This review may contain spoilers
Where demons bleed love, and mortals ache with truth.
This drama is a storm of everything—funny, serious, tragic, healing. Every moment carved itself into my heart. The OSTs, the acting, the gorgeous visuals, the blazing VFX, the fierce action, the jaw-dropping costumes—chef’s kiss. But what really hooked me? The emotions. The friendships. The soul-deep sorrow wrapped in loyalty and second chances.
I loved how this story painted pain without shame, and love without limits. Everyone carried scars. Everyone had sins. But still—they learned to see the good in each other, to forgive, to trust, to choose love over fate.
Zhao Yuanzhou, my broken-hearted, misunderstood demon… The Great White Ape with a soul softer than starlight. Everyone teased him, yet no one saw how much he was crumbling inside. He was always there to protect, to endure, to not hurt anyone… yet in return, he was cast out, blamed, left alone in pain. Watching him break down, saying he wanted to die, punishing himself with lightning, all because of guilt that wasn’t even his fault—I just wanted to reach into the screen and hold him. When everyone hugged… and left him out after Ying Lei’s grandfather died?
That one moment wrecked me. He didn’t need much—just someone to stay. Just one person to say “you’re not a monster.”
And Zhuo Yichen—his soulmate. Even though Yuanzhou killed his brother and father, Yichen stayed. That’s not forgiveness, that’s faith. Yichen’s stupidity? Iconic. His righteousness? Admirable. His loyalty? Unshakeable. Their bond—demon and human-turned-demon—was peak bromance. The way Yuanzhou flirts, the way Yichen cares for Bai Jiu, the way he stands tall even when the world throws dirt on his name… pure poetry. The pain of being hated by the city he protected? His ancestor Bingyi’s shadow trailing behind him? That cut deep.
And Bai Jiu—demon, god, and human in one messy, lovable form. He made me laugh, then betray me, then cry for him. His clingy sweetness. His heartbreak. His guilt. His mother’s story still hurts. And when he teased Zhu Yan and admired Yichen? Adorable.
Li Lun, the lonely Pagoda Tree… A being who loved demons and wilderness with all his heart. He carried pain like petals in the wind—soft, silent, ever-present. His friendship with Zhu Yan… their mutual care masked by "enemy" labels? Too precious. They never let go of each other, not truly. They held onto the gifts—the umbrella and the rattle drum—even when they pretended to be foes.
And when Wen Xiao destroyed the drum, and Li Lun’s eyes lost their light? I sobbed. All he wanted was for the umbrella to come from Zhu Yan, not Ao Yin. That one small hope crushed me.
And Ying Lei—the mischievous mountain god-demon. The way everyone picked on him affectionately? Hilarious. But when his grandfather died? The grief in his eyes hit like thunder. Still, he stood strong. He believed in Yichen when it mattered most.
Li Lun’s return was bittersweet—he came back, but then clashed with Yichen. When Yichen’s Cloud Light Sword shattered? That sound echoed like a scream through the clouds. But hearing Yichen say “I understand you now” to Yuanzhou? Tears.
And when he said he’d regret killing Yuanzhou? When he refused to repair the sword, because he didn’t want him to die? I was done.
"From wanting revenge… to pleading with trembling hands, just to save someone he once hated—It wasn’t hatred anymore. It was fear. Fear of loss. Fear of living with guilt. Fear of being alone again.”
And Yuanzhou—always ready to take the pain. To sacrifice everything, even his life, just to save Yichen from being frozen. Wen Xiao didn’t matter. Only Yichen did.
It hurt to hope, and it hurt even more to remember—but they came back. Yichen and Yuanzhou. Alive, breathing, together. But the past never truly lets go, does it? History repeated itself like a cruel echo—just as Bingyi and Ying Long were torn apart by fate, so too were Zhao Yuanzhou and Zhuo Yichen bound to the same tragedy. Zhu Yan became Ying Long—sacrificing himself for the world. Yichen became Bingyi—forced to lift his own hand against the person he loved most.
Bingyi and Ying Long’s story? Divine and devastating. A friendship so profound, it glowed brighter than any deity. Ying Long, forging the Cloud Light Sword from his own dragon bones and horns… Bingyi, refusing to kill ying long, and ying long killing himself with the cloud light sword so that bingyi doesn't have to bear the guilt of killing his bestfriend...heartbreaking. They were ethereal, celestial, doomed.
And Wen Xiao... watching everyone she loved disappear—“My master (Zhao Wan’er), my best friend (Zhou Yichen), my beloved (Zhao Yuanzhou).” Her grief was like moonlight—quiet, cold, and cutting. The way she hit Yuanzhou for leaving her? That hurt more than any blade.
Even the comic relief twisted the knife in a soft way.
Yichen patting his stomach: “I think I have it now,” and everyone thought he was pregnant 🤣—but nope, just got his inner core back.
Then the fake betrayal… Ying Lei and Pei Sijing saying Bai Jiu was more important than Yuanzhou, just to push Yichen… And Yichen, bless him, defending Yuanzhou like a knight: "If you want his inner core, fight me first." He was fooled, but we weren’t—his loyalty was too real. Yuanzhou losing all his demonic power to repair the Cloud Light Sword? That loss was unspoken… but thunderous.
Li Lun... oh, Li Lun 😭 So lonely. So pitiful. So beautiful in his brokenness. All he had was Ao Yin, and she sacrificed herself for him. Yuanzhou begged Yichen not to kill him. Instead, he helped Li Lun's inner core return to his pagoda tree—so he might live again, 100 years from now, as a human. A second chance…One last hope for a boy born from tragedy.
Ying Lei’s death shattered Yichen. Watching him cry, trying to hold on—too late.
And that dream sequence, after they were poisoned? A fantasy of warmth, of family, of everyone gathered together… only to turn into a nightmare where Yichen is left utterly alone.
Li Lun pausing his own cultivation to save them... giving half his demonic power to Yichen, half to Zhu Yan. That moment where their powers merged on Zhu Yan’s body? Glorious. Terrifying. Beautiful.
And then... Bai Jiu burned away. Just like that. Gone.
Yichen stabbing Yuanzhou himself—“I’ll carry the guilt. I’ll carry the pain. Just don’t make me live in regret like Bingyi.” Yuanzhou didn’t resist. He just looked into Yichen’s eyes… until his last breath. Then he was gone. But not really. He said he’d return as rain. And he did. The rain fell gently. And there was Yichen—standing in it,
drenched, silent, waiting for the only person who could never return.
A goodbye I wasn’t ready for.
The final battle tore my heart to shreds. Ying Lei, Heng, Bai Jiu, Li Lun, and Zhao Yuanzhou… all gone, like fading stars after the storm. The Demon Hunting Bureau now stands quieter—with only Zhou Yichen, Wen Xiao, and Pei Sijing left to carry the legacy. But the memory of Zhu Yan’s sacrifice still echoes through Tiandu like a song everyone remembers but no one dares to hum out loud.
That final sword technique—Cloud Leading—was everything. Just a small fragment of Yuanzhou’s soul, a flicker of hope, and Yichen searched every inch of the mortal realm and wilderness for it. And in the end… that soul found its way home.
I loved how this story painted pain without shame, and love without limits. Everyone carried scars. Everyone had sins. But still—they learned to see the good in each other, to forgive, to trust, to choose love over fate.
Zhao Yuanzhou, my broken-hearted, misunderstood demon… The Great White Ape with a soul softer than starlight. Everyone teased him, yet no one saw how much he was crumbling inside. He was always there to protect, to endure, to not hurt anyone… yet in return, he was cast out, blamed, left alone in pain. Watching him break down, saying he wanted to die, punishing himself with lightning, all because of guilt that wasn’t even his fault—I just wanted to reach into the screen and hold him. When everyone hugged… and left him out after Ying Lei’s grandfather died?
That one moment wrecked me. He didn’t need much—just someone to stay. Just one person to say “you’re not a monster.”
And Zhuo Yichen—his soulmate. Even though Yuanzhou killed his brother and father, Yichen stayed. That’s not forgiveness, that’s faith. Yichen’s stupidity? Iconic. His righteousness? Admirable. His loyalty? Unshakeable. Their bond—demon and human-turned-demon—was peak bromance. The way Yuanzhou flirts, the way Yichen cares for Bai Jiu, the way he stands tall even when the world throws dirt on his name… pure poetry. The pain of being hated by the city he protected? His ancestor Bingyi’s shadow trailing behind him? That cut deep.
And Bai Jiu—demon, god, and human in one messy, lovable form. He made me laugh, then betray me, then cry for him. His clingy sweetness. His heartbreak. His guilt. His mother’s story still hurts. And when he teased Zhu Yan and admired Yichen? Adorable.
Li Lun, the lonely Pagoda Tree… A being who loved demons and wilderness with all his heart. He carried pain like petals in the wind—soft, silent, ever-present. His friendship with Zhu Yan… their mutual care masked by "enemy" labels? Too precious. They never let go of each other, not truly. They held onto the gifts—the umbrella and the rattle drum—even when they pretended to be foes.
And when Wen Xiao destroyed the drum, and Li Lun’s eyes lost their light? I sobbed. All he wanted was for the umbrella to come from Zhu Yan, not Ao Yin. That one small hope crushed me.
And Ying Lei—the mischievous mountain god-demon. The way everyone picked on him affectionately? Hilarious. But when his grandfather died? The grief in his eyes hit like thunder. Still, he stood strong. He believed in Yichen when it mattered most.
Li Lun’s return was bittersweet—he came back, but then clashed with Yichen. When Yichen’s Cloud Light Sword shattered? That sound echoed like a scream through the clouds. But hearing Yichen say “I understand you now” to Yuanzhou? Tears.
And when he said he’d regret killing Yuanzhou? When he refused to repair the sword, because he didn’t want him to die? I was done.
"From wanting revenge… to pleading with trembling hands, just to save someone he once hated—It wasn’t hatred anymore. It was fear. Fear of loss. Fear of living with guilt. Fear of being alone again.”
And Yuanzhou—always ready to take the pain. To sacrifice everything, even his life, just to save Yichen from being frozen. Wen Xiao didn’t matter. Only Yichen did.
It hurt to hope, and it hurt even more to remember—but they came back. Yichen and Yuanzhou. Alive, breathing, together. But the past never truly lets go, does it? History repeated itself like a cruel echo—just as Bingyi and Ying Long were torn apart by fate, so too were Zhao Yuanzhou and Zhuo Yichen bound to the same tragedy. Zhu Yan became Ying Long—sacrificing himself for the world. Yichen became Bingyi—forced to lift his own hand against the person he loved most.
Bingyi and Ying Long’s story? Divine and devastating. A friendship so profound, it glowed brighter than any deity. Ying Long, forging the Cloud Light Sword from his own dragon bones and horns… Bingyi, refusing to kill ying long, and ying long killing himself with the cloud light sword so that bingyi doesn't have to bear the guilt of killing his bestfriend...heartbreaking. They were ethereal, celestial, doomed.
And Wen Xiao... watching everyone she loved disappear—“My master (Zhao Wan’er), my best friend (Zhou Yichen), my beloved (Zhao Yuanzhou).” Her grief was like moonlight—quiet, cold, and cutting. The way she hit Yuanzhou for leaving her? That hurt more than any blade.
Even the comic relief twisted the knife in a soft way.
Yichen patting his stomach: “I think I have it now,” and everyone thought he was pregnant 🤣—but nope, just got his inner core back.
Then the fake betrayal… Ying Lei and Pei Sijing saying Bai Jiu was more important than Yuanzhou, just to push Yichen… And Yichen, bless him, defending Yuanzhou like a knight: "If you want his inner core, fight me first." He was fooled, but we weren’t—his loyalty was too real. Yuanzhou losing all his demonic power to repair the Cloud Light Sword? That loss was unspoken… but thunderous.
Li Lun... oh, Li Lun 😭 So lonely. So pitiful. So beautiful in his brokenness. All he had was Ao Yin, and she sacrificed herself for him. Yuanzhou begged Yichen not to kill him. Instead, he helped Li Lun's inner core return to his pagoda tree—so he might live again, 100 years from now, as a human. A second chance…One last hope for a boy born from tragedy.
Ying Lei’s death shattered Yichen. Watching him cry, trying to hold on—too late.
And that dream sequence, after they were poisoned? A fantasy of warmth, of family, of everyone gathered together… only to turn into a nightmare where Yichen is left utterly alone.
Li Lun pausing his own cultivation to save them... giving half his demonic power to Yichen, half to Zhu Yan. That moment where their powers merged on Zhu Yan’s body? Glorious. Terrifying. Beautiful.
And then... Bai Jiu burned away. Just like that. Gone.
Yichen stabbing Yuanzhou himself—“I’ll carry the guilt. I’ll carry the pain. Just don’t make me live in regret like Bingyi.” Yuanzhou didn’t resist. He just looked into Yichen’s eyes… until his last breath. Then he was gone. But not really. He said he’d return as rain. And he did. The rain fell gently. And there was Yichen—standing in it,
drenched, silent, waiting for the only person who could never return.
A goodbye I wasn’t ready for.
The final battle tore my heart to shreds. Ying Lei, Heng, Bai Jiu, Li Lun, and Zhao Yuanzhou… all gone, like fading stars after the storm. The Demon Hunting Bureau now stands quieter—with only Zhou Yichen, Wen Xiao, and Pei Sijing left to carry the legacy. But the memory of Zhu Yan’s sacrifice still echoes through Tiandu like a song everyone remembers but no one dares to hum out loud.
That final sword technique—Cloud Leading—was everything. Just a small fragment of Yuanzhou’s soul, a flicker of hope, and Yichen searched every inch of the mortal realm and wilderness for it. And in the end… that soul found its way home.
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