Journey to the West: Sun Wukong's Advice System-Chapter 244 - 241: Establishing the Daoist Sect and the Arrival of the Opportunity

Chapter 244: Chapter 241: Establishing the Daoist Sect and the Arrival of the Opportunity

Before seeing Liu Xiu this time, Sun Wukong had checked the post he made last time on Zhihu and found that some of the netizens’ replies were noteworthy.

Tiantianzailai: "Now that the Buddha Sect has been driven out of the Southern Sanzhou, we should utilize the many temples they’ve left behind. Wukong could totally have Liu Xiu convert these Buddhist temples into City God Temples to avoid wasting resources."

Wuseyinfu: "We shouldn’t just build City God Temples; we need to allocate some to the deities of the Heavenly Court, transforming them into various palaces and temples. That way, we can bind the faith to the Celestials of the Heavenly Court to counter the Buddha Sect."

Zuichumoyang: "I think we can go further; why must we promote Buddhism? Can’t we promote Taoism instead? Wukong could totally discuss it with the heavyweights of Xuanmen to bring forward the rise of human Taoist beliefs."

Huakaibiangansixiangsi: "This is doable! Aside from a few eccentric heretics, most Taoists advocate Wu Wei, which would hardly affect human governance and won’t squeeze the living space of the common folk."

Heweiaiheweiqing: "Based on the OP’s simulation, Wukong has a good relationship with the Grand Supreme Elderly Lord, and in the mythological world, the ancestral master Laozi revered by the Dao Sect is an incarnation of the Tai Qing Saint."

Gujideyanyu: "Initially, there were two ancestral masters in the early stages of the Dao Sect, one is the Yellow Emperor, and the other is Laozi. Their ideologies combined are known as Huang-Lao thought, which was a school of thought before the emergence of the Dao Sect.

From this relationship, it’s clear that the Dao Sect truly belongs to the religions of the Eastern human race, and it’s totally viable to promote it."

Lu Labai: "I remember that Taoism was established at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. It indeed could have emerged one or two hundred years earlier, allowing the native Taoists to oppose the foreign monks."

Busimibimie: "Once the Human Path becomes strong, it can take charge of the dynasty, and the most rational structure is to have the Human Path dynasty utilize these religious sects for its own use,

Our civilization has this inclusiveness. As they say, ’The sea is inclusive because it can hold a hundred rivers.’ This way, the Human Path will surely become stronger!"

Guzhoufanghe: "Eventually heading towards a merger of the three teachings of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism..."

[You have received a new suggestion: have Liu Xiu convert the Buddhist temples in the Southern Sanzhou into City God Temples and palaces for the deities of the Heavenly Court; completing this suggestion will reward you with a Third-Rank Treasure Box]

[You have received a new suggestion: discuss with the Grand Supreme Elderly Lord and establish the Dao Sect among the human race ahead of time; completing this suggestion will reward you with a Fourth-Rank Treasure Box]

After receiving the suggestions, Sun Wukong pondered for a while.

The replies from the netizens had broadened his thinking.

In fact, converting the numerous Buddhist temples into City God Temples was something he had already considered.

And the idea from the netizen to allocate a portion for worshiping the Celestials of the Heavenly Court was a fresh concept; indeed, it was a brilliant plan!

Later, when he met with Liu Xiu, he also shared this concept.

This time, his conversation with Liu Xiu lasted through the night, during which he imparted much knowledge.

The next day, the civil and military officials of the Great Han Imperial Court were surprised to find that the usually diligent Emperor had unprecedentedly not held court, and for the following three days, he was nowhere to be seen.

If not for the peace within the palace, everyone would have thought some incident had occurred.

However, soon Liu Xiu gathered his ministers to deliberate on state affairs.

A series of shocking reforms and inventions, as well as major initiatives, were subsequently implemented.

Unlike Wang Mang’s system overhaul, Liu Xiu did not rush to introduce a radical system like the imperial examinations that could undermine the foundation of the noble clans.

Instead, he started with promoting improved agricultural tools, papermaking technology, printing technique, and metallurgical techniques to spread culture and increase the level of productivity.

Because he was still young, having just reached the age of capped adulthood, he had plenty of time to change the world.

For now, it was essential to firmly establish the foundation of the Great Han, and systems such as the imperial examinations and the equal-field system could then be introduced in due course.

Still, even with these new technologies, the ministers were incredibly shocked, realizing that the entire world would be immensely transformed by them.

Besides, Liu Xiu also specifically issued a decree to reform religious affairs.

He followed Sun Wukong’s advice and ordered the thousands of Buddhist temples built by Wang Mang throughout the country to be converted into City God Temples and appointed local respected ancestors as the City Gods.

Additionally, many Buddhist temples were transformed into palaces for the Celestials of the Heavenly Court to replace the folk’s faith in the Buddha Sect.

After all these arrangements were in place, and it was late at night again, Liu Xiu stood with his hands behind his back on the steps of Weiyang Palace.

He first looked up at the starry sky, then gazed at the vast land, his mind filled with the future that Master Sun had last painted for him, a world that was even mightier.

"Spirits, totems..." Liu Xiu was filled with anticipation.

Heaven has its divine ways, the earth its Yin Si, and humankind its revered spirits.

If the Human Path is powerful, why should the human race worship the myriad of gods and Buddhas in the heavens?

...

Elsewhere, Sun Wukong returned to the Heavenly Court, heading straight for the Dou Rate Palace.

The last time, during the Peach Banquet, Moluo led eighty-four thousand demons to attack the Heavenly Court, shaking the Sky-Mending Seal and allowing Luo Hou from outside the realms to extend a hand through the Celestial Cavern into the Three Realms.

In the end, it was the Grand Supreme Elderly Lord who used the Innate Treasure, the Tai Chi Diagram, to repel Luo Tian’s hand.

This experience afforded Sun Wukong insight into the Grand Supreme Elderly Lord’s power.

The Three Corpses Incarnation of a Saint might be in the Quasi-Saint Realm, but their power remains the pinnacle of the Three Realms today.

Visiting once more, Sun Wukong was as casual as ever yet respectful, since the Grand Supreme Elderly Lord had taught him about implements and arrays, making them akin to teacher and disciple.

The Grand Supreme Elderly Lord was still engrossed in refining the method of making Spirit Guiding Instruments, just one step away from forging a post-Innate treasure.

However, that one step might take thousands, even tens of thousands of years, or possibly even a hundred thousand years to breakthrough.

Of course, it could also happen in an instant.