Wei Wuxian, a descendant of the Wu Clan, is bound by fate to the “Key to Guixu.” Along with his cultivation partner, Lan Wangji, he follows the mysterious guidance of the “Mirage Tower” into the ancient city of Qianji, swallowed by shifting sands. Enormous gears drive bronze mechanisms, while dark golden runes tell of the city's former glory and its terrible downfall. As Wei Wuxian draws on the power of Guixu to protect his people, a terrifying backlash erupts, causing the city to collapse completely. Countless lives vanish, and desperate cries pierce through time and space.
As the city crumbles, the deadly mechanism known as the “Dragon-Slaying Gate” crashes down. In a split second between life and death, Lan Wangji is caught in danger while protecting Wei Wuxian. Overwhelming fear and the will to protect him awaken the dormant power of the Wu Ancestor within Wei Wuxian. He risks everything to shatter the core of a divine statue with one palm strike, forcibly stopping the mechanism and saving Lan Wangji, but the backlash leaves him gravely injured and near death. Once they are out of danger, Lan Wangji spends his own vital essence to protect Wei Wuxian's heart meridian with an ice lotus. As he tends to his wounds beneath the moon, their feelings deepen, and their vow to face life and death together echoes across the wasteland.
The two head south to investigate the clues. In a prosperous city, they discover traces of their enemy, the “Silver Bell Envoy,” and uncover a plot involving bloody sacrifices and a search for the “key.” An old silver hairpin belonging to Jiang Yanli turns up by chance, but its appearance triggers a sinister trap and brings assassins down on them. In the bloody battle, a dying enemy draws a broken rune map in blood, pointing to “Lone Mountain” and revealing the location of the next Guixu altar. The road ahead is shrouded in mist and riddled with danger. Wei Wuxian's identity as the “key” places him at the center of the storm, and he and Lan Wangji can only join hands to face the deeper darkness and the calamity of fate awaiting them.
Wei Wuxian, a descendant of the Wu clan, is destined to be the "key to the ruins". He and his Taoist companion Lan Wangji pursue the guidance of the mysterious "Phantom" and step into the ancient city of Qianji swallowed by quicksand. In the city, the bronze mechanisms and dark gold runes driven by huge gears tell of the glory and tragedy of the past. Wei Wuxian's efforts to protect his tribe and communicate with the people returned to the ruins, but it triggered a terrifying backlash, causing the ancient city to completely collapse, countless creatures to be annihilated, and desperate cries to penetrate time and space. When the ancient city collapsed, the fatal mechanism "Dragon Broken Gate" suddenly fell. In a moment of life and death, Lan Wangji was put in danger to protect Wei Wuxian. The ultimate fear and desire for protection triggered the dormant witch ancestor power in Wei Wuxian's body. He took a risk and shattered the core of the statue with one palm, forcibly stopped the mechanism, and rescued Lan Wangji. However, the power backfired on him, and he was seriously injured and endangered. After escaping from danger, Lan Wangji spared no effort to protect Wei Wuxian's heart with ice lotus, and healed his wounds under the moon. Their love deepened, and the vow of life and death echoed in the wasteland. The two went south to pursue clues, and were surprised to find traces of the enemy "Silver Bell Envoy" in a prosperous place. The bloody sacrifice and the conspiracy to find the "key" came to light. An old silver hairpin belonging to Jiang Yanli unexpectedly appeared, but it set off a vicious trap and attracted killers to hunt him down. During the bloody battle, before his death, the enemy used his blood to draw an incomplete rune map pointing to the "Guishan", revealing the location of the next Guixu altar. The road ahead is filled with mist and murderous intent. Wei Wuxian's "key" identity has become the center of the whirlpool. He and Lan Wangji can only join hands to face the deeper darkness and fate. Delicate emotional description