The myth begins with the Lotus Lantern

Chapter 202 Past Events

“Some things have to be done by someone, Beidou, don’t act impulsively.” Nandou tried his best to be tolerant.

"You say that because you weren't the one doing the work," Beidou sneered. "You're always afraid of losing your life, aren't you? You stopped me this time because you were afraid of losing your life in the chaos!"

"Alright," the Ziwei Emperor spoke from his throne. He glanced at the Big Dipper Star Lord and softened his voice, "I instructed the Southern Dipper to keep an eye on you, Big Dipper."

"Why?" Beidou Xingjun asked, puzzled. "Your Majesty, Haotian has been in seclusion for a long time, leaving the court entirely to the Queen Mother. His former majesty has long since been lost. However, the Jade Emperor was established by the Dao Ancestor, which is why all parties are wary of him. Although there are constant actions behind the scenes, they have to keep quiet on the surface."

"Now that the Queen Mother has exhausted all her tricks, she has actually come up with such a fake. This is a golden opportunity! Whether the Jade Emperor is alive or dead, as long as he is exposed, he can only be considered dead. With the throne of Lingxiao gone, naturally a capable person will take his place. Looking across the Three Realms, who else but you is the Emperor?"

"It's rare to see the two of you agree on something," said the Ziwei Emperor.

"Your Majesty, I don't understand either. In the current situation, the Queen Mother holds the reins of the Heavenly Court. Although all departments have been infiltrated and have lost much of their power, she still holds the core and uses the peaches of immortality to win over the people, thus occupying 30% of the power."

"The other four emperors together control about 20%, while the four seas and the underworld together control about 10%."

“The Western Paradise has become increasingly prosperous recently, permeating the human world. Although the Buddha is only one of the Five Elders, he still occupies 20% of the area.”

"The rest are us. Your Majesty, you control all the stars in the heavens. In terms of sheer power, you only have 20%, but all the star lords are seasoned warriors. This is an advantage that only we have. Even if we directly turn against the Queen Mother, we have a 50% chance of winning. However, the greater good is hard to come by, and this court session is the perfect opportunity!"

“Fifty percent,” Ziwei said.

“Your Majesty, throughout history, when dynasties change, even with only a 50% chance, bloodshed is inevitable. We have a 50% chance, which is already quite high.” Beidou said with a hardened expression, “Your Majesty, it’s not too late now. As long as you give the order, we can immediately muster our troops and storm Yaochi. That fake should still be there, so we still have a 30% chance of winning.”

"Your Majesty, you must act decisively! If we delay any longer, it may be too late. Once the Queen Mother realizes what's going on and destroys the fake, even if we breach the Heavenly Court, we will not gain any legitimacy and will only become the target of public criticism. Our chances of success will be less than 10%."

"Big Dipper, calm down," said the Southern Dipper Star Lord.

"How many years have you followed me, Beidou?" asked the Ziwei Emperor.

"During the Lich War, you saved me from the clutches of the Wu Clan. At that time, you had not yet ascended to the throne. Counting on my fingers, it has been nearly a hundred years since then," said the North Star Lord.

“In all these years, when have you ever seen me hesitate or be indecisive!” Ziwei said. “You can only see that it is a substitute, but do you know what that substitute is made of? It is a breath of the Jade Emperor.”

"So what?" Beidou said.

"The Jade Emperor went through 124,000 kalpas, each lasting 129,600 years, before he finally ascended to the throne. But long, long ago, long before he ascended to the throne, I already knew him."

"At that time, the Dao Ancestor had not yet attained the Dao, and the Queen Mother of the West had not even taken human form yet. The Dao Ancestor only had him as his attendant. I know him too well. There are some things that the Queen Mother may not know, but I do."

"You can smell the primordial energy transforming into the Three Pure Ones," said the Ziwei Emperor.

“Isn’t that the divine power of the Supreme Sage?” Beidou asked.

"Back then, the great god Pangu annihilated three thousand gods and demons in the chaos, sacrificing himself to create the primordial world. After that, Hongjun attained enlightenment and spread his teachings throughout the primordial world, saying that teaching should be for all, regardless of background, and that all those with affinity could listen to his lectures." The Great Emperor Ziwei paused, then turned to recount the past.

"Three thousand mortals gathered in Zixiao Palace, and I was among them, but in the end, only six sages were able to inherit the mantle of the Dao Ancestor."

"We are not worried about scarcity but about inequality. Although we do not say it, we are resentful in our hearts. At that time, the cause and effect were not obvious, and we all thought that the Dao Ancestor favored the six sages, which is why he passed on the sage positions. Later we realized that every drink and every bite was actually preordained by heaven."

"The Three Pure Ones inherited the legacy of Pangu; this is the past. The Two Sages of the West governed the barren West and benefited all living beings; this is the present. Nuwa created humans and mended the sky; this is the future."

"The merit of governance is naturally far inferior to the merit of creation and survival. Therefore, although they all have holy positions, they are of different levels. The Three Pure Ones and Nuwa are the true successors, while the two Western Saints are only the successors of the Taoist school."

"Indeed, in this mortal world, we've never crossed paths before. In the eyes of the Dao Ancestor, all beings are equal, except... that child who has always been by his side, day and night. It turns out that the Dao Ancestor also has his biases."

"Haotian, a mere tea-serving boy, born from a stubborn rock, with no innate foundation whatsoever, yet he can be given such a name."

“Sometimes I even think that if he hadn’t been born so inadequate and had such poor aptitude, the Dao Ancestor would have bestowed upon him a sainthood. Even if that wasn’t the case, the Dao Ancestor had already arranged his future before he merged with the Dao.”

"On that day, the primordial world shattered, the Demon Emperor fell, and the world was thrown into chaos, forcing the evolution of the Three Realms. Apart from the six Sages, how many powerful beings in the world did not covet the position of the ruler of the Three Realms? How come only Haotian was able to become the ruler?"

"Is it just because he went through those 124,000 tribulations? A mere 16 billion years?"

"In the primordial world, there is no record of years. What is this little bit of time? Who among those who have lived to the end of a great eon has suffered less than him?"

"The reason is something everyone knows perfectly well."

"Although everyone had hopes, when the day came to decide who would rule the Heavenly Court, only a handful of people dared to stand up and choose. In the end, I was the only one left."

"It's not that I'm unwilling, but that I can't. It's not that I want to forcefully go against the tide, but that everyone else can back down, but I can't. Ziwei is the Emperor Star, this is my destiny since birth, something that was destined for me, why should I give it up?"

"I'm determined to compete with him for the throne!"

"My imperial destiny is ordained by Heaven, and I am determined to fight it out without yielding an inch. Even the Dao Ancestor cannot completely deny it. He is merely acting on behalf of Heaven, and is not the true Heaven after all. Therefore, in the end, I am asked to have a fair battle with Haotian to decide the ownership of the Three Realms."

"Isn't it ridiculous? What should have been mine is being taken out and presented as 'fair'?"

"Fairness is the greatest injustice!"

"Even so, before that day, I never thought I would lose. Going back to when I first preached at Zixiao Palace, I had already achieved the Great Luo realm, while Haotian had just taken human form and was even clumsy in serving tea to the Dao Ancestor."

"But I lost..."

(End of this chapter)