Catraty

I don't think you understood me, but that's okay. I just wanted to talk about it. :)

I understand your point of view, and I know it makes sense, but I’d like to see a story where women [all of them, not just some] can fully fight for what they want, without being at the mercy of men’s whims. Even if it’s set in the past, it’s still a fantasy; I don’t see why it needs to portray the real-world history of women’s subjugation. Since Fan Chang Yu is so wonderful, I was hoping to see the same "potência de ser" [I don’t know how to say this in English] in Qian Qian and the other female characters, but no matter how wonderful she is, she’s still overshadowed by Qi Min.

Oh! Of course, the amount of screen time devoted to these scenes makes absolutely no sense! As mentioned above, not even the protagonists’ most important moments got as much screen time as the scene where Qian Qian had to use her own body to deal with Qi Min! Assustador...

I’m not the kind of person who just likes to see the main characters together on screen. I actually really enjoyed watching Xiao Yao’s solitary journey in The Unclouded Soul. I’m also certain that Qi Min is important to the plot. What bothers me isn’t the character himself, but the fact that most of his scenes involve Qian Qian and consist of all kinds of abuse. In a story that tries to show how women can also be incredible, having a female character reduced to an instrument of abuse is very disturbing. I also strongly believe that his completely maniacal personality could have been developed in a different way.

Same here.

That makes perfect sense. But it’s even sadder, because it feels like a waste of potential. Whenever I try to give them a chance and watch their scenes together, I end up witnessing pure toxicity.

Could someone who knows more about this than I do explain why Qian Qian and Qi Min get so much screen time? I can’t remember the last time a secondary couple had this much screen time in a C-drama—which wouldn’t be a problem if this weren’t the most incredibly toxic relationship I’ve ever seen. Are they trying to make us swallow a bad romance, or are they building up our hatred so it’ll be more satisfying when Qi Min gets his comeuppance? Unlike Xiao Qiao (The Prisoner of Beauty) and Xu Lan (Against the Current), Qian Qian isn’t interesting enough for me to put up with watching their scenes. I skip them all, and the episode feels short. It seems like a shame to me, because there seem to be so many interesting characters who are left on the sidelines...

The primordial goddess literally tells them that as long as the mirror exists, there will never be complete peace. She says that whenever the mirror is reassembled, a calamity will occur. Since the mirror cannot be destroyed, Hong Ye decides to seal it and says, “I was the source of all this, so now I am the only one who can pay for it.”
Even with the human king dead, it would only be a matter of time before other powerful and greedy individuals emerged. We cannot even say whether the crown prince would not be one of them if the mirror were still around.
The narrative also suggests that one of the reasons for the Feiyu Guard being disbanded is because the demons can no longer go after the Kunlun Mirror.
Finally, Hong Ye was the most powerful being willing to sacrifice himself, and it seemed to me that only someone/something with consciousness could seal the mirror. But that last part is my conjecture; your question is very good.

The Kunlun Mirror is responsible for awakening greed in humans and demons, and as long as it is available, calamity is only a matter of time. Peace was only achieved because the Kunlun Mirror was sealed by Hong Ye, meaning it is as if the mirror no longer exists. If Hong Ye had only protected it, then humans and demons would continue to fight to find it.
[I remind you that the Kunlun Mirror is fragmented and can be reassembled by anyone who experiences the eight human sufferings, so it is not something that can be protected forever].
If Xiao Yao tried to break Hong Ye's seal, she would be throwing all his effort and sacrifice away.
Finally, before going back in time, Xiao Yao explains to Xiao Ming that she had maximized an ability based on her memories. As I said earlier, she was in deep suffering. Because of this, she preferred to go back in time and relive memories, even if she couldn't change them, rather than having to continue living without Hong Ye.

Xiao Yao was left practically alone, having to deal with the deep pain of loss and guilt. She was struggling to go on living, so she found a reason to do so. Unlike other times, the technique she used to go back in time was based on her memories, implying that she couldn't change anything, only relive them, so much so that the scene repeats itself as it was before. I remind you that Xiao Yao also lost friends she made in her first, second, and third lives, as well as the love of her life. Hong Ye did not die; he sealed himself away, preventing any reunion from being possible in this or any other reincarnation. She also seems to blame herself for everything that happened. It's a horrible situation; she did what she could.

The answers may reveal more than you would like to know, so read carefully.

1) No.
2) It depends on what you consider “being together,” but I thought it was very fast considering other similar dramas.
3) They don't break up with each other, but are forced to separate by circumstances. The longest separation lasts between 2-3 episodes, during which time HMH appears little and other subplots are developed. It's a point that many people complained about, but it didn't bother me.
4) I particularly liked the ending because of the context and the emotions, but you can't say it's happy.

In the story, the great demons were killed or sacrificed themselves in wars against humans. The story takes place at a time when most demons are young and have just taken human form. What is the logic in expecting these young and naive demons to behave seriously or for any demon to act like humans, if they are not human? Finally, if all demons were dragons or nine-tailed foxes, then these creatures would not be special; if they were all super powerful, then demons would have no problems with humans... From my point of view, the fantasy elements are great, but perhaps this genre of drama is not for everyone.