Suppressing Demons and Cultivating Immortality in the Late Han Dynasty

In the waning years of Emperor Ling’s reign, the Mandate of Heaven weakened and the dragon veins grew unstable. Monsters and calamities multiplied, while heroes across the land began emerging in droves. Cao Cao, a young commandant in the northern district, wielded a five-colored staff of authority to quell unrest in Luoyang, making his name known throughout the land overnight. In Zhuo Commandery, Liu Bei, a young mat weaver, found enlightenment while gazing at a mulberry tree by the village entrance. “I will surely ride in a feather-canopied carriage one day.” That day, Zhang Baiqi, the unluckiest man in Luoyang, arrived at the northern district commandant’s office to report for duty, beginning his incredible rise from a lowly clerk. From a man who could last just three seconds to one whose sword energy swept across five realms, from a low-ranking street patrolman to a heavenly official who guarded the world. Later... The day the rust finally fell away from his sword, Zhang Baiqi lifted his wine jar and gave the thunderclouds overhead the middle finger. “The flaw in both Heaven and the mortal world lies in those two words: ‘ascend to immortality’! Fellow cultivators, take my advice: don’t cultivate immortality. It’ll make you miserable!” The cultivators of the mortal world cursed him. “Nonsense! Let that fairy go this instant!” The prodigies of the immortal sects roared, “Shut up! Get down from the Immortal-Slaying Platform before you say another word!” Zhang Baiqi grinned. “I told you, cultivating immortality will make you miserable...”