I fabricated myths to guide the revival of spiritual energy.

In the dead of night, Kunlun Mountain sheds the sacred veil of the day, revealing its most ferocious side as a forbidden zone for life.

A fierce wind howled, whipping up heavy snowflakes that raged across the dark night sky. The temperature here plummeted to minus forty degrees Celsius, and the thin air was enough to instantly knock out any untrained ordinary person.

Even more terrifying were the thunderclouds that shrouded the mountaintop, a manifestation of Kunlun's geomagnetic field under extreme weather conditions, as if it were the last line of defense set up by the heavens.

A helicopter painted in dark gray camouflage and bearing the words "749 Special Operations" on its fuselage was like a withered leaf struggling in a raging sea, speeding towards the thunderstorm clouds.

Inside the cockpit, the alarm blared shrilly.

"Chief! The wind speed is too high! The airflow ahead is too turbulent; the instrument panel has malfunctioned!"

The ace pilot gripped the control stick tightly, his knuckles white from the excessive force, and large beads of cold sweat dripped down his forehead.

He's been here before.

Just a month ago, he had been responsible for picking up and dropping off the leader. He clearly remembered that it was a sunny morning, the sun shining on the snow-capped mountains, casting golden rays, and the helicopter flew as smoothly as if it were on flat ground.

But tonight, this place is hell.

"Chief, although we have the right of way, this weather... is it really safe for a helicopter to fly in?!" The pilot's voice trembled with despair. "The power of nature is terrifying. We might be torn apart by the thunderstorm before we even touch the formation!"

Sitting in the rear cabin was Li Guozhong, the director of Bureau 749.

Although he looked exhausted and his eyes were bloodshot, his expression was unusually firm. He tightly gripped a tablet computer that was still showing the tragic scenes in Chengdu, while his other hand solemnly pulled a black metal token from his pocket.

The token is neither gold nor jade; it is engraved with intricate cloud patterns, and in the center is only a single, vigorous and ancient character, "Kun".

This was the "special pass" that Gu Qing had personally given him.

Looking out the window at the lightning that seemed to devour everything, Li Guozhong felt a moment of unease. Perhaps because the weather had been fine the last time he came, the great formation had remained dormant. But now, the Kunlun Great Formation was clearly in a defensive, operational state.

Can this tiny token really carve out a path to survival in such a devastating storm?

But he had no way out.

Li Guozhong's eyes sharpened as he glanced at the constantly changing casualty figures on the tablet.

"Don't slow down, maintain course!"

Li Guozhong's voice was steady and powerful, clearly transmitted to the driver through the headset: "Principal Gu said that whoever holds this token is as if he were personally present. In Kunlun, this token is the law!"

"Yes! I'll take the gamble!" The pilot gritted his teeth, braced himself and did not increase the altitude, but instead piloted the helicopter straight into the wall of clouds rolling with purple lightning.

Nearly.

Two hundred meters... one hundred meters... fifty meters.

The terrifying lightning bolt seemed almost within reach; the pilot had even closed his eyes, bracing himself for being torn apart by the airflow.

However, just as the helicopter was about to touch the clouds, Li Guozhong stuck the token in his hand to the porthole.

Om-!

A faint golden ripple, visible to the naked eye, spread out from the token and instantly covered the entire helicopter.

The next second, a miracle that the driver would never forget happened.

There was no impact, nor the expected violent jolts.

The originally raging thundercloud storm, which seemed capable of devouring everything, instantly froze upon sensing the token's aura, as if a sentient guard had seen a decree.

Then—the clouds parted and the fog lifted.

The thick thunderclouds rolled away silently to both sides, creating a wide and smooth passage in the dark night sky.

At the same time, a warm current instantly enveloped the fuselage.

A span of just one second.

The extreme cold storm of minus forty degrees Celsius instantly switched to a constant temperature of twenty degrees Celsius, as warm as spring.

"This..." The driver's eyes widened as he watched the instrument panel instantly return to normal, and as he gazed out the window at the magnificent scene resembling Moses parting the Sea. His worldview shattered. "This is... inside the formation?"

Even though they had been there before, the extreme contrast still shocked them.

Outside, it was an apocalyptic thunderstorm, but beyond that invisible barrier lay a completely different world.

The moonlight, like water, spilled across the white jade-paved square. Pavilions and towers were scattered in a pleasing arrangement, and several cranes gracefully circled in the night sky. The air was filled with the faint scent of pine and the fragrance of medicinal herbs. Here, there was no outside clamor or carnage, only a reassuring and timeless tranquility.

This is truly a blessed land of immortals.

……

Kunlun University, Cloud Plaza.

Gu Qing was sitting cross-legged on a bluestone, with an unfinished chessboard in front of him. He wasn't playing, but rather toying with a black piece in his hand, his gaze fixed intently on the direction from which the helicopter had come.

"It's finally here."

Gu Qing sighed softly and placed the black piece in his hand.

The roar of the massive propellers shattered the silence of the mountaintop. The helicopter landed with remarkable smoothness in the center of White Jade Square.

The hatch opened.

Li Guozhong jumped down with great strides. He straightened his collar, and although he looked anxious and his eyes were filled with deep fatigue, he still kept his back straight and maintained the demeanor befitting a high-ranking official of a great nation.

He strode up to Gu Qing, said nothing superfluous, and bowed deeply to her with utmost solemnity.

This is a deep bow of ninety degrees.

"Principal Gu."

Li Guozhong raised his head, his voice hoarse but each word carrying immense weight:

"Chengdu is in crisis! On behalf of Bureau 749 and the citizens of Chengdu, I appeal to Kunlun for help!"

He handed over the tablet computer, which was still displaying live feed, with both hands:

"A three-headed, late-stage Qi Refining mutated tiger. Conventional weapons are ineffective, and psionic bullets cannot penetrate its defenses. Our defenses have collapsed, and they have now stormed into the subway station, where thousands of refugees are staying."

"People are dying every second. We tried our best, but... we just couldn't stop it."

Li Guozhong looked at Gu Qing with only a sense of responsibility in his eyes: "Please ask Kunlun to take action and slay the evil spirits."

Gu Qing took the tablet and looked at the horrific scene on the screen. Her eyes remained calm, but beneath that calm, it was as if an ancient glacier was cracking.

"Director Li, you flatter me."

Gu Qing gently raised her hand, and a soft force helped Li Guozhong up: "Since I established my path in Kunlun and protect this land, it is the karma of Kunlun."

After speaking, he turned around, facing the back mountain, his voice not loud, yet it boomed like thunder:

"Chu Tian, ​​Zhao Feng, Wang Tiechui, step forward!"

Swish!Swish!Swish!

Before the words were even finished, three figures appeared instantly on the square.

The three were all dressed in cyan cloud-patterned Daoist robes, exuding a cold and aloof air, a far cry from their naive appearance when they first arrived on the mountain. They had just successfully established their foundations, and their auras had not yet been fully concealed, yet their every move carried a chilling pressure.

"Principal!" The three of them bowed in unison.

Gu Qing pointed to Li Guozhong beside him: "Currently in chaos in Chengdu, this is your midterm exam. There is only one requirement: kill without mercy."

Upon hearing the words "Chengdu," Zhao Feng trembled slightly and couldn't help but step forward: "Principal! That's the downtown area... If we don't hurry, the people there might..."

"I know." Gu Qing looked at Chu Tian. "Chu Tian."

"Disciple is here."

"You're leading the team this time, so be quick."

Without wasting words, Chu Tian's eyes flashed with purple light, and his entire being instantly exuded an extremely sharp sword intent.

"yes!"

Seeing this, Li Guozhong quickly stepped forward: "There's no time to lose, please get on the helicopter immediately! It will be slow, but I've already contacted the Air Force..."

"No need, Chief."

Chu Tian interrupted Li Guozhong, his voice cold: "That's too slow."

Clang—!

A clear, resonant sword cry echoed through the sky.

The Azure Sword on Chu Tian's back was instantly unsheathed, growing larger in the wind. The original three-foot-long flying sword instantly transformed into a giant azure light five zhang long, with purple lightning leaping wildly and crackling on its blade.

"Junior brothers, come up here."

Chu Tian stepped onto the sword pommel, stood with his hands behind his back, his robes fluttering.

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhao Feng and Wang Tiechui leaped and landed steadily on the broad blade of the sword. Zhao Feng even gave Li Guozhong a deep fist salute, his eyes filled with a mixture of anxiety and confidence.

"Chief, you rest, we're going."

Chu Tian made a hand seal with one hand, and raised an eyebrow:

"disease!"

boom!!

This roar was no longer a sonic boom, but a true thunderclap!

Li Guozhong only felt a flash of purple light before his eyes, followed by a gust of wind. When he looked up again, the helicopter hadn't even had time to shut off its engine when the cyan sword light, wrapped in purple lightning, tore through the snow and disappeared completely at the edge of the horizon.

A thousand miles in an instant!

Li Guozhong stood in the cold wind, mouth agape, staring blankly at the now-vanished afterimage.

The pilot next to him was so frightened that he sat down on the ground, pointing at the sky and stammering, "This...this starting speed...it must be Mach 3, right?! This is unscientific...but this is too incredible!!"

Gu Qing watched his disciple disappear into the distance and nodded in satisfaction. Then he turned around and sat back down in front of the chessboard, picking up a steaming teacup from the stone table beside him.

He gently blew on the tea foam and said calmly to Li Guozhong, who was still in shock and unable to recover for a long time:

"Director Li, please sit down, don't stand."

"Once this pot of tea is finished, things should be over in Chengdu."

Li Guozhong came to his senses and looked at the calm and composed immortal in front of him. The huge weight that had been hanging over his heart finally lifted.

He knew things were settled.

On this night of despair, the Kunlun Sword Immortal descended the mountain.

"Yes... thank you for the tea, Principal Gu!"