In the ancient world, humans were weak and often harassed by the demons and monsters around them. At last, those with extraordinary intelligence could no longer endure it, and created all kinds of spells to fight back. One spell after another sprang up, and as humans learned them, they grew stronger and gradually became a match for the demons and monsters. In time, conflicts also arose among the various factions. At first, all sides suffered heavy losses. But Heaven favored humanity, and gifted people emerged one after another, allowing humans to gradually gain the upper hand.
The various factions won and lost in turn as conflict eased across the land. The strongest carved out territories and ruled their own domains: the Star Soul Sea in the east, the Cloud Sky Pavilion in the south, the Pudu Temple in the west, and the Extreme Ice Plains in the north. These four righteous factions kept the Ten Thousand Demon Court, the Mountain of Wraiths, the Hall of Senluo, and the Rakshasa Cave out of the Central Plains, while surrounding the Changsheng Daoist Sect, foremost among the righteous sects.
Besides these mighty powers, sects of all sizes stood throughout the land, surviving in the cracks between them. Rogue cultivators also roamed the world. Without powerful legacies, however, these sects and cultivators were generally weak. Still, some encountered fortuitous opportunities and became formidable.
After who knows how many more eras, the war between good and evil erupted, leaving countless dead. Both sides swore to cease fighting and recover their strength. Yet the war had wiped out the geniuses of every race, and many spells were lost with them. The great sects were relatively fortunate, with their legacies largely intact. The smaller sects, on the other hand, could only cobble together a jumble of assorted spells. So when ancient ruins appear, they offer opportunities to all sorts of people from all walks of life. Of course, the scramble for them inevitably brings conflict, but battles on a massive scale have not returned.
