Prologue: Immortality
Immortality seems to be an eternal topic for humanity.
In the world of human fantasy, both East and West have their own legendary immortal figures,
such as angels in the West and cultivators in the East.
Almost every god in mythology is immortal.
Even in modern society with such advanced technology, humanity's research into immortality has never stopped.
The desire for immortality seems to be engraved in human genes.
In reality, people have long been exploring the path to immortality.
For example, there were alchemists in the West who sought the elixir of immortality.
As early as two thousand years ago, Xu Fu sailed east to China to find the elixir of immortality for the First Emperor.
Since then, countless emperors have sought Taoist elixirs, wanting to hold onto their power forever.
Of course, they all failed.
Some returned empty-handed,
while others even died from poisoning.
It seems that no one can stop the program originally set by the Creator, causing each individual human to age and eventually die.
But are there really no immortals in history?
In legends, there are quite a few immortals.
Historical records mention figures like Liu An, the King of Huainan, who was forced to commit suicide after his rebellion was exposed. Some unofficial histories claim he not only survived but also ascended to immortality after consuming elixirs, with even his chickens and dogs achieving enlightenment.
The Yellow Emperor is said to have
ascended to heaven on a dragon. A female Taoist priest named Xie Ziran from the Tang Dynasty is
said to have ascended to heaven in broad daylight before the eyes of many. Of course, in today's technologically advanced society, these are more like legends.
After all, humans can already explore Mars; where could you possibly ascend to?
But the legends of immortality aren't limited to ascension.
Peng Zu lived to be 800 years
old. Li Qingyun lived to be 256.
A man named Chen Jun from the Tang Dynasty lived into the Yuan Dynasty, reportedly reaching 443 years old.
Zhang Sanfeng, the founder of the Wudang School, is also rumored to have lived to be 218.
And… the famous Taoist Chen Pu lived to be over 300.
It seems all of these are true.
