Story

Dragon Oath is a Chinese martial arts MMORPG adapted from the popular Chinese novel Tian Long Ba Bu, which was written by famous martial arts Wuxia writer Jin Yong. Developed by Sohu-ChangYou, Dragon Oath attracts such a vast number of players that it is currently ranked third most popular in the Chinese MMORPG market.

The Song Dynasty

The Song Dynasty (Chinese: 宋朝; pinyin: Sòng cháo; 960–1279) ruled the Southeastern part of China from the middle of the 10th century until the last quarter of the 13th century. The Song Dynasty is considered a high point of classical Chinese innovation in science and technology, including prominent intellectual figures such as Shen Kuo and Su Song as well as the revolutionary use of gunpowder weapons (catapult-projected bombs, fire lances, flamethrowers, and land mines.)

However, it was also a period of political and military turmoil. The opposing, and often aggressive, political factions impeded progress in many ways with their disagreements and conflicts. The frontier management policies of the Chancellor Wang Anshi exacerbated hostile conditions along the Chinese-Vietnamese border, sparking a border war with the Lý Dynasty. Although this conflict ended in a mutual draw, there was subsequently an enormous military defeat at the hands of invading Jurchens from the North in 1127. This forced the remnants of the Song court to flee South from Kaifeng and establish a new capital at Hangzhou.

It was there that the new naval force was commissioned to combat the Jurchen's Jin Dynasty. The Song Dynasty was able to defeat further Jurchen invasions, but then the Mongols (led by Genghis Khan, Ögedei Khan, Möngke Khan, and finally Kublai Khan) gradually conquered China. The final Song Emperor fell from power in 1279.

The Story of Xiao Feng

Xiao Feng was the popular and charismatic chief of the Beggars' Alliance, possessing strong leadership qualities and exceptional prowess in martial arts. He fell from grace after his true ethnicity as a Khitan was revealed, and he was wrongly accused of murdering several martialists in order to conceal his identity. He became an outcast of the Wulin and the number one enemy of all Han Chinese warriors. Forced to sever all ties he had with the Han Chinese, he met them in a bloody battle where he single-handedly killed many fighters - some of them his old friends.

Xiao Feng left to verify the claims that he was a Khitan and to investigate the mysterious murders. He was accompanied by A'Zhu, a young woman who had fallen in love with him, and stood by him when all else had turned against him. After a long journey in disguise, he finally concluded that he was indeed a Khitan, and assumed his ancestral name (Xiao Feng.) But what came next would be a terrible tragedy: tricked into believing that Duan Zhengchun (A'Zhu's father) was responsible for the death of his parents, he mistakenly killed A'Zhu, who was in disguise to defend her father.

Xiao Feng had deep regrets and subsequently left Song with A'Zi, the younger sister of A'Zhu. He promised to take good care of A'Zi, who had also fallen in love with him - but, disagreeing with her mischievous and sadistic nature, he did not love her in return. Xiao Feng wandered to Liao, where he saved the life of the ruler Yelü Hongji and was made a powerful noble as a reward. When Yelü Hongji decided to invade Song, Xiao Feng attempted to dissuade him, as he still valued his past relationship with the Han Chinese. Ultimately, Xiao Feng committed suicide to prevent the war between Song and Liao, after taking Yelü Hongji hostage and making him swear that he would never invade Song.

The Story of Duan Yu

Duan Yu was a young, naive prince of the Kingdom of Da Li. Despite a long tradition of the practice of martial arts in the royal family, he refused to learn to fight due to his Buddhist influences and his disdain for bloodshed. When his father Duan Zhengchun tried to force him to learn martial arts, he ran away from home. Ironically, he acquired three of the most powerful skills mentioned in the novel Tian Long Ba Bu. He became immune to poison after consuming the Zhuha, a poisonous toad dubbed "the king of all venomous creatures."

During his adventures, he encountered many beautiful young maidens, several of whom he fell in love with. However, one by one, the maidens were revealed to actually be his half-sisters, due to his womanizing father's numerous past affairs. Of these women, he was deeply obsessed with Wang Yuyan, who resembled a statue of a fairy-like maiden he had once seen. He tried to win her heart, but she had no feelings for him, as she was already in love with her cousin Murong Fu. Finally, Wang Yuyan realised that Duan Yu was the one who truly loved her. They married and lived together happily for the rest of their lives.

The Story of Xuzhu

Xuzhu was a monk from the Shaolin sect, described as kind-hearted and with a submissive nature. He believed strongly in following the Buddhist code of pacifism, and refused to break it even when faced with life-threatening situations. He followed his elders to a meeting of martial artists, which marked the start of his adventures. By a combination of coincidences, Xuzhu broke the Weigi fighting formation and became the successor of the Carefree Sect, thus inheriting the powers of Wuyazi. After that, he encountered Tianshan Tonglao and other acquaintances of Wuyazi, who taught him martial arts. He became the leader of several unorthodox sects in the Jianghu. Xuzhu felt overwhelmed by the sudden influx of heavy responsibilities and his major leap in martial arts prowess. He desired to free himself from all of these duties and return to his former monastic life. However, he was unable to wrench himself free from the various tribulations and dangers that lay ahead; he was no longer regarded as a disciple of Shaolin and had no choice but to accept his fate. Xuzhu was of lowly parentage, having been revealed to be the illegitimate son of Shaolin's Head Abbot Xuanci and Ye Erniang of the Four Evils. The reunion with his parents was destined to be the first and the last. By another coincidence, Xuzhu became the prince consort of the Kingdom of Western Xia due to a previous affair with Princess Yinchuan, whom he married.