Chapter 272-The Manga Pariah's Guide to Self-Salvation
Ever since Ye Zheng made her official appearance in the King of the Demonic Domain anime, Zheng fans had double the anticipation each week.
Every Friday they'd watch the anime first, then the manga. On weekends they'd flood the community with heated discussions about Ye Zheng's latest plot developments and devour freshly produced fanworks—a thoroughly fulfilling week, all things considered.
Tang Mingxi had also become a well-known super fan among the Zheng fans. As Ye Zheng's popularity soared, her account's follower count climbed ever higher.
Some followed her for her video content, but far more came for her fighting spirit.
[Did the anime production team protect our girl today? For now, yes they did]
Tang Mingxi opened the latest anime episode right on time.
The second stage of the Ability Tournament had finally begun. Although Ye Zheng had no screen time during this stage in the manga, the anime team clearly knew who the real cash cow was—they seemed intent on filling in Ye Zheng's story before her manga appearance.
The first stage featured ability squads from each district battling head-to-head. The second stage involved collecting tokens within designated Demonic Domains. These Demonic Domains weren't dangerous; the real focus was the free-for-all brawl between ability squads from different districts. Percy, the manga's protagonist, and his original rival Sykes would have extensive scenes together.
Before even opening the episode, Tang Mingxi could already imagine how many danmu (live comments) would be mourning Sykes. Sure enough, the moment she clicked play—exactly as expected.
[Babe how could you leave us so soon]
[Eternal regret...]
[Dropped the manga, only following the anime now. As long as I don't read that chapter, Sykes isn't dead]
[If Sykes hadn't died the anime's popularity would've skyrocketed even more, what a shame]
[Okay okay the whole world knows your boy Sykes is dead, could you maybe consider the feelings of unspoiled viewers?]
[With these danmu, ordering takeout won't cut it—you need to call in an exorcist]
The current Tang Mingxi watched the lively, animated Sykes on screen with considerably less hostility than before. Sure, she'd photoshopped plenty of ugly edits of him and hurled cutting insults—mango, car seat cushion, guitar pick, hyper-male milk dragon...
But knowing he'd die a spectacular death that would serve as Ye Zheng's crowning moment of glory—fulfilling his duty as her stepping stone to perfection—Tang Mingxi could forgive even the most brain-dead danmu.
She wished she could crack a whip over the animation team to make them work faster. With the first season more than halfway through, surely the second season was already finished? And the third season had to be on its way, right?
On screen, the progress bar reached the second half. The Lingyun Squad had barely entered the Demonic Domain when they ran straight into the Royal Team. The close-up of Percy and Sykes locking eyes triggered another explosion of danmu, lines of "99" scrolling past, peppered with complaints from Percy solo fans—this definitely wasn't a good omen for Percy.
The next moment, the camera cut away. A wave of uniform blue danmu instantly flooded the entire screen, swallowing all other noise like a tidal surge.
[The Saintess has arrived—everybody move!]
[Ye Zheng little steam engine 99]
[Your forever-number-one is here!]
Tang Mingxi stared at the screen full of blue danmu and felt an inexplicable wave of emotion. The journey alongside Ye Zheng hadn't been easy, but loving Ye Zheng was truly a stroke of luck.
"Saintess, that Demonic Domain should be the tournament's trial ground."
"No, there's another one—just to the north."
"But our duty is to protect you. We can't let you walk into danger..."
On screen, Ye Zheng responded with a polite smile, then resolutely headed north toward the emerging Demonic Domain, leaving a group of stunned knights behind.
The lead male knight wore a helpless expression as he led his people after her, internally grumbling about the Saintess's overflowing compassion being such a hassle.
The group entered the Demonic Domain. The knights engaged the monsters in combat while Ye Zheng casually rescued a panicked child nearby.
Behind the knights, she knelt down to wipe the child's tears. Meanwhile, her other hand plunged into the earth. In the distance, the monsters suddenly froze, and the struggling ability users finally found their opening to finish them off.
[Wait, she has dual abilities like the protagonist? That's actually impressive]
[This Saintess is obviously a wolf in sheep's clothing. Isn't she a villain?]
[Ye Zheng is actually a wolf in wolf's clothing—pure through and through]
[She's not a villain—she's the designated female power fantasy lead of this series]
[Oh, the female lead? Is there a romance arc?]
[So many newbies in the danmu. Clearly Goddess Zheng's legend needs more preaching]
[Such an adorable Saintess Zheng, love it love it]
[What's with that hand close-up? Don't test us Zheng fans like this]
In the manga, Ye Zheng was already the all-powerful Pope. Seeing the anime's Saintess-era Ye Zheng—still in hiding, forced to play the Church's decorative vase to conceal her true strength—Tang Mingxi was overcome with a storm of emotions. Her mama-fan instincts temporarily took the wheel, her gaze brimming with tenderness and wistfulness. She typed out a danmu:
[Saintess, Saintess, we love you!]
[This little black sesame rice ball will become someone truly remarkable before long—please don't bully her, okay?]
After watching the latest anime episode with great satisfaction, Tang Mingxi waited until 8 PM, when the manga updated. She clicked in with a smile on her face.
A short while later, she exited the manga app with drooping eyebrows.
The latest manga chapter had zero Ye Zheng appearances again. She'd tolerated it the past few weeks on account of the anime team's good sense, but the manga showed no sign of Ye Zheng whatsoever.
After Percy and Roy's heart-to-heart, the four of them had obtained Dragon Bones through harrowing battles in the South and North Districts—and she'd been forced to sit through yet another episode of the male lead's glory. Granted, King of the Demonic Domain was always positioned as a male-lead-driven story.
But Tang Mingxi couldn't care less about the series' positioning or who the protagonist was. She just wanted to see Ye Zheng. What crime was it to be a doting mama who loved her daughter?
Tang Mingxi deployed her well-practiced protest manifesto skills and swiftly claimed a top spot in the manga's official comments.
[Hello hello manga team, do you still remember the cross-platform search queen, universally beloved, the undisputed ace inside and outside the manga, the traffic empress Ye Zheng? Please don't let down this kind girl who keeps bringing you attention]
Tang Mingxi thought her words were already quite mild—compared to the fiery attacks she'd launched at entertainment companies back when she followed real idols, she'd mellowed considerably.
Many of Ye Zheng's mama fans followed suit, expressing their hopes for upcoming Ye Zheng storylines in the comments section.
And yet, people started accusing Zheng fans of being excessive.
[The male lead of King of the Demonic Domain IS Percy. Zheng fans being dissatisfied 24/7 is completely backwards]
[Even casual readers feel sorry for the male lead at this point, and his protagonist status still needs fans to emphasize it?]
[Would it really be any good if it was ALL Ye Zheng content? Can you please not interfere with the Creator's vision?]
[Feels like Zheng fans just charge in waving their ideology and girl-love banners with zero regard for the actual story]
[Interesting, do you really think King of the Demonic Domain is a female power fantasy manga?]
[So sick of female power fantasy readers these days. Colonizing male-oriented series now? How is that fair?]
As Ye Zheng's popularity rocketed upward, dissenting voices began emerging even within the Zheng fan community. "Big fans" with sizable followings on certain platforms threw shade at Tang Mingxi and others for being too aggressive—counterproductive and damaging to Ye Zheng's public image.
Tang Mingxi had barely started her self-improvement arc. Her serene-as-a-chrysanthemum persona hadn't even had time to settle before it was tossed aside by her rapidly surging battle instincts.
[Funny how when Sykes stans were in the front row demanding more screen time, nobody called it toxic fandom culture, or male entitlement, or said they were sick of male character stans. But the moment it's Ye Zheng, suddenly all these "voice of reason" types appear?]
She vented furiously to Li Yixin, so frustrated she was starting to wonder if she'd actually done something wrong.
Then the next day, a spectacularly baffling post appeared on the forum. Tang Mingxi's cerebral cortex immediately relaxed, as though she were strolling through a Norwegian forest. Knowing her opponents had such astonishing mental gymnastics, what was there left to worry about?
[Li Tao, isn't the "female power fantasy lead" a form of oppression against ordinary women?] [hot]
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