Films /
Mystic Tales: The Spider Lady's Vendetta
- AIPopDB score
- 35/100
- Format
- Film
- Year
- 2026
- Views
- 6.8K
Synopsis
A paper master who has lost her memory follows a mysterious figure into a hidden realm that lies between the living world and the world of spirits. Together they set out to find three mystical objects said to hold the truth she has forgotten.
iQIYI's listing names the amnesiac woman as Bai Xiaoman, who follows guidance from her dreams to uncover her past. Her companion is Hu Bugui, who is part human and part paper. With a Yang Tiger Tally, they enter the Yin-Yang Ghost Market to obtain Rootless Water, and along the way they learn the tragic love story of Meng Ruyi. Once Meng lets go of her obsession and gives them the water, the pair go on to look for the Century-Old Blood Ink.
As the forgotten truth surfaces, the story turns to obsession, redemption and the complexity of human nature. The makers describe its look as Eastern gothic, and the tale draws on classical Chinese mythology, with Taoist tags on the iQIYI page. It is the first chapter of a planned Mystic Tales Trilogy.
Last Updated 12 October 2026
About the Show
Mystic Tales: The Spider Lady's Vendetta is an AI-generated fantasy-adventure feature in Mandarin, premiered exclusively by iQIYI on 23 July 2026 on iQIYI and iQIYI International. The press release puts its length at more than 60 minutes, and the iQIYI page lists 1 hour 8 minutes with an NC16 rating and the genres Fantasy, Adventure and Revenge. Beijing Dream Big Innovation Technology Co., Ltd. co-produced it with iQIYI.
Per the release, a team of more than 20 used AI tools across the whole process: creative development, prompt engineering, visual asset generation, AI-assisted redrawing, 4K output and post-production. New roles such as AI asset effects artists and prompt engineers worked alongside directors and screenwriters. The makers say they designed more than 200 character and visual assets, and the lead characters went through more than ten rounds of exploration. No model or tool is named in the pages read.
Haiyang LIU is credited as AI Director, Xiangcheng ZENG as Director and Cheng JIANG as Chief Producer. Liu says AIGC's rapid iteration let the team keep testing different visual directions. Zeng says AI does not lower the bar for creators and calls for a composite skill set across art, lighting, performance and technology. Jiang points to improving models that are resolving scene detail, complex spatial staging and consistent character performance.
It is distributed under an Internet Drama and Film Distribution License, which the release calls a first for an AIGC internet feature film in China. On the iQIYI page it carries a score of 8.3 and no listed voice or cast credits. YouTube shows 6,755 views for the film's upload as of 8 October 2026, and comments on that video are turned off. The pages read include no reviews, box office or viewing figures from iQIYI.
The release and a BigGo Finance write-up present the film as a step from short AI experiments to a commercially distributed long-form product. They place it after iQIYI's 2025 Peter Pau x iQIYI AI Theater, a short-form AI launch, and this year's expanded support for AIGC creators, including a time-limited extra 20% revenue-share bonus for qualifying AI content.
Image: ytimg.com
Image: ytimg.com
Image: ytimg.com
Image: ytimg.com
Fun Facts
- Team and pipeline
- iQIYI says a team of over 20 used a full AIGC pipeline from prompt engineering and asset generation to AI-assisted redrawing, 4K output and post-production.
- Source: kyodonewsprwire.jp
- Asset design
- The makers say they developed more than 200 character and visual asset designs, with lead characters going through more than 10 rounds of exploration.
- Source: kyodonewsprwire.jp
- Part of a trilogy
- The film opens the Mystic Tales Trilogy, an AI-generated series drawing on classical Chinese mythology, per iQIYI.
- Source: kyodonewsprwire.jp
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Credits
- Director
- Haiyang LIU, Xiangcheng ZENG
- Produced by
- Cheng JIANG