The myth begins with the Lotus Lantern

Chapter 300 Yellow River Water Lord
Inside Ding Lin's body, the half-move of the Southern Dipper Star Lord, which was entangled with the laws of space, suddenly stopped and then disappeared silently, as if it had never existed.

Eradicated from the root.

Ding Lin's pupils suddenly contracted. No wonder he had always felt that the withered leaves of the Lotus Lantern were not completely submissive. It turned out that it was not an illusion. Unbeknownst to him, this alien will had quietly taken root in his inner world. Over the years, if it weren't for the allure of the green lotus in the sweet spring, it would probably still be dormant and had not yet revealed its true nature.

The inner grotto, the place to lie down...

How can we tolerate this?

Ding Lin's eyes suddenly sharpened. He focused his will into a large hand, looked down and grabbed the newly blossoming lotus at the junction of the water and the shore, pulled it upwards.

Inside the inner grotto, the golden elixir hanging high in the sky suddenly dimmed, and raging waves surged up, forming giant waves hundreds of feet high, crashing down. On the other side, the surface of the lightning-struck wood, which had been quiet all along, lit up with a faint light, trying its best to calm the turmoil in the grotto.

Ding Lin gritted his teeth and continued to exert force. Even if it greatly damaged his vital energy and his very essence, he was determined to eradicate this scourge completely!

"Crench!"

The seven chains of laws trembled violently, showing signs of dissipating.

Within the inner grotto, the vital energy suddenly scattered.

Ding Lin felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, and the flow of demonic energy within his body abruptly halted. He spat out a mouthful of blood, unable to continue his attempt to pluck the lotus. The lotus had already fully matured and merged with his inner world. If he were to recklessly pluck it, his inner world would likely collapse before the lotus was even removed, his laws would scatter, and his body would be overwhelmed by the demonic energy, resulting in the destruction of his soul and spirit.

Inside the inner grotto, the large hand that had been holding the lotus leaf suddenly released its grip, and the lotus leaf, which had been half pulled up, slowly grew back.

The green lotus leaves trembled slightly, as if they were whistling.

With this slight tremor, the golden core in the inner grotto-heaven regained its brilliance, the water returned to calm, and the seven laws suspended on the sea straightened up again, creating a peaceful scene. Even the injuries on the body were healed, the demonic energy gathered again, and the chaos was restored.

Ding Lin watched this scene unfold quietly, his eyes growing increasingly dark, and it was unclear what he was thinking.

……

In the starry sky, with the return of the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King and other celestial beings, the dust finally settled.

"So, shall we continue?" the Jade Emperor asked.

"What do those battles mean to us, Haotian? You should know that the big picture lies with us, not with them," Kunpeng said with a disdainful smile.

"Then let's continue fighting like this. I think there's no need to hold back anymore. Let's fight until heaven and earth are shattered, the Three Realms cease to exist, and we can all wander in the chaos." The Jade Emperor didn't hold back either.

"Please wait a moment, Your Majesty. Since the Great Celestial Venerable has spoken, he must have something to say. Why not listen?" Buddha said with a smile.

The Kunpeng remained silent.

"Tell me about it," said the Ziwei Emperor.

"If this fighting continues without end, I suggest we each cease hostilities and return to the way things were before the war," the Jade Emperor said.

"You and Ziwei naturally have no objection to this, but are we, the old man and Tathagata, just here for nothing, to accompany you in this charade?" Kunpeng sneered.

The Buddha smiled but remained silent.

"What does the sorcerer mean?" the Jade Emperor asked.

"I won't say much more. I want Beiju Luzhou, along with the original Beiming. This is what Ziwei promised me before," Kunpeng said.

“Xiniu Hezhou is now under the actual control of my Great Leiyin Temple. This humble monk asks for a formal title. Furthermore, the West is barren, and the Great Heavenly Venerable has just spoken and allowed my Southern Toad Continent to spread the teachings,” said Tathagata.

"If I agree to your request, may we stop here?" the Jade Emperor asked.

“Naturally, my demon race is now at its wits' end, hiding in a corner of the Northern Sea. If it weren’t for a little bit of land to survive, why would I, at my advanced age, go against the tide and get involved in this mess?” Kunpeng said.

"The same is true for this humble monk," said the Buddha.

“Very well, I grant your request,” the Jade Emperor readily agreed, but a sense of unease suddenly arose in the heart of the Ziwei Emperor. “Now, the entire Heavenly Court and all the stars in the heavens, except for the Ziwei Star, are all under my control. After today, this situation will remain!”

"Haotian!" The Ziwei Emperor's expression changed drastically.

But Kunpeng and Tathagata had already obtained what they wanted, and remained silent.

"As for you, Ziwei, you will remain the second of the Six Emperors, the Great Emperor Ziwei of the North Pole of the Central Heaven. The Ziwei Star will naturally remain your palace in the heavens. I will place the Eastern Continent under your control, and you will govern a state in the mortal realm. From now on, the purple aura coming from the east will be a beautiful story. From now on, you will not be allowed to enter the Heavenly Court except for the Grand Court Assembly!"

"You're trying to banish me!" Emperor Ziwei gritted his teeth, but he also knew that Kunpeng had been satisfied by the Jade Emperor, and he had no leverage to object. No wonder the Jade Emperor agreed to Kunpeng and Buddha so readily; he had already planned to make amends with him.

"You saw it just now. I have the Investiture of the Gods in my hands. Apart from you and Gouchen, who can rival me with their six imperial ranks, which of the celestial beings on the list can defy me? Your power is nothing but a firefly's light. You never had a chance to begin with. I just don't want any more trouble in the future. I want to completely unify the heavens. While I'm still willing to give you the Eastern Continent, you'd better behave yourself." The Jade Emperor's eyes were icy.

Emperor Ziwei was extremely indignant, but since things had come to this point, he could only accept it.

"Whether you can be kings or emperors in the mortal realm, I don't care. But there is one condition: you must remain under the rule of my Heavenly Court and not allow the Three Realms to be separated," the Jade Emperor concluded.

"The Great Heavenly Venerable is the supreme being of the Three Realms. This was personally determined by the Dao Ancestor, and it will naturally not change in the future," said Tathagata.

Kunpeng and Ziwei remained silent, indicating their agreement.

"Then this farce shall end here," said the Jade Emperor.

All four stopped fighting at the same time.

"Amitabha Buddha, now that this matter is settled, this humble monk will return to the West." The Buddha proclaimed a Buddhist chant, and boundless Buddha light surged forth. His figure vanished instantly, heading towards the western horizon.

"call!"

With a flick of his sleeve, Kunpeng vanished from the spot without any visible movement.

In the starry sky, only the Ziwei Emperor and the Jade Emperor remained, facing off.

"I have lost, utterly defeated!"

After a short while, the Ziwei Emperor spoke, his voice dejected.

brush!
With a flick of his sleeve, the Great Emperor Ziwei had left few of his former subordinates in the Heavenly Court. Apart from the Big Dipper Star Lord who was still locked in a stalemate with Li Jing at Yaochi, there was only the Southern Dipper Star Lord of Ziwei Star and a few dozen other Star Lords at the Golden Immortal level. With this flick of his sleeve, the world instantly shifted, gathering these people together. Then, he transformed into a dazzling purple light and fell eastward.

In the starry sky, the Jade Emperor's expression gradually faded, his face becoming ashen. The Queen Mother appeared beside him at some point and gently took his hand.

The Jade Emperor's expression softened, and he sighed softly. This time, he seemed to have quelled the rebellion and brought the entire Heavenly Realm under his control, but from now on, he would only have a superficial title in the mortal world. He had lost control, and the gains and losses were only weighed in his heart.

"Go back, there are still many things for you to decide," said the Queen Mother. The Jade Emperor nodded, and with a flick of his sleeve, the immortals in the starry sky returned to the Heavenly Court.

In an instant, the restrictions of the Thirty-Three Heavens were repaired, and the Lingxiao Palace was restored to its original appearance.

……

An hour later.

Inside the Lingxiao Palace, the Emperor and Empress sat on high thrones.

The majestic celestial light illuminated the entire hall, and the previous mess and disorder were gone.

The officials stood in two rows, stretching from inside the hall to outside.

Below the jade steps, Venus, holding a bright yellow brocade, read out the imperial decree:

"...Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, protected Yaochi from loss and was given another 10,000 heavenly soldiers to serve under his command. Nezha, the Third Prince...Wang E, the Thunder God, was promoted to the fourth rank for his meritorious service in protecting the Lingxiao Palace...Jin Lin, the Deputy General of the Heavenly River, fought against the rebel immortals and made great contributions. However, although it was unintentional, it was a fact that he damaged the third-grade Pure White Lotus of Yaochi. This detracted from his merits, so he was only promoted to the fourth rank and appointed as the Yellow River Water Lord..."

Ding Lin felt relieved upon hearing this; thankfully, it was just another trip to the lower realm, and his rank had even been upgraded.

"...All the celestial beings of the Heavenly Court who are below the seventh rank and participate in the campaign against the rebellion will be promoted to the first rank..."

The lengthy imperial edict was read aloud by Venus for quite some time before he finally finished. He closed the edict, bowed to the Jade Emperor, and then stepped aside.

"The chaos in the Heavenly Court has been successfully quelled thanks to the efforts of all of you. However, with the great chaos now over, I am truly unsettled. Let's leave it at that for today, Taibai," the Jade Emperor then instructed Taibai Jinxing, "You will discuss this with Wenchang later to see if there are any omissions in the rewards. We must ensure that all those who have made contributions are rewarded!"

"The minister obeys the order!"

Wenchang Dijun stepped out of the procession and bowed to Taibai Jinxing together.

High above, divine light shines.

The Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother have disappeared without a trace.

The court session has ended.

Ding Lin stood at the back of the procession, not far from the palace gate. Just as he was about to walk out, a person suddenly squeezed past him. He was dressed in a wide, deep red robe; it was Wang E.

"After we parted that day, although I guessed that with Brother Jin's extraordinary talent, he would surely become one of us in the future, I never expected that day to come so quickly. Reaching the Golden Immortal realm is as easy as drinking water for him, and... the Seven Laws! He actually held out for so long against the forces of the Big Dipper. He is already qualified to wear a purple robe in the late stage of the Golden Immortal realm," Wang E sighed. "Although the reward was less because of the damage to the Pure World White Lotus, the positions of Yellow River Water Lord and Dragon God of the Four Rivers are positions that were previously only held by third-rank officials. It is clear that His Majesty and the Empress still trust Brother Jin."

"Brother Wang, you flatter me," Ding Lin smiled, but the smile did not reach his eyes, it was only on the surface. The matter of Qinghe was a thorn in his side as long as it was not resolved. "Brother Wang has been promoted to the fourth rank this time, and will be serving in the imperial court in the future. You are truly promising."

"Haha!" Wang laughed maliciously. "His Majesty has rewarded me handsomely. Brother Jin, do you have some free time later? Come over to my place for a few drinks. We've been friends for a long time. It's just a pity that you're about to take up your post in the mortal realm. Come visit me first, so that we can have a good time together when you go to Heaven to report on your duties in the future."

“Brother Wang’s kindness is something I shouldn’t refuse, but although I was lucky enough to survive under Nan Dou’s attack, I was seriously injured and need to go back to heal myself as soon as possible,” Ding Lin said.

"Oh!" Wang E's face turned serious. A flash of light appeared in his palm as he took out a token and handed it to Ding Lin. "It was my oversight. In that case, Brother Jin, you should focus on healing your injuries. This token is a token I received. Please keep it for now. I have served in the Thunder Department for many years and have some connections. Since you are the Dragon God, you will inevitably have to deal with the Thunder Department in the future. If there are any minor matters, you can use this token to ask your former colleagues for a favor."

"Thank you, Brother Wang."

Ding Lin accepted it. He also wanted to find something to give back, but even counting from the day he ascended to immortality, it had been a short time, so where would he find such things? He looked a little embarrassed.

"There's plenty of time in the future. Brother Jin's injuries are serious, so please go and heal them quickly," Wang said with a kind smile.

As they spoke, they had already walked out of the palace gate.

"Then I'll take my leave. Brother Wang, please wait." Ding Lin's figure leaped up, transforming into a streak of light, and headed down to the lower heavens.

“That colleague from just now was quite unfamiliar. Do you know him, Brother Wang?” A familiar Golden Immortal approached Wang E from behind and asked.

"During the chaotic battle just now, I was very close to Yaochi and saw him and Tiannu join forces and actually hold their own against Beidou. Since I knew such a person before, how could I not befriend him?"

Wang Edao concealed the fact that Ding Lin's cultivation was extremely fast. Apart from the scene that many people witnessed that day, he hid everything else.

"Oh, such extraordinary supernatural powers! In the future, could you please introduce this fellow immortal to me?" the Golden Immortal said.

“No problem,” Wang said with a wicked smile.

……

Yaochi.

As Ding Lin descended, the restrictions on the Peach Garden naturally cracked, allowing him to enter unimpeded. He had recently been appointed as the Yellow River Water Lord in the Lingxiao Palace, and the imperial decree had been issued, but there were still procedures to be followed, and the duties of the Peach Garden had not yet been handed over. Therefore, the garden was temporarily under his control.

Upon entering the Peach Garden, they saw a thousand armored soldiers arrayed in formation. Xin Jia was at the center of the formation, fully alert, while seven female immortals were also present, hidden behind the formation.

"General Jin...!" Upon seeing Ding Lin, the Five Fairies' eyes lit up, and they almost called him by the wrong title.

"Granddaughter!" Ding Lin nodded to the seven fairies, then looked at Xin Jia, "The rebellion has been quelled, everything is fine now, there's no need to be so vigilant anymore."

Xin Jia and his soldiers all breathed a sigh of relief. If war really broke out and the Heavenly Court was thrown into chaos, the high-ranking figures might not be affected, but low-ranking celestial soldiers like them would suffer heavy losses. If that were to happen, who knew how many of these thousand or so people would survive?

"Let's call it a day. Everything remains the same as before."

Ding Lin waved.

Xin Jia quickly made arrangements, and the thousand-plus heavenly soldiers returned to their respective positions. As they dispersed, the tense and desolate atmosphere in the Peach Garden eased.

“This is not the place to talk. Let’s go to the small building,” Ding Lin said to Xin Jia. He then looked at the seven female immortals. “Your granddaughters have probably been frightened as well. Why don’t you all rest together for a while?”

"During this turmoil, we seven sisters have taken refuge under the general's command, and naturally we will obey the general's orders," said the Great Fairy.

So, the group headed towards the small building.

……

Small building.

The seven female immortals were arranged in a side hall.

In the main hall, Ding Lin sat in the main seat, while Xin Jia stood in the center.

"I just saw that there was no major problem in the garden. I went to the starry sky and was fortunate enough to make some meritorious contributions. I will be transferred from the Peach Garden soon. His Majesty the Jade Emperor has promoted me to the fourth rank and appointed me to temporarily take over the position of Yellow River Water Lord. I ask you, are you willing to come with me to take up this post?"

(End of this chapter)