When Destiny Brings The Demon Episode 17 Recap
> When Destiny Brings The Demon Recap
Sima Jiao led Liao Tingyan through a barrier to a secluded spot where they could recover from their recent ordeal. Sima Jiao immediately produced a small bottle of healing medicine for Liao Tingyan, but its effect seemed minimal. Liao Tingyan showed her arms, still covered in scars and wounds. Seeing her injuries, Sima Jiao regretted going easy on their attackers, wishing he had made their deaths far more agonizing.
Liao Tingyan, however, was simply relieved they had escaped the siege of the eight great sects, content to merely survive. Wanting to heal Liao Tingyan’s internal injuries quickly, Sima Jiao offered a method similar to how she had previously healed him through a soul bond. Their long time together had nurtured a deep affection between them. As they drew closer, their breaths quickened, and after a passionate kiss, all the scars on Liao Tingyan's face vanished.
Liao Tingyan then felt a searing pain, as if being burned alive. Sima Jiao explained it was the same torment he endured day and night. He reassured her, telling her not to be afraid, for no one would ever hurt her again as long as he was there, and she would not feel such pain again. He urged her to tell him if the pain became unbearable, not to hold it in.
Despite his tenderness, Sima Jiao warned her that if she were ever gravely injured again, he would kill her. Liao Tingyan smiled, remarking that he would never be able to go through with it, as his thoughts already revealed how deeply he cared for her. Meanwhile, Ye Ruling informed her younger sister, Ye Canglan, that she had allied with Sect Master Shi Qianlv to eliminate Sima Jiao.
Ye Canglan, concerned that the powerful Shi family might suspect Ye Ruling, offered to covertly gather compromising information on them. Ye Ruling, however, dismissed the idea, instructing Ye Canglan to remain in the Yin Palace and leave everything to her. Elsewhere, Shi Qianlv received a report from his spies that there was no indication Ye Ruling was colluding with Sima Jiao, but he ordered them to continue surveillance, stating that she could not be fully trusted.
His subordinate also reported that Ye Canglan seemed to be seeking leverage against the Shi family, and her willful nature could jeopardize their plans. Shi Qianlv decided not to act against Ye Canglan yet, seeing Ye Ruling as a useful tool he intended to keep under his firm control. When Liao Tingyan awoke, she found herself in an unfamiliar place. Sima Jiao told her they were in Fenghua City, belonging to the Shi family.
She was now to assume the identity of Shi Yuxiang, Shi Qianlv’s niece, known for her dissolute lifestyle and lack of ambition, always seen with her male companions. Because of her bad reputation, she was not held in high regard by Shi Qianlv, making Fenghua City the safest place for them to hide. Liao Tingyan commented that Shi Yuxiang seemed to live quite a carefree life and humorously remarked that Sima Jiao had given her quite a role to play.
She pledged not to waste his efforts. Liao Tingyan, now embodying Shi Yuxiang, embraced her new persona, attracting a long line of male companions vying for her attention. This time, however, she seemed unusually devoted to a single male companion – Sima Jiao. As they selected accessories from Shi Yuxiang's treasure vault, Liao Tingyan expected Sima Jiao to shower her with precious jewels. Instead, he presented her with peculiar, unsightly trinkets like gourds, sachets, and heavy locks.
She gave him a look of disdain, finding them tasteless and unromantic. Sima Jiao chuckled, knowing that what she perceived as ordinary or useless were, in fact, exceptionally rare and powerful magical artifacts he had carefully selected for his beloved. Nianjiu, Sima Jiao’s apprentice, arrived after tracking their whereabouts and observed Sima Jiao carefully embedding various intricate artifacts into a delicate necklace.
Nianjiu inquired if Sima Jiao was crafting magical artifacts for Liao Tingyan, noting the thunder outside and deducing that Liao Tingyan was about to break through to the Void Forge stage and undergo a thunder tribulation. Sima Jiao confirmed her suspicions. Nianjiu then understood that Sima Jiao had brought Liao Tingyan to Fenghua City because Shi Qianlv, being a Void Forge cultivator, could offer certain privileges, such as the Thunder Valley, to mitigate the pain of the tribulation.
She questioned why Sima Jiao was going to such great lengths when Liao Tingyan’s cultivation, combined with his assistance, should easily allow her to pass the expected 36 thunderbolts (a Four-Nine Thunder Tribulation). Sima Jiao revealed that he would not be with Liao Tingyan during the tribulation because the Way of Heaven had always been against the Sima clan, and his presence would only put her in greater danger.
Liao Tingyan, feeling a growing unease and noticing the thunder, wondered why she felt so restless. Sima Jiao explained that she was about to break through to the Void Forge stage, which would trigger a thunder tribulation. Liao Tingyan realized that Sima Jiao had given her the defensive artifacts because he feared she might be struck by lightning. Sima Jiao reassured her that she would not die as long as he did not allow it.
Despite her nervousness, Liao Tingyan tried to avoid Sima Jiao’s touch, as she felt unready for the tribulation. However, Sima Jiao insisted, telling her she would face it now. They arrived at Thunder Valley.
Sima Jiao explained that he had chosen Shi Yuxiang’s identity because Shi Yuxiang was also a Void Forge cultivator on the verge of a breakthrough, allowing Liao Tingyan access to Thunder Valley, which once belonged to the Sima clan and aided in tribulation, but was now exclusively for the Shi clan. Liao Tingyan jested, asking if this was the protective shield he had found for her. Sima Jiao then instructed her to enter alone.
Liao Tingyan, surprised he was truly sending her in by herself, mustered her courage, reminding herself of her resilience. She believed that with her aptitude, cultivation from the Void Forge stage to Void Refinement stage, the Thunder Valley’s ability to weaken the strikes, and Sima Jiao's powerful defensive artifacts, the anticipated 36 thunderbolts would be manageable.
However, as the tribulation began, Liao Tingyan realized it was not the expected 36 thunderbolts, but the far more severe 81 thunderbolts (a Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation), typically reserved for Grand Ascend cultivators nearing immortality. Panicked, she felt the thunder aimed to obliterate her, wondering if she would be the first Void Forge cultivator to be killed by lightning. She decided to fight back, knowing Sima Jiao would never forgive himself if she perished.
The thunder tribulation intensified, and Liao Tingyan, unable to find Sima Jiao in the dimming light, felt afraid. The defensive necklace she wore blocked ten thunderbolts. However, as the strikes grew stronger and Liao Tingyan struggled, Sima Jiao personally stepped in, helping her block the remaining thunderbolts. With Sima Jiao shielding her and having set up a firm barrier, all the pressure seemed to fall upon him.
Bright flashes of lightning struck Sima Jiao repeatedly as he struggled to block them, helping Liao Tingyan overcome the ordeal again and again. He instructed her to sit still and assured her she would be fine, asking why she hadn't listened when he told her to sit still earlier. Liao Tingyan’s heart pounded, unsure if it was due to the terrifying tribulation or Sima Jiao's presence.
Sima Jiao explained that a tribulation within Thunder Valley would not cause any external anomalies. After the ordeal, Liao Tingyan tenderly cared for Sima Jiao, who was gravely injured and spitting blood from protecting her. She noted that his wounds would normally heal quickly for someone of his cultivation, but not for him. Sima Jiao reassured her that he would not die before her.
Liao Tingyan noticed a faint, sweet scent of Bloodseal Bloom emanating from him, as if seeping from his blood, and wondered if she was the only one who could detect it. She realized Sima Jiao had known the tribulation would be severe, which was why he had gone to such lengths to prepare her. He confirmed it, explaining that because she carried his aura, the Way of Heaven, which sought to kill him, had targeted her with 81 thunderbolts.
He had initially intended to distance himself during her tribulation, hoping she might avoid its full wrath, but even his lingering aura was not spared. Liao Tingyan lamented Heaven's cruelty, targeting his entire clan, but assured him she was not afraid of being implicated. However, she light-heartedly added that undergoing thunder tribulation was troublesome, and she preferred not to advance her cultivation too quickly.
