Since the ancient immortal sects opened heaven and earth and established the path of cultivation, from Qi Refining and Foundation Building to Golden Core and ascension, the Three Realms have pursued one ultimate goal: "sever worldly ties and prove the Heavenly Dao." In ancient times, great cultivators seeking immortality severed their affections and abandoned their homelands, crossing the seas of stars in search of immortal lands beyond the heavens. Yet most perished in domain storms along the way or became bones in ancient secret realms.
By the Middle Ages, the path to immortality had grown ever narrower, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth had grown increasingly thin. The immortal sects that once produced ascendants in great numbers fell one after another, leaving only fragments of ancient texts that recorded, "The Immortal Tribulation is hard to overcome; nine out of ten will perish." Desperate for a sliver of hope, some cultivators turned to the study of formations and alchemy, hoping to defy fate through external means. Instead, they inadvertently triggered pill tribulations and formation disasters, dealing another devastating blow to an already fragile cultivation world. In recent ages, "ascension" has become a term found only in legends.
No one knows that, amid the river of time stretching back millions of years, another path lies forgotten. It does not shun the mortal world, but instead tempers the heart of the Dao amid the everyday bustle of human life. It does not chase the heavens beyond, but takes mountains and rivers as its foundation and all living beings as its mirror. Ancient texts allude to it only obliquely as the "Red Dust Immortal," said to merge the Heavenly Dao with the marketplace and turn laws into the everyday. But this path demands ten thousand years of refinement. One must witness dynasties rise and fall and seas become mulberry fields, while preserving one's true heart amid love, hate, anger, and desire. Throughout history, few have ever reached the end.
