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

Chapter 402 The Crisis of the Great Calamity Lies with Gods and Demons!
Inside the thatched house.

After hearing Yang Xuan's words, Laozi nodded slightly, affirming his statement:

“You’re right. Tongtian and Yuanshi will have a great battle for the Great Dao. If I’m not mistaken, this battle for the Great Dao will take place during the Investiture of the Gods.”

"Is it unavoidable?"

Yang Xuan frowned slightly. The Investiture of the Gods was inherently dangerous, not only related to the Investiture of the Gods by the Xuanmen, but also concerning the evolution of the Three Realms in the primordial world and the beginning of the Dharma-ending Age.

If the battle between Tongtian Jiaozhu and Yuanshi Tianzun could be avoided, many troubles could be spared, but obviously, that is unlikely.

"It's unavoidable."

Lao Tzu shook his head. "This is the best opportunity. They will not miss it, nor should they."

This is going to be difficult...

Although Yang Xuan was mentally prepared, he still felt helpless.

If Laozi could stop this battle, that would be wonderful. Since he can't, there's nothing else I can do but share my thoughts on the Investiture of the Gods.

"Since the struggle for sainthood is unavoidable, we can only start with the immortals of the Jie Sect and the Chan Sect..."

Yang Xuan's ideas were nothing new; they simply pointed out the essence of the Investiture of the Gods calamity—to settle the score of cause and effect.

Since the establishment of the Xuanmen sect, it has enjoyed the boundless fortune of the primordial world, but it has not made the contributions it should have made. Instead, it has seized the opportunities of others, committed karmic offenses, and owed primordial karma.

If the cause and effect cannot be settled, the fortune of the Xuanmen sect will surely be damaged, or even lead to its demise, and it will be replaced by other Taoist sects in the future.

But how can the benefits that the Xuanmen has received from the protection of fortune over the years be so easily cleared away?
Even if it is because of the calamity, even a saint would find it difficult to see the future. But a saint is a saint, so how could he not see what price the Xuanmen would have to pay to settle these karmic debts?

In fact, whether the Chan Sect defeated the Jie Sect or the Shang Dynasty defeated Xiqi, the final result was the same: the Xuanmen sect was severely damaged.

This was Yang Xuan's analysis, which combined his memories from later generations with the current situation. Laozi nodded in agreement.

From beginning to end, Yang Xuan never intended to change this outcome; it was the inevitable trend, the destined fate of the Chan and Jie sects.

The general trend cannot be defied, but minor trends can be altered.

The outcome of the Investiture of the Gods calamity cannot be changed; the Xuanmen sect will inevitably suffer heavy losses. However, by altering some key moments, the Xuanmen sect can retain more vitality and avoid a devastating defeat.

Yang Xuan admitted to some of the things he did during the Investiture of the Gods, such as protecting Zhao Gongming's soul and perfecting the Ten Deadly Formations. These were changes he made to some key points, allowing the Jie Sect to preserve its vitality.

But he didn't mention a word about Shiji.

Whether it was the Ten Deadly Formations or a glimmer of hope for Zhao Gongming, at least it prevented the loss of any disciples of the Chan Sect.

The situation with Shiji is different. Taiyi Zhenren died at Shiji's hands, and Yang Xuan would never admit to such a thing.

Even if the Tongtian Sect Leader asked, Yang Xuan would still follow the rules and lend the Human Seed Bag to Shi Ji to enhance her strength as a Night Wanderer, so that she could better guard the Gate of Hell.

It is unclear whether Laozi was unaware of Shiji's situation or pretended not to know. He did not ask further questions, but approved of Yang Xuan's actions, acknowledging that Yang Xuan's efforts allowed the Jie Sect to retain more vitality.

As for the death of Taiyi Zhenren, Taishang Laojun could not accept it.

From a rational perspective, exchanging the life of Taiyi Zhenren for that of four Daluo Jinxian—Zhao Gongming, Shiji, Jinguang Shengmu, and Qin Wan—is a very worthwhile deal.

Moreover, during this period, many disciples of the Jie Sect with deep karmic burdens died, as did the Chan Sect.

The Chan sect always looked down on the Jie sect, saying that the Jie sect members were born from eggs and covered in scales and armor. But how much better was the Chan sect? Didn't they still commit many sins and owe a lot of karmic debts?

If he's dead, then so be it.

After hearing Yang Xuan's words, Laozi understood Yang Xuan's thoughts.

In short, it all boils down to one sentence.

The great calamity of the Investiture of the Gods must be filled with lives, and that cannot be changed. However, they can change which lives are used to fill the gap.

During this process, Yang Xuan subtly suggested that they could take this opportunity to send more people who deserved to die and to clean up the internal environment of the Xuanmen.

As for what kind of people deserve to die, Yang Xuan didn't need to say anything, and Laozi also knew. The Seven Immortals were such people, and so was Taiyi Zhenren.

If Laozi agrees with Yang Xuan's ideas, he will say more; if Laozi does not agree, then Yang Xuan will not say anything more.

As Lao Tzu said, his stance was neither the Chan Sect nor the Jie Sect, but the Xuan Sect. Anything that could preserve the Xuan Sect's vital energy was a good thing for him.

He had already realized that although Yang Xuan did not directly participate in the Investiture of the Gods, he had made many backup plans, at least on the side of the Intercepting Sect.

After a moment's thought, Laozi nodded, signaling Yang Xuan to continue speaking without holding back.

Yang Xuan didn't stand on ceremony either. Based on his memories from his previous life and the current situation, he made a reasonable prediction about the next developments of the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation.

This includes the upcoming battle of the Seven Immortals who will all face calamity, the potential casualties of the Chan Sect, and the outcome of the Shang-Zhou War.

According to later records, Xiqi won this battle, but judging from the current situation, it is not certain that Xiqi will win.

Because of the variable of Yang Xuan, ten of the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect have emerged, and one has died. The cultivators of Kunlun Mountain have also almost all died.

The inner disciples of the Jie Sect have not yet left the mountain, and the Seven Immortals who serve them also possess considerable strength.

Even though Bixiao, Yunxiao, and Qiongxiao were trapped in the underworld by Yang Xuan, the Jie Sect was still stronger than the Chan Sect.

If the Jie Sect wins, then the Shang Dynasty will win!

Of course, this is assuming the sage doesn't intervene.

Once the Tongtian Sect Leader sets up the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation, everything before will naturally be null and void.

However, Yang Xuan did not mention the matter of the sage at all. After explaining his arrangements and analysis of the overall situation, he said no more.

That's all he can do. If the Investiture of the Gods goes according to his script, at least he can preserve some of his vitality and won't be so badly suppressed by Buddhism in the future.

His cultivation path also originated from Xuanmen, and his relationship with Western religion was not good. Furthermore, there was a struggle between the divine path and the future Buddhist path over the Great Dao. If possible, he would naturally hope that Xuanmen's situation would be better.

However, after listening to Yang Xuan's plans, Laozi did not make any clear statement. Instead, after remaining silent for a long time, he asked a question that greatly surprised Yang Xuan.

"Do you know why Tongtian and Yuanshi insisted on placing the struggle for the Great Dao within this Investiture of the Gods calamity?"

"I don't know." Yang Xuan shook his head. In fact, after Houtu told him about the discussions on the Investiture of the Gods at Zixiao Palace, he already had some guesses.

But this matter was far greater than the Investiture of the Gods, and since he and Laozi were meeting for the first time, he dared not bring it up.

"Don't play dumb." Laozi smiled and shook his head. "If I'm not mistaken, Houtu has already told you about the evolution of the primordial world into the Three Realms."

“Indeed.” Yang Xuan nodded, not denying it. “Your Majesty did tell me about the evolution of the Three Realms, but what does this have to do with the Great Dao debate among the sages?”

"Do you know that if the primordial world wanted to evolve into the Three Realms, without the help of external forces, this process would take dozens, or even hundreds of eons."

"It takes a bit longer, but for the Primordial World, even several hundred Yuanhui should be enough to wait," Yang Xuan said calmly, feigning ignorance.

You little rascal!
Laozi smiled. He knew that Yang Xuan was smarter and had a broader vision than all the other second-generation disciples of the Xuanmen, but he did not expose him and pretended not to know.

"The key to this great calamity of the gods is not the Investiture of the Gods by the Xuanmen. That is just a side effect. It is the opportunity that Master wants to use to settle the karmic debts owed by the Xuanmen."

"In fact, this great calamity is extremely important for the evolution of the primordial world. It is for the evolution of the Three Realms. If the Three Realms do not evolve, the great calamity will continue indefinitely."

"Is there still this?"

Yang Xuan was slightly taken aback. This wasn't an act on his part; he genuinely hadn't expected that the Investiture of the Gods calamity would be directly linked to the evolution of the Three Realms.

Doesn't that mean that without external intervention, this catastrophe could potentially last for hundreds of eons?!
The great calamity has only just begun, yet the entire prehistoric world is already littered with corpses. If this continues for another few hundred eons, I fear that 99% of the living beings in the prehistoric world will perish.

Even if all the underworld officials worked 24 hours a day without rest, it would be difficult to guide the souls of the dead into the underworld. No matter how large the eighteen levels of hell are, they could not accommodate so many souls.

Even if it were the time for the Wheel of Reincarnation to spin until it was practically smoking, it would still be difficult to arrange for so many souls to be reincarnated.

When that time comes, the cycle of reincarnation will be destroyed, and the entire prehistoric world will be plunged into chaos.

More importantly, both the divine path and the commercial path are closely related to living beings. The more living beings there are, the more prosperous the prehistoric world will be, which will be more beneficial to Yang Xuan.

If such a thing were to happen, Yang Xuan could forget about attaining enlightenment.

Since it concerned his own safety, Yang Xuan had no choice but to take it seriously!
"Could it be that... the reason why the primordial world is heading towards the end of the Dharma era is because of this external force, and that the primordial world has not yet fully evolved?"

Yang Xuan frowned slightly, seemingly worried because the Great Tribulation would last for hundreds of eons. In reality, he was thinking about the future Dharma-ending Age, which was a major event that would lead the prehistoric world to its end.

If external forces are used to accelerate the evolution of the Three Realms, that would naturally be a good thing. But if we try to force growth, it would be a huge disaster, a disaster that would lead to the end of the Dharma era.

In the past, after each great calamity, the primordial world would undergo a period of adjustment and become stronger than before, either with more living beings or with a more orderly primordial world.

For the primordial world, this was a good change, but for the Dharma-ending Age, it was clearly a wrong evolution. This evolution of the Three Realms is definitely problematic.

However, Yang Xuan was also unable to determine the source of the problem.

Logically speaking, the evolution of the Three Realms was something that Dao Ancestor, Houtu, and the Six Sages of Heavenly Dao had discussed together, so there shouldn't have been any unexpected events.

Yang Xuan remained clear-headed; he didn't believe he could see further than a sage.

Even if he doesn't have memories of his past life, as long as he carefully deduces over a period of time, he can still perceive the hidden dangers of forcing growth. How could a sage not know this?
Could it be that someone sabotaged the evolution of the Three Realms in the primordial world at a crucial moment, or left some hidden tricks on the Three Realms in the primordial world, causing the primordial world to head towards the end of the Dharma era?

After much thought, Yang Xuan felt that the latter was more likely. It was practically impossible to do anything under the noses of these saints, let alone directly sabotage them.

As for who the mastermind behind this is, Yang Xuan has some guesses.

Those who have the ability to leave behind hidden weapons must be at least saints in terms of cultivation. Quasi-saints cannot do it, and even less so quasi-saints. Only saints can do it.

Secondly, only those who cannot bear to see the primitive world prosper can accomplish this.

Therefore, it would be impossible for sages like Hongjun Daozu, Houtu, and the Six Sages of Heavenly Dao, who originated from the primordial world, to accomplish this.

Their cultivation is closely related to the primordial world. If the primordial world moves towards the end of the Dharma era, their path to enlightenment will also be affected.

In the end, they were even forced to leave the primordial world and settle in the chaos.

Since it couldn't have been done by a primordial sage, then the mastermind behind this must be from beyond the heavens, a visitor from the chaos!
"Could it be them..."

Yang Xuan's eyes flickered. He wanted to say what was on his mind, but if he revealed the things about the end of the Dharma era, wouldn't that expose his knowledge of the future? That wouldn't do.
After much deliberation, Yang Xuan still made his deductions based on the information he already had.

"According to Laozi, those two placed the Great Dao struggle within the Investiture of the Gods calamity as an external force to accelerate the evolution of the primordial world."

"Indeed, only the power of a sage can reforge the earth, wind, water, and fire, and help the primordial world evolve into the Three Realms." Laozi nodded slightly.

"Is this move risky? If we force growth, will there be any hidden dangers?"

"Logically speaking, this matter is the result of our joint deduction. It should not be forced or leave any hidden dangers. It is the best strategy to deal with this great calamity."

Laozi paused slightly, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes.

"But for some reason, the old Taoist priest always felt uneasy, feeling that there might be hidden dangers in this matter. Some time ago, the old Taoist priest even saw a not-so-good future in the long river of time."

“Your mind is sharp, better than a Quasi-Saint, and even more insightful than a Quasi-Saint. The main reason I called you here today is to ask you about this matter. Do you have any thoughts on it?”

Yang Xuan pondered for a moment, "The sage's plan is naturally without omission. If there is a real crisis, it should come from the hands of other sages."

As he spoke, Yang Xuan used the Candle Illumination Technique to summon the projection of the Human Emperor Banner and call out the black dragon's ghost.

"Laojun, some time ago, I encountered the remnant soul of the Soul Demon God. This black dragon is a wisp of the Soul Demon God God transformed into."

"Your Majesty told me that this Soul Demon was one of the original three thousand demon gods. If he awakens, will he become a hidden danger?"
If other gods and demons were to awaken, accelerating the evolution of the primordial world and the Three Realms, would it become a case of forcing growth?

Upon hearing this, Laozi's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he picked up the black dragon spirit to examine it carefully.

After a long silence, his expression turned serious. "It really is a Soul God and Demon!"

"This news is very important. Take this item and give it to your incense-burning statue. It may be of great help to you."

Laozi poured a golden pill from his water-fire gourd and placed it in Yang Xuan's hand. Then he waved his hand and sent Yang Xuan away.

This matter is far more important than the Xuanmen Conferring of Gods; he must inform all the sages about it.

If the three thousand gods and demons truly revive, this matter must be handled with even greater caution.

(End of this chapter)