Zhunti was also a perceptive person. Just as he finished speaking, he noticed a change in Laozi's expression and realized that his words might have caused Laozi to misunderstand. He cursed himself inwardly and then said, "Amitabha sacrificed himself to save all living beings from suffering. All causes and effects are attributed to Amitabha. Such great compassion is comparable to your meritorious deeds in the Human Teachings. You are also a compassionate person. I think you can understand the suffering of all living beings."
Lao Jun slightly opened his eyes, but he was unwilling to listen to Zhun Ti's nonsense any longer, and said, "Fellow Daoist, you may speak frankly."
Upon hearing this, Zhunti laughed and said, "Although Amitabha has great perseverance and wisdom, the West is ultimately too barren, sparsely populated and with poor soil, so he is not qualified to shoulder this great responsibility. I observe that the people of Jambudvipa are simple and unruly, and the beings are ignorant. Therefore, out of compassion, I, the Buddha, wish to spread the Dharma in Jambudvipa to educate all living beings and seek ultimate bliss."
Zhunti's words were indeed well-founded, and there were three reasons for choosing Jambudvipa (the southern continent).
First, the Southern Continent has been ravaged by wars. In addition, this continent has many mountains and few people. It is worse than the Eastern Continent, but better than the Western Continent and the Northern Continent. It is a typical case of being neither the best nor the worst. Moreover, the forces in the mountains are chaotic, so the Daoist sects do not regard this continent too much.
Secondly, there's another reason why the Zhongdao Sect doesn't value Nanzhanbuzhou: this continent was originally the domain of two other sects. One was the Jiejiao sect's influence within a million miles of the coast. This area was permitted by Laozi to resolve the conflict among the Three Pure Ones and settle the karmic debts of the Buddha. While the Jiejiao sect didn't overstep its bounds, it was internally very secure. The other was Penglai Island. As is well known, the Qin Kingdom unified Nanzhanbuzhou with the support of Penglai Island. Although Penglai Island doesn't directly participate in spreading its teachings, judging from Xuantian's actions in recent years, Xuantian intends to control the court through Confucianism to achieve its goal of spreading its teachings and gaining fame. After all, those in power hold authority, and those below can only obey. This approach by Penglai Island is also a common tactic used by other sects.
However, other sects differ from them. Although they aim to spread their teachings by controlling the imperial court, they also have disciples scattered throughout various regions, an advantage that Penglai Island lacks. In addition, Penglai Island cooperated with Laozi in previous years, while Xuantian was busy with other matters, resulting in less management of affairs in the Southern Continent in recent years.
Therefore, the forces in the Southern Continent are now very complex, including the Jie Sect, Penglai Island, and some demon kings and wandering immortals in the mountains. Although most of these demons and wandering immortals have no background, the sheer number of them naturally causes some trouble.
The Taoist and Buddhist sects, Ren and Chan, viewed this land as a double-edged sword. Firstly, they couldn't possibly control it all, given the existence of the Jie Sect and Penglai Island. Secondly, Penglai Island and Ren and Chan were still of the same lineage and had the intention of forming an alliance. Rather than offending both sects by trying to seize a small piece of land, they preferred to ignore it and sell it to someone else.
Third, because Xuantian has been busy with other matters recently (the other sages don't know what Xuantian is doing), he has neglected to keep track of the major events of heaven and earth. In the last struggle for the Daoist lineage on Earth, the Confucian school and the Daoist school had some conflicts. Their interests were different, and the alliance itself was uncertain. The two sides already had conflicts, and with this incident, the alliance between them had already developed a crack. Zhunti, however, hoped to use this matter of spreading the Dao to provoke the conflict between the two sides, so as to avoid the situation where Buddhism would face two forces at the same time in the future.
Laozi, with his profound Taoist cultivation, had also used the technique of "One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones" to sever his attachments, thus advancing his Taoist practice. Free from the interference of anger, ignorance, and desire, he could easily devise schemes. He naturally understood Zhunti's intentions in saying this. Firstly, Zhunti's choice was somewhat reluctant, as the Eastern Continent was under the control of the two religions, and Buddhism dared not come under any circumstances. Secondly, Zhunti also intended to use him to incite dissatisfaction on Penglai Island, so that the alliance between the two religions would not exist, and the pressure on Buddhism to spread its teachings would be less.
Although Penglai Island does not actually control the affairs of Nanzhanbuzhou, it is obvious to discerning people that Nanzhanbuzhou is basically under Penglai Island's influence. The four schools of Confucianism, Mohism, Legalism, and Military Strategy all have their roots in this continent, and their disciples are all over Nanzhanbuzhou. Those powerful demons and rogue immortals are not in the eyes of these forces. Characters who can be easily wiped out are not worth their attention. In addition, the Jie Sect is on good terms with Penglai Island, so it will not hinder them. Nanzhanbuzhou can almost be considered to be under Penglai Island's control.
If Buddhism were to spread its teachings across this continent, it would inevitably become entangled with the four schools of Buddhism. With entanglement comes cause and effect. Given the great rise of Buddhism and the determination of Amitabha and Cundi to promote Buddhism, irreconcilable conflicts were bound to arise between the two sides.
Logically speaking, since the Southern Continent is under the control of Penglai Island, matters concerning the propagation of Buddhism should be discussed with the Sage Xuantian or the Master of Tongtian. However, Zhunti went to Laozi instead. This was also part of Zhunti's plan. To put it bluntly, Xuantian does not establish a religion and does not concern himself with matters of propagation, so there is no need to ask Xuantian. Even considering that he is a sage, it is not necessary, because Xuantian would definitely not agree. Asking him would be a waste of time.
The Tongtian Sect Master's Jie Sect had a conflict with the Renchan Sect, which almost led to the destruction of both sects. However, the Tongtian Sect Master was different from Xuantian. No matter how great the cause and effect was, his Jie Sect still belonged to the Xuanmen Taoist lineage. Moreover, in recent years, Tongtian had closed Biyou Palace and rarely appeared. The Jie Sect only spread its teachings within a million miles and nothing happened. Therefore, Tongtian didn't need to ask any further questions.
In name only, Laozi was the chief disciple of the Xuanmen sect. Given that Tongtian was not involved and Yuanshi was blindly following Laozi, it was at least morally justifiable for Zhunti to ask Laozi about this matter.
However, it was precisely Xuantian who was in the way. If Laojun agreed to Zhunti's request, it would offend Xuantian. Although Xuantian was not in charge of establishing a sect or spreading the Dao, everyone knew that if Laojun agreed, it would be an overreach of authority, and the cause and effect would be set.
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