Under One Person: The Seeker of the Dao in the Lü Family

Chapter 157 Huangting Sutra, I am the greatest among the three mountains in the next world.

Tonight, while Lü Qian was meeting Lu Jin, the Old Celestial Master was trying to pass on the [Celestial Master's Pass] to Zhang Chulan, which is the so-called [Passing on the Pass].

During the transmission of the ordination, the Celestial Master manifested the "Celestial Master's Ordination," which emanated from his body, thus giving some people with ulterior motives an opportunity.

Longhu Mountain is a sacred site of the Zhengyi sect, where evil magic cannot invade and righteous magic is preserved. Under normal circumstances, those with ulterior motives would not dare to act rashly, and they would probably be discovered by the Celestial Master as soon as they make a move.

However, after the Celestial Master left, the old Celestial Master had an opening to exploit, so naturally someone took advantage of the situation to make a move.

The person who came was none other than one of his own, Zhengyi. However, due to historical reasons, the various branches of the Zhengyi lineage are not very united.

Taoist priests of Shangqing can also be called "Taoist Masters," which is not only an acknowledgment of Shangqing practitioners but also a certification of their identity.

The Shangqing School is rooted in Maoshan, which was also known as Juqu Mountain or Difei Mountain in ancient times.

The lineage of Taoism in this area is ancient, dating back to the pre-Qin period, though it was not a formal lineage until the Eastern Jin Dynasty. The practitioners on Maoshan Mountain revered Wei Huacun as their founding patriarch and worshipped the Three Mao True Lords as their patriarchs, which led to the formation of the Shangqing School.

Moreover, the cultivators who practiced Taoism in Shangqing in ancient times had rather unusual status; they could be called nobles.

In the past, most of the practitioners in the Shangqing Sect of Maoshan came from aristocratic families, and many of them had even served as officials. These people came from high social standing, and the Shangqing Sect had a long history, so they naturally had a strong sense of pride.

They revered Yuanshi Tianzun as the supreme god and followed the path of the legendary Chan Sect.

The Zhengyi sect has four major altars: the Zhengyi Xuantan altar at Longhu Mountain, the Shangqing altar at Maoshan Mountain, the Lingbao Xuantan altar at Gezao Mountain, and the Jingming altar at Xishan Mountain.

The Zongtan of Longhu Mountain can also be called the Wanfa Zongtan. It is said to be in charge of the Zhengyi talismans, but in reality, it only manages the talismans of Zhengyi Taoist priests, which is to say, it is the nominal leader of Zhengyi.

The so-called Three Mountains Talismans are based on the same principle.

The Shangqing School and the Quanzhen School share a deep connection. The Shangqing School's extant "Huangting Jing" deduced many methods, and the Quanzhen School's "Internal Alchemy Method" also drew upon this.

The Huangting Jing is also praised as "the jade rules for learning immortality and the golden rules for cultivating the Tao." Many enlightened beings throughout history have studied it and even forged their own paths from it.

For seekers of the Dao like Lü Qian, who were trying to forge their own path, the *Huang Ting Jing* was an essential text to study.

Now that the Shangqing Sect has made its move, the Old Celestial Master can naturally guess what they're up to. Ultimately, it boils down to "Who is the most powerful among the Three Mountains in the next realm?"

A century ago, Maoshan almost lost its Taoist tradition in its resistance against invaders, and even the temples and monasteries on the mountain were destroyed, resulting in heavy losses.

If he wants to restore his vitality, he will naturally need to borrow a patriarch. And judging from the situation, he will probably give the young man from the Lü family the "Huang Ting Jing".

Now that the deed has already happened, the Old Celestial Master wouldn't do anything to cut off their path, but since they've come all the way to Longhu Mountain to snatch people, they have to retaliate. At least while he's still alive, Longhu Mountain will naturally be the most revered of the three mountains.

More importantly, he hadn't even figured out how to make his move when he was robbed of it!

The old Celestial Master sat cross-legged in the courtyard with his eyes closed, his body surging with golden light, which transformed into a set of dazzling golden robes adorned with various colorful scenes, making him appear exceptionally magnificent. At the same time, the hand gestures he made kept changing.

At this moment, far away in Maoshan, on the altar, two white-haired old Taoist priests, dressed in their robes, one holding a ruyi scepter and the other holding a wooden tablet, sat cross-legged on a prayer mat with their eyes closed.

"call--"

Suddenly, a mountain wind blew by, and the yellow talisman hanging on the bill suddenly burst into flames and vanished in the blink of an eye.

"It's done."

The old Taoist priest, holding a ruyi scepter, suddenly opened his eyes. He quickly stood up from the ground, performed the steps of the Big Dipper, and chanted incantations.

The old Taoist priest had a full head of white hair, a thin face, and a resolute gaze. He was upright, walked steadily, and exuded an aura of righteousness.

Another old Taoist priest, holding a wooden tablet, stood behind. He also had white hair and wore round-framed glasses. He looked quite gentle, but the righteousness in his eyes could not be concealed.

After the Taoist priest, holding a ruyi scepter, finished performing the ritual steps, he took the Three Pure Ones Bell from the document and shook it. The clear and melodious sound of the bell resounded throughout the entire platform.

"Please present the jade tablet!"

The old Taoist priest standing at the back then chanted loudly, and at the same time he took three steps back and bowed respectfully towards the bill in front.

The old Taoist priest in front of the bill put down the ruyi in his hand, and after repeatedly asking for instructions, picked up the jade tablet in front of him. After performing a ritual, he placed the jade tablet on the golden talisman in front of him.

"Thump!"

A dull sound rang out from the bill, and streams of light flew out from the golden talisman beneath the jade tablet, transforming into profound Dao patterns that flowed through the void like chains.

"We have temporarily stopped Zhang Zhiwei."

The old Taoist priest in front of the bill breathed a sigh of relief as he looked at the flowing light around him. He took a few steps back and bowed repeatedly to the bill.

"Senior Brother Lin, this mission was extremely dangerous. Fortunately, Zhang Zhiwei transmitted the initiation tonight, and the [Celestial Master's Initiation] temporarily left the body, which made our mission easier."

The old Taoist priest behind him, holding a wooden clapper, adjusted his glasses and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Indeed, it is through the connection of the [Tongtianlu] that we are able to pinpoint that Lu family brat."

The old Taoist priest straightened his clothes and said, "Zhang Zhiwei is not careful enough in his dealings. I was sure he would make a mistake tonight, so I took the risk and tried it."

"With the Huangting Jing and that kid's deep knowledge, his path will be more solid, and he can walk faster and more steadily."

"These are golden rules; let's see what this kid can learn from them."

Just as the two breathed a sigh of relief, the situation on the field suddenly changed. The golden talisman on the bill suddenly shone brightly, and the chains in the void trembled incessantly.

"Splash splash splash..."

"Oh no! Zhang Zhiwei has unleashed his power! Junior brother, follow me!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the two old Taoist priests dressed in ceremonial robes began to chant incantations and perform ritual steps.

"Please use a calming talisman!"

The old Taoist priest in front of the bill raised the jade talisman in front of him and chanted an incantation. The jade talisman shone brightly and transformed into a dazzling rune that flowed and blessed the old Taoist priest.

The old Taoist priest's golden robe was adorned with flowing jade-colored Taoist patterns, which made the robe appear even more sacred.

"Pen, please! Inkstone!"

He waved his hand and picked up the jade brush beside him, dipped it in a jade inkstone, and then drew on the golden talisman paper in front of him. With swift and graceful strokes, a golden talisman was completed in the blink of an eye.

"Please grant me the seal of the Nine Immortal Lords!"

He put down the jade pen, picked up the jade seal beside him, and slammed it onto the talisman paper.

"go!"

After the talisman was completed, the old Taoist priest held the jade seal in one hand and the talisman in the other, then threw it onto the law.

"boom!"

The candle flames on the bill suddenly rose into the air, like two giant dragons spiraling upwards, illuminating the bill-raising platform under the night sky.

The golden talismans transformed into streams of light that rushed into the void, continuously reinforcing the trembling chains within. In the blink of an eye, the chains of light stabilized again, becoming even thicker and heavier, resembling a golden ladder descending from the heavens.

At this moment, in the courtyard of Longhu Mountain, the old Celestial Master received the Demon-Slaying Sword and the Yangping Zhidu Merit Seal from Ding Shian.

He was clad in a dazzling robe woven with golden light, holding a sword in one hand and a hand seal in the other, with the Dipper standing on his feet.

"please!"

With a loud shout from the old Celestial Master, the sky above the courtyard suddenly changed color, clouds gathered, and streaks of lightning and fire danced around the old Celestial Master.

His eyes blazed with intense light as he performed sword-wielding and footwork according to a specific ritual.

"They're trying to steal people from me! I haven't even figured out how to do it yet."

The two sides on Maoshan and Longhushan seemed to be fighting each other across the distance. In an instant, thunder and fire broke out in the two places, which were thousands of miles apart, and golden light shone brightly, making a corner of the sky radiate light.

As the cause of the dispute between the two parties, Lü Qian was unaware of everything that was happening outside.

He was in a void, as if he were having a vivid dream, yet it felt incredibly real.

In his dream, he was all alone, but the mysterious Taoist chants and scriptures emanated from the void, transforming into streams of runes and light that entered his mind.

"Before the Supreme Pure Purple Cloud Void Emperor, the Jade Morning Lord of the Great Dao, dwelling in seclusion, composed seven-character verses, which scatter and transform into the Five Forms and myriad spirits..."

These runes, accompanied by a mysterious rhythm, were like celestial music, plunging Lü Qian into a deeper tranquility, and various wonderful thoughts emerged in his mind.

The Huangting Jing is divided into three parts: inner landscape, outer landscape, and middle landscape.

It elucidates the mysteries of the human body, including the five internal organs, the dantian, and the three gates, and also discusses the principles of cultivation such as preserving truth and maintaining oneness, and achieving tranquility and naturalness.

The Inner Landscape section of this scripture is traditionally attributed to Lao Tzu. The remaining two sections are simplified versions of the Inner Landscape section, with additional annotations added by practitioners of the Shangqing school to make the scripture easier for later generations to understand.

This gave Lü Qian a completely different feeling from the previous transmission of teachings by the patriarch. This "Huangting Jing" was more like a general outline of cultivation than a method of practice.

Lu Qian could see the influence of various martial arts styles in it, and this scripture even explained things more comprehensively than the various martial arts styles.

He had previously combined the paths to enlightenment from various schools of Quanzhen Taoism and created his own unique path.

True fire refines life, and the banana tree is naturally swayed by the wind. One should cultivate oneself, both internally and externally, as a great elixir, achieving true harmony between life and nature.

However, after referring to the "Huang Ting Jing", Lü Qian feels that his approach is still somewhat rough and there is a lot of room for improvement.

As Lü Qian listened to the scriptures, he continuously deduced and perfected his own path.

"Life and death are intertwined, this is the fundamental principle; the Yellow Court Classic lays the foundation."