In the heat of the night, Medusa is awakened by the sound of an explosion. She realizes that it is the birthplace of the essence flame, and that she is the target of the flame. She tells Cai that she will hold the flame back. Cai tells him that he is the one who created the flame and that if he uses all his strength, he will be able to flee. Cai says that he will not let the flame envelop him. Medusa says that the flame is trying to envelop her, and she is sick of hearing him speak nonsense to her. She apologizes to Cai and says that in the end, she was too much a burden to both of them. She says that she has created a pill to conquer the flame, but that she does not think it will last long. She then turns her attention to the boulder sect, which has been left with only a few weaklings since Cai left the academy. She vows to destroy the sect so that Cai will not be filled with regret for his actions. She also says that anyone who attacks the sect is the enemy of the white people. She will punish all the white members of the clan by restricting them access to the flame for a year.