Mount Emei in Sichuan is a famous scenic spot, with hundreds of temples and monasteries on the mountain. Western Sichuan has long been home to legends of sword immortals, and many people have come to seek enlightenment and explore the mysteries of the mountain. However, despite numerous strange and wondrous encounters, not one sword immortal was ever found. Over time, people began to regard these stories as mere legend. In modern times, those seeking enlightenment are nowhere to be found, but tourists flock to the area in droves. The entire region has been developed into a tourist destination, with large and small temples thriving and monks and Taoist priests living comfortably, their faces flushed with prosperity. But where is the dignity of the immortals? Behind Mount Emei, the terrain is treacherous, with steep cliffs and jagged rocks, making it extremely perilous to climb to the Golden Summit. The path is almost vertical, like a knife cut through the air, and it's as if one would have to ascend to heaven itself just to reach the top. Most tourists take the cable car to the summit for a panoramic view, with few brave souls opting to hike up via the newly opened trail.
Xu Jian quietly raised his flying sword, using a small trick to block the view, and then charged forward with the flying sword, disappearing into a sea of clouds. Xu Jian was now extremely proud of himself, having made great progress after receiving the transmission from the three elders of Shu Mountain, becoming a top expert in the Huan Shen stage, his power growing by leaps and bounds every day, subtly surpassing even Kunlun's first disciple, Yi Yunzi, and becoming the number one young master of the Dao Gate. Today was the day that Shu Mountain's elder, Ling Xudao, would come out of seclusion, and Xu Jian's master, Qing Xudao, had told him to wait here at the Taiyuan Cave in front of Cong Bixia early this morning.
This is the Cong Bixuan Cliff, a secret mansion of Mount Shu. A thousand years ago, the second master of Mount Shu, Qiankun Miaoyi Zhenren, invited all the scattered immortals to break through space and create this spiritual abode, a blessed land. The four sides of the Cong Bixuan Cliff are all majestic peaks, with a waterfall cascading down from halfway up the sky, gathering into a clear stream. In front of the mountain, next to the emerald peak, there is a large nanmu tree, only tens of feet tall, but its trunk is as thick as one and a half to six feet in diameter. Its horizontal branches stretch out extremely low, with lush foliage like an umbrella, covering three or four acres of land. Behind the tree, on the mountain cliff, wisteria and other vines are entwined, with many unknown rare flowers growing on top. In the green moss, the two large characters "Cong Bixuan" faintly appear.
Shu Mountain's elder, all seniors are here to close the door, and they have not been out for many years. Therefore, this Congbi Cliff is a forbidden place in Shu Mountain. Any disciple without the flying sword token of the sect leader cannot enter. Those who violate this rule will lose their entire Taoist cultivation, be expelled from the sect, and the punishment is very severe.
However, the low-ranking disciples can't even get in. The ancient sword immortal who broke through space and opened up this cave is incredibly mysterious and has already left the mortal realm behind. Without a cultivation base of at least the Houtian stage, it's impossible to enter, and even if someone were to open the door for you, you still wouldn't be able to find the entrance.
Xu Jian was also entering this legendary Shu Mountain sacred place for the first time. Standing on the cliff, looking down at the precipice below that stretched out endlessly, with waves of clouds rolling in, he knew that Cong Bi Cliff was a space standing tall above the sea of clouds on Mount Emei. Taking a deep breath of spiritual energy, his limbs and body were filled with true yuan, his spirit lifted to new heights. Only then did he realize that the spiritual energy here was far thicker than what the Shu Mountain disciples usually cultivated at Ling Cui Peak.
In modern society, things are different from ancient times. In the past, when cultivators founded their own sects, they would often find a place with abundant spiritual energy and set up forbidden arrays. Anyway, some famous mountains and great rivers, desolate mountains and treacherous waters, ferocious beasts and poisonous insects, were all places where humans rarely ventured.
Nowadays, however, it's different. Every inch of land has been trodden on by someone, and no mountain peak can be at peace for any school of cultivation. Except for the space opened up by this broken space, no school has its own mountain peak. Except for Kunlun, Jianshan, Shushan, Longhushan Tianxian Taoism, etc., all major sects have their own ancestral masters who have opened up spaces in the cave, while some other schools that have been passed down through generations have either disappeared or merged into society.
A faint sound of jade echoed, the entire Qingbi Cliff was filled with a clear and melodious sound. The cloud sea below churned and surged. Xū Jiǎo Kōng respectfully faced the towering mountain peak. Suddenly, a soft blue light burst out from the cave in the middle of the mountain peak's waist. A Taoist priest in a green robe floated in mid-air without any reason, slowly flying towards Xū Jiǎo Kōng. "Xū Jiǎo Kōng has met Master Lǐng Xū!" Xū Jiǎo Kōng hastily bowed down. The newcomer was none other than one of the four great masters of the Taoist sects in the world, Shǔ Shān Lǎo Lǎng Lǐng Xū Dào Rén. This Lǐng Xū Dào Rén had three strands of dark long whiskers and stepped on empty space, flying through the air without relying on any flying sword or treasure.
Xu Jianyun bowed his head and saluted, but before he could even touch the ground, Ling Xuan's sleeves fluttered and an invisible force lifted Xu Jianyun up. Ling Xuan burst into laughter: "No need for formalities, no need! Sword Void, ah! What brings you here this time? Your master sent a flying sword with a message yesterday, but it was all cryptic and mysterious."
Ling Xuan's face glowed with an otherworldly light, his skin as smooth as a newly peeled egg. He looked nothing like an old Daoist who had cultivated for many years; instead, he resembled a middle-aged cultivator in his prime. His hair and beard were both jet black. Xu Jianyun raised his head to behold this sight, and his entire body shook with excitement. A crazed look of joy on his face, he exclaimed: "Master Uncle, you've broken through the Hua Shen barrier and reached the Return to Void realm where your physical body is indestructible!"
The words were somewhat disrespectful, but Ling Xū Dào Rén didn't mind at all: "Jiàn Kōng, your cultivation has made great progress, and your vision has also taken a step up! It seems that I have someone to inherit the legacy of Shǔ Mountain." The tone was full of relief. "Master said that in a few days it will be the hundred-year-old grand ceremony of Shǔ Mountain's opening school, when the time comes, we will invite fellow Taoists from all over the world to attend the ceremony. Now our disciples have been sent out to deliver invitations. Master wants me to come to Níng Bì Yá to see Master Shī Fū and discuss a divine fate! However, this time Master Shī Fū's Dao has broken through to the highest realm, he will surely surpass the other three great masters and become the number one master in the world. This grand ceremony of our Shǔ Mountain is an opportunity to surpass Kūn Lún and become the first Taoist school, recreating the glory of our ancestors' opening school!" Jiàn Kōng was already excited just thinking about it.
"You're thinking just right! Master Shibo also has this intention, and we old guys haven't been idle either. Although we've been in seclusion at Congbi Cliff for several years, our harvest is not small. Kunlun was founded by the Three Pure Ones, with a high status, and has always been the leader of the Taoist school. Unfortunately, it's not time to talk about origins now, but about real power. After so many years of accumulation, Mount Shu is also at the point where it needs to take off. As the eldest disciple of Mount Shu, Master Shibo won't let you down since he asked you to come and collide with the Immortal Fate. Now is the era of young people like you, and the stronger your power, the better!" Lingxu Old Taoist waved his sleeve and didn't wait for Void Sword to finish speaking before asking: "What can Mount Shu rely on to flourish?"
"Our Shu Mountain Sword Path is boundless in power, far surpassing the flying sword techniques of other sects. Its cultivation speed is also unparalleled among the Taoist schools. The Purple and Green Twin Swords, a treasure of our school, are unmatched in power. The Two Instruments Microcosm Array is profound and subtle. Ah, I've only heard that this array was an ancient immortal formation, and the method of setting it up was accidentally obtained by our ancestor, Long Eyebrow True Person, which became our Shu Mountain's ultimate defensive array. However, we disciples have never learned it, nor even seen it - why is that?"
