Enveloped in swirling mists and ancient pines, the mountains echoed with faint, ethereal cries. Towering cliffs thousands of feet high plunged into roaring waterfalls that crashed against the rocks below, resembling a surging heavenly river cascading down from the ninth heaven into the mortal realm. Strange rocks and mythical beasts darted through the forests—spirit apes, giant pythons, and rare birds chased and frolicked among the peaks, while countless mysterious pools and hidden caves added an air of unfathomable mystery.
This legendary celestial mountain spanned eight hundred li, its peaks piercing straight into the clouds. Featuring seventy-two peaks and eighty-one caves, it had been renowned since ancient times across the world. Countless legendary immortal sects and prestigious houses had flourished here throughout history. Across the Huáxià realm, it was a sacred sanctuary yearned for by celebrities, heroes, generals, prime ministers, wealthy gentry, and emperors through the ages. The four most famous peaks were Feiyun Peak, Xiansheng Peak, Yinping Peak, and Lingyan Peak.
The Fire Cloud Cave was located in the middle of Lingyan Peak. According to legend, these four peaks were the legacy grounds of the four great First-Rank Sects from primordial times. Among them, Lingyan Peak was the heritage ground of the Divine Flame Sect, Feiyun Peak belonged to the Xuanyuan Sect, Xiansheng Peak to the Fúmó Sect, and Yinping Peak to the Taiyin Sect.
These four ancient First-Rank Sects each possessed histories spanning tens of thousands of years, wielding tremendous influence throughout the Huáxià realm and shining like brilliant, dazzling stars across the long river of history. The relations among the four First-Rank Sects were exceptionally harmonious; they were like-minded confidants and close comrades who shared life and death. It was precisely this special bond that jointly maintained peace across Huáxià for tens of thousands of years. They united in development, stood shoulder-to-shoulder against external foes, eradicated demons and devils together, and patrolled the world as one. They were the steadfast guardians who stood by humanity through life and death in pursuit of prosperity.
The founder of the Divine Flame Sect was the pioneer of traditional medicine, Patriarch Chiyan. Accomplished in both medicine and martial arts, he was a legendary figure of the Huáxià race and one of its ancestral cultural figures. The Fire Cloud Cave had once been the exclusive meeting place where he and the founders of the other three major sects discussed crucial matters. Whenever major events occurred or formidable external enemies invaded, they would gather here to deliberate and reach final decisions. The current sect master of the Divine Flame Sect was Venerable Shenlong, who was likewise proficient in both medicine and martial arts. It was said that his cultivation was unfathomably deep, and few outside his sect had ever witnessed his true strength. The pair of cyan-black swords strapped to his back were rumored to be the ancient divine weapons, the Ziqing Twin Swords, while the gourd hanging at his waist was the Xuanyuan Purple-Gold Gourd. This gourd could swallow the starry sky and transform all things, while the Ziqing Twin Swords possessed the power to slaughter all demons and ghosts, shifting at the wielder's will. As inherently male and female bonded swords possessing independent sentience, they served as one of his natal magical treasures. The most formidable sect-guarding treasure of the Divine Flame Sect was the Flame Emperor Cauldron, a vessel originally used by the sect's founder, Patriarch Divine Flame, to refine all things in creation. Crafted from the mysterious Five-Color Stone—a supreme treasure of the Taiyin Sect—and profound crystal stone from beyond the nine heavens, refined through the fires of the netherworld and the earth's core, it possessed the miraculous power to seize the fortune of heaven and earth: it could forge the strongest elixirs in existence and mend any life in the world. Additionally, the sect boasted the Myriad Flower Devouring Spirit Formation and the 108 Xuantian Holy Maidens, every single one of whom was peerlessly graceful, talented, and beautiful. This had become a celebrated legend throughout the Cultivation World; whenever people mentioned the Divine Flame Sect, they would immediately think of these 108 Xuantian Holy Maidens, who had become the sect's proudest trump card. Many visitors came to the Divine Flame Sect simply to catch a glimpse of the grace of these 108 Xuantian Holy Maidens! Yet not a single person dared harbor improper thoughts toward them, for it was said that each of their cultivation bases had reached the fifth layer of the Tribulation Transcending Stage. With such cultivation, who would dare entertain malicious ideas? Coupled with the overwhelming influence of the Divine Flame Sect, anyone foolish enough to harbor such thoughts would simply be courting death.