History of Perfect World

## The Age of the Void

In an age when the Heavens were not yet stretched over the Earth, and Hell was still silent beneath the lands of creation. When all creatures bright and dark had yet to grasp the first weapons and tools left behind by the gods and their children, there was the Void. Within the Void, a Cosmic Egg with perfectly balanced Yin and Yang chi coalesced and formed. From within the egg, Pan Gu, the first being, awoke and emerged. He noticed the swirling ball of energy, and realizing that within its mass neither Yin nor Yang held sway. For a fraction of an instant, in that Age when time had yet no meaning, Pan Gu began to contemplate on the possibilities that this Void could provide.

With fierce concentration his thoughts burst into flame about him. In the flames, he beheld a vision of a world filled with ideals, honor, compassion, glory, and beauty that could be molded out of the Void's chi. Standing amidst the flames and moved by the vision within, Pan Gu decided to destroy the Void to create the Perfect World. Pan Gu inhaled his vision; his lungs were filling with a strong fiery wind. He approached the Void and spoke words of flame to shape it, breathed upon it to fill it with energy, and finally exhaled fully to immerse it in his fiery vision, to shape the very nothingness of the Void itself with the fires of his vision. As the Void began to take shape and come to life, Pan Gu found that it refused to be completely shaped by his will. It shot slivers of Void chi and speared Pan Gu in the chest. Pan Gu drew the Void chi from his wounds, breathed on them and transmuted it into matter. The Void chi was then reformed and became the first weapon – the Primal Gem; a jeweled axe-hammer of black and silver adorned with streaks of blood red. Holding the Primal Gem, Pan Gu spoke to the Void.

*"Why do you attack me?"* he thundered.

*"You seek to make something of me, and I do not wish it,"* said the Void in a hundred thousand sounds that gurgled and howled though was still understandable despite the cacophony of sounds.

*"What is it that you wish to become?"* Pan Gu said.

*"I wish to remain as I am, without form and without substance. Join me in oblivion."* said the voice of Void.

*"I will not,"* said Pan Gu, *"I see the dreams of those that have yet to exist; I hear the cries of what can be, I feel the potential of all the magnificence that could be created. Yield to me, Void. Turn away from the emptiness and together we can create a perfect world where-"*

*"Fool! I am everything and everywhere. There is nothing but the emptiness of my embrace."*

Then, the Void attacked Pan Gu with a million Void Stones imbued with the will of oblivion. Pan Gu parried each assault with the hammer and shaft of his weapon, sending them back to their master. The Void then grew a hundred thousand pairs of arms, all at once punching, gouging, grabbing, and piercing Pan Gu. Pan Gu blocked, dodged, and spun away, burning away the thousands of tendrils with his breath. Then, the Void created a hundred thousand pairs of tripping, kicking, stomping legs and chased after Pan Gu. Pan Gu cut deftly at the Void with the Primal Gem, easily severing the limbs that sought to harm him. Finally, the Void had weakened sufficiently and could no longer attack. Pan Gu raised the Primal Gem and was about to claim his victory when the Void spoke.

*"I am inevitable, Pan Gu. Where you see honor, there will be corruption. Where you see compassion, there will be cruelty. Where you see glory, there will be shame. Where you see beauty, and there will be decay. You will find out soon the virtue of emptiness, and everything you create, will return to me."*

Pan Gu paid no heed to the Void's words. With a mighty swing of the Primal Gem, Pan Gu split the Void in two – the Yin and the Yang. Pan Gu then threw himself between the halves of the Void and struggled to keep the two apart, lest they recombine and reincorporate the Void that was.

## The Age of Pan Gu

Thus the Yang became the Earth, while the Yin became the Sky, and Pan Gu struggled to push the two further and further apart. At last, after nearly eighteen thousand years, Pan Gu was satisfied with his work and turned his attention to the World, the space between the Sky and the Earth, where the energies of the Yin's divine brilliance and the Yang's dark radiance mixed and churned and strove to create chaos anew.

He created the Pillars of Existence from his bones, his blood, and fragments of the Primal Gem, to help keep Earth and Sky apart. Pan Gu summoned the last reserves of his chi, and entered a meditative trance beginning the long process of healing his wounds and shaping his Perfect World. As he deepened his meditative state, his fiery vision consumed his thoughts, and Pan Gu began to change, and the World changed with him. His breath became the terrible winds his voice became the rumbling thunder; his words became furious lightning. His body became the mountains and edges of the world; his blood formed rivers; his muscles, the fertile lands; his hair, the forests; his bones, the minerals and ore. He decomposed his body into five elements: fire, metal, wood, earth and water. With his divine power, Pan Gu forged these elements into air, land, mountains, rivers, seas and plant life and laid the foundation for a new World. His thoughts divided and immersed themselves in the new aspects of the World, becoming powerful beings that the races of the World would eventually call gods: The Lords of the Boundaries (North, East, South and West), the Goddess of the Sun, the God of the Moon, the River Kings and the Mountain Emperor, the Seven Saints of the Hammer and the Immortal Regent of the Axe.

It was then that Pan Gu made his first attempt to fill this new World with life. From his shadow he formed the first sentient beings. These unnamed creatures were uncivilized, and before long, they began corrupting the world around them. Pan Gu saw that what he had created had become an Imperfect World, and moved quickly to rectify his mistake. He built a floating city known as Heaven's Tear, and placed within the city the few creatures that had yet to be corrupted. Then, with the power of water and wind, Pan Gu created a massive flood, which swept through the land and destroyed all life in its path.

The world now cleansed, Pan Gu set about creating a new world, one filled with beings who were capable of Spiritual Cultivation. Between these races he created, the Perfect World was created. The chief quality that Pan Gu gave all three races was free will. He vowed never again to eradicate an entire species, so all conflicts between the races were to be resolved amongst themselves.

## The Golden Age of the Three Races

The humans cultivated the ravaged Land of Pangu. The bodies of the first humans were made from the mud of the Earth, their minds were cut from the raw gems of the Underworld to better withstand the warping effect of the Yang's emanations, and their souls were distilled from the breath of Pan Gu to better withstand the sterilizing effect of the Yin's emanations. These humans, new and pleasing to gods and demons alike, rapidly multiplied and their number covered the Lands of Pan Gu. Farms and orchards, towns and villages, cities and kingdoms sprang up across the face of Pan Gu.

Tens of thousands of years ago, the portals to the Heavens and the Underworld were sealed, leaving behind handfuls of powerful gods and demons to oversee the development of the Land. God, demon, and human lived together in relative harmony for a time. Then one night, a burning brightness suffused all the Lands of Pan Gu, followed by a numbing darkness. All gods and demons vanished from the Land of Pan Gu. In the wake of their disappearance, three new cities were discovered that had apparently been hidden from the eyes of man for years.

A race of beautiful Winged Elves suddenly appeared in what came to be known as City of the Plume. They claimed to be servants created by the gods sent to help the human lands prepare for the coming of the Void, but the gods that ruled their city had disappeared in the numbing darkness. And with that, they opened up their city and began to spread across the world.

A race of Untamed also appeared in what came to be known as the City of the Lost. They claimed to be beasts uplifted to sentience by the demons to help the human lands prepare for the coming of the Void, but demons that ruled their city had died in the burning brightness. So they too opened up their city and also began to spread across the world.

A third city was discovered, seemingly newly built but devoid of people and other signs of life except for two infants – a boy and a girl. The Winged race and the Beast race were questioned about it and rumors about a third city that the gods and demons had neither created nor visited surfaced. Due to the abundance of dragon-related artworks and murals, it came to be known as Dragon City, Archosaur.

Conflict arose when humans and elves discovered the city of Heaven's Tear. A war erupted as they fought for control of the great city, bringing out the worst in both races. Soon relationships between cities and kingdoms became strained, communities began to cluster along lines of family, race, and social standing, and the intricate mechanism of laws and enlightened rules fell apart. Unrest, injustice, and conflict plagued the Land of Pan Gu, and its inhabitants once again began familiarizing themselves in the tools of battle. Weapons, invocations, and potions of power again emerged, and great heroes arose to champion the causes of the helpless and the wronged. Kingdoms built by warlords and tyrants rose and fell, borders shifted yearly, and the scent of blood and the ring of combat was commonplace throughout the lands. As the war intensified, and neither side relented, a new threat emerged.

The race that was thought to have been eradicated in the great flood returned in full force. These creatures were not quite living, but not quite dead, and thus came to be known as Wraiths. The Wraiths appeared to possess a singular objective: to destroy the other races and corrupt the beautiful world around them. Rumors swirled that the Wraiths were capable of possessing other living things. Not much is known about the true nature of this evil, but one thing is clear: the races of this Perfect World had to set aside their differences and unite to preserve their way of life, halt the spread of corruption, and above all, protect the land from which they came.

## The Ten Generals and the Horde

It soon became clear to many that a strong ruler was needed to unite Perfect World, to enforce the rule of law, to win the favor of Heaven and hold together the World's many contentious and aggressive factions. In time, two leaders pulled themselves from the mass of infighting factions and consolidated might armies under their command: the commoner Honorable Kuan, and the aristocratic Jade-Eyed Zhao.

Honorable Kuan joined the ranks of the original ten generals of Pangu, commonly referred to as the Ten, who the most respected and feared military commanders of their time. United under Honorable Kuan's leadership, the Ten became known as General Kuan (Benevolence), General Si (Individuality), General Xia (Justice), General Chou (Vengeance), General Yi (Righteousness), General Chan (Obsession), General Zhong (Loyalty), General Hen (Ruthlessness), General Ba (Force), and General Bao (Ferocity). Together they fought a series of battles against the Horde of Zhao.

After a long series of battles, General Kuan triumphed over Jade-Eyed Zhao and became the Emperor of Pangu and claimed the Mandate of Heaven in Archosaur.

## The Golden Age of the Emperor of Pangu

Emperor Kuan established cities that celebrated these ideals and recorded the achievements of its most prominent citizens, teaching the citizens of his Empire to aspire for glory and honor. He organized clans dedicated to upholding these ideals. He shaped cities that celebrated these values to ensure that they would endure. The clans took root and flourished, creating huge numbers of warrior loyal to the Emperor and the Empire. This golden age of wisdom, learning, and harmony was not without incident. At the end of Emperor Kuan's reign, only three of the Ten remained.

Generals Chou, General Si, General Chan, General Hen, and General Bao were sent to investigate the loss of contact with what became known as Portal City. There they found the land overrun by strange and powerful creatures. Alarmingly, these creatures seemed to be growing stronger with each hour, and scholars and general alike agreed that the secret to their increasing power lay within the city. The generals marshaled their armies and mounted an all-out assault on the city, hoping to destroy that source of power before they were overwhelmed.

Only one general, General Chan, managed to return to the Emperor and, refusing to report to any save the Emperor, whispered what had happened. Immediately after, General Chan allowed himself to be slain by the Emperor. A sumptuous feast in honor of the departed generals followed, after which the Emperor ordered the survivors of the Battle of Portal City slain as well. Then he sent General Zhong and General Ba to set fire to Portal City and its surrounding environs.

General Ba was left to oversee the rebuilding of Portal City and to guard the structures that had somehow proved resistant to the flames. After nearly a decade of guarding the Portal City, General Ba passed away in his sleep – some say the boredom and inactivity of being stationed at Portal City, while others whisper stories about nine terrible nightmares that claimed the feared general's life.

## The End of the Empire

The Emperor fell prey to a mysterious illness that rendered him comatose, and despite the skills and abilities of his court and other scholars and healers of Pangu, he breathed his last as dawn broke on his last day in Pangu to the shock and consternation of the Imperial Court.

However, Emperor Kuan had made secret plans for his succession with three of his oldest friends – the three remaining generals of the Ten:

• General Xia, Master of Hidden Wing Fortress, a bald, barrel-chested man often sent by the Emperor to investigate conflicts and deliver justice to his enemies;
• General Zhong of the Eight Obsidian Armor, a tall and regal woman known for her loyalty to the Emperor and entrusted with the enforcement of the laws;
• General Yi, Keeper of the Beast Cloak, was a long-time friend and respected tactician throughout the Lands of Pangu.

Emperor Kuan often told them that none of his children were yet worthy of ruling the kingdom, and he feared passing away before proving any of them proved worthy. He dedicated the remainder of his life to finding the one person worthy of ruling his Empire. He exacted oaths from each of his generals that they would ensure that they would serve his chosen heir as well as they had served him.

Less than a fortnight before his death, he had sent trusted emissaries to summon his Generals to his side. The scrolls that each received told each general the same message: the Emperor had at last found his successor and needed to make plans. When the generals arrived and found the Emperor dead, they were filled with grief but masked their emotions from the Empress, her twin sons, and the Imperial Court. The Empress and the Imperial Family, surprised by the sudden arrival of the three generals mere hours after the death of the Emperor, struggled to compose themselves and outlined a plan to retain order and control of the Empire.

In the Emperor's throne room, the Empress, resplendent white and silver, stood on the Regent's Dais to the side of the Scintillating Throne of Jade and informed the generals that an investigation was being conducted into the Emperor's death. She demanded that they prove their loyalty by surrendering their hold over lands and cities until the investigation was complete.

General Xia, carrying his bondsword Skyclaw slung over his shoulder, paused for the shortest of breaths before politely refusing to surrender his lands. General Zhong, responded with stoic silence. Infinite Edge, the bondsword that the Emperor had awarded her, remained buckled firmly to her belt sash. Finally, the elderly yet elegant General Yi, answered slowly and carefully, avoiding the issue by stating that her lands belonged to the Empire and had never been hers in the first place. Across her back the massive bondsword Prismatic Shade shifted noisily in its scabbard. Frustrated, the Empress revealed that the investigation had already been completed before the Generals' arrival and accused the three generals of poisoning the Emperor. She ordered the Imperial Guardsmen to arrest them.

General Xia, familiar with the intricacies of laws and justice, challenged the authority of the Empress, citing the questionable conduct of the investigation. Before the Empress and the Imperial Court could recover from his declamations, he revealed the contents of the scroll he'd received from the Emperor bearing the Emperor's Seal – declaring that the Mandate of Heaven lost to the surviving members of the Imperial Family.

General Zhong argued with General Xia, pointing out that there was little they could do – they could not fulfill the Emperor's wishes since they did not know who the intended heir was. He recommended that they conduct their own investigation of the Emperor's death and award the Empire to whichever member of the Imperial Family they deemed most worthy.

At this General Yi balked. *"You are mad!"* she exclaimed. *"They accuse us of dishonorably striking down our sworn sword brother through dishonorable means! They seek to strip us of hard-won cities and lands that they themselves had never been deemed worthy enough to rule! And you stand there ready to elevate one of them over the rest of us?"*

The Empress and the Imperial Court, stung by the disdain that the three arguing Generals displayed towards their royal presences, once again called upon the reluctant Imperial Guardsmen to arrest them, accusing all three them of openly conspiring to usurp the Imperial Throne.

The three generals stopped the advancing Imperial Guardsmen with contemptuous stares. Then they stepped past the Empress and advanced on the vacant Throne of Jade, arguing with one another over what to do next.

*"My friends, the Emperor himself told us that none of them were worthy to rule,"* said General Yi. *"We must take control of the Empire lest they ruin what he created."*

*"My friends, the Emperor did not find any of us worthy to rule either,"* said General Zhong. *"Unless we discover who he meant to pass the Mandate of Heaven to, we must uphold the laws that he created to govern the Empire."*

*"My friends, the Emperor's assassination speaks of a grand conspiracy within the Empire by those who twist the laws to their own ends,"* said General Xia. *"They have slain the Emperor, and his soul cries out for justice."*

Their argument grew heated and continued until midday. The generals realized that they could not come to an agreement.

General Xia, unable to convince the others that to join him in seeking out the conspirators in the Empire, had become fearful that his friends had fallen under shadowy influences. He resolved to strengthen his own holdings and influence and to root out the conspiracy that had claimed the life of the Emperor.

General Zhong, unable to convince the others to uphold the current state of the Empire, had become alarmed that they would seek to carve out lands from the Empire for their own plans and ambitions. She resolved to take steps to weaken or, if necessary, eliminate the others.

General Yi, unable to convince the others to take control of the Empire, had become intent on taking control of the Empire herself to ensure that the Empire would continue as the Emperor had envisioned it. She resolved to fortify and expand her holdings in order to achieve her ends.

The three generals turned to face the Imperial Family. *"For the good of the Empire, we shall ask three of you to become a Council of Regents who will oversee the governance of the Empire."*

The three generals turned to face the Imperial Court. *"For the good of the Empire, we shall divide your number amongst the Council of Regents to advise them in the governance of the Empire."*

The three generals turned to face the Imperial Guardsmen. *"For the good of the Empire, we shall divide your number amongst the Council of Regents to keep you them safe, here in the confines of the Imperial Palace."*

The three generals turned to face the empty throne.

General Xia drew the sleek Skyclaw and thrust it into the left armrest of the Scintillating Throne of Jade. *"Until those who slew the Emperor are all brought to justice, I shall seek out and destroy the enemies of the Empire. In return for my services, the Empire will recognize the lands that I now control as the Lands of the Xia."*

General Zhong drew the razor-sharp Infinite Edge and thrust it into the right armrest of the Scintillating Throne of Jade. *"Until an Emperor rules once more, I shall safeguard the Empire and its laws. In exchange for my continued loyalty, the Empire will grant the lands I currently govern as the Lands of the Zhong."*

General Yi drew the massive Prismatic Shade and thrust it into the seat of the Scintillating Throne of Jade. *"None shall rule as Emperor until the true bearer of the Mandate of Heaven commands us to reclaim these three swords from the heart of the Jade Throne. Until that happens, the Lands of the Yi fall under my rule, unless any of you seek to take them from me by force."*

With that, the three generals left Archosaur.

## The Wraiths' Ploy

Upon uncovering a strange Wraith Plot, old memories were awakened and ancient mysteries became important. A magic relic, the Chrono Wheel, became necessary as it was the only way to travel back ten thousand years in the past to investigate the roots of the Wraiths, and uncover the truth about the beginning of the Millennium War.

The Millennium War is one of the main historical periods of Perfect World. Called the Millennium War because it lasted for a thousand years, this conflict between the Winged Elves and Humans only ended when the pressing threat of the Wraiths forced a truce. Understandably, there is still much animosity between the Elves and Humans. The initial cause of the strife and the even that brought tempers to a head leading to all out war, is known as the Massacre of Unicorn Forest. The story goes that the Winged Elves brutally murdered a group of humans, but as it is with history, stories vary.

But only by visiting other times of peril for Perfect World could the full truth be known. Another tale tells of the northern Savagians who invaded the western Human countries. Led by the dark lord Wanyi, they advanced rapidly to the Valley of the Scarred, where the City of the Lost is now located. The whole West Land fought the Savagians at the Valley of the Scarred. In the early days of the war, the allied force was almost wiped out. The West Land was in danger, until a defender came with help from an unlikely ally and saved Perfect World. Who was this powerful friend?

Answering this question ultimately led to even more intriguing mysteries, namely the situation surrounding the fall of the Twilight Empire. The real story behind Chungyun and the Princess of Moonlight must be uncovered.

## The Age of Spirits

There is a world in where the abundance of creatures we know can live, our Perfect World. However, there exists other worlds, such as the Underworld where ghosts live, where things are totally different from the Perfect World. Besides these two worlds, there is another mystical world in this universe, the Elemental World.

The five elements, metal, wood, water, fire and earth, are the basis for system of life in Perfect World. This system existed before the gods created human, and it dominates the birth, age, illness and death of all creatures. Some people, after hardworking cultivation, have been able to learn a few elemental skills. However, few know the true meaning of the five elements.

Perfect World, the Underworld and the Elemental World exist in a delicate balance together. In the Elemental World, the Five Elemental Airs, each with a distinct color, dominate everything. The Five Elemental Airs system of the Elemental World is deeply intertwined with the five elements system in Perfect World. Anytime a system in one world becomes unbalanced, the other world will feel the change.

Before the worlds were created, the universe was in chaos, there were no elements, no creatures, no feeling and no thought. As billions of years passed, things began to evolve. After the creation of Perfect World, creatures with intelligence appeared. They had a mighty power named belief, which helped them to be the ruler of the world. At the same time, the five elements, developed thoughts and wills of their own, and finally evolved into a mystic being. Genie.

Genies are the babies of the five elements. They know how to use elemental skills innately and have a basic instinct to keep the balance of the all worlds. Genies mainly live in Elemental World, seldom of them can be seen in Perfect World. However, things are changing...

In the endless war between the Eastern Emperor Ching and Yaksa Tribes, Ching killed a god who was worshiped by Yaksa Tribes. This incident greatly destroyed the root of water and wood, unbalancing the five element system. At the same time, gods have been disappearing, ghosts are peeping everywhere, the situation has become worse and worse, and it seemed that Perfect World may be coming to its end. However, the Genies, with their innate instinct of maintaining the balance of the five elements system, rose to save Perfect World.

## Pan Gu's Prophecy

Pan Gu's ancient prophecy foretold the destruction of Perfect World. Thousands of years later, the time has come.

*"The land of Perfect World will suffer destruction the likes of which has never been seen. The world will be torn apart, leaving massive crevasses across its surface. The oceans will rage with turmoil and the tides will swallow everything in their path. The races of the World, thrown into chaos, will not understand what is happening to their beautiful world."*

Within the depths of the underground, an ancient race of people with arcane powers and innate magic abilities had foreseen the coming of this post-apocalyptic world. In knowing the future, they have dedicated their lives to prepare for this a day.
The ancient, subterranean race, the Earthguard were selected by Pan Gu himself to receive the gift of the Third Eye. In receiving this gift, they became instrumental to the survival of the allied races of Perfect World, for it gave them the power to foresee the calamitous disaster that had been prophesied long before. They trained all their lives with the knowledge that, at the onset of an age of darkness and destruction, they would be called to action and depended upon.