Nanhua Realm.

Ten Thousand Kingdoms.

In the southeast, numerous nations stand together. On the border between Zheng Country and Guo Country, there exists a place called 'Chaos Ridge'.

Spanning three thousand miles, this land is all undulating peaks and dense forests; thorns cover the ground, and thick fog obscures direction, making it impossible to discern one's way. Even a bold hero or a True Man with the way could get lost within. Wandering aimlessly, poor luck might mean never finding a way out. Even the fortunate ones who manage to escape are left weak and weary.

Over time, 'Chaos Ridge' became sparsely populated.

Years ago,

the Demon Dao figure Guyue, infamous across Zheng, Guo, Yv, and Geng Countries, was discovered using the sinister Gu Technique. Disguised as Geng Country's censorial advisor, he practiced his heinous craft under Zheng great scholar Zhou Fu's tutelage.

Geng Country was outraged.

The country's great Confucian scholars, led by the Right Prime Minister Han Qiu and twenty-four Great Scholars of the Wenyuan Pavilion, pursued the demon Guyue across thousands of miles. Outmatched, Guyue fled from Geng Country, narrowly avoiding capture in Guo Country. Fortuitously, he escaped into Chaos Ridge in a blind panic, and after thirty-four years, he never emerged again.

Outside Chaos Ridge, Han Qiu recited nineteen chapters of 'Thief-Free' scripture, containing profound heavenly language. The reverberations filled the three thousand miles of the ridge, but not a trace of Guyue was found.

This day,

within the depths of Chaos Ridge, the fog obscured everything, but celestial sounds resonated clearly.

A young Daoist with a jade-like face and rosy lips strode out from between the trees.

"Chaos Ridge."

Stepping out of the ridge, the fog in front of Lu Qingfeng cleared. He turned to look back at the dense fog behind him and gazed into the skies, his expression hinting at contemplation, "This place, this world—"

Lu Qingfeng looked down and spread his white jade-like palm, his fingers long and elegant. As his thoughts stirred, Xuan Light flowed, electricity flickered, and distant thunder sounded.

Unseen and unfelt, a restrictive force surrounded his palm. It didn't suppress his Thunder Skill, but there seemed to be shackles with a mighty heavenly authority, instilling within him a sense of dread. It was as if, with the application of his Thunder Skill, disaster would inevitably follow.

Following these invisible shackles, one could vaguely make out a furnace straddling heaven and earth.

Majestic. Ineffable.

"The Heavenly Dao is distant."

"The Human Dao is bright."

Lu Qingfeng clenched his fist, dissipating the thunder in his palm. His eyes still searched around, recalling what Guyue had said, "The vastness of Nanhua's Six Domains is perilous and unexplored. Although Guyue is a True Immortal, he has only roamed the lands of Zheng, Guo, Yv, and Geng since starting his cultivation, and is not well-versed in the grand dynamics of the world."

According to Guyue, the nations like Zheng and Guo in the southeast corner of the Ten Thousand Kingdoms might not be small or sparsely populated but paled in comparison to the esteemed and mighty kingdom states of Central Earth.

Lacking in national strength, the divine and the scholarly paths are not prominent; suppression of spirits and demons is lax. Guyue, a cultivator of the wayward Gu Dao, was ruthless and perverse which led to his rejection by the Righteous Sect, but in these lands, he was free to wander.

However,

recklessness breeds eventual disaster.

Guyue, once a renowned scholar in Zheng Country, causing great trouble with his Gu refining under the counsel of Zhou Fu, had little choice but to flee. Fortunately, he had previously discovered a secret passage in Chaos Ridge, leading to an unknown world. This passage leads to a carefree place, bright with the Heavenly Dao and where the Human Dao was relaxed.

Forced into a desperate situation by Geng Country's scholars, with no escape to heaven or earth, Guyue boldly entered Chaos Ridge and went to Black Star Realm.

He had thought switching realms would transform his fortune into a splendid opportunity. Little did he know that in Black Star Realm, he would encounter a more dreadful existence in Lu Qingfeng, losing all freedom from then on.

But some information obtained from Guyue did spark great anticipation in Lu Qingfeng.

"Scholar Generals."

"Monks and Taoists."

"Cultivators and Immortals."

"Spirits and Demons."

Compared to the worlds he knew, Nanhua Realm had its unique charm.

As these thoughts passed,

Lu Qingfeng sensed his surroundings. He saw that like the sun, a great righteous energy emanated and, comparable to a Primordial Spirit True One, twenty-four glowing essences flickered. No need to say more, these must be the Geng Country's great Confucian scholars and the twenty-four Great Scholars chasing after Guyue.

"Nations are founded upon culture."

"Great Scholars study and recite the classics, their words empowered by the heavens, invulnerable to fire and water, drawing upon the power of Culture, they stand shoulder to shoulder with the Immortal Dao Primordial Spirits."

"Great Scholars are truly remarkable. Their profound righteousness moves like the wind, and only a True Immortal would prove a match."

Looking towards the radiant great righteousness, Lu Qingfeng saw an old man with white hair dressed as a scholar, one hand placed behind his back, the other holding a scroll, continuously reciting words of power, at times thunderous, and at times like a heavenly official conducting an inquisition, truly formidable.

This reminded him of the learned scholars from the Immortal Qin Realm, yet this was different.

"After all, the Immortal Qin Realm ultimately reveres the Immortal and Divine Daos to rule over Ten Thousand Spirits, with their scholarly Confucian path derived from the 'Life-and-Death Skill' of the Immortal Dao."

"In the Nanhua Realm, leaving other territories aside, just within these Ten Thousand Kingdoms, the Human Dao is esteemed. Whether human, god, immortal, or Buddha, all must adhere to the Human Dao for existence. These scholars do not cultivate character or life-and-death, merely harboring a strong sense of righteousness in their hearts, and they become invincible under heaven."

"The bright Human Dao is like a furnace; its destiny burns like fire, fearless of all that is divine, fending off all evil."

Lu Qingfeng watched the distant great scholar, sensing the mysteries therein. His eyes shone with spirit light, the Daluo Cave Temple within him activated, revealing the scholar's destiny rising like a pillar of smoke, connecting heaven and earth, fear-inducing and awe-inspiring.

Indistinctly, connected to the west side as if their prosperity and decline were shared.

"The west is Geng Country."

"This great scholar hails from Geng Country, sharing its destiny. As long as Geng does not fall, his Confucian cultivation and destiny, on par with a True Immortal from the True Marvel Realm of the Mahayana Third Realm, is no wonder Guyue was defeated in flight."