Undercurrents surge, as dark gods weave their deep design,
Storms of blood and fire shake the mortal realm divine.
Disciples of Fa-Rectification hold fast their righteous heart,
An undying faith illuminates where earth and heavens part.
The imperial court oppresses, shadows encircle the land,
Yet the youth remains steadfast, with a compassionate gaze so grand.
Neither fighting nor contending, only Righteous Thoughts they retain,
Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance—immortal in the Three Realms remain.
Deep within the silence, the sacred Fa-sounds echo and ring,
Heaven and earth bear witness, as the primal reminders spring.
Denying the Old Forces, refusing to bow to the night,
An undying faith endures, forging the path of Truth and light.
Though blood and tears still linger, and the tempests have not ceased,
The radiant light expands, and the divine Fa-vessels are released.
Giang Long steps forth to stand with his fellow practitioners bold,
The path of salvation, everlasting as heaven and earth, shall unfold.
The Great Onslaught of the Old Forces
As the twilight of the Dharma-Ending Age reached its zenith, an unprecedented upheaval fractured the deepest layers of the cosmos. From decayed celestial strata, the Old Forces unleashed their largest, most violent wave of persecution against the Great Fa, gathering the degenerate dregs of the old universe and raining them down upon the Three Realms.
Manipulated by these dark entities, the Sovereign of the Divine Land issued a tyrannical decree: banning the practice nationwide, ordering the mass arrest of all practitioners, and throwing anyone who dared to petition the capital into dark dungeons. If a practitioner refused to renounce their faith under destabilizing mental pressure, the mandate was simple: eliminate them.
To execute this sweeping campaign, the regime adopted three ruthless tenets: Defame their reputations, bankrupt them financially, and destroy them physically.
The Divine Land shattered. Its tranquility dissolved into manufactured slander, while the purity of the human realm surrendered to a surge of desire and contention. Lies spread across parched fields, permeating mortal life. Neighbors turned against neighbors, friends became enemies, and brutal edicts lined the ancient walls of the imperial city. Hands long devoted to benevolence were bound in iron, swelling the dungeons with the innocent. A pall of gloom descended, forcing souls to cry out in despair.
Diamond-Like Steadfastness
Inside a freezing prison, a young disciple, his flesh torn by torture, softly asked Giang Long:
“Brother Long… will the light of the Righteous Fa be extinguished? Will this night swallow us all?”
Giang Long’s features remained serene—like an autumn lake without a ripple:
“The light is never lost, my brother. The darker the night, the closer the dawn. This is the fire meant to test true gold. Keep your Righteous Thoughts unshaken amidst the tempest, and the darkness will naturally retreat.”
Deep within his mind, the youth forged an unyielding resolve: though whips might tear his flesh and chains bind his frame, his Dao-heart must never waver. Confronted by a jailer demanding his signature to renounce his faith, Giang Long held his head high, fixing his gaze upon his tormentor:
“The Dao-heart remains unmoved; cultivation shall be pursued to the end!”
In a parallel microscopic realm, a six-armed demonic entity watched his every thought. Had a single tremor of doubt emerged, the dark array in the cell would have devoured his soul. Yet in that critical heartbeat, Giang Long’s Righteous Thoughts erupted like a divine blade, severing invisible shackles and forcing the entity to recoil in terror.
The Trial of Conscience
Alongside those with firm resolve, many faced trials beyond human endurance. Among them was a young man named Lac Son. In earlier days, he had been one of the most diligent in the capital’s study group, once walking miles through winter paths with Giang Long to deliver scriptures. He had vowed: “Even if this body turns to dust, I shall never betray my sacred pledge.”
Yet, as the persecution escalated, the regime arrested his family and dragged his younger brother into prison. Each passing day felt like a blade sawing through his heart. Finally, on a cold, rainy night, he bowed before the magistrate. A secret document was laid upon the table, listing clandestine sanctuaries.
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The official smiled faintly: “Just lead the way. You need not involve yourself in anything else.”
Lac Son’s hands trembled as he took the lantern. Each step felt heavy as carrying the sins of unnumbered kalpas. Drizzle shrouded the mountains as soldiers silently advanced toward a dilapidated Taoist temple. Lac Son walked ahead, mere paces from the entrance. He needed only to point a finger, and his torment would end.
At that exact moment, an elderly practitioner with silver-streaked hair stepped beneath the eaves. He looked directly at Lac Son with neither surprise nor blame, only sighing softly: “You still came…”
Lac Son froze, his feet nailed to the earth. The magistrate shouted: “Is this the place?”
The old man ignored the soldiers, his gaze resting on the youth's pale face:
“These past days, I knew you were wavering. Giang Long knew, too. We all knew... We also know the tragedy of the maiden who walked beside you on this path.”
Lac Son’s breath hitched, his frame trembling violently at the mention of her.
“She was young, her understanding of the Fa still shallow,” the elder spoke softly, his voice heavy with sorrow. “When she went out to speak the truth, she was betrayed and dragged into the darkest dungeon. They sought to break her spirit—not just with iron chains, but through the most vile violations meant to trample her dignity. In the end, under relentless humiliation, her heart gave way, and she succumbed... abandoning her practice in agonizing despair.”
The elder took a step closer, his eyes filled with profound pity:
“Her tragedy was wrought by the sheer malice of this evil regime. Yet tonight, Lac Son... if you choose to betray those who stand here, you become the very hand that inflicts that same darkness upon others. Is this the path you wish to carve for your soul?”
Hearing those words, Lac Son felt as though his heart were torn asunder. The image of his beloved’s tragedy, combined with the elder's compassionate awakening, shattered the last remnants of his fear and weakness. The lantern slipped from his hand, its flame extinguished in the mud. He fell into the rain, weeping bitterly:
“I was blind... I almost became the monster that destroyed her! I have failed everyone...”
Righteous Thoughts Dissolve the Darkness
In the microscopic realm, two demonic entities behind Lac Son roared, trying to amplify his despair. Yet at that moment, fueled by a bitter grief that crystallized into unyielding resolve, Lac Son stood up, turning his back forever on the magistrate’s promises.
The magistrate barked an order, and soldiers rushed forward with drawn swords. In that heartbeat, every practitioner inside the temple stepped out. No one fled; no one cast blame. They silently formed a circle around Lac Son—a wall protecting a soul on the verge of the abyss.
Before that solemn circle, the Master’s Dharma-body appeared in the microscopic dimension, releasing an energy that dissolved the dark qi. The practitioners’ eyes held no hatred, only profound dignity. The murderous intent of the soldiers dissipated, their weapon-holding hands trembling. Looking around, the magistrate felt a vague terror rise before a spiritual power that steel could not touch. Reluctantly, he ordered his troops to retreat into the night.
The old man gently placed a hand on the youth's shoulder: “It is good to turn back. The door remains open.”
Boundless Compassion Bears the Tribulation
The Master, in His compassion, had perceived all celestial mysteries since primordial times. Knowing the nature of the deluge unleashed by the Old Forces, He understood that no disciple could endure such weight in a human frame. Therefore, He personally bore and purified that cosmic dross in solitude for an entire year.
The celestial design had long anticipated the evil scheme. The royal child of yesteryear, carrying the spirit of the Toad Demon, had grown into the Sovereign who wielded supreme power in the Divine Land. Awakened by jealousy, he issued edicts to uproot the Great Fa.
Yet, he could not know that after two years of spreading the True Sutra across the Divine Land, the Master had quietly left the capital. Crossing the ocean, He settled to teach the Fa in the Flower-Light Nation—a distant continent half a world away. The Sovereign’s violent system was utterly helpless, unable to touch His physical frame overseas.
Unable to reach the Master, the malice of the Divine Land unleashed its brutality upon the disciples in the capital. Throughout that year of persecution, the Master chose silence in a distant land. He observed the choices of unnumbered lives amidst the crucible of “Master is far away, tribulations are near,” assessing who would utilize Righteous Thoughts to uphold their vows.
The Sound of the Great Fa Resonates
After a year of silence, the moment for rectifying the Three Realms arrived. In a quiet corner of the Flower-Light Nation, the Master stepped onto the podium. He began to teach the Fa, His voice deep and pure, utilizing the language of the human world.
The moment His words broke the silence, His Dharma-bodies manifested across all layers of the cosmos. The voice of the Great Fa transformed into a bronze bell, tearing through layers of mist and forcing the Old Forces to bow:
“The Fa-Rectification is interfered with due to forced evil. I utilize the arrangements of the old world to distinguish between righteousness and evil, to clarify good and bad, so that you may forge diamond-like hearts amidst the long night of the Dharma-Ending Age. Now, darkness must retreat; My disciples are not meant to suffer in vain. Use Righteous Thoughts to sweep away evil and rectify the human realm.”
In the mortal world, disciples in the Flower-Light Nation recorded the lecture as new scriptures, which traversed thousands of miles across the ocean, piercing the blockade of the Divine Land.
Days later, amidst a rainy night at the dilapidated Taoist temple on the outskirts of the capital, a practitioner from a distant province rushed into the main hall. His clothes were tattered and covered in dust, his breath ragged. In his hands, he held a letter wrapped in waterproof oilcloth—a prize held dearer than life.
As Giang Long opened those new pages of scripture, a golden light erupted. It pierced through space, harmonizing with the Master’s lecture from half a world away. Despite the geographical abyss, the rectifying power of the Great Fa retained its full strength to shatter invisible shackles and officially ignite the next chapter: Stepping into the human world, protecting the Fa, and eliminating evil!
Humanity began to awaken. Storm clouds dispersed, and moonlight shone over the Divine Land. The evil forces trembled as they witnessed their system of arrangements crumble. Those who remained were forged into diamond-like steadfastness. The light of the Righteous Fa had returned, radiant and eternal.
CANTO XXXVII: A YEAR OF SILENCE
A year of silence, celestial mysteries revealed,
Decay purified, dark forces repealed.
The Holy King manifests, the Fa-treasure bestowed,
Righteous Thoughts awaken, the heavenly mandate showed.
Disciples kneel, tears of gratitude flow,
Undying faith shines, making the mortal realm glow.
Giang Long awakens, his ancient vow to fulfill,
The Righteous Fa endures, an eternal spring still.