Chapter 999: He Who Follows the Dao Gains Much Support; He Who Abandons It Gains Little (4/5, Requesting Subscriptions)

Chat group.

Yang Jian: "Lord, my sister has crossed over; if she lacks proper manners, please bear with her."

Su Xiao: "Oh well, I knew it would happen like this."

Xiao Mai: "San Shengmu is so beautiful—how could the Lord not be moved?"

Yang Jian: "This time, it was my sister's idea. 【Covering face】"

Hu Yifei: "Laughed to death—True Lord, aren't you afraid the Lord will give you an ultimate-version Chen Xiang? Then you'll be a miserable uncle."

Ye Hei: "Then it'll be True Lord Yang who gets crushed under Huashan—wonder if anyone will split the mountain to save his father."

Lin Fengjiao: "Stop talking, stop talking, or you'll scare the True Lord."

Yang Jian: "Joke's on you—I'm afraid?"

Zhang Taixuan: "Chan'er said she'll work hard to have a child and teach him divine arts to beat his uncle."

Su Xiao: "So filial—Big Brother Taixuan, you showed Yang Chan the chat logs?"

Zhang Taixuan: "I did."

Yang Jian: "Lord, you've misled me. No more talk—I'm going to cultivate while fortune favors me. If I can't even beat my nephew or niece later, trouble's coming." 09

Erlang Shen: "You're too cowardly—just give up your name already."

Lin Shiyin: "Wow, Erlang Shen, you're so bold—has your plan succeeded already?"

Erlang Shen: "Indeed. The Jade Emperor has appointed me as the Brightness Great Heavenly Venerable. Like Yang Jian, I too shall become a faction leader. With fortune and the Great Luo cultivation method, my cultivation base will skyrocket."

My cultivation base will skyrocket.

Yang Jian: "Really? I barely scraped through—what help do you have on your side?"

Erlang Shen: "Does Erlang Shen need others' help? The incarnations sent by the Heavenly Court are enough."

Animated world.

Erlang Shen's face darkened; he rode the clouds toward Jiangkou.

Though he spoke boldly in the chat group, he was inwardly uncertain.

Due to his treacherous nature, neither Yang Chan buried under the mountain nor Nezha the Third Crown Prince would come to his aid.

After thinking it over, he realized his only usable allies were Xiaotianquan and his old Mei Mountain retinue.

"Should be enough, right?"

As he pondered, Jiangkou appeared ahead:

Erlang Shen descended from the clouds to find the Six Brothers of Mei Mountain and Xiaotianquan rushing forward.

"Master, how did things go?"

Yang Jian composed himself and smiled: "Of course it succeeded! But now I'm worried—how can Jiangkou's strength possibly rival Lingshan's share of the world?"

The eldest of Mei Mountain frowned: "Lingshan's power is immense—truly dangerous. But we brothers share life and death, united in purpose—we'll surely overcome this crisis."

Xiaotianquan and the others chimed in agreement.

Yet despite their words, their joyful expressions dimmed considerably.

They weren't fools—they knew the gap between Jiangkou and Lingshan.

Jiangkou, though famed worldwide because of the True Lord Erlang,

is, at its core, merely a regional warlord's domain.

Compared to the Heavenly Court and Lingshan, the difference is not minor—it's immense.

Should conflict arise, Jiangkou might not hold out long.

But Erlang Shen was riding high, so none dared advise him.

Moreover, it wasn't just Erlang Shen—they too wanted to gamble.

During the Shang Dynasty war, they were Celestial Immortals.

Since the Shang war, countless years passed, yet they remained Celestial Immortals.

Without opportunity, they'd likely remain stuck at Celestial Immortal forever, never breaking through.

Once human desire stirs, one easily errs, easily gets deceived.

Even immortals are no exception—consequences are even graver.

Once obsession takes root, even the gap between Lingshan and Jiangkou fades from their minds.

This is being caught in a calamity without realizing it.

"What if the Heavenly Court steps in to block Lingshan? After all, Merit Pure Land concerns the Heavenly Court's orthodox status."

}群&⑧@2】②? 六~⑨&⑧^5-I_⑥! This was their collective hope.

In this world, Yang Jian is desperate for advancement; the Six Demons of Mei Mountain and Xiaotianquan became his sworn brothers because their personalities are much the same.

Yang Jian rushes to advance further—they even more so.

"Master, let's quickly establish the Merit Pure Land—I'm already impatient."

"Yes."

The Six Brothers of Mei Mountain urged him on.

Yang Jian, too, felt urgency; he raised his hand and the Three-Pointed, Double-Edged Blade appeared, slashing repeatedly through the void to carve out a celestial cavern.

The next instant, he summoned the authority of heaven and earth, and radiant light illuminated the Three Realms.

"I am the Great Heavenly Venerable of Light. Now, in accordance with Heaven's will, I establish the Fomen lineage—the Merit Pure Land. All who have served Heaven, Earth, and Humanity may enter my Merit Pure Land to cultivate."

His voice and spiritual radiance shook the Three Realms.

Under the radiant light, divine miracles appeared, drawing a considerable number of followers to the Merit Pure Land.

Only because he had the Heavenly Court's permission did Erlang Shen dare preach so boldly.

Any other great cultivator who dared such open proselytizing would face immediate strikes from Buddhist and Daoist masters.

The Heavenly Court.

Immortal light surged in waves, auspicious qi myriadfold.

In the Lingxiao Hall, a void projection displayed the scene of Jiangkou.

The Jade Emperor gazed at the projection, his expression calm, as if Er Lang Shen's creation of a Merit Pure Land had nothing to do with him.

Li Jing, Nezha, and other deities were the same—composed and utterly uninterested, as if watching a play.

No.

In truth, these deities were indeed watching a play.

The method of splitting Buddhist fortune into a Merit Pure Land was ingenious, and the Heavenly Court's immortals supported it.

But when Er Lang Shen sought to establish a Merit Pure Land, they remained noncommittal.

One must admit, Er Lang Shen's conduct in this world was abysmal; he had offended too many.

Not a single immortal in the Heavenly Court stood by him, not even those who reluctantly agreed to send an avatar.

Indeed, establishing a Merit Pure Land was a perilous task.

But it was also an exceedingly lucrative one.

Should the endeavor succeed, it would allow one to advance another step.

Er Lang Shen, capricious and arrogant—what merit and virtue did he possess to hold such a position?

The Heavenly Court's immortals harbored complex thoughts as they watched the projection: Buddhist light surged in waves, and one by one, Buddhas manifested their forms.

"Er Lang Shen, how dare you, of all people, carve up my Buddhist fortune?"