Far to the East in land of Jiang stands the mystical Wu mountains. There the Celestial Bureaucracy, under the benevolent stewardship of the Jade Emperor, governs Heaven and Earth. It is said that any man who can pass the gates of Wu Mountain will become an Immortal, gaining power beyond all others. But the gate is well protected, and those wishing immortality must first best its guardians.
For many millennia, the immortal brothers Ip Yen and Ip Feng were charged with protecting the gates of Wu. Formed from the primal elements of creation itself, the brothers were warriors without equal. Many tried to defeat them. All failed.
Then arose the Warlord Wei Cao. His ambition had led him to conquer many of the kingdoms of Jiang, but still he desired more. He marshaled the greatest army ever seen in the land and marched on the gates of Wu. But what is an army of men to an Immortal? Yen and Feng easily struck down the armies of Wei Cao, and while Yen admired the warlord’s spirit his brother Feng was enraged by the presumption of this mortal. Ip Feng said he would leave and scourge the lands of Jiang, seeking to ensure that no one would ever attempt to breach the gates of Wu again. Ip Yen pitied the mortals, and beseeched his brother to stay his wrath. But Ip Feng was resolute, and so with a heavy heart Ip Yen challenged his brother.
Their battle was the stuff of legend, shaking the foundations of Heaven and Earth itself. Though Ip Yen fought valiantly, Ip Feng was always the stronger brother and in his rage he slew Ip Yen. But before he could strike out into the lands Jiang, the Jade Emperor descended from Wu and cast Ip Feng into the darkest depths of Hell. The Jade Emperor tried to resurrect Ip Yen, but Ip Feng’s wrath was so complete that nothing but a small remnant of Yen’s divine essence remained: too little for an Immortal, but enough for a man.
And so the Jade Emperor imbued the last remnant of Ip Yen into a mortal baby and brought the child to the Abbot of the Lungxia Monastery. The Jade Emperor charged the Abbot with the protection of Ip Yen, a duty the Abbot humbly accepted. Ip Yen was raised by the fighting monks of Lungxia, trained in the art of martial combat. He proved to be a prodigy, and quickly excelled. For while he was now mortal, remnants of his divinity remained, and as the years went by more and more of Ip Yen’s memories of his divine past began to surface. Still, Ip Yen felt no desire to leave the monastery, and lived his days in peaceful contentment.
That serenity was interrupted in the 20th year of Ip Yen’s new mortal life. His brother Ip Feng had managed to escape the torments of Hell, though his form had become corrupted into that of a devil. His twisted mind blamed Ip Yen for his state, and upon learning the fate of his now-mortal brother, Ip Feng attacked the Lungxia monastery. While their strength was great, the monks knew they could not defeat Ip Feng. Remembering his Celestial mandate to defend Ip Yen, the Abbot used one of the monastery’s greatest artifacts to spirit Ip Yen far from the lands of Jiang.
Ip Yen found himself in a land far different from what he knew. Although he mourned the loss of his fellow monks to his fiendish brother, Ip Yen resolutely vowed to honor their sacrifice. He would train harder than ever and become the greatest warrior on Earth. He knew that his brother would one day find him in this new land. And when he did, Ip Yen would be ready.
