People in Conferred Gods: Rising from humble beginnings, I am the God of Wealth

Chapter 324 Signing the Investiture of the Gods, Holding the Western Saints Accountable! (12)

Zixiao Palace.

At the moment Hongjun Daozu appeared, Houtu Niangniang, the Six Sages of Heaven, and Haotian all bowed to him to varying degrees.

"Greetings, fellow Daoist (Master, Master)!"

The Dao Ancestor nodded slightly, and then began to explain in detail the reason for summoning them.

"Although the Heavenly Court is showing signs of great prosperity and has many immortals and gods, there are still many vacancies in the positions of the true gods, making it difficult to maintain the operation of the Heavenly Dao and the evolution of the primordial world."

"Your lineages enjoy the boundless fortune of the primordial world, yet you have never assisted the Heavenly Court; this is truly unacceptable!"

"During the Great Battle of Zhuolu, the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect committed a massacre and were shunned by humanity, resulting in none of their disciples achieving sainthood through severing their corpses. The Jie Sect, on the other hand, allowed its disciples to act recklessly and create unnecessary karma, which was also wrong!"

"It is even more unacceptable that the three saints, Yuanshi, Jieyin, and Zhunti, are now showing contempt for the Heavenly Court and disregarding the rules!"

The Dao Ancestor's expression was calm and his tone was even, but who could fail to hear the reproach in his words?

The saints reacted differently upon hearing this.

The Sage of Taiqing lowered his eyelids, still looking drowsy.

The Primordial Celestial Venerable frowned slightly, revealing a hint of dissatisfaction, clearly not agreeing with the Dao Ancestor's words.

The Chan Sect has only been established for a short time, so what's so strange about it that none of its disciples have performed the ritual of severing their corpses? Even without the initial massacre, it's not certain that these disciples would be able to do so.

Under his tutelage, all the second-generation disciples of the Chan Sect were able to cultivate to the level of Great Luo Golden Immortal, and many of them were even at the late stage of Great Luo, which was much stronger than some swordsman.

As for showing contempt for the Heavenly Court and disrespect for Haotian, he didn't think he had done anything wrong at all.

He is a saint. Even if Haotian has a powerful background, he is only a Heavenly Emperor in the Heavenly Court. He just wants to arrange for two disciples to become first-rank emperors in the Heavenly Court and wants to take Yang Jian under his wing. Is there a problem with that?

Tongtian Jiaozhu, on the other hand, was unconvinced. Although it was indeed wrong for the disciples of Jiejiao to act recklessly and create karma, that was the doctrine of Jiejiao. He was just verifying his own path. What was wrong with that?

Jieyin and Zhunti both looked ashamed, lowering their heads and not daring to look at Hongjun Daozu.

Whether their actions stemmed from genuine shame at Dao Zu's words or from fear that Dao Zu would discern something from their expressions, only the two of them truly knew.

Houtu, adhering to the principle of speaking less and listening more, sat cross-legged on the stone platform with a blank expression, revealing a hint of watching the show.

Nuwa remained indifferent, seemingly unconcerned, and even showed a hint of interest.

Anyway, she didn't establish a sect. After expelling Lu Ya, there were only a few people in Nuwa Palace. Even if you include the disciples she recently took in, it wouldn't be enough to establish a sect.

As for showing contempt for the Heavenly Court, ignoring the rules, and disrespecting Haotian, that's even more absurd. Strictly speaking, she even contributed to the Heavenly Court.

"Hmm... Why hasn't that brat Yang Xuan come to grant me a pardon yet? Could it be that he's discovered something? That shouldn't be the case, I've been disguising myself so well..."

Nuwa wrinkled her delicate nose and pouted slightly, but then put the matter aside for the time being and showed an expression of watching a show.

If conditions allowed, she would have even taken out some spiritual fruits and gathered around Houtu to watch the show together.

Watching a play alone is never as enjoyable as watching it with someone else.

If we do that, the Dao Ancestor will probably have to bring up the topic of her.

On the cloud platform, the Dao Ancestor ignored the reactions of the saints and continued:

“When you all established your sects and became saints, I had a premonition that a great calamity would come from the Xuanmen sect in the future.”

"I, an old Taoist, have been inspired by the Heavenly Dao and established the Heavenly Court. I ask you all to assist the Heavenly Court in order to preserve the destiny of the Xuanmen. I hope that you will not receive the primordial fortune in vain, but instead strive for the evolution of the primordial world."

"Unexpectedly, you all did not take the old Taoist's words to heart, which ultimately led to this great calamity becoming a calamity for the Xuanmen."

The Dao Ancestor sighed helplessly and continued:
"The great calamity is inevitable. After years of divination, I believe that only the Xuanmen (mysterious sect) can confer deities to fill the void in the Heavenly Court. From now on, we must do our utmost to maintain the operation of the Heavenly Court and perfect the evolution of the Heavenly Dao in order to settle this karmic debt!"

As he spoke, the Dao Ancestor gently waved his sleeve, and a cloud book and a wooden whip appeared on the cloud platform.

"This book is called the Investiture of the Gods, also known as the Heavenly Book. It is a top-grade innate spiritual treasure with forty-eight restrictions."

"The positions of the gods in the Heavenly Court were determined based on this book. There are 365 righteous gods, as well as many positions for stars, evil spirits, and heavenly soldiers and generals, which together form the Heavenly Court and maintain the operation of the Heavenly Dao."

As the words fell, the Investiture of the Gods unfolded automatically, revealing eight departments including Dou Huo Lei Wen, and in addition to the positions of the main gods and 129,600 assistant gods and heavenly generals, there were countless minor gods and heavenly soldiers.

In particular, the positions of these auxiliary gods, heavenly generals, minor gods, and heavenly soldiers are constantly changing and have no fixed number.

Yuanshi Tianzun and the others frowned slightly as they looked at the Investiture of the Gods before them, their expressions showing displeasure.

Thanks to Yang Xuan's years of hard work, the Heavenly Court's prestige has soared. Although there are still many vacancies for the positions of true gods, it is not as insignificant as later generations have described.

Even though these sages still didn't take the Heavenly Emperor Haotian seriously, they did have some understanding of the Heavenly Court and knew that joining the Heavenly Court wasn't a bad thing.

Not only can one temper one's Dao heart by fulfilling divine duties, but one can also steadily acquire Heavenly Dao merits.

In recent years, more and more disciples of the Jie Sect have gone to heaven to seek a suitable divine position.

If it weren't for the fact that Yuanshi Tianzun was concerned about his reputation and didn't want his other disciples, like Taiyi Zhenren and Nanji Xianweng, to face difficulties after ascending to heaven and ultimately only receive the third or fourth rank of deity, he would have wanted to send all the disciples of the Chan Sect to heaven.

The two Western Saints were the same; they were also extremely envious of the Heavenly Court.

However, since the Heavenly Court was the territory of the Three Pure Ones, in order to avoid attracting their attention and exposing their plans, they ultimately had to abandon their intention to ascend to Heaven.

After all, who wouldn't like such a precious and spiritual thing as merit?
However, in the past, when the beings of the primordial world ascended to heaven, they were only bound by the Heavenly Laws. Although they were not as free as they were in the mortal realm, their freedom was still quite limited.

Even if you violate the heavenly rules, you will only be punished. As long as you can gain enough benefits from violating the heavenly rules, it is not impossible to try.

Even if one day you get tired of this life and want to regain your freedom, there is still a chance to escape from the Heavenly Court.

However, after seeing the Investiture of the Gods, the saints realized that from now on, the gods and immortals of the Heavenly Court, whether they are righteous gods or heavenly soldiers, will be subject to deeper constraints.

Those listed on the Investiture of the Gods, if they die unexpectedly, their primordial spirit will fall into the Investiture of the Gods, thus being resurrected and returned. They will only lose their spiritual treasures and suffer damage to their cultivation, but they will not be in danger of dying.

This is the immense power of this top-grade innate spiritual treasure, providing a strong guarantee of safety for all immortals and gods.

Losing a spiritual treasure, suffering damage to one's cultivation, and experiencing a drop in one's realm are certainly heartbreaking, but as long as one's life is still intact, these losses are not unacceptable.

The problem is that once you're on the Investiture of the Gods list, getting off isn't as simple as just being on the list.

If one dies unexpectedly and their primordial spirit is listed on the Investiture of the Gods, it will be even more difficult to escape from the list.

Moreover, they could vaguely sense that once their names were on the Investiture of the Gods list, they would be powerless and subject to the control of others. Thinking of this, everyone's gaze turned to the wooden whip beside the Investiture of the Gods list.

However, Hongjun Daozu did not rush to explain, but instead continued to speak to himself:

"Although this great calamity is aimed at the Xuanmen, it is intended to settle the karmic debts, fill the void in the Heavenly Court, maintain the operation of the Heavenly Dao, and perfect the evolution of the primordial world."

"However, if other living beings are involved, they will also be drawn into the fray and will not be able to escape their fate."

"but……"

The Dao Ancestor paused slightly, his gaze sweeping over the assembled saints.

"Even under the Great Tribulation, there are opportunities. Below the Quasi-Saint level, as long as one successfully passes through the Great Tribulation, one's cultivation will greatly increase, and from then on, one will live a carefree life and enjoy boundless bliss!"

"If one's fortune is insufficient, one will die in the great calamity; if one's name is on the list, one will ascend to heaven to become a god, be reborn, and bring blessings to the world."

"If one's name is not on the list, then one will be reincarnated, and all the years of hard work will be in vain, and one will have to start all over again."

Tongtian and the others were somewhat aware of the things that Daozu had mentioned.

It is common knowledge that there are opportunities within a great eon.

After all, the Great Tribulation is an important process for the self-improvement of the primordial world. At most, it is about settling past karma, not about bringing calamities upon all living beings in the primordial world.

The Great Tribulation is more like a test. If you pass it, you will have great opportunities; if you fail to pass it, you will die and your cultivation will be destroyed!
Those beings who cannot survive this great calamity will still be listed on the Investiture of the Gods and ascend to heaven to become gods.

Even if things don't go well, they can be reincarnated, which is much better than the previous Dragon-Phoenix Calamity and Lich-Demon Calamity.

Tongtian and the others knew all about these things, but they were more concerned about the wooden whip.

They could vaguely sense that anyone listed on the Investiture of the Gods would be subject to the restrictions of this whip, and very severe ones at that.

Hongjun Daozu glanced at Tongtian and the others, and finally began to introduce the wooden whip.

"This whip is called the God-Slaying Whip. It is also a top-grade innate spiritual treasure, specifically used to strike the primordial spirit of gods. It is used in conjunction with the Investiture of the Gods and can also be used to control those who fawn upon it."

"All those who are listed on the Investiture of the Gods will be restrained by the God-Slaying Whip, so that disciples of great sects will not disregard the Heavenly Laws and act recklessly!"

As Hongjun finished speaking, all the saints frowned deeply.

They have no objection to sending their disciples to heaven in the future; in fact, they would welcome it.

With the Dao Ancestor's word, even disciples who don't meet the requirements must be accepted by Haotian, so that their disciples can gain extra merit. Why not?

Moreover, the Heavenly Laws don't bind them much, nor do they bind their disciples. At worst, they can just quit; it's no big deal.

Even after their disciples ascend to heaven, they remain their disciples and prioritize matters within their sect. The Heavenly Court is merely a tool for accumulating merit.

After the Investiture of the Gods was created, things changed.

Although the people who ascend to heaven are still their disciples, the heavenly rules impose much stricter constraints on them, and they are not allowed to leave the heavenly court at will.

Even if he still uses the Heavenly Court as a tool to gain merit, he still has to fulfill his duties and responsibilities. He can no longer prioritize matters within the Heavenly Court, nor can he leave it at will. The restrictions he faces are much more severe.

They naturally did not want this to happen, but they also understood that Hongjun Daozu was not asking for their opinions, but rather stating his own arrangements.

Comparatively speaking, with the Investiture of the Gods as a safety net, their disciples would have an extra layer of security during the great calamity.

Being bound by the Investiture of the Gods is better than dying and being reincarnated.

Besides, no matter how powerful the Investiture of the Gods is, it is still just a top-grade innate spiritual treasure.

Even if a disciple were to perish unexpectedly and their primordial spirit were listed on the list, it wouldn't be too difficult for these saints to retrieve them.

Moreover, both the God-Slaying Whip and the Investiture of the Gods are spiritual treasures, and they both require a person to wield them. If that person is a disciple of their sect, then there is even less of a problem.

On the cloud platform, the Dao Ancestor Hongjun remained indifferent, seemingly unaware of the thoughts of the saints, and continued to speak:
"You can decide for yourselves who should be on the list."

"But someone from the Jie Sect, the Chan Sect, and the Western Sect must enter the calamity!"

Upon hearing this, Yuanshi Tianzun and Tongtian Jiaozhu glanced at the Daoist boy Haotian beside the cloud platform, and both understood immediately.

They were not surprised that the Chan and Jie sects had to enter a period of tribulation.

The Dao Ancestor also said that when the Twelve Golden Immortals laid down their killing calamity, they incurred the disgust of humanity, yet they still enjoyed the fortune of the primordial world and owed the primordial world a debt of karma, which they must now settle by entering the calamity.

Moreover, Yuanshi Tianzun also knew that his disciples were not considered to be any kind of blessed immortals, and that they had committed many karmic offenses in order to obtain opportunities over the years.

The Chan Sect has the Pangu Banner to suppress its fortune, and it follows an elite path with only a few disciples. Yuanshi Tianzun simply doesn't care about this karma.

Needless to say, the Jie Sect has so much karma that even a saint like Tongtian couldn't suppress it. If the Jie Sect doesn't enter the tribulation, who will?

However, the Western religion must enter the calamity, which is very strange.

At least on the surface, after the Western Religion established itself, the two saints, Lianyin and Zhunti, were busy repairing the Western Earth Veins. How could they have had time to create karma?

If the two Western Saints hadn't caused chaos and incurred immeasurable merit when they attained enlightenment, the Western Sect's work of repairing the Western Earth's veins would have earned them even more merit.

Compared to the Chan and Jie sects, the Western sect can truly be called 'obedient'. Logically speaking, even if they needed to enter the calamity, they shouldn't have forced it.

Clearly, the root cause of this matter lies with Haotian.

Why did the Prime Minister insist on going to the Blood Sea to block the way some time ago, intending to forcibly convert Yang Xuan?
You never expected this, did you? Haotian actually went to such lengths, going to Zixiao Palace to sue the Dao Ancestor.

The Heavenly Emperor Haotian is nothing special, but the Daoist disciple Haotian...

Even the Primordial Celestial Venerable would have to smile slightly and call him junior brother.

The Tongtian Sect Leader and the Primordial Heavenly Venerable exchanged a glance, sat up slightly, and showed some interest, wanting to see how the two Western Saints would respond.

Now, the number of onlookers has increased from two (Houtu and Nuwa) to five.

As for who the other one is, it must be the Sage Taiqing!
Although the Supreme Sage always appeared drowsy, he never missed a single detail.

Even Laozi, the Supreme Lord of Heaven, has entrusted the task of fanning the fire to his attendant, sharing the affairs of Zixiao Palace with his true self.

(End of this chapter)