Primordial Era: I rule the great sect and command all immortals.

Chapter 128 Hongjun Rebuilds the World, the Great Tribulation of the Investiture of the Gods Begins

Suddenly, the entire earth began to tremble. The previous great calamity, the war between the Lich King and the Demon King, had already brought the primordial world to the brink of destruction, and now it was beginning to return to chaos.

"Tongtian, how dare you!"

The two saints, Jieyin and Zhunti, disregarded the need to capture the disciples of the Jie Sect. They screamed and attacked repeatedly, suppressing the earth, water, wind, and fire, and stopping the Tongtian Sect Master's world-destroying actions.

Having just reaped the fruits of victory and been the biggest winners of the Investiture of the Gods, the two of them naturally wouldn't allow anyone to overturn the table and start over.

As for Yuanshi Tianzun, he coldly watched everything before him, remaining motionless. He had lost all face and become a laughing stock in the Three Realms. Tongtian destroyed the prehistoric world and then recreated it. It wasn't so bad; at least he could start over.

"Ugh!"

Laozi glanced at Yuanshi Tianzun and, seeing his indifferent expression, knew that his second brother was also somewhat disheartened. With a wave of his hand, he unleashed the "Heaven and Earth Xuanhuang Exquisite Pagoda" and the "Taiji Diagram" to suppress in all directions.

With a loud "boom," numerous treasures from Nuwa Palace, Fire Cloud Cave, and Heavenly Court emerged, all stabilizing their respective territories. With the Sage taking the lead, many powerful beings hidden in the prehistoric world also began to take action to stabilize the prehistoric land.

Just then, the void trembled, and countless auspicious clouds and auspicious wisps of air appeared, along with a strange fragrance. An old Taoist priest, holding a bamboo staff, came forward.

He composed a verse: "Lying high in the ninefold clouds, I attain the true Dao on my futon. Beyond the mysteries of Heaven and Earth, I shall be the supreme master. Pangu gave birth to Taiji, from which the two polarities and four symbols follow. One Dao is passed on to three friends, and the two teachings, Chan and Jie, are divided. The Xuanmen leads all the outstanding talents, and the primordial energy transforms into Hongjun."

With a wave of his sleeve, Hongjun Daozu pulled out the entire shattered and nearly broken primordial land. The surrounding fragments of the broken land fell out and formed stars in the vacuum of the four continents and four oceans, which then slowly evolved into a boundless universe.

In the newly born universe, planets of acquired origin appeared one after another. This universe could not withstand the clash of powerful beings above the Celestial Immortal level. If any living being transcended, they would need to ascend to another world.

The four continents and four seas were captured and refined by Hongjun Daozu with his supreme power and the power of the Heavenly Dao, forming a new and huge plateau. This newly formed world transcended the original primordial continent and became a new world.

This world has been refined to its extreme, capable of withstanding the clashes of quasi-saint level experts. Most of the immortals and above in the Three Realms have entered this new world from the infinite mortal universe.

This newly born world is half the size of the primordial continent. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth within it has been completely transformed into acquired spiritual energy. Even in blessed lands and grotto-heavens, it is difficult to find innate spiritual energy, let alone innate spiritual objects.

The only advantage of the new world is that it can withstand clashes between powerful forces and its foundation cannot be easily destroyed.

This realm will later become the "Earthly Immortal Realm".

As for the Thirty-Three Heavens, it remains the same, only the power of the laws of heaven and earth has been weakened considerably, so even celestial beings can fly to the Thirty-Three Heavens at any time.

After Hongjun Daozu finished displaying his great power, the six saints—Taishang Laozi, Yuanshi Tianzun, Tongtian Jiaozhu, Jieyin, Zhunti, and Nuwa—each led their disciples to greet him, bowing and saying, "Disciples greet Master (Grandmaster)."

Even the Ziwei Emperor, led by the two supreme beings Haotian and Yaochi, stepped forward to pay homage along with the gods of the Heavenly Court.

"Tongtian, you set up the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation and fought a great battle with the Four Sages, causing the primordial world to shatter and countless lives to be destroyed. What do you have to say about this?"

Hongjun Daozu remained expressionless and did not ask anyone to rise. Clearly, he was very angry about the destruction of the primordial world, otherwise he would not have manifested himself to personally save it.

Seeing his teacher's anger, the Tongtian Sect Leader trembled and quickly explained, "Teacher, my two senior brothers have utterly destroyed our sect, allowing their disciples to insult us and even slaughtering our followers. They show no brotherly affection whatsoever, only bullying us. They are clearly treating you as an enemy! I beg you for mercy!"

"Yuanshi also made mistakes in this matter. Although it was due to fate, it is also your fault for not disciplining your disciples properly. Your disciples caused trouble, and you were mostly at fault. If I had not come, you would have continued to take revenge on each other. I have come here out of great compassion to clear your names and allow you to each take charge of your respective sects and not cause any more trouble."

Then, Hongjun Daozu said to the remaining two or three hundred immortals of the Jie Sect: "Now that the great calamity is over, you should all return to your caves, nurture your innate nature, and await your transcendence."

The wandering immortals each accepted their orders and departed.

Afterwards, Hongjun Daozu ordered the other immortals to disperse, leaving only six saints.

With a wave of his hand, the seven figures vanished. The six saints were greatly surprised, and upon closer inspection, they found themselves in the "Zixiao Palace".

After the six sages took their seats, Hongjun Daozu said, "Regarding the matter of the Investiture of the Gods, the sages fought fiercely, causing mountains and rivers to collapse, the primordial world to shatter, and countless lives to suffer. Although it was due to fate, all six of you also have your faults."

The six saints dared not argue, and even the goddess Nuwa rose and bowed, saying, "Please forgive us, teacher."

Hongjun Daozu continued, "Now the shattered primordial world has been pieced together by me and named the Earthly Immortal Realm. Let the fragments of the primordial world go. After the Investiture of the Gods is completed, you will move your mountain gate to the Earthly Immortal Realm."

"This conferment of gods is a calamity caused by fate. Although many disciples of the Chan and Jie sects have died or been injured, Yuanshi and Tongtian, you need not hold grudges against each other. Return to your respective immortal palaces and do not harm living beings. Furthermore, all sages must enter the Chaos Opening Dojo. Only during the great calamity of heaven and earth can sages emerge."

Of the six saints, only Nuwa has always lived in the Chaos. The others have remained in the Primordial World to suppress the fortune of their respective sects. Now, what the Dao Ancestor said means that they should all guard the border.

Having witnessed the master's immense power, even a sage dared not object. After a moment of silence, Lao Tzu said, "We each have our own sects to settle down. Could we perhaps enter the Chaos later?"

Upon hearing this, the other sages also turned their gazes to their teacher, Hongjun Daozu, who said, "Then I will give you three thousand years to handle your own affairs, but you are not allowed to cause trouble, or you will be stripped of your sagehood."

"Yes! Your disciple will obey your orders!"

The six saints were startled. This was the first time they had heard their teacher give such a stern reprimand. They quickly stood up and promised not to lay a hand on him again.

Dao Ancestor Hongjun nodded, then concealed himself and disappeared. After seeing his teacher leave, Taishang Laozi said to the five sages, "Since our teacher has spoken, we should obey and disperse."

After saying this, Laozi rode away on his green ox.

After watching a good show, Goddess Nuwa smiled gently, turned around and left, returning to the "Nuwa Palace".

"snort!"

With a cold snort, the Tongtian Sect Leader looked at the Yuanshi Tianzun with a series of sneers, said nothing more, and returned directly to the Biyou Palace.

"Hehe, Fellow Daoist Yuanshi, don't forget your promise!"

Jieyin and Zhunti didn't give Yuanshi Tianzun a chance to speak. They simply agreed and left to digest the spoils of this battle.

The entire "Zixiao Palace" was left with only Yuanshi Tianzun all alone. His face was extremely grim. Although the Chan Sect seemed to be the victor, in fact, the Chan Sect was far inferior to the Jie Sect.

Four of the five great disciples of the Jie Sect survived, along with the powerful peak-level Daluo Golden Immortal disciples Yunxiao and Zhao Gongming. Next, only a sage can intervene during a major calamity. The Chan Sect will likely not even be able to enjoy the fruits of victory in this great battle. It can be said that all their efforts were in vain, and they gained nothing but heavy losses.

This is the legendary situation where harming others without benefiting oneself, and everything comes to nothing.

With a long sigh, Yuanshi Tianzun returned to the Earthly Immortal Realm. After instructing Jiang Ziya on various matters, he departed with Antarctic Immortal, Yun Zhongzi, White Crane Boy, and the remaining five True Disciple Golden Immortals.

Only a few scattered third-generation disciples of the Chan Sect remained to assist Jiang Ziya in completing the change of dynasties in the human world.

With the Jie Sect already defeated, there were naturally no more Xuanmen masters to block their way. The remaining scattered immortals and demons who were unaware of fate were no match for Yang Jian and his group. The Yin Shang dynasty was thus unable to stop the advance of the Xiqi army.

After overcoming numerous obstacles and defeating many enemies, they passed through Chi County, held a grand meeting of eight hundred lords in Xiqi, and then advanced smoothly all the way to the outskirts of Chaoge City.

At this time, the situation in Chaoge was hopeless. Although there were loyal and brave men, the soldiers of Yin Shang had no morale. They fought against the eight hundred lords led by Xiqi outside Chaoge, but they could not withstand them. E'lai, Lei Peng and others fought to the death.

In this battle, Xiqi suffered no losses, but an important figure among the eight hundred vassal lords died inexplicably in the battle. Those with discerning eyes naturally knew what was going on, but because Xiqi was powerful, many of the smaller vassal lords dared not speak out in anger.

When the Shang Dynasty was at its wit's end, the three demons, including the nine-tailed fox, realized that the Shang Dynasty was on its last legs and was about to perish. So they discussed leaving Chaoge and going to their own lair.

The three demons petitioned King Zhou, offering to lead troops with the Grand Preceptor Shen Gongbao to block the Xiqi army, intending to escape secretly. However, they were stopped by Yang Jian, Wei Hu, and other rogue immortals like Lu Ya. Fortunately, Lu Ya was in the Xiqi army this time; otherwise, if Shen Gongbao and the Nine-Tailed Fox had suddenly displayed the strength of a Grand Luo Golden Immortal, the three generations of disciples on the Xiqi side would have been wiped out!

Even so, after the great battle, only Yang Jian remained of the three generations of the Chan Sect. Wei Hu, out of fear, actually deserted and went to serve the Western Paradise.

After the Investiture of the Gods, the entire Chan Sect was reduced to a mere ten members, a complete decline.

Shen Gongbao and the three demons, including the Nine-Tailed Fox, were captured by Lu Ya and handed over to Jiang Ziya for beheading. Immediately, the four true spirits headed towards the Investiture of the Gods Platform.

Upon hearing that the powerful Imperial Advisor and the three queens were dead, King Zhou lost all hope and went to the Star-Picking Tower, ordering his eunuchs to gather firewood and pile it up below.

The eunuch lit a fire, setting the dry firewood downstairs ablaze. Smoke billowed into the sky, the wind howled and the flames roared, turning the Star-Picking Tower into a sea of ​​fire. With King Zhou perishing in the flames, the Shang Dynasty came to an end, and the Eastern Continent of the Immortal Realm completed its dynastic transition.

Ji Fa succeeded to the throne and then lavishly rewarded the feudal lords, making almost every member of the Ji clan a feudal lord in his own right, intending to ensure the longevity of his Western Zhou dynasty through their shared blood ties.

After returning to Xiqi, Jiang Ziya ascended the Investiture Platform to bestow titles upon the gods, preparing to complete the final investiture and end this great calamity.

On the Investiture of the Gods Platform, the Investiture of the Gods List fluttered in the wind. The true spirits of many people named on the Investiture of the Gods List from the three religions were protected by this treasure and imprinted within it. Some people with shallow aptitude who did not have the fortune of the divine path were reincarnated.

Besides those listed on the Investiture of the Gods, there were also some who did not perish during the Great Tribulation of Investiture of the Gods and who also held divine positions. These people were to be enshrined as gods in their physical bodies.

Now that all the members of the Chan Sect have gathered, Jiang Ziya had someone call out names to see if all 365 of the Eight Great Gods had been assembled.

"Four people are still needed."

Upon hearing the report, Jiang Ziya pretended not to know and asked loudly, "Have Zhao Gongming, Yunxiao, Bixiao, and Qiongxiao arrived?"

This was Yuanshi Tianzun's final plan. The Chan Sect had won a Pyrrhic victory and was completely destroyed, while the Jie Sect still had the strength to spare. This was to confer the title of gods upon the physical body, and to enshrine several outstanding disciples of the Jie Sect into the Heavenly Court as gods.

Once Zhao Gongming, Yunxiao, and the other three go to the Heavenly Court, they will inevitably encounter many trivial matters and find it difficult to settle down and cultivate seriously. This can be considered as using the power of bestowing gods to hinder the development of the Jie Sect for the last time.

As for Zhao Gongming, Yunxiao, Bixiao, and Qiongxiao, they were originally well-known figures on the Investiture of the Gods. Although they had not severed their three corpses, their deep-rooted nature and shallow karma meant that they were still tricked by Yuanshi Tianzun.

This time, being reclassified into a divine position, even the Jie Sect could not do anything about it.

After all, the Investiture of the Gods was in the hands of the Chan Sect. Unless the Primordial Celestial Venerable made arbitrary bestowals, even if he tampered with a few of the spots, it wouldn't have drawn out the Dao Ancestor Hongjun. Even the Tongtian Sect Master wouldn't risk his life to fight the Primordial Celestial Venerable again over such a trivial matter.

The tribulations of gods and immortals vary according to their inherent nature.

Those with deep roots will pass through the tribulations of death and enter the path of immortals; those with shallow roots will encounter tribulations of death and enter the path of gods; those who go deeper will enter the cycle of reincarnation and be reborn according to the six realms; and the last will turn to ashes.

"Jiang Ziya, what do you mean? Your four senior brothers and sisters, Zhao Gongming, Yunxiao, Bixiao, and Qiongxiao, aren't on the list, so why are they here to receive their titles?"

Many of the true spirits of the Jie Sect in the Investiture of the Gods roared angrily.

"You beasts! This is the master's decree! How dare you argue? The entire Jie Sect is utterly unfit to be human."

Jiang Ziya, confident in his "God-Slaying Whip" and the mandate of heaven to bestow titles upon the gods, loudly cursed the many true spirits of the Jie Sect while raising the "God-Slaying Whip" in a threatening manner.

"Who are you calling unfilial? Jiang Ziya, if you dare harm my fellow disciples, I will fight you to the death!"

At this moment, a loud shout came from the horizon. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw that Zhao Gongming and the Three Immortals had arrived. Among them, Bixiao was furious when she saw her fellow disciples being humiliated, so she shouted loudly.

Having witnessed the prowess of Zhao Gongming and Yunxiao, Jiang Ziya dared not utter a word.

Yang Jian frowned and shouted, "Uncle-Master, you are enfeoffing gods on the orders of Grandmaster Yuanshi. What kind of logic is this, making trouble for no reason? Do you intend to disobey the decree of the Sage?"

(End of this chapter)