Chapter 242: Heavenly Court and Jade Emperor's Current Status

A young man in white clothes leaned on the white jade table with one hand, resting his chin, and idly toyed with a few Xian Tian Ling Bao-level pearls.

The world is full of troubles, but the Heavenly Court is idle;Efforts to govern with diligence find no gods to rule.——《Dang Dai Tian Di Qian Qi Sheng Huo Lu》

He aspired to be a Heavenly Emperor revered by all spirits, but six towering mountains stood in his way on all sides, preventing his sacred radiance from shining upon the heavens and earth.

As the saying goes, even a skilled cook can't make a meal without ingredients; in his case, it was like a clever emperor struggling to rule over empty divinity...

In the Heavenly Court, things had become so leisurely that he was now planting Pan Tao, raising divine birds, and fiddling with the Five Elements pearls.

It was like being on the job but already retired...

"Report to Your Majesty! Dong Mu Gong seeks an audience outside the hall!"

Upon hearing the announcement from outside, the young man in white clothes immediately straightened up, put away the pearls, cleared his throat, picked up a memorial from the side, and opened it to glance at the text he already knew by heart...

"Admit him."

Dong Mu Gong lowered his head and ascended the steps of white jade, glancing up at the scene on the high platform, his eyes filled with contentment.

Yu Di His Majesty was truly diligent.

"This old minister pays respects to Your Majesty!"

"No need for excessive courtesy, Dong Mu Gong," the young man in white clothes replied with a calm and elegant smile, slowly shifting his gaze from the memorial. "You seem in a hurry—what important matter brings you?"

Dong Mu Gong presented a memorial and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, regarding the task you assigned, I have completed the adjustments to the hydrology and climate in the southeastern region of Nan Shan Bu Zhou within the past century.

Abundant years account for 30 percent, normal years for 60 percent, disaster years for 5 percent, and the remaining 5 percent left as buffer."

"Bring it forward."

"Yes," Dong Mu Gong replied, stepping forward two paces and using immortal power to send the memorial to Yu Di's throne.

The young man in white clothes examined it carefully for a moment, then nodded with a smile. "I always trust the way you handle things, Dong Mu Gong."

With that, he set the memorial aside and couldn't help but stifle a yawn.

Dong Mu Gong quickly added, "Your Majesty, you should rest more in your daily routine. Don't overexert yourself—the Heavenly Court still depends on you."

The young man in white clothes chuckled and casually steered the conversation elsewhere. "Dong Mu Gong, how are things in the Four Seas lately?"

"The matters with the Dragon Clan remain unresolved," Dong Mu Gong said gravely. "Countless creatures in the Four Seas have been killed or injured, and the resentment of the spirits has formed gray clouds in the lower three heavens, disturbing some heavenly beings.

If the Dragon Clan continues in this turmoil, the Four Seas will never be at peace—it remains a hidden threat."

The young man in white clothes pondered for a moment, then sighed softly, "This is also something I cannot intervene in right now. The Dragon Palace affairs have been schemed against by later saints, so as Chang Geng Qing has advised, we must proceed step by step, going with the flow."

"Your Majesty is wise!"

The young man in white clothes set down the memorial and smiled. "Dong Mu Gong, how is the progress on Chang Geng Qing's official divine decree?"

Dong Mu Gong replied hastily, "This old minister checked on it just three days ago. As per Your Majesty's instructions, we have added the power of merit for the third time and paused the other two decrees being condensed simultaneously...

It should be ready in about three more years."

"Three years..."

Yu Di's eyes showed a hint of helplessness as he sighed softly. "I still have to wait three years before Chang Geng Qing can enter the Heavenly Court to... well, provide some diversion. I mean, offer counsel."

Dong Mu Gong blinked, feeling as though he had heard something unusual, but he wasn't quite sure.

Did His Majesty slip up?

It must be from exhaustion, even affecting his speech...

"Your Majesty, Hai Shen Dao You is also eagerly awaiting the chance to serve at your side."

"Enough, Dong Mu Gong. How many favors has Chang Geng Qing given you? You sing his praises every day."

Yu Di chuckled lightly. "I know full well how important Chang Geng Qing is to the Heavenly Court. Your compliments are more like gilding the lily than adding value."

Dong Mu Gong's forehead broke out in a light sweat, and he quickly bowed low, exclaiming, "This minister admits his fault."

He suddenly recalled that in recent decades, Hai Shen had indeed reminded him not to speak too highly of him in front of His Majesty...

Had Hai Shen seen through this too?

Dong Mu Gong felt a wave of helplessness in his heart. As fellow ministers in the Heavenly Court, he truly felt a bit ashamed.

Fortunately, Yu Di His Majesty only gave a lighthearted reminder and allowed Dong Mu Gong to withdraw without further comment.

"Chang Geng..."

The young man in white clothes murmured to himself, taking a piece of gold-embroidered silk and writing the two characters on it, then adding a few other words beside them.

Ren, Wu, Long, Tai Qing...

"This advisor of mine is becoming more and more unfathomable—who exactly is he?"

The young man in white clothes whispered, waving his hand over the silk to make the writing vanish.

Then, he stood up, ending his session in the Ling Xiao Bao Dian. Without guards or attendants, he stepped onto a golden cloud and walked along the dedicated cloud path toward a fairy island in the sea of clouds in the Heavenly Court.

That place was Tian Gong Yao Chi, different from Kun Lun Shan Yao Chi;The former was a divine residence protected by the Heavenly Dao, while the latter was more like a vacation spot.

But after only a short while, the young man in white clothes flew out with a helpless expression...

His junior sister was in seclusion again, leaving only an incarnation outside, and he didn't feel right chatting too much with her incarnation.

Did she really think this Yu Di was that bored?

What a joke—he, Hao Tian, was the "Jin Que Wu Shang Zhi Zun Zi Ran Miao You Mi Luo Zhi Zhen Yu Huang." Even if he was bored, it had to be at the highest level—how could a simple "very" capture his state of mind...

He was extremely bored!

Back in his Yu Huang Dian, the young man in white clothes sealed the hall doors and stationed a few heavenly generals outside to guard it. They were to strike the golden bell if any heavenly immortals sought an audience or if anything stirred in the Heavenly Court.

Thus, the young man in white clothes returned to his sleeping palace, sat on the soft couch made of gold and jade, and quietly waited for events to unfold.

A few days later, the Heavenly Court remained utterly still, without even a breeze...

"Ah," Yu Di sighed lightly, shaking his head and lying down on his side, as if drifting off to sleep.

At the same time, in a corner of the Heavenly Court, a young heavenly general opened his eyes in his residence, a slight smile playing on his lips as he thought to himself:

"With nothing pressing, I might as well go find Chang Geng Qing in the mortal world for a stroll—he happens to know this incarnation of mine."

With that, the young heavenly general stood up, grabbed his silver spear, put on his shimmering silver armor, thought for a moment, and then changed into a long robe. He summoned a cloud and left his residence, heading toward Nan Tian Men.

Along the way, patrolling heavenly soldiers who saw him bowed their heads in respect, addressing him as "General."

At Nan Tian Men, the heavenly generals guarding the gate greeted him familiarly:

"Hua Da Ge, are you heading out?"

"Yes, handling some personal matters."

Yu Di's incarnation replied and started to step outside, but the heavenly generals' faces changed, and they quickly blocked his path.

"Hua Da Ge, Hua Da Ge! Do you have your travel pass?

Please don't put us in a tough spot— they've been checking strictly lately. Heavenly generals can't go out without orders."

"That's right, Hua Da Ge, have some understanding for us brothers."

"Some troublemaker reported this before, and several of our brothers got demoted because of it!"

Yu Di's incarnation smiled slightly and nodded, producing a token.

"I almost forgot—I already got the travel order from Tong Ming Dian."

The heavenly generals verified the token's authenticity and quickly offered apologies, letting him pass through Nan Tian Men.

Yu Di's incarnation nodded inwardly—these heavenly generals were indeed dutiful. He'd arrange for a slight increase in their salaries later...

As for the one who spoke so bluntly just now, he'd find some excuse to deduct a few hundred years of merit from him.

—After all, that was the purpose of this incarnation.

Leaving Nan Tian Men, he made his way toward the coast of Nan Hai.

A smile of ease spread across His Majesty's lips, and his entire aura became much more relaxed and cheerful.

He disguised the incarnation's cultivation at the peak of Tian Xian realm, which wasn't top-tier in the Hong Huang world but was enough to ward off minor nuisances.

Before long, he arrived above An Shui Cheng.

He had intended to fly straight to the Hai Shen temple, but seeing the bustling streets of An Shui Cheng below, he restrained his aura, hid his presence, and descended from a corner of the city.

A moment later, Yu Di's incarnation emerged from a small alley. His handsome features, tall stature, and the faint immortal light from his long robe immediately drew the attention of many mortals...

He smiled warmly as he strolled along the street.

He listened to the calls of the vendors around him, felt the thick worldly energy of the place, and perked up his ears to hear a woman at the street corner scolding her husband, which for a moment made him feel a sense of empathy...

Cough— the human world was quite interesting, after all.

After wandering half the street, Yu Di reached the most famous complex in An Shui Cheng—the Hai Shen Grand Temple.

He browsed the stalls in front of the temple but didn't buy any incense; instead, he purchased a folding fan, which he gently fanned as he entered the temple with great interest.

However, after just a few steps, two tall, burly men blocked his path.

Wu people?

With their build and presence, they were quite imposing—if their strength were a bit higher, they could even serve as ceremonial guards in the Heavenly Court.

Yu Di smiled and asked, "What's the matter, you two?"

"Greetings, friend!"

The two Hai Shen Jiao Shen Shi clasped their fists in salute, their muscles nearly bursting through their silk shirts.

The Shen Shi on the left said, "The rules of the temple state that you must buy incense before entering. If you don't want to buy, there's free incense on the right that you can take.

But if you go in empty-handed, Hai Shen might not be pleased."

"Oh?"

Yu Di nodded inwardly, but this incarnation's habitual caution kicked in, and he continued, "And if I insist on going in without incense, what would you do?"

The two Shen Shi exchanged glances, communicating silently with their eyes.

"This must be the village chief testing us, right?"

"Probably—let's go through with it!"

"Hey!"

One Shen Shi suddenly shouted loudly, startling Yu Di's incarnation so much that he almost reacted instinctively, causing the worshippers in the Hai Shen temple to perk up.

Yu Di's incarnation was baffled, but a crowd of excited worshippers had already surrounded him—men, women, and children of all ages—instantly blocking the path at the temple entrance.

Not only from outside, but a large group of people also gathered from inside, all watching the two Shen Shi with eager anticipation.

"Is it starting?"

"I'm so excited—it's been two days since we heard the Shen Shi perform!"

From the side, several temple attendants hurried over with instruments like zithers, flutes, and small drums, and someone called out:

"Watch the treasures!"

Yu Di's incarnation focused intently, ready to act at any moment, only to see that the so-called "treasures" were just a few bamboo clappers tossed to the two Shen Shi.

As the bamboo clappers struck up a rhythm, the surrounding music joined in, and applause and cheers erupted.

"This fellow, stand right there, don't speak in haste or fear!Hai Shen isn't called lightly, he protects us common folk here!In the heavens reigns Tian Di, and Hai Shen serves under his command.By Tian Di's decree, Hai Shen dives into the sea to slay demons.He killed the wave-flipping Jiao in the west, slaughtered the sea-disturbing Mang in the south;Cleared out three baskets of shrimp in the north, and in the east, defeated the Li fish king.That Li fish king, a true demon king, with one leap startled the Dragon King!"

Amid the rhythmic beats, the segment "Hai Shen Quan" emerged from the mouths of the two Shen Shi, line by line, in perfect harmony.

Their delivery was clear and well-coordinated, a mature performance form in the Hai Shen Jiao...

Yu Di's incarnation went from initial bewilderment to slight confusion, then to stifled laughter and a broad smile, his eyes narrowing in amusement...

He was so engrossed that he didn't even notice an elderly man with white hair and a kind face arriving at the edge of the crowd...

This time, Li Chang Shou had truly rushed over.

He had been in his underground chamber sketching a rough blueprint of the Di Fu when a sudden premonition struck, prompting him to calculate with his fingers.

This calculation revealed a "distinguished guest" arriving.

His divine sense reached the main temple first and caught sight of Yu Di's incarnation being stopped by his two Shen Shi, who were insisting that Yu Di take incense to worship him, the Hai Shen.

This was...

Playing with fire, weren't they?!

But to his surprise, Yu Di didn't seem angry. After a moment of confusion, he watched the Hai Shen Jiao's performance with interest.

Li Chang Shou felt secretly relieved.

Fortunately, more than a decade ago, he had updated the content of these "proselytizing songs," adding the line "Hai Shen acts on Tian Di's decree."

It had come in handy today.

Once the song ended, the crowd was packed so tightly there was no room to move, and Li Chang Shou, hiding at the edge, took the opportunity to send a message to the two Shen Shi.

They perked up and immediately shouted:

"That's all for today! Everyone, disperse!"

"This gentleman, please come inside. We'll make an exception this time—you can enter without incense!"

"Oh?" Yu Di's incarnation frowned slightly and said calmly, "Rules are rules; without them, nothing can be orderly. Today, I, Hua Ri Tian, am determined to get that incense."

Li Chang Shou's incarnation, hiding in the crowd, felt his legs go weak at these words, nearly collapsing to the ground.