With Old Ancestor Hongjun gone, everyone present immediately began harboring different thoughts.
Taishang Laozi and Jade Emperor Haotian both stood on Tongtian's side, while the Two Sages of the West allied with the Primordial Heavenly Venerable, though their alliance was not particularly firm. As for Nuwa, she trusted none of them.
Besides, the Investiture of the Gods had little to do with her, so she simply stood aside and watched the show.
Of course, Wen Zhong was also present...
But among all these Sages, he was practically invisible and could simply be ignored.
While Hongjun was there, the Primordial Heavenly Venerable and Saint Tongtian had argued fiercely.
Now that Hongjun had left, however, neither knew how to continue the argument.
Still, this matter could not remain stalled indefinitely. As the one presiding over the Investiture of the Gods, Tongtian felt helpless, but ultimately had no choice but to speak first.
"As the one who proposed this, I shall briefly explain my thoughts first."
"From now on, those governing the Heavenly Court need not remain unchanged. We can adopt a system of competitive appointments."
"Take the North Pole Ziwei Emperor, for example. We can open the position to applicants and lay out all its annual benefits, providential fortune, and so forth. Any interested immortals can compete for it, and the Jade Emperor will have the final say on who takes the post!"
"Each term will last five hundred years. Those who perform well can continue, while those who perform poorly will have their posts reopened for other immortals to compete over."
"As for whether their performance is good or bad, Jade Emperor Haotian alone will decide. After all, he is the lord of the Heavenly Court."
"The competition will have a twenty-year deadline, after which the names will be compiled and