Episode Summary
Forced out of hiding by a cave-in, Han Li is drawn into a temporary and treacherous alliance. He survives a deadly Blood Jade Spider attack and the betrayal of his new companions, Xuan Le and Lu Tianmeng, who both end up dead.After defeating the spider, Han Li discovers a damaged transportation array and a clutch of spider eggs. He later rescues an injured Chen Qiaoqian and, to protect his secrets, gives her a pill to erase her recent memories before seeking a place to recover.
Spoiler Alert
Inside a mineral cave, the situation grows tense after Wang Chan uses a powerful earth-shaking talisman, triggering a massive collapse.The tremor forces Han Li out of his hiding spot, where he immediately runs into Xuan Le and his party. Thinking fast, Han Li claims he was lucky to escape the cave-in and saw no one else. Lu Tianmeng, part of Xuan Le's group, tells Han Li to stick with them to find an exit. Han Li agrees, but he is wary, sensing they will likely kill him to silence him once they are safe.
Meanwhile, Wang Chan enters the collapsed mine, convinced that his target, Li Feiyu (Han Li's alias), could not have been killed so easily.
As Han Li's new group ventures deeper, they stumble into a clearing and are ambushed by a fierce Blood Jade Spider. Xuan Le uses a magical artifact to seemingly trap the creature, urging Lu Tianmeng to finish it off with a rare and powerful talisman treasure. The plan backfires spectacularly when the spider breaks free—it was never truly sealed. Lu Tianmeng realizes Xuan Le's betrayal just moments before the spider kills him.Han Li, witnessing the event from a safe distance, understands it was a deliberate setup.
With Lu Tianmeng gone, Xuan Le approaches Han Li with a proposition: a partnership. He reveals the existence of a secret transportation array in the caves that can lead them to the world beyond the Tiannan Continent. Han Li is skeptical, recalling that a similar offer from someone else in the past ended with that person's death. Their conversation is cut short as the Blood Jade Spider smashes through a rock wall to attack them again. In the ensuing chaos, Xuan Le is killed. Han Li, left alone, unleashes his Azure Cloud Sword Art and finally defeats the monstrous spider.
After the battle, Han Li discovers a clutch of spider eggs, which he decides to take with him. He then locates the transportation array Xuan Le had mentioned. It is ancient and damaged, with a missing corner that makes it unusable. Near the array, he finds a skeleton that crumbles to dust at his touch and some items he suspects are medicinal pills. Recognizing the potential importance of the array, Han Li marks the location and seals the cave, planning to return one day with someone who can repair it.
On his way out of the mining area, he finds his fellow sect member, Chen Qiaoqian, injured and trapped under a rock. He frees her and gives her a pill to help her recover. She faints, and he carries her to safety. When she awakens, she speaks of Lu Mingyuan, but her memory is hazy. Han Li is relieved she doesn't recall the full details of past events, as his involvement in the death of a fellow sect member is a dangerous secret.
Chen Qiaoqian explains that the incident with Lu Mingyuan made her reject her family's arranged path, and she came to the front lines to forge her own destiny. Han Li then gives her another pill, claiming it's for her injuries. In reality, it is a "Forgetting Dust Pill," designed to wipe her memory of the last few days to protect his secrets. Realizing a return to the Huangfeng Valley is too risky for now, Han Li decides he must find a secluded place to rest and recuperate.
