ENG
Bright helm with shining armor paired,
Golden spear with carvings flared.
With the universe's mystic power grand,
All is cleansed in the sacred land.
The story continues with the soul that escaped the underworld, now ascending to the upper realm, filled with excitement. He followed the celestial captain through alleys and corridors, eventually arriving at the armory. The captain said, "These are the Chu-Bai armors, unmatched in the mortal world." He then selected a set and handed it to the soul. They proceeded to the side hall, but instead of entering the main hall, they went to a side chamber where a minor official handed them a contract, instructing the soul to sign and seal it.
The minor official indifferently warned, "By signing this contract, you agree to serve in the Celestial Court forever, with no chance of reincarnation." The soul, glancing around at the grandeur of the palace and the elegance of the celestial beings, signed and sealed the contract immediately.
The celestial captain then led the soul to the Tushita Palace. Again, they did not enter the main hall but turned through a corridor to a massive tower at the back. Thick black smoke billowed from the top, and many soldiers were waiting outside, holding armor, ready to enter.
As the soul stepped inside, he felt the scorching heat. Numerous furnaces blazed with fierce flames, and a giant cauldron hung above, melting copper and iron. A Daoist boy with a fan approached, smiling, "Celestial soldier, heed my plea. Your flesh is gone, your soul must be. Bound to armor, fierce and bold. In battles fought, be brave, yet hold. For if you falter, heed this call, your very soul shall perish, fall."
With that, the boy pushed the soul into a mold, arranging the armor pieces. Still bewildered, the soul saw the giant cauldron tilt above him, pouring boiling molten metal. His piercing screams echoed through the tower.
The opening image describes a glorious celestial soldier: a bright helm, shining armor, and a carved golden spear, powered by the universe’s mystic energy to cleanse a sacred land. That image sets up what the soul who escaped the underworld hopes or expects as he ascends to the upper realm.
The soul follows a celestial captain through alleys and corridors to an armory. The captain identifies the armors as Chu-Bai, saying they are unmatched in the mortal world, and gives the soul a set. Instead of going into the main hall, they turn into a side chamber where a minor official waits with a contract.
The minor official makes the terms explicit: by signing this contract the soul agrees to serve in the Celestial Court forever and gives up any chance of reincarnation. Despite that clear warning, the soul is impressed by the palace and the celestial beings and signs and seals the contract immediately.
Next the captain leads him to the Tushita Palace and on through a corridor to a huge tower belching black smoke. Soldiers stand outside with armor ready. Inside are blazing furnaces and a giant cauldron melting copper and iron; the heat is intense and the work is clearly for making armor and weapons.
A Daoist boy approaches and declares the ritual truth of the process: the soul’s flesh is gone so the soul itself must be bound into the armor, and the bound soul must fight bravely in battle or be destroyed. The boy forces the soul into a mold, arranges the armor pieces, and the cauldron tilts, pouring molten metal over him as his screams echo. The outcome is that the soul is being fused into a Chu-Bai celestial soldier, permanently bound to serve the Celestial Court with no reincarnation, and annihilation is the punishment for failure.