Chapter 5, The Legend of the Immortal Slayer

Since ancient times, humanity has witnessed the surrounding world, with all manner of strange occurrences, thunder and lightning, as well as natural disasters and man-made calamities, resulting in countless casualties and widespread mourning, which are beyond human power to prevent or withstand. Thus, the concept of deities has spread throughout the world. Countless human beings, with sincerity, worship various gods they have imagined and created, praying for blessings and expressing their grievances, with incense offerings flourishing. In today's world, the righteous path is thriving, and evil forces are retreating. The Central Plains are blessed with beautiful mountains and rivers, abundant population, and rich resources, firmly occupied by the righteous sects. Countless human beings, with sincerity, worship various gods they have imagined and created, praying for blessings and expressing their grievances, with incense offerings flourishing. In today's world, the righteous path is thriving, and evil forces are retreating. The Central Plains are blessed with beautiful mountains and rivers, abundant population, and rich resources, firmly occupied by the righteous sects. Among them, "Qingyun Gate," "Tianyin Temple," and "Fengxiang Valley" stand out as the three main pillars, serving as leaders. This story begins with "Qingyun Gate."

Zhang Mingxuan apologetically said: "I do not know how to read."

Li Qingya continued, "Your room is at the far west, take it back! There are oil lamps and flint inside."

Zhang Mingxuan glanced at the wick that was struggling to leap, and it was evident to the naked eye that the oil in the lamp was nearly depleted, indicating that the writing time had indeed been considerable. Looking at the stack of manuscripts, he had written from Chapter 1, the startling events in Caomiaocun at the foot of Qingyun Mountain, all the way to Chapter 19, the Seven Meridians Meeting in Combat, where Zhang Xiaofan had drawn the number one lot by sheer luck

Zhang Mingxuan stood up and twisted his neck, producing a series of cracking sounds from the friction of his bones. Zhang Mingxuan murmured to himself, "Sleep now!" He blew out the oil lamp, and the room was plunged into darkness

Li Qingya asked in confusion: "You don't know?"

Then he smiled lightly and said: "Tongtian! Tongtian! I never expected that after enduring countless eons, you would also be captivated by a simple story." The young man laughed heartily, and his figure vanished from the mountaintop

Excitedly clutching a stack of white paper and an inkstone, he ran out and found the room at the far west. Using the moonlight, he lit the oil lamp. The room was not large, containing a bed, a wardrobe against the wall, and a table on which sat a teapot and several cups.

Li Qingya looked at the resolute Zhang Mingxuan, sighed helplessly, took a pen from the pen holder on the nearby table, held it in her palm, and recited: "With a heart full of countless books, my pen flows as if guided by a divine hand"

Li Qingya was instantly speechless; you don't know how to read, yet you tell me you want to write a book

Zhang Mingxuan never expected that he was being watched by an incredibly terrifying presence, and that any slight misstep could lead to his demise. Excited, Zhang Mingxuan continued to write, each ancient character coming to life on the paper. He did not know how much time had passed when suddenly his pen paused, leaving a blot of ink on the page, unable to write another word.

Moments later, Zhang Mingxuan wrote the prologue, having omitted some elements compared to the original work, after all, both the heavenly realm and the underworld do exist! Even so, it is already quite shocking. After some hesitation, Zhang Mingxuan decided to write it down, as the foundation of the world of Zhu Xian is the absence of gods and immortals; those deities should not be so petty, right

Location: Shenzhou Haotu

Zhang Mingxuan happily said: "Alright!"

Zhang Mingxuan innocently shook his head and exclaimed, "Was that just magic?"

Zhang Mingxuan followed Li Qingya's gaze and indeed found a stack of white paper and an inkstone under the table

Heaven and Earth are indifferent, treating all things as mere playthings

As for what will happen if one is disgraced, he did not say, but it can be imagined that it is certainly not a good thing

Li Qingya came out of the kitchen, washed her hands again with a bit of water, and dried them. She took Yaya from Zhang Mingxuan's arms, affectionately kissed her on the forehead, which made Yaya giggle. The three of them walked into the main hall, where Li Qingya lit an oil lamp, and the flickering flame illuminated the room.

Zhang Mingxuan said: "What was that just now?"

Zhang Mingxuan set down the ink block, dipped the brush fully in ink, and wrote on the white paper: "The Legend of the Immortals," stating that this story is purely fictional, and any resemblance to actual persons or events is coincidental. The brush tip danced across the paper, producing one small character after another; not to mention, the speed was quite impressive, even more advanced than voice input.

I just want you to ghostwrite for me

Zhang Mingxuan said with a flattering smile: "Sister Qingya, please help me! I believe my novel can become popular!"

Li Qingya said, "Forget it, there are still some in the hall, you can use them for now"

Zhang Mingxuan placed a blank sheet of paper on the table, pondering as he ground his ink, realizing that there was actually not much he could write. First, he ruled out the fantasy genre, as they would not understand it even if he wrote it; this could be considered for the future. Works involving the primordial chaos could not be written either, as they would certainly contain antagonists. If such works were seen by corresponding characters from the Journey to the West, it was likely that those characters would come looking for him to play the role of a real-life antagonist. Therefore, he could only write about otherworldly immortal heroes, which were closer to this world and more easily accepted by readers. Works involving the primordial chaos could not be written either, as they would certainly contain antagonists. If such works were seen by corresponding characters from the Journey to the West, it was likely that those characters would come looking for him to play the role of a real-life antagonist. Therefore, he could only write about otherworldly immortal heroes, which were closer to this world and more easily accepted by readers

Li Qingya's palm suddenly radiated a milky white light, enveloping her hand in a sphere of light the size of a basketball. Zhang Mingxuan was momentarily blinded by the sudden appearance of the white light and instinctively raised his arm to shield his eyes. After a moment, the white light dissipated, and Li Qingya stood in place, holding a brush.

In a wondrous space, a young man in a green robe stands atop a mountain, gazing down at the vast expanse of mountains and rivers stretching for millions of miles, with winds and clouds swirling beneath his feet. Just as Zhang Mingxuan was writing the words 'Eradicate Immortals,' the young man furrowed his brow, and his gaze pierced through layers of heaven and earth, traversing infinite space, landing in this small room.

Zhang Mingxuan yawned, patted his pen, and muttered to himself: "It's over? Out of power!"

Zhang Mingxuan picked up the pen and immediately thought of running out to find paper and ink. He said to Li Qingya, "Sister, I will go find paper and ink now!"

Li Qingya said helplessly: "Legendary stories are really not easy to sell now, if you want to write, just go ahead! There is paper and ink in the bookstore"

Zhang Mingxuan quickly took the brush from Li Qingya's hand and raised his thumb in admiration, saying: "Sister, I must say, you are truly impressive"

Zhang Mingxuan looked at the pen in front of him, then glanced at Li Qingya and said, "Sister! I can't write! It doesn't help to give me a pen! What was that situation just now!"

Li Qingya handed the pen in her hand to Zhang Mingxuan and said: "The thing you wanted, consider it as the tuition for learning a little tune from you"

Observing Zhang Mingxuan's brush strokes, the young man remarked lightly: "Is there truly no deity or immortal in this world? This little fellow dares to write such things. I hope he does not tarnish the reputation of 'Zhu Xian'"

Prologue, Time: Unknown, likely a long, long time ago

Li Qingya thoughtfully remarked: "I feel it would be better for you to read and learn to write first; I can teach you."

Li Qingya looked at Zhang Mingxuan, who seemed genuinely unaware, and explained: "I have been studying since childhood, and I have occasionally gained insights from books, accumulating a bit of literary spirit. Literary spirit is the foundation of righteous energy; those who possess righteous energy are great scholars, whose words can command mountains and rivers, and whose roars can slay myriad demons. Although literary spirit may not possess such great power, it still has its extraordinary aspects! I merely infused this pen with literary spirit, granting it a momentary inspiration to write what is in my heart. I thought you were just asking me to help you empower a spiritual pen!"

Zhang Mingxuan happily said: "Sister Qingya is willing to teach me, that is truly wonderful. However, I still want to write a novel first. Although I do not know how to write characters, I can create stories!"

The young man in that strange world also frowned and said, "Why have you stopped writing"