In the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, the Jade Emperor whispered a few words to the Seal-Bearing Immortal Official beside him. Jiang Yuan only saw the official nod repeatedly, then bow to the Jade Emperor, leave the hall, and ride off on a cloud.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the Lingxiao Treasure Hall grew somewhat oppressive, and the expressions of those below varied. Jia Lang, of low status, was already drenched in sweat as he knelt before the Jade Emperor. Yu Lingguan was slightly better off, having often met the Jade Emperor, but his heart was still pounding with anxiety.
In contrast, Jiang Yuan appeared utterly composed, curiously surveying his surroundings, even staring directly at the Jade Emperor's dragon throne. This made the Jade Emperor uneasy, wondering if this fellow had his eyes on the throne.
As for the hamster Pudding, her beautiful eyes remained fixed on Jiang Yuan the entire time. Even though the Lingxiao Treasure Hall was exquisitely magnificent and grand, she never shifted her gaze. Compared to the luxurious hall, Pudding only cared about Jiang Yuan's safety.
Before long, the Seal-Bearing Immortal Official returned on a cloud, followed by a strange beast treading on auspicious clouds.
"Your Majesty, the Venerable Di Ting has been summoned."
The official bowed to the Jade Emperor, then turned respectfully to the beast and said, "Venerable Di Ting, please."
Jiang Yuan looked at the beast, which nodded to the official with an air of arrogance. It was neither dragon nor tiger, neither lion nor qilin, neither dog, yet it had a tiger's head, a single horn, dog's ears, a dragon's body, a lion's tail, and qilin's four legs. He thought, "So this is the legendary mount of the Buddhist Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva, Di Ting!"
In ancient mythological tales, Di Ting was a psychic divine beast that lay beneath the scripture table of Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva on Mount Jiuhua. It could discern all things in the world through hearing, especially skilled at reading people's hearts. For millennia, it had been used by the immortal and Buddhist realms as a lie detector, and it never failed.
"Di Ting pays respects to the Jade Emperor."
Amid the astonished gazes of Jiang Yuan and the other newly ascended players, Di Ting spoke human words, addressing the Jade Emperor slowly.
"Venerable Di Ting, I appreciate your trouble!"
The Jade Emperor seemed quite courteous to Di Ting, even addressing it as "Venerable."
This was mainly because Di Ting's master was immensely formidable—none other than Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva, who had made the great vow, "If the hells are not empty, I will not become a Buddha."
"Jade Emperor, you may now ask your questions."
The auspicious clouds beneath Di Ting's feet dissipated, and it bent its hind legs to sit, looking at the Jade Emperor.
"Good! Loose Immortal Jiang Yuan, I ask you: how did the North Star Lord fall?"
With Di Ting present, the Jade Emperor had no fear of Jiang Yuan lying, so he looked at him and asked.
Jiang Yuan then recounted the details of the North Star Lord's fall before the Jade Emperor and the assembled immortals once more.
As Jiang Yuan spoke, Di Ting tilted its head, its dog-like ears slightly twitching, listening to his account.
"Jade Emperor, this man is not lying."
After Jiang Yuan finished, Di Ting looked at the Jade Emperor and shook its head, indicating that everything Jiang Yuan said was true.
"Loose Immortal Jiang Yuan, I ask you again: did you receive his inheritance at the North Star Lord's death?"
Having confirmed that Jiang Yuan did not cause the North Star Lord's death, the Jade Emperor continued.
"Yes, the North Star Lord told me that after accepting his inheritance, once I ascended to the immortal realm, I would become the next North Star Lord, able to command the 100,000 heavenly soldiers of the North Gate and become the next master of Beiluoshimen. It was for the chance to become the new master of Beiluoshimen that I agreed to accept the North Star Lord's inheritance!"
After speaking, Jiang Yuan took out from his storage space the curled-up, still-sleeping Persian cat.
"Hmm."
Di Ting nodded to the Jade Emperor, indicating no deception was detected.
"Oh? Your Majesty, this does seem to be the North Star Lord's pet cat."
Yu Lingguan turned to glance at Beiluoshimen cradled in Jiang Yuan's hands, then said to the Jade Emperor.
"Why is this cat asleep?"
The Jade Emperor looked at the snow-white Beiluoshimen and frowned.
"Your Majesty, this is because during the battle at the Heavenly Mountain Jade Pool against the Western and Eastern Demon Lords of the Demon Realm, Beiluoshimen lent me its immortal power, helping me transform into the North Star Lord and briefly gain Earth Immortal strength. Together with the Star Lord of Fate and others, we killed the Western Demon Lord's possessed body and drove off the Eastern Demon Lord. After that battle, Beiluoshimen has been asleep ever since. I planned to seek immortal crystals immediately upon ascending to awaken Beiluoshimen, but Jia Lang extorted me, leading to this chain of events that disturbed Your Majesty."
Jiang Yuan detailed the battle at the Heavenly Mountain Jade Pool for the Jade Emperor. After finishing, he looked lovingly at Beiluoshimen in his hands, gently stroking its small head with his thumb.
"Hmm."
After Jiang Yuan spoke, Di Ting, the three-realm lie detector, nodded again.
"Awakening it is simple."
The Jade Emperor smiled slightly, extended a finger, and shot a beam of white light into the sleeping Beiluoshimen.
"Meow!"
To Jiang Yuan's delighted expression, Beiluoshimen's curled body slowly stretched, and its long-closed sapphire eyes finally opened, letting out a dreamlike meow. When it saw the Jade Emperor seated on the dragon throne in the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, it shuddered in fright, leaped to the ground, and scurried behind Jiang Yuan's heels, refusing to come out.
"Haha! This little beast is afraid of me too?"
The Jade Emperor, amused by Beiluoshimen's fearful reaction, chuckled.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your help!"
Jiang Yuan was overjoyed to see Beiluoshimen finally awake, but he still chose not to perform a full kneeling bow to the Jade Emperor, instead bowing deeply to express his gratitude.
"Heh! No matter!"
The Jade Emperor waved his hand with a smile, then turned to Jia Lang, who had been kneeling with his forehead on the ground, not daring to look up. His smile vanished as he asked sternly, "Jia Lang, I ask you: is it true that you extorted the Loose Immortal Jiang Yuan?"
"Your Majesty, I am wronged!"
Jia Lang kowtowed frantically, his forehead and back drenched in cold sweat.
"You lie!"
Just then, Di Ting, who had been listening with closed eyes, suddenly opened its tiger-like eyes and glared at Jia Lang, roaring.
"Your Majesty, he lies! When we first ascended to the Ascension Platform, he demanded one immortal crystal from each of us as a teleportation fee!"
At that moment, Ding Ye, who had been holding back, finally seized the opportunity to step forward and accuse Jia Lang of his crime.