Chapter 131: The Consecration of Gods Approaches

"Members of our sects who have attained the Dao?"

Upon hearing this, the Three Pure Ones and the others were stunned. Although they harbored intentions of gaining some influence within the Celestial Court, that did not mean they wanted their own disciples to join it. After all, these were disciples they had painstakingly nurtured; why should they hand them over to benefit the Celestial Court?

"It is not yet certain who exactly will be inscribed in the Heavenly Book, but everyone below the level of a Sage is a possibility," Hongjun added immediately.

With a wave of his hand, a golden, whip-like magical artifact appeared before him.

"Haotian, Yaochi."

"Disciple is here."

Haotian and Yaochi, who had been standing respectfully by Hongjun's side, were surprised to be addressed. They quickly regained their composure and bowed.

"This is the God-Striking Whip," Hongjun said, gesturing, and the whip flew into Haotian's hand. "I leave the matter of the Investiture of the Gods to the two of you to preside over. Before long, a great war will erupt among the human race. Those who distinguish themselves in this conflict are the ones destined for the Heavenly Book. Remember this well."

"We shall remember," Yaochi and Haotian replied. Neither had expected Hongjun to entrust them with such a significant task, and they could not help but feel secretly delighted. They had both assumed they would spend their entire lives as mere attendants in the Zixiao Palace.

The Three Pure Ones and the others glanced at Haotian and Yaochi, offering them polite, well-meaning smiles. Li Tian, however, wore a strange expression. Wasn't the Investiture of the Gods supposed to be presided over by Jiang Ziya?

After a moment of thought, he felt relieved. Hongjun was an entity inseparable from the Heavenly Way; if he could designate the Lord of the Celestial Court, was it really so difficult for him to appoint someone else to manage the Investiture? He only wondered, with Haotian and Yaochi in charge, what would become of Jiang Ziya?

"Supreme Sumeru Celestial Emperor, please pass the Heavenly Book to Yaochi for now."

"Very well." Li Tian nodded and turned to look at Yaochi.

At this moment, Yaochi still appeared as a young girl—round-faced and incredibly cute. If one didn't already know, it would be impossible to associate her with the legendary Queen Mother of the West.

Smiling, Li Tian nodded at her and waved his hand. The Heavenly Book transformed into a streak of golden light and flew into Yaochi's grasp.

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

"Hmm."

...

Having left the Zixiao Palace, the Sages each harbored their own thoughts. Li Tian and Nuwa were relatively content; after all, they had gained a group of immortal subordinates for free—why wouldn't they be pleased? Though a number of people from the three main sects would eventually join the Celestial Court, with the Heavenly Book in their possession, Li Tian doubted they would dare to stir up any real trouble.

As for the Three Pure Ones and Zhunti, they were torn. On one hand, they wanted to recruit disciples extensively to gain a foothold in the Celestial Court. On the other, they had to ensure their disciples were cautious, lest they become entangled in karma, end up on the Heavenly Book, and have their lives and deaths controlled by the Celestial Court forever.

The Three Pure Ones, in particular, viewed every personal disciple as a precious treasure; losing even one would be heartbreaking. As for Zhunti in the West, he was even more reluctant, as every member of the Western Sect had been painstakingly gathered by him; they were the backbone of his sect.

Yet, from the moment they sent their disciples out to recruit heavily among the humans, the outcome was already sealed. After all, when a disciple is in trouble, how can a master stand idly by? And once they intervened, they would inevitably be drawn deep into the vortex, unable to extricate themselves.

...

Upon returning to the Celestial Court, Li Tian and Nuwa sounded the Chaos Bell, summoning most of the court's members to the Lingxiao Palace. The Investiture of the Gods was a major event, and if anyone in the Celestial Court wished to participate, they would not stop them.

Once everyone had arrived, Li Tian briefly explained the nature of the Heavenly Book. Many were tempted upon hearing that being inscribed in the book granted immortality. After all, who wouldn't want to be immortal? As for their lives being controlled by the book, they deemed that a negligible price to pay, as they had never intended to betray the Celestial Court.

"You must think clearly. Once you are part of the Heavenly Book, it will likely be difficult for your cultivation to progress any further," Li Tian warned.

Hongjun had not mentioned this, but as a Sage, Li Tian had understood the properties of the Heavenly Book the moment he received it. The primary positions in the Heavenly Book could only accommodate Quasi-Sages, secondary positions were limited to Daluo Golden Immortals, and the lowest positions were restricted to Taiyi Golden Immortals. If one's cultivation exceeded these limits, they would automatically be expelled.

But would the Heavenly Book let them escape its control so easily? Therefore, all who were inscribed on the list would have their cultivation suppressed by the book. Unless one possessed immense destiny and unwavering perseverance, their cultivation would effectively be fixed at that stage once they joined the list.

...

Hearing that their cultivation would be stunted, most of the people calmed down. Although many of them had not seen any progress in years, those who had reached this level were all individuals with steadfast hearts for the Dao. This was a condition they could not accept.

Ultimately, except for a few mid-level and low-level members who wanted to try their luck, the vast majority chose to give up. Li Tian and Nuwa did not interfere with their decisions.

After leaving the Lingxiao Palace, Li Tian began observing the situation in the lower realms. By now, the followers of the Human Sect, the Chan Sect, the Jie Sect, and the Western Buddhist Sect were already recruiting disciples among the humans in full force under the instructions of their respective Sages. They accepted almost anyone who had even a shred of potential or talent. Famous figures like Wen Zhong, Jiang Ziya, and Shen Gongbao were all recruited into their sects, just as history had recorded.

Li Tian, however, could not agree with their actions. As the saying goes, the bystander sees most clearly; from his perspective, it was obvious that the Three Pure Ones' approach of mass recruitment was akin to pushing their own disciples into the vortex of the Investiture of the Gods.

The Investiture began as a struggle among ordinary third-generation disciples, then escalated as they called for reinforcements, drawing in second-generation disciples... Eventually, even Tongtian, infuriated by the loss of his disciples, took action himself and set up the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation. To break the formation, Laozi and Yuanshi were forced to join forces with the two Western Sages... This led to the tragic end for Tongtian.

He wondered how this history would play out now. The West currently had only one Sage; together with Laozi and Yuanshi, there were only three. Faced with the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation—which required four Sages to break—would they still succeed as they did in the original history?

...

Li Tian knew clearly that from the moment he arrived, history had begun to change beyond recognition. The fact that Haotian and Yaochi had replaced Jiang Ziya as the ones presiding over the Investiture was proof enough.

Therefore, no one could be certain of the future. Many who were not originally on the list might now find themselves there due to chance encounters. Those who once shone brightly might now fade into obscurity for various reasons... Even the success of King Wu's conquest of the Shang Dynasty was now an uncertainty.