The Unclouded Soul

Cute and Sweet

I was so excited when the preview of this drama came out because I’m a complete sucker for anything fantasy, especially if the ML is one of my favorites. I wasn’t over with Love in the Clouds, and now Hou Ming Hao has another drama with “cloud” in its title. Of course I was sold. I’ve only seen Tan Songyun in Whirlwind Girl and I couldn’t say much about her acting. Everyone seems to love her in drama land, so I was like okay, I’ll give it a go because this is a Hou Ming Hao drama and I know it won’t disappoint. I ended up enjoying her performance here. She’s cute and funny. This drama was special in its own way. I can’t compare this to Love in the Clouds. It’s cliche because almost every fantasy drama out there is made up of the same ingredients. I’m not complaining, though. The ML, Hong Ye, was awakened from a century’s nap by a young girl. We all know they’re linked somehow from the past, as always. The girl, Xiao Yao, was saved from falling off a cliff by the ML. She was brought back to the Demons’ Valley where she met some friends, the pig demon, Luoluo, and Dali, a flower demon. When Hong Ye was triggered by a memory, he started strangling Xiao Yao because he was so pissed. We saw a sneak peek of the memory that showed how Princess Ning’an betrayed him. I love how he fell for her right away after realizing they’re not the same person. I already knew that whatever she did to him 100 years ago wasn’t the full truth. Whenever Ning’an’s name popped up, she gets sad. She thinks Hong Ye only helps her because she looks like his past lover. When she saw Ning’an’s illusion, she asked what’s so special about her that Hong Ye kept thinking about her. In the end we found out that she is Ning’an and she’s also the Azure dragon Lord from 10,000 years ago who was the monarch of all demons. I love how Xiao Yao doesn’t stay mad for long when complications arise. She’s always there for him. Hou Ming Hao doesn’t show much of his acting chops here because Hong Ye was supposed to be this gentle, kind hearted demon that only wants peace between the human and demon race. It was nice to see Zhao Liying as the exalted immortal at the beginning. I started missing The Legend of Shen Li all of a sudden. The CG effects, music, fight scenes, and settings were really great in this drama. I adored the little Zhuyu herbs. They were so cute! The kisses were simple, not passionate. The chemistry between the leads was kinda off. I can’t put my finger on it. Overall, it was a great drama. I have to shave a point here because first off, what the heck was that ending? I refused to accept it. Poor Hong Ye! I hate that kind of ending. Why can’t they just guard the kunlun mirror and still be together? That really ripped my heart out. Then the writers killed off the three great demons as well. I really wanted to see them again. Anyway, I really thought Hong Ye was originally from an extinct dragon clan like what one of the theories say. Turns out, that was actually Xiao Yao. It’s funny how in the end, Hong Ye who used to be a human prince fought with Bingzhu, who used to be human, too. I love Xiao Yao because she has a good heart. When she learned the truth from 10,000 years ago, she transferred her power to him and made sure that Hong Ye will never die. He will become a demon and atone for his sins. She accepted the truth no matter how unbearable it was. Ah, true love. I was smiling and giggling whenever they had cute moments. I loved this drama so much. I highly recommend it for fantasy junkies like me.

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True definition of “love that transcends time”

This drama is a masterpiece. Story and acting are superb. THE ONLY THING WAS THE ENDING. Not the worst, just not satisfying.

I love the cast and story so much. Never a dull moment! So many comedic scenes. I love their love. I love every gesture and every expression of their love. It was so pure through all the lifetimes and truly moved me. I haven't been attached to a drama in a while; this one is it. I am hooked and obsessed with the story as well as the ML /FL.

The reason for the 8.5 rewatch rating is that I can't go through the ending again; my heart can't take it. Nevertheless, this drama is a must-watch at least once. It is a great drama.

Keep up the great work, HMH and crew! Thank you for bringing the characters to life and letting us viewers truly immerse ourselves in this story.

Looking forward to many more of your dramas. Stay healthy and happy always!

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Great cast, nice acting, ending could've been better

So, I completed this drama today and all I can say is that the ending could've been better... I get that they wanted to portray cause and effect which they did excellently, but 3 lifetimes should've been enough to find a solution that benefits everyone.

Tang Songyun is my best actress and I couldn't see anyone who could've played Xiao Yao like she did. I became a fan of Hou Minghao more recently; he's an amazing actor and played his role as demon lord perfectly... For some reason though, there were times when it felt like something was missing in their acting... I don't know if it's the script or their age difference that caused the little frictions, but I've seen them be so involved in their acting in other works that it felt so natural... My opinion on their acting as individuals certainly won't change.

Overall it's a good drama. If the ending was well planned, maybe it'd have been a drama I'd rewatch but most deaths in the last two episodes were unwarranted and some characters deserved far worse endings than they were given.

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May the type of "love" that found Hong Ye never find me.

The people who know me know that I will drop a drama at the slightest inconvenience, even if it’s from one of my favorite actors, without looking back. In this show, the first of such inconveniences was the female lead’s voice. It grated on my nerves, and it bothered me that even the Zhuyu herb’s sounds had more feeling behind them than whatever she was trying to portray at any given moment.

So if I were to judge this drama solely on the main leads’ story, chemistry, and portrayal of their characters, it would be, at best, a 1/10. That means I wouldn’t even get a chance to rate it, because I would have already said, “Be gone from my sight, you putrid thing,” and dropped it after the first episode. Okay, I would have dropped it before the first episode was even over. However, despite how terribly the main story was written and how unlikeable the main female lead was, and, a lot of the time, even the male lead, the drama still had something that kept me going back to it.

First, it was Bing Zhu. His character’s story was so much better written than the main leads’, and I just wanted to keep watching him and his struggles. Then, they started giving me these mini side stories that tugged at my heart. Some of the guest characters’ stories, although rehashed time and time again, were still far better than the main leads’ overarching one. As if it wasn’t enough that Bing Zhu and the guest characters were outshining the main leads, they added Pian Pian to the mix. The drama did not give me what I needed, but Bing Zhu and Pian Pian certainly did.

So, after struggling through narcolepsy, rage bouts, and disgust, because of the horrible writing and a female lead who felt like an omniscient narrator, always everywhere, mostly looking like a deer in headlights, but not really adding anything to the events happening on screen, I can honestly say that even the “villains” didn’t annoy me as much as she did. Possibly because she was the main villain in the story. This is not a spoiler; this is just my opinion of her.

I say all this to justify why I decided not to rate it a 3 like I was going to originally do. It would be a disservice to Bing Zhu and Pian Pian, and to all others who acted their hearts out no matter how small or big their roles were. Final rating 5/10.

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for me it's in between average & very good/excellent drama .. rating wise maybe 7.8/10 ..

Hou Ming Hao is a good actor , but the vibe of demon lord i feels missing .. in dramas in which ML is the demon , then i prefer Arthur Chen , Ao Rui Peng , Dylan Wang , Ryan Cheng .. maybe if Wang Duo [ Bing Zhu ] would have been the main ML than it's demon vibe would have different . but out of the names i have mentioned Arthur Chen is now currently my no. 1 preferred ML in demon main ML dramas after watching When Destiny Brings the Demon ..

coming to the story it's same type of happy ending where the ML will sacrifice himself & they will meet again in last 3-4 minutes before ending , but in this drama the style is different ..

in flashback it was shown that Ning An killed Hong Ye , & in the present time when Xiao Yao went back in time to get back Hong Ye's power she became Ning An & Xiao Yao knew that Ning An killed Hong Ye & still in the end Hong Ye still died & Xiao Yao couldn't prevent it even knowing what had happened & actually it was Xiao Yao as Ning An who killed Hong Ye because she was controlled using magic & she couldn't stop it which was shown in flashback but it still benefited her because she got his drop of tear & he was able to get back power in present time ..

when Xiao Yao went back 10000 years ago , at that time Hong Ye was human & Xiao Yao was a demon & still Xiao Yao during that time she had to stab & made him sleep for 5000 years . so in the end Xiao Yao learnt a technique where she can go specific time in the past as per her choice . so when she want back 1000 years ago she knew Hong Ye died in the past still she couldn't change that . when she went 10000 years ago she doesn't have any memory of that time but still she had to stab & make him sleep for 5000 years in the end . so in the finale episode when she went back in time , when she had to kill Hong Ye 2 times & couldn't change the timeline , so going back in the past in the finale how she can change the timeline & stop Hong Ye from sacrificing himself in the end ..

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this drama is hot mess!!

it's really hard to rate this drama. even thou it isn't bad the drama itself makes it hard to like it.
the pacing is all wrong, the main plot gets lost in the sauce, some characters actions don't make any sense.

basic plot: the entire world inhabited by humans, demon and immortal deyates are after the Yuli springs which grants immortality. in other to access the spring water, one must look for the 8 pieces of a magical mirror.
that's were the story starts and where it ends , but the middle part is a whole mess.

we quickly put aside this mission and get lost in endless "quest focused" episodes.

main observations

The dynamic between characters are forced. The start of this love story doesn't make any sense. The 2 main leads are at best acquaintances but the plot wants to see us they falling in love. If you just skip this step, you'll enjoy the drama even though the actors don't have "couple vibes" but "friends vibes".
Same thing for the soldier guy. His only encounter with Xiao Yao is at the military office where he sees her as scammer. Later in the episodes she just flees away and later we are supposed to believe is respects her as a " kind person".. sorry...but when did this happen?😅
Adding to the strange dynamics between characters, Dali revolting against Xiao Yao doesn't make any sense. The was no foreshadowing of this conflict..it just appeared.
She was the one who volunteer to save the demonic Lord with Xiao Yao...

Ep 20: we are halfway through the drama and the main mission, finding the mirror pieces is on hold... They managed to obtain 2 pieces... Until now there is a lot of side quests but a main fil Rouge is missing. Where is this drama going?

Ep 28: the drama has lost the plot. We make 2 steps forward with the main plot and waste episodes on episodes on side quests. Xiao Yao went back in time to collect the primordial spirit of the demon King... Was are they doing? Solving crimes around town. Side stories no one cares about.

This drama started out with endless people looking for the immortality spring and 3/4 into the stories no one is really talking about it, they collect 2 pieces of the mirror so far. 2 pieces...

Hong he is such a boring character.
Pace is uneven. Everything happens at once or nothing happens at all.

The more the drama progreses the more I dislike the main FL. I get that you love Hong he but she treats everyone else like shit when Hong he is involved.

This drama is basically them falling In love because of "kindness" towards one another and eating noodles.


episode 40:
I am finally done with this drama. man, what a mess.

if would have been better to watch to first 10 episode and the last 10. everything in between is basically filler .

the last 5ish episodes cointain all the important information about this drama and we're still hard to swallow.

the only completely positive thing for me is the cat character. he is just too lovable.

watch this drama only if you have endless patience and don't care about coherence.

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Nice one

The Unclouded Soul is a 40-episode drama about relationships between humans and demons, and the greed within them to become immortal. Even those who are already immortal seek greater power.
I liked the drama, especially the love story between the leads. It also has a few light and humorous scenes. Overall, everything was fine except the ending. Firstly, I disliked the killing of the three demons who had been sealed in the mountain for many years. Secondly, I was dissatisfied with the ending of the leads’ love story.
Apart from that, everything else was perfect. The background music and songs were also good.

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I don't like the last 5 ending episodes

Tbh i am not very satisfied with this serie, ending was terrible, i hate that they killed those 3 funny guys after just lifting their seal, these boys didn't even get a chance to change their lives and find their true better half. As always chinese like to use side characters to use only for the wellbeing of the leads, and honestly it's anoying as it its already, just stop with that, it's getting on my nerves. But i also understand that this kind of pov is part of the culture, but it's wrong, everybody deserve to be happy and loved equally. Also after Hong Ye sacrifised himself and let all the shit he made repent, writers still didn't leave it as it is, and got him back with XY with some bibidibabidi bu. Like what?? Serioslly, i love Neo but this character he plays, its terrible, wtf are you telling me Ml can be back and some back characters can't? They should at least give those 3 boys reincarnation possibility they def deserved it after all shit they selflesly took from Fl and her HY obssesion. In normal dramas those two leads are evil guys.

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A neverending story

I was so excited for this drama because the previous shows I watched with Hou Minghao were absolute bangers but this one.... yikes. It was a rollercoaster I didn't like and wanted to get off as soon as possible.

The story follows Xiao Yao as she's caught up in the middle of the continuous feude between Demons and Humans. During a fight among them she discovers that she's part human, part demon but doesn't understand how the hell that happened. Before she can decide what to do the demons take her away to Demon Valley and tell her she can't leave due to her demonic powers and her practicing them. Along the way she makes friends and gets to know the demons. Instead of human eating beast they can be gentle and kind. She even makes friends and becomes very protective of them.
Can she stop the fighting between both worlds?

The plot above seemed interesting to me but I fell for a cheap scheme. Most of the story was dull, too long and most of it didn't make much sense. The characters didn't do much for me. I didn't feel attached to a single one and kind of hoped something interesting would happen. I'm usually a big sucker for romance but this one just felt off. It didn't feel like a real love to me because there was no time for them to actually fall in love. They just decided they were at some point and chose to not live without the other. Or to die protecting the other.

Maybe this is just not the story for me. I really thought it was going to be this epic drama that would blow me away but it never did. I ended up skipping through most of the ending, not really caring about the Feiyu gaurds, the humans or the entire storyline around that demon bat (with a name I keep forgetting) who wants to steal Hong Ye's demon throne. And it just became ridiculous after Xiao Yao started to travel back in time. At that point I started wishing Hong Ye (in his first life) was the manipulating and spiteful human who betrayed the demon queen and killed her entire race just to get to the Yuli Spring but that never happened. Even back then he was a lovestruck boy without any real power.

I really think this show overreached a little. They used great actors but the characters were outright stupid and too goofy. The power level of their demon king was weak ( I mean... that whole "I lost my powers so we have to bluff our way through" thing was silly. It was probably meant as comic relief but it came across as a weird plot).

Like:
- The OST is superb. I fell in love with most of the songs and have added them to my playlist.
- The cast is amazing.
- The costumes are beautiful!

Dislike:
- Most of the earlier episodes are story-to-storyline. Early episodes are filled with stories that are not connected to the main characters and most of the mains are reduced to background characters (as in, you don't see them for a while).
- Dali. They ruined her character for me by doing that "jealousy" arc.
- The main couple. I get that they fall in love over three lifetimes but the way time goes in this show and how time travel is a thing... they just didn't spark for me. I didn't feel the chemistry. They became annoyingly in love at some point. Always choosing each other (even when it was obviously a stupid choice) and I had to roll my eyes so badly they started to hurt.
- The overal storyline. We spend so much time on watching Xiao Yao sit in Demon Academy (which was a thing) and helping other people or demons in trouble. I actually liked watching her work with both demons and the Feiyu guards and was expecting them to reconcile at some point and make peace between both races, but the story took such a deep dive into randomness I was mindblown... and not in a good way.
- Hong Ye was supposed to be this all-powerful demon king but if I had to compare him to other Demon Kings I've seen he's probably the weakest yet. He's easily broken and felt like a king only by name.

Do I recommend? No. But if you're in for a long haul of a drama with a not-so-great story but great actors, this just might be your next watch. But if you're wanting something with a little more plot and interesting characters, this might not be the one for you.

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Despite Hou Minghao’s stunning presence, I don’t see myself revisiting this series.

The Unclouded Soul is a visual treat. Hou Minghao as Hong Ye brings quiet intensity to the role of the demon king, and his restrained presence makes the epic moments stand out. Tan Songyun as Xiao Yao delivers charm and energy, making her one of the most interesting characters, even when her playful style may feel a touch cheeky at times. Taner and Bing Xu add depth to the side arcs, giving the drama layered emotional threads beyond the main storyline.
The world-building is impressive: costumes, set design, and cinematography pull you straight into a mythic, xianxia-inspired universe. The soundtrack beautifully complements key moments, with songs that linger long after the episode ends, adding sweet and melancholic layers to the experience.
Romance is subtle — restrained and careful — which may feel understated for those expecting full-on swoonworthy payoffs. Some character dynamics also lean unconventional, keeping things slightly off the typical “romantic high” path.
Overall, The Unclouded Soul shines in visual storytelling and character depth, even if the romance doesn’t fully satisfy.

Overall, it’s a visually beautiful and ohhkey-acted drama with layered characters, but the pace and restrained romance may not fully justify the full 40-episode commitment for every viewer.

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