Investiture of the Gods: I am Bigan, the Master of Conspiracy

Chapter 174 Insight into the Flaws of Heaven's Dao, Re-establishing the Investiture of the Gods

In Changzhou, where Yin Ziyu had set up the formation, he was looking towards Huaguo Mountain. The entire formation had already been quietly activated, using the blood of a saint as a catalyst to activate and merge the five elements of heaven and earth!
The Primordial Five Elements Formation subtly and silently draws upon the primordial five elements, regulating their origins and encompassing the entire Eastern Continent.

Yin Ziyu had been making preparations for tens of thousands of years in advance to avoid alerting the enemy.

On the summit of Huaguo Mountain in Aolai Country of Dongsheng Shenzhou, there was a 36.5-foot-tall stone left over from mending the sky, which contained the essence of heaven and earth for countless eons. Finally, at the hour of Gengshen Zi, it exploded with a loud bang.

On Huaguo Mountain, crimson flames soared into the sky, and colorful stone chips rained down. From among the stones, a ball of golden light sprang out and rolled to the ground.

"Click"

The stone egg cracked open with a snap, revealing a stone monkey with a hairy face and a thunder god's mouth. Its body was covered in charred stone, and its eyes were as black as lacquer. It was squatting in the broken eggshell.

As soon as the monkey opened its eyes, two beams of golden light, as thick as bowls, suddenly shot out from its eyes, piercing straight through the heavens and illuminating the Southern Heavenly Gate of the Thirty-Three Heavens!

Watching the golden light surge into the thirty-third heaven, Yin Ziyu couldn't help but sigh, "Such talent! He could be considered the last innate god-demon to emerge, but it's a pity he's going to be wasted!"

Indeed, the four monkeys of chaos all have the background of innate gods and demons. The Six-Eared Macaque was able to hear the Purple Cloud Palace shortly after its birth. In comparison, the stone monkey's ability to shake the thirty-three heavens is not so amazing.

Those born with divine or demonic origins possess innate great supernatural powers. Stabilizing their own primordial energy is enough to maintain the realm of Taiyi Golden Immortal or even Daluo Golden Immortal.

There is absolutely no need for arduous practice.

All acquired foundations are built step by step from the mortal body. The highest level of innate deity is born as the Great Luo, and the lowest level is the Taiyi. This is a height that acquired foundations can never reach.

This is why the Chan Sect disregards the acquired and values ​​the innate, because the acquired is not favored by the Heavenly Dao, while the innate is favored by the Heavenly Dao.

The Chan Sect follows the Way of Heaven and naturally values ​​the innate. Furthermore, it is impossible for the sect to allocate its resources to beings born with very low potential.

To be fair, the Chan Sect's choice was not wrong, while the Jie Sect's doctrines were somewhat too idealistic.

The chances of survival for the Jie Sect were purely by luck, while the destruction of the Investiture of the Gods was the norm.

At this moment, everyone looked towards Flower Fruit Mountain, knowing that the person destined to face the tribulation of the Journey to the West had been born. This was the person chosen by Heaven to carry out the great trend of spreading faith eastward.

The eastward transmission of Buddhism is merely a facade; the true purpose is to inspire a new order among the immortals and deities of the Three Realms.

When this stone monkey was born, the secrets of the entire Three Realms were instantly obscured, just like the conferment of gods, making it impossible to deduce the secrets of heaven anymore.

When the heavenly secrets are obscured, all three realms will know that another great calamity has begun.

I really don't know how far this great calamity will go, or whether it will cause even greater destruction to this primordial world.

Every eon or less is a great calamity, and these calamities are erupting faster and more frequently, causing fear to arise among all beings in the Three Realms.

It's similar to drug use; the first time, the intervals are long, then the intervals get shorter and the dosage gets larger and larger, which is a sign that you're about to lose it.

Inside the Lingxiao Palace, the Jade Emperor's jade cup suddenly trembled, spilling nectar onto the dragon table.

"With eyes that can see a thousand miles and ears that can hear the wind, what exactly happened?"

The Jade Emperor, of course, knew what was going on, but he still immediately questioned him.

"Your Majesty, this humble deity witnessed the birth of a stone monkey at Flower Fruit Mountain in the Eastern Continent of the lower realm. Its eyes emitted golden light that shook the thirty-three heavens, and it is currently paying homage to the four directions!"

Haotian took out the Haotian Mirror and observed for a moment before saying, "A being with innate foundations in the Three Realms has been born, a being favored by Heaven and Earth. His attack on the Dou Niu Palace was not intentional. Let it be!"

At this moment, the stone monkey withdrew its golden light, shook off the pebbles from its body, and then bowed to the sky, clasping its hands together towards the heavens: "Heaven gave me spirit, and I shall worship Heaven and Earth!"

After the stone monkey finished speaking, he kowtowed three times, then turned to face the four directions to worship. As he straightened up, hundreds of monkeys suddenly rushed out from behind him, all of them prostrating themselves and shouting "Great King!"

Upon seeing the stone monkey, he was overjoyed and began playing with the other monkeys.

Meanwhile, at a cave dwelling in Huaguo Mountain, there was an inscription that read "Blessed Land of Huaguo Mountain, Water Curtain Cave Heaven".

"My disciple has finally emerged from the world and it is time for him to depart. I will leave this Water Curtain Cave to him!"

The Taoist priest flicked his whisk and vanished instantly.

Upon its birth, the stone monkey immediately began to follow the wild monkeys, eating peaches, drinking mountain spring water, and breathing in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

However, the stone monkey was unaware that the innate essence within its nine orifices flowed out of its body, forming a light and ethereal energy that floated upwards and dispersed.

Yin Ziyu immediately took control of the Hunyuan Five Elements Formation, sorting out all the five elements of spiritual energy in the world and forming a channel to draw this source towards Changzhou.

With the blood of the sage as the core of attraction, the stone monkey's innate essence instantly converged towards the blood of the sage. Yin Ziyu controlled the five elements so that not a single trace of them flowed into it, maintaining the purity of its essence.

Of course, the loss of this essence is not very fast; it takes three to five hundred years to completely eliminate it.

Yin Ziyu observed that the celestial secrets were now obscured, and that the Five Elements Formation had been in harmony with the current operation of heaven and earth for tens of thousands of years, so there should be virtually no problems.

These wisps and strands of divine and demonic essence, after flowing out from the stone monkey, should have scattered throughout the world, but were instead drawn by Yin Ziyu, and then flowed through the five elements, all converging into Changzhou!
It's somewhat similar to money laundering; in a minute, it travels around the world several times, and ultimately, its whereabouts become untraceable.

Even though there are no saints in the Three Realms now, and the secrets of heaven are obscured, Yin Ziyu must still be extremely cautious.

At this moment, the stone monkey finally discovered the Water Curtain Cave and was overjoyed. He followed the group of monkeys to occupy the Water Curtain Cave.

Meanwhile, in the Chaotic Paradise, Jieyin looked at Zhunwen and asked, "Junior brother, this stone monkey has such a foundation and such talent, is it really meant to be like this? It's such a pity that such a great foundation is being ruined!"

Jieyin looked regretful. Destroying this foundation with his own hands was like destroying a rough gem, so he naturally felt heartache.

Zhunti smiled bitterly after hearing this: "Senior brother, if not for this, how could I possibly use this stone monkey's innate divine and demonic background? With such a background, if we can successfully integrate his origin, merge his primordial spirit with the Chaos Demon Ape's inheritance, and even make him a Great Luo Golden Immortal at birth, he must possess extremely high moral character. What can the West use to win him over? Moreover, the Jie Sect and Bigan are eyeing us covetously. Even if I were to take him as a disciple, how much favor could I possibly bestow upon him? Furthermore, such a background already has its own origin and inheritance. How could he willingly accept my avatar as his master? Besides, the Journey to the West is less than a thousand years away. A thousand years is certainly not enough to win him over! Letting him lose three hundred years of his origin will still allow him to have extremely high comprehension, which is within my control!"

Jieyin naturally understood the reasoning behind this, and sighed, "So be it. If he is born as a Great Golden Immortal, he will inevitably observe the general trend of the Three Realms and his mind will inevitably waver!"

Zhunti frowned and said, "Now that the secrets of heaven are covered up, the Jie Sect and Bigan have not made any moves or plotted against the stone monkey. The great karma they set up is now useless!"

"Since that's the case, let's teach the stone monkey according to our junior brother's plan!" The problem here is still the same fundamental issue: it cannot be taught.

Such a background and future are limitless, but now that there are no saints in the Three Realms, no one can take him as a disciple, and therefore no one can bestow favors upon him.

If its origin is not lost, its original inheritance will naturally awaken, and then it will have its own inherited supernatural powers and techniques. What can Buddhism use to make such a person with such a background submit?

Even if it's your method of sainthood, they won't look down on it. They naturally cultivate the original inheritance of the Chaos Demon Ape.

If the inheritance is successfully awakened and the primordial spirit is integrated, a good integration will directly result in a Great Luo Golden Immortal, while a poor integration will still result in a Taiyi Golden Immortal, whose own Dao Fruit is perfected, and at least one or two laws are perfected.

The difficulty for Zhunti is that his lineage is too good; unless a sage personally descends to the mortal world to accept him as a disciple, no one is qualified to take him as a disciple.

So let its origins flow away for three hundred years, until it becomes controllable. In this way, we can use a very small favor to win the greatest loyalty.

Otherwise, no matter how good your background is, it's all for nothing if you can't use it!

If the stone monkey were to be born and taught to close its nine orifices and perfect its origin, then there would indeed be a cause and effect relationship with the stone monkey. However, the stone monkey would choose to repay this cause and effect, and then there would be no further relationship.

Even though it was a destiny to travel to the West, once the stone monkey reached this level of cultivation, he would surely understand the structure of the Three Realms, and therefore would inevitably make new choices based on his understanding of the Three Realms.

This makes the probability of Journey to the West suffering a crushing defeat extremely high.

Furthermore, this cause and effect is actually not that significant. It's not that no one is teaching the stone monkey to stabilize his original nature, but rather that after Subhuti opened the Water Curtain Cave, no one else could go there at all. That's the important point.

Therefore, even if Subhuti teaches him the way to stabilize his original source, the stone monkey will surely understand this matter in time. So how great can the karmic debt owed by the stone monkey be?

You're blocking others from coming, yet you're selling this karma to me; that's inherently scheming.

After all, the birth of the stone monkey with golden light in its eyes will inevitably shake the Three Realms. At this time, all parties in the Three Realms will take action. Whether it is a benefactor or an enemy is already determined at this moment, and the birth of the stone monkey has also entered the game.

It can be said that teaching them the method to solidify their origins at that time would not be of much benefit.

So let its original essence flow away naturally, control it in one area, and then impart its supernatural powers, and you will have done a great favor.

Although this would pose a great risk, as long as one avoids any karmic consequences, it would be fine. After all, the Stone Monkey's status as a traveler on the Journey to the West was ordained by the Heavenly Dao, and even the Jie Sect and Yin Ziyu could not interfere.

The West speculated that the birth of the Stone Monkey was due to Yin Ziyu's intervention, and they even made some arrangements in case Yin Ziyu might intervene. However, Yin Ziyu did not participate at all, which surprised the West and others.

Since Yin Ziyu did not participate, we can only proceed according to the original plan.

Although the great calamity of the Journey to the West has begun, the entire Three Realms remain quiet and unchanged.

As long as Yin Ziyu remains inactive, the entire Three Realms will inevitably be quiet. However, everyone in the Three Realms knows that there are undercurrents brewing beneath the surface.

When the stone monkey was born and the secrets of heaven were obscured, two people sat opposite Yin Ziyu in a restricted area in Changzhou.

Yin Ziyu cupped his hands and said, "The two Great Celestial Venerables have come together, surely to discuss important matters!"

The people who came to Changzhou were Haotian and Yaochi. After the birth of the stone monkey, the two of them went directly to Yin Ziyu's place.

The two understood that the power of the entire Heavenly Court had not yet been taken back, and only this person possessed the ability to change the order of the Great Calamity.

Since becoming the Heavenly Emperor, the early period was the era of the sages' order, and the Heavenly Court was just for show. After the Investiture of the Gods, the four Heavenly Emperors had good fortune, but he did not, and was instead like a lucky charm.

Even if one possesses the magical power of a mid-stage Quasi-Saint, what use would it be?

If the fate of Heaven is not in one's own hands, then even the awe and reverence of the immortals are of no use.

To truly rule the Heavenly Court, one must at least obtain the Heavenly Fortune. Once one obtains the Heavenly Fortune, one can naturally cultivate one's own loyal followers, and only in this way can one become a true Heavenly Emperor.

Regardless, Yin Ziyu and Yaochi had a pleasant working relationship during the Ghost Festival.

First, Haotian's expression was one of unwavering determination: "After the Investiture of the Gods, the Heavenly Court's power was not restored, leading to the Chan Sect controlling the Heavenly Court's destiny. Now, the Great Calamity has begun again, which is a golden opportunity for me, and also for you, fellow Daoists. For ten thousand years, the Chan Sect has used Legalism to imprison the masses and suppressed all other schools of thought, honoring only Confucianism, which greatly boosted the Chan Sect's fortune. In any case, we must not allow the Chan Sect to regain control of the Heavenly Court in this Great Calamity. It is only right that we work together with you, fellow Daoists, to achieve this."

Yaochi also said, "Fellow Daoist, my senior brother and I were appointed as Heavenly Emperors by the Dao Ancestor, but we have no say in anything about the Heavenly Court. Our direct descendants are only Taibai and a few others. In this great calamity, considering the current situation of the Three Realms, the only way is to work with you to restore order to the Three Realms after the Journey to the West. This is why I have come here!"

After listening, Yin Ziyu nodded and said, "Now that the Great Tribulation has begun, if the two Heavenly Emperors want to seize real power in the Heavenly Court, they need to accomplish one thing!"

"Fellow Taoist, please speak!"

Yin Ziyu immediately said, "I have a plan. The only solution is to rewrite the Investiture of the Gods. Currently, those who have been appointed as gods are all under the control of the Chan Sect. The first priority is to overthrow the Investiture of the Gods and have the two Heavenly Emperors control the Investiture of the Gods. Secondly, we should seize control of the Heavenly Court's fortune during the Great Tribulation and re-establish the Investiture of the Gods. However, the Investiture of the Gods has flaws, which can be used as a basis for our plan!"

Yin Ziyu once told Emperor Xin to endure the humiliation for now and restore the nation to its former glory in the future. Now that the great calamity has arrived and the Jade Pool of Heaven has come, this matter must be put on the agenda.

"Revise the Investiture of the Gods! What is the purpose of this plan?"

Haotian murmured to himself.

Yin Ziyu said calmly, "The Supreme Lord and the Chan Sect control the Heavenly Court by controlling the destiny. However, since the Investiture of the Gods, there has never been a time when the positions of gods have been filled. This is a loophole in the Heavenly Dao. Do those who lack sufficient merit need to rely on this position to achieve a different kind of eternity? How can the Heavenly Dao allow such a loophole? And how can those with deep foundations remain gods forever? The Heavenly Emperor can come to the Dao Ancestor to revise the Investiture of the Gods."

Haotian Yaochi nodded in agreement, and then Yaochi said, "Senior brother, we two need to pay our respects to the master again regarding the revision of the Investiture of the Gods!"

Haotian nodded emphatically: "I will pay my respects to the Emperor on this matter and request a revision of the Investiture of the Gods. I wonder if you, fellow Daoist, can devise a plan for this great calamity?"

Yin Ziyu looked at the stone monkey and said, "The original essence of this stone monkey was almost completely lost due to the schemes of the West. The Heavenly Dao has decreed that the journey to the West must pass through eighty-one tribulations. The greater the difficulty, the greater the merit. Since that is the case, we can simply increase the tribulations for it. This stone monkey is the one destined to face the tribulations of the Heavenly Dao. In this Heavenly Court, the Supreme Lord has suppressed a huge amount of fortune. We can work together to make it truly flow into the Three Realms."

"To seize this fortune?"

The fortune suppressed by Laozi was used to promote the Legalist school, which created some people who were born in response to the times, allowing the Chan Sect to barely regain control of the human race.

Over these ten thousand years, many struggles naturally occurred. The Supreme One took back a portion of the power to suppress the Heavenly Realm, and used the rest to cultivate those destined to maintain order.

(End of this chapter)