Honghuang: Creation of the Green Lotus, the beginning of the Three Pure Ones

Their gazes dared not to meet the Jade Emperor's eyes, which held a storm of thunder and lightning, nor to touch the Queen Mother's phoenix eyes, which were almost solidified with ice.

The Jade Emperor's heart sank, instantly gripped by an even more ominous premonition. The two men's fearful and helpless appearance was strikingly similar to when he reported the Weaver Girl's secret marriage to a mortal in the Lingxiao Palace years ago.

That incident set the stage for a catastrophe. What earth-shattering devastation will this one bring?
"Has something happened again?"

The Jade Emperor's voice was deep and cold, like a chilling wind blowing from the deepest abyss. Every word carried immense weight, striking Gao Ming and Gao Jue's hearts with devastating force.

Gao Ming trembled and knelt down on the clouds with a thud, his head bowed low, and he spoke in a tearful voice.

"Your Majesty...Your Majesty, Your Majesty...Your Highness. Disaster has struck. The Seventh Princess has descended to the mortal realm to marry a mortal named Dong Yong, and is now pregnant."

The imperial aura that the Jade Emperor had been holding back could no longer be suppressed and erupted with a roar. The twelve white jade beads on the flat crown on his head vibrated violently and collided with each other, producing a dense, crisp sound like a sudden rain.

The last trace of imperial composure and restraint in his eyes vanished completely, leaving only a furious rage that seemed to burn the heavens.

However, this time they did not directly send troops to capture the Seventh Fairy. Instead, they ordered the Thousand-Mile Eye and the Wind-Following Ear to secretly observe and find out Dong Yong's background.

She even went so far as to send the Queen Mother of the West on a journey to the Netherworld to find out about Dong Yong's past and present life, to see if, as Nuwa said, someone was indeed plotting against him.

Although there is no definitive result yet, the Jade Emperor is almost certain that the driving force behind all of this is very likely Buddhism.

Therefore, at this point, the Jade Emperor had completely transferred his anger to the Cowherd and the Green Ox.

"I'm giving you one last chance. If your answer doesn't satisfy me, I'll have you all reduced to ashes immediately."

The Jade Emperor's voice was like thunder from the heavens, shaking the sea of ​​clouds outside the Fire Cloud Cave and causing even the distant, majestic mountains to tremble slightly.

His gaze was like two sharp swords tempered with eternal ice. He stared intently at the blue ox and the cowherd before him, as if he would strangle them with his eyes at any moment.

This is not a joke. With the Jade Emperor's current saintly cultivation, killing the Cowherd and the Green Ox with a mere glance is indeed not impossible.

Therefore, at this moment, the Green Ox had already sensed the terrifying killing intent contained in the Jade Emperor's gaze, an intent powerful enough to crush it to dust a billion times over.

In the eyes of the enormous bull, only the most primal fear remained. It dared not even make a symbolic struggle. Its massive body trembled uncontrollably, and intermittent, dying moans escaped its throat.

As for the Cowherd, he was terrified, his body trembling like a leaf, constantly turning his head to look at the Weaver Girl behind him, hoping that she would remember their marital bond and save his life.

Just then, Nuwa's stern rebuke followed, "And you, Cowherd. What benefits did Buddhism promise you that would allow you to betray the human race?"

"If even a single word you have uttered today is false, I will tear you to pieces and banish your soul to the deepest hell, where it will never be reincarnated."

The Weaver Girl was already terrified by the news of the Seventh Princess's descent to the mortal realm. She knew that even if she pleaded with her father, the Emperor, it would be futile.

After all, if it were only his daughter who wanted to descend to the mortal realm, the Jade Emperor would still consider their father-daughter relationship and punish her leniently.

Now, the Seven Fairy Maidens have followed in the footsteps of the Weaver Girl, enraging the Jade Emperor to the extreme. To make an example of them and deter his other daughters from even considering descending to the mortal realm, he is determined to become the scapegoat.

Therefore, at this moment, the Weaver Girl felt as if she had been doused with a bucket of ice water from head to toe, and the bone-chilling cold instantly froze her limbs and bones.

She turned her head slowly and incredulously, her eyes, which had been brimming with tears and filled with worry and pleading for her husband, now wept helplessly. The Weaver Girl knew that if she didn't plead for mercy, with the help of the human race, her father might spare the Cowherd and their children.

However, if he were to plead for mercy at this moment, the Jade Emperor would not only refuse, but might even directly kill him.

After all, killing the chicken to scare the monkey is meant to teach the monkey the consequences of disobedience. Therefore, the chicken must die unconditionally.

The Cowherd sensed the despair and heart-wrenching look in his wife's eyes. He knew that he could no longer rely on the Weaver Girl; her only way to survive was to confess everything.

The next moment, his legs went weak, and he collapsed to his knees with a thud, tears streaming down his face. His forehead slammed against the hard marble floor with a loud thud, and blood instantly stained his temples.

"I'll talk, I'll talk, I'll tell you everything..." The cowherd's voice was hoarse and distorted, filled with the fear of collapse and endless regret.

“It was…it was that cow, it was it…it taught me. It said it came from Mount Ling and was acting on the Buddha’s orders.”

"He also said that as long as I can marry the Weaver Girl and have children, he will grant me immortality, a family reunion, and eternal wealth."

"It...it arranged everything. It was also the one who ruined the Cloud Robe. It said that once the Cloud Robe was ruined, the Weaver Girl would never be able to return to Heaven."

"The official who presided over the wedding was also a spy planted by the Buddhist sect in the human world long ago. It was all to legitimately silence public opinion."

He suddenly raised his head, his face a mixture of blood and tears, looking like a madman, his trembling finger pointing at the imprisoned blue ox and the distant west.

At this moment, the Cowherd's eyes were filled with remorse. He knelt directly before the Weaver Girl, kowtowing as he spoke.

"Weaver Girl, I shouldn't have kept all this from you. I should have told you the truth long ago. But I really didn't dare."

“They used our children to coerce me. They said if I didn’t comply, or if things were exposed, they would kill our children immediately.”

“I dare not disobey. If Your Majesty and the Holy Mother do not believe me, you may send heavenly generals to investigate. Moreover, Niulang is willing to cooperate fully.”

He began kowtowing frantically again, each impact heavy and desperate. He only hoped to gain his wife's forgiveness.

The Weaver Girl was struck dumb, her body swayed, and her vision blurred. She nearly fainted.

All those past sweet moments, the destined encounters and companionship, have now become poisoned blades, piercing her loving heart and leaving it riddled with holes.

She covered her mouth tightly, suppressing the metallic taste churning in her throat and the agonizing scream that threatened to burst from her chest.

Only large, scalding tears fell silently onto the cold marble, spreading a wet patch of despair.

Just then, a Buddhist chant, seemingly capable of calming all turmoil, resounded throughout the heavens and earth without warning.

"Amitabha Buddha, benefactor, why do you slander Buddhism without cause?"

"Although our Buddhist community upholds compassion as its tenet, it does not mean we are without temper. We cannot allow others to slander us at will." (End of Chapter)