Love of the Divine Tree Recap, Plot, Synopsis

Love of the Divine Tree Synopsis

Twenty years ago, Mu Qingge, the leader of the Wester Sect, sacrificed the Golden Core to seal the Ling Quan on her disciple Su Yishui in order to protect the people and prevent the chaos caused by the spiritual spring of demonic creatures.

Mu Qingge's actions were misunderstood by the world as that of a demonic leader, leading to a joint attack by the four major sects. Su Yishui learned the truth before Mu Qingge's death, and after overcoming countless dangers, he found the Tree of Reincarnation, offering half of his Golden Core to help Mu Qingge be reborn.

Twenty years later, Mu Qingge was reborn as Xue Ranran. Su Yishui took in the frail and dying Ranran, vowing to protect her throughout her life. Now, with the seal on the spiritual spring loosening again, the demonic cultivator Dun Tian seeks to use the Ling Quan to create demonic son, intending to harm the living.

Remembering Mu Qingge's instructions, Su Yishui risked his life to seal the Ling Quan back into the ghost realm. Su Yishui was framed by Dun Tian while sealing the spiritual spring and lost his memory. Despite the loss of memory, Su Yishui fell in love with Ranran once again.

Together, they faced numerous hardships, ultimately thwarting Dun Tian's conspiracy, protecting the people, and bringing clarity to the world.

Love of the Divine Tree Recap

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In the ancient times, the Mortal Demon Lord’s spiritual power could not be extinguished, so it had to be sealed away. Later, the Spiritual Spring gathered the evil thoughts of heaven and earth, possessing the power to destroy the world. Mu Qingge from the Wester Sect stole the Spiritual Spring, bringing chaos to the mortal realm. The four major sects joined forces to eliminate it, but they were no match for her.

Mu Qingge resisted fiercely, but in the end, she was killed by her disciple, Su Yishui. Before her death, she carved an ugly mark on Su Yishui’s face, cursing him to live a life where he could never face the world. Eighteen years later, Mu Qingge was reincarnated as Xue Ranran, living in Xue Family Village near Jue Mountain. She had a bracelet named "Ling Xiao" since childhood.

Xue Ranran ran a restaurant, and every time the storyteller spoke of Su Yishui’s tale, she couldn’t help but retort. Day after day, Xue Ranran noticed that Ling Xiao’s power was weakening, and she always sought a way to restore its spiritual power. Wei Jiu, the leader of the Scarlet Sect, had a compass made from the bones of the Heavenly Dragon, which could break through all barriers.

Elder Da Wu suggested that they should extract Mu Qingge's remaining spiritual energy from the mortal realm as soon as possible. Wei Jiu found the large tree where Mu Qingge had turned, and discovered that a fruit had fallen, turning into a person. It was unclear whether it was Mu Qingge or her sister. At the Western Sect, in his secluded cave, Su Yishui had been cultivating for eighteen years.

One day, he suddenly sensed something was happening at Jue Mountain, feeling something unusual. He decided to seal off his five senses and give up on his cultivation. In order to find the reincarnated Mu Qingge, Wei Jiu ordered his subordinate Tu Jiuyuan to capture everyone born in the year of Qing Geng in Xue Family Village. Xue Ranran's friend, Xiao Cui, was also taken.

Hearing villagers shout about demons causing harm, Xue Ranran took out a talisman given by Prince Su Yu and followed the path where Xiao Cui was taken. When they arrived at Jue Mountain and the Scarlet Sect, Wei Jiu discovered that Mu Qingge was not among the captured villagers. He threatened them with turning them into ashes if they didn’t speak the truth.

The village head, scared, revealed that a mysterious woman had arrived in the village in the year of Qing Geng. Xue Ranran, hiding nearby, heard the village head mention her name and decided to leave to seek help from Su Yu’s immortal master to save the villagers. However, her clothes brushed against the grass, making a noise that caught Wei Jiu’s attention. Xue Ranran quickly used the talisman and left Jue Mountain.

Wei Jiu ordered Elder Da Wu to track her, but Su Yishui arrived in time to save Xue Ranran. Elder Da Wu saw Su Yishui’s face, and Su Yishui immediately silenced him. As Xue Ranran was about to leave, Su Yishui realized that her body was already filled with demonic energy and helped her expel it. He also discovered that Xue Ranran's spiritual core had been completely shattered. After Xue Ranran fell unconscious, Su Yishui took her to his dwelling.

He guessed that she hadn’t received enough nourishment from the Immortal Tree, which caused her premature aging. To help her restore her spiritual energy, he decided to have Xue Ranran formally become his disciple, using their master-disciple bond to perform a spell. When Xue Ranran woke up, she overheard a conversation between Su Yishui and his subordinates, scaring her into attempting to escape.

However, Su Yishui caught her and forcibly made her drip blood onto a jade plate as a sign of taking him as her master. Xue Ranran resisted strongly, using the jade plate to push him away. Su Yishui immediately moved to the courtyard, and he guessed that the jade plate was a sacred artifact of the Western Sect, most likely retaining Mu Qingge’s spiritual energy.

To save the villagers, Xue Ranran reluctantly agreed to take Su Yishui as her master and pressed her soul seal onto the jade plate. Just as Wei Jiu and his men arrived nearby, they were suddenly blocked by a burst of talismans. It turned out they had accidentally entered Su Yu’s domain. The immortal master Lao Feng immediately informed the four major sects, and Wei Jiu had no choice but to flee in defeat.

While searching for Ling Xiao, Xue Ranran found that Su Yishui had saved her once more and infused Ling Xiao with immortal energy. She decided to temporarily take him as her master. The two went to the Western Sect, where Xue Ranran met three others: Bai Baishan, Gao Cang, and Qiu Xier, all of whom were also planning to take Su Yishui as their master. During the ceremony to become disciples, dark clouds suddenly gathered, and thunder roared.

Su Yishui realized that this strange phenomenon was due to their unconventional actions, but he used his powers to reverse the situation, turning darkness into light.

Su Yishui took Xue Ranran to West Wind Valley to purge the worldly aura from her. He pushed her into the valley’s depths to undergo tempering, but Xue Ranran mistakenly thought Su Yishui was using her body to refine pills. She was so frightened that her legs gave way. Ling Xiao, the bracelet, used its vines to ease her suffering. Su Yishui stood on the shore, speaking to himself.

He had thought that when he met Mu Qingge again, they would resolve their grudges, but to his surprise, she had already forgotten everything. Meanwhile, two men were discussing the reunion between Su Yishui and Xue Ranran, saying that the plan from eighteen years ago was finally coming to fruition. Wei Jiu continued to search for Xue Ranran’s whereabouts. After Yu Chen reported back to Su Yishui, Su Yishui ordered him to use a diversion spell to hide Xue Ranran.

The Earthquake Instrument of the Eternal Sect suddenly started moving, and Immortal Kaiyuan of the sect was puzzled about what force had caused it. Sovereign Lu Yun of the Scud Sect stated that such a phenomenon had never occurred in the past eighteen years. Both Sovereign Cang Heng of the Sun Sect and Sovereign Wen Yi'an of the Hollow Sect agreed that they should go to West Mountain to investigate.

Two elders, Yan Liangyu and Wen Hongshan, visited West Mountain to check if anything unusual had been found. Su Yishui used a water mirror to show them that the barrier was still intact, but the two elders were not entirely convinced, as Su Yishui was the one controlling the water mirror. Yan Liangyu's subordinates tried to force their way into West Mountain, but Bai Baishan confronted them.

After losing in a martial contest, Xue Ranran immediately stepped in to protect Bai Baishan, but she was no match for the attackers. Su Yishui arrived in time to save them, severely striking down the intruders. Yan Liangyu mocked Su Yishui for bullying the younger generation, which made Su Yishui scold Xue Ranran for overestimating her own abilities. Su Yishui took Xue Ranran to the Ice Lotus Pool and reprimanded her for showing off and stepping in to help others.

His gaze was full of concern, but Xue Ranran stubbornly claimed she would do the same if faced with a similar situation again. Su Yishui then moved Xue Ranran to a remote island, ordering her to recite the Cold Heart Sutra. Unable to locate the hidden fruit, Wei Jiu sent Tu Jiuyuan back to Jue Mountain to retrieve an item. Xue Ranran was filled with resentment toward Su Yishui.

While passing by the Worry-Free Pavilion, she remembered that Yu Tong had mentioned Su Yishui’s Blood Jade Marrow absorbed moonlight there every night. She secretly approached the room and, near the Blood Jade Marrow, Ling Xiao’s energy was replenished. She also discovered a bridal gown and a silk pouch in a wardrobe, which contained two talismans. Another room contained a water mirror. In the water mirror, Su Yishui was seen battling a giant dragon.

Just as Xue Ranran was mesmerized by the scene, she heard Su Yishui approaching the room. In a hurry, she used an invisibility talisman. Su Yishui changed into new clothes and began to bathe. He suddenly drew the invisible Xue Ranran to his side. Embarrassed, she quickly took out the silk pouch. Su Yishui asked about Xue Ranran’s relationship with Su Yu. She lied, claiming that she was secretly in love with Su Yu.

Su Yishui seemed displeased but quickly fainted. Taking advantage of his unconscious state, Xue Ranran took the jade plate. She fled to the outskirts, where a white cat suddenly appeared and led her to Mu Qingge’s Lingxi Palace. Inside, the room was filled with many wine recipes and cookbooks. As expected, Mu Qingge was indeed a person who lived for indulgence.

A red robe from a painting on the wall suddenly draped itself over Xue Ranran, and Su Yishui entered the palace shortly afterward. Seeing Xue Ranran, he couldn’t help but call out Mu Qingge’s name. Xue Ranran thought Su Yishui was going to harm her and resisted strongly. As Su Yishui approached, a circle of sharp swords suddenly surrounded him. Once again, Xue Ranran managed to escape from Su Yishui’s grasp.

Tu Jiuyuan found Xue Ranran’s hair in Jue Mountain, which made it much easier for Wei Jiu to enter her consciousness. After leaving West Mountain, Xue Ranran exchanged the jade plate for silver, using it to buy a meal. But then she suddenly lost her sense of taste. The more she ate, the faster she aged, and soon she collapsed at an inn. Wei Jiu traced Xue Ranran’s spiritual consciousness and used a spell to enter it.

When Su Yishui took the jade plate back, he discovered that Xue Ranran’s mind had been invaded. He shifted her consciousness to his own, forcing Wei Jiu to realize that the fruit that had yet to fall wasn’t Mu Qingge after all. After leaving the consciousness realm, Su Yishui fed Xue Ranran the blood of a black flood dragon to mask her aura and evade Wei Jiu. He then took her back to West Mountain.

Mu Qingge’s other disciple, Zeng Yi, had already received the message and arrived early. Su Yishui asked Zeng Yi to examine Xue Ranran’s spiritual consciousness.

Twenty-two years ago, Su Yishui was ridiculed by several princes due to his status as a concubine’s son. After obtaining the Heart-Guiding Gu, he staged a life-saving act in front of the emperor, yet he was still treated as a joke. Just as he was about to teach them a harsh lesson, Su Yu arrived with his close friend Mu Qingge.

Mu Qingge used her magic to stop Su Yishui’s attack and sighed that, despite Su Yishui’s handsome appearance, he carried too much hostility. At that time, Prince Zong and Ping Qinwang were secretly vying for the position of crown prince. Su Yishui was the candidate that Ping Qinwang had carefully cultivated. From a young age, Su Yishui was taken in by Ping Qinwang, and a sorcerer implanted the Extreme Yin Spirit Spring into his body.

This was meant to enhance his magical power while also making him easier to control. The young Su Yishui was then locked inside a barrier where he had to battle demonic beasts daily. A year later, Su Yishui finally defeated the beasts and emerged from the barrier. However, due to his special status, he continued to face ridicule from other princes. His younger sister, Su Xiaoxiao, suffered the same treatment.

From an early age, Su Yishui understood that if he wanted respect, he had to become strong. Thus, he diligently practiced martial arts day after day. Upon reaching adulthood, Su Yishui was finally able to sense the Spirit Spring within him. The sorcerer then told him that he had to master the Demonic Core Essence-Draining Technique, which would allow him to absorb the powers of others.

This technique was sealed within Eternal Sect, so Su Yishui planned to join Eternal Sect, earn their trust, and eventually obtain the Demonic Core Essence-Draining Technique. He also knew that this technique could easily backfire, consuming him instead. Only by mastering martial arts and developing resistance could he fully control it. Some time later, Ping Qinwang inquired whether Su Yishui had succeeded.

Su Yishui replied that the technique was stored in the Scripture Pavilion and required the sovereign’s personal spiritual transmission to obtain. Growing impatient, Ping Qinwang urged him to hasten the process. Meanwhile, Su Yu’s younger brother, the Second Prince, was suddenly abducted. Su Yu asked Mu Qingge for help in finding him. At the scene of the incident, Mu Qingge discovered that Su Yishui was the one who had taken the prince.

She tracked him to a river and demanded his return. Though Su Yishui had disguised himself, Mu Qingge still recognized him. During their fight, Mu Qingge realized that Su Yishui, like her, was born with a Five-Spirit Root. Su Yishui attempted to escape but was entangled by Mu Qingge, who forced him to reveal the Second Prince’s whereabouts. In his panic, Su Yishui accidentally revealed his demonic root.

Finding this odd, Mu Qingge entrusted Jiu Lao Xian to investigate Su Yishui’s origins. Although Su Yishui was working for Ping Qinwang, he had not yet committed any grave misdeeds. Thus, Mu Qingge decided to take him as a disciple to suppress his demonic nature. When Su Yishui heard that Mu Qingge wanted to take him as a disciple, he found it absurd. At that moment, Wen Hongshan passed by with a few female disciples and intervened on Su Yishui’s behalf.

Su Yishui managed to shake off Mu Qingge and returned to Eternal Sect, only to be reprimanded by Yan Liangyu for staying away too long. Just then, Wen Hongshan arrived and explained that she had driven Mu Qingge away. Seeing Wen Hongshan’s concern for Su Yishui, Yan Liangyu looked displeased. Su Yishui realized Yan Liangyu’s jealousy and deliberately provoked him, forcing Yan Liangyu to use the direct spiritual power inherited from Immortal Kaiyuan.

Despite his severe injuries from the day’s events, Su Yishui extracted the spiritual power from his body that night and secretly entered the Scripture Pavilion. However, he found that Mu Qingge had already been waiting for him. Still intent on making him her disciple, Mu Qingge pressed him once more. To make her leave, Su Yishui revealed the whereabouts of the Second Prince in exchange for her departure.

Mu Qingge rescued the Second Prince, and Prince Zong was deeply grateful. Su Yu, even more so, developed strong feelings for her. A young prince casually remarked that he hoped Su Yu would marry Mu Qingge soon. Embarrassed, Su Yu remained silent, while Mu Ranwu, standing nearby, showed signs of jealousy. Su Yu invited Mu Qingge to stay in the capital, but she expressed her preference for a quieter environment and mentioned that she had urgent matters to attend to.

However, Mu Ranwu was unwilling to return to Mount Wester, so Mu Qingge agreed to let her sister remain in the capital. Before leaving, she gave Mu Ranwu a whistle, saying that she could call for her in times of danger. Su Yishui was caught stealing the Demonic Core Essence-Draining Technique. Yan Liangyu subjected him to severe torture but failed to extract any information about the mastermind behind him.

That night, Mu Qingge disguised herself as Immortal Kaiyuan and approached Su Yishui, claiming that she had long been aware of his true intentions but refrained from bringing it up since he had never admitted it himself. She stated that Immortal Kaiyuan was seeking a disciple to inherit all his skills. Su Yishui immediately agreed, pricking his finger to leave a blood mark on a jade disc and swearing a soul oath.

Once everything was completed, the figure of Immortal Kaiyuan transformed into Mu Qingge, and Su Yishui realized he had been deceived. After returning to Mount Wester, several men came out to welcome them. Su Yishui recalled hearing rumors that Mu Qingge traveled everywhere in search of handsome men, and he felt utterly disgusted. Mu Qingge instructed Zeng Yi to arrange accommodations for Su Yishui.

However, Su Yishui prepared to strike again but was swiftly restrained by Mu Qingge, who sealed his true energy. Zeng Yi advised him to take medicine and soak in a medicinal bath, but Su Yishui, assuming the disciples of Mount Wester harbored ill intentions, refused to comply. That night, Mu Qingge visited his room and forcibly pushed him into the bathtub. To her surprise, she discovered that Su Yishui’s chest was burning with Corrosive Bone Fire.

It turned out that after abducting the Second Prince, Su Yishui had shown mercy and spared his life. As punishment, Ping Qinwang had ordered a sorcerer to implant the Corrosive Bone Fire into Su Yishui’s body, causing him unbearable pain. Mu Qingge extracted the Corrosive Bone Fire from him, and Su Yishui, now subdued, obediently changed into Mount Wester’s robes. He then asked Mu Qingge whether the rumors about her searching for male companions were true.

Mu Qingge explained that each of her disciples had unique talents, though their martial skills were not particularly outstanding. Moreover, she added, having an appreciation for beauty was not inherently a bad thing. Still unconvinced, Su Yishui challenged her authority. In response, Mu Qingge unsealed his power, allowing him to use any means to kill her. However, for every failed attempt, he would have to endure consequences.

As expected, Su Yishui was unable to defeat her, so he was assigned tasks such as playing the qin, feeding chickens and ducks—light chores designed to gradually temper his violent nature. From time to time, Mu Qingge took Mu Ranwu to visit their benefactor, Ye Xin. Upon hearing about Mu Qingge taking in a disciple, Ye Xin performed a divination and foresaw misfortune in her future.

He urged her to ascend to immortality as soon as possible, but Mu Qingge expressed her fondness for the mortal world. Seeing her determination, Ye Xin did not insist and instead left the courtyard to travel the world. Under Mu Qingge’s guidance, Su Yishui improved rapidly. He gradually realized that her punishments were, in fact, a method of refining his internal energy. One day, Ping Qinwang secretly summoned Su Yishui to meet him at the foot of Mount Wester.

Su Yishui informed him about how Mu Qingge had tricked him into becoming her disciple and making a soul oath. However, Ping Qinwang was unconcerned, focusing only on Su Yishui’s failure to follow the plan and reminding him that he could control his spiritual energy at any time. Just as Su Yishui was about to extract his inner core, Mu Qingge took him to a nearby town to do good deeds.

One day, they came across a little girl tied to a tree and kindly rescued her. However, they soon realized that a terrestrial immortal had set a Shadow Silk Trap on them, causing their movements to become eerily synchronized. They then discovered the terrestrial immortal’s domain. The immortal was only willing to release two people, so Mu Qingge allowed Su Yishui and the girl to leave while she stayed behind to confront the immortal.

Su Yishui felt a hint of concern, but soon after, Mu Qingge also emerged from the domain, having managed to steal a piece of Blood Jade Marrow from the immortal. However, the Shadow Silk Trap could not be undone immediately, leaving the two still moving in perfect unison.

To save Su Yishui, Mu Qingge was injured by an ice pillar while fighting against the terrestrial immortal. After returning to the inn, Mu Qingge treated her wound alone. Su Yishui saw this and took the initiative to help, but he was too shy to directly look at Mu Qingge’s fair skin. Instead, he turned his face slightly and applied the medicine, which made Mu Qingge smile.

That night, as the cold poison in her body flared up, Mu Qingge trembled uncontrollably. Su Yishui hurriedly gathered several blankets and placed them over her, feeling a pang of sympathy. However, he couldn’t bring himself to speak, so he sat by her side the entire night. The next morning, Mu Qingge woke up first and was touched to see that Su Yishui had stayed by her side all night.

As Su Yishui was about to leave for Mount Wester, Mu Qingge told him that it was his birthday and allowed him to take the day off to do as he pleased. Mu Qingge returned to Mount Wester first, while Su Yu brought Mu Ranwu to visit. He mentioned Su Yishui’s time in Ping Qinwang’s manor and expressed concern that Mu Qingge might not be able to change him completely, even potentially putting herself in danger.

However, Mu Qingge remained confident. Su Yishui wandered the streets alone, and eventually found himself standing in front of his old home. His mother, Jiang Shi, was selling small trinkets. Upon seeing Su Yishui, she shut the door in his face. This brought back painful memories of his childhood, where his mother had mistreated him. After Jiang Shi left Ping Qinwang’s household, she took Su Yishui with her but treated him cruelly, even taking a lover.

One day, when Ping Qinwang passed by, he offered to take Su Yishui back to the manor, but Su Yishui didn’t want to go to an unfamiliar place. His mother had long considered him a burden and cruelly threw him out. After wandering the streets for a time, Su Yishui decided to seek refuge with Ping Qinwang. Thinking back on these tragic memories, Su Yishui felt like crying but had no tears left.

In frustration, he set Jiang Shi’s house on fire. By the time Su Yishui returned to Mount Wester, it was already late at night. He assumed everyone had gone to bed, but as he approached the door, he heard Mu Qingge instructing her servant to leave the door open for him. When the door opened, Mu Qingge hurried out with an umbrella to greet him.

Seeing her caring gesture reminded Su Yishui of the humiliation he had faced when his mother had thrown him out earlier in the day, and for the first time in his life, he felt warmth. Once inside the courtyard, Mu Qingge prepared a birthday meal for him and planted a seed in the soil. It quickly grew into a large tree. Mu Qingge explained that a courtyard with a large tree is truly a home.

Su Yishui wasn’t used to being cared for and tried to convince Mu Qingge not to waste her energy. His ultimate goal, he said, was to make those who had once mistreated him pay the price. Mu Qingge recalled her own childhood, when she had lived in poverty. She had once prepared to starve to death but had somehow survived, feeling fortunate that she hadn’t gone down the wrong path. She encouraged Su Yishui to let go of his hatred.

Now that he had left Ping Qinwang, she would lead him into a different kind of life. Su Yishui, feeling an unprecedented sense of relief, followed her lead and drank a cup of wine, eventually falling unconscious. The next day, several of Mu Qingge’s fellow disciples noticed that Su Yishui’s qin playing was much more relaxed than before. Only Mu Qingge could tell that something was wrong and quickly moved closer to Su Yishui.

She realized that one of the strings on his qin had snapped. Seeing his unstable breath, she asked if something impure had been planted in his body earlier. Su Yishui thought back to Ping Qinwang’s actions but didn’t tell Mu Qingge. Mu Qingge took Su Yishui to the Westwind Valley to rest and recover. She also gave him a pill and used her own power to help him refine a Golden Pill.

After Su Yishui successfully completed the process, he noticed many wounds on Mu Qingge’s hands. She explained that the injuries were from gathering herbs to make the pills for him. Su Yishui secretly began to make his own medicine formulas. When he gave one to Mu Qingge, it was discovered by Mu Ranwu. She immediately went to tell Su Yu, speculating that Mu Qingge and Su Yishui had mutual feelings for each other.

Su Yu, aware of Mu Ranwu’s feelings for him, reassured her that his heart had always belonged to Mu Qingge. He immediately ordered someone to bring a craftsman to Mount Wester to build a Lingxi Palace for Mu Qingge, hoping to put an end to Mu Ranwu’s one-sided affection. Once the craftsman arrived, Mu Qingge instructed Zeng Yi to look after the house and took Su Yishui down the mountain, claiming she had important business.

However, once they descended, Mu Qingge took Su Yishui around to enjoy delicious food and visit the markets. Eventually, she even set up a competition for disciples, with looks being one of the criteria. Wei Jiu volunteered to join Mount Wester, but Mu Qingge teased him about his average appearance and talent. After being ridiculed, Wei Jiu harbored resentment and swore that he would make Mu Qingge regret it in the future. After wandering for a while, Mu Qingge gifted Su Yishui a Blood Jade Marrow sword as a congratulatory gift for completing the Golden Pill.

Su Yishui was gradually changed by Mu Qingge. When he was preparing to leave the capital, he went to a tailor shop to urge the completion of a dress that was custom-made for Mu Qingge. However, as he was about to leave, Su Xiaoxiao called out to him and brought him back to Ping Qinwang’s manor. Ping Qinwang interrogated Su Yishui, asking why he had stopped contacting him.

When Ping Qinwang took out a magical bottle to cast a spell, he was surprised to find that Su Yishui was unharmed. The sorcerer nearby realized that Su Yishui had already refined the Golden Pill, not the demonic pill that Ping Qinwang had planned. Su Yishui bluntly revealed Ping Qinwang’s plot against him, stating that he had found a new direction in life and would no longer be controlled by anyone.

Seeing that he couldn’t sway Su Yishui, Ping Qinwang began to sow discord by mentioning Su Yishui’s relationship with Mu Qingge. He claimed that Mu Qingge had long known Su Yu and would use Su Yishui to undermine Ping Qinwang, helping Su Yu ascend to the position of Crown Prince. Su Yishui didn’t believe this at all. He and Ping Qinwang were at an impasse when the sorcerer stepped in and offered a cup of tea to ease the tension.

Meanwhile, the four great sects had gathered around the Yingtian仪 (Yingmo Instrument), sensing that someone was summoning the spirit spring. Su Yu informed Mu Qingge about the Yingtian仪’s reaction and speculated that Ping Qinwang had ordered the sorcerer to summon the spirit spring. The Emperor had suddenly fallen ill the previous month, and Ping Qinwang, unable to control himself, had resorted to dangerous measures.

Mu Qingge vowed to investigate who was behind the summoning, not only to help Su Yu but also for the peace of the world. Ping Qinwang was filled with hatred for Mu Qingge but was relieved that Su Yishui still respected him. The sorcerer, however, believed that Su Yishui’s heart could hold Mu Qingge, as well as the royal family, and even more people. Thankfully, the sorcerer had just added a drop of contaminated water into Su Yishui’s tea.

As long as there was any resentment or suspicion in his heart, it would only grow stronger. The sorcerer, working with Ping Qinwang, incited Wei Jiu to harm Mu Qingge. Wei Jiu had no moral boundaries and used the demonic sect’s poisonous snakes to attack Mu Qingge. Facing poisonous snakes that even immortals had trouble with, Mu Qingge fought back with all her might but was still bitten by the filthy demonic snake.

Taking advantage of Wei Jiu’s momentary distraction, she used an invisibility talisman to escape. Su Yishui found the injured Mu Qingge in a cave, and Wei Jiu soon arrived. Seeing Mu Qingge gravely wounded, Su Yishui’s anger exploded. He sacrificed his own life force and blood to empower his sword, driving Wei Jiu away. He then forced the cold poison out of Mu Qingge’s body and carried her to the edge of a lake.

Mu Qingge, weak, leaned against Su Yishui’s shoulder. Su Yishui vowed to always protect her and kissed her forehead with deep affection. The next day, when they returned to Mount Wester, the Lingxi Palace had already been completed. Mu Qingge assumed that it was the craftsman Su Yu had sent, but Zeng Yi informed her that it was Su Yishui who had sent away the original craftsmen and designed the palace himself.

Su Yishui quickly added that it would be more fitting if he designed the courtyard for the Xuanyuan Sect. As they were speaking, Su Yu arrived at Mount Wester to meet with Mu Qingge. Since her birthday was approaching, Su Yu had prepared a special gift for her. After Su Yu left, Su Yishui went to Mu Qingge’s room to deliver a sword manual.

He secretly opened Su Yu’s gift, finding a jade hairpin that was identical to the one Ping Qinwang had given to his mother, Feng Shi. Furious, he took the hairpin and ran down the mountain to confront Su Yu, warning him not to send gifts to Mu Qingge again. Su Yu also advised Su Yishui not to be overly possessive. The two began to fight, but Mu Qingge arrived just in time to stop them.

Holding the broken jade hairpin, Su Yishui grew even more disgusted with Su Yu and could no longer hold back. He drew his sword, but Mu Qingge, seeing Su Yishui’s volatile emotions, used her magic to calm him down and sent Su Yu away. As Su Yishui’s emotions continued to flare, the cursed vial in Ping Qinwang’s hands began to stir, signaling the effect of the water that had been added to Su Yishui’s tea.

Mu Qingge couldn’t understand why Su Yishui was so agitated, especially since he had already refined the Golden Pill. While Su Yishui was unconscious, Mu Qingge entered his consciousness and discovered that it was filled with painful memories of his childhood abuse. Not wanting Su Yishui to fall into the demonic trap, Mu Qingge went to Puxin Village to seek help from Ye Xin.

Ye Xin had already been traveling around, but his room was filled with many books and ancient images. Mu Qingge guessed that one of the books might contain a method to separate the spirit spring and began browsing through them. When she came across an ancient painting, she entered it and glimpsed the future. As for Su Yishui, not long after, he was consumed by the spirit spring, falling into madness and destruction.

Thinking of how Su Yishui had become gentler over time, Mu Qingge felt a deep sadness. After leaving the ancient painting, Mu Ranwu arrived, and Mu Qingge suddenly decided to help Su Yishui remove his demonic mark. She instructed Mu Ranwu to tell Su Yu that she would help him seize the world. Back at Mount Wester, Zeng Yi reported that the four great sects had sent the Yingmo Luopan and requested to investigate the whereabouts of the demonic child.

After Su Yishui woke up and learned of his actions, he prepared to apologize to Mu Qingge by arranging the Lingxi Palace. However, Ping Qinwang once again used his magic, causing Su Yishui to feel unwell. Mu Qingge forcibly suppressed his condition. The Yingmo Luopan gave a faint response, and the four great sects requested to inspect Mount Wester.

Mu Qingge instructed Zeng Yi to close the gates and use a sealing formation to imprison Su Yishui in the Lingxi Palace. She then began searching for a way to sever the connection with the spirit spring.

Su Yishui decided to separate from the spirit spring on his own to prove himself to Mu Qingge. He forcefully broke free from the chains and left Mount Wester. Mu Qingge found Su Yu and expressed her willingness to help the royal family seize the world. Su Yishui happened to pass by and overheard their conversation. He remembered that Ping Qinwang had previously mentioned Mu Qingge's relationship with Su Yu, which ignited his anger once more.

Without thinking, he attacked Mu Qingge. Mu Qingge ordered Mu Ranwu to take Su Yu away first, while she suppressed Su Yishui's powers. She then used a drop of her blood to imprison Su Yishui once again on Mount Wester. Mu Qingge stole the Ice Lotus from Mount Tianshan and brought back the White Tiger guarding it.

Su Yishui saw that Mu Qingge was willing to steal immortal objects just to suppress him, further confirming his belief that Mu Qingge was paving the way for Su Yu. His hatred intensified. In a fit of rage, he decided to willingly merge with the spirit spring, breaking the chains and thrusting a magical sword toward Mu Qingge. However, just as the sword was about to strike her, Su Yishui hesitated, his heart softening.

Mu Qingge once again trapped him and went to the Eternal Sect to seek the method of extracting the demonic heart. After Mu Qingge left, Ping Qinwang’s sorcerer soon appeared before Su Yishui. He tempted Su Yishui to embrace the demonic path and led him to the Tianshan Mountain’s Body Cleansing Pool to fully absorb the spirit spring’s power.

The sorcerer informed Su Yishui that the emperor had passed away, and Ping Qinwang was now in a fierce battle with the royal family. He tried to convince Su Yishui to conquer the world. Mu Qingge went to Mount Jiuhua to borrow a secret manual, but the Immortal Kaichen refused, citing previous grievances. As they prepared to clash, a bright light appeared in the distance. Mu Qingge realized that Su Yishui had already become the demonic child.

As Immortal Kaichen prepared to lead a team to destroy him, Mu Qingge loudly declared that she was the demonic child, which startled Wei Jiu. He appeared at Mount Jiuhua, urging Mu Qingge to hand over the spirit spring. Seeing someone fall for the trap, Mu Qingge decided to leave Wei Jiu to deal with Mount Jiuhua while she left the area.

Su Yishui had completely fallen into darkness, and with his demonic power, he had taken control of most of the world. Mu Qingge had obtained the method of extracting the demonic heart and was ready to take on the identity of the demonic child herself. Zeng Yi believed that Mu Qingge was making too great a sacrifice, and Su Yishui did not understand the worth of such a sacrifice.

But Mu Qingge had already made up her mind and silenced Zeng Yi’s objections. As Su Yishui was performing his demonic rituals, Mu Qingge arrived to put an end to everything. Su Yishui still thought that Mu Qingge was helping Su Yu. Knowing she wouldn’t be able to explain, Mu Qingge directly used the method of extracting the demonic heart to absorb the spirit spring from Su Yishui’s body. In doing so, she became the demonic child.

Rumors began to spread in the military that Mu Qingge was using demonic powers in battle. Upon hearing this, Su Yu declared that he would marry Mu Qingge once the war ended. Mu Ranwu, feeling incredibly jealous, secretly placed a drug in Su Yu’s tea. Su Yu immediately noticed the strange taste, and as a result, he expelled Mu Ranwu from the camp. This only deepened Mu Ranwu's hatred for Mu Qingge.

Mu Ranwu found Su Yishui and presented the method of extracting the demonic heart, pleading with him to save Mu Qingge. Su Yishui had already understood Mu Qingge's intentions and agreed without hesitation. When Mu Ranwu summoned Mu Qingge, Su Yishui noticed that she had set up an immortal binding array in advance, and the leaders of the four great sects had appeared. It turned out that Mu Ranwu’s claim to help Mu Qingge was just an excuse.

Her infatuation with Su Yu had turned her hatred for Mu Qingge into a burning desire for revenge. By the time Su Yishui realized he had been tricked, Mu Qingge was already surrounded by the Ninefold Bone Ritual Array of the four great sects. Mu Ranwu, in her delusion, attempted to absorb Mu Qingge’s spirit spring but was instead consumed by it. Mu Qingge grew weaker and weaker, and Su Yishui began using various methods to try and save her.

Just as he was about to admit to being the demonic child, Mu Qingge suddenly cast a silencing curse on him and set up a Heart Burning Curse, making the world believe that Su Yishui had merely betrayed his sect and that she, in fact, was the true demonic child. Not long after, Mu Qingge completely vanished.

After Mu Qingge disappeared, Su Yishui finally understood everything and was heartbroken. He blamed Mu Qingge for making the decision on her own and sacrificing her life for him. But more than that, he felt a deep sense of pity and reluctance. He vowed to do whatever it took to bring Mu Qingge back to the mortal world.

While Ping Qinwang was fleeing in a desperate situation, he encountered Su Yishui and hurriedly asked him if Mu Qingge had left any instructions about the location of the spirit spring before her death. He believed that if they could obtain the spirit spring, they could reclaim the world. Su Yishui no longer wished to engage with Ping Qinwang and simply turned away, leaving without saying a word.

Su Yishui went to the Immortal Realm to seek an Immortal’s help in obtaining a Rebirth Tree. He endured the excruciating pain of the thousand lights and shifting shadows. After obtaining the Rebirth Tree, he planted it on the Immortal Terrace and used all his magical powers to nurture the tree until it bore fruit.

Zeng Yi reproached Su Yishui for owing Mu Qingge too much but still advised him to retreat and focus on cultivation, or his life would be short-lived. Su Yishui extracted his own soul to protect Mu Qingge’s rebirth fruit. Suddenly, the four great sects appeared together and demanded an explanation from Su Yishui.

They asked why he had used barriers to trap Mu Qingge’s remaining soul, why he was giving up the chance to attain the Transformation Stage, and why he was using half a Golden Pill to exchange for Mu Qingge’s rebirth. Su Yishui was unwilling to explain further and stated that if they did not approve of his decision, they could fight him to the death. Immortal Kaichen did not want to escalate the situation and led his group away.

Su Yishui remembered that Mu Qingge had instructed him to go to Wangxiang Pass to return the spirit spring to the Ghost Realm before she died. He brought Zeng Yi to Wangxiang Pass, but the spirit spring was well-hidden, and they couldn’t find it, which meant it was temporarily safe. Following the Immortal’s guidance, Su Yishui implanted the Ice Lotus into his body.

From then on, he could no longer experience the six emotions and seven desires, or else the Ice Lotus would turn against him. As Su Yishui reflected on his memories with Mu Qingge, Zeng Yi explained that the Heart Burning Curse Mu Qingge had set on him all those years ago was merely to cover up the Silencing Curse. While they were talking, they noticed something unusual happening around Xue Ranran.

They guessed that Mu Ranwu was about to be reborn. The Soul Devouring Lock had linked their souls together, causing Xue Ranran’s spiritual platform to become unstable. In order to sever the connection caused by the Soul Devouring Lock, Su Yishui rushed to Wangxiang Pass to use the Ice Lotus to perform a spell.

Zeng Yi mocked Su Yishui’s mood swings, but Yu Tong told him that Su Yishui had been using his powers to suppress his emotions for the past eighteen years. After Xue Ranran regained consciousness, she asked why she had aged so quickly after leaving Mount Wester. Su Yishui explained that the Rebirth Tree had been providing nourishment to Xue Ranran.

As for Zeng Yi, he introduced himself as Su Yishui's senior brother, which made things awkward, as he was also Xue Ranran’s fourteenth master uncle. He couldn’t bring himself to look Xue Ranran in the eye. Xue Ranran decided to stay on Mount Wester because Su Yishui had saved her multiple times, and she was certain he would not harm her. She also expressed her desire to save Ling Xiao.

Hearing that Liang Wumeng’s Blood Jade Essence could save Ling Xiao, Su Yishui agreed to take Xue Ranran to him. Upon arriving at Liang Wumeng’s residence, a young immortal servant informed them that Liang Wumeng was in seclusion, which would last for at least a year or even longer. Xue Ranran expressed her urgency to save Ling Xiao’s soul, and the servant told her there was another way — to nourish with the Formless Spiritual Root.

Xue Ranran was overjoyed to learn that she had the Formless Spiritual Root within her. Su Yishui and Zeng Yi advised that even so, she needed to continue practicing her cultivation. Xue Ranran, however, expressed her desire to cook a meal first, just like Mu Qingge, who also enjoyed the joys of mortal life.

Wei Jiu began a large-scale search for Xue Ranran, and Ping Qinwang believed that the more chaos there was between the two sides, the more it would benefit him. Xue Ranran cooked a meal on Mount Wester, but several of her senior brothers were afraid that indulging in food would affect their cultivation, so they didn’t dare to try it. Zeng Yi, however, walked to the table and told them that as long as they didn’t break any sect rules, they were free to enjoy the meal.

As Xue Ranran was preparing to add more food for her senior brothers, she noticed Su Yishui walking alone in front of the door. He seemed lonely and desolate. She was about to go to his room to check on him when Yu Chen stopped her at the door, reprimanding her for causing Su Yishui to be injured each time he left the mountain because of her.

Xue Ranran felt guilty, so she brought a bowl of Red Flame Centipede Blood to thank Su Yishui. Su Yishui originally didn’t want to drink it, but Xue Ranran insisted, believing that not drinking it would be seen as rejecting her goodwill. Su Yishui had no choice but to drink it. After returning to his cave and meditating, he suddenly felt a rush of heat inside his body, his mouth dry and thirsty.

Upon investigation, he discovered that the centipede blood was a potent tonic, enhancing vitality. If he had known, he wouldn't have been so soft-hearted. The next day, Su Yishui discovered an extra blanket in his room. Xue Ranran had noticed that his blanket was too thin and had made him a new one, unaware that cultivators were not bothered by the cold. Then, Su Yishui noticed that the books in his room had mysteriously disappeared.

Xue Ranran explained that she had taken them outside to dry in the sun. When they went outside, they found that the words were floating in the air. It turned out that the immortal scriptures were written with Xuan Yun Ink, which would detach from the paper when exposed to sunlight. Xue Ranran’s well-meaning actions left Su Yishui both amused and helpless, so he punished her by making her place each word back into the books.

When they were learning how to refine elixirs, Xue Ranran’s Qingxin Pills had a very unique flavor, which led Qiu Xier and Bai Baishan to try one. To their surprise, it triggered an insatiable hunger. They rushed into the kitchen, eating nonstop. Someone told Su Yishui, and when he tasted it, he realized that the Qingxin Pills were causing the craving. He asked Xue Ranran why she had thought of roasted duck while refining the pills.

He then mixed an antidote, which helped alleviate their overwhelming hunger. Although Su Yishui had scolded Xue Ranran, he couldn’t help but be enchanted by the taste of the Qingxin Pills. That night, he secretly went to the kitchen and indulged in the food. When Xue Ranran delivered food to Zeng Yi, she saw Su Yishui enjoying himself and scolded herself for causing such a food frenzy in all of Mount Wester.

Su Yishui no longer scolded her but instead invited Xue Ranran to join him for a meal. Xue Ranran shared a secret with him, explaining that whenever she drank alcohol, the plants she touched would grow rapidly. She had once scared her childhood friends in the village, which was why she was cautious about drinking too much now.

Su Yishui encouraged her to enjoy herself, assuring her that as long as he was by her side, nothing would be beyond control. Xue Ranran casually asked Su Yishui why he worked so hard on his cultivation. He explained that it was to make up for a person. As he spoke, Xue Ranran saw a sad emotion in his eyes. Feeling sympathy, she made him some sweet and sour yam to try.

While they were talking, a sudden thunderstorm occurred, and Xue Ranran noticed the scar on Su Yishui’s face slowly disappearing. Su Yishui quickly looked at his reflection in the water and realized that Xue Ranran had lifted the Heart Burning Curse he had placed on him. Bai Baishan and the others, worried that Xue Ranran would cause more trouble and implicate them, began searching for her.

Xue Ranran casually picked a flower branch, and immediately, they were surrounded by a circle of flowers. After a while, Xue Ranran, drunk from the alcohol, collapsed into Su Yishui’s arms. Drunk, Xue Ranran entered Su Yishui’s sea of consciousness. There, she saw a man trapped in ice, as if imprisoned by an invisible barrier. She didn’t realize that it was Su Yishui’s sea of consciousness, so she shouted her gratitude to the man for protecting her soul.

Then, she muttered to herself, saying that her master was the most handsome man in the world. The next day, Xue Ranran remembered that she had drunk too much in front of Su Yishui and felt deeply ashamed. Zeng Yi advised Su Yishui not to fall into demonic ways, but Su Yishui calmly stated that he had already entered the path of the heartless and would not succumb to the dangers that Zeng Yi feared.

Mu Ranwu was about to be reborn, and Su Yishui worried that Xue Ranran might be affected by the Soul Devouring Lock. He arranged for her to meditate in the Ice Lotus Pool. Zeng Yi attempted to lift the Soul Devouring Lock but found it was futile. Su Yishui decided to visit Jue Mountain, where he had long seen through Mu Ranwu’s plot to strip Mu Qingge of her spiritual power.

Since that was her intention, he thought he might as well let Mu Ranwu take on the trivial matters that Mu Qingge had to face. Su Yu received a secret letter from the capital. The emperor had suddenly fallen gravely ill, and several officials were making a fuss about Su Yu not being by his side to attend to him.

The Third Prince was also beginning to stir, and the strategist Wu Mi suggested that Su Yu return to the capital to avoid the Third Prince taking advantage of the situation. Su Yishui descended the mountain on an errand, instructing his disciples to continue cultivating on their own. They began discussing the news that Mu Qingge was about to be reincarnated. Xue Ranran went to the study to research how to communicate with Ling Xiao’s soul master and found a way to make contact.

Xue Ranran accidentally triggered a mechanism in the study and discovered Mu Qingge's playbook. She found that Mu Qingge was not as cruel as the legends suggested, but instead was an interesting person who had recorded the best food and places in the capital. In the "Fierce Beasts" chapter, she even found a mention of Su Yishui, where Mu Qingge described him as a fierce beast. Xue Ranran found this extremely amusing.

Suddenly, the spiritual beast Xiao Bai ran up to Xue Ranran, who followed it. Xiao Bai led her to Su Yishui's room. Standing at the door, Xue Ranran called out to Xiao Bai, but Bai Baishan thought she was about to cause trouble again and approached to stop her. As Xue Ranran was about to explain, her sleeve accidentally brushed against the water mirror at the door, causing it to immediately show an image of Su Yishui at Jue Mountain.

The reincarnation fruit had already fallen, and Mu Ranwu, within the fruit, rejoiced at having gained Mu Qingge's spiritual power, but chose a new appearance. When Mu Ranwu stepped out of the reincarnation fruit, everyone except Su Yishui mistook her for Mu Qingge. The elders of the Four Major Sects immediately formed a formation to trap Mu Ranwu and demanded to know where the Spiritual Spring was hidden. Mu Ranwu hadn’t expected such an encounter right after her reincarnation.

She hurriedly explained that she had severed ties with her past. The four elders probed her sea of consciousness and found no memory of the Spiritual Spring. Immortal Kaiyuan, seeing that Mu Qingge's spiritual power was still abundant, silently vowed to make use of it for himself. Su Yishui asked Mu Ranwu to lift the Heart Burning Curse on his face.

Mu Ranwu, thinking that since she had Mu Qingge's spiritual power, she should be able to do so, used her magic to remove the mark from Su Yishui’s face. The crowd was astonished, but only Su Yishui knew the reason behind it.

The four disciples of Mount Wester were mesmerized by the sight in the water mirror, but Xue Ranran knew that she had already lifted the Heart Burning Curse for Su Yishui, though she didn’t understand why he had kept it hidden from everyone. Immortal Kaiyuan intended to recruit Mu Qingge, offering her the chance to join any sect.

Mu Ranwu expressed her desire to join the Wester Sect, but Su Yishui immediately stated that they had been master and disciple in a past life, and he was unwilling to shorten his lifespan. As they were about to leave, Wei Jiu suddenly appeared, using Mu Qingge’s blood left behind before her death to attack everyone. Mu Ranwu panicked, worried that her identity might be exposed.

The blood formation only couldn’t suppress Su Yishui, so the four sect masters requested Mu Qingge to lift the blood formation. Mu Ranwu hurriedly tried to use her magic, but it was futile. Su Yishui began to worry that he had just solidified Mu Ranwu’s identity, and if it were exposed, it would have all been for nothing. Xue Ranran, standing before the water mirror, asked her three senior brothers to help her with a spell.

Unexpectedly, they were all drawn into Jue Mountain through the water mirror. Su Yishui quickly used the energy from Xue Ranran’s hand to extend it into Mu Ranwu’s formation, and the blood formation was soon dispelled. Su Yishui then took out the key to the Ghost Realm, and Wei Jiu’s eyes lit up.

Immortal Kaiyuan scolded him from the side, but Su Yishui ignored him and told Wei Jiu that if he wanted the Ghost Realm key, he must swear an oath never to harm Mu Qingge’s soul, as half of the Golden Pill inside her belonged to Su Yishui. Wei Jiu, seeing the temptation of the Ghost Realm energy compared to Mu Qingge’s spiritual power, readily agreed.

After Wei Jiu left, Su Yishui informed the four sect masters that Wei Jiu would never find the Spiritual Spring. He also mentioned that the disciples had been frightened and, after speaking, immediately left. Mu Ranwu, abandoned and unsure of what to do, had no choice but to join the Eternal Sect for now. When Wei Jiu tried to open the Ghost Realm, he discovered that the key contained a soul, making it impossible to open.

He was furious at being tricked by Su Yishui. Returning to Mount Wester, Zeng Yi remarked that the Soul Devouring Lock was harder to break than expected and that it would fluctuate. Xue Ranran’s spiritual power was unstable, and Mu Ranwu would likely grow stronger. Su Yishui explained that Immortal Kaiyuan had already set up a suppression formation in advance, ensuring that Mu Ranwu couldn’t cause trouble.

He suggested handing the matter over to Su Yu, as the crown prince’s abilities were much stronger than Mount Wester’s. Zeng Yi couldn’t help but admire Su Yishui’s foresight. Xue Ranran recalled that she had just connected with the spiritual energy of the Reincarnation Tree, but she couldn’t make sense of it. When she, along with her master and the others, went out, Xue Ranran felt unusually heavy-hearted.

Qiu Xier sensed that they were being followed, and Su Yishui guessed that it was Wei Jiu. He instructed each disciple to find a vine to hide behind. After a while, Wei Jiu appeared, noticing Xiao Bai, who hadn’t managed to hide in time. As Wei Jiu was about to act, Xue Ranran, worried about Xiao Bai’s safety, left her hiding place.

Xiao Bai immediately transformed into its true form, a golden white tiger, and carried Xue Ranran back to the tree. Su Yishui quickly cast a spell, and the vines ensnared Wei Jiu, with purple vines absorbing his demonic power. Wei Jiu finally realized he had been tricked and used all his strength to escape. Su Yishui absorbed half of his demonic power, which allowed him to control the resentment water within Mu Ranwu.

Seeing his four disciples, Su Yishui couldn’t help but scold Xue Ranran for her recklessness, and he took her back to Mount Wester for a period of reflection.

Xue Ranran was completely dissatisfied with Su Yishui’s criticism and questioned her connection to the Reincarnation Tree. Su Yishui came up with a fabricated explanation, but Xue Ranran didn’t fully believe him. She wanted to ask about Ling Xiao’s original soul, but Su Yishui urged her not to overthink things, reminding her that as long as this life was safe and smooth, everything would be fine.

Immortal Kaiyuan, upon learning that Wei Jiu hadn’t found the Spiritual Spring, caused a commotion with Su Yishui. He then went to the Demon Subjugation Tower to ask Mu Ranwu about the location of the Spiritual Spring. Mu Ranwu confirmed that she had already severed her connection with it before her reincarnation. She foresaw that Immortal Kaiyuan would face a Heavenly Tribulation and offered her help.

Zeng Yi advised Su Yishui to find a way to retrieve the key to the Ghost Realm. Su Yishui told him that he had already gotten it back when he absorbed Wei Jiu's demonic power. He had also placed a Spiritual Probe Curse on Wei Jiu’s consciousness, allowing him to monitor any fluctuations in Wei Jiu’s demonic power. Mu Ranwu still posed a threat to Xue Ranran, and it would be difficult to enhance her power in the short term.

Su Yishui believed that Xue Ranran, like Mu Qingge, had talent in alchemy and suggested she start by refining a Spirit-Enhancing Pill for self-protection. Bai Baishan was worried about Su Yishui’s use of the Demon Vine. If Wei Jiu spread the word, Mount Wester might lose its standing. However, Xue Ranran strongly defended Su Yishui.

When Su Yishui heard their argument, he said that in order to save lives, the line between righteousness and evil could blur, but he would not allow his disciples to learn the demonic path. The next day was the Mid-Autumn Festival. Bai Baishan requested a few days off, which Su Yishui granted. On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the senior disciples all went down the mountain to reunite with their families, but Xue Ranran had no place to go.

Su Yishui handed her a sapling to plant in the ground. The sapling grew quickly, and Su Yishui told Xue Ranran that Mount Wester would be her home from now on, just as Mu Qingge had told him eighteen years ago. Xue Ranran was delighted and insisted on taking Su Yishui down the mountain to buy mooncakes. After buying the mooncakes, Xue Ranran took Su Yishui to the restaurant they used to run to meet their friend Xiao Cui.

She told Xiao Cui that she had joined the Wester Sect to cultivate immortality and that her master treated her like family. Su Yishui, listening to Xue Ranran's description, felt a deep sense of accomplishment. The two of them also visited the market, and Xue Ranran made a wish that Su Yishui would always be by her side every Mid-Autumn Festival.

After buying many things, Xue Ranran wanted to steal some green onions, as it was a custom in her village to do so, symbolizing that she would marry a man of her dreams. Su Yishui happened to pick a green onion at that moment. Xue Ranran jokingly called him "her ideal husband. " Su Yishui was momentarily moved, but his hands turned cold as the Ice Lotus reacted, causing him to suffer backlash.

Su Yishui hurriedly took Xue Ranran back to Mount Wester and spent the night meditating at the Ice Lotus Pond to stabilize his energy. Mu Ranwu decided to give half of her Golden Pill to Immortal Kaiyuan. However, when Immortal Kaiyuan cast his spell, Mu Ranwu took the opportunity to seize all his power. Xue Ranran, who was refining pills at Mount Wester, suddenly felt the power of the Soul Devouring Lock leak out.

Immortal Kaiyuan was essentially crippled, and when Yan Liangyu brought people to seek revenge, Su Yu arrived just in time. The disciples of the Eternal Sect dared not make a move, and Su Yu mistakenly thought that Mu Ranwu was Mu Qingge. Mu Ranwu, acting weak and charming, allowed Su Yu to take her back to the East Palace. Xue Ranran, having had part of her power absorbed, fell unconscious.

Fortunately, the power Mu Ranwu absorbed was only from the Spirit-Enhancing Pill, so the harm to Xue Ranran wasn’t significant. However, the threat of the Soul Devouring Lock still lingered. Su Yishui swore that he would make Mu Ranwu pay double for what she had done. Su Yu invited Mu Ranwu to stay by his side. Mu Ranwu claimed that she had been reborn and intended to completely change her behavior.

Su Yu, oblivious to much, was simply content with the idea of marrying Mu Qingge. Xue Ranran secretly kept Mu Qingge’s playbook with her, and when Su Yishui discovered it, he punished her by sending her to the back mountain to cultivate her mind. Mu Ranwu, controlled by the resentment water, was in a very weak state. Everyone knew that Wei Jiu could control the resentment water, so they sent a letter asking for his help.

Wei Jiu denied that his powers had weakened but instead sent a reply, teasing Mu Ranwu. Su Yu was furious and prepared to gather all the sects to find a cure for the resentment water. Su Yishui had already anticipated that Mu Ranwu would investigate Mu Qingge and come seeking a cure for the resentment water. He intentionally sent Xue Ranran to the back mountain.

When Mu Ranwu arrived at Mount Wester, she suspected that Su Yishui had already discovered her identity and had hidden Mu Qingge by his side. She deliberately connected with a few of the disciples' spiritual platforms. However, because Xue Ranran’s spiritual platform was hidden by the blood of the Black Flood Dragon, Mu Ranwu found nothing. Su Yishui used the removal of the resentment water as an opportunity to temporarily deprive Xue Ranran of her consciousness.

He called for Zeng Yi to help them remove the Soul Devouring Lock. After several attempts, the lock could not be removed, but Su Yishui took advantage of the situation and had Mu Ranwu repair Xue Ranran’s spiritual platform.

Su Yu came to Mount Wester to pick up Mu Ranwu, and Xue Ranran was surprised to see an old friend while serving tea. She hadn't expected to meet him again on Mount Wester. When Mu Ranwu saw the gleam in Su Yu's eyes, she quickly asked when the two had met. As Xue Ranran went to the courtyard to change the tea, Qiu Xier asked if Xue Ranran had a secret crush on Su Yu.

Xue Ranran remembered that every time she had seen Su Yu in the past, she had been exceptionally happy. But this time, their reunion didn’t excite her as much as before. When Xue Ranran went back to the room to pour more tea, Su Yu asked her why she had come to Mount Wester to cultivate. Su Yishui, worried that Xue Ranran might accidentally reveal something, followed her into the room.

Xue Ranran explained that Su Yishui treated her very well, like family. Su Yu, however, warned her not to be deceived, claiming that Su Yishui was deeply calculating and had even killed his own master. Mu Ranwu, listening nearby, interrupted, saying that the past was better left unspoken. But suddenly, Su Yishui became furious and used his power to choke Su Yu from a distance. Xue Ranran panicked and repeatedly reminded Su Yishui, who eventually released Su Yu.

Mu Ranwu hurriedly took Su Yu away. Seeing Su Yishui angry, Xue Ranran assumed it was because of jealousy over Su Yu and tried to comfort him. She suggested that Su Yishui should be direct with Mu Qingge, as hiding his feelings would never be as effective as Su Yu’s straightforwardness. This made Su Yishui even sadder, and the Ice Lotus began to stir. He had no choice but to force himself to return to his room to rest.

Zeng Yi, seeing Su Yishui in such a miserable state, quickly guessed the cause. He advised Su Yishui to let go of the past and not to treat Xue Ranran as if she were Mu Qingge. If the Ice Lotus consumed him completely, he would no longer have the ability to seal the Spiritual Spring. Su Yu proposed to Mu Ranwu, and Mu Ranwu, reflecting on everything she had done to win his heart, couldn't help but sigh.

She remembered how, when she and her sister were close to starving, Su Yu had saved their lives. Later, Ye Xin took them in and taught them the ways of immortality. However, she could never reach the heights of Mu Qingge, and even Ye Xin didn’t believe her to be a talented cultivator.

Mu Qingge had easily helped Su Yu seize the throne, causing him to admire her daily, while Mu Ranwu was left to play the role of a mere accessory. Now, after all her efforts, she had finally gotten everything she wanted, but the only regret was that she had to rely on Mu Qingge’s rebirth for it to happen. Xue Ranran was meditating in the back mountain, still thinking about Su Yishui's anger during the day.

She felt that Su Yishui must have been upset because Mu Qingge followed Su Yu. Just as Su Yishui was passing by, Xue Ranran started to come up with some compliments to cheer him up, but because of the purity of the Ice Lotus Pond, she was soon removed. Wei Jiu was struggling to cultivate, but it was difficult to restore his previous powers.

Tu Jiuyuan sent him a Spirit-Refining Pill to help restore his internal energy, but Wei Jiu feared that Tu Jiuyuan might take this opportunity to harm him and seize his position. Back in her room, Tu Jiuyuan remembered how, when she was a child, Wei Jiu had taken care of her. She could only sigh, realizing that everything could never return to the way it was.

The old Sect Leader had once entrusted her with the Scarlet Sect’s token, but Tu Jiuyuan had no intention of letting Wei Jiu know about it. Su Yishui gave Mu Qingge’s Nine-Turned Mysterious Iron Furnace to Xue Ranran. She wanted to share Su Yishui’s burdens, so Qiu Xier suggested finding a new female companion for him, which might divert his attention. Xue Ranran, hearing this, felt a strange sadness.

She realized that her lack of spiritual power led her to overthink things. The four disciples worked together to gather the most popular portraits of female immortal cultivators and presented them to Su Yishui. Su Yishui scolded them and punished them to practice in the back courtyard for two hours. While collecting the portraits, the disciples accidentally sent out invitations using talismans, which led several female immortals to come to Mount Wester.

Su Yishui ordered the disciples to apologize to the female immortals. Xue Ranran took the lead and said a few words, but the Peach Blossom Immortal scolded her for playing pranks. Su Yishui immediately sided with Xue Ranran. The Peach Blossom Immortal was not willing to give up. She set a Peach Blossom Curse under the peach tree outside Su Yishui’s room. The first person to be affected by the curse would be overwhelmed with love.

As she waited for Su Yishui to leave, Xue Ranran ran to the door and was struck by the curse. She then rushed into the room and hugged Su Yishui from behind, complimenting his good looks. Su Yishui, feeling flustered, realized that Xue Ranran had been hit by the curse. He quickly broke the spell and kicked Xue Ranran out of the room.

Su Yishui couldn't stop thinking about Xue Ranran, so he went to the Ice Room to meditate and break his distractions. Zeng Yi, seeing that this wasn’t a sustainable path, pointed out that spending too much time together would inevitably lead to feelings, especially considering that Su Yishui and Mu Qingge had past ties from their previous lives. Zeng Yi advised Su Yishui to find a solution.

Su Yishui then entrusted Zeng Yi with overseeing Xue Ranran’s cultivation, deciding that he would no longer meet with her. Xue Ranran remembered the feeling of hugging Su Yishui earlier in the day. Though she knew it was inappropriate and disrespectful, she felt incredibly excited. After a moment of reflection, she reminded herself not to let her thoughts wander. To make up for the earlier incident, she prepared steamed bass and went to deliver it.

However, Zeng Yi stopped her at the door, saying that Su Yishui was in seclusion. He also reminded Xue Ranran that she had entered the Qi Refining stage and shouldn’t be doing things unrelated to her cultivation. Unable to stop herself from overthinking, Xue Ranran made some dried longan and tried to deliver it to Su Yishui again, but was once again blocked by Yu Chen at the door.

Meanwhile, Mu Ranwu was taking a walk when Su Yu arranged for Mu Qingge’s old friend, Princess Zhou Feihua, to meet with her. The two had been very close friends 18 years ago, and Mu Qingge had even taught Zhou Feihua some spells. They had promised to challenge each other when they met again. When Zhou Feihua arrived holding a sword, Mu Ranwu was so startled that she immediately grabbed Zhou Feihua’s neck.

The maids explained their past relationship, and Mu Ranwu released her, admitting that she had forgotten her old acquaintances since being reborn. Su Yu heard that many old acquaintances were trying to meet with Mu Qingge, but she refused all of them, only maintaining contact with Wang Suizhi, who was skilled in fortune-telling. She had also agreed to take Lin Yeting, the first son of the richest man in the capital, as an adopted son.

Lin Yeting was known for being a good-for-nothing, and Su Yu couldn’t understand why Mu Qingge, in this life, was so different from the person she had been in their past life. When Wang Suizhi met with the Crown Princess, Mu Ranwu asked if he was still practicing fortune-telling.

Wang Suizhi replied that he hadn’t forgotten his profession, but Mu Qingge had told him that every time he used his skills, it would shorten his lifespan, so he didn’t use it often. Wang Suizhi then asked if Mu Ranwu knew where Mu Qingge had gone. Mu Ranwu realized that Wang Suizhi had liked her since 18 years ago, but now only cared about wealth and power. She bluntly told him that Mu Qingge was already dead.

Su Yu asked Mu Ranwu to refine Kangping Pills to treat the emperor’s old ailments. Mu Ranwu thought that since she now had Mu Qingge’s spiritual power, pill refining should be easy, so she agreed generously. She also prepared a West Sea Night Pearl as a gift for Su Yu. Su Yu had originally prepared a bamboo bird as a gift but, in order to match Mu Ranwu’s gift, had to give her the emperor’s jade pendant.

The two drank and talked, but Su Yu realized that the person before him was not at all what he had imagined, and he quickly found an excuse to leave. Over the next year, Zeng Yi taught Xue Ranran spells, and because of her excellent performance, she was named the top disciple of Mount Wester. Zeng Yi then took her to the back mountain to learn methods for strengthening her Wuxiang spiritual root.

Wei Jiu had been in seclusion for a full year. After restoring his Nascent Soul power, he left seclusion to continue searching for the Spiritual Spring. Su Yishui sensed that Wei Jiu was using resentment to locate the Spiritual Spring. Meanwhile, as Xue Ranran was cultivating, she entered Lingxiao’s sea of consciousness and saw a red-dressed woman battling Wei Jiu. Wei Jiu claimed that the two of them were of the same kind.

Xue Ranran speculated that the woman in red was her past self, and she confirmed this with Lingxiao. Xue Ranran discovered that her spiritual platform had been completely restored and realized that her increasing power allowed her to provide more nourishment to Lingxiao, helping her uncover more secrets from her past life. So, she continued to meditate and once again entered Su Yishui’s sea of consciousness.

Knowing that the person before her was Lingxiao’s master, Xue Ranran treated him like a confidant and expressed her feelings. She admitted that she had fallen in love with Su Yishui and that the next day, a pair of auspicious clouds would appear, hoping Su Yishui would make a wish with her.

Xue Ranran had completed the three stages of Qi Refining, and when the auspicious clouds appeared, ready for her to make a wish, Su Yishui stood behind her and forcefully blew the clouds away. He then deliberately told Xue Ranran that he practiced the Unfeeling Path and that she had reached the stage where she must make a careful choice before laying her foundation. Su Yu stopped meeting with Mu Ranwu frequently, which made Mu Ranwu very angry.

Wen Hongshan, a member of the four major sects, had been assigned to monitor Mu Ranwu. However, when Mu Ranwu apologized for the scar on Wen Hongshan’s face, Wen Hongshan immediately confirmed her suspicions. The person before her was Mu Ranwu, because the scar story was a lie, and Mu Qingge must have known the truth. Since Mu Ranwu had blindly apologized based on rumors, it proved that she was not Mu Qingge.

Realizing she could no longer hide the truth, Mu Ranwu admitted her identity. Wen Hongshan then demanded that Mu Ranwu find the Spiritual Spring, or else she would expose her true identity to the world. Su Yu received an imperial edict and was sent to various states to manage flood control, missing the upcoming Heaven Worship Ceremony. Qin Xuanji, an officer and disciple of Mu Qingge, came to Mount Wester to find Su Yishui.

He explained that Mu Qingge’s compass had suddenly shattered, and she had told him that once it broke, he should come to find Su Yishui. Su Yishui found that the compass had been tainted with demonic energy. Qin Xuanji also mentioned that several soldiers in the army had mysteriously died recently. Su Yishui believed the broken compass had something to do with the sealing of the Spiritual Spring, and he decided to accompany Qin Xuanji to the military camp.

The four disciples went down the mountain to train. Along the way, Qiu Xier casually mentioned the auspicious pair of clouds she had seen a few days ago. This made Xue Ranran suspicious, as she had seen the clouds herself, only for them to disappear immediately. She was certain that someone had used a method to obscure her vision.

Considering that there were only a few disciples at Mount Wester, the only person capable of such a move was Su Yishui. She then speculated that Su Yishui must like her as well, but was afraid it would disrupt his path, and so he might want her to retreat. Thinking this, Xue Ranran actually felt even happier.

Prince Ping Qinwang’s sorcerer was preparing to arrange a meeting between Su Yishui and Xue Ranran at the foot of the mountain to break Su Yishui’s defenses and uncover the location of the Spiritual Spring. As Xue Ranran and her companions passed by an inn, they overheard news that soldiers stationed at a nearby military camp had been dying under mysterious circumstances.

Disguising herself as an illusionist, Xue Ranran entered the camp and, after finding the morgue, used the “Eye of the Sunflower” technique to trace the memories of the bodies before they died. She discovered that the killer was a cat demon that was adept at hiding in places with dense yin energy. Su Yishui entered the camp to search for the source of the demonic energy.

After searching for a long time without any results, he used a drop of his blood to summon a Earth Immortal. This Immortal had been toyed with by Su Yishui three hundred years ago and still harbored resentment. Upon being forcibly summoned, the Earth Immortal was displeased. Just then, Xue Ranran arrived, and the Earth Immortal set up a spiritual barrier to leave, leaving Su Yishui unable to move from his spot.

Several officers mistook Su Yishui for a demon, and Xue Ranran rushed forward to defend him. Qin Xuanji then stepped in to explain Su Yishui’s identity. Hearing Xue Ranran mention the extermination of demons, Qin Xuanji was puzzled, as the matter in the camp hadn’t been made public, yet even Su Yishui’s disciple seemed to know about it.

Su Yishui and Xue Ranran both sensed the demonic energy and realized that the demon responsible for the soldiers’ deaths was the same one that had destroyed the compass. There was indeed a cat in the camp. Qin Xuanji explained that it was a stray he had found, but insisted that it was not a demon. The officers had already gathered, waiting for an illusion show, so Xue Ranran had no choice but to perform.

Suddenly, Xue Ranran remembered that she had noticed cat scratches on the soldiers’ arms. She then instructed all the officers to raise their hands and receive a bit of good fortune. When they did, she saw that each soldier had scratch marks on their arms. As she distributed peach blossom petals, Xue Ranran’s energy was running low, so Su Yishui played the flute from the side to help. The officers were delighted.

That evening, Xue Ranran asked Qin Xuanji to arrange a banquet for the soldiers. Using the opportunity, she drank with them and gathered more information. She learned that all the soldiers who had died during patrols had a common background—each had been from the Elite Guard. Two officers asked Xue Ranran to drink with them, and Su Yishui immediately knocked them down.

Xue Ranran planned to offer a toast to clear up the misunderstanding, but Su Yishui stepped forward to stop her, only to pass out after drinking a cup. He fell into Xue Ranran’s arms. Qin Xuanji explained that no outsiders were allowed to stay in the camp overnight, but he could introduce them to a familiar inn.

Still unconscious, Su Yishui was helped by Xue Ranran using her magic to stand up, and they followed Qin Xuanji out of the military camp, eventually checking into the Wu Niang Inn, which Qin Xuanji recommended. Su Yishui woke up in the inn and found Xue Ranran sitting by his side. He couldn't bring himself to reproach her for the incident with the spiritual barrier. Moreover, Xue Ranran had prepared dried longan for him.

Xue Ranran then asked if she had been a bad person in her previous life, to which Su Yishui quickly denied. Qin Xuanji came to visit them at the inn, and Xue Ranran recalled noticing a missing claw on each soldier’s arm from the scratches. She asked Qin Xuanji if the stray cat he had taken in showed any similar features. After thinking for a moment, Qin Xuanji confirmed it.

Xue Ranran then handed him a demon-sealing talisman and instructed him to place it on the cat. After returning to the military camp, Qin Xuanji followed Xue Ranran’s instructions. When the talisman was placed on the wild cat, it immediately grew larger. Qin Xuanji rushed back to the inn to inform Su Yishui, but when he arrived, Su Yishui was nowhere to be found. Wu Niang came by with a basket of buns and invited everyone to eat.

Xue Ranran remained focused on the peach blossom branches, and that evening, something strange indeed happened again. Xue Ranran and her companions hurried to the riverbank. They stopped a soldier who had fallen under the demon’s influence, and the wild cat appeared again at the riverbank. However, Xue Ranran didn’t believe the wild cat was the one performing the dark magic. To explore the source of the demonic energy, she instructed the others to form a formation.

After a while, the three of them passed out, and from the river rose a woman in black who began fighting with Xue Ranran. Xue Ranran remembered the broken Star River spell she had seen in her sea of consciousness and used it against the woman in black. Sure enough, the woman was defeated. Mu Ranwu felt her spiritual energy being drained and realized that Mu Qingge was still alive. Su Yishui quickly appeared next to Xue Ranran and asked if she was hurt.

Xue Ranran woke up the unconscious soldiers and asked them about their connection to the previously murdered individuals. The soldiers explained that five years ago, they had been part of a border defense squad, and now only Qin Xuanji remained. Su Yishui and his group quickly made their way to a nearby lakeside, where they found that Qin Xuanji had indeed been controlled by the fish demon.

Suddenly, the cat demon appeared from the distance and engaged the fish demon in battle, ultimately dying at the fish demon’s hands. Xue Ranran used her magic to subdue the fish demon, only to discover that it was actually Wu Niang. Qin Xuanji had regained consciousness and, while showing sympathy for the wild cat "Coalmine," he questioned Wu Niang about why she harmed others.

Wu Niang explained that a few years ago, her son, who was not yet of age, joined the military. During a mission, several officers from the Elite Guard had used him as bait to feed to a giant python. In response, she sought revenge on each of them. As for Qin Xuanji, although he wasn’t present at the time, as an officer, he still bore responsibility.

Su Yishui noticed a talisman mark on the back of Wu Niang’s neck and asked for more details. Wu Niang insisted that she wouldn’t say a word unless she saw her son's body. Xue Ranran speculated that Wu Niang's resentment might be connected to Wei Jiu, and that it could involve the Spiritual Spring. Su Yishui reminded Xue Ranran that she could only investigate the case concerning Wangxiang Pass and should not get involved with the Spiritual Spring.

Xue Ranran requested to stay and continue the investigation together, but Su Yishui disagreed. Just then, Su Yu arrived with Mu Ranwu, and the strategist Wu Mi discovered that Wu Niang was the person they had been searching for. He intended to take her away, but Su Yishui intervened, stating that Wu Niang, being half-human and half-demon, should be dealt with by the Xuanmen (Immortal Sect).

Su Yu, however, believed that since the murder occurred in a military camp, it fell under the jurisdiction of the imperial court. Xue Ranran suggested a compromise: for the time being, they could all stay at Wangxiang Pass and investigate the matter further before making a decision. Qin Xuanji saluted Mu Ranwu, but Mu Ranwu didn’t even know who he was.

She remarked that since Qin Xuanji didn’t understand immortal arts, he couldn’t be considered her disciple, looking down on him as nothing more than a crude soldier. Mu Ranwu decided to use severe interrogation methods on Wu Niang. Qin Xuanji hurriedly begged on Wu Niang’s behalf, but Mu Ranwu showed no mercy. After the harsh interrogation, Wu Niang still refused to speak.

Su Yishui, hearing Bai Baishan mention that Xue Ranran had gone to search for the body of Xiao Wu, quickly used a compass to locate the area where the corpse was. Xue Ranran found Xiao Wu’s insignia and was preparing to bring back the corpse when she was attacked by the skeleton of the giant python.

Undaunted, Xue Ranran fought off the attack, and when Su Yishui arrived to help, he found that Xue Ranran had already extracted the giant python's core with her magic. Mu Ranwu, eager to have Su Yu learn about the talisman, threatened Wu Niang with the Food-Slurp Fish, a demonic creature. Wu Niang broke free from her chains and was about to strike Mu Ranwu when Mu Ranwu swiftly killed her with a single sword strike.

This moment was witnessed by Su Yu. Su Yishui and Xue Ranran returned to the military camp and suddenly heard that Wu Niang was dead. Xue Ranran felt deeply saddened. After all the effort to reunite the mother and son with Xiao Wu’s body, Wu Niang had passed away first. Seeing Xue Ranran’s sorrow, Su Yu promised that he would arrange a beautiful burial site for the mother and son to be buried together.

Xue Ranran’s cultivation had greatly increased after accumulating merit. She used the Lingxiao technique to view the talisman in Mu Qingge’s sea of consciousness, which was identical to the one on Wu Niang’s neck, a talisman used to transform into the Seven Evil Entities. Su Yishui suddenly recalled that years ago, the Xuantian Sect had used this dark magic to summon the Spiritual Spring, meaning that the Spring was still sealed.

As Xue Ranran’s spiritual power had just increased, she needed to consolidate her foundation, so Su Yishui helped her. When Xue Ranran entered her sea of consciousness, she confessed her feelings to Su Yishui while he wasn’t looking. She admitted that she had already noticed their mutual affection and wished to see the auspicious pair of clouds again. Su Yishui, worried that he might lose control, hurriedly left Xue Ranran. Back at the inn, a strange woman approached Su Yishui.

She claimed to be a friend of Feng Shi and said that Feng Shi had entrusted her to deliver something to Su Yishui, along with a request for him to visit their old house. After the woman left, Su Yishui used magic to destroy the key and threw the pieces into the lake outside the window.

Xue Ranran sensed that Su Yishui must be deeply troubled and decided to retrieve the broken key pieces from the lake that night, intending to put them together in case Su Yishui ever wanted to visit the old house in the future. When Su Yishui found out, he scolded Xue Ranran for meddling in his business, but she didn’t pay much attention.

The next day, Xue Ranran went to Feng Shi’s old house and found a box on the table in one of the rooms. The area around it gave off a heavy aura of yin energy. Xue Ranran suspected that it contained something important and decided to trick Su Yishui into coming to the house. When they opened the box, they found a porcelain bottle inside, along with a letter.

The letter, written by Feng Shi just before her death, explained that years ago, in order to ensure her son could live a life of wealth, she had sold him to Prince Ping Qinwang. Later, when Prince Ping Qinwang was defeated, Feng Shi heard rumors that Su Yishui was being used as a weapon to kill, controlled by the porcelain bottle. She had secretly stolen it but soon fell ill. Su Yishui, upon learning the truth, couldn’t hold back his tears.

Su Yishui took Xue Ranran to pay respects to Feng Shi. Xue Ranran felt that the dead could not be brought back, so it was better to cherish the present and meet the people one wanted to see. She then stepped aside to wait while Su Yishui independently swept the grave. After finishing, he saw that Xue Ranran had fallen asleep leaning against a large tree.

Remembering her earlier words, he found it even harder to control himself and kissed the sleeping Xue Ranran. Immediately, a burning pain coursed through his body, and he rushed back to Mount Wester in haste. Zeng Yi noticed the change in the Ice Lotus and scolded Su Yishui for allowing his emotions to take over. However, Su Yishui refused to listen and directly kicked Zeng Yi out of the room.

Mu Ranwu recalled the efforts she had made to obtain the Golden Elixir, even going so far as to acquire the Soul Devouring Lock and trying to steal Mu Qingge's spiritual energy. She vowed to protect everything that belonged to her in this life. After Xue Ranran broke her spiritual energy with her Qi, Mu Ranwu’s resentment began to stir, and Wei Jiu seized the opportunity.

Wei Jiu lured Mu Ranwu to the wilderness, using the poison of resentment water to force her. In response, Mu Ranwu revealed the Soul Devouring Lock, making Wei Jiu believe that her energy had been stolen by another fruit from the Rebirth Tree. Wei Jiu demanded that Mu Ranwu cooperate in finding clues from Su Yishui. Mu Ranwu readily agreed.

After Wei Jiu left, Mu Ranwu realized that Su Yu had sent someone to track her, meaning they had already become suspicious. She resolved to kill Mu Qingge before her identity was exposed and claim Su Yu for herself. Mu Ranwu went to Mount Wester to see Su Yishui, asking about the whereabouts of the other fruit of the Rebirth Tree.

Su Yishui explained that although the Rebirth Tree was established using his Golden Elixir, there was enough spiritual power to support only one fruit, so he didn’t know if there was another one. He instead turned the question back to Mu Ranwu, who was also connected to the Rebirth Fruit. Mu Ranwu then asked why the resentment water within her body hadn’t completely disappeared, and Su Yishui replied that the resentment water could only be temporarily suppressed.

Xue Ranran went to the market to buy fish and coincidentally ran into Su Yu, who was inspecting the river. They greeted each other as old friends, and Su Yu invited Xue Ranran to join him on his boat to catch some fresh fish from the river. Xue Ranran happily agreed. While on the boat, as they drank tea, Su Yu couldn’t help but confide his disappointment in Mu Qingge, who had directly inherited the spiritual energy upon her reincarnation.

He also noted that she was very different from her past life. In an attempt to comfort Su Yu, Xue Ranran made a soup for him with the fish they had just caught. Su Yu tasted the soup and found that it tasted exactly like the one Mu Qingge used to make. The wine she brewed was the same too.

He also noticed that Xue Ranran was carrying Mu Qingge’s playbook, and deduced that such a precious item could not have been given away easily by Su Yishui. His curiosity about Xue Ranran's true identity grew. When Xue Ranran left the boat, Su Yu even had someone send her a gift. Back at the palace, Su Yu inquired about the Kangping Pill.

Mu Ranwu took out the pill, and after Su Yu left the room, Wu Mi examined it and concluded that it was the lowest grade of elixir, indicating that the alchemist had no talent. Another soldier guarding Mu Ranwu reported that Mu Ranwu had met with Wei Jiu. Xue Ranran and her group followed Su Yishui to Cuiwei Mountain to visit Jiu Lao Xian.

When Jiu Lao Xian heard that Su Yishui had come, he could hardly be bothered to greet them. However, Xue Ranran noticed the wine jars nearby and analyzed the wine's scent, concluding that it wasn’t pure. This piqued Jiu Lao Xian’s interest. When Xue Ranran offered him some of the wine she had brewed, Jiu Lao Xian finally agreed to talk to Su Yishui. Su Yishui then presented the Seven Evil Transformation Talisman.

Jiu Lao Xian explained that with this talisman, one could locate the Spiritual Spring, or alternatively, an item containing Mu Qingge’s Spiritual Spring energy could be sensed. Su Yishui then protected Xue Ranran while she used a branch from the Rebirth Tree to sense the area thick with resentment water. Bai Baishan wandered the market alone, unaware that he was being followed by Wei Jiu and Mu Ranwu.

Mu Ranwu suggested confusing Bai Baishan’s mind, so that he could be used for their purposes. Bai Baishan encountered a man selling Sword Heart Pills and, thinking it could improve his cultivation, secretly purchased one without telling Su Yishui. After taking the pill, he immediately became disoriented and was led by a beautiful woman to a nearby inn. While Xue Ranran was cooking, she sensed someone stealing food. Using Lingxiao, she tracked down the thief. Jiu Lao Xian hurried over to explain that it was none other than Liang Wumeng, who had sneaked into her courtyard.

Xue Ranran asked Liang Wumeng how to find the soul master who nourished her reincarnation. Liang Wumeng claimed that he was in a stage of power improvement and couldn’t sense anything yet, but he had a secret manual that could help locate the soul master, with the cost being the consumption of some cultivation. Xue Ranran immediately expressed her desire to try, wanting to repay the person who had nourished her reincarnation.

Liang Wumeng admired Xue Ranran's gratitude and placed a hand on her shoulder, patting it. Su Yishui immediately intervened from a distance, stopping him. Liang Wumeng, sensing Su Yishui’s displeasure, remarked that if Mu Qingge had not become Su Yishui's disciple, she wouldn’t have died in the Ninefold Bone Sacrifice Formation.

Back then, Mu Qingge tried to seize the spiritual spring to seal it, but when she reached the Ghost Realm, she discovered that only the Demon Child could seal the spiritual spring. So, she found another place to suppress it temporarily. Su Yishui, eager to learn more about Mu Qingge, was met with hostility from Jiu Lao Xian as well. He felt rejected, so Xue Ranran pulled him away.

Su Yishui wanted to clear Mu Qingge's name, but the sealing spell prevented him from speaking. Instead, he asked Xue Ranran her opinion on the Demon Child. Xue Ranran responded that if the Demon Child were not controlled by the spiritual spring, he would be an ordinary person. The real source of evil was the spiritual spring. Su Yishui, hearing a different perspective about himself, felt a sense of happiness. Qiu Xier noticed Xue Ranran’s feelings for Su Yishui.

As they were discussing this, they saw Bai Baishan and Gao Cang about to enter a pharmacy. Xue Ranran noticed that Bai Baishan had been in a daze recently. She mentioned she had something to attend to and left, asking Qiu Xier to accompany Gao Cang while she followed Bai Baishan. Bai Baishan arrived at a courtyard and called out "Rou'er" to a burly man, as if under some spell.

Soon, Tu Jiuyuan appeared, conversing briefly with the man, and then they left for another location. Xue Ranran followed behind and overheard Tu Jiuyuan reporting to Wei Jiu about the information she had extracted from Bai Baishan. Inside the room, Mu Ranwu was meditating on the bed, and Wei Jiu sensed someone eavesdropping. He pulled Xue Ranran into the room, and she falsely claimed that Su Yishui was outside.

Frightened, Wei Jiu quickly opened the door, allowing Xue Ranran to escape. Wei Jiu suspected that Xue Ranran was likely the other fruit of the Rebirth Tree, ordering Tu Jiuyuan to track and capture her. Mu Ranwu, hearing this, also came out. Xue Ranran was soon spotted by Tu Jiuyuan, and during the fight, she used the Broken Mountain and River technique, which Mu Ranwu recognized as Mu Qingge's.

Just as Xue Ranran was about to collapse, Su Yishui appeared and struck Tu Jiuyuan fiercely. Mu Ranwu realized that Su Yishui had been playing with her all along, and her resentment grew. She swore to take revenge on both Su Yishui and Xue Ranran. Su Yu’s spy reported that Mu Ranwu had been meeting secretly with Wei Jiu, and Su Yu felt uncomfortable.

Mu Qingge had once despised people like Wei Jiu, but now she was secretly meeting with him. The fact that she had shaken off her trackers was the biggest issue, leading Su Yu to realize that the Crown Princess was definitely not Mu Qingge. After Xue Ranran had been unconscious for four days, she heard from Qiu Xier that Bai Baishan was about to be expelled from Mount Wester.

Su Yishui had cured him of the Ghost Horn Poison, but in the process, all of his cultivation had been lost. Xue Ranran had planned to plead for Bai Baishan, but Su Yishui suddenly entered seclusion. While meditating, Su Yishui suddenly felt a surge of hostility and deduced that the spiritual spring was still within him, though suppressed by the effects of the Ice Lotus technique.

Worried about Su Yishui’s well-being, Xue Ranran struggled to get to the cave entrance and asked him a few questions. Just as she was about to collapse, Su Yishui appeared and carried her back to the room. Tu Jiuyuan's spiritual platform was damaged, and after resting for several days, he quietly recovered. Wei Jiu reprimanded Tu Jiuyuan for failing in his task.

Tu Jiuyuan felt deeply saddened and remembered how the two of them had practiced martial arts together since childhood, always caring for each other and sharing everything. However, Wei Jiu was always slightly weaker, and their old master had criticized him for being unskilled. He also gave Tu Jiuyuan half of a token and promoted him to the position of Elder of Orders.

This had been a blow to Wei Jiu, who then began to target Tu Jiuyuan in every way. Bai Baishan knelt in front of Su Yishui's door for a long time. After Xue Ranran woke up, she pleaded on Bai Baishan’s behalf, saying that while the disciple had made a mistake, the master also had some responsibility. Su Yishui usually taught martial arts but never specified what should or shouldn’t be done.

Su Yishui made a Heart Nourishing Pill, and Xue Ranran found it too bitter, so she asked Su Yishui to help her get a candied fruit and fed him one as well. When she was about to express her feelings, Su Yishui hurriedly stopped her, placed the candied fruit back in the drawer, and found a gift from Su Yu.

As for Bai Baishan, seeing his sincere attitude, Su Yishui decided to punish him by binding one of his arms and having him follow Zeng Yi to learn the ways of weapons. He would be allowed to learn magic again only after he could assemble a self-ringing bell with one hand.

Zeng Yi, noticing how much effort Su Yishui had been putting in for Xue Ranran over the past few days, sent him a bottle of Mistaken Heaven Immortal Wine to help him relax. That night, Su Yishui sat alone, drinking, and couldn’t help but think of Mu Qingge.

Xue Ranran happened to walk into the courtyard, and Su Yishui mistook her for Mu Qingge. Xue Ranran presented him with a flute made from a newly sprouted branch infused with spiritual power and explained her feelings. Unable to control himself any longer, Su Yishui gently kissed Xue Ranran. After a brief kiss, Su Yishui mentioned Mu Qingge’s name. Xue Ranran then realized that Su Yishui, drunk, had mistaken her for someone else.

A sharp pain surged through Su Yishui’s body, and he fell silent, visibly uncomfortable. Xue Ranran, heartbroken, realized that her feelings had been one-sided. Wei Jiu was in the great hall seeking pleasure, and after hearing a sound, Tu Jiuyuan left her sickbed and walked over to stop him. Wei Jiu had just collected a spell bottle to conceal his eyes when he mistakenly took Tu Jiuyuan for a dancing courtesan.

After forcefully kissing her, he took her to bed for the night. When he woke up the next morning, he was very surprised and quickly tried to explain that he had acted out of drunkenness and that nothing had happened. Back in the great hall, Wei Jiu felt a slight sense of delight. He and Tu Jiuyuan had grown up together in the Scarlet Sect and shared a deep bond. So, he intended to give Tu Jiuyuan a title.

Tu Jiuyuan, approaching him, informed him that she only saw it as a one-night indulgence and wanted no title. Mu Ranwu arrived at the Scarlet Sect to meet with Wei Jiu and encouraged him to severely punish Tu Jiuyuan. Wei Jiu responded that Mu Ranwu should not interfere with his sect’s affairs. Mu Ranwu then mentioned that Xue Ranran was another fruit of the Rebirth Tree and expressed the hope that they could control her soon.

Wei Jiu, sensing a hint of doubt, questioned why Mu Qingge, who had been so magnanimous in her past life, was now so aggressive, almost as if she had become a different person. Zeng Yi and a few of his disciples bid farewell to Cuiwei Mountain. Liang Wumeng gave Xue Ranran some magical tools, and Jiu Lao Xian also handed her a special demon-controlling talisman he had made for Mu Qingge in the past.

Su Yu arrived at Puxin Village to inspect the collapse of the riverbank. Halfway there, he passed a muddy road where several luggage carts had gotten stuck in the mire and couldn’t be pulled out. Su Yu ordered them to take a different, smaller path. Su Yishui also passed through Puxin Village, and Xue Ranran noticed the carts on the road bore the mark of the Eastern Palace.

However, there was no mire on the road, so she suspected Su Yu had encountered something unusual. As they got closer to Puxin Village, they found that the streets were quite wide but desolate, with very few people around. After some effort, they met an elderly man who explained that in recent years, the village had been plagued by frequent earth cracks, and many people had mysteriously disappeared. The population had been steadily dwindling.

When Xue Ranran asked if he had seen Su Yu, the old man said he hadn’t. As they were about to rest, Su Yishui suddenly felt a sense of unease, as if the spiritual spring was faintly present. Xue Ranran, worried that Su Yu might have fallen into a fissure, recalled that Liang Wumeng had given her an Earth-Shrinking Pearl. She handed it to Qiu Xier and Gao Cang.

Moments later, Old Liu rushed into the room in a panic, claiming that he had seen another earth fissure while fetching water by the river. Su Yishui and the others hurried to the scene, and Xue Ranran found Su Yu’s token. Ignoring the warnings, she used the Earth-Shrinking Pearl to burrow underground to rescue Su Yu. Su Yishui had no choice but to follow. They soon found Su Yu unconscious underground.

Su Yu only remembered that when he first entered the village, the earth had cracked open, and several soldiers had desperately tried to protect him. Xue Ranran used her Eye of the Sunflower to sense the soldiers' souls, only to find that there were none. Su Yishui suspected that everyone’s souls had been taken by the spiritual spring. As he was pondering, a massive serpent appeared. The group scattered to avoid it.

While Qiu Xier was searching for Su Yishui and Xue Ranran, she accidentally locked eyes with the serpent, causing her soul to be drained. Xue Ranran heard Su Yishui’s voice calling out to her in concern. However, she quickly realized it wasn’t his real voice and cautiously avoided the serpent. Soon after, Su Yishui found Xue Ranran and warned her not to look directly at evil creatures. Just as they were talking, Gao Cang’s voice shouted out Qiu Xier’s name.

Su Yishui told Xue Ranran to stay where she was and went to rescue Gao Cang and Qiu Xier. Xue Ranran saw a faint, murky light flickering in another area and immediately ran over. There, she saw Su Yu being drained of his soul and quickly thrust her sword into the serpent’s eye, waking Su Yu.

The Nine-Headed Kui Ao began to rampage, and Su Yishui led everyone out of the collapsed area. Su Yu expressed his gratitude to Xue Ranran for saving him at a critical moment, but Su Yishui reprimanded Su Yu for his lack of self-control, allowing the opportunity to be exploited. Su Yishui’s resentment grew stronger.

He was worried that the Nine-Headed Kui Ao had already entered the village, so he teamed up with a few disciples to set up the Five-Element Sword Formation. After a while, an elderly man appeared. It was none other than Old Liu, who had welcomed them when they first entered the village. Su Yishui confronted Old Liu and instructed the others to escape toward the east. They reached a room, and the Nine-Headed Kui Ao suddenly couldn't continue its attack.

Su Yishui arrived soon after but found that someone had set up a barrier here. However, the safety was only temporary, and they had to split up and quickly search for an exit. To avoid being absorbed by evil creatures, Xue Ranran suggested that everyone use aliases. Su Yishui and Su Yu argued over the matter of aliases, but it ended unresolved. Su Yishui then told Xue Ranran to search for the exit.

Xue Ranran quickly found a hidden compartment containing some of Mu Qingge's notes. The notes mentioned Ye Xin and also referred to Su Yu. The letters exchanged between the two were well-preserved. Su Yu took the opportunity to emphasize his friendship with Mu Qingge, but Su Yishui thought it was just Su Yu's one-sided affection.

Xue Ranran also teased, saying that Su Yu had already gained Mu Qingge's favor, and only Su Yishui and Su Yu knew the real identity of the princess consort. One note mentioned that Mu Qingge liked sour plums. Xue Ranran recalled a time when she offered Mu Qingge sour plums, but Mu Qingge had clearly said she never ate sour food.

According to the notes, Mu Qingge was a very interesting immortal, but the reborn princess consort's personality was vastly different. Xue Ranran was pondering alone in the courtyard when Su Yu, following her, tried to find an opportunity to accompany her. Xue Ranran mentioned her idea of opening a restaurant in the capital, and Su Yu hurriedly promised to arrange everything. Just then, Su Yishui arrived beside them and was displeased upon hearing Xue Ranran's decision.

Suddenly, a woman appeared in the courtyard. Su Yishui noticed that her scent was similar to that of Old Liu. The woman introduced herself as Meng Zhang, a green dragon from Dragon Island who shared a body with Old Liu. Ten years ago, Meng Zhang met and fell in love with Liu Lang during an operation. Afterward, she lost a dragon egg and was devoured by the spiritual spring.

To save her, Liu Lang split his soul in half and used the Seven Evil Transformation Spell to help her be reborn. The spiritual spring, however, hid itself in the Nine-Headed Kui Ao, which then continuously absorbed the souls of the living to nourish the spring. To disrupt the formation, they needed to find the Kui Ao’s body.

Meng Zhang said she knew where the Kui Ao was hiding but asked Su Yishui to agree to two conditions: first, not to blame Liu Lang, and second, to help her recover the dragon egg. She also required a soul oath. Following the map given by Meng Zhang, Su Yishui and his group arrived at an underground dark realm.

Old Liu suddenly appeared, and Su Yishui engaged him alone to hold him off, allowing his disciples to descend into the dark realm to slay the Kui Ao. After briefly confronting Old Liu and injuring him, Su Yishui hurried down to help. Xue Ranran had approached the Soul Stone. When Su Yishui arrived, he saw the Qingming Sword suddenly fall into Xue Ranran's hand. The sword acknowledged her as its master.

Holding the sword, Xue Ranran used the Star River Breaking Technique to destroy the Nine-Headed Kui Ao. Su Yu was further convinced that Xue Ranran was the reincarnation of Mu Qingge. Su Yishui also realized that Mu Qingge had left the Qingming Sword here to suppress the spiritual spring. With the Nine-Headed Kui Ao destroyed, the souls that had been absorbed would gradually return to their bodies.

Su Yishui felt a dull pain inside his body and realized that the spiritual spring had always been within him. He ordered Qiu Xier and Gao Cang to keep watch over Old Liu and sent Su Yu away, leaving only Xue Ranran. There, he saw the curse seal that Mu Qingge had set using her Golden Core.

Suddenly, Su Yishui felt a sharp pain in his chest, and the spiritual spring leaped out of the curse seal, wrapping around him and constantly tempting him to merge with it and control the world, offering him everything he desired. Su Yishui struggled to resist but eventually forced the spring back into the curse seal. Xue Ranran took out a talisman and sealed it again. When they exited the dark realm, the villagers had all been safely settled.

Old Liu was nearly driven mad and desperately tried to leave behind the Seven Evil Transformation Spell. As the talisman disappeared, Meng Zhang appeared before them, urging Old Liu to stop being so stubborn. She said that she was content with seeing him one last time and, with those words, vanished into nothingness.

Meng Zhang left behind a piece of dragon scale that could help others glimpse the future. Su Yu saw himself lying alone on a sickbed. Gao Cang and Qiu Xier saw the two of them becoming a married couple. Su Yishui saw himself extracting Mu Qingge's Golden Core. But only Xue Ranran did not wish to foresee the future.

Su Yu wanted to take Xue Ranran back to the capital, but Xue Ranran expressed that her spiritual state was unstable, and she couldn’t leave Mount Wester. Su Yu, worried that Xue Ranran might develop feelings for Su Yishui over time, then proposed opening a restaurant in the capital. Su Yishui overheard their conversation and remembered how he would personally extract Mu Qingge’s Golden Core in the future. He couldn’t bring himself to intervene.

In the courtyard, Gao Cang discovered Qiu Xier lying weakly on the ground and shouted for help. Su Yishui rushed over and found that the courtyard was set with the Nine-Layer Bone Sacrifice Formation. It turned out that Wei Jiu and Mu Ranwu were not far away, working together to cast a spell. Xue Ranran and Gao Cang couldn’t hold on, and even Su Yu was sucked away by the Black Dragon Jade Crystal.

Su Yishui’s hatred grew stronger, and the spiritual spring within him was awakened. It broke through and dispelled the Nine-Layer Bone Sacrifice Formation, but the demon power was exposed, causing the surrounding area to be enveloped by chilling winds and dark clouds. Xue Ranran and the others were too scared to make a sound. As Su Yishui’s resentment accumulated and his eyes began to show signs of cruelty, Xue Ranran stepped forward to wake him up.

Su Yu scolded Su Yishui for scaring everyone with his appearance after the formation was dispelled. Su Yishui decided to settle accounts with the formation's creator and suddenly appeared in front of Wei Jiu and Mu Ranwu. Wei Jiu, having just regained his strength, was afraid to fight Su Yishui and left Mu Ranwu behind, fleeing alone. Su Yishui manipulated the resentment water, causing Mu Ranwu to suffer excruciating pain.

He then threatened her with the revelation of their true identities. Su Yishui didn’t care if the world knew his demonic identity, but he didn’t want Xue Ranran to become the target of everyone’s hostility. He then informed Mu Ranwu that the resentment water could be dispelled if she swore a soul oath never to reveal her or Xue Ranran’s true identity, or else she would face divine retribution and her soul would be destroyed.

As Su Yu was about to leave Puxin Village, he once again asked Xue Ranran to return to the capital with him, but she refused. Her subordinates reported that the medicinal pills in the Foreigners’ Pavilion were nearly used up, and they were concerned that Su Yu’s internal toxins couldn’t be suppressed. Su Yu said they should first return to the capital and figure out what to do next.

Su Yishui appeared with Mu Ranwu and told Xue Ranran and Gao Cang to return to Mount Wester as soon as possible. Mu Ranwu expressed her intention to also go to Mount Wester. Xue Ranran, thinking Mu Ranwu was Mu Qingge, believed that Su Yishui had rekindled old feelings. After they left, Xue Ranran decided to investigate the person who had set the formation.

She recalled that Jiu Lao Xian was an expert in talisman techniques and sent a long-distance sound transmission to ask for help. Once back at Mount Wester, Su Yishui had Yu Chen arrange a place for Mu Ranwu to stay, deliberately ignoring Xue Ranran. Mu Ranwu stated that controlling herself was easy, but Su Yishui would likely find it difficult to control the spiritual spring.

Since it would take several more years to open the Gate of the Ghost Realm, she feared Su Yishui might lose control again and kill Xue Ranran. Mu Ranwu discovered that Xue Ranran was on the verge of foundation building, and at that point, her own spiritual power would begin to fade. Unable to act directly on Mount Wester, she attempted to provoke Xue Ranran into harboring delusions. As expected, Xue Ranran used her true energy.

When her mind became confused, Su Yishui arrived just in time to scold Mu Ranwu for her malicious intentions. Mu Ranwu argued that she was only helping Su Yishui eliminate his delusions. Su Yishui instructed Xue Ranran to close her five senses and let go of her distractions. The thunder tribulation had arrived, and Su Yishui ultimately lifted the thunderous sounds for her, deciding they would never meet again.

Once Xue Ranran completed her foundation building, her spiritual power increased, and she entered the Ghost Realm, hoping to find and return the owner of Ling Xiao. After some failed attempts, Xue Ranran decided to strengthen her spiritual power, and the quickest way to do so was to participate in the Washing Marrow Pool trial. Zeng Yi prepared to craft a weapon for Xue Ranran to celebrate her foundation building.

Xue Ranran mentioned that she had already prepared one using the spiritual tree, naming it "You Shu" (The Tree). Zeng Yi guessed that Su Yishui was avoiding Xue Ranran, but he was concerned about the time it would take for the spiritual spring’s seal to hold. Su Yishui began searching through ancient books to find a way to open the Ghost Realm. Once Xue Ranran completed her foundation building, she quickly created a pill and gave it to Qiu Xier.

After taking it, Qiu Xier felt its effects immediately. Bai Baishan brought a letter from Jiu Lao Xian, and it was revealed that the formation they encountered in Puxin Village was the Nine-Layer Bone Sacrifice Formation.

Xue Ranran flipped through Mu Qingge's notes and discovered that the similar talismans were identical to those used by Mu Ranwu. Just as she was beginning to suspect, she heard someone break into Lingxi Palace. Xue Ranran moved to the window and saw that Mu Ranwu was using the same talisman drawing technique. She hurried to inform Su Yishui of her discovery. When she arrived at Su Yishui’s room, Mu Ranwu was sitting at the table drinking tea.

Xue Ranran decided to test her. Mu Ranwu, seemingly not trying to hide anything, casually remarked that her true identity was not much of a secret. The key point, she said, was that it depended on who Su Yishui truly valued. As Su Yishui entered the room, Xue Ranran quickly voiced her deductions.

Su Yishui didn’t believe her, and when Xue Ranran saw that Mu Ranwu was using the hairpin she had given Su Yishui, she took it back in disappointment and left. Su Yishui understood that Mu Ranwu wanted to force Xue Ranran to leave the protection of Mount Wester, so he warned Mu Ranwu that even if Xue Ranran left, she must not be harmed in any way.

If Mu Ranwu dared to do anything malicious, she would suffer a fate worse than death. As Mu Ranwu descended the mountain, Xue Ranran deliberately blocked her way, forcing her to use the talisman drawing technique. Just then, Su Yishui arrived. Xue Ranran took out Mu Qingge’s notes and tried to explain her suspicions, but Su Yishui set them on fire, telling her not to make wild guesses.

Seeing that Su Yishui wouldn’t listen to reason, Xue Ranran stated that she would go to the capital to participate in the Washing Marrow Pool trial. Once she ascended to the Golden Core, she would repay her master's kindness and leave Mount Wester. She turned and left, leaving Su Yishui in great pain. Su Yu’s internal toxins were becoming difficult to suppress.

The third prince, whom he had once asked Mu Qingge to save, had poisoned him in his bid to seize the throne. Wu Mi informed him that the last blockage in the Four Rivers Waterway lay in Tianmai Mountain, and once it was cleared, Su Yu’s toxins would be resolved. After Mu Ranwu returned to the Eastern Palace, Su Yu instructed his subordinates not to reveal her true identity.

He needed Mu Ranwu to enter Tianmai Mountain for the Washing Marrow Pool trial to clear the Four Rivers Waterway, and the third prince would surely try to interfere with his protective talisman, so it would be useful to have Mu Ranwu as a shield. Su Yu went to Mu Ranwu’s room. Mu Ranwu knew he had sent someone to follow her, but Su Yu didn’t hide it, instead acting concerned for her, creating an affectionate persona.

He mentioned the Washing Marrow Pool trial that would take place in a few days, and Mu Ranwu expressed that it wasn’t easy for her to join. Su Yu offered her the chance to choose any magic weapon from the Eastern Palace's Foreigners’ Pavilion. Once she won the trial and stabilized her spiritual power, he would immediately marry her. Mu Ranwu, of course, fell for it. Su Yu sent Xue Ranran some herbs to help her increase her spiritual power.

When Su Yishui saw them, jealousy flared up inside him, and he smashed the entire box of herbs with a slap. Xue Ranran scolded him for being unreasonable, and Su Yishui returned to his room feeling even more upset. Wen Hongshan escorted some disciples to Tianmai Mountain and passed by Mount Wester. She specifically visited Su Yishui, mentioning that she had known the true identity of the Crown Princess long ago.

She asked if Su Yishui had found the key to the Ghost Realm. Wen Hongshan confessed that she had once followed Mu Qingge out of her secret crush on Su Yishui and had discovered that Mu Qingge was looking for a way to open the Ghost Realm. Now, she had long since let go of her feelings for Su Yishui and told him that the books Mu Qingge had read were from the Xuantian Sect.

Su Yishui had Yu Tong search the Sutra Pavilion. Yu Tong reported that Su Yu had taken many of Mu Qingge’s belongings, including the Xuantian Sect's records. Su Yishui decided to meet with Su Yu. Xue Ranran and her group arrived near Tianmai Mountain and encountered blood-sucking vines. They knew that the Washing Marrow Pool opened only once every nineteen years, and countless people wished to participate, so it would undoubtedly be dangerous.

As they pressed forward, they encountered a deep cliff. Qiu Xier and Gao Cang were already too exhausted to leap over. Xue Ranran used "You Shu" to create a bridge and was the first to try crossing. Halfway across, she nearly fell into the abyss. Seeing this, Qiu Xier gave up, stating that even if she made it past this obstacle, the dangers ahead would still be too much to handle.

Gao Cang and Bai Baishan decided to stay behind with Qiu Xier. Xue Ranran reached the main peak’s cave and saw a Zhuque (Vermilion Bird) trapped in a tree, its feet bruised. She prepared to set the bird free when Mu Ranwu arrived. She mocked Xue Ranran for pretending to be kind. The Zhuque was the most precious treasure of Tianmai Mountain and could purify evil thoughts. As Mu Ranwu spoke, she tried to seize it.

Xue Ranran cut the iron chain with a sword, releasing the Zhuque. Mu Ranwu was furious and prepared to kill her. At that moment, Jin Geng Baihu (Golden Geng White Tiger) suddenly appeared beside Xue Ranran, and she was immediately transported to another location.

Xue Ranran arrived at Yao Lao Xian's door, inquiring about the events that had taken place inside the Hundred Treasures Cave. Yao Lao Xian explained that those who sought rapid advancement were often forced to bear corresponding risks. As a result, many were driven by greed and ended up killing each other.

Xue Ranran realized that Su Yishui had entrusted his soul to the Jin Geng White Tiger to protect himself, so she asked Yao Lao Xian to take her back to Tianmai Mountain. Yao Lao Xian guided Xue Ranran past the Hundred Treasures Cave and brought her to the final trial, the Lingying Cave. This cave preserved the obsessions of those who had attempted the trials in the past.

Xue Ranran wished to see Su Yishui’s obsession, but Yao Lao Xian explained that Su Yishui had entered the Black Pool and therefore left no obsession behind. Xue Ranran successfully entered the Washing Marrow Pool and formed a Golden Core within her body. Meanwhile, Mu Ranwu, who was capturing the Zhuque, immediately sensed the change. The demon cultivator Gui Ba Qian appeared beside Xue Ranran, attempting to steal her spiritual power.

Xue Ranran suspected that Gui Ba Qian was one of Wei Jiu's subordinates, and after some questioning, she discovered that it was actually Wei Jiu himself disguised as Gui Ba Qian. The two confronted each other for a while before leaving the Washing Marrow Pool. After the trial ended, all participants returned to the edge of the deep cliff.

Wei Jiu continued using magic to harm others, and Mu Ranwu, watching from the side, took out the royal artifact, the Fan Tian Xi, attempting to suppress everyone. However, the Fan Tian Xi spun in the air for a while before shattering a nearby cliff and returning to Su Yu’s side. In that instant, the Four Rivers Waterway was completely unblocked. Having lost face in front of everyone, Mu Ranwu released the Devouring Immortal Worms to destroy the scene.

Xue Ranran instructed Gao Cang and Qiu Xier to use the Earth Escape Talisman while she distracted the worms. After they escaped, Xue Ranran felt herself growing weak. The White Tiger appeared once again and carried her as they jumped off the cliff and into the water. Mu Ranwu ran alone to the foot of Tianmai Mountain, biting back first by accusing Wei Jiu of releasing the Devouring Immortal Worms to harm people.

Su Yishui then took Xue Ranran to a cave, and soon after, Wei Jiu arrived. Su Yishui used Soul Control to bind Wei Jiu, who immediately understood that Xue Ranran had only been able to enter the Washing Marrow Pool with Su Yishui's help. Wei Jiu begged Xue Ranran to release him from the Soul Control, and the two walked over to Su Yishui.

Xue Ranran gave Su Yishui a top-grade Continuity Pill to nourish his meridians but only gave Wei Jiu some ineffective herbs for external injuries. Wei Jiu then used Soul Absorption to demand the Continuity Pill from Xue Ranran. Su Yishui immediately broke Wei Jiu’s formation, saying that Wei Jiu was too cunning and preparing to kill him. Xue Ranran intervened, pleading for Wei Jiu's life, so Su Yishui resumed his meditation.

Wei Jiu continued to explain that Su Yishui had expended a great deal of spiritual power by attaching himself to the White Tiger for Xue Ranran’s sake. Not wanting Xue Ranran to worry, Su Yishui placed a sealing spell on Wei Jiu’s mouth, then split the Continuity Pill in half, taking it together with Xue Ranran.

Xue Ranran went outside the cave to gather herbs and accidentally entered another Lingying Cave, the place where the obsessions of those who had entered the Black Pool were preserved. Ling Xiao sensed this and unsealed Su Yishui’s obsession. Xue Ranran finally understood that Su Yishui was the master of Ling Xiao and had traded half of his Golden Core to ensure her rebirth. She hadn’t noticed when Su Yishui had silently stood behind her.

Upon seeing that Xue Ranran now knew everything, Su Yishui sincerely asked her to leave Mount Wester. Xue Ranran, however, decided that she could not give up on Su Yishui and placed him into her Qiankun Bag to heal. Back in front of Wei Jiu, the two decided to escape from Tianmai Mountain together. On their way, Xue Ranran saved the injured Zhuque. Soon after, they encountered a rupture in the earth’s veins and the Devouring Immortal Worms ran rampant.

The Zhuque suddenly transformed into a Phoenix and burned the Devouring Immortal Worms to death, opening the gate of Tianmai Mountain. Once everyone had exited Tianmai Mountain, they collectively accused Mu Ranwu of releasing the Devouring Immortal Worms to harm people. Unable to refute the accusations, Mu Ranwu falsely blamed Xue Ranran for colluding with Wei Jiu to frame her. Yan Liangyu decided to bring the three of them back to the Soul Locking Tower for trial.

As the formation was being activated, Su Yishui used his transmission technique to break the formation from a distance and saved the disciples of Mount Wester. However, the Ice Lotus within him shattered completely.

Zeng Yi saw that Su Yishui's spiritual platform was shattered, so he explained the reason to Xue Ranran. Xue Ranran recalled how Su Yishui had quietly protected her during every moment of danger, and she made up her mind to find a way to save him. Seeing the vines on her wrist, she asked Lingxiao to help her enter Su Yishui's sea of consciousness.

Inside the sea of consciousness, Su Yishui was hanging in mid-air, nearly lifeless, bound by chains of cold ice. Xue Ranran rushed to his side but couldn't awaken him no matter what. Suddenly, she remembered that Su Yishui had nourished the reincarnation tree with his golden core, and their spiritual platforms were connected. She tried to send some of her own golden core energy to help, but Su Yishui no longer had the capacity to accept it.

In desperation, Xue Ranran kissed him, transferring her spiritual power. Slowly, Su Yishui began to regain consciousness. Meanwhile, Mu Ranwu was preparing to return to the palace when she was suddenly attacked by a soldier. After killing him with her magical power, she discovered the death token of the third prince's bodyguard. Returning to the palace in a rage, she sent someone to summon Su Yu to meet with her.

However, Su Yu only sent a messenger, Wu Mi, to say he was unwell and that, due to the injuries to the Empress's face, the wedding day would be postponed. Zhou Feihua sent a medicinal ointment to counteract the poison from magical powers, but Mu Ranwu believed that Zhou Feihua wanted to ruin her appearance and smashed the ointment in anger. Su Yu, still waiting for the Kangping Dan, ordered Wang Suizhi to find Ghost Grass.

Wang Suizhi mentioned that he had secretly found Liang Wumeng also searching for the Ghost Grass, and thus realized that Su Yu had been poisoned for a long time. The Kangping Dan was intended to detoxify him, not to save anyone else.

Mu Ranwu stopped Wang Suizhi from continuing to defame Su Yu, and instead, she believed that if she became strong enough, Su Yu would be unable to leave her side, and all the glory and wealth of this life would not be easily given away. Wang Suizhi felt deeply disappointed in the so-called "Master. "Xue Ranran had been staying by Su Yishui's sickbed.

She explained that she now understood that Lingxiao was Su Yishui's golden core, and that he had helped her win during the trial in the cleansing pool. Talking to herself about Su Yishui's feelings for her, Su Yishui immediately retorted, saying everything he did was to imitate Mu Qingge. He had secretly helped her in the cleansing pool trial only to learn and leave Mount Wester as soon as possible.

Xue Ranran was confused—Su Yishui had clearly given so much, yet whenever their feelings were mentioned, he acted so resistant. After Xue Ranran left the room, Lingquan whispered in Su Yishui's ear, suggesting that he should plant Lingquan inside himself soon, or he would face death. Su Yishui realized that his time was running out and that he needed to find the Xuantian Sect's will as soon as possible.

Seeing Xue Ranran crying alone in the courtyard, Zeng Yi approached to comfort her. Xue Ranran asked why Su Yishui protected her. Zeng Yi didn't explain but simply said that Su Yishui owed her and should repay it. Wei Jiu returned from the Black Pool and had reached the peak of the Nascent Soul stage again.

Tu Jiuyuan didn't come to celebrate because of a recurring illness, so Wei Jiu personally visited her, bringing the black water from the cleansing pool to help her heal. A maid analyzed that Wei Jiu had gained enough spiritual power after entering the cleansing pool and had specially brought the water back, indicating that he had been thinking about Tu Jiuyuan.

She suggested that in the future, Tu Jiuyuan could use softness to overcome Wei Jiu’s hardness, which might make things easier. Tu Jiuyuan felt that the maid's analysis was reasonable, so she changed into a more alluring outfit and brought Wei Jiu some snacks. Wei Jiu mentioned that Mu Qingge, in her reincarnation, was vulgar and ruthless, completely like a different person, while Xue Ranran had more charm.

Su Yishui had suffered a great setback and could no longer protect his disciple, so he planned to take Xue Ranran to his side. When Tu Jiuyuan heard that Wei Jiu's mind was filled with thoughts of other women, she placed the snacks down and turned to leave. Wei Jiu had no idea what was going on in a woman's heart. Wei Jiu soon sent rare medicinal materials from the Scarlet Sect to Xue Ranran along with a few love poems.

Xue Ranran had no interest in them and only wanted to stay by Su Yishui’s side. However, Su Yishui reminded her not to reveal his condition, and Xue Ranran was left feeling anxious. Xue Ranran specially prepared a delicious meal for Su Yishui. While he was performing some movements related to the White Tiger, Xue Ranran remembered that Zeng Yi had once said that using Soul Control would cause side effects, leaving animal traits for a period of time.

In a panic, she rushed over and touched Su Yishui's chin. Su Yishui, in turn, gently rubbed his head against hers. After a moment, the symptoms faded, and Su Yishui hurriedly pushed her away, warning her not to make such ambiguous gestures again. Xue Ranran wasn’t angry. She said she had already come to terms with it. Even if Su Yishui was infatuated with Mu Qingge, it wouldn’t stop her from loving him.

Since he always treated her like a rebellious disciple, she would focus on eating well and regaining her strength. Once she recovered, she would have the energy to punish him. After Xue Ranran left, Lingquan once again tempted Su Yishui.

Su Yishui left a letter for Xue Ranran, informing her that they would not meet again and advising his disciples to find their own paths. Xue Ranran asked Zeng Yi about Su Yishui’s whereabouts, but Zeng Yi couldn’t say clearly. He only guessed that Su Yishui was searching for a way to open the Ghost Realm, and once he found it, he might return to Mount Wester. Back in her room, Xue Ranran used Lingxiao to enter Su Yishui’s memories.

Eighteen years ago, after Mu Qingge's death, Su Yu found Su Yishui and speculated that Mu Qingge had taken on the identity of the Demon Child for Su Yishui. Wu Mi mentioned that the Reincarnation Tree could house Mu Qingge’s soul, and Su Yu sought to seize it. Su Yishui guarded the tree carefully and, in the end, personally planted it on Jueshan. Zeng Yi was also present, and Su Yishui sealed his own soul to protect it.

Xue Ranran remembered that, apart from Mu Ranwu, she herself was another Reincarnation Fruit. She speculated that in her previous life, she was Mu Qingge. Following this, she used her senses to reach Su Yishui’s secret chamber, where she discovered all the items and snacks she had given him, as well as a thick stack of Heart Cleansing Talismans. It seemed that every time Su Yishui had impure thoughts, he forced himself to copy a talisman.

One paper had the words "Mount Wester Sect Leader Mu Qingge Xue Ranran" written on it. Xue Ranran suddenly understood—she was Mu Qingge in her past life. When Zeng Yi saw Xue Ranran, she told him that she now knew her true identity. Zeng Yi, unable to hide any longer, explained that Xue Ranran’s memory loss was due to the Soul-Eating Lock within her. Su Yishui had kept this a secret in order to help solidify her spiritual platform.

Xue Ranran asked why Zeng Yi didn’t take her along to search for the key. Zeng Yi replied that Su Yishui had no way back this time and didn’t want to involve anyone else. Xue Ranran declared that whether in this life or the past, she would not allow Su Yishui to take risks alone. Liang Wumeng sent a talisman, informing Xue Ranran that the way to return to her true soul was also in the Xuantian Sect's will.

Xue Ranran then went to the Lingxi Palace, where, using Mu Qingge’s identity, she ordered the search of the books Su Yishui had reviewed. She discovered that Su Yu had taken the Xuantian Sect’s will eighteen years ago. With this new information, she decided to go to the capital city to find Su Yu, and Qiu Xier and the others volunteered to accompany her. Upon arriving in the capital, Xue Ranran used Lingxiao to locate Yu Chen and Yu Tong.

The two of them said they had gotten separated from Su Yishui shortly after arriving in the capital. They also heard that it rained every day in the city. One day, a monk was carried on a stretcher past them. Su Yishui noticed that the monk was missing his golden core and guessed that Su Yu must be scheming something.

Su Yishui secretly sought out an old servant who had worked with him before, to inquire about the formation Su Yu had set up in the palace. The servant revealed that the emperor had long since stopped managing state affairs, and Su Yu had begun acting as regent. In recent years, he had been secretly recruiting outsiders into the palace. Su Yishui decided to infiltrate the palace in the guise of one of these outsiders.

After observing the palace gate for a day, Su Yishui disguised himself as an outsider master named Bao Ming from the Immortal Hall. Yu Chen spoke about Su Yu’s situation, and Xue Ranran found it unbelievable. They all worried about Su Yishui’s circumstances, but the Eastern Palace’s guards were too tight to enter. Xue Ranran then thought of sending the Vermilion Bird into the Eastern Palace.

After the Vermilion Bird entered the palace, Xue Ranran connected to the Water Mirror and saw Mu Ranwu throwing a tantrum at a maid, her facial scar still not healed. Su Yishui, having discarded his Bao Ming disguise, entered Su Yu’s room to search for the Xuantian Sect’s will. The butler, Old Feng, who had once entered the palace with Su Yishui, noticed the change in appearance and grew suspicious, leading him to start searching.

Su Yishui indeed found the redwood box that contained the Xuantian Sect’s will, but when he opened it, it was empty. Following the lingering scent, he discovered it had been hidden in a small river in the garden. Su Yu soon entered the room, having already guessed what Su Yishui had done. Su Yishui asked Su Yu what his true purpose was.

Su Yu only answered in regard to Xue Ranran, saying that since her true identity had been revealed, she would soon restore her position as the Empress. Su Yishui accused Su Yu of merely using Mu Qingge in his past life to seize the world, and there was no real love involved. Su Yu, irritated, realized that Su Yishui had no spiritual power left and ordered his men to capture him.

But Su Yishui struck with a palm, pushing the guards away. Old Feng discovered that Su Yishui had stolen Master Liu’s magical power. Su Yu set up numerous formations in the garden, but Su Yishui still struggled to break free. Determined, he plunged into the Question Pool, hoping to find the Xuantian Sect’s will.

Xue Ranran sneaked into the Fennel Spring, taking advantage of Mu Ranwu’s bath to seize her body. This allowed Xue Ranran to enter the palace. As they passed the Question Pool, Xue Ranran intentionally had the carriage stop and went by the water to walk around alone.

Zhou Feihua, seeing that the Crown Princess had not yet left the palace, kindly informed her that Su Yu no longer had the heart to protect her and suggested she leave as soon as possible. If she had nowhere to go, he would ask his father, Prime Minister Zhou, to help arrange a place for her to stay. Xue Ranran didn’t know the relationship between Zhou Feihua and Mu Ranwu. She only nodded in response and didn’t dare to speak.

Several soldiers reported to their supervisor about the suppression of the Question Pool. Xue Ranran grew more worried as she overheard the conversation. Suddenly, she saw a shadow pass by. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was Su Yishui using Soul Manipulation. Su Yishui saw Xue Ranran and reprimanded her for not following his orders and returning to Mount Wester. He once again harshly drove her away, declaring that he would expel her from his sect.

Xue Ranran couldn’t help but laugh, saying that it was always the master who expelled the disciple, not the other way around. Su Yishui realized that Xue Ranran already knew his true identity, so he asked if she had regained all her memories. Xue Ranran understood Su Yishui’s sense of guilt and reassured him that since he had reforged his Golden Core and had been accompanying her soul, he had already atoned for all his sins.

She then, in her role as his disciple, asked Su Yishui to reveal what the current urgent matter was. Just as Su Yishui was about to speak, he suddenly vanished. Xue Ranran arrived at the Empress Dowager's Palace and discovered that there was no formation around the Eastern Palace. She urged the Spirit Tree to help her find the path to the Question Pool.

While secretly drawing a map of the route within the palace, she saw Lin Yeting bringing a drunken man to place him on Zhou Feihua’s bed. Xue Ranran immediately informed Zhou Feihua, who had been practicing swordplay. The two of them then returned to her room, and the situation turned out to be true. Zhou Feihua was responsible for selecting maidservants for the Eastern Palace but had never met Xue Ranran.

Xue Ranran decided to reveal her true identity, explaining that since Zhou Feihua had once saved her life, she would keep his secret. Zhou Feihua, suspecting that there were demons in the Question Pool, took the opportunity to help Xue Ranran distract the soldiers. Xue Ranran submerged herself in the Question Pool and encountered Su Yishui and the Azure Dragon.

Su Yishui explained that Su Yu had been poisoned, and he had trapped the Azure Dragon in order to use the Seven Evil Transformation Curse to fuse with it and gain an immortal body. However, Su Yishui’s spiritual power was too weak to help the Azure Dragon escape. He needed six days of rest for the Chongyang to absorb more spiritual energy. As he spoke, he suddenly lost contact with his body.

He asked Xue Ranran to find the copper coin that had fallen beside the Question Pool and return it to his body. After leaving the Question Pool, Xue Ranran told Zhou Feihua about Su Yu’s plot. Because the transformation talisman had gotten wet in the water, she also asked Zhou Feihua to place the copper coin near Su Yishui’s body. Just as Zhou Feihua returned, Su Yu arrived shortly after.

Xue Ranran hid behind a screen, and Zhou Feihua tried to keep things hidden, but Su Yu immediately called out Xue Ranran’s name. Xue Ranran stepped forward and noticed that a sound transmission talisman was hidden in the wind chimes. Su Yu then revealed that he already knew Xue Ranran was Mu Qingge. Old Feng used a spell to knock Zhou Feihua unconscious.

Only then did Xue Ranran realize that Su Yu, having tracked Zhou Feihua’s movements, had already found Su Yishui’s body in her study. Xue Ranran was worried that Su Yu would kill Su Yishui, but Su Yu said that compared to the Dragon’s form, Su Yishui’s body was more suitable for him. He found this vile, evil technique of body-snatching beneath him. Su Yu explained that Su Yishui was the Demon Child, to which Xue Ranran responded that she already knew everything.

Xue Ranran learned that Su Yu had been poisoned by the Third Prince and would not survive for long. A sense of sympathy stirred in her, and she tried to persuade him to find another way to detoxify. Su Yu led Xue Ranran to the Question Pool and explained that his plans had been set in motion since they were at Puxin Village.

At that time, he had pretended to faint and overheard the conversation between Su Yishui and Xue Ranran about the spiritual spring. Since taming the Azure Dragon had proven somewhat difficult, he realized that if he used the Seven Evil Transformation Curse to shift Su Yishui’s body, it would make more sense. He then became even more certain of his plan and imprisoned Xue Ranran in the Qingliang Palace until she agreed to marry him. Xue Ranran was anxious.

Su Yishui still needed seven more days to recover his spiritual energy, and she was completely unaware that Su Yu would make his move early. She had to find a way to inform him. Su Yu brought her a wedding gown, along with a pearl that she and Mu Qingge had found earlier. Xue Ranran couldn’t be bothered to care. Su Yu also insisted that they dine together.

Xue Ranran thought that since there was no way to escape, it would be better to eat and store up energy for her eventual escape. Su Yu personally cooked some taro and sweet potatoes, but Xue Ranran commented that she no longer liked the taste of the dishes from before. Su Yu became furious and threatened to punish the cook who had prepared the other dishes.

Xue Ranran, feeling compassionate, hurriedly ate a few bites of the ribs to plead on the cook’s behalf. Yu Chen, Qiu Xier, and the others couldn’t get into the palace and were anxiously waiting outside the city gate. Su Yu lavished Xue Ranran with many gold and silver ornaments. She noticed that the room had gathered the five elemental energies—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—which could help her enhance her spiritual power.

She then tried to practice Soul Manipulation and, to her surprise, succeeded. Xue Ranran entrusted her soul to the Spirit Tree and quietly submerged herself into the Question Pool to meet with Su Yishui. She told him that Su Yu would make his move before Su Yishui had recovered his full spiritual energy. Su Yishui decided to break out of the Question Pool early, but Xue Ranran immediately opposed him.

Without enough spiritual energy, it would be like using an egg to break a rock. She then prepared to agree to marry Su Yu, but with the condition that she would set the wedding date herself, thus buying more time to stall Su Yu and lower the guards around the Question Pool. Su Yishui refused to accept this delay tactic, and Xue Ranran noticed that he was extremely jealous, which actually made her happy.

She then asked if he had found the method in the Xuantian Sect Scroll. Su Yishui took out a scroll, explaining that it contained some commonly used spells. There should be another part to it, but Su Yu likely hadn’t recognized any special details and had carelessly left it in his study. Xue Ranran placed the Xuantian Sect Scroll in the Spirit Tree and left the Question Pool to search for the other half in Su Yu’s study.

Sure enough, she found it. When the two scrolls were combined, they formed a single scroll, which began by describing the method for returning the soul. Xue Ranran tried to move the scroll, but the small wooden figure couldn’t lift it. A few maidservants heard the noise and returned the scroll to the bookshelf. Xue Ranran then returned to her body.

The next day, Su Yu again pressured Xue Ranran to marry him, threatening the lives of the villagers in Xuejia Village. She had no choice but to agree, but insisted that the wedding be set for the Double Ninth Festival and that her brothers from Mount Wester be her family representatives. Su Yu agreed to the wedding date but refused to allow the Xuanmen Sect to intervene in political affairs. He suggested that Zhou Feihua help with the wedding preparations.

With that, Zhou Feihua was released from house arrest. Xue Ranran secretly told him her plan and asked him to help her draw a map to find the weakest point in the Eastern Palace’s formation. They could use this as the focal point for the formation. Mu Ranwu’s binding talisman was about to lose its effect, and perhaps it could be used for her benefit.

After returning to the palace, Mu Ranwu heard the palace maids mention that Su Yu was about to marry the Crown Princess. She hurriedly asked Zhou Feihua what had happened. Zhou Feihua explained that Su Yu might have been influenced by the talisman, causing him to insist on marrying a wild girl from the common folk. Mu Ranwu immediately confronted Xue Ranran, bringing up how her bones had been damaged by the cold when she was young.

Xue Ranran felt a pang of guilt, but knowing that she needed to provoke Mu Ranwu into joining her in breaking the formation, she changed her tone and said some words designed to anger her. Sure enough, Mu Ranwu took the bait.

Mu Ranwu knocked Xue Ranran down, and Su Yu happened to see this. Xue Ranran immediately pretended to faint. Su Yu scolded Mu Ranwu for being ungrateful, despite her telling him that the two of them had once gotten along very well eighteen years ago. However, to Su Yu, there was no lingering affection.

He ordered Lao Feng to dispose of Mu Ranwu, but Wang Suizhi suddenly appeared and used a magic artifact he had purchased with a large sum of money to help Mu Ranwu escape. After Bai Hu was injured, his spiritual power weakened, and the formation became almost ineffective against him. He took on the responsibility of delivering messages both inside and outside the palace.

Xue Ranran shared her plan to break the formation on the day of the Double Ninth Festival with the other disciples. Yu Chen worried about how to approach the formation, while Bai Baishan remembered the automaton puppets that Zeng Yi had taught them. These puppets were immune to the effects of mechanical formations, so they could be remodeled into mechanical birds.

By attaching talisman water to them, they could blend into a flock of flying birds and enter the Eastern Palace. Qiu Xier, with her keen sense of smell, suggested that they could detect resentment by sensing the smell of the soil. Gao Cang was tasked with delivering the scent of the soil, and Qiu Xier concluded that the strongest resentment was concentrated in the Battle Queen's Palace. Bai Hu sent the map back to the Qingliang Palace.

Xue Ranran used a sound transmission spell to talk with Su Yishui, asking about the events from eighteen years ago involving herself and Su Yu to buy time and delay Su Yu. Su Yishui explained that Su Yu had once received a meal from her, and later Mu Qingge had saved the Third Prince to repay the favor.

Xue Ranran started to understand the relationship between them and informed Su Yishui that she was about to activate the formation's focal point using the Spirit Tree, so they could no longer communicate. On the wedding day, Xue Ranran deliberately delayed the time until noon, suspecting that Su Yishui would soon break out of the Question Pool. She then told Su Yu that she no longer wanted to marry him.

Just as she said this, the Azure Dragon soared into the sky, and the surroundings turned dim and gloomy. Just as Xue Ranran was feeling triumphant, the Azure Dragon was trapped above the Eastern Palace. Su Yu, having anticipated everything, had Lao Feng set up a celestial net in advance. He then revealed a sinister expression and began to pressure her. Xue Ranran summoned the Spirit Tree from underground, which immediately suppressed the surrounding formation, restoring her spiritual power.

She then released the Azure Dragon from the celestial net. Seeing the situation grow more urgent, Su Yu hastily ordered Lao Feng to switch bodies. Su Yishui intended to send Xue Ranran away first, but she insisted on first reclaiming Su Yishui's body. As she faced Lao Feng's magic formation, Su Yu successfully swapped bodies. Xue Ranran suggested forcibly reclaiming the body, but Su Yu used a talisman to bind the Azure Dragon in place.

As Su Yu carelessly cast spells, the spiritual spring in his body was no longer suppressed and fully turned into the body of a demon child. Xue Ranran tried to control the spiritual spring, but Su Yu, enraged and humiliated, attacked her furiously. Su Yishui, now inhabiting the Azure Dragon’s body, reminded Xue Ranran to use Vermilion Bird blood to exorcise the demon. Sure enough, the spiritual spring was resealed, and Su Yu's true spirit departed from Su Yishui's body.

Xue Ranran, exhausted from the heavy use of her powers, fainted. Su Yishui, now back in his body, caught her. Su Yu's true spirit was on the verge of dissipating. Lao Feng ordered the Eastern Palace monks to change the formation and pursue the soul. Su Yishui carried Xue Ranran to the Eastern Sea and explained that his final fate was to seal the spiritual spring with his own body.

He didn’t want Xue Ranran to waste her emotions and didn’t want to risk his life over and over again. However, Xue Ranran used the Spirit Tree to bind Su Yishui, telling him that according to the Xuantian Sect Scroll, there was no need to use the true spirit. Instead, they could nourish it with a Wuxiang spiritual root and then use the Xuan Yin Bottle to extract the spiritual spring.

Xue Ranran returned the Lingxiao to Su Yishui, allowing him to ascend to the Divine Transformation realm, and decided that she would never leave again. Su Yishui shed tears of joy and happiness. Su Yu, barely managing to call back his true spirit, found that he could not maintain it for long. In a fit of rage, he yelled at Lao Feng. Lao Feng went to a dark room and used long-distance sound transmission to explain what was happening.

It turned out that Lao Feng had been planted as an informant by someone beside Su Yu. Wei Jiu learned that Xue Ranran was actually Mu Qingge and ordered Tu Jiuyuan to set up a formation in the Eastern Sea to help him obtain the spiritual spring and Mu Qingge. Tu Jiuyuan suggested that they should not directly oppose Su Yishui, but Wei Jiu suspected that Tu Jiuyuan was jealous, which she admitted.

Wei Jiu became uncomfortable and advised her not to covet, but after he left, Tu Jiuyuan felt dizzy. Her maid came to remind her to take care of her health because she was pregnant. Tu Jiuyuan told her maid not to inform Wei Jiu and vowed not to bring shame upon herself. Once she helped Wei Jiu open the Red Flame formation, she would find an opportunity to leave the Scarlet Sect.

Realizing what was going on, Kaiyuan Immortal received a secret letter from Su Yu, summoning the four major sects to discuss pursuing Su Yishui. They discovered that Su Yishui had gone towards the Eastern Sea and instructed the sects to be on the lookout. Su Yu spread rumors about his severe illness. Upon hearing this, Zhou Feihua couldn’t help but worry and secretly went to the Eastern Palace to visit.

She found out that Su Yu had deliberately set up a trap to lure her back to the palace. Using her feelings, Su Yu imprisoned her and posted an announcement accusing her of plotting to kill him, forcing Xue Ranran and Su Yishui to reveal themselves. Yu Chen and Yu Tong saw the announcement on the streets and immediately guessed Su Yu’s scheme.

Entering the palace recklessly might lead to being trapped by the formation, so they decided to split up to carry out the rescue. That night, Yu Chen and Bai Baishan used an illusion technique to sneak into the Eastern Palace and rescue Zhou Feihua. Su Yu stayed awake for three days and nights to heal Xue Ranran’s injuries. Once she recovered, the two of them went to the vicinity of the Eastern Sea Dragon Island.

The Azure Dragon had prepared fish and shrimp as thanks, and the two of them enjoyed a fish barbecue picnic. Su Yishui still didn’t want Xue Ranran to participate in sealing the spiritual spring, but Xue Ranran said that she had already found a method in the Yi Qi Breaking Star River formation. She wouldn’t need to rely on her own spiritual power, but instead would use the essence of the elements of heaven and earth.

After that, the two of them left Dragon Island and began searching for the Ghost Realm. The Third Prince and Dr. Chen came to check Su Yu’s pulse and found that his pulse was calm, with abundant vital energy. In fact, Su Yu had taken a Reverse Soul Pill to cope with the Third Prince's test. After the Third Prince left, Su Yu immediately became extremely weak.

Lao Feng informed Zhou Feihua that she had been rescued by the Western Sect disciples, but they could follow her trail to find the Ghost Realm. Once they reached the Ghost Realm, there would be a powerful figure capable of healing Su Yu. Su Yishui and Xue Ranran met with the Western Sect disciples at an inn. When Zhou Feihua called out Mu Qingge’s name, Qiu Xier and Gao Cang froze. Yu Tong explained that Xue Ranran was Mu Qingge.

Zhou Feihua advised Xue Ranran not to let Su Yishui hurt her again in this life. Xue Ranran said that she trusted Su Yishui and would help seal the spiritual spring. After everyone left, Zhou Feihua secretly gave Xue Ranran the Xuantian Sect Scroll. She remembered some things Mu Qingge had said to her eighteen years ago before the incident and re-told Xue Ranran to see if it would help with sealing the spiritual spring.

This event implicated the entire Zhou family, but fortunately, Su Yishui had already made arrangements. He had planned for Zhou Feihua’s parents to return to their hometown and live in seclusion. Zhou Feihua bid farewell to Xue Ranran and prepared to reunite with her family in the countryside.

Bai Baishan and the others were surprised by Xue Ranran's true identity, unsure how to interact with her in all of her different roles. Xue Ranran explained that she would always be their little junior sister and then elaborated on the dangerous situation that Su Yishui was currently facing. She warned that staying at Mount Wester would likely make them targets.

Since they urgently needed to find the Ghost Realm, the safest option was to announce their departure from Mount Wester. However, the three of them were reluctant to accept this and insisted on sharing both the hardships and joys with Su Yishui. According to the Xuantian Sect records, the Blood Moon could open the path to the Ghost Realm.

The Blood Moon appears in places of great slaughter, and Su Yishui speculated that it might be at the site of Fan Yao. Xue Ranran, lacking sufficient spiritual power, was focused on drawing talismans to avoid disaster. Su Yishui then took out a stack of golden talisman paper, which was much more effective. Concerned that Xue Ranran was recovering too slowly, Su Yishui opened up his spiritual platform, allowing them to share spiritual power.

Xue Ranran also shared the technique of the Yi Qi Breaking Star River, and the two of them practiced together to make progress. Wang Suizhi took Mu Ranwu to a courtyard in the suburbs to recuperate. Mu Ranwu realized that her cultivation was stagnating and, in response, Wang Suizhi kindly brought her a bowl of spiritual mushroom soup. However, Mu Ranwu demanded that Wang Suizhi find a millennium-old spiritual mushroom to help replenish her energy.

Several of the disciples from the capital had already betrayed and fled, leaving only a few disciples from Mount Wester with her. Mu Ranwu no longer dared to acknowledge her true identity. Wang Suizhi kindly advised Mu Ranwu to stop deceiving herself and return to the happier times of the past. However, Mu Ranwu, intoxicated by power and glory, declared that what she had once gained, she would take back.

As for Su Yu and Xue Ranran, they would both have to pay the price. Su Yu began posting notices everywhere, slandering the disciples of Mount Wester for assassination and plotting rebellion. He also spread rumors about Su Yishui's demonic son identity, intentionally drawing the attention of the Xuanmen. When Qiu Xier and the others saw the notices on the street, they nearly got discovered by the soldiers.

After returning to the inn, Su Yu warned them to use disguise techniques while heading to the Ghost Realm, but they might not be able to hide from the Xuanmen, so they would need to avoid meeting them directly. Mu Ranwu continued to pressure Wang Suizhi to find spiritual treasures. Lao Feng found Mu Ranwu and told her that if she helped Su Yu reach the Ghost Realm and meet with a great being, her spiritual power would increase exponentially.

As for the position and glory of the Empress, they would all be within reach. Following Lao Feng's request, Mu Ranwu went to the Jiuhua Sect to inform them of Su Yishui's whereabouts. Kaiyuan Immortal initially didn't believe her, but Mu Ranwu, still identifying as Mu Qingge, claimed that eighteen years ago, Su Yishui had forced her to take on the demonic son identity by threatening her with her younger sister.

Recently, Su Yishui had also controlled a Xuanmen disciple at Tianmai Mountain with resentment energy. Kaiyuan Immortal fell for the trap and immediately ordered Yan Liangyu to lead the disciples to eliminate the demonic son. The other three sects also pledged to take action together. Su Yishui and Xue Ranran arrived at the battlefield of Fan Yao and noticed that resentment energy filled the air. The spiritual springs were also responding to each other.

Su Yishui set up talismans at the location with the most resentment energy. Once the Blood Moon appeared, the Yin Tong Stone would react. Over the next few hours, Su Yishui sent his disciples to the nearby town to eat and rest. To avoid attracting the Xuanmen's attention, Yu Tong suggested they split up for the mission. Su Yishui and Xue Ranran arrived at Wuma Town, where they ate together and strolled through the market.

That evening, they heard that the Lantern Festival was in a few days, and young men and women would give lanterns to those they admired. Xue Ranran decided to make a lantern for Su Yu. The two of them went to a nearby mountain to chop some light bamboo, and Xue Ranran accidentally discovered that the bamboo forest contained primal spiritual energy. Following the spiritual energy, they found a cave, which was filled with lanterns lit by Changsheng Fire.

As Xue Ranran stroked one of the lanterns, she suddenly remembered making all the lanterns in her previous life but couldn’t recall why Su Yishui liked lanterns. Su Yishui explained that he had been lonely since childhood, but once, after entering Mount Wester, Mu Qingge had lit the path for him, and that was when he started to love lanterns. Su Yishui tightly embraced Xue Ranran, feeling that this was the happiest moment of his life.

Suddenly, the Yin Tong Stone began to glow. Su Yishui quickly informed the other disciples. When they arrived at the battlefield of Fan Yao, the Blood Moon had indeed begun to rise slowly, and the four major Xuanmen sects and Mu Ranwu appeared as well. When the barrier to the Ghost Realm appeared, Su Yishui stepped forward to try and open it. The disciples blocked the Xuanmen's attack, and the demonic aura from the Ghost Realm spread, infecting many people.

Xue Ranran reminded the disciples to hold their breath and gather their energy, and the Xuanmen elders sealed the bloodlines of all their disciples. Seeing this, Xue Ranran handed out Qingxin Pills to help them dispel the demonic influence. Wei Jiu suddenly arrived at the scene to seize the spiritual spring. The demonic power from the Ghost Realm grew stronger, and Su Yishui was sucked into the formation eye.

Xue Ranran followed closely behind and used sound transmission to ask Qiu Xier to lift the seal on the Xuanmen disciples. Only then did the elders finally believe that Su Yishui had no ill intentions.

The demonic beasts from the Ghost Realm were wreaking havoc. Xue Ranran led everyone to a cave, trying to use talismans to drive the beasts away. However, Wei Jiu took the opportunity to steal Xue Ranran's spiritual power. Su Yishui immediately used the Yi Qi Breaking Star River technique to knock him down. Tu Jiuyuan pleaded for Wei Jiu, explaining that she had learned a secret technique that could help them escape the demonic beasts.

Through Tu Jiuyuan's formation, they managed to move to a safer area. However, the consumption of Tu Jiuyuan's magic was significant, and there was still a chance the demonic beasts might attack again. Xue Ranran urged the other four to leave the Ghost Realm as soon as possible. Wei Jiu, valuing this opportunity greatly, refused to back down, so he decided to stay behind with Tu Jiuyuan while Su Yishui went with him to search for the spiritual spring.

Yan Liangyu decided to lead the demonic beasts farther away, and Wen Hongshan insisted on accompanying him. When Su Yishui began extracting the resentment energy from his body, Wei Jiu seized the chance to bring the Chi Yan Sword close to the sealing point of the spiritual spring to purify it. Mu Ranwu appeared with a scroll, releasing Ye Xin.

Ye Xin revealed that he had once prevented Mu Qingge from sealing the spiritual spring, and as a result, Mu Qingge had sealed him within the Ghost Realm. Now that he was free, Ye Xin still wanted to steal the spiritual spring from Su Yishui's body. Xue Ranran immediately started to block him. Su Yishui endured excruciating pain but finally extracted the spiritual spring from his body and sealed it.

Seeing this, Ye Xin took an Ice Dew and implanted it into Su Yishui’s body, erasing all memories related to Xue Ranran. Su Yishui was too weak to resist, and before the exit closed, Xue Ranran hurriedly took him away. After returning to the inn, Su Yishui no longer recognized his disciples and kept shouting that he wanted to kill Mu Qingge. Yu Chen and Yu Tong stepped forward to stop him, but Su Yishui still remembered them.

It turned out that Ye Xin had used the Ice Dew to erase twenty-three years of Su Yishui's memories. Xue Ranran, seeing that Su Yishui had become like a completely different person, used sound transmission to contact Jiu Lao Xian. Jiu Lao Xian remembered that Yao Lao Xian had once transcribed some Ghost Realm talismans for him, so he hurriedly fetched them to examine. Su Yishui continued to ask about Mu Qingge’s whereabouts.

Yu Tong explained that Mu Qingge had died in a curse formation eighteen years ago. Su Yishui, unwilling to accept this, decided to return to Mount Wester the next day to search for any items related to Mu Qingge. Yu Tong informed the other disciples about Su Yishui’s condition. Xue Ranran advised them not to provoke him yet and to observe how things developed. That night, Xue Ranran tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

She sneaked over to Su Yishui's door to watch him. Su Yishui sensed someone outside and immediately moved Xue Ranran in front of him. He asked why there was half of his Golden Dan inside her body. Xue Ranran, unable to explain, took out some old items to guide him. When she brought out a dried longan, Su Yishui flew into a rage, thinking she was humiliating him. Mu Ranwu brought Ye Xin before Su Yu.

Ye Xin absorbed Lao Feng into his body and revealed that Lao Feng was a fragment of his soul left in the world. From now on, he would reveal his true form. Ye Xin forcibly reversed Su Yu’s primordial spirit, and Su Yu regained his vitality. Ye Xin explained that this condition could only last for six months.

After that, if his plan succeeded, Su Yu would have lasting health, but if it failed, Su Yu's life would be in danger. Su Yu urgently asked Ye Xin about his plan. Ye Xin whispered his plan to Su Yu, but Su Yu believed that it was far too fantastical to be possible.

Ye Xin, however, assured him that nothing was impossible, as he was the ancestor of the Jiuhua Sect, Dun Tian, and possessed the ability to undo everything and start over.

Su Yishui returned to Mount Wester and passed by Lingxi Palace. He found it magnificent, even more luxurious than his own residence. He asked why there was the aura of Mu Qingge inside the palace and why Xue Ranran had half of his Golden Dan. Yu Tong explained that Su Yishui had personally sent half of his Golden Dan to protect Xue Ranran.

Su Yishui insisted that he would never sacrifice himself for love, but his concern for Xue Ranran’s safety remained. Yu Tong then explained that Xue Ranran was the fruit of the Reincarnation Tree and had been Mu Ranwu in her past life. Ye Xin smoothed over Mu Ranwu's facial scars and taught her a special cultivation technique to enhance her spiritual power, thus allowing him to control her for his own purposes.

Xue Ranran tried to confide in Su Yishui about her past, but Su Yishui had no memory of it. She then kissed him in an attempt to help him regain his memories, but Su Yishui thought she was being frivolous and pushed her away. Mu Ranwu used the Soul Devouring Lock to drain Xue Ranran's spiritual power. Xue Ranran, having used her Wuxiang spiritual root to seal the spiritual spring for Su Yishui, suffered a rapid decrease in her power.

Su Yishui, worried that his half Golden Dan might be damaged, helped Xue Ranran remove the Soul Devouring Lock. He also instructed Yu Tong to imprison Xue Ranran and ordered that she not be allowed to appear in front of him. He even demanded that the other three disciples be sent away. Xue Ranran and Zeng Yi went to Cuiwei Mountain to meet Jiu Lao Xian. Upon learning that Xue Ranran was Mu Qingge, Jiu Lao Xian was overjoyed.

He also informed them that Su Yishui had been affected by a Soul Washing Talisman, but he knew nothing about Ye Xin or Liang Wumeng. After returning to Mount Wester, Xue Ranran drank alone, feeling down. Zeng Yi advised that it might be a good time to sever ties with Su Yishui, especially since the spiritual spring had already been suppressed, and everything had returned to how it was initially.

Xue Ranran, however, refused to deceive herself and said that the feelings she had developed couldn’t just be cut off. Since Ye Xin had caused Su Yishui to lose his memories, he must have had some purpose in doing so. She decided to use this opportunity to figure out a way forward. Su Yishui made a trip to the Ping Qinwang Manor and discovered that the palace was surrounded by a rare formation.

Mu Qingge's spiritual power was insufficient, which he suspected was the work of Ye Xin. He also realized that Ye Xin had deliberately used Ice Dew to make him lose his memories. Su Yishui resolved to find Ye Xin and get answers. Meanwhile, Xue Ranran had already left Mount Wester. Su Yishui could no longer feel the presence of the other half of his Golden Dan, so he asked Yu Chen and Yu Tong about it.

Both were hesitant and didn’t know how to answer. Back in his room, Su Yishui found the Clear Heart Mantra that Xue Ranran had been punished to transcribe. He had planned to throw it away but thought it might be better to keep it with the other old items and deal with them all at once later. He then picked up a book, and to his surprise, it was filled with Xue Ranran's name.

Ye Xin instructed Wei Jiu to open Chi Yan Mountain and ordered Mu Ranwu to summon a group of disciples to attract a wave of demon beasts and magical creatures, waiting for the Immortal Sect to take the bait. Wei Jiu quickly rebooted the Xuantian Sect, intending to dominate the Immortal Sect. Su Yishui, lost in thought about rallying his old followers, was served a meal that Xue Ranran had prepared in advance by Yu Chen.

Su Yishui had assumed he was already fasting, but the smell of the food made his mouth water. Before long, he had finished the entire meal and asked for a larger portion next time. Yu Chen, following Xue Ranran’s recipe, attempted to cook several times but failed to satisfy Su Yishui. He was soon met with a harsh scolding. Yu Chen quickly changed the topic and reported on Mu Ranwu’s current situation.

Mu Ranwu had established her own sect and was recruiting powerful individuals. Su Yishui suspected that she was being manipulated by Ye Xin to form a counterforce. He decided to take on disciples again to strengthen the Wester Sect. Su Yishui went to Lingxi Palace to search for records about talismans. While there, he accidentally came across a book containing Mu Qingge’s teachings and was startled to find that it had references to himself. He became captivated and began reading it obsessively.

Su Yishui tried to cook for himself, but he lacked patience when starting the fire and directly used magic to kindle the flames. Yu Tong informed him that cooking required patience. After returning to his room, Su Yishui casually found a pill and took it. To his surprise, he fell into a trance and began imagining Xue Ranran curling up in his arms, acting coquettishly. Seeing Su Yishui's strange expression, Yu Chen hurriedly woke him up.

Xue Ranran, while at Ye Xin’s former residence, discovered how to break the Soul Washing Talisman. The method involved rekindling the person’s love. Ye Xin was sure to have ulterior motives behind this, so Xue Ranran thought it would be best to make Su Yishui fall in love with her again to counteract Ye Xin's scheme. Su Yishui also visited Ye Xin's old residence and agreed with Xue Ranran's speculation.

Although he still appeared fierce, after Xue Ranran cooked a meal, Su Yishui immediately softened his attitude. The villagers of Puxin Village came to Su Yishui and Xue Ranran, asking them to save children that had been captured by demon beasts. Su Yishui originally had no intention of helping, but after a lecture from Xue Ranran, he reluctantly agreed to join her. The two arrived at the outskirts of the village and discovered that the spotted spider was causing trouble.

Xue Ranran drew some of Su Yishui’s spiritual power to let him handle the spider, while she used her magic to save the children. Later, they encountered Yan Liangyu and Wen Hongshan, who were passing through Puxin Village. The two had subdued a demon and were traveling nearby. Unexpectedly, Su Yishui had just received the Ghost Realm Demon Pearl from the spotted spider.

Wen Hongshan mentioned that they had notified the various sects of the Immortal Gate to watch out for Ye Xin. However, Ye Xin had been residing in the Eastern Palace without taking any action. When Yan Liangyu was about to leave, he curiously asked if Su Yishui and Xue Ranran were living together. Xue Ranran deliberately pulled Su Yishui close and showed off their affection. In order to hide his memory loss, Su Yishui also embraced Xue Ranran.

Yan Liangyu learned that Wen Hongshan had given up on her attachment to Su Yishui and suggested that she focus on cultivation. Once she ascended, they could be immortal companions. Wen Hongshan, uninterested, ignored him. Su Yishui decided to let Xue Ranran stay at Mount Wester, both to protect his half Golden Dan and to have someone who could cook meals he liked.

Su Yishui casually picked up a portrait of Ye Xin and remembered the black-robed sorcerer who had accompanied Ping Qinwang during his childhood. He and Xue Ranran guessed that the black-robed sorcerer was likely Ye Xin. Xue Ranran recalled seeing the obsession of Dun Tian with his wife and daughter in the Shadow Cave, and Ye Xin had once said that he adopted Mu Qingge and her sister because they resembled his own daughters.

Su Yishui sensed that the formation at the Eastern Palace was unusual and must have been created by Dun Tian, a powerful being from the Immortal Realm. Ye Xin reflected on the past when he planted the spiritual spring in young Su Yishui’s body, knowing that everything was part of his plan. However, in the end, Mu Qingge had stolen the spiritual spring and returned it to the Ghost Realm, using various formations to seal him.

Eighteen years later, he finally had another opportunity to start over. This time, he was confident that he could turn the tide. Su Yu asked if the recent outbreaks of demon and beast waves were related to Ye Xin, but Ye Xin denied it. After Su Yu left, Mu Ranwu asked the same question, and Ye Xin explained that only by having Mu Ranwu trigger a demon beast wave could he attract the Immortal Gate to serve his purposes.

Eager to learn Ye Xin’s true intentions, Xue Ranran devised a plan to make Su Yishui fall in love with her as quickly as possible in order to break the Soul Washing Talisman. Su Yishui held the same intention. Xue Ranran took Su Yishui to a bustling market to sample some street food. Su Yishui felt embarrassed by the public display but still accompanied her and ate together.

Xue Ranran went out on her own to buy some items and noticed posters everywhere announcing that Mu Ranwu was accepting disciples. Wang Suizhi saw Xue Ranran and immediately recognized her as the reincarnation of Mu Qingge. He approached her in a corner and apologized. Xue Ranran learned that Wang Suizhi had been willing to protect Mu Ranwu out of love for her, so she advised him to constantly persuade Mu Ranwu to maintain her boundaries. Su Yishui tried cooking again.

This time, he lacked patience with the fire, using magic to rush it, and was reminded by Yu Tong that cooking required patience. Returning to his room, he found a pill and, upon taking it, fell into an illusion. He imagined Xue Ranran curling up in his arms. Yu Chen, seeing Su Yishui’s strange expression, hurriedly woke him up. Xue Ranran, while at Ye Xin’s former residence, discovered how to break the Soul Washing Talisman.

She realized that reigniting love within the person was necessary to make Ye Xin use it to his advantage. She decided to make Su Yishui fall in love with her again to destroy Ye Xin's plans. Su Yishui also visited Ye Xin’s former home and agreed with Xue Ranran’s analysis. Despite his usual cold demeanor, Su Yishui softened after Xue Ranran made a meal.

The villagers of Puxin Village begged Su Yishui and Xue Ranran to rescue children who had been captured by demon beasts. Initially indifferent, Su Yishui was convinced after Xue Ranran’s lecture and agreed to help. They arrived at the outskirts, finding the spotted spider causing trouble. Xue Ranran drew some of Su Yishui's spiritual power to let him handle the spider, while she used her magic to save the children.

Later, they ran into Yan Liangyu and Wen Hongshan, who were passing through Puxin Village. They had subdued a demon and were traveling through. Su Yishui had just captured the Ghost Realm Demon Pearl from the spotted spider. Wen Hongshan said they had notified the various Immortal Gate sects to be cautious of Ye Xin, but Ye Xin had remained in the Eastern Palace without taking any action.

As Yan Liangyu was about to leave, he asked curiously if Su Yishui and Xue Ranran were living together. Xue Ranran pulled Su Yishui close, showing their affection. To hide his memory loss, Su Yishui also embraced her. Yan Liangyu discovered that Wen Hongshan had let go of her attachment to Su Yishui and suggested that she focus on cultivation. When she ascended, they could be immortal companions. Wen Hongshan ignored him.

Su Yishui decided that Xue Ranran should stay at Mount Wester to protect his half Golden Dan and also to cook meals for him. Su Yishui casually picked up a portrait of Ye Xin, recalling the black-robed sorcerer who had accompanied Ping Qinwang during his childhood. He and Xue Ranran speculated that the black-robed sorcerer was Ye Xin.

Xue Ranran remembered seeing Dun Tian’s obsession with his wife and daughters in the Shadow Cave, and Ye Xin had mentioned that he adopted Mu Qingge and her sister because they resembled his own daughters. Su Yishui sensed that the formation at the Eastern Palace was not ordinary, clearly created by the mighty Dun Tian from the Immortal Realm. Ye Xin reminisced about how he had planted the spiritual spring in young Su Yishui’s body, everything unfolding according to his plan.

However, Mu Qingge had stolen the spiritual spring and returned it to the Ghost Realm, sealing him with various formations. Eighteen years later, he finally had another chance to begin anew. This time, he was full of confidence that he could reverse the situation.

Su Yishui and Xue Ranran returned to Mount Wester. Upon hearing Yu Chen’s report about new disciples being accepted into the sect, Xue Ranran asked for leniency on behalf of Qiu Xier and the others. Su Yishui silently agreed and then arranged for Xue Ranran to be in charge of Mount Wester’s meals. Wen Hongshan and Yan Liangyu arrived near the Xuantian Sect, where Tu Jiuyuan stood guard at the entrance.

Wen Hongshan asked whether the Scarlet Sect had any involvement in the demon beast transformation events. Tu Jiuyuan explained that demonic cultivation was simply a different method and did not necessarily lead one down a wrong path, but she agreed to investigate together. Hearing that Tu Jiuyuan had taken matters into her own hands, Wei Jiu scolded her. Tu Jiuyuan replied that they could expel her if they wished, and the promise to the Immortal Gate could be dismissed.

Although Wei Jiu could not bear to let her go, due to her pregnancy, Tu Jiuyuan was determined to leave. Wei Jiu then ordered that she find the Five Sha Maze and refine the Golden Fire before leaving. While Xue Ranran was washing vegetables in the kitchen, several new disciples approached her, eager to ask about the Soul Cleansing Pool trial. Among them, Yue Sheng and Shen Kuo were especially active.

Su Yishui, during his free time, was accustomed to calling for Xue Ranran, but after several calls went unanswered, he went to the kitchen. The new disciples were gathered around Xue Ranran, laughing and talking. Su Yishui, feeling jealous, punished the new disciples, ordering them to do handstands by the West Wind Pool. When Xue Ranran brought the food to Su Yishui, he reprimanded her for being too slow.

He wondered when she would be able to make him fall in love with her again to break the Soul Washing Talisman. Xue Ranran, in response, kissed Su Yishui. Su Yishui then asked why she wasn’t blushing after kissing him, and if she did this often with many others. Xue Ranran could only laugh helplessly. Tu Jiuyuan attempted to open the Five Sha Maze but found her cultivation too weak to make any progress.

Wei Jiu, unwilling to let her leave, was relieved that he had assigned her an almost impossible task. Su Yishui wrote a menu for Xue Ranran and had Yu Tong deliver it to her. Xue Ranran, deliberately throwing a small tantrum, refused to cook. She then asked Yu Chen to relay a message to Yu Tong about going to the capital to investigate Ye Xin. Yu Tong explained that Su Yishui had already sent Yu Chen to the capital.

On his way back to the study, Su Yishui passed by the Spirit Pool and noticed that Xue Ranran’s spiritual power was unstable, likely due to the Soul Lock. He instructed her to speed up the process and use methods like being affectionate to make him fall in love with her again. To allow her to rest, Su Yishui told Xue Ranran that she didn’t need to cook for him anymore and should focus on replenishing her spiritual energy instead.

During mealtime, several new disciples deliberately provoked Bai Baishan, Gao Cang, and Qiu Xier. They even used magic to attack each other. Hearing the commotion, Xue Ranran rushed to the dining hall to stop them. Su Yishui soon arrived and immediately ordered each of them to fetch one hundred baskets of water from the mountain base before they could eat.

Xue Ranran stood up for her senior brothers and pointed out that the new disciples were disrespecting their seniors because Su Yishui had neglected them. As she spoke, Mu Ranwu once again used the Soul Lock, but since Xue Ranran hadn’t taken any Spirit Pills in advance, she fainted immediately. Su Yishui carried Xue Ranran to the study and, while using his energy to heal her, discovered that she could freely connect to his spiritual power.

Xue Ranran admitted her mistake of arguing with her master, and Su Yishui, not wanting to punish her further, decided she should read more ancient books in search of a way to break the Soul Washing Talisman. As Su Yishui flipped through the scriptures, he came across some notes Xue Ranran had made about him, which triggered a few memories.

The next day, he deliberately called all the disciples together and organized a light-body competition between the new and old disciples. The losers would be thrown into the Blazing Flame Pool, where their skin would be burned off. Gao Cang volunteered first, but none of the new disciples dared to compete. Su Yishui used this opportunity to confirm Xue Ranran’s claims that the old disciples were loyal to him and also to teach the new disciples to correct their attitude.

When Xue Ranran delivered food to Su Yishui, she noticed a list of the new disciples at Mount Wester, and to her surprise, they were all descendants of former high-ranking officials of the current dynasty. She realized that Su Yishui had secretly gathered his old subordinates, and in order to prevent a major mistake, she devised a plan to lure Su Yishui down the mountain. It was the annual Teacher’s Day, and she wanted him to experience the respect and admiration of the common people.

Zeng Yi returned to Mount Wester and created the equipment needed to break the palace’s formation for Su Yishui. Before he could ask Xue Ranran about her situation, Yu Tong came to inform him that Yu Chen had received news regarding Ye Xin. Su Yishui had no time to say anything further and immediately headed for the capital. Su Yu falsely accused the Third Prince and imprisoned him in the dungeons.

The Third Prince, unwilling to accept his fate, mocked Su Yu, calling him a petty person who had risen to power through unscrupulous means. He pointed out that his surroundings were filled with assassins and spies. Su Yu began to be paranoid, ordering Wu Mi to stop acting as his shadow guard. Su Yishui then approached Su Yu, and the two exchanged insults.

Ye Xin took Su Yishui to another space and tempted him to once again fight for the throne. Su Yishui remained calm, knowing that both Su Yu and himself were just tools in Ye Xin's plan to resurrect his wife and daughter. The tide of demon beasts turning into monsters grew increasingly fierce. Wen Hongshan and Yan Liangyu found Xue Ranran and explained that only the Golden Fire from the Crimson Flame Mountain could suppress the creatures.

Su Yishui, who had always been reluctant to deal with the Immortal Gate, specifically asked Xue Ranran for her opinion. Xue Ranran assured him that she would fully cooperate. Wang Suizhi sent a message to Xue Ranran, informing her that Mu Ranwu planned to acquire the Golden Fire. Mu Ranwu was furious upon hearing this, but Wang Suizhi did not hide his actions, hoping that Mu Ranwu’s plan would fail so he could rid himself of the trouble.

Mu Ranwu stated that Wang Suizhi did not understand her and that she would never change her mind. When Su Yishui returned to Mount Wester, Xue Ranran was still waiting in the pavilion. She told him about Mu Ranwu and the Immortal Gate’s plan to obtain the Golden Fire. Su Yishui believed that since Ye Xin was planning this, he must want to use the Golden Fire to achieve his goals.

He knew that he had to go, but since Ye Xin hoped for him to rebel, Su Yishui would not let him succeed. The Immortal Gate and Mount Wester arrived at the Xuantian Sect on time, where Tu Jiuyuan welcomed them. Some questioned whether the Scarlet Sect was intentionally scheming to harm them. Tu Jiuyuan swore an oath with her soul and then led everyone to the Five Sha Maze.

When Wei Jiu heard that Tu Jiuyuan had sworn the soul oath, he called her over to ask about it. Tu Jiuyuan explained that her actions were her responsibility and that Wei Jiu did not need to bear any consequences. However, Wei Jiu was still concerned for her safety and ordered his subordinates to retrieve the Golden Fire without harming Tu Jiuyuan’s soul oath.

The Immortal Gate and Mount Wester entered the Five Sha Maze together to search for the heart of the formation. Along the way, Qiu Xier almost fell into a sandstorm. In a panic, Bai Baishan disobeyed orders and grabbed Qiu Xier with his right hand to pull her to safety. Once they reached safety, Bai Baishan took the initiative to apologize, and Su Yishui, seeing Bai Baishan’s care for his fellow disciples, pardoned him for the previous punishment.

When Mu Ranwu’s disciples died in the formation, she insisted on pairing up with Mount Wester to continue. Due to the effects of the Soul Lock, Su Yishui was forced to agree. As they continued searching, they heard a children’s song. Suddenly, a fierce-looking woman in black appeared before them, attempting to swallow them all. As they fought back, Xue Ranran recalled seeing a shield in the Shadow Cave.

The woman before them was Rong Yao, the wife of Shun Tian. Over the centuries, Rong Yao’s accumulated resentment had polluted the formation. In order to break the formation, they had to deal with Rong Yao first. Rong Yao, seeing how Su Yishui and Xue Ranran cared for each other, cast a Blood Curse of the Lonely Star.

The curse burned their organs and intestines with intense pain, and it could only be broken if one of them abandoned the other. As the curse took effect, Mu Ranwu was also drawn into the formation by the Soul Lock.

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