The World of Fantasy Episode 21 Recap
> The World of Fantasy Recap
Song Tingyu felt her condition deteriorating rapidly, only able to recall her beloved Gong Mulie by focusing on Qin Lie's face. Ling Yushi approached her, provoking Song Tingyu with a challenge: if Song Tingyu were to die, Ling Yushi declared she would claim both Qin Lie and Gong Mulie for herself. This provocative statement ignited a fierce will to survive in Song Tingyu. Seeing Song Tingyu finally rally, Qin Lie carried her, and the three pressed on toward the exit.
As a major enemy approached, all residents infected with demon aura were housed in the Pu Ci Residence. Xie Jingxuan was hiding amongst them. When Du Shaoyang arrived to deliver medicine, his superior, Lang Xie, pulled him aside. Lang Xie revealed that Mo He's Terminator Profound Bombs were nearing completion, signaling an imminent war with the Dark Nether Race.
Fearing heavy losses, Lang Xie instructed Du Shaoyang to find a way to escape alive if they were defeated, so that he might one day reestablish the Bloody Spear Guard. After his conversation, Du Shaoyang finished his duties and left. Xie Jingxuan, seeing her beloved, suppressed her desire to reveal herself, instead remaining hidden within the shelter.
Nearby, Xie Yi, on patrol, attempted to enter the Pu Ci Residence but was denied by guards who explained that no one could enter without the master's orders due to the infected residents. As Xie Yi was about to leave, he heard a faint sound, thinking it was his daughter's voice, but dismissed it as impossible, believing her to be dead. Qin Lie, Song Tingyu, and Ling Yushi finally emerged from the Nether passageway.
Alarmed, the guards at the exit were quickly told by Qin Lie that he was from Lin Borough and that Saintess Song needed immediate help. Upon recognizing Song Tingyu, they quickly offered assistance, with some also noticing a faint purple aura emanating from Ling Yushi. However, before they could fully appreciate their return to Chilan Continent, a storm gathered.
Ling Yushi asked Qin Lie what was wrong, and Song Tingyu realized Qin Lie's Natal Opening Realm was complete, and he was on the verge of breaking through to the pinnacle of the Manifestation Realm. She urged them all to leave, warning that the coming Heavenly Thunder would be even more powerful than the Thunder of the Ninth Heaven that had killed Soul Reaping Beasts.
Qin Lie endured the immense pressure of the thunderclouds swirling overhead, roaring as he pushed through his breakthrough. Physicians diagnosed Song Tingyu, concluding that only someone proficient in the Dark Nether Race's cultivation arts could absorb the demon aura from her body, a seemingly impossible task given the centuries of conflict. When asked how long Song Tingyu had, the physician grimly stated they would see if she could survive the night.
Qin Lie immediately arranged to inform the Profound Heaven Alliance. While unconscious, Song Tingyu tightly gripped Qin Lie's hand, mistaking him for Gong Mulie. She warned him not to go to the Mother of Land, claiming it would kill him, and expressed her reluctance that he would go to "her" despite their shared upbringing. Qin Lie tried to clarify he was Qin Lie, to which Song Tingyu responded, "Qin Lie? Have you not awakened? Don't go against Song Yu.
Please don't do it." Ling Yushi pondered if Song Tingyu's strange words about the Mother of Land and the son of the God of War related to Qin Lie's true background, similar to her own mysterious past. Qin Lie, however, dismissed these theories as ridiculous and urged Ling Yushi to care for Song Tingyu while he sought a solution.
Qin Lie then sought out Xue Li, who, having recovered his physical body after Qin Lie comprehended the final Spiritual Lines Pillar, announced his departure to the Heavenly Armament Sect in the Land of Chaos to find his family. Xue Li, believing Song Tingyu's fate was in her own hands, advised Qin Lie to collect the Spiritual Lines Pillars.
He explained that these pillars, originally belonging to the Heavenly Armament Sect, were now like Qin Lie's children, and he could collect them as he wished, despite Qin Lie's confusion about how to handle their immense size. Xue Li bid him farewell, urging him to take care. Meanwhile, Ling Yushi helped Song Tingyu by absorbing all the demon aura from her body.
To Ling Yushi's astonishment, the demon aura, which was lethal to Song Tingyu, made her feel invigorated and refreshed. This strange reaction made Ling Yushi question her own identity, pondering if she was truly of the Royal Nether Race. She reflected on her own changes since cultivating the Heavenly Water Spirit Record, including increased sensitivity to evil energy and her hair and eyes sometimes turning purple, a fact she had previously concealed from Qin Lie to avoid worrying him.
Song Tingyu eventually awakened, completely unaware of the strange things she had said or her dream. She vaguely recalled a vivid dream of the Mirror Realm, where Gong Mulie would walk by a clear lake, watching sunrises and resting under the moonlight, always accompanied by a girl whose face she couldn't see. She assumed this was merely a figment of her "Tale of Gong Mulie" fantasies. With Song Tingyu fully recovered, everyone rejoiced at this "miracle."
The three decided to use a Golden Fire Cloud Canvas to swiftly return to the Artefact Forging Sect to aid in repelling the Dark Nether Race. Xie Yi returned to the Pu Ci Residence, causing a scene at the entrance, calling out for his "dead" daughter. Xie Jingxuan, hearing her father's cries, quickly donned a soldier's uniform to disguise herself and attempted to escape.
Xie Yi's commotion also attracted Du Shaoyang, who, upon recognizing Xie Jingxuan despite her disguise, immediately intervened and engaged her in conversation, respectfully addressing her as 'Saint Lord.' Du Shaoyang’s actions and feigned conversation distracted Xie Yi long enough for the disguised Xie Jingxuan to slip away unnoticed. Xie Yi later realized Du Shaoyang’s actions had provided cover for his daughter's escape. Xie Jingxuan and Du Shaoyang later reunited by the lake.
They embraced tightly, expressing their deep longing for each other. Xie Jingxuan explained her desperate flight, fearing her father would turn her into a heartless servant, much like his bodyguard, Mo He. She described heartless servants as retaining their power but losing all thought and emotion, becoming mere automatons utterly obedient to their commander, with no cure except from the commander himself.
She emphasized that she could not stay, as it would endanger Du Shaoyang, and even in death, her body would incriminate him, asking him to promise to destroy her remains should she perish. She then wished to "fall asleep, lying in your arms, and take an eternal nap." Du Shaoyang was devastated by her words.
Suddenly, Xie Yi appeared behind them, mocking their "bitter" romance and chastising Du Shaoyang for his "chicken-hearted" nature, questioning his fitness to be a Bloody Spear successor. He revealed he had known all along that Xie Jingxuan, whom he called Tang Si Qi, was alive and faking her death, having waited for her to emerge from the warehouse and then lured her out, even suspecting they were secretly engaged.
Du Shaoyang, enraged, prepared to fight, but Xie Yi easily struck him down, causing him to spit blood. Heartbroken, Xie Jingxuan knelt and begged her father to spare Du Shaoyang, taking all blame upon herself. Xie Yi declared he would spare Du Shaoyang but not her. He then effortlessly extracted Xie Jingxuan's soul before Du Shaoyang's horrified eyes, transforming her into a vacant heartless servant.
As Qin Lie, Song Tingyu, and Ling Yushi traveled on the Golden Fire Cloud Canvas, they noticed a strange transformation in the landscape below. Qin Lie's Thunderbolt Formation, which he used for cultivation, had been converted into a Teleportation Formation by the Dark Nether Race using Nightmare Crystals. Song Tingyu explained that the Dark Nether Beasts had used these crystals and sacrificed their lives to power the formation.
Puzzled by how to activate it, their attention was drawn to a mysterious array diagram that emitted a powerful spiritual aura, preventing ordinary individuals from opening it. Qin Lie, utilizing his exceptional spiritual power, attempted to perceive its secrets. He unexpectedly heard a voice mentioning the Royal Nether Race and the Scripture of the Nine Hells, their sacred text, also revealing that the sage seeking it was human, but paradoxically, helping the enemy.
He learned that the Scripture was the source of all secret powers in the Nether Realm, and finding its first volume signified the awakening of the Royal Nether Race bloodline. Ling Yushi, drawn by an inexplicable connection, approached the diagram. To their surprise, she inadvertently activated it, revealing the first volume of the Scripture of the Nine Hells.
Song Tingyu swiftly snatched the Scripture, revealing that she had been secretly observing Ling Yushi ever since their descent into the Nether Abyss, particularly noting her unusual reaction while absorbing the demon aura. Now, with the Scripture recognizing Ling Yushi as its master, Song Tingyu declared her strong suspicion that Ling Yushi was indeed of the Royal Nether Race.
Ling Yushi, unflustered, calmly admitted her own growing suspicions, acknowledging that she had absorbed the demon aura without ill effect and felt a deep connection to the evil energy. She confirmed that her hair and eyes sometimes turned purple and expressed her desire to uncover her true identity. Qin Lie, seeing Ling Yushi's openness, asked Song Tingyu not to report this matter to Song Yu.
Song Tingyu agreed, on the condition that she retain possession of the Scripture of the Nine Hells. With this understanding, the three proceeded to the Spiritual Lines Pillars Plaza. Upon their arrival at the Artefact Forging Sect aboard the Golden Fire Cloud Canvas, the Dark Nether Race invaders looked up at Qin Lie, Song Tingyu, and Ling Yushi with apprehensive frowns. Qin Lie, remembering Xue Li's advice, silently collected all twelve Spiritual Lines Pillars into his storage.
