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The Omen Odyssey
In an era dominated by rom-coms and censorship, horror-thriller dramas are a dying breed. So when The Seven Relics of Ill Omen—adapted from Weiyu’s novel Qi Gen Xin Jian—finally aired on Youku, I knew I had to give it a try. Despite knowing it wouldn’t rake in high ratings, my love for suspense and supernatural thrillers won out.Long ago, demons invaded the mortal realm, triggering mass bloodshed. A righteous official, Bo Yangzi, sealed them using a scroll of imperishable wood—split into seven bamboo slips—while three phoenixes sacrificed themselves to form the seal. These slips became known as the “relics of ill omen.”
Centuries later, the relics began stirring again, unleashing chaos across time periods—from ancient Fengzi Ridge to the republican era. Enter five unlikely heroes—Mu Dai (an adorable martial arts prodigy), Luo Ren (a brooding mercenary), Yi Wan San (a sharp-tongued barista), Yan Hongsha (a fearless treasure hunter), and Cao Yanhua (a reformed pickpocket). Together, they form the “Phoenix Squad” to confront the seven relics and their dark histories.
Fishing Line Doll – Luoma Lake (Relic of Blade)
Centers on Mu Dai’s adoptive mother, her tragic love, and a parasitic relic haunting Luo Ren’s family. Powerful themes of identity and revenge.
Fairy’s Guidance – Wuzhu Village (Relic of Water)
Yi Wan San returns to his cursed hometown and confronts family grief, survivor’s guilt, and a giant clam harboring the relic.
Rouge Amber – Yueliang Mountain (Relic of Hang)
Yan Hongsha’s past unravels, revealing an eerie tale involving a savage child, betrayal, and jewel greed. Mu Dai also develops a split persona here.
Wind-Blown Dust – Nantian (Relic of Mouth)
Mu Dai’s painful backstory surfaces—an abandoned child, a friend’s tragic death, and repressed trauma culminating in a gripping mental battle.
Cao Village in the Mist (Relic of Earth)
Cao Yanhua’s cousin gets possessed. Deep caves, eerie coffins, and star-related legends make this one suspenseful and myth-heavy.
Hunting Shadow and Leopard – Old Heisha Island (Relic of Human)
Luo Ren’s past resurfaces in the form of Leopard—a villainess with a dark ritual past. It’s intense, and yes, their chicken sidekick steals the spotlight.
Phoenix Reborn – Fengzi Ridge (Relic of Heart)
A powerful finale. The Phoenix Squad confronts their deepest fears in an illusion realm. No death ritual this time—just growth, unity, and healing.
Weiyu has once again delivered a fantasy-mystery marvel. The script, though slightly adjusted for censorship, retains her signature otherworldly vibe. Each relic arc is compelling, and the backstories—especially of the antagonists—are nuanced and emotionally gripping (Leopard excluded, but she’s a fun villain).
Liu Haocun is phenomenal, seamlessly switching between the cheerful Mu Dai and her darker persona. Despite past backlash (notably in Be Passionately in Love), her performance here is a revelation. Song Weilong perfectly balances mystery and tenderness as Luo Ren. Ao Ruipeng (Yi Wan San) is hilarious as ever and forms a fun duo with Cao Yanhua. Wang Yiting also impresses in her first major role I’ve seen.
From visuals to OSTs, everything is top-notch. Despite its supernatural setting, the production feels grounded and atmospheric. Massive credit to the crew for pulling off a genre this hard to air under strict censorship.
Is it worth watching? Absolutely—if you’re into well-written fantasy thrillers with emotional depth and a touch of horror. It does drag in parts, and Leopard’s strange accent can be jarring, but the overall experience is a rare gem. A well-earned applause to the creators for making this happen in today’s industry climate.
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Love it so much
I absolutely love this show; the acting and everything about it are fantastic. The actors' performances are splendid, making it feel both very real and surreal at the same time. The plot is excellent, and I have no complaints whatsoever. I did find myself bored during a few episodes, which slowed my viewing a bit. Some episodes were engaging, while others were quite dull, giving me mixed feelings. Overall, though, the story is truly impressive, and I love it greatly.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
i likey likey
this is really underratedi don't think there were many episodes i found to be boring i really really liked there squad in this drama not a single character was annoying or even boring they were all awesome they have a big role into keeping many people to continue watching it had few jumpscares when
i came across this i wasn't expecting it to make me laugh but it did make me laugh a lot
i also really liked the chicken to also
Luo Ren & Mu Dai were cute to if you are watching it for romance it doesn't have a lot of that in here but i still liked it even if it wasn't much of it they were still adorable i think
editing does feel of on some parts i still will totally recommend this if like you shows with bit of creepy supernatural/ fantasy aspects & also comedy i don't think this was promoted much so i don't think many people even know about this
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Addictive mystery/Sci-Fi series with a great cast!!
PLOT: The FL (warrior with martial arts) investigates a serial killer. During this investigation, she meets the ML (also a warrior) who is investigating the same series. As the investigation progresses, the team joins a wacky old historian (the investigation seems to lead to ancient evil relics), then ML2 (Ao RuiPeng) and Chubby, then FL2.+++ With ( ღ’ᴗ’ღ ) Song Wei Long (handsome, powerful, charismatic in action scenes) & Ao Rui Peng ( ( ღ’ᴗ’ღ ) even more handsome with long hair - as a cowardly, mischievous, but especially too thin anti-hero) and Liu Hao Cun as FL
+++ Thriller atmosphere, suspense, action, with a touch of humor to lighten the mood.
+++ PERFECT production: fast-paced, good CGI quality, no downtime, great parkour and fight scenes.
+++ Well-constructed, intelligent story, revealing clues at just the right time and maintaining suspense. The viewer's brain is stimulated to follow/hypothesize/speculate about what happens next. Good job!
+++ Cliffhanger at the end of each episode
+++ Excellent OSTs
### You have to be lenient with the 3rd Relic arc; Savage and very artificial settings, less good CGI. But the scene between our two "heroes" vs. Miss Savage (ep. 13) is hilarious :)
### Some makeup is poor (ep. 19 especially)
### The chemistry between ML and FL is strong, but it's a shame there isn't even a single kiss (gossip: apparently Liu Hao Cun refuses kissing scenes??? Such prudishness is not appropriate when you want to be an actress; it's part of the job!)
=> Addictive, magical series, carried by Song Wei Long (however, if I stayed glued to my screen, I'm not sure I'd watch this drama again, because the series loses its magic when you know the end of the story).
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Série mystère/ Sc-Fi addictive, avec un great cast !!
PLOT: La FL (warrior avec arts martiaux) enquête sur un tueur en série. Au cours de cette enquête, elle rencontre le ML (warrior lui aussi) qui enquête sur la mm série. Au fil des investigat°, la team va s'ajoindre un veil historien farfelu (enquête semble mener à d'anciennes reliques maléfiques), puis ML2 (Ao RuiPeng) et Chubby, puis FL2.
+++ Avec ( ღ’ᴗ’ღ ) Song Wei Long (beau, puissant, charismatique dans les scènes d'action) & Ao Rui Peng ( ( ღ’ᴗ’ღ ) even more handsome with long hair - en anti-héros lâche, malicieux, mais surtt trop mince) et Liu Hao Cun en FL
+++ ambiance thriller, suspense, action, avec une petite touche d'humour pr alléger l'atmosphère.
+++ Réalis° PARFAITE : rapide, CGI good quality, aucun temps mort, great scènes de parkours et de fight.
+++ Story bien construite, intelligente, pour dévoiler les indices au bon moment et entretenir le suspense. Le cerveau du spectateur est sollicité pour suivre / faire des hypothèses / spéculer sur la suite. God job !
+++ Cliffhanger à la fin de chq épisode
+++ Excellentes OSTs
### Il faut être indulgent avec l'arc de la 3e relique ; sauvage et décors très artificiels, CGI moins bonnes. Mais le passage nos 2 "héros" vs Melle Sauvage, (ép 13) est hilarant :)
### Certains make-up sont pauvres (ép 19 particulièrement)
### L'alchimie est forte entre ML et FL, mais c'est dommage qu'il n'y ait mm pas un seul kiss (gossip: il parait que Liu Hao Cun refuse les scènes de baiser ??? Une telle pruderie n'est pas de mise qd on veut être actrice, ça fait partie du job !)
=> Série addictive, magique, portée Par Song Wei Long (cependant, si je suis restée collée à mon écran, je ne suis pas sûre de regarder ce drama à nouveau, parce que la série perd de sa magie qd on connait la fin de l'histoire).
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Thrilling Supernatural Adventure with Stellar Cast
Story & Plot:Engaging premise with thrilling relic arcs (e.g., Fishing Line Doll, Rouge Amber). Fast-paced with cliffhangers, but the first 2-4 episodes drag, and the ending feels rushed, leaving some plot points unclear.
Acting & Cast:
Song Weilong and Liu Haocun deliver captivating performances as Luo Ren and Mu Dai. Ao Rui Peng and Zhang Yi Chi shine, with strong chemistry. Minor roles occasionally feel miscast.
Cinematography & CGI:
Eerie visuals fit the tone, but cinematography can feel soap opera-like. CGI is decent but not standout, with some relic effects lacking polish.
Music:
The OST, including Liu Yuning’s tracks, enhances suspense and emotion, perfectly complementing key scenes.
Themes & Character Dynamics:
Strong focus on friendship and subtle romance. The squad’s banter and bonds are highlights, though the romance could be deeper. Themes of revenge and healing resonate.
Rewatch Value:
Thrilling arcs and character dynamics make it rewatchable for sci-fi fans, though pacing issues may deter some.
Pros: Unique, thrilling relic-based plot. Strong performances and squad chemistry. Subtle romance and engaging OST. Binge-worthy with cliffhangers.
Cons: Slow start and rushed ending. CGI and cinematography lack polish. Some miscasting in minor roles.
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Some parts of the story also confused me like I still don’t really understand why Leopard hates Luo Ren so much. It feels like there wasn’t enough explanation or buildup.
I also thought Mu Dai would be a really strong and important character, but we didn’t get to explore her strength or background as much as I hoped.
The concept is good and the vibe is there, but the execution just didn’t fully hit for me.
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I’ve read the novel more than 5 times.
The drama version feels a bit odd, except for the cast. The cast really went all out.
But the plot’s a bit different, they kinda rushed Luo Ren’s story. This drama was actually male-centric, but it suddenly changed.
Maybe it’s because of the cuts from the censors 4 episodes were removed, and apparently most of them were Luo Ren’s scenes
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Surprisingly good!
I started this drama without much expectations and wow! I'm glad I did!First: I was very invested in the Seven Relics of Ill Omens story. It kept me hooked onto the drama till the end! How the Relics came into being, their back story and each of the crime scenes, the psychology and analysis of how they behave and the tiny details here and there.
Its a nice, adventurous plot that reminds me of 'Tomb of the Sea' series.
If you liked that drama, you will mostly like this one as well!
Second: All the side characters were fantastic 👏 👌! I was rooting for the second lead couple from the very beginning and I'm so glad everybody got a happy ending!
Third: Ao Rui Peng! My guy! He did a fabulous job with his character! Ao as Jiang Zhao was well written, with so much emotional baggage, backstory, character growth arc! I actually loved him more then the main lead!
Fourth: The romance arc was alright but could have been much better. Maybe its just me...but I didn’t feel much chemistry between the main leads. Luo Ren at most times had really stiff expressions. Also Mu Dai, maybe its the voice actor or actual voice of actress, the drastic switch between childish voice and normal voice was annoying. Especially in between scenes when she sounded very child-like lol
Fifth: Mr Kun, the peasant Mr. Chicken and Mr. Cao were the hidden MVPs lol. Great comedians that brought some relief/buffer between tough scenes!
Overall, its a good watch! With a happy ending!
Rewatch value: 8/10
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A highly underrated C-drama – absolutely worth watching!
It has everything: friendship, cool fight scenes, comedy, heart-fluttering romance, and emotional moments. So far, it’s one of the best dramas I’ve watched.Song Weilong absolutely stole the show with his acting — his expressions were perfect. The scenes with Chubby and Thirteen Thousand were hilarious and so fun to watch. The female lead, Mu Dai, portrayed her role very well too.
Although some scenes toward the end felt a bit illogical, the beginning was fantastic. The "savage episode" in particular made me so emotional — I even cried.
This is a must-watch if you love fantasy with a mix of humor and lighthearted romance!
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Cool Fights and Theme, But It Drags
The plot and characters are pretty interesting—especially Mu Dai with the whole black-and-white split personality thing. The fight scenes were what got me into it in the first place, and the opening and music fit the show's theme really well. But honestly, the pacing feels too slow, and I found myself skipping a lot. It just started to drag. So for now, I'm dropping it. Might come back if something later pulls me in.Was this review helpful to you?
The Seven Relics of MAKE MORE LIKE THIS .
Honestly, at first i wasn't very interested in watching this simply because of the cover picture, but i trusted in Song Wei Long and his capability for acting in modern/Action dramas, he really does suit the part.I'm loving the Adventures and the way it's so easy to slip into and get hooked & I mean instantly! (very binge-worthy)
+ The story/plot is easy to follow along especially if you are new to watching long dramas.
+ The cast is well balanced with Males and Females.
+ The cast chemistry is great not only just between the M/F leads so it just makes for good cinema.
+ This could possibly be turned into a great movie, the scenery & different locations is just beautiful you can really tell they put a lot of time and effort into this work.
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Diverse story
This story has elements of friendship, love, adventure, horror, thriller and alot more. There is character development and an amazing cast. I normally skip adventure stories as so much is going on to even comprehend but this plot is coherent and I am always eagerly waiting for episodes.Another part I must bring to focus is how every character has strengths of their own. The female lead Mu dai is a martial artist that inspires me. I love shows with strong females leads. She does has a vulnerability due to her soft emotions but is overall my favourite character. The male lead Luo Ren, so far is a little op but is quite charming, playful and a true friend and leader to the group.
Tho I specifed the ml and fl, the whole friend group are the main characters.
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