Divine Emperor of Death by Stardust_Breaker

Protagonist: Davis is actually a pretty good main character, all things considered. He is caring for his family and is very well-mannered. He respects his father, his mother, and his wives. He tries his best to be a good person to others, but due to his infamy and power, he is sometimes forced to act in ways befitting evil people. He doesn't like needless slaughter but won't hesitate to kill when it comes to his loved ones.

Family: Davis's family is actually pretty good. His mother, Claire, and his father, Logan, are funny and very well-developed characters. They care for their son and other children, but also feel a bit embarrassed about being weaker than him, therefore being more of a burden (this applies mostly to the father; the mother is content with her oldest son being strong). His siblings (his father has other wives, so he also has half-siblings) also get some development. Mainly his sister, Clara. But his other siblings are not totally forgotten. His father's wives also have some role, but it's not major.

Harem: Yes this is a harem novel. Actually, for the first 300 or so chapters, the protagonist focuses on his first wife, Evelynn, and then on getting stronger. He doesn't take on a second wife until chapter 600 or so. He doesn't take on a new wife easily, and it takes time to develop the new heroine. Each woman is their own person, with their own personality, specialties, and backgrounds. They're not just one-dimensional trophies for the protagonist to boost his ego. Some of them are even stronger than he originally was, although he surpasses them all in the end. At this point, only Myria is as strong as him (as far as I remember), and that's only because they both have very similar cultivation physiques.

Another thing is that the harem is done very well. It keeps on growing, but it's not like the protagonist just takes on women without his wives' permission. Even taking on a second wife took a long discussion with his first wife, and she approved. He was planning on being loyal to one, but one thing led to another, and he ended up slowly marrying more women. He takes his wives' opinions very seriously. If they don't like a woman who shows interest in him, he won't court her. His wives are not against him getting more women, though. They are happy if he is happy, but he also doesn't want to take random women and, most of the time, prefers to focus on his pre-existing wives rather than pursue other women.

Although in recent arcs his harem grew significantly in a short span, it's forgivable. But it's still a bit annoying.

Note that there are pregnancies. In the later arcs, Davis's wives get pregnant. Not all of them. So his kids are getting some screen time, although it's not significant.

Worldbuilding: It's pretty good all things considered. Like many other cultivation novels, there are layers upon layers of realms/worlds. Naturally, there are stronger people in each realm. But it's all introduced nicely. The protagonist also grows well into these worlds. Overall, the setting is pretty good and solid.

Cultivation System: It's one of the most unique power systems. There are three cultivation systems: Body Tempering, Essence (Energy) Gathering, and Soul Forging. Each cultivation system has unique stages, each with its own abilities and characteristics. For example, Body Cultivators live the longest, Essence Cultivators are very diverse, and Soul Cultivators are the trickiest to deal with. Each Cultivation System has its own problems, too. It's overall pretty well thought out.

Naturally, there are "Laws" that add depth to the power system. The protagonist specializes in Death Laws, as the novel title may insinuate. That is also why he's very feared. There are many Laws to cultivate, and combining Laws produces new Laws, such as Darkness and Light Laws producing Twilight Laws, or Earth and Space Laws producing Rumbling Laws (focused on molecular disintegration). It gives rise to many unique powers.

Story: I would say it's also pretty good. It's nothing amazing or life-changing. Just Davis is trying to become strong enough to enjoy life with his family without worrying about being hunted down. There are overarching plots tied to his Grimoire ("Death Book" in earlier arcs), his past life, and other plots. But it's generally a good story.

Like many other long novels, it suffers from being sometimes boring or deliberately slow. Some arcs can feel stretched out more than they should. But it's nothing too detrimental in the long run.

Cast: Even side characters get good development, like Davis's friends. They are not forgotten and get their own power-ups and even help Davis out. His camaraderie with his male friends is pretty great. Antagonists are so-so. Some of them are naturally amazing, while others are just the typical brainless mobs. It suffers a bit in this aspect.

Overall: A great story. Although it suffers from a very large harem, the story is still one of my favorite reads, despite having read novels like Deep Sea Embers, Lord of the Mysteries, Dao of the Bizarre Immortal, and other top-tier stories.