The myth begins with the Lotus Lantern

Chapter 186 Ziwei
If the first sentence still had some secrecy, then the second sentence was completely blatant; they weren't even willing to pretend anymore.

"The Star Lord is teaching me."

Surprisingly, Tiannu wasn't angry. A smile appeared on his lips, and with a gentle wave of his whisk, the golden bull below suddenly opened his eyes wide. An immense pressure descended from nowhere, and uncontrollably, his knees buckled. The next moment, he knelt heavily on the ground as if a mountain of gold and jade had collapsed.

"you……"

When Taurus Star Lord spoke, the pressure grew even heavier, until he could no longer speak.

"Speechless like this, it seems the Star Lord has realized his crime." Tiannu's face was still smiling. "Having descended to the mortal realm without permission and harmed the bloodline of the Heavenly Family, according to the Heavenly Rules, how should he be punished?"

Taurus Star Lord tensed up, his magical power surging and flowing within him, but he couldn't break free of his body. Only then did he realize how terribly wrong he had been.

Tiannu usually kept a low profile, and Jinniu had seen more of his obsequious and bullying behavior. Although he could serve by the side of the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother, his cultivation level must not be too weak according to rational considerations. However, his preconceived notions made him subconsciously ignore this point, and prejudice made him look down on him.

Taurus had intended to use Tiannu to buy some time, but now it seems that his plan has backfired.

Tiannu was not only strong, but he could suppress him so much that he could not move with just his aura. Such cultivation was extremely rare even among Golden Immortals.

"A mere third-rank star lord, yet he has quite the audacity," Tiannu said with a smile that did not fade. He turned around, but the smile vanished the instant he turned, and he became extremely respectful, his shoulders slumping. "The ultimate punishment is nothing more than the annihilation of the soul, but given what Jinniu has done, that is still not enough. Perhaps before scattering the soul, we should first subject him to the punishment of soul refining. This is Tiannu's humble opinion; I wonder what Your Majesty thinks?"

On the cloud platform, loneliness and emptiness reign.

"I obey Your Majesty's decree!"

Tiannu received the signal, turned around, his back straight, his smile warm yet cruel. Without hesitation, he waved his whisk, and the sun and moon began to rotate. With the help of the Queen Mother's words, a wisp of sunlight and a ray of moonlight flew out, met in mid-air, and intertwined into a yin-yang symbol, which then moved toward the Golden Bull.

Taurus could only watch helplessly; before the yin-yang symbol even touched him, he already felt a piercing pain from the depths of his soul.

"Your Majesty, there is no need for this."

A faint sigh escaped, seemingly both distant and incredibly close. A wisp of purple light rose from the horizon, spreading across the sky, unstoppable by the sun and moon.

Upon hearing the sound, Taurus's shock and anger vanished. The yin-yang symbol was already upon him, but a smile appeared on his lips. In the next instant, like a gentle breeze, the yin-yang symbol disappeared silently.

Taurus Star Lord stood up again.

Purple light filled half the sky, making all the stars shine and even the sun and moon pale in comparison. An imperial figure hovered in the air, facing the Queen Mother from afar.

"Ziwei".

A sound came from behind the gimbal.

"Miss."

Emperor Ziwei nodded slightly in acknowledgment. As one of the Six Emperors, he was in charge of all the stars in the heavens and was second only to the Great Heavenly Venerable in the Heavenly Court.

"I almost forgot, this golden ox is your subordinate," said the Queen Mother.

“I have come for him as well. He is my subordinate, yet he has dared to commit such a grave crime. Since I am in Heaven, I must punish him accordingly,” said the Ziwei Emperor. “That is unnecessary. The Great Heavenly Venerable is in seclusion, and I have been handling the affairs of Heaven on his behalf. I have already reached a conclusion regarding this Golden Ox. Since the Great Emperor is here, you may simply observe the ceremony from the sidelines,” said the Queen Mother.

"So the judgment has already been made?" Emperor Ziwei said, his voice gentle, just like the elegant gentleman in the mortal world back then. "But why did I only hear this servant talking to himself just now? When did a mere heavenly servant become able to punish on behalf of Heaven?"

A surge of imperial power swept through the area, and if it weren't for the Queen Mother's support, Tiannu would have almost lost his composure and knelt on the ground.

"The Great Celestial Venerable is in seclusion, and I am on a distant expedition to this sea. In recent years, Your Majesty has been in charge of the Heavenly Court. I thought the world was peaceful and tranquil, but I never expected that such a petty person would cause trouble under the cover of calm. A mere Heavenly Servant can be so rampant. Indeed... there is a saying in the mortal realm that women have such limited views. It seems that even the Heavenly Realm is not immune to this. Your Majesty, please do not be misled by this treacherous servant," said the Great Emperor Ziwei.

"You are instructing me on how to do things," said the Queen Mother.

"Your Majesty is guided by the Great Celestial Venerable. How could I overstep my bounds? What I want to say is that if Your Majesty cannot manage the Three Realms, I can take over." Emperor Ziwei said indifferently, "Your Majesty, I wonder when the Great Celestial Venerable will emerge from seclusion."

"You've become so arrogant after quelling the rebellion in the North Sea. You're so impatient that you've already rushed to the Jade Pool to search for the Great Celestial Venerable's whereabouts, even though you've just passed away. Ziwei, how dare you!" The Queen Mother shouted fiercely. The sun and moon revolved, and with her will, the light shone brightly, breaking through the purple barrier.

"I dare not. The Great Celestial Venerable has been in seclusion for many years. I was only concerned about his safety. Your Majesty is overthinking it," the Ziwei Emperor said indifferently, surrounded by countless stars. The purple star in the center of the sky shone brightly, and a continuous stream of star power gathered here, occupying half of it. "As for my purpose here, it is for this Golden Ox. My subordinates have done wrong, and naturally it is up to me to judge them!"

"Ziwei, very well...you are very well..." The Queen Mother was furious, but her voice calmed down instead. "You are so rampant today. I want to see how you will explain yourself when the Great Celestial Venerable comes out of seclusion."

"Heaven and earth are in order, each with its own duties. The Great Heavenly Venerable governs the Three Realms, while I, the Emperor, rule over all the stars. The Golden Ox is my subordinate. It is only right that I, the Emperor, should punish the Great Heavenly Venerable who is in seclusion. On the other hand, Your Majesty, although the Queen Mother is noble, she only resides in the Jade Pool and has no specific duties. Even if she is in charge of the Three Realms, it is only the Great Heavenly Venerable's words at this moment. Although the Great Heavenly Venerable speaks of the law, it is not necessarily the law of heaven that he speaks!"

"Golden Ox," the Ziwei Emperor called out.

"Your subordinate is here." Taurus Star Lord replied. The moment the Ziwei Emperor appeared, the aura that Tiannu had been exerting on him had already dissipated silently.

"Do you know your crime!" Emperor Ziwei said in a deep voice.

"Your subordinate is guilty!" Lord Jingniu knelt down with a thud. "I am willing to submit to Your Majesty's judgment!"

"What crime?" asked the Ziwei Emperor.

"Taking advantage of the opportunity to monitor the heavens to exchange gifts privately, Taurus is guilty of three crimes: first, descending to the mortal realm without divine decree; and plotting against colleagues to repay personal favors." Taurus Star Lord said respectfully, bowing deeply.

"Since you have confessed your crimes, then you shall be punished. For all three crimes, I hereby sentence you to reincarnation for a hundred lifetimes. Once this matter is settled, you shall enter the cycle of reincarnation."

The punishment of being reincarnated a hundred times is indeed extremely severe, but compared to the annihilation of one's soul, it is nothing at all.

"Golden Ox obeys the decree."

Taurus Star Lord bowed respectfully without offering any objection.

"The Cowherd is in your hands, release him," the Ziwei Emperor said again.

Taurus will accept anything without question; I will respectfully obey.

(End of this chapter)