[Mild horror + survival + cultivation + slow burn + high martial arts + bizarre creatures + logic + satisfying throughout + no mindless protagonist] ~ Novel blurb:
The vast ocean churned with raging waves, while a strange fragrance filled the air. Towering peaks pierced the clouds, surrounded by swirling, colorful mists and shrouded in mystery. An old man in black pointed his sword at a man in white. After several fierce exchanges, the man in white began to falter and fled toward the sea. The old man roared in anger, and his sword energy cleaved the ocean open, revealing a Dragon Palace. The man in white was horrified and turned toward the mountains. The old man gave chase, and the two raced through the mountains as rocks crumbled around them. Night fell, and thick clouds and mist gathered halfway up the mountain. The old man used the “Commanding Character Art” to trap the man in white, then thrust his sword at him. Cornered, the man in white leapt into the abyss, only to be rescued by the feather of a Great Roc Golden-Winged Bird.
Yet beneath the moonlight, the man in white suddenly transformed into a ferocious beast. His muscles bulged, his eyes turned bloodred with bloodlust, and his terrifying roar rang out as his strength surged. He fought the old man again, charging all the way to the summit. At the peak lay the Great Void Maitreya Heaven. Bathed in immortal light, the man in white returned to normal. A fairy appeared, angrily slew the old man in black, and then struck the man in white down to the mortal world. As it turned out, the man in white was a half-beast. By day, he was a refined and courteous gentleman, but once night fell, the wicked fire inside him took control and turned him into a beast ablaze with evil flames. Because he had practiced a technique for stealing vitality, the wicked fire was difficult to suppress. Every night, it flared up, driving him to abduct innocent women and wreak havoc among humanity. The man in black was a heroic swordsman, mistakenly killed by the fairy.
Thirty years later, who exactly is Jiang Xiaoyumao? What kind of legend will he, the fairy, and the old man in black create together? Can the fairy atone for her mistake? What world-shaking danger lies within the old man in black’s tribulation? The answers to all this are hidden in the river of fate, waiting for you, dear readers, to uncover them...
Oh, come on, the overall feeling is pretty good! It has the flavor of traditional fantasy! Orthodox. Quite attractive! It feels like there is too much suspense! Urgent update!