On Awakening of Insects in 2026, twelve ordinary people born on the summer solstice of the millennium year awakened simultaneously at twelve points across China.
A financial analyst saw a silver rat mark appear on his palm, granting him insight into the mysteries of data. A engineer bore an ox-shaped totem on his ankle and could sense the rumbling of the earth's ley lines. A forest ranger grew tiger stripes across his back, and golden flames blazed in an ice cave... They were the chosen Bearers of the Earthly Branches, entrusted with an oath to protect the nation, renewed once every hundred years.
But the previous generation of twelve warriors had been wiped out, the Four Great Fiends' inner demons were about to break free, and cracks were spreading through the nation's lifeline, the Dragon's Spine of Zhongzhou. From strangers to sworn companions, from fighting for survival to defending their homeland, they must recover the lost Twelve Meridian Classic of the Celestial Constellations, overcome their inner demons in the Five Elements trials, and master the cycle of mutual generation and restraint in the Earthly Branches formation.
When the winter solstice arrives and the Gate of Guixu opens wide, they will face three choices: sacrifice themselves, flee, or remain alive and seal the nation's lifeline forever. Twelve ordinary souls, one lost ancient classic, and a modern wuxia epic that will determine the nation's fate: their story begins here.
In a nutshell: Twelve modern people inherit the power of the Chinese zodiac. To protect the nation's crumbling lifeline, they go from strangers to sworn companions, master the Twelve Meridian Classic of the Celestial Constellations, and use their own flesh and blood to safeguard the land forever in this wuxia ensemble legend.
