The myth begins with the Lotus Lantern

Chapter 336 Cause and Effect
"Zheng!"

Suddenly, from the west of the city, a sword aura shot into the sky.

A Taoist priest rode away on his sword.

Huli glanced up, then ignored him and let him leave.

"Moo!"

In the north of the city, in a Zen temple covering more than ten acres, a golden light suddenly shone brightly, and a slender figure walked out, sat cross-legged at the temple entrance, and put his hands together in prayer.

A golden statue rose from the ground!

"Amitabha!"

The Arhat chanted the Buddha's name, his lowered brows and eyes revealing a compassionate countenance. A wisp of Buddha's light swept across half the city, dispelling the evil aura of the tiger.

"Second brother, there's another monk here!"

A dry, hoarse voice came from within the city. A lean Taoist with a goatee appeared. He unleashed an ice dragon with a wave of his hand, the freezing air dimming the Buddhist light. The Arhat was preparing to escape. Having learned from the sword cultivator's experience, he thought his escape would be smooth sailing. However, unexpected twists and turns occurred, and he was caught off guard and thrown into a panic.

“Amitabha, fellow practitioner, this humble monk has attained enlightenment in the Western Paradise and has already cultivated a golden body. He is an Arhat whose name is recorded in the genealogy.” The monk immediately sensed something was wrong and revealed his origins.

“We brothers aren’t blind, we can see it!” Another voice rang out, and Lu Li stepped out. He had long eyebrows and big eyes, and a tall and slender figure. Although he was wearing a Taoist robe, he looked rather out of place. As soon as he raised his hand, flames flew everywhere.

The flames and the freezing air of Yangli mixed together, instantly annihilating the Buddha's light and then rushing towards the golden body of the Arhat.

"How dare you! This place is not far from Mount Ling, yet you dare to commit such a heinous act!" the Arhat shouted. With death looming before him, he could no longer maintain his composure, and his voice betrayed his panic.

“Master, in the past, Buddha cut off his own flesh to feed an eagle. Today, we brothers also want you to make a choice. The lives of the people in this city and your true spirit, you can choose one.”

The raging fire and freezing air instantly suppressed the Arhat.

Lu Li was relaxed and at ease.

"This humble monk...this humble monk practices the Cundi Dharma, not Mahayana Buddhism." The monk's eyes showed struggle, but he ultimately remained silent.

"Even Arhats are so selfish, it seems the teachings of the Western Paradise are nothing more than this."

Yang Li sneered. He held back and waved his hand, unleashing a burst of freezing energy. This Arhat had only just condensed his golden body, and his cultivation was only equivalent to the early stage of the Immortal Realm. How could he be a match for Yang Li? Instantly, the golden body turned to ashes. A novice monk sat cross-legged in front of the temple with his hands clasped together and his head bowed. Although his appearance was still intact, his body was actually riddled with holes. This physical body could be destroyed by any mortal. This Arhat had already passed away.

"Your Majesty, you made a bet with us brothers. Are you now willing to fulfill your bet?" Lu Li asked, waving his hand. Behind him, the soul of a middle-aged man wearing a golden crown and protected by royal aura appeared.

The man witnessed Luohan's choice. He slowly closed his eyes, as if sighing, and said, "Fine, from this day forward, I will worship the French and change my name to the French of Destruction. Every sip and every bite begins with me. My descendants must kill ten thousand monks to fulfill this bet!"

"Good!" Lu Li laughed wildly, and with another wave of his hand, the middle-aged man's soul was returned to his body. He blew out a breath of demonic energy, which, with the help of Hu Li's demonic wind, spread into thousands of households throughout the city. With the king in charge, his words were law, and his magic began to take effect, deeply penetrating people's hearts.

"Squeak!"

Nearby, amidst the eerie mist, a door opened, and a gaunt man, holding a woodcutter's knife, walked to the temple gate. Seeing the monk's departed figure, he raised his knife and brought down a fine head that rolled to the side of the road.

"Destroy the Dharma..."

The man muttered to himself, his eyes filled with deep hatred. He stepped out of the monk's body and pressed himself against the heavy temple door, trying to push it open, but he was too frail and powerless.

"Destroy the Dharma!"

"Destroy the Dharma!"

More doors were opened, and the flow of people nearby mixed in, with more and more people gathering around the man.

Finally, the heavy temple gate could no longer bear the weight and collapsed with a loud crash.

The crowd surged through the gates and into the temple...

……

Ding Lin watched silently. Suddenly, as if sensing something, he turned his head to look west. He didn't actually see anything, but he sensed that two forces of fortune were waxing and waning in that direction. Meanwhile, the demonic energy on Hu Li's body suddenly surged, instantly reaching the Perfect Immortal Realm. His aura surged, and he broke through to the Golden Immortal Realm.

Inside the city, Lu Li and Yang Li withdrew their supernatural powers, each having gained something. Their magical power was approaching the perfection of the Immortal Realm, but they were completely unaware of it, and a satisfied expression appeared on their faces.

"Immortal Master, no, Senior, save me..." Only Hu Li had some prior knowledge of Ding Lin, which is why he was so polite to Ding Lin and even tried to befriend him. Otherwise, his usual approach would have been like that of the sword cultivator, letting him come and go as he pleased. After breaking through to the Golden Immortal realm, Hu Li realized that he still couldn't see through Ding Lin. A hint of joy appeared on his face, his knees buckled, and in his desperation, he was about to kneel down.

The principles of Taiyi Dao are bestowed upon one.

Suddenly, Ding Lin saw a finely woven net, with the three demons—Tiger, Deer, and Sheep—clearly strung together, and the main thread at the very end extending infinitely, connecting to the Western Heaven.

At the moment the temple in the city fell into ruin, a sense of malice descended, looming over the three demons: tiger, deer, and sheep.

Ding Lin felt a chill run down his spine. This was not a mess he could get involved in. The law of cause and effect was mysterious and profound. How could he accept Hu Li's bow? He leaped up and his figure disappeared into thin air, just as he had come.

"...Help!" Tiger Power Immortal knelt in the empty space.

"Brother, what are you doing?" Yang Li's puzzled voice came from behind. Then, as if he had discovered something, he exclaimed with delight, "Brother, your...your cultivation level..."

"Big brother has achieved the Golden Immortal realm!" Lu Li's voice rang out.

"It is truly the blessing of the Three Pure Ones! Such a joyous occasion deserves a prayer!" After Lu Li finished speaking, he took a slight step behind Hu Li, lifted his Taoist robe, and knelt down without hesitation. Yang Li reacted a beat slower, but also knelt down, and the two demons kowtowed devoutly.

Hu Li didn't turn around. He looked at the empty space in front of him, a bitter look flashing in his eyes. Then he thought of his two brothers behind him who knew nothing about it, and he pursed his lips hard.

Sometimes, ignorance is bliss.

……

Ding Lin descended, and turned to look at Chongfa Kingdom—no, it should now be called Miefa Kingdom. Even though they were thousands of miles apart, he could feel the overflowing obsession above the city.

This is the work of someone at the Great Luo Realm!

Ding Lin recalled the four figures he had seen during the chaos in the Heavenly Court, whose every move shattered the void, causing stars to fall like rain.

Besides absolute magical power, their scheming is also incredibly skillful.

Ding Lin stopped thinking about it. Hidden Mist Mountain was already close at hand. He took a step out and entered the restriction. He had just witnessed that scene. At this moment, his emotions were slightly agitated and had not yet calmed down.

Suddenly, the world spun around.

As far as the eye can see, there are ever-changing clouds and an endless expanse of land.

This is not the terrain that Hidden Mist Mountain should have.

Illusionary array?

Who wants to get back at him?

Ding Lin's expression turned solemn. He had only been gone for a short while, and such a change had already occurred. Without time to think, he flicked his sleeve, and a surge of immense magical power erupted. In an instant, the formation shattered, revealing the familiar Hidden Mist Mountain, shrouded in mountain mist and jagged rocks. "Whoosh!"

"Brush! Brush!"

Suddenly, countless spider silks surged from all directions, each one incredibly strong, threatening to entangle him and catch him off guard.

Ding Lin opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of flames, the fire element from the Five Elements Laws.

The flames scorched the spider silk, yet it remained unharmed; each strand of silk was as translucent as jade.

Ding Lin's fire technique within the Five Elements Laws only wielded ordinary fire. These spider silks were of extraordinary quality, and for a time, he was unable to do anything about them. This misstep caused him to lose the initiative. Ding Lin was not the same as before. He was injured, and although he had temporarily condensed the Taiyi Dao Law as a precaution, it was best not to use it if possible, otherwise it would aggravate his injuries. Ding Lin could sense that although these spider silks were extraordinary, their owner was only a newly initiated Golden Immortal. They had only gained an advantage through surprise. As long as he was free to deal with them, they would not be difficult to handle.

At most, just be more careful in the shadows.

"brush!"

A fierce wind was blowing in my face!

A sweeping iron rod!
Ding Lin raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised, and his vigilance increased. It was the Bull Demon King! After their exchange that day, he had hurriedly left, appearing extremely cautious. He hadn't expected that instead of finding some secluded place to heal his injuries, he would come looking for him now, lying in ambush.

If Ding Lin hadn't recently comprehended the Five Elements Laws, which accelerated his injury healing, he might have fallen into the Bull Demon King's trap.

As the undisputed uncrowned king among the wild demons of Xiniu Hezhou, the Bull Demon King was indeed not to be underestimated. He planned carefully before acting, and when things seemed impossible, he launched a counterattack. It must be said that this move was indeed unexpected and extremely ruthless.

Although Ding Lin had not yet used his powers, with the Five Elements Laws by his side, the Bull Demon King's scheme was destined to fail.

A steel rod was about to strike him.

All around were clusters of spider silk.

Ding Lin remained calm. He raised an eyebrow and a cold smile appeared on his lips. He even had time to look around through the gaps in the spider silk. Sure enough, he saw seven alluring figures. They slightly lifted the hem of their clothes, and from their small navels, spider silk was constantly spraying out, weaving into a net.

They are the seven spider demons of the Spider Cave.

Ding Lin's eyes flashed. He had a premonition that the newly mastered Taiyi Dao Principles might be unleashed today, but it was not the right time yet. Besides the Bull Demon King, there was another gaze secretly watching from the shadows, giving him a sense of danger.

brush!
A flash of spiritual light appeared in Ding Lin's palm as he unleashed a blade of light that coiled around the blade, slicing the spider silk around him to shreds. Then, he suddenly raised his hand to parry, as if he had been forced into a desperate situation, choosing to use this extremely unfavorable method to directly block the Bull Demon King's iron cudgel.

"Oh!"

There was a loud bang.

The long sword in Ding Lin's hand was just an ordinary immortal weapon transformed, and it was smashed in half by the iron rod. The rod continued its momentum and smashed towards his head. He clapped his arms together and raised them to block it.

Looking up, Ding Lin saw the Bull Demon King's ferocious face through the gap in his arm.

The Bull Demon King remained expressionless. He hadn't recovered much either, and could only barely activate one or two laws. Countless wisps of wind swirled around the iron rod. These weren't Samadhi Divine Winds, but just ordinary wind-attribute laws. However, combined with his powerful physique, he possessed the combat strength of a top-tier Golden Immortal.

No wonder they dared to bully us.

Ding Lin felt his arms sink, and half of his body was knocked into the rocks. He seemed to have barely caught the blow, his arms trembling. The wind ripped his sleeves off the iron rod, revealing two arms that had half-formed into dragons, their scales broken and blood seeping out.

Sure enough, he did not recover.

Perhaps, Baiyan won't need to intervene.

The Bull Demon King thought to himself, and continued to exert force, pressing down with the iron rod to forcefully control Ding Lin. With the sword energy no longer obstructing the way, countless spider silks swarmed in again, about to engulf Ding Lin.

All around, the mountain mist seemed to be stirred by the strong winds of the battle, moving slowly.
Spider silk is like a web.

In the blink of an eye, Ding Lin was engulfed in raging flames, seemingly having exhausted all his options.

The Bull Demon King seemed to have already seen victory. With such a sudden attack and so many helpers, victory seemed to be a matter of course. But for some reason, a bad premonition suddenly welled up in his heart, and he slightly reduced the force of his iron cudgel.

Ding Lin lowered his head, seemingly overwhelmed. A cunning glint flashed in his eyes, and the spider silk was about to completely bind him.

Before anyone knew it, a thin mist had moved behind the Bull Demon King.

Before they knew it, they hadn't even reached a hundred feet.

The net completely bound them.

Ding Lin's figure was submerged.

The Bull Demon King felt a sense of relief, but suddenly felt the iron cudgel in his hand loosen as well. The next moment, the human figure outlined by the net suddenly sank inward, and Ding Lin, who was supposed to be trapped in the net, had vanished without a trace.

There seemed to be a faint rustling of wind behind my head.

not good!

A sense of foreboding rose in the Bull Demon King's heart. Thanks to that earlier bad premonition, he had reduced the force of his iron cudgel, and now there was still room for maneuver. Without thinking, the Bull Demon King swept the iron cudgel horizontally.

With a single sweep of the staff, it seemed to have the power to sweep away a thousand troops, but it came to nothing. The mountain mist was blown away by the magic, and Ding Lin still had not revealed his whereabouts.

"what!"

Just then, a cry of surprise rang out from afar.

"Brother Niu, save me!"

The Bull Demon King looked in the direction of the sound and saw that Ding Lin's figure had already rushed out at some point. In front of him was the Seventh Brother, Purple Spider. A dragon claw fiercely lashed out, shredding the spider silk in front of Purple Spider. Drops of crimson blood boiled, and it looked like it was about to rip out Purple Spider's heart and entrails. Purple Spider turned pale and cried out for help.

"Girl, don't panic!"

The Bull Demon King changed the direction of his iron cudgel and brought it down on Ding Lin's head. But whether intentionally or unintentionally, the cudgel was clearly a step too slow. If he had waited for the cudgel to land, the Purple Spider would have been killed before Ding Lin's bones broke and tendons were broken. More likely, the cudgel would have missed Ding Lin, just like before.

"Brother!"

Purple Spider, her face filled with despair, shouted towards the back of the Bull Demon King.

It turns out to be here!

Ding Lin's dragon claws were almost touching the purple spider's belly when he suddenly stopped. He turned around abruptly, and a five-colored flowing law appeared above his head.

Numerous lower and middle-level laws swirled around, and the aura of Taiyi permeated the air.

This law descended from the sky like a long sword, about to annihilate everything in its path into nothingness.

"You...you've recovered?" The Bull Demon King's voice was filled with disbelief. Before the blade even arrived, the afterimage he had created with his iron cudgel shattered inch by inch, revealing his pitch-black true form. His face was contorted as he shouted desperately, "Hundred Eyes, hurry up and make your move!"

"Taiyi?" A voice rang out from behind the Bull Demon King. "And, did you discover me all along?" The voice was filled with surprise and doubt, but without the slightest fear, clearly indicating that he had something to rely on.

(End of this chapter)