Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 22: Immortal Products (Part )
As a reliance on Emperor Mu for health preservation and life protection, Xihua Zhimiao Zhenqi was also mixed in with Emperor Mu's chronicles. When Lü Shang read it, he copied it onto silk to use as a reference for his later qigong practice.

"pity,"

Stroking the Eight Horses Painting, Lu Shang's eyes were filled with reluctance. This Eight Horses Painting could be said to be the most precious of all the divine objects in the library.

This was because the map was most likely created by the Queen Mother of the West in Yaochi. Apart from the head of the female immortals, Lu Shang couldn't imagine where Emperor Mu could have found such a divine object.

If it was not given by the Queen Mother of the West, even if King Mu of Zhou was the emperor of ten thousand chariots, he would not have been able to possess an immortal treasure of this level.

Being able to refine eight ancient dragon species into the map simultaneously was something no ordinary immortal could do. Because the person who refined it possessed such profound skills, the map was imbued with spirituality. Unless it encountered a descendant of the First Lord or someone truly destined to see it, the map would not reveal its mysteries.

If Lu Shang did not have the divine blood of Gonggong and was not innately compatible with the way of water, it would be considered a unique kind of fate, which would have caused the eight dragons in King Mu's Eight Horses Painting to become restless.

Even if a god from the upper realm came down to earth, without King Mu's bloodline, he would have no hope of deciphering the mystery of King Mu's Eight Horses Painting. He would only regard the Eight Horses Painting as an ordinary artifact from the Western Zhou Dynasty. This is the main reason why the Eight Horses Painting has been covered in dust in the library for many years.

Lü Shang had recently discovered some of the mysteries of the Eight Horses Diagram. This diagram, containing the essence of eight dragons, served as a self-defense tool for Emperor Mu. Unfolding the diagram summoned the eight dragons for protection. The eight dragons were all ancient divine species, naturally endowed with powers comparable to those of earthly immortals. Their combined power was unmatched by any Pure Yang immortal.

However, no matter how great the treasures were, Lü Shang could only touch them in the Secretariat, never claiming them for himself. Even if he was a relative of the royal family, embezzling the Secretariat's treasures from the imperial city would be a grave offense. If discovered, he would face punishment even if he fled to the ends of the earth.

There were hidden dragons and crouching tigers within and beyond the imperial city, and countless experts were hidden. When Lu Shang first entered the Suzaku Gate, he felt like he was on edge. Although his abilities weren't weak, he still had a long way to go before he could run rampant.

You should know that the world of Yama is different from the Great Wilderness Mountains and Seas. The Great Wilderness Mountains and Seas have a connection to the sky. Without the imperial edicts of the Five Heavenly Emperors, beings of the level of gods cannot descend to the mortal world. The strongest person in the Nine Provinces of the human world is Emperor Zhuxia, who holds the seal of the emperor.

However, there is no such thing as a connection between heaven and earth in the world of Jambu. The gods from the upper realm often want to come down to the mortal world. There are also immortals from the ten continents and three islands overseas who play around in the mortal world. There are also many people with great supernatural powers living in the four continents. Even the Great Leiyin Temple of Sakyamuni is located in the Tianzhu territory of Xiniuhezhou.

The water in the human world of Jambu is too deep. With Lu Shang's limited ability, he would be drowned if he was not careful.

"However, although we were unable to smuggle the Eight Horses Painting out of the Imperial City, we did not gain nothing."

Lu Shang looked at the picture of Eight Horses, and vaguely saw a strange species of eight-headed dragon appearing on the picture.

"Desperate, turning feathers, rushing to the sky, surpassing shadows, surpassing brilliance, surpassing light, rising mist, holding wings,"

The shadows of eight strange dragons are tumbling on the picture, raising bursts of dragon roars, with clouds and mist, wind and thunder, the dragon bodies are dancing, the wind and clouds are changing, and various weather conditions are evolving.

"Human Immortal Martial Arts, a group of dragons without a leader!"

The Qian Gua in the Book of Changes says: "Using nine, seeing a group of dragons without a leader is auspicious."

This scroll of King Mu's Eight Steeds is more than just a simple protective object. Conceived within it are the forms of the Eight Steeds, a form of human-immortal martial arts. Those with a keen mind, observing the transformations of the Eight Steeds' forms, can comprehend the essence of this human-immortal martial art.

The Eight Dragon Steeds transform into eight forms, each with its own unique mysteries. If one can imitate these transformations, their physical strength will gradually improve, even approaching the level of these ancient dragon species.

Ordinary human immortals cultivate their roots, cultivate the fetus through alchemy, and refine their essence into qi, achieving a lifespan of five hundred years. This is the orthodox path of immortal cultivation. So-called human immortal martial arts depart from this orthodoxy, forging a new path within the mundane martial arts. Through the steps of training the flesh, tendons, membranes, bones, internal organs, marrow, and blood, the body attains sanctity, and then further steps towards the human immortal realm, practically proving the truth through sheer force.

Once the success is achieved, the combat power will be extremely powerful, and one can fight against the earthly immortals with the body of a human immortal.

It is said that the great generals of the Tang Dynasty were known as enemies of ten thousand men, and Li Yuanba even slew an army of one million men in Siming Mountain, which shows how terrifying martial arts are.

However, the path of martial arts begins in the mortal world, and the end point is the human immortal. No matter how strong the martial arts is, it will still be dust after a hundred years. As for the orthodox immortal path, the human immortal lifespan is 500 years, which is only a lower-level Taoist fruit.

Lu Shang once saw the classification of immortals in the world of Yamabu on a bamboo slip from the pre-Qin period.

If the ascetics in the world of Jambu want to achieve immortality, they must go through the steps of nourishing their essence, refining their qi, concentrating their spirit, harmonizing the dragon and the tiger, and drawing from Kan and filling in Li. Harmonizing the dragon and the tiger is the most critical step, as it determines whether they can become an immortal or a ghost.

If one does not understand the great way but wants to achieve success quickly, and becomes as physically like a dead tree and as heart as ashes, then it will be difficult for him to enter the realm of extraction, filling and separation. This is called a ghost immortal.

Ghost immortals are also called corpse-reincarnated immortals. Although they have defects in physical cultivation, they are well versed in the Dharma and have a lifespan of three hundred years.

Above the ghost immortals, those who have completed the extraction of Kan and filling of Li, met the root, and formed the golden elixir are called human immortals.

After achieving human immortality and accumulating merits and virtues, the upper realm will send down a decree to guide you to ascend to heaven and become an immortal official. All the immortal officials in the heavenly palaces in the upper realm of Jambudvīpa are of this type of human immortals.

When a human immortal reaches a higher level, he will infuse his spirit into his body, cultivate the great elixir, refine his qi and transform it into a spirit. He will live for a thousand and five hundred years and is called an earthly immortal.

To achieve immortality, earthly immortals must endure three disasters, which occur every five hundred years. If they can survive, their magical powers will increase greatly; if they cannot, they will turn into ashes and die.

If one fears the three disasters and has obstacles in his heart, knowing that he will be reduced to ashes after 500 years, he can also accumulate good deeds. When his good deeds are sufficient, the upper realm will send down a decree to promote him to become a heavenly official. The heavenly officials in the various heavenly palaces in the upper realm of Jambudvīpa are all such earthly immortals.

Above the earthly immortals, those who are immortal, have pure yang spirits, and refine their spirits to return to emptiness are called gods.

Those who attain immortality can become Star Lords in heaven or Ghost Emperors on earth. The Three Pure Ones are called Daluo Immortals by the orthodox school, Taiyi Immortals by the Mystical School, and Great Arhats or Mahayana Bodhisattvas by the Western Paradise. This is not the closure of heaven and earth for 129,600 years; it is already great freedom.

Most of the star gods, heavenly kings, and marshals in the upper realm are in this realm.

Above the gods, one must shatter the void, refine the void and merge with the Tao, realize the innate ancestral qi, jump out of the heavy calamities of heaven and earth, the final calamities of heaven and earth, keep the true nature indestructible, reopen the heaven and earth, and save people through calamities. This is called the Taiyi celestial immortal of Hunyuan Yiqi. In Western Buddhism, it is also called the Bodhisattva of Equal Enlightenment and the Bodhisattva of Wonderful Enlightenment.

The gods, emperors and Buddhas of the upper realm are all in this state.

Of course, there must be immortals above the celestial immortals. Although the pre-Qin bamboo slips that Lu Shang read did not mention this, it does not mean that the celestial immortals are the highest achievement. At least the Three Pure Ones and the Four Emperors cannot be measured by simple celestial immortals.

There is a commentary by the immortal Ge Xuan on "The Secret of Jinhua, the Founder of Fuli", which talks about the Daluo Celestial Immortal being the supreme. Perhaps the Three Pure Ones and the Four Emperors are the Daluo Celestial Immortals.

(End of this chapter)