The story of Guangchengzi

Guangchengzi cultivated in the Peach Spring Cave on Mount Jiuxian and heard Yuanshi Tianzun preach at Yuxu Palace. When King Zhou ordered the princes Yin Jiao and Yin Hong executed, a red light rising from their heads blocked the cloud-road of Guangchengzi and Chijingzi, and the two immortals came down.

Guangchengzi and Chijingzi raised a storm of flying sand and took the two princes from the execution ground. He brought Yin Jiao back to the Peach Spring Cave and taught him there for years.

When Jiang Ziya met the Ten Absolutes Formations at Western Qi, Guangchengzi was summoned down. Jinguang Shengmu shook the mirror in her formation and golden light struck from every side; Guangchengzi shielded himself with the cloud-sweeping robe, then killed her with the Sky-Overturning Seal and broke the Golden Light Formation.

When the Three Xiao set out the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation at Western Qi to avenge Zhao Gongming, Guangchengzi went in with the Twelve Golden Immortals, was taken by the Hunyuan Golden Dipper, and lost the three flowers from his crown and the five breaths in his breast until Laozi and Yuanshi broke the formation and freed him.

Back at the Peach Spring Cave, Guangchengzi gave Yin Jiao the square-heaven halberd, the Sky-Overturning Seal, the soul-scattering bell and the paired swords, and sent him down to help Zhou. Yin Jiao swore before the cave that if he changed his mind he would meet his end under the plough.

On the road down, Shen Gongbao talked Yin Jiao round; he went over to the Shang camp and wounded Western Qi officers with the Sky-Overturning Seal. Guangchengzi came to the lines to reason with him, master and disciple finally took up weapons against each other, and Guangchengzi was driven back by the very seal he had handed on.

To master the seal, Guangchengzi went to the Bajing Palace to borrow the Lihuo Flame-Light Banner and to the west for the Blue Lotus Treasure-Colour Banner. The Kunlun apricot-yellow banner and the Jade Pool’s Plain Cloud-Realm Banner were fetched to Mount Qi as well, and the four banners drove Yin Jiao into a corner.

With Yin Jiao pinned by the ploughshare, Guangchengzi climbed up to urge him to accept his oath. Yin Jiao would not yield; Wu Ji drove the plough across, and he died on Mount Qi.

When the Zhou army moved east to Jiameng Pass, Huoling Shengmu hid the field with her golden coronet and wounded Hong Jin, Princess Longji and Jiang Ziya. Guangchengzi was sent and came, turned the golden light aside with the cloud-sweeping robe, killed Huoling Shengmu with the Sky-Overturning Seal and revived Jiang Ziya.

Guangchengzi picked up the golden coronet and went three times into the Biyou Palace to return the treasure to Tongtian Jiaozhu. Guiling Shengmu and the Jie immortals chased him outside; he retreated into the hall again and again, and the grievance between the two sects broke open completely.

When the Zhuxian and the Ten Thousand Immortals formations were raised, Guangchengzi came down again with Yuanshi Tianzun. Both were broken in turn, and he returned to the Chan ranks with the Sky-Overturning Seal; he was not enfeoffed on the Investiture List.