The Great Ruler Episode 33 Recap
> The Great Ruler Recap
In the mystical Land of Beasts, Jiu You and Bai Tong, guided by the red-clad Man Tuluo, discovered Mu Chen ensnared by vines. After Jiu You freed him, a blue-clad Man Tuluo emerged and attacked Jiu You. Mu Chen, though initially bewildered by the sudden attack, used his Great Futu Spell to render her unconscious. It was then that they realized both the red and blue figures were aspects of a single entity: Man Tuluo.
Man Tuluo revealed her true form, explaining that she was a celestial flower from the Emperor's Spirit Garden, who had cultivated for ten thousand years. Five millennia ago, she was dispatched to the mortal realm to find the Great Ruler, a quest that remained unfulfilled. A thousand years ago, the Evil Spirit Clan trapped her in the Land of Beasts, where the potent Eye of Stillness suppressed her, preventing her escape.
The Eye of Stillness’s influence caused her personality to split; the red persona embodied her longing to return to the Ancient Heaven, while the blue represented her burning desire to kill the Evil Deity. She recounted meeting Mu Chen’s mother, Qing Yanjing, during the Ancient Heaven War five thousand years prior. Qing Yanjing had bravely used the Great Futu Pagoda to seal the Evil Deity, ensuring peace for the Great Thousand World for five millennia.
Now, that period of peace was drawing to a close, and the Eye of Stillness had been continuously siphoning spiritual energy for a thousand years, nourishing the Evil Deity and bringing him closer to revival. Man Tuluo confirmed that the Phoenix Heritage was indeed within a damaged stele, which was intertwined with a thousand-year-old ancient tree, itself fused with the Eye of Stillness. She explained that Mu Chen’s Great Futu Spell was vital to extract the heritage.
He needed to envelop her in its golden light to shield her from the Eye of Stillness’s powerful seductive influence, allowing her to temporarily close the Eye of Stillness so they could retrieve the stele. Mu Chen agreed, and Man Tuluo cautioned him against disrupting the golden light, warning of dire consequences.
With their combined efforts, the Eye of Stillness was temporarily subdued, and Jiu You, recognizing ancient writing on the stele as her clan’s, began to absorb its purple flames, initiating the dangerous Phoenix Heritage transfer. Man Tuluo stressed that Jiu You must remain undisturbed during this process. Their efforts were abruptly interrupted by the arrival of Wen Qingxuan and Liu Mubai. Wen Qingxuan immediately set about destroying Man Tuluo's Ancient Tree Array.
Liu Mubai then confronted Mu Chen, attacking him with a fan imbued with whisper power. Mu Chen, heartbroken by his brother’s betrayal, questioned how Liu Mubai, once a champion of justice, could now embrace such evil. Liu Mubai, however, bitterly blamed Mu Chen for the Mu-Liu war, claiming it was orchestrated by the Evil Deity solely to eliminate Mu Chen, with their entire Liu Territory becoming mere cannon fodder.
He held Mu Chen accountable for all his losses and prepared to deliver a killing blow but hesitated, softened by his emotions. Seeing his hesitation, Wen Qingxuan struck instead, but Bai Tong bravely sacrificed himself, taking the fatal blow to shield Mu Chen. As Bai Tong fell, Jiu You's transformation culminated, and she emerged as the mighty Phoenix. Her power immensely amplified, she furiously attacked Wen Qingxuan and Liu Mubai, driving them away.
With her newfound strength, Jiu You then obliterated the Eye of Stillness, preventing the Evil Deity's full revival. Overcome with grief for Bai Tong, Mu Chen swore to avenge his death. Jiu You, however, urged Mu Chen to leave and find Luo Li, promising to honor Bai Tong by burying him herself and leaving marks for Mu Chen to follow.
Meanwhile, Xuantong had attempted to rescue Luo Li from Luo City but was ensnared in Xue Lingzi's cunning trap, realizing the "Luo Li" he found was a mere decoy. Overwhelmed by Xue Lingzi's forces, Xuantong was captured. Xue Lingzi instructed him to deliver a message to Mu Chen: in three days, he would marry Luo Li at the border of Luo City.
He offered Mu Chen a "fair" competition for Luo Li’s hand, declaring the winner would marry her, and branding Mu Chen a coward if he failed to appear. Xuantong relayed Xue Lingzi’s challenge to his grandfather, Luo Tianhe, back in the Luo God Clan, explaining that Xue Lingzi aimed to sever Luo Li's ties with Mu Chen and force her into marriage. Luo Tianhe worried for both Luo Li and Mu Chen's safety.
Xuantong countered that Mu Chen, supported by numerous powerful human masters and possessing the Great Futu Spell, was uniquely suited to combat the Evil Deity, especially given Xue God Clan’s alliance with the dark force. After careful consideration, Luo Tianhe decided to personally seek assistance from the North Cang Spiritual Academy, while Xuantong headed off to find Mu Chen. Concurrently, Xue Lingzi pressed Luo Li on the impending three-day deadline.
Luo Li, however, saw his challenge to Mu Chen as a mere pretext to eliminate Mu Chen, thereby removing a potential threat to the Evil Deity. Xue Lingzi denied this, insisting his actions were genuinely motivated by his desire for her, seeking a worthy match rather than merely serving the Evil Deity's agenda.
At the North Cang Spiritual Academy, Luo Tianhe implored Headmaster Shen for aid, revealing Luo Tianlong's treachery had led to the clan's downfall and Luo Li's capture and impending forced marriage by Xue Lingzi in Luo City. Headmaster Shen, unwavering, declared that Luo Li, a valiant student who defended the academy during the Black Dragon War, would not be abandoned.
He resolved to journey to Luo City with Luo Tianhe, dispatching Qingshan to enlist the help of Mr. Mu from the Mu Territory. Elsewhere, Wen Qingxuan reported to the Evil Deity that Liu Mubai had intentionally allowed Mu Chen to escape, confessing uncertainty about Liu Mubai’s role in the Eye of Stillness's destruction. Liu Mubai admitted his momentary hesitation and expressed regret for inadvertently delaying the Evil Deity’s revival, accepting any punishment.
Impressed by Liu Mubai's candor and strategic mind, the Evil Deity offered him command of his elite vanguard, the Tuling Guards. Wen Qingxuan clarified the heavy price of this honor: Liu Mubai would need to devour an Evil Spirit as a pledge of loyalty, effectively placing his life at the Evil Deity’s mercy, with any disobedience leading to instant annihilation. Liu Mubai calmly accepted, viewing it as a natural consequence of such a high position.
Wen Qingxuan then subtly threatened Tang Qian’er, whose spiritual pulse and power were gone, to ensure Liu Mubai’s absolute loyalty. Tang Qian’er eventually found Mu Chen, who immediately sensed her extreme weakness and noticed strands of white in her hair. He angrily confronted her, questioning why she hadn't told him Liu Mubai was alive and expressing his fury and confusion over Liu Mubai's allegiance to the Evil Deity, especially after Bai Tong’s death. He then apologized for his outburst.
Qian'er confessed that in White Horse City, she had used the dangerous Soul Transfer Spell to transfer her spiritual pulse to Liu Mubai when he was critically injured, sacrificing her own power. Mu Chen was horrified, reminding her of the spell's perilous nature. Qian'er, however, declared that she feared Liu Mubai's death more than her own. Despite her exhaustion, she insisted Mu Chen leave immediately for Luo Li. She then revealed a shocking truth: she and Liu Mubai were married.
Stunned, Mu Chen apologized for his ignorance and vowed to bring back the old Liu Mubai for her. Finally, Xuantong rejoined Luo Tianhe, Headmaster Shen, and Ye Xun'er, informing them Mu Chen was on his way. Luo Tianhe recounted the internal divisions of the Luo God Clan, detailing how Elders Luo Xiu and Luo Qingya disagreed with his stance on Luo Li's marriage, with Luo Xiu actively defecting to Xue Lingzi.
He also exposed Luo Tianlong, his own brother, as the true traitor who betrayed the clan for personal gain. Headmaster Shen and Ye Xun'er offered to deal with Luo Xiu and Luo Qingya, while Xuantong, driven by anger over his clan's betrayal, volunteered to assassinate Luo Tianlong. After Headmaster Shen reinforced the need for decisive action in desperate times, Luo Tianhe, admitting his past softness, finally granted his approval. Xuantong swiftly carried out his mission, confronting Luo Tianlong, who was celebrating his rewards from Xue Lingzi, and avenged his prior betrayal.
