Renegade Immortal
Chinese xianxia web novel by Er Gen
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Renegade Immortal (Chinese: 仙逆, romanized: Xiān Nì) is a Chinese xianxia web novel by Er Gen. It was serialized on Qidian beginning in June 2009 and concluded in 2012 with its 2,088th chapter.[6][7]
- Shi Touxiong (石头熊)
- Feng Yi (冯毅)
| Renegade Immortal | |
|---|---|
| 仙逆 | |
| Based on | Renegade Immortal by Er Gen[4] |
| Directed by |
|
| Country of origin | China[4] |
| Original language | Mandarin Chinese[4] |
| Production | |
| Animator | Build Dream Animation (铸梦动画)[4] |
| Production company | Tencent Penguin Pictures (企鹅影视)[4] |
| Original release | |
| Network | Tencent Video[4] |
| Release | 25 September 2023[4] – present |
The novel follows Wang Lin, a young man of ordinary aptitude who enters the cultivation world and gradually develops into a powerful cultivator. His journey is shaped by sect conflicts, personal loss, revenge, relationships and encounters with increasingly powerful supernatural beings.[4]
Renegade Immortal became one of Er Gen's most widely read works. By 2015, it had received more than 40 million clicks and 300,000 collections on Qidian, with more than 700 million legitimate views. By 2016, it had surpassed 800 million legitimate views.[8][9]
The novel has been adapted into a manhua, a animated television series, an animated feature film and video games. The animated television adaptation premiered in 2023, while the animated feature Renegade Immortal: God's Arrival Battle was released in May 2025.[4][10]
Creation
Renegade Immortal was written by Chinese web novelist Er Gen and began serialization in 2009. Before becoming a web novelist, Er Gen worked as an English teacher in Mudanjiang. He began writing Renegade Immortal in 2009, and the novel subsequently established his reputation among Chinese web-fiction readers.[12]
Renegade Immortal began serialization on Qidian around the same time as Er Gen's earlier novel Tian Ni. Er Gen had initially placed greater hopes on Tian Ni, but Renegade Immortal quickly attracted more attention, leading him to focus on it instead.[13]
Er Gen's xianxia fiction draws on traditional Chinese mythology and earlier Chinese literary traditions. His works incorporate elements from mythology, zhiguai tales, Tang-period legends, and later classical fiction, placing Renegade Immortal within the broader development of his xianxia fiction.[14]
Er Gen maintained a regular writing routine, typically producing about 6,000 Chinese characters a day. While writing Renegade Immortal, he considered ending the story earlier but continued after readers asked for more. He eventually brought the novel to an end when he felt that extending it further would compromise the story.[12]
Er Gen has said that he enjoys reading Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Investiture of the Gods, and has pointed to imagination and elements of traditional Chinese literary culture as important parts of xianxia fiction.[12]
Er Gen later recalled that he wrote the novel over a period of about 31 months, or nearly 1,000 days, beginning when he was still a relatively new web novelist.[15]
The novel was completed on January 8, 2012. The finished work contains more than 6.5 million Chinese characters across more than 2,000 chapters.[16]
Plot
Wang Lin is the son of a poor farming family who dreams of becoming a cultivator. Although he possesses little innate talent, he remains determined to enter the cultivation world. After failing to join a cultivation sect, he obtains the Heaven-Defying Pearl and encounters the cultivator Situ Nan, whose knowledge gives him an opportunity to begin cultivating.
Wang Lin's early experiences expose him to a world dominated by powerful cultivators, competing sects, and supernatural dangers. His limited natural aptitude makes his progress difficult, and he gradually learns to compensate through persistence, experience, and caution. As he becomes stronger, he is drawn into conflicts that force him to confront cultivators far more powerful than himself.
The destruction of Wang Lin's family becomes a major turning point. Seeking revenge, he devotes himself to becoming strong enough to confront those responsible. His pursuit of power takes him through a succession of conflicts and alliances, while his experiences gradually change his understanding of cultivation and the cost of survival.
Wang Lin also forms relationships that shape his personal life. Li Muwan becomes particularly important to him, and their relationship develops as his cultivation progresses and the dangers surrounding him increase. His personal attachments increasingly come into conflict with the demands of his pursuit of power.
As Wang Lin advances, the scale of his journey expands beyond the conflicts of his early life. He encounters increasingly powerful cultivators, ancient forces, and wider realms of existence. The consequences of his earlier choices continue to follow him as he seeks greater understanding of cultivation and his own destiny.
The novel traces Wang Lin's transformation from an ordinary young man with little cultivation talent into a powerful cultivator. His journey encompasses the pursuit of strength, family and personal loss, revenge, relationships, mortality, and reincarnation, while progressively widening from a personal struggle into conflicts involving the larger cultivation world.
Publication
Serialization
Renegade Immortal began serialization on Qidian in June 2009.[7] The completed work is divided into thirteen volumes, with chapter 2088, titled "Looking Back Suddenly", serving as the final chapter.[6]
The novel was completed in 2012. By March 2012, it had accumulated more than 35 million clicks and was among the most popular Chinese cultivation web novels at the time.[7]
Print editions
A Chinese print edition of Renegade Immortal was published by Yunnan Education Press. The first volume was published in Kunming in 2012 under the title Renegade Immortal, Volume 1: The Heaven-Defying Pearl.[17]
An English translation of the novel is available online through Wuxiaworld under the title Renegade Immortal.[18]
Reception
Commercial reception
The novel attracted a large readership during and after its serialization. By 2015, it had received more than 40 million clicks and 300,000 collections on Qidian, along with more than 700 million legitimate views.[19]
In April 2016, Renegade Immortal had surpassed 800 million legitimate views. The novel was also more than 6.[9]
The commercial development of Renegade Immortal later expanded beyond its original web publication. By 2019, the novel had been published in print and adapted into a long-running manga, with further development into games and animation. Its printed volumes had sold more than 100,000 copies each, while the manga had accumulated more than 422 million popularity points and 455,800 collections on Tencent Animation.[20]
In January 2025, Renegade Immortal was selected for the 2024 Web Literature "Masterpiece List", a reader-selected list organized by Qidian Reading. Nearly 10,000 works were nominated during the selection process, with more than one million votes cast across two rounds of voting, and Renegade Immortal was one of the 20 works ultimately selected.[21]
In February 2025, Renegade Immortal was also included among the "20 Glorious IPs" selected for Yuewen's tenth-anniversary IP honors. The selection included several of Yuewen's major Chinese web-fiction properties, including Renegade Immortal.[22]
Literary analysis
Er Gen's xianxia fiction draws on traditional Chinese mythology and earlier literary forms, including zhiguai tales, Tang-period legends, and later classical fiction. These influences have been examined through the concepts of rewriting and intertextuality.[23]
Although the article focuses primarily on A Will Eternal, it also discusses Renegade Immortal in the context of Er Gen's earlier xianxia fiction. The novel's cultivation world is presented as a setting shaped by conflict and intrigue, while Wang Lin's experiences as a mortal and his pursuit of understanding the Dao receive particular attention. The analysis also highlights the use of foreshadowing and suspense in these parts of the novel. Wang Lin and the supporting characters are discussed as well, with some secondary characters contrasting with him and others complementing his personality.[23]
Reader reception
The novel has received mixed but generally favorable responses from readers. As of August 2026, Douban's listing for the print edition had more than 3,000 user ratings, with an average score of 7.1 out of 10. Readers have praised its distinctive writing style and plot, while its treatment of cultivation has also been noted as a distinctive feature of the xianxia genre.[24]
On Novel Updates, the novel has a rating of 4.1 out of 5 from 1,196 votes and has received 176 reader reviews. Readers have praised its worldbuilding, storyline, character development, and Wang Lin's progression, while some have criticized its pacing and romantic subplot.[25]
Adaptations
Manhua
A manhua adaptation of Renegade Immortal was authorized in 2012. Hubei Daily Media Group's magazine Tebie Youman obtained the rights from Qidian to adapt the novel into a long-form serialized comic.[7]
The first installment was completed for publication in the magazine's April 2012 B edition. The adaptation was assigned to Beicheng Studio, a comics studio based in Jilin.[7]
Beicheng Studio studied the original novel while preparing the comic adaptation.[7]
Information about the comic's later publication history is less consistently documented in reliable independent sources; consequently, this article does not give a definitive completion date or chapter count.
Donghua
A donghua adaptation of Renegade Immortal premiered on Tencent Video on September 25, 2023. The series was produced by Tencent Video and animated by Zhumeng Animation, and was adapted from Er Gen's novel.[4]
The first broadcast consisted of three episodes. The opening episodes follow Wang Lin's attempt to enter Hengyue Sect, his rejection because of his limited aptitude, and his subsequent acquisition of the Heaven-Defying Pearl.[4]
The television adaptation has continued in annual-format installments. As of 2026, the animated series remained in production and distribution rather than having reached a final conclusion.[26]
Reception to the adaptation has included discussion of changes from the source novel. Viewer reviews have variously commented on alterations to the story, animation quality, action sequences and visual presentation.[27]
Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Tencent Video Golden Goose Honors | Member's Favorite Animation of the Year | Renegade Immortal | Won[28] |
| 2024 | Tencent Video Golden Goose Honors | Most Acclaimed Animation of the Year | Renegade Immortal | Won[28] |
| 2024 | Tencent Video Golden Goose Honors | Best Animation Screenwriter | Ma Hua | Won[28] |
| 2025 | Tencent Video Golden Goose Honors | Animation of the Year | Renegade Immortal | Won[29] |
| 2025 | Tencent Video Golden Goose Honors | Most Acclaimed Animation of the Year | Renegade Immortal | Won[29] |
Animated feature
The animated feature Renegade Immortal: God's Arrival Battle was released on May 30, 2025.[10] The film was released on May 30, 2025.[10]
Tencent Video also promoted the feature as an expansion of the animated Renegade Immortal adaptation.[30]
Video games
The Renegade Immortal intellectual property has also been adapted into video games. By 2019, games had been developed alongside comic and animation adaptations of the novel.[31]
A mobile game titled Xian Ni M is available through Google Play. The game is officially licensed and based on Renegade Immortal.[32]
Another game, Renegade Immortal: Battle Against Heaven, has also been distributed through TapTap.[33]