No one knew when it had begun, but peals of bells were always ringing out from somewhere deep in the ancient mountain forests of the Shangyin Continent.
Yet the residents of the nearby villages did not find them noisy. Instead, the sound seemed to steady their minds and soothe their spirits.
Later, some villagers followed the sound, hoping to find the bells.
But the closer they came to the source, the more muddled their minds became. After wandering in a daze for a long while, they would suddenly come to their senses, only to discover that, somehow, they had returned to where they started.
As time passed, all sorts of rumors spread. Some said an immortal lived deep in the mountains and disliked being disturbed by mortals, so had erected a barrier that kept people from reaching the immortal's dwelling, no matter how far they walked.
Others said spirits in the mountain forests simply enjoyed toying with mortals.
These rumors later drew quite a few outsiders who wanted to investigate, but all of them ultimately returned empty-handed.
And so the rumors surrounding these woods grew ever more fantastical.
No one knew that neither immortals nor spirits lived at the heart of this ancient mountain forest.
There was only a temple that did not look particularly large.
A bamboo grove surrounded the temple, but had an expert versed in formation arts and barriers been present, they would have discovered that every stalk of bamboo stood in a carefully prescribed position.
Though they appeared haphazard, they actually formed one Linked Formation after another, protecting the temple securely within.
It could be said that anyone without the abilities of an Eighth Tier Formation Arts Artist would find it nearly impossible to reach this place.
The wind rose again in the bamboo grove. Bamboo