The myth begins with the Lotus Lantern

Chapter 362 Nine-Bend Pearl

All the stars are gathered around the North Star.

A beam of starlight fell, casting a melancholy veil over the world.

Beidou and Nandou had been determined to escape. Although Ding Lin caught up, the speed of escape at the Taiyi realm was incredible. In just a moment, they still managed to set foot in Dongsheng Shenzhou. After the battle in the Heavenly Palace, the Jade Emperor divided the land into four regions, and the Ziwei Emperor was stationed in Dongsheng Shenzhou. This was his home ground. The Ziwei Emperor was also the Lord of the Stars. Although they were separated by an infinite distance, the power he projected was terrifying enough.

In an instant, Ding Lin felt as if he were being pricked by thorns. His Taiji diagram, which was manifested by his Dao principles, was only one step away from obliterating the Southern Dipper Star Lord and the Northern Dipper Star Lord, but he had to stop abruptly and dared not make any more moves.

"Heavenly law forbids the immortals of Heaven from killing each other!"

A calm and majestic voice rang out; it was none other than the Ziwei Emperor.

As the voice fell, as if words had become law, the domain Ding Lin had created collapsed with a roar, and in the next instant, gazes from billions of miles away were completely locked onto him.

"call!"

The Big Dipper and the Southern Dipper broke free of their restraints and soared into the air, panting heavily. They looked at Ding Lin with flashing eyes, but ultimately did not dare to make a move.

Ding Lin tried to speak, but found that he couldn't make a sound, and he couldn't even send out his divine sense. He could only stand there motionless, as if he were isolated from the whole world.

He had witnessed the four great supernatural beings, including the Ziwei Emperor, fighting in the Heavenly Palace. At that time, firstly, his level was not high enough, as he had only just entered the Golden Immortal realm, and secondly, he had not been involved in the battle. Although he felt dazzled and bewildered, he was more impressed than confused. It was only after seeing it in person this time that he realized the power of the Great Luo was truly as deep as the sea, and even with his current level, he could hardly fathom even a fraction of it.

"Your Majesty is mistaken!"

The stars, like a net, bound Ding Lin tightly. Suddenly, a golden hairpin flashed, tearing through the net and revealing a silver river. At the same time, a majestic female voice rang out.

It was the voice of the Queen Mother of the West.

Ding Lin felt a sudden release, regaining his freedom, and his mind also relaxed.

"The Heavenly Mirror shines upon the Three Realms, and I have many memorials here. The truth of the matter is clear at a glance. The Northern Dipper and Southern Dipper harbored ill intentions first, but the Emperor did not appear then. Now, instead, he is talking to me about the Heavenly Rules?" said the Queen Mother.

Ding Lin remained silent. He silently flew away and hid behind the Milky Way. The Ziwei Emperor and the Queen Mother of the West appeared one after the other. Now, the situation was beyond his control.

He and the Southern and Northern Dippers were just the beginning; how things develop from here on out depends entirely on the power struggle between these two powerful beings.

Emperor Ziwei paused for a moment, and just then, the Southern Dipper Star Lord's eyes flashed as he looked at the Ziwei Star in the middle of the sky.

“The Southern Dipper just told me that their previous actions were not intended to kill. During the last battle in the Heavenly Palace, my Nine-Bend Pearl was briefly knocked down by the Great Heavenly Venerable. After it was retrieved, one of the laws was missing. This Crimson Flood Dragon was also in the Heavenly Court at that time, and he was only a mere Golden Immortal. However, after the incident, he suddenly made great strides and even broke through to the Taiyi Realm. You and I both know how difficult it is to obtain higher-level laws. Since he broke through at this time, and the Northern and Southern Dippers happened to meet him, it is inevitable that they would have doubts,” said the Purple Star Emperor.

"So that's how it is," the Queen Mother's voice softened somewhat, as if she understood, but then her tone shifted again, "If you have any doubts, then you should submit a report according to the Heavenly Rules. Since this involves you, the Ziwei Emperor, only the Great Heavenly Venerable can make a judgment. When did Heavenly Rules and Precepts become something that can be taken for granted and privately passed on? Moreover," the Queen Mother's voice grew colder, "the Big Dipper governs life, the Southern Dipper governs death, and you used a combined attack technique right off the bat. You used such a top-tier Dao principle on your colleague, and you attacked so fiercely. You say it was just to capture him!"

"Your Majesty knows perfectly well what is between me and the Great Celestial Venerable. We both know it in our hearts, so why bother with such a formal report?" said the Ziwei Emperor. "As for the Big Dipper and the Southern Dipper, perhaps the attack was a bit too heavy-handed," the Ziwei Emperor changed the subject. "But how could the Crimson Dragon be an ordinary Taiyi Realm expert? Now that we each have our own version of events, this kind of argument will never lead to a clear conclusion."

"Then what does the Emperor want?" the Queen Mother asked coldly. "No matter what, the Big Dipper and the Southern Dipper acted first, they were wrong, and I will give the Great Heavenly Venerable an explanation for this matter."

Emperor Ziwei remained silent for a while, and as his words fell, the stars in the sky swirled. Ding Lin's heart tightened, and he saw the golden hairpin floating in the Milky Way beside him shimmering with brilliant light, resisting everything and protecting him as well.

A giant hand of starlight materialized and slammed towards Ding Lin!

"Hoohoo!"

Space trembles!

The giant hand of starlight descended, striking across the Milky Way to the other side. The next moment, the auras of the Southern Dipper Star Lord and the Northern Dipper Star Lord suddenly disappeared from Ding Lin's perception.

"The Southern Dipper and the Northern Dipper have defied the Heavenly Laws and are imprisoned in the Star Prison of the Ten Yuan Dynasty, with no possibility of release!"

The mighty sound resounded throughout the three realms, and all the gods were terrified.

"How is it?" The Purple Star Emperor flashed, shining in the direction of the golden hairpin.

"That's it?" the Queen Mother's voice rang out. "Such a mild punishment?"

“Now that I have intervened, you should know that I will not let them die,” said the Ziwei Emperor.

"I know, I didn't expect you to punish them, but your people broke the rules and did something wrong first. You should know that it's impossible to let it go so easily and without any consequences. You have to pay a price," said the Queen Mother.

The Big Dipper Star Lord remained silent for a moment, then suddenly the Purple Star flashed, and a pure white stream of light flew straight out and crashed into the Milky Way.

"This matter ends here!"

A tremendous sound echoed, and the next moment, the stars faded away, revealing the sun. It was already getting late, and under the setting sun, a Milky Way hung high in the sky, appearing strange and pale against the backdrop of the setting sun.

"The Nine-Bend Pearl?" The Queen Mother's voice rang out, sounding both surprised and enlightened. "It is this thing. However, it lacks a spatial attribute, and its quality has dropped from the Great Luo realm. But it can still be considered a decent magic weapon in the Taiyi realm." Her voice then shifted to Ding Lin, "I know you have suffered some injustice, but Nan Dou and Bei Dou are direct descendants of Ziwei. Since he has already intervened, it is impossible to take your life now. If there is a next time, you will have to act quickly. This pearl is useless to me. Since I obtained it because of you, I will bestow it upon you as compensation."

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace." What could Ding Lin do but bow and clasp his hands in greeting.

In the Milky Way, the Nine-Bend Pearl flew out and landed in front of Ding Lin, hovering motionless.

The next moment, the golden hairpin flew high into the sky, and the vast Milky Way surged along with it. Before long, it disappeared completely, and the clouds rolled and unrolled, revealing a narrow strip of cloud, like a wound that had healed after the sky was split apart.

Ding Lin bent over and waited a few more breaths until everything settled before straightening up again.

(End of this chapter)