I am a fairy in Journey to the West

Chapter 54: The title is bestowed upon the talented, and the power is given to open the Divine Palace
After rewarding all the heavenly generals and arhats, Nezha continued to report his achievements: "I would like to thank the Jade Emperor again. During this expedition against the demons, the military advisor Lingtai Mountain God and the second prince Ao Rong, the third prince Ao Lie, and the fourth prince Ao Wang of the West Sea Dragon Palace also killed many enemies and made great contributions. Especially the Lingtai Mountain God. If it weren't for his help this time, I'm afraid it would be difficult for me to kill the big black demon."

"Oh?" Upon hearing this, the Jade Emperor immediately asked, "Please tell me in detail."

Nezha sang and accepted the order, then recounted the entire process of beheading the Great Black Yaksha without any ambiguity, and finally said: "If the Lingtai Mountain God had not taken the Heavenly Evil Sword from the Great Black Yaksha, even I would not be able to guarantee that I would capture the Great Black Yaksha, let alone behead him."

The Jade Emperor laughed when he heard this and said, "So, the power of the Lingtai Mountain God is not inferior to yours?"

Nezha said: "Your Majesty, the Lingtai Mountain God's magical powers are indeed very strong, but as for his other martial arts skills, I have never seen them before."

"Yes." The Jade Emperor nodded slightly upon hearing this.

At this time, Taishang Laojun said: "Your Majesty, I have a memorial to report."

The Jade Emperor smiled and said, "Laojun, please speak."

Taishang Laojun said: "Zhuang Yan is an innate creature who came into the world. When I met him in the lower world, he should have just transformed. I saw that he was an innate creature with extraordinary bones and bones. I couldn't bear to see him become a wandering immortal in the lower world, so I recommended him to Your Majesty. This person's supernatural powers should mostly belong to his innate body, so he is naturally very powerful."

"I see." The Jade Emperor smiled and said, "It is admirable that Laojun cherishes talents."

At this point, the Jade Emperor asked Taishang Laojun: "Since Zhuang Yan is a congenital being with superb magical powers, isn't it a bit of a waste of talent to make him only a seventh-rank mountain god?"

Upon hearing this, Taishang Laojun said, "It is absolutely not a waste of talent. Your Majesty, the affairs of the Heavenly Court are different from those of religious sects. Promotions and demotions are all based on heavenly laws and merits. Although Zhuang Yan is a congenital spirit who has incarnated into the world, it is precisely because of this that he should first serve as an official in the lower world and be promoted step by step. First, he can experience his state of mind, and second, he can cultivate his ability to govern a region. Don't force him to grow too fast. If he is promoted to a high position without making great achievements, it may be harmful to his character."

Hearing this, the Jade Emperor nodded in agreement, and then asked, "Then, in Laojun's opinion, how should we reward the Lingtai Mountain God this time?"

The Supreme Lord thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, as a businessman, you value money, and as an official, you value power."

Upon hearing this, the Jade Emperor smiled and nodded, saying, "I understand."

After saying this, the Jade Emperor immediately issued an edict: "Confer the title of 'Lingtai Dongming Lord' on Zhuang Yan, and concurrently assume the position of Lingtai Mountain God. Grant him the power to establish a government and manage the Guangci Mansion's divine way, and grant him 500,000 purple coins, ten golden flowers, and ten pots of imperial wine."

The Grand Envoy of Taixuan Province, Emperor Wenchang, immediately bowed and said, "As you command."

Then, the Jade Emperor continued, "As for the second prince Ao Rong, the third prince Ao Lie, and the fourth prince Ao Wang of the West Sea Dragon Palace, they have made contributions in pacifying the demons and have been promoted to the eighth-rank dragon gods. They are also awarded 300,000 purple coins, five golden flowers, and five pots of imperial wine each."

Even though the four dragon kings have the word "king" in their names, they are actually only fifth-rank immortal officials, the same level as Nezha.

The dragon princes and dragon girls were born as immortals. Only if they made contributions or served as water dragon gods would they be granted ranks and titles by the Heavenly Court.

Just like the three princes of the West Sea Dragon King, they were only ninth-rank dragon gods before, but after their meritorious service this time, they were promoted to the first rank and became eighth-rank dragon gods.

When the Dragon King of the West Sea heard about the reward from the Jade Emperor to his son, he immediately bowed his head and kowtowed, saying, "I, on behalf of my third son, thank you, Great Celestial Lord. You are so merciful, and all the billions of creatures in the West Sea are grateful."

The Jade Emperor waved his hand and said, "It doesn't matter whether the billions of creatures in the West Sea are grateful to me or not. As the Dragon King of the West Sea, you should do more good deeds in the future to benefit all the creatures in the West Sea. Do you understand?"

The Dragon King of the West Sea immediately kowtowed and said, "I will obey the will of the Jade Emperor. From now on, I will work diligently and do more good deeds to make all the sentient beings in the West Sea bathe in the infinite grace of heaven."

The Jade Emperor nodded, and finally rewarded 80,000 Tianhe sailors and 5,000 Vajra monks.

At this point the West Sea was pacified, the rewards were discussed, and the Jade Emperor issued an edict to disband the court. The emperors and immortals immediately escorted the Jade Emperor back to the palace, and then left the Lingxiao Palace one after another.

However, in the Taixuan Zhen Palace of the First Heaven, Zhuang Yan and the three Dragon Princes Ao Rong, Ao Lie and Ao Wang were waiting for the reward from the Heavenly Court in the side hall of the Dongzhen Palace.

Lan Caihe, Lu Dongbin, and Han Xiangzi were in Taixuan Zhenfu today. When they heard that Zhuang Yan was here, they came over to keep him company.

So in the side hall, everyone put out fairy wine and magical fruits, set up the chess table, and gathered together to play chess.

Zhuang Yan was not very good at playing chess. He lost to Han Xiangzi after playing only one game, and then he just watched from the side.

After Zhuang Yan was defeated by Han Xiangzi, Lu Dongbin took over the position. He then defeated Han Xiangzi and Lan Caihe, and then defeated the three dragon princes. In the end, no one wanted to play with him anymore.

Lan Caihe was speechless: "Every time I ask you to do something, Old Lu, you play chess. Everyone knows that you are good at chess. Not only do you bully us, but you also bully the Lingtai Mountain God and the three Dragon Princes. You are so shameless."

"Hahaha." Lü Dongbin laughed, "If I don't show off, how will everyone know that I, Lü Dongbin, am a great chess player?"

Han Xiangzi said, "If you have the ability, don't compete in chess. How about competing in something else?"

Lu Dongbin said: "Okay, let's compare swordsmanship."

Han Xiangzi rolled his eyes and said, "You are also good at swordsmanship."

"Hey." Zhuang Yan said, "How about we compare our magic weapons? Let's all take out our own magic weapons and compare them."

Hearing this, the atmosphere in the side hall suddenly calmed down. Lan Caihe silently put away the flower basket, Han Xiangzi put his flute into his sleeve, and Lu Dongbin even put the Chunyang sword on his back into his fairy sleeve.

Even the three dragon princes collected all the magic weapons they could carry, and the scene was very awkward for a moment.

Zhuang Yan asked doubtfully, "Why? Is my suggestion not good?"

"Just doing good for you." Lan Caihe said.

Zhuang Yan spread his hands and said helplessly: "Alas, you have seen through me."

Just at this moment, Zhuang Yan had just finished speaking when a figure walked in from the side hall. It was the Dongzhen Hall's official. Everyone stood up immediately. At this time, the official had walked into the hall and said, "Lingtai Mountain God, three dragon princes, the imperial edict of the heavenly court has arrived. Please follow me to the Dongzhen Hall to listen to the imperial edict and receive the reward."

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Yan and the three Dragon Princes immediately bowed and said, "Yes."

Afterwards, the four of them bid farewell to Lan Caihe and the other two, followed Cheng Wulang out of the side hall, and went straight to the Dongzhen Hall.

Entering the Dongzhen Palace, Zhuang Yan stood side by side with the three Dragon Princes, bowed to the Purple Mansion Shaoyang Emperor at the top and said, "Your servant Zhuang Yan (Ao Rong, Ao Lie, Ao Wang), pays homage to the Purple Mansion Shaoyang Emperor."

Emperor Shaoyang smiled slightly, extended his hand and said, "Please stand up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." The four of them bowed and thanked him, then stood up.

At this time, Zifu Shaoyang Emperor said to the Taixuandu Province messenger beside him: "You can announce the decree now."

The envoy of Taixuandu Province nodded, walked to the center of the palace steps, held the decree in his hand, and quickly read out the reward for Zhuang Yan.

Zhuang Yan was still very surprised when he heard that he was conferred the title of "Lingtai Dongming Jun" and was granted the authority to establish a government and lead the Shinto of Guangci Prefecture.

Compared with this reward, the 500,000 purple coins, ten golden flowers and the ten pots of imperial wine were just a foil.

Although he was still a seventh-rank immortal official, with the title of Lingtai Dongming Jun, as well as the power to establish a government and govern the Guangci Prefecture's Shinto, Zhuang Yan was completely the "local emperor" of Guangci Prefecture.

From now on, all the righteous gods in Guangci Prefecture will be under the jurisdiction of Lingtai Dongming Prefecture, and their immediate superior will become Zhuang Yan, who can summon them to the prefecture to discuss matters.

In the future, all the reports of all the gods serving in Guangci Prefecture must first be submitted to Lingtai Dongming Prefecture, and then presented to Taixuan Zhen Prefecture by Lingtai Prefecture.

Even the Emperor of Zifu Shaoyang on the steps of the palace was a little surprised. He glanced at Zhuang Yan. A seventh-rank immortal official had the power to establish a government and govern affairs. It seemed that the Emperor had a firm grasp on the Lingtai Mountain God's favor.

As the Taixuan Envoy finished reading out the decree, three Taixuan Province Immortal Officials immediately came before Zhuang Yan holding three jade plates.

Zhuang Yan looked carefully and saw that on the three jade plates were a storage bag containing 500,000 purple coins, ten golden flowers, and ten pots of imperial wine.

Zhuang Yan first accepted the order and expressed his gratitude, then accepted the reward, and finally walked to the right side of the hall and stood solemnly.

Then Taixuan's envoy read out the rewards for the three Dragon Princes. Although the three Dragon Princes had been promoted in rank, the rewards seemed a bit ordinary compared to Zhuang Yan's.

But the three dragon princes did not feel that there was anything unfair. They only killed some ghost generals and soldiers this time, and the contribution they made was not that great.

Zhuang Yan took the Tian Nie Sword, which directly changed the situation and helped Nezha kill the Great Black Demon, which can be considered a "secondary achievement".

The three dragon princes accepted the order, expressed their gratitude, and put away their rewards. Not long after that, the Dragon King of the West Sea descended from the Daluo world to the first heaven.

The Dragon King of the West Sea met with the Emperor of Shaoyang in Zifu. He only sat in the Dongzhen Palace for a moment before he stood up, apologized, bid farewell to the Emperor of Shaoyang, and returned to the West Sea with the three dragon princes.

This time, the West Sea was in disaster, both the Dragon Palace and the West Sea suffered great damage. It is understandable that the Dragon King of the West Sea was in a hurry to go back and rebuild the West Sea.

Compared with the hasty departure of the Dragon King of the West Sea, Zhuang Yan was retained by Emperor Shaoyang of Zifu.

“Zhuang Yan, this time the Great Celestial Venerable grants you the authority to establish a government and govern affairs. The divine ways of Guangci Palace are now under your control. If you have any questions in the future, you can go to the first heaven and come to Taixuan Palace to ask me at any time.” Emperor Shaoyang of Zifu said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Yan immediately stood up and thanked him. Listening carefully, the meaning of what Emperor Zifu Shaoyang said was very clear.

That is to give Zhuang Yan the right of passage to the First Heaven and Taixuan Zhenfu, allowing him to go to the First Heaven at any time and meet with Zifu Shaoyang Emperor at any time.

This is a sign of great trust and respect, so Zhuang Yan naturally stood up and expressed his gratitude.

"In addition, you are conferred the title 'Lingtai Dongming Lord', and you set up a government office as the god of Lingtai Mountain. You will have three immortal officials under you, one of the eighth rank and two of the ninth rank, all of whom are assistants in your government. After you go back and decide on the personnel, report them to the Heavenly Court, and the Heavenly Court will issue an edict to appoint them." said Emperor Shaoyang of Zifu.

Zhuang Yan was delighted when he heard this. This was great news. Wouldn’t the immortal official positions of Fire Spirit Immortal and others be settled?

After staying in Taixuan Zhenfu for half a day, Zhuang Yan bid farewell to Emperor Shaoyang of Zifu and went down to the mortal world to return to Lingtai Mountain.

As soon as Zhuang Yan returned to the mountain temple, Fire Spirit Immortal, Tiger Vanguard and Chi Ling sensed Zhuang Yan's divine power and immediately came to the temple to pay homage.

After the three of them exchanged greetings, the Fire Spirit Immortal asked, "Shan Jun, did your expedition go smoothly?"

Zhuang Yan smiled and said, "It went very smoothly. From now on, don't call me Tiger King anymore."

Hearing this, the three of them immediately looked surprised and suspicious. They looked at each other, and then the Fire Spirit Immortal asked, "Shan Jun, why is this?"

Zhuang Yan smiled and said, "I have made great contributions in this expedition. The Jade Emperor has given me the title of 'Lingtai Dongmingjun' and granted me the right to establish a government and command the Guangci Mansion's divine way."

After hearing this, Hu Xianfeng and Chi Ling were still confused, not knowing what this meant.

But the Fire Spirit Immortal was instantly overjoyed, and immediately bowed and kowtowed, continuously offering congratulations. Finally, he said with a smile on his face, "From now on, you can no longer call me Lord of the Mountain. You should call me Lord of the Mansion."

Immortal Huo Ling then bowed and said, "Greetings to Lord Lingtai Dongming."

　There will be two more chapters later. I was delayed a lot during the National Day holiday, so my writing time was intermittent and I couldn't update at a fixed time. Please forgive me.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)