The story of Huanglong Zhenren

Huanglong Zhenren lived in the Magu Cave on Mount Erxian, one of the Twelve Golden Immortals of Yuxu Palace. When Wen Zhong set out the Ten Absolutes outside Western Qi, he and his fellows were ordered to the reed pavilion.

Yang Jian reported to Jiang Ziya that Huanglong Zhenren had arrived, and Huanglong went up onto the pavilion with Guangchengzi, Chijingzi, Yuding Zhenren and the rest. As the Ten Absolutes opened one after another, he and the other Golden Immortals stayed above, waiting for Randeng to assign each of them a formation.

The Ten Absolutes fell one by one. Wen Zhong climbed Jueleng Ridge to call on the three teachings for help, and Zhao Gongming answered, riding his black tiger down the mountain to fight the reed pavilion again for Shang.

Zhao Gongming challenged before the lines day after day. Chijingzi, Guangchengzi and others went out in turn and were all struck down by the Sea-Stilling Pearls. Huanglong Zhenren went out and met him too, was bound by the dragon-binding cord, taken back to the Shang camp and hung from a banner pole.

The Shang camp sealed Huanglong Zhenren’s crown with a talisman so that he could not slip away. Yang Jian went into the camp by night, used the Eighty-Nine Arts to change shape and move past the guards, loosed the ropes and the talisman, and carried him back to the reed pavilion at Western Qi.

After Zhao Gongming’s death the Three Xiao set out the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation. Huanglong Zhenren entered it with the Twelve Golden Immortals; the Hunyuan Golden Dipper took them one after another, and he too fell inside and was stripped of his three flowers and five breaths.

When Laozi and Yuanshi broke the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation, Huanglong Zhenren woke on the ground with his fellows. Yuanshi then taught them the earth-travelling golden light and ordered them to keep moving to and from Western Qi to help Jiang Ziya through the passes ahead.

When the Zhou army reached Jiepai Pass, Huanglong Zhenren arrived first and told Jiang Ziya that the Zhuxian Formation lay ahead and that he must not advance rashly. He had the Zhou army raise a reed pavilion and matting hall and wait for Yuanshi, Laozi and the two saints of the West.

After the Zhuxian Formation was broken the Zhou army went east again. Before the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation, Huanglong Zhenren and Yuding Zhenren asked Jiang Ziya to leave King Wu and the main army resting at Tong Pass and bring only the disciples to the new pavilion.

Huanglong Zhenren came down with the other immortals to look at the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation, and Ma Sui of the golden band came out to challenge. Huanglong went to meet him with drawn sword, and at the first exchange Ma Sui raised the band and set it on his head.

The band tightened and tightened. Huanglong Zhenren could not bear the pain and samadhi fire came from his eyes, and none of the immortals could get it off. Only when Yuanshi Tianzun reached the pavilion and pointed once did the band fall away by itself.

The next day the three teachings broke the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation together, and Huanglong Zhenren went in with the Chan disciples. When it came apart he withdrew from the field with the rest and was not enfeoffed at the investiture terrace.

When the fighting between the sects had subsided, Huanglong Zhenren, unenfeoffed, returned to the Magu Cave on Mount Erxian. Investiture of the Gods says nothing of him after the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation.