Three thousand years ago, during the war in the divine realm, the Heavenly Court sacrificed a saint's divine essence to banish all the gods to another dimension.
Three thousand years later, Olympus's thunderbolts split the Mediterranean, Asgard's ice swallows the Arctic, Anubis's death legions sweep across North Africa, and Takamagahara's divine warriors point their swords at China. The gods proclaim, “The age of human slaves begins anew.” And China is the only land without the protection of a god.
Ye Guichen, twenty-six, is a restorer of ancient books. Beneath his gentle, refined exterior lies a sword that has yet to leave its sheath. Then a damaged ancient silk manuscript burns and glows in his palm, and fragments of memories from three thousand years ago come roaring back: the Heavenly Gate collapsing, white robes stained with blood, the ancient bell of Kunlun... and the figure who burned himself to seal away the gods.
“The gods have returned, and humanity must bow?” When divine weapons run amok in the streets, when death legions close in, when a spear of thunder points at China's last line of defense, Ye Guichen rises from his desk. A wisp of golden light in his palm shines like a candle, yet illuminates the long night.
From mortal body to reclaiming his saintly station, he takes “protecting people” as his guiding principle, winning without striving. Caught between gods, he fights to secure a way out for billions of mortals. The gods demand that humanity kneel. He insists that people must live on, standing tall.
