sbdcsierra Chapter 110 Shangqing Dongxuan, The Hidden Aspects of the End of Dharma
Chapter 110 Shangqing Dongxuan, The Hidden Aspects of the End of Dharma
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"Master, may I take a look?"
Li Jun asked cautiously, knowing very well the significance of these simple items to his master.
"Look," the old Taoist priest waved his hand, "they're all old things, nothing special."
Li Jun reached out and picked up the old copy of the Tao Te Ching.
The pages were yellowed and brittle, the edges were curled, and the book was covered with dense annotations.
The handwriting was vigorous and powerful, and it was indeed the handwriting of Zhang Xuanzhen, the advisor.
Li Jun concentrated his mental energy and examined it carefully.
Sure enough, the faint golden light was emanating from this book!
Moreover, beyond the original words and annotations of the Tao Te Ching...
Li Jun's divine sense "saw" that there were faint golden characters between the lines of the book!
The gold lettering was very blurry, as if it were hidden deep within the paper fibers.
It takes all your mental energy to barely see clearly.
Li Jun tried to make out the characters, but could only vaguely make out a few words.
"Shang... Qing... Cave..."
Li Jun was shocked!
He immediately told his master about his discovery.
The old Taoist priest's eyes widened in surprise upon hearing this.
He took the book and looked at it over and over again, but he couldn't see anything.
"Jun'er, are you telling the truth?"
"Absolutely true." Li Jun nodded. "Those gold characters are blurry, but they definitely exist."
The old Taoist priest's hands trembled slightly.
He took a deep breath, looked at Li Jun, and his eyes were extremely solemn.
"Jun'er, this could very well be something very important left behind by your master!"
"Your advisor... passed away suddenly back then."
"The gold lettering in this book might be the legacy he left behind."
The old Taoist priest stuffed the book back into Li Jun's hands.
"You absolutely must find a way to record all those hidden symbols!"
"Not a single word can be omitted!"
Li Jun nodded emphatically.
"Don't worry, Master, I'll go and copy it right away."
He took the old copy of the Tao Te Ching and returned to his room.
The door closed, and the room became quiet.
Li Jun sat down at his desk, spread out a stack of white paper, and began grinding ink and moistening his brush.
He concentrated his mind to the extreme, like the most precise scanner, scanning the pages inch by inch.
The golden characters hidden deep within the paper gradually became clear under the probing of divine sense.
But it's very slow.
One word at a time, as if being pulled out of the water, emerged with great difficulty.
Li Jun dared not be negligent, picked up his pen, and copied down the words one by one.
Time passed second by second.
From morning to noon.
From noon to afternoon.
Li Jun sat at his desk, motionless.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, indicating that his mental energy was being greatly depleted.
But he had already copied most of those golden characters.
Finally, as night completely fell, Li Jun wrote the last word.
He let out a long breath, put down his pen, and rubbed his throbbing temples.
A whole day.
He finally finished copying all the hidden golden characters in the old Tao Te Ching!
Looking at the thick stack of papers covered with writing on the table, Li Jun felt an indescribable sense of accomplishment.
He picked up the transcribed paper and began to organize and read it.
The more he looked, the more serious his expression became.
These golden characters record an incomplete method of spiritual practice.
It is titled "Fragments of the Shangqing Dongxuan Zhenjing".
The very first sentence sent a jolt through Li Jun's heart!
"Shangqing is the beginning of heaven and earth, the origin of the Great Dao. Those who cultivate this incomplete chapter can glimpse the Great Dao of the Celestial Immortals and attain longevity and immortality."
Shangqing!
The title of Lingbao Tianzun, one of the Three Pure Ones in Taoism!
The fact that this cultivation method dares to be named "Shangqing" indicates that its origin is absolutely extraordinary!
Furthermore, this incomplete text points directly to the path of celestial immortality, and one can attempt to cultivate it once they reach the Refining Spirit Realm.
Li Jun's current level of attainment just meets the requirements.
Looking further, besides the methods of cultivation, the copied content included...
There are also some words left behind by the advisor Zhang Xuanzhen!
Li Jun held his breath and read carefully.
The advisor's writing was concise, yet contained a wealth of information.
The main meaning is:
In his middle age, Zhang Xuanzhen, the advisor, ventured deep into Mount Li to explore an ancient site.
Among those ruins, he obtained this fragment of the Shangqing Dongxuan Zhenjing.
Unfortunately, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth had become extremely scarce at that time, so he had a treasure trove but was unable to cultivate.
The only option is to hide this fragment within the Tao Te Ching using special methods, leaving it for future generations to discover.
What alarmed Li Jun even more was the next prediction made by his advisor, Zhang Xuanzhen.
Based on some remaining traces in the ruins, combined with his years of research and investigation, he came to a startling conclusion.
The so-called "end of the Dharma" may not be a natural calamity under the operation of the Heavenly Dao.
Rather, it was... "man-made"!
Or rather, there is at least some “human” factor involved!
Furthermore, this upheaval that affected the entire world, causing the depletion of spiritual energy and the disappearance of immortals and gods may have already shown signs as early as the beginning of the Tang Dynasty.
The advisor Zhang Xuanzhen mentioned that Buddhism, which was quite prosperous in the early Tang Dynasty and before, suddenly disappeared during the prosperous Tang Dynasty.
Within the Great Xia Dynasty, there was no longer any Buddhist lineage.
And since then, legends of immortals and gods have become fewer and fewer, eventually becoming myths with the arrival of the end of the Dharma.
Finally, Zhang Xuanzhen, the advisor, solemnly warned:
Practicing this fragment of the Shangqing Dongxuan Zhenjing may lead to some kind of karmic entanglement.
When he transmigrated here, he discovered that this world was similar to his previous life, yet different.
One of them was that he had never seen a temple in Bactria, and Buddhism only existed in history books.
Even in the White Elephant Kingdom, there is no Buddhism, only Brahma.
Li Jun always believed that this difference was caused by the different historical developments of the two worlds.
But now, the advisor's speculation tells him that things may not be so simple.
After all, there really were gods and immortals in this world!
In this situation, what kind of terrifying power or upheaval could cause a flourishing lineage to disappear completely?
Ultimately, this turned immortals and gods into legends.
"What exactly happened back then?"
Li Jun muttered to himself.
He looked out at the night sky and felt a strange chill creep into his heart.
The waters of this world are much deeper than he imagined.
But what unknown secrets lie hidden beneath those unfathomable depths?
Li Jun didn't know.
But he had a premonition.
As spiritual energy revived, he gradually embarked on the path of cultivation.
These secrets will one day come to light.
crunch.
Just then, the door was gently pushed open.
The old Taoist priest came in carrying a bowl of hot porridge.
"Jun'er, eat something first..." The old Taoist priest stopped mid-sentence, noticing Li Jun's pale face and grave expression, and his heart tightened. "What's wrong? Finished copying?"
Li Jun nodded and handed the copied paper to his master.
The old Taoist priest put down his bowl of porridge, took the paper, put on his reading glasses, and began to examine it carefully.
For a moment, the room was eerily quiet.
The only sound was the rustling of the old Taoist priest turning the pages.