Chapter 0: Prologue
Time: Unknown, perhaps a very long, long time ago.
Place: Shen Zhou
Since the early dawn of man, humanity have observed the strange and hostile world surrounding them. From the sound of rumbling thunder, the fearsome bursts of lightning, the heavy rainstorms accompanied by howling winds, devastating floods that wrecks destruction and cost massive loss of lives, and countless other natural disasters, humanity reached the stunning conclusion that these strange and powerful forces of nature were beyond the power of any one man to create and impossible to resist against. This insight leads them to believe that divine beings lived in the nine heavens above, and demons dwell in hell, beneath the great earth. Because of this, tales of divine beings passed down from one generation to the next. Owing to humanity imaginations to rationalize the harsh and unpredictable world around them, humanity created elaborate rituals to worship these false gods.
From ancient times till now, no man, no matter how powerful or great they are in life, have ever escaped from the cold grasp of death. All men craved for life’s sweet delights and fear death’s cold embrace. Just the mere mention of death will send a small chill of fear down the spine of men. Due to this irrational fear, humanity begins their fruitless struggle against death in search for Immortality.
Compare to other living species, humanity is physically weaker, but yet they have dominated all living species. This is no small feat. Humanity’s secret to their dominance is being able to pass the knowledge they gathered during their lifespan and passing it on to the next generation. So as one man lie down, another man rises up to pick up his mantle. Following the same process that they did for dominance, humanity persistently continued their lifelong pursuit for Immortality. Unfortunately, up till now, Humanity still has not found the secret to Immortality.
However, stories are told that a select group of Taoists have seen into the fabric of creation of Heaven and Earth. Using what they have learned, these Taoists have decided to take humanity destiny into their own hands. Using mysticism, alchemy, and various other magical tools, they can make Heaven and Earth shake with the sound of thunder.
Other stories tell that many of these enlightened Taoist Elders live to be thousands of years old, maybe even achieving immortality. The common people assume that these enlightened Taoist have become deities, so therefore attracting more people to join in the practice and study of the Way of Tao.
Shen Zhou is a wide and open land. However, only the Central Plains is lush and fertile. Nine out of ten people lived here. The surrounding lands of the Central Plains is treacherous and almost uninhabitable to man. This is mainly due to large mountainside and toxic water. In addition to this, various wild and dangerous beasts roam through this inhospitable area. Rumors of blood thirsty barbarians tribes exists here. According to ancient legends, there are still remnants of ancients creatures and long lost civilization hidden there, but no one alive have seen or witness this
To this day, many priests practice the way of Tao, but very few have complete understanding of it Due to the large expanse of Shen Zhou, the Taoist priests are many, they practice various ways, but not all Taoist priests’ practices are the same. Since they have not discovered the secrets to Immortality, the world is split into multiple sects and clans, both good and evil. Due to these differences, these sects and clans compete against one another which often resulted in endless killings.
With Immortality remaining a distant and elusive goal, strength and power became the focus of many of these practitioners. Today, Good is in ascendence, and Evil is on the decline. Thus the Central Plains is the domain of the various Good sects and clans. Of these Good sects and clans, three stands out as pillars of the Central Plains: Qing Yun Sect, Tian Yin Temple, and Fen Xiang Valley.
This story begin with Qing Yun Sect.
Note:
Qing Yun Sect = Green Cloud Sect
Tian Yin Temple = Sounds of Heaven Temple
Fen Xiang Valley = Incense Valley