Honghuang: Creation of the Green Lotus, the beginning of the Three Pure Ones

Hongjun's gaze swept over the four Heavenly Saints, finally settling on Zhen Yuanzi's face.

He lightly tapped his fingertip, and a beam of mysterious light entered Zhen Yuanzi's brow. He then said, "Zhen Yuanzi, you should have been in charge of the Earthly Path, but Houtu seized the initiative."

"However, you don't need to be discouraged. My rule over the Heavenly Dao is only temporary. Sooner or later, I will break away from the Heavenly Dao, and then you will be the next representative of the Heavenly Dao."

Upon hearing this, Zhen Yuanzi's spirits lifted, and he immediately bowed to Hongjun, saying, "Master, this disciple has disgraced the Xuanmen."

"Not only did I fail to become the true representative, but now that I am in charge of the Investiture of the Gods, I have made such a mess of it. All of this is due to my incompetence, and I am willing to accept my master's punishment."

Hongjun waved his hand and said, "Let's not talk about what happened before. You should take charge of the Xuanmen sect in my place and plan the upcoming Journey to the West well. That will make up for your mistakes."

Zhen Yuanzi nodded, then turned to the two Western Daoists and said, "Fellow Daoists, in order to better control the Journey to the West, I would like to send a few of my disciples to your Western Sect. What do you two think?"

Zhen Yuanzi's statement was not because he was truly selfless. Rather, he already knew that some of his disciples were secretly communicating with the Western Religion.

Since he's destined not to stay, why not do him a favor? At least he can save face and make the two Western monks owe him one.

The two Western monks naturally couldn't refuse either, because if they did, they wouldn't be able to accept the disciples of the Chan Sect switching to the Western Sect.

Therefore, the two Western monks nodded at the same time and said, "With the help of Fellow Daoist Zhen Yuanzi, the Great Tribulation of the Journey to the West is a foregone conclusion."

At this moment, deep within the chaos, calamity and destruction are leading three figures, breaking through the void as they arrive.

Before the group even reached Zixiao Palace, Hongjun sensed their presence. He immediately waved his hand, sending the Four Sages of Heaven away from Zixiao Palace and instructing them to plan their journey to the West carefully.

After seeing off the Four Sages of Heaven, Hongjun couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Trickery, Yin Sha, Wu Xiang. It seems that you two fellow Daoists have brought the most troublesome ones."

Before the words were even finished, five figures had already descended outside Zixiao Palace. At the same time, the voice of Calamity rang out, "Fellow Daoist Hongjun, why don't you welcome our old friends?"

Hongjun stepped out of Zixiao Palace, bowed to the five people, and said, "Fellow Daoists, it's been a long time."

Trickery, Yin Sha, and Wu Xiang are all powerful figures among the Chaos Gods and Demons. Currently, their cultivation levels are all at the ninth rank of the Dao Integration Realm, comparable to Calamity and Destruction.

The five of them bowed to Hongjun at the same time, exchanged a few polite words, and then stepped into Zixiao Palace.

After the guests and hosts were seated, Calamity spoke up, saying, "The Great Tribulation of the Journey to the West will involve the three realms of Heaven, Earth, and Man. Without powerful allies, it will be difficult to control the overall situation."

"With these three fellow Daoists involved, no matter how cunning and treacherous the Azure Lotus Daoist is, he will absolutely not gain any advantage."

Hongjun smiled and nodded, saying, "If we're talking about scheming and intrigue, who can compare to Fellow Daoist Trickster?"

"With the help of Fellow Daoist Wuxiang, even Daoist Qinglian might not know who is the enemy and who is the friend."

"Fellow Daoist Yin Sha is also the key to the outcome of the Great Tribulation of Journey to the West. I have an idea, and I wonder if Fellow Daoist Yin Sha would like to hear it?"

Leaving aside Hongjun's arrangement of the Journey to the West, let's just talk about Emperor Xin leading his army back in triumph.

The people of Chaoge spontaneously came out of the city to welcome him, first bowing deeply to Emperor Xin. Then, they didn't forget to throw vegetable leaves and rotten eggs at Ji Fa and Jiang Ziya, who were in the prison cart. Emperor Xin didn't stop them, after all, the calamity of the human race was caused by these two. As for the so-called destiny, to Emperor Xin, that was just nonsense.

Ultimately, it all boils down to Ji Fa's ambition; he harbored a delusion of betraying humanity to gain personal benefits. As for the so-called divine will, that was merely an excuse.

If Chen Xuan hadn't given the order, and Jiang Ziya hadn't completed the Investiture of the Gods, Emperor Xin's first act upon returning to Chaoge would likely have been to have Jiang Ziya and Ji Fa executed by slow slicing.

Even so, Di Xin wanted to let them know how deep the hatred of the human race was towards them. He wanted them to suffer endless humiliation and make them truly wish they were dead.

So even though Emperor Xin led his civil and military officials into the Nine-Room Palace, Jiang Ziya and Ji Fa were still imprisoned in a prison cart and kept outside the palace.

With Di Xin present, the human people were out of control. It's easy to imagine what treatment the two would receive without Di Xin's presence.

In the Nine-Room Hall, Emperor Xin sat high on his throne and said, "Now the Investiture of the Gods has ended, and the human race has also completed the conferment of titles upon the sages."

"It is time for the human race to establish a divine court and go to the Fire Cloud Cave to suppress the destiny of the human race. I wonder if any of you would be willing to accompany me to the Fire Cloud Cave?"

Being able to reside in the Fire Cloud Cave is undoubtedly the ultimate goal for every human being. Now that they have the opportunity to become a member of the Human Divine Court, naturally no one would refuse.

Seeing that all the civil and military officials were willing to go to the Fire Cloud Cave, Emperor Xin nodded in satisfaction and spoke.

"The Great Shang Dynasty is now a holy dynasty of the human race, no longer a mortal dynasty. Therefore, a new leader of the human race has been elected. I wonder if any of you are willing to stay and establish a new dynasty?"

As soon as Di Xin uttered these words, all the civil and military officials in the Nine-Room Palace took a step back, fearing that Di Xin would see them. They were sacrificing their chance to go to the Fire Cloud Cave by remaining as king in the mortal realm.

Becoming the new ruler of humanity not only brings wealth and honor, but also allows one's family to reach the pinnacle of glory.

But all of that is just a fleeting moment, and in the end, one inevitably enters the cycle of reincarnation. Compared to entering the Fire Cloud Cave and achieving immortality, it is worlds apart.

Some even worried that they would be chosen by Emperor Xin, and some even suggested that Yin Jiao and Yin Hong should form a new dynasty, since they were of royal blood.

Upon hearing this, Di Xin couldn't help but look at Yin Jiao and Yin Hong. However, before Di Xin could speak, Yin Jiao and Yin Hong directly refused.

“Father, my brother and I are both Great Luo Golden Immortals. How can we become the rulers of the human race? Why not entrust this task to my younger brother, since he has not yet begun his cultivation?”

The younger brother mentioned by Yin Jiao and Yin Hong was none other than Wu Geng, the son of Emperor Xin and Su Daji.

Upon hearing this, Di Xin couldn't help but nod. Although the shackles of the Heavenly Dao no longer restricted the cultivation of the human race's supreme ruler.

However, Di Xin also believed that mortal kings should not have endless lifespans, but they should also not be powerless.

After a moment's thought, he said, "In that case, let Wu Geng stay and establish a new dynasty, and begin cultivating the Human Emperor Scripture."

"A hundred years from now, Wu Geng's achievements will be tested. If he makes a contribution to the human race, he can enter the Fire Cloud Cave. Otherwise, he will be reincarnated."

"Not only Wu Geng, but from this day forward, all mortal rulers shall follow this principle. After all, only in this way can mortal rulers be motivated to govern diligently and better govern the human race." (End of Chapter)