Love of the Divine Tree (2025) 仙台有树
Summary: The legend says that 18 years ago, the leader of the Western Sect Mu Qing Ge (ft Xiang Han Zhi 向涵之) was the chosen Demon Child who had access to the powerful Spirit Spring. She wrought havoc to the world. The 4 Heavenly sects formed an alliance with Mu Qing Ge’s pupil Su Yi Shui (ft Deng Wei 邓为) to defeat her in a powerful formation. However, she was reincarnated in the form of a tree. Su Yi Shui cannot destroy the tree otherwise the lives of the Western Sect would all be at peril. 18 years later, Mu Qing Ge is reincarnated as Xue Ran Ran. Su Yi Shui and the rest of the Heavenly Sects are ready to destroy her once more.
Total Episode Count: 40
Initial Airing Date: Feb 7, 2025
Platform: iQiYi
Initial Rating 7.0/10 [12 episodes] – This drama possesses just enough originality to distinguish itself from the many fantasy romance dramas in the genre, though it still incorporates nearly all of the expected tropes. Deng Wei delivers a solid performance as the troubled protagonist, Su Yi Shui, while his co-star, Xiang Han Zhi, shines in her bubbly moments but lacks the necessary depth and authority in her role as the teacher.
Final Rating 6.9/10 – Despite Deng Wei’s best efforts, he couldn’t salvage this drama from becoming an overly drawn-out mess. While some plotlines and characters were well-developed, the presence of frustrating characters that lingered far too long made the viewing experience a tedious one.
Su Yi Shui 苏易水 Deng wei 邓为
Pupil of Su Yi Shui and unfavored son of a Prince. He was used as a pawn in the fight for power
Mu Qing Ge / Xue Ran Ran 沐清歌 / 薛冉冉 Xiang Han Zhi 向涵之
Leader of the Western Sect who was defeated by the 4 Heavenly Sects in the name of justice. She is reincarnated as Xue Ran Ran
Su Yu 苏域 Chen Xin Hai 陈鑫海
Crown Prince of the Qi Kingdom. He has his eyes set on Mu Qing Ge and the kingdom
Mu Ran Wu 沐冉舞 Zhang Wei Na 张维娜
Ambitious younger sister to Mu Qing Ge who will stop at nothing to achieve her goals
Wei Jiu 魏纠 Deng Kai 邓凯
Ruthless leader of the Scarlet Sect who vows to reincarnate the Demon Lord to rule the world
Zeng Yi 曾易 Cao yu Chen 曹煜辰
14th pupil of Mu Qing Ge and the only one who knows of the secrets from 18 years ago
Tu Jiu Yuan 屠九鸢 Cheng Zi 程梓
Member of the Scarlet Sect with an undying devotion to its leader
Dun Tian / Ye Xin 盾天 / 夜心 Zhang Rui 张睿
All powerful immortal who taught Mu Qing Ge her skills
Initial Thoughts
This drama blends elements of The Journey of Flower and Chinese Paladin 3, featuring a pupil-teacher relationship, unrequited love, sacrifice, memory loss, and reincarnation—hallmark tropes of the fantasy genre. However, a refreshing twist lies in the dynamic between Su Yi Shui and Mu Qing Ge, with the female lead assuming the role of the powerful master rather than the male. The storyline unfolds at a well-balanced pace, effectively developing both the plot and the central relationship. However, the recurring theme of unrequited love turning into hatred feels overused, making those scenes somewhat tedious to watch.
This is Deng Wei’s first drama as the headliner and his fans have been eagerly waiting for this role as he was one of the breakout male leads from Lost You Forever in 2023 and 2024. The drama though hasn’t performed well for iQiYi. It has barely breached the 8,000 mark on its popularity index. There’s been barely any social media chatter and it hasn’t been able to compete with other dramas such as Perfect Match and Six Sisters.
Final Thoughts
This drama proved to be an undeniable flop for iQiYi, failing to surpass 8,000 on the platform’s popularity index and barely exceeding 10 million views per episode. For comparison, Bai Lu’s Moonlight Mystique averaged 30 million views per episode and was still considered a disappointment.
Among those who did tune in, social media reception has been largely positive toward Deng Wei’s portrayal of Su Yi Shui—a sentiment I fully share. His performance was the highlight of the drama, delivering a layered portrayal of a character who, having never known kindness, initially struggled with his place in the world but later fought relentlessly against darkness after discovering love.
The first 12 episodes stood out with a compelling backstory for the two main characters, marking the show’s peak. On paper, the rest of the series had strong elements—political intrigue in the human world, immortals, demons, and dragons. The world-building was well-crafted, even if inconsistent editing and uneven CGI occasionally detracted from the experience. However, these strengths were overshadowed by frustrating characters and excessive leniency toward their actions. The continuous second chances given to certain individuals ultimately diluted the tension, leaving a lingering sense of dissatisfaction.
In the end, while Deng Wei delivers an excellent performance, his co-star Xiang Han Zhi fails to match his level. For those interested, this drama is worth watching for Deng Wei, though it’s best to fast-forward through many of the less engaging subplots.
What I Liked
- Master Pupil Relationship: The drama rightly focuses immediately on the relationship between Su Yi Shui and Mu Qing Ge. It’s refreshing to see Mu Qing Ge as the powerful master who takes in the lost pupil. I enjoyed watching their story unfold, making both of their characters more well rounded. We got their backstories told within the first couple of episodes, paving the way for their continued growth as the story progresses.
- Deng Wei as Su Yi Shui: Deng Wei is undeniably a handsome man. He’s given enough material to work with to become the conflicted Su Yi Shui with a tragic backstory but heeds the lessons of his teacher. His subtle facial expressions and reactions to both Mu Qing Ge and Xue Ran Ran warmed my heart as he tries his best to hide his feelings. Deng Wei was give a lot of fun material to chew on. He had different phases for his Su Yi Shui and I thought he portrayed each “phase” exceptionally well. It’s a pity that his chemistry with Xiang Han Zhi wasn’t that strong because he certainly was “smoldering”. I just wish he could close his mouth. I don’t know why he keeps pouting but that is rather distracting.
- Deng Kai as Wei Jiu: He was an unexpectedly entertaining character who provided much of the drama’s comedic relief. Initially, I anticipated disliking him, but his subplot with Tu Jiu Yuan proved to be both amusing and engaging. His relentless attempts to regain her favor, resembling a lost puppy, added humor to the narrative. I found myself both rooting for her and feeling satisfied that he faced the consequences of his actions. The dynamic between them was unintentionally yet delightfully humorous.
- The Western Sect!: I really enjoyed the close bonds all of the pupils developed with each other, their masters, and their elders throughout the course of the drama. They really showed the strength of brotherhood / sisterhood and had each other’s back through thick and thin even if their powers were no match against their enemy. Each of the pupils had a decent amount of development but I wish we had more screentime for them rather than one particular annoying character.
- Sinister Atmosphere: The drama chooses the interesting take of being rather bloody. Well, not quite Showtime or HBO levels of bloody but more so than the average Chinese fantasy drama. Henchman quite literally burst into bloody nothing and evil characters make no qualms at sacrificing others. This drama is informing us the viewer that oh – these people are REALLY bad with no redeeming qualities. The CGI is also pretty good although it is spotty at times. The production oddly decided to make one of the powers look like Venom powers from Spiderman.
What could have been better
- Xiang Han Zhi as Mu Qing Ge: [Intial Thoughts] I’ll first praise Xiang Han Zhi. She excels as the bubbly and innocent Xue Ran Ran, capturing the character’s charm and underlying stubbornness that hints at her past as Mu Qing Ge. However, as Mu Qing Ge, she primarily conveys warmth and kindness, which, while endearing, lacks the commanding presence expected of one of the most powerful women in the land. While the script suggests that others are drawn to her due to her extraordinary nature, Xiang Han Zhi’s portrayal leans more toward simple likability rather than an undeniable magnetism. Her performance has yet to fully convince me of Mu Qing Ge’s allure and status. I can’t help but feel that with a slightly more sultry approach, (and maybe a different actress), the character’s chemistry with Deng Wei would be far more compelling. [Final Thoughts] In the first third of the drama, I initially preferred Xiang Han Zhi’s portrayal of Xue Ran Ran over her role as Mu Qing Ge. However, in hindsight, I wish more focus had been given to Mu Qing Ge. Xue Ran Ran gradually regressed into a love-struck character whose sole purpose revolved around her master, endlessly hoping for his affection. Her lack of agency and independence was frustrating—I wished she had a stronger sense of self beyond her romantic longing and actively pursued something meaningful. Her pining grew tiresome, especially as it stretched over nearly 15 episodes. As someone who followed the drama live, watching two episodes daily in anticipation of Mu Qing Ge’s return, I found the delayed reappearance disappointing. By the time she finally came back, it felt far too late. Meanwhile, Xue Ran Ran’s character became increasingly frustrating as the series progressed, diminishing the initial appeal of her portrayal.
- Unrequited Love turned Hatred: While I won’t reveal too much to avoid spoilers, the drama falls into the all-too-familiar trope of one-sided love triangles that push the rejected character toward villainy. This approach feels like a narrative shortcut, relying on possessiveness and malice rather than nuanced character development. One particular character exemplifies this issue, with actions so predictable that they become more frustrating than compelling.
- Antagonists Granted Too Many Second Chances: By the middle of the drama, I was expected certain characters to be dispatched but they just wouldn’t die! These antagonists were afforded an excessive number of second chances, despite lacking any discernible redeeming qualities. Once the mysteries were revealed, I struggled to understand why the main characters continued to allow these antagonists to escape without consequence. It became increasingly frustrating to watch as these villains repeated the same grievances throughout the series about why they chose their path, without any notable character development.
- Unstable CGI and obvious awkward edits: The CGI for this drama is mostly very well executed,. There were some instances where I gasp at how impressive they were. Unfortunately there are also some examples of rather easy CGI that aren’t well executed and had visibly sloppy edits.
Stray Observations
I’m surprised that the two leads have their voice dubbed but many secondary characters including young children don’t. It doesn’t (thankfully) take me out of the drama but it’s just interesting to notice.
Out of curiosity, I read the last couple of chapters of the book and I’m REALLY thankful the drama dispensed with the whole reincarnation from gods plotline.