"Those who commit grievous sins shall be executed on the spot, while those with serious crimes shall be exiled to the mortal world and those with minor offenses shall be incarcerated."

Song Lin recited the prepared list aloud.

For figures like the Medicine Buddha, Guanyin, Ksitigarbha, Universal Virtue, and Great Strength Bodhisattva, who typically performed good deeds and only killed enemies during wartime, they would generally not be punished.

However, for other Bodhisattvas and Buddhas who slaughtered innocents without justification, as well as certain Demon Kings and Ghost Generals who cultivated into Buddhas or attained immortal ranks but retained their violent nature and misused the name of the Heavenly Court to commit atrocities, these individuals were Song Lin's primary targets for elimination.

Upon hearing the list, the Jade Emperor and others breathed sighs of relief. Song Lin had acted with fairness and did not seek revenge against their trusted subordinates. Overall, the decisions were reasonable and aligned with the facts.

"It is just as well," said the Jade Emperor, "perhaps I have been too lenient with them. The old monk and even Lord Lao Zi likely disapprove, which is probably why Xuandu was sent down to discipline us."

"Haha, indeed," came the reply.

The Tathagata turned to Song Lin and Sun Wukong, performed a Buddhist salutation, and his expression became serene. "From now on, the Buddhist Sect is in your hands, benefactors."

After speaking, the Tathagata's body gradually dissipated, ultimately transforming into a lotus flower.

This lotus flower would take a thousand years to sprout, ten thousand years to mature, and a hundred thousand years to take form—just in time to end its self-imposed seclusion.

The Jade Emperor stepped forward, patted the shoulder of Emperor Zhenwu, and smiled, "Do well."

Swish!

The Jade Emperor ascended into the air, transforming into a radiant light that affixed itself to the main beam of the Palace of the Polestar, forming a Coiled Dragon Totem. He then imposed a self-restriction upon it.

Song Lin roughly estimated that this seal would naturally dissipate in ten thousand years.

Of course, he didn't fully trust them. He would later instruct Emperor Zhenwu and others to observe them discreetly over time.

Now that the Pure Land and the Palace of the Polestar were completely under their control, even if the self-seals were removed, as long as the Jade Emperor and the Tathagata remained within the palace and the Pure Land, containing them would not pose much of a problem.

With the self-sealing of the Tathagata and the Jade Emperor, the state of the Three Realms was finally decided.

Next came the trial of offenders, a process that lasted for three full years.

During this time, the vacant positions also needed to be filled with trustworthy individuals personally chosen by Song Lin.

The Heavenly Court still had numerous affairs to manage.

Meanwhile, news of Song Lin taking control of the Heavenly Court and the ten-thousand-year seclusions of the Jade Emperor and the Tathagata spread across all heavens and myriads of worlds.

At the Wuzhuang Temple.

Zhen Yuanzi stepped out of his courtyard, gazing at the clear blue sky, and couldn't help but laugh. "As expected of someone chosen by Lord Lao Zi. I was right about you all along. Qingfeng and Mingyue, lift the mountain seal; the great calamity has passed."

"Yes! We can finally go out and play!"

After being confined for hundreds of years, Qingfeng and Mingyue were beyond ecstatic to finally have the chance to roam freely.

The Five Elders of the Directions also received news of peace in the Three Realms.

Elder Huang remarked to his brothers, "Another era of humanity begins anew, but this one seems promising."

"At last, the Three Realms are at peace."

"Indeed. The endless cycles of war and conflict have left us old men without a proper place to retire. Now, things have finally settled down."

Not all immortals enjoyed the bloodshed and fights. The Five Elders of the Directions, alongside Zhen Yuanzi, were moral and true immortals, completely uninvolved in disputes and conflicts.

No matter how regimes shifted, no one dared touch them, as everyone had to show them deference.

Of course, history records many ambitious figures who sought to forcefully involve the Five Elders. Each instance was met with swift action, with the schemers being killed outright, no explanations or distinctions between righteous or villainous factions required.

After a single such confrontation, no one dared provoke them again.

At this moment, a tree spirit servant approached to report.

"The envoy of Emperor Ziwei of the Central Heaven is here to visit."

"Send them away; I'm not seeing guests!" Elder Huang waved dismissively.

"But they're only here to deliver gifts. They'll leave immediately after."

"Haha, how polite," the elders chuckled.

The Five Elders graciously accepted the gifts.

This gesture was a clear signal, indicating the Central Heaven's goodwill. Dropping off gifts and leaving without lingering signified they would not interfere.

Within the Palace of the Polestar.

Song Lin sat cross-legged, sensing the information contained within the "Monster Chronicles."

[Before Taiwu, there is no cause]

[Worlds]: South Travel Records, Northern Travel Record.

[Thirty-Six Heavens]: Upper Pure Taiwu Heaven.

[Time Flow Speed]: One to ten.

[Descent]: True Body.

[Category]: Central Plains Mythology, Taoist Mythology.

[System]: Divine System of the Three Pure Ones.

[Karma Effect Cycle]: Completed.

Karma had come full circle. At last, the mission handed down by Lord Lao Zi was completed. Contrary to expectations, no scene of Lord Lao Zi appearing to provide rewards occurred. He had likely truly departed this world.

Song Lin summoned Sun Wukong and the Four Saints of the North Pole.

Once everyone gathered, Song Lin directly addressed them. "I am about to transcend this world; the rest is up to you."

"Master, won't you stay a little longer?" Emperor Zhenwu asked.

"No."

"Do you have any directives for us, Taoist?" Sun Wukong asked.

All these arrangements had been carefully orchestrated by Song Lin himself. His efforts were pivotal in bringing down the Tathagata and the Jade Emperor.

Now, with his sudden departure, they felt momentarily adrift.

"Directives?" Song Lin chuckled lightly. "What more instructions are you looking for?"

"About future governance, how should we rule, and the way forward..."

Before they could finish, Song Lin interrupted them, saying, "Future matters should be left to the future to decide. Besides, I have no way of predicting what will happen in the generations to come. Any regulations, no matter how perfect, are framed within the context of the present. Setting them in stone now will only burden future generations and impede progress."

This was a common mistake among founding monarchs, who sought to establish unchangeable decrees for eternity, inadvertently hindering their successors by leaving them with obsolete rules that obstructed reform.

It was better to grant freedom to future generations.

"As long as you uphold the rules and do not cross the bottom line, everything else should be resolved among yourselves."

The Donghua Dao was not about techniques or individuals—it was about the Donghua Rules.

People could change, and time could pass.

As long as there was a shared aspiration, no matter how many millennia passed, its essence would remain untarnished.

"Disciple obeys."

Despite saying this, Song Lin still imparted much of his wisdom to them.

This was especially true for Marshal Tianpeng. With the Wutian Demon Buddha gone, Sun Wukong now a Buddha, and the devils left to Marshal Tianpeng, managing these beings—being a general who treated demons as sustenance—seemed no issue for him.

Yet Song Lin feared that this lad might also succumb to becoming a devil himself.

"Never cease practicing the Taiyi Jinhua Scripture; it is the key to preventing greed and corruption."

"The Taoist heritage in the mortal world will be entrusted to Tianyou and the Black Evil Guardian..."

After briefly outlining his instructions, Song Lin's body began shimmering with light and ascended slowly into the sky.

As he ascended, his form gradually faded.

"Master, how can we see you again in the future?"

"In the future. We'll meet again someday in the future."

Whoosh!

Song Lin's form disappeared completely, transcending this world.

In the countless years that followed, Song Lin never appeared again. Yet, under the enduring legacy of Emperor Ziwei of the Central Heaven, his legend persisted, never fading, not even at the end of time. It remained as eternal as the Heavenly Court's expansion, spreading across all heavens and myriads of worlds.

Thus, the title of Emperor Ziwei came to be.

In the real world.

At the Palace of the Polestar, Song Lin's figure suddenly reappeared.

"Phew, it's finally over."

Though his tone seemed understated, it was, in fact, the culmination of years of careful planning. Being a true-body traversal, even the slightest misstep could result in annihilation. Song Lin would never have acted without absolute confidence.

The rewards this time were quite abundant.

Completion of the Nine Pills, reaching the peak of the Heavenly Immortal stage.

As for combat power, leaving aside any Magic Artifacts, he could easily crush ordinary True Immortals and even hold his own against mid-tier True Immortals. When equipped with Magic Treasures, he could easily defeat them.

Besides advancing his cultivation, he also gained a True Immortal Magic Artifact—the Bright Treasure Wheel.

"As for the item redemption... I'll go with the God-beating Whip."

This had been pre-decided.

At a single thought, Song Lin materialized a whip flowing with treasure-like radiance in his hand, resembling a silver dragon.

When wielded, it exuded an almost sentient vitality.

This was the God-beating Whip, capable of transforming all living things and altering life forces. It was a Magic Treasure that served as the cornerstone for the establishment of the Ziwei Heavenly Court.

"With this treasure, the Donghua Heavenly Court can expand without restraint."

(End of February.)

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