Chapter 1: The God of Wealth Rebels Against Tianting

Since Pangu opened the heavens and split the earth, the yin and yang were first divided, and all things began to take form. 【Thinking to himself】 "He must be like those old men in the mortal world, too old and suffering from dementia; he should hurry to find a Medicine Immortal when he has time, or I fear it will be too late to save him!"

Upon hearing this, Taibai Jinxing hurriedly knelt and kowtowed, saying, "Jade Emperor, please forgive me. Your humble servant has been worried about the affairs of Tianting lately and has truly been overworking myself, which is why I lost my composure before the throne. I beg Your Majesty for mercy."

The Jade Emperor laughed and said, "You old fellow, it turns out that not only has your age increased, but your skin has also grown thicker. Tell me, what have you been working so hard for?"

Taibai Jinxing said, "Naturally, it is for the great matters that concern Your Majesty. As the saying goes, 'When the master is worried, the minister is humiliated; when the master is humiliated, the minister dies.' Whatever Your Majesty worries about, this old minister worries about as well."

"Oh? Then tell me, what am I worried about?"

"Naturally, it is the great financial affairs of Tianting!"

Upon hearing this, the Jade Emperor sighed and said, "Truly, only an old minister understands the heart of a worried ruler! It is lamentable that the mortals of today neither offer sacrifices to the Three Pure Ones and Four Emperors, nor worship Wenqu and Wuqu. The various star lords of Tianting receive no offerings. The gods toil day and night for the sake of all beings in the Three Realms, yet Tianting is now so poor that it can barely pay the stipends of the immortals! Since I began ruling the Three Realms, there has never been such a predicament. That is why I am worried day and night. How did we end up in such a state?"

Taibai Jinxing said, "Speaking of this, it really cannot be blamed on Your Majesty. It is only because the ancients respected the heavens and the earth, and valued human character and morality; at that time, the heavens and earth enjoyed offerings throughout the four seasons, and the benefits were endless. The common people held kindness in their hearts and maintained a long-standing reverence for the immortal officials, so the immortals also enjoyed a constant supply. But the mortals of today have long viewed us as 'feudal superstition' and no longer believe in our existence, so naturally, they will no longer offer sacrifices."

The Jade Emperor gave a cold, displeased snort and said, "Then why is it that the God of Wealth can still enjoy the offerings and worship of the mortals in the world? Is he not also some kind of 'feudal superstition'? Are I and the other gods not worthy of reverence, and only he, the God of Wealth, worthy of being worshipped by all living beings? The number of people in the mortal world who offer sacrifices to the God of Wealth is countless; the offerings that fellow receives in one month are enough to rival the total of all the gods in Tianting for a year!"

Taibai Jinxing said, "Jade Emperor, please calm your anger! Those mortals have no feelings of reverence for the God of Wealth. Some are merely holding the attitude of 'better to believe it exists than to believe it doesn't' and worship him casually. Although some worship the God of Wealth in their homes and appear pious, in reality, they do not respect the God of Wealth; they are simply greedy for wealth, their minds obsessed with money! Nowadays, the living beings in the mortal world no longer believe in karma and retribution; as long as there is profit to be made, let alone worshipping the God of Wealth, they have already committed enough acts that harm others to benefit themselves."

The Jade Emperor said, "But this cannot go on forever! Maintaining Tianting requires money everywhere; without the offerings and incense from the mortal beings, it is difficult to sustain. Does my old minister have any good ideas?"

Taibai Jinxing said, "This old minister believes that the position of God of Wealth is a position of Tianting. The offerings received by the God of Wealth should naturally belong to Tianting. How can the God of Wealth monopolize them? Nowadays, this God of Wealth can truly be said to be wealthy enough to rival a nation. I have heard that the God of Wealth mansion he built on the Golden Mountain in the lower realm is even more imposing than the Lingxiao Hall of Tianting! He enjoys a great deal of incense from the lower realm, and his cultivation progresses with half the effort; there are many gods in the Heavenly Realm whose magic power is not as great as his. Such a powerful minister should be dealt with early. If not, he will surely become a disaster!"

The Jade Emperor said, "What the old minister says is very true. I wonder what good strategy can be used?"

Taibai Jinxing said, "Your Majesty can choose a day to hold a banquet at Yaochi and invite the God of Wealth to attend. Secretly ambush several trusted gods with powerful magic. At the banquet, Your Majesty should only speak of the God of Wealth's merits and that he deserves a promotion. Then, give him an idle, nominal official title—a promotion in name but a demotion in reality. If he obeys the decree, then arrange for a suitable candidate to serve as the God of Wealth, and the offerings for the position of God of Wealth will naturally all be collected by Tianting. If he refuses, then charge him with the crime of disobeying an imperial decree. Your Majesty can use the dropping of a cup as a signal, and it will be easy for the gods to work together to capture him."

The Jade Emperor was overjoyed upon hearing this: "The old minister's arrangement is very appropriate; we shall act according to this plan."

After Taibai Jinxing received the Jade Emperor's approval and arranged all the details for the Yaochi banquet, he went down to the lower realm to the God of Wealth mansion on Golden Mountain to proclaim the decree. The God of Wealth received the imperial decree, thanked the heavens for their grace, and wanted to keep the old Taibai for tea. Taibai Jinxing declined, saying he had to go elsewhere to proclaim decrees, and that was the end of it. After sending off Taibai Jinxing, the God of Wealth returned to his mansion happily and set about ordering people to prepare gifts to present to the Jade Emperor the next day. Suddenly, the Accountant Minor God appeared beside him and said, "Master, I fear there is something suspicious about this banquet!"

The God of Wealth said, "What is suspicious about it?"

The minor god said, "The Jade Emperor holds a banquet only twice a year. One is the Pan Tao Assembly for the Queen Mother's birthday, and the other is the Danyuan Assembly to commemorate the day of his ascension. This banquet is neither a Pan Tao Assembly nor a Danyuan Assembly; why is there an extra one this year for no reason?"

The God of Wealth said, "Just now, Taibai Jinxing said that this is not a grand assembly. It is just a small gathering, and the Buddhas of Xitian and others were not invited. It is just a small get-together for the gods with duties in the Heavenly Realm."

The Accountant Minor God said, "In previous years, I have never seen any such small gatherings."

The God of Wealth said, "I suppose the Jade Emperor was idle and had nothing to do, so he held a banquet to enjoy himself with the gods."

The Accountant Minor God said, "Recently, the gods have lacked offerings and sacrifices, and Tianting's expenditures exceed its income. The Jade Emperor has been worried about this for I don't know how long. How could he have the leisure to drink and make merry with the heavenly gods? Since ancient times, when an emperor holds a banquet, it is often a banquet with no good intentions; I fear..." The God of Wealth was shocked upon hearing this and said, "I have always been careful and cautious in my actions and have never violated the Heavenly Laws. Managing the wealth of the world is my duty; what reason would His Majesty have to punish me?"

The Accountant Minor God said, "Master, you have been the God of Wealth for so long, how can you still be so muddled? In the face of profit, where is there any talk of ruler and minister, father and son? If you want to condemn someone, you can always find a pretext. With what you possess now, who is not envious and jealous? How many people have racked their brains to curry favor with you? And how many people want to get rid of you as quickly as possible? Since ancient times, once a minister rises above the monarch, it will surely bring disaster; this is your current situation!"

The God of Wealth said, "If it is truly as you say, what should be done?"

The minor god said, "You must still attend the banquet. The Jade Emperor personally held the banquet to invite you; if you do not go, it will provide a pretext for disrespecting the Jade Emperor. You should just carry more magic treasures with you and arrange for a few powerful ones to disguise themselves as servants and guard outside the Heavenly Gate. If the Jade Emperor still remembers the bond between ruler and minister and does not resort to force, that would be best. If there is a change, you only need to break out of the Heavenly Gate, and there will naturally be someone to meet you."

The God of Wealth said, "That is all I can do. But even if I break out of the Heavenly Gate and escape to the lower realm, what should I do afterwards? The Jade Emperor will surely not let it go."

The Accountant Minor God said, "If it really comes to that point, rather than stretching your neck to be slaughtered, it is better to fight for it. Only in this way can there be a glimmer of survival. As the saying goes, 'Those who win the hearts of the people win the world.' You receive more offerings from the common people than any other god, which is enough to show where the hearts of the people lie! The throne of the Heavenly Emperor—if the Jade Emperor can sit on it, why can't you? Imperial power has ruled the Three Realms for too long, and you manage the wealth of the world; if imperial power can rule the Three Realms, why can't wealth? And you, do you not want to become that supreme being of the Three Realms, the great ruler? As the saying goes, 'Put yourself in a position of death to live,' and this is the very reason."

The God of Wealth slapped the table and stood up upon hearing this, saying, "Good, I will do as you say. I want to see what medicine the Jade Emperor is selling in his gourd!"

The next day, the God of Wealth took a group of servants, hid several protective magic treasures on his person, rode his mount, entered the Nantianmen, and headed straight for Yaochi. When he arrived at Yaochi, the Jade Emperor, Taibai Jinxing, Li Jing, Nezha, the Four Heavenly Kings, Tianpeng Yuanshuai, and other gods were already waiting at the banquet. Seeing this, the God of Wealth thought to himself, "It has truly been predicted by the Accountant Minor God. In the past, the Jade Emperor was always the last to arrive at banquets, but why today? He and the gods have all arrived and are waiting only for me; I fear this is undoubtedly a 'Hongmen Banquet'." The God of Wealth pondered in his heart, but his steps were unhurried and calm as he arrived before the throne to pay his respects to the Jade Emperor, saying, "Your humble servant has come to attend the banquet as summoned."

The Jade Emperor said, "Minister, no need for formalities; take your seat quickly!"

The God of Wealth walked to his seat and sat down, and immediately a Heavenly Maiden came over to serve and pour wine. According to Tianting etiquette, every heavenly god has a Heavenly Maiden to serve them. And the first cup of wine must be raised by all the gods together to toast the Jade Emperor. On the Jade Emperor's side, there was an imperial attendant serving him; this attendant was no simple person, but a burly man. He was the Jade Emperor's personal bodyguard who never left his side, and he was bestowed with the Demon-Subduing Treasure Staff, known as the Juanlian General. At this moment, all the gods slowly picked up their wine cups, and seeing this, the Juanlian General picked up the Glazed Treasure Cup to pour wine for the Jade Emperor. Who would have thought that the general would slip for a moment and accidentally drop the Glazed Cup, shattering it on the ground. It made a loud 'Clack!' sound. The gods ambushed at the banquet heard this sound; not knowing it was the Juanlian General who had accidentally broken it, they thought it was the Jade Emperor giving the order, and each of them fought bravely, wielding their weapons and rushing toward the God of Wealth.

Seeing this, the God of Wealth was so frightened that his face turned pale, and he thought to himself, "The Jade Emperor is truly in such a hurry to put me to death. He didn't even bother to come up with a charge!" He hurriedly took out his protective treasure from his bosom. Do you know what treasure it was? It was the countless incense money collected from the merit boxes in the God of Wealth temples everywhere in the mortal world. It had been refined by his magic power and integrated together, hence it was called "A Stack of Banknotes." It was a source of treasure, from which endless wealth could flow.

The God of Wealth threw the treasure into the air, and suddenly a fragrant wind arose, and gold and silver covered the ground. The fragrant wind wrapped around the treasure notes and whistled over; look at the tables, the chairs, the Jade Emperor's throne, Taibai Jinxing's beard, and Nezha Santai Zi's bellyband—all were submerged by the treasure notes. It blew so hard that the heavenly gods were dazzled and found it difficult to walk. Dazzled, they could see nothing but treasure notes. Difficult to walk, their feet were buried deep in the golden sand. The Juanlian General was so panicked that he hurriedly held his treasure staff to protect the Jade Emperor. Taking advantage of this gap, the God of Wealth transformed and hid inside the hole of a copper coin, and with a gust of wind, he left Yaochi and escaped outside the Nantianmen.

After a long while at the Yaochi banquet, the fragrant wind gradually subsided, and the gods finally came to their senses. The Jade Emperor called out, "Where is the God of Wealth? That God of Wealth has escaped!" Pagoda-Bearing Li Tianwang stepped forward and reported, "Your Majesty, just now that gust of wild wind wrapped around the money and notes and rushed at us. It was truly too powerful; we were blown by the wind so that we couldn't open our eyes, and that fellow took the opportunity to escape."

Taibai Jinxing came to the Jade Emperor's ear and said, "Alas, Your Majesty was too impatient. Why did you drop the cup before using my plan of promotion in name but demotion in reality?"

The Jade Emperor pointed at the Juanlian General and said angrily, "When did I drop the cup! I hadn't even had a chance to speak when this fellow broke the Glazed Cup, ruining my great plan! Guards, take this fellow outside the Nantianmen and behead him!"

Upon hearing this, the Juanlian General was so frightened that he hurriedly knelt and kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty, spare my life! Your Majesty, spare my life!"

Seeing this, Chijiao Daxian advised, "Your Majesty, although the Juanlian is guilty, please consider that it was an unintentional mistake, and his loyalty in protecting Your Majesty in the wild wind just now; please deal with him leniently." Upon hearing this, the Jade Emperor ordered someone to demote the Juanlian General to the Liusha River in the mortal world, and every seven days he would suffer the pain of a flying sword piercing his heart.

The Jade Emperor looked at the mess on the ground and asked Taibai Jinxing, "The capture failed this time, and instead, he created such a gust of wild wind and escaped! What should be done?" Taibai Jinxing said, "Things have reached this point, and there is no use in saying more. Since the matter has been taken to the extreme, we should quickly send heavenly soldiers and generals to the lower realm to capture this thief, and do not give him a chance to catch his breath."

The Jade Emperor immediately called for Clairvoyant and Shunfeng Er to see where the God of Wealth had escaped to. It turned out that after the God of Wealth left the Nantianmen, he was protected by several servants and returned to the Golden Mountain mansion. The Jade Emperor immediately ordered Li Tianwang to lead Nezha, the Giant Spirit God, the Four Heavenly Kings, Tianpeng Yuanshuai, and others to the lower realm to capture him and bring him to justice.

The God of Wealth escaped with his life and returned to his mansion, still feeling shaken. The Accountant Minor God hurriedly brought out tea to help his master calm his nerves. The God of Wealth took a sip of tea and sighed, "That muddled ruler was determined to kill me this time; as soon as I arrived at the banquet, he resorted to weapons without allowing me to speak. Thanks to your reminder, I was prepared, otherwise, my life would have been lost by now!"

The Accountant Minor God said, "Master, you still need to prepare early; the Jade Emperor will certainly not let it go, and I fear that heavenly soldiers will come to crusade against us very soon!"

The God of Wealth snorted coldly, "Things have reached this point, I can only learn from that monkey who caused havoc in the Heavenly Palace back then!" Before he finished speaking, he heard someone report from outside, "Master, it's bad! A group of heavenly soldiers and generals have surrounded our Golden Mountain mansion! Someone claiming to be the Tianpeng Yuanshuai, who commands the one hundred thousand water troops of the Heavenly River, is calling for the master to go out and answer!" The God of Wealth said, "Too bullying! Today, I will let these fellows who think they have powerful magic see the means of this god!"

The God of Wealth led a group of servants out of the mansion gate and saw a dark mass of flags fluttering in the sky. It was truly a formation of one hundred thousand heavenly soldiers. Seeing the God of Wealth come out, Tianpeng Yuanshuai lowered his cloud and said, "Brother God of Wealth, the Jade Emperor has sent Pagoda-Bearing Li Tianwang and the heavenly generals to the lower realm to invite you back. The Jade Emperor has said that as long as you give up the position of God of Wealth, you can choose any other official position in the Heavenly Realm; everyone will not resort to weapons, and the bond between ruler and minister will not be broken. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

The God of Wealth said, "Hmph! Do you think I would still believe the words of that muddled ruler now? What crime have I committed to warrant you and one hundred thousand heavenly soldiers coming to capture me? If I hadn't had some means at the banquet just now, I fear I would have lost my life by now. What qualifications does such a muddled and cruel ruler have to rule the Three Realms? If you still remember the bond between colleagues, go back quickly, and I will not hurt you. Go back and tell that muddled ruler that from now on, this god will no longer be under his control."

Upon hearing this, Tianpeng's face turned cold and he said, "The ruler's order cannot be disobeyed. Since that is the case, don't blame this marshal for not caring about the bond between colleagues!" Before he finished speaking, the Nine-Toothed Rake was already in his hand. When the rake came out, silver light shone brightly, instantly triggering rolling heavenly thunder. Just as the lightning flashed and thunder rumbled, the sky above the nine heavens suddenly split open, and the water of the Heavenly River poured down like a broken levee. The momentum was so great that it made the whole earth tremble continuously. The beasts in the forest were frightened and fled, and the ghosts in the underworld wailed. Tianpeng brandished his rake, sweeping up the monstrous water, and headed toward the God of Wealth. Seeing this, the God of Wealth hurriedly sacrificed his Treasure Basin, threw it into the air, blocked the hole in the sky, and drew the thunder and lightning to strike the Treasure Basin. In an instant, the treasure basin was struck thousands of times, yet it still shone brightly and was not damaged in the slightest. It absorbed all the incoming lightning and the rushing water of the Heavenly River, and when he looked again, the sky was already clear for ten thousand miles. Having lost his support, Tianpeng was no longer imposing and could only rely on three parts of his strength to brandish the rake and strike wildly at the God of Wealth, but he didn't hit him once. Instead, he was wounded in the arm by the God of Wealth's Copper Coin Sword and retreated in defeat. Pagoda-Bearing Li Tianwang saw it clearly from above, lowered his cloud, and called to the God of Wealth, "Don't rely on magic treasures to bully people; wait for this Heavenly King to compete with you personally!" Immediately, a pagoda appeared in his palm, and he asked, "Do you recognize this treasure of mine?"

The God of Wealth said, "I recognize it, I recognize it. This is the Thirty-Three Heavens Golden Sarira Seven-Treasure Exquisite Pagoda!"

The Heavenly King said, "Since you recognize it, why don't you surrender quickly to avoid suffering!"

The God of Wealth laughed and said, "You are called a Heavenly King for nothing; your knowledge is not even as good as a country bumpkin. Are you embarrassed to call such an object a treasure?"

The Heavenly King said, "You don't know the power of my pagoda yet! My pagoda has subdued countless demons and ghosts and suppressed endless monsters. No matter how powerful your magic is, you cannot resist the Samadhi True Fire inside this pagoda."

The God of Wealth laughed and said, "Do you think I don't know? You usually use this thing to defend against your son! It can only be taken out to scare people when your own child is naughty. Why is it that even a teacher takes a ruler as a treasure!"

Upon hearing this, the Heavenly King was furious and said, "Stop with the glib tongue; whatever tricks you have, use them all!"

The God of Wealth said, "You only know how to brag about your own pagoda, but you haven't seen your God of Wealth grandfather's pagoda yet!"

The Heavenly King said, "I have never heard that you also have a pagoda."

The God of Wealth said, "I do, I do, I do. It's just that I don't use it often. It is a truly genuine treasure!"

The Heavenly King said, "Hmph, I don't care what treasure you have, it cannot compare to my pagoda; you might as well take it out and let me see."

The God of Wealth flipped his palm, and a strange triangular pagoda that was only as tall as a tower tip appeared in his palm. He said to the God of Wealth, "Take a look at how this pagoda of mine is?"

The Heavenly King laughed loudly and said, "I don't know where you moved someone's grave from to hold and play with in your hand! Can such a thing be called a pagoda?"

The God of Wealth said, "It is you who don't know! Back then, this god traveled around the world and went to Beiju Luzhou to enjoy the exotic scenery. This is exactly the kind of pagoda built by the living beings there, which is naturally very different from the objects in our Nanzhan Buzhou. Don't look at this pagoda as small; it is the heart's blood and wealth of all the living beings in the world, tempered through thousands of trials and forged with Samadhi True Gold. Hence it is called the 'Golden Pagoda.' This pagoda responds to things according to one's heart and can be large or small. When large, it can be as heavy as Mount Tai; when small, it can be played with in the palm of one's hand. There are seven levels inside the pagoda, representing the Great Thousand Worlds. No matter what kind of Great Luo Golden Immortal you are, once you enter my pagoda, you are like a bird in a cage, at my mercy." After speaking, he threw the Golden Pagoda at the Heavenly King. Seeing this, the Heavenly King also threw the pagoda in his hand. The two treasures collided, and the Golden Pagoda actually smashed the Seven-Treasure Exquisite Pagoda into two pieces. Seeing this, Li Tianwang cried out in heartbreak, "My pagoda!"

Seeing this, the God of Wealth laughed loudly and said, "Your pagoda is only fit to be a base for my pagoda!" He then exerted his magic power to turn the Golden Pagoda from one into three, each as large as Mount Tai, and pressed them toward the heavenly soldiers and generals in the sky. None of the heavenly soldiers could stop them, and they fled in all directions. Pity the one hundred thousand heavenly soldiers, half of whom were actually pressed down. The other half, terrified like stray dogs, fled back to Tianting to report to the Jade Emperor, "Your Majesty, I don't know what magic treasure the God of Wealth used, but he smashed Li Tianwang's pagoda. At first, there was only one, but now there are two more. They have turned into three great mountains, pressing all the heavenly soldiers under those great mountains!"

The Jade Emperor was greatly alarmed upon hearing this and said, "What kind of treasure is it? How can it be so formidable? It has defeated my one hundred thousand Heavenly Soldiers. Now that we cannot capture him, we have instead suffered losses of troops and generals; what is to be done?" Just as he was worrying, the Four Heavenly Masters came to report, "The Grand Supreme Dao Ancestor has arrived!" The Jade Emperor immediately rose to welcome him. Lao Jun exchanged greetings and said, "The gods of the Heavenly Realm, though they have attained the status of Heavenly Immortal, mostly still harbor unextinguished selfish desires and have not reached the state of unity between Heaven and man; thus, they are no match for that God of Wealth's magical treasure. Your Majesty, do not worry; this old Daoist recommends two individuals who will certainly be able to capture that God of Wealth!"

The Jade Emperor said, "I do not know whom the Dao Ancestor recommends?" Lao Jun said, "They are two great gods from the ancient era: Gonggong and Shennong. Gonggong once, due to resisting the tyranny of Shaohao, struck Buzhou Mountain in his rage. Shennong, to save the people from suffering, tasted all kinds of herbs for the sake of all living beings. Both of these are great gods who hold the world in their hearts and possess the magical power to subdue that God of Wealth." The Jade Emperor said, "These two are figures who see the head but not the tail of the divine dragon; where should I go to find them?"

Lao Jun said, "Gonggong and Shennong often play chess together at Buzhou Mountain. You only need to dispatch someone eloquent to go there, explain the logic, and appeal to their emotions, and you will certainly be able to invite these two seniors to come out of the mountains to assist." Upon hearing this, the Jade Emperor immediately ordered Taibai Jinxing to go to Buzhou Mountain to invite Gonggong and Shennong to come out.

Taibai Jinxing received the imperial decree and dared not delay for even a moment; he hurriedly rode his cloud to the peak of Buzhou Mountain to search for the traces of the two great gods. However, he only heard a thunderous roar from not far away: "What minor god dares to trespass on Buzhou Mountain!" Taibai Jinxing hurriedly explained, "This minor god is Taibai Jinxing, acting under the Jade Emperor's decree to come and pay respects to the two great gods, Gonggong and Shennong, and invite them to come out of the mountains."

That voice said, "Since you have the Jade Emperor's decree, then come down and speak." Taibai Jinxing heard this and lowered his cloud, looking forward to see that it was exactly the location of a mountain cave. Walking into the cave, it was initially pitch black, and he could not distinguish the direction. After walking a few more steps, it suddenly opened up. The flowers, plants, trees, birds, and beasts were no different from those outside; it was truly a world within a cave. In the very center was a stone table, and sitting beside it were two old men, contemplating the chess game on the stone table. Taibai Jinxing walked up, not daring to disturb them, and silently watched the game. The two of them ignored him and continued their intense battle. They went back and forth, and he did not know how many games they had fought; they showed no signs of fatigue, and by now, he did not know how many days had passed.

Taibai Jinxing could truly wait no longer and spoke up: "Two great gods! This minor god is acting under the Jade Emperor's decree to invite you both to come out and assist. Tianting is in imminent danger; I beg you two great gods to follow me quickly!" The white-bearded old man wearing straw sandals ignored Taibai and kept staring at the chess game. The black-faced old man wearing a headscarf, however, said angrily, "Who promised to go with you? What does the safety of Tianting have to do with me?"

Taibai Jinxing said, "Great God, what are you saying? Although you are carefree and do not receive a salary from Tianting, the Jade Emperor rules over all living beings in the Three Realms, and Tianting is like the common nation of these living beings in the Three Realms. As the saying goes, 'Every man has a share of responsibility for the fate of his country'; we subjects should all contribute to the country!"

The old man laughed and said, "A fine 'every man has a share of responsibility for the fate of his country.' Since that is the case, I shall test you. If you can answer in a way that satisfies me, I will go with you."

Taibai Jinxing said, "It is a deal." The old man asked, "You just said that Tianting is like the nation of all living beings, so I will ask you: what is a nation?"

Taibai Jinxing said, "Under the vast heavens, there is no land that is not the King's; every blade of grass, every tree, every mountain, every lake, and all living things in the Three Realms, when added together, that is the nation."

The old man said, "You say that following you to subdue the God of Wealth is doing your best for the country. Then I wonder, does that save all living beings, or does it benefit every blade of grass and tree?"

This... Taibai Jinxing stammered and could not speak.

The old man snorted coldly: "If it were truly for the benefit of the living beings of the Three Realms, I would naturally be willing to help. Now you want me to intervene in your selfish struggle born of profit. Regardless of the final outcome between the God of Wealth and the Jade Emperor, the living beings of the Three Realms will still live as they did before. You, as Heavenly Gods, keep the Three Realms and all living beings on your lips, yet you do not think of creating welfare for the living beings, only caring about seeking private profit. I do not wish to be associated with the likes of you; you had better go back."

Taibai Jinxing hurriedly said, "Great God, please calm your anger! The Jade Emperor actually has long wanted to use the offerings from the lower realm's living beings to the God of Wealth to benefit the living beings, but that God of Wealth is overbearing and refuses to relinquish power. If you, Great Immortal, are willing to step forward and subdue the God of Wealth this time, how could the Jade Emperor not think of the suffering of the people? He will certainly use everything the lower realm's living beings offer to the God of Wealth to benefit the living beings of the Three Realms. Taken from the living beings, used for the living beings; there will never again be a 'God of Wealth' who enslaves the living beings!"

The black-faced old man heard this and said, "If that is the case, then it is worth a trip."

Taibai Jinxing said, "Whether it is the Three Realms or a nation, I know these are just terms to you two great gods. What you truly love are the people who live here. When these people are happy, you are happy. Their suffering is your suffering. Your spirit of holding the world in your hearts truly makes this minor god admire you to the point of prostration!"

The long-bearded old man saw this and laughed, scolding, "You had better stop flattering us. We have already delayed here for many days; let us set off early."

The two great gods rode their clouds and followed Taibai Jinxing to the Golden Mountain Mansion. Gonggong was hot-tempered; he gripped his iron hammer and shouted, "Junior minor god, Gonggong and Shennong are here! Come out quickly and surrender, and I may spare your life!"

The servants of the Golden Mountain Mansion were panicked and hurriedly reported to the God of Wealth, "Master, it is bad. Two more people have come outside to challenge us."

The God of Wealth said, "Do not panic. What do those two look like, and what weapons do they have?"

The servant said, "One is a white-bearded old man wearing a pair of straw sandals, holding a sickle, looking like an old farmer harvesting land. The other is a black-faced old man, wrapped in a headscarf, holding an iron hammer in his hand, looking like a blacksmith forging metal."

The God of Wealth heard this and laughed loudly, "The Jade Emperor has no one left! He sends these two old men to their deaths. I do not care if they are some 'Gong' or some 'Nong'; wait for me to go and capture them."

That God of Wealth, holding the Golden Pagoda, arrived at the front of the formation and shouted, "Which one of you was just challenging me? Use whatever skills you have!"

Gonggong and Shennong looked at each other and smiled. Gonggong said, "I will let you, a junior, strike first, lest others say we are using our seniority to bully the young, and it would not be glorious even if we won."

The God of Wealth said, "Good, good, good! Then do not blame this minor god for taking the initiative." Having said this, he threw the Golden Pagoda in his hand toward the two gods. Only to see Gonggong throw out his hammer and Shennong throw out his sickle, which collided with the Golden Pagoda. With a loud bang, it actually smashed the Golden Pagoda to pieces. The God of Wealth was greatly alarmed and hurriedly turned to flee, but his retreat was blocked by Tianpeng Yuanshuai and Nezha Santai Zi. The God of Wealth then unleashed his Copper Coin Sword and Treasure Basin, but both were smashed to pieces by the combined efforts of Gonggong and Shennong.

The God of Wealth exclaimed in shock, "What kind of magical treasure are you using? You can actually break my Samadhi True Gold."

Gonggong said, "You ignorant junior, what kind of treasure in this world was not forged under this broken iron hammer of mine?"

That God of Wealth, having lost his treasures, was captured alive by Tianpeng and Nezha after only a few rounds and brought back to Tianting for the Jade Emperor to dispose of.

(End of chapter)