In the finale of the Chinese drama Till The End of The Moon, Ye Xiwu and Tantai Jin are not together.
In order to save the living world, the demon god Tantai Jin chose to personally destroy the organization he founded, Tong Bei Dao. At the same time, in order to completely destroy his own demonic bones, he had to go up in smoke together with Tong Bei Dao.
After Tantai Jin sacrificed his life for the world, Ye Xiwu traveled through thousands of worlds in search of him. She gave birth to her and Tantai Jin’s daughter, Tantai Zimi, and peace was restored between the Demon World and the Immortal World.
Till The End of The Moon Review
Till The End of The Moon is an immortal drama starring Luo Yunxi and Bai Lu. It has a magical and oriental legend color, telling a story of time-traveling and reincarnation.
The drama vividly portrays the fated karma between Tantai Jin and Li Susu. The three characters Tantai Jin, Cang Jiumin, and Ming Ye played by Luo Yunxi, together with the three characters Li Susu, Ye Xiwu, and Sang Jiu played by Bai Lu, connect the Shangqing Divine Realm, the Immortal Cultivation Realm, and the Human Realm for nearly a thousand years of entanglement.
In order to save the world, the heroine Li Susu takes the form of Ye Xiwu, the youngest daughter of the Ye family, and dedicates herself to preventing Tantai Jin from becoming the demon god.
In this process, the relationship between Li Susu, the dawn of righteousness, and Tantai Jin, a born evil creature, is as dramatic and emotionally entangled as the magical plot.
Tantai Jin
Prince Tantai Jin of King Jing is born with evil bones and a destiny. His life experience is a play set by the Demon God a long time ago, and he is destined to become the new generation of Demon God.
He was born without any love, and could not feel the emotions and desires of the world. He was born due to matricide. Although he was born into wealth, he was not favored.
He had never cried from the time of his birth. Even if his eyes were gouged out and his veins were severed, no one ever saw his fragile state. He inherited the rare ability to communicate with birds and beasts from his mother.
He was taken into the Sheng Kingdom as a hostage at the age of six. He suffered a lot of bullying and his personality became increasingly cold-blooded and extreme.
Li Susu
Li Susu, is the adopted daughter of the first head of the Immortal Sect. She possesses the most sacred phoenix blood in the world and is a perfect adapter of the Ancient Emotionless Dao.
Li Susu’s mother was the First Phoenix, and her father was the Monster King Di Mian. She is a goddess who inherited the power of the Phoenix.
However, because her mother died in the battle between gods and demons, Li Susu can only be kept in the world in the form of a spiritual egg to wait for her chance.
Ten thousand years later, this spiritual egg was discovered by Qu Xuanzi, the head of Hengyang Sect. Li Susu was finally born in the darkest years of the immortal cultivation world. She was upright and optimistic, full of vitality, and was known as the “Dawn of the Righteous Path”.
She lived in an era when evil demons were in power, where cultivators and mortals lived in hard circumstances, and the initiator of all this was a cold-blooded and ruthless demon king.
Sprouted Love – Tantai Jin and Ye Xiwu
Ye Xiwu originally wanted to destroy the evil bones before Tantai Jin became a demon god, but during the days when they were together with each other, she saw that although Tantai Jin was lonely and suffered countless bullying and humiliation in his life, he had the seeds of kindness in his heart. So in order to influence Tantai Jin, she decided to change his fate with warmth and love.
However, Tantai Jin in this period had no feelings and had difficulty communicating with people. He was only in harmony with nature, which encompasses all things. He can withstand the cruelty of nature and the human world, can communicate with birds and beasts, can drive birds, fish and insects, can be innocent and cruel, can save sparrows when he is not hungry, and can kill sparrows when he is hungry.
This is true for sparrows, but also for human beings. For him, killing is not his preference, but it is closely related to survival.
In order to survive, he racked his brains to seek a way to live: access to food all relied entirely on gifts from nature and “charity” from humans. He sold jewelry for food, sparrows, mice, fish, pastries dropped on the ground, leftover swill from humans… He can eat them all.
In the face of inhuman treatment, he does not think about it or shed tears, there is nothing to hate and resentment, only the survival instinct of animals – this is also a psychological self-protection mechanism. Otherwise, the human concept of joy, anger, sadness, and shame, has long made him not live.
In the process of influencing him, Ye Xiwu’s misunderstanding with him became deeper and deeper. She began to recognize a reality: Tantai Jin’s fate of becoming a demon seemed unchangeable.
At this time, Tantai Jin already had some positive human emotions at this time, there were people who ensured his food and clothing, cared about his emotions, fulfilled his wishes, cared about his life and death, taught him the truth, goodness, and beauty, so that he could experience being cared for and protected, established a slight connection with the human world, and feel a little bit of the beauty of the world.
After experiencing all kinds of pain, Tantai Jin finally felt more joy in Ye Xiwu’s company.
His love began to sprout.
Dreamland – Ming Ye and Sang Jiu
By chance, the two entered Boruo Dreamland.
In this mysterious dream world, Tantai Jin transformed into the mysterious god Ming Ye, while Ye Xiwu transformed into the kind-hearted Sang Jiu. The bamboo forest life of Ming Ye and Sang Jiu was a very beautiful time.
However, due to Tian Huan’s evil deeds, Sang Jiu’s tribe was annihilated. After that, all kinds of things happened that caused Sang Jiu to have a deep misunderstanding of Ming Ye. Ming Ye also felt guilty to Sang Jiu for “sacrificing their love for more”, and both of them lacked the courage to talk everything out.
Ming Ye, who worked conscientiously as the God of War, also lacked an understanding of complex interpersonal situations and failed to detect and stop Tian Huan’s many evil deeds until Sang Jiu became possessed by the devil.
Ming Ye looked for a solution to the problem, but he still underestimated Tian Huan’s evil and Sang Jiu’s hatred, making the conflict deeper.
“I am a husband for the first time, and I don’t know how to love someone. When I start to understand, you don’t want anything anymore.”
By the time Ming Ye understood all this, understood Sang Jiu’s hatred, and wanted to compensate for his love for Sang Jiu, it was too late, and love could no longer overcome the hatred.
Sang Jiu’s last harsh words before disappearing became a psychological shadow for Tantai Jin later: “You will never be able to repay, this is what you owe me.”
They experienced this divine and demonic war ten thousand years ago together, and the encounter between Ming Ye and Sang Jiu left a deep impression on them. They all saw how the same thing was viewed differently in the eyes of lovers, which ultimately led to a tragic ending.
King
After separating from Ye Xiwu, Tantai Jin’s identity changed from a hostage to King Jing. He ascended the throne and governed the Jing Kingdom.
Although Tantai Jin was born with weak emotions, he had always recognized a righteous man like Xiao Lin. He learned how Xiao Lin treated people and used his personality values as a reference to build himself.
For this reason, Tantai Jin constantly overcame his original nature of being emotionless and loveless and tried to understand and care for others. After the love sprouts, he tried to respect himself and others and repay evil with kindness, to be a wise and benevolent king, and to be loved by the people.
Tantai Jin was undoubtedly very successful in his career as King. Later generations commented on him this way:
“Legend has it that a thousand years ago, Jing Sheng was originally one, and then after ruling across the river, they fought endlessly. A king came out of nowhere, who made the two countries reunite and unite, opening up a five-hundred-year period of prosperity. It is said that five hundred years ago, the country of Jing was weak and the people were in dire straits, after King Tantai Jin succeeded to the throne, he turned the tide, established achievements in one life, and created peace for all generations.”
Until he once again suffered the betrayal of his closest relatives, his mother’s ashes were destroyed.
Ye Xiwu misunderstood that his demonic heart could not be extinguished and that he was murderous. He misunderstood that Ye Xiwu wanted to poison him, so he manipulated her into seriously injuring Xiao Lin, indirectly contributing to Xiao Lin’s death. In Tantai Jin’s mind, he lost Ye Xiwu’s love and his friend Xiao Lin.
Tantai Jin learned and grew up along the way, but he still couldn’t change his fate.
In the end, Ye Xiwu returned to her immortal body and became Li Susu to martyr herself, and Tantai Jin was also heartbroken.
“In the past, I was like a blind man living in darkness, trapped in nothingness for more than twenty years. Everyone said that the sun was bright and warm, but I didn’t know what true brightness really meant. “
“I didn’t like this world in the first place, but Ye Xiwu, she loved this world, even the widows, children, and homeless people, she wanted to give love. So I also wanted to try to love this world like her. But now , Ye Xiwu is dead, and so is my heart. I want to hate all this, but Ye Xiwu will not be happy. “
Although Tantai Jin had a love for the common people, in his heart, Ye Xiwu was greater than all. He only loved the world for Ye Xiwu. When the person he cared about most passed away, the world was meaningless to him, and the meaning of living disappeared.
Until he learned that Ye Xiwu’s primordial spirit had a chance to be recovered, the meaning of Tantai Jin’s life became “repayment”, repaying the heroine’s kindness and guidance to him. He went to Youming River to find her primordial spirit and suffered from the erosion of the weak water for five hundred years until he was saved by Master Zhaoyou and returned to the Xiaoyao Sect.
Cang Jiumin
After entering Xiaoyao Sect, Tantai Jin got along with his master and brothers, practicing Xiaoyao Sword together, chatting and eating barbecue together, and feeling everyone’s concern and care. This made Tantai Jin experience unprecedented peace, he no longer had a strong sense of loneliness and isolation.
The Master knew from the beginning that Tantai Jin was a special being in the world, a demon fetus, and the future Demon God.
But in the face of the “biggest disaster”, Master gave him positive power through actions: “You have to know that no one should live in darkness forever.”
The Master gave Tantai Jin a new life, named him Cang Jiumin, enlightened him, accepted him as his apprentice, and taught him what it means to be free.
At this time, Tantai Jin (Cang Jiumin) was still obsessed with resurrecting Ye Xiwu. It was not until he met Ye Xiwu’s true form, Li Susu, that his obsession with resurrecting Ye Xiwu was finally eliminated.
The “Demon God” became an obstacle for Tantai Jin (Cang Jiumin) and Li Susu to be together. Tantai Jin solved the problem by preventing the Demon God from returning to the world, promising Li Susu not to use the Demon God’s power. Li Susu’s method was to cultivate the way of Wu Qing (Emotionlessness), but she couldn’t let go of her feelings for Tantai Jin, so she had to hope that Tantai Jin could control the power of the Demon God.
When faced with the choice of “saving everyone” or “sticking to his promise to Li Susu”, Tantai Jin chose to use the power of the Demon God to save people.
From this moment on, the meaning of life in his heart was greater than his personal love for the heroine.
After going through various hardships and through the Zhaoxin Jade Slip, Tantai Jin and Li Susu finally understood each other and no longer escaped the worries and love in their hearts.
Li Susu even affirmed that fate was not irreversible, and reached an agreement with Tantai Jin: people can choose good and evil on their own.
Tantai Jin has always been full of doubts, uncertainty, and insecurity about the experience of “being loved”.
Tantai Jin has never felt maternal love since he was a child, and because he was born from matricide, he has been neglected, bullied, betrayed and resented… After he gave birth to emotion, the love he experienced was also extremely fragile, not a mature love that understood each other and could accommodate his complete nature, all of which made him full of self-denial.
It wasn’t until he entered the Xiaoyao Sect and met Master Zhaoyou. After many enlightenment and teachings, Tantai Jin became more mature, he realized mature love and learned to love himself, others, and the common people maturely.
“My mother was beautiful and kind, but she was unfortunately chosen to give birth to a demon fetus. But she loved me selflessly, even more than her own life. My father, he gave me flesh and blood, even though he had treated me harshly due to my mother’s death, but I still believe that when I was still in my mother’s womb, he must have been really looking forward to my birth. Throughout his life, he loved my mother deeply.
Jing Lanan and Ying Xin, under the most difficult circumstances, did their best to protect me and take care of me growing up. Xiao Lin, he was my enemy in state affairs, but as a friend, he never failed me. It wass always me who failed him. My master, Zhaoyou, saved me, knowing that I had an ominous background, he still taught me day and night and helped me rebuild with kindness. . .
Not to mention Susu, she was the one who tried her best to hold my hand and drag me out of hell. She was the one who broke through the darkness time and time again and made me see the light. “
All the love condensed into the great love for the living in Tantai Jin’s heart, making Tantai Jin love the world and want to protect everything he loved, which made him a “god” with a stronger consciousness.
“I understand, I hide from my own nature, fear the power of birth, and fear where I come from and where I will go, but these are nothing else, they are all myself, and they can all be manipulated by my heart. Today I clear the clouds, then know that I am who I am.”
At this moment, Tantai Jin (Cang Jiumin) refined the Hu Xin Lin, connected with the God of War Ming Ye, and broke through to become a god in consciousness. He finally accepted himself, loved himself, loved others, and loved the world. No longer escaping from his own nature, no longer afraid of his own power, he transcended himself.
Ending
At the end of the story, the greatest suffering is “the opening of Tongbei Dao”. Di Mian’s greed, the sins of all living beings, the distrust of the Immortal Sect, the endless sorrow, and the immortality of the Demon God, all contributed to the tragedy of the opening of Tongbei Dao. Suffering is inevitable, and the fate of becoming a Demon God of Tantai Jin is inevitable.
Tantai Jin and his master found a solution to the problem: Cang Jiumin, was unable to save the world, but Tantai Jin, the Demon God, could.
In the process of fighting for control of the body of the demon fetus, Tantai Jin faced the pressure of the first generation of Demon God, once again defeated the darkness and fear in his heart, surpassed the demon, and became a true god.
“I have experienced three lives of human, god, and demon, but you are just clinging to your past karma. There will always be only one demon in this world, and I am the Demon God.”
Tantai Jin has always liked to be more prepared for things, even though he has become a god and has the ability to commit suicide, he still forces Li Susu to let go of love, cultivate the Emotionless way, ascend to god, helping her break her obsession, and leaving more light and hope for the world.
One with a demonic body into a god, and one with a god body cut the demonic karma, the two together turned the world around and prevented the crisis of annihilation.
In the finale, Tantai Jin became the Demon God but died for the sake of all living beings. Some viewers may not accept the ending, feeling that Tantai Jin’s life was really too bitter and sad, and he should be given a happy ending in the end.
However, some other viewers feel that this is the best destination for Tantai Jin. After being bound by fate and entangled for a lifetime, martyrdom finally allowed him to truly be free. Just like the twelve gods thousands of years ago, he turned into green mountains and grass, returning to the world of all living beings.
Tantai Jin has a clear and complete growth line. The character is complex and layered, which is quite difficult to interpret. But actor Luo Yunxi is very good at integrating all violent and sharp contradictions. In him, you can see the fusion of various beauties, divinity and demon, innocence and cruelty, fragility and strength, clarity and turbidity, evil and purity.
The use of various Chinese god elements in the drama is extremely beautiful, especially when the bodies of the twelve gods fall and return to the world, what are transformed into ice and snow on the mountaintops, pebbles in the streams, and weeping willows on the banks. . . Not only is it full of beauty, but it also perfectly interprets the Chinese divinity.
Chinese Aesthetic Style
Both the architecture and the costumes of the characters in Till The End of The Moon show a mysterious Chinese aesthetic style. “Dunhuang style” is a major feature of the drama, which combines solemnity, elegance, and ethereal agility without any sense of contradiction.
For example, the architecture of Hengyang Sect that connects the immortal world and the human world has the style of Dunhuang culture and Tang and Song Dynasties; the architecture of the Shangqing Divine Realm combines elements of Dunhuang murals and Nepalese civilization; and the Yuqing Palace, Dream Demon’s Lair, the Huangyuan barrier, the immortal weapons “Chongyu” and “Jinwu Ling” all incorporate Chinese style. They are both mysterious and poetic, which dazzles the audience and brings Chinese aesthetics to its fullest potential.
The costumes and makeup refer to the flying apsaras elements of Dunhuang, which are exquisite and elegant, simple and vivid. The traditional Chinese classical flavor and the charm of Dunhuang elements are vividly expressed in the drama.
The most stunning thing is the wedding look of Ming Ye and Sang Jiu. The scene of the two slowly walking into the hall hand in hand is simply a visual feast.
At Last
Overall, the Chinese drama Till The End of The Moon is a relatively high-level work in recent years, whether in terms of character design, costume, or conception. In terms of topicality and response, it has not failed to live up to the audience’s expectations.
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