RPAGF Chapter 26 The Three Sects of the Mysterious Path
Chapter 26 The Three Sects of the Mysterious Path
After Sheng Wansong, the old Taoist Mingyuan, and the heroine Shangguan Hong introduced themselves to each other, the second and third sisters also arrived at this important place.
"I have urgent business to attend to. You two go back to the village first."
Sheng Wansong did not appear to meet them, but instead transmitted his voice remotely, saying, "The world is too chaotic now. I am not at ease leaving my mother alone at home. Only the two of you can make me feel at ease traveling the world."
This is unfair to the two sisters; no one should be willing to be confined to a small mountain village at such a young age.
But how much fairness is there in this world?
As a result, the two women received the cultivation techniques taught by Sheng Wansong, and from then on, the immortality that even the emperor dreamed of but could not obtain was within their grasp. This was the greatest reward.
After watching his second and third sisters head towards Taoyuan Village, Sheng Wansong withdrew his gaze.
"I have heard that cultivators have the ability to summon wind and rain. I wonder if you could enlighten me on this?"
Katsu Mansatsu was indeed very interested in the immortal path of this world.
This path of immortality differs from the cultivation of immortals in fantasy novels, where great power resides within oneself; however, it possesses numerous wondrous methods.
When Sheng Wansong was young, there was a severe drought in the Chu Xiang area. At that time, the sky was cloudless, the sun was scorching, the farmland was cracked, and the vegetation withered.
It is said that the prefect invited a celestial master to perform a ritual and pray for heavenly dew.
And sure enough, the rain came after that.
It nourishes the land and revitalizes it, yet at just the right time, preventing any floods.
In terms of altering celestial phenomena alone, Sheng Wansong could also change the color of the world and cause blizzards by relying on the Cold Heaven Absolute among the Four Sacred Hearts, but that was by forcing the world to change due to his powerful internal force.
However, cultivators obviously do not possess such powerful strength; it's no wonder that the old Daoist Mingyuan could slip and fall, causing injury.
If he could unravel the essence of immortal arts and Buddhist teachings, he might be able to surpass Indra and advance the Sacred Heart Technique to a higher level.
Like Sheng Wansong, An Lan and Shangguan Hong were also filled with curiosity about that mysterious world.
Facing three pairs of expectant eyes, the old Taoist Mingyuan couldn't help but show a smug look. He stroked his long beard and said leisurely, "If we're talking about summoning wind and rain, that's the specialty of my Xuanmen Zhengyi sect."
"The Righteous Path?"
The old Taoist Mingyuan nodded and explained, "Our Xuanmen has a long history and many sects."
"To this day, the most mainstream are these three schools of Xuandao."
"Zhengyi, Quanzhen, Jingming"
This old Taoist priest, Mingyuan, was quite vain. Seeing that the three were listening attentively, he became very interested and began to explain in detail.
Among the three major schools of Taoism, the Zhengyi School is the most powerful, because it centers on talismans and rituals. Its talismanic arts can exorcise evil spirits and perform supernatural powers, while its rituals allow it to communicate with the gods and the netherworld, even controlling the weather. Furthermore, external alchemy is another specialty of the Zhengyi School; even a single Xuan Dan (mystical elixir) is extremely rare, even among the most skilled martial artists.
The Zhengyi sect has almost taken over all of the Taoist sect's external communication business. It is the most worldly sect and has the most believers.
Secondly, there is the Quanzhen School, which focuses on internal alchemy and advocates the cultivation of both mind and body. While practitioners of the Zhengyi School can marry, have children, and practice at home, those of the Quanzhen School must abstain from marriage, live in Taoist temples, and eat vegetarian food, with strict discipline.
The most distinctive feature of Quanzhen is that while practicing Taoist arts, one must also practice martial arts to strengthen the body, cultivating both internal and external aspects.
The third is Jingming, which is the most special sect. The core doctrine of this sect is "purity, loyalty and filial piety". It advocates "purity of mind and loyalty and filial piety", and that all one's cultivation should be used to serve the country. The vast majority of people in the Imperial Observatory are disciples of the Jingming sect.
By relying on the emperor's power, the Jingming lineage never declined, until Emperor Ying trusted the mysterious Master Zhou.
"These three schools complement each other and are collectively known as the Mysterious Sect."
"So there are so many intricacies within Taoism."
Shangguan Hong couldn't help but exclaim, "Perhaps the world of cultivators is another kind of martial arts world."
The old Taoist priest neither confirmed nor denied the speculation.
Sheng Wansong then pressed on, asking, "May I ask which sect Master Mingyuan is a disciple of?"
"Well."
Sweat beaded on Mingyuan's forehead, and he was momentarily speechless.
Shangguan Hong noticed the old Taoist's awkwardness and took the initiative to speak:
"My master has praised Mingyuan Temple for its benevolence and amazing abilities on many occasions. This time, it is to subdue ghosts and come out of the mountains. It must be a practitioner of the Zhengyi sect."
Mingyuan quickly replied, "No, that's right. I am a Maoshan cultivator. The Shangqing Maoshan Sect is a major branch of the Zhengyi sect."
I'm not lying!
The old Taoist priest emphasized in his heart that the Maoshan Sect was indeed a major sect in the Zhengyi sect, and he was indeed called a Maoshan cultivator, only with the word "wild" added before it.
The so-called "wild Maoshan" refers to the Maoshan religion that circulates among the people. It mainly uses witchcraft and incantations. Occasionally, some people may know a few esoteric Taoist techniques, but in reality, it has nothing to do with Taoism. They are just using the name of the authentic Maoshan to take on jobs and make money.
Shangguan Hong smiled and said admiringly, "So you're from Maoshan, Taoist priest. No wonder you're good at catching ghosts."
Seeing that Sheng Wansong didn't ask any more questions, Mingyuan wiped his sweat, thinking he had gotten away with it.
Little did they know that even An Lan, one of the three people present, had noticed that he was putting on a brave face, but no one called him out on it.
After discussing the mystical matters that are far away, our focus eventually returns to the coffin beside us.
Sheng Wansong pointed to the three coffins. "Is this a family of three?"
"Don't use your finger!"
Halfway through his sentence, Mingyuan changed his tone again, saying ingratiatingly, "Pointing at the coffin with your finger will bring bad luck and bring misfortune."
unlucky?
Sheng Wansong closed his eyes to sense, but did not feel anything unusual.
Either the old Taoist priest is making a mountain out of a molehill, or the bad luck simply won't touch him.
"Young Master Sheng, the coffin does not contain a family of three, but a guest whose body lies in the inn, and the innocent people who were killed after his death."
"A corpse lying in the ground? Could it be a feud between江湖 (jianghu, the martial arts world) members?"
Shangguan Hong shook her head, denying Sheng Wansong's guess, "This guest has no external injuries, and..."
She pointed to a corner of the inn, and Sheng Wansong looked over and saw a pile of tools there.
Shovels, ink lines, paper figures, copper seals, and so on—these were all strange and unusual items.
"Turns out he was a tomb raider."
The old Taoist priest Mingyuan cursed, "These filthy bastards from the Tomb Raiders' Sect not only courted death, but they also brought evil spirits out of the tomb to harm others. They deserve to have children born without an anus!"
"This guy must have stumbled into an incredible tomb. Although he barely escaped, he was still tainted by evil spirits and eventually became a ghost."
The large tomb.
Sheng Wansong's heart skipped a beat. He remembered the eunuchs he had seen before. Those spineless bastards wouldn't be running around outside the palace for no reason.
Perhaps he was also involved in this matter.
Seeing him deep in thought, the old Taoist Mingyuan couldn't help but ask, "Young Sheng, you wouldn't happen to be interested in that ancient tomb too, would you?"
"Kid?"
Sheng Wansong glanced at him sideways, and the old Taoist immediately swallowed.
"I meant young hero."
"Master Mingyuan, I believe Young Hero Sheng would never have such thoughts."
Shangguan Hong smoothed things over, saying, "Young Master Sheng, you shouldn't deliberately release your aura to scare Daoist Mingyuan anymore. He's old and can't be easily frightened."
Out of respect for the female knight, Sheng Wansong stopped teasing the old man and instead focused on examining the three coffins and the yellow talismans on them.