The Three Realms, the Heavenly Court.
The Eighth-Layered Heavenly Palace.
Palaces representing the various sacred lands filled the Eighth-Layered Heavenly Palace. Due east stood Cangwu Palace, the Heavenly Court sanctuary of the Eastern Imperial, Cangwu Duke Emperor, Daoist Lord Chixiao; due west, however, stood Futu Temple, belonging to the Eastern Buddhist Elder, Eastern-Born Maitreya Buddha Great Bodhisattva. As for the Western Imperial, Yaochi Queen Mother Emperor, Golden Mother Primordial Lord, her sanctuary lay in the northwest.
Apart from the sanctuaries of these three Dao-Wielding mighty beings, due south of the Eighth Heaven Palace stood Guanshi Temple, belonging to the Southern Buddhist Elder, Mingguang Guanshi Great Bodhisattva; in the southwest stood Guanyin Pavilion, belonging to the Western Buddhist Elder, Jinglian Guanyin Great Bodhisattva. The Xiaoyun Mansion of the Southern Imperial, Xiaoyun Longevity Emperor, Daoist Lord Qiongyun, lay in the southeast.
One could say that the layout of the entire Eighth Heaven Palace had nothing whatsoever to do with the conventional arrangement of the four cardinal directions belonging to the Four Sovereigns and the intermediate directions to the Five Elders. After all, the Four Sovereigns and Five Elders all held Dao-Wielding rank, with no clear distinction of superiority or inferiority. Thus, the palaces throughout the Eighth Heaven Palace were distinctly staggered.
Aside from the sanctuaries of these Dao-Wielding mighty beings, who held heavenly mandates and each presided over a region, the Eighth Heaven Palace also contained many Pure Yang sanctuaries. For instance, the three houses of the Eastern Heaven Daoist Sect-Penglai, Qinghua, and Tianhe-had gathered in the east to establish their immortal palaces, while Jinchan Temple and Tianlong Temple had established Buddhist halls in the south. There were likewise the sanctuary of the Northern Demon Emperor Palace, the sanctuary of the Great Lingyin Temple in the west, and the sanctuaries of several