Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms (2023) - full transcript
A magnificent eastern high fantasy epic that recreates the prolonged mythical wars between humans, immortals and monsters, which happened more than three thousand years ago.
Adapted from the Ming novel,
The Investiture of the Gods,
and the Song/Yuan script,
King Zhou's Attack of the Shang
At the beginning of time,
the world was shapeless.
Separating the sky and earth,
Pangu turned his body into the sun,
the moon, the mountains and the rivers,
and the world was thus created.
Nuwa made figurines out of clay,
imparting her own
spirit to give them life,
and humans were thus created.
Before she died, Nuwa
left behind a sacred artifact,
called the “Fengshen Bang”,
and appointed the Immortals
of Kunlun to guard it.
It had the power
to save the world...
and could only be opened
by the King of All Realms.
As the generations
came and went,
Cheng Tang established
the Shang Dynasty.
The Four Dukes of the
East, West, South and North,
together with the
800 Lords under them,
acknowledged the Shang
monarch as the King of All Realms.
But there came a time,
500 years into the
reign of the Shang,
Su Hu, Lord of Jizhou,
refused to submit his tribute...
and rebelled against
the Shang‘s King Yi.
After a long and bitter siege,
King Yi sent his second
son, Yin Shou, into battle.
Yin Shou led a special
force trained by his own hand.
I am Ji Fa, son of Ji
Chang, Duke of the West.
Riding by my side is
my best friend, Yin Jiao.
His father is our
commander and hero.
One day I hope to
become just like him.
State your name.
Su Quanxiao, son of Su Hu,
Lord of Jizhou.
Louder, so they can hear you.
Su Quanxiao, son of Su Hu,
Lord of Jizhou.
State your rank.
Centurion of the
Shang Hostage Brigade,
North Battalion.
Tell us why you’re a “hostage”.
The 800 Lords...
of the East, West, South and North
are required to send one of their sons...
to be hostages
of the Shang court.
If any Lord plots
against the King,
his hostage son is
to be executed first,
followed by his entire family.
Your father Su Hu has
led Jizhou in rebellion.
Go talk some sense into him.
Father! Please surrender!
I’ve been away for eight years.
I’ve grown up.
My father doesn't recognize me.
That man doesn't
deserve to be your father.
You are my son.
And now, you have
to be my bravest son.
Farewell,
Father!
Just now,
right before your eyes,
one of your brothers died!
One of my sons died!
Who killed him?
The traitor Su Hu!
Who was it that killed him?
The traitor Su Hu!
Who was it that killed him?
The traitor Su Hu!
The traitor Su Hu!
The traitor Su Hu!
Fire!
Warriors of Shang...
annihilate Jizhou!
Annihilate Jizhou!
Attack!
Ji Fa, come on!
Watch out!
Attack!
Fire!
Attack!
Into the breach!
Attack!
Make way!
Ji Fa!
Ji Fa!
Yin Jiao,
you retreated in fear.
You’re such a disappointment.
Forgive me, Father!
Sir,
It wasn’t us!
The horses bolted
when they saw the fire.
Father!
The horses see what
we allow them to see!
Faster!
Attack!
Attack!
Attack!
Attack!
Attack!
After the city was taken,
we chased the Su family...
all the way to the
Xuanyuan Tomb.
We were determined to
chop off Su Hu's head...
to avenge his son, Su Quanxiao.
Brother!
Brother!
Brother!
Never forget...
the Su family will never
submit to the Shang King!
Father.
Run!
Watch out.
A woman.
Who is she?
Su Hu's daughter,
Su Daji.
The daughter of a traitor...
must be put to death.
Ji Fa,
kill her.
Huh?
Kill a woman?
I can't.
Jiang Wenhuan,
you do it.
E Shun,
you do it.
Why don't you do it?
My hairpin...
Ji Fa!
Ji Fa!
It would be a waste...
to kill a girl like that.
Let's give her to the Commander.
You losers!
I'll do it.
Yin Jiao!
Yin Jiao!
Sir!
Sir!
Sir!
A toast to us! Warriors...
of the Shang Dynasty!
Hear, hear.
I want to make a toast...
to our brother,
Su Quanxiao.
To our brother.
To our brother.
The son of the traitor Su Hu...
doesn’t deserve
to be our brother.
Father and son are
not always the same.
His father may
have been a traitor,
but Su Quanxiao
did nothing wrong.
Like father, like son.
Your father, Ji Chang,
Duke of the West,
knows nothing but
plowing the fields.
Even in that armor, Ji Fa,
you're still just a
farmer from Xiqi,
reeking of manure.
Let's drink.
Your father, Chong
Houhu, Duke of the North,
knows nothing but
hunting animals.
Even in that armor,
you're still...
just a hunter,
reeking of... what?
What does he smell like?
A beast.
I know what you want.
You want to be...
King of All The World.
You know what happens
to the daughters of traitors?
At dawn, you'll be offered
as a sacrifice to our banner.
I'm different from the others.
I can help you.
After being a hostage
in Zhaoge for eight years,
on this day,
I finally return as a hero...
to the welcoming
cheers of the entire city.
I, Yin Shou, bow to His
Majesty and His Highness.
To you, Father, I
present Su Hu’s head.
And to you, Brother,
the battle flag of Jizhou.
Su Hu,
you once declared
you’d never bow to me,
and yet, here you are.
At the victory banquet tomorrow,
we’ll use his
skull as a goblet...
and drink from
it until daybreak!
King of Shang,
King of All Realms!
The Hostage Brigade,
returning in victory,
will perform a war
dance for His Majesty.
Attack!
Long live Your Majesty!
My son...
my dearest son dances for me!
Excellent!
Encircle him!
Shields!
Your Highness...
He's dead!
Ji Fa,
you killed the Prince.
Your entire family
will be executed.
Ji Fa.
Killing the Prince
is a serious crime,
and the penalty is death.
What a horrific crime!
Father!
My brother Yin Qi killed
our father, the King.
Ji Fa,
what you did was
not only justified,
but a service to our kingdom.
If Yin Jiao hadn’t
spoken for me...
and the Commander
hadn’t shown mercy,
my whole family would
have been executed.
But now that the King is dead,
what would become
of the Shang dynasty?
So this is why the Supreme
One summoned the twelve of us...
here to the Yuxu Palace.
The mortal world is in misery.
Is this the future
of all humanity?
This is the Great Curse.
Tell us, Supreme One,
what have the mortals
done to deserve this?
When wars are raging
and demons become rampant,
The Great Curse is
sure to fall upon all.
In the beginning,
when Pangu broke
through the chaos,
the pure Qi rose
to form the sky...
and the impure
descended to form the earth.
The sky and earth
were thus created,
and life flourished.
The Great Curse will cause...
everything to be reversed.
The world is falling
back into chaos...
and all life will
be extinguished.
Although the mortals
probably deserve it,
we can't just sit
here and do nothing.
Lady Nuwa left the
Fengshen Bang...
here in Kunlun,
under our guard...
precisely because
she foresaw this day.
It is time for the Fengshen Bang
to be delivered unto the world.
As soon as the Fengshen
Bang is placed into the hands...
of the King of All Realms,
and he unseals it and
invests the new gods,
the Great Curse
will be lifted...
and humanity will be saved.
I'm sure you're all aware
of the price one must pay...
to be the bearer of
the Fengshen Bang.
Supreme One, allow me.
It should be me this time.
I’ll do it.
I should be the one.
There’s no room for error.
We must let the
Supreme One decide...
who the bearer shall be.
Humanity is in dire peril.
I’ll deliver the
Fengshen Bang to them.
Ziya,
you must be aware that,
when an Immortal touches
the Fengshen Bang,
they will lose all their powers,
become mortal again,
and, therefore, never
return to Kunlun.
All the more reason
I should be the one.
And why is that?
All of you have been practising
for more than a thousand years...
to achieve your current powers.
That mustn’t be squandered.
I've only been
practising for forty years.
It's no great tragedy...
to lose the powers I have.
And, before I
took up practising,
I was a merchant.
I traveled quite often...
and had a lot of
worldly experiences.
I humbly volunteer...
to take on this task.
Ziya, you haven't
been with us for long,
and you're not yet able...
to see visions of the future,
which is why I did not
summon you today.
And yet, your intrusion,
driven by your sympathy...
for the mortals,
disrupted our vision
of the Great Curse.
Could this be your destiny?
Jiang Ziya,
are you really
ready to give up...
forty years of
immortality and power...
and go back to being a mortal?
The Great Black Bird...
gave birth to the Shang people.
Ancestors, hear me!
I, Yin Shou, never
desired to be King,
but the country
must have a ruler,
and I, being my
father's only living child,
have no choice but
to ascend the throne...
and sustain the Shang dynasty.
I now implore my uncle,
High Priest Bi Gan...
to see into our
kingdom’s future.
The dynasty is doomed!
The dynasty is doomed!
The dynasty is doomed!
The dynasty is doomed!
The dynasty is doomed!
The dynasty is doomed!
Uncle, what are you saying?
The Gods foretold our doom...
by shattering our divination.
What have we done to
deserve a curse like that?
A member of our royal family...
killed his own father and King.
No greater sin could
have been committed,
the gods have been enraged.
We descendants of Cheng Tang...
are no longer fit to
be King of All Realms.
I will sacrifice a
hundred human lives...
to quell their rage.
It’s useless.
One thousand, then.
Even ten thousand won't help.
Back in the beginning,
when our ancestor Cheng
Tang united the land,
so many lives were taken
that a Great Curse fell.
A great drought
of seven years...
left the land completely barren.
By building and mounting
a sacrificial pyre...
and immolating himself,
Cheng Tang finally moved
the Gods and lifted the curse.
Are you suggesting I
should do the same?
How dare you, Bi Gan!
My father only just
ascended the throne...
and you want him
to sacrifice himself!
The very idea...
is treason!
You fool!
The Great Curse
is just beginning.
Before long,
our people will be in misery...
and our ancestors
will be without offerings.
When that time comes,
the entire Shang
dynasty will be no more!
Father, pass the throne to me.
I will sacrifice
myself in your place.
What is a king...
if not the bearer
of all earthly sins?
I will follow our ancestor
Cheng Tang’s example...
and build a sacrificial
pyre in Zhaoge.
On the day it is completed,
I will burn myself as
sacrifice to save the kingdom.
Blessed is the kingdom!
Kneel!
Blessed is the kingdom!
Blessed is the kingdom!
Blessed is the kingdom!
Kowtow!
I waited outside the
Deer Terrace for an hour,
but His Majesty...
refused to see me.
I'll go fetch him.
You spoke out of turn today.
You’ve aroused
your father’s mistrust.
I asked him to pass
the throne to me...
so I could die in his place.
Surely he must know that.
You don't know your father.
Mother,
you worry too much.
I will bring Father here,
so our family can be together.
Ji Fa.
Yin Jiao.
It's a fox demon.
Follow me.
Are you sure it went this way?
There, in the Celestial Chamber.
His Majesty is resting,
and no one is allowed to enter.
My father is in danger.
I don't have time for this!
Who's there?
Father,
it's me.
Barging in at this
hour, carrying a sword!
Aren't you in a hurry...
to sit on my throne!
I would never!
I was chasing a fox...
demon.
We barged in here
out of concern...
for Your Majesty's
safety. Please forgive us.
What fox demon?
What's she doing here?
Get out!
At once, Your Majesty!
I should have killed her
when we first saw her!
His Majesty is sacrificing
himself to save the world.
He is a hero.
Don't upset him again.
If it were your father,
what would you do?
I've been away for eight years.
My own father...
probably wouldn't even
recognize me anymore.
I'm afraid we'll have a
bad harvest this year.
With the Great
Curse upon Zhaoge,
even Xiqi is affected.
Thanks to your
precautions, Father,
we have enough food stored...
for the next three years.
What about after that?
In the course of one night,
the King and the
Prince were both killed.
Most strange,
the new King should be so
hasty to ascend the throne,
and then immediately
summon the Four Dukes,
with dark intentions, I think.
This trip to Zhaoge...
could be most treacherous.
Please reconsider, Father.
My Lord.
If I disobey the
King, war will ensue...
and the entire
country will pay the price.
Although the throne
has changed hands,
my duties remain the same.
Let's take this
chance to visit Ji Fa.
It's been eight years.
He must be as tall as you now.
Maybe even taller.
When I'm gone, you're
the guardian of Xiqi,
and you must keep it safe.
No matter what happens,
don't leave Xiqi.
Safe return, Father.
Line up. Line up.
Let them through.
Stop pushing.
Stop them.
Stop pushing.
Stay back, you lot!
Your pass.
No pass, no entry.
We need a pass?
What a nuisance.
Master Ziya,
let me fly you in
on my Fire Wheels.
My Five Elements
Teleportation is faster.
No. When we set out,
the Supreme One told us...
to refrain from
using our powers.
But the mortal world
has its own tricks.
Watch this.
Good day, sir.
Who are you?
We are immortals, all
the way from Kunlun.
So we have no pass.
No pass?
But, we have this.
Take it.
What is this?
Elixir.
What does it do?
What does it do?!
This elixir contains pure Qi,
the essence of water,
the blessing of benevolent gods,
and the best of
Sky, Earth and Man.
One whiff.
And you'll feel refreshed.
One taste.
And all discomfort is gone.
Such an amazing
elixir can't be bought...
no matter how much
you're ready to offer.
Consider it our gift...
to you, our new friend.
Master Ziya, your
mortal trick worked!
Come along,
I'll take good care of you.
You're too kind.
I'll drive you into
the city myself.
Must His Majesty
sacrifice himself...
on the pyre to
dispel the Great Curse?
Maybe...
only the gods know the answer.
We're here.
Get off.
Keep up.
Hurry.
Master Ziya.
Master Ziya, what's going on?
Looks like...
we've been sold.
Sold?
I thought you knew
your way around here.
I haven't been
back in forty years.
It wasn’t like this before.
Bring them over.
Sir,
we have something
for His Majesty.
Cut the crap.
That's about enough.
Oh no.
Look!
Thunderbolts!
Go and save those people!
Can we use our powers?
Of course.
Finally!
So the Gods really do exist!
There’s hope for His Majesty!
The alchemist Shen Gongbao
from Golden Turtle Island...
is here to demonstrate
his powers for His Majesty.
The honor is mine.
Fascinating.
What sorcery is this?
Your Majesty,
With this spell I can
survive beheading.
How about burning?
If one is able to
live without his head,
a little fire is nothing
to worry about.
Perfect. How long
does it take to master it?
It took me a thousand years,
but, with Your Majesty's
extraordinary talents,
500 years should be enough.
500 years?
That's right.
Ludicrous!
That hurts.
No!
Don't.
Here. Here.
Over here.
Hurry it up!
Jiang Ziya, Taoist
Monk from Kunlun,
has something to
present to His Majesty.
What is it?
What I have here...
is the Fengshen Bang.
What does it do?
A great turmoil
is on the horizon.
I was sent by my master, the Supreme
One, to bring the Fengshen Bang...
to the King of All Realms.
When the King unseals it
and invests the new gods,
the Fengshen Bang will
dispel the Great Curse...
and all of humanity
will be saved.
Can such a small scroll...
really remove the Great Curse?
More than that!
The Fengshen Bang is a sacred
artifact left behind by the Lady Nuwa.
It absorbs the Qi
energy of the dead,
or what we may call “souls”.
Once Your Majesty
unseals the Fengshen Bang...
all this energy will be yours...
to command.
That means,
the more people die,
the more powerful the
Fengshen Bang becomes?
Your Majesty is insightful.
So the Great Curse
may in fact be a blessing.
Your Majesty is all-knowing.
This sorcerer is a demon.
Well, then...
we’ll share in the rewards!
Hang on.
The authenticity...
of the Fengshen Bang...
is yet to be proven.
How do we do that?
I could do it...
if I had a
freshly-deceased human.
Soul Revelation!
Your Majesty is most decisive,
but there's something else.
A pattern of steps is needed
to unseal the Fengshen Bang.
Let me show you.
Watch carefully.
Is this...?
Can it be...
the Steps of the Cosmos?
Not so fast, my Taoist Brother.
Run!
Stop them!
Don't kill anyone!
Got it!
Easy! Easy!
Master Ziya!
Yin Jiao! Ji Fa! Get
the Fengshen Bang!
Come on!
Out of my way!
Go after them!
Water Teleportation!
Ji Fa, you go that way!
It's dangerous! Stop!
You stop!
It's a dead end.
If you come closer,
I'll jump.
You’ve come all this way,
why change your mind now?
Just pretend I was never here.
That solves
everything, doesn't it?
Go back! Go back!
The Fengshen Bang belongs
to the King of All Realms,
and that King is my father.
What right do you
have to keep it?
I was going to give it to him,
but I can't now.
You despicable cheat.
Tell me,
what does it mean to
be King of All Realms?
If he can slaughter...
an innocent man,
how can he be trusted
with all of humanity?
My father is willing...
The Great Curse is coming,
and countless lives
will be lost every day.
Yet he called this a blessing!
Tell me.
If you were King,
would you do the same?
Shut up!
Return the Fengshen
Bang to my father!
Old Man, hand over
the Fengshen Bang.
Without it, His
Majesty will die.
If I give it to him,
I'm afraid the rest of the
world will meet that same fate.
Nonsense!
His Majesty is a hero!
But he takes you as fools.
He doesn't care
about anyone else.
He cares only about himself.
Yin Jiao.
Yin Jiao,
he just saved your life.
I don't care.
I need to save my father.
Master Ziya!
Don't hurt him. Don't!
Where is my Fengshen Bang?
Release him!
Ji Fa,
take the Fengshen Bang and run!
Don't do it. Don't do it.
You wouldn't dare.
Don't let go!
Don't do it!
He let go.
Thunderbolts!
He actually jumped!
Yin Jiao.
Master,
I have something
important to report to you.
It’s the Fengshen Bang.
I actually saw the
Fengshen Bang.
If you saw the Fengshen Bang,
why didn't you bring it to me?
Forgive me, Master.
It's not that I didn't try,
but the Kunlun monk
had lots of backup.
I was...
What Kunlun monk?
How dare he bully you?
Master, let's go
teach them a lesson!
This spell is for
“Soul Instillation”.
Our Master is good to you.
What are you waiting for? Go!
Thank you, Master.
Master Ziya.
You're awake.
Yin Shou is the
King of All Realms,
but you won’t give the
Fengshen Bang to him.
What's the point
of us staying here?
Right! We haven't
met anyone nice...
since we began this journey.
You almost lost your life.
Why don’t we take the
Fengshen Bang back to Kunlun...
and leave these mortals
to their own devices?
Yin Jiao is the Crown Prince.
He is the next
King of All Realms.
He’s not like his father.
Yin Jiao? How long
do we have to wait...
for him to become King?
Who said anything about waiting?
Could it be another demon?
Stop.
Where did this baby come from?
So strange. Must be a demon.
My Lord, be careful.
A pitiful thing, all alone.
Sir,
that thing in your
arms might be a demon.
Better to kill it now,
before it becomes a threat.
If you can't do it, we will.
It’s just a child.
Even if he is a demon,
whether he grows
up to be good or evil...
depends on how he is raised.
We can't jump to conclusions.
You are absolutely right.
Nezha, Yang Jian,
stay your hands.
I am Jiang Ziya. We
come from Kunlun.
I am Ji Chang, from Xiqi.
The Duke of the
West. It's an honor.
The child is frail.
To save his life,
I propose we send
him to Kunlun...
for my master, the
Supreme One, to raise.
I've heard a great deal
about the Supreme One.
It would be the child’s
honor to be taught by him.
Then you should name the child,
so you’ll know him
if you meet again.
His birth was
accompanied by thunder.
Let's name him Lei Zhenzi.
Yang Jian, Nezha, take
Lei Zhenzi to Kunlun.
Right away.
Strange things keep
happening these days.
Is that why you're
going to Zhaoge?
We have a new king now.
It's customary for
the Four Dukes...
to pay our respects in person.
So the other three Dukes
are also on their way?
Yes.
You asked Ji Chang
to summon us...
to dethrone Yin Shou and
make Yin Jiao the new King.
Exactly.
Yin Shou has promised...
to sacrifice himself
to lift the Great Curse.
Fool!
You really believe he
would burn himself?
When the pyre is built,
we'll see if he keeps his word.
How can you...
There is no time to lose.
The Great Curse has
spread to all realms.
Plagues in the North,
water turning foul in the East,
babies stillborn in the South,
and crop failure in the West.
The longer we wait, the
greater the devastation.
This curse was brought
on by the Yin family.
It's their
responsibility to end it.
The Shang King is
the King of All Realms.
The world is his.
This world...
is not the King's world,
but everyone's world.
Fascinating...
Fascinating...
The Duke of the West’s
divinations have never been wrong.
So, what does it say?
The hexagram
indicates “deception”.
The killing of a king
was not righteous,
and a throne fell into
undeserving hands.
So it would seem,
the King was not killed by
Yin Qi, but someone else.
Who would that be?
Who else but Yin Shou?
It's not right to jump
to such conclusions.
Are you with us or not?
It's treason,
with little chance of success.
How about you, Ji Chang?
Don't forget our sons are
kept as hostages in Zhaoge.
So be it.
So be it!
I'll return to the south
and rally my troops.
I can do this without you.
Stop! Nobody move!
You dare to plot treason!
He's alone. Kill him.
No!
It's my son, Ji Fa.
I am Ji Fa, a guard
of the royal court.
I saw Yin Qi kill his
father with my own eyes,
and yet you try to
smear His Majesty...
with these false divinations!
Do you see?
He's been a hostage so long...
that he takes Yin
Shou to be his father.
What good is a son like that?
Kill him.
You’re not getting away!
Ji Fa! We finally found you.
- Brethren!
We are the royal guards.
Drop your weapons!
Step aside!
They say you can see the future.
Ji Chang,
are you able to see...
your own death?
Your Majesty,
a fortune teller...
can see the future...
of everything...
except for...
his own fortunes.
What do you see now?
It shows here that,
Your Majesty,
will die by the hand of
your own flesh and blood.
Everyone knows that...
I intend to sacrifice myself...
to save the world.
Ji Chang,
you’re nothing but a fake!
Go! Stand before your fathers.
When Yin Qi killed our father,
your sons were all there,
they saw everything
that happened.
But the four of you...
would believe baseless rumors...
over what they saw
with their own eyes.
You’re not stupid.
You’re simply treasonous.
Take a good look
at these traitors.
They used to be your fathers.
Now,
they're sinners that
betrayed the Shang.
My sister is your wife,
the Queen.
The Crown Prince,
Yin Jiao, is my nephew.
Why would I be a traitor?
With the gods as my witnesses,
I never intended to betray you.
Yin Shou!
You killed your father
and your brother,
and brought on the Great Curse.
You...
are the sinner.
Your fathers...
kept their favorite
sons close to them,
well-fed and well-dressed,
waiting to one day inherit...
their throne.
Whereas you...
were abandoned
here in distant Zhaoge,
to fend for yourselves.
And now,
you’ve all grown up,
trained by my hand to
become Shang warriors.
Your power and courage...
have been forged
in mortal combat.
No one can tell you what to do.
You are far stronger than
your brothers back home.
You are far more qualified
to succeed your fathers.
Now, I give you a chance to
take what is rightfully yours.
Whoever kills his father...
can take his place.
Draw your swords!
Have you forgotten
how Su Quanxiao died?
Father!
If you don’t kill your father,
he will one day kill you.
Father!
Good.
Chong Yingbiao,
you are now Duke of the North.
You fool!
Do it!
No!
No!
No!
My son!
My son!
You must...
stay alive.
Jiang Wenhuan,
you are now Duke of the East.
Father!
Ji Fa,
what are you waiting for?
You wish to plead
for your father's life?
No.
Ji Chang is a traitor...
who deserves to be executed.
The Four Dukes
plotted treason...
because they were
misled by Ji Chang.
Ji Chang is the culprit,
he started the conspiracy.
If we kill him,
his sins will be covered up...
and no one will know the truth.
He has to apologize in public...
to let the people know that...
the Four Dukes
attempted treason,
and it was Your
Majesty's decisiveness...
that saved the Shang.
You let the Fengshen
Bang get away.
That was a failure.
You captured four
traitors for the Shang.
That’s to your credit.
Guards!
Put Ji Chang in the dungeon.
Father.
Father.
That jade circle...
was my gift to you...
when I sent you
here to be a hostage.
Do you remember what it means?
His Majesty promised me that,
as soon as you
confess your crime,
he will let you go back to Xiqi.
The circle...
means that one
day you will return.
It's planting season soon.
Xiqi...
Your false prophecies
fomented treason.
Why won’t you admit that?
I was wrong.
I shouldn't have...
sent you to live with such
an evil person as Yin Shou.
How can you call him evil?
I saw with my own eyes...
how he fought for our country.
I heard with my own ears...
how he intends
to sacrifice himself...
to appease the Great Curse.
As for you,
you were in Xiqi.
You didn't witness any of that,
and yet you judge him
based on a handful of sticks.
It’s ridiculous.
My son,
what you see...
might only be what Yin
Shou wants you to see,
and what you believe...
might only be what Yin
Shou wants you to believe.
Father.
If...
you truly believed all that,
you would have killed
me yesterday in court.
I'm your son.
How could I kill you?
Remember,
it doesn't matter
whose son you are.
What matters is who you are.
Such a beautiful body.
To kill it...
would be a shame, no?
Everything started with you,
perhaps it should
end with you as well.
It would appear that...
I’ve awakened a beast.
Keep me around.
I know a way for us...
to share immortality.
I ask Your Majesty
to execute me.
On what grounds?
Jiang Huanchu, Duke of the East,
was executed by Your Majesty.
As his sister, I deserve
the same punishment.
You believe he was wronged?
The Four Dukes were loyal men.
By killing them,
you betrayed the
trust of your subjects.
Their sons were loving children.
By forcing them
to kill their fathers,
you’ve abandoned all morality.
What you killed...
was more than four men.
You killed the
trust of the world...
and the Shang reign
of the last 500 years.
As the Queen...
of this country,
it’s my duty to advise the King.
As your wife,
it’s my duty to
address your sins.
Perhaps my death can serve to...
bring you to your senses.
The dead are already gone.
Why waste your own life?
A body such as yours...
is not easy to come by.
As Queen,
you deserve to have...
all the joy in the world.
Why don't you join us...
in our joy?
No wonder His Majesty
is so fond of you.
Even I...
can’t help feeling drawn to you.
Strange that a place as
cold and remote as Jizhou...
was able to produce a
stunning beauty like you.
If I were the King,
I, too, would fall
under your spell.
Evil temptress,
begone from this world!
Demon!
Your Majesty!
So you do intend to kill me!
Father!
She’s not human!
She’s a fox demon!
Protect His Majesty!
Guards!
Ji Fa.
What should I do?
This leads to outside
the Meridian Gate.
Go to High Priest Bi
Gan and hide there.
If you let me go,
what will happen to you?
Give me the Daemon Duke’s sword.
Ji Fa.
Chong Yingbiao,
it's dark in there.
I'll find you a torch.
Bring me...
a torch!
The Great Curse is upon us,
and evildoers are everywhere.
We are in a time of crisis.
To make the Great Curse abate,
the evildoers
must be rooted out.
This shows His Majesty's
concern for his people.
The Four Dukes...
of the East, West,
South and North...
were ungrateful traitors...
who plotted treason.
Now that they've failed,
they are either
dead or in prison.
The Queen, Jiang,
didn't know her
place as a woman,
and spoke out of turn.
Ashamed of what she did,
she drowned herself.
- Kneel before the Duke of The North!
The Crown Prince, Yin Jiao,
utterly lacking in morals,
crept into the
palace at night...
to kill his father and king.
After he failed, he fled...
and is now a wanted man.
This sword of Yin
Jiao’s is sharp indeed.
I’ve had my eye on
you for days now.
Where are you hiding Yin Jiao?
At the stable?
In the barracks?
Or in a shithole?
Beast.
Come on.
Bring it on!
Brother!
All these years
alone here in Zhaoge,
I’m sure you’ve
been bullied a lot.
No way.
I do all the bullying!
You’ve always been competitive,
always wanted
to be a great hero.
I remember when the
Shang came for hostages...
and Father made
us compete in archery...
to see who would go.
Don’t think for a moment
that I don’t know...
that you tampered with my arrow.
If I hadn’t,
how could I have beaten you?
I know that...
you wanted more
than the quiet life in Xiqi.
You longed to be
a warrior in Zhaoge.
Now that you're a royal guard,
I'm really happy for you.
Brother,
you are next in line
to be Duke of Xiqi.
You should have stayed there.
The carriages outside
are loaded with treasure.
Tell me...
is it enough to save Father?
No amount of treasure will do.
I've already talked to Father,
but he won't admit he was wrong.
Father is like that.
He never does anything...
he doesn't believe in.
Brother,
don't worry.
I'm working on it.
I’m afraid that...
Father is old and frail.
He can’t wait much longer.
My Snow Dragons!
It's been ages.
They still recognize me!
You've been away for too long.
You probably don’t know
your way back anymore.
These two Snow Dragons
were a gift from Father,
but I’ve trained
them over the years.
They are fast...
and know their way around.
The treasures you brought...
do not please me;
but your presence...
pleases me greatly.
Tell me,
what do you want?
Today, I will grant
your every wish.
My father is too old and weak...
to survive prison.
Would you take pity on him...
and release him?
Punish me...
in his place.
Your father was
sentenced to death.
Then I would die for him.
Ji Fa, it's me.
Demon monk!
Every time you show up,
something bad happens.
Where is Yin Jiao?
Take me to see him!
You won’t rest
until we’re all killed!
I'm the only one
who can save him.
He can stay in Zhaoge no longer.
Last time you got away,
but this time you
surrendered yourself.
Stop talking.
Come with me.
Leave Zhaoge.
Kunlun will protect you.
You're the future
King of All Realms.
The people’s future...
depends on...
My father is the
King of All Realms.
He’s the one that will
open the Fengshen Bang...
and save the world!
I told you, old man.
He won't listen to you.
You still believe him?
My Father is bewitched
by a fox demon.
Good and bad fortunes...
don't happen by accident.
Those with evil intentions...
attract demons.
What if...
What if your father is not
bewitched by a fox demon?
If we can lure
Daji to this place...
and kill the fox,
then we will know the truth.
It pains me to see
how you’ve suffered.
Are you here to kill me?
I envy you...
for having two good sons.
I, on the other hand,
only have one,
who wants to kill me.
We're both fathers.
Why am I so afflicted?
However you treat
your own father,
your son will
follow that example.
But you have no idea...
how my father treated me.
I have great admiration for you.
What should I do?
I'd like to hear your advice.
If you keep your word...
and sacrifice yourself,
your sins...
will be absolved,
and you’ll be an honorable
descendant of Cheng Tang.
The thing is,
can you do it?
Bo Yikao is here? In Zhaoge?
Where is he?
You love your son so much.
Don't you recognize
how he tastes?
Even beasts don't
eat their cubs.
You are less than an animal.
You want a bite?
Have a bite.
Take it!
Take it!
You monster!
Kill me!
I promised Bo Yikao...
that I wouldn’t kill you...
and that I’d release you.
You know what you have to do.
Remember,
I still have your other
son in my hands.
I have sinned.
I made a false divination.
I plotted treason.
I instigated a revolt.
I am a criminal.
I am unforgivable.
I have sinned.
I made a false divination.
I plotted treason.
I...
I instigated a revolt.
I made a false divination.
I plotted treason.
I...
instigated a revolt.
I am a criminal.
I am a criminal.
I...
I made a false divination.
I, Yin Shou,
have brought Lady Su
to meet our ancestors...
and ask for their blessing.
Come closer.
Let the ancestors see you.
If I hadn’t seen it
with my own eyes,
I’d never believe that
such beauty could exist.
Give me your hand.
Fox Demon,
I’ve locked your
meridian pathway!
Prepare to die.
How can you say
she’s a fox demon?
Yin Jiao.
So this is where
you've been hiding.
I saw with my own eyes...
how the fox demon
inhabits Daji's body.
Father, I wounded
you by accident,
when I was trying
to kill this demon...
and avenge Mother.
Daji has been with
me all this time.
If she were a fox
demon, I would know.
When I kill her,
her true form
will reveal itself.
What if she’s not a fox demon?
You will have taken
an innocent life!
As the High Priest,
I have a magical heart
with seven chambers.
Upon consuming this heart,
any demon...
will revert to
its original form.
You would give up
your heart for this?
What is my heart...
compared to the royal family...
and our dynasty?
But if Su Daji is
indeed a fox demon,
what will Your Majesty do?
Name your terms.
She must be put to death.
Yin Jiao must be pardoned.
And the Four Dukes
must be declared innocent.
In the name of our ancestors,
swear to do all this.
As the ancestors are my witness,
I swear it!
Grand uncle, you mustn’t!
Swallow it!
Fox demon, you
won’t harm His Majesty!
The fox demon has shown itself.
Now, Your Majesty, kill it!
In the name of our ancestors,
Yin Shou, what
are you waiting for?
Our ancestors?
Where are these ancestors?
If I call out to them,
do they answer?
You all say the
white fox is a demon.
In fact, she’s a charm.
Only she knows
what I truly desire.
You want to be...
King of All The World.
The Shang Dynasty...
is finished.
High Priest!
The Shang Dynasty...
is truly finished.
Grand Uncle!
The Shang Dynasty...
Get the High Priest out of here.
Treacherous boy,
what do you find so amusing?
I thought you were
bewitched by the fox demon.
That's why I kept hoping that...
you would turn back into...
the father...
that I respected
and looked up to.
I was such a fool.
You did this!
You gave me my life.
Now you can take it back!
Yin Jiao!
Guards!
Take him away.
He’ll be executed at the
Meridian Gate tomorrow.
Don’t think I don’t know
what you’ve been up to.
I would never...
Of all the hostages,
you were my favorite,
because on the day
you arrived in Zhaoge,
you told me that...
you wanted to be a hero.
We are one of a kind,
therefore,
I'll give you one last chance.
Go and kill Ji Chang.
Do that for me...
and you’ll become
my son and heir,
the Crown Prince of Shang.
Don’t disappoint me again.
I'm a criminal.
I'm unforgivable.
I have sinned.
I thought I would never
again see the light of day,
but you saved me.
I practised for a
thousand years...
so as to take on human form...
and partake in
the pleasures of life.
But King Cheng Tang sealed
me inside the Xuanyuan Tomb.
It's been 500 years...
Only the blood of his
descendants could break the seal.
You brought me back to life.
In return,
I used a soul
transference spell...
to inhabit Yin Qi's body...
to help you do
what you wanted to do,
to take what you wanted to have.
I will make you immortal,
a King for all eternity.
A subject serves his king...
like the sun and
moon in the sky.
Such is the basis of a nation.
A son serves his father...
like the gods in
the heavens above.
Such is the
foundation of a family.
That's why there
is no greater sin...
than the murder of
one's father and king.
The traitorous son, Yin Jiao,
disregarding all law and ethics,
armed with murderous intent...
So then, Ji Chang,
which one of us
was fated to die...
by the hand of his
own flesh and blood?
Yin Shou!
Dead or alive,
I’m coming for you!
Proceed with the execution!
Nezha, Yang Jian, where are you?
Brothers of Xiqi,
save Yin Jiao!
Stop them!
You dared to deceive me?!
Release Yin Jiao,
or I’ll have to kill you.
You don't have what it takes.
Execute him!
Comrade,
let me send you on your way.
You think you’ll kill me?
Don’t forget,
I taught you
everything you know.
Save Ji Fa!
Nezha, Yang Jian, I'm here!
Master Ziya!
Come with us! Let’s go!
Don't worry about me.
Take Yin Jiao with you.
Yin Jiao is in two
sections! He’s dead.
Stop wasting time!
Take him to Kunlun immediately!
Water Teleportation!
Did they have to both go?
If the gods won't kill you,
I will.
His Majesty is dead.
I, Duke of the North,
give the orders now.
Bring me Ji Fa.
Why are you still in Zhaoge?
You must have a death wish!
Soul Transference!
Yin Shou is dead.
I killed him.
He’s the one responsible
for the Great Curse.
Stop them!
Jiang Wenhuan, if
you wish to avenge him,
do it now.
Stand down!
Let them go.
Go!
Close the gates.
Prepare for battle!
Someone is coming through!
Stop him!
Stop him now!
It's a fugitive.
Into the forest!
Keep up!
What is this?
Release the arrows!
Ji Fa, go. Save yourself.
It's me they're after.
I’m going to borrow
something of yours.
What?
Not so fast, my Taoist Brother.
You!
Jiang Ziya! You won’t get away!
Who are you?
Lei Zhenzi.
My child,
let's go home.
These two Snow Dragons
were gifts from Father.
I've trained them
over the years.
Whenever you want to return,
just say to them:
“Home”.
And they'll take
you back to Xiqi.
The circle.
Father,
I promise I'll
return home to Xiqi.
Circle.
Full circle.
Home.
It’s a Snow Dragon!
Young Master's back!
Father.
Come.
Full circle.
Father,
I'm back.
Shang Commander Wen Zhong,
after ten years of battle
near the North Sea,
has returned in victory!