111 Past Events (Part 1)

◎On the steps to the Azure Clouds, an immortal ascends to heaven.

Mount Buzhou, the ladder to the blue clouds.

With a distant roar, a bolt of purple lightning ripped across the sky, splitting the greyish-white firmament in two. Brilliant golden light seeped from the crack, and the sea of ​​clouds shone brightly, like endless candlelight, burning the entire sky crimson.

Under the intense heat, the towering ice peaks, originally bluish-gray, were now coated with a layer of flowing gold leaf. From the summit downwards, that shimmering gold flowed slowly like molten lava, a breathtaking sight. In the distance, snow-capped peaks stretched like waves, and the snow on the ice plains was illuminated by the light. When the wind blew, snowflakes swirled and danced with the waves, transforming into countless leaping sparks in the morning glow. Only the silence of the mountains remained between heaven and earth.

All was silent except for the dazzling light, as if all the light in the world had poured down through the crack, trying to reshape this gray world.

Mount Buzhou, perpetually frozen, is now bathed in clear skies after the snow, attracting a flock of newly awakened divine birds to flutter their wings and investigate. Suddenly, the clouds surged, startling countless feathers from falling, and from the blazing golden light, the shape of a staircase slowly emerged, stretching from the foot of the mountain to the clouds, towering and obstructing the sun, impossibly high.

The people at the foot of the mountain began their long journey to the clouds. Although the divine birds were curious, none of them dared to approach due to the powerful true energy emanating from the person. They could only huddle on the highest branch of the pine tree, peeking at him again and again.

Huh? Why did she suddenly freeze?

The blue phoenix whispered among itself.

Huh? Why did she silently shed tears after her long sigh?

Zhuque looked doubtful.

Huh? Why is she laughing silently again? Has she gone mad?

The phoenix sighed.

Alas, hundreds of years have passed. After finally descending the ladder to the heavens, I thought I could finally witness a mortal ascend to immortality, but it turns out to be just another fool who is still attached to worldly affairs.

People only know that one can ascend to immortality after transcending the Refinement Realm, but they do not know that there is another tribulation after the Thunder Tribulation, which is the Azure Cloud Ladder.

The eighty-one steps are like a replay of the past, a scene that unfolds before one's eyes as one faces death. If one still experiences joy, anger, sorrow, greed, ignorance, and delusion, one cannot truly escape the ladder to the clouds and reach the summit for a complete transformation.

It was pointless. The divine birds scattered, leaving only the roc behind, its two small heads on its neck staring at each other in bewilderment.

The person with the left head asked, "You also feel that she has a familiar aura?"

He nodded vigorously with his right head.

Zuo Tou thought for a moment and said, "Since we have nothing else to do, let's stay and see if she can climb all eighty-one steps."

The sun rose and set, the cycle repeated itself, and countless days passed. The crack in the sky grew smaller and smaller, and the golden light grew thinner and thinner. Just as the cloud ladder was about to close, the divine birds suddenly remembered that mortal.

So many days have passed, she must have failed by now, should we go and take a look? This thought flashed through their minds like water, gone in an instant.

With so many interesting things to do, who would care about a mere mortal? Only that fellow, Zhe, has a strong sense of curiosity; we should ask it later.

So the group of divine birds continued to discuss which mountain to go to peck at fruit, Yin Mountain or Yang Mountain... However, before they could figure out the answer, a loud noise came from the top of Buzhou Mountain, echoing through the nine heavens, shaking the trees, and stopping the clouds in their tracks.

Immediately, a voice filled with surprise and joy rang out: "She succeeded!" "She succeeded!"

On the steps to the Azure Clouds, an immortal ascended to heaven.

————

She had a long dream, perhaps more than one, and couldn't tell whether it was a good dream or a nightmare.

In my dream, she is a sword as hard as iron, born of nature and nurtured by the essence of the sun and moon, standing quietly on the top of a mountain, watching the stars shift and the sea turn.

She had no family, only a companion, a sword as sharp as herself. They had been together since birth, and though they could not speak, they understood each other's thoughts in perfect harmony.

She never found such days boring; enjoying the breeze and watching the clouds every day was quite nice. However, her companions said that their talents should not be buried.

"You and I are divine weapons, and one day we will be wielded by someone, slaying soldiers and generals, and becoming invincible."

Her companion spoke with absolute certainty, clearly having already decided on her future path, and since she was used to working alongside her, she did not refuse.

So when the immortal who called himself "Dengxian" found them and asked if the twin swords were willing to follow him, she hesitated for a moment and then made the same choice as her companions.

Dengxian was a deity who loved naming things, and he would stop and ponder everything he saw. He named the mountain that nurtured them "Dengxian Mountain." Dengxian Mountain, in other words, is an ordinary, unremarkable mountain, but how could it be considered ordinary since it gave birth to them? In addition, he named another mountain "Dongliu," but how could a mountain flow? He replied that the world changes, and this place was indeed once a stream.

She couldn't help but think that Dengxian was a strange deity, and she could never figure out his thoughts.

Mountains, stones, plants, birds, and beasts are all given names casually. All things that receive names, whether alive or dead, develop sentience. One monkey, in particular, is exceptionally intelligent and even cultivates a human form.

But he never named them.

She was indifferent, but her companion seemed a little anxious, saying that if they didn't receive a name in a day, it meant their master didn't value them. Indeed, her companion already considered Dengxian their master; she was deeply impressed by the immortal's power and longed to serve him and be remembered in history alongside him. But she never thought that way. She believed her relationship with Dengxian was merely that of "sword wielder" and "sword." She didn't acknowledge Him, and therefore didn't want Him to bestow a name upon her and imprint it upon her.

Heaven and earth have never inscribed a name for her, so why should anyone else? She thought to herself, when she can read and write, she will definitely give herself a name she is satisfied with, and she will not accept any name given by others.

Not long after, his companions got their wish. That day, after drinking casually, a brilliant idea struck him, and he said to them, "There are few things that are constant in the mountains, and even fewer that can protect all living beings. Only the mountain breeze and the bright moon on the river are constant. Since you are as long-lived as the mountains and rivers, you can be called constant; and since you are also the blades of soldiers, protecting all living beings, why not call yourselves 'Awakening Moon' and 'Drunken Mist'?"

Moon and mist can understand, but where do wakefulness and drunkenness come from?

He chuckled and shook the wine pot in his hand, saying leisurely, "Yin and Yang give rise to each other, and sobriety and drunkenness depend on each other. In the past, Zhuang Zhou was confused by the butterfly and did not know that he was the butterfly and the butterfly was him; now I observe that sobriety and drunkenness are also like this, and no one can tell the difference."

She suspected that the muddle-headed immortal was just making things up because he loved wine so much; drunk and sober didn't really have that many meanings. Unfortunately, her companion was already immersed in the joy of finally having a name and didn't notice anything unusual, happily claiming the name "Drunken Mist."

She then became "Xingyue".

Then, casually, he added that "Xingyue Zuilan" were just the names of two objects, not their real names.

As for their real names... "One day, you will find out."

What does it mean to "know on one's own"? Is this also a secret that cannot be revealed?

She became increasingly convinced that Deng Xian was a muddle-headed immortal. He used to have some clarity of mind, but since he started drinking, he has become more and more confused, saying incomprehensible things all day long.

Drinking can lead to trouble.

Even though she had many disagreements with ordinary people, she had to admit that He was indeed powerful and an invincible god of war.

She was already incredibly powerful, and after acquiring the twin swords, her strength increased even further, making her invincible and unstoppable. She and her companions frequently attended victory banquets, receiving unparalleled honors and enjoying immense prestige, their power shaking the three realms.

Whenever He returned victorious, the immortals were overjoyed and offered their congratulations. Zuilan was also happy, and she would occasionally show her joy. This was a good thing that brought peace to the Three Realms! Of course, it was something to be happy about. But gradually she noticed that He never showed a smile at the victory celebrations. On the contrary, after each triumphant return, He would hide away and drink a lot of wine by himself.

The wine was called Nanke, and it was said to be extremely strong, capable of intoxicating someone with just a drop. Yet, she watched as he casually drank jar after jar, until the courtyard was overflowing, and he still showed no signs of becoming drunk.

Even the God of War has troubles? In other words, is there anything in the Three Realms that would make Him want to drown his sorrows in alcohol?

She voiced her question, and after hearing it, Deng Xian burst into laughter, then danced with her sword hilt all night, until she felt nauseous even without drinking.

After all the flowers and leaves in the garden had been destroyed, He said, "The Great Dao is ruthless. To ascend to immortality, one must cast aside the seven emotions and six desires, becoming free from anger and resentment. I thought that after a thousand years of cultivation, my mind and nature would be perfectly complete, no longer moved by external things, and I would no longer feel sorrow or joy. But..."

"You...have feelings for me?"

She asked.

Actually, she wasn't completely unaware. When did it start? At first, she always charged ahead in battle, but recently she's become willing to take a backseat, and even hesitates when swinging her sword.

This is a major taboo in warfare.

He nodded casually, sheathed her sword, and sighed, "I am ultimately not a blade like you."

My heart is not made of iron or stone.

She didn't tell anyone about what happened that night, not even Zuilan.

She kept wondering, "What exactly is 'love'?" Even a god like Deng Xian was brought down by it and humbled himself before it.

Having lived for hundreds of years, this was the first time she felt curious.

Later, when he asked to retire into seclusion, the other gods refused, so he suggested that he could leave the two swords behind.

At that time, she and Zuilan were only a hair's breadth away from completely transcending ignorance and cultivating their true forms. Leaving them behind would be tantamount to leaving behind two new war gods. Therefore, the other gods agreed, but Zuilan disagreed.

Zui Lan couldn't understand why her master had left the battlefield and abandoned glory, so she told her what she had casually said that night. After hearing this, Zui Lan felt a deep hatred for "love" and vowed never to be tainted by it in her life, and even asked her to make the same vow.

She didn't say anything.

Later, they finally broke free from the constraints of their original forms and attained true bodies, thus replacing Dengxian. When demons invaded, the divine realm sent them to lead the army to meet the enemy. However, upon hearing that Dengxian had resigned, the enemy decided to fight with the full strength of their tribe, determined to fight to the death.

In order to allow the army to break through the encirclement, she did not hesitate to use herself as bait, and in the end, she was hit by several arrows and fell into the abyss.

When he woke up, he was surrounded by a pitch-black cave with no light. He could barely make out a pale-faced young male demon in front of him, who was bandaging his wrist.

And there was a taste of blood on her lips.