Episode Summary
Sima Jiao executes a master plan, luring the sect leaders into a trap by having Liao Tingyan stab him to feign weakness. After the other leaders rush in, he kills them, absorbs their power, and finally breaks free from his 500-year imprisonment. He reveals his long-game strategy to a bewildered Liao Tingyan. They relocate to the serene White Egret Cliff, where a mysterious flower triggers a vision for Liao Tingyan, revealing the tragic past of Sima Jiao's mother.
Spoiler Alert
So, all the sect leaders are hanging around outside this magic barrier, trying to figure out what's happening with Sima Jiao. Everyone has their own agenda. Some can't wait to rush in, kill the guy, and get his super-powerful blood. Others are more cautious, worried they'll just get themselves killed. As you'd expect, the impatient ones goad a few leaders into going in first.
Bad move. The four leaders who went in are no match for Sima Jiao. He just ties them to pillars and starts torturing them. But, the fight took a toll on him, too. He's seriously hurt, and Liao Tingyan sees him spitting up blood. She rushes over to play the part of the concerned employee, helping her big boss to bed.
This is where it gets wild. Sima Jiao hands her a sword and tells her to kill him. Liao Tingyan, who's never killed anyone, just can't do it. I mean, it's one thing to kill someone you hate, but this is her "grandmaster."
She tries to bail, but Sima Jiao knows what she's thinking. He grabs her hand, with the sword in it, and forces it right into his own chest. She is, understandably, freaking out. She just "killed" her terrifying boss. But he whispers to her that this was the only way to break the seal.
The leaders outside feel his power weaken and see their chance. All but two of them rush into the temple, thinking he's finished. But it was all a setup. Sima Jiao basically traps them like rats, wipes them all out, and absorbs their spiritual energy. Now he's more powerful than ever. He pulls eight massive nails out of his body and smashes through the barrier he's been stuck in for 500 years.
Finally free, Sima Jiao doesn't seem happy, and Liao Tingyan notices. He then spills the beans: he knew all along that he needed the power from the eight sect leaders to break the barrier. His whole plan was to lure them to him. He explains that the people he killed before were all spies or just plain evil. The only reason Liao Tingyan is still alive is because she’s so simple and has no hidden agenda. She's just a "worker bee" trying to survive, and she decides to just keep her head down and hope to see another sunrise.
The temple is a complete wreck after the fight, so they can't stay. They leave the ruined palace behind. Meanwhile, with the leader of the Mansion of Yin dead, a guy named Ye Zhiling takes the former leader's spiritual core and steps up as the new boss.
Sima Jiao takes Liao Tingyan to a gorgeous, peaceful place called White Egret Cliff, which was set up by the Gengchen Immortal Mansion's leader. The leader offers a bunch of puppets to serve them, but Sima Jiao turns them down. This just makes Liao Tingyan more anxious, realizing she's the only "employee" in this huge place and could be "fired" (aka killed) at any moment.
While touring the gardens, Sima Jiao shows her some beautiful but eerie black flowers. He tells her they're called Riyue Youtan.He explains that they grow from the "bone beads" left behind when someone from his Sima clan dies.One bead, one flower. He gives one to Liao Tingyan, and when she smells it, she's pulled into a memory. It's the story of Sima Jiao's mother, Sima E. She was from the Sima clan but was forced to marry someone she didn't want to. A year later, she gave birth to Sima Jiao.
