Chapter 336 The Great Tribulation of the Gods
"I'm not soft-hearted. Do whatever you want." Chang Hao only needed to ensure that his brothers in the Jie Sect would be safe.
The karma and debts of others will be judged by the heavens and earth; why should others meddle in other people's business?
"Of the 365 divine positions, four are now listed on the Investiture of the Gods, leaving only 361. Half of these positions must be reserved for the human race. Although the human race is more intelligent than some naturally born beings, it still requires the ancient creatures to be willing to use their brains against them. One force can overcome ten techniques, and the human race is outnumbered and outmatched."
The Investiture of the Gods was indeed a great opportunity for the human race.
With a wave of his hand, Chang Hao reduced Hongjun's abilities to only half.
Hongjun was not happy, but he pretended to be magnanimous and said, "Don't worry, I will be very 'restrained' in my actions and will leave a place for the human race to settle down."
Hongjun suspected that Changhao was deliberately biased towards Yuanshi, and he was reluctant to see Yuanshi's disciple enslaved by the Investiture of the Gods. Just as he was about to discuss the Investiture of the Gods with Changhao, the Six Sages had already gathered outside Zixiao Palace.
They arrived quickly. Hongjun reluctantly let the six people in, regretting his momentary oversight that he had forgotten to coax Chang Hao to the back first.
"Greetings, Master..."
"Greetings, Master..."
The six saints bowed in unison.
“Get up…” Hongjun remained seated.
Yuanshi stood up and his gaze immediately fell on Chang Hao, who was sitting next to Hongjun, and he stared at him intently for a moment.
Lao Tzu subtly touched Yuan Shi. What, the holes in your body are healed, do you want to experience the feeling of being riddled with holes again?
Yuan Shi lowered his eyes with restraint; now was not the time.
Tongtian immediately followed his heart and circled around Chang Hao, filled with emotion: "Chang Hao, it's been so long, I've missed you so much."
"Forget about missing him. If you really missed him, why don't you come to Heaven?" Chang Hao didn't believe that Tongtian would really miss him. Weren't those letters enough for Tongtian to miss him?
"It's a miscarriage of justice! It's not that I don't want to go, it's that Master forbids me to go!" Tongtian publicly denounced Hongjun, and even boldly asked him, "Master, why do you forbid me from going to the Heavenly Court? Can this order be lifted now?"
The one who committed the crime was clearly the second brother. Master's confinement order was too unreasonable, and he was not even allowed to enter Zixiao Palace. If he didn't take this rare opportunity to expose Master's unreasonable behavior, his days would be unbearable.
"Huh?!" Chang Hao was shocked to hear this and glanced at Hongjun in disbelief.
Uh… The two Western Saints and Nuwa seemed hesitant to speak. If Tongtian was forbidden from going to the Heavenly Court, what about them? Would the Heavenly Court also become a place they could not set foot in?
Hongjun was secretly furious. That damned Tongtian was clearly doing it on purpose.
"Enough with the nonsense, have a seat." With a wave of his hand, Hongjun conjured a long table in the main hall, upon which floated the Investiture of the Gods.
"Master, you haven't said yet if I have some free time and can visit friends in Heaven?" Tongtian asked anxiously as he sat down, taking advantage of Chang Hao's presence.
“Of course you can,” Hongjun seemed to squeeze out the words from his throat, his voice full of warning: “But you must abide by the rules and regulations of the Daoist sect, otherwise, your master will not let you off lightly.”
"Thank you, Master. I will certainly recite the Taoist rules and regulations day and night, and constantly remind myself not to break them." Tongtian replied with a smile. He knew perfectly well what these rules and regulations were all about.
“Master,” Zhunti stepped forward, “Based on the Taoist rules and regulations you promulgated, I have also prepared a few precepts for Buddhism. Please give me your guidance.” As he spoke, Zhunti actually took out a pale yellow scroll.
Nuwa covered her mouth and chuckled. Her master and Tongtian were talking about something else, while Zhunti and Jieyin were completely unaware of the truth. They were really adorably silly.
Hongjun's face darkened. "No need. Go back to your seat."
Zhunti was confused, but Jieyin sensed the malevolent aura in the air and quickly pressed Zhunti back to his original position. These people from the Daoist sect were clearly fighting amongst themselves. This was a golden opportunity for them in the West, and they could not afford to miss it.
Hongjun: "I have summoned you here because another great calamity has begun, and I have come to discuss this matter."
The six saints all paled. The horror of the Lich War was still fresh in their minds. Now the calamity had begun again. They wondered who would be the one to face it this time.
"In this great calamity, the three religions of humanity, Chan, and Jie will face the tribulation..." As Hongjun finished speaking, the six sages all said that it was indeed the case. In the last great calamity, dragons, phoenixes, and qilin occupied the prehistoric world. In the last great calamity, the lich and demons were powerful. This time, it is indeed the turn of the Three Pure Ones.
Hongjun couldn't reveal his intentions against the Chan Sect too clearly, so he had to involve the Ren Sect and the Jie Sect.
“Those with deep roots and virtues will endure countless eons and attain perfect morality, thus continuing on the path of immortality; those with lesser roots and virtues will walk the path of gods, ascend the Investiture of the Gods, fill divine positions, and be bound to the Investiture of the Gods, assisting in maintaining the operation of the Heavenly Dao and the Heavenly Court until the immeasurable eons arrive; those with shallow roots and virtues will enter the cycle of reincarnation,” Hongjun continued.
Jieyin, Zhunti, and Nuwa remained indifferent, sitting idly by and watching.
"The reason I have summoned you all is to witness the three leaders of the three religions jointly signing the Investiture of the Gods," Hongjun said, looking at the Three Pure Ones with anticipation. "I wonder what your plans are? There are more than three hundred vacant positions on the Investiture of the Gods. You can discuss here which of your disciples you wish to have listed."
Losing even one disciple is a heart-wrenching pain, let alone hundreds. Hongjun couldn't even imagine that one day he would send Chang Hao to the Investiture of the Gods; it was simply unbearable.
Lao Tzu's eyes were full of caution. If this matter was not handled properly, the already incompatible ideas between Yuanshi and Tongtian would become uncontrollable.
Tongtian silently pondered, his hair swirling around his chest. Three hundred or so divine positions weren't quite enough to go around.
Laozi rose, first bowing to Hongjun, and then said, "The disciples of the Human Sect have dwindled to almost nothing, with only Xuandu and Fuxi remaining. Master, could you possibly show mercy?"
"No, this is a matter between your three sects, and it is inconvenient for your master to interfere. You should discuss it with your two junior brothers." Hongjun completely shirked responsibility.
Lao Tzu then glanced at his two younger brothers and said, “Enough. Maintaining the operation of the Heavenly Dao and the Heavenly Court is the inescapable responsibility of us cultivators.”
As he spoke, Laozi put his index and middle fingers together and used them as a pen to write the three characters "Chunyangzi" on the Investiture of the Gods. Then, he suddenly wrote himself on it as well, trying to use the Investiture of the Gods to sever his last corpse.
The names of Chunyangzi and Taishang floated on the Investiture of the Gods list, and then they were truly listed. The Heavenly Dao exerted its power, tearing an external clone from Laozi.
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