Just asking because I saw the "evil protagonist" and "antihero" tags on the novel's page. So before I actually start reading this novel, I would like to know just how bad he is. To a certain extent, most Chinese novel protagonists (xianxia) are anti-heroes. If you take into account the fact that they have a tendency to commit mass killings. But I am okay with most of them because they kill the bad guys. So just how "bad" is the protagonist here? Does he only kill large number of bad people or does he kill the innocent people as well? Does he betray his allies? Rape women?
In that case, he fits in with the rest of the righteous cultivators. Why did they add an "evil protagonist" tag there then?
No idea, he is cold but not bad edit: maybe it's because he kills whoever gets in his way whether they're good or bad, or because he practiced evil arts but not so evil arts
Because he is ruthless, only cares about himself and doesn't gives second chances to others. You move, you die. Righteous cultivators and sometimes 'anti-heroes' love to get into other people's shit. This one just stays silent and observes. Unless he gets something in return.
If he gets something in return then yeah he might help or if he feels too much pity. But normally he won't. I have read it long ago. But he isn't bad. Just super cold and emotionless. And practises dark arts like necromancy. The starting is pretty boring. Then it slowly builds momentum after shit happens to him.
I mean, he ends up slaughtering a huge clan of people down to the last person because the head of the clan (very very seriously and permanently) wronged his family. But he killed everyone. Yes, that is standard for Chinese MCs but he doesn't just kill the guilty, he kills their innocent children. I'm fine with that because that is how things work in Chinese series, but I just wanted to clarify. He also doesn't care too much if unrelated innocent people get caught up in his affairs or if they get killed. I still highly recommend the series though. I loved it. Edit: but he doesn't go out of his way to kill or be mean to people who haven't provoked him. I would call him anti-hero for a Chinese series but Evil Protag if it wasn't a Chinese series.
he starts out innocent, gets led into the "dark arts," and does some really crappy stuff for a while (like what he did to get his core), then he does some accidental crappy stuff, gains enough power to get revenge and yes, very chaotic neutral, especially before he ascends. there is actual character growth once he gets off the first world but it takes a while. by the end of the novel, I'd say he's no worse than most really powerful cultivators. I agree the world is moderately bleak but not nearly as bad as Pursuit of the Truth, which is pure MC abuse from start to finish.
Like what kind of crappy stuff? I don't mind spoilers as long as you leave out the names. Like did he kill unrelated and innocent people? Steal from them?
all of these SPOILERS are while he is still in the first realm. these are just the ones that stood out for me, I'm sure there are lots more. -once out of the sect, he basically refines a guy alive to get his core, it takes days and the guy's soul is in agony the whole time, which causes the guy's grandpa to declare blood feud on him and gets his entire family killed (I think there was one left). that grandpa actually kills his mortal body at one point and he becomes a soul devourer but eventually gains back a body then regrows his own and gets strong enough to take revenge on the grandpa and his entire clan down to the last baby. -he accidentally causes the destruction of at least one (I think there were more) nations when he manages to enrage a bunch of fire elementals. -he turns another cultivator into a small devil at one point just to see if he could and it's one of the few characters that sticks with him through most of the story (sometimes he goes off and does his own thing). -on the romance side his idea of a date is to take FL to go kill, though, in his defense, they were all chasing after him because of the blood-red KILL sign over his head. he brings the bodies along with them, all floating behind him like balloons strung along on a bunch red tendons. that image really stuck with me. after he leaves the first world the story veers more towards his obsession, finding a way to bring back the dead, and he eventually finds a cultivation path more suited to his nature, which actually leans more towards neutral rather than evil. his obsession is his main motivation for growing stronger for the rest of the story.
Reading the manhwa now. Ah okay! That guy he refined for the core! Was he one of the baddies in the first place? Don't know about the cultivator he turned into a devil. But was that guy a friend and did he do that out of spite (fun?). Was that a betrayal of trust?
Yeaahh— I'd say not as much as han li from RMJI, that's a solid-neutral-mind his business-type protagonist. I'd say chief inner realms personality shifted midway and by the end he seemed like a whole new person(?). Had alot of over-the-top li qianye "domineering" moments too, which readers in need of self insert fanfics to live out their fantasies apparently enjoy very much. The people who say only the first half makes the cut really do have a point.