Everyone says that Shen Yanci, master of the Ruins, practices forbidden arts of the Earthly Ruins and can glimpse visions of the past, bringing chaos to the immortal sects. When a sect was destroyed years ago, all the blame fell on him.
Years ago, at a debate on the Dao at Qingya, two young men met. Shen Yanci was sincere and willing to defend the weak and distinguish right from wrong. Xie Linyuan, head of Yun Cen, strictly upheld the sect’s rules, yet privately agreed with one thing Shen Yanci said: “Righteousness is not found on a high platform, but in one’s heart.”
A struggle over spiritual veins, a conspiracy laid in secret. Former fellow disciples turned against him, and the great families fabricated charges. In a single night, the sect was reduced to scorched earth. To protect the few innocent survivors, Shen Yanci had no choice but to practice the arts of the Ruins, drawing the tainted qi of the Earthly Ruins into his own body. But the evidence was altered, and he was forced to flee into the wilderness under a cloud of disgrace.
More than a decade later, strange phenomena emerged once more, and the shadows of the Ruins returned. Xie Linyuan searched across mountains and rivers for him, and they reunited amid the desolate ruins.
One man bore the curses of countless people and offered no defense; the other stood atop one of the great sects and dared to defy them all.
The two traveled together, uncovering one sealed-away case after another along the way. The past slowly surfaced through the illusions of the Ruins. Atop the immortal sects’ lofty platforms, elders who preached benevolence and righteousness concealed selfish ambitions to seize spiritual veins and slaughter their rivals.
Good and evil have never been written into the arts one practices. It is people’s hearts that are black or white.
When the Tribunal of Righteous Law summoned the great families to convene and reopened the old case, the full truth would unfold before everyone.
When the whole world wanted him dead, only Xie Linyuan believed in him as he always had.
When the dust settled, they cast aside their hollow reputations. The cold ashes were spent, and the returning geese traveled together. From then on, they would walk side by side through a vast land.
Theme: Good and evil are not determined by one’s arts, and right and wrong are not decided by popular opinion. Even if the whole world condemns you, a true heart and a kindred spirit can withstand the long passage of time.
