Episode Summary
Sima Jiao and Liao Tingyan escape to Fenghua City, where they hide under new identities. Their feelings for each other grow as Sima Jiao prepares a magical necklace to help Liao Tingyan survive her upcoming heavenly trial. During the trial, when the necklace is no longer enough, Sima Jiao shields her from deadly lightning strikes, becoming severely injured in the process.
Spoiler Alert
Episode 17 of When Destiny Brings the Demon begins with Sima Jiao and Liao Tingyan breaking through a magical barrier to escape their pursuers. They find a quiet spot to rest. Sima Jiao, seeing the cuts and bruises still covering Liao Tingyan's arms, feels he was too lenient on the people who hurt her. But Liao Tingyan is just happy to be alive and away from the clutches of the eight major sects.
Their relationship has clearly deepened. Sima Jiao asks if she's willing to heal her internal injuries the same way she helped him before—through a spiritual, intimate connection. The air gets heavy, and after a passionate kiss, the scars on Liao Tingyan's face vanish completely.
When Liao Tingyan wakes up, she's in a new place called Fenghua City. Sima Jiao explains it's the safest place for them to hide. It's the territory of Shi Qianlv, and they're using the identity of his niece, Shi Yuxiang. This niece has a terrible reputation for being lazy and constantly surrounded by male companions, so no one, including her own uncle, pays her much attention.
To keep up the act, Liao Tingyan has to pretend to be a playgirl, with a line of male suitors supposedly waiting at her door. In public, however, she's seen with only one "male companion"—Sima Jiao. When they go shopping, she expects him to buy her fancy jewelry, but instead, he picks out a bunch of weird, ugly trinkets: a gourd, a brocade pouch, and some heavy little locks. She thinks he has terrible taste, but he's secretly smiling. To her, it's useless junk, but to him, each item is a rare and powerful magical artifact he's chosen just for her.
Later, Sima Jiao's follower, Nian Jiu, finds them. She sees him infusing all those magical items into an exquisite collar necklace. He explains that Liao Tingyan is about to undergo her "Deification," a trial to ascend to a higher immortal rank. This process involves being struck by lightning forty-nine times. It's incredibly painful and potentially fatal if one's cultivation isn't strong enough. He's crafting the necklace to help her survive the ordeal.
The day of the trial arrives, and they go to Leiming Valley (Thunder Valley). As the sky darkens and lightning flashes, Liao Tingyan gets nervous. Sima Jiao disappears from her sight, and she becomes scared. The golden collar he made for her successfully blocks the first ten lightning strikes. But as the bolts grow stronger, Sima Jiao sees she can't handle it anymore.
He steps in, creating a powerful barrier and taking the full force of the remaining lightning strikes himself. The blinding flashes hit him again and again as he shields her. Liao Tingyan is deeply moved and, seeing him get gravely injured and cough up blood for her sake, she breaks down in tears.
