Against the Gods — Mars Gravity's novel
At a glanceover 2,200 chapters · ongoing
Against the Gods adapts Ni Tian Xie Shen (逆天邪神), Mars Gravity's (火星引力) novel launched on the Zongheng platform on 30 September 2014 and still ongoing. Hunted down, Yun Che leaps off a cliff clutching the Sky Poison Pearl and wakes up in the body of a namesake, a crippled young man poisoned on his wedding night. Heir to the Evil God's blood, he begins a meteoric rise driven by revenge.
Origins and publication
Mars Gravity built Ni Tian Xie Shen on xuanhuan's most effective codes: a humiliated hero, a legendary artefact, a divine inheritance and endless progression, from the small Floating Cloud City to the realms of the gods. What sets the novel apart is its morally ambiguous hero, willing to do anything to protect his own, and a very prominent gallery of female characters, which has earned it both fans and critics.
The Chinese print edition came out from July 2021 from Nanfang Publishing. The novel, which has passed 2,200 chapters, was widely translated into English by fans and then officially.
How it differs from the donghua
The donghua from iQIYI and Fuxu Films, launched in September 2023, adapts the early arcs with polished 3D and spectacular fights. It stays faithful to the main milestones but tones down some of the novel's most controversial aspects, notably the "harem" dimension and certain scenes considered gratuitous. The novel is also much longer and more detailed in its clan intrigue and power systems.
Reception and success
Ni Tian Xie Shen is one of Zongheng's most-read xuanhuan novels and one of the best known abroad. Fans praise the intensity of the action and Yun Che's devotion to his loved ones. Critics point to clichés, a sometimes too-perfect hero and a questionable treatment of female characters. Either way, the novel is a phenomenon of longevity, still being published more than ten years after its launch.
Trivia
- The title Ni Tian Xie Shen means "the evil god who defies heaven".
- The Sky Poison Pearl (天毒珠) is the artefact that stays with Yun Che throughout the novel.
- The pen name Mars Gravity (火星引力) literally means "the gravity of Mars".
- The novel is one of the oldest titles still being serialized on Zongheng.
My take
Against the Gods is a pure guilty pleasure: action, revenge, twists and a hero who never backs down. But you have to accept serial clichés, female characters often reduced to romantic roles and an outsized length. I recommend it to fans of unapologetic xuanhuan, not to those looking for subtlety.
Who is it for?Readers who love vengeful heroes, non-stop action and very long sagas.
— Spidermas, for Donghua Fan
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The authorMars Gravity 火星引力Zongheng's perfectionist