Time: Unknown — it must have been a very, very long time ago.
Location: The Vast Land of Shenzhou.
Earth holds no benevolence — it treats all creation as yarn-spinning curs!
In this world, there were originally no immortals or deities. Yet since time immemorial, humanity had witnessed the world around them filled with all manner of strange and wondrous phenomena — lightning flashing, thunder rolling, fierce winds and torrential rains, and calamities that left countless dead and the land ringing with lamentation, things utterly beyond human power to bring about or to withstand. And so people came to believe that above the Nine Heavens dwelt all manner of divine spirits, while below the Nine Abysses lay the realm where departed souls returned — the great hall of King Yama himself.
Thus the tales of immortals spread throughout the world. Countless human souls, with utmost sincerity, prostrated themselves before the myriad gods conjured from their own imagination—offering prayers, pouring out their sorrows, their incense fires burning in unceasing abundance.
Since time immemorial, no mortal has been spared from death. Yet all people fear death and cling to life; with the Underworld and its King Yama casting an ever-deeper shadow of dread and suffering over mortal hearts, it is from this very terror that the yearning for eternal life and immortality was born.
Compared to other living species, humans may be at a disadvantage in physical constitution, yet they are called the lords of all creation — and that is no empty claim. Driven by the primal desire for eternal life, generation after generation of the brilliant and gifted have followed one after another, pouring their entire lives into tireless study and inquiry. To this day, though immortality in its truest sense has yet to be found, certain cultivators who walk the path of cultivation have glimpsed the workings of Heaven and Earth. As mere mortals, they have seized tremendous power, and by wielding all manner of rare treasures and Artifacts, have shaken the very ground beneath their feet and carried the fearsome might of thunder. Some elders who have attained profound mastery are even said to have lived for over a thousand years without perishing. The people of the world take this as proof that they have attained the Dao and become immortals — and so ever more souls have set foot upon the path of cultivation.
The vast divine land of Shenzhou stretches boundless and wide. Of all its territories, the Central Plains are the most fertile and abundant, home to nine in ten of the world's people. The borderlands to the east, south, west, and north are harsh by nature — mountains treacherous, waters foul, teeming with ferocious beasts and savage birds, with noxious miasmas and venomous creatures, and inhabited by barbarian tribes who eat raw flesh and drink blood; thus human presence there is scarce. Yet there has long been a tale passed down among men: that remnants of a primordial lineage survive in the world, hidden deep within secluded mountains and secret valleys, living for tens of thousands of years — and yet none have ever laid eyes upon them.
To this day, those who pursue Cultivation across the mortal realm are as countless as carp crossing a great river. With the vast expanse of the divine land and the sheer multitude of extraordinary individuals within it, the paths and methods of Cultivation have grown varied and manifold, each distinct from the next. The method of eternal life has yet to be found, yet among practitioners, divisions between Sects and distinctions between the righteous and the wicked have gradually taken shape. From these arose sectarian biases, scheming and intrigue, and even open conflict and slaughter — all of which have become commonplace.
When immortality appears so distant and elusive, the power that Cultivation brings gradually becomes the goal of many.
In this present age, the Way of the Righteous flourishes in great glory, and demons and evil spirits have retreated far. Across the vast Central Plains, spiritual mountains rise and clear waters wind; the land teems with people and overflows with riches, held firmly in the grasp of the righteous sects. Foremost among them stand three great pillars—Qingyun Sect, Yinsi, and Xiangu—acknowledged by all as the supreme leaders of the age.
This story began with the Qingyun Sect.