The story of Qingxu Daode Zhenjun

Qingxu Daode Zhenjun lived in the Ziyang Cave on Mount Qingfeng. Huang Feihu’s son Huang Tianhua vanished from the back garden at the age of three; it was Qingxu who had taken him back to the cave, and he cultivated under his master for thirteen years.

When Western Qi was besieged by the four Mo brothers, Qingxu gave Huang Tianhua two silver hammers, the Fire-Dragon Dart and a jade qilin and sent him down to meet his father. Huang Tianhua fared badly in his first battle and was bitten to death by the white-flowered marten, and Qingxu had a boy carry him back to the Ziyang Cave.

Qingxu revived Huang Tianhua with an elixir, put the Heart-Piercing Nails into a brocade bag and sent him back to Western Qi. Huang Tianhua threw the nails one after another before the lines, and Mo Liqing, Mo Lihong, Mo Lihai and Mo Lishou were struck and killed in turn.

When King Zhou had the eyes cut out of the remonstrating officer Yang Ren, who died below the Star-Plucking Tower, a stream of grievance rose to Mount Qingfeng. Qingxu had the yellow-scarfed strongmen bring the body back to the Ziyang Cave and revived him with an elixir, and two hands grew from Yang Ren’s empty sockets, each with an eye in its palm.

Among the Ten Absolutes, Qingxu Daode Zhenjun was ordered to break the Red Water Formation held by Wang Bian. He went into the red water on a lotus boat, and however the waves rose and fell the boat stayed on the surface and was never swallowed.

Seeing that the red water could not hurt him, Wang Bian turned to leave. Qingxu opened the Five-Fire Seven-Bird Fan and fanned at him; a wave of fire swept the platform, and Wang Bian and his clothes together turned to red ash, and the Red Water Formation was broken.

When the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation was set out, Qingxu entered with the Twelve Golden Immortals, was taken by the Hunyuan Golden Dipper and lost his three flowers and five breaths. After Laozi and Yuanshi broke it he woke on the ground with his fellows and recovered his cave treasures.

Before the Zhou army’s ceremony at the golden terrace, Huang Tianhua asked his master about his prospects. Qingxu saw the mark of death on his face and left him only the line “where you meet the high, do not fight”; Huang Tianhua later met Gao Jineng at Jinji Ridge, forgot what his master had said, and died under the centipede-wasp bag.

When the Zhou army was caught in Lü Yue’s plague formation at Chuanyun Pass, Yang Ren was still in the Ziyang Cave. Qingxu gave him the flying-lightning spear, the cloud-mist beast and the Five-Fire Divine Flame Fan, taught him the spear and the steps for breaking the formation, and sent him to the pass.

Yang Ren rode the cloud-mist beast into the plague formation, burned Lü Yue and his officers with the Five-Fire Divine Flame Fan, and freed the captured Zhou officers. He went east with the army from then on until he was killed at Meishan by a staff from Yuan Hong’s primordial spirit.

Qingxu took part in the Zhuxian and the Ten Thousand Immortals formations with Yuanshi Tianzun and was not entered on the Investiture List. Both his disciples died in the eastern campaign: Huang Tianhua was invested as Binglinggong and Yang Ren as the Jiazi Taisui.