Having
spoken thus, he leapt into space, and alighted in the branches of the
peach-tree. Wang Ch'ang and Chao Sheng also jumped into the tree and
stood one on each side of him. There Chang communicated to them the
mysterious formula. Three days later they returned to their homes;
then, having made final arrangements, they repaired once more to the
mountain peak, whence, in the presence of the other disciples, who
followed them with their eyes until they had completely disappeared
from view, all three ascended to Heaven in broad daylight.

Chang Tao-ling's Great Power

The name of Chang Tao-ling, the Heavenly Teacher, is a household
word in China. He is on earth the Vicegerent of the Pearly Emperor
in Heaven, and the Commander-in-Chief of the hosts of Taoism. He, the
chief of the wizards, the 'true [_i.e._ ideal] man,' as he is called,
wields an immense spiritual power throughout the land. The present
pope boasts of an unbroken line for three-score generations. His
family obtained possession of the Dragon-tiger Mountain in Kiangsi
about A.D. 1000. "This personage," says a pre-Republican writer,
"assumes a state which mimics the imperial. He confers buttons like
an emperor. Priests come to him from various cities and temples to
receive promotion, whom he invests with titles and presents with
seals of office."

Kings of Heaven

The Four Kings of Heaven, Ssu Ta T'ien-wang, reside on Mount Sumeru
(Hsue-mi Shan), the centre of the universe. It is 3,360,000 _li_--that
is, about a million miles--high. [19] Its eastern slope is of gold, its
western of silver, its south-eastern of crystal, and its north-eastern
of agate. The Four Kings appear to be the Taoist reflection of the
four _Chin-kang_ of Buddhism already noticed. Their names are Li,
Ma, Chao, and Wen. They are represented as holding a pagoda, sword,
two swords, and spiked club respectively. Their worship appears to
be due to their auspicious appearance and aid on various critical
occasions in the dynastic history of the T'ang and Sung Periods.

T'ai I

Temples are found in various parts dedicated to T'ai I, the Great
One, or Great Unity. When Emperor Wu Ti (140-86 B.C.) of the Han
dynasty was in search of the secret of immortality, and various
suggestions had proved unsatisfactory, a Taoist priest, Miao Chi,
told the Emperor that his want of success was due to his omission to
sacrifice to T'ai I, the first of the celestial spirits, quoting the
classical pr