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

Chapter 183: Meeting Tongtian, tearing open the Heavenly Dao.

Although they had agreed on the matter of Wukong's blasphemy against the Dao Ancestor, Jieyin was still worried: "Fellow Daoist Laozi, what choice should we make between the Dao Ancestor's will and the will of Heaven?"

Laozi looked at the two of them and said calmly, "Of the six sages of the Heavenly Dao, the one maintained by Yuanshi is the orthodox Heavenly Dao, while the two of you maintain the Western religion. My duty is to mediate. We only need to abide by the duties of the Heavenly Dao and there will be no problem. We do not need to think about the will of the Heavenly Dao or the will of the Dao Ancestor!"

Yuanshi Tianzun nodded and said, "What you say is very true, elder brother. We sages only need to follow the duties of Heaven, and we have nothing to worry about!"

Although this time in Zixiao Palace, Hongjun seemed to have his own stance and wanted to support his disciple.

However, the few sages were not afraid, because they did not overstep their bounds, and if they did not overstep their bounds, they had nothing to worry about.

Nuwa represents the creation of all living beings, while Tongtian represents the practitioner of equality for all living beings; the matter of conferring gods is a conflict of responsibilities.

Although Yuanshi Tianzun may seem excessive to the general public, and the Four Sages ganging up on one person may seem excessive, in the eyes of the Heavenly Dao and Hongjun, there is no transgression.

The logic of sentient beings is different from the logic of the Way of Heaven.

As long as the Four Sages do not overstep their bounds, there is no need to worry about Hongjun, as he is bound by the Heavenly Dao.

Jieyin nodded and said, "What you say is very true, fellow Daoist. How should we arrange things regarding Wukong?"

Zhunti's eyes flickered, and he spoke first: "Regarding Wukong, it is crucial that he does not know the seriousness of this matter. We also need to control whoever Sun Wukong comes into contact with, and prevent him from knowing who the Dao Ancestor is. We should try to make Wukong forget about this matter. In my opinion, we should cover up his act of knocking down the statue of the Dao Ancestor, and let the Heavenly Court launch a campaign against him under the pretext of defection. In this way, we can both meet the Heavenly Court's need for prestige and control the impact of this matter in the Three Realms to a certain extent. We can let him cause trouble in the Heavenly Palace, and then let Tathagata suppress him to establish some prestige in preparation for the Journey to the West. We can also use this prestige to dilute the matter of knocking down the statue."

Naturally, Sun Wukong must not know who Hongjun is; in fact, he should be made to completely forget about this matter.

Therefore, Sun Wukong needs to have a greater reputation to replace this matter, so that overturning the statue becomes a trivial matter.

That's right, this is a tactic of diverting attention, covering up and shifting the focus to a seemingly big but actually small issue, and using a different, seemingly minor problem to cover up the bigger issue.

Laozi nodded slightly and said, "This monkey is quite fortunate, having stolen two Ren Water Peaches. After the Heavenly Court captures him alive, I will put him into the Eight Trigrams Furnace to refine him. In this way, not only will his physical body be tempered, but the Ren Water Peaches will also be refined into his body. The immense spiritual energy accumulated in the two Ren Water Peaches cannot be refined within the monkey's body!"

Upon hearing this, Zhunti smiled wryly and said, "This arrangement is quite good. However, after he is captured, I should take the opportunity to send the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir to Wukong."

Jieyin looked puzzled and couldn't help but ask, "Junior brother, since Wukong has already eaten two Renshui Peaches of Immortality, which are enough to improve his cultivation, why give him the Nine-Turn Golden Pill as well?"

Zhunti sighed slightly and said, "Senior brother, you don't know this. If we don't do this, how can we make Wukong remember my kindness wholeheartedly? This monkey is simple-minded by nature, but he is also extremely loyal and righteous. When he was captured, I gave him the golden pill, and Sun Wukong was sure to be grateful to tears. Even if Bigan plots this matter later, Wukong will find it difficult to sway him."

After listening, Jieyin nodded in approval, saying, "Junior Brother's consideration is thorough, and this plan is excellent. After Wukong is suppressed, Junior Brother can send him the elixir, and Wukong will surely think of Junior Brother. It will be difficult for others to shake his attitude towards our West. Even if someone says something to Wukong in the future, it will be insignificant."

Upon hearing this, Laozi nodded in agreement: "Let it be arranged this way. This matter is of great importance and requires proper cooperation from all parties. We must not allow any mishaps to occur, lest further complications arise. We must not give Bi Gan another chance to plot!"

"good"

In the highest heavens, auspicious light shone in countless rays, and auspicious colors appeared in thousands of strands.

Yin Ziyu, Jinling Shengmu, Yunxiao, Mi Fei, Guiling Shengmu, and Wudang Shengmu rushed over, only to find Tongtian Jiaozhu and Nuwa Niangniang already sitting cross-legged on the cloud bed, waiting for everyone.

As soon as everyone arrived, they hurriedly bowed down and shouted in unison, "Greetings, Your Majesty! May Your Majesty live a long and prosperous life!"

Nuwa's gaze shifted, and she looked at Yin Ziyu, asking softly, "Ziyu, is this matter concerning Wukong related to you?"

Yin Ziyu pondered for a moment, considering the matter. It wasn't really a secret to the Sage, but Yin Ziyu had handled it cleanly and without any flaws, so admitting it wouldn't hurt.

"The Sage Tongtian and the Goddess Nuwa, Wukong was inherently ignorant and fearless. Although he did such a thing, the real responsibility does not lie with him, but with the indulgence of the Chan Sect and the deception of the Western Sect. The reopening of Zixiao Palace this time is a once-in-a-millennium opportunity, so they took advantage of it. I suppose this matter with Sun Wukong has brought the two sages quite a few benefits in Zixiao Palace?"

Upon hearing this, the Tongtian Sect Leader immediately threw his head back and laughed heartily: "Well done, Ziyu! You are truly audacious, daring to even scheme against the Dao Ancestor. This is a matter of immense karma. Fortunately, the Dao Ancestor will not blame you. Originally, the selection of the person to be conferred the title of God had reached a stalemate with Laozi and the others, but Ziyu's actions have broken this deadlock. This time, the person to be conferred the title of God will no longer be decided arbitrarily by the Chan Sect. At the same time, Laozi has also relinquished a portion of the Heavenly Court's fortune to Haotian."

The laughter of the Tongtian Cult Master contained both admiration for Yin Ziyu's bold actions and shock at Yin Ziyu's insight and decisiveness.

Yin Ziyu looked quite satisfied after hearing this.

To have secured these benefits was truly worthwhile, as it was a perilous journey, like dancing on a knife's edge, amidst the ever-changing circumstances of this great upheaval.

After all, such opportunities may exist, but who would dare to plan for them?

If one bets on the wrong horse, fails to fathom the thoughts of the sages and the Dao Ancestor, and cannot grasp the subtle situation, the karmic consequences on one's shoulders will be unbearable.

It can be said that such an opportunity is truly fleeting and once in a lifetime.

Nuwa, filled with curiosity, couldn't help but ask, "Ziyu, why did you dare to do this?"

Yin Ziyu smiled slightly and calmly explained, “Since the time of the Lich King, Haotian and Yaochi have ruled the Heavenly Court, yet it is deserted and its prestige is waning. Yaoji's affair with a mortal has become a scandal in the Three Realms, undoubtedly embarrassing the Dao Ancestor and diminishing his authority. After the Investiture of the Gods, the Human Sect and the Chan Sect controlled the Heavenly Court, and Haotian and Yaochi became puppets. This situation is truly embarrassing for the Dao Ancestor. In the end, this matter was caused by the audacity of those saints. I have offered the Dao Ancestor an opportunity, an opportunity that allows him to settle the karmic debt with the Four Saints at any time. If they want to escape this great karmic debt, they will inevitably have to give up some benefits.” Nuwa was immediately astonished: “This scheme is somewhat similar to the Willow Branch Scheme. When the willow branch was given to Guang Chengzi, Guang Chengzi had the opportunity to judge the Three Great Ministers, which forced the Three Great Ministers to defect as soon as possible!”

Yin Ziyu nodded: "Your Majesty is absolutely right. After all, once the Dao Ancestor merged with the Dao, the Sages followed the will of Heaven and would not fear the Dao Ancestor. This Haotian Yaochi is a person of the Dao Ancestor, yet it has become like this. It is really too much!"

Upon hearing this, the Tongtian Sect Leader nodded repeatedly in agreement, praising, "Laozi is indeed remarkable. He made a decisive move, immediately relinquishing the right to choose the person to be conferred the titles of gods and the destiny of the Heavenly Court. In this way, the next conferment of the titles of gods will be much fairer. Last time, the Heavenly Dao directly designated Jiang Ziya as the person to be conferred the titles of gods and even made him join the Chan Sect. This was the will of the Heavenly Dao. This time, revising the conferment of the titles of gods is reasonable. However, if the Heavenly Dao forcibly chooses one person to be conferred the titles of gods, then the order of the Heavenly Court will not change much."

This matter may have ended peacefully, but in reality, it had a significant impact.

When the gods were conferred, the person to be conferred the title was depicted as having the appearance of a flying bear on his back. Heaven directly made him become a disciple of the Chan Sect, and all the great god positions were given to the Chan Sect at the time of the conferment of the title.

After all, the Heavenly Dao favors the Chan Sect, because the Primordial Heavenly Venerable is in fact the true spokesperson of the Heavenly Dao. The Chan Sect expounds the will of the Heavenly Dao, and what the will of the Heavenly Dao is has a deeper explanation.

From the authority of the Heavenly Sages, we can understand that Tongtian represents the equality of all beings, Laozi is the mediator, Yuanshi represents the orthodoxy of the Heavenly Way, Nuwa represents the creation of living beings, and Jieyin and Zhunti represent the West.

The Heavenly Dao naturally favors the Chan Sect. During the Investiture of the Gods, all those who were to be conferred the title of God were given to the Chan Sect. Therefore, Hongjun's purpose in revising the Investiture of the Gods this time is to seize all the authority of the Heavenly Dao and put Haotian Yaochi in power. In this way, Hongjun's influence in the Heavenly Dao will increase.

Therefore, this revision of the Investiture of the Gods will undoubtedly be carried out by the Heavenly Dao Society, which will designate members of the Chan Sect to bestow titles upon the gods. This can be seen from the fact that Jiang Ziya and Shen Gongbao were both sent to the Chan Sect, and the Investiture of the Gods was also carried out in the name of Yuanshi Tianzun. It must have originated from the Chan Sect, which is beyond any doubt.

When Sun Wukong knocked down the statue of Hongjun, he was not only knocking down the cause and effect of the statue, but also the power that Heaven had given up, and Laozi had given up part of the Heavenly Court's fortune. At the same time, it was also equivalent to giving up the future order of the Three Realms.

For Yin Ziyu, there was something even more intangible: Sun Wukong's overthrow of the statue gave Yin Ziyu an opportunity to prove himself in the future. This was because it allowed Haotian Yaochi to take power, which meant that the power of the Heavenly Dao was incomplete. In other words, Hongjun was able to control a portion of the power of the Heavenly Dao, and was not just the representative of the Heavenly Dao.

This is equivalent to a crack appearing in the otherwise solid Heavenly Dao, and this is the most important thing. However, even sages have not yet realized these things.

You won't discover this without attaining enlightenment; only by attaining enlightenment can you find the immense benefits it contains.

However, the path to enlightenment is so far away, who would have thought of these things?

Nuwa sighed softly, "This success was truly due to the perfect storm of favorable timing, location, and popular support. Last time, the rules for the Investiture of the Gods were not yet perfect, and many flaws were exposed, which led to the scene of the six sages gathering at Zixiao Palace today. This opportunity also gave Ziyu a chance to seize it. Of course, the root cause was their choice to scatter the stone monkey's essence and fool it, which created this karmic consequence and brought about this opportunity. Ziyu, with his keen mind, understood the key points and acted decisively and boldly, which enabled him to succeed in one fell swoop."

From the moment Haotian paid homage to Tongtian at Yaochi, everything was meticulously planned, and the slightest mistake would have made the entire scheme impossible.

The Tongtian Sect Leader agreed wholeheartedly, his eyes filled with admiration, and said, "Indeed, Ziyu's keen insight into the situation and his decisive actions are both indispensable."

Upon hearing this, everyone was filled with admiration. Since the Investiture of the Gods, Yin Ziyu's many schemes had been astonishing, and even without careful consideration, one could not comprehend their intricacies!
It can be said that this event was undoubtedly a brilliant move in the grand game of cosmic chess, not only changing the current situation but also bringing new variables and possibilities to the future landscape.

Nuwa's gaze shifted as she looked at Yin Ziyu, her expression grave. She slowly asked, "Ziyu, what is your opinion on this journey to the West?"

Upon hearing this, even the Tongtian Sect Leader couldn't help but cast his gaze over, his eyes filled with anticipation, wanting to see what secrets Yin Ziyu could glean from it.

Yin Ziyu's expression was serious. After a moment of contemplation, he said in a steady tone, "The current conflict between the Three Realms can actually be summarized as a conflict between East and West, a conflict of order, and even a conflict of primordial chaos. Because of the matter of Sun Wukong, the situation of heaven and earth has changed drastically, forcing the Heavenly Dao to relinquish some of its authority. This has already evolved into a fundamental conflict within the Heavenly Dao itself."

The Tongtian Sect Leader was slightly taken aback, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He blurted out, "Oh, the struggle for the origin of the Heavenly Dao? Could it be that, Ziyu, you believe that the Dao Ancestor will participate in the struggle for the origin of the Heavenly Dao?"

Yin Ziyu nodded slowly with a determined expression and said, "Originally, the Dao Ancestor had no chance to get involved, but now the opportunity has appeared. The Heavenly Dao will contend, and the saints will also contend. As a result, we people in the lower realm will also be drawn into it. This is the great calamity brought about by this Journey to the West."

Yin Ziyu's voice wasn't loud, but it resonated in everyone's hearts like a great bell. In Shangqing Heaven, the atmosphere instantly became heavy, and everyone fell into deep thought, as if they could already feel the impending changes in the world.

In this current situation of the Three Realms, the Human Sect and the Chan Sect originally held the power to maintain order in the Three Realms, and the source of this order was the Heavenly Dao's favor towards the Chan Sect.

Although Yin Ziyu and the Jie Sect appear to be at the height of their power, they do not actually control any of the order of the Three Realms.

For the entire Three Realms, if the Human Sect and the Chan Sect are equivalent to the Tang Dynasty, then Yin Ziyu and the Jie Sect combined are at most equivalent to a regional military governor.

First of all, putting everything else aside, the mere fact that Heaven favors someone is an insurmountable barrier.

If Heaven wanted to do something, it could easily send down its essence to support anyone to attain enlightenment. Yin Ziyu's journey has been based on his own reasonable planning. If he were an anomaly, even without direct divine punishment, a peerless genius would emerge.

Just as Wang Mang was an anomaly, Heaven sent Liu Xiu to destroy him.

The reason why Yin Ziyu is still in good condition and even has a slight advantage is that he is competing within the rules of the Heavenly Dao.

The significance of this plan lies in the fact that Yin Ziyu discovered the Dao Ancestor's predicament and took this opportunity to deliver a knife to the Dao Ancestor.

With this knife, a place of exemption and balance was torn open in the net of heaven and earth.

(End of this chapter)