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

Chapter 333 Guarding against Shen Gongbao, rebuilding the Gates of Hell! (11)

The Netherworld, the place of reincarnation in the underworld.

After hearing about the signing of the Investiture of the Gods by Zixiao Palace, Yang Xuan frowned slightly, his face showing a thoughtful expression.

Just as he had thought, under his scheme, the Heavenly Court was no longer as wretched as the legends of his previous life had portrayed it.

Although there are still many vacancies in the positions of the true gods, it is enough to maintain the operation of the Heavenly Court.

As the Heavenly Court's influence in the prehistoric world gradually increases, even without the Xuanmen's conferment of gods, these positions of true gods would eventually be filled by people with the appropriate cultivation and rank.

Therefore, Hongjun Daozu no longer used the vacancy of the Heavenly Court's divine positions as the cause of the Investiture of the Gods calamity, but rather regarded it as a way for the Xuanmen to settle karma.

Over the years, apart from the Western Religion frequently repairing the earth's veins, the three sage sects of Chan, Jie, and Ren have merely enjoyed the primordial fortune without making any due contributions.

Moreover, when the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect were at the Battle of Deer Plain, they committed a great deal of killing due to the invasion of calamity energy into their spiritual platforms, which damaged the newly born human race.

At other times, in their struggle for spiritual treasures and spiritual roots, they also created a great deal of karmic debt.

Needless to say, the karma created by the likes of Lingya Xian and Ma Yuan was so immense that even the saintly Tongtian Jiaozhu couldn't suppress it, demonstrating the terrifying nature of the karma of the Jie Sect.

The People's Church follows the natural way and the principle of non-action, so it has not committed any karmic offenses, but it has also enjoyed the primordial fortune without making any corresponding contributions.

Over the years, the Xuanmen has accumulated a considerable debt of karma to the Primordial World. If the Xuanmen is to attain true freedom and transcend worldly concerns, it is necessary to settle these karmic debts.

The Investiture of the Gods calamity was an excellent opportunity, but it was also fraught with danger. Even disciples of saints risked their lives if they were not careful.

Since that's the case, why not let the disciples of the Xuanmen take the initiative to face the tribulation? If they can overcome the tribulation, then the karma they owed back then can be settled.

If one cannot overcome this obstacle, one will die and one's karma will be cleared. As long as enough disciples of the Xuanmen die, the karma accumulated over the years can be completely cleared.

The existence of the Investiture of the Gods gave these disciples of the Xuanmen sect a chance to start over.

Although one's cultivation and spiritual power will be severely damaged after being listed, and all one's spiritual treasures and objects will be lost, one will also be subject to the control of the person holding the list.

However, compared to the true spirit returning to the river of destiny, dying and disappearing, and re-entering the cycle of reincarnation, this ending is already very good.

After learning about the signing of the Investiture of the Gods, Yang Xuan suddenly felt that perhaps this was the truth of the Investiture of the Gods, and that the rumors about the vacancy of the Heavenly Court's divine positions in his previous life were just an excuse.

If the Dao Ancestor truly only wanted to fill the vacancy in the Heavenly Court, why go through all this trouble? Even if the Xuanmen disciples were unwilling to cooperate, surely the Primordial World is so vast that it couldn't find a suitable candidate?
Moreover, if the Dao Ancestor personally gave the order, even if Yuanshi Tianzun and Tongtian Jiaozhu were unwilling, they would have to arrange for their disciples to go to heaven.

Becoming a god in heaven doesn't mean you can't cultivate yourself, and you don't necessarily have to do all the affairs of the heavenly court yourself. If the Chan Sect can come up with a way to take on disciples to ward off disasters, surely they can come up with a way to take on disciples to handle the affairs of the heavenly court.
Therefore, the Investiture of the Gods was just an excuse; the real reason was to settle accounts with the cause and effect.

Moreover, by having Haotian, with his status as the Heavenly Emperor, complain to Zixiao Palace and trigger the Great Tribulation of the Investiture of the Gods, the Xuanmen sect would not have to bear the karmic consequences of triggering the Great Tribulation, which can be described as killing two birds with one stone.

Now, because of Yang Xuan, the Investiture of the Gods can obviously not be used as an excuse to trigger a great calamity, but it has spared Haotian a calamity.

In the legends of his past life, Haotian had to go through ten reincarnations before he could finally achieve perfect merit. This was likely the karmic debt incurred during the great calamity.

But now, that's not necessary.

On the contrary, it was because of Yang Xuan that the Heavenly Court was able to operate autonomously and its influence in the prehistoric world gradually increased. The Heavenly Emperor Haotian was good at recognizing talent, which can be considered a great achievement, and he was able to sit more firmly in the position of Heavenly Emperor.

As for what Hongjun Daozu said about Yang Xuan's unwillingness to take charge of the Investiture of the Gods and the God-Slaying Whip, Yang Xuan was not surprised.

Back in Zixiao Palace, the Dao Ancestor clearly wanted him to preside over the Investiture of the Gods. Naturally, he couldn't accept such a thankless task that would also damage his own destiny.

For the beings of the primordial world, presiding over the conferment of gods might seem like a very prestigious thing, as it would allow them to rise to a higher status and surpass many disciples of saints.

But as a time traveler, how could Yang Xuan not know the price of presiding over the conferment of gods?
According to the legends of his previous life, Jiang Ziya, who presided over the investiture of the gods, ended up dying of old age in the mortal world and being reincarnated. For a cultivator, isn't this a tragic ending?

Now that Yang Xuan already knows all this, how could he possibly agree?

Yang Xuan was somewhat surprised to learn that Jiang Ziya had already become a disciple of the Chan Sect.

According to the previous story, after signing the Investiture of the Gods, there would be a drama of fighting for Flying Bear Taoist. Unexpectedly, this step has been skipped now, and the ownership of the Investiture of the Gods has been determined directly.

"Now that Jiang Ziya has been born, Shen Gongbao should have also appeared in the world, and may even have joined the Chan Sect. We must be careful and wary..."

Yang Xuan nodded secretly; he had a deep impression of Shen Gongbao.

In later generations, Shen Gongbao was known as a walking jinx, the embodiment of the Great Path of Misfortune, and the strongest incantation.

With just a simple "Fellow Daoist, please wait," Shen Gongbao dragged the entire Jie Sect into the Great Tribulation. Those disciples of the Chan Sect whose primordial spirits were on the list could also be considered Shen Gongbao's accomplice.

Without Shen Gongbao's help, this great calamity of the gods would never have been so exciting!

Even before Yang Xuan took human form, he had already decided that he would stay away from Shen Gongbao no matter what.

Now, as the de facto ruler of both Heaven and the Underworld, he has countless followers. In addition to avoiding Shen Gongbao himself, he also has to make his subordinates do the same.

If you ever hear the words "Fellow Daoist, please stay" in the future, don't overthink it, and don't turn around. Just run as far away as you can!

Of course, Yang Xuan couldn't say these things directly, otherwise it would be obvious that he could predict the future.

Even a sage, who can observe the river of time, can only see a blurry corner of the future, and it is only one possibility that may not actually happen.

Although Yang Xuan is already a Great Luo Golden Immortal, and can be considered a high-end combatant in the prehistoric world, how can he compare to a sage?

Once people know that he can foresee the future, he might appear in Zixiao Palace in the next moment.

As for how to put it, it's not difficult. Shen Gongbao is a disciple of the Chan Sect and has no dealings with the celestial beings, the underworld spirits, or Bixiao and others. They are complete strangers.

Just tell them that the Xuanmen sect is the main protagonist of this great calamity, and that the Chan and Jie sects will have the greatest influence. If they encounter disciples of these two sects during the calamity, they should try to avoid any contact.

If the other party makes any requests, do not respond; prioritize your own safety!

After Yang Xuan and Houtu finished recounting the evolution of the primordial world into the Three Realms, they couldn't help but feel somewhat uneasy.

According to legends from the previous life, after the primordial world evolved into the three realms of Heaven, Earth, and Man, the spiritual energy gradually began to decline, eventually leading to the end of the Dharma era.

Yang Xuan is now also a being in the primordial world. If he could, he would naturally not want to see the end of the Dharma era arrive, leading the primordial world to its end.

However, his cultivation level was far too low to be qualified to participate in the evolution of the primordial world.

Even back in Zixiao Palace, he only proposed the idea of ​​three paths coexisting based on his understanding of the prehistoric world and some memories from his previous life.

The intention was to give the Dao Ancestor some new ideas about the evolution of the Three Realms, but no mention was made of anything about the Three Realms.

That was true then, and it is true now!

Even if Yang Xuan wanted to find the cause of the end of the Dharma era and prevent the prehistoric world from going to its end, he would have to wait until he became a quasi-saint before he could make any plans.

His primary task now is to ensure that the Heavenly Court and the Underworld gain more benefits during the Investiture of the Gods calamity and enhance their own strength. Only when the Heavenly Court and the Underworld are powerful enough can he have a greater voice in the prehistoric world in the future, and only then will more people listen to him and cooperate with his plans.

After a long silence, Yang Xuan gathered his thoughts, bowed to Houtu, and said in a deep voice:

"Your Majesty, the matters of the Xuanmen's conferment of gods and the evolution of the Three Realms in the primordial world are of great importance. Your Majesty and the various sages have already discussed and agreed upon them. This humble god is merely a Great Luo Immortal; how could I possibly have any objections? However..."

At this point, Yang Xuan paused slightly, a glint of light appearing in his eyes, and continued:

"However, I do have a few ideas about the plans of the Underworld and the Underworld during the Great Tribulation. I just don't know if they will offend the taboos of the Sage. I would appreciate it if Your Majesty could consider them."

"Oh? Tell me!"

Houtu immediately became interested. She had just thought that Yang Xuan had changed his ways and dared not participate in the Sage's scheme, but now that she heard this, perhaps that wasn't the case...

Yang Xuan didn't keep anyone in suspense. He had been pondering these matters for many years and already had a clear understanding of them. He explained clearly:

"Firstly, before the great calamity of the gods officially arrives, build three more gates to the underworld and improve the teleportation arrays from the city god temples in various places to the gates to the underworld, saving time for the gods and ghosts of the underworld to travel to and from the primordial world."

"Currently, there is only one Gate of Hell. It is easy for ghosts and gods from the underworld to travel to the area around the Blood Sea, but it is too costly and too slow to teleport to other city god temples."

"If the underworld wants to gain more benefits in the Investiture of the Gods, it needs to build three more gates of hell."

"Your Majesty must have noticed that I built four Fengdu Cities in the east, south, west, and north around the Ten Courts of the Underworld. The purpose of building three more Ghost Gates in the future is to connect the three Yellow Springs Roads."

I see……

Houtu remained expressionless upon hearing this, but inwardly she suddenly understood.

The Underworld was managed by Yang Xuan, which Houtu trusted very much. In recent years, apart from having a benevolent corpse transform into Meng Po, she had not paid much attention to the Underworld.

She only realized now that Yang Xuan had already come up with an expansion plan from the very beginning of the design process.

If the underworld could really add three more gates to the underworld and build three more roads to the Yellow Springs, then the ghosts and gods of the underworld could save a lot of time traveling to various parts of the primordial world.

Whether it's planning during the upcoming Investiture of the Gods or capturing souls by the underworld officials in the future, things will be much easier, and the cycle of life and death in the primordial world will become more orderly.

Before Houtu could think further, Yang Xuan continued:
"One of the reasons why the little god has been having the dragons manage the water veins of the River of Oblivion all these years is to prepare for the construction of the Yellow Springs Road in the future."

"Now the water veins of the River of Oblivion have spread throughout the Netherworld. A few years ago, when the Empress went to Zixiao Palace to discuss matters, considering that the Great Tribulation was approaching and time was of the essence, I asked the Dragon Clan and the Ghosts of the Underworld to build the Yellow Spring Road first."

"This is the route map of the Yellow Springs Road, the locations of the three Gates of Hell, and the construction progress of the three Yellow Springs Roads. Please take a look, Your Majesty."

As they spoke, Yang Xuan took out a jade book and handed it to Houtu.

"very good!"

Houtu's divine sense swept across the jade book, and a look of joy appeared on her face.

Judging from the current progress, these three roads to the underworld can be completed before the great calamity of the Investiture of the Gods officially arrives.

Comparatively speaking, building the Road to the Underworld was the most time-consuming project.

Nowadays, the Yellow Springs Road in the underworld is not just a road that guides the souls of the dead to the underworld.

If it's just a road, why build it on the banks of the River of Oblivion? And why does Yang Xuan go to such lengths to expand the River of Oblivion?

The idea of ​​spreading the River of Oblivion throughout the Netherworld will not only ensure the safety of the Great Luo Immortal of the Nether Lotus and give hope to Quasi-Saints, but also...

This is also to improve the environment of the Netherworld, increase the concentration of Yin energy, and make the Netherworld more suitable for the survival and cultivation of Yin spirits and various Yin-attribute beings.

As a river of absolute Yin energy, the River of Oblivion naturally became the place with the most concentrated Yin and death energy in the Netherworld.

In the primordial world, maintaining the operation of formations requires spiritual energy, and the same is true in the Netherworld!

Without sufficient spiritual energy, even if the teleportation array at the Gates of Hell is perfectly constructed, it will only be a decoration.

The purpose of the Yellow Springs Road is to transmit the deathly energy of the underworld to the Gate of Hell in order to activate the teleportation array!
After discussing Dao with Bixiao, the Ten Heavenly Lords and other disciples of the Jie Sect, Yang Xuan's mastery of array formations improved significantly, and he further refined his ideas on composite array formations.

After years of development, Yang Xuan created a formation called the Spirit Transformation Formation.

If used in a composite array, it would be a component of the Spirit Transformation Array.

This array has only one function: to transport spiritual energy more efficiently, allowing other arrays to operate more stably.

The formations that Yang Xuan set up on the four roads to the underworld are the Spirit Transformation Formation.

By connecting the Yellow Springs Road and the teleportation array at the Gates of Hell, one can directly mobilize the absolute Yin death energy in the River of Oblivion. As long as the River of Oblivion does not dry up, the teleportation array at the Gates of Hell can always keep running.

Today, the River of Oblivion is spread throughout the Netherworld, and the Dragon Clan has built Netherworld Water God Temples at various nodes along the River of Oblivion to manage the water veins within their jurisdiction, so there is virtually no possibility that the River of Oblivion will dry up.

If the River of Oblivion were to truly dry up one day, it would basically mean that the Netherworld is about to reach its end.

In fact, with this Spirit Transfer Array, even if we don't build three more Ghost Gates, the River of Oblivion, which runs throughout the entire Netherworld, is enough to power the Blood Sea Ghost Gate alone.

But this consumption is too great!
The cost and speed of teleportation are not fixed; the greater the distance, the greater the cost and the longer the time required.

The teleportation arrays that exist in the primordial world are not the kind of space jumps that can be reached instantly as in later legends.

It should be noted that even Great Luo Golden Immortals rely on flying supernatural powers to travel, and only Quasi-Saints, or those with a deeper understanding of the Great Dao of Space, can mobilize the Great Dao of Space to achieve spatial leaps.

Even a Great Immortal cannot do it, yet a formation can enable ordinary beings to achieve spatial leaps. This is clearly impossible.

At least for now, no one has created an array that allows for spatial jumps.

Nowadays, teleportation arrays are more like a sophisticated flying technique, allowing ordinary beings to travel to their target location more quickly.

Therefore, the cost and time required for transmission are naturally proportional to the distance.

For example, teleporting from Kyushu to Wuyishan requires very little energy and is much faster.

However, if one were to teleport from the Sea of ​​Blood to Wuyi Mountain, the energy consumption would be much greater, and the time required would be much longer.

Even if the River of Oblivion has enough spiritual energy, we can't squander it like this!
Therefore, building three more gates to the underworld became a necessary step.

Now that the issue of spiritual energy has been largely resolved, and constructing the teleportation array is no longer a problem, the only remaining issue is building the Gate of Hell...

P.S.: My fever has subsided a bit today, it's only 38 degrees now. I'll try to get back to my 12,000-word update schedule every two days tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)