Xie Xuechen continued to fight with Fa Jian, who attempted to detonate his golden core to perish together with them. Xie Xuechen instructed everyone to stop him. Meanwhile, Mu Xuanling, under the control of Sang Qi’s dark magic, grabbed Gao Qiumin by the neck and lifted her up. While controlled by Sang Qi, Mu Xuanling demanded they hand over the Chaos Pearl; otherwise, she would kill Gao Qiumin.
Mu Xuanling accused Fa Jian of colluding with the Dark Tribe, then questioned whether Xie Xuechen himself might also be connected to the Dark Tribe. She claimed that Xie Xuechen had brought her back, causing everyone to turn their attention to him. Xie Xuechen admitted it was true. Mu Xuanling then brought out the Memory Stone and urged them to see what had happened ten years ago.
The Memory Stone displayed the scene of Gao Qiumin’s father being killed—by none other than Xie Xuechen. Under Sang Qi’s control, Mu Xuanling revealed that after Xie Xuechen killed Gao Fengxu, his father forced him into seclusion for over seven years. As this revelation unfolded, Gao Qiumin’s hatred toward Xie Xuechen flared, demanding why he killed her father. Xie Xuechen explained that he had been possessed by the Dark Tribe at the time.
Some people hesitated, arguing that they couldn’t convict Xie Xuechen based solely on the words of the Dark Domain’s Holy Maiden. Fu Yuanting pointed out that the Memory Stone’s images couldn’t be fabricated. Meanwhile, disciples of Yongxue City united around Xie Xuechen to strengthen the protective formation against Fa Jian, shouting for Mu Xuanling to join them in defending the alliance.
Hearing their calls, seeing familiar faces such as Elder Cang, her junior apprentice sister, and other disciples, Mu Xuanling regained clarity. On the other side, Sang Qi realized he had lost control over Mu Xuanling. Xie Xuechen dragged Fa Jian into the tower while Mu Xuanling called his name and chased after him. The immediate threat of the Dark Tribe’s invasion subsided, but the issue of Mu Xuanling’s identity as the Holy Maiden of the Dark Domain still loomed.
Su Ningzhen immediately moved to kill Mu Xuanling, but Xie Xuechen intervened, blocking the attack. He argued that Mu Xuanling hadn’t harmed anyone nor committed any evil acts, saying her sins didn’t warrant death. Xie Xuechen suggested imprisoning her in the Ice Prison for now and deliberating her fate another day.
Su Ningzhen wanted to argue further, but Xie Xuechen cut her off, stating his decision was final, and then left. Once back in his room with Nan Xuyue, Xie Xuechen suddenly coughed up blood and collapsed. He warned Nan Xuyue not to reveal his injury, fearing Sang Qi might exploit the situation. Nan Xuyue noted that Xie Xuechen was also worried about failing to protect Mu Xuanling. Xie Xuechen remained silent, as if Nan Xuyue had hit a nerve.
In the Ice Prison, Mu Xuanling reached out toward a sliver of sunlight, only to burn her hand. She thought to herself that she couldn’t live like a rat in the gutter and longed to feel the sunlight. Determined, she stepped forward into the light, but Xie Xuechen appeared and pulled her back. Mu Xuanling told him her days were numbered and begged him to kill her. She argued that only by killing her could he protect his position and return to being someone who distinguishes between good and evil.
Instead, Xie Xuechen embraced Mu Xuanling and vowed not to let her die.
Meanwhile, Su Ningzhen confided to Gao Qiumin that Sang Qi was their true enemy and urged her to hate him. Gao Qiumin, however, found Su Ningzhen’s hatred for Sang Qi unusually intense. Su Ningzhen then revealed that Gao Qiumin’s mother had been killed by Sang Qi. Shocked, Gao Qiumin confronted her about her earlier claim that her mother had died in childbirth. Su Ningzhen dismissed it as a slip of the tongue.
Suspicious, Gao Qiumin sought out Mu Xuanling to ask if her mother’s death was really Sang Qi’s doing. Mu Xuanling explained that at that time, Sang Qi had lost an arm and was in seclusion for three years, making it unlikely that he had killed Gao Qiumin’s mother. Mu Xuanling urged Gao Qiumin not to be misled by Su Ningzhen’s claims.
Gao Qiumin asked why Mu Xuanling had shown so much hostility toward her. Mu Xuanling revealed that she had once been the spirit clan member who took Gao Qiumin’s place and was willing to die for her. As the two argued, Nan Xuyue arrived. Seeing him, Gao Qiumin left.
Nan Xuyue helped treat Mu Xuanling’s wounds and offered to take her away, but Mu Xuanling refused, saying she had chosen this path and would not change it.
