The Sanhuang Sect 三皇派

The scripture-and-talisman-based Taoist group that reveres the Sanhuang Jing (Scriptures of the Three Sovereigns) is called the Sanhuang Sect.

The Sanhuang Jing originated from the Sanhuang Wen (Texts of the Three Sovereigns), a type of talisman book used to summon and subdue ghosts and spirits. Baopuzi·Xialan (The Master Who Embraces Simplicity·Exotic Visions) states: "If a family possesses the Sanhuang Wen, it can ward off evil spirits, plague qi, unexpected disasters, and flying misfortunes."

Yunji Qiqian (Seven Lots from the Cloud Satchel), Volume 106, "Biography of True Person Bao Jing," records: "Bao Jing studied and mastered Confucian classics, divination, and astronomical omens. He took Zuo Yuanfang as his teacher, receiving the Central Methods and the essentials of summoning and subduing spirits from the Three Sovereigns and the Five Sacred Mountains. When practiced, these methods were miraculously effective, enabling him to command ghosts and spirits, seal mountains, and control demons."

When the Sanhuang Jing was passed down to Lu Xiujing, he established ritual norms and protocols for it. Followers of this sect chanted the Sanhuang Jing and practiced the techniques of summoning and subduing ghosts and spirits.

The sect was once banned in the Tang Dynasty but continued to circulate. It suffered another ban in the Yuan Dynasty, along with the disaster of book-burning: the Sanhuang Jing was burned, and the Sanhuang Sect thus came to an end.