The prince of the Xianle Kingdom, Xie Lian, was demoted for the third time after being demoted, but accidentally destroyed the golden palace of the priests. He could only go down into the world to eliminate ghosts in exchange for merits as compensation. In the deadly experience, Xie Lian met two little priests who came to help him and he met a mysterious boy dressed in red. Together, the four of them resolved the treacherous incidents and gradually came into contact with the seemingly glamorous The Bleak Past of the beautiful priests of the fairy world.

Xie Lian and Hua Cheng are still walking together through the forest. They stop and Hua Cheng attempts to lift Xie Lian's veil, but he sends out Ruoye to attack. Hua Cheng dissolves into silver butterflies and Xie Lian notices he was guided to an abandoned Ming Guang temple. He proceeds to enter and discovers the seventeen missing, but already dead, brides. When he suddenly hears the Ghost Bridegroom come in, he quickly hides among the brides. As the person checks the brides, Xie Lian tries to attack them. However, they manage to turn into black fog and escape.

After the dead brides come to live, the villagers run back and seek shelter in the courtyard of the Ming Guang temple. Xie Lian tries to distract the brides with Ruoye, but after even more villagers come into the courtyard, the brides once again start attacking them. Xie Lian creates a protection circle with Ruoye instead and the villagers manage to save themselves inside of it.

The group is still being at Xiao Ying's grave. Xie Lian is shocked to see Lang Ying has the Human Face Disease, but Lang Ying runs away before he can ask further. He tells Fu Yao and Nan Feng that they should inform Ling Wen to track him down as soon as possible.

Xie Lian asks the young man about Hua Cheng, and he is suspiciously forthcoming. Despite his apprehensions, Xie Lian’s kindness prevails, and he takes San Lang to the Chestnut Temple. San Lang’s sincerity and talent raise more questions, especially when it is revealed he knew what Xie Lian looked like when he was crown prince. Later, a bewitched survivor arrives at the temple after an attack.

Xie Lian finds the story of Half-Moon Pass strange and asks the heavenly officials about what transpired there. It becomes clear that a senior heavenly official is behind the disappearances, and no one dares look into it. Xie Lian decides to go investigate, and San Lang joins him. They pursue two Daoists before getting caught in a sandstorm.

Xie Lian saves his group, and they enter a cave where the trade caravan had taken refuge. After the caravan recounts their story, San Lang spots carvings on the stone Xie Lian is sitting on. They tell the story of a general who rescued both his people and his enemies until he died on the battlefield. A poisonous scorpion-tailed snake bites Xie Lian, and his band must leave to find the antidote.

Xie Lian and the men from the caravan search for the antidote. They hear a scream from the brush nearby and find a half-buried human face that summons the Half-Moon soldiers and General Millstone. They capture Xie Lian and his men and take them to the Sinners’ Pit. The General asks Xie Lian to choose two people to throw down. Xie Lian distracts him by speaking Half-Moon, while preparing to jump.

A woman in black suddenly appears and pushes all of Millstone’s soldiers into the Sinners’ Pit. Xie Lian and Millstone fall into the pit, sending Millstone into a fit of rage. Xie Lian realizes that Millstone’s Half-Moon Daoist enemy is the woman who just pushed the soldiers into the pit. Xie Lian still feels suspicious of the general’s story when the woman in black jumps down herself.

Xie Lian realizes the woman in black is the Imperial Preceptor that Millstone talked about, named Half-Moon. Xie Lian recognizes Half-Moon as the girl he saved when he was a general. Half-Moon tells her side of the story, and snakes begin to rain down on them, engulfing the bottom of the pit in chaos.

As the snakes rain down, Xie Lian realizes there’s a sixth person in the pit. He remembers a young heavenly official, Pei Xiu, orchestrated a massacre before ascending. Both Millstone and Half-Moon recognize Zhao as Pei Xiu. Afterwards, Xie Lian returns to the cave with the antidote for the merchant who had been bitten. Xie Lian says his goodbyes, and Nan Feng and Fu Yao return to heaven.