this one hurt me to the core but it was worth it

I don't really have much to say on this novel despite the fact that it's probably my favorite novel I've read so far. The beginning plot was a bit slow and hard to understand, but things started to make sense over time. What really makes the novel good is the members of Fuyao Sect getting character development that you can really tell is there. I wish Li Yun's backstory was explored like the others but at least we did get an interesting fact about him at the end. I think the conclusion seemed a bit messy but this was my first Priest novel she might leave things up for interpretation like that I'm not sure. For me this book was a 5/5 but in general it'd be a 4/5. I definitely do NOT recommend this for people who have just started reading xianxia novels, but it's a book you should definitely read to the end. I hope everyone enjoys the donghua when it (hopefully) comes out!!

no, i dont hate liu yao and no, i dont hate priest. after encountering so many positive reviews and seeing that this novel is only 109 chapters, which is relatively little in danmei, i thought it would be a great holiday read. well, the holidays got a little extended since i spent 5 months with this book.

before my excessive ranting and complaints lets talk about the plot. 'A cultivation story about how a declining sect is restored by a narcissist, troublemaker, meanie, idiot, and wimpy kid.' basically these five mischievous delinquents want to restore their clan’s former glory, but one of them gets possessed. and then another. it’s a long story.

i enjoyed the first 2 volumes, but later on in the novel i found myself wondering 'when is it gonna end? why are they beating around the bush? and WHAT exactly is going on?' after vol2 the arcs tend to be quite repetitive and so very long that at a certain point i was reading it just for the sake of finishing. i liked the characters and at some moments i loved them, but after all they came to be quite forgettable. the ending was so abrupt and like? what happened to the other 3 main characters? genuinely, where was this going? it probably was the lack of direction to the story.

the strength of it i think is the humour, as in any of priest’s works, as always witty and amusing. i appreciate a mystery aspect woven in the story, but again, i didnt really care for it in the first place, as i just wanted to be done with it RIGHT NOW.

if you are here for the romance, forget about it. i expected little romance, and got even less. at this point, i dont even think it can be called bl, well brother love maybe, but by the end of it i was sick. sick of how much people continuously and shamelessly lied to my face about how beautiful and sweet the romance is, because it isn’t. it is barely existent. and truly it is more of a brotherly love, with occasional hugs and kisses, and even in the end i didnt take them as a couple. really, am i missing something? if you are like me and love to experience that yearning feeling that the romance is giving—it was always overshadowed by the plot (which is arguably boring too) and if you thought that SPL had little romance, then this one is definitely not for you.

the whole concept of the story i really like, but if you like xianxia because of complex magic system and cool otherworldly characters (with the exception to yan zhengming), well… consider choosing something else to read. this one was kinda underwhelming.

i felt detached from the story, it felt stretchy and rushed at the same time and as if it was missing something. i can totally see the appeal and why people like it, but to me it was definitely not on par with priest’s other works like SPL or Mo Du.

This book is such a smart deconstruction of cultivation and immortality and death which is funny bcs the two leads are some of THE most clown ass idiot children (affectionate, with so much love) that Ive ever seen. Which makes it immediately one of my favourite books. Id kill for a good consistent english translation

Love it from first to last.

If I had to pick a danmei to introduce cultivation themes to a friend, it would be Liu Yao. Even though I've read many novels, sometimes I feel like I lack full comprehension on what goes into cultivation and daoist beliefs and having characters that also don't know bullshit makes this story more acessible, since you learn alongside them.
Seeing the characters slowly grow together and become a community makes everything even more special, and it's impossible to not get attached to their personalities. They're all unique in their own ways and Priest never tries to make any of them "perfect", having as many flaws as a human being would. I adore all of them.
The main couple was beautifully handled. Yan Zhengming only realizes his feelings after they're both grown adults, which eased my heart because of the age gap between them in their childhood. All the mental steps he had to take to come into terms with this love - which he considered wrong, thinking he was taking advantage of his shidi - were really realistic, and I'm glad they were addressed. Cheng Qiao's behavior is so consistent throughout the plot that at some point I feared he wouldn't fall in love with Yan Zhengming back, but the way he realizes his own feelings is so cute and innocent (and fitting to his character!!) that makes you warm.
I'd say this is, from what I've read, Priest's couple that starts the relationship with the least amount of communication, since Yan Zhengming is always trying to shoulder everything by himself. Yet the beauty is how he starts to grow and rely on the other little by little.
I personally love how not all the main characters are god-tier cultivators. Even though Yan Zhengming and Cheng Qiao are way above the average, Li Yun being their tag-along nerd guy makes everything more fun. Han Tan being childish, with the potential to be a goddess but still in her early stages brings a fun dynamic between them.
Han Yuan's redemption is also well written, and I like how Priest made their generation also have a demonic cultivator - but not Cheng Qiao. Yan Zhengming and Munchun constantly worried about CQ's temperament, yet he showed to be strong willed and dedicated to his path. I worried that he would, as a protagonist, fall into the trap (since it's reocurring one of the protagonists in the couple to be into) but being a secondary character was really refreshing.
I love Liu Yao and hope many people read it too! It's a great story, much like all Priest's works