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Chuyện bắt đầu từ tám trăm năm trước...
Một thái tử điện hạ được vạn người ngưỡng vọng, phi thăng thành tiên. Những tưởng thế là mỹ mãn, nào ngờ y phi thăng hai lần thì hai lần bị đánh xuống trần, từ thần tướng tay hoa tay kiếm muôn dân thờ phụng trở thành tiên nhân đồng nát lang thang khắp ngõ hẻm hang cùng, không có lấy một ngôi miếu thờ, từ giai thoại thành trò cười của tam giới. Đến lần này, sau tám trăm năm, y rốt cuộc cũng phi thăng lần thứ ba, một lần nữa trở lại Thiên đình.
Gặp lại bao người xưa, những chuyện cũ cũng lần lượt được vén lên.
Tám trăm năm qua lưu lạc hồng trần, y đã trải qua những khổ nạn gì? Rốt cuộc là ai đã đẩy y đến thảm cảnh ấy?
Một thái tử điện hạ được vạn người ngưỡng vọng, phi thăng thành tiên. Những tưởng thế là mỹ mãn, nào ngờ y phi thăng hai lần thì hai lần bị đánh xuống trần, từ thần tướng tay hoa tay kiếm muôn dân thờ phụng trở thành tiên nhân đồng nát lang thang khắp ngõ hẻm hang cùng, không có lấy một ngôi miếu thờ, từ giai thoại thành trò cười của tam giới. Đến lần này, sau tám trăm năm, y rốt cuộc cũng phi thăng lần thứ ba, một lần nữa trở lại Thiên đình.
Gặp lại bao người xưa, những chuyện cũ cũng lần lượt được vén lên.
Tám trăm năm qua lưu lạc hồng trần, y đã trải qua những khổ nạn gì? Rốt cuộc là ai đã đẩy y đến thảm cảnh ấy?
2489 pages, ebook
First published June 16, 2017
1455 people are currently reading
10578 people want to read
About the author
Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù
156 books6,666 followersAssociated Names:
* 墨香铜臭 (Chinese)
* Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù
* โม่เซียงถงซิ่ว (Thai)
* 묵향동후 (Korean)
* Мосян Тунсю (Russian)
* 墨香铜臭 (Chinese)
* Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù
* โม่เซียงถงซิ่ว (Thai)
* 묵향동후 (Korean)
* Мосян Тунсю (Russian)
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,021 reviews
October 29, 2023
A gay fantasy novel about a fallen god and a king of ghosts (who is, incidentally, his very last worshipper) ft. 800 years of exquisitely (and genuinely) agonizing yearning. You will likely sob your heart out and feel emotionally destroyed for days and weeks and months afterwards. Definitely recommended!
March 12, 2024
I WOULD LIKE TO THANK MXTX for blessing us with both these stories.
MDZS saved 2020 and TGCF is probably the best thing that have happened to me in 2021.
WANGXIAN AND HUALIAN OWN MY HEART AND MY LIFE AND I DONT THINK I WILL EVER STOP SHIPPING THEM.
I don't have words to describe how much i loved this book, it took me 36 days to complete it and i don't regret even a single minute i spend reading this.
❤️
all the links :-
Anime
novel
manhua.
MDZS saved 2020 and TGCF is probably the best thing that have happened to me in 2021.
WANGXIAN AND HUALIAN OWN MY HEART AND MY LIFE AND I DONT THINK I WILL EVER STOP SHIPPING THEM.
I don't have words to describe how much i loved this book, it took me 36 days to complete it and i don't regret even a single minute i spend reading this.
❤️
all the links :-
Anime
novel
manhua.
October 17, 2021
brb off to have an emotional crisis now I've finished the biggest novel I've ever read in my life and that I honestly wish was even longer
*
xie lian: looks like a cinnamon roll but could actually kill you
hua cheng: looks like he could kill you but is actually a cinnamon roll (for xie lian)/will actually kill you (everyone else)
so grateful this book is hella long because it gives me so much serotonin
*
seeing that all of MXTX's novels are now being officially translated and published in English (info here) and I'm waiting on season 2 of the donghua as well as the live action, it seems a perfect time to breeze through the pre-existing fan translation so I can get my hualian fix
*
not once did I think 2020 would be the year where I start reading fan translations of Chinese webnovels that are over a thousand pages but here I am?
*did I really just see somewhere that this is around 750k words I just - [spits out tea, passes out and ghost ascends from body]
**also I believe this has the "villain soft for hero" trope and like, damn, if I don't LOVE THAT TROPE
*
xie lian: looks like a cinnamon roll but could actually kill you
hua cheng: looks like he could kill you but is actually a cinnamon roll (for xie lian)/will actually kill you (everyone else)
so grateful this book is hella long because it gives me so much serotonin
*
seeing that all of MXTX's novels are now being officially translated and published in English (info here) and I'm waiting on season 2 of the donghua as well as the live action, it seems a perfect time to breeze through the pre-existing fan translation so I can get my hualian fix
*
not once did I think 2020 would be the year where I start reading fan translations of Chinese webnovels that are over a thousand pages but here I am?
*did I really just see somewhere that this is around 750k words I just - [spits out tea, passes out and ghost ascends from body]
**also I believe this has the "villain soft for hero" trope and like, damn, if I don't LOVE THAT TROPE
April 19, 2021
Last time, they spent eight hundred years running towards each other.
This time, it only took an instant to fall into each other’s embrace.
Necesito tiempo para hacer una relectura porque el donghua fue demasiado perfecto. Tiene uno de los opening más bellos que he visto y la animación es preciosa ✨
March 19, 2025
Reading this for the first time was one of the best reading experiences I've ever had and I knew that rereading it would be even better, and in fact it was.
Like with all the books that truly have an everlasting spot as a favorite in my heart, I will never be able to write a proper review, but I genuinely encourage everyone to at least check out the premise and give a couple of chapters a try. Or if you're not feeling up to it, you can start by reading the stunning manhua drawn by starember or by watching the first season of the donghua (all links and information here: https://stanhualian.carrd.co/)
__________
DIANXIAAAAAAAAAAAA
I can't believe I willingly went through this 244 chapters (+8 extras) journey but it's one of the best decisions I've ever made 100% would recommend
Anyway maybe I will write down some thoughts later but for now: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Like with all the books that truly have an everlasting spot as a favorite in my heart, I will never be able to write a proper review, but I genuinely encourage everyone to at least check out the premise and give a couple of chapters a try. Or if you're not feeling up to it, you can start by reading the stunning manhua drawn by starember or by watching the first season of the donghua (all links and information here: https://stanhualian.carrd.co/)
__________
DIANXIAAAAAAAAAAAA
I can't believe I willingly went through this 244 chapters (+8 extras) journey but it's one of the best decisions I've ever made 100% would recommend
Anyway maybe I will write down some thoughts later but for now: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
July 27, 2021
4.5 stars ✨
“To me, the one basking in infinite glory is you; the one fallen from grace is also you. What matters is you, and not the state of you.”
MXTX is capable of magic, I'm telling y'all. This book right here is around 2.5-3k pages, with a word count of almost a million. But did that stop me from reading it? Hell no. Wangxian already had my heart, and now Hualian has my soul.
Just to give some context to my blubbering, here's the official synopsis of TGCF:
Excuse me, but Ghost King x Fallen God, anyone?
Mind = blown!!
Xie Lian is such a precious character, you can't help falling in love with him. Even though he has an infinitely tragic past, his outlook of life is always positive and he is forever ready to help others. Moving on to Hua Cheng, if there's anyone, and I mean ANYONE, who deserves our Xie Lian, it's him. Hua Cheng is...well he is kind of an anti-hero. To be more precise, he is the sort of villain we dream of: the one who can and will burn down the whole damn world to protect the one he loves, and your girl here is living for that ❤❤ The things he does for his gege are indescribably amazing. The fact that he waits eight hundred years just for him has me screaming!! 😍🙈✨
“If your dream is to save the common people, then my dream, is only you.”
Special mention: The way Hua Cheng called Xie Lian 'gege' drove me insane! (Gege is a Chinese word, which is a very flirtatious way of saying older brother *squealsss*) ❤
Finally, to describe their story in a few words, let me just quote the book itself:
There was gratefulness, there was shame, there was heartache, there was wild joy, but above all else, there was incurable love.
MXTX, ma'am, I don't know when your next book is going to be or what it's going to be about, but what I do know is that I can't wait to read it ❤❤
P. S.: Here's an adorable Hualian chibi fanart! ✨
“To me, the one basking in infinite glory is you; the one fallen from grace is also you. What matters is you, and not the state of you.”
MXTX is capable of magic, I'm telling y'all. This book right here is around 2.5-3k pages, with a word count of almost a million. But did that stop me from reading it? Hell no. Wangxian already had my heart, and now Hualian has my soul.
Just to give some context to my blubbering, here's the official synopsis of TGCF:
Eight hundred years ago, Xie Lian was the Crown Prince of the Xian Le kingdom; one who was beloved by his citizens and the darling of the world. Unsurprisingly, he ascended to the Heavens at a very young age. Now, eight hundred years later, Xie Lian ascends to the Heavens for the third time as the laughing stock of all three realms. On his first task as a god, he meets a mysterious demon who rules the ghosts and terrifies the Heaven…yet unbeknownst to Xie Lian, this demon king has been paying attention to him for a very, very long time.
Excuse me, but Ghost King x Fallen God, anyone?
Mind = blown!!
Xie Lian is such a precious character, you can't help falling in love with him. Even though he has an infinitely tragic past, his outlook of life is always positive and he is forever ready to help others. Moving on to Hua Cheng, if there's anyone, and I mean ANYONE, who deserves our Xie Lian, it's him. Hua Cheng is...well he is kind of an anti-hero. To be more precise, he is the sort of villain we dream of: the one who can and will burn down the whole damn world to protect the one he loves, and your girl here is living for that ❤❤ The things he does for his gege are indescribably amazing. The fact that he waits eight hundred years just for him has me screaming!! 😍🙈✨
“If your dream is to save the common people, then my dream, is only you.”
Special mention: The way Hua Cheng called Xie Lian 'gege' drove me insane! (Gege is a Chinese word, which is a very flirtatious way of saying older brother *squealsss*) ❤
Finally, to describe their story in a few words, let me just quote the book itself:
There was gratefulness, there was shame, there was heartache, there was wild joy, but above all else, there was incurable love.
MXTX, ma'am, I don't know when your next book is going to be or what it's going to be about, but what I do know is that I can't wait to read it ❤❤
P. S.: Here's an adorable Hualian chibi fanart! ✨
May 18, 2020
"If your dream is to save the common people, my dream is only you."
Have you ever been left in a complete and utter ecstasy of longing and wild feelings that you will never be able to compensate with another piece of media? After 250 chapters of bleeding hearts and unmet goodbyes, I realized I was just another passenger in the eternity of this beautiful story. You deserve to read this story, you ALL deserve to meet Hualian and have your heartbroken for the thousandth time.
Tian Guan Ci Fu is a beautiful Chinese gay novel about two soulmates who find each other against all odds after 800 years. The first part of the translation you can read here
, and the rest can be found here.
The first couple of chapters have been adapted into a beautiful manhua and the donghua is set to be aired this year.
book 1 - 4 stars
book 2 - 4 stars
book 3 - 5 stars
book 4 - 5 stars
book 5 - 5 stars
Have you ever been left in a complete and utter ecstasy of longing and wild feelings that you will never be able to compensate with another piece of media? After 250 chapters of bleeding hearts and unmet goodbyes, I realized I was just another passenger in the eternity of this beautiful story. You deserve to read this story, you ALL deserve to meet Hualian and have your heartbroken for the thousandth time.
Tian Guan Ci Fu is a beautiful Chinese gay novel about two soulmates who find each other against all odds after 800 years. The first part of the translation you can read here
, and the rest can be found here.
The first couple of chapters have been adapted into a beautiful manhua and the donghua is set to be aired this year.
book 1 - 4 stars
book 2 - 4 stars
book 3 - 5 stars
book 4 - 5 stars
book 5 - 5 stars
August 20, 2020
NO ONE TALK ME IM CRY
May 10, 2022
⭐️ 5 BRIGHT HEAVENLY STARS!!!!!
Have you ever looked at a novel and think to yourself "Wow. I am deeply in love with this book." because I have. This chinese novel caught my eye the moment it winded up on my timeline and I delved into it without knowing anything and when I started reading it, everything just went 0-100 real quick. I cannot describe how much I loved this novel. I WANT TO SCREAM AND JUST JUMP INTO THIS WORLD BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO LET GO OF IT YET.
天官賜福 or also known as Heaven Official's Blessing is all about the Crown Prince of Xian Le, Xie Lian who was loved by all and unsurprisingly ascended the Heavens at a young age. Everything started to go downhill when Xie Lian took an action that the Heavens disapproved of and was banished from the Heavens. 800 years later, he ascended for the third time as a laughingstock of the three realms.
ARE YOU STILL READING? Cause we're going to get into the juicy bits. On the first day of Xie Lian being a God, he was tasked to do some work and there he encountered The Supreme Ghost King that's everyone's terrified of, a creature that can make the Heavenly Officials pee in their pants and had their tails between their legs. AND LET ME TELL YOU. THIS SUPREME GHOST KING??? He's Xie Lian's number one simp. Yes. You read that right. And also, Xie Lian's one and only believer.
For short, It is a story about a fallen god and his last believer/worshipper. This book contains a lot of fluff, romance, action, adventure, little bits of comedy, a lot of amazing world building and also filled with great lovable characters, AND hundred percent of pining and longing. It's also a gay fantasy. If you like the Ghost King x God trope then this novel might be the right one for you.
I adore and treasure this novel so much. To the point that I brought the taiwanese and vietnamese versions of this novel. To the point that I binged watched its donghua and its manhua, never getting tired of watching the same scenes over and over again. To be honest, I WANT TO REREAD THIS AGAIN. I want someone to hit me on the head just so I would have an amnesia and experience reading this beautiful novel for the first time once again.
This is so far my favorite book of the year, which I never had in the past year but anyway, I love this so much. This is also my first MXTX novel that I've read and the author caught my heart by slapping this book on my face.
The pining and longing between the main characters had me weak and frail and just fragile. Reading about their past and what they've gone through to reach where they were today just made me emotional. I love the sincerity between the characters in this book, how it shows Hua Cheng's devotion to Xie Lian, and how they are each other's meaning of their lives and how they influenced each other to keep going and live. To survive. I held this book dearest in my heart and no other novels can compete against TGCF.
As for the plot and the world building, I cannot find anything negative about it. There are a lot of things that happened in this book, it was kind of slow at the beginning but I picked it up five percent in the book. I really enjoyed all of the Arcs here especially the Black Water Arc. It wrecked me. I was depressed for a whole week because of it and had my therapist bear a whole hour of me crying about beefleaf.
How MXTX handled this is AMAZING. I also wanna build a mini shrine dedicated to MXTX because she is the BEST. She had set my standards so high and had written this story that is very unique. It overflows with colors and flowers. Some parts are shadowed and darkened but just like the night sky, between those endless black was brightened by tiny speckles of light. That's what the book is to me. I suffered a lot reading this. I cried, laughed, felt happy and excited.. it really was one hell of an emotional ride.
Lastly, the side characters. Don't get me started with the side characters. I fucking love them all. I never hated them. There are some aspects in the book that is a little bit of problematic but I chose to ✨ overlook ✨ it because I wanted to enjoy the novel. For once. So yeah, the side characters. They're one of the reasons that helped me get through this gigantic book that is thicker than the bible and better than the bible. They are hilarious, I love their back story, their relationships and personality, the words that comes out of their mouth had me tipping over and falling out of my bed. Some of them are complex, let's be honest here, even though they are "Gods" I liked the fact that they are capable to do unspeakable things. A very humane one. They are written so well that you can't help but relate to them and understand them. Their character development was satisfying.
Also, the two side characters that broke me. BEEFLEAF. I love their friendship. I ship them so much but as the saying goes, "right person, wrong time." I almost forgot to mention but what happened between these two near at the end was kind of lacking for me. We just went through a painful heartbreak and they were never mentioned after almost three hundred chapters. MXTX just dropped the aftermath of the events of what happened in the Black Water Arc and never told us what really happened during those times.
Have you ever looked at a novel and think to yourself "Wow. I am deeply in love with this book." because I have. This chinese novel caught my eye the moment it winded up on my timeline and I delved into it without knowing anything and when I started reading it, everything just went 0-100 real quick. I cannot describe how much I loved this novel. I WANT TO SCREAM AND JUST JUMP INTO THIS WORLD BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO LET GO OF IT YET.
“By the Heaven Official's Blessing, No Paths are Bound!”
天官賜福 or also known as Heaven Official's Blessing is all about the Crown Prince of Xian Le, Xie Lian who was loved by all and unsurprisingly ascended the Heavens at a young age. Everything started to go downhill when Xie Lian took an action that the Heavens disapproved of and was banished from the Heavens. 800 years later, he ascended for the third time as a laughingstock of the three realms.
ARE YOU STILL READING? Cause we're going to get into the juicy bits. On the first day of Xie Lian being a God, he was tasked to do some work and there he encountered The Supreme Ghost King that's everyone's terrified of, a creature that can make the Heavenly Officials pee in their pants and had their tails between their legs. AND LET ME TELL YOU. THIS SUPREME GHOST KING??? He's Xie Lian's number one simp. Yes. You read that right. And also, Xie Lian's one and only believer.
For short, It is a story about a fallen god and his last believer/worshipper. This book contains a lot of fluff, romance, action, adventure, little bits of comedy, a lot of amazing world building and also filled with great lovable characters, AND hundred percent of pining and longing. It's also a gay fantasy. If you like the Ghost King x God trope then this novel might be the right one for you.
“To die in battle for you is my greatest honour”
I adore and treasure this novel so much. To the point that I brought the taiwanese and vietnamese versions of this novel. To the point that I binged watched its donghua and its manhua, never getting tired of watching the same scenes over and over again. To be honest, I WANT TO REREAD THIS AGAIN. I want someone to hit me on the head just so I would have an amnesia and experience reading this beautiful novel for the first time once again.
This is so far my favorite book of the year, which I never had in the past year but anyway, I love this so much. This is also my first MXTX novel that I've read and the author caught my heart by slapping this book on my face.
The pining and longing between the main characters had me weak and frail and just fragile. Reading about their past and what they've gone through to reach where they were today just made me emotional. I love the sincerity between the characters in this book, how it shows Hua Cheng's devotion to Xie Lian, and how they are each other's meaning of their lives and how they influenced each other to keep going and live. To survive. I held this book dearest in my heart and no other novels can compete against TGCF.
As for the plot and the world building, I cannot find anything negative about it. There are a lot of things that happened in this book, it was kind of slow at the beginning but I picked it up five percent in the book. I really enjoyed all of the Arcs here especially the Black Water Arc. It wrecked me. I was depressed for a whole week because of it and had my therapist bear a whole hour of me crying about beefleaf.
How MXTX handled this is AMAZING. I also wanna build a mini shrine dedicated to MXTX because she is the BEST. She had set my standards so high and had written this story that is very unique. It overflows with colors and flowers. Some parts are shadowed and darkened but just like the night sky, between those endless black was brightened by tiny speckles of light. That's what the book is to me. I suffered a lot reading this. I cried, laughed, felt happy and excited.. it really was one hell of an emotional ride.
Lastly, the side characters. Don't get me started with the side characters. I fucking love them all. I never hated them. There are some aspects in the book that is a little bit of problematic but I chose to ✨ overlook ✨ it because I wanted to enjoy the novel. For once. So yeah, the side characters. They're one of the reasons that helped me get through this gigantic book that is thicker than the bible and better than the bible. They are hilarious, I love their back story, their relationships and personality, the words that comes out of their mouth had me tipping over and falling out of my bed. Some of them are complex, let's be honest here, even though they are "Gods" I liked the fact that they are capable to do unspeakable things. A very humane one. They are written so well that you can't help but relate to them and understand them. Their character development was satisfying.
Also, the two side characters that broke me. BEEFLEAF. I love their friendship. I ship them so much but as the saying goes, "right person, wrong time." I almost forgot to mention but what happened between these two near at the end was kind of lacking for me. We just went through a painful heartbreak and they were never mentioned after almost three hundred chapters. MXTX just dropped the aftermath of the events of what happened in the Black Water Arc and never told us what really happened during those times.
“Last time, they spent eight hundred years running towards each other. This time, it only took an instant to fall into each other's embrace.”
December 16, 2022
me before reading the extra chapters: AAAAHHH EIGHT MORE CHAPTERS OF HUALIAN YES PLS EIGHT MORE CHAPTERS EIGHT MORE CHAPTERS
me after reading the extra chapters: huh what?!!? its over!??? *checks to make sure there were actually eight chapters* wtf!??? *counts again* WHY IS IT OVER SO SOON GIVE ME MORE HUALIAN *proceeds to find hualian fanfics bcs za 8 is killing me and i need 💕🌻🔆🌈🦋 fluff 🦋🌈🔆🌻💕*
____________________
Last time, they spent eight hundred years running towards each other.
This time, it only took an instant to fall into each other’s embrace.
FIVE STARS ARE NOT ENOUGH FOR HUALIAN AND THE GEM THATS TGCF 😭
“To die in battle for you is my greatest honour.”
I was scared shitless to read this book after seeing it is 2500 pages long but I did it and wow I'm obsessed.
I was already sold about it because
- I've watched the donghua
- Hua Cheng is hot
- Ghost King x Fallen God (POWER COUPLE AT ITS FINEST)
- Hua Cheng is hot
- 800 years of pining
- Hua Cheng is hot
- Xie Lian
- HUA CHENG IS SO FUCKING HOT
But this was so much more than that. I don't think there's anything I could hate about this book. That's not to say I didn't have any issues. BUT IM BIASED AND ID STILL GIVE THIS 5 STARS AND MORE.
Also, Mastermind by Taylor Swift is HuaLian's. 🤌🏻
“If I could, I would have you use me as your stepping stone, the bridge you take apart after crossing, the corpse bones you need to trample to climb up, the sinner who deserved the butchering of a million knives.”
If a man doesn't love me like Hua Cheng loves Xie Lian, I don't want him. That's an exaggeration because really, there can't even exist a man like HuaHua who literally died for his love THRICE BUT CAME BACK EVERY SINGLE TIME AND WHY???
“Because I have a beloved who is still in this world.”
I need this novel in HuaHua's POV so bad. 😭
Even the side characters are just as amazing, especially the dumbasses Shi Qingxuan and Pei Ming.
Also, Pei Ming being a fellow Aries makes so much sense. 😌
I actually thought my review would be longer when I was reading the book but honestly, whatever I say wouldn't even be enough. TGCF is one of the best books I've ever read and really everyone should read this book once.
“If your dream is to save the common people, then my dream, is only you.”
“I am forever your most devoted believer.”
They've ruined me for others. 😩
me after reading the extra chapters: huh what?!!? its over!??? *checks to make sure there were actually eight chapters* wtf!??? *counts again* WHY IS IT OVER SO SOON GIVE ME MORE HUALIAN *proceeds to find hualian fanfics bcs za 8 is killing me and i need 💕🌻🔆🌈🦋 fluff 🦋🌈🔆🌻💕*
____________________
Last time, they spent eight hundred years running towards each other.
This time, it only took an instant to fall into each other’s embrace.
FIVE STARS ARE NOT ENOUGH FOR HUALIAN AND THE GEM THATS TGCF 😭
“To die in battle for you is my greatest honour.”
I was scared shitless to read this book after seeing it is 2500 pages long but I did it and wow I'm obsessed.
I was already sold about it because
- I've watched the donghua
- Hua Cheng is hot
- Ghost King x Fallen God (POWER COUPLE AT ITS FINEST)
- Hua Cheng is hot
- 800 years of pining
- Hua Cheng is hot
- Xie Lian
- HUA CHENG IS SO FUCKING HOT
But this was so much more than that. I don't think there's anything I could hate about this book. That's not to say I didn't have any issues. BUT IM BIASED AND ID STILL GIVE THIS 5 STARS AND MORE.
Also, Mastermind by Taylor Swift is HuaLian's. 🤌🏻
“If I could, I would have you use me as your stepping stone, the bridge you take apart after crossing, the corpse bones you need to trample to climb up, the sinner who deserved the butchering of a million knives.”
“Because I have a beloved who is still in this world.”
I need this novel in HuaHua's POV so bad. 😭
Even the side characters are just as amazing, especially the dumbasses Shi Qingxuan and Pei Ming.
Also, Pei Ming being a fellow Aries makes so much sense. 😌
I actually thought my review would be longer when I was reading the book but honestly, whatever I say wouldn't even be enough. TGCF is one of the best books I've ever read and really everyone should read this book once.
“If your dream is to save the common people, then my dream, is only you.”
“I am forever your most devoted believer.”
They've ruined me for others. 😩
January 31, 2020
This is by the same writer of Mo Dao Zu Shi / Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation
This translation is finished: https://twitter.com/yummysuika/status...
This story is like a pandora’s box. From the outside, and the first look and experience it’ll look funny, heartwarming and fluffy and then when you open it and delve deep inside it you’ll discover the deepest abyss of angst, tears and drama yet at the same time the deepest love ever written 😭 👌
This translation is finished: https://twitter.com/yummysuika/status...
This story is like a pandora’s box. From the outside, and the first look and experience it’ll look funny, heartwarming and fluffy and then when you open it and delve deep inside it you’ll discover the deepest abyss of angst, tears and drama yet at the same time the deepest love ever written 😭 👌
June 26, 2021
Took me almost two months to read it but it was worth it. Now I join the crowds waiting patiently for the drama adaptations.
October 17, 2022
this book absolutely RUINED me. in the best way possible. i will never recover.
hualian invented love, read mxtx for clear skin, i will be crying into a pillow if you need me, etc etc, you know the drill :D
~~~~~~~~~
please wait 8-10 business days while i attempt to emotionally recuperate from this book.
~~~~~~~~~
pain? angst?? emotional turmoil??? same author as mdzs???? 99.9% guarantee of having my heart broken by the end of this?????
let's do this.
hualian invented love, read mxtx for clear skin, i will be crying into a pillow if you need me, etc etc, you know the drill :D
~~~~~~~~~
please wait 8-10 business days while i attempt to emotionally recuperate from this book.
~~~~~~~~~
pain? angst?? emotional turmoil??? same author as mdzs???? 99.9% guarantee of having my heart broken by the end of this?????
let's do this.
May 7, 2021
”To die in battle for you, is my greatest honour”
All the stars for this book and Mo Xiang Tong Xiu, wooooow!!! I feel like reading this book is one of the best decision I did this year so far.. absolutely wonderful tale… full of heart, adventures, rollercoaster of emotion, amazing characters, sweet romance and magic! I literally cannot find a single flaw *cry happy tears*
I’ve already read and love The Grandmaster Of Demonic Cultivation (Mo Dao Zu Shi - MDZS) from this author (Wei Ying & Lan Zhan will be forever my fav couple), but this one is a proof how this author really grew after MDZS book.
The story is following Xie Lian… a darling prince of Xianle Kingdom.. Xie Lian is basically everything we want to be when we grow up… handsome, kind, noble, everyone love him and adore him! One day he saved a little boy who fallen from the sky during a ceremonial (that one single moment is the point the story became more complicated) he then because of the good deeds and cultivation ascend to heaven and became a God.. BUT through so many things, he demoted and banished to the mortal realm again
I rarely found a book that truely can grip me from the start until the end .. and man this book is LONG! It’s more than 2000 pages long but the plot is really gripping from the beginning and very unpredictable, it kept me in the edge of my seat! I cried, swoon, scream, laugh in repeat! I swear I was thinking I can go crazy because of this book LOL
I absolutely love the characters in this book not only the main 2 (Xie Lian & Hua Cheng / San Lang) but everyone else too… I care for them so much and that is one of the sign how good the characterization in this book.. however Xie Lian kindness and Hua Cheng’s devotion and loyalty really inspired me to become a better person!
In conclusion: JUST READ THIS BOOK OKAY!HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED esp if you love Fantasy with a mix of humor and romance and mythology
I read the Fan translation version since this book is Chinese book written by Chinese author and not yet get the official translation, so thank you so much for the translators… I owe you my life
Trigger warning: graphic violence, suicide & self harm
All the stars for this book and Mo Xiang Tong Xiu, wooooow!!! I feel like reading this book is one of the best decision I did this year so far.. absolutely wonderful tale… full of heart, adventures, rollercoaster of emotion, amazing characters, sweet romance and magic! I literally cannot find a single flaw *cry happy tears*
I’ve already read and love The Grandmaster Of Demonic Cultivation (Mo Dao Zu Shi - MDZS) from this author (Wei Ying & Lan Zhan will be forever my fav couple), but this one is a proof how this author really grew after MDZS book.
The story is following Xie Lian… a darling prince of Xianle Kingdom.. Xie Lian is basically everything we want to be when we grow up… handsome, kind, noble, everyone love him and adore him! One day he saved a little boy who fallen from the sky during a ceremonial (that one single moment is the point the story became more complicated) he then because of the good deeds and cultivation ascend to heaven and became a God.. BUT through so many things, he demoted and banished to the mortal realm again
I rarely found a book that truely can grip me from the start until the end .. and man this book is LONG! It’s more than 2000 pages long but the plot is really gripping from the beginning and very unpredictable, it kept me in the edge of my seat! I cried, swoon, scream, laugh in repeat! I swear I was thinking I can go crazy because of this book LOL
I absolutely love the characters in this book not only the main 2 (Xie Lian & Hua Cheng / San Lang) but everyone else too… I care for them so much and that is one of the sign how good the characterization in this book.. however Xie Lian kindness and Hua Cheng’s devotion and loyalty really inspired me to become a better person!
In conclusion: JUST READ THIS BOOK OKAY!HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED esp if you love Fantasy with a mix of humor and romance and mythology
I read the Fan translation version since this book is Chinese book written by Chinese author and not yet get the official translation, so thank you so much for the translators… I owe you my life
Trigger warning: graphic violence, suicide & self harm
November 16, 2020
Unpopular/critical opinions ahead! Beware!
I tried to like this, I really did, but this novel really makes me frustrated. It clearly has so much potential, but so much of that potential was wasted on pandering romance and shallow caricatures of main characters. Overall 1.5-2 stars because it gets worse the more you think about it.
CHARACTERS:
1. The main character, Xie Lian was wildly bland and boring. He is presented as the kindest, purest, most selfless person in the world, but really he was just a bland white lotus. With Xie Lian, his personality can be described in just a sentence or so, while the author’s other two MC’s (Wei Wuxian and Shen Qingqiu) are both charming, funny, and deep with their own motivations. Xie Lian just walks around in the story with no purpose and he says that he wants to help the common people, but he really hasn’t done that! He’s barely helped anyone at all, and those times he did help people are quickly followed by flirting with the ML and forgetting all about the people he was supposed to help. Honestly, in the past, Xie Lian was also the biggest jerk ever. He gave up his own friends and family’s well being for his own sense of justice and was stubborn to a fault and refused to listen. What’s worse is that none of these flaws are actually addressed, and the story just lets him roll with it and never actually calls him out on it. If you want to see all the reasons why he’s a poorly written character, check out this reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/MXTX/comment...
2. The ML, Hua Cheng, is equally as bad. He is extremely shallow and such a static character, with his development in the present times being nonexistent and his development from the past to the present being wholly nonsensical. His personality is very cliche and his motivations and thoughts are left entirely up to the reader’s imagination, which significantly reduces character depth. He could’ve been such a great character, a ghost king who rules over hell and is morally grey, but instead he is dumbed down to a Xie Lian fanboy. Everything about him not related to Xie Lian is thrown at us in a few paragraphs if at all, and what little motivation and thoughts about him we do get always fall flat. [Like apparently this guy saved him once, and he fell in love with him and became devoted to him for 800 years? Like people get saved all the time and we don’t see them going 800 years and 3 deaths for a guy they’ve barely talked to] Also, he is wildly unlikable. Of course, this is purely subjective, but he is irritatingly smug and lords over literally everyone he meets. It doesn’t help that he’s an insufferable Mary Sue with an endless array of powers, intelligent as hell and knows literally everything, really good at painting, sculpting, woodworking, and on top of that the richest, most powerful, most handsome, and most charismatic man in the book. His biggest flaw is supposed to be his insecurity and inferiority complex, but that barely ever comes up and 90% of the time he is arrogant and smug. More information on why he’s badly written here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/MXTX/comment...
3. The side characters in my opinion are written far better, but obviously quite underdeveloped. They are all three dimensional and have their own thoughts, emotions, and feelings as well as a believable backstory, but so many of them are quickly offed to make way for the main couple, some of them not only not becoming better, but actually getting quite a whole lot worse. Qi Rong, who was supposed to be super strong demon that is one of the 4 great evils becomes a comedic relief gremlin who just shows up for some comedy and then leaves. Feng Xin and Mu Qing, the MC’s childhood caretakers disappear for like 100 chapters after we’re given their backstories and then once they reappear, they don’t do anything either. Shi Qingxuan, who in my opinion is by far the best character in the book, has his arc left open with no ending at all, only to be forgotten about for 80+ chapters only to reappear completely the same with no character growth at all. All of this is because the main couple take up so much of the book, and the rest of the side characters and their character growth is sabotaged for the author’s ego so that the main couple can look better and get more screen time.
4. I lost interest in the story pretty quickly due to the bland characters and their out of place romance and how unlikable they were. A lot of this novel was very surface level, and it’s pretty on paper, but when you think about the characters a bit longer, the more bland and shallow they become.
PLOT:
1. The plot was... There was no plot. It was just a collection of monster of the day arcs that aimlessly meander about and then everything returns to the status quo once they return to Xie Lian’s temple/home. Obviously books 4 and 5 were a lot more to my taste because the writing was a lot more concise and the pacing was less slow and pointless, as well as actually incorporating fantasy elements and shaking up the status quo. However, the other 3 books, especially books 1 and 2 had way too much fan service, pointless romance, and plot lines that don’t go anywhere and don’t contribute to the story.
2. The past plot line, or the flashbacks were pretty interesting, except for how bitchy the MC was. Book 2 has a lot of important information and some action, but a lot of it was boring fluff that didn’t really contribute to the story other than introducing the villain and showing how XL and HC met. The rest, we’re literally told already and there’s no new information. Book 4 was supposed to be suffering heavy, and I agree that the character development was alright, but it was too brooding and oppressive. In the end, I just stopped feeling bad for Xie Lian because of how bad the story was trying to make you feel for him. I was not invested in him, and although he was significantly more deep in this book than in the other 4, the bad logic is still there. [you wanna kill people but then someone gives you a bamboo hat and you’re all sunshine and rainbows again?] The suffering is excessive in my opinion, and although it’s supposed to provide contrast to the romance, it just feels done in poor taste. seriously, 20 chapters straight of suffering is not necessary, and the pacing and tone suffers because of this. The flashbacks really don’t contribute too much to XL or HC’s character development, but is just there to be angsty and cryporn.
3. The final battle was the most unbelievable thing I’ve ever read. All the gods got together and the first part seemed pretty epic as we got to see all the side characters finally showcase their powers....Until the MC and ML show up. The MC and ML show up, and instantly the background extras—excuse me I mean side characters, go back into hibernation as the main couple show off how cool and powerful they are. And then we get to the final confrontation, which has our MC, ML, and MC’s two friends face off against literally the most powerful being in the freaking universe. I thought it would be a tense fight scene with lots of close calls, but I was so disappointed. Instead the ML is so OP that he breaks the spells binding MC’s powers, and MC becomes so overpowered and slams the big boss into the wall with the power of love while his two friends just stand there doing nothing.
4. A lot of what happens in the flashback is directly Xie Lian’s fault, but the book never seems to register it? I won’t go into detail on this point since it’s already covered in the first Reddit thread, but basically because of XL’s stupidity and refusal to listen to anyone else, the people around him suffer.
WRITING:
1. The writing wasn’t great. It was very choppy and as I said previously, very monotonous and monster-of-the-day. Yes there were great scenes which got to me, but most of it was really boring and descriptions and dialogue dragged on and on with no end, and with the bland MC, it wasn’t even interesting such as the dialogue in MDZS was. Side arcs were introduced with no warning and ended with no warning, leaving the reader wondering “Why was that even there in the first place if it was just going to be forgotten about?”
2. The water demon/wind god arc. The opening and most of the middle of this arc was extremely good, the logic and mystery was written well, and Shi Qingxuan’s (the wind god) antics were funny. But after the big reveal and the tense climax, the story just...stops. Like it’s literally forgotten about. [The MC gets dragged out by his all powerful lover, they romance some more, and forget all about Shi Qingxuan who is literally left in the hands of the second or third most powerful demon ever who is also his mortal enemy]
3. The incessant flirting really got on my nerves. The tension and tone of the entire story got completely ruined because of the MC and ML flirting and the MC blushing and giggling while the ML teases him and everyone else is literally fighting for their lives. This felt very fan-service like, and it felt like the author stopped trying and just fed us dog food after an emotionally taxing arc so that she wouldn’t have to close out the arc properly, completely destroying the tone. Speaking of the tone, the tone whiplash was just...wow. You’re fed fluff and romance during or after a high tensity and highly emotional scene with no connection at all, and you’re just supposed to accept it instead of wondering what’s happening to the characters you actually care about.
4. Romance and side arcs quite disconnected from the story. Quite frankly, most of this book is just romance with the plot and characters put in second place because “lOOk hOw CuTe the COuPLe iS!” You could literally take out all the side arcs and the story would literally be no different. The romance overtakes the entire plot and becomes the main point of the story. With her other two books, the romance is like the icing on the cake. With this book, the icing overtakes the cake and becomes the cake.
ROMANCE:
1. The logic is so flawed here. The reason that HC started loving XL is literally because Xie Lian saved him once as a child and therefore he will devote his entire life to XL, not caring about literally anything else. The reason that XL started loving HC is even more so. The thing is someone like say Shi Qingxuan has done every bit as much for XL as HC has, but we don’t see XL fall in love with SQX, do we? HC literally listens to him talk and XL falls in love with him, and although it does make sense due to XL being lonely for 800 years, how low the bar is set really bothers me.
2. The constant blue-balling was annoying. At some point, the ignorant MC became annoying and self indulgent instead of cute, and having it be drawn out over nearly 200 chapters makes it even worse. The MC is supposed to be super intelligent, but he literally misses all of the super obvious hints the ML drops at him, which is so weird.
3. It felt like MXTX (the author) went overboard on the romance here. Like she tried way too hard to the point where it was obvious she wanted to make this “the most romantic CP ever”. The aesthetics went so overboard with butterflies and flowers as romantic themes, thousands of lanterns, the red string of fate (which didn’t even do anything in the actual story), poetry, etc.
4. The romance could almost be described as kind of creepy. Like the ML obsesses over the MC for 800 years, isolating himself from the world and not taking any side of the story besides MC’s is supposed to be romantic, but it really isn’t. The ML carves thousands of statues of the MC, which is sweet in a way, but also really, really creepy. To quote someone from NovelUpdates who put it 100x better than I could:
“ They don't feel like equal lovers, HC obviously worships XL to an unbelievably amazing degree while XL only knew he existed from only a while ago (Is this obsession? Stalker-ish? I know his stalker-ish tendencies are usually played for laughs, but realistically?) HC very very very rarely calls XL by his given name but with GeGe or CrownPrince, dude has a name you know. I know you feel lower than XL, but seriously man, the guy's your life partner. HC would destroy the world if XL said to. He'd probably try to talk to XL first, confirm things, but if at the end XL really does want it, HC would do it. He lives for XL, he has no other reason to do something aside for XL. No reason to say NO for himself. They're not equals in which one wanna do something bad, the other would stop him because they have their own convictions. You can't tell me one only lives for one person's sake, will do anything for that guy, and has no attachments in the world aside from that guy, is a healthy person. It may seem romantic, but when you actually think about it, it becomes uncomfortable.”
5. The romance was really cheesy. There were some powerful moments, but it was mostly flirting and “he fell on top of me” or “he needs mouth to mouth”. Most of it was just the ML flirting with the MC, which you may like if you like this kind of stuff, but I really didn’t enjoy it.
Overall, I was desperate to love this novel, but I couldn’t because of the shallow characters, unlikable main pair, and the constant abandonment of great plot lines in favor of the shallow romance. It felt like MXTX was constantly trying to one-up MDZS in angst, drama, and romance, but at the same time it felt like she didn’t know what to do with the characters and world, and therefore fed us fan service and took the easy way out. This review is purely subjective, and if you want to read this go ahead, but I’ll be seeing myself out.
I tried to like this, I really did, but this novel really makes me frustrated. It clearly has so much potential, but so much of that potential was wasted on pandering romance and shallow caricatures of main characters. Overall 1.5-2 stars because it gets worse the more you think about it.
CHARACTERS:
1. The main character, Xie Lian was wildly bland and boring. He is presented as the kindest, purest, most selfless person in the world, but really he was just a bland white lotus. With Xie Lian, his personality can be described in just a sentence or so, while the author’s other two MC’s (Wei Wuxian and Shen Qingqiu) are both charming, funny, and deep with their own motivations. Xie Lian just walks around in the story with no purpose and he says that he wants to help the common people, but he really hasn’t done that! He’s barely helped anyone at all, and those times he did help people are quickly followed by flirting with the ML and forgetting all about the people he was supposed to help. Honestly, in the past, Xie Lian was also the biggest jerk ever. He gave up his own friends and family’s well being for his own sense of justice and was stubborn to a fault and refused to listen. What’s worse is that none of these flaws are actually addressed, and the story just lets him roll with it and never actually calls him out on it. If you want to see all the reasons why he’s a poorly written character, check out this reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/MXTX/comment...
2. The ML, Hua Cheng, is equally as bad. He is extremely shallow and such a static character, with his development in the present times being nonexistent and his development from the past to the present being wholly nonsensical. His personality is very cliche and his motivations and thoughts are left entirely up to the reader’s imagination, which significantly reduces character depth. He could’ve been such a great character, a ghost king who rules over hell and is morally grey, but instead he is dumbed down to a Xie Lian fanboy. Everything about him not related to Xie Lian is thrown at us in a few paragraphs if at all, and what little motivation and thoughts about him we do get always fall flat. [Like apparently this guy saved him once, and he fell in love with him and became devoted to him for 800 years? Like people get saved all the time and we don’t see them going 800 years and 3 deaths for a guy they’ve barely talked to] Also, he is wildly unlikable. Of course, this is purely subjective, but he is irritatingly smug and lords over literally everyone he meets. It doesn’t help that he’s an insufferable Mary Sue with an endless array of powers, intelligent as hell and knows literally everything, really good at painting, sculpting, woodworking, and on top of that the richest, most powerful, most handsome, and most charismatic man in the book. His biggest flaw is supposed to be his insecurity and inferiority complex, but that barely ever comes up and 90% of the time he is arrogant and smug. More information on why he’s badly written here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/MXTX/comment...
3. The side characters in my opinion are written far better, but obviously quite underdeveloped. They are all three dimensional and have their own thoughts, emotions, and feelings as well as a believable backstory, but so many of them are quickly offed to make way for the main couple, some of them not only not becoming better, but actually getting quite a whole lot worse. Qi Rong, who was supposed to be super strong demon that is one of the 4 great evils becomes a comedic relief gremlin who just shows up for some comedy and then leaves. Feng Xin and Mu Qing, the MC’s childhood caretakers disappear for like 100 chapters after we’re given their backstories and then once they reappear, they don’t do anything either. Shi Qingxuan, who in my opinion is by far the best character in the book, has his arc left open with no ending at all, only to be forgotten about for 80+ chapters only to reappear completely the same with no character growth at all. All of this is because the main couple take up so much of the book, and the rest of the side characters and their character growth is sabotaged for the author’s ego so that the main couple can look better and get more screen time.
4. I lost interest in the story pretty quickly due to the bland characters and their out of place romance and how unlikable they were. A lot of this novel was very surface level, and it’s pretty on paper, but when you think about the characters a bit longer, the more bland and shallow they become.
PLOT:
1. The plot was... There was no plot. It was just a collection of monster of the day arcs that aimlessly meander about and then everything returns to the status quo once they return to Xie Lian’s temple/home. Obviously books 4 and 5 were a lot more to my taste because the writing was a lot more concise and the pacing was less slow and pointless, as well as actually incorporating fantasy elements and shaking up the status quo. However, the other 3 books, especially books 1 and 2 had way too much fan service, pointless romance, and plot lines that don’t go anywhere and don’t contribute to the story.
2. The past plot line, or the flashbacks were pretty interesting, except for how bitchy the MC was. Book 2 has a lot of important information and some action, but a lot of it was boring fluff that didn’t really contribute to the story other than introducing the villain and showing how XL and HC met. The rest, we’re literally told already and there’s no new information. Book 4 was supposed to be suffering heavy, and I agree that the character development was alright, but it was too brooding and oppressive. In the end, I just stopped feeling bad for Xie Lian because of how bad the story was trying to make you feel for him. I was not invested in him, and although he was significantly more deep in this book than in the other 4, the bad logic is still there. [you wanna kill people but then someone gives you a bamboo hat and you’re all sunshine and rainbows again?] The suffering is excessive in my opinion, and although it’s supposed to provide contrast to the romance, it just feels done in poor taste. seriously, 20 chapters straight of suffering is not necessary, and the pacing and tone suffers because of this. The flashbacks really don’t contribute too much to XL or HC’s character development, but is just there to be angsty and cryporn.
3. The final battle was the most unbelievable thing I’ve ever read. All the gods got together and the first part seemed pretty epic as we got to see all the side characters finally showcase their powers....Until the MC and ML show up. The MC and ML show up, and instantly the background extras—excuse me I mean side characters, go back into hibernation as the main couple show off how cool and powerful they are. And then we get to the final confrontation, which has our MC, ML, and MC’s two friends face off against literally the most powerful being in the freaking universe. I thought it would be a tense fight scene with lots of close calls, but I was so disappointed. Instead the ML is so OP that he breaks the spells binding MC’s powers, and MC becomes so overpowered and slams the big boss into the wall with the power of love while his two friends just stand there doing nothing.
4. A lot of what happens in the flashback is directly Xie Lian’s fault, but the book never seems to register it? I won’t go into detail on this point since it’s already covered in the first Reddit thread, but basically because of XL’s stupidity and refusal to listen to anyone else, the people around him suffer.
WRITING:
1. The writing wasn’t great. It was very choppy and as I said previously, very monotonous and monster-of-the-day. Yes there were great scenes which got to me, but most of it was really boring and descriptions and dialogue dragged on and on with no end, and with the bland MC, it wasn’t even interesting such as the dialogue in MDZS was. Side arcs were introduced with no warning and ended with no warning, leaving the reader wondering “Why was that even there in the first place if it was just going to be forgotten about?”
2. The water demon/wind god arc. The opening and most of the middle of this arc was extremely good, the logic and mystery was written well, and Shi Qingxuan’s (the wind god) antics were funny. But after the big reveal and the tense climax, the story just...stops. Like it’s literally forgotten about. [The MC gets dragged out by his all powerful lover, they romance some more, and forget all about Shi Qingxuan who is literally left in the hands of the second or third most powerful demon ever who is also his mortal enemy]
3. The incessant flirting really got on my nerves. The tension and tone of the entire story got completely ruined because of the MC and ML flirting and the MC blushing and giggling while the ML teases him and everyone else is literally fighting for their lives. This felt very fan-service like, and it felt like the author stopped trying and just fed us dog food after an emotionally taxing arc so that she wouldn’t have to close out the arc properly, completely destroying the tone. Speaking of the tone, the tone whiplash was just...wow. You’re fed fluff and romance during or after a high tensity and highly emotional scene with no connection at all, and you’re just supposed to accept it instead of wondering what’s happening to the characters you actually care about.
4. Romance and side arcs quite disconnected from the story. Quite frankly, most of this book is just romance with the plot and characters put in second place because “lOOk hOw CuTe the COuPLe iS!” You could literally take out all the side arcs and the story would literally be no different. The romance overtakes the entire plot and becomes the main point of the story. With her other two books, the romance is like the icing on the cake. With this book, the icing overtakes the cake and becomes the cake.
ROMANCE:
1. The logic is so flawed here. The reason that HC started loving XL is literally because Xie Lian saved him once as a child and therefore he will devote his entire life to XL, not caring about literally anything else. The reason that XL started loving HC is even more so. The thing is someone like say Shi Qingxuan has done every bit as much for XL as HC has, but we don’t see XL fall in love with SQX, do we? HC literally listens to him talk and XL falls in love with him, and although it does make sense due to XL being lonely for 800 years, how low the bar is set really bothers me.
2. The constant blue-balling was annoying. At some point, the ignorant MC became annoying and self indulgent instead of cute, and having it be drawn out over nearly 200 chapters makes it even worse. The MC is supposed to be super intelligent, but he literally misses all of the super obvious hints the ML drops at him, which is so weird.
3. It felt like MXTX (the author) went overboard on the romance here. Like she tried way too hard to the point where it was obvious she wanted to make this “the most romantic CP ever”. The aesthetics went so overboard with butterflies and flowers as romantic themes, thousands of lanterns, the red string of fate (which didn’t even do anything in the actual story), poetry, etc.
4. The romance could almost be described as kind of creepy. Like the ML obsesses over the MC for 800 years, isolating himself from the world and not taking any side of the story besides MC’s is supposed to be romantic, but it really isn’t. The ML carves thousands of statues of the MC, which is sweet in a way, but also really, really creepy. To quote someone from NovelUpdates who put it 100x better than I could:
“ They don't feel like equal lovers, HC obviously worships XL to an unbelievably amazing degree while XL only knew he existed from only a while ago (Is this obsession? Stalker-ish? I know his stalker-ish tendencies are usually played for laughs, but realistically?) HC very very very rarely calls XL by his given name but with GeGe or CrownPrince, dude has a name you know. I know you feel lower than XL, but seriously man, the guy's your life partner. HC would destroy the world if XL said to. He'd probably try to talk to XL first, confirm things, but if at the end XL really does want it, HC would do it. He lives for XL, he has no other reason to do something aside for XL. No reason to say NO for himself. They're not equals in which one wanna do something bad, the other would stop him because they have their own convictions. You can't tell me one only lives for one person's sake, will do anything for that guy, and has no attachments in the world aside from that guy, is a healthy person. It may seem romantic, but when you actually think about it, it becomes uncomfortable.”
5. The romance was really cheesy. There were some powerful moments, but it was mostly flirting and “he fell on top of me” or “he needs mouth to mouth”. Most of it was just the ML flirting with the MC, which you may like if you like this kind of stuff, but I really didn’t enjoy it.
Overall, I was desperate to love this novel, but I couldn’t because of the shallow characters, unlikable main pair, and the constant abandonment of great plot lines in favor of the shallow romance. It felt like MXTX was constantly trying to one-up MDZS in angst, drama, and romance, but at the same time it felt like she didn’t know what to do with the characters and world, and therefore fed us fan service and took the easy way out. This review is purely subjective, and if you want to read this go ahead, but I’ll be seeing myself out.
January 3, 2022
this book stabbed me .
i have lost the ability to function as a normal human being and i blame xie lian and hua cheng and this freaking monster of a book. MXTX is solidified as one of my favourite fantasy authors of all time and as with their previous book, i am probably going to be thinking about this one for a long, long time too
bring on the donghua (i’m not ready)
i have lost the ability to function as a normal human being and i blame xie lian and hua cheng and this freaking monster of a book. MXTX is solidified as one of my favourite fantasy authors of all time and as with their previous book, i am probably going to be thinking about this one for a long, long time too
bring on the donghua (i’m not ready)
May 21, 2020
Part of me is thinking "this was absolutely amazing" and the other is thinking "I'm finally free" so get into this at your own risk! Don't if you're not ready to use skimming as a survival tactic when necessary, because my main and almost only criticism of this is that it never ends. At the same time, if anyone had asked me to read 2000 pages set in any of the fantasy worlds I've read in the last year, not only I would refuse, I wouldn't be able to. So, does it drag? Yes. Does it manage to work anyway? Also yes.
I'm not going to try to summarize what this is, because it's so long that I almost forget what is a spoiler and what isn't, but let's just say it's as epic as epic fantasy gets, and the stakes... the main characters are either gods or ghosts (who might or might not be more powerful than a god), so you can imagine. Also, this time I actually really liked the romance? The one in Mo Dao Zu Shi was a combination of tropes I didn't care for, but it wasn't the case this time.
And, this time, there are actually several relevant female characters who aren't evil caricatures and don't die, which is such an improvement in itself.
I think what makes this book stand out me to this are the interpersonal relationship most of all. They're all immortals! They could hold grudges for millennia! The amount of messed up content from pathological projecting to extreme loyalty and centuries-deep hunger for revenge... it's a lot, and I think that with the amount of characters this book has (and there's space for them to get developed!), there's something for everyone.
And it's so funny. More humor in fantasy, please.
It's been so long since I read a series (yes, it's only one book, but it's as if it were a five-book series as it's divided into five parts) in which my interest in the characters went up with every book instead of steadily declining. Why is English publishing so bad at sequels? [I have theories, but they're OT and I will shut up.]
Yes, there were things I didn't like about it, ones that don't have to do with the pacing. I skimmed both book 2 and 4 - I didn't need that amount of tragedy-focused detail - and I disliked the Banyue arc for various reasons (stories in which there's a group of people depicted as savage warriors... ehh don't like that) almost enough to quit. I'm glad I didn't.
I'm not going to try to summarize what this is, because it's so long that I almost forget what is a spoiler and what isn't, but let's just say it's as epic as epic fantasy gets, and the stakes... the main characters are either gods or ghosts (who might or might not be more powerful than a god), so you can imagine. Also, this time I actually really liked the romance? The one in Mo Dao Zu Shi was a combination of tropes I didn't care for, but it wasn't the case this time.
And, this time, there are actually several relevant female characters who aren't evil caricatures and don't die, which is such an improvement in itself.
I think what makes this book stand out me to this are the interpersonal relationship most of all. They're all immortals! They could hold grudges for millennia! The amount of messed up content from pathological projecting to extreme loyalty and centuries-deep hunger for revenge... it's a lot, and I think that with the amount of characters this book has (and there's space for them to get developed!), there's something for everyone.
And it's so funny. More humor in fantasy, please.
It's been so long since I read a series (yes, it's only one book, but it's as if it were a five-book series as it's divided into five parts) in which my interest in the characters went up with every book instead of steadily declining. Why is English publishing so bad at sequels? [I have theories, but they're OT and I will shut up.]
Yes, there were things I didn't like about it, ones that don't have to do with the pacing. I skimmed both book 2 and 4 - I didn't need that amount of tragedy-focused detail - and I disliked the Banyue arc for various reasons (stories in which there's a group of people depicted as savage warriors... ehh don't like that) almost enough to quit. I'm glad I didn't.
June 2, 2021
Reread June 2021
Ooops?
I didn't mean to, just reading a little here and there when I had some time. I just can't help myself, they're so
Reread March 2021
Ooops. Well, look at that. 👀 There I was reading something that wasn't really holding my attention and I was missing HuaLian, so I was only going to read a couple of chapters.....and here we are a week later. 🤷🏼♀️ I don't think I've ever reread any book in my life that soon but they really are just that damn swoony and cute. 🥰🥰 I regret nothing.
*I really want to go back and watch the donghua again. 😏*
****
1st read February 2021
I am so in love with this story that I genuinely want to go back and read all 2228 pages all over again. I wanted to as soon as I read the last words. If I had to use one word to describe this * and I 100% hate to do it*, it would be cute. Xie Lian was so effin' cute with Hua Cheng I almost couldn't take it. The romance in this story is the most chaste I've ever read but it lacked absolutely nothing! 😍
Humor is always a large part of Chinese movies and stories, at least the ones I've seen, and you get plenty of that here. But there are so many other things that happen here, some of them dark and painfully brutal so don't mistake this story for fluff, because it definitely isn't. The book is full of sweetness, romance and devotion, love and loyalty, betrayal, death, good and evil, friendship and brotherhood. It's utterly fantastic! ❤
I found this book by clicking on a picture from the beautiful manhua *such gorgeous artwork* found here and getting sucked into this world from there. I started watching the donghua last night when I finished, LOL, which you can find here *or possibly you might have to search another if that one gets shut down*. I definitely recommend reading the story first, though if you do, prepare to be hooked. 😊
Loved it, loved it, LOVED IT!! 💕💕
Ooops?
I didn't mean to, just reading a little here and there when I had some time. I just can't help myself, they're so
Reread March 2021
Ooops. Well, look at that. 👀 There I was reading something that wasn't really holding my attention and I was missing HuaLian, so I was only going to read a couple of chapters.....and here we are a week later. 🤷🏼♀️ I don't think I've ever reread any book in my life that soon but they really are just that damn swoony and cute. 🥰🥰 I regret nothing.
*I really want to go back and watch the donghua again. 😏*
****
1st read February 2021
I am so in love with this story that I genuinely want to go back and read all 2228 pages all over again. I wanted to as soon as I read the last words. If I had to use one word to describe this * and I 100% hate to do it*, it would be cute. Xie Lian was so effin' cute with Hua Cheng I almost couldn't take it. The romance in this story is the most chaste I've ever read but it lacked absolutely nothing! 😍
Humor is always a large part of Chinese movies and stories, at least the ones I've seen, and you get plenty of that here. But there are so many other things that happen here, some of them dark and painfully brutal so don't mistake this story for fluff, because it definitely isn't. The book is full of sweetness, romance and devotion, love and loyalty, betrayal, death, good and evil, friendship and brotherhood. It's utterly fantastic! ❤
I found this book by clicking on a picture from the beautiful manhua *such gorgeous artwork* found here and getting sucked into this world from there. I started watching the donghua last night when I finished, LOL, which you can find here *or possibly you might have to search another if that one gets shut down*. I definitely recommend reading the story first, though if you do, prepare to be hooked. 😊
Loved it, loved it, LOVED IT!! 💕💕
November 17, 2021
i loved this book so much that im afraid i'll never feel this way about any other book ever again in my life. i didn't expect that a fan translation of a chinese webnovel could engulf my heart and soul like this but here we are. this is just......one of the best things i've ever read and im so !!!!!!!!
i adored reading all 2000+ pages of this novel. tgcf is amazingly one of the funniest books i have ever read, and yet it also gave me so much pain i could not stop crying. this book will make you laugh out loud, but it will also make you sob like a baby. (i am the baby)
im so attached to this story because i am very much in love with almost every character here (tgcf had me loving sentient weapons and a piece of silk i kid you not). hua cheng and xie lian especially own my heart. i just.......love them so much i can't even explain it. hua cheng invented yearning, there's no doubt about that. well, i can't blame him for pining over xie lian for so long because, i too, would wait eight centuries for him. i can't believe mxtx really gave me 800 years of pining im so !!!!!!!!
I KNOW IM JUST WORD VOMITING HERE NOW BUT WHO CARES IM JUST GLAD I FOUND ANOTHER MASTERPIECE TO OBSESS OVER. objectively, this novel is not without its flaws but i love it nonetheless. suddenly i feel something again thanks to tgcf. god bless. this brainrot will last for a long time. im sure of it.
(im sorry for this word vomit. tgcf deserves better but im sleep deprived so if you saw this sorry excuse for a review, no you didn't <3)
TL;DR: READ TGCF IT'S ONE OF THE BEST DECISIONS YOU'LL EVER MAKE IN YOUR LIFE
notes: if you're interested in reading this one, i recommend watching the donghua first so you can have a visual reference of the characters and the setting before diving into the novel. also, the visuals are god tier. the op and ed perfectly encapsulate 800 years of yearning too. it's worth the watch!!
i adored reading all 2000+ pages of this novel. tgcf is amazingly one of the funniest books i have ever read, and yet it also gave me so much pain i could not stop crying. this book will make you laugh out loud, but it will also make you sob like a baby. (i am the baby)
im so attached to this story because i am very much in love with almost every character here (tgcf had me loving sentient weapons and a piece of silk i kid you not). hua cheng and xie lian especially own my heart. i just.......love them so much i can't even explain it. hua cheng invented yearning, there's no doubt about that. well, i can't blame him for pining over xie lian for so long because, i too, would wait eight centuries for him. i can't believe mxtx really gave me 800 years of pining im so !!!!!!!!
I KNOW IM JUST WORD VOMITING HERE NOW BUT WHO CARES IM JUST GLAD I FOUND ANOTHER MASTERPIECE TO OBSESS OVER. objectively, this novel is not without its flaws but i love it nonetheless. suddenly i feel something again thanks to tgcf. god bless. this brainrot will last for a long time. im sure of it.
(im sorry for this word vomit. tgcf deserves better but im sleep deprived so if you saw this sorry excuse for a review, no you didn't <3)
TL;DR: READ TGCF IT'S ONE OF THE BEST DECISIONS YOU'LL EVER MAKE IN YOUR LIFE
notes: if you're interested in reading this one, i recommend watching the donghua first so you can have a visual reference of the characters and the setting before diving into the novel. also, the visuals are god tier. the op and ed perfectly encapsulate 800 years of yearning too. it's worth the watch!!
March 9, 2025
Reread 1
Rereading this healed my soul💖
“I am forever your most devoted believer.”
Thank uu to these two, my wonderful friends Mary and Eden for discussing this novel with me, I had such an amazing time discussing it with you both💕💕
This novel became the death of me. I've never cried so much in my life but the ending was quite healing. I love this book so much it hurts. This is the best book I've read in my life and might just be the best book I'll ever read.
Can we take a minute to appreciate the absolutely gorgeous artwork this series has
Credits to owners
Rereading this healed my soul💖
“I am forever your most devoted believer.”
Thank uu to these two, my wonderful friends Mary and Eden for discussing this novel with me, I had such an amazing time discussing it with you both💕💕
This novel became the death of me. I've never cried so much in my life but the ending was quite healing. I love this book so much it hurts. This is the best book I've read in my life and might just be the best book I'll ever read.
Can we take a minute to appreciate the absolutely gorgeous artwork this series has
Credits to owners
November 30, 2021
30/11/2021:
My first (but certainly not last!!) reread was a great success! 💃 It took me longer that I would’ve liked — almost a full month, the horror 😱 — but I savored every single moment I could spend reading this wonderful story. I admit that I focused more on my favorite parts (Xie Lian’s flashbacks; the Reverend of Empty Words arc; the final reveals), and skimmed over some of the others (the Xuan Ji/Pei Ming drama and the fetus spirit arc bored me a little this time… 🙈), but the overall effect of this epic brick of a book was just as spectacular as the first time around. Can’t wait to read the official translation of this~! The first volume is gonna be the best birthday/christmas present ever 😍
UPDATE 20/11/21: I tried to be strong, but I just couldn’t resist taking a peek at the donghua, and it’s SO DAMN PRETTY!
But, but… there’s only 11 episodes planned for the first season? WHYYYY??? 😭 At this pace, it’ll take like 5+ years to tell the whole story! Please, work quick, Bilibili! 🙏
Original review from July 2020:
???????????
Have I just read a ~2k-page book with absolutely no sex? 😳
Yes, I did. And I LOVED it!
Sigh. How am I supposed to objectively rate this one? Can I in good conscience give it 5 stars? The translation was simply atrocious in some places, and the flow suffered a great deal because of it. As I know firsthand that translating Chinese texts can be a massive pain in the ass, imagining the effort involved in translating 244 chapters is enough to make me sweat. 😱 The text desperately needs a good editor - there’s waaay too much literal translation, and some fragments are just straight up awkward. BUT, taking into consideration the fact that they were not professionals, the translators did a great job. I’d still like to read the cleaned-up version sometime, though.
Now, onto the book itself. It took me some time to get into it, as things were a bit chaotic in the beginning, and tons of info was crammed into my head all at once. The narrative here is nonlinear, and we start roughly at the midway point, later going back and forth in time - with a couple of side-questy detours - and things become more and more clear. There’s a lot of long flashbacks - case in point, ‘Book 4’ is one huge, painful flashback. It adds to the experience, in my opinion, and keeps the reader wondering ‘just HOW did things get to this point???’ On the other hand, it may deter people who prefer more straightforward stories before they get to the really good parts, but that’s their loss. Patience is key with this one.
This is a Chinese story through and through, and what I mean by that is: there is just SO. MUCH. DRAMA. It’s over the top, yes - as Chinese stories so often are - BUT it’s the best kind of drama. There’s betrayal, vengeance, pain; and there’s love, devotion, friendship - you name it. It’s an epic love story spanning 800+ years, but it’s so much more. Also, the character development is insane (Xie Lian). Aaaaand I’ll stop right here, because I don’t want to spoil anyone’s reading experience.
Because of the writing style, it’s really reminiscent of manhua/manga, which may be irritating to some. It didn’t bother me in the slightest - in fact, when I learned that there’s an actual TGCF manhua (sadly, only a couple of chapters) and plans for donghua, I was over the moon. When it’s finally complete, I’d love to revisit this wonderful tale.
So, despite my reservations about the translation - 5 stars!
My first (but certainly not last!!) reread was a great success! 💃 It took me longer that I would’ve liked — almost a full month, the horror 😱 — but I savored every single moment I could spend reading this wonderful story. I admit that I focused more on my favorite parts (Xie Lian’s flashbacks; the Reverend of Empty Words arc; the final reveals), and skimmed over some of the others (the Xuan Ji/Pei Ming drama and the fetus spirit arc bored me a little this time… 🙈), but the overall effect of this epic brick of a book was just as spectacular as the first time around. Can’t wait to read the official translation of this~! The first volume is gonna be the best birthday/christmas present ever 😍
UPDATE 20/11/21: I tried to be strong, but I just couldn’t resist taking a peek at the donghua, and it’s SO DAMN PRETTY!
But, but… there’s only 11 episodes planned for the first season? WHYYYY??? 😭 At this pace, it’ll take like 5+ years to tell the whole story! Please, work quick, Bilibili! 🙏
Original review from July 2020:
???????????
Have I just read a ~2k-page book with absolutely no sex? 😳
Yes, I did. And I LOVED it!
Sigh. How am I supposed to objectively rate this one? Can I in good conscience give it 5 stars? The translation was simply atrocious in some places, and the flow suffered a great deal because of it. As I know firsthand that translating Chinese texts can be a massive pain in the ass, imagining the effort involved in translating 244 chapters is enough to make me sweat. 😱 The text desperately needs a good editor - there’s waaay too much literal translation, and some fragments are just straight up awkward. BUT, taking into consideration the fact that they were not professionals, the translators did a great job. I’d still like to read the cleaned-up version sometime, though.
Now, onto the book itself. It took me some time to get into it, as things were a bit chaotic in the beginning, and tons of info was crammed into my head all at once. The narrative here is nonlinear, and we start roughly at the midway point, later going back and forth in time - with a couple of side-questy detours - and things become more and more clear. There’s a lot of long flashbacks - case in point, ‘Book 4’ is one huge, painful flashback. It adds to the experience, in my opinion, and keeps the reader wondering ‘just HOW did things get to this point???’ On the other hand, it may deter people who prefer more straightforward stories before they get to the really good parts, but that’s their loss. Patience is key with this one.
This is a Chinese story through and through, and what I mean by that is: there is just SO. MUCH. DRAMA. It’s over the top, yes - as Chinese stories so often are - BUT it’s the best kind of drama. There’s betrayal, vengeance, pain; and there’s love, devotion, friendship - you name it. It’s an epic love story spanning 800+ years, but it’s so much more. Also, the character development is insane (Xie Lian). Aaaaand I’ll stop right here, because I don’t want to spoil anyone’s reading experience.
Because of the writing style, it’s really reminiscent of manhua/manga, which may be irritating to some. It didn’t bother me in the slightest - in fact, when I learned that there’s an actual TGCF manhua (sadly, only a couple of chapters) and plans for donghua, I was over the moon. When it’s finally complete, I’d love to revisit this wonderful tale.
So, despite my reservations about the translation - 5 stars!
May 7, 2019
tbh the author hit their stride only in this novel tbh (their third under this name.) Of course, I am jaded by the endless stream of silly/sue/sweet webnovels, so this one was a refreshing contrast. priest does the same thing where they 'allow characters to experience meaningful setbacks sans guaranteed face-slapping'. An appealing meditation on what having a savior complex as a favored son of heaven entails.
The main CP is my favorite out of mxtx's three - it's all adorable h/c plus grandly nue tragedy, and lacks the slap slap kiss of the other two, which is pleasant - it's nice that the author didn't stuff Xie Lian/Hua Cheng through typical misunderstanding plots, and even nicer that Xie Lian...acted like he had a brain + 800 years of life experience..... (thinking of the time he came to a conclusion about who Hua Cheng was with no fuss.)
I'm very pleased by the finishing touches on his character. Literal grandpa on wechat/facebook, the way his chewtoy demeanor/foolishness doesn't erase his incandescent beginning (ie he's a martial god and that's hot), his character design (I'm Susceptible to bandages around the neck), the bathos of "& his banner blue and silver they trod into the mire of his blood" tragic deaths compared to how it's described in the text ["you got stomped flat QAQ"]
The wedding carriage scene was Tenderness at two million, the plague was suitably horrific. MXTX has delightful side characters compared to other webnovelists, and here more than ever. His former attendants, the windmaster and the ghost, General Pei, Banyue and Young General Pei.
The main CP is my favorite out of mxtx's three - it's all adorable h/c plus grandly nue tragedy, and lacks the slap slap kiss of the other two, which is pleasant - it's nice that the author didn't stuff Xie Lian/Hua Cheng through typical misunderstanding plots, and even nicer that Xie Lian...acted like he had a brain + 800 years of life experience..... (thinking of the time he came to a conclusion about who Hua Cheng was with no fuss.)
I'm very pleased by the finishing touches on his character. Literal grandpa on wechat/facebook, the way his chewtoy demeanor/foolishness doesn't erase his incandescent beginning (ie he's a martial god and that's hot), his character design (I'm Susceptible to bandages around the neck), the bathos of "& his banner blue and silver they trod into the mire of his blood" tragic deaths compared to how it's described in the text ["you got stomped flat QAQ"]
The wedding carriage scene was Tenderness at two million, the plague was suitably horrific. MXTX has delightful side characters compared to other webnovelists, and here more than ever. His former attendants, the windmaster and the ghost, General Pei, Banyue and Young General Pei.
September 24, 2022
no one gaf about flop cheng #DIANXIASWEEP
January 31, 2020
4.5 stars
For context, I’ve already read and reviewed MDZS, and I’m currently more than halfway through SVSSS. So I think it’s fair to say that I can ascertain that TGCF is MXTX’s best novel. By far.
But this book is not without its flaws, and I guess that I will start this review with naming them.
This is MXTX’s second novel where the most important events in the protagonists’ lives have already happened before the first chapter. MDZS starts 13 years after Wei Wuxian’s death, and in a similar fashion, TGCF starts with an 800-year-old Xie Lian who’s already gone through becoming a god twice and becoming the lowest of the low. This means that we already have a fully fledged protagonist before the book even begins. The room for character development is very limited (one might even argue that Hua Cheng himself doesn’t go through any character development at all), and the reader spends the entire book learning about things the characters already know about themselves and the world. It’s easy to get annoyed when you feel like information is being withheld from you by the point of view character. I understand MXTX’s decision to start the novel when she did, and to give Xie Lian and Hua Cheng’s backstories through Books 2 and 4, which are very long flashbacks. She wanted to write about the story of Hualian, and it was thus a logical decision to have the two leads meet as seasoned and mature adults first before going back and showing us how they met as children. A reader that had read Books 2 and 4 before 1, 3 and 5 would not feel the same way about Xie Lian than they do with the current format of the novel, and I frankly think their opinion of the character would be less positive if they had. Chapter 190 isn’t only painful because Xie Lian feels an absurdly high amount of pain in it; it’s painful because we as readers have spent the last 189 chapters with him and have fallen in love with him.
So yes, I understand why TGCF was written in the format that it was. But I do wish the book had offered more space to Xie Lian and Hua Cheng’s character development post-Book 4.
TGCF doesn’t really have a plot. It’s got a premise, and a pretty easy one to pinpoint: Prince-turned-god-turned-hobo-turned-god-turned-hobo-turned-god meets Ghost King and so many other people. But what is the plot? Xie Lian and Hua Cheng solve mysteries? The entire book feels very episodic, and while secondary characters rarely disappear completely after their own targeted subplot is resolved, it does feel at times like the book is an endless succession of character introductions. It worked with some; I did really enjoy Shi Qingxuan and was positively horrified by what happened in chapter 124 (and no, I don’t ship beefleaf, it’s creepy). But I was also thoroughly bored by Pei Ming or Lin Weng’s storylines, and they lasted for what felt like forever.
But… I think that’s it with the parts I less than enjoyed? Now on to the good stuff.
Xie Lian and Hua Cheng… they’re… they’re beautiful together. One thing I hate with couples where one of the two is “bad” or “evil” is how that person often poses a threat to their significant other. Think about Twilight, in which Edward literally wants to eat Bella for three books straight. Or, more closely related to the matter at hand here, SVSSS, in which Luo Binghe is. a. sexual. predator. and. assaults. Shen. Qingqiu. I hate that. I hate that writers try to pass threats and assault as sexy. But Hua Cheng, a Supreme Ghost King capable of burning cities to the ground, is the furthest thing possible from those problematic love interests. There wasn’t a single time, not even once, when I thought he could pose a danger to Xie Lian. He was written in such a way that from the very beginning, I knew that I could trust him and that he would always act in Xie Lian’s best interests. Said like this, this sounds like such an obvious and basic qualifier for a love interest. But how often do we actually get a romance like this with these character archetypes? So, so rarely.
I loved how much Hua Cheng hated the mere idea of Xie Lian feeling any sort of pain. He’s perfectly aware that Xie Lian cannot die. But that doesn’t stop him from doing anything in his power to keep him from harm’s way.
I love that he’s not underestimating Xie Lian. He knows that Xie Lian is perfectly capable of taking care of himself. He just believes (strongly) that Xie Lian should never have to go through danger or pain ever again. Later, during the rescue scene above lava, he lets Xie Lian do whatever he pleases, even the dangerous and difficult stuff.
While Hua Cheng will 100% protect Xie Lian and do everything in his power to save him from every possible danger, he will never try to control him. Perfect. Boyfriend.
Xie Lian himself never misses an opportunity to prove to everyone (including his ghost boyfriend) that he trusts Hua Cheng. He has no reason to doubt him, as Hua Cheng as never hurt him before (and. never. will.). Everyone else sees the Ghost King before they see the person, but Xie Lian doesn’t judge people based on that.
Hualian is the softest, fluffiest, perfectest couple I’ve come across in who knows how long. I love them so freaking much.
Sidenote: I like that the people opposing Hualian aren't doing it because of homophobia. They’re more like, "Xie Lian, that's a Ghost King. A GHOST KING." And I also very much like that it doesn’t stop Xie Lian and Hua Cheng at all.
I really appreciate that the final conflict of the novel is directly related to Xie Lian (and Hua Cheng, to a lesser extent). I can’t comment of SVSSS’s finale yet, but I did strongly dislike how in MDZS, both Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji were basically just witnesses to the finale’s events instead of being the focus. In TGCF, the finale is about Xie Lian. It’s his fight. His story. Other characters play a role, but it’s really about him and Bai Wuxiang. It was personal, and that was definitely lacking in MDZS.
[spoiler for the end of MDZS inside the spoiler tag]
[spoiler for the end of TGCF inside the spoiler tag]
I think I’ve said everything I wanted to say. I love this book. ^^
For context, I’ve already read and reviewed MDZS, and I’m currently more than halfway through SVSSS. So I think it’s fair to say that I can ascertain that TGCF is MXTX’s best novel. By far.
But this book is not without its flaws, and I guess that I will start this review with naming them.
This is MXTX’s second novel where the most important events in the protagonists’ lives have already happened before the first chapter. MDZS starts 13 years after Wei Wuxian’s death, and in a similar fashion, TGCF starts with an 800-year-old Xie Lian who’s already gone through becoming a god twice and becoming the lowest of the low. This means that we already have a fully fledged protagonist before the book even begins. The room for character development is very limited (one might even argue that Hua Cheng himself doesn’t go through any character development at all), and the reader spends the entire book learning about things the characters already know about themselves and the world. It’s easy to get annoyed when you feel like information is being withheld from you by the point of view character. I understand MXTX’s decision to start the novel when she did, and to give Xie Lian and Hua Cheng’s backstories through Books 2 and 4, which are very long flashbacks. She wanted to write about the story of Hualian, and it was thus a logical decision to have the two leads meet as seasoned and mature adults first before going back and showing us how they met as children. A reader that had read Books 2 and 4 before 1, 3 and 5 would not feel the same way about Xie Lian than they do with the current format of the novel, and I frankly think their opinion of the character would be less positive if they had. Chapter 190 isn’t only painful because Xie Lian feels an absurdly high amount of pain in it; it’s painful because we as readers have spent the last 189 chapters with him and have fallen in love with him.
So yes, I understand why TGCF was written in the format that it was. But I do wish the book had offered more space to Xie Lian and Hua Cheng’s character development post-Book 4.
TGCF doesn’t really have a plot. It’s got a premise, and a pretty easy one to pinpoint: Prince-turned-god-turned-hobo-turned-god-turned-hobo-turned-god meets Ghost King and so many other people. But what is the plot? Xie Lian and Hua Cheng solve mysteries? The entire book feels very episodic, and while secondary characters rarely disappear completely after their own targeted subplot is resolved, it does feel at times like the book is an endless succession of character introductions. It worked with some; I did really enjoy Shi Qingxuan and was positively horrified by what happened in chapter 124 (and no, I don’t ship beefleaf, it’s creepy). But I was also thoroughly bored by Pei Ming or Lin Weng’s storylines, and they lasted for what felt like forever.
But… I think that’s it with the parts I less than enjoyed? Now on to the good stuff.
Xie Lian and Hua Cheng… they’re… they’re beautiful together. One thing I hate with couples where one of the two is “bad” or “evil” is how that person often poses a threat to their significant other. Think about Twilight, in which Edward literally wants to eat Bella for three books straight. Or, more closely related to the matter at hand here, SVSSS, in which Luo Binghe is. a. sexual. predator. and. assaults. Shen. Qingqiu. I hate that. I hate that writers try to pass threats and assault as sexy. But Hua Cheng, a Supreme Ghost King capable of burning cities to the ground, is the furthest thing possible from those problematic love interests. There wasn’t a single time, not even once, when I thought he could pose a danger to Xie Lian. He was written in such a way that from the very beginning, I knew that I could trust him and that he would always act in Xie Lian’s best interests. Said like this, this sounds like such an obvious and basic qualifier for a love interest. But how often do we actually get a romance like this with these character archetypes? So, so rarely.
I loved how much Hua Cheng hated the mere idea of Xie Lian feeling any sort of pain. He’s perfectly aware that Xie Lian cannot die. But that doesn’t stop him from doing anything in his power to keep him from harm’s way.
“Not dying doesn’t mean not getting hurt, and it definitely doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt. When you see something strange and dangerous, don’t just touch it. Find me. Let me take care of it.”
I love that he’s not underestimating Xie Lian. He knows that Xie Lian is perfectly capable of taking care of himself. He just believes (strongly) that Xie Lian should never have to go through danger or pain ever again. Later, during the rescue scene above lava, he lets Xie Lian do whatever he pleases, even the dangerous and difficult stuff.
“Only His Highness can decide on whatever he chooses. I will never oppose his decisions.”
While Hua Cheng will 100% protect Xie Lian and do everything in his power to save him from every possible danger, he will never try to control him. Perfect. Boyfriend.
Xie Lian himself never misses an opportunity to prove to everyone (including his ghost boyfriend) that he trusts Hua Cheng. He has no reason to doubt him, as Hua Cheng as never hurt him before (and. never. will.). Everyone else sees the Ghost King before they see the person, but Xie Lian doesn’t judge people based on that.
“What matters is you, and not the state of you.”
Hualian is the softest, fluffiest, perfectest couple I’ve come across in who knows how long. I love them so freaking much.
Sidenote: I like that the people opposing Hualian aren't doing it because of homophobia. They’re more like, "Xie Lian, that's a Ghost King. A GHOST KING." And I also very much like that it doesn’t stop Xie Lian and Hua Cheng at all.
I really appreciate that the final conflict of the novel is directly related to Xie Lian (and Hua Cheng, to a lesser extent). I can’t comment of SVSSS’s finale yet, but I did strongly dislike how in MDZS, both Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji were basically just witnesses to the finale’s events instead of being the focus. In TGCF, the finale is about Xie Lian. It’s his fight. His story. Other characters play a role, but it’s really about him and Bai Wuxiang. It was personal, and that was definitely lacking in MDZS.
[spoiler for the end of MDZS inside the spoiler tag]
[spoiler for the end of TGCF inside the spoiler tag]
I think I’ve said everything I wanted to say. I love this book. ^^
September 4, 2021
once again it's 2 am and i am sobbing my eyes out because true love exists and HuaLian invented it
April 5, 2020
Did you hear?? Hualian invented love!
(Review to come after I gather all these emotions. I think I just ascended.)
(Review to come after I gather all these emotions. I think I just ascended.)
May 7, 2020
I just finished 250+ chapters of this novel and don't regret a single second of it.
on-hold
April 23, 2022I just finished re-watching TGFC donghua and my paperback vol 1 finally arrived 🤩🤩 I'm seriously considering to dive right in but I have to finish SVSSS first and then get to Qi Ye. But soon! Very soon! 😍😍❤️🤍
************************************
All this talk about TGFC really made me want to share some visuals 😍😍
My future precious babies ❤️🤍 we'll have a book date soon-ish 😄😄
************************************
All this talk about TGFC really made me want to share some visuals 😍😍
My future precious babies ❤️🤍 we'll have a book date soon-ish 😄😄
October 22, 2021
Here is the main reason why Xie Lian is my utmost favourite protagonist of all time.
He undergoes a journey that is unlike any other protagonist I’ve ever read because his strength is already limited. To him, living and working with his limitations is more important than being arrogant and flaunting his strength. He acknowledges his limitations as something that’s part of his past, part of his present and ultimately his future. Even when he knows he could be more powerful without such limitations, it’s clear he’s someone who acknowledges the detrimental effects of power on the mind-body.
Xie Lian is a god, yet he’s genuinely a humble god. His humility is beautiful, and that’s why you can’t help but love him. But that doesn’t mean he’s a perfect character... far from it. His lows are really, really, fucking low. His actions when he was “low” are inexcusable. He doesn’t try to convince you otherwise. And I think at the centre of it, he doesn’t try to make a case for himself, or excuse himself of his actions or try to gain any sympathy. There’s no “story” to be told from his perspective in a “sympathetic” light - because he simply does not have all the knowledge. But even when he doesn’t have all the knowledge, he uses this to better himself because he knows he’s not at the centre of this story - which is the irony because he is!
This is a story for the readers to make their own judgement about the characters, rather than being groomed to think a certain way. This humility is so rare in protagonists, because all you see now are authors creating long strands of excuses for their character’s actions with multiple explanations and expositions of how their character is “multi-layered” and just add to how their protagonist is really powerful at the end of the day. This is not to say that every story is like that. It’s just that it’s rare to find ones that don’t.
There’s a reason why this story is so enduring, even when the story is (I’m not fucking joking) over 700k+ words in translated English and over 1.1M characters in Chinese.
I think another great thing in this story that’s rare, is the fact that the main couple is actually equal - not told to us that they’re equal, rather it is, say it with me... shown to us that they’re equal.
So often, we see the love interest being exceptionally powerful or amazing or incredibly unique blah blah blah, dull, boring, bland and repetitive stuff. Yes I can see how you fell in love with them sure. But what made the love interest fall in love with you? How is it actually being shown to me right now?
MXTX is a master at plotting. The story’s plot is incredibly incredibly intricate and complex. Yet, I don’t want to write too much because this is just a re-read review and you can’t really review a masterpiece. Yes... quarantine got so tough I re-read this 700k+ beast. But it was worth every second. Even if I had to willingly submit myself to quite a lot of sadness and torture.
All in all, I’m a massive fan of Xie Lian so I wouldn’t mind waiting 800 years for him either ;)
”If your dream is to save the common people, then my dream, is only you... I am forever your most devoted believer.”
———————
Original review 30th November 2019:
I read the first 165 chapters in a blitz. I fell in love with our Xie Lian and of course, Hua Cheng. I got into a bit of a slump and took like a 2 month break and eventually got back into the swing of it and finished it in a couple of days. The translation is not as good as MDZS, or maybe the writing wasn’t? I still enjoyed it nontheless, and cried at the ending. I rarely cry while reading books but for this one I probably soaked my pillow with how much I cried.
A truly special novel. At times it does get hard to get through, because of all the sub plots - but keep enduring it because that’s how Hua Cheng endured his love for Xie Lian!
He undergoes a journey that is unlike any other protagonist I’ve ever read because his strength is already limited. To him, living and working with his limitations is more important than being arrogant and flaunting his strength. He acknowledges his limitations as something that’s part of his past, part of his present and ultimately his future. Even when he knows he could be more powerful without such limitations, it’s clear he’s someone who acknowledges the detrimental effects of power on the mind-body.
Xie Lian is a god, yet he’s genuinely a humble god. His humility is beautiful, and that’s why you can’t help but love him. But that doesn’t mean he’s a perfect character... far from it. His lows are really, really, fucking low. His actions when he was “low” are inexcusable. He doesn’t try to convince you otherwise. And I think at the centre of it, he doesn’t try to make a case for himself, or excuse himself of his actions or try to gain any sympathy. There’s no “story” to be told from his perspective in a “sympathetic” light - because he simply does not have all the knowledge. But even when he doesn’t have all the knowledge, he uses this to better himself because he knows he’s not at the centre of this story - which is the irony because he is!
This is a story for the readers to make their own judgement about the characters, rather than being groomed to think a certain way. This humility is so rare in protagonists, because all you see now are authors creating long strands of excuses for their character’s actions with multiple explanations and expositions of how their character is “multi-layered” and just add to how their protagonist is really powerful at the end of the day. This is not to say that every story is like that. It’s just that it’s rare to find ones that don’t.
There’s a reason why this story is so enduring, even when the story is (I’m not fucking joking) over 700k+ words in translated English and over 1.1M characters in Chinese.
I think another great thing in this story that’s rare, is the fact that the main couple is actually equal - not told to us that they’re equal, rather it is, say it with me... shown to us that they’re equal.
So often, we see the love interest being exceptionally powerful or amazing or incredibly unique blah blah blah, dull, boring, bland and repetitive stuff. Yes I can see how you fell in love with them sure. But what made the love interest fall in love with you? How is it actually being shown to me right now?
MXTX is a master at plotting. The story’s plot is incredibly incredibly intricate and complex. Yet, I don’t want to write too much because this is just a re-read review and you can’t really review a masterpiece. Yes... quarantine got so tough I re-read this 700k+ beast. But it was worth every second. Even if I had to willingly submit myself to quite a lot of sadness and torture.
All in all, I’m a massive fan of Xie Lian so I wouldn’t mind waiting 800 years for him either ;)
”If your dream is to save the common people, then my dream, is only you... I am forever your most devoted believer.”
———————
Original review 30th November 2019:
I read the first 165 chapters in a blitz. I fell in love with our Xie Lian and of course, Hua Cheng. I got into a bit of a slump and took like a 2 month break and eventually got back into the swing of it and finished it in a couple of days. The translation is not as good as MDZS, or maybe the writing wasn’t? I still enjoyed it nontheless, and cried at the ending. I rarely cry while reading books but for this one I probably soaked my pillow with how much I cried.
A truly special novel. At times it does get hard to get through, because of all the sub plots - but keep enduring it because that’s how Hua Cheng endured his love for Xie Lian!
September 12, 2021
☆ 5 / 5 ☆
"I am forever your most devoted believer."
750k+ translated words later but i am in shambles, nothing but the shell of my former self. i don't know what to do with myself now that i've been reading this for a while, but excited for all the upcoming adaptations to keep me fed <3
Youtube ☆ Twitter
"I am forever your most devoted believer."
750k+ translated words later but i am in shambles, nothing but the shell of my former self. i don't know what to do with myself now that i've been reading this for a while, but excited for all the upcoming adaptations to keep me fed <3
Youtube ☆ Twitter
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