The series depicts a fictional xianxia world where humans attempt to cultivate to a state of immortality, known as xian (Chinese: 仙).

The first season, titled Qian Chen Pian (Chinese: 前尘篇), aired from July 9 to October 6, 2018, on Tencent Video for 15 episodes.

[2] A chibi series, titled Mo Dao Zu Shi Q, aired from July 31, 2020, to January 29, 2021, and ran for 30 episodes.

Despite his efforts during the Sunshot Campaign to bring down the tyrannical Wen Clan, Wei Wuxian (魏无羡) was feared by the world for the unorthodox cultivation path he created.

His attempts to uncover the mystery of the left arm will guide him to a familiar face from the past with whom he will embark on a journey that will lead them to unravel what lies behind the tragic events that caused the deaths of so many - including Wei Wuxian himself.

Titled Zewu-Jun (泽芜君), he is one of the Three Zun (三尊) alongside his sworn brothers Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao, the latter of with whom he shares an especially close relationship.

[5] The series has since become a worldwide hit, ultimately generating 4.63 billion views on Tencent's streaming platform as of July 2022[update].

The depiction of plants such as pine and cypress, lotus flowers, and others in the animation demonstrates the creator's careful integration of traditional culture.

[32][33] The dubbed version was produced by Aniplex and Sony Music Solutions and starred Ryohei Kimura as Wei Wuxian and Shinnosuke Tachibana as Lan Wangji, with Seasons 1 and 2 airing from January 10 to June 13, 2021.

[36] It won 1st place in the Anime Top 5 category during the first half period of Rakuten TV Award 2022, based on the number of units sold from December 2021 to May 2022.

[37] On December 10, 2024, Crunchyroll will stream the first 2 seasons of the donghua in most countries except for Japan, Korea, mainland China, and Russian speaking territories under the title The Master of Diabolism.