After an ancient civilization was swept away by a great flood, the world returned to chaos and darkness. It was not until the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors appeared, ruling by virtue, that the light of civilization dawned. Sadly, as the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties rose and fell, people abandoned the wisdom of the past and virtue gradually declined. By the end of the Spring and Autumn period, the Son of Heaven of Zhou had lost all authority, and the lords of the realm vied for supremacy, bringing war upon war.
To rule the land alone, King Ping of Chu ordered Gan Jiang to forge the sharpest sword in the world. But because the forging of the male sword was too fierce, Gan Jiang presented only the female sword and hid the male sword deep in the mountains. Enraged, the king sent soldiers to kill Gan Jiang and had his wife, Mo Ye, burned as a blood sacrifice. Their son, Chi Jian, fled to Wu to avenge his parents' bloody deaths. On the way, he entered Yunmeng Marsh and met the Qilin, leader of the Four Divine Beasts. The Qilin told him that virtue in the world would continue to decline until, 2,500 years later, humanity had fallen into moral ruin and become consumed by malice. Then a planet would unleash a calamity upon the world, annihilating and discarding humanity through disasters of heaven and earth. When Chi Jian's life ended, he would be reincarnated again and again under the stars of the Big Dipper. After enduring countless trials across many lifetimes, he would attain enlightenment and become a sage. Then his spirit would descend once more into the apocalyptic age, where he would join the Qilin in helping the many sages who had descended into the world guide humanity, uphold virtue, awaken the people, and return them to the right path so they could survive the final calamity.
Chi Jian took leave of the Qilin and fled Chu for Wu, where he helped Helu reclaim the throne alongside Wu Zixu. Years later, the Wu army, led by Chi Jian and Wu Zixu, captured Ying, the capital of Chu. Chi Jian fought the King of Chu, and when their female and male swords clashed with tremendous force, an endless surge of spiritual power tore open the void. The spirits of both men were drawn into the universe, where they began to be reincarnated again and again under the Seven Stars of the Big Dipper, enduring all manner of hardship...
