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

The west.

Two figures, bathed in boundless golden light, returned from the chaos and landed atop Mount Sumeru.

next moment.

Mount Sumeru shone brightly, and the two Western Saints, leading numerous immortals and gods of the Western Sect, manifested their forms, standing tall in the heavens.
Boundless golden light illuminated the heavens and the earth, making even the sun, moon, and stars appear dim and attracting the attention of all living beings in the primordial world.

Followed by.

These figures on Mount Sumeru clasped their hands together, their long black hair fell away, a golden relic appeared in their bodies, their Taoist robes turned into monk robes, and their mysterious immortal light transformed into endless Buddhist light.

Under the illumination of Buddha's light, the entire West was filled with the chanting of Buddhist hymns and the scattering of flowers by celestial maidens—truly a wondrous and extraordinary sight.

A moment later, the two saints, Jieyin and Zhunti, spoke, their voices booming like bells, shaking heaven and earth.

"Heaven's will is above, and I am the Guide (Cundi) of the Western Sect. Now, feeling that Heaven's will is insufficient, I have taken the eight hundred unorthodox sects as the foundation to promote the evolution of heaven and earth, create Buddhism, cultivate Zen emptiness, and establish the great Dharma of Buddhism."
From this day forward, there will be no more Taoist guides (Cundi Taoists) of the Xuanmen sect, only Amitabha Buddha of the Buddhist sect (Cundi Buddha Mother of the West). May Heaven bear witness!

As the two sages proclaimed the Dao of Heaven, a thunderous roar resounded in the heavens, and the primordial world responded.

Upon seeing this, Amitabha Buddha and Cundi Buddha Mother were overjoyed, and their bodies radiated even more brilliant Buddhist light, each manifesting a golden Buddhist body.

Behind him, the swastika Buddhist seal rotated, leading the original Western deities and immortals who had also left the Xuanmen and transformed into Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Vajras, etc., to make a grand vow.

"When I become a Buddha, there will be no hells, hungry ghosts, birds, animals, or even flying and crawling creatures in my world. If this wish is not fulfilled, I will never become a Buddha."

"When I become a Buddha, there will be no women in my Buddha-land. All beings from countless worlds, including flying and crawling creatures, will be born in my Buddha-land in lotus flowers in a seven-jeweled pond. I will not become a Buddha if I do not achieve this wish."

When I became a Buddha…

The vows made by the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of Buddhism transformed into supreme sacred sounds that resonated throughout the three realms and lingered in our ears.

The great vows made by these Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are largely the same as those made by the two Western saints when they attained enlightenment.

In other words, the grand aspirations of the former Western religions have been transformed into the grand aspirations of Buddhism.

As these grand aspirations were realized one by one, the fortunes of Buddhism greatly increased, and the entire West was enveloped in boundless Buddhist light, giving birth to countless devout believers.

The mystical aura on Mount Sumeru quickly dissipated, Buddhist buildings rose from the ground, Taoist palaces transformed into ancient temples, Taoist monasteries into Buddhist pagodas, and Buddhist light dyed the sky golden.

In various parts of the West, and even in other corners of the primordial world, numerous Taoist temples have been transformed into Buddhist temples, radiating dazzling Buddhist light, making the sky even more radiant, and increasing the fortune of Buddhism.

In the blink of an eye, Buddhism took root and flourished in the primordial world, becoming known to all.

Clearly, the two Western saints made ample preparations for establishing Buddhism, which have now fully erupted.

The birth of Buddhism elicited varying reactions from the many powerful beings in the primordial world.

Some ancient beings, feeling both anger and fear at the methods employed by the two Western Saints in their schemes for eternity, dared not harbor any disrespect any longer.

It was only at this moment that they realized that their disciples and clansmen had been infiltrated by Western cult agents without their knowledge.

Today, with the establishment of Buddhism, the Taoist temples that these spies once built have been transformed into Buddhist temples, becoming a nail driven into the heart of Buddhism.

If this nail is removed, not only will it cause a backlash against the Buddhist fortune, but it will also anger the two Western Saints.

However, leaving this nail behind would be somewhat unsettling, and the Buddhist community could use it as a springboard to gradually erode these forces and make them part of the Buddhist community.

Considering the strong fortune of Buddhism, even powerful forces like the Dragon Clan and Phoenix Clan can only grit their teeth and accept it, and will try to deal with it gradually in the future, devising a gentler approach.

When the Taoist immortals saw the establishment of the Buddhist sect, they were all filled with anger and began to curse.

Buddhism originated from Western religion, which itself was a member of the Xuanmen (Taoist) sect and possessed a vast amount of Xuanmen fortune.

Now that Western religions have been transformed into Buddhism, the fortune of the Xuanmen (mystical sect) that originally belonged to the Western religions has been transformed into the fortune of Buddhism, which is equivalent to the Xuanmen losing most of its fortune out of thin air.

The Chan and Jie sects had just experienced the Great Tribulation of the Investiture of the Gods, and their fortunes were already severely damaged.

In contrast, the Western religion, which was not the main protagonist of the Investiture of the Gods, did not suffer much loss of fortune and retained more complete fortune, accounting for about a quarter of the Xuanmen fortune.

Now that the two Western saints have established Buddhism, the fortune of the Xuanmen (Taoist) sect has been transformed into the fortune of Buddhism. This is equivalent to a quarter of the Xuanmen's fortune being dissipated, which can be described as a great loss of fortune.

But despite their anger, they were helpless.

They couldn't defeat the two Western saints, and the birth of Buddhism was an inevitable trend that would lead to the great prosperity of the West; they simply couldn't stop it.

Even if they were very unhappy, they could only grit their teeth and accept it.

Yang Xuan had long anticipated the establishment of Buddhism and was not surprised. He believed it was an opportunity for the great rise of the West, something that was destined to happen and could not be stopped.

However, since Buddhist doctrines clash with those of Taoism, Yang Xuan couldn't just stand by and watch. Over the years, he has made many targeted arrangements.

For example, mountain gods and land gods were established, occupying a place in the many veins of the primordial land and having management responsibilities.

For example, they could have the Heavenly Court and the Underworld build temples throughout the prehistoric world to spread their faith.

These arrangements are all targeted at Buddhism. Although the primordial world is vast and the number of living beings is numerous, it is still ultimately finite.

The Heavenly Court and the Underworld seized the opportunity to build numerous temples. If the Buddhist sect wants to build a temple in these places, it can be seen as a provocation against the Heavenly Court and the Underworld.

The Heavenly Court and the Underworld are now of extremely high status. Even though Buddhism is a great opportunity for the West to prosper and has amazing fortune, they are still on equal footing and there is nothing to fear.

As long as Buddhism dares to challenge the authority of Heaven and the Underworld, without Yang Xuan's order, the gods and spirits of Heaven and the underworld will retaliate. This is a rule that Yang Xuan established many years ago.

Furthermore, given the existence of mountain gods and earth gods, if Buddhism were to truly oppose the Heavenly Court and the Underworld...
Therefore, the temples built by Buddhists may very well experience a change in the earth's veins, causing the spiritual energy of the blessed land where the temples are located to plummet.

The task of sorting out the earth's veins falls within the authority of mountain gods and land deities. The alteration of earth's veins also falls under the scope of sorting out the veins, which is perfectly reasonable.

With these arrangements in place, even if Buddhism has the advantage of favorable timing, it can at most compete fairly with the divine path, and may even fall behind the divine path.

"After all, Buddhism is not a monolithic entity..."

Yang Xuan's lips curled up slightly, and his gaze remained fixed on Mount Sumeru even after the Buddha's light dissipated.

The two Western saints wanted to build Buddhism on the foundation of Western religion, transform the fortune of the Xuanmen into the fortune of Buddhism, and promote the great prosperity of the West in a very secretive way.

Even though they were both saints, they could not have guessed the purpose of the two Western saints before today.

However, the two Western Saints did not plan this matter overnight. They made many arrangements during the process. As Saints, how could they not have noticed anything?
The Nine Provinces, Hangu Pass.

An old man rode a blue ox, and a middle-aged Taoist priest led the ox in front of him.

The two people and the ox traveled at an extremely fast speed, covering hundreds of millions of miles in a single step, shrinking the distance to an inch, heading west.

These two were none other than Li Er, the benevolent corpse of the Supreme Saint, and Duobao Daoren of the Jie Sect.

The two moved with incredible speed; in the blink of an eye, Daoist Duobao, leading the green ox, arrived at the foot of Mount Sumeru. He released the golden rope from his hand and glanced at the majestic Mount Sumeru before him, towering into the clouds and shrouded in boundless Buddhist light.

After a moment of silence, Daoist Duobao turned around and met Li Er's gaze with a complex expression.

Finally, as if making some decision, he cupped his hands and bowed to Li Er, performing a Daoist salute:
"Elder Master, from this day forward, the Jie Sect will no longer have Duobao Daoren."

Li Er nodded and said softly:

"Go."

Daoist Duobao said no more, straightened his back, looked at Mount Sumeru in front of him with a resolute expression.

After the primordial world evolved into the Three Realms and the Investiture of the Gods calamity ended, Li Er told him that the West should prosper. This was an inevitable trend and a karmic debt owed by the Dao Ancestor, which could not be changed.

However, the primordial destiny is fixed; with the rise of the West, the destiny of the Xuanmen sect will inevitably be damaged.

Although the Sage Taiqing was unaware of Buddhist affairs at that time, he could see that Daoist Duobao had an affinity with the West and was destined to be the Lord of the West.

If one were to enter and govern the West during its period of great prosperity, that would mean becoming the current head of Buddhism.

By establishing Hinayana Buddhism based on the teachings transmitted by the Sage of Taiqing, a portion of the Buddhist fortune can be captured, reducing the loss of the Xuanmen fortune.

From then on, Theravada Buddhism was born from Taoism. No matter how prosperous Buddhism became in the future, it will always have an inextricable connection with Taoism.

While this move may not cause Buddhism to revert to Taoism, it can prevent Buddhism from completely transcending Taoism, and the fortune of Taoism will not be transformed into nourishment for Buddhism.

Daoist Duobao, recalling the words and teachings of the Sage Taiqing, stepped forward, clasped his hands together, and proclaimed in a loud voice:
"Heaven above, I am Duobao of the Xuanmen, and now I establish the Hinayana Buddhism within the Buddhist community, becoming the master of Buddhism, the Tathagata of the West!"

As soon as he finished speaking, all three thousand strands of hair that had caused trouble on the top of Duobao Daoren's head fell off, and fleshy hair began to grow on his bald head, radiating the light of great wisdom.

His black Taoist robe transformed into a pure gold kasaya, and boundless Buddhist light emanated from his body, truly mysterious and extraordinary.

Then, Duobao... no, it should be the Western Tathagata, slowly walked towards the summit of Mount Sumeru, and stood in front of the two Western Saints, his status second only to the two saints Jieyin and Zhunti.

With the return of the Buddha to the West, Buddhism has become more perfect and its fortune has become more prosperous.

However, the Buddha's actions were somewhat like a cuckoo taking over someone else's nest, making many Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in Buddhism feel uncomfortable.

The higher one's cultivation level, the more pronounced this feeling becomes.

When one's cultivation reaches the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, one can perceive that the originally perfect Buddhist fortune, which was just born from the Western religion's fortune, now contains strands of Xuanmen fortune.

Although these are pure luck, not impurities, and certainly not karma, which can damage luck.

However, the emergence of these mystical auras still caused the aura of Buddhism to become mixed and no longer pure.

Buddhist disciples all knew this was not a good thing, but they were helpless to do anything about it.

Even the two Western Saints could only sigh, their figures disappearing as they left the primordial world once more to return and guard the chaos.

Duobao Daoren, who is now known as the Western Buddha, possesses the destiny of a Buddha; he is the Buddha destined for Buddhism.
If the Buddha cannot return to his rightful place, Buddhism will not be complete and will be destined to never flourish.

The idea of ​​driving away Buddha is utter nonsense. If Buddhism were to actually do that, the sages of the Xuanmen sect could easily split Buddhism in two and completely destroy any hope of its future prosperity.

Therefore, even though the two Western Saints were unhappy, they could only grit their teeth and accept it.

This is the game of sages; nothing is ever smooth sailing.

Unexpected events were bound to occur, but they hadn't anticipated that the Sage of Taiqing would be so patient and restrained.
When Buddhism was established in the West, it dealt a heavy blow to Buddhism, hitting its Achilles' heel. It was stuck in the esophagus, impossible to spit out or swallow, so it could only endure it.

They deduced that Western Buddhism should flourish in the East.

Unexpectedly, the Buddha who led the Buddhist sect to great prosperity in the East was also from the East and was the senior disciple of the Jie Sect—Daoist Duobao.

When they met Daoist Duobao, they simply felt that Daoist Duobao had an affinity with Buddhism and was an important link in the future prosperity of the West.
But they didn't know that Daoist Duobao was the one who was destined to be the Buddha and lead Buddhism to great prosperity.

This was clearly the work of the Sage Taiqing; otherwise, how could they not have sensed something such a crucial person as Daoist Duobao?

However, even if the Sage of Taiqing did not do anything wrong, it would have been virtually impossible for them to snatch Daoist Duobao from the Sage of Taiqing.

Since things have come to this point, they have no choice but to accept the reality.

However, this matter was not without a turning point. Daoist Duobao became the Buddha of the West and the Buddha of Buddhism, and his path of cultivation became tied to Buddhism.

If the Buddha wants to further his cultivation and become a Quasi-Saint, he must help Buddhism flourish. The interests of both sides are aligned, and they are on the same boat.

The two Western Saints don't need to scheme too much. As long as Tathagata still wants to cultivate, he will eventually turn to Buddhism. This is something that cannot be avoided.

In other words, the Sage of Taiqing knew that the West was destined to prosper, and that Daoist Duobao would eventually return to his rightful place; this was something that could not be changed.

When Li Er went west out of Hangu Pass and escorted Duobao Daoren back to his position, it was not with the intention of forcing Duobao Daoren into Buddhism as a disciple of the Xuanmen sect.

Instead, they use the Buddha of Buddhism to exchange for more fortune from the Xuanmen (Taoist) sect, preventing Buddhism from completely transcending its limitations and ensuring that Buddhism and Xuanmen will always be entangled in cause and effect.

When Buddhism flourishes, Taoism will flourish as well.

The decline of Buddhism will also cause damage to other Taoist sects, but the impact will definitely be much smaller compared to Buddhism.

In this way, the decline of the Xuanmen sect due to the rise of the Buddhist sect can be avoided, and a portion of the Buddhist sect's fortune can be immediately seized and returned to the Xuanmen sect.

However, the loss of Duobao Daoist by the Xuanmen sect and the gain of a Buddha who is expected to become a quasi-saint by the Buddhist sect became an unavoidable price to pay.

In a serious analysis, apart from the fact that the Sage Taiqing concealed the fact that Daoist Duobao possessed the status of a Buddha, all of these were open schemes.

The Xuanmen sect lost a senior disciple of the Jiejiao sect, but gained more fortune and shared the rise and fall of the Buddhist sect.

The Buddhist community's fortunes have become mixed, making it impossible to completely transcend the mystical world, but it has gained a Buddha, and great prosperity is expected.

Duobao Daoren lost his status as the chief disciple of the Jie Sect and became the Buddha of the West, with the potential to become a Quasi-Saint.

In this sense, all three parties benefited.

Of course, without the intervention of the Sage Taiqing, Buddha would still have returned to his rightful place, and the Buddhist community would no longer have the conflict between Mahayana and Hinayana Buddhism, and would have become even more perfect.

“Strictly speaking, all four parties should benefit.” Yang Xuan withdrew his gaze, a slight smile playing on his lips.

If Buddhism had been perfected from the very beginning, its fortune would likely have surpassed that of the Heavenly Court and the Underworld, and there would have been no doctrinal disputes.

In this situation, even if Yang Xuan made arrangements many years in advance, it would be tantamount to defying the heavens for the divine path to compete with the Buddhist path for faith, making it even more difficult.

But now, even if the Buddha returns to Buddhism, the conflict between Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism is still inevitable. This is Yang Xuan's opportunity! (End of Chapter)