The myth begins with the Lotus Lantern

Chapter 283 Golden Immortal
“Although I have never used it before, I do have the right to report it to the emperor. However, Yin Huan is only on guard outside the garden. Even if I report it, I'm afraid I won't be able to shirk much of the responsibility,” Ding Lin said. “So, you still want me to transfer his men to the garden, right?”

“I know that the heavenly soldiers are difficult to command. General, you left them outside the garden to avoid trouble. But General, the current situation is a matter of either way. If you bring them into the garden, you will be in a superior position. If they disobey your orders, it will be natural to submit a memorial. If they obey your orders, you can also find fault with them,” Xin Jia said.

“It is indeed a good method, but what if it drives them to desperation?” Ding Lin said.

“General, this is a critical moment. We must make a decisive decision!” Xin Jia said.

Ding Lin looked down at Yin Huan from his high vantage point. He thought that his personal guard leader was indeed quite good. His cultivation was not weak. He could lead troops and make plans. His analysis just now was reasonable and feasible. It was just a pity that he did not need it now.

What I need now is stability, not this kind of intense competition.

Once you've mastered the cultivation, all your problems will be solved immediately.

After Xin Jia finished speaking, he lowered his head and waited for Ding Lin to make his decision.

"I understand." Finally, a voice rang out, but it wasn't the answer he expected. It was still the same perfunctory response as always. He clenched his teeth tightly and lowered his head even further in despair.

"Go ahead," Ding Lin waved his hand.

"Yes!" Xin Jia stood up, his voice dry and hoarse, filled with disappointment.

"Wait." Ding Lin's voice rang in my ears again.

Xin Jia looked back with hope.

"Let me ask you, what have you been doing all this time?" Ding Lin asked.

"Without the general's order, I dare not act rashly. I am only keeping a close watch on Yin Huan, hoping to find out if I can catch him doing something wrong." Xin Jia's eyes dimmed again, and he gave a bitter smile.

Ding Lin was relieved.

“Very good,” Ding Lin nodded. “Continue to do so, and tell me about the situation the next time we meet.”

"Yes." Xin Jia replied blankly.

He didn't know how he got out of the small building.

Looking up, the sky is dim today, with clouds obscuring the sun, just like a bleak future.

……

Outside the park.

Yin Huan was still leading the three immortals on patrol, along with thousands of armored soldiers, and had not rested for several months. Suddenly, a heavenly soldier walked quickly over, whispered a few words in Yin Huan's ear, and Yin Huan waved him away.

"How is the commander? Is he preparing to break ties with us?" the eagle demon asked.

Those who can become immortals are one in ten thousand. What Xin Jia could think of, Yin Huan and the others could naturally think of as well. This was a blatant scheme, and also the best way to shirk responsibility under the current circumstances.

“No, our people have sent word that after Xin Jia left the small building, he continued his business in the Peach Garden and did not come this way,” Yin Huan said.

"I thought that person who could become a celestial being must have some extraordinary ability, but I didn't expect him to be such a coward. Even now, he doesn't even have the courage to take a risk." The burly immortal looked at him with contempt.

“Not necessarily,” the eagle demon said. “The leader is backed by the general, and that man knows this. He also knows that even if he does this, in the end it will just be a matter of each side sticking to their own story. His one-sided story won’t be able to appease the higher-ups. If we are allowed to enter the garden and a conflict breaks out, he will be even less likely to benefit. It would be better to continue to maintain the status quo. Although there will be no chance to fight, he will not continue to offend the general. By yielding first and being demoted to the mortal realm, the general might be able to show leniency and let him go. In this respect, it may not be an unwise move to be pragmatic.”

“There is some truth to that,” the burly immortal nodded. “However, while such words are true, they still lack spirit. It is truly unfair that someone who acts in this way can become a celestial immortal. But if he thinks that backing down now will make the general let him go, he is sorely mistaken!”

"No matter what, maintaining the status quo is not a bad thing. If we really enter the garden and chaos breaks out, even if I have already sent a letter to the general in advance, and the emperor will not be misled by his one-sided words, we will at least be charged with insubordination. In the end, it will most likely be a lose-lose situation."

"Actually, I still hope he will allow me to enter the garden, instead of letting it end here. He has taken the spot, and if I don't fight him while he still has the strength, I will feel uneasy."

Silver Ring turned her head, her gaze seemingly piercing through the barrier, looking into the garden.

……

Ding Lin returned to the hermitage and continued his cultivation.

After reaching 80,000 years of cultivation and entering the late stage of the Immortal Realm, there was a slight change. The intensity of the cultivation increased slightly, and it became about three-tenths more refined than before.

Such a slight improvement is certainly not enough to cause a qualitative leap in magical power, but it has made Ding Lin's refining speed of peaches a little faster. Now he only needs two hours to refine one peach, and he can refine five peaches a day.

Of course, the magical power that a single peach can enhance has also been reduced, lasting only 170 to 180 years.

In other words, Ding Lin can increase his cultivation by more than 17,000 years in twenty days by continuously consuming and refining the peaches of immortality.

After another twenty days of cultivation, Ding Lin's cultivation level increased to 110,000 years, which was very close to the perfection of the Immortal Realm.

Perhaps, it will be successful in less than another twenty days.

……

In the main hall, Ding Lin sat in the main seat, listening to Xin Jia's report, which covered everything in great detail. This time, Xin Jia took longer than ever before, and Ding Lin listened in silence.

"So, you're saying that Yin Huan has been working diligently all this time, and even if you've been extremely careful, all you can find are minor, insignificant flaws?" Ding Lin said.

“Indeed, General,” Xin Jia said. Since becoming Ding Lin’s personal guard, he had always been extremely humble and respectful. For the first time, without Ding Lin’s permission, he raised his head, his eyes meeting Ding Lin’s without the slightest hesitation. He had made up his mind to advise Ding Lin at all costs, “Time is running out. If you cannot make up your mind soon…”

“In recent days, I have carefully investigated. The Great Sage Equaling Heaven has only served in the Peach Garden for one year, and the Peach Garden has already changed managers four times. Including the original one, you are the fifth one.”

"In other words, the steward is replaced every two or three months on average. There were five stewards. The first two were Golden Immortals. Except for the first steward, who was an old man from Yaochi and was pardoned by the Queen Mother of the West and transferred back to Yaochi, he was not reprimanded. All the others were punished."

"The second garrison commander was transferred from the Hall of Immortal Selection to the Hall of Fragrant Clothes. After that, no Golden Immortal was willing to take on this position. The two before you were only sixth-grade immortals, and on the day of their execution, their cultivation was cut off, and they were exiled to guard the Northern Continent of Lu!"

“I don’t know much about General Wang Yu, but I’ve known Yin Huan for many years and know that he’s vindictive. If we fight now, even if we’re demoted, it will only be to Dong Sheng Shen Zhou or Nan Zhan Bu Zhou, where we’ll still be within the system. Even if he wants revenge, the Heavenly Rules will prevent it from being so easy. But if we end up in Bei Ju Lu Zhou, we’ll be at their mercy. General, let’s get rid of these unrealistic thoughts as soon as possible!”

Xin Jia's words were earnest and sincere.

"I understand." However, Ding Lin's answer was destined to disappoint him.

Xin Jia looked dejected.

"Step back. ... Remember, do as before immediately, and do not act on your own."

Ding Lin's voice drifted into my ears, ethereal and indistinct.

“…Yes, I…I am the general’s personal guard. I will obey the general’s orders…” Xin Jia said. He stood up, his steps faltering. In an instant, it seemed as if all his energy had been drained away, and he had fallen into despair.

“It is proper to address this humble general as such…” Unexpectedly, Ding Lin’s words flashed through his mind again.

Yes, appropriate.

Xin Jia gave a bitter smile.

But no matter how proper he was, it couldn't change the fact that he had become a vassal. At this point, even if he wanted to resist, he could only do nothing without Ding Lin's approval.

From the moment he was relegated to the role of a bodyguard, he was no longer in control of his own destiny.

……

Nineteen days later.

Inside the hermitage, Ding Lin closed his eyes. His aura fluctuated violently. Fortunately, this small building was originally built for Golden Immortals, and the restrictions attached to it were also at the level of Golden Immortals. Therefore, even though the spiritual energy inside the building was surging, people outside could not detect it at all if their cultivation level was not high enough.

A quarter of an hour later.

Ding Lin suddenly opened his eyes, his eyes blazing with a three-zhang-long light that pierced through the small room, revealing every detail. At this moment, the aura on his body that he had been unable to conceal due to his rapid improvement in cultivation suddenly subsided, as if he were humble and open-minded. Although it was impossible to sense, it made people unable to help but have many thoughts and feel a sense of perfection.

One hundred and twenty-nine thousand six hundred years of cultivation!

at last……

Become!

The number one, the ultimate celestial being!

Ding Lin felt as if he were sitting on a ladder that had reached its highest point. The sky was right in front of him, and a law stretched out in front of him. Never before had he sensed it so clearly. He could even feel the dampness rushing towards him, the rhythm of the water, so close and within reach.

But at this time, Ding Lin could not be considered a true Golden Immortal.

No matter how close we got, we never actually arrived.

The Dragon Clan cultivates their physical body. With a cultivation level of one primordial element, they have only completed the steps to the Celestial Immortal realm. They are currently standing on the last step and need one final leap to complete the transformation of their physical body before they can truly step onto the platform and ascend to a higher level.

This Peach Garden is clearly not a good place to reveal the true form of a dragon.

The ascension of a Golden Immortal is extraordinary.

Ding Lin let out a long breath, the sharp light in his eyes dissipating, but the stream of breath he exhaled lingered for a long time before filling the small room with steam. Ding Lin stood up, suddenly leaped, and disappeared from the spot.

……

Tianhe.

The lake is vast and boundless, stretching for countless miles. It is a reflection of the stars, and it would be more appropriate to call it a sea than a river.

Ding Lin landed silently on the lakeside, surrounded by lush aquatic plants. Quiet and ordinary, he silently looked at the lake, then suddenly leaped into the water. There was nothing earth-shattering or earth-shattering; he was only slightly shaken by the grass blades brushed against by his body, and a ripple appeared on the water's surface before it completely subsided.

However, the calmness of the water's surface does not mean that there are no undercurrents beneath.

After entering the water, it was 300 feet deep.

Ding Lin transformed back into his original form and unfurled his dragon body.

When he transformed from a carp into a dragon, his dragon body was only three zhang long.

The young dragon has now fully grown up.

The enormous body of the dragon stretched out in the water, a full hundred feet long and seven or eight feet thick from head to tail, but it did not appear bulky in proportion to its length; every segment was just right.

The dragon scales stretched out inch by inch, turning that area of ​​water a deep red. Each dragon scale was the size of a bowl.

It has a pair of dragon horns on its head, as clear as jade, which spread out to the sides like a crown.

The dragon has four claws on its belly, each with five toes. The sixth toe has already fully taken shape and is just one step away from being fully grown.

This was the first and only time Ding Lin had revealed his true form and completely unleashed his true nature since ascending to heaven, all in order to complete the final breakthrough. Without hesitation, the enormous dragon body coiled up in the next moment, and the Great Celestial Immortal Technique started operating on its own. The magic power spread inch by inch within the body, and even such a huge dragon body was filled to perfection in an instant.

The demonic energy was constantly being refined and tempered.

Ding Lin felt as if a black hole had opened up in his chest, where the Tanzhong point should have been. After the magic power filled the dragon's body, it poured in continuously. It seemed like a long time had passed, or perhaps a moment had passed. Suddenly, he felt a sense of exhaustion.

Black holes are infinite and should not be perceptible.

But Ding Lin was able to sense it because he had already reached that level, so his heart remained calm and undisturbed.

The mana is just a little bit short of being fully filled.

Ding Lin suddenly had a flash of inspiration, and a feeling arose in his heart that once this point was perfected, the distance between a Celestial Immortal and a Golden Immortal would be completely erased.

Absolutely correct, there's no mistake.

The evolution of the dragon's body follows the instinct of its bloodline; just follow that feeling and you'll be on the right track.

As Ding Lin opened his mouth, the river water rushed into his mouth, and two peaches fell between his lips and teeth at the same time. The peaches were so small that they were not even as big as one of his teeth, but at this moment they were able to provide the last bit of his vital energy.

Ding Lin raised his head and swallowed the two purple-striped peaches.

A warm current rose from my abdomen.

The spiritual energy emitted by the two peaches was insignificant compared to the vast magical power of this being of the One Yuan level, but this little bit of spiritual energy was enough to be the last straw that broke the camel's back.

The next moment, the last bit of deficiency in the black hole in his chest was filled in.

Ding Linlong's body trembled, and in an instant, an unprecedented feeling rose in his heart. His body did not change too much, but it was refined a little more and became more perfect. After the black hole in his chest was filled again, it disappeared silently, and a black reverse scale that was different from Zhou Sheng's red scale was revealed. The sixth toe on the tip of his claw was fully extended and had grown completely.

Golden Immortal!

With six toes on its claws, it is a Golden Immortal!
It took Ding Lin hundreds of years to go from a carp to a celestial being, but he only took a little over ten years to go from a celestial being to a golden immortal.

(End of this chapter)