Primordial Era: Refusing Hongjun's path to sainthood, I attained the Dao of Hunyuan.

Chapter 163 Borrowing a Treasure

"What you say, junior brother, is tempting, but what is the purpose of my sect?"

Tongtian smiled wryly. He understood Xuanhuang's meaning perfectly, but a sage establishes a great religion not merely to spread his teachings.

If it's just for spreading the word, then why establish a religion? Wouldn't it be more enjoyable to live like Xuanhuang, who lives beyond the heavens and earth and teaches one or two disciples in his spare time?

Sages establish great religions for two reasons: first, to spread the Way, and second, to compete for destiny. This competition for destiny, in particular, is the source of the mutual strife among various religions.

Therefore, although Xuanhuang's suggestion was good, Tongtian did not accept it.

Xuanhuang shook his head and said, "That's not how it works. Besides, although your disciples are taught without discrimination, they are indeed of varying quality. Just like a tree, its branches and leaves will eventually wither and fall. Why don't you take advantage of this great calamity to prune the branches and leaves of the Jie Sect tree?"

"If that's the case, how can I be the leader of the Jie Sect?" Tongtian said without hesitation.

Upon hearing this, Xuanhuang fell silent.

Tongtian sat for a while longer, wanting to say something but unable to, and finally got up to take his leave.

Xuanhuang personally sent it out of Xuanhuang Heaven.

Having just seen Tongtian off, on their way back to Xuanhuang Palace, Xuanhuang encountered Kong Xuan again. Kong Xuan, showing the respect due to a disciple, asked, "Master, what brings the Shangqing Sect Leader here?"

Xuanhuang sat down in a nearby pavilion and said, "We have come here for this great calamity, for the birth and death of the entire Jie Sect."

So he briefly recounted his conversation with Tongtian to Kong Xuan.

Then he asked, "In your opinion, what is the Tongtian Sect Leader's behavior like?"

Kong Xuan thought for a moment and replied, "If I were the leader of the sect, I would do the same."

"only……"

Kong Xuan hesitated, as if he wanted to speak.

"But what?" Xuanhuang pressed.

"Please forgive my presumptuous words, Master," Kong Xuan said.

"Please feel free to speak."

Kong Xuan pondered for a moment and then said, "However, I feel that although the doctrines of various religions are profound, they are also often biased."

"The Humanist sect has the name of education but lacks the substance. The doctrines of the Chan sect are also difficult to understand and spread. Although the Jie sect claims to teach without discrimination, its disciples are a mixed bag, with some virtuous people but many more wicked and evil. The Western Paradise, which claims to save oneself first and then others, is almost entirely a delusion to achieve universal salvation."

After a pause, Kong Xuan continued, "As for Uncle Zhen Yuanzi's Earth Immortal Sect, although it was not bad, it has now turned into gods and is now just a passing cloud."

Xuanhuang fell silent upon hearing this, and after a while, he laughed and said, "What you say is indeed audacious."

"But that's the truth, so I won't blame you. I'll just ask you, since you know that all religions have this drawback, what are your plans?"

Upon hearing this, Kong Xuan hesitated and said, "I dare not hide it from you, Master. I do have the idea of ​​establishing a sect, but I dare not do so without your permission."

Xuanhuang sighed and said, "I knew you wanted to establish a sect."

Xuanhuang silently calculated the secrets of heaven, and after a moment said, "Benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and courage are the doctrines of the great religion you have established. In theory, these doctrines are indeed perfect and surpass any other religion today."

"However, nothing in this world is perfect. Whether your teachings are truly flawless will only be known after verification."

Kong Xuan nodded in agreement.

"I have no objection to you establishing a religion, but you'll have to wait a while longer, at least until this great tribulation is over. Don't usurp the throne."

Xuanhuang said again.

Upon hearing this, Kong Xuan was both surprised and delighted, and quickly said, "Thank you, teacher."

Xuanhuang then asked, "If you wish to establish a sect, do you possess a treasure capable of suppressing the fortune of a major sect?"

Kong Xuan hesitated for a moment, then said, "With my Five-Colored Divine Light, is it possible to subdue the sect?"

Xuanhuang shook his head and said, "The Five-Colored Divine Light is not a magical treasure; how could it suppress the fortune of a great sect?"

Kong Xuan couldn't help but frown.

Xuanhuang said, "Show me your five-colored divine light."

Five divine lights appeared behind Kong Xuan, shooting straight into the sky and illuminating the entire Xuanhuang Heaven.

Xuanhuang examined it several times, then nodded and said, "That's right. Although divine light cannot suppress the sect, there are other methods."

"After this great calamity is over, go to Nuwa Palace and ask your senior sister Nuwa to borrow the Qiankun Cauldron from her."

"The teacher means..."

Upon hearing this, Kong Xuan's eyes lit up, and he immediately understood what Xuanhuang meant.

Xuanhuang nodded.

But Kong Xuan had another question, asking, "Why must we wait until the great calamity has passed?"

Xuanhuang looked in the direction of Nuwa Palace and smiled, saying, "Because the Qiankun Cauldron is not in Nuwa Palace right now."

……

Meanwhile, Tongtian, having left Xuanhuang Heaven, couldn't help but feel a little regretful about his purpose in coming to Xuanhuang Heaven this time.

It wasn't anything else, but rather that they intended to borrow Xuanhuang's Hunyuan Sword.

It turns out that Tongtian thought that if he were to clash with Laozi and Yuanshi during the Great Tribulation, he would not be afraid with the Zhuxian Sword Formation.

But if he could have one more supreme treasure, especially the Primordial Chaos Sword of Xuanhuang, then truly no one could do anything to him.

But who would have thought that after arriving in Xuanhuang Heaven and arguing with Xuanhuang, the two had a falling out, and it would be bad to ask for the treasure again.

"Sigh, I should have borrowed the Hunyuan Sword first and then argued with him. What am I going to do now? Am I going to go back empty-handed?"

After thinking it over, Tongtian realized that it was impossible to get him to return to Xuanhuang Heaven now.

Other sages, like Laozi and Yuanshi, naturally didn't need to think about it, and neither did Jieyin or Zhunti, nor did Zhenyuanzi.

Its most powerful item is the Earth Book, but although the Earth Book is excellent, it is not used by Zhen Yuanzi himself, but only borrowed, so it probably cannot reach the power of a primordial treasure.

That leaves only Nuwa's junior sister.

It just so happens that Nuwa recently obtained the Qiankun Cauldron.

"This is indeed the will of Heaven. We can borrow Sister Nuwa's Qiankun Cauldron for a while." So, Tongtian was not in a hurry to return to Biyou Palace, and went to Nuwa Palace on the other side of the Thirty-Three Heavens.

Upon arriving at Nuwa's Palace, Tongtian was now much more cunning. He didn't bother with any of the usual tricks; he simply flattered Nuwa a few times before getting straight to the point and asking her to borrow the Qiankun Cauldron.

With the Qiankun Cauldron lent to him by Nuwa, and his own Zhuxian Sword Formation, Tongtian finally felt at ease.

Upon returning to Biyou Palace, he rang the golden bell, summoning his thousands of disciples. He instructed them that a great calamity was approaching, and if they did not wish to be swept up in it and reduced to ashes, they should all follow his orders and remain in seclusion.

Tongtian even wrote down two lines of verse: "Close the cave door tightly, quietly recite two or three volumes of the 'Huang Ting'; throw yourself into the Western Land, and your name will be on the 'Investiture of the Gods' list."

The Water and Fire Boys were placed at the entrance of Biyou Palace as a warning.

However, after doing all this, Tongtian couldn't help but recall his conversation with Xuanhuang in Xuanhuang Heaven.

If both the Western religion and the Heavenly Court become the Jie Sect, then why worry about our own lineage not flourishing?

However, this was only a fleeting thought, and he quickly composed himself. Tongtian's face showed a resolute expression as he muttered to himself, "Xuanhuang is, after all, my junior brother. Although what he said makes sense, as a sage who established this great sect, I absolutely cannot fail to consider the well-being of my disciple."

"It's one thing to join the Western Religion, but if I were to be listed on the Investiture of the Gods, all my cultivation in this life would be for naught, my supernatural powers would never advance, and I would even be at the mercy of the Jade Emperor. How could I bear to do that?"

After Tongtian finished speaking, he fell silent and gradually entered a meditative state, his spirit wandering away. After a long time, Tongtian suddenly opened his eyes, a thought flashing through his mind, and he summoned an object—a precious cauldron.

It was the Qiankun Cauldron borrowed from the Nuwa Palace. Now that the Great Tribulation was approaching, he needed to perform a simple ritual on the Qiankun Cauldron to familiarize himself with it before he could use it more effectively.

(End of this chapter)