Chapter 1: Qingyun

The Qingyun Mountains towered majestically over the central plains, with the Hong River flowing in the shade of the mountains, and the important city of Heyang situated on the sunny side, guarding the throat of the world. The geographic location was crucially important.

The Qingyun Mountains stretched for hundreds of miles, with undulating peaks, the highest of which had seven peaks that soared into the clouds. Normally, only white clouds could be seen swirling around the mountain waist, and the true appearance of the mountaintop was unknown. The dense forest of the Qingyun Mountains was home to flying waterfalls and strange rocks, as well as rare birds and animals. The scenery was secluded, rugged, and magnificent, renowned throughout the world.

But what was even more famous was the cultivation sect on this mountain—the Qingyun Sect.

The Qingyun Sect had a long history, having been founded over two thousand years ago, and was currently the leader of both the righteous and evil paths. It was said that the founder of the sect was originally a fortune-teller in the rivers and lakes, who had lived a half-life of poverty and frustration. At the age of forty-nine, he traveled far and wide, and when he passed by the Qingyun Mountains, he immediately saw that this mountain was a unique and beautiful place, gathering the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. He immediately climbed the mountain, ate and drank in the wind and dew, and cultivated his Daoist skills. Before long, he unexpectedly found a nameless ancient scroll in a secret cave deep in the Qingyun Mountains. The scroll contained various kinds of magical arts and techniques, which were difficult and obscure, but had endless uses and tremendous power.

The fortune-teller seized this rare opportunity and devoted himself to cultivating. After twenty years of hard work, he achieved some success and became a rising figure in the rivers and lakes. Thus, he established a sect on the Qingyun Mountains, named the Qingyun Sect, based on the contents of the ancient scroll which were close to Taoism. He dressed as a Daoist and called himself "Qingyunzi." In later generations, his disciples often respectfully addressed him as "Qingyun Immortal."

Qingyunzi lived for 367 years and had ten disciples. On his deathbed, he told them, "I have spent my life studying divination, especially feng shui. Qingyun Mountain is a rare spiritual place in the world, and our Qingyun clan owning it will surely prosper in the future. You must never give it up. Remember, remember!"

At that time, the ten disciples nodded in agreement, firmly believing in his words. However, over the next hundred years, whether it was fate playing tricks or Qingyunzi's lack of expertise in divination, the Qingyun clan did not prosper but instead declined.

Of the ten disciples, two died young, four died in revenge killings, one was disabled, and one went missing, leaving only two branches. After fifty years, a natural disaster struck Qingyun Mountain, with earthquakes and floods killing countless people and wiping out one of the branches. The only remaining disciple had limited talent and abilities, unable to match the glory of Qingyunzi's era. Moreover, the ancient scroll left by Qingyunzi attracted enemies who fought over it, resulting in several bloody battles. If not for the powerful magic weapons left behind by Qingyunzi, the Qingyun clan might have been wiped out.

This situation continued for four hundred years, with the Qingyun clan barely surviving. In the end, they were even bullied on their doorstep. Of the seven peaks of Qingyun Mountain, six were occupied by enemies, including robbers and bandits who plundered and rampaged around. Many outsiders misunderstood and believed that the Qingyun clan had fallen. Although the disciples tried to explain and clear their name, they were powerless and pitiful. It was undoubtedly the saddest time for the Qingyun clan.

It was not until thirteen hundred years ago that things started to change.

Perhaps it was the auspicious omen of Qingyunzi's divination finally coming true, or maybe heaven grew tired of toying with Qingyunmen. At that moment, a remarkable and charismatic figure emerged from the eleventh generation of Qingyunmen disciples, named Qingye Daoren. Qingye, born with the surname Ye, was originally a poor scholar. Despite his exceptional intelligence, he repeatedly failed in his attempts to pass the imperial examinations. However, through a fortuitous encounter, he was taken in as a closed-door disciple by the tenth generation Qingyunmen leader, Wufangzi, at the young age of twenty-two.

Within a year of joining the sect, Qingye had mastered all the swordsmanship and Taoist practices passed down by Wufangzi, surpassing all other disciples. Within two years, even Wufangzi himself could only barely keep up with Qingye's profound cultivation. Wufangzi was both shocked and delighted, promptly presenting Qingye with an ancient scroll left by their founder to study on his own. Qingye then retreated into the "Phantom Moon Cave" behind the peak of Tongtian Mountain for thirteen years of closed-door cultivation.

It was said that on the night he emerged from seclusion, the full moon hung high in the sky, casting a cold and brilliant light across the entire Qingyun Mountain. Suddenly, a fierce wind howled, and a dragon's roar echoed from the mountain, shaking the surrounding area. Then, a light of pale purple brilliance soared into the sky with a loud bang, and the Phantom Moon Cave suddenly opened up. Qingye, with his hair turned white and a smile on his face, stepped out, emanating a clear and pure radiance that astonished all onlookers, who thought he had become an immortal.

From then on, Qingye officially became a Daoist and took the name Qingye, combining his family name Ye with the "Qing" character of Qingyun. Before bidding farewell to his mentor Wufangzi, Qingye said, "Wait a moment, Master. I have something to take care of, but I will return in a day."

No one knew what he meant until one day later, when Qingye returned on his sword, having single-handedly defeated all the enemies threatening Qingyun Mountain's six peaks. The strength of Qingye's Taoist practices and his ruthless methods quickly spread throughout the world, and Qingyunmen's influence rose to new heights.

Another year has passed, and Wu Fangzi is about to pass on the position of sect leader to Qing Ye. He will retire and no longer deal with the trivial matters of the sect. After taking power, Qing Ye worked hard to assist his fellow disciples, rigorously selecting and training successors. With his knowledge gained from an ancient unnamed scroll, he possessed an aura of otherworldliness. From then on, Qingyun Sect flourished and became the pillar of the righteous path within fifty years. Two hundred years later, it had already become the leader of various sects in the righteous path.

Qing Ye lived to the ripe old age of 750 and was strict in his selection of disciples, passing on his knowledge to only seven individuals. He then divided the Seven Peaks of Qingyun Sect among them, allowing the seven branches to share the teachings. The main peak, Tongtian Peak, was home to the Changmen, the most important branch.

Today, Qingyun Sect has nearly a thousand disciples, with many skilled practitioners and a renowned reputation. It is ranked alongside "Tianyin Temple" and "Incense Valley" as the three major sects of the world. The sect leader, Daoxuan, is a legendary figure who has achieved transcendence and entered sainthood.

At the foot of Qingyun Mountain, fifty miles northwest of the city of Heyang, there is a small village called "Caomiao Village". With over forty households, the people there are simple and honest. Many of them go to the mountain to collect firewood, which they then exchange for silver from Qingyun Sect to make a living. The villagers often see Qingyun disciples coming and going, performing supernatural feats that they believe to be the ways of immortal beings. The sect has always taken care of the people in the area, and their treatment of the villagers has been quite good.

On this day, the sky is overcast with low-hanging dark clouds, causing a feeling of breathlessness.

Looking out from the village of Caomiao, the towering Qingyun Mountain pierced the sky with its strange peaks and rocks, giving off a faintly ferocious aura.

However, the villagers who had lived here for generations had seen this sight countless times and paid it no attention, let alone the ignorant children.

"You little brat, where are you running?" A shout, tinged with a hint of laughter, came from the mouth of a half-sized child. He looked to be about ten years old, with delicate features, leading four or five boys and girls in pursuit of another child ahead of them. The child in front was two years younger and shorter, but was now smiling and running as fast as he could while occasionally making faces back at them.

"Zhang Xiaofan, if you've got guts, stop!" shouted the child behind him.

"You think I'm an idiot?" retorted Zhang Xiaofan as he ran even faster.

The group of children chased after him, gradually approaching the dilapidated grass temple to the east of the village. From the outside, this small grass temple was in ruins, having weathered many years of storms and people.

Zhang Xiaofan was the first to rush in, but as he wasn't paying attention, the door knocked him over with a thud. The other children were overjoyed and pounced on top of him, with the delicate-looking boy smiling and saying, "I caught you! Now you have nothing to say, right?"

Looking out from the village of Caomiao, the towering Qingyun Mountain pierced the sky with its strange peaks and rocks, faintly revealing a hint of ferocity.

However, the villagers had lived here for generations and had seen this sight countless times, paying it no attention, let alone the ignorant children.

"You little brat, where are you running off to?" A scolding voice with a hint of laughter came from the mouth of a half-sized child, around ten years old. He led four or five boys and girls, chasing after another child ahead. The child in front was two years younger and shorter, with a smile on his face as he ran forward, occasionally turning back to make a funny face.

"Zhang Xiaofan, if you have the guts, stop!" shouted the child from behind.

Zhang Xiaofan in front "tch"ed and said, "Do you think I'm an idiot?" and ran even faster.

As they ran, the children gradually approached the dilapidated grass temple at the east end of the village. From the outside, this small grass temple was in a state of disrepair and it was unclear how many years of wind and rain it had endured.

Zhang Xiaofan was the first to rush in, but he was caught off guard and stumbled when the door panel hit him. With a "plop," he fell down. The other children were overjoyed and swarmed him, pinning him down. The handsome boy among them smiled and said, "I caught you, now you have nothing to say, right?"

But Zhang Xiaofan rolled his eyes and said, "It doesn't count, it doesn't count. You cheated, how can that count?"

The boy was puzzled and asked, "When did I cheat?"

Zhang Xiaofan said, "You, Lin Jingyu, did you dare say you didn't put this door panel here?"

Lin Jingyu loudly declared, "I didn't do it!"

Zhang Xiaofan pursed his lips and tilted his head, looking resolute and unyielding. Lin Jingyu became angry and grabbed his neck with one hand, saying angrily, "I said if I caught you, you have to admit defeat. Do you admit defeat?"

Zhang Xiaofan ignored him.

Lin Jingyu's face turned red, his grip getting tighter as he shouted, "Do you admit defeat?"

Zhang Xiaofan's airway was blocked, and his breathing gradually became difficult. His face also began to turn red, but despite his young age, he was extremely stubborn and didn't make a sound.

Lin Jingyu became angrier and angrier, his grip getting stronger, repeatedly shouting, "Do you admit defeat? Do you admit defeat? Do you admit defeat?"

At this moment, the other children sensed that something was not right and quietly backed away, leaving only these two ignorant children. They continued to stubbornly hold onto their opinions in this senseless quarrel, risking a great disaster.

Just as things were about to turn for the worse, a Buddhist chant suddenly echoed from deep within the grass temple. Someone said, "Amitabha Buddha, please stop this at once."

A skinny hand suddenly reached out from nowhere and flicked two fingers against Lin Jingyu's hands, causing him to tremble and let go of Zhang Xiaofan. Zhang Xiaofan gasped for air, clearly struggling to catch his breath. The two boys were stunned by what had just happened and looked at each other with a growing sense of fear.

Lin Jingyu stammered, "Xiaofan, I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me..."

Zhang Xiaofan shook his head and gradually regained his composure. "It's okay. Wait, who are you?" he asked, noticing an old monk standing in the temple. The monk's face was wrinkled, his robes were tattered, and he was covered in dirt. However, he held a string of jade prayer beads that were crystal clear and radiated a faint blue light. What was even stranger was that one of the beads, among the dozens of identically sized and polished green jade beads, was a dark purple and dull in appearance, not even resembling a gemstone.