A Thousand Autumns in a Great Dream

Before dawn, the vast wilderness of a hundred thousand li was shrouded in darkness. Yet, sunlight had already begun to illuminate Sword Gate Mountain. Wisps of cloud and auspicious vapors curled around the mountainside, and the sun's first rays landed upon the golden summit.

The glazed palace on the golden peak erupted with ten thousand rays of golden light, illuminating the sea of clouds, a truly dazzling spectacle.

Amidst the cloud-shrouded peaks, grand and ancient palaces seemed to float upon the sea of clouds, exuding an aura of sanctity, solemnity, and majesty.

This was the sacred land of the three thousand human tribes in the hundred thousand li wilderness: Sword Gate!

Sword Gate produced countless Qi Refiners who protected the hundred thousand li wilderness. Every person among the three thousand tribes considered becoming a Qi Refiner of Sword Gate the highest honor.

The wilderness environment was harsh, and humanity was weak. Without Sword Gate's protection, the three thousand tribes would likely have been annihilated long ago.

The mountain gate towered high. Beyond it lay the living quarters of Sword Gate's outer disciples, housing tens of thousands of them.

Sword Gate had many Qi Refiners. The three thousand tribes sent their young men and women to the mountain to learn the arts. Those without deep connections mostly lived here. Tribes with influence often had Qi Refiners within Sword Gate, allowing them to directly place their children under their tutelage.

Zhong Yue woke up early. Standing by the well, he poured a bucket of water over his bare torso. A shiver ran through him, chasing away his drowsiness.

Clear water cascaded off him, splashing onto the bluestone slabs.

His muscles were firm, his physique well-proportioned, his skin stretched taut over his muscles, exuding strength. On his chest were three deep claw marks, left by some ferocious beast, now scabbed over.

Zhong Yue turned around. His back also bore claw marks. His left arm bore scars from a beast's bite. In total, he had over a dozen scars of various sizes, making him seem far older than his fifteen years.

Zhong Yue shouldered his herb basket and silently slipped out of the mountain gate, heading down the mountain.

Outer disciples held extremely low status, learning only the most rudimentary techniques of Sword Gate. Only by cultivating to the Spirit level could one become a registered disciple of the inner sect, taken under the wing of an inner hall master and receiving Sword Gate's true inheritance. However, for outer disciples without connections, becoming a registered inner disciple was incredibly difficult.

Among the three thousand tribes of the wilderness, from those with tens of thousands of people to those with millions, countless individuals desperately strove to enter Sword Gate, all yearning to become registered inner disciples and Qi Refiners. The competition was fierce.

Sword Gate had its rules: if one could not cultivate to the Spirit level before the age of sixteen, they would be expelled. The children of chieftains from tribes large and small naturally had access to various spiritual herbs and elixirs to enhance their cultivation, ensuring their children reached the Spirit level before sixteen.

Even those with ordinary talent could be piled into becoming Qi Refiners with sufficient spiritual herbs and elixirs!

The children of commoners and the poor, however, did not have this advantage. They could only rely on their own diligent practice.

It was difficult for those from humble beginnings to rise to prominence; poverty rarely produced Qi Refiners.

Zhong Yue hailed from the Zhongshan Tribe, a minor and insignificant tribe. Due to years of famine, only about a hundred people remained, making it arguably the smallest tribe in the wilderness.

Such a tribe struggled even for self-preservation, let alone nurturing a Qi Refiner.

Therefore, despite Zhong Yue's hundredfold greater effort than others, he remained a considerable distance from cultivating to the Spirit level.

He had descended the mountain so early this time to search for spiritual herbs in the deep mountains and old forests to refine Feather Spirit Pills, which would nourish his soul.

Feather Spirit Pills were the most common type of pill, and the herbs required to refine them were ordinary. Yet, even such common pills and herbs were beyond his means, forcing him to refine them himself.

Gathering herbs and refining pills himself meant he had to endure far more time and hardship than others.

Approximately two hours after Zhong Yue left Sword Gate Mountain, the sky had brightened considerably. Inner and outer disciples of Sword Gate had long since risen and were cultivating. Suddenly, the urgent sound of a bell echoed from the mountain. Powerful Qi Refiners descended from the summit, shouting from afar, "Demonic Soul Yin Miasma is about to appear! All Sword Gate disciples, heed my command: no one is permitted to leave the mountain!"

"No one is to step half a step outside Sword Gate Mountain!"

"The Demonic Soul Yin Miasma is incredibly dangerous. Only Sword Gate can protect this region. No one is to leave Sword Gate, or they will surely perish!"

Sword Gate erupted in an uproar. With a thunderous roar, the magnificent mountain gate slammed shut. High above Sword Gate Mountain, amidst the swirling clouds, palaces began to glow brilliantly. The golden summit erupted with ten thousand rays of golden light, illuminating the void, utterly resplendent!

This was the first time the outer disciples had witnessed such a grand and solemn formation. However, for the inner disciples, it was not unfamiliar.

The Demonic Soul Yin Miasma appeared once every ten years, posing an extreme danger. Even Qi Refiners met a gruesome end when encountering it. Each outbreak would devastate a thousand-li radius, leaving nothing but desolation in its wake!

"Why has the Demonic Soul Yin Miasma erupted early? According to the schedule, it should have appeared in five days?" a certain inner disciple murmured.

Just then, a dull rumbling sound emanated from beneath the earth, as if a monstrous entity was stirring underground. Suddenly, in a deep valley not far from Sword Gate Mountain, rolling black mist surged forth, spewing black haze into the sky like a geyser!

Soon, this black column surpassed the height of Sword Gate Mountain, piercing straight into the clouds. The black haze then spread in all directions, the scene resembling a colossal black umbrella slowly unfurling!

Heaven and earth were plunged into darkness, with only Sword Gate Mountain radiating brilliant light, illuminating the black haze. The surging black haze pressed down from above, but upon reaching the vicinity of Sword Gate Mountain, it was blocked by the light, as if an invisible barrier of light was protecting the mountain, preventing the haze from infiltrating.

Within the black haze, terrifying beings seemed to reside, emitting roars that sent shivers down one's spine. Occasionally, these beings within the haze would collide with the light barrier of Sword Gate Mountain, producing dull, earth-shattering thuds.

Atop Sword Gate Mountain, before a grand palace, several Qi Refiners gazed at the terrifying Demonic Soul Yin Miasma. One of them said softly, "Several outer disciples went out of the mountain and have not yet returned. I fear they are lost forever..."

The place Zhong Yue had gone to gather herbs was called JuYun Mountain. It was rich in spiritual herbs and located southeast of Sword Gate Mountain. In the years he had been an outer disciple at Sword Gate, though he hadn't learned any profound techniques, his body had become robust. He could cover over ten feet in a single stride, making traversing mountains and crossing ridges effortless.

By the time he entered JuYun Mountain, the sky had brightened. The occasional roar of beasts could be heard from within the mountain.

This area was rarely visited, and no tribes hunted nearby. The mountain was teeming with ferocious beasts. Zhong Yue walked cautiously through the forest, searching everywhere. Before long, he had gathered several spiritual herbs.

"The other spiritual herbs are easy to find, but this Five Fragrance Ganoderma is difficult to locate; it requires luck."

Zhong Yue traversed the mountains and ridges when he suddenly caught a faint, peculiar medicinal fragrance. The scent was elusive, but as he drew closer, it grew stronger.

This medicinal fragrance comprised five distinct scents: sweet, fragrant, refreshing, fiery, and mellow—the very aroma of Five Fragrance Ganoderma!

He followed the scent and arrived at the edge of a cliff. Peering down, he saw a steep cliff face with protruding rocks and a deep, bottomless valley below.

About ten feet away from the cliff, a protruding boulder bore trickles of water seeping from the rock face, nourishing a few strange herbs.

"Five Fragrance Ganoderma!"

Zhong Yue's heart leaped with joy. He carefully began to climb down the cliff face. Though steep, his agility made it relatively safe.

After a moment, he reached a point not far from the boulder. Looking down, the valley was pitch black. A cold wind blew upwards from below, chilling him to the bone.

Zhong Yue grew even more cautious. Finally, he landed on the protruding boulder. Just as he was about to pluck the Five Fragrance Ganoderma, the sky suddenly darkened. He hurriedly looked up, his heart jolting in alarm.

A golden, radiant great bird flew to the cliff face. The bird was over ten feet in wingspan and astonishingly possessed two pairs of wings. It flapped its wings and swooped down towards him, its sharp talons gleaming with a chilling light!

"What kind of raptor is this?"

Before the Four-Winged Golden Bird could even attack, a fierce gale swept towards him, stinging his face and nearly knocking Zhong Yue off the giant rock!

Whoosh—

As the Four-Winged Golden Bird lunged, Zhong Yue hastily grabbed a few stalks of Five Fragrance Ganoderma and leaped off the giant rock. The great bird missed, flapping its four wings and rising into the air. It searched around, only to see Zhong Yue not falling down the cliff, but clinging to a green vine about ten feet below the giant rock.

The Four-Winged Golden Bird let out a shrill cry and soared into the sky, preparing to attack again. Zhong Yue gritted his teeth and slid down the vine into the deep valley. Just as the Four-Winged Golden Bird reached mid-air, rolling black miasma suddenly surged, engulfing the entire valley in an instant. Zhong Yue looked up, as if the sky had been covered by a black cloth.

There was still a faint light at the bottom of the valley, but he couldn't see what was emitting it. Suddenly, Zhong Yue heard the sound of wind from above and saw a giant skeleton falling from the sky, passing by him and plummeting into the deep valley.

His heart leaped in shock. He saw that the skeleton was that of the Four-Winged Golden Bird from moments ago!

In just a short time, the Four-Winged Golden Bird seemed to have been devoured by something within the black miasma, leaving only its bones!

Zhong Yue's hair stood on end. He looked up and saw the black miasma moving towards him along the cliff face at an incredibly fast speed. He quickly slid down, and suddenly, with a few snap sounds, the green vines detached from the cliff face. Zhong Yue, along with the vines, fell down the cliff.

In his panic, he reached out and grabbed blindly, finally grasping the branch of an ancient tree protruding from the cliff face, halting his descent. Zhong Yue looked up; the black miasma was only about forty to fifty feet away from him. Beside this thick ancient tree was a hole as thick as a water vat. A rustling sound came from the hole, and a giant triangular head emerged, then lifted high, staring at Zhong Yue with interest. It was an unimaginably large giant python!

The giant python hissed, showing great interest in him.

Such a giant python possessed terrifying constriction power and was a king among the great wilderness beasts. Even a Qi Refiner would find it difficult to kill such a ferocious beast, let alone him?

Zhong Yue gritted his teeth and released his grip on the branch, his body immediately falling.

The giant python hissed, flicking its long forked tongue, about to strike, when suddenly the black miasma enveloped it, swallowing the python.

Crash, a snake skeleton over ten feet long fell from the black miasma, plummeting to the valley floor before and after Zhong Yue.

The cold valley was deep and dark, with a thick layer of dead branches and fallen leaves covering the valley floor. Zhong Yue landed without much impact. The young man used the faint light to look around, seeing piles of bones and flickering ghost fires, presumably the remains of beasts that had died in the mouths of the giant python and the strange bird.

"That giant python died just now too. What exactly is this black mist... Oh no!"

Zhong Yue's expression changed drastically. The black miasma had finally reached the valley floor and was surging from all sides. The ghost fires flickered out one by one, disappearing into the black miasma.

Zhong Yue looked around as the black miasma surged towards him, mere inches away. He couldn't help but sigh, "This strange mist ate the Golden Bird and the Giant Python; I'm probably doomed too... Huh? Why aren't these black mists moving?"

The black miasma stopped advancing when it was about ten feet away from him, as if blocked by an invisible force, forming a hemispherical protective circle.

Zhong Yue saw a giant skeletal claw emerge from the black miasma, grabbing at the hemispherical protective circle, emitting a grating creak sound, but unable to break through.

He didn't know what monster this skeletal claw belonged to; just a single knuckle was taller than he was!

Keep in mind, Zhong Yue had trained his bones and muscles for years, making his body slightly taller than an adult man. Yet, this skeletal claw's single knuckle was much larger than him, making it hard to imagine how large the owner of the skeletal claw was!

"This is..."

Zhong Yue saw that in the center of this small protective circle lay a skeleton in a cross-legged posture. The skeleton's right arm was raised, holding a lamp, as if illuminating the path for those in the darkness.

The lamp's light was faint, not much brighter than the ghost fires, and seemed like it could extinguish at any moment.

"Strange, this person has been dead for so many years, with only bones left, yet this lamp hasn't gone out?"

Zhong Yue was extremely curious. He stepped forward to examine it closely and discovered its peculiarity. This skeleton could not be called human bone, nor was it sitting cross-legged, but rather coiled.

It was called coiled not because of crossed legs, but because this person had no legs, only a long snake tail. The snake tail was coiled together, while its upper body was human-shaped, with a head, neck, hands, and arms!

This was the skeleton of a strange person with a human head and a serpent's body!

"Could it be this lamp that is blocking these strange black mists?"

Zhong Yue bowed to the strange person's skeleton, then carefully took down the lamp. The flame flickered, threatening to extinguish at any moment. He quickly shielded it with his hand when a lazy voice suddenly came from nearby, "Dreaming for thousands of autumns, what year is it today? Young man, which dynasty is it now with Fuxi on the throne?"