Although Liyue has countless famous mountains and rivers, everyone here is an extraordinary being.
Except for Shen He, even the youngest, Ganyu, is over a thousand years old, perhaps even several thousand.
These immortals have been rooted in Liyue for ages. It's safe to say they know every inch of Liyue, even if it's just a small rock.
At the very least, they are familiar with even the smallest hillocks.
Not to mention Zhongli, as the Geo Archon, has an extremely deep understanding of mountains, rivers, and lakes.
There's no mountain range in Liyue that Zhongli doesn't recognize.
So...
"With all due respect, I know many of Liyue's mountain ranges, but I've never heard of Mount Shu. Even among the well-known mountains of Teyvat, there's no mention of Mount Shu."
Zhongli pondered for a moment, a sudden realization dawning on him.
"So, Mount Shu… is it a mountain range from your previous world?"
"Then, the Headmaster is..."
Before he could finish, Zhongli saw Jiang Yan shake his head and chuckle, sparking his curiosity.
"Is there something wrong?"
Jiang Yan suppressed his laughter, speaking softly.
"To explain it simply, Mount Shu is indeed a mountain range in my old home from long ago. To ordinary people, Mount Shu is just a rugged, towering, and dangerous mountain range."
"But the Mount Shu I speak of is a cultivation sect where countless cultivators gather to seek immortality and learn the Dao."
"Just like the various martial arts sects in your Liyue."
Zhongli's eyes flickered, he nodded slightly, seemingly deep in thought.
Initially, he thought Jiang Yan was the only cultivator who came to Teyvat. Now it seems…
He has a background.
A sect that gathers countless powerful cultivators. Zhongli couldn't judge how strong it truly was.
If each cultivator there is like Jiang Yan, even if they only cultivated to the Refining Essence and Qi stage, they would be a force that Teyvat couldn't provoke.
However, based on his current interactions with Jiang Yan, befriending him seems relatively easy.
Zhongli is very interested in many of Jiang Yan's cultivation theories. If he doesn't mind, Zhongli would like to chat with him more about it.
By learning from each other, perhaps he could figure out something useful.
For instance, ways to deal with his erosion.
"Are you thinking about how many people are in Mount Shu?"
Suddenly, Jiang Yan said with a light chuckle.
Zhongli didn't deny it, remaining silent.
Ganyu and the others were also curious.
Jiang Yan's gaze seemed distant as he spoke slowly.
"The Mount Shu Sword Sect is the largest cultivation sect in a certain world of cultivation."
"Those who have reached the Refining Essence and Qi stage are merely outer disciples. Only those who have achieved the Transforming Qi into Spirit stage can be considered inner disciples."
"And cultivators like me, at the stage of Returning Spirit to Void..."
Jiang Yan chuckled self-deprecatingly and shook his head.
"We can only serve as enforcement elders. Those who have reached the Void Merging Dao stage are the true foundation of the sect."
"Moreover, the Mount Shu Sword Sect isn't just the largest sect in the human world. There are countless strong cultivators who have ascended to become immortals throughout its history."
"It is also a top-tier immortal sect that commands respect in the Immortal Realm. It is said that they even have cultivators at the level of the Great Perfect Golden Immortal."
"Such beings are only second to the supreme Da Luo, who reigns over all worlds."
"Even a Great Perfect Golden Immortal can create and destroy worlds with a flick of their wrist, and reverse time and space with a blink of an eye."
Jiang Yan was quite impressed with his ability to fabricate stories.
Yes.
Everything mentioned above is pure fabrication.
The so-called Mount Shu is just a name he made up for the sect he's about to establish.
Even if there were a real Mount Shu, a Great Perfect Golden Immortal would never exist.
In all the worlds, Da Luo is supreme.
Below Da Luo are the Great Perfect Golden Immortals.
Could Mount Shu have a Great Perfect Golden Immortal?
Then Mount Shu would have to encompass all the worlds, becoming one of the true sources of mythology.
What is Da Luo?
The mythology of all the worlds has already been established.
Nuwa created the world and humans.
Fuxi created the heavens with a single stroke.
The Jade Emperor of the Heavenly Court governs all that is infinite.
The Three Pure Ones of Daoism control the cause and effect of the beginning, the process, and the end.
These beings, with their creation myths, are the Da Luo.
And what about the Great Perfect Golden Immortals?
Zhulong, whose eyes opened to create the sun and closed to create the night.
The Five Emperors of the Five Directions, Shaohao, Taihao, and others, these are the Great Perfect Golden Immortals.
Even the legendary Erlang Shen, widely circulated in folklore, is just a Golden Immortal.
Mount Shu produces a Great Perfect Golden Immortal?
It's likely Jiang Yan would see a claim that Mount Shu was one of the ancestral abodes of Daoism in Daoist mythology.
That Great Perfect Golden Immortal ancestor of Mount Shu would be worshipped in Daoist temples, second only to the Three Pure Ones.
But, without such a claim, how would Jiang Yan establish a high-status image for Mount Shu? How would he motivate Zhongli and the others to diligently cultivate after joining Mount Shu?
How would the play continue?
Jiang Yan doesn't like this kind of thing, but since the system wants him to spread true cultivation.
He will do it to the best of his ability.
Not only will he make a name for himself in all the worlds, but he must also rule the land.
With this in mind, Jiang Yan sighed deeply.
This emotion was quite real. Perhaps it was because he found performing such a role difficult.
"The Mount Shu of the past was truly magnificent. It dominated the heavens and the earth, commanding respect across all realms. It was the ultimate place for cultivators to seek immortality."
"But..."
Jiang Yan pursed his lips, his expression filled with uncertainty.
"But what?"
Liu Yun and the others were completely captivated.
No matter what, the curiosity of intelligent beings never disappears.
Especially when listening to such secrets about those who stand high above, about true immortals.
Even Zhongli sipped his tea slowly, seeming quite impatient.
So, Jiang Yan continued weaving his tale.
"But everything... everything is ruined."
Jiang Yan's expression was filled with melancholy as he spoke softly.
"Lost in the glory of Mount Shu, with the Great Perfect Golden Immortal ancestor guarding over them, they forgot that beneath the Da Luo, all beings are merely ants in the grand scheme of the universe."
"About three immeasurable kalpas ago, in all the worlds, or rather in the true supreme Immortal Realm, the Thirty-Three Heavens, a war erupted that affected every world."
"It was a war between the supreme Da Luo."
"No one knows why the war began. The information left by Mount Shu only states..."
"The Jade Emperor of the Heavenly Court, who commands countless immortals; the Great Goddess Nuwa, who created the world and humans; the Great Emperor Fuxi, who created the heavens with a single stroke..."
"The Three Pure Ones of Daoism, who control the beginning, the process, and the end; the past, present, and future Buddhas of Buddhism..."
"All the Da Luo engaged in battle."
"Those who were not Da Luo, in the face of such power, be it worlds, time and space, or even the cycle of cause and effect..."
"All were shattered."
"The ancestor could only leave behind some information before he used his divine powers to pierce the river of time and send millions upon millions of Mount Shu disciples to different future timelines."
"Then, he passed away."
"Ha...isn't it laughable?"
Jiang Yan looked up at the sky, his expression filled with sorrow.
"The ancestor, who had cultivated for nearly a thousand kalpas, and Mount Shu, which dominated the heavens and the earth."
"Hundreds of billions of elite disciples, all vanished in an instant."
"The foundation of Mount Shu's proud strength couldn't even withstand the ripples of a clash between the Da Luo."
"Countless immeasurable kalpas of accumulated wealth, instantly vanished into nothingness."
"And those embers that the ancestor sent away were continuously extinguished in the river of time."
"Out of millions, only I remain..."
"Cultivation...cultivation..."
"Even if we cultivate to the highest level, how can we compare to those innate divine beings, the Da Luo who were born with their power?"
"Everything we take pride in is just the play of ants in the eyes of the Da Luo. A single glance from them can turn us to dust."
"Cultivators fight against heaven and against each other...our lives are consumed by struggle."
"But ultimately, we can't fight against fate."
Jiang Yan lowered his hands in despair, his whole being exuding a dejected aura, causing even the heavens and earth to mourn with him.
Zhongli could clearly sense that all of Jueyun Karst, all of Liyue, and even all of Teyvat were grieving for Jiang Yan.
This emotion even affected him.
Zhongli covered his chest in a daze.
At that moment, he felt a despair he had never experienced before.
"The Mount Shu, which was once filled with infinite light, now has only me left, just me, a mere Returning Spirit to Void cultivator."
"Mount Shu...in the end, it was doomed by destiny."