Tianming looks at Mu Xuanling’s face and admits that he’s been searching for her for over a year. Luckily, he found her in Nan Xuyue’s current lifetime. Mu Xuanling wants to help heal Nan Xuyue, but he explains that his injuries require half of the power of chaos to recover. He asks her if she’s willing to give up half of her chaos power. Mu Xuanling clarifies that saving him doesn’t mean she forgives him but that she no longer wishes to have any ties with him going forward. With that, she transfers half of her chaos power to him. Seeing her wounded, Nan Xuyue is overwhelmed with mixed emotions. Soon, Feng Yao arrives with urgent news: the Demon Lord has captured the Immortal Alliance members. He has burned five sticks of incense as a warning—if Mu Xuanling doesn’t go, he will kill the captives.
Meanwhile, the Demon Lord cradles A Bao in his arms, noting that one incense stick has already burned out. He deliberates on which sect he should attack next and decides to go after Fu Cangli. Just as he’s about to act, Xuanxin steps in to stop him. The Demon Lord mocks Xuanxin’s futile bravery, injecting demonic energy into his body, hoping to turn him into one of the Dark Realm. Mu Xuanling arrives at the scene and declares her allegiance to the Demon Lord. Skeptical, he demands she hand over her chaos power. Mu Xuanling bargains, offering her chaos power only if he releases the Immortal Alliance captives. The Demon Lord refuses and tries to forcibly extract her power.
However, his attempt fails. Mu Xuanling explains that chaos power cannot be taken without the owner’s consent. Hearing this, the Demon Lord reluctantly releases the captives and takes Mu Xuanling back to the Dark Realm. Once there, he again demands her chaos power. She reveals that she only has half left and proposes that he keep her alive until the other half returns, at which point she’ll give it to him. Using his magic, the Demon Lord confirms her words and questions the whereabouts of the other half. Mu Xuanling refuses to tell him, warning that such knowledge would put her at risk.
The Demon Lord releases Gao Qiumin and Fu Lansheng, only to trap them again as leverage against Mu Xuanling. She pleads with him, explaining that neither Fu Lansheng nor Gao Qiumin has ever betrayed him. She recounts that, even in their past lives as Ah Yan and Qingyang, they remained loyal to him. She recalls how they could have escaped but chose to return to the palace instead. The Demon Lord dismisses her words as nonsense, blaming his immense suffering in the Molten Abyss over thousands of years on their betrayal. Mu Xuanling tries to convince him that his fate was rewritten by Tianming and that in reality, Zhao Ming was a wise ruler, and Xie Xuechen, a noble-hearted person with the world in mind.
Unmoved, the Demon Lord imprisons Fu Lansheng and Gao Qiumin beneath the Molten Abyss, further pressuring Mu Xuanling to relinquish her chaos power. Meanwhile, Tianming helps cleanse the demonic energy from Xuanxin’s body, aligning their common goal to defeat the Demon Lord. During this, Feng Yao notices a birthmark on Xuanxin’s shoulder and brings him medicine, suspecting that he might be her long-lost brother, A Yuan. In the Molten Abyss, Fu Lansheng confesses his feelings for Gao Qiumin. Touched, Gao Qiumin promises that if they survive this ordeal, they’ll be together.
Elsewhere, Yan Tong, a disciple from Yongxue City, believes that the soul of their senior brother, Xie Xuechen, still resides within the Demon Lord. Hoping to awaken Xie Xuechen, Yan Tong ventures into the Dark Realm alone. He recounts their past memories to the Demon Lord, but his efforts prove futile, and he is imprisoned. Back in her room, Mu Xuanling realizes she must act quickly, as Gao Qiumin and Fu Lansheng remain trapped. Overhearing a conversation outside, she learns about Yan Tong’s captivity. She seeks him out, and Yan Tong entrusts her with the “Mind Observing Seal,” hoping it will help her confront the Demon Lord. Meanwhile, Feng Yao checks on Xuanxin again, becoming increasingly convinced that he is indeed her brother, A Yuan.
