The myth begins with the Lotus Lantern

Chapter 285 Wanting to impose a crime
Silver Ring had made up his mind, and the other three generals naturally had no objections. Even the most cautious Eagle Demon didn't say anything more. After all, what he had said before, such as Ding Lin becoming a Golden Immortal, was just a joke. When it came to making a decision, he wouldn't even make the connection, let alone use it.

Xin Jia remained detached, observing coldly. He slightly raised his head; the midday sun was blazing, yet it could not dispel the confusion and bewilderment in his heart.

Silver Ring finally mustered its forces, a massive procession of over a thousand people, and it took half an incense stick just to get them into the park.

Xin Jia then followed Ding Lin's orders and brought out a hundred of his trusted men from the garden.

The two groups of heavenly soldiers clashed.

Afterwards, Xin Jia entered the garden alone.

After more than a thousand people had entered the Peach Garden, the restrictions outside the garden slowly closed.

"Commander Xin, does the general have any further instructions?"

Yin Huan glanced at the barrier, her eyes flashing for a moment before turning her gaze to the thousand armored soldiers before her, and her heart calmed down once more.

No one is a fool. If Ding Lin's order had not included these thousand people, Yin Huan would never have been able to enter the garden.

“General, please ask the commander to arrange the defenses, and then you can come with me to the audience. The official’s inspection will probably be in the next few days, and he wants to hear the commander’s report first,” Xin Jia said, then looked at the three immortals behind Yin Huan, “and the three centurions, the general also orders them to come to the audience.”

The three people and the demon exchanged glances.

"That's how it should be," Silver Ring nodded.

“However, it is more important to pay our respects to the general. The arrangements for these thousand men can be made at any time. Commander Xin, the general’s time is precious. Let us go and pay our respects to the general first.” Eagle Demon suddenly spoke up.

"General, do you mean to prioritize official business and lead the way?" Xin Jia looked at Yin Huan.

"The general is superior, and superior is the public. Commander Xin, in my opinion, it would be more appropriate to meet with the general first, see what his arrangements are, and then arrange the troops upon our return."

Yin Huan's eyes flashed. Although she knew that the four of them combined were definitely no less powerful than Ding Lin, Ding Lin dared to summon them all at the same time. Either he wasn't planning to make a move and was just bluffing, or he had some new reliance on him. In any case, it was always better to be careful.

A thousand people forming an array, their combined magical power, can rise all the way to the Golden Immortal level, but they cannot use the laws of magic.

“The Silver Ring Chief…” Xin Jia began.

"Should we go or not? Commander Xin's current attitude suggests this might be a trap?"

Yin Huan's face darkened instantly. He then ignored Xin Jia and gave the order for the thousand-odd men to accompany him and head towards the small building.

"Commander Yinhuan, are you trying to force me to abdicate?!" Xin Jia shouted, but he felt utterly powerless.

Silver Ring didn't even glance at him.

Half an incense stick later, a silver torrent appeared in front of the small building.

"Commander, let me go in first to inform them," Xin Jia pleaded at the last minute.

"Commander Xin, please proceed." To everyone's surprise, Yin Huan readily agreed.

……

Xin Jia entered the building first.

In the main hall, Ding Lin sat high up.

“General,” Xin Jia bowed and looked at Ding Lin, “Yin Huan and the others have arrived, but…”

"I know," Ding Lin said. The commotion outside was as noticeable to him as fireflies at night.

“Since things have come to this point, if it is truly beyond saving, General, it’s better to postpone it since we haven’t even started yet,” Xin Jia said.

"Go and call them in," Ding Lin said.

"Yes, sir!" Xin Jia accepted the order. There was no point in saying anything more after that. He turned and walked out.

Ding Lin watched his retreating figure and nodded almost imperceptibly.

Although they are somewhat quick-witted, they are generally obedient and do not make their own decisions.

This subordinate is quite good.

……

"Commander Xin, has the general summoned us for an audience?"

Yin Huandao, though outwardly calm, was actually prepared for Ding Lin to back down at the last minute.

"The general has summoned me." Xin Jia nodded.

Silver Ring's eyes flickered, instinctively sensing something amiss. Then, seeing the horde of heavenly soldiers behind him, a cold smile crept onto his lips. Whether he wanted to back down gracefully or was truly prepared for a desperate fight, as long as he had these thousand men outside, he would have enough confidence to handle whatever situation arose.

"Since the general has summoned me, please come and pay my respects."

Yin Huan said, glancing at the three eagle demons, then turning to give a look to the other seven centurions in the army formation, before striding into the small building without hesitation.

The three eagle demons followed.

We entered the main hall.

With Yin Huan at the head, the three people and the demon looked up and saw Ding Lin sitting high in the main seat, his eyes looking down at them, a gaze that made Yin Huan feel extremely uncomfortable.

"Greetings, General!" the men bowed. Yin Huan lowered his head; no matter how unwilling he was, he had no choice but to bow his head since they hadn't yet broken off all pretense of civility.

But in that instant of lowering his head, Yin Huan suddenly realized something; he remembered Ding Lin's eyes, those eyes…

That's clearly the look you give a dead person!
Ding Lin stood up from his seat. Just then, Yin Huan suddenly looked up. For some reason, his heart sank to the bottom. Without thinking, Yin Huan forcefully crushed the token in his palm with his right hand to make the heavenly soldiers outside the building form an array. In that instant, he sensed a fatal danger.

However, it's too late.

Ding Lin made his move without any unnecessary words. His eyes were indifferent as he pushed out with a palm, his magical power sweeping in from all directions.

Silver Ring stood there as if she were in a daze, watching the palm strike come at her without dodging or flinching. Her fingertips stopped just as they were about to touch the token, unable to press it any further.

It's not that I don't want to, but I can't.

A profound sense of oppression hung over my head, as if I had been rejected by this world.

Silver Ring had experienced this feeling with Wang Yu before—the Law.

Golden Immortal?

Has he become a golden immortal?
Isn't she a newly ascended celestial being?

So fast……

How can it be!

Yin Huan couldn't speak, couldn't make a sound, and could only scream in infinite fear in his heart. At this moment, all his previous rehearsals and arrangements seemed so ridiculous.

Crushing with absolute strength!
I could smell death.

Memories flooded back: the hardships of his childhood, his mother's early death, and his father, an old widower, raising him with difficulty. He thought his life would end like this, with no hope in sight. Then one day, a celestial light descended upon his thatched hut, and he saw a stranger. His second uncle, who had disappeared before he was born, had returned. As the saying goes, "When one attains enlightenment, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven." His second uncle not only became an immortal but also received a celestial status, leading his entire family to ascend to heaven.

He had the aptitude for cultivation, and his second uncle gave him a cultivation manual, letting him practice on his own. He also arranged for one of his subordinates to teach him, and then left him to his own devices. But no matter what, his fate was changed.

What followed was ten thousand years of arduous cultivation, beginning with inducing entry into the body.

He had fought with demon cultivators from the lower realms, narrowly escaping death. He had been ostracized and framed by his colleagues. His second uncle watched coldly from the sidelines. Cultivators are indifferent to emotions. In his second uncle's view, helping his eldest brother's family ascend to immortality had already repaid the debt of gratitude he owed his elder brother for raising him when he was young.

From that moment on, he learned that if he wanted to get something, he had to make himself useful first.

He forged his way through battles and conspiracies step by step, first forming the Golden Core, then achieving the Primordial Spirit, and even displaying some of the qualities of a Celestial Immortal at the peak of the Primordial Spirit.

His second uncle started paying attention to him again, simply because he had become useful again.

However, the collapse of the grotto-heaven at the time of his ascension to immortality was undoubtedly another heavy blow, and he ultimately only achieved the rank of Earth Immortal.

My second uncle's attitude became distant again.

Celestial Immortal and Earthly Immortal—a difference of just one word, yet a world of difference. One has a great chance of becoming a Golden Immortal, while the other can only be said to have a path to immortality that has not been completely severed, leaving a glimmer of hope.

What my second uncle needs is an ally, not a subordinate.

Despite his failure to ascend to immortality, he was disheartened but did not give up. He cultivated for tens of thousands of years, comprehending all the mysteries and accumulating all his magical power. He was now just one step away from becoming a celestial being.

My second uncle has started to value himself again. Sure enough, heaven never abandons those who help themselves.

Good news followed one after another. A vacancy for deputy general had opened up in the army. With his merits already sufficient and his cultivation at the peak of the Earth Immortal realm, he now had a glimmer of hope in the competition, especially since no Celestial Immortals had been born in recent years. If he could succeed, the resources of the fifth rank would surely increase his chances of winning.

But who would have thought that at this critical juncture, a celestial being would appear. For him, this position was rightfully his, but for me, it was truly an enmity that had blocked my path!

Over the years, I've gotten used to the fact that if I want something, I have to fight for it and grab it. That's how I climb up the ladder step by step. I've never failed; I've always succeeded. But this time should be no exception.

But why...

Ding Lin's palm strike had already reached him.

Do not!
He hasn't completely failed yet!

Silver Ring suddenly moved. His eyes widened, and he broke through the suppression, letting out a roar of defiance from his throat. In an instant, his magical power was raised to its peak, and the magical power that was only a hair's breadth away from the perfection of the first element condensed around him, forming a fiery red curtain.

If he could withstand this attack for even a moment, he could break the token, and once the military formation outside was complete and his magic power was restored, he would have a chance to maneuver. Someone had already sent a message to his second uncle, and as long as he could get there in time, he could still live!

Flames surge!

Ding Lin was somewhat surprised. He had always thought the rumors were wrong and exaggerated, but Yin Huan's performance at this moment was actually not much different from when he was in the Fairy Realm.

The silver ring emanated a myriad of profound mysteries, which seemed to be beginning to merge. If he could escape this calamity, he would surely become a Golden Immortal.

But "if" is just an option.

Ding Lin's mind stirred, and he withdrew the magical power he had originally intended to use to deal with the three immortals as well, instead focusing it on the silver ring. The next moment—

"puff!"

The raging fire was extinguished as easily as putting out a candle.

Hope had just risen in Silver Ring's eyes when it turned back into despair, but she hadn't even had time to complete the emotional shift.

The next moment, from the spot on his chest where Ding Lin had struck him, his body began to crack, spreading outwards like a piece of white paper being burned by flames.

Chest, hands, legs, neck, and even the eyes... were all swallowed up, not even a trace of true spirit escaped.

With all three souls extinguished and all seven spirits vanished, their souls and spirits scattered so easily.

Beside Yin Huan, the three immortals stared wide-eyed, their eyes filled with horror.

On the other side, Xin Jia felt the warmth of the embers and felt a heat beside him.

"Golden...Golden Immortal!?" Xin Jia exclaimed, his eyes brimming with undisguised elation. His gaze towards Ding Lin was clear and burning. Ignoring his armor, he knelt down on the ground. At this moment, everything that had puzzled him and seemed strange before suddenly became clear. He proclaimed loudly, "Congratulations, General, on attaining the Golden Immortal realm! From now on, you will be indestructible and enjoy eternal immortal bliss!"

"General, spare me..." The eagle demon reacted the fastest, immediately kneeling down and begging for mercy. The other two immortals also seemed to wake up from a dream and were about to speak, but Ding Lin was unwilling to give them the chance and flicked his sleeve.

The next moment, three more plumes of ashes appeared in the hall.

"Clang!"

Where the eagle demon had been standing, a black iron command token fell down with a soft sound. It turned out that the eagle demon was keeping this command token, but at this point it didn't matter who kept it.

Ding Lin waved his hand, putting the token back into his palm, and sat back down to ponder.

"You audacious Silver Ring, how dare you trespass into my hall without prior notice!" Ding Lin said indifferently. As long as you have enough strength, you will never lack excuses.

"Silver Ring harbored wolfish ambitions. Taking advantage of the general's cultivation, he secretly mobilized heavenly soldiers and broke into the Hall of Cultivation, intending to murder his superior to settle personal grudges. However, the general had already advanced to the Golden Immortal realm and killed this scoundrel along with his three accomplices. I served by the general's side and witnessed Silver Ring's evil deeds from beginning to end!"

Xin Jiadao further refined the details of the process, thus providing both a motive and witness testimony.

“So be it,” Ding Lin nodded in satisfaction. He then looked at Yin Huan. “The culprit has been identified. The thousand-plus heavenly soldiers outside are now in your care.”

"This subordinate obeys!" Xin Jia replied.

"Go ahead," Ding Lin waved his hand.

Xin Jia withdrew.

Ding Lin then looked at the four places where Yin Huan had originally stood. With Xin Jia's departure, the main hall became empty again, and even the few wisps of ashes turned into spiritual energy and disappeared without a trace.

It was truly a perfect opportunity.

If Yin Huan weren't under his command, he really wouldn't have been able to kill her directly. Just like how Wang Yu treated him before, although his status as a Celestial Immortal was noble, second only to a Golden Immortal, he was still a fish on the chopping block until he achieved his goal. He avoided immediate retaliation because he was directly under the command of Tianpeng and not under Wang Yu's command; otherwise...

Does a superior need a reason to kill you?

As the saying goes, "If you want to condemn someone, you can always find a pretext."

Now, however, the situation is different. Ding Lin has become a Golden Immortal. Although his official rank is still slightly lower than Wang Yu's, he is now truly on par with Wang Yu in terms of status.

Golden Immortals have endless lifespans, and the only ones they care about are each other. The immortals who are high and mighty in the eyes of mortals are nothing more than short-lived creatures that are easier to use in the eyes of Golden Immortals, and are not regarded as their own kind at all.

……

Above the stars.

In the big tent.

“You have improved somewhat,” Wang Yu nodded after listening to the report from the ghost immortal below. “You can go back now. I will write a report myself. Actually, if it weren’t for his status as a celestial being, which made it difficult to take action directly, there would be no need for such trouble.”

"But we'll need a charge of crime..."

Wang Yu suddenly stopped speaking. He stood up, having sensed a presence coming from the Peach Garden.

It's the aura of a Golden Immortal.

(End of this chapter)