Original subtitles

♪From primal chaos to the starry sky♪

♪In the whole world, we shall hold the balance♪

♪The cauldron tempers divine blades♪

♪The furnace refines the empty void♪

♪The Way is in mystic fate♪

♪Be brave enough to split the primal chaos wide open♪

[Pull Strings]

[Adapted from the novel by Yan Gui Zheng Zhuan]

[Jingwei Island]

Junior Ling'e, I'm here to help!

Senior, did you just call me?

It's nothing.

Go on, go on.

Ling'e,

it's your first time out; steadiness comes first.

This pouch is for you.

Don't open it unless absolutely necessary.

What counts as absolutely necessary?

A crab!

My shoe!

[Ghostvein Powder]

Ghostvein Powder.

If you're outmatched in a fight,

[Ghostvein Powder] use Ghostvein Powder.

A bunch of small fry.

Come on!

[Waste means 1,000 copies of Scripture of Steadiness]

If you waste it,

copy the Scripture of Steadiness 1,000 times.

Senior, you're so steady.

[Episode 3]

Something's not right.

It's far too quiet here.

Shouldn't beasts swarm this place?

The Resonance.

When a master uses their power,

mana residue is usually left behind.

Why do I keep feeling

someone's following us?

Or am I imagining it?

Such rich and lingering Resonance.

What spell could be strong enough

to leave such a potent Resonance?

This Resonance holds a message.

Afterimage of time-space retrogression.

No wonder no beasts roam the woods.

A mighty master has acted.

Li Changshou,

do you like

the Great Tribulation?

It's her.

Who is she, really?

Why did she come here?

Judging by where the afterimage went,

is she after Sky-Scraping Vine too?

Fairy Yunxiao,

why come here to seize the treasure?

Demon,

how dare you parrot humans' words?

Fairy Yunxiao?

It's not this thing.

The afterimage has faded.

It does look quite similar.

Yet it's not the Sky-Scraping Vine.

But I remember what the treasure map said.

The Sky-Scraping Vine should be here.

Three-eyed Emerald Serpent.

It's absorbed the forest's miasma for years.

It has reached the Primal Immortal stage

and can devour pre-Tribulation Qi refiners.

Little thing, just you wait.

You don't need to hide it.

Senior Youqin is so pretty.

Anyone with eyes

would naturally like her.

No, no, no.

I've long lost that intention.

Actually,

you're also very beautiful.

Really?

You've always been

beautiful.

Wang Qi! Wang Qi!

Something's wrong.

What formation is this?

It's suppressing my powers.

These are just small fry.

That one's the real threat.

The General's order: Clear them out first,

so they don't get in the way.

This forest is off-limits today.

What nonsense are you spouting?

I'll decide if it's off-limits or not.

So many men, what a grand show.

I'm so scared.

My advice to you is:

Come at me all at once.

We've heard of the Immortal of Wine of the Ascendance Sect.

Naturally, we came in full force.

A free snack for my wine.

How could I refuse?

Go get her!

Xuanya,

are you alright?

I'm fine.

Come with me.

Alright.

If I'd found the Fire-Repelling Herb sooner,

your Lotus Firesunder would be perfected.

Then you wouldn't be suffering

from constant backlash.

The last time I looked at you like this

was when we were children.

That day,

your paper kite broke free, flying off.

You cried so loudly.

I held your hand,

searching for it.

We kept searching.

All these years, I'd try my best to get

whatever you want.

Xuanya,

though our sect values tranquility,

it doesn't forbid the marital bond.

All these years,

don't you understand

my feelings for you?

Yuan Qing,

why do you seek the Way?

I...

My aspiration for the Way

began to sprout that day.

A paper kite can soar into the sky.

Aren't people the same?

If you only pursue what everyone pursues,

you'll never see a wider sky.

You always want to retrieve the paper kite.

But to the kite that flew away,

that is release and freedom.

So...

Sorry.

Junior.

Thank you

for giving me the push I needed.

It's you.

My experience didn't help this time.

The real thorn in my side

was actually you.

You're courting death.

Then, I have no choice.

General.

The Binoct Trihead Spider's silk is unbreakable.

Don't waste your strength.

You set this up long ago

to lure me here.

General,

are you this naive in the war?

A greenhorn like you dares talk of war?

You little brat.

What trap have you laid for me?

Freeze Spell and Poison Formation!

Freeze?

Behead!

A mere Freeze Spell.

Besides the Freeze Spell, what else?

What?

Besides the Freeze Spell, what else?

Poison Formation.

You foresaw that too.

General.

The white cloth covers your face already?

General.

You can't sleep here!

General.

My time is up. Don't try to save me.

General,

I dare to ask you one thing.

Is the one who sent you

to do this...?

I have failed them.

Just let me die.

No, no, no.

You're tickling my tickle spot.

What are you doing?

I'm licking your bag.

No, no, no.

What do you mean?

It means...

You wouldn't understand.

No, no, stop, stop.

I just want to die.

General, don't worry.

Soon, I'll grind your bones to dust

and destroy your body.

I don't want to die like that.

Don't worry.

I offer a full service.

Very professional.

Painless, or...?

Give it to me.

Leaving in such a hurry?

Hell is other people.

So this is the Primordial Wilds.

Rest in peace.

General.

Ashes fly in a moment; a pit takes a century.

Thank you for your guidance.

A Side Quest complete.

Only 95% certain.

That's too risky.

Would this be better?

Senior Changshou.

Senior Changshou.

Senior,

run!

You can't win.

Good heavens, you lost the Message Jade

and nearly had a love gu cast on you.

Even your sword is cracked.

If you hadn't given away all the elixirs,

you wouldn't be so down and out.

In that case,

am I not also to blame?

Why such heavy karma again?

Never mind.

Evade!

Saved!

Senior Changshou.

Changshou...

He...

No!

I was too impatient.

I wanted a shortcut.

So,

I tried all kinds of pills.

Not only did it not improve,

but also...

I contracted a condition:

Touching a woman

makes me convulse.

Senior Changshou is gravely ill.

Yet he still came to my aid.

Such noble character.

How could I judge him so meanly?

Fellow disciples need no thanks.

I left some elixirs and mystic incantations.

People are more treacherous in the mountains.

Withdraw at once. Your life is at stake.

Left by a nameless handsome fellow.

Senior Changshou's handwriting

is truly one of a kind.

Just like the man himself.

[I left some elixirs and mystic incantations.]

[People are more treacherous in the mountains.]

[Left by a nameless handsome fellow.]

[Head southwest]

Head southwest.

Senior arranged it all so well.

Detoxify. Disperse qi.

Apply to the back of the head.

Did I hurt the back of my head?

A snake's bane is never far away.

When the Purplegold Grass is burned,

it'll emit a pungent odor

and drive the giant python mad.

Next,

I need to place it just right.

Junior Changshou.

Well.

I'm old; my ears ring terribly.

What's going on?

Junior Changshou.

Junior Changshou, please save me!

Junior Changshou.

Senior Yuan Qing.

Junior Changshou.

Senior Yuan Qing.

Junior.

Senior, what happened to you?

Junior Changshou,

Xuanya and I were ambushed on the road.

The attacker was very strange.

We heard him but saw no one.

We both fell into his trap.

Xuanya drew him away at the risk of her life.

So, I could barely escape.

It must be Yuwen Ling.

He has mastered the Invisibility Art.

He hides in the woods with ill intent.

The Invisibility Art?

If Yuwen Ling knows this art,

why did he reveal himself

to us in the first place?

I...

I don't know what he's thinking.

You have a point.

I wonder how Xuanya is faring.

If she is safe and sound,

my heart can rest easy.

If any harm has come to her,

my death won't atone for this.

Senior, don't worry.

After I return to the mountain,

I'll post more search notices for you

to honor your tragic, beautiful love.

Junior.

Senior.

Junior.

Senior.

Junior, watch out!

Senior, hide behind me.

[Hall of Mortal Coils] What hexagram?

This hexagram is extremely ominous.

In Kuru Land,

Changshou might be in grave danger.

Pah, pah, pah!

Is your divination even accurate?

Don't spout nonsense.

My divination accuracy

has always been consistent.

I can get it right

about half the time.

Half the time.

Then, you're just guessing blindly?

Isn't fortune-telling just blind guessing?

You guess yours; I'll divine mine.

Changshou said he'd be fine,

so he must be...

Something's wrong!

What happened?

Uncles,

we just got word from Aunt Jiu Jiu:

At Miasma Grove,

something's wrong.

[Great Ominous]

May I ask:

Where did I

give myself away?

Was it my spiritual aura?

I studied Concealment Art for three years.

Even if my mentor were here,

he wouldn't sense my presence.

Could it be the smell?

Impossible.

When I came here,

I didn't leave a single footprint.

I know.

It's my eyes.

I admit

that my gaze

often holds a sharp glint.

Alright, alright.

Stop overthinking it.

Truth be told,

Yuwen Ling has confessed

that he's your accomplice.

What?

Indeed.

Yuwen Ling is indeed my accomplice.

I concede defeat.

Yuwen Ling is late for the rendezvous.

I suppose

you've already dealt with him.

That's impossible.

Aunt Jiu Jiu said so.

Junior Changshou,

it's fine if you deny it.

Aren't you curious

how I persuaded that royal lackey?

Why should I be curious?

When he provoked Aunt Jiu Jiu in Anshui City,

I already noticed

he was your lackey.

You're so patient in your plotting.

If Uncle Kuai Si could learn half of it,

his power grab wouldn't be so hard.

Junior Changshou,

you're quite like me.

You flatter me.

I don't have the resolve to be a hero

or the interest in playing the villain.

To be honest, Senior Yuan Qing,

we could have stayed clear of each other.

I schemed and plotted every move

yet overlooked you.

How can I rest easy knowing that?

I've wasted words with you for so long

just to wait

for Soullock Smoke to work.

Softspirit Powder.

Likewise.

You...

Tell me.

You've laid out this grand scheme.

What for?

I...

As for this question,

I'll answer it for him.

Xuanya.

Changshou.

Xuanya.

Changshou.

Jiu Jiu.

Jiu Jiu.

Jiu Jiu.

Changshou.

Wake up!

Junior.

Jiu Jiu.

- Junior Jiu is the best - Jiu Jiu.

at swordsmanship in this generation.

Unexpectedly, she also met with tragedy.

Junior Jiu, wake up!

Jiu...

Shh.

Wine.

Wine.

- Stop craving wine. - Wine.

Junior Jiu.

Come on.

Ms. Jiu Jiu.

Tell me where Changshou is first.

Shh.

Let me have one drink first.

Stop drinking.

Tell me

where Changshou is!

Yuan Qing has posed for decades

for Youqin Xuanya.

No.

To be exact,

you were only

after the Donglin royals behind her.

When coaxing failed, he used threats.

He wanted to make me a puppet with gu worms.

Once I fell under his control,

the Senior Grandee could use that

to seize the realm.

Yuan Qing,

is it true or not?

So what if it is?

Man can shape fate.

Wait.

Let me ask one thing.

Why are you here?

Senior Changshou,

didn't you lead me southwest?

[Head southwest, Entrance]

But this is northeast.

Forget Youqin.

Call yourself Fool.

Absolutely not.

If she loses that title,

she'll be of no use.

Senior Yuan Qing, wake up.

Your century of cultivation is ruined.

Rather than the future,

I should focus on the present.

I must fulfill my clan's grand wish.

Hold your tongue.

Now that I've survived,

I'll shatter your ambitions myself.

Let me just adjust my stance.

Majesty seals the law,

purifying the world.

Wait.

Break!

Why?

The Firescale Sword? A national treasure?

I'd say

it's nothing special.

You have no idea

what that sword truly means

or why you're drawing it.

Come to think of it,

you've always been just

a self-absorbed little princess.

He tampered with your sword long ago.

Once you use your power,

your Qi will explode,

and he'll use the chance to repair his foundation

and dispel the toxins.

Junior Changshou is indeed clever.

What a pity.

A dead man's wit no longer matters.

I've already made up a story for you.

A male disciple assaulted a female disciple,

and they both perished.

What a poor fool.

No, Junior Youqin.

Her wounds haven't healed yet.

And rage consumes her.

It seems she won't wake up for now.

Why can you still move?

I can't help it. I've been poisoned before.

Senior Yuan Qing,

so, over the years,

I've developed a very bad habit.

I like to hide a Wishwell Pill

inside my decayed tooth.

Let me tell you.

The Wishwell Pill wards off wind and toxins.

It's a cure-all.

I think I still have some left.

I'll share some with you.

That won't be necessary.

So, you've been watching

from the sidelines.

I'm done talking to you.

You're a bad man.

I'll go back to the sect and report you.

Li Changshou,

I will never let you off.

Xuanya!

Changshou!

Strange.

Xuanya!

The last message I received

is near here.

That was

four hours ago.

There, there.

Xuanya!

Changshou!

Strange.

Are you okay?

Both disciples are exhausted.

Then who took down these assassins?

Enough talk. Help them up and wake them up.

Right, right.

Changshou!

Changshou!

Changshou...

Jiu Jiu, luckily, they're still alive.

- Junior. - Xuanya.

Are you alright?

I'm fine.

So, Qi Yuan's foundation

was ruined here

in the Miasma Grove.

Yes, yes, you...

I misspoke.

It's okay.

Times change; the past is like the wind

and pale clouds.

I've long been detached.

Don't cause trouble here.

Go wait outside, alright?

I swear to you

that I'll bring Changshou back.

No.

He's my disciple; I'm his mentor.

Whether he's alive or dead,

I will personally bring him back.

Junior,

though you are muddled,

your disciple

is a clever little devil.

Yes.

Rest assured.

He'll turn misfortune into blessing.

Senior,

I'll hold you to that.

That's the spirit.

This...

Blacktortoise Shield.

Colorless Evasion.

Ascension Stage.

Reversion Stage.

Thunders Art of the Reunion Stage.

How much cultivation are you hiding?

Well.

Where did he go?

I'll tell you alone.

I rely on sudden enlightenment.

Where did he go?

Believe me. I rely on sudden enlightenment.

Enlightenment, my foot!

Well, well.

Senior Yuan Qing scolds sweetly.

Honestly...

You are not the only one

who can play the fool.

This Gnatsting Needle was made by a Blood Sea demon.

Dying from it is an honor.

So, three years ago,

at Mistveil Division,

Yuan Man died in cultivation.

You're behind it too.

Since you know the truth,

I cannot spare you now.

A last struggle.

With a petty trick like this,

you think you can stop me?

♪In the Primordial World♪

♪Who sings and drinks free♪

Then I'll show you a grand trick.

Stay here. Don't wander off,

though it matters not if you do.

It's already late.

♪Predict the clock of time♪

♪Learn the watches of the night♪

♪The hearth smoke rises high♪

♪Let the comings and goings be♪

♪Let the answer be empty♪

♪A varied life♪

I lost fair and square.

Junior.

My mentor has a secret.

- I can't take it to the grave. - What?

Do you want to know?

What?

I can't hear you.

Come closer.

Come here; let me tell you.

I don't care.

You...

Sky-Scraping Vine.

Sky-Scraping Vine.

My precious Sky-Scraping Vine.

Mission complete.

What's this?

The Gnatsting Needle?

Senior Yuan Qing

is swift to kill, utterly shameless.

He's really hero material.

What a pity.

Stop, villain!

Senior.

Junior Xuanya.

Senior, are you alright?

I'm fine.

Thanks to your sword strike,

that villain was badly wounded too.

He barely dragged me here.

Then we met a Three-Eyed Python.

It swallowed him in one gulp.

Swallowed?

Look.

Only this much left.

He deserves it.

Senior, where's the python?

The python!

Run!

Come.

- One, two, three. - Don't choke me!

Alright.

Hold on tight.

Changshou.

Xuanya.

How did Yuan Qing humiliate you?

Say something!

Stop asking! Heal her wounds now!

Right, right.

Changshou, how are you?

Where are you hurt?

I'm fine.

You're fine?

Where's the wound?

My injuries are internal.

Internal injuries?

Where are they?

Mentor,

did you see any Resonance along the way?

With your meager cultivation,

you even claim to have Resonance?

You're all talk.

What are you doing?

There was Resonance today.

My disciple is gifted.

You're jealous.

Senior, sorry, sorry.

Hair, hair, hair.

That person

is called Fairy Yunxiao.

What brings her here?

With such strength,

retrieving her Resonance isn't hard.

Why didn't she do that?

That's not right.

She lured me with Resonance on purpose.

She's also searching for the Sky-Scraping Vine.

She...

has been watching everything from behind me.

So, the Sky-Scraping Vine was hidden inside the rock.

That kid is cunning and sly.

He might prove useful in the future.

[Fairy Yunxiao, Quasi-Saint of Seizing Sect]

Little brat.

We shall meet again.

♪See mortal joys and sorrows♪

♪Reunions and partings, as fate unfolds♪

♪Alas, love has many twists and turns♪

♪Memories filled with sorrow♪

♪Slowly, wishes turn to regret♪

♪You've gone afar, like mist fading♪

♪Tearfully, this life's bond is not over♪

♪Past fragments vanish into night♪

♪Down a few more cups of wine♪

♪Through land and sea, I ask you to come♪

♪For honor's sake, upright and grand♪

♪Alas, our story is short♪

♪Slowly, wishes turn to regret♪

♪You've gone afar, like mist fading♪

♪Tears fall, this fate's not done♪

♪Past fragments vanish into night♪