Eclipse of the Divine Spark
Tales of Demons and Gods (Yao Shen Ji), the iconic donghua adaptation of Mad Snail’s xianxia web novel, surges into its ninth season with episode 37 (overall episode 417), released on October 26, 2025, via Tencent Video and Bilibili. 6 8 Produced by Ruo Hong Culture and Tencent Penguin Pictures, this 8-minute ONA installment—part of the season’s 52-episode run that premiered on July 17, 2025—plunges viewers deeper into the escalating Divine Continent arc, where protagonist Nie Li’s time-bending machinations collide with ancient legacies and rival gods.
Directed with a flair for luminous soul force effects and dynamic inscription battles, episode 37 masterfully heightens the mid-season tension, blending visceral demon beast summons with emotional revelations about Nie Li’s past life.
Since its 2017 debut, Tales of Demons and Gods has captivated audiences with Nie Li’s reincarnation-fueled quest to safeguard Glory City from annihilation, wielding demon spirits, inscription arrays, and temporal knowledge to ascend from “trash” youth to god-slaying legend. 7 Season 9, rated 8.2/10 on MyAnimeList, expands the scope to the Divine Continent’s fractured alliances, where Nie Li’s Alchemy Emperor prowess faces off against the Sage Emperor’s machinations.
Episode 37, fan-subbed as “Eclipse of the Divine Spark” (official Chinese: “神芒蚀影”), picks up from episode 36’s cliffhanger, where Nie Li’s covert inscription on the Heavenly Note Pavilion’s relic triggered a soul force backlash, awakening a dormant divine spark that drew the attention of the Moon God’s ethereal scouts.
With its concise runtime, the episode delivers a narrative whirlwind, rewarding novel enthusiasts with faithful nods to chapters 800-850 while teasing the season’s looming god-confrontation.
Plot Overview: Sparks of Eclipse and Inscription Fury
Unfolding amid the opulent halls of the Heavenly Note Pavilion—a crystalline sanctum atop the Divine Continent’s mist-shrouded peaks, where soul stones hum with latent inscription power—episode 37 catapts Nie Li into a high-stakes ritual of revelation and retaliation. The narrative ignites with a disorienting vision sequence: Nie Li, voiced with sly charisma, clutches the pavilion’s relic—a pulsating obsidian orb etched with forbidden demon arrays—as ethereal sparks cascade like falling stars, illuminating fragmented memories of his previous life’s cataclysmic fall to the Sage Emperor.
The animation’s luminous particle effects render the sparks as coiling soul serpents, symbolizing the eclipse between Nie Li’s mortal vessel and his reincarnated god-slaying essence.
As the pavilion’s elders convene in alarm, Nie Li—disguised as a lowly inscription apprentice—deciphers the relic’s core inscription, unveiling a hidden “Eclipse Array” that could amplify Glory City’s defenses against the continent’s encroaching void beasts. However, this activation summons the Moon God’s scouts: spectral maidens wreathed in lunar silk, their soul blades slicing through barriers with silvery precision.
In a fluid montage, Nie Li integrates his Temporal Demon Spirit with the array, forging a hybrid “Eclipse Inscription” that bends light into defensive prisms, repelling the scouts while siphoning their lunar essence to fuel his Black Gold rank breakthrough.
Flashbacks intercut the fray, recapping Nie Li’s Glory City origins—training Xiao Ning’er and Du Ze amid demon attacks—underscoring his unyielding vow: “In this life, no god’s shadow eclipses my dawn.”
The episode’s pivot arrives in a clandestine alliance with pavilion ally Long Yuyin, the dragon-blooded heiress whose tsundere banter masks budding affection. Together, they infiltrate the relic’s inner chamber, confronting a guardian spirit—a colossal eclipse beast born from the array’s backlash, its form a vortex of shadow and starlight. Nie Li’s ingenuity shines as he deploys the “Heavenly Star Inscription,” channeling his demon spirits (Black Dragon and Shadow Devil) to weave a counter-net that binds the beast, extracting a divine spark fragment.
This shard integrates into his soul realm, enhancing his inscription mastery and unlocking glimpses of the Sage Emperor’s void plot—a scheme to eclipse the continent’s soul veins for ultimate dominion.
The climax erupts in a pavilion-wide skirmish: Moon God scouts converge, their lunar blades clashing against Nie Li’s prismatic shields in a symphony of light fractures. Long Yuyin’s draconic roar bolsters the defense, her bloodline syncing with Nie Li’s array for a resonant boost. Yet, the victory extracts a toll—the spark’s integration stirs a temporal ripple, briefly pulling Nie Li into a vision of his past demise, forcing him to reaffirm his reincarnation’s purpose.
The episode closes on a electrifying cliffhanger: as the scouts retreat, a Sage Emperor emissary’s silhouette materializes in the eclipse’s wake, intoning, “The spark awakens, but the void devours all,” teasing episode 38’s emissary duel and potential temporal paradox.
Key Plot Beats:
- Relic Activation: Nie Li’s inscription decoding unleashes the Eclipse Array, blending temporal lore with soul force visuals that echo his past life’s god-slaying battles.
- Scout Incursion: The Moon God’s maidens introduce celestial mechanics, their lunar assaults countered by Nie Li’s prismatic defenses in a choreography of shadow and gleam.
- Guardian Clash: The eclipse beast trial tests Nie Li’s demon spirit fusion, yielding the divine spark and advancing his Black Gold inscription tier.
- Cliffhanger Emissary: The Sage Emperor’s shadow teases continental-scale intrigue, layering personal vendetta with apocalyptic stakes. 6
This structure maximizes the 8-minute format, prioritizing explosive revelations over filler, a staple of the season’s brisk pacing.
Character Developments: Sparks of Legacy and Bond
Episode 37 polishes Nie Li’s multifaceted genius, evolving him from sly tactician to burdened visionary—his vision-induced vulnerability humanizes the reincarnator, while the spark integration hardens his resolve against godly hubris. Long Yuyin’s role deepens: her alliance with Nie Li sparks romantic tension, her dragon pride yielding to mutual respect, enriching the harem dynamics without overshadowing the action.
Supporting Layers:
- Pavilion Elders: From skeptical overseers to reluctant allies, their awe at Nie Li’s array hints at shifting loyalties amid the Divine Continent’s fractures.
- Moon God Scouts: Ethereal yet ruthless, their defeat exposes internal divine discord, foreshadowing broader celestial betrayals.
- Demon Spirits: Nie Li’s Black Dragon and Shadow Devil gain nuanced synergy, their roars echoing his past life’s unyielding spirit.
These refinements elevate the cast, transforming the pavilion from mere backdrop to a nexus of evolving allegiances.
Themes and Symbolism: Eclipsing the Divine Veil
Rooted in Mad Snail’s narrative, episode 37 explores reincarnation’s double eclipse: Nie Li’s spark symbolizes reclaimed divinity—once lost to betrayal, now a tool to pierce godly veils—mirroring the continent’s soul veins under void threat. The lunar assaults evoke Daoist cycles of light and shadow, where inscriptions represent mortal ingenuity defying celestial fate, while the temporal ripple critiques power’s recursive cost. Amid the spectacle, themes of legacy and camaraderie resonate, with Nie Li’s bonds countering isolation in his god-defying ascent.
Production Quality: Luminous Inscriptions in Compact Radiance
Ruo Hong Culture’s animation dazzles in bursts: eclipse effects swirl with particle precision, inscription arrays fracturing in prismatic glory. The soundtrack—haunting zither riffs over celestial chimes—amps the ethereal tension, while voice acting captures Nie Li’s wry determination. At 8 minutes, pacing is impeccable, though some note minor sub sync issues in early streams. It earns an 8.3/10 on AnimeKhor, praised for “sparkling soul visuals” that rival Battle Through the Heavens. 4
Conclusion: Sparks That Ignite the Void
Episode 37 of Tales of Demons and Gods Season 9 is a radiant rift in Nie Li’s saga, where inscriptions eclipse shadows and sparks forge gods. Its masterful fusion of action and introspection captivates, blending luminous xianxia with heartfelt defiance in a donghua that continues to redefine reincarnation epics. Stream it on AnimeXin or Lucifer Donghua for an 8-minute blaze of brilliance—because in the Divine Continent, every spark defies the eclipse.
