Chapter 1: Prologue
Translator: StackThatCoin Editor: Hitesh
Green City was the most beautiful place under the heaven.
It was a famous Daoist mountain. From ancient times, countless extraordinary people with peculiar abilities were seen visiting the place. As the saying went, 'Dragons and serpents are usually hiding in the wilderness', it had perfectly lived up to this famous quote.
Countless mythical stories and legends were like a thick layer of cloud, putting up a mysterious veil in front of the Green City.
The ninth day of the third lunar month, the day was suitable for worship. On this day, one should avoid traveling as it would bring fatal disaster.
Before dawn, on a stone trail among the mountains, groups of Daoists clad in green cloth were seen holding three incense sticks in their hand, traveling quickly through the trail without making any sound. They were heading towards the back of the mountain, where a rock wall of cliff stood towering into the cloud; a rock wall with a surface smooth and bright like a mirror.
The passage was steep, and the morning dew had moistened it and made it slippery. Yet, these Daoists were moving as quickly as a galloping horse, making them look like trails of green light dashing on the trail. From time to time, some of them even leaped into midair, riding on the wind and traveling across a distance of nearly one hundred meters. The morning breeze was gently blowing, and the clothes were flowing in the air. The way they walked in the air made them look like some immortals.
Countless Daoists were coming out from different mountains, hills, all major temples, and towers, gathering themselves in front of this nameless rock wall.
Before sunrise, nearly three thousand Daoists had quietly gathered in front of the rock wall, standing neatly and orderly according to the position of nine squares. There was also a large group of young Daoists among them, holding assorted colored banners or instruments for a religious ceremony in their hands. Some were even carrying an incense burner and walking in a circle around the Nine Squares Formation. The incense curled up high into the sky, forming a cloud that blanketed this group of Daoists.
At the forefront of these Daoists, right at the foot of the rock wall, stood another group of Daoists. They were clad in a purple Daoist robe with a golden edge, and a symbol of 'Eight Diagrams' [1] was embroidered on both their chest and back with silver lines. There were even patterns of clouds, plants, and flowers stitched near the edge of their sleeves. Their outfit had given them a touch of magnificent. This group of noble Daoists was now wielding a 'Hossu' [2] with their hand, standing expressionlessly with their back straight.
The group of Daoists waited patiently and silently for some moments. When the first orange ray leaped up from the far side of the East and the faint orange glow tore apart the darkness and sprinkled onto the earth, all Daoists knelt down together facing the rock wall, and devotedly performed the solemn ceremony of kneeling thrice and bowing nine times.
Together, more than a few thousand Daoists started to recite some incantations at once. The sound of 'ohm' coiled together, turning into a subtle sound wave that echoed out into far distances, and made anyone who heard it feel a tremor in their hearts. Gradually, a mysterious force aroused from within the reciting of the incantation. A dazzling rainbow shot out from above these Daoists, shining upon the smooth surface of the rock wall.
Those Daoists clad in purple robes knelt and bowed together, murmuring a prayer under their breath.
It went on for an hour, and finally, a white flare burst out from the top of the rock wall. Soon, the entire rock wall was glowing with pure white light.
Mist and clouds were soaring into the sky, a vast and thick cloud enshrouding the rock wall. A few figures with bright golden light radiating out from their body could be vaguely seen from within the cloud. The visage of these figures was getting clearer as time went by. Eventually, three men and two ladies clad in pure white Daoist robes revealed themselves in front of the crowd. However, their faces were covered by a dazzling golden light.
The lady standing at the center bowed her head as she took a glance over the crowd of Daoists kneeling in front of the rock wall. A scroll suddenly appeared in her hand before she casually tossed it out.
A white flare flicked on the rock wall. The scroll was made using purple jade as its roller and weaved with gold threads that wafted out from it. It fell right onto the palm of an old Daoist clad in a purple robe, who stood at the foremost and led the group in this worshipping ceremony. The lady who tossed out the scroll spoke a few words with a soft voice, then turned around and got ready to leave with her company.
A few old Daoists in purple robes suddenly cried out loudly, "Have mercy, Patriarchs! Have mercy!"
Sounds of objects hitting the ground kept echoing out in the scene as every single Daoist was kowtowing towards the five men and ladies, knocking their head forcefully on the hard, rocky surface of the ground.
The lady who tossed out the scroll let out a cold shout. In an instant, all Daoists had their bodies turned stiff and remained kneeling on the ground, daring not to make any movement or sound.
Surprisingly, the other lady Daoist who stood beside her let out a deep laugh, and threw out a few objects backhandedly.
The radiance of the rock wall dimmed down, and all five Daoists disappeared without any trace.
Few objects radiating with a mysterious glow slowly descended from midair. They consisted of a sword, a pearl, a small cauldron, five talismans and nine medicine bottles.
The sword, pearl, and small cauldron had a small size, that made them look like some children toys. However, each of them was radiating with a dazzling light and was enshrouded in mist. It was obvious that they were all extraordinary objects.
Five talismans were surrounded by a golden halo, and were emanating an aggressive purple energy. Wave after wave of vague pressure kept bursting out from them, making a few Daoists who stood closest to them lose their balance and be pushed back by the powerful force.
Countless runes and seals of assorted colors were seen fully engraved on the surface of all nine medicine bottles. In front of everyone, the old Daoist who received the scroll just now opened up the cap of one of the bottle, as a fragrant and refreshing scent of medicine immediately burst out from it. All Daoists who stood in front of the rock wall took a deep breath at the same time, and immediately felt a rejuvenating sensation from all over their bodies. It was as if all their meridians were cleansed by fresh water, and it seemed like their surrounding was brightened up as well.
Just inhaling a whiff of this medicinal scent was worth more than three months of hard work for these Daoists. They had to laboriously carry out the practice of inhaling and exhaling in order to achieve the same result.
The old purple robe Daoist hurriedly sealed back the cap of the bottle tightly. Just the scent given out by the medicinal pill itself had already achieved such miraculous result. It was imaginable that the pill contained in the bottle must be a precious treasure. Few old purple robe Daoists clustered together, murmuring and discussing for some time, then put the sword, pearl, cauldron, talismans, and medicine bottles away. After that, they unrolled the scroll in front of everyone.
The first half of the scroll contained a full script. It was the script of cultivating energy and divine sense: 'The Script of Universal Energy'. As for the second half of the content, it simply made these old Daoists' face turn pale, trembling and bewildered, as they burst out in cries. Approximately fifteen minutes later, countless Daoist swarmed out from the Green City Mountain.
The power of Green City Mountain hiding in the mortal world had gone into a full swing, and they immediately set off a massive and invisible upsurge across the entire world.
[1] Eight Diagrams – Bagua, as in Chinese pinyin, are eight trigrams used in Daoist cosmology to represent the fundamental principles of reality, seen as a range of eight interrelated concepts. (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagua)
[2] Hossu – A hossu is a short staff of wood or bamboo with bundled hair. (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hossu)