The Immortal History of the Tang Dynasty

This was an age of splendor. I was fortunate enough to witness Li Bai, the peerless genius of the Daoist sect, slay a god with one sword, and Du Fu, who found enlightenment in Buddhism and Daoism in middle age, become a sage in a single day.

In this age, Li Dan, the "Six-Flavored Imperial Pill," bore the fortune of the emperors of the Six Dynasties and held the heavens in check.

There was Li Longji, born with an emperor's bones and the mouthpiece of Heaven.

There was Gao Lishi, whose might kept the gods and Buddhas from daring to emerge.

And there was Yang Yuhuan, graceful as a startled swan and lithe as a swimming dragon, her beauty like that of a celestial maiden.

There was Yan Zhenqing, the Sage of Calligraphy, whose brush could divide rivers, and Wu Daozi, the Sage of Painting, whose every stroke created a world.

There was also Lu Yu, who planted a tea tree that embodied the laws of the Dao, and the eminent monk Jianzhen, who delivered people from demons beyond the heavens.

This was the finest age of humanity, until the inheritance of Chiyou emerged. An Lushan, bearing the resentment of heaven and earth, veiled the Heavenly Dao. Gods and demons descended and ran amok, bringing this golden age to an end.

This Tang Dynasty is different, yet somehow still the same.