Xingyin enters the grove and approaches a carnelian building where Lady Xihe, the Goddess of the Sun, appears. Deciding to be truthful, Xingyin identifies herself as the daughter of Chang’e and Houyi. The goddess reveals she already knew because the key revealed Xingyin’s identity.

Xihe attacks with crimson flames. Xingyin shields herself but does not fight back, instead apologizing and requesting the Sacred Flame Feather to stop Wugang. The goddess vows to kill Xingyin to make her parents suffer as she has. Xingyin warns that her family would avenge her, endangering Xihe’s last child.

Xihe summons a fire phoenix and challenges Xingyin to defeat it without offensive magic, armed only with a mortal bow. The phoenix wounds Xingyin severely. She flees into the forest, lures the creature with mulberries, and when she has a clear shot at its open mouth, she lowers her bow, unwilling to kill it. Instead, she leaps onto its back and successfully tames it.

When Xihe prepares to attack again, the sunbird appears. Moved by the goddess’s grief, Xingyin kneels in sincere remorse. The sunbird willingly gives Xingyin the Sacred Flame Feather.

Outside the grove, Wenzhi waits alone. The feather’s enchantment weakens, burning Xingyin. Wenzhi reinforces the shield, injuring himself. He confesses his continued love for Xingyin and kisses her. She reciprocates before pushing him away. Liwei appears, having witnessed the kiss.

Liwei confronts Xingyin and Wenzhi. They argue bitterly, with Wenzhi taunting Liwei for his previous betrothal and Liwei accusing Wenzhi of seeking possession, not love. Xingyin intervenes, reminding them that Wugang is the true enemy.

Xingyin and Wenzhi attend a banquet hosted by King Wenming, who sits with his consorts, including Wenzhi’s mother, the noble consort. Prince Wenshuang confronts and taunts Xingyin; she insults him, and Wenzhi threatens him.

King Wenming restates his demand: Xingyin must marry Wenzhi in exchange for the Divine Mirror Scroll she needs to defeat Wugang. The king performs a painful mental assault on Xingyin to test her abilities. Wenzhi forcefully intervenes, shielding her. The king reveals Wugang has offered him an alliance and justifies the marriage as securing the Cloud Wall Kingdom’s position.

Xingyin refuses, lying that she is promised to another. The king threatens to force her to marry Wenshuang instead or ally with Wugang. To protect Xingyin, Wenzhi agrees to his father’s terms.

In her chambers, Xingyin tells Wenzhi she will not marry him. He assures her he will not force her. Wenzhi reveals that the Divine Mirror Scroll is hidden within his father’s life force, making it impossible to steal. He asks Xingyin to give their marriage a chance, promising to release her from the vows whenever she wishes. Though moved, she refuses, stating she can never fully trust him again.

Wenzhi proposes staging a wedding ceremony without completing the binding ritual. Xingyin meets Liwei in the Golden Desert to explain the plan. Though furious, he agrees to create a magical diversion during the ceremony. As they part, Xingyin secretly severs their connection through the Sky Drop Tassel—a magical stone Liwei wears that allows him to sense if she is in mortal danger.

On the wedding day, Xingyin is dressed in red ceremonial robes with her face veiled. She is carried in a palanquin to the wedding pavilion, sensing Liwei hiding nearby. The ceremony begins. She and Wenzhi perform the first bow to Heaven and Earth and the second to the parents. Just as they prepare for the third bow—which would bind them eternally—Liwei creates a powerful gale. In the confusion, they pretend to complete the bow, successfully faking the marriage.

During the tea ceremony, Xingyin asks King Wenming for the scroll. He refuses, stating she will receive it only after the banquet and consummation. Suddenly, a spear flies through the air and impales the king through the chest.

The dying king accuses Xingyin of treachery and attacks her mentally. She breaks his hold, realizing he is severely weakened. Prince Wenshuang appears and confesses he orchestrated the attack, having made an alliance with Wugang by offering the Moon Goddess in exchange for the throne. Xingyin enrages him by lying that her mother has returned to the Mortal Realm.

As a battle erupts, Houyi and Liwei descend to help. Xingyin and Liwei fight their way to Wenzhi, who duels with Wenshuang. Wenzhi defeats his brother but spares him, choosing exile over execution. As Wenzhi turns to his father, Wenshuang attacks from behind with a poisoned dagger. Xingyin throws her sword with deadly accuracy, killing Wenshuang to save Wenzhi.

King Wenming uses his last moments to name Wenzhi his heir and releases his treasures from his life force, including the Divine Mirror Scroll, before dying.

Wenzhi is crowned king. His mother becomes the dowager queen, and Captain Mengqi, from whom Xingyin had previously escaped, is promoted to general. The fake marriage is annulled. News arrives that Wugang’s army is massing at the border.

Xingyin meets with Liwei and her parents to commit to the plan. She will use the Divine Mirror Scroll to disguise herself as her mother and hide the Sacred Flame Feather inside her life force. That night, Wenzhi visits Xingyin on a palace rooftop, where he confides his complicated feelings about his father’s death and reveals Wugang has demanded they surrender Chang’e. They finalize their plan: A courtier will betray Chang’e’s location, making the capture seem legitimate. They agree to rally allies and part ways, acknowledging the end of their romantic prospects but affirming their friendship.

Allied armies gather at the Cerulean Mountains. The Celestial Empress arrives with forces from Queen Fengjin of the Phoenix Kingdom. Wugang’s army is bolstered by the Southern, Northern, and Western Sea Kingdoms. Liwei states they must rescue his father, the captive Celestial Emperor, and other courtiers. Shuxiao, a former Celestial Army lieutenant, volunteers to lead the mission and departs with General Mengqi’s soldiers.

That evening, Xingyin dresses in her mother’s garments and returns the Jade Dragon Bow to Houyi. Wenzhi performs the painful Divine Mirror Scroll enchantment, transforming Xingyin into a perfect replica of her mother. The spell creates a link to sustain her disguise; Wenzhi, Liwei, and Houyi will follow at a distance to maintain it. Xingyin undertakes the agonizing process of absorbing the Sacred Flame Feather into her life force.

Wugang’s soldiers capture Xingyin, disguised as Chang’e. One soldier appears to be the deceased Prince Yanming, and she urges him to flee. Forced to travel on a cloud, Xingyin witnesses a massive battle where Wugang has unleashed resurrected beasts, Taowu and Qiongqi. The dragons arrive to fight them.

At the ruined Pure Light Palace, Wugang binds Xingyin to the laurel tree. Realizing her predicament is an opportunity, she goads him into cutting her arms. Her blood, infused with the feather’s power, flows into the laurel’s roots. The tree begins to burn but regenerates, protected by the same magical shield Xingyin is using to contain the feather’s power within herself. She drops all shields, unleashing the feather’s raw power. The act breaks the Divine Mirror Scroll’s enchantment, severing her link to Wenzhi and consuming her—but it destroys the laurel. Wugang’s army disintegrates.

As Wugang prepares to kill the dying Xingyin, Houyi arrives and kills him with Sky-fire arrows. Wenzhi collapses and dies, his life force drained by sustaining the spell to protect her. Xingyin confesses her love for Wenzhi and also dies. Chang’e’s tears fall on the laurel stump, activating its last magic, which resurrects Xingyin.

Xingyin attends the funeral for the Celestial Empress, who died heroically in battle. The Celestial Emperor withdraws, leaving Liwei as the de facto ruler. Xingyin lives in the Jade Palace but is consumed by grief and nightmares. Shuxiao visits before leaving permanently, revealing her relationship with General Mengqi. When Liwei’s half-sister, Zhiyi, visits, Xingyin feels indebted to her and silently vows to repay her. Zhiyi warns Xingyin not to break Liwei’s heart.

Liwei meets with Xingyin, informing her that his father is abdicating and he is becoming Celestial Emperor. He asks her to marry him. Xingyin realizes she cannot be happy as empress and tells him she must go home. She confesses she cannot forget Wenzhi and acknowledges they have changed. They part amicably as friends. Xingyin tries to return a lacquered hairpin Liwei once gave her as a promise of their future, but he asks her to keep it as a symbol of their friendship.

Xingyin returns to her rebuilt home on the moon and lives peacefully with her parents for several years. Houyi’s powers slowly return. As Xingyin heals emotionally, her restlessness grows. She travels, visiting Shuxiao and Mengqi, then the Eastern Sea to pay respects at Prince Yanming’s memorial, finding comfort in the presence of Prince Yanxi, Prince Yanming’s brother.

Xingyin is drawn to the border of the Golden Desert and Cloud Wall, where she senses a remnant of Wenzhi’s spirit, finding painful comfort in regular visits. She learns Wenzhi’s mother now rules the Cloud Wall Kingdom successfully. At the border, Xingyin speaks aloud to Wenzhi’s spirit, confessing her love and regret for not recognizing her feelings sooner.

During a ritual visit to the Cloud Wall border, Xingyin discovers Wenzhi’s presence is gone. Distraught, she travels to the Jade Palace and formally asks Emperor Liwei about it during a court session. Liwei reveals that the laurel’s magic preserved Wenzhi’s consciousness. They nurtured his spirit for years until it was strong enough to be reborn in the Mortal Realm. The Keeper of Mortal Fates explains that Xingyin’s visits helped his spirit heal.

Liwei grants Xingyin a boon for her service. She asks for the Elixir of Immortality to restore Wenzhi. Liwei hesitates, as the next elixir is promised to Zhiyi. Unwilling to break her vow to Zhiyi, Xingyin amends her request to two elixirs: the first for Zhiyi, the second for Wenzhi. Liwei solemnly promises. He privately tells her she should have been his priority and encourages her to go to Wenzhi and be happy. They reaffirm their friendship.

Xingyin travels to Silver Cloud City in the Mortal Realm and finds the manor where the mortal Wenzhi lives. She sees him as he leaves—he is a minister named Zhao who does not recognize her. He stops, feeling an inexplicable connection, and asks if they have met. His mortal sister appears briefly; Xingyin is relieved she is not his wife. Wenzhi asks to see Xingyin again, and they agree to meet the next day at the Sun Moon Teahouse.

As he rides away, Xingyin is filled with joy and hope. She dreams of their future together, getting to know each other anew while she waits for the elixir to restore him. She accepts that while Wenzhi was not her first love, he will be her last. Xingyin reflects on her journey. At peace with her past and ready to embrace love without regret, she feels she is finally home.