NABC Chapter 2: Planning Merits and Establishing Two Yuan Chen
Chapter 2: Planning Merits and Establishing Two Yuan Chen
"Indeed, this is merit."
Ling Xiao nodded, his fingertips still lightly tapping his knees, his eyes filled with an all-knowing understanding.
To preserve oneself and escape countless calamities in this unpredictable and treacherous world, there are only two ways: one is to avoid the predetermined fate and karma, and the other is to accumulate enough merit to protect oneself. Neither of these two methods can be lacking.
Relying solely on escaping the world and avoiding karma is ultimately a inferior approach.
Just like in the later Journey to the West, Zhen Yuanzi of Longevity Mountain, who was always indifferent to worldly affairs and lived a carefree life as the ancestor of earth immortals, was still schemed against and ended up having his ginseng fruit tree knocked down. It was truly a case of sitting at home when disaster strikes from the sky.
However, relying solely on merit is by no means foolproof.
The great god Pangu created the world, which was a truly immeasurable merit. Besides transforming into the Xuanhuang Linglong Pagoda to nourish all things in the primordial world, most of the remaining merit from the creation of the world fell on the Three Pure Ones and the Twelve Ancestral Witches.
In terms of the magnitude of their merits, there are very few beings in the primordial world who can surpass the Twelve Ancestral Witches.
However, even with the merit of creating the world, after Gonggong broke the pillar of Buzhou Mountain, causing a catastrophe that shattered the heavens and earth and caused widespread suffering, eleven of the twelve ancestral witches still faced the calamity and perished. Only Houtu sacrificed herself to be reincarnated in the six realms of reincarnation, thus saving her life.
—This primordial world has never been a place where one can roam freely by brute force or merit alone.
Only by remaining untainted by cause and effect and accumulating merit can one remain steadfast amidst the torrent of eons.
Therefore, Ling Xiao decided to take a two-pronged approach and tackle both issues simultaneously!
We must not lead Xihe and Changxi back to the original path of the demon race's heavenly court, but we must also plan for merit!
"Merit is a treasure of heaven and earth. What you say is absolutely right, brother. We should indeed start planning early." Xihe thought for a moment and then nodded in agreement, her clear and cold eyes full of approval.
In the primordial world, which primordial deity was unaware of the wondrous uses of merit?
It can not only cleanse the body and improve cultivation, but also refine merit treasures, suppress one's own fortune, and eliminate karma.
Having learned from the lessons of the Great Calamity of Ferocious Beasts and the Great Calamity of Dragon Han, the great supernatural beings have long reached a consensus: one cannot lack virtue, and one cannot have karma.
"Huh? Planning for merit?" Chang Xi's bright eyes widened instantly as he leaned closer, asking curiously, "Not long ago, Ancestor Hongjun, together with many powerful beings, ended the Dragon-Han Calamity, quelled the demonic conflict, and killed the Demon Ancestor Rahu. Heaven bestowed countless merits upon us! Brother Lingxiao, are we going to enter the primordial land to cleanse the remaining demonic calamities and evil energy in the West?"
As she spoke, a hint of eagerness appeared on her little face.
When the Demon Ancestor self-destructed, his demons either died or went into hiding; however, because the demonic energy and malevolent aura lingered after the self-destruction and continued to assimilate the already thin spiritual energy of the West, it also gave rise to a number of demonic creatures.
This is the lingering demonic calamity that Changxi spoke of.
If it were her, she naturally wouldn't have thought of this, but since Ling Xiao had casually mentioned it during their previous discussions, what could she do?
This casual remark was remembered by the girl.
"Not so." Ling Xiao chuckled and shook his head, raising his eyes to gaze at the vast starry sky beyond the branches of the Fusang tree, his tone resolute, "This is precisely what I wanted to discuss with you two fellow Daoists."
"Since we are born under the influence of the supreme stars of the moon and the sun, if we wish to accumulate merit, we must start with the starry sky beneath our feet."
"My intention is to establish the order of time in the universe based on the twelve Earthly Branches."
He paused for a moment, then laid out his plan in its entirety: "This will divide day and night into four seasons, establish twelve two-hour periods, ten Heavenly Stems and twelve Earthly Branches, twelve zodiac animals, and even a complete system of time flow based on years, months, days, and hours."
The concept of timelessness in the primordial era has always been a consensus among all things in the universe.
The reasons for this are nothing more than two:
One reason is that the primordial timeline is too vast—
A great calamity of the Dragon and Han dynasties lasted for 50,000 eons. A great master's seclusion or a discussion of the Dao could easily last for several eons. The measurement of years, months, days and hours was of little significance to them, so no one ever brought it up.
Secondly, at this time, the primordial world did not yet have a complete set of time rules that governed the entire world.
Although the rising and setting of the sun determines day and night, and the waxing and waning of the moon distinguishes between hot and cold, the ironclad law of the cycle of the four seasons and the alternation of the months and years has never been truly established.
The disorder of time caused the Qi of Heaven, Earth, and Man to influence each other, resulting in many conflicts and stagnations in the flow of Qi between Heaven and Earth.
This is the "discussion on the Dao for ten thousand years" that Xihe mentioned before. The definition of this "year" was something that Lingxiao had casually mentioned to the two sisters during a previous conversation.
"Brother Lingxiao, I naturally know about the Twelve Earthly Branches; but what exactly do the Four Seasons, the Hours, and the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches mean?" Changxi's little face instantly scrunched up, looking both troubled and bewildered, which was incredibly cute.
As a primordial deity born from the Taiyin star, she naturally possessed a thorough understanding of the celestial constellations.
The Twelve Yuan Chen are twelve main stars in the sky, namely: Shenhou Star, Daji Star, Gongcao Star, Taichong Star, Tiangang Star, Taiyi Star, Shengguang Star, Xiaoji Star, Chuansong Star, Congkui Star, Hekui Star, and Dengming Star.
Although it is not as prestigious as the two supreme stars, the Moon and the Sun, it is still the core main star in the zodiac, corresponding to the twelve houses of the zodiac.
Aside from that, she was completely baffled by the concepts of the four seasons and the twelve two-hour periods of the day.
I only vaguely felt that "sun" meant the rising and setting of the sun, and "moon" meant the waxing and waning of the moon; the rest I had no idea about.
Seeing her troubled expression, Ling Xiao couldn't help but smile and said gently, "This is a complete system of celestial and terrestrial timelines, which is quite complicated to explain in detail. Let's take it step by step, deciphering the star orbits as we go, and you will naturally understand it in time."
He knew in his heart that establishing the order of heaven and earth and the seasons was by no means an easy task.
The Twelve Earthly Branches are merely the cornerstone of the anchoring rules, forming the framework of the entire temporal system;
The subsequent steps involve filling in countless details such as the rotation of the sun and moon, the changing of the four seasons, the division of the solar terms, and the cycle of the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches. If there is any mistake, it will cause the Qi of heaven and earth to become disordered. Not only will you not gain merit, but you will also be tainted with boundless karma.
"I will do my utmost to assist you and diligently study this, so as not to fail my brother's trust." Xihe smiled, her cool and aloof face as radiant as the first bloom of moonlight, her tone full of determination.
As far as she was concerned, she would help Ling Xiao without reservation as long as it was something he decided.
"Hehe, Changxi will study hard too! As long as I can help Brother Lingxiao, nothing can stump me!" Changxi instantly forgot her troubles, happily spun around on the spot, her skirt fluttering, full of joy.
She didn't care about any time system; as long as she could leave the Sun Star and travel through the starry sky with Brother Ling Xiao, that was better than anything else.
So the three of them left the Lingxiao Palace on the Sun Star.
They traveled among the twelve primordial stars, using the yang energy of the sun and the yin energy of the moon to align the star orbits, imprinting them with highly refined magical seals, aiming to—
Anchoring the twelve major stars to their correspondence with the Moon and the Sun,
To determine the interaction between the flow of starlight and the vital energy of the primordial earth.
Cold comes and heat goes, moon rises and sun sets.
In the blink of an eye, thirty thousand years have passed.
This day.
Lingxiao, Xihe, and Changxi stood atop the starry sky, occupying the central position of the celestial constellations. Behind them were the two supreme stars, Taiyin and Taiyang, echoing each other from afar. Their aura surged, merging with the entire starry sky.
"Heaven's will prevails!"
Ling Xiao stepped forward, his Xuanjin imperial robe fluttering in the wind, carrying a majestic Dao sound that pierced through layers of time and space, resounding throughout the entire primordial starry sky, and even the primordial land and the four seas and eight wastelands.
"I, Lingxiao, was born from the essence of the sun star in Pangu's left eye, and should be the primordial sun god. Now, I determine the alternation of day and night by the rising and setting of the sun star. Sunrise is dawn, and sunset is dusk. One rise and one fall constitutes a day!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the true fire of the sun around him surged violently, transforming into a magnificent phantom of a sun that stretched for billions of miles, merging into the depths of the starry sky and strengthening its connection with the entire cosmos.
The primordial energy of the Sun Star trembled, and the roots and branches of the Fusang Tree instantly spread throughout the entire Supreme Star, firmly suppressing its fortune and echoing Lingxiao's aura.
Immediately afterwards, Xihe and Changxi stepped forward side by side, their bodies radiating the moon's brilliance like flowing water, their clear and cool Daoist chants resounding throughout heaven and earth:
"Heaven above! We, Xihe and Changxi, were born from the origin of the Taiyin star in the right eye of Pangu, and should be the Taiyin Goddess of the Primordial Era. Now, we determine the twelve months by the phases of the moon, from new moon to full moon, and back to new moon. One cycle is one month, and each month should be thirty days!"
The Moon Star trembled in response, and the illusory image of the Laurel Tree appeared, suppressing the Moon Star's origin. The illusory images of the twelve phases of the Moon, each with its own waxing and waning, rose into the sky and merged into the starry sky, forming a yin-yang balance with the previous illusory image of the Great Sun.
"January 30th, twelve months in a year, with leap days added to align with the seasons, makes a year total of 365 days, which is one year!"
"One hundred and twenty-nine thousand six hundred years, that's the beginning of a new era!"
The three of them spoke at the same time, their voices in unison.
"Buzz!"
The two supreme stars, Taiyin and Taiyang, suddenly resonated, their brilliant golden light intertwining with the cool moonlight, covering a vast expanse of the starry sky and gradually illuminating every corner of the primordial world.
—Using the sun and moon to determine the years is the foundation of the entire time system.
Immediately afterwards, Ling Xiao raised his hand and activated the Twelve Yuan Chen, twelve dazzling starlight beams descended from the depths of the starry sky and connected with the three people's magical power.
"Heaven above, today we determine the twelve earthly branches using the twelve earthly branches: Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, and Hai. These correspond to the twelve two-hour periods of a day, and a year should have twelve months!"
"The ten Heavenly Stems (甲, 乙, 丙, 丁, 戊, 己, 庚, 辛, 壬, 癸) are combined with the twelve Earthly Branches, and every sixty years they form a Jiazi cycle, which repeats continuously!"
"Based on the cycle of the four seasons, we define spring, summer, autumn, and winter, and divide them into twenty-four solar terms, responding to the changes in the Qi of heaven and earth and conforming to the rhythms of birth and death of all things!"
As each verse of the Dao fell, the twelve primordial stars trembled in unison, and the celestial constellations circulated accordingly.
The originally chaotic and disordered order of heaven and earth slowly formed a complete, closed-loop, and ever-cyclical system of rules at this moment.
The sound resounded throughout the heavens and the earth, spreading not only across the primordial starry sky but also reaching every blessed land and every dragon palace and water palace in the four seas and eight wastelands.
This upheaval, which triggered the laws of heaven and restored the order of the world, instantly alarmed all the reclusive great masters in the primordial world.
On the eastern land, at the eastern foot of Kunlun Mountain, on Qilin Cliff, the Three Pure Ones are sitting and discussing the Dao.
Lao Tzu sat cross-legged, stroking his white beard, his eyes slightly closed. He glanced briefly at the starry sky, remaining silent and serene, still displaying his usual tranquil and inactive demeanor.
Yuanshi's gaze narrowed slightly, and he snorted coldly, his tone carrying a hint of innate arrogance: "Born with the fortune of Father God's left eye, he is indeed a person with a solid foundation. The only Golden Crow of the Sun Star actually has such courage to establish the order of heaven and earth, which is in accordance with the will of heaven."
Tongtian clapped his hands and laughed heartily, his cheerful voice echoing throughout Kunlun Mountain: "Excellent! Excellent, Lingxiao! To be able to resonate with the heavens and stars, such a person must be met one day!"
In the Pangu Palace at the foot of Mount Buzhou in the Central Wilderness, the twelve Ancestral Witches all looked up at the strange phenomenon in the starry sky.
"Hmph, all that fancy stuff! Can these useless things be eaten as food?" Gonggong, who had the most volatile temper, cursed in a gruff voice, then turned his head and continued to drip his own essence into the Pangu Blood Pool to nurture the great shaman of the Wu tribe.
Zhu Rong grinned and said nonchalantly, "Whatever he does, my Wu tribe stands firmly on the earth, he rules his own starry sky, we'll keep to ourselves."
The other Ancestral Witches also withdrew their gazes, except for Houtu, whose clear eyes gazed into the depths of the starry sky, her eyebrows slightly raised, her fingertips gently stroking, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.
She vaguely sensed that this newly established set of time sequence rules had an inexplicable connection with the changes in life and death between heaven and earth.
This aroused Houtu's curiosity about Lingxiao, whom she had never met before.
On the western land, atop the ruins of Mount Sumeru, destroyed by Rahu's self-destruction.
Holding the Guiding Banner, Jieyin gazed at the magnificent spectacle in the starry sky, his face filled with sorrow. He sighed deeply, "Well done, well done. The starry sky is brilliant, and the fortune is at its peak. But alas, my western land is depleted of spiritual energy, and all spirits are withering. How bitter, how tragic, how lamentable!"
Zhunti held the Seven Treasures Tree in his hands, clasped them together, and wore a compassionate expression, though a glint of shrewdness shone in his eyes: "What Senior Brother says is absolutely right. I wonder if this Fellow Daoist Lingxiao has any method to revitalize the West? If we can form a good connection, it would be a great merit."
Deep within the Netherworld Blood Sea, the Twelve-Petaled Karmic Fire Red Lotus slowly emerged from the water. The Styx Ancestor sat cross-legged on the lotus platform, with the two innate killing swords, Yuan Tu and A Bi, trembling slightly behind him.
He looked up at the starry sky, his blood-red eyes filled with doubt, and sneered, "Establish a timeline? This kid from the Sun Star certainly has a grand plan, but I wonder what benefit he gains from establishing a timeline?"
In addition, there are Zifu Continent in the East Sea, Kunlun Immortal Island in the West Sea, and the Northern Sea...
In countless blessed lands and secluded Daoist temples, countless innate saints who had been in seclusion for countless eons opened their eyes at this moment and turned their attention to the three figures in the center of the starry sky.
This is because, at this time, in the primordial world, the means of planning merit were still limited to eliminating demonic energy, killing demons, ending the great calamity, and other such matters of fighting and killing.
Such non-combat-related acts of merit, such as Nuwa patching up the sky, Nuwa creating humans, Cangjie creating characters, and Suirenshi drilling wood to make fire, have not yet occurred.
Therefore, no one understands Lingxiao's purpose in establishing the Twelve Yuan Chen.