Till the End of the Moon Episode 9 Recap
> Till the End of the Moon Recap
Ye Xiwu found herself at the bottom of the Mohe River, where she was unexpectedly saved by the ancient divine artifact known as the World-overturning Jade. This artifact, her Martial Uncle once told her, was an ominous object lost tens of thousands of years ago, forged by a powerful witch from the immortal essence of countless beings.
Ye Xiwu pondered why it had appeared there and why it had chosen to save her, ultimately deciding to keep it and leave the river. Meanwhile, Qi Shuang, a former deputy leader of the Moonshadow Guards, presented himself to Tantai Minglang, congratulating him on Tantai Jin's supposed demise and claiming responsibility for poisoning Tantai Jin with a demonic elixir.
Tantai Minglang acknowledged Qi Shuang but then ordered him to be fed to his newly captured demon creatures, declaring he would not keep a dog that had bitten its former master. An attendant noted that the demon creatures were starving and suggested training them for future use, to which Tantai Minglang concurred, expressing his ambition to wield demon power just as Tantai Jin did.
Elsewhere, a subordinate informed Nian Baiyu that Tantai Minglang was known for his cruelty and had likely executed Qi Shuang. He also mentioned Tantai Minglang's interest in Yiyue Tribe women. Nian Baiyu and his men swiftly rescued the captured Yiyue dancers. Nian Baiyu instructed his sister to escort the dancers back to the Yiyue Tribe, while he and the Moonshadow Guards set out to find Tantai Jin, vowing their unwavering loyalty.
Ye Xiwu, cold and determined after escaping the river, resolved to travel to Jing Kingdom to prevent Tantai Jin from fully embracing his demonic nature. She penned a letter to her grandmother and father in Sheng Kingdom, assuring them of her safety and promising to return after her travels. As she journeyed, she reflected on the evil bone still within Tantai Jin, worried that all her efforts would be in vain if he died or became a demon.
She soon stumbled upon Tantai Jin, heavily wounded and unconscious by the riverside. After treating his injuries, she demanded he wake up. When he finally regained consciousness, Ye Xiwu asked how he had been ambushed and lost an eye. Tantai Jin revealed that Tantai Minglang was responsible. Upon hearing this, Ye Xiwu questioned the whereabouts of Jing Lan'an. Tantai Jin starkly replied that Jing Lan'an was dead and that he himself had killed her.
Enraged, Ye Xiwu slapped him, regretting having saved him and calling him a monster for killing the woman who raised him. Tantai Jin bitterly explained that Jing Lan'an, like Yingxin before her, had returned only to give him false hope before betraying and discarding him. Ye Xiwu then realized Jing Lan'an had likely colluded with Tantai Minglang to harm him.
She declared her intention to take Tantai Jin back to Sheng Kingdom and imprison him, watching him relentlessly to prevent him from ever harming anyone again. Tantai Jin laughed, asking why she didn't just kill him instead of condemning them to be bound together. Ye Xiwu firmly stated that his life was now hers to control.
Later, as Tantai Jin and Ye Xiwu rested, he cooked fish over a fire, remarking that he had learned to survive by catching fish, sparrows, and even rats in the palace. Ye Xiwu observed his pitiable yet detestable nature, recognizing the making of the Devil God. Their respite was cut short by the arrival of Tantai Minglang’s elite soldiers. To create a diversion, Ye Xiwu drew the soldiers away herself but was quickly surrounded.
As they moved to kill her, Tantai Jin summoned a swarm of blood crows to attack them, allowing him to rescue her. At that moment, Xiao Lin and his troops appeared. He swiftly eliminated the remaining Jing soldiers and ordered his men to cover up the incident, granting Ye Xiwu and Tantai Jin a chance to escape. Finding shelter in a cave, Ye Xiwu was alarmed to see Tantai Jin's blood turn black.
He finally confessed that Tantai Minglang had poisoned him with a potent toxin that would soon kill him. Furious that he had hidden this from her, she rushed off to find medicinal herbs. Meanwhile, Tantai Minglang, frustrated by the lack of progress, was forced to return to the capital due to urgent matters. He left his subordinate Fu Yu to continue the hunt, ordering him to grind Tantai Jin's and his mother Yue Ruanruan's bones to dust upon capture.
Ye Xiwu returned with herbs and treated Tantai Jin's wound. During this, he noticed the World-overturning Jade among her belongings. She tried to dismiss it as a worthless trinket, but he was intrigued. She eventually revealed its true nature: a cursed ancient artifact that dooms its user to a short, violent death. Already poisoned and facing imminent death, Tantai Jin declared he feared no curses, as it made no difference whether he died now or later.
Ye Xiwu firmly promised he would not die. The next morning, as they made their way towards Sheng Kingdom, they were intercepted by Fu Yu. Weakened by poison, Tantai Jin was unable to fight effectively and was wounded while protecting Ye Xiwu. Fu Yu taunted him for caring about Ye Xiwu after having killed Jing Lan'an. As Fu Yu prepared to capture Tantai Jin, Ye Xiwu bravely took a Heart-gnawing Spell for him and fell unconscious.
Devastated, Tantai Jin cried out her name, believing they had unfinished scores to settle. Deciding that survival now outweighed any future doom, he consumed and refined the World-overturning Jade. The artifact granted him immense power, which he used to brutally defeat Fu Yu, vowing that he would one day find and confront Tantai Minglang. Ye Xiwu regained consciousness and realized Tantai Jin had saved her.
To her horror, a glow emanated from him, and she knew he had devoured the cursed Jade. As she desperately tried to extract it, she was drawn into an illusion where she met the witch who forged the artifact. The witch warned that the Jade had chosen Tantai Jin and that he was fated to die a violent death. She showed Ye Xiwu visions of his past cruelties, labeling him a monster unworthy of sacrifice.
Ye Xiwu refused to accept this, declaring she would bear the curse herself. She then asked how to destroy the evil bone. The witch told her to seek the answer in the Barren Abyss and revealed that the Jade had now become Tantai Jin's eye. To retrieve it, Ye Xiwu would have to sacrifice one of her own eyes in exchange. Ye Xiwu immediately agreed. Emerging from the illusion, Ye Xiwu found Tantai Jin still unconscious.
She told him he would not die, for his survival was crucial for the sake of many others. Just then, Nian Baiyu and the Moonshadow Guards arrived. Knowing they would care for Tantai Jin and that she could not take him on the perilous journey to the Barren Abyss in his condition, Ye Xiwu entrusted him to their care. She then quietly departed, setting off alone to find the means to destroy the evil bone.
