Chronicles of the Three Realms

Three: the Three Luminaries are the sun, moon, and stars; the Three Powers are Heaven, Earth, and Humanity; the Three Bonds are ruler and subject, father and son, and husband and wife. Heaven has three aspects: clear, rainy, and overcast. Earth has three forms: high, low, and level. Humanity has three treasures: essence, energy, and spirit. The Dao De Jing says, "From the One came Two, from Two came Three, and from Three came all things." The realms are time and space. Time spans past, present, and future. Space extends above and below, left and right, and in all directions.

Heaven bestows human nature, Earth bestows human destiny, and parents give us our bodies. The Three Realms are the origin of humankind. The principles of nature, heart, and body may differ across Daoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism, but all roads lead to the same destination. Red flowers, white roots, and green lotus leaves: the Three Teachings have always been one family!

All living beings have three natures: innate nature, inborn disposition, and acquired habits. Innate nature has its source, inborn disposition has its roots, and acquired habits may be righteous or wicked. Near vermilion, one turns red; near ink, one turns black. And yet, what is righteousness, really? What is wickedness? The victor becomes king and the loser a villain; right and wrong are always written by the winners.

All living beings are helplessly ensnared by greed, anger, and delusion, and conflicts have continued throughout the ages. The Three Realms of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity have been divided into the Six Paths: gods, demons, immortals, monsters, humans, and ghosts. Gods and demons dwell on the outer edges of the world. Gods stand high above all, while demons are everywhere. The Ghost Path is the final destination and place of reincarnation for all living beings, as well as the starting point of rebirth. The divine path knows neither age nor death; the demonic path knows neither birth nor death; and the ghostly path is neither life nor death. Immortals are gods on the road to Heaven, and the realm humans aspire to reach. Monsters are demons still honing their cultivation, as well as beasts with profound magical powers. Gods and demons are sworn enemies, while feuds between humans and monsters have never ceased. Such are the countless beings beneath the Three Realms.

In this chaotic and unpredictable world, the beings of the Three Realms and Six Paths become entangled in complex tales of love and hate as they struggle for love, desire, and survival. Many unforgettable stories have been passed down through the ages. Who, in the end, can rule the rise and fall of the Three Realms and change the fate of the world?