Don't let Yu Ding take on any more disciples.

Chapter 194 Arranging a Childhood Betrothal

Swish!
As soon as Kongxuzi spoke, several senior ministers, including Taibai Jinxing and Donghua Dijun, all looked over.

“Void Immortal, what do you mean by that?” Venus asked in surprise.

This Kongxuzi not only holds a position in the Heavenly Court, but also has the Chan Sect standing behind him.

In a sense, Kongxuzi's attitude can be seen as representing the intentions of the Chan sect.

It goes without saying who is behind the Chan Sect.

Therefore, although Kongxuzi was a celestial being, among the people present at this moment, he was the one with the lowest magical power and the least senior.
Yet no one dared to take this last disciple of the Primordial Celestial Venerable seriously.

"It's nothing, just what it means literally."

Kong Xuzi glanced at everyone and said, "Such a big thing as the Heavenly Emperor's disappearance, do you all really think you can hide it from everyone?"

"It might work at first, but it's definitely not a long-term solution!" Emperor Donghua said in a low voice.

Venus nodded slightly.

"You all understand these words in your hearts. If you don't want to say them, then I will say them myself."

Kongxuzi said, "In addition, the decree left by the Heavenly Emperor states that the position of Heavenly Emperor shall be occupied by the virtuous and capable. He felt that his virtue and ability were not enough, so he asked us to find another wise ruler?"
A country cannot be without a ruler for a day, and the Heavenly Court even more so cannot be without a master for a day. Since the Heavenly Emperor has spoken, we have no choice but to obey.

At first, Yu Ding thought that the Heavenly Emperor wanted to take a long vacation to relax and find some passion in the human world.

But now it seems that this Jade Emperor is actually planning to quit.

This operation was something even he couldn't quite understand!

The Heavenly Emperor, the master of the Heavenly Court, is the institution that will rule over the primordial world and all the heavens in the future. At that time, the Heavenly Emperor will be the supreme ruler with unparalleled power. But this guy actually ran away overnight!

Yu Ding, who was far away in Zhongnan Mountain, also shook his head.

I really can't understand it...

Inside the Tongming Hall, Venus, Emperor Donghua, and others also looked puzzled.

The Heavenly Emperor holds supreme power, and his position is comparable to that of the Heavenly Venerables. Countless gods, ghosts, demons, and monsters covet this position.

Logically speaking, the one sitting behind this position should be the happiest god in the entire prehistoric world, right?

Emperor Donghua frowned and said, "So, what you mean, True Man, is... to publicly announce the Heavenly Emperor's disappearance and then choose a new ruler?"

"But once this matter is exposed, not only will the people of Heaven be in a state of panic, but those with ulterior motives will take advantage of the chaos, and the prehistoric world will also be thrown into turmoil."

Venus said worriedly, "Therefore, I think this matter should still be kept secret. Even if it cannot be kept secret forever, it is good to keep it secret for a while."

Furthermore, as the saying goes in the mortal realm: "A country cannot be without a ruler for a day," and similarly, our Heavenly Court cannot be without a ruler for a day. Another matter concerns the question of who will hold the throne of the Heavenly Emperor.

"The throne of the Heavenly Emperor..."

Taibai and Donghua exchanged a glance. Donghua said worriedly, "When the Ancient Demon Court collapsed, it sparked a great battle among the gods, a war against heaven and earth, causing immense suffering to all living beings. If this situation is not handled properly..."

Not only in the outside world, but even in the Heavenly Court, countless people are tempted by the position of Heavenly Emperor.

"Why do you two look so upset? Don't worry, the Heavenly Court won't descend into chaos."

Kong Xuzi smiled and said, "Don't forget, the Heavenly Court has several of my teachers behind it."

Upon hearing this, Taibai and Donghua exchanged a glance and suddenly said in unison, "Then we will trouble you, Master, to consult the Heavenly Venerable."

Kuangzi: "..."

He remembered that after the Investiture of the Gods, the disciples of the three religions suffered heavy casualties and were reduced to mere shells, and the Three Pure Ones entered the Heavenly Realm and resided in the highest three heavens.

Thus, the structure of the Heavenly Court was fully formed. At that time, his grandmaster was like the chairman of the board, his three teachers were like three directors with great influence, and the Heavenly Emperor was the general manager...

but……

Kongxu let out a long breath. Before the Investiture of the Gods, the Heavenly Court did not have a deep relationship with the three religions. After all, those three masters also had their own religious lineages.

If they were to put in the effort, they would definitely focus more on their own religious tradition!
This is why the Heavenly Emperor wanted to recruit people from the three religions, but neither the powerful Jie Sect nor the elite Chan Sect was willing to send talent to the Heavenly Court.

"Sigh..." Thinking of this, Kongxu sighed softly.

If he had been able to persuade that master to send some talented people to the Heavenly Court back then, would this great calamity of the Investiture of the Gods... have been avoided?

Of course, he almost immediately came to a conclusion.
That is the great calamity... inevitable and inescapable.

The root cause is the three schools of thought, well, let's say the Chan and Jie schools. The Ren school only has a small number of people, so the blame can't be placed on them.

Both religions recruited many disciples and took on the responsibility of educating all living beings. However, the number of disciples they recruited was far too large, and the character of these disciples was mixed, leading to a great calamity for the immortals.

Whether it was the Heavenly Court's lack of capable people or the twelve unlucky members of the Chan Sect failing to sever their three corpses... in reality, these were all the triggers that led to the calamity.

"Then, you two, I'll head back to Kunlun Mountain first."

Kongxuzi cupped his hands in greeting to the two men, then turned and left Tongming Hall.

Behind him, Taibai and Donghua Dijun, watching Kongxuzi leave, breathed a sigh of relief as they gazed at Kongxuzi's departing figure.

Looking at Emperor Donghua, Taibai whispered, "The Heavenly Emperor went to undergo his tribulation, leaving behind an edict instructing the Heavenly Court to find another wise ruler. Perhaps the Emperor could..."

"Taibai, don't say such things anymore."

Emperor Donghua gazed at Kongxuzi's retreating figure, then glanced at the imperial throne and said, "That position is not so easy to sit in, nor is it suitable for me."

"Alright!" Venus sighed.

In terms of origin and seniority, this person is also a supreme and noble innate deity, responsible for governing all male immortals after the Dao Ancestor established the Immortal Path...

It's safe to say that if this person were willing, they would absolutely be qualified to sit there.

After speaking, Emperor Donghua strode forward.

"The situation in Heaven is still unsettled, where can the Emperor go?" Venus asked hastily. During the great calamity, the primordial land shattered, and besides becoming the four continents, some fragments turned into small islands existing in the vast seas.

The largest landmasses and fairy islands are known as the "Ten Continents and Three Islands!"

The Eastern Emperor is known as the "Head of Male Immortals," and his Daoist temple is located on Fangzhang Immortal Mountain. All male immortals who attain enlightenment must first come here to pay their respects. Those who do not wish to ascend to heaven can be removed from the Book of Death by this Emperor and have their immortal status established.

This emperor is not under the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Court, but he has an excellent relationship with the Heavenly Court. This time, the Heavenly Court was in trouble, so Taibai invited him to suppress the situation.

"Naturally, I will return to my abbot's mountain."

Emperor Donghua laughed heartily, “Taibai, there’s no need to worry. With that Kongxuzi here… there’s nothing to worry about in Heaven!”

Besides, didn't the Heavenly Emperor leave you a secret decree?

With that, he drifted away.

"The Emperor? The Emperor?"

Taibai called out a few times, but seeing that Donghua Dijun was leaving directly, he could only sigh helplessly.

……

Zhongnan Mountain, Yuzhu Cave.

Yu Ding and Yun Zhongzi sat facing each other on a small bridge. The aroma of the immortal tea in the jade cup rose gently and wafted up, refreshing the mind and spirit.

Beneath them was a small bridge over a flowing stream, shrouded in ethereal mist. In addition, some small trees and flowers were planted inside the cave, making it appear very elegant and serene, which was in line with Yun Zhongzi's personality.

"Junior brother, I have a question for you!"

"Please speak, senior brother!"

"Those few small trees and grasses... are they all spiritual roots?" Yu Ding asked, his lips twitching.

Yun Zhongzi smiled slightly: "I just happened to find them while traveling when I had nothing else to do. If you like them, senior brother, I can give you some."

Pick up... Jade Cauldron: "..."

He knew many famous figures in the Chan Sect, but he envied Yun Zhongzi's luck the most.

When you're in a bad mood, you can just go out for a walk and you'll either find treasure or spiritual roots. Compared to that unlucky guy Huang Long who went out to gang up on you, it's like heaven and earth.

Soon, however, Yun Zhongzi noticed that the jade cauldron had stopped moving and seemed to be pondering something.

"Senior brother, what's wrong?" Yun Zhongzi asked curiously.

“I may have to go to Kunlun Mountain,” Yu Ding sighed softly.

Although he hadn't expected the Heavenly Emperor to 'abandon' his duties, he wasn't actually that surprised.

After all, during the Investiture of the Gods, the Heavenly Emperor was called Haotian Shangdi, but during the Journey to the West, he became the Jade Emperor.

“Jade Emperor…” Yu Ding’s lips curled up and his eyes flashed with a spiritual light.

Legend has it that the Jade Emperor's secular name was Zhang Youren, and he was a benevolent and virtuous man.

Later, he was found by the gods of Heaven and chosen to be the Jade Emperor. He couldn't bear to part with his houses and livestock in the mortal world, so the gods used their magic to bring his chickens, ducks, cattle and sheep to heaven, which led to the later story of "When one attains enlightenment, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven".

Of course, there is another theory, which is that when Jiang Ziya conferred titles upon the gods, he left the position of the Heavenly Emperor unappointed.

Xiao Jiang originally intended to keep it for himself, but when others asked who the Heavenly Emperor was, Xiao Jiang said that someone had already taken the seat. However, someone immediately shouted, "Youren is here," and took Xiao Jiang's seat.

At this thought, Yu Ding's eyes flashed, and he felt as if he had parted the clouds and seen the truth of the myth.

So it seems that the legendary "Jade Emperor" was indeed named Zhang Youren. It was precisely because the Jade Emperor abandoned his duties and descended to the mortal realm to undergo tribulation that Zhang Youren was able to take advantage of the situation!

"Wait, the Heavenly Emperor has descended to the mortal realm to undergo tribulation, and Zhang Youren..." Yu Ding's expression suddenly turned strange.

Not long after, the jade cauldron split into two again. Its true form went to Kunlun Mountain, while its clone went to Jambudvipa.

This future Jade Emperor... he must find him and meet him.

Furthermore, it's unknown whether that lady achieved her wish.

……

In the territory, in a family's home in Zhangjiawan.

In a pavilion, sat a kind-looking middle-aged man and a man pacing back and forth with anxious hands clasped together.

"Brother Yao, stop walking around, you're making me dizzy."

The kind-hearted man smiled and said, "Don't worry, your sister-in-law will definitely be fine."

The man surnamed Yao smiled bitterly and said, "I hope it can really be as you say, brother. I don't know if it's a man or a woman."

By the way, our two families have been friends for generations. If my wife gives birth to a boy, we can have him become sworn brothers with our friend, continuing our fathers' friendship. What do you think, elder brother…?

As he spoke, he glanced at the distance not far away.

A little boy, about two or three years old, squatted by a small lotus pond, gazing at the fish and shrimp with an expression as calm and composed as an adult.

"I can't ask for it!"

“If it’s a girl…” the man surnamed Yao continued.

The man surnamed Zhang interrupted him with a smile, then looked at his own son by the lotus pond and said, "Then let's arrange a marriage between them, so they can become husband and wife in the future."

The little boy, who was watching the fish and shrimp by the lotus pond, suddenly shivered. He looked around blankly, and when he finally looked at the delivery room, his usually calm face instinctively showed fear.

"Haha, to be honest, Brother Zhang, these words are exactly what I was thinking!"

(End of this chapter)