Guardians of the Ancient Oath Episode 38 Recap
> Guardians of the Ancient Oath Recap
The five-day deadline for dealing with the demon at Fu Song Unit was fast approaching, and Baili Hongxuan and Baili Hongshuo dedicated themselves to daily cultivation. Shentu, as a mortal, felt helpless, despite his willingness to assist. Meanwhile, An Tingfeng had independently investigated, discovering that the troublesome demon resided in West Hills, a place significant to the Fu Song Clan for worshipping a divine stone. Shentu explained that West Hills held deep importance for his clan.
Eight hundred years prior, their ancestor, Shentu Xian, had unearthed a peculiar, reddish stone with sparkling gray scales near Ji Zhou. Recognizing its extraordinary nature, Shentu Xian refined it, revealing it to be a vast iron ore. This discovery led to the Fu Song Clan mastering iron refining, a skill they prided themselves on. The ore became their revered divine stone; most of it was used for metallurgy, with a small piece preserved as an ancestral stone for worship.
This sacred stone had been carried through all their migrations, eventually finding its place on West Hills because Ji Zhou lay to the west. However, An Tingfeng learned that the frequency of worship ceremonies had dwindled over the years, with Shentu's own father only experiencing it once as a child, and Shentu himself never having participated. An Tingfeng surmised that this divine stone had become a demon, a notion Shentu found hard to believe, given its status as their guardian.
An Tingfeng, aware of the demon's millennia-long cultivation, expressed concern about directly confronting it. He warned Shentu against sending any clan members to West Hills, fearing they might not return. Though Baili Hongxuan found An Tingfeng’s self-assuredness irritating, Baili Hongshuo urged them to set aside their differences and cooperate for the mission. An Tingfeng revealed the demon was an ancient iron ore demon.
Baili Hongshuo suggested setting a trap to lure the demon, believing this strategy was better than a direct assault, and Baili Hongxuan agreed. With Shentu's commitment to help, An Tingfeng instructed him to prepare an enchantment formation to draw the demon out. Baili Hongxuan cautioned An Tingfeng against acting independently in the future, marking this as a one-time allowance for his proactive research.
Before the confrontation, Baili Hongxuan instructed Hou Zhengze to protect Qiu Xiaotong and Jin Yang, while also urging Jin Yang to safeguard herself. As the trap was set, Baili Hongshuo observed that only minor demons were attacking, realizing that the Ironstone Demon had likely seen through their "Mantra of Puppet." Concerned for An Tingfeng, Baili Hongxuan told Baili Hongshuo to go to West Hills while he held the line.
Meanwhile, Jin Yang was injured fighting the Ci Tie demons, but still told Hou Zhengze to go to West Hills to support An Tingfeng, assuring him they could manage the remaining demons. At West Hills, An Tingfeng confronted the Ironstone Demon, who astonishingly recognized him and Baili Hongshuo as "Xuan Ming" and "Ru Shou" from two millennia past, mocking their current diminished state. The demon questioned their right to take his hard-won cultivation, calling them unreasonable.
Baili Hongxuan advised surrender to avoid a gruesome end, but the demon refused, asserting his spiritual energy was his own. An Tingfeng then urged Baili Hongxuan to use his fire spirit. After the demon was finally subdued, he revealed his painful history: he was once a large ocher stone in Ji Zhou, cultivating peacefully until Shentu Xian, the Fu Song ancestor, shattered him and melted his fragments. Despite his agony, his broken body was revered as a divine stone.
Though initially moved by centuries of worship, he later felt profound loneliness and abandonment as the rituals ceased and his shrine crumbled. Embittered, he decided to kill the living to keep him company in death. Baili Hongxuan declared that the Ironstone Demon had become a devil and must be utterly destroyed. The demon's last request was for a complete annihilation, wishing to vanish without a trace. In the aftermath, Jin Yang was tended to.
Ling Jun later confronted Jin Yang, noting that as a Zhen bird, she should have easily handled the Ci Tie demons but chose to suffer injuries rather than reveal her true form or use her demonic abilities in front of others. Jin Yang admitted it was a "tiny principle," a fear of disdain, explaining she would rather die as Jin Yang than expose her true self.
Ling Jun warned her that next time, without Hou Zhengze's timely intervention, she might not be so fortunate, especially since the Ci Tie were "useless demons." Ling Jun also showed curiosity about Hou Zhengze, observing a similar aura to her own, but Jin Yang evaded the question. Qiu Xiaotong nursed Hou Zhengze back to health, teasing him good-naturedly. Despite her playful denial, her care was evident. Hou Zhengze, still recovering, expressed gratitude.
Jin Yang visited them, remarking on Hou Zhengze's prowess in single-handedly felling the minor demons. Baili Hongshuo jokingly revealed that Hou Zhengze had secretly learned these skills from their master, skills originally intended for Baili Hongshuo himself. This revelation intrigued Jin Yang, who realized Hou Zhengze's master must be a formidable demon hunter.
Later that night, wrestling with doubts about his own identity after an earlier encounter with a demon who called him a kindred spirit, Hou Zhengze ventured into the forest. He punched a sturdy tree, and when it showed no immediate reaction, he was relieved, convinced he was not a demon and that his previous display of power was merely an "outburst of masculinity." However, moments after he turned to leave, the tree began to visibly crack and splinter.
Having resolved the issues at Fu Song Unit, Baili Hongxuan, Baili Hongshuo, Jin Yang, Qiu Xiaotong, and Hou Zhengze prepared to travel to Li City. An Tingfeng, who preferred to travel alone due to his solitary habits and the large group, bid them farewell, promising to meet them there. As they neared Li City, they encountered a man fleeing in terror, who warned them that demons would follow them if they entered.
He recounted a devastating plague that had killed many, followed by a series of strange occurrences: household objects moving on their own and people being inexplicably bewitched, a widespread malady that led to death within a day. He spoke of rumors that demons haunted Li City, which had once been a prosperous trade center but declined after a general's treason and the Imperial Guards' takeover.
Baili Hongxuan, however, insisted on entering, believing his presence was needed most in such trying times. Upon arrival, they met Ling Jun, who apologized for her absence during the Ironstone Demon battle, explaining that An Tingfeng had not needed her help. She warned them that Li City was unsafe. The horses refused to enter the deserted city, reinforcing the sense of ominous foreboding. The group decided to split up to investigate.
Baili Hongxuan and Jin Yang, using spiritual chants, encountered more bewitched individuals. Jin Yang felt unwell, prompting Baili Hongxuan to send her to rest while he continued alone. Meanwhile, Qiu Xiaotong and Hou Zhengze were together when Hou Zhengze became dazed and unresponsive, disappearing suddenly in front of her. A terrified Qiu Xiaotong reported this to Baili Hongshuo, explaining that Hou Zhengze was likely under demonic control.
That night, she bravely went out alone, chanting to herself that she wouldn't be afraid, and managed to lure the possessed Hou Zhengze back to their companions. The demon inhabiting Hou Zhengze acted childishly, inviting her to play, but its sinister nature was apparent.
Back in their room, Baili Hongshuo attempted to subdue the demon within Hou Zhengze with a spell, but the demon mocked him as an inexperienced "greenhorn" and warned that any harm to Hou Zhengze's body would affect them all. Baili Hongxuan also tried, but failed. Ling Jun's attempts to separate the demon from Hou Zhengze's body were equally unsuccessful. At this critical juncture, An Tingfeng arrived, observing their fruitless efforts.
He remarked on the "novelty" of demon hunters seeking help from a demon, referring to Ling Jun. Taking charge, An Tingfeng declared he would save Hou Zhengze and ordered everyone out of the room, warning that if anyone interfered, he could not guarantee Hou Zhengze's life.
As they exited, Ling Jun expressed her deep concern to Baili Hongshuo, describing An Tingfeng as a "madman" who used "almost unscrupulous" methods for demon hunting, fearing he might disregard Hou Zhengze's life in his pursuit of the demon.
