confronts the Princess, she is attacked by the Hair Demon. Qingming hunts the Hair Demon down and learns from the Demon that she had been waiting to avenge her own death on the Princess for sixty years. Realizing that the Princess has not aged a day in the past sixty years, Qingming surmises that the Princess must actually be the real Empress and thus the true vessel of the serpent. Qingming and Boya confront the Princess and Shouyue together and learn of their true plan: in order to save Shouyue from dying, he must become the new vessel of the serpent, rendering him immortal. In order to do this, the serpent must be allowed to rise. While the Princess gives birth to the serpent, she remembers her first meeting with Qingming's late master, Zhongxing. Years ago, the two had fallen in love and the Princess had revealed her true identity - the centuries-old immortal vessel of the serpent - to Zhongxing as well as her original name, Fangyue. Knowing that desire would strengthen the serpent within her, Zhongxing left the Imperial City to prevent the Princess's feelings from growing. Before leaving, he created the Spirit Guardian He Shouyue in order to protect her, who later took Zhongxing's form to please the Princess. The Princess and He Shouyue flee on the now giant serpent, with Boya and Qingming in pursuit. After noticing the chaos created by the serpent, the Princess realizes the error of her ways and attempts to commit suicide with Shouyue but both are swallowed by the serpent. Boya notices that only three of the four stone guardians have awakened, as Shouyue did not awaken the guardian appointed to him to allow the serpent to leave the Imperial City. Shouyue, now the new vessel for the serpent, emerges and fights Boya, Qingming and the Spirit Guardians that Qingming conjures: Snow Hound, Killing Stone and Mad Painter. Boya leaves to wake the last of the four stone guardians, the Crimson Bird. During this process, Boya collapses and becomes a Spirit Guardian himself in the form of the Crimson Bird. While the Crimson Bird and He Shouyue battle each other, Qingming teleports himself inside the serpent where he shows the Princess the last memory he has with Zhongxing. Zhongxing confesses he has always loved the Princess and encourages her to do the right thing. Qingming and the Princess teleport outside, and