Three thousand years ago
King Zhou defiled Nuwa by writing a lewd poem about her, and the Heavenly Dao punished him with the severance of communication between heaven and earth. The Human King’s status fell to that of a Son of Heaven, cutting off humanity’s path to cultivation. The underworld opened its gates to demons, and humans could live no more than a hundred years, unable to break free of their mortal bodies and become immortals.
The present day
The Great Yong Dynasty has stood for three hundred years. Though the realm appears prosperous, the National Preceptor’s lineage has spent their lives maintaining a fragile balance beneath the shackles of the Heavenly Dao. The aloof, ascetic National Preceptor has spent three hundred years giving his life to mend the heavens. Then the rebellious God of War returns in a single day and tears up the imperial decree. “I’ll keep him alive, and I’ll break these shackles. If the Heavenly Dao won’t allow it, then I’ll rebel against heaven itself!”
Three thousand years ago, humanity knelt once, and stayed on its knees for thirty generations.
This time, I’m done kneeling!
Shen Qingchen, National Preceptor of Great Yong, has a cinnabar mark between his brows that counts down the days of his life.
He has divined every secret of fate, yet there is one man he cannot see through: Xiao Jinye.
Xiao Jinye, Prince of Zhenbei, is the only Martial Saint alive.
He believes in no gods or buddhas, only the blade in his hand.
At court, he laughed as he rested a hand on his saber. “You’ve been kneeling for three thousand years. Are you annoyed that those of us standing have backbones?”
The entire court erupted in an uproar. Only the National Preceptor, standing at the head of the ranks, had fingers turning white inside his sleeves.
He didn’t know that Shen Qingchen had been quietly watching him for ten years.
On a snowy night in the northern frontier, demons attacked the camp.
Shen Qingchen used his life to activate the formation, bleeding from every orifice.
Xiao Jinye shattered the barrier with one slash, shielded him, and stood guard all night.
At dawn, he carried him out through a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. “Shen Qingchen, your life doesn’t belong only to the Heavenly Dao. From now on, it belongs to me too.”
To defy heaven for you, to die for you, to turn my back on the gods for you. A story of redemption and healing.
