Episode Summary
The Nightmare Demon triggers a city-dooming explosion by destroying its core. Mu Yao risks her life to stabilize the magic array with help from allies, while Ling Miaomiao unlocks divine power to save the day. A legendary sword reveals unexpected wielders, secrets about identities unravel, and Mu Yao digs into her father’s mysterious ties to the crisis.
Spoiler Alert
The Nightmare Demon, realizing its doomed fate, pulls the ultimate "If I go down, we all go down" move by self-destructing its Demon Core. This triggers a chain reaction that threatens to blow the entire Imperial Capital sky-high. Our heroes Mu Yao, Mu Sheng, and Liu Fuyi scramble to stabilize the crumbling magic array, but plot twist: the seal was originally created by Mu Yao’s father. When Mu Yao snarks, "My dad could’ve 100% killed this demon back then—why’d he leave a loose end?" we all mentally add "Daddy Issues: Level Unlocked" to her character sheet.
With the capital seconds from becoming confetti, Mu Yao volunteers to replace the Demon Core with her own golden girl energy (literally—her inner core). Cue the squad’s collective "NOOOOO" face, but she’s already handing Ling Miaomiao a magical walkie-talkie talisman to summon backup. In a move that’ll fuel fanfic writers for weeks, Liu Fuyi and Mu Sheng help her dive into the volatile array while Guo Xiu’s crew initially chickens out (rude).
Meanwhile, in the "Oops, We’re Actually Heroes" Department:
Ling Miaomiao and maid-turned-ally Cui Cui throw themselves into the chaos, because apparently "useless comic relief" isn’t in their job descriptions anymore. Just as everyone’s collapsing from magical exhaustion, Ling Miaomiao pulls a "Hold my fantasy tea" move by accessing her glitchy System. Ignoring warnings about "dangerous forbidden power" (yawn), she unlocks a divine boost to save the day. Take notes, Marvel—this is how you do a third-act team-up without CGI.
Morning After Drama:
The Bamboo Forest Four Heroes let the Qintian Jian officials take credit (how noble), but everyone’s side-eyeing Ling Miaomiao’s rainbow-glowing inner core. Things get awkward when the officials dig up an ancient portrait of deity Mu Qingshi, who looks suspiciously like… Ling Miaomiao? Cue the "Kneel Before Your Goddess!" moment—until she fails to pull the legendary sword Shangxianyue from its pedestal. But guess who strolls up and yanks it out like it’s a stuck pickle jar? Mu Sheng. The camera lingers on everyone’s shocked Pikachu faces.
Romance Corner:
Drunk!Ling Miaomiao slurs to Mu Sheng, "I’m not actually Lin Yu!" in a confession that’s about as surprising as rain in Seattle. He’s all "Yeah, duh—I’ve loved Ling Miaomiao since Episode 5." Meanwhile, Mu Yao and Liu Fuyi’s unresolved tension gets redirected toward investigating her father’s shady demon-sealing past. Also, someone check on Pei Yun—her guilt-ridden exit after helping the heroes deserves its own sad violin montage.
