No Boundary Season 1 Episode 22 Recap
> No Boundary Season 1 Recap
Duanmu Cui, having been struck by the God Slaying Sword while protecting Wengu, desperately pleaded with Yang Jian to spare Wengu's life in exchange for her own. Yang Jian agreed to her request. Zhan Yan, overcome with anguish, tried to reassure her, but Duanmu Cui calmly stated that she was merely returning to Penglai. She then confronted Zhan Yan about carrying a doll she had given him, prompting him to confess his deep feelings for her.
Duanmu Cui gently interrupted him, saying his words would make her departure even harder. She instructed him to keep the doll close, promising that seeing it would be like seeing her. As the God Slaying Sword is known to disperse the spirits of those it strikes, Duanmu Cui's divine essence scattered. After her disappearance, Yang Jian instructed Wengu to leave, acknowledging that Duanmu Cui had paid for him with her life.
Wengu reflected on his past actions, driven by his singular desire to join Duanmu Cui in Penglai. To achieve this, Wengu even cut off his dragon horns. Due to his identity as an offspring of the Demon King, which would prevent his name from appearing on the Penglai Drawing, he had taken extreme measures, including killing another person to seize their ascension spot.
To conceal this, he destroyed the Penglai Drawing, ensuring that no one would discover his secret or the true identities of those granted divinity. Wengu rationalized his choices, asserting that all he ever wanted was to be by Duanmu Cui's side, and he accused the other deities of hypocrisy. Witnessing Duanmu Cui's apparent demise, Wengu swore he would return to retrieve her.
Yang Jian, realizing Zhan Yan's profound connection to Duanmu Cui, decided to save his life as an act of atonement for the harm caused to her. He sent Zhan Yan back to the mortal world. Three months later, Zhan Yan awoke in Qifeng Prefecture, plagued by vivid, painful memories of Duanmu Cui. Convinced she was dead from the God Slaying Sword, he frantically attempted to find her.
Shangguan Ce tried to calm him and stop him from leaving, but Zhan Yan was inconsolable. Jiang Wenqing then arrived and informed Zhan Yan that Duanmu Cui had long since departed, a revelation that finally brought a somber calm to Zhan Yan. Meanwhile, a deity at Penglai expressed concern about Duanmu Cui's fate after being struck by the God Slaying Sword.
Yang Jian explained that when Duanmu Cui, as a High Immortal, sought to open the abyss to rescue her fallen comrades, they had to prevent her. To this end, her memories were sealed into Guixu, leaving a wisp of her consciousness there. Yang Jian revealed his decision to confine Duanmu Cui in Guixu, hoping that this remnant consciousness would eventually re-coalesce her divine spirit. Despite their efforts, her full recovery remained uncertain, leaving one deity to pray for her awakening.
Zhan Yan visited Duanmu Residence, recalling cherished moments with Duanmu Cui, and unexpectedly discovered the Butterfly Messenger was still active. He followed the butterfly, which led him to a fleeting apparition of Duanmu Cui before vanishing into Guixu. Later, while walking through the streets, Zhan Yan rescued Little Qing Hua, who was being harassed by a mob.
Little Qing Hua, a sentient bowl, had been performing tricks to earn money for snacks for Duanmu Cui, refusing to believe she was truly gone. He explained that when deities fall, their souls return to Penglai and their bodies are laid to rest in Guixu. This insight, combined with the butterfly's guidance and his vision, fortified Zhan Yan's belief that Duanmu Cui was alive in Guixu, awaiting him in Penglai.
However, Jiang Wenqing cautioned him that only divine beings could enter Penglai, and the crucial Penglai Drawing was currently with Wengu. Undeterred, Zhan Yan declared his unwavering resolve to acquire the drawing from Wengu, even as Jiang Wenqing expressed skepticism about Wengu's current whereabouts. At Penglai, the High Immortals were dismayed that the Penglai Drawing had fallen into Wengu's hands, fearing he would use it to unleash demons from the Ninth Hell.
They blamed Duanmu Cui for knowing about Wengu and failing to report him. Yang Jian, however, fiercely defended his sister, rebuking the elderly deities for their comfortable lives and their hypocrisy, especially after they had "tricked" Duanmu Cui into descending to the mortal realm. When they continued to insist on Duanmu Cui's culpability, Yang Jian declared that with her spirit dispersed and her recovery uncertain in the Sea of Guixu, they should not try to shift their responsibilities onto her.
He asserted that any punishment for her supposed mistake should fall on him, as her brother. Suddenly, news arrived that Wengu had breached Penglai and was heading for the Sea of Guixu. Yang Jian confronted Wengu, who declared his intention to take Duanmu Cui from her confinement. Yang Jian reminded Wengu that he had spared his life, but Wengu accused Yang Jian and Penglai of being responsible for Duanmu Cui's death.
Believing Duanmu Cui was truly gone, Wengu, despite being a Divine Doctor, resolved to find a way to save her. Yang Jian attempted to dissuade him, explaining that Duanmu Cui's "chest of love debts" was indestructible and that she deserved to rest in peace after sacrificing herself for him. Wengu, however, blamed Penglai and Yang Jian for Duanmu Cui's fate and swore revenge.
Yang Jian offered Wengu another chance to surrender, but Wengu vehemently refused, instead abandoning his High Immortal divinity and vowing eternal enmity with Penglai until death, swearing he would return for Duanmu Cui. A dejected Wengu recalled his father's harsh teachings on power and ruthlessness, advising him against compassion if he wished to rule.
He also remembered being bullied as a child and called a monster for his dragon horns, which reinforced his father's belief that he had to become strong to avoid humiliation. Wengu then reflected on his millennia of good deeds, all performed with the hope of reaching Penglai to be with Duanmu Cui.
Angered by what he perceived as Penglai's hypocrisy and their failure to protect her, Wengu declared that since Penglai would not accept Duanmu Cui, he would not tolerate Penglai. He then swore to destroy the mortal world, which the deities sought to protect at Duanmu Cui's expense, reaffirming his vow to retrieve her.
At the God of Matchmaking Temple, Zhan Yan encountered Little Qing Hua causing a commotion, attempting to coerce the elusive God of Matchmaking into delivering messages to Duanmu Cui. After scolding Little Qing Hua for his deceptive methods of earning money, Zhan Yan devised a new plan: he began writing heartfelt letters to Duanmu Cui daily, threatening to use his authority in Qifeng Prefecture to disrupt the temple's operations if the God of Matchmaking refused to deliver them.
His letters, filled with expressions of deep love and unwavering commitment, declared his resolve to find her "no matter if it's in heaven or in hell." Hearing Zhan Yan's persistent calls and poignant words, Duanmu Cui stirred and began to awaken from her slumber in Guixu. Duanmu Cui awoke in Guixu and tried to break free from the "love lock" binding her.
The God of Matchmaking appeared, explaining that she was confined because her spirit, dispersed by the God Slaying Sword, had only reformed thanks to a trace of her memories within this very love lock, which was meant to contain her past romantic entanglements and had now merged with her.
He presented her with Zhan Yan's letters, assuring her that Zhan Yan was well, though Duanmu Cui noticed his pallor when the God of Matchmaking showed her his current situation using his divine vision. Sensing her lingering doubts and her deep desire to see Zhan Yan, the God of Matchmaking decided to facilitate their reunion.
