Shattering the Void

Shattering the Void is Huang Yi's first novel and the work he cherished most. Set against the backdrop of the late Song and early Yuan dynasties, as the Mongol armies sweep south, the story follows the great hero Han Gongdu, who gathers the "Soft Palm" Tian Guoke, the "Spear Patriarch" Zhi Lixing, the "Twin Ultimate Crutches" Bi Kongqing, the sword-wielding Tou Tuo, Ling Duxu, and the young master Chuanying on a venture into the legendary Jingyan Palace, said to house the War God Illustrations and the Yue Records left by Yue Fei, hoping that the secrets of military strategy and weaponry may aid the rebel forces against the Mongols. The Mongol side has long since laid heavy forces in wait, with the state preceptor Ba Shiba, the demon sect's Meng Chixing, and other masters closing in. After a bloody battle, only Chuanying penetrates deep into the underground palace to face the War God Illustrations, and thus sets out on the path of proving the Way through martial arts. He later delivers the Yue Records to the rebel army, engages Ba Shiba in a trans-temporal spiritual contest, and duels Meng Chixing on the streets of Hangzhou; his romance with the famed courtesan Qi Bishao also comes to a melancholy end. The book comprises three volumes—"Enlightenment in the Labyrinth," "Duel of Gods and Demons," and "The Way of Heaven Astonished"—short in length yet flowing with an unbroken spirit, and for the first time raises martial arts to the realm of "shattering the void" and transcending the present universe, regarded as the starting point and master outline of Huang Yi's world of fantasy martial arts. The 2009 Yunnan People's Publishing House edition of Huang Yi Classics combines this book with The Contest of Jing and Chu in a single volume.