Heaven's Retribution Star Chart

The crescent moon shines over the Nine Provinces; some households rejoice while others grieve. Some couples share a bed beneath one curtain, while others wander far from home.

Across the long history of China, one word has always been unavoidable: struggle. Countless lords and ministers have taken the stage, and millions of heroes have fallen on battlefields, all for nothing more than fame and fortune. The sun and moon cross the heavens, rivers flow across the earth; conflict among humankind never ends. As the years pass, lords and ministers turn to ashes, heroes become dust. How are they any different from common folk?

In the final years of the Tang dynasty, during the reign of Emperor Xizong, Li Xuan, civil officials neglected their duties while military officers indulged themselves. The eunuch Tian Lingzi seized control of the court, leaving the people in misery and the land in ruin. The private salt traders Wang Xianzhi and Huang Chao raised their banners in revolt, but both were defeated and killed. Their subordinate general Zhu Wen seized the opportunity to usurp the Tang throne and proclaim himself emperor, founding the Later Liang. After Zhu Wen's accession, China fractured into four, and dynasties changed as quickly as lanterns spinning on a carousel, with emperors and kings coming and going like actors on a stage. This was the true state of affairs: demons and monsters ran amok, evil spirits roamed unchecked. Bones covered the fields, and the starving dead littered the land.

This novel and its characters are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual persons or events is purely coincidental. Do not imitate.