Chronicle of the Righteous Path in the Wildlands

Set against the historical backdrop of the late Northern Song to early Southern Song, this epic weaves together six major phases: Song Jiang's return to court, the alliance with the Jin to destroy the Liao, the Jingkang Catastrophe, the Song-Jin standoff, the civilizing of the Nanyang, and the reformation of the immortal realm. Li Jun and other surviving Liangshan heroes refuse to let their great cause of upholding justice for heaven be buried, and are indignant that villains run rampant while good people suffer. Together with Yan Qing, Tong Wei, and Tong Meng, they raise the banner of justice once more. Centered on martial arts, state of mind, and loyalty, the book depicts the aftermath of the Liangshan army's triumphant campaign against Fang La following amnesty. The surviving heroes engage in thrilling struggles against corrupt officials like Gao Qiu; they face the flames of the Song-Jin war and the intrigues behind peace talks; after achieving merit in defending their homeland, they journey to the Nanyang to continue upholding justice, establish the Kingdom of Siam, and civilize the native peoples. In the final part, the heroes are further elevated. Facing the collapse of heavenly law in the immortal realm and the cruel law of the jungle, they take it upon themselves to civilize the immortal world, breaking down class oppression and establishing a peaceful immortal realm amidst the core conflict of destroying the old and establishing the new. The book composes a stirring epic of martial arts and cultivation, leaving the intense struggle between new birth and conservatism, advancement and backwardness in the immortal realm's hegemony as a cliffhanger for the next installment. — Description from novelcodex.org