When Destiny Brings the Demon

The most romantic and sensual xianxia. Lots of kisses and intimacy.

If you ever wondered what and how dual cultivation works, this drama will show you all! The drama is about the female lead who, during a car crash, is transported to the fantasy world. She takes the identity of a disciple, who is forced to go and serve the most powerful and ruthless Grandmaster (the male lead). Having no other desire except sleeping and eating, she earns the trust of the Grandmaster and his love.

TIMELINE:
Ep 1-19 Immortal arc - I loved this arc. It struck a great balance between developing the romance and giving us a nice angsty plot.
Ep 20-29 Demon arc - Rushed and not fleshed out properly. Lots of concepts were introduced and it felt like I was watching at 2x speed. It had its good moments but also felt short on others.
Ep 30-33 Mortal arc - Rushed and the palace plot felt boring/unnecessary. I would have preferred if the focus was exclusively on the romance, with the final villain lurking until the final episode.

POSITIVE:
- Brilliant romance. One of the best written xianxia love stories I’ve ever seen. The chemistry, dialogue, interactions, everything was perfect. Their love story felt natural, real and gave me the biggest butterflies in my stomach. The couple was funnily so ‘ride or die’ coded as they were either on their way to kill someone or get killed.
- Top-tier intimacy. This is hands down the xianxia with the most kiss scenes, spice and skinship. Their love language is indeed touch!
- ‘Touch her and you die’ male lead. Handsome, strong and tragic. He was the cold-hearted-but-totally-hot morally grey male lead that I love to watch. A red flag when he needed to be and a green flag when he needed to be. Basically a woman’s perfect man.
- Relatable female lead. She was a very down to earth, normal girl, who just wanted a vacation 24/7.
- Amnesia trope done right. This is probably the only time where I enjoyed seeing this trope as it actually added depth and character development!
- Top-notch comedy.
- Decent visuals/CGI. Yes their budget wasn’t big but I still think they did well. The costumes in the second half were beautiful!
- Enjoyable OST.
- Ending. Considering the censorship for these types of transmigrations, the drama did well. I was happy to see the female lead SPOILER in the modern world for 10 whole minutes and actually meeting the male lead face to face.

NEGATIVE:
- Simple plot. The first half was pretty good but the second half was quite underwhelming and rushed.
- Villains. All unremarkable and quite one dimensional. They were just kind of there, being a typical obstacle against the leads.. but they did bring in the angst, so I can’t complain too much.
- Side character. Meh. Except for the cute snake, nobody truly stood out.
- Second couple. Wasted potential. In the first half, the second female lead was against the leads and (for some unknown reason) the second male lead had feelings for her (rather juvenile if you ask me). Then, her bad deeds were all swept under the rug and instead the script told us they were in love?! It all just felt like a bunch of non-sense. If their love story was actually deleted, it would have had zero impact on the plot.

OVERALL:
I wholeheartedly award this drama as the most romantic xianxia. It’s hard to describe my feelings but the best I can say is that watching the leads made me scream, giggle and kick my feet. Despite the simple and somewhat weak plot, the core and strength of the drama lies in the romance. You will love this for the romance, for the undeniable chemistry between the leads, for the spicy and beautiful kiss scenes, for the perfect touch-her-and-you-die male lead. If you are a hopeless romantic, you will love this for sure, as this is one of those stories that make you fall in love with love! I highly recommend it.

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Arthur Chen as Sima Jiao cast an unforgettable spell on us!

This drama was truly enchanting! What an endearing romance this was ! The leads performed their roles beautifully and their story had such passion and endurance . I really love how Chen Feiyu portrayed Sima Jiao and his many colors so flawlessly. He was a complicated character to play and CFY brought it to the screen effortlessly. He is truly one of the best actors around. It was amazing how he embodied this role. We could feel every one of his emotions.
The FL is someone whose works I will look forward to. She is a great actress and complemented the ML very well. Her comic timing was impeccable and LTY’s character growth was done very well.
The leads’ love story was written extremely well and the actors elevated it with their performances. The chemistry between the leads was mind blowing and that is essence was why this drama worked.
. I also loved Gao Han as the loyal snake - he again plays every role given to him well.
All in all a very satisfying XINXIA. I just wish we had one more episode of them in the modern world to provide closure . The music for this drama is something that will be on my playlist . And I will definitely rewatch this one. Looking forward to more intense characters from Chen Feiyu! Have been a fan of him since L&P and this drama emphasizes his talent even further !

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Across every lifetime, my soul will always find yours!

It has been a while since I watched a xianxia, and this was a perfect choice to take me out my costume drama slump. I was entertained from start to finish. It had all the elements of a typical xianxia, but instead of repeating it note by note, it somehow exceeded my expectations with the usual setup. A grumpy immortal cursed by fate, sealed on top of the mountain, meets a modern-day office worker who accidentally gatecrashes into a mystical realm. This is equal parts romantic, tragic and humorous.

✨ Character Sketch :

🔥 Sima Jiao: At first glance, he is this powerful, cold and revenge-hungry being who was buried alive for 500 years. He is called "Lord of Mercy", which I thought was a cruel joke, looking at his terrifying exterior, but then, as we went on, I started to sympathise and ultimately understand him and his actions. I don't blame his rage because imagine being trapped and isolated for so long, that is bound to mess anyone up.
For him, trust is dangerous, but once our frost fish navigated through that icy mask, we are introduced to a very soft, tired and lonely Sima Jiao.
What I really liked about his journey was how we were able to witness the growth step by step. It wasn't some 180 overnight turn. He was still slightly grumpy, sarcastic and broody guy we saw at the start, but also Sima Jiao, who can now express care, jealousy and finally break out of his shell and trust people.

🐟 Coming to our Frost fish, Liao Tingyan: She healed what she didn't break. She isn't your typical female lead. She is a chill, go with the flow person with a great sense of humour who was thrown into this mystical world and all she does is try to stay alive without losing her mind. And she is lazy! She doesn't care about power, scheming or fighting. All she wanted was to go on a vacation and chill. I liked how her character was unbothered about the materialistic things like fate or power. And when I say unbothered, I don't mean careless. Initially, she did come as a damsel in distress at times, but if I put into perspective that this cultivation world, full of immortals and demons with deep-rooted grudges, must be so new to her, it kind of softens that feeling.
Her relationship with Sima Jiao was definitely the highlight of this drama. I loved how she treated him as "human" and not some terrifying beast people portrayed him as. Sometimes she was an annoying roommate, sometimes the boss and eventually someone who calms him down. To understand that "normalness" is exactly what he needed. She was the sunshine in the storm and what our demon lord wanted and needed.

❤️ Chemistry between Tingyan and Jiao: Ohh, to be loved by Sima Jiao !! <3
The romance was absolutely top-tier here. I can find no flaws in it. I loved them together. It amazes me how Sima Jiao would scare everyone, but suddenly is such a soft and understanding person to Tingyan and would bend backwards to make her happy. And the passion...so intense. I liked how much balance they both bring together. She always kept him in check, and he somehow accepted her with all her quirks. The sweet banter, the tension and the unwavering devotion to each other made their romance so much better.
And the kisses...
In all the lifetimes, Jiao and Tingyan would never stop choosing each other.

✨ The drama has 3 arcs -

Immortal Realm Arc: Building it
Demon Realm Arc: Breaking it apart
Human Realm Arc: Rebuilding it

🤝 Immortal Realm Arc: The first arc where all the stage is set. This is the strongest and my favourite arc. The first 19 episodes had me in a chokehold. It had everything from humour to the ultimate journey of Sima Jiao being ruthless to lovesick.

🗯️ Demon Realm Arc: This is where all the real drama and angst began. We experience all the emotions here, from shock to grief to longing to vulnerability to some xianxia kind of action. This is where we see a new Tingyan who is now a part of this cultivation world. And a Sima Jiao who would go to any lengths to make her happy.

🥰 Human Realm Arc: This last arc of this drama, and somehow, the romance overpowered everything. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed it, but I felt too much was happening in the last few episodes. Though all the ends are neatly tied, it felt a bit messy. We also got a very xianxia-coded ending, and I have no complaints.

✨ Supporting Characters :

🐍 Hei Nianju: My little loyal serpent companion was endearing from start to finish. I loved his bond with Sima Jiao, and I also liked how Sima Jiao treated him with respect. I really liked his character growth, except for his love line with Ruling.

🤷🏻‍♀️ Ye Ruling: She was a character I just couldn't like. In my opinion, she got off very easily. The whole lack of a redemption arc felt very partial. I kept waiting for little snake to bring that up, but as they say, love blinds people. She was okay in the second and third arc, but I couldn't bring myself to forgive her for the 1st arc.

💢 Shi Qianlu: Our main antagonist was truly despicable. He was every bit evil from start to finish and was definitely cunning. There are a few loopholes around how he gets things done (Eg: How did he find the FL before the ML, even after being injured to death). I also felt he overstayed his welcome. A little too much screen time was given to him.

😒 Fen Qi: He was the second male lead, and, except for bringing in the jealousy arc, he came off as stupid. What he called love was just a mere illusion of a person who doesn't exist. I didn't find him too compelling, but rather very obvious. I mean, I knew from the very start he would be swayed easily and cause unnecessary chaos.

😠 Sima Shi : I understand Sima Jiao's hostility towards me. I did understand him as leader but as a father , he failed big time. I really wished instead of him, we had interactions with Sima E instead. But the exchange with him brought a whole new development to the story, so I am not too mad about it but still...

✨ Acting: The leads were fabulous.
Arthur Chen was fabulous as Sima Jiao, especially in the emotional scenes where a lone tear stole all the show. He was the ultimate Sim Jioa. No ifs and buts. Wang Yin Lu as Tingyan was a refreshing and apt pick. She had great comic timing without making it feel too forced. The rest of the cast also brought their A-game. I have no major complaints in this department.

✨ Writing & Production: CGI definitely could have been better at times, but it wasn't distractingly bad. The costumes and make-up were beautiful throughout, except for the fish costume of Tingyan. I felt the makeup was a bit juvenile. Cinematography was beautiful, especially when they were in Soul Manor. The black and white costumes with vibrant background were definitely a bold and beautiful choice. The OSTs are beautiful too and complement the scenes so well.

Coming to writing, if you watch a lot of xianxia with a cultivation theme, you might find a few cliché tropes here. That being said, props to the writing for effortlessly blending the modern lingo. I loved this. (Touch the fish still makes me giggle.) The pacing does feel a bit slow in the middle, might frustrate you too, but I assure you it's all seemed worth it to me.

Overall, this drama isn't without flaws, but if you are someone who enjoys romance, this is a treat. It is chaotic but somehow very wholesome.
I would 100% recommend it. Not for the out-of-the-box premise because it isn't but for Sima Jiao's journey of choosing love when trauma has shaped you. For Liao Tingyan, to show you don't need to "fix" him but support and be there for them. And their beautiful relationship that surpasses the test of time and generations.

Thank you for reading my review! <3 I hope you enjoy the drama as much as I did.

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The FL finally gets a character in ep20

Since the plot is about travelling back in time, I figured someone has to die in the end for her to return back. So as usual in the past realm its a sad ending but they reunite in the modern world. The plot for the first 20 episodes was really dragged on for very long. At times there were so many episodes of him going out to "work" and she just waits for him doing nothing all day. So its a morning scene and then immediately cut to night.

My understanding of the character is that she thinks she died and is living her afterlife so she is lazy and doesnt want to do anything. At the start it was funny and okay but dragging on the same character without much development for so long became a bit dry. Even after they got together, I was shocked she didnt want to train her powers in case she needed to protect him.

But then in the second half of the drama through a incident finally here character changes and is much more interesting. The ML to me was fine, I feel Chen Feiyu acted his character well as well.

Regarding the plot, it wasnt very interesting and I found myself mostly skipping parts of the villain. I enjoyed the demon era and mortal world realms but I feel like they should have introduced it earlier in the drama.

The CP romance was carrying the show(?) They had good chemistry and I liked some of the lines said by the ML.

Overall its a decent watch but could have been better in the development of characters!

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He Spoiled Her, She Simplified His Immortality...

This one deserves a detailed verdict 😌.. Even with the classic and overused 'opposites attract' cliché plot I found this drama refreshing in its own way, and because I am a big sucker for time-space travel stories I started watching it right away instead of tossing it in some 'watch later' list. Ummm!!! 🤔 I wouldn’t call it the best drama I’ve ever seen as it had a huge plot hole that dragged on for several episodes... but in the end, everything came together quite well. So honestly, I can’t really complain too much.
🫴 Now lemme take you into details.

Plot :
It was divided into three arcs:

1. Immortal/celestial world arc: it was the most entertaining of them all. The characters had energy, the plot had pace, less BS, and lots of light moments even with the ML suffering. His heroism in villain attire was keeping me guessing what's gonna happen next... plus the FL was totally adorable in this arc. She is, in whole, a freeloader here relying on ML for everything from basic necessities to protection against villains, and he too was spoiling her to no limits. (Blink~blink)
Romance was soft, flirty, slow burn, and fluffy accompanied by fair amounts of action. The arc was followed by ~ 👇


2. Demon world arc: this arc was pure chaos .. I don't know what the writer suddenly started smoking but the whole vibe of the drama did a full 180. Everything happened in an abrupt manner... The 'know-it-all' villains popping from all possible directions... whereas the leads had absolutely no idea about what was going on. And even if the ML tried to catch at least one bad boy of 'em all, our FL went full “plot-protected dimwit mode” and let him go — because, of course, he’s her childhood friend. Girl, he’s practically doing shady stuff under your nose and you’re still out here defending him.
At this point, I was this close to dropping the drama, the FL and this childhood friend were so unbearable.


3. Mortal realm: so in the end this arc tied all the loose ends. For the first time ML was relaxed while FL was doing some work. Romance was not as good as the immortal arc but seasoned enough.



Characters and cast :

FL / Liao Tingyan: She started off cute and sweet, but soon became downright overbearing. The writer clearly doesn’t know the difference between a slacker and a completely useless character. Like, girl’s cultivation level is supposed to be good, yet she can’t even pull off basic magic spells. That’s like having a Ph.D. in life sciences and still struggling with the onion peel experiment. During the demon arc, she turned into a full-blown liability — if nothing less — taking three forms Tingyan ➡️ Frost Fish ➡️ Demon Lord in three different flashy attires all in the frame of 40-50 minutes but delivering absolutely nothing .... Hhhh?!!
Although the writer finally decided to use some common sense in the end and gave her an actual task in the final arc.

Wang Yinglu did an absolutely amazing job with her role .. I adore her ever since I saw her in 'I Am Nobody'.. girl is beautiful (especially her eyes my god ✨✨), acts well, and has an emphasising aura for her age.

ML / Sima Jiao: He is a soft yet feared grandmaster who is safekeeping and literally nurturing the spirit fire with his blood for 500 years, bearing all the physical agony that comes with the task. He started opening up to FL slowly and soon this ruthless immortal turned into a man who would spoil his beloved to any extent. Honestly speaking, this man is the dream man for any girl in this world.
Even in the mortal realm in his new incarnation, he still has this warmth and protectiveness for FL even though he doesn't carry memories of the past life.
Such a wonderful ML ❤️❤️❤️ I am head over heels in love with him.

Arthur Lu: here I find him better than what he was like in Lighter and Princess (the cult fav). The maturity of three years gap is clearly visible in his appearance and he can now pull better expressions of a man in love. I am looking forward to seeing him more.

And their chemistry ... Chef's kiss.. actually, I will give some credit where it's due i.e. writing of the romance part ... I mean talk about kissing and its use .. kissing to heal .. kissing to help reach a higher level of cultivation .. kissing to enter each other's soul manor .. kissing in the soul manor for moral and physical boost .. and kissing to transfer your power/cultivation into your partner... They just kiss whenever anything goes wrong or whenever everything is right .. kisses .. kisses ... kisses ... (Though nothing more as they got married at the very end of the series and consummated after that)

Other than that, Gao Han and Wang Yiting were good as the parallel couple. Both of them have appeared in multiple dramas as side cast .. especially Gao Han did great work as an anti-hero in Wonderland of Love.

The entire cast is impressive.

OST and BGM were soothing, totally going with the drama vibe.

Styling is top-notch. I mean you can easily tell they went extremely boujee on attire and styling budget. Beautiful flowy clothing and exquisite jewellery pieces. I am even keeping screenshots.

Action sequences clubbed with good special effects enhanced the watching experience.

Overall, even with all my nitpicking, I can't say I didn't enjoy this drama ... It was really very pleasant to watch and left me with a good feeling altogether. I recommend you give it a try as well.

XOXO

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Arthur Chen great acting!

Arthur Chen/Chen Feiyu is not only a good actor, also very handsome. After watching lighter & princess, I just became his biggest fan.... If i talk about the first look in When Destiny Brings the Demon, i got stunned after seeing his feet 🫣How can a actors feet is this be beautiful. The snake here is too cute. He still wants to follow grandmaster even after turning into human form. Liao Tingyan is soooo adorable character, also very funny. I also love her acting. So innocent she is! So, the plottings,the visuals,acting is soo good in this drama, looking forward to see next episodes! Last but not the least ost is so good, I'm in love with the lyrics.

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THE BEST XIANXIA OF 2025

10000000000000/10 😭💖

I already expected this kind of ending, especially knowing how strict censorship can be when it comes to transmigration stories. Many times, these narratives are forced to take a certain path, and often the endings are changed or softened to meet those rules. So in my heart, I was already preparing myself for it. But honestly, the moment I saw them together again, all of that didn’t matter anymore. As long as they were able to meet, as long as their love was given a chance to exist once more, I am so incredibly happy for them. Sometimes, just seeing two souls finally find their way back to each other, no matter how the circumstances change, is already the most beautiful ending we could ever hope for.

Thank you, Sima Jiao and Liao Tingyan, for allowing us to witness such an extraordinary love story. It was not just a romance—it was a journey of two souls bound together by fate, by hardship, and by a love so deep that it defied time, pain, and even death itself. Watching your story unfold was like watching the impossible become possible again and again. From the very beginning, when shadows of tragedy and destiny loomed over you, to the countless moments where love won in quiet, gentle ways, every step of your journey reminded us how rare and precious true devotion really is.

Your love endured across lifetimes. Even when the world seemed determined to pull you apart, you always found each other again. That, to me, is the truest definition of fate—not simply being together when it is convenient, but continuing to return to one another despite all odds. It is a love that survives through pain, through sacrifice, and through lifetimes of waiting. And now, as Wei Jiao and Zou Yan, your story continues in a new form. Though your names and circumstances have changed, the essence of who you are remains the same. Two people who are destined to meet, destined to heal each other, destined to love endlessly.

May happiness always follow you in this lifetime. After all the tears, after all the heartbreak, you both deserve days filled with laughter, with peace, and with love so soft that it feels like home. I hope this lifetime grants you everything that the past ones could not—moments of joy without fear, love without sacrifice, and a future where you can simply exist for one another.

To me, your story will always remain one of the most unforgettable. It is proof that love can be relentless, patient, and unyielding. It teaches us that even when life feels cruel, love has the power to heal and transform. Thank you for letting us share in your journey. May your days ahead be long, bright, and filled with endless joy ❤️🫂

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"We have all the time in the world."

"It doesn't matter, we have plenty of time. We can start anew." These annoyed me for a bit. Cause the different arcs made me think that the years they spent apart seems WAY TOO LONG compared to them being together. But when I think about it, they do have time cause know they will always find each other in EVERY lifetime in every realm. And I cried again.

I really have no expectations whatsoever starting this, it was just a random Saturday and saw this poster in the newly released section. Now I'm obsessed. LIAO TINGYAN IS AN AMAZING CHARACTER. Every line delivery is so good! The actress' comedic timings are perfect. She wants nothing but to sleep, eat, and go on vacation it's honestly what made me love her sm. She made me start this series and the romance made me stay!

SJ murdering people and delivering his speech while LTY holding onto his waist and thinking how slim it was—IS HILARIOUS. SJ's 'What?' was such a great delivery I WAS DYINGGGG. That line really made that scene perfect. I adore them. The air-conditioning and pain reliever thing is funny but still romantic how do they do that? And that kiss-not-really-a-kiss scene in the hot water thing was so sexy would 100% like to try that for myself 🙂‍↕️

"You are the only one in this world who can make me yield without a fight. That makes you the strongest of all." GURLLLL YOU WON.

"You don't need to worry about these things. With me here, wherever you go is a vacation." I need a Sima Jiao??? Hello??? Isn't that the most romantic thing you've ever heard? All of their kisses and intimate scenes feels so real and doesn't look awkward or forced I just feel giddy watching them. That soul connection/merging/dual cultivation is STEAMYYYY I was actually not sure if I should let my mind go THAT far and had to confirmed it to the people who read the novel but yes. They're getting freaky indeed.

And whenever Sima Jiao pulls that one eye tear, my lifespan shortens. I could feel the pain through the screen.

This story really focused more on the romance and how these soulmates always find each other, no matter what. And I love that. The last episodes really tired me out but still cried my eyes off, I am emotionally attached.

"I found you again."
"Do you know me?"
"Of course I do."
The theory that she didn't really transmigrated to the immortal realm but she actually belongs there? And that's just her gaining her memories back, is something I support. If we had 40 eps like the usual, we could've had explored their modern era too 😔

Lastly, I just want to say my appreciation to the OST: In this World I Only Love You (这世间我唯独爱你). When the first note starts playing, I'm already crashing out. It's so so good I had to add it to my playlist.

Now I don't know what to do anymore. I miss my babies. 10/ 10. One of my favorites this year.

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A Beautiful Blend of Emotion and Fantasy

When Destiny Brings the Demon was a beautiful surprise. The drama balances emotion, fantasy, and human connection so well. The cast’s performances feel sincere, and their chemistry makes every scene engaging. I especially loved the atmosphere—the lighting, costumes, and soundtrack all worked together to create a world that felt alive. It’s the kind of drama that lingers with you even after the episode ends. Highly recommended if you enjoy heartfelt storytelling with a touch of the supernatural.


This drama had both strengths and weaknesses. On one hand, the acting is strong, and the emotional depth between characters is believable. The visuals and music are also impressive. On the other hand, the pacing sometimes feels uneven—some episodes draw you in completely, while others move slower than necessary. While it’s not perfect, When Destiny Brings the Demon still delivers enough heart and intrigue to keep viewers invested.

"i hope everyone enjoy it"

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This drama can be awarded for most romantic ancient xianxia drama .

for overall review the drama was soo good feel, heart felt , emotional rollercoaster in FINAL episodes.
the FL and ML falls in love 4 times overall , they showed it in very well manner .
i wanted to have more scenes for them in modern day world with a complete family , good carrier and a beautiful ending BUT iam satisfied with this ending also.. that was quite good .
enjoyed all episodes , just some episodes were slow but except that everything was perfect.
loved the side characters , second leads love was also quite intresting .
a well directed drama without confusing us about the timelines .i suggest to watch it , its one of a kind cdrama till now which i have watched .
ML was eye feast , his expressions , acting, dialogue delivery was on spot, arthur chen's deep voice was soo intimidating,
FL was so into the plot and acting that she owned the character .
these people brought life to the characters. Romance was out of the world .
WORTH WATCH DRAMA ... GO FOR IT GUYS .

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