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

Chapter 246 The Three Sages of Heaven, Earth, and Man: The Fear of Yuanshi, Jieyin, and Zhunti

After the three paths of Heaven, Earth, and Man were established, they began to operate in an orderly manner according to their respective trajectories.

Above the Heavenly Dao, the stars rotate in order, and the laws intertwine to form a network, governing the macroscopic order of the primordial world.

Within the underground passages, the earth's veins surge ceaselessly, the mountains and rivers remain stable, and the cycle of life unfolds in an orderly fashion, sustaining the life and vitality of all things.
In the human realm, all living beings multiplied, civilization gradually flourished, and a vibrant atmosphere permeated the primordial land.

Nuwa was surrounded by the essence of humanity, completely breaking free from the constraints of the Heavenly Saints, and becoming a truly independent ruler of humanity.

Nuwa resided in the Nuwa Palace, her mind connected with all living beings in the primordial world, controlling the balance of all living beings. At this moment, Nuwa was filled with emotion and amazement.

Unexpectedly, Yin Ziyu and Jiu Feng's path to enlightenment benefited him so much, allowing him to break free from the shackles of the Heavenly Dao and become the master of the Human Dao. This opportunity was equivalent to that of Lao Tzu.

Although Nuwa's realm did not advance to the same level as Laozi's, she gained the freedom to break free from the shackles of the Heavenly Dao and truly became the ruler of humanity, governing the creation of all living beings in the primordial world. This was also an extremely significant leap.

Of course, in essence, Nuwa was the ruler of humanity, but she obtained it without much effort.

At this moment, Nuwa exclaimed with joy, "I owe Ziyu a huge debt of karma!"

Houtu then sits in the Netherworld, governing the cycle of reincarnation. As the master of the earth, Houtu closely connects the earth's veins with the cycle of reincarnation, making the cycle of reincarnation smoother, and thus the order of the Netherworld becomes more stable.

When the three powers (heaven, earth, and man) stood in harmony, heaven and earth seemed to reach an unprecedented state of perfection. A vast primordial power surged in the primordial world, nourishing all living things.

The Jianmu tree stands tall in the center of heaven and earth, frantically absorbing endless chaotic spiritual energy. Through its own transformation, it continuously releases pure innate spiritual energy.

The amount of spiritual energy that Jianmu absorbs in a year is extremely large. If a mortal could absorb it all, he would be able to ascend to heaven in one step and become a Great Luo Golden Immortal.

This is an extremely large innate spiritual energy flowing in. At this rate, the glory of the primordial era may not be far off.

Don't think that it's rare for a Great Luo Golden Immortal to absorb spiritual energy in a year. You should know that in the neighboring Perfect World, the entire Immortal Realm only produces one Immortal Emperor after many years. An Immortal Emperor is equivalent to a Great Luo Golden Immortal, which is enough to show how vast it is.

The future prehistoric world will inevitably enter a period where the number of years cannot be recorded.

This is inevitable. Once the primordial origin begins to grow, time will slow down, and the days of calamities occurring every tens of thousands of years will become a joke.

The future might be a matter of billions of years, and the world might remain largely unchanged.

Only when resources are plentiful can we avoid involution; without involution, time will be prolonged.

Today, the Heavenly Dao reveres Hongjun, while the Three Pure Ones, Jieyin, and Zhunti are the Five Sages of the Heavenly Dao, who together maintain the operation of the Heavenly Dao.

Although there are no saints in the human realm and the earth realm yet, they are thriving under the rule of Nuwa and Houtu.

With the matter of Jianmu settled, Yin Ziyu and Jiufeng arrived together at Houtu Palace in the Netherworld.

Houtu was overjoyed to see the two of them and stood up to greet them: "Not only have you two both returned after attaining enlightenment, but you even managed to get Hongjun to compromise. I never expected this!"

Recalling past grievances, Jiufeng said bitterly, "It's a pity I couldn't shatter those saints and avenge the blood feud my Wu clan suffered back then!"

At this moment, Houtu was still fixated on not being able to completely defeat these people, after all, the death of the Ancestral Witch was all related to the schemes of these sages.

Houtu sighed, "Now that Hongjun truly controls the Heavenly Dao, he naturally protects them. In fact, he has even placed the karma from that year within the Heavenly Dao's grasp to protect them. It won't be easy for them to take revenge. Moreover, Laozi has already merged his three corpses into one, and even though his power is inferior to yours, defeating him won't be easy either! Furthermore, Yuanshi Tianzun has always adhered to the principles of the Heavenly Dao. Yuanshi's glory is intertwined with the Heavenly Dao's. This time, it's Hongjun's compromise, not a defeat of Hongjun. It's already quite good that he's achieved this much!"

The Dao of Yuanshi Tianzun is the Dao that executes the Dao of Heaven. It can be said that Yuanshi Tianzun is deeply bound to the Dao of Heaven. Therefore, to punish Yuanshi Tianzun, Hongjun must be involved, since Hongjun now represents the Dao of Heaven.

Yin Ziyu then spoke up, saying, "Hongjun possesses a deadly weapon like the Heaven-Opening Axe. The reason I was able to make him compromise was only by using the Chaos Pearl's passage; it wasn't because I completely defeated them. If we were to fight head-on, the outcome would be unpredictable."

Houtu laughed upon hearing this, "The sages' primordial spirits are entrusted to the Heavenly Dao. Even if they suffer a setback for a time, they will at most be seriously injured. It is inherently difficult to completely eliminate them. At least the current situation of the world has been completely changed, which is already a very good result. Seriously injuring a few sages is just venting our anger!"

After hearing this, Jiufeng was still unwilling, but she understood that Houtu's words made sense, so she said no more.

Yin Ziyu looked at Houtu and continued, "Now that the Three Paths have been established, the primordial world is in the process of recovery, and we still have a lot to do. Especially the Underground Path, which is related to reincarnation and the foundation of the earth, so we need Houtu to put in more effort."

Amidst the rising smoke, Houtu looked at Yin Ziyu and Jiufeng, her eyes filled with curiosity: "You two were able to return after attaining enlightenment, and even caused a change in the world's格局 (geju, a concept encompassing both the world and the heavens). Your path to enlightenment must be extraordinary. Could you tell me about it?"

A glint of recollection flashed in Jiufeng's eyes as she spoke, "I traveled against the flow of time, only to be pursued by divine punishment. The essence of all time and space perished, but fortunately, the will of my father protected me, allowing me to enter the chaos before the creation of the world. There, I met my father, Pangu, who, seeing that I was of his bloodline, imparted to me the Great Dao of Power. With the help of what my father taught me, I cultivated diligently in the chaos and finally attained enlightenment."

Upon hearing this, Houtu suddenly stood up, her face filled with joy, her voice trembling slightly: "I've seen Father God? That's wonderful! Did Father God have any instructions?"

Jiufeng shook her head, then nodded: "Father God said that we are the variables of countless eras, and I will not say more, and I do not know anything about it!"

Yin Ziyu added from the side: "I, on the other hand, sank my true intention and original heart into the origin of the Great Dao. In the place of the Great Dao's extinction, the power of extinction surged. If one is not careful, one will perish both body and soul. It was only thanks to the protection of the will of the Great God Pangu that I was able to withstand the torrent of extinction and successfully find the core of the origin, thus proving the Dao through the mind."

At this moment, Yin Ziyu sighed, for becoming Daoist partners with Jiufeng and entering the Pangu Palace was truly an indispensable opportunity for a Daoist to prove their path.

If I don't find a Daoist partner, I won't be qualified to enter the Pangu Palace. Of course, if I prove my Dao and receive the protection of Pangu's will, Jiufeng will also be able to prove her Dao. It's a case of shared glory!
Houtu sighed, “The paths you two have taken to attain enlightenment are truly beyond comprehension. One of you received personal instruction from the Father God, and the other has delved into the origin of the Great Dao. I fear that in the future, few will be able to traverse such a path.”

Yin Ziyu smiled slightly: "Now that the three paths of Heaven, Earth, and Man have been established, and the primordial origin is becoming increasingly abundant, the insurmountable barrier to proving the Dao through force in the future has been greatly reduced. It will be much easier for future generations to prove the Dao than for us." Although these two paths cannot be replicated, the difficulty of proving the Dao has been reduced by 50%, of course, it is still an insurmountable barrier.

Houtu nodded: "Indeed, if someone were to attain enlightenment in the future, it would not be so difficult. However, it will be difficult for anyone to attain enlightenment like you, since the Father God's will has dissipated and not just anyone can enter the Origin of the Great Dao."

Thinking of the current power structure of the three paths, Jiufeng asked, "Today, the Heavenly Path has Hongjun as its supreme ruler, along with the Three Pure Ones, Jieyin, and Zhunti—five Heavenly Path Saints. Laozi has even achieved the Three Corpses as One, making him the strongest. However, the Human Path and the Earthly Path currently lack Saints. In the future, will the position of Saint be bestowed upon the Earthly Path?"

After hearing this, Yin Ziyu laughed and said, "Jiufeng, you are a member of the Witch Clan, while the Empress is the Lord of the Earthly Path, and can actually be considered a Saint of the Earthly Path. Your strength is not weak. In comparison, the Human Path is currently the weakest link."

Houtu nodded in agreement: "Although there is no openly recognized saint in the Earthly Path, with you, Jiufeng, who proved the Dao through strength, in charge, it is not weak. As for Ziyu, you are born of the human race and are one of all living beings, so you can be considered a saint of the Human Path. In this way, the three paths are temporarily balanced. When the true saints of the Earthly Path and the Human Path return to their positions, the two of you can truly live freely."

Although the positions of Heaven, Earth, and Man have been established, the Heavenly Way still holds a commanding lead. If one side becomes too weak, it will eventually weaken and perish. The tripartite division has always been the most stable pattern. Once one side cannot maintain its position, the final result will inevitably be that one side becomes dominant, and the final outcome will be a return to the origin.

According to the current power ranking, Hongjun, who controls the Jade Disc of Creation, plus the Three Treasures of Creation, has a power level of 200. Laozi has 80, plus other treasures, which is 90. Yuanshi Tianzun, Jieyin, and Zhunti together have a power level of 130-140, so their power level is over 400.

In the underground realm, Houtu only has the Six Paths of Reincarnation and the Pangu Palace, with a combat power of 150. Adding Jiufeng's 100, the difference is not small.

Humanity is weak, and Nuwa is one of the weakest saints. Now that she has become the master of humanity, her combat power has barely increased to 100. If we add Yin Ziyu, Yin Ziyu's combat power is 120, which is still the weakest of the three paths. However, the two paths combined can still be on par with the Heavenly Dao. If Yin Ziyu and Jiufeng are not counted, then the Human and Earthly Paths will also be unable to be maintained!

Yin Ziyu couldn't help but say, "Your Majesty is absolutely right. I still need to see Goddess Nuwa. The three paths must be balanced, otherwise all our efforts will be in vain!"

Houtu nodded after hearing this and said, "Very good. Humanity is only balanced with Ziyu! Once humanity and the earth have grown, Ziyu will seek the future!"

Yin Ziyu nodded slightly: "Attaining the Dao of Hunyuan is not the end. In the future, we must move towards attaining the Dao of Eternity. This is also why the Dao Ancestor chose to compromise after learning that I could communicate with the Chaos Pearl. The Dao Ancestor hoped to find a way to avoid the annihilation of the era."

A glimmer of hope flashed in Houtu's eyes: "Whether the entire primordial world can escape the fate of annihilation in the future depends not only on the efforts of us Hunyuan beings, but also on the fate of all living beings. If the day truly comes when we are powerless, we can only face annihilation with equanimity. However, with the Chaos Pearl, at least there is a glimmer of hope, and we can escape that immeasurable calamity."

After having a long talk with Houtu, Yin Ziyu immediately went to the Nuwa Palace to find the Goddess Nuwa.
The Jade Void Palace on Kunlun Mountain is shrouded in clouds and the cries of cranes cannot conceal the solemn atmosphere inside.

The Primordial Celestial Venerable's expression turned solemn, his brows furrowed, no longer displaying his former composure: "Even if this Ziyu can communicate with the Chaos Pearl, the Dao Ancestor's Heaven-Opening Divine Axe can still defeat these two!"

Lao Tzu sat upright at the head of the table, lightly sweeping his whisk, his gaze falling on Yuanshi Tianzun beside him.

"Second brother, do you know why our ancestor suddenly stopped and compromised?"

Lao Tzu's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable authority.

The Primordial Celestial Venerable frowned, his body surrounded by swirling auspicious clouds: "The Dao Ancestor wields the Heaven-Opening Axe and possesses the Jade Disc of Creation. Even if Yin Ziyu has the Chaos Compass, he may still have the power to fight. This easy retreat is truly perplexing."

Laozi sighed softly, lowering his whisk: "Dao Ancestor knows that sooner or later, the primordial world will undergo immeasurable calamities. Compromising now is not a way to secure a way out for yourself. The Chaos Pearl is an object that transcends eras. Ziyu can communicate with this treasure. If Dao Ancestor were to become its enemy, he would be cutting off his own life."

A hint of surprise flashed in Yuanshi Tianzun's eyes: "But now the Dao Ancestor truly grasps the Heavenly Dao, and his power is even greater than before. He no longer absolutely controls the prehistoric world with the will of the Heavenly Dao as he did before."

"Times change."

Laozi shook his head and said, "Second brother, no matter what, Ziyu and Jiufeng have now attained the Dao, and both are Hunyuan powerhouses who attained the Dao through strength. We should do our best to resolve the past grievances and entanglements in the future."

Yuanshi Tianzun frowned even more deeply: "But Master has already borne all those karmic ties. Besides, we are Heavenly Saints, how could Master sit idly by and watch us be humiliated? Our actions back then were all in accordance with the will of Heaven, not our own intentions!"

Laozi looked at Yuanshi Tianzun and said in a more serious tone: "Teacher has taken the blame for the cause and effect, but how can people's hearts be without resentment? Jiufeng still holds a grudge about the past of the Wu Clan, and although Ziyu seems peaceful, he may not be without grudges. Even if a sage's primordial spirit is entrusted to the Heavenly Dao, if he wants to humiliate us, he will still have the opportunity to do so."

After hearing this, Yuanshi Tianzun fell silent and began to ponder deeply.

Yuanshi Tianzun was well aware that with Yin Ziyu and Jiufeng's strength, even if they couldn't harm the Sage's core, they could still make them lose face in front of all living beings in the prehistoric world. For Yuanshi, who valued his reputation as much as his life, this was even harder to accept than being seriously injured.

Meanwhile, atop Mount Sumeru in the west, Amitabha and Cundi were also discussing in hushed tones.

Zhunti's face was full of worry, and the Seven Treasures Tree in his hand trembled slightly: "I never expected that Ziyu and Jiufeng would be able to return after attaining enlightenment. Now that the prehistoric world has changed so much, how should we two conduct ourselves?"

Jieyin clasped his hands and sighed softly, his countenance solemn: "Junior brother, we should try our best to resolve the karma from the past. In the Investiture of the Gods, you and I had many schemes against the Shang and Jie Sects, and we also tampered with Di Xin. These are all facts."

Zhunti was puzzled: "Now that the Dao Ancestor has already taken on all the karma, why would he need to create trouble for himself to resolve it?"

"The Way of Heaven governs cause and effect, but it cannot eliminate the antagonism in people's hearts."

Jieyin slowly said, "Even if they don't seek to settle the karmic debt with you and me, because of our enmity, Nuwa is now the ruler of the human realm, and the human realm encompasses all living beings. Ziyu also belongs to the human realm. The people of the prehistoric world will look at our Western world with hostility. If this continues, you and I will find it difficult to move an inch in the prehistoric world. Moreover, although the Dao Ancestor protects us, he will not break ties with Ziyu and Jiufeng again because of past grievances. If it really comes to that, our teacher may not stand up for us."

Upon hearing this, Zhunti's eyes flashed with understanding, and he nodded, saying, "What Senior Brother says is quite right. It seems we need to find an opportunity to resolve the old grudges with Ziyu and Jiufeng."

The two Western saints exchanged a glance, both seeing solemnity in each other's eyes.

The heavens of the primordial world have changed, and these former sages of the Heavenly Dao can no longer do as they please as before.

The order of the sages has quietly come to an end at this moment, and the primordial world has truly entered a new era of order.

(End of this chapter)