Chapter 1

"Kara-kara—boom!" A sudden thunderclap exploded beside his ear, shaking his internal organs and making his soul almost escape from his body.

Yue Qing regained consciousness from his faint, feeling as if his head was about to split in two, his temples throbbing like drums, and his brain boiling. Countless unfamiliar memories surged into his mind. High mountain sword practice, entering the azure sky, and secret cultivation in ancient caves... People he had never seen and events he had never experienced flashed through his mind like a movie.

"Evil Daoist, you have done too many wicked deeds and are now receiving your retribution!" A clear female voice sounded before him.

Yue Qing strained to open his eyes, focusing his vision. Not far away, he saw three ancient altars where Daoist rituals were performed. The central one was higher, with two precious swords floating a foot above it, unsupported, dripping blood from their tips, as if they had just killed some creature. Below the two swords was a broken half of a jade bottle, spewing black smoke.

On either side of the main altar were two slightly lower auxiliary altars, adorned with various banners inscribed with ghostly symbols. On these altars stood thick wooden stakes, each tied to a three- or four-year-old boy. They wore red belly bands, and their chests and backs were plastered with yellow talismans, painted in bright red cinnabar, a sight that made one's scalp tingle.

On the left auxiliary altar stood a young girl, about twelve or thirteen years old, short in stature, dressed in ancient palace attire, holding a golden light that flickered continuously. She looked at Yue Qing with disdain, her appearance cute and her voice clear and pleasant: "Since the death of Grandmaster Taiyi Hunyuan, your Wutai Sect has fallen apart, with members either dead or fled. You are one of the few who managed to survive! As cultivators, we should follow the virtue of preserving life, but you, the evil Daoist, are truly despicable, cruel, and heartless, using such young children to refine evil swords. Today, I will cut you down with my sword to prevent you from harming others in the future!" She pointed a white, delicate hand at Yue Qing, and the golden light shot towards him like a bolt of lightning.

Yue Qing sensed the danger and reacted instinctively. The two precious swords on the central main altar trembled in unison, emitting a crisp hum, and transformed into two silver beams that flew out to intercept the golden light.

Yue Qing felt as if these two swords were his own arms. With a mere thought, they would follow his will, flying to wherever he wanted, slashing, stabbing, slicing, and cutting, all at his command. The memories that had flooded his mind were vast, far more than his own, even including events from hundreds of years ago. Everything, big or small, was vivid and clear, as if they had truly happened to him.

Through these memories, he learned that his name was Yue Qinbin, and he lived in a world where immortals walked the earth. He was a famous sword immortal of the Wutai Sect. Fifty years ago, after his master, Grandmaster Taiyi Hunyuan, lost a sword duel to the Emei Sect and was attacked by the Three Immortals and Two Elders led by Qi Shuming, his spirit was injured, and he died in his physical form. The Wutai Sect fell apart, and he went into seclusion on Mount Heng, rarely venturing out.

The additional memories spanned three hundred years, from his childhood, when he wandered as a beggar due to war, to being led up the mountain by Grandmaster Taiyi Hunyuan, and his cultivation in the Huangji Palace with his fellow disciples. All the incredible immortal techniques and sword skills were deeply etched in his mind, giving him the illusion that these were his own experiences, and that he had cultivated these techniques for over three hundred years. He could channel the five elements' true qi in his chest, gather it at the Laogong point on his left hand, and with a slash, release a Five Elements Divine Thunder, shattering an auxiliary altar to pieces, as if it were all instinct.

The girl flew in the air, her body enveloped in golden sword light, transforming into a three-zhang-long golden rainbow, descending with an unstoppable momentum, intertwining with Yue Qing's two silver beams, emitting continuous explosions and showering the area with gold and silver sparks, like fireworks.

It was unclear whether Yue Qinbin's original magical power was inferior to the girl's, or if Yue Qing, having just arrived, had not fully integrated the original owner's memories and habits, and thus could not fully master the techniques. The two silver beams were quickly suppressed by the golden light. After a brief struggle, the golden light forced the two silver beams to fly in front of Yue Qing, circling and slashing around him.

Each time the sword light approached, Yue Qing felt the cold light on his body, the chill on his face, and his hair standing on end, cold sweat pouring down. Once, it grazed his cheek, even cutting a strand of hair from his temple. Several times, it nearly split him in two, but the silver swords, with their divine and intelligent nature, always managed to block the golden light at the critical moment.

The girl fought with ease, laughing like a silver bell: "Evil Daoist, your retribution has come! Why don't you just die!" She clenched her fist, twisting the golden sword into a spiral, which suddenly exploded, breaking through the defensive circle formed by the two silver swords, and the sharp blade shot straight at Yue Qing's chest.

Yue Qing instinctively channeled the Five Elements True Qi, forming a seal with his hands to protect his chest. A colorful light emerged between his thumbs and little fingers, with yellow, green, red, and blue qi continuously flowing. The golden sword, upon striking, was halted.

The girl's eyes showed a hint of surprise: "Not bad for a famous disciple of Grandmaster Hunyuan! You do have some cultivation!" She opened her seemingly cute cherry mouth and released a stream of true qi, which made the golden sword spin wildly and surge forward.

Yue Qing felt as if a thousand pounds of pressure were pressing on his chest, making it hard to breathe, and his vision went black. He knew he must not relax for a moment, or the golden sword would pierce his chest.

The instinct for survival made him suppress his agitation and desperately channel the Five Elements True Qi, forming a Daoist seal with his hands to block the golden sword. However, the sword still pushed him backward, his feet plowing deep grooves into the damp ground.

"Bang!" Yue Qing's back collided with a tree, his body shaking, and his vision filled with golden stars. He almost vomited.

He could no longer retreat. The girl, still laughing, released another stream of true qi from her mouth, making the sword spin like a high-speed drill.

The colorful qi between Yue Qing's hands had thinned to a mere layer, and the sword tip was less than an inch from his chest, the airflow from it tearing his shirt to shreds, leaving his chest cold and numb.

Yue Qing knew he could not defeat the girl today, and a wave of despair washed over him.

He thought to himself that he had saved a child from being run over by a car, only to be hit by a truck, and now, before he could even celebrate his good deed, he was about to be killed in this strange world. Clearly, being a good person and doing good deeds was not worth it. If he ever encountered such a situation again...

Before he could finish his thought, several beams of green light suddenly descended from the clouds, accompanied by a gentle female voice: "Brother Yue, don't panic, I'm here to help you!" Seven sword beams, like dragons in the sea, blocked the girl's sword, while the other three attacked her from behind.

The girl let out a light cry, unable to kill Yue Qing, and turned the golden sword into a circle to protect herself.

The seven green beams formed a giant hand, enveloping the girl, and the seven fingers suddenly tightened, trying to tear her apart.

The girl released a stream of true qi, and the golden circle rapidly exploded, colliding with the seven green beams. A series of metallic clanging sounds echoed, and a burst of golden and green light filled the air.

The girl shouted, "Xu Feiniang! After Grandmaster Taiyi Hunyuan's death, you claimed to have reformed and lived in seclusion on Mount Huang, and everyone thought you had truly repented. Today, you are once again colluding with your former evil sect!"

A young and beautiful Daoist nun descended gracefully from the clouds, directing the seven sword beams to battle the girl while smiling lightly: "Jiang Xuejun, I heard that you had too much killing karma and were forced to undergo a military execution. You refused to reincarnate and, with your master's help, cultivated into a terrestrial immortal, remaining in seclusion at Dongting Lake, never interfering in the world's affairs. Today, you have traveled a thousand miles to this place. Aren't you afraid that your hard-earned immortal body, cultivated over hundreds of years, will be damaged, and all your efforts will be in vain?"