Xiao Shan

On Light Mountain he is the current leader of Southern Border’s Xiao clan, a rank five peak stage Gu Master, and the twin of Xiao Mang. After Wu Hui presses the hall over Xiao Cui Er, a voice calling him descendant draws him into the clan forbidden area, where an Immortal Gu fuses into his body and the voice vanishes. Xiao Mang and elders meet him on exit, charge him with violating the forbidden area, strip him of clan membership, and seize the clan leader seat. ^{ch. 962}

Xiao Mang hunts him to a nameless mountain peak. Two rank five demonic path Gu Masters, Sun Pang Hu and Zhou Xing Xing, save him there after earlier kindness from him. The voice in his mind sets a hundred-day test: gather Gu Masters, build a fortified village, and hold off righteous path invaders to earn the Immortal Gu and a path to Gu Immortal. He declares the righteous-path Xiao Shan dead, names himself of the demonic path, swears brotherhood with the two, and names Yi Tian Village and Yi Tian Mountain. ^{ch. 963}

Before exile he was known for grand morals and a wide network across righteous and demonic paths, with a straightforward nature that separated kindness and hatred and prized loyalty. As a righteous path clan leader he had won approval among many demonic path Gu Masters by releasing, recruiting, or killing such experts quickly and sometimes aiding lone cultivators financially, which gives him strong rallying force when he invites them to the village. In six to seven days Yi Tian Village exceeds thirty members; he takes first rank as leader, with Sun Pang Hu and Zhou Xing Xing second and third as rank five experts. Fang Yuan notes that Xiao clan’s supreme elder’s highest wagers bought him as the first rank five pawn into the mountain contest, while Xiao Mang enters later on the righteous side. ^{ch. 964}

Xiao clan’s supreme elder placed an Immortal Gu in his body and left immortal essence to protect his life to an extent, because he is that elder’s bloodline descendant. When Wu Shen Tong’s first beast-group attack hits the new village, he, Sun Pang Hu, and Zhou Xing Xing as three rank five Gu Masters force Wu Shen Tong into retreat with heavy injuries. ^{ch. 965} That night Xiao Shan gathers the surviving demonic path Gu Masters in a cave, and when one of them asks to retreat and rebuild elsewhere he kills him on the spot for it, then swears there that he will not run away, calling down heaven’s judgment and the world’s anger on himself if he breaks his word. ^{ch. 999}

Fang Yuan recalls that he and Xiao Mang were pawns of Xiao clan’s supreme elder, potential Gu Immortals who remained mortals and pawns, and that even after dying they did not realize the truth of Yi Tian Mountain. ^{ch. 1039}