The myth begins with the Lotus Lantern

Chapter 267 One Night

A few hundred feet away is the side gate on the west side, which connects to the same courtyard as the main gate.

Ding Lin looked at the four diligent heavenly soldiers, nodded, and his gaze inevitably fell on Tianpeng again—he couldn't possibly cut off his view.

In the courtyard, Tianpeng filled a cup with wine, reached out and picked it up, raising it to the air. To onlookers, it seemed as if he was inviting the heavens to drink with him. Only Ding Lin understood that he was inviting the bright moon, but it was destined to be in vain. The amber-colored wine swayed in the cup. Tianpeng withdrew his hand and poured the immortal wine into his mouth in one gulp.

Toast Mingyue, and Yingying became three people.

Tianpeng poured himself another cup. He didn't use his magic to suppress the alcohol, letting the immortal wine erode his senses. He was already slightly tipsy. As he tilted his head back to drink, his eyes were staring straight at the moon, shining with an astonishing brightness.

Ding Lin withdrew his gaze; the patrol here was over.

……

He didn't remove his armor all night.

……

It was the darkest hour before dawn.

The moonlight faded, and the starlight dimmed.

"Crash! Crash!"

The sound of armor clashing rang out, and nothing could be seen clearly in the darkness.

In the courtyard, Tianpeng finished his last cup of wine. He seemed to sigh softly, then waved his hand to put away the wine pot and cups. His eyes shifted, the strange light in them disappeared, and he returned to his usual inscrutable demeanor. His magic flowed through his body, and the effects of the wine were quickly dispelled. The next moment, he stood up and disappeared from the spot.

Ding Lin was patrolling the east side of the temple. He had been lingering there for quite some time. Just as he was about to reach another main gate, he suddenly stopped. The sound of armor stopped abruptly, and the disappearance of the sound was extremely obvious in the darkness.

As the first light of dawn appeared on the eastern horizon, Ding Lin looked up, and the layer of golden armor on his body retracted inch by inch.

"General?" Xin Jia asked tentatively.
The best way to understand a person is through contact. After spending just one night together, Xin Jia had a good understanding of Ding Lin.

"Come back to the duty room with me," Ding Lin said, his expression unchanged, as if he wasn't the one putting on a show all along. He switched roles quickly and had already adapted to this dual life in the workplace.

"Yes," Xin Jia said, while instructing the two heavenly soldiers beside him, "I have something to discuss with the general. You two be careful during the subsequent patrols."

These two heavenly soldiers were Xin Jia's confidants and were originally squad leaders. Upon hearing this, they respectfully agreed, but when Ding Lin and Xin Jia's auras disappeared from their senses, their bodies, which had been tense all night, suddenly relaxed.

They exchanged a glance and both saw the relaxation in each other's eyes.

……

In the duty room, Ding Lin turned the chair by the window around and sat facing the door.

Xin Jia stood in front of him with his hands hanging down.

"Tell me about General Wang Yu and that Silver Ring. We are both from the Immortal Realm, and I am a Celestial Immortal. Yet he, a mere commander, dares to directly provoke me and even wants to fight me. Such arrogance suggests that besides General Wang Yu's support, he must also have some skills of his own," Ding Lin said. "What the general says is true. I served under Silver Ring before and know him somewhat. When he ascended to immortality, he was initially on the verge of reaching the Cave Heaven, but he fell just short and failed to stabilize. His inner realm regressed from the Cave Heaven to the Blessed Land, and he only attained the Earth Immortal rank. He has always found it difficult to let go of this and considers it a regret."

"And it is also because this blessed land was formed from a retreating grotto-heaven that, although he is an Earth Immortal, his foundation is a notch deeper than that of other Earth Immortals."

“He has been an immortal for over 60,000 years. His magical power has long been accumulated to perfection, and his profound understanding is complete. He is only one step away from becoming a Golden Immortal,” Xin Jia said.

"So it was an immortal who had lived for many years." Ding Lin remained noncommittal.

"General, do not underestimate him. Three thousand years ago, during the grand competition of the four naval forces, Yin Huan stood out among all the commanders on the training ground and ranked first among the Earth Immortals. He then challenged and defeated a newly promoted Heaven Immortal deputy general under Marshal Tianyou. As a result, he was appointed by the Marshal as the commander of the personal guard."

"With 60,000 years of accumulated merit and this achievement, a deputy general position became vacant in the army this time. If it weren't for you, General... Silver Ring would have been the most likely candidate to fill the vacancy. However, at the fifth rank, the benefits are different. He was already at the final stage of his attempt to become a Golden Immortal, and he had already factored these benefits into his promotion resources. But your sudden appearance, General, naturally..."

Xin Jia didn't need to say anything more; Ding Lin already understood. It wasn't just simple jealousy; there was also a one-sided hatred stemming from someone who was obstructing his path. Moreover, this silver ring possessed the qualities of an Earth Immortal and had accumulated to such an extent that it might actually hold a sliver of hope for becoming a Golden Immortal.

This person cannot be allowed to live!

Ding Lin pondered, his fingers unconsciously tapping the armrest twice.

"What about Wang Yu?" Ding Lin asked again.

"General Wang Yu was already a Golden Immortal when I ascended to immortality. He was granted the title of Grand General of the Primordial Chaos. After that, only his rank changed, but his title never changed."

Xin Jia said, "That's right, he is also an immortal, and even a god."

The 300,000 Heavenly River Navy were the elite of the Heavenly Soldiers. Even the ordinary soldiers were at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage and held ranks. The generals and above were all at the Immortal Realm level.

Only those who have cultivated to the level of immortals are qualified to be called heavenly generals.

Three hundred thousand Heavenly River Navy soldiers and three thousand Heavenly Generals!
Xin Jia was previously a hundred-man guard under Tianpeng, whose status was slightly higher than that of ordinary hundred-man guards in the army. If it weren't for his discord with Yin Huan and Wang Yu's dislike of him, he could have been promoted to captain, a sixth-rank official, if he had been sent to a post outside the capital. Now, being assigned to Ding Lin as the captain of his personal guard is, in effect, a demotion.

“Yin Huan was originally just a centurion under General Wang Yu. He was later promoted to captain thanks to General Wang Yu’s strong recommendation. He can be considered Yin Huan’s benefactor. General, this is all I know. As for the more secret things, please forgive me, General. Although I have been in the army for a long time, my status is still lowly…” Xin Jia said.

"It's alright. Yin Huan can become the Marshal's personal guard captain. Such an important position would never be allowed to be held by anyone other than his own people. Wang Yu's backer is most likely the Marshal himself," Ding Lin said.

"General, you are absolutely right!" Xin Jia praised, giving Ding Lin plenty of emotional support.

“Then you may go.” Ding Lin nodded.

"Yes!" Xin Jia said, and was about to leave.

"I took credit for your work last night, do you have any complaints?" Ding Lin's voice suddenly came from behind. Xin Jia stopped in his tracks, his body visibly stiffening.

"Your subordinate dares not," Xin Jia turned around again, like a hardworking old ox, he bowed respectfully, his head almost touching the ground, and he changed his self-reference from "minor general" to "your subordinate," "Your subordinate is the captain of the general's personal guard. No matter what the matter is, it is naturally due to the general's good teaching. The fact that the general can remember your hard work is enough for your subordinate to be grateful to the death!"

"Listen to this, do you even believe it yourself?" Ding Lin sneered.

(End of this chapter)