If you don't give up, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Chapter 1258: Fighting with each other

—If a real war breaks out between the two worlds, and you dare to put on your armor and lead the charge, then I will sincerely call you "Your Majesty"! Right now, it's just mending the sky. Who are you putting on such a grand show for?
As the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother strode into the inner courtyard, the powerful figures inwardly grumbled.

However, despite their complaints, they did not abandon basic etiquette.

Without performing a full bow, I still stepped forward and greeted them.

The Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother also greeted the distinguished guests with smiles.

Everything seemed unusually harmonious, but Nezha felt that the atmosphere was noticeably more oppressive than before.

The Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother came in person, and said they had summoned all the star lords, setting up the complete Zhou Tian Xing Dou Grand Array.

If we don't share some of the merits of heaven and earth with them, how can we send them away?
However, if the profits are distributed to them, the amount of merit that ends up in their hands is less.

While everyone was lost in their own thoughts, a unique fragrance wafted into the courtyard. Then, a stunningly beautiful woman in palace attire, with a slender waist, emerged carrying a green bamboo basket.

"Greetings, Goddess Nuwa!" The assembled dignitaries bowed in unison.

For "juniors" like Nezha and Yang Jian, it is natural to perform a grand ceremony.

Those of the "middle generation," such as the old immortals of the Chan Sect, only bowed slightly. Those of the same generation, such as Zhen Yuanzi, Doumu Yuanjun, and Tathagata, either because of their seniority or because of their status as "leaders," only bowed their heads and bent their waists slightly.

Nuwa nodded in return, picked up her bamboo basket, and said directly, "Thank you all for waiting. Today, with Yang Jian's help, I have followed the will of Heaven and refined a total of nine five-colored stones, which are enough to repair the disaster caused by the collapse of Mount Heng."

Facing the eager gazes of the assembled dignitaries, Nuwa's beautiful face revealed a troubled expression.

She certainly understood their thoughts.

If only one person or a group of people came, she would hand over the five-colored stone without hesitation.

Even saints need the merits of heaven and earth, but by today, the great vows they made to become saints have been largely fulfilled.

There's no need to compete with the younger generation for the "opportunity to attain enlightenment."

For the Pangu world to prosper and continue to evolve, it cannot rely solely on a few sages.

But too many people showed up, many of them old friends. She herself was willing to forgo the merits of heaven and earth, but giving the opportunity to one side only incurred the resentment of the others. What was she after?
The Jade Emperor suddenly spoke up: "Since there are nine stones for mending the sky, why not give one to each person and have all nine of them mend the sky together?"

Nuwa looked at the others.

The Buddha nodded in agreement, saying, "Your Majesty's words are excellent. Our Buddhism dares not compete with the Xuanmen (Taoist school)."

Only three pieces were needed; the remaining six all went to the Xuanmen sect.

Doumu Yuanjun immediately objected, saying, "Your Majesty, I remember that in the past, in the westernmost region, in a place called 'Western Wilderness Frontier,' a calamity also occurred where the sky collapsed."

The goddess crafted several stones for mending the heavens for the Western religion.

At that time, the Western religion quietly completed the mending of the sky, without giving our Taoist sect a single stone.

The Empress pondered for a moment and said, "This is indeed the case, but the situation in the Western Wilderness is very complicated and very special."

As you probably know, at the edge of the Western Wilderness, there is the only passage in the Pangu World that directly connects to the other world.

The Western saints actually used the stone used to mend the sky to block the entrance to the world's passage.

Doumu Yuanjun asked, "If we block the entrance to the world's passage, will heaven and earth bestow merit upon us?"

The Empress hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "It also brings great merit. The otherworldly realms outside are extremely dangerous; even if saints join forces to enter, they are highly likely to perish."

Blocking the world's passage not only protects all beings in the Three Realms, but also protects the Pangu world itself.

The Buddha said in a deep voice, "Although some merits have been bestowed, those merits are not even a fraction of the price that our Buddhist tradition has paid to guard the Western Wilderness for generations."

If even such merit is to be shared by the goddess, then she is far too greedy and shameless.

Bixia Yuanjun said unhappily, "Buddha, do not distort the truth. If Doumu Yuanjun were truly greedy, she would have gone there immediately after learning that the West was going to mend the heavens."

She didn't go, nor did she bother competing with you for that little bit of merit.

Her meaning was very clear: the West belongs to Buddhism, and the East is not for Buddhism to interfere with.

This was the rule when the West mended the heavens; the same rule applies to China's attempt to mend the heavens today.

The Jade Emperor said, "Yuanjun's words are inappropriate. From the perspective of Shenzhou, Mount Ling is in the west."

Standing in the Western Wilderness, both Mount Ling and the Divine Continent are to the east.

To the otherworldly demonic world, we are 'one world'.

Even if we must distinguish between them, there is no need to completely exclude one side.

The convergence of Taoism and Buddhism, leading to universal harmony, is the inevitable trend. Immortals should act in accordance with this trend, not against it.

Doumu said bluntly, "In that case, Jade Emperor, you should give your own mending stone to Buddha."

Nine stones: one for me, one for Bixia Yuanjun, one for Zhen Yuanzi, one for Xuandu, and one for Zixu.

The remaining three pieces are for Guangchengzi and the others, and the last piece is for Buddha.

The Jade Emperor was furious, but he held back, only glancing at the Queen Mother: It's your turn.

Guang Chengzi, speaking before the Queen Mother could react, exclaimed excitedly, "No, no! We brothers need at least six pieces. We can give one to Buddha, which would be the Jade Emperor giving it up voluntarily, but you can only take two!"

The Jade Emperor was even angrier, but he suppressed his anger again and did not roar in public.

If only Doumu said that if he were given a stone and then given the stone to the Buddha, he might argue angrily.

Now that the bigwigs of the Xuanmen sect have united their forces and only given him one stone, and even offered to give the stone to Buddha to appease Buddhism, he has lost his temper.

Doumu alone—he fought back, and there's hope of winning. But to directly confront the Xuanmen? The risk is too great, the profit insufficient, it's not worth it. It's better to endure and wait for the future.

However, although he held back from losing his temper, he did not completely give up.

He stopped looking at the Queen Mother and instead turned his hopeful gaze to the Buddha: Hey, come out and fight against the Xuanmen! If you can't fight against the Xuanmen, why are you dragging Buddhism into this? What's the point?
Just like in Xiaoyu's previous life, the sole purpose of a certain Western power in winning over a certain populous Eastern power was to counter another Eastern power.

When Buddhism proved unable to counterbalance Taoism, the Jade Emperor's efforts to win over Buddhism lost their meaning.

The Buddha was conflicted.

A single stone used to mend the sky barely met his minimum requirement.

Merit from Heaven and Earth is precious, but not the most important thing. What is important is that Buddhism repairs the heavens of China and gains the approval of the "Heavenly Lord of China," which will become the opportunity for Buddhism to open up new celestial realms in China.

The eastward transmission of Buddhism is only the first stage of the goal. After the eastward transmission of Buddhism is successful, the "Western Buddha" will also need to travel eastward.

To settle down and establish oneself in Middle-earth, one must certainly create one's own paradise.

If he listened to the Jade Emperor and fought with the Xuanmen bigwigs, they would probably fall out and in the end he wouldn't even be able to keep a piece of the Heaven-Mending Stone.

But if we ignore the Jade Emperor's only mending stone, it nominally belongs to the Jade Emperor too!

"Junior sister, the Heavenly Emperor's mending stone belongs to the Heavenly Emperor. Our Buddhism only needs one piece, is that alright?"

"Just consider it as if you're giving the Sky-Mending Stone to me alone." Buddha looked at the "Big Sister of the Intercepting Sect" with a pleading expression.

Doumu Yuanjun wanted to coldly refuse.

With his full head of ushnisha, it was hard for her to associate the Buddha with her once very close "Brother Duobao".

Yes, from Duobao to Tathagata, there have been several reincarnations.

But the Buddha's expression and tone at this moment made her feel dazed, as if she were seeing her senior brother Duobao again.

“Alright, I’ll give you one of the three Sky-Mending Stones that were originally meant for Guang Chengzi.” Doumu Yuanjun said with a glint in her eyes.

The old immortals of the Chan Sect were furious, "Doumu Yuanjun, you have gone too far!"

Doumu Yuanjun shouted, "Who is going too far? How many people are there in your Chan Sect? Is three pieces too little for you?"
I cut off the teachings and gathered them together.

Xuan Du, who represented the eldest master, also only had one piece.

The Xuanmen Earth Immortal faction still only has one piece, and Bixia Yuanjun, as the head of the innate female immortals, also only has one piece. Zixu is the only true human present; shouldn't he also receive a piece?

The "True Human Race" is essentially a non-alien powerful figure who has been reskinned; from soul to body, they are purely human.

For example, the Buddha.

The Buddha was reincarnated as Shakyamuni, and theoretically he belonged to the Western human race, but in essence he was the "elder brother Duobao" of the Jie Sect.

Senior Brother Duobao is not human.

Guang Chengzi said, "What era are we living in? Still talking about the Chan Sect and the Jie Sect. Red flowers, white lotus roots, and green lotus leaves—all the mysteries under heaven are one family. This is what my Uncle Tongtian said."

It's been 300,000 years since the Investiture of the Gods ended, and we're still dividing into different sects and factions. That's not good.

We'll let our abilities speak for themselves.

Doumu Yuanjun sneered, "Very well, if you want to compete in cultivation and supernatural powers, I am certainly happy to oblige."

No need for help from other fellow cultivators, all of you come at me together and watch me teach you a lesson!

"If you defeat me, I won't take a single stone."

Taiyi Tianzun shrank his neck and muttered, "Yuanjun, we are all virtuous and genuine cultivators. Why are we comparing our cultivation and supernatural powers? If we're going to compare, let's compare our virtue and integrity!"

We, fellow disciples, all served the human emperor.

As the saying goes, the Three Sovereigns ruled the world, and the Five Emperors established order. The current prosperity of the Pangu world is entirely due to humanity.

The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors of humanity were all students of our fellow disciples!

"And you, which human emperor have you taught, which holy king have you assisted?"

Let alone fighting Doumu Yuanjun, even when the Twelve Golden Immortals joined forces, they couldn't defeat the Three Immortal Maidens of Sanxiao (now that they have attained the Great Luo realm, they can defeat them).

The Three Immortal Maidens are far inferior to the "Big Sister of the Intercepting Sect".

Of course, as Taiyi Tianzun said, the old immortals of the Chan Sect never relied on supernatural powers to make a living.

They were pragmatic and understood the will of Heaven, taking the lead early on and siding with humanity, and never defying destiny.

While the disciples of the Jie Sect lived carefree and reckless lives, they diligently assisted the Emperor in governing the land of China.

"I was talking to you about mending the sky, where did you get that idea? Besides, if you were truly so virtuous and respected, how could you be facing a calamity?" Doumu Yuanjun said.

“If you kill too many people, you will naturally face calamities. Does the fact that we face calamities mean that we are morally corrupt?” Guang Chengzi said.

“It’s not surprising that you’ve faced a calamity. But a calamity as severe as yours is extremely rare in the world,” said Doumu Yuanjun.

Chi Jingzi sneered, "I don't understand what Yuanjun is saying. Everyone knows the result of the Investiture of the Gods, yet Yuanjun still dares to talk big."

Doumu angrily said, "Chijingzi, stop with the sarcastic remarks. Am I not telling the truth?"

Chi Jingzi said, "I ask you, if our calamity is truly more severe than yours, how could it be that you implicated our master and caused Uncle Tongtian to also fall into the calamity?"

Doumu's face flushed red as she shouted, "How dare you say that? If your Chan Sect hadn't been so shameless, resorting to all sorts of despicable means, would Master have been so enraged?"

Guang Chengzi mocked, "Look, look, you still don't know how to reflect on your actions."

My uncle has always been calm, wise, and reasonable.

"You deliberately deceived him, provoked him, and forced him to lead the pure and inactive cultivators of the Jie Sect into the tribulation!"

Doumu wanted to loudly deny it and then righteously rebuke it. But recalling what happened back then, she did feel a little guilty and even more ashamed.

Some of their disciples back then were indeed very unfilial (PS), causing their master great suffering.

"Stop arguing! You are all Great Luo Golden Immortals, have some shame! You even dragged your elders into this, it's outrageous!" Nuwa scolded, and simply gave the order, saying, "Jade Emperor and Queen Mother, as the rulers of the Three Realms, you do not need merit, nor can you compete with Xuanmen cultivators."

Of the nine stones used to mend the sky, one went to Buddhism, and the remaining eight were divided equally between the Chan Sect and the others.

Guang Chengzi, Doumu Yuanjun, and the Jade Emperor were all dissatisfied.

But Nuwa was clearly getting impatient. If you argued with her again, she would be furious and you might not even get a single stone.

The goddess Nuwa was probably really annoyed by their public feud.

After she finished speaking, she immediately lifted the silk cloth on the bamboo basket, revealing nine colorful transparent stones inside.

"Take the Sky-Mending Stone and hurry up and mend the sky!"

Fearing that things might change if he waited too long, Buddha was the first to approach the basket, thanked the goddess, and then reached out to take a five-colored stone.

But the moment his hand touched the stone, "buzzing..."

The five-colored stone shone brightly and broke free from his hand like a loach.

Buddha was stunned for a moment, then quickly went to catch it again.

This time, the five-colored stone suddenly turned into air and disappeared.

The Buddha looked closely and saw that there were still nine stones in the basket.

He tried to grab more, but Nuwa took the basket away, looked at him strangely, and said, "Buddha, you have seen it too. You are not destined for the Five-Colored Stones. The mandate to mend the heavens this time does not belong to you."

"Hehehe~~~" Doumu Yuanjun and Guang Chengzi both laughed.

"I told you, the heavens of the East should only be mended by the Xuanmen!" Doumu Yuanjun proclaimed loudly.

The Buddha's expression was unpleasant, but he did not insist.

He took two steps back and said, "Juliusun Buddha, it seems that destiny is on your side. You've worked hard this time to mend the heavens."

Ju Liusun was uncertain, but dared not waste the only opportunity that Buddhism had.

He quickly stepped forward, looking at the Goddess Nuwa with an apologetic and pleading expression.

The lady sighed and placed the basket in front of him again.

Ju Liusun spotted a five-colored stone, reached out his hand in a flash, but grabbed nothing.

He stood there, frozen in disbelief.

The goddess Nuwa said, "Don't underestimate this stone; it possesses great spiritual power and is a genuine innate treasure!"

Julusun glanced back at the Buddha, and after receiving a signal from him, turned to the Buddha Dipankara and said, "It seems this humble monk is also not destined to mend the heavens. Master Dipankara, I will still have to trouble you!"

Ran Deng had a sudden inspiration, feeling that he wouldn't succeed anyway.

Just like Julusun, he didn't want to, and couldn't, waste the only opportunity that Buddhism had.

He walked to the bamboo basket, but instead of immediately grabbing a stone, he first recited a Buddhist chant and made a grand vow to do his utmost to mend the sky before slowly putting his hand into the bamboo basket.

This time he finally touched the five-colored stone, but the five-colored stone vibrated slightly in his hand.

Dipankara Buddha was stunned for a moment, then sighed deeply, "So that's how it is!"

He took the initiative to let go and release the Sky-Mending Stone.

"Oh, why did you lose the Heaven-Mending Stone, fellow Daoist?" Nuwa asked curiously.

Her cultivation level was high enough. However, apart from refining the Heaven-Mending Stone, everything else related to mending the heavens was completely unrelated to her.

She was also actively avoiding cause and effect, so she didn't have any sudden impulses or thoughts.

The Ancient Buddha Dipankara said, "Probably none of us here can mend the sky. We are not chosen by Heaven."

The one destined to mend the heavens has already appeared. She is on earth, not in heaven.

(End of this chapter)