The Way of the Evil Dragon

The Way of the Evil Dragon is a xianxia novel by the web author Xuehong, serialized on Qidian Chinese from February 21, 2010, and completed on January 30, 2011; the book runs about 3.73 million characters and 814 chapters. The protagonist, Gu Xiechen, is wounded in a family feud and forced to jump into the sea to escape; afterward, by chance, he merges with a strange crystal from beyond the heavens, obtains a liquid magic treasure called Ruyi, and awakens Xin Jia, a patrolling celestial warrior of the Thirty-Three Heavens of Taihuang Huangzeng Heaven, who follows him, and from then on he makes his way under the name "Evil Dragon." The story follows Gu Xiechen as he breaks free of worldly grudges and shatters restraints, extending from Earth to colonial planets and interstellar battlefields: he rises in the cracks among the Romans, sea demons, the Phantom Clan, the Empire, the Alliance, and other forces, resolving each crisis with ruthless means and firm bottom lines. The author mixes supernatural powers, magic, technology, cultivation, and primordial mythology, building a cultivation system from the ninth turn of the golden core to the Primordial Immortal Sage and introducing innate treasures such as the Pangu Banner and the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation. Throughout the book runs a cultivation philosophy that moves from "endure him, yield to him, avoid him" to "point directly at the original heart"; the core line "In this life of mine, all that I do, I seek only to 'point directly at the original heart'" is the key to understanding the protagonist's logic.