Chicken feet delivery, what's not to like?
...All the sages were greatly shocked, while Xuantian sneered repeatedly. "If it's not the Xuanmen (Taoist sect), then it's a heretical path; how can its fortune be long-lasting!" While the Great Dao has no hierarchy, Pangu created the world, and Hongjun merged with the Dao; the Xuanmen is the orthodox sect, therefore its fortune is naturally long-lasting. Although Xuantian doesn't establish a separate sect, he is a protector of the Xuanmen and the orthodox Daoist. Buddhism, having undergone a transformation and established the Shamen (Buddhist monastic community), seemingly has a status equal to the Xuanmen, but it has made a grave mistake: where does the Shamen get its fortune?
When Pangu created the world, his death caused the flow of the world's fortune to dissipate. After Hongjun attained enlightenment, he established the Xuanmen (Mysterious Sect), which was the first to gather nearly 80% of the world's fortune, thereby elevating his cultivation to the Dao Integration Realm and achieving the highest level among sages. Therefore, the Xuanmen thus held the brunt of the world's fortune, almost all of it. Whether it's the Xuanmen or the current Shamen (Buddhist sect), both are the largest sects. Currently, Jieyin and Zhunti hold positions similar to Hongjun, both being teachers of sages under the Heavenly Dao. However, where does the Shamen find the fortune to educate sages? Unorthodox methods cannot last long; in the future great calamity, they will inevitably become the Xuanmen's scapegoats.
The Western Sect's intention to convert to Buddhism surprised the other four sages. They knew that regardless of the different names of the Human Sect, the Chan Sect, the Jie Sect, or even the extinct Demon Sect, they all belonged to the Xuanmen (mysterious sects) transmitted by Hongjun. Now, the Western Sect wanted to establish a separate sect. Although the four sages were surprised, they remained outwardly calm.
The actions of Jieyin and Zhunti enraged Tongtian. Tongtian, the leader of the sect, laughed loudly, opened his eyes, and a stream of pure energy rushed out from behind his head, forming a Dao flower. The five elements manifested as white waves, which rolled endlessly. The three flowers hung above them, stabilizing the white waves, and then countless white wisps of energy descended.
Upon seeing this, Yuanshi smiled broadly and pointed with his hand. Suddenly, the sky brightened, and a wisp of pure energy shot out from behind his head, hovering above him. Three flowers appeared, and the pure energy churned. Pangu's sail and the Three Treasures Jade Ruyi were suspended above it, along with agate, pearls, emeralds, umbrellas, and glass. Golden flowers hung down endlessly, surrounded by auspicious clouds.
Laozi pointed, and auspicious clouds appeared, along with three lights above his head, each about an acre in size, clear as water. The three energies condensed into a Dao flower, and the five energies manifested as white waves. The white waves rolled endlessly, and the Dao flower appeared above them, rotating slightly. Countless golden flowers also hung down, protecting him. He pointed again, and a blue lotus emerged from the ground, upon which were a Taiji diagram and a Xuanhuang Pagoda. Laozi boarded the blue lotus, and with a gentle stroke of his hand, a ripple spread around him, and as if something had fallen into water, Laozi's figure gradually disappeared.
Xuan Tian chuckled and swayed his body. Clouds appeared above his head, covering an area of about an acre, but they were of a chaotic color. At first glance, they suddenly appeared to be a foot long, with an unparalleled purple color, splitting the chaos open. A large man appeared in the middle, with his hands outstretched and his feet on the ground. Pure energy surged up and turbid energy sank down. Upon closer inspection, it was still chaos, with blue lotus flowers filling the space.
Nuwa also revealed her true form, with seven-colored clouds above her head, and a map of mountains and rivers hanging above the clouds, with thousands of auspicious clouds, golden light flashing, and fragrance lingering.
The seven sages instantly appeared beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens, each displaying their supernatural powers, their cloud light and Buddhist energy clashing together. Though the chaos was vast, it could not withstand such turmoil; though the void was ethereal, it was still shattered into pieces.
Suddenly, Nuwa stepped out of the battle, for as a woman, she was not suited for fighting. Furthermore, her magical power was the lowest among them, and she didn't want to create karma with Buddhism. Besides, Xuantian had already instructed her to merely go through the motions. Then Laozi and Yuanshi also broke free from the entanglement. Laozi, seeking non-action, pursued the Great Dao of Hongjun, not the Great Dao of Pangu, so his anger subsided. As for Yuanshi, he still owed favors to the two Buddhist saints during the Investiture of the Gods war and couldn't make things difficult for them. Therefore, only Xuantian and Tongtian remained, stubbornly refusing to yield.
Tongtian hated Jieyin and Zhunti for repeatedly humiliating him during the Investiture of the Gods, so he relentlessly fought the two Buddhist saints to humiliate them.
Xuan Tian, however, is different. As a protector of the Xuanmen sect, he witnessed Jieyin and Zhunti's betrayal of the sect and their establishment of a separate Buddhist sect, effectively creating two separate sects. Furthermore, since Jieyin and Zhunti have established their own Buddhism, they must accept the witness of the Xuanmen sages. This is the will of Heaven, and everyone understands this, which is why they came to the Thirty-Three Heavens. Xuan Tian has every reason, both morally and logically, to intervene.
Originally, according to Jieyin and Zhunti's plan, Laozi, Nuwa, and Yuanshi wouldn't make things too difficult for them. Tongtian, without the Four Swords of Zhuxian, was also out of the question. That left only Xuantian. They had always maintained a relatively good relationship, and Xuantian was quite knowledgeable about Buddhist scriptures, many of which were even proposed by him. There was no major karmic conflict between them, so they probably wouldn't compete with them. That was their thinking.
Unfortunately, things went wrong. They forgot about Xuan Tian's status and identity. Firstly, Xuan Tian disliked Buddhism and Zhun Ti. Secondly, Xuan Tian was a protector of the Xuanmen sect. The Western sect's establishment of a separate Buddhist sect and renaming itself Buddhism was an act of treason. How could Xuan Tian let them off easily?
Xuan Tian was seen fighting them. Zhun Ti, who was already frustrated by the siege of the saints, now had only Xuan Tian left. He roared to vent his anger, and his eighteen-foot golden body hurled a garland of necklaces, parasols, flower garlands, fish intestines, golden bows, silver halberds, white axes, banners, blessed pestles, precious files, and silver bottles at Xuan Tian. Zhun Ti's golden body was newly forged and not yet stable. Last time, his golden body was broken by Tong Tian, and in the midst of the battle, he forgot to retrieve the damaged part of his golden body. Later, he didn't know who had taken it. Zhun Ti was furious about this for a long time, and he rushed to reforge his golden body as soon as he returned.
Xuan Tian laughed heartily, pointing one finger upwards. A golden gourd, gleaming brightly, suspended above, deflecting all attacks. He then pointed again, and the gourd unleashed chaotic fire that burned towards Zhunti's golden body. The moment the fire touched Zhunti's golden body, it melted rapidly, like ice meeting scorching sun. Zhunti exclaimed in shock, "Chaotic fire!" and quickly retrieved his golden body. Upon inspection, he found that his golden body had lost three heads and eight arms. Zhunti painfully retrieved his golden body, focusing solely on defending against Xuan Tian's attacks.
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