the series received overwhelmingly positive reviews for its high production quality and storyline, and amassed a notable internet fandom both in china and overseas. upon its release in china, the series became an instant hit, ultimately generating 1.74 billion views on tencent's streaming platform, as of december 2018. on douban, "mo dao zu shi" holds a rating of 8.9 out of 10, making it one of the best received donghua series of 2018 in china.