The Rite of the Heavens

Chengfeng Yujian

No rating yet

Word count: 290K words

Summary

The Sacrifice to the Heavens is an Eastern fantasy novel by Chengfeng Yujian, serialized and completed on Qidian in 2013. About 290,000 characters long, it is divided into three volumes—"Sword Sect," "Moon Demon," and "Earth"—spanning over 130 chapters. Though brief, it is the prequel to the author's representative work Seeking Defeat, chronicling the early life of Xuantian Zong, the "First Myth."

At the heart of the story lies a single sword—the Supreme Demon Sword. Ranked first among the four great artifacts of antiquity, it once pierced the barriers between the Moon Demon Realm, the Tianhuang World, and Earth, dragging all three worlds into catastrophe. Whoever subdues this sword rules the three realms; and for that very reason, it has never brought stable power, only endless contention. Xuantian Zong is the sword's third master. The fates of the first two are faintly discernible in the book, and the choices he makes after taking up the blade will determine whether the three realms meet rebirth or ruin.

The book opens among the reeds by the shore of Yandang Lake, where Xuantian Zong, robed in blue, walks alone. Xu Hu, a guard of the Broken Blade Sect, sees through his depths and invites him to ride together to Wenjian Mountain, just in time for the succession ceremony of the Lin Sect's Swordmaster. That ceremony becomes the fuse for the entire book. The "Sword Sect" volume then explores sectarian strife; the "Moon Demon" volume carries the battlefield into other realms, with direct clashes against the Moon Demon Divine Emperor and the Moon Demon royal house; and the "Earth" volume brings the catastrophe back to modern civilization, ending with "Disappearance." Magic, cultivation, and technological systems converge within this short work, forming a segment of the prehistory of the author's "Heavenly Dao"-style sword cultivator world.

In his own synopsis, the author notes: "This book destroys moral compasses, has no integrity—prudes beware," signaling a cold, ruthless tone and a decisive, killer protagonist who is no conventional hero. It suits sword-cultivation readers who can accept a touch of the dark.

Editor's review

在乘风御剑的作品序列里，《诸天祭》是个特别的存在：它是作者全部作品中篇幅最短的一部，却承担着为长篇《求败》补完前史的任务。二十来万字装下三个世界，节奏快得像刀切，很多地方只给结果、不给过程；但也正因为这种「前史式」的写法，它反而集中呈现了作者最核心的东西——剑、人、以及人与天争的那点执念。三卷结构是三次维度跃迁：宗门江湖的正邪之争被解构，异界神魔交错的「神性」被拷问，最后浩劫落到现代文明的语境里。玄天宗不是为成神而战，而是在绝对力量的侵蚀下守一条「人之所以为人」的界线；也正因如此，这本书读起来并不轻松，甚至带有刻意的冷酷与反爽感。作者自己在简介里挂出「毁三观，无节操」的免责声明，说明他很清楚这条边界在哪里。如果你读过《求败》，这本前传会让你重新理解那位「第一神话」；如果没读过，它也能独立成立，是一本节奏紧、火力足、带着冷冽剑气的短篇玄幻。适合一个下午一口气读完，然后隔一阵再回头翻《求败》。

Who it's for

A good fit for

读过《求败》、想补完玄天宗前史的读者
喜欢剑修体系、看重杀伐果断节奏的玄幻读者
能接受主角非正派、基调偏冷硬的暗黑向读者
想用较短篇幅体验乘风御剑世界观的入门读者

Not a good fit for

反感价值观灰暗、主角行事越界内容的读者
偏好细腻情感线与长线铺垫的传统玄幻读者
习惯现代都市爽文轻松口味的轻度读者

Reading tips

可先读《诸天祭》再看《求败》，前史能反哺正传里许多设定与结局
留意三卷之间的世界切换，这是本书结构的关键，而非单纯换地图
把书名里的「祭」当作线索，读时留意它在各卷中的不同所指
篇幅短、节奏快，建议集中时间一次读完，避免线索断裂

FAQ

《诸天祭》和《求败》是什么关系？

《诸天祭》是《求败》的前传，写的是「第一神话」玄天宗的传记故事，篇幅较短。两书可独立阅读，但先读前传再读《求败》，会更容易理解正传中的人物与设定。

这本书篇幅多长、是否完结？

全书约29万字，一百三十余章，2013年在起点中文网连载并完结，分「剑宗」「月魔」「地球」三卷，是一部结构完整的短篇玄幻，不存在断更问题。

简介里说「毁三观，卫道士慎入」，是什么意思？

这是作者自己加在简介里的提示：主角行事冷酷、杀伐果断，立场与传统正邪观不符，部分情节价值取向偏灰暗，作者提醒不适应这类风格的读者谨慎选择。

有正式出版的纸质书或ISBN吗？

目前该书为起点中文网连载的网络小说，未见可靠资料显示有正式出版的中文纸质版本，因此没有可核实的出版社与ISBN信息。

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Chengfeng Yujian Author

Chengfeng Yujian is a fairly active author in the field of Chinese web literature, with 38 works collected in the library. Public information is limited, and neither the author's dates of birth and death nor nationality has been confirmed. The works are mainly male-oriented fantasy and xianxia, commonly categorized as Eastern fantasy, xianxia and wuxia, and quality web fiction. Representative titles include Strongman Emerging from a Nuclear Blast, Hunyuan Sword Emperor, Supreme True Body (Exhausting Reincarnation), Drawing the Sword Is Truth, the Lofty Heavenly Dao Supreme Sword Sect, and Three Million Sword Immortals. Judging from the titles and themes, the works generally revolve around sword cultivation, the heavenly Dao, sects, and the growth of powerful figures, emphasizing the construction of power systems and a brisk, satisfying pace, blending passion with imagination. Overall, Chengfeng Yujian is a steadily productive author of genre web fiction, with a considerable number of works focused on fantasy and xianxia.