Slaying the Divine, Ascending the Path

20

It was too painful.

I wasn't even sure who my real enemies were: Qi Mo, the immortal mountains, or those hideous worms.

One morning, in my restlessness, I ran laps around Penglai.

The sticky worm's tentacles granted extraordinary strength; I wasn't even out of breath after ten laps. After finishing, I climbed the stone steps, preparing to return.

Halfway up the mountain, it started to drizzle.

In April, the misty clouds and rain veiled the mountain's peach groves. From afar, smoke from chimneys, villages, the world of mortals.

I watched silently in envy for a while, then as the rain grew heavier, I took shelter in a nearby forest, idly looking around. Suddenly, my eyes fixed on something.

In the overgrown grass... there was a hidden hole!

My ability had its limits: distance, the thickness of objects, weight, or light affected my vision. I couldn't see clearly what was below.

I could only walk over and fumble for a while.

Finally, unknowingly triggering a mechanism, I heard a 'gurgle.' A secret door opened beneath my feet.

Caught off guard, I fell with a thud.

Standing up, I looked in to see a dark and winding tunnel leading deep underground. I hesitated, wondering: Where is this?

I quickly recalled the three hundred secret passages of Penglai. None matched.

I tentatively called out, "Is anyone there?" No response.

So, I rubbed my fingertips to create light and saw before me a towering stone wall. The wall was mottled with moss and sword marks.

Dozens of talismans were pasted on it.

I gasped in shock, not daring to act rashly. I memorized the talisman text and spent a few days finding the solution. Then, during a torrential rain one morning,

I opened the hidden hole deep in the forest.