The myth begins with the Lotus Lantern

Chapter 296 Serious Injury
Four towering Dharma images stood in the starry sky, each with a chain spanning the sky above its head. The core of each chain was a silver chain, with the remaining lower-level laws densely intertwined and woven together. The chain above Kunpeng's head was the thickest, with nearly two thousand laws wrapped around it. The Jade Emperor's chain was slightly less, with about seventeen or eighteen thousand laws. The Ziwei Emperor and Tathagata were roughly equal, each with about fifteen hundred laws.

The limit of the Taiyi realm is nine hundred and ninety-nine laws. Once you exceed that, and comprehend more than a thousand laws, you can rearrange and recombine them, using the highest-ranking law as the core, to transform the inner landscape into the most biased small world.

One person, one world; this is what is meant by the Great Luo.

Time, space, and destiny stand at the pinnacle of the laws. Cause and effect are slightly inferior, but they can still be considered to be on the same level. These are the four supreme laws. Below them, laws such as disaster, the five elements, and reincarnation are much weaker and are called the second tier.

Kunpeng is known for its speed, and when speed reaches its limit, it becomes time itself. While it cannot reverse time, it can almost bring things to a standstill.

The Great Emperor Ziwei attained enlightenment through the Nine-Bend Pearl and comprehended the concept of space.

The Jade Emperor has already enlightened living beings and given them new life, which is a manifestation of his manipulation of destiny.

The Buddha converted the barbarians to Buddhism. The West places the greatest emphasis on cause and effect, which is also the weakest of the four principles. He was exceptionally talented and, through years of immersion, actually gained some understanding.

Ding Lin stood in the Peach Garden, watching the four laws soar into the sky. For the first time in his life, he felt so close to the Dao. These profound insights he had encountered before surfaced in his mind, pointing him on the path ahead.

Beyond the Great Luo realm lies the Saint, who can only attain sainthood by taking the Four Supreme Laws as their core. Therefore, these four laws are also known as the foundation for sainthood, because only these four laws can support the assemblage of more than two thousand lower-level laws. At this point, if one obtains the Primordial Purple Qi, one will have the opportunity to attain sainthood.

In today's world, it is no longer possible.

If one cannot become a saint, but comprehends more than two thousand laws, one can be called a Primordial Limitless Golden Immortal. This is another path, but in essence, one is still a Great Luo Immortal. Unlike a saint, one cannot rely on the Heavenly Dao, where the world will not perish and the saint will not fall. However, purely in terms of combat power, a Primordial Limitless Golden Immortal may be comparable to a saint.

Ding Lin's eyes shone brightly. Under these four laws, the many fallen stars became mere background figures. Unless one deliberately tried to, they could no longer stir one's mind. Coincidentally, Ding Lin did try to do so.

At this moment, all the stars gathered together. To assist the Ziwei Emperor, all the star lords revealed their auras. In the Thirty-Three Heavens, the Golden Immortals were also using their own methods to resist the aftershocks of the Ziwei Emperor's palm strike. Tens of thousands of auras were mixed together, but it was indeed the best opportunity to find.

Ding Lin tried his best to free his mind to discern that aura. He wanted to find Qingyi. After that day, the more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong. It seemed that Qingyi was about to leave him forever.

How can this be allowed?

Finally, a divine light flashed above the constellation Kang.

Ding Lin caught a glimpse of that familiar aura. He focused his mind on it, and the next moment, he saw a scene that made his eyes widen in horror. The twenty-two stars representing the constellation Kang Su suddenly dimmed, and a divine light fell towards the mortal realm, withering away as it fell.

At first it was as bright as the rising sun, but in the end it was only a dim, firefly-like glow.

Do not!
Ding Lin could no longer care about anything else. Since becoming an immortal, he had never experienced a moment of intense passion, but at this moment, he felt his blood filling his pupils, and the world spun around him in an instant.

The next moment, Ding Lin's figure had disappeared from the spot.

What havoc in the Heavenly Palace, what listening to the Dao, all pale in comparison to her in that instant.

The Nine Luminaries Star Lords followed closely behind. They were somewhat surprised. The combined attack of the eight of them was indeed formidable. Although the Immortal's cultivation was extraordinary, having comprehended the Six Paths Laws and reached the peak of the mid-stage Golden Immortal realm, any one of them alone would be no match for him.

Although the combined power of the nine immortals was loose and still couldn't reach the level of Taiyi, their years of tacit cooperation meant that even a ninth-level Golden Immortal would be no match for them. This anti-immortal was hit but only seriously injured.

Of course, they didn't know that Qingyi had comprehended the Six Paths Laws through the "Lingbao Jue" and her physical body had reached the peak of the Golden Immortal level. It was precisely this powerful physical body that prevented Qingyi from dying immediately.

But it doesn’t matter anymore.

It's just another blow to the left or right.

This immortal being possesses a pure and unattached soul, suggesting he was never listed in the Investiture of the Gods. With his immortal golden elixir as proof, he would be a significant contributor to the war effort.

The woman in green fell very quickly.

But how could free fall compare to the gravitational acceleration of the Nine Luminaries Star Lord? In just a few breaths, he was overtaken again, and by this time, Qingyi's consciousness was already somewhat blurred.

After a few breaths of descent, they landed below the Heavenly Court, at the boundary between the mortal and immortal realms.

The Nine Luminaries surrounded them.

Just then, a cloud of mist drifted over.

It covered the area they had surrounded, no more, no less.

My vision suddenly dimmed.

The Sun Star Lord thought it was just ordinary clouds and mist, so he cast a law at the blue-robed figure in the clouds and mist—a law of fire, the intense heat of the sun at its zenith.

Qingyi's consciousness was already in a state between dreaming and waking. The burning sensation spread through her body. She struggled to raise a finger, but it fell limply back down the next moment. She no longer had the strength to resist. Her will to live was still strong, but even a skilled cook cannot make a meal without rice.

Sometimes, just because you want to live doesn't mean you can survive.

It’s over.

A thought flashed through my mind.

At the last moment, Qingyi felt as if she had fallen into a familiar and warm embrace.

he?
How could that be? It must be your imagination...

Qingyi thought for a moment, then lost consciousness and fainted.

Sun Star Lord watched helplessly as his sure-fire attack missed its mark. The next moment, the figure of the anti-immortal blurred, shifted three zhang to the side, and appeared outside the encirclement.
"Ride the clouds?"

Sun Star Lord's eyes flashed. He was a Golden Immortal who had lived for many years and had extensive knowledge. Over the long years, in addition to cultivation, he had also read all kinds of miscellaneous books and classics, some of which could be mastered and some of which could not. Although he had not mastered the Thirty-Six Transformations of the Heavenly Gang, he could still recognize this scene.

"Qingyi..."

Ding Lin's hands trembled. The moment he touched Qingyi, he sensed the life force rapidly draining from her body, like a candle flickering in the wind, on the verge of being extinguished at any moment.

"Hide your head and show your tail!"

The Moon Star Lord gave a cold shout, and a beam of cool light shone down, almost freezing the clouds and mist. But then the clouds and mist suddenly exploded, spreading over a thousand miles, and became impossible to find again.

Ding Lin was furious, but Qingyi was in such a state that it was not the time to fight. He took out a peach, brought it to Qingyi's pale lips, and squeezed out the juice. Qingyi had already lost the ability to swallow, and the juice slid down her lips and rolled down her snow-white neck. Ding Lin could only use the life force law he had obtained from refining the peach to channel a stream of magic power into Qingyi's body.

The Nine Luminaries Star Lord was unwilling to give up and continued searching in the clouds and mist.

"Hmph, one day... you will pay the price for today!"

Ding Lin did not reveal himself or make a move while he was in the clouds. After rescuing Qingyi, he turned and left. In an instant, the clouds and mist dissipated, leaving only a voice filled with murderous intent.

...A small lake, only a few miles in size.

On the lake, lotus leaves stretched out in abundance. Facing the night sky, an old turtle floated on the water, raising its neck to absorb the moonlight. It seemed that it had only recently begun its cultivation and was still in the initial stage of breathing exercises and accumulating energy.

Suddenly, a streak of light descended from the sky.

The dark clouds settled.

Ding Lin, holding Qingyi, leaped into the lake.

The old turtle was startled awake from its meditation. Its tiny, beady eyes blinked a few times, revealing its panic. Then, it glided silently along its four short legs toward the shore and hid among the water plants. From the figure that had just jumped down, it sensed an extremely terrifying aura. It secretly groaned and felt uneasy, but there was nothing it could do but hide beforehand.

Ding Lin ignored the old tortoise and kept pouring his magic power into Qingyi's body. However, within Qingyi's body, eight streams of magic power carrying the power of laws were rampaging and destroying. He tried his best to find a foothold as quickly as possible, but Qingyi's aura was still uncontrollably declining.

After leaping into the lake, Ding Lin immediately spotted a smooth blue stone about seven or eight zhang in size at the bottom of the lake. There were still faint traces of demonic energy on it. The old turtle could see it clearly from among the water plants. This was the place where he usually rested and lingered, but he dared not show his face at this moment.

"Qingyi..."

Ding Lin laid Qingyi flat on the bluestone and called out again, but the latter had lost all consciousness. What should he do? He searched every corner of his body, but apart from the dozens of peaches in his space, he had nothing. So, he could only continue to channel his magic power into Qingyi with one hand and take out the peaches with the other.

In the rush, Ding Lin didn't have time to think much. He could only take a big bite of the peach, then bring his mouth close and use his tongue to pry open Qingyi's teeth, transferring the peach's juice into Qingyi's mouth.

This is true three times.

Qingyi felt as if she were in a dream.

In a dried-up ditch, amidst a pile of mud, two fish huddled together. Under the scorching sun, their scales seemed about to crack. Across from them, a red carp sprayed saliva over them, trying to keep its gills moist and cling to life.

"Little...Little Red..."

Qingyi said that she felt a warm sensation on her lips, as if she had returned to the past. Her consciousness barely recovered, and she spoke in a daze, half-asleep.

"It's me, Qingyi...it's me..."

My eyelids trembled, and a blurry shadow flashed before my eyes.

wrong.

It's not a fish.

Sluggish thinking leads to denial.

That's true, how could he possibly be here?

He hadn't told him his whereabouts, so he should still be in the Peach Garden. That was for the best. It seemed that the Ziwei Emperor was going to lose. With that female immortal protecting him, he was naturally on the Jade Emperor's side.

So much the better.

But why am I seeing this scene again?

It was probably just a last gasp before death.

Qingyi thought to herself, she was aware of her situation. She had originally planned to rely on the strength of her physical body to withstand the attack and break through the encirclement, but who would have thought that the Nine Luminaries Star Lord would be so tacit, leaving no chance at all. Eight laws that could barely reach the upper level were rampaging in her body, and she couldn't stop them at all. She was only able to survive for a while because of the special nature of her cultivation technique. Now she was finally about to give up.

But why does my face still feel hot? This hallucination has been going on for far too long.

With her last bit of strength, Qingyi's vision blurred, and her eyes, which had barely opened, finally found a sliver of focus. The figure before her slowly became clearer: a figure in fiery red robes with an extremely ordinary face.

It's her little red one.

It wasn't his Xiao Hong either.

The deepest memory she has is of a red carp.

But how could what I saw be his transformed appearance?
"Xiaohong?"

Qingyi felt a little confused again and spoke up.

“It’s me… Qingyi… it’s me…” Ding Lin stammered, pressing his face against Qingyi’s. The latter did not keep her distance from him as she had last time.

"It really is you... Little Red... How come?" The corners of Qingyi's mouth curled up, and a glint of light suddenly appeared in her eyes.

“I sensed your presence in Kangsu… I’m too late…” Ding Lin’s face turned pale.

"You've been looking for me?" Qingyi laughed.

“Of course, how could I not go to find you? It’s not easy to meet you again, how could I bear to let you go like this? Qingyi… you are seriously injured, don’t speak, I will definitely heal you!” Ding Lin said. He took another bite of the peach, put his mouth close, and poured the juice into Qingyi’s lips. But what his lips met suddenly turned into two fish lips.

However, Qingyi's body had already lost its human form due to severe injuries and began to degenerate. First, it became a dragon, then a dragonfish, its tail swaying gently in the water, and finally it degenerated into its original form, a large blue fish several meters long.

Eight gruesome wounds lay on his back, blood seeping out and failing to heal.

Ding Lin opened his mouth, letting the peach pit fall out. It was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, and he suddenly felt icy cold all over.

The next moment, he calmed down from his panic. He placed one hand on the woman in blue and continuously channeled his magic power into her to maintain her life. Meanwhile, his mind raced.

How to save?
……

In the starry sky, after a brief standoff, the great battle resumed.

Kunpeng and the Jade Emperor fought on one side, while Tathagata chose Ziwei as his opponent. The four paths were intertwined. Kunpeng and Ziwei had the advantage, but the Jade Emperor had Tathagata's help and the great supernatural power of One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones. Although he was at a disadvantage, he was never completely suppressed.

More importantly, the four fought, and their Dao principles intertwined, subtly touching the realm of Hunyuan Wuji. This is a power that the current world does not allow to exist. Kunpeng and Ziwei wanted to drag the battlefield into the outer chaos to completely suppress the Jade Emperor and Tathagata. Of course, the Jade Emperor and Tathagata were unwilling. Within the world, having something to fear made it easier for them to weigh their options.

With restraint yet flamboyance, this great battle lasted for three full days.

Kunpeng, the Jade Emperor, Ziwei, and Tathagata—the four of them were evenly matched, but the power structure of the Heavenly Court had already been reshuffled. The Jade Emperor, having reigned for many years, still possessed a deeper foundation. Three days later, Ziwei Emperor's subordinates, except for the most core members, suffered a complete defeat.

However, with no clear winner at the top, they ultimately had to compromise.

(End of this chapter)