Chương 51: Reactions from All Parties

Fang Yang, Grand Master Xuandu, Cihang Daoren, and others demonstrated through their actions that only a group of people who have no prejudice against each other can cooperate seamlessly.

Simply relying on the title of fellow disciples is not enough to achieve unity among the three religions. After all, even true brothers will have disputes over the heirship.

Inspired by this, the Three Pure Ones immediately took action, making clear arrangements for Guang Chengzi and Duobao Daoren.

Even if they cannot change from the bottom of their hearts after this experience, they will change a lot in their behavior.

They judge things by their actions, not their intentions. As long as one's behavior conforms to the standards of the first disciples of the Chan and Jie schools, they can then gradually guide and educate one another.

The path of moral education is a long and complex undertaking that cannot be accomplished overnight.

For a sage, the primordial world holds few secrets. Guang Chengzi and Duobao Daoren are not only powerful beings of heaven and earth, but also the sage's chief disciples; any move they make is enough to attract attention from all sides.

The "various parties" here refer to the three major powers: the Heavenly Court, the Underworld, and the Western Religion.

The Jade Emperor of Heaven has always aspired to seize power over the Three Realms, command all the heavens, and rule over all worlds.

However, despite his lofty ambitions, he chose the wrong path.

In a sense, the Heavenly Emperor belongs to the category of deities, and is even a deity of the same level as the Four Extreme Gods.

If the Heavenly Emperor is well-prepared, he can exert power in the Heavenly Court comparable to that of a saint.

The Supreme God of Heaven could have clearly followed the path of the innate divine way, by regulating the laws of heaven and earth, maintaining the operation of natural phenomena such as the sun, moon, stars, spring, summer, autumn, and winter, and thus obtaining the supreme authority of the divine way.

But he just wouldn't have it.

The Jade Emperor copied homework, and ended up copying it from Emperor Jun.

He felt that if Di Jun could do it, he could definitely do it too, and if Di Jun couldn't do it, he would use his own strengths to accomplish it.

"The chief disciples of the Chan and Jie sects were banished; one became a thousand-year-old snake spirit, and the other was reincarnated. What exactly are these two sages plotting?"

The Supreme God of Heaven tried to understand the thoughts of the two sages using his own way of thinking, but he found that he was overestimating himself.

The unfathomable depth of sages lies in their broad perspective. Without that broad perspective, one can never understand the thoughts of a sage.

However, the Jade Emperor still sensed something.

He sensed that a tremendous opportunity would arrive in the near future. This opportunity was closely related to what the Three Pure Ones had just done.

This is why the Jade Emperor was even more confused.

In his mind, apart from the two from the West, the other four of the celestial saints looked down on him.

Back then, he had just been crowned the Heavenly Emperor and wanted to ask the saints for some manpower, but not a single saint was willing to lend a hand.

Later, in order to increase the influence of the Heavenly Court, he held the Peach Banquet, and the saints simply sent their disciples over.

How could a sage possibly be kind to a puppet emperor like him?

After all, he ascended to the throne as a child, without undergoing formal pre-employment training as the Heavenly Emperor. The Jade Emperor's understanding and perspective were still at the level of a child.

He does not possess the heart of the Heavenly Emperor, and the saints have seen this out, which is why they have never listened to him.

The attendants beside Dao Ancestor Hongjun can easily secure their positions simply by overwhelming the enemy with their strength.

The Human Sect, the Chan Sect, the Jie Sect, the Nuwa Palace, and even the Western Sect are all backers of the Jade Emperor.

But the Supreme God of Heaven wanted to manipulate the minds of emperors and even wanted to take away the benefits of the sages.

The Three Pure Ones could not possibly like such a Heavenly Emperor.

At Mount Sumeru, the two Western Saints were also caught off guard by the Three Pure Ones' move.

The two Western Saints have always wanted to defeat the Three Pure Ones to prove that their abilities are no less than those of the Three Pure Ones.

To this end, they made various plans and even joined forces with some mysterious forces to create conflict between the Chan and Jie sects.

Duobao Daoren and Guangchengzi are the most valiant pieces on the chessboard, and the two Western Saints pay special attention to them because of the hope for the future.

Without them, who would make the relationship between the Chan and Jie sects increasingly strained, and who would guide the disciples of the two sects to fight each other, to love and kill each other?

"We, your fellow disciples, painstakingly planned this scheme, waiting for the Chan and Jie sects to completely turn against each other so that our Western Paradise could reap the benefits and enrich its fortune! But now, the Three Pure Ones have struck with a single decisive move, rendering our two most capable instigators useless. How can we possibly continue now!"

The Sage Zhunti was deeply worried.

The Daoist Guide's expression was solemn, his eyes were closed, and his fingertips were constantly calculating. However, no matter how he deduced, the overall situation of the primordial world was firmly in the hands of the Xuanmen and could not be shaken.

"The Three Pure Ones' punishment of Duobao and Guangchengzi may seem like a simple test for the disciples, but in reality, it is paving the way for Fang Yang and other disciples."

The guide spoke slowly, his voice tinged with undisguised weariness.

"Fang Yang, Xuan Du, and Cihang Daoist are disciples without sectarian bias or selfish desires. If they are allowed to develop and expand their respective sects, they will surely unite the three religions in one heart and one mind."

"At that time, let alone provoking a conflict between the Chan and Jie sects, even if we forcefully intervene, we will only be making a fool of ourselves."

The original development strategy of the Western Religion was to take advantage of the internal strife within the Xuanmen sect and the great calamity that broke out in the prehistoric world to advance eastward and help people. Now that the Xuanmen sect has smoothed over the conflicts between the two religions and severed all disputes, it is equivalent to directly cutting off the path of the Western Religion's growth.

The Sage Zhunti gazed at the burgeoning Xuanmen Qi in the eastern wilderness, his expression complex: "Could it be that the final flaw of the Three Pure Ones is about to be perfected? How will we deal with them in the future?"

The problem with the Three Pure Ones lies not in external factors, but in internal ones.

The conflict between the Chan and Jie schools is the biggest weakness of the Three Pure Ones.

Now, this flaw is about to be patched up by the Three Pure Ones themselves. From now on, the three religions will truly become one family, as solid as iron, with their fortunes intertwined and their traditions complementing each other, leaving no room for outside religions to take advantage.

"The Mysterious Gate, the gate to all wonders, the gateway to the myriad mysteries! What a magnificent Mysterious Gate!"

Sage Zhunti let out a long sigh, his heart filled with mixed feelings: resentment, apprehension, and a profound sense of powerlessness.

The Guide Daoist closed his eyes and shook his head, golden divine light undulating slightly around him: "The trend has been set, and it cannot be forced. The Three Pure Ones were originally transformed from the primordial spirit of Pangu, of one origin. In the past, the only reason for the separation between the Chan and Jie schools was the difference in their Daoist beliefs.

Now, they are rectifying their traditions and patching up their own weaknesses with thunderous means, and all of this has become part of the trend."

At the summit of Mount Sumeru, the two sages remained silent.

After a long while, the Sage who guided the way said:

"There's no need to be too pessimistic. The Three Pure Ones must have already noticed that you and I were plotting against them."

"Brother Tongtian, are you really unaware that we sent disciples to infiltrate the Jie Sect and lure them into cultivating demonic arts?"

"In his eyes, our actions are merely helping him select disciples worth cultivating. With our help, hasn't he successfully accepted a new personal disciple?"

"When sages are to determine a victor, it is not a matter of a moment, but of eternity."

Sage Zhunti was taken aback at first, then the anxiety in his eyes disappeared, replaced by a hint of enlightenment.

"What you say is absolutely right, senior brother. I was just too caught up in the situation to see clearly."