Episode Summary
The episode sees the dangerous connection of the Black Qiqing Tree from Outside the Circle with Tushan's Qiqing Tree, threatening to drain its power and bring about an era of darkness. Wangquan Hongye and Dongfang Huaizhu travel to Tushan and learn from Tushan Yaya that Huaizhu, possessing shards of the Black Fox's soul contained by the Xiwu Flower, is the key to countering this. The plan involves Huaizhu reverse-siphoning power from the Black Qiqing Tree when Wangquan ventures outside the circle. Investigations reveal that the powerful Tianyao, Jiu Huo, is aiding the Black Fox from within the circle, and the mole within the Yiqi Meng is Shenhuo Mountain Manor's Jin Renfeng. The Black Fox betrays Jiu Huo, revealing his weakness to Jin Renfeng. However, Jiu Huo manages to absorb Jin Renfeng's spiritual energy and that of others before being ultimately defeated and killed by Wangquan Hongye, who has mastered the "Tiandi Yi Jian." In a parallel villainous arc, Jin Renfeng, after being healed by Cuiyu Xiaotan, manipulates her into revealing the final secret of spiritual blood exchange with promises to kill Dongfang Huaizhu, only to murder Cuiyu Xiaotan once he obtains the information.
Spoiler Alert
So, the moment we’ve all been dreading (or maybe secretly anticipating for the drama?): the Black Qiqing Tree from Outside the Circle has officially linked up with Tushan's own Qiqing Tree. Yeah, you heard that right. Our Masked Group (Mianju Tuan) gets wind of this pretty quick, and you just know Yang Yitan is going to be blaming himself hardcore for this mess. Ever the leader, Wangquan Hongye tells Wangquan Zui to stick around and comfort Yang Yitan, while he and the ever-composed Dongfang Huaizhu make a beeline for Tushan.
When they get there, Tushan's fiery second-in-command, Tushan Yaya, is initially all suspicion. I mean, can you blame her? But Hongye and Huaizhu lay it out straight: the two Qiqing Trees are connected, and the Black one is sucking the life out of Tushan's, leading to a world where "love fades, hatred swells, and the eternal night is upon us." Chills, literal chills.
Tushan Yaya, being the responsible leader she is (even if her sister and Rongrong aren't around), knows this is huge. But time is a luxury they don't have. Hongye and Huaizhu need to know how to stop the Black Fox. And here’s where it gets interesting: Yaya notices that Huaizhu is basically a walking anti-Black Fox weapon. Turns out, Huaizhu has shards of the Black Fox's soul dormant inside her, all thanks to something called the Xiwu Flower. This makes her the Black Fox’s kryptonite.
The plan? It’s a bit of a long game. Once the passage is fully open and Wangquan (presumably Hongye) ventures "outside the circle," Huaizhu, from "inside the circle," can use that Xiwu Flower to basically reverse-siphon the power from the Black Qiqing Tree. But they can't make a move yet, or the Black Fox will be onto them. The perfect moment will be when Wangquan makes his move, and Huaizhu can coordinate with him from her side.
But wait, there's more! They also find out the Black Fox has a heavy hitter helping from inside the circle – a super powerful Tianyao (think 'celestial demon'). And yep, it’s gotta be Jiu Huo. After some digging, Huaizhu and Hongye uncover an even bigger shocker: there’s a mole within the Yiqi Meng! And this traitor, who's been secretly aiding Jiu Huo, is none other than Jin Renfeng, the head disciple of Shenhuo Mountain Manor.
Meanwhile, Jiu Huo is not having a good time. His spine is shattered, and he’s not healing. With the passage now open, he’s pretty much useless to the Black Fox. So, in a classic villain move, the Black Fox shows her true colors, spills Jiu Huo's weaknesses to Jin Renfeng, and basically gives him the green light to use Jiu Huo's demon core to power up his sword skills. Cold.
Jiu Huo is blindsided. His beloved Jialan is gone, and he’s face-to-face with the Black Fox Queen (Hei Hu Niangniang) – a brand-new kind of entity, literally born from a gazillion grudges, who’s hell-bent on destroying every last bit of emotion in the world. She’s completely unhinged. She hands Jiu Huo over to Jin Renfeng, but plot twist! Jin Renfeng totally underestimates Jiu Huo, who, despite everything, still has enough fight left to absorb all of Jin Renfeng's spiritual energy. Turns out, Jiu Huo might have looked down on absorbing others' powers, but that doesn't mean he can't do it. Desperate to get stronger, he goes on an energy-absorbing spree. And just then, he senses Wangquan Hongye approaching. His new goal? Take Hongye down with him before he fades completely.
Jiu Huo, supercharged with stolen spiritual energy, faces off against Wangquan Hongye. But Hongye has leveled up too, mastering the epic "Tiandi Yi Jian" (Heaven and Earth One Sword) technique. He defeats Jiu Huo. With his demon power gone and critically injured by the Heaven and Earth One Sword, Jiu Huo is no longer immortal. In his dying moments, he tells Hongye that the same sword that killed him can also kill the Black Fox and free Jialan. Hongye, ever the noble hero, pities Jiu Huo and Jialan's tragic fate but doesn't excuse Jiu Huo's destructive actions. Huaizhu, ever the empath, just hopes that in their next lives, Jiu Huo and Jialan can be ordinary people and find peace.
But the villainy doesn't stop there, folks. Cuiyu Xiaotan is busy healing Jin Renfeng, who’s still laser-focused on becoming all-powerful. His new obsession? Exchanging spiritual blood with Dongfang Huaizhu. There’s a final, crucial secret to this blood exchange, and when it comes up, Cuiyu Xiaotan gets visibly distressed, saying she can’t teach him because she promised her master. Jin Renfeng, being the snake he is, lays on the sweet talk, promising that after the blood exchange, he’ll kill Dongfang Huaizhu. Foolishly, Cuiyu Xiaotan wavers and agrees to teach him the final secret. She never saw it coming. The moment Jin Renfeng gets what he wants, he kills her. Cuiyu Xiaotan dies with her eyes wide open in disbelief and betrayal, a truly tragic end.
