On the Avenue.

Chapter 677 Heretical Paths
The arrival of the second and third generation disciples of the Jie Sect is an extremely important event. With so many deities descending, the number of altars that need to be prepared is naturally also enormous.

It would be difficult for Chen Shi to prepare these altars in a short time, but fortunately, Jin'ao Island had many disciples.

He summoned a whole army, and within half a day, he had built the altar for all the gods.

The altar is divided according to the heavenly palace where it is located, into ten heavenly palaces: Dou, Lei, Huo, Wen, Yu, Yan, Cai, Tai Sui, Xiao, and Shui. Each heavenly palace governs the positions of many deities, with Dou being the head of all the heavenly palaces.

Chen Shi led his many disciples in burning incense, the smoke rising and reaching the heavens.

The prayer reads: "In the past, when the Three Pure Ones overthrew the Shang Dynasty, our sect was defeated and all the immortals perished, except for Jin'ao Island. Now, Jiao Huang governs Jin'ao Island. Although he has many disciples, he has lost the lost teachings of his ancestors and is unable to continue the legacy of the saints. We sincerely invite the senior members of our sect to return to Jin'ao Island, to pass on the teachings and continue the torch."

After the blessing, divine rays of light suddenly emerged from the void above Jin'ao Island, dazzling the starry sky and making even the treacherous Penglai West exceptionally beautiful. The mountains appeared as if draped in rosy clouds, attracting the attention of many powerful demons from Penglai West.

The Plague Emperor Haotian led eight hundred deities of the Plague Department down from the sky along with the divine light. The Emperor's crown and tassels landed on the Plague Department's altar, while the other eight hundred deities landed on their respective seats around the altar. Each of them had an unfriendly face and looked very fierce.

These eight hundred deities were immortals of the Tongtian lineage in their previous lives. They aided King Zhou of Shang in the war against him, ultimately perishing and losing their immortal essence. Although they are now divine beings, one can still sense the immortal techniques they cultivated in their previous lives from their auras.

The sky was ablaze with rosy light, and divine fire obscured the heavens, turning the western sky of Penglai into a sea of ​​fire, reflecting the red hues of the mountains and the vast marshland.

The Southern Three Qi Fire Virtue Star Lord led eight hundred fire deities to descend and land on the fire altar.

Then, thunder roared in the sky, and lightning struck like a calamity, spreading throughout the heavens. The Thunder God, the Heavenly Venerable of Universal Transformation of Thunder, led all the gods of the Thunder God to descend upon the Thunder God's altar.

Then, the True Lord of the Dragon and Tiger Mystic Altar of the Ministry of Finance led all the gods of the Ministry of Finance to descend upon the altar of the Ministry of Finance.

……

One by one, deities descended from the sky, causing divine light to swirl around Jin'ao Island, making it resemble a sacred realm bathed in golden light.

Finally, Doumu Yuanjun of Doubu led the celestial deities of the Zhou Tian constellations to descend and land on the Doubu altar.

The beings that descended this time were merely avatars of the gods of the Jie Sect. Their strength was not particularly great, but their numbers were numerous. Almost all the Tongtian Sect members who died in the war against Shang and Zhou had avatars descending upon Jin'ao Island, making their presence quite imposing.

Chen Shi led 200,000 immortals from Jin'ao Island to bow and pay homage to the deities on the various altars.

Upon seeing this, Jiao the Cripple burst into tears.

Jin'ao Island had been in his hands for two hundred thousand years, and it was always just a few cats and dogs. There had never been a time when the sect's sages descended and manifested their divine power, nor had he ever seen such a prosperous scene with so many disciples.

These senior disciples, constrained by their status in the Heavenly Court and out of fear of the disciples of the Three Pure Ones, would ignore him even if he requested to descend and impart the Dharma.

After all, with the Investiture of the Gods and the God-Slaying Whip hanging high above them, these gods were under close surveillance and had no room to maneuver. Who would dare to get too close to Jin'ao Island?
Even if they still have lingering feelings for their sect, they would only secretly send their magical treasures to the mortal realm so that the treasures could find successors and continue the sect's lineage.

That's it.

But now, with Chen Shi extending a grand invitation, the deities of the sect have all responded, how could Jiao the Cripple not feel a sense of bewilderment?
He was, after all, a seasoned veteran, and knew why Chen Shi was able to invite these sects and deities. The main reason was that the conflict between the Heavenly Court and the immortals had escalated to an irreconcilable point. The immortals, led by the Three Pure Ones, were increasingly antagonistic towards each other.

The Heavenly Court did not trust immortals, so it allowed Chen Shi to take away 200,000 immortals.

The Heavenly Court, wanting to win over its deities, allowed Doumu Yuanjun and others to descend in avatars to guide the disciples of Jin'ao Island in their cultivation.

Only those in positions of power can see these two things clearly.

"But then again, Chen Shi was chosen by me to become a disciple of Jin'ao Island. Although I am incompetent, I have good judgment, which means that Jin'ao Island has prospered under my leadership!"

Jiao the Cripple blinked, thinking to himself, "I really am the restorer of Jin'ao Island, the chosen one of destiny!"

He felt relaxed and at ease.

When the avatars of deities such as Doumu Yuanjun descended, they each examined the cultivation progress and lineage of these immortals, searching for suitable successors for their own lineages. Soon, Jin'ao Island became bustling with activity, filled with immortals and gods practicing spells together.

Since there wasn't enough space on Jin'ao Island, they went to other parts of the island.

During the war against King Zhou, the disciples of the Tongtian lineage were not very powerful, at most reaching the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm. Most of them were True Immortals or Golden Immortals, and many of their cultivation techniques are now considered somewhat outdated.

However, the meaning of "continuing the torch and carrying on lost skills" is to innovate and evolve these lost skills based on them.

These immortals are all immortals who ascended to the upper realm from the mortal world. They are able to cultivate themselves into immortals in the mortal world, which means they have excellent aptitude and comprehension. With proper cultivation and broadening of their horizons, they will surely achieve great success.

However, the area around Jin'ao Island is still very dangerous. Although Chen Shi has cleared a large area and wiped out all the heretics, there are still many blessed lands, immortal caves, and ancient ruins here. If you rashly enter them, you will still encounter dangers and risk your life.

But many gods didn't care about any of that. They rushed in with their newly recruited disciples, calling it "training."

These immortals, having received their teachings, did indeed greatly increase their strength. Facing various restrictions and dangers, they also significantly broadened their horizons and knowledge. However, human strength is finite, and they still encountered many perils. Sometimes, master and disciple were trapped together in desperate situations, anxiously waiting for rescue.

Jiao the Cripple stomped his feet in dismay, and whenever this happened, he would rush to rescue the person with Jingmei, Jiang Guo, and others.

There were also times when the dangers they encountered were extremely fierce, and Jiao the Cripple and Jing Mei were unable to save them in time. At such times, the deity who was their master would take the initiative to sacrifice himself and fight desperately to buy time for his disciples to escape.

Not long after their deaths, they would descend from their divine positions or altars, cursing and swearing, and grab the ears of the disciples below to scold them and teach them how to break the prohibitions.

A few days later, Qiao Gu returned from outside with his senior brother Wen Ting, who worked as a stable boy. Jiao the Cripple hurriedly grabbed them and made them help rescue the person.

With Wen Ting's help, everyone felt much more relaxed.

"Where are Senior Brother Bai and Junior Brother Bian?" Qiao Gu asked.

"Hmm, Bai Jingming is testing the drug over there."

Jiao the Cripple gestured with his lip and said, "He was poisoned just now and was lying over there vomiting, which made several immortals passing by faint from the stench."

Jingmei whispered, "Master Uncle, those junior brothers were poisoned and fainted from the fumes he vomited." "Same here, same here. Bian Liuer is mining in the Demon Suppression Cave, and Hu Quan is over there too."

Jiao the Cripple looked at Wen Ting and asked, "Wen Ting, have you been working as a groom for Immortal Lord Lingxiao all these years?"

Wen Ting honestly replied, "I'll be a groom."

Jiao the Cripple's face was stern as he shouted, "You've been committing all sorts of evil deeds outside, haven't you? The amount of money you send back every year isn't even the wages a stable boy should be making. How much does a stable boy get paid? The money you send back is more than ten times what a stable boy earns! Tell me, what heinous things have you done outside?"

Wen Ting, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, looked honest and simple. He said, "I was a stable boy. Immortal Lord Lingxiao saw that I was honest, so he gave me extra wages."

Jiao the Cripple shouted, "You still dare to lie! If you don't tell the truth, I'll expel you from the sect!"

Qiao Gu knew that Wen Ting was not good with words, so he quickly explained on his behalf, saying, "Uncle, you may not know this, but there is another reason why Immortal Lord Lingxiao paid Senior Brother Wen more. Immortal Lord Lingxiao has many enemies and challengers. Whenever he encounters enemies or challengers on his way out, Immortal Lord Lingxiao knows that he is no match for them, so he says, 'You can't even beat my stableman.' Then he asks Senior Brother Wen to take action. In this way, Senior Brother Wen has dealt with many of his enemies and adversaries."

Jiao the Cripple suddenly realized his mistake and said apologetically, "Wen Ting, it was my uncle who misunderstood you."

Wen Ting said, "Uncle-Master, now that this matter is settled, I have to go back. Immortal Lord Lingxiao said that if I go back to continue working as a stable boy, he will give me extra wages."

"Get back to me!"

Jiao the Cripple laughed in exasperation, grabbing his ear and saying, "Our Jin'ao Island is prosperous now, do you still want to go back to being a groom? Look around, all these mines, spiritual fields, caves, spiritual springs, and sacred sites belong to us! Why do you still want to be a groom?"

Wen Ting hesitated and said, "If I don't go back, I'm afraid Immortal Lord Lingxiao will be beaten to death..."

Lingxiao Immortal Lord is a notorious gossip and troublemaker in the Earthly Immortal Realm. Because he ascended to the Earthly Immortal Realm early, he was given the title of Immortal Lord and owns a small holy land. It is because Wen Ting served as his groom that Lingxiao Immortal Lord has been able to live to this day.

If Wen Ting doesn't return, he might indeed be killed by his enemies.

Jiao the Cripple shook his head and said, "You've protected him all these years, which is more than enough. If he values ​​his life, he will naturally be careful with his words and actions. If he doesn't, he deserves to die. By the way, all of you junior brothers and sisters are from the Heavenly Army Camp of the Heavenly Court, and you are still soldiers in the Heavenly Army Camp, receiving salaries from the Jade Emperor. You should also be listed as members and receive a share."

Wen Ting hesitated for a moment: "Be a lackey of the Jade Emperor? Isn't that a bad idea? Doesn't the Jade Emperor have a grudge against our sect?"

Jiao the Cripple kicked him in anger: "Are all the seniors in your sect working under the Jade Emperor? Are they all lackeys? The real enemy is the Three Pure Ones! You have a chance to receive a salary from the Heavenly Court, why don't you hurry up and seize it?"

Wen Ting muttered, "The titles 'Heavenly Soldiers and Generals' don't sound very appealing; they just sound like nameless nobodys..."

Jiao the Cripple was about to kick him again, but Wen Ting quickly dodged and asked, "Uncle-Master, you've also joined the Heavenly Army Camp?"

Jiao the Cripple's face flushed slightly, and then he uttered some incomprehensible words, such as "a gentleman remains steadfast in poverty." Wen Ting realized that his senior uncle had probably really joined the Heavenly Army and started receiving a salary.

"Grandmaster Uncle did not choose a disciple." Chen Shi was surprised to see that Doumu Yuanjun did not teach any disciples, so he asked.

If Doumu Yuanjun did not reveal her battle form, she would still be a gentle and virtuous woman, and she smiled and said, "Chen Shi, don't you want to become my disciple? Among the disciples of Tongtian Sage, apart from Duobao Tathagata of the Western Paradise, I am the only one who has received the Sage's true teachings."

Chen Shi shook his head and said, "I have already received the Master's inheritance and comprehended the Primordial Chaos Limitless Innate Skill. This skill is still difficult to understand, so it is not convenient for me to learn other skills."

Doumu Yuanjun was somewhat disappointed. She was already a deity, walking the path of the gods, and the Taoist techniques she had comprehended years ago were no longer usable. However, she longed to find a successor for herself. She had originally hoped that Chen Shi could inherit her mantle, but unexpectedly, Chen Shi refused.

Chen Shi's heart stirred slightly, and he said, "I know someone whose talent is no less than mine, and who may be able to inherit the mantle of the Yuanjun. This person is named Yang Bi, and he is from Xiniu Xinzhou."

He had just thought of Yang Bi when he realized that Yang Bi was not in Xiniu New Continent, but in the Huayan Realm far away in Xuanhuang Sea!
"When did I acquire such skill?"

Chen Shi was slightly taken aback. "Could it be the wonderful application of the Heavenly Secrets Strategy?"

He didn't take it to heart, and told Doumu Yuanjun where Yang Bi was, saying, "This man's wisdom is even greater than mine. Yuanjun, don't miss him."

Doumu Yuanjun immediately contacted her main body, which then notified her avatar in the Huayan Realm to find Yang Bi.

At this moment, Yu Yuan, the Water God of the Water Department, arrived. Seeing Doumu Yuanjun beside Chen Shi, he was slightly disappointed and turned away.

Chen Shi was surprised, but Doumu Yuanjun laughed and said, "The Water Mansion Star Lord is the owner of the Heavenly Net Blood Transformation Divine Blade. He came to find you most likely to take you as his disciple and guide your cultivation."

Chen Shi suddenly realized what was happening and was about to go find the Water Mansion Star Lord when Doumu Yuanjun shook her head and said, "You have received the Master's inheritance, so there is no need for you to take him as your master. The Master is the reincarnation of a sage. According to seniority, you and I should be of the same generation. How can you call him your master? Besides, Yu Yuan cultivates a demonic path, which is biased and he cannot be your master."

Upon hearing this, Chen Shi inquired, "Yuanjun, in the past two days, I have observed that the Daoist techniques and supernatural abilities passed down by our sect's seniors are diverse and varied, but among them, there are quite a few who practice demonic paths and other unorthodox methods, accounting for as much as 40% to 50%. What is the reason for this?"

Doumu Yuanjun walked out of Jin'ao Island and headed towards the polluted land of the Outer Path in the distance, saying, "Junior brother, guess what was outside the Ancestral Court in the Great Shang Dynasty?"

Chen Shi was about to shake his head and say he didn't know when a sudden thought flashed through his mind, and he exclaimed, "Outside the Ancestral Court is the Dark Sea!"

Doumu Yuanjun laughed and said, "That's right. Back then, the Ancestral Court was in the Dark Sea. The light of the sun, moon and stars pierced through the darkness and fell on the Divine Continent of China. Since the Ancestral Court was in the Dark Sea, are the so-called heretics really heretics? The Great Dao of Heaven and Earth of the Ancestral Court may also be a kind of heresy."

Chen Shi's mind went blank for a moment, and he was momentarily lost in thought.

Doumu Yuanjun's statement truly overturned his previous understanding!

He used to think that heretics were evil and heretical, and therefore evil was hard to understand. He never thought that the immortal path and the divine path were also heretics!

Or rather, there is no such thing as heretical paths, immortal paths, or divine paths at all!
“Back then, outside the ancestral temple was the Dark Sea. At that time, the Sage Tongtian founded the Jie Sect and recruited many disciples. Because the Three Pure Ones also founded their sects in the ancestral temple and gradually prospered, the Sage set up the headquarters of our sect overseas, which is in the Dark Sea.”

Doumu Yuanjun recalled the past and said, "At that time, the sages had begun to explore so-called heretical paths, believing that the great Dao of other worlds might not be the same as that of the Great Dao of China, and might have its merits. We discovered Penglai, Nine Dragon Island, Golden Turtle Island, Three Immortals Island, Fire Dragon Island and other places overseas, went there, studied the great Dao of the world there, and the Dao methods we comprehended were called demonic by the Three Pure Ones lineage, who believed that they would pollute the great Dao of China, and thus gradually a rift developed between them."

Chen Shi asked, "Is the falling out between the Sage of Heaven and the Three Pure Ones related to this?"

Doumu Yuanjun said, "Perhaps so. They were always arguing back then, debating topics such as heresy and the orthodoxy of heaven and earth. Originally, we were all fellow Daoists, and although we argued, we were usually peaceful. Later, during the war against King Zhou, we fought fiercely, and many heads rolled. They killed many of our disciples, and we fought back and killed many of theirs. But in the end, they killed more."

(End of this chapter)