An excerpt from the book of the grand historian Si Ji written a hundred years ago:

The Annals of Spring and Autumn

The world has three realms; the Realm of Heavens, the Realm of Mortals and the Realm of the Dead. The Jade Emperor and his Celestial Court rule over the Heavens, the realm where the Gods and Immortals live. The Jade Emperor enforces justice in Heavens and Earth. His will in the Mortal Realm, the Earth where we humans live, is enforced since time immemorial by the four Orthodox Sects; Mount Kunlun Sect, Phoenix Sect, Heaven Sect and Ma Sect. The disciples of those Sects cultivate immortality, pursue knowledge and uphold justice.

In the Ancient Times, the world was in turmoil. The Dark Lord Ye Guang rose in revolt against the Jade Emperor and the Orthodox Sects. His army of undead wreaked havoc in the world until a martial hero used the Flaming Medallion and the Heavenly Sword to slay the Dark Lord. Eight hundred thousand years later, peace reigns in both Heavens and Earth.

The political power in the Mortal Realm is now held by the Emperor of the grand Jia Dynasty. His Imperial Majesty is the supreme overlord of the civilized world. His ancestor Jia Gaozu established the Jia Dynasty nine hundred years ago with the blessings of the Jade Emperor, ending a fifty years period of chaos and civil war after the collapse of the Wei Dynasty. The northern lands of the Dynasty are sparsely populated, the only exception being the metropolis that is the Imperial Capital. The southern lands are densely populated and rich. The largest city in that area is White City, a huge metropolis that rivals the Imperial Capital in its size and population. To the east of the Dynasty lies the Great Ocean. Travel by sea is limited as sea monsters and pirates make any voyage lethal. To the far south lies the Great Forest; nominally a part of the Empire, it is dominated by bandits who openly defy His Imperial Majesty. Legend has it that the forest is also home to magical creatures and elves, but such stories are simply fairy tales.

The only lands outside of His Majesty's rule are the Desert of Death in the west and the Kingdom of Swagen in the north. The Desert of Death is a barren land. Legend has it that tens of thousands of years ago, it was home to an advanced civilization. Its inhabitants' luxurious and decadent lifestyle and the debauchery of their rulers enraged the Jade Emperor and he turned the land into desert. Nowadays, the desert is home to small tribes of raiding nomads. The history of the Kingdom of Swagen can be reconstructed by historical documents. Its people are proud and independent warriors. For thousands of years, they were plagued by infighting until one great King named Odin united the Swagen tribes into one Kingdom. The Swagen people used to pillage the plains of the Jia Dynasty until Imperial ancestor Jia Taizong built a series of fortifications. The Forts of the North protect the Dynasty from the Swagen warriors while the Forts of the West stop desert raiders.

The third realm, the Realm of the Dead, known commonly as the Underworld, is the realm where the souls of those who die go. The souls of the dead and beasts that have been banished there by the Gods are the only inhabitants of the realm. Not much is known regarding that realm, aside from a few legends and folktales.

That is the reality of our world...