Introduction

  The legend of the immortals has been around for a long time.

  It's just that Hongmeng doesn't remember the years. The so-called Pangu opening up the sky and Nüwa creating humans, it's unknown how many years ago these events occurred, all of which cannot be verified.

  In the orthodox history, since the ancient Huangdi, there have been stories of Guangchengzi spreading the Tao and Rongchenggong becoming an immortal. Historical records also mention the great war between the Yellow Emperor and Chiyou's tribes, as well as the gods Fengbo, Yushi, Yinglong, etc.

  Later, there were stories of Kuafu chasing the sun and Da Yu controlling floods that were widely spread. Although the people did not know whether they were true or false, they also half-believed and half-doubted them. By then, the image of gods had already deeply entered people's hearts. Until the Shang and Zhou dynasties divided the country and established their own states, at the end of the Shang dynasty, King Zhou was tyrannical, and King Wu of Zhou attacked him, changing the dynasty. Among the people, there were again stories of deifying gods, and unofficial histories and legends were mixed and unclear.

  The Zhou Dynasty lasted for 800 years, until the Warring States period of the Spring and Autumn era. There were a hundred schools of thought contending with each other. Laozi was born, stepping on a lotus flower at birth, holding the position of guarding the archives of the Zhou Dynasty, passing down the teachings of Daoism. Seeing that the fortune of the Zhou Dynasty was about to end, Laozi resigned and went into hiding, leaving behind only one green ox, carrying it west out of Hangu Pass. The guardian of Hangu Pass, Yin Xi, loved astronomy, seeing a purple cloud gathering in the east, three thousand miles long, shaped like a flying dragon, knowing that a sage was passing by. Therefore, he lit incense on both sides of the road to welcome Laozi.

  Laozi saw his sincerity, and thus wrote down the 5,000 words of Dao De. Later, he rode a green ox and disappeared without a trace. People said that he taught and transformed countless beings, with boundless merit, and ascended to immortality. From this point on, the legend of divine immortals and Daoist masters became more systematic.

  Hundreds of years passed again.

  In this, there was first Qin Huang's subordinate, Xu Fu, who led 3,000 young boys and girls to the East Sea in search of immortality. Later, he also accompanied Han Wu in the Weiyang Palace, where jade maidens held golden plates to receive the heavenly dew. From emperors to common people, everyone witnessed the thunder and lightning around them, the cycle of life and death, and some extraordinary people were even born with celestial music and white cranes, deeply believing in the legend of immortals.

  Since ancient times, many people have sought immortality and the Tao, like fish crossing a river, too numerous to count. After thousands of years, how could there be nothing gained? Some fortunate individuals with deep blessings have searched famous mountains and great rivers, emulating the methods of Huang Lao, and truly found a portion of spiritual energy in the world. Although they cannot live forever or become immortal, they can still extend their lifespan, freely roaming for hundreds of years. According to legend, those who master the Tao can even know the nine heavens and are only one step away from the true immortals of mythology, known as half-immortal bodies. The method of cultivating the Tao is not easily obtained, how could it be abandoned halfway? Some people have manifested divine signs in the world, which is why more and more people are enthusiastic about this.

  These people followed the ancient way and called themselves "Tao". The teaching of Tao originated from this.

  In ancient times, the ancestors taught and transformed the Hu, Yi, Fan, and Man barbarians. There were even kings who awakened to the Tao, known as Sakyamuni. He called himself "Buddha", established a great teaching, divided and appointed various heavenly Bodhisattvas and Arhats. By the time of the Two Hans, Buddhism was transmitted from the west to the east, and together with the Taoist teachings, they occupied different regions.

  Alas, the Taoist school is powerful, and the Buddhist and Taoist schools are vastly different. The Buddhists do not want to compete with the Taoists, so they agree to leave the world together and not spread their teachings among ordinary people. The number of Taoist followers is mixed and uneven, and the Taoist method emphasizes understanding nature and the heavens, which can lead to becoming a semi-immortal, but progress is slower. The Buddhist method emphasizes understanding oneself, considering one's own body as the three thousand worlds, containing the supreme wonderful law and divine powers, with all the great ways within oneself. However, this cultivation method may be faster in progress, but it cannot lead to becoming a semi-immortal. In the Taoist school, there is a faction that does not follow the ancestral teachings and slowly merges with Buddhism, changing its emphasis to understanding oneself rather than nature and the heavens. Moreover, they act recklessly and do not respect the teachings, eventually joining forces with Buddhism and betraying the Taoist school. According to legend, at the foot of Mount Zhou, a large faction was established, calling itself the "Demon".

  After this battle, the Taoist sect was greatly injured and made an agreement with Buddhism and Demonism to no longer preach in the mortal world. They all hid themselves in various mountains and rivers. Each was also restricted by their own sectarian views and did not seek out whether there were immortals or not.

  From then on, the cultivators of immortality and the practitioners of Taoism disappeared from the secular world. Although this was the case, when Buddhism and Taoism were previously spreading their teachings, they also had scattered techniques that were passed down, each evolving into various martial arts, which were transmitted to the world. Ordinary people who practiced them may not have been able to fly through the sky or escape from the earth like those who cultivated immortality, but they could still jump onto roofs and climb walls, strengthening their bodies and improving their health.

  After hundreds of years, it was the prosperous era of the Tang Dynasty. The world had undergone several separations and reunions. Various martial arts were scattered throughout the world, and it was rare to hear about immortals again.

  Our story begins in the Xuanzong years of the Tang Dynasty.