Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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The seal was an important magic object in Taoism. There were many types and each had its own effects, such as the military seal used to drive ghosts, gods, soldiers and generals, and the official seal representing the Taoist priest’s position.
Ordinary people may think that the sword was the most representative of Taoist priests’ magical weapons. In fact, in the eyes of experts, the magic seal was more important. For example, the Taiqing leader’s seal could be used to invite gods, perform watch, or be stamped on talismans that required Lao Jun’s help.
And some ancient seals handed down from ancient times had even more serious origins.
For example, the Yangping Zhidu Gong Seal, which was used by Zhang Daoling and passed on to his future generations, got its name because there were twenty-four governances, that is, twenty-four missionary points, established at the Five Rice Road. Among them, Yangping Zhi was the residence of the Heavenly Master, and the Gong Seal was the one the heavenly master used himself.
Therefore, this Yangping Zhidu Gong Seal was not only a powerful magic weapon, a treasure that could hold the altar, but also a symbol of the identity of the Heavenly Master.
——It is also an ancient cultural relic, which was originally well collected in a museum.
Xie Lingya really didn’t know who had eaten the bear’s heart and leopard’s gall and dared to steal something that had so many meanings. Had they thought about the consequences before stealing? What he would have to face was not only the sanctions of the country’s laws, but also the anger of the Taoist priests!
“I’m afraid this person is well prepared and is not afraid of bearing a curse.” Shi Changxuan answered him, “Originally, there were talismans placed in the exhibition hall of the Yangping Zhidu Gong Seal, but the spell was broken. After the Provincial Road Association quickly checked the scene, they found that the Yangping Zhidu Gong Seal must have been stolen by someone from a Taoist sect, and their cultivation is so advanced that they cannot be traced for a while.”
Xie Lingya was surprised and thought, no wonder this person dared to steal it. It turned out that he was an expert, and the thief was bold, “Are there no clues now?”
People were not everywhere, but ghosts and gods were everywhere. Taoist priests could communicate with ghosts and gods, and the Provincial Taoist Association should have checked it. The identity of this man was not revealed, which showed that he was very skilled and managed to conceal his identity and whereabouts.
Shi Changxuan thought about it and said: “They can only speculate that the inheritance of the Dharma lineage and it may be someone from the Shenxiao Sect.”
The Shenxiao Sect was the predecessor of Zhengdao, one of the branches of Tianshi Dao. It mainly practiced thunder method. Its founder was Wang Wenqing. There was nothing wrong with saying that it was closely related to Zhengyi, because it originally came from Zhengyi.
However, there were many factions under the Shenxiao Sect. This clue was still too rough, and he didn’t know which lineage it could be traced to.
There was a chance that this could only be judged based on the spell used by the thief, so he said “possible” because the thief may not really be from the Shenxiao sect.
Even speaking of it, Baoyang Temple could be said to be related to Shenxiao Sect.
Sa Shoujian, Sa Zu, was taught the thunder method by Wang Wenqing, Lin Lingsu and others from the Shenxiao sect. Then, the Sa Zu descendants gradually evolved into the Sa Zhu sect, Xihe sect, and Tianshan sect.
Sa Zhu accepted Wang Lingguan as his disciple, and Baoyang Temple accepted Wang Lingguan as its ancestor. This created a complicated relationship.
The relationships within the Taoist sects were very complicated. It was difficult to determine the identity of this person simply by knowing that he knew the magic of the Shenxiao sect.
“There are so many experts in the Provincial Taoist Association, including the current Celestial Master’s family. We must be careful. There are so many experts, but they can’t find anyone.” Xie Lingya said incredulously, “Then this person must have very high cultivation. Don’t you have any guesses?”
“China is so vast,” Shi Changxuan only said by way of explanation, which made sense. Besides those in the Taoist Association, there were also some folk experts, “and this person came well prepared and left almost nothing behind. I don’t even know what kind of traces there are?”
This person had a high level of cultivation, so it was no wonder that he responded to the unexpected obstacles with intention. Even the mages in the provincial capital couldn’t find him, not to mention that Xie Lingya didn’t know the distribution of factions that well.
Xie Lingya thought to himself, it was impossible for this person to steal without leaving traces forever. Sooner or later he would be found.
Shi Changxuan’s family was also of the same lineage and was located in the provincial capital, so he was informed.
“In two days, it should be made public.” Shi Changxuan said.
Yangping’s imperial seal was so important and had historical significance. Both the country and the various factions of Zhengyi would definitely want to recover it using all their strength.
The next day, Shi Changxuan went to the provincial capital as he had been called back home.
….
Two days later, the Qiyang City Taoist Association actually held a meeting to discuss this matter.
Of course, this was a private meeting without taking minutes. Chen Sansheng summoned all the experts and announced an even more explosive news.
——On the second night after the Yangping Zhidu Gong Seal was stolen, the Sanwu Evil-Slaying Male and Female Sword also disappeared!
Before Zhang Tianshi ascended to heaven, he passed down three treasures: a sword, a seal, and a fingernail. Burning the nail could invite Zhang Tianshi to come to the world, but it had disappeared. The Gong Seal had just been stolen from the museum, and the remaining Sanwu evil-slaying male and female sword, which was originally kept privately by the descendants of the Celestial Master, were also lost.
The Sanwu Evil Slaying Sword was known as the No. 1 magic sword of Taoism. It had runes and images of stars, sun and moon on it. It was divided into two swords, male and female. The male sword was enshrined in the Tianshi family, and the female sword was in the Tianshi Palace.
It was these two male and female swords that were stolen from two places at the same time the day after the Yangping Gong Seal was stolen.
Today, the Chinese Taoist sect was dominated by two major factions: Zhengyi and Quanzhen. The treasures of the Zhengyi ancestor were stolen. This news could be said to have shocked the entire Taoist sect.
Why did this person steal the Du Gong Seal and the Sanwu Evil-Slaying Sword? How did they steal it? What use did he have for stealing it? Buying and selling cultural relics, or for personal use? And what was this person’s true identity?
As soon as Chen Sansheng finished speaking, the place became buzzing with excitement, and everyone had endless sighs and questions.
Xie Lingya was better off than the others because he had gotten wind of it before, but he didn’t know that the male and female swords of Sanwu Evil Slaying were also lost, as Shi Changxuan never came back.
“This thief who stole is undoubtedly a Taoist. Now I am telling everyone about this news, on behalf of the Taoist Association. I hope all my colleagues will pay more attention. If you have relevant clues, you are welcome to call and report. If the clues are true, you can get a huge amount of bonuses from the country, the Taoist Association, the Taoist Association, and the Tianshi Family which could total to millions,” Chen Sansheng said seriously, “And I hope everyone will do this when they go back…”
When Xie Lingya heard that the reporting bonuses were millions, he couldn’t help but sit up straight, and then he became even more excited when he heard the next step.
Come on, come on, summon all the Taoist priests from all over the world to do something to curse those who steal things?
As a result, Chen Sansheng said: “…inform the founder of your sect, the city god and other gods to pray for this matter.”
It was not a curse. Xie Lingya was slightly disappointed, but when he thought about it, there were no clues and it might not be easy to curse.
Asking everyone to go back and inform the gods was actually a way of collecting clues. Wasn’t it normal for Taoist priests to ask ghosts and gods for help?
When the Taoist priests heard this, they discussed it among themselves.
Chen Sansheng also printed out pictures of the Sanwu Evil Sword and Du Gong Seal (including the printed seal) and distributed them to everyone.
When both of the two treasures were lost, no one cared about feeling embarrassed or feared that someone would take advantage of them, they just hurriedly made it public and set about collecting clues.
Xie Lingya looked at it and put the picture away. Although China was vast and the sea of people was huge, the chance of running into it was very small, but after all, Qiyang was not far from the provincial capital and Tianshi Temple, so what if there was a chance?
Even if he provided a clue, it would be worth one million. Xie Lingya was short of money. While he sympathized with the museum and the Tianshi family, he was also a little salivating.
After Xie Lingya returned, he saw that Shi Changxuan had also returned.
“Daozhang Shi, we just had a meeting to collect clues about the Du Gong Seal and the Sanwu Evil-Slaying Sword.” Xie Lingya said, “Do you have any inside information?”
Shi Changxuan said solemnly: “I went back at this time because all the mages had gathered in the provincial capital to discuss the matter of tracking down the Du Gong Seal. However, they tried many methods and failed to identify the thief. Moreover, the Sanwu Evil Sword was also stolen that night, and there was no trace of it. Even this time, this person used the Du Gong Seal to deal with the ghosts and gods guarding the Evil Sword.”
Like the Du Gong Seal, there must be talismans and the like next to the Sanwu Evil Slaying Sword, but this person had dealt with them. Once the gong seal was in place, it was probably easier to break the spell.
So next, the mages from the Provincial Taoist Association went to the Tianshi Temple to check. The results were already known. There was still only one broad clue. This person might be a descendant of the Shenxiao Sect.
Shi Changxuan did not tell the details, but Xie Lingya knew that the most typical and famous person of the Shenxiao sect was Lei Fa. That person might have used the thunder talisman to be judged as the successor of the Shenxiao sect.
But again, the relationship between Taoist sects was complicated. Some of the thunder methods of Shenxiao Sect were still worshiped by Sa Zhu as their main method, and Baoyang Temple also had thunder methods passed down.
“I hope they recover the cultural relics and magic weapons as soon as possible.” Xie Lingya thought to himself, it would be best if he could also contribute and earn more than one million!
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