Immortals and Demons Forever

Chapter 1: Prologue

In the ancient era of immortals and demons, humans used spiritual energy as their foundation to cultivate the Dao, attain immortality, soar through the skies, traverse the earth, and roam the heavens. Yet beneath the same sky as humans, other advanced life forms—such as spirit beasts, ancient demons, and colossal demons—also existed. Drawing upon a chaotic energy as their source, they multiplied and evolved, collectively referred to by humans as “demons.” The power wielded by these demons is known as “demonic energy,” which posed an ever-growing threat to human territories. Thus began a protracted war between the immortals and the demons. After hundreds of years of battle, spiritual energy gradually dissipated, while demonic energy grew increasingly depleted. The Immortal Lord and the Troll God perished together; the depletion of spiritual energy and demonic energy caused the world to collapse, bringing about natural disasters that destroyed trillions of living beings. The continents fractured under the cataclysm, and the energy between heaven and earth descended into chaos, causing many wild beasts and domestic animals to mutate en masse. As a result, they developed sentience and transformed into demon beasts that threatened human survival. As humanity stood on the brink of extinction at the hands of natural disasters and demonic beasts, a brave individual set out to rebuild the bridge leading mortals to the realm of celestial cultivators. He discovered the Source of Spiritual Energy amidst the thinning spiritual energy, extracted Source Power Seeds from it, and, step by step, created the Source Soul, sparking a great martial arts revolution for humanity. That year came to be known as the Zhenwu Era. The Age of Immortals was gone forever, and humanity thus entered the Age of Source Masters. The immortals were wiped out, and the demon beasts vanished. Led by the Great Emperor Zhenwu, humanity finally eradicated the demon beasts and reestablished order and their homeland. Humanity ushered in a glorious era; from then on, continents, realms, islands, kingdoms, and sects sprang up like bamboo shoots after rain. The Great Emperor Zhenwu took on seven disciples, known to the world as the Seven Sons of Zhenwu. Each received a legacy that defied the heavens, and the Soul Sources they controlled were the Azure Dragon, the White Tiger, the Vermilion Bird, the Black Tortoise, the Qilin, the Divine Sparrow, and the Kunpeng. Before his death, the Great Emperor Zhenwu transformed his power into seven seeds of primordial energy and planted them within the bodies of his seven disciples. Over the next two hundred years, the Seven Sons of Zhenwu went their separate ways; some established kingdoms, while others founded schools and sects, becoming the seven most powerful clans of their era, each carrying on and promoting their master’s legacy. However, as time passed, the descendants of the Seven Disciples of Zhenwu gradually ceased to awaken the inherited Source Seeds; their families fell into decline, and an era of rivaling powers dawned. Gradually, the distant history was forgotten, and these seven Source Soul Seeds ceased to appear in the world. An ancient prophecy has long been passed down, foretelling that on the night when the Blood Moon hangs in the sky and the Nine Stars align, the demons that had vanished without a trace will eventually return.