Shadows of Vengeance in the Demon Spirit Land
Renegade Immortal (Xian Ni), the gripping donghua adaptation of Er Gen’s legendary xianxia novel, reaches a thunderous crescendo in episode 112, released on October 25, 2025, via Tencent Penguin Pictures and BUILD.
This 18-minute installment plunges viewers deeper into the brutal Demon Spirit Land arc, where protagonist Wang Lin’s unyielding pursuit of power collides with heartbreaking loss and demonic ambition. Clocking in as part of the ongoing first season (now at 128 episodes as of late 2025), episode 112 is a masterclass in tension-building, blending visceral action with philosophical introspection on fate, belief, and the cost of immortality.
Directed by Stone Bear Feng Yi, it captures the novel’s essence—Wang Lin’s transformation from a mediocre mortal to a heaven-defying force—while amplifying the donghua’s signature 3D visuals of swirling demonic energies and illusory realms.
Episode Setup and Plot Dive
Picking up from episode 111’s cliffhanger, where Wang Lin infiltrates the war-torn fringes of the Ancient Demon City, episode 112 opens with a haunting montage of the Demon Spirit Land’s crimson skies and bone-strewn battlefields. Wang Lin, disguised as a low-rank demon cultivator, has been navigating this hellish domain to seize opportunities for his Nascent Soul breakthrough, guided by the enigmatic Heaven Defying Bead and the lingering spirit of his mentor Situ Nan. The episode’s core revolves around his burgeoning role in the demonic hierarchy, but it’s the personal stakes that ignite the narrative fire.
As Wang Lin delves into the city’s outer districts—labyrinthine streets echoing with the howls of spirit beasts and the chants of demon generals—he encounters a pivotal subplot involving his makeshift “disciple,” the young demon hybrid known as Thirteen. This urchin-like figure, introduced earlier as a pawn in Wang Lin’s schemes, represents a rare flicker of humanity in Wang Lin’s increasingly ruthless demeanor.
Thirteen, crippled by a botched cultivation ritual in prior episodes, idolizes Wang Lin as a father figure, begging for guidance in harnessing his fractured demonic core. 9 Their bond, forged in the shadows of survival, humanizes Wang Lin, echoing his own tragic losses—his parents’ murder by Teng Huayuan and the soul-crushing isolation of his early cultivation days.
The plot accelerates when Thirteen stumbles into a trap set by the Left-Wing Demon General, a hulking antagonist with jagged horns and eyes like molten obsidian. This general, a mid-tier enforcer in the city’s power structure, senses Thirteen’s unstable aura as a threat to the demonic bloodlines. In a gut-wrenching sequence, Thirteen is ambushed during a scavenging run, his body mangled by chains of shadowy qi that sever his meridians and shatter his nascent demon core.
The animation here is unflinching: blood-red tendrils lash out in slow-motion, accompanied by Thirteen’s agonized screams that pierce the episode’s otherwise brooding score. Wang Lin arrives too late, cradling the boy’s broken form amid the rubble, his usually stoic expression cracking into raw fury—a rare glimpse of vulnerability for the “weathered old monster” he’s becoming.
This tragedy becomes the episode’s fulcrum. Enraged, Wang Lin channels his comprehension of the “Demon Finger” technique—a forbidden art blending illusion and raw demonic essence, mastered in episode 110—to exact immediate retribution. He unleashes a barrage of ethereal fingers that pierce the general’s defenses, drawing from his newfound understanding of “true belief”: the Daoist-infused philosophy that one’s heart defies heavenly decree. The battle is a visual feast, with Wang Lin’s qi manifesting as coiling black serpents that clash against the general’s fiery wings, shattering illusory barriers and revealing hidden reinforcements. Yet, victory is pyrrhic; Thirteen’s wounds are irreversible, forcing Wang Lin to confront the futility of his detached path.
In a bold pivot, Wang Lin leverages the chaos to his advantage. Posing as a vengeful demon lord, he rallies the scattered demon soldiers—outcasts and lowborn fiends who’ve witnessed his prowess—into a makeshift legion. By episode’s end, he’s not just a survivor but the de facto commander of 10,000 demon troops, a force poised to storm the city’s inner sanctums. This ascension awakens a dormant “demon power” within him, a surge of ancient bloodline energy that tinges his eyes with crimson and amplifies his aura to near-Core Formation levels. The cliffhanger teases an impending siege, with Wang Lin whispering to Thirteen’s fading form, “I will make the heavens pay for every soul it claims,” setting up episode 113’s all-out demonic uprising. 3 7
Visual and Auditory Mastery
The donghua’s production quality elevates episode 112 to a standout. BUILD’s 3D rendering brings the Ancient Demon City’s gothic spires and fog-shrouded alleys to life, with particle effects for qi clashes that rival Soul Land‘s spectacle. The Left-Wing Demon General’s design—towering, asymmetrical wings fused with obsidian armor—evokes ancient Chinese demon lore, while Wang Lin’s “Demon Finger” unleashes in a kaleidoscope of shadow and flame, scored by a haunting guzheng melody that swells into thunderous percussion during the climax. Voice acting shines, particularly Wang Lin’s seiyuu delivering lines with a gravelly edge that conveys suppressed rage, contrasting Thirteen’s high-pitched pleas for a heartbreaking effect. At 18 minutes, the pacing is taut, with no filler—every frame advances the emotional or plot thrust.
Thematic Depth in a Single Episode
True to Er Gen’s novel, episode 112 distills xianxia’s core ethos: defiance against an uncaring cosmos. Wang Lin’s “true belief” isn’t blind faith but a weaponized resolve, symbolizing his rejection of predestined mediocrity. The disciple’s tragedy underscores the genre’s brutal truth—cultivation devours the weak, yet bonds forged in blood forge unbreakable wills. It’s a microcosm of Wang Lin’s arc, from filial son to immortal renegade, reminding viewers that power without purpose is hollow.
Key Moments
- Thirteen’s Ambush: A visceral 3-minute sequence where the young disciple’s cultivation backfires, chains of demonic qi ripping through his body, highlighting the perils of unchecked ambition in the Demon Spirit Land.
- Wang Lin’s Awakening: Midway, Wang Lin meditates amid ruins, his Heaven Defying Bead pulsing with ethereal light, unlocking a “demon power” surge that visually manifests as crimson veins across his form, boosting his qi reserves by 30%.
- The Rally Cry: Post-battle, Wang Lin stands atop a bloodied altar, his voice echoing through illusory projections to summon 10,000 demon soldiers, their roars forming a choral wave that shakes the city’s barriers.
- Cliffhanger Vow: As Thirteen slips into unconsciousness, Wang Lin’s tear-streaked face hardens into resolve, foreshadowing a vengeful command that could topple the Left-Wing faction.
Fan Reactions and Buzz
Since its Tencent premiere yesterday, episode 112 has exploded on donghua forums. YouTube breakdowns like “Wang Lin Awakens Demon Power” have racked up 500K views in hours, with commenters hailing the “goosebumps-inducing” disciple scene as peak emotional xianxia. 3 On Reddit’s r/Donghua, threads praise the animation’s fidelity to novel chapters 300-350, though some gripe about the “rushed legion buildup.” Lucifer Donghua’s stream hit 1M plays overnight, with fans dubbing it “the episode that broke Wang Lin’s ice heart.” Multilingual subs (English, Indo, Spanish) on Donghua Zone ensure global hype, positioning episode 112 as a seasonal high-water mark.
In essence, episode 112 of Renegade Immortal isn’t just a chapter in Wang Lin’s saga—it’s a forge where loss tempers steel, propelling him toward immortal legend.
