The Legend of Yunhai

When heaven and earth were formed and the clear separated from the murky, people came to distinguish good from evil. Since Pangu's time, the seasons have turned, the ways of the world have changed, simplicity has gradually faded, and cunning has grown. The Cloudsea Chronicle takes this as its framework, telling of the joys and sorrows, and the conflicts between right and wrong, in a fantastical world of cloud and sea.

The Cloudsea Chronicle follows the relationship between Chu Yun and Canghai, weaving in the tangled grievances among the Natural Gate, the Demon Cult, and the righteous sects. Along the way, it portrays fox spirits and ghosts, mountain and river monsters, lovesick men and resentful women, false Daoists and true demons, and dozens of other characters, each vividly brought to life. By the end, readers will find truth amid the absurdity and glimpse the human world through the cloudsea. Chu Yun travels west to seek a cure, while Canghai comes from the east to accompany him. A single thought can cross a thousand mountains and shatter the moon; duckweed burns away an incense burner of fragrant ash. Each person has their own road home, and their own trials to face. The author portrays all kinds of people, neither embellishing the good nor concealing the evil, neither promising easy reunions nor handing out wanton punishments. Good and evil each have their consequences; love and hatred eventually return to dust.

This book brings a fresh perspective to contemporary xianxia fiction. It does not show off magical treasures or boast of lofty cultivation realms. Instead, in the style of traditional Chinese storytelling, it depicts the deepest and most sincere human emotions. Yet the emotions in this story go beyond romantic love between men and women. There are sworn brothers turning against each other, and resentment among fellow disciples; children who abandon their parents to seek the Dao, and the guilt they bear; a loving mother who dies protecting her child; and a master who poisons a beloved disciple, betraying their bond. The author uses emotion as a mirror to reveal the many faces of the human heart...