I just finished the official English translation of 'Magic Emperor', and that ending was a lot! I need to talk it out. So, Zhuo Fan goes through this insane journey of revenge, power-hungry obsession, and ultimately, a kind of messed-up redemption. He starts as the villainous Magic Emperor out for blood, but by the end, after losing so much and seeing the consequences of his path, he sacrifices himself to save the cultivation world from the real big bad, which is this ancient cosmic threat he partially unleashed. It's a classic 'the villain becomes the necessary savior' trope, but executed with a satisfying bleakness. He doesn't get a happy ending or a clean slate; his past deeds haunt him until the last moment.
The final chapters show him using the last of his power to seal the threat away, dissolving his own soul or essence in the process. There's a poignant ambiguity—some characters believe a wisp of his consciousness might survive, merged with the new world order he helped create, but it's left open. The people he hurt get to rebuild, carrying the memory of both his tyranny and his sacrifice. It felt fitting that the protagonist, who was never truly a hero, didn't get a conventional hero's reward.