Investiture of the Gods: I am Bigan, the Master of Conspiracy

Chapter 147 Changes Over Tens of Thousands of Years

Over these tens of thousands of years, many things have happened. Yin Ziyu and the Golden Spirit Mother's prestige has led to their successful appointment as the Five Elders of the Five Directions in the Heavenly Court.

As the leader of the Jie Sect and a Hunyuan Golden Immortal, Jinling Shengmu's immense prestige meant no one would oppose her. The newly defeated Chan and Ren Sects could only helplessly tolerate the Jade Emperor's actions.

Regardless, although the Heavenly Court's fortune is not in Haotian's hands, both Haotian and Yaochi are at the mid-stage of Quasi-Saint level.

Such cultivation only means one cannot control one's destiny; it doesn't make one a true puppet. A true puppet like Emperor Xian of Han is quite different.

The Heavenly Court's fortune is now divided into two parts. One part is the fortune borrowed by Laozi. If Haotian wants it, Laozi will have Haotian borrow it personally.

Because the borrower is responsible for repaying the debt, this excuse is enough to render Haotian powerless. A portion of the fortune was gathered by the Chan Sect to the Heavenly Court through the establishment of an emperor.

What? The Chan Sect sacrificed so much fortune and bore so much infamy for the establishment of this emperor, and you, Haotian, just want to take it away?

Whoever controls destiny will control the entire Heavenly Court. Even though Haotian and Yaochi hold the moral high ground, it's no different from before.

In the past, the Heavenly Court had virtually no fortune; it was just a small, insignificant entity. Now, with the arrival of fortune, the Three Realms have prospered the Heavenly Court. However, since Haotian and Yaochi do not have their own direct descendants or those in charge of the fortune, there has been virtually no change.
However, the Chan Sect and the Ren Sect were unable to suppress the rise of heroes in the prehistoric world. Naturally, Haotian Yaochi had its own ideas. Nothing major happened at the second Peach Banquet. Relying on righteousness, they successfully won over Yin Ziyu and Jinling Shengmu, which can be considered as stabilizing their own position.

Yin Ziyu, on the other hand, was recognized by the Heavenly Court and belonged to the Heavenly Court's order, second only to the Heavenly Emperor.

The order of the Three Pure Ones, the Four Emperors, the Five Directions, and the Five Elders was truly established at the Peach Banquet, and the divine positions of the Four Emperors all knew that this was controlled by the Chan Sect.

The Heavenly Court now possesses immense fortune, though it is borrowed from the Heavenly Dao. Given such vast fortune, Yin Ziyu's idea is to let it circulate freely, which he naturally accepts gladly. Moreover, he will receive a salary from the Heavenly Court, so why not?

This can be considered as secretly forming an alliance with Haotian, laying the groundwork for the future.

Now, after tens of thousands of years of peace, the Heavenly Dao has bestowed its fortune, but it is not a one-time event; rather, it rises slowly.

As Yin Ziyu watched this fortune descend in Changzhou, he immediately realized that the overall trend of Heaven had not changed. Although the Great Shang Dynasty still existed and the rogue cultivators had risen to prominence, Heaven had lent the vast fortune to Laozi as a means to balance the trends of the Three Realms.

Yin Ziyu immediately notified Luo Shen and the immortals of the Jie Sect.

Soon, the core decision-making bodies of the Great Merchant and the Jie Sect arrived.

Although many extraordinary talents have emerged in the business world over the years, they still cannot enter the decision-making level, which remains the same group of people.

Yin Ziyu looked at Luo Shen and said, "In these tens of thousands of years, Fellow Daoist Luo Shen has now reached the peak of Taiyi Golden Immortal, and the blooming of the Great Luo Flower is not far off!"

Luo Shen then said, "Ziyu, I will try my best to perfect my own Dao before entering the realm of the Great Luo Golden Immortal, so that the Great Luo Golden Flower can bloom in more grades!"

Yin Ziyu nodded: "That's right! Fellow Daoist Mi Fei has basically controlled the Luo River for tens of thousands of years. The Goddess of the Luo River is famous throughout the Three Realms. The Luo River blesses cause and effect, making her sacred and inviolable. Once the laws of cause and effect are perfected, she can advance to the Great Luo realm. It's not impossible for her to bloom into the ninth rank!"

Yin Ziyu's words shocked everyone. A flower that blooms to the ninth grade has immense potential, a potential that has already caught up with that of a primordial saint.

When Yunxiao Jinling and others advanced to the Great Luo realm, they were only at the seventh or eighth grade of the Flower Blooming stage.

Reaching the ninth rank is a significant hurdle, so it's understandable that Mi Fei is cautious. Being more cautious would increase her chances of reaching the ninth rank, as she would have mastered the laws of cause and effect by the time she reached the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm.

The quality of a person is not only determined by their origins, but also by their experience and the principles they have mastered.

In other words, the quality of a flower depends on its potential.

The level of one's foundation is itself a potential; the higher the potential, the higher the grade of the blossom. A higher grade of blossom can then have a greater affinity with the Great Dao, resulting in a higher upper limit, thus forming a virtuous cycle.

While becoming a Great Luo Golden Immortal is extremely difficult in the Three Realms today, it is still a piece of cake for top-tier powers and sages.

For example, the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir and the Yellow Plum can achieve this, but this kind of Great Luo Golden Immortal has no future. The flower will only bloom at the second or third grade, and the Great Luo at the second or third grade will basically not advance to the middle stage.

A fourth or fifth-grade Grand Luo cultivator has the potential to enter the middle or late stages, a sixth or seventh-grade Grand Luo cultivator can enter the Quasi-Saint stage, an eighth-grade cultivator has the opportunity to enter the late Quasi-Saint stage, and only a ninth-grade cultivator has a slight chance of reaching the Primordial Chaos stage.

The twelfth rank is necessarily achieved through the Hunyuan realm; only those with the background of the Three Pure Ones can reach the twelfth rank.

The Three Pure Ones are in a class of their own since the beginning of time, even surpassing innate gods and demons.

After all, even if a primordial god or demon has a background, can it compare to the primordial spirit of Pangu?

Yunxiao also said, "It is best for Mi Fei to be cautious. Once she perfects her own path and masters a Great Dao Law, the quality of her flowers will naturally increase. As for the future, her prospects are limitless!"

Yin Ziyu then said, "The heavenly secrets are about to unfold, and the fortune of the Heavenly Dao is beginning to fall into the primordial world. The reason I summoned all of you fairy Daoists here before was for this opportunity!"

The Golden Spirit Mother was naturally able to sense the source and essence of this fortune, and couldn't help but sigh, "I never imagined that Ziyu's words would come true. Heaven has actually bestowed this fortune, and this fortune is none other than literary energy!"

Shang Rong exclaimed with delight, "Over the past tens of thousands of years, the imperial examinations of the Great Shang Dynasty have produced countless geniuses who have attained enlightenment! In that case, the fortunes of the Great Shang Dynasty are bound to rise!"

Yin Ziyu then said, "This time we need to see where this enormous fortune will land. We need to plan quickly and seize this fortune!"

"Ziyu, how should we compete for it?"

Everyone immediately looked at Yin Ziyu and asked him.

Yin Ziyu pondered for a moment. According to the original primordial world, the fall of this fortune was divided into several steps.

The first step is that the place where the fortune falls will inevitably cause people from all sides of the Three Realms to descend to the mortal world to comprehend the Dao, with the Supreme One being the first. The second step is to convert the barbarians. The third step is the Ullambana Festival, where people from all sides of the Three Realms will come to discuss the Dao and ultimately distribute the fortune of this Heavenly Dao.

At the same time, it also laid the groundwork for the subsequent Journey to the West.

This means that the West is experiencing a great opportunity, which is an opportunity bestowed upon the West by the will of Heaven.

After all, the great trend of Heaven does not belong solely to the East, but is a common Heavenly Way of both East and West, therefore, there must be an opportunity in the West.

This logic is somewhat similar to the Northern and Southern Examinations in the Ming Dynasty. If all the successful candidates in the imperial examinations were from the South, did the Ming Dynasty only have half of the country?
If the will of Heaven favors only the East, does that mean Heaven belongs to the East and not the West? Does Heaven only have half the land? Such a Heavenly Way is truly unjust.

When Heaven chose Hongjun, Rahu died, and the West entered a period of desolate fortune, which lasted for countless eons. Although the West was given two sages, the East had four sages, and Hongjun also came from the East.

This makes it seem like the West is an unwanted stepchild and that it must be given a chance.

Heaven's way must be impartial, devoid of individualism, and treat everyone equally. If you are given a chance but fail to perform, then there's nothing that can be done.

In the present Three Realms, it is already extremely difficult for a Great Luo Golden Immortal to enter the Quasi-Saint realm. This time, the opportunity presented by the Heavenly Dao can be seized if one can take a leap forward, while if one misses it, it is unknown when the opportunity will come in the future.

With Yin Ziyu's insight, he naturally knew that in the end, some people in the East would gain opportunities by relying on this fortune, while those in the West would ultimately receive this great fortune. However, this led to many choices from all sides, but Yin Ziyu could not interfere with or reveal these matters.

Any plan that is illogical or unreasonable is an anomaly, and an anomaly will inevitably face divine retribution.

Just like in the Investiture of the Gods, when Emperor Xin's blasphemy caused the fortune to plummet, Yin Ziyu used large-scale infrastructure construction to boost the fortune and stabilize a temporary prosperity. However, this resulted in no fortune flowing into Xiqi, which caused fluctuations in the overall trend of the Investiture of the Gods, but everything was reasonable.

Those who hold positions should fulfill their duties, thus preserving their fortunes and finding a glimmer of hope in seemingly hopeless situations—this aligns with the principles of the Great Way.

Even the most predetermined rules of the Great Dao offer a glimmer of hope, and the Heavenly Dao must also submit to the rules of the Great Dao.

Therefore, even if the final outcome of this shift in the fortunes of literature and the Way is to flow to the West, one still needs to seek one's own benefit.

As for the plans of other parties, they can compete on the same stage without needing to interfere with the overall situation unreasonably.

At this moment, everyone looked at Yin Ziyu. Yin Ziyu pondered for a moment and said, "The so-called literary path is to gain the recognition of the hearts of all beings, and it is also an opportunity to preach the Way to all beings. The greater the recognition of all beings, the greater the fortune gained. Therefore, when this opportunity comes, we should make good plans for it!"

The Holy Mother of Golden Spirit looked at Yin Ziyu and asked, "Ziyu, what should we do?"

Yin Ziyu pondered for a moment and said, "In the Three Realms today, the human race is the main force, but the Shang Dynasty is a minority. Over the past tens of thousands of years, the four continents and the human race in the myriad realms have improved by tens of thousands of times, far exceeding trillions. The myriad phenomena of the mortal world have taken shape among mortals. The so-called literary path should be about how to gain their recognition in the myriad phenomena of the mortal world!"

After hearing this, Luo Shen said, "Brother Ziyu, the human race outside of the Great Shang Dynasty is now so large. Are we going to treat them like cattle and sheep?"

After hearing this, Yin Ziyu shook his head: "No matter what, they are still human. Even if we cannot launch a northern expedition or resist the general trend, and prevent them from being treated as gods, immortals, cattle, or sheep, we still need to plant the seeds of enlightenment in them, so that they can find transcendence in the endless shackles of thought. If there are those who can comprehend, let them smoothly enter the Great Shang. The Great Shang will not distinguish between people based on their ethnicity, but will treat them all equally!"

Yin Ziyu's words surprised everyone, as they did not expect that Yin Ziyu was not hostile to the Xuanyuan faction.

"Is Ziyu no longer hostile to the Xuanyuan faction?"

Hearing Bixiao's words, Yin Ziyu smiled faintly: "Times have changed. The Great Shang Dynasty was once besieged by the Xuanyuan lineage, but now the human race has all become mortals and has long forgotten the events of tens of thousands of years ago. Why should we still harbor hatred? They are now also deeply besieged by the Xuanyuan lineage. Therefore, when we pass on the Dao to them in the future, where will the Dao come from? For the Jie Sect, it is still a glimmer of hope. For me, the Dao lies in the heart, and I will experience the heart of my entire life through my own heart!"

After all, tens of thousands of years have passed, the hatred between the Shang and Zhou dynasties has faded away, and ethnic differences have become less important.

The Great Shang Dynasty still exists in the world, continuing to protect countless humans, while the Xuanyuan lineage has all become immortals and gods, and although they are still part of the mortal world, they can no longer attain immortality.

From a moral standpoint, is there no hope left for those born into the mortal realm?

Yin Ziyu upheld the orthodoxy of the human race, but unifying the entire human race was unrealistic. Firstly, the general trend did not allow it, and secondly, the Shang Dynasty lacked sufficient fortune. The mere fact that countless trillions of people needed opportunities and good fortune directly led to the collapse of the Shang Dynasty.

Let alone the entire human race, even a small part of the human race would be too much for the Shang Dynasty to handle.

Does this mean that conquest will only continue the enslavement? Or will it mean differential treatment?

None of these will work, but they can offer a glimmer of hope to those who can comprehend them. Those who can see through it and comprehend it can achieve transcendence.

In any case, all actions must not contradict one's own principles.

After hearing this, the Golden Spirit Mother nodded: "Ziyu, in that case, this path is to impart a chance of life to those in the mortal world who cannot escape the cycle of reincarnation!"

Yin Ziyu nodded: "That's right. This time, the Heavenly Dao's fortune descends upon the mortal world, but only to the mortals, not the immortals. The world of mortals is full of endless confusion, which is precisely the opportunity to spread the Dao, not in the Great Shang Dynasty. This great Dao of the mortal world is called the Dao by the interplay of Yin and Yang. Some will confuse the masses, while others will enlighten them. Those who confuse will gain faith, and those who enlighten will gain prestige. At that time, all parties in the Three Realms will spread the Dao, and we can simply follow the trend!"

Everyone agreed after hearing this.

Essentially, this cycle of destiny and fortune revolves around how to deal with the vast mortal population.

These issues will generate a lot of conflict, and opportunities will arise from this conflict.

In the midst of this chaos, Laozi asked Duobao, "Duobao, how is your understanding of the Great Dao of Samsara?"

"Disciple reports to Grand Master Uncle: I have basically comprehended the Great Dao of Samsara and have also mastered the Law of Cause and Effect. I can now open the Samsara World!"

Lao Tzu nodded in agreement: "Very good. Your comprehension is strong, and you have been able to comprehend this Dao. Soon your opportunity will come, and you will be able to go to the West to become a Buddha and a Patriarch!"

Duobao's expression was quite respectful: "The Saha world of our great master is far superior to the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Although the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss is good, it is ultimately unattainable. Only by experiencing the Saha world can one find the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. For the beings of the Three Realms today, only the Saha world is in accordance with the way of all beings!"

The Pure Land is like a utopia; it's wonderful to imagine, but ultimately difficult to reach.

Preaching is like drawing a pie in the sky; if you can't deliver on your promises, how can you convince people to believe?
The Saha world is a ladder, a ladder to the Pure Land, which allows the Buddha's path to be perfected in the hands of many treasures.

And Lao Tzu truly lived up to his name; his mastery of Buddhist teachings far surpassed that of Jieyin and Zhunti.

At this moment, the Primordial Celestial Venerable arrived: "Elder brother, you have emanated your body into the Three Realms. Is this to plot against the Heavenly Dao and its fortune?"

Laozi nodded: "Yuanshi, the Heavenly Dao is bestowing its fortune upon us today, which is an opportunity for the Three Realms. However, the human race is now in a state of moral decay. Second brother, you should devise a plan. Yin and Yang are the Great Dao. Second brother, you can have your disciples teach the two paths of leniency and strictness to guide the human race. This will also greatly enhance the fortune of your Chan Sect!"

After listening to this, Yuanshi Tianzun pondered for a moment and then devised a plan!
"What you say is very true, elder brother. This is how I will go and make plans!"

(End of this chapter)