Chapters 11–12: Mount Soulrend walkthrough

The route at a glance

Eight stretches, each ending at a Bell. The mountain is one road uphill: west from the temple to the camp, north into the ice caves, then a long climb to Soulrend Cliff. Stretch 6 ends at the Last Chance Bell, just before the point of no return.

1. How do you get to Mount Soulrend?
2. Where is the Path of Silver Bell?
3. Who do you meet at the Last Mandate Encampment?
4. How do you reach Frostcliff Cavern?
5. Where is the Giant’s Lair?
6. How do you beat the Crusher and the Saw?
7. What happens at the point of no return?
8. How do you beat Leng Tu, Meng Hua and Zuo Shang?

1 · How do you get to Mount Soulrend?

In Chapter 10, keep going through the Mirage Estate until you reach a wall you can blast open. Blast the wall at the end of the Mourning Hall corridor with the Tiger Cannon and the way to Mount Soulrend opens. In the quest log this is “Blast through the wall with the Tiger Cannon”, then “Travel to Soulrend Mountain”.

The first Memory Flower of the Monster is on the slope on your left as you come in, before you reach the temple.

The Mountain God Temple Bell is inside the temple. A gold chest right beside it holds the Craftsman’s Tool Kit, a Soul Tempering material for the Bonesaw. A short scene here starts the last story quest, A Soul’s Worth: “Reach Soulrend Cliff”.

You get: Craftsman’s Tool Kit, a Memory Flower of the Monster

Stretch 1 ends at the Mountain God Temple BellNearest Bell: Mountain God TempleApproximate: distances are estimated from the game data, and the map painting is not to scale.Open this spot on the map →

2 · Where is the Path of Silver Bell?

Head west from the temple; the path climbs gently. Cross a wooden bridge: just past it is one of Xuan Li’s Memory Flowers, and the Path of Silver Bell is on your right after the bridge.

You get: one of Xuan Li’s Memory Flowers

Stretch 2 ends at the Path of Silver BellNearest Bell: Path of SilverApproximate: distances are estimated from the game data, and the map painting is not to scale.Open this spot on the map →

3 · Who do you meet at the Last Mandate Encampment?

Keep west and uphill. Come out of a cave and climb the steps: The Last Mandate Encampment Bell is at the top.

The survivors here tell you about the two monsters ahead: a small one rides the big one and saws at it, and every bit of pain makes the big one fiercer.

Lu Jieyuan and his wife stand by some crates in a fenced spot on the west side of the camp. Talk to him now, carrying Cui’s Red Ribbon and Lu Sanqian’s Final Letter: for Jieyuan (“Find Cui’s parents”). If you fight the Crusher and the Saw first, Cui fails.

Near the pond on the left, Spectral Blade gives you the Statue of the Loyal Hero, a Soul Tempering material for the Crescent Blade, if you have taken A Severed Mindseal far enough.

Captain Twin-Scar is here too, with The Severed Finger. The game data puts the ice cave it sends you to off the main road, east of the camp, behind a wall you blast with the Tiger Cannon; we have not found a player’s route to it.

You get: Statue of the Loyal Hero (with A Severed Mindseal far enough)

Stretch 3 ends at The Last Mandate Encampment BellNearest Bell: The Last Mandate EncampmentApproximate: distances are estimated from the game data, and the map painting is not to scale.Open this spot on the map →

4 · How do you reach Frostcliff Cavern?

Head north-west from the camp onto the ice. One of Xuan Li’s Memory Flowers lies on the ice on the main path, where you jump down to the right.

Grapple across to the broken bridge: the second Memory Flower of the Monster is where you land. One player guide puts the Frostcliff Cavern Bell straight ahead at the top of the steps.

You get: one of Xuan Li’s Memory Flowers, a Memory Flower of the Monster

Stretch 4 ends at the Frostcliff Cavern BellNearest Bell: Frostcliff CavernApproximate: distances are estimated from the game data, and the map painting is not to scale.Open this spot on the map →

5 · Where is the Giant’s Lair?

Go into the cave and slide down the ice wall. One player guide puts The Giant’s Lair Bell on your left at the bottom.

Before the fight, go to the far right end of the ice: the third Memory Flower of the Monster is there.

Check you have talked to Lu Jieyuan at the camp. The next fight is the Crusher and the Saw, and players agree that if you fight them first, the Cui quest fails.

You get: a Memory Flower of the Monster

Stretch 5 ends at The Giant’s Lair BellNearest Bell: The Giant’s LairApproximate: distances are estimated from the game data, and the map painting is not to scale.Open this spot on the map →

6 · How do you beat the Crusher and the Saw?

The fight is on a frozen lake in the ice cave beside the Giant’s Lair: The Crusher and the Saw. The small one rides the big one and saws at it.

One player guide lists the moves: swinging the ball in an arc, a jumping slam, a raised-ball smash whose cloud of snow hides them for a few seconds, the ice bursting open, and a grab that drags you in. The same guide says the swings when the Crusher glows red, and the Saw’s spear when a red flash runs along the shaft, can only be dodged.

In phase two, The Crusher, Earthshattering Form, the Crusher smashes through the ice and the fight drops into a lit cave below. Soul notes that he is stronger now, but his skin, once too hard to cut, has become fragile.

They drop the Bonesaw, and beating them unlocks the achievement Saw It Through. Lu Jieyuan then turns up nearby and gives you the Baishan Headband, a Soul Tempering material for the Baishan Stormswords, if you talked to him at the camp (one guide says he hands it over at the camp instead).

Climb up the ladders: the last of Xuan Li’s Memory Flowers is near the top, and The Last Chance Bell is straight ahead.

You get: Bonesaw, Baishan Headband (Cui quest), one of Xuan Li’s Memory Flowers

Stretch 6 ends at The Last Chance BellNearest Bell: The Last ChanceApproximate: distances are estimated from the game data, and the map painting is not to scale.Open this spot on the map →

7 · What happens at the point of no return?

Beyond The Last Chance Bell is a narrow ice cave. Once you go through it there is no way back: “The path here has been blocked by wind and snow.” The game says so first: “You will not be able to return to the previous area once you proceed. Continue?”

Players report that the prompt at the Bell itself comes up whether or not you have finished everything, so don’t read anything into it. The real sign is what Inanis says when you step into the ice cave:

“I know you’re completely ready now!” means Secrets at the Heart of the Lake and Bloodline Awakening are both done: you are on the way to the Final Battle ending. “But, what about your own matters… are they all settled?” means Bloodline Awakening is missing. “You still have something very important to finish...” means Secrets at the Heart of the Lake is missing, and the run will end after Meng Hua.

Two choices follow: “There’s still unfinished business. Return later.” and “No turning back now. Forward it is!” Players report you can still turn back here and finish what is missing; see the endings page for what each ending needs.

Past the cave the road climbs steeply, the biggest climb on the mountain. People you helped earlier wait along this road to see you off; who comes depends on how far their quests got. At the top is the Soulrend Cliff Bell.

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Phantom Blade Zero launch build, in-game · © PARAWULIN PRODUCTION LIMITED / S-GAME

Stretch 7 ends at the Soulrend Cliff BellNearest Bell: Soulrend CliffApproximate: distances are estimated from the game data, and the map painting is not to scale.Open this spot on the map →

8 · How do you beat Leng Tu, Meng Hua and Zuo Shang?

Follow the snowy road on from the Soulrend Cliff Bell. The fights are on this road, near its far end, The Fallen Dream Bell is just past them.

First Leng Tu, Herald of the Veil. One player guide says The Puppet Scavenger comes out first with its own health bar, then other puppets you have fought before, and only then Leng Tu himself, who fights with red threads, thread pillars, a whirlpool and a giant wooden hand that bursts through the road. Old enemies come back as golden spirits to help you; in the game’s own lines, Lei Dang is one of them: “Let’s fight together... like old times!”

Then Meng Hua, The Merciful Lady of the Blossom Veil; the same guide says she floats far off for much of the fight, and lists red spears, red circles on the ground followed by pillars of light, a planted spear that sends out burning rings, a dark red sweep, white-pink lightning and a blue ice shockwave. Inanis fights beside you. Neither fight has advice we trust yet on which attacks to block.

They drop The Lady’s Fan, The Lady’s Crown (Soul Tempering for The Lady’s Fan) and the Herald’s Lingering Threads (for the Puppeteer’s Bell). Without Secrets at the Heart of the Lake, the run ends here in Annihilation.

With it, light The Fallen Dream Bell, follow the road up and step into the golden pillar of light. It takes you to the Phantom of The Old House: a lake over flooded ground, a bamboo grove and a pavilion, where you fight Zuo Shang, the Order’s Shadow Sovereign. With Bloodline Awakening done too, he becomes Zuo Shang, the True Lóng and the run ends in Final Battle. With only Secrets at the Heart of the Lake, the run ends in Lóng’s Roar; the game data and players describe how that fight ends differently, and we have not played it through.

One player guide says you receive the Radiant Heart and the Broken Lóng Body, a Soul Tempering material for the Aureate, after the credits. After the credits the game offers to take you back to The Last Chance.

You get: Herald’s Lingering Threads, The Lady’s Crown, The Lady’s Fan; after Zuo Shang, Radiant Heart and Broken Lóng Body

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2. 

Phantom Blade Zero launch build, in-game · © PARAWULIN PRODUCTION LIMITED / S-GAME

Stretch 8 ends at The Fallen Dream BellNearest Bell: The Fallen DreamApproximate: distances are estimated from the game data, and the map painting is not to scale.Open this spot on the map →

What you can miss

• Secrets at the Heart of the Lake and Bloodline Awakening: finish both before you walk through the ice cave past The Last Chance. Without the first, the run ends after Meng Hua; without the second, there is no True Lóng and no Final Battle ending.
• Lu Jieyuan before the Crusher and the Saw: talk to him at The Last Mandate Encampment with Cui’s Red Ribbon and Lu Sanqian’s letter first, or Cui fails and there is no Baishan Headband.
• Spectral Blade’s statue: the Statue of the Loyal Hero at the camp needs A Severed Mindseal taken far enough before you get here.

Bosses in these chapters

The boss codex files 6 entries under Mount Soulrend, on 4 boss pages. The codex sorts them by map, so you may meet some later in the story.

The Crusher and the Saw

Codex group: Perfect Transcensions. Codex entries: The Crusher and the Saw · The Crusher, Earthshattering Form.

Leng Tu, Herald of the Veil

Codex group: Masters.

Meng Hua, The Merciful Lady of the Blossom Veil

Codex group: Puppets.

Zuo Shang, the Order’s Shadow Sovereign

Codex group: Masters.

Zuo Shang, the True Lóng

Codex group: Puppets.

Other quests and rewards here

Every other quest with an objective in Mount Soulrend, with the objectives that take place here and what the quest log says they give.

Collectibles in these chapters

The game’s item table files these under Mount Soulrend.

Whose Memory Flowers are in these chapters?

• Memory Flower of the Monster
• Xuan Li’s Memory Flower

Where every Memory Flower is

Book pages (1)

All 9 Bells

The game’s Bell table files 9 Bells under these chapters, in Mount Soulrend.

Questions

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