Zhao Changsu had an ominous premonition: the deadly oath he had sworn all those years ago—that he would perish together with Jiupan Po after meeting her again—might well come true today!
He did not want to die, did not want his body and spirit annihilated here, so he urged Jiupan Po to heed Shi Sheng and choose one of the first two paths immediately.
The moment Jiupan Po saw him, she recalled every vicious means he and his adulterous lover had used to harm her and put her to death all those years ago. Rage surged through her.
She wanted to pounce on Zhao Changsu and tear him to pieces, but she knew that the moment she left the central position of the nine palaces directly beneath the Mystic-Demon Shuttle, her enemies would cut her off with Daoist and Buddhist spells, leaving her unable to return. Instead, she cursed Zhao Changsu loudly and recounted his past crimes: "Our cult values debts and grudges above all else—blood for blood, tooth for tooth! Things have already come to this, yet you still dream of escaping whole and unscathed. Is that not a fool's dream? Better to fight to the bitter end! Even if my body and spirit are annihilated, I'll drag everyone here into the grave with me!"
Zhao Changsu was furious. "You old shrew! Even now, you still refuse to turn back and reach the shore of salvation! Little Master Shi came out of compassion and brought me here specifically to save you. He showed you two paths to life, yet you refuse them both and insist on taking that final road to death..."
As the estranged old couple hurled abuse at each other, Shi Sheng urged Zhao Changsu, "Hurry up. I don't have that much time to spare for you