Xianxia is a sub-genre of Chinese fantasy with gods and monsters, magical cultivation and martial art action which has churned out several exciting books like Heaven’s Official Blessing (Tian Guan Ci Fu). This action comedy focuses on the misadventures of the crown prince turned god Xie Lian. The only hitch is that having been banished twice to the mortal world, he is now considered a god of misfortune and survives by collecting scraps.
With the begrudging help of two deputy generals who would rather be anywhere else and a mysterious young man, Xie Lian goes about solving mysteries till he stumbles upon a larger conspiracy that may be linked to his initial downfall. Well, as we eagerly wait for its C-drama adaptation Eternal Faith and season 2 of the donghua, let’s take a look at some wuxia novels with romantic angles.
Well, here are 10 books with a similar premise if you enjoyed reading Heaven’s Official Blessing.
Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (Mo Dao Zu Shi) – Mo Xiang Tong Xiu
Similarities – Xianxia, BL, unrequited love, mystery, comedy, secret identity
Written by the same author and the source material for the iconic C-drama The Untamed, one can’t help but find similarities amidst her works. However, Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation is chaotic and funny in a completely different way as we have an annoyance-to-lovers trope amidst some bad guys trying to take each other down and framing one of the protagonists.
Considered to be the most evil cultivator out there, after being killed, Wei Wuxian is surprised to find that someone has brought him back to life to take revenge. The only catch is that he has no idea what he is supposed to do while he keeps running into familiar faces who all hate him.
Black Moonlight Holds The BE (Hei Yue Guang Na Wen BE Ju Ben) – Teng Luo Wei Zhi
Similarities – Xianxia, mystery, romance, secret identity
Ever wanted to read the epic 2023 C-drama Till The End Of The Moon in the form of a book? Well, you’re in luck as it is based on Black Moonlight Holds The BE. In a desperate attempt to stop the demon god Tantai Jin from destroying the immortal world, Li Susu travels back in time when he was human to kill him.
However, she finds herself stuck in a rich and bratty woman’s body who happens to be Tantai’s wife. If that wasn’t enough, he is a sickly and bullied prince, held hostage by her family. As Li Susu searches for a way to destroy his evil aura and kill him for good, she starts pitying the sad prince.
Faraway Wanderers (Tian Ya Ke) – Priest
Similarities – Xianxia, BL, unrequited love, mystery, adventure, comedy, secret identity
Another book to popular C-drama adaptation with Word of Honor, Faraway Wanderers is a revenge drama disguised as an adventurous tale. Guilty over his friends’ deaths, the assassin Zhou Zishu curses himself to a slow death while leaving his kingdom behind to spend his last days in a drunken haze.
But as luck would have it, he ends up in the middle of the massacre of the Jing Hu Sect and becomes the unofficial guardian of the kid Zhang Chengling till he safely reaches another sect. On top of that, Zhou Zishu catches the eye of the mysterious and charismatic Wen Kexing who has nefarious reasons for tagging along.
The Nine Cauldrons (Jiuding Ji) – Wo Chi Xi Hong Shi
Similarities – Xianxia, mystery, adventure
If you were ever interested in the Upper Court and Jun Wu of Heaven’s Official Blessing, The Nine Cauldrons takes a deep dive into that world. Emperor Zi Yu unites the world by creating 9 lands but a power struggle ensues after he dies. A thousand years later, another heavenly emperor unites the heavens before it again falls into chaos after his death.
But after the next thousand years, not a single soul has been able to achieve peace, that is till a martial artist and hit man, Teng Qingshan accidentally transmigrates and ends up in the heavenly realms as a cultivator.
Demon King/The Parting of the Orchid and Cang (Cang Lan Jue) – Jiu Lu Fei Xiang
Similarities – Xianxia, adventure, comedy, romance
Did you know that the explosive 2022 show Love Between Fairy and Devil is based on a web novel? Well, Demon King/The Parting of the Orchid and Cang is a hilarious fantasy romance that will have readers giggling at the characters’ antics and blushing at their chemistry just like the misadventures of Xie Lian and Hua Cheng.
As the demons finally resurrect the Lord Devil aka the ruthless Dongfang Qingcan, they cannot help but notice that something is wrong with him. Unbeknownst to them, he is stuck with a self-righteous and naive woman who has been resurrected as a flower and constantly keeps nagging him but he just can’t seem to shake her off.
The Husky & His White Cat Shizun (Erha He Ta De Bai Mao Shizun) – Rou Bao Bu Chi Rou
Similarities – Xianxia, adventure, BL, secret identity
While we wait for Luo Yunxi’s next C-drama, Immortality with bated breath, its novel counterpart is an extremely dark and angsty story. The murderous cultivator Mo Ran destroys everything in his path but finds no satisfaction.
He ends up travelling back in time to the age when he had just started his path of cultivation and had a bubbly and warm personality just like a husky. As he vows to make the most of this second chance, he keeps clashing with his teacher, Chu Wanning who is cold and aloof like a cat but has a secret that could change his mindset of the world.
Stars of Chaos (Sha Po Lang) – Priest
Similarities – Chinese fantasy, BL, mystery
A steampunk take on Chinese fantasies, Stars of Chaos is a refreshing novel amidst the popular Xianxia stories as violet gold becomes a precious commodity to run the steam engines that keep the world moving.
Like the exciting world-building of Heaven’s Official Blessing, Stars of Chaos establishes an ancient China full of mythical but realistic elements. It begins with Chang Geng who is uprooted from his small village after a raiders’ attack that reveals his family’s carefully hidden secret and finds his destiny in the imperial capital.
Golden Terrace – Cang Wu Bin Bai
Similarities – Chinese fantasy, BL, unrequited love, mystery
If you were absolutely frustrated by Hua Cheng thinking he is unworthy of love and protecting his beloved anonymously, then Golden Terrace will equally have you pulling your hair out with similar angsty tropes.
After Commander Fu Shen of the Great Zhou Empire goes out of commission due to a broken leg, he finds himself involved in the political drama against his will as he is married off to his enemy, Yan Xiaohan. As they try to keep a distance, a larger threat has them working together to save the empire.
The Emperor (Di Huang Shu) – Xing Ling
Similarities – Origin story, xianxia, secret identity, revenge, unrequited love
Did the downfall of Xianle and Xie Lian’s futile attempt to save it destroy you? Do you want more of such themes? Well, then get ready for a similar backstory in The Emperor which begins with the destruction of the Di family and their only survivor, Di Shengtian being locked in Mount Tai.
Years later, she is now the bandit Ren Anle who decides to sneak into the court of her enemy and kill the Crown Prince as revenge for her family. But her target happens to be the sweet and kind Prince Han Ye who can easily see through her.
I Shall Seal The Heavens (Wo Yu Feng Tian) – Er Gen
Similarities – Comedy, xianxia, adventure, romance
Meng Hao is a small-time cultivator who is not good at his job but ends up in a high-level immortal sect by his destined love. But in this dog-eat-dog world, Meng Hao must do his best to survive if that also means stepping on others. As he keeps rising and becomes a demon sealer, a war breaks out. In order to save himself, he ends up on a corrupt path that may end up making him a demon in the end.
So there we have it, our 10 book alternatives to read when you’re finished with ‘Heaven’s Official Blessing’.
What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!