Eps. 61
Na Ro and the royal guards search each and every street for signs of Yu Hwa and company. Yu Hwa and Ye So Ya, with Yu Ri in her arms, flee into the mountains. Spotting Cheon Dae In’s merchant band from afar, they appeal for help. With Yu Ri hidden in a cart, Yu Hwa and Ye So Ya disguise themselves as men and attempt to cross the border. But the border guards sense that something is amiss and block their way. Dae So, who has come to see Song Yang, offers to send reinforcements to Jol Bon to fight off the Damul forces, but demands that Song Yang pay tributes to Bu Yeo in exchange. Song Yang replies that tributes are out of the question, since the military’s entire food supply was incinerated in Gye Ru’s surprise attack and even the common people are dying from starvation.
Eps. 62
To keep his promise to Song Yang, Ju Mong goes to the latter’s camp by himself. Song Yang’s chief officer tells him he must disarm before seeing the commander; after some hesitation, Ju Mong complies. At that moment, dozens of soldiers appear and begin to attack Ju Mong at the chief’s orders. Hearing the news that Ju Mong has subjugated Song Yang, chaos breaks out at Bu Yeo Palace. Geum Wa takes to bed from the shock, and the Queen seeks out Ma Wu Ryeong for advice. Ma Wu Ryeong tells her that the only way out of the crisis is to request help from Han. Seol Ran also urges Dae So to initiate an alliance between Han and Bu Yeo...
Eps. 63
In the dead of night, Bu Bun No sneaks into Gye Ru to assassinate Ju Mong. Taking a gleaming dagger out of his shirt, he steals toward Ju Mong’s quarters. At that moment, he hears a noise and quickly hides himself. He sees So Seo No and Sa Yong approach Ju Mong’s bedchamber and urgently wakes him. His opportunity lost, Bu Bun No unsheathes his dagger and departs... When Bu Yeo joins forces with Han and orders a ban on all trade with Gye Ru, the latter faces a serious crisis. Song Yang and the heads of Hwan Na, Gwan Na, and Yeon Na all come clamoring to Gye Ru and demand that the situation be rectified at once. Receiving no word from Bu Bun No, Dae So sends Se Jak for an update on the situation. Infiltrating Gye Ru, Se Jak is puzzled to find Bu Bun No dressed in the outfit of a Jol Bon soldier and warns him not to forget his family back in Bu Yeo...
Eps. 64
Ju Mong decides to go south and enlist the help of Eup Ru’s pirates in transporting grain to Jol Bon. Ju Mong and company, who depart on their journey without informing Jol Bon, fight through numerous perils and finally succeed in meeting Bu Wi Yeom, the pirate captain. Meanwhile, Dae So gathers his ministers together and announces his intention to strike Jol Bon. Alarmed, the ministers, including Bu Deuk Bul, object to the proposed campaign, citing Bu Yeo’s current plight. But Dae So stresses that preparing for a war will not be so difficult if all the nobles and government officials contribute their wealth.
Eps. 65
When news spreads that Bu Yeo will attack Jol Bon once Ju Mong is dead, the chiefs of the various clans become deeply anxious. Late at night, Ju Mong visits Song Yang in his bedchamber. He explains the reason why he left Jol Bon in secret, and promises victory in the coming war. Dae So puts the spurs on the preparations for war, forming an advance force to strike at Jol Bon and assigning the safeguarding of the supply troops to the border guard. Yeong Po expresses his desire to join in the campaign, but Dae So flatly refuses. Meanwhile, Bu Bun No, who has been assigned to the advance force by Dae So, cuts down the guards stationed in the mountains and hastens toward Jol Bon...
Eps. 66
When an unexpected natural disaster causes an epidemic to sweep through Jol Bon, Ju Mong prays to the heavens for days on end, kneeling in the rain with his face set in stern desperation. Suddenly, he falls unconscious and O Yi, Ma Ri, and Hyeop Bo run to his side, crying in consternation.
Dae Soh, who has been seething since his crushing defeat at Ju Mong’s hands, asks Geum Wa to grant him troops for an attack on Jol Bon. But Geum Wa turns him down at once. Calling Ma Wu Ryeong into his office, Dae Soh draws a sword and aims it at Ma Wu Ryeong’s throat. The Queen, who happened to be entering the room at that moment, takes alarm and restrains her son...
Geum Wa resolves to put pressure on Jol Bon by initiating local warfare using allied forces. He sends Dae Soh and Young Po to attack the villages of Jol Bon, while dispatching Bu Deuk Bul on an errand to persuade Ju Mong to surrender.
Eps. 67
Once the allied forces of Bu Yeo and Han, which had cut off Jol Bon’s borders, withdraw, peace returns to Jol Bon. Ju Mong conveys to So Seo No his wish to aid the people of Bu Yeo, who are dying as a result of the continuing onslaught of catastrophes. After brief deliberation, she decides to go to Bu Yeo herself.
Geum Wa and Dae Soh are taken aback when So Seo No comes to them as an envoy of Jol Bon even before the war has ended. So Seo No communicates Ju Mong’s desire to provide grain and medicine to the starving people of Bu Yeo, and Geum Wa, after he gets over his initial confusion at the offer, replies that he will seriously consider it.
Meanwhile, Sa Yong meets Song Ju and hands him a bundle to give to Yu Hwa. Song Ju, though uneasy, consents in consideration of his past relationship with Ju Mong. He visits Yu Hwa in her chambers and delivers the bundle...
Eps. 68
Ju Mong is traumatized by the news that Yu Hwa and Ye So Ya lost their lives while attempting to escape from Bu Yeo. He sheds endless tears over the memory of his mother and his wife, while So Seo No looks on in distress from afar.
Geum Wa announces that he will lay Yu Hwa’s body to rest on the Ancestral Mountain, traditionally reserved only for the remains of Bu Yeo’s kings and queens. His decision enrages the Queen and causes her to suffer a fainting fit. Young Po, also angered by Geum Wa’s decision, barges into the latter’s chambers to voice his complaint, but is unable to utter a word when he sees his father ravaged by grief and on the verge of madness.
Meanwhile, Ju Mong risks considerable danger by heading to the Ancestral Mountain, his mother’s final resting place...
Eps. 69
Ju Mong declares a campaign to drive out the forces of Hyeon To. The Damul troops engage in intensive combat training, while Ju Mong makes meticulous preparations for war by contacting the heads of the Malgal and Huns tribes to prevent the joining of Liaodong forces.
Meanwhile, Dae Soh learns through a spy that Jol Bon is preparing to wage war on Hyeon To. He convenes the ministers and officials in an emergency meeting, as the alarmed Seol Ran sends an urgent message to Hyeon To...
Eps. 70
Ju Mong is tormented by the words of Young Po, who wishes to make a deal with Ye So Ya and Yu Ri as hostages. Ju Mong calls So Seo No, Ma Ri, and others to discuss their choices. In the end, they decide to accept Young Po’s offer, but to ascertain Ye So Ya and Yu Ri’s safety first.
Ma Ri embarks on his mission to find out whether Ye So Ya and Yu Ri are indeed alive. Ma Jin orders the soldiers guarding the storehouse to bring Ye So Ya and Yu Ri, but they gingerly report that the two have escaped...
Meanwhile, Dae Soh declares to his ministers, despite their objections, that he will deploy a force of 500 to Hyeon To and that he will lead the force himself. Bu Deuk Bul instructs General Heuk Chi to pick only the most elite soldiers for the campaign, stressing that ensuring Dae Soh’s safety is important above all things.
Eps. 71
As Ju Mong’s strike force and the refugees pour into Hyeon To palace, Han’s forces fall helplessly. Lord Hwang, sensing the direness of the situation, attempts to flee but is surrounded by Damul soldiers led by O Yi and Mu Gol. Even Seol Ran and company are captured by the Damul forces.
Aghast at the news that Ju Mong has taken Hyeon To palace and that Seol Ran’s survival is uncertain, Dae Soh and Yang Jeong struggle to come up with a countermeasure. Bu Deuk Bul comes to Geum Wa, informing him of Hyeon To’s defeat by Jol Bon and proposing an infusion of reinforcements. However, Geum Wa remarks that Ju Mong’s rout of Hyeon To has been decreed by fate, and suggests that they search instead for ways to ensure Bu Yeo’s survival...
Eps. 72
When Ju Mong declares victory, the people explode into joyful cheers and So Seo No throws a victory celebration. Dae Soh and Na Ro, who have barely escaped with their lives, informs the Queen and the ministers of Bu Yeo, to their utter dismay, that Ju Mong has killed Yang Jeong and taken over Hyeon To palace.
Gye Pil and Chae Ryeong meet in secret and bond over their mutual agreement that the master of Goguryeo must not be Ju Mong and his Damul forces but Gye Ru. They decide to gather the heads of the various tribes to discuss the matter. Sa Yong and Chan Su, in turn, go to So Seo No and inquire just who should reign as king in Goguryeo...
Meanwhile, Seol Ran, catching on that Geum Wa’s health is declining, calls in a doctor and devises a plan to poison the ailing king...
Eps. 73
Ju Mong, who has laid the foundations for a new nation by driving out Hyeon To’s forces, announces that he will establish new laws of governance and jurisprudence and declare the birth of Goguryeo to the world. Sa Yong, who wishes So Seo No to be crowned, attempts to persuade Yeon Ta Bal to his view by claiming that the heads of the various tribes are also of the same mind. Alert to the danger, O Yi and company watch their suspicious movements with a keen eye.
Bu Deuk Bul discovers that Geum Wa’s medicine contains poison. He informs Dae Soh of the fact and enjoins him to take a stern measure. Summoning Seol Ran, Dae Soh executes the conspiring doctor before her very eyes and warns her that he will not forgive her a second time.
Eps. 74
On the outskirts of North Ok Jeo, Ye So Ya and Yu Ri scrape by on what Ye So Ya earns at a market tavern and the money Yu Ri obtains by taking part in risky black market activities with a merchant band. Ye So Ya is distressed by the shady activities her son engages in for money.
After founding Goguryeo, Ju Mong personally leads campaigns on the surrounding territories to expand his power base. General O Yi, who marched out on a war against Haeng In in Ju Mong’s stead, returns home victorious and a celebration ensues...
Eps. 75
When Jang, who attacked the merchant band led by Goguryeo’s Prince Bi Ryu, is captured, Yu Ri senses impending danger and takes his mother out of Jang Ryeong. O Yi and his troops come to Jang Ryeong to find the recreants who attacked the merchant band, but Yu Ri and Ye So Ya have already fled...
Meanwhile, the leader of the Liaodong forces, Hwang Ja Gyeong, visits Bu Yeo. He proposes that Bu Yeo join forces with Han in attacking North Ok Jeo, but Dae Soh and Bu Deuk Bul flatly refuse, stating that Goguryeo has not once impinged on Bu Yeo’s borders since its founding.
Eps. 76
The delegation from Goguryeo, arriving in Bu Yeo to attend the coronation, is taken aback by Na Ro’s demand that they disarm themselves. Despite the objections of his entourage, Ju Mong complies. Paying his respects to Geum Wa, Ju Mong proposes an alliance with Bu Yeo and asks him to persuade Dae Soh. But Geum Wa replies that he will not intervene in Dae Soh’s decisions.
Meanwhile, a fighting contest in commemoration of the coronation takes place in Bu Yeo and both Bi Ryu and Yu Ri register to compete...
Eps. 77
Yu Ri rescues the injured Bi Ryu. Geum Wa leaves Bu Yeo Palace, turning his back on the recriminations of Dae Soh and the Queen. Ju Mong returns to Bu Yeo Palace and takes Dae Soh to task regarding the assassin.
When armed Goguryeo troops deploy at the border, Bu Yeo blames everything on Han’s machinations. After forging an alliance with Bu Yeo, Ju Mong decides to launch a campaign against Liaodong.
When Yu Ri returns after finding the token left by his father, Ye So Ya tells him the secret of his lineage.
Geum Wa arrives at Cheon Mu Mountain, and his eyes fill with tears at the thought of Hae Mo Soo and Yu Hwa. In bewilderment, Yu Ri heads to Goguryeo to discover the answer.
In front of Goguryeo Palace, Yu Ri hands the token to Mo Pal Mo, asking him to show the object to King Ju Mong. Ju Mong bursts into tearful joy at having his son restored to him, but Yu Ri remains reproachful of his father.
Eps. 78
As Yu Ri pours out his pent-up anger for the past years, Ju Mong looks at his son with tears streaming down his face, powerless to utter a single word. Unable to watch any longer, Hyeop Bo explains the inevitable circumstances at the time, and Yu Ri also ends up shedding a torrent of tears.
Hearing that Ye So Ya remains in Bu Yeo, Ju Mong takes his two top generals and hastens to Bu Yeo. Discovering the reason for Ju Mong’s absence from Goguryeo, So Seo No is deeply troubled, sensing the unrest that will soon plague the kingdom...
Eps. 79
When the ironsmith’s quarters, where Yu Ri is staying, goes up in flames, Moo Song and the soldiers try to douse it with water, but the conflagration rages on. Ju Mong and his retinue arrive belatedly on the scene. O Yi tries to enter the burning building to save Yu Ri, but Ju Mong restrains him, saying it is already too late.
Ju Mong discovers that the culprit for the arson is an assassin sent by Han. He holds the head of the Royal Guard, Chan Soo, accountable for the incident and imprisons him after stripping him of his title. Chan Soo’s mother Chae Ryeong goes to So Seo No and asks her for help, but is met by the latter’s firm refusal...
Eps. 80
With Chan Soo in prison, Chae Ryeong plots treason with Yang Tak while Ju Mong and his generals are out patrolling. Learning of the scheme, So Seo No, accompanied by Yeon Ta Bal and Sa Yong, suppresses Chae Ryeong’s mercenaries and banishes her and Yang Tak from Goguryeo. Pained at discovering that Bi Ryu was involved in the treasonous plot, So Seo No sends him and On Jo away at the helm of a merchant band headed to the south, telling them to see the wide world.
Meanwhile, Geum Wa falls under the sword of Han’s spies. His dying words are for Ju Mong to join hands with Dae Soh in driving out the forces of Han...
Eps. 81
The allied forces of Goguryeo and Bu Yeo prepare to march against Han. Ju Mong takes Mo Hyun Castle. Mu Gol runs after the Liadong leader, who tries to escape in the midst of confusion. Ju Mong kills the Liadong leader and gets revenge for Mu Gol. Ju Mong is overjoyed to win the war but his injuries show no sign of healing as time passes. So Seo No resolves to leave Goguryeo with Bi Ryu and On Jo and Ju Mong persuades Mo Pal Mo to go with her. Ju Mong gazes at So Seo No leaving, with sorrow in his eyes…
