I Shall Seal the Heavens

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“What I want, the Heavens shall not lack!”

“What I don’t want, had better not exist under the Heavens!”

This is a story that originates between the Eighth and Ninth Mountains, the world in which the strong prey upon the weak.

“My Name is Meng Hao! The Ninth Generation Demon Sealer, I shall seal the Heavens!”

Associated Names
One entry per line
Cennetleri Mühürlemeliyim
Demon Sealer
ISSTH
Ngã Dục Phong Thiên
Wo Yu Feng Tian
ผนึกสวรรค์ สยบมาร สะท้านเทพ
我欲封天
Related Series
Renegade Immortal (Shared Universe)
Pursuit of the Truth (Shared Universe)
Against Heaven (Shared Universe)
A Will Eternal (Shared Universe)
A World Worth Protecting (Shared Universe)
Outside of Time (Shared Universe)
Recommendations
A Will Eternal (76)
World of Cultivation (48)
Renegade Immortal (40)
Transcending the Nine Heavens (29)
The Desolate Era (24)
Coiling Dragon (18)
Recommendation Lists
  1. Best Novels I Read in years (Must read for you)
  2. My Gem Collection
  3. Collection
  4. Wow there's a manhua version (ML)
  5. Action-Cultivation-Fantasy

Latest Release

Date Group Release
08/05/15 Wuxiaworld c100
08/04/15 Wuxiaworld c99
08/04/15 Wuxiaworld c97
08/03/15 Wuxiaworld c96
08/02/15 Wuxiaworld c95
08/01/15 Wuxiaworld c93
07/31/15 Wuxiaworld c91
07/30/15 Wuxiaworld c89
07/29/15 Wuxiaworld c87
07/28/15 Wuxiaworld c85
07/27/15 Wuxiaworld c83
07/26/15 Wuxiaworld c82
07/25/15 Wuxiaworld c81
07/24/15 Wuxiaworld c79
07/23/15 Wuxiaworld c77
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Zackarotto
Zackarotto rated it
June 2, 2016
Status: c1614
Meng Hao walked into the McDonald's. The cultivator taking his order gave a derisive snort, but Meng Hao did not really care, because he had repressed his aura down to the Single Patty Realm, and a fool would not be able to tell his true level of burger eating.

"Give me... a Happy Meal!"

The cultivator's face flickered before he finally regained his composure and laughed. "You couldn't afford a Happy Meal. Get lost! Don't you see that there are Double Quarter Pounder Realm eaters waiting behind you?"

Meng Hao slapped his bag... more>> of holding and threw 80 billion spirit McDonald's coupons onto the counter, causing an earthquake which demolished half of the restaurant. Everyone dropped their jaws. None could see how this was possible!

"I'll take that Happy Meal with a side order of fries, " Meng Hao said. He was as calm as the ocean in a painting of an insanely calm ocean. "And let me see your manager!"

The cashier cultivator coughed up a mouthful of ketchup. He simply could not handle Meng Hao's killing intent, because he was only at the Quarter Pounder with Cheese realm himself. Even though Meng Hao had suppressed his aura, because he had cultivated the Heavenly Burgin' Qi, this was enough to kill people a few levels higher if he truly wanted.

It was then that another man which a much more fierce aura stepped forward. "You dare make trouble here?"

"P... Patriarch Hamburglar!"

Patriarch Hamburglar was 99 cents of the way into the Big Mac Realm, plus tax! Meng Hao was pushed back two feet, knocking over a soda machine. Powerade Mountain Berry Blast geysered outward, killing several onlookers.

Of course, Mayor McCheese saw all this happen through the window.

Meng Hao coughed up a mouthful of blood, snorted, constricted his pupils, and then his expression went calm. He unleashed the aura of 64 patties, condensed down to a 2 patty stack that could fit into his mouth!

Mayor McCheese coughed up a mouthful of cheese. His pupils constricted.

"Is this... Seeking the McRib stage??"

Meng Hao had the gentle air of a scholar, but it wouldn't stop him from killing several people in a McDonald's.

"Burger Devouring Scripture! I'm Lovin' It!"

With the first keyword of the Burger Devouring Scripture, everyone below the early Quarter Pounder With Cheese stage exploded into purple mist. The light of the immense heavenly burger shone down with the contours of a golden arch as 9 illusory burgers floated around Meng Hao's body, which is probably an important xianxia number that matches the number of lakes in some sacred Chinese province I've never heard of. But that was only a fraction of Meng Hao's power. He waved his arm, bringing forth thirty more cultivation techniques that hadn't appeared in over 400 chapters!

"Heavenly Tribulation Fries! Eastern Everburning Egg McMuffin! Fruit Smoothie Guillotine! Soul McCafe Mocha Incarnation!"

Meng Hao's expression was the same as ever as he slapped his bag of holding, and brought out his karmic ketchup packet, Fry Cook Lord medallion, seventeen different wooden time spatulas, a five-coloured resurrection coupon, the silk burger wrapper, various souls of lightning McNuggets that he may or may not still have, and his mask of the legacy of Ronald McDonald. Oh, and the image of a flying Chicken Snack Wrap dragon appeared. Remember that? It was basically his Main Thing at the start of the novel, but quietly faded into irrelevance. Until now!

All of this takes some time to describe, but actually happened in the space of only a few breaths.

"What! Impossible!"

Meng Hao wanted to summon the parrot as well, but it was too overcome with eroticism by the purple fur depicted on a nearby poster of Grimace, and was busy drilling out a glory hole straight through the poster, and the wall it was pinned to, with its strong parrot erection.

But it was more than enough. The Hamburglar's soul flew out and was absorbed into his mask! He screamed as his body was destroyed completely.

Meng Hao brushed off his robe and swept up his spirit coupons and everyone's bags of holding which probably didn't have any cool sh*t inside unless I write him into a corner later, and anyways, don't worry about it for now. He surveyed the rubble that was all that remained of the McDonald's.

"Guess I'll be taking that Happy Meal... to go!"

Spoiler

With the jokes out of the way, I have some real thoughts about where I stand on ISSTH. If you're currently in the process of reading ISSTH, or are planning to read it all in spite of me saying you shouldn't, I will be talking about the overall big picture of the series, which necessitates spoilers. I won't deliberately mention "plot twists" where I can help it, but I think this review will be best appreciated by people looking to talk themselves out of wasting their time reading the whole novel, or those who have finished reading and are looking to commiserate or else nail down what they did and didn't like about it. Otherwise, you may be best off just stopping after the McDonald's jokes.

Unfortunately, ISSTH was a real slog to finish. I only kept going because of the time I'd already put in, and feeling that I might as well go the rest of the way. But this amounted to a few hundred tired and unstimulating chapters; after a long interplanetary war arc, the story never revitalizes itself.

Frankly, I don't think Er Gen is a great writer. Some might say he's a good planner, because he interweaves a bunch of world lore across thousands of chapters and maybe even his other novels before resolving his setting's mysteries, but it's not terribly hard to randomly sew a few seeds around to reap later on, and I find that he doesn't fully remember all of them, nor are they particularly clever or even fun to read in terms of the resolutions. I don't want to be mean here. I think the series' translator is incredibly diligent at finding, adjusting, and appending footnotes to all the little vague quotes that turn out to mean something later, even though I have no interest in continuing with other Er Gen novels. I actually feel a little bad for caring so little when all this obvious work was put in.

But I find it formulaic and boring. Most of the time, it's just going through the motions. It's no wonder Er Gen seems so taken with his own brand of numerology; it really helps pad things out to have a character break through nine barriers in nine chapters when one barrier and one chapter would have the same narrative impact. 300 kilometers will be traversed in 300-meter increments. Some people will probably disagree that it's solely intended as padding, but to me these chapters are joyless and rote. 80% of the series feels like reading a checklist. "Meng Hao has climbed 5 of the 9 towers, igniting 94 of his 120 soul lamps." OK. "The beam of light that judges his power level has shot up to 2400 meters now." Uh huh. "The bad guys have broken past 2 out of 9 mountains, and 3 out of 9 seas." Great.

I think Er Gen likes to drop little story nuggets behind that he has no real plan for what to do with: it's hard to believe, after all, that things like Dong Hu's pearl were always intended to just be some footnote in Meng Hao's arsenal--he probably just overlooked some opportunity to work it in a thousand chapters ago, and then kept it in his notes to meet the minimum requirements by shoehorning it in later. Countless treasures and abilities that MH obtains are totally forgotten or never used satisfyingly, because MH powers up too fast to ever truly get stuck in as many bad situations at the Dao Seeking realm the treasures belong to, or whichever. It's fine if the story mentions little details on the side that don't ever get incorporated into MH's personal journey; for example, never personally walking the Transcendence Path or learning the full Mountain & Sea scripture. But I think it's a different story when you say stuff like how there's a second statue guardian somewhere out there, waiting for MH, and it never comes up again. Or what about his immortal slaughtering sword collection? If the hype about MH's various fortunes and legacies that he stole or fortuitously encountered had any actual meaning, his ability to turn into a roc would have been up there with finding the copper mirror, while the dragon core in his cultivation base would have been some trinket he obtained in the same chapter as a dozen other forgotten things.

Really -- he turns into a roc basically every other chapter, and it isn't even conveyed just why it's so apparently effective to for an immortal to be a bird when they hit someone. There's no weight to this writing and it makes each fight insufferably boring. Where in another series the hero might have some appropriate exploit that makes readers grin, like going to rock some tournament in the poisoner capital of the word after obtaining full immunity to all poisons, MH instead just uses the same moves interchangeably in some stunlocking fighting game combo. And despite all the actual little nuggets which the writer leaves behind to ostensibly find a use for later, often when he does suddenly pull some new move out it's instead something that's never been hinted at before, like a certain teleportation ability (chapter 1408), or a certain ability MH gets to possess a lamp, which wasn't mentioned when he got it; only when he needed it. Ultimately, fights devolve into something a lot like those mentally fought between elementary schoolers: one says that he has "the power to destroy everything" and the other replies that he has the power to destroy everything times infinity. This is barely an exaggeration.

Of course, there are parts of the series I like. It's hard for anything to go 1600 chapters without having some good ideas. I liked a simple mortal, Little Treasure, being able to decide the mighty Meng Hao's fate. I loved his trick with Greed... although this was entirely recycled when he went to Planet Vast Expanse. Going back further I probably liked the series best in the Violet Fate Sect disguise arc. That's no surprise: Down-to-Earth interludes with alchemy trial exploits and character moments are of course more enjoyable than reading MH cycle through his god steps and hexes for the thousandth time. But this story arc mostly repeats itself too, in the Feng sect. Even so, generally I think the series could have spent more time away from the big picture checklist Er Gen had to work through. And many opportunities for getting back to what made the original heart of the series good are also overlooked, like when MH has a young clone and they blow through the clone's early life in a single chapter.

Other parts that I liked a lot about the series early on are essentially subverted later. MH was a scrappy kid with no valuable background, an unremarkable bloodline, and even average talent. For those who have read the first hundred chapters, remember he stole good fortune beyond what he was born with, from the heavens themselves? But even back then I suppose the series put too much of an emphasis on the quality of your foundation as a cultivator, where if you made one wrong step you were no longer perfect going forward, which meant that we would always have an existing, incontrovertible benchmark for how perfect MH had to be. That's writing yourself into a corner.

Some people might like the quaint folk-cosmology where being able to topple mountains is more impressive than destroying the stars in the skies. I think it's good to have some unique influences as a writer, but I found these cultural fables and origin stories kind of expressively fake: when some Native American god is said to sweep all of the stars into their pocket to impress some human girl, I always end up wondering what it means to live in a world where objects don't necessarily get larger when they're brought closer, or what happens to the life on the planets orbiting those stars. Of course, whoever came up with such a story wasn't expected to know anything about how far away the starlight was, or what it signified. To suppose the same things, but then have your characters also visiting those other stars, is just a weird choice.

The author's philosophical passages and talk of enlightenment of natural laws also always ring hollow to me. MH is described as needing buddha-like philosophical breakthroughs to reach higher levels as a cultivator (and let's just laugh off his enlightenment on the physics of time and space, without bothering to get into it) but at every new level of power-creep there's a million more people there and they're still as dumb and arrogant and immature and "silkpants" as the last bunch. So being an immortal seems like nothing much, and at the same time we're not grounded by anything; we rarely know or are expected to care about the perspectives of, say, the mortals who are ostensibly affected by the goings-on of these trillions of figures more important than them.

The series borrows a lot from IET novels like Coiling Dragon, and I think it uses these influences as a crutch sometimes. IET novels are flawed in their own ways as well as in similar ones (such as the missed opportunities to tell human stories, and love interests who lack character), but they at least tended to elaborate more on the presence of things like interspatial rings and lightning tribulations and explain what it really meant to have such things there. In ISSTH these and other things are just sort of there inexplicably: an idea was liked, so Er Gen used it without really providing the concepts with their own two legs to stand on in his world. These aren't the only things that tend to mean little; when a character "sacrifices some of their own longevity" with some technique? If I were an Er Gen character I'd sacrifice my longevity to win every time, because it's never going to affect me later.

The hundred-plus-chapter wars are naturally the worst part. If you loved the third Hobbit movie, then maybe it's for you. But I also really dislike the fundamental ideas presented in these large-scale conflicts. When MH is destroying the homelands of his opponents, he is able to look into their hearts or something and see that they're all fundamentally beasts anyway, so it's okay to commit war crimes like killing their non-combatant family members, which sounds a lot like something out of a manual on how to justify ethnic cleansing. He does the same thing with the Ninth Sea. At least have the guts to just say that what your protagonist is doing is unethical and then paint him as an antihero instead of trying to portray it as good, you know? It's cowardly, and it's doubly ironic for a Chinese writer, considering that these things were said about them in the most grotesque parts of the Second Sino-Japanese war. And the biblical-scale sadism of burning people's souls for eternity, for reasons that Er Gen could just barely contrive them to be responsible for (when you include children who weren't alive when the initial crimes were committed) is absolutely the kind of thing that makes me want to see the main character lose.

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vamsi
vamsi rated it
February 5, 2017
Status: c700
I have seen many people say that it's slow in the beginning, but that it gets good later on, and I really hoped that it would... But it proved me wrong and stabbed me in the eyes.

First, lets talk about pros, because there's only a few of them:
1. The story starting is different from most other novels where the Protagonist[PT] have some sort of super knowledge of past life, or born in a clan and what not. There's nothing like that in this novel. PT is not a douche... more>> in the beginning.
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You must be looking for other pros, but that's all there are... lol.

Let's go to cons, and these are the funniest and s*upidest that the writer could write:

1. PT was nothing but a mortal and a poor guy in the beginning, but after he was kidnapped, he ends up becoming an immortal and comes back to his hometown after three years. And at that time, PT is still sad, and if you know his reason for being sad, you would want to kill yourself. It's because he's low on spirit pills now, like he was low on money when he was a mortal. So his heart stings as nothing changed in the three years. And the worst part is... Just after he said that sentence, he f*cking flies on top of a flying sword and dashes through the skies!!! If he was a mortal, he wouldn't have done that at all, and now he isn't satisfied with what he achieved at all. He's only thinking about pills, pills, pills, pills, pills, pills, pills, pills, pills, pills, pills, pills, pills, pills, pills, pills, pills, pills, pills, pills, pills, pills!!!!

2. I have never seen a story where one can take literally as many pills as he want with no problem during all levels and they will still help breakthrough even at top levels!! All you need to do to beat an opponent you couldn't touch in the previous chapter is to eat pills, pills, pills, pills, pills, pills, pills, pills, pills, pills, pills, pills, pills, pills, pills, pills, pills, pills, pills, pills, pills, pills.... and then you can beat the sh*t out of the guy in the very next chapter if not the same chapter.

3. This series must be the only one which has more chases than the fights themselves. I think the author had a scarred memories of dogs or pigs chasing after him all the time. Otherwise, I don't know why he likes to spend chapters and chapters on chasing itself!!!! Yes, you can go and drink a tea, or even eat lunch before their chasing stops.

4. Treasure Trove. Can you guess who that is? Of course I am sure you got it right. It' s our PT. He's the real treasure trove, because he gets all the treasure in the vicinity of a million kilometers. People come chasing after him for chapters and chapters just to hand him their treasures, and get crippled, or tortured or humiliated. And of course, if you were expecting a decent fight, then you will be disappointed. You will see beams, and unforeseen figures fighting each other. Some times, it hard to imagine where they are fighting, let alone how they are fighting. As for that mirror, it's the worst thing that spoiled the entire novel in my opinion. To be honest, even without that mirror, I would have given 2 star at max. The characters are so bland after all.

5. No training whatsoever... Why to train when we have PILLS!!!!!! Just eat one, and beat everyone.

6. What's the heroine for? He talks more with other girls than her. If that was the case, the author shouldn't even have introduced her. It's a halfhearted story writing.

7. PT doesn't stick with anyone, not even heroine like I said before. He keeps meeting new characters who are forgotten a few chapters later, as most of them will never return.

8. Plot moves forward not because the PT does something different to reach closer to his goal. It moves forward when he gets chased. Yes, that's how writer moves the chapters count forward, ahem.. I mean plot.

9. PT becomes such an unlikable character that you don't really care what happens to him, or even what he's doing right now. Because you know that he's going to eat a pill or use a treasure to beat his opponent and get his pills and treasures to use against his next opponent and the list goes on. The world building is below average and if not for that dao concept I would say that it's literaly sh*t. There's at least some sense in there, though we have seen similar concepts in other CN novels.

10. I think I am going to stop with this tenth one. There will be too many of them if this goes on. The PT in this novel lacks morality. I don't know how the hell he's a confucious scholar in the past. He beats the sh*t out of a girl, and then spanks her afterward!! He constantly tortures his foes, and enjoys doing that to already defeated enemies. His character changes from an okay guy to an utter garbage. And I simply couldn't read through his journey anymore, as I was getting more yawns that the pills he was eating!!!

As for the translators, I think they did an okay job, as there's no creativity in the writing, it's just plain. But... given that they have to translate at fast pace, I can understand them. Actually, I should salute them for translating this repetitive novel. It must have taken lot of juice out of them.

The 1 star I gave is not for the translators as, like I said, most writing is plain.
And the one star is for trying a different beginning, and an okay world building.

That's all guys.
If you guys want me to recommend any novel, then ask me... I will happily do that, and be pleased too.
Cheers :D <<less
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VanAlex
VanAlex rated it
May 4, 2016
Status: --
I’m new to the Xianxia theme novels, and honestly the numbers of novels that I’ve read are very few, it’s so few that it didn’t exceed the number of my fingers. Despite of that I can tell that ISSTH is really exceptional to many chinese web novels. If you don’t wanna read this long review, just go to the ~Enjoyment~ section.

~Story~

ISSTH is composed of 1614 chapters and the translated chapters have almost finished the 4th Book, probably by this month the 5th book will be translated, now this novel... more>> is a continuous slow paced but very connected. ISSTH is not very complex, but also not simple, it’s actually it was able to mixed up its subject by using complex things while simplifying it overall, especially the DAO.

The Dao is a combination of road, way, path, course, direction, say, talk, speak, truth, principle. They may sound complicated but the overall story was portraying them in simple way, actually the only thing which unpredictable is the Dao, which makes the whole series exceptional to others. Overall the predictability and uniqueness of the story is not superior to many series, it’s even repetitive if you’ll try to look at it in a different picture, however it’s a clear evidence that ISSTH exceptional. ISSTH is very heavy on Dao, it’s so connected that it was able to connect some individual chapters like the 58th chapter to 625th chapter, which is about the “Dao” of the protagonist, also every legacies and power-ups was foreshadowed so much that the Plot Armor makes sense, If other series activates their plot armor in the dire situations, ISSTH is like a Soldier who wears an Plot Armor and Plot Weapon before he goes to war.

Note: I’ll try to differentiate the whole series by dividing them into Two, which is the combination of 1st, 2nd and 3rd book, and the 4th book since the first three books were composed of 300 chapters, and it’s the same case as the 4th book.

The Individual elements of the story is still the same as the others, the ‘Adventures’ are great, there were many places which was visited and the scale of the fantasy world was really vast, the entire story much bigger than I’ve anticipated, and the story was able to cover up only the half of the continent. The First 3 books was able to explore the 1st continent, while the 4th book was able to explore the 2nd continent, and there are 4 continents in total. The First 3 books was able to portray world building and the overall idea of the universe and it was able to create an intelligent exploration. However the 4th Book is the opposite, it’s not Logical and Intelligent as the First 3 books, even though it was filled with epic adventures which focuses on tribal, clan and sect wars, it has too much power ups especially Legacies. The First Three Book was very strict to its rule, even though the Protagonist was Unique, he can’t break that rule, however the 4th book have thrown out that logic and strict rules, the 4th book is mostly stereotypical.

There are few times that the ‘Action’ was really detailed and the action, the only problem was there’s too much “Chasing” happening throughout the whole series, there’s no book that it didn’t happen, every life and death situation involves chasing. The First 3 books have used too much chasing, but at the same time it’s very Logical and enthralling that most action is about that if it were to be compared to battles, but it’s the opposite in the 4th book, it’s the Protagonist who usually chase the antagonists The 4th Book is composed of War which is participated by thousands of people and most of the time the Protagonist is the Strongest, there’s no other person who was able to Stand Against him in the entire book, it’s quite flawed since the First Three books were balanced while in the 4th book it is not.

To Make it clear ISSTH in the First 3 Books were filled with Intelligent prerequisites, the 1st book is the most intelligent book of the 4 books, while the 3rd book is very refreshing except in the last scenes before the 4th book, the 2nd book is comparable to 4th book, though the 2nd book is much interesting than the 4th book, the only differences was there were so many Wars in the 4th book, while the 2nd book is much focused on adventurous exploration and amusing accidental lucky situations.

There’s a Good Balanced of Drama and Comedy, but most of the time the story is focused on Improving One Self which is an introversion type of character dynamics. There might be dramas which will focus on character development (not power or strength) in the future but for now, within the current translated chapters, there were only few scenes which can be considered as Dramatic scenes which gives an importance to character growth. The Comedy is usually executed by the antics of the other people whom the protagonist have met, especially the comedic relief which is the companions of protagonist (Meat Jelly and Lord Fifth).

My problem in the story is the Character Execution, one of the mottos of the story is “To Rely on Myself” this is not actually a flaw, but it’s an Identity, at the same time this Identity is not generally liked by many people including me. only few interaction and memorable moments throughout the 4 books, and those moments are generally like a Gold to readers like me, since the interaction throughout the 4 books is heavy on Observation, Reading, Suspecting and others, like there’s no room for trust and mutual connection, also the problem is the Interaction were written in simple words while the power-ups are so detailed that almost 75% is only about that.

Spoiler

It’s really fixed that Meng Hao will be alone in the plot until he meets his family, which might happen in the 5th book. His mother statement was:

“You must walk your ‘path alone’. Perhaps one day, you will find your way to us, and then you’ll understand everything... If you can’t make it, then mother will wait for you to be reincarnated in the yellow springs of the underworld.

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The genre: “Romance” is just ‘ship tease’ but the possibility of romantic development is high. It seems that no matter where the protagonist went, he will attract attention. The interaction of the protagonist to some women leaves an impression to both women and readers, but I did not like the halfway style of the author, for 4 books, the 2nd book was able to create an interesting interaction, but leaves behind, especially the moment he became the Son in Law of Song Clan. The rest of the women were treated badly in terms of plot device and character execution, they did not become a fanservice either, but the author have used some women just to let the readers know that Meng Hao is attractive. At least there’s a fruitful interaction between Meng Hao and Xu Qing.

Spoiler

The comment of Meng Hao’s Mother is probably the best to simplify what I’m trying to say

“This kid has always been a player... He just can’t help but make girls like him.”

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~Characters~

Meng Hao is the only who’s receiving the spotlight. His Dao can be found at chapter 625, which is full of philosophical moments. Meng Hao’s always Calm, his Killing intent is covered with calm appearance; Clever, he’s so clever that you can easily call him a cheater for his extortion skill, plunder and etc..; Usually cold that he doesn’t care for others except for those who are willing to die for him like Mastiff and Ke Yunhai, his Friends from the Reliance Sect and his Tribe, or for those who have terms and conditions, he will always try to protect them, but nothing more than that, and he might even try to leave them if the situation is dire; he’s a con-man, many women is attracted to him, but not only that, he knows how to deal with them, except he’s not interested in lustful ways nor romantic relationship, he’s really busy that he doesn’t have time to deal with that, the only way to attract his attention is to show love to him, much better if the women tried to die for him (I hope I can see that in the future) and the hell he tried to kill a puppy because of its noise; he’s cunning, but that’s only in the First 3 books, the 4th book is about showing his overpowered skills; he’s a changed man, he was a pacifist who loves peace, but he’s now the opposite; he’s deliberate loner, the whole series is just about him; he’s Fearless, but not an idiot like his enemies; he’s hard-worker, the whole series is about his works; he’s a hated protagonist, even I hate him, but I have to admit that he’s unique and admirable; he’s always lucky, finding things by accident or by serendipity is very common for him, and he takes advantage of it, and because of that, he owns great treasures, knowledge, and legacies; he’s very mischievous; he’s observant; he’s ruthless, he have killed many people in a brutal way, not only that, he even tortured people by studying them; he’s smart that he have taken many advantages.

His characteristics does not fit an ideal protagonist, he’s more fitted as an ideal antagonist. The supporting characters are well rounded, they do change a lot and they develop too, the only problem is that they don’t shine very well, since Meng Hao is always receiving the spotlight, at the same time, most of the Neutral characters are always ‘underestimating’ Meng Hao, and they can only change their impression afterwards, and one of the greatest problem are the antagonist, they are very shallow and most of them are stepping stones or just there for the clown show, only few have changed nor have tried to become new, but there’s no antagonist who’s worthy for Meng Hao to battle, eventually there’s no rival who can stand again’st Meng Hao. Well one of my demand is a worthy Antagonist who will be remembered throughout the story.

~Enjoyment~

It’s a relief that translated chapters have only covered the 39% of it, if the whole series is just only made up of 600+ chapters, then I can say that it’s potential was wasted and have gone downhill. Honestly I’ve enjoyed the 1st book, because I’ve seen so much intelligent development and mind blowing scenes, also the author is not relying on typical tropes such as deus ex machina and plot armor, almost everything in the 1st book is unique, the only repetitive was the chase. I loved the 2nd book because of Chu Yuyan and Jelly Meat also because of the “Gathering at the Song Clan”. I like the 3rd book, it’s more refreshing, though there’s only a few interaction in it, also the debates are great and the best was the time he was almost dying in the last part. The 4th is the only thing that I didn’t like, honestly it’s filled with Epic Wars, Philosophical Moments and Reunion, but that’s it, most of the time was about Meng Hao’s power-ups, legacies, luck, boring fights, predictability, and the worst are extortion, plunder, torture, animal abuse (almost), bullying, though by doing these things, he gets a bad karma.

Even though I’ve mentioned countless flaws and strengths, Overall I’ve enjoyed it, since the series was exceptional and have exceeded what I’ve expected in many ways, and I’ve read this novel by playing epic BGM and by searching some Images, and there’s Great Philosophical Moments especially the way of Dao, and most of all the interaction of the supporting characters to Meng Hao is the best which is rare throughout the story like my favorite Chapter 189: All the Enemies Arrive.

I want to give thanks to Deathblade and his companions for their fast and quality translated chapters, I hope they can reach 60% of the novel by this year.
I want to congratulate ISSTH for its 800th chapter. I'll Edit this review after the end of the 5th book.

(the Trailers is a lie, I thought it’s a group adventure.) <<less
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Breaker12
Breaker12 rated it
April 30, 2016
Status: --
I can't even begin on how amazing ISSTH is. Words can't describe this masterpiece. This story is truly splendind in every single sense whatsoever. This story will make you laugh your ass off, will make you emotional, will make you pumped up and will make you cry. You're in a for one hell of an emotional trip.

The author, Er Gen, is truly a brilliant genius. Unlike most Xianxias, ISSTH doesn't repeat itself and it always has new surprises in store more the most seasoned of readers. The universe he created... more>> is beautiuful, breathtaking and utterly amazing.

Well, for a more technical and direct review, here goes.

Starting off with the MC, Meng Hao. Meng, oh Meng, he is the BEST Main Character in existence. Shameless down to the bones, a bashfull faced killer and master con artist, he is the most fleshed-out character that I have ever seen. He also has an insane character development, going from a weak little schoolar to the most badass guy in existence.

The side characters also have splendind character development, and although not as apparent as Meng Hao's, it's still pleasing, at least much better than most other Xianxias. There are also some side characters that simply make your day through their dialogues and actions.

Spoiler

The best characters are without a doubt the magnificent Lord Fifth, the most dignified furry lover under heaven and the almighty meat patty, Ultimate Vexation, that is able to even cause the mightest of cultivators to su*cide.

[collapse]

As for the plot, as I mentioned before, its amazing. This isn't your typical weak to strong story, this story is all about defiance of the heavens and reaching the path of perfection.

There is much more to say, but I believe that I would need to spend hours and hours typing this to say it all, so I'll stop here for now.

TL;DR: Is ISSTH good? No. Is ISSTH amazing? No. It's freaking perfect! Best novel I have ever read and I definetly recommend it to everyone under heaven. <<less
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Demonic Reader lv 451F
Demonic Reader lv 451F rated it
June 7, 2016
Status: c700
It's start slow and a bit boring. Nothing fascinating. But after the 1st book, your blood boiled, you qi rotated like hurricane. After 3rd book, you'll sever your mouse and kept pounding on your F5, hoping you might be able to join the greatest of every realms, the F5 sect!

WHAT!? YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IS F5 SECT? Beware Lord Filth's revenge!

OK, I lost a bit of my mind. Some F5 sect's disciple undermined my mind. ISSTH is one of the best XianXia. Period. The cultivation world is wide, wild and... more>> cruel. Reading WN is mu*derous. If you can't read pass the 1st book, you aren't destiny to be in F5 sect and able to enter ISSTH world. Be the lowly mortal as you be. Only one whose mind is absolutely determined to kill through the path of best XianXia Novel Reading will enjoy. Done. <<less
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OnePunchKO
OnePunchKO rated it
March 6, 2016
Status: --
One of the most boring CN I have read. I am upto date with 507 chapter. All characters are extremely shallow, it seems like they simply exist to praise the MC, He has no clear goal of his own I found MC personailty okay at start over time he becames that emotionless dull character who does not care about anything other than making pills and eating them. There are too many boring fillers in story. MC kills others for very petty reasons not just self-defense he even take some of... more>> them to experiment on them when they had done almost nothing to him. I will recommend reading Ze tian ji over this both have scholar protogainst but one stay true to his perosnailty while other become your typical op MC. Only problem is there are not as much chapters translated in it still better than reading story about personailty-less characters and the MC who only relys on luck/plot armor for everything. <<less
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Trequirsice
Trequirsice rated it
January 3, 2016
Status: --
Dropped at chapter 105

... more>>
Spoiler

MC gets kidnapped to sect for cultivation, He was tr*sh there at first then he found op mirror which helps him to cultivate. There was one strongest guy in outer sect which everyone like in sect. Somehow MC ended up offending him. He beats the MC up. There is revenge plot in which MC found that guy legendary sword and treasures while roaming in forest then beat him using it into outer sect duel.

After that he found some op scripture because of that his sect get dissolved. It’s just running from his enemies again and again from there. He also keeps finding more treasures while getting chased. Some people give him free treasure misunderstanding something later send someone to kill him. Then again same chasing for many chapters.

Only good part in 1st 100 chapter was his sect patriarch he was bit funny that is only few chapters too bad. He also takes all the patriarch treasure which was absurd amount of treasure with too many OP items. He goes to cultivate in cave with some red rope in which he find some sealing hex skill, jades scripts that whole cave thing was weird.

[collapse]

Really boring novel, Too much getting chased by everyone. The amount of treasures he comes across in just 100 of chapters I can’t even imagine later on. MC cultivation method is just eating pills with the help of his treasure no training at all. Fights are bad too with just showing collection of MC treasure.

Characters were nothing special, didn’t like female lead at all she talks nothing, thinks nothing her actions are also not noticeable. Even one dimensional character would be better than her. There are many silent characters out there I like them too but this one is more into mute category with no personality. Aside from her story did not keep me interested to read it more. It was drag to read it, while always thinking it might get good soon I finally give up now I can’t see this getting anywhere. Some people said it was all word building and character development that is such a lame excuse all novels has that author needs to make it fun too. This also gives idea on author writing style so I can’t really expect much, disappointed on this one. <<less
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echiomega
echiomega rated it
August 6, 2016
Status: c717
Dropping at chapter 717 (or maybe on hold...)
Beginning of the story was good. A scholar gets kidnapped and becomes a cultivator in a small sect. Was interesting in seeing a normal person slowly getting used to the world of violence.

The good:
MC was overall a nice moral character who's not too arrogant at the beginning.

The world building was okay, not too interesting though.

... more>> The bad:
Cultivation: not much just MC using a cheat item to get more pill to eat.

The MC get chase A LOT. (this is the main method to make the story move)

Becomes a loner later on basically.

Doesn't talk much after getting out of sect (become a pretty boring character)

The Main girl is pretty boring also (MC and her don't talk much)

The MC doesn't stick around with anyone. The author just keep on introducing new "friends" that get forgotten and left behind by MC.

MC is nothing special. He could have helped his friends out in cultivating but he doesn't. <<less
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Nocturne
Nocturne rated it
May 25, 2017
Status: c1200
Hello my Loves,

I honestly can't understand how this is being praised as one of the best Xianxia out there. This book, or more to say - the story is pure BS.

But first things first. The translators are doing a great job in both quality and quantity, but still - the story isn't good because of that, sadly.

... more>> Okay, where to start this train wreck?

The Beginning |B-[Interesting Premise]

Through some 'lucky' coincidence, our protagonist, Meng Hao, is thrown into the world of cultivators and such. After some magic here and some lucky encounter there, he obtains a cheat item - nothing less, a super s*upid one at that as well.

Spoiler

Which automatically puts him above everyone else, something that begs the question - how come that absolutely no one knows of this cheat item and its ludicrous OPness? Yes, for it to be lost - I can live with that, but to simple fall into the hands of some backwater village bumpkin - come on. Furthermore, how come that his Doa Protector, who has lived for more than 1kk years, its actual owner, doesn't know or doesn't care about this object. I mean - are you serious?

[collapse]

This once again shows extremely lazy writing - and boy, I ensure you - that's not the first and by far not the last major plot hole...

The Romance |F [Bad romance overall]

What the heck was that? I've seldom read something so shallow and plainly ridiculous in my life. IET is bad with writing romance but Er Gen he's on another level. His Dao of Romance is just laughingly bad.

Somehow all the girls he ever met just fall in love with him, but he of course, since being our usual perfect protagonist, he stays faithful to his main love interest. Nothing bad here, but where the heck do these emotions come from? They hardly ever interacted? But Er Gen somehow explains that with, yeah right

Spoiler

"She wasn't very intelligent, it was just simple love! Her coldness was just an act, she tried to hide her s*upidity by putting up this front!"

[collapse]

Oh, come on! This makes no sense. Don't understand me wrong, I know - this book wasn't written for offering some tear-jerking lovey-dovey moments but either do it right or at least better, or - what I would have rather preferred, leave it out.

The Setting |E- [Overall Bad, but interesting at the start]

I find it rather amusing when people claim this book to be a masterpiece by pointing out all the faults in other series, such as shallow one-dimensional characters, too much luck, cruel protagonist yada yada.

He walks around and slaughters various cultivators, for no good reason whatsoever. That in fact makes him no different from the various antagonists he's facing.

And it becomes more and more ridiculous reading on, when these super 'mysterious' secrets are revealed about his parents and stuff.

Some aspects are just s*upid, for instance, the whole "Chosen One" - 'you receive my legacy and part of my power, because YOLO, we are connected by karma'-storyline, so in short, about 2/3 of the book make no sense.

But the biggest problem I have with this book are the fights and the explanations of the Dao. I've read my fair share on Xianxia and Wuxia novels but in this self-proclaimed masterpiece, nothing is really explained. It's just pills here, pills here, upgrade - now, somehow, gaining enlightenment, never used the technique but after eating pills, heaven shaking talent/power/intelligence is even more apparent. But most importantly, to get the story somewhere, Meng Hao is present when people are about to offend him, this is just too ridiculous if you think about it.

It's just, I really have to question myself. How has cultivation existed for so long? Shouldn't I fear that my neighbour whom I've bullied three yours ago might be some disguised super genius Chosen Dao Child of a Super Sect who tries to comprehend the Dao. Wouldn't people, or to say, cultivators be more, I don't know, sensible and less s*upid? Walking around, offending left and right? Am I wrong here?

The Character |E [No growth to speak of, Dao of Shallowness]

Zero Character development. Meng Hao has no goal to speak off. It's just that somehow everyone wants to bully him - with no valid reasons? Right, how very convenient to letting the story progress that way...

Also, what bothers me even more than him not growing into a more mature/sensible adult, is the fact that Er Gen for some odd reason thought that bringing Meng Hao's friend's up every now and then would give them a more tangible personality. Yeah, that didn't work out... Don't make them shallow to begin with to later create some depth by bringing them up every now and then.

Tl;dr:

It really isn't that good. Severely overrated story that brings nothing new to the table. As a first Xianxia you might want to check it out. But as a veteran, I wouldn't recommend it, it's just not good and rather boring at times. Here and there some funny moments but overall, no good read - IMO.

Greets! <3 <<less
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ElDorado
ElDorado rated it
May 31, 2016
Status: c694
A blooming flower amidst piles of cow dung; clouds compared to mud; simply put, the difference between Heaven and Earth.

我欲封天 is a true standout among the myriad titles of 'immortal hero' and 'eastern fantasy' webnovels out there. Rather than having the concept of 'face' (a common aspect of asian cultures) as its central, overarching metaphor, ISSTH brings out the best of this genre and holds the precepts of 'Dao' or 'the Way' at its heart. It is about one man's journey through life, fighting against Heaven's Will and even the... more>> whole world while he's at it. Where many titles focus on the protagonist gaining as much 'face' as possible through scenarios such as martial tournaments, auctions, offending various clans and young masters, ISSTH focuses on the character of Meng Hao, his experiences, emotions and interactions with the world. The worldbuilding here is superb, building layer upon layer as more gets revealed with each chapter. There is a lot of foreshadowing and linkage between plot devices that can appear a hundred chapters apart. Deus ex machina does not show up here. Everything -whether it be the collecting of treasures and legacies or the actions of antagonist- plays heavily on the ideas of karma, fate/destiny, and luck- which Meng Hao holds in spades. The plot armor that he wears is well-explained and nothing seems out of place. Because of careful, detailed buildups, battles are magnificent and moving, and emotional scenes aplenty. For those who want comedy, I present to you Lord 3rd and Lord 5th respectively. They are the funniest sidekicks a main character could ever have or want, whether the two of them realize it or not.

A pet peeve I have about most xianxia is a common cliche. Protagonists are almost always able to hit harder than their current league and bring down opponents 2 or even 3 full realms higher than them (looking at you, ATG). And this is after the author goes on and on about how the differences between realms are like heaven and earth. This doesn't occur with Meng Hao. Even with all of his legacies, treasures and special skills, he can at most beat opponents half a realm higher than himself or become undefeated within a realm (ex. When he was early Nascent Soul he couldn't beat some at early Spirit Severing, much less great circle of Nascent Soul).

If there is one criticism I have, it is the lack of attention paid to side characters besides the parrot and the meat jelly. Although their backstories are well known, Meng Hao's human friends and female-of-interest do not get much screen time- it's all about the MC and his journey. Still, I think ISSTH deserves five stars for standing above and beyond its peers. <<less
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strixflash
strixflash rated it
May 28, 2016
Status: c686
I Shall Seal the Heavens (ISSTH) is one of my favorite xianxia series out there as the story doesn't follow the usual rinse and repeat format unlike the other popular novels out there.

ISSTH is not only about Meng Hao getting powerful in every arc. As Meng Hao once said Immortality is just a destination but what matters the most is enjoying the scenery.

ISSTH would make you laugh. Meng Hao's conman skills would make your day and so would Lord Fifth. It is also the only xianxia novel which would... more>> make you cry. The novel is full of strong philosophical moments.

Sure the entire story is focused around Meng Hao and the focus on side characters is pretty low but ISSTH'S side characters are one of the most well characterized side characters out there.

ISSTH has one of the best female side characters out there. Sure we see some fanrgirl but most of the female cultivators are unique in personality. They are not some s*upid and one dimensional characters. I especially liked "Big sis" from Fang clan. The chapters focused on her are treat for eyes.

ISSTH has the best Master-Discipline relationship out there. Usually when I read cultivation novels the Master-Discipline relationship is pretty shallow. But in ISSTH the personality of Pill Demon is such that you can't help but praise the author for creating such a perfect character. The arc in which Meng Hao was accepted as his legacy apprentice was one of the best storyline out there.

Meng Hao sows karma with many during his journey for better or for worse. I liked how the story wasn't about just getting power-up. The Desert Migration arc was one such beautiful arc. Meng Hao developed family love for the tribe he was protecting. I especially liked how he got sad when he learned that one of his "subordinate" (who was once his opponent) was killed in order to draw him out... that scene was so painful.

I think the best part for action and fantasy readers is that the story doesn't focuses on "arrogant genius" vs MC. We don't see the descent of one s*upid villain after the another. Plus author rarely uses tournament style arcs and when he do they are full of suspense and drama.

Er Gen is a genius when it comes to creating unique abilities. Characters have so many never seen before abilities. Plus the battles are rarely dragged and most of the times there are no s*upid side characters reaction.

Believe me this series deserve a chance. Give it a chance. <<less
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ViRuss
ViRuss rated it
November 10, 2016
Status: --
Okay hello, I'm someone who loved this novel for a while but has now dropped it. It's been great all until somewhere in the chapter ~800's, it really has been good but it fell apart completely for me then. I want to see who agrees with me too, hence this review; anyway I thought ISSTH was always keeping the bar high till it fell at those certain chapters.

Okay what I saw which made me drop it was the MC, he had changed, he became a complete as*hole (didn't he?), so... more>> much so that it felt he was a different character, an antagonist in fact. To these guys that he's made his enemies he of course doesn't have to treat nicely, but he doesn't have to act so morally wrong. He drags (actually ties and drags) weakened enemies as he runs away from the rest until they'd lost their dignity and were in tears all for money, this was unacceptable for me. It was displeasing already when these new enemies, genius's of a level he's not come across are mediocre when he faces them, they're literally tr*sh, he fights all of them at once to boot yet they still lose but then they're also mistreated by the MC so much? He's spanking a girl after beating her in a fight for nearly injuring him, runs a guy through the ground until he signs a pay check which pleases the MC for his own life and he just keeps on going doing this for some chapters, it was honestly so depressing.

I need to know, don't others agree? I've seen the other reviews but they don't talk about this point in the story, he just threw out all morals didn't he? <<less
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SamX
SamX rated it
September 29, 2016
Status: c977
This is by far the best novel here, and I've read a lot of them. All the characters are well fleshed out and the relationships between characters are very well developed. The plot is extremely well thought out and the story is incredibly entertaining. The MC is my favorite amongst all the CN/KR/JP web novel MCs that I've read. He has no annoying characteristics - something that is incredibly rare in the web novel world, where most characters seem to be one dimensional cliches most of the time. All actions... more>> he takes are sensible and the relationships he develops with other characters make perfect sense. The relationships that he has with his family members are incredibly deep and powerful, but they are also very realistic and well depicted. There is only one serious romantic relationship - another characteristic that is rare in the web novel world where harems seem to be the norm. I really appreciate this as I usually don't like harem relationships as they feel very shallow and unrealistic. There are really no more words that I can think of to do justice to this incredible masterpiece. This is an amazing amazing novel and it makes me wait eagerly for the next update every single day. To end, I'd like to also add that the translator working on this novel is one of the very best translators out there. He is dedicated, consistent and provides extremely high quality translations at an impressive pace. <<less
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Tanah
Tanah rated it
January 24, 2016
Status: --
2/5 stars based on 1st and 2nd books, if it only 1st book then its 1/5 star.

Like others said, it have a slow start and very boring. It takes me 2 month to just pass 1st book (i am curious since many people rec this so I torture myself to finish the 1st book, maybe I am a M).

i will list whats good and bad in this WN.

... more>> The good :

1. MC have a good character development,

2. Story is pretty good if you past 1st book.

3. Smart MC and not a bloodthirsty. Its nice to see MC that not always pick a fight with others.

4. Have a good World Building.

5. There is crafting/alchemy (Book 2).

6. Humour is pretty good but not a comedy gold.

7. Traditional Xianxia that all about dao.

The Bad :

1. Very slow start without anything that could pique my curiosity too keep reading. (ZTJ have a very slow start but still interesting to read).

2. The story is all about dao so it can be boring especially the 1st book.

3. The romance is Sh*t, there is no development with the main heroine. Heck, there is more interaction with other girls than the main heroine.

4. Lack development for side character (they dont struggle like MC, some of them suddenly become important)

5. Lack interaction with other character, it can be said that is a solo adventure of MC.

6. MC become strong just using pill and treasure without training.

i dont recommend this for newcomer in xianxia, its better to read TDG or CD first before this.

i also dont recommend it for anyone that expect a good romance since the author is halfhearted to develop it. Its better to have no romance like DE. It’s a shame that I cann’t enjoy this WN, good luck to anyone that reading this WN for the first time. Maybe you can pass the 1st book and get a great story like other 5/5 stars people said. <<less
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Mila Chan
Mila Chan rated it
May 7, 2016
Status: C1614
One of the best novel so far I have read in my life, Meng Hao is so good and cool, he is a patient person and take his time until he get what he wants and the side characters some of them are so damn funny (Lord 3rd and Lord 5th) I love them really and the translator DeathBlade I really wanna thank him soo much for doing the best he could to translate this novel and keep its essence. I would recommend this novel for everyone.

I am the type... more>> of person who is patient whenever I read any novel. I believe that any MC at the beginning normally is weak and I love to live with him and watch by each chapter how he developed and I didn't got bored or even felt that I need to skip any chapter. Every detail in the chapter make me excited and anticipated what will happen next and there are lots of scenes that are so funny and some that makes you cry. Be prepared for everything when you read this novel. I know the romance is not that Good but still I prefer watching the MC to OP than seeing a romance scene. I am so glad that I found this novel and thankful for the Author ER GEN and the Translator DeathBlade

If I can rate this novel, I will give it 100/100 <<less
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rdawv
rdawv rated it
February 22, 2016
Status: --
Review as of Ch.481.

I waited this long, because I'm still in the process of trying how to formulate my opinions. In the end, I settled on the word: "Ponderous". It's a huge undertaking to read, an epic story about a man's journey to become strong. Along the way there are the usual xianxia tropes: offending powerful people/factions, getting the interest of beautiful women, gaining insight into mysteries that nobody else could comprehend, following in the footsteps of those no one else dared/capable to follow, obtaining magic and items that are... more>> the envy of others.

The difference is how the story is written. "I Shall Seal the Heavens" is a story written with gravitas, designed to give a sense of impact and yet tranquility. It's like listening to a zen monk's biography, a quiet voice that teaches the profound in simple terms. The MC has straightforward goals, yet can't help but be distracted by those who tread a more crooked path. The romance tag is a little misleading, it's very much subdued and hardly talked about, it's just an excuse to remind us that the MC is still human despite his deity-like abilities. Try telling someone the "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" movie is a hot-blooded romance story and you'll get incredulous looks.

The main strength of the novel is in its story-telling, in how the sentences are constructed, in convincing the reader that "this is important". As the MC walks the cultivation path, he slowly joins the likes of immortals and the inhuman. You have combat and battles involving spirits, magic that involve and affect thousands, power that is so off the scale that it's almost incomprehensible, like reading a novelization of Dragon Ball Z-like power levels with characters wearing robes and Taoist/Buddhist elements.

If "Against the Gods" is the example of a "vengeful xianxia", then ISSTH is the prime example of a "cultivation xianxia". <<less
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Daoist LastWish
Daoist LastWish rated it
June 27, 2017
Status: c1599
This is quite literally the best Xianxia novel I have read to date (Except Ze Tian Ji - but that novel is in a completely different league altogether). It is a Xianxia which actually has a plot! A most shocking thing! Additionally, it has some very funny comedic scenes, some nice emotional scenes, and lots of well written fight scenes.

... more>>
Spoiler

The writing is in the top tier of Xianxia novels, to which the writers of (Desolate Era, True Martial World etc) can only hope to reach some day. The world building is excellent and description of some places (The temple of doom, ruins if immortal sect etc) is downright awesome.

On the downside, there is fair amount of MC worship (although its because of MC's great deeds), all the standard Xianxia tropes are there (cultivation competitions, MC defeating opponents with higher cultivation levels, etc.)

There are some idiot reviewers who review ISSTH badly because it doesn't have a lot of romance, well duh, its not a Mills and Boons novel, romantick fellow! There are others who feel that there is too much Coughing up blood, well, I take it you haven't read any other Xianxia novels. All of them have a truckload of coughing up blood and snorting. There are others who feel MC is too OP. Of course he is, Sherlock. This is a Xianxia novel after all.

[collapse]

I have read quite a few xianxia, and dropped all of them midway (Desolate Era, True Martial World etc, etc). I even tried the crappy ones (BTTH, Emperor's Domination, Spirit Realm, etc) ISSTH is way above all of these novels in many ways - so if you like these novels, and are looking for a better novel, do try ISSTH. <<less
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Draeghe
Draeghe rated it
January 6, 2016
Status: c837
The first thing I want to read when I get up in the morning. As well as the last thing I want to read before I go to bed.

For some this masterpiece (because it is) might be too slow to start. However the more the main character grows, the more you get to know of the world. You literally learn more as he learns more. There’s no big info dumps anywhere and even the slow pacing (at times) serve a reason.

The main brilliant part of this Xianxia, is that often... more>> there will be parts of the story that has been touched upon somewhere earlier on in the novel. And the current happenstance is some sort of revelation. And although it might be hard to remember at times, the translator (deathblade) often helps us out by dropping a link to the parts underneath the chapter to those previous occasions. (The translator does the story justice)

There’s also parts of humourous events or simply comedic relief hidden in the story here and there. This keeps the tone of the novel entertaining and not too heavy-set or dramatic (or too self-important as many xianxia seem to be).

I personally wasn’t bothered by the world building at all. As I said before, you learn more of the world as the MC knows more. And during the first few books the MC is going through a harsh part of development, relying mostly on his wits and perhaps some luck to muddle through it. It takes quite a while before he starts to grow much much stronger and grasps more techniques and abilities, that he either develops himself or got through a bit of luck again :P. However, the foundations that were laid in the first few books, are properly exploited in the later ones.

As of writing this review, I am currently at chapter 383... And I don’t regret reading it at all.

Update: Still reading at Ch. 837

Spoiler

Have faith in the Lord Fifth, gain eternal life! When the Lord Fifth appears, who dares to cause strife!

[collapse]
<<less
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Lestorke
Lestorke rated it
February 11, 2016
Status: --
This novel is good to read after you have completed most of novels here, It will give you unique feel but it is still boring until chapter 184 after that song clan arc when all enemies gathered had one funny moment which I liked. When it’s over there is one fight which I felt like skipping over I kind of hate fights in this novels there is no tension almost like doraemon pulling out gadgets from holding bag. MC gets too many cheat like device which is very convenient for... more>> plot.

Spoiler

For example he gets a item which can teleport him somewhere so MC always use it to escape whenever he is about to die and also that item is Lucky one that brings MC to place which he needed most at that time.

[collapse]
The downside of cheats item is pretty much non existent.

Spoiler

He needs spirit stones (money) to duplicate item. In early start he is lucky enough to get many in bag in forest after that he gets them while someone was chasing him and then get tons of it from sect patriarch later on even one of his pill is enough to get tons of spirit stones so your free to duplicate as much as you want, the downside was very much joke like.

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Powers up are pretty much repetitive with same pattern each time, philosophical elements are not mind blowing it just give unique feel to this novel.

Next arc is the one I liked most still it takes like 10-15 chapters for it to starts around 210-215 all the alchemist battle are a lot more interesting than actual battle so you will be able to enjoy this arc though I hate anything related to black sieve sect cuz xu qing will show up there and I don’t feel like reading about her she is very boring author just make them look into each other eyes for long time whenever they meet without any talk seriously... so cheesy. All the debats are fun to watch but very one-sided opponent is very s*upid to talk back properly so it ends up looking childish not serious ones where opponent is not scheming enough with words. Actually most of debates in this kind of novels are like that but there are few novels which have cleaver opponents as well.

Ending of this arc was very ridiculous though basically

Spoiler

MC is near death state than suddenly some character which was showed in older chapters pops up heal MC completely and throws him to other continent and the reason was returning back karma which was MC accidentally saved someone and this someone shows up exact moment of his death I mean like you were stalking him this all time or what?

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Side characters have no real development just instant powers up they just look like fan club members which shows their shocked expression when show is about to start.

After that is black lands arc chapter 314 from here on I don’t really felt anything special about this novel anymore all the unquie stuff gets repeated, MC has 2 pets a parrot and a meal jelly I prefer meat jelly> parrot it just throws bad words from his mouth which I don’t really find funny. Well this novel had very few moments which I had actually found funny after upto 450 not much to say the story will continue as it is, it also loose the scholar vibe long ago MC becomes bloodthirsty, there are no real companions or friends except for pets and the aim is to cultivate as much as you can kind of like how IET MC always chase for powers up just more dependant on pills instead of those training and minus relationship developments there were few but those characters don’t really feel important. <<less
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Phenomenaut
Phenomenaut rated it
April 8, 2016
Status: --
While I can’t say this is the best written Xianxia, as I don’t read Chinese, this is certainly the best translation out there. Deathblade deserves a ton of credit for just how amazing he is. The prose here is stellar, at times poetic.

The novel as a whole has a sense of mystery and wonder about it that nothing else I’ve read outside the masters of Western High Fantasy have captured. There’s this real sense of history, I feel like the places in this story have a... more>> depth and feel to them that most Xianxia lack entirely. While not every location has a ton of personality, those that do are memorable. The story also has a surprising amount of humour compared to it’s overall somber tone, and these moments are well paced. While the plot sometimes relies too much on the MC luckily stumbling into some hidden legacy or treasure, the consistent themes of Fate and Karma make this somewhat believable, and unlike other stories that do that kind of thing, the MC continually develops as a character, changing in believable ways.

Spoiler

Shocking, imaginative, and clever events come one after the other, each new arc building another layer of history to deepen the world, filling another small part of this huge land with distinct. Each Resurrection Lilly, Giant Turtle, Shattered Bridge, Karmic Fisherman etc. Fills me with the joy of reading something truly wondrous.

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This is truly a masterwork of the genre. <<less
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