Taoist Myth: I am the last true immortal in the world

Chapter 615: Four Divine Beasts
There is a saying in Buddhism.

They are called: Weituo on the left and Galan on the right.

In Buddhism, the first guardian deity is Skanda Bodhisattva.

He is one of the eight great generals under the Southern Heaven King, Virūdhaka.

He is the leader of the thirty-two generals and is responsible for upholding Buddhism and protecting practitioners.

If we must find a guardian deity in Taoism for comparison, his status in Buddhism is similar to that of Wang Lingguan.

As the Bodhisattva of the Kālacakra, Guan Yu is as famous as the Bodhisattva of Skanda, so naturally his divine power would not be much different.

The story of how Guan Yu became a Buddhist monk is actually quite complicated.

At first, Guan Erye’s “image” among the people was not very good, and he was called “Guan Yao”.

The main reason is that after Guan Erye died suddenly, he turned into a fierce ghost.

At that time, not long after Guan Yu's death, Cao Cao died of illness and Lu Meng also died suddenly of illness.

These two people were the key figures who led to Guan Yu's death.

According to historians, a plague may have broken out in the Jingxiang area after Guan Yu's death.

Because historical records show that Lu Meng, Gan Ning, Sun Jiao, Jiang Qin and other Eastern Wu generals all died in the same year, folk legend has it that this was Guan Yu's revenge.

This deepened the fear of the people of Jingxiang, who were afraid that Guan Yu would harm the world after his death, so they had to build temples to worship him.

Indeed, Chen Yun once heard Guan Erye say that before he became the Buddhist Bodhisattva, he was a famous "Ghost King", which seemed to verify this point.

So, how did Guan Erye transform from a human to a "Guan demon" and then into the Buddhist Bodhisattva?

This matter can be traced back to the Sui Dynasty.

At that time, Zhiyi, the fourth patriarch of the Tiantai school of Chinese Buddhism, was believed to be the reincarnation of Sakyamuni Buddha, and people called him "Sakyamuni of the East."

In the 12th year of Kaihuang in the Sui Dynasty, Master Zhiyi returned to his hometown of Jingzhou and founded Yuquan Temple on Yuquan Mountain in Dangyang County.

Guanling, where Guan Yu's body is buried, is located at the foot of Yuquan Mountain.

This gave Guan Yu the opportunity to become the guardian deity of Buddhism - Bodhisattva of the Kālacakra.

According to the "Fozu Tongji" written by the Southern Song monk Shi Zhiqing, Master Zhiyi came to Yuquan Mountain and saw the beautiful scenery of the local mountains and rivers, so he wanted to build a monastery and preach there. After paying homage to Guanling, he went up the mountain and found a deep pool on the top of the mountain. If he wanted to build a temple, he had to fill up the pool, but he had no idea what to do.

That night, Master Zhiyi was meditating when suddenly the clouds changed color, the sky and the earth darkened, all kinds of demonic phenomena appeared in the sky, and all kinds of swords, spears, and arrows fell like rain, and there were bursts of miserable and sharp shouts: "Give me back my head..."

This scene lasted for seven days, but Master Zhiyi remained unmoved, for he knew that this was Guan Yu appearing.

Master Zhiyi then said, "What you have done is nothing but sin. You rely on your remaining blessings and covet everything in the world without repenting. What is the point? You want your head, but who can you appeal to for the people you killed on the battlefield?"

After Master Zhiyi finished speaking, all the evil spirits disappeared and Guan Yu revealed his true form.

Guan Yu told Master Zhiyi that he had wanted to restore the Han Dynasty, but was murdered. He was unwilling to accept this and turned into a fierce ghost after his death.

When Guan Yu learned that Master Zhiyi was going to build a temple here to spread Buddhism, he asked the master to just meditate for another seven days and the temple would be completed after seven days.

In seven days, Guan Yu split the mountain to fill the pool, and brought in sand, stones and wood to build a solemn and beautiful temple.

Master Zhiyi moved in and began to lead the believers in preaching Buddhism. Guan Yu also often came to listen to his lectures.

One day, Guan Yu said to Master Zhiyi: "Today, I have heard the Dharma of the world beyond. I wish to cleanse my mind and change my thoughts. I want to receive the precepts and forever become the root of Bodhi."

Master Zhiyi granted Guan Yu the Three Refuges and Five Precepts, making him a true Buddhist disciple and a great guardian deity who protected Buddhism.

With the spread of Buddhism, the image of Guan Yu Bodhisattva gradually spread from the Jingxiang area to the whole country and became widely known.

This is the story of how Guan Erye transformed from a human into a Buddhist monastery.

In other words, if Master Zhiyi was really the reincarnation of Sakyamuni, Guan Yu was actually a disciple of the Buddha.

It is because Buddhism gave Guan Erye the opportunity to "clear his name".

During the Sui and Tang dynasties, its reputation grew and it was even officially recognized.

For example, during the Tang Dynasty, Guan Yu was enshrined in the Temple of Martial Arts, which was a recognition of his military talent and loyalty.

It can be said that although Guan Erye’s reputation today has not reached the supreme level it would later, he already represents loyalty and righteousness in the minds of the people and has become an "idol" of many people.

For example, at this moment, Chen Yun, Guan Erye and Guan Ping returned to the military camp where the Khitan vanguard army was located, which immediately caused a huge sensation.

Zhao Yanshou, Zhao Yanzhao and other generals all gathered around with admiration on their faces.

Outside the tent, many soldiers kept sticking their heads out, wanting to see the spirit of Guan Erye.

Even the earthly immortals such as Heima, Qishou Tiannv, and Hu San Taiye, all looked at Guan Yu with admiration and called him "Guan Gong" upon seeing him.

Inside the Chinese military tent.

Chen Yun looked at Master Guan, who was like the moon surrounded by stars, and suddenly felt a little amused and helpless.

He never imagined that even earthly immortals would "chase stars".

For example, Master Hu San was sitting next to Master Guan Er at the moment, and he said eagerly, "Thinking back to the time when Guan Gong flooded the seven armies and shocked China, you really deserve our admiration."

Qi Shou hurriedly replied, "Yes, although I am a barbarian, I have long heard of Guan Gong's great name. Seeing him today, I am even moved. When the war is over tomorrow, can you invite Guan Gong to be my guest in Khitan?"

Qishou has always refused to admit his identity as a "barbarian". Now, in front of Guan Erye, he actually calls himself a "barbarian". It can be imagined how humble he is in front of Guan Erye.

Needless to say, Zhao Yanshou and Zhao Yanzhao stood on the left and right of Guan Erye like servants. They didn't sit down at all. There was admiration in their four eyes.

Only Nezha, Li Jing and Guan Erye were familiar with Buddhism and did not show much abnormality.

They looked at Chen Yun in surprise, as if they had not expected that he would invite Guan Erye to help.

In terms of status, Vaiśravaṇa, as one of the Four Heavenly Kings and the Northern God of Wealth, has a higher status in Buddhism than Kāśyapa.

For example, Skanda Bodhisattva, who has the same status as Kālacakra Bodhisattva, has his superior, Virūdhaka, the Southern Heavenly King.

However, speaking from the attributes of divine power, Galan and Skanda, as the left and right guardian gods of Buddhism, are not much inferior to the Four Heavenly Kings, and in some aspects they are even better than them.

Because in Buddhist mythology, the left and right protectors are the "Buddhist guardian gods" and are generally directly under the jurisdiction of the Buddha. Guan Erye was very arrogant and looked down on these barbarians, so he hardly paid any attention to them.

Originally, it was thought that Chen Yun's actions would make Qishou Tiancai, Zhao Yanshou, Zhao Yanzhao and others have some thoughts in their hearts.

As a result, the more Guan Erye acted like this, the more this group of people admired him, and he was really speechless.

Seeing that everyone was still trying to flatter him, Chen Yun interrupted and said, "I asked General Guan and Junior General Guan to come here today to prepare for tomorrow's battle. Everyone, how about letting us talk to General Guan about the situation of today's battle?"

"good."

"I won't bother you anymore."

Zhao Yanshou, Zhao Yanzhao and others then took their seats.

Guan Erye was sitting in front of the desk, while Guan Ping was standing straight behind him.

"I heard from Mr. Chen that there are eighteen star officials from two of the twenty-eight constellations, Kui and Mao, in Liyang City, plus General Zhao Da?" asked Guan Erye.

Li Jing seemed to have a good relationship with Guan Erye in private, and said with a smile: "Yes, that's right, Galan Bodhisattva can deal with it?"

Master Guan hesitated for a moment and said, "If it was just Kui and Mao, I could defeat them alone, but you should still tell me about today's situation and let me analyze it."

"Let me tell you." Chen Yun took over and said, "This morning, eighteen star officials and General Zhao Da challenged us to a battle..."

He recounted today's battle in great detail.

During this time, Nezha, Li Jing and the nine-headed Bull Demon King who personally took part in the battle also added a sentence or two.

After a while, Guan Erye finished listening and did not speak immediately. Instead, he pondered for a while.

Then he turned his head to look at Li Jing beside him and said, "Li Tianwang, you were once the military god of the Tang Dynasty, and you also studied military tactics with the Queen Mother of the Nine Heavens for a period of time. I believe you have already anticipated this, right?"

Chen Yun, Heima Mama, Qishou Tiannv and others all looked towards Li Jing.

Li Jing stroked his long beard and said, "That's right. Although we seem to have lost the battle today, the other side must know that as long as we change our strategy, there is still a great hope of winning tomorrow even if you, Galan Bodhisattva, don't come. Therefore, I think Kuimu Lang, Pleiades Star Officer, Zhao Da and others will definitely invite more helpers."

Chen Yun didn't make this connection, otherwise he wouldn't have asked Guan Erye alone to help.

Black Mama frowned and said, "It is very likely that Li Tianwang will come. I don't know what kind of helpers the other side will invite to help."

Nezha, Qishou Tiannv, Mr. Hu San and others did not understand the true and false of military tactics, so naturally they could not guess who Liyang City would ask for help.

Although Zhao Yanshou, Zhao Yanzhao and others were proficient in the art of war, they were mortals after all. They did not know much about the sacred and could not guess who it was.

On the contrary, Guan Ping, who had been standing behind Master Guan Er, without saying anything, hit the nail on the head, "Aunt, if I'm not mistaken, Liyang City is very likely to ask for the assistance of the Sixty Jiazi Gods."

"Oh?" Master Guan seemed to want to let his son show his face, and asked, "Tanzhi, why do you say that?"

Chen Yun, Li Jing, Nezha and others all looked towards Guan Ping.

Guan Ping explained carefully: "Mr. Chen, Li Tianwang, the Third Prince, and King Niu told us about today's battle and the previous situation in Beizhou City. This shows that the twenty-eight constellations cannot be transferred here at will. First, they have to be responsible for the affairs of their own constellations. Second, the Khitan army is not fighting on a single front. It is mainly divided into two fronts, the east and the west. Each of these fronts has several branches. Presumably, in addition to their respective duties, the twenty-eight constellations also have to guard against the sacredness of the Guanjiang Erlang Temple. Therefore, having two constellations of star officials here should be the limit."

At this point, he paused for a moment and continued, "Since other stars cannot come to help, then Liyang City can only choose people nearby to help. General Zhao Da happens to be here, so I think it is very likely that he will ask for the sixty Jiazi gods. Of course, this is just my opinion. If you think it is unreasonable, just regard it as my random guess."

Li Jing said with great appreciation: "General Guan's analysis is comprehensive and I think it makes sense."

Even Li Jing, the military god of the Tang Dynasty, agreed with Guan Ping's analysis. People who didn't understand military affairs, such as Nezha, the Nine-Headed Bull Demon King, Black Mama and the Strange-Headed Goddess, naturally had no objections.

Chen Yun nodded slightly and felt that Guan Ping's analysis was correct.

To be honest, because Guan Ping was portrayed as a bit "weak" in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, he has always had a feeling of "disdain" for him and didn't think he was that powerful.

After hearing what Guan Ping said, Chen Yun immediately realized that his military talent was probably extraordinary.

In other words, if anything happens next, Guan Ping, who stays by his side, might be of great use.

It is easy to get money, but it is hard to find a general.

Even in the Battle of the Gods, people like Guan Ping who were able to keenly guess the enemy's situation could be said to have discovered hidden dangers for their side and given them time to prepare.

Chen Yun slowly said, "If all sixty Jiazi gods come together, we may not be able to defeat them. How about we invite some masters to come and help?"

Master Guan looked at him with a half-smile, "Mr. Chen, you really look down on me. If the twenty-eight constellations come together, I am not sure of victory. As for the sixty Jiazi gods, to be honest, I don't take them seriously."

Chen Yun's eyes lit up and he asked, "Can General Guan defeat the sixty Jiazi gods?"

Master Guan glanced at Li Jing intentionally or unintentionally, and said in a veiled way: "Although the sixty Jiazi gods are all in the late stage of the immortal realm, there are also strong and weak in the late stage of the immortal realm. The strong ones are like the Third Prince, the King of Chicheng, and the King Li. If they let go, they can fight the twenty-eight constellations alone. Although Guan is not a formal practitioner, he has obtained endless divine power because of his position as a chalan. Although he is not comparable to the early stage of the celestial realm like Wei Tuo, he also has a powerful divine power close to the celestial realm. I dare not say that it is easy to deal with the weaker sixty Jiazi gods in the late stage of the immortal realm, but at least it is not difficult. Well, it would be different if someone did not work hard."

Li Jing knew that Guan Erye was talking about him, but he didn't blush at all. He even smiled in a good-natured manner, and no one knew what he meant.

Chen Yun, Nezha, the Nine-Headed Bull Demon King and others looked at Li Jing, all looking somewhat helpless. What could they do if the other party was unwilling to help?
After Master Guan retorted to Li Jing, he changed the subject and said, "Tanzhi's previous analysis actually has some omissions. Let me fill them in for him."

Everyone turned their gaze to look at him.

Master Guan spoke at a steady pace, "It is true that Zhao Da will invite sixty Jiazi gods to help, but not all of them may come. For example, if someone is on duty, they may not be able to come to help. In addition, some Jiazi gods may not stand with the twenty-eight constellations. Therefore, I think it is good enough if half of the sixty Jiazi gods can come. The only thing worth watching out for is whether Kui Mulang and the Pleiades star official will get impatient and invite one of the Four Symbols."

It's not impossible.

Because the twenty-eight constellations have a great relationship with the four symbols.

The four symbols refer to the Azure Dragon in the East, the Vermilion Bird in the South, the White Tiger in the West, and the Black Tortoise in the North.

The Seven Eastern Stars: Jiao, Kang, Di, Fang, Xin, Wei and Ji, corresponding to the Azure Dragon.

The Seven Southern Mansions: including Jing, Gui, Liu, Xing, Zhang, Yi and Zhen, corresponding to Suzaku.

The seven western constellations: Kui, Lou, Wei, Mao, Bi, Zi and Shen, corresponding to the White Tiger.

The seven northern constellations include Dou, Niu, Nu, Xu, Wei, Shi and Bi, which correspond to Xuanwu.

Therefore, if the Twenty-Eight Constellations really cannot win, it is possible to ask the Four Symbols to come to the rescue.

These four sacred beasts are extremely powerful, and they are all super beasts comparable to the celestial fairyland.

Each one represents a force of "laws of heaven and earth" and is more powerful than the average celestial being!

Chen Yun, Li Jing, Nezha, the Nine-Headed Bull Demon King and others were shocked. If the four sacred beasts came to help, they would surely be defeated in this battle.

(End of this chapter)