Daojun, start from Penglai foundation building

The realm of the Celestial Venerable, with jade words and golden seals.

As Kaiyuan Tianzun established the two imperial positions in the east and west, the two Dao-holding positions that had been conceived in the darkness of the Three Realms slowly descended, then fell into the Nine Heavens Palace, entered the Dou Niu Palace and Pi Xiang Hall, and entered the bodies of Chi Xiao Daojun and Jin Mu Yuanjun.

Suddenly, heavenly flowers bloomed, golden lotuses surged, and melodious celestial music played. The power of fortune and merit appeared around the Crimson Heaven Dao Lord and the Golden Mother Yuanjun.

That was the fortune and merit that Daoist Chixiao and Yuanjun Jinmu had earned during the Xuanmen Calamity.

Under the powerful leadership of Kaiyuan Tianzun, the newly promoted Heavenly Venerable of the Three Realms, Chixiao Daojun and Jinmu Yuanjun used their own fortune and merits as a guide to directly determine the positions of the Eastern and Western Emperors.

Inside the Pixiang Hall, all the emperors, lords, and immortals looked over. They saw that under the intertwining of fortune and merit, the hazy power of fortune and merit clashed with the power of the Eastern and Western rulers' positions. Blue and white radiance expanded within the Pixiang Hall, enveloping the Crimson Cloud Dao Lord and the Golden Mother Yuanjun.

Before long, Daoist Chixiao and Yuanjun Jinmu changed their clothes.

The Crimson Cloud Dao Lord wore the Eastern Azure Venerable Crown and the Heavenly Imperial Emperor's Robe, holding a jade tablet in his hand. His face was calm and his demeanor majestic. Above his head, auspicious clouds floated, supporting his Eastern Imperial status, and behind his head, the three Dao Wheels of Azure, Gold, and Purple shimmered with countless rays of light.

The Golden Mother Goddess wore a Western Golden Crown and the robes of a Heavenly Emperor. She held a jade tablet in her hands, her face radiant with an elegant and solemn smile. Auspicious clouds above her head supported her Western Imperial status, and the Dao Wheel behind her head shimmered with mysterious light.

Without the imperial decree of the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor, the positions of the Eastern and Western Imperial Guards were thus established.

This scene made the immortals, Buddhas, and saints in the Pixiang Palace twitch. The current fortune of the Eastern Heavenly Daoist family is too strong, and even the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor, who reigns over the Three Realms, is finding it difficult to contend with it.

Kaiyuan Tianzun, the newly promoted Heavenly Venerable of the Eastern Heaven, riding the wave of victory in the Xuanmen Great Calamity and supported by his immense fortune and merit, so forcefully established the positions of Eastern and Western Emperors right under the nose of the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor, without giving the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor any time to react or question.

At this moment, as the Heavenly Fruits descended, even the Emperor Star Lord, Immortal Lord Demon Lord, and Venerable Lord of the Palace, despite their doubts, had no choice but to rise and bow to the Crimson Heaven Dao Lord and the Golden Mother Yuanjun.

"Greetings, Your Majesty the Prince of Dongyu Cangwu!"

"Greetings, Great Empress of the Western Kunlun Kingdom!"

The Golden Emperor watched this scene, his smile vanished, revealing neither joy nor anger. Meanwhile, the immortals, Buddhas, and saints seated in the hall were exchanging hushed conversations.

Dongyu?

West Imperial?

There are only so many Dao-holding realms that have been nurtured in the Three Realms this time, and the positions of the Four Emperors and Five Elders need no further explanation.

When Kaiyuan Tianzun asked for two of the Four Emperors, it was within everyone's acceptable range. Given the fortune and merit that the Eastern Heavenly Daoist School had earned for the Three Realms, it wouldn't be unreasonable for the Eastern Heavenly Daoist School to take half of the positions of the Four Emperors and Five Elders.

However, what Kaiyuan Tianzun wanted were the Eastern and Western Emperors. The Eastern Emperor was a necessary position for the Eastern Heaven Daoist, as everyone knew. So why did he not want the Southern and Northern Emperors, which were connected to the Eastern Heaven, but instead wanted the Western Emperor?

This puzzled everyone. Xiyu was located in the west, which was the territory of Dalingyin Temple. Could it be that Kaiyuan Tianzun wanted to plant a thorn in Dalingyin Temple's nose?
For a moment, whether it was Daoist Qiongyun or the other emperors, they all looked at Buddha Jinjue, who was sitting to the left of Emperor Jinque. Even the great bodhisattvas of Buddhism, such as Bodhisattva Jinchan and Bodhisattva Mingguang, looked at Buddha Jinjue with suspicion.

However, Buddha Jinjue maintained a slight smile throughout, as if he had expected it. He sat down on the Eight Treasures Golden Lotus Platform and even seemed to enjoy tasting the fine wines of the Heavenly Court.

The immortals, Buddhas, and saints were puzzled, but Buddha Jinjue understood the intention of Kaiyuan Tianzun.

The positions of the Eastern and Western Emperors are not important; what matters is the words of the Heavenly Venerable Kaiyuan and the honorary titles bestowed upon him.

The King and Queen Mother Emperors assist in managing the affairs of the Heavenly Court.

Kaiyuan Tianzun is clearly taking advantage of the current strength and prosperity of the Eastern Heavenly Daoist sect, which cannot be directly challenged, to forcefully intervene in the Heavenly Court of the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor. He intends to place the two Daoist rulers in the East and West, bestowing titles of King and Queen, to assist His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor in managing the Heavenly Court. In the future, when the Heavenly Court issues another decree, and humans, gods, ghosts, demons, and wandering immortals and monsters from the Three Realms ascend to the Heavenly Court, will they first pay homage to His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor, or will they first pay homage to the King and Queen according to their gender?
Golden Awakening Buddha instantly understood Kaiyuan Heavenly Venerable's intentions. After all, Golden Awakening Buddha had used similar methods to integrate the entire Hengsha Realm. Now, Golden Awakening Buddha was ranked in the Western Extreme and revered as the World Honored One of Buddhism. He was all too aware of the various sordid affairs and intrigues within Buddhism.

Moreover, judging others by one's own standards, if Buddha Jinjue had such good fortune and merit to back him up, he would definitely do the same thing, regardless of anything else, just to sow discord in His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor's Heavenly Court.

If the Buddha Jinjue understood this clearly, then the Heavenly Emperor Jinque understood it even more perfectly.

After all, compared to the Golden Awakening Buddha who integrated the Hengsha Realm with Buddhist and Taoist traditions, the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor was a Heavenly Emperor who had been in power for a long time and had been in charge of sealing off the realm. The Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor could see through this trick at a glance.

But just because you can see it clearly doesn't mean the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor can stop it.

As I said before, the Eastern Heaven Taoist sect is currently enjoying great fortune, riding the momentum of the great victory of the Xuanmen calamity. How prosperous is its fortune and merit!

Even the Heavenly Emperor of the Golden Palace could not stop it.

"Eastern Emperor, Prince and Great Emperor"

"Western Emperor, Queen Mother of the West"

The Golden Palace Emperor repeated the words over and over, and then his smile widened: "Very good, then please, Eastern Emperor and Western Emperor, take your seats."

The Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor was very insightful. Since he couldn't stop him, he decided to let Kaiyuan Heavenly Venerable do as he pleased. After all, there were already quite a few immortals from the Eastern Heavenly Daoist sect in the Heavenly Court. What was wrong with letting them pay homage to the Eastern and Western Emperors?
Moreover, the two emperors, the King and Queen, are not from the Eastern Heaven Daoist School. They are only standing together now because of the Xuanmen Calamity and various karmic relationships. If the King and Queen have the throne in the future, wouldn't they want to fight for more opportunities for the Crimson Cloud Daoist Lord and the Yaochi Holy Land?

Then it will be up to the Eastern Heavenly Daoists to decide.

In any case, it is unlikely that the Eastern Heavenly Daoist School will remain a monolithic entity in the future.

The Crimson Heaven Dao Lord and the Golden Mother Yuanjun did not think as much as the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor. Now that they had obtained the positions of two emperors and possessed the fortune and merit of the Three Realms, the two great Dao-holding beings were naturally extremely satisfied. They first thanked His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor, and then calmly took their seats on the west side.

Seeing that Daoist Chixiao and Yuanjun Jinmu had taken their seats, Emperor Jinque said, "The Eastern and Western Emperors have merits from the Xuanmen Great Calamity and have brought the Great Thousand Worlds back to the Three Realms. It is only right that they should be ranked among the Four Emperors."

"However, besides Dong Yu and Xi Yu, there is another person who also made great contributions to the Xuanmen Great Calamity and brought a region of the Great Thousand World back to our Three Realms."

As he spoke, the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor looked at Qiongyun Daojun, who slowly rose and bowed to the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor.

The Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor laughed and said, "Fellow Daoist Qiongyun recently brought the Xiaoyun Realm into our Three Realms, and with the help of the Xuanmen Great Calamity, you must be rewarded."

"I hereby honor him with the title of Emperor of the Southern Dynasty, and hereby bestow upon him the title of Emperor of the Southern Dynasty, the Long-lived Emperor of the Clouds."

In an instant, the Three Realms were once again engulfed in turmoil, and another Heavenly Fruit position, which had been secretly nurtured between the Three Realms, was born, falling into the Nine Heavens Palace and landing on the body of Daoist Qiongyun.

Previously, the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor had only made a promise but had not actually conferred the title. Therefore, although the gods and star officials of the Heavenly Court all called themselves Great Emperors, they did not actually hold the official rank. Qiongyun Daojun was still somewhat uneasy.

But now that the Heavenly and Earthly Fruits have fallen, the fortune and merit of the Xuanmen Great Tribulation of Daoist Qiongyun have intertwined with the fortune and merit of Xiaoyun Realm merging into the Three Realms Great Thousand, causing the Southern Imperial Fruit to fall into Daoist Qiongyun's body and evolve into the imperial crown and robes.

In an instant, the fortune and merit of the Three Realms and the Great Thousand Worlds were faintly connected with Daoist Qiongyun, and Daoist Qiongyun also became solemn and dignified.

The Emperors, Star Lords, and Immortal Lords in the Pixiang Hall rose again and bowed, saying, "Greetings to the Great Emperor Changsheng of Nan Yuxiaoyun."

The immortals bowed in greeting, and Daoist Qiongyun nodded in acknowledgment before taking his seat with satisfaction.

The Heavenly Emperor of the Golden Palace bestowed upon Daoist Qiongyun the title of Southern Emperor, with a very clear purpose: to further divide the Daoist destiny.

Although Qiongyun Daojun did not obtain much fortune from the Xuanmen Great Calamity, even a small amount is still a share of fortune and merit. In addition, Qiongyun Daojun himself is at the Dao-holding realm and brought a Xuanmen Great Thousand World with him. Therefore, Qiongyun Daojun naturally received a share of the fortune and merit of the Xuanmen Daoist school.

Now, the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor has once again bestowed upon him the title of Southern Emperor, and Qiongyun Daojun has invisibly diverted the fortune of the Eastern Heavenly Daoist School. This is the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor's purpose, and the immortals, Buddhas, and saints in the palace can see it clearly.

However, the three Heavenly Venerables of the Eastern Heavenly Daoist School had no objection to this. Dividing the fortune of the Eastern Heaven to prevent it from declining after reaching its peak was something that the three Heavenly Venerables were supposed to do. This was also the reason why they gave two of the Four Emperors to the Crimson Cloud Daoist Lord and the Golden Mother Yuanjun.

Otherwise, the Eastern Heavenly Daoist family could have simply allowed their own people to take three of the Four Emperors, and then divided the other two of the Five Elders among the Crimson Cloud Daoist Lord and the Golden Mother Yuanjun.

But at that time, the Eastern Heavenly Daoist sect had three of the Four Emperors and two of the Five Elders, plus three Heavenly Venerables living in the same era. How powerful must their fortune have been?

The saying goes, "When things reach their peak, they decline." This is the destiny set by the heavens. The Taoism of the Eastern Heaven can be strong and prosperous, but it cannot reach its peak. After reaching the peak, it will inevitably decline. Rather than that, it is better to remain prosperous without reaching its peak, so that it can last for a long time.

This is why Kaiyuan Tianzun immediately bestowed the four imperial positions upon Chixiao Daojun and Jinmu Yuanjun upon them, forcefully dividing the fortune of the Eastern Heaven to ensure the prosperity of Taoism, rather than allowing the Eastern Heaven to prosper alone. From then on, three of the four imperial positions were determined.

At this moment, Buddha Jinjue slowly spoke: "Your Majesty, in addition to the Eastern, Western, and Southern Emperors bringing the Great Thousand Worlds into our Three Realms, our Buddhist sect also has Bodhisattvas who, moved by the Three Realms, wish to bring one realm into our realm."

The Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor showed great curiosity: "Oh, may I ask which Bodhisattva it is?"

The Buddha Jinjue said in a deep voice: "The Floating Pagoda Realm, Maitreya Bodhisattva."

The Heavenly Emperor nodded: "In that case, summon Maitreya Bodhisattva into the palace."

Immediately, a celestial being proclaimed: "Your Majesty, please invite Maitreya Bodhisattva of the Buddhist Realm into the palace."

Before long, the kind-looking Maitreya Bodhisattva entered the hall: "This old monk greets His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor."

The Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor slowly nodded: "I have heard that the Bodhisattva is willing to bring the Floating Pagoda Realm into my Three Realms?"

Maitreya Bodhisattva said, "The three realms and the vast world are united by the teachings of immortals, gods, and Buddhas, and the ultimate destiny of the universe is determined by the Qi of the central universe."

"Among all the heavens and myriad realms, none can rival it. Therefore, all the great worlds should be incorporated into the Three Realms, and the power of all should be gathered to recreate the ancient scene."

"This old monk is willing to bring the Buddha Realm into the Three Realms and contribute my meager strength to this cause."

The Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor was very satisfied and repeatedly praised: "If all the fellow Daoists in the myriad realms had the magnanimity and lofty ideals of Maitreya Bodhisattva, the reappearance of the ancestral realm and the glory of the universe would surely be just around the corner."

"Today, Maitreya Bodhisattva has brought the vast universe into my Three Realms. His efforts and contributions are great, and I must reward him accordingly."

"Because the Bodhisattva does not yet possess the auspicious fortune of a great calamity, I cannot bestow upon him the position of one of the Four Emperors for the time being."

After a moment's thought, the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor suddenly laughed and said, "In that case, let's appoint the Bodhisattvas to the positions of the Five Elders."

"I hereby bestow upon the Bodhisattva the title of Eastern Buddha Elder, and honor him as the Great Bodhisattva Maitreya Buddha of the East!"

Eastern Buddha!
Maitreya Buddha, the Great Bodhisattva!
The imperial edict from the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor surprised both Kaiyuan Heavenly Venerable and Golden Awakening Buddha.

The Eastern Buddha is clearly the Western Emperor, a title forcibly bestowed by the Heavenly Emperor Kaiyuan; but the Great Bodhisattva Maitreya is subtly targeting the Golden Awakening Buddha.

Who doesn't know that among all the heavens and myriad realms today, only the Golden Awakening Buddha is called the Ancestor?
It's highly unlikely that the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor could directly elevate Maitreya Bodhisattva to the realm of Dao Master. Not only does the Heavenly Court lack such fortune and merit, but even if the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor did, he couldn't directly elevate someone at the Dao Master realm to the same level as him.

The Dao-holding realm of Kaiyuan Tianzun is the result of Kaiyuan Tianzun fighting through the Xuanmen Great Tribulation, killing countless pure Yang Dao holders to obtain the fortune and merit of the Great Tribulation, and nurturing the Dao-holding fruit position with the blood of many pure Yang. Maitreya Bodhisattva does not have such achievements.

Therefore, the title conferred by the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor was that of a Great Bodhisattva, which is the position of upholding the Dao, and is the most honored of the Five Elders.

However, since the Golden Emperor bestowed upon Maitreya Bodhisattva the title of "Eastern Maitreya Buddha," in the future, there will be more than just Golden Enlightenment Buddha in the Three Realms and even the myriad worlds. Maitreya Bodhisattva can also be called a Buddha, and others who pay homage to Maitreya Bodhisattva should also address him as Maitreya Buddha.

This is the honorific title of Maitreya Bodhisattva.

In the future, there will be one Buddha from the East and one Buddha from the West; there will be plenty of amusement to see within the Buddhist community.

After realizing the Golden Emperor's little scheme, Buddha Jinjue remained calm and showed no sign of anger or frustration.

The Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor can only resort to tricks in this matter. What about the Buddha of the East?

Until one reaches the realm of True Yang in the Dao, no matter how loudly the Buddha of the East shouts, he is nothing more than a Great Bodhisattva.

The Buddha Jinjue is still the one and only Buddha in Buddhism, and all Buddhas pay homage to the Great Lingyin Temple in the Western Paradise.

After a bit of intrigue, the emperors and venerable ones in the Pixiang Hall bowed to Maitreya Bodhisattva, paying their respects to the Great Bodhisattva Maitreya Buddha from the East. Maitreya Bodhisattva then calmly took his seat on the east side, beside Mingguang Bodhisattva and Jinglian Bodhisattva: "If this old monk is not mistaken, you two fellow Daoists have also obtained the positions of the Five Elders, haven't you?"

Bodhisattva Mingguang nodded slightly: "That should be so."

As they were talking, the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor said again, "I have heard that Bodhisattva Mingguang and Bodhisattva Jinglian have also brought the Great Thousand Worlds into my Three Realms. This merit should also be rewarded."

"Both Bodhisattvas have reached the realm of upholding the Way. After much deliberation, I shall bestow upon them the titles of the Five Elders."

"I hereby decree that Bodhisattva Mingguang be appointed as the Buddha Elder of the South and honor the Great Bodhisattva Mingguang Guanshi of the South Sea."

"I hereby decree that Bodhisattva Jinglian be appointed as the Buddha of the West, and honor the Great Bodhisattva Jinglian Mingshi of the Western Sea."

As the Golden Emperor spoke, the intertwined fortunes and merits of the Three Realms descended, merging into the bodies of the Bodhisattvas of Bright Light and Pure Lotus.

Although both Mingguang Bodhisattva and Jinglian Bodhisattva are at the level of upholding the Dao, neither of them participated in the Xuanmen Great Calamity to gain fortune and merit. Moreover, they are both upholding the Dao and brought a region of the Great Thousand World together. Therefore, the two Bodhisattvas cannot actually be divided into two of the Five Elders. At most, they can share a position of honor.

The remaining position of honor was actually supported by a portion of the fortune contributed by the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor and the Golden Awakening Buddha. This was intentional on their part, to maintain the connection between the Southern Buddhist tradition and the Western Buddhist tradition, and also a cause and effect relationship between the Heavenly Court and the Western Heaven.

This cause and effect may not be apparent now, but it will surely manifest in the future.

The immortals, Buddhas, and saints in the hall were unaware of the deal between the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor and the Golden Awakening Buddha. The immortal lords, emperors, venerable heavenly kings, and others only saw that the two bodhisattvas had obtained the positions of the Five Elders, and they rose again to greet the two Buddha elders.

Thus, in a short period of time, three of the Four Emperors and three of the Five Elders were appointed.

Although three of the Four Emperors belong to Taoism, Buddhism also occupies three of the Five Elders. Since they have all achieved their respective goals, it is impossible to say who is superior.

At this moment, the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor surveyed the Fragrant Pavilion and saw immortals, Buddhas, and saints gathered together. The Heavenly Venerable of the Eastern Heaven, the Buddha of the Western Heaven, as well as three of the Four Emperors, three of the Five Elders, the Great Emperor, the Lord of the Palace, the Star Lords, and the God Lords were all gathered in the Fragrant Pavilion. It was as if all the talents of the heavens were under his control.

However, that fleeting sense of pleasure was instantly suppressed by the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor.

Of the celestial beings, Buddhas, and saints, nearly half are Taoists, a small portion are Buddhists, and there are also demons. The rest are the gods of the divine path. This scene doesn't seem like a gathering of the heavenly talents, but it could be described as a gathering of wise men and a court full of righteous men.

Fortunately, the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor is not a god-emperor, but a heavenly emperor. The heavenly emperor is revered by humans, gods, ghosts, demons, immortals, Buddhas, and saints.

Suppressing the slight displeasure in his heart, the Golden Palace Emperor smiled and said, "Today, all the wise men have gathered, and the court is filled with righteous men. All the immortals, Buddhas, and saints in the hall are renowned throughout the heavens and the universe, and are respected by humans, gods, ghosts, and demons. I am very pleased that so many fellow Daoists have gathered here."

"Come, everyone, let's drink this cup together."

Whether it was the Taoist sect of the East or the Buddhist sect of the West, they would not make things difficult for the Golden Palace Emperor at this time. After all, it was a banquet for all parties to enjoy themselves, so they all cooperated and raised their cups to drink together.

The three Heavenly Venerables of the Eastern Heaven and the Golden Enlightenment Buddha of the Western Heaven also raised their cups to the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor.

As the immortals, Buddhas, and saints raised their cups to drink, and celestial music filled the air, the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor laughed and said, "Such a grand feast would be incomplete without dance and music."

"The Moon Goddess of Taiyin possesses jade-like bones and icy skin, heavenly fragrance and national beauty, and is skilled in the Taiyin Pure Method and the art of long-tone rhythmic dance. On this occasion of universal joy, why not offer a dance?"

Su Hua Yuan Jing Huang Jun, Yue Jing Lin Gong Yuan Jun, and Ming Hui Lan Qing Yue Zhu all changed their expressions and performed a dance.

But how could the three Moon Lords, who were merely Mahayana-level beings, have the right to resist the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor?
Therefore, the three Moon Lords left their seats together, bowed to the immortals, Buddhas, and saints in the Fragrant Hall, and then began to dance gracefully.

The Moon Lord's aura is inherently pure and cold. Living in the Moon Palace, she is said to have jade bones and immortal energy, pure and immaculate. In addition, she is beautiful and elegant, and her dance with celestial music is breathtaking and dazzling. The immortals, Buddhas and gods are very satisfied. Even the emperors, venerables and demon lords in the hall have never seen the Moon Lord of Taiyin, who is also of the Mahayana level, perform a dance.

At this moment, they all gestured with their eyes and gave instructions.

Inside the Hall of Fragrant Breeze, the atmosphere was electric. (End of Chapter)