Prologue: The First Prologue - No Misfortune

At the highest peak of the Ten Directions Mountains.

At the summit.

A man in white sat quietly, three golden rays of light soaring up to the constellation of the Bull, surrounded by swirling clouds of morning mist. The world was peaceful and harmonious.

As dawn gradually dispersed, the sun rose in the east. A cute pink nose poked out from his arms.

"No Jiu, I'm hungry."

The man smiled, lifting the little creature in his arms and gently petting it. It was a green-colored Wenli (a mythical creature), with faint golden patterns in its green fur, three lines shaped like a river on its forehead, and fur like flowing water, its eyes shimmering like emerald waves.

"Meng'er, you just ate a whole basket of spirit mushrooms yesterday."

The Wenli wrinkled its nose in displeasure. "Spirit mushrooms taste too wooden. I see mortals fighting over just a piece of spirit mushroom, thinking it's some kind of treasure. Hmph, they've been fooled; mortals have such poor taste. No Jiu, I don't want to eat spirit mushrooms. I want to eat Lánggānyù (a mythical fruit)!"

The man named No Jiu clearly had a good temper. "Meng'er, you're about to face your human tribulation soon; you can't eat Lánggānyù anymore."

"Then I want Lingzi (another type of mythical fruit), No Jiu," the Wenli rubbed its head against No Jiu's chest, acting cute. "That bad thing, Li Zhu, always opens its three eyes one at a time and never lets them all sleep together, always catching me. I can't steal Lánggānyù at all. No Jiu, go talk to Li Zhu; I want to eat Lánggānyù!"

No Jiu lifted it by the scruff of its neck and lightly swatted its bottom. "You're acting up again. I told you that Lánggānyù is what Phoenixes and Luan birds eat. Do you think it tastes good? Last time, you ate half a tree of Wenyu and caused your lady to run out of materials to refine her Immortal Pill. You cried for three months about not feeling well, don't you remember?"

The Wenli struggled, but couldn't reach the hem of No Jiu's clothes, eventually drooping its head in defeat. "No Jiu is bullying Meng'er. Meng'er is a little girl, and No Jiu hit me. Hmph, No Jiu isn't a good person."

No Jiu seemed accustomed to the Wenli's antics and hugged it back into his arms. "Alright, alright, Meng'er won't be naughty anymore. Your lady has calculated that you'll likely face your tribulation in this hundred-day period. You, my child, say you've worshipped Hua Wei as your master, yet you still refuse to study diligently, playing around with me in the mortal realm every day. Sigh, how will you manage your tribulation?"

The Wenli yawned and curled up in his arms, "With No Jiu here, No Jiu can shield me from the tribulation lightning. Brother Chi Bao can scatter the tribulation clouds; my No Jiu can defeat that pesky cloud without lifting a finger."

No Jiu's eyes showed some concern as he pondered for a moment before saying, "Meng'er, last time Hua Wei lectured your senior brothers and sisters about the Seven Realms, you didn't go listen, did you?"

The Wenli laughed cheerfully, "What was there to listen to? When my master lectured, it was all dry and boring. That day, my second senior brother said a fat calamity appeared in the human realm. I sneaked out to see it. It was indeed a snake with six legs and four wings, flying kind of slowly across the Southern Zhanbu continent to let the mortals see it. Later, the world really suffered a great drought. No Jiu, why can't we see the fat calamity normally? Where does it go when there's no drought?"

No Jiu sighed but didn't answer the Wenli's question. "So, when Hua Wei lectured about the Seven Realms and ascension, you didn't listen at all?"

"There's you to tell me, No Jiu. Tell Meng'er what the Seven Realms and human tribulation are!"

"Ghostly things? Hmph, if I help you scatter the tribulation clouds, you'll truly become a ghostly thing."

The Wenli gasped, looking up with an expression that was quite rare for it to not be acting cute. "So, No Jiu, I really have to face my tribulation myself?"

No Jiu's expression turned solemn as he nodded helplessly.

"Meng'er, our world is divided into seven realms: the Human Realm, Ghost Realm, Immortal Realm, Demon Realm, God Realm, the Clear Cool Realm, and the legendary Lotus Realm of Buddhism."

"Right now, we are in the Ten Directions Mountains, which are in the Human Realm. The Human Realm is the foundation of the six realms and complements the Ghost Realm. Mortals can practice immortality or demons, ascend to the Immortal Realm or Demon Realm after enduring tribulations. Immortals from the Immortal Realm and the heavenly demons from the Demon Realm can cultivate Godhood and face God Tribulations to ascend to the God Realm. As for what gods cultivate, that remains unknown, just like a summer insect cannot talk about ice."

"No Jiu, why isn't our Kunlun one realm? And what exactly are the Clear Cool Realm and that Buddhist Lotus Realm?"

"Meng'er, since you're from Kunlun, you should know that Kunlun consists of both Kunlun Mountain in the Human Realm and Kunlun Xu in the Immortal Realm, hence it isn't counted as a single realm. I've known your lady for tens of thousands of years and I think I, amongst the seven realms, understand your Ximai clan the most. Kunlun has always been the territory of your Ximai clan; mortals and immortals have never occupied it. However, it seems that only your mountain goddess sister was born as a human, while the rest are all divine beasts, right? My Meng'er is a Wenli…"

The Wenli nuzzled its cute pink nose against his face, correcting him, "I'm the most beautiful and cutest Wenli in the world."

"Alright, alright, my Meng'er is the most beautiful, cutest, and mischievous Wenli in the world; your brother Chi Bao is the most imposing, valiant, and gallant Chi Bao…"

The Wenli giggled, "That silly brother even named himself Chi Xuanang, how terrible that sounds! Dreamer's name is the best; Meng'er was named by No Jiu."

No Jiu lovingly poked its little nose, "Alright, no more interruptions; otherwise, by the time you face your tribulation, I won't finish speaking."

"You guys in the Ximai clan, except for the mountain goddess, are all divine beasts. There's my Meng'er and Meng'er's Chi Bao brother, the Green Bird, the Bi Fang, the Xuanwu, the Chi Long, the Phoenix… and also those who have already faced their tribulations, such as Lu Wu, Kai Ming, Ying Zhao, Li Zhu, and so on. Your lady mentioned that she has governed Kunlun for tens of thousands of years, but the Kunlun West Queen Mother should be called 'West Queen Mai,' not a single person but a legacy similar to the Immortal Lords of the Immortal Realm. Each successive West Queen Mai eventually ascends to the Clear Cool Realm, and any West Mai lineage being that attains human form and has sufficient cultivation can also ascend to the Clear Cool Realm."

The Wenli listened entranced, "No Jiu, how does one ascend to the Clear Cool Realm? Is it through tribulation clouds as well? If our lady ascends to the Clear Cool Realm, would the mountain goddess sister become our new lady?"

No Jiu shook his head with a smile, "The succession of West Queen Mai and how one ascends to the Clear Cool Realm are significant secrets within the seven realms; your lady hasn't shared with me."

"However, regarding how you endure your human tribulation, I have seen it several times. Meng'er, you must pay close attention."

The Wenli nodded, "Mhm, as long as it's No Jiu saying it, I'll listen attentively and remember well."

"The cultivation methods of Kunlun differ from those in other realms. Divine beasts must first attain human form and face the first tribulation, known as the Human Body Tribulation. When the time of tribulation comes, the Clear Cool Realm opens, and the tribulation clouds emerge. To us, the tribulation clouds look like mere lightning, but the pain lies in the fact that they must completely refine your current physical body, so that your mind does not waver after gaining a human form. Your male Ximai clan members usually practice diligently, having long refined their physical bodies and minds until they are without flaw, so your brother Chi Bao's tribulation was quite impressive; the tribulation clouds couldn't do anything to him."

"But you are different, Meng'er. You little slacker, pampered by your brothers and sisters, fearing that you'll suffer the slightest grievance. Your lady finally made a firm decision to send you to Hua Wei to discipline you, and you actually found me to be your shield again. Sigh, your human body tribulation will likely feel like nearly dying once."

No Jiu sighed again, looking quite helpless, "What's more troubling is that, while mortals can use weapons, even immortal tools, to resist during their immortal tribulations, or invite friends and disciples to help them, the Clear Cool Realm is very strict. You can only withstand the tribulation clouds alone, and if anyone interferes, all the backlash will be directed at you. Sigh, even if I want to bear the suffering of that human tribulation on your behalf, there's nothing I can do."

The Wenli's eyes widened, "No way! Can I face the immortal tribulation instead? If I face the immortal tribulation, then No Jiu can help me, right? I don't want to face this horrible human tribulation."

No Jiu said sternly, "Meng'er must not speak carelessly. Do you remember what the mounts of the Immortal Lords are?"

The Wenli thought for a moment; the mount was a green dragon. However, No Jiu rarely used such a tone with her, making her think a bit more, "Oh no… No Jiu, are you saying… are you saying… that green dragon is one of our Kunlun Ximai clan?"

No Jiu nodded, "Understood? If the divine beasts of Kunlun do not face the human body tribulation and instead want to skip to the immortal tribulation in the Immortal Realm, they would have to accept such a fate. The human body tribulation for you will be the most severe punishment in the world, and Meng'er, you absolutely must not give up halfway; otherwise, you will only be a Wenli forever."

The Wenli burst into tears and shook her head vigorously. "No, no, Meng'er doesn't want to be a Wenli forever; Meng'er wants to cultivate with No Jiu, Meng'er wants to face the human body tribulation and become a beautiful woman."

Hearing Meng'er say this, No Jiu's eyes showed some complex emotions as he held her tighter, whispering, "Meng'er, what if you face the human body tribulation and can't find No Jiu?"

The Wenli surprisingly stopped crying, widening her apricot eyes as she gazed at No Jiu, her tone stubborn. "No Jiu, you're not allowed to go away. If Meng'er can't find No Jiu, then I won't live anywhere, anywhere at all."

No Jiu smiled, "Meng'er, No Jiu won't go away. It's just that recently, my heart has been restless, and it seems I will soon face my tribulation as well. You know, I am a wandering immortal who can roam through the four realms, but I don't know which realm's tribulation I will face—perhaps a god's tribulation, maybe a Clear Cool tribulation, or even a Buddhist tribulation. I suspect the likelihood of facing a god's tribulation is the highest; if it is a god's tribulation, my divine soul will take a thousand years to stabilize. Only when my divine soul is stable can I come down from the God Realm to find my Meng'er."

The Wenli stared blankly at his smile, hesitating for a long time before biting hard on his arm. "No Jiu scares Meng'er. No Jiu isn't a good person, bullying Meng'er and making her cry."

"Alright, alright, Meng'er, it's hard to predict the will of heaven; it's best not to force things. Oh right, we still haven't spoken about the Buddhist Lotus Realm, have we?"

"Mhm."

"The Buddhist Lotus Realm is the most mysterious place among the Seven Realms, a destination after achieving Buddhahood. It is said that humans, ghosts, beasts, demons, and immortals can all become Buddhas. However, the Buddhist sect has disappeared for over a hundred thousand years, and no one in the Seven Realms knows where the Buddhist Lotus Realm is located. It is said that five hundred years ago, on the day your brother Chi Bao faced his tribulation, a heavenly sign emerged between the Immortal and God realms. It seemed to indicate that the Buddhist sect would reemerge in the mortal realm. To my knowledge, the Immortal Realm has been very anxious about this; they have set up several major traps over the past few hundred years, seemingly ensuring the Buddhist sect wouldn't return."

The Wenli nodded. She wasn't very concerned about the Buddhist sect, only thinking about the tribulation she was about to face.

"No Jiu, where will Meng'er face her tribulation?"

"Right here."

"Here? Inside this broken big mountain? In a place that doesn't even have food to eat? In this broken big mountain?"

No Jiu was amused by her, smiling, "You'll be focused on the tribulation for dozens of days after facing it; who will be thinking about food?"

"Well... when Brother Chi Bao faced his tribulation, many immortals went to watch. What about me when I face my tribulation?"

No Jiu smiled, looking slightly ambiguous, "Silly Meng'er, girls from your Ximai clan absolutely cannot be seen during their tribulation. Your lady had instructed me; even I, your No Jiu, am not allowed to watch."

The Wenli felt a bit anxious, "Then... then how will Meng'er face her tribulation? Once I'm done, how will I find No Jiu?"

After thinking for a moment, No Jiu eventually replied, his words seeming to hold great significance, "Meng'er, just let things happen naturally. Remember my words, always act according to your heart and do not force things. Moreover, never give up; even if you can't find No Jiu, you must absolutely live on. No matter what happens, No Jiu will definitely come to find my Meng'er. No matter how difficult it is, you must keep living so that Meng'er can wait for the day to reunite with No Jiu."

He stood up, his garments billowing, making a sound as they fluttered.

"There are still a hundred days left. Meng'er, go to Hua Wei and study well. In the heavenly realm, a hundred days equals a hundred years in the mortal realm. During this hundred years, I want to explore the mortal realm and think about how to face our tribulations."