Dao Equaling the Heavens
Chapter 423 - 34 Jade Sword Buddha

Chapter 423: Chapter 34 Jade Sword Buddha

The next morning.

"Chi Yu Zi, wake up."

Chi Yu Zi groggily opened her eyes, glanced at Gu Wen who was still in a deep sleep not far away, and noticed a paper crane that had settled on the windowsill at some unknown time.

The paper crane preened its nonexistent feathers like any ordinary bird.

A thread of thought came through.

[Rebellion in the Demon Cave, Drought Demon spotted in You State, Buddha enters demon in Sumeru Mountain, reincarnation of the Buddha Ancestor from Sumeru Mountain...]

She activated her mana, transformed the remaining alcohol in her body into white smoke that she expelled with a breath, and her mind instantly became clear. She hastily shook Gu Wen awake.

"Gu Wen, wake up, it’s time for the morning assembly."

"What morning assembly?"

"The Jade Palace morning assembly. Now that you are the Venerable in charge of the world, all matters are for you to decide."

Dragged forcibly by Chi Yu Zi, Gu Wen returned to the Jade Palace, much against his will.

The great powers in charge had long been waiting, staring at each other eagerly, as they watched the bleary-eyed Yuqing Heavenly Venerate sit atop the high platform.

Gu Wen said, "Report if you have matters, otherwise you may leave the court."

Chi Yu Zi nudged him with her elbow, reminding him, "You’re not here to play Emperor; whether you adjourn is not up to you, but whether the issues have been resolved. Let them report on the rebellions and devilry in various places, then you can order troops to suppress them."

So many rules everywhere. Was it this troublesome to be a Venerable?

Filled with reluctance, Gu Wen had no choice but to follow the procedure.

Because, strictly speaking, it was the position he had asked for years ago, of his own volition.

He reined in his emotions, his expression serene.

A great power from the True Martial Palace stepped forward three steps, folding his hands in salute. "Demon uprisings have been stirring for a long time in various places. Wen Kui State has over a thousand sects involved with devils. Although most are inconsequential small groups, even a giant dam can be destroyed by an ant hole. Please, Venerable, order the deployment of True Monarchs and Taoist Soldiers from other regions to thoroughly investigate Wen Kui State."

Gu Wen didn’t immediately answer; he glanced at Chi Yu Zi.

She communicated her thought: "Grandma me doesn’t understand these either, just approve what they say. The Daoist Sect has governed the world for so many years; all such matters have been handled this way. They’re experienced and wouldn’t joke with their own heads."

"And if there’s a real issue, it’s likely a problem with the execution by the subordinates. You can’t just order forcible taxes and executions or practice killing, right?"

That made sense.

Gu Wen nodded in agreement, stamping the seal on the documents on the table.

After that, he became a merciless nodding machine, adopting all suggestions from the great powers below.

The affairs of the Jade Palace involved billions of the Human Race, but on paper, they were not complicated, for decision-making was not the same as enforcement.

The Daoist Sect, an administration machine eight hundred years old, was quite mature, and every great power who entered here was more or less a political talent. Even a pig, after living a few hundred years, could turn into a prodigy, let alone a person.

The only thing to guard against was rampant corruption.

Apart from that, so long as Gu Wen wasn’t thinking about how to achieve a utopian society or how to change the current system, all he had to do was stamp his approval.

Even the apparent grave threat of devils was just one of the many unstable factors for the Daoist Sect. Even if a problem arose with a First-class Sect, the maximum penalty was dispatching Chi Yu Zi.

Three Pure Venerables aren’t supposed to act personally.

So long as one doesn’t want to move, the rule of the Daoist Sect can last a thousand years without major issues, and it would be difficult to overthrow even in ten thousand years.

The system of the enfeoffed Venerable, unless Jianmu breaks in, is unlikely to fall into chaos.

Many local conflicts are actually against the local First-class Sects, just like the past Qianfeng Sect. Regional sects won’t directly point fingers at the Daoist Sect; rather, they treat the Daoist Sect as Lord Qingtian, the high judge.

Uprisings by commoners couldn’t shake the Cultivators, and a Cultivator from a humble background rising in power could even be co-opted to become a Venerable.

And the proponent of this system was the Huayang Venerable.

’This old fellow is as rational and calculative as ever; perhaps he could take a shift.’

Gu Wen mused with a thoughtful expression.

He had only recently joined the Daoist Sect, but he had already learned about the characters of these two ruling Venerables from Yu Hua.

Yun Miao was carefree and treated people with ease, while Huayang was the opposite, prioritizing the bigger picture, strict with rules and interests.

Compared to the former who was generally more likable, the latter was more likely to offend people.

Gu Wen, who had a grudge against him, could forcibly drag him over to substitute, but the only problem was how to get the Master’s permission to take him out of the Daoist Sect.

Down below, after all the trivial matters were reported, there was silence for a while before a monk-dressed great power stepped forward.

"The reincarnation of the Buddha Ancestor from Sumeru Mountain has come to solicit instructions from the Daoist Sect."

Whispers began to break out among the True Martial Palace faction, and various Divine Thoughts flew across the void in Eight-direction City.

Some were unifying opinions, some were arguing with each other, and some were explaining the situation to the uninformed powers.

Gu Wen looked down at the documents.

[The reincarnation of the Buddha Ancestor from Sumeru Mountain...]

The Buddha Ancestor, a being comparable to an Immortal.

Should be a notch below his own Master, but for such a being to be reborn so openly could incite turmoil and even rebellion within the Buddhist Sect.

Buddhist, Daoist, Demon, the three factions, with Daoism as the supreme, the other two couldn’t be without objections.

Chi Yu Zi communicated her thought: "This Sumeru Mountain acted before reporting, likely harboring ulterior motives. Previously, even when great powers reincarnated, they would either come secretly without announcing or inform the Daoist Sect first."

"Making a big deal like it is now smacks of a power struggle."

Sumeru Mountain?

Gu Wen thought of a certain little bald head and asked, "What identity does the reincarnated being have?"

"It is the True Buddha."

"And the being reincarnated?"

"It is the Jade Sword Buddha from eight hundred years ago."

"Then reincarnation is not allowed."

A calm voice echoed inside the Jade Palace. The agitated factions immediately quieted down as they, along with the monk, looked up in astonishment.