Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 11 Zhang Ziyang

"Go rest, go rest,"

The Taoist stroked his beard, his clear eyes gleaming with a faint divine light. He flicked his whisk, and a hazy light emerged from beneath his feet. Then he walked slowly, his figure gradually blurring until he disappeared into the forest.

Seeing the Taoist go away, Lu Shang held the precious scriptures in his hands and shouted, "Master, you have taught me the true teachings of Taoism. Your kindness is as great as the sky and the earth. Even if I were to shatter my bones, I would never be able to repay you. I hope you will leave your honorific title so that I can worship your spirit tablet at home morning and night and never forget your kindness in giving me a new life."

"Teacher, teacher," Lu Shang couldn't help but call out anxiously when he saw no movement for a long time.

Although the Taoist had gone far away at this time, he had infinite supernatural powers. In his view, the entire Zhongnan was like the lines on the palm of his hand. Lu Shang's shouts also fell clearly into the Taoist's ears.

"Alas, there is no such thing as a favor. I just hope that you won't cause trouble in the future and involve me. I will consider this as a repayment."

The Taoist's voice seemed to fall from an infinite height, echoing among the mountain streams.

Lu Shang said respectfully, "Master, you did not reject me because I was dull. You taught me the true Dharma. Since then, I have carefully considered and practiced diligently, devoting myself to the Dao. How dare I act rashly and cause trouble, ruining my chance to seek the Dao?"

"If you can think this way, it is worth my while to come here and enlighten you."

The Taoist's voice seemed close but was actually far away, becoming increasingly erratic. He said, "Practicing cultivation is not easy, the path is long and obstructed. I have a message for you: think of yourself, not desires; act according to your own principles, and do what is right. Never forget the heart of the Tao; cherish every step you take."

Lu Shang bowed and said, "Disciple, I will remember the teacher's teachings."

After being silent for a moment, seeing that the Taoist did not show his divine power again, and confirming that the Taoist had really gone away this time, Lu Shang slowly stood up.

"The secret of Jinhua, the founder of Fuli,"

Lu Shang looked down at the true treasured scripture, and could no longer conceal his excitement.

"Hahaha,"

At that moment, he laughed heartily, dancing with joy. His long-cherished wish had finally come true, and all sorts of emotions washed over him. After a moment of unbridled abandon, Lu Shang gradually regained his composure. He took a deep breath and bowed once more in the direction the Taoist had departed.

Then, Lu Shang took off his Taoist robe, folded it neatly, solemnly placed the true treasure scripture on the robe, and walked naked into the Taiyi River.

The water rippled gently, and after a slight wash, Lu Shang walked out of the Taiyi River, wearing a Taoist robe and tying his hair into a bun. His body was steaming with moisture, and his demeanor was completely renewed.

"It's a pity that the conditions in the mountains are so simple that we can't burn incense and bathe. Otherwise, we would have to burn incense and bathe, fast for three days, and then study the precious scrolls of the true scriptures."

Both Buddhism and Taoism share the same principle. When handling precious esoteric scriptures, they invariably burn incense, bathe, and fast before reading them. This is meant to calm the mind and body, cleanse away karmic obstacles, and embrace the teachings of Taoism with a pure body. This is not only a sign of respect for the teachings of Taoism, but also a profound attitude towards cultivation.

Lu Shang sat on a rock, slowly flipping through the scriptures taught by the Taoist.

This book of Jinhua secrets by the founder of Fuli is indeed mysterious. When Lu Shang read it carefully, it was like drinking sweet spring water and tasting golden dew, which made his body and mind refreshed.

He was so absorbed in it that he gradually entered a state of oblivion, not even noticing the passage of time outside of his body. When he came to his senses again, it was already dawn three days later, just before dawn.

"There is hope for the future,"

Lu Shang held "The Secret of Jinhua, the Founder of Fuli" in his arms and laughed heartily.

After three days and three nights of studying by the Taiyi River, Lü Shang, despite exhausting his talents, had only barely scratched the surface of the text, not yet fully understanding its profound meaning. Yet, even this glimpse revealed to Lü Shang the extraordinary opportunity he had been granted.

The ancestor of Fu Li, in Taoism, is called Yuanshi!
The chief of the Three Pure Ones is the Jade Pure One Yuanshi Tianzun of Daluo Xuandu Yujing.

This true scripture is a secret teaching from Yuanshi Tianzun, written by the ancient immortal Guangchengzi himself, annotated by Ge Xuan, the immortal of external alchemy, and with a preface by Zhang Boduan, the immortal of Ziyang of internal alchemy. It is a collection of the general principles of internal and external alchemy, and its value is truly immeasurable.

The whole article is divided into twelve chapters, namely, the chapter on collecting gold and settling water, the chapter on seeking truth and continuing to breathe, the chapter on changes in the divine chamber, the chapter on the altar, furnace, tripod and stove, the chapter on the transformation of water and fire, the chapter on the floating of the people into clear and turbid water, the chapter on receiving qi and giving birth to the gods, the chapter on the enlightenment and division of the fetus, the chapter on the completion of the elixir in ten months, the chapter on the golden tripod and the chapter on the universal salvation of the wonderful fragrance.

Each chapter points directly to the path to immortality and enlightenment, known as the gate to the ancestor. The twelve chapters of the Golden Flower Secret are mutually reinforcing and inherited from one another. If one can fully comprehend the profound principles expounded therein, one will surely achieve supreme merit.

Lu Shang did not expect to comprehend all the twelve chapters of the Jinhua secret. He only understood one or two of the true meanings, which was enough for him to benefit from in the future.

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Mount Zhongnan, Louguantai,
The sea of ​​clouds was vast, and the sky was filled with golden clouds. A man was in the clouds, holding a whisk in his hand. A clear light appeared around him, and a cloud mirror appeared. He watched Lu Shang's performance quietly, and finally nodded with satisfaction.

"I just hope this boy will not let me down with the Secret of Jinhua."

The Taoist's lifelong hobby is to recruit talented people. If it weren't for the heavy karma on Lu Shang's body, so heavy that the Taoist would not want to be involved, just based on Lu Shang's strength, the Taoist would definitely take him in as a disciple and train him carefully.

Even if the Taoist had concerns in the end and didn't accept Lu Shang as his disciple, he still found an excuse to secretly teach him the secret teachings of the Yuanshi Sect and the Great Dao. He simply didn't want to waste such a gift from heaven and let it go to waste for a hundred years.

"Zhang Ziyang," just as the Taoist turned around and was about to return to the cave, a jade whisk blocked his way.

A thin and vigorous immortal, with auspicious light and auspicious aura all around him, pointed at the Taoist priest and scolded him with a smile, "Zhang Ziyang, you idler, you are so free and easy. You can watch the sea of ​​clouds from the Louguan Terrace and the Milky Way from the top of Zhongnan Peak. I am even a little envious of you!"

Zhang Ziyang said impatiently, "I am just an idle Daluo immortal, without any job or department, without any rank or grade. What do you, an old immortal, envy me for? If I were to envy you, I should envy you. You are the revered god of Tongming Palace, the Left Immortal of Taiji, the Inner Minister of Heaven, and an attendant of the Jade Emperor. You hold a high position and a heavy responsibility, and are the prime minister of heaven, with great blessings and virtues."

"You say you envy me, but you, an old immortal, never come to visit me unless it's something important. You've come down to the mortal world today. I'm afraid you have some troubles that you want to push onto me, right?"

The old immortal who blocked the road was none other than Ge Xuan, the great master of external alchemy who had annotated the "Secret of Jinhua by the Founder of Fuli".

Ge Xuan, Zhang Daoling, Sa Shoujian and Xu Xun are collectively known as the Four Heavenly Masters. They sit together in the Jade Emperor's Tongming Palace and accompany the emperor. As the prime minister in front of the palace, although they are not as noble as the Heavenly Emperor, they will not come down to the mortal world easily.

Therefore, when Zhang Ziyang saw this old immortal, he knew that there must be a difficult matter, forcing the Tai Chi Zuo Immortal to go down to the human world.

Ge Xianweng sighed, "Daoyou have a keen eye. Nothing can be hidden from you. This time, I came to the mortal world to ask you for something."

Zhang Ziyang snorted and said, "We've known each other since childhood and have been friends for many years. How could I not know what kind of person you are? Tell me, what exactly brought you to the trouble of traveling all the way to Zhongnan for a date?"

Ge Xianweng looked around awkwardly and said, "This is not the place to talk. Can you find a quiet place and discuss it in detail?"

"it is good,"

Zhang Ziyang nodded helplessly, and then a cloud of light rose from his body.

"I'm going to go ahead, you old man, you better follow closely. If you accidentally lose me, I won't turn around to look for you."

Before he finished speaking, Zhang Ziyang disappeared in a flash.

Ge Xianweng smiled bitterly and shook his head, knowing that he was trying to make things difficult for him. However, what he wanted to do this time was so difficult that only Zhang Ziyang could do it. He had no choice but to raise a cloud of light from behind and chase after Zhang Ziyang.

In the Ziyang Cave of Cuihua Mountain, two rays of cloud light fall into the fairy cave one after another.

Inside the fairy cave, the palaces and pavilions are shining with red and green, auspicious light and auspicious air are ethereal, strange rocks and fairy trees are set off, and divine birds are circling the pillars.

After entering the cave, Zhang Ziyang strolled into the red pavilion, poured two cups of tea, and said leisurely, "Tell me, what is it that makes you, an old man, so cautious that you have to find a quiet place to talk?"

Ge Xianweng pondered for a moment and said, "Zi Yang, this matter is of great importance. It is a decree from the Lord. I know that you are not burdened with worldly affairs, but this time I really have no choice but to ask you to come out of seclusion to help."

"Appointed by the Lord?"

Zhang Ziyang frowned and pointed at Ge Xuan, saying, "You old man, you never think of me when good things happen, but when you encounter trouble, you think of me first."

Although Ge Xianweng hadn't yet revealed the reason, the phrase "heavenly order" already made Zhang Ziyang realize how difficult it was. After all, anyone who could be called a heavenly order by Ge Xianweng, the inner minister of heaven, could easily be imagined.

"Tell me, I want to hear what the trouble is."

Ge Xianweng hesitated for a moment and said, "Yesterday, Jade Purity True King issued a decree, and the Nine Heavens Thunder God of Universal Transformation has descended to the world to respond to the calamity."

The Jade Pure True King, also known as the Great Emperor of Longevity of the South Pole, is the source of law for all gods.

Jiu Tian Ying Yuan Lei Sheng Pu Hua Tian Zun is his incarnation, who controls the nine heavens, observes all the heavens, and is in charge of the politics of thunder.

"Nine Heavens Ying Yuan Thunder Voice Universal Transformation Heavenly Venerable responds to the calamity?"

Zhang Ziyang's eyelids jumped. This was one of the most powerful people under the Three Pure Ones and the Four Emperors. His original body, the Jade Pure True King, the Southern Emperor of Longevity, had been known as one of the Six Heavenly Emperors in the past 3,200 kalpas, along with the current four emperors and the Eastern Qinghua Emperor, the Taiyi Rescuer of Sufferings.

However, the fate of the calamity changed later, and the Six Emperors gradually became the current Four Emperors, but this did not affect the status of the Southern Pole Emperor of Longevity and the Taiyi Rescuer of Sufferings.

For an immortal of this level to enter the world, there must be a great cause and destiny. No wonder Ge Xianweng was so evasive in his words.

"Yes, the Heavenly Venerable has already entered the world and is now reincarnated into the Yuwen family of Daxing, Northern Sui. One day in heaven equals one year on earth. I think he has already been born by now."

"I came here to ask Ziyang to come out of seclusion, accept him as my disciple, and train him with all my heart, so that he can become a talent and fulfill the destiny."

Ge Xianweng finally told what he wanted, and accepted the reincarnation of Jiu Tian Ying Yuan Lei Sheng Pu Hua Tian Zun as his disciple, and trained him carefully to become a talented person.

But when Ge Xianweng finished speaking, Zhang Ziyang narrowed his eyes, looked at Ge Xianweng with a sneer, and said, "Old Ge, if you have anything else to say, tell me as well. I don't believe that just because I want to accept him as my disciple, you will trouble an inner minister to come down to Zhongnan in person."

(End of this chapter)