Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation
NovelMo Dao Zu Shi — Mo Xiang Tong Xiu's novel
At a glance4 volumes · completed
Mo Dao Zu Shi (魔道祖师), published in English as Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, is the novel that made Mo Xiang Tong Xiu (墨香铜臭) a star of online fiction. Serialized on Jinjiang Literature City from 31 October 2015, it tells of the return of Wei Wuxian, a cursed cultivator brought back to life thirteen years after his death, and of his investigation alongside Lan Wangji. It is one of the most widely read danmei novels in the world.
Origins and publication
Jinjiang (晋江文学城) is the leading platform for online fiction written by and for women, and danmei, romance between men, is central to it. Mo Xiang Tong Xiu, whose pen name roughly means "scent of ink, smell of copper", had already published Scum Villain's Self-Saving System there. With Mo Dao Zu Shi she built a far more ambitious plot: a tale of investigation and revenge, told partly in reverse, in which Wei Wuxian's past is revealed in fragments.
The print version first came out in Taiwan from Pingxin, in 4 volumes starting in December 2016. In mainland China an edition titled Wu Ji (无羁) appeared in late 2018, but only the first volume was ever released. The novel has since been translated into Korean, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Russian, German and, since 2021, English from Seven Seas.
Volume covers
All 4 volumes of the print edition.
Vol. 1
Vol. 2
Vol. 3
Vol. 4
The French edition
- NovelLe Grand Maître de la cultivation démoniaque : Mo Dao Zu ShiMxM Bookmark · 2022–20255 volumes · completed
Checked on October 12, 2026 in the BnF catalogue (French legal deposit) and with the publishers. All French editions
How it differs from the donghua
The donghua, released in 2018, stays broadly faithful to the plot but cannot show everything. The relationship between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, explicitly romantic in the novel, is suggested through looks and gestures rather than stated. The book is also richer in detail about the Lan Sect, the rules of Gusu, daily life in Yunmeng and the bonus chapters (番外) that carry the story past its ending. The structure differs too: the novel moves between present and memories more freely, while the animation puts events back into order.
Reception and success
Mo Dao Zu Shi went global within a few years, carried by the donghua and then by the drama The Untamed in 2019. Foreign editions multiplied and the novel regularly appears among the best-selling light novels in English. In China, success came with tension: the tighter censorship of danmei from 2019 onwards explains why the mainland edition stopped.
Trivia
- The title Mo Dao Zu Shi means "patriarch of the demonic path", the nickname given to Wei Wuxian by those who fear him.
- Wu Ji (无羁), the title of the mainland print edition, is also the name of The Untamed's theme song, sung by its two lead actors.
- Mo Xiang Tong Xiu went on to write Heaven Official's Blessing (Tian Guan Ci Fu), another franchise adapted into a donghua and covered on Donghua Fan.
- Pingxin's Taiwanese edition was reissued in 2019 with illustrations by Qian Er Bai, which several foreign editions reuse.
My take
To me this is MXTX's best novel. The investigation plot is solid, Wei Wuxian's humour lands on every page and the flashbacks carry real tragic weight. The opening can be confusing, with lots of names and sects to remember, but once past the first volume you will not put it down. If you loved the donghua, the novel finally answers every question it left open.
Who is it for?Fans of the donghua or The Untamed who want the Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji relationship unfiltered, and readers who enjoy investigation stories in a xianxia world.
— Spidermas, for Donghua Fan
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The authorMo Xiang Tong Xiu (MXTX) 墨香铜臭The discreet queen of danmei