The comet remained silent, only relentlessly unleashing heavenly tribulations.

Chapter 80 Thirty-Three Dragon Kings

Wen Zhong, seated on the throne, snorted coldly and said, "This is no ordinary Garuda, but the Great Mighty Garuda King of the West, the Western Dharma Protector Venerable personally appointed by the Daoist Zhunti!"

The Golden Light Mother turned to look at Song Yi, asking with surprise and doubt, "Broom Star Lord, you actually captured this fierce god of the Western Sect alive?"

Song Yi explained, "It's all thanks to the sacred artifact left behind by Emperor Yu and the power of humanity within it. Otherwise, with my meager cultivation, how could I possibly capture this ancient ferocious bird at the Golden Immortal level?"

What Song Yi said was true. The mountain-splitting axe was one of the sharpest and most supreme divine weapons in the world. In terms of killing power, it was not far from being comparable to the Xuanyuan Sword, a supreme treasure of humanity.

Upon hearing this, Wen Zhong asked in a deep voice, "This wicked creature devoured the East Sea Dragon Clan to fill its belly, which I will leave aside for now. But during this time, did it harm any of the righteous gods appointed by the Heavenly Court?"

Song Yi was prepared and immediately took out a blood-red booklet stamped with the Dragon King's seal from his sleeve, and respectfully said: "This is the evidence of crimes written by Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the East Sea. In the past hundred years, this Great Mighty Garuda King has devoured a total of eighteen ninth-rank patrolling sea yaksha generals, as well as seven eighth-rank cloud-and-rain dragon clan gods belonging to the four seas."

Upon hearing this, Wen Zhong suddenly stood up, slammed his right hand on the gavel, and roared, "What a lawless and unruly wretch!"

How dare they openly devour a righteous god recorded in the Heavenly Court's immortal annals and in charge of the winds and rains of heaven and earth! What does this show of respect for the dignity of my Heavenly Court? This is an utterly heinous crime! They shall be subjected to the punishment of being hacked and chopped with axes, tormented day and night by thunder and fire, and punished by being split into two forms!

The so-called fractal is the most severe and cruel punishment in the Heavenly Court's laws, meaning the complete destruction of both body and spirit, and even the chance of reincarnation is completely deprived.

The once arrogant King Vajra Garuda, upon hearing the word "fractal," finally panicked completely.

It struggled desperately against the chains, screaming upwards, "I am a Dharma Protector personally appointed by the Western Sage, holding a position equivalent to a Western Bodhisattva! Wen Zhong, even if you command the Thunder Department, you have no right to kill me! The Western Sect will never let you go!"

Upon hearing the name of the Western Sect, Wen Zhong's murderous intent intensified to an extreme. He sneered and said disdainfully, "Don't think you're just a beast comparable to a Bodhisattva. Even if the Buddha of the West himself came here today, violating the heavenly laws, I would still kill you without mercy!"

Standing to the side, Song Yi observed coldly, but his mind was as clear as a mirror.

During the great war of the Investiture of the Gods, the two saints of the Western Sect, Zhunti and Jieyin, took advantage of the impending doom of the Jie Sect and forcibly converted three thousand mortals to return to the West. The vast majority of those three thousand people were elite disciples of the Jie Sect.

As the third-generation senior disciple of the Jie Sect, Wen Zhong's hatred for the Western Sect was even greater than that for the Chan Sect.

Now that Garuda King has run into Wen Zhong and has gained the support of the Heavenly Laws, he has no way out.

As Wen Zhong waved his hand, several ferocious-looking generals of the Thunder Department responded with a roar, dragging the madly shouting Great Mighty Garuda King into the Thunder Prison like a dead dog.

Wen Zhong then sat back on his throne and said to Song Yi, "This time you went down to the mortal realm on official business, captured the One-Horned Ghost King alive, and upheld the majesty of the Heavenly Court by bringing Garuda to justice. This is a great achievement. I will personally write a memorial to the Great Heavenly Venerable to request your reward."

Song Yi was overjoyed and immediately clasped his hands in thanks, bowing deeply and loudly expressing his gratitude: "This humble god thanks the Heavenly Venerable for his guidance!"

Back in the Heavenly Court and the Milky Way, Lu Ban was leading a group of celestial officials and divine servants from the Heavenly Crafts Bureau to build thirty-three Dragon King Palaces.

The Heavenly Crafts Bureau already contains many palaces, buildings, pavilions, and towers that have been built long ago. With just a suitable design and a little modification, they can be transformed into a divine residence.

The former residence of the Qing Astronomical Bureau was built following this precedent.

Only the residences of emperors or celestial beings require the use of rare and precious materials to be refined from scratch.

Several days later, the Dragon King of the East Sea arrived as promised.

He led thirty-three Celestial Immortal Dragons, headed by Ao Ying, and ascended to the Heavenly Court in a grand procession.

Ao Guang first went to the Tianxiang Mansion to hand over the relevant matters, and then rushed to the Pixiang Hall to pay homage to the Great Heavenly Venerable.

Not long after, the imperial decree conferring titles upon thirty-three Heavenly River Dragon Kings was issued.

Ao Ying was stationed in the Great Luo Heaven and was granted the title of Great Luo Spiritual Source Guangji Dragon Lord, ranking as a seventh-grade deity and commanding six thousand water soldiers.

The other dragons also received titles, such as Vast Abyss Calming Waves Dragon King, Wide Abyss Gentle Swamp Dragon King, or Pure Void Vast Virtue Dragon King. All of them held the eighth-rank divine office and commanded three thousand water soldiers.

Ao Ying is the head of the thirty-three dragon kings and has the right to rule over the other kings.

The Dragon King of the East Sea, Ao Guang, led Ao Ying over and bowed, saying, "Many thanks to the Star Lord for his guidance; otherwise, the future of our dragon clan would have been in jeopardy."

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"Dragon King, why be so polite?" Song Yi returned the greeting with a smile.

Ao Guang paused briefly, then continued, "My daughter is devoted to the mysteries of the universe, and it is truly a once-in-a-millennium opportunity that she is now able to guard the Great Luo Sacred Realm of the Heavenly Court. However, she has been cultivating alone since childhood and has always lacked a master to guide her. Therefore, she wishes to become a disciple of the Star Lord and perform the duties of a disciple."

"Absolutely not," Song Yi immediately declined. "I am listed on the Investiture of the Gods, which means I am cut off from the path of the Great Dao. I cultivate the lineage of the Divine Path. The Dragon Lord Guangji is exceptionally talented; how could I possibly teach him?"

Ao Guang, seemingly having anticipated this, stroked his beard and laughed, "Star Lord, you are mistaken. Since ancient times, immortals and gods have been inseparable, their paths leading to the same destination. Moreover, it is now widely known in the Heavenly Court that you, Star Lord, possess profound attainments in weapon crafting. My Dragon Clan, possessing the four seas and countless rare treasures, has very few master weapon crafters within our clan. With your divine skill in weapon crafting alone, you, Star Lord, are more than qualified to be my daughter's teacher!"

It turns out that Song Yi had previously refined a number of Yellow Turban Warriors at the Qingtianjian.

These warriors are as if cast from pure gold, possessing not only a trace of intelligence but also immense strength and indestructible protective powers.

Nowadays, many celestial palaces and temples are lining up to ask the Qingtianjian (Imperial Observatory) for a few statues to guard their gates.

Over time, Song Yi's reputation for skillful weapon crafting spread throughout the Heavenly Court.

Song Yi frowned slightly, still declining, saying, "Guangji Dragon Lord and I are now both seventh-rank righteous gods in the Heavenly Court. If we address each other as master and disciple, it would be a laughing stock for others to see us without any distinction of rank."

"That's not quite right," the Dragon King of the East Sea replied with a smile. "Although you are currently a seventh-rank deity, with your achievements, it's only a matter of time before you are promoted to a higher position in the Heavenly Court. Moreover, there are many examples in the Heavenly Court of masters and disciples who are both deities, such as Lei Zu Wen Zhong and Dou Mu Yuan Jun Jin Ling Sheng Mu, the Plague Emperor Lü Yue and the Four Plague Gods, and Xuan Tan Yuan Shuai Zhao Gongming and the two Gods of Wealth."

Song Yi originally did not want to take on disciples, but it was because the karma of the Dragon Clan was too heavy, and he was afraid that taking them on would only bring him trouble in the future.

But then he thought back to how he had captured the Great Garuda King in order to gain merit, and had also managed to bind the dragon race firmly to the Heavenly Court's war chariot.

All these causes and effects were indeed caused by oneself.