Wet viviparity

Chapter 888 Three Steps, Leading the Way
Ji Ming's decision to wholeheartedly support Lu Zhenjun's reforms was not something he had from the beginning.

Reform is destined to be a troublesome matter, and even reforms led by Lu Zhenjun will not lessen its troublesome nature.

Since Ji Ming has already passed the stage where he needs to constantly prove himself and obey the sect leader to consolidate his position, why should he do such a thankless task?
This was naturally to please the patriarchs, so that when they summoned him, they would wholeheartedly guide him in the direction of his spiritual practice. For this reason, he would certainly be a pioneer of reform, disregarding personal gains and losses, and do his best to eliminate obstacles on the road to reform.

Regarding the specifics of the reform, Lu Zhenjun had discussed it with him, and there were three major measures: revising the three true scriptures, standardizing the rituals, and removing the clans from their lifelines.

Revising the Three True Scriptures involves extensively collecting secret practices, Taoist methods, talismans, and other texts from the main altar and branch altars, rigorously verifying their authenticity and origin, placing important authentic and secret texts in the "True Section," secret practices, talismans, and spells in the "Mysterious Section," and collecting scattered chapters on the Five Elements Escape Method and Qimen Dunjia and other numerological techniques in the "Divine Section." This provides disciples with a clear order and basis for their practice, and most importantly, it eliminates false scriptures and hypotheses.

Some branch altars established in remote and desolate places around the world were isolated because the power of Taiping Mountain Prefecture had shrunk to the Qingping main area during certain special periods. Over time, these branch altars began to form their own independent entities.

So be it. After all, it has become a separate branch of the religion, and Taipingshan will understand its situation during this special period.

However, the leaders of these branch altars, perhaps due to geographical constraints, had long been isolated from the Central Plains and only dominated their local areas. They even fantasized that they were the true lineage, so they deleted and modified their own history and scriptures, completely severing ties with the Upper Palace, and even claimed that the Upper Palace had stolen their Taoist secrets.

Such heretical teachings are not only circulating in these isolated altars, but are also secretly prevalent in those families, and have reached a point where they cannot be ignored.

Therefore, revising the three true scriptures is not only about organizing the Taoist books and scriptures of the main altar and various branch altars, but also about eliminating heresies, establishing correct views, and ultimately enlightening people's minds.

The standardization of ritual practices refers to the regulation of ritual procedures, which has been practiced by patriarchs throughout history.

In the ritual, the four steps of opening the altar, performing the ritual steps, reciting the incantation, and inviting the saints are all extremely private practices, and communication is limited to a small circle of people.

After all, the fundamental purpose of the ritual is to interpret the true Dharma on the talisman and to directly experience the key points of the true Dharma. If someone with ulterior motives obtains the skills and insights gained from this ritual, it can easily create obstacles for oneself.

Furthermore, these advancements in skills and insights are gradually accumulated through repeated rituals and communication with specific deities; how could an ordinary person easily share them?

The reason why the successive patriarchs of Taiping Mountain, and the current Lu Zhenjun, actively promoted this matter is that the ritual can not only decipher talismans, but is also a key method for refining and consecrating treasures, and has miraculous effects in subduing demons and exorcising ghosts.

More importantly, a good ritual technique can leave an impression on the heart of the god you serve, and this impression is the threshold for your future transformation from the earthly to the heavenly realm.

Nowadays, many disciples on Taiping Mountain have already refined dragons and tigers in the three stages of Foundation Establishment, and some have even formed their core. However, in the Daoist register, they are still just Daoist disciples and cannot be granted the three treasures of "Daoist title", "Dharma register", and "Daoist rank".

Those who are slightly luckier may have a lineage of ancestral master's register, and even then they may be granted a Taoist name and a Taoist rank.

For various reasons, an individual's accumulation of knowledge in ritual practices is so important that it can lead to a collective unconscious resistance against the sect's decrees on regulating ritual procedures.

In terms of "standardizing ritual practices," the clans in Taiping Mountain actually did a good job. They used clan rules and family laws to regulate the rituals, and the ritual skills of each member of the clan were recorded.

In some clans with a history of intermarriage spanning thousands of years, they even managed to share these ritual manuals to a limited extent, and these manuals constituted one of the important factors that enabled clan disciples to have a high starting point in their spiritual practice.

Both of these reforms are inseparable from the clan system.

The third measure, clan-based resource extraction, directly targets clans.

The three merchant families of Qian, Zhang, and Mi on the mountain were purged and weakened, and now it seems that anyone can kick them while they're down.

However, this weakened situation, when viewed over a longer time span, is like a ripple in the history of the Qian, Zhang, and Mi families, the three Daoist merchant families. To fundamentally and thoroughly change this situation, there is only one means—the system.

Once such targeted reforms begin, the Qian, Zhang, and Mi families, as well as the major clans that focus on managing local branches and act like "regional officials," will have their truly sensitive nerves touched.

Perhaps these clans pose no threat to Lu Zhenjun, Ji Ming, or even to the many elders and leaders, but when they are cornered and launch a desperate act of destruction, it will be no less than another great calamity for Taiping Mountain.

Therefore, a conciliatory approach is necessary.

Before reaching the hidden cave, Shangguan Yun was momentarily stunned by the obvious and pointed words spoken by Ji Ming.

The talk of reform had been circulating on the mountain for a long time. Coupled with the lessons learned from the Qian, Zhang, and Mi families, this forced the clans to band together and reach a peak of cohesion. As a result, the talk of reform became like a ghost, lingering on the mountain and never really settling down.

They all believed that Lu Zhenjun still had reservations, so in the real implementation of the iron-fisted reforms, there must also be a strategy of appeasement and division. Therefore, he took many measures to prevent the various clans from being divided.

"Little Saint, this matter still needs careful consideration."

Shangguan Yun said.

If Lu Zhenjun and Ling Xuzi, the next generation of Zhenjun, are truly united in their efforts to overcome all difficulties and single-mindedly promote this matter, then even if their clans are willing to perish together, what can they possibly shake, and what can they truly change in the future? "Is this a bait thrown at my Shangguan family by the Cabinet?" Xiao Guanyun thought to himself.

"You should first go into the cave and retrieve the robe and bowl that the two monks passed down from Jueguang, and then convert his true teachings," Ji Ming said.

"Is this a test to make me obey?"

The moment Ji Ming finished speaking, this thought popped into Shangguan Yun's mind.

Although this thought crossed Shangguan Yun's mind, he still entered the blessed cave with Wen Daoyu and Liu An without the slightest hesitation. Their cooperative manner was impeccable.

True obedience is not demonstrated in such matters.

How long can obedience under the guise of power and violence last, and can it truly sustain my obedience indefinitely?

Shangguan Yun couldn't help but ask himself this question.

In front of Jueguang, Wen Daoyu removed Jueguang's kasaya and carefully took off his soft armor. Liu An then placed a talisman in Jueguang's Niwan Palace. Jueguang did not resist at all and mechanically accepted being manipulated.

"Awakening Light!"

Liu An called out gently.

"Once you arrive outside the mountain gate, if you can't think of anywhere to go for the time being, you can go to Sinan Island in the East China Sea."

The old man Sifeng on that island and I have a deep friendship. I've also set up a separate residence there for you, and from then on, your life will be completely different.”

"now you."

Wen Daoyu said to Shangguan Yun.

Shangguan Yun stepped forward with a complicated expression. He knew what he was going to do: he was going to chant incantations to activate the talisman in Jueguang's Niwan Palace, thereby completely crippling Jueguang's Taoist magic.

As he raised one hand, forming a mudra at his chest, he seemed to switch places with Jueguang in a daze—he was sitting under the caisson ceiling, and a strange Taoist stood in front of him, looking down at him, pressing a talisman into his Niwan Palace.

His entire cultivation was suppressed by the talisman, and his true qi was like stagnant water in his body, unable to stir up the slightest ripple, and he could not mobilize even a fraction of it.

As the person in front of him began chanting incantations, all the true qi within his microcosmic and macrocosmic orbits was completely drained away, and his golden core gradually faded. He began to resemble an ordinary person, transforming into a physique appropriate for his age, and his skin and flesh lost their vibrant luster.

"what!"

With a scream, he snapped out of his hallucination and found himself standing in front of the cave.

"How am I Little Saint?!"

Wen Daoyu, holding the cassock and soft armor, glanced sideways at Shangguan Yun, who had suddenly become loud, and said, "Little Saint has been handling the aftermath of the calamity in the Treasure Pavilion. If you want to see him, you must first send a letter of notification."

Standing nearby, Liu An keenly sensed something. It seemed that Shangguan Yun had just been under an illusion, which caused his current drastic change in expression. Yet, his companions had not noticed it at all.

He said to Shangguan Yun, “We came here on the orders of the Upper Palace to secretly deal with Jueguang in the Hidden Cave. Now that this matter is over, Jueguang has been imprinted with talismans by you and me, and has lost all his cultivation. You and I can go back and report.”

If you wish to see Xiao Sheng, you will have the opportunity to meet him during the upcoming memorial service for the deceased.

"Is the upper court going to take action against our clan?"

Standing before the cave, Shangguan Yun asked in a daze.

Upon hearing this, Wen Daoyu and Liu An's eyes sharpened.

When Shangguan Yun realized that everything that had just happened was due to Ling Xuzi casting an illusion on him, he understood that the cruelty of the reform situation to come would be beyond imagination, and that the illusion just now was obviously a warning, or rather a reminder.

(End of this chapter)