Alliance with the West

The Thirty-three Heavens, the Mi Luo Palace, the sleeping quarters of Haotian.

"Bang!"

"Splash!"

"Boom!"

"Snap!"

A series of impact and cracking sounds rang out continuously.

The fairies and warriors outside the palace gates were so frightened that their faces turned ashen, and they retreated into silence.

Having been in the Heavenly Court for so long, they had never seen His Heavenly Emperor Your Majesty so out of control.

The news quickly reached Yaochi's ears. She put down her work and rushed to the palace gate. She waved to dismiss the surrounding celestial servants, took a deep breath, and gently pushed open the palace gate.

"Squeak!"

The once tidy palace was now a complete mess!

The jade table was shattered into several pieces, the screen was tilted to the ground, fragments of the Glazed Lamp were scattered all over the ground, and various spiritual fruits and immortal wines were spilled everywhere, with even a few dents in the ground.

Haotian stood with his back to the palace gate, radiating a violent aura that startled Yaochi.

Haotian noticed Yaochi's arrival, turned around, and his eyes were bloodshot.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty."

Haotian took a few deep breaths, suppressing his violent aura, and said in a deep voice, "Junior Sister, you've arrived."

Yaochi stepped forward and looked at him with concern. "Senior brother, are you... alright?"

Haotian shook his head, walked to a high platform and sat down. "It's nothing, just that I can't calm down."

Yaochi sat down opposite him, sighed softly, and comforted him, "Senior brother, you know the nature of Yuanshi Tianzun. He is the embodiment of Pangu's Yuanshi Tianzun Pangu's Primordial Spirit, considers himself the Pangu Orthodox Lineage, and is naturally arrogant."

"Even the Sect Master Tongtian harbored resentment and eventually parted ways. If he can't even tolerate his own brothers, how could he possibly respect those of different backgrounds?"

They were once Hongjun's attendants, so what?

Haotian's eyes flashed coldly as he shouted, "Just because he's arrogant, he thinks he can insult me at will? In front of so many disciples of the Chan Sect, he kept calling me a mere child and saying I was unworthy, belittling me to nothing! Junior Sister, a sage cannot be insulted! I am a sage now! I am the Heavenly Emperor! What right does Yuanshi have?!"

He became more and more agitated as he spoke, "And Master, it was clearly Yuanshi who withheld the Investiture of the Gods first, yet Master is so biased towards him!"

"He is Yuanshi's disciple, but am I Haotian not? I have followed Master for countless eons, and even if I haven't made any great contributions, I have certainly endured hardship!"

"The Investiture of the Gods! What was the purpose of the Investiture of the Gods? Wasn't it just to bolster the Heavenly Court and increase my manpower? But in the end, I, the ruler of the Heavenly Court, don't even have the qualifications to hold the Conferment of Investiture of the Gods! How laughable! How tragic!"

Before Yaochi, he recounted all the humiliations he had suffered.

Yaochi felt a mix of emotions. She knew Haotian was right; Yuanshi had indeed gone too far, and the master's handling of the matter was inevitably unfair.

But... what could she say?

Moreover, since the master became enemies with Dao Venerable Lin Tian, it seems that everything has really changed.

The master became more profound, more unpredictable, and more ruthless in his actions.

Suddenly, Yaochi had a flash of inspiration and came up with a solution.

"Senior Brother," Yaochi said solemnly, "the Yuanshi is so arrogant is simply because he relies on his profound cultivation and the help of the Taishang Sage."

"Senior brother, you have just broken through to the Saint realm, so it is understandable that you are not his match for the time being. Given time, you may be able to contend with him."

Upon hearing this, Haotian's mood improved somewhat. "That may be true, but how can I contend with them? Should I just swallow this insult? Should I just abandon the Investiture of the Gods?"

Yaochi smiled slightly, "Senior brother, our strength is naturally insufficient on its own, but there are more than just the two of them among the saints. We can find allies."

"Allies?" Haotian was taken aback, then a glint flashed in his eyes. "You mean the two Western saints, Jieyin Zhunti?"

Yaochi nodded and said, "That's right. Only those two can form an alliance with us. Yuanshi has Yuanshi looked down on the Western Teachings, regarding it as a heretical sect. We share a common enemy with them."

In the Primordial Wilderness, there are many figures at the Hunyuan level, but they are all related to Dao Venerable Lin Tian. Compared to them, only the two Western Saints can form an alliance with him.

"That's true," Haotian said, his brow still furrowed, "Those Jieyin and Zhunti and Zhunti are no ordinary people either. They are cunning and often come to the East to extort money from people, forcibly converting them and demanding Spiritual Treasure. They don't have a good reputation."

"Furthermore, during the previous Investiture of the Gods, they asked me to take good care of their disciples, so there's still some lingering resentment between us. Forming an alliance with them would be like asking a tiger for its skin. I'm afraid my Heavenly Court would suffer losses."

Yaochi, however, seemed confident. "Senior brother, the way to form an alliance lies in each party getting what they need. They want benefits, while we need helpers."

"Senior brother, forming an alliance with the West is currently the best option to break the deadlock."

After listening, Haotian thought a lot.

After a long silence, he suddenly stood up. "Junior sister is right!"

"In that case, let's form an alliance with them!"

Immediately, a golden light flashed around him, and he disappeared from the Miro Palace, heading straight west.

The West, Mount Ling.

Jieyin and Zhunti were sitting facing each other when suddenly, they both looked up at the outside of the hall.

A hint of surprise appeared on Jieyin's face. "Haotian? What is he doing here at my Ling Mountain?"

The two exchanged a glance, and the next moment, they appeared in the void above Mount Ling.

A golden light dissipated in the distance, revealing Haotian's figure.

"Fellow Heavenly Dao has graced Mount Ling with his presence. This humble monk has failed to greet you properly. Please forgive me."

The Jieyin his hands together, a smile on his face.

Zhunti also laughed and said, "Haha, congratulations to Fellow Heavenly Dao on attaining sainthood and enjoying boundless freedom! It's truly a cause for celebration!"

Haotian nodded. "Fellow Daoists, you are too kind. I have come uninvited and have disturbed your cultivation. I hope you will not take offense. With two sages presiding over the West, Buddhist Dharma is flourishing, the population is thriving, and great prosperity is just around the corner."

After a few meaningless pleasantries, Jieyin cut straight to the point. "May I ask what brings Fellow Heavenly Dao to this remote place of my Spirit Mountain today?"

He didn't believe that Haotian had come specifically to offer his congratulations.

Haotian's expression turned serious, and he stopped beating around the bush, saying directly, "To be honest, I have come here today with a matter I wish to discuss with you two fellow Daoists."

Jieyin and Jieyin and Zhunti a glance, then invited Haotian into the hall.

Haotian sat on the futon and said directly, "I'm sure you two are well aware of Yuanshi Tianzun's character: arrogant, domineering, and disdainful of others, who withheld the Investiture of the Gods of the Gods, which rightfully belonged to the Heavenly Court."

"After much thought, I realized that Yuanshi, relying on his profound cultivation and with the support of Taishang, is arrogant and domineering. If this continues, not only will the prestige of our Heavenly Court be swept away, but I'm afraid that the Western Teachings of the two of you fellow Daoists will also inevitably be hampered by him."

Haotian looked at Jieyin and Zhunti, his tone sincere, "Therefore, I have come here today to form an alliance with you two fellow Daoists, to watch over each other and help each other, and to deal with those two together!"

Alliance?

Jieyin and Zhunti exchanged a glance.

They naturally knew everything that Haotian did on Kunlun Mountain that day.

Now that Haotian has come to them in person, perhaps...

Zhunti reacted the fastest, immediately adopting a stance of shared indignation, clapping his hands and saying, "Fellow Heavenly Dao's words have struck a chord with this humble monk! That Yuanshi has always looked down on our Western Wondrous Dharma, regarding us as heretics, and has repeatedly made things difficult for us!"

"During the Investiture of the Gods, they were utterly treacherous, crossing the river and then abandoning the bridge – they had no integrity whatsoever! Our Western Teachings has suffered for this for far too long!"

As he spoke, he gestured with his eyes to Jieyin.

Jieyin remained silent for a moment, quickly weighing the pros and cons in his mind. Forming an alliance with the Heavenly Court would certainly allow them to leverage the power of this Heavenly Emperor to increase the influence of the Western Teachings in the East.

However, Haotian's actions were clearly intended to drag the two of them into the conflict, hoping they would turn against Yuanshi.

However, the Western Teachings is currently in a precarious situation. Duobao has taken nearly half of its fortune and lost some disciples. If they could gain Haotian's support...

After a long silence, Jieyin slowly spoke, "What Fellow Heavenly Dao said is also reasonable. That Yuanshi Tianzun has indeed gone too far in bullying people."

"Very well, our Western Teachings is willing to form an alliance with Fellow Heavenly Dao and the Heavenly Court, to watch over each other and help each other, and to jointly deal with this crisis."

Upon hearing this, Haotian was secretly pleased, but his face remained impassive. "Very well, fellow Daoists, as allies, we should naturally work together."

Jieyin and Zhunti exchanged a glance. Jieyin spoke, "However, our Western Teachings has few disciples, lacks complete magical treasures, and has a shallow foundation, which cannot compare to the abundance of the Eastern Mystic Gate."

"Investiture of the Gods Calamity, I originally intended to accumulate more merit and guide those with karmic connections, but unfortunately, things did not go as planned."

He paused, looked at Haotian, and slowly said, "Since we are allies, my Western Teachings disciples can spread the Dharma in the East and make good connections. I hope you can give us a chance, fellow Daoist, so that we can better fight against powerful enemies together."

This is put very bluntly: an alliance is fine, but you have to give our Western Teachings some benefits.

Haotian had already anticipated this. After a moment's thought, he nodded. "Alright! I agree to this! In the future, when people of my Heavenly Court encounter the Western Teachings, they will treat them with friendliness, and the disciples of the Western Teachings may spread their teachings within the territory under the jurisdiction of my Heavenly Court."

"Good!"

"Excellent!"

A smile also appeared on Jieyin and Zhunti's faces.

The three parties quickly exchanged a few more words on some details and soon finalized the general framework and intentions for the alliance.

Furthermore, the three of them made a vow to Heavenly Dao, with Heavenly Dao as their witness.

Both sides harbored ulterior motives.

Having achieved his goal, Haotian did not linger any longer. After exchanging a few more polite words, he took his leave and returned to the Heavenly Court.

Zhunti overjoyed and Jieyin, "Senior brother, this is truly heaven's help! Haotian has taken the initiative to seek an alliance with our Western Sect. This is a great opportunity for our Western Teachings to open up the Eastern front! With his tacit approval, many things will be much easier!"

Jieyin nodded, but a worry lingered in his heart. "However, we need to be careful. Haotian is no ordinary person. We must be mindful of our actions and avoid getting ourselves into trouble."

"Don't worry, senior brother, I know what I'm doing."

Zhunti smiled, then remembered something and summoned Cihang.

Before long, a woman dressed in simple white robes, with a kind and gentle face, a dot of cinnabar between her brows, and holding Pure Vase and willow branch, slowly walked into the hall and Jieyin and Zhunti and Zhunti: "Disciple Cihang pays respects to the Saint Zhunti and the Saint Jieyin."

This person is none other than Daoist Cihang, who was reincarnated, cultivated himself again, and attained the Bodhisattva status.

However, her current image is completely different from before.

Zhunti looked at Cihang before him and frowned.

He never expected that Houtu would Houtu him, sending Cihang to be reincarnated as a woman.

"Cihang," Zhunti coughed and began, "Haotian just visited and has formed an alliance with our Western Teachings. From now on, all external affairs, such as dealings with the Heavenly Court and spreading the Dharma in the Eastern Land, will be coordinated by you."

Upon hearing this, Cihang respectfully clasped her hands in prayer. "Disciple receives the Dharma decree and will certainly do my utmost to live up to the Buddha's trust."

Zhunti looked at her, feeling rather awkward, and said, "Well... now that you have been reborn and rejoined my Buddhist order, it seems inappropriate to call you by your old name again."

"By the way, our Western Teachings observes the sounds of the world and seeks out suffering to save people. From today onwards, we will take a new Dharma name, called... Guanyin, what do you think?"

Cihang was taken aback upon hearing this, feeling somewhat helpless; the Sage was showing him disdain.

He was devastated after being reincarnated as a woman, but he was found by Randeng, who persuaded him for a long time before he finally accepted it.

She clasped her hands together and bowed again, her voice gentle:

"Yes, Holy One, Cihang... uh... Guanyin, I will obey your decree."