Honghuang: Building a Sect by Welcoming Disciples Far and Wide

Li Mu woke up one day to find himself a Qingting ancient parasol tree. Nine phoenixes perched above him, while Qiangliang circled his trunk. Later, he met Sect Master Tongtian, who brought him back to the Three Pure Ones’ dojo on Kunlun. The Witches and Demons were locked in conflict, all living things suffered, and old bonds were hard to repay. Shangqing Tongtian declared that those who could take human form would be the first to join his sect. Li Mu sensed his opportunity and seized the initiative, becoming the eldest disciple of the Shangqing lineage. First, he presided over the sect’s disciple recruitment ceremony, setting up a test of the heart to distinguish the worthy from the unworthy. Then, on orders from Taishang Laozi, he was tasked with keeping the Three Pure Ones united and their lineage flourishing forever. Thus the disciples of the Three Pure Ones ventured into the primordial world, taking the initiative and laying plans amid the struggle for supremacy between the Witches and Demons. They established a three-way balance of power, took control of reincarnation, and seized the Chaos Bell to complete the Three Pure Ones’ destiny. They quelled unrest, curbed the Demons’ ambitions, drove them from the eight wildernesses, and temporarily took control of the Heavenly Court. They claimed the merits: Houtu created the Six Paths of Reincarnation, and they helped Jiufeng take charge of the Nine Hells. They befriended humanity and protected it through a dark age, allowing it to multiply and thrive. They eliminated disasters, brought peace to the primordial world, and opened up a sanctuary. They spread enlightenment and the Way, shedding humanity’s savage nature until everyone became a dragon. They founded dynasties and established a lasting inheritance, ensuring the light of humanity would endure through every succession. Then came the great calamity of Investiture of the Gods. The court is ours, and the people are like our children. You’ve stirred up infighting, and now you want the teachers of humanity’s sages to be sacrificed to Heaven? The rulers of the Three Realms to die for the Way? So you’re the true source of all this chaos.