However, Yuanshi was no simple man either. He seized upon a flaw in Tongtian's words, saying, "Even if there are no morally superior disciples among my followers, my eldest brother leads the Human Sect, and his only disciple is Xuandu. This boy has always been in seclusion with my eldest brother, rarely going out, and has no karmic debts. However, he has helped my eldest brother educate the human race, and has accumulated considerable merit. According to your logic, should Xuandu also be on the list?" Upon hearing this, everyone felt that Yuanshi was too despicable. Tongtian's previous remarks had not meant this at all, but Yuanshi's words directly provoked the relationship between Laozi and Tongtian, pushing the two to opposite sides.
Sure enough, Laozi frowned as soon as Yuanshi spoke. Although he felt that Yuanshi's words were somewhat far-fetched, he was also somewhat annoyed that Tongtian had not made things clear, so that he had to speak now.
Lao Tzu said, "I only have this one disciple. If he wants to be on the list, there is nothing I can do." Then he closed his eyes and said nothing more.
Tongtian was also somewhat annoyed by Yuanshi, but since things had come to this point, he couldn't say anything more. Xuandu was Laozi's only disciple, and no one would dare to put him on the list. So he stopped mentioning it and only argued with Yuanshi.
After discussing it for a long time without reaching a conclusion, apart from the three sages, everyone else just watched as a show. It was rare to see sages arguing, especially now that Yuanshi and Tongtian were arguing so heatedly, it was quite interesting.
Finally, Laozi could no longer bear it and spoke up, saying, "The Investiture of the Gods is a major event for the three religions and should not be decided hastily. We, the three sages, should discuss it before deciding on the candidates." Yuanshi, seeing that the debate was fruitless, said, "That's the way to do it." After saying this, the sages each rode away on their clouds.
Of the Three Pure Ones, only the Grand Master Xuandu, a disciple of Laozi who is destined not to be on the list, is not a concern. Both Yuanshi Tianzun and Tongtian Jiaozhu have many disciples, with Tongtian Jiaozhu being known as having countless disciples and receiving the homage of ten thousand immortals.
The matter of the Investiture of the Gods is related to the fate of our sect. Both saints are extremely troubled, trying to figure out how to prevent their own disciples from being listed on the list, and instead send the other's disciples to the Investiture of the Gods list, so as to preserve the vitality of their sect.
Five discussions established the investiture of gods, and a speech was given at Penglai.
The story goes that Daozu invited several sages to discuss the establishment of the Investiture of the Gods, but no result was reached. The sages of the Chan and Jie sects were deeply troubled by the safety of their disciples.
After the sage Laozi returned to Taichi Heaven, he was content and at ease. With only Xuandu as his disciple, he had no worries about being ranked. Laozi was naturally happy with this and went to refine elixirs in peace. However, before he succeeded, Yuanshi came to him.
Lao Jun knew Yuan Shi's intentions, but he couldn't refuse, so he had to send Xuan Du out to get rid of Yuan Shi.
Yuanshi knew that the Chan Sect would not fare well in this Investiture of the Gods calamity. The Chan Sect did not have many disciples. Apart from Nanji Zi and Yun Zhong Zi, all twelve Golden Immortals had been involved in many killings. Taiyi Zhenren was alright, as he occupied the imperial throne and did not have to worry about being listed on the list. Even Guang Chengzi was not so good. When Chi You caused chaos, Guang Chengzi killed many mortals in a fit of rage, and his sins were heavy, which was difficult to deal with.
Ran Deng was only half a member of the Chan Sect, and since he had not committed many killings and was not among those who met the criteria for being listed, he was not worried about being included.
Therefore, after leaving Zixiao Palace, Yuanshi followed Laozi, hoping that Laozi would be more lenient when filling out the list of disciples of the Chan Sect, so as to protect the disciples of the Chan Sect.
Out of respect, Yuanshi did not enter Taichi Heaven. After waiting for a while, he saw Xuandu emerge. Puzzled, he was about to ask when Xuandu spoke up: "Xuandu greets Second Uncle. The Grand Master has decreed that I tell Uncle: The Three Pure Ones are one. That is all." Yuanshi was taken aback, then realized that Laozi still couldn't let go of the bond between the Three Pure Ones and couldn't cheat with him. So, Yuanshi had no choice but to return to Yuxu Palace and think of another way.
Two hundred years later, the Zixiao Palace reopened, and all the saints gathered again. The Dao Ancestor said, "Have you all decided on the list of those to be included?" Seeing the Three Pure Ones shake their heads, the Dao Ancestor sighed, "The time for the Investiture of the Gods cannot be delayed. This is a great calamity. You should discuss it as soon as possible." After saying this, he disappeared.
The remaining saints looked at each other in silence. The two from the Western Sect were just waiting to see the show, hoping that the Three Pure Ones would fight each other and both would be injured, so that the Western Sect could take advantage of the situation. Nuwa did not establish a sect and had no disciples, so she naturally had nothing to worry about. Xuantian had made it clear during the last discussion that he could put any of his disciples on the list if he didn't like them, but whether he would put them on the list depended on whether the disciples of each sect had the ability to do so.
The Three Pure Ones were puzzled for a long time. Laozi said, "The Investiture of the Gods is a major event. You should make a decision as soon as possible to avoid missing the opportunity for the Investiture of the Gods and delaying the time for being listed." Yuanshi Tongtian couldn't help but criticize Laozi in his heart. He said it so easily. Laozi only had one disciple and didn't have to worry about being listed. But the Chan and Jie sects were different.
Seeing that the two of them did not move, Laozi took the lead and walked up. With a wave of his sleeve, several names appeared on the Investiture of the Gods. They were some insignificant disciples of the Human Sect (Laozi only had one disciple, but the Human Sect was different. All humans were considered members of the Human Sect, so the people Laozi wrote down were not his disciples, but they were still considered members of the Human Sect).
With Laozi taking the lead, Yuanshi and Tongtian couldn't say anything more. Yuanshi stepped forward, waved his hand, and several names appeared on the list. To everyone's surprise, none of the names were members of the Chan Sect as they were known. They were all spirit beasts, servants, and the like. It turned out that Yuanshi had included minor demons and servants who had manifested in Kunlun Mountain as members of the Chan Sect.
Seeing Yuanshi's situation, Tongtian had an idea. He waved his hand and wrote down more than a dozen disciples, all of whom were not very talented and could not even become immortals. Tongtian simply granted their wish and put them on the list, thus sparing them the suffering of reincarnation.
When Laozi looked at the list, he saw that there were only about twenty names, and they were all random and idle people, not worth using at all. The number of people was also insufficient, which made him worried.
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