Episode Summary
Episode 26 unveiled Jiang Juanxue's hidden history as a Saintess from Yuyao Country. She was coerced by Jialan's soul fragment into conceiving Dongfang Huaizhu to serve as a vessel. To counteract this, Jiang Juanxue cultivated the Xiwu Flower, intended to help Huaizhu suppress a dangerous Black Fox soul fragment within her. After the group successfully retrieved the flower and navigated a tense standoff in Yuyao Country, Huaizhu started the absorption process. Concurrently, the villainous Jin Renfeng unleashed a future version of Jiu Huo, who then armed Anayan with the powerful Qixing Yuanzhong (Seven Star Resentment Bell). Anayan swiftly used this power to assassinate King Daluo'an and unleash a horde of resentful spirits. In a pivotal moment, Qingmu Yuan sacrificed herself by destroying the bell, which restored the heroes' spiritual abilities but also caused the spirits to run wild. Dongfang Huaizhu then channeled the Xiwu Flower to purify these spirits, an act that severely drained her. Wang Quan Hongye, however, ensured the Xiwu Flower was reconstituted to continue protecting Huaizhu.
Spoiler Alert
So, the episode kicked off with Jiang Juanxue finally spilling all the tea about her mysterious past to her daughters. Get this: she’s originally from Yuyao Country and was the Saintess of the Beishan Sect. But "Saintess," as it turns out, was just a pretty title for a tragic sacrificial offering. Years ago, she was the one who sealed away the big bads, Jialan and Jiu Huo. This monumental effort at the sacred land came at a terrible cost – the sacrifice of thousands of lives, which in turn created an overwhelming amount of restless, resentful energy that refused to dissipate. To appease these angry spirits, a Saintess had to be offered up, and, shocker, none of them ever made it back alive.
This meant Jiang Juanxue had to enter the sacred land herself. Inside, a soul fragment of Jialan basically strong-armed her with a new directive: go to Shenhuo Manor and bear a daughter with special spiritual blood, who would then become Jialan's perfect new vessel. This explains her initial, somewhat calculated, approach to Dongfang Churi. However, as fate (or as she put it, "man proposes, heaven disposes") would have it, Jiang Juanxue genuinely fell in love with Dongfang Churi and became pregnant with our very own Dongfang Huaizhu.
Naturally, Jiang Juanxue wasn't about to let Jialan use her as a puppet. To prevent Jialan from controlling her body and killing Dongfang Churi, she made the agonizing decision to give birth to Huaizhu. Then, in an act of ultimate sacrifice, she poured all her spiritual blood and energy into nurturing the Xiwu Flower, leaving a letter for Huaizhu. The plan was that when Huaizhu eventually found the flower, she could absorb it to suppress the dangerous Black Fox soul fragment lurking within her.
Fast forward to them snapping out of that intense illusion, Xiwu Flower now in their possession! But, of course, trouble wasn't far behind. Anayan and the King of Yuyao Country, Daluo'an, were waiting for them, looking ready for a throwdown. However, with Wang Quan backed by the ever-reliable Zhang Zheng and his powerful black sword, Daluo'an's forces were clearly outmatched. Daluo'an, ever the pragmatist, quickly ordered his men to capture his own Imperial Advisor, Anayan. But Anayan, always a step ahead, managed to gain control over Daluo'an first! Just as things were about to get really messy, Wang Quan Hongye swooped in, did his cool time-freeze thing, and expertly hit Anayan's pressure points, turning the tables in an instant. Daluo'an, seeing his chance, wisely let Wang Quan Hongye and his crew leave, even guaranteeing them safe passage throughout Yuyao Country.
Once they were back in the relative peace of their quiet courtyard, Huaizhu began the crucial process of absorbing the Xiwu Flower. This magical bloom is meant to take that nasty Black Fox soul fragment inside her and essentially put it to sleep permanently. It's not an instant fix, though; it’s going to take some time for the flower to fully integrate. Wang Quan Hongye, bless his worried heart, stood guard outside her door the entire time.
Meanwhile, in a slightly more tender subplot, Qingmu Yuan was waiting for Zhang Zheng, who was taking his sweet time. She eventually dozed off, and only then did Zhang Zheng quietly appear. He gently draped his cloak over her and, seemingly unable to face her for a drink together, drank the cup of wine she had left out. When Qingmu Yuan woke up, the cloak and the empty cup told her all she needed to know. She wasn't mad, though – just playfully decided she’d "settle accounts" with Zhang Zheng once they got back to the Yiqi Meng. You go, girl!
But the peace, as always, was fleeting. The villainous Jin Renfeng managed to fully repair the Golden Lotus and cracked it open. And who should emerge? None other than Jiu Huo, but here’s the kicker – it’s Jiu Huo from 20 years in the future, and he’s arrived right in Yuyao Country! His first stop? The local prison, where he casually hands Anayan the Qixing Yuanzhong (the Seven Star Resentment Bell). This is basically her golden ticket to taking over Yuyao Country. Anayan, not one to miss an opportunity, immediately used the bell to assassinate King Daluo'an. Talk about a swift and brutal coup!
With Daluo'an out of the way, the Qixing Yuanzhong, now supercharged from absorbing royal spiritual blood, became Anayan's weapon of choice. She used it to unleash a terrifying horde of resentful spirits. By the time Wang Quan and the others got wind of it and rushed to the scene, the spirits were already running rampant. To make matters even worse, our heroes discovered their spiritual powers were completely useless in the area! Major disadvantage.
Just then, Zhang Zheng appeared, urging Qingmu Yuan to destroy the bell. Qingmu Yuan, understanding the grim necessity, made a heart-wrenching decision. She removed the bracelet that suppressed her demon poison. The poison instantly spread through her system, but with her last shred of consciousness, she transformed into her Gusu Bird form and, with every ounce of her remaining strength, flew directly into the Resentment Bell, shattering it. This heroic sacrifice restored everyone's spiritual powers, but it also meant the now-uncontrolled resentful spirits went completely berserk.
This was Dongfang Huaizhu's cue. She summoned the Xiwu Flower, its petals scattering and gracefully purifying the rage of each tormented spirit. The effort was immense, causing her to cough up blood from the spiritual drain, but she managed to protect everyone.
But Wang Quan Hongye, ever observant, noted that there was still one person who needed saving. He then used his spiritual power to re-form the scattered Xiwu Flower and presented it to Huaizhu. The person he was talking about? Huaizhu herself. Aww! What a way to end an intense episode, reminding us of the personal stakes amidst all the chaos. Can't wait to see what happens next!
