Fifteen hundred years after the war of gods, the heaven declined. Yang Jian, the God of Erlang, made a living by working as a catcher. One day, Yang Jian was ordered to hunt down a young man, his own nephew.

A few years after the Anshi Rebellion, Tang dynasty military commander Gao Shi suffers a defeat in a battle threatening Chang'an. Trapped in the besieged city, he recalls his lifelong friendship with the acclaimed poet Li Bai.

After he was demoted and sent to the mortal world, Erlang Shen needs to open his third eye in order to subdue the thousand-year dragon that violated heaven’s law and broke through the dragon gate. This is the only way he can return to heaven.