Tongtian's expression did not change. He remained as calm as ever.
After all, his Interception Sect controlled the Investiture of the Gods List, so the pace was naturally his to dictate.
Tongtian had long anticipated that Yuanshi and the others would make an issue of this.
Naturally, he was not the least bit flustered now.
"Teacher Hongjun, all preparations for the Investiture of the Gods are complete. Only one small step remains before we can begin."
"But Xiqi has yet to rebel, so we must wait a little longer."
"Still, it should not take long. Yin Shang has already made certain arrangements, so I can guarantee that Xiqi will rebel within three months!"
"At that point, the Investiture Calamity can officially begin!"
After hearing Tongtian's words, Hongjun nodded mildly without saying anything further.
Only then did Tongtian breathe a sigh of relief.
Clearly.
His greatest fear was that the Investiture Calamity could only begin once Yin Shang fell into chaos and Xiqi rebelled.
If that were the case, then no matter how great an advantage Tongtian held now, the Interception Sect would undoubtedly lose in the end.
But now, it seemed Hongjun did not care about that at all.
As long as the Investiture Calamity began and supplied the Heavenly Court with enough people to be invested as gods, that was enough.
Whether they came from the Interception Sect, the Chan Sect, or even the Western Teachings did not matter.
That would make things easier to maneuver afterward. If Yin Shang's fortunes truly were thrown into disarray, the Chan Sect would certainly hold the righteous cause. The Interception Sect's fortunes were tied to Yin Shang's, so once the dynasty lost its fortunes, the sect's would naturally decline as well.
But the Chan Sect on the other side was actually much the same as the Interception Sect.
Its fortunes were also tied to Xiqi's. Thus, as long as Xiqi's fortunes weakened, the Chan Sect's would decline along with them.
Tongtian would not sit quietly and wait for the Chan Sect to weaken Yin Shang's fortunes as he had in the original story. He was even devising ways to utterly shatter Xiqi's fortunes.
As long as Yin Shang's fortunes remained intact, Xiqi's would inevitably weaken once it rebelled under these circumstances.
Tongtian was secure, but Yuanshi grew anxious.
His original intention had been to ruin Yin Shang's fortunes so that Xiqi could seize the initiative.
He had come to Teacher Hongjun precisely to force Tongtian to undermine Yin Shang's fortunes himself.
He had never expected Tongtian to come up with such a solution.
"Teacher Hongjun, Yin Shang Fortune is too strong. Unless Yin Shang Fortune loses that fortune, Xiqi will have great difficulty contending with it."
"Therefore, I believe Yin Shang's fortunes must be broken so that both sides can stand on equal footing in the Investiture Calamity."
"Otherwise, my Chan Sect will be at far too great a disadvantage."
As Yuanshi spoke, Nuwa and the Two Sages of the West hurried to lend their support.
They clearly did not want the Interception Sect to tower over everyone else, so naturally, they sought every possible means to weaken it.
But Hongjun shook his head and spoke directly.
"I cannot agree to that. It would be unfair to Tongtian."
"Weakness itself is the original sin. Should others be forbidden from killing you merely because you are weak? There is no such principle in this world."
"You would do better to spend this time considering how to expand your own forces."
"The Interception Sect chose Yin Shang. Why did you not choose Yin Shang yourselves? In the end, the fault lies with you."
"Anyone may end up on the list during the Investiture Calamity. Everything depends on your own struggles. I cannot decide that for you."
"As long as the Investiture Calamity begins and fills the Heavenly Court's vacancies, I have no interest in anything else."
"That is all. Go your separate ways. But Tongtian, remember this: as the one overseeing the Investiture of the Gods, you must begin the Investiture Calamity within three months."
Having said his piece, Hongjun could not be bothered to listen to any more nonsense from them and left Zixiao Palace directly.
Clearly.
The mere sight of them gave him a headache now, so naturally, he had no desire to look at them.
As for who would suffer or profit during the Investiture Calamity, Hongjun, who had merged with the Heavenly Dao, could not be bothered to concern himself with that either.
They were all his disciples. Of course he treated them equally.
That was perfectly normal.
The Investiture Calamity was meant to fill the Heavenly Court's vacancies, not to destroy the Interception Sect.
In the previous life, the Interception Sect's destruction had ultimately stemmed from its own problems. Hongjun could hardly be blamed for it.
Tongtian was truly brimming with satisfaction now. As he looked at Yuanshi and the others, a cold smile crept onto his lips.
"The Investiture Calamity will certainly begin within three months. Make your preparations early, everyone. Farewell!"
With that, Tongtian transformed into a streak of light and left Zixiao Palace in an instant.
Meanwhile, Yuanshi and the others wore exceptionally dark expressions.
They had appealed to Hongjun this time, only to fail yet again. Naturally, they felt terrible about it.
But they could not refute him.
Indeed!
Although the Investiture Calamity would certainly be founded upon a war in the mortal world, with the Interception Sect and the Chan Sect each joining one side to contend against the other.
The crux of the matter was that choosing a faction, and whether that faction was strong or weak, depended entirely on them. The Heavenly Dao and Hongjun naturally treated everyone equally.
If the Chan Sect could appeal to Hongjun simply because it was weak, then could the Interception Sect also appeal to him after suffering a great loss?
That was no way to handle things!
Otherwise, Hongjun would be pestered to death, and more importantly, the Investiture Calamity would become impossible to carry out.
"Everyone, what should we do now?" Tongtian asked heavily.
He was truly in a foul mood. After all, the setback they had suffered this time was far too great.
Unless they quickly found a way to destroy Yin Shang's fortunes, the Xiqi they supported would not even be worthy of entering the contest. It had no righteous cause to speak of, either, while Yin Shang had the Interception Sect's support.
The Chan Sect's chances of winning were far too slim.
Even if it did ultimately succeed, it would certainly pay a tremendous price.
Neither Nuwa nor the Two Sages of the West spoke.
Clearly, they could not think of any good solution at the moment either.
In the end, Nuwa was the first to speak.
"I do not know much about schemes and intrigue. If you need me to do anything, you may contact me at any time."
"If there is nothing else, I will return to Wa Huang Palace."
After saying that, Nuwa left Zixiao Palace directly.
Although she had allied herself with Yuanshi and the others, her ultimate purpose was to reclaim the Eastern Emperor Bell.
In truth, she did not place much importance on who won or lost.
After all, regardless of who won, it hardly mattered to her, since she had no sect behind her.
As a sage, Nuwa had no one she needed to look after.
Unless matters reached Hongjun's level, she had no need to concern herself with anything.
Even the Investiture Calamity could not fall upon her head.
The Two Sages of the West, however, were different.
Nuwa could leave, but they could not.
The two were truly racking their brains now, even more troubled than Yuanshi.
After all, Yuanshi only needed to consider how to eliminate the Interception Sect. They, however, had to consider both how to eliminate the Interception Sect and how to restrain the Chan Sect. Otherwise, how could the Western Teachings grow?
"This is indeed troublesome. Yin Shang Fortune is flourishing. We sages cannot act directly at all; we can only resort to mortal means," Jieyin said helplessly.
Zhunti continued, "Judging by Tongtian's words, there should be a traitor within Xiqi. I believe finding that traitor first is our most pressing task."
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