Updated September 16, 2022 by Ernie
If you were to ask me what I like the most about Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation or Mo Dao Zu Shi, I’m not even embarrassed to confess this, but it goes without saying that it’s the overwhelming fan fiction that comes with it. It’s like a trap you can’t get out of, a snare you will end up happy to be caught in!
Table of Contents
It’s obvious that the author poured her heart and soul into writing this Donghua. Every one of the places that she describes is so detailed, so researched that I actually finished by believing that those places truly exist!
That fictional world that she created for us isn’t even so astonishing in the Donghua, it’s the characters.
He made them in a way that they represent the core of humans’ follies. Without holding anything back on us, she showed us the depravity that could be hiding behind anyone’s angelic smile. What if we lose our ability to trust because of her? Ever thought of that?
When the Donghua was released in 2016, everybody knew it was going to be a big hit. The hype that it got, and the popularity that it derived was something that had almost never been before, especially when we are talking about Chinese Manhua, an area that was barely tapped, barely recognized at the time.
We are now in 2022 and the series is still alive as if it was just born yesterday. As a matter of fact, more people than ever are being dragged into that fantasy world.
After the amazing success the Donghua had, the series went a step further and got a live action adaptation, as well as movies, the author even wrote a light novel and released an audio drama.
With all that stuff going on, it has been hard to keep up with the series’ new releases, and no one wants to mess up their experience by watching or reading something before its time.
So to make sure you’ll have the best experience ever, I made you a simple Watch and Read Order list for the Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation Donghua.
MO DAO ZU SHI EASY TO FOLLOW WATCH AND READ ORDER!
Plot
A story about death, chaos, betrayal, unexpected friendship, and the blossoming of unbreakable bonds between enemies.
Long, long ago, Wei Wuxian managed to make a name for himself, however, that name came with infamy.
Using taboo methods, he created a technique that gave him the ability to control the undead and cultivate their resentful energy. As the maker of the “Demonic Path”, based on his dark powers and forbidden techniques, Wei Wuxian gave birth to the Demonic Sect.
His followers, who were just as destitute and power-hungry as he was, wreaked havoc on the world. Overpowered, almost unstoppable, no one could get in their way. So, obviously, their Grandmaster became the most despised person on the entire planet.
To end the madness, the Four Great Clans formed an alliance. They convinced the Grandmaster most trusted Shidi to turn against him so they could launch an ultimate surprise attack.
Stabbed in the back and left greatly weakened, he was overpowered and killed. His body may have died, but his soul did not. Thirteen long years passed, and his soul was summoned back into our world through a dark ritual and a gruesome self-sacrifice.
It found refuge in the body of a crazed man called Mo Xuanyu, who had just been abandoned by his clan. A renowned cultivator from the Gusu Lan Clan took pity on the man and decided to take him under his care. With no other choice but to follow him, he ended up as the brethren of his eternal archenemy, Lan Wang Ji!
Determined to keep his identity secret until he gains back the integrality of his strength, he just had to become a suspect in a series of murders where the corpses were found dismembered to make things so much easier for him, you know!
However, there is no way anyone would catch on, right? I mean, he has a new face, a body with a real background, but his full power isn’t back yet. They can think whatever they want as long as they don’t discover his identity.
He thought he was safe, but his stoic rival is sneakier,and he might be starting to sniff out the truth bit by bit.
The fake relationship they had, the grudges, the hatred, they all faded away and gave way to genuine feelings and mutual respect while they are both still keeping up the act and fainting ignorance. Well, maybe it’s more than simple respect that they are feeling for each other.
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Character List
Jiang Cheng
This amighty cultivator is the leader of the Yummeng Jiang Clan, known as Sandu Shengshou. This man is also the uncle of Jin Ling.
Taking after his dear mother, Jiang is a huge Tsundere with a short-tempered. So make sure you never anger him. He acts confident and looks imposing, however this is all a facade to hide all his insecurities, and let me tell you he has a lot of them!
Although all his psychological problems were created by his family, shocking right? Their safety and well-being still comes first. He would stop at nothing to protect them and his clan, even if it meant trampling on others to do so.
He can act like a jerk and cruel monster, however, he barks but doesn’t bite, he scares people to push them to give their all, strive for success and never accept failure.
Mo Xuanyu
The guy is a bastard in the literal sense of the word. He is the illegitimate son of Jin Guangshan and is an ex-member of the Lanling Jin Clan.
In his despair, he performed a ritual to summon the soul of Wei Wuxian and gave up his own life as a sacrifice. He did all that in order to decimate his former clan and fulfill his ultimate revenge.
To the outside world, the guy was a lunatic. It might be true but that was all due to the intense and daily abuse he suffered from his family. Thus, he had mental breakdowns.How wouldn’t he? If he was living hell on earth.
The truth is, the man was just a shy individual, a coward who couldn’t stand up for himself. He was frail and had practically no talent.
At least, with the soul of the Demonic Master in his body, he could experience the satisfaction of squashing and utterly destroying the monsters who treated him like trash for years.
Lan Xichen
At the moment, this warrior is leading the Gusu Lan Clan. He is more famously known as Zewu-Jun. Caring, tender and kind, he is a cultivator everyone should strive to be like. Although he has a high status, he respects everyone around him, and wears a smile on his face at all times.
He is calm, almost never angry. The only time the beast in him comes out is when someone that he cherishes gets hurt.
He always sees the best side of everyone, he doesn’t judge based on appearances, background or social status. He is quick to give a second chance, even to the people who betrayed him and lost his trust. He is the definition of a good guy, but way too good to live in this deprived universe.
Xue Yang
This frail and innocent looking man is actually a Demonic Cultivator that was welcomed into the Lanling Jin Clan.
When he was just a brat, he gained quite a reputation. He was known for his angelic smile that would appear on his face when he would inflict torturous pain to those around him.
The lunatic isn’t Mo Xuanyu, it’s him! He is a wolf in disguise. Inhuman, cruel and merciless, Simply the thought of being looked down on triggers his murderous intent, even to the imposing Nie Mingjue. He is devious and intelligent, extremely sharp and has tremendous talent. If it weren’t for his personality, he might have become the best cultivator in the series.
Due to his deceiving appearance, people tend to underestimate him, and when that happens, he kind of loses it to the point where killing the idiot who thought he was stronger than him is the only solution to ease his anger. He is the kind of person who holds grudges practically forever and he doesn’t discriminate, man, woman, child, all of them are worth killing…slowly.
Jiang Yanli
This beautiful lady is the One-san of the ruler of the Yunmeng Jiang Clan, Jiang Cheng. She also became the sworn sister of the Demonic Grandmaster, Wei Wuxian. She ended up marrying Jin Zixuan but somehow bore the child of his brother, Jin Ling!
She is no warrior, she prefers cooking over anything else. She looks naive but turns fierce to protect her family, like any mother worthy of the name would. When the world turned against Wei Wuxian, she was the only one still on his side and even ended up sacrificing her life for her dear brothers.
Song Lan
He is a warrior coming from Baixue Temple. Xiao Xingchen may not be related to him by blood, but he is undeniably his brother. Together, they dreamt that they would someday give birth to a sect based on true and common ideals.
Just like his dream, Song Lan has a righteous soul. In there world he is known as the “distant snow and cold frost” while Xiao Xingchen’s is the “bright moon and gentle breeze.”
He has a severe case of mysophobia, he can’t stand the touch of another dirty human.
Cangse Sanren
Elegant yet deadly, this woman was Baoshan Sanren’s disciple. She turned into a rogue cultivator at some point in time.
Many men were after her, however, they were not after her throat, its her body that they seeked. However, she rejected them all and ended up with a servant called Wei Changze and had a child that she named Wei Wuxian.
She is cunning, and her son turned out exactly like her with some extra intensity. She was also selfless and wore a radiant smile on her face as if she could lift the problems of the whole world.
Wen Ruihan
This cultivator was the commander of the Qishan Wen Clan. Unpredictable, almost bipolar really, one minute he could be sitting here laughing with you, and suddenly, he will unsheathe his sword and is going for your throat.
He is paranoid to an abnormal degree, if anyone dared to disobey his order, he would be labeled a traitor and killed, and that traitor can be an entire village. Not surprising for a man whose hobby is to collect the most disturbing and unthinkable torture devices and he test them of his prisoners. As for their feedback on their adventure, well they have none. Someone has yet to come back alive from his playroom.
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- Mo Dao Zu Shi: Qian Chen Pian (Season 1: 2018)
- Mo Dao Zu Shi: Xian Yun Pian (Season 2: 2019)
- Mo Dao Zu Shi: Wan Jie Pian (Season 3: 2021)
- Mo Dao Zu Shi Q (Spinoff: 2020)
Live Action Chronological Watch Order
- TV Series
- The Untamed (2019)
- Special
- The Untamed Special (2019)
- Movies (Spin-Off)
- The Living Dead (2019)
- Fatal Journey (2020)
Audio Drama Chronological Watch Order
- Season 1 (2018) (12 episodes)
- Season 2 (2018) (16 episodes)
- Season 3 (2019) (17 episodes)
Novel Chronological Read Order
- Mo Dao Zu Shi (2016) (126 Chapters/ Complete)
Manhua Chronological Read Order
- The Master of Diabolism (2017 – ongoing)
Which Adaptation Should You Enjoy Grandmaster Of Demonic Cultivation First?
As the Chronological order, which is also technically the Watch order, is not so complicated, the real trick here is to know on which platform you should start enjoying Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation.
I know it will sound cliche and you might have heard that from a hell lot of people but the written version Is always so much better than the adaptation. They offer more details, and sometimes even, side stories or flashbacks for example, not always depicted in the adaptation.
And that was actually pointed out by a friend of mine. With no offense to anyone, Chinese names are quite difficult to remember. I will bet an arm that if you watch the Live Action first, there is not one name you will manage to retain.This is why, in my opinion, although you are free to do whatever you want, you should begin by reading the Donghua and Manhua, then watch the Live Action and Films, then the Light Novel, and finally the Audio Drama.
After watching the Live Action, you might get a bit confused, there are a lot of canons in there, be careful not to confuse them with the original plot or you might end up not understanding a thing.
Mini Bonus
The story might be amazing, the writing, and graphics are super neat, but some of you might be here for a completely different reason.
As you might know, this is a Boy’s Love Donghua. However, there is not the same level of BL content on all the platforms. If this is what you are interested in then you might want to reconsider your watching order.
Now, this is not a list, more like a BL power ranking from the weakest to the strongest.
- Live-Action
- Donghua
- Manhua
- Audio Drama
- Novel
The Novel is actually the heaven of our lovebirds where they can depict their love without restraint. The Audio Drama is also not holding back on much. However, the Manhua and Donghua are falling short in that area. Let’s not even talk about Live Action.
Where Can You Read The Grandmaster Of Demonic Cultivation Novel Online?
As expected, there aren’t any official sites where you will find the Donghua or the Manhua. I would love it if you could respect the author and not turn to the pirated site to read them.
There might be some hope for our American and Canadian friends as Seven Seas Entertainment will be publishing the first volume of the novel in December 2022.
Where Can You Watch The Donghua Online?
Grandmaster Of Demonic Cultivation is streaming on WeTv. Those guys also have a YouTube channel where they are viewing it. It has subtitles and everything, the only downside is that you don’t have the option to download. But it’s still better than nothing.
Untamed was actually added on Netflix. It’s time for you to steal your friends’ passwords and turn into the parasite everybody hates.
Where can you find the Audio Drama?
You won’t find the audio drama anywhere online for free. Your only option would be to buy it from the Maoer FM website. Don’t worry, it’s quite cheap and it’s a way to support the author as well.
Conclusion
We traveled into a fantasy world, a fantasy world where the supernatural is the norm, where magic is a part of your everyday life. We witnessed some of the most astonishing sword fights and got to enjoy the most unexpected plot twists.
We fell in love with the characters, wept, screamed, smiled, and suffered with them for so many years now, and the best is yet to come.
From the Donghua to the Manhua, to the audio drama, and even the live action and films, all of them are worth watching. You won’t be disappointed one bit. Yeah, yeah, even the live action, I am vouching for it.
Let your dreams run wild, let your imagination flourish. You might be stuck on Earth physically, but your mind, well, your mind can go wherever the hell it wants and do whatever the hell it wants. So if I wanna marry Wei Wuxian and steal him from Lan Wang Ji, then so be it. Did I beat you to it? Sorry, not sorry, you can have the other one! Look how kind I am!
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