Daomu Biji

Complete Collection

**Daomu Biji (盗墓笔记)** is an eight-volume Chinese web novel written by Nanpai Sanshu. It was first published in July 2006 on Qidian. The books have been made into multiple television shows, collectively called The Lost Tomb Series.

The main novel series consists of nine physical books with *Volume 8* being split into two books. After the publication of the main series, many short stories, sequels, and a prequel have been created.

Part of the series was translated into English under the title *The Grave Robbers’ Chronicles*. Six books were published with the last book being published in 2014. The English translation was continued in 2020 by a fan online.

## Synopsis

The story begins with Wu Xie, who is a seemingly innocent antique shop owner and grandson of the famous Changsha's Mystic Nine Wu Laogou. Wu Xie meets a mysterious man in his shop who accidentally leaves behind a coded map to a thousands-of-years-old tomb. He, along with his third uncle, a mysterious and powerful man named Zhang Qiling, and other master tomb robbers, go to the tomb on the map and encounter monsters beyond their imagination.

Along the way, Wu Xie meets Wang Pangzi, another grave robber who was working for an organization that believes the tomb is connected to the secret of immortality. Soon, he gets caught up in a confusing conspiracy that takes him to different tombs throughout China. Only his third uncle has the answers he's looking for but he has disappeared. Unwilling to give up, Wu Xie decides to get to the bottom of the mystery, and embarks on an extraordinary but unknown adventure.

## Volumes

### Volume 1

Fifty years ago, a group of Changsha earth masters (grave robbers) dug up a Warring States silk book. The fragments recorded the location of a strange Warring States tomb. However, the group of scholars encountered a strange event and almost all of them died.

Fifty years later, the grandson of one of the scholars discovered the secret in the notes of his ancestors. He gathered a group of experienced grave robbers to hunt for valuable objects, but no one expected that there would be so much in the ancient tomb. They discovered so many weird things including a seven-star coffin, a green-eyed fox corpse, and a deadly nine-headed snake cypress.

But who is the owner of this mysterious tomb? Can they find their coffin? Why are there so many mysteries in this tomb that can't be solved? How is the strange underwater tomb, the ten thousand-year-old sacred tree in the Qinling Mountains, and the heavenly palace in the snowy mountain related to this tomb? What are these eternal mysteries hidden from them?

If you are brave enough, read *Daomu Biji*.

### Volume 2

Uncover the eternal mysteries hidden in the ten-thousand-year old sacred tree in the Qinling Mountains and the snowy tomb of the Heavenly Palace on the Clouds.

Wu Xie, who has been idling around at home after his return from the Xisha undersea tomb, suddenly meets his friend, Lao Yang, who was just released from prison and has some amazing news for him. After hearing about a strange hexagonal bell, the ancient She people, a huge bronze tree, and the distant hinterland of the Qinling Mountains, Wu Xie can’t help but be eager to check it out.

Wu Xie and Lao Yang then head to the mysterious Qinling Mountains alone to explore, but what awaits them ahead? All kinds of strange things come one right after another, from Siberian salmon, a waterfall from hell, a corpse array, and a Zhu Jiuyin…

What was this huge bronze tree used for? Was it a tree meant to grant wishes or a kind of totem of the ancients? Will they find the real answer? The expedition is full of human trials and tribulations, with terrifying characters and loathsome faces intertwined. In the end, it’s a jaw-dropping, beyond all imagination, impossible-to-guess adventure with a real and believable ending.

### Volume 3

Ten years ago, Shunzi’s father led a group of mysterious people into the vast snowy mountains. There they broke into a dangerous and inexplicable underground tomb, and found countless treasures inside. But instead of leaving with this wealth, they found themselves trapped and almost all ended up dying in the end. Ten years later, Shunzi and our group set foot in the Heavenly Palace on the Clouds. This thrilling adventure close to death is full of strange things that have never been seen before, from a Kunlun fetus, house centipedes, a hundred-legged dragon god, and other strange things that appear one right after another. There are also strange and terrifying places, such as a secret corpse chamber, a ventilation shaft, a volcanic crater, a palace hall entrance, and a canal full of funerary statues to further stimulate your senses…. Was the Heavenly Palace on the Clouds a tomb built by Wang Zanghai for King Wannu? The same people who appeared in the undersea tomb so long ago almost all gathered in the Heavenly Palace on the Clouds. What is the strange connection between these two places?

Uncle Three always appears at the most unexpected times, but his appearance this time signifies the final answer to all the mysteries. But these mysteries go back fifty years, and the truth is far more complicated than it seems. All the phenomena indicate that even more terrifying and frightening scenes are to be had. If you are brave enough, continue reading “The Grave Robbers’ Chronicles”…

### Volume 4

After successfully escaping from the Heavenly Palace on the Clouds, Wu Xie has a long conversation with the awakened Uncle Three and learns the real story of what happened in the undersea tomb twenty years ago. The truth behind Xie Lianhuan’s mysterious death and the old Changsha grudges involving the silk book of the Warring States Period are also revealed. But just when Wu Xie thinks the matter is becoming clear, two videotapes from Zhang Qiling suddenly throw everything into confusion again…

Looking for the fragmented clues in the videotapes, Wu Xie heads to Qinghai Province alone…

Following the clues left by his predecessors, Wu Xie discovers the last known whereabouts of the archaeological team. In order to understand the truth of the matter, Wu Xie joins A Ning’s expedition team to the Qaidam Basin Salt Marsh. At the same time, Uncle Three’s team also mysteriously sets off from Dunhuang. The two teams seems to have the same goal…

This story is like a mystery. What civilization built the ancient ghost city that only appears in the Gobi when it rains? Was the strange corpse in the underwater tomb Wang Zanghai? What did those seemingly meaningless numbers and symbols on the silk script of the Warring States Period mean? Who was in the giant sarcophagus in the basement of the abandoned sanatorium? What was with the weird behavior in the videotapes? Who was the eleventh member of the Xisha archaeological team that no one ever mentioned before?

### Volume 5

After heading deep into the Snake Marsh Ghost City and searching for three days and three nights, Wu Xie and his team finally find the entrance to the Queen of the West’s palace at a temple hidden in the dense rainforest. But at the entrance, they find that almost all of Uncle Three’s team have died mysteriously, and Uncle Three seems to be missing.

Taking a risk, they enter the city’s huge underground water system, where they finally meet Chen Wen-Jin and learn about the secrets of Xisha. Uncle Three’s true past is also revealed, but things aren’t over yet—the pinnacle of the journey is just ahead. What kind of strange civilization did the Queen of the West’s ancient city hold? Did the giant snake depicted in the relief really exist? Where did the mysterious “it” that followed them everywhere come from? What kind of secret did they finally see that subverted everything they knew?

### Volume 6

In order to help Poker-Face regain his memory, Wu Xie and Fatty travel with him to the hinterland of Shiwandashan in Banai, Guangxi to re-enter the dangerous situation, and collect the remaining clues about the Xisha incident. Members of the archaeological team back from the dead, iron blocks full of strange smells, strangers who died suddenly…. With Father Pan Ma’s story, everything is even more complicated and confusing. And the nightmare is just beginning. They enter the magic lake, discover the ancient Yao village located hundreds of meters underwater, find the hidden Han-style compound hidden within, and discover something more frightening than an ancient tomb! The scary events are much more than that: the burial of an iron man, the statue that resembles the Thunder God, the shadow in the stone, human sacrifice…

On the brink of death, the intention of “it” is so elusive…

What kind of great conspiracy is hidden in this flooded thousand year old Yao village? With the echo of the Qilin tattoo and the ancient village, Poker-Face’s life experience has become clearer than ever before…

### Volume 7

Back in Beijing, our appointment with one of the previous generation of the Mystic Nine meant hitting the auction. Due to mistakenly “Lighting the Sky Lantern”, we had to escape with the jade seal being auctioned. But the subsequent exchange of news surprised both sides!

The mysteriously missing archaeological team, Poker-Face’s unusual identity, the videotapes received many years in a row… all the secrets end up pointing to the same place! In order to get answers, Wu Xie and Poker-Face split up and lead separate forces to Sichuan and Guangxi. What kind of past does the Zhang family’s ancient building constructed in the Yangshi Lei style carry? Is there someone else manipulating things behind the scenes? How will Wu Xie face the tomb that almost destroyed the previous generation of The Mystic Nine? Bloodthirsty hair, moving iron clothes, strange murals… the last step before the end of the puzzle— the answer to all the questions— is just behind this stone wall!

### Volume 8

In order to rectify Uncle Three’s business in Changsha, Wu Xie put on a human skin mask and pretended to be Uncle Three. Wu Xie, Pan Zi, Xiao Hua, and others went to Guangxi from Hangzhou, Changsha, and Beijing. In the village of Banai in Guangxi, Wu Xie (still pretending to be Uncle Three) met Qiu Dekao’s team again and saw Ghost, a man whose shoulders had melted and collapsed. They found that Ghost was a member of the archaeological team that went to the Zhang family’s ancient building thirty years ago, and was also named Zhang Qiling! Was Ghost the key to solving all these secrets? Driven by Ghost, they finally delved deep into the great secret of the vast and strange mountains—a group of Miluotuo who lived on cannibalism were in the mountains, and the passage to the secret location of the ancient building was very dangerous and treacherous if they delayed! Wu Xie and Fatty finally entered the Zhang family’s ancient building, but can they save Poker-Face? What will they find about the archaeological team from thirty years ago? The final finale of “Grave Robbers’ Chronicles” is about to be revealed.

## Character Introduction

### Wu Xie

Wu Xie is the main protagonist and the series is told from his prospective. Wu Xie was born into a family of grave robbers and is the grandson of Changsha Mystic Nine's Wu Laogou. He is the sole heir of the Wu Family and the owner of an antique shop located in Hangzhou.

He is considered naive in the grave robber world, since he tries to see the best in people. He's the type of person that wishes you to live no matter how much he hates you. Wu Xie has an architecture degree and regularly uses this knowledge throughout the story. He can also read ancient texts and is knowledgeable about history.

### Zhang Qiling

Zhang Qiling, who is also known by Poker-Face or Xiaoge, is a mysterious and powerful grave robber. He is the last patriarch of the Zhang Family, a powerful family that has prospered for thousands of years. Zhang Qiling is a skilled fighter who possess special blood that can restrain the most powerful zombies.

Zhang Qiling is considered silent, calm, and reliable. His mysterious past has piqued the ever-curious Wu Xie who wants to know more about him. With Zhang Qiling around, Wu Xie and Pangzi know they're safe.

### Wang Pangzi

Wang Pangzi is an experienced and knowledgeable grave robber from Beijing. He was initially hired to rob Seven Star Lu Palace and Xisha Underwater Tomb by Qiu Dekao. Later he begins to accompany Wu Xie as a friend.

Pangzi is a positive person who regularly cracks jokes. He has saved Wu Xie's life many times. He knows a lot about explosives and guns and has a keen eye for observation.

## Translations

### English

In 2011, part of the series was translated into English under the title *The Grave Robbers’ Chronicles*. *Volume 1* was split into two books *Cavern of the Blood Zombies* and *Angry Sea, Hidden Sands*. *Volume 2* was also split into two books, *Bronze Tree of Death* and *Palace of Doom*. *Volume 3* was also included in *Palace of Doom* and *Deadly Desert Winds*. *Volume 4* was also included in *Deadly Desert Winds*. In 2014, some of *Volume 5* was included in the last published English book *Graveyard of a Queen*. The publishing company did not receive permission to continue with the rest of the series, so publishing stopped after *Graveyard of a Queen*.

In 2020, Merebear, a fan of the series, began to translate the series into English online and initially started where the published English publication left off.

### Others

In 2013, two novels were published in Vietnamese under the name *Đạo Mộ Bút Ký.* The novel was also translated into Vietnamese online. The novels were also translated into Russian online. Around 2013, the series began to be published in Thai under the name *บันทึกจอมโจรแห่งสุสาน*. In 2021, the novels were re-published in Thai.

## Adaptations

*This section of the article is a stub. Please help the Daomu Biji Wikia by expanding it.*

### TV Series

*The Lost Tomb* was the first television adaptation of the main series. It premiered on June 12, 2015. It mainly adapted part of *Volume 1* and also included some of *Volume 7*. Four years later, *The Lost Tomb 2* aired and adapted the rest of *Volume 1* and *Volume 2*. *The Lost Tomb 2: Heavenly Palace on the Clouds* adapted *Volume 2* and *Volume 3*. Ultimate Note mostly adapted *Volume 4, Volume 5, Volume 6,* and *Volume 7.* An animated series, titled *Buried Tree Devil*, adapted *Volume 2*.

## References

1. ↑ 南派三叔, *七星鲁王 第一章 血尸*, Qidian (July 5, 2006), https://www.qidian.com/chapter/68223/1823943/. Archived Screenshot.
2. ↑ MTL English translation from the back cover of *Volume 1*.
3. ↑ Summary from Merebear's WordPress
4. ↑ Summary from Merebear's WordPress
5. ↑ Summary from Merebear's WordPress
6. ↑ Summary from Merebear's WordPress
7. ↑ Summary from Merebear's WordPress
8. ↑ Summary from Merebear's WordPress
9. ↑ Summary from Merebear's WordPress
10. ↑ Siam Inter Book, Facebook (October 1, 2013),https://www.facebook.com/siaminterbooks/posts/682140991797592.