The Great Way to Truth, Starting from Jiazi Laodao

Chapter 184: The heroic spirit of heaven and earth, still awe-inspiring for thousands of years

half a month later.

The last rain of late spring fell.

The drizzle wet the mountains and forests and soaked the soil.

A cemetery has been built on the Rebirth Peak of Fuyun Mountain. The walls are made of mountain cliffs and the ground is made of loess. There are formations for refining and salvation engraved on the walls. The surrounding area is planted with pine, cypress, locust and willow trees. The pine and cypress trees have pure air, while the locust and willow trees represent ghosts.

The feng shui of this place is excellent. The yin energy is strong but it is difficult to accumulate resentment. It can accumulate wealth and blessings, and benefit future generations.

Hundreds of Taoists gathered at Qiuzhen Temple, all dressed in mourning, and followed by tens of thousands of common people. They were grateful and came spontaneously to see the hero off on his final journey. If it weren't for the immortal masters of Qiuzhen Temple who risked their lives to slay demons and eliminate monsters, they would not have survived the war safely, nor would they have a peaceful and happy life.

The group came to the hero's tomb in a mighty and silent manner. On both sides of the gate were poems written by Xuanming himself:

The heaven and earth are heroic, and they are still awe-inspiring.

In addition to this poem, there are other articles on the wall, which were sent by various forces outside the mountain.

[The heroic spirit of the martyrs will live forever in the world]

[Sacrificed their lives, the martyrs rest in peace in paradise; shed their blood, the descendants will forever pay tribute to the heroic spirits]

……

When the news that Qiuzhen Temple was going to hold a funeral for its fallen disciples came out, they not only sent poems or elegiac couplets, but also dispatched representatives to pay tribute. This was both an admiration for the disciples' heroic act of sacrificing their lives and a way of returning the favor, as well as a way of giving face to Qiuzhen Temple.

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that the Qiuzhen Temple is on the rise like the sun, with a bright future, and is expected to become the third top Taoist sect in Fengyang County.

Forces of all sizes, including the Xuri Sect, Shuiyue Temple, the Chu Family, the Zixia Sect, the Qingyang Palace, and the Lingguan Sect, expressed their support. Even the Wang Family, with which they had many grudges, sent someone to present a handwritten letter from a great scholar.

In the past year, when these forces held funerals, people from Qiuzhen Temple went to pay their respects. During the Taiping Rebellion, the forces in Fengyang County put aside their grudges, united against the outside world, and joined hands to fight the enemy, with casualties on all sides.

When the county city was trapped, the Wang family's central gate was wide open, and a protective formation was activated, accommodating and sheltering tens of thousands of people. Three ancestors died in the battle. The one who condensed the holy fetus, Wang Lang, burned his life span and risked his life to save one holy fetus, two golden elixirs, and three demon kings in total. In the end, he ran out of energy, sat down and passed away sadly, sacrificing his life heroically. His death was tragic.

In order to protect his disciples and master, Yuquan Zhenren of Qingyang Palace performed forbidden techniques, burned his essence, turned himself into a setting sun, rushed into the enemy army, and resolutely blew himself up. Before his death, he ordered his disciples to pass on a message to apologize on his behalf, because after the Taoist conference ended that year, the Taoist conference of Qiuzhen was ambushed by a dragon and snake outside the county city, and it was he who secretly instigated it.

Thinking of his former enemies returning to dust and all grudges gone, and then thinking of the younger generations of the Qiuzhen Temple who were to be buried today, Xuanming felt complicated. While silently lamenting the impermanence of life, his desire to seek immortality became more resolute, and his Taoist heart thus advanced further.

Taking a deep breath, he let the raindrops fall on his body, put aside all distractions, took the lead and walked into the Heroes' Tomb, and the others followed closely.

---

As I passed through the gate, a cool breeze hit me in the face.

The people couldn't help but shiver and got goose bumps, but they never stopped. Firstly, there were many of them, and secondly, this was the final resting place of heroes. Awe outweighed panic, and everyone looked solemn.

After walking for a while, the team stopped.

Xuanming stood out from the crowd and served as the funeral master as an elder in the sect. Among the three generations of masters in Qiuzhen Temple, he was the only one who had no disciples and no deceased disciples, making him the only suitable candidate.

He shook the Jingming Bell that had turned into a bell, and with the clear sound, he said in a deep voice: "The time has come, please return to your place, heroic soul."

At the command, eighty-seven Taoists from the fourth generation came forward carrying eighty-seven coffins. The coffins were covered with a layer of magical film to converge the spiritual light, block the erosion of wind and rain, and avoid dust pollution.

After they stood still, they mobilized their magic power, lifted the coffin, and carefully placed it in the grave that had been dug long ago. In the quiet and cold forest, the ups and downs of the mysterious voice rang out:
"The dead soul, the dead soul, has three souls in its body. One soul enters the palace of the gods and will soon become a god; one soul is in the grave, protecting the descendants; one soul goes to the netherworld and will soon be reborn as a human. The Jade Capital is not far away, please ascend the Cloud Road."

The voice was majestic and desolate, echoing at the tomb of heroes. In a trance, the people seemed to hear the sound of war and saw the scene of the audience of Qiuzhen who was ready to die and shed blood. They were deeply shocked, admired and grateful at the same time. Men and women shed tears, and the young and strong had red eyes. The thoughts of all parties were also drifting, as if they had traveled through time and were in the flames of war in the past. It was as if they saw their relatives and friends who had died in the war, and they couldn't help but shed tears.

The remaining four generations of disciples in front were sobbing, even Daoist Qian was no exception. Men don't shed tears easily, but they were not heartbroken yet. Those who died in the battle were their fellow disciples who had been with them day and night, so how could they be so sad?
Xuanxu, Xuanyin and other three generations of immortals could not help but shed tears in their eyes, as their eyes contained the disciples whom they had taught so carefully. Their voices, appearances and smiles were still fresh in their memories, but they had passed away young and were no longer in the Yin and Yang realms.

Two loud and clear cries rang out, adding an indescribable sense of humor to the desolate and serious atmosphere. Xuan Kong and Xuan Yang didn't care about their image at all, they just collapsed on the ground, wailing loudly and blowing their noses from time to time. It seemed exaggerated, but in fact it was a true expression of their true feelings, which happened naturally.

Seeing this, Xuanming did not stop it, because the process could not be interrupted, and because the two junior brothers, Wolong and Fengchu, showed no signs of acting. Although they were a little heartless, they were kind-hearted. As their cultivation deepened, they did not hide their true nature, and they were a bit like old naughty boys. This mentality would allow them to go further on the road of seeking.

---

When the coffin fell to the ground, Xuanming rang the bell and ordered all the Taoists to come forward and recite the Taiyi Jiuku Sutra, praying for the salvation of the dead soul. He paused after each sentence so that other people could follow suit.

After the chanting, Xuanming ordered his disciples to seal the soil and burn incense to offer sacrifices. Each person held four sticks of incense and performed four prostrations.

He rang the bell and chanted:
[Holding long spears and wearing rhinoceros armor, the chariots are intertwined and the short weapons are engaged. The flags cover the sun and the enemies are like clouds. The soldiers are fighting for the first place... Sincerity is brave and martial arts are finally strong and cannot be bullied. After the body dies, the spirit becomes a spirit, and the soul is resolute and becomes a ghost hero]

This is "Nine Songs: Martyrdom" by Qu Yuan in his previous life. It describes a tragic battle in which the enemy and us were far superior to each other, and praises the heroic spirit of facing death with indifference and the courageous spirit of protecting the people. It was slightly modified by Xuan Ming and is very suitable for use here.

The sacrificial speech sounded with a heavy voice and the atmosphere was solemn. After the speech ended, the incense in everyone's hands automatically flew into the three-foot incense burner in front of the altar. This was a magic weapon refined by Xuan Yang before, and it would be placed in the cemetery in the future.

"All disciples, listen up! Form your formations and draw your swords!"

After putting away the Jingming Bell, Xuanming's voice suddenly became sharp.

This was the first order he issued when he was fighting against the real dragon and all the monsters. The war started from here, and the sword sacrifice also started from here.

From the master to the disciples, everyone had a solemn expression. They raised their hands and unsheathed the peach wood swords behind them.

Under Xuanming's leadership, they practiced the Bagua sword technique, starting from the Qian position and ending at the Dui position. Every move, every chop and every slash, had no magic power or sword intent, and was ordinary.

This is how every Taoist in Qiuzhen Temple first learns sword, simple and with a pure heart.

The Taoists swung their swords in unison, creating sword flowers. Clearly there was no supernatural power at work, but there was a force brewing and taking shape, and a Bagua diagram unfolded under their feet.

Two forces are generated in the Xun and Kan positions, evolving into bitter wind and rain, just like the moods of the Taoists. Finally, the two forces enter the Kun position together, and the surrounding light is absorbed, suddenly becoming three points dim, implying that all living beings will return to dust after death, and their souls will return to the earth.

Whoosh~!

A sound broke through the air.

Eighty-seven peach wood swords flew at the same time.

This is the sword of the disciple who died in battle.

They followed the others in the drill, and after it was over, Xuanming said in a deep voice, "All disciples, listen up, return to the formation, and put away your swords."

This sentence has three meanings.

He is saying to the Heroic Spirits:
The war is over, it's time to put away the swords.

The drill is over, it's time to put away the sword.

Mission accomplished, time to shelve the sword.

(End of this chapter)