Becoming an immortal and ancestor begins with the golden toad spitting out money.

After the emperor completed the Yujingchong Miaoguan Temple, he suddenly discovered a problem.

At some point, the number of Taoist temples in the capital was almost equal to that of Buddhist temples. Some officials joined the Buddhist faith, some powerful figures kept Buddhist followers, and some even entered the court as officials.

Not to mention the newly built Yujingchong Miaoguan, even the old Taoist temples like Yaohua Temple were deserted, but the Buddhist temples were bustling with activity.

The rise of Buddhism is a recent phenomenon, occurring only in the last few years. The emperor only had a superficial understanding of its doctrines, and only knew that officials promoted Buddhism.

Upon closer examination, it has been discovered that Brahma advocates equality for all beings, does not worship rulers or relatives but only reveres Brahma, believes that all things are empty, dedicates everything in life, and enters the pure land of Brahma after death...

Not only ordinary people, but also many officials firmly believed in this, hoping to enter the Brahma Kingdom after death and become a member of the blessed land of the Eight Heavenly Dragons, enjoying the ultimate bliss in the Pure Land.

Most importantly, as Hinduism rapidly developed and countless temples sprang up, the personal wealth of Hindus increased and their numbers surged, leading to widespread tax evasion. Not to mention, the tenets of Hinduism had begun to shake the foundations of imperial rule...

Only then did the emperor realize that the complete nationalization of the East-West Chamber of Commerce was not simply a matter of reclaiming power, but rather that the gradually depleted national treasury could no longer support the court's expenditures.

However, even though the East-West Chamber of Commerce has now become a private enterprise, it still expands in all directions by taking advantage of emerging exotic products. The national treasury is gradually becoming full due to high taxes, while the powerful and wealthy oppress the people even more due to the loss of their wealth. Some people even cannot bear the pressure of survival and turn to banditry.

"The trouble caused by Buddhism lies with aristocratic families and landlords. If it is not dealt with soon, people may rise up in rebellion everywhere!"

Although the emperor had his own insights, he faced many problems. First, there was the Empress Dowager, who believed in Buddhism, and second, there were the powerful families behind the officials.

Fortunately, while some believe in Buddhism, others criticize or even hate it. Those who believe in Taoism are the first to be affected, followed by those who have suffered considerable losses due to the expansion of Buddhism.

As a result, in less than half a month, some actions were taken in the capital.

Several Taoist priests debated with Buddhist disciples in a temple, using Taoist scriptures as their foundation. What started as a small-scale event gradually grew in scale and attracted the attention of many people.

As a result, some lay Buddhists and ordinary people who only had a superficial understanding of Buddhism gradually realized the inhumanity of Buddhist doctrines and felt the conflict between Buddhist doctrines and common sense.

Before long, anti-Buddhist voices arose in both the imperial court and among the common people, but the emperor did not take immediate action, instead waiting for something.

Three days later, the nationwide campaign against bandits began. In less than half a month, more than a dozen bandit strongholds were wiped out, hundreds of people were shot dead on the spot by government troops, and more than two hundred people were arrested and taken to the government office.

When the soldiers passed by a temple, they found a large number of weapons. The envoy suspected that the temple was colluding with bandits. During the investigation, they encountered resistance and killed dozens of people in the temple.

When the news reached the capital, some said that bandits were impersonating Brahmins and causing havoc in the area, others said that the bandits were colluding with Brahmins to harm the area, and still others said that the bandits were actually soldiers raised by Brahmins, waiting for an opportunity to launch a rebellion...

When it came to rebellion, things became serious, and the emperor personally ordered the government to investigate temples throughout the country, which immediately caused a great uproar.

In some places, officials colluded with Brahmins and found nothing wrong, while in other places, they found that temples were evading taxes. Some temples also had brewing equipment and a lot of money. Some temples even became places for rich people to seek pleasure, and dozens of women were hidden there for their sexual exploitation.

Most shockingly, letters were discovered in a temple in the north that were allegedly treasonous with the northern barbarians. The local Brahma followers had colluded with a demonic cult to engage in human trafficking, resulting in the deaths of thousands of people.

Immediately, not only those who were already anti-Vatican, but even those officials who had been standing by were furious and petitioned the emperor to order the court to rectify the Vatican.

The emperor's idea was simple: to take advantage of this crackdown on Buddhism to solve the court's financial problems, and to carry out small-scale reforms by amending the law and strengthening management, so as to at least prevent those powerful families from continuing to oppress the people and deceive the court.

Of course, behind the powerful and wealthy families were the shadows of the officials, so the emperor didn't go too far.

In just a few months, thousands of people were investigated. Some were able to pay their taxes and avoid imprisonment, while others lacked the ransom because they had spent too much money on trendy goods.

As a result, many local powerful families complained bitterly, and some even brought up old stories from the time of the Eastern Emperor and the Southern Emperor, which immediately enraged the emperor.

During the period of the Three Emperors, neither the Crown Prince nor the Second Prince was the biological son of the previous emperor. One was the son of a military officer, and the other was the son of the Prince of Fu. Only the current emperor's Third Prince has a clear line of succession.

Back then, the Crown Prince had distorted the facts and spread rumors to frame the Third Prince, which enraged the Emperor at the time. Now, someone has brought up the old story again, and even just a few words have made the current Emperor truly furious.

As a result, what was originally a simple matter of regulating Buddhism has gradually escalated to the point of destroying Buddhism altogether.

Whether it was the emperor using this as an excuse, someone fanning the flames, or a dispute over religious beliefs, the anti-Buddhist movement arose all over the world.

The most enthusiastic among them were the poor people who were oppressed by powerful families and Buddhist temples. They were already in dire straits, and it was their last shred of conscience that they did not become outlaws. Now that they had the opportunity, they naturally became the vanguard in the fight to destroy Buddhism.

In just three months, thousands of temples were vandalized. Surprisingly, more than half of the temples were found to be hiding large amounts of grain and treasure. It was also not uncommon for them to be found to be hiding weapons, colluding with bandits, harboring women, or trafficking people. Even many clans and families were implicated.

Some people suffered undeserved misfortune, while others deserved it. When they could no longer stay on land, some sought refuge with the foreign tribes in the north, while others sailed to Southeast Asia to escape the disaster.

Whether it was pressure from the Heavenly Court or the Brahma Emperor's perception that this calamity was merely a tribulation on the path to Brahma's rise, he made no move during this process.

A group of commoners rose up in response to the times. Some became powerful figures in their own right, some acted cautiously and discreetly, and others were adept at networking and making connections everywhere. Before they knew it, they showed signs of becoming a new generation of aristocratic families and clans.

However, some people, during the destruction of Brahma, developed the idea of ​​disrespecting ghosts and gods and disregarding etiquette. They showed no respect or fear not only to the gods of heaven, but also to the local government and the imperial court.

Some lay low to win people's hearts, while others were very flamboyant in establishing their own schools of thought, and still others investigated the world's emerging sciences through the study of things.

The imperial court had just successfully suppressed Buddhism, and the human spirit was at its peak. The national treasury was also unprecedentedly full due to the confiscation of temples. Amidst the prosperity and flourishing of the capital, no one noticed some subtle changes among the people.

At some point, certain powerful figures in the western frontier began to make moves, incorporating surrendered non-Han tribes into their armies for training and secretly manufacturing weapons.

The noble families and Brahmanists who fled to the island chain in the South China Sea began to gather people and build a large fleet, seemingly looking for an opportunity to return to the Central Plains.

The northern barbarians continued to alter the culture and customs of the prefectures and counties they occupied. They not only incorporated human youths into the army for training, but also gathered some of the elderly, weak, sick and disabled together for continuous demonic cult sacrifices.

Before the Lunar New Year's Eve, the Four Symbols Heavenly Dragon Seal in the center of the White Rock Mountains suddenly malfunctioned, and the Undying Demon Lord, suppressed under the Golden Talisman of Salvation, broke out of the ground.

The Undying Demon Lord had already changed his appearance. At this moment, he resembled a black-robed ascetic, with a halo rotating behind his head like that of a Buddhist Buddha. However, the halo behind his head was not sacred, but as black as the night sky without sun, moon, or stars.

With a swift grab, the Undying Demon Lord pulled the Four Symbols Heavenly Dragons into his sleeve. Then, with a single punch, countless black demons rushed toward the Golden Talisman of Salvation.

In an instant, the heavens and earth trembled, and the immortals and gods guarding the area scattered in panic, though they did not forget to send messages to all sides.

Some suspect that the imperial court's suppression of Brahma killed too many people, causing a malevolent aura to rise in the world, which greatly increased the power of the Undying Demon Lord. Furthermore, the death of too many Brahma followers further diminished the power of the Golden Talisman of Salvation.

As a result, with the help of the demonic cult, the Undying Demon Lord gained unimaginable power and prepared to break free from the Brahma Emperor's salvation and suppression in one fell swoop...

In just a few breaths, countless phantoms of heavenly soldiers and generals appeared in the sky, but even faster came a golden hand that descended from the sky.

"The Brahma Emperor has made a move!" "The imperial court has only recently destroyed Brahma, yet the Brahma Emperor is still able to suppress the Undying Demon Lord. He truly has a magnanimous heart!"

"With the Brahma Emperor taking action, the Undying Demon Lord has no chance of escaping alive!"

The golden hand of the Brahma Emperor contained boundless power, which even made Su Ji tremble with fear, after all, the Brahma Emperor was the number one person below the Heavenly Emperor.

However, before Brahma's golden hand could fall, a crack suddenly appeared on the Golden Charm of Salvation. A flash of black light appeared on the body of the Undying Demon Lord, and nine beams of black light shot out along the crack in the Golden Charm of Salvation.

"boom!"

The Brahma Emperor's golden hand descended, transforming into a gigantic golden palm over ten miles long, once again suppressing the Undying Demon Lord beneath the White Rock Mountains.

However, most people's attention was drawn to the nine black beams of light that flew out from the Undying Demon Lord. Even if they were not clones of the Undying Demon Lord, they must have been some kind of evil power.

Just then, a golden glow suddenly appeared above the Western Golden Mountain Sect, and then it transformed into countless sword lights that slashed towards a black mist. It was none other than the Golden Glow Immortal General of the Golden Mountain Sect.

A divine phantom appeared in the southeast, holding a celestial abacus and a treasure-suppressing ingot, and knocked down two beams of black light. It was none other than the most famous God of Wealth, the Golden Toad God.

A goddess from the south, wearing a Taoist crown, carried a half-broken palace lantern. Two flames flew out from it, one transforming into a fire phoenix and the other into a fire dragon. Each of them swallowed a wisp of black energy. This goddess was none other than Yaohua Divine Lord under the command of the Southern Crimson Emperor.

Suddenly, a thunderous roar came from the north, which transformed into a tangible shockwave that shattered a wisp of black energy. It came from the renowned Zhenbei Marquis, a subordinate of the Northern Black Emperor.

Even so, three streaks of black energy managed to escape and disappeared without a trace.

Some people saw the Undying Demon Lord being suppressed again and felt that the calamity was over, while others felt that the three black lights were not ordinary objects and might bring great disaster in the future.

The emperor was initially indifferent, but rumors circulated that the three streams of black energy were the dragon energy of the previous dynasty, and that if someone obtained them, they might seize the opportunity to launch a rebellion.

Immediately, the imperial court began to strictly guard the western and northern borders, and began to discuss the recovery of the lost territories in the northern border, and even to expel the foreign tribes in the northern border to the North Sea to achieve the goal of unifying the world.

At this time, the suppression of the Vatican had just ended, and the imperial treasury was overflowing. If an army were to be dispatched, it would indeed be possible to reclaim the lost territory.

However, some people felt that the time for the world to recuperate was too short, and that the war to recover the lost northern territories should only be launched when the population was larger and the army was more sufficient.

Fearing that the black aura might indeed breed three "dragons" capable of vying for the throne, the emperor defied public opinion and prepared to launch a northern expedition to reclaim lost territory.

War is never a simple matter. Not to mention the hundreds of thousands of troops that need to be mobilized, the number of logistics troops required for war is several times that amount.

As a result, it wasn't until the spring of the following year that troops began to march toward the northern frontier, while of course, they did not overlook the movements in the western frontier.

Just then, the imperial court suddenly received bad news, not related to the northern or western borders, but that some bandits had suddenly appeared along the coast of the South China Sea.

After landing in various ships, these bandits of different races plundered coastal villages and even boldly attacked a county town.

The county town, which had enjoyed peace for a long time, was caught off guard and was actually occupied by these pirates. Not only did they suffer property losses, but the pirates also abducted hundreds of people, seemingly intending to transport them to the islands of the South China Sea to be sold as slaves.

The imperial court immediately ordered its fleet to encircle and suppress these pirates. At first, it managed to win some battles, but as the pirates dispersed along the long coastline, even the imperial fleet found itself with limited resources.

Ultimately, pirate ships were small but efficient, capable of navigating reef-strewn areas and escaping in small groups. Even large ships, at full speed, could only wipe out a portion of the pirates.

With the success of these pirates, more pirates from the South Seas were mobilized. The imperial court had no choice but to contact the East-West Chamber of Commerce through Zhou Wen.

By this time, the steamships of the East-West Chamber of Commerce had already occupied major waterways, carrying all kinds of goods to all directions, and of course, they had also opened up shipping routes to the island chain in the South China Sea.

With pirates rampant in the South Seas, the shipping of the East-West Chamber of Commerce was also threatened. They cooperated with the imperial court to suppress the pirates in the South Seas and achieved considerable results.

However, misfortune never comes singly. Those powerful figures who rose to power during the suppression of Buddhism saw the weakness of the court, or were misled, or felt that evil was descending upon them, and raised the banner of rebellion.

Once one rebelled, another followed. In just over a month, seven or eight rebel groups raised the banner of rebellion. The smallest rebel group consisted of only a dozen or so people, yet all of them provoked the wrath of the imperial court.

Suddenly, war broke out in many places across the land. Some of the fighting was minor, but the conflict in the northern frontier could not be ignored and attracted a great deal of attention.

Marquis Zhenbei was already over a hundred years old, but he was still in good health. He was also an advocate for the recovery of lost territories in the court. It was not that he was echoing the emperor, but that he saw that he was about to take another step forward. If he did not recover the lost territories in the north, he might not have the opportunity to participate in the war.

It should be noted that even if the God of Strength were to take action, he would be limited to the level of a god general before he achieved physical sainthood. Otherwise, if someone who has achieved physical sainthood and can shatter the void were to participate in a mortal war, it would be no different from cutting melons and vegetables and killing indiscriminately.

Even so, the Marquis of Zhenbei, who advanced in both the immortal and divine paths, remained incredibly powerful. Even though the Northern Frontier dispatched two veteran generals, they were still overwhelmed by the Marquis of Zhenbei.

Just as the eyes of many immortals and gods were focused on the battlefield in the north, the weather in the East China Sea suddenly changed, arousing great vigilance from the East China Sea Dragon Clan.

In a short time, the powerful dragon clan members traced the source of the change and quickly located the Phoenix Clan's blessed land.

"Oh no! Quickly inform the Four Seas Dragon Clan and the Dragon Emperor! The Phoenix Emperor is about to undergo a rebirth!"

The Phoenix Emperor's innate divine fire was able to be hidden in the Phoenix Clan's blessed land thanks to the connection between their origins. But if it were just an innate divine fire, it wouldn't matter. Once the Phoenix Emperor begins to revive, the Phoenix Clan's blessed land will no longer be able to conceal it!
As batches of dragon immortals and gods arrived from all directions, Su Ji, who was in the Phoenix Clan's blessed land, couldn't help but sigh.

He had the ability to revive the Phoenix Emperor long before he became a Celestial Saint, but he anticipated the current situation and waited for the right opportunity.

First, the world sought to destroy Brahma, but Brahma himself endured it;

After the Undying Demon Lord was born, even though Brahma had his own ulterior motives, he was suppressed again without much trouble.

Now that the Dragon Clan has begun to divert its resources to support the alien tribes in the northern frontier, and with the South Sea Dragon Clan turning a blind eye to or even fueling the flames of the pirates in the South Seas, he no longer wants to wait or tolerate it.

"The Phoenix Emperor's recovery may only take a hundred breaths, or it may take several days. The Crimson Emperor of the Heavenly Court will definitely guard against the Dragon Emperor closely. The Dragon Clan will only have one path left: to invade the Phoenix Clan's blessed land..." The Fire Phoenix God Lord's expression was solemn.

Taking advantage of the Phoenix Clan's blessed land, the nine Phoenix Clan deities were not afraid of invading ordinary dragons. However, if the powerful dragons joined forces to attack the Phoenix Clan's blessed land, even if the Phoenix Emperor successfully underwent Nirvana, the last high-level blessed land of the Phoenix Clan might be destroyed.

Looking at the distant phantom images of powerful dragons, including the South Sea Lone Dragon Venerable and the South Sea Dragon Lord, Su Ji shook his head: "I shouldn't have participated in the dragon-phoenix conflict, but the dragons' actions have gone too far..."

When the merchant ships of the East-West Chamber of Commerce were threatened by the South China Sea Dragon Clan, it was only through the mediation of the Bodhisattva Zilin that Su Ji had no choice but to back down.

Now that he has cultivated to the level of Immortal Saint in the Path of Excavation, if he still suffers from this kind of humiliation, wouldn't all these years of cultivation have been in vain?

Of course, it cannot be denied that the Phoenix Clan gave far too much! (End of Chapter)