When Destiny Brings the Demon

Got tired of forcing myself to watch

==Breakdown==
Background plot - 60%
Romance - 30%
Misc comedy - 10%

Background plot - Okay
Romantic chemistry -Very little
Misc comedy - Fine
Production value - Good

I really like both the leads in this drama (both the actor and actress) but I could not finish this. I felt no chemistry between them despite trying to force it over and over and over. The only time I got a sense of their potential was during the kissing scenes, strangely enough. There was just something INCREDIBLY BORING about the execution of this drama.

After thinking it over for a few days, I honestly think it was the line delivery, as strange as that sounds. There were these long pauses whenever the leads or villains delivered their lines and it made everything drag in an unnatural way. I wish Viki would let us watch shows on 2x speed because it likely would've greatly improved the watchability of this show.

It's too bad, because the story was interesting, as was the premise, and the actors were talented. But the stilted line delivery was THE WORST.

EDITED TO ADD: I checked out who the director was and now it all makes sense. I will avoid productions by this director from now on.

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Really great.. until it became just good.

Before watching the drama, I managed to read about 80% of the novel. It wasn’t that I didn’t like it; on the contrary, I enjoyed it a lot. However, life got in the way. When I finally started watching the drama, I was very happy. I found both the male lead (ML) and female lead (FL) engaging, and their chemistry was great. Their portrayals of the characters from the novel felt authentic to me. I was content—until I wasn’t.

When the female lead lost her memories, I felt something was missing. I thought about what it was and realized that the characters in the novel and the drama no longer felt the same. The male lead came across as too soft; in the novel, he was ruthless and merciless, with only one soft spot—her. Then, when she left for 18 years in the demon realm, I felt a disconnect. The drama didn’t make that transition smooth enough. Some important moments that needed time for proper explanation felt rushed, while other scenes that didn’t require as much time dragged on.

The black snake, who was initially naive and had no idea how to be human, transformed into a character I no longer cared about.

This highlights an ongoing issue in Chinese entertainment. Since restrictions were imposed to limit episodes to 40, many dramas have been reduced well below that number. The average episode length has also dropped from 60 minutes to around 40 minutes. This results in fewer episodes overall, cutting out precious time that could have allowed the story to develop more fully.

The last few episodes feel rushed. They have been excessively shortened or not developed enough, making it seem like we are hastily racing to the conclusion. I feel overwhelmed by the speed of it all.

Additionally, the CGI has become repetitive. I've seen many scenes—like the valleys, palaces, and soul palace—repeatedly. While it was impressive in the first 6 to 8 episodes, nothing has wowed me since then.

Although I feel a bit disappointed, I still consider the drama to be solid and enjoyable, mainly due to the performances of the main leads. I think I would have dropped the show if it weren't for their acting. I was happy to see Arthur Chen expressing love and emotions, rather than just portraying his usual taciturn, arrogant, and secretive character. I love deep male voices, and his is music to my ears! 😆

Production made a great effort on the OST. I think I will buy the CD, which is a testament to how much I loved it. I enjoyed the costumes, hairstyles, and makeup—they were just right.

With just a few episodes left, I hope it improves. I plan to return to this review to share my final thoughts. Meanwhile, I will try to finish the novel.

***

Youku, you little scoundrel! You took my money again to watch the final three episodes, and what can I say? The drama and the novel did not end the same way, as expected. It seems that Chinese censorship only allows transmigration if the hero or heroine returns to modern times. For me it is a bittersweet ending. They meet in modern times but yet again he has no memories from his 2 previous lives. What a disappointment!

There were many disappointments, primarily due to the excessive cutting of scenes. Characters often appeared without proper introduction, and their relationships did not develop adequately. As a result, the final episodes lacked coherence. Although it was intended to be a romance, the couple barely shared a kiss because of strict censorship. I give it a final rating of 8 out of 10, but I only awarded this score because I liked the main leads; they had great chemistry and demonstrated strong acting skills. This rating is my discontent about cutting so much (twice) that the original script felt rushed and cringy. This drama could have been significantly improved with 40 episodes, each one hour long.

There will be no season 2. It clearly states ‘the end’ at the conclusion of episode 33. I am okay with that.

My conclusion is simple: read the novel!!

https://wordrain69.com/manga/dedicated-salted-fish-of-master/chapter-1/

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Ok FINE I like romance!!!!! The candy in this show is top notch!!

First 20 episodes were goated, almost a chef's kiss in terms of the romance, and the last 12 were a total disappointing mess.... Xian Yu captured 'falling in love' but couldn't actually write a relationship. In other words, the three lifecycles genre has outlived whatever novelty it had in 2017 and needs to be taken out back and put down ASAP.

As an adult, I've been waffling over whether or not I enjoy romance- with a lot of shows/movies/books, etc. I dread every scene the main couple have together, and only a select few have me obsessed, crying, etc. I settled on, 'I like a well written romance' where the main characters are both complex, have serious growth and you can see that they have changed each other for the better and why they belong together (better yet I love a story about why they make each other worse and should break up). This drama, Xian Yu, was only really able to satisfy this sort of....... but it still had me smiling at all of their couple moments, thinking to myself, 'wow they're so cute'... like a TEENAGER!!!!! I got got!! They got me bad!!!!!! I thought they were adorable!!!!!!!!!

Sima Jiao and Liao Tingyan were super likable and easy to root for. SMJ's entire almost comically cartoonish abuse-torture-cannibalism backstory + extremely goated Bking level 99999 ultimate power made him the exact sort of typical male lead in a fantasy idol drama that is easy to root for. A Dream Within a Dream said it best, "Beautiful, tragic, strong." He was an imprisoned underdog I was rooting for to kill literally everyone in the 8 Palaces and raze it to the ground with spirit fire!! One of the most impactful and unforgettable scenes of the entire series is the one where he breaks free, chains everyone up and kills his oppressors. His character is great for the most part, but ultimately falls short in some ways that are personally unsatisfying to me. Falling in love with LTY was well sold and makes perfect sense. Of course this person who has been imprisoned his whole life, who has only ever been used, abused, lied to for power, would need someone who has 0 ambitions whatsoever LOL. LTY fits into what SMJ needs like a puzzle piece. She doesn't want power, or high cultivation, has no ulterior motives, and lives life for the pleasure of it- for eating good food, sleeping a good sleep, resting and playing. LTY makes him feel safe, shows him he deserves kindness and care rather than flattery and inspires him to enjoy the pleasure of living.

Ultimately though, I'm disappointed with where his character went. There were moments where it felt like he could come out of his doomed suicidal mindset because he had grown so much. Like sending LTY to her tribulation with every single defense imaginable and distancing himself from her so she could have the best chance, but ultimately owning that they were in a relationship, and ride or die, they were in this together. But at the end of the day???? Bro was so tortured he was chill with just dying. And like, tbh I get it, they dont have therapists in Xianxia world, what happened to him is so far in the realm of fantasy horrific that it's kind of unthinkable by real life standards. But like, idk, isn't the point of fantasy also that it should just be an escapist way to process a human experience/emotion? It's not like, befittingly tragic, for our hero to hate himself and his own existence so much that he is in a depressing doomer mindset and thinks his only value is dying for his lover. It's just immature emo bs. I already hate self sacrifice, and it's doubly un-romantic when the person sacrificing is already fully suicidal and has only just started to barely enjoy life. It feels like the writers want to make a message like, SMJ ISN'T that other guy w the Fengshan blood who killed himself, and he ISN'T his parents and he has the power to determine his own life and he can defy heaven and fate!! But it ultimately wasn't as great of a goal as making him tragically sad and romantic by sacrificing himself for LTY. At least by the very, very, end, he seems to have understood that doing that and hiding his plans from her was wrong, but more for the lying part. He also says things like, "We have more time" and "We've only just started" which give me hope that he's changed. But ultimately, this development isn't given enough emphasis or time. And maybe if his sacrifice happened in like, episode 20 there would've been enough time!!! But it happened in like episode 30 or something and then he had to live a whole ass lifetime with a loving mother in 2 episodes to get him there. Character growth doesn't happen naturally in the narrative, but through death and rebirth and just becoming a completely different character. That's why it's annoying!!! Wouldn't it have made more impact for SMJ to have gone through what he did, and ultimately come to believe that life was worth living without being a different person?

Liao Tingyan is super adorable and easy to root for! She is genuinely refreshing as a FL who doesn't fall prey to miscommunications, manipulative machinations, etc. etc. and pretty much always stands by and trusts SMJ. Unfortunately, something that I've found quite often now with transmigration dramas, is that the FL's character writing pales in comparison to ML's and it's true here as well. By the end of 33 episodes, I still don't really understand super deeply who she is, where she's from, why SMJ should matter SO much to her, and how exactly did he impact her life. SMJ focuses almost every ounce of his energy on making her comfortable, happy, getting her what she wants to eat, and going on vacation, is protected from harm, etc. etc. but this is all very different from seeing how he has changed her character for the better. Being nice and taking care of someone isn't really enough to warrant love. Like I said, it's easy to see why SMJ fell in love with her, the reverse is harder. And I don't think it would've taken too much??? Like even just a couple more scenes of LTY's life in the modern world, where she is expected to constantly grind and work would've helped. Like I have no idea what her family life was like, if she has friends, if she grew up poor, what hs/college were like. If she had experienced a lot of pressure in her life to be productive and be a contributing member of society, to work for survival, then it would make so much sense to fall in love w this ultra powerful guy who is just like hey slack off all you want, in fact I love that about you and that makes you valuable/important/an inspiration rather than a burden upon society. Like, okay, cool, LTY would be that much more fleshed out of a character. But they didn't do that!!!! And it would've been so easy!!! They could've even just changed her voiceover thoughts and it would've been enough!! ORRR they could've gone a diff route and had SMJ be her inspiration to no longer be a slacker, which feels a little closer to what the series was kind of going for. Like when they're in class and she starts practicing because she wants to protect him. It would've been great if they just pushed this further, and had her really commit to becoming more ambitious for SMJ. Maybe seeing that ambition/work wasn't a bad thing, because it could give her more purpose. Like that could've been another angle that made her feelings for him make more sense, idk. Instead it just feels like the writers wanted to preserve something precious about her (which is fine by itself if well written) but simultaneously make her powerful by the end so it's just plot things happening to her rather than character growth. Like it's some stupid dog blood shit that she just became a good fighter who was groomed and forced to kill by SQL. Or that she awakened the frost fish or absorbed the demon lord core or w/e and now she HAS to be powerful. None of that is real character writing, just forced change from the narrative!

The beginning of their relationship is what got me! As I said, watching them fall in love and be cute and kind and playful is so enjoyable and sweet. There's moments that really work to guide them towards a relationship like LTY telling SMJ off for using the truth spell on her all the time with SO much understanding, making space for him and his trauma while simultaneously centering her own feelings and right to privacy. She's so emotionally mature which is rare for any c-drama lead. Also! UM they actually kiss??? Which is so rare in these types of dramas like I'm so used to the main leads just gently pressing their lips and freezing while the cameral swirls around them and the romantic theme song plays. Them having more sensuality and physicality made such a huge difference and made them feel so much more like a real relationship. The problem is that the show is ultimately too weak to carry their relationship after the initial falling in love phase, meaning they fucked up their first real fight. SMJ forcing LTY to kill Zhenxu is honestly great for their relationship development and makes perfect sense for both of their characters. SMJ is ACTUALLY a morally grey ML who is a walking sea of red flags and it's so understandable that out of concern for LTY, he wants her to know how to kill so she can protect herself. In doing so, he grossly violated the one boundary she set with him since the start. This is not resolved well at all tbh, and was when I started to feel distant from the drama. Her initially asking for space was great, and then not answering when he asked how long was great too, and then he just fucking shows up anyway like a day later?! Without it being on her terms??? With a brief apology and promise to never do it again?? It makes absolutely no sense for LTY to forgive him so quickly. Like we know she's understanding, and she even says it when they argue, that she has been SO understanding of him, his backstory, his world and environment. But understanding does not mean you can forgive someone especially when that person is your PARTNER who just traumatized you for life by violating a crucial boundary. It should've taken a couple episodes at least??? Honestly would've made for so much great emotional tension if she died/they got separated while they were still fighting. It's really just not enough. She needed more time for herself to process and he needed to make it up to her in a way that showed he respected her autonomy by GIVING HER SPACE like she asked!!! Like he gave her a special pillow and now shes just not traumatized??? After that it's just like 12 more episodes of the stupid ass 3 lifecycles shit so we can't even focus on THIS relationship and it's just getting together-dying-getting together-dying again.

This is why I think the 3L3W bs is the ultimate romance killer. Just when you start to actually develop a real relationship, with real points of tension and conflict that could be worked through with character growth, someone fucking dies and they have to start over. Then the tension comes from something stupid like someone forgetting their memories, and they have to fall in love AGAIN but written worse than the first time. By the third time they don't give a shit at alllll anymore and it's like blasted through in 3 episodes. And it doesn't mean that ALL character/relationship growth is thrown out the window, but it means that this growth is severely stunted by stupid fuckery and flashbacks to the first time they fell in love. It's seriously lame as hell to force emotional reactions and sentimentality using amnesia and multiple lifetimes. And it's a serious way to make the audience no longer care when there are just NO stakes. It doesn't matter if they die because they'll just come back! It doesn't matter if they don't remember because they will eventually! SMJ and LTY honestly don't even seem that sad when they lose each other for the billionth time because death just isn't permanent in this world!!! The pacing sucks so much they'll see each other again in 20 minutes! So as a result I, as an avid watcher, who once giggled and coo'd when they did face masks together now feel NOTHING. But hey I chose to watch an idol xianxia 3L3W drama so I'm the clown I guess!!!!!!!!!!!!

Other than the romance, the rest of the characters are completely uncompelling and uninteresting in every way without much logic, not worthy of being talked about. The villains are simple but kind of fun because they are so cartoonishly simple, in particular the 8 Palaces are a fun group of villains to hate. Hypocritical and cannibalistic, going off about righteous values while abusing, torturing, SA'ing, etc. feels very true to real life political villains, so it was cathartic to see. The plot for the first 20 episodes is honestly solid. Like it's bad and melodramatic and silly but honestly??? There's something here about how dark and twisted people can be for power and greed. In some ways it felt kinda old school wuxia. I gotta say... the Blood baby breeding mountain was actually the stuff of nightmares and they honestly did a really good job with that episode. I really felt SMJ's horrific discovery, helplessness, rage and despair. The imagery of everyone in chains in a cave and the forced breeding/pregnancy/incest was a level of darkness that I've actually never seen in an idol xianxia c-drama. It was so chilling and felt like commentary on the chained woman in China (if you don't know about this, look up with caution). So I really do have to give the writers some props for taking it somewhere quite dark, and giving it the impact, trauma, and horror it deserved. After the first 20 episodes, the plot is just.... so much worse and makes so little sense. Nothing goes completely off the rails like many other dramas, but it's definitely stupid, fast paced, and nothing really has any weight or severity to it.

All in all, it's a fun time for the most part, the falling in love part is cute, it's funny, the two main leads are likable!! There's some real moments of care and compelling plot!! It's highly watchable!! Is it good??? Absolutely NOT!!!!!! Honestly if you just watch the first 20 episodes and stop there it might be for the best.

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All a Setup for Romance

This starts off very strong, the story is actually quite dark and handles some heavy topics decently.
The leads are definitely the focus and their acting is great.

The concept is interesting, and i was looking forward to how it played out and how the characters developed.

However as far i watched, they don't develop or grow. ML is all powerful, and FL is weak slacker. They each take turns getting hurt, rescuing each other and end up in an intimate embrace. Repeat.

FL has the grandmaster as her mentor, and yet true to her motto, just slacks off from beginning to mid point, no motivation to develop her skills even though she repeatly gets hurt. While entertaining at the start, this is quite dull by midway.

Don't get me wrong, the scenes are great. However theres no balance, there's no growth. The Centuries Old Snake with a mindset of a child is annoying too. Not sure if it gets better as i am dropping this.

If all you are after is intimate Romantic scenes sucking face between the leads, then this drama is perfect for you.
Every scenario is to setup for a Romance scene. Haha. Perhaps this is why the drama is rated so high?

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Where can I find a Sima Jiao for myself

March 6, 2026

OH MY GOD, another Wuxia drama done from my ever growing list. I love this drama at all. After riding the highs of How Dare You?, When Destiny Brings the Demon hits the spot.

We have another down bad male lead Sima Jiao who's love story transcends over 4 lifetimes. Isn't that motherfucking diabolically so green flag coded? I feel like the ending could have been expanded, but I also know that there are censorship regarding transmigration Chinese dramas. As such, I can't help but feel like the ending falls a bit average. I do must say, I enjoy watching this series, for a 33 episode series, I do am loving the prognosis of the story.

I just find it endearing how multiple lifetimes were covered and it really just puts that status of eternal love and that I will find you in every lifetime.

Such joy and admiration I have for Sima Jiao and Ting Yan, this show is definitely that Cdrama that is worth your time to watch!

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Great for the romance lover

If you only LOVE a sweet devoted romance, this is for you.

This is a very romantic drama focused on the strong bond between two individuals. That’s it. Yes, there’s evil and obstacles they must overcome but this really is just about their devotion. There’s lots of kissing and sacrificing for each other.

The main lead’s relationship is the main focus. Everything else fades in the background and does not develop much. This includes the plot which feels kind of surface level. There’s lots of sugary sweetness.

The visuals and costuming were rich and beautiful. The scenery in the mortal world was a feast for the eyes. I especially loved the palace scenery when they’re were on the bridge and the camera was angling upwards towards them.

This drama is perfect for those who love romance.

For those who may want a more engaging plot and development of other characters, this may leave you unsatisfied.

Pros:
Visuals: Scenery, backdrop. Props, costuming. They did a good job to make is visually delightful. The cgi was also quality. There’s a little animated creature that she turns into and it was pretty cute.

Lots of affection between the main leads. Their actions aren’t silly either. Two grounded individuals.

Cons:
Other then the main couple’s love, everything and everyone else feels left behind, under developed, or neglected.

Neutral:
Music - it’s very melodramatic. Some may like it because it feeds into the romantic vibe of this drama.

Acting - overall, it’s decent but at times, I just don’t feel the depth. For example, the angst they display after a tragic loss is deep but the plot moves along like clockwork. It feels like acting. Hoping this makes sense.

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Great chemistry and fun to watch

From the very beginning, it felt fun, light and easy to watch but at the same time it had depth in the characters and story. I liked how the FL is funny, kind, and down-to-earth while the ML’s past makes him more complex and interesting. Their chemistry worked so well that I found myself smiling at their sweet moments and the romance didn’t feel awkward or dragged out.
The balance between the fantasy plot and the emotional side of the story was just right, so I never felt bored.
The production is also quite nice, the costumes, settings and fight scenes make the drama enjoyable to look at, even though a bit of the CGI could’ve been better. Toward the end, the pacing got a little rushed and the ending had a bittersweet feel, but overall it still left a strong impression on me. It’s the kind of drama that makes you want to keep watching and think about it afterward.

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A Phenomenal Dream Lasting Three Life Times!

"When Destiny Brings the Demon" was quite an unexpected drama to say the least. There was two other dramas i began to watch simultaneously, but only WDBTD was able to enthrall me into this universe. The concept of this drama isn't new, but I usually do no gravitate towards it, however, because i was a fan of Chen Feiyu's acting aka Arthur Chen I gave it a shot and was hooked from episode one onwards!

WDBTD focuses on Sima Jiao, a powerful cultivator, and his fated love aka cultivation partner - Liao Tingyan.

Sima Jiao, played by Chen Fei Yu, was initially a cold-blooded murderer, but he is actually a very misunderstood grandmaster. He doesn't kill for the sake of killing, he kills because he can't trust anyone outside of his circle. Too many people are literally out to get his blood because of how powerful his bloodline is. His blood helps cultivators level up in their powers hence it's very sought after to the point that they won't even let him die. He was trapped and suffered for 500 years until Liao Tingyan came into the picture. Despite his tendency to murder anyone who did him wrong, in the end, Sima Jiao learned to cherish and love Tingyan and will only care about her rather than those around him. He is both a red flag and green flag, but more thge latter than former as he learned from what he has done wrong. He's willing to change, and protect Tingyan even if it means sacrificing himself. Chen Feiyu did an amazing job as Sima Jiao, I really enjoyed his microexpressions, cheeky smiles to snarky smiles, the murderous glares, ugh you can differentiate each and every expression- it's just a chef's kiss. Someone mentioned he also acts with the way he moves as well, and I do agree that the movement he portrays ties everything together! I've been a fan of CFY since Evernight S1, and I have to say his acting has improved a lot since then! ^^

Liao Ting Yan is from the modern timeline who was thrust into this xianxia world while unconscious. And boy, this dream of hers was amazing to watch! I quite liked her character because of the way she's very nonchalant about this xianxia world. For exmaple, she doesn't care about gaining power, she just want sto live life without bothering too many people, and she talks about being overworked a lot, and needing a vacation - Her little monologues makes it quite hilarious imo. It's more funny when she uses modern vocabulary and SIma Jiao would be like, "What?" But he soaks it up with judgemental comments. With the help of Sima Jiao, Tingyan eventually grew to be quite strong and became Sima Jiao's cultivation partner. And of course, his fated love through three lifetimes. Despite her nonchalant personality, she is very sweet, and caring towards Sima Jiao. She has a strong love for Sima Jiao and it shows when she's able to pull through despite losing control of her mind and body at times. Love trumps all! I think Wang Yinglu did a great job portraying Liao Ting Yan through each lifetime. This is somewhat my first time watching her. I did saw "I Am Nobody" briefly with her acting as Feng Bao Bao - she was amazing there - and here she's a total different person. It shows she has range, and I love when actors or actresses play roles of different personalities and traits because it showcases their acting ability and what they can or cannot do. I am looking forward to more of her dramas from now on!

The drama would've been flawless in my book if it weren't for Bao Jian Feng's acting. It just seemed like the actor did not embrace his character very well - it felt like he was in a play rather than the actual character himself. I was more irritated by his acting more than the villain itself. LOOL It was very much like a typical old school xianxia villain type acting.

Overall, I quite enjoy the story, and the love story between Sima Jiao and Liao Tingyan. It would be amazing if they continue another lifetime in the modern timeline and finally settle down and have children. ><

Happy ending? Yes and no, more so of an open ending since they met up in real life but one doesn't know the other so it's like they're starting over again.
Would I recommend? Definitely if you enjoy watching romance, fated love, xianxia dramas, and transmigration - go for it! :]

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When Power Bows to Love — A Tale of Strength and Surrender

Let me tell you, I seriously started watching this C-drama just for the ML. 😅 Of course, with the number of episodes, it did feel a little tormenting at times. But I actually liked it — the period setup, the cast, the cinematography — everything gave me that nostalgic “Alchemy of Souls” vibe I’d been missing (though it can’t really be compared).
There were moments when it felt a bit dragged, like they could’ve gotten to the point sooner, but it didn’t bother me much since the humor kept things light. Honestly, my mind stayed glued mostly because of that ML smile — he portrayed his character with such grace, majesty, and quiet power right till the end.
The FL did equally well; no regrets watching this one. What stood out to me most was how the ML, being this all-powerful sorcerer dominating realms, would throw away everything — power, principles, even his life — for the woman he loved. It perfectly captured that idea: “A hero would sacrifice you to save the world, but a villain would destroy the world to save you.”
That’s exactly what this drama was about. And that’s what made it worth it.

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NEVER FELT A SINGLE EPISODE BORING!

Amazing drama! It really exceeded my expectations. I was critical at first to start the drama, but once I started, I couldn't leave this in between. It kept me hooked throughout. The acting, the plot, the bg music and the sceneries, all were on point. Every character has a story and there was a perfect balance of emotions. One of the very few dramas where both ML and FL are ready to give their all for the other though not in a stupid or too selfless way. They will do anything to protect their partner and even die for their sake. The communication between them was clear, no unnecessary miscommunications or dramatic subplots. The way it covers all three realms and spans through 3 lifetimes and the modern world is commendable! A bond that goes beyond time and space. I really love the dialogues and simple scenes that evoke joy in little things. ML and FL had good chemistry, not too much time spent on love building or melancholic scenes, had a very strong storyline, and the way both their dreams matched stirs audience's hearts. It is so relatable at points, the desire to live a simple life, to have wisdom to look beyond mortal world and to be carefree and bold. It was a rollercoaster of emotions, every scene holding a deeper meaning and every episode building onto something more beautiful. The ending was satisfactory and the dialogue "every lonely journey ends in a fated encounter" really is the solution to all modern problems. The drama was like a soft glow to my dark chambers of life.

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