Insufficient balance
The vast land of China, with its beautiful mountains and rivers, has been home to countless magical legends for thousands of years. For centuries, people have been fascinated by stories about immortality and eternal life. Since ancient times, all mortals have had to face death. However, the fear of death and the desire for life, combined with the myth of the underworld and its ruler Yanluo, added a few more worries to human existence. As a result, people began to yearn for immortality and eagerly sought out ways to achieve eternal life.
Humans are the most spiritual of all things, although physically at a disadvantage, but in pursuit of immortality, countless intelligent and talented individuals have devoted their lives to diligent research. So far, although true immortality has not been achieved, some cultivators have grasped powerful forces through secret treasures and magical instruments, shaking heaven and earth with thunderous power. Some senior cultivators are said to have lived for over a thousand years without dying. People believe that achieving immortality is possible, leading more people to embark on the path of cultivation. This triggered a wave of enthusiasm for cultivation, which has led to countless sects emerging in China over thousands of years, each with its own unique magic.
The Divine Land is vast and boundless. Only the Central Plains are the most fertile and populous, with eight or nine out of ten people living there. The desolate lands in the southeast, northwest, and other borders are treacherous, with many ferocious beasts and poisonous creatures lurking within. Among them, countless unknown demons and spirits hide, cultivating their true bodies between the black waters and white mountains to seek transformation into human form and break through the three realms and five elements. Therefore, the Divine Land is mysterious and hidden, containing innumerable wonders, including immortals, Buddhas, Taoist deities, demons, monsters, ghosts, and spirits, all coexisting without exception. However, these supernatural beings that cultivate truth often hide in the mountains and waters, unknown to humans.
After thousands of years of development and change, up to now, on the vast land of China, there are countless schools of cultivation, but only a few are well-known. In the past five hundred years, a nursery rhyme has been circulating on the land of China, which goes like this: "Xian, Buddha, Taoist, Demon, Five Schools together, Six Institutes gather ghosts and monsters." These two short sentences roughly describe the schools of cultivation on the land of China.
The so-called five factions of Xian, Buddha, Tao, Demon, and Mo are the five major factions in the Cultivation Realm. These five major factions include the four orthodox schools of Xian, Buddha, Tao, and Demon. The first-ranked Xian refers to the Xianjian Gate, known as the number one in the Divine State, with a focus on cultivating the immortal sword. The second-ranked Buddha refers to the Wanfo Sect, which is the most mysterious place in Buddhism. The third-ranked Tao refers to the Wuwei Taoist faction, which is the birthplace of Taoism. The fourth-ranked Demon refers to two places: the Tianmo Cult and the Mogong Sect, which are the most evil demonic factions in the world. All five factions focus on cultivating immortality, although there is a distinction between good and evil, they all pursue longevity as their main goal, rarely inquiring about worldly affairs, and are generally unknown to people.
The six institutes of demons and monsters are actually the six separate institutes located in different parts of the divine state, with a grand momentum that divides the world into six parts. The six institutes mainly focus on cultivating immortals in the mortal world, which is why there is the saying "six institutes gathering demons and monsters". This statement refers to the fact that the disciples of the six institutes cultivate immortality for the sake of peace in the world, eliminating demons and monsters to protect the peace and stability of the human world. When encountering demons and monsters, they will eliminate them to maintain peace and stability in the world.
The first among the six institutes is the Tianjian Institute, located at the top of Tai Xuan Mountain. It has a history of over 2,000 years and is one of the most prestigious sects in the cultivation world. For five hundred years, it has been ranked as the number one sect in the cultivation world, far surpassing others with its unparalleled swordsmanship.
Ranked second, the Buddhist Bodhi Academy is said to be located deep in Jiuhua Mountain, and very few people know about it. This Bodhi Academy is extremely mysterious, and it is said to be the most mysterious place for Buddhist cultivation. Every disciple who comes out of there is an outstanding master, each with earth-shaking cultivation.
Ranked third is Dao Yuan, which is mainly based on Taoist cultivation and is one of the most famous Taoist palaces in the Taoist school, located at the foot of Tiancang Mountain. It is said that Dao Yuan is a branch of the Wuwei Taoist sect, which is the oldest of the six institutes, with a history of nearly three thousand years, originating from Guang Chengzi's sect, and is the most orthodox and mysterious sect in Taoism, having not appeared in the mortal world for two hundred years.
Ranked fourth is the Confucian Temple, said to be a place of spiritual refinement for Confucians, and one of the rarest places in the world. As everyone knows, Confucians are all bookworms who strongly oppose supernatural powers, so it's hard to understand why they also cultivate their spirit. However, this place really exists in Luoyang City and is very famous.
Ranking fifth is the Phoenix Academy, which is said to be a college mainly for female cultivators. The academy has been established for over a thousand years and has produced countless famous female heroes in the cultivation world, bringing unparalleled honor to the Phoenix Academy and numerous shocks to the cultivation world. This is a special cultivation sect, with only women inside, but they have won a place in the world, becoming one of the six most famous separate academies.
Ranked sixth, or last, is the Yi Garden located in Xishu Qin Chuan. This is a very special college, different from other cultivation sects. Other colleges focus on cultivating truth, while Yi Garden focuses on cultivating the mind, with cultivating truth as secondary and learning as fundamental. The disciples recruited by Yi Garden are divided into two categories: one is ordinary students who study the Four Books and Five Classics, poetry, and music; the second is cultivation disciples who learn the secrets of cultivation to become a true cultivator, eliminating demons and monsters to maintain peace in the region. Therefore, not every disciple of Yi Garden is necessarily a cultivator, nor does everyone understand magical techniques and secret skills.
Apart from the five sects and six institutes' legend, in a very small number of high-ranking cultivators, there is also another legend circulating. That is the legend of the "Heavenly Human Realm" three intervals seven boundaries. The so-called human refers to the mortal realm, which is also referred to as the cultivation realm. This is the largest space between heaven and earth, and it is said that among the seven realms, this one has the greatest power and the most people. The number of cultivators is countless, and if they were to unite, their power would be the strongest in the world. Unfortunately, each sect's cultivators have a strong sense of door and household, so their powers are scattered and not concentrated.
Apart from the mortal world of cultivation, the most mysterious "Heaven" refers to the three extremely mysterious spaces above the blue clouds. Among them, the most legendary is the "Nine Heavens Void Realm". It is said that this void realm is where all cultivators who have reached the highest level of cultivation after avoiding nine heavenly tribulations, attain enlightenment and ascend to become celestial immortals, reside. Legend has it that one can live as long as heaven and earth, forever young and immortal. However, for thousands of years, no one has ever verified this legend, and no one dares to confirm it.
Ranked second, it is called "Clouds of Dharma Realm", said to be the place where those with high cultivation and power equivalent to that of the heavenly immortals reside. Due to their inability to avoid the heavenly tribulation in the end, they were forced to undergo bodily ascension, ultimately becoming earthly immortals. It is also said that some wandering immortals can enter this realm, while others with insufficient cultivation are unable to do so. This "Clouds of Dharma Realm" is said to be located at the peak of the Misty Peak, shrouded in mystery, unfortunately no one has ever known where the Misty Peak is.
Apart from these two places, the last place is called "Tianzhi Du", where it is said that on the top of Tiandu Peak, there is a divine tree that has been alive for thousands of years. Unfortunately, very few people have seen this divine tree, so this "Tianzhi Du" is also extremely mysterious. It is said that those who live in this "Tianzhi Du" are all kinds of heterodox immortals. These heterodox immortals can only enter this realm after achieving great success and enlightenment, where they live a life like the gods, no longer worrying about birth, aging, illness, and death. It is the most coveted place for heterodox practitioners. That is an extremely special existence, where it is said to be beautiful and fantastic, making countless heterodox immortals yearn for it endlessly.
The so-called "domains" refer to three special spaces, said to be under the earth, and some people say they are parallel to the human world, only that these three spaces are relatively small compared to the human world. The three domains are the "Demon Domain", the "Ghost Domain", and the "Hundred Beasts Demon Domain".
"The entrance to the Demon Realm is said to be at the bottom of the 'Corpse River', which is extremely perilous. Inside, there are demons everywhere, all of whom are formidable demon lords with high cultivation levels that shock and awe the world. Since ancient times, the demon lords of the Demon Realm have invaded the mortal realm three times, bringing endless bloodshed and causing countless innocent civilians to die, enraging the powerful masters of the Cultivation Realm who joined forces to drive the demon lords back and seal off the passage between the Demon Realm and the mortal realm. This is a verifiable historical fact."
The legendary "Ghost Domain" is said to have its entrance in the Fengdu Ghost City, but it is very hidden. In the Ghost Domain, there are countless evil spirits, resentful souls overflowing, and fierce winds howling, making it extremely terrifying. Ordinary people who enter the Ghost Domain will undoubtedly die, even cultivators who enter will be mostly unlucky, it is the most sinister region in the world since ancient times.
The "Hundred Beasts Demon Domain" is a gathering place for all the demons in the world, where countless powerful demon spirits and strange beasts reside. It is generally not connected to the human realm. The entrance to this space is said to be located in the second-ranked Phantom Beast Cave Heaven among the five most mysterious caves in the world. Unfortunately, very few people know about it, which is why it is extremely mysterious.
The legendary Three Realms and Seven Domains are actually centered around the Mortal Realm. The other six spaces outside of the Mortal Realm are just specific, relatively small spaces compared to it. Each space exists dependent on the Mortal Realm and is connected to it; they all belong to the Mortal Realm. They are only separated from the Mortal Realm by a barrier that divides them, forming unique spaces with different time-space continua than the Mortal Realm.
The divine land is vast, giving birth to countless wonders. The story of this book begins in Qin River, West Shu. It starts from that special Yi Garden, then sweeps across the world, stirring up the seven realms, leaving behind numerous legends for future generations.
