Clouds and mist swirl. Towering mountains stand like blades, carving the earth to create immortals, splitting the sky to build palaces, thus forming the Wu Xiang Sword Sect.
Of the most ancient three mountains, two seas, and five celestial sects of the Wan Hua Immortal World, the Wu Xiang Sword Sect of Wan Ren Mountain occupies one mountain as one sect. It is one of the oldest and most orthodox sects in this vast Shenzhou. Among the five celestial sects that stand tall and unique in Wan Hua, none can match the deep roots of Wu Xiang, which can be traced back to ancient times. Thus, Wu Xiang Sword Sect has become the top sect among the celestial gates.
Therefore, it's not just the ordinary cultivators who wish to enter the threshold of Wu Xiang Sword Sect, even mortals seeking the Dao flock to the foot of Wan Ren Mountain every year, causing a ruckus.
However, the mountain gate of Wan Ren Mountain opens only once every thirty years, only then the prohibitive formations outside the heavenly ladder disappear. Mortals gather here to cultivate and when the gate finally opens, they scramble to ascend the heavenly ladder, grasping the opportunity to set foot on it.
But this heavenly ladder is just the beginning of the arduous trials before the celestial gate.
"Fellow Daoist, climb quickly, stop looking around." An old voice came from an elderly man with white hair. Reminding a young cultivator in his twenties.
The young cultivator, reminded by the elder, looked up at the five-colored clouds in the sky with longing eyes. This sight reminded the elder of himself from decades ago. The mountain gate opens every thirty years, and since he was twenty, he has guarded this place for seventy years. He has ascended the heavenly ladder twice but failed outside the heavenly gate each time. This is likely his last chance to ascend the ladder.
Entering the celestial gate is challenging.
"What is that?" The young cultivator pointed at the clouds and asked.
The elder, with more experience, replied, "Probably disciples of the Wu Xiang Sword Sect out on a training mission."
"Flying on swords, how enviable!" The young cultivator exclaimed with emotion, then grabbed the elder's hand and hurriedly climbed up.
The heavenly ladder seemed endless, and all the cultivators exerted their utmost effort to ascend. However, the ladder only admits the top one hundred cultivators each time, making it their first path of contention in the celestial realm. The young cultivator, pulling the elder, made a sudden effort and surpassed many. But an unscrupulous individual, envious of them, tripped the elder.
The steep heavenly ladder caused the elderly and the young to roll down. The sharp edges of the mountain path were lethal weapons, and their lives were at stake. Suddenly, the floating clouds above descended, and a slender figure flashed like lightning.
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"Are you two alright?"
A warm female voice, like pearls and jade, awakened the observing mortals.
A woman in a frosty green dress stood with a sword on the heavenly ladder, her face radiant with a warm smile mixed with a hint of pity and curiosity. Her stunning beauty was rare in both the celestial and mortal realms.
Although she appeared youthful, she addressed the elderly man as "Little Friend," indicating that she must have been cultivating for many years, with a lifespan already longer than his, despite her youthful appearance.
"Thank you, Immortal, for saving our lives!" The elder, pulling the stunned young cultivator, was about to kneel and perform a grand gesture of gratitude.
"It was a trivial matter, no need for formalities." The woman gently lifted her sleeve, stopping them from bowing, her smile unwavering. "The path to immortality is hard. Work hard, and farewell." After speaking, she prepared to leave.
"Who are you?" The young cultivator suddenly leaped up and asked, "Tell me, who are you?"
"She is our Wu Xiang Sword Sect ancestor Xie's direct disciple, Senior Sister Bai Yun!" Another young woman descended from the clouds to answer. She was also exceptionally beautiful, with a proud and arrogant demeanor, unlike Bai Yun's warm and steady presence.
Upon hearing this, the crowd was abuzz, and their gazes towards her changed dramatically.
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"Fellow Daoist Gao, who is Bai Yun?"
After the two female cultivators left, the young cultivator pulled the elder and asked.
Who is Bai Yun?
The elder looked at the remaining misty clouds in the sky and said plainly, "Immortal Bai Yun is Xie Lengyue’s disciple, the only direct disciple of Wu Xiang Sword Sect's ancestor. She was brought back to the sect by the ancestor from the mortal world as a child. With extraordinary talent, she formed her golden core within just two hundred years. She is someone we have long admired. I never thought... never thought I would meet her here."
His voice trembled slightly with excitement.
The name Bai Yun is a new legend in both the celestial and mortal realms, like a rising sun.
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As a legend, Bai Yun felt no sense of being legendary. As a cultivator who had been disciplined for over two hundred years, her life in the prestigious Wu Xiang Sword Sect was both austere and monotonous. Cultivating immortality was not easy, and even with her extraordinary talent, forming a golden core within two hundred years required tremendous effort. Her master was strict and demanding, leaving her with nothing but cultivation day after day.
Therefore, every time she went down the mountain for training, whether it was to slay demons or seek treasures, she was exceptionally happy.
"The mortal cultivators outside the mountain gate are getting worse every year. Any Tom, Dick, or Harry wants to sneak into our sect. Only you, Senior Sister, are kind enough to still care about them," the charming young girl standing proudly by the stone said, pouting.
"As cultivators, we should take the responsibility of upholding the world. Saving them was just a small effort, why not?" Bai Yun smiled as she sat cross-legged on the stone, "Baili, you've studied under Master Yu for many years, how are you still so childish?"
Though it was a lesson, her words and demeanor held no harshness, only a bit of indulgence. She envied and cherished her junior sister Baili Qing, who grew up with her. Baili Qing was raised under Master Yu, who was lenient. With ordinary talent, Baili Qing had light daily tasks and lived freely, forming an unrestrained and proud character.
Unlike her, who sat confined on the mountain, oblivious to the world's affairs.
Because she couldn't have it, she envied it. Because it touched her heart, she treated Baili Qing with a bit of indulgence.
Baili Qing dismissed her advice, her eyes rolling with mischievous thoughts. "It's because they have poor talent and won't achieve much on the path to immortality. Instead of wasting effort on the heavenly ladder, they'd be better off living peacefully in the mortal world, getting married, and enjoying a hundred years of good life. What's wrong with that?"
Bai Yun shook her head helplessly. "You have so many twisted arguments. Cultivating immortality is hard. If everyone gave up because of difficulties, how would they cultivate? Transforming from mortal flesh to immortal, it's all defying heaven. How can it be easy? You talk so much about marriage… could it be that you want to find a dual cultivation partner?"
Baili Qing snorted coldly. "I won't argue with you, Senior Sister. You always have lofty ideas. But don't drag me into this. Whether I want to dual cultivate doesn't matter. I do know that before this training, Senior Brother Gu has already asked the Sect Leader to propose to the ancestor, requesting to marry you to him. Senior Sister, I'm looking forward to drinking your dual cultivation wedding wine."
Bai Yun laughed and scolded her a few times, but her cheeks flushed with shyness, and her usually composed expression showed a hint of girlish charm, making her even more captivating. As the mountain breeze rustled the grass and trees, she remembered his clear, spring-like eyes. He was only ten years older than her and had watched her grow up since she joined the sect. He guided her in swordsmanship, taught her cultivation techniques word by word, and instructed her on the secrets of magical tools, like a brother and a friend, protecting her from childhood to her blossoming years.
The romantic love people often talked about was, to her, just this two-hundred-year companionship, day in and day out.
Like a clear spring flowing gently, nurturing a deep affection, not grand but lasting.
The ground suddenly trembled, and Bai Yun pulled her thoughts back, exchanging glances with Baili Qing.
"There's movement in the Skeleton Cave. It seems the Skeleton Beast has returned early. Let's go check it out. Baili, stay behind me and don't act rashly." Bai Yun stood up, gave a few instructions, and then flew towards the nearby stone cave like a shooting star.
A flash of blood-red light crossed Baili Qing's eyes as she followed.
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"Baili——"
Bai Yun looked at Baili Qing, who was caught by the Skeleton Beast's bone spike, her eyes filled with pain and anger. The Skeleton Cave was supposed to be the final challenge of their sect training, but something had gone wrong.
Baili Qing's face was pale, using all her strength to hold the Skeleton Beast's bone spike. The Skeleton Beast couldn't move, and Bai Yun seized the opportunity, forming a Wu Xiang Sword Formation, her voice sharp. Sword lights interweaved and pierced the Skeleton Beast's body. The beast roared in pain, throwing Baili Qing aside. Bai Yun leaped and caught her, holding her in her arms.
"Senior Sister, it's my lack of skill that dragged you down. Don't worry about me, just... escape..." Baili Qing said weakly. The Skeleton Beast was highly skilled. They had come to investigate, and it was her carelessness that alerted the beast, causing this disaster.
"I'll take you and escape." Bai Yun said decisively, ready to carry her.
"Senior Sister, watch out!" Baili Qing suddenly shouted, shielding her with her body.
The Skeleton Beast's bone spike attacked silently.
The cold bone spike pierced through Baili Qing's back, blood dripping onto Bai Yun's face. Bai Yun's eyes filled with rage and sorrow as she looked at Baili Qing, who had saved her life, biting her tongue and using her last strength to drive her sword into the Skeleton Beast's body. The beast fell with a roar, and she turned, "Junior Sister..."
In response, Baili Qing suddenly struck with a blood-red palm print. A beam of light flew from Baili Qing's forehead and entered Bai Yun's brow.
"You..." Before she could finish, Bai Yun closed her eyes.
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"After more than two hundred years, I've finally waited for this day. Senior Sister, you're right. Transforming from flesh to immortal is a path against the heavens, not meant to retreat. I know my talent is ordinary, so I had to take a different path. I give up my mortal body for your immortal bones. Senior Sister, don't blame me. From now on, I am Bai Yun, and I will carry your name forward. Rest in peace."
In the void of her consciousness, Bai Yun heard Baili Qing's cold, emotionless words.
Her primordial spirit, now a virtual image, felt like a cold blade, devoid of emotion. Two hundred years of sisterhood meant nothing compared to the unrivaled path to immortality.
"You gave up your body to seize mine?" Bai Yun's primordial spirit floated unsteadily, bound by a red string held by Baili Qing.
Spirit Seizing is the most dangerous and cruel technique in the world of cultivation – a cultivator abandons their own body, enters another's consciousness, devours their spirit, and takes over their body, with all its cultivation and everything it possesses. The battle of spirit devouring is deadly for both parties. If the invading spirit fails, it will perish, meaning complete annihilation, with no chance for reincarnation.
Baili Qing's body was already dead. If she failed to seize the spirit, she would vanish. This was a life-or-death struggle.
In the path of immortality, human hearts are unpredictable. She never thought she would be betrayed by a close friend, nor did she expect that Baili Qing had been plotting for two hundred years. This span of time, insignificant to immortals, marked the beginning and end of their friendship.
How much hatred and resentment must Baili Qing have harbored to covet for two hundred years?
From entering the Skeleton Cave to Baili Qing alerting the Skeleton Beast and sacrificing herself to save her... all these events were meticulously planned, trapping her in a deadly situation.
"Only after facing death can one be reborn." Baili Qing lightly flicked the red string.
The string burst with overwhelming demonic energy, not something of the celestial world. Bai Yun's expression changed drastically, her thoughts racing. Baili Qing was prepared, and though her cultivation wasn't as high, she had a forbidden demonic artifact. Bai Yun was already injured in her battle with the Skeleton Beast, making it hard to fight back. Her only option was to escape her body and find another way; otherwise, her spirit would be devoured, leaving no chance for resurgence.
Once decided, she didn't hesitate.
A golden core floated out from her primordial spirit, radiating like the sun, creating turbulent clouds in the void. Baili Qing's eyes sharpened. "What are you doing? Shattering your core?"
"You've forced me into a desperate situation; I'll seek life in death. Our sisterhood ends here. Today's matter will be avenged!"
As the cold voice echoed, the golden core shattered, its blinding light dazzling all. Baili Qing turned away from the light, loosening her grip on the red string slightly. In that moment, Bai Yun's primordial spirit turned into a beam of white light, escaping into the distance.
The golden core shattered, destroying two hundred years of cultivation. Though she was defeated, Baili Qing couldn't keep the heavily injured body either.
In this world, nothing is irreplaceable. A body is just a vessel; she could cultivate anew.
tln : The phrase "Any Tom, Dick, or Harry wants to sneak into our sect" is an expression used to convey that many people, regardless of their qualifications or background, are attempting to join the sect. In this context, it means that individuals who are not particularly talented or special are trying to enter the prestigious Wu Xiang Sword Sect. It's a way for Baili Qing to express her frustration and disdain towards those she deems unworthy or ordinary.