In the fourth year of the Yonghui era, an accident at the Lishan Palace sent imperial grandson Li Yan plunging into the Soul-Locking Pool, which connects to the ghost realm. After lying unconscious for three days, he awoke half human and half ghost. By day, he is the Prince of Linyang, admired by countless people as he navigates the Tang court and maneuvers through the treacherous power struggle to depose the reigning ruler and install Wu Zetian. By night, he becomes the Ghost King who commands Chang’an’s ghost domain, capturing evil spirits in the Netherworld Ghost Market and the City of Wrongful Deaths to uphold order between the worlds of the living and the dead.
He bears a double fate and harbors a blood debt: the mystery behind his father’s sudden death is tied to the schemes of the Dark Yin Sect, a remnant from the end of the Sui dynasty. Using the souls of the living as catalysts, the sect seeks to destroy the Ghost-Sealing Stele beneath Chang’an and free the Soul-Locking Ghost Emperor, sealed away for a thousand years, overturning the balance between the human and ghost realms. To uncover the truth and avenge his father, Li Yan secretly contends with Wu Zetian’s forces at court, using imperial dragon energy to cultivate the Art of Yin-Yang Unity and strengthen his human body. In the ghost realm, he gathers netherworld bailiffs and battles the Four Generals of the Underworld, refining his ghostly power with netherworld energy. He also earns the devoted support of Nie Xiaoqian, a ghost-realm physician; Lin Wan’er, heir to a human apothecary; and Su Qingmei, an ally working behind the scenes. Yet he is caught in tangled relationships because humans and ghosts belong to separate worlds: Su Qingmei sacrifices her soul to protect him, Lin Wan’er spends a century by his side before entering reincarnation, and Nie Xiaoqian remains with him in the netherworld as a Ghost King.
When the Dark Yin Sect awakens the Soul-Locking Ghost Emperor during the Mount Tai Fengshan ceremony, the Ghost-Sealing Stele cracks and evil spirits run rampant. Li Yan journeys to Fengdu in search of the Reincarnation Stone. In the Primordial Realm, he comprehends the Art of Heavenly Reincarnation, merging the powers of human souls, ghost souls, and the Heavenly Dao to become the “Envoy of the Human, Ghost, and Heavenly Dao.” He slays the Ghost Emperor, seals the rift, and establishes new laws for the human and ghost realms, but his immortal body forces him to witness generations rise and fall.
