On the Path to the Great Dao大道之上

This a true gem. The world of this story is brutal and gruesome. Death and corruption is commonplace. Horrors appear at night, from huge floating heads to invisible neck snappers. Coincided with the humor in this novel, scenes feel darkly amusing. However there is not a cold-hearted, slaughtering main character. There are plenty of interesting fight scenes, unique characters, heartwarming chapters, and the world is heavily steeped with chinese folklore. The main character is a kind-hearted grandson, growing as they learn the mysteries of the world. This is not a cookie cutter horror/cultivation novel but a meticulous slowburning story. Note: the mtl is for some reason much more detailed- do compare.

BOTI translations... I don't want to read this. Their tl are fine in the beginning but becomes way worse as they leave everything to ai.

I will wait for poison testers

Any fellow Daoists know where I can find a better translation, from chapter 100 upwards it becomes barely readable, the story is nice but the translation strangles it in the cradle

Edit: Made the review click read more to see it

Seems interesting I’ll check it out I’m starting to make a habit of finding a novel I’m interested in and start reading immediately instead of getting multiple while also delving into without reading reviews I’ll go read a bit and see if it’s worth reading horror is my favorite genre after all 🫡

Pretty interesting but only in the way of its unique/never really seen myself before setting with a Beyond the Timescape-esc type thing

It has a giant man occupying the sky however unlike that novel instead of being dead it seems to be alive with a little bit of “weird” with areas called domain of gods and demons which is basically rule based areas of varying types and sizes and the giant man in the sky having replaced the Sun and Moon with his Eyes being the sun and the moon his closed eye lids (complete darkness main character mentions later thinking things like the sun setting and the moon phases as just myths)

One introduced at the beginning of the story a kiln factory that whenever entering its Domain turns you into a Porcelain figure including beyond golden-core cultivators which is one of the reasons I call it unique

Due to having cultivators which cultivate with manifesting metaphysical temples with “divine embryos” which I haven’t gone further enough to know what it means but I’m guessing it’s gonna be like the usual cultivating a Dao Infant in nascent soul stage in most cultivation novels

Another reason being some type of incense god setting with “godmothers” being unusual objects people pray to for protection which each town and kingdom have to keep them safe from the “weird” in the night which are ghosts and other types of “evils” one setting that the main character has which I will say and only say so you don’t get spoilers is being able to see the physical manifestations of the “godmothers” all of them which are human like the tree which the main characters village prays to which is shown as a young girl or another town which is a fat man

There’s also other settings which I haven’t seen much of where I am at but I’m only at chapter 50 lol which is yin messengers and the underworld and the which is probably based on the which is cool makes me think that at one point even though it might have been supernatural it still very cool very awesome

Anyways that’s it I tried making it into paragraphs for easier reading this is all from me reading the first 50 chapters literally I’m on chapter 50 good luck reading 🫡

On the Path to the Great Dao is one of those novels that looks like horror from afar, smells like folklore up close, and only later reveals that it is, at heart, a hot-blooded cultivation epic wearing a corpse’s skin.

The premise lures you in with grotesque imagery.....incense burned for the living, ancestors that refuse to stay dead, villages where fear has learned to walk upright. But readers expecting relentless cosmic horror may feel deceived. Beneath the eerie opening lies a story driven not by despair, but by youthful defiance and forward momentum. The blurb promises dread; the text delivers a boy who refuses to kneel.

The world itself is genuinely dangerous. This is not a polite cultivation realm. Ghosts tear heads off when you answer their call. Demon brides arrive at night to drain men dry. True Kings have vanished, leaving behind graves, relics, and rotting laws of heaven. Almost everyone is morally compromised — even the grandfather who raises the protagonist survives by consuming flesh, whether human or demon. There are no clean hands here, only hands that act faster than others.

The protagonist, Chen Shi, is particularly striking. Raised in blood and folklore, educated on Confucian classics, and forged by betrayal, he is neither naive saint nor edge-lord lunatic. He is decisive, ruthless when necessary, and intellectually sharp. When he kills, it is swift. When he takes revenge, it is complete. There is a cold satisfaction in watching him act without hesitation.....eight enemies slain in eight distinct ways, clean and final, no moral speeches required.

That said, the novel walks a curious line. The horror elements are vivid, imaginative, and steeped in folk mythology, yet they rarely inspire true fear.....largely because the protagonist and his guardian are often too strong. Instead of terror, the reader feels fascination: admiration for the creativity of the monsters rather than dread of them.

Structurally, the story is ambitious but slow-burning. The main mysteries....the truth of the divine embryo, the True King’s tomb, the nature of gods and the Great Dao itself.... are unveiled cautiously, sometimes frustratingly so. Side arcs swell into grand spectacles, occasionally overshadowing the central thread. Ironically, when violence erupts, it is handled with brutal efficiency; it is the truth that bleeds out slowly.

There are echoes of the author’s previous works: the rural origin, sealed memories, broken cultivation, powerful guardians lurking nearby. Familiar, yes....but not lazy. The author experiments here, blending folk horror, classical philosophy, and cultivation mythology into something that feels older than it is.

Where the novel truly shines is in theme. This is not just a monster-hunting story. It is about confronting heaven itself.... not with cheats or divine favor, but with flesh, will, and stubborn questioning. The so-called “Great Dao” is not an answer; it is an accusation. And the loneliness of walking that path is written with surprising tenderness beneath all the gore.

Verdict:
A good story, with strong foundations, memorable violence, rich folklore, and a protagonist who acts instead of whining. Not pure horror, not pure philosophy.... but a bloodstained road between the two.

Those seeking nonstop terror may be disappointed.
Those seeking a dangerous world, decisive characters, and a Dao worth challenging will find themselves walking further than intended.

Drink slowly.
The Dao ahead is long, and the dead do not stay buried.

— Daoist Inkdrunk wanderer,
Stories end. The Dao does not. Neither does regret.

Waiting for poisontest and the usual stuff