The Ming Dynasty's Judge of the Underworld

Synopsis of The Judge of the Underworld During the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty, the prosperous lands of Jiangnan are rife with official corruption and a foul atmosphere, throwing the balance between yin and yang into disarray. The soul of a wrongfully killed censor refuses to pass on. Granted the power of the Dark Underworld, he becomes an unnamed guardian who walks between the worlds of the living and the dead: a Nether Envoy. In Volume One, the Nether Envoy first reveals his supernatural abilities in the provinces. He secretly helps the upright official Lin Shu take on corrupt officials who indulge in debauchery and exploit the people. Using the powers of the underworld, he punishes evil, gathers evidence of their crimes, and ultimately brings the villains to justice, restoring a measure of peace to the region. In Volume Two, the turmoil reaches the highest provincial authorities. Governor Zhao Wenkui and his subordinate, the wicked mystic Master Xuanyin, sense the threat and set one deadly trap after another. The Nether Envoy and Lin Shu are caught in a web of intrigue, and their investigation uncovers an astonishing conspiracy involving arms smuggling and treason. The struggle escalates, and they narrowly escape death time and again. In Volume Three, Master Xuanyin sets up an evil formation to reverse yin and yang and blot out the sky. Ghosts roam Jinling by night, and the people suffer. Lin Shu is falsely accused and imprisoned, while the Nether Envoy stands alone against the formation. He turns the tide at the cost of a tremendous sacrifice, breaking the formation and temporarily protecting the mortal world. In Volume Four, the Underworld formally appoints the Nether Envoy as a “Censor of the Living World,” granting him the authority and responsibilities that come with the title. Forces for justice from every quarter unite. The Nether Envoy brings together underworld soldiers, martial heroes, mystic cultivators, and the forces of the living world led by Lin Shu to thwart Master Xuanyin’s ultimate conspiracy: joining forces with Japanese sorcerers to sever the dragon vein and steal the nation’s destiny. In Volume Five, the final battle between the two worlds erupts. The Nether Envoy and his allies strike straight at the heart of the enemy and engage the demons in a fierce struggle. In the end, evil is defeated, the treacherous faction is destroyed, and the nation’s destiny is preserved. The land is clear, and the sun and moon shine once more. Having fulfilled his mission, the Nether Envoy steps away from public life, yet remains forever bound to his duty of protection, continuing to patrol the light and shadow across the lands of the Great Ming and maintain the balance between yin and yang.