On the fifteenth night of the seventh month, the gates of hell open. Seven evil coffins appear in the old cemetery outside town, each sealing a baleful spirit born from an extreme obsession. The red-clad ghost in the coffin of resentment, the armored corpse lord in the coffin of wrath, the mother clutching a cloth doll in the coffin of longing... As the coffins open one after another, the townspeople are possessed by baleful energy, and the whole town descends into madness.
While investigating, Wen Qian discovers that it is all connected to the mysterious Netherworld Cult. This evil sect specializes in refining corpses and controlling ghosts, and intends to reverse yin and yang through the Seven Coffin Baleful Formation. Even more shocking, Wen Qian's own origins are inextricably linked to the conspiracy: he is the grandson of Chen Mingyuan, who betrayed his sect years ago, and the Chen family blood flowing through his veins is both entwined with and opposed to the evil arts.
Under Seventh Uncle's tutelage, Wen Qian grows from a green apprentice into a Maoshan heir capable of standing on his own. Wielding the Redcloud Sword, he lays out formations with inked carpenter's cord and drives off evil with glutinous rice, battling zombies and malevolent spirits in desperate fights. Yet every coffin he seals exacts a terrible price: the sacrifice of the paper doll Xiaocui, Seventh Uncle's soul scattered beyond recovery, and a final farewell to his birth mother, Lin Xiaoyue...
When the last evil coffin opens, Wen Qian discovers that the true enemy has been hiding in plain sight all along. To protect Jinhe Town, he has no choice but to use his life as the catalyst for the forbidden Taoist art known as the Seven-Star Baleful Locking Formation. Thunder descends from the heavens and the corpse lord is reduced to dust, but the Netherworld Cult's shadow has yet to fade.
The rain stops and the fog clears. Leaning on his cane, Wen Qian stands before the rebuilt Taoist temple. The black mark on his left hand has vanished, replaced by the pale gold seal of the Maoshan lineage. The manuals Seventh Uncle left behind in the secret chamber remain unread, and new horrors are quietly taking root in the darkness...
