Time shifting is legal.

Tencent also put the whole thing on YouTube for free with English subs. But of course YouTube audio maxes out at 128kbps stereo.

Similarly, ReelGood is another real good option. But there are many sites where you can track what you watch and get suggestions on what to watch next.

Why not change your system DNS to the public AdGuard address? Then you don’t need to use the app. DNS filtering is still more limited than uBlock, of course, but if you refuse to use browsers where that’s available, I think that’s the next best option.