"I can plead guilty, but before that, I have a question to ask."

"What question?" The Jade Emperor nodded slightly, signaling Song Lin to ask quickly.

At this point, the Jade Emperor held the high ground of morality and legitimacy; any further chaos would only give him more leeway to impose heavy punishment on Song Lin.

As the victor, he was curious to see how Song Lin would attempt to argue his case.

"Why do demons often commit evil deeds under the guise of being officials of the Jade Emperor? Why do gods turn a blind eye to celestial officials' mounts eating humans?"

"Those who exterminate demons are regarded as demons themselves, yet the true demons lie beneath their feet, unobserved."

"As Lord of the Three Realms, does the Jade Emperor truly remain unaware of these matters?"

Song Lin fired off a barrage of questions, one after the other.

For a moment, the Jade Emperor's face flushed between green and white, utterly forgetting how to respond.

Song Lin's words were a direct slap in the face.

"Audacious! You dare question the Heavenly Emperor!"

"Rebellion! This is rebellion!"

"Your Majesty, please execute this man!"

"Your Majesty, allow me to challenge him to a duel!"

The crowd erupted into noise, with ministers eager to kill Song Lin as quickly as possible.

The loyal Ziwei Star Official tried to debate with the immortals, while some simply resorted to outright cursing.

The scene devolved into chaos, as if a skirmish were on the verge of breaking out at any moment.

Song Lin raised his right hand, and the Central Heaven Ziwei faction immediately fell silent.

The Jade Emperor tapped the armrest of his Dragon Chair. The ministers, oblivious to his action, continued their tiresome tirades, which made the Jade Emperor feel a loss of face.

"Silence!"

The Jade Emperor couldn't help but bellow in anger, and only then did the grand hall quiet down.

He then turned his gaze toward the Divine General who had just clamored for a duel with Song Lin. Under his stern glare, the man shrank back into the crowd, cowering in fear.

Seeing his subordinate's pitiful cowardice, the Jade Emperor smirked coldly in exasperation.

"Miao Le Heavenly Venerate, do you truly think you could rule better than I? I am the Lord of the Three Realms, having endured countless tribulations to achieve the Dao. Who are you, to dare question my governance? If you think you could do better, why don't you take my position instead?"

Song Lin remained silent, while the Four Saints behind him burned with anguish. The day's events had shattered their worldview entirely. It turned out the Lord of the Three Realms, the Jade Emperor, was far from the impartial figure they thought him to be—rather, he resembled an incompetent ruler of a mortal dynasty.

The Jade Emperor spoke again:

"Let me ask you: as Lord of the Three Realms, am I also master of the sheep? Master of the wolves? Is it not natural for wolves to eat sheep and for sheep to graze on grass? How could I favor one over the other? Similarly, as the common ruler over dragons, humans, demons, ghosts, and gods, I govern not a single clan, but all Five Tribes. To favor any one side would be unjust; conforming to the natural order—that is the principle of the Great Dao."

"Well said!"

"Your Majesty speaks truthfully!"

His words struck a chord.

To favor any single group would only cause greater chaos. Whether humans ate demons, demons ate humans, or one consumed the other, it was all part of the natural order of things. Strength inherently triumphed over weakness in this world.

Their task was merely to maintain stability, ensuring no side crossed any boundary beyond reason.

Sensing the perfect moment, the Jade Emperor waved his hand and announced, "Now, I will pronounce judgment."

"Ziwei Emperor Song Lin is guilty of lax discipline; however, in light of his meritorious service, he is pardoned from the death penalty. His title as Ziwei Emperor is revoked, and he will retreat to Lingjiu Mountain to meditate and reflect for one thousand years."

"Xuanhuang, as the primary instigator, is stripped of all positions and sent to the Yin Bureau for reincarnation."

The Jade Emperor had other arrangements in mind.

This lifetime, Xuanhuang's personality was too extreme—he seemed to harbor dissatisfaction toward the Jade Emperor, coupled with excessive adoration for Song Lin, making him unsuitable as a Star Lord.

He might as well play the villain this time, enhancing Xuanhuang's reputation and influence. After further reincarnations, Xuanhuang could eventually inherit the Star Lord System, and multiple lifetimes of reincarnation would solidify his foundation.

As for the other Three Saints:

Each possessed extraordinary gifts—Song Lin undeniably had an exceptional eye to find such talent initially.

"Your merits and faults cancel each other out. Return to seclusion for a cycle of sixty years."

The Jade Emperor exercised restraint, unwilling to kill them as an example to others, for eliminating any of them felt like a loss.

Soon, Song Lin surrendered his official seal and returned to Lingjiu Mountain.

Xuanhuang, meanwhile, was taken to the Netherworld to face reincarnation.

Back in his cave mansion, Song Lin gazed at the sky, aware that countless eyes monitored him at all times. Except for the confines of this cave mansion, there was nowhere he could escape.

"Hmph, crooked ways."

The Jade Emperor's words seemed reasonable, but upon closer inspection, they fell apart easily—a flawed argument.

What the Jade Emperor mentioned—these were indeed rules of nature, unchanging even before the Heavenly Court existed. But after the establishment of the Heavenly Court, the situation had not improved; so what purpose did the Heavenly Court serve?

And if every link of the food chain were truly equal, why were only demons with powerful backers allowed to act wantonly, while weaker little demons faced extermination?

Following the Jade Emperor's logic, weren't Song Lin and the Ziwei faction's extermination of their enemies also part of the Great Dao?

This was meant to be the era of humanity's dominance. If demons invaded the Mortal Realm, leading beasts to devour humans, would that not constitute neglect of duty?

In summary, Song Lin believed the Heavenly Court's existence was to maintain order, eliminate outdated and vile customs, and carve out survival spaces for each race. Humanity, as the leader among all living beings, deserved protection under the Heavenly Court meant for the Human Clan.

The vast cosmos was expansive—coexistence wasn't a necessity, but endless slaughter wasn't either.

The reason the Jade Emperor turned a blind eye was likely to maintain balance between the clans.

If left unchecked, how was this any different from the chaotic times before the formation of the Heavenly Court? Wouldn't the Heavenly Court be reduced to nothing but a parasite leeching off the Three Realms?

At least the Donghua Heavenly Court performed better than this.

"Meditate for a thousand years? By then, Huaguang should have emerged, giving me time to focus on Le Tian's affairs."

The plans for the Heavenly Court were complete, but the Buddhist Sect still lacked allies, leaving the balance of power unstable. Without leverage on both sides, karmic goals couldn't be achieved, trapping him in this realm indefinitely.

A thousand years of meditation could also be used to forge the next Golden Core.

"Now only the wood, metal, fire, and earth Golden Cores remain. Let's see if I can succeed within a thousand years…"

As for the Emperor Ziwei Star, control would be handed over to Emperor Zhenwu.

"But before that, I might have to use the God-beating Whip."

To outsiders, it seemed as if Song Lin had yielded, but in truth, he had uncovered numerous hidden traitors—ten times as many as he had expected.

Clearly, the forces of this world were not to be underestimated.

In the coming period, he would make use of Le Tian's identity to locate Xuanhuang's reincarnation as Xuanguang and wield the God-beating Whip to sever Xuanguang's allegiance, enabling retaliation against other Star Lords.

Le Tian Bodhisattva commanded immense influence. With one hand wielding the God-beating Whip to strike True Gods, and the other spreading Black Lotus magic to corrupt Evil Gods, the pace of power consolidation was likely faster than that of the Heavenly Court.

Bam!

The door shut tight as Song Lin entered a meditative state, shutting out all external affairs.

From this day on, the once-glorious Central Heaven Ziwei faded into history.

All Star Lords faced sixty years of enforced meditation; Emperor Ziwei resigned from his post; Beigong Xuanwu Xuanhuang was cast into mortal reincarnation.

For the time being, demons across the land breathed sighs of relief—the oppressive war gods had finally fallen, and their days of suffering were over.

The Three Realms descended into chaos once more, as had always been the norm. Various Taoist Schools, Demon Generals, and Ghost Kings began to emerge again, vying for territory.

This development aligned perfectly with the Jade Emperor's intentions. A thousand years should be sufficient for the world to forget the unrivaled War God of the Three Realms.

Yet he hadn't anticipated the rise of Jin Naluo Bodhisattva Le Tian onto the stage.

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