Ten Thousand Lanterns on the Same Night

In ancient times, the nine realms joined forces to forge nine ever-burning lamps and seal the Abyss. Their sixteen-character pact declared: The lamps belong to the people, not the officials. When one realm is in peril, the other eight shall burn together. A thousand years later, the Candlestand Bureau seized control of the lamps, giving rise to lamp registries, lamp taxes, and the crime of "losing a lamp, which implicates the keeper's family name." The Wen clan of Beishuo was wiped out as a result. Its sole surviving heir, Shen Yan, begins by seeking justice for his family, then goes on to protect the refugees of an entire realm and unite all nine realms in their defense.