Chapter 85 Fate Red Talisman

While all the disciples of the Wei Ming Sect were still lost in shock, Wei Yuan had already dispersed the Water Illusion and strode toward the Disciples' Bureau, pretending to have heard the commotion and rushed out of the Sutra Depository, thus avoiding crossing paths with the others.

The Zhang Daoling Dharma Sword was hidden in reverse in the lower layer of the sword case.

The scarlet talisman on the back of his hand radiated a burning aura.

Wei Yuan could sense a connection between the sword and the talisman on the back of his hand.

And now, that connection had been activated.

As long as he moved far enough away, the sword would directly pursue him.

It seemed that there was no way to return this Dharma Sword.

Wei Yuan even suspected that Zhang Daoling had left a Sword-Retrieval Talisman on the sword. After all, when slaying demons and performing rituals, it was normal to command the sword to fly thousands of miles and take a head after locking onto a demon. But after slaying the demon, how would the Dharma Sword return? Naturally, there needed to be another fixed point.

Otherwise, after performing a ritual and the flying sword slaying a demon…

The Celestial Master wouldn't have to run over and retrieve the sword himself, would he?

That image seemed a bit off.

The Dharma Sword absorbed the Earth Lung Yin Fire energy, and even when stored in the sword case, a burning sensation still emanated.

Wei Yuan arrived at the Disciples' Bureau before the Wei Ming Sect members returned.

He greeted the Daoists guarding the Disciples' Bureau and helped soothe the frightened young Daoists.

Soon, Xuan Yi and the others returned, spotting Wei Yuan from afar. They assumed he had heard the commotion and rushed directly to the Disciples' Bureau, failing to arrive at the scene of the incident in time. Subconsciously, they separated him from the Daoist who had displayed profound Dharma rituals.

Especially since one had short hair and wore a hoodie, while the other had long hair and a Daoist robe.

There was a very obvious difference.

How could they be the same person?

Zhao Yi and Xuan Yi mocked themselves inwardly, feeling that they were being overly suspicious because of the previous three-thousand-year-old Soul-Nourishing Wood, seeing ghosts where there were none.

Wei Yuan stepped forward to inquire about the situation. Xuan Yi and Zhao Yi composed themselves and briefly explained that a nearly thousand-year-old snake spirit had escaped from the seal beneath the mountain gate, but a senior Daoist had taken action to suppress it. Wei Yuan looked surprised and sighed, "So that's what happened."

"It's a pity I wasn't there to see the snake spirit."

Xuan Yi consoled him, "Curator Wei doesn't need to feel regret. The Huashe didn't actually show its true form, only a shadow."

Lin Ling'er and Zhang Xiaoyu stared wide-eyed at Wei Yuan, seeing his calm expression, his gentle and regretful look, as if he truly regretted not seeing the Huashe. The two young Daoists were bewildered and subconsciously wondered if they had seen wrong.

Could it really not be the curator?

Then they saw Wei Yuan's strong right hand fingers and the black fingerless glove he was wearing.

They exchanged a look, both seeing the excitement in each other's eyes, as if they had discovered a great unknown secret. Now, looking at the museum curator's gentle, sincere, and seemingly regretful expression, Lin Ling'er subconsciously thought of the Daoist seniors in stories who hid their identities and wandered the mortal realm.

This was the demeanor of a true expert.

The little Daoist was a bit envious.

A senior with a hidden secret, his expression unwavering even when telling lies.

So impressive!

She looked at Zhang Xiaoyu next to her and couldn't help but whisper, "Is this what it means to be an adult?"

"Will we become like this someday?"

Zhang Xiaoyu thought for a moment and said, "Maybe."

"When we grow up."

Lin Ling'er rubbed her hands together, "I really hope we grow up quickly."

The tiger-eyed Daoist rushed back, carrying a gourd. He found the round-faced little Daoist who had lost a shadow, pulled the shadow out of the gourd, roughly shaped it into a human form, lit a lamp, and allowed the shadow to return behind the little Daoist.

The little Daoist finally breathed a sigh of relief, but when he looked up and saw his grand-uncle's face as black as the bottom of a pot, he was so frightened that his face turned pale, even more afraid than after losing his shadow. The tiger-eyed Daoist stared at the trembling little Daoist, finally just sighing, "Alright, alright, don't let it happen again."

The little Daoist looked up in surprise.

"Go and copy the precepts a hundred times, and this matter will be over."

Eh? Eh? Eh?!

A hundred times?!

The round-faced little Daoist's face turned ashen.

……………………

After soothing the frightened little Daoists and receiving a scare from their teachers that would leave a deep impression, the Daoists left the Disciples' Bureau to discuss the previous matter again. Seeing this, Wei Yuan took the initiative to bid farewell and returned to the Sutra Depository.

The old Daoists with white hair and beards were much more amiable toward Wei Yuan's proactive avoidance.

Wei Yuan returned to the room on the first floor of the Sutra Depository, sat on the bed, and exhaled slightly.

Forcibly casting spells had left him quite exhausted, with a faint throbbing pain in his brow. However, there were also benefits. He now knew his current limits, knew that those Dharma rituals were powerful but should not be involved with.

It seemed that he shouldn't use those that required special cultivation methods, specific Dharma altars, and the protection of divine generals.

Even if he could complete the step of connecting heaven, earth, and humanity, his Daoist cultivation was insufficient to complete the spells.

Wei Yuan rubbed his brow and searched for several Daoist scriptures, slowly reading them to find Dharma altar incantations more suitable for his current Daoist cultivation, then silently memorizing them, planning to find an opportunity to try them out after his condition recovered.

……………………

The true inheritors of the Wei Ming Sect were gathered together.

They discussed the events of the day, feeling both lingering fear and anger. The Huashe had actually relied on an Image-Projection technique learned from an unknown source to lure the young disciples. They didn't know who had told him about this method.

If the Huashe had really escaped, who knew how much damage it would cause? How would the Wei Ming Sect face the Daoist world?

As the Daoists talked, the old Daoist who had been guarding the top floor of the Sutra Depository remained silent.

The tiger-eyed Daoist sighed, "We still don't know which sect or school that senior who suddenly appeared belongs to. But being able to perform Dharma rituals, he should be from the Zheng Yi sect. But I don't know if he's a direct descendant of Dragon Tiger Mountain."

He paused slightly when mentioning Dharma rituals, recalling the act of piling stones to make an altar. For a moment, he didn't know if he should call that action performing Dharma rituals.

The other Daoists also talked among themselves, not knowing the identity of this person.

Both the Quanzhen and Zheng Yi sects wore Daoist robes, each with slight differences in details.

Both had their own precepts, different from folk Dharma sects.

And the Quanzhen sect had even stricter rules than the Zheng Yi sect.

The Daoists were well-traveled and knowledgeable, but they didn't know which sect or school this style of Daoist robe belonged to. Yet, they all had some impression of it, feeling somewhat familiar. Only the old man who had been guarding the Sutra Depository sighed and said, "I've seen that Daoist robe before. You've all seen it too."

The Daoists were stunned.

The old Daoist said, "Wait a moment."

He got up and returned to the Sutra Depository, seeing Wei Yuan still engrossed in reading Daoist scriptures, starting with some basic Dharma altars and rituals. He was a bit surprised but didn't take the initiative to speak. He just went upstairs, bowed again, took out two scrolls, confirmed they were correct, and then returned to where the Daoists were.

He opened one of the paintings and hung it on the wall.

Many of the true inheritor Daoists subconsciously stood up, their expressions respectful.

The painting depicted a middle-aged Daoist with a cold expression and a Daoist robe. Next to him were disciples holding swords and watching over a furnace. This was a portrait of the Ancestral Celestial Master Zhang Daoling, said to be his appearance when he was about to enter Shu to refine pills. Although he was over sixty years old, he looked no more than thirty or forty years old.

The Daoists didn't initially understand what the old man meant.

But when they saw Zhang Daoling in the painting, their expressions changed slightly. They realized that the style of the Daoist robe worn by the Daoist who had performed the ritual earlier was vaguely similar to the style of Zhang Daoling's Daoist robe in the painting. The old Daoist sighed again and said, "Look at this painting again."

He unfolded another painting, depicting a handsome young man with a refined appearance and a sword at his waist.

It was a portrait of Zhang Daoling when he was young.

It was only circulated within the Celestial Master's Mansion. The Wei Ming Sect was a branch of the Zheng Yi sect and had also made copies.

The old man pointed to the young man's sword in the painting, saying nothing.

The Daoists looked over, and their expressions froze, their faces changing. The tiger-eyed Daoist recalled the ancient sword that had leaped up and took a deep breath, saying, "The Daoist robe from the year the Ancestral Celestial Master entered Shu, and the Ancestral Celestial Master's sword when he was young, that senior Daoist he…"

An absurd thought appeared in the minds of the Daoists at the same time.

The atmosphere in the room instantly became heavy.

The Daoist's sigh, "I never expected that there would still be a Huashe in this era…" suddenly echoed in everyone's minds, causing their hearts to beat faster, their thoughts to freeze, and a sense of confusion to arise.

The old Daoist laughed and scolded, "What are you thinking?"

"According to my thinking, this should be another line of disciples of the Ancestral Celestial Master."

The old man said, "The Zheng Yi sect's Dragon Tiger Mountain has the Xuantan, and the Male and Female Dragon Tiger Swords, and correspondingly, this lineage also has the Ancestral Celestial Master's sword from his youth. This can also explain why he was able to easily use the previous Dharma altar without having to strictly follow the rituals."

Xuan Yi and Zhao Yi looked slightly surprised, not understanding his meaning.

The old Daoist put away the two paintings and rarely explained, "You are all disciples of my Wei Ming Sect, and can be considered part of the Zheng Yi lineage. Do you know the rules for conferring Daoist titles in the Zheng Yi sect now?"

Zhao Yi honestly said, "The conferring of Daoist titles in our generation is based on the *Tian Tan Yu Ge* passed down by the 53rd Celestial Master Zhang Hongren. We first receive the *Tai Shang San Wu Du Gong Jing Lu*, then ascend to receive the *Tai Shang Zheng Yi Meng Wei Jing Lu*, add the *Shang Qing Wu Lei Jing Lu*, then ascend to the *Shang Qing San Dong Wu Lei Jing Lu*, the *Shang Qing Da Dong Jing Lu*, and the *San Qing San Dong Jing Lu*, but the final Shang Qing Lu can only be received by the Celestial Master."

The old Daoist sighed, "That's right."

"But do you know that conferring Daoist titles in ancient times was much more complicated than it is today."

"Not to mention the twenty-four ranks of the Shang Qing Lu, even ordinary Daoists received the *Tai Shang San Wu Zheng Yi Meng Wei Bao Lu*, 'Tai' meaning the most honorable. 'Tai' also means the extreme, the thorough. The Three Realms are uniquely honorable, the extreme of all sages, which is what is meant by the Dao Lord. This *Lu* refers to Lao Jun, who conferred the Zheng Yi Meng Wei Lu to the Three Heavens Dharma Masters to pass it on to the world."

Xuan Yi asked curiously, "The Meng Wei Lu?"

The old Daoist shook his head and replied, "Not the current *Tai Shang Zheng Yi Meng Wei Jing Lu*, but the *Tai Shang San Wu Zheng Yi Meng Wei Bao Lu*. This *Lu* has twenty-four ranks to correspond to the Upper Eight Views, Middle Eight Views, and Lower Eight Views, starting with the Immortal Spirit One Hundred and Fifty Generals Lu, and can only be conferred after cultivation."

"It's complicated, and some *Lu* are specifically conferred to deal with special situations, not regular *Lu*. For example, the *Tai Shang San Wu Zheng Yi Meng Wei Slaying Thousand Ghosts Myriad Gods Lu*, which is one of the Meng Wei Bao Lu. The Daoist canon has stated that this *Lu* is too ferocious and should not be used often."

"And when one's cultivation is high, there will also be the *Tai Shang San Wu Ward Off Evil Lu* and the *Tai Shang Dissolve Six Harms Divine Talisman Lu*. We only know that these *Lu* are ranked in the teens, but we cannot determine the number, as they are passed down by the master."

"There were many categories of *Lu* at that time, and they were highly targeted. Correspondingly, spellcasting was much simpler, and the requirements for rituals were not particularly strict."

"When the Three Heavens Dharma Masters went out at that time, if they wanted to deal with ghosts, they would request a *Tai Shang San Wu Zheng Yi Meng Wei Hundred Ghosts Summoning Lu*. If they wanted to represent the Celestial Master's Mansion to inspect the various local deities, they would request a *Tai Shang San Wu Zheng Yi Meng Wei Examination Summoning Lu*."

"Each was targeted and extremely effective."

"But there were also cases where disciples faced difficult enemies, and the *Lu* they were equipped with could not deal with the situation. And because the Celestial Masters of each generation have continuously opened up new Dharma altars, if we still followed the old rules, the types of *Lu* would only become more and more numerous and complicated."

"The situation where one's Daoist cultivation was sufficient, but one fell into danger because of improper *Lu* equipment would also become more and more frequent. Therefore, the 53rd Celestial Master simplified the *Lu*, turning them into five simple categories. For example, the Meng Wei Lu, as long as the initiated disciple mastered the Dharma altar rituals and had sufficient Daoist cultivation, they could cast all spells of the twenty-four ranks."

"Of course, correspondingly, the Dharma altar would become more complicated, and even the slightest mistake in the Yu Step ritual would be unacceptable. If you made a mistake in one step, the spell you wanted to cast to exorcise demons would become a spell to drive away disease. This can be considered a higher requirement for initiating disciples."

"But it's much better than falling into danger because of discovering that the *Lu* is not suitable."

Zhao Yi and Xuan Yi listened intently and reacted, "Are you saying that the reason why that Daoist could cast spells at will is because he still adheres to the ancient *Lu* system, so the requirements for rituals are not as strict?"

The old Daoist sighed, "Yes, it's just that I don't know if he's currently wearing the Dragon Tiger Slaying Evil Lu or the Du Tian Nine Phoenixes Breaking Filth Lu, which specialize in slaying demons. However, since he sealed the earth as an altar, he must be of extremely high Daoist cultivation and seniority."

"Alright, since he's a descendant of the Ancestral Celestial Master, there's no need to worry anymore. Go down."

"The things from the Taiping Dao should arrive tomorrow."

Xuan Yi and Zhao Yi looked stern.

The arrival of the Taiping Dao's items in the Wei Ming Sect.

This meant that they would soon be escorted to the capital to lure the heretical Daoists to show themselves.

They stood up and bowed to leave. When Zhao Yi left, he couldn't help but ask, "Grand-Uncle Master, you said that there are twenty-four ranks of the Celestial Master's Shang Qing Lu, what are those twenty-four ranks?"

The old Daoist raised his eyes, his pupils extremely deep and dim under the candlelight, his face calm and gentle, saying, "The Celestial Master's Lu…"

"I only remember that the eleventh rank is called the *Yuan Shi Yu Huang Register*."

"Are you still interested in hearing about it?"

*Yuan Shi Yu Huang*? (Jade Emperor of the Beginning)

Zhao Yi's face stiffened, knowing that he was being too ambitious. He coughed, bowed solemnly, and said, "I'm not listening anymore."

"Well, you should get some sleep early. This disciple bids farewell, farewell."

………………

After the Daoists left, the old Daoist sighed, bowed again, and put away the two paintings. He returned to the Sutra Depository, seeing that the young man who had come to borrow scriptures was still absorbed in reading, and he was reading very basic Daoist scriptures.

Thinking of his disciples' rashness just now, the old Daoist, while finding his juniors annoying, was full of appreciation for this young man.

So he took the initiative to explain, "This spell is complicated to perform. You can perform Dharma rituals on weekdays and seal the divine powers in yellow talismans. Although the effectiveness will diminish with time, it can still have a very good effect when facing an enemy suddenly."

Wei Yuan was surprised, stood up, and bowed, saying, "Thank you, senior."

The old Daoist shook his head, saw the sword case behind Wei Yuan, and said, "I heard from Xuan Yi that Curator Wei is skilled in swordsmanship. I thought he was a disciple of a military school, but I didn't expect him to also have some knowledge of my Daoist Zheng Yi rituals. When I heard that Curator Wei was coming to borrow scriptures, I was surprised."

Wei Yuan replied, "Military schools excel at battlefield combat, but Dharma altars may be more effective against many demons."

The old Daoist smiled, "So that's how it is."

"My Daoist sect's Dharma altars perform rituals, pray for wind and rain, subdue demons, communicate with ghosts, and summon gods. I don't know which category Curator Wei excels at?"

Wei Yuan looked at the Daoist scriptures in his hand and could only say, "A little bit of everything."

"But I'm better at subduing demons, I guess."

"……So that's how it is."

The old Daoist chatted with Wei Yuan for a few words and then left, feeling a bit regretful.

If this young man were in the Daoist sect, he might have already been conferred a Daoist title.

He stepped upstairs and put away the paintings.

When he was putting away the painting of the young Zhang Daoling, he accidentally touched a volume of Daoist scriptures. Seeing the Daoist scripture fall, the old Daoist picked up the *Zheng Yi Fa Wen Ten Registers Summoning Ritual*, patted the dust off it, and remembered that the Celestial Master's Mansion's talismans were not so numerous from the beginning.

In ancient times, there were only ten categories of registers.

He looked at the registers recorded in this scripture, divided into ten ranks, with the Martial Armor Register Spirit Officer Summoning, the Green Armor Register Immortal Officer Summoning, and the name of the first register… The old Daoist's finger slid across the Daoist scripture, pointing to that line of text, and paused.

He sighed.

*Yuan Ming Red Register.*

The words "Red Register" were just talismans written in cinnabar, and the translation was simple and plain, describing red talismans.

But *Yuan Ming* was different.

"When Heaven thinks of the virtue of none, it is because they neglect the great charge of Heaven, and send down calamities."

The old Daoist muttered, putting away this volume of scriptures.

*Yuan Ming*, the great charge of Heaven!

The first register was the beginning of that young Daoist's spirit, the combination of the most plain red register and the most arrogant *Yuan Ming*, was the first of the ancient Ten Registers of the Zheng Yi Fa Wen.

*Yuan Ming Red Register*.

To drive away evil with righteousness, to unify everything with one.

Alas, the ancient Ten Registers no longer exist, let alone the first of the ancient registers?

………………………………

Bottom of Turtle Mountain, Huai River system.

Beneath the divine-era seal that ordinary people could not reach, the chains rang slightly.

Wu Zhiqi browsed through his phone, watching various videos, until he fixated on *Journey to the West*. When he saw the Monkey King being suppressed under the Five Elements Mountain, he felt extreme displeasure, but also anticipation. He knew that the monkey called Sun Wukong was arrogant enough, strong enough.

He knew that he would never submit to any enemy, and would overcome any difficulty.

This time would be no different.

Wu Zhiqi was about to watch the monkey lift the Five Elements Mountain and attack the Western Paradise.

Suddenly, the phone screen froze.

"You have been using your phone continuously for six hours."

"According to the youth anti-addiction mode, the phone will automatically lock."

Wu Zhiqi's eyes widened: "…………"

"Huh??!"

"Youth??!"

PS: Today's first update… a full 5,400 words! There should be a second update. Thank you to 卌巜 for the 30,000 starting coins, thank you! Very good, the second phase of adjusting the routine begins.

The twenty-four ranks of the Meng Wei Bao Lu and the twenty-four ranks of the Shang Qing Lu come from the *Zheng Yi Xiu Zhen Lue Yi*, with the original copy coming from the *Zhengtong Dao Zang*, Zheng Yibu, with modifications due to the extraordinary world.

The *Zheng Yi Fa Wen Ten Registers Summoning Ritual* is one of the fragments of the *Zheng Yi Fa Wen*, a classic of the Celestial Masters' sect, containing ten early Celestial Masters' Dharma registers, written during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. It is a scripture and formula of the Tai Xuanbu in the Three Caves True Sutras, Zheng Yibu.

"When Heaven thinks of the virtue of none, it is because they neglect the great charge of Heaven, and send down calamities." From the *Shang Shu Zhou Shu Duo Shi* (Book of Documents, Zhou Shu, Many Officers). The Celestial Emperor does not think or ask, but considers abolishing the great destiny of Xia and sends down great punishments.