day of their wedding, when she ambushed him. Bored during her free time, Li Qingyue stayed with Ningyan, constantly worrying that Bai Jiusi might starve during his seclusion.

From Ningyan, she learned that Bai Jiusi would enter seclusion once every ten years, possibly to repair old wounds. Fan Jiaojiao was preparing to get married again, and Fan Ling Er personally delivered an invitation to Li Qingyue. But because of the previous incident with the mistaken wedding, Li Qingyue didn’t intend to attend to avoid awkwardness. Fan Ling Er said she had some personal belongings of Bai Jiusi’s to give her and asked Li Qingyue to come alone. Without giving it much thought, Li Qingyue followed her alone.

Fan Ling Er brought Li Qingyue to a room filled with valuable jewelry and had her sit in front of a mirror, where she saw Siling and learned about the past between Bai Jiusi and Siling. That was when she realized Fan Ling Er held a grudge against her. But everything had happened so suddenly that she couldn't accept it right away and was a bit flustered.

In her panic, she noticed that Fan Ling Er’s shadow looked very much like the one that had tried to assassinate her previously. When Fan Ling Er saw that Li Qingyue had realized the truth, she attempted to kill her to silence her. However, Li Qingyue’s magical power had improved, so she was able to hold her own against Fan Ling Er for a while.

Li Qingyue accidentally broke into the Hell Ruins, a place where monsters had once been imprisoned, and encountered a little girl. At first, she was warm and friendly, but she soon noticed something strange about the child. By pretending and testing, she discovered that the little girl was actually a monster. Once the monster realized she had been exposed, she stopped pretending and transformed into her true form—an old woman—and fought Li Qingyue.

She also sensed Bai Jiusi’s aura on Li Qingyue, which made her attacks even more vicious. During the battle, Fan Jiaojiao appeared and helped Li Qingyue restrain the monster, giving Li Qingyue the opportunity to kill it. When Ning Yan learned that Li Qingyue had entered the Hell Ruins, she went to inform Bai Jiusi, who was still in seclusion. Upon hearing that Li Qingyue was in danger, Bai Jiusi rushed to her aid without regard for his own safety.

The monster, realizing she couldn't escape, tried to drag Li Qingyue down with her and have them both sealed in that place. At the crucial moment, Bai Jiusi appeared. When the monster saw him, she brought up the identity of Siling and claimed that Li Qingyue was just a replacement. That statement deeply wounded Li Qingyue’s heart. Meanwhile, Zhang Suan also had thoughts of ascending to the Ninth Heaven.

He spoke about how he met Li Qingyue and how he had come to like her. His fellow sect members were shocked to hear that Zhang Suan and Bai Jiusi were in love with the same person. They even advised Bai Jiusi to let go, saying that even if Zhang Suan really did ascend, he wouldn’t have the power to help Li Qingyue now. After Fan Ling Er’s plot was exposed, she was brought before Bai Jiusi.

Still unwilling to accept defeat, she received pleas for mercy from Fan Jiaojiao on her behalf. Bai Jiusi left the matter to Li Qingyue, who cast Fan Ling Er into the Guixu Realm. Bai Jiusi asked Li Qingyue about the release of Hong Lian in the Hell Ruins, but instead, Li Qingyue questioned him about the origins of the Siling people. Although Bai Jiusi was extremely reluctant, his silence confirmed the truth to Li Qingyue.

She was heartbroken—she had thought Bai Jiusi truly liked her, only to realize she was merely a stand-in for someone else. After returning, she was devastated and in a foul mood. Ning Yan, worried, even brought her medicine to help, but Li Qingyue ignored her and even knocked the medicine over, leaving Ning Yan very surprised. Still resentful, Fan Ling Er was imprisoned in the cold Guixu Realm. Yet she showed no fear and entered calmly.

On a rainy night, a drunkard was thrown out of a shop by a server. The drunk begged for more wine, but the inn refused to sell. Furious in the rain, the drunkard suddenly saw a woman in red holding an umbrella passing by. She was stunningly beautiful and seductive, and he was so captivated that he followed her. Bai Jiusi, dressed in clothes Li Qingyue had prepared for him, went to see her, intending to confess his love.

Seeing Bai Jiusi wearing her clothes, Li Qingyue’s anger immediately softened, though she remained stubborn in speech. Upon learning that Bai Jiusi intended to take her to capture Hong Lian, Li Qingyue became excited. They descended to the mortal world together. Along the way, Li Qingyue was constantly jealous over Siling. Seeing how deserted the streets were, Bai Jiusi suspected that Hong Lian might already be causing chaos. Li Qingyue found out that someone had already died—a man named Xu Ying—so the two of them headed to the home of the deceased.

Bai Jiusi and Li Qingyue arrived at the deceased’s home. From the words of the deceased’s wife, they learned that he often drank at the largest brothel, Lanyue Tower, and she earnestly pleaded with Bai Jiusi and Li Qingyue to capture the demon and avenge her husband. That night, Bai Jiusi and Li Qingyue went to Lanyue Tower, which was brightly lit and crowded with people.

Li Qingyue was puzzled—there had been hardly anyone on the streets during the day due to the demon attacks, but at night Lanyue Tower was packed. After they sat down, Bai Jiusi told Li Qingyue about Hong Lian’s origin: only the blood from a poet’s heart could ease her pain. Just as he finished speaking, music began, and Hong Lian danced gracefully with the rhythm, earning waves of applause.

Li Qingyue suggested capturing her immediately, but Bai Jiusi explained that this was only one of Hong Lian’s clones, and even if they caught her, it wouldn’t help. On stage, Hong Lian acted seductively and pitifully, using every ounce of charm to attract the attention of all the men, many of whom offered her their treasures. Surrounded by admirers, Hong Lian noticed that only Bai Jiusi and Li Qingyue remained indifferent at their table, which piqued her interest.

She personally invited Li Qingyue upstairs for a drink, and Li Qingyue agreed with pleasure. Li Qingyue learned that Hong Lian was waiting for someone. After returning, she asked Bai Jiusi about it. Though Bai Jiusi knew who Hong Lian was waiting for, he was unwilling to summon him. Li Qingyue then asked why Hong Lian had been sealed in the Hell Ruins.

Bai Jiusi recalled that it was because she had spread a plague and was jointly sealed by him and Divine Lord Siling. Upon hearing this story, Li Qingyue became jealous again. That night, while Li Qingyue was asleep, Hong Lian secretly entered and brought her into an illusion she had created. In this dream world, Hong Lian showed Li Qingyue several of her past memories. Hong Lian had experienced countless romances, but none of the men had treated her sincerely.

Since then, she believed all men were heartless—except for Li Mo. No matter what tricks she used, Li Mo never fell for her, and that became a lingering obsession in her heart. Bai Jiusi found Hong Lian, and Hong Lian threatened him with Li Qingyue’s life, demanding that he summon Li Mo in exchange. Bai Jiusi used a blood curse to summon Li Mo. Hong Lian then opened the entrance to her illusion and let Bai Jiusi in.

Without hesitation, Bai Jiusi entered and was able to recognize the real Li Qingyue among the many illusions. However, he could not leave the dream world unless Hong Lian dispelled it. Zhang Suan sought out Qu Xingman, bringing with him a letter written by Meng Chu asking her to help Zhang Suan ascend to the Ninth Heaven. With Meng Chu’s letter, Qu Xingman directly opened the Heavenly Ladder.

Zhang Suan guessed that climbing the ladder would come with a severe price. Qu Xingman told him he would have to endure soul-crushing agony that would transform his entire being. She also made Zhang Suan promise to deliver letters to Meng Chu regularly and gave him poison, telling him that he must take an antidote each month to ease the suffering. While staying in the illusion, Li Qingyue and Bai Jiusi suddenly saw more of Hong Lian’s memories.

They decided to observe the past between Hong Lian and Li Mo together, hoping to find a way out. Li Mo had discovered the reason Hong Lian harmed people and, wanting to help her and stop her from hurting others, decided to seek a cure for her condition. Because the resentment within Hong Lian was so deep, it would not be easily resolved.

Over a long period of interaction, Hong Lian constantly tried to seduce Li Mo into falling in love with her, but Li Mo stated that he was devoted solely to cultivation and had no interest in romantic affairs. Watching this, Li Qingyue was puzzled—could Li Mo truly remain untouched by love? Just as they were watching the tender moments between Li Mo and Hong Lian, Hong Lian suddenly cried out in pain.

During the process of Li Mo healing Hong Lian, she suddenly went into a frenzy. Li Mo used his own blood to stabilize her emotions. When Hong Lian woke up and saw the severely injured Li Mo, she was heartbroken. After Li Qingyue finished watching the past between Li Mo and Hong Lian, she recalled that Bai Jiusi had once said Hong Lian had been sealed for over a hundred years and her spiritual power was greatly weakened.

Creating an illusion capable of trapping Bai Jiusi wouldn't be easy, so she suggested that Bai Jiusi destroy the entire illusion directly. Bai Jiusi followed Li Qingyue’s suggestion, destroyed the illusion, and when he emerged, he saw the injured Hong Lian—it turned out the illusion was created by Hong Lian using her true form. Unwilling to be subdued just like that, Hong Lian fled. Bai Jiusi and Li Qingyue chased after her but were separated.

Xu Ying’s wife found Li Qingyue, claiming her husband had turned into a zombie. Li Qingyue followed her back home and discovered that Xu Ying was actually being controlled, not resurrected. Li Qingyue subdued him easily. Meanwhile, Bai Jiusi caught up with Hong Lian, and the two began to fight. Because Bai Jiusi had forced himself out of seclusion to save Li Qingyue, he hadn’t fully healed, and his spiritual power was damaged.

Due to a lack of vigilance, Li Qingyue drank the tea offered by Xu Ying’s wife and fell unconscious. Bai Jiusi sensed Li Qingyue was in danger and tried to go rescue her, but Hong Lian blocked his way. Xu Ying’s wife blamed Li Qingyue and Bai Jiusi. It turned out she was the one who had killed Xu Ying. Xu Ying was an alcoholic and treated his wife poorly.

Encouraged by Hong Lian, she mustered the courage to kill him. Xu Ying’s wife stabbed Li Qingyue with a knife. Because Bai Jiusi had once used a spell to link their bodies so they could sense each other, Li Qingyue’s injury also affected Bai Jiusi. Just as Li Qingyue was in grave danger, Li Mo suddenly arrived and saved her. He then went to help Bai Jiusi fight Hong Lian.

Upon seeing Li Mo, Hong Lian no longer wanted to continue fighting and tried to approach him, but Li Mo struck her down, leaving her heartbroken. Zhang Suan endured immense torment while climbing the Heavenly Ladder but still didn’t turn back, determined to reach the Ninth Heaven. Li Mo briefly treated Bai Jiusi’s injuries, but because they were so severe, Bai Jiusi would need several months to fully recover.

Since Bai Jiusi was injured, none of them were a match for Hong Lian anymore, so they had no choice but to hide. Li Qingyue was somewhat surprised because she had seen how well Li Mo and Hong Lian got along in the past, but this encounter was nothing like what she had seen in the illusion. So she asked Li Mo about their relationship and history, hoping to resolve their grievances.

Li Mo recounted their past to Bai Jiusi and Li Qingyue. It turned out that Li Mo had always kept Hong Lian by his side to help treat illnesses. Although he could help her dispel the internal heat in her body, it also stirred jealousy in her heart. To prevent Li Mo from treating other women, Hong Lian tampered with his medicine. Li Mo, not wanting her to harm anyone else, decided to part ways with her.

Li Qingyue asked if Li Mo had ever fallen in love with Hong Lian or any other woman. But Li Mo had never experienced romantic feelings and did not understand such matters. Li Qingyue believed Li Mo probably did like Hong Lian—he just didn’t realize it himself. In order to force Li Mo to come out and meet her, Hong Lian planned to freeze the entire village. Li Mo, unwilling to run anymore, decided to go explain things to her.

But Li Qingyue was worried that he might say the wrong thing and further anger Hong Lian. Determined to make Li Mo stop avoiding her, Hong Lian continued her plan to freeze the village. Bai Jiusi and Li Qingyue joined forces to resist Hong Lian’s attack while Li Mo tried to persuade her to stop. Because of his serious injuries, Bai Jiusi could not withstand Hong Lian’s power.

Li Qingyue tried to shield Bai Jiusi, and Bai Jiusi pulled her behind him to protect her in turn. In a moment of desperation, Li Qingyue unleashed the Fire-Parting Technique, rescuing Bai Jiusi and defeating Hong Lian. Seeing Li Qingyue use the Fire-Parting Technique, Bai Jiusi realized that Li Qingyue was the reincarnation of A Yue.

Hong Lian overused her spiritual power and depleted her internal source. Li Mo used the blood from his heart to dispel the evil aura from Hong Lian's body. He also told her that his love was not romantic, but a love that embraced all living beings. The men from before had also truly loved Hong Lian, but their heart's blood failed to dispel the evil aura because her feelings toward them were false.

In other words, to truly rid herself of the evil aura, Hong Lian needed to learn how to love. She finally understood everything. This time had been beautiful, and having let go of the emotional tribulation in her heart, she prepared to cultivate anew. Zhang Suan reached the Ninth Heaven by climbing the Heavenly Ladder, where he encountered an old man rowing a boat.

Zhang Suan told the old man that he had endured countless hardships to reach the Ninth Heaven in order to find the place where the Heavenly Lord Dacheng resided. Long Yuan arrived and discovered Li Qingyue’s true identity, capturing her. Li Qingyue refused to admit that she was the Divine Lord Siling, but the fact that she could control the Fire-Parting Technique confirmed it. Both Long Yuan and Bai Jiusi had already recognized her.

Whether she admitted it or not, Li Qingyue was indeed the Divine Lord Siling. Zhang Suan was sent by the old man to the place where Bai Jiusi lived, which happened to be the land of Gui Xu where Fan Ling Er was imprisoned. The two of them fought, and Fan Ling Er also recognized Zhang Suan. Because Fan Ling Er mentioned Li Qingyue’s name, Zhang Suan realized that she must know Li Qingyue and thus inquired about her whereabouts.

Li Qingyue was imprisoned by Long Yuan. Bai Jiusi was also seriously injured and unable to recover quickly. Moreover, the medicinal ingredients needed to heal him were extremely rare and difficult to obtain. Fan Ling Er told Zhang Suan the way out of the land of Gui Xu and secretly kept the jade pendant from him. Xiao Jingshan was healing and discovered Zhang Suan’s arrival. Zhang Suan also noticed Xiao Jingshan’s injuries and inquired about Bai Jiusi’s residence.

Xiao Jingshan proposed a deal—he wanted Zhang Suan to do something for him in exchange. Li Qingyue, who was brought in while imprisoned, was in great pain. When she saw Bai Jiusi, she was initially excited, thinking he had come to rescue her—only to realize he was there to interrogate her. Bai Jiusi believed everything that had happened was part of a scheme Li Qingyue had deliberately planned to regain her former power. Li Qingyue was heartbroken.

She had only activated the Fire-Parting Technique because she saw Bai Jiusi in danger. What hurt her more was that the "A Yue" Bai Jiusi always called was never her—Li Qingyue believed she had always been a stand-in for someone else. No matter how she explained, Bai Jiusi insisted that she was scheming behind the scenes. Since their spells were mutually counteracting, if one became weaker, the other would inevitably grow stronger.

Li Qingyue didn’t care about any of that—what she cared about was whether Bai Jiusi truly liked her. But Bai Jiusi could not answer her question. Seeing his silence, Li Qingyue gave a bitter, self-mocking smile and refused to acknowledge her identity as the Divine Lord Siling, insisting she was just Li Qingyue. Overwhelmed with sorrow, she ignored her own severe injuries and recklessly activated the Fire-Parting Technique within the formation.

Because Bai Jiusi had previously used a spell that created a sensory and physical connection between them, when Li Qingyue was seriously injured, Bai Jiusi’s injuries also worsened significantly. Ning Yan pleaded with Bai Jiusi to spare Li Qingyue. Bai Jiusi had no intention of imprisoning her further, so he let Ning Yan take Li Qingyue away.

Xiao Jingshan forcibly took Zhang Suan as his disciple and passed down his lifetime’s cultivation techniques to him, even teaching him a set of swordsmanship he created himself. Because Zhang Suan deeply hated Bai Jiusi, he named the sword technique "God-Slaying Sword Technique." Although Bai Jiusi had ordered Li Qingyue’s release, Long Yuan refused to comply—because he discovered that beneath the Nine Nether there was no sign of the White Snake. The White Snake was likely still alive.

Longyuan earnestly begged Bai Jiusi to use the Heaven-Flipping Seal to imprison Li Qingyue. Since Li Qingyue had once used the Heaven-Flipping Seal to seal Bai Jiusi, Bai Jiusi could do the same to her without suffering serious injury—but he still couldn’t bring himself to make the decision. Zhang Suan woke up, and with the legacy of the senior’s cultivation technique, he now possessed strong spiritual power.

Ningyan found Li Qingyue, brought her some fruit, and told her that Bai Jiusi had originally intended to let her go, but Longyuan had stopped him. Longyuan remained persistent, standing outside Bai Jiusi’s door and pleading with him to seal Li Qingyue with the Heaven-Flipping Seal.

The Four Venerables also came to Bai Jiusi, likewise requesting him to seal Li Qingyue, fearing that if she awakened the power of the Divine Lord Siling, it could bring about another catastrophe in the world. Bai Jiusi resisted the pressure from the Four Venerables and still refused to seal Li Qingyue.

Then the Heavenly Venerable arrived, warning Bai Jiusi that if anything happened to the Infinite Stele under his watch due to personal entanglements, the Heaven Realm would intervene personally. Ningyan once again came to see Li Qingyue and told her about Longyuan. Just as the two were speaking, Ningyan was knocked unconscious—it turned out Zhang Suan had arrived, intending to rescue Li Qingyue. Li Qingyue was puzzled as to why Zhang Suan was in the Immortal Realm.

Upon checking, she discovered that Zhang Suan had climbed up to the Ninth Heaven through the Heaven-Linking Ladder. Zhang Suan didn’t care about the consequences he’d face; he only wanted to take Li Qingyue and escape. But they were soon detected by the barrier Bai Jiusi had set, and Bai Jiusi came to stop them. Outside Bai Jiusi’s main hall, Longyuan and the others also noticed Bai Jiusi leaving. Zhang Suan fled with Li Qingyue.

Li Qingyue noticed that Zhang Suan’s spiritual power had grown immensely and was very puzzled. Bai Jiusi appeared to block them, and Zhang Suan fought with Bai Jiusi, but he was still no match and ended up gravely injured by him. To protect Zhang Suan, Li Qingyue drew her sword against Bai Jiusi. Bai Jiusi spoke sweetly about their past entanglement, but Li Qingyue still refused to acknowledge it.

In order to protect Li Qingyue, Zhang Suan risked everything and severely injured Bai Jiusi. Just as he was about to escape with Li Qingyue, Longyuan arrived and knocked both of them unconscious with lightning. When Bai Jiusi and Zhang Suan woke up again, Zhang Suan had already been imprisoned. Li Qingyue anxiously asked Zhang Suan about his experience ascending via the Heaven-Linking Ladder, but Zhang Suan didn’t care about that and was more concerned about Li Qingyue.

At that moment, Zhang Suan’s Heart-Devouring Pill took effect, causing unbearable pain, and he fainted. Out of concern for Zhang Suan, Li Qingyue deliberately injured herself to get Bai Jiusi’s attention and called him over, pleading with him to save Zhang Suan. Seeing Li Qingyue care so deeply for another man, Bai Jiusi felt a surge of jealousy and was furious.

In order to make Bai Jiusi seal Li Qingyue, Longyuan acted on his own and made an official announcement to the world. The next day, still worried that Bai Jiusi might soften, Longyuan took Li Qingyue away without reporting it. When Ningyan learned that Li Qingyue was going to be sealed with the Heaven-Flipping Seal, she went to find Zhang Suan. Upon hearing that Li Qingyue was in danger, Zhang Suan rushed to rescue her despite his injuries.

Bai Jiusi arrived personally to seal Li Qingyue with the Heaven-Flipping Seal. When the heavenly thunder descended, Li Qingyue was in immense pain. Zhang Suan arrived at the execution site, saw Li Qingyue’s suffering, and tried to rescue her, only to be blocked by Longyuan. Meanwhile, in the Land of the Void, Fan Ling Er unexpectedly helped the white snake escape. Freed from its restraints, the white snake headed toward Li Qingyue, and Fan Ling Er followed along.

Bai Jiusi looked at the tortured Li Qingyue and couldn’t bear it. He wanted her to admit that she was once the Divine Lord Siling, but Li Qingyue stubbornly insisted she was just an ordinary mortal. At the critical moment, Fan Ling Er and the white snake arrived together and rescued Li Qingyue. Fan Ling Er even handed her sword to Li Qingyue. At that moment, Li Qingyue gripped the sword, stood atop the white snake, exuding an aura of defiance over the world.

After seeing Li Qingyue, Bai Jiusi couldn't help but laugh at himself, because the former immortal lord had returned. Li Qingyue resumed her position, and faint celestial anomalies followed. Elder Xuanwei of the Jingyun Sect also sensed Li Qingyue's return and prepared to ascend to the celestial realm to assist her. Li Qingyue led the disciples of the Jingyun Sect, along with Fan Ling Er, to cause a great disturbance in the celestial realm.

It turned out that this was all part of Li Qingyue's plan—she had deliberately used herself as bait, plotting to use the Heaven-Flipping Seal to strip Bai Jiusi of half his power in order to kill him. However, since Bai Jiusi and Li Qingyue shared the same origin, she still couldn’t completely defeat him. Li Qingyue activated the Heaven-Flipping Seal, intending to perish together with Bai Jiusi. In the end, both of them fell back into the mortal world.

When Li Qingyue awoke, she wandered the streets, her face haggard. She saw a wedding procession and quietly followed it from behind, watching as a loving couple held hands and bowed before the altar. Li Qingyue recalled the time when she first met Bai Jiusi—it turned out the two had agreed to descend into the mortal world together to undergo the tribulation of love. After descending, they got married and were deeply in love.

Just as Li Qingyue was immersed in her memories, Bai Jiusi appeared behind her. When she saw him, Li Qingyue became furious and was about to strike him down, but fainted instead. Bai Jiusi took her back home. As it turned out, Li Qingyue had used a blood sacrifice to activate the Heaven-Flipping Seal and break through the void, bringing them both back to Songhe County, where their tribulation had first begun.

Bai Jiusi also revealed the truth to Li Qingyue: he had already guessed her plan from the beginning and had recognized her true identity. He just didn’t know what exactly she intended to do. It was only when she seized the Heaven-Flipping Seal that Bai Jiusi understood her full plan. Everything Li Qingyue had done had gone incredibly smoothly without any hindrance—all because Bai Jiusi had been secretly cooperating with her all along.

Bai Jiusi and Li Qingyue also talked about events from 460 years ago. At that time, they were married and deeply in love. Bai Jiusi was engrossed in running businesses in the mortal world, and they were quite wealthy, living in a large estate. Li Qingyue enjoyed helping the people around them. She felt their love tribulation had made no progress and suggested they have a child.

In truth, she herself desired to have one, but Bai Jiusi rejected the idea. He had no interest in having a child with Li Qingyue, which greatly disappointed her. Even so, the two remained very much in love. Though Bai Jiusi claimed he disliked the idea, he had already asked around. Since they were undergoing the tribulation in mortal bodies, if Li Qingyue were to become pregnant, it would pose great danger to her health.

Bai Jiusi's refusal to have a child wasn’t due to lack of affection, but because he was deeply concerned about her safety. Li Qingyue was very interested in a child named Meng Chi who arrived at their residence. She often found opportunities to chat with him and even taught him how to paint using his sense of smell. The two developed a deep bond.

One day, while Li Qingyue was walking in the market, a startled horse charged toward her as she stood in the middle of the street. Not wanting to reveal her identity, she couldn’t use her powers openly. But in that life-threatening moment, she had no choice but to prepare to use her magic. Just then, Meng Chi suddenly rushed forward and pushed her out of the way, taking the blow himself.

He was severely injured and eventually died from his wounds. Li Qingyue couldn't bear to see Meng Chi die like that and secretly used her powers to bring him back to life.

After Li Qingyue brought Meng Chi back to life, the servants in the residence had seen that Meng Chi’s leg was already broken and he was on the verge of death. Only after Li Qingyue was left alone in the room did Meng Chi revive, so the servants began to gossip, suspecting that Li Qingyue either practiced witchcraft or wasn’t human at all, but a demon.

Because she altered someone’s fate at will, Li Qingyue suffered severe backlash and was seriously injured. Bai Jiusi fed Li Qingyue medicine while scolding her for meddling in mortal affairs so recklessly. He also used a formation to conceal Li Qingyue’s divine power, preventing the Heavenly Emissary from detecting her. The two remained deeply in love. Meanwhile, Meng Chi, who had been brought back to life, diligently worked every day. Their sweet life continued day by day.

As time passed, Meng Chi gradually grew up, still working hard and faithfully serving Bai Jiusi and Li Qingyue. In the blink of an eye, twenty years had passed. Bai Jiusi believed it was time for Meng Chi to leave, as he would eventually discover their secret of immortality. Li Qingyue had genuine feelings for Meng Chi. After all, they had lived together for twenty years, and she felt reluctant to part with him.

However, in order to successfully pass the tribulation without being discovered, she resolutely decided to send Meng Chi away and gave him a large sum of money. Meng Chi was also unwilling to leave Li Qingyue. He knelt and begged her to let him stay, but Li Qingyue had already made up her mind. Meng Chi remained on his knees, and Li Qingyue began to waver.

Yet Bai Jiusi understood that if Meng Chi stayed, he would uncover their secret and cause their tribulation to fail. He repeatedly urged Li Qingyue not to give in. In the end, Li Qingyue couldn’t bear it out of concern for Meng Chi’s health. Seeing Meng Chi kneeling without rising, she decided to leave with Bai Jiusi and entrusted the residence to Meng Chi, promoting him to steward.

Grateful beyond words, Meng Chi devotedly guarded the residence for Li Qingyue and never left until the end of his days. When a new group of servants entered the residence, Meng Chi, though aged and frail, still earnestly taught them how to do their tasks. Even when his own son held an official post, Meng Chi was willing to remain by Li Qingyue’s side as a steward. Later, Meng Chi’s grandson, who had become an official, was sentenced to death.

That night, Meng Chi silently came to the courtyard of Bai Jiusi and Li Qingyue to beg for her help. He already knew that Li Qingyue was not an ordinary mortal and believed that if she intervened, she would surely succeed. However, since Li Qingyue had already broken the heavenly rules once to save Meng Chi and interfered with mortal fate, she could no longer help again.

Meng Chi understood this and said no more, while Li Qingyue quietly returned to her room. The next morning, a heavy rain poured down. Bai Jiusi learned from the servants that Meng Chi had passed away. Li Qingyue was arranging flowers in her room when she heard a new steward had arrived. Only then did she realize Meng Chi had left. She couldn’t help but feel a pang of sorrow.

While reminiscing about Meng Chi, she came across a letter from his grandson. At the execution ground, Meng Zhangqin was shackled, and the supervising official was reading out the imperial decree for his execution. Meng Zhangqin remained unfazed, and the crowd watching cried out for justice, clearly recognizing him as a good official. Just as the execution was about to proceed, everyone suddenly froze as if time itself had stopped. Meng Zhangqin was bewildered, not knowing what had happened.

Li Qingyue suddenly appeared—she ultimately couldn’t hold back and saved Meng Chi’s grandson, Meng Zhangqin. After rescuing Meng Zhangqin, Li Qingyue was once again seriously injured for altering fate without permission. When Meng Zhangqin saw her collapse, he quickly carried her away. That night, by the river, Li Qingyue meditated to heal while Meng Zhangqin roasted rabbit meat.

Because he was an upright official unwilling to collude with corrupt ones, he was framed and no longer wished to return to court. Instead, he wanted to follow Li Qingyue and learn cultivation. When a great drought struck, many refugees fled to the north. Upon seeing the wealthy bullying the refugees, Meng Zhangqin couldn’t help but step in.

Li Qingyue secretly helped Meng Zhangqin drive away the bullies. However, the husband of the fleeing woman wanted to sell his wife and child to Meng Zhangqin, which enraged him even more, and he struck the man. The woman stopped Meng Zhangqin, knowing there was no other way. Meng Zhangqin also understood that even if he helped this time, the little girl and her mother might still be sold later. So he left behind some silver.

When the little girl asked for his name, Meng Zhangqin didn’t give it. He did good deeds without leaving his name and detested evil with a passion, leaving a deep impression in Li Qingyue’s heart. Just after helping, a swindler in disguise suddenly appeared, claiming Meng Zhangqin had an immortal bone and could learn celestial arts, and sold him a knife. As they walked on, the two arrived near where Li Qingyue lived.

She originally wanted to bring Meng Zhangqin home, but he refused, since that was where Meng Chi had lived. Meng Zhangqin couldn’t understand his grandfather’s choices. As an official himself, and with a father who was a well-known scholar, their family lived comfortably—Meng Chi could have lived out his years in ease. Yet he insisted on staying and serving as a steward.

Now that Meng Zhangqin was wanted, he didn’t want to go to his grandfather at this time, and took his leave from Li Qingyue. Meng Zhangqin walked alone through the forest, carefree, when suddenly he was surrounded by soldiers—they had come to arrest him. Holding the knife, Meng Zhangqin was unwilling to surrender and tried to resist. Li Qingyue was on her way home when she ran into Bai Jiusi.

Upon seeing her, Bai Jiusi initially scolded her, but didn’t say much more. Because the soldiers outnumbered him, Meng Zhangqin was no match for them. Just as they were about to execute him, a fierce wind suddenly blew through. When the wind died down, Meng Zhangqin had disappeared. It turned out Li Qingyue had once again saved him. Meng Zhangqin, seeing Li Qingyue silent, brought her some water and insisted she drink a bowl.

After seeing her drink, he worried the soldiers might catch up and urged to leave quickly. But Li Qingyue told him they were already a thousand miles away—the soldiers could not possibly catch up. Hearing this, Meng Zhangqin relaxed and knelt down to formally take her as his master. He even joked that the bowl of water earlier had already sealed the deal, leaving Li Qingyue speechless and unsure how to refute.

Late at night, when Meng Zhangqin still hadn’t returned, Li Qingyue went out to look for him and came to a village. Following a colorful butterfly, she arrived at a house and found that Meng Zhangqin had been deeply moved by the village's tragic state. No one in the village was still alive, and those who had fled due to hunger would find no food on the road either. In other words, they were all destined to starve to death.

When they returned to the temple, Meng Zhangqin asked Li Qingyue what the life of an immortal was like. When he learned that immortals all lived well and never experienced hunger, he felt the world was unfair. Immortals stood high above, without any suffering, and possessed supreme powers, yet did nothing to help the poor endure their tribulations. From then on, he resolved never to believe in or worship immortals again.

The next day, Li Qingyue wanted to persuade Meng Zhangqin to return home with her, but he was unwilling to see his grandfather at such a low point, nor to trouble him. He already had a clear goal in his heart. Seeing that his resolve could not be shaken, Li Qingyue used a bamboo sliver to cut Meng Zhangqin’s hand, letting it draw blood.

After returning home, Li Qingyue learned about Bai Jiusi’s recent situation from the maidservants and went to find him. At that time, Bai Jiusi was being surrounded by matchmakers trying to set him up with potential brides. One of the young women fell for Bai Jiusi at first sight and was very pleased. When Li Qingyue arrived and saw Bai Jiusi looking at other women, she grew jealous and deliberately disrupted the matchmaking, claiming to be his wife.

Bai Jiusi, doing this to provoke Li Qingyue, hoped to teach her not to casually interfere in worldly matters again. In order to swindle more money, the matchmakers even brought in a courtesan.

Bai Jiusi saved a child on the street. Li Qingyue was puzzled—why was it wrong for her to save Meng Zhangqin, but Bai Jiusi could save a child? Bai Jiusi told Li Qingyue that the two situations were different, because saving Meng Zhangqin would bring danger. When Meng Chi first arrived at the residence, there were already many rumors swirling around.

Bai Jiusi also explained to Li Qingyue why the divine race had to descend to the mortal world to undergo tribulation: because the human world is full of suffering—birth, aging, illness, death, love and separation. Only by triumphing over all these could one truly understand human hardship. Li Qingyue also felt that what Bai Jiusi said made sense and decided not to interfere with others’ fates so recklessly in the future.

The two opened up to each other and decided from then on to never part again and to face the tribulation together. Li Qingyue planted the bamboo stained with Meng Zhangqin’s blood. It was a spirit-connected tree—if the person dies, the tree withers. In other words, as long as Meng Zhangqin faced danger, the tree could alert Li Qingyue, showing that she still couldn’t let go of her concern for him. Bai Jiusi and Li Qingyue went shopping together.

When Li Qingyue saw the soul-guiding lanterns on the street, she prepared one to guide the wandering souls who couldn’t find their way home. Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, three years passed. One rainy morning, Bai Jiusi suddenly woke up to find that Li Qingyue was gone. When he looked into the courtyard and saw the tree representing Meng Zhangqin had changed, he immediately knew what Li Qingyue had gone to do.

Meng Zhangqin was climbing a steep cliff when he slipped and fell. Just as he was about to hit the ground, he was caught by a mysterious force and landed safely, unharmed. He knew Li Qingyue must have come and excitedly searched around, but was disappointed not to see anyone—until Li Qingyue suddenly appeared. Seeing Meng Zhangqin’s condition, Li Qingyue felt a twinge of heartache, but Meng Zhangqin didn’t speak of his own hardships.

Instead, he showed concern for Li Qingyue. Li Qingyue lied, saying her residence was full of stewards and wanted to take Meng Zhangqin back with her, even offering him generous compensation. Meng Zhangqin refused. He wanted to continue his search and slay the drought dragon in Hankou that tormented the people. Worried for Meng Zhangqin’s safety, Li Qingyue said she was willing to take him back with her and ensure he would live a worry-free life.

But Meng Zhangqin still refused. He told Li Qingyue that his decision to become an official was so he could bring justice to the people—and that remained his goal. Unable to bear the thought of Meng Zhangqin being in danger, Li Qingyue agreed to help him slay the drought dragon. At first, Li Qingyue intended to reason with the drought dragon, but upon hearing that the dragon didn’t care at all about human life, she decided to kill it.

The Heavenly Emissary found Bai Jiusi and told him that Li Qingyue intended to slay a god, and ordered Bai Jiusi to bring her back to face severe punishment. Li Qingyue fought fiercely with the drought dragon and was seriously wounded, but the drought dragon was left unable to fight back. Li Qingyue then instructed Meng Zhangqin to strike the final blow, which enraged the heavens. Li Qingyue defied the heavens, which responded by sending down thunder punishment.

In the end, guided by Li Qingyue, Meng Zhangqin successfully slew the drought dragon. The human world was restored to life and vitality, and the once drought-ridden land blossomed with beautiful flowers and plants. When Li Qingyue awoke, she had already been brought back home by Bai Jiusi. She anxiously asked about Meng Zhangqin’s condition and was overjoyed to learn that although he was still unconscious, his life was not in danger.

She happily told Bai Jiusi about what she had done for the common people, but Bai Jiusi was not pleased. He insisted that Li Qingyue had acted wrongly. Li Qingyue believed she had saved all the people, and that Meng Zhangqin had accomplished something even the divine couldn’t do, leading to a disagreement between the two.

In order to stop Li Qingyue from meddling in mortal affairs again, Bai Jiusi planned to seal her powers for ten years to answer to the Heavenly Venerable. Li Qingyue was deeply hurt by Bai Jiusi’s actions, but due to her injuries, she was too weak to resist. The disciples of Jingyun Sect, unaware of the situation, asked Qingyang and the others why they had ascended to the celestial realm and returned. While everyone was discussing, Zhang Suan also returned.

The moment they saw him, everyone began asking about his time in the Ninth Heaven. None of the disciples knew the full story, because those who went to the heavens were mostly outer sect disciples with weak cultivation who had suddenly become powerful. After returning, Xuanwei gathered everyone to discuss searching for Li Qingyue. He also assigned sect disciples to scatter across the Twelve States to find her.

Xuanwei himself entered seclusion, preparing to use the Spirit Inquiry Array to locate Li Qingyue’s whereabouts. Zhang Suan sought out his master to ask about Li Qingyue’s situation and learned about the past grievances between her and Bai Jiusi.

Fan Jiaojiao was imprisoned because his daughter had followed Li Qingyue, and Long Yuan suspected him of colluding with her. Fan Jiaojiao knew that no explanation would clear him, as his daughter had indeed followed Li Qingyue. Though unwilling to accept it, he resigned himself to his fate. That night, Fan Jiaojiao entered his daughter’s dream. Fan Ling Er somewhat blamed her father and told him that she had always belonged to Li Qingyue.

Everything she had done before was an act, just to make Bai Jiusi trust her. Even entering the Land of the Void was part of the plan—it was all to save Li Qingyue’s mount, the white snake. Three hundred years ago, Fan Ling Er had accompanied her mother to Medicine King Valley for treatment and was saved by Li Qingyue after falling off a cliff.

Fan Jiaojiao wanted Fan Ling Er to return alone so he could protect her life, but she had long been disappointed in his lack of love for her and his indifference toward her mother. She decided to follow Li Qingyue no matter what—even if she were to vanish into nothingness, she would have no regrets. Zhang Suan came to see Fan Ling Er and asked about Li Qingyue’s whereabouts.

Zhang Suan’s overwhelming concern for Li Qingyue made Fan Ling Er realize his true feelings. She tried to persuade him not to fall too deeply in love with Li Qingyue and to pull himself out while he still could. But Zhang Suan had already fallen too deeply and could not turn back. Meng Chu was suddenly released, which puzzled him.

He went to ask his master, who revealed the original plan: it had all been a setup to lure Heavenly Lord Dacheng out, and they did not actually oppose Meng Chu being with Qu Xingman. Now, the master even encouraged him to pursue her and showed no concern about her identity. This abrupt change left Meng Chu feeling lost and unsure. As Meng Chu left, he unexpectedly ran into Shangguan, who was sweeping the courtyard.

Meng Chu found it strange since Shangguan was a core disciple, and these chores should have been done by outer sect disciples. Shangguan explained that those former outer sect disciples had all reached the threshold of Nascent Soul cultivation and had strong spiritual power. Meanwhile, the core disciples were now the ones doing chores. Zhang Suan, still unwilling to give up, was eager to find Li Qingyue as soon as possible.

He asked Fan Ling Er again, but she remained silent and told him that Bai Jiusi and Li Qingyue would encounter many opportunities in the future—and every one of those opportunities would be a chance for Li Qingyue to kill Bai Jiusi. Long Yuan also began to set up a formation to locate Bai Jiusi, gathering many people from the divine realm to serve as guardians. At that time, Bai Jiusi and Li Qingyue were at their former home.

Li Qingyue did not want to speak to Bai Jiusi, but Bai Jiusi hoped they could talk properly to resolve their inner tribulations. They once again discussed the slaying of the drought dragon. It turned out that Wuju Mountain, the place where the drought dragon once lived, had been damaged by humans who cut down the forest and slaughtered countless living creatures. As a result of karmic retribution, the people of Wuju Mountain had suffered.

Li Qingyue believed that what she did wasn’t wrong; karma had guided her to take Meng Zhangqin as her disciple and to save Meng Chi. Long Yuan’s formation pointed east, but as he continued his search, he was blocked by a flood and injured. He suspected that Bai Jiusi was hiding in the water and ordered the dragon clans of the four seas to deploy their water troops to search. Jingyun Sect also learned of Long Yuan’s actions.

Xuanwei dared not delay and immediately led a group to search as well. Qingyang also insisted on joining. Unable to persuade each other, Li Qingyue proposed that both she and Bai Jiusi seal their powers for ten years. If either used their powers within that time, they would suffer backlash. They would live as ordinary mortals. Bai Jiusi gladly agreed and suggested they live together as husband and wife in the mortal world.

Before long, Bai Jiusi used his accumulated knowledge and experience to make a great deal of money and hired people to decorate their home beautifully. Their neighbor, Lin Fan—who had once been the groom in a wedding procession—brought over some pastries. Meanwhile, Li Qingyue returned home with groceries and cooked a large meal. Bai Jiusi happily waited to eat, only to find that Li Qingyue had made food only for herself, leaving none for him.

She said that if he wanted to experience hardship, he had to rely on himself. Bai Jiusi had no choice but to go out to a restaurant, where he ran into Lin Fan and learned some tricks for pleasing women. He returned home intending to use them on Li Qingyue, but she didn’t fall for them and even picked out all the food he put into her bowl.

Bai Jiusi watched as Li Qingyue picked out all the food in her bowl. Seizing the moment when she wasn’t paying attention, he imitated Lin Fan and personally fed her a bite, but ended up nearly choking her. Once Li Qingyue recovered, she turned and walked away. Bai Jiusi went to find Lin Fan and told him about her reaction. Lin Fan thought Li Qingyue had walked away out of embarrassment.

Zhang Suan went to Qu Xingman to ask for the antidote. Qu Xingman blamed him for not showing up for so long, worrying that if anything happened to him, she would have no way to communicate with Meng Chu. Zhang Suan wanted to completely purge the poison from his body and told Qu Xingman that Meng Chu had already been released.

At first, Qu Xingman didn’t believe him, but when Zhang Suan threatened her by saying if anything happened to him, she should consider what Meng Chu would do to her, she had no choice but to believe him. Just as Zhang Suan was about to leave, Fan Ling Er suddenly appeared in front of him.

Touched by how much Zhang Suan had sacrificed for Li Qingyue, she said that since he was going to look for her to get rid of the poison completely, she would go with him. Qu Xingman packed her belongings, intending to find Meng Chu, but was stopped by her mother, Qu Ke, who insisted that Meng Chu should come find Qu Xingman instead. Meanwhile, Bai Jiusi wasn’t idle either.

He kept asking Lin Fan for advice on how to win Li Qingyue’s favor. But every time, Li Qingyue acted as if nothing had happened, as if she hadn’t noticed his efforts. Bai Jiusi didn’t get discouraged and kept trying new ways to please her every day. In the blink of an eye, two months passed.

Lin Fan noticed that the relationship between Bai Jiusi and Li Qingyue hadn’t improved at all and wondered what serious mistake Bai Jiusi must have made for Li Qingyue to remain so unchanged for two months. Lin Fan suggested that Bai Jiusi directly admit his mistakes to her. While Lin Fan and Bai Jiusi were discussing the matter, Scholar Kong brought over two bowls of plain noodles and invited them to eat with him, as it was his birthday.

Scholar Kong had exhausted his family’s wealth from repeatedly taking the imperial exam. Lin Fan, in Bai Jiusi’s name, helped sponsor him. To ease the tension between Bai Jiusi and Li Qingyue, Lin Fan invited both of them to visit his home and asked his wife to help counsel Li Qingyue. Bai Jiusi readily agreed. Lin Fan’s warmth took Bai Jiusi by surprise—many things left him unable to decline.

Li Qingyue sat in the courtyard drinking tea and reading a book. Bai Jiusi deliberately walked over and “accidentally” bumped the teacup, spilling tea onto her clothes. He quickly pulled out a change of clothes and, imitating the behavior of Lin Fan and his wife, bit off a loose thread from her shoulder. This flirtatious gesture made Li Qingyue slightly shy. The families of Bai Jiusi and Lin Fan thus formed a deep bond.

Lin Fan remained enthusiastic, often bringing pastries and snacks for Bai Jiusi and Li Qingyue, deliberately trying to set the two up. Scholar Kong later sent letters to both Bai Jiusi and Lin Fan. He had finally passed the imperial exam, but sadly died on the way to assume his post. Lin Fan felt a bit guilty, thinking that if he hadn’t sponsored Scholar Kong, he wouldn’t have worked himself to death.

Bai Jiusi was also heartbroken over Kong’s passing, though he pretended to be indifferent. Li Qingyue saw through him. Bai Jiusi had now truly tasted the pain of mortal farewells, and Li Qingyue specially brought wine to comfort him. As Lin Fan’s wife was about to give birth, he grew very anxious. It was his first time becoming a father, and he didn’t know how to be a good one, so he confided in Bai Jiusi.

Bai Jiusi, who had always maintained a calm and aloof demeanor, made Lin Fan think he was an entitled noble son unfamiliar with the hardships of life—bad-tempered and inflexible. Hearing Lin Fan’s assessment of him, Bai Jiusi felt helpless, but didn’t blame him. It also made him experience what it meant to have a friend to truly open one’s heart to.

The sesame pancake shop suddenly caught fire. The big yellow dog that always lingered at the entrance barked loudly, waking the nearby neighbors, who all came to help put out the fire. Seeing that the fire was too fierce and no one had come out, Lin Fan soaked himself with water and dashed into the blaze to rescue anyone inside. But just as he entered, the entire building collapsed. His wife fainted on the spot when she saw this.

The next day, Li Qingyue blamed Bai Jiusi for being cold and heartless for not rushing in to help. Bai Jiusi told Li Qingyue that even if the pancake shop owner hadn't died in the fire, he would have passed away that very night anyway. It was the will of the heavens and could not be changed.

While Bai Jiusi and Li Qingyue were arguing, Lin Fan's wife came out and sorrowfully told Li Qingyue that her husband was someone who always helped others, even when he knew it was impossible. Lin Fan's wife was about to give birth, but due to a difficult labor, her life was at risk. Bai Jiusi recalled how he and Li Qingyue had once undergone a tribulation together and had wished for a child.

His mindset had been changed by Lin Fan, so he secretly used his powers to help Lin Fan’s wife Shi Hua safely deliver the baby. Li Qingyue sensed the surge of spiritual energy and knew that Bai Jiusi had broken the taboo to help Shi Hua. She was worried about Bai Jiusi’s safety but also respected him deeply, so she didn’t barge into his room, instead quietly staying nearby to help him if needed.

Jiang Bian, unable to adjust to the sudden change in his identity, wanted his parents to bring him home. While writing a letter in his room, he was summoned to guard the mountain gate. Though very reluctant, he had no choice but to obey orders. Zhang Suan and Fan Ling Er got lost while walking through the forest. Suddenly, two simple-minded bandits appeared, claiming they only robbed money, not people. Fan Ling Er was annoyed and felt insulted.

She and Zhang Suan gave the two bandits a light punishment, then asked for directions down the mountain. Reminded by the bandits, Zhang Suan recalled Li Qingyue had mentioned Songhe County before and suspected she might be there now. Without hesitation, he set off for Songhe County. After seven days of recovery in his room, Bai Jiusi finally came out. Li Qingyue didn’t expose his secret use of power, and the two shared a mutual understanding.

However, her opinion of him had changed—she even made nourishing soup for Bai Jiusi. Life returned to its usual calm, and time passed day by day. In the blink of an eye, five years had gone by, and Lin Tao had grown up. One day, Lin Tao ran to play at Bai Jiusi’s doorstep. She was very affectionate toward him, but Bai Jiusi misunderstood, thinking she had caused trouble again and had come to him for help.

Lin Tao brought Bai Jiusi before a group of her friends and declared he was her father. The other children didn’t believe it, saying they didn’t look alike. Understanding that Lin Tao didn’t want others to know she had no father and might be bullied because of it, Bai Jiusi acknowledged the role of being her father. That night, Bai Jiusi carried Lin Tao home. Li Qingyue stood at the door with a lantern, waiting the whole time.

One rainy night, Bai Jiusi went out to buy osmanthus cake for Li Qingyue. While taking shelter from the rain at a pavilion, he encountered a wandering cultivator carrying an urn of ashes. The cultivator was friendly and told Bai Jiusi the story behind the ashes, explaining that the world outside had become chaotic and the people were suffering. Hearing about the people’s hardships stirred something in Bai Jiusi’s heart—he was no longer as cold and indifferent as before.

After the rain stopped, the cultivator was about to leave when he suddenly sensed a demon approaching. Seeing that Bai Jiusi remained unflustered, he realized Bai Jiusi was no ordinary person. The next morning, Bai Jiusi went to the market with Li Qingyue to buy osmanthus cake and discovered that a murder had taken place. He went to investigate, and seeing that Bai Jiusi had started to care about worldly suffering, Li Qingyue felt comforted.

Shi Hua brought food to Bai Jiusi to express her gratitude, but nearby neighbors gossiped. Suddenly, a demon targeted Lin Tao. To save her, Bai Jiusi once again broke the taboo and used his powers. Li Qingyue sensed it and rushed over to check on Bai Jiusi.

Bai Jiusi encountered a demonic entity in the alley while taking Lin Tao with him. The entity was extremely powerful—it wasn’t just a mass of black mist but could also take on human form, and it intended to harm Lin Tao. Bai Jiusi had no choice but to break the curse and use his former cultivation, sustaining serious injuries in the process. Li Qingyue kept vigil by his bedside the whole time.

Zhang Suan and Fan Ling Er also arrived in the county where Bai Jiusi and Li Qingyue were staying, but the town was eerily silent, devoid of any sign of life. Fan Ling Er suspected that no one actually lived here and doubted that Bai Jiusi and Li Qingyue were truly present. Zhang Suan, however, was not ready to give up and kept searching everywhere. But no matter how hard he looked, he couldn’t find them.

Fan Ling Er, wanting to go off and search on her own, was given a few caring words by Zhang Suan, which made her feel quite happy. After Li Qingyue finished preparing medicine for Bai Jiusi, she rushed to bring it to him anxiously, when she suddenly sensed Zhang Suan’s presence. As Fan Ling Er continued to search for the whereabouts of Bai Jiusi and Li Qingyue, she suddenly encountered a demonic entity and engaged in battle with it.

Hearing the sounds of fighting, Zhang Suan rushed over to help. Fan Ling Er captured the fleeing entity, which turned out to be a demon child with a familiar-looking face and no apparent malicious intent. Zhang Suan and Fan Ling Er tied the demon child to a tree and questioned him about Bai Jiusi and Li Qingyue’s whereabouts. The child didn’t know anything, but explained that he wasn’t the one harming people earlier.

Upon inspection, Zhang Suan confirmed that the demon child indeed wasn’t the malevolent entity, but had merely come here in search of the Peach Blossom Spring. Bai Jiusi and Li Qingyue discovered an ancient formation. There were only two ways to break it: either locate the formation’s core or kill the person who cast it. But neither option was viable for Bai Jiusi and Li Qingyue, as they couldn’t recklessly use their powers.

Since the monkey demon child was not harmful, Zhang Suan decided to release him. Fan Ling Er scolded Zhang Suan for letting go of someone who could have provided clues. Zhang Suan told her that they should search the area for the legendary Peach Blossom Spring. Fan Ling Er didn’t believe such a utopia actually existed. One day, Bai Jiusi went to a tavern for a meal. Everyone inside was talking about the demonic entities.

Suddenly, Lin Tao rushed in, claiming Bai Jiusi was an immortal and asking to become his disciple. Shi Hua quickly took the child away. Later, Shi Hua secretly found Bai Jiusi in a secluded spot to ask him whether he was truly an immortal. When Bai Jiusi tacitly admitted it, Shi Hua thanked him for saving her child, but also asked why he hadn’t saved her husband six years ago.

Although Shi Hua didn’t blame Bai Jiusi, she still distanced herself from him. Bai Jiusi felt a slight pang in his heart. At that moment, Li Qingyue appeared and asked him whether he had ever regretted anything. While they were talking, another anomaly suddenly occurred—another demonic entity appeared to harm people. Zhang Suan brought Fan Ling Er to a manor. Fan Ling Er didn’t believe they could find Bai Jiusi and Li Qingyue there, but suddenly, Zhang Suan disappeared.

While searching for the demonic entity, Bai Jiusi found Zhang Suan. Upon seeing him, Zhang Suan immediately asked where Li Qingyue was. Bai Jiusi didn’t answer. Zhang Suan tried to chase him for an explanation, but suddenly returned to the world where Fan Ling Er was. Bai Jiusi tracked down the demonic entity, but due to his previous serious injuries, it escaped.

At that moment, a man who had just been captured by the demon appeared with a cultivator and mistakenly believed Bai Jiusi was the demonic entity. Li Qingyue appeared in time and rescued Bai Jiusi. Zhang Suan repeatedly tried to use the previous method to reenter Bai Jiusi’s world, but to no avail. Long Yuan and others found Bai Jiusi’s physical body and discovered that his soul was trapped.

Long Yuan, suspecting that Li Qingyue was using tricks to control Bai Jiusi’s soul, was eager to go to Jingyun Sect and demand his return. Bai Jiusi, gravely wounded, was carefully nursed back to health by Li Qingyue at home. She began to worry about Bai Jiusi using his powers recklessly.

Bai Jiusi told her that he had seen Zhang Suan at Yizhuang, which Li Qingyue found strange—after all, the place they were currently in was an illusion conjured by a demonic entity, and ordinary people couldn’t enter it. At this moment, Bai Jiusi truly began to understand the suffering of the mortal world and tasted the pain that pierced the soul.

Bai Jiusi was recovering from his injuries at home when Lin Tao brought him peaches from her family’s peach tree. Concerned for her safety, Bai Jiusi told Lin Tao not to wander outside recklessly. However, Lin Tao believed that Bai Jiusi was an immortal, and that staying by his side was the safest option. She refused to listen to her mother and insisted on being with Bai Jiusi, even speaking on her mother’s behalf in front of him.

That night, Li Qingyue was in her room making a hat for Lin Tao when Bai Jiusi came to speak with her. He wanted to talk about his experiences in the human world over the past few years. Bai Jiusi shared his own insights—sometimes feeling that gods were heartless for ignoring human suffering, but in truth, it was also a form of self-preservation.

Humans only lived a few decades, and if gods empathized with them too much, they would be in endless sorrow. Everyone had their own path. He also began to understand and feel for Li Qingyue. Once, she had been an immortal, untouched by worldly matters, but now she could perform all kinds of domestic crafts. He couldn’t imagine what kind of pain she had endured during those ten years with her powers sealed.

He opened his heart to her, asking if there was a place where she still held resentment toward him. Moved by Bai Jiusi’s sincerity, Li Qingyue softened again and decided to be honest with him. But removing the evil spirits from the city was still the priority. The two agreed that after purging the evil and saving the people, they would have a heartfelt conversation. Longyuan brought people to Jingyun Sect to demand Bai Jiusi’s release.

Li Mo returned to heal Bai Jiusi’s physical body and, upon hearing that Longyuan had gone to Jingyun Sect, rushed to intervene. He feared that if a conflict broke out between the two parties, Bai Jiusi and Li Qingyue might never reconcile. A cultivator named Xiaoyaozi brought people to Bai Jiusi and Li Qingyue’s home, insisting on checking whether Bai Jiusi was an evil spirit.

To protect Bai Jiusi, Li Qingyue used her powers to immobilize everyone and then fled with Bai Jiusi and the dog Dahuang. Fan Ling Er, still worried for her father’s safety, followed clues to search for him. But she fell into a trap and was captured. She never expected to fall for her father’s trick in the end. Jingyun Sect’s disciples, who had once followed Li Qingyue, had already gone out to search for her whereabouts.

Only Meng Chu and a few others remained, but they were no match for Longyuan. Still, Meng Chu stood his ground with composure. However, due to his weaker cultivation, he couldn’t hold out for long. At that critical moment, Li Mo appeared to persuade Longyuan. Li Qingyue thought Bai Jiusi was still recovering, so she planned to take advantage of that time to eradicate the evil spirits.

But Bai Jiusi had already figured out her intentions and was watching her closely. The moment Li Qingyue left, Bai Jiusi noticed. She took up her sword and found the evil spirit. Unable to suppress it due to its strength, she prepared to use a mutual destruction technique. Fortunately, Bai Jiusi arrived in time to stop her from doing something foolish. But it was already too late. Even using his powers, Bai Jiusi couldn’t save Li Qingyue.

She was now in a mortal body and couldn’t withstand it. Back then, her soul had wandered the human world and just happened to find and possess this body. Li Qingyue admitted that she was willing to die with the evil spirit to eliminate it for Bai Jiusi’s sake. She had planned to destroy the evil and send Bai Jiusi away as her final act, but she failed. Bai Jiusi used his protective spirit pearl to shield Li Qingyue’s soul.

She didn’t want him to, knowing that in his current soul state, losing the spirit pearl could lead to complete dissipation. But Bai Jiusi insisted and embedded the pearl into Li Qingyue’s body. She then fell unconscious. With Bai Jiusi and Li Qingyue no longer around to stop them, the evil spirits ran rampant. Bai Jiusi reappeared and lured the evil spirit into a formation, where he killed it. However, the formation did not disappear. At that moment, Xiaoyaozi appeared.

The monkey spirit returned and told Zhang Suan that he had found the Peach Blossom Spring. Severely injured, Bai Jiusi was captured by Xiaoyaozi, who falsely accused him of being an evil spirit. When the townspeople heard this, they shouted that Bai Jiusi should be killed. Lin Tao didn’t believe Bai Jiusi was an evil spirit and rushed onto the platform, just as Xiaoyaozi summoned lightning to strike Bai Jiusi—hitting Lin Tao instead. Everyone thought it was Bai Jiusi who struck her, and vented their hatred toward him. Bai Jiusi realized that this was all a trap set by Li Qingyue.

Li Mo hurried back to the divine palace and informed everyone that just as he arrived and was about to intervene, Xuanwei and the others returned to the Jingyun Sect and trapped Long Yuan and his people using a formation created by Li Qingyue. The formation had the effect of weakening one’s spiritual power—if they couldn’t escape in time, Long Yuan and the others would gradually perish within it.

Upon hearing the news, everyone in the divine palace grew anxious and rushed to the Jingyun Sect. No one noticed the faintly smug smile that flashed across Li Mo's face. Li Qingyue walked up to Bai Jiusi with great satisfaction. It turned out that all of this had been part of her plan—she wanted Bai Jiusi to hand over his protective spirit pearl and then kill him. Everything Bai Jiusi was seeing now was an illusion fabricated by Li Qingyue.

As she spoke, the surroundings began to change—dark clouds gathered and covered everything. Bai Jiusi finally understood that Li Qingyue didn’t just want to kill him; she also wanted to utterly break him psychologically. The Shi Hua in the illusion was actually the former Li Qingyue. Bai Jiusi slowly came to realize and remember that Shi Hua had a child. Li Qingyue then revealed the truth—they indeed had a child together.

Li Mo slowly walked to Bai Jiusi's physical body and transformed into the appearance of Zhang Suan. It turned out that Li Mo had actually been Zhang Suan in disguise, intentionally deceiving everyone. Zhang Suan drew a blade to destroy Bai Jiusi's physical body, but just as he was about to act, Fan Jiaojiao suddenly appeared and stopped him. Fan Jiaojiao knew his daughter’s character—she would never let herself be captured so easily.

The fact that she had been caught without resistance that day meant she had intended to return to the heavens. Although father and daughter stood on opposing sides, Fan Jiaojiao still earnestly tried to persuade Zhang Suan. Upon learning that he had a child, Bai Jiusi’s spirit instantly collapsed. He couldn’t believe it, because it meant the child was already gone. His heart felt as if it had been cut by a knife.

At that moment, Li Qingyue unleashed her weapon and personally stabbed Bai Jiusi with it. Those who had gone to the Jingyun Sect also returned. Fan Jiaojiao urged her daughter to hand over the dagger to clear things up, but Zhang Suan refused and fled with it. The sword piercing the body was nothing compared to the pain in the heart.

Bai Jiusi asked Li Qingyue about the child, and once he confirmed the child was gone, he suddenly erupted with powerful energy and pushed Li Qingyue away. Seeing she couldn’t kill Bai Jiusi, Li Qingyue decided to use all her power to perish together with him. The two embraced again. Fan Ling Er and the monkey spirit were still piecing together the stele from Songhe County when they suddenly noticed something strange around them.

The remaining disciples of the Jingyun Sect were no match for Long Yuan and were all seriously injured. Meng Chu, holding on despite his wounds, planned to sacrifice himself to stop them. Li Mo, standing aside, pleaded with Long Yuan, but Long Yuan refused to listen. Li Qingyue’s primordial spirit returned to her body—she hadn’t died together with Bai Jiusi. Just as she was confused, she received news that the sect was under attack.

Meng Chu, refusing to yield even in death, was about to be killed by Long Yuan when Li Qingyue appeared just in time to save him. Upon seeing her, Long Yuan realized he was no match and fled immediately. Fan Ling Er also returned to the sect and was overjoyed to hear that Li Qingyue was back, rushing to find her. Li Qingyue summoned all the sect members to return.

When Long Yuan heard Bai Jiusi had returned, he hurried to visit him. Seeing that Bai Jiusi was injured, he was furious and earnestly asked for an order to apprehend Li Qingyue. However, Bai Jiusi, heartbroken at the time, sternly ordered everyone not to touch her. Qu Xingman was sulking because her mother forbade her from seeking Meng Chu. Qu Ke came to comfort her daughter and discovered that she had slipped away.

Fan Ling Er was talking with Li Qingyue when Qu Xingman shouted outside the mountain gate, looking for Meng Chu. Li Qingyue and Fan Ling Er came out together. Unaware of the recent events at Jingyun Sect, Qu Xingman still insisted on making Li Qingyue her “little brother.” That night, while Li Qingyue was asleep, Bai Jiusi quietly came to see her.

Longyuan and the others once again discovered that Bai Jiusi's primordial spirit had separated from his body and were deeply worried, thinking that it must be Li Qingyue who had trapped it again. They decided to eradicate the entire Jingyun Sect. In truth, Bai Jiusi’s primordial spirit had left his body in order to seek the truth and attempt to reverse time. However, he failed and even alarmed the ancient goddess of time, Xi'e.

Xi'e warned Bai Jiusi that attempting to alter time was extremely dangerous—so dangerous that even Bai Jiusi's divine father did not dare to try. Bai Jiusi was merely a strand of primordial energy from the God Hongmeng and lacked such capability. Despite this, Bai Jiusi insisted on uncovering the truth, and Xi'e agreed to help him investigate the past. Longyuan remained determined to punish Li Qingyue and even invited the Elders of the Four Realms to join him.

In the divine realm, most people sided with Longyuan, ready to follow him in his crusade. Li Qingyue was fully aware of the divine realm’s movements and Longyuan’s invitation to the Four Realms Elders, but she was unafraid. She simply told everyone to remain in Jingyun Sect and wait for Bai Jiusi to arrive with his forces. Jiang Bian wrote to his parents, asking them to take him home.

But his father didn’t believe a word of what was written in the letter. He thought Jiang Bian was just stirring up trouble and making things up, and he still held great faith in the strength of Jingyun Sect, believing it to be the most powerful cultivation sect in the mortal world—with nothing to fear except Heaven itself. Just then, the sky turned dark as thick clouds blotted out the sun and moon.

Longyuan issued a proclamation declaring that five days later he would attack Jingyun Sect. He told the disciples that anyone unwilling to die for the cause could leave freely, using this as a warning to the mortals that any future disrespect toward the gods would be severely punished. Cultivation sects and emperors from across the land wrote to Li Qingyue asking what had happened.

Li Qingyue revealed everything openly and asked everyone to decide for themselves whether to stay and defend the sect or leave. Her selflessness and uprightness deeply moved everyone. Not a single disciple chose to leave—they all vowed to stay with Li Qingyue and protect the sect. Ningyan also decided to sneak out to find Li Qingyue, but ran into Fan Jiaojiao.

Ningyan initially thought Fan Jiaojiao was there to stop her and even prepared to fight, but after hearing that he was there to help, she sincerely told him she was going to find Li Qingyue. Lv Suguan, seeing the sect in turmoil, tried to persuade Meng Chu to send Qu Xingman away. But Meng Chu, understanding Lv Suguan’s intent, firmly refused to let Qu Xingman leave.

Meanwhile, Jiang Bian continued to wait for his parents to come fetch him, but when they never did, he decided to leave on his own. Just as he was about to go, he saw several fellow disciples at the gate. Jiang Bian lied and said he was just tidying up his room. The senior didn’t try to stop him, but used reverse psychology to make Jiang Bian stay willingly at Jingyun Sect.

That night, some disciples still quietly left the sect. Li Qingyue saw this but didn’t blame them. Fan Ling Er hadn’t finished repairing the Great Wilderness Stele, but while working on it, she discovered a clever formation. Li Qingyue didn’t pay it much mind and simply told Fan Ling Er to keep a close watch on Zhang Suan. That night, Li Qingyue’s former master, Qingyang, came to see her while drinking wine.

Though she appeared to be talking drunken nonsense, she was actually advising Li Qingyue and inquiring about the past entanglements with Bai Jiusi. Li Qingyue then recounted the past to Qingyang—both Bai Jiusi and Li Qingyue were strands of primordial energy from God Hongmeng. One resided in the extreme south, the other in the extreme north. Though far apart, they could still sense each other. In this world, no one else had ever made Li Qingyue feel such a connection. So she set out to find Bai Jiusi. The moment she saw him for the first time, she fell for him and decided they should be together forever.

Li Qingyue recounted her past with Bai Jiusi to her master, Qingyang. At the moment Bai Jiusi sealed Li Qingyue's powers, the only one who had truly fallen in love was Li Qingyue herself, while Bai Jiusi was merely doing it for the sake of his tribulation. Bai Jiusi followed Xi’e and discovered the immense strength of her powers—capable of traveling back and forth through time. He wished to change the past.

However, Xi’e could only act as an observer and merely took Bai Jiusi along to witness what had already happened. Under Xi’e’s guidance, Bai Jiusi saw a heartbroken Li Qingyue, who had gotten drunk. That moment occurred three months after Bai Jiusi had sealed her powers, left the mortal realm, and returned to the divine realm. Meng Zhangqin had been patiently caring for Li Qingyue the entire time.

After she passed out from drinking, Meng Zhangqin called for a doctor, who diagnosed her and discovered that she was pregnant. Everyone’s face was filled with shock. Seeing Li Qingyue’s sorrow, Bai Jiusi felt deeply saddened as well. Upon hearing about the pregnancy, he realized that Li Qingyue hadn’t lied—there really had been a child between them. Li Qingyue was initially very happy when she found out she was pregnant. Bai Jiusi remained firm in continuing to observe.

Li Qingyue had endured countless hardships before finally giving birth. She named the child Shi’an. Bai Jiusi suddenly remembered how Lin Tao later changed her name to Lin Shi’an. As Bai Jiusi continued following Li Qingyue’s memories, the child quickly grew up and looked exactly like Lin Tao. Watching his own child, Bai Jiusi couldn’t resist the urge to embrace them, but since he didn’t belong to that timeline, he couldn’t exist in it nor touch anyone in it.

Shi’an was often bullied by other children for having no father. Bai Jiusi watched with deep heartache. Bai Jiusi wanted to fully understand all of Li Qingyue’s past and what had happened to their child. He mustered his courage and kept watching. When the era of war broke out, refugees were everywhere, and hunger plagued the land. Li Qingyue had stored a great amount of grain and was targeted by starving commoners who came in swarms to seize it.

With her powers sealed, she was helpless and had no choice but to retreat, allowing the starving crowd to loot freely. But she was still a step too late—just as she was about to leave, the hungry masses kicked down her doors and poured in. Meng Zhangqin stepped forward to block the intruding crowd in order to protect Li Qingyue and the child. However, they vastly outnumbered him, and he was no match for them.

Li Qingyue rushed over to save Meng Zhangqin, and at that moment, one man raised a blade, aiming to kill the child. In her desperation, Li Qingyue forcibly unleashed her powers and suffered a backlash. Bai Jiusi continued to witness his child’s growth and Li Qingyue’s careful care. When Shi’an fell ill and ran a high fever, no medicine worked. Li Qingyue, whose powers were still sealed, was unable to save her child.

She promised the child that in three years, once her powers were restored, she would take them to the Nine Heavens. To save the child, she knelt before the statue of the Father of Hongmeng and begged bitterly for Bai Jiusi to be summoned to save them.

Bai Jiusi, who stood by, also tried to use his powers to save the child, but since he didn’t belong to that timeline, it was all in vain—and he was even injured in the process. Amid Li Qingyue’s desperate cries, Shi’an finally couldn’t hold on and passed away. Holding the lifeless child, Li Qingyue’s heart was completely shattered. Her expression turned resolute, and even the tears streaming down her face were blood-red.

Watching all this, Bai Jiusi was overwhelmed with regret. Snow began to fall from the sky, covering the streets in a thick blanket. Li Qingyue, barefoot and carrying her dead child, was in utter despair. A malicious man led a group of commoners, accusing her of being a demon girl and urging the crowd to beat her to death. At that moment, Meng Zhangqin appeared and saved her once again.

Yet that malicious man refused to give up and brought more people to find Li Qingyue and Meng Zhangqin. Meng Zhangqin, disregarding his own safety, protected Li Qingyue with his life. One by one, the people closest to Li Qingyue began to leave her.

Li Qingyue was eventually captured and tied to a pillar. Everyone accused her of being a monster and clamored to burn her alive—just like how Bai Jiusi had once been suspected, tied up, and nearly burned. In fact, this entire scene was deliberately conjured by Li Qingyue to take revenge on Bai Jiusi. But Li Qingyue was of the divine race and possessed an immortal body. Even being set ablaze could not kill her.

The villagers then bound her hands and feet, wrapped her in straw mats, and buried her in the ground. Bai Jiusi wanted to save her, but because he did not belong to that timeline, he was powerless and could only grieve. After Li Qingyue was buried, a few dogs started digging at the spot where she lay. Part of the straw mat wrapped around her was unearthed. At that moment, a cultivator arrived and rescued Li Qingyue.

The cultivator even tossed her a book containing various formation techniques and explanations of celestial artifacts. After a long period of recovery, Li Qingyue finally regained her spiritual power. She pretended to reconcile with Bai Jiusi and then sealed his powers. Afterward, she used the formations from the book in an attempt to revive her son. She managed to recover Shi’an’s soul, and when Shi’an saw Li Qingyue, he excitedly called her "Mother."

However, at this critical moment, Li Qingyue was ambushed—and the one who ambushed her was Bai Jiusi. Bai Jiusi finally realized that he was the one responsible for the death of his almost-revived child. To save her son and suffering injuries from the ambush, Li Qingyue was gravely wounded and no match for Bai Jiusi. In the end, Bai Jiusi seized her Canglei Palace.

Watching all of this unfold, Bai Jiusi was wracked with remorse, pounding his chest in regret, but nothing could be undone. Li Qingyue spent the entire night speaking with her master Qingyang, telling her everything about the past. As the three-day period came to an end, Qingyang still had no intention of leaving and chose to stay with Li Qingyue to face whatever came next. Bai Jiusi, wracked with regret, ended up injuring himself, and Li Qingyue sensed his suffering.

The four lords of the realms responded to Longyuan’s call and arrived at Canglei Palace. Each of them made excuses and bragged about their power. Everyone could see through it, but no one said anything. Longyuan, still prioritizing the greater good, didn’t want to offend them and once again pleaded that when it came time to kill Li Qingyue, they should not find excuses to back out.

Fan Ling Er followed Li Qingyue’s order and kept watch on Zhang Suan but developed unexpected feelings toward him. Fan Ling Er took out a jade pendant identical to Zhang Suan’s and asked him about its origin. Zhang Suan said he had it since childhood. After confirming the ownership of the jade pendant, Fan Ling Er revealed the truth—that the matching pendant could help her pass her emotional tribulation. However, Zhang Suan’s heart already belonged to someone else.

He wasn’t interested in Fan Ling Er and gave her the jade pendant, hoping she would seek someone else. Yet, this was a destined bond and couldn’t simply be cast aside. Ningyan, on her way to find Li Qingyue, happened to encounter Jiang Bian’s father, who was heading to the Jingyun Sect. His carriage had gotten stuck in a pit, and Ningyan helped lift it out. Since they were both heading to the Jingyun Sect, they decided to travel together.

But the carriage wheel broke, so Ningyan flew Jiang Bian’s father directly to the Jingyun Sect. The day of the final battle arrived. The four lords of the realms didn’t show up, just as Longyuan had suspected. He prepared to lead his forces to flatten the Jingyun Sect. Just as they were about to march, Bai Jiusi returned and stopped Longyuan. He also declared that no one was to trouble the Jingyun Sect again.

The clouds in the sky dispersed, and Li Qingyue, who had been ready for battle, was filled with confusion. Ningyan met with Li Qingyue and told her everything that had happened in the Nine Heavens. From Li Qingyue’s memories, Bai Jiusi also realized that someone had deliberately framed her. Upon returning to the Nine Heavens, he began investigating the person behind the plot.

Jiang Bian’s father wanted to take his son away, but just then, a senior returned and provoked Jiang Bian with taunts. Jiang Bian, unwilling to leave, chose to stay. In the end, Fan Ling Er couldn’t resist opening the box her father had given her—only to fall into the trap set for her.

After hearing Li Qingyue’s words, Qingyang finally understood that Li Qingyue was in love with Bai Jiusi. It was precisely because of love that she also harbored hatred—“the deeper the love, the deeper the hate,” as the saying goes. However, Li Qingyue was unwilling to accept such guidance from Qingyang. To console her, Qingyang deliberately shared her own past love story. Resting on Li Qingyue’s shoulder, Qingyang quietly fell asleep.

After being comforted by Qingyang, Li Qingyue began thinking about Bai Jiusi as well. In truth, Li Qingyue didn’t necessarily want to kill Bai Jiusi—she had been waiting all this time for him to come and admit his mistake. On Bai Jiusi’s side, he finally discovered the person who had harmed Li Qingyue in the past. That person had actually perished six hundred years ago, making it highly suspicious that someone had harmed Li Qingyue again four hundred years ago.

The next day, Qingyang sought out Xuanwei and asked him to help her get to Canglei Palace. However, upon learning that Li Qingyue was unaware of this, Xuanwei hesitated, fearing that Qingyang might be in danger if she went. Qingyang eventually persuaded him with her eloquence. Bai Jiusi, finding the past events increasingly suspicious, once again sought out the Time God Xihe, hoping to rewatch the events from the beginning.

Qingyang arrived at the Ninth Heaven intending to find Bai Jiusi. But since he was out investigating clues and not at Canglei Palace, Longyuan, upon learning that the visitor was from the Jingyun Sect, became furious and immediately took Qingyang away. Xuanwei went to see Li Qingyue and discussed the entanglement between her and Bai Jiusi. Li Qingyue realized there seemed to be an invisible hand behind the scenes deliberately trying to turn her and Bai Jiusi against each other.

The person who had once given her that book never appeared again afterward. Xuanwei also sensed something suspicious and wanted to find out who might have had past grievances with Bai Jiusi. However, Li Qingyue had no answers and didn't want to be someone else's pawn—she wanted to uncover the truth herself. Longyuan tried to drive Qingyang away, but she refused to leave. Due to her weak cultivation, she was completely overpowered by Longyuan.

Longyuan returned alone and instructed the two gatekeepers not to speak a word about Qingyang’s arrival at the Ninth Heaven. Early the next morning, Jiang Bian, upon exiting the sect gate, saw Qingyang’s lifeless body hanging there. After seeing what had happened to Qingyang, Xuanwei was filled with guilt and confessed to Li Qingyue, since Qingyang’s ascent to the Ninth Heaven had happened without Li Qingyue’s knowledge. Qingyang’s death was especially tragic—her internal organs had been shattered by lightning.

Since Longyuan was known for using lightning techniques, everyone suspected he was responsible. Li Qingyue remained calm, only instructing the others to bury Qingyang properly. That night, she sat in front of Qingyang’s grave, drinking in silence. The next morning, she gathered all the members of Jingyun Sect and declared her intention to lead them to the Ninth Heaven to avenge Qingyang. Even those in the heavens heard about the disciples of Jingyun Sect attaining immortality.

After arriving at the Ninth Heaven with her disciples, Li Qingyue sent Jiang Bian to Canglei Palace to declare war. At first, no one responded from the Ninth Heaven. Longyuan, growing furious, wanted to go teach Jiang Bian a lesson, but was stopped by Li Mo, since Bai Jiusi had once given strict orders that no one from Jingyun Sect was to be harmed, or their immortal bones would be removed.

Since Longyuan and the others remained silent, Li Qingyue decided to declare war personally. Upon hearing of Qingyang’s death, Longyuan was also baffled, believing someone was trying to frame him. But Li Qingyue accused him of being afraid to admit the truth and demanded his head immediately—or else she would lead her forces in a direct assault on the Ninth Heaven. The Heavenly Emissary appeared to try and reason with Li Qingyue, but since her actions did not violate the laws of the world, he had no grounds to say more.

Li Qingyue returned to the Jingyun Sect and found only Zhang Suan guarding the mountain gate alone. Upon asking, she learned that the other junior disciples had been to the Nine Heavens and were too excited to return. Li Qingyue didn’t say much and simply told Zhang Suan to go rest, since there would be a fierce battle the next day.

Zhang Suan then asked if the battle was truly necessary, but before Li Qingyue could respond, the scribe under Immortal Lord Yuya, the divine officer Lingshu, suddenly appeared. Lingshu congratulated Li Qingyue and wanted to record the names of all those who had ascended. However, Li Qingyue refused to be recorded—she had brought people to the Nine Heavens to slay the gods. Lingshu was deeply shocked by this declaration.

Everyone felt there was something suspicious about Li Qingyue’s words and questioned Longyuan about whether he had killed Li Qingyue’s master. Longyuan denied it and even demanded a life-or-death duel with Li Qingyue. Most of those in the great hall expressed their willingness to fight alongside Longyuan. Fan Jiaojiao also sent people to take Fan Ling Er away.

Li Qingyue, knowing she had no means to heal Fan Ling Er at the Jingyun Sect, could only agree to hand her over. Fan Jiaojiao removed the celestial pill from Fan Ling Er, abolishing two hundred years of her cultivation. While Li Qingyue was in seclusion cultivating, Zhang Suan came to her again, still asking whether she truly intended to launch the assault on the Nine Heavens. Li Qingyue did not give a direct answer.

When Bai Jiusi returned to the Nine Heavens, everyone was thrilled to see him, but no one noticed how downcast he was. Upon learning that Li Qingyue was preparing to attack the Nine Heavens, he merely ordered the barrier to be opened to welcome her and said some strange things. After Fan Ling Er woke up and realized her cultivation was gone, she was furious at Fan Jiaojiao.

On the second day, Li Qingyue led her forces to storm the Nine Heavens. Upon entry, they found only Cang Tu waiting, who had brought a phoenix chariot to carry Li Qingyue to Canglei Palace. Along the way, Li Qingyue encountered the three brothers from years past and led her followers to trap them first. Once at Canglei Palace, Bai Jiusi appeared dressed in red robes, even claiming he wanted to hold a wedding for Li Qingyue.

Li Qingyue was puzzled by his actions but did not give up on her revenge and still insisted on killing Longyuan. Bai Jiusi made Longyuan swear never to harm the people of the Jingyun Sect again. Li Qingyue thought Bai Jiusi was trying to protect Longyuan and was about to attack—only to be stunned when Bai Jiusi suddenly threw himself onto her sword. Everyone was shocked by his action, including Li Qingyue, who was frozen on the spot.

Bai Jiusi vanished into smoke, and Li Qingyue was at a loss, letting down her guard. Many disciples of the Nine Heavens surged forward to avenge Bai Jiusi. At this critical moment, Zhang Suan suddenly ambushed Li Qingyue from behind, stabbing her and wounding her. Seeing Li Qingyue injured, the people of the Jingyun Sect lost the will to fight. Xuanwei ordered everyone to go after Zhang Suan immediately.

Zhang Suan, wielding dual swords, arrived at the Infinite Stele, intending to destroy it. The others rushed to the scene. Just as Zhang Suan was reveling in his success, Bai Jiusi and Li Qingyue suddenly appeared and summoned the two celestial swords back. It turned out that Bai Jiusi and Li Qingyue had staged the whole scene. On the night Li Qingyue drank with Qingyang, Bai Jiusi had come to see her.

Li Qingyue told him everything about Zhang Suan’s encounter with Xiao Jingshan. The two planned and acted out a deception together, deliberately drawing Xiao Jingshan out. The Heavenly Emissary had allowed Li Qingyue to “act recklessly” because she had revealed the truth to him in advance. Seeing that he could no longer hide, Xiao Jingshan finally revealed his true identity.

Xiao Jingshan detached from Zhang Suan’s body and returned to his original form, openly admitting that everything had been orchestrated by him from behind the scenes. He had wanted to kill Bai Jiusi, but since Bai Jiusi was as radiant as the sun and moon, only Li Qingyue was capable of doing so. Li Qingyue was furious that Xiao Jingshan had used people from her own sect.

When she asked about Qingyang, it turned out that Longyuan had not killed Qingyang back then—he had only reprimanded her and left once he saw she no longer intended to trespass in the Nine Heavens. It was Xiao Jingshan who had later appeared and killed Qingyang. Enraged, Li Qingyue was about to kill Xiao Jingshan, but Bai Jiusi stopped her.

Li Qingyue was baffled, but after Bai Jiusi’s reminder, she realized that Xiao Jingshan had cast a life-and-death curse on Zhang Suan’s body—if Xiao Jingshan died, Zhang Suan would die with him. Xiao Jingshan thought this would prevent Li Qingyue and Bai Jiusi from attacking and assumed he could escape, unaware that Bai Jiusi had a way to break the curse. Bai Jiusi restrained Xiao Jingshan and told Li Qingyue to kill him.

Li Qingyue hesitated, worried that the curse hadn’t been lifted. Bai Jiusi assured her it had—but Xiao Jingshan then claimed it hadn’t. He revealed that Bai Jiusi had merely transferred the curse to himself, meaning that if Xiao Jingshan died, Bai Jiusi would die too. Li Qingyue faltered, but Bai Jiusi reminded her of the hatred and grudges between them and Xiao Jingshan.

Just as she was about to strike, Xiao Jingshan revealed the truth behind the incident when her powers were sealed. Back then, Bai Jiusi had sealed Li Qingyue’s powers for ten years as a form of penance. When Li Qingyue slaughtered the drought dragons, Bai Jiusi had tried to stop the Heavenly Emissary, eventually sealing Li Qingyue’s powers and taking the punishment upon himself.

Li Qingyue had endured ten years of hardship in the mortal world, while Bai Jiusi had also been punished for ten years. Upon learning all of this, Li Qingyue couldn’t bear to let Bai Jiusi die and refrained from killing Xiao Jingshan. Seeing this, Bai Jiusi tried to kill Xiao Jingshan himself, but Xiao Jingshan ultimately escaped, and Bai Jiusi was injured in the process. Bai Jiusi suffered a severe backlash from the formation and fell into a deep coma.

With his will to live extinguished, even Li Mo could not save him. Because Bai Jiusi was gravely injured and Xiao Jingshan had vanished, the question arose of who would guard the Infinite Stele. Cang Tu suggested that Li Qingyue remain in Canglei Palace to guard it. Fan Ling Er went on a hunger strike to protest having her cultivation forcibly taken. Fan Jiaojiao tried to persuade her, claiming he was doing it for her own good.

Suddenly, Li Qingyue appeared. The moment Fan Ling Er saw her, she burst into tears. Li Qingyue wanted to take Fan Ling Er away, but Fan Jiaojiao firmly refused. He believed he was acting in her best interest but had ignored how she truly felt. All the harm Fan Ling Er had suffered had been forced upon her by her own father. Li Qingyue brought her people back to the Jingyun Sect.

Zhang Suan, wracked with guilt over what had happened, refused to eat or drink. Li Qingyue personally brought food to visit him and asked him to visit Fan Ling Er more often. Since Zhang Suan had once lost his cultivation as well, he could relate to Fan Ling Er’s current state. They shared similar fates and might find a kindred connection. Just as she was speaking to Zhang Suan, someone came to report that Bai Jiusi had arrived.

Surprised, Li Qingyue stepped out of the gate, only for Bai Jiusi to rush forward and embrace her. Everyone was stunned—including Li Qingyue. It turned out that after Bai Jiusi woke up, he didn’t recognize anyone and was going around looking for his “wife.” Li Qingyue, once she recovered from the shock, thought Bai Jiusi was faking his confusion. But Cang Tu explained that Bai Jiusi truly was unwell and hoped Li Qingyue would let him stay. Fan Ling Er, heartbroken over the loss of her cultivation, had even contemplated death. Zhang Suan came to comfort her, and his words truly helped her feel a bit better.

Qu Xingman was preparing to leave and wanted to take Meng Chu with her, but Meng Chu felt that leaving the sect at this moment would be disloyal and insisted on staying a bit longer. Qu Xingman was heartbroken to hear this and gave Meng Chu only two days to consider. However, as Qu Xingman walked away, Meng Chu kept his back turned to her—his actions made it clear that he had already made up his mind.

On Bai Jiusi’s side, he kept clamoring to see Li Qingyue. Ning Yan, having once been a member of the Nine Heavens, couldn’t bear to see Bai Jiusi constantly begging and finally brought him to Li Qingyue. The moment Li Qingyue saw Bai Jiusi, she still believed he was pretending to be confused and childlike. Heartbroken, she told Bai Jiusi that she could never forget everything that had happened, nor could she ever be with him again.

But Bai Jiusi, like a child, seemed unable to understand her words and just stuck to her persistently. When Xuanwei heard Bai Jiusi was staying in the sect, he grew concerned and came to find Li Qingyue. Li Qingyue asked Xuanwei if he had ever had feelings for someone. Xuanwei thought of Qingyang—though he didn’t mention her name, Li Qingyue could tell it was Qingyang he spoke of.

Li Qingyue was healing Bai Jiusi, but his injuries were so severe that even someone as powerful as she couldn’t fully heal him with her magic. While she was treating him, Fan Ling Er arrived with Zhang Suan. Having lost her cultivation, Fan Ling Er didn’t want to be a burden to Li Qingyue, so she had been studying formations and how to repair the Great Wilderness Stele.

Since Zhang Suan had learned his current cultivation technique from Xiao Jingshan, and that technique was tied to the Great Wilderness Stele, it meant Zhang Suan could now be considered a master of the stele and thus able to repair it. Zhang Suan agreed willingly. After the stele was restored, Li Qingyue brought Bai Jiusi into its inner space to investigate Xiao Jingshan.

But as soon as they entered, Li Qingyue found Xiao Jingshan living happily with his family, the scene endlessly looping—a harmonious, loving family enjoying a joyful day. Puzzled, she decided to go to Wenxuan Palace for answers, with Bai Jiusi accompanying her. Zhang Suan wanted to go too, but Fan Ling Er stopped him and reminded him to let go of Li Qingyue, because she and Bai Jiusi were destined to be together.

Zhang Suan, however, refused to move on, choosing instead to suffer silently. Xiao Jingshan had cultivated a demonic technique on his own that allowed him to grow stronger by feeding on the resentment of people in the world. Li Qingyue found out what had happened to Xiao Jingshan’s family—his entire family had died on the same day. In a single day, he lost everyone he loved.

Upon learning this, Li Qingyue finally understood the source of Xiao Jingshan’s obsession with destroying the Infinite Stele. Having lost all his loved ones, he had long since lost all reason to revenge. Xiao Jingshan went to the Yinlian Sect, hoping that Qu Xingman and her mother A Ke would cooperate with him. But A Ke had already seen through his ambition and evil nature and refused to work with him.

This time, Xiao Jingshan wasn’t there to negotiate—he intended to use the Yinlian Sect to carry out his revenge. Li Qingyue also found her mount, the little white snake. Sensing that something great and terrible was about to happen, she poured her heart out to the white snake. Meanwhile, Qu Xingman was in her room packing to leave, anxiously watching Meng Chu’s door. Not seeing him, she felt disappointed.

Just then, Qu Xingman received a message from the sect instructing her not to return, which made her even more worried. Suddenly, something happened in the Hell Ruins. Fan Jiaojiao was shocked when he heard the news and rushed to investigate. Strange events began to occur throughout the mortal realm—people in various places experienced soul-separation from their bodies. Qu Xingman also came to find Li Qingyue, hoping she could help her sect. All signs pointed to one thing: Xiao Jingshan had made his move.

Li Qingyue instructed Meng Chu’s master to escort Meng Chu and Qu Xingman back to the Yinlian Sect. Unexpectedly, Lv Suguan also appeared and insisted on going along. Li Qingyue had no choice but to agree, and she handed Bai Jiusi’s sword to Meng Chu’s master. Since only when Bai Jiusi’s and Li Qingyue’s swords were combined could the Infinite Stele be destroyed—and now that Bai Jiusi had lost his senses—both swords were in Li Qingyue’s possession.

She believed it would be safest to keep the swords separated to prevent Xiao Jingshan from obtaining both of them. Upon arriving at the village, Li Qingyue discovered that the villagers’ souls had been drained. Fan Ling Er speculated that Xiao Jingshan’s formation couldn’t have been set up overnight—it must have begun long ago—so she asked Zhang Suan to use his spiritual power to search the area. Sure enough, they found Xiao Jingshan.

As soon as Xiao Jingshan appeared, he told Li Qingyue that the souls of the villagers were all stored beneath a mountain he had created, inside the Stele of Joy. Li Qingyue tried to reason with him, but Xiao Jingshan was completely consumed by his obsession with revenge and refused to back down no matter what she said. Qu Xingman’s mother had already fallen under Xiao Jingshan’s control, and now the entire Yinlian Sect was in his grasp.

When Meng Chu’s group arrived at the sect, they found that even the formation had been altered. In order to rescue everyone, Li Qingyue took Bai Jiusi into the Stele of Joy and found that the villagers’ souls seemed unusually happy inside, living peaceful lives. As Li Qingyue grew suspicious, someone suddenly shouted that the Divine Lord had arrived. Everyone knelt in worship—except for Bai Jiusi and Li Qingyue.

Seeing the two of them not kneel, the others began accusing them. In the distance, eight palanquins carried a grand sedan chair, which was slowly lowered in front of Bai Jiusi and Li Qingyue. Out stepped Xiao Jingshan. Bai Jiusi immediately shielded Li Qingyue. Xiao Jingshan had created this illusion of harmony just to show Li Qingyue, hoping to convince her to join him in overthrowing all order and remaking the world.

Li Qingyue refused, but the villagers, after hearing Xiao Jingshan’s words, turned to support him and accused Bai Jiusi and Li Qingyue of being evil entities, ready to attack them. Meanwhile, Meng Chu and the others had made their way through the mist and encountered venomous snakes once raised in the sect. Now, the snakes no longer recognized Qu Xingman and attacked the group.

Eventually, those who remained reached the sect’s inner grounds and saw Xiao Jingshan seated as sect master. He brought out A Ke and Meng Chu’s master, both under his control. Qu Xingman tried to fight, but it was futile, as the Xiao Jingshan before them was not his true body. The shouting of the villagers reminded Li Qingyue of the time when she had been condemned by the public, a moment that nearly cost her life.

Zhang Suan and Fan Ling Er stepped forward to shield her. Witnessing this scene, Li Qingyue couldn’t help but feel hatred rising in her heart. Bai Jiusi noticed her change and quickly tried to dissuade her. Xiao Jingshan forced them to choose between saving either Meng Chu’s master or A Ke—only one could live. Meng Chu and Qu Xingman hesitated, unable to decide. Lv Suguan decisively chose Meng Chu’s master.

But Meng Chu’s master, unwilling to let his disciples be threatened or manipulated by Xiao Jingshan, chose to take his own life. At that time, the seal on the Nine Heavens that held back demonic beasts was broken. The suppressed beasts began escaping. Long Yuan led his people in a desperate attempt to stop them from breaking into the mortal world. The beasts were too numerous, and Long Yuan’s arm suffered a severe poison injury.

He cut off his own arm and sent Li Mo to find Bai Jiusi, preparing to fight the beasts to the death. Li Mo didn’t want to leave, but was stopped. At that moment, Hong Lian once again transformed into human form and brought Li Mo back to the battlefield.

To avoid the villagers, Li Qingyue led the group into a secluded courtyard where they were temporarily safe. However, Fan Ling Er remained hesitant and revealed to Li Qingyue that she had already spotted the formation’s core out on the street. Destroying the core would allow the souls trapped in the illusion to return to their bodies. Li Qingyue was puzzled by Fan Ling Er’s hesitation.

Fan Ling Er explained that she hadn’t spoken up earlier because the core seemed far too easy to locate, raising her suspicions of a trap. However, if the souls didn’t return to their bodies within a day, the bodies would begin to decay and everyone would die completely. So even if there was danger, they had to make the attempt. Fan Ling Er asked Zhang Suan to pass some of his spiritual power to her.

She wanted to go herself since she understood the mechanism, though she didn’t mention the danger involved in breaking the formation. After they had discussed everything, Bai Jiusi had Zhang Suan and Fan Ling Er go into the room together, leaving him with a rare chance to be alone with Li Qingyue. Bai Jiusi deeply cherished the moment and tried to make Li Qingyue happy. Li Qingyue, too, felt nostalgic and wished this moment with Bai Jiusi could last forever.

While Zhang Suan and Fan Ling Er were alone in the room, Fan Ling Er looked at Zhang Suan with admiration. She earnestly asked if Zhang Suan could like her, even just for a moment, because she had never been loved by anyone and wanted to experience it. Zhang Suan didn’t know how to respond. He couldn’t lie to Fan Ling Er—his heart was already filled with Li Qingyue and had no room for anyone else—so he apologized.

Though a bit disappointed, Fan Ling Er did not appear overly saddened. A Ke’s mother took her own life in advance to save Meng Chu’s master. A Ke was heartbroken, cradling her mother in her arms, while Meng Chu comforted her nearby. Seeing Meng Chu and A Ke still emotionally close, Lv Suguan grew jealous and raised her voice in anger. This was exactly what Xiao Jingshan had intended to exploit.

He offered to help Lv Suguan win Meng Chu’s heart and even suggested she kill A Ke. Driven by jealousy, Lv Suguan ultimately chose to cooperate with Xiao Jingshan. The next day, Zhang Suan passed some of his spiritual power to Fan Ling Er, who prepared to break the formation. Just as she was about to begin, the villagers’ souls began arriving, mistaking Li Qingyue and the others for intruders trying to destroy their peaceful world.

Li Qingyue stepped forward to explain. Taking advantage of the moment, Fan Ling Er began to dismantle the formation. At that moment, Xiao Jingshan appeared and admitted that everything around them was an illusion. Yet the villagers, having longed for this beautiful life for so long, refused to return to their suffering in the real world. They preferred to stay in the illusion, even knowing it wasn’t real.

Xiao Jingshan told Li Qingyue that destroying the formation required a life to be sacrificed. It turned out Fan Ling Er had been hiding her true intention from everyone—she had always planned to sacrifice herself to destroy the formation. Lv Suguan pretended to offer Meng Chu and A Ke protective medicine, but she had actually laced it with poison.

Meng Chu didn’t think much of it and took the medicine, but A Ke was wary of Lv Suguan and didn’t want to take it. It was only after Meng Chu persuaded her that she reluctantly did so. Li Qingyue blamed Fan Ling Er for making such a unilateral decision to sacrifice herself and tried to save her, but it was already too late. Fan Ling Er’s willingness to give her life moved everyone deeply.

The villagers were also touched and finally agreed to return to the real world, letting go of the illusion Xiao Jingshan had built. A Ke succumbed to the poison. No matter what Meng Chu did, he couldn’t save her. Watching the one he loved die in front of him, Meng Chu was devastated. He wanted to avenge A Ke, but Lv Suguan used the soul-controlling spell to subdue him.

Meanwhile, Xiao Jingshan arrived at the Jingyun Sect seeking Li Qingyue’s paired sword. The disciples tried to stop him, but none were a match for him. At the crucial moment, Lv Suguan returned to the sect and tried to use the soul-controlling spell on Xiao Jingshan to kill him, but it had no effect.

The members of Jingyun Sect refused to surrender. Xuanwei led everyone in casting a barrier, but they still couldn't stop Xiao Jingshan. Many were severely wounded. At a critical moment, Lv Suguan stepped in front of Meng Chu and blocked a fatal strike, but was gravely injured herself. As she lay dying, she revealed to Meng Chu that the medicine she had given to Qu Xingman wasn’t real poison—it was merely a fake-death potion.

Xiao Jingshan confronted Xuanwei, demanding Li Qingyue’s sword. Seeing so many disciples in the sect suffering and dying, Xuanwei couldn't bear to let the tragedy continue, and finally handed over Li Qingyue’s sword. Up in the Nine Heavens, Longyuan led the others in resisting the onslaught of the demonic beasts, trying to prevent them from entering the human realm—otherwise, the world would fall into chaos. But there were simply too many beasts, and everyone was clearly reaching their limit.

As the protective barrier was about to collapse, Li Mo decided to sacrifice himself to block the beasts. Hong Lian tried to stop him but was too late. Just before his final moment, Li Mo turned back and told Hong Lian that if he could live another life, he would choose her again. Hearing his last words, Hong Lian was overwhelmed with sorrow. Having obtained both Bai Jiusi and Li Qingyue’s swords, Xiao Jingshan approached the Infinite Stele.

The guardian beast was easily slain by him. Fan Jiaojiao tried to stop him, but Xiao Jingshan warned him that his daughter, Fan Ling Er, was in danger. Fan Jiaojiao rushed to her side only to find Fan Ling Er trapped by a formation. No matter what he did, he couldn’t break it, and he could only watch helplessly as she withered away. Fan Ling Er held resentment toward Fan Jiaojiao, for he had crippled her cultivation.

Had she retained her spiritual power, even if her physical body was destroyed, a trace of her spirit could have remained in the human realm to continue cultivating. But now, she would vanish forever and could not forgive him. Hearing this, Fan Jiaojiao was filled with deep regret and finally understood that acting in the name of protecting his daughter had actually ruined her. Bai Jiusi and Li Qingyue were trapped together.

To escape, one of them had to be left behind. Both wanted to sacrifice themselves for the other, but in the end, Bai Jiusi acted first. Li Qingyue watched as Bai Jiusi began to fade, overcome with grief. With Bai Jiusi's disappearance, the barrier guarding the Infinite Stele collapsed. Xiao Jingshan was ready to fully destroy the stele. Just as he was about to strike, Li Qingyue suddenly appeared.

She tried to summon her former weapon, but it had already been tainted by Xiao Jingshan’s demonic aura and could not respond to her. Though her powers had grown significantly, she still couldn’t defeat Xiao Jingshan quickly. Desperate, he chose to sacrifice his own body to boost his cultivation. Meng Chu blamed Xuanwei for handing the sword to Xiao Jingshan. Xuanwei bowed his head in shame—at that point, there had been no other option.

Li Mo’s sacrifice finally stopped the demonic beasts, but the losses in the Nine Heavens were catastrophic. The survivors looked at their fallen comrades and were filled with sorrow. Unwilling to give up, Fan Jiaojiao still tried everything to save his daughter, but he, too, was severely injured and could only watch as Fan Ling Er vanished completely, never to return.

Xiao Jingshan attempted to kill Li Qingyue, but the sword he wielded—Bai Jiusi’s—still held a sliver of Bai Jiusi’s spirit. In that critical moment, the sword recognized its true master once more, and returned to Li Qingyue’s hand, along with her own. With both swords, she dealt a severe blow to Xiao Jingshan. The Infinite Stele, having already been heavily damaged by Xiao Jingshan, began to crumble.

Li Qingyue wanted to repair it, but after the brutal battle, she was too badly injured to do so. Just as Xiao Jingshan was about to revel in the destruction of the Three Realms along with himself, a crowd of people appeared before the Infinite Stele. Seeing that he was completely surrounded and his plan had failed, Xiao Jingshan gave up struggling and used his own body to forge a time-reversal sundial, which he gifted to Li Qingyue.

After everything ended, Li Qingyue returned to Jingyun Sect, but by then, only a few disciples remained, and even those who survived were seriously injured. In the heavens, the gods began to recover themselves, and Hong Lian expressed a desire to walk the mortal world like Li Mo once did. Fan Ling Er also wanted to go down to the human realm to help Li Qingyue, as it was the time when Li Qingyue needed support the most.

Now, Fan Jiaojiao not only no longer stopped his daughter, but even encouraged her to pursue what she truly wanted. Meng Chu decided to return to Yinlian Sect with Qu Xingman and left Jingyun Sect. Fan Ling Er arrived at Jingyun Sect, hoping to help Li Qingyue. She asked in confusion why there was still a severe drought in the human realm even though Xiao Jingshan had been eliminated.

Li Qingyue explained that Xiao Jingshan was not the root cause of the calamity. Since he had insisted on destroying the Infinite Stele and a trace of demonic aura had already seeped into it, the drought continued. Li Qingyue planned to transform herself into rain to bless the world. Li Qingyue intended to use the time-reversal sundial left by Xiao Jingshan to turn back time, which alerted Xi’e, the Goddess of Time.

Xi’e gave her a new magical artifact that could allow her to go back and change the past but also warned her that once the past was altered, all future events would change as well, and the outcome might not be better. She also took away the hidden boy. Using the artifact from Xi’e, Li Qingyue first ensured Xiao Jingshan’s family avoided disaster in time.

Believing everything had truly changed, she rushed out and saw Zhang Suan, asking if Bai Jiusi and the others who had passed away were now alive. But Zhang Suan didn’t understand what she was talking about, and no one had been revived as she had hoped. Li Qingyue decided to pass the sect leader position to Zhang Suan, as she sensed that Xuanwei had already reached full cultivation and was only one step away from becoming a deity.

However, he had been holding back, unwilling to leave. Xuanwei had already made his decision. He foresaw his own death and had only surrendered the sword earlier because he didn’t want to die at the hands of Xiao Jingshan. He had been waiting for this final moment to use his life to bring blessings to the human world, also as a way to repay Li Qingyue. He planned to die in her place.

Li Qingyue tried to stop him, but Xuanwei had put illusion herbs into her tea, rendering her temporarily unable to use her powers. Wearing a white robe, Xuanwei went to the most drought-stricken region in the human realm and used his remaining life force in a final sacrifice, causing sweet rain to fall upon the land.

While Hong Lian was preparing to poison the medicine she was making with her blood for Li Mo, Li Qingyue appeared in time to stop her and helped the two of them finally acknowledge their feelings for each other. Li Qingyue then found a young Xuanwei, who was being bullied by other children.

She stepped in to help and gave him a set of cultivation techniques, telling him to train well, for in the future he would found the greatest sect of the human race and bring blessings to the world—and to cherish the girl who would bring him flowers. Li Qingyue returned further into the past and met her pregnant self, who was severely injured at the time. The current Li Qingyue helped her recover and saved Meng Zhangqin.

She also helped her past self and Bai Jiusi clear up their misunderstandings and told her past self about the heavenly punishment Bai Jiusi would have to endure. Li Qingyue traveled back in time to guide each destined romance to a happy ending and tried her best to perfect the story so there would be no more tragedies.

After everything was arranged, Li Qingyue handed the sect over to Zhang Suan and Fan Ling Er, planning to go alone in search of the possibly still-existing Bai Jiusi. She returned to the place where they first met and, sure enough, found Bai Jiusi there. She lay down on the icy plains beside him, intending to stay by his side forever. As she fell asleep, Xi’e suddenly appeared. Moved by Li Qingyue’s deep love, Xi’e decided to help Bai Jiusi and Li Qingyue fulfill a beautiful destiny together.