Primordial Era: A brick knocks Hongyun unconscious, and he seizes the throne at the start.

The Heavenly Court was newly established, its divine light shining everywhere. Inside the Lingxiao Palace, the Jade Emperor sat on his throne, feeling the immense fortune and authority of the Heavenly Dao flowing in with the return of the 365 righteous gods, his heart filled with satisfaction. Although he had the support of the Dao Ancestor and the Primordial Beginning, his position as Heavenly Emperor was not entirely secure. Now that the Investiture of the Gods was complete and the framework of the Heavenly Court was finally filled, he finally had the confidence to truly rule the Three Realms.

However, this confidence was quickly dampened by reality.

"Your Majesty, although the gods of the Thunder Department have returned to their positions, I have heard from Zhong... I have heard from the Heavenly Venerable that the internal affairs of the Thunder Department need to be reorganized and their duties clarified. In the short term, it may be impossible to fully operate the Thunder Cardinal." Venus carefully reported.

"The same applies to the Fire Department and the Battle Department." A celestial official added, "Most of the main gods in each department were originally disciples of the Jie Sect. Although they have now been listed as gods, they seem to still have old grudges and collude with each other. Many of them outwardly comply with the decrees of the Heavenly Court but inwardly disobey them."

Haotian's expression darkened slightly. He had long anticipated that these righteous gods from the Jie Sect wouldn't be so obedient, but he hadn't expected them to band together so quickly and their conflicts to be so obvious. While the resentment from the Jie Sect's destruction certainly played a part, the shadow of certain individuals was likely also at play—for example, Lu Chen, whose whereabouts were unknown, yet who always made him feel like he was sitting on pins and needles!

"It's alright." Haotian suppressed his irritation and said coldly, "The Heavenly Court has its own laws and regulations, and the divine laws are strict. Order the Inspector Generals to investigate strictly, and punish anyone who neglects their duties or disobeys orders according to the Heavenly Laws. In addition, issue my decree to promote some disciples of the Chan Sect and the Human Sect, as well as meritorious wandering immortals, to fill the deputy positions and subordinate gods in various departments, and to share their power."

He planned to gradually divide and control these unruly Jie Sect deities by using a strategy of mixing in unsuitable individuals. However, this would take time, and time was precisely what he lacked most. Meanwhile, on the Western Paradise, Jieyin and Zhunti, taking advantage of the Investiture of the Gods, had converted and recruited a large number of Jie Sect "predestined guests," causing their strength to expand rapidly and become an uncontrollable force.

The thought of the Western Religion gave Haotian an even bigger headache. Those two sages were shameless, ruthless, and always looking for an easy way out. They didn't put in any real effort during the Investiture of the Gods war, but they were more eager than anyone else to snatch heads and save souls. Now, under the guise of "saving all living beings," the Western forces had begun to infiltrate the East, competing with him, the Heavenly Emperor, for faith and incense offerings!

"Your Majesty, there is one more thing..." Taibai Jinxing's voice lowered further, "News has come from Xiniu Hezhou that Buddhist envoys have appeared in human cities, preaching Buddhist teachings, dispensing medicine, and attracting many believers. There are even rumors that they intend to... establish a Buddhist temple at the border between Dongsheng Shenzhou and Nanzhanbuzhou..."

"Outrageous!" Haotian slammed his fist on the imperial desk, his anger barely contained. Xiniu Hezhou was the Western Sect's stronghold, which he couldn't control for the time being, but Dongsheng Shenzhou and Nanzhanbuzhou were directly under the Heavenly Court's jurisdiction and traditionally within the Xuanmen's sphere of influence! The Western Sect was practically encroaching on his territory!

"Order the Four Heavenly Kings to increase manpower and patrol the borders of the Four Continents. Anyone who builds temples or gathers followers to preach without the permission of the Heavenly Court shall be regarded as a heretic and be banned!" Haotian said sternly, but he himself felt that he lacked confidence after speaking. The Western Sect is backed by two saints. Even when beating a dog, one must consider its owner. If things really get out of hand, the Heavenly Court may not be able to withstand it in its current state.

He suddenly felt an overwhelming longing for the days before the Investiture of the Gods, when he had the direct support of the Dao Ancestor and the Primordial Sage. Now that the Investiture of the Gods was over, the Primordial Sage had returned to Kunlun, seemingly intending for him, the Heavenly Emperor, to bear the burden alone, while the Dao Ancestor, after merging with the Dao, had disappeared without a trace.

"Ultimately, it's because the Heavenly Court itself lacks strength and authority," Haotian knew perfectly well. It seemed that besides sowing discord among the true gods of the Jie Sect, he also needed to find a way to cultivate a group of truly loyal followers as soon as possible. At the same time, he also needed to find an opportunity to give the increasingly restless Western Sect a warning.

Just as Haotian was overwhelmed with internal and external troubles for the Heavenly Court, Lu Chen, the "source of trouble" he couldn't forget, was doing something that would give him and the Western Sect an even bigger headache—poaching talent, and poaching talent that the Western Sect had just acquired and hadn't even had a chance to warm up!

Deep within the Hall of Peaceful Mind in the Netherworld, a "water mirror" formed from the power of reincarnation floated before Lu Chen. Reflected in the mirror was a newly opened courtyard at the foot of the Western Spirit Mountain, the "Eight Treasures Merit Pool." Lotus flowers swayed in the pool, bathed in Buddhist light. Many figures could be vaguely seen floating and chanting scriptures within, their bodies still bearing the aura of the Intercepting Sect's Daoist teachings, but with faint golden swastika marks now appearing between their brows.

These are all disciples of the Jie Sect who were forcibly converted or "voluntarily" converted by the Western Sect after the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation. Their cultivation levels range from True Immortal to Taiyi, and their numbers number in the thousands! The Western Sect placed them here to be cleansed with the water of the Eight Treasures Merit Pool and influenced by Buddhist teachings, in order to completely erase their Jie Sect imprint and transform them into Dharma protectors, Vajras, and Arhats of Buddhism.

"Jieyin and Zhunti, what impressive methods and appetites!" Lu Chen sneered. Swallowing so many disciples of the Jie Sect in one gulp, aren't they afraid of choking?

"The Daoist Master intends to..." Zhen Yuanzi mused to himself. Guiling Shengmu and Wudang Shengmu also cast their gazes; they were naturally unwilling to see their fellow disciples fall into the hands of Buddhism.

"Rescue them," Lu Chen said succinctly, "but not all of them, nor is it possible to rescue all of them. We need to select those who are valuable, whose Daoist hearts have not been completely extinguished, and who still have some old feelings for the Jie Sect. More importantly... we need to select those who have not been deeply converted and who have the opportunity to 'betray' us."

"How can we save them? That place is at the foot of Mount Ling, where a holy temple suppresses the evil forces, and it's heavily guarded," said the Holy Mother of Wudang with concern. She had personally experienced the methods used by the Western religion.

"A direct assault won't work; we need to outsmart them and leverage their momentum." A cunning glint flashed in Lu Chen's eyes. "Doesn't the Western religion talk about 'fate'? Let's create some 'fate' for them."

He explained the plan in detail. Although the Investiture of the Gods was over, the malevolent energy, resentment, and calamity generated by the great war had not completely dissipated, especially at the battlefield ruins where countless immortals and gods had perished (such as Jin'ao Island and Jiepai Pass), and at the border between the Netherworld and the Blood Sea, where they had accumulated particularly heavily. These energies were filthy to immortals and Buddhas, but to certain beings, they were a great tonic…

"Fellow Daoist, are you saying... to stir up the filthy energy of the Netherworld Blood Sea, or the ferocious tide of Beiju Luzhou, to impact the outer perimeter of Mount Ling and create chaos?" Zhen Yuanzi understood immediately.

"Not only that," Lu Chen added, "We can also 'help' those converted disciples of the Jie Sect 'recall' their past. Senior Sister Guiling, Senior Sister Wudang, do you possess any unique tokens or secret techniques of the Jie Sect that can resonate with the Daoist practices of your fellow disciples? For example... a certain special fluctuation of the Shangqing Immortal Light, or a certain Daoist rhythm from when you listened to the Dao at Biyou Palace?"

Gui Ling and Wu Dang exchanged glances and nodded. Gui Ling said, "I have a 'Mysterious Tortoise Shell Fragment,' a gift from my teacher many years ago. It contains a wisp of pure Shangqing Origin Daoist rhyme and has a slight sensitivity to cultivation techniques of the same origin. Wu Dang's 'Wudang Illusion Talisman' can also simulate part of the aura of Biyou Palace's Daoist temple."

"Alright! When the time comes, we'll use a secret method to activate the Daoist aura of these tokens amidst the chaos, limiting the area to that courtyard. Those fellow disciples who have only recently been converted, still harboring doubts or old ties, will surely sense it and their minds will waver. At that moment, our people will secretly provide support, using the Reincarnation Channel or Earth Vein Escape Technique to smuggle them out!" Lu Chen clenched his fist. "The number shouldn't be too large, a dozen or twenty at a time, accumulating little by little. We must be quick, leaving as soon as we succeed, without lingering, and without being caught in the act."

"Even if they discover someone is missing, the Western Cult might not dare to launch a large-scale search. Firstly, they're guilty, and forcibly converting people is dishonorable; secondly, they're busy digesting and consolidating their gains, and they're afraid of internal strife; thirdly... we can muddy the waters even further." Lu Chen smiled like a fox who had stolen a chicken, "For example, let the Styx Ancestor of the Blood Sea, or some ancient ferocious beast from Beiju Luzhou, take the blame?"

Zhen Yuanzi stroked his beard and smiled: "Excellent! This old Taoist can manipulate the earth's veins to create some 'natural' eruptions of earth evil energy to cover up the traces. Lady Pingxin's reincarnation passage is an unparalleled tool for evacuation."

Gui Ling and Wu Dang also showed signs of excitement. Being able to save some fellow disciples and weaken the Buddhist sect was a great thing for them.

"There's no time to lose, prepare immediately. The first operation will be three days from now, on the night of the new moon, when the yin energy is at its peak!" Lu Chen set the time.

A covert poaching operation targeting the "talent pool" of Western religions was thus launched.

Lu Chen knew that the future struggle would not only depend on top-tier combat power, but also on mid-level strength and the foundation of influence. If these former members of the Jie Sect could be rescued and converted, they would become important bargaining chips for him to fight against the Heavenly Court and counterbalance the West in the future.

At this moment, Haotian and Jieyin Zhunti were still immersed in the joy of the successful conferment of gods and their ambition for expansion, completely unaware that a certain sixth brother had already prepared the bricks, ready to smash off a piece of the wall from the most unexpected place.

The thrill of poaching can sometimes be even more addictive than simply stealing treasure.