Chapter 58 - The Daoist Scripture (1/2)
On top of Standstill Peak, Jiang Xiaofan was astounded beyond words. The silver-colored brass piece was outside of his body for the very first time and floated right in front of him. His eyes seemed to possess a mysterious power in which he could see through the reincarnation of life beyond the limitations of space.
This world was filled with endless marvels. Life was everywhere, and its cycle of movement was interminable. In the spatial dimension, he could see chains of spiritual energy forming which then intertwined with traces of Dao. Like the transcendent performance of a holy rite, they outlined the way to the truth of Dao.
He remained in a lotus position on the rock and did not move. As his eyes flickered with faint, golden rays, he saw chaos. It then faded and quickly disappeared without a trace, but the world continued to evolve. The spatial dimension quaked, and suddenly, the stillness of the void burst forth with the radiance of life.
The Buddhist Sutra began to channel spiritual energy at an even faster rate. Jiang Xiaofan’s blood roared, and his innards quivered. The silver brass piece emitted flares of multicolored light which subsequently dispersed and merged with the Heaven and Earth.
*Ring*
Suddenly, the precipice before him glowed. Its odd-looking striations seemed to have come to life. Each mark glimmered streams of mysterious, silver light and emanated an aura of the utmost sanctity.
The light completely veiled Heaven and Earth. Mystical, ancient writings danced in midair in sync with the brass piece. Jiang Xiaofan gazed fixedly at the precipice across from him. The view was no longer hazy. He could clearly see the traces of Dao!
After detaching from the cliff, the silver-colored ancient writings came to life and revolved around him like merry sprites before finally merging with the traces of Dao and materializing with shimmering light. He had found the perfect explanation of the way to the truth of Dao.
Jiang Xiaofan was shocked beyond anything that he had ever experienced before. This precipice was actually an inscription of a peerless Daoist text!
*Ring*
The brass piece shook again, and its multicolored light diffused even farther and out. Jiang Xiaofan was suddenly returned to his spatial dimension and now floating among the cosmos. He witnessed a world of nothingness become a world filled with life, and in the next, he saw the entire journey from birth to death. In the blink of an eye, one cycle had ended and another would begin.
The silver-colored ancient writings swayed in front of Jiang Xiaofan and exuded a Daoist aura that was capable of nourishing all life forms.
He didn’t understand what they meant, but he was in tune with the rhythm.
Jiang Xiaofan continued to sit upright like a pine tree and unmoving like a million-year-old rock. As if there was a wise Daoist who was teaching him all the world’s knowledge, he studiously immersed himself in this spatial dimension.
“Dao begets One, One begets Two, Two begets Three, Three begets all things[1]….”
A faint voice from the void that carried the truth of Dao echoed in his ears before settling in his sea of awareness. The multicolored lake then shook.
The silver brass piece above his head slightly vibrated, and its emittance of light softened to a glow. As if he was bathed in holy water, the sound of Dao continued to resonate with him and the traces of Dao swirled about. Yet, only he could hear the chorus and see these mysterious silver-colored ancient writings.
During the entire process, the channeling rate of the Buddhist Sutra increased faster than ever. Jiang Xiaofan felt that he was about to burn up from the inside. He then heard the chants of the ancient Buddhas. A golden array of light appeared and began to slowly rotate.
The gold-colored divine light and the silver-colored Daoist light entwined with each other, and chains of spiritual energy dangled downward one after another. The powers of Dharma[2] and Daoism fused together to create a life for all and dictate the laws of nature.
More silver-colored ancient writings detached themselves from the cliff and danced before Jiang Xiaofan. Eventually, they transformed into rays of Daoist light which then entered into his body and was submerged in his sea of awareness. Three large, archaic words appeared[3].
The Daoist Scripture!
In that instant, he noticed the figure of an immortal who had appeared within his sea of awareness. That figure peered down at the skies and lands, glanced at the celestial stars, and had the Heaven and Earth bowing before him. He looked like a primordial emperor who ruled over everything, but more so, he appeared to be Dao itself.
The figure gradually dissipated and was recreated into the countless silver-colored, ancient writings again. The traces of Dao swirled around Jiang Xiaofan and transformed into a stream of silver light which was then perfused into his extraordinary eight meridians and absorbed into his bloodstream.
*Ring*
Rays of the golden divine light and silver Daoist light simultaneously radiated from his body. The Buddhist Sutra and Daoist Scripture channeled spiritual energy at the same time in harmony. At the same time, he felt something opening from his inside. A tremendous surge of energy rushed forth.
Second heaven of Realm of Dust!
Scanning with his spiritual awareness, he could clearly see the gold and silver spiritual energies endlessly circulating throughout his body in a balanced manner like yin and yang. He detected the divine power from within himself.
Just then, the chains of spiritual energy and traces of Dao vanished. The precipice before him no longer emitted any rays of brilliance. The light gradually faded, and the striations disappeared without a trace as if they had never existed. The cliffside suddenly became smooth like clean-cut crystal.