Descension (BL Xianxia Fantasy Romance): Book 1

by Yan Yan

Two Paths, One FateA fallen priest, an immortal devil, and a destiny neither can escape.

For accidentally poisoning his master, Luo Fan loses his grandmaster cultivation and is cast out of his sect.
Blind and stricken by an unknown illness, he drifts to Xianru, an empire ruled by the Eternal Damnation Sect and its infamous leader, Ruan Yanjun, bearer of the Ancient Demonic Core.
All Luo Fan wants is a quiet, ordinary life. But Ruan Yanjun has other plans.

After months of searching, Ruan Yanjun finally finds Luo Fan in the care of a woman. The once-revered Divine Mage is now broken, blind, and dying. Yet, Ruan Yanjun does not see a man at death’s door. He sees an opportunity.
He will rebuild Luo Fan, restore his power, and seat him on a throne.
Whether he wants it or not.

But make no mistake. This is no act of kindness. After all, they don’t call Ruan Yanjun the Devil of the South for nothing.

Genres: Fantasy, Historical, Fiction

467 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 19, 2025

Reviews

[Fernanda Fatio · Rating 1 out of 5]

Being “inspired” by another book is one thing. Completely copying the whole story and changing a few details here and there and calling it their own work?
Every single thing from Thousand Autumns is here:
-Much older demonic cultivator who is wicked and has no compassion.
-Young righteous cultivator who has been betrayed and left sick, weak and blind.
-A normal person who saved the blind man only to betray him later.
-Demonic cultivator who works to gain blind man’s trust only to betray him.
-Blind man saves demonic cultivator from ambush.
-Demonic cultivator gets badly injured from said ambush and revert to his teen self before becoming wicked.
-Blind man realizes he loves demonic cultivator.

Do yourself a favor and read the original work which is ten times better than this AI compiled trash (4 books with over 500 pages each in 5 months can only be AI generated).

[Mary Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dejavue

It reminds me of a beloved series. Is it the retelling or is it a new imagining of A Thousand Autumns? Is this akin to authors retelling, of fairy tales and folk stories, that has become a popular trend.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good story easy to read, the romance and the progression in the plot have a good balance. It's inspired by Quian Qiu (Thousand autumns) and it's assumed by the author, there is a note about that at the end of the first book.

At the beginning the similarities were a distraction in my reading experience, but the more I was progressing on the story the more I understood that the development is really different and the style of Yan Yan is really pleasant. I had the feeling that it was easier to understand the personalities of the characters and their development. After finishing the first book I'm really satisfied :)

[Mathew · Rating 4 out of 5]

good read!

Good read haha mostly leading up to a bl at the end there..will see in the next one. Have a good night.

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a little annoyed

Luo Fan the eternal victim, stuck in his ridiculous righteousness. I can't even begin to express my annoyance at his ease and willingness as he forgives his would-be murderers and betrayers, believing that doing nothing means he's a good person. Do not get me started on that atrocious relationship with Jinjing. What exactly was that supposed to be? I could not stand their interactions, it felt so fake and cringe, it irritated the heck out of me. Where was the actual romance between them or even a tender intimacy? Instead she felt like a beard


This victim Luo Fan, I felt like he was living in some sort of delusion. Like he didn't grasp the situation he was in or he didn't care to. You are a FUGITIVE who can't even defend your BLIND and SICK self from all the assassins being sent to kill you and instead of trying to work out a solution to fix this problem, if you didn't want Ruan Yanjun's protection and if you wanted a simple life, instead of finding a way to become stronger or finding a way fix your situation, you take your "beloved" (😫) and prance them into danger. I am truly wondering if he seriously believed they had a future? And then this weirdly overtly intense grief at her death that leaves me baffled. This man was acting like he lost the love of his life and all I could think was...HUH?! I must have missed something because I didn't pick up not even a hint of anything resembling intimacy or even romance between them, it felt so fake and forced which just pissed me off more because either the author did a crap job developing this plot point or this man was POS.

I call him a perpetual victim because that's how he behaved, everything is happening to him but he does absolutely nothing about it, he thinks of nothing and no way to get away from it and behaves as if he's being forced to live by RYJ, oh no he's a prisoner in a golden cage who just wants to be free to get hunted to death and rescued each time. He even gets someone killed through his own stupidity but turns around and blame RYJ. He is an actual victim you know, but oh my gosh is he filled with crap. I was frustrated with his attitude


Man I'm trying to get the dynamic between the two male leads though. Like I am really trying, it's not bad, I understand Ruan YanJun, I get why he's doing what he's doing and I don't mind him. He's a little simple in some ways so I like him. But that Luo Fan in his naive audacity, expecting RYJ to come rescue him and his "beloved" after he explicitly told the man to basically F-Off. He doesn't like RYJ, he's uncomfortable around him and refuses his protection but still looks for it, even after stating clearly that he could protect his wife and himself. WTF does he actually want?

I don't think I am able to truly express some of my displeasure with the book overall because I am not sure if the author wrote the character of Luo Fan deliberately or if it's just not good character building. I get that it's the first book but I'm a bit scared to go to the next book. I don't know if Luo Fan will grow and change or he will be stuck in his dense ignorance and biased naivety.

It's an interesting book though, maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised if I continue...

[Maggie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is not ok. This belongs on AO3. Plagiarism of danmei novel. Parts of the story are surely AI generated, if not whole. Please do not support this behavior today it's Thousand Autumns next time MDZS. It is not humanly possible to write so many pages in so little time.
And this isn't even a level - Twilight vs Fifty Shades of Grey. details, nicknames. Doesn't the author have any shame?
Just because the author admitted that they were - inspired - by another danmei doesn't mean it justifies theft. If I steal a car and say I stole it, it doesn't mean it is okay. Wattpad version of Thousand Autumns with Western elements. A-Fan really?

“One was like a red rose, and the other was like a white rose. He liked both, but his vanity made him choose the red rose at that time. However, during the years with the red rose, he had never forgotten the white rose.
If this is not AI, I don't know what else.🤦‍♂️

[Lexi C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book one of the Descension series by Yan Yan is an easy 5 stars from me—absolutely phenomenal from beginning to end. This book hooked me so hard that I couldn’t put it down, and as a slow reader, finishing it in just a little over a week felt like an accomplishment in itself. I even ended up annotating the entire book because there was just so much to take in—important lore, emotional moments, and little details I didn’t want to forget.

From the start, Luo Fan’s story broke my heart. He’s been through hell and back, and I felt so much empathy for him. Then came Ruan Yanjun… and the moment he entered the story, I had this gut feeling things were not going to end well for Luo Fan. The betrayal Luo Fan endured, the way people treated him so cruelly, made me ache for him. And when the suspicion of his master’s poisoning came up, I had already foreshadowed that Luo Fan wasn’t truly guilty—my heart hurt that he had to bear such a weight.

By the time I reached the ending, I was in tears. Luo Fan and Jinjing deserved happiness—they deserved the wedding they had dreamed of. The reveal that Jinjing hadn’t betrayed him out of hatred, but had been forced to protect her son, made the heartbreak even sharper. It was devastating but also deeply moving. Even now, I can’t stop wondering if Luo Fan will ever meet Jinjing’s son, and what that would mean for his healing.

This book had everything I love in a fantasy series: rich world-building, unforgettable characters, layers of intrigue, and moments that truly moved me. Yan Yan’s writing drew me in so completely that I already know this series is going to stay with me for a long time.

A beautifully written, emotional, and unforgettable start to a series that I can already tell will be a favorite.

[Lexi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yan Yan has crafted something rare: a xianxia story that not only thrills with epic battles and complex lore but hurts in all the right ways. The character development is profound, the emotional beats are devastating, and the world feels larger than life. Book One of the Descension Series is a masterpiece—and if the ending is any hint, things are only going to get darker, deeper, and more powerful from here.

I can’t wait to see how Luo Fan continues to evolve… or fall.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

"The story is heavily inspired by Thousand Autumns [...]. If you notice some similarities, that's because this series has been a major influence in my work."

I adore Thousand Autumns and this work is most definitely similar to it. There were enough differences though to not make it feel like a reread.

I quite liked it, actually!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb read !!!!

This is the 3rd time I’ve read this book ! This book has a little bit of everything and is very enjoyable to read . The characters and their personalities are well crafted and interesting, they pull you in and make you want to read more and more . The plot flows beautifully and you just don’t want to put the book down ! This is definitely a must read

[Florient Calliste-Leonard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

I truly enjoyed this book - I thought it would be like the other cultivation books with names I can't pronounce and story I am unable to follow but this is very well written

[Sage · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was hilarious! I love how the author was inspired by Thousand Autumns. I have the others ready to read.

[Maja598 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sh*t it is really copy of Thousand Autums. Is this legal?
(read only out of curiosity, normally I never read story with AI covers)

[Gerda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am waiting for book 4. current opinion: thousand autumns, but so much better! better story, much more believable characters.

[Rocio · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book kept me awake all night

This was a light read and very interesting. With cultivation and light romance mixed in. I can't wait for the second one.

[Deanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm up to Book 4, and I've enjoyed much of it.

There is an issue with inconsistent pacing. Many sections are solid, but some are also rushed and underdeveloped. At times, characters defy logic for the sake of plot device. These issues are especially bad in the first 40% of Book 2, and pretty much everything to do with the hair guy is a hot mess. These parts really needed more time and effort spent on them. They also tend to have an overly melodramatic/bombastic tone, which I think is just more evidence they were rushed, as that quality tends to get weeded out in later look-overs in my experience, and that quality isn't present in the sections that are very tight.

I do think there's a good balance of the senses in the writing. Smells, sounds, and sensations like the sting of cold air rushing into you lungs—these are all used effectively. It's probably one of the reasons I so cheerfully bulldozed my way through these massive books—I can read almost anything so long as it captures the senses. Oh, and the magical battles and beasties help.

I usually hate LOATHE books where the characters wander around the countryside for hundreds of pages, but somehow this series keeps me reading with all the popcorn. Probably because it blends drama, romance, fighting, and slice-of-life in a way that keeps things entertaining. I do find myself wondering how they aren't all bit to hell or suffering from bug infestations with the amount of ground sleeping that happens. But, I have a bug phobia, so maybe that is unique to me and nobody else would notice it. I wouldn't mind a little more length and complexity to the fight scenes, so long as they reflected a certain level of knowledge/research.

The banter between the two MMCs somehow reminds me of Johanna Lindsey's style, except less annoying and the characters don't seem stupid (except for the sake of plot device). They all keep their clothes on for the most part (until book 4, holy spice!!), and it's about 1000 times longer in a way that doesn't irritate me. Plus, you know, it's Chinese and not Americanized kilts. 🤔 I think it's all the sexually charged arguing, kissing with dubious consent, and the bull-headedness of the main characters. There's also a general lack of serious consequences for the MMCs—at first, anyway.

Sometimes, serious emotional grievances get brushed under the rug and everybody moves on, and I'm like, "Waitwaitwait, how can that be it?" And then, 40 chapters later, they come back up out of nowhere, and I go from pseudo-disbelief to suspicious acceptance.... I'm a little torn about this quality, as the books are so long that it would annoy the crap out of me if Luo Fan was stewing over the same offenses all the time, but it also lessens the emotional impact to have them fade completely for so many chapters. I think this is where an editor or beta readers should be identifying weaknesses in the cohesion of certain sections. There is a vague sense that things have been written out of order and, when placed in order, they don't quite line up right or I'm left wondering, "Would this character really be acting like this here?" Just, something is a little off sometimes, like a step that is 1/16 of an inch too low.

Oh, and as a last note, I think my phone caught fire several times while I was reading Book 4, but in like a really smoky and sweet way. 😏

ETA: After trying to read Thousand Autumns, good God, this is a much better take on the concept. I know some reviewers have gotten their panties in a twist over it, but it's like comparing a picture of an orange to an actual orange. Also, it is really, REALLY common these days for authors to recycle the framework/character tropes of a story but apply their own spin, and there's absolutely nothing weird to me about this? Like the hundred-million-thousand versions of Cinderella or Beauty and the Beast or whatever.

Oh, and I do think a new cover and supporting artwork could really boost the popularity of this book. The cover is too "uncanny valley" at the moment, and I think it would cause a lot of danmei fans to pass this story over.