"When heaven and earth first opened and gods and demons appeared, the Three Realms were divided—
In the Heavenly Realm, the sovereigns ruled.
In the Earth Realm, a hundred emperors contended for supremacy.
In the Human Realm, mortal martial arts flourished.
Since ancient times, there has been no first place in literature and no second place in martial arts. Among the heroes of the Three Realms, who dares declare, 'My Dao is invincible! My Dao reigns supreme!'
Now the Three Realms Wind and Cloud Ranking has been established for this grand undertaking. Among the heroes of the Three Realms, who can become a sovereign?"
These were the opening words of the Three Realms Wind and Cloud Ranking. In barely a hundred words, they revealed to everyone the brutal history stretching from the past to the present. Throughout the Three Realms, any faction with even a little strength could see the towering stone monument standing in the Forbidden Sea.
The people of the Earth Realm had yet to recover from the news that the Human Realm had risen up and slain emperors when the Wind and Cloud Ranking appeared, catching them completely off guard. This was especially true of the Heavenly Fate Royal Court and the Myriad Demon Royal Court. With the King of Fate and the Myriad Demon King dead, their members were now fighting over power and influence, trying to become the ruler of their respective royal courts.
The second passage of the Wind and Cloud Ranking explained to everyone why it had appeared. "The martial artists of the Human Realm divide martial cultivation into nine ranks, classifying both Absolute Peaks and Emperor Venerables as Rank 9. This is inappropriate.
Martial cultivation in the Three Realms has many names, and different factions use different terms. This, too, is inappropriate!