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

"Delay the rise of the West?"

Yang Xuan was slightly taken aback, but then he understood.

Buddhism has been established for tens of thousands of years, and with the Buddha's return to power, the West has entered a period of great prosperity.

If Buddhism wanted to flourish, it was inevitable that its doctrines would spread eastward. Back in the time of the Investiture of the Gods, Yuanshi Tianzun promised the Chan Sect that it would not prevent Buddhism from flourishing in order to ask the two Western Saints for help.

Therefore, the current stage is indeed an excellent opportunity for Buddhism to spread eastward, and it is even possible that Buddhism has already begun to take action.

If Buddhist teachings were to spread in the East, it would be detrimental to Taoism and would lead to a further loss of its fortune.

Moreover, Buddhist teachings are not necessarily a good thing for most living beings.

The Three Sovereigns had also heard of Buddhist teachings. Fuxi frowned slightly and nodded, saying:
"I am already familiar with the Buddhist teachings. Buddhism emphasizes reincarnation and rebirth in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Neglecting cultivation in this life is of no benefit to the human race of the Nine Provinces."

If we can stop the spread of Buddhist teachings in Kyushu, we will certainly do our utmost to help.

Although the two Western Saints did not steal the power of reincarnation from the underworld as they did in the original timeline.

But they were both saints after all, with extraordinary abilities, so creating a Western Paradise was not a difficult task for them.

In particular, the current primordial world has successfully evolved into the Three Realms without any hidden dangers or signs of the Dharma-ending Age, and the primordial origin has been greatly enhanced.

After the two Western Saints returned from their complaint at Zixiao Palace, they used their supreme magical power to activate the primordial essences that were traveling in the primordial world.

With favorable timing, location, and human factors, the Western Paradise was created.

In terms of scale, the Western Paradise is naturally incomparable to the Netherworld, but it is still much larger than the Great Thousand Worlds and comparable in size to the Underworld, enough to uphold the prestige of Buddhism.

Furthermore, the two Western Saints established a rule with their great magical power that all Buddhist believers can come to the Western Paradise after death and attain great freedom and liberation.

Even though the underworld now controls reincarnation, the two Western Saints can intentionally allow some Buddhist believers to be reborn in the Western Paradise after death, which is equivalent to being reborn.

This doctrine, which suggests that one can be reborn in the Pure Land simply by reciting scriptures and chanting Buddha's name without seeking anything in this life, can certainly attract many followers and enhance the influence of Buddhism.

However, such actions not only fail to provide any useful help to the development of all living beings in the primordial world, but will also become an obstacle.

Imagine if all living beings in the primordial world did not pursue cultivation in this life, but instead focused on reciting Buddhist scriptures and chanting mantras, hoping to be reborn in the Pure Land after death and receive the true teachings of Buddhism. How could living beings in the primordial world make progress?
If this continues, the Western Paradise will certainly become more and more prosperous and have countless believers, but the areas influenced by Buddhist doctrines will become stagnant.

The Three Sovereigns would naturally be resistant to such a sacrifice of ancient creatures to promote the West, and would not want Buddhist teachings to spread throughout the Nine Provinces.

"But..." Shennong hesitated, and after a moment of struggle, he said with concern, "The rise of the West is the general trend of Heaven. If we interfere, would that be against Heaven's will?"

Fuxi and Xuanyuan also showed a look of worry. The reason they had not taken any action was because they were worried that such an action would be against the will of Heaven and would be countered by the luck.

"Senior Shennong is overthinking it," Yang Xuan said with a smile, shaking his head. "With the West flourishing, Buddhism should naturally rise in the East; this is indeed an inevitable trend."
However, to the best of my knowledge, there has never been a clear regulation regarding when Buddhism would flourish in the West or how it should flourish in the East.

Upon hearing this, Shennong and the other two were slightly taken aback. "So it seems there really hasn't been a clear manifestation of heavenly secrets..."

"That settles it then." Yang Xuan chuckled. "Since the heavenly secrets have not yet been clearly revealed, it means that the opportunity for the West to prosper has not yet arrived."

The Buddhist order has just been established, and its doctrines may not yet be perfected, making it unsuitable for propagation in the prehistoric world. The Buddhist order needs to adjust its doctrines to suit the evolution of the prehistoric world before the West truly flourishes.

At this point, Yang Xuan paused slightly, bowed to Laozi, and said earnestly:

"These are all my humble opinions. I don't know if they are correct. I would appreciate your guidance, Laozi."

"You're right." Laozi nodded, a faint smile appearing on his face.

"The rise of the West is a sign from Heaven, and also a promise our teacher made to the West."

However, neither Heaven nor the teacher has given any hints about when or how this great prosperity will occur.
As my young friend said, since the heavenly secrets have not yet manifested, it means that the opportunity for the great prosperity of the West has not yet arrived, Buddhism still has problems, and its current doctrines are of no benefit to the primordial world and need to be changed.
The flourishing of Buddhism in the East is an inevitable trend, and we will not obstruct it. However, the time for the flourishing of Buddhism in the West and the rise of Buddhism in the East has not yet arrived. To slightly hinder it is not going against the will of Heaven.”

Laozi was very satisfied with Yang Xuan's explanation, which coincided with his own thoughts. He had originally intended to use the argument that the time was not yet ripe to convince the Three Sovereigns of the human race.

Now that no sages have emerged, the human race's fortunes have largely stabilized, and the three human emperors have become free, becoming the strongest fighting force in the prehistoric world.

If the human race were to lend a hand, with the Three Sovereigns providing support and obstructing the eastward spread of Buddhist teachings, things would certainly go much more smoothly.

It is a fact that the current transactions of Buddhism are of no benefit to the human race. The Three Sovereigns certainly do not want to see Buddhism flourish in the Nine Provinces and turn the human race into a stagnant pool.

Even without Yang Xuan's rhetoric, Laozi could still convince the Three Sovereigns that the time for the West to prosper had not yet come, and could persuade them to offer their assistance.

However, the outcome is somewhat different depending on whether Laozi himself says it or Yang Xuan says it and then Laozi affirms it.

Indeed, this was the case. As a great sage of the human race, Yang Xuan accomplished many great deeds that shocked the prehistoric world, even though he was only a quasi-saint and had the lowest cultivation level among the four people present.

However, his words were still convincing, and with the affirmation of Laozi, the sage and benevolent ruler, the three emperors nodded seriously, seemingly deep in thought.

After a while, Fuxi's gaze swept over Yang Xuan and Laozi, and he asked;
"But how do we stop the rise of the West? Is there a concrete plan for this?"

Duobao Daoren entered the Buddhist sect and became the Buddha, the master of Buddhism.

Although Buddhism did not flourish, it originated from Western religion and was nourished by the fortune of Xuanmen, making it one of the top forces in the prehistoric world. It possessed astonishing fortune from the very beginning.

When the Buddha returned to his position and became the master of Buddhism, he received boundless blessings. In addition, Daoist Duobao, as the senior disciple of the Jie Sect, was the person closest to becoming a quasi-saint.

Now, with the blessing of Buddhist fortune and the deliberate efforts of the two Western Saints, they want to make Daoist Duobao see reality clearly, return to Buddhism, abandon his past, and accept the identity of the Buddha.

More than 10,000 years ago, when Yang Xuan perfected the Zhou Tian Xing Dou Grand Array on the Taiyin Star, Buddha Lai successfully severed the good corpse and became a quasi-saint of the one corpse.

The three emperors of the human race were quasi-sages, and Laozi was an even more saintly and benevolent being. For them to directly intervene would be seen as bullying the weak, and it was absolutely unacceptable.

Moreover, they wanted to prevent Buddhism from flourishing, force it to change its doctrines, and allow it to flourish in a more moderate way.

If they were to take direct action, even if they could force the Buddhist sect to change its doctrines under pressure, it would certainly cause dissatisfaction within the Buddhist sect, and they might secretly do things that are detrimental to the Nine Provinces.

The best approach would be for them to remain in the rear, forcing Buddhism to change its doctrines for some reason.

However, they couldn't figure out how to do it in a short time, nor did they intend to.

When Laozi approached them about this matter, he must have already had his own ideas. Yang Xuan was renowned for his sharp mind.

With these two here, whatever they want to do, we can just listen.

Indeed, this was the case. Laozi, after deducing the secrets of heaven and having formed a clear idea, came to the Fire Cloud Cave, found the Three Sovereigns of Humanity, and summoned Yang Xuan to discuss the matter. However, Laozi did not directly state his thoughts. Instead, he looked at Yang Xuan, a hint of interest in his eyes, and smiled slightly, saying:

"What are your thoughts, young friend?"

Upon hearing this, Fuxi, Shennong, and Xuanyuan all turned to look at Yang Xuan, their faces showing a hint of curiosity.
I'd like to hear what insights Yang Xuan, the great sage of the human race, the dual emperor of Heaven and the Underworld, known for his strategic acumen, would have.

"Let me think about it." Yang Xuan did not refuse. In fact, he had already thought of a solution, but it would be inappropriate to say it directly. He had to put on a show.

Now that the great calamity has passed and the calamity's energy has dissipated, the methods of deduction can be used normally.

If Yang Xuan could deduce the desired result, he would say more; if he couldn't, he would focus on the key points.

Then, in Yang Xuan's eyes, the phantom of the River of Destiny appeared, predicting the future of the Nine Provinces.

"The River of Destiny?!"

Fuxi and the other two were shocked as they looked at the illusory river in Yang Xuan's eyes. They never expected that Yang Xuan would have such an ability.

The River of Destiny is on par with the River of Time, belonging to the most mysterious things in the primordial world, which ordinary beings cannot even see.
Only when the three flowers at the top of one's head bloom and one has survived the heavenly tribulation can one be fortunate enough to see the River of Destiny, retrieve one's true spirit from it, and achieve the Great Luo Fruit.

Even the three quasi-sages, such as Fuxi, could no longer witness the River of Destiny, not even as projections.

According to their understanding, the River of Destiny is omnipresent, but to see it, one needs to have a sufficient understanding of the Great Dao of Destiny and also gain its favor.

The Great Dao of Destiny is one of the most difficult Daos to comprehend in the primordial world. How can one gain any understanding of it simply by wishing to?

Understanding the principles of destiny is like mathematics; if you don't know it, you simply don't know it.

If you persevere and work your way up over time, you might reap some rewards, but most likely not many.

Of course, more likely, it will simply not be able to stick with it and will eventually become a top-notch sleep aid, making you want to fall asleep just by looking at it.

Even the three quasi-sages, including Fuxi, had rather limited understanding of the Dao of Destiny.

Even Fuxi, who had the deepest understanding of the Great Dao of Destiny among the three, was still a long way from summoning the projection of the River of Destiny and gaining the favor of the Great Dao of Destiny.

That's why they were so surprised when they saw the projection of the River of Destiny in Yang Xuan's eyes, and they were even more eager to see the results of Yang Xuan's deduction.

Although the River of Fate is not as helpful as the River of Time in deduction, with the assistance of the River of Fate, it is certain that more and more accurate things can be deduced.

After an unknown amount of time, the projection of the River of Fate in Yang Xuan's eyes disappeared, but he did not speak. Instead, he looked thoughtful.

After a long while, Yang Xuan's lips curled up slightly, revealing a confident smile.

"It seems that young friend Yang Xuan has some ideas." Fuxi became even more curious and urged, "What have you thought of? Tell me quickly."

"Senior Fuxi, please don't be impatient. Based on the results of my deduction, I do have some ideas, but I don't know if they are accurate. I would appreciate any guidance from you seniors."

Yang Xuan looked at Fuxi and the others, bowed, and then continued:

Strictly speaking, we are not trying to obstruct the spread of Buddhism.
Since the rise of Buddhism in the West was a divine will, it implies that the existence of Buddhism must have been beneficial to the evolution of the primordial world.
Instead of spreading doctrines that would turn the primordial world into a stagnant pool in the name of Western prosperity, as is the case now.

What we need to do is make Buddhism realize the problems with its doctrines and get it to change its doctrines on its own.

"I do have an idea to accomplish this."

At this point, Yang Xuan paused slightly, as if organizing his thoughts. After a moment, he continued:

"As the saying goes, it is better to guide than to block. Rather than preventing Buddhism from spreading throughout the land, it is better to open the door wide for convenience."

"Open the door to convenience?"

Fuxi and the other two frowned slightly, all of them taking a moment to pause, their expressions puzzled.

How come one moment they were talking about how to stop Buddhism from spreading its teachings, and the next moment they're opening the door wide for convenience? Isn't this a bit too much of a turn of events?

But they knew Yang Xuan wouldn't speak without reason, so they didn't say much and remained attentive.

When Laozi heard Yang Xuan's words, his eyes flickered slightly, showing both surprise and delight, knowing that Yang Xuan had already seen the key point.

Yang Xuan ignored their opinions and continued speaking at his own pace:
"Esteemed seniors, please do not misunderstand. What I mean by opening the door of great convenience is not for the sake of Buddhism, or rather, not purely for the sake of Buddhism."

Since Buddhism wishes to spread its teachings in the East, why don't we seize the opportunity and invite many powerful figures and forces from across the primordial world to come to the Nine Provinces together?
Let us spread the teachings of these powerful beings and influences, and let there be a free exchange of ideas!

As they listened to Yang Xuan's words, Fuxi, Shennong, and Xuanyuan's eyes grew brighter and brighter, understanding what Yang Xuan meant.

They are not rejecting Buddhism itself, but rather its extreme doctrine of neglecting cultivation in this life and seeking only rebirth in the Pure Land after death.

As long as Buddhism makes changes to make its doctrines beneficial to humanity, they will naturally not stop it.

To get Buddhism to make changes voluntarily, sufficient pressure needs to be applied.

If the Buddhist community finds it difficult to spread its teachings in the East due to doctrinal issues, and thus fails to achieve its goal of "Buddhism flourishing in the East," it will make corresponding adjustments on its own.

Without the Three Sovereigns personally exerting pressure, the best way to achieve this would be to create competitive pressure within the Buddhist community.

Without competition, things remain unchanged; with competition, adjustments are made, and only then can one stand out among a group of competitors.

The human race in the Nine Provinces is still suffering from a lack of advanced cultivation methods. Their only help comes from the Heavenly Court and the Underworld, but the two sides are, after all, in a cooperative relationship, not missionary work in the Nine Provinces.

Once Buddhism spread to the Nine Provinces, it was difficult to generate any competitive pressure, and eventually Buddhism became the dominant force. Naturally, Buddhism would not change its doctrines.

Since the eastward spread of Buddhism is inevitable, and given the current state of humanity, it is impossible to exert pressure on Buddhism...

Why not summon all the other powerful beings and forces from the prehistoric world and have a hundred schools of thought contend in the Nine Provinces, thus completely stirring up this mess?

If there is only one Buddhist sect in the Nine Provinces, even if the human race intends to obstruct it, some of their people will still join the Buddhist sect, and the Buddhist doctrines will not change.

However, in a climate of diverse schools of thought, if Buddhist doctrines remain unchanged, they will inevitably be eliminated.

Moreover, by holding a Hundred Schools of Thought contest in Kyushu, the human race can also obtain corresponding inheritances, solving the problem of insufficient cultivation techniques for the human race, which can be described as killing two birds with one stone.

But that's not all; Yang Xuan's goals don't stop there! (End of Chapter)