I subdue demons and monsters, and cultivate immortality in hell to become a saint.

The Flower Fairy was furious when she saw that all the spiritual herbs and medicines in the world that had a little intelligence were snatched up by cultivators, without even a chance to take human form.

The more precious the plants and animals, the more likely they are to be harvested. Such frailty is not a sight she wants to see.

At that time, she had already entered the Great Divine Power Realm, and with a wave of her hand, she established an ironclad rule: any plant or tree in the world that has developed intelligence, if it dares to touch even a single branch or leaf, is to become her enemy and fight to the death!

She will protect all plants and trees, and with her great supernatural powers, she will subdue the entire cultivation world.

Without hesitation, she took action and suppressed several groups of cultivators who defied the rules, even eliminating the sects that were backing them. Her ruthless methods shocked everyone.

From then on, no one in the cultivation world dared to recklessly pick wild plants and animals, and countless plants were able to grow in peace and successfully transform into human form.

Heaven, seeing her merit in protecting plants, bestowed upon her a great deal of merit, an honor sufficient to allow her to stand firmly among the strong.

Including the Fairy of a Hundred Flowers, a total of five people received this merit, and for a time they were unparalleled in their fame and power, becoming the five most dazzling powerhouses in the world, and no one dared to challenge their prowess.

Three hundred years passed in the blink of an eye. The True Lord of Cangdao took the lead in establishing a religion in the West, calling it the Myriad Paths Sect, and proclaiming himself the Master of the Myriad Paths Sect. His prestige shook the Western land.

"The demon race are also ordinary people, why does Heaven favor one over the other?"

The True Lord of Cangdao stood on the altar, his voice like thunder, each word resounding with determination and arrogance.

The core doctrine of his religion is resistance and struggle. If there is no way forward, then break through the thorns and open a path to heaven. If the way of heaven is unjust, then go against heaven and reshape the world order.

Less than half a month after the True Lord of Cangdao established his religion, the Fairy of a Hundred Flowers followed suit, abandoning her original name and adopting the title "Flower Mother," which was revered by all living things, to establish the Spirit Religion.

As its name suggests, this religion is specifically designed for all living things in the world, including plants and trees, to help them stand tall and compete with other races in the world for fortune and opportunities.

Three years after the two established their sects, Yuan Zun, Shi Zun, and Lao Zun successively established their own sects. All five powerful figures founded their own schools, stirring up the winds and clouds of heaven and earth.

Yuanzun established the Goodness Teaching, with extremely simple doctrines: anyone with a kind heart can join the teachings, regardless of qualifications or background. The only goal is for everyone in the world to have a kind and compassionate heart, so that the teachings can be passed down for thousands of years and continue to thrive.

The Benevolent Sect appears harmonious, yet it harbors a hidden edge. Its foundation lies entirely with the human race, and its disciples often delve into the human realm to spread teachings, impart skills, and guide people towards goodness. In reality, it is deeply bound to the human race, using the human race's fortune to strengthen itself.

The founder of the sect was arrogant and disdainful of everyone. He believed that once he established the sect, he would be the best in the world and would never be inferior to anyone.

"Zhuo" means extraordinary and unparalleled in the world!

The First Venerable's nature destined the Zhuo Sect to have an insurmountable threshold, accepting only the most exceptionally talented individuals.

Whether human or plant-based, anyone wishing to join the Zhuo Cult must possess exceptional talent, appearance, and intelligence. Ordinary individuals cannot even find a trace of the Zhuo Cult's gates.

The old master was the last to establish a religion, and the sect he founded was named Yunsheng Sect, which was completely opposite to the elite approach of Zhuo Sect.

The old master had the world in his heart and embraced all things. He firmly believed that all living beings, regardless of their noble or lowly birth or their talent, deserved to be educated and could all become his disciples as long as they had a desire to learn.

The moment the five religions stood together, the heavens and earth trembled violently, and a massive amount of merit poured down, all flowing into the bodies of the five religion leaders.

With the power of their merits, the five broke through their shackles once again, stepping into a higher level of cultivation, their strength becoming unfathomable.

The rise of the five major sects completely shook the entire cultivation world. Countless ancient sects were eager to follow suit and establish their own sects, hoping to get a share of the merit.

Despite their painstaking efforts to establish their religion, the heavens and earth showed no reaction, not even a trace of merit descended. Instead, they became a laughing stock in the entire cultivation world and a synonym for overestimating their own abilities.

Everyone then realized that establishing a religion was not a casual matter and required two major conditions.

First, one must possess sufficient strength to control a region; second, one must have the qualifications and fortune recognized by heaven and earth.

The five leaders are all protagonists of heaven and earth blessed with good fortune. They have also made great contributions to protect the common people and end the chaos. Only then are they qualified to establish their sects. Others do not have this foundation and are simply asking for trouble.

From then on, the five major sects firmly established themselves as the behemoths of the cultivation world, crushing all ancient sects and becoming unmatched.

Those sects that had been passed down for thousands of years began to disintegrate one after another.

The sect leader possesses top-tier supernatural skills and techniques, and has supreme experts as his backers. In this era of the five sects vying for supremacy, one has no place to stand without joining the sect.

Not to mention ordinary cultivators, even many sect elders and sect leaders are willing to abandon their sect's foundation and humbly go to the five major sects to become disciples, just to be able to latch onto their powerful backers.

In an instant, the major sects fell apart, while the five major sects seized the opportunity to expand rapidly, spreading their influence throughout the world and becoming the sole protagonists in the cultivation world.

This period marked a major turning point in the spiritual practice world, with the old order being broken and a new order being reshaped by the five religions.

Decades later, the disciples under the five great masters gradually began to emerge, each possessing formidable strength that amazed the world.

Most of these disciples had followed the sect leader before the sect was established, and after the sect was established, they were blessed with good fortune, so their cultivation speed increased by leaps and bounds, and they quickly made a name for themselves in the cultivation world.

They each established their own sects and gathered their own power, all of which were affiliated with the five major sects. Countless cultivators flocked to them, respectfully calling the five sect leaders their grandmasters, and their power grew ever larger.

In the mortal realm today, more than 90% of the territory is controlled by the Five Religions, among which the Yunsheng Religion and the Wandao Religion are the most prosperous, with disciples all over the world and a large number of people and forces.

With so many people, there's bound to be a mix of good and bad. The disciples of these two sects have become the most likely to cause trouble, always carrying their own sharp edges and constantly leading to disputes.

Zhong Jiu walked through the streets of the mortal realm, looking at the city filled with cultivators from the five sects. A slight smile appeared on his lips as he murmured, "Truly, new talents emerge in every generation. Is this protagonist of heaven and earth really so unstoppable, with his charm seemingly granting him an unstoppable advantage?"

Looking at the rise of the five leaders, it seems as if it were ordained by heaven, with everything going smoothly and soaring to the highest position as if there were no obstacles.

But Zhong Jiu felt no disappointment or sense of crisis. Even though the five great sect leaders were renowned, they were still far inferior to him.

After all, when it comes to cheating, Zhong Jiu has never lost to anyone!

As he traveled through the world, Zhong Jiu gained a clearer understanding of the current situation in the human realm: with the establishment of the five religions, mortals were able to live and work in peace, and cultivators who joined the various religions also saw their strength rapidly increase, making the entire world seem peaceful and harmonious.

But beneath this peaceful facade, undercurrents are already surging, and a massive storm is quietly brewing.

Throughout his journey, Zhong Jiu has encountered countless cultivators from the five religions. They have different personalities and ways of doing things, but they all share one thing in common.

There was a strong sense of wariness and hostility between them.

The Shanjiao, Zhuojiao, and Yunshengjiao sects all originated in the East and have a deep historical connection. However, as the three sects continued to expand, their conflicts of interest became increasingly apparent, and their contradictions had long been buried deep in their hearts.

The pond is only so big, and everyone wants a piece of the pie. When some gain power, others lose out. Those who lose out are already harboring resentment.

At this moment, however, everyone harbored their own thoughts. On the surface, they still addressed each other as fellow Daoists and fellow disciples, appearing close but in reality, they were indifferent and on high alert.

The phrase "outwardly united but inwardly divided" perfectly describes the disciples of these three religions and their respective leaders.

"When a major power reaches its peak, it will inevitably clash with other powers. This is not something that those in power can easily control; it is simply the inevitable trend of the times."

Zhong Jiu unscrewed the wine gourd, took a swig of strong liquor, his white robes fluttering, his figure free and unrestrained. With one step, he flashed hundreds of steps away, like a true immortal playing in the mortal world.

If anyone were to witness this scene now, they would surely be astonished and unable to believe that such a powerful being existed in the world.

Zhong Jiu had long foreseen the future of the three religions. Before long, a world-shaking war would break out between them, and the accumulated contradictions would finally erupt completely and irreversibly.

This can be seen at a glance from the doctrines of the three religions and the thoughts of their three leaders.

Back then, Yuan Zun, Shi Zun, and Lao Zun joined forces to end the chaos and establish the rules of the cultivation world. At that time, the three were of one mind and were invincible, deeply revered by all living beings.

However, since they each established their own religions and sects, their thoughts have long since diverged, and estrangement and conflict have gradually arisen.

Yuan Zun's benevolent teachings, seemingly based on the idea that human nature is inherently good and that benevolence and righteousness should be prioritized in educating the world, have in fact already deeply bound themselves to the human race. In this world, the human race makes up the vast majority and possesses a massive amount of heaven and earth fortune. This benevolent teaching is tantamount to stealing the human race's fortune in disguise.

Stealing fortune is one thing, but it directly harms the interests of the First Venerable and the Old Venerable, offending them both.

In the past, the three of them joined forces and shared the credit, and were able to share the fortune of the human race and live in peace. Now, Yuan Zun monopolizes the fortune of the human race and eats it all by himself. How could the proud and arrogant Yuan Zun, who cannot tolerate the slightest grievance, not have a knot in his heart?

Old Venerable was born of the human race and was naturally close to the human race. However, as the Good Teaching spread widely, the human race's sense of closeness gradually shifted towards Yuan Zun. He saw this and how could he not have any thoughts?

Furthermore, regarding the Zhuo and Yunsheng sects, their doctrines are neither right nor wrong, but they are completely opposite and diametrically opposed.

Zhuojiao only accepts elites, valuing their qualifications, appearance, and talent; they would rather have none than accept the wrong ones.

Yunsheng Education does not discriminate based on background or aptitude; as long as one is eager to learn, opportunities are given, and everyone is inclusive.

From a purely doctrinal perspective, the two religions seem like natural rivals. When their disciples meet, they can't stand each other and have been harboring resentment for a long time, just waiting for an opportunity to erupt.

Human hearts are fickle, constantly changing with circumstances and time. Chung Kau, who sits in the underworld, has witnessed the rise and fall of countless lives and has long since gained profound understanding, seeing through the true nature of human hearts.

He was almost certain that a tremendous conflict between the three religions was inevitable, and that this conflict would not be limited to the three religions alone.