I stole divine power in Daxia

Chapter 468: Taoist Second Grade 'Shou Xu', First Grade 'Ping Sheng'

“It doesn’t seem to be that difficult.”

Zhou Tieyi took the pear seedling from his mother. In his hands, the pear seedling continued to grow and looked lush and green.

Zhou's mother smiled without saying a word, picked up a knife, and scratched her left palm. A bloody wound appeared on her palm, but the next moment the bloody wound slowly began to heal. At the same time, a knife-like scar appeared on the pear seedling in Zhou Tieyi's palm.

Zhou Tieyi's eyes narrowed, "Heaven and man are in harmony, so that's how it is!"

Zhou's mother continued, "After refining Qi and transforming it into spirit, it is called refining spirit into emptiness, or refining spirit into emptiness. Emptiness is neither empty nor existent, like a crescent moon."

Zhou Tieyi thought carefully about what his mother said, and roughly figured out the difference between the Taoist "void" and the Buddhist "emptiness". Emptiness is absolute nothingness, but void is temporary nothingness and real existence, just like the missing part of the moon when it is not full. It seems that the moon is missing, but in fact that part has always existed. Therefore, Taoists say that void is eternal. It seems to be nothing, but in fact it is all there, just like the Tao, which is invisible to the world but nourishes all things.

"The spirit is the bridge between the void and the real, so the heaven and man are born. I keep the void, and the void is damaged. If it cannot be damaged, the real will be lacking."

God, Yang God, the basis of the transformation of Yin and Yang, or simply refers to the spirituality of all things. This is the bridge for the transformation of reality and illusion, so it is possible to refine the God and return to emptiness. When the Yang God is transformed into the state of 'emptiness', even if it is damaged, it cannot be directly manifested in the material world, because 'emptiness' itself is the void in the material world, but the bridge still exists, so it can be manifested through the transformation of heaven and man in the physical objects related to it.

Just now, Zhou's mother transformed into this pear seedling. It seems that the pear seedling and she are two completely independent individuals. However, when Zhou's mother exists in the method of guarding emptiness, all damage to Zhou's mother will be reflected in the pear seedling until the entity of the pear seedling is completely destroyed.

"So this is the principle of the Taoist art of death-substitution."

Zhou Tieyi sighed.

The art of death-substitution can really change one's fate in this world and is undoubtedly a great supernatural power. Even in the fantasy novels of gods and demons in previous lives, it has bug-level capabilities, comparable to invincible defense. Now Zhou Tieyi understands the core logic of this Taoist technique.

"This is just a manifestation of the second-grade 'guarding the void'."

Zhou's mother replied, and at the same time explained the title of the second level of Taoism, Shouxu!
Zhou Tieyi took the opportunity to sort out the ways of Taoist practice.

First of all, the third level of Taoism achieves "innate people", which are almost no different from those powerful natural gods, because they are born with some kind of ancestral qi of heaven and earth, and therefore naturally hold corresponding authority.

If we continue along this path, then Taoists can also continue to follow the path of the gods, that is, exercising power on behalf of heaven. Therefore, in the previous lives, gods and immortals often did not separate, and the transformation between the two was naturally smooth.

But Taoism has a second way to go, which is "keeping emptiness".

If theocracy is likened to the rules of the substantial existence of heaven and earth, then keeping to the void is to keep to the opposite side of these substantial existence rules. Although the 'void' exists objectively, it will not manifest concretely in reality, just like the outline of Tao.

Therefore, keeping the void can both borrow the rules of heaven and earth, but at the same time not be bound by the rules, just like a dummy escaping.

Thinking of this, Zhou Tieyi couldn't help but laugh and said, "The Taoist practice is really a clever way for smart people to take advantage of others."

Then he looked at Zhou's mother again, and finally understood why Zhou's mother said that her emotional tribulation had quietly shifted from her father to herself.

Zhou's mother had originally bypassed the Yang God and witnessed the changes in the six qi of heaven and earth, while also comprehending certain principles of the transformation of heaven and man.

But the most brilliant creation of man and nature is actually the natural law of reproduction.

Therefore, the union of Zhou's mother and Zhou's father gave birth to Zhou Tieyi. Zhou's mother kept emptiness and tranquility, so Zhou Tieyi was the "real" one, inheriting her love tribulation and cause and effect. When Zhou Tieyi, the real one, made up for her regretful glimmer of hope, she herself also perfected her previously flawed state of mind.

"Mother has already touched the second level of 'Shou Xu'?"

Zhou Tieyi asked in surprise. One of the reasons why he came today was to see if he could help his mother with her spiritual practice. But his mother, the Taoist's appointed fish dragon, was indeed so terrifying. Not only did she keep quiet and maintain emptiness under the eyes of the world, she also repaired her state of mind and saw the scenery on a higher level.

Mother Zhou nodded and said, "I have already comprehended some of the methods of heavenly transformation, and I have also comprehended the methods of Yin and Yang of the Five Emperors through you and Miaoyu. If I cannot complete the realm of heavenly transformation, wouldn't I be as stupid as a pig or a dog? However, my method of guarding the void is not good news for you. Just don't blame me. I plan to exchange for the 'real thing' when I really enter the second level."

Zhou's mother's Shouxu is not like other Taoists who have experienced the complete transformation from heaven to man and raised a 'real thing'. She directly took advantage of the situation and raised Zhou Tieyi by giving birth, so she regarded Zhou Tieyi as her natural 'real thing'.

"Mother's method of guarding the void seems to have no effect on me?"

Zhou Tieyi thought about it seriously and asked, unless Zhou's mother used herself as the physical carrier of the method of scapegoating, the Taoist method of keeping emptiness would not only have no effect on the 'real thing' she was raising, but would naturally let the real thing bear all the strength and cause and effect as the Taoist 'emptiness' reached, thus achieving complete transcendence of herself.

Mother Zhou glanced at Zhou Tieyi and said, "If you don't admire the Saint Way, my method of guarding the void will naturally have no effect on you, and it will also be of great benefit. But if you admire the Saint Way, this method of guarding the void will drag you down and damage your Way."

Zhou Tieyi nodded, thus connecting all the different ways his mother had treated him in the past.

At the beginning of my rise, that night when I was fishing, my mother said that her emotional tribulation had been transferred to me, because my eldest brother inherited the blood of the Emperor of Life and Death of the Zhou family, so even if my mother was a Taoist fish dragon, it would be difficult for her to use my eldest brother as the object of guarding the void, so even earlier, my mother's object of guarding the void was already me.

Therefore, it is also explainable that Zhou Tieyi's mother indulged him in spiritual practice. Because as long as Zhou Tieyi entered the Taoist sect, as long as Zhou Tieyi realized that there was a glimmer of hope for all things, he would free Zhou Tieyi from his mother's cage. If Zhou Tieyi made further progress in spiritual practice, he would also continuously inherit Zhou Tieyi's Taoist tradition, and his spiritual practice would be smooth sailing afterwards.

As for the issue of the holy realm, Zhou's mother had never considered it herself before, so it was naturally impossible for her to consider it so much for her son.

But now this is a realistic problem facing the mother and son. Zhou Tieyi asked curiously, "After Shouxu, what is 'Shangdao'?"

Mother Zhou shook her head. "The Taoist 'keeping the void' is followed by 'giving birth to each other'."

Zhou Tieyi considered the two words with a little doubt.

Mother Zhou continued to explain, "The so-called 'guarding the void' is a process, relying on 'nurturing reality', which is the so-called refining spirit to return to the void. When you first enter guarding the void, you rely on your own Yang spirit, and then gradually progress, just like I nurture the tree, just like I nurture you, you and the tree are both my support for guarding the void. When I am in the void, I need you as the reality to observe the world for me, but how much of the world can the tree observe on my behalf? So I need to continue to 'nourish reality'. The more reality I nurture, the more I can guard the void. When I am completely 'void', then even if I don't use the reality I nurtured, I can still coexist with all things in the world. At this time, I can be regarded as truly immortal, but there is still the danger of 'losing myself'."

Zhou Tieyi nodded in understanding. Any spiritual practice becomes more and more abstract as time goes on. This state of coexistence with all things seems extremely beautiful, but in turn it is similar to the Confucian idea of ​​'replacing the will of Heaven with one's own heart'. Of course, it may not be as subjective as Confucianism. If you use a Taoist metaphor, it would be 'Zhuang Zhou's dream of being a butterfly'. When you can truly turn into a butterfly in a moment of thought and live your life from the perspective of a butterfly, then how do you know if you are Zhuang Zhou or a butterfly?

"At this time, 'nourishing reality' is the basis for the Taoist 'losing myself'?"

Seeing her son react so quickly, Zhou's mother smiled and said, "You react quickly. Indeed, at this time, nourishing the solid is the reliance. At this time, Taoist practitioners have already given first and then taken. However, this is still not the 'Tao', but only the 'emptiness'. The empty is the manifestation of the Tao, not the Tao itself, and it is not the true transcendence. Therefore, it is necessary to 'refine the emptiness' before being able to 'conform to the Tao'."

"But 'virtual' itself corresponds to 'real'. How can we refine the virtual?"

Zhou's mother's eyes were deep, and she seemed to be answering Zhou Tieyi's questions, but also asking and answering herself.

"So we need to 'review the Tao'. The so-called 'emptiness' has no real object, but there is a process. This process is the cultivation of the Tao itself. This is a process of increase and no decrease. So at this time, the Tao is damaged, from increase to decrease, which is the complete process from nothing to something, from something to nothing. Once again, at the moment when something and nothing are born, the Tao is revealed, and it is the time to transcend. That moment is the true opportunity to be in harmony with the Tao, and it can also be called ascending to the holy position."

After listening to Zhou's mother's explanation, Zhou Tieyi pondered for a long time.

Then he whispered, "Tao means transcendent, so that's how it is. Then Buddha means self-aware, how should this be interpreted?"

Zhou's mother smiled and said, "The answer will be revealed the other way around. Taoism says that the universe is real and I am false. Buddhism says that the universe is empty and I am true."

"There is a speculation among the upper echelons of the cultivation world that when Dao Zun ascended to the throne, and then Buddha ascended to the throne, in addition to the fact that the cultivation of Taoism requires the least from all things in the world, there is another possibility, that is, the damage done by Dao Zun was borne by Buddha. After Dao Zun transcended, Buddha realized for himself and understood the non-dual Dharma. The Tao he inherited was empty, and only I am true."

Zhou Tieyi smiled silently. In his previous life, Buddhism and Taoism were arguing for an origin, and it was the same in this life. Of course, this statement was somewhat feasible in terms of spiritual practice.

It’s just that both Buddhism and Taoism hold actual power, and in order to avoid causing conflicts between Buddhism and Taoism, this statement should only be circulated among those above the third level and not made known to everyone.

Of course, based on his understanding of the Lord of Daming Palace, as long as Buddhism caused chaos in the world this time, he would definitely not mind adding fuel to the fire, and even completely destroy Buddhist teachings and turn them into a branch of Taoism.

This chat with Zhou's mother explained many of his doubts. It seemed that the Great Xia Emperor's fall from the throne had already begun to damage his Tao. No wonder he was so confident that he could be one step ahead of all the practitioners in the world. He was relying on the "Tao" of the Great Xia Emperor.

So he chose Taoism to practice, because he wanted to break the bondage of the Great Xia Emperor's Taoism on him. At the same time, the Queen Mother chose Buddhism to practice, with a body like colored glass. When the Great Xia Emperor was unable to grasp the loss of his own Taoism, she took the initiative to help accommodate it, just to verify whether this legend was true.

Zhou Tieyi suddenly had an idea and asked, "Mother, did you just say that the Buddha suffered the damage from the Dao Master? Did this idea come about in the past two hundred years, or has it always existed?"

Mother Zhou looked at Zhou Tieyi strangely, but after thinking for a moment, she replied, "This is a secret circulated among the upper class of practitioners. It also fits everyone's views on the process of practice, so it spread naturally. As for the specific time or even who came up with this theory, there is no certainty. Why are you asking about this?"

Zhou Tieyi whispered, "I guess this might have been spread by the Lord of Daming Palace."

Hearing the name of the Daming Palace Master, Zhou's mother instinctively frowned and said, "He has too many thoughts. I didn't take many of his words seriously back then. If this matter was really spread by him, then he has invisibly influenced me, and even the people of the world."

Zhou Tieyi smiled and said, "However, no matter how elaborate the arrangement is, there will always be clues. This matter can be verified. Let's see what this Grandmaster wants to do?"

Just as Guan Guan reminded me, many plans are not about how sophisticated they are, but about others having enough time. The chess pieces that were placed two hundred years, three hundred years, or even a thousand years ago will be perfect once they are revealed.

Fortunately, there are people in this world who can live for two, three hundred years or even a thousand years, allowing Zhou Tieyi to find the source of verification.

Putting aside the matter of the Lord of Daming Palace for the moment, Zhou Tieyi thought of the actions of Tian Fu and the Nine Ancient Gods from the incident of damaging the Dao.

When Tian Fusundao first appeared, he did not rely on himself, but on the "dead object" of the Mingyue system.

On the one hand, he had no hope of proving his own truth, so he didn't want to drag himself down, and on the other hand, he was also making a new attempt.

Therefore, in the ancient era of the Nine Gods, starting from the Phoenix Ancestor, they began to cultivate the divine fetuses. Their purpose was different from that of ordinary gods.

Ordinary gods cultivate divine fetuses in order to be resurrected from the dead and to be able to descend from the sky, but Phoenix Ancestor cultivates divine fetuses and cultivates the son of destiny like Chidi, which is their attempt to explore the holy way in that era.

That's why the Scarlet Emperor was so powerful. Even though he knew that there was something wrong with the Scarlet Emperor, which might lead to the rise of the human race in the future, for the sake of his own holy path, Phoenix Ancestor still needed to keep the Scarlet Emperor, because he had already chosen this path and it was too late to turn back halfway.

The birth of the other four emperors among the nine ancient gods was probably based on the same principle, but at the same time, the other three gods may have seen the danger, or may have found a better way, so they did not use "living things" as their sustenance, but chose "dead things" as their sustenance. There are definitely advantages and disadvantages between the two, and in the end they all lead to the great way, at least the great way of saints.

(End of this chapter)