Episode Summary
Xie Lingyun pushes Mo Xiao off a cliff, leading to chaos at Shushan. Murong Changfeng frames Yuan Beichen for protecting Mo Xiao and orchestrates Lu Jianchuan's death to cover his own tracks. Yuan Beichen sacrifices himself to prove his innocence. Mo Xiao is rescued from a water burial by Shi Bujiu.
Spoiler Alert
"Destiny and Saving" Episode 33 Recap & Spoilers:
So, Xie Lingyun, in a move that's gonna haunt him, shoves Mo Xiao off a cliff – like, a really high one. He basically nukes their bromance in one fell swoop. Mo Xiao is understandably bummed, lamenting the fact that he didn't choose to be a demon, and now this is his fate. Xie Lingyun, watching Mo Xiao plummet, screams his name and then dramatically faints from the sheer emotional weight of it all.
Wu Shuang, naturally, is freaking out at the cliff's edge, yelling for Mo Xiao. Xuyuan Yunchao grabs her before she does something crazy. Feng Lixue is just standing there, looking like she's seen a ghost (probably has), and Chong Guang whisks her away. Feng Lixue keeps shouting to save Mo Xiao. Now, normally, someone under a puppet curse is a total zombie, but Feng Lixue isn't responding to Chong Guang at all. Suspecting the curse might be broken, Chong Guang knocks her out and orders Chang Ming to keep a very close eye on her.
Meanwhile, Murong Changfeng is stirring up trouble at Shushan, accusing Yuan Beichen of protecting the demon Mo Xiao. He demands the Sect Leader's Seal, which Yuan Beichen denies having. Turns out, Murong Changfeng already searched for it and came up empty. Yuan Beichen coolly reminds him that without the seal, he's just an acting Sect Leader. Xuan Qing dips out, and when Murong Changfeng questions him about the seal, Xuan Qing basically says Baicao Sect doesn't care who's in charge. Yuan Beichen then heads off to face punishment at the Disciplinary Hall.
Murong Ce and Murong Jing are shocked at the state of Shushan. Xie Lingyun is still out cold, and the sect is in chaos. Murong Ce tells Murong Jing they need to focus on their own duties. Later, Murong Jing overhears Murong Changfeng and Lu Jianchuan talking. She discovers that Lu Jianchuan, infected with demonic energy, used the Soul Transfer Curse to dump his demonic mojo onto Mo Xiao, making him go berserk in front of everyone. Lu Jianchuan also admits to killing some disciples and framing Mo Xiao for it, which is what caused the rift between Mo Xiao and Xie Lingyun. Murong Changfeng warns Lu Jianchuan not to pull a stunt like that again.
Murong Jing confronts Lu Jianchuan, but Murong Changfeng stops her. She's disappointed in her father, wishing he'd go back to being the nice guy he used to be. Murong Changfeng, however, believes he's doing all this to protect Murong Ce and Murong Jing. He thinks he should've been the Sect Leader, not some demon, and that he and Murong Ce are the only ones who can make Shushan great. He tells Murong Jing to focus on being the young leader of Fengyu Sect and his daughter, promising to protect her forever. Murong Jing storms off, and Murong Changfeng sheds a few tears, feeling unappreciated.
Xuan Qing gives Yuan Beichen a medicinal pill. Yuan Beichen knows Murong Changfeng is just lashing out after years of holding back. He refuses to compromise. Xuan Qing worries that Murong Changfeng will torture Yuan Beichen and still has doubts about Mo Xiao. But Yuan Beichen points out that Murong Changfeng and Feng Yue Sword Master spent 18 years teaching Mo Xiao. He has to believe in Mo Xiao and his mission, warning Xuan Qing not to breathe a word about it until Mo Xiao succeeds.
Murong Jing, holding Xie Lingyun's hand, is a mess. She doesn't know what to do, with Xie Lingyun unconscious and her father's actions weighing on her. She wants to expose him but can't bring herself to hurt him.
Lu Jianchuan, now rocking the head disciple robes of Wentian Gate, visits Yuan Beichen in prison. He accuses Yuan Beichen of favoring Mo Xiao and declares he's going to be the Sect Leader. Yuan Beichen is shocked by Lu Jianchuan's ambition. Lu Jianchuan whines that his master never cared about him, only Mo Xiao. Suddenly, Lu Jianchuan's demonic poison flares up, and he admits to using the Soul Transfer Curse to frame Mo Xiao. Yuan Beichen realizes someone helped Lu Jianchuan and asks when he became possessed by a demon. Lu Jianchuan doesn't remember exactly when, but he knows he started hating Yuan Beichen when Mo Xiao showed up and became the young sect leader. Yuan Beichen is even more disappointed in Lu Jianchuan, who believes Yuan Beichen never had any hope for him in the first place.
Yuan Beichen recounts how Lu Jianchuan's mother begged him to take Lu Jianchuan as a disciple after she was chased. Yuan Beichen sensed they had no fate as master and disciple, but he made an exception because of her sincerity. He only taught Lu Jianchuan some basic techniques, hoping he'd live a peaceful life, but Lu Jianchuan misinterpreted this as Yuan Beichen disliking him.
Fengyu Sect lost track of Mo Xiao's aura at the Li River, leading Lu Jianchuan to believe the Sect Leader's Seal isn't on Mo Xiao. He demands Yuan Beichen hand it over. Yuan Beichen agrees, but only in front of all the Immortal Sect leaders. Lu Jianchuan is thrilled, wanting as many witnesses as possible.
When everyone gathers, Yuan Beichen offers the seal only to Lu Jianchuan. Lu Jianchuan, thinking Yuan Beichen is showing him mercy, happily accepts, promising to minimize Yuan Beichen's suffering during his punishment.
But then, Yuan Beichen grabs Lu Jianchuan's hand and uses his power to force Lu Jianchuan's demonic energy to leak out, demanding to know who's behind him and who gave him the Soul Transfer Curse. Lu Jianchuan begs Murong Changfeng for help, but Murong Changfeng, afraid of being exposed, kills him on the spot, claiming Lu Jianchuan was demonized. He then arrests everyone from Wentian Gate, including Yuan Beichen.
Yuan Beichen asks Murong Changfeng why the Soul Transfer Curse, which was supposed to be under his control, was in Lu Jianchuan's hands, accusing him of being the mastermind. Murong Changfeng denies it. Yuan Beichen, in despair, offers to gouge out his eyes and destroy his spiritual core to atone for his failure to recognize evil, but asks Xuan Qing to keep his eyes so he can see whether Shushan falls to the demonic path or remains righteous.
Yuan Beichen then proceeds to actually gouge out his eyes and destroy his spiritual core, dying in front of everyone. Xuan Qing mourns over Yuan Beichen's body, staring at the two eyeballs in his hand. Murong Changfeng is stunned.
Meanwhile, Mo Xiao is floating in the water and is found by two boatmen, who think he's dead. They and the villagers perform a water burial for him. Suddenly, Mo Xiao's forehead emits a light, which they mistake for demonic power. But then Shi Bujiu arrives, declaring that Mo Xiao isn't dead and was nearly killed by their burial ritual. He takes Mo Xiao to heal him.
