The appearance of so many legendary mythological figures together was truly unexpected for Shui Miao.
Undoubtedly, the situation was about to become even more complicated.
Considering that Xuan Kong’er was at odds with everyone else, Shui Miao immediately decided to use mental transmission to summon Xuan Kong’er into the Time Tower to forge some magical treasures, just in case.
Knowing well that he had caused great harm to the Immortal Realm, Xuan Kong’er didn’t argue and allowed Shui Miao to make the arrangements.
At the same time, Shui Miao fully activated the Good-Evil Judgment Plate, maintaining a state of complete vigilance.
Shui Miao mentally transmitted messages to Saint Mother Shuitianyi, Emperor Wenchang, and Tianyi Dejun, urging them to exercise extra caution. If anything were to happen, they should use the Dun Tian Talisman to escape through the black hole passage they had previously used.
As for the Daoist Priest Ci’en, Shui Miao wasn’t worried at all—he was, after all, a disciple of Master Hongjun, and no one would dare harm him.
However, to Shui Miao’s surprise, these two factions of powerful beings didn’t seem to be targeting him. Judging from their posture, they appeared to be facing off against each other!
The Heavenly Court and the Buddha Land had long been engaged in a covert struggle for control over the Three Realms.
Today seemed to be the perfect day for a redivision of power.
The Buddha Land had been accumulating strength. Behind Buddha stood rows upon rows of deities and Buddhas, densely packed, numbering in the tens of thousands. Today’s display was the Buddha Land’s strongest lineup yet. On Laozi’s side, there were various sages and powerful beings gathered—clusters here and there, excluding heavenly soldiers and generals, their numbers roughly matching those of the Buddha Land.
“Old Master, how come you’ve summoned the people from the Buddha Land as well?”
The Jade Emperor hurriedly stepped down from his throne to greet the sages and powerful beings, as well as the Buddha, but secretly sent a mental transmission questioning Laozi for summoning the Western Heaven Buddhas.
“Your Majesty, they came on their own accord. It has nothing to do with me,” Laozi quickly replied through a secret mental message.
Upon hearing this, the Jade Emperor’s heart sank.
Instinctively, the Jade Emperor glanced toward Lingbao Tianzun, Yuanshi Tianzun, Goddess Nuwa, Xuantian Xuannü, and the various sect leaders. They all gave slight nods but remained silent.
Once everyone had gathered, Laozi addressed Shui Miao: “Shui Miao, now that I have summoned various sages and Buddhas from the Western Heaven, do you still have anything to say?”
All eyes turned to Shui Miao, who felt a sudden surge of nervousness.
After a pause, Shui Miao clasped his hands and bowed: “Esteemed sages, mighty Buddhas of the Western Heaven, I am but a humble immortal. I caused today’s commotion for the sake of all beings in the Three Realms, and I deeply regret having disturbed you all. To be honest, you are all irreplaceable great figures in my heart, and my admiration for you cannot be expressed in words. Today, since you have all come, I dare to ask you to speak a fair word and make a just judgment.”
Shui Miao wanted to hear what they had to say in order to better understand the situation and respond accordingly.
As soon as he finished speaking, Shui Miao sent a mental transmission to Priest Ci’en, urging him to step forward and explain the situation.
Ci’en, with his simple-minded nature, didn’t hesitate and immediately came forth to introduce himself and reveal the truth.
After listening, only Laozi gave a cold laugh.
“Ci’en, you’ve been used by Shui Miao. All he’s trying to do is find an excuse to justify the killing of countless immortals,” Laozi said, seemingly well-prepared. He bowed to the crowd: “Everyone, Heaven has its laws, and the nation has its rules. The order of the Three Realms must not be altered at will, though we are willing to listen to reasonable suggestions. If Shui Miao wishes to change the order of the Three Realms, it’s not impossible, as long as it’s justified. However, he must first atone for his past sins. He deserves to be struck down by heavenly lightning, his soul shattered, and be forbidden from reincarnation forever.”
The order of the Three Realms could be changed, but Laozi wanted to kill Shui Miao first as a warning.
Upon hearing this, Priest Ci’en immediately became anxious: “No! My master promised me that once the Three Realms’ order is stabilized, Shui Miao would be conferred the title of Holy Master of Fengshui. This decision cannot be changed by anyone. Brother, how could you defy our master’s command in front of all the immortals? I really don’t understand how my master could have such a disciple!”
Under intense anger, Ci’en’s words left Laozi deeply embarrassed and flushed with shame.
“Ci’en, don’t act recklessly here. This doesn’t concern you,” Laozi harshly waved his hand, as if hiding something he couldn’t explain.
“I’m not acting recklessly—you are the one being reckless…”
Ci’en immediately retorted.
“Ci’en, hold your tongue for now,” Shui Miao suddenly raised his hand, stopping Ci’en. After careful observation and analysis, Shui Miao vaguely sensed a major issue—Laozi might be staging a bitter ruse, an extremely bitter one.
Who was Laozi?
He was the strongest being in Heaven, the head of Daoism, responsible for refining pills. His pills could enhance magical power and prolong life. Such a powerful figure should be extremely intelligent and wise. So why was he acting so foolishly? Why was he so unwilling to change, even when he knew he was wrong?
Shui Miao suspected that Laozi was deliberately escalating the conflict to force everyone to think about the issue.
As the strongest figure in Heaven, how could Laozi not know about the many flaws in the Heavenly Court?
With his wisdom, it was impossible that he hadn’t noticed.
True reform, one that earns people’s genuine acceptance, couldn’t be achieved simply by issuing new heavenly decrees. It required drawing everyone into the discussion, prompting reflection, reaching a consensus, and only then could the desired effect be achieved.
True强者 think differently from ordinary people.
Combining Laozi’s many actions, Shui Miao considered another possibility—that the real person controlling Heaven’s fate was someone even Laozi couldn’t handle. Perhaps Laozi’s elaborate efforts were meant to redirect everyone’s attention toward the true puppeteer lurking in the shadows.
Who could that person be?
Was it the Buddha?
Or Hongjun Daoist?
Or someone else entirely?
Shui Miao fell silent. He would wait and see, observing Laozi’s true intentions.
Strangely, the various sages from Heaven and the Buddhas from the Western Heaven remained still, as if they had come only to sit silently and didn’t care about anything happening around them. They were like statues.
The atmosphere was unnervingly strange, as if a terrifying storm was about to break.
Especially after Shui Miao told Ci’en to be quiet, the tens of thousands of people present fell into complete silence—an eerie and bizarre scene.
“Buddha Tathagata, you brought so many people here in such a grand manner. Surely you’re not planning to confront us and seize the foundation of Heaven, are you?”
Yuanshi Tianzun suddenly spoke, directly pointing his words at Buddha.
It seemed they hadn’t taken Shui Miao’s matter seriously at all.
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