Not long before.
South of Heaven Dou City, Broken Cloud Ridge stretched across a thousand miles of wild, untamed land.
Peak upon peak rose in layers, their sheer cliffs seemingly hewn by blades and axes. Vast primeval forests blanketed the mountains, and cold, damp mountain mist drifted through the ravines year-round.
Outsiders knew only that Ferocious Beasts roamed here and the mountain paths were cut off. Few Soul Masters were willing to venture deep into its heart.
The Body Sect lay hidden deep within these mountains, in a secluded valley enclosed on three sides by sheer cliffs.
The valley entrance lay concealed in a narrow gap between two mountain walls, wrapped year-round in gray, murky mist, as though a bewildering illusion array had been laid there.
Ordinary Soul Masters who stepped inside would only wander in circles through the dense forest. Even soul detection devices sweeping the area could pick up nothing but the chaotic Soul Power fluctuations of the mountain woods.
Only disciples of the Body Sect, who recognized the hidden markers in the mist, could pass through.
There were no palaces with carved beams in the valley. Every dwelling and stone cultivation chamber had been carved along the natural grain of the mountain rock.
The rough rock walls stood exposed, without paint or ornamentation, exuding a fierce, rugged simplicity everywhere.
Waterfalls plunged from the mountaintops between the cliffs and crashed into deep pools with an unceasing roar. Clear spring water wound along stone channels, flowing throughout the valley.
The Body Sect's cultivation had always emphasized tempering the flesh. The secluded valley held no rare spiritual materials or mineral deposits, only exceptionally hard stone and gravity slightly different from the outside world, making it ideal for honing muscle and bone.
The stone flats beneath the waterfalls and the rock