Ling Shan is struggling to keep up with her sister, calling out to her to tell her where they are going. Xin Qing makes her close her eyes and she sees a field of purple flowers blooming around the skeleton of an animal. She can also smell the flowers; it’s the scent of the Yimo. Xin Qing thinks she can use the Devour Talisman get rid of the Yimo threat so that she can get the marriage cancelled and leave the Demon Domain. Ling Shan is not so certain, but is willing to follow her. Xin Qing believes there is an Yimo hidden among the Sky Marten Clan and wants to go investigate, but Ling Shan still feels bad about stealing the Talisman from Lin Dong as she has a bit of a crush on him. When Xin Qing says they’ll return it afterwards, she offers to be the one to give it back.

Suddenly they hear the sound of the White Wolves howling and are surrounded by them. Xin Qing starts to make that noise that incapacitates them, but then they hear another sound and another White Wolf appears, telling his men that they can’t allow her to sing. Xin Qing tries to use the opportunity to tell Ling Shan to run. Then the General (who has very familiar, handsome eyes) uses his powers on Xin Qing to bind her.

A Wolf reports to the General that they couldn’t find the Ling Shan, but instead found the location of the Squirrel Clan. The General isn’t interested in the squirrels though, just the missing fox and sends them back to look more. Xin Qing struggles against her bonds with no luck, but then Ling Shan shows up with the same Squirrel clan members Xiao Yan saved earlier. They sneak over while the Wolves are gone and free Xin Qing. But when they try to run away, the Wolves reappear. The Squirrels recognize the General as their benefactor and ask him where he’s been and runs up to him happily. Xiao Yan, of course, can’t help but smile a little under his disguise, but has to keep up the ruse and has his men take them away, warning them not to hurt them. As they are dragged away, they yell to the Princess that he is a good person and not to be scared. He tells the women that he doesn’t want to hurt them. He’s just keeping them from entering the territory of the Sky Marten Clan. Xin Qing is suspicious, wanting to know why the White Wolves and Sky Marten clan are working together. As he steps towards her, she pulls out the Devour Talisman and he recognizes it immediately. When he asks how she got it, she claims it was originally hers. Xiao Yan starts to attack her to get it back when he is struck from behind.

Lin Dong tries to put the White Wolf General in a choke hold, but when he rolls him over to punch him, he recognizes his friend Xiao Yan and stops. As they catch up and Xiao Yan tells him what happened to Lin Diao, the sisters follow behind them sullenly, shoved along by the Wolf soldiers. Lin Dong is amused that Xin Qing is also trying to escape the marriage. He checks her out and suddenly knocks her to the ground. Then he searches her and finds her half of the Life Death Talisman. Ling Shan wordlessly offers up her half. When Ling Shan tells him it belongs to her tribe and he can’t take it from them, he comments back on how odd it is then that they would steal the Talisman he had merged into his own hand and asks how they got theirs.

Xin Qing tells them that both the Sky Marten and Nine-tail Fox tribes have served the Devour Talisman since prehistory and that the Life Death Talisman was given to them by Fu Zu, but no one knows any longer how to activate it. Lin Dong walks back towards them, making them nervous. But then he holds out a hand to help Xin Qing up. When he asks if they are enemies of the Yimo also, Ling Shan tells him that her sister stole his Talisman to subdue the Yimo that are hiding in the Sky Marten Tribe which concerns him and Xiao Yan.

Old Jiu is in a cave full of purple flowers. Also there is the Sky Marten King who is trapped in the flowers. (Guess we found our Yimo.)

Lin Dong, Xiao Yan and the Princesses head for the Sky Marten Tribe where Lin Diao is tied up and shouting at Old Jiu who has come to bring his wedding clothes. Old Jiu is enjoying making fun of him while Lin Diao tells him that he should marry that fox, but Old Jiu tells him that the King insisted it had to be him. When Old Jiu still won’t let him go, Lin Diao uses his powers to break free and then holds a dagger to his old friend’s throat to use him as a shield to help him escape. Old Jiu tells the guards not to mind him and to keep Lin Diao from escaping. But the guards refuse to risk his life despite his demands. Once outside, Lin Diao pushes him into the guards and runs away. When they try to run after him, they are stopped when the Fierce Sky Halberd falls from the sky in front of them and blasts them backwards.

Lin Diao is reunited with Lin Dong as they run away, followed by Xin Qing. Lin Diao can’t help but laugh and hug his friend, asking how he found him. When he talks about how he was saved from a vixen, Lin Dong tries to let him know that said “vixen” is with them, but Xin Qing just decides to announce herself and greet him and Lin Diao is surprised to find out she is his betrothed. When the guards from the Sky Marten Tribe run up to them, Xin Qing immediately starts growling at them which impresses Lin Diao even more.

Suddenly the ground starts to shake and everyone falls over. Lin Diao thinks it’s the Devour Talisman, but it’s not. In the cave, Old Jiu is using his powers against the King, causing the earthquake.

The fake Old Marten King along with the guards have surround the trio. As he studies them, Xin Qing asks Lin Dong what the stone is that he has and who he really is. He tells her it’s his symbol as the Talisman Guild President and that usually it isn’t active so he isn’t sure why it’s suddenly glowing. Auntie Xin and members of the Nine-tail Fox tribe are also there and Old Jiu has arrived as well. Auntie Xin recognizes the stone as a personal keepsake of Fu Zu. Lin Diao shows his Thunder Talisman and announces that Lin Dong is the Devour Talisman Successor and Talisman Guild President. Auntie Xin grabs the Fake King to talk to him. She believes Lin Dong is Fu Zu’s successor. Lin Dong tries to correct them, but Lin Diao tells him that they can’t hide it from them. Immediately everyone starts to kneel, having waited for Fu Zu’s successor for a long time.

The Sky Marten Tribe has the wedding banquet though the Fake King doesn’t seem too thrilled. Lin Diao is happy his father finally sees he wasn’t lying while Xin Qing eyes the shy Xiao Yan. Lin Dong stands up to speak, not wanting to interfere in the marriage, but thinking that it would be better if both parties are willing. He asks if it can be canceled so that both parties can choose the life they want. The King insists it was Fu Zu’s wish, but when Lin Dong points out that they are both Talisman masters and will take care of their responsibilities, both clan leaders agree and the wedding banquet becomes a welcome banquet for Lin Dong. Everyone starts drinking except Xin Qing, who asks her sister to leave with her, and Xiao Yan who watches them leave. (Oh, I think he likes her. Glad I was wrong on this one.)

Lin Diao follows them outside, asking why they aren’t drinking with the rest of them. Xin Qing says he no longer needs to bother them since the marriage is cancelled, but he tells them that Xiao Yan asked him to apologize on his behalf as he felt bad about offending them before. Ling Shan comments that Xiao Yan said her sister wasn’t good enough for Lin Diao and wonders why he’s being nice now as Xiao Yan walks up behind them. Lin Diao tells him to speak up and he apologizes and then tries to compliment her by saying she was like a man when she was defending her sister. Lin Diao has to step in for his friend and tells him to drink to the Princess first if he wants to apologize so he does. Xin Qing tells him that she’s not mad at him and then pours him some more wine to drink. But then she chides him for using a loved one to threaten her. Lin Diao gets upset with her for being mean to his friend, saying that Xiao Yan is also a Talisman Master and trying to get the poor Tiger to be a man and stand up to her. But Xiao Yan insists on drinking another cup as punishment.

Xin Qing goes back to watch the banquet and everyone drinking cup after cup. Lin Dong takes a cup from Ling Shan, insisting she shouldn’t drink and that he will drink on her behalf. Enamoured, she asks him why he didn’t reveal himself before, so he asks her if she wouldn’t have treated him like a thief if he had and tells her that she and her sister can now leave the Demon Domain and see the world.

Ling Shan sees her sister looking serious and asks her what’s wrong, worried that she is leaving already. But Xin Qing first wants to find the Yimo hidden within the Sky Marten Tribe and she can sense him at the banquet. Ling Shan can sense that the Yimo aura is coming from Old Jiu, but Xin Qing senses that it’s not just him, but that there is also an Yimo Prince near. Though she wants to leave the Demon Domain, she doesn’t want to leave her clan in danger. Ling Shan decides to go tell Lin Dong, but Xin Qing thinks that will put him in danger so they decide to wait for the right opportunity to act and they each decide to monitor one person.

The King calls for Lin Diao and asks him what he said to anger the princesses, but Lin Diao storms off, annoyed at being asked to account for them. Auntie Xin defends the sisters, saying that they are naturally restless. Old Jiu suggests that he’ll go look for them, feigning concern that they may have gotten lost. He heads outside to look for them with Ling Shan following him.

Lin Diao sits with Xiao Yan, frustrated with his dad and how he never can do anything good enough for him. When Lin Diao notices Lin Dong is gone, Xiao Yan tells him that he went to find the princesses as the Fake King watches them.

Lin Dong is in the woods which have suddenly filled up with purple flowers. As he looks around, he finds Ling Shan passed out in the flowers. He finally realises there is something wrong about them. Ling Shan wakes up, surprised she fell asleep. She sees the flowers and tells him they are Illusion Demonic Flowers, a poison planted by the Yimo. When you smell them, you will lose consciousness. Lin Dong wants to destroy them, but she tells him that they can be of use and explains that Fu Zu was able to control them to increase his spiritual powers. Lin Dong worries that he’s not Fu Zu’s successor and wonders if he will die if he tries, but does so nonetheless. Ling Shan tells him that her sister sensed that Old Jiu and the King were both Yimo.

Certain that the flowers must have a root, Lin Dong decides to use his power to find the source of the plants, the Sky Cave. They find the cave with all the flowers. Lin Dong worries it’s a trap and tells Ling Shan to go find her sister, but she refuses to leave. Suddenly they see Old Jiu arrive so they run and hide. Ling Shan is surprised to see him there since the cave is a forbidden area. (Well, you’re there, aren’t you?) They follow after him to see what he’s up to and see him torturing the real King to find out where the Secret Key is. The King insists that he doesn’t know. Ling Shan tries to go help the King, but Lin Dong holds her back. When Old Jiu threatens the Sky Marten Tribe, the King still insists he doesn’t know. Seeing that the King’s cultivation is very strong, Lin Dong decides they should first tell Xin Qing and Xiao Yan. They turn to leave, but the flowers reach out and grab them. Old Jiu tells them not to go anywhere and leaves them trapped, sealing the entrance to the cave behind him to keep them inside. Once he’s gone, Lin Dong passes out from flowers.

Lin Diao and Xiao Yan look for Lin Dong, wondering where he could have gone. Lin Diao is certain it’s Xin Qing’s fault while Xiao Yan defends her. Lin Diao is amused that his friend likes the Princess and teases him. But then they hide and watch the King pass by, followed by Xin Qing. Wondering what she could be up to, they confront her. Xin Qing tells him that his father and Old Jiu have Yimo auras, but Lin Diao won’t listen. Suddenly they hear someone call out.

Back at the banquet they find an injured Auntie Xin who tells them the King is a fake. As Xin Qing tries to heal her, Lin Diao and Xiao Yan run off to find him. Auntie Xin tells her to go after the fake king because he took half of the secret key from her and then she dies.

In the cave, Ling Shan tries to wake up Lin Dong. Her singing makes the flowers retract and wake up Lin Dong who uses his powers to free her and himself. They go to save the real King and Lin Dong is able to get rid of the flowers that have entrapped him. The King immediately recognizes he is Fu Zu’s successor. Lin Dong introduces himself and says he’s not Fu Zu’s successor, but just wanted to help his friend keep from having to get married while also bragging how his son has helped him eliminate Yimo.

In the desert, Lin Diao and Xiao Yan decide to separate to find the Yimo. (Because that always goes well…)

Lin Dong runs in to save the real Sky Marten King and he is able to get rid of the flowers that have entrapped him. The King immediately recognizes who he is by the Old Natal Charm and the Devour Talisman. Lin Dong introduces himself and says he’s not Fu Zu’s successor, but just wanted to help his friend keep from having to get married while also bragging how his son has helped him eliminate Yimo to make his father not look down on him. But the King knows Lin Dong is the successor, no matter what he says, because they served Fu Zu and knows that his Talisman and the Natal Charm belong only to the successor. Lin Dong asks him how he got trapped and he describes a Yuan Gate disciple visiting them that could only be Lang Tian.

In the desert, Lin Diao and Xiao Yan decide to separate to find the Yimo. Lin Diao chases after Old Jiu as the Princess follows him.

Lin Dong shares the story of Lang Tian with the King and the King tells him that he thought something was up with him and didn’t want to talk to him, but noticed a change in Old Jiu after he spoke with him. His disciple ended up locking him up and trying to force him to hand over his half of the key to the seal that binds the Yimo Emperor, with the other half going to the Nine-tail Fox tribe. It was a secret passed down only to the leaders and the reason for the arranged marriage. Ling Shan tells them that her sister went to follow the fake King so they decide to go and fix the mess.

Lin Diao and the Princess find the fake King, but Old Jiu appears with guards from the tribe and surround them, accusing them of trying to hurt the King. When Lin Diao asks him why he’s doing this, Old Jiu reveals his anger that, despite serving the King loyally all these years while Lin Diao ran off, it’s Lin Diao who gets to lead the tribe and not him. Lin Diao declares that the King is a fake and then Ling Shan arrives with the real King and the soldiers from the Nine-tail Tribe. When the King calls Old Jiu a traitor, he insists that he was only doing it for the sake of the tribe. But then the fake King suddenly turns on Old Jiu and kills him, using his body to suddenly make a ton of the Illusion Demonic Flowers appear before turning into his true form, Lang Tian, and leaving.

Lin Dong, Xiao Yan and Lin Diao go looking for Lang Tian at the Sky Cave and he appears in a pillar of smoke. Lin Dong tries to talk sense into him, but he’s not interested. When Lin Dong brings up Qing Tan, he just laughs and tells Lin Dong he is naive. Mocking them for thinking they can save the world, he tells them that the only way to save their friends from being poisoned is to get the other half of the key from the Old Marten King. Lang Tian leaves and the King appears with Ling Shan telling them that they need the antidote to save everyone else. They tell the King what Lang Tian wants for the antidote. Lin Diao tries to talk his father into giving the key, insisting that they will steal it back, but he doesn’t want to take the risk. When Lin Dong insists that it’s more important to save people, he tells him that the key is in the Sky Cave in the ancestral offering area, but that the cave is cursed and, despite sending in their strongest men to guard it, none of them have ever come back out and he’s not sure he will survive. Xiao Yan suggests that perhaps they should try, but the King said only someone with the blood of their clan will be able to enter that area. It’s up to Lin Diao to save the day so he grabs his father and asks him to show the way as the others watch them go.

In the Sky Cave, the King shows him where to go and how to activate it and then watches his son go before disappearing in a cloud of black smoke. He wanders around the cave, full of the poisonous flowers, until he finds the skeleton of a flying marten. He uses his powers on it, but it doesn’t work so he takes out the Thunder Talisman and uses it to get the flowers off the skeleton (which then reappear again???). Then he flicks some of his blood on the skeleton and is able to get their tribes half of the key. He thanks his ancestors and asks them to bless him so he can eliminate the Yimo. When he runs back out, he sees that his father is gone. Then he sees dark clouds in the sky and starts cursing Lang Tian, realising that he took his father. He starts to run from the black smoke that is Lang Tian, but before he can get him, Lin Dong arrives and saves him.

Just as Lin Dong is telling him not to fall for his tricks, Lang Tian appears outside with Lin Diao’s father. Lin Dong again tries to talk him out of helping free the Yimo Emperor, but Lang Tian is still certain this will all be worth it and criticizes Lin Dong for always hesitating. When he threatens the King’s life, Lin Diao grabs the key and is going to exchange it for his father, but his father tells him not to do it as he’d rather die than break his oath to Fu Zu to protect the key. Lin Dong throws his Halberd at Lang Tian who disappears, but his voice echoes back to Lin Dong, telling him to learn from the King as sacrifices need to be made if he wants to accomplish great things and telling him that the deaths of the Sky Marten and Nine-Tail Fox tribes will be his fault.

As the poisonous flowers start to bloom, Lin Dong decides to use his Talisman to save the two tribes. The King warns him it will be dangerous and decides that he and his son will help him. As they use their powers together, they are able to slowly remove the flowers while Xiao Yan and Xin Qing try to subdue those affected. Xiao Yan tries to get the Princess to leave for her safety, but she refuses. Finally they can see people are getting better and that Lin Dong must be saving them.

As Lin Dong continues to work on the flowers, Lang Tian appears again. Lin Diao tries to attack him, but gets knocked down and kicked as Lin Dong just ignores him altogether and continues working on the flowers. The King arrives and tries to get him to help Lin Dong, but he insists on trying to take out the Yimo. When Lang Tian chokes Lin Diao, the King takes him on with his own powers, but both end up getting knocked back just as Lin Dong momentarily has to stop. The King laughs because he’s managed to get back the other half of the key from Lang Tian and injured him, but then it’s clear he’s injured as well. Lin Diao tries to attack Lang Tian again, but the injured Yimo uses his Space Talisman and disappears.

Lin Diao carries his father back home and tries to heal him, but his father stops him. He tells him about the seal on the Yimo Emperor and the promise they made to Fu Zu, asking his son to carry on for him and lead the tribe now that he’s finally returned. As his father passes away, Lin Diao is upset. He gets drunk and goes out in the woods to cry and yell. Lin Dong starts thinking of his own father. He tries to reassure Lin Diao that despite how often his father may have called him useless, he still trusted in him. When Lin Diao asks him how he survived it, Lin Dong says it was because he had him and Xiao Yan.

Xin Qing and Ling Shan talk about the Princess Royal’s plans for their tribe and how Lin Diao will take over the Sky Marten Tribe. Ling Shan asks her sister if she is still going to see the world, offering to take care of the tribe for her, but Xin Qing doesn’t want her sister to give up on what she wants. Her younger sister insists she actually would rather stay home and keep everything safe for her sister’s return. Xin Qing hugs her sister, proud of how much she’s grown up and being more responsible than her.

Master Yan visits the Palace Master at Taiqing Palace.

Master Yan visits the Palace Master at Taiqing Palace, trying to be all flirty, but really wanting to brag about how it’s confirmed that his disciple, Lin Dong, is the successor to Fu Zu. She is surprised by the news and realises her sect was destined to protect him. When she asks if they need to send more people to protect Lin Dong, he assures her that it’s not needed.

Lin Diao assures Lin Dong that he’ll continue to the guard the seal while Ling Shan wonders if they should wait for her sister before going to Flame City, but Lin Dong assures her that she’s safe with Xiao Yan and will find them. The most important thing is to find Lang Tian and where he’s recuperating. Lin Dong sets out for Flame City with Ling Shan faithfully following him.

In Flame City, a salesman, with a very strong resemblance to his relatives our heroes have seen in other towns, is selling East Roc spring water as Qing Zhu wanders about. She takes a table and serves herself some soup until the salesman (they didn’t give him a name/number like his other relatives) comes over. He first tries to sell her water, but when she doesn’t respond, he comments on how she is from Taiqing Palace. When she asks how he knows where she’s from, he says he knows a lot of things so she gives him money to tell her where the thief who stole the Flame Talisman now is. He tells her that he’s now the City Leader, but that when she tries to approach him, she will fail because security around him is so tight. Hearing that the City Leader will be appearing the next day for a special ceremony, Qing Zhu decides to go see him for herself.

The people of the city arrive at the offering ceremony and kneel as the City Leader comes out wearing full armour and a helmet that masks his face. He offers a blessing and makes a ball of flame appear on a tall pedestal along with other flames out of the ground. As guards light torches from the flames, the people of the city gather with candles to get some of the fire. When Qing Zhu gets close enough, she tries to attack the City Leader as he is leaving, but he is able to thwart her attack. She tosses one of her Lotus Darts at him and then runs away as the guards chase after her. The City Leader catches the dart, surprised to see it, but orders that the guards find the assassin.

In the city, people are being lined up against the walls and checked. Just before the guards get to Qing Zhu, a guy runs away. While the guards are distracted, Qing Zhu finds a place to hide from them and is able to get away.

The City Leader, back inside the Flame God Temple, takes off his helmet and we see that he is Qing Zhi, Qing Zhu’s father. But he doesn’t seem to know that he has a daughter. Instead he wonders why the woman who attacked him looks like Su Su and why she tried to kill him, thinking that maybe Su Su sent her.

Qing Zhu is walking through the desert, apparently injured from when her attack is thwarted. The Sixth Yimo Prince comes up behind her and knocks her out, laughing at the idea of eating her.

Continuely clutzy Ling Shan tells Lin Dong that her sister and Xiao Yan have reached Flame City already. She suddenly gets a vision of Lang Tian and finds a bag that looks like Lin Dong’s. He recognizes it as Qing Zhu’s.

Lang Tian is in a cave, struggling with the Yimo contained in his body, when the Sixth Prince arrives, carrying Qing Zhu for Lang Tian to eat. Qing Zhu asks if Lin Dong caused his injuries, but he just laughs at her as she is injured herself. He tries to get her to leave, not interested in eating her or anything to do with her, much to the Sixth Prince’s frustration, but she can’t resists turning back to try to get him to turn from his evil ways. When she mentions Lin Dong, Lang Tian just gets angry that Lin Dong gets everything without having to do much while he has done so much and gotten nothing. He decides to make Lin Dong feel what it’s like to lose something and is about to attack Qing Zhu when Lin Dong appears to save the day. Lang Tian tries to attack them both, but Ling Shan uses her singing to chase him and the Sixth Prince away as Lin Dong covers Qing Zhu’s ears.

Xin Qing rests and drinks some water as Xiao Yan runs back to tell her he hasn’t found anything so far. When she offers him water, he at first refuses until she insists. When she starts asking him about Lin Dong and if he’s married, he thinks that she’s interested in him and is a little bummed out. (Aw, I’d really like them as a couple.) He tells her that Lin Dong could be considered married, but doesn’t know how to explain it. Just then Ling Shan arrives and tells them that Lin Dong saved an assassin and that he said he is responsible for her since he kissed her. When Xiao Yan realises it’s Qing Zhu, they ask him who she is.

Qing Zhu is awake and Lin Dong arrives as she’s adjusting her clothes, remarking how he paid her back for changing his clothes for him when he was injured at Qiwu Tower which embarrasses her. He’s back to teasing her again as he hands her some medicine, but she, as always, insists that she doesn’t want anyone’s help. When he asks her what she was doing in Flame City, she refuses to say, insisting it’s an issue only for Taiqing Palace. But he isn’t going to let her off because she’s his Talisman Envoy.

Ling Shan shoves Xiao Yan into a wall, demanding to know when Lin Dong kissed Qing Zhu. Then Xin Qing takes over, asking what he meant by Lin Dong can be considered married. So he finally tells them the story of Lin Dong’s love triangle. When Ling Shan hears that the wedding ceremony was cancelled, she is happy, thinking she can still pursue him. Xin Qing asks Xiao Yan if he’s ever been married or had a woman and he gets all shy and runs off to find them something to eat. Lin Dong appears, asking why Xiao Yan ran off and Xin Qing makes up an excuse. Lin Dong tells her that Lang Tian was the one that injured Qing Zhu and that he’s near Flame City. He tells her to go with Xiao Yan to find him and asks Ling Shan to take care of Qing Zhu for him. She refuses at first until he says that he will then have to take care of her and that makes her more jealous.

In Flame City, a guard reports to the City Leader that they still haven’t found the assassin. Once the guard is gone, Qing Zhi looks at the lotus weapon again.

Qing Zhu is out of bed and Ling Shan asks her if she likes Lin Dong. When she won’t say, she tries to get her to admit it since she likes him. But Qing Zhu tells her that liking someone who doesn’t like you back makes it more of a burden and that love is a matter of fate. Then she asks Ling Shan what the City Leader has been up to. When Ling Shan realises she is headed for the Flame God Temple, she tells her not to go, but Qing Zhu leaves anyway.

In the desert, Xiao Yan is pulling Xin Qing along, but she is tired and needs to rest (at the exact same place as before, guess they ran out of money for a bigger desert set). He gives her water to drink, again refusing to drink. She realises they need more water soon. Just then the Flame City water sales guy appears on his way to refill is water containers, so Xin Qing pays him money to show them where to find water.

In Flame City, Qing Zhi is in the temple doing… something… cultivating maybe. Qing Zhu sneaks up on the temple (exactly how you think you can sneak up on someone while wearing bells, I do not understand). Qing Zhi looks at the Lotus Dart again just as Lin Dong grabs Qing Zhu. She thinks he’s there to stop her, but he’s actually there to help just as he’d promised all that time ago. When he calls her Miss Fairy for the first time in a while, she acquiesces.

They wander through the maze of passageways and columns, avoiding the guards. Lin Dong pulls out a Beidou Bird to show them where her Lotus Dart has ended up and follow it until they get to a set of doors. Qing Zhu enters the doors and finds herself back in Taiqing Palace. She sees her mother walking towards her and runs to her, but her mother walks right past as if she didn’t see her. Lin Dong grabs Qing Zhu’s arm and tells her that they are in a spiritual domain and not the real Palace and Qing Zhu wonders how Lin Dong was able to recreate a place he’s never seen.

Qing Zhu finds herself back in Taiqing Palace. She sees her mother walking towards her and runs to her, but her mom walks right past as if she didn’t see her. Lin Dong grabs Qing Zhu’s arm and tells her that they are in a spiritual domain and not the real Palace and Qing Zhu wonder’s how Lin Dong was able to recreate a place he’s never seen, but he tells her that it’s the City Leader’s spiritual domain. Qing Zhu runs down a hall and watches her mother embrace her father and she and Lin Dong realise that the City Leader is her father and that this is his most unforgettable memory. (And then Qing Zhu is going to spend the rest of the series basically making that same upset face. Argh! How can I feel sorry for you when you are being such a baby?!)

Qing Zhu is upset to have all the rumours about her father confirmed and tries to attack him. When she does, she suddenly finds herself back in the real world with her sword stuck in her father’s chest. He asks why she called Su Su mother while Lin Dong tells the guards that the two of them are just having a family quarrel. After Qing Zhi tells the guards to leave, he reveals that he never knew he had a child before passing out.

Lin Dong helps heal Qing Zhi and asks why there is an Yimo inside of him, explaining how his daughter was looking for him, not expecting to find this. In a flashback we see him and Master Yan training at Qiwu Tower as he tells the story of how he ended up where he is now. He was hunting the Fifth Yimo Prince and had to leave Su Su behind. He had come up with a plan to help the Thunder Clan use their Talisman to defeat the Yimo by using a fake one, but the Fifth Prince figured out the plan and injured him during a battle. He says that while he was healing, the Yimo took on Qing Zhi’s form and attacked the Thunder Clan, making them think he had turned on them. But the flashback shows the Yimo making him attack them. After the Thunder Clan was massacred, he decided to obtain something the Fifth Prince wanted so that he could get his attention, so he stole the Flame Talisman from Taiqing Palace. He fought the Fifth Prince in the Demon Domain and was able to contain his fallen spirit in his body, but ended up getting trapped there when the doors closed before he could leave. So he stayed in Flame City waiting for the doors to reopen and the Three Super Sects to find him. But, as we’ve seen with Lang Tian, a human body is not able to contain the fallen spirit of an Yimo and Qing Zhi’s health has slowly weakened, making it more difficult for him to keep the Yimo from stealing the Flame Talisman from him.

After telling his story, fearful that everyone thinks he’s an Yimo, he asks Qing Zhu if her mother sent her to kill him. She tells him that the Palace Master sent her while her mother was punished for him being a thief, but that her mother never told her about the past. Qing Zhi feels bad about causing Su Su so much trouble. Lin Dong, though, suspects her mother was aware of what happened and trusted her father. Qing Zhi apologizes for not being a good father while Lin Dong tries to get her to give him the benefit of the doubt. He then leaves to find Ling Shan so that they can have some time together. But Qing Zhu wonders what else her father is hiding.

Somewhere in Flame City, Lang Tian is still hiding and struggling with the Yimo inside of him as the Sixth Prince watches him, wondering why he doesn’t just die. Lang Tian asks if he is going to eat him and threatens him if he does, so the Sixth Prince goes off to find food.

Xiao Yan is digging in the sand while Xin Qing rests. He tells her he found something and it turns out it’s a rabbit. She gets upset as she’d hoped he found an Yimo, but he was worried that she hadn’t eaten so he caught her a rabbit. When she goes off to find Lang Tian, he chases after her to stop her, but she gives him attitude. Of course she smiles to herself as she walks away, as he follows her. (Aww, she likes the kitty.)

Ling Shan is playing “he loves me, he loves me not” and worries that by the time she’s old enough to marry in Nine-tail Fox years, Lin Dong will already have grandchildren. She runs into a hungry Sixth Prince Yimo, not realising who he is, and gives him some food and water, but he grabs her and she realises who he is too late.

Qing Zhi finds Qing Zhu sitting by herself. She hands him back the pouch she’d carried with the bit of his yuan energy (the pouch that helped break the Thunder Clan’s spell) and tells him that they broke the seal on the clan. He asks what he can do to make up for her and her mother’s suffering, but as usual she wants nothing from him. She promises to help him defeat the Yimo and reunite him with her mother. He asks her about Lin Dong and she tells him that he’s Fu Zu’s successor. He suspects that she likes Lin Dong, assuming they have the same relationship as he did with Su Su. She confirms that she is his Talisman Envoy, but nothing more.

Qing Zhi finds Lin Dong who wonders how he ended up falling into the Fifth Prince’s trap, given how good he has been at planning ahead for every eventuality. It’s clear he doesn’t believe the full story. Qing Zhi admits that he had to gain the Yimo’s trust if he wanted to kill him so he told the Yimo about the clan’s magical barrier and promised to help steal the Talisman. He’d planned on fooling the Chief into giving him the Talisman and then use it to kill the Yimo, but the Chief ended up overhearing him plotting with the Yimo and he had no choice but to betray the clan. But because the clan ended up using their own lives to protect the Talisman, he then had to steal the Flame Talisman. Lin Dong promises not to tell Qing Zhu, but hopes he will learn his lesson. Lin Dong then asks Qing Zhi to help repair the magic mirror that Huan Huan broke, handing over the pieces.

Qing Zhi uses the Flame Talisman to mend the mirror while he asks Lin Dong about it. As Qing Zhu arrives, he tells him that it shows people who are fated to be together. Qing Zhi assumes he means his daughter, but before Lin Dong can confirm, Qing Zhu reveals that the mirror actually shows the person who is truly in one’s heart and that in Lin Dong’s heart there is only Huan Huan. Qing Zhi sees this and feels bad for his assumptions. Lin Dong goes off to find Lang Tian, warning Qing Zhi to watch out for him and asking if he can leave Qing Zhu with him so they can catch up.

Outside the Flame God Temple, Qing Zhi apologizes to Qing Zhu, but she will only say that she doesn’t want to be like her mother and have to wait for a lifetime for the one she loves. He tells her that destiny is stronger than love and, like her mother did, tells her to cry it out. As he holds her, she cries.

At Taiqing Palace, Su Su is thinking about Qing Zhi, wondering if he has seen their daughter, when the Palace Master arrives and tells her that they have reunited and that Qing Zhu finally knows the truth. She tells Su Su that she wasn’t wrong to trust him and offers to help make arrangements for her to see him, but since he didn’t come looking for her, she doesn’t want to go, thinking he’s forgotten her or has more important things to do. The Palace Master gets upset at the thought that anyone would forget Su Su which makes her laugh, remembering how they used to be when they were younger and then Su Su apologizes for her rash choices that forced her to become the Palace Master. They remember the past and how they changed over the years.

In the desert at night, Xin Qing is cooking the rabbit while Xiao Yan watches her. She thinks he is thinking something bad about her and wonders why he is treating her so well now after not liking her before. When he mentions that she reminds him of Qing Tan, another woman he knew, she thinks that he and Lin Dong are both womanizers. Xiao Yan is impressed that she’s a princess, but can take care of herself. She shares how she lost her mother and had to take care of her sister, so he shares about how he lost his mother when he was young and was locked up and beaten. (I’m shipping these two so hard.) Xin Qing gives him a tiger she originally carved for her sister and watches him as he plays with it when, suddenly, she gets an image of Lang Tian.

Xin Qing gives Xiao Yan a tiger she originally carved for her sister to thank him for catching the rabbit for dinner and watches him as he plays with the little tiger. Suddenly she gets an image of Lang Tian. She and Xiao Yan find him in a cave and the Tiger knocks him out, but he keeps Xin Qing from killing him because he wants to deliver him to Lin Dong instead. (Oh, Stupid Tiger…) Xin Qing wants to leave, but then they hear Ling Shan and the Sixth Prince appears carrying her. Xiao Yan attacks him to free the sister, but then Lang Tian wakes up and captures both the girls. When Xiao Yan tells him to let them go, he tosses them aside and attacks Xiao Yan, leaving the ladies for his buddy. Xiao Yan is able to get free and grabs Xin Qing, running away with her and leaving her sister behind. (Oops.)

Outside, they are running away when Xin Qing trips and the Sixth Prince is able to trap them in a dome. He sets the dome on fire to cook them. Xiao Yan tries to break through the dome, but can’t. Seeing Xin Qing in agony, he protects her with his body and pours water over her, even when she tells him to save himself. He insists that they will live and die together and she says she will be fortunate if she dies with him. (Oh, all the feels right now. Just wish there’d been a kiss in there. Would have been perfect.)

Ling Shan tries to run from Lang Tian, but also trips and falls (why are these Foxes so clutzy?) and Lang Tian easily catches up to her. He tries to get her to sing to lure Lin Dong, but she won’t. Lin Dong arrives anyway and she runs to him. He asks her where the others are, but she doesn’t know. Lin Dong and Lang Tian trade insults and then Lang Tian attacks him, stepping on Lin Dong’s arm and trapping him. Lin Dong is surprised to be so easily caught and Lang Tian is arrogant as always, certain that he will be invincible and Lin Dong will always be weak. He takes the ancestral stone from Lin Dong, extolling the virtues of having great powers and being able to crush others, before finally leaving.

As the Sixth Prince snoozes and Xiao Yan and Xin Qing cook, a hooded figure arrives and removes the dome. The Yimo asks who he is and Qing Zhi reveals himself. The two begin to fight.

Back in the Flame God Tower, we see that Qing Zhi saved Xiao Yan and Xin Qing. Ling Shan watches the Tiger as he writhes on the ground in agony and hears how he protected her sister, causing his injuries. They need to lessen his pain so that medicine can be applied, but Xin Qing’s larynx was damaged and if she sings to soothe his pain, she’ll damage her voice. Xin Qing, hearing Xiao Yan in pain, is upset. Ling Shan finds her and goes with her to see Xiao Yan, who is still clutching the little tiger she gave him. He and Qing Zhi both try to talk her out of helping him and hurting her voice, but she insists and uses her voice to ease his pain.

After saving Xiao Yan, Xin Qing is still sad. Lin Dong tells her not to be sad anymore, but she can’t keep from crying. Qing Zhu tries to go talk to Lin Dong to apologize for her and her sister causing him and Xiao Yan to come to harm, but Qing Zhu tells her to let him be alone for now.

Flashbacks galore as Lin Dong thinks back on his past and the producers try to pad the runtime, until suddenly Lin Dong finds himself in Qiwu Tower, well, a spiritual domain that looks like Qiwu Tower, and a tired Master Yan wonders what he wants. Lin Dong again is feeling like a big loser who will never be able to defeat Lang Tian, but Master Yan wonders if that truly is his goal in life. As Lin Dong feels sorry for himself, Master Yan reminds him that his real goal should be to surpass his old self. Suddenly they hear another voice and Lin Dong passes out. It’s Qing Zhi arriving to have drinks with his old friend after putting Lin Dong to sleep. Master Yan argues with him a bit, but of course is up for drinks with his old buddy. They go to the roof of the tower to catch up and make fun of Lin Dong. (And these cameras going around and around are making me dizzy.) But of course Master Yan is still confident that Lin Dong will triumph in the end and both men talk about what they will do once the Yimo are defeated.

Qing Zhu is shaving a sleeping Lin Dong when he finally awakens. He tries to apologize, but she won’t hear of it, instead wanting to focus on what is to come and keeping her promise to help him fight the Yimo, insisting she’s taking care of him for Huan Huan’s sake. When she leaves, Qing Zhi checks on him, wondering if he’s afraid and thanking him for letting him visit with Master Yan. Then he says they should plan their next move.

Xiao Yan is carrying Xin Qing to her bed while she asks him why he risked everything to save her, but he isn’t sure what to say and is all awkward and shy as usual. Ling Shan, who was eavesdropping, comes in and tries to get him to admit that he likes her sister, but he is still so naive and he says it was to thank her for the little tiger and that since she saved him, they are now even. Xin Qing and Ling Shan are both upset with how stupid he is and he just doesn’t understand what he said wrong or why they are mad at him.

Qing Zhi is telling Lin Dong and Qing Zhu about an enchantment that needs four great martial artists so they can trap Lang Tian. Lin Dong offers to be the bait to lure him in and Qing Zhu offers to go with him. When Qing Zhi says they’ll be short a person, Lin Diao suddenly appears, offering to be the fourth in the enchantment. (Hey, hey, the gang’s almost all here.)

Lin Dong and Qing Zhu go underground to find Lang Tian. They find him, but he has also several of his Yuan Gate disciples with him, all infected with with Yimo Puppet Talismans to control them. When Lin Dong asks him what he is up to, he suddenly sends the disciples flying into an abyss. When Qing Zhu tries to attack him, she is sent over so Lin Dong dives in after her to save her and tries to use his mini-crossbow to help get them back up the cliff. But Lang Tian creates a portal that sucks them in to another dimension. The Sixth Prince is impressed by the Space Talisman’s power while Lang Tian is ready for the next step in their plan.

Lin Dong and Qing Zhu find themselves in a snowy realm, wondering where they are. Lin Dong realises that Lang Tian knows what they are planning. They see the slit in the sky where they fell through and wonder how to send a message back to warn the others.

Lang Tian arrives at the Flame God Tower. Ling Shan sees him and runs to Qing Zhi, telling him that she doesn’t see Lin Dong or Qing Zhu. He sends her to tell the others to protect the tower as he tries to figure out what to do next. Xiao Yan starts off the enchantment along with Lin Dong as more Yuan Gate disciples sneak up to the tower. (Our Tiger is such a bad ass.)

Lin Dong throws the Fierce Sky Halberd in one direction, but it ends up appearing from the other direction and he realises they are caught in a loop as they dodge the flying weapon. He decides to try to use the Devour Talisman to break through, but nothing happens and he realises that he can’t use any of his yuan energy in this realm. There is a peach tree in the realm and Qing Zhu finds something odd about it. As she watches it bloom suddenly, they realise time is also distorted here.

Why can’t secondary couples kiss in these dramas? Seriously, is that too much to ask?! It’s just annoying that there’s finally a couple I’m rooting for and they don’t even get one little smooch. As long as there is a happy ending though for our Tiger and Fox Princess, then I’ll be happy. (Feels like I’ve just cursed myself by saying that…)

Just 8 episodes left now. I like that it’s getting more interesting, but also feels like they are throwing an awful lot of new information at us still when it seems like by now we should just be taking everything we already know and working with that. (Yet more artifacts and seals and argh…) Given all this extra stuff, I’m assuming that there are still going to be a lot of unanswered questions by the end of this series, but am hoping at least the ending will be satisfying enough that it won’t be too annoying. (But I’m not holding my breath.)