Taoist Master Xuanhuang

In addition, the eight great beings and some special beings all obtained their own suitable divine positions.

Overall, it has been roughly rolled out, but it is by no means the most perfect rollout, and it needs to be gradually reformed as it develops.

It's impossible to come up with a perfect solution right away.

When the Lord of All Beings asked if anyone had any suggestions to add,
Everyone turned their attention to the representatives of the subordinate cultivators and the Martial Temple, which had remained silent until now.

The various supreme deities from the subordinate cultivators' side did not participate; instead, the sweeping monk Liu Wenhe attended as their representative.

The two remained silent throughout, as if it had nothing to do with them.

But this was just an illusion. Everyone knew that they couldn't possibly be without demands; they were simply not in a hurry and were waiting for the final outcome.

“Since the fellow cultivators wish to postpone, my Martial Temple will speak first,” Jiang Shang said.

"Our Martial Temple has no objection to the allocation of the divine positions. Although we were the ones who proposed it and were the initial initiators, we are very pleased to see everyone's support. Since everyone is happy to do so, why not share it? This is why we did not fight for it too much."

It's just polite talk, but it sounds very nice.

"Furthermore, I strongly agree with what Master Kong just said. We are fortunate to have encountered a good era, allowing those of us from the past to return to the light..."

"Therefore, the divine position should be our contribution, but my Martial Temple also has a small request, which we hope the three of you will grant."

They arrived, and the three Lords of All Beings knew it wouldn't be that simple.

The Confucian Temple had its sights set on the boundaries of various regions, so how could the Martial Temple not have other ideas?

If they had no ideas at all, how could they have so easily shared so many divine positions?

“Now tell me!” said the Lord of All Beings.

"That's right. There are righteous gods with greater power and responsibility, and there are also carefree immortals who cultivate themselves through their own abilities. But in a grand system like the Investiture of the Gods..."

Jiang Shang delivered a lengthy discourse.

Gradually, everyone understood what he wanted to express, which, in short, was about the gods and immortals within the system.

The kind of cultivation that relies on one's own abilities.

The advantages and disadvantages of doing this are roughly equal.

The benefits are obvious: because one does not comprehend the divinity of the three great gods, one will not be tainted by the conceptual divinity of the three great gods.

Naturally, there will be no sense of being lost; you will always be yourself and can control your own future.

The disadvantages are also obvious. Because it does not rely on the energy of the system, it does not have the support of a powerful system and needs to cultivate slowly on its own, unlike the Investiture of the Gods, where people can be promoted to higher ranks with ease.

In other words, strength or weakness depends entirely on one's own cultivation.

It's a mixed bag; for ordinary people, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages, while for geniuses, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

Many people's eyes lit up, but they quickly shook their heads.

It's not that it's bad, it's actually very good, but it's not suitable for me.

I never wanted to be a god; true cultivation is my path and my original aspiration.

No matter what kind of god it is, even a carefree immortal like him is not suitable for me.

As the saying goes, more complexity is not necessarily better. The reason for complexity is that the simple path is not feasible, so we complicate things and try to find a way out.

While the Immortal of Leisure's method was not bad, it was ultimately a case of making trouble for himself on a simple path, so I shook my head.

As for those who yearn to be deified, this is even more true.

Because they lacked natural talent, they were sent to the Investiture of the Gods to become free immortals. Although they were free, how could they progress? Therefore, they also shook their heads.

Everyone understood that this was a path unique to the Martial Temple.

As expected, everyone understood what Jiang Shang said next.

"Holiness is both a blessing and a curse. We would be fortunate if you were not here, but with the Dao Lord and the Xuanhuang Dao system, we are unfortunate. Since we are unfortunate, we must change this situation, and shedding our holy status is the first step..."

"Our Martial Temple has no grand ambitions, nor any unreasonable desires. Our only goal is to break free from shackles and constraints, to become a free cultivator, an existence capable of autonomous cultivation. Clearly, our status as a realm deity makes our aspirations impossible to realize..."

"Only by becoming a true cultivator can one attain the Great Way."

This statement seems incorrect, yet it is also correct.

The concepts of breaking free from shackles, freedom, and becoming a true cultivator—none of them seem correct.

They both resent being bound and resent being deified, but what is true cultivation? It is being the direct descendant of the Dao Lord.

This is absolutely correct, and none of the three great gods dare to say anything about it.

You can't say that my divine cultivation is the righteous path, but true cultivation is not, can you?
"What do you all think?" the Lord of All Beings asked, finding it difficult to answer.

“We agree. It doesn’t consume divine positions; it relies on one’s own cultivation. It’s simply a desire to break free from the constraints of the realm, which is correct,” Sun Hui was the first to stand up and say.

“Our Confucian school also supports this; it’s good that a gentleman strives for self-improvement,” said the Martial Temple.

"Support!" Confucius said succinctly, indicating that some kind of agreement had been reached.

"Won't this affect the Conferment of Gods? It's impossible for a clone to be created out of nowhere. If it affects the grand plan of the three fellow Daoists to be conferred as gods, that would be bad." The Lord of Mount Tai said in an annoying way.

He and the Yellow Dragon Lord opposed everything, and they opposed anything involving the Civil and Military Temples.

Because they are afraid of falling far behind.

Just as we don't understand how the Martial Temple managed to do it, we don't understand how the Confucian Temple managed to devour the realm. But even if we don't understand, we still have to stop it.

"Yes!" said Lord Huanglong.

"Thank you for your guidance, fellow Daoists. However, I can assure you that it will not hinder us. We are using the energy of the fields of famous mountains and rivers in various places. The Dao Master of the Field Dao once said that it is the origin, the essence of all extraordinary and high-dimensional things. I dare not say that I have learned even one ten-thousandth of the Dao Master's teachings, but I have gained some understanding. It is the power of the field, not the minor Heavenly Dao condensed by the three of you. The minor Heavenly Dao merely gives life a name, nothing more."

Jiang Shang's words are always about the mysterious and profound.

It was a flawless answer; anyone who dared to refute it should think twice, including the three divine masters.

The three divine lords naturally understood what a field was; it was truly fundamental, and together with the will of the original deity, it was considered one of the two core elements.

How did the three of us, including the five brothers from the origin of the Five Elements, come to be?
It is born from the will of the original being as its foundation and the field as its core.

In other words, the original being replicated his own energy field, then imbued it with will as the foundation of his existence, and thus created his three brothers.

However, it is more complex, with the will of the original being as its core, the integration of the primordial spirit, the replicated field, and many other components.

Jiang Shang's clones, which are based on his will, cannot achieve this. Therefore, he uses his own Lesser Heavenly Dao as the core of his will to construct a field for true cultivation, which his own avatar then takes control of.

Once formed, one comprehends the visualization of the deity, which replaces one's own minor celestial path, or rather, a source, into the visualization. One's own minor celestial path is integrated into the visualization.

In this way, one can refine one's own Heavenly Dao will, becoming an existence that is not under one's own control but is controlled by the true self.

This is the true way of cultivation.

They genuinely want to practice Buddhism.

And don't forget that this is a divided spirit; there is another divided spirit, which is a sacred identity within the realm.

Once the two are combined, emptying the realm becomes simple, even more ruthless than the Confucian Temple's refinement by the Confucian Master, using a hen to lay eggs.

"We support it too; a colorful and diverse world is a wonderful world," the sweeping monk suddenly said. Unexpectedly, he, who had remained silent until now, also voiced his support.

“I agree. As the Sweeping Monk said, a more colorful world will be more prosperous. This applies to true cultivators, the birth of spirit beasts, the appearance of subordinate cultivators, the addition of saints, and even the addition of spirit masters,” said the Holy Mother of Tushan.

That's a bit of an overstatement.

A more colorful world is more wonderful; that's what they want to express.

The Investiture of the Gods will definitely rise in popularity in the near future, so it needs to be suppressed. Even the change of dynasties should consult us old folks.

We need to maintain a balance, and avoid any single entity dominating.

The three lords seem to be in too much of a hurry, which is not good, at least not in the opinion of the Holy Mother of Tushan.

The subordinate cultivators shared the same idea, which led to the creation of the Investiture of the Gods.

Originally, we subordinate cultivators were supposed to be the main characters, so what's this? Is this considered being robbed and having our territory stolen?

Angry, unhappy.

how to say?

In short, the three main deities were not respected by the people, and this was due to certain other reasons.

Even if it is a demigod of the Dao Lord, a substitute brought out by the Dao Lord after stepping down from the background, it is still not the Dao Lord.

If they want all the cultivators in the Xuanhuang Daoist realm to obey them and respect them as they would Xuanhuang, they need time and need to gradually gain everyone's acceptance.

The three gods exchanged a helpless smile.

What do you think of the three of them? They're not here to usurp power, but they can understand the feelings of cultivators.

After all, different systems lead to different perspectives.

The buttocks of a true cultivator would naturally not watch as immortals and gods grow stronger.

"I am the Lord of all beings, bearing the karma of all beings!"

"I am the Lord of Heaven and Earth, bearing the cause and effect of all things in Heaven and Earth!"

"I am the true self, bearing the true spirit and karma of all living beings!"

The three suddenly spoke up.

This is telling everyone, stop arguing. We are not only the controllers of the gods, but also the controllers of you true cultivators, and all of you except for subordinate cultivators.

The scene suddenly fell silent.

Everyone suddenly realized that it seemed to make sense; the three gods were not only gods, but also Dao Lords who had been chosen to bear the karma of themselves and others.

"The reason why the Dao Lord did this is both out of necessity and due to practical needs... Whether they are immortals or gods, or subordinate cultivators, they are nothing more than new branches growing on a big tree. If they do not advance, they will fall behind. You must not be attached to appearances."

"Please forgive us, Your Excellency! We were confused!"

All living beings were startled, but they didn't understand why.
"All things originate from the mind, and the tribulation of the mind is the source. The world undergoes tremendous changes, and the times change. Although there are general trends, they all originate from changes in the mind. I hope that you will overcome this tribulation of the mind," said the Lord of All Beings.

There's no mystery to it, just a mental struggle.

Just like every period of turmoil, it's simply a matter of overcoming a mental ordeal.

Luo Feng, Xuanhuang's twelfth disciple, rose to prominence because he was unintentionally enlightened by Wei Qiancheng during a mental tribulation.

He also helped Wei Qiancheng later, and Wei Qiancheng's rise to power began from that time.

The anxiety and unease that arise from numerous upheavals in human society are also a kind of mental tribulation.

The same is true at this moment. The four superpowers split, subordinates were born, and the conferment of gods began. This has accumulated a lot of cause and effect invisibly.

Too much cause and effect will cloud the mind and make it dusty.

One could even say that it is truly an inevitable trend dominated by Xuanhuang, that the four superpowers must split, subordinates must rise, and gods must be enfeoffed?
That's not accurate either.

It must have been a century of development that caused cultivators' hearts to gradually change, their desires to be unfulfilled and their resentment to grow, which inevitably led to this situation.

Xuanhuang saw this point and pushed everyone to undergo tribulation and resolve it, so that they could make good use of the tribulation and become stronger through the hardship instead of becoming weaker.

"I grant your request. The sky's the limit... You need to undergo tribulation, and so do we!" The Lord of All Beings said nothing more.

Instead, he confirmed to Jiang Shang that he agreed to their idea.

If you're looking for a carefree immortal, then go ahead and do it.

To put it bluntly, even the three main deities themselves seem to have lost their way.

Since the original self pushed the three of them out, the three of them have been struggling and lost.

What's even more infuriating is that this guy himself played a role in instigating the situation, and even added fuel to the fire by offering advice and suggestions to his three brothers.

Looking back now, I realize that the original owner was indeed very wicked; he was training his three brothers.

The three brothers have recently been making many more calculations and plans, and they do not believe that the true will of the original body cannot control these things.

These things shouldn't have happened. Ever since one of the three left for the underworld and the other went to the celestial realm, it seems that the barrier of their strong will has disappeared.

The three of them were left unprotected, which is why they became somewhat disoriented.

Just now, when everyone suddenly opposed the three of them, as if they were deliberately going against them, the three of them were suddenly startled and realized what was going on.

What is this for?
The three brothers themselves are in control of everything; they are the inheritors of all the causes and effects of the original being. Why then did they inexplicably start competing with their subordinates for the sake of becoming gods?

This is wrong, this is very wrong.

Suddenly realizing that the three of them were also caught in the calamity!

The past two decades have been turbulent, seemingly full of ups and downs and boundless possibilities, but from another perspective, one can see that they are actually a vast web of causes and effects.

Everyone is on this big web, desperately spinning silk, weaving a web to trap themselves.

The densely packed threads represent a dense array of desires. Faces formed by these desires begin to distort, to become ferocious, and to look at everyone with a desire to devour them.

This is a vast web woven by desire, a dark side forged by cause and effect.

It's definitely a mental ordeal.

"Thank you, gentlemen," Jiang Shang said.

At the same time, they were also shocked and realized that they were also in trouble. Indeed, entering the world meant facing calamities.

Indeed, breaking free from the shackles of one's sacred identity is not so simple; it involves not only a matter of ability but also a test of the soul and a tribulation.

It was so exciting, but also so dangerous.

The thrill is what they perceive as exciting, after all, it means they're online, it means they're truly starting to break free from constraints, so it's a joyful thrill.

The same applies to danger. If one does not break free from the mental tribulation, even if one is reincarnated and a new spirit is born, one will still be reborn with the mental tribulation and become out of control.

Exciting yet dangerous!
...(End of chapter)