The Underworld Sky Screen: Record of Emperors Across the Myriad Worlds

At the Hall of Yama in the netherworld, golden light suddenly shimmers across the “Plaza of Rebirth” outside the palace. A hundred thousand gravestone tablets bearing the names of the dead rise into the air, revealing a phantom image of the “sky screen.” Yama appears with the Ten Kings of Hell and announces that, by the will of Heaven, six major rankings will be revealed, covering the era from the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors to the late Qing: the Emperor Rankings (ten best and ten worst), the Treacherous Officials Ranking, the Military Generals Ranking, the Men of Letters Ranking, the Armies Ranking, and the Crown Princes Ranking. The souls of all emperors who once ruled the realm are summoned back and grouped by dynasty into “factions,” such as the Pre-Qin, Han, Tang, Song, Ming, and Qing. Sitting on the ground, they watch judgments of their own deeds and those of their descendants, knowing nothing of what happened in later generations. Every revelation sparks debate and sighs that span a thousand years.