Mo Ran awakens in prison at Tianyin Pavilion, the subject of scorn and ridicule as he awaits trial for his crimes. At worst, his souls will be torn apart, never to reenter the cycle of reincarnation. At best, Tianyin Pavilion will dig out his shattered spiritual core in the name of justice.

Far away on Mount Jiao, Chu Wanning, too, has awakened with the memories of two lifetimes and more: The truth of how Mo Ran became infected with the curse that poisoned his heart in the past lifetime. Distraught, he rushes to Mo Ran's rescue, hoping to clear his name in time to save him.

As the cultivation realm assembles to decide Mo Ran's fate, Hua Binan and Taxian-jun wait in the shadows for the final piece of their nightmarish plan to fall into place--a plan that, if allowed to come to fruition, stands to sunder two worlds.