Chapter 353

Heavenly Dao above, I, Jieyin, I, Zhunti, feel the suffering of all beings, the hardship of cultivating life; today we establish the Western Sect, using merit golden lotus, seven treasure wondrous trees, bodhi tree to suppress the qi fortune, hoping the Heavenly Dao will observe.

Just as the yuan assembly was about to end, Jieyin and Zhunti finally established their teaching on Mount Sumeru; their words echoed throughout the wilderness.

Countless merit-gold clouds gathered in the sky, entering the two bodies; the aura of Jieyin and Zhunti swelled accordingly, and the three corpses emerged fully.

However, the merit spread across the sky was divided between the two; wanting to become sages with this alone was inevitably insufficient.

Jieyin and Zhunti were obviously prepared for this; seeing them speak in unison again, they said:

Heavenly Dao above, if I become a sage, I will open the Western Pure Land; all those of broad awakening and clear wisdom shall enter this realm and enjoy the supreme bliss of the Great Dao.

Heavenly Dao above, if I become a sage, there will be no sunk beings in the world; all sentient beings suffering sorrow, upon hearing my Dharma, will naturally awaken and escape the sea of suffering.

Heavenly Dao above, if I become a sage, I will widely open the Dharma gate; regardless of spiritual aptitude or noble/low birth, all will be given the opportunity for liberation.

Heavenly Dao above, if I become a sage, I will surely break delusive obstacles with wisdom and perform good deeds without fear.

Heavenly Dao above, if I become a sage, I will devote all our efforts, gathering sand into a tower, collecting fox fur into a coat, and transform the Western Sect into a pure land.

……

Vow after vow was made; Jieyin and Zhunti's oaths echoed throughout the wilderness, totaling forty-eight promises, encompassing all beings.

Qi stood in the Heavenly Court, secretly clicking his tongue; the forty-eight great vows were all grand aspirations, and the remainder of Jieyin and Zhunti's lives would likely be spent struggling to repay today's debt.

In the days to come, let alone enjoying a bit of sage's dignity; even a slight laxity would cause the sage's position to waver, as punishment.

Moreover, although Xifang Dalu is barren, it is the highest-taxed place in the wilderness; Jieyin and Zhunti will surely come later to discuss this, and Qi now sees that the time for the Heavenly Court to withdraw from the earth has arrived.

Two unmatched waves of pressure swept across the wilderness; Qi, having been prepared, did not resist but merely bowed slightly, as a sign of respect for the sages.

As for the remaining rites, Qi did not intend to observe them, and indeed the entire Heavenly Court was the same.

After Nüwa's phoenix carriage entered the wilderness and exchanged a few words with Jieyin and Zhunti, it returned to Chaos; as for Jieyin and Zhunti, they did not follow but instead headed toward the Heavenly Court.

Qi, Di Jun, Fuxi, and Taiyi had long been prepared, receiving them in the Hall of Heavenly Clarity.

Upon meeting, Jieyin and Zhunti promptly spoke first: 'Jieyin, Zhunti pay respects to Your Majesties; time is pressing, and this matter concerns the countless mundane beings of Xifang Dalu, so we hope Your Majesties will pardon our frankness.'

Di Jun, Qi, and the others, after paying respects, spoke bluntly: 'We pay our respects to Sage Jieyin and Sage Zhunti; we do not know why, having just entered the sage realm, you did not go to Chaos to open a Pure Land to prove your own Dao, but instead came to the Heavenly Court—what is the reason?'

Moreover, with two sages now present on Xifang Dalu, and the wilderness already in harmony, what could possibly affect countless beings?

Faced with Di Jun et al.'s evasion, Jieyin and Zhunti remained extremely calm; Jieyin spoke first with a smile: 'Your Majesty the Heavenly Emperor is unaware; we have come this time solely for the matter of Xifang Dalu's taxes.'

Xifang Dalu has long been impoverished, yet it bears the highest taxes in the wilderness; therefore I have a question today, and I hope Your Majesty can clarify it for us.

Di Jun had long anticipated this; although he was waiting for Jieyin and Zhunti to come and reduce taxes, he still evaded, saying: 'It turns out the two sages have come for this reason; the matter here still has some secrecy, and I suppose the sages are unaware, which is why you ask today.'

Back then, we, with the idea of filling Xifang Dalu's beings and strengthening its foundation, enfeoffed Xifang Dalu to the hands of the Twelve Ancestor Wu.

At that time we made an agreement with them: the Heavenly Court would not interfere with Xifang Dalu's taxes, collecting only from the Twelve Ancestor Wu.

Moreover, considering Xifang Dalu's poverty at the time, as the second-largest continent in the wilderness, the taxes collected were merely no more than the average of the other three continents.

At that time, this was indeed a very fair method, and it also quickly enhanced the foundation of Xifang Dalu's beings.

At least until today, this method remains the optimal way originally intended to swiftly supplement Xifang Dalu's foundation, and even now Xifang Dalu still benefits from it.

Furthermore, under the Heavenly Court's governance, the wilderness enjoyed peace in all four continents; beings could rest and recuperate, and the human way made great progress.

Coincidentally, the Wu Clan had never unified Xifang Dalu, prompting the Heavenly Court to intervene, only then bringing Xifang Dalu into peace.

Precisely for this reason, past policies applied to Xifang Dalu, this second-largest wilderness continent, have inevitably become somewhat outdated.

Therefore the Heavenly Court began to study this matter, imposing taxes on the other half of the continent not yet ruled by the Wu Clan, to make up for the loophole in today's tax law.

As for the conclusion reached back then with the Twelve Ancestor Wu, it naturally will not be changed; after all, during past wars they still had surplus to pay taxes, and now, with lasting peace, they certainly are not incapable of making up the difference.

Xifang Dalu previously enjoyed many such low-tax benefits; now that it has developed, it is natural to make up for them from there.

Jieyin and Zhunti nodded, indicating they naturally knew of this, but regarding tax matters they also came prepared.

Only seeing Zhunti lightly cough, step forward, and shake his head: 'No, no; this matter is different—it is merely that the Heavenly Court's news is somewhat delayed; Your Majesties are unaware, but since the Wu Clan joined Xifang Dalu back then, they have already become the masters of Xifang.'

Now the whole of Xifang Dalu is under the Wu Clan's jurisdiction; how could there be another half not ruled by them? The taxes taken by the Heavenly Court should remain the same as before.

Di Jun feigned doubt and said:

Oh, I never expected there to be such a matter here? However, according to the Heavenly Court's surveillance, there is no warfare in Xifang Dalu, and the Wu Clan are presently separated by bronze pillars—how could there be any rule to speak of?

Zhunti explained: 'Your Majesty is unaware; the fact that Xifang Dalu belongs to the Wu Clan's rule came about because my elder brother and I previously went forth together to persuade the myriad clans of Xifang.'

Alas, the myriad beings suffer calamity; we truly cannot bear to see Xifang Dalu fall into war again, hence this.

It is only that the Twelve Ancestor Wu committed a mistake; they are still serving their sentence and have not reported to the Heavenly Court, thus causing this misunderstanding.

Di Jun put on a troubled expression, after pacing back and forth a few times, then spoke with an unpleasant countenance:

Ah, I see; I never imagined there was such secrecy here—this is the fault of the Heavenly Court; Di Jun thanks the sages for the information.

The sages' golden words are trustworthy; surely there will be no deceit. As for the taxes of Xifang Dalu, we shall follow what the two sages said. Jieyin and Zhunti instantly smiled with satisfaction, departed openly, and secretly sighed, having become sages overnight, the world now holds no restraints for them.

Even as mighty as the Heavenly Court, they must yield before the sages' authority; this almost made Jieyin and Zhunti weep with joy!

Since offending the Heavenly Court over mediating the myriad clans back then, Xifang Dalu has been restricted everywhere; now at last the bitterness has ended and sweetness has come.

Recalling how, under the Heavenly Court's scheming, Xifang Dalu suffered incessant warfare—whether the Wu Clan or the Immortal Court, the prolonged struggle almost rendered their efforts futile.

Now, having become sages overnight, Jieyin and Zhunti finally realize how narrow their past vision was; how could further effort matter, and how could the sages' words not count?

In the past, they toiled for Xifang, running about; the resources they gained compared to today's single word are truly meager!

Although the Dao fruit is not yet stable, they can still make the Heavenly Court yield; if their realm advances further, the pattern of the wilderness will surely be decided by a single word! After Jieyin and Zhunti departed, Qi then spoke: 'Now this matter is settled; the Heavenly Court's withdrawal from the wilderness can still be prepared.'

Fuxi also spoke: 'I observe that on the wilderness today, the qi of the human way is soaring; with the seven sages in their places, the coming great calamity cannot be far off.'

If we now undertake construction in the wilderness, it will eventually be smashed to pieces; thereafter, the use of wilderness taxes might as well be wholly deposited into the Heavenly Court.

Now every move of ours is under Heaven's observation; to open a realm and transfer the Heavenly Court's accumulations would be too conspicuous, so we might instead place it within the starry void.

In order to restore the ancient starry heavens, to repair the severely damaged stars by name, and to transfer them into the starry void; when the great calamity comes, we will find a way to send the entire starry void together into Chaos.

By then, it would be best if the Heavenly Court did not intervene; within the great calamity, we need only leave a loophole, and outsiders will naturally come to assist.

Fuxi wore a strange smile; now that all sages have taken their places, the wilderness continent is already stable, and the restrictions of heaven and earth upon the sages will naturally lessen considerably.

But once sages enter the wilderness continent, in the short term it is fine; if they remain long-term, they will surely feel the Heavenly Court's restrictions upon them as well.

As the most exalted person in the primordial wilderness, how could one tolerate an act of subordinates overthrowing superiors? When the time comes, there is no need for the Heavenly Court to act; those saints themselves will be unable to restrain themselves and will stir up a great calamity to weaken the Heavenly Court.

Taiyi was not concerned about such matters, merely quite excited, saying:

Plotting against the saints, today I only now discover how bold you are, Fuxi; but merely thinking that perhaps in the future I could clash with the saints makes me feel my whole body excited.

Di Jun did not say much about this, after all, if the saints could endure it, the Heavenly Court would surely take the initiative to offend them, making conflict with the saints inevitable; Taiyi's excitement at this time is naturally understood by him.

Di Jun turned his head to look at Qi and asked:

Qi, how much do you understand of the formation among the stars now? And can you be confident of mastering it before the great calamity?

Qi showed a hint of confidence, a divine light flickering in his pupils, and said: 'The secret of this formation, I have at least comprehended seventy percent of it now; but to manipulate this formation, at least a Great Luo Golden Immortal of the Heavenly Circuit technique is required.'

Moreover, this is merely the lowest requirement; to perfectly unleash the formation's power, the upper limit is even terrifyingly high.

I even suspect that if one were to manipulate this formation with a Primordial Chaos Boundless Luo Heavenly Venerable God of the Heavenly Circuit numbers, perhaps one could recreate the feat of Pangu the Great God opening up the primordial wilderness.

Furthermore, it is even superior; merely a Great Luo Golden Immortal of the Heavenly Circuit numbers is enough to touch the power of the saints.

If we take the Primordial Chaos Dao and Quasi-Sage as the core, I am confident of surpassing the Heavenly Dao, but with the current power of the primordial wilderness, it is clearly insufficient to do so.

According to my calculations, only thirty-six Primordial Chaos Dao or Quasi-Sage are needed to serve as the core of this formation, acting as the formation's eyes; the remaining Heavenly Circuit positions can be filled by Luo Heavenly Venerable Gods and Great Luo Golden Immortals as supplements.

When we gather one hundred twenty-nine thousand six hundred Great Ones to supplement the dust-star number of the One Origin, it will be sufficient to face this great calamity; even if the saints act, we will have the strength to contend with them.

Moreover, with the Heavenly Court's power, it is still insufficient; after all, it is impossible to gather all the heavenly troops and generals, the power of each department, solely for the purpose of manipulating this formation.

Di Jun nodded upon hearing this; the great calamity is not merely a clash on a single battlefield, but the entire primordial wilderness, even the whole heavenly realm, is the battlefield.

With the power of this formation, it is enough to guarantee victory in one battlefield, but given the vastness of the primordial wilderness, how can the war be limited to just one place? After some thought, Di Jun said: 'All subsequent taxes and fees in the primordial wilderness will be used entirely for constructing this formation and expanding the Heavenly Court's strength; all matters in the primordial wilderness will be completely suspended.'

As for what is produced within the heavenly realm, they are all the finest spiritual objects; using them here would be too extravagant, so another day you and I might as well take them all along.

Fuxi agreed wholeheartedly and added:

Moreover, I can increase it further; the taxes of the remaining continents, even if we lose half of the tax revenue from Xifang Dalu, the expenditure will not decrease.

Thus the Heavenly Court can also accelerate the speed of strengthening its power; moreover, you and I might as well be bolder, just as we enfeoffed the Wu Clan in the past, there is no reason we cannot do so again.

On the primordial wilderness, we will widely establish feudal lords; for their own lands, they will build them, and they will surely put effort into it, so that ordinary commoners will not notice any abnormality of the Heavenly Court.

As for tax matters, this is also a good opportunity to reform them, modeling them after the Qingqiu Kingdom; as for whether they will again enfeoff, let them decide that themselves.

Upon hearing this, Di Jun and Qi's eyes lit up at once, secretly sighing at Fuxi's cunning; moreover, after the enfeoffment, the Heavenly Court will have a better excuse to no longer participate in primordial wilderness affairs.

This reason is more reasonable than the Heavenly Court being threatened by Jieyin and Zhunti, and it also better serves the interests of the Heavenly Court.

Qi nodded and said:

Moreover, you and I might as well invite the myriad peoples to enter the heavenly realm together to discuss this matter, jointly presenting the grand spectacle of the Heavenly Court's myriad nations paying homage.

This is the grandeur of the human way, the prosperous age of the myriad peoples; the prestige of the Heavenly Court will surely once again spread far among the mundane, and in the short term, the fortune will gush forth!

Moreover, since this is a state affair, the annexations by the feudal lords will undoubtedly be many; strong states will arise accordingly, and thus a great age will arise!

Di Jun seemed to suddenly think of something, and with a half-smile he ventured a guess:

You say, with such a great age arising together, will several of the saints also place their pieces therein?

PS: I originally planned to write 5000 words, but while eating midnight snacks with friends, I owe a thousand words, to be made up tomorrow.

Thanks to reader harukiz500 for the coin reward! The Phoenix King bows in gratitude here! (End of chapter)