The Immortal Ascension Episode 26 Recap
> The Immortal Ascension Recap
Han Li ventured up the mountain, finally locating Qu Hun in a dwelling. He was surprised to sense spiritual power radiating from the man, suggesting a cultivation level of Tier 6 or 7 in the Qi Refining Stage. This immediately brought hope, making Han Li wonder if Zhang Tie had truly returned. His thoughts were interrupted by a little girl, Yue, who came in calling the man "Father" and mentioning medicine for her mother.
The family seemed to be living an ordinary life. Later that night, Han Li returned to confront the man. He directly accused him of not being Zhang Tie and of having taken someone else's body, including the family he now claimed. The man initially feigned ignorance, claiming he had lost all his memories five years ago after falling off a cliff, only vaguely recalling a friend's voice calling his name. Han Li, however, was not fooled.
He asserted that while the man bore a striking resemblance to Zhang Tie, his eyes revealed a calculating nature that Zhang Tie never possessed. Han Li also noticed Zhang Tie's life-bound artifact on the man. Just as Han Li demanded the man vacate the body, his wife and daughter emerged, drawn by the commotion.
Han Li and the man quickly put on an act of being old friends, convincing the mother and child to return inside and close the door, saving face for the moment. With the family gone, Han Li pressed for answers, promising no harm if the man confessed. The man admitted he was a cultivator who had been gravely injured in a battle five years prior, forcing his primordial spirit to leave his damaged body.
Desperate, he found Zhang Tie's empty vessel and possessed it. However, his cultivation was severely diminished after the transference. To avoid his powerful enemy, he disguised himself as an ordinary blacksmith, built a life in the city, and eventually married and had a daughter, experiencing a peaceful five years. Han Li feigned familiarity, asking about a Senior Zhong Wu from Spirit Beast Mountain, a sect the man initially claimed to be from.
Han Li then revealed that Zhong Wu had severed ties with Spirit Beast Mountain long ago, and bound the man, exposing his lie. Under pressure, the man finally confessed that he was a disciple of the Beast Taming Sect, one of the Six Demonic Sects. He explained that his weakened state prevented him from returning to his sect, fearing his own brethren, and that he had grown to appreciate his peaceful life as a blacksmith.
Han Li countered the man’s notion of peace by revealing that the Six Demonic Sects had already taken over the eastern region of the Yue Kingdom, and that their so-called peace was fleeting. The Beast Taming Sect disciple, a demonic cultivator, then advised Han Li to make his own plans, as the Seven Sects were destined to lose the ongoing war.
Han Li expressed skepticism about any prior agreement, but the man explained that cultivators are inherently selfish, and backstabbing is common. He boasted that the Seven Sects’ alliance had been thoroughly infiltrated, revealing that Spirit Beast Mountain served as the Beast Taming Sect's mole. He exposed the widely known tale of Spirit Beast Mountain defecting to the Seven Sects and seemingly killing two demonic Core Formation cultivators as a deception.
He clarified that the "fallen" cultivators were merely Foundation Establishment cultivators temporarily boosted to appear as Core Formation cultivators using secret techniques, designed to gain the Seven Sects' trust and enable the infiltration. To spare his life, the Beast Taming Sect disciple offered Han Li his hidden artifacts, gems, and crucial jade slips detailing his sect's dealings with Spirit Beast Mountain. Han Li, wary of another trick, secured the man and ventured alone to the specified cave.
There, he was ambushed by a formidable Goldenback Demon Mantis, a powerful demon beast equivalent to a Core Formation cultivator. The battle was fierce, and Han Li barely managed to defeat the creature using a special item, noting the extensive damage to his Mother-Child Blades. He suspected the mantis belonged to the Beast Taming Sect man, suggesting the man might be a hidden Core Formation cultivator, as no ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator could control such a powerful beast.
To his frustration, the mystic pouch he retrieved was empty, confirming the man’s treachery. Han Li returned to the man, who was astonished that the Goldenback Demon Mantis had failed to kill him. Recognizing Han Li's power, the man acknowledged him as a Core Formation cultivator and admitted defeat was no dishonor, revealing that he himself was indeed a former Core Formation cultivator.
Han Li observed items associated with the man, such as a Blood Spirit Drill, the Verdant Sword (a Core Formation Stage artifact), a Spirit Companion, and a Golden Core, confirming the man's past cultivation level. As his family approached, drawn by the commotion, the man desperately pleaded for their lives, claiming their innocence. Han Li, however, informed him that his demonic aura was already draining their life force.
The man, anticipating this, revealed that his remaining cultivation was sealed within a "broken core," which, if consumed by his wife and daughter, would restore their vitality and extend their lives. He then gently knocked them unconscious, expressing a flicker of unexpected humanity for the two mortals he had come to care for.
Before his demise, he confirmed that the promised items, including proof of his sect's collusion with Spirit Beast Mountain and his identity token, were on his true body in the cave. Han Li honored his request, and the man passed away, leaving a final instruction for his family to forget everything upon waking. Han Li returned to the cave, where he discovered the true remains of the Beast Taming Sect cultivator.
He found a mystic pouch containing a Spirit Companion Beast Egg and a copy of the "Compendium of Mystical Insects." He observed that the Goldenback Demon Mantis was ranked 73rd among the mystical insects, while a Gold-devouring Bug was ranked 12th, and resolved to study how to breed and command them. He also recovered the jade slips and letters detailing the Beast Taming Sect's secret communications with Spirit Beast Mountain. He then returned with Qu Hun's body.
Meanwhile, at the front lines, several elders, including Li Huayuan, Fu Yunzi, and Elder Han, gathered to discuss the dire situation of the Seven Sects. Fu Yunzi, ever the one to lighten the mood, proposed a game of mahjong using demon beast tiles to relieve stress, prompting amused exasperation from his peers.
The elders then shifted to serious matters, discussing reconnaissance reports indicating a major demonic offensive was expected at the start of the next month and strategizing a counterattack on the enemy's rear lines. Han Li, from a secluded location, sent a confidential message to his master, Li Huayuan. He informed him of his safe return to the valley and his discovery of the collusion between Spirit Beast Mountain and the Beast Taming Sect, along with the evidence.
He noted that the Sect Master, fearing military morale might be affected, chose to keep the matter undisclosed. However, Han Li, concerned for Li Huayuan and other mentors on the front lines, decided to violate protocol by sending this private warning, urging his master to be vigilant and to find a way to prevent the worst possible outcome as the great war approached.
While preparing for the impending conflict, Han Li observed the rapid growth of the creatures hatched from the Spirit Companion Beast Egg. He noticed that the Goldenback Demon Mantis armor he had collected was already too small, which, along with their immense appetite, confirmed his suspicion that these Spirit Companions were expensive to raise. He decided he would need to visit the Herbs Garden to gather necessary resources.
Soon after, Han Li received a message from Chen Qiaoqian, reminding him of their prior agreement to meet and admire flowers beneath Baili Mountain. Han Li met with Chen Qiaoqian, who shared her poignant life story. She spoke of her mother, who was also married into the Chen family through a political alliance, never truly knowing her husband, and who cherished simple wild chrysanthemums above all else.
Chen Qiaoqian revealed the stark reality for women in noble families like hers, whose lives are not their own but are dedicated to serving their clans' interests. She confessed that she was soon to be married to the son of the Qi family, a man she had never met, as a strategic alliance for the Chen family amidst the escalating war.
She expressed her deep envy for Weiniang and Senior Liu, who, despite their tragic end, had at least experienced love and freedom, unlike her own trapped existence. Overwhelmed, she questioned why her fate was decided for her like a commodity and why the entire clan's safety rested on her shoulders, lamenting that no one had ever asked what she truly wanted.
She then leaned on Han Li, asking if he was planning something and if he could take her away to any place where she could be truly free. Han Li remained silent, prompting Chen Qiaoqian to comment on his composure. She then presented him with a beautifully embroidered robe, suggesting it was fitting for a Late Foundation Stage cultivator and noting its embedded purification and water-repelling arrays. In return, Han Li offered her some beauty-enhancing pills he had refined himself.
Chen Qiaoqian accepted, light-heartedly hoping they were not "weird" concoctions. As the time came for her to depart the valley, she bid Han Li farewell. Han Li watched her leave, silently hoping she would ultimately find the freedom she sought.
