Investiture of the Gods: I am Bigan, the Master of Conspiracy

Yin Ziyu and Jiufeng died while attaining enlightenment, a momentous event that shook the Three Realms. Seeing this outcome, everyone knew that all the struggles since the Investiture of the Gods had come to an end.

The struggle for the right to interpret the Heavenly Dao, which began with the Investiture of the Gods, and the struggle for the right to interpret it among humankind, have essentially come to an end at this moment!

Yuanshi Tianzun stood on the clouds, and after confirming that the two souls had been destroyed, he sneered: "He is nothing but a junior who overestimates himself. Since the Investiture of the Gods, he has been jumping around and has only managed to obtain a little bit of power. Does he really think he can shake the shackles of the Heavenly Dao? He is simply delusional! This is the consequence of trying to challenge the authority of the sages and go against the Heavenly Dao."

The eyes of the Primordial Heavenly Venerable flashed with cold light, and his words pierced the immortals present like ice blades. He was clearly warning the Three Realms that the majesty of the Heavenly Dao could not be violated and the authority of the sages could not be challenged.

After all, the Chan Sect holds the power to interpret the Heavenly Dao, and has long since engraved obedience to the Heavenly Dao into the very marrow of the primordial order.

Zhunti and Jieyin exchanged a glance, their eyes both harboring a hint of mockery.

Holding the Seven Treasures Tree, Zhunti spoke indifferently: "Hmph, these two ants are too arrogant to challenge the shackles of the Heavenly Dao? Even we saints in this primordial world dare not try lightly. Now they have come to this end, which is entirely their own fault."

Jieyin nodded in agreement: "Indeed, one can escape the calamities of Heaven, but one cannot escape the calamities of one's own making."

Inside the Wuzhuang Temple, Zhen Yuanzi frowned slightly, his expression complex: "Ziyu and Jiufeng's actions are commendable in their courage, but also too reckless. How could the shackles of the Heavenly Dao be easily broken by a quasi-saint's cultivation? However... Ziyu truly has nowhere else to go. Perhaps, my path of cultivation has always been correct."

Although Zhen Yuanzi's words contained no sarcasm, they could not hide his disapproval of the two's going against the tide.

In the Chan Sect camp, Guang Chengzi and others clapped their hands and laughed: "Hahaha, I thought this Yin Ziyu was so capable that he dared to claim that he could break the shackles of the Heavenly Dao. Now he's been annihilated!"

Guang Chengzi's laughter was full of joy, as if a huge stone that had been weighing on his heart for thousands of years had finally been lifted off his feet.

Guang Chengzi had repeatedly encountered setbacks and been outmaneuvered since the beginning of the Investiture of the Gods, which made him furious. But now, seeing this great enemy perish in the heavenly punishment, he felt a sense of satisfaction.

At the same time, it also proves that the Way of Heaven cannot be violated lightly. From now on, all beings in the Three Realms will take this as a warning and abide by the Way of Heaven. This also makes the Way of Chan Sect inviolable!

At this moment, the ancient Buddha Tathagata clasped his hands and sighed softly: "Since the Investiture of the Gods, Ziyu has stirred up the great forces of the primordial world several times, going against the tide, and today he has finally fallen. The cycle of Heaven is ultimately difficult to defy."

Grand Master Xuandu stood in the Human Sect camp, gazing in the direction where the two had perished, his brows furrowed, his expression grave: "With Ziyu's abilities, would he really perish so easily? This matter is probably not as simple as it seems on the surface."

Xuandu believed in Laozi's judgment and thought that Yin Ziyu had fallen just like that?
Since the Investiture of the Gods, the established trend has been completely changed because of Yin Ziyu. Can it be so easy?

Meanwhile, in Chaoge, Cheng Tang gazed at the tattered Shang flag fluttering atop the city walls, his voice hoarse: "Zi Yu has failed in his path to enlightenment. Now, they will exterminate us all. We, the descendants of Cheng Tang, have no choice but to fight to the last breath, to perish together with our enemies!"

Di Xin turned to look at the Golden Spirit Mother, his eyes filled with determination: "Please, fellow Daoists of the Jie Sect, leave immediately. The fate of the Great Shang Dynasty is sealed, do not be implicated any further."

Golden Spirit Mother laughed, her laughter tinged with sorrow and fierce resolve: "The Human Emperor is joking. If the Great Shang Dynasty falls, the Jie Sect will inevitably become a thorn in their side sooner or later. If we retreat today, we may not be able to escape encirclement and annihilation in the future. The disciples of the Jie Sect have never feared battle!"

The Jie Sect understood that the descent of the Heavenly Dao's origin was to hinder the formation of the Human Dao and to create an environment for the descent of a sage. Now that Yin Ziyu, the source of the Heavenly Dao's calamity, had been killed, the Human Dao would be unable to take shape, and thus the Heavenly Dao's power could be restored.

Once the Shang dynasty is destroyed, the last source of chaos will be the Jie Sect, which will then be unable to survive, and even the source that descended will be taken back.

This isn't just possible, it's a certainty!
Zhuanxu stood before the army, gazing in the direction where Yin Ziyu and Jiufeng had perished. Suddenly, he burst into laughter, his laughter filled with smugness and arrogance, echoing throughout the entire battlefield.

"Hahaha! Ziyu, Jiufeng! You've finally met your match!"

During the Investiture of the Gods, in the Battle of Huoyun Cave, all of Zhuanxu's henchmen were killed, which enraged Zhuanxu.

Zhuanxu stopped laughing, his gaze sweeping over the assembled immortals, Buddhas, and human soldiers. He spoke loudly, "Since the Conferment of the Gods, Ziyu has been restless and unruly, attempting to challenge the shackles of the Heavenly Dao and disrupt its order. He is truly the culprit who wreaks havoc on the Heavenly Dao! He colluded with the demon race, instigated internal strife among the human race, and caused widespread suffering and death. His sins are grave!"

Zhuanxu paused, his tone becoming even sterner: "Now that these two scourges have been eliminated, it is time to restore order to the human race! From this day forward, I will rebuild the human race's order and restore its former glory. Anyone who disobeys will be punished as a traitor!"

Zhuanxu's words were full of ambition, and his view of Yin Ziyu as the culprit was merely an excuse for him to control the human race.

The Shang dynasty controlled the human race for two more epochs, causing the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors to almost disappear from the human race, their fortunes to decline, and they were even no longer recognized by the human race.

These are all life-or-death feuds. Now that the dust has settled, we must completely eliminate this hidden danger and allow the explanation of the human race to continue to be returned to the Five Emperors.

The human race is now the largest race in the Three Realms. As long as one controls the human race's rules and regulations, one can possess immense human fortune and consolidate one's position.

The monks of the Chan sect and Buddhism echoed Zhuanxu's words, praising his wisdom.

The human soldiers on Cheng Tang's side were all glaring angrily, wishing they could rush up and tear Zhuanxu to pieces.

Cheng Tang trembled with rage, pointing at Zhuanxu and cursing, "Zhuanxu, stop distorting the truth! Ziyu is a hero of our human race, and you are the sinner who has brought chaos to the human race!"

Zhuanxu sneered: "Cheng Tang, the victor is king and the loser is villain. You dare to be stubborn even when you're about to die! Wait until I wipe out all of you remnants, then let's see who dares to question my decision! Issue my order: launch a general offensive against Chaoge immediately and restore order to the human race, starting from this moment!"

When Yin Ziyu and Jiu Feng died under the divine punishment, the final battle began. They conquered and destroyed Chaoge. From the time of the Investiture of the Gods, everything that had changed because of Yin Ziyu would come to an end!

The entire trend of Heaven will henceforth shift back to a period where Heaven determines the course of events.

It was like a dream, and it was also like the Three Realms had experienced a useless period of time since the Investiture of the Gods!

Zhuanxu stood atop the high platform, his imperial aura flowing around him, his voice resounding throughout the three realms: "From the very beginning of the Investiture of the Gods, the Heavenly Way had already determined the inevitable Zhou dynasty's replacement of the Shang dynasty; this was an irreversible destiny. However, Ziyu, a remnant of the Shang dynasty, defied Heaven, bewitched humanity, and caused people's hearts to stray from the Heavenly Way. He even used the name of 'Mind Learning' to incite humanity to defy the Heavenly Way with their own hearts, disregarding moral principles and the mandate of Heaven as worthless!"

"Since the Investiture of the Gods, the human race has been plagued by endless internal strife and countless lives have been lost, all because of the Yin Shang dynasty! Yin Ziyu used unorthodox methods to disrupt the world, causing the human race to stray from the right path and teeter on the brink of extinction. Such sins are too numerous to recount!"

"The Shang dynasty lineage, from Emperor Xin onwards, are all those who defy the will of Heaven. If they dare to aid and abet the tyranny of King Zhou and resist the mandate of Heaven, they are truly scoundrels of the human race and enemies of the will of Heaven!"

"Fortunately, divine retribution has been shown, and this scoundrel Ziyu has been executed. With this villain dead, a great scourge has been eliminated!"

Zhuanxu's voice suddenly rose, carrying an undeniable majesty: "I hereby issue this proclamation to the Three Realms: all remnants of the Yin Shang dynasty are intolerable to the Heavenly Way. I will lead the power of the three religions to sweep away Chaoge, and exterminate the rebellious Shang Tang, Wu Ding, Di Yi, King Zhou, and others, to uphold the moral order of humanity and restore the order of Heaven!" Inside Chaoge, Cheng Tang, upon hearing Zhuanxu's words, was furious and cursed: "That old thief Zhuanxu! How dare he distort history like this! The Investiture of the Gods was a natural cycle, not a predetermined fate! The School of Mind is the path to awakening humanity, how can it be considered a crime against the Way? He intends to nail my Yin Shang dynasty to the pillar of shame, to be abandoned by the Three Realms! This villain Zhuanxu wants to destroy the backbone of humanity. But he has forgotten that my great Shang dynasty has never survived by the grace of Heaven, but by the passion and courage of our people!"

On the high platform, Zhuanxu threw the proclamation into the air. The yellow silk transformed into a streak of light and soared into the sky, as if offering a sacrifice to the Heavenly Dao. He turned to look at the eastern expeditionary army and shouted sternly, "Pass on my order! With this proclamation, crush Chaoge! Today, let the Three Realms know that those who defy the Heavenly Dao will only face death!"

The battle to besiege Chaoge officially began the moment Zhuanxu proclaimed his proclamation to the Three Realms.

In the Chan Sect camp, Guang Chengzi held the Pangu Banner, stood on the clouds, surrounded by celestial light.

The disciples of the Chan Sect behind him all had solemn expressions, gripping their spiritual treasures tightly, their eyes shining with determination.

The immortals stood in neat rows, closely following Guang Chengzi, their steps synchronized. Each step seemed to tread on clouds, producing a deep, resonant sound. It was as if they could already see the moment when Chaoge fell and the Shang Dynasty was destroyed. Their momentum was like a rainbow, and they marched towards Chaoge in a mighty and unstoppable manner.

At the same time, the response from the Human Sect was extremely swift. Sword immortals from Mount Shu, Mount Emei, and other sects arrived one after another on their swords. They were dressed in uniform Taoist robes, some holding whisks, others gripping immortal swords, and they rode on auspicious clouds, forming a massive flow of people.

The sword immortals exuded a sharp sword aura, which complemented the ancient style of their Taoist robes. Wherever they passed, the air seemed to be cut by the sword aura, rushing towards Chaoge.

At the command of Maitreya Buddha, the Buddhist army of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats set off.

In an instant, boundless Buddha light bloomed, almost liquefying into a golden ocean, with an aura of compassion and a somber atmosphere intertwined within the Buddha light.

The three forces joined together, like three galloping dragons, with a destructive momentum, heading straight for Chaoge City.

Before Chaoge City, a fierce wind howled, and the Hunyuan Five Elements Formation had been broken.

Di Xin was dressed in black bird armor, and his aura as a human emperor burned like golden flames, making him look like an ancient war god.

Following closely behind were successive emperors such as Cheng Tang, Di Yi, Wu Ding, and Pan Geng, each with an upright posture. The combined aura of these emperors formed an invisible barrier in front of the city.

"In this time of life and death, let us fight to the death!"

Di Xin took a step forward, his voice booming like a bell, causing the formation of the three religions' armies in front to tremble slightly.

At this point, there was no turning back; only a decisive battle to the death remained—a war for the replacement of the human race's order.

From the time of the Investiture of the Gods to the present day, such a vast causal relationship has finally come to an end!

Cheng Tang roared, "My descendants, Cheng Tang, have never had a coward who fears death! Back then, we destroyed the Xia and established the Shang, ending the severing of the connection between heaven and earth. It was this backbone and will of the human race that made us possible. Even if our souls are scattered today, we will show the Three Realms that the backbone of the human race cannot be broken!"

At that moment, the four sages Laozi, Yuanshi, Jieyin, and Zhunti stopped in front of Tongtian and Nuwa.

Yuanshi Tianzun spoke first, his tone carrying an air of unquestionable authority: "Tongtian and Nuwa, the current situation in Chaoge is an internal conflict within the human race, and also a reckoning by Heaven against the rebellious Yin Shang. If you two do not intervene, we sages will remain inactive and let those below settle their own karmic debts."

With a faint smile, the Sage Zhunti replied, "Indeed, you two are connected to Yin Shang and Zi Yu. If you intervene now, it will only complicate the cause and effect and add more variables. It would be better for everyone to stand aside and wait for things to settle down."

The Sage who guided them clasped his hands together and said, "The Heavenly Way has its own destiny. Forcibly intervening may result in a backlash. If you two do not intervene, neither will we. Let this battle proceed in accordance with Heaven's will; that is the best course of action."

Laozi nodded slightly, stroked his beard, and said, “That is quite true. If you two agree, we sages will not interfere in the battle of Chaoge. On the contrary, if you two insist on intervening, then we will have no choice but to accompany you to the end.”

Upon hearing this, the Tongtian Sect Leader laughed in fury: "So you're just 'following the will of Heaven'! You clearly want to take this opportunity to destroy the Yin Shang Dynasty and suppress my Jie Sect and the demon race! Do you really think I can't see through it?"

Nuwa said in a deep voice, "Although the Yin Shang dynasty has its faults, it is still a member of the human race. How can we allow you to bully us like this? You are forcing us to take action."

The four sages exchanged a glance, their faces expressionless. The Primordial Celestial Venerable coldly said, "The matter has come to this. You two can decide your own course of action. Furthermore, it would be best if your disciples did not participate, otherwise, in the face of the great upheaval of the three religions, your disciples will only perish!"

For a moment, the two sides were locked in a stalemate, and the air was thick with tension. However, Tongtian and Nuwa could only sigh at this moment. Perhaps not moving was the best option, as the gap between the four opposing sages was too great.

With the three forces besieging Chaoge, Chaoge was doomed to defeat. The gap between the saints and the non-saints was too great, and there was no possibility of victory.

Meanwhile, within the long river of time, waves surge and flow, carrying the imprints of countless ages.

The essence blood of Jiufeng that fell into the long river did not dissipate, but instead turned into specks of red light, flowing with the river to various points in time and space.

In the primordial era, beside a temple of ancestral witches, a drop of essence blood merged into the body of a newly hatched phoenix. A sharp glint flashed in the phoenix's eyes, and it began to instinctively cultivate the Great Dao of Power and the Law of Time.

On the edge of the ancient Lich battlefield, a drop of essence blood fell onto a wounded Phoenix woman, instantly healing her injuries. The aura of the Nine Phoenixes emanated from her, and she silently found a secluded place to cultivate diligently.

In a secret realm in the future, essence and blood were also infused into the bodies of living beings, thus beginning the cultivation path belonging to Jiufeng...

In an instant, the figure of Jiufeng could be seen silently cultivating in all the spaces and times of the primordial world, and the fluctuations of the Great Dao of Power and the Law of Time quietly spread in various spaces and times.

However, this unusual activity quickly attracted the attention of the Heavenly Punishment.

The power of divine punishment that had originally dissipated is now crossing the boundaries of time and space, and beginning to converge in the sky above the river of time.

Countless purple lightning bolts surged from the skies of different times and spaces, following the veins of the river of time, and hurtled towards all the Nine Phoenixes who were cultivating.

The ancient phoenix had just gained some insight when it was struck dead by a bolt of purple lightning, but there are too many nine-phoenixes across countless timelines.

The Heavenly Punishment gathered the power of all time and space, vowing to completely annihilate all the Nine Phoenixes. Although countless Nine Phoenixes from various time and space died under the Heavenly Punishment, it also caused chaos in the entire Heavenly Dao Time and Space!
Meanwhile, along the confluence of the River of Time and the River of Destiny, countless drops of essence blood continued to swim upstream like fish, heading straight for the confluence of the Primordial and Chaotic Rivers of Time. Countless heavenly punishments fell instantly, shattering the essence blood, but one drop of essence blood, carrying the boundless will of Pangu, evaded the detection of the heavenly punishments and swam upstream.

(End of this chapter)