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

Chapter 200 Unlocking the Path of Evolution, Finally Comprehending the Heart of Transcendence!
Humanity is not limited to the narrow concept of humankind; humanity encompasses all living beings.

The three realms of Heaven, Earth, and Man have meaning because of the existence of people. If Heaven and Earth were empty and devoid of living beings, their existence would be meaningless.

To become the flame of humanity, one must first gain the recognition of all beings; all beings below the level of a sage are sentient beings.

Saints and ordinary people are two completely different life forms.

Because all beings below the level of a sage are as insignificant as ants within the rules of the Heavenly Dao. Even a mayfly dies in a day, while a Great Luo Immortal dies in an eon. The difference between the two is simply time.

Sages, on the other hand, are completely free from the distinction of time, and thus free from the ways of humanity.

The fire of humanity, which gains the approval of all beings, seems simple, but there is a huge paradox here: is it truly based on the hearts of all beings, or is it merely exploiting them?

The major trend after the Investiture of the Gods was actually a huge conflict between the Heavenly Way and all living beings, a conflict between the heavens and the human race.

It is the will of Heaven to replace the human heart with the will of Heaven. This is intertwined with the decline of spiritual energy, insufficient fortune, and so on. The great suppression of the Yin Shang and the Jie Sect by the Investiture of the Gods was actually aimed at all living beings.

The ultimate purpose of Journey to the West is to spread the belief system of Journey to the West, and moreover, to achieve complete control over all living beings.

At this moment, Yin Ziyu's mind also gained the initial recognition of all living beings, and the flame of humanity began to gather.

Just then, the Human Sacred Flame, which had been hidden in the Heart Realm, came before Yin Ziyu.

"You have truly begun to ignite the flame of humanity! If so, I will use the sacred fire of humanity to complement this flame of humanity and help you break through to a new realm."

At this time, although a large number of humans were mortals, the humans of the Yin Shang dynasty still supported the backbone of humanity.

Although the human race's sacred fire is not as powerful as it once was, it has become more solid.

This human fire, like a burning sunset, is dazzlingly red, passionate and unrestrained, echoing the humanistic fire that shines with seven colors in its gold.

When the two met, they instantly merged together, bursting forth with an even more dazzling light. Within the light, countless figures seemed to flicker, representing the will of all living beings condensed within the flames.

Luo Shen, standing to the side, looked at Yin Ziyu with delight and anticipation in her beautiful eyes and said, "Ziyu, so it seems you're not far from breaking through!"

Yin Ziyu nodded and said, "I will break through as soon as possible. This journey to the West is full of variables, Mi Fei, you must keep a close eye on things. It's not yet time to trigger a decisive battle, so let's proceed according to the original plan."

Luo Shen nodded gently and said softly, "Alright, Ziyu, don't worry. The Jie Sect members have already made careful preparations along the way and are just waiting for the right opportunity."

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At this crucial moment, Yin Ziyu has reached a new level. Once he achieves this and it becomes a system, it will undoubtedly be earth-shattering for the prehistoric world.

Because now, Hong Sanjie's only path to advancement is through the method of severing corpses, and even this method of severing corpses is now a dead end.

Given the current state of decline in the Three Realms, the upper limit for cultivators is actually not even Quasi-Saints; Golden Immortals are already the limit, and they can't go any higher.

Even in the most top-tier blessed lands, it's difficult to reach very high levels; the highest one can attain is Taiyi, due to the overall environment.

The cultivation level of Quasi-Saint is something that cannot be reached without the bestowal of great fortune and merit from the Heavenly Dao.

Before the Journey to the West, the comprehensive advancement of Buddhism and the Jie Sect was only possible by seizing the great opportunity of divine intervention; normal cultivation would have been absolutely impossible.

Yin Ziyu's Mind Realm has become a unique world for cultivating obsessions outside of the Three Realms. Whether it can bring new opportunities naturally attracts all beings in the Three Realms to seek opportunities, which is also the reason for the Mind Realm's popularity this time.

As for the faith promoted by Journey to the West, it did not generate much interest.

Given the current state of affairs in the Three Realms, with no way for lower-level cultivators to rise to prominence, even the top-level deities, despite their strong foundations, are not without worries, and they do not want to sit idly by and wait for their demise.

The desire of all beings for change ignited the flame of humanity, which led Yin Ziyu to gather here. Although Tathagata was a popular candidate for the Hunyuan realm, he did not possess the fundamental ability to stir the hearts of all beings.

At this moment, Yin Ziyu took advantage of this opportunity to begin his sprint towards a new realm. As all beings from the Three Realms entered the Heart Realm, the fire of humanity began to gather in his heart.

At the summit of the Heart Realm Mountain, Yin Ziyu sat cross-legged, and his aura began to flow quietly around him.

The heart is inherently fire, and at this moment, the gathered human fire, like a surging torrent, rushed towards Yin Ziyu's exquisite heart.

Yin Ziyu's Seven Apertures Exquisite Heart suddenly erupted with five-colored divine light, dazzling and brilliant, as if it would dye this whole world with splendid colors.

The five-colored divine light crisscrossed, and within the light, the profound maxims of the Great Dao were faintly interwoven.

The remaining unopened acupoints trembled slightly under the influence of the Human Fire, as if accumulating some kind of immense power.

The sixth aperture, under the convergence of the human fire like a tide, presents a wondrous state, its light flickering as if undergoing a difficult transformation.

Each flicker of light was accompanied by a slight expansion and contraction of the mind's aperture, as if it were absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, or as if it were deeply merging with that humanistic power.

At the same time, Yin Ziyu's understanding of the sixth level of Dao was also rapidly taking shape.

This system contains endless mysteries, with each thread interwoven with the others, like an invisible net that cleverly connects the rules and forces of heaven and earth.

Yin Ziyu closed his eyes tightly, but a profound realization dawned on him.

These six realms are special realms prepared for Hunyuan, and there is no need to refer to the Quasi-Saint realm. What kind of realm this is is entirely up to Yin Ziyu himself, based on the final interpretation of all the Dao he has encountered along the way.

Since the beginning of the Investiture of the Gods, Yin Ziyu has attained enlightenment through his heart, destined to walk the path of strong conviction and passion, pursuing the breaking of all shackles on his heart.

"With his supreme power, the Great God Pangu created something from nothing, thus opening up this vast and boundless primordial world. Now, I have reached the peak of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm. The path to enlightenment must be forged through a different means, a method of subtraction to achieve emptiness, in order to reach the realm of transcendence. The seventh realm of this Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart should be the realm of transcendence. And this sixth realm is the preparation for transcendence. At this moment, introducing this human fire containing the will of all living beings is to condense a heart of transcendence, to break free from the shackles of the Heavenly Dao. To enter the realm of transcendence, one must condense a heart of transcendence. This sixth level of the Heart Scripture is the heart of transcendence."

At this moment, Yin Ziyu temporarily stopped paying attention to everything outside, immersing himself in the wondrous realm of cultivating his own mind. The surrounding mental realm seemed to ripple with his enlightenment.

In the depths of his enlightenment, Yin Ziyu murmured to himself, his voice seemingly emanating from the depths of his soul, carrying a transcendent and resolute quality.

"The so-called attainment of the Dao, in essence, requires first and foremost this primordial state of mind. Standing amidst this vast and boundless primordial world, all the concepts we are familiar with, such as the distinction between good and evil, the difference between immortals and demons, the boundary between Buddhas and demons, and the distinction between right and wrong, upon closer examination, are nothing more than shackles imposed on all living beings by the Heavenly Dao. These concepts, seemingly clearly distinct, are in fact all illusions. Only my own true heart is the most real existence in this world."

"The realm of transcendence means transcending the many shackles set by the Heavenly Dao. These shackles are externally bound by the rules inherent in the essence of the Heavenly Dao, and internally imprisoned by the various obsessions implanted in the heart by the Heavenly Dao. The first step in the path of transcendence is to break free from the shackles of the heart and cultivate a transcendent state of mind that belongs to oneself. All things in the world originate from the original heart. Only by guarding this original heart and not being swayed by the complexities of the outside world can one knock on the door of enlightenment."

"My nature is self-sufficient, requiring no external seeking. Nothing exists outside the mind, no principle exists outside the mind; the root of everything in the world lies in this original mind. When something arises from nothing, it is to gain power and recognition from the outside world. Now I realize that to attain enlightenment, one must break through all of this. This primordial state of mind allows all things to be born and destroyed in a single thought. The key lies in the transcendence of the original mind, rather than clinging to the gains and losses of the three realms' fortune."

"Fortune, reputation, and merit—all these things in the Three Realms seem tempting, but in reality, they are all part of the Heavenly Order. If the heart is trapped by these things and bound by the established order of the Three Realms, how can one achieve transcendence? How can one attain the Primordial Dao? Only by adhering to one's original heart and not being disturbed by the noise and temptations of the outside world can one comprehend the true meaning of this Primordial Mind."

"The transcendent one should take one's true self as the core that governs everything. Everything in the outside world, no matter how dazzling, is nothing but an illusion. What I pursue should be what my true self desires. Within this established order of Heaven, attempting to find the key to break the shackles of Heaven is undoubtedly a laughable empty talk."

"The path to transcendence begins with transcending all appearances and constraints of this world, and seeing through the illusory nature of all things. In this way, the shackles of the Heavenly Way can no longer imprison the true mind. When the true mind has already transcended, one's own transcendence is no longer an unattainable and difficult thing. Therefore, to cultivate the mind of transcendence, one must follow the method of subtraction and emptiness, abandoning thoughts of gain and loss, and then the mind of transcendence will naturally return."

"If you want the dragon to soar in the sky, you must first leap from the abyss!"

In his enlightenment, Yin Ziyu sketched out a path to transcendence.

This is a path completely opposite to that of ordinary people and saints. It follows the Tao and principle of the Great God Pangu's final act of reducing and seeking emptiness. If one is attached to fortune and merit, one will inevitably fall into the shackles of the Heavenly Tao. To want to transcend it is undoubtedly a fool's dream.

At this moment, Yin Ziyu's path to enlightenment was now clear. He began to seclude himself in the realm of the mind, condensing his transcendent heart and opening the sixth aperture of the Seven Apertures Exquisite Heart.

The realm of transcendence is the realm of the Primordial Golden Immortal. However, to enter the realm of transcendence, one must first break the shackles of the Heavenly Dao. The realms of severing corpses are themselves within the shackles of the Heavenly Dao. To try to prove one's Dao by severing corpses is a joke.

The path to enlightenment is absolutely not one of following the will of Heaven.

The method of severing corpses was something that the Heavenly Dao required Hongjun to teach, as the Heavenly Dao could not possibly teach sentient beings a method to break the shackles of the Heavenly Dao.

Fundamentally, the way of Heaven teaches the path to Hunyuan (primordial chaos), which necessarily requires all beings to obey the way of Heaven, and is by no means to transcend the way of Heaven.

Fundamentally, the three methods of attaining enlightenment are: attaining enlightenment through merit, which is equivalent to being recognized by the Heavenly Dao; the Six Sages represent this; and attaining enlightenment by severing the Three Corpses is equivalent to assimilating into the Heavenly Dao. This is Hongjun's union with the Dao.

To prove the Dao through force requires breaking the shackles of the Heavenly Dao, which is equivalent to fighting against the Heavenly Dao. From this, it is enough to know that the Heavenly Dao never wants all living beings to transcend.

Based on this root cause, all cultivation systems in the primordial world could be overthrown, because this itself is a link in the chain of shackles.

After becoming a Celestial Immortal, Yin Ziyu's path of evolution no longer followed the methods passed down in the Three Realms.

In other words, starting from the Celestial Immortal level means breaking through the first link of the Heavenly Dao's shackles. This is the real difficulty in proving the Dao of Hunyuan. Who can deny that what one learns from childhood is all fake?
Now that he has reached this point, Yin Ziyu has fully realized that to transcend, the sixth level, which is equivalent to the Quasi-Saint realm, is to condense the heart of transcendence. Only with the heart of transcendence can one take the action of transcendence.

What are the shackles of Heaven? In fact, merit, fortune, and all of these are shackles of Heaven. It all depends on whether you dare to gamble and whether you dare to take the plunge.

Even if they leave, they may end up with nothing in the future. But if they don't leave, they will become one with the great gods of the primordial world, forever trapped as quasi-saints.

At this moment, to break through to a new realm and cultivate a transcendent mind, Yin Ziyu has reached a point where he is on the verge of leaping from the abyss.

The false attainment of enlightenment, obtaining the Primordial Purple Qi, and bestowing Heavenly Merit, instantly broke the shackles between Quasi-Saints and Saints, directly achieving Sainthood.

True enlightenment involves breaking through countless shackles along the way, rushing to the very end without changing one's own path or original intention.

Thus, Yin Ziyu went into seclusion and no longer paid attention to the Journey to the West, because the Buddhist sect was currently stirring up a great trend. Although the calamity in Wuji Kingdom had stirred the hearts of all beings and gathered the flame of humanity, Yin Ziyu was still concerned about the future.

However, it also brings the greatest crisis to the other party: the crisis of the decline of the orthodox tradition.

Once the Buddhist path flourishes in the world, their traditions will all be eliminated. Therefore, in the future journey to the West, the Buddhist sect will undoubtedly need to gather the strength and plan to achieve its goal in one fell swoop.

If they cannot be defeated on the path of martial arts, then they will inevitably compete for victory in terms of martial prowess, and even the true strength of all three parties will be revealed.

Time was running out for Yin Ziyu. Now that his path was clear, he began to perfect his transcendent heart, enter a new realm, and open up his own path of evolution.

In the past, it was about increase; now, to cultivate the heart of transcendence, one needs to decrease. Seeking emptiness through decrease is the way to transcendence. Of course, if one achieves Hunyuan through the primordial chaos, then after achieving Hunyuan, one needs to settle the karmic debts of the primordial chaos and repay the karmic debts of the path to enlightenment.

The four members of the Tang Monk's group traveled westward, and after leaving Wuji Kingdom, they encountered several monsters before finally arriving at Chechi Kingdom.

There were no additional tribulations on Yin Ziyu's side during this period; they were all minor tribulations arranged by Guanyin, and Yin Ziyu's side did not interfere with these minor tribulations.

Yin Ziyu only arranged five trials for them, and wouldn't concern himself with the others. Upon entering the territory of Chechi Kingdom, Sun Wukong immediately witnessed a scene that enraged the four of them.

Throughout the kingdom of Chechi, monks could be seen bound by ropes, forced to perform hard labor like cattle and horses by a group of fierce-looking Taoist priests.

These monks either carried huge stones on their shoulders, taking difficult steps, or held heavy tools, working hard, their faces etched with exhaustion and pain.

Upon seeing this, Sun Wukong was instantly enraged, his eyes burning with fury.

Tang Sanzang, witnessing this scene, was also extremely angry. His brows furrowed, he said to Sun Wukong, "Wukong, why is Chechi Kingdom acting even more outrageously than Wuji Kingdom?"

Sun Wukong scratched the back of his hand in anger, but then, remembering the inside story of Wuji Kingdom, he muttered to himself, "Could it be that Chechi Kingdom is also hiding something? That snake demon was right, 'Don't advise others to be kind if you don't know their suffering.'"

At that moment, Sun Wukong came to a monk who was working by the roadside, reached out and gently lifted him, taking him to a secluded corner.

The monk was so frightened that he trembled all over and turned ashen-faced.

Sun Wukong quickly reassured him, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. I just want to ask you some questions."

The monk cautiously raised his head and saw that although Sun Wukong looked strange, he meant no harm, which calmed him down a little.

Sun Wukong asked, "Tell me, why does the Kingdom of Chechi treat you monks as laborers?"

The monk sighed deeply, his eyes filled with sorrow, and slowly said, "Elders, where do you come from? Do not enter the city!"

Tang Sanzang asked, "We are monks from the Great Tang Dynasty in the East, traveling to the Western Paradise to worship Buddha and seek scriptures. What is the reason for this, Elder?"

The monk explained, “Elders, you may not know this, but twenty years ago, the Kingdom of Chechi suffered a severe drought, resulting in a complete crop failure and widespread suffering. At that time, three Taoist priests arrived, claiming to be Tiger Power Immortal, Deer Power Immortal, and Sheep Power Immortal. They claimed to be able to summon wind and rain and bring forth abundant rain. The king, desperate for a cure, asked them to perform a rainmaking ritual. The three sorcerers were indeed powerful; after a series of rituals, a torrential downpour occurred, relieving the drought in the Kingdom of Chechi. The king was deeply grateful and from then on listened to their every word, honoring them as his royal advisors.”

The monk paused, wiped away tears from the corners of his eyes, and continued, "After these three evil Taoists gained power, they began to suppress my Buddhist disciples. They slandered monks as useless, saying that chanting scriptures and praying to Buddha not only failed to bring rain but also angered Heaven. The king believed their slander and ordered us monks to do hard labor, building Taoist temples for them to serve. If we refused, we would be severely beaten. Poor us Buddhist disciples, living a life worse than pigs and dogs in this Chechi Kingdom!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong's eyes widened in anger, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "You evil sorcerer, how dare you bully people like this! I, Old Sun, will definitely teach them a lesson and avenge you!"

The monk, his face filled with sorrow, sighed heavily and continued, "More than thirty years ago, something happened in Wuji Kingdom, and a large number of monks flocked to Chechi Kingdom. Countless monks poured in, and for a time, the entire Chechi Kingdom was filled with monks. Those monks were also wealthy, and they built temples everywhere. The sound of chanting sutras and reciting Buddhist scriptures was endless throughout Chechi Kingdom, making it a veritable Buddhist paradise. Buddhism flourished like this for more than ten years."

The monk's expression darkened as he recalled the past prosperity, his eyes filled with pain. He continued, "But who could have imagined that a severe drought would strike so suddenly? At that time, three evil Taoist priests arrived. From then on, the once-thriving Buddhist community was nearly wiped out in just twenty years!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong was stunned. His mind raced. He hadn't expected that these monks had been driven here from Wuji Kingdom. How could this situation be so similar to that of Wuji Kingdom?

It's as if an invisible hand is pushing all of this from behind, all because of the severe drought.

Sun Wukong immediately pressed on, asking, "If that's the case, why don't you flee west for your lives?"

The monk explained with a wry smile, "Elders, you may not know this, but the Kingdom of Wuji to the east has already driven the monks away, leaving us with no way out. But to the west lies the Tongtian River, which is eight hundred miles wide, with swift currents and surging waves. There's simply no way to cross it, so where else can we escape to?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong scratched his head, pondering to himself.

At this moment, he couldn't help but recall what Bai Suzhen had said before: one cannot judge good and evil based solely on one side's words.

There must be more to this than meets the eye. Thinking of this, Sun Wukong asked again, "Then tell me, who exactly are these three national advisors? What do they do on a daily basis?"

Upon hearing this, the monk seemed to have opened a floodgate of words, and immediately recounted in detail the evil deeds of the three national teachers over the years.

"These three national teachers, who call themselves Tiger Power Immortal, Deer Power Immortal, and Sheep Power Immortal, began to demolish temples and smash golden Buddha statues to pieces after their arrival. They also extorted money everywhere, claiming it was for building the Three Pure Ones Hall. For the sake of this Three Pure Ones Hall, the monks of the entire Chechi Kingdom were exploited to the point of misery. Relying on their magical abilities, they acted arrogantly and domineeringly in Chechi Kingdom. The king was completely fooled by them and obeyed their every word. We poor Buddhist disciples could only be oppressed by them, without any power to fight back!"

Upon hearing the monk's words, Sun Wukong frowned deeply, his eyes filled with contemplation and seriousness, and asked, "During a severe drought, do you monks truly not know how to pray for rain?"

At this time, after experiencing the events in Wuji Kingdom, Sun Wukong suddenly grew much stronger.

Sun Wukong was inherently extremely intelligent, but his limited access to information led to this. However, he can still analyze the events he experienced.

The monk was taken aback, not expecting Sun Wukong to ask such a question.

After a moment's hesitation, the monk hurriedly explained, "Venerable elders, we monks did indeed pray for rain with the king, kneeling before the Buddha every day, chanting sutras and praying, but not a single drop of rain fell; in fact, the drought worsened. Yet, as soon as the three royal preceptors arrived, the rain fell in the blink of an eye. Many of us monks suspect that this drought might have been caused by those three royal preceptors secretly."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong was taken aback.

Sun Wukong couldn't help but wonder to himself, how come the situation in Chechi Kingdom is so similar to that in Wuji Kingdom?
The Kingdom of Wuji experienced a sudden drought thirty years ago, while the Kingdom of Chechi suffered a sudden drought twenty years ago. What could be the reason for this?
What is the connection between these events, and what exactly happened?
Suddenly, Sun Wukong remembered what Guanyin Bodhisattva had said and immediately asked, "Monks don't know how to pray for rain. The Heavenly Rain Department doesn't receive rain-praying petitions. Even if they kneel until their legs are crippled, they still can't bring rain. So why was that Taoist priest able to successfully pray for rain as soon as he arrived? Did that Taoist priest pray for rain by submitting a petition?"

Upon hearing this, the monk was immediately rendered speechless by the questioning.

In fact, after the Investiture of the Gods, the Heavenly Court controlled the power of rainmaking for the human race. When the princes of various countries in the human world wanted to pray for rain, their petitions had a specific and solemn format, carrying their earnest desire to pray to the Heavenly Court for rain.

This is one of the fundamental rights of the Heavenly Court to govern the Three Realms, and every country has a Taoist priest in charge of rain.

The prayer for rain was written on specially made yellow silk, which was soft yet tough, with a faint sheen on its surface, resonating with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

The memorial begins with the words "Presented before the Heavenly Court's Rain Gods" written in ancient seal script with utmost respect, demonstrating reverence for the Heavenly Court.

The opening paragraph establishes the identity of the ruler of Chechi Kingdom, detailing the kingdom's location in the world, its size, and its population, fully expressing the description of the country in the text.

When praying for rain, one should write about the urgency, since the Heavenly Rain Department governs the four continents and countless countries, and naturally there are priorities.

For example, one might write: "This year there was a severe drought, the land was parched, the fields were cracked, and the harvest failed. The people were destitute, corpses littered the fields, cries of despair echoed across the land, and lamentations reached the heavens."

It doesn't have to reach that point, but to show the urgency of praying for rain, it should be written as tragically as possible.

If the writing is done at a slightly slower pace, it will be placed at the end of the list; if it is not included in the memorial, it is assumed that there is no shortage of rain.

Then I must write: I humbly beseech the Heavenly Gods, who command rain, to have pity on my people, to be moved by my sincerity, and to swiftly send down sweet rain to relieve this perilous situation. I respectfully pray that the Gods, in their compassion, bestow abundant rain to nourish our land, ensuring favorable weather, peace, and prosperity for our nation. We, your humble servants, are deeply grateful and bow our heads in reverence.

Finally, the seal of the King of Chechi Kingdom was affixed, signifying its legitimacy.

Both Wuji Kingdom and Chechi Kingdom made the same mistake: when the monks went to pray for rain, they didn't submit any written petition.

Why would it be monks praying for rain? There might be a reason behind it. Sun Wukong couldn't help but ponder this deeply.

At this moment, Tang Sanzang looked at the haggard monks with a compassionate expression and said, "Wukong, look at how miserable these monks are. If we don't help them, their lives may be in danger. How can we sit idly by?"

Upon hearing this, the monks knelt down, tears welling in their eyes, and said, “In the past twenty years, the hundreds of thousands of monks in Chechi Kingdom have either been tortured to death or died unjustly, and almost all of them have perished. But the last five hundred of us have remained safe and sound, because the Bodhisattva appeared to us in a dream and told us to wait here for the Great Sage Equal to Heaven to descend, saying that the Great Sage will definitely save us from our suffering.”

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong was taken aback at first, but decided to ignore the reason for the moment: "So it was the Bodhisattva who sent me, Old Sun, to save you. Very well, since the Bodhisattva has given me guidance, I, Old Sun, will take charge! Slaughtering hundreds of thousands of monks is going too far no matter what. I, Old Sun, will give you justice!"

Sun Wukong was determined to find out the true nature of Chechi Kingdom. He used his supernatural powers to transform himself into a clever little Taoist priest and swaggered towards Chechi Kingdom.

Upon arriving at the gate, he saw two Taoist priests standing there listlessly, so he approached them with a broad smile.

"Fellow Daoists, I am new here. I have heard that the three Grand Masters of Chechi Kingdom are highly skilled in Daoist arts. Is this true?"

Upon hearing this and seeing a Taoist priest arrive, one of the gatekeepers immediately perked up and said with a proud expression, "Of course! The three Grand Masters are devout followers of the Tao and treat us Taoist disciples extremely well. Whenever a Taoist priest passes by, the three Grand Masters will definitely pave the way with yellow earth and give him a grand welcome with impeccable etiquette!"

Sun Wukong then asked, "Brother Dao, I've also heard that since the arrival of the three great national teachers, our Chechi Kingdom has undergone tremendous changes?"

The Taoist priest slapped his thigh and began to speak with great enthusiasm: "The changes are truly earth-shattering! Ever since the three national masters drove out those monks, our Chechi Kingdom has enjoyed favorable weather and abundant harvests every year, and the people are very prosperous. Moreover, people's hearts have become more peaceful, and neighbors live in harmony. The old atmosphere of every household being at the mercy of bandits is gone."

Sun Wukong feigned surprise and pressed on, "Brother Dao, what was the Chechi Kingdom like in the past?"

Another Taoist priest chimed in, "Long ago, I heard that a large number of monks suddenly poured into the Kingdom of Wuji. After that, the country was in chaos! Bandits were everywhere, burning, killing, and looting, and the people suffered terribly. The country was also impoverished, and even basic livelihoods were a problem. Moreover, there were years of drought, and the crops failed completely. The whole country was on the verge of collapse. Fortunately, after the three national teachers arrived, they plundered a lot of gold and silver treasures from the monks' temples. They used this money to relieve the disaster victims and pray for rain, which transformed the drought-stricken Kingdom of Chechi into its current prosperous state. This saved our Kingdom of Chechi from the disaster of national destruction and allowed it to gradually recover."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong was immediately stunned.

The situation described by this Taoist priest was completely different from what the monks had told them!
It seems that things are far more complicated than I imagined, as it turns out that who is telling the truth and who is lying.

The two Taoist priests wanted to keep Sun Wukong to take to see the Imperial Preceptor, but Sun Wukong refused. However, looking at the prosperity of the entire Chechi Kingdom, Sun Wukong couldn't help but ponder the reasons behind it.

Having survived the ordeal in Wuji Kingdom, Sun Wukong had grown considerably. Compared to his previous ordeal in Chechi Kingdom, he had naturally changed, becoming less reckless and wholeheartedly devoted to upholding justice.

In the original Chechi Kingdom, Sun Wukong seemingly killed three monsters, but the final result might have been the destruction of the entire country.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the majestic and solemn Sanqing Hall was originally solemn and quiet.

Suddenly, space distorted slightly, and a Taoist priest dressed in hemp robes appeared out of thin air.

This Taoist priest was tall and upright, with a powerful aura flowing around him, like a hermit who lived apart from the world, yet he also exuded a kind of awe-inspiring majesty.

The three national teachers, Tiger Power Immortal, Deer Power Immortal, and Sheep Power Immortal, who were devoutly worshipping the Three Pure Ones in the hall, were startled by this sudden turn of events. They trembled and instinctively took a few steps back, exclaiming in unison, "Who are you, fellow Daoist?"

The Taoist priest in hemp robes said calmly, "You have reached your death trap, do you know that?"

These words were like a thunderclap, exploding loudly in the ears of the three national advisors.

Upon hearing this, the three imperial advisors were all taken aback, exchanging bewildered glances.

Tiger Power Immortal mustered his courage and asked, "What are you referring to, friend?"

The Taoist in hemp robes, his gaze sharp as he swept over the three men, saying, "You have quite the audacity! Your cultivation is merely that of a Xuanxian, yet you dare to commit acts of destroying Buddhism. Such boldness is truly astounding. Do you really think that Buddhism will let you off easily and leave you unharmed?"

Upon hearing this, Tiger Power Immortal's expression instantly turned solemn. He frowned slightly, cupped his hands, and said, "We knew that our act of destroying Buddhism would surely bring disaster. However, given the circumstances at the time, if we had not destroyed Buddhism and promoted Taoism, Chechi Kingdom would have been plunged into utter ruin. We had no other choice but to do this, as it was the only way we could possibly find a glimmer of hope."

The Taoist in hemp robes nodded slightly, his expression softening. He noticed that the actions of these three people, who were willing to take such extreme measures to save their lives, were reminiscent of Zhong Ziyu.

"Very well. Now that the Journey to the West has arrived in Chechi Kingdom, your troubles are probably not far off. Since you revere the Three Pure Ones so much, I, Wuyun Xian, as the personal disciple of Shangqing Lingbao Tianzun, cannot sit idly by."

Upon hearing this, the three were initially shocked, but then they were overjoyed.

(End of this chapter)