Verdant peaks pierced the clouds, and the mountain path wound through pines and cypresses.
A tabby cat rested on a branch, while below, a seeker of immortality made her arduous way.
The tabby cat’s languidly dangling tail caught the young seeker’s attention, becoming one of the few fleeting pleasures on her arduous journey to ascend the peaks and seek immortality.
“Mimi, since you live here, can you tell me if there are any immortals around?”
The tabby cat seemed to react, its tail pausing for a moment, almost within the seeker’s reach, before flicking again.
“Never mind, I still have a long way to go. Once I become an immortal, capable of ascending to the heavens and descending to the earth, my parents will no longer suffer.”
With those words, the seeker gathered her belongings, an air of resolute determination about her.
Draining the last drops of water from her waterskin, she then scrambled up the steep mountain path, using both hands and feet, as if the destination lay just ahead.
Only after her departure did the tabby cat on the branch lazily open its eyes.
“Mount Song spans a thousand zhang; this is merely halfway.”
With no one else around, such clear words had astonishingly emanated from the tabby cat perched on the branch.
Immediately, the cat stretched languidly, and in a blink, transformed into a young girl with brown pigtails, now gracefully seated on the branch.
“Heh, speaking of which, the first time we met, she also called me ‘Mimi’.”
The girl wore an emerald-green, glazed ruqun (TL Note: A traditional Chinese dress with a high-waisted skirt), its hem falling just above her knees.
A pair of slender, smooth calves, adorned with small, pristine jade-white feet, dangled and swayed playfully.
Her pretty face held seven parts cuteness, and the sparkle in her beautiful eyes made her appear exceptionally lively.
“Ascending to immortality…”
The moment these words were uttered, everything around her accelerated a hundredfold, as if a fast-forward button had been pressed, only to abruptly halt moments later.
Such profound mystery would compel not only mortals, but even seasoned cultivators, to bow their heads in reverence and address her as ‘Senior’.
The girl leaped from the branch, stepping lightly on empty air like an agile cat, and in a flash, ascended hundreds of zhang.
Upon spotting the seeker of immortality lying unconscious and near death on the mountain path, the girl remained utterly expressionless, as if this outcome were entirely expected, and paid no mind to the seeker’s fate.
She then soared straight up, past the mountaintop, and stood suspended in mid-air.
“The path to immortality, even the visible portion, is fraught with such peril. Little do they know that merely entering this mountain gate is just the beginning; the unseen path of ascension that follows is the true tribulation.”
As her words faded, the flow of time around her returned to its normal pace, and everything within the mountain gate below resumed its designated functions.
“Xuan Mountain Sect. The last time A Ying and I came here, I don’t think it was called that… When was that, anyway?”
The girl gazed absently into the void, her thoughts as distant and boundless as the horizon itself.
“Across the vast, boundless lands, the immortal path stretches endlessly. Foundation Establishment cultivators are one in a hundred, yet merely at the starting line.
Core Formation cultivators are one in a thousand, yet cannot escape their shackles. Those who cultivate a Nascent Soul become a regional overlord, but cannot truly be free.
And those who reach Soul Transformation are as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns, yet few among them can even touch the threshold of ‘Harmonizing with the Dust’ (TL Note: A state of profound enlightenment and integration with the mundane world, often associated with Daoist philosophy).”
These words came from the girl’s lips, yet judging by her expression, they didn’t seem to be her own.
“The world’s inhabitants flock to the path of enlightenment like ducks to water, yet ordinary sects rise and fall within mere hundreds or thousands of years.
Seen in this light, immortal sects are no different from mortal dynasties. Perhaps the only constants through the ages are the ceaselessly flowing spiritual energy and the indestructible Great Dao.”
The girl seemed to recall something, and a smile unconsciously bloomed on her face.
Immediately, she formed a hand seal with her delicate fingers, murmuring to herself, `’When people today gaze upon the full moon, have they ever seen the moon wax?’`
The jade bell on her chest vibrated faintly, and from within it, a streak of light flew out, hovering before her to form a gigantic map.
“Revisiting old places truly does affect one. This flowery talk sounds more like A Ying than me.”
The girl regained her composure, and the expression on her pretty face became lively, a playful curve gracing her lips, as if this were her natural state.
“Let’s see, from Lian Family Village to here, A Ying walked hundreds of li back then. Was she trying to escape a place of sorrow? Or was she afraid that beast would launch a surprise attack?”
Given the girl’s immense power, the ‘back then’ she spoke of likely spanned millennia, even tens of thousands of years.
Of course, just as vast as those countless years was the sheer immensity of this world.
At this thought, the girl couldn’t help but frown, yet she showed no sign of discouragement.
“Even if I must traverse the Four Seas and Eight Desolations, following every path A Ying ever walked, I will surely light the lamp to guide her home and bring her back.”
As she spoke, the girl looked down to a valley guarded by three sects.
The valley was rich in spiritual energy; the lush mountain forests, the flowers and grasses on the ground, and the clear spring streams had all become extraordinary due to the spiritual qi’s influence.
It was an environment where many strange spirit beasts thrived.
With a single, effortless step, the girl neared the valley.
A spiritual energy barrier suddenly shimmered into existence before her as she approached, yet it offered not the slightest resistance.
The girl passed straight through without needing to disrupt it.
As she drew closer to her destination, the bell on her chest vibrated with increasing frequency, until she landed.
Thereupon, the bell became still, seemingly locked in a gentle, side-to-side sway.
The girl gazed at the tranquil clearing before her, her eyes reflecting the dazzling, multicolored spells, while the cacophony of fierce combat and shouts echoed in her ears.
“It seems this is the place.”