The protagonist, Luo Fa, is the reincarnation of the Third Prince Nezha. The story follows his quest to overthrow the Qing and avenge the wrongs done to him.
Written in the style of a traditional wuxia storyteller, with the flavor of a mythic tale of gods and demons.
Beginning with the Battle of Hukou in 1855 and continuing through the fall of the Nian Army, the novel recreates the sweeping epic of the Taiping Rebellion and the tumultuous final years of the Qing dynasty.
Prologue:
Beside the Dragon King's Palace in the Western Sea, Nezha secretly meets the Fairy of Butterflies, only to cross paths with the Golden-Winged Great Roc on its way back to the mountain.
The two deities clash over a single disagreement, unleashing a battle that shakes the heavens and accidentally shatters the Western Sea's Dragon-Transformation Pool.
Two thousand seven hundred great serpents awaiting transformation plunge into the mortal world. In time, they will all carve out territories and crown themselves kings, wreaking havoc across the land and plunging the world into a cataclysm of war and slaughter.
Fearing punishment, the Great Roc flees back to Spirit Mountain. The Dragon King of the Western Sea reports the matter to the Heavenly Court, and the Jade Emperor, enraged, issues three successive edicts:
The Azure Dragon Star is ordered to appoint a general and descend to capture the serpents. It reincarnates as Hong Xiuquan, who raises the banner of the Taiping Rebellion and gathers the dragons under his command.
Fearing the Azure Dragon's growing power might overturn the natural order, the Jade Emperor sends the White Tiger Star to appoint a general and descend as well. It reincarnates as Zeng Guofan, preserving the Qing court's remaining fortune.
The Great Roc and Nezha are banished to the mortal realm to undergo tribulations, assist the Azure Dragon Star Lord, and temper their character.
Fearing Nezha might cause trouble again, Guanyin asks the Pilgrim Huian, Mu Zha, and the various serpent kings to accompany and protect him.
Taking pity on his disciple, Taiyi Zhenren secretly sends the Fairy of Butterflies into the mortal world to forge a worldly bond with Nezha.
Seventeen years pass in the blink of an eye.
Luo Fa, a young man from Poyang, has forgotten his past and makes a living fishing, until the Xiang Army invades the peaceful village of Zhao...
(This is a fictional historical epic. Any changes to historical events are made solely to serve the story and are not intended to judge the merits or faults of real historical figures. Please do not confuse the novel's plot with real history.)
