The bright moon hung high in the sky, with misty waves rippling across a vast lake that shimmered like a mirror, reflecting silver glimmers. The serene scene was tranquil and refreshing, bringing peace to the heart.
A solitary figure stood proudly atop the peak, gazing at the serene beauty of the lake under the night sky. Above, clouds swirled like a suspended sea, forming a dipper-shaped vortex, presenting a majestic and magnificent spectacle.
“Twenty years have passed like a single day; what are the ups and downs of the world to me?” the figure sighed, a sound both wistful and delighted.
Behind him stood more than a dozen people—some were unshaven monks, some were Buddhist monks in saffron robes, some were Taoist priests in plain robes, and others were men and women dressed in various styles of the martial arts world.
One man, dressed like a scholar, chuckled and said, “What are worldly affairs to you? To you, Master Yu, who has transcended life and death and grasped the subtlety of emptiness, reaching the ‘door of the Immortal Realm,’ your cultivation has indeed ascended yet another level.”
“Master Yu no longer needs to rely on others’ energy to ascend. You can ascend anytime, making you the first person in thousands of years of the martial arts world to do so. Of course, worldly affairs mean nothing to you…” A woman in palace attire smiled slightly, not hiding her admiration, though her tone carried a hint of sorrow.
Yu Banshan was the leader of the Golden Lake Sect and the current leader of the martial arts world. Since his debut, he had displayed an overwhelmingly powerful presence, sweeping across the heavens and earth without encountering a rival in ten years. He was known as the first person in a thousand years to flatten all opposition. Afterward, he withdrew from the martial arts world, rarely showing himself. He challenged himself and fought against the heavens, spending ten years to finally surpass his predecessors and reach the realm of self-ascension. Today, he had gathered old friends and acquaintances to bid farewell.
He turned around, dressed simply, with a green jade ruler hanging at his waist. Though nearing forty, he showed no sign of aging. Instead, his youthful charm had matured into a deeper allure. His eyes were like the sea—calm yet concealing sharpness, unfathomable in depth. The martial artists around him felt the insignificance of standing before the heavens and earth.
“Having reached this point, if I don’t push open this door before me and see what lies at the end of the martial path, I will surely die with regret. No matter how reluctant I am, I must take this step.” Yu Banshan gazed upward into the sky. His aura stirred the clouds, causing them to surge and roll, creating a magnificent and awe-inspiring scene.
He bade farewell to his old friends.
The palace-dressed woman who had spoken earlier felt a deep sense of melancholy and loss. She forced a smile and said, “I wonder what the Immortal Realm will be like. Will there be immortals everywhere?”
Imagining the Immortal Realm and dreaming of ascending beyond the mortal world was something every martial artist often contemplated. Now, Yu Banshan was about to go to “that place” and personally experience it, so the crowd couldn’t help but feel curious.
Legend described the Immortal Realm as filled with rare flowers and medicinal herbs, wondrous treasures, and exotic fruits, with immortals possessing boundless supernatural powers, living as long as the heavens themselves!
Yu Banshan chuckled lightly, “The Immortal Realm must be different from the mundane world. I only hope to sit and discuss the Dao with the immortals.”
His tone was filled with longing and admiration.
After exchanging final words with everyone, Yu Banshan turned to the palace-dressed woman and smiled gently, saying, “Jinxiu, I have owed you half my life. Would you be willing to accompany me to the Immortal Realm?”
“Accompany him to the Immortal Realm?” The surrounding crowd gasped in disbelief. Not only could Yu Banshan ascend without relying on others, but he could also bring someone with him?
What kind of cultivation and realm was this!
Jinxiu, the palace-dressed woman, stood frozen, her eyes suddenly misting over. After a long pause, she nodded tearfully, “I understand… I know you are devoted to martial cultivation. These past ten years, I have never truly resented you…”
Looking at Yu Banshan’s outstretched hand, she stepped forward, took his hand, and stood side by side with him. With the cliff behind them and misty waves stretching far into the distance, they truly resembled a pair of immortal lovers.
Yu Banshan nodded once more in farewell, wrapped his arm around Jinxiu’s waist, and the surrounding winds and clouds suddenly shifted. The moonlight was obscured.
Boom!
A bolt of purple lightning struck from the heavens, vast and unstoppable, illuminating the lake surface as bright as day. Yet only the edge of the cliff remained shrouded in thick mist, from which a faint, supreme aura emanated.
When the lightning faded, all was quiet again. Yu Banshan and Jinxiu had vanished without a trace.
The crowd murmured in awe, their thoughts drifting toward the Immortal Realm, some filled with longing, others with hesitation.
From this day forward, Yu Banshan and Jinxiu would be counted among the immortals?
…
A rift tore open in the void, forming a deep vortex. Yu Banshan seized the fleeting opportunity and surged through the barrier of time and space.
His soul spun dizzily, his vision blurred. When his senses returned, he found himself and Jinxiu standing in a wild, mountainous region. The trees around them were lush and green, the air rich with spiritual energy, making their bodies and minds feel light and refreshed.
“Is this the Immortal Realm?” Jinxiu asked curiously, scanning the surroundings.
This was the legendary Immortal Realm?
Yu Banshan closed his eyes briefly, then said with slight delight, “This must be it. The primal energy permeates the body. Cultivating here for a month is better than a year in the mortal world.”
“Really?” Jinxiu tried to meditate and soon broke into a delighted smile. “No wonder it’s the Immortal Realm!”
Here, even she might transcend life and death and grasp the subtlety of emptiness!
“And look at the sky,” Yu Banshan added, pointing upward.
Jinxiu gazed up. The night sky was filled with brilliant stars, each as large as a lantern hanging close by, seemingly not far away, rivaling the moon in brightness, unlike the stars of their former world.
“It truly is the Immortal Realm…” Jinxiu no longer doubted.
At that moment, she noticed a modest Daoist temple not far away, hidden among the trees and cloaked in darkness.
“Brother Yu, there’s a temple over there. Since it’s late and we’re unfamiliar with this place, why don’t we stay there for the night and wait until morning?” Jinxiu suggested.
Yu Banshan hesitated briefly before replying, “The Immortal Realm is filled with such rich spiritual energy; there must be beasts that have cultivated to sentience. Traveling through the mountains at night is dangerous. Let’s go.”
Upon hearing Yu Banshan’s agreement, Jinxiu hesitated, “Brother Yu, we don’t know if the temple’s master is good or evil. Seeking shelter there might also be dangerous.”
Yu Banshan smiled, “No problem. If the temple’s master is stronger than me, he would have already sensed us. If we tried to flee, we wouldn’t get far. Since we’re here, let’s just go.”
Jinxiu, having fulfilled a lifelong dream, felt she could die without regrets. Seeing Yu Banshan’s confidence, she said nothing more. Like young lovers, hand in hand, they walked toward the temple.
As they approached, they finally saw the plaque above the entrance, inscribed with three large characters:
“Yuxu Palace!”
“A name with a distinctly Daoist air…” Yu Banshan became even more convinced that the temple’s master was not a villain. Under the starlit sky, he gently knocked on the gate.
Knock knock knock.
The sound echoed. After a while, a lazy voice came from inside:
“Who is it?”
“My wife and I were passing through and lost our way. It’s too late to continue, so we’ve come to seek shelter for the night. Please, Master Daoist, grant us this favor.” Unfamiliar with the area, Yu Banshan dared not reveal their origin of ascending.
After another pause, the gate creaked open slowly.
“Eh?” As the door opened, Jinxiu gasped and stepped back, nearly falling down the steps, but Yu Banshan caught her just in time.
Behind the door stood a monster—a green, branch-covered creature!
Yu Banshan suppressed his inner turmoil and carefully watched the creature, not rushing to attack.
“What are you screaming for? Have you never seen a sentient root of the Great Green?” the creature muttered, “The master says to go to the guest quarters.”
Since the locals here could command tree spirits and mountain spirits to guard their gates, no wonder it’s the Immortal Realm! Yu Banshan and Jinxiu exchanged glances. Finding the creature’s aura not threatening, their fear faded into admiration.
Led by the Great Green Root, they passed through a screen wall and crossed the courtyard, heading toward the guest quarters. At this moment, Yu Banshan, with his sharp senses, noticed through a hollow wall a lotus pond filled with blooming flowers. Just seeing them seemed to bring the scent of their fragrance. Sitting by the pond was a Daoist priest in green robes, his hair pinned with a wooden comb. He was holding up his left hand, seemingly in conversation, while his right hand played with a fruit that reflected starlight.
“Is he the master of this temple?” Yu Banshan nodded thoughtfully. At the same time, he listened closely and seemed to hear the master asking, “Where does this fruit come from? What is its purpose?”
Following his gaze, Jinxiu also saw the scene. Once they entered the guest quarters and the Great Green Root left, she chuckled, “The master seems a bit eccentric, talking to his own left hand.”
Was he imagining his left hand had taken human form?
“Do not hastily speculate about matters of the Immortal Realm,” Yu Banshan said little, after all, they were in someone else’s temple.
Jinxiu said, “Brother Yu, shall we visit the master and inquire about the Immortal Realm?”
“Not yet. That would expose our situation. Let’s wait until we leave this temple and reach a more populated area before we start inquiring,” Yu Banshan, experienced in the martial world, chose caution.
Jinxiu nodded, “Besides, this temple seems ordinary. We probably won’t learn anything important here.”
The night passed quietly, both of them meditating in silence. At dawn, they left the guest quarters. Without meeting the temple master, they were guided by the Great Green Root and finally found the path down the mountain. Within half an hour, they reached the foot of the mountain and arrived at a city.
Before even entering the city, Yu Banshan and Jinxiu saw figures flying through the air—some riding birds made of copper and iron, some with wings attached to their backs, some stepping on auspicious clouds, others concealing sword beams within their bodies.
Jinxiu, still unable to fly, widened her eyes in astonishment, finally exclaiming, “This truly is the Immortal Realm!”
Faced with this scene, Yu Banshan was also filled with awe and excitement.
As the two walked hand in hand into the city, a passerby handed them a document. Upon closer inspection, it was titled “Recruitment Brochure of the Weishan Sect.”
A recruitment brochure? What was this? They looked at each other in confusion.
Was this the local custom of the Immortal Realm?
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