The Book of Life and Death

When Heaven and Earth first emerged from primordial chaos, yin and yang divided the cosmos. The Netherworld came to govern the lifespans of all living beings, while the mortal realm nurtured the countless forms of life. To preserve the balance of reincarnation throughout the Six Realms, the ancient Book of Life and Death was entrusted to the Yama of the Underworld and hidden within the Forgotten River Netherworld, deep in the secret realm of the Nine Hells. Millions of years ago, during the ancient war between gods and demons, the Demon Venerable Yuanxu led the Chaos Demon Clan in tearing through the Underworld’s barriers and launching an assault on the Netherworld. His goal was to seize the Book of Life and Death, rewrite the destiny of all beings, erase the cycle of reincarnation governed by Heaven’s Law, and replace the creatures of the Three Realms with his demon kind. The Underworld’s gods fought to the death, while Yama sealed the book’s main body with his own soul. He then divided it into five surviving volumes—the Celestial, Terrestrial, Human, Spirit, and Beast Volumes—and scattered their fragments across ancient secret realms and forbidden lands throughout the mortal world. Defeated, Yuanxu was sealed beneath the Burial God Abyss. Yet a fragment of his demonic soul escaped by chance and remained hidden for a thousand years, secretly cultivating evil servants while awaiting the day he could gather the five volumes, break his seal, and return to overturn the order of the Three Realms. The cultivation world is divided among the Five Orthodox Sects—the Azure Cloud Immortal Sect, Biluo Mountain Gate, Profound Water Sword Pavilion, Spirit Mountain Buddhist Sect, and Burning Heaven Valley—and the Three Great Demonic Sects: the Bloodbone Cult, Nether Soul Hall, and Withered Bone Gate. Human rogue cultivators, secluded demon clans, and ancient exotic beasts dwell throughout the vast lands and seas. Countless cultivators spend their lives searching for the scattered fragments of the Book of Life and Death. Some seek to reunite the volumes and command reincarnation, pursuing immortality; others hope to restore the complete book and reinforce the heavenly order that governs the cycle of life and death. As the righteous and demonic paths clash over the five volumes, a prolonged adventure unfolds across the mortal, immortal, and netherworld realms, as well as secret realms, forbidden territories, and the unknown void. A monumental struggle over the life and death of all things—and the survival of the Six Realms—is about to begin. The story opens in the remote mortal town of Qinghuai, where a young man bearing a remnant soul tied to reincarnation accidentally touches an ancestral ancient chest, awakening the fragment of the Beast Volume.