Fengyunlu

It's said that the Divine Tree, having entered the ranks of the humble family and become the leader of the Three Wonders, remained oblivious to the chaotic world, single-mindedly devoting itself to compiling tomes, talismans, and formation techniques. The brothers within the humble family offered their full support, granting the Divine Tree whatever it desired. The entire humble family was determined to obtain anything the Divine Tree mentioned, whether it was a talisman or a precious divine weapon, by any means necessary, whether through robbery, theft, or stratagem. Ultimately, they had to deliver the item to the Divine Tree. Even human beings were bound and brought to the humble family.

As a result, almost all the Xuanmen in the world were plundered, even those who were independent cultivators were not spared, and the humble sect offended forces from all sides. Although the price was huge, the humble sect's efforts were rewarded, and masterpieces such as the Purple Profound Sutra were published one after another.

When the Purple Mysterious Scripture was first published, it contained a minor flaw, so few knew about it, and the poor family didn't get into serious trouble. Later, when the Purple Mysterious Scripture was completed, the poor family mobilized the treasures of the five major sects, including the two Tongtian Scrolls of the Qingli Palace, the Nine Manifestations Oracle of the Cangyun Clan's genealogy, as comprehended by Master Kong Yang, and the numerous tomes of the Nine Phoenix Pavilion. The poor family coveted the only Tongtian Scroll of the Taiyin Scripture in the Yaochi Fairyland, the unique Taiyin Power Source of Yaochi Mountain, the Three Treasures of the Xumi Palace and the Great Treasure Golden Lotus of Mount Xumi, the Jianyin Clan's supreme and unique Tibetan swordsmanship, and the humble scabbard itself, the ancestor's rank. These were all things the poor family desired.

When Daojun Shenmu spoke of his desires, both the humble and the imprisoned were perplexed. The five great sects were no laughing matter. While their struggles were fierce, they hadn't yet touched upon the fundamentals. Under the Heavenly Dao, there was you and me, and there were hundreds of other sects. Even the most advanced masters understood that glimmer of opportunity. The Great Dao had no form, yet the myriad manifestations of heaven and earth were present. Bai Qianyi's subsequent refusal to participate in the Jiazi War showed that he had grasped the true meaning of the Dao, understanding that all things in the world had their own natural course, without interference or imposition. When it was time for him to step forward, he would do so naturally, without excuse or delay.

Back to the point, once the inmates knew what they were looking for, they bravely set about making arrangements to achieve their goal. First, the Samsara Chapter from Xumi Palace was stolen, and then Kong Yang's unique skills from Qingli Palace were replaced. Upon arriving at Yaochi Fairyland, Master Gudao was well prepared. Given the abilities of the Two Sages of the Clouds, the three engaged in a fierce battle, all suffering injuries, and failing to obtain the Taiyin Sutra.

Elsewhere, the prisoner personally took action, supported by the nine hall masters inside and outside. Bai Qianyi stood calmly on Cangyun Mountain. Had the Demon King and the Two Sages of the Cloud not intervened, the prisoner might have been trapped. However, the commotion wasn't entirely fruitless. The prisoner was actually trying to divert attention, while someone secretly infiltrated Floating Cloud Cave. Although seriously injured and unable to recover, that person comprehended the entire Nine Manifestations Oracle. While unable to bring it back, it significantly contributed to the completion of the scriptures. This person was the Daojun Divine Tree. Without this personal risk, no one else would have achieved such a result. This was also the fundamental reason for his subsequent death in Canghai. His cultivation level was only half of a tenth, and he used forceful means to suppress a stubborn illness. Therefore, when the ancient beast atop the Canghai giant tree moved, the Daojun Divine Tree fell.

The poor clan plotted against several other sects, stirring up a hornet's nest. The five major sects united and launched three attacks against the poor clan. Both sides engaged in a back-and-forth battle, each suffering losses. On the righteous side, the ancient master fell first, leaving only two of the Three Saints of Yaotai. The Nine Heavens Primordial Lords were completely replaced. Yaochi Mountain was temporarily without its Emperor, and for the first time, the Yaochi fairyland was without an Immortal Emperor. The Yaochi lineage temporarily declined.

The Xumi Palace also suffered heavy losses, with their head, the venerable Buddha Emperor, being murdered one after another. Less than a century after his ascension, the Xumi Emperor was assassinated by a surprise attack, carried out by none other than Ayan, a humble figure from a humble family. Though highly respected among the Five Elders, Ayan had spent her entire life guarding the Bitter Kiln, rarely leaving the Holy Realm. The first time she displayed her prowess before the world, she directly beheaded the Buddha Emperor, killing him instantly with no chance of recovery.

This shocking move shocked the entire Xuanmen world, and the various sect leaders feared for their lives, fearing Ayan's recurrence. However, Ayan remained silent. After this stunning kill of the Buddha, she returned to the Bitter Kiln and never left the Han Sect again, not even participating in the subsequent Jiazi War. Later, when the Han Sect was severely defeated, and a search and plundering of the Immortal Demon Island took place, no one dared to enter the Bitter Kiln, likely fearing Ayan's attack.

In that turbulent era, two great families suffered devastating disasters, their two overlords fell, and the forces of righteousness suffered an unprecedented blow. Faced with this dire situation, the various factions were forced to work together, repeatedly inviting the peerless master Bai Qianyi to personally intervene. Bai Qianyi lived up to expectations, single-handedly venturing into the Immortal Demon Island and, with astonishing power, directly destroying the Netherworld Formation beyond repair. In that battle, fifty-five masters from humbler families were unable to stop him. Ultimately, Bai Qianyi not only injured the prisoners, but also rescued the imprisoned A Yan and recovered valuable items looted from the Bitter Kiln. He then distributed these items and returned them to the various factions. As they expressed their gratitude, Bai Qianyi had quietly returned to Cangyun. He rarely left the South Sea, secluded in the Floating Cloud Cave. It was not until the arrival of a close friend that Bai Qianyi reentered the world of mortals.

This close friend, later known as the Emperor of Spring and Autumn, Luo Hongchen, came from a humble background, hailing from a declining sect. Due to a connection between his master's ancestors and the Cang Yun Sect, when his own sect declined and struggled to continue, he journeyed to the Cang Yun Sect to repay his ancestor's favor. While in the Cang Yun Sect, he met Bai Qianyi, a man of similar temperament. Despite their significant age difference, they remained friends as peers, a common occurrence in the Xuan Sect. In the path of cultivation, attainment comes first, and thus conventional etiquette is not highly valued. Within the Xuan Sect, unless a disciple is a member of the sect itself, friendships are often judged based on cultivation level, with lifespan rarely considered.

Luo Hongchen rose to prominence during turbulent times. While his cultivation level is beyond question, his seniority was exceptionally high. Most of his associates were of Emperor-level caliber, while the various sect leaders considered themselves juniors. One individual stood out: the old Pavilion Master of the Lingyan Pavilion, a lineage from the Great Snow Mountain. While he should have considered himself a junior according to seniority, the old Pavilion Master's youngest daughter and Luo Hongchen developed a deep affection for each other. Faced with this situation, the old Pavilion Master was unsure what to do and could only choose to avoid the matter. After all, with Luo Hongchen's prestige at the time, becoming the next Emperor was practically a foregone conclusion, a faction the old Pavilion Master had enshrined when forging the divine weapon, taking into account their future relationship.

However, things are unpredictable. Once Luo Hongchen's magic weapon was completed, it actually caused a huge disaster, but that is a story for another time. In that era, Luo Hongchen participated in the battle between good and evil nine times, severely damaging many masters of humble families.

Meanwhile, the poor family had no time to worry about anything else. Daojun Shenmu was suffering from a stubborn illness. Although the condition had been temporarily suppressed, it was ultimately only a temporary solution. Worried about his limited time, Daojun Shenmu toiled day and night, expending countless efforts. Finally, relying on his own insights, he roughly completed the Purple Mysterious Sutra.

Among the righteous sects, the Jianyin Sect, having suffered the least losses in the three conflicts, naturally assumed leadership. Its leader, Bo Liangzi, seized the opportunity to search for a suitable successor. Through various coincidences, he finally found a newborn infant imbued with a trace of human power. This infant would later become Mingtai, also known as Yijian Guhan Mowenjian. Bo Liangzi then had a realization: he had previously placed too much emphasis on the disciples' cultivation, while neglecting the importance of their state of mind. This was the reason why his two disciples, despite their advanced cultivation, had become spiritually constrained due to their excessive pursuit of power.

This time, Bo Liangzi decided to change his previous approach. He found a suitable disciple, but instead of accepting him immediately, he left a mark, allowing Mingtai to experience the mortal world until his destined moment arrived, at which point he would become his disciple. This way, after experiencing the ups and downs of life, Mingtai's state of mind would be tempered and enlightened, and the trace of human strength he carried within him would naturally transform in the process, without any additional effort.

Bo Liangzi's thoughts were inspired by Luo Hongchen. Luo Hongchen's path to cultivation was unstructured. He drifted between the worldly and the secular, relying entirely on the vicissitudes of life he experienced. He realized his own path to immortality in the mundane world, and with this, his cultivation gradually improved. It could be said that he had created his own set of cultivation methods. Although he came from a declining sect, he understood the principles of heaven and earth and knew how to embark on his own path of cultivation.

Back to the beginning, the story of Mo Wenjian's apprenticeship. When he was ten years old, his family suffered a sudden disaster, and his sister Mingyue was taken in as an apprentice by Zhu Chunhua, traveling overseas. Mo Wenjian, burdened with a deep blood feud, waited for forty years, but his enemy remained unseen. After his death, he miraculously resurrected and was eventually accepted as a disciple by Bo Liangzi at Jianya.

There are so many coincidences here that it's hard to believe someone isn't behind all this. Such a coincidence must have a deeper meaning. If Bo Liangzi is the mastermind behind all this, then everything seems to make sense. However, whether he truly did it requires further investigation.

After hearing the Ghost King's story, Mo Wenjian felt that he had a point. However, since they were sworn enemies, he couldn't just take the Ghost King at his word. He had to investigate the matter himself. Revenge was not something he could take lightly. He had to be careful and cautious, not letting any villain go, and not harming innocent people.

So, Mo Wenjian nodded gently, suppressed his murderous aura, and turned to leave. He returned to the Jianyin Sect and began his retreat again. Uncertain, he made up his mind: if it was truly discovered that his master had killed his parents, he would fight him to the death. To be able to fight his master, he had to become even more powerful, at least to be on par with him.

On the other hand, if this wasn't Master's doing, and someone else was behind it, then the fact that this person didn't take Bo Liangzi's mark seriously meant they were on the same level as Master. This person might be similar to Zhu Chunhua, or perhaps the mastermind behind the incident. Mo Wenjian understood even more clearly that he needed to work harder on his training so that he could personally deal with his enemy one day.

So, Mo Wenjian retreated into seclusion for a full ten years. During these ten years, his swordsmanship advanced by leaps and bounds, even allowing him to imbue his sword with mortal powers, allowing his Changli Sword to seemingly travel through the immortal realm. Even a master like Bo Liangzi had to be cautious when standing before him. When Mo Wenjian emerged from seclusion, he and Bo Liangzi met on Sword Cliff. Mo Wenjian immediately inquired about the truth of the past, and those buried memories slowly surfaced.

It turns out that Bo Liangzi left the mark to intimidate the Xuanmen and deter them from plotting against the Ming family. He even sent his own disciple, Cui Baifa, to secretly protect the Ming family. However, during the war, both the good and evil sides had their own plans, and even those independent cultivators wanted to take advantage of the opportunity.

Among these people, a mysterious figure was behind the scenes. No one knew who he was, not even Cui Baifa. This mysterious figure had discovered Bo Liangzi's mark and, for unknown reasons, used a clone technique to lure Cui Baifa away. Then, he disguised himself and approached him to recruit him as a disciple. Rejected, he went on a killing spree, slaughtering all sixteen members of the Ming family household, with the exception of the Ming siblings. Mingyue was taken away, and Mingtai seemed destined for a different fate.

Later, the Ghost King appeared. It was unknown whether he was coming for Bo Liangzi or just wanted to plot against the poor family. In any case, he used some trickery to put Mingyue down, and then disappeared. Mo Wenjian later learned about these situations.

Bo Liangzi told Mo Wenjian all this, but Mo Wenjian still had doubts in his heart. Bo Liangzi said that he was not there at the time, Cui Baifa was also led away, and coupled with the matter of the Ghost King and Zhu Chunhua's subsequent appearance, if he was not there, how could he know all this?

Bo Liangzi understood Mo Wenjian's doubts and, before he could ask further, quickly explained that even though Cui Baifa was absent, the Jianyin Sect couldn't possibly rely on just one person to guard it. How could the future sect's unification depend on just one person? Therefore, in addition to Cui Baifa's direct supervision, the Ming family mansion also had many secret disciples, as well as a senior from the Jianyin Sect, Patriarch Jianchi, who was in charge of the ancestral temple.

This Jianchi Patriarch is Bo Liangzi's elder, and by seniority, his uncle. He's also the junior apprentice of the senior who slew the demonic elephant on Sword Cliff. While the Jianyin Sect's elders maintain control of the sect, three remain hidden. One, Jian Xiu, remains in seclusion somewhere within Canshan Mountain, refusing to emerge unless the sect faces catastrophic calamity. The second, Jianxing Patriarch, remains in seclusion beneath Sword Cliff. Because Zhu Chunguang was forced into a desperate struggle to sell his magic, attracting the demonic elephant, he retreated once, refusing to reappear unless the sect faces a major crisis. The final, Jianchi Patriarch, possesses the highest cultivation level of the three and is the most mysterious. He remains confined to the ancestral temple, firstly to guard the Jianyin Sect's sacred relic—the scabbard beneath the ancestral rank—and secondly, to await a destined recipient. The ancestral statue contains the Jianyin Sect's supreme art, the Hidden Sword Technique.