Nan Xuyue urged Mu Xuanling to leave with him, promising her an ordinary life. However, Mu Xuanling refused, saying that if she left, Xie Xuechen would face even greater troubles. She told Nan Xuyue that once she made a choice, she would not change it. Nan Xuyue lamented that love could make wise people foolish and the strong weak. Mu Xuanling then asked Nan Xuyue to help Fu Lansheng take Abao back to Bixiao Palace and assist in finding her biological father. If her father couldn’t be found, she requested that Abao be sent back to her original home. Nan Xuyue agreed.
When their conversation ended, Nan Xuyue left. Abao, crying, pleaded with him not to take her away, saying she didn’t want to search for her father anymore. Abao begged Nan Xuyue to find a way to save Mu Xuanling. Nan Xuyue explained that this was Mu Xuanling’s wish and urged her to leave with Fu Lansheng.
Meanwhile, Xie Xuechen was recovering in his room when his junior brother informed him that the members of the Immortal Alliance were waiting for him in the main hall. His junior brother warned that the alliance members were gossiping about him and suggested Xie Xuechen hear it for himself.
Xie Xuechen went to the main hall, where the alliance members accused him of harboring the Dark Domain’s Holy Maiden. After listening to their criticisms, Xie Xuechen left. Island Master He followed him, expressing frustration that Xie Xuechen was being unfairly maligned despite recently saving those very people. Xie Xuechen replied that such behavior was human nature and that he understood.
Island Master He noted that under the current circumstances, it was imperative to elect a new alliance leader quickly. Xie Xuechen agreed with this idea. Island Master He proposed Xie Xuechen as a suitable candidate, praising his restored powers and his willingness to risk his life to protect Yongxue City during a crisis. Xie Xuechen was about to decline when Island Master He insisted that Xie Xuechen was perfect for the role.
In the Ice Prison, Mu Xuanling wrote letters to Xie Xuechen daily, crafting them into paper kites that she sent flying toward him. In her letters, she asked him to come and kill her. Over time, Xie Xuechen accumulated a box full of these letters, which left him deeply troubled. Torn between his responsibilities to humanity and his feelings for Mu Xuanling, he struggled to decide what to do.
On the day of Mu Xuanling’s trial, Nan Xuyue and Fu Lansheng watched from the sidelines. Fu Lansheng, frustrated by the situation, remarked that Mu Xuanling hadn’t committed any wrongdoing and questioned why she had to die. He found the punishment excessively cruel and suggested they leave, but before they could, Mu Xuanling appeared. Weak and exhausted, she collapsed to the ground.
Xie Xuechen used his power to dispel her dark magic, proclaiming that her powers were now gone and sentencing her to a thousand years of imprisonment. Su Ningzhen, furious that Xie Xuechen wouldn’t execute Mu Xuanling, declared that she would do it herself. Xie Xuechen stopped her, placing his sword at her throat. He asserted that this was his decision, reminding her that this was still Yongxue City.
With that, Xie Xuechen carried Mu Xuanling away. Before leaving, he declared to everyone that Mu Xuanling was now under Yongxue City’s protection. Nan Xuyue watched them leave, murmuring to himself that survival was all that mattered. He also resolved to use a formation he had developed to protect Mu Xuanling, even if it meant injuring himself.
Xie Xuechen placed Mu Xuanling on a bed and transferred his protective jade talisman to her. Feeling cold, Mu Xuanling huddled close to him, and Xie Xuechen reassured her to endure for three days. Afterward, he promised to take her to see the human world. Meanwhile, two maids from Jinghua Palace gossiped about Xie Xuechen and Mu Xuanling, but Gao Qiumin overheard them and scolded them harshly.
Mu Xuanling eventually woke up and saw Xie Xuechen sleeping at the table. She approached him, and he woke up immediately, urging her to rest more as her body hadn’t fully recovered. Instead, Mu Xuanling began teasing Xie Xuechen, prompting him to comment that she must be feeling better. He added that if she was recovered, they would leave the mountain tomorrow.
When Mu Xuanling asked if he was driving her away, Xie Xuechen clarified that he intended to show her the true human world.
Later, Xie Xuechen visited Yinian in the Ice Prison. Yinian explained that everything he had done was for the sake of the late Sect Leader of Xuantiangate. He pleaded with Xie Xuechen to spare Xuantiangate.
