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

"This method is wonderful! This method is wonderful!"

Fuxi clapped his hands and laughed, quite satisfied with the method proposed by Yang Xuan.

Following Yang Xuan's method, not only could they indirectly hinder Buddhism's missionary work in the Nine Provinces, but they could also force Buddhism to change its doctrines.

Humanity is expected to gain more knowledge and skills during the period of intellectual ferment and solve the unsolvable problems.

As for whether Buddhism would use force to suppress others and allow the powerful figures and forces invited by the human race to retreat, thus making Buddhism the only dominant force in the Nine Provinces, this is obviously impossible.

The powerful figures and forces who participated in the Hundred Schools of Thought were brought together by Laozi and invited by the Three Sovereigns.

If Buddhism were to actually do something foolish like using force to oppress others, the Three Sovereigns would have a legitimate reason to take action and drive Buddhism out of the Nine Provinces. Even if the Two Sages of the West returned from the primordial world, they would not be able to find any fault with it.

As for whether powerful beings and forces in the primordial world would be unwilling to come after receiving the invitation, that is also impossible.

Not to mention that the inviters this time are the Three Sovereigns, the only three Quasi-Saints in the Primordial World, and the Supreme Lord Laozi, a Saint, is leading the effort, they all have to give them face.

They wouldn't miss such a grand event as the Hundred Schools of Thought.

Discussions on the Dao have always been the best way to verify one's own Dao on the path of cultivation.

The Hundred Schools of Thought Contending was a grand debate, even involving sages and religious sects, and was an excellent opportunity to verify one's own Great Way.

Even without an invitation, people will still go on their own initiative.

One can imagine how lively the Nine Provinces will be after the Hundred Schools of Thought begin to contend. It is obviously impossible for Buddhism to establish itself on doctrines that only benefit the prosperity of Buddhism.

Fuxi laughed for a while, then suddenly put his arm around Yang Xuan's shoulder and said with a sly grin.

"Your mind is really sharp, kid. In such a short time, you've come up with such a brilliant method. It's truly unbelievable."

"How about... you spend more time in Kyushu in the future, offering more advice and strategies for my human race? Of course, I won't let you help for nothing; as a way of repaying you, I'll introduce you to my younger sister."

Yang Xuan: ???
No, Senior Fuxi, I haven't offended you, have I? How could you say such a thing?
Hmm... it's not entirely incomprehensible that Fuxi would say something like that.

After all, within the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation, Fuxi looked at the two Western Saints and immediately unleashed a Saint-level summoning spell, calling out, "Little sister, help me," which summoned even the Saint Nuwa.

It's not unreasonable for him to say such a thing.

As for why he didn't have this feeling before, it's probably because Yang Xuan's cultivation level wasn't high enough back then, and he was considered a junior, while Fuxi still needed to maintain the airs of the Human Emperor.

Yang Xuan is now a Quasi-Saint, a rare power in the prehistoric world, and holds the dual divine positions of Heaven and Earth, making him the actual ruler of both.

In terms of status, he was no lower than the Three Sovereigns of the human race, so Fuxi naturally had no need to put on airs, and his true nature was revealed.

Yang Xuan really didn't want to see this kind of nature.

He knew that Fuxi's original intention was to introduce Nuwa to Yang Xuan so that he would have the opportunity to listen to the sage preach.

However, Fuxi's words were too easy to misunderstand. If the sage Nuwa misunderstood, even if Yang Xuan's background was strong enough, he would not be able to withstand the sage's wrath!

With his small frame, Yang Xuan dared not engage in such a conversation, so he quickly changed the subject and said what he was already planning to say.

"Regarding the contention of a hundred schools of thought, I have another immature idea: if there are a hundred schools of thought, why should they be limited to the Nine Provinces?"
Since Buddhism aspires to flourish in the East, their ambitions cannot be limited to just the Nine Provinces. Why don't we expand the scope of the Hundred Schools of Thought to the entire East?

Upon hearing this, Fuxi and the others were slightly taken aback and turned their heads to look at him.

Even Fuxi, who had always remained calm and collected, showed surprise, not expecting Yang Xuan to be so ruthless.

With his level of cultivation, he could naturally deduce some traces of the contention of a hundred schools of thought, but according to his idea, that was only to prevent Buddhism from spreading in Kyushu.

As the main force of heaven and earth, the human race is the primary carrier of humanity. If Buddhism were to spread throughout the Nine Provinces and the human race were to become Buddhist believers, even if Buddhism could not directly flourish, its fortune would still greatly increase.

If Buddhism has enough human followers, it might even become like the Heavenly Court or the Underworld, a force capable of exercising human authority.

This is a scene that Laozi absolutely did not want to see, which is why he came to Kyushu to propose obstructing the eastward spread of Buddhism.

Unexpectedly, Yang Xuan directly proposed the idea of ​​a hundred schools of thought contending.

Moreover, Yang Xuan is even more ruthless than him. Yang Xuan's target is not the Nine Provinces at all, but the entire East!

If the contention of a hundred schools of thought were confined to the Nine Provinces, then Buddhism's missionary work in other parts of the East would not have faced any obstacles and could still have garnered a large number of followers.

However, expanding the scope of the Hundred Schools of Thought to the entire East, allowing all living beings in the prehistoric East to know about the Hundred Schools of Thought and to be influenced by the Great Dao of the many great beings of the prehistoric world, would be much more effective.

In that case, all living beings in these places would have more choices, and it is easy to imagine how difficult it would be for Buddhism to spread its teachings and gain followers under such circumstances.

Even more so, there might be some powerful beings who target Buddhism, pointing out the flaws in Buddhist doctrines, making all living beings in the primordial world aware of the dangers of becoming Buddhist believers.

Strictly speaking, the Hundred Schools of Thought Contending was a large-scale debate. Since it was a debate, even if Buddhism was backed by two Western saints, no one would care too much.

Besides, the Chan and Jie sects are not severely weakened. Why wouldn't their disciples participate in the Hundred Schools of Thought debate?

Even if their sole purpose was to cause trouble for Buddhism, they wouldn't miss this opportunity.

After all, the two Western Saints converted many disciples of the Chan and Jie sects at the end of the Investiture of the Gods calamity.

Regardless of what these disciples were thinking at the time, whether voluntarily or under duress, the current immortals of the Chan and Jie sects share a remarkably consistent attitude towards Buddhism.
They would never miss an opportunity to trip up Buddhism!
If the scope of the Hundred Schools of Thought were expanded to the entire East, it would definitely create more obstacles for Buddhism.

If Buddhism wants to continue to flourish in the East, it must adjust its doctrines. At the very least, it cannot remain as it is now, where all benefits are attributed to Buddhism.

As long as Buddhism changes its doctrines, the speed at which Buddhism flourishes will definitely slow down, and this was Lao Tzu's original intention.

The flourishing of Buddhism is the will of Heaven and a promise made by Hongjun Daozu to the two Western Saints. As the Saint of the Heavenly Dao, Taiqing Saint could not change this final outcome no matter what.

All he could do was slow down the rise of Buddhism and buy more time for the disciples of Taoism.

Expanding the scope of the Hundred Schools of Thought from the Nine Provinces to the entire East, and forcing Buddhism to change its doctrines, would not only slow down the rise of Buddhism, but would also be a good thing for all living beings in the prehistoric world.

Otherwise, if Buddhist doctrines are allowed to spread unchecked, Buddhism may flourish, but the areas affected by its teachings will become stagnant.

Perhaps when Buddhism truly flourishes, they will find ways to give back to these regions.

However, it will take a lot of time to revitalize these stagnant waters and make them flourish again, and the original characteristics of these areas will be difficult to reproduce.

After Buddhism changes its doctrines, this kind of thing is unlikely to happen, or at the very least, it won't be this serious. "What you say is correct, young friend. Since it is a time for a hundred schools of thought to contend, it should not be limited to the Nine Provinces. It should be the same throughout the entire Eastern Wilderness."

Laozi nodded, greatly praising Yang Xuan. Then, he turned to the Three Sovereigns and said in a deep voice:
"The old Taoists of the Chan Sect and the Jie Sect will inform the other powerful beings and sects in the prehistoric world. We will need to trouble the three of you."

"No, no, it's all our duty," Fuxi and the other two said repeatedly.

The Nine Provinces are the biggest beneficiaries of this matter. If this is done well, the human race's influence in the prehistoric East will surely increase greatly, and their position as the protagonist of the Heavenly Court will be more secure.

Both morally and logically, the human race should do their best to help.

When Yang Xuan saw that Laozi had agreed to his proposal, a smile appeared on his face.

There is a conflict between Taoism and Buddhism regarding incense and faith, and Buddhism can be considered half of Yang Xuan's enemies on the Great Tao.

Anything that hinders the flourishing of Buddhism is a good thing for him.

If possible, he hoped that the scope of the Hundred Schools of Thought would expand to the entire prehistoric world, causing Buddhism to encounter setbacks everywhere in the prehistoric world.

Back in Zixiao Palace, he did indeed promise that Heaven and the Underworld would not hinder the rise of the West.

However, the Hundred Schools of Thought were not dominated by the Heavenly Court or the Underworld. He merely offered a minor suggestion, which was insignificant. How could such a thing be blamed on him? That makes no sense!
Yang Xuan's thinking actually involved another purpose.

Yang Xuan had known long ago that the human race was merely a vessel for humanity at present, belonging to a part of humanity, but not the entirety of humanity.

The true meaning of humanity corresponds to all living beings in the primordial world, to all creatures in the primordial world!
It's just that the primordial world was born too late, and it's still not complete, let alone perfect.

To achieve balance among Heaven, Earth, and Humanity, a force similar to the Heavenly Court or the Underworld should be established in the human realm, capable of exercising human authority.

This requires extending the influence of humanity to all living beings in the primordial world, making them all vessels of humanity.

The human realm is far more complex, with countless beings and numerous forces, far exceeding the situation of the Heavenly Court and the Underworld in the past.

Building such a force in the human realm would certainly encounter numerous obstacles and would be extremely difficult.

Unless Yang Xuan becomes a saint and uses force to suppress others, it is basically impossible for him to accomplish this.

But if we wait until Yang Xuan becomes a saint before doing this, Buddhism might become such a force first, and then Buddhism will definitely overshadow the divine path.

After all, the power of incense offerings and vows is related to humanity. If Buddhism becomes the master of the human world, where will the divine path have room to develop?

Therefore, Yang Xuan abandoned the idea of ​​building a power from scratch.

This debate among a hundred schools of thought provided Yang Xuan with an opportunity to observe and verify his ideas.

Therefore, the wider the scope of the Hundred Schools of Thought, the more advantageous it is for Yang Xuan.

However, for Laozi and the human race, there is no need for this.

Their goal was simply to hinder the rise of Buddhism, buy more time for Taoism, and prevent the Nine Provinces from becoming stagnant.

Even if the scope of the Hundred Schools of Thought is limited to the territory of Kyushu, the same goal can be achieved, and the dissatisfaction of Buddhism can be avoided.

Unexpectedly, Laozi and the Three Sovereigns agreed to the matter without much thought.

However, upon closer reflection, this outcome is not entirely unexpected.

Laozi was not afraid of Buddhism. Making Buddhism suffer more and further delaying its rise would be more beneficial to Taoism.

Although the human race is not as powerful as Laozi, if we disregard the two Western Saints, the human race's status is no less than that of Buddhism.

Furthermore, the human race has not engaged in any bullying or oppression; everything has been a fair competition. Could the two Western Saints possibly intervene?
Leaving aside whether Hongjun would agree to the return of the two Western Saints over such a trivial matter, even if they did return from Chaos, the Taiqing Saint and the Goddess Nuwa would not allow them to act recklessly.

In that case, the more lively the debate among a hundred schools of thought, the better.

"Young friend, please come with me."

Just as everyone finished discussing the many details of the Hundred Schools of Thought, Laozi opened a spatial passage with the Taiji diagram and called out to Yang Xuan.

"it is good!"

Although Yang Xuan didn't know what Laozi wanted him to do, he didn't think much of it. In any case, there was no danger, and it was unlikely to be anything bad. So he followed Laozi, stepped onto the golden bridge, and disappeared.

"Young friend Yang Xuan's mind is truly brilliant." Fuxi looked at the closed spatial passage and sighed with admiration, "If only young friend Yang Xuan could spend more time on the human race..."

But before he could finish speaking, a loud 'boom' suddenly came from the sky, and a dazzling bolt of lightning, ignoring everything outside the Fire Cloud Cave, struck Fuxi directly.

He was hacked until his entire body was charred black, his hair standing on end. He opened his mouth, and a wisp of black smoke drifted out as he muttered to himself:

"What's gotten into my sis now?"

Fuxi turned to look at his two old friends beside him, his expression puzzled. Shennong and Xuanyuan remained silent and quietly moved away into the distance.

They couldn't withstand the wrath of a saint.

Boom——!
……

heaven.

Yang Xuan followed behind Laozi down the golden bridge and came to this simple thatched hut.

Laozi sat down on the futon, just as he had done when they last met.

"During the Great Tribulation of the Investiture of the Gods, because of you, the Jie Sect did not suffer great losses, and the Xuanmen was able to retain more of its vitality."

Otherwise, when Buddhism was established, the fortunes of the Xuanmen (Taoist sect) would have been greatly diminished. Even if Duobao returned to his position as a Xuanmen disciple and became the head of Buddhism, the Xuanmen would still have suffered a severe blow. This is one point.

"Today, you proposed the method of 'a hundred schools of thought contending,' which can curb the rise of Buddhism and even has the potential to change Buddhist doctrines, buying more time for the Xuanmen (Taoist sect). This is the second point."

"Although I cultivate the Way of Non-Action, I still value cause and effect. Young friend, you have rendered meritorious service to the Xuanmen. As a sage of the Xuanmen, I should settle this cause and effect."

Seeing that Yang Xuan seemed about to say something, Laozi waved his hand and continued:
"I have a method called One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones. Today I can pass this method on to you to settle your karma. Do you want to learn this method?"

PS: The description of the benevolent corpse in the previous chapter was somewhat vague; it referred to the Buddha, not Yang Xuan. This has been corrected. (End of Chapter)