Samsara Cycle - Xianxia - Villainous Reincarnation [COMPLETED]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

A thousand lifetimes ago, Qiu Xuanwu stood atop the world as the King of the Underworld. He sealed the righteous deities and reigned alone--until the last remaining righteous deity, Kai Bailong, tore him from his throne, released the righteous deities, and restored order to the world.

Instead of exterminating Qiu Xuanwu, Kai Bailong consigned his soul to enter the cycle of samsara, experiencing countless reincarnations until his soul purified. Kai Bailong followed him into the mortal cycle, watching over the evil deity. For eons, the two reincarnated together, locked in eternal moral combat. As orange trees, bees, cats and dogs, and a thousand other lifeforms, the two struggled endlessly.

A thousand lifetimes later, Qiu Xuanwu awakens as the young Chen Wuya, finally reincarnated into a human form capable of cultivation. With Kai Bailong nowhere in sight, he sets out to once more become the strongest martial deity and finally complete the vengeance that led him to become the King of the Underworld in his first life. Though a thousand lifetimes have passed, nothing will keep him from his goal... unless that damned Kai Bailong finds him again!

-Low-fantasy for Xianxia, high-fantasy in general

-Lightly comedic, mostly action/adventure

-Updates biweekly Mon/Fri, daily updates until I catch up to backlog!

Information

Status: Completed
Year: 2022
Author: noct

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.5/ 5.0
Followers: 86
Views: 45,691

Reviews

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Community Reviews(6)

DeidrreRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Im on chapter 2 or so, but i already know i will love this szory. I have read another atory by this author here on RR and the MC here shows up in there as a mentor figure. Sofunny, so twisted.
To be honest, i was wary of this villanious reincarnation as i don't have good experience with them (unles they go comedy, or that other story) but i was willing to give a try cuz it is this author. So glad i did. So excited to read this
GodlyThongRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The characters are great, hardly surprising considering what story they originated from. The plot is really good and most importantly the relationship between Fen Long and Chen Wuya if I spelt that right is really good and fascinating to read about. The only issues this story has is that it’s way too short effectively ending with just one complete arc. I can only hope it blows up so that the author will continue it.
ShoggothShapedRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I love rebirth style stories, especially with villainous main characters. The writing is very clear and engaging and the action is fun! Wuya is a great point of view character as he works through his resentment in his new life. He's so serious it's cute. Can't wait to see where his relationship with Bailong ends up. If you like quick read rebirth stories, this is definitely one for you. The aesthetic and atmosphere is top-notch and the writing quality can't be beat.
The Monotone PuppetRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I deeply enjoyed the humor of the flash backs! Getting an insight into Chen Wuya's and Fen Long's character was deeply enjoyable! I sincerely loved getting to know their intense relationship, and how these men came to be the titanic seniors of MTPDDAT we knew and loved.
For the story, it has that melancholic yet invigorating combat of mythos of old, two locked in constant combat throughout many lives. And the weight of these lives are crushing. It is a genuine punishment. The memories have nearly killed Chen Wuya while in combat, only saved by his nemesis Fen Long kindly saving him. So in short, the style is great! Expert use of flashbacks.
Grammar is impeccable!
Story is way too short! I'm not going to ding it for a lackluster response from Royal Road though! NEED MOAR! Aaanyway Chen Wuya has lost his way time and time again, dead set on vengeance, tied fate. The horror, the dysphoria, of living as horrible creatures, is described in detail that sends mild shivers up your spine.
And there are hidden complexities on both sides, on both characters, neither pure good or pure evil, despite the comedy which would make a less-invested reader think they are shallow. So far, the only characters that are fleshed out are the first two. But the surrounding cast is visually interesting, and I really am only interested in Fen Long and Chen Wuya anyway.
Pineapple HugsRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
I checked this out off the chance that it's related to one of the author's more recently popular stories, MTPDDAT.
And it does seem to be!
I was excited to see the story marked as complete, but it ends on a bit of a cliff hanger. Should probably be marked as on Hiatus or Dropped instead.
Stylistically it's ok, but the frequent flashbacks are a bit jarring. They're story relevant though, and well integrated compared to most. Impressively, I think they're salvageable. Flashbacks are usually just an indication of lazy writing, but they really fit here, to the point where I wasn't sure whether to add or dock points for it. Ultimately docked points, cause they are a bit jarring sometimes.
Nothing jumped out at me in terms of grammar. I can only consider this a good thing.
The story's premise/gimmick is as simple as could be, which is great because that means it has to pass on the merits of its storytelling. Which it does! I only dock the star cause the story has barely started at this point.
Characters! This story has them. Very convincing characters at that. Xianxia are notorious for paper thin characters, especially those that are played straight, so this is extra appreciated. Once again, hardly saw enough of them.
I hope to find reason to edit this review one day.
luda305Royal Road
★★★★ 4.0
This is a rare sight: a xianxia that is both complete and a short story. And, I have to say, that gets it a really good boost in my eyes.
I was not, however, particularly entertained. I think it comes down to two points.
First, there's not much in the way of plot. The story itself takes place when the bad guy finally gets reincarnated as a human (or, rather, when his human reincarnation gets his memories). From there, he kind of bumbles around in a very episodic way coming across places that he spent previous lifetimes and begrudgingly earned good karma, and in the present (often) saving the current inhabitants who for some reason seems to be inflicted with the exact same problem (smells like a heavenly conspiracy). It reads a bit like an anthology, but the only real connecting piece is the protagonist and this other annoying wandering swordsman that he has to deal with. And then, on a side note, we get frequent flashbacks to prior lives.
Second, this is mostly a character driven piece. Most of the focus is on the protagonist, his thoughts, motivations, and feelings, and, in part, him coming to terms with it and possibly turning towards good. And because that's really all that's holding the anthological plot together, unless you really enjoy the character and how he grows, it's hard to enjoy.