Wei Wuxian's body plummeted rapidly through the air, enveloped in swirling black miasma, and he soon lost consciousness.
At the bottom of a precipice littered with grim, bleached bones, Wei Wuxian lay quietly amidst a pool of fresh blood, which suddenly vanished without a trace.
When he woke up again, Wei Wuxian found himself in a bizarre place. It was scorching hot one moment and freezing cold the next. Trapped inside with no way out, no matter what he tried, he desperately channeled his resentment to resist the onslaught.
"Wasn't I dead? Where is this?" Wei Wuxian muttered.
Just like that, Wei Wuxian remained trapped in this place, endlessly using his resentment to fight back day after day. He had no idea how much time had passed, but he could feel his own power growing steadily stronger.
Time slipped away day by day. Three years later, Copper Furnace Mountain shuddered violently, startling the entire Ghost Realm. Many ghosts flocked to the scene upon hearing the commotion, and the two sole surviving Devastation-class Ghost Kings—Hua Cheng, Crimson Rain Sought Flower, and He Xuan, Black Water Submerging Wastes—also hurried to the vicinity.
"You're here too," He Xuan said. "What is going on here? Could it be that a new Ghost King is about to be born?"
"It should be," Hua Cheng replied. "Let's wait and see."
An hour later, Copper Furnace Mountain trembled once more, and a formidable surge of power shot into the heavens. A dense plume of black miasma erupted, and the entire Copper Furnace Mountain slowly shrank before merging into the black mist. A figure appeared before the assembled ghosts—none other than Wei Ying, Wei Wuxian.
Hua Cheng and He Xuan were both stunned by this spectacle. No one knew the true origin of Copper Furnace Mountain, and both of them had witnessed its terrifying nature firsthand. Never had they imagined it would be conquered and absorbed by the person before them. It was clear that this man's strength was monstrously fierce; presumably, neither god nor ghost in this heaven and earth could surpass him.
Overjoyed to finally escape that ghost-forsaken place, Wei Wuxian descended slowly to the ground. Walking up to Hua Cheng and the others, he asked, "May I ask where this is?"
"The Ghost Realm, Copper Furnace Mountain," Hua Cheng answered.
"Copper Furnace Mountain? What kind of place is that?" Wei Wuxian inquired.
Hua Cheng and He Xuan exchanged a glance. Seeing that the person before them was utterly clueless, the two of them summoned a ghost to give Wei Wuxian an explanation.
After a thorough explanation, Wei Wuxian finally understood. This was the Ghost Realm, and that bizarre mountain was called Copper Furnace Mountain. Every ghost soul capable of emerging from Copper Furnace Mountain became a Devastation-class Ghost King. The two men before him were the only two remaining Devastation-class Ghost Kings in the Ghost Realm: the one in red with an eyepatch over his right eye was the master of Ghost City, Crimson Rain Sought Flower, Hua Cheng; and the one in black robes was Black Water Submerging Wastes, He Xuan, who ruled over the Black Water waters.
"Crimson Rain Sought Flower? Black Water Submerging Wastes?" Wei Wuxian asked. "Do all ghosts in the Ghost Realm pick names like these? What about me, then—what should my title be?"
"What is your name? And when did you come to Copper Furnace Mountain?" Hua Cheng asked.
"Wei Ying, Wei Wuxian," he replied. "As for when I came here, I have no idea how long I've been dead."
"Wei Wuxian? Could you be that Yiling Patriarch from the Human Realm?" Hua Cheng asked.
"You've heard of me?" Wei Wuxian asked.
"I have," Hua Cheng said. "I just never expected you to be so formidable. You emerged from Copper Furnace Mountain in a mere three years, and even absorbed it."
"Three years?" Wei Wuxian murmured. "I've been dead for three years already."
"Give yourself a title, then," Hua Cheng suggested.
......
Because he almost always wore black robes and wielded Chenqing, a ghostly flute capable of commanding all ghosts, Wei Wuxian earned the title "Ink-Feathered Dark Flute". From then on, the Ghost Realm boasted three Devastation-class Ghost Kings: Crimson Rain Sought Flower Hua Cheng, Black Water Submerging Wastes He Xuan, and Ink-Feathered Dark Flute Mowang. And since Copper Furnace Mountain had been absorbed by Wei Wuxian, no other Ghost King would ever be born from it again.
Wei Wuxian had no manor of his own. His personality and past experiences allowed him to quickly strike up a friendship with Hua Cheng, and the two later swore brotherhood, after which Wei Wuxian took up residence in Paradise Manor.