圣墟
The Sacred Ruins
The final part of Chen Dong's trilogy, as spiritual energy returns to Earth
Synopsis
On a modern Earth where spiritual energy suddenly resurfaces, plants and animals mutate and forgotten ruins come to light. Chu Feng, an unremarkable young man, finds a mysterious stone box containing seeds that will change his very nature.
Set on the path of evolution, he gradually discovers that this revival is only a fragment of a far older story, one that ties our world to the legends of Perfect World and Shrouding the Heavens.
Produced by Tencent Video and animated by Build Dream Animation (the studio behind Renegade Immortal), the donghua was presented in 2025 and again at Tencent's June 2026 showcase, with a prologue film and a first season. No firm release date has been announced yet.
World
The story begins on a contemporary Earth shaken by spiritual revival, before opening onto an immense cosmos and the border between the world of the living (阳间) and the world of the dead (阴间). The work concludes Chen Dong's shared universe, where three eras echo one another.
Power system
Rather than classic cultivation, Chu Feng follows a path of "evolution" fuelled by fruits, seeds and ancient techniques. The further the story goes, the more these powers converge with the systems of Perfect World and Shrouding the Heavens.
Reception & popularity
From its first trailer, unveiled in August 2025 at Tencent Video's annual ceremony, the project passed 330,000 pre-registrations. Fans are above all eager to see figures from all three of Chen Dong's series brought together on screen.
My take
The Sacred Ruins has not aired yet, but it is one of the most exciting projects in donghua: bringing Chen Dong's trilogy to a close on screen, with the studio that made Renegade Immortal a hit.
The first images promise a very distinctive style. It remains to be seen whether the adaptation can handle the novel's modern opening, very different from the other two series, without losing viewers used to ancient worlds.
Who is it for?One to watch closely if you enjoyed Perfect World or Shrouding the Heavens and want to know how the story ends.
Main characters
More character profiles are coming.
Adaptations
This franchise also exists in other formats — each with its own pacing and audience.
Trivia
- The novel was published on Qidian from November 2016 to 2021, running to nearly 1,700 chapters.
- The prologue film, Lu Jin Liao Yuan (路尽燎原), takes place at an advanced stage of the novel and features Emperor Huang, the hero of Perfect World.
- The art direction contrasts saturated colours for the heroes with dark tones for the forces of evil.
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