Under One Person: I Have a Billion Taoist Gods Within Me

Chapter 64 The Three Pure Ones Manifest, the Gods Confer Offices

The scene shifts, and it's already late at night.

In the upper room on the second floor of the inn, a single lamp flickered dimly.

Li Yuan sat quietly by the window, his moon-white Taoist robe gleaming softly in the dim light.

The window was half-open, and a gentle night breeze blew in, ruffling a few strands of hair at his temples.

He wasn't looking at anything; he was just sitting quietly.

The sitting posture appears ordinary: a double lotus position with a straight back and hands in a mudra below the navel.

However, if a person of profound spiritual attainment, who has already glimpsed the mystery of "that which is above form is called the Way," were to discover here in astonishment:

This small guest room has long been isolated from the outside world.

It is not a magical formation, but a natural expression of the "Tao".

It is because Li Yuan sits quietly here that this place naturally becomes its own world.

Naturally.

These four words are easy to say.

However, how many people in the world can truly live up to these four words?

That requires cultivating to the state of "unity of heaven and man," merging "self" into "the Dao," and then "the Dao"...

It has become a part of "me".

When you reach that point, it's no longer "I am here," but—

This is me.

Li Yuan is here, and this place is Li Yuan.

The door, the window, the wall, the tile, the table, the chair, the bed, and even the single lamplight have all become one with his "Tao".

If outsiders try to spy on him, they are spying on his way; if outsiders try to break in, they are going against his way.

To oppose the Way.

How many people in this world would dare to do that?

How many people can do that?

So the window was half-open, a gentle night breeze blew in, and the occasional chirping of insects was all as usual.

Yet everything is already under the shroud of the "Tao".

Inside, the Daluo Palace stands eternally.

All the gods are in their proper places, and each is protected by them.

That moon-like radiance remained clear and perfect, illuminating and encompassing everything.

And deep within that luminous light, an extremely fine thread of cause and effect was quietly suspended.

One end of that line is tied here.

The other end points into the depths of the Qinling Mountains.

Li Yuan quietly observed that thread of cause and effect.

He didn't deliberately look at it.

Because within this inner landscape, within this Great Luo Palace, within this radiant light—

He sees everything.

The line stretched out before his eyes, traversing thousands of mountains and rivers, passing through layers of darkness, and through layers of void, finally falling into the valley hidden deep in the Qinling Mountains.

The Twenty-Four Heavenly Valleys.

It is also the place of destiny for those without roots.

Li Yuan stared at the thread of cause and effect.

Watching it extend from the depths of his Dao heart, traverse the void, and fall into that valley.

Then he looked at the other end of the wire—

That figure was climbing up the mountain path step by step.

Judging by the time, Wugensheng should be almost at that valley by now.

They should be walking in the night in the Qinling Mountains right now.

The mountain wind was biting, the night dew was heavy, thorns grew everywhere, and the mountain path was rugged.

But he will not stop, will not retreat, and will not hesitate.

Those bright eyes must still be pondering that poem over and over again.

"A rootless tree, its flowers blooming in quiet splendor..."

"A rootless tree, its flowers blooming without..."

Li Yuan opened his eyes.

He did not get up and remained sitting quietly by the window.

He slowly raised his right hand.

With fingers slightly spread and palm facing upwards.

This action was exactly the same as when he made the paper figure in the inn that night.

But then—

Very different.

This time, however, what appeared in his palm was not a talisman.

Instead—

Nothingness.

Though it is only a small piece in the palm of your hand, it seems to contain an infinite and boundless void.

It is the state before the "one" in the Tao gives birth to one, one gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, and three gives birth to all things.

It is the "Wuji" that gives rise to "Taiji".

It is the "nothingness" that gives rise to "somethingness" from "nothingness".

Li Yuan lowered his eyes and looked at the small void, then slowly opened his mouth and softly chanted, "The Three Pure Ones manifest, the Five Elders bestow their light."

"Above the nine heavens, in the ten directions."

"If there is a deity, it is called 'observation'; if there is an official, it is called 'patrol'."

"It can see a thousand miles away and hear the sounds of the netherworld."

"Able to remember every word and deed, able to record every thought and speck of dust."

The moment the incantation fell—

Deep within the inner palace of the Great Luo Palace, several divine tablets trembled simultaneously!

The first one to light up was the "Year God".

It was a phantom image of an old man wearing a green robe and holding a jade tablet.

He sat upright in a certain place in the east of the Daluo Palace, surrounded by a faint blue light.

That radiance is the flow and condensation of the four seasons, the twenty-four solar terms, the seventy-two pentads, and the three hundred and sixty-five days of the year.

The Complete Collection of Deities and Their Origins in the Three Teachings states: "The deity in charge of the year is the deity who is in charge of affairs during the year. He travels to the four directions, observes people's good and evil deeds, records people's merits and demerits, and determines their fortune and misfortune."

The deity in charge of the year governs the fortunes of that year.

A year on Earth is but a fleeting moment in Heaven.

But in that instant, all the words and deeds, all the good and evil, all the merits and demerits of everyone were recorded on his jade tablet, without omission.

At this moment, the illusory figure of the year's deity slightly raised its eyes.

A beam of azure light surged from between his brows and fell into the small, empty space in Li Yuan's palm.

Next to light up was the "Moon God".

It was a phantom image of a woman dressed in a plain white fairy robe, holding a moon disc in her hands.

She sat serenely in the western part of the Daluo Palace, surrounded by a faint white light.

That light is the cycle and recurrence of twelve months, thirty days and nights, the waxing and waning of the moon, and the ebb and flow of the tides.

The Yunji Qiqian states: "The moon is the essence of Taiyin and the image of the empress. The deity in charge of the moon travels with the moon's radiance, observing and recording the subtle and hidden."

The deity in charge of the month governs the order of the month.

Just as the moon waxes and wanes, so too do people experience joy and sorrow, separation and reunion.

She travels between heaven and earth, observing the birth and death of all things, and recording the flow of vital energy.

The beginning and end of each month, every full moon and every waning moon, are clearly reflected on her moon, every detail meticulously revealed.

At this moment, the illusory figure of the Moon God nodded slightly.

A beam of moonlight-like white light surged from his palm and fell into that small, empty space.

The third one to light up was Sima Qing, the "Dingmao Divine General" from the "Six Ding and Six Jia".

It was the phantom of a majestic divine general clad in golden armor and wielding a long halberd.

He sat upright in a certain place in the south of the Daluo Palace, surrounded by ever-changing golden light.

The paper figures sent to the north that night were made using his power to "freeze time".

But at this moment, Sima Qing was displaying another kind of power—

"Patrol".

The "Six Ding and Six Jia Classic" states: "The god of Dingmao travels in all directions, observes the hidden and subtle, records movements and stillness, and sees nothing and knows nothing."

Sima Qing was the omniscient and omnipotent patrolling divine general.

He wields the power of "patrol," enabling him to travel in all directions, observe the hidden and subtle, act in stillness and silence, and see the unseen.

At this moment, Sima Qing's illusory figure also nodded slightly.

A shimmering light emanated from his eyes and fell into that small, empty space.

The fourth one to light up is "Siming," an inconspicuous yet extremely important deity in the "Nine Gates and Imperial Colleges."

It was the phantom of an old man wearing a black robe and holding the Book of Life and Death.

He sat upright somewhere in the north of the Daluo Palace, surrounded by a deep and mysterious light.

That light is the trajectory of fate, the measure of life and death, the root of fortune and misfortune.

The Book of Rites, in its section on sacrificial rites, states: "The king established seven sacrifices for the people, namely, the God of Destiny, the God of Thunder, the God of the Gate, the God of the Journey, the God of Great Violence, the God of the Door, and the God of the Stove."

Zheng Xuan commented: "The God of Destiny is in charge of supervising the three destinies."

The three fates are: superior fate, middle fate, and inferior fate; or, as some say, destiny by heaven, fate by fortune, and lifespan.

The God of Fate is in charge of recording and supervising these three fates.

In Taoism, the God of Destiny is entrusted with the important task of "recording people's merits and demerits and reporting them to the Heavenly Court."

The "True Scripture of the Supreme Lord Laozi on the Central Heavenly Master of Fate" states: "The True Lord of Fate governs life and death, records people's good and evil deeds, and reports them to the Heavenly Court to determine fortune and misfortune."

At this moment, the phantom of the Fate Master also nodded slightly.

A deep, dark light emanated from his sleeve and fell into that small patch of empty space.

The Fifth One—

The sixth one—

The Seventh One—

One after another, the divine tablets lit up simultaneously.

Duty Officer, Six Jade Maidens, Four Duty Officers, and Four Messengers of Year, Month, Day, and Hour...

From each divine throne, a beam of light surged forth and fell into the small space in Li Yuan's palm.

Those lights were of different colors, different attributes, and different powers.

But the moment they fall into the void, they begin to merge, intertwine, and converge like a painting slowly taking shape.

Li Yuan's gaze remained fixed on that small patch of empty space.

His voice rang out again, this time deeper and more solemn than before: "The gods bestow their offices, and all officials return to their positions."

"Those who observe gain eyesight, and those who patrol gain feet."

"The reporter gets the pen, the recorder gets the book."

"Now, let us take this nothingness as our foundation, and let this radiant light be our entirety."

"Transform!"

The last two words fell.

As the decree.

Like an imperial edict.

Suddenly, a dazzling light surged forth from that small patch of empty space!

That light was completely different from the paper figures that had been sent to the north.

That paper figure was enveloped in a purple-gold talismanic light, a combination of "talisman" and "divine thought," an embodiment of "guidance" and "intervention."

And the light that appears at this moment—

It is colorless and formless, yet it seems to contain all colors and shapes.

It has no fixed form, no definite color, and not even anything that can be called "existence".

Traces.

It's just there.

It floated silently.

Like a wisp of extremely faint smoke.

It is like a blank space waiting to be given a mission.

Li Yuan looked at the light and nodded slightly.

Then, he raised his left hand, his thumb lightly tapping his middle finger, while the other three fingers were slightly extended.

This move was completely different from that night.

That night was an "enlightenment," where divine will was used as a medium to infuse the paper figure with one's own will, giving it spirituality, mission, and power.

With that single finger, the paper figure came to life, gained eyes, gained ears, and gained the ability to travel in the northern lands.

At this moment, however, one is "distracted".

With a ray of one's own spiritual light, one enters this "blank space," making it one's own eye.

Li Yuan closed his eyes.

Within the inner vision, the moon-like radiance of sexual energy flickered slightly.

An extremely thin ray of light pierced through the depths of that spiritual light, like a wisp of moonlight plucked from the bright moon.

The light drifted out of the inner realm, passed through the ancestral aperture between the eyebrows, and fell into the small space in the palm.

They fell into that colorless and formless "blank space".

"Blank" trembled slightly.

Then it began to change.

First, the outline.

An extremely blurry and faint outline slowly took shape.

The outline was only seven inches high.

Seven inches is approximately 23 centimeters.

Slightly smaller than the paper figure from that night, and slightly larger than a regular doll, it was just the right size to be held in the palm of your hand and yet float away.

The outline vaguely resembled a human figure.

It has everything a person should have: head, neck, shoulders, arms, torso, legs, and feet.

Then come the details.

Facial features, limbs, clothing folds—everything naturally emerged under the influence of that ray of sexual light.

But those details are still "subtle".

So faint that it was almost invisible to the naked eye.

It was as faint as a wisp of smoke under the moon.

It is so subtle that you wouldn't notice its existence unless you were deliberately looking for it.

This is what Li Yuan needs this time.

It's not "guidance".

It doesn't need to guide Wugensheng to do anything or take any particular path.

It's not "intervention".

It does not need to interfere with anything in the valley, nor with any of Wugensheng's decisions, nor with any of the flow of the causal thread.

It is not "enlightenment".

It doesn't need to enlighten Wugensheng about anything, doesn't need to make him realize that someone is watching him, and doesn't need to let him know that he is being witnessed.

It's just "observation".

Observe the rootless creature entering the valley.

Observe everything he experienced in the valley.

Watch how he faces the profound legacy left behind by the Purple Sun Immortal Zhang Boduan.

Observe him—

What if we encounter something in that valley?

All you need to do to leave the abyss is observe.

Observe quietly with these "eyes".

Watching that destiny unfold one by one in Wugensheng's life.

The moment the human form was fully formed, Li Yuan opened his eyes.

The moment the eyes opened, the seven-inch-tall figure seemed to open its eyes at the same time.

In that tiny person's eyes, there were no pupils, no whites, only two extremely faint rays of light.

That was the reflection of Li Yuan's divided consciousness, an extension of his own light, and what he was watching.

He looked at the insignificant little figure in his palm, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, and then uttered only two words!

"Go."

Upon hearing this, the man nodded slightly.

Then, it floated up from Li Yuan's palm, drifted towards the half-open window, and floated into the deep night.

There was no golden light, no purple aura, and no unusual phenomena.

It was just a wisp of extremely faint smoke, blending into the night, into the moonlight, and into the very breath of heaven and earth.

Heading towards the Qinling Mountains.

Towards that twenty-four-sectioned Tongtian Valley.

Towards that disheveled young man, yet with a light in his eyes.

Floating away.

Li Yuan sat quietly by the window, watching the faint figure disappear into the night.

The window was still half-open, and the night breeze was still blowing gently.

He slowly withdrew his gaze, lowered his eyes, and looked at his palm.

There was nothing there.

But he knew that those "eyes" had already set off.

Every step Wugensheng took in the valley, every expression, every pause—

All of this will be seen by that faint, almost imperceptible presence.

And he only needs to stay here and wait quietly.

He waited for the cause and effect he longed to see to resound from that valley.

Li Yuan closed his eyes.

Silence returned to the guest room.

Only the occasional chirping of insects outside the window and the dim yellow light still burning quietly.

The night was deep.

The Qinling Mountains are far away.

And that tiny, inconspicuous figure was moving silently forward in the darkness of the night.

Towards that valley of twenty-four solar terms.

Towards that young man who is about to become truly "rootless".