I think this series could have been more effective had they kept it at 25 episodes rather than bother us with a sub par sequel to Eternal Love just because they wanted to follow the three world formula. I am sorry, but I was hoping to like this more than I actually did because I was going in with greater expectations. Here we had the same production/writing team as Eternal Love but it lacked the magic. It's very difficult to recreate something so wonderful because you have a lot to live up to. Certainly, there were beautiful actors, worthy performances, and gorgeous scenery. Some of the characters have been recast and this works in some cases, but not in others. The storyline just didn't take me to the heights that Eternal Love did. I wasn't as invested in it, and sadly, the characters not as endearing. There were many episodes that were just unnecessary fillers. It just dragged out the series longer than it needed to be and did nothing to further the plot. I was also disappointed in some of the choices they made for some of the cast, the biggest being Ye Qing Ti's. I was hoping for a better written closure between he and Fengjiu. The past is barely mentioned and that didn't make sense taking into consideration all that transpired between them in the second world.

I have to say that I did appreciate Vengo's performance the most as he had the biggest journey in terms of character growth. He starts off as quite the ice cube, as Yan Chiwu nicknames him. He is guarded, stand-offish, and proud. That cold exterior is very off-putting for anyone but Bai Fenjiu. Falling in love, therefore, changes him. I like who he became after realizing he had fallen completely under our little Fenjiu's spell. He was more alive in a subdued way. He cried, he showed joy, anger and jealousy--all while staying true to Donhua Dijun's demeanor as an Imperial Lord. Well done!

Another character I liked to my surprise is Yan Chiwu of the Demon realm. He started off as such an annoying peacock with the way he walked, threw his weight around and arrogantly disrespected Dong Hua. But he was one of those unexpected allies that becomes indispensable. Though his wrap-up felt forced, I guess it was the only ending they could think to give him. I would much rather he'd given up and set his sights elsewhere. Wayne Liu did a great job as Yan Chiwu. At first I didn't know how I would feel seeing him come back as a different character than the one he plays in Eternal Love. Even the explanation of this is rather silly and unbelievable, but his character is much more interesting as a demon lord than as the bumbling disciple of Mo Yuan.

My biggest disappointment was the scene between Bai Qian and Bai Fengjiu. I was looking forward to Yang Mi's cameo appearance but the scene between these two actresses was awful. The way the scene was written, the vibe came off they didn't like each other. Bai Qian seems exasperated with Fenjiu and that was never the case between them in the past. Auntie Bai Qian loved her little niece and Fengjiu was ready to fight anyone that hurt her beloved aunt. Here, we have two important characters acting like feuding sisters. The choice to have Bai Qian saddle her niece with suitors is so out of character because she never would have done that. Bai Qian is the queen of the dis and never liked having suitors hoisted on her. Why would her niece be any different? That choice was so unlike Bai Qian and it bugged me. What were the writers thinking? The absence of Yehua is sorely missed, particularly during the climax of the series. I almost expected to see Mo Yuan, Yehua and Bai Qian, fan at the ready, to do battle with the evil Miao Luo. I hear this was the actual ending in the book. It's too bad they had to change the ending because Mark Chao was unavailable.

Music was good. Not as great as Eternal Love but tolerable enough to add to my Asian drama soundtrack playlist.