Across the dying country of Cheng-chun, move the scattered members of the disgraced Ling sect. Among these marked cultivators are the Min siblings, Jiaxia and Guanshu. In the midst of covertly carrying out business for the sect, Ru Yi Wen, the royal authority on cultivation falls into their laps. Balancing Yi Wen and the whims of their spirit guide, Lin jing, the two manage to complete their vital task only to become embroiled in helping Yi Wen complete a prosperity ritual to end the famine in Cheng-chun.

From the outset Yi Wen is opposed by the young king of Cheng-chun, a lifelong friend of his, a man of great resources, capable generals, and a lifetime of resentment from being the second born son. Having escaped from the capital to perform the ritual the king himself has refused to do, Yi Wen takes advantage of Jiaxia and Guanshu's propensity to keep their identities hidden in order to avoid capture himself. Eventually, however, he realizes his role in supporting the suppression of the Ling sect and struggles with the possible consequences of admitting this to his new comrades.

Watching the drama between the three unfold are a minor god and a ghost, both tasked with trying to restore the Ling sect with varying levels of success.