Lao Tzu is Ji Gong

"If you keep acting up, don't blame me for being ruthless and disrespectful!" Jiang Ziya said angrily.

“Husband,” Madam Ma immediately softened her tone, “Don’t be like this. Even if you’re unwilling to help me, you should at least make a trip to Kunlun Mountain and speak well of me to your sect. That way, you can help me get a minor deity or some kind of immortal status.”

“Don’t even dream about it,” Jiang Ziya immediately refused. “You haven’t even become a decent human being, how could you possibly become an immortal? If you continue to pester me and refuse to leave, don’t blame me for using magic to expel you.” After saying that, Jiang Ziya turned his palm over, preparing to cast a spell.

"Husband, if you don't agree today, I'll come again tomorrow. If you still don't agree tomorrow, I'll come the day after. I'll disturb your sleep every single day!" With these harsh words, Madam Ma vanished in a flash. Jiang Ziya sighed deeply.

The next day, at the Fengshen Platform atop Qishan Mountain, Li Xiuyuan handed the blank Heavenly Book to Jiang Ziya. Jiang Ziya bowed to Li Xiuyuan and respectfully placed the blank Heavenly Book on the altar.

He then instructed his Taoist priests to raise the banner of the Investiture of the Gods. Jiang Ziya opened his hands, and in the blink of an eye, a huge Tai Chi Bagua appeared between heaven and earth, hidden among the mountain peaks. Jiang Ziya said in a deep voice, "On behalf of the fallen generals and all the immortals, I express my gratitude to Heaven and my ancestor Mo Tianwen for their grace. From now on, all the gods shall return to their positions and perform their duties."

Yun Zhongzi, who was standing nearby, said, "Ziya, the time for the Investiture of the Gods has come. Let's begin."

Jiang Ziya nodded. "I will obey my master's command. The Investiture of the Gods shall begin."

Instantly, hundreds of crystal-clear blue rays of light scattered across the sky, representing the souls of the loyal generals who had sacrificed themselves, awaiting their investiture. Li Xiuyuan threw down the Investiture of the Gods from the heavens, where it hung between the mountain peaks.

Jiang Ziya said to the Investiture of the Gods: "Guards, offer the heads of Fei Lian, who stole the treasure and gained glory, and E Lai to the Investiture of the Gods platform. Quickly place their heads on a wooden platter and put them on the incense table to avoid the need for sacrifices of pigs and sheep."

Immediately, someone brought back their heads. Yun Zhongzi said, "By the order of the Nine Heavens Ancestor Li Xiuyuan, gods and ghosts are of different paths, immortals and mortals are different. Heaven has never had Great Luo Buddhas and deities, and Earth has not yet returned to the cycle of cause and effect. The Western Paradise is difficult for you to reach. Although you have the Five Elements Law, your wisdom is not yet clear, your seven emotions are difficult to eliminate, and your six desires need to be eradicated. The cycle of Heaven's Way leads to endless cycles of revenge. Out of pity for you, I am willing to endure hardship and toil, for your hearts are pure and filial, and I am grateful for Heaven's grace. Therefore, I have specially ordered Jiang Shang to act on Heaven's instructions to help you return to the Heavenly Court and perform your duties. You should abide by these duties and contribute to the human world. You must not abuse the immortal laws. Therefore, you are hereby conferred the title of gods!"

Jiang Ziya loudly proclaimed, "May the Heavenly Ancestor bear witness, and may all the gods proceed in due order. Li Jing, you possess my Jade Void Treasure, the Exquisite Pagoda, which can eternally suppress the universe; therefore, I hereby bestow upon you the position of Heavenly King Holding the Pagoda. Nezha, although you initially disregarded filial piety, cutting off your bones to return to your father and your flesh to return to your mother, you repented in time. As the vanguard of the army, you slayed countless enemies with your Wind-Fire Wheels and the Hun Tian Ling; therefore, I hereby bestow upon you three heads and six arms, and appoint you as the Third Prince. Yang Jian, you were born with divine eyes; to save your mother, you split mountains and shook the earth, your filial piety moved the world. In the great battle against King Zhou, you repeatedly saved the army from fire and water, capturing countless enemy generals; therefore, I hereby appoint you as Erlang Shen, and your celestial hound, Xiaotianquan, is also promoted to the title of Nine Heavens Divine Dog..."

After the main generals were appointed, Jiang Ziya continued to bestow titles upon the gods. Unexpectedly, at this time, Ma's spirit suddenly came to disturb him, demanding a divine position. Unable to resolve the matter peacefully, Jiang Ziya had no choice but to bestow the title of Broom Star upon her.

Afterwards, Jiang Ziya continued to bestow titles upon the gods: "Please invite the God of Fortune to welcome Chong Heihu, Wen Pin, Cui Ying, and Jiang Xiong to step forward and receive their titles. Chong Heihu and the others are kind to their soldiers, loyal and filial, and have the king and the people in their hearts. Therefore, Chong Heihu is hereby conferred the title of the Great Emperor Zhaosheng of Mount Heng in the South, Wen Pin is hereby conferred the title of the Great Emperor Chongsheng of Mount Song in the Central, Cui Ying is hereby conferred the title of the Great Emperor Xuansheng of Mount Heng in the North, and Jiang Xiong is hereby conferred the title of the Great Emperor Yuansheng of Mount Hua in the West!"

After saying this, Jiang Ziya turned to Yun Zhongzi and said, "My eldest brother has already taken the positions of all 364 ministers, and there is only one divine position left. Now it should be my turn, junior brother."

Yun Zhongzi laughed heartily, “Ziya, a sage is not attached to fame and position, and roams beyond the heavens and earth, therefore he can be called a sage.”

Just as Yun Zhongzi finished speaking, Huang Feihu's spirit suddenly appeared, saying, "Brother Ziya, Brother Ziya, I, Huang Feihu, am late. I wonder what minor divine positions are on this Investiture of the Gods? Please comfort my soul."

Jiang Ziya thought for a moment and said with a smile, "Brother Feihu, you've come at the right time. There's only one left of the 365 gods on the Investiture of the Gods list. It was originally a divine position that I reserved for myself, but I'll give it to you, Brother Feihu."

Huang Feihu bowed slightly and said, "Thank you, Brother Ziya."

"Huang Feihu suffered cruelty at the hands of a tyrant, but helped the wise ruler to overthrow the Shang king. He made outstanding contributions and was specially appointed as the Great Emperor of Mount Tai, the first of the Five Sacred Mountains, to govern the good and bad fortune of the human world and to control the wronged souls of the underworld."

Thus, the Investiture of the Gods was nearing its end, and peace reigned throughout the land. A new era had begun.

Li Xiuyuan was very pleased to see the millennium calamity resolved. His merit points surged, and his whole body shone with golden light. Just as he was about to fly to Nuwa Palace outside the Thirty-Three Heavens, he suddenly sensed that Hongjun, that old thief, was actually at the final stage of merging with the Heavenly Dao.

Looking at the people on the Investiture Platform, they were all pale-faced, as if all their energy had been drained away. They no longer resembled any immortals.

Li Xiuyuan quickly calculated with his fingers, and his expression suddenly turned grim. It turned out that it was the work of that beast in human form! "That old thief actually absorbed the merits of others during the Great Tribulation for his own use!"

Li Xiuyuan formed a hand seal and then pointed with his left hand. A transparent, flowing light shield appeared above the Conferred God Platform, temporarily severing everyone's connection with the outside world and also shattering Hongjun's beautiful dream!

Li Xiuyuan said to everyone, "You all quickly strengthen your bodies and protect yourselves. I'll be right back!"

Then Li Xiuyuan turned around and disappeared into mid-air.

Meanwhile, Hongjun, who was at the final stage of merging with the Great Dao, was suddenly cut off from his source and coughed up a mouthful of blood.

With a wave of his hand, Hongjun created a mirror, and the people on the Investiture of the Gods platform were protected by a transparent light shield.

Hongjun pondered for a moment and knew who was behind it. He immediately glared and cursed, "Li Xiuyuan, I will not forgive you!"

"Hmm, who knows who will get away with this? How dare you spout such nonsense here? Let me show you what Grandpa is capable of." Li Xiuyuan immediately slashed at Hongjun with his sword.

A flash of white light appeared and a fierce sword aura rushed towards Hongjun. Hongjun did not expect that after a thousand years, Li Xiuyuan's magic power would be so superb and his speed so fast. He could not dodge in time and was directly hit in the chest!

"How... how is this possible? Your cultivation level is so high!" Hongjun clutched the wound on his chest, looking at Li Xiuyuan in disbelief!

"Hmph! You've been in seclusion for so many years, cultivating so diligently, yet you still haven't grasped this?" Li Xiuyuan looked at Hongjun with a displeased expression. This scum could not be allowed to live today, otherwise who knew how much trouble he would cause in the future!

"You think you're the only one who matters in the world? Hahaha, what a joke!" Hongjun's eyes darted around, and he seemed to have come up with some wicked idea, laughing maliciously.

"What do you mean?" Li Xiuyuan glared angrily at Hongjun Ancestor. This old guy was cunning and unpredictable, and no one knew what kind of evil scheme he was plotting.

"Hahaha, Heavenly Dao, no matter how powerful your cultivation is, can you be more powerful than Heavenly Dao?"

Li Xiuyuan laughed dismissively after hearing this, "Heh, the Way of Heaven? What is the Way of Heaven?"

It turns out that Li Xiuyuan has accumulated countless merits. Whether it was supporting the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors or the Investiture of the Gods, Li Xiuyuan has already accumulated countless merit points. Combined with his own cultivation, he is now far beyond what Hongjun Ancestor can compare to.

In his eyes, the will of Heaven meant absolutely nothing!

Li Xiuyuan is now able to create a world that he can control.

A golden light slowly rose from Li Xiuyuan's right hand, much to the astonishment of Hongjun Ancestor.

Soon, Hongjun was swallowed up by the golden light and disappeared.

All the merits he absorbed turned into golden fragments, and the Investiture of the Gods proceeded smoothly once again.

Li Xiuyuan waved his sleeve and turned to leave.

...

Chapter 1160 The World of the Lotus Lantern

A golden light descended from the sky, and in the deserted green fields, insects chirped and birds sang, all things were thriving in spring, a truly delightful scene!

The man's screams were heart-wrenching, lingering in the air for a long time, terrifying everything into silence, before suddenly becoming even more intense.

Li Xiuyuan barely opened his eyes. His head and face were covered in a thick, bright red liquid. He wiped his face with his hand, and his palm was also stained. It was blood! His blood!

"System, are you even capable?! Is it really that hard to land in a good place?! I've crashed and am bleeding from my head." He roared to the sky.

"Crack."

Li Xiuyuan looked closely and saw a dark toad lying on the withered grass, staring at him with its eyes wide open.

"Go away, go away." He waved his hand to shoo them away, sat up from the big rock, and held his drowsy head, trying to recover his strength.

"Crack."

The toad croaked again, then kicked off with its hind legs and jumped onto Li Xiuyuan's knee. Li Xiuyuan almost rolled off the rock again. "Where did this ancestor come from?"

"Croak, croak." The toad opened and closed its mouth, puffed out its cheeks, and looked quite dazed.

Li Xiuyuan simply couldn't bring himself to pinch the bumpy back. He could only watch as the toad hopped into the grass and disappeared from sight. He sighed softly, but the system didn't react at all.

"嘤嘤嘤~"

Li Xiuyuan looked up.

"嘤嘤嘤~"

Li Xiuyuan looked at the sky.

"嘤嘤嘤~"

Li Xiuyuan scratched the back of his head. "I wasn't crying, the system is crying?"

He flipped over like a carp, landing steadily on the ground, blowing on his non-existent bangs, and laughed loudly, "Hahaha, that's right, you are just that handsome!"

"system--"

"system--"

"system--"

Li Xiuyuan strode confidently with his feet turned out in a deep voice, "Where are you? This great one is here to save you."

"What, this old man?"

Li Xiuyuan stopped and, three steps away, in the dense grass, he could see the figure of a thin, scholarly young man. The sound of weeping was coming from there.

"Wow."

The dense, towering green leaves were parted, and the young scholar stared blankly at the suddenly revealed, bloodstained, grinning human head. Finally, he cried out, "Wow!" His legs went weak, and he went from squatting to sitting up. His face was flushed, tears still wet on his cheeks, and a single tear clung to the corner of his eye. "A ghost!"

Li Xiuyuan's handsome face hardened. "Whose child is this? Does he even know how to talk?"

Chenxiang trembled as she listened to his voice, which didn't sound like a ghost. Mustering her courage, she asked, "You're not a ghost?"

"I'm not a ghost."

Li Xiuyuan pulled his hands up, revealing his entire body that was squatting there. He sat cross-legged, pretending to be a hermit master. "This is an injury I sustained while fighting a monster three hundred miles away. Fortunately, I managed to subdue the monster, which is a blessing to the region."

"But you, what are you doing squatting here crying at such a young age? Go home and eat; your mother is definitely waiting for you there."

Upon hearing this, the boy's expression of grievance deepened, and he sobbed, "My mother, my mother was kidnapped by bad people. They all laugh at me, saying I'm a bastard born of a father but without a mother to teach me."

"Ouch!" Li Xiuyuan slapped his thigh with great enthusiasm, immediately wincing in pain. While rubbing his leg, he said to him, "Who kidnapped your mother? I'll go and rescue her for you."

Chenxiang's gaze dimmed. He hugged his knees and stared blankly at the jumping insects on the ground, saying, "My mother was taken away by my uncle. He is Erlang Shen from heaven, and my mother is the Third Holy Mother."

"Your father is Liu Yanchang? You are Liu Chenxiang?" Li Xiuyuan's eyes darted around.

"You know my father?" Chenxiang looked up, his eyes filled with surprise. "You're a deity too? That's wonderful! Do you have a way to save my mother?"

Li Xiuyuan coughed a few times. It seemed that he had arrived in the world of the Lotus Lantern. His merits in this life would probably be linked to Chenxiang, who was still in the novice stage. When he split the mountain to save his mother, his merits would be complete.

Li Xiuyuan quickly waved his hand, "No, no, no, I am not an immortal, but merely a wandering cultivator. Seeing your extraordinary physique, I knew you were no ordinary person, so I..."

"Immortal, please accept my bow. Please teach me your skills so that I can rescue my mother."

Chen Xiang knelt down with a thud, not even giving Mo Tianwen a chance to catch his breath. He kept calling him "disciple," and in the blink of an eye, Mo Tianwen became his master.

"No, you really don't know how to talk." Li Xiuyuan rested her chin on her hand and glanced at him sideways.

Chenxiang raised his head with a grin, all traces of sorrow from before vanished. He bowed to Li Xiuyuan and said, "Please, Master, show me your divine power."

Li Xiuyuan reached out and flicked him on the forehead. "Well done, kid. You're smart. You want to see just how capable this cheap master you picked up really is, huh?"