Episode Summary
In episode 32 of "The Seven Relics of Ill Omen," Mu Dai confronts the seventh Relic, which tempts her with a chance to rewrite her tragic past. She rejects the offer, realizing the strength of her bonds with her friends. Breaking free, she enters the master illusion to rescue the rest of the Phoenix Squad, who are trapped in their own ideal realities. She awakens Luo Ren with a meaningful sailor's whistle and snaps Yi Wan San out of his fantasy with a surprise kiss. Reunited, the team's combined will shatters the Relic's power, breaking its curse for good. After the battle, the team celebrates with a hotpot feast and plans a vacation, but their relief is cut short when they realize Cao Fangfang has mysteriously disappeared.
Spoiler Alert
The Seven Relics of Ill Omen, Episode 32 Recap & Spoilers: Rebirth from the Illusion
After a harrowing confrontation with the seventh and final Relic, the Phoenix Squad is pushed to its absolute limit.Mu Dai faces a temptation to rewrite her painful past, but her bond with the team proves stronger than any illusion, leading to a desperate, mind-bending reunion to shatter the Relic's power once and for all.
Full Recap: Breaking the Cycle
The episode opens with Mu Dai facing the ultimate temptation from the seventh Relic. It reveals a brutal truth: her birth mother, Xiang Silan, never cared for her, and Luo Ren had paid her a large sum of money to stay away from Mu Dai for her own protection. The Relic uses this painful revelation to offer her a chance to "rewrite her life," pulling her back to the night of Wenwen's tragic murder. In this altered reality, Mu Dai intervenes, saving the girl but changing her own destiny. She is never adopted by Huo Zihong, never learns martial arts, and never meets Luo Ren or the rest of the Phoenix Squad.
Lost in this new, lonely existence, a single memory cuts through the fog. While riding a cable car, she suddenly remembers the name "Luo Xiaodao"—her nickname for Luo Ren. The name awakens the Relic's avatar, an old man who claims to be a version of Mu Dai that was forgotten by everyone. With tears in her eyes, Mu Dai fiercely rejects this fate, declaring she will never forget her friends. Her conviction shatters the illusion's hold on her.
Freed from her personal mirage, Mu Dai forces her way into the "Guan Si Mirage," the master illusion where the rest of her team is trapped. The seventh Relic boasts that this prison is foolproof. It explains that 280 years ago, a bug allowed the consciousness of five predecessors to become "links" that sealed it. The Relic's plan is to trap the Phoenix Squad in their own ideal realities until their consciousness dissolves, allowing it to break free. However, Mu Dai instantly understands its logic and realizes this is the very key to defeating it.
While the Mystic (Shen Gun) anxiously waits outside the illusion, Mu Dai dives into Luo Ren's mind first. She finds him reliving his happiest days during his time in the Black Sand. Her calls of "Luo Xiaodao" cause the illusion to flicker. She then blows a sailor's whistle, a sound that pierces through the fantasy and awakens Luo Ren's true memories. The two embrace and break free together. They are soon joined by Cao Yanhua, and the trio immediately sets off to find Yan Hongsha and Yi Wan San.
Meanwhile, Yi Wan San is living out his dream as a world-famous painter, holding a glamorous exhibition. Yan Hongsha crashes the event, but her calls are ignored. Seeing him fall back into his old habit of flirting with a beautiful woman, she marches up and kisses him forcefully. The shock is enough to snap him out of the illusion instantly.
With all five members of the Phoenix Squad reunited, they join hands.The powerful bond between them causes the "link" objects to shatter, and the seventh Relic's power dissipates completely. The illusion collapses, leaving the team unconscious in the snow. They are found by the Mystic, who shelters them. Cao Fangfang arrives with a flock of mountain chickens, who huddle around the team to keep them warm.
As Ding Laojiu drives them down the mountain, they all awaken. The curse is finally broken. Its host, Zhang Huaguang, is seen laughing maniacally in the snow, his hair turned white, before collapsing, dead.
A New Beginning and a Sudden Disappearance
Back to safety, the Mystic collects the fake bracelets and gives each member a new charm: a Phoenix Luan clasp forged from meteorite iron, meant to seal and protect their own powers.To celebrate their victory, the team gathers for a hotpot feast. Yan Hongsha proposes they take a team-building trip, an idea everyone enthusiastically supports. As they gather for a group photo to commemorate the moment, Cao Yanhua cries out in alarm, "Cao Fangfang is gone!" The celebration comes to an abrupt halt as the team scrambles to find their missing friend.
The final battle may be over, but new questions arise. Why did Cao Fangfang disappear? What secrets do the new Phoenix Luan clasps hold? And what dangers might await the Phoenix Squad on their much-needed vacation?
