《太上说紫微神兵护国消魔经》

At that time, on the eighth day of the Jianchen month in the second year of Shanghuang, the Most High Lord Lao, in the Upper Palace of Purple Tenuity, expounded for the Great Brahma Celestial Emperor, the Exalted Perfected of the Four Extremes, the Primordial Born of the Nine Heavens, and the True August Sovereigns of the Three Heavens the chapter “Divine Incantations of Purple Tenuity: the Numinous Treasure of Great Existence and the Spontaneous Divine Troops that Protect the State and Dispel Demons.”

It was then the jia-shen year of Kaihuang. Calamities had accumulated, and baleful Qi (vital energy) spread between Heaven and Earth. The five grains failed; people plotted to harm one another; warfare broke out on every side; and the common people could find no peace. Those who accumulated good deeds and practiced De (Virtue/Power), together with cultivators of the True, were able to pass through the great tribulation and take their places among the immortal officials. Ordinary people were unwilling to cultivate and study. They gave no thought to their own allotted destiny and did not abide by the Jing (scripture/classic) and its methods. Right and wrong therefore fell into confusion, their understanding grew dim, the six passions were drawn outward by external things, and the mind within lost its self-possession. They did evil without the least fear. All of this was brought about by the karmic force of living beings.

At this time the demons of the various heavens of the Six Caverns of Dengdu hid by day and emerged by night, revealing hideous forms. Each demon led its own retinue and spread the five pestilences. Those who fell ill swooned as if dead; ghostly Qi invaded the body and caused disease. Local officials and commoners, together with the civil and military multitude, fled in panic, as though the hills and wilds had been overwhelmed by demons. Men wailed and women wept. The grief was bitter and desolate, and even Heaven above was moved.

The Celestial Worthy (Tianzun, a supreme deity of Daoism), seeing that all living beings were suffering bitterly, was moved to compassion. He therefore set the two lunar mansions Xu and Wei in motion, so that the divine spirit might lodge within them and manifest in the world in response. Taking Zhen (“the True”) as father, Yuan (“the Primordial”) as mother, and Shi (“the Beginning”) as surname, three kinds of Qi (vital energy) descended upon the Palace of Guangling and condensed into a single bodily form, like the chaos before Heaven and Earth had separated. Upward it sent forth nine rays of light, brighter than the sunlight, their auroral colors resplendent, shining upon the Taiwei Enclosure (a stellar office).

Jade maidens, golden lads, a great rainbow-serpent, lions, and the Four Direct Talisman Officers—divine officers who guard the four quarters and transmit talismanic commands—constantly watched over this divine embryo. When the appointed time came, the upper seventh day of the month in which the Shen branch is established, a specific hour recorded in the Daoist scriptures, the divine embryo split open of itself. As if with a great clap of thunder, the purple embryonic membrane fell away, revealing a divine form as pure as jade. He rose upright to a height of five hundred zhang and declared himself the God Zhenwu, the Daoist deity who protects the realm and subdues demons. His hair hung loose; he wore a black robe, held a sword, and wore boots. Divine soldiers and talisman officers, the Duke of Thunder and the Mother of Lightning, and the Four Direct Envoys all bore the ceremonial regalia and attended at his side.

At this time the Celestial Worthy commanded Zhenwu to go to Mount Fengdu and subdue the ghosts and demons. Obeying that command, Zhenwu dispatched Deputy General Tianyou, Slayer of Ghosts of Northern Fengdu, to lead the great armies of Shenxiao, together with the Merit Officers of the Nine Qi, the Jade Maidens of the Three Heavens, the Divine Lords of the Seven Qi, the True Governors of the Five Numina, the Great Gods in Yellow Armor, the celestial soldiers and talisman officers, and a host of divine generals and troops.

Leading this host, Zhenwu joined battle with the ghosts and demons of the Six Caverns on the plain of Cavernous Yin. The ghost chieftain then borrowed the Qi of Kan and Li—the Yin-Yang Qi symbolizing water and fire—and transformed into a dark turtle and a giant serpent, seeking to work changes. Zhenwu subdued them by divine power and gathered them beneath his feet. He then sent the Great God of the Golden Bell Who Hurls Fire to recite the Chapter for Subduing Demons, a divine text for vanquishing monsters. From his mouth the great god breathed out a breath that became an enormous wheel of fire, burning the ghostly host until their hair was scorched and their demonic powers could no longer be used. The ghosts thereupon turned their hearts to repentance, made a great vow, and submitted to the Supreme True, the highest true Dao. Zhenwu immediately ordered the celestial soldiers and talisman officers to bind the ghostly host and escort them to the Great Cavern of Fengdu, a cavern-heaven within the underworld.

The Celestial Worthy said: When Yin Qi (vital energy) develops to its extreme, change becomes manifest, foretelling that Yang Qi is about to arrive. At times yellow stars gather and their brilliance shines forth, and crimson auspicious signs appear; purple Qi shoots straight into the palace courts, and the five stars converge in the Well mansion; a rainbow like a meteor passes through the moon, and fierce lightning illuminates the Celestial Pivot from afar. Thereafter, worthies are born, bearing the numinous Qi of the mountains; stars descend into the world and give rise to talents who will assist; the hereditary destiny of the dynasty is thereby formed, and the world comes to have its sovereign. A sagely and enlightened ruler appears, aided by worthy and good ministers; the treacherous and wicked conceal themselves, and weapons are put away unused; the five grains yield abundant harvests, the ways of kindness and filial piety flourish day by day, and the people live and work in peace. The Perfected Lord establishes merit in the world and removes harm for the people, and his De (Virtue/Power) moves Heaven above.

The Celestial Worthy dispatched the Jade Lad of Golden Radiance and the Envoy in Embroidered Robes, bearing the Nine-Dragon talismanic mandate, to descend and proclaim: “You have the merit of cutting down poisonous harm and campaigning against evil; you may be enfeoffed as Grand General of the Dark Heaven, Supreme Commander of the North Pole.” At that time the Great Saint, riding an azure dragon, proceeded to the realm of the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing) to pay homage and offer thanks. The perfected immortals and assembled saints of the lower realm looked up along the path of Heaven, gazed upon the divine light, watched the rosy clouds and Qi as they departed, and bowed in farewell to the True Emperor.

In a moment, purple clouds descended from the sky and a thin mist rose from the ground. Where cloud and mist met, one heard only the music of Heaven gradually fading into the distance. All those gathered in the ritual assembly returned each to their original place, and all, following the teaching proclaimed in person by the Celestial Worthy, spread the transformative Dao (the Way) and transmitted the precious Jing (scripture/classic). Living beings throughout the four quarters of the world received the protection of the true Dao; their blessings and merit were without end, and they were to observe it forever.

This Taishang shuo Ziche shenbing huguo xiaomo jing, the Scripture Spoken by the Most High on the Purple-Penetrating Divine Troops Who Protect the State and Dispel Demons, here comes to an end.