In the journey towards immortality, humans are often likened to dandelions, drifting on the winds of fate. The quest for immortality is one driven by individual aspirations and qualities. It is a path filled with uncertainty, as no one can predict who will be chosen to transcend from mortal to immortal status.
Historical accounts and legends provide insights into the characteristics of those deemed "chosen." One of the most distinguished paths to immortality is through martial arts, where practitioners strive to overcome the limitations of mortality by attaining the legendary Five Rejuvenations. However, not everyone can easily reach such heights; this endeavor requires exceptional qualities and a strong ambition.
Each individual has a unique destiny, characterized by different singularities and passions. While the stories of legendary figures can serve as inspiration and motivation along your own journey, it is crucial to understand that fate does not operate on a blueprint that can be easily replicated.
You, too, possess an Immortal Destiny, one that will manifest in ways you never thought possible.
Regarding whether you could achieve your maximal potential or not was, however, wasn't matter I could tell.
—Articulated on the 7th page of "Wonder and Reality of Immortality and Aspiration" by Li Shi.
...
On the edge of the Tian Seven Battlefront, Mao Xuelian looked up at the dark sky, shrouded by ominous storm clouds, her thoughts unknown.
Not long after, a thunderclap reverberated across the sky above her. At that moment, a pair of hands offered her a hooded robe.
"Storm will come soon. Wear this," said Cultivator Cui.
Mao Xuelian didn't say anything as she accepted the robe, putting it on to shield her small frame from the increasingly cold wind and the impending storm.
After noticing that Mao Xuelian wore the robe obediently, albeit with a gloomy expression, Cultivator Cui turned and continued to walk ahead.
Mao Xuelian rubbed her hands together to stave off the cold that her fingers felt and breathed out a visible cloud of frozen breath before following closely behind him.
She didn't dare to activate her special eyes here. She had once scanned this place with those eyes and regretted her decision. She had seen the screeching ghosts, the burning souls, and the grotesque, suffering monstrosities.
The vision was like a scene pulled straight from hell: bizarrely spooky and cruel.
Even as the Thorn Empress back in her previous world, Mao Xuelian had never witnessed such a strange sight.
However, thanks to her hellish vision, she realized that this world was far more complex than she had initially thought in the village. It could be very dangerous compared to her previous world.
While Mao Xuelian was lost in her thoughts, the anticipated storm arrived. Rain poured down, thunder echoed, and the wind was so strong that it formed one or two tornadoes at the edge of the barren land.
Strangely enough, the robe Cultivator Cui had given her made it easier than expected to walk through such a violent storm. The wind didn't affect them in the slightest, and the rain could not touch her.
"So magical," Mao Xuelian muttered softly amidst the whistling wind.
Cultivator Cui continued to stride ahead, not once looking back at her. For him, the storm was nothing more than a simple breeze. Even the poor visibility did not seem to bother him at all. He walked confidently forward with no sign of doubt.
For Mao Xuelian, the wind began to slightly temper once they reached the area of dying trees.
Far away on the horizon, lightning struck, illuminating the dark stormy world with its brightness and deafening sound.
Suddenly, Cultivator Cui stopped walking. Mao Xuelian halted as well when she reached his side. She fixed her eyes on his back, curiously wondering why he had stopped.
Cultivator Cui turned to look at her, smiled in his usual way, and patted her small shoulder.
"Come closer, little girl. We will enter the Desolate Point soon." He said these words before standing silently with his right hand resting on Mao Xuelian's shoulder.
He remained still, showing no intention of doing anything.
A subtle frown formed on Mao Xuelian's face. Desolate Point? she questioned, beginning to ponder the meaning of that term with careful consideration.
Seconds passed, then minutes, and still, nothing seemed about to happen. As time passed, the sky grew darker, the winds became stronger and colder, while the thunder echoed more frequently.
Then, it happened.
The thunder converged directly above their heads in an instant. These thunderclaps reverberated, regulating and shifting to form a strange symbol in the sky. The symbol resembled a mountain of corpses.
Once the symbol was complete, the thunder changed to a blood-red hue and struck down around the two of them in a circular manner.
Mao Xuelian closed her eyes to protect them from the overwhelming energy that radiated from the blood-red lightning.
When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in front of a massive gate towering seven meters high and adorned with tiles and skulls that covered most of the gate's surface.
"Welcome," Cultivator Cui turned around, spreading his arms with a smile, "to the Blood Sect!"
...
In a distant land, far from where Mao Xuelian resided.
At the center of the continent, near a lake populated by many black and white fish, stood a magnificent pagoda being constructed atop the tallest mountain, which rose even beyond the reach of the clouds.
On the surface of the lake, an elder sat in calm meditation atop floating lotus leaves. Suddenly, his eyes widened in shock.
He spotted red stains that had mysteriously appeared on the lake's surface, and a lifeless white fish floating in the midst of the crimson water. Below the dead white fish, a black fish swam erratically, circling it in a state of panic and confusion.
The elder's expression grew stern.
"A new storm is brewing on the Copper Cloud Continent, emerging from an unexpected, remote, and intriguingly simple yet complicated source..." he murmured, recalling the words of an old prophecy that once caused widespread panic across the continent.