Death Sutra

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Born into a wealthy family, Gu Shenwei was spoiled and carefree. However, at the age of 14, his entire family were brutally mu*dered, and he was caught by some bandits who sold him into s*avery. As a s*ave boy, he entered Golden Roc Fort by chance and found the man who had slaughtered his family. He endured insults and worked hard to improve his kung fu while working as a s*ave boy. He learned from and plotted against his enemy under the enemy’s nose. He became increasingly ambitious as he became more and more powerful. He would only be satisfied if he completely destroyed his enemy—by fair means or foul. Gradually his bitter experience turned him into a totally different person.

This is a kung fu fiction that is full of mysteries and surprises. This is a story dealing with love, betrayals and distances. This is the journey of an ordinary boy who, against all odds, fought against formidable foes. This is a tale regarding a person who felt abandoned by the world made unremitting efforts to create a new world of his own, in which he was alone.

Associated Names
One entry per line
Death Scripture
Sǐ Rén Jīng
死人经
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
Reverend Insanity (3)
The Grandmaster Strategist (1)
Purple River (1)
Pivot of the Sky (1)
Hunting for a Delicious Wife (After) (1)
Major General Spoils his Soul-guiding Wife (1)
Recommendation Lists
  1. Novels That I Have Read Over The Years
  2. Timeless Masterpieces - the Best Novels Ever
  3. The best novel that I've ever read
  4. Good books with MMC
  5. ELITE TASTE - Non mainstream fantasy

Latest Release

Date Group Release
09/24/18 Webnovel c200
09/24/18 Webnovel c167
09/24/18 Webnovel c166
09/24/18 Webnovel c165
09/24/18 Webnovel c164
09/24/18 Webnovel c163
09/24/18 Webnovel c162
09/24/18 Webnovel c161
09/24/18 Webnovel c160
09/24/18 Webnovel c159
09/24/18 Webnovel c158
09/24/18 Webnovel c157
09/24/18 Webnovel c156
09/24/18 Webnovel c155
09/24/18 Webnovel c154
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42 Reviews sorted by


Daoist LastWish
Daoist LastWish rated it
March 21, 2017
Status: c31
The novel is set in a brutal, dog eat dog world where everyone is looking out only for himself/herself, and loyalty and friendship is hard to come by. There are no heroes here, only people struggling to survive. This is a place where clans are wiped out, not by a superhuman character, but by putting paralyzing medicine in food and attacking sleeping people. The Main Character is out for revenge, but ends up being captured instead. Will he live and complete his revenge, or will his life will be like a flickering candle?
Spoiler

PROS:
The world building is excellent. Brutal nature of the world is excellently demonstrated, not by telling - but by showing. From the start when Gu Shenwei's family is wiped out, to when Long Feidu appears - everything points to the bleak, harsh nature of the world.


CONS:
The story seems to be a succession of incidents, there don't seem to be any story arcs, so the story seems a little disjointed.
The author has mastered the art of writing cliffhangers, but too much of a good thing can turn into a bad thing!
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Note: After chapter 247, the translation continues with a different translator on webnovel with the name of Death Scripture. Webnovel translation is not even half as good as this one, but it is still readable.

RECOMMENDATION:
It is a great read, especially chapters 240 -247 are mind blowing. Read it if you are tired of ret*rded crap like Emperor's Domination, BTTH, WQDK etc.
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Aeternus
Aeternus rated it
June 12, 2018
Status: c380
I gave the novel three stars. My intention is to tell you, that you should try to read it, but beware, it is not for everyone. But that is a s*upid sentense... the point of review is to tell, if you will like reading the novel... or if the novel is worth the time because of other reasons. I hope to provide more info on the subject.

The writing is very good, for a WN, it includes some philosophies, some - interesting, enlightening, important for the plot, others - s*upid, nonsensical,... more>> unnecessary. Whatever, it tries to be deep, I only thought so for the first 30 chapters, it is still nice try, at least it is not pure irrelevant barter.

The novel has very intensive s*xual themes. It touches many taboo themes, they are apparently pretty normal in the setting, fraternicide, r*pe, betrayal etc. etc. You will think half of the districs are nothing but whorehouses, you would think r*pe is the coming of age ceremony in this book.

Ok let us get factual. The only thing positive about this novel, in my opinion it tries to go a unique way. The main promise of the novel is: it is realistic, no plot armor etc., much gore, revenge, intelligent protagonist. What will you feel, if none of the points above are realised? Three stars are mild - my feeling.

So let us say, the world has no STDs, the brain of the humans of this world functions differently, our morals can not be aplied. Ok but still, let us speak about the society there. So the thing about this society is pretty much organised crime syndicate. But the organisation part is really lacking, is a pyramide with no control over members, members are chosen through gruesome methodes, which destroy unity of the organisation, the organisation provides members NO BENEFITS, NO RETIREMENT PLAN, NO SECURITY, NO POWER (from the position of member). How does such an organisation exist? The novel tries to cower it up with monetary reasons, but it does not work this way. And you can find more similar examples everywhere. Realismus... not true. The assassins, who I think is the most likely group, the novel is based on, were a bunch of drug addicted religious fanatics with external enemies... and they prospered for like less then 20 years.

No plot armor? - Not true either... just a small glimps: A certain female can not stop whoring, is not smart either, accepts all, even enemies of protagonist, while being a known ally and employe, provides critical information to the protagonist more then once at convenient times, ehhh... what, how?

Much gore? - ok that point is true, the s*xual themes are included, and also used very liberaly, I think this point is what many people think makes the novel "realistic" and adult

Revenge... it is a joke... it is the main selling point of the novel, and it is never rached, like all the woman/man who never revenge for themself

Intelligent protagonist - he is a nice chap, he runs around, plots many things, can swing with his sword really well and so, but at the end, it is all Kindergarden, he and his enemies never move past IQ of 60-80. Like there is a s*x addict big enemie, who also swings sword good, like use poison or something.... or a trap, where you don´t sit in the bushes for 2 hours, while "your" women gets *** by him. Sorry for this small spoiler, so frustrating, I do not know why I read further, all traps are peeping Toms in the bushes... It does not get better. There are many plots, but if you move a step away you will see the limits.

Three stars, because I feel generous. In my opinion, it is not worth the read. <<less
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WinByDying
WinByDying rated it
July 24, 2018
Status: c143
TL;DR: read it.

This novel has plot/plot twists. There's not much on this site with plot on the level of Death Sutra. Novelsby Fengling Tianxia don't come close. Maybe Nightfall, Mao Ni's novels? But even Nightfall is more straightforward.

This novel it has well thought-out characters. The characters evolve. I could feel that the author must've put himself into the characters' place regularly. Their actions are realistic.

Every bit of luck, like a sudden breakthrough, is there for a logical, acceptable reason. Sometimes, he's also very unlucky. It's balanced. One of the most... more>> balanced MC's I've seen in quite some time. And it's good that he's balanced, it allows for a good plot.

This warrants a 5/5 on NU. The novel is tragically unpopular.

I could do with a bit more worldbuilding, but it's kind of realistic that it's missing given the life of Gu Shenwei so far. For some reason, the start wasn't as interesting to me as the novel was later on, maybe due to the writing style of the author or due to the way it's translated. I'm not going to criticize the translation, it's been excellent.

Now to end off, a bit of a rant on character-/worldbuilding and reader patience.
A reviewer said it reads more like a real book, that it's not for everyone. Is it really not for everyone? Another reviewer couldn't get into it due to the... submissive, traumatic experiences early on. I loath the attitude of some readers on NU. They don't seem to have ever read a good paper book. The best of books often take their time before fully growing into something beautiful. Have patience. People don't have enough patience... They want their characters powerful right now and don't want anything bad or traumatic to be described. They love scarred MC's, but only if the first 100 chapters of the 1212 chapter novel are not about those scars, the foundation of the MC. Loathful. This will make every chapter to come that much better... Another reviewer called it all boring filler, saying he has better more entertaining things to read. This is exactly what I mean. Ignorance is bliss. <<less
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args.equals.5
args.equals.5 rated it
July 22, 2017
Status: --
This is one of those novels that bored you with filler content, verbose context, extremely boring events, lack of adventure, and extremely slow pace to the point were it almost reaches your threshold.

When the adventure does pick up, it's pretty good but I'm a hard bargainer and have far better novels to read or reread.
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Fubarone
Fubarone rated it
February 26, 2017
Status: c22
Having only read up to the current translated chapter (22), I can honestly say this has been a tough, but engaging read.

It doesn't shy away from the brutal realities of the world, but thankfully doesn't get graphic with them.

And while it seems like a lot has happened so far, it also kind of seems like not much has happened.

... more>> Aside from the MC growing up and learning some harsh lessons, but with a surprising amount of self reflection for this type of novel.

And it will be interesting to see where the story goes since there are questions mounting, but answers are in short supply so far. <<less
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Queen of Sheba
Queen of Sheba rated it
February 12, 2018
Status: c143
Stayed awake all night to read this marvel. Hardly have I ever been as invested, or enchanted by a story. Death Sutra however is an absolute marvel of realism. It's undaunted. Dark. And even makes the stomach churn in discomfort. This is the type of the story that makes the reader feel. Sympathise, yet hate at the same time. It's a story whose agenda is cruel, whose motivation is bleak, yet its execution is colourful.

Death Sutra is a marvel of the genre. Unique. Esoteric. Beautiful.

Would recommend. Would absolutely recommend!
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IRainstorm
IRainstorm rated it
July 16, 2017
Status: c67
This novel is really well written for a CN and the translator does a perfect job at transferring the overall mindset of the original text in a silky smooth english.

The start is slow, it took time for me to grow attached to the MC because he was still a child with a rather naive approach at life basically getting swept whatever the winds took him to, a few days to get till chapter 37 but from there I binged the rest in one sitting, this author mastered the Dao of... more>> cliffhangers and keep you on the edge of your seat, novels where the plot armor is so strong (most CN) don't have much suspense. However, in this story even if the MC has a plot armor it still fail to save him from hard times, and it keep you wondering what new scheme can he use to overcome the next obstacle.

Deserve 5 stars so far. <<less
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gamla
gamla
July 7, 2018
Status: c43
When I've stumbled upon this novel I was surprised about the consistent 5 star reviews and started reading it right away with high expectations. But once I reached chapter 43 it became more than clear to me that I've been completely had and this is nothing more than blatant fetish bait.

I'll just list a couple of plot points here:

- The protagonist's closest family member is his elder sister, who later on becomes his motivation.
- He is sold as a s*ave and ends up with a thoroughly sadistic bandit mistress... more>> and her equally harsh right-hand woman.
- One of the first arcs is about him preserving his butt-v**ginity, however two of his s*ave-buddies don't manage to get away (with relatively vivid descriptions).

Up to here I was still okay with it since this could have been just the prologue, but here's where it completely went wrong:

- The MC isn't accepted into killer-school, and his only way forward henceforth is to continue doing the bidding of his mistresses.
- They task him with ingratiating himself with a 10 year old princess (you can probably guess her type).

The following chapters of his sycophantic day-to-day are easily the most humiliating treatment of a protagonist I have read on this site so far. Checking one of the latest chapters there's some guy talking about masochism and the protagonist is apparently still nothing more than a lackey!

These 5 star ratings are shameless and need a disclaimer. <<less
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Trent
Trent rated it
May 14, 2017
Status: c47
Death Sutra isn’t for everyone. I’m not sure what this is doing among the web novels; it reads more like a book, like a printed novel made up of web chapters. Because of this, it’s slow-paced compared to wuxia of recent years, and doesn’t use many of their tried-and-true tropes, which can make its beginning boring; try making it to the fifth or sixth chapter, where it picks up. The protagonist doesn’t have an easy journey where lucky chances fall into his lap. You think he’s getting an artifact that’ll start his road to power? Well...

It’s not a story about the MC growing more powerful (*sob sob*), though he does strive to improve his martial arts. I’m not entirely clear on why the MC thinks he can

Spoiler

gain revenge through his chosen method, instead of leaving far away, becoming powerful, and then returning, but it’s another departure from the standard wuxia fare. More importantly, he’s desperate, and acting like most MCs would just be wishful thinking; realistically, it’s not like he could just find a powerful master or school to teach and take care of him. Even if he could, he couldn’t necessarily become overwhelmingly powerful in his entire lifetime, nevermind quickly. After all, there’s not much cultivation in his world, but martial arts instead, so even the greatest masters probably can’t defeat armies.

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Also, keep in mind that only readers see the prologue, so the MC’s missing some important information.

I’m happy to see that many people like the novel. I think a bunch of us had almost forgotten what it’s like to read a well-constructed story. As for why I’m “only” giving it 4 stars: We’re still early in the plot, the lack of excitement and regretful plot decisions keep me from enjoying it too much, the MC hasn’t been fleshed out much and doesn’t actually have any real plans, and although some situations are believable, others seem really contrived in comparison. Although refreshing for a modern wuxia (seriously, is that tag even accurate?), it’s a book more than anything, so I’m grading it like a book rather than giving it additional points for standing out among its internet ilk.
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Rudeus30
Rudeus30 rated it
May 10, 2017
Status: c46
It is rare that I write a review, especially a good one, but this novel has inspired me to do so. This is by far my favorite of this site yet, a grueling story of revenge in a deep unforgiving world. There is not much that I can say that I like about the premise; it's nothing spectacular, but the true gold comes in the form of the execution of the story and characters. I really cannot recommend this novel more, of all that I have read, this novel has... more>> been the best and it seems it's only just going to get better. <<less
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omgitsaray
omgitsaray rated it
April 6, 2019
Status: c183
Something just irks me the wrong way about this novel. Granted this was written greatly with lots of intrigue and plotting, but the entertainment value for me was very mediocre. The first 80 chapters was like reading a malnourished cat that keeps getting beaten and starved, and then tortured. The MC just couldn't win in life. The next part when he does seem to gain a tiny bit of status and it turns into a Detective Conan novel. The worst part is that you think he has solved the mystery... more>> of who is plotting against who but the author says "nope, " this is the real reason and the reader has to accept it. And another mystery will appear once again and all the investigation done by the MC will be mostly wrong once again because the author says so.

As I'm reading this novel, I'm just waiting to see which chapter the MC betrays someone or gets betrayed by someone and the cycle continues. A lot of people enjoy this hence the high ratings, but to me, it's an average novel that you should give a try since you might like it. <<less
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Enryu022
Enryu022 rated it
May 22, 2017
Status: C48
This is a great novel with a great revenge plot, enemy is smart, they are very competent. The revenge plot is awesome, the only down side for me is the way the author depicts MC's character, he's very wishy washy, his head is all over the place, no direction of how he wants his revenge.
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Sugar Dream
Sugar Dream rated it
May 30, 2020
Status: c314
I could go on about how the plot is well done, the story has sense, how MC doesn't have plot armor (though he does have plot support), but it would hardly be convincing.

There is one thing I can tell you though. Come back here after you've read 50+ titles, thousands of chapters, seen all kinds of saintly and devilish MCs get it on with their own imperial harems, have read through dozens of MCs become divine smiths or heavenly alchemists and read all kinds of Chens, Fengs and Duans ascend... more>> to the nine heavens.

Maybe at that point you can say "I know what happens next." Then comeback here. Here, where the MC isn't some son of heaven, a lucky tr*sh talent who happens to find a divine artifact, a transmigrator-reincarnator who knows the secrets of their world and of another. Rather, watch MC, some noble kid lucky enough to be out of their clan when his entire family got massacred, struggle to attain his revenge fully knowing that his strength alone is insufficient and that the heavens are not watching out for him throughout his journey.

I think the reason why a good amount of people like this is because they've gotten tired of seeing typical MCs be the center of the entire universe. In this one though, MC is a Main Character. He may be the main character, but he is just a character in the end. The other characters act out unexpectedly, they don't exist simply to glorify the MC by becoming a stepping stone for him nor are they there just so MC can suddenly overcome his problems with their help. Every character that MC gets involved with carries a certain amount of benefit (their assistance) and risk (they could be plotting against him), and the best part is that we, the reader, can only see MCs point of view. We might know a bit more conpared to him but we can't really see the hearts of his friends/foe. His relationships are volatile and rarely do you see the ideal "MC's brother/side kick" who literally has 0 personal interest or drive and exists solely to either progress the plot or act as MC's pokemon that he keeps around for fights.

All in all, Death Sutra has something special that most newbie readers will find "slow paced" "unexciting" and "boring", but if you're a veteran weary of the repetative formula of "MC weak, gets bullied, MC become strong, MC beats up bully, repeat." then I'd suggest you find a comfy place, a warm mug of whatever (could be whiskey for all I care) and go through the plots and schemes, betrayals and transactions in the harsh journey of Gu Shenwei as he strives to avenge his family and become the penultimate killer in Death Sutra. <<less
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Varum
Varum rated it
June 6, 2017
Status: c53
All is well in the Gu manor and the world at large. The major powers have reached a state of peace, after years of war the world is rebuilding, stable, and prosperous. The lord Gu Lan was a relatively powerful, but inconspicuous, Imperial Palace guard in the Central Plains; upon retirement he receives the title of an honorary general and takes his household to settle in the formerly barbaric and restless Western land.

Two years later his youngest (14yo) son (our main character) is living a carefree and naive life of... more>> a young lord, he's likable and despite his position hasn't been corrupted by his power: He's just never had to struggle and squanders his natural talents. He spends his days teasing and playing with his elder sister as the family prepares for her wedding, and resolves to become serious once she's gone. Then tragedy strikes and the MC is pushed by fate onto a precarious path of revenge in a world that is as compassionate as a slaughterhouse.

This is a grounded, realistic novel that goes out of its way to avoid cliches. Qi exists and martial prowess is respected but its not op. The first 20 chapters can be hard to get through as the point of them is to build the mc's personality and shatter his (and I think the reader's) illusions; the world doesn't work the way he wants it to, and he's not as special as he thought. So it can seem like there's no hope for him, which I found frustrating at times to read through, but his tenacity begins to open up a path of survival.

The writing is very good, and the translations are good too. The characters are well rounded and believable, the plot constantly keeps one guessing, antagonists are great; some may be weak but they're smart and scheming, others are untouchable with overwhelming power. The amount of mystery is just right; we don't know yet why the tragedy befell his family, whether a certain someone is alive and well, or any of the other characters' true objectives (but if I could read Chinese I would binge this novel and find out, dammit!) <<less
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Slief
Slief rated it
February 19, 2021
Status: c0
I swear to gods I can't anymore, even this f*ckers own s*aves are threatening him and he litteraly gave like half of his soldiers to a girl in order to be threated by his own subordinate this is so f*cking s*upid, isn't he supposed to be smart, merciless and in control? Im at chapter 550 and half of the time his schemes go wrong is because one of his own subordinates just felt like doing something that he or she isn't supposed to do For the MCs "Own Good" like... more>> sometimes he is so smart the other times he is getting threatened by teenagers, he's wife almost got killed twice by his own assassins cause they didn't want MC to marry her, omfg who keeps around assassins that aren't absolutely loyal? This is sooo s*upid like besides this, its fine but its getting unbearable to read when this kind of s*upid stuff happens I have been holding it in for so long and didn't want to complain but I just had to realse some anger here. All of his important subordinates aren't his basically. <<less
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Titan LLS
Titan LLS rated it
April 7, 2017
Status: c162
I have no complaint... not an iota of dissatisfaction to pick at. The plot come's in a bit familiar and seemingly unremarkable, to be honest. I came in with average expectation's, they were met and exceeded by a wealth of intricate and profound characters. It has become more of a trend for characters to appear and exist solely, for the sake of making the MC lvl up. a miracle spirit grandpa here to teach MC. a great beast companion next, with great potential who will end up following the MC... more>> and so on... I just want to say I've seen not a breath of that nonsense here. events are anything but optimal cherry picked development's.

it is a far cry in fact but the MC works with what he has and tries his best to circumvent the tragic and merciless world. everyone seems to scheme to some extent in it as well. everyone with a need to. as such the MC by necessity must grow to be able to do so as well. I hope the author won't abandon all the wonderful qualities he/she has used to build this all up. even if it would be abandoned it would still make a worthwhile read after-all no matter what a top quality story rarely drop's far as it is a 5/5 as of now at worst I see this dropping to a 3/5 still though a great read.

c551

I could not resist the urge to take a peek ahead, I regret that I did... this truly is a work that complies with the saying "The Devil is in the details."

The work is still solid, really, it's just that the author had to give the MC a bit more of a realistic setting. at the cost of some plot armor. I have faith it will be finely explained, by the end of this to an extent where it just seems like a development akin to a baby finally walking.

At any rate, the story is still solid. I actually kind of wish it was not. I mean, I am more accustomed to things like TTNH, as opposed to something like this. where martial arts really are not as big of a deal in comparison. <<less
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keklel
keklel rated it
June 5, 2018
Status: c40
If it was a few months ago, Gu Shenwei would blush even after just listening to others saying such flattering words, but now he could blurt them out with a straight face. This was how suffering and hatred transformed a man.

"I can also find others, I just think that we have many things in common."

Just amazing.

Teaching someone martial arts only partially so as to cause his Qi to deviate and thus kill him. Just genius. I've not seen this plot in any other webnovel before (maybe I just haven't read... more>> enough). I honestly think the MC in this novel, even though he's just a kid, is probably smarter than most webnovel MCs who are adults.

The characters feel very realistic and believable. The naivety of young boys, their gullibility and volatile temperament, the conniving nature of the cunning kids, the way how every character is two-faced and lies with a straight face, it's all described perfectly.

The scheming and plotting has clearly been well thought out, for example having the killer get hired as a servant just a few months before the attack, so that the members of the household can be identified afterwards. Having intruders break in so they can determine the internal structure of the buildings before planning the attack, etc.

The plot feels a little bit contrived (the series of purely coincidental accidents that had to happen in order to save the MC from being found by the assassin organization was just incredible), but the tension is well done. <<less
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Icarus5300
Icarus5300 rated it
November 4, 2017
Status: c103
So far one of the best (if not the best novels) i've read.

Pros:

Beautiful writing: it's book like, and even if this is a exageration, it's still better then 90% of other things on this website.

... more>> Perfect pacing: The author achieves the sweet spot of not having the MC power up faster than Usain Bolt, and yet unlike many others achieves this whitout ANY boring moments, no fillers, no silly sections only to add to the word count, this leads to the next pro:

Alway on edge: Each chapter never feels to small or dissapointing, you are always enjoying the feeling of tension (and it is perfect cause it fits so well with how the MC must feel).

Characters: Every single character has multiple dimensions, even if not shown or even mentioned, the world building is so superb that you understand the power structure of the castle like its real. The villains are smart and crafty, the MC is not dumb, but he is not MegaBadass2000 either, he is not targeted only for the sake of it, and when he gets f*cked (a lot) it is never "because some arrogant young master wanted." (also, the only arrogant young master in the story is the MC himself.

Cons:

MC: Nothing against him himself, its only because the worst 2 aspects of this novel come from him: His planning is all over the place, never focusing on one thing and getting it out of the way, sometimes this makes you fell mad like "why didn't you just XXX?". Also, he sometimes releys on what he calls "hand of the heavens" or some sh*t like that, which is basicly Deus ex machina, but it dosen't really happen enough to compromise the story.

Basicaly, read this shit, even if you think you won't like it, it is comparable to the likes of Ze Tian Ji (only less light-hearted), amazing, 9/10. <<less
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shayathawk
shayathawk rated it
April 23, 2021
Status: caught up with raws (1200+chs)
Death Scripture/Sutra is one of the few wuxia on the site with very little tinge of supernaturalism and that's what makes it a proper wuxia if I say so myself. Coming after having read so many xianxia and transmigration/reincarnation juxtapose, this was a proper change of pace and much needed medieval realism that I'd been missing out on. Albeit, it has many dark elements but I didn't feel like it was imposed. It was pertinent to mention the side of humanity there is when law and order is nowt and... more>> derelict. I see many reviews here where people are put off by the MC and his 'character development' or 'side quests' he barges into and I'll come to that but first, the cons.

Fillers. There is just unnecessary amount of chapters over chapters to describing a situation/characters. Mind you, am one of those intricate readers who don't skim read but this was much too extra for my taste as well, that's why I am rating it a 4. This isn't all to bad in itself because there is much foreshadowing and easter eggs hidden in those passages but am sure, there aren't many patient readers on this site and if you're delving into the novel expecting close and fast paced action and edge, I'd recommend you to turn back now.

Another subtle issue is that MC is taking much caution and care most of the time but suddenly winds himself up in near death situations out of nowhere, sometimes on his own discretion but mostly due to circumstances. Again, this is no xianxia with life saving graces everywhere. An arrow to the head is all is needed to finish him and his entourage. He manages to circumvent those dangers and make it out with external help which might seem as a plot armor to some but not to me, if you're talking about a character who is in a martial mortal world and they're not all powerful, what they need most is help and resources, from enemies and even more so from friends. This is where the good points of the novel start to come, here goes.

Character Interactions. Most of the characters in the novel are driven and have motivations, aspirations, developments and emotions. YES, even in this dark dreadful world the novel is set in, it is the case. Very few characters in the novel are 2d or just for the sake of it. I could sit through it all with so many shades of grey the characters had to offer, it wasn't much different from reading a normal literature. This is the biggest selling point of the novel. Also, the harem tag in the novel tags is just a decoration and that's a bonus.

Main Character. Yes, the big mast of the long ship which this novel is, Gu Shenwei, was an innocent ignorant young master who one day had the earth slip under his feet when everyone he knew and loved were killed. Long story short, he ends up in the same fort which was responsible for their deaths, as their s*ave. He treads on carefully, with caution but courage and eventually gets his hands on the forgotten martial arts, The Death Sutra. The manual to rule them all. He finds solace in a fellow killer apprentice and weakens his heart for his former master. I don't want to spoil much but this revenge tale and skirmish exceeds everyone's imagination when the story turns into a kingdom building. That's where most people would drop off the novel and rightfully so, a reader would expect a killing machine hell bent on revenge (after reading tags) and the mystical effect Death Scripture has on their users that cements even a single strand of hatred, would make them expect a cool assassin, but coming to the realism aspect you'd expect in a proper wuxia, there's no such bs thankfully.

MC learns a lot, he learnt everything his masters who were his sworn enemies in the fort taught, got wine for a low profile academician to learn more of the knowledge he was missing out on, listened to monks sermon, found wisdom off his experiences and others'. He also experiences the twists and turns that a sublime human nature had to offer. He expects nothing and therefore isn't ever disappointed. Later in the novel, his bodyguards are people who once set out to kill him, and that's saying something. MC has command over people and their emotions after learning and amassing wealth of experiences and knowledge you'd find in an 80 year old man.

There therefore comes a problem, he can't let go off his hatred, why so, even after coming all this while? Because yet again, the Death Sutra. His character development is a rollercoaster. And him letting go, despite not letting go is a conflicting but surrealistic phenomenon of a well developed character's mind. This isn't just the case with MC, most side characters reach that stage and insight. They mature and I've read many novels but only a very few where people come to factualizations this explicitly.

Conclusion- I'd recommend it to people who like history and intricacies, proper and believable circumstances than your self insert heroes and villains shenanigans. There is no right or wrong or justice and injustice in this world. This is a story where power and authority reigns and how people lust after it but also how it becomes their doom.

"The soul rises to the Ninth Heaven, the spirit falls to the Ninth Abyss, the living suffer in grief, and the dead settle in peace." <<less
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AtnShadid
AtnShadid rated it
November 18, 2019
Status: c126
I'm not sure what is it with all those 5 stars. Yes the novel is interesting, unique and has quite a character building. But this got boring. Yeah we get the fact this is a revenge and we're being shown the dark side of the world but all these many chapters of him quite literally flattering that little girl is getting s*upid, boring and repetitive.
Furthermore any novel with no distinct levels is really painful to the eyes to me. I wish to get a way to know how strong... more>> someone is, not everything being vague as hell.
Side note: I just realized it's Wuxia not Xianxia or Xuanhuan.

Again maybe I'm just getting impatient and the story gets better, but let's be serious. 126 chapters should be enough for people who were interested to lose their patience.

This novel is worth the try if you have the patience. <<less
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