Fan Yue insisted on accompanying Bai Shuo into danger, unwilling to let her face the risks alone. Bai Shuo reluctantly agreed. Mu Jiu unexpectedly visited Bai Shuo to thank her for saving him the previous night and sparing Fu Ling. Grateful yet guilty, Mu Jiu gifted Bai Shuo the second Heartfire and promised to scout the underground palace for them.
Zang Shan noticed Fan Yue seemed happier after losing his memory and even wondered if it would be better to leave things as they were. However, Tianhuo pointed out that unless Fan Yue personally buried his once-pure self, he couldn’t have survived until now. Overhearing their conversation, Fan Yue asked Zang Shan about his and Bai Shuo’s relationship. Surprised, Zang Shan clarified they had no romantic feelings and revealed the events at Ning’an City, leaving Fan Yue emotionally conflicted.
Meanwhile, Bai Shuo prepared for a banquet that night. Chong Zhao guessed her true motive: collecting the fragments of the Nameless Stone. He volunteered to help. Various celestial and demon clans also made their way to the Palace of the Different King, each determined to go despite knowing it might be a trap.
On the journey to the palace, Bai Shuo, Fan Yue, and their companions passed through a plaza where citizens were releasing sky lanterns to make wishes. Being forsaken by their respective clans and gods, they wrote their wishes on the lanterns as a reminder that self-reliance is key. At Fan Yue’s suggestion, he, Bai Shuo, Tianhuo, and Zang Shan joined in, releasing lanterns with their heartfelt desires.
Taking this moment, Fan Yue admitted to Bai Shuo that he now understood they weren’t lovers. He expressed his conflicting desires: to be a Fan Yue who wouldn’t hurt her and to become strong enough to protect her. Under the brilliance of the fireworks, Fan Yue apologized and confessed his feelings, leaving a farewell kiss at the corner of her lips.
The group arrived at the Different King’s Palace, where Hua Lin appeared and announced that the winner of the Phoenix Pavilion Martial Contest could take the spirit elixir. However, Hua Lin also declared his intention to open the Different City to the world after that night, sparking outrage and ridicule from the celestial and demon clans. Dismissing their reactions as his personal opinion, Hua Lin invited the three clans to ignite the phoenix branches together, birthing the third Heartfire.
As the Heartfires are naturally interconnected, the third one appeared dim and required the other two to awaken it. Under pressure, Bai Shuo reluctantly presented her two Heartfires. Suddenly, Hua Lin activated a barrier, declaring his intent to entomb the celestial and demon clans within the palace. Meanwhile, Mu Jiu sneaked into the underground palace to rescue Hua Yong but was intercepted and restrained by Wu Zhao and his men.
Chaos erupted in the main hall as battles broke out. Amid the chaos, Tianhuo seized the three Heartfires and handed them to Bai Shuo. Zang Shan and Tianhuo protected Bai Shuo, Fan Yue, and Chong Zhao as they fled to the underground palace. However, Fu Ling, now empowered by Wu Zhao, overpowered them. The three were captured. Nan Wan and Bei Chen also tried to escape but were recaptured. Bei Chen’s selflessness in saving Nan Wan touched her, and Bei Chen revealed his arrogance stemmed from desperation to save his younger brother.
Tianhuo crafted three fake Heartfires to lure Hua Lin to Mei Han’s courtyard. There, Tianhuo angrily condemned Hua Lin’s god-creation efforts, accusing him of bringing disaster to the Different City. Hua Lin countered, revealing a long-kept secret: he and Mei Han had staged her death to stabilize the populace. Hua Lin had given Mei Han a Fire-Repelling Pearl and created an escape route beneath the furnace. However, things went awry when Wu Zhao, deceived by a sorcerer, replaced the pearl with a fake, resulting in Mei Han’s tragic death.
As Hua Lin finished his confession, Wu Zhao appeared, dropping his disguise and revealing his ambition and power. He admitted to orchestrating Mei Han’s death. This revelation reconciled the long-standing rift between Tianhuo and Hua Lin as father and daughter. However, Wu Zhao fatally wounded Hua Lin, who died in Tianhuo’s arms.
Meanwhile, in the underground palace, Fu Ling forced Bai Shuo to choose between saving Fan Yue or Chong Zhao, leaving her with an excruciating decision.
