Chapter 298-The Manga Pariah's Guide to Self-Salvation
[#1: Seeing King of the Demonic Domain Through Ye Zheng's Eyes—The Only Person in Your Gui Who Sees the World from the Higher Dimension!]
[#2: Disclaimer first—I'm a Zheng neutral. There's a lot of subjective speculation and hot takes based on the plot. I'm very thin-skinned; insult me once and I'll chase you down with ten insults. If that bothers you, feel free to leave.]
[#3: Ye Zheng has always been Your Gui's top trending topic. People endlessly debate whether she's an ordinary supporting character, a token female lead for censorship approval, a villain, or a hero—but all these labels are based on the assumption that she's just a character in King of the Demonic Domain. What if Ye Zheng is more than just a character in King of the Demonic Domain?]
[#4: ? OP, what are you rambling about? If Ye Zheng isn't a manga character, what is she?]
[#5: Hold on. First, let's play a game. Let's call it Saintess Simulator.]
[#6: You are born into a noble family in a fantasy world. You witness far too much injustice and resolve from a young age to change the world. At twelve, you awaken a water-type ability. At fourteen, you work your way up to become the Saintess of the Sei Curia.]
[#7: At 17, as Saintess, you heal an injured squad of ability users. It's a trivial part of your routine—you've saved countless people.]
[#8: Now, this somewhat famous ability-user squad requests a meeting to thank you in person. But you still have a pile of minor tasks to finish. Your choice is—A. Meet them B. Don't meet them]
The interactive format drew enthusiastic participation.
[#9: A, I guess. They're somewhat well-known; doing them a favor might come in handy later.]
[#10: BBB! I already saved them—that's a big enough favor. Why should declining to make time for them be considered wrong?]
[#11: B. If they're that free, they can send a banner.]
[#12: Oh god, this question is exactly where my mother-daughter bond with Ye Zheng began! Back then the danmu randomly started bashing Ye Zheng for being arrogant and rude, but a certain now-deceased blond guy made his entrance literally stepping on everyone's heads and the danmu was all "so hot, so strong, so compelling." That's how I became a suffering fan...]
...
[#23: You chose B. Though they meant well, you simply don't have the time. You politely decline the meeting.]
[#24: Key information unlocked: you are a character in a manga. Who did you think you were refusing? The protagonist's thanks!]
[#25: Your Popularity Points outside the manga dropped by 5. Current total: -5. If your popularity falls too low, you might get killed off~]
[#26: Now that you know the special identity of that group, you decide—A. Join them B. Ignore them]
[#27: Starting with negative popularity is so real... Our Saintess has always been running the "universally hated to universally loved" script (do you also peck rice for Ye Zheng.jpg)]
[#28: Interesting. Obviously pick A to join them. After all, "my" dream is to change the world. When something like a Protagonist Team shows up, you've got to keep tabs on their movements.]
[#29: So frustrating! If I hadn't read King of the Demonic Domain, I'd think this game docking my popularity was totally random. But the reality IS that random when it comes to getting bashed.]
[#30: AAA!]
The comments unanimously chose A—join the Protagonist Team.
[#62: You chose A. You join them to investigate what exactly a "protagonist" is. Conveniently, their squad needs a healer. But here's the question: what persona should you adopt when joining the Protagonist Team? (Note: your current Popularity Points are critically low. You must boost your popularity to avoid being written out!)]
[#63: A. Usually goofy and unreliable but combat-monster when it counts B. Cool, powerful, cold exterior but warm heart C. A "white on the outside, black on the inside" creepy ghost girl or guy (current hottest archetype) D. Gentle sunshine type]
[#64: Every option makes a whole string of names flash through my head...]
[#65: Ye Zheng herself fits C the best. I pick C (I'll really pretend to be sweet then beat you half to death.jpg)]
[#66: B or C plus some fujoshi bait with the protagonist and you're invincible. A glorious day for protagonist-mom fans.]
[#67: OP forgot the toxic masculinity archetype. This year is absolutely the year of toxic masculinity.]
[#68: People who like toxic masculinity types won't actually admit it. See: Sykes has always been categorized as B by Sykes stans. Fascinating, really.]
[#69: DDD, who even likes the creepy ghost archetype? Always with the "ghost girl, ghost guy" stuff.]
[#70: C. Sorry, I just love creepy ghost girls (looks away)]
...
[#121: You chose C.]
[#122: Choice failed! Because your selection conflicts with your existing tag "healing-type Saintess," persona changes are temporarily unsupported.]
[#123: You may disguise your identity within the framework of your current persona to join the Protagonist Team. A new identity has been generated for you.]
[#124: Under the alias "Zhao Mei," you make a stunning debut and successfully join the Protagonist Team! Because you changed your look—short hair and trousers—readers assume you're a male character. A delightful misunderstanding. Popularity +100!]
[#125: I'm dying. Zhao Mei literally never once said she was male!]
[#126: To this day there are still Zhao Mei fans throwing fits saying Ye Zheng hates femininity, disguised herself as a man, and deceived people's feelings. When did Ye Zheng ever pretend to be a man? Anyone can get a short haircut and wear pants!]
[#127: I remember now. I remember everything! Back then I was a smug Zhao Mei momo fan. The manga described Zhao Mei's voice as an ambiguously low rasp, too pretty to be a boy. I went full momo mode on the spot, completely unaware of what hell awaited me...]
[#128: Years later, when people mention King of the Demonic Domain, no momo fan can ever forget that distant afternoon when Ye Zheng shed the Zhao Mei disguise.]
[#129: Ye Zheng still doesn't understand fandom. She could have given herself a 188cm aggressive-top persona for her debut, then she could've legitimately dominated the male lead and people would've been screaming "forced love," "obsessive ghost guy who yearns but can't have," "he just doesn't know how to love" while shipping him with whichever guy was more toxic-masculine.]
[#130: Please don't. Ye Zheng would genuinely get PTSD from that (closes eyes)]
[#131: Ye Zheng is my mom. Be nice to her.]
[#132: The ones who lost it the most over the sword-reveal were actually the guys. They'd assumed Ye Zheng was some demure, supportive housewife type, even complained she was a dead-weight saint. Then Ye Zheng transformed and stomped their precious skin-suit Percy underfoot. Rage-scored her a zero.]
[#133: And then Ye Zheng and Zheng fans: zero casualties lmaooo]
[#134: OP keep writing, I want to keep playing!]
...
[#190: You discover that the protagonist is the prophesied Chosen One. The Holy Sword chose him, but his abilities don't seem up to the task. You decide—A. Follow the Holy Sword's will and assist the protagonist in saving the world B. Use the Holy Sword to build your own identity and seize the power to change the world yourself]
[#191: BBB. Question Ye Zheng, understand Ye Zheng, become Ye Zheng!]
[#192: B, I guess. A sounds weirdly frustrating.]
[#193: A. If there's already a way to save the world, why complicate things? Choosing B is pure selfishness—just glorifying your own ambition.]
[#194: People who pick A are too naive. Trusting authority's arrangement isn't as good as trusting whatever benefits you most right now. I pick B.]
[#195: As expected, sneakily whitewashing Ye Zheng again. If Percy hadn't had his Chosen One status stolen by Ye Zheng, maybe the story would've had a happy ending ages ago.]
[#196: Percy can't even protect his own identity and you expect him to save the world? Maybe, just maybe, he was so useless that Ye Zheng had no choice but to shoulder the Glorious Oath for him?]
[#197: The Glorious Oath is still doing work.]
[#198: Don't forget—right now WE are the protagonist. Why should we believe only someone else can save the world? Power is safest in your own hands.]
This question sparked some arguments, but the majority chose B.
[#293: You chose A—Skip to Ending]
[#294: You chose to trust the divine arrangement and helped the protagonist become the god-ordained hero. But in the end, you discover in horror—the god does not exist. Or rather, "the god" is not the righteous, benevolent being you imagined. So whose will was this all along? You and the world slide together into an unknown abyss. (bad end)]
[#295: We unlocked an ending already?]
[#296: Combined with Ye Zheng saying the God of Hope doesn't exist in the latest chapter, this ending is lowkey chilling...]
[#297: Kind of impressive. Feels like the if-line where Ye Zheng doesn't exist.]
[#298: If the god doesn't exist, then the protagonist "chosen" by the "god" is a conspiracy meant to deceive everyone. This ending is like the world revealing its true, terrifying face after Percy succeeds. Basically a dark fairy tale.]
[#299: OP's idea is interesting, but there's no way an IP like King of the Demonic Domain would pull a twist like this. Edgy for the sake of being edgy.]
[#300: It's already been twisted multiple times. At this point, are people still swelling up and refusing to believe Ye Zheng?]
[#301: If Ye Zheng wins, it's not edgy at all. The Saintess exposes the conspiracy and shatters it. Happy end from there.]
[#302: Genuine neutral here. Recently re-read King of the Demonic Domain from scratch and the more I read, the more Ye Zheng amazes me. She knows way too much—more than even the readers with their omniscient perspective. If someone told me every single plot point so far was within Ye Zheng's plan, I wouldn't be surprised.]
[#303: Ye Zheng has zero reason to lie about the God of Hope. After all, she's now the God of Hope's spokesperson. Her exposing it can only mean the truth no longer needs to be hidden.]
[#304: Seeing male-lead fans still defending the Chosen One identity is hilarious. Even Zheng Goddess doesn't want it anymore.]
[#305: If the God of Hope is fake, then the "Demon Dragon destroys the world" narrative is very likely a lie too. Ye Zheng's obsession with resurrecting the Demon Dragon was actually to save the world, right?]
[#306: Given that the Emperor can control the Demonic Domains, the Demonic Domains five hundred years ago might not have been caused by the Demon Dragon at all. The "God of Hope" who defeated the Demon Dragon might have been the Emperor himself—or a fabrication by the Emperor—to flip the narrative and legitimize himself.]
[#307: This thread is getting wilder and wilder. The OP has been steering you all to believe Ye Zheng the whole time. Way too biased. Completely unreliable.]
[#308: Am I too easily swayed? I genuinely think everything people are saying makes more and more sense.]
[#309: I truly feel for Ye Zheng now. Inside the manga, she bears conspiracies and misunderstandings while loving the world. Outside the manga, she gets bashed and labeled a villain. But Ye Zheng is Ye Zheng—she has never lived within anyone else's definition of her.]
[#310: Damn, you Zheng fans are actually talented. OP, update faster!]
...
[#420: You chose B. You will seize the power to save the world with your own hands. You may not be the protagonist this story expected, but who's to say you aren't the protagonist of your own life?]
[#421: Congratulations, you have become the Chosen One the people prayed for! You are no longer a decorative Saintess. In the name of the divine, no one can look down on the one prophesied to save the world.]
[#422: But you haven't let your guard down. You climb higher under the divine's authority—but what if the idol falls someday? Besides, you've never taken the idol seriously. This world doesn't need a god with absolute dominion. That, too, is an obstacle you're destined to remove.]
[#423: Toppling the idol can wait. Word has it a terrifying Demonic Domain appeared in the West District. As the newly minted Chosen One, do you go investigate—A. Go B. Don't go]
...
[#449: The Dragon-Bodied Humans created by the Hope Project will undoubtedly become a destabilizing factor for the Empire. But it's not impossible for them to regain their humanity. Your choice—A. Eliminate them B. Protect them]
...
[#590: The trial is clearly going against you. Yet the Crown Prince suddenly shows up bearing evidence in your favor. You choose—A. Accept the help with gratitude B. Refuse—you don't trust fate's suspiciously convenient gifts]
...
[#723: A new character has suddenly appeared in the Protagonist Team and is clearly hostile toward you. He has mysterious, unfathomable abilities. You'd best find an ally to protect yourself against him—
A. The protagonist, whose allegiance opposes yours but who is decent enough
B. The powerful Crown Prince
C. Wu Shu, whose ability is average but who can be won over with mutual benefit
D. Your younger brother, whose ability is above average]
...
The Saintess Simulator game instantly attracted massive participation, garnering over a thousand comments in no time. The choices OP presented covered every one of Ye Zheng's controversial moments. Viewed from Ye Zheng's perspective, many people realized for the first time that her decisions were bold, brilliant, and forward-thinking. She had truly taken fate into her own hands!
Moreover, by following Ye Zheng's choices, readers uncovered plot blind spots they'd previously overlooked. Ye Zheng had maintained her saintly persona throughout, while the protagonist Percy was riddled with inconsistencies and convenient coincidences. Combined with the doubts about the God of Hope, his very identity looked like a front for some earth-shattering conspiracy.
[#2034: Thanks everyone for the enthusiastic participation. That's all for today's Saintess Simulator.]
[#2035: The reason I got this inspiration was that while reviewing Ye Zheng's storylines, I noticed the production team had deliberately added meta elements to Ye Zheng. For example, in the side story where Ye Zheng broke Wen Xiaoxing's Fate Singularity, she discovered she was trapped inside a book. Ye Zheng's ID is active on the forum. They've been intentionally having Ye Zheng break the fourth wall.]
[#2036: This kind of setup is unlikely to be a whim from the manga team. My personal theory is that it's a plot hint—Ye Zheng isn't a character trapped inside King of the Demonic Domain. Her existence is special, situated between two dimensions.]
[#2037: Don't forget the manga's Demonic Domain lore. Isn't our world itself a kind of Demonic Domain relative to the manga's world? Ye Zheng might be the manga team's hidden masterstroke. Meta elements have been trendy in recent years. I wouldn't even be surprised if, in the manga's finale, Ye Zheng suddenly thanks the readers for their companionship.]
[#2038: Of course, the above is all my irresponsible speculation. I've heard the company is planning a Ye Zheng spin-off, so hopefully many of the unanswered questions about Ye Zheng will be resolved then.]
[#2039: The more I think about it, the more King of the Demonic Domain feels like one giant prequel to The Biography of Ye Zheng...]
[#2040: Ye Zheng isn't a dating sim protagonist. I've always wondered why the company gave her meta elements. To cultivate yumejo fans? Well, mission accomplished.]
[#2041: Is the Ye Zheng spin-off real?]
[#2042: Someone found that a spin-off animated film has been greenlit. Looks like they're giving Ye Zheng her own animated movie.]
[#2043: It's not uncommon to give popular supporting characters their own spin-off films. No need to be surprised. The King of the Demonic Domain anime did well, but Ye Zheng—who was sidelined in Season 1—is still the popularity top to this day. Proof that Zheng Goddess is the one true goddess.]
[#2044: Lots of international girls who watched the anime and then caught up on the manga also love Ye Zheng. Plenty of fan content overseas, though the OOC level is... hard to look at...]
[#2045: International fan output is a Westernized-lifestyle Ye Zheng (screaming green frog.jpg)]
[#2046: Season 1 of the anime ends next week. Can they please greenlight Season 2 immediately?]
[#2047: Ye Zheng really has internal favoritism. She's being treated like royalty...]
[#2048: That's because Ye Zheng and Zheng fans' love is solid and presentable. Standard treatment for a top-tier fave.]
[#2049: No matter how hard Zheng fans try to whitewash Ye Zheng, the fact that she harmed so many people stands. The protagonist slot in King of the Demonic Domain has Percy's name on it. That's one thing you Zhengzheng's mom fans can't steal.]
[#2050: Wake up, friend. Here's the thing—your precious male lead might not even qualify for a supporting role in Ye Zheng's story.]
[#2051: Stop fighting. Whether Your Gui is a male or female power fantasy lead story depends entirely on what happens next. Ye Zheng destroyed her own pedestal; Percy is in danger. Both are at a disadvantage. Let's see who makes the comeback.]
[#2052: A bit worried about Ye Zheng. She seems to be going down the "white-to-black-back-to-white" route. Characters with that setup often bear misunderstanding and then sacrifice themselves to orchestrate the big-picture salvation of the world...]
[#2053: Our girl is definitely a "white on the outside, black on the inside" who turned back to white, but she wouldn't like a self-sacrifice script. She promised to save everyone, and that surely includes herself and us watching from behind the screen.]
[#2054: Ye Zheng's greatness needs no further words. Zheng gate!]
Comments
Post a Comment