Divine Prohibitions

Divine Prohibitions is a xuanhuan novel by the web author Wulai, serialized on Qidian Chinese Network from June 22, 2010, to its conclusion on October 8, 2016. It runs 1,568 chapters and roughly 16.72 million characters. The story is set on an otherworldly continent where battle qi is supreme, and follows Luo Ben, a young man who can only practice magic and is regarded by those around him as little better than a useless fool. In an environment that prizes battle qi above all, he is bullied and lives in hardship, yet he does not stop at resentment; instead, he builds on magic as his foundation and carves out a path of growth utterly different from everyone else's. The novel opens with 'Despair,' 'Night Voyage,' and 'Philips,' then gradually unfolds the races, guilds, slave system, and power structure of this continent through a series of experiences—forced labor for the Phantom Dragon, the Phantom Dragon, Sans City, the Magic Pet City, the Mages' Guild, the great dragon-slaying war, and more. As the journey progresses, Luo Ben meets and travels with female companions such as Shasha and Fannie, moving from the Land of the Undead and the plight of a magic apprentice all the way toward the continent's secrets and the end of the world, ultimately touching on 'the Will of the Gods' and 'the Chaos Seal,' questions concerning the very origin of the world. The tone carries a touch of humor and self-mockery; the protagonist is 'not quite invincible, but full of heart.' The pacing is deliberately slow-building, fond of laying out setting and detail, making it suited to long-form readers who love traditional otherworldly magic and god-challenging themes. The book is a web serial and has not been formally published in print; what circulates in the market are refined online editions.