The myth begins with the Lotus Lantern

Chapter 236 Inspiration
The warship descended from the heavens above, falling silently from the Milky Way. Upon landing, it immediately deployed hundreds of Mengchong warships to protect its wings.

"Boom!"

A deep, powerful voice.

On the deck of the warship, a young general in silver armor took a drumstick and struck the war drum. The sound spread out, across the river, across the surface of the river, and then along the lakeside, all the way to the First Heaven.

With a resounding drumbeat, the silent Milky Way awoke.

On the bank, underwater, on the river surface...

In an instant, countless figures emerged, wielding silver spears and wearing white armor. They quickly formed neat ranks and, led by their respective centurions, assembled into square formations.

On the banks of the Milky Way, the herd of horses was startled by the sound of the drums. They stopped foraging, raised their heads from among the water plants, and then saw that the surrounding environment had changed, with many heavenly soldiers suddenly appearing.

The horses seemed a little confused, but fortunately, they were used to such scenes during their training, so they didn't seem too afraid. They nuzzled each other and snorted softly.

"Well?"

The stone monkey, riding a white horse, had already entered the center of the Milky Way. A burst of magical power enveloped him and his horse, making them stand on the river surface.

This sudden change disturbed the stone monkey's interest, but he did not get angry. Instead, he became curious. He leaped up and placed his feet on the horse's back, standing higher. Then he looked into the distance and gazed at the distant ships.

"Boom!"

Another drumbeat.

Military orders are absolute, and with the command flags raised, the heavenly soldiers ignored the celestial horses, weaving through the gaps, and the small square formations transformed into a large square formation.

At the very front of each formation stood a commander of a thousand men, clad in gleaming silver armor, their scarlet cloaks billowing in the night wind.

A chilling silence descended.

The horses finally realized something was wrong. Even if they hadn't developed their intelligence, those chosen as celestial horses possessed some degree of spirituality. Some horses looked around in surprise and doubt, their front hooves pawing the ground, visibly showing signs of unease.

Fortunately, they all stayed in place and didn't run around.

The ship was majestic and imposing, yet its details were exquisitely crafted, perfectly combining practicality and aesthetics. The stone monkey couldn't help but feel restless looking at it, secretly plotting that when the ship got closer, he would board it and try to get on good terms with the leading heavenly general in the cabin, hoping to borrow the ship. At the very least, he could ride it around a few times to have some fun. Whether the general was willing or not was completely irrelevant to the stone monkey.

The stone monkey was completely focused on the ship and did not notice anything unusual about the horses. He scratched his head and suddenly thought, why not just go directly to the ship? Why wait for them to come over? With that thought, the monkey did not hesitate any longer, somersaulted, and was about to board the ship.

"Boom!"

With the third sound, on the deck, the silver-armored young general who had been beating the drum put down his drumsticks, gathered his full magical power, and shouted loudly:
"The Marshal is inspecting the camp!"

The sound echoed in the night wind, carrying far and wide. With the blessing of magic, it could still be heard clearly even on the vast lake.

"The Marshal is inspecting the camp!"

"The Marshal is inspecting the camp!"

"The Marshal is inspecting the camp!"

Surrounding the warship, hundreds of Mengchong warships lined up in two rows, and thousands of people shouted in unison, their voices shaking the surrounding fields and reaching the sky.

At this moment, if there were a charioteer to control the horses, the herd would not be affected. Alternatively, if the stone monkey noticed something was wrong in time and conveyed a message through the lead horse, the herd could be temporarily calmed down.

Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs." Even with training, a lone horse cannot withstand the fright of a battle formation.

"Herod!"

Among the herd, one horse could no longer contain itself. Suddenly, it reared up with a neigh, tossed its front hooves high into the air, then slammed them down, before galloping wildly. Fear clouded its judgment; it was, after all, just a beast. In its panic, it lost its sense of direction and charged toward a square formation.

Once it happens, it will happen again. Even humans have a herd mentality, let alone animals, which will only be more extreme. As if they had found an outlet for their fear, the herd of horses suddenly broke apart and scattered in all directions. In just a moment, chaos broke out on the riverbank.

The first celestial horse to gallop out had already reached the front of the army formation, less than ten feet away. The celestial soldiers remained in neat rows, motionless, with the leading thousand generals glaring coldly at them.

"Raise it!"

Qian Jiang coldly said, and the heavenly soldiers raised their spears in unison.

With a muffled thud, like a watermelon being smashed, the Pegasus crashed over. Before it even hit the ground, several bursts of magical power swept in, twisting and kneading the horse's carcass into a bloody mess.

The heavenly soldier facing him remained unfazed, letting the blood fall on his face and dot it with cinnabar.

And this is just the beginning for each and every one of them.

"Pfft!"

"Pfft!"

With spears and halberds raised, the killing was actually easier than mowing grass. The next moment, the formation returned to its previous state, neat and orderly, as if nothing had happened. Only a group of celestial horses were missing from the Milky Way, and the river surface was filled with the smell of blood.

The ship continued to move forward slowly.

"The Marshal is inspecting the camp!"

The shouts continued.

Amidst the bloodshed and shouts, four strongmen on the ship raised a large banner: "Ancestor, Grand Master of the Nine Heavens, Supreme Father, General Manager of the Five Directions, Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Pole Left Wall, Grand Marshal, True Lord Tianpeng."

The stone monkey also heard the shouts of battle behind him. He turned around and saw nothing but emptiness. Tens of thousands of celestial horses had all disappeared, leaving only the lead horse in the center of the Milky Way.

Things happened too fast.

The white horse hadn't quite come to its senses yet, looking around blankly, still wondering how its kind had suddenly disappeared.

Suddenly, as if it realized something, the white horse, being spiritually connected, followed its unseen senses and looked at the stone monkey. Its large eyes suddenly revealed emotions in a remarkably human way.

It's a feeling of injustice, sadness, and reluctance to part...

Under such extreme stimulation, the white horse finally developed sentience, but this was torture for it. If possible, it...

No, it was him.

He would definitely prefer to continue living a muddled and aimless life as before.

"Herod!"

The white horse neighed loudly, then suddenly turned and charged toward the nearest military formation.

The stone monkey instinctively reached out to stop him, but the white horse seemed to sense it and turned to look at the stone monkey.

There was pleading in his eyes, but even more so, there was a resolute determination.

He was begging the stone monkey to let him die.

The magic power circled in his palm before he finally withdrew it.

"Raise it!"

A cold, indifferent voice rang out.

The next moment, the horse's carcass collapsed, a look of relief flashing in its eyes, before it vanished in a spray of blood...

The stone monkey boards the boat.

"Who dares to offend the Marshal's might!"

On the deck, two heavenly generals roared and lunged forward to capture the stone monkey and punish him.

The stone monkey's face tightened, but his inner fire was churning and burning ever brighter. He did not withdraw the magic power that had surged in his palm. He clenched his fist tighter and tighter, and then swung out a palm, slashing fiercely at the banner.

……

In the Peach Garden.

Ding Lin was cultivating when suddenly, as if sensing something, he abruptly opened his eyes.

(End of this chapter)