The entire sect is obsessed with love, but I'm the only one who's truly insane.

For the first time, Kaiyang felt that the deserted state of the Three Yuan Nine Mansions was not a good thing.

For example, he's been sitting here for ages and hasn't even had a cup of tea.

His attendants ran around, busy and sweating profusely at the beck and call of Taiyi Xingjun, while the magical treasure just hung idly in the air, without even a decorative stand. Some of the tables were teetering on the verge of collapse, and the spirit spiders were so frightened by the sweeping magic that they scattered all over the ground and even climbed onto his robes.

Not to mention the old, stale smell that came from the long period of closure.

At least a dilapidated temple can let in some air, but the Three Realms and Nine Prefectures that Lin Du is currently in charge of is even worse than a dilapidated temple!

That one celestial official didn't seem to have any sense of propriety at all; he didn't interact with him at all the time, not even as good as Lin Du!

Kaiyang is a bit bored right now, and even wants to take a nap.

But he couldn't. He had to keep an eye on Lin Du, who had entered the Floating Life Illusion, and see what he could come up with.

"Hey, move aside, lift your foot, don't you have any manners?"

Chu Guanmeng swaggered around, ordering the young boy to wipe the floor, and casually scolded the person who was sitting motionless.

Kaiyang swallowed his anger and raised his foot.

"Hurry up and pack up. I'll find some more people to witness this, otherwise we won't even have a place to stand in a while."

Although Lin Du was young and had little experience, he didn't believe that Lin Du was truly without any faults.

When the new officials of the Three Realms and Nine Offices arrive, will they set an example and accept punishment, or will they act as if nothing happened?

The only thing visible on the floating fan was the endless snow, with no change whatsoever, which made his eyes ache from staring at it.

Most people in the Heavenly Palace had only heard of the Floating Life Fan, but it had already disappeared when the Three Primal Elements and Nine Palaces were in decline. People thought that this ancient spiritual treasure would never appear again, but who would have thought that Daoist Lingwei would bring it back to someone else.

Isn't it said that the Floating Life Illusion Realm traces a person's entire life, judges their merits and demerits, and assigns punishment? Why is it that after Lin Du entered, all he could see was endless snow?

As Kaiyang looked at it, he finally saw the words that appeared on it: Born in the Lesser Cold season, his parents froze to death in the wilderness, he was weak by nature, short-lived, and sickly.

He was momentarily stunned, unconsciously thinking, "A person who came up from the lower realm..."

The snow was still endless. A few scattered words summarized this person's childhood. He grew up by doing odd jobs for various families to make a living. He was kind-hearted, did no evil, and had neither merit nor demerit.

The heavy snowfall gradually slowed down, and signs of thawing could be vaguely seen, followed by the continuous green mountains.

The words on the fan have been transformed into several new phrases: "Walking a thousand miles to become a disciple of the Supreme Sect, being kind to others, quick-witted and eager to learn, specializing in array formations, having extensive knowledge and a wide memory, becoming a teacher at a young age."

Kaiyang raised an eyebrow. What the hell? So young and already a teacher?

Is it possible for children in the lower realm to grow up so early?

But it was at this moment that the Floating Life Fan began to vibrate violently.

Kaiyang sat up straight. Oh wow, such a strong reaction, it must be something serious.

The Floating Life Fan was covered with ice cracks, with no words or images on it.

Kaiyang turned his head blankly to look at the only celestial official in the Three Realms Palace. "What does this mean?"

Xuan Ying stared intently at the cracks on the fan, pondered for a moment, and said, "His health isn't good, is it? Didn't you see he's been frail since childhood? He might be dying, but not completely dead."

Kaiyang suddenly felt a pang of guilt. "Oh, will she survive?"

Xuan Ying was speechless. "How did Daoist Lingwei get up here?"

Kaiyang: ...That makes sense.

He touched his neck, turned his face, and said, "Um, it seems Yaoguang and the others have arrived. I'll go pick them up."

In the instant he turned around, the ice on the fan shattered and broke apart, followed by a heavy snowfall, and then the words flickered and changed rapidly.

Wei Zhi walked over calmly with a better stand, which conveniently blocked the fan.

Lin Du was not having an easy time in the illusion.

She knew she had to go through this ordeal; if she didn't go in, her actions would be illegitimate and she wouldn't be setting a good example.

Unlike the Heavenly Dao, the Floating Life Fan uses the cultivator's physical body as a reference. Lin Du can deceive the world, but he cannot deceive himself.

She should bear the consequences of this crime.

The wind and frost were like swords, leaving her covered in wounds and blood. Lin Du continued to move forward, trudging alone through the long snowfield, with no end in sight.

But she knew that this was a punishment that had been brought upon her. She had gone against the will of Heaven and tried to set things right, but in the end, she had still violated the laws of Heaven.

Lin Du was suddenly transported back to the winter days of her childhood when she was hungry and cold. The cold wind made her whole body numb. Since she started cultivating, she hadn't felt the cold so directly for a long time.

Blood continued to flow from her wounds. She went from walking against the wind to walking slowly with her back bent, and finally had to crawl to get through this punishment.

Xihe struck the sun with the sound of glass, and the ashes of calamity flew away, bringing peace to the past and present.

With a crackling sound, as if the entire frozen world had collapsed in an instant, the ice and snow made a sound almost like crystal. When the biting cold wind and sharp ice blades stopped scraping her skin, Lin Du felt a sense of relief. This punishment was over.

Everything started anew, and a large group of people arrived at the mansion.

"Lord Lingwei is punishing himself before taking office; even the judge doesn't judge his own merits and demerits." A celestial lord looked at the fan supported by the sandalwood stand and sighed.

"That's right." Another star official looked at the scene above, which was still filled with heavy snow, but the words on it were astonishing one after another.

"To find all the escaped souls from the collapsed and shrunken world, to expose the conspiracy of the fallen god's fragments, to retrieve tens of thousands of missing souls from the Realm of Enlightenment and send them to the Underworld, to establish a defensive line that benefits tens of millions of people... and also... to thoroughly cleanse the demonic energy, to impart knowledge and resolve doubts, to ensure the continuity of the lineage... hundreds of minor merits and six major merits!"

One Immortal Lord couldn't help but sigh, "Just one great achievement would be enough to receive an imperial decree in the Heavenly Palace, without even needing to rely on cultivation to win."

In the Celestial Palace of the Immortal Realm, the seventh-rank Immortal Lords, the sixth-rank Star Lords or True Lords, and the fifth-rank Prefecture Lords are mostly the lords of the territories of various races in the Upper Realm, with the demon race being the most numerous. The fourth-rank are mostly the rulers and masters of the Lesser Thousand Worlds, or Dao Lords who have achieved supernatural powers. The third-rank are the Primordial Lords, the second-rank are the Emperors, and the first-rank are the Heavenly Venerables. The higher one goes, the less one can ascend based on cultivation and seniority.

With six great achievements, he should have been promoted to Yuanjun immediately. However, Lingwei Daojun was too inexperienced, and his great achievements were made in the lower realm. Therefore, he was only promoted to Daojun with a discount.

"Lord Lingwei...you really have been wronged." One person carefully considered his words.

"The merits of the lower realms are ultimately limited to one realm. Reaching the level of Dao Lord is already quite remarkable." Lord Yiyuan saw through this clearly. "However, this child's future is limitless."

The floating fan was covered with clouds and rainbow light. Then, divine light pierced through the glass top, and a pale blue figure with a bloody smell leaped out. He had taken responsibility for his sins and would receive blessings for his merits.

As the world's rules bestowed blessings, Lin Du floated in the air, bathed in divine light, and entered a meditative state.

The wounds healed instantly, and divine power poured into my head. It was as if I was bathing in a hot spring, and all my muscles and bones felt comfortable. My meridians and dantian were full of power and kept circulating and absorbing it.

Within the divine palace, nourished by power, the endless river instantly flowed into the sea, washing away a vast ocean of divine consciousness. The final sea realm of the Heavenly Pool Refining God Technique was completed, and divine talismans were arranged in the mind, scattering into golden light, once again bringing enlightenment.

Six days later, Lin Du finally opened his eyes and was met with many pairs of eyes.

"Oh, everyone's here! I'm so sorry for the poor hospitality. We don't even have a servant to serve tea and water in Sanyuan Prefecture." Lin Du jumped down nimbly. "It's really impolite of me."

"Now that I have been judged by the Floating Life Fan and my life is clear, it is your turn," Lin Du said, looking precisely at someone in the crowd, "Kaiyang Xingjun."

Kaiyang inexplicably sensed a hint of schadenfreude. He then thought to himself, Lin Du is not even two thousand years old yet she has so much merit. He is so much older than her, how could he be any worse?

He admitted that Lin Du was quite capable. She had no background and was even worried about her lifespan, yet she had managed to get this far. She was very strong, but that didn't stop him from disliking her.

He boldly stepped forward and said, "Come on."

Lin Du nodded. "Lord Kaiyang, please open the Divine Palace."

She raised her hand and infused the Floating Life Fan with immortal power, then picked up her brush, infused it with her divine sense, and wrote down Kaiyang's name, birth date and time, and the place of his birth. She then began to conjure up Kaiyang's Floating Life Illusion.

Kaiyang quickly disappeared from the hall. The heavy iron folding fan was suddenly opened, and a powerful and chilling immortal force pushed the fan onto the wooden stand and placed it properly. Then, the Dream Brush floated above it.

A seedling slowly breaks through the soil.

Lin Du clasped his hands together and said, "Since everyone is here, may I ask where to find the allowances for each department of the Heavenly Palace? And where do you get the sweeping and tea-serving servants? I'm new here, and I'm sorry that you've all had to stand and haven't even had a cup of tea."

Chu Guanmeng had already whispered in Lin Du's ear that these people were all brought here by Kaiyang.

Lin Du sighed, "There are still many good people in the world. Otherwise, the Sanyuan Prefecture might not be in good shape today. Now, everything that should be there will be there immediately."

Kaiyang's illusion was obviously much longer than hers. Lin Du waited patiently for people from various departments in the Heavenly Palace to send over the pageboys, as well as the allowances and new utensils and decorations.

The Sanyuan Mansion was transformed from a place covered in cobwebs and empty and decaying into a bright and clean mansion with a magnificent hall and treasure palace.

Once everything was settled, Lin Du turned his head and raised an eyebrow at Xuan Ying, the meaning in his eyes self-evident.

Xuan Ying lowered his head helplessly.

You know what, this new boss is incredibly efficient; it looks like we won't be able to go on vacation anymore.

As the sapling on the fan gradually grew into a towering tree, the judgment was also constantly consuming Lin Du's divine consciousness and immortal power.

Lin Du propped his head up and sat on the side of the head seat, seemingly nonchalant, but in reality, his attention was spread throughout the entire mansion.

"Lord Lingwei, you are so young, yet you manage an entire prefecture on your own. If there is anything you are struggling with, you can ask us for help. After all, one person cannot manage alone," said Lord Yixing.

Upon hearing this, Lin Du leaned forward slightly. "How do you know I'm really powerless? Well, according to the Heavenly Rules, I'm short of people here!"

"We're short five or six people. Does your Fire Mansion have enough people? Could you spare one of your young men for me?"

Xia Tianwu was born with a strange fire and later obtained the inheritance of Nüqing in a secret realm. After ascending, he was taken away by the Fire Department. However, Nüqing should have been her disciple. It is only because she was an ancient god that few people know about her now.

Upon hearing this, Huo De Xingjun's expression stiffened. "Ah, this matter you mentioned, I'm not saying it's impossible, but it depends on the individual's wishes... Besides, when new people ascend in the future, they can be taken away. We will definitely not compete with your Sanyuan Palace for them."

"Since no one has ascended yet, what we need right now is someone capable of using a different kind of fire to suppress ghosts," Lin Du said with a smile. "Why don't we ask them now?"

The words that Huo De Xing Jun had just spoken could not be rejected so quickly, so he gritted his teeth and nodded.

Xia Tian didn't agree at all; the transfer order hadn't even arrived yet, but the person had already come.

Lin Du was satisfied. If Xia Tianwu had entered the Heavenly Medicine Department, she would have chosen to respect her decision. But since she had entered the Fire Mansion, it would have been better for her to come to their Three Elements Mansion. In that case, they could suppress ghosts when needed, refine pills when they wanted, and take holidays when they wanted.

Her gaze swept over the members of the Dou clan, scanning them one by one, before finally settling on the fan.

Insects bore into the earth, lightning struck, floods passed, and now comes drought.

It seems that Kaiyang Xingjun has quite a few faults.

Lin Du crossed his arms and looked at the verdict for a while. He noticed that the verdict read, "He is brave and reckless by nature. Although he has some shortcomings and has committed several minor offenses, he has not committed any major offenses. Therefore, he is not guilty of any major offenses and is only given a minor punishment. Although he has not made any great contributions, he is diligent and hardworking and deserves some praise."

She lowered her eyes; it seemed Kaiyang wasn't such a wicked person after all.

Lin Du gripped the back of her chair, lost in thought. She wondered when she could get off work, as she still needed to study what he had said to her during their confrontation earlier that day.

Currently, the Sanyuan Prefecture judges merits and demerits based on merits and demerits, and can only rely on those who voluntarily offer themselves up. But there are not many people as foolish as Kaiyang. How many people can voluntarily accept punishment?

Lin Du raised his hand and pressed his temples, just as Kaiyang struggled to get out.

She looked much more disheveled than her, her clothes tattered, covered in dried mud and scorch marks, and riddled with holes from insects. Even her tall and strong body looked pitiful and wretched.

The divine light descended, but it was withdrawn in a short while, only enough to heal the sins suffered by Kaiyang.

Lin Du stood up. "Lord Kaiyang is truly righteous! Your support for the work of our Sanyuan Palace is truly commendable. You are indeed the most responsible, righteous, and visionary star lord in the Heavenly Palace!"

In front of so many people, Kaiyang hadn't even woken up from his long illusion when Lin Du immediately put a huge, high hat on him.

He even subconsciously said, "It's only right."

Lin Du led the applause, gestured for the boy to present a fresh, large red flower, and patted Kaiyang on the shoulder, saying, "Thank you for your cooperation, thank you for your sense of justice."

"If any other celestial officials are willing to support our work, we would be extremely grateful." She stepped forward. "How does it feel to be bathed in divine light? It's wonderful, isn't it? All your ailments are gone, aren't they?"

Kaiyang nodded subconsciously, then strode out with a big red flower pinned to his chest.

After withdrawing his gaze, Lin Du looked at the celestial officials around him and asked, "Anyone else coming? Our Sanyuan Prefecture is ready to welcome you anytime."

A group of celestial officials stood up, laughing and joking, looking at the sky, the ground, and outside. "It's time to disperse, it's time to disperse."

Lin Du regretfully saw off a group of people; there are still too few fools in the world.

"I'm leaving now, I'll rest for today." Lin Du put away his fan and pen, glanced at Wei Zhi, and returned to the Holy Disciple's Heavenly Residence.

Today is just the first step. The Sanyuan Prefecture has been opened, and someone has judged the merits and demerits. If there is one, there will be two, and there will definitely be a third.

She certainly didn't unconditionally trust Lin Tuan and Hou Tu. She needed to slowly uncover what had happened before, what the Heavenly Emperor was hiding, and why Yin Huaitian had died.

Yin Huaitian forged this red rope to find cultivators with the Three Poisons Seal in their bodies, but she couldn't control it, and things didn't go as planned. She thought she had failed in the forging, but in fact, she hadn't failed; this red rope could identify them.

She deliberately touched Kaiyang today, and he didn't react at all, which means he wasn't him.

But she couldn't just keep trying to extort money from everyone in the Heavenly Palace. The best opportunity was still the legacy left behind by Yin Huaitian before his death.

Once a clue and evidence are found, cleaning up the entire Heavenly Palace will be a simple matter of a word.

Lin Du lowered his eyes in thought, walked around the courtyard, and finally stopped under the precious tree.

There are many such precious trees in the Jade Purity Realm where the Dao Ancestor resides. They have branches and trunks of white jade, and their precious light is magnificent and colorful.

The events at the shrine prove that everything is related to the Three Poisons Seal. As for what else happened, no one remembered it when the stall was set up. There was no record of it in the library of Yuqing Realm, and Wei Zhi was unable to find any clues in the books in the Heavenly Palace.

The events surrounding Houtu occurred at least tens of thousands of years ago, and Yin Huaitian has been gone for over six thousand years.

She frowned; these young star lords were still no good.

Wei Zhi couldn't stand it anymore. "If you keep wandering around like that, you're going to run into a tree."

Lin Du snapped out of his daze. "Sorry, let me sort this out."

She held the Floating Life Fan, which could be used to view the life stories of those who had been recorded, and perhaps they had experiences related to Yin Huaitian, but she always felt that Kaiyang's own experiences were somewhat strange.

"Lin Du," Wei Zhi suddenly spoke.

Lin Du looked up. "Hmm?"

"I'm going to Guixu now."

Wei Zhi looked at her intently. "You don't need to see me off."

Lin Du closed his fan, turned to look at the scene behind the mansion, and said, "Come on, it's just a few steps away."

Wei Zhi chuckled and could only follow in her footsteps.

The two walked one after the other to the front of the Ruins of Return.

"I'm leaving," Wei Zhi said calmly, transforming into a giant silver dragon.

Lin Du suddenly raised her hand, and the dragon circled around her hand before slowly lowering its head.

The cultivator in azure robes lowered his head slightly and gently touched the dragon's head; the equality contract between their foreheads glowed faintly.

"Be careful, and trust in my abilities. I can take down a dragon in no time. Don't give up so easily."

As soon as Lin Du finished speaking, the silver dragon let out a long roar, turned around, and leaped into the bottomless Guixu.

The water was a deep, clear blue, and light seemed unable to penetrate it. The silver dragon's silvery sheen vanished in an instant.

Lin Du stood by the edge of Guixu for a long time before turning around and setting up an array.

When she returned to the mansion, she discovered that someone was standing under the precious tree, and the precious light shone on that person, making them appear as one with it.

She subconsciously channeled her immortal power, gripped the Floating Life Fan tightly, and smiled calmly, "Junior Lingwei greets the Emperor."

"Don't be nervous. I'm just here to apologize on behalf of my unruly little disciple. I failed to discipline you properly, and it's really my fault that you were assigned to such a place."

Fusang slowly turned around, her gaze sincere. "I only learned what good things he did after seeing his merits and demerits judged from afar. I will discipline him more when I get back and punish him by making him sweep the courtyard for three years as a small punishment to serve as a warning. However, this place is not a good place after all. If Daojun is willing to relocate, I can choose another place for you. It is not right for you to live in such a terrible place."

He had a naturally dignified appearance, but at this moment his expression was gentle and his body was slightly bowed, making him look not aloof at all.

Lin Du smiled and said, "I dare not accept such praise. I really like this place. Thank you for protecting me, Your Majesty."

Fusang was somewhat surprised. "I can find you a central place to live so you can cultivate more easily. You don't need to be nervous or afraid of trouble, and you don't need to feel that I'm making it up to you. This is what a talent like you deserves."

Lin Du bowed upon hearing this, "Thank you for your care, Your Majesty. However, I feel that this place is a good reminder to cultivate diligently. Only in such a harsh and cold place can one cultivate more solid fruits, right?"

Upon hearing this, Fusang exclaimed in admiration, "Your character is so superior that none of my disciples are as good as you. I wish you were my disciple. You truly deserve to be the disciple recognized by the Dao Ancestor."

After Lin Du repeatedly refused, Fusang gave up on compensation and had no choice but to strengthen the defenses and suppression of the mansion before turning to leave.

Chu Guanmeng jumped up from Lin Du's shoulder, "Hey, such a good master, how did he produce such an incorrigible person as Kaiyang?"

Lin Du suddenly looked up at the precious tree in the courtyard. "Chu Guanmeng, would you like to see what's sealed beneath this precious tree?"