If you watched Heaven Official’s Blessing and wanted to check out another similar donghua (Chinese anime), then The Master of Diabolism (Mo Dao Zu Shi) should be next in your queue. Both series share the same novel author, Mo Xiang Tong Xiu (MXTX), whose name appeared on the New York Times Best Sellers list three times during the novels’ release week in 2021. The donghua adaptation of The Master of Diabolism came first in 2018, which was my introduction to the MXTX universe. Once you’ve watched or read one of MXTX’s works, you’ll fall into a rabbit hole and consume everything else. If you’re one of these people and need a primer on The Master of Diabolism , I’ve got you covered! THE MASTER OF DIABOLISM GUIDE What is The Master of Diabolism About? Who Are the Characters of The Master of Diabolism? What Are Cultivators? Who Are the Villains of The Master of Diabolism? What Are the Other The Master of Diabolism Adaptations? What Is The Master of Diabolism About? The Master of Diabolism takes place in the past and present in a fictional xianxia (immortal heroes) world, switching between the two timelines as the story of Wei Wuxian and his rise and fall as a cultivator unfolds. Young Wei Wuxian eventually entangles himself in demonic cultivation, which involves manipulating resentful energy that exudes from walking corpses. In other words, he can control the dead by playing the chenqing (flute). He’s given the name Yiling Patriarch, which signifies his founding of demonic cultivation. RELATED: 10 Donghua to Watch on Crunchyroll Nothing good comes from messing with forbidden techniques — Wei Wuxian dies in the First Siege of the Burial Mounds. Thirteen years pass by, leading to the start of The Master of Diabolism , where Wei Wuxian accidentally gets resurrected in the body of Mo Xuanyu, who summons him during a Sacrificial Ritual. From there, Wei Wuxian meets new and old faces, particularly Lan Wangji, a former classmate who recognizes him even in a different body. The two are on the case about an evil entity, with the clues tracing back to Wei Wuxian’s past. Who Are the Characters of The Master of Diabolism ? Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji are the main characters of The Master of Diabolism . They come from different clans: the Yunmeng Jiang Clan and the Gusu Lan Clan, respectively. Jiang Fengmian is the leader of the Yunmeng Jiang Clan and took in Wei Wuxian as a ward when he was a young boy. He raised him alongside his children, Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli. Jiang Cheng feels inferior in his cultivation skills compared to Wei Wuxian. After a significant incident with his sister, Yanli, he becomes bitter and vengeful toward Wei Wuxian in the moments leading up to the latter’s death. The Gusu Lan Clan members have to follow the rules inscribed on the Wall of Discipline at the base of the mountain of the Cloud Recesses. Because of this, Lan Wangji has a strong moral compass and doesn’t get along with the mischievous Wei Wuxian during their younger years. He has a brother, Lan Xichen, and together, they’re known as the Twin Jades of Lan. Lan Sizhui is a junior disciple whom Wei Wuxian encounters right after his rebirth. He was adopted into the Gusu Lan Clan after Lan Wangji found him alone and sick. RELATED: Could You Be a Top Hero in TO BE HERO X? The other clans are the Qinghe Nie Clan, the Qishan Wen Clan, and the Lanling Jin Clan. Wen Ning is a prominent character from the Qishan Wen Clan. He becomes the first corpse to regain consciousness and is known as the Ghost General. Wen Ning is Wei Wuxian’s right-hand man. Then, we have Jin Ling, who is the son of Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan, and heir to the Lanling Jin Clan. He’s antagonistic toward Wei Wuxian for a good reason, and because of his sensitive and prideful attitude, he has a hard time getting along with his peers. Last but not least, Nie Huaisang from the Qinghe Nie Clan is a character that’s easily overlooked because of his helplessness. He pales in comparison to Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, but underneath that facade is much more than he lets on. What Are Cultivators? So, what exactly is a cultivator and what is cultivation? Cultivators start as disciples, training, learning, and working on matters about the spiritual, physical, and paranormal to achieve transcendence from mortality. Cultivators have a Golden Core in their bodies that’s materialized from Qi and is a storage for spiritual energy. Cultivators can channel this energy through weapons, musical instruments, talismans, and other cultivation tools. Cultivating their Golden Core signifies their cultivation level. The more disciplined and well-practiced you are, the stronger your Golden Core. RELATED: Why Link Click Cannot Be Missed If a cultivator’s Golden Core is destroyed or removed, it’s impossible to restore. Non-cultivators, or humans, never develop a Golden Core because they don’t develop a strong cultivation base. Each Clan has a unique cultivation path, which enables cultivators of that Clan to pursue physical and paranormal threats. Doing so will improve their Clan’s reputation as well as improve their cultivation level. Any cultivator who doesn’t belong in any Clan is considered a rogue cultivator. Who Are the Villains of The Master of Diabolism ? It’s tough to name villains without getting into spoiler territory, and even then, most characters perceived as villains are morally ambiguous. It’s the same way certain characters perceive Wei Wuxian as a villain because he’s the Yiling Patriarch, someone you shouldn’t cross paths with. Because we understand why Wei Wuxian takes that path, we can empathize with him, but public opinion is probably the “Big Bad” in The Master of Diabolism . On a surface level, the one who leans heavily into “villain” territory is Xue Yang, who appears during the Yi City Arc. He’s also a demonic cultivator, but plays the role to a T in comparison to Wei Wuxian. He doesn’t like it when people look down on him and goes on a murderous rampage without any remorse and no discrimination based on age and gender. It’s obvious he has trauma, but that never excuses cold-blooded murder. He’s the type of villain you love to hate. What Are the Other The Master of Diabolism Adaptations? The good news is that if you become obsessed with The Master of Diabolism and can’t get enough of the story and its characters like I did, you have multiple adaptations to consume. First, you have the novels, which have five volumes — all officially translated into English and published by Seven Seas Entertainment. Then, there’s the webcomic, or manhua, with 259 chapters. If you’re more of a listener, you can check out the audio drama, which covers three seasons. It was incredibly successful because it remained faithful to the source material, had an incredible production, and came to life thanks to the voice actors’ performances. This led to a Japanese audio drama, but it was only broadcast for two seasons. There’s also an audiobook with 175 episodes. Note that these audio adaptations don’t have official English translations. Finally, you have the live-action drama adaptation titled The Untamed , which you can stream on Viki or Netflix. It stars Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo as Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, respectively. The drama ran for 50 episodes, so you have much to binge! RELATED: Heaven Official's Blessing and the Popularity of Donghua The Master of Diabolism goes by many names and comes in many various forms, which is a testament to its popularity and impact worldwide. As a longtime fan who initially watched the donghua on the official YouTube channel, I’m beyond happy to see how far it has come (and donghua in general). While I didn’t have the official English-translated novels then, I encourage anyone now to read them before diving into the donghua. But if I’ve convinced you to watch the donghua at all, then that’s already a successfully converted MXTX fan! EXPLORE MORE GUIDES A Beginner's Guide to Soul Eater A Beginner’s Guide to Fire Force A Beginner's Guide to Black Clover What is Dragon Ball DAIMA? Goku's Latest Adventure Explained! A Beginner's Guide to Love Live! What Is Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online? (Plus Quiz!) A Beginner’s Guide to Fairy Tail A Beginner’s Guide to Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba What Is Tokyo Ghoul About? Let’s Unravel the Anime So You Want to Get Into Japanese Historical Anime? Here's What to Watch! What is Shojosei Isekai? A Guide on What to Watch A Beginner’s Guide to Manhwa
