The myth begins with the Lotus Lantern

Chapter 306 Battle with Yang Jian
“You…” Yang Chan’s expression finally became lively.

"My name isn't Jin Lin either, it's Ding Lin."

"The 'ding' in 'lilac' and the 'lin' in 'peach grove'."

Ding Lin looked at Yang Chan and repeated the same words, exactly the same as when they parted years ago. He tried his best to reproduce the words, and his tone and manner were exactly the same.

"Yang Chan".

Ding Lin called out.

Yang Chan paused for a moment.

"Ding Lin," she called out.

"Actually, you probably already guessed it, right? If we meet again, you can call me... Yang Chan."

Memories surfaced in Yang Chan's mind: the moat under the prayer lanterns that night was dark and unclear, as if a long time had passed, yet it also felt like it had just happened.

“It’s me.” Ding Lin nodded.

“It really is you,” Yang Chan said, walking towards Ding Lin.

Ding Lin was also walking towards Yang Chan.

Yang Chan habitually raised her hand and extended a slender, white hand toward Ding Lin. This was a gesture she often made when feeding Ding Lin in the lotus pond. Back then, she would hold the pills in her palm and place them on the water's surface, and Ding Lin would swim over and catch them with its snout.

But now that the red carp has transformed into a human, this action naturally seems inappropriate.

Yang Chan immediately realized something was wrong and lowered her hand that was halfway up.

When Ding Lin saw Yang Chan reach out her hand to him, he was overjoyed and immediately extended his right hand as well.

It sounds complicated, but in reality, it only takes a few breaths.

Yang Chan and Ding Lin were now less than a step apart.

Suddenly, Yang Chan stopped. Now that she realized Ding Lin was no longer the same as before, new problems followed. The human and the demon were now extremely close, close enough to hear each other's breathing.

Yang Chan easily saw Ding Lin's transformed appearance; he had an ordinary face, but his demeanor was somewhat dignified.

Perhaps it's the temperament he developed from ruling the mountains for so many years.

Yang Chan thought, but at this moment, apart from finding a sense of familiarity in Ding Lin's eyes, Ding Lin's behavior and appearance were completely those of a stranger. From childhood to adulthood, apart from her father and two older brothers, she had never been so close to a man. Just now, the joy of the long-awaited reunion had made her temporarily dizzy. Now that she had come to her senses, out of a woman's instinct, she took a step back.

What lay before them was no longer the red carp from the lotus pond, but a transformed great demon.

Ding Lin's outstretched right hand grasped nothing. He saw Yang Chan retreat, and his smile faltered. Jin Xian's mind raced, and he almost immediately guessed the reason for Yang Chan's evasion. He understood, but he couldn't help feeling a chill in his heart, and his smile faltered as well.

Although it only lasted for a moment, it quickly returned to normal.

Yang Chan did not reveal any of this.

"Only a few hundred years have passed, and you've already taken human form. That's wonderful."

Yang Chan said that she was genuinely happy for Ding Lin.

Aside from the initial period after rescuing Ding Lin, Yang Chan never truly regarded Ding Lin as just a carp. After all, although Ding Lin had the body of a carp, he possessed the soul of a mature adult.

Decades of getting along.

They relied on each other in their loneliness and solitude.

This feeling has definitely gone beyond simple friendship; it's a different kind of trust, but it's difficult to describe in detail.

That day, Qingyi came to her door and talked about Ding Lin. In her words, it seemed that Ding Lin was already hers. For some reason, even though there was nothing wrong, Yang Chan felt very uncomfortable. Because of this, even though she was at a significant disadvantage in terms of magical power, she couldn't help but argue with Qingyi.

"How have you been all these years? How far are you from the Immortal Realm? I have a golden pill that my second brother sent me a few days ago, which I can give to you."

As Yang Chan spoke, she suddenly realized that she couldn't see through Ding Lin's cultivation level. However, she didn't think that Ding Lin's cultivation level had surpassed hers. Cultivation was extremely difficult. Even her second brother, who was exceptionally talented and born as a descendant of a primordial deity, and had a famous teacher to guide him, still took several decades to reach the Immortal Realm. As for herself, it took her several hundred years to barely reach the Primordial Spirit Realm.

In Yang Chan's view, since Ding Lin has now taken human form, it is clear that his cultivation level is at least at the primordial spirit level. He must have had some extraordinary encounters while traveling outside these years. The reason why she cannot see through Ding Lin's cultivation level is perhaps because Ding Lin has cultivated an extremely profound method of concealing his breath.

"You can keep it for yourself, I don't need it." Ding Lin smiled and shook his head.

“The tribulation of demons is extraordinary. This golden core is useless to me. Giving it to you is where it will truly come in handy,” Yang Chan said.

Ding Lin paused for a moment. He looked at Yang Chan, who was so devoted to him, and his heart warmed again, the chill from before vanishing.

"You can't stay on Mount Hua for long. The Great Emperor of the Western Peak is in charge of the mountain. He is a divine being who is also a bird of feathers. Although you are a creature of scales and armor, the Great Emperor of the Western Peak received a decree from the Great Heavenly Venerable a few years ago and is now trying to expand his divine authority. Near Mount Hua, all the demons who have become powerful have been captured by his divine officials and princesses. Take the pills and leave quickly. When you become an immortal one day, you can easily enter the celestial register. When that time comes, come and find me, and I will explain things to you and arrange another celestial register for you."

As Yang Chan spoke, a flash of light appeared in her palm, and she took out a jade bottle.

"Your concealment technique is quite good. The Great Emperor of the Western Mountain holds a high position and great power. He usually only goes into seclusion when he has nothing to do and does not pay attention to the outside world. If you leave now, those gods and princesses will not be able to find you."

Ding Lin listened quietly, feeling Yang Chan's concern.

Yang Chan looked at Ding Lin. If the red carp back then was only mature in thought, then now that it had cultivated to the primordial spirit and taken human form, it had grown up completely. She felt gratified, but also mixed with some other indescribable emotions.

"I don't need it, you see."

As Ding Lin spoke, he channeled his spiritual power to manifest his official robes. The red robes became even more profound, adorned with intricate cloud patterns, and a jade seal hung at his waist—the typical attire of a fourth-rank official in the Heavenly Court.

But Yang Chan's face suddenly turned deathly pale. Her gaze did not fall on Ding Lin's deliberately exposed court robes, but instead looked behind Ding Lin.

“Second... Brother,” Yang Chan said.

Second brother...

Yang Jian?

Ding Lin's eyes flashed, and he raised an eyebrow, completely unaware of what was happening.

The Eight-Nine Arcane Arts are truly extraordinary; the method of concealing one's aura contained within them was able to evade his perception, even though he had focused most of his energy on Yang Chan just now.

Ding Lin turned around.

Sure enough, several dozen feet behind them, at the city gate, a divine light blocked the view of mortals, but those who had achieved mastery of cultivation could see clearly: a golden-armored deity bathed in sunlight, with three eyes on his forehead, exuding an imposing aura without anger. Circling around the deity's left leg, a large yellow dog lowered its head, secretly glancing at Yang Chan.

The Howling Celestial Dog was not a greyhound.

In my distant memory, the image of the Howling Celestial Dog also seems to have appeared.

At that time, Ding Lin had neither the inclination nor the energy to explore, but now, even if Yang Jian were right in front of him, he could still make connections with great interest.

"Third Sister, I couldn't find you at the temple. I thought you might be restless and came to the foot of the mountain for a walk, so I came looking for you," Yang Jian said, calling out to his third sister, but his gaze remained fixed on Ding Lin, and his third eye on his forehead was also open.

Ding Lin felt a blur before his eyes, and it seemed as if a divine light shot out from Yang Jian's third eye.

"What do you think it is? It's just a wicked dragon. Even the dragons of the Four Seas wouldn't dare treat my sister like this. You junior," Yang Jian said, his eyes filled with killing intent. A flash of spiritual light appeared in his palm, and suddenly, he drew his Three-Pointed Double-Edged Sword, using it as a spear, with three sharp blades pointing at Ding Lin. "Do you know the origin of my Three-Pointed Double-Edged Sword? It was originally a three-headed divine dragon, which I refined into a weapon."

As Erlang Shen spoke, he unleashed his aura without reservation, pressing down on Ding Lin.

Tolerable or unbearable.

His sister, whom he had cherished like a precious jewel for tens of thousands of years and whose only relative was now so close to this wicked dragon, was now being deceived by this dragon. Dragons are inherently lewd and adept at sweet talk; his sister was as innocent as paper and must have been tricked by this dragon.

"Second Brother." Yang Chan reached out to pull Ding Lin behind her, but couldn't budge him. Her face showed anxiety, and she scolded Erlang Shen with her eyebrows raised, "What are you trying to do now!"

What do I want to do?
Hearing his sister's questioning, Yang Jian felt extremely wronged. The Heavenly Court was undergoing a great upheaval. After being summoned by the Jade Emperor to Flower Fruit Mountain to capture the demon monkey, he rushed to Mount Hua without stopping, fearing that Mount Hua would also be affected by the chaos in the Heavenly Palace.

Unexpectedly, all her devoted care was met with such a rebuke.

"Third sister, get out of the way!"

Yang Jian said in a deep voice. He was filled with anger, but he could not direct his anger at Yang Chan. Perhaps it was because of his responsibility as an elder brother, or because of his guilt over what he had done back then, or for some other reason, but all his anger turned into flames and poured out on Ding Lin.

It's all because of this evil dragon!

After all these years, I have tried my best and finally managed to get my sister's attitude towards me to improve.

Now, in one fell swoop, everything has been thrown back to square one.

Yang Jian was furious. He opened his third eye to its maximum size, and nine laws rose behind him. As expected of Erlang Shen, he dared to call himself a minor saint even before reaching the Taiyi realm. Although part of this was because he was the Jade Emperor's nephew, his magical power was as deep as the sea, and he had indeed cultivated the Golden Immortal realm to its extreme.

Nine levels of Golden Immortal.

Ding Lin was somewhat puzzled. If his memories from his previous life were correct, Yang Jian fought the Stone Monkey to a standstill at Flower Fruit Mountain, only managing to win by a single move. Wasn't the Stone Monkey only at the fourth level of the Golden Immortal realm? A ninth-level cultivator should have easily crushed a fourth-level one, so how could the fight have come to this?

wrong.

Ding Lin's eyes flashed. The last time he saw the stone monkey was when he immobilized the seven fairies in the Peach Garden. After that, the stone monkey went to the Jade Pool. If his memories from his previous life were correct, the stone monkey should have also gone to the Tushita Palace. Among so many elixirs, there might be one that could directly grant one the power of law and allow one to ascend to heaven in one step.

That makes sense.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here, he can't hurt you." Yang Chan said. She made a hand seal, and the Lotus Lantern in her sleeve flew out, spreading out a green light that enveloped her and Ding Lin. "Second brother, we have been siblings for tens of thousands of years, and I have never asked you for anything. Just this once, please let him go."

"Third Sister!" Yang Jian's three eyes on his forehead throbbed.

"You want to kill me, and coincidentally, so do I." Ding Lin suddenly spoke from within the light screen. He flashed out from the protection of Yang Chanbao's lotus lantern. If it weren't for Yang Jian back then, he might not have cultivated such magical power at this moment, but he would definitely still be able to stay in the lotus pond of the Huashan Dojo.

good chance!
A divine light shot out from Yang Jian's third eye and struck Ding Lin. He didn't even use any laws; for such a wicked dragon, this divine light was enough to turn him into dust.

"Come back...no!"

Yang Chan exclaimed. She had always been slender and self-disciplined, and rarely lost her composure in public.

"rest assured."

Ding Lin smiled at Yang Chan and waved his hand lightly. The next moment, as the divine light arrived, his figure suddenly exploded.

A sudden gust of wind swept across the flat ground, accompanied by swirling clouds and mist.

Yang Chan felt a little relieved. Only then did she remember the clothes Ding Lin had changed into: deep red with a jade seal at his waist. This was the attire of a fourth-rank official in the Heavenly Court. A fourth-rank official needed at least a mid-stage Golden Immortal cultivation level to perform his duties.

However, he was only at the mid-stage of the Golden Immortal realm.

But his elder brother had already cultivated to the peak of the Golden Immortal realm.

“You are no match for him. Come back. I have the Lotus Lantern. As long as you give me your magical power, with the power of a Golden Immortal, he cannot break through the Lotus Lantern’s defense. Come back quickly,” Yang Chan said, her voice more reassuring.

The sound only fueled Yang Jian's killing intent. The suddenly dispersing clouds were undoubtedly the work of that evil dragon. Riding the clouds was a law that dragons could easily comprehend because of their similar nature. But they thought that hiding in the clouds would deceive his eyes and ears.

Big mistake!

Yang Jian's third eye emitted a golden light, and the clouds and mist in his field of vision dissipated. But just then, "Woof!" The celestial hound beside him suddenly barked alertly. Yang Jian immediately came to his senses, and on a whim, he held his three-pointed double-edged sword horizontally above his head without thinking.

"Clang!"

A crisp clang of metal striking metal rang out.

A dragon claw emerged from the clouds overhead, its six toes a dark red color. It touched the three-pointed, double-edged sword and separated instantly, its physical strength in no way inferior to that of the divine weapon.

Yang Jian broke out in a cold sweat. Anger can easily make people lose their minds. If it weren't for Xiaotianquan's warning, he might have already fallen into the trap. If that claw had hit him on the head, even with his mastery of the Eight or Nine Divine Skills, he would probably have been seriously injured.

"It's a good dog!" A faint voice came from the mist.

"Hide your head and show your tail!"

Yang Jian had almost suffered a loss in silence, but he had completely calmed down. He snorted coldly, gathered the nine laws into a ball to protect himself, and scanned the clouds with his divine eyes as if by lightning, waiting to find a trace so he could strike Ding Lin with lightning speed. His initial contempt had been completely discarded.

"brush!"

Another claw strike came from the side.

Yang Jian's spiritual senses flashed wildly as he sensed it. He brandished his three-pointed double-edged sword horizontally, and the next moment his eyes widened in fury. "You dare!" Yang Jian had judged the direction correctly, but misjudged the target. Ding Lin's attack did indeed come from the side, but it wasn't aimed at him. The six dragon toes and claws were actually heading towards Xiaotian Dog. Yang Jian exerted all his strength, pushing the three-pointed double-edged sword forward, but he was still a step too slow.

"Crack!"

Ding Lin crushed the head of the Howling Celestial Dog with a single claw.

(End of this chapter)