Chapter 83
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Qi Wuhuo lightly lifted his brush. When he saw that character, he finally managed, with great effort, to write down what he had ‘seen’ in his heart—the [Supreme Scarlet Spirit Script]. But that was all he could do. The young Daoist’s body swayed slightly. One hand rested on the table to steady himself as the sudden exhaustion hit him the moment he finished writing the character. Then, he carefully examined it. The longer he looked, the more he felt—
“As expected…”
“Just as Yun Qin said, this [character] is truly too difficult.”
“I still haven’t mastered it.”
“Honestly, there are problems everywhere.”
The young Daoist chuckled at himself gently. “Compared to the one who originally wrote this character, the gap is so vast it makes one want to cry.”
“Even though I somehow managed to write it, the mistakes in the details are even more numerous.”
“I wonder how many more attempts it will take before I can truly grasp it.”
Even though the character had been written, what difference was there between this and a child scribbling their very first word?
Crooked and shaky—it took great effort just to barely recognize it.
“How can this be considered grasping it?”
“I wonder who it was that first wrote such a perfect [Supreme Scarlet Spirit Script].”
“Even Yun Qin didn’t say.”
“It must have been an exceptionally formidable and peerless Daoist senior. Compared to them, the Supreme Scarlet Spirit Script I wrote is simply unpresentable. I wonder when I might have the chance to meet such a senior.”
The young Daoist tidied up his desk, only then realizing that he had been so engrossed in writing that he had unknowingly used up all the white paper he had just bought two days ago. Gathering the sheets covered in barely legible [Decree] characters, he picked up the last one and was momentarily stunned.
He had written the [Decree] character on the very same sheet of paper that, beneath Helian Mountain, had recorded the lingering regrets of many souls.
The young man stacked the papers and set them aside.
His palm brushed over the words he had written, recalling what had happened at that time. For a moment, he remained silent.
Outside, the sky seemed dim. He thought of tidying up a little before getting some rest. Sheets of paper lay scattered everywhere, ink and brushes strewn about—the room was in complete disarray. He planned to gather up the papers, but exhaustion weighed heavily upon him. His body swayed slightly before he leaned against the wall, his eyelids already closing.
Originally, he had only intended to rest his eyes and gather his thoughts, slowly settling down against the wall. But before he realized it, he had drifted off to sleep, arms wrapped around the stack of white paper. His breath gradually slowed, and with each rise and fall of his chest, he slumbered.
— Meanwhile, in another courtyard within the village, Zhou Lingyi had awakened and pushed open the window.
He found it strange.
For some reason, he had woken up unusually early today.
What was even stranger was that it wasn’t just him—his son, his daughters-in-law, and even those two brats who usually slept like logs after exhausting themselves had all woken up at the same time. Yet, it was still early. The old man washed up, tidied himself, and pushed open the window, intending to take a morning stroll. But as he took a step outside, he suddenly froze.
Lifting his head, he saw the towering mountains and calm waters in the distance.
By this hour, the sky should have already been brightening, morning light flowing, and the crisp calls of birds echoing through the air.
But now, as the elderly man leaned on his cane, he saw vast clouds pressing down, spiraling in slow, deliberate motion, carrying an indescribable weight. Morning light was present, but it seeped only through the gaps in the clouds, spilling down onto the open land in scattered patches, making the world feel vast and distant.
There was no birdsong.
Not even the whisper of wind.
For some reason, the old man felt a sense of vastness in the clouds.
“This… this is…”
“What is happening?”
Though he had no proof, no reason to believe so, his instincts told him to turn his gaze toward the house where the young Daoist resided.
Outside, the sky remained dim and overcast.
Inside, the young Daoist slept soundly.
The room was silent.
The young man was sleeping peacefully, his breathing was steady, undisturbed. Suddenly, the [Decree] character he had written emitted a faint, flowing radiance—silent, yet profound. The light scattered, drifting like the shattered remnants of distant stars, exuding an unfathomable and boundless mystique.
Above, it is called Spirit, bestowing order upon the Five Sacred Mountains, ensuring the nation’s enduring peace. Below, it is called treasure—the [Lingbao] mysterious and profound, sovereign over all things.
This is an Edict.
The cascading light spread outward, and the sheet of white paper bearing the [Decree] character began to transform. Its very essence was refined to an unparalleled degree, reaching its utmost limit. The ink, too, deepened, becoming more vivid. One by one, the words painstakingly written by the young Daoist glowed faintly, revealing the lingering regrets contained within—
Longing, reluctance to part, wishes for loved ones’ well-being, sorrow over love left unfulfilled, the divide of life and death.
In life, there are countless sufferings left unresolved.
In death, there are regrets that remain unrelieved.
Once, this young man had spoken thus to those wandering souls—
Taishang Decree.
The Decree has been issued.
A single sheet of paper had captured the entanglements of gratitude and resentment, love and hate. A hundred years of mortal life, and in the end, it amounted to nothing more than fleeting ink stains upon the page.
A lifetime counted, a lifetime of regrets.
The young Daoist, embracing his scattered papers, slept peacefully. Golden radiance intertwined with the red dust of the mortal world surged and shifted around him. Strands of black hair fell over his brow, his features serene and clear. Outside the window, the oppressive clouds finally began to disperse. In the village, Zhou Lingyi walked with his cane, lost in thought. For some reason, he suddenly recalled his own youth, and a quiet sorrow welled up in his heart.
Elsewhere, Lian Shulan, who had been sound asleep, suddenly began weeping in her dreams, calling out her daughter’s childhood name.
The young Daoist sat within the red dust of the mortal realm.
In the end, all those countless regrets were drawn into that single sheet of white paper. Once ordinary, its very nature subtly changed, radiating the faintest trace of divine light—an ethereal, sacred glow that soon faded into obscurity. To any onlooker, it remained an unremarkable sheet of paper. Only the [Decree] character, having fulfilled its purpose, dissolved into a final glimmer of light.
All Daoist cultivators under Heaven are disciples of the Taishang Dao Ancestor.
And all those who cultivate the Cloud Seal Script should likewise be disciples of the Shangqing Heavenly Venerable.
The Lingbao Heavenly Venerable, using the methods of Numinous Treasure(Lingbao), delivers sentient beings across the ages. From the beginning of Primordial Enlightenment to the Scarlet Brilliance Era, through ninety-nine hundred billion Kalpas, he has ferried beings as countless as grains of sand, immeasurable beyond reckoning.
Whenever those with affinity and a thirst for learning come forth to ask their doubts, the Lingbao Heavenly Venerable never withholds his teachings.
The Heavenly Venerable possesses seventy-two manifestations. If one wishes to see him, he shall respond to their call, manifesting instantly in countless places.
He once preached the Dao in Shangqing Heaven, declaring that those who could comprehend the Supreme Scarlet Spirit Script should be admitted into his lineage.
A speck of flowing light naturally drifted toward the sleeping youth, about to settle between his brows and leave upon him the aura of Shangqing. However, at that very moment, the wooden hairpin securing the youth’s hair gave off a faint glow.
It remained inert in the presence of [demonic beings].
It showed no reaction to [spirits and monsters].
It revealed nothing under the divinations of the [Earth Deities].
It stayed unchanged even before the [eccentric] who calculated all things.
And yet, at this very instant, it stirred.
A brilliant beam of clear light surged forth—
In a single instant, it shattered the Shangqing Name-Registering Rite into dust!
Heavenly Realm · Danyang Celestial Palace
This place is the Daoist temple of the second among the Three Masters of Lingbao—Lingbao Register Master, Danyuan Miaoying Dantang Miaohua(Cinnabar Origin Marvelous Response, Cinnabar Sun Wondrous Transformation) Heavenly Lord.
Because the Shangqing Lingbao Heavenly Venerable teaches disciples according to fate, the position of the Three Masters of Lingbao was thus established. Among them, the [Scripture Master], Qingyang Miaodao Heavenly Lord, is responsible for transmitting the true scriptures and teachings to disciples, while the [Register Master], the Dayang Miaohua Heavenly Lord, residing in Danyang Celestial Palace, manages the [Immortal Registry] of the disciples of Shangqing. However, since many disciples fall into reincarnation, perish, and fade from the Dao, while new disciples continue to enter the sect, the work is truly arduous.
In other lineages, one must first be registered before formally entering the sect.
But under Lingbao Heavenly Venerable, many have already entered the sect and listened to the teachings, yet the Heavenly Venerable rarely records their names.
In this regard, the Three Dao Ancestors are alike.
The Danyang Miaohua Heavenly Lord stroked his beard as he flipped through the registers, while two young Dao attendants helped organize the records.
Some names had already faded and needed to be erased.
Some belonged to those who had fallen into the demonic path, for whom disciples of Shangqing had been sent to eliminate.
The two attendants conversed with each other.
“This one has dimmed as well.”
“This one too…”
“These are only third or fourth-generation disciples of our Shangqing lineage…”
“But to have their names recorded here, they must have been quite remarkable. We wouldn’t even stand a chance.”
“Indeed.”
“I heard that the one from Ox Constellation hasn’t even passed the examination of the Danhua Fuying Celestial Monarch yet. Right now, she’s only a registered disciple and isn’t considered a true successor.”
“A true successor of the Danhua Fuying Celestial Monarch… How could that be so easily attained?”
“That would be a personal disciple of the Great Heavenly Venerable.”
As they spoke, they were filled with envy.
Danyang Miaohua Heavenly Lord stroked his beard as he read through the records. Hearing these words, he shook his head. He knew well that the child possessed exceptional talent—had it been any ordinary teacher, she would have long been accepted as a disciple. However, the examination of Danhua Fuying Celestial Monarch was extremely rigorous. If one failed to meet her satisfaction, even a recommendation from a close friend would, at most, allow the child to enter the lineage as an outer disciple. Gaining her true inheritance would be utterly impossible.
But if she were to pass the examination, Danhua Fuying Celestial Monarch would likely send over that girl’s [jade slip].
“…She has clearly already prepared a [jade slip] for her disciple, yet she remains this strict.”
“What should I say about you… Danhua Fuying?”
The elder shook his head and smiled wryly, feeling that this junior’s temperament remained just as it had been in her youth.
As he reminisced, he suddenly heard exclamations of shock.
The two young attendants from earlier came running over, their faces filled with disbelief and panic.
Danyang Miaohua Heavenly Lord spoke gently, “What has happened?”
“Heavenly Lord, Heavenly Lord, you must come and see!”
“Hmm?”
The old man sensed something amiss. Stroking his beard, he made his way forward, slightly surprised. He saw that the [Shangqing Jade Bi]—which corresponded to the jade tablet within the Xuandu Purple Palace—had suddenly lit up. Then, a name seemed to be emerging upon it. Danyang Miaohua Heavenly Lord murmured: “This means… someone has cultivated and comprehended the core inheritance of our Shangqing lineage?”
“Could this be one of those rare individuals qualified to leave their name directly upon the Shangqing Jade Bi?”
“Who is it?”
Astonished yet pleased, Danyang Miaohua Heavenly Lord stood silently, waiting in anticipation, preparing to personally inscribe the name.
He watched as the name slowly surfaced.
Just as he was about to read it clearly—
The name vanished in an instant.
“Hmm?!!”
Danyang Miaohua Heavenly Lord, who had already risen to his feet, stood frozen in shock. Even his habitual motion of stroking his beard halted. “This… this is…”
“What just happened?”
“What was that that flashed by?!”
PS:
[The Scarlet Book and Jade Texts]—the beginning of the manifestation of auspicious omens, those who understand their sounds and can [recite them with devotion]… [shall be recommended to the Divine Firmament, be fully prepared in the Dao, traverse the Three Realms, and ascend through the Golden Gate]. —Lingbao Wushang Duren Miaojing · Xianrui Fuying Chapter
Mastering this allows one to enter the true inheritance of the Shangqing Lingbao lineage—this is its origin.
Lingbao Heavenly Venerable, with the methods of Lingbao, delivers all beings according to their fates… Whenever a fated and diligent learner seeks guidance, Lingbao Heavenly Venerable spares no effort in teaching.—Dongxuan Benxingjing
The setting of Lingbao Heavenly Venerable accepting numerous disciples originates from this.
