486: Even gods can fall in love, but they have to pay a price!

The severe injuries on Venus and Monkey King healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

It was not just the repair of their Physical Body; even their depleted Origin and damaged Dao foundation were restored to their original state under the nourishment of that gentle and vast power.

Monkey King flipped up and jumped to his feet, stretching his limbs, his eyes shining: "Hey! That feels comfortable!"

Pigsy flew over from Doushuai Palace, and little Nezha was dragged over by his ear by Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, holding the complete Exquisite Pagoda in his hand.

Lu Jiuyuan nodded slightly, his gaze falling upon Venus: "Chang Geng."

"This old minister is here." Venus bowed.

"You have worked hard!"

"How can it be considered hard work to serve Your Majesty!"

Lu Jiuyuan nodded; this was a trusted aide, no need for many words, he would certainly not be mistreated!

Lu Jiuyuan's gaze swept across the restored square of Tongming Hall and finally landed on the dignified and graceful figure standing quietly by the side of the palace gate.

He stepped forward slowly and came to a stop in front of the Queen Mother of the West.

"My Lady," he said, his voice soft, "In this great upheaval of the world, that I could contend with the Heavenly Dao and finally achieve Perfection, is largely due to you holding the center, managing the coordination, and calming the hearts of the people. Your contribution is immense."

He cupped his hands: "I thank you, My Lady."

This gesture was no small matter.

Lu Jiuyuan was now the supreme existence bearing a Universe; his every action contained the true meaning of the Dao.

This solemn expression of gratitude was not only an emperor's commendation to a subject but also the recognition and respect of the Lord of the Dao for his Dao Companion and partner.

The Queen Mother of the West's Phoenix eyes flickered, her heart filled with deep emotion.

She stepped aside to avoid receiving the full salute and returned the courtesy with a bow: "Your Majesty is too kind. Protecting the Heavenly Court and maintaining the Three Realms is my duty. That Your Majesty could attain the Dao... I am merely relieved."

Lu Jiuyuan straightened up, looking at her with a smile in his eyes: "Duties have their degrees of importance. With the Heavenly Court stable, I have no worries behind me. I will keep this contribution in my heart."

He paused and continued: "My true self cannot stay in this world for long; the inner Universe has just been established and still needs time to stabilize.

I will leave behind only a wisp of my soul, but the Heavenly Court cannot be without a master, and the order of the Three Realms also requires someone to hold the reins."

His voice rose slightly, spreading throughout the Hall of Miraculous Mist: "From this day forward, I appoint the Queen Mother of the West to temporarily wield the authority of the Heavenly Emperor, managing all affairs of the Three Realms and Six Paths. All gods must listen to her orders as if I were there in person!"

His voice was like a heavenly decree, accompanied by the Law.

In an instant, the clear Qi of the Thirty-Three Heavens surged, ten thousand rays of colorful light appeared, and countless auspicious auras spontaneously gathered around the Queen Mother of the West.

They faintly condensed into an illusory shadow of an imperial crown; although not fully formed, it already manifested her supreme authority.

Inside and outside the hall, all immortal officials, divine generals, star lords, and heavenly soldiers, as well as the newly recovered Monkey King, Pigsy, Venus, and others, all bowed: "We respectfully obey Your Majesty's decree! We pay our respects to the Queen Mother of the West!"

The Queen Mother of the West took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in her heart, and nodded solemnly: "I accept the decree and will certainly not let Your Majesty down."

Lu Jiuyuan nodded and turned his gaze to Erlang Shen, who was standing silently to the side.

"Erlang."

"This subject is here." Erlang Shen stepped forward and cupped his hands, awaiting orders.

The golden mark on his forehead flickered slightly; although newly acquired, it was already perfectly integrated with his aura.

"The position of God of Justice concerns the fairness of the Laws of all worlds and cannot remain vacant for long," Lu Jiuyuan said, looking at him:

"You have held this position before and know its weight well. Although you have gone through twists and turns, I see that your Heart-Nature has transformed, and your understanding of 'Law' and 'emotion', 'order' and 'protection' is better than in the past."

He paused, his tone becoming formal: "Erlang Shen, hear this decree!"

"This subject respectfully listens to the holy decree!"

"I confer upon you the position of God of Justice once again, to oversee the penal Laws of the heavens, monitor the conduct of all gods, wield the power of the heavenly laws, and protect the constancy of order."

Lu Jiuyuan continued: "The foundation of the new heavenly rules has been set by me: Immortals can fall in love!"

Once these words were spoken, there was a slight commotion in the hall, but it quickly subsided, and the gods listened with bated breath.

"However, the bodies of immortals and gods bear the authority of the Heavenly Dao and maintain the balance of the Three Realms.

If private emotions are allowed to overflow without limit, it is easy to give rise to partiality, shake one's Dao Heart, and even bring disaster to the common people.

Therefore, the new heavenly rules set limits:"

"Any orthodox god of the Heavenly Court or immortal official with a duty who develops Mortal desires and wishes to form a karmic connection with a Mortal or a being from another world must first submit a petition, have it approved by the God of Justice's temple, and report it to the Queen Mother of the West."

"After approval, the immortal or god involved must voluntarily sever their immortal body and divine position, Seal all their cultivation and memories, and enter Reincarnation to experience a hundred lifetimes of romantic fate."

"During these hundred lifetimes, they shall be a Mortal or a being from another world, experiencing birth, aging, sickness, and death, love and hate, parting and meeting, the trivialities of daily life, and the responsibilities of home and country.

If after a hundred lifetimes they still have the heart to pursue the Dao, only then, at the end of Reincarnation, can they sever the romantic fate, be received by the Heavenly Court, reshape their immortal foundation, and be reinstated among the immortals."

"If during the hundred lifetimes the romantic fate is worn away, or if one party commits grave sins, or sinks into the sea of desire and cannot extricate themselves, then the fate will end of its own accord, the path to immortality will be forever severed, and they will only reincarnate as an ordinary soul."

Lu Jiuyuan's gaze swept over the gods and finally returned to Erlang Shen: "The purpose of this Law is not to forbid the seven emotions and six desires, but to set limits on emotions and use tribulations to temper the heart.

The word 'emotion' can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it.

Immortals enjoy longevity; if they cannot use the long years and layers of tribulations to test their true hearts, then private emotions can easily become a source of disaster.

The hundred lifetimes of Reincarnation are a furnace to refine away hypocrisy and pretense, leaving only a heart that does not regret after a hundred tribulations.

God of Justice, the execution and supervision of this Law are entrusted to you.

Can you maintain fairness and be impartial?"

"This subject, Erlang Shen, accepts the decree!" His voice was resonant and firm.

"Pigsy, you have faults and you have virtues; in the end, your merits outweigh your faults!" Lu Jiuyuan pointed at Pigsy.

Pigsy's pig head and big belly changed rapidly; his body seemed to be broken apart and then reassembled.

He transformed from the pig-headed appearance into a majestic man.

"I have purged your Bloodline and reshaped your true body!"

"As for the monkey, I am going to visit another world, so I might as well take you with me! Consider it a reward!"

"Hehe, Old Man, look at Old Sun's rod, it was twisted into a pretzel by that Heaven-Opening Divine Axe!" Monkey King brought the rod to Lu Jiuyuan with a pained expression.

"What's difficult about that!" Lu Jiuyuan took it, ran his hand down it, and stroked the rod back to its original shape.

Perfectly straight!

Then he used his finger to write the character "Hard" and the character "Destroy" on the rod!

The "Hard" of hardness, the "Destroy" of being indestructible!

From now on, it is no longer just the golden-hooped rod, but a golden-hooped rod that is both hard and indestructible.

He threw the rod to the monkey, who took it in his hand and weighed it: "Good, good rod!"

"Your Majesty, hehehehe, can you take Old Pig out to play too? Old Pig has been friends with the monkey brother for so many years, I can't bear to part with him!" Pigsy said, fawning and edging closer.

"And me! And me!" The adorable little Nezha struggled and said: "Old Man, I want to go out and play too, I want to go out and play too! Take me with you, I will be very obedient!"

"We'll see. If it's fun, I'll let you come out and play!" Lu Jiuyuan smiled, a hair fell, turned into his appearance, and his true body disappeared.