The myth begins with the Lotus Lantern

Chapter 307 Sanctification of the Physical Body
A law flew out from the top of the Celestial Hound's head.

Ding Lin was somewhat surprised. This big dog looked ordinary. Apart from being alert, it seemed not very smart and couldn't even speak human language. He wondered what Yang Jian had fed it, that it had become a Golden Immortal.

Is this the foundation of the second generation of immortals?

Ding Lin guessed that it was most likely an elixir from the Tushita Palace.

But such resistance is futile.

They can't even procrastinate.

It's like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

Ding Lin's outstretched dragon claw, with each of its six toes wreathed in a law, easily shattered the skull.

brush!
Yang Jian's three-pointed double-edged sword was only handed over at this moment. The blade grazed Ding Lin's scales, making a piercing sonic boom.

Although the attack was hasty, its power was by no means weak.

"Howling Sky Dog!"

Yang Jian's attack missed, but he forced Ding Lin back, giving him time to check on Xiaotian Dog.

Ding Lin retracted the dragon claw, and his figure disappeared into the clouds again. The dragon claw quickly transformed back into a palm. He looked at his wrist, where a thin wound appeared, oozing a line of blood. He activated the life force within his body, and immediately, the small wound disappeared.

He then looked at Yang Jian, who was on guard while picking up the dead dog at his feet.

Ding Lin noticed that Yang Jian's face showed shock and gloom, but not sadness.

Sure enough, the next moment, as a ray of divine light fell from Yang Jian's three eyes on his forehead, the shattered skull of the Howling Celestial Dog was quickly repaired. As soon as he let go, the big yellow dog rolled away in the wind.

A beam of divine light descended from the heavens.

"Wang!"

The Celestial Hound, having died and been resurrected, sniffed the air with some fear before shrinking to Yang Jian's feet and hiding himself.

Ding Lin sensed clearly that the divine light descending from the heavens enveloped a true spirit. He remembered that Yang Jian, the Second Gentleman of Guanjiangkou, earned his title during the Investiture of the Gods. He was one of only eight great gods on the list who achieved physical sainthood.

Unsurprisingly, Xiaotianquan, as an important component of Erlang Shen's fighting force, should also be on the Investiture of the Gods list as an appendage, even though he doesn't have an independent spot.

Ding Lin carefully sensed the body of the Celestial Hound and the primordial spirit hidden within it. Unlike the great gods on the Investiture of the Gods list that he had seen in the Heavenly Realm, those great gods, even if their magical power was more profound, exuded an illusory aura. They were not as real and tangible as the Celestial Hound and Yang Jian.

He finally understood the true value of achieving sainthood through physical body. He could enjoy the benefits of the Investiture of the Gods without being restricted by it, and could still improve his cultivation. However, it couldn't be said to be a win-win situation. With the constraints of the physical body, his true spirit could not be completely integrated into the Investiture of the Gods. Just now, if Yang Jian hadn't stepped in to repair Xiaotianquan's body, he would never have been able to revive and would have truly been listed on the list.

Ding Lin recalled that when he was still in the lotus pond, Yang Jian was seriously injured. In the battle, he was attacked by a demon sage of a higher rank from the Northern Underworld. His physical injuries did not improve for a long time. In the end, it was Kang, the eldest of the Six Monsters of Meishan, who came to Mount Hua and borrowed the Lotus Lantern, which cured his injuries.

It sounds complicated, but the few exchanges between Ding Lin and Yang Jian actually only took a short time, ending with the resurrection of Xiaotian Dog.

"Don't make a move!" Yang Chan looked around but couldn't find Ding Lin in the clouds. Seeing that the initial confrontation hadn't caused any consequences and that Ding Lin had actually managed to hold his own against Yang Jian for the time being, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. Knowing that she couldn't persuade the furious Yang Jian, she shouted towards the clouds, "Golden Scale, that's enough. You can leave now!"

He only called her Jinlin because he was afraid of revealing Ding Lin's real name to Yang Jian.

call!
A gust of wind swept by, and elm seeds swirled and flew up from under the elm trees at the city gate.

Clouds roll and unroll.

The extremely low-lying clouds were also moving.

Although he was annoyed, after testing the waters, Ding Lin was certain that while he was no longer afraid of Yang Jian, he also had Xiaotianquan by his side, and with the wonder of Yang Jian's third eye, he couldn't do anything to Yang Jian. They were probably evenly matched, and there was no point in continuing the fight.

In the mist, the emerald green light of the Lotus Lantern suddenly flickered.

However, Ding Lin reached out, but Bao Lian Deng noticed him.

Yang Chan waved her hand and put away the Lotus Lantern.

"Humph!"

Yang Jian naturally noticed the commotion. He flashed forward and brought his three-pointed double-edged sword down, but Yang Chan had just put away the Lotus Lantern. Fearing that he might hurt Yang Chan, he could only hastily sheathe his sword.

Ding Lin manipulated a cloud of mist to climb up Yang Chan's waist. He understood that Yang Chan was not yet familiar with him as a human-god, so he deliberately avoided physical contact. This cloud of mist was purely gathered from magical power. He did not want to force Yang Chan, but he also wanted to take Yang Chan with him when he left.

Yang Chan's figure suddenly became ethereal.

"you dare!"

Yang Jian was furious. Since they wanted to take his sister away right in front of him, his third eye shone brightly, illuminating half the sky in gold, but he found nothing.

Just then, the celestial dog at my feet let out a few timid barks.

"Humph!"

Yang Jian snorted coldly, lowered his waist to sit on his horse, and took out his golden bow and silver bullets.

Ding Lin suddenly felt a sense of being locked on, which he couldn't avoid even if he transformed into clouds and mist. Alarm bells rang in his mind, and he abruptly looked up.

"laugh!"

A silver bullet flew past his cheek.

"Humph!"

Ding Lin snorted coldly. The next moment, in front of Yang Jian, a void suddenly cracked open, and a palm strike came from afar—the Thirty-Six Transformations of the Heavenly Gang: Seeing Through the Wall.

Having refined the laws of space, Ding Lin progressed from laws to supernatural powers, making such a transformation as simple as flowing water.

Yang Jian knew he had missed his chance when his first attack failed. He waved his hand and annihilated the demonic energy that was coming from the sky. He then put away his bow and stood still, his face as calm as water.

As soon as Ding Lin left, the surrounding clouds and mist dissipated.

The sunlight came down again.

At the city gate, the soldiers felt the sky darken for a moment. They cursed the awful weather and started another round of loud talk, completely unaware of the battle that had just taken place.

"Entering the city, five..."

A soldier said to Yang Jian, although he was puzzled as to when a person and a dog had appeared in front of him, he still did his duty and made sure that the taxes collected were not reduced in the slightest.

Yang Jian glanced at it indifferently.

"……arts."

The soldier murmured, feeling a moment of disorientation. He instinctively felt he had forgotten something, but he couldn't quite recall it. In the end, he could only attribute it to not sleeping well the night before.

Yang Jian took a step and was already on the other side of the moat. "Golden Scales..." Yang Jian murmured, then said to Xiaotian Dog, "Do you remember the aura of that evil dragon? He was wearing official robes and had a jade seal around his waist. This dragon must be from the four seas or from the heavens."

"Woof!" the Celestial Dog barked.

Yang Jian half-squatted down and stroked her fur: "Let's go back to Mount Hua first. Third Sister won't be gone for too long; she should be back soon."

"Woo!"

The celestial dog whimpered contentedly as it felt its master's touch.

……

The Golden Summit of Mount Hua.

A figure in the imperial palace opened his eyes. His face was shrouded in the misty purple aura. He wore the Crown of the Nine Schools of Primordial Beginning and the Seal of Opening Heaven and Connecting to Truth at his waist. A white dragon coiled on the pillar in front of him, raising its ferocious dragon head.

He is one of the Five Sacred Mountains, the Great Emperor of Mount Hua in the West, also known as the Golden Heavenly King.

Besides the Six Emperors, the Heavenly Court also has many Heavenly Kings and Celestial Venerables. Although they are not as noble as the Six Emperors, they are also called Great Emperors in popular legends, indicating their nobility. Among them are the Five Sacred Mountains Emperors, with the Great Emperor of Mount Tai of the East as their leader. Each of the Five Sacred Mountains Emperors guards a region's ley lines and has the status of a half-ruler, not a subject.

In addition to their respective divine duties, the Five Sacred Mountains Emperors have another mission: to assist the Goddess Houtu in guarding the Netherworld.

The Wuyue Town is not only a node of the earth's veins, but also a place of yin and yang.

This is why the Four Rivers, though vast and mighty, can be suppressed with just a third-rank official, while the Five Sacred Mountains, though merely five mountain ranges, require a half-ruler-level official to match them.

“Little White, I observed that the Crimson Dragon just now; it was full of vigor and clearly not very old. Your clan has produced another genius,” said the Golden Heavenly King.

"Since I followed the Heavenly King, my heart has been devoted to the Heavenly King, and no longer to my clan," the white dragon said in a deep voice from the pillar.

"You!" Jin Tianwang chuckled, then closed his eyes again. He was a Taiyi Golden Immortal, having long since attained enlightenment. Although Ding Lin and Yang Jian's battle was indeed magnificent, it was nothing in his eyes. He had only spoken a few words to Bai Long on a whim.

As for how things will develop next, he'll just treat it as something to watch and have some fun.

……

A cloud of mist drifted across the sky.

It landed about five or six thousand miles away from Mount Hua and scattered on a barren mountain.

Ding Lin revealed his figure first, then manipulated the clouds to carefully put Yang Chan down.

"There's no need for that. Although I'm not as powerful as Immortal Ding, I can still manage to land on a cloud," Yang Chan said. She looked somewhat annoyed, but not angry.

"I..." Ding Lin felt a little guilty, but it was hard to say exactly where his guilt lay. "I didn't mean to lie to you. Look, I'm even wearing my official robes. I was just about to tell you that it was your second brother who suddenly appeared, which is why I didn't have time."

"Alright, I'm happy that you're doing well, so why would I blame you?" Yang Chan said, standing beside a strange rock, with an ancient pine tree casting dappled shadows on her clothes.

“A few days ago, the Peony Fairy came to see me from the Heavenly Court and said that there was a Heavenly River Deputy General Jin Lin, who was exceptionally talented. He had only been a Heavenly Immortal for a few years when he was immediately promoted to Golden Immortal. I originally thought it was just a coincidence of names. This Jin Lin must be you.”

Yang Chan said, looking at Ding Lin with complicated eyes. The little carp she once protected had grown up completely. In terms of realm, he was an immortal Golden Immortal. In terms of supernatural powers, he could already compete with his second brother. Even in the Three Realms, he could be considered a powerful figure.

"It's me." Ding Lin admitted decisively, then lifted his robe and sat down on the boulder.

“I also said that after you ascend to immortality, I will find a way for you to be registered as an immortal.” Yang Chan’s eyelashes trembled.

"I spoke too late." Ding Lin's eyes flickered, and he subtly shifted his position, getting closer to Yang Chan.

“Peony underestimated you. You were just fighting with my second brother. Your supernatural powers are far from just entering the Golden Immortal realm. You have clearly already gone very far,” Yang Chan said again.

"I just had some good luck," Ding Lin said casually, trying to gloss over the matter. If he continued, things might get complicated.

"Judging from this official robe, you should be a fourth-rank official. Are you on official business in the mortal realm, or have you been assigned a position there...?"

Yang Chan suddenly realized something was wrong. She looked to her side and saw that Ding Lin had already moved closer. Fortunately, he was still somewhat sensible and did not get too close, keeping a distance of about two feet from Yang Chan.

Ding Lin, shameless and completely oblivious to being caught, touched his nose.

"What have you learned all these years? How did you become like this?" Yang Chan was both amused and exasperated, but the distance was still safe enough that she wasn't really angry.

After this little incident, the awkwardness of not seeing each other for many years seemed to have melted away a bit.

"During the turmoil in the Heavenly Court a few days ago, I made some minor contributions and was appointed as the Yellow River Water Lord." Ding Lin did not hide anything and told as much as he could. Yang Chan would only be happy for him, and he also wanted to show off in front of Yang Chan.

“The position of Dragon God of the Four Rivers is usually bestowed upon someone of the third rank. It seems my uncle really values ​​you!” Yang Chan said.

They talked for a while longer.

"Alright, it's been a long time, but let's stop here for now. If we stay any longer, I'm afraid my second brother..." Yang Chan listened quietly to Ding Lin's endless chatter, and spoke up after he finished speaking.

Ding Lin was still somewhat unsatisfied, but in front of Yang Chan, he naturally obeyed her every whim.

"I'll take you back to Mount Hua," Ding Lin said.

"No need. If I'm not mistaken, my second brother should be waiting for me at the door right now. Are you taking me back because things aren't chaotic enough, or do you want to fight him again?"

Yang Chan glanced at Ding Lin, perhaps without even realizing it herself. After Ding Lin transformed into human form, although their relationship remained as harmonious as it had been in the lotus pond, these subtle expressions began to appear more frequent. Facing a person and facing a fish were ultimately different.

“I won’t go to Mount Hua. I’ll just take you to a nearby place. It’s been so long since we last met. I… want to spend more time with you,” Ding Lin said.

This time, Yang Chan did not refuse.

They accompanied him for a while, then again.

Even when they were less than a thousand miles from Mount Hua, Ding Lin still wanted to see them off again, but Yang Chan resolutely refused this time.

Ding Lin had no choice but to let the clouds and mist fall again, revealing a desolate stream.

"I'm leaving," Yang Chan said.

"Wait a moment," Ding Lin said, a magical light flashing in his palm as he took out a peach. "I remember when Yang Jian brought the peaches back then, he said..."

Ding Lin pushed all the remaining peaches he had on him over there.

Yang Chan watched Ding Lin without moving.

“I know you have a problem with the Jade Emperor, but these peaches weren’t a gift from him. I secretly took them while I was on duty in the Peach Garden. Although some of them are small and not very good in appearance, you know that when you steal, you naturally pick the ones that don’t attract attention. These peaches may not look good, but they are all nine thousand years old and are good. You can take them,” Ding Lin quickly said.

“I’m not complaining. I already ate the two peaches my second brother brought last time. What right do I have to complain? When I ascended to immortality, my state of mind was flawed, so I only received the rank of a celestial being, with a limited lifespan. But you are already a Golden Immortal…”

Yang Chan's expression suddenly became complicated.

(End of this chapter)