Chapter 63

After Yue Qing finished speaking, the hall fell silent. After a while, Shi Jushi Xing Zheng finally spoke in a solemn voice, "Our late master passed away, and the Emei Sect is thriving. At this critical juncture, even if we learn the divine techniques from the Heavenly Book, it will be difficult to defeat the Emei Sect." He paused for a moment and continued, "Our late master had the talent to govern the world and practiced Daoism for nearly a thousand years, yet he still suffered a complete defeat before the Three Immortals and Two Elders. What abilities do we have to compete with the Emei Sect? We might as well not learn the Heavenly Book!" He then stood up and bowed deeply to Yue Qing, "I wish to return to Wuyi Mountain's Hongmian Ridge for seclusion. From now on, I will no longer involve myself in the disputes between the two sects. I hope Senior Yue will allow it."

Yue Qing nodded, "This is for the best." He gestured towards the door, "Junior Brother, please."

Xing Zheng sighed deeply, led his disciple Lang Teng out of the Seven Stars Hall, turned towards the direction of Taiyi Palace, and bowed three times before flying away.

Yue Qing loudly said, "Is there anyone else? If you are unwilling to avenge our master and do not want to join the third sword duel with the Emei Sect, stand up and leave now. We are still fellow disciples, and if you encounter difficulties in the future, I will not stand idly by. But if you learn the Heavenly Book and then want to back out, I will treat you as a traitor, and the crime of betraying your master will be punished severely. Zhu Hong is the best example!"

This time, Tie Dizi Li Kunwu also stood up and bowed to Yue Qing, "I humbly request to withdraw."

Yue Qing felt a pang in his heart. On Wutai Mountain, Li Kunwu was his closest brother-in-arms. Both were skilled in music and had once played the flute and zither together in front of the White Dragon Cliff, performing 'High Mountains and Flowing Water,' which received high praise from senior figures like Jile Zhenren and Yiyuan Zushi.

However, Yue Qing did not stop him and only said, "Junior Brother, take care."

Li Kunwu left the hall with his disciple, Little Golden Boy Fan Zi. Xiao Linghou Liu Zongqian, the disciple of Long Fei, quickly followed, "Uncle, I'll go with you!" Previously, Long Fei left in a hurry, and he didn't have time to leave with him. Later, seeing Yue Qing's growing momentum, which was increasingly terrifying, he almost trembled with fear. Now, seeing Li Kunwu leave, he hurriedly followed, his feet moving swiftly, feeling a chill down his back. If Yue Qing had spoken, he would have been so scared that he might have wet his pants. Fortunately, Yue Qing didn't take it out on him. They ran out of the hall, and by the time they reached the door, he was drenched in cold sweat. Li Kunwu and Fan Zi bowed to Taiyi Palace, and he immediately shot up into the sky with a green flame, heading for Mount Lu.

"Is there anyone else who wants to leave?" Yue Qing asked again.

Lin Yuan originally wanted to leave, but Qian Xiao didn't move. Moreover, he coveted the divine techniques in the Heavenly Book and had heard that Yue Qing had activated the Taiyi Heavenly Furnace on the northern mountain to refine a batch of treasures, making him even more reluctant to leave. He thought to himself, "Even if I learn the Heavenly Book and leave in the future, what can you, surnamed Yue, do to me?" Therefore, he remained seated.

Yue Qing asked three times, and no one responded. He continued, "The third type of person who cannot learn is those who do not follow the rules."

Zhi Tong originally thought that as the eldest disciple of Tuo Tuo Dashi, and having worked diligently at Ciyun Temple for many years, he was the greatest contributor to the Wutai Sect. Yue Qing would never exclude him. Hearing Yue Qing's words, he became both anxious and angry, "What rules?"

"The rules of the Wutai Sect!" Yue Qing said loudly.

Qian Xiao interjected, "What rules does the Wutai Sect have?"

Yue Qing said, "In the past, our Wutai Sect was lax in its rules, leading to rampant lawlessness and arbitrary behavior, causing widespread resentment. In the end, our master had to clean up the mess, which was the reason for the two sword duels with the Emei Sect!"

Lin Yuan said, "Our Wutai Sect led the Daoist world for five hundred years. For the Emei Sect to rise and expand beyond Sichuan, it was inevitable that we would have conflicts. This is the crux of the enmity between the two sects."

Yue Qing said, "Those who follow the Dao have many helpers, while those who lose the Dao have few. Three hundred years ago, our sect reached its peak. Under the three teachings, who did not respect our master? Even Changmei Zhenren treated our master with respect and courtesy. But during the sword duel on Mount Huang forty years ago, how many people cheered for our Wutai Sect? At that time, our master was besieged by the Three Immortals and Two Elders, and no one except Li Huo Zushi and Master Mao was willing to step forward to mediate. The Dao gives birth to all things, and virtue nourishes them. Without the Dao, nothing can be born, and without virtue, nothing can live. If we have the Dao and virtue, we must first establish rules. With rules, we can achieve order. The Emei Sect's Changmei Zhenren has ascended, and our master has fallen. According to my knowledge, in the next twenty to thirty years, the Three Immortals of the East Sea will also ascend, and in fifty years, even Canxia the Nun will achieve perfection. Among us, are there such people?"

Fayuan, listening nearby, was deeply moved, "Junior Brother, please explain, what are these rules?"

Yue Qing said, "In the past two days, I have been meditating in Taiyi Palace and received nine precepts for Celestial Immortals, 108 precepts for Earthly Immortals, and 365 precepts for Ascended Immortals." He took out a newly bound book and held it in his hand, "All of them are recorded here."

Fayuan asked, "What are the precepts for Celestial Immortals?"

Yue Qing said, "The precepts for Celestial Immortals are the rules that one must follow after cultivating a yuan ying (spiritual embryo) and aspiring to become a yang shen (positive spirit) and enter the Celestial Immortal realm. The first precept is not to kill, not to bully the weak, and not to kill innocents or steal souls for cultivation. The second precept is not to indulge in lust, not to use magic to force women and destroy their chastity, and so on. These nine precepts are known as the Nine Precepts of Celestial Immortals."

Fayuan thought for a moment and asked, "What about the precepts for Earthly Immortals and Ascended Immortals? Why are there so many more of them compared to the precepts for Celestial Immortals?"

Yue Qing said, "The precepts for Earthly Immortals are the rules that one must follow after cultivating a golden elixir to achieve the rank of Earthly Immortal. The precepts for Ascended Immortals are the rules that disciples must follow when they begin to cultivate qi and start to form a golden elixir. The precepts for Ascended Immortals are the most numerous because new disciples still carry the habits of ordinary people, which are not in line with the path of cultivation. Therefore, they need precepts to guide and correct their behavior. When to sleep, when to practice, and prohibitions against drinking and breaking one's chastity, over time, they naturally develop the habits of immortals. As their cultivation deepens and they gain a deeper understanding of the Dao, they no longer need precepts and can naturally align with their nature. For example, those who are overly lustful in their youth usually stop at the level of Ascended Immortals. If there are precepts to enforce discipline, after achieving the rank of Earthly Immortal, they will no longer be obsessed with women. Therefore, the precepts for Ascended Immortals are the most numerous, while those for Celestial Immortals are the fewest."

Fayuan said, "Can you lend me your book of precepts to read?" Yue Qing handed the book to him. Fayuan flipped through it, sometimes frowning, sometimes nodding, and sometimes sighing deeply.

Fayuan passed the book to Lin Yuan, who read it quickly, focusing only on the parts relevant to him, then passed it to Qian Xiao. Qian Xiao snorted and casually handed it to Xu Feiniang. Xu Feiniang had also participated in the formulation of the precepts, so she didn't need to read it again. After her, Long Fei, Li Kunwu, and Xing Zheng had already left, so she directly passed it to Tan Gan. Tan Gan read it and passed it to Bai Xiao. These two found that most of the precepts contradicted their usual behavior, and they secretly felt anxious, wiping cold sweat from their foreheads. They then passed it to Hu Shi, Sun Fu, and Liu Quan. Liu Quan had not participated in the formulation but found the content to his liking and happily passed it to Zhi Tong.

Zhi Tong held the book, his hands trembling slightly. He was truly angry and frustrated. Suddenly, he clapped his hands together and crumpled the book into pieces, "What are you? Do you have the right to formulate the precepts of our Wutai Sect to constrain us?" He was a man of great lust, appearing as a virtuous monk at Ciyun Temple, but secretly keeping a secret cellar where he kept young women he had abducted from outside. He and his disciples almost engaged in daily debauchery. Just this one act alone would make him fail the precepts, let alone the many other transgressions. After flipping through a few pages, he had already violated nearly a hundred precepts. How could he accept such precepts?

Fayuan loudly rebuked, "The precepts are there, and whether to follow them is up to you. How can you destroy the hard work of your Uncle Yue? Quickly apologize to your Uncle!"

Yue Qing waved his hand and smiled, "No problem. I have already refined three law stones in the Taiyi Heavenly Furnace, and these precepts are already engraved on them."

Zhi Tong angrily said, "I originally thought that you had obtained the Heavenly Book and gathered us to share it selflessly. Now I see that you are determined to keep the Heavenly Book for yourself and even want to take over the Wutai Sect! You are using tricks to drive us away one by one, so that in the end, you will be the only one in charge! Hmph, we have practiced under our grandmaster for hundreds of years. Has he ever forced us to follow any precepts? Even if we were to establish precepts, it should be done with the participation of senior uncles, not decided by a junior like you! Yue, don't try to find excuses and speak in flowery language. Today, give us a straightforward answer: Did you gather us to share the Heavenly Book? If so, bring out the Heavenly Book now, and we will each copy a portion and practice it separately. If not, please state it clearly, and we will decide what to do!"