The rain finally stopped in the early morning.

  The dew on the tree was crystal clear, quietly falling from the edge of the leaves, and fell down because of the wind, drawing a beautiful arc in the air, hitting Zhang Xiaofans face.

  A chill ran down Zhang Xiaofans spine, waking him from his dream. He opened his eyes and was about to subconsciously call out "Master", but there was no one around, only Lin Jingyu lying beside him, fast asleep.

  It seems like it was all just a dream.

  But the distant broken grass temple, and the sleeping companions beside him, all told him that this was real.

  He stood there for a moment, shook his head, walked to Lin Jingyus side, and pushed him hard. Lin Jingyu mumbled a few words, slowly woke up, rubbed his eyes, and before he could speak, he felt a chill run down his spine and couldnt help but let out a cold snort.

  He opened his eyes to find himself and Zhang Xiaofan soaked from head to toe, lying under a pine tree in the wilderness. He stared blankly and asked, "Wasnt I sleeping at home? How did I end up here?"

  Zhang Xiaofan shrugged and said: "I dont know either, but Im very cold. Lets go back quickly."

  Lin Jingyu had many doubts in his mind, but he was indeed cold all over, so he nodded and got up to run towards the village with Zhang Xiaofan.

  They hadnt even reached the village yet, but they already felt something was off. Usually at this time, villagers would have gotten up, but today it was eerily quiet, not a single person in sight. Moreover, with the morning breeze came a faint smell of blood.

  They exchanged a glance, saw the astonishment in each others eyes, and quickened their pace, running towards the village. Before long, they arrived at the village entrance. Looking down from the main road at the village entrance, they saw that on the open space in the middle of the village, more than 40 households with over 200 people, big and small, male and female, were all lying on the ground, their bodies stiffened into corpses, blood flowing like a river, flies buzzing around, and a bloody smell wafting through the air.

  Lin Jingyu and Zhang Xiaofan were shocked by this terrifying scene, and under the fright, they shouted loudly and fainted.

  ※※※

  It was unknown how long had passed when Zhang Xiaofan suddenly woke up with a start, sitting up abruptly and panting heavily, his hands trembling slightly. Just now, when he fell asleep, his mind was filled with ferocious ghost faces, blood and white bones, it was truly a continuous nightmare.

  He calmed down and looked around, only to see that it was an ordinary room with two small windows. The room was simply and neatly furnished, with only a few pine wood tables and chairs, on which there were water pots and cups.

  In the room, half of the space was occupied by a large kang connected together, with four beds on it. Except for the one he was lying on now, the quilt next to him was also a bit messy, as if someone had just slept in it. As for the other two, the quilts were neatly stacked, not a single thread out of place.

  On the wall directly above the four beds, a banner was hung with one large character:

  Road!

  It looks like an ordinary guest room in a hostel, or a room where several disciples live together to learn from their master.

  Zhang Xiaofan sat for a while, and suddenly an idea rose in his heart: Maybe everything last night was just a nightmare? Maybe Ive been sleeping here all along? Maybe when I walk out of this room, my mother will be smiling and scolding me as usual: "You little lazy bug!"

  He slowly got out of bed, put on his shoes, and walked step by step towards the door.

  The door was slightly ajar, and through the crack, there seemed to be a gentle breeze blowing in, cool and refreshing.

  He walked step by step, but his two small hands were getting tighter and tighter. His heart was beating fiercely, holding his breath, soon he reached the door, and put his hand on the door frame.

  At that moment, this wooden door was as heavy as a mountain and sank like iron.

  He gritted his teeth, steeled himself and with a "hiss" sound, he flung open the door.

  The bright outdoor light suddenly shone in, making him squint his eyes. The warm and gentle sunlight fell on his body, with a faint warmth.

  But his heart suddenly fell into an ice cellar.

  Outside the door is a small courtyard with several pine trees, some grass and shrubs, and occasionally a few fragrant flowers blooming quietly. In front of the door is a corridor leading to the outside of the yard. Four feet in front of the door, there are several layers of steps connecting the yard and the corridor.

  A child sat alone on a corner of the stairs, propping up his cheek with his hand, staring blankly into space, motionless.

  Perhaps it was the sound of the door opening that startled him, and the little boy hesitated for a moment before slowly turning his head around.

  Lin Jingyu.

  Zhang Xiaofan opened his mouth wide, with thousands of questions in his mind, but the words on the tip of his tongue turned into silence.

  He wanted to shout loudly, but his heart was suffocated and he couldnt shout.

  Two lines of tears, just like this, quietly and soundlessly, fell down.

  Two little kids, just like this, silently and wordlessly, stared at each other.

  In a distant and unknown place, the sound of birdsong is transmitted, the sky is azure, with just a few white clouds.

  ※※※

  Zhang Xiaofan sat on the other side of the steps, lowering his head and looking at the small stone path paved in the small courtyard.

  In the small courtyard, there is a piece of silence.

  It was like this for an unknown amount of time, when Lin Jingyu slowly said: "I woke up earlier than you, there were still a few people in the house at that time, I asked them, and they told me that this is Qingyun Mountains Tongtian Peak."

  Zhang Xiaofan said in a low voice: "Qingyun Mountain"

  Lin Jingyu said: "I heard them say that they were several passing disciples of the Qingyun Gate, and saw the village, the village..." At this point, his voice choked up.

  He rubbed his eyes with force and took a deep breath, then said: "Later they found the two of us at the back of the village and brought us up the mountain."

  Zhang Xiaofans mouth twitched, but he didnt lift his head and said, "What will we do in the future, Jingyu?"

  Lin Jingyu shook his head and said sorrowfully: "I dont know."

  Zhang Xiaofan was about to say something else when he suddenly heard a strange voice coming from the corridor behind him, saying: "Ah, youre all awake now?"

  The two of them turned around at the same time, and saw a young Taoist priest standing there, wearing a blue Taoist robe, with a rather heroic air. He quickly walked over and said, "It just so happens that several masters also want to meet you and ask you some questions. You can follow me now."

  Zhang Xiaofan and Lin Jingyu exchanged a glance, stood up, and Lin Jingyu said: "Yes, please lead the way, sir."

  The young Taoist priest looked at Lin Jingyu and nodded, saying: "Follow me."

  Following the Taoist, the two walked out of the courtyard and before them lay a longer and larger ring-shaped corridor. Every two zhang along the edge, there was a red pillar. Between every two pillars, there was also an archway.

  They walked forward along the corridor, passing through one archway and pillar after another, only to find that each of these archways led to a small courtyard almost identical to the previous one. It seemed that this was where the disciples of Qingyunmen lived.

  Not to mention anything else, just from this scale alone, such a small courtyard is unlikely to be less than hundreds of rooms, it can be seen that there are many disciples of Qingyun.

  After walking for a while, I finally saw the end of this corridor, but it was a towering white wall with a large gate at the bottom. The two thick wooden door panels were as high as ten zhang, and one almost had to raise their head to look up at them. Its unknown how such enormous wood materials were found in the first place.

  The young Taoist priest seemed to be oblivious, probably because he was used to coming and going every day, his face didnt show any expression like the two children did, his face was emotionless, and he walked straight out of the door. Zhang Xiaofan and Lin Jingyu hurriedly followed up.

  As soon as they stepped out of this gate, the two children held their breath at the same time and looked at everything in front of them in disbelief.

  Here is almost like a legendary paradise.

  A vast and enormous square, the ground is paved with white marble, shining brightly, at a glance, it makes people feel insignificant. In the distance, white clouds are like thin silk, all floating underfoot. In the center of the square, every few dozen yards, a bronze giant tripod is placed, arranged in three rows, each row has three, a total of nine, neatly arranged. From time to time, light smoke rises from the tripods, with a clear and lingering fragrance.

  "Lets go this way." As if understanding the thoughts of the two children, the young Taoist priest smiled slightly and let them look for a while before waking them up to continue on their journey.

  "This is Cloud Sea of the Six Sceneries of Qingyun. Theres even better ahead!" The young Taoist said as he walked.

  "What is it?" Lin Jingyu couldnt help but ask.

  The young Taoist pointed with one finger and said: "Hongqiao."

  The two of them gazed into the distance, and all they saw was that in front of them, far away, at the end of the square, behind a hazy cloud-like mist, something seemed to be shining. They quickened their pace and walked forward.

  Gradually, there came the sound of water, and from time to time a strange noise like thunder, but it was unclear where it came from.

  As they walked closer, the clouds and mist were like gentle fairy maidens, softly surrounding them, gradually lifting the veil of mystery, revealing their clear features.

  At the end of the square, a stone bridge with no piers or abutments, spanning the air, one end resting on the square, straight and slanting upwards, entering the depths of the white clouds, like a dragon leaping into the sky, majestic and proud. A gentle sound of water comes from afar, sunlight shines down, the entire bridge radiates seven colors, like a rainbow at the horizon, descending to the mortal world, resplendent and dazzling, beauty unparalleled.

  Zhang Xiaofan and Lin Jingyu were stunned.

  The young Taoist priest smiled and said, "Follow me." He then led the way onto the stone bridge.

  As they stepped onto the stone bridge, they suddenly realized that water was constantly flowing down on both sides of the bridge, crystal clear, but the middle part was not wet at all. The sunlight shone through the clouds and onto the bridge, refracting off the water flow, forming a dazzling rainbow.

  The Taoist looked at their infatuated appearance and said, "Be careful, this bridge is bottomless, if you accidentally fall down, it will be a place where you cant even bury your body."

  Zhang Xiaofan and Lin Jingyu both jumped in fright, hastily calming themselves down and walking carefully.

  This rainbow bridge was extremely high and long, the three people walking on it only felt that the white clouds on both sides were slowly sinking to their feet, and they seemed to be getting higher and higher as they went further. The strange noise in front of them continued to come.

  After walking for a while, the white clouds thinned out, and I had actually walked out of the sea of clouds. Suddenly, everything brightened up before my eyes, and I saw that the sky was as clear as if it had been washed clean, with a blue color that seemed almost transparent. The sky stretched out in all directions without any bounds; below me lay an endless expanse of cloud, gently floating and undulating. As I gazed out at this scene, my heart suddenly felt expansive and broadened.

  And right in front of it is the main hall "Yuqing Hall" of Qingyun Pavilion at the top of Tongtian Peak.

  The green hills are lush, the palace is majestic, the "Jade Clear Palace" sits on the peak, surrounded by clouds and mist, with a few auspicious cranes flying overhead, their long cries echoing as they circle in the air, reluctant to leave, like an immortals spiritual realm, inspiring reverence.

  At this time, the rainbow no longer rose, making an arch in the air and falling on a bay of emerald green water pool in front of the temple. At the same time, the Jade Clear Temple faintly transmitted the Taoist song, a kind of immortal family atmosphere. And that strange sound was also louder.

  Three people walked down the Rainbow Bridge and came to the edge of the pond, where a wide stone staircase led from the waters edge up to the gate of the Jade Clear Palace. The water in the pond was emerald green, calm and peaceful like a mirror, with human figures and mountain reflections clearly visible.

  They walked up the stone steps, just about to head towards the large gate above, when suddenly a loud roar was heard from the depths of the pool, a sound like thunder, which was the strange noise from before. Looking around, they only saw that in the center of the pool, a huge whirlpool had suddenly appeared, and after a moment, huge waves surged up, and a gigantic figure leapt out, with water splashing everywhere.

  The young Taoist priest, however, seemed to have been prepared for this and with a swift movement of his left hand, he floated into the air and quickly drifted back more than two zhang. He stopped in mid-air. The two children had no chance to escape and were instantly drenched from head to toe.

  They were completely unaware of their surroundings, staring blankly at a massive object that had appeared in front of them. It was over 15 meters tall, with the body of a dragon and the head of a lion, covered in scales, with huge eyes and mouth, and two sharp fangs gleaming in the sunlight, its appearance ferocious and terrifying to behold.

  The monster shook its body, and another wave of water splashed over, then it seemed to have found something, and stretched its huge claws towards the stairs.

  Zhang Xiaofan and Lin Jingyu saw that the monsters head was much larger than both of them, under the sunlight, its sharp teeth were clearly visible, as it approached closer and closer, they were really scared, couldnt help but stick together tightly, their hearts racing.

  At this time, the young Taoist priest floated back at some unknown point, his single palm upright in front of his chest, and respectfully said: "Your Excellencies, they are specially summoned by your esteemed masters."

  The monster glared at him, let out a snort, and rubbed its nose. Its big eyes actually rolled around, as if it were thinking like a human being. Then, ignoring the three of them, it swayed back and forth and walked to the side, where it lay down on the dry ground by the water pool, yawned, lazily lowered its head, basked in the sun, and fell asleep.

  The young Taoist gestured to the two who were still in a state of shock and continued walking, saying: "The Spirit Venerable is an ancient strange beast that was subdued by our sects ancestor, Qingye, over a thousand years ago. It is called Water Qilin. At that time, Ancestor Qingye was renowned for his great powers, subduing demons and evil spirits. Nowadays, it is the mountain-guarding spirit beast of our Qingyun Sect, respectfully referred to as Spirit Venerable."

  After finishing, he bowed to the water qilin again. Zhang Xiaofan was watching in a daze, but was pulled by Lin Jingyu, saw him make a gesture, and also bowed respectfully to the water qilin together. However, the water qilin didnt turn its head or move, instead it snored loudly, probably because it couldnt see them.

  After the three people finished their ceremony, they continued on their way. Walking past the high stone steps, they saw from afar a golden plaque with the words "Yu Qing Hall" written on it. Arriving in front of the magnificent hall, they saw that the doors were wide open, and inside, the light was sufficient, enshrining the three pure gods Yuanshi Tianzun, Lingbao Tianzun, and Daode Tianzun, with a solemn atmosphere.

  In front of the gods, on top of the main hall, dozens of people stood, both Taoist and secular, all seemingly under Qingyuns command. In front of them were arranged seven large chairs made of sandalwood, three on each side, with one in the very center at the front, but only six people sat on them, leaving the last chair on the right empty.