Tianlang Continent.
A land as ancient as time itself, sprawling across a world where natural and supernatural intertwine. It was a place of breathtaking beauty and overwhelming dangers that co-existed all at once.
Towering mountains that seemed to be piercing the heavens, Dense forests that churned with a hum of life, Giant chasms that seemed to lead to the very heart of the earth—it had it all.
Yet, despite its natural wonders, Tianlang followed the rule of the jungle—where the strong ruled over all, while the weak were nothing more than prey suspended in the strong's hands.
It was a harsh and unforgiving place where only the strong could hope to survive by accumulating the energy of Heaven and Earth—Qi.
'Qi' was the representation of a mysterious energy that was omnipresent, yet invisible to the normal eyes. It was the very thread that tied the concept of life and death together and held onto it—maintaining a balance between the two.
And they, who could harness the powers of such energy were known as 'Cultivators'.
Cultivators were the true rulers of this world, for they were the beings with unimaginable powers, capable of feats that defied the rules of nature.
Some could summon Heaven-wrecking storms with a mere gesture of their hands while others could level a giant mountain with a single strike. While the most powerful ones among them could even defy death itself by ascending into a state of immortality.
However, such Heaven-defying powers came with a price. For every new level, a cultivator had to achieve, he'd prove to the heavens that he truly was ready to handle those powers.
Many Cultivators would fail and fall into a state of despair, while the selective few who'd pass, would soar high in the sky.
The Tianlang Continent was ruled by 7 Families, all with unequal territories: Jian, Shen, Jie, Yan, Ye, Shie, and Mo, where Jian was the biggest and strongest, and Mo was the weakest and smallest.
At one time, these families were hailed as the 7 Immortal clans, for they had produced immortals for generations. Yet, for the last countless millennia, let alone an Immortal, not a single person had been able to break through the Void amalgamation realm—while those who had been in higher realms were said to be stuck in the same.
***
In the heart of the bustling city of Lianzhou, a moderately big pavilion stood tall among countless buildings.
The main gate of this pavilion was guarded by two men sitting at the corners of each door. Their clothes were worn and torn, while their weapon, the spear, was dulled and threatening to break at any moment.
At the top of the main gate, a giant name board hung with the name "Mo" written on it. The gates weren't anything extravagant and neither was the pavilion.
Inside the gates, in the main hall of the pavilion, 14 elders sat in the room, forming rows while facing each other and leaving a good gap in between. They were all dressed in well-made clothes, each with a design of its own.
At the center back, a single middle-aged man—Mo Tianxun—sat atop a rather special throne-like chair. Draped in white silk robes with intricate black designs, his cerulean eyes exuded an aura that easily put weights on the heads of the elder sitting in front of him in silence.
A few patches of white hair could be seen in his hair and beard, while a tense, stressful look had taken over his face.
After a brief amount of silence, he let out a deep sigh as he loosened his tensed muscles.
"It's been 5000 years... Since our Mo clan had started to plummet... And now, we are nowhere near the glory of our past..." Mo Tianxun said coldly, his voice a mixture of anger and regret.
"And now that we had fallen into the feet of those who were once called our rivals... They dare consider banishing us from the ranks of the 7 martial families!" His voice thundered as he clenched his fist tightly across the hand support of his throne—crushing it into pieces.
The elders sitting in the hall flinched as the sharp voice seemed to pierce their souls but quickly regained their composure as they knew that their patriarch was saying nothing but the truth.
In the last 5000 years, the Mo family has lost all of its prominent and strongest members who were as powerful as the Jian family. However, as all of them died mysteriously and silently, the other 6 families had been trying their best to de-throne the Mo family.
Why?
No one knew.
But to their blessings, the current patriarch of the Mo family, Mo Tianxun, was powerful enough to at least fend off and protest against those who bore evil against their family.
As the mood in the main hall continued to worsen, the side door opened with a snap as a young woman, dressed in a maid's clothes, came running through and stopped near the great.
She quickly cupped her hands and bowed to the patriarch while trying to control her breath. Her face displaying the grave expression as if the death itself had fallen upon her.
With a trembling voice, she began - "P-Patriarch! Young Master Wusheng has been kidnapped!"
Hearing the maid utter such words, Mo Tianxun couldn't contain his anger any longer and let his Qi run wild.
Within a breath, all who were present in the hall were brought to their knees with a hard slam.
"Who did it!?" His voice rang out in the whole pavilion like a descending thunder as Qi began to leak out of the corners of his eyes in a flowy, wave-like manner.
"C-Crimson Blade Sect..." Her voice—trembling under the immense pressure inflicted by the patriarch.
Suddenly, the pressure disappeared in an instant as if it had never existed in the first place. As everyone in the hall raised their eyes, they realized that the Patriarch was gone as well.
However, something was strange.
Despite knowing that the son of their patriarch, their young master, has been kidnapped and the Patriarch has gone out himself to face an entire Sect, not just the Elders but the Maid as well, they seemed not worried at all.
The elders exchanged glances in silence but did not utter a single word. On the contrary, something cold and strange seemed to be looming around them as their faces changed instantly and lips curled into devious smirks.