Setting: A shadowy world where the modern city intertwines with hidden ancient tombs. Official archaeological teams and underground tomb-raiding forces move in secret, as thousand-year-old feng shui arts clash with modern technology. The story begins in Linkong City, beneath which lies the legend of the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams Tomb.
Central conflict: To uncover the truth behind the deaths of his mentor and fiancée, Shen Xinghui investigates an ancient organization known as the Guanshan Taibao. They seek to steal the dragon energy of the earth veins, and have spent a century laying plans and manipulating archaeology, politics, business, and the black market.
Character relationships: Shen Xinghui is the core member of the Defectives team, razor-sharp in his reasoning, with a fire hidden inside. He and Yan Luo are partners who have faced life and death together. He often clashes with Su Li over their views on the occult. Xiao Dao sees him as a mentor, while Old Ghost is forced to work for him because Shen Xinghui holds a secret that gives him leverage. Lord Hou is his archenemy, having appeared at several pivotal moments in his life under the guise of an archaeological consultant.
Power system: Feng shui and geomancy, mechanisms and traps, occult perception, tomb-raiding techniques, and modern technology all coexist. Ancient tombs contain unnatural threats such as anti-tomb-raiding mechanisms, disturbances in earth energy, and mental corruption.
Key item: Shen Xinghui possesses half of a Back-Pushing bronze plaque, which can sense fluctuations in the earth veins. The other half is in Lord Hou's hands. The plaque resonates with the star-chart compass in the main chamber of the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams Tomb, and may conceal a forbidden power capable of reshaping feng shui.
