I Rule the Rise and Fall, Between Triumph and Ruin

In an age when humans, ghosts, demons, and beasts vie for supremacy, the Martial Ancestor establishes the Wu Dynasty. At its founding, however, civil and military officials are set against one another to keep each other in check. When Wu Chongzhi earns the title of Martial Ancestor, the civil officials go so far as to recommend the sage Yu Mou as the Literary Ancestor. Thus begins the conflict between the civil and military factions of the Wu Dynasty, a rivalry that lasts a thousand years and grows ever more bitter.

Shen Mei’s father, Shen Qianying, is the Marquis of Wuying in the Wu Dynasty. The dynasty has five great marquises: the Marquis of Tianwu, the Marquis of Wutian, the Marquis of Wuguan, the Marquis of Wujue, and the Marquis of Wuying. Shen Qianying holds the lofty rank of marquis, but after committing an offense that implicates seven branches of his family, his entire household is sentenced to execution. Just as the execution is about to take place, Shen Mei is saved by an eagle. Shen Mei’s father always said his name meant “sinking into obscurity.” But when Shen Mei emerges as a rising star, he discovers who truly rules the tides of this world.