Upon hearing that they were discussing the establishment of a ruler for the Heavenly Court, the Sages immediately began to consider its ultimate fate. The Heavenly Court, acting on behalf of the Heavenly Dao, wielded immense power, directly impacting the development of their respective lineages. Since Hongjun now only followed the Heavenly Dao and remained aloof from worldly affairs, everyone wanted a share of the spoils. As for the beings on the fragments of the primordial world, well, below the Sages, they were all mere ants. Their life or death was none of the Sages' concern. Therefore, the most crucial issue was how the Heavenly Court would be established, who would govern it, and how it would treat the Sages in the future.
Each of the saints had their own plans and remained silent. Xuan Tian, seeing this, knew what they were thinking and sneered inwardly. He himself did not establish a great sect and no longer needed to concern himself with the affairs of the Heavenly Court. However, he did have some ideas about those fragments of the Primordial World.
Seeing that none of the sages spoke, Xuantian coughed and said, "Our teacher said to let us discuss this amongst ourselves. Perhaps we should discuss it separately? The Heavenly Court is a matter of great importance and requires careful consideration. We can first decide how to restrain the beings in the fragments of the Primordial World, and then discuss the Heavenly Court's affairs. What do you all think?" Everyone nodded in agreement. Tongtian then asked, "Brother Buhe, do you have any good suggestions?"
“I do not establish a great religion, and there are no major events during the day. In addition, the Wu Clan still has some survivors. Houtu incarnated as the Six Paths of Reincarnation, which has great merit and has blessed the Wu Clan, should not be exterminated. How about leaving those Wu Clan members on those fragments and entrusting them to my management?” Xuantian said.
The saints thought about it and realized that the fragments were minor matters. Since Xuan Tian had taken the initiative to propose it, they couldn't very well object and offend him. They felt there was no major problem and all agreed that it was feasible.
Yuanshi continued, "The Six Paths of Reincarnation are the guarantee of the continuous cycle of life. The Heavenly Court, with its celestial duties, can also entrust the Underworld to its supervision to ensure the yin and yang of all things in heaven and earth cycle endlessly without chaos." The other sages nodded in agreement. Xuantian, having no other choice, also agreed.
That problem has been solved. The next step for the sages is to discuss the ownership of the Heavenly Court. This is a difficult problem.
Xuan Tian knew the future development of the prehistoric world and who the future ruler of the Heavenly Court would be. Therefore, he wasn't very interested. As long as his own interests were protected, nothing else mattered. He didn't care, but others cared a lot.
First is Nuwa. As a member of the demon race, the demon race's fate has run out, and it is impossible for them to rule the Heavenly Court again. Therefore, Nuwa does not want to fight for the position of the ruler of the Heavenly Court for the demon race anymore. However, how the Heavenly Court treats the demon race in the future is something that Nuwa must strive for.
Secondly, there are the Three Pure Ones. The Three Pure Ones have separated into three schools of thought, and their differing doctrines have led to numerous conflicts, especially between Tongtian and Yuanshi. At this time, if any sect were to take over the Heavenly Court and perform its duties on behalf of Heaven, it would greatly promote the development of its own sect. Therefore, the Three Pure Ones' dispute over the ownership of the Heavenly Court was the most intense.
Finally, there were the Western Jieyin and Zhunti. Of course, Nuwa and the Three Pure Ones excluded them directly, citing the reason that the Eastern Heavenly Court was the master of the Western Heaven and that it was not appropriate for the West to interfere. The two were very frustrated and eventually started talking about Taoist practices with Xuantian.
Jieyin said, "Fellow Daoist, you performed the salvation of hundreds of millions of souls last time, which was a great merit. I am very impressed. However, your method seems to be somewhat similar to the teachings of my Western religion."
Xuan Tian thought to himself: There was already suspicion of plagiarism. However, he would not tell Jieyin this, but only said: "When the Dao Ancestor preached, in addition to the three thousand Great Daos, there were also eight hundred side sects. I memorized some of them. Later, when I was converting the dead, I created the Buddhist mantra 'Rebirth Mantra'."
Jieyin immediately said, "Fellow Daoist is truly a person of great wisdom and perseverance." He then bowed again.
Xuan Tian quickly helped him up, thinking that he had already plagiarized their work, but he was also being bowed to by them all the time, which made him feel quite embarrassed.
The guide then asked, "I just heard you mention the word 'Buddha'. What is this 'Buddha'?"
“Dependent origination, Dharma seal, Four Noble Truths, Eightfold Path, Twelve Links of Dependent Origination, Karma and Retribution, Three Realms and Six Paths, Thirty-Seven Factors of Enlightenment, Nirvana,” Xuan Tianyuan said as usual.
Jieyin and Zhunti pondered this for a while, and then asked: "The existence of this is the reason why that exists, the arising of this is the reason why that arises, the non-existence of this is the reason why that does not exist, and the cessation of this is the reason why that ceases. This is the origination of conditions."
The guide then asked, "What is the meaning of 'Dharma Seal'?"
"The Dharma Seals are also referred to as the Three Dharma Seals, the Four Dharma Seals, and the Five Dharma Seals. The Three Dharma Seals are: all conditioned things are impermanent, all phenomena are without self, and Nirvana is peace. The Four Dharma Seals are: all conditioned things are impermanent, all phenomena are without self, all feelings are suffering, and Nirvana is peace. The Five Dharma Seals are: all conditioned things are impermanent, all phenomena are without self, all feelings are suffering, all phenomena are empty, and Nirvana is peace," Xuantian replied.
Jieyin seemed to understand something and was about to ask again when Xuantian waved his hand to stop him, saying, "Fellow Daoist, please forgive me. This time, the Dao Ancestor has ordered us sages to discuss the Lord of the Heavenly Court. After we finish discussing, we will talk about Buddhism." Jieyin and Zhunti reluctantly agreed.
Actually, Xuantian didn't get along well with Jieyin and Zhunti. Firstly, Jieyin always had a sour face, which annoyed Xuantian after a while. Secondly, Zhunti always seemed a bit snobbish, and Xuantian just didn't like that kind of person.
The Three Pure Ones are still vying for the position of Lord of Heaven, going back and forth, simply because they believe there is no suitable candidate other than their own disciples.
Xuantian interrupted the Three Pure Ones' argument, saying, "Since you fellow disciples have reached an agreement, why not consult the Dao Ancestor for a decision?"
The Three Pure Ones thought it made sense. Since arguing for so long would yield no result anyway, they might as well listen to what Xuan Tian said and ask the Dao Ancestor to decide.
Seeing that the Three Pure Ones agreed, Xuantian flew to Zixiao Palace with the other saints.
After entering the Zixiao Palace and paying respects to Dao Ancestor Hongjun, Xuantian said to Hongjun, "Dao Ancestor, we were ordered to discuss the resettlement of the beings from the fragments of the Primordial World and the reconstruction of the Heavenly Court. The resettlement of the beings from the fragments of the Primordial World has now been agreed upon. The Sages have decided to place the remaining members of the Wu Clan there and entrust them to the disciples for management. As for the reconstruction of the Heavenly Court, since it is a matter of great importance, the Sages have been unable to reach a conclusion through discussion. We request the Sage Ancestor to make a decision."
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