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

Chapter 440 In the Purple Cloud Palace, the two saints wept and lamented!
chaos.

The two beams of light traveled billions of miles in an instant, arriving outside the Zixiao Palace and revealing two figures, who were none other than the Two Sages of the West.

After they landed, the two strode into the Zixiao Palace, came before Hongjun Daoist, and respectfully bowed, tears streaming down their faces.

"We beg our master to do justice for us!"

Hongjun: ? ? ?
Make the decision? What decision?

Seeing the two Western Saints like this, even with Hongjun Daozu's good state of mind, a look of bewilderment still appeared on his face, wondering what the two Western Saints were up to.

Hongjun Daozu was not surprised by the arrival of the two Western Saints.

The West has not yet flourished, and the two Western Saints would certainly be unwilling to leave the primordial world and stay in the chaos.

But this was a decision made out of necessity for the sake of the bigger picture.

There are a total of six Heavenly Dao Saints in the Primordial World, and it is safe to have four Saints to guard the Primordial World.

If the two Western Saints were to remain in the primordial world, then Taiqing, Nuwa, Tongtian, and Yuanshi would all have to go to Chaos, leaving only the two Western Saints in the primordial world.

Whether the West can prosper greatly depends on the grand aspirations of the two Western Saints and is closely related to their path of cultivation. If they were left alone in the prehistoric world, wouldn't they cause chaos and upheaval?
Similarly, Yuanshi and Tongtian also established great religions.

If they were left in the prehistoric world, they would also try to expand the influence of the Chan and Jie sects there, it's just a matter of how much.

Now that the Great Tribulation of the Investiture of the Gods has just ended, countless lives have been lost and injured, and the scale of the Great World has expanded several times over. It is in a stage where everything needs to be rebuilt, so it is best to let the beings of the Great World develop on their own.

Even if the Western Sect, the Chan Sect, and the Jie Sect want to expand their influence, they should leave it to their disciples; it's better for the sages not to interfere.

Therefore, it would be inappropriate to keep any two of the four: Jieyin, Zhunti, Yuanshi, and Tongtian.

Taiqing and Nuwa are different; it would be more appropriate for them to be in charge of the prehistoric world.

Although the Sage Taiqing also established a religion, he practiced non-interference and followed the natural way, and did not deliberately expand the influence of the religion.

Nuwa never established a religion, and she adopted a laissez-faire attitude towards both humans and demons, without excessive interference.
My only interest is observing all living beings in the primordial world and maybe even playing matchmaker.

It would definitely be better to leave the two of them in the prehistoric world than to let the four guides stay; it would be more beneficial to the development of the prehistoric world.

Moreover, their habits or supernatural abilities make them more adept at observing the primordial world and guarding against the chaotic gods and demons lurking there.

It was based on these considerations that Hongjun Daozu made this decision.

The rise of the West is both the will of Heaven and the karma that Hongjun owed. He would certainly provide some help for the rise of the West, and it is impossible for him to stop it.

However, the rise of the West did not mean that it would not have been possible without the two Western saints.

Putting aside other matters, within the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation alone, the two Western Saints converted thousands of Jie Sect immortals, including the Turtle Spirit Mother, an inner disciple of the Jie Sect.

Even figures like Dipankara, Samantabhadra, Manjushri, and Cihang from the Chan sect were converted to the Western sect, along with Kong Xuan, a quasi-saint and powerful being.

The Western religion is now thriving, even surpassing the Chan and Jie religions in numbers.

Even if the two Western Saints were not in the prehistoric world, with these people around, the West could still prosper, and the transition would be smoother, which would be beneficial to the prehistoric world.

Therefore, regardless of the circumstances, the two Western Saints must leave the primordial world and remain in the chaos, which is also their duty as saints.

Hongjun knew what the two Western Saints were thinking, and he was mentally prepared and had also thought of his words.

If the two Western Saints did not listen, he was already planning to use his power to intimidate them.

To his surprise, the two Western Saints pulled this stunt, completely unexpected and disrupting his rhythm.

"What do you mean?"

Without much thought, Dao Ancestor Hongjun asked directly,

He wanted to see what kind of medicine these two Western saints were selling in their gourd.

"Reporting to the Master," the Guide said, his face filled with even more sorrow and grievance.
"That brat Yang Xuan is bullying our Western Sect too much because he has a sage backing him up. If we leave the prehistoric world, the Western Sect will probably be destroyed in his hands!"

Hongjun: ? ? ?
What's this nonsense? Yang Xuan is just a newly promoted quasi-saint, while you two are both saints, yet you say Yang Xuan insulted your Western Sect. Is that... right?
The words spoken by the two Western Saints once again exceeded Hongjun's expectations.

He considered that the Western Two Saints Society might use Yuanshi and Jieyin as an excuse, and he also considered that the Western religion had never made a big fuss about it.

I never imagined I would hear the name Yang Xuan from the mouth of the two Western Saints.

Yang Xuan was only a quasi-saint. Even with Houtu backing him up, he was not a saint and there was no way he could do anything to provoke a saint.

As for the claim that Yang Xuan insulted the Western Church and destroyed it, that's utter nonsense and impossible. How could a quasi-saint possibly do such a thing?
Hongjun was completely baffled. Suppressing the urge to use his fingers to deduce the answer, he maintained his confident expression and asked:

"If I remember correctly, Yang Xuan is only a Quasi-Saint. How could he have done something to humiliate the Western Sect? How could the Western Sect have been destroyed in his hands?"

If the two Western Saints' previous behavior was somewhat deliberate and affected, then when they talked about things related to Yang Xuan, their sincerity was genuine and without any pretense.

"Teacher, you don't understand." Zhunti Daoist gritted his teeth, his face truly full of grievance.

"Yang Xuan is truly going too far. First, during the primordial evolution of the Three Realms, he took the opportunity to establish a large number of mountain gods and land gods in the west."
They seized large tracts of land in the West and occupied numerous ley lines.

Although this action is beneficial to the evolution of the primordial world and the Three Realms, and is a great deed, Yang Xuan has been planning this for many years without informing us.
This lad's actions clearly indicate that he covets my western lands, intending to seize the opportunity presented by the pardoning of the mountain gods and land deities and the control of the surrounding earth's veins to gain a foothold in my west!

"..."

Hongjun Daozu rubbed his temples, somewhat helpless.

The western ley lines were severely damaged. Even during the primordial evolution of the Three Realms, due to the surge in primordial energy, the western ley lines were partially repaired.

However, the situation is still not very optimistic, as it is one of the worst places in the prehistoric world.

To put it bluntly, even if the two Western saints were given away for free, it's not certain that anyone would be willing to stay in the West permanently.

If it weren't for the skillful methods of the two Western saints in guiding and converting people, it's hard to say what the West would be like now.

From the perspective of Hongjun Daozu, the two Western Saints should be thanking Yang Xuan for establishing these mountain gods and land deities in the West.

If Yang Xuan hadn't planned ahead, proclaiming the underground passages and establishing mountain gods and land deities during the primordial evolution of the Three Realms, and continuing to provide greater protection for the western earth veins...

During the Investiture of the Gods calamity, they discovered the traces of the soul gods and demons in advance and informed Laozi, so that Nuwa could be wary of the destruction caused by the chaotic gods and demons and discover those spatial rifts in time.

Otherwise, if these spatial rifts were allowed to spread, the western ley lines would inevitably suffer another great calamity. Even with the protection of the earth's power activated by Nuwa, the mountain god, and the land god, it would still be a severe blow.

Of course, if Yang Xuan had not established these mountain gods and land gods, it would have been an even greater catastrophe.

In addition, the mountain gods and land deities established by Yang Xuan were responsible for sorting out and maintaining the earth's veins.

The earth veins in the west are now severely damaged, and the earth veins within the jurisdiction of these mountain gods and land deities are more or less damaged.

With these mountain gods and local deities, it's as if another force has been added to help repair the earth's veins.

The wages are paid by the underworld, without costing the Western Religion a single penny. The two Western Saints should be grateful.

As for whether Yang Xuan's actions were an attempt to extend his reach to the West and seize Western lands, Hongjun Daozu did not care.

The rise of the West is not the rise of Western religion; what it owes the West is karma, not Western religion.

Establishing mountain gods and land deities is beneficial to the restoration of the West, which in turn is beneficial to the great prosperity of the West.
Even though this move would enhance the authority of the Earthly Dao and reduce the influence of the Heavenly Dao in the prehistoric world, Dao Ancestor Hongjun greatly supported it.

If the two Western Saints were to use this incident as an excuse, then without a doubt, Hongjun Daozu would be on Yang Xuan's side.

Before Hongjun Daozu could think further, Zhunti Daoist's voice rang out again, his tone even more aggrieved:
"After the primordial world successfully evolved into the Three Realms, we returned to Mount Sumeru, intending to gather our disciples and expound on the Eight Hundred Methods of the Western Heretical School. Who would have thought..."

At this point, Daoist Zhunti recalled the scene in the Eight Treasures Merit Pool, his breathing became slightly rapid, and he truly gritted his teeth:

"Who would have thought that the Golden Lotus of Merit of my Western Sect would have four petals removed, leaving only eight petals, greatly diminishing its power?"
My fellow disciple and I, working together, deduced that this was the work of the Blood Sea Mosquito Daoist, who in turn was a henchman of that shameless brat Yang Xuan.
It was he who made Mosquito Taoist accept the Western Sect's offer of amnesty, and it was he who asked Houtu to intervene so that Mosquito Taoist would be spared the effects of the salvation method. This act of destroying the Golden Lotus of Merit was also done by him at Mosquito Taoist's behest.

Such behavior is utterly disrespectful to the sage!

We implore the teacher to uphold justice for us. If we do not punish them, they will surely behave even more recklessly in the future.

Not only will this severely hinder the rise of the West, but it will also cause us sages to lose face completely!

"Please, teacher, do us justice!" The guide also bowed, looking equally aggrieved.

Whenever he thought of the tragic state of the Golden Lotus of Merit, he wished he could slap Yang Xuan, that despicable scoundrel, to death.

But when one thinks of the terrifying merits Yang Xuan possesses, and then of the attitudes of Houtu, Nuwa, Tongtian, and Taiqing towards Yang Xuan,

He could only vent his anger, but he couldn't do anything about Yang Xuan.

His frustration was genuine. As two sages, they were essentially being ridden on Yang Xuan's neck and urinated on by him, yet they couldn't do anything about it. How could they not feel frustrated?

Hongjun: ? ? ?
What? The Golden Lotus of Merit was plucked down to the fourth grade by Yang Xuan? What kind of logic is this?

When Hongjun Daozu heard the words of the two Western Saints, he was stunned for a moment. He really couldn't connect these things together.

Mount Sumeru is the sacred site of the two Western Saints, and the Eight Treasures Merit Pool is an even more sacred place on Mount Sumeru. It can be said to be the safest place in the primordial world.
Even the three quasi-saints of the human race did not dare to force their way in.

There are so many Western Sect disciples on Mount Sumeru, and they are not blind. It would be almost impossible for them to sneak into the Eight Treasures Merit Pool silently.

Moreover, the Twelve-Petaled Golden Lotus of Merit, as an object used by the Western Sect to suppress fortune, is full of spiritual power. If it encounters danger, it will issue a warning, and the two Western Saints will know immediately.

However, the two Western Saints said they had gone to the Nine Provinces to convert a group of Xuanmen disciples and sent them back using the Golden Lotus of Merit.
Three thousand years later, when they returned to Mount Sumeru, they found that the Golden Lotus of Merit had been stripped of four petals, leaving only eight. They had not noticed anything during this time and even said that it was Yang Xuan, the newly promoted Quasi-Saint, who had done this.

Is this...reasonable?

How could Yang Xuan, a quasi-saint, possibly have the audacity to do such a thing?
Even if Yang Xuan had the guts, why would he do it, and what would his motive be?
The Western Sages' explanation piqued Hongjun Daozu's curiosity. Not wanting to hear them continue, he immediately invoked the power of the Heavenly Dao and began to calculate with his fingers.

However, predicting the future is like searching for a lost object, finding the most likely future among a bunch of uncertain threads.

Deducing from the past is like flipping through a diary, searching for traces of what was recorded.

However, if past events are not recorded, even the most sophisticated deductive methods cannot restore the truth of the matter.

For example, when the Tongtian Sect Leader wiped away Yang Xuan's past with his sword, it was like tearing a page from a diary, leaving no trace and making it impossible for anyone to deduce anything.

The whole process of Mosquito Taoist devouring the Golden Lotus of Merit was kept secret, which is like recording something while simultaneously erasing it with an eraser, leaving very few traces in the diary.

Even though Hongjun Daoist's cultivation was far more profound, the conclusions he derived were almost identical to those of the two Western Saints.

It can only be confirmed that Mosquito Taoist is indeed Yang Xuan's spy planted in the Western Sect, and the damage to the Golden Lotus of Merit is most likely related to Mosquito Taoist.
Behind this incident, it is possible that Yang Xuan was instigating it, and Houtu was also involved. Otherwise, Yang Xuan, a quasi-saint, could never have accomplished this on his own.

Although the truth was not deduced, for a sage, the mere existence of doubt already speaks volumes!
"Could this really be the work of Yang Xuan? Why would he do such a thing, and why would Houtu help him?"

Hongjun Daozu frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, then asked the two Western Saints to wait aside and sent a telepathic message to Houtu.

The Netherworld, the place of reincarnation in the underworld.

Houtu was listening to Yang Xuan report on the benefits the underworld had gained during the Investiture of the Gods calamity, as well as some arrangements for the future.

Although the Underworld's completion of the Hundred Ghosts Parade increased its influence among the primordial beings and made them fear the Underworld even more,
They successfully established the positions of Mountain God and Land God, occupying many major ley lines in the prehistoric world, further enhancing the influence of the underground passages, and no longer needing to worry too much about other forces vying for the positions of Mountain God and Land God.

When Yang Xuan established the Mountain God and the Earth God, he was taking this opportunity to help the prehistoric world evolve into the Three Realms, thus contributing to the world and gaining its recognition.

Any other force that wants to compete for the positions of Mountain God or Land God is going against the will of Heaven, and to put it more seriously, may even be rejected by Heaven and Earth.

However, now that the primordial world has successfully evolved into the Three Realms, its scale has expanded several times over. Even just the Netherworld is equivalent to the size of the entire primordial world back then.

The Underworld was established later than the Heavenly Court, and for many forces in the prehistoric world, it can be considered a newborn.

The original Netherworld still had many undeveloped areas. With such a large expansion, how to continue developing the Netherworld and increase the Underworld's control over it is a problem that needs to be taken seriously.

As for the influence of the underworld in the human and celestial realms, that also needs to be addressed.

The end of the Investiture of the Gods is just the beginning of a brand new era!
But at that moment, Houtu's expression suddenly turned strange. She glanced at Yang Xuan and gave him a meaningful smile:

"We'll talk about these things later. Come with me to Zixiao Palace first."

"What?"

Yang Xuan had a vague suspicion, but he felt it was unlikely. After all, that was a sage; he wouldn't do such a thing.

"The two Western Saints went to complain to the Dao Ancestor, and the Dao Ancestor asked me to take you to Zixiao Palace for a confrontation."

Houtu laughed, gently waved her sleeve, and disappeared with Yang Xuan, heading to Zixiao Palace as invited.

(End of this chapter)