Daoji Lingxian Ji (Records of Taoist Traces and Spiritual Immortals). The original author is unknown.
Judging from its content and structure, it is presumably a section of Daoji Jing (Scripture of Taoist Traces), also titled Zhenji (True Traces), compiled by Gu Huan, a Taoist priest of the Liu Song Dynasty during the Southern Dynasties.
The original number of rolls is unclear. The surviving version, consisting of one roll, is included in the Dongxuan Section, Biographies and Records Category of the Daozang (Taoist Canon).
The text is divided into eight sections:
- The first four sections record the names of the Six Ghost Palaces on Fengdu Mountain, the rulers of ghosts and gods in mountains and rivers across the world, and Taoist techniques for warding off ghosts.
- The latter four sections detail the names and official ranks of immortal officials in the celestial ministries, as well as the life stories of those who attained immortality through Taoist practice in successive dynasties.
Most of the ghost rulers and immortal officials recorded in the book are historical figures—ranging from Yan Di (the Flame Emperor) down to emperors, generals, ministers, literati, and scholars of the Zhou, Qin, Han, Wei, Jin, and other dynasties. All are said to have entered the ranks of immortals or been registered in ghost palaces after their deaths.
Most content of the book can also be found in the chapters Chanyuan Wei (Illuminating the Profound and Subtle) and Jishen Shu (Pondering the Divine Pivot) of Tao Hongjing’s Zhengao (True Declarations), and its structure is similar to that of Zhengao.
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