Counting from the time when he became a disciple of Jiang Shang in the ninth year of Emperor Xin's reign, it has been more than ten years since the spring of the twenty-first year of Emperor Xin's reign.
Even if it can be considered a formal introduction since he obtained the Dharma and practiced cultivation in the twelfth year of Emperor Xin's reign, it still takes ten years.
But Liu Qiao had never visited Yuxu Palace, let alone paid homage to the legendary Hunyuan Cult Leader [Yuxu Yuanshi Tianzun, who is responsible for explaining Taoism].
Usually, in the Jinshishan Taoist Temple, the three sect leaders would not hesitate to explain or interpret, but they would strictly follow the seals of the Taoist scriptures and erect tall and majestic golden bodies.
They were all wrapped in the best gold paint, with purple-grained sandalwood incense, and smoke was lingering around them every day. Master Liu Qiao and his disciples worshiped three times a day.
The diligence is comparable to the three monsters of Che Chi Kingdom, and the three patriarchs have never shown themselves to be holy even once.
Not only that, not even a drop of holy water was given.
Of course, Holy Water and Divine Horse have the "drawing lessons" from the three demons of Chechi Kingdom. Even if the Holy Spirit really showed up to give it to him, Liu Qiao would not dare to ask for it.
Even though I was so diligent before, I just wanted the leader to show his wisdom and gain some understanding, not to talk about treasures and Taoism, but to at least acknowledge the "legitimacy" of his lineage.
Without this "legitimacy", Liu Qiao never dared to accept disciples, otherwise under what banner would he be able to spread the law?
The only ones who can explain and teach the Dharma reasonably are the Twelve-Dong Dharma Lineage. The rest of the Antarctic Immortals, Randen Masters, etc. can only be regarded as special transmissions that can reasonably teach the Dharma.
Without this banner, even though Liu Qiao has now become a spiritual being and has hundreds of years of meritorious deeds, he can still be considered a top-notch expert in the Three Mountains and Five Mountains.
But so far, he has only accepted one disciple, and he dare not pass on the Yuxu Qi refining technique.
So Liu Qiao was a little nervous when he was told to go to the "company headquarters" in vain.
As for cleaning up, there was nothing to clean up. Liu Qiao was so poor that he couldn't wait to leave.
However, although Jiang Shang said it was not too late, he still lingered in the mansion for a long time, burning incense and doing divination, bathing and changing clothes, until all the flowers withered.
Old Jiangtou just took off his brocade clothes, put on a straight silk skirt, and walked out slowly, carrying a yellow cloth baggage in his hand.
The master and apprentice said goodbye to Nezha Buji. Liu Qiao took the baggage, carried Jiang Shang on a cloud head, and headed northeast.
The place in this life is slightly different from the previous life. Most of the caves of the Twelve Immortals are north of the Yellow River.
As for Chanjiao Yuxu Palace, it is also in the north and has to cross the North Sea. Anyway, it is far away and desolate.
As for the west, there is also Kunlun Mountain, but it is not as famous as Yuxu Palace. There is also an ancient sage named Queen Mother of the West on it, and there are many famous immortals under her sect.
The three mountains and five mountains represent the distinction, so the Kunlun Mountains of the Queen Mother of the West are called West Kunlun.
The Kunlun Mountain in Yuxu Palace is called Kunlun without adding the word "东".
Otherwise, if the news spreads and people think that Queen Mother of the West can be compared with Chanjiao, then Yuxu Palace will be very shameless.
Liu Qiao pinched the yellow cloth bundle in his hand and teased: "Master went to Kunlun, why is he still carrying Jinxiu? Is there someone blocking the door and asking for some profit (money)?"
In ancient times, silk, brocade, embroidery, and silk were also hard currencies, the same as money.
Jiang Shang said seriously: "It contains a Taoist robe from Yuxu Palace. I'll put it on for you when I get to Yuxu Palace."
"I?"
Liu Qiao was a little confused. Didn't he always wear Taoist robes?
Jiang Shang smiled and said: "Since you have read Taoism, you should know that there are rules for people's clothing and clothing, so forget it outside. Since you are worshiping Yuxu, how can you dress like a Sanren?"
Although the Qi Refiner's clothes are very casual, there are several important distinctions, especially the crown.
It seems that in the two sects of Chan and Jie, there are different levels of Taoism and practice, but in terms of seniority and level, the true and special transmissions have different standards.
Generally, those who do not wear crowns but only wear scarves, such as green scarves, one-word scarves, ribbons, lotus seed hoops, etc., do not have a high status.
Only those who wear crowns are considered gods, such as jasper crowns, fish tail crowns, wishful crowns, etc.
And the lotus flower crown representing "Luo Tianshangzhen".
Of course, this is not that strict.
At least when he was outside, Liu Qiao also wore a lotus flower crown, and he was truly an immortal, like a god.
That is to say, I recently went down the mountain to participate in the conferring of gods, so I changed into a green scarf and kept a low profile.
Jiang Shangdao: "There are tens of thousands of Taoists under Yuxu's sect. There are three palaces and twenty-eight temples. It is a prosperous place for the Taoist sect. The rules and etiquette cannot be abolished. You have to wear a double bun and dress like a child."
"Tens of thousands?" Liu Qiao heard the key point of these words.
Isn’t it said that Chan Cult is strict in selecting disciples? Isn’t it too broad to accept so many disciples?
Jiang Shang nodded: "Some people also have ghosts. Today there are two seekers, and tomorrow two come to study. There are people leaving every day, and there are people coming every day. It's not tens of thousands."
He also pointed to Liu Qiao and said, "You are extremely lucky to be able to join my disciples. Just like the tens of thousands of Taoists, there is only one among them who can obtain the true Dharma."
Liu Qiao asked doubtfully: "Even if you can't obtain the true Dharma, what are you doing in Yuxu Palace? Isn't it just a waste of time?"
"Whether you are chanting sutras or meditating, even if you can become a Taoist Taoist priest in Yuxu Palace, you have to go through a lot of selection. Your character and character must at least conform to the Yuxu sect's style."
Jiang Shang also explained: "Tao character has three hundred and sixty side gates, such as burning thatch and making a cauldron, collecting yin and yang and taking women's breast milk, sitting on a high platform to meditate, or divination and medical skills... Such side gates are also passed down by the leader.
One of the ways to learn about ordinary characters is to go back and hang out in the mortal world, that would be a big deal..."
Liu Qiao was suddenly enlightened and sighed: "It is truly my great fortune to be able to become a disciple of my master and directly teach him the authentic Yuxu Qi Refining Technique. It is a blessing from heaven."
Listening to what Lao Jiangtou said, it is really not easy for a mortal to go to Yuxu to learn the magic of immortality. No wonder Huangjiao Daxian didn't learn it either.
"It's good that you know. When I was a teacher, I carried water and planted flowers in Yuxu Palace, and burned the fire for thirty years. Thirty years..." Jiang Shang sighed endlessly.
Do you know how I have lived these thirty years?
Then he bowed to Yu Xuyuan on the cloud head and said: "Thanks to the opportunity and the number of days, Master is merciful..."
The master and the apprentice talked while walking, and the clouds covered a thousand miles in a moment, and they flew for a full day and night before they reached Beihai.
After crossing the North Sea, Jiang Shang pointed out the path, and after walking for more than ten thousand miles, they came to a piece of land, which was completely different from the scenery of the Central Plains.
There is no human habitation at all, the trees are towering into the sky, and strange beasts, tigers and leopards are running around. It is like arriving in an uncivilized wilderness, but the spiritual energy is getting stronger and stronger.
Unconsciously, after walking for another half day, I finally saw a mountain that stretched for tens of thousands of miles. The whole mountain was illuminated by the sun, moon and mist.
The height reaches up to nine days, and you don't know how far it is. All you can see below are thousand-year-old cypresses and ten thousand acres of bamboo forest.
There are strange peaks and ridges, pavilions and pavilions, and quiet places in the mountains are full of Taoist temples, large and small, with countless Taoists, fairy boys, and warriors walking among them, playing chess, collecting medicine, or refining elixirs.
Master Liu Qiao and his disciples flew straight into the mountains on clouds for an hour before they reached the highest peak in the center. There were cliffs on all sides, with no steps or ladders, making it difficult for ordinary people to climb.
"This is Qilin Cliff, also called Dongtian Shenyue. It is nine thousand feet high, and Yuxu Palace is on the top." Jiang Shang pointed to it.
Liu Qiao was astonished when he saw it. Qilin Cliff was surrounded by cliffs, like pillars of heaven. It was worthy of being a sacred mountain in the east sky. If a person were pressed under it, Sun Dasheng probably wouldn't be able to climb out.
It's just that it's so high. Without the skill of soaring into the clouds and riding a crane, it's really difficult to climb with just the Five Elements Escape Technique. I don't know how Jiang Shang got up there before.
Seemingly seeing Liu Qiao's doubts, Jiang Shang pointed to a place and said, "You can go there!"
Following the master's finger, I flew over the clouds and saw a place under the cliff, covered with fairy light, and a golden bridge, which seemed to be hanging down from the sky, leading straight to the top.
The colorful lights on the bridge flow like a rainbow, and sometimes there are immortals in blue turbans and linen clothes, with big sleeves facing the wind, passing by on the bridge.
There were also people I knew well along the way who greeted Jiang Shang with great respect. It seemed that Old Jiang Tou had a high status in Yuxu Palace.
Jiang Shang looked modest and polite, and he returned the greetings one by one. He was approachable and could not hide his pride in the spring breeze.
The master and the apprentice arrived at Jinqiao and the clouds fell. Jiang Shang pondered for a moment and said, "Just wait down there. I'll be back in a few moments when I pay homage to the master."
"Master, I'm not going up?"
Liu Qiao hurriedly grabbed the master's sleeve and refused to let him go up. Then why should I come here? Master, you are returning to your hometown in fine clothes. Are you just showing off?
Jiang Shangna rolled his eyes and said: "Although you have entered the Yujing Dharma Book, you are not considered a guest in the Yuxu Palace. As a rule, you cannot go up."
After that, he pointed to the magnificent view of the Infinite Palace on all sides and said: "If you want to go to Yuxu Palace, there is a Taoist temple below. You have to stay for ten or eight years and observe the rules and precepts before you can be considered a guest of Yuxu Palace."
"Ah...this..." Liu Qiao was so impatient when he heard this that he couldn't even complain.
Are you kidding, am I here to keep the precepts?
I have learned the Yuxu Qi refining technique, but it is useless to keep the precepts. I am here to pay homage to the leader of the church.
But Jiang Shang insisted not to take him with him, so he had to say: "Then master has to find a place for me to rest for a while. It's not good to stay here and be looked at as a curiosity!"
This place is regarded as the "traffic artery" of Yuxu Palace. Taoist priests are everywhere passing by, and it is very embarrassing to stand alone.
Jiang Shang thought for a while, and then he led Liu Qiao to twist and turn. The two of them walked quickly for more than ten miles, and found a Taoist temple in the bamboo forest at the foot of the mountain.
A boy went in to report, and not long after, an old Taoist with white beard and hair, a bamboo hairpin in a high bun, holding a whisk in his hand, was surrounded by a group of young Taoist priests, and came out to greet him.
Liu Qiao took a quick look and saw that he was a mortal with no Dao Qi.
When the old Taoist saw Jiang Shang, he hurriedly bowed and saluted: "The little path is quiet, I have seen the two masters."
Jiang Shang waved his hand and said, "No need to be too polite. My disciple will stay in the temple first so that you can entertain me."
"Yes..." Old Taoist Jingfa said respectfully.
After Jiang Shang finished speaking, he left Liu Qiao behind, sprinkled the sand, and walked away in the form of a rainbow.
Master Jingfa said to Liu Qiao: "Shangxian, please..."
"Sigh... isn't this trip in vain..." Liu Qiao complained in his heart.
Follow the Taoist priest Jing into the temple. Under the Qilin Cliff, there are "Taoist nests" everywhere, and this "Purple Bamboo Temple" is also average.
It covers an area of approximately several acres, with pavilions, pavilions, flowerbeds and waterside pavilions. There are many Taoist priests who have not yet crowned themselves, including young people and old men with white hair.
The clothes are of different colors. The one in gray is sweeping the courtyard and pruning flowers and plants, while the one in blue is meditating, chanting sutras, or playing chess, which seems quite comfortable.
Liu Qiao took a rough look and found that there were about a hundred or so Taoists in the temple, but none of them had any Tao Qi power. They were all first-rate mortals.
There are countless small temples like this in Kunlun Mountain. It is said that the big ones are called palaces, and there are often tens of thousands of Taoists who call them Dongzhen, Dongxuan and Dongshen palaces.
Each palace has more than ten temples under its banner, which are divided into female crowns and yellow crowns.
But they are all mortals seeking the truth, and there are also some spirits and so on.
Among them, Dongshen Palace is the highest level. There are only a few hundred Taoists in each session. They are all the true seeds and have upheld the precepts to the ultimate precepts.
The first true ordination is relatively simple, which means abstaining from meat, sex, etc. within a certain period of time. Most of them are under the Dongzhen Palace.
The general inspection time is eight to twenty years.
After passing it, you will enter Dongxuan Palace and be taught the Zhongji Precepts. There are thirty-six Zhongji Precepts, which already include all aspects of restrictions.
After observing the precepts to this point, no matter human, demon or spirit, there is a clear energy in the heart. Even if the precepts are broken, one can usually go to Yuxu Palace once.
You have to teach some side skills, such as fortune telling, Feng Shui, health guidance, and even yin and yang supplements, etc., and then go down the mountain with it, it is not a wasted trip.
As for the last immortal ring, it sounds very perverted, with a total of 360, and there is even a ring of silence such as being unable to speak for a year.
Moreover, there is no time limit for the examination, it may be a year or several years, or it may be a hundred years of observing the precepts until death of old age.
Anyway, since the opening of Yuxu Palace until now, there are only twelve people who have actually upheld this precept.
As for those twelve people, it goes without saying that they have held the Heavenly Immortal Precepts and cultivated Dao Qi. They can use the innate Qi to bring back the dead. These are the seeds of Hunyuan.
But as long as you reach the stage of the Heavenly Immortal Great Precepts, even if you can't hold it, you can still pass on the Yuxu Qi Refining Technique, but it can't be regarded as a real pass.
Among them, there are still experts, such as Xiao Zhen, Shen Gongbao, etc., and outstanding ones include Yun Zhongzi, Ran Deng Laoye, etc.
…
Let's talk about Jiang Shang. He stepped on the Golden Bridge and passed Qilin Cliff. In a blink of an eye, he reached the Yuxu Palace on the top.
Yuxu Palace has been closed for many years, and the four doors are tightly closed. Jiang Shang did not dare to enter without permission, so he only waited in front of the door.
I don't know how long it took before I saw a fairy boy carved in pink and jade came out.
Jiang Shang rushed out and said, "Baihe Tong'er, please inform me quickly."
"Uncle Ziya, wait a moment."
When the boy Baihe saw that it was Jiang Shang, he called him Master Uncle and did not dare to neglect him, so he hurriedly entered the palace.
Walking to the foot of the Bagua stage, the stage was full of light and air, and a statue of a thousand-foot-long Buddha was sitting on his back. The clouds covered thousands of acres. It was silent and silent. All he could see was thousands of auspicious lights and thousands of rays of rays.
The boy Baihe knelt down and said, "Grandpa Grandpa, Uncle Ziya is outside asking for an audience."
"Please..." Wan Zhang Faxiang only replied with one word, like thunder in the clear sky, the universe trembled, but all the strange phenomena did not leave the little Yuxu Palace.
The boy Baihe went out of the palace and saw Jiang Shang and said, "Uncle Master, I have an invitation."
Jiang Shang arranged his clothes and followed the White Crane Boy into the palace. He knelt down under the stage and did not dare to look up. He only kowtowed and said: "Disciple Jiang Shang, may my master and father have a long and holy life."
"Ziya, it's just the right time for you to go up the mountain. I ordered the Antarctic Immortal to take the "God List" and give it to you. After you return to Xiqi, you can build one and put up the list. With this, you will gain fame throughout your life."
That thunderous voice was very easy-going to Jiang Shang, speaking softly like a family member.
Jiang Shang was overjoyed and accepted the promise, and then paid his respects: "Now there are Zhang Guifang and others who are using left-handed tactics to conquer Xiqi. Although my disciples are right, they are unable to subdue them. I hope that my master will be merciful and give guidance to my disciples."
"You are Qi Xiang, and you are worshiped as "Xiangfu" by Lord Qi. The honor and wealth are extremely high. How can a poor man control all the matters of war in the world?"
Yuanshi Tianzun said: "Xiqi has a virtuous sage sitting in charge, so why should we be afraid of the left side? If there is a crisis, there will be experts to help. You don't need to ask me about this matter. You can go on your own."
The implication is that I have to deal with many things every day. Even if I have hundreds of millions of clones, how can I manage them? It is impossible for me to put all my energy on King Qi and you every day.
The most important thing is that Zhang Guifang is just a right-winger. If you can't deal with it, how can you be the prime minister? It's impossible for you to ask me to come down personally for such a trivial matter.
Don't worry, if there is real danger, your senior brothers and capable people from all over the world will come to help. The contract has been signed, so you just have to win.
Jiang Shang understood the implication and felt very relaxed. He did not dare to ask any more questions and resigned from the palace.
Just as he walked out of the palace gate, Boy Baihe came up to him and said, "Uncle, please wait a moment. Please go back."
Jiang Shang was confused, why did he come out and let him in again?
He had no choice but to go back to the palace with a confused face and bow down to see him in front of the audience.
Yuanshi Tianzun said: "Two things. One, when you go, just keep moving forward. If someone calls you, you cannot answer him. If you answer, there will be thirty-six ways to attack you, so be careful."
After saying this, there was silence. Jiang Shang thought there was one more thing he had not said yet, so he knelt down and waited under the stage.
In the blink of an eye, the sun rose and set in the sky, and an unknown amount of time passed. Jiang Shang's legs were numb from his knees, and Yuanshi Tianzun did not speak, as if he was asleep.
Jiang Shang couldn't kneel anymore, and he wailed and complained in his heart: "Oh, Master's old habit has happened again, and this time it is painful..."
It turns out that when the Yuxu Palace was not closed, the Heavenly Lord would teach the Dharma once every hundred years, or hundreds of years, and summon the true saints of the ten directions to listen.
Needless to say, flowers fell wonderfully from the sky and golden lotuses sprouted from the ground. Master taught the Dharma for a while and talked about mysteries for a while. The Taoism and Dharma cooperated as they were. There was only one shortcoming.
When the interest arose, He would speak one more paragraph. When everyone felt itchy and unbearable, the Master stopped speaking again.
After a few days or even months of pause, maybe one day the mood will come up and he will start teaching again, catching the immortals off guard.
Therefore, Jiang Shang felt very bitter in his heart. The master was in a state of wandering, which usually lasted for several months or even a few days. How could he endure it with his old arms and legs?
Fortunately, this time there was only silence for one day and two nights. Just when Jiang Shang could hardly hold on any longer, Tianzun finally spoke again.
"As for your disciple, let him draw a scroll to record the achievements of gods and men. When the saints return to their thrones in the future, they will determine their deities according to their merits."
"Yes..." Jiang Shang breathed a sigh of relief and responded quickly: "He is now at the foot of Qilin Cliff, but he has not held the instructions. The disciples dare not let him go to the temple. Does the master want to see him?"
"If you see what he is doing...just go away..." Tianzun said.
Jiang Shang kowtowed three times, rubbed his stiff knees, and staggered to his feet.
Just after taking two steps, Tianzun said again: "Come to Yuxu to worship me, and I will also teach him a Taoist technique. It will not be in vain..."
After saying this, a golden lotus flower, the size of a washbasin, flew down from the Qingyun. It spun around and turned into a scroll of heavenly book, which flew into Jiang Shang's hand.
Jiang Shang was overjoyed when he received the Taoist book, and did not dare to read more. On the third day of the week, when his master stopped talking, he left the palace.
After leaving the palace, the Antarctic Immortal came to greet him, handed the list of gods to Jiang Shang, and said with a smile: "The number has been determined, and it cannot be moved. Ziya will be able to assist the Holy Lord and maintain his great achievements. There is still a day to meet."
He also warned: "It's just that someone calls you, so you must not answer him. This matter is really important, so don't neglect it. I can't send you away from afar."
Jiang Shang bowed and said yes, rolled up a volume of the Book of Heaven and the List of Gods, put them in his bag, walked out of Yuxu Palace, and went down to Qilin Cliff.
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
Recommended book "I look for immortality through ancient times"
Introduction:
The sun was blazing across the sky, and screams were heard from the clouds.
There are giant beasts running rampant and supernatural powers coming to the world.
The Dharma spreads across the heaven and earth, and the demon lord reveals his true form!