The sky was not yet bright, and the hundred thousand li of Great Wilderness was shrouded in darkness. The first rays of light began to shine upon the Sword Mountain range, illuminating the drifting clouds that swirled around its slopes. The first place they reached was Golden Summit on the mountain peak.
The grand hall of Golden Summit, crafted from crystal, radiated a brilliant light that illuminated the entire sea of clouds, truly dazzling to behold.
Amidst the undulating sea of clouds surrounding the mountain, countless ancient and massive grand halls seemed to float, emanating a divine and solemn aura.
That was the shared holy land of the three thousand human tribes in the hundred thousand li of Great Wilderness: Sword Gate!
The Qi Refiners of Sword Gate stood layer upon layer, protecting the hundred thousand li of Great Wilderness, and all members of the three thousand human tribes considered it an honor to become a Qi Refiner of Sword Gate!
The Great Wilderness was perilous, and humanity was weak; without the protection of Sword Gate, it was feared that all three thousand tribes would have long since turned to dust.
A massive mountain gate stood before the residences of tens of thousands of outer disciples.
There were many Qi Refiners in Sword Gate. Youngsters from the three thousand tribes who came to the mountain to learn skills, if they had no backing, all lived here. Powerful tribes with many Qi Refiners often directly took people back to their own places.
Zhong Yue had already risen early. At this moment, he stood by the well, pouring a bucket of water over his head, then shivered vigorously to shake off his drowsiness.
Water streamed down his body, creating countless bubbles on the well's edge.
His body was very sturdy, his physique well-proportioned, and his skin taut and full, truly powerful. On his chest were three deep, scabbed claw marks, left by some unknown demonic beast.
He turned around, revealing many scars on his back, and also on his left arm; his entire body was covered in injuries, large and small, making him look nothing like a mere fifteen-year-old youth.
Zhong Yue put on his medicine basket and quietly left the mountain gate, heading towards the foot of the mountain.
Outer disciples held a very low status, only permitted to learn some of the simplest cultivation techniques. Only by cultivating to become a Spirit could one become a registered disciple of the inner sect, a subordinate of an inner sect Hall Master, and thus receive the true inheritance of Sword Gate. However, for an outer disciple without backing to wish to become a registered disciple of the inner sect, how difficult could that be?
The Great Wilderness had three thousand tribes; even small tribes had ten thousand people, while large tribes numbered in the millions. Not a single one among them didn't wish to come to Sword Gate, didn't wish to become a registered disciple of the inner sect, or to become a Qi Refiner. Thus, the competition was fierce.
Sword Gate had its rules: if one could not cultivate to become a Spirit before the age of sixteen, they would be expelled from Sword Gate. The descendants of tribal chiefs from large and small tribes across the Great Wilderness naturally used spirit pills and wondrous medicines to advance their cultivation, helping them cultivate to become a Spirit before the age of sixteen.
Even if one's aptitude was ordinary, as long as there were enough spirit medicines, a Qi Refiner could still be forged!
As for others, they naturally could not receive such treatment; they could only rely on their own diligent cultivation.
Poor homes rarely produce noble sons; how many of the destitute ever become Qi Refiners?
Zhong Yue hailed from Zhongshan Tribe, a tribe so diminished it was no longer even counted among the small ones, for due to continuous natural disasters year-round, only about a hundred people remained, making it arguably the smallest tribe in the Great Wilderness.
Such a tribe found it difficult enough to protect itself, let alone train Qi Refiners.
Therefore, even if Zhong Yue exerted a hundred times more effort than others, he was still far from cultivating to become a Spirit.
This time, he descended the mountain to find some spirit herbs in the forest at its foot, intending to refine a Martial Spirit Pill to mend his soul.
The Martial Spirit Pill was an extremely common elixir, and its refining ingredients were very easy to acquire. Yet, he couldn't even afford to buy such ordinary spirit herbs and had to refine them himself.
Gathering herbs himself, refining pills himself, wasting so much time – naturally, he would fall further behind others.
Half an hour after Zhong Yue left Sword Gate, the sky had brightened. Both inner and outer disciples of Sword Gate had already woken up to cultivate. Suddenly, a bell rang out from the mountain. Following it, a Qi Cultivator, radiating a powerful aura, flew down and shouted: "The Demonic Soul Blight is about to appear! Disciples of Sword Gate, heed my command: no one is permitted to leave!"
"Forbidden to leave Sword Gate even half a step!"
"The Demonic Soul Blight is extremely dangerous. Sword Gate can only protect a portion of you. Anyone who leaves will surely die."
A commotion rippled through Sword Gate. With a resounding boom, the massive mountain gate suddenly closed. Amidst the clouds in the sky, countless curved rays of light suddenly emanated. The Golden Peak also emitted a golden radiance, illuminating the space, appearing incredibly majestic!
Most of the outer disciples were seeing this sight for the first time. As for the inner disciples, they were not entirely unfamiliar with it.
The Demonic Soul Blight occurred once every ten years. It was extremely terrifying; even Qi Cultivators would die tragically if they encountered it. Each time the Demonic Soul Blight erupted, it would devastate thousands of miles, leaving not even a blade of grass where it passed.
"Why did the Demonic Soul Blight erupt so early? According to custom, wasn't it supposed to be five days later?"
An inner disciple spoke up.
Just then, a heavy sound echoed, as if some demon or monster was growling. Following that, a wave of black mist surged out from a deep valley not far from Sword Gate, like water erupting from the earth, spreading throughout the space!
Very quickly, the black mist rose higher than Sword Gate Mountain itself, straight into the clouds, then spread out in all directions, as if a black umbrella was slowly opening in the sky!
The sky suddenly darkened, with only the light from Sword Gate Mountain illuminating the area. Each time the black mist pressed down on the light barrier, it was blocked outside, as if an invisible layer of light protected Sword Gate, preventing the black mist from advancing.
It seemed as if some terrifying creature within the black smoke roared in anger. Occasionally, it would strike the halo of light enveloping Sword Gate, creating incredibly alarming reverberating sounds.
High above Sword Gate, in front of a grand hall, several Qi Cultivators were observing the terrifying Demonic Soul Blight. One of them suddenly spoke: "If any outer disciples went down the mountain and haven't returned, I'm afraid they won't be able to come back..."
The place Zhong Yue went to gather herbs was called Cloud Gathering Mountain. This area, rich in spirit herbs, was located entirely in the southeastern region of Sword Gate. For several years, he had been an outer disciple of Sword Gate. Although he hadn't learned any profound cultivation techniques, he had trained his body to be strong and healthy. Each step could cover a *zhang*, making climbing mountains and traversing passes extremely easy for him.
By the time he arrived at Cloud Gathering Mountain, it was already bright. Suddenly, roars of countless beasts echoed through the mountains.
This place was sparsely populated. There were no tribes nearby, hence the abundance of wild beasts. Zhong Yue cautiously advanced, searching everywhere. Not long after, he found a good number of spirit herbs.
"All the other types have been found. Only the Five Fragrance Herb is missing. Still need a bit of luck."
Zhong Yue continued walking for a while when he suddenly caught a strange, intermittent scent. The further he went, the clearer the scent became.
This scent carried five distinct notes: sweet, fragrant, cool, warm, and pure. It was unmistakably the scent of Ngũ Hương Chi!
He followed the scent to a cliff. Leaning down to look, he saw the sheer cliff face, bristling with sharp rocks, and a chasm so deep its bottom was invisible.
About ten *trượng* down the cliff, a rock jutted out, and a stream of water flowed from the cliff face, nourishing a strange plant.
“Ngũ Hương Chi!”
Overjoyed, Chung Nhạc immediately began his careful descent. The cliff face was slippery, but his agility meant there was no real danger.
A moment later, he reached the rock. Looking down, he saw only the chasm, dark as ink, and icy winds surged up from below, chilling him to the bone.
Chung Nhạc grew even more cautious, finally reaching the rock. But just as he was about to pluck the Ngũ Hương Chi, the sky suddenly darkened. He looked up, instantly startled and terrified.
A large golden bird was swooping towards him. Its wingspan was over a *trượng*, and it had two pairs of wings, constantly beating to propel it towards him, its massive talons clearly sharp.
“What kind of fiend-bird is this?”
Even before the four-winged golden bird reached him, sharp gusts of wind lashed his face, as if they could blow him off the cliff.
*Whoosh!*
The four-winged golden bird was upon him. Just before it could snatch him, Chung Nhạc plucked the Ngũ Hương Chi and let go of the cliff face. The large bird missed its prey and flapped its wings to ascend and observe. It then saw that Chung Nhạc hadn't fallen, but was clinging to a vine about a *trượng* away from the rock.
It shrieked, circling upwards, preparing to attack again. Chung Nhạc gritted his teeth and slid down the vine. As soon as the golden bird circled up, a black mist arrived, instantly engulfing the entire mountain valley. Chung Nhạc looked up and saw the sky as if covered by a black curtain.
At the bottom of the chasm, a faint light flickered, its source unclear. Suddenly, Chung Nhạc heard a whooshing sound above him; a skeleton was falling, rapidly passing him and plunging into the deep chasm.
He was startled—it was the skeleton of the four-winged bird from earlier!
In just an instant, the four-winged bird had been completely devoured by something within the black mist, leaving only its skeleton!
A chill ran down Chung Nhạc’s spine as he turned his head to look up. Seeing the black mist rapidly descending along the cliff face, he hastily sped up. Suddenly, with a *snap*, the vine broke, and Chung Nhạc, still clutching the broken piece, plummeted down the cliff.
In a panic, he flailed his limbs wildly, finally managing to grab a tree branch, which stopped his fall. Chung Nhạc looked up; the black mist was now only about four or five *trượng* above him. Near this branch was a rather deep cave, from which faint sounds emanated. A large triangular head emerged from the cave and slowly rose, observing Chung Nhạc. It was clearly an unimaginably massive snake!
Continuous hissing sounds emanated from the snake’s mouth; it seemed to be greatly amused.
This type of giant snake possessed terrifying power, a king among the exotic beasts of Đại Hoang. Even a Qi Refiner would find it difficult to kill, let alone him!
Chung Nhạc gritted his teeth, let go of the branch, and plummeted downwards again.
The giant snake flicked its long tongue, preparing to strike, when the black mist suddenly enveloped it.
*Crack, crack*, a snake skeleton, over ten *trượng* long, fell, plunging into the bottom of the chasm, one after the other, with Chung Nhạc.
The deep chasm was thickly carpeted with dry branches and fallen leaves, cushioning Chung Nhạc’s fall so he didn’t feel much pain. Following the faint, flickering light, he looked around and saw piles of bones, illuminated by the glow of fireflies. Among them were the remains of the large snake and the strange bird he had seen earlier.
“The large snake from earlier is dead too. What exactly *is* that black mist...? Oh no!”
Chung Nhạc’s expression immediately changed. The black mist had finally reached the bottom of the chasm, instantly filling the entire space, and every flickering speck of light gradually vanished into it.
Chung Nhạc looked around and saw the black mist right before his face. He couldn’t help but sigh, “This thing can devour both the golden bird and the large snake; I’m afraid I won’t escape death either... Huh, why isn’t it coming any closer?”
The black mist stopped abruptly about a *zhang* away from him, as if blocked by some invisible force, forming a protective spherical barrier.
Chung Nhạc saw a massive claw strike the hemispherical defensive layer from within the black mist, creating ear-splitting creaking sounds, but it still couldn’t break through.
It was unclear what kind of monster the white claw belonged to; even just a segment of it was much, much larger than him!
It was worth noting that Chung Nhạc had rigorously trained his muscles and bones for several years, and his physique was already slightly taller than an average adult. Yet, a single claw was larger than him; it was hard to imagine how massive its owner must be!
“This is...”
Chung Nhạc looked towards the center of the hemispherical space. There, a skeleton sat cross-legged, its right arm still raised high, holding a small lamp as if lighting the way for someone in the darkness.
The lamp’s dim glow was no different from a firefly’s, threatening to vanish at any moment.
“Strange,” he mused. “This person has been dead for many years, only bones remain. Why hasn’t this small lamp been destroyed?”
Chung Nhạc, filled with curiosity, approached to observe. Only then did he discover something strange: this skeleton was not human. In fact, it wasn’t even sitting cross-legged, but standing.
To say it was standing wasn’t entirely accurate, as the skeleton had no thigh bones. Instead, it had a long snake tail coiled around itself. The upper half of its body, however, was humanoid, complete with a head, wings, and arms.
This was clearly a human-headed, snake-bodied skeleton!
“I don’t understand why this small lamp can block the black mist,” he murmured.
Chung Nhạc bowed to the skeleton, then carefully reached out and took the lamp. He saw the light flicker, threatening to go out at any moment, so he quickly cupped his hand around it. Suddenly, a weary voice echoed: “A dream of several millennia... what year is it now? Young man, which Fuxi is currently on the throne?”