Chapter Eighty-one, Gathering of Zixiao

  With a thread of cause and effect in hand, the movements of the vast sky are naturally visible to the eye, and it is naturally known that preparations need to be made for signing and sealing the divine list. Before long, an imperial edict from Hong Jun arrived, summoning all saints to the Purple Cloud Palace to discuss important matters. The guide smiled at each other, knowing that a great calamity had come, and immediately set off towards the Purple Cloud Palace.

  Six saints gathered at the same time in the Purple Mansion, and the introducing gaze swept over the various saints. The original and Nüwa seemed to have made little progress on their Taoist path, but Laozi was indeed the first of the Three Purities, with a rapid advancement in his cultivation. However, the introducer could only barely sense the depth of Laozi's power. But when the introducer's gaze turned to Tongtian, he was greatly shocked.

  In the past, Tongtian's sharpness was exposed, and his momentum was overwhelming. Now, Tongtian seems to have sheathed an extraordinary divine sword, although he looks much more ordinary. However, Jiexu knows that Tongtian has actually made great progress in his Taoist cultivation. Occasionally, Jiexu can still catch a glimpse of the awe-inspiring aura in Tongtian's eyes, indicating that Tongtian's killing Dao has advanced greatly and is not far from achieving perfection.

  Tongtian also focused his attention on Jieyin, and in the past, Tongtian had some difficulty estimating Jieyin's cultivation level, so he didn't pay much attention to it. Now that his Dao has improved, he can barely catch a glimpse of it, but he feels even more deeply mysterious and unable to discern any clues. Tongtian knows that Jieyin's realm is stronger than his own, so he also considers the two Western saints to be extremely powerful opponents. Tongtian basically confirms that the one who will inevitably fight him at Biyu Palace is this Western Sect Master. However, Tongtian doesn't mention a word about the confrontation between the two of them, and only has a faint smile on his lips.

  The multitude of saints sat in silence, and Hong Jun appeared before them once again. His face was expressionless as he spoke: "I have summoned you all here today to discuss a matter. Since the great calamity of the witching era, although disasters have continued to occur between heaven and earth, the great calamity has not yet begun. Cultivators have enjoyed peace for too long, and it is inevitable that the good and evil are not equal. Now, the great calamity of the gods is about to begin, and all three schools are within the cycle of disaster. All disciples who wish to attain the position of a true saint risk losing their lives. These listed disciples can be used by the heavenly court to govern the heavens and perfect the order of heaven and earth. They can also be used to rectify cultivators and purify heaven and earth. I now bestow upon you the List of Gods, so fill in the names of those who should meet with disaster."

  As soon as Hong Jun spoke, the expressions of all the saints changed slightly. After all, they had already calculated this disaster before, and now it was a matter of how to protect their disciples. The affairs of the disciples were related to the unity of Taoism, so the saints couldn't help but pay attention.

  "May I ask, Master, who should be the one to be saved? Is it already a fixed number?" The question was asked by Laozi. This question is very reasonable, if it's a fixed number, then all the saints don't need to fight for anything, they can just fill in directly.

  "It's not like that, this list only has 356 orthodox gods of all heavens, and some other biased gods. If the disciples of various sects have their names filled in the Sealing Gods List, if they unfortunately die in the great calamity, then one strand of their divine soul will be preserved and not scattered, and after death, they will be granted a godly position. If they don't die, then their physical body will be sealed as a god. As for cultivators who are not on the list and ordinary people, if they die, they will have to re-enter reincarnation, one life of cultivation is like flowing water. As for who specifically gets on the list, it's up to you all to decide."

  "Teacher, how did you decide on the people who made it onto the list? Please enlighten me." This was asked by Yuanshi.

  "Each according to their nature, now the Investiture of the Gods is bestowed upon you, with a time limit of three hundred years. You must fill up the quota of people; if you fail to do so and delay the destined number, you will have to bear the consequences."

  Hongjun finished speaking and threw the Investiture of the Gods list lightly, which fell into Laozi's hands and disappeared.

  "Everyone, brothers and sisters, how should this divine list be filled out?" As soon as the old master spoke, the original took over. "The teacher has already made it clear, each according to their nature, naturally letting those scaly, clawed, wet-born, egg-hatched ones take the top spot."

  "Hum, Second Brother, why must you deceive people with such words? How did the Great Calamity come about? Our Holy One didn't know about it. Isn't it because your disciple was being reckless and capricious within the Emperor's Fate Number, creating a massive karma that can't be eliminated, resulting in an endless evolution? Moreover, your disciple designed a plan to lure Haotian, making him seek out our Master, which led to the emergence of the Fate Number. I think this is trouble caused by your own sect's teachings, so it's best for you to handle it yourself and not involve others."

  "Third Master Brother, what are you talking about? This calamity is a great tribulation for the cultivators of the Primordial Chaos, how can it have nothing to do with you?"

  "Hey, Primitive Taoist brother, the Taoist founder was talking about the three religions' disciples, but what does it have to do with our Buddhist door? Don't drag us into this." Zhunti interrupted, and couldn't be fooled by Primitive's vague words.

  "How can the Buddhist door be without cause, don't your disciples have any karma on their bodies? Isn't the Nine Heavens Xian Nü one of your Western people? Moreover, you actually took the Asura as a protector, completely disregarding good and evil. For these inferior characters to be able to ascend is also a blessing."

  "Primitive Daoist, what kind of nonsense are you going to spout to deceive others again? The strengths and weaknesses of each school's disciples depend on their individual cultivation. Among the four schools, isn't it true that your sect doesn't have a single disciple who has reached the state of accurate sanctity? As for the demons, my junior brother Di Zang has already beheaded two of them. Moreover, among all the schools, aren't the Xuan and Shu schools the ones with the deepest connections?" Zhun Ti retorted bluntly to Yuanshi.

  "Zhun Ti, you dare to frame me, a poor Taoist? Are we going to have a fight?" Originally, the first thing he saw was the combined threat of the Buddhist and Taoist sects, but Zhun Ti directly exposed his weakness. Now that he's at a disadvantage, he has no choice but to take out an extremely tough attitude and threaten to take action.

  "Second Master, Zhun Ti Dao You is right, why must you be so angry?" Tong Tian said with a hint of mockery.

  "Do you still know the names of the Three Pure Ones?"

  "What Three Purities' reputation? It's long gone. If Second Brother were here, would you have the face to snatch the Hun Dun Bell?"

  The old man saw these several saints arguing together, and the Zixuan Palace was in a mess like a market. He got a little angry.

  "Fellow disciples, this is the Purple Mist Palace. Do you still have your master in your eyes? In my opinion, this Divine List cannot be left unfilled, otherwise it will delay our great calamity and increase our karma. I think we should fill it in order, starting with me."

  Laozi will post the Divine List in mid-air. "I, the poor Taoist, have a disciple named Xuan Dou, and he has already beheaded the corpse. However, since it is a great calamity for the gods, the human world cannot stay out of it either. Let me put up the list."

  Laozi raised an eyebrow, and a clone appeared, lightly writing the words "Taishang Laojun" on the Seal of the Gods list. The clone transformed into a stream of light that entered the list, while in his heart, he secretly scolded Laozi for being cunning. Originally, neither Buddhism nor Taoism had anything to do with this great calamity, but by sending his own clone onto the list, Laozi actually made it so that all the other sects would have to send someone onto the list as well - no one could escape unscathed. However, a single clone wouldn't harm Laozi in the slightest, and it could even help find a supreme ruler for the Heavenly Emperor, truly a clever plan.

  Now it's gotten to the point where, as soon as the original saw Laozi's attitude, he knew that not filling in was not an option. Moreover, Taoism and Buddhism are bitter enemies, so we mustn't let Tongtian and the two Western saints join forces. The original thought carefully and filled in a few third-generation disciples, as well as several child prodigies, fewer than ten people in total, and then handed over the List of Sealed Gods to Tongtian.

  Tongtian thought for a moment, then filled in several inferior disciples and handed them over to the introducer. The introducer also filled in several outer door disciples and handed them over to Nüwa. Nüwa reluctantly filled in several demon tribes and handed the Sealing Gods List back to Laozi. Laozi took a look and saw that there were still less than fifty people, far from enough for the number of Zhou Tian. Looking at the expressions of the various saints, Laozi knew that it was impossible to persuade them for the time being.

  "Fellow Taoists, why don't you go back and think carefully about it first? Before confirming the person on the list, I hope everyone will prioritize the bigger picture. After all, being ranked after death is much better than dying in vain. Each of you can weigh the pros and cons for yourselves. For now, I'll keep the Ranking of Gods with me. Three hundred years later, fellow Taoists can come back to fill it out."

  After finishing speaking, Laozi left without paying attention to the various saints, expressing his dissatisfaction towards a few saints. He had already contributed his clone, yet they still wrote down those people, clearly not putting him in their eyes at all.

  My father is very angry, and the consequences are severe.

  Jieyin isn't afraid of Laozi after all, it's still uncertain who will outsmart whom. Jieyin and Zhunti have also returned to Mount Sumeru, and Tongtian Niangniang has left soon after.

  Yuánshǐ's heart couldn't help but carefully weigh the situation, gazing in the direction of Tōngtiān's departure. A hint of a smile hung at the corner of Yuánshǐ's mouth. "Tōngtiān, ah Tōngtiān, this divine list will be filled with the ten thousand immortals under your gate. Since you don't cherish the feelings of the Three Purities, and dare to make things difficult for me with outsiders, I, a poor Daoist, will let your Dao lineage become extinct."

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  Please collect it, and I humbly beg fellow Taoists to show mercy