The basis of the relationship seems to have been mainly idol worship, which is obviously not that wholesome or romantic. Even if not, the countless plot twists, the strong supporting cast, and of course the stepwise progression of the main couple's romance work together to create a story that I really believe can transcend the language barrier to move any reader's heart. Added to the fact that Hua Cheng has effectively worshipped (or if you look at it differently, stalked) Xie Lian for 800 years, I couldn't help but understand Feng Xin and Mu Qing when they said that it's actually kind of creepy.

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. Though they have these mentioned similar elements, this story's premise and universe is completely different, which you . XL could've looked for him or show some sort of worry for him, but he went home to find HC and romanced more and forgot all about his friend who is probably in danger.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? And it really doesn't make sense how HC who is the Ghost King and natural enemy of the gods could walk around and hang out with XL without any problems from the other gods. Every plot point is entangled in some other plot point, every person is entangled with another person somehow. Together they are just too OP over all the other characters to the point where it becomes condescending and annoying. Having read the author's other two novel's (FOD and The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System), I must say the story's execution and pacing is quite similar to FOD's, which contains an interesting plot, intriguing chain of events, action-packed scenes, and unexpected plot twist.

On his first task as a god, he meets a mysterious demon who rules the ghosts and terrifies the Heavens……yet unbeknownst to Xie Lian, this demon king has been paying attention to him for a very, very long time. It clearly has so much potential, but so much of that potential was wasted on pandering romance and shallow caricatures of main characters. His first task as a god, he met a devil who controlled the ghost realm and was troubling heavenly …… but without Xie Lian realizing that this demon king had been watching him for a long time.

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. more>> a camp-fire like they're telling ghost stories and not giving major plot points the only extrapolation they ever get. Aside from telling us how HC and XL met, the flashback didn't tell us anything we weren't told already. Like Lan Wangji, they don't have to say long and corny and cheesy words to express how they feel for the other. Xie Lian's impact on him is explained in passing, but aside from being pretty on paper, it hasn't enough depth to convince me that it'd be significant enough to warrant 800 years of devotion.

On his first task as a god thrice ascended, he meets a mysterious ghost who rules the ghosts and terrifies the heavens, yet, unbeknownst to Xie Lian, this ghost king has been paying attention to him for a very, very long time. 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? 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. What little action you actually get to see falls flat and even fantastical events and places that should be interesting come off as bland.Don't get me wrong, I love that other piece, but (this is my personal opinion) it pales in comparison to this one. Xie Lian sets a trap to catch the bridegroom in the act with the help of two middle heaven junior officials, Fu Yao and Nan Feng. I thought it was cool how sometimes "doing the right thing" is never clear, or how you can try your best, and still f*cking f*ck everything up. more>> Qing Xuan as a character) since I think optionalpanda did an amazing job summarizing everything mediocre about the narrative.