Journey to the West: Demon Emperor: Beginning as a Little Toad

Chapter 512 The Eight Immortals of Taoism
Lihentian, Tushita Palace.

The Six Ding Divine Fire within the Eight Trigrams Furnace flickered dimly, its light shifting and changing, as if concealing the secrets of heaven and earth and containing the changes of the universe.

"It's my innate pure yang sword..."

Emperor Donghua sensed something and realized that a magical treasure was being refined within the Eight Trigrams Furnace.

Moreover, he was quite familiar with the aura of this magical artifact; it seemed to be a fragment of his own innate pure yang sword.

However, now is not the time to consider this Innate Pure Yang Sword.

"Nine-Turn Rejuvenation Pill..."

Emperor Donghua glanced at the Nine-Turn Rejuvenation Pill once more.

Although he harbored doubts about Laozi, he knew that this was not the time to question him rashly, nor could he act impulsively and break off relations with him.

After all, the situation is now clear.

People are knives and servants, and I am fish and meat.

If someone is still smiling and discussing things with you, it means they still cherish some old feelings.

If you just keep yelling about your incompetence, what's the point besides making yourself a laughingstock?

Emperor Donghua slowly raised his head and asked in a deep voice:

“Supreme Dao Ancestor, please speak freely about your conditions.”

After speaking, Emperor Donghua solemnly added:
"Please enlighten us, Supreme Ancestor."

We are all smart people.

Emperor Donghua knew in his heart that there were no free gifts in the world, nor was there any undeserved favor.
Laozi spared his life, which can be considered as repaying the kindness of Dongwanggong in offering tea back then.

From this point on, the cause and effect are settled, and both parties are even.

But now, Laozi wants to save the Peony Fairy. Donghua Dijun knows that there must be something behind this. He must want Donghua Dijun to do something for Laozi.

"Um……"

Laozi nodded slightly, his gaze fixed on the distance, as if he had pierced through the thick fog and seen the future changes and rises and falls of the Three Realms.

Lao Tzu slowly spoke:

"Emperor Donghua, because of your rebellious act against Heaven, the Jade Emperor has asked the Buddha to protect you and has granted permission for the spread of Buddhism from the Western Paradise to the East."

"This move, seemingly intended to quell the chaos in the Heavenly Court, actually opened a convenient door for the eastward transmission of Buddhism."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Donghua sighed deeply and said:

"The Supreme Dao Ancestor, the eastward transmission of Buddhism, is not my wish."

"Our Taoist tradition has been passed down in the East for tens of thousands of years, with profound heritage and profound Taoist practices. How can we allow Buddhism to expand recklessly and disrupt the foundation of our Taoist tradition?"

"If Buddhism flourishes, where will our Taoist sect go from here?"

Lao Tzu, however, maintained a smile and composure, and said:
"Your Majesty, do not worry. This is the inevitable course of Heaven, and it cannot be defied."

"The cycle of nature has its own laws, and we only need to go with the flow."

"However, as the saying goes, 'misfortune may be a blessing in disguise, and a blessing may be a misfortune in disguise,' there is an opportunity now, and it is the time for our Taoist sect to flourish."

"Emperor Donghua, you are the head of the male immortals, leading the three immortals overseas, and are the emperor of the Eastern Taoist sect."

"In this life, although you do not have the fortune of the Heavenly Emperor and cannot ascend to the position of the Heavenly Emperor, you still hold the position of the Eastern Wood Duke and bear the fortune of the Eastern Daoist Emperor."

"The destiny of the Eastern Taoist sect rests entirely on you."

"This fortune is a gift from heaven and earth, containing endless opportunities and possibilities."

“There’s a lot of potential.”

Emperor Donghua knew the main topic was approaching. His gaze sharpened as he stared intently at Laozi and asked:
"What does the Supreme Dao Ancestor intend to do?"

With a solemn expression, Lao Tzu slowly said:
"This old Taoist wishes to 'borrow' the fortune of your Emperor to bring prosperity to my Eastern Taoist sect."

"also."

"The Emperor's fortune is closely linked to the Eastern Daoist sect. I need the Emperor to join my Human Sect and become a disciple of my Human Sect. He should go down to the mortal realm to spread the Daoist teachings. This way, I can integrate this fortune into the spread of Daoist teachings."

"At that time, the place where you preach will be the place where Taoism flourishes."

"Wherever you go, believers gather, the Daoist teachings are spread, and the fortune naturally flows to serve our Daoist sect."

"Although the Western sacred mountain may have been a place where 'Buddhism was transmitted eastward and scriptures were obtained from the west'."

"But in the future, our Taoist sect can also carry out another 'transmission of Taoist teachings to the west and travel to the east to spread the Tao,' in order to help our Taoist sect flourish."

Lao Tzu, of course, had already planned this all along...

As the saying goes, "Red flowers, white lotus roots, and green lotus leaves—the three religions are originally one family."

Whether it's Chanjiao, Jiejiao, or Renjiao, they are all Taoism, all part of the Taiyi Xuanmen.

The Three Pure Ones, the founders of the three religions, were also transformed from three pure energies; they all share the same origin.

Just like a lotus flower, some have red lotus flowers on top, some have green lotus leaves on top, and some have white lotus roots on the bottom. Although they are different in shape, they are all of the same kind.

The three schools of Taoism are of the same origin, each displaying its own brilliance in the primordial world, together composing the glorious history of Taoism.

At that time, Western religions were just a handful of people.

Unfortunately, fate is fickle. Since the Great War of the Gods, the situation has changed dramatically, and the three religions are now in vastly different circumstances.

Back then, the Jie Sect had countless immortals paying homage, and its disciples were as numerous as stars, scattered throughout the Three Realms.

Tongtian Jiaozhu adhered to the principle of "education for all" and widely accepted disciples, regardless of whether they were immortals, demons, humans, or ghosts, they could all enter his sect and learn Taoist magic.

The power of the Jie Sect was unparalleled for a time, and its might shook the prehistoric world.

However, during the Investiture of the Gods war, the Jie Sect was caught in the vortex and became a victim of the struggle between various forces.

In the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation, countless disciples of the Jie Sect were killed or wounded, and their vitality was severely depleted.

After the great battle, the Jie Sect was destroyed, and its past glory vanished like a dream.

In the lower realm, the lineage of the Jie Sect was almost completely severed, with only a few fragments remaining.

Looking at the Chan Sect, the Twelve Golden Immortals of Jade Void were once the pillars of the Chan Sect, each possessing great supernatural powers and high magical strength.

However, after the Investiture of the Gods war...

Some of the Twelve Golden Immortals of Jade Void in the Chan Sect abandoned Taoism for Buddhism, joining the Western Buddhist sect to seek a new path of cultivation...

Some, fearing the evil influence of the mortal world and the prospect of facing death again, went into seclusion to cultivate, hiding away in deep mountains and ancient caves, focusing on the path of severing the three corpses in order to transcend their own limitations...

After the Investiture of the Gods, the Chan Sect gradually faded from people's view.

As the proverb goes, "When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits."

The Chan and Jie sects fought like a snipe and a clam, ultimately resulting in mutual destruction and leaving the Taoist community in ruins.

Western Buddhism, acting as the "fisherman," ultimately profited and rose to prominence.

Humanistic education, while adhering to the philosophy of non-interference and following the natural order, does not force things.

But now, with the destruction of the Jie Sect and the retreat of the Chan Sect, the heavy responsibility of maintaining the orthodox tradition of Taoism has fallen on the shoulders of the Ren Sect.

The Tao follows the natural way and governs through non-action, but it still needs to be passed on and promoted by someone.

Without someone to pass on the teachings, even the most exquisite Taoist methods will be like a tree without roots or water without a source, eventually drying up and the Taoist school will gradually decline.

However, the teachings of humanity are inherently free and natural. One can either renounce the world to cultivate oneself, like a free-spirited cloud or a wild crane, roaming freely between heaven and earth; or one can enter the world to help people and save them from suffering.

Originally, the sect had few members and not many disciples.

But now, the situation has changed dramatically, and the spread of Buddhism to the East is like a surging tide, sweeping in.

Currently, the Jie Sect has been destroyed, the Dao Chan Sect has retreated, and the Western Buddhist sect has risen.

Laozi (Taishang Laojun) was well aware of the dire situation. If the Taoist sect did not take action, it would gradually decline in this battle of faith.

Now, the Three Pure Ones are no longer in the Three Realms.

Then Laozi, also known as Taishang Laojun, is the "Supreme Ancestor of Taoism" in the Three Realms today, and is the head of Taoism.

In the Three Realms, the Taoist sect reveres him, honoring him as the "Supreme Ancestor of Taoism," and he also needs to plan for the Taoist sect.

then.

Laozi has decided to open the gates of his Humanist sect wide, accept disciples, and allow them to cultivate themselves in the world, help people, and spread the teachings in the lower realms.

Now that the spread of Buddhism to the East has taken hold, Western Buddhism can take advantage of this momentum to gain a large following in the lower realms and build up its influence.

Then why can't Taoist teachings be transmitted to the West?

If "traveling to the West to obtain scriptures" is acceptable, then why not "traveling to the East to spread the Way"?

This is also something that should be done in accordance with the trend.

This is precisely: "The Tao follows nature, is pure and inactive, and is the essence of humanity."

What is purity and non-action?

That is, he adopts a laissez-faire attitude towards everything, being both inactive and all-encompassing.

He doesn't deliberately interfere, but at crucial moments, he acts in accordance with the trend, promoting the development of things like a gentle spring breeze and nourishing rain.

...At this very moment.

In the Heaven of Separation from Hatred, within the Tushita Palace, celestial mist swirls, and the Six Ding Divine Fire within the Eight Trigrams Furnace burns fiercely.

Regarding the matter of "Taoist disciples descending to the mortal world to spread their teachings".

Laozi sat upright on the "Wind and Fire Futon," his eyes slightly closed, already sketching out a grand and ingenious plan in his mind—the "Eight Immortals of Taoism" plan.

Of course.

The number of the Eight Immortals of Taoism was not determined arbitrarily; nor was the selection of the Eight Immortals random.

The Eight Immortals of this gate correspond to eight social roles: "male, female, old, young, rich, noble, poor, and lowly".

It's like a complete portrait of all kinds of people in society.

……

The Eight Immortals of Taoism, namely:

Male (Lü Dongbin), Female (He Xiangu), Old (Zhang Guolao), Young (Lan Caihe).

Rich (Han Xiangzi), noble (Cao Guojiu), poor (Han Zhongli), lowly (Tieguai Li).

In the wondrous combination of the Eight Immortals of Taoism, each immortal corresponds to a unique image and identity, and also corresponds to the Eight Trigrams of Taoism.

Among them, Lü Dongbin corresponds to the "Qian metal" image in the Taoist Bagua. The Qian trigram is pure yang, hence he is called "Pure Yang Lü Zu", and his sword is also called the Pure Yang Sword.

Its sword energy, crisscrossing the air, fully displays the might of Qianjin.

There is the gentle and charming female immortal He Xiangu, who represents the image of Kun (earth). She is the only female among the Eight Immortals and is called "soft earth".

There's also Tieguai Li, whose life was full of hardships; he belongs to the "exchange of metal" category.

Tieguai Li uses an iron crutch as his foot. Iron belongs to metal, and the foot is located below and belongs to yin, so it presents the image of "soft metal", which contrasts sharply with the hard metal represented by Lü Dongbin.

Zhongli Quan was a fierce and powerful man. He could start a fire with a single wave of his precious fan, representing the image of "fire".

……

The Eight Immortals each represent one of the eight trigrams in Taoism: Qian (metal), Kun (earth), Zhen (wood), Xun (wood), Kan (water), Gen (earth), Li (fire), and Dui (metal).

Their identities also varied. For example, Lü Dongbin was once a scholar, He Xiangu was a young girl, Zhang Guolao was an old man, Lan Caihe was a handsome young man, Cao Guojiu was a member of the imperial family, and Tieguai Li was a lame beggar...

Among the Eight Immortals of the Human Sect in this sect, it is worth mentioning that Tieguai Li's surname "Li" is actually the same as that of Laozi, the Supreme Lord of the Dao.

Tieguai Li (originally named Li Xuan) was a descendant of Laozi Li Er, and directly studied under Taishang Laojun, receiving his true teachings.

Tieguai Li then enlightened other people to become immortals.

Therefore, Tieguai Li is the leader of the Eight Immortals.

The Eight Immortals of this sect all came from the tutelage of Laozi, either as his disciple, his attendant, or his grand-disciple...

Therefore, these Eight Immortals of Taoism can also be called "Eight Immortals of Humanity".

……

The plan of Laozi (Taishang Laojun) for the "Eight Immortals of Taoism" was to have the eight immortals of Taoism, representing "men, women, old and young, rich, noble, poor and lowly," enter the world to cultivate themselves, experience all aspects of human life, and ultimately attain immortality.

They will use their own experiences and spiritual practice to demonstrate to the world the concept that "all beings can become immortals".

That is, to plant a seed of seeking the Way in the hearts of all beings in the Three Realms.

He wanted all beings in the Three Realms to know that as long as they sincerely pursue the Dao, regardless of gender, age, wealth, or social status, when the "opportunity" arrives, they can become immortals.

This "heart seeking immortality and enlightenment" is the bait that Lao Tzu uses to lure all living beings in the Three Realms.

He wanted to let this seed of "seeking immortality and enlightenment" take root, sprout, and grow strong in the hearts of all living beings.

This is the grand plan for the long-term prosperity of Taoism!

Of course, Laozi's plan for the "Eight Immortals of Taoism" is different from that of the Jie Sect and the Chan Sect.

The teachings of the Jie Sect are open and inclusive, accepting almost anyone who comes, whether they are immortals, demons, humans, or ghosts, as long as they are willing to follow the Dao.

However, the overly lenient doctrines of the Jie Sect also led to a mixed bag of disciples and relatively lax moral constraints, ultimately resulting in severe damage and near annihilation during the Investiture of the Gods war.

The Chan Sect, on the other hand, values ​​innate talent and aptitude, and almost exclusively accepts human elites and innate deities.

Its doctrines implicitly contain a hierarchical concept, dividing all things into different classes.

Those with poor qualifications are generally not accepted by the Chan Sect.

While the Chan Sect's doctrine ensured that its disciples generally possessed high aptitude, it also erected a high threshold, excluding many ordinary people with aspirations for the Dao and depriving them of the opportunity to become immortals.

Many people who yearn to seek immortality and enlightenment cannot even enter the gates of the Chan Sect.

His future teachings on humanity will strike a "balance" between these two.

In other words, the Human Religion grants ordinary people the opportunity to become immortals, allowing those mortals with a heart yearning for the Dao, regardless of gender, age, wealth, or social status...

Even ordinary people with less talent have the opportunity to embark on the path of cultivation.

However, they will also be subject to multiple "assessments".

Only those who are truly kind-hearted, have a firm will, and possess the perseverance to cultivate themselves can gain the recognition of the Humanist Sect, become disciples of the Humanist Sect, and embark on the path to immortality.

In this grand plan, Laozi decided to use the "resurrection of the White Peony Fairy" as bait and the "Taoist Emperor's fortune" as a weapon to push the Eight Immortals of Taoism back to their rightful places.

Specifically, it involves using the Eastern Emperor's own "Eastern Taoist Emperor's Luck" as a sacrifice to heaven and earth to activate the destiny of the Eight Immortals of Taoism.

When the fortune of Emperor Donghua dissipates, his original imperial authority will shatter like stars and split into eight immortal sources.

These eight immortal sources correspond to the "life tribulations" of the Eight Immortals of Taoism, like threads of fate that tightly bind their destinies together, allowing them to grow through tribulations and ultimately attain immortality. They then become known as the "Eight Immortals of Humanity."

However, among them, Donghua Dijun was originally formed from the innate pure yang energy of the primordial world. He was once the "quasi-heavenly emperor of the three realms" and later became the "Taoist emperor".

Now, in order to promote the prosperity of Taoism, his rank is being lowered again, and he will probably become an ordinary immortal, just an ordinary "Pure Yang True Man".

Although Laozi felt a “slight reluctance” in his heart, he “had no choice but to harden his heart” for the long-term development of Taoism.

He knew all too well that stealing someone else's luck was always entangled in cause and effect.

The Supreme Sage may be fearless, but Lao Tzu should still be wary.

It would be best to have the real "Emperor Donghua" as the one who is willing to offer sacrifices and cooperate "willingly".

That would be best.

"Lend me your luck..."

The words of Laozi echoed in the Emperor's ears; that seemingly simple request actually concealed a profound mystery.

Emperor Donghua knew perfectly well:

"Laozi's 'borrowing' is just a high-sounding way of putting it; in reality, it's just taking it directly."

"After all, once luck is lent out, it is never to be returned, just like spilled water that can never be taken back."

Looking back, in his first life, he was the Eastern King Duke, the embodiment of primordial yang energy, the head of all male immortals in the primordial world, possessing the fortune of a Heavenly Emperor and the potential of a quasi-saint, his power shaking the primordial world.
At that time, he was revered by all the immortals and enjoyed boundless glory.

However, fate is fickle, and life is unpredictable.

Later, his Heavenly Emperor's fortune was obtained by Haotian, thus fulfilling Haotian's wishes.

In his second life, he became the Eastern Emperor, the Eastern Wood Lord, and the Emperor of the Eastern Daoist Sect. He possessed the appearance of a Great Golden Immortal and held a highly respected and influential position within the Daoist sect.

But now, if the fortune of this Eastern Taoist emperor dissipates again...

By his third incarnation, he would probably be no different from an ordinary wandering immortal.

It seems that the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm is the limit of his cultivation. What "Pure Yang Emperor"?
After that, he could only be considered a "Pure Yang Immortal".

But did he have a choice?

If he does not agree to Laozi's request, the Peony Fairy will not be able to be resurrected.

The Peony Fairy died for him...

Moreover, if Buddhism were to truly spread and flourish in the East while Taoism were to decline, how could he, as the emperor of the Eastern Taoist sect, sit idly by?

long silence.

Emperor Donghua finally spoke:

“Supreme Dao Ancestor, if I agree to give you my fortune, I am willing to sacrifice my own fortune.”

"Furthermore, I have joined the Human Sect, spread its teachings, and helped the Taoist sect to flourish. Can you guarantee that Fairy Peony will be successfully resurrected?"

His voice was deep and firm, and his eyes revealed a resolute determination.

Lao Tzu smiled slightly and said:

"Your Majesty, rest assured, since this old Taoist has already agreed, I will do my utmost."

"As long as Your Majesty acts as I say, the Peony Fairy will surely return to the world."

"The old Taoist priest can also instruct the Old Man Under the Moon to grant you and the Peony Fairy a lifetime of love in the mortal realm."

"However, just as the Jade Emperor said, from then on there was no more Donghua Emperor in the world."

"That you is no longer you."

"Emperor Donghua, can you accept this?"

(End of this chapter)