01x22 - Episode 22

[bunniefuu]

[Love of the Divine Tree]

[Episode 22]

That's already going against fate.

If you wish to enter the Marrow-Cleansing Pool
and attain instant ascension,

you must bear the risks that come with it.

Then my master...

That's your master, right?

It's indeed Master's technique.

Master did use the Soul Control Technique
to reside in Bai's body.

That woman

should be too preoccupied
to fight your master now.

Girl,

you made it out of the Treasure Cave.

This is the final test of the trial.

Let's go.

That's…

Senior Lu Yun?

This cave is called the Memory Cave.

[The Memory Cave, Heavenly Meridian Mountain]

Those who pass the trial of Heavenly
Meridian Mountain will leave their obsessions

here.

I suppose this is the bit
of amusement Dun Tian sought

in exchange for opening the Mountain.

Dun Tian was so great. I thought he did this

to support the younger generations.

If it were just about offering support,

throwing down some immortal herbs and pills

would be enough.

Just to see

other people's memories?

Wouldn't that be too boring?

But immortals live too long,
and the Immortal Realm is forever the same.

After a while,

it all becomes unbearably dull.

So I followed Dun Tian

to observe this once-in-nineteen-years trial

and watch them

leave behind

memories of joy or sorrow.

Only then did I realize

that the mortal world

holds the most fascinating things.

So even those who have entered
the Marrow-Cleansing Pool are also like this.

It seems that every heart
carries its own desires.

♫ In March, we make rice milk ♫

♫ And bring it to our daughter for a taste ♫

[Rong Yao, Dun Tian's Wife]

♫ In April, we make wine ♫

♫ A single day without it feels all wrong ♫

Alright,

it's ready!

It smells so good!

Mom made chicken drumsticks.

They smell delicious!

Honey,

time to eat.

Dad, come quickly,

or I'll eat all the drumsticks!

Sit down.

Whose obsession is this?

Dun Tian's.

Dun Tian's obsession

was his wife and daughters?

Indeed.

Chang'e must regret
stealing the spiritual medicine,

gazing at the blue sky night
after night with a heavy heart.

Did he regret it deeply?

Back then, Dun Tian

glimpsed the secrets of fate.

He knew that to attain ascension,

he had to sever all worldly attachments,

slay the Mortal-Demon Lord,

and prove his worth for immortality.

So,

in his final battle...

Dun Tian!

Save our children!

Dun Tian!

He didn't save

his wife, Rong Yao,

and their two daughters.

In the end,

he ascended to the Immortal Realm,
but his wife and daughters

suffered tragic deaths.

Of course, he regretted it.

The loss outweighed the gain.

A happy family

should've been what he pursued.

We only fight evil to protect
our family, don't we?

To attain the hollow ascension,

he cast away what was most precious

and then regretted it.

Wasn't it all for nothing
but self-inflicted misery?

It's all over now.

What's done is done.

Decades ago, a dark force
invaded the Celestial Palace

for the Heavenly Book.

Dun Tian fought fiercely against it
and unfortunately perished.

Now, in the whole universe,

only this Memory Cave

holds traces of him.

Take this spiritual light

and leave your obsession

here as well.

Then,

the Marrow-Cleansing Pool

will open for you.

May I ask

where my master's obsession is?

I want to see it.

Your master entered the Black Pool back then.

His obsession is not here.

The Black Pool?

Once you enter the
Marrow-Cleansing Pool, you'll understand.

The Pool is divided into two:
one white and one black.

The White Pool strengthens one's cultivation,

allowing for steady and righteous progress,

while the Black Pool

grants rapid advancement

at the cost of awakening one's inner demons.

Your master

chose the Black Pool.

So when Heavenly Meridian
Mountain trembled, his obsession

was lost to the unknown.

It's getting late.

I should head back.

Girl,

please

tell that drunkard brother of mine

to drink less.

After all,

he's my only family left.

I'll pass on your message.

So,

all my memories with Master…

have become my obsession.

I wonder what Master's obsession is.

Perhaps it's Grandmaster.

The Marrow-Cleansing Pool is just ahead.

Once I enter,

I'll form my Golden Core

and can leave Mount Wester.

I wonder if after that,

Master will

occasionally think of me.

Xue Ranran,

don't overthink it.

After completing your training,
go back and bid Master a proper farewell.

You can still visit him during holidays
to pay your respects.

You'll surely see him again.

[Marrow-Cleansing Pool, Heavenly Meridian Mountain]

So this is the Marrow-Cleansing Pool.

The Black Pool

truly holds immense spiritual power,

but it's also filled with a lot of resentment.

Any righteous cultivator
would surely choose the White Pool.

Why did Master choose the Black Pool?

Let go of the past.

Master is fine.

Now,

you should make your choice.

I've formed my Golden Core.

I'm a Golden Core cultivator now!

Master!

Mu Qingge!

Don't!

Did I just see…

Master?

Was that a memory from my past life

or from Ling Xiao?

And why was Master in it?

My cultivation

has dropped to the early Golden Core stage.

She…

She entered the Marrow-Cleansing Pool!

It's that demon, Gui Baqian?

I finally made it to the Marrow-Cleansing Pool,

but its power

has been mostly taken by you.

Girl, do you have a death wish?

Stop right now!

I followed the rules
of Heavenly Meridian Mountain.

You barged in using dark magic,
yet you're asking me to stop.

Sovereign Wei,

you're so brazen.

How did you figure it out?

When I met the blood-sucking vines,
I knew that Gui Baqian

was a demon.

Few demons

would dare sneak into

Heavenly Meridian Mountain.

And even fewer have lost their cultivation

and are desperate to recover it.

You meet all these criteria, Sovereign Wei.

It wasn't hard to guess.

I hoped to use the Pool
to reach the Transcendence Realm,

but the little power left has only brought me back
to the peak of the Nascent Soul Realm.

Xue Ranran, I'll k*ll you right now

and take your power!

Let's see how long you can hold me off!

It doesn't need to be long.

The trial is over.

What's going on?

Why is everyone back?

Someone entered the Marrow-Cleansing Pool.

The trial is over.

Who entered the Pool?

Ranran!

- Ranran! - Ranran!

Ranran,

you really made it.

You have the spiritual mark on your forehead.

You really entered the Pool.

We'll talk about that later.

Be careful of Wei Jiu.

Wei Jiu?

Why is that demon Wei Jiu
here in Heavenly Meridian Mountain?

He has the Pool's spiritual mark
on his forehead too.

What's going on?

Wei Jiu used dark magic
to disguise himself as Gui Baqian,

then forced his way into the Pool,

and took a part of its power.

Guys, let's take him down together!

Pathetic fools.

Ranran.

You've formed your Golden Core.

That's great!

Mu Qingge, don't just watch!

Help me!

Demonic scum,

everyone wants to k*ll you.

Why should I help you?

Have you forgotten about the Resentment Liquid?

Let me remind you.

You've broken free of it?

Yeah.

Sovereign Wei, your chances of survival are slim.

If you want to live,

I'm afraid there's only one way:

beg me.

Dream on!

If you said that in your past life,
it'd make some sense.

But in this life?

Why the hell should I beg you?

Master Mu,

how can you try to collude with this demon?

Forget it.

It was just for amusement anyway.

You've gained power
from the Marrow-Cleansing Pool.

Congratulations.

The Imperial Heaven-Reversing Seal!

It's an imperial artifact.

The Crown Prince actually lent it to you.

Today, I'll use this artifact

to exact my revenge!

Mu Qingge!

What are you going to do?

You're all dead!

Why won't the Seal k*ll?

What went wrong?

Congratulations, Your Highness.

The Heaven-Reversing Seal has shattered
the celestial rocks in Heavenly Meridian Mountain.

The last of the Four-Way Waterways

has now been cleared.

Soon,

the waters will flow into the capital.

Clearing the waterway
on the Heavenly Ones' sacred land

was no easy feat.

I must thank her for her help.

Master Mu, you must be mistaken.

Imperial artifacts can only
be activated by imperial blood.

Young Master Yu would never
let you use it to harm people.

You tried to k*ll us
but only embarrassed yourself.

How amusing.

Your reputation among the Heavenly Ones
is as good as ruined.

But

I can offer you a way out.

k*ll everyone here for me,

and I'll keep

your secret safe.

I prefer to solve this myself.

Watch out!

Devourer Bugs!

Mu Qingge, you're insane
for raising these cursed things!

Sovereign Wei,

you and everyone here

have to die today!

That's the safest way

to keep a secret!

Mu Qingge actually ran away.

Devourer Bugs feed on spiritual power.

Even ascended immortals

can't resist so many of them.

Scatter!

Take these Escape Talismans!

Once I distract the Devourer Bugs,
you'll activate them

and get down the mountain!

Distract the Devourer Bugs?

How will you escape?

I've formed my Golden Core.

I'll find a way.

Run!

We're not leaving!

Master?

Go!

It's really you!

Jump into the water!

[The foot of Heavenly Meridian Mountain]

The spiritual light in
Heavenly Meridian Mountain just faded.

Someone has entered the Marrow-Cleansing Pool?

Since the trial is over,

why hasn't anyone come out?

Help!

Master.

It's Wei Jiu.

Wei Jiu?

He's in Heavenly Meridian Mountain?

How is that possible?

Wei Jiu used dark magic to disguise
himself as Gui Baqian from Lingdi Sect.

He snuck into the mountain

and released Devourer Bugs.

Devourer Bugs?

That's… Devourer Bugs? Devourer Bugs?

I did everything I could
to make it out alive.

I'm afraid the others...

What should we do?

How did Wei Jiu obtain those deadly bugs?

The barrier is still in place.

We can't get inside to save them.

W-What should we do?

[Heavenly Meridian Mountain]

Master,

are you alright?

Master,

the bugs I gave you,

do you find them satisfying?

They got in your way, so just let those bugs

send them to hell.

Once everything's settled,

I'll escort you back to the palace.

Hurry!

The Devourer Bugs will
track our power here soon.

Master,

what is this place?

You've been here before?

Su Yishui?

Soul Control Technique?

You actually resorted to such a method
to enter Heavenly Meridian Mountain.

Let's go.

I'm not finished yet!

No wonder you were able to enter the Pool.

So Su Yishui helped you cheat.

Does it hurt?

The Devourer Bugs drained
quite a bit of your power.

You're gravely injured.

So what?

Since we've all lost a great deal of power,

why not call a temporary truce to recover first

and find a way out?

Fine.

Break the binding spell first.

Sovereign Wei, your reputation is too bad.

How can I trust you so easily?

End of conversation.

Enjoy your solitude.

Farewell.

Wait.

A truce it is.

I'm not afraid of you anyway.

You're so rough with an injured person!

Master, the Devourer Bugs
have damaged your meridians.

Take this Meridian Repairing Pill.

I'm injured too.

Feel free

to use these medicines.

Don't treat me like a beggar.

You just said the Devourer
Bugs damaged the meridians.

What use are these external wound medicines?

There's only one Meridian Repairing Pill.

It has to go to my master.

You'll have to make do.

What's that?

Ranran,

give me the pill.

Wei Jiu is cunning.

We can't let him live.

It's better to k*ll him now.

Su Yishui,

you can't k*ll me!

You used the Soul Control Technique
to possess the White Tiger and fought Mu Qingge

and the Devourer Bugs.

You've been greatly weakened.

If you k*ll me now, you…

you'll suffer severe injuries.

What are you doing?

Is it true?

Has the Soul Control Technique
really weakened you so much?

Of course it's true.

Possessing a divine beast
drains one's spiritual soul

every time one practices magic.

If their spiritual soul is already incomplete,

it'll shorten their lifespan,

causing death!

Ranran, your master must be severely injured.

Otherwise, he wouldn't
have used illusions to hide…

You trust him?

I don't.

It's just that we agreed to a temporary truce.

I should keep my word.

Moreover,

your spiritual power

is indeed weaker than before.

Whether it's true or not,

I don't want you to get hurt.

If you insist,

I'll drop it.

But I'm truly fine.

I don't need the Meridian Repairing Pill.

You take it.

Half for each of us.

Meditate now.

Master.

I'll find a way to treat your injuries.

Eat something first.

With damaged meridians, fasting won't work.

You need to eat something.

The dried sweet potato is delicious.

I saw a lot of vegetation
outside the waterfall.

There might be medicinal herbs.

I'll go take a look.

If you behave and don't wake my master up,

I'll share some with you later.

You won't take this chance to break free
and hurt my master, will you?

Still,

better safe than sorry.

Don't blame me.

See you in a bit.

Prajna Orchid Herb!

It's mine now!

So this place is the Memory Cave
for those who entered

the Black Pool.

Master entered the Black Pool,

so his obsession...

Where's Ranran?

She's your disciple.

Why are you asking me?

I'm asking you—where is Ranran?

She...

she said she went out to find herbs
to treat your injuries.

Ling Xiao,

you can break this seal?

The obsession on it

belongs to your soul owner?

I don't need a son.

I need someone valuable.

I…

I… I'll definitely become

a person of value.

And you

are the one-in-a-million

Demon's child.

I feel the Spirit Spring.

Why is it Master?

I saw it before.

Ling Xiao's soul owner is the Demon's child.

But Master is also the Demon's child.

Could it be that

the soul owner is Master?

Everything you saw is true.

It's me.

I'm the one who brought calamities to the world,

the one all Heavenly Ones want to k*ll.

Is this why

you want me to leave?

Exactly.

Now that you've seen the truth,

leave Mount Wester

after you go back.

Who cares about the Demon's child?

I've just found out—

♫ Who is that alone under the tree? ♫

the one I've been searching for is you, Master;

the one who's protected me
by my side since I was a child is also you;

♫ Stained with a light and clear glow ♫

in that icy spiritual sense,
the one who quietly listened to me

was still you.

♫ Repeatedly awakened from dreams
by the shattered shadow of the moon ♫

In this world,

only you truly care about me.

♫ Outside the mountain,
longing reflected in the limpid eyes ♫

I don't care if you're the Demon's child.

All I know is that

you're the one

who treats me the best in this world.

♫ With a gentle nudge of the night breeze,
the lantern is empty ♫

♫ Time passed can never be brought back ♫

♫ On sleepless nights, I toast
to the world and drown my sorrows ♫

It's all just a twist of fate.

Even if I care for you,

♫ My lovesickness comprises only of you ♫

it's for the sake of that old friend of mine.

I've spent so long with you in Mount Wester.

I know you better than you think.

♫ If the long night is too dark,
I'll keep you company all the way ♫

When you have something weighing on you,
you say things you don't mean.

I won't believe

♫ To face all the love and hatred,
the rights and wrongs ♫

a single word you say.

Don't even think about pushing me away again.

♫ Our tortuous fate alternating endlessly
between partings and reunions, joy and sorrow ♫

Master,

you've never abandoned me,

and I'll never abandon you either.

♫ Only after experiencing death
and rebirth do you realize its preciousness ♫

Why is Master so badly injured?

♫ A destiny full of twists and turns,
a love fraught with hardship ♫

Illusions…

Master used illusions to hide his injuries.

♫ But I remain fearless with no regrets ♫

Master,

let me heal your wounds.

♫ Waiting for the fallen flowers
to dance and silhouettes to pair up ♫

♫ Eventually nestling in each other's arms again ♫

Master,

have a rest in the Qiankun Pouch.

There's one left.

Something feels off.

Look around.

There's not a single plant here.

What's going on?

It's the Devourer Bugs.

Trapped in Heavenly Meridian Mountain
with no power as food,

they must be gnawing away at the mountain veins.

That's horrifying.

Those bugs were once a calamity
in the Immortal Realm.

It took everything the
Immortal Realm had to wipe them out.

Where did Master Mu get them?

It couldn't be her.

Devourer Bugs need to feed on
corpses and blood for decades

just to hatch.

Mu Qingge was reborn less than two years ago.

There's no way she could've raised them.

What will happen if the mountain veins here
are completely severed

by those Devourer Bugs?

Heavenly Meridian Mountain will collapse.

We'll all be buried alive here.

Let's find a way to escape together.

Aren't you afraid I'll hurt you?

If a man of your stature
were to break his word at a time like this

just to fight a junior,

he'd be unworthy of his reputation.

What are you doing?

Let's go.

That Vermilion Bird is suppressed by
Heavenly Meridian Mountain and can't use its power.

It's injured now.

I have to save it.

At a time like this,
you're worried about a bird?

If the Devourer Bugs find us, we're doomed!

We're almost there.

The mountain gate

is just beyond this pass.

What are you doing now?

Let's go!

We can't just leave like this.

After the Devourer Bugs sever the mountain veins,

they'll fly out and wreak havoc
in the mortal world.

By then,

even though the mortal world is vast,
there will be nowhere left to hide.

Then let's hide while we can.

Living one more day is better than dying now.

The mountain veins are about to break.

Spiritual energy is leaking.

I'll use it to k*ll the Devourer Bugs.

You leave first.

You're crazy!

Are you trying to get yourself k*lled?

The mountain veins are severed.

The restrictions are gone.

Vermilion Bird, you can show your true form now!

Why is the Mountain completely drained
of spiritual energy?

Why are the mountain veins all severed?

The barrier is open.

Let's go in and save them!

Let's go!

It must be Wei Jiu.

What a tragedy.

The disciples in there for training
were all k*lled by that demon.

You're still alive?

You actually believe this woman's lies?

She was the one who released the Devourer Bugs!

Wei Jiu, don't pin the blame on someone else!

Idiot!

I snuck in for the power
of the Marrow-Cleansing Pool.

Why would I destroy the Mountain?

So many disciples have died,

and you're still lying here.

Everyone, let's k*ll this demon together!

Let's avenge our disciples!

Wei Jiu isn't lying.

The havoc today

was all Master Mu's doing.

I thought

you were just selfish.

I never imagined

you could be so malicious.

Xue Ranran,

why are you speaking such nonsense?

Wei Jiu even managed to get into the Mountain.

He's really great at dark magic.

Xue Ranran must have
fallen under his spell as well.

But what Xue Ranran just put in her bag
was the Vermilion Bird, right?

With that divine bird with her,

she couldn't possibly be under any evil spell.

I'm so glad you're all safe.

Master Mu

released swarms of Devourer Bugs.

We thought we were doomed.

Luckily, you gave us plenty of talismans.

We hid in the water all night

and barely escaped with our lives.

If not for Master Wen arriving in time,
we wouldn't have survived.

You didn't expect so many survivors, did you?

You're a habitual liar.

Are you still going to deny it?

Yes,

it was me.

But do you think

I wanted this to happen?

Look at

Xue Ranran and Wei Jiu's foreheads.

What do you see?

The spiritual mark of the Marrow-Cleansing Pool.

They both have it.

The Pool has always

allowed only one person to enter.

But why did both Xue Ranran

and Wei Jiu enter it?

The Vermilion Bird

was sealed by Dun Tian.

Why did it follow Xue Ranran

after the Mountain collapsed?

It's because

Xue Ranran and Wei Jiu have
been conspiring from the start!

Everyone, look.

They used Resentment Liquid early
on to control me.

They forced me to obtain Devourer Bugs.

Otherwise, how could I have such things

so soon after my rebirth?

This is all their

elaborate scheme to deceive everyone.

And now, they're trying to pin everything on me!

Xue Ranran wouldn't do that!

As for Ranran's identity,

I hope that no matter when or what,

you won't mention it to others.

I have my own plans.

I've said

all there is to say.

If you still don't believe me,

then take my life.

This is complex. It's hard
to distinguish truth from lies.

Let's put Xue Ranran, Wei Jiu,

and Mu Qingge

into the Bone-Scraping Tower

for interrogation.

Have you all gone mad?

Based on a few words from this vicious woman,
you're going to make Xue Ranran and me

suffer the agony of shattered bones
and burning souls?

Everyone,

if we judge others recklessly,
how can we call ourselves righteous?

Elder Wen,

letting villains roam free

is even less righteous.

They just need to suffer a bit
to prove their innocence.

The truth will come out eventually.

No!

Elder Wen,

don't worry about me.

We won't accept this treatment without a fight.

Fine.

I'll just need to k*ll a few more people.

You think you can take me down?

Wei Jiu,

do you really think we
wouldn't take precautions for guarding

the sacred Heavenly Meridian Mountain?

Activate the formation!

Everyone!

The Annihilation Sword Formation!

How dare you mess with the Westers!

You must have a death wish!

Master!

Su Yishui!

Su Yishui?

Blame everything that happened today on me.

Mount Wester is right here.

Come anytime.

I'll be waiting.

Su Yishui

is so powerful, suppressing the formation
from thousands of miles away.

How much spiritual power must that have cost?

The Westers are all gone.

Wei Jiu also escaped in the chaos.

Where's Mu Qingge?

Of course, she escaped with them.

I made all these arrangements

just to push you

to this point.

Your Ice Lotus Technique

must have failed, right?

The day of success

is even closer now!

Master is so powerful.

I wonder how he managed

to suppress

that terrifying sword formation.

Ranran,

the spiritual mark on your forehead

vanished as soon as we left
Heavenly Meridian Mountain.

I'll continue my seclusion.

I'm leaving.

Ranran!

Master!

I, Su Yishui, sovereign of Wester Sect,

lift the restrictions on Xue Ranran,
allow her to complete her training,

and leave Mount Wester.

From today on,

in this vast world,

she may come and go as she pleases.

Master, you still want me to leave?

The time has come.

No matter what happens,

I only want

to stay by your side.

Mount Wester is not a place where you can do

whatever you want.

Master…

Leave now.

Master!

Ranran!

Mr. Zeng,

save Master!

Please, save Master!

He had split off a part of his soul to protect me,

and just now he used the Soul Control Technique.

Oh no.

His condition is worse than I thought.

The Ice Lotus in his body
has completely shattered.

The Ice Lotus?

He sacrificed half of his Golden Core
to nourish the Reincarnation Tree.

So he had to practice the Ice Lotus Technique
to repair his Golden Core.

Now, with the Ice Lotus broken,

that half of the Golden Core has also shattered.

So he has fallen from the Transcendence Stage,

and his power is unstable now.