Chapter 2: Magic Treasures and the Candle Dragon Establishing the Calendar

In the drumming, Qi searched through previous memories.

In addition to the scene of Pangu creating heaven and earth, Qi realized what realm they were in; this was the Primordial Wilderness.

Heaven round, earth square, boundless and endless, a world where immortals and gods are everywhere, and various mythological legends manifest.

Countless spiritual treasures and spiritual roots, abundant opportunities, a world where great calamities frequently arise……

In the memory, they saw the upcoming future great calamity.

Starting from the struggle for survival between ferocious beasts and innate deities, then came the clan fortune struggle of the dragon, phoenix, and three tribes, the struggle between Dao and demons, the struggle between Dao and orthodoxy, the struggle between witches and monsters and heaven and earth, and the ideological struggle of the Chan and Jie sects.

If that is true, how harsh the survival environment of immortals and gods is, and how the beings beneath them live without certainty of morning or evening—what a pity!

Qi saw that they were originally a mortal, living in the mundane world for over twenty years, so tranquil that not even a ripple arose from life and death.

A sudden benevolent thought arose; they rescued the two children who had fallen into the water, saved one, then returned again.

During the rescue of the second child, they cramped up, hadn't yet reached the second child and thus had no strength left; in the end, they perished together with the second child in the water.

It seemed they heard the surrounding anxious voices growing fainter, and consciousness fell into darkness.

Suddenly a white point appeared, emitting light that shone upon his body, after which came a long slumber.

Not knowing where they were, after some time, they only felt themselves in warmth, with mind and spirit at peace.

Upon waking, they only felt themselves with complete spirit and ample energy, inner tranquility, and a soul perfectly whole and flawless.

Divine power flowed like an instinct, just as when he wanted the water in a pond: a thought would gather it, a thought dismissed would disperse it.

Although they did not know why it was possible, it could be used, and it obeyed like an arm directing a finger.

At this moment, the lotus platform suddenly vibrated, drawing Qi's mind and spirit into it.

Qi examined the interior of the lotus platform, which contained a scripture of over twelve thousand characters.

Its title is the 'White Lotus Purifying World Universal Illumination of the Dao Beginning True Scripture'.

Every character was unseen by Qi, yet upon seeing it they understood its meaning; each character seemed to enact the scene of transformation between existence and non-existence during the creation of heaven and earth.

Beside the scripture another scripture appeared, but its character count varied, and its wording and content changed unpredictably.

Yet the fundamental meaning never changed; it continually sought to express the principle that when Pangu created heaven and earth, from nothing came being, being and non-existence transformed, and non-existence devoured existence.

But after forming a complete scripture, it would begin to expound anew.

Each time a completion was finished, it would shortly start over from the beginning; throughout, only the title remained unchanged.

Each completed piece ultimately turned into a single character that was added to the scripture; each added character would cause the preceding text to change, even damaging the calligraphy.

Sentences disappeared and reappeared, as if the content conflicted with the preceding text, causing the scripture to contradict itself and become incoherent.

Qi discovered that the principle revealed by each character differed, yet it harmonized extremely well with the following character, forming a coherent whole.

Everything seemed correct, but sometimes after a new character was added, it differed greatly from the preceding content, even to an extreme degree.

Although different segments connected harmoniously, when the entire text was juxtaposed, its content became like scattered sand, like tangled hemp.

This caused the preceding text to continually collapse, or sections to disappear one after another.

Qi was deeply attracted by this scene, immersed in it, unaware of the passage of time.

The body unconsciously began to attempt practicing the White Lotus Way, in order to learn and understand.

Comparing with Pangu, they evolved heaven and earth, until the outside sky suddenly brightened.

The light even broke through the covering in the great marsh, shining upon Qi's body; the sky resonated with the sound of the Great Dao, startling Qi awake.

Between heaven and earth, only the following was heard:

"I am the god of Bell Mountain, named Zhu; sensing the darkness of heaven and earth, lacking any time marker."

"Beings are unaware of the passage of time; heaven and earth have no means to circulate. Henceforth I regard light as day, darkness as night, blowing as winter, calling as summer, neither eating nor drinking."

"Until the world's yin and yang are orderly, and the seasons proceed naturally to their end."

From this point on, the sun and moon in the heavens began to move according to Zhu's rhythm, alternating, using Zhu to keep time.

By means of distance from the earth, the winter-summer cycle is controlled; the stars follow the sun and moon in their motion. The gods awakened on the earth all unconsciously gazed upon the turning stars in the sky; though they could not see the whole picture, they still gained something.

By counting the number of sun-moon alternations within the winter-summer cycle, they established the heavenly cycle number as 365 for a year, adding one every four years, called the Solar True Number.

Furthermore, because winter and summer were too long, they also took a transitional period as spring and autumn.

After traveling 129,600 years, the heavenly Dao resonance sounded; the gods, returning from their full concentration on the sun and moon's motion, only then realized that the calendar and seasons had been established.

Then they heard: "I am Zhu; today the calendar and seasons are complete. In celebration, thereafter each period of 129,600 years shall be one epoch."

Heaven and earth resonated with the Dao for him, sounding continuously for 108 days; the gods thus called 108 the Lesser Heavenly Circuit Number.

Qi also admired Zhu's conduct; in this epoch there was not the slightest error in timekeeping, it was exquisitely precise.

In the stars' motion there formed an immensely huge and complex operational mechanism; everyone sensed that within it lay supreme power.

Difficult to comprehend, yet it captivates people, making them unable to extricate themselves.

Qi raised their head to look at the covering that had been in operation since their birth, as if seeing its operational pattern.

No longer a static pattern, but countless streams of light moving in various ways.

Qi emitted a strand of spiritual power to join in, attempting to interfere with their motion, but found it had little effect.

The spiritual power was swept up and added to the motion, unable to be controlled, like using a straw to try to move a great mountain.

Qi's blessing reached the spirit, and they knew this was called a 'formation'.

In the ensuing epochs, Qi continually studied the great formation and the lotus platform and other spiritual treasures.

Understanding their uses and functions, when tired they would play the flute they made from lotus stalks.

From knowing the Dao's 'what' but not its 'why', they gradually gained their own understanding.

The flute also, through continual trial and error, became proper, from being unable to sound to being able to play the notes they desired.

In this process, they often ended up dirty-faced from mistaken attempts at the great formation.

However, under the protection of the lotus platform, they remained safe overall and completely mastered all variations of the great formation.

They also learned their names.

Lotus Platform is a supreme innate spiritual treasure, a twelfth-grade Pure World White Lotus; within it evolves the opening of heaven and earth, the way of transforming between being and non-being.

Holding it leaves no stain of impurity; the karmic forces of heaven and earth do not affect its bearer; calamitous qi does not taint it; it purifies heaven and earth.

Seated upon it, pure light pours down, guarding the mind, spirit, and Dao body.

The drum is a supreme innate spiritual treasure, called the Water Splendor Awakening World Drum; within it evolves Pangu's shout, the way heavenly thunder gives birth to the world.

It wards off evil and eliminates malign influences; when struck, it can produce the Purple Firmament Divine Thunder, used to oppose enemies and protect the Dao.

The whip is a supreme innate spiritual treasure, called the World-Purifying White Jade Whip; its shaft bears a total of 129,600 talismanic markings, the number of the Yuanhui cycle.

It records the jumping sparks produced when Pangu's axe split heaven and earth, and the flickering appearance of light and lightning.

When waved, the talismanic markings shift on their own; pure light encircles it; it specifically breaks the spiritual light of magical treasures, guarding the body's true qi.

It is extremely tough and resilient, a hexagonal pillar that can be lengthened or shortened, bending and twisting at will.

When short, it is a hard whip and hard armor; when long, it is a soft whip for lashing; it lacks the ability to stabilize and circulate qi.

The Emperor Bell is a medium-grade innate spiritual treasure, also called the Tranquil Heart Bell; within it lies the tone produced when clear qi rises and turbid qi fall and collide.

When shaken, it emits clear and turbid sounds; the clear sound makes the mind and spirit tranquil, while the turbid sound makes one dazed and muddled.

When both sounds sound together, they harm a person's primordial spirit and soul, causing the six desires and seven emotions to stir, bewildering the mind.

The formation is the Primordial Cloud Dream Great Formation, primarily based on bewilderment, illusion, concealment, and entrapment, with harm as a supplement.

It is not purely a killing formation; compared to other effects, among peers its harmful power is rather mediocre.

Yet it should not be underestimated; although the cloud qi within it offers only ordinary protection for the body's spiritual light, it specially destroys people's divine sense, causing those who enter the formation to be as blind and deaf, unable to leave.

(End of chapter)