Ascending the Steps, Knocking on the Cloud Gate in Stillness; A Pale Green Robe Suddenly Appears in the Woods

"Yiqing, once we cross Broken Cloud Cliff, Autumn Water River should be just ahead."

Lecheng raised a hand to wipe the faint sweat from his brow. His voice carried the weariness of a long journey, though the urgency in his eyes was impossible to hide.

Not far ahead of him stretched a sheer cliff a thousand ren high. Its face looked as though it had been cleaved by a giant axe, exposing layers of blue-gray rock. Ancient pines, a thousand years old, clung to the crevices, their twisted branches hanging over the boundless mists at the foot of the cliff.

That was why this place was called Broken Cloud Cliff.

And Autumn Water River was one of the Taoist School's grotto-heavens.

Its scenery was magnificent, and few people ever set foot there. Ordinary folk would spend half their lives just trying to find the entrance to Broken Cloud Cliff, let alone reach the place itself.

Following the directions recorded in their scriptures, the two had walked along the plank path inside the cliff for another half day. Then, suddenly, a deep blue pool appeared before them.

The pool's waters were dark green and thick as congealed oil, unfathomable in depth. Not a ripple stirred the surface, which reflected the drifting clouds atop the cliff so perfectly that it was impossible to tell sky from water.

Patches of water moss grew along the shore, so dark a green they looked black. They were slick as satin underfoot, and here and there, red water pepper plants dangled their tassels over the water, tinting it with a faint rouge hue.

"This is the place." Yiqing took a jade talisman from her waist and lightly traced its surface with her fingertip. A gentle white light immediately glimmered from within.

She stood shoulder to shoulder