Far beyond the White Immortal sect's walls, at the western end of Dongli, stood an ancient gray mountain that peaked so high that it seemed to pierce through the vault of heaven. Flocks of cranes circled the mountain walls, the largest led the dance, but despite the wide size and wingspan discrepancies in their ranks, all flew in perfect concert. The larger the crane, the more lustrous their feathers became—so lustrous in fact that it almost seemed as if the leading cranes left a bridge of light for their juniors to follow. If this clearly mystical phenomenon revealed the cranes as a flying pack of mysterious beasts, none seemed to care for them. Better, the villagers that neighbored the mountain often took breaks from their strenuous activities to catch a glimpse of the beasts in flight—then left offerings at the mountain's foot.
This mountain, the Soaring Crane mountain, housed the number two sect of Dongli and its ruling faction: the Li clan.
