Spoilers - ask questions and find answers

 valleyofthelost:

On this:

No it's not a plot hole bc the novel confirms multiple times that neidan removal doesn't mean death.

The most obvious example is that Tian Yao for 99% of the novel is alive without his neidan. He did voluntarily yeet it + his scale away but they're still out of his body.

Later on in Yongzhou City for the rescuing Bai Xiaolu arc, it is confirmed that the standard procedure for the captured fox spirits is to remove their neidans so they're helpless, and they're still alive when they're rescued.

I'll link you to it if I can't post it on MDL (this thing is a text monster)

thanks - i was overthinking it down a rabbit hole of whataboutery!

 Wenji:

I read half the novel and never finished the other half. Someone who read the novel, can you tell me if the Lord of darkness and lady phantom was actually part of the novel? I remember TY convincing YH that she should start cultivating the demonic way instead but I don’t remember anything about the lord of darkness. 

I have been reading the novel lately (only a chapter and a half to go) and there is no Dark Phantom or 'dark aura'; outside of TY's journey (with YH's help) to become whole again, the rest is mostly a power struggle between the demons and the xian cultivators.

I read the novel but I must have missed the part about TY convincing YH cultivating demon path because he has a motive of getting back the HPS and Neidan. Is that really the case? I only remember she did it because she was tortured, lost her Taoist cultivation, her mind’s eye was destroyed, no?!  

 Hangmy:

I read the novel but I must have missed the part about TY convincing YH cultivating demon path because he has a motive of getting back the HPS and Neidan. Is that really the case? I only remember she did it because she was tortured, lost her Taoist cultivation, her mind’s eye was destroyed, no?!  

You're right, cultivating the demon pathway was solely YH's decision; her xian cultivation was gone and she wanted to avenge Zi Chen's death. (The mind's eye element, however, is from the drama, not the book). TY never intended to take back the HPS or niedan from her (he even tried to keep her from knowing she had his niedan). 

An excerpt from after she's rescued from the Chen Xing prison:

"Yan Hui fixed her eyes on [Tian Yao]. The gleam in her eyes were like polished silver, flickering with cold light: "Once I've healed, I want to cultivate the demon pathway." 

[redacted]

Tian Yao looked at Yan Hui for a long time. Then, he nodded: "Okay."

There was no questioning nor evasion.

She wanted to heal her body; he would help. She wanted to cultivate the demon way; he would teach."

 LucianYaz:

TY never intended to take back the HPS or niedan from her (he even tried to keep her from knowing she had his niedan).

Actually, no. In the novel, TY does plan this, however because YH supports him at her own cost, he realises that his early attitude (resulting from SY's abuse of him) is not appropriate to YH's righteousness and he subsequently doesn't try to persuade her for his own ends, nor seek to regain HuXinLin and Neidan.

 jaginsing:

Actually, no. In the novel, TY does plan this, however because YH supports him at her own cost, he realises that his early attitude (resulting from SY's abuse of him) is not appropriate to YH's righteousness and he subsequently doesn't try to persuade her for his own ends, nor seek to regain HuXinLin and Neidan.

My response was specific to why YH started cultivating the demon pathway, not to what was TY’s earlier intentions.

 jaginsing:

more rabbithole whataboutery.......YH gives TY the Neidan and has illusion demon Huan hide that she is dying....have to revisit to check why.

Because without his neidan, he could never win QG, the main biggest villain. I think the Fox King told her that when she asked. 

 Hangmy:

Because without his neidan, he could never win QG, the main biggest villain. I think the Fox King told her that when she asked. 

yes, correct. I'm circling back to my previous plothole question - why not in relation to why YH gives TY his neidan back, but why in relation to neidan presence/absence and dying - the fox demons survive without neidan, then are drained of blood for fragrance and die, ie don't die because of lack of neidan (my whataboutery was that I'd forgotten that point and Valley pointed it out wrt SY/QG) but die after the blood drain. But YH knows she will die without the neidan....that's come back to bug me, because her death is independent of the HuXinLin (unless I've forgotten something (again!)).