460: The Heavenly Laws restrict the gods, and they also restrict Heaven!

“The Queen Mother of the West is concerned with the heavenly laws, while the Old Lord remains detached from worldly affairs... This is good.”

Venus understood, flicking his horsetail whisk, he whispered, “Your Majesty is wise. The Queen Mother of the West acts impartially, the Dao Ancestor practices non-action; with everyone in their place and performing their duties, the Heavenly Court can remain as stable as Mount Tai.”

“As stable as Mount Tai?”

Lu Jiuyuan repeated softly, his gaze cast toward the vast sea of clouds outside the hall that seemed eternal, and slowly shook his head. “What if the heart of the mountain has already been hollowed out?”

Upon hearing this, Venus looked at his nose and then his heart, not daring to reply. Some things were for His Majesty to say, but not for him to hear, let alone answer.

Lu Jiuyuan did not expect an answer and continued to speak to himself: “Erlang Shen believes he is playing a great game, wanting to use Chenxiang's affairs to pry open the heavenly laws.

The Queen Mother of the West believes she is defending the ironclad Laws and maintaining the foundation of the Heavenly Court.

The Old Lord... Heh, perhaps he really only wants to practice Alchemy.”

“They are all right; they only see the chessboard before them, forgetting that the Three Realms and Six Paths are my chessboard.”

He slowly stood up from the imperial throne, the crown tassels swaying slightly, the twelve jade beads colliding to emit a crisp and majestic sound.

He paced to the front of the hall, overlooking the churning sea of clouds below, and the distant Mortal realm beneath the clouds.

“Erlang Shen, Nezha, Pigsy, Monkey, there are too many people who have opinions about the heavenly laws!

It seems they are all holding back a breath of Qi, all wanting to change the heavenly laws.

Yet they have never thought about the consequences of changing the heavenly laws.”

“For immortals to fall in love is, in itself, the greatest irresponsibility toward the Three Realms.” Lu Jiuyuan couldn't help but picture various brainless dramas where this Heavenly Lord or that Emperor, upon being dissatisfied, would drag the Three Realms down to be buried with their lover.

“The heavenly laws restrict immortals, but do they not also restrict Heaven!”

“Venus,” he said, his voice returning to calm, “do you think the heavenly laws are merely chains I use to restrain the gods?”

Venus felt a shiver in his heart and bowed, saying, “This old minister is dull-witted; I ask Your Majesty to enlighten me.”

Lu Jiuyuan did not answer directly but reached out, palm facing upward.

In an instant, strands of indescribable radiance gathered from the Void Realm, intertwining and evolving in his palm.

One could faintly see scenes of mountains, rivers, sun, moon, stars, and the birth and death of all things, with countless fine, golden-glowing rule patterns flowing, colliding, and balancing within.

“Is this... the manifestation of the Laws of the Three Realms?”

“Yes, and no.”

Lu Jiuyuan stared at the light and shadow in his palm. “This is the Three Realms in my eyes. Every golden line is a ‘principle’ that maintains its existence and guarantees its operation; you call them ‘heavenly laws’.”

His fingers gently flicked some of the thickest and most prominent golden lines, which represented the fundamental Laws of the separation between immortals and Mortals, the duties of divine offices, and the cycle of Karma.

“The immortals only see that these ‘principles’ bind them, preventing them from doing as they please, from falling in love with Mortals, from acting recklessly.”

Lu Jiuyuan's voice carried a trace of mockery. “They have never thought that it is precisely these ‘principles’ that support this world, separate immortals from Mortals, clarify divine offices, and sort out Karma.

Without these ‘principles’, the magical power of immortals would directly impact the fragile Mortal realm, the authority and responsibilities of deities would overlap and cause chaos leading to disasters, and without retribution for good and evil, order would collapse.”

He slightly closed his palm.

“The heavenly laws restrict immortals, to protect more living beings who cannot resist the power of immortals. But likewise,”

He looked up, his gaze seeming to pierce through the dome of the Hall of Miraculous Mist, toward that higher, more unknowable place. “The heavenly laws are also restricting ‘Heaven’.”

“Restricting... Heaven?” Venus repeated, doing what a good sidekick should do.

“Correct.”

“‘Heaven’ is not Emotionless. Heaven also has a will, inclinations, and selfishness.”

He spoke these words that could shake the Three Realms without any hesitation. “If there were no heavenly laws as a framework, as a buffer, the will of ‘Heaven’ would descend without any restraint.

Joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure—in a single thought, perhaps stars would fall and realms would collapse.

At that time, what difference would there be between immortals and Mortals? They would just be stronger ants.”

“Does Your Majesty want... to let them touch and verify for themselves what consequences will be faced once the framework of the heavenly laws is lost? Would this price be too high?”

Lu Jiuyuan was noncommittal, only saying lightly, “Some truths, spoken ten thousand times, are not as good as letting them experience it once personally.

Erlang Shen wants to seek ‘justice’ for the Third Holy Mother, for Chenxiang, and for all immortals trapped in love; I will give him this opportunity.

Nezha and Monkey want to break the shackles and seek ‘freedom’; I will also give them this stage.”

“But the boundary of the stage remains the heavenly laws. I will not stop how the play is performed, and I will watch, but if anyone wants to dismantle this stage...” His eyes flashed with a cold light, “Then they will have to ask me if I agree.”

Absolute freedom never brings happiness, but rather greater, more inescapable shackles.

And some shackles, which seem like restraints, are actually the only barriers that protect all living beings, including the immortals themselves, from being swallowed by that ultimate, chaotic ‘freedom.’

“As for the Old Lord and the Queen Mother of the West...” Venus weighed his words, “Do we need to pay extra attention?”

“The Queen Mother of the West will keep an eye on Erlang Shen; this is her duty, and also her obsession.”

Lu Jiuyuan withdrew his hand, the light and shadow in his palm quietly dissipating. “As for the Old Lord... He will cooperate. If Chenxiang wants to achieve something, the Old Lord's Golden Core is indispensable.”

“Venus, who do you think will move first?”

At this moment, leaving the Hall of Miraculous Mist, the atmosphere between Erlang Shen, Nezha, and Pigsy, who each pressed down their escape light on the clouds, was quite ominous.

“Second Brother,” Nezha, stepping on his wind fire wheels, blocked Erlang Shen's path. Although his fire-tipped spear was not raised, his tone was already sharp.

“Your Majesty told us to ‘assist’, but how exactly should this be handled? You need to give us a plan.”

“A plan? What plan?” Erlang Shen said. “You only need to remember His Majesty's decree: obey orders.”

He swept his gaze over Pigsy and finally landed on Nezha's face.

“First, do not contact Chenxiang without authorization.

“Second, report any unusual movements to me immediately. Third...”

“If Chenxiang reveals magical power or intends to touch the prohibition between immortals and Mortals, regardless of the reason, capture him and bring him to the True Lords Divine Hall immediately. If you encounter resistance...”

“Kill without mercy.”

Nezha's fire-tipped spear hummed, bursting with sparks. “Erlang Shen! He is still a child! He is your own nephew! Can you really bring yourself to do it?”

Pigsy also trembled in fear. “Oh my, God of Justice, this... this... is this not too harsh? It's enough to just scare him...”

“A child?”

Erlang Shen repeated it, his words piercing straight to the heart. “Nezha, when you stripped your bones to return them to your father and carved out your flesh to return it to your mother, you were not much older than he is now.

Under the heavenly laws, has there ever been any leniency due to youth?”