The Great Ruler Episode 19 Recap
> The Great Ruler Recap
Sun'er expressed her frustration with Shen Cangsheng for allowing Mu Chen to venture into the perilous Lei Territory, deeming it a reckless act. Shen Cangsheng, however, defended Mu Chen, stating that he was simply acting as a man should by pursuing Luo Li, and affirmed his belief in Mu Chen's safe return. Sun'er then shifted her anger towards Qingshan, accusing him of being ridiculous and demanding to know if he was involved with the jade pendant.
Qingshan immediately confessed to stealing it, leading Sun'er to declare he had embarrassed her and lamenting her unblemished record of three years at the academy, even shedding tears of self-reproach. Qingshan then used Sun'er’s own past advice as a defense, reminding her that she had once instructed him to help Luo Li when he couldn't stop her from making a risky decision.
He argued that Mu Chen, like Luo Li, was aware of the dangers of Lei Territory and that as friends, they should support his endeavor. Although Sun'er reluctantly acknowledged his point, she insisted that Qingshan would still serve ten days in confinement for his transgression. Qingshan offered to shoulder all the blame to ease her worries. Meanwhile, Huo Feng informed Wen Qingxuan that Mu Chen had entered Lei Territory, fearing he would not survive.
Wen Qingxuan angrily chastised He Yao, questioning his effectiveness if Mu Chen had indeed perished. He Yao confirmed that Lei Territory was an impassable maze. Wen Qingxuan then inquired about the status of the transmitting circle, which He Yao reported was completed and ready, with the spiritual stone escorts selected. He Yao requested to borrow a human village from Black Dragon.
Wen Qingxuan then met with Black Dragon, explaining her plan to use one of his dragon-slave-infiltrated human villages to lure Shen Cangsheng and Liu Mubai. She believed their capture would create a critical weakness in the North Sect's defenses, allowing Black Dragon's forces to conquer it easily and claim all credit. Black Dragon agreed to her request and sent Mo Xingtian to assist in luring the two into the village.
In Beiling, Xue Lingzi sought Wen Qingxuan’s help to infiltrate the North Sect and retrieve his fiancée. Wen Qingxuan initially questioned his priorities but then revealed that the transmitting circle under construction would soon provide easy access. She offered to take him with her once it was complete, but in exchange, she asked him to kill Mu Chen. Xue Lingzi readily agreed, revealing a personal vendetta against Mu Chen, solidifying their mutual interest.
Liu Mubai and Shen Cangsheng investigated reports of villagers dealing with evil spirits, with Liu Mubai suspecting the Dragon Palace was behind it. They soon discovered Mo Xingtian brutally interrogating North Sect students about the sect’s barriers. Shen Cangsheng and Liu Mubai intervened, fighting Mo Xingtian, who eventually fled, warning them that North Sect would soon fall.
Witnessing the innocent students' deaths, Shen Cangsheng vowed to personally kill Mo Xingtian and instructed Liu Mubai to remain behind to eliminate the infiltrating dragon slaves in the nearby village, an order Liu Mubai accepted. Liu Mubai arrived at the village and encountered an elder who, noticing his attire, inquired if he was an immortal. Liu Mubai asked about any strange occurrences, but the elder denied anything unusual and invited him to stay the night.
Later, a child named Wen told Liu Mubai that a flood had destroyed their homes, forcing them to live in a cave, and that an "immortal master" had taken them in and taught them self-defense. When Liu Mubai pressed for more details about this immortal, the elder quickly intervened to end the conversation. As expected, the villagers' "immortal master" was He Yao, who was conducting a "holy water" ritual, distributing water polluted by the Power of Whisper.
Liu Mubai confronted him, interrupting the ceremony and warning the villagers that they were being deceived. However, the villagers, believing the water to be sacred, turned hostile and attacked Liu Mubai, who, outnumbered, was forced to use his spiritual power to incapacitate them. Deep inside Lei Territory, Mu Chen, again afflicted by blindness, relied entirely on Jiu You’s guidance. The territory was extremely dangerous, with constant lightning strikes.
Jiu You confessed that her true intention was to find the Thundering Pearl, which would allow her to ascend to a Nine Netherworld Bird. Despite his weakened state from the Dark Blood Spell, Mu Chen, determined to fulfill his promise to save Luo Li, bravely pushed through the lightning to retrieve the Pearl for her. Jiu You, fearing for his life, desperately pleaded with him to stop, but he succeeded before collapsing.
Jiu You swiftly consumed the Pearl, transforming into her human form, and urgently called for Mu Chen to awaken. Mu Chen regained consciousness, overjoyed to see Jiu You in her human form. Jiu You, still worried about his reckless actions, placed one of her feathers into his spiritual consciousness as a permanent bloodline link, ensuring they could always sense each other's presence.
With their bond strengthened and Jiu You's new form, they resolved to continue their search for Luo Li, with Jiu You now leading the way. Jiu You soon sensed a familiar spiritual power, identifying it as Li Xuantong. Upon meeting, a brief argument ensued between Jiu You and Li Xuantong, which Mu Chen quickly diffused.
Li Xuantong then revealed that Luo Li had been captured by a "weird geezer" while searching for the Jade Knot Grass, and the ever-changing maze had obscured her exact location. Jiu You asserted that her spiritual beast nature allowed her to sense Luo Li’s power, and she could track her. After Li Xuantong apologized for his earlier rudeness, Jiu You agreed to lead them. Following Jiu You’s guidance, they discovered they were in an illusion.
Mu Chen, unaffected by the illusion due to his blindness, pinpointed a hidden door, the true entrance to Luo Li's location. They entered and found Luo Li, who was quickly reunited with Mu Chen, now blind again. The North Sea Dragon Roc, the ancient guardian beast, then appeared, noting the rarity of visitors. He recognized Mu Chen's Dark Blood Spell, realizing Luo Li's efforts were to cure him, and accused Jiu You of having consumed his Thundering Pearl.
Mu Chen expressed his surprise at meeting the legendary guardian. The North Sea Dragon Roc, asserting he would only intervene in a catastrophic event for the North Sect, offered a challenge: if they could amuse him without using spiritual power, he would release them and reveal the Jade Knot Grass's location. Mu Chen accepted, cleverly binding the Roc's hands and prompting a laugh, thus passing the first test.
Luo Li was next, claiming she had no talents, but Mu Chen encouraged her to recall something he had taught her during their journey to North Sect. Back at North Sect, He Yao reported to Headmaster Ling Xi that the spiritual array was complete. He then saw a distressed Liu Mubai and, to prevent him from speaking to Headmaster Ling Xi, quickly escorted him away.
Outside, He Yao questioned Liu Mubai about his actions in the village, specifically mentioning the Wen family, and subtly threatened to expose him for killing the villagers, stating that such an act would ruin North Sect's reputation. Liu Mubai argued that the villagers were infected by the Power of Whisper, but He Yao dismissed this, asserting that they didn’t deserve death.
He Yao then blackmailed Liu Mubai, promising to keep silent about the incident if Liu Mubai performed a favor for him. Later, He Yao instructed Liu Mubai to retrieve a Space Stone from Zhu Tian’s room, claiming it was for a new spiritual array, despite Liu Mubai knowing it was used for transmitting circles. After obtaining the stone, Liu Mubai discovered He Yao secretly building a transmitting circle. Confronting He Yao, Liu Mubai threatened to report him.
He Yao then cynically reminded Liu Mubai that his goal of restoring Liu Territory was close, but exposing him would brand him a hypocrite and lead to his expulsion and eternal disgrace, pushing Liu Mubai into a profound internal conflict.
