Dongfang Qingcang returns to the Cangyan Sea after the war between immortals and demons, but a new danger waits for him there: the Peacock Military Advisor has laid a trap of their own. At the same time, the god of war Chidi keeps surfacing in Orchid's dreams, offering no clear answers. As Dongfang and Orchid continue their uneasy path as enemies traveling together, a hidden realm called the Three Realms of Shadows, separate from the world they know, comes into view. Soon after, a far larger secret begins to emerge, one bearing on the equilibrium of the Three Realms itself.