The Great Ruler Episode 43 Recap
> The Great Ruler Recap
Mu Chen arrived at the Dragon Den, where General Qin was fighting valiantly to keep the Tuling Guards at bay. Inside, Mu Chen found his mother, Qing Yanjing, who expressed her concern for his recovery and asked about his father, Mu Feng. Mu Chen reassured her that his father was fine and declared his resolve to rescue her, confident in his increased power, which he attributed to Elder Long Kun's guidance.
Qing Yanjing urged him to leave, believing her time was running out and she wasn't worth the risk. She revealed that the four individuals Mu Chen had previously defeated were not the true Yanlong Envoys in charge, and those real Yanlong Envoys, having been wounded by him before, would not let him off easy this time. As Mu Chen and Jiu You attempted to break through, they were met with a formidable barrier.
The voice of a Yanlong Envoy explained that it was a Shen-Shang Barrier, designed to absorb all incoming spiritual power endlessly, much like the Shen and Shang stars in the sky, which never appear together, one rising as the other sets. Mu Chen, recognizing this unique nature, realized that the barrier could not both attack and defend simultaneously. He devised a plan for Jiu You to attack while he absorbed the barrier's counter-attacks, making it vulnerable.
Despite Jiu You's concerns about his safety, Mu Chen insisted, prioritizing his mother's critical condition. When the Yanlong Envoy reappeared, Mu Chen further leveraged his knowledge, pointing out the stalactites on the ceiling that corresponded to the Shen-Shang constellations. He successfully broke the barrier, and with Jiu You's help, defeated the Yanlong Envoy. Mu Chen rushed to Qing Yanjing, expressing sorrow for her suffering.
She calmly stated that suppressing the Evil Deity was her mission as the Futu Clan Goddess, so her suffering was inconsequential. Mu Chen wished she and Luo Li were ordinary people so they would never be separated. Qing Yanjing, touched by his words, expressed a desire to meet Luo Li in person. Mu Chen, still hoping to return with her to North Sect and reunite with his father, tried to infuse her with spiritual power.
However, Qing Yanjing explained that her spirit was dissipating, a consequence of having forced it from her body years ago to strengthen the seal against Evil Deity. Her spirit had been severely depleted, and her physical body had only a dying breath left. Heartbroken, Mu Chen pleaded with her not to leave.
With her last words, Qing Yanjing instructed Mu Chen, as the successor of the Heavenly Emperor Sword, to kill the Evil Deity and protect the Great Thousand World before her spirit dissolved into a yellow bead in his hand. Meanwhile, Liu Mubai endured agonizing punishment from the Heartless Whip, controlled by Wen Qingxuan.
She explained that the whip's pain was directly proportional to the depth of his emotions, warning that his "impenitent and unrepentant" behavior would only prolong his "torturing days." Mu Chen and Jiu You returned to North Sect. Mu Feng, initially relieved to see Mu Chen safe, quickly sensed his son's grief and the absence of Qing Yanjing. Mu Chen knelt, presenting the yellow bead to his father, remorseful for his failure to save her.
Mu Feng cradled the bead, mourning his wife, reminiscing about Mu Chen resembling her but inheriting his "nasty temper." A funeral was held, where Mu Feng comforted Mu Chen, telling him not to cry, for his mother had "come home" and would "never part with them again." Across the realm, Evil Deity, sensing Qing Yanjing's death, proclaimed his power complete and himself "the eternity of the world" as he successfully revived. Wen Qingxuan and Liu Mubai arrived to congratulate him.
Back at North Sect, Mu Chen sensed Evil Deity's revival, and Mu Feng immediately summoned the Dragon Kun List, notifying all of North Sect's teachers and students. Mu Feng explained that despite the prophecy "Nine Evil Eyes appear, Evil Deity rises," only eight eyes had manifested. He had sensed through the Great Thousand Demon Subduing Array that Qing Yanjing's Futu Pagoda in the void had fractured, freeing Evil Deity, who likely returned to the Ancient Heaven Palace.
Mu Feng declared a looming catastrophe for the Great Thousand World, urging immediate preparations for war and an alliance with the eight territories of the North Ling Realm, Jiu You Clan, Luo God Clan, Futu Ancient Clan, and other allies, believing their combined strength could defeat Evil Deity's forces. Mu Chen vowed to ensure Evil Deity would "have no going back."
Evil Deity, now fully revived, turned his attention to Liu Mubai, chastising him for allowing Tang Qian'er to damage the Ancient Heaven Palace, kill Tuling Guards, and then releasing her. Facing death, Liu Mubai desperately offered crucial information: the Firmament List, which the Heavenly Emperor used to sustain his life for over 5,000 years, was located and guarded by the Tailing Ancient Clan, who had only recently opened their borders.
Impressed by this intelligence, Evil Deity spared Liu Mubai's life but subjected him to further punishment, ordering him and Wen Qingxuan to lead an attack on North Sect and slaughter its inhabitants. Mu Feng gathered the allied leaders, including the leaders of Futu Ancient Clan, Luo God Clan, and Mr. Mo. He unveiled the Great Thousand Demon Subduing Array, a grand formation he had spent ten years building, using mountains and rivers as its blueprint.
He explained that this array, imbued with the rules of heaven and earth, generated immense killing power specifically designed to counter Evil Deity's Power of Whisper, making it a tailor-made killing array. With North Sect as its core, the array aimed to kill Evil Deity in one strike, but as a combined spiritual formation, it required allies to guard and activate its various array eyes with their spiritual power.
He assigned the Futu Ancient Clan to guard the outer gate array eye, known for their suppression magic, and the Luo God Clan, led by Elder Qingya, to the northern riverbank, due to their mastery of water arrays. Mu Chen's former teacher, Mr. Mo, arrived and Mu Chen tasked him with leading the territories of the North Ling Realm to set up spiritual formation traps throughout North Sect to weaken Evil Deity's forces.
Mu Chen grew concerned when the Tailing Ancient Clan had not yet arrived. Jiu You then confessed that she had deliberately withheld the alliance token from them, citing her personal dislike for Luo Li as the reason. Mu Feng, acknowledging the impending war, urged against internal strife and pointed out that it was now too late to inform the Tailing Ancient Clan.
With the night attack commencing, Evil Deity's forces, manipulated by his Power of Whisper, forced innocent villagers to join the assault. Liu Mubai and Wen Qingxuan led the Tuling Guards in a stealthy night raid on North Sect. Wen Qingxuan noted North Sect's preparedness, crediting Evil Deity's foresight for the success of their night attack. During the chaos, Liu Mubai encountered Mr. Mo.
Mr. Mo immediately recognized Liu Mubai and, refusing to acknowledge him as his student, vowed to hold him there even if it meant his own death. Liu Mubai tried to explain, but Mr. Mo attacked. Liu Mubai accidentally struck Mr. Mo with a powerful blow, fatally wounding him. As he lay dying, Mr. Mo lamented his failure as a teacher. Liu Mubai knelt by his side, claiming he had not come to attack North Sect but for Tang Qian'er.
Tang Qian'er then appeared, enraged, threatening to kill Liu Mubai, who, in turn, urged her to guard an array eye while he covered her against the Tuling Guards. Mu Chen received distressing news: multiple array eyes had been breached, with only Elder Qingya's position holding, and no word from Mr. Mo. Other elders guarding the eyes had fallen.
Recognizing the Great Thousand Demon Subduing Array as their last hope, Mu Chen dispatched Shen, Qingshan, and Sun'er to retake the crucial array eyes. With the loss of Tailing Ancient Clan's support, Mu Feng reassured Mu Chen that the Great Thousand Demon Subduing Array would not fail, for it was the culmination of his ten years of effort. Mu Chen then decided that while his father guarded the array, he would personally lure Evil Deity into the formation.
