Chapter 185: What are you fighting for?
"Second brother, after you left, the Jade Emperor did not stay any longer and asked Randeng and the others to take the Golden Winged Dapeng Eagle away."
Li Anran briefly described what happened in Lingxiao Palace after Yang Jian and Nezha left, and gave his own speculation: "The Jade Emperor's firm attitude is not entirely due to Lingshan, but more likely because of the golden-winged Peng eagle."
"It is the son of the Phoenix and the younger brother of the Peacock. It has a special identity and a deep background, but it has committed an unforgivable sin of killing. The Jade Emperor does not want to offend the Phoenix and the Peacock, so he refuses to let us punish them severely according to the Heavenly Law."
"Son of the Phoenix, brother of the Peacock?"
Nezha was stunned, and suddenly thought of something: "The peacock you are talking about is that Kong Xuan? The Peacock Bodhisattva of Lingshan?"
Li Anran nodded.
"No wonder!" Nezha suddenly realized, and couldn't help but complain: "This golden-winged Dapeng is Kong Xuan's brother, how can he be so weak?"
During the catastrophe of Conferred Gods, Kong Xuan was definitely one of the top three strongest people except for the saints. His colorless divine light made the disciples of the Chan sect suffer untold hardships.
It was the Taoist Zhunti who disregarded his status and took advantage of his power to capture Kong Xuan and force him to convert to Buddhism.
I didn't expect that Kong Xuan's younger brother is so useless!
Yang Jian knew all this a long time ago, but——
If the laws and rules of heaven can only restrain the weak, then what is the use of them?
If a mere golden-winged Roc is given a lenient sentence for favoritism and abuse of power, then if it is Manjushri, Samantabhadra, Guanyin, and Tathagata, should they also be rewarded?
Yang Jian raised a hint of sarcasm at the corner of his mouth and drank the wine glass in one gulp.
His repeated pleas in the Lingxiao Palace were an attempt to use justice and righteousness to force the Jade Emperor to surrender, and also a final confirmation.
The result was as he expected, and made him give up the last bit of fantasy.
If the roots are rotten, no matter how many branches and leaves you prune, it will not help!
Similarly, as long as these gods are still there, even if the laws and regulations of heaven are modified, the Three Realms will not change in the slightest!
He wanted to completely change the Three Realms. Not only did he want to modify the Heavenly Rules, but more importantly, he wanted to break all of the original things and bring this stinking stagnant water of the Three Realms back to life!
Yang Jian did not deliberately disguise himself in front of Li Anran and Nezha. Both of them noticed the terrifying aura that was violently surging and boiling in Yang Jian's body but was forcibly suppressed.
It is like the dark clouds that continue to gather before a storm, or like the magma that continues to roll in a volcano.
When it erupts, it will be earth-shattering!
"Second brother, are you okay?" Nezha asked worriedly.
Li Anran guessed some of Yang Jian's thoughts.
After the incident with the golden-winged Roc, Yang Jian was probably completely disappointed with the Heavenly Court and the Jade Emperor. I just don’t know what Yang Jian will do next !
The version he knew was that Yang Jian took advantage of the incident with the Three Holy Mothers to make himself the greatest evil in the world, trying every possible means to attract all the hatred, allowing Chenxiang to unite more people and more forces, and put the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother in a situation where no one was available.
Then, in front of the gods and Buddhas of the three realms, he forced the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother to accept the new heavenly rules that he had written, based on the story of Chenxiang saving his mother, in the name of the saint Nuwa, and with the wishes of the people of the three realms.
Finally, he used his own death to end all hatred and all evil, allowing Chenxiang, the man who eliminated evil and saved the world, to obtain all good, and allowing all beings in the three realms to reconcile.
The plan was thorough and the implementation was successful.
In just a few years, Yang Jian trained Chenxiang, his nephew who had no ambition and only wanted to be a local rich man, into a powerful man who was invincible in the three realms. He also became a disciple of the Fighting Buddha and made friends with many powerful forces such as the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas, the Altar Purifier, Guanyin Bodhisattva, Taishang Laojun, and Nezha the Third Prince.
However, there are two versions of the final result.
The first is that all of Yang Jian’s plans were exposed by chance, the truth came to light, and Chenxiang San Shengmu forgave him.
The second is that Yang Jian’s plan was successful, and he ended all the evil with his own body, allowing Chenxiang to have a golden body of merit.
The former seems perfect, but it makes most of Yang Jian's hard work go to waste. The authority of the new heavenly rules will inevitably be greatly reduced, and its implementation will be even more difficult.
The latter sacrificed Yang Jian and made everyone happy, which was totally not worth it in Li Anran's opinion.
No matter how perfect the rules and regulations are, the key lies in how they are implemented.
Without Yang Jian, how much of the new heavenly rules can be implemented?
How can we ensure that we won’t go astray?
Li Anran has traveled through time several hundred years ago. His best friends are Yang Jian and Nezha. He doesn't want to see Yang Jian become the scapegoat.
As long as Yang Jian shows signs of heading down that old path, he will do whatever it takes to bring Yang Jian back!
"What can I do?"
Yang Jian waved his hand and said with a smile: "For hundreds of years, I have been in charge of all the affairs of the Three Realms. Now it is the Heaven Court that cannot do without me, not me that cannot do without the Heaven Court."
"Just watch. It won't be long before the Jade Emperor calls me back again. I can take this opportunity to rest for a while and finish some things that were inconvenient to do before."
If someone else said this, it would sound very arrogant, but when Yang Jian said this, it sounded like he was stating a fact.
Li Anran and Nezha had no doubts at all.
They all saw with their own eyes how Yang Jian worked day and night to deal with the mountains of paperwork .
No matter how big or small the matter is.
Just to accumulate knowledge for writing new heavenly rules for him.
This led many people to criticize Yang Jian for being greedy for power and unwilling to give up even a little bit of it.
It also made Yang Jian the absolute core of the Three Realms and Heaven.
It doesn’t matter if the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother are no longer in Heaven.
But without Yang Jian, things would be a complete mess.
"Um."
Nezha nodded vigorously, and said through gritted teeth: "Second brother, I will stay in Guanjiangkou for the time being and will not go anywhere! I want to see if Li Jing can subdue those monsters and demons!"
Li Anran: “…”Brother, your idea is good, but I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed!
There are actually quite a few powerful people that the Heavenly Court can rely on, but most of them have duties to perform and cannot be easily mobilized.
For example, the Great Emperor Zhenwu has great magical powers and extraordinary abilities. He has generals such as the Turtle, Snake, King, and Lingguan under his command, as well as hundreds of thousands of heavenly soldiers and generals.
But he needed to keep an eye on the movements of the Demon Master's Mansion in Beijuluzhou outside the Beitian Gate.
There is also the newly appointed Marshal Tianpeng and the 100,000 Tianhe navy. They need to guard the outside of the Ruoshui River and beware of the demons and monsters in the abyss of darkness. They also cannot be mobilized.
In the past, Nezha's actions would definitely cause a lot of trouble to the Heavenly Court, and might even force the Jade Emperor to surrender.
But now, the Heavenly Court has appeased Bull Demon King and Red Boy and placed them under Li Jing's command. The situation is completely different!
Most of the demons and monsters in the world are no match for the Bull Demon King and Red Boy.
There is not much point in Nezha doing this.
However, Li Anran did not pour cold water on Nezha at this time. He said to Yang Jian: "Second brother, I don't have anything to do recently. If you need any help from us, just tell me."
Nezha nodded repeatedly in response: "Yes, second brother, if you have any problems, just tell us! We brothers are united, and I don't believe there is anything we can't solve!"
"Thank you very much, my two brothers."
Yang Jian smiled and nodded in agreement. After pondering for a moment, he formed a spell.
Buzz!
A golden light emanated from Yang Jian's fingertips, forming a translucent golden light shield that covered them underneath.
But it isolated the area around them into an independent small world.
In this way, let alone eavesdropping, even the Treasure Mirror of Heaven and Earth and the racial supernatural powers of the Six-Eared Macaque would not be able to detect what was happening inside without Yang Jian knowing.
And this kind of method can be performed by at least a Daluo Jinxian!
"Before at Cuiyun Mountain, my second brother really held back and didn't use his full strength." Li Anran thought secretly in his heart.
After Yang Jian isolated the inside and outside, he asked, "My two brothers, you should all know that the three realms have joined forces to deal with the catastrophe of heaven and earth. I just wonder, what do you think about this?"
Li Anran and Nezha were both stunned.
Seeing Yang Jian being so cautious, they thought that Yang Jian wanted their help with something important, but they didn't expect him to ask such a question.
Nezha was straightforward and didn't think much about it. He snorted disdainfully and said, "Is that what they are doing? They are clearly diverting the disaster to the mortal world!"
"You seldom come to the mortal world, so you haven't seen the tragic situation in the Southern Continent before! It can be said that there were natural disasters and man-made disasters everywhere, wailing everywhere, bones everywhere, and no one was alive for thousands of miles. I would rather overcome the disaster with my real ability than use other people's lives as stepping stones like now!"
After a pause, Nezha added glumly, "However, I heard from Junior Brother Jinxia that when Taishang Laojun went to see my master, he mentioned this matter and said that the effect was very good. The calamity energy and karma of the Southern Continent have been reduced to only one tenth, and it is no longer a big deal."
Yang Jian did not comment, and turned to look at Li Anran: "Brother Li Anran, what do you think?"
Li Anran pondered for a moment.
His earlier view was similar to Nezha's latter half. Although the method used by the powerful beings in the three realms was a bit cruel, it was extremely effective. Detonating the calamity in advance and keeping it within a controllable range was indeed the only way to reduce a major catastrophe to a minor one.
However, earlier in the Lingxiao Palace, he had clearly noticed that the mood swings of the gods and Buddhas were somewhat abnormal, and his thoughts had changed.
"Drinking poison to quench thirst." Li Anran gave his own conclusion.
Nezha was stunned, but Yang Jian's eyes lit up and he said with a smile: "What do you mean by drinking poison to quench thirst?"
Li Anran looked at Yang Jian in some surprise.
Did second brother notice it too?
Li Anran said: "It seems that the disasters have been resolved and eliminated, but in fact, they are only hidden deeper and more difficult to detect. When the disaster breaks out again, the consequences will probably be much more serious than before."
Nezha was a little confused: "No... no way?"
"meeting."
Before Li Anran opened his mouth, Yang Jian had already given the answer. He looked solemn and said, "My two brothers, this catastrophe is not coming, but has already begun. They have fallen into it, but they don't know it yet. If they continue, they will only fall deeper and deeper, and the consequences will become more serious."
Not to mention Nezha, even Li Anran was stunned.
He only noticed a little clue occasionally, but from Yang Jian's tone, he was clearly very sure!
"Everyone thought that this catastrophe would definitely happen to the Xuanmen and Buddhist sects or the Heavenly Palace and Lingshan, but that's not the case!"
Yang Jian did not speak vaguely, but continued in the most straightforward words: "This catastrophe is different from all the previous ones! It is no longer a fight between people, but a fight between people and heaven, a fight between the way of man and the way of heaven!"
"From the moment they joined forces, no, it should be said that from the moment they started to consider how to deal with the catastrophe, they have already fallen into the catastrophe and started to fight between humanity and heaven's destiny!"
Yang Jian’s words were like a bolt of thunder that struck Li Anran and Nezha on the heads, making them both feel dizzy.
Yang Jian did not rush to continue speaking, but waited quietly for the two to digest the information.
Humanity, Heaven, and Heaven… Man and Heaven are fighting…
Li Anran opened his eyes wide and felt an electric current passing through his body, making him tremble all over as if he had suddenly been enlightened.
Many things that were previously incomprehensible and seemed shrouded in mist suddenly became clear.
He had a hunch that what Yang Jian said was right!
Nezha was a little confused and asked, "Second brother, we cultivators cultivate the Way of Heaven and attain the Great Way. Why do you say that they are fighting for the Way of Humanity and the Way of Heaven?"
Yang Jian explained: "We cultivate the Way of Heaven and prove the Great Way, but we are cultivating the Way of Heaven and proving the Great Way with the Way of Man. The written language, rules and order, martial arts, magical powers and spells passed down in the Three Realms... Which one is not a product of the Way of Man? We have been a part of the Way of Man from the very beginning until now, and we are explaining the Way of Heaven and the Great Way with the Way of Man."
Nezha asked again: "Why didn't it happen before?"
Yang Jian patiently explained: "Every time a catastrophe strikes, the people who respond to it are the most powerful forces in the world. In the past, humanity was weak and not strong enough to compete with the Way of Heaven. But now the Three Realms are prosperous, the human race is flourishing, Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism are passed down, and all living beings are influenced by them. The power of humanity is now strong enough to compete with the Way of Heaven."
After a pause, he said in an uncertain tone: "Or perhaps... the struggle between humanity and heaven has already begun, since Pangu created the world. The disasters we experienced before may have been preparations for today."
Li Anran was shocked, but he had never thought of such a possibility.
Nezha was so shocked that his jaw dropped and he couldn't utter a word for a long time.
Yang Jian said: "This is just my guess, and I'm not sure if it's true or not. However, the dispute between humanity and heaven should not be wrong."
"My two brothers, don't you find it strange? In the past, when a catastrophe struck, only saints could get a glimpse of it. Even quasi-saints and Daluo Jinxians could hardly realize that they were caught in a catastrophe, and they lost their lives in a daze."
"But this time, everyone knew that the catastrophe was coming, and they were even able to work together to deal with it. Apart from humanity, I really can't think of anything else that can do this."
Nezha thought about it for a moment and found that it was indeed the case!
From ancient times to the present, people have always been unaware of the impending catastrophe, but it has never been like it is now. Before the catastrophe comes, the cultivators of the three realms have begun to make preparations in a mighty manner.
Of course, there should be a question mark around the word "didn't come"!
Humanity will remind the common people, and heaven will also conceal destiny. It just depends on whose means are more sophisticated!
Judging from the current situation, it seems that the way of heaven has the upper hand.
The powerful beings in the three realms realized that the catastrophe was approaching, and joined forces to begin planning a response, but they misjudged the identities of the two parties in the catastrophe and were trapped in the calamity without knowing it.
Nezha couldn't help but ask: "What will happen if the Heavenly Dao wins?"
Yang Jian said: "If the Way of Heaven wins, all order in the Three Realms will collapse, and when the world returns to chaos, all living things will be in a daze or even disappear into thin air. If the Way of Man wins..."
Yang Jian stopped and seemed to be hesitant to speak.
Nezha asked, "Second brother, why don't you say anything? What will happen if humanity wins?"
Yang Jian said calmly: "The way of heaven retreats, the spiritual energy dissipates, the immortals and Buddhas no longer exist in the world, all great powers return to nothing, and the power of all living beings will become the most powerful force in the world."
"ah?!"
Nezha was completely dumbfounded and shouted, "Then what are we fighting for? It's just death in either case!"
