When Destiny Brings The Demon Episode 33 Recap
> When Destiny Brings The Demon Recap
Sima Jiao explained to Liao Tingyan that Mount Hu contained an entrance to the Nine Nether Purgatory, which You Yan intended to use to release his demonic soldiers, enabling him to rise and conquer the cultivation world. Liao Tingyan expressed concern that Sima Jiao had kept her in the dark, noting that if his memories hadn't returned, their plans would have been jeopardized.
Sima Jiao reassured her, revealing that he had secretly enchanted the royal crown passed down through emperors, ensuring his soul would become complete upon his coming-of-age ceremony, allowing him to recover his past memories. Liao Tingyan remarked on his meticulous planning but questioned why he also intended to open the Nine Nether Purgatory if his goal was to destroy You Yan.
Sima Jiao clarified that You Yan was difficult to eliminate directly, and the only solution was to seal him within the Nine Nether Purgatory, preventing his return to the three realms. Liao Tingyan understood that Sima Jiao planned to turn You Yan’s scheme against him. She wondered about the mountain’s unusual power in such a small country. Sima Jiao revealed that a thousand years ago, the Hu Kingdom was known as Mount Feng, the birthplace of the Fengshan clan.
After sealing You Yan, the clan's ancestors fused the key to open the mountain into the bloodline of the Hu Kingdom's emperors. Liao Tingyan worried about Sima Jiao, a mortal, fighting You Yan, but Sima Jiao dismissed it as a concern for later. Sima Jiao informed Liao Tingyan that since You Yan intended to aid the Marquis of Nanyan, they could use the Marquis to lure You Yan out.
He recounted how Chen Tang and Nianjiu had discovered many corpses of young boys and girls in the Marquis's dungeon and how You Yan was responsible for the death of Noble Consort Si Xian. Sima Jiao also accused the Marquis of causing chaos at the canal, bringing drought, and killing innocent people in his ambition to usurp the throne.
He noted that the Marquis, having lost his daughter and been stripped of his post, was eager for revenge, and an "opening" would expose his rebellious intentions. Liao Tingyan offered to create that opening for him. Liao Tingyan suggested they proceed with their wedding sooner rather than later, which Sima Jiao agreed to.
Privately, Liao Tingyan reflected that using their wedding in such a manner felt like a waste, yet she acknowledged that a marriage was necessary for both the worship ritual and to draw out You Yan. She was concerned about the demon core within her, which was growing increasingly unstable despite her efforts to suppress it with spirit fire. She feared that if the demon core fully took control, she would have to perish with it.
She had also been experiencing strange dreams, mostly set in modern times, where she seemed to be recovering from a car accident. Upon waking, she felt a profound sadness, worried that her departure was drawing near, and that her spiritual power might vanish completely when You Yan was finally sealed. She resolved to keep this secret from Sima Jiao to avoid disrupting his plan to eliminate You Yan, hoping instead to leave him with many cherished memories.
Sima Jiao, sensing her thoughts, asked what was on her mind. Liao Tingyan, looking at him, confessed that she had waited too long for this moment and wished for them to truly become husband and wife. Sima Jiao readily agreed. Internally, Liao Tingyan apologized for her dishonesty, but felt it was the only way to leave him with beautiful memories before her inevitable departure.
The imperial court issued a decree to open granaries and reduce taxes for the people and announced Liao Tingyan's conferment as Empress. Court officials protested the decision, arguing that Liao Tingyan's innocence in Noble Consort Si Xian's death had not been fully proven. Sima Jiao, however, declared that he had uncovered the true culprit, asserting it was not Liao Tingyan, and promised to reveal the truth after the worship ritual.
Meanwhile, the Marquis of Nanyan was furious that Sima Jiao was rushing to crown Liao Tingyan while his daughter's body was still unburied. Yi Huo, an imperial physician secretly allied with You Yan, reported to the Marquis that Liao Tingyan appeared weaker, her pulse thin and frail, indicating a decline in her power. You Yan, in her human disguise, affirmed that Liao Tingyan had indeed lost much of her cultivation and could no longer pose a threat.
Yi Huo urged the Marquis to act quickly, before Sima Jiao completed the worship ritual and became the true emperor by inheriting the imperial seal, warning that further hesitation would cost him his chance. Emboldened, the Marquis vowed to show no mercy to Sima Jiao and requested You Yan's aid. You Yan agreed to help him seize the throne, asking only for the imperial seal in return.
Later, Chen Tang reported to Sima Jiao that the Marquis and You Yan (the demoness by his side) believed Liao Tingyan’s powers had waned, and everything was unfolding according to Sima Jiao’s plan. Sima Jiao confirmed they would now await the worship ritual following the wedding. Liao Tingyan oversaw the lively wedding preparations, insisting on a grand ceremony. Late into the night, she continued crafting gifts, refusing to rest.
She confided to herself that she must leave Sima Jiao with many keepsakes, fearing that when You Yan was finally sealed, the demon core within her would lose control, forcing her to sacrifice herself to ensure You Yan's destruction. These gifts, she hoped, would lessen his loneliness after she was gone. The wedding day arrived, and with it, the barrier to Mount Hu disappeared. Sima Jiao noted that such a grand event would undoubtedly provoke the Marquis of Nanyan.
He presented Liao Tingyan with gifts, remarking that this was the wedding he had always wished to give her. Liao Tingyan, in turn, produced a pair of rings, declaring that they must exchange them. She called them "wedding rings," explaining that in her world, they symbolized two people becoming one, bound forever, a bond that even death could not break. Sima Jiao, gazing at her, pledged that they would be together for all lifetimes.
Later that night, Sima Jiao asked what she was thinking. Liao Tingyan, with a smile, suggested that the night was too short, and they should simply enjoy their time together. During the worship ritual, the Marquis of Nanyan launched his coup. Outnumbered, Sima Jiao feigned surrender, offering the throne to the Marquis. He presented a decree of abdication and handed over the imperial seal. Upon receiving the seal, the Marquis, reneging on his earlier promise, ordered Sima Jiao's death.
However, Sima Jiao, revealing his own prior preparations, immediately ordered the Marquis's arrest. He publicly accused the Marquis of colluding with the Demon Race, slaughtering children, causing drought, and framing the Empress, declaring his crimes deserving of death. The Grand General stepped forward, confirming that the Marquis had indeed killed his entire family despite years of loyalty and cover-ups. Sima Jiao, acknowledging the Marquis's long-standing treachery, reiterated the order for his arrest.
Desperate, the Marquis appealed to You Yan for help to defeat the "traitors" and ascend the throne. You Yan, however, discarded her disguise, revealing her true form and stating that with the imperial seal in her possession, she no longer needed the Marquis. Sima Jiao then exposed You Yan to the Marquis, revealing that the "immortal" he had served was the true killer of his daughter and the massacred children.
The Marquis initially dismissed this, believing You Yan to be an immortal, but Sima Jiao pointed out her monstrous appearance, exposing her demonic nature. You Yan then turned her attention to Liao Tingyan, surprised that she still retained her cultivation. Liao Tingyan acknowledged that there was no turning back now. Just as You Yan prepared to attack, Sima Jiao intervened. The Marquis, in a final act of desperation, stabbed Sima Jiao from behind.
Enraged, Liao Tingyan quickly struck down the Marquis. As Sima Jiao collapsed, Liao Tingyan frantically cradled him, desperately trying to revive him, exclaiming that she had already lost him once. A subordinate reported that Sima Jiao had no pulse, and Liao Tingyan continued to call his name in despair, realizing that this 'death' was part of a 'Life and Death Thunder Tribulation' which was his method of revival.
You Yan, now alone, began to unleash her true plan, declaring her intent to free her demonic soldiers and turn the Demon, Immortal, and Mortal Realms into her personal hunting grounds. Sima Jiao, miraculously revived and now standing, directly confronted You Yan. As they fought near the Nine Nether Purgatory, You Yan attempted to absorb Liao Tingyan’s power, planning to turn her into a puppet, boasting that the Purgatory held the strongest demonic energy.
Liao Tingyan fiercely resisted, vowing to kill You Yan even if it meant becoming a demon herself to uphold justice. You Yan was astonished to find Liao Tingyan sacrificing her own life force, burning her body to fight, and questioned how she, who was supposed to be dead, still possessed Spirit Fire.
Sima Jiao explained that he had rekindled a Spirit Fire at Mount Feng, the origin of the Fengshan clan, the same fire You Yan had once helped him ignite. You Yan, confused about her demonic soldiers, was then mocked by Sima Jiao, who revealed that her dream of assembling a demonic army was a delusion.
He explained that You Yan mistakenly believed the imperial seal was the key to opening the mountain, but Sima Jiao, as the Hu Kingdom's emperor who had completed the worship ritual, was the true key to opening Mount Hu and entering the Nine Nether Purgatory. Realizing Sima Jiao had deliberately lured her, You Yan furiously tried to drag him into the Nine Nether Purgatory.
During this fierce struggle, Sima Jiao urged Liao Tingyan to press on against You Yan, while others presumably supported him in the final stages of their sealing strategy. Liao Tingyan, despite her dwindling life force, assisted Sima Jiao in finally sealing You Yan. As You Yan was sealed, Liao Tingyan felt her vitality rapidly diminish. You Yan was vanquished. After their victory, Liao Tingyan, severely weakened from overexertion, collapsed into Sima Jiao’s arms.
Sima Jiao, surprised by her sudden decline, immediately grew alarmed. Liao Tingyan explained that she was being consumed by the Spirit Fire, a consequence of her sacrifice to ensure You Yan's destruction. Sima Jiao then explained that they had wagered on a difficult plan, involving a new Spirit Fire from Taiwei Mountain, reforged with the blood of the last Sima clan descendant and rekindled by the Spirit Fire within Liao Tingyan.
This fire, if it survived another Life and Death Thunder Tribulation (like the one he had just endured), would become a new, ever-growing Spirit Fire. Liao Tingyan, worried, asked Sima Jiao if he was confident he could survive this tribulation, given he had already 'died' once. Sima Jiao admitted he was only gambling. With You Yan sealed, Liao Tingyan realized her time was coming to an end. Sima Jiao, deeply concerned, asked what was wrong.
Tearfully, Liao Tingyan explained that her mission in this world was fulfilled, and it was time for her to depart, confirming her earlier premonitions. Sima Jiao refused to accept it, insisting they had just begun and he would never let her leave, vowing to find her wherever she went within the three realms. Liao Tingyan, however, spoke of other worlds beyond the three realms, implying that was where she was going.
She reflected on their three intertwined lifetimes, stating she was content with the years they had spent together. Sima Jiao desperately sought a solution. Liao Tingyan asked him to hold her close. She confessed her profound love for him, saying that without him, she could find happiness nowhere, no matter where she went. She asked him to live fully, to see beautiful things and taste delicious foods for her in the future.
As she spoke, her body began to dissipate into shimmering light. Sima Jiao, heartbroken, begged her not to leave, repeatedly calling her name as she vanished completely. Time then shifted to the modern world. Liao Tingyan woke up in a hospital bed, tubes attached to her, after what was described as a mild concussion. Disoriented, she wondered if everything she had experienced was merely a dream. After her recovery, she returned to work.
Her boss, Ms. Lily, gave her one last chance to salvage the "Serene Mountain" project, instructing her to attend a proposal meeting before 6:30 PM. Stuck in traffic, Liao Tingyan (identified as Zou Yan for this project in the English subtitles) jumped out of her taxi and rode an e-bike, but she still arrived late. Finding the meeting room empty, she sat dejectedly on the steps, longing for a cup of "Qingling Bamboo Dew."
She pondered if she could still distinguish between dream and reality. Suddenly, she heard familiar footsteps. Looking up, she saw a man who looked exactly like Sima Jiao. With tears in her eyes, Liao Tingyan stood to face him, exclaiming that she had found him again. The modern Sima Jiao smiled, asking if they had met before, stating it was their first encounter in this life.
