The first episode drew some controversy as it had a scene in which Wu Gang (Zhang Yaodong) and Erlang (Yao Wenlong) faced off in the nude with their private parts blurred on screen.
After that, the captain of the supreme soldiers holds a strike to dethrone the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother because of their inability to rule the heavens properly; then the Queen Mother and Erlang Shen decide to use the fate of Cowherd and Weaving Maiden as a bet - shall they end up together then the two gods can stay on their thrones, but shall they separate then the two gods will be dethroned.
At the same time, many gods and immortals have fled to the mortal world for different reasons: some have been expelled from the heavens; some have become criminals and are on the run; and to tie in with the main plot, some have been sent down as agents to either bring Cowherd and Weaving Maiden together or to separate them.
Erlang hires the Eight Immortals (With the exception of He Xiangu and Lan Caihe, who remained loyal to the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother) to ruin any chance of the two getting back together, while Queen Mother hires Wu Gang and is secretly assisted by He Xiangu and Lan Caihe, do their utmost to bring Tian Ying and Tian Qin together.
Erlang and Zhu Wanjin intended to kill off Lu Yue and Tian Ying with a bomb but Wu Gang sacrificed his immortality to save both their lives.