When Poverty Forces Change, Fate Is Destined (Please Follow)

In Xuan Yin's view, some things were simple. If there was no place for you here, there would be one elsewhere. Since the future Mystic Gate system could not accommodate so many Jie Sect disciples, they might as well go join the Buddhist System and become the Third Sect Master.

Duobao could become the Buddha, so Sect Master Tongtian could at least become the Supreme Buddha!

Wasn't the Buddhist Sect destined for Great Prosperity?

Then they should go all in, follow the Great Trend of the Heavenly Dao, abandon the Mystic Gate system, and bring the entire Jie Sect into the Buddhist System to get themselves some founding shares!

At this, Sect Master Tongtian's mouth twitched slightly. He knew Xuan Yin did not care about appearances, but he had not expected him to come up with such an idea!

"Not so simple!"

Sect Master Tongtian shook his head. "Do you think only the Mystic Gate has a Great Dao Struggle? The Buddhist Sect also has its conflict between Greater and Lesser Vehicles! Pulling the rug out from under them might succeed, but it might also drag the many Jie Sect disciples into another unknown vortex!"

"Otherwise, why do you think that, with Myriad Immortals Coming to Court in the Jie Sect, Zhunti only converted the Three Thousand Worldly Travelers?"

"If tens of thousands of Jie Sect disciples all joined the West, would the future Buddhist Sect belong to the West, or to our Jie Sect?"

Xuan Yin suddenly understood. During the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation, it was not that Zhunti had not wanted to convert more Jie Sect disciples; it was that doing so would have upset the Buddhist Sect's fragile balance.

Even if Sect Master Tongtian was willing to lower himself and become the Third Sect Master, would so many Jie Sect disciples truly obey the arrangements of the First and Second Sect Masters?

"So having too many people won't work either!"

Xuan Yin sighed helplessly. "Then what about carrying out the Investiture of the Gods early and occupying the God positions? Is that possible?"

In his view, since joining the West would not work, then they should join the Heavenly Court instead—walk the paths of the other Sages and leave them nowhere to go!

"That would only treat the symptoms, not the root cause!"

Sect Master Tongtian shook his head. "The cause of the Investiture of the Gods tribulation is the continuous accumulation of karma. Karma must be eliminated through slaughter. To disperse the Tribulation Qi of the tribulation, at least twelve Grand Unity Golden Immortals must answer the tribulation!"

"And the Investiture of the Gods tribulation is the killing tribulation of the Three Sects of the Mystic Gate. Naturally, those twelve fallen Grand Unity Golden Immortals must be cultivators of the Three Sects of the Mystic Gate!"

"The prerequisite for ascending the list in the flesh is first wearing away the Tribulation Qi of the tribulation!"

For a moment, Xuan Yin fell silent. According to Sect Master Tongtian, the Investiture of the Gods tribulation was an unsolvable death trap for the Jie Sect!

Twelve Grand Unity Golden Immortals—either the Jie Sect would be nearly destroyed, the Exposition Sect would be nearly destroyed, or each sect would send out six Grand Unity Golden Immortals to fill the list!

And this involved the Great Dao Struggle. Whether it was the Exposition Sect or the Jie Sect, whether the Primordial Heavenly Venerate or Sect Master Tongtian, none of them could possibly compromise easily. They were bound to have a real fight.

At that thought, another terrible idea arose in Xuan Yin's heart. "Teacher, when the Investiture of the Gods tribulation begins, how about writing the names of six Exposition Sect Golden Immortals on the Six Souls Banner?"

"Using that thing to curse Heavenly Dao Sages to death might be difficult, but cursing a few Grand Unity Golden Immortals to death should be effortless, right?"

"Only by striking unexpectedly can we seize a sliver of life for the Jie Sect within the Heavenly Dao's ordained fate!"

His teacher still cared too much about appearances. Across twenty reincarnations, he had not once directly used the Six Souls Banner to curse the Twelve Golden Immortals to death.

As long as he acted fast enough, those future Grand Unity Golden Immortals would not have time to react even if they wanted to stop him. He could finish the job before they descended!

"As expected of you!"

Sect Master Tongtian's eyes lit up. "This may be a good idea. Then in this Chaos epoch, the task of shaking the Six Souls Banner will be entrusted to you!"

He truly cared too much about his reputation!

If Xuan Yin did it, the idea might be a little underhanded, but it was indeed feasible.

The only concern was the retaliation of the Elucidate Sect Primordial Heavenly Venerate after the Six Souls Banner was shaken.

Following Xuan Yin's method, during the Investiture of the Gods tribulation, the Jie Sect could at least trade one-for-one with the Exposition Sect at the Grand Unity level, thereby preserving more of the Jie Sect's strength.

If the Exposition Sect had six more Grand Unity Golden Immortals ascend the list, then the Jie Sect would have six fewer Grand Unity Golden Immortals ascend it.

He had truly taken in the right disciple!

"Huh?"

Xuan Yin froze when he heard that. If he was the one shaking the Six Souls Banner, could he withstand the Primordial Heavenly Venerate's Pangu Banner afterward?

Sect Master Tongtian could not protect him forever.

Unless, before shaking the Six Souls Banner, he possessed enough leverage to make a Sage wary.

For example, he could imitate Houtu and transform himself into Samsara; imitate Zhen Yuanzi and bind himself to the earth veins of the Primordial True Realm; or become an existence like the Four Extremes Holy Monarch.

Otherwise...

If a Sage was enraged, a little body like his could not withstand a Sage's wrath!

Xuan Yin was not particularly afraid. He was merely considering how, in the endless years before the Investiture of the Gods tribulation, he could give himself another safeguard.

No matter what, he definitely had to find a way to get involved with the Heavenly Court and the Underworld.

"Wait!"

"During the Investiture of the Gods tribulation, it seems that only Yang Jian, Nezha, Jinzha, Muzha, Leizhenzi, Weihu, and Li Jing ascended the list in the flesh. But since True Person Taiyi and Daoist Nanji became Taiyi the Rescuer Heavenly Venerate and Great Emperor Changsheng of the South Pole in the Heavenly Court, they should have also ascended the list in the flesh!"

"Besides them, Yunxiao, who was imprisoned beneath Kirin Cliff, and Shen Gongbao, who was used to fill the North Sea Eye, may also have been among those who ascended the list in the flesh!"

"And True Person Huang Long should have ascended the list in the flesh as well, receiving a godhood in the Heavenly Court!"

Although Xuan Yin had quite a few myths from later generations in his mind, myths were ultimately just myths. In a mythical land like the Primordial World, they could only serve as references and differed somewhat from actual history.

Back when Xuan Yin's primordial spirit entered Great Scarlet Heaven, he had seen that the Central Yellow Horn Great Immortal in the Journey to the West World evolved by Taishang Laojun was a yellow dragon.

Therefore, he had reason to suspect that True Person Huang Long was the Central Yellow Horn Great Immortal.

Positions such as the Four Imperials of the Heavenly Court and the Five Elders of the Five Directions might have been decided before the Investiture of the Gods, predetermined by the Primordial Heavenly Venerate, who held the Investiture of the Gods List!

"Twelve people in total!"

A trace of doubt flashed through Xuan Yin's heart. There were twelve people answering the tribulation, twelve ascending the list in the flesh, and twelve as the Four Imperial Great Emperors and Eight Division Orthodox Gods of the Heavenly Court. Was there some connection between them?

He immediately sought Sect Master Tongtian's guidance.

"Your guess is correct!"

Sect Master Tongtian nodded. "In the first reincarnation, the Twelve Golden Immortals were indeed burdened by the killing tribulation. But over the following nineteen reincarnations, the Primordial Heavenly Venerate interfered with heavenly secrets several times and avoided the killing tribulation of the Twelve Golden Immortals. Yet in the end, twelve Grand Unity Golden Immortals still had to answer the tribulation!"

"The Twelve Immortal Chiefs do not refer to the Twelve Golden Immortals, but to the Four Imperials and Eight Division Orthodox Gods of the Heavenly Court. Those with great fortune and great opportunities might be able to ascend the list in the flesh and receive godhood, but their cultivation and status might not necessarily be enough to bear the God positions of the Four Imperials and Eight Division Orthodox Gods!"

Take Dou Mu Yuan Jun, for example. Within the Primordial World and among the Three Sects, other than Golden Spirit Holy Mother, there was truly no one worthy of the position of Kan Palace Dou Mu. Either their cultivation was insufficient, or their fate did not match.

"In other words, the positions of the Four Imperials and the Eight Division Orthodox Gods in the Heavenly Court were all predetermined long ago, with no possibility of alteration?"

"And the only thing that could be fought for was whether one ascended the list in the flesh or with one's primordial spirit!"

Xuan Yin frowned again. So many things in the Primordial World had already been predetermined, leaving him little room to maneuver!

"Not necessarily!"

Sect Master Tongtian spoke at the right moment. "Among the Four Imperials, Great Emperor Qinghua of the East Pole was, in several reincarnations, True Person Taiyi of the Exposition Sect's Twelve Golden Immortals. But in several other reincarnations, he was held by the reincarnated body of East King Duke. True Person Taiyi's cultivation realm was ultimately somewhat lacking!"

"That was why he imitated the methods of the West, making great vows: answering every cry, responding to every thought with compassion, and saving immeasurable sentient beings through countless kalpas!"

Xuan Yin immediately breathed a sigh of relief. As long as it was not predetermined, there was still room to maneuver.

Only...

He had not expected Taiyi of the Exposition Sect to imitate the Two Sages of the West and rely on making grand vows to attain the Dao!