Come to the red building in the inner courtyard.
As soon as I entered, I saw Chen Yun sitting in the middle of the great hall.
He quickly rushed forward and knelt down, "The unworthy disciple greets the benefactor."
Wang Laoshi bowed respectfully, "Master."
Wang Zaixi also kneeled down and loudly declared, "The unworthy disciple today comes to apologize to the ancestral master!"
"Chong, you can get up first." Zhong Liquan first nodded to Chen Yun and then changed his usual kindness for a face as serious as water, "Wang Zaixi, do you know the deep sin?"
Chen Yun stood up and turned his head to look at Wang Zaixi's face.
Wang Zaixi still knelt on the spot, speaking with a calm tone, "The disciple knows that he has committed great sins and allows the ancestral master to deal with him as he sees fit."
Wang Laoshi lowered his head and didn't speak, as if thinking about something.
Zhong Liquan's eyes held a trace of regretful charm, "According to the female Celestial Law set by the Immortal Laojun, what punishment do you think you should receive?"
The "Female Celestial Law" is the heavenly regulation established by Taoist Laojun, specifically used to restrict immortals and orthodox practitioners of Daoism.
As for those who have not obtained immortality or those from the outside world who are not bound by it,
Of course, if the demon gods or outsiders refine themselves to become true, they will also be under the jurisdiction of the Female Celestial Law.
Additionally, when the Female Celestial Law was first formulated, the provisions were not many.
With the passage of time, more violations of the divine laws by various immortals occurred, and the law became increasingly refined.
Last time when Zhang Qing, the Lying Exorcism Immortal, received punishment from the heavenly regulation, Chen Yun was interested in it and learned about the Female Celestial Law. He remembers some of its provisions.
For example, some of the provisions in the section for divine spirits are very strict.
Among them, there is one that leaves a deep impression on Chen Yun.
This regulation stipulates as follows: All the true gods who arbitrarily accept the curses from the people and cause disease to others shall be sentenced to death. Those who harm one person shall be deprived of their shape.
Imagine for a moment, if true gods curse ordinary people, and if ordinary people fall ill due to the curse, they are to be executed; and if they cause the death of a single person, their form is to be annihilated. How strict is this heavenly regulation?
In addition, the strict provisions of the law are not limited to this one.
There are also clear provisions on sacrifices, and there are several of them.
For instance, true gods are not allowed to accept offerings from the people at times other than the eight solar terms of the year; those who violate this will be sentenced to nine years of hard labor.
True gods are not allowed to accept offerings and wishes from the people, or to cause misfortune or blessings without cause, violating this will be sentenced to nine years of hard labor.
True gods who arbitrarily accept a single piece of money or more from the people at times other than the eight solar terms of the year shall be sentenced to death.
This is just for the true gods.
In addition, land gods, stove gods, ghosts of the dead, various evil spirits, mountain gods, well gods, water officials, dragon kings and all other gods, as well as those who follow the orthodox Daoist tradition from Laozu's school, are all under the jurisdiction of this law.
Although Zhong Liquan established the sect of Chuandao Temple, Zhong Liquan studied under Wang Xianfu, the Eastern King of Immortals, and Wang Xianfu studied under Baiyun Shangzhen, whose master was West Queen Mother. West Queen Mother was a disciple of Laojun.
Therefore, Chuandao Temple can also be considered part of the legacy of Laojun.
Even if the disciples under his tutelage have not obtained immortality, they still have to be under the jurisdiction of the Female Celestial Law.
There is one thing that must be mentioned here. Although Zhong Liquan is considered Laojun's great-great-grandson, the only lineage that needs to follow the ancestral hierarchy for saluting and kowtowing is the direct descendant lineage of West Queen Mother. The other lineages of Laojun's legacy do not need to follow this practice.
For example, Tieguai Li is a disciple of Laojun, and Zhang Tianshi is also a disciple of Laojun. Zhong Liquan can still address them as equals, rather than addressing them as junior.
The main reason is that West Queen Mother forms her own lineage, as does the Eastern King of Immortals. Zhong Liquan also forms his own lineage, but there is a teacher-student relationship within it, rather than being part of Laojun's lineage. It can only be considered a part of the legacy.
Therefore, when Zhong Liquan interacts with Tieguai Li, Zhang Tianshi, and others, he treats them as equals.
Similarly, Chen Yun can address Tieguai Li, Zhang Tianshi, and others as "elder" or treat them as "equal peers."
After all, they are not part of the same lineage and the hierarchy is not so strict.
These are side notes and will be mentioned later.
He knew that Master had mentioned the "Female Celestial Law," which meant that Wang Zaixi might not survive today.
He had already made up his mind to ask for mercy no matter what.
But it's not the right time to speak up now.
After all, he doesn't know exactly why Wang Zaixi did what he did.
Chen Yun continued to observe the situation.
Wang Zaixi looked up, with a calm expression, "The disciples acted recklessly out of anger, causing suffering and devastation to living beings, violating the vitality of all things, and causing landslides and dam bursts. Those who inflict harm upon the heavens and earth shall be sentenced to death, have their form annihilated, and the grandson willingly accepts the punishment!"
Upon hearing these words, Chen Yun was greatly shocked.
This statement caused Chen Yun great shock. In the Female Celestial Law, to flow is to exile, and to be sentenced to death is to annihilate the physical body and undergo judgment for reincarnation. This situation usually occurs when a disciple has committed deep sins, and upon reincarnation, they will not be able to become humans again. They may become livestock in order to expiate their sins or be livestock for several lives.
But regardless, being sentenced to death still gives a chance to be a human in some lifetime, and with the help of friends and one's sect, they can restart their path of cultivation.
Adding the word "destroying the form" to "be sentenced to death" makes the situation much more serious.
In the Female Celestial Law, "destroying the form" means to shatter one's soul into pieces!
This is the second most severe penalty in the Female Celestial Law.
The first most terrifying is the "multifaced" penalty.
What is the meaning of "splitting the form"?
Splitting the form means torturing the soul with a thousand cuts, a form of execution by gradual disembowelment, until the soul is scattered into nothingness.
In summary, the Female Celestial Law roughly divides into seven types of penalties: whipping, imprisonment, banishment, needle death sentence, execution, destroying the form (splitting the form), and depriving them of divine power and sending them down to the mortal world.
The most terrifying is splitting the form, followed by destroying the form, then execution, and finally being sent down to the mortal world.
Chen Yun had long known that Wang Zaixi would suffer greatly this time, but he never imagined that he would receive a severe penalty of being annihilated in form!
Zhong Liquan showed no emotion, "You know that's enough. As such, if you want to be more discrete, I will handle this matter internally within the Chuandao Temple, or send you to the Bureau of Immortals in Yellow Springs?"
Wang Zaixi remained calm and unafraid, "To uphold justice and preserve the grandmaster's reputation, the disciple hopes that the grandmaster will send me to Yellow Springs, where I can be judged by the various Hell Court departments!"
"Very well, I shall comply with your wishes."
Zhong Liquan said and stood up.
Seeing the situation was getting out of hand, Chen Yun was about to step forward and plead.
Who would have thought that Wang Laozhi, standing beside him, suddenly spoke up and said, "Master, as the saying goes, if you don't educate your child, it's your fault as a parent. This disciple of mine is disobedient and has committed such an heinous act. As his teacher, I am to blame."
Chen Yun furrowed his brow, feeling that the situation was becoming increasingly complicated.
Zhong Liquan's eyes blazed with intensity as he looked at Wang Laozhi, "What do you intend to do, old comrade?"
Wang Laozhi showed a determined expression of resignation, "Wang Zaixi has been following me in the path of cultivation since childhood, and does not understand human reason. It is due to my leniency in teaching. Therefore, the disciple hopes that the master can give him one more chance to repent, and I, as his teacher, am willing to take his place for the execution and annihilation of form."
Hearing this, Wang Zaixi's face changed greatly and he shouted, "Master!"
"Be silent!" Wang Laozhi shouted and then tugged at his robe. He suddenly knelt down on the ground and said, "Master, this is the result of my lax teaching. The punishment should befall me, the teacher, not Wang Zaixi."
Zhong Liquan seemed especially angry, yet his face remained unchanged, showing no hint of emotion.
His tone turned cold and stern, "Wang Laozhi! You may be his teacher, but he has committed such heinous acts. As his teacher, you should be held accountable for his lack of cultivation, but not all sins can be attributed to you. You can only be held accountable for the failure to cultivate your disciples!"
Wang Laozhi grimaced and smiled bitterly, "Master, you may not be aware, I previously used the Purple Weibo Numerology to conceal the heavens' secret. In fact, this matter was my instruction to Wang Zaixi. Should I bear any punishment for it?"
"Not like that! Master, it's not like that! Master, the situation is not like that!" Wang Zaixi hurriedly exclaimed, "My teacher is lying. This was all my own doing..."
"Be silent!" Wang Laozhi shouted, his eyes wide with anger, "I tell you to be silent, and you this unruly disciple doesn't listen?"
"Shut up!" Zhong Liquan reprimanded Wang Laozhi, looking at Wang Zaixi with utmost seriousness, "What exactly happened?"
Chen Yun hesitated beside him, thinking that with his master's level of cultivation, he should be able to figure out what had happened.
He had never known that the Purple Weibo Numerology had this kind of function before.
Wang Laozhi, scolded by the master, dared not contradict him and closed his mouth.
Wang Zaixi took a deep breath and spoke the truth, "In the past, when Master was going through the three trials, some problems arose, causing damage to the herb mother and preventing..."
"I know about this." Zhong Liquan interrupted and said, "Tell me the details."
Wang Zaixi had no choice but to skip this point and continue, "Since Master knows about the situation of my teacher, then he must understand that without a stroke of luck, my teacher will not be able to achieve enlightenment and immortality in this life, and his life expectancy will be greatly reduced."
Chen Yun listened quietly.
Zhong Liquan nodded, "Yes, so I have prepared a peach for Laozhi, waiting for him to cultivate his mind to the level of 'True', and then I will bestow it upon him, to help him achieve enlightenment and immortality."
"Oh?" Wang Zaixi was shocked and suddenly lost his composure. His eyes grew dim, and he said, "I have made a mistake. I have done something wrong."
Wang Laozhi seemed taken aback as well, looking at his master in some surprise.
Zhong Liquan didn't care about how everyone else was feeling, and continued to ask, "Wang Zaixi, continue speaking."
Wang Zaixi chuckled bitterly and said, "A few years ago, Uncle Chen discovered an evil demon array set up by Lin Feiyun, the leader of the Yellow Turbanists in Xigou City. He told Master to handle it. Afterwards, Master learned that this was a method that could absorb the life force of ordinary people and accumulate them into innate qi. He once privately commented with me that if he could condense innate qi, he could restore his damaged foundation and achieve enlightenment and immortality. However, this is a method of evil demons and perverse ways that invades the life force of ordinary people to enhance one's cultivation level, which is not advisable. Therefore, he abandoned it."
Wang Laozhi sighed deeply, "If I had known you would do something like this today, I regretted raising the issue back then."
Chen Yun had already begun to understand.
As expected, Wang Zaixi said, "I didn't take this matter seriously at first, but Master... His attempt to cross a threshold failed again, and his foundation was damaged even more severely. If he cannot achieve enlightenment and immortality, the setback in his realm is nothing compared to the fact that he may perish and his Dao will vanish. I am unwilling to see Master ascend and become immortals. Therefore, I harbored malevolent thoughts and secretly improved Lin Feiyun's array that absorbed life force. I changed it into a Pure Yang Qi Convergence Array that can absorb all pure Yang Qi from a vast area of heaven and earth. I wanted to absorb enough pure Yang Qi from one realm to condense out innate qi and help Master achieve enlightenment. This is the whole story."
Upon hearing this, Wang Laozhi was already tears streaming down his face.
Chen Yun's heart was also heavy, and he finally understood that Wang Zaixi's actions were to save Wang Laozhi.
He thought that Wang Zaixi was too foolish, or even too stubborn, how could he not realize what level of cultivation his teacher possessed, and how sacred he was? To save Wang Laozhi, he shouldn't have used such extreme methods. He should simply ask his teacher for help.
Wang Zaixi sighed, "Alas, I didn't know that Master had already prepared a peach for my teacher, which led to such great disasters. Well, the matter was done by me. Master, please send me to the Bureau of Immortals in Yellow Springs to face the heavenly laws and judgment!"
Chen Yun couldn't bear to see Wang Zaixi's appearance and spirit fading away, so he quickly stepped forward and said, "Master, although Wang Zaixi has caused a great disaster, he has a filial heart. Please, mercifully spare him a life."
Wang Laozhi wept and said, "Master, the sin of Wang Zaixi was due to my mistake. I am willing to bear all the sins myself. Please spare him a life. He is still so young, and his future prospects are unlimited. He may achieve enlightenment and immortality in the future. Master, please…"
He did not finish his sentence.
Zhong Liquan spoke directly, "Wang Zaixi, the things you have done are not tolerable by heaven and earth. However, it was done out of filial piety, and thus you will escape the death penalty. You will have to bear the consequences of your actions. Today, I will expel you from the sect and also deprive you of your cultivation. Do you have any complaints?"
Wang Zaixi seemed to have not expected that he would actually be spared, and hesitated to believe, "Master, I have committed such a heinous crime. Today, you spared me. How will I overcome the difficulties in the heavens?"
"It is the teacher's fault if the student is not properly taught," Zhong Liquan said in an unusually calm tone, "Laozhi did not teach you strictly, leading to such a great disaster. As Laozhi's master, it is equivalent to my failure in teaching. I will take the blame for the heavens. You may descend from the mountain and leave."
As he spoke, he lightly waved his sleeve.
In an instant, a wisp of smoke began to rise from Wang Zaixi's forehead.
Instantly, his entire figure swiftly transformed from that of a middle-aged man to one with snowy white hair.
It is clear that his cultivation has been depleted.
Chen Yun had not yet a chance to speak, and Wang Zaixi had already mysteriously vanished.
Needless to say, it must have been Zhong Liquan who used the art of spatial displacement to send Wang Zaixi elsewhere.
Specifically, where he was sent, Chen Yun couldn't guess at the moment.
However, he felt immensely relieved that Wang Zaixi had not died. Although his cultivation had been stripped away, with his decades of experience in cultivation, he could likely reach his current realm once again in a relatively short period of time.
The most important thing is that his teacher did not seize Wang Zaixi's magical tools and earthly vitality, giving him a complete pass. This allows Wang Zaixi to have a chance to return to the path of cultivation and become an immortal.
This might be the best possible outcome.
After all, Wang Zaixi had caused such a great disaster, receiving no punishment at all would have been impossible.
As Chen Yun was secretly delighted,
Wang Laozhi looked up, his expression one of gratitude yet sorrowful, and said, "Master, you have spared Wang Zaixi. Although he will be protected from the heavenly laws' punishment, I… I…"
Zhong Liquan straightened his back, "I have already reached the realm of celestial immortals. What punishment could the crime of shielding be to me? Rather, you, who have been experiencing continuous problems in your cultivation and are not long for this world, do you wish to achieve enlightenment and immortality by consuming the peach, or fall into the cycle of rebirth and start anew?"
Wang Laozhi sighed, "Even if I achieve enlightenment and immortality by consuming the peach, it would just be a mirage. After ten thousand years and eight hundred years, I will still perish and dissipate. I wish to fall into the cycle of rebirth and start anew!"
"Good!" Zhong Liquan nodded slightly, "Since that's the case, while the heavens are still coming to capture me, I'll send you to the Bureau of Immortals in Yellow Springs. I'll give a nod to Emperor Huang of the Bureau and have him give you a good family. Once the opportunity is right, I'll come back and bring you back to my transmission pavilion."
Wang Laozhi bowed his head heavily, "Thank you, Master, for your kindness. After I reincarnate, I hope you will take good care of your body."
Chen Yun's heart was filled with a myriad of emotions. He never imagined that even Master, the revered deity whose name was known throughout the heavens and the realms, would be punished by the heavenly laws despite sheltering his disciple.
Zhong Liquan understood what Wang Laozhi meant and laughed lightly, "My teacher is the Eastern Emperor of Immortals, and I myself am a celestial immortal. The heavens can at most punish me for the crime of sheltering, which is a term of nine years in prison. It's not a big deal."
He said this, he looked at Chen Yun, "My teacher is the Eastern King of Heaven and his own cultivation is that of a celestial immortal. The heavenly court may only treat me with the crime of shielding, for nine years at most, which won't cause any inconvenience."
Um?
Master, are you predicting that I may face some major calamity in my future?
Chen Yun hesitated in his heart, but still respectfully replied, "All will be done as Master commands."
Zhong Liquan seemed to still have some concerns, and after thinking for a moment, he reached out and said, "Remove the two life-saving jins of celestial Qi that you haven't used and give them to me."
Chen Yun was confused, but he followed instructions and removed the two life-saving jins of celestial Qi and handed them to Zhong Liquan.
Zhong Liquan blew a mouthful of celestial Qi onto the two life-saving jins again.
Instantly, the two life-saving jins of celestial Qi transformed from their original fine hair-like appearance into a brilliant array of colors.
At this moment, Zhong Liquan handed the two life-saving jins to Chen Yun and said, "Before, these two life-saving jins could only exert a strength at the peak of human immortals. Now I have added even stronger power to them. If you take them out and use them, they can exert the strength of a celestial immortal at the peak. They should be able to protect you."
Chen Yun quickly thanked Zhong Liquan a few times, carefully took over the upgraded life-saving jins, and reinserted them into the socket.
Finally, Zhong Liquan had his hands clasped behind his back, "The things that need to be explained have been explained more or less. Laozhi, Chongyong, soon I will draw your souls out of your bodies. Do not use your powers to resist. Follow me to the Bureau of Immortals in Yellow Springs, and have a chat with Emperor Huang!"
"Yes, Master."
"Yes, Master."
Chen Yun and Wang Laozhi responded in unison.
At this moment, Chen Yun's heart was filled with emotion, mixed with a hint of anticipation.
What he felt was that Wang Zaixi and Wang Laozhi had not received too severe punishments.
But Master might face a nine-year punishment for the crime of shielding.
The penalty of "a term of nine years' servitude" in the Law of the Female Heaven is relatively light, and it generally does not cause severe harm. It's akin to labor reform.
So Chen Yun is not worried about anything his teacher might do, but he will not be able to meet him for nine years.
As for the expectation, to be honest, Chen Yun had gone to the underworld in a spirit state when he last recruited Ji Xin. However, that was just the outer part. He has not really seen what the Bureau of Immortals in Yellow Springs looks like.
Now, as he is to follow his master to the Bureau of Immortals in Yellow Springs, he not only hopes to see the full view of the Bureau, but also might encounter a host of sacred beings there, even the authentic being of Emperor Huang. Naturally, his heart couldn't help but feel a hidden sense of anticipation.
The Emperor Huang of the Bureau of Immortals in Yellow Springs is the leader of all ghosts in the world, and the master of the Underworld.
It is said that he is the embodiment of Ziwei Emperor, whose identity is noble and revered.
Chen Yun, of course, wanted to see what Emperor Huang of the Bureau of Immortals in Yellow Springs actually looked like.
(This chapter is completed.)
