Celestial music filled the air, a resounding melody. Jiang Ziya, holding incense, prostrated himself beside him, saying, "This disciple was unaware of Master's arrival and has failed to greet you properly. Please forgive me." Yuanshi Tianzun alighted from his sandalwood chariot. Antarctic Immortal followed, holding a feather fan. Jiang Ziya invited Yuanshi to board the reed hut and bowed deeply.
Yuanshi said, "You may rise." Ziya then prostrated himself and said, "The Three Immortal Islands have set up the 'Yellow River Formation,' and all disciples are in danger of being trapped. We beg our master to have great mercy and rescue us."
Yuanshi said, "The will of Heaven is already set, and no one can explain it. Why do you need to say it?" Yuanshi remained silent and sat quietly. Ziya and the Antarctic Immortal attended him on either side. At midnight, auspicious clouds appeared above the Heavenly Venerable's head, the size of an acre of field; from them emanated five-colored rays of light, and ten thousand golden lamps fell in droplets, like water dripping continuously from the eaves.
Yunxiao, standing in the formation, suddenly saw Qingyun appear and knew that Yuanshi had arrived. Yunxiao said to her two sisters, "Master Uncle has arrived! Sisters, I refused to come down the mountain before, but you two insisted on not obeying. I acted rashly and set up this formation, trapping all the disciples of Yuxu Sect inside. Now I can neither release them nor harm them. Now that Master Uncle has come again, how can I meet him? It's truly a hindrance!" Qiongxiao angrily said, "Sister, you are mistaken! He is not my master. I only respect him because of my master. I am not one of his disciples. I can do as I please. Why should I be afraid of him?" Bixiao also said, "When we meet him, we should respect him. If he is silent and treats us with courtesy, then if he has any sense of self-respect, why should we acknowledge him as our Master Uncle? Since we are from an enemy country, how can we be so disrespectful? Now that this formation has been set up, there's no going back. Why should we be afraid of him?" Yunxiao had no choice but to listen to them and remain silent.
The next morning, the Primordial Celestial Venerable ordered the Antarctic Immortal, "Prepare the agarwood carriage. Now that I am here, I must go through the 'Yellow River Formation'."
Then the Antarctic Immortal led the way, with Jiang Ya following behind, as they descended from their tents and proceeded to the front of the formation. The White Crane Boy shouted, "Yunxiao of the Three Immortal Islands, come quickly to receive us!"
Then Yunxiao and the other two stepped out of the formation and stood by the roadside for a long time, saying, "Senior Uncle, I was very rude. Please forgive me!"
Yuanshi coldly said, "The three of you set up this formation, which is what my disciples should do. However, there is one thing: even your master dares not act recklessly. Why do you disregard the rules and act against the will of Heaven, thus incurring the punishment of violating the teachings? You may enter the formation now, and I will enter myself."
The three goddesses entered the formation first, ascending the Eight Trigrams Platform to see how Yuanshi would fare upon entering. Meanwhile, the Heavenly Venerable, riding his flying chair, entered the formation; his four legs, suspended about two feet off the ground, were supported by auspicious clouds, with radiant light emanating from him. Upon entering the formation, the Heavenly Venerable lowered his wise eyes and saw his twelve disciples lying sprawled out, eyes closed. The Heavenly Venerable sighed, "It is only because the Three Corpses have not been severed and the Six Qi not absorbed that a thousand years of effort have been wasted!"
Yuanshi was filled with sorrow, and only after reading this did he prepare to leave the formation. On the Eight Trigrams Platform, the Fairy of Colorful Clouds saw the Heavenly Venerable turn around and grabbed a handful of Eye-Slaying Pearls, throwing them at him. How so? A poem testifies to this: "The wondrous pearls are thrown, flames erupt, their brilliant flight utterly merciless."
It was only said that the Primordial Ancestor was secretly harmed, but who knew that this treasure would be destroyed in an instant.
Forty-seven Laozi descended to the mortal realm, and Xuantian saved people.
Just as Yuanshi Tianzun was about to leave the "Yellow River Formation" after observing it, Fairy Caiyun struck him from behind with the Eye-Slaying Pearl.
Yuanshi sneered, and before the pearl even reached him, it turned to dust and flew away. Yunxiao turned pale upon seeing this, but Yuanshi ignored them and left the formation.
Now, Yuanshi Tianzun emerged from the formation and sat down in the tent. Jiang Ziya asked, "Master, how are the other senior brothers doing inside the formation?"
Yuanshi said with a blank expression, "With the Three Flowers removed and the Heavenly Gate closed, you have become a mortal, that is, an ordinary person."
Jiang Ziya was greatly surprised upon hearing this, and asked again, "When you entered the formation just now, why didn't you break it and rescue my fellow disciples? You had shown great mercy."
Yuanshi laughed and said, "Although this teaching is under my tutelage, I still have a teacher. I must consult with you before it can be practiced." Before he finished speaking, the sound of a deer calling in the air was heard, and a person came singing: "The primordial chaos was split open, revealing the dark and yellow landscape, and the five elements were restored in the human world."
He ascended to the heavens in broad daylight, and through the Hangu Pass, he cast spells that illuminated the eternal path.
Riding an ox, I passed far beyond the village; the melodious sound of a short flute could be heard across the fields.
He was the founder of the religion, who created the world and forged a magnificent universe in the furnace.
The Dharma within the Gate of Non-Duality is even more profound; when mercury and lead meet, they form the embryo of an immortal.
Before leaving the mother's womb, its head turned white; upon reaching the heavens, its vital energy was already complete.
Indoors, alchemy is carried out amidst the presence of earth and metal; within the furnace, the medicine seizes the innate essence.
Born as a guest in the Eight Views Palace, I have forgotten the tens of thousands of years of human history beyond the primordial chaos, seeking a wise teacher, and in the time of chaos, I am free to do as I please.
The Five Elements are in my grasp, and the Great Dao guides all those lost in confusion.
In tranquility, I built a golden pagoda; in leisure, I once ventured beyond the Guanzhong Plain.
With both hands, one can encompass the heavens and the earth; with one's belly, one can comfortably hold the five sacred mountains and Mount Sumeru.
Born of nature and old age, he was born with the form of Li and thus acquired his name.
He once worshipped Hongjun to cultivate morality, only to discover that one breath transforms into the Three Pure Ones.
Yuanshi laughed and said, "The eldest brother of the Eight Views Palace has arrived." He hurriedly descended from the awning to greet him.
Laozi descended from the sky riding an ox. Yuanshi Tianzun greeted him from afar, laughing loudly, "For the sake of the Zhou family's eight-hundred-year-old cause, I am grateful for your presence, Brother Dao!" Laozi also laughed and said, "I had no choice but to come." Mingxiang, the Antarctic Immortal, led the way to the awning, followed by the Grand Master Xuandu. After Ziya finished bowing, the two Heavenly Venerables sat down. Laozi said, "The Three Immortal Boys have set up a 'Yellow River Formation,' and all your disciples are trapped here. Have you seen it?" Yuanshi Tianzun said, "I went to see it first, and it is exactly as the omens indicated, so I waited for you, Brother Dao." Laozi laughed and said, "You should break it yourself. Why wait for me?" Laozi did not want to anger Tongtian too much, while Yuanshi Tianzun wanted to drag Laozi onto the pirate ship. Both of them sat in silence.
Meanwhile, the three ladies were in the formation when they saw a magnificent pagoda appear in the air above Laozi, radiating five-colored light. Yunxiao was greatly alarmed and hurriedly said to her two sisters, "Lord Xuandu has also arrived! What should we do?" Bixiao said, "Sister, each sect teaches its own way, so why should we care about him! If he comes again today, I will not treat him the way I treated him yesterday. Why should I be afraid of him?"
Yunxiao shook his head, "This is not a good thing." Qiongxiao said, "But once he enters this formation, he can release the Golden Dragon Scissors and then use the Primordial Golden Cauldron. Why should we be afraid of him?"
The next day, Laozi said to Yuanshi, "Break the Yellow River Formation today and return home as soon as possible. We cannot linger in the mortal world." Yuanshi nodded, knowing what Laozi meant, and said, "Brother Dao's words are true." He ordered the Antarctic Immortal to prepare the incense carriage; Laozi mounted the blue ox with its plank horns, and the ground was filled with mist and exotic fragrance, his face flushed.
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