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

Chapter 401 In the Eight Views Palace, the Investiture of the Gods is discussed!
The underworld, the Ghost Palace of Fengdu.

Yang Xuan looked at the golden bridge that stretched down to his feet, his eyes flashing slightly. He had never seen such a sight before.

But he wasn't worried. This place was the underworld, Houtu's territory, and the distance between it and the place of reincarnation was only a wall away.

If the other party intends to harm Yang Xuan, Houtu will definitely sense it.

"Tai Chi diagram... Golden Bridge..."

Yang Xuan's eyes flickered, and he began to have some guesses in his mind.

Such supernatural power is something that even a Great Luo Golden Immortal cannot do, and even a Quasi-Saint probably cannot do it. It is highly likely that only a Saint can accomplish this.

Before he could think any further, an old yet kind voice came from across the Golden Bridge.

"Young friend, would you be willing to come to this old Taoist's alchemy room for a chat?"

Hearing this voice, Yang Xuan became even more certain of his thoughts.

After pondering for a moment, Yang Xuan bowed to Jin Qiao and said, "Since the Sage has invited me, this humble Taoist will naturally go."

Having said that, Yang Xuan took a step without hesitation and came to the Golden Bridge.

This golden bridge looks very long; I don't know where it leads, or how long it will take to reach the other side.

But just as Yang Xuan took his second step, he traversed an infinite distance and arrived on the other side of the Golden Bridge.

When he took his third step, he had already walked out of the golden bridge and arrived at a thatched hut.

The thatched hut was simply furnished, with only an indistinct octagonal stove.

Beside the Eight Trigrams Furnace stood two Daoist boys, their faces covered in soot and their skin blackened, and a green ox, equally blackened and almost black as a bull.

Nothing else.

"No, there should be more!"

Yang Xuan had already guessed where this place was, but he didn't know if it was the Eight Views Palace of Shouyang Mountain or the Eight Views Palace in the Heavenly Court.

It should be the Bajing Palace on Shouyang Mountain. If Laozi (Taishang Laojun) wants to ascend to heaven, he should wait until after the Investiture of the Gods is over.

But whether this is Shouyang Mountain or the Heavenly Court, there shouldn't be only these two boys and the green ox here.

Almost as soon as Yang Xuan realized that there should be another person here, he noticed that not far away, there was an old man with white hair and beard sitting on a futon, looking at him calmly.

Yang Xuan was unsure whether this person was Laozi or the Sage of Taiqing.

As a time traveler, Yang Xuan naturally knew how to deal with this kind of situation.

Yang Xuan bowed respectfully to the old Taoist priest and said:
"This humble Taoist priest, Yang Xuan, greets the Sage Taiqing!"

If you don't know the other person's position, address them with a higher title. If they might be a deputy director, address them as director. If you don't know anything, address them as leader. You can't go wrong with that!

The old Taoist's expression remained unchanged; he simply nodded slightly.

“I am not Taishang, you may call me Taishang Laojun. I have called you here today because I have something I would like to discuss with you.”

"No, no, I wouldn't dare." Yang Xuan hurriedly waved his hand. Even if the old Taoist in front of him was not the Taiqing Saint, he was still one of the three corpses of the Taiqing Saint, far beyond the reach of a Quasi-Saint. How could he dare to give guidance to such a great figure?

"If there is anything Laozi needs me to do, please give the order. As long as it is within my power, I will do my best!"

Yang Xuan bowed again, his expression respectful.

As for the scope of "within one's power," that depends on what Lao Tzu's business is.

If Laozi had allowed Yang Xuan to directly participate in the Investiture of the Gods, whether he was fighting for the Jie Sect, the Chan Sect, or the Ren Sect, Yang Xuan would have had to do his 'best' work, but he would have been powerless to do so.

He has been hiding for so long, hiding until Jiang Ziya worshipped the straw effigy and Zhao Gongming's soul entered the underworld. How could he possibly get involved in the Investiture of the Gods?

With the Heavenly Mystery Pearl by his side, even Laozi couldn't possibly see what Yang Xuan was thinking.

However, he was quite familiar with Yang Xuan's style of doing things and could guess that Yang Xuan was unwilling and unable to directly participate in the Investiture of the Gods. He also had no intention of letting Yang Xuan participate directly in it.

Just as he said, he called Yang Xuan over this time because he wanted to discuss something with Yang Xuan.

Laozi slowly spoke, saying, "I summoned you here today not to ask you to do anything, but to ask you some questions."

"I wonder what Laozi has to do. If I find out, I will not hide anything from him." Yang Xuan waved his hand, his face serious, but he was becoming more and more vigilant.

They were just saying they had something to discuss, and now they're saying they have some questions to ask. If I wait a little longer, I'm afraid they're going to ask me something.

I must be careful to uphold my principles and not fall for his supernatural powers.

"What are your thoughts on the Investiture of the Gods?" Laozi had no intention of engaging in small talk and asked his question directly.

"The matter of the Investiture of the Gods was decided by the sages, and this humble Taoist..."

Yang Xuan was a man of principle. He had no desire to get involved in the Investiture of the Gods or even say anything about it. He immediately tried to find an excuse to brush it off.

Since the matter of the Investiture of the Gods has already been decided, and the Xuanmen sect is still hoping to settle the karma during the Investiture of the Gods calamity, what opinion could a mere Great Luo Golden Immortal possibly have?

But before he could finish speaking, Laozi picked up the purple-gold gourd beside him and poured out a golden pill.

"This pill is called the Nine-Turn Golden Pill, the finest Nine-Turn Golden Pill. It's strange, but I lost one a while ago when I passed by the Temple of Fate. I wonder if you've seen it, young friend?"

Yang Xuan was slightly taken aback. Weren't they still talking about the Investiture of the Gods? Why did they suddenly bring up the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir? Is there any direct connection between the two?

But Yang Xuan quickly realized what was going on.

The Nine-Turn Golden Elixir is indeed unrelated to the Investiture of the Gods, but it is related to him.

To be precise, it is related to Yang Xuan's incense and golden statue.

Back when Yang Xuan's cultivation was still at the Taiyi Golden Immortal level, his Incense Golden Body inexplicably broke through to the Daluo Golden Immortal level, and his foundation was extremely solid, without the slightest hint of weakness.

It was precisely because of this incident that his incense offerings and golden statues gained a more solid foundation.

Only Houtu could allow the incense-burning golden body to bear the divine fortune, to feed on incense, to cultivate the Eight-Nine Mysterious Arts, and to grow to its current state, possessing a physical body comparable to a Great Witch at the peak of her cultivation.

Throughout the primordial world, there are only a few kinds of spiritual objects that can enable a Taiyi Golden Immortal to break through to a Daluo Golden Immortal.

A large portion of them break through to the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm by expending their potential, making it difficult for their cultivation to improve further in the future.

But the incense-burning golden statue is different. The foundation of the incense-burning golden statue is not weak at all, and it has not consumed any potential. It has only consumed a lot of incense and was weak for a period of time.

The only spiritual object capable of achieving this is most likely the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir, and the most precious kind at that. Now, upon hearing Laozi mention the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir, Yang Xuan immediately became certain that it was given to him by Laozi.

Although he didn't know what Laozi's purpose was in giving the incense statue such a precious elixir, Yang Xuan understood Laozi's meaning.

Laozi is telling Yang Xuan that he must repay this debt of karma!
As for how to repay it, Lao Tzu has already told him.

"Indeed, one cannot easily incur the karmic debts of a sage..."

Yang Xuan felt helpless, but he also understood that he did indeed owe Laozi a debt of karma, and that Nine-Turn Golden Pill had given him considerable help.

He habitually touched his chin; if it were just expressing his opinion, it wouldn't be a big deal.

If you can understand part of the cause and effect just by talking, then you've made a huge profit.

After much deliberation, Yang Xuan abandoned the idea of ​​giving a perfunctory answer and decided to share his thoughts.

However, before that, it would be best to first ascertain Laozi's stance.

"I wonder if Laozi is asking about the Chan Sect or the Jie Sect?"

If Laozi's stance is on the side of the Jie Sect, then Yang Xuan will share some of his views on the Jie Sect.

If Laozi's stance is on the side of the Chan Sect, he will talk about some things related to the Chan Sect. Although his relationship with Taiyi Zhenren and Nanji Xianweng of the Chan Sect is not very good, he still has some understanding of the Chan Sect.

In his view, Laozi's stance would most likely be on the side of the Chan Sect.

According to later legends, after the Tongtian Sect Leader set up the Zhuxian Sword Formation, the Taiqing Sage helped the Yuanshi Tianzun break the formation. This doesn't seem like he was on the side of the Jie Sect at all.

However, Laozi's answer was far beyond Yang Xuan's expectations.

Laozi shook his head, his expression unchanged.

"I'm not asking the Chan Sect, nor the Jie Sect, but the Xuanmen Sect. For the Xuanmen Sect, this Investiture of the Gods calamity could be an opportunity, or it could be a crisis."
If handled properly, this great calamity of the Investiture of the Gods can settle the karmic debts owed by the Xuanmen sect, allowing them to live a more carefree life in the future. But if handled improperly…

Laozi paused slightly, a barely perceptible hint of worry appearing on his usually composed face, before continuing:
"If not handled properly, the Chan Sect and the Jie Sect will suffer heavy losses, and it may even bring about the destruction of the Xuanmen Sect, which will never recover."

"You might think I'm making a mountain out of a molehill, but this is the future I foresee. If you have any thoughts, feel free to share them."

Yang Xuan: ...

No, I don't think this is making a mountain out of a molehill. If it's not handled properly, the number one religion in the prehistoric world will not be Xuanmen, but Buddhism, which originated from Western religion!
"If Laozi's stance is the entire Xuanmen (Taishang Laojun)'s position, then this matter becomes simple."

"With Laozi acting as a check and balance, perhaps we can avoid the potential crisis of the Dharma-ending Age, or postpone it to the next great kalpa."

After a moment of silence, Yang Xuan tapped his fingers lightly and said in a deep voice:
"Regarding the matter of the Xuanmen conferring of gods, I do have some immature ideas."

"In my opinion, the crisis of the Xuanmen's conferment of gods does not lie with the disciples of the Chan Sect and the Jie Sect."

"The solution adopted by the disciples of the Chan Sect should be to take in disciples to ward off disaster. Judging from the current situation, it should not be a problem for half of the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect to survive the great calamity, so it cannot be considered that their vitality has been greatly damaged."

"It seems that the Jie Sect also adopted the method of using disciples with heavy karma to take on the calamity, replacing disciples with less karma and upright character."

"The Jie Sect is known as the place where ten thousand immortals come to pay homage. After this battle, it will surely suffer heavy losses, and it is possible that only one in ten will survive. However, eliminating these parasites may not be a bad thing."

"That is why I believe that no matter how much the Chan Sect and the Jie Sect fight, their losses will be very limited and they will not be severely weakened."

Laozi's eyes flickered slightly as he glanced at Yang Xuan, revealing a hint of appreciation.

Yang Xuan's understanding of the Investiture of the Gods was truly beyond his expectations; in some respects, Yang Xuan even understood it more clearly than he did.

Some might think this is called "the bystander sees more of the game," but Lao Tzu doesn't think so.

He was certain that even if he brought over quasi-saints like Zhen Yuanzi and Kunpeng, they probably wouldn't be able to see things so clearly. As for the disciples of the Chan and Jie sects, that would be even more impossible.

Especially regarding the matter of the Jie Sect taking on the calamity on behalf of others, if Yang Xuan hadn't mentioned it, Laozi really wouldn't have noticed.

After all, there were so many disciples of the Jie Sect who came to the Nine Provinces, and many of them were of good character and died. It is normal that Laozi did not notice.

Now that Yang Xuan said this, he realized that most of the disciples of the Jie Sect who died were people with heavy karma who deserved to die.

However, not many of the disciples with good character died.

Shi Ji, Jin Guang Shengmu, Qin Wan, and Zhao Gongming, the four disciples of the Jie Sect who were blessed with great merit and good fortune, all survived.

Moreover, the fact that these people survived was more or less related to Yang Xuan.

These four individuals can be considered the backbone of the Jie Sect. If they were to die, it would severely damage the sect's vitality.

"This little guy is quite something. He stays in the underworld and doesn't come out, yet he brings so much vitality to the Jie Sect. If you don't look at his cultivation level, he has the demeanor of a saint."

"With a mere gesture, he can influence the Investiture of the Gods in the Xuanmen Sect; with a thought, he can cause the hundred ghosts of the primordial world to roam at night. He is truly formidable!"

The more Laozi looked at Yang Xuan, the more satisfied he became. It was no exaggeration to say that someone like Yang Xuan was one of a kind in the primordial world.

"Unfortunately, it's unlikely he'll join our Human Sect..."

Laozi felt helpless. He had lost a Nine-Turn Golden Pill in the Temple of Fate and originally intended to use this karma to invite Yang Xuan to join the Human Sect.

But what happened later made him realize that Yang Xuan was an ambitious person who wanted to forge a completely new path, and it was impossible for him to become a disciple of the Human Sect.

He gradually gave up on this idea and thought about forming a good relationship with Yang Xuan so that the Xuanmen could occupy more positions in the Heavenly Court and the Underworld, thus improving the Xuanmen's fortune.

The elixir he had refined over the years was prepared for this purpose.

Now, listening to Yang Xuan's incisive words, Laozi (the Supreme Lord Lao) is paying more and more attention to Yang Xuan.

After a moment of silence, Laozi nodded, signaling Yang Xuan to continue.

The above statements represent Yang Xuan's views on the overall situation of the Investiture of the Gods. The following words are likely an analysis of the potential risks associated with the Investiture of the Gods.

Yang Xuan saw Laozi's praise and breathed a sigh of relief. He had a clearer understanding of Laozi's attitude, which made him less apprehensive.

After gathering his thoughts, Yang Xuan continued:

"In my humble opinion, if the Xuanmen sect is truly facing annihilation, it should come from those two sages."

"If I am not mistaken, the paths taken by the two sages are contrary to each other, and there will be a great struggle over the Great Dao."

"If they use this Investiture of the Gods calamity as a struggle for the Great Dao, perhaps in the near future, this Investiture of the Gods calamity will no longer be a struggle between the disciples of the Chan Sect and the Jie Sect, but a struggle for the Great Dao between two sages."

"At that time, the Investiture of the Gods will reach a whole new level!"

(End of this chapter)