The Three Realms are divided into the Divine Realm, the Mortal Realm, and the Underworld, with Mount Cangwu marking their borders. At its summit stands the Heavenly Pillar, the heart of the order that sustains all three realms. The Divine Realm lies above the Ninth Heaven, ruled by the Heavenly Emperor, with the Four Sovereigns and Five Directional Emperors overseeing the seasons, the Five Elements, mountains and seas, and all living beings. The Mortal Realm is the land of the Nine Provinces, where humanity flourishes and dynasties rise and fall. People worship the gods, yet the everyday joys and strife of mortal life lie hidden beneath the surface. The Underworld lies beneath the Ninth Earth and governs reincarnation, guarded by the Nether Emperor. It does not interfere with the Divine Realm, but its cycle of rebirth is closely linked to the Mortal Realm.
Ten thousand years ago, war erupted between gods and demons. The demon race sought to shatter the barriers between the Three Realms and swallow both the Mortal Realm and the Underworld. The Heavenly Emperor led the gods into battle, ultimately sealing the demons in the Abyss of Chaos beneath Mount Cangwu. The Heavenly Pillar was damaged in the process, leaving cracks in the order of the Three Realms. Over the ensuing ten millennia, the Divine Realm grew increasingly closed off. The gods became absorbed in their power and glory, gradually turning a blind eye to mortal suffering. Dynasties rose and fell in the Mortal Realm, wars broke out one after another, and the people were driven from their homes, their faith in the gods slowly crumbling. In the Underworld, reincarnation fell into disorder, and wandering ghosts spread resentment that took shape as wars and disasters, spilling into the Mortal Realm.
