The Hall of Yama: From Soul Reaper to Netherworld Emperor

When heaven and earth first came into being, the world was divided into three realms and six paths. The Heavenly Court ruled the living, while the Underworld governed the dead. Yin and yang were in balance, and all things lived in peace.

But tens of thousands of years ago, a cataclysm brought down both the Heavenly Court and the Underworld. Since then, yin and yang have fallen out of balance. No one guides the souls of the dead, no one punishes evil spirits, and no one seeks justice for the wronged in the mortal realm. The mortal authorities are corrupt, and demons and monsters run rampant. In the cultivation world, the strong prey on the weak, and mortals are no more than ants. The gods of the Immortal Realm remain aloof, while the ancient Buddhist sects wield immense power and the Heavenly Dao lies incomplete.

Shen Ye, an ordinary modern office worker, transmigrates into this world.

He obtains fragments of the Black and White Impermanence’s cultivation arts from the Underworld and starts at the very bottom as a temporary bailiff of the dead. By day, he is a poor scholar; by night, a soul reaper. When the mortal authorities ignore injustice, he handles it. When the Heavenly Dao turns a blind eye, he steps in too. With every soul he reaps, he earns merit, rising step by step from temporary ghost bailiff to lord of the Hall of Yama, then to King of the Underworld and the Yin Emperor.

The mortal realm, the cultivation world, the Immortal Realm, the primordial wilderness: amid this age of chaos, he will rebuild the Underworld and restore the balance of yin and yang.

“If the mortal authorities won’t act, I will. If the Heavenly Dao won’t act, I will. If Buddha won’t save the people, I will.”

I am Shen Ye, a temporary worker in the Underworld, and I’m on my way to becoming permanent.