[CHAT GROUP]
Zhao Gongming: "If the Group Leader participated in the battle of conferring gods, the two saints from the Chan sect and the Human sect would definitely also participate. If the battle of the Lich without the saints' participation could break Buzhou Mountain, it's not impossible for this war to shatter the wilderness."
Howard Stark: "Group Leader, I'd like to ask what the concept of 'shattering' means in this context."
Lucas: "It's equivalent to your universe, together with countless parallel universes and universes connected to yours, having the omnipotent universe they collectively form broken apart."
Howard Stark was shocked: "Are saints truly so terrifyingly powerful? In the mythology from my world, saints don't seem particularly formidable!"
Lucas asked, "Which mythology are you referring to?"
Howard Stark: "I just finished reading 'Investiture of the Gods,' and the immortals in it seem of average strength. Even a top immortal like the Tongtian Cult Leader only gives me that impression."
Zhao Gongming said angrily, "You dare slander my master?"
Howard Stark: "I didn't mean to slander him—I just expressed my impression after reading it. In 'Investiture of the Gods,' the strength of Hunyuan Da Luo Golden Immortals doesn't seem particularly impressive."
Howard Stark: "It's the same with you saint disciples. The power of immortals doesn't seem much stronger than mortals. Mortals who have trained for decades can even defeat immortals on the battlefield."
Lucas: "The 'Investiture of the Gods' you read differs greatly from the real world. Can't you see it was written by ancient people? Even if they glimpsed visions of other worlds, they couldn't express them accurately."
Howard Stark suddenly said: "I see! That explains why the battle descriptions in the book are so understated. The ancients lacked sufficient vocabulary!"
Lucas: "More than that! The information the author received wasn't necessarily complete, and many elements were invented. So beyond the issue of combat power, there are likely numerous logical inconsistencies in 'Investiture of the Gods.'"
Howard Stark: "I noticed that too—like the relationship between Hongjun and the two Western sages, and Hongjun's origin story, which doesn't make any sense! This must also be due to incomplete information and vocabulary limitations, right?"
Lucas: "More or less!"
Howard Stark: "The book describes the opening of the God-conferring calamity as happening because immortals committed murder and the Heavenly Court lacked manpower. Is this description accurate?"
Zhao Gongming snorted coldly: "That part is accurate! Immortals in our world do face calamities and must transcend them periodically. The God-conferring calamity can be considered a collective calamity. It's also true that the Heavenly Court lacked manpower—that was indeed the direct cause of the God-conferring affair."
Hongyun wondered: "Heavenly Court? Wasn't the Monster Race's Heavenly Court destroyed in their battle with the Witch Race?"
Zhao Gongming: "It's not the demon clan's Heavenly Court! After the witch clan and demon clan mutually destroyed each other, Hongjun Daozu elevated his Taoist boy Haotian to become the Emperor of Heaven. Haotian is the nominal ruler, but unfortunately, he lacks sufficient power to command respect."
Lucas: "That's right! Haotian himself lacks the strength to rule heaven and earth, and he has no confidants among Hongjun's followers in Zixiao Palace. Therefore, his Heavenly Court is merely an empty shell, and many don't take him seriously."
Zhao Gongming: "Exactly! It's because the Golden Immortals of the Chan sect didn't respect Haotian that he angrily went to Zixiao Palace to complain. Hongjun Daozu then produced the List of Gods and used the power of calamity to increase the Heavenly Court's manpower."
Hongyun: "So Haotian initiated the God-conferring calamity? Then he's truly unfortunate. Offending so many powerful beings at once—his future situation must be precarious."
Lucas: "Not necessarily! Although Haotian triggered the God-conferring Tribulation, he can't bear all the blame. Even without him, the calamity would still have occurred. On the contrary, Haotian introducing the List of Gods was actually beneficial for the immortals of Honghuang."
Hongyun said in surprise: "A good thing?"
Lucas: "Yes! The powerhouses who died in the God-conferring calamity differ from those who perished in other calamities. They won't be completely annihilated—their true spirits will enter the List of Gods, allowing them to achieve Shinto status and continue existing."
Hongyun: "If that's true, then the List of Gods that Haotian introduced provides a survival path for immortals who would otherwise be eliminated by the calamity. But such survival must come with a significant price, right?"
Lucas: "Of course! The price is that you can no longer continue cultivating—your strength level stagnates, and you become enslaved to the List of Gods. Those who possess the List can command you to do their bidding. This is the true purpose of the List—to provide the otherwise powerless Haotian with enough numerous, strong, and obedient subordinates."
Hongyun: "Although these restrictions are severe, as long as Haotian isn't too demanding, the immortals on the List shouldn't resent him. Does this mean the members on the List of Gods were primarily from the Tongtian sect?"
Lucas: "Exactly! The List of Gods required three hundred and sixty-five righteous gods, and only the Tongtian sect could produce so many powerful individuals. The Chan sect had only a few dozen core disciples, and the Human sect had just one disciple. Without the Tongtian sect's members, even if the Chan and Human sects were completely emptied, they couldn't fill the List of Gods."
Dongfang Yuechu asked curiously, "How many members did the Tongtian sect have?"
Lucas: "Let me tell you, there was a famous occasion in the Tongtian sect called 'Ten Thousand Immortals Come to Court!' Ninety percent of the massive List of Gods came from Tongtian sect members."
Dongfang Yuechu said in shock: "Ten Thousand Immortals? That's extraordinary! The Chan sect has only dozens of core disciples, and the Human sect just one core disciple. All three are led by saints—how can their membership numbers differ so drastically?"
Sword God Ryuma: "No wonder the Chan and Human sects joined forces against the Tongtian sect. Only the Tongtian sect could fill the vacancies in the List of Gods. If they didn't place Tongtian sect members on the list, even emptying the Chan and Human sects would be pointless!"
Whitebeard: "If I remember correctly, the leaders of the Chan, Tongtian, and Human sects are the Sanqing transformed from Pangu's primordial spirit, right? They're closer than brothers—couldn't they devise a way to prevent this conflict?"
Lucas: "The calamity represents the will of the prehistoric world—the three of them couldn't stop it. Moreover, after establishing their respective religions, conflicts arose between their teachings, creating divisions."
Zhao Gongming: "That's true! The Group Leader's Tongtian sect doctrine conflicted significantly with the teachings of his two brothers."