Investiture of the Gods

Kunlun Mountain, Jade Void Palace.

Today, the Jade Void Palace is exceptionally solemn and dignified.

Outside the palace gates, cranes circled and auspicious clouds swirled.

From the main hall to the square, dozens of Chan Sect Disciple stood on both sides, each dressed in fine clothes and with solemn expressions.

All eyes were focused on the figure in the golden Daoist robe in the center of the square.

At this moment, Shen Gongbao was all smiles, his back ramrod straight.

He stood on the high platform in the center of the square, feeling the gazes coming from all directions.

Those once disdainful, contemptuous, and mocking gazes have now transformed into reverence and flattery.

"Junior Brother Shen, that's incredible! Congratulations, you've achieved your wish!"

A hint of disgust flashed in Guangchengzi's eyes, but he still smiled.

Shen Gongbao sneered inwardly, but smiled outwardly, "Senior brother, you flatter me. I owe my success today entirely to Master's guidance and the support of my fellow senior brothers."

He spoke politely, but a hint of pleasure flashed in his eyes.

Over the years, he has suffered countless scornful treatment within the Chan Sect.

Because of his different birth, he was hated, and even with his advanced cultivation and profound Daoist skills, he could never truly integrate into the core of the Chan Sect.

But what about now?

The one who Investiture of the Gods of gods wielded the Investiture of the Gods and the God-Beating Whip, deciding the fate of all living beings.

What kind of authority is this?

What an honor this is!

Shen Gongbao's gaze swept across the high platform.

My master has finally acknowledged me!

"Shen Gongbao," the voice of Yuanshi Tianzun rang out, calm and undisturbed, "The hundred-year period has arrived; let us begin the Investiture of the Gods today."

Shen Gongbao quickly cleared his mind of distractions and bowed respectfully. "Yes, Master."

He took a deep breath, raised his right hand, and a golden light emanated from his palm.

Golden light condensed and transformed into a whip about three feet long, jet black, and covered with mysterious runes—the God -God-Beating Whip.

Shen Gongbao gripped the God-Beating Whip, feeling the vast divine power contained within it, a fanatical glint flashing in his eyes.

At this moment, he was no longer the Leopard Spirit who could be bullied by everyone, but the Investiture of the Gods who held the fate of all living beings in his hands!

With a swift movement, he transformed into a golden light and flew towards Falling Cloud Peak.

Luoyun Peak is located on the west side of Kunlun Mountain. A hundred years ago, Yuanshi Tianzun Shen Gongbao to build the Fengshen Terrace here.

At this moment, golden light soared into the Fengshen Terrace.

It was a circular stone platform, ninety-nine feet high, with its surface paved with white jade and covered with densely packed runes.

In the center of the stone platform, a golden beam of light shot straight into the Yunxiao, within which the Investiture of the Gods floated silently and slowly rotated.

Shen Gongbao landed on the Fengshen Terrace, gazing at the dazzling golden Investiture of the Gods of the Gods, and a complex mix of emotions welled up within him.

"Chiting..." he murmured to himself, a hint of pain flashing in his eyes.

Chiting was one of Shen Gongbao's few friends in the Chan Sect.

Back then, he suffered endless bullying, and it was Chiting came to his rescue many times, even disregarding the criticism of others and discussing cultivation with him.

Unfortunately, that year, Jie Sect Disciple invaded the Chan Sect. To save his fellow disciples, Chiting perished together with the Jie Sect Disciple, and his spirit was listed on the Investiture of the Gods the Gods.

He shook his head, suppressing his distracting thoughts. What's done is done; further reflection was pointless.

What he needs to do now is to complete the Investiture of the Gods ceremony.

Shen Gongbao, holding the God-Beating Whip, pointed it at the void Investiture of the Gods.

"By the decree of the Yuanshi Tianzun, today we shall confer the Investiture of the Gods!"

Shen Gongbao shouted loudly, and his voice echoed throughout the entire Kunlun Mountain.

"Buzz--"

The Investiture of the Gods was violently shaken, and golden light shone brightly.

One after another, illusory figures flew out from the list and hovered above the Fengshen Terrace.

These figures appeared and disappeared, their faces blurred; they were none other than the true spirits who had made the list.

Shen Gongbao spotted Chiting at a glance.

Besides Chiting, there were also the three generations of disciples of the Chan Sect who had fallen, some disciples of the Interception Sect, and even disciples of the Western Teachings.

All true spirits, regardless of their identity in life, are now quietly awaiting the judgment of fate.

Shen Gongbao took a deep breath and began the Investiture of the Gods.

He first looked at the Chan Sect Disciple.

With God-Beating Whip, a golden light shot towards Chiting: "Chiting, you are hereby appointed as the Fire Virtue Star Lord, in charge of the fire element throughout the land, and to inspect the smoke and fire of the mortal realm!"

Chiting's true spirit trembled slightly, then transformed into a stream of light and entered the corresponding divine position in the Investiture of the Gods.

On the Investiture of the Gods, the four characters "Fire Virtue Star Lord" flashed with golden light, officially returning to their rightful place.

Then, Shen Gongbao continued to Investiture of the Gods.

He distributed important divine positions to the Chan Sect Disciple one by one: the Lord of the Thunder Department, the Star Lord of the Dipper Department, the Water Virtue Star Lord, the Five Sacred Mountains Gods...

Each of them held real power and authority, wielding power over a region.

When it was the turn of the Jie Sect Disciple, Shen Gongbao's tone became noticeably colder.

He randomly selected a few people, assigning them unimportant and sinecure positions: Kitchen God, Earth God, Mountain God, Gatekeeper, Plague God...

Finally, there are the disciples of the Western Teachings.

A hint of mockery flashed in Shen Gongbao's eyes as he God-Beating Whip: "You shall be appointed God of Wealth, in charge of human fortune."

"You are hereby appointed as the Water Dividing General, to patrol the four waterways."

"And you, you've been assigned to the Thunder Department and the Water Department."

These are all clergy positions that sound impressive, but in reality, they have limited authority and low social status.

The Western Teachings disciples' true spirits trembled, clearly dissatisfied, but under the suppression of the Investiture of the Investiture of the Gods, they were powerless to resist and could only return to their places one by one.

Before long, the investiture of all the deities was completed.

Looking at the densely packed names on the Investiture of the Gods, Shen Gongbao felt a surge of heroic spirit.

From this day forward, the fate of these deities will be in his hands.

He also bestowed upon himself a divine title: Great Emperor Gouchen Shanggong Tianhuang.

He then assigned the more important position of the Supreme Emperor of the Central Purple Star and the North Pole to Guangchengzi's disciple.

This was at the behest of his senior brother, Guangchengzi, and he dared not disobey.

"Hmm, why are there three pre-determined divine positions on this?"

"The True Lord Qingyuan Miaodao, Yang Jian."

"The True Lord of the Wondrous Dharma and the Dao, Yang Jiao."

"The Holy Mother of Mount Hua, Yang Chan."

"It's those three humans."

Shen Gongbao had heard of these three people; they were said to be the nephews and nieces of the Heavenly Emperor Haotian.

"I never expected the Heavenly Emperor to act in such a way."

The moment the Investiture of the Gods was completed, a brilliant golden light suddenly shone in the sky.

A majestic figure appeared above the Fengshen Terrace; it was none other than the Lord of Heavenly Court, Haotian.

"The Investiture of the Gods is complete. You must each perform your duties and work together to uphold the will of Heavenly Dao." Haotian's voice resounded throughout the heavens and earth. "The Investiture of the Gods and the God-Beating Whip shall now be under the control of the Heavenly Court."

As he spoke, he reached out and grabbed at the Investiture of the Gods and the God-Beating Whip.

But just then, another giant hand reached out from the void and intercepted the Investiture of the Gods and the God-Beating Whip.

Haotian was stunned. He looked up and saw the figure of Yuanshi Tianzun slowly appearing.

A hint of disdain flashed in Yuanshi's eyes.

"Yuanshi Brother Yuanshi, what is the meaning of this?" Haotian suppressed his anger and asked in a deep voice.

The Yuanshi Tianzun said calmly, "The Investiture of the Gods is over. However, these two items are of great importance. To prevent anyone from plotting against them, I will keep them safe for you. What do you think, Junior Brother Haotian?"

Haotian's face instantly turned ashen.

His fists clenched; the Investiture of the Gods and the God-Beating Whip were the keys to restraining the gods.

Mastering these two things is equivalent to mastering the lifeline of all deities.

Yuanshi Tianzun's actions clearly indicate his intention to usurp the Heavenly Court and subordinate all deities to the Chan Sect!

But what could he do?

Yuanshi Tianzun was a sage with great power, while Haotian, although the Heavenly Emperor, was not a sage.

After a long silence, Haotian finally released his fist, forcing a stiff smile, "Since Yuanshi Brother Yuanshi is willing to help, then Haotian is naturally willing. Then... thank you very much, Yuanshi Brother Yuanshi."

After saying this, he gave Yuanshi Tianzun a deep look, then glanced at the newly appointed deities on the Fengshen Terrace, before his figure gradually faded and disappeared.

"Master..." Shen Gongbao looked at Yuanshi Tianzun, hesitating to speak.

Yuanshi Tianzun glanced at him, said nothing, and turned to return to the Jade Void Palace.

But just then, two figures appeared out of nowhere and blocked his way.

These were the Two Sages of the West, the Daoist Jieyin and the Daoist Zhunti.

Zhunti, his expression unfriendly, directly questioned, "Brother Yuanshi, why are the divine positions bestowed upon my Western Teachings disciples so lowly?"

Yuanshi Tianzun looked at him coldly. "It's all ordained by the Heavenly Dao. I'm merely acting according to Heaven's will. If Zhunti has any complaints, he can go and reason with Master."

"You!" Zhunti was furious and about to lash out, but was stopped by the Daoist Jieyin.

Jieyin his hands together, his face filled with sorrow. "Brother Yuanshi, this matter is indeed unfair. Although our Western Teachings is weak, it should not be treated this way."

Yuanshi Tianzun remained unmoved. "The Investiture of the Gods is complete, and their positions are fixed and cannot be changed. Please return."

Having said that, he ignored the Two Sages of the West and, with a flicker, returned to the Jade Void Palace.

Zhunti wanted to say something more, but Jieyin forcefully pulled him back. "Junior brother, things have come to this point, there's no point in saying anything more. Let's go."

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing the resentment in each other's eyes, but ultimately transformed into two golden beams of light and disappeared into the horizon.

On the Fengshen Terrace, only Shen Gongbao remained.

He watched as the Chiting gradually took shape before him—after Investiture of the Gods, his divine body was reshaped. Although he was no longer made of flesh and blood, he had been reborn.

"Senior brother..." Shen Gongbao stepped forward, his expression complex, "I'm sorry. I originally wanted to give you a higher divine position, but..."

Chiting shook his head. "It's alright, junior brother. It's all fate. Now that I've been Investiture of the Gods, I should go to the Heavenly Court to report for duty."

Shen Gongbao quickly said, "Master said that we Chan Sect Disciple can obey orders but not summons, and can stay on Kunlun Mountain without worrying about the affairs of the Heavenly Court. Why don't you stay, Senior Brother?"

Chiting shook his head.

He glanced in the direction of the Jade Void Palace, a profound meaning flashing in his eyes. "Junior brother, for me, the Heavenly Court might be a good place to belong."

He paused, then said softly, "Kunlun Mountain is a good place, but it is not a place for me to stay for long. The Heavenly Court is far away, but it has its own way."

After saying this, Chiting bowed deeply to Shen Gongbao, then turned and flew towards the South Heaven Gate.

His figure gradually disappeared into the sea of clouds.

Shen Gongbao stood on the Fengshen Terrace, gazing in the direction Chiting had left, remaining silent for a long time.

Shen Gongbao glanced at the Fengshen Terrace in the distance and muttered to himself, "Investiture of the Gods... Investiture of the Gods... Is it really a conferred godhood, or a prison?"