The Past and Present Lives of the Master and the Demon Venerable is a prequel to Two Lives of Tribulation: My Master Cares for All Under Heaven, Yet Holds Me Closest. It tells of the powerful romance between the Immortal Venerable Hua Ciyin and the Demon Venerable Ye Feihuang, a love that transcends status and fate.
This is no clichéd tale of someone turning demonic for love. Rather, it is the inevitable attraction between the strongest beings in the Three Realms: the cool and compassionate leader of the immortal sect, and the supreme ruler of the demon world, who lays aside all violence and gives her every ounce of tenderness. Only they are worthy of standing side by side. Their love is no taboo, yet in the end, they are defeated by the divide between immortals and demons and the heavy burdens they bear. To prove her love, Ye Feihuang willingly destroys her body and falls into reincarnation. Hua Ciyin, though unable to speak of the feelings in her heart, ultimately fails to return that devotion.
Then they meet again, with Hua Ciyin reborn as her disciple, and the waters are stirred once more. This time, Hua Ciyin resolves to hold on tight: her duty to all living beings is endless, but she will not lose the woman she loves again. Every conflict stems from their opposing identities, and every resolution comes from following their true hearts and letting nature take its course.
This story casts off traditional shackles to explore what love should be: immortal and demon as companions, master and disciple of one heart, breaking the turmoil of the Three Realms together before finally withdrawing from the world hand in hand. The strong will go mad for love, or they cannot go on living. They will neither fail all living beings nor forsake the one they love.
