Xiao Ning nodded in understanding.
Venus slowly said, "The celestial officials of the Heavenly Court are not of one mind. As for me, I am naturally loyal to the Great Heavenly Venerable. In addition, the Four Heavenly Kings, the Four Heavenly Masters, the Three Heavenly Officials and Four Meritorious Officials, the Four Extreme Heavenly Kings, etc., are all the Great Heavenly Venerable's trusted subordinates!"
"The entire family of Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, favors the Western Sacred Mountain; the Star Lords of the Northern and Southern Dippers favor the Old Mother of Lishan; and a host of celestial officials have sided with the Queen Mother of the West!"
"The other four emperors also have their own biases!"
"It can be said that the relationships involved are extremely complex!"
"Alright, that's all I have to say. I'll take my leave now!"
After explaining the general division of power within the Heavenly Court to Xiao Ning, Venus abruptly got up and left.
After seeing Venus off, Xiao Ning seemed to be deep in thought.
"Now that I've joined the Heavenly Court, I'm caught in the power struggle between the Jade Emperor, Mount Ling, and the Queen Mother of the West. I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse!"
He shook his head and sighed.
"Forget it, we'll deal with whatever comes our way. This world is just a minor world, at most it only has top-tier combat power below the Immortal level. Who have I, Xiao Ning, ever been afraid of?"
After a while, Xiao Ning chuckled, dispelling all the vexation in his heart.
After greeting the abbot of Qingxu Temple, he returned to the wooden hut in the back mountain, sat cross-legged on the bed, closed his eyes, and sank his mind into a state of deep meditation. Before long, he entered a deep state of deep meditation.
…………
Just as Xiao Ning accepted the imperial decree from the Heavenly Court and became the Dongzhen Du'e Heavenly Lord.
It is far to the southwest, thousands of miles away.
The mountains stretch endlessly, like great dragons coiling and soaring into the sky. The mist is ethereal, the smoke is faint, and the clouds and fog are swirling, like the jade sleeves of a fairy maiden.
Looking out, the mountains are verdant and majestic, some piercing the azure sky, others like a fairy's reclining bed, like a canopy over Mount Emei, displaying a myriad of magnificent sights.
This place is Mount Emei, which has always been known as the most beautiful mountain in the world.
West of Chengdu city lies Mount Qingcheng, a mountain range with overlapping ridges stretching for thousands of miles. This mountain is known as the Fifth Grotto-Heaven, containing seventy-two smaller grottoes corresponding to the seventy-two pentads, and eight major grottoes according to the eight solar terms.
As the old saying goes: High mountains are bound to harbor strange creatures, and steep peaks can give birth to demons.
There is another cave on this mountain, called Qingfeng Cave. A white snake spirit lives in the cave and cultivates there. The cave is filled with exotic flowers and rare herbs, and the scenery is serene and secluded, rarely visited by humans. It is truly a place for cultivating the Tao.
This snake cultivated itself in the cave for 1,700 years without ever harming a single person. Despite its long cultivation and advanced magical abilities, it was ultimately an animal and failed to achieve enlightenment.
Nestled among these mountains and valleys is a peak resembling a reclining immortal, with verdant cliffs, colorful rocks, cascading waterfalls, and rainbow-colored clouds, creating a scene of ethereal beauty, like a fairyland.
Thirty-six peaks enter the painting-like landscape, and one hundred and eight scenic spots hang like a ladder to heaven—this describes the world-famous Qingcheng Mountain.
Halfway up the mountain, shrouded in mist, in a secluded valley, vines hang down, their green ribbons draped in the air. At the bottom of the valley lies a clear, blue lake, as bright as jade. Sunlight pierces through the mist, scattering a faint rainbow of light, the water shimmering and filled with a refreshing fragrance.
At one moment, a slender white figure suddenly burst out from underwater, swirling up countless water droplets like fireflies. Under the sunlight, they shimmered with starlight, like a celestial maiden scattering flowers.
The white figure circled once in mid-air, creating a gentle breeze, and hovered around a huge stalactite pillar by the lake.
It was a white snake, about ten feet thick and several tens of feet long.
Just then, seemingly triggered by the appearance of the white snake, the celestial phenomena within the valley suddenly changed drastically.
The once sunny sky was suddenly filled with dark, ink-like clouds that quickly spread out, covering the entire valley with a thick, dark cloud layer that pressed down lower and lower, with streaks of silvery-white lightning visible moving within the clouds.
The dark clouds in the sky grew ever larger, and the sky quickly darkened. Sand and stones flew in the valley, the lake water rippled, and the air was filled with a dull and oppressive atmosphere.
"Boom!"
A series of loud thunderclaps echoed throughout the valley.
A bolt of lightning as thick as an arm fell from the sky, like the wrath of the Thunder God, breaking through the clouds and striking the white snake with lightning speed.
It was a rare lightning tribulation in which a demon transformed into human form.
"Good timing!"
A human-like light appeared in its eyes, and the white snake let out a soft snort.
As the lightning struck, it emitted a beam of white light that forcefully dispersed the lightning.
However, thunder rumbled, the dark clouds were broken, and in an instant, dozens more bolts of lightning of the same thickness struck down.
It illuminated the valley as brightly as day, its imposing power seemingly intent on obliterating the figure below from the face of the earth.
Faced with such a change, the white snake raised its head and spat out a milky white inner core, which was surrounded by clouds and mist, as bright as pearls and shells, and emitted a peaceful light, hanging above its head.
The lightning in mid-air seemed to be attracted by something, all intertwining and striking towards the inner core.
Thunder and lightning flashed across the heavens and earth.
In an instant, countless rays of light burst forth, lightning swirled, and endless bolts of lightning were all drawn away by the inner core.
As if provoked, the tribulation clouds grew larger and larger, almost covering most of the Qingcheng Mountain area.
Dark clouds pressed down, almost touching the mountaintop, while a fierce wind arose between heaven and earth, causing flowers in the valley to fall like rain and vines to sway.
The terrifying scene in mid-air was reflected on the lake.
The calamity clouds surged like thick ink, obscuring the sky and the sun. Streaks of lightning rolled back and forth within them, but did not rush to fall, as if they were accumulating power to completely destroy the figure below.
Even from a hundred miles away, one could feel the terrifying offensive contained within the tribulation clouds, as if it were capable of destroying the heavens and the earth, a sight that would chill the heart.