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

Chapter 332 The Earthly Realm Returns to the Path of Heaven, and the Sage Returns to the Primordial World!
"So that's how the Three Realms evolve..."

After hearing Dao Zu's words, Hou Tu suddenly realized the purpose of Dao Zu's invitation to Zi Xiao Palace.

Ultimately, the Investiture of the Gods was merely the Dao Ancestor's way of taking advantage of the Great Tribulation to settle karmic debts and allow the Xuanmen (Taoist sect) to achieve a more transcendent position after the Great Tribulation, but it was not the entirety of the Great Tribulation.

In fact, the main purpose of the Investiture of the Gods was to evolve the Three Realms, make the Primordial World more perfect, and bring us one step closer to the Eternal True Realm.

Since it concerns the evolution of the primordial world, it is only natural that Dao Ancestor Hongjun would invite her to Zixiao Palace for a discussion.

At the same time, after learning the truth about the Great Tribulation, she became more wary of Hongjun Daozu.

Even the Dao Ancestor had selfish desires!

Other beings in the primordial world may not know, but after Houtu became a Sage of the Earthly Dao, she learned a lot of secrets related to the Dao Ancestor Hongjun.

For example, long before Hongjun attained enlightenment, he had already begun planning to strengthen the Heavenly Dao. Behind many major events in the prehistoric world, there was Hongjun's presence.

The three realms of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity hold the same status and are equally important to the primordial world; they should have appeared in the world simultaneously.

Instead of the present situation, where the Heavenly Dao was born countless eons before the Earthly Dao appeared, and the Human Dao was only just born in the long history of the prehistoric world.

Houtu even suspected that if the three paths of Heaven, Earth, and Man had been born at the same time and the current situation of Heaven's dominance had not occurred, the prehistoric world might have been able to evolve the Three Realms during the Lich War or even earlier!

Even though the primordial world evolved into the Three Realms and the coexistence of the Three Paths was an inevitable trend, Hongjun's stance was still on the Heavenly Path. It was clearly impossible to expect Hongjun to truly maintain impartiality.

However, Houtu kept Yang Xuan's instructions in mind and did not show any unusual behavior. She listened quietly to the conversation between Hongjun Daozu and the Six Sages of Heaven.

But it's clear that after Hongjun Daozu summoned her, he couldn't have just let her listen in at Zixiao Palace.

After the Dao Ancestor and the Six Sages of Heavenly Dao had finished their discussion, Dao Ancestor Hongjun looked at Houtu and asked with a smile:

"Fellow Daoist Pingxin, do you have anything to add regarding the evolution of the Three Realms in the primordial world?"

At this moment, the six sages of the Heavenly Dao all turned their heads and looked at Houtu.

Some of the secrets that Houtu was able to discover, they could also perceive after they became saints, but they didn't think there was anything wrong with what Hongjun did.

Regardless of any internal conflicts they may have, they are all sages of the Heavenly Dao, and their interests are always tied to the Heavenly Dao. In their external stance, they always maintain a consistent position.

Being watched by Hongjun Daozu and the six sages, even Houtu felt immense pressure, but her expression remained unchanged, and she said calmly:
"The evolution of the primordial world into the Three Realms is an inevitable trend, and I have no objection to it. However, regarding the Investiture of the Gods and the events that follow the evolution of the primordial world into the Three Realms, I have three different thoughts."

Houtu's gaze swept over Hongjun and the Six Sages of Heaven, and she continued:
"Firstly, in the matter of the Investiture of the Gods, the Underworld can cooperate with the Heavenly Court, granting certain Heavenly Court deities under Netherworld authority, and may even help the Xuanmen sect depending on the circumstances."

"But the Underworld is an institution directly under the Earthly Path, responsible for exercising authority on behalf of the Earthly Path. Its status is equivalent to that of the Heavenly Court. How can it be ordered around by the Heavenly Court?"

At the beginning of the establishment of the Underworld, Houtu agreed to let the gods and immortals of the Heavenly Court enter the Underworld to jointly build and maintain its operation, thinking that in the future, Yang Xuan would have the final say in both the Heavenly Court and the Underworld.

Although one is in heaven and the other is on earth, belonging to two completely different institutions, the actual person in charge is the same person, so there is no need to worry that these immortals and gods will do anything to harm the interests of the underworld or steal the authority of the underworld.

But now that the Dao Ancestor has taken out the Investiture of the Gods and the God-Slaying Whip, whoever holds the list will have considerable restraint over all the immortals and gods in the Heavenly Court and will certainly have a significant say in the Heavenly Court.

Furthermore, after the Investiture of the Gods, a large number of disciples from the Chan and Jie sects will join the Heavenly Court.

Not all disciples of the Chan and Jie sects could obey Yang Xuan's orders like Bixiao and others.

Among these great sects, many disciples, like Taiyi Zhenren and Lingya Xian, are extremely self-important. In their minds, the status of disciples of the Chan and Jie sects is higher than that of the celestial gods of the Heavenly Court.

It was clearly impossible to get them to obey the decline of Yang Xuan, a righteous god of the Heavenly Court.

At that time, Yang Xuan's status in the Heavenly Court might be affected.

Although this is only the worst-case scenario, we still have to be prepared.

Now that Houtu has spoken frankly, if that Flying Bear Daoist's hands are not clean in the future, Houtu has a reason to teach him a lesson, and the Heavenly Sage can't say anything about it.

On the other side, Haotian breathed a sigh of relief after hearing Houtu's words.

When he saw the Dao Ancestor take out the Investiture of the Gods, a sense of unease welled up in his heart.

If he were to choose, the person who would wield the Investiture of the Gods and the God-Slaying Whip would undoubtedly be Yang Xuan.

But since the Dao Ancestor had said so, regardless of whether Yang Xuan was truly unwilling, he had no way to change anything.

When he heard that Daoist Feixiong had joined the Chan Sect and that the Investiture of the Gods and the God-Slaying Whip were temporarily under the Chan Sect's control, his unease intensified.

He already knew about the discord between Taiyi Zhenren, Antarctic Immortal, and Yang Xuan.

If Flying Bear Daoist and Taiyi Zhenren and Antarctic Immortal are on good terms, after the Great Tribulation, they will probably use the power of the Investiture of the Gods and the God-Slaying Whip to make trouble for Yang Xuan.

However, since Daoist Feixiong was the one designated by the Dao Ancestor to run the list, even if such a thing really happened, Haotian couldn't suppress him too much.

Now that Haotian has heard Houtu's words, at least there are fewer things to worry about.

If that Flying Bear Taoist dares to extend his reach into the Underworld and undermine Yang Xuan's interests there, Houtu will likely not give him a pleasant look.

As for the fact that the Heavenly Court cannot be above the Underworld, and that the Heavenly Emperor Haotian cannot directly command the ghosts and gods of the Underworld, he did not take it to heart.

From beginning to end, he never intended for the Heavenly Court to be superior to the Underworld.

When Yang Xuan summoned him and the Queen Mother to the Netherworld to discuss the construction of the Underworld, he only thought that in the future, the righteous gods related to the Heavenly Court and the Underworld could obtain complete authority and become worthy of their names, nothing more!

Since I never thought about it, I naturally don't feel any regret.

After hearing Houtu's words, the Heavenly Sage did not have much of a reaction.

If the Heavenly Court could rise above the Heavenly Court and become the ruler of the primordial world, it would naturally be a better thing for these Heavenly Saints.

However, the Heavenly Court still has a long way to go before it can truly rule the primordial world.

Moreover, offending Houtu over such a trivial matter is hardly a wise move, no matter how you look at it.

Even the Primordial Celestial Venerable, after some thought, said nothing.

Jiang Shang was appointed by the Dao Ancestor to take charge of the Investiture of the Gods and the God-Slaying Whip. He will have no problem securing a place in the Heavenly Court in the future, but he will be of little use in the Underworld.

Now that Houtu has spoken frankly, it's a good thing, lest Jiang Shang do something unwise in the future and take his anger out on the Chan Sect as well.

Seeing that neither Haotian nor the Six Sages of Heaven had any objections, Hongjun Daozu finally nodded.

"Can!"

Houtu continued, "Secondly, after the primordial world evolved into the Three Realms, the Earthly Realm should be governed by the Earthly Dao!"

In fact, what Houtu meant was that after the primordial world evolved into the Three Realms, the three paths of Heaven, Earth, and Man coexisted, which was in line with the general trend of the primordial world.

However, the Earthly Path currently only has one sage, Houtu, and the Human Path is still underdeveloped, without even a sage. In contrast, the Heavenly Path, including Hongjun, has seven sages.

Even if Houtu said so, Daozu and the Six Sages of Heaven would not agree. She could only settle for second best and take over the territory to ensure the basic interests of the Earthly Path.

As for other matters, we can discuss them with Yang Xuan when we return to the Netherworld.

Although Yang Xuan's cultivation level was insignificant to a sage, his scheming ability was something even Houtu had to take seriously.

The Heavenly Sage reacted noticeably more strongly upon hearing Houtu's second request.

Since the birth of the Earthly Path, the Netherworld has belonged to the Earthly Path, and the power of the Heavenly Path has been unable to penetrate into it.

For these Heavenly Saints, this event of the evolution of the Three Realms in the Primordial World was an excellent opportunity to change the status quo, allowing the Heavenly Dao to penetrate into the Earthly Realm and encompass the Three Realms of the Primordial World.

But now that Houtu has said this, if they still insist on doing so, even if Houtu will not stop the evolution of the Three Realms from the primordial world, she will probably not cooperate with their plans.

If Houtu, as the representative of the earth, were to strike them at a crucial moment, their losses would certainly be even greater.

After exchanging glances, Hongjun Daozu and the Six Sages of Heavenly Dao finally nodded and said calmly:

“The territory can be under the control of the underground passage.”

Although he agreed with Houtu's opinion, he only allocated the territory to the underground passage. As for the rest, he did not give any guarantees!
Houtu, seeing that the Dao Ancestor nodded, spoke again:

"Thirdly, the Xuanmen is planning to confer gods and settle karma during the Great Tribulation. The Didao will not secretly interfere with this matter. Therefore, I hope you will not secretly interfere with the Didao's plans during the Great Tribulation."

"As long as the interests of Heaven are not harmed, we will not interfere in secret."

This time, Hongjun didn't think much of it and nodded in agreement.

He had already guessed that the Heavenly Dao could plot the conferment of gods during the Great Tribulation, and the Earthly Dao could also plot during the Great Tribulation. As long as it did not affect the interests of the Heavenly Dao, he would naturally not interfere.

Of course, as for what constitutes a situation that affects the interests of Heaven, and how to define that boundary, that's up to him to decide.

If Houtu's plans make him uneasy and cause the Heavenly Dao to issue a warning, then he certainly cannot just stand by and watch.

Houtu understood this as well, and she said all this simply to give the underground passage a fairer chance, nothing more.

It's not that I want to gain any substantial benefits from these Heavenly Dao Saints; that's simply unrealistic, and the Heavenly Dao Saints would never agree to that.

After settling these three matters, Houtu did not make any further requests or join the discussion on the evolution of the Three Realms in the primordial world. However, she still adhered to the principle of listening more and speaking less, only occasionally saying a few words.

There was no concept of time in the chaos, and it is unknown how much time had passed. It was only through the joint deduction of the eight sages that the matter of the evolution of the Three Realms was settled.

"This matter concerns the future of the primordial world, and I hope you will all take it seriously!"

Hongjun Daozu looked at the group of saints and solemnly instructed them. The seven saints, including Houtu, all nodded in agreement.

Regardless of whether they had any other ideas, after years of deduction and discussion, at least on matters such as the evolution of the primordial world and the three realms, their positions were consistent.

The signing of the Investiture of the Gods has been completed, and the evolution of the Three Realms in the primordial world has been agreed upon. The great calamity will descend soon, and even for a sage, time is of the essence.

They did not linger in Zixiao Palace and disappeared from the hall one after another.

Even Haotian was sent out of Zixiao Palace by Dao Ancestor Hongjun and brought to the outside of the primordial membrane.

The fact that he could do this in the chaos where there was no concept of space shows how profound the Dao Ancestor's Daoist cultivation was.

"Perhaps, even a saint could do this..."

Haotian transformed back into a middle-aged man dressed in imperial robes, gazing at the primordial membrane before him, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

This trip to Zixiao Palace made him understand many things and made him realize the gap between himself and the sages.

Whether it was signing the Investiture of the Gods or discussing the evolution of the Three Realms in the primordial world, he was basically on the sidelines and unable to truly participate.

Later on, with Houtu joining the deduction process, he could no longer keep up with the sages' plans and could only vaguely see some fragments related to the Heavenly Court.

"If one can become a saint..."

Haotian sighed. If he were also a saint, he would have had more say in the Zixiao Palace this time.

Even if he cannot change the person in charge of the Investiture of the Gods and the God-Slaying Whip, he can impose more restrictions and even take control of these two magical treasures himself.

Unfortunately, he had only recently become a Quasi-Saint of Two Corpses, and he didn't even know how to sever his own corpse, let alone become a Saint.

Now he can only hope that after the Flying Bear Taoist of the Chan Sect ascends to heaven, he will not become arrogant and act recklessly with the Investiture of the Gods and the God-Slaying Whip.

If what Fei Xiong Dao Ren did angered Yang Xuan, Hao Tian would probably have to make another trip to Zi Xiao Palace.

In any case, he would never watch Yang Xuan suffer, much less allow Yang Xuan to leave the Heavenly Court.

Even if Flying Bear Daoist was appointed by the Dao Ancestor and was the one destined to be conferred the title of God, he was not qualified to compete with him for favor. He was confident in that much!
Haotian stopped thinking about it and immediately used his escape light to enter the primordial world.

On the other hand, Yuanshi Tianzun returned to the prehistoric world even earlier than Haotian.

But just as he passed through the primordial membrane and returned to the primordial world, the Investiture of the Gods and the God-Slaying Whip, which he had put into his sleeve, suddenly trembled slightly, as if they had sensed something.

But the next moment, it returned to normal, lying quietly in his sleeve.

"Is this a premonition of an impending catastrophe, or something else entirely...?"

Yuanshi Tianzun frowned slightly. Due to the influence of the calamity energy, after some deduction, he was unable to deduce the reason for the unusual movements of the Investiture of the Gods and the God-Slaying Whip.

However, he didn't take it too seriously. No matter why the Investiture of the Gods and the God-Slaying Whip were disturbed, as long as these two spiritual treasures were in the hands of the Chan Sect, they would only be under the control of the Chan Sect!
at the same time.

The Netherworld, the place of reincarnation, has seen Houtu return from chaos.

With a gentle wave of her sleeve, she lifted Yang Xuan from the underworld...

P.S.: These past two years, I've felt that colds are significantly more severe than before. My head feels completely foggy, and I've spent the whole day sitting in front of the computer in a daze...

(End of this chapter)