The myth begins with the Lotus Lantern

Chapter 339 Yin Yang and Five Elements
Tianpeng felt a warmth spread through his body. Although he was still weak, the pain from broken bones and tendons was greatly relieved, and he couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.

"You'd better take care of yourself." Grand Master Xuandu gave Tianpeng one last look.

Tianpeng had a plan in mind. He looked up and a ray of sunlight shone in through the skylight of the cell. He suddenly realized that he was being held in the top cell of the Heavenly Prison. It turned out that everything had been foreshadowed, but he had been manipulated by his emotions and had not noticed it for the time being.

Senior brother is right, we have indeed been living in peace and tranquility for too long.

Tianpeng rolled over and lay on his back. With the reassurance of Grand Master Xuandu, the sunlight falling into his eyes made him feel that his future was limitless. But for some reason, whenever Tianpeng recalled the words Grand Master Xuandu left before his departure, "Form is not without form," he would still feel a pang of unease.

When Grand Master Xuandu left the Heavenly Prison, a Heavenly Servant was already waiting by his side, respectfully greeting him. He turned his head one last time to take a look at the Heavenly Prison.

The disease is deeply ingrained and difficult to cure; a serious illness requires strong medicine.

Junior brother, if it were just a simple matter of descending to the mortal realm, how could you possibly learn from this painful experience?

You'll understand your senior's good intentions later.

Grand Master Xuandu withdrew his gaze and composed himself. Then, surrounded by the entourage prepared by the Heavenly Servant, he left and went straight into the Jade Pool. This time, he did not hide his tracks. Now that he had come to the Heavenly Court, it was only reasonable for the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother not to turn a blind eye.

……

Yaochi.

Having just weathered a major battle, it's a rare moment of peace and tranquility.

The Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother were talking quietly.

Tiannu went to greet Grand Master Xuandu, and the only person serving him closely was General Juanlian. He lowered his eyes and silently picked up the wine pot, filled the glass cup in front of the Jade Emperor, and then retreated without making a sound. His eyes followed the hands of the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother, focusing only on those two glass cups.

He is deaf and blind.

The rest were ignored.

The Jade Emperor drank another cup of wine and then put the glass cup down.

The roller blind quickly moved closer to him.

The wine was poured out, and the cup shimmered with light and color.

"Roll up the curtain," the Jade Emperor suddenly called out.

"This humble god is here." Juanlian bowed and replied, referring to himself as "this humble god" in a manner that was neither humble nor arrogant.

But the way they served them was meticulous to the point of being overly attentive.

A look of satisfaction flashed in the Jade Emperor's eyes: "How many years have you been with me?"

"Thanks to the Great Heavenly Venerable's promotion, since I became a Celestial Immortal and was assigned to the Lingxiao Palace by Emperor Wenchang, I have been serving before the Heavenly Venerable. It has been ten Yuanhui since then." Juanlian replied earnestly with a slight bow, his expression unchanged.

"Ten Yuanhui have passed. You have gone from a minor Celestial Immortal to someone who has comprehended nine laws. You are only one step away from reaching the Taiyi realm. However, you are trapped in front of me, your real name is not known, and you only act as a Curtain-Raiser. You cannot wait for promotion and will always remain at the fourth rank. With your current cultivation, it is a waste of your talents!" The Jade Emperor seemed to be having a heart-to-heart talk with the Curtain-Raiser, or perhaps he was simply sighing.

But the words of those in power are never spoken without reason.

"The fact that General Juanlian is where he is today is entirely due to the cultivation of the Great Heavenly Venerable. If the Great Heavenly Venerable has any request, General Juanlian will go through fire and water without hesitation!" General Juanlian has served the Jade Emperor for so long that he has long understood the Emperor's heart. How could he not understand the Jade Emperor's unspoken meaning? Regardless of his own thoughts or willingness, this was the only answer he could give at this moment. He bowed deeply and paid homage in the rites of court.

"There's no need for you to go through fire and water," the Jade Emperor said.

Rolling up the curtain, he knew the real action was about to begin.

"I have already granted permission for the Western Paradise to spread its teachings to the Eastern Lands. Although it is not a world-shaking event, it cannot be taken lightly. It is worth putting some effort into. Spreading the teachings is permissible, but it must be done under the watchful eye of my Heavenly Court," said the Jade Emperor.

"Your Majesty means..." Juanlian understood, but he still needed to wait for the Jade Emperor to give him further instructions.

"You are the person I trust most by my side, so I intend for you to serve as my eyes," the Jade Emperor said.

"Your Majesty commands, and I, Juanlian, will obey!" Juanlian said, though he was not really willing. No matter what kind of appointment he was given, it was not as good as serving in front of the Jade Emperor.

The closer you get to power, the more its shadow will shroud you and merge you into its very being.

But ultimately, this right does not belong to the entity itself.

A single word can bring him back to his original state.

The Jade Emperor was very satisfied with the Curtain-Raising's attitude: "After this matter, I cannot immediately transfer you back. You should stay at Leiyin Temple for a while. Buddha knows you are one of my people, so he will not do anything to you, but don't expect to be treated well either. It will be nothing more than the marginal treatment. At most, he will hastily confer an Arhat title. You will suffer for thousands of years. I will then transfer you back to the Heavenly Court. I will still make good use of you."

"It's entirely up to Your Majesty's arrangements," said the curtain-roller.

The Jade Emperor nodded.

"You've remained at the peak of the Golden Immortal realm for several eons now," the Jade Emperor said.

"Your Majesty still remembers me, the humble god," said the curtain-roller. He knew that it was time to make amends; if you wanted the horse to work, you had to feed it well first.

"Now then, bring out the laws you have comprehended," the Jade Emperor said.

"Yes." Juanlian straightened up, and his aura changed. Nine laws emerged from the inner world, one of which, a five-colored radiance, rose high into the distance. It was the law of mutual generation of the five elements. Below it, six laws were naturally similar and came together, and there were two unknown lower laws.

The Jade Emperor glanced at it, then gestured for the curtain to be drawn back. He then pointed out, "The mutual generation of the five elements can be considered as having reached the upper level, which is not bad. However, it only requires five laws to comprehend mutual generation. To further comprehend mutual restraint and push the laws of the five elements to the top level is extremely difficult."

"Taiji gives rise to Yin and Yang, Yin and Yang give rise to the Four Symbols, the Four Symbols give rise to the Eight Trigrams. Taiji is chaos, not within the Three Realms and Six Paths, but a state in the darkness before the creation of heaven and earth. Therefore, this system of laws takes Yin and Yang as its head, and is the top of the top, even slightly weaker than the Four Supreme Laws."

"If measured by the number of chains of laws, a law chain with nine sections or less can be called a superior law, while the threshold for a top-level law is three sections."

Juanlian listened attentively. He had read about what the Jade Emperor was saying in ancient books, but the information was scattered and incomplete. Only a powerful being at the Great Luo Realm could connect them and form a system. This framework of knowledge was even more valuable than the knowledge itself.

"If chaos is forcibly incorporated into the system, it becomes zero. It can encompass all things, exist, yet do not exist. It is ineffable, and cannot evolve or be explained. The four supreme laws exist outside the system and can reach the point of uniqueness. Yin and Yang can theoretically approach one infinitely, but they can never reach it. Below Yin and Yang are the Four Symbols, four single attributes gathered together. Originally, they were just barely able to squeeze into the upper level. After being cultivated to the great success, they should be able to have three sections, which is more than one level lower than Yin and Yang. However, these four are the foundation of creation, which raises the level by one level, and can reach two sections."

"The Four Symbols give rise to the Eight Trigrams. The Eight Trigrams and the number sixty-four do not mean that the Four Symbols only contain sixty-four laws, but rather that at least sixty-four laws are required to circulate in order to evolve the mysteries of earth, water, wind, and fire."

"The Five Elements are also derived from the Four Symbols, hence they are sometimes called the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams. This means that to make the Five Elements flow and interact in a mutually generating and restraining manner, one needs to comprehend at least sixty-four special laws." The Jade Emperor looked at the curtain: "This is not easy. Moreover, even with the mutual generation and restraint of the Five Elements, it is only a leap from the ordinary upper level to the top level. The chain of laws cannot exceed three sections. Unless one has already cultivated the rudimentary form of the Yin-Yang Law and formed a legal principle, then supplementing with the Five Elements Law can fill half the journey in one step. Or, one is born with a Five Elements body, like Kong Xuan in the past, or the stone monkey that emerged from the five-colored stone more recently, which can also be considered one. Other times..." The Jade Emperor shook his head, "The upper limit of the mutual generation and restraint of the Five Elements is Kong Xuan. Although after achieving it, his power in terms of the Dao Law is enough to contend with many top-level laws of the second section, the third section is still just the third section. Cultivating it is actually not worthwhile."

The rolled-up curtain was mesmerizing.

"Instead of cultivating the five elements' mutual generation and restraint, it's better to cultivate only one element. It still involves three sections, but it's much simpler. In my view, six of the laws you've cultivated belong to the metal element, causing an imbalance among the five elements. If you want to use the mutual generation of the five elements as the core, just accommodating these laws to achieve enlightenment will not be easy. After achieving Taiyi, you will need to comprehend the mutual restraint of the five elements..."

"Please have mercy, Your Majesty," Juanlian said, his mind suddenly at ease.

"Why don't you specialize in the metal element? Once you've mastered the metal element laws, although it will be a bit troublesome now, your path will be smooth all the way to the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm. You might even have a glimmer of hope for the Daluo realm. Moreover, with the six mid-level metal element laws you've already comprehended, I can plan for you. At most, you'll only need to comprehend nine more mid-level metal element laws to push the metal element laws to the third level and forge them into top-level laws!" the Jade Emperor said.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Juanlian bowed deeply.

The Jade Emperor raised his glass goblet and drank the wine inside in one gulp. He said nothing more, just stared at the curtain, which bent deeply, remaining motionless for a long time. Suddenly—

"Snapped!"

There was a crisp sound.

The glass cup shattered at the Jade Emperor's feet, scattering like flower petals.

The curtain was startled.

"His Majesty!"

The voice of the deputy general serving outside the hall came in, and he seemed eager to try. He was able to travel during the Jade Emperor's lifetime, so his magical power was not much worse than that of the Curtain-Raising General. All he lacked was an opportunity.

"This cup has been with me for decades, I'm very familiar with it, what a pity, what a pity..." The Jade Emperor's voice rang out, followed by the verdict, "The curtain is rolled up and my beloved cup is smashed, its divine status is removed, it is banished to the mortal realm, and it is imprisoned in the Flowing Sand River, where nine flying knives will pierce its heart every day, and it may not leave without being summoned!"

"Yes!" came the voice from outside the door, barely able to contain its excitement.

"Rolling up the curtain!" Rolling up the curtain's voice trembled slightly, whether from excitement or sadness, "Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty!"

The Jade Emperor stopped speaking. A drop of wine remained on his fingertip. With a flick of his finger, the drop of wine sent the curtain flying out of the Heavenly Gate and heading straight for the Flowing Sand River. With another flick of his finger, nine streams of light followed the curtain's form and fell down.

After a while.

"what!"

From the bottom of the quicksand river, screams of agony could be heard.

The celestial beings of Heaven witnessed General Curtain-Raising being banished to the mortal realm. They all activated their spiritual senses and happened to hear the screams. They also saw the nine flying knives piercing the air. They were all shocked. General Curtain-Raising, who had followed the Jade Emperor for so long, was dealt with so easily. They were all filled with sorrow.

I felt that thunder and rain were all the emperor's grace.

"Since you are so worried, why don't you make more arrangements? Is it enough to just rely on the curtain to keep watch?" The Queen Mother had witnessed the whole thing from the side.

"What do I have to worry about? The so-called Mahayana Buddhism? Even the Tathagata is under the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Court. The mortal world is too monotonous with only Taoism dominating. You must know that one flower does not make a spring, but a hundred flowers blooming together make a garden full of flowers," said the Jade Emperor.

The Queen Mother's eyes flickered, and she said nothing more.

She knew that in this turmoil in Heaven, none of the three major religions had intervened, which ultimately displeased the Jade Emperor.

……

West Sea.

Ao Lie was disheveled and his aura was extremely dim, but he was not depressed. The more sinister he was, the sharper he became, seemingly indomitable. At a certain moment, his body suddenly trembled violently, and a water-attribute law condensed above his head and returned to his inner vision.

With the qualities of an Earth Immortal, he achieved the Golden Immortal realm in less than ten thousand years. It can be said that he broke through setbacks and established himself anew.

In the Dragon Palace, the Dragon King of the West Sea was drinking and making merry with the beautiful maidservant who had just been presented to him when he suddenly sensed the fluctuation coming from the Cold Palace. His playful expression vanished instantly, and a sharp light flashed in his eyes. He pushed away the dragon maiden in his arms, transformed into a streak of light, and hurriedly fled towards the Cold Palace.

Ao Lie calmed the turmoil, stood up and turned around, and saw the Dragon King of the West Sea.

"My son, you..."

The West Sea Dragon King's eyes gleamed with wild joy. Now, the bloodline of the Four Seas Dragon Clan was dwindling, and there were only the four Dragon Kings and one Dragon Prince Moang, making them five Golden Immortals. Today was an unexpected surprise.

"Your son greets Father." The little white dragon bowed, his eyes as deep as a lake. "In this cold palace, I have been reflecting on my past mistakes and have come to realize how absurd they were. I have become remorseful and have unknowingly come to understand the laws. Thanks to Father's patronage, who has always kept my cultivation resources from being cut off, and my daily practice of honing my magical power, I have finally achieved perfection today."

"My son, you've truly become a Golden Immortal! Ha!" The Dragon King of the West Sea laughed wildly, "How many years has it been since our Four Seas Dragon Clan has had a Golden Immortal who achieved enlightenment without relying on bloodline inheritance! Truly..."

"Really..."

"It's just a pity that I was born with a deficiency and wasted my time. When I ascended to immortality, I only reached the level of a terrestrial immortal. Now that I've reached this point, it's all over." The little white dragon said calmly, his voice indifferent, as if he wasn't talking about himself.

The joy on the face of the Dragon King of the West Sea froze.

"My son, you shall first leave the Cold Palace. Tomorrow, no, today I will announce to the whole world that I will bestow upon you the rank and emoluments of a crown prince," said the Dragon King of the West Sea.

“Father, I have been deeply hurt and no longer wish to concern myself with worldly matters. Moreover, if it weren’t for my elder brother’s heroic efforts that day, I don’t know how much worse things would have turned out. I do not want to compete with my elder brother for the throne. I am now wholeheartedly devoted to the Dao. Father, do you have any way to help me continue my path?”

The little white dragon raised its eyes and looked at the West Sea Dragon King.

The Dragon King of the West Sea felt a chill in his heart, knowing that his years of neglect had finally caused his son to become somewhat alienated.

The more this is the case, the more crucial subsequent compensation becomes.

“My son, you have a heart set on the Dao, and I am only gratified,” the Dragon King of the West Sea pondered. “The Thunderclap Temple in the West has a Dragon Cleansing Pool. I have heard that as long as one enters the pool, no matter what damage one has suffered before, one can replenish one’s innate essence. It seems that it is possible for your blessed land to evolve into a new grotto-heaven. Now there is an opportunity…” The Dragon King of the West Sea gritted his teeth. “In that case, my son, do not be anxious. I will invite your uncles and aunts to the West Sea to discuss this. Even if it means exhausting the treasury of the West Sea, I will not let your comprehension go to waste!”

After all, they are his own offspring. No matter how much filth he had done before, once he turned over a new leaf, he became successful again.

The Dragon King of the West Sea was still willing to pay for the little white dragon.

(End of this chapter)