Original subtitles

♪The rift in time and space is deftly manipulated♪

♪Dark clouds roil, malice lurking and waiting♪

♪I roar, stirring a wild tempest on the ground♪

♪No need for praise, courage is my nature♪

♪Unable to endure the deafening cries for help♪

♪Then don't look back. I'll bring this battle to an end♪

♪I will not be a caged animal♪

♪Passive waiting is not my way♪

♪Awakened from slumber, the sealed power ignites♪

♪With the Divine Warrior's Physique, I preserve justice's fate♪

♪Don't be too alarmed. I have made my entrance♪

♪Step aside willingly. Watch as I address the chaos of battle♪

♪In youth, we're wild and free, even venturing where dragons be♪

♪This battle's not in vain, for the light that I maintain♪

[Hero Is Back]

[Adapted from Xu Chen's comic: Rakshasa Street]

[Episode 22]

I remember you.

A decade ago, you took people into

my Moon Palace uninvited.

Unfortunately,

apart from yourself,

who managed to escape by chance,

the entire force was wiped out.

I'm just a mere human,

yet you still think of me.

I'm very grateful.

Enough talk.

The fact that you dare

to show up in front of me

means you must be tired of living.

Let me correct something.

I'm here

simply because I resolved

the challenges you set

and am continuing with the unfinished plan.

How arrogant!

This time, your people

will face the same fate as last time,

but unlike before,

you won't get another chance

to escape.

Moon Lord,

don't speak too soon.

The team I've sent this time

is quite different from the past.

Why don't we

have a few rounds

of games here

and see what happens?

Why should I wait

instead of turning you into stone

at this very moment?

I, too, enjoy Xiangqi

and know the feeling of playing alone.

It must be quite lonely to be a deity,

wouldn't you agree?

Be warned.

Don't attempt to pry into my thoughts.

Don't be so distant.

Remember the last time

we met,

you praised my Xiangqi skills

and said I was a good opponent.

What's the matter?

Is it that even a grand deity like you

is afraid to play

a game of Xiangqi

with a mere human like me?

Interesting.

You're indeed different

from other humans.

All right,

I'll play a game of Xiangqi with you.

But if you lose...

I know the rules.

You'll turn me into a stone statue if I lose.

Human,

tell me your name.

Huangfu Longdou.

Please enlighten me.

Xia Ling.

Yama's Cannon!

Stop wasting your energy.

Ordinary flames

can't dissolve the frost

I've created with divine power.

I know

you're eager to save

this girl,

but even if I took on

her appearance,

I couldn't make you

play out the scene I want to see.

Hence, her existence

is pointless.

How is that possible?

How could ordinary flames

possibly do that?

Xia Ling.

Generals,

it's time to come back.

Old geezer?

How is this possible?

I'm not angry,

nor do I have any killing intent.

Why can I hear you talking?

How are you able

to control my body?

Kid,

why don't you have a guess?

You jerk,

who exactly are you?

Why do you possess

the aura of the Demon Lord

and even some

of his power?

Such a blabbermouth!

Kid,

I'll help you out one more time.

What are you trying to do?

I don't care

how you're able to control my body.

Get out right now.

I'm afraid that's not up to you.

Xia Ling,

wake up.

Xia Ling,

wake up, please.

Help me!

Cao Yanbing,

what happened to you?

No time to explain.

The demonic form has taken control of me.

Hurry and use the Sevenfold Soul-Resonance Bell.

Sevenfold Soul-Resonance Bell.

In the boundless nether world, amidst the layers of Vajra mountains,

the boundless light of the sacred jewel, pierces through the flames of torment.

Sins bound to the nether realms, enshrouded by the clouds of incense.

Upon the lotus of serenity and wisdom,

the divine spirit ascends to eternal peace.

In the boundless nether world, amidst the layers of Vajra mountains,

the boundless light of the sacred jewel, pierces through the flames of torment.

Sins bound to the nether realms, enshrouded by the clouds of incense.

Upon the lotus of serenity and wisdom,

the divine spirit ascends to eternal peace.

Sins bound to the nether realms, enshrouded by the clouds of incense.

Upon the lotus of serenity and wisdom,

the divine spirit ascends to eternal peace.

Here comes the Sevenfold Soul-Resonance Bell again.

Cao Yanbing.

Do you think that suppressing me

will solve everything?

Let me remind you.

To save your mother,

you'll need to defeat

not only the Snow Lord but also the remaining three Lords.

This isn't something you,

a mere human,

can accomplish alone.

Sooner or later, you'll have to work with me.

I'll never let you get your way.

Never!

Cao Yanbing,

how are you feeling?

What exactly happened?

Why did the demonic form appear?

I'm not sure either.

The old geezer was acting super weird this time,

as if he'd unlocked some kind of restriction

and become reckless.

Maybe

it has something to do with this Ancient Tower.

Foolish human,

do you think offering yourself to the Demon Lord

will grant you power

and immortality?

Wishful thinking!

Even if I fall,

the Moon Lord and Wind Lord

are still waiting for you.

They will avenge me.

You and your master will never succeed!

What nonsense are you spouting?

Don't lump me in

with that old geezer.

Answer me.

Where are the people who were turned to stone

after entering the Luhua Ancient Tower

ten years ago?

The people who were turned to stone?

You're not working for the Demon Lord?

Stop wasting time.

Just tell me.

Those who were turned to stone

are in the Moon Lord's territory,

the Moon Palace.

The Moon Palace?

How do we get there?

It's not hard to get to,

but you can't do it by yourself.

Only the four of us Lords

can open the barrier passage

between the four territories.

That's easy.

You take us there.

If you don't want to die,

open the passage quickly

and take us there.

Then close your eyes first.

Neither of us

can win this round.

Shall we just settle for a draw?

What do you think, Moon Lord?

That Snow Lord is so useless.

It seems

that while neither of us could win

the Xiangqi game,

in reality,

I've won a round.

Although the Snow Lord lost,

she sent them

to the Poisonous Miasma Flower Valley,

where survival is nearly impossible.

They have no way out.

I told you before

that the people I sent this time

are no ordinary individuals.

Since we haven't determined

a winner yet,

why speak so soon?

How about we start over

and play another round?

You want to be turned to stone by the Moon Lord?

That's too quick a death.

To avenge the humiliation you've caused me,

I must send you to the Flower Valley

to experience despair

and die in agony

before my anger is appeased.

Since you are the Wind Lord,

you must know

the location of Penglai in the Ancient Tower.

I can give you a ride.

- It's him! - It's him!

- It's him! - It's him!

Please calm down

and let him explain.

He has his reasons.

No need to explain. It's him!

Can you all give me a moment to explain?

Please.

Get lost!

Is this the Moon Palace?

It doesn't look like it.

Cao Yanbing, what's wrong?

This is bad. The air is toxic.

Cao Yanbing, take this.

It's a pill from Li Xuanyuan

that can temporarily suppress the poison.

Take it now.

It seems this

isn't the Moon Palace.

The Snow Lord does want to harm us.

What do we do then?

The Snow Lord mentioned

that only the Four Lords can open

the passage to the barrier.

If we want to leave here,

we need to find the lord here.

As well as Beiluo and Fengzha.

If they arrive

before us,

it could be very dangerous

without Li Xuanyuan's pills.

Let's hurry and search around.

Let's go.

Why does it seem like this place

is growing increasingly grim?

- It's him! - It's him!

Look, there are people over there.

Please calm down and let him explain.

He has his reasons.

Can you all give me a moment to explain?

Please.

Get lost!

They've disappeared.

What's going on? This is so bizarre.

I don't know why,

but it feels like the sound of the flute

is guiding us.

We can't worry about that right now.

Let's go check it out.

It's like two entirely different worlds

inside and outside this cave.

Coa Yanbing.

Excuse me, sir.

We're a bit lost

while passing through this area.

Could you please tell us where we are?

This is the Flower Valley.

The Flower Valley?

Is this the territory of the Flower Lord?

It is indeed.

May I ask who you are?

I'm Xiang.

I'm just a gardener

in this Flower Valley.

Do you know the Flower Lord?

We need to see him for an important matter.

Can you let us know where he is?

Since you've come all this way,

why don't you join me for some tea

and talk things over more comfortably?

Please come with me.

Beiluo.

Beiluo.

Beiluo.

Beiluo.

Beiluo.

Beiluo.

Wake up, Beiluo.

He's been poisoned by miasma.

Do you know him?

His name is Beiluo Shimen,

and he's our friend.

Did you save him?

Did you use the flute music

to guide us here to help us?

Given my current abilities,

I can only temporarily

suppress the toxin

and keep you alive.

From your appearance,

it seems you've found

some ways to control the poison.

However, unfortunately,

the miasma is incurable.

Unless

you leave the Flower Valley

within a limited time,

you will also succumb

to the poison.

Due to certain special reasons,

my range of activity is confined

to this small cave.

As you can see,

this is the only place

in the entire Flower Valley

that is free of poisonous miasma.

Mr. Xiang,

given that you reside in the Flower Valley,

you must know how to get out.

Could you please tell us?

Even though I know, it won't help.

Why is that?

Don't you find it strange?

This place, which is supposed to be the Flower Valley,

is overrun with withered grass,

filled with poisonous miasma,

and covered in thorns and vines.

That's because

what you're seeing today

is not the true Flower Valley

but rather its appearance

in the nightmare.

The nightmare?

Yes.

This whole nightmare is an endless cycle,

boundless and infinite.

Since you fell into this Flower Valley,

you've been trapped within it,

unable to escape

or leave.

Have you seen

the flowers and plants in this cave?

This is the only area

that still somewhat

resembles the original Flower Valley.

But it won't be long

before this place

is also consumed

by the nightmare.

In other words,

the person we saw being killed

in the Flower Valley,

and those who appeared

and then vanished suddenly,

were also part of this nightmare?

That's right.

Since this is a nightmare,

if we find a way to break it,

won't we be able

to get out?

While breaking the nightmare

is the most straightforward solution,

it is incredibly difficult,

because this nightmare

was created by the combined divine powers

of the Moon Lord, Wind Lord,

and Snow Lord.

Mr. Xiang,

is there

no other way

to break this nightmare?

Since it's a dream,

it must have an owner.

The only way

to break the nightmare

is to find the owner of the dream

and wake him up.

All I can do to help you

is to tell you the location

of the nightmare's owner right now.

That sounds easy enough.

Tell us where he is,

and we'll go find him now.

No, that's not it.

Your biggest challenge

lies in time.

Please calm down and let him explain.

The previous nightmare has ended,

and a new cycle is about to begin.

When this round of nightmares ends,

both you

and your friend

will die.

I get it now.

So we have a limited amount of time

and only one chance.

We have to seize it.

Soon,

the owner of the nightmare will appear

in the Yanluo Abyss to the southeast of the Flower Valley.

You have only one chance,

so go now.

Also, there's one more thing

that you need to keep in mind.

No matter what you see

or hear,

you must not reveal

your identities or names.

Otherwise,

outsiders' intrusion

might create confusion in the nightmare,

making it even more uncontrollable.

All right,

got it.

I'll leave

our friend to you.

See you after we break the nightmare.

Good luck.

Let's go.

[Yanluo Abyss] This should be the Yanluo Abyss.

Why is there no one around?

Mr. Xiang mentioned

that the owner of the nightmare

should appear here.

Have we arrived too late?

There's a way up over there.

Let's go take a look.

Let's go.

It's her,

the owner of the nightmare.

Xiao,

it's too dangerous for you to be here.

Xia,

you arrived just in time.

Let's get going.

- Mom. - Dad.

Why

is my dad here?

Could he still be alive?

Is this dream

based on their experiences?

Is the owner of the nightmare

one of them?

I'm not sure either.

How about

we both go and check it out?

But

we can't reveal our identities

or names.

They probably

won't recognize us.

Let's go.

Generals,

have you also come to the Yanluo Abyss?

Sorry,

you look familiar,

but I can't quite recall your names.

Who are you?

We...

We are from the East District of the Spiritual Crossroads.

They are friends of General Feng

from the East District,

the Spiritual Guardians of Tianyu Street

and Dongzhen Street.

Exactly.

Since you've long been stationed in the North District's Rakshasa Street,

it's understandable that you don't know us, General Tang.

Do you know me?

Your fame is well-known

and resounding, General Tang.

Even at a time like this,

you still have the mood to joke.

You have some guts,

young man.

You two

are also here looking for an exit, aren't you?

There's no need to search any further.

I've checked

and there's no way out of the Flower Valley from here.

Let's try somewhere else.

We can't just wait here and do nothing.

Don't lose hope, Xia.

Longdou isn't trapped in the Flower Valley.

He's probably also trying

to find a way to rescue us.

Just hang in there a bit longer.

No,

he won't come to rescue us.

What is that supposed to mean?

It pains me

to say this,

but I have to.

Huangfu Longdou

deceived us.

Under the guise of justice,

he gathered everyone to enter the Luhua Ancient Tower,

claiming it was to seize

the divine power of Penglai

to purify the Malevolent Beings.

In reality,

it was all a lie.

From the beginning,

he intended for everyone

to be cannon fodder and die,

so he could claim

the divine power for himself.

How did you find out

about this?

On the day before our departure,

I went to see Huangfu Longdou

and accidentally overheard it.

From the limited information we have,

the Four Lords of the Ancient Tower's secret realm

are all ancient beasts.

To defeat them and open Penglai,

it's likely that more than half

of the people you bring will be lost.

If we can achieve our goal,

even if I have to lose all of them,

it will be worth it.

Who's there?

I was planning to tell everyone,

but

by the time I arrived,

you had already entered the Ancient Tower.

Xia,

no matter what,

you chose to follow us into the Ancient Tower

and stand by our side.

I'll ignore

what I just heard.

Let's go.

You might be able to overlook it,

but how could I possibly act

like it never happened?

How could I possibly act

like it never happened?

Cao Yanbing,

I feel like my dad is acting very strangely.

That makes sense.

It seems your dad

is the owner of the nightmare.

My dad?

I'll go calm him down right away.

He's disappeared.

What should we do?

Dreams are always fragmented.

They must have gone

to the next layer of the dream.

The next layer of the dream?

But Mr. Xiang said

that if this layer of the dream ends,

we will succumb to the poison and die.

How could we possibly move on

to the next layer?

Xia Ling, keep your composure.

Right now, you're the only one

who can awaken your dad.

Me?

How am I supposed to awaken him?

He's currently trapped

in the feelings of grim death.

You need to help him regain a sense of hope.

Did you just mention

the feelings of grim death?

Remember

when we first arrived at the Flower Valley,

a man was pushed off a cliff?

Could he be...

That must be the case.

The events at that place

happened later than what's happening here.

In other words,

if we wake him

before he's pushed

off the cliff,

we might be able to end the nightmare.

General Xia,

you're holding a signal flare.

Are you planning to call all your companions over

and confess to them?

General Xia,

why are you being so hard on yourself?

Huangfu Longdou is the one to blame.

He's the real culprit.

You're a kind person,

Miss.

Even though your own life

is in danger,

you're still trying to defend me.

This matter

started because of Huangfu Longdou,

but it was me

who secretly gathered

everyone

for this mission.

If it weren't for me,

they wouldn't have come here to die.

General Xia,

even if you didn't do it,

Huangfu Longdou

would still find someone else to do it.

But the fact

is that I'm the one who did it.

I can only

atone with my death.

It's okay,

you can take your time to think.

The only issue

is that you might not have much time left.

Cao Yanbing.

You might escape it all

by dying,

but have you thought about your family?

They'll just keep missing you

and worrying about you.

My father

passed away ten years ago.

He has no idea

how much I've missed him,

how much I've longed

for him to come back to life

and spend time with me.

I...

My dad was so foolish.

He didn't even realize

what he missed out on.

But you're even more foolish.

You have a daughter

waiting for you at home,

and instead of trying your best

to get everyone out,

how could you even think of dying?

Did I also

make a mistake?

General Xia,

everyone makes mistakes in their life.

But if you decide

to end your life

over one mistake,

you'll lose everything.

Think about yourself,

and think about how much

your family misses you.

Family...

Wow, that's amazing!

It's so beautiful!

Dad,

how are you so awesome?

Can you do magic?

I come

from a wondrous world

full of magic.

For real?

Can you take me

to visit that world?

Please?

Sure thing.

♪The world is turbulent and bitter♪

Once you have grown up, Ling,

I'll take you there. How does that sound?

Sounds great.

Come on.

Let's go home.

Dad, you're the best.

♪I've seen you gently soothe the wounds♪

♪Sadness remains elusive♪

♪Perhaps it's just deeper sorrow♪

♪I'm not well suited to fighting bad luck♪

♪Fear is churning. I forget myself♪

♪Those upsetting moments remind me♪

Ling.

♪Don't let the world sleep too long♪

Dad.

♪I'm not very good at being remembered♪

Dad.

Ling.

♪I never wanted to be a hero♪

♪But this time, it's my turn♪

♪Dreams hidden away waving goodbye at parting♪

Ling,

this flower is known as the Xueling Flower.

♪Brave and free, you know no limit to your reach♪

It has the character "Ling" in its name

and is just as beautiful as you.

Xia Ling.

Once you have grown up, Ling,

I'll take you there. How does that sound?

Sounds great.

Xia Ling.

♪I've been here waiting all along♪

Xia Ling.

Xia Ling.

Xia Ling.

Cao Yanbing.

We are still alive?

Of course.

My dad...

♪Listen to the heartworm of desire♪

♪Gnawing away at thoughts♪

♪Behold the giant's world♪

♪Quaking and slowly tilting♪

♪We stride through thick smoke♪

♪Fearless in the face of stormy seas♪

♪Pressing on barefoot♪

♪I will never surrender♪

♪The fire blazes fiercely♪

♪Let nightmares and dark nights be erased♪

♪I will never surrender♪

♪Crimson blooms with fervent grace♪

♪For a fresh and radiant tomorrow♪

♪I'll never fail♪

♪I'll never be alone♪

♪Life is like falling leaves♪

♪Having no last words to recover♪

♪With my veiled eyes♪

♪To glimpse the hidden perils♪

♪On the edge of fate's blade♪

♪Facing the darkest abyss♪

♪Daring to leap forward♪

♪I will never surrender♪

♪The fire blazes fiercely♪

♪Let nightmares and dark nights be erased♪

♪I will never surrender♪

♪Crimson blooms with fervent grace♪

♪For a fresh and radiant tomorrow♪

♪I will never♪

♪My fire must blaze fiercely♪

♪Let nightmares and dark nights be erased♪

♪I will never♪

♪Crimson blooms with fervent grace♪

♪For a fresh and radiant tomorrow♪

♪I'll never fail♪