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

Chapter 362 Deciphering the Emperor's Intentions, the Immortals of the Intercepting Sect Enter the Nine Provinces!

Chaoge City, the Imperial Palace.

After Shen Gongbao arrived, Di Xin exchanged a few brief pleasantries before getting straight to the point and asking:

"Master Shen, when will the immortals of the Jie Sect come to assist the Great Shang?"

Ji Chang could foresee that the dynastic change between the Shang and Xiqi might involve a doctrinal conflict between the Jie and Chan sects, and Di Xin could naturally foresee it as well.

If they are right, then the Jie Sect and the Chan Sect are the biggest variables in this dynastic change.

The Jie Sect and the Chan Sect could never be bystanders, watching the Shang Dynasty fight. They would definitely get involved and fight for their own doctrines.

This means that the Shang Dynasty's opponent is no longer just the Xiqi Alliance, but also the immortals of the Chan Sect!

With the current strength of the Shang Dynasty, it has a 70% chance of defeating Xiqi. However, if the immortals of the Chan Sect are added to the mix, then it's hard to say.

The immortals of the Chan Sect received the inheritance of sages, possessing profound Taoist cultivation and mysterious supernatural powers. Cultivators of the same realm were simply no match for them.

Moreover, the Chan Sect follows an elite route, and the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect are all Great Luo Golden Immortals.

Even if not all twelve Golden Immortals were to arrive, just one or two would be enough to change the course of the battle.

Although the human race has developed rapidly in recent years, Earth Immortals are everywhere and Heavenly Immortals are no longer rare, due to the limitations of cultivation methods, there are not many True Immortals and Profound Immortals, and those above Golden Immortal are even rarer.

As for the Great Luo Golden Immortals, after the human race became the protagonist of heaven and earth, only during the reign of Qi was it possible to promote the alliance between the human race and the Heavenly Court, realize a social structure in which humans and gods coexist, and promote the development of the human race.

After accumulating merit, one gains even more merit, thus overcoming the heavenly tribulation and achieving the Great Luo status.

Apart from that, no new Great Luo Golden Immortals appeared. If the Chan Sect had a Great Luo Golden Immortal to assist Xiqi, the Shang Dynasty alone would really not have anyone to deal with them.

To resolve this situation, we either need to seek help from Huoyun Cave, or we can only do what Xiqi did and seek assistance from the Jie Sect.

If Xiqi could invite the immortals of the Chan Sect, the immortals of the Jie Sect would naturally also assist the Shang Dynasty.

But now that the great calamity is approaching and the great war between the Shang Dynasty and Xiqi is about to break out, even if Emperor Xin is ambitious, he dares not delay any longer.

Only by determining when the Jie Sect immortals will arrive, who will be there, and what their cultivation levels are, can he better begin making arrangements in advance.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty."

Shen Gongbao smiled slightly, showing no intention of keeping him in suspense.

"More than a thousand years ago, I sent a telepathic message to my fellow disciples, including the Four Saints of Kowloon Island and the Seven Immortals, asking them to come out of the mountains to help me."

"They should already be on their way to Kyushu and will arrive at Chaoge City soon. Your Majesty, please rest assured that the Great Shang will surely win this battle!"

When Shen Gongbao left Jin'ao Island, Tongtian Jiaozhu said that he could ask his fellow disciples from the Jie Sect for help whenever needed.

Although the Tongtian Sect Leader did not stipulate that the Jie Sect immortals must choose to help Shen Gongbao after receiving his request for help.

However, given the attitude of the Tongtian Sect Leader, even if the Jie Sect Immortals didn't have a good relationship with Shen Gongbao, they still had to take the Tongtian Sect Leader's attitude seriously and make some kind of response, knowing that going to the Nine Provinces was tantamount to entering a calamity.

The people Shen Gongbao sought help from were not chosen randomly, but were the result of careful consideration.

The immortals of the Jie Sect all knew that coming to the Nine Provinces to assist the Shang Dynasty was tantamount to voluntarily entering a calamity. If they were not careful, they might end up on the Investiture of the Gods list. Shen Gongbao was naturally aware of this as well.

The original intention was to summon the heavily burdened immortals of the Jie Sect, such as Lingya Xian and Ma Yuan.

While the discord between Shen Gongbao and Lingya Xian was certainly a contributing factor, the root cause lay with the Tongtian Sect Leader.

Back in Biyou Palace, based on what Tongtian Jiaozhu said, Shen Gongbao vaguely guessed Tongtian Jiaozhu's attitude towards the Jiejiao immortals.

Since the great calamity is inevitable, disciples of the Jie Sect will definitely be on the list. So why not let those with heavy karma who deserve to die be on the list?
Back when Shen Gongbao was still angry, he heard Yang Xuan admonish Bixiao in the underworld not to associate with certain Jiejiao immortals with heavy karma.

These immortals of the Jie Sect were only able to escape the influence of karma because of the protection of the Tongtian Sect Master.

But everything has a cause and effect. It's not that there's no retribution, it's just that the time hasn't come yet. A sage can protect for a while, but not forever.

The karma they have created will eventually bring retribution, and even the Jie Sect itself may suffer calamity because of the karma they have created.

If you get too close to them, you might be caught in a trap for no reason, so you have to be careful.

When Shen Gongbao first heard this, he didn't take it seriously.

The sages' virtues are boundless, and the Jie Sect's fortunes are at their peak. How could the actions of these Jie Sect immortals possibly lead the Jie Sect into calamity?

Even if such a calamity were to befall the Jie Sect one day, with a sage like the Tongtian Sect Master in charge, what problems could possibly arise? What kind of calamity could a sage be unable to resolve?
It wasn't until Shen Gongbao was reincarnated, regained his memories of his past life, and learned about the Investiture of the Gods that he finally understood.

It turns out that the Jie Sect really does bring disaster upon itself because of the reckless actions and karmic consequences of these people, and the Tongtian Sect Leader really can't handle this disaster!
The reason why Shen Gongbao was stunned for a long time after regaining his memories of his past life was largely because he was shocked by them.

Before this, even if some people felt that Lingya Xian and others' behavior was inappropriate, they only thought that these people would suffer the consequences themselves, but they never thought that the huge Jie Sect would be implicated.

Yang Xuan had never been to Jin'ao Island and had never had any interaction with Lingya Xian and the others, yet he was able to discover this problem more than ten eons ago.

He even warned Bixiao to stay away from these people; his foresight was simply unbelievable!
Shen Gongbao even suspected that if Yang Xuan had joined the Jie Sect back then, perhaps the Jie Sect's situation wouldn't be so bad today, or at least there would have been more opportunities for change.

Just as the Heavenly Court was relieved of its embarrassing situation of having no one to rely on and being unable to operate on its own because of Yang Xuan's arrival, even the cultivation levels of Haotian and the Queen Mother were further improved as a result.

In Shen Gongbao's view, as long as he joined the Jie Sect, the Jie Sect's situation would definitely improve over the years.

Since Yang Xuan discovered the hidden dangers of the Jie Sect in advance, we might gain some insights by following Yang Xuan's attitude towards the Jie Sect when examining the Investiture of the Gods.

After some thought, he did come up with some ideas, and it was these ideas that allowed him to vaguely guess the unspoken meaning behind the words of the Tongtian Sect Leader.

If the immortals of the Jie Sect must die, then it would be a better choice to include immortals with heavy karma, such as Lingya Xian and Ma Yuan, on the list.

Moreover, once these immortals are listed, they will be bound by the Heavenly Laws and will not be able to act recklessly as before, which can be considered a way to solve the problems of the Jie Sect.

Therefore, Shen Gongbao's idea was to summon all the heavily burdened disciples of the Jie Sect, such as Lingya Xian and Ma Yuan, to the Nine Provinces to help the Shang Dynasty and Xiqi in their battle. However, if all those he sought help from were these heavily burdened Jie Sect immortals, the purpose would be too obvious. With just a little attention, one could easily detect it, making it seem somewhat hasty.

This would make these Jie Sect immortals wary, and even resistant.

If these Jie Sect immortals were to take this opportunity to promote themselves and accuse Shen Gongbao of trying to use them to fill the Investiture of the Gods list, it would surely cause a huge uproar and be detrimental to the subsequent Investiture of the Gods.

Although Shen Gongbao did intend to use these people to fill the Investiture of the Gods list, he knew that his idea would be discovered sooner or later.

However, it is absolutely impossible to reveal this idea at the beginning. The longer it is delayed, the more heavily burdened immortals of the Jie Sect can be sent to the list, thus helping the Jie Sect to better overcome the Investiture of the Gods.

Therefore, among the first batch of immortals and gods that Shen Gongbao sought help from, he also found the Four Saints of Nine Dragons Island, who were meritorious officials in heaven and had served as celestial beings, to assist him.

Both are entering the world to face tribulations, but those who accumulate merit will certainly encounter fewer tribulations than those burdened by karma.

The original Four Saints of Kowloon Island also had a lot of karma, but in the years they were in heaven, they benefited from Bixiao's influence and gained a lot of merit by being by Yang Xuan's side.

Not only were their karmic burdens cleansed, but they also gained a great deal of merit, which formed a golden wheel of merit behind their heads.

Generally speaking, as long as they don't do anything reckless and are careful, there is still hope for them to survive the Investiture of the Gods tribulation, at least they are better than people like Lingya Xian.

Even if they were to perish unexpectedly, their primordial spirits would still be on the list. They were already righteous gods of the Heavenly Court and had established themselves there, so their losses would be less.

Furthermore, the Investiture of the Gods was ultimately aimed at the Xuanmen (Taoist sect), and sacrifices were inevitable. All disciples of the Jiejiao (Intercepting Sect) had the obligation to undergo the tribulation. It was unrealistic to expect all the Jiejiao immortals with heavy karma to be on the list.

Having followed Yang Xuan for so many years, Shen Gongbao was greatly influenced by Yang Xuan's steady and deliberate character. He knew his own limitations and would not do things beyond his capabilities.

He was confident he could send more heavily burdened Jie Sect immortals to the list, but he wasn't so sure he could only send those heavily burdened Jie Sect immortals. He might end up making things worse.

"Perhaps only if His Majesty personally intervenes can this be accomplished..."

Shen Gongbao sighed inwardly, and then discussed the upcoming great calamity with Di Xin and Daji.

According to the Daoist patriarch, the great calamity of the Investiture of the Gods will officially descend when dynasties change and humanity is in turmoil.

All three of them were either the current emperor, a high-ranking official of the Shang Dynasty, or a disciple of the Jie Sect. In Chaoge City, they could all clearly feel that over the years, humanity had become increasingly turbulent.

Combined with the time given by the Dao Ancestor, they knew that there was not much time left before the Great Tribulation of the Investiture of the Gods arrived.

When the Shang Dynasty and Xiqi went to war, that was the day the great calamity would descend!

Time was of the essence, and the matter concerned the Great Tribulation. All three of them had been influenced by Yang Xuan to some extent, so how could they not be cautious?

Unfortunately, there was a huge problem with what they were discussing: the arrival of the Jie Sect immortals to provide assistance.

Although the Tongtian Sect Leader clearly stated that if Shen Gongbao encountered problems in the Nine Provinces, he could seek help from other Jie Sect immortals.

Over the years, this matter has spread throughout the Jie Sect and is known to everyone.

All the immortals of the Jie Sect knew that Shen Gongbao was the representative chosen by the Tongtian Sect Leader to be in charge of the Investiture of the Gods calamity, and the immortals of the Jie Sect should do their best to cooperate with Shen Gongbao.

Even if the immortals of the Jie Sect who sought Shen Gongbao's help were unwilling, they either left Jin'ao Island or descended from the Heavenly Court to come to the Nine Provinces to assist Shen Gongbao for this reason.

However, as long as the Tongtian Sect Leader did not require the Jie Sect Immortals to assist Shen Gongbao, some people would pretend they knew nothing.

The seven immortals who served Lingya Xian and others are the most typical example.

After listening to the teachings last time, they chose to leave Jin'ao Island and return to their own cave dwellings. Although this doesn't prove anything, it does show their attitude.

Clearly, they did not want to face the calamity for the Jie Sect and wanted to stay far away until the great calamity ended before returning to Jin'ao Island to cultivate.

Given this mindset, how could they possibly change their minds because of Shen Gongbao's request for help?

In fact, after receiving Shen Gongbao's request for help, the Seven Immortals only glanced at it and then forgot about it, pretending that they were in seclusion and hadn't seen it.

If there were benefits, they would naturally be willing to step forward for the Jie Sect and help the Shang Dynasty defeat Xiqi, but as for asking them to go to the Nine Provinces to face the calamity... well, let's forget about that!
There are many other immortals like them from the Jie Sect. Some, like them, are burdened by karma and act recklessly, while others have less karma and follow the rules.

These people all share a common characteristic: they joined the Jie Sect for the protection of the Tongtian Sect Leader. They only had respect for the Jie Sect and the Tongtian Sect Leader, but no sense of belonging whatsoever.

Unlike Zhao Gongming, who had a strong sense of belonging to the Jie Sect and truly regarded the immortals of the Jie Sect as his fellow disciples.

As the saying goes, "It's better to die for a fellow Daoist than for yourself," it's clearly impossible for people like us to sacrifice our lives for the Jie Sect.

The final result was that the Four Saints of Kowloon Island and others arrived in Chaoge City one after another over the next thousand years, but more than three hundred Jiejiao immortals never arrived, and not even a single message came.

Only then did Shen Gongbao realize that these more than three hundred Jiejiao immortals had completely ignored his plea for help, disregarding the attitude of the Tongtian Sect Leader!

This change was completely unexpected by Shen Gongbao. He had considered that some Jiejiao immortals might not come, but he hadn't expected so many people to be absent.

I never imagined that the seven Great Luo Golden Immortals who served the Seven Immortals would pretend not to see it!
Now that things have come to this point, who doesn't know that the Seven Immortals who served the Jie Sect were one of the biggest causes of their current predicament?

Anyone with a modicum of conscience would stand up and fight for the Jie Sect when they are needed.

As a result, they chose to run away!

"No wonder the Emperor specifically named these seven attendant immortals and told Lady Bixiao to stay away from them. People like them are truly unworthy of being immortals of the Jie Sect!"

Shen Gongbao looked grim, but also somewhat helpless.

Fortunately, he didn't just ask these people for help, otherwise he would have been in a real predicament with no one to turn to.

However, Shen Gongbao had no intention of letting these people off the hook. He sent them another request for help, and this time, he directly brought up the Tongtian Sect Leader.

If this still doesn't work, then don't blame him for using underhanded methods!
He was originally a smooth-talking person, and he learned a lot from following Yang Xuan over the years.

The Heavenly Court's current status is not without its less-than-honorable schemes.

Unless they are willing to disregard all dignity to serve the Seven Immortals, they will eventually have to come to Kyushu to help the Great Shang!
(End of this chapter)