Immortal Severance

Xian Jue is a long-form xianxia novel by the web author Shi San, serialized on Qidian Chinese Network from June 15, 2011, to its conclusion in September 2012, comprising roughly 2.52 million Chinese characters across 875 chapters. The story opens with the protagonist Cui Can, who in his previous life unified the demonic path of the Southern Wilds by means of the "Bloodburn of the Drought Fiend," the most fearsome talisman in the world. Besieged by both the orthodox and demonic factions and betrayed by those closest to him, he seizes a new body at the brink of having his primordial spirit extinguished, possessing Wu Luo, a lowly servant in the Ruolu Prison where the orthodox cultivation world holds demonic cultivators captive. A demonic titan who once ruled a domain now finds himself the lowest-ranking jailer in a brutal prison, and this fall in status forms the narrative starting point of the book. The work centers its power system on talismans: a single spirit talisman is enough to drive cultivators across the world to fight to the death, yet a thousand spirit talismans are worth less than one fated divine talisman attuned to one's own aptitude and temperament. Deep within Ruolu Prison, Wu Luo encounters an ancient demonic ancestor suppressed by the Five Elements Jade Mountain, the Twin Dragons Grip, and the stone seals of seventy-two primordial divine beasts; through this desperate crucible he tempers his foundation, gradually gains access to unique cultivation paths such as fated divine talismans and the conferral of divine generals, and rebuilds his cultivation through the Nine Dragons Devouring the Sun Grand Art. The world is divided into five regions: the savage beasts of the Northern Frontier, the human demonic path of the Southern Wilds, the shamanic tribes of the Western Regions, the demon clans of the Eastern Lands, and the orthodox human path of the Central Continent; beyond these lie the lower realms graded A, B, and C, and the uppermost immortal realm, together forming a grand "Nine Realms Star River" framework. The overall tone is a brisk, satisfying tale of rebirth and revenge, dense with combat and spell duels, suited to readers who enjoy continuous traditional cultivation progression.