I don't watch many Xianxia nowadays because a lot of them, in recent years, relies too much on (questionable) CGI and lazy scripts that have tropey paper thin plots and are devoid of fresh ideas. Hence, it is with some trepidation that I started to watch this show solely based on personal recommendations. I'm happy to report that this Show is good, very good.

The basic story is nothing new. Multiple realms exist between heaven and the underworld. They alternate between warring with each other to an unstable truce. Enter the human emperor who decided to buy time for us weaklings by marrying one of his beautiful and smart daughters to the empyrean prince while farm off the unloved one to the crown prince of the underworld. So far, so tropey.

Forsooth, not exactly LOL material, right? Well, hats off to the writer. She managed to inject a lot of fun and comedy into this show. It is a revelation. It runs the full spectrum of jokes, innuendos, slapstick and sight gags. All this hijinx is integrated right through more than 3/4 of the Show. Of course, there are serious moments, but it is just as likely the next scene will drop you straight into an elaborate sight gag that will makes you LOL.

This includes a very long and elaborate mid show story arc that have the ML play three completely different roles. Forget second wind. This is third and fourth. The audacity! Naturally, not every moment is golden but it kept the momentum going long after similar show would have suffered serious mid show drag. Bravo!

Acting is great from our leads. It was a revelation that the stoic Xuan Shang has a comedic side which is well matched by the minx like Li Guang Ye Tan. Their love-hate relationship is worth the price of admission. The second pairing of Chao Feng and Li Guang Qing Kui pales a little by comparison. It is largely due to their story is being set in the dark and oppressive underworld. Their characters are also a bit more traditional Xianxia compared to the OTP. Both CP have swoon worthy love lines and decent amount of skinship.

The big ensemble of side characters is a bit of a mixed bag. Some have real depth like Man Man and Wu Dai while others are just punchline for the many gags. It is an above average ensemble and they helped to move the plot along and entertain us with their antics.

Is the Show perfect? Not quite. The setting of heaven and the underworld is very cliché. Empyrean realm is quite artificial. Lighting is too bright, and colours are washed out. It might look “ethereal”, but it is also boring. On the other hand, the underworld is too dark, and the theme is confusing. It swings from gothic grandeur to dank subterranean without a strong sense of coherence. It is supposed to be oppressive and foreboding but does look a bit cheap at times.

CGI is the bread and butter of Xianxia dramas, and this show doesn’t disappoint. There are a good variety of effects to signify different types of powers. There are also some practical effects and stunt work. Overall, it is a respectable effort and complemented the story well.

While the general screenplay is a cut above, it is still a Xianxia drama at its core and some of the plot holes are hereditary. It really comes down to “ask no questions and you’ll get no illogical answers”. As long as you don’t hate Xianxia dramas, the engaging plots, swoon worthy love lines and abundant humour will carry you to the end.

Speaking of the end. The ending and the several episodes preceding it are probably the closest the Show got to high drama. It is impactful and emotionally charged. I won’t give the plot away other than to say that the ending is generally considered a happy one, but I would prefer to call it encouraging rather than HEA. Its interpretation will be up to the individual.

40 episodes is too long for a rewatch and the jokes will be stale by then but I’d have no problem watching a highlight reel. The OST is nice but some songs are on high rotation and it can get a bit repetitive.