Wu Lei (right) headlines the cast in the role of Li Cu in the new production. [Photo provided to China Daily]

But for Xu, who also wrote the script and acts as executive producer of The Sea of Sand, the new series marks his effort to seek a change.

"I've written nearly 10 books for the nine clans in the Grave Robbers' Chronicles franchise, which have been adapted into several on-screen productions. New adventures need new heroes, who will be more appealing to audiences," explains Xu during a recent promotional event in Beijing.

Unlike the old generations who view tomb raiding as a family business, this new group are protectors of ancient treasures, adds Xu.

Wu Lei, a rising star who shot to fame in the hit period drama Nirvana in Fire, headlines the cast in the role of Li, while actor Qin Hao, known for his performance in the Berlin International Film Festival's Silver Bear-winning Blind Massage, stars as the veteran grave robber, Wu.

Speaking about the two characters' mentor-student relationship, Qin says it's like a Chinese version of the relationship between Colin Firth's agent Galahad and Taron Egerton's "Eggsy" in the British espionage-action comedy, Kingsman: The Secret Service.

The cast also includes pop stars Yang Rong, Ji Chen and Zhang Ming'en, as well as veterans Liang Tian, Yao Lu and Yu Hewei.

Bai Yicong, one of the producers, reveals that the series has a big budget in order to recreate some of the fantastical creatures - such as a mystical black-haired snake that can transfer the memories of people from the past to characters in the present, or some human-eating trees - as well as the spectacular desert scenery described in the original books.

The series was shot in the Ningxia Hui, Inner Mongolia and Tibet autonomous regions, and Jiangsu province.

"The biggest challenge was filming in the desert," recalls Bai. "Every reshoot required the sweeping of footprints to make the sand look untouched."

As of Tuesday, The Sea of Sand had obtained 6.8 points out of 10 on the popular review site Douban, which is higher than all the previous titles adapted from Xu's franchise.