"A villain is just a broken hero."
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[Volume 1. Villain's Return: Quest For The Token Of Fate] — Completed
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[Synopsis:]
Twelve Tokens. Each Possess the power to overturn the Heavens.
Four Emblems. Each summoned by possessing different Tokens, each hold the power to make their possessor the Heavenly Kings, rulers of the Middle Heavens.
One God Emblem. Summoned by possessing all Emblems, declaring its possessor - the ruler of the Heavens, The Heavenly Emperor.
The Heavenly Oracle Sect has prophesied the rise of the Emperor.
Crown Prince Ye Tian Yun, the so-called Future Heavenly Throne, and heir to the Great Ye Empire, after spending seven years to possess the Emblem Of Luck, was ambushed by the God’s Legion, the real protagonists of the Era, on the battle for the Throne of Middle Heavens at the Hundred Realm Refining Stage.
With mortal injuries and no chance to escape, he was beheaded by the true protagonist of the Era, Wang Yao.
However, turning the wheel of time, he has returned to the past when he was fourteen years of age! From that very moment, Ye Tian Yun, with the knowledge of the future, decided to right all his past wrongs, kill every member of God’s Legion and possess the God Emblem.
But... are the God's Legion the only people he needs to be vary of? Before he could start, he heard a prompt,
*Ding!*
[Initiating the Emblem System]
Ok, I had previously posted a review but it got deleted by mistake,so I'll just post it again. So,this story has a unique idea of a villian fighting against the heroes or the protagonist.Although it is not that unique since there are plenty of villian protagonist novels out there but a villian protagonist obviously recieves a lot of backlash since he is both a villian and a protagonist, it's like joining two sides of the coin together.even if the protagonist enemies dies in a fair fight that would still be considered a plot hole since the enemy doesn't behaves like a hero so it is really difficult to write a satisfying story with it,however this novel mc nails it.The story has a MC one can somewhat relate to,he is not stupid but not an All knowing God either.He can only operate within his own scope of knowledge.Coming from the future gives him an advantage but his opponents weren't nearly stupid enough to tell him all their past plan's details.So he has to struggle through it.He makes mistakes and is not perfect,he sometimes acts stupidly but also tries to learn from it. Secondly,the characters are all given thought into.All characters whether it be the MC,his enemies, or mobs they all have their own motivations, stories and schemes laid out.In the early chapters,the web of schemes gives the feeling that the MC who is surrounded by the web of schemes and enemies he cannot get out of even with his background and that our Mc and his background is both useless.It quite honestly frustrates you so much that you start cursing the author and even consider dropping this but when the Mc succeeds you feel the joy multiplied by that much too,so it has it's ups and downs. World building-I will not say much about this .Again world building Is given proper thought as well.Both the future from the Mc and even facts about history is well written and they are in one way or another relevant to the story or affects the story. Update stability- The updates are frequent and regular,you normally wouldn't have to worry about when it is going to be updated,there are times when there are 4ch/day. it really speaks volumes of how hard the author works on it.But the number of updated chapters are really inconsistent it can be 1,2,3 or 4 chaps/day No one knows.It is 2chaps/day nowadays.I understand that author has his own life too but I am not really too happy about it, so a point minus for that. Overall writing style - the writing style is fluid and it Is difficult to find out plot holes though that maybe because author does not provides any heads or tails of stuff.the reader have to do it themselves.Basically based on volume 1 the story unfolds in various stages, different elements and characters are introduced to make the story more intriguing and unpredictable.Until the author says it himself.I am positive no one can predict the flow of the story,though a lucky guess is still possible,until now at least. Grammar- Let's just say this.I do not really care for grammar.As long as the basic grammar conditions like the comas,space between lines and words and the sentences make sense.I do not really care for thinks like the positioning of words and stuff.So my sense for perfect grammar might be different than others.Though in this story you probably not face such a problem.At least I did not so that's that. Overall it's a great story with well written characters, thought out world building,frequent updates and a fluid writing styles.Ask for more and you simply want a beating. I am not really a person to write a review for a novel but I am writing for this one in hopes that more people would see this and support this novel and perhaps the author would not drop this or mess this up.Its been a long time since I surfed through the internet and find a novel with such great potential.
A hidden gem. I am writing this review after reading the whole volume 1, from the auxiliary chapter to chapter 411. ... In depth review in comments. ... Now, here's a pro tip before you start reading this novel: Do NOT skip content. ...
I stumbled across this novel randomly and I was initially expecting a run of the mill ‘villain with a system’ perspective, but I am glad it subverted my expectations. The story is quite intelligent in that it introduces you to a ‘villain’ that is more of an anti-hero, in my opinion, who has advantages because of his rebirth and the system, but still has to use his wit and experience to figure things out as they come…he doesn’t just get everything handed to him on a platter. I also like that the plot is multi-layered and we find things out just as the protagonist does so in a sense we are living the experience along with him. I will say though that at the start, the plot was slow getting off the ground but it’s understandable since the author is learning the ropes as well. Overall, it’s a great book so far, and I can’t wait to find out more as things develop further!
Hello, as the tag beside me name suggested, I am the author of this novel. This will be the tenth review on this book. Madatory 5 stars ofcourse. If you're reading this, don't forget to check out this novel and if you have already done so, do review, comment and vote! And if you have even done that, then thank you, you have made this nobody authors day! Lots of love!! [img=recommend]
Overall, it's a pretty good take on a system cultivation novel that's very interesting with a likeable main character. The MC is a genius prince who, after being killed, returns to the past with memories intact, and he gains a cultivation support system to help him change his fate. He's capable of learning from past mistakes and using the information he brought back from the future to achieve his goals as well as his revenge on those who took part in killing him. Also, since he's written as an anti-hero, or you could say cunning/ruthless, he is capable of making decisions without being overly concerned about people and things that have nothing to do with achieving his goals. Also, he's not the type of character to simply return kindness that was given to him. In fact, he seems slightly cynical and distrusting towards others, believing they have their own motives and plans behind their actions. Which is understandable considering his position as a prince and his experiences from his past. The main things that can be considered an issue would be lack of supporting characters for now, since the MC is currently too weak to let his intentions to be known and his general distrust toward others. It would be great to see him gain some loyal friends or subordinates in the future. However this can also be considered a boon if you don't like stories where the MC simply gains loyal followers by just walking around. Another negative would be that the world setting isn't explained enough. For example, there were mentions of different levels of spiritual energy within the world, but there is no mention about the difference between them and how it effects the power scaling of the world. For example, the MC is currently in a place with a lower concentration of spiritual qi, but there is no mention about how strong the cultivators are in this area in comparison to the MC's current strength. It also doesn't explain the cultivation realms very well. Currently, all we know is that the first major realm is Qi-Refining then Qi-Stabilization. It's also inferred that there are 10 stages within each realm, seeing how the MC broke through to Qi-Stabilization realm from level 9 of Qi-Refining realm. However there isn't any mention of the sequence that comes after Qi-Stabilization. There is mention of Half-saints and saints but that should be a much higher realm than the current MC. I feel like there should be an explanation even if it ends up turning a chapter into an info dump.
Reveal Spoiler
This humble being have yet to read your O mighty novel, But the moment I saw non-harem and rebirth. I knew that I have to give thou my sincerest gratitude by giving you my stars. Long live the No-harem novels!!!
[An Enjoyable Story That Will Awe You] Solid plot, fluid writing style, sound storyline, great concept, and awesome execution. A cultivation story where we follow the journey of our protagonist that isn't actually the protagonist, and whose fate lies in an untimely death, killed by the actual protagonist. The story is immersive, thanks to its descriptive nature and sound grammar. The story is interesting and draws you in. I am liking how this story is turning out. It is a well-deserved read.
* — Need to work. ** — Not bad *** — Satisfying **** —Excellent ***** — The best Webnovel can offer. ---- Note: Don’t mind the grammar, I’m in hurry, so. Writing Style — I will assume the author is not Native English base on the writing. Tense, comma, filler words, and dots are out of place. Furthermore, the Author likes to switch words for some reason. Sometimes, confusing to read. But still a readable novel — 3.5 / 5 Story Development — Pretty much decent. After he reincarnated back in time, the plot moves right after. However, to my opinion, the plot is just too fast. In one chapter, the mc meets a Core Member of this organization called ‘God’s Legion’, which will become terrifying in the future according to the author. Despite the Author telling us God’s Legion is scary, the members aren’t, at least from what I’ve seen when he meets one of the members. The Author even bothers to fed us information about this guy telling us that he was scheming and Mc suffered ambush from him bla bla bla, but then died few chapters after his appearance. Is this really the scheming and crafty Fang Chen? Hell, he even looks at the Mc with arrogance when he saw him. If I was scheming and crafty, I would approach the Mc, befriend him, and know about his background and such as after acting. But what did I see? Author telling us Scheming Person yet instead portrait the usual ‘Stupid Arrogant Young Master Fang’. Show not tell. Telling us is like promising us such character but showing is portraying us that character. Instead of telling us ‘He is Scheming’, show us what made him ‘Scheming’. Also, Fang Chen is a future member and strategies of God’s legion, thus killing him after his appearance would affect the entire plot. By killing such a character, it made him irrelevant to the story. Take note, God’s Legion would be the hurdle the protagonist has to overcome in the story. This kind of hurdle, God’s Legion Members should be relevant to the plot and should appear with decent intellect. As for Fang Chen? Meh, he’s not. Foolish and stupid. I even doubt if he really was a Member of this so-called God’s Legion. Also as a reader, I wouldn’t care about such information if this guy would die a few chapters later or held no importance to the story. As for plot holes, I notice lots of them. For instance, the Mc was able to obtain Kill Points by absorbing Pills. Take note, pills have different grading and their effects also differ from the grade. So by telling us experience gain from pills is base on Mc’s luck makes no sense. But let’s not talk about that. Back to the point, ‘Kill’ basically means to slay and slaughter any living creature. However, gaining ‘Kill Points’ from absorbing Pills is an error and violation of the rule laid by you, Author. By writing ‘Kill Points’ instead of ‘Experience’ means you set the rule for the protagonist leveling through slaughter. But in this case, you show us Mc gaining Kill Points from Absorbing Qi which is a no-no. For other plot holes, it will consume time explaining, so I will leave it in the hand of the Author to find those. For this, I will rate 3/5, on account I didn’t read all over the chapters available. Who knows the others might appear not too stupid and Plot Holes might not Plot Holes in the first place. Character Design — As for the other characters, though lacking, let’s not talk about it. Let’s focus on the Protagonist. TLDR; No Changes! Details: He died from fighting and ambush in his previous life, which I thought the protagonist would be cunning and cautious after experiencing that event. However, there are no changes at all. After arriving in the Lower Realm, all he did was act arrogant and stupid. By basically sitting in the center of a Restaurant, no doubt will attract attention. Bang! It did attract attention. Furthermore, it was a notable figure of the younger generation. The younger generation also wants to sit where Mc was sitting?!?! Coincidence? Or Forced Plot?... And guess what happened? Mc held him in contempt, sneering, and provoking him for no reason. Also, showing off wealth in the restaurant? Isn’t that basically attracting attention? Didn’t he die from being careless in his previous life? No matter where he is, even in the place of weakest, he should have been cautious. Why now gaining a second chance, he still a stupid, usual stereotypes xianxia protagonist. For this, I will rate 2/5. Need to polish more. Update Stability — 5/5. No need to explain. World Background — Author feeding us info dumps. Most of the paragraphs I read in a chapter mostly contains info. Info. Info. And Info. For having a good concept, I’ll rate it — 3.5/5.
Overall. This book is really good even though it tends to emotionally frustrate me. The writing is good: quite smooth and fluid. Not always serious with some puns and humour. Each "info dump" are useful and reveals another side to the story (It's quite frightening sometimes to see the author villainous thoughts!😉 #badauthorisscary) The story development is continually twisting in an surprising and original direction. You won't be able to anticipate the next chapter! We can feel each intended steps. There is no irrelevant details, except details you were not paying attention to. The characters are revealed slowly. Each one has a propose (only the author which one). The MC is not our typical MC. He has his flaws (in my opinion he is quite stubborn and has a hard time being flexible, a little bit naïve sometimes) and he has his qualities (in my opinion: decisive, clear minded). As for the world background we see the world through the MC eyes and we rapidly become aware that there is a story that the MC has yet to know. Thus the MC recollection of facts is not reliable. It is seen through the System tips. The only frustrating point is that the MC tends to act alone and does not trust anyone even though he should have, regarding some things. Thus this novel is original, emotional, mysterious, and adventurous.
I will be honest, in the beginning till 200 chapter I was hopeful that this is going to be epic series. Finally now we are running out of patience due to fillers and unnecessary addition. The writing has become very cheap. It looks like author is forcing himself to write with no real wish/Passion or sentiment behind it. This, story became water down run of the mill quality. It is disheartening to see when your favourite novel become trash quality.
This is an unique cultivation novel than the usual cliche.The author uses his characters very skilfully with his unique plot.This should be one the top novels.Keep up the good work author and i cant wait to see when the reason his parents weren’t there when he was beheaded. Also please dont drop this novel.
A bit wordy, yet very interesting. The world-building is strong in this one. MC doesn't blindly get op but actually uses his brain, making plans and all. For now, he can't trust anyone and srsly just wants to fck over his rivals. Kinda reminds me of early **. Interesting to read and sometimes funny even. Can't wait for more chaps😊
The novel is good but I only have problem with his character and mentally. He ain’t that villainous like he’s supposed to be. He lack the mentality, cruelty, madness, schemes,evil,ruthlessness, and insights a real villain should have. Need more chapters.
I'm giving this a try, nothing against harem but I prefer none harem novels, I will edit my review later after I've read whatever chapter is out alread.