After Yuanshi and the Two Sages of the West settled how to divide the benefits, they immediately swore oaths upon the Great Dao.
Boom!
As the two swore their oaths, the fortunes of both sects surged.
Naturally, this once again stunned countless mighty figures of the Primordial World.
Tongtian and the Jade Emperor witnessed it as well, but neither said anything.
After all, it was plain to see.
As long as Yuanshi was no fool, he would certainly seek outside help.
And in the Primordial World as it stood, the only outside help the Chan Sect could find was clearly the Western Teachings.
Who would bring down the deer? They would just have to wait and see.
Yet every mighty figure in the Primordial World felt a heavy weight in their heart.
They had originally thought the Investiture Calamity would merely be a struggle between the Chan Sect and the Interception Sect. Yet how little time had passed, and already all four of the Primordial World's greatest powers had been dragged into the mire.
The Chan Sect, the Interception Sect, the Heavenly Court, and the Western Teachings!
They could not imagine whether others would be dragged in too if this continued.
Tongtian, however, paid none of this any mind.
After all, if he wanted to survive rather than accept his original fate, he had to muddy the waters.
Otherwise, how could he fish in troubled waters?
As for Yuanshi, he could not be bothered to think about this now.
What he needed to consider was how to keep the Investiture of the Gods moving forward.
Yes!
At this point, it was still in the preparatory stage. One could even say it had not officially begun.
After all, King Zhou had not inscribed that poem, and Nuwa had not sent a fox spirit to replace Daji, so there was no way to undermine Yin Shang's fortune.
Without undermining Yin Shang Fortune, Xiqi could not possibly rebel!
There was no way around it.
As long as Yin Shang Fortune remained intact, even if Xiqi rebelled, it would be crushed in an instant.
But without a rebellion, how could the Investiture Calamity begin?
Though Tongtian held the Investiture of the Gods List, he would have liked nothing better than for the Investiture Calamity never to begin.
Naturally, he would not take the initiative to do such a thing.
If Tongtian would not set the Investiture Calamity in motion, then Yuanshi would have to do it.
After all, he could not stand the Interception Sect. Especially after losing Daoist Taiyi and two great Chan Sect disciples himself, how could he not be furious?
He had to take revenge!
The Western Teachings, of course, also hoped the Investiture Calamity would begin soon. Otherwise, how could they flourish?
Thus, after Yuanshi and the Two Sages of the West pondered the matter, they concluded that they still had to rely on Nuwa.
After all, to undermine Yin Shang Fortune, they could only rely on the nine-tailed fox spirit among the Three Demons of Xuanyuan Tomb. And the only one who could command the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox was Saint Nuwa, who held the Demon-Summoning Banner.
They had originally intended to trick Nuwa, avoiding any karmic debt to her.
But now, it seemed there truly was no other way.
So, however reluctant they were, after muttering among themselves for a while, the three saints still went to Wa Huang Palace in Beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens.
"Well, well, you three are a rare sight!"
"What made you think of visiting my Wa Huang Palace now?"
"Especially you, Senior Brother Yuanshi. You still owe your little sister an explanation!"
"So, the three of you can spare me the pleasantries. Just tell me why you've come."
Nuwa sat languidly in the grand hall, looking at the three saints before her with a faintly mocking curl to her lips. Her tone was thoroughly unceremonious.
Indeed, she had no need to show anyone deference.
After all, she did not compete for Human Fortune, nor did she have any great sect.
Put plainly, when she had eaten her fill, her whole household went without hunger!
Moreover, she was a saint herself. In the entire Primordial World, only Hongjun could stand above her.
Yuanshi and the Two Sages of the West wore unpleasant expressions, but since they needed Nuwa's help, they naturally dared not say much.
When beneath another's eaves, one had no choice but to bow one's head.
In the end, Yuanshi spoke first.
"What happened before was indeed my fault. Once the Investiture Calamity ends, I will naturally give you an explanation, Nuwa."
"For now, I hope you will send the Three Demons of Xuanyuan Tomb to Yin Shang to throw its fortune into chaos, thereby aiding the Investiture Calamity."
"We are all saints, so there's no need for pointless talk. Nuwa, just tell me what price you require of me."
The Primordial Heavenly Venerable had no intention of concealing anything.
He stated his thoughts outright: he wanted to throw Yin Shang Fortune into chaos and use that opportunity to set the Investiture Calamity in motion.
After the Primordial Heavenly Venerable spoke, the Two Sages of the West began speaking in succession as well.
"This is also the wish of our Western Teachings. As long as Junior Sister Nuwa is willing to act, our Western Teachings will owe you a karmic debt as well."
"Junior Sister Nuwa, there is no need to worry. Although Daoist Taishang is not intervening in the Investiture Calamity now, if we join forces, there will still be Four Saints."
"Breaking the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation still won't be too difficult."
"So our chances of victory remain extremely high!"
Nuwa pondered in silence.
She now understood what the three before her meant. Put plainly, they wanted to draw her to their side.
But clearly, she could not truly make up her mind just yet.
Nuwa was no fool. She would not let the three win her over so easily.
The Investiture of the Gods was, after all, a boundless calamity. Thinking of the earlier Dragon-Phoenix Calamity and the subsequent Witch-Demon Calamity, Nuwa understood just how difficult this matter would be.
What was more, the present Investiture Calamity had not truly begun, yet casualties had already occurred at the golden immortal level.
Once the Investiture of the Gods truly began, perhaps even Daluo Golden Immortals or quasi-saints would no longer be safe.
Especially since the one they faced was a saint like Tongtian.
If Tongtian truly went mad, then even at the cost of his own life, he could probably wipe out one or two of them.
Was it necessary to become Tongtian's enemy for such meager benefits?
Though the three saints made it sound so appealing, as if she merely had to send out a Nine-Tailed Demon Fox...
In truth, it was nothing of the sort.
This time, King Zhou had not inscribed that poem, nor had he shown her any disrespect.
Nuwa had no reason to intervene.
Yin Shang was, after all, the Interception Sect's territory. If she interfered without any justification...
That would naturally declare her hostility toward Tongtian.
Tongtian had done nothing to provoke Nuwa. For her to do this would indeed be rather dishonorable.
"You offer nothing but empty words. A mere karmic debt is not enough to make me help you."
"And don't think you can trick me. What do you mean, merely sending out a fox demon? Could three venerable saints like yourselves really fail to find a fox demon?"
"Yin Shang is the Interception Sect's territory. I am well aware of that."
"If you want to drag me, Nuwa, into the calamity, you must show enough sincerity. Otherwise, the three of you should leave."
With that, Nuwa made a gesture to see her guests out.
Her lips curled into a cold sneer, and she held the three saints before her in utter contempt. Do you really think I'm some foolish woman who understands nothing?
You want me to enter the calamity on nothing but empty words, without giving anything in return?
What a joke!
Across from her, Yuanshi and the Two Sages of the West could not help exchanging a glance.
They all found this exceedingly thorny.
Nuwa was even harder to win over than they had imagined.
It seemed they could not persuade her without offering something.
But Nuwa was a saint, and she had no great sect behind her. What could they possibly offer her?
Before you continue