Time: unknown, probably very, very long ago.
Place: the vast land of Shenzhou.
Heaven and earth are not benevolent; they regard all things as straw dogs!
In this world, there were originally no such things as immortals. Yet since time immemorial, humankind looked upon the world around them and beheld all manner of strange phenomena—flashes of lightning and peals of thunder, natural disasters and man-made calamities, countless deaths and injuries, misery everywhere—things far beyond human power to cause or withstand. Thus they came to believe that above the nine heavens there were all kinds of gods and spirits, and that below the nine netherworlds lay the dwelling place of wandering souls, the halls of King Yanluo.
And so the notion of gods and immortals spread through the world. Countless human beings bowed and worshiped with sincere hearts, prostrating themselves before the various deities they had imagined and created, praying for blessings and pouring out their sorrows, until incense smoke flourished everywhere.
Since ancient times, all mortals have had to die. But people all loathe death and cherish life; with the tale of the underworld and King Yanluo besides, their fear and suffering only deepened. From this arose the idea of eternal life and immortality.
Compared with other living beings, humans may be physically inferior, but to call them the foremost of all creatures is no empty claim. Driven by the desire for longevity, generations of intelligent and gifted people came one after another, devoting their entire lives to bitter study and research. To this day, true immortality has yet to be found, but there are some who cultivate truth and refine the Dao, who have comprehended a measure of the workings of heaven and earth. With mortal bodies, they command overwhelming power, and with the aid of various secret treasures and magical artifacts, they can even shake heaven and earth, wielding the might of thunder. As for certain profound seniors who attained the Dao, legends say they have lived for thousands of years without dying. People of the world believed they had attained the Dao and become immortals, and so even more threw themselves onto the path of cultivation.
The vast land of Shenzhou is boundless and immense. Only the Central Plains are most abundant and fertile, and eight or nine tenths of the world’s population gathers there. As for the wild borderlands to the east, south, west, and north, the mountains are perilous and the waters treacherous; there are many fierce beasts and savage birds, many foul miasmas and poisonous things, and many barbarian tribes who drink blood and wear furs, so human traces are rare. Since ancient times, it has been passed down among mortals that remnants of the primordial age still survive in the human world, hidden in deep mountains and secret valleys, living for more than ten thousand years—yet no one has ever seen them.
By the present day, those in the human world who cultivate truth and refine the Dao are as numerous as carp crossing the river, beyond counting. And because the vast land of Shenzhou is so broad, and the world holds so many extraordinary people and strange talents, the methods and paths of cultivation are diverse and varied, each different from the next. The method of eternal life has still not been found, yet among them there gradually arose divisions of sect and school, distinctions between righteous and evil. From these came sectarian prejudice, schemes and intrigues, even conflict and slaughter—such things were all too common.
When eternal life seemed so distant and elusive, the power brought by cultivation gradually became the goal of many.
In the present age, the righteous path flourishes, and demons and heretics withdraw. The Central Plains, with their beautiful mountains and clear waters, their thriving populace and abundant resources, are firmly occupied by the righteous sects. Among them, “Qingyun Sect,” “Tianyin Temple,” and “Fenxiang Valley” are the three great pillars, regarded as the leaders.
This story begins with “Qingyun Sect.”