Chapter 464: Want to Take Their Place?

Today, Yu Lin didn't wander in the Human World, but went straight up to the Heavenly Court.

He came to ask about the Jade Emperor, Lao Jun, and Jesus.

If they happen to be bored and conjure up some evil‑thought Clone, that would be a lot of fun.

However, he found nothing; the Jade Emperor wasn't in his own palace.

Finally, he went straight to Doushuai Palace and found them.

As expected, upon reaching the palace gate, he smelled a strange aroma mixing alchemical incense and roasted meat.

Inside, the Bagua furnace burned lukewarm, and the Jade Emperor and Tai Shang Lao Jun were seated around a small white jade table, on which lay several plates of indistinct but attractively colored pastries, plus a pot of tea suffused with spiritual aura.

The two were playing chess intermittently, the atmosphere so leisurely it resembled a retirees' activity center.

Yu Lin, unreserved, walked over, pulled out a cloud chair, sat down, casually picked up a pastry and popped it into his mouth; it tasted good, crisp with a sweet hint of spirit fruit.

He didn't beat around the bush; after a few bites of the pastry and a sip of the tea Lao Jun handed him, he briefly and concisely explained the matters of encountering the "Dark Holy Bible" in the Human World, the suspected Jesus "Evil Face incarnation", and its possible link to washing sins for humanity.

After listening to Yu Lin's account, the Jade Emperor picked up a white jade chess piece, pondered briefly, then casually snapped the piece—Snap! —onto a star position that shifted automatically, then looked up at Yu Lin, waved his hand, and said in a relaxed tone:

"I see."

"What was I thinking, making you come all this way." He smiled:

"Relax, you needn't worry that Lao Jun and I will cause any trouble."

He pointed to himself, then vaguely gestured toward the Lao Jun across the table stroking his beard: "The 'Evil Face' you mentioned has already been arranged on my end."

"My true self, Haotian Shangdi, has not yet split into an Evil Face; I, however, am the Good Face, overseeing order, governing the three realms, and maintaining the cosmic principle."

The Jade Emperor spoke evenly, as if stating something entirely natural:

"Not only am I like this, Lao Jun as well; serene and non‑action, that stubborn attachment has long been dealt with before countless assemblies."

"I suppose the situation of the one you refer to in Heaven is somewhat special, perhaps…"

The Jade Emperor deliberately elongated his tone, his smile deepening, teasing: "Your method? Hahaha!"

Lao Jun, nearby, also gave a slight nod and took over: "The so‑called 'Evil', in our Daoist Sect, corresponds to the theory of the 'Three Corpses'."

"The Upper Corpse, plump and proud, is a treasure that incites greed; the Middle Corpse, robust and substantial, brings the five flavors and provokes anger; the Lower Corpse, slender and twisted, fuels lust and leads to obsession. These three, inhabiting a human body, monitor deeds, stir evil thoughts, and hinder cultivation."

"My Three Corpses… years ago I found them noisy and troublesome, so I casually used Heaven and Earth as a furnace, with my own Dao fire as fuel, refining them through seven‑seven‑forty‑nine assemblies, and now…"

Lao Jun said this, then casually gestured toward the Elixir Room.

Three palm‑sized, completely transparent mutton‑fat jade bottles whirled in, landing steadily on the white jade table; within the bottles, a slow circulation of violet, azure, and gray vapors could be seen, occasionally coalescing into a vague struggling human shape, then dispersing like smoke, yet always firmly confined inside.

"They stay here; occasionally taking them out to observe, or letting them fight a bout, is also a pastime."

He shifted his tone back to Yu Lin's question: "However, from your description, that being born from bearing the sins of all beings seems different from the 'Three Corpses', which are purely formed from one's own evil desires and whose every action points toward wrongdoing."

"In my view… it bears 'sin', yet because of that 'sin' it has gained independent will and power."

"This 'sin' originally stems from sentient beings, returns to the Holy Son, and now has become the foundation of its existence—hard to say…"

Lao Jun paused, looked at Yu Lin, and voiced his speculation:

"It's hard to say; he not only wishes to exist, but also to… replace."

"He also wants to sit at the highest place in Heaven, so that the original master can truly experience the situation of bearing all sins alone for years."

Listening to the Jade Emperor and Lao Jun's analysis, Yu Lin nodded thoughtfully and picked up another pastry:

"Hmm, I think so too."

"Makes sense, the motive is sufficient."

"Hmm, this pastry is good; I'll pack some to take back later. Oh, and bring me some celestial wine and jade nectar."

He finished the pastry, brushed the crumbs from his hand, then suddenly thought of a question and looked up at the two:

"But… where did my 'Evil Face' or 'Three Corpses' go? I've become an immortal yet never properly slashed any Three Corpses, so could it be…"

He touched his own face and made a joke:

"Could it be that I am actually the 'Evil Face'? Or that I am a naturally Holy person, immune to evil thoughts?"

The Jade Emperor, hearing this, chuckled and shook his head, patiently explaining: "Your Dao is unlike others."

"Now Yin and Yang are balanced, good and evil merge within one body, harmonious without obstruction; where does the notion of a good‑evil incarnation come from?"

He paused, then continued: "As for beings like the 'Three Corpses'… for you, keeping them is harmless."

"Greed, anger, delusion, and lust are inherently complex aspects of human nature."

"What makes a person a person, and an immortal an immortal, is the ability to comprehend and master these myriad emotions and desires, rather than simply discarding them."

"Since you say you wish to be 'human', keeping these, observing them constantly, and discerning your true heart is just right, isn't it?"

The Jade Emperor's final sentence was profound.

Yu Lin heard this and thought to himself that indeed this is the reasoning.

He reflected that on his own path, he never felt any particular evil thoughts or obsessions that needed to be 'cut off'; he acted more on spontaneity.

Those so‑called negative emotions or desires, rather than being obstacles, are more like motivation—or… seasoning?

"Makes sense." Yu Lin nodded, temporarily setting aside his own 'Evil Face' doubts, and turned his attention back to the dark Jesus who sought to 'usurp.'

"So, regarding that guy… do you think I should intervene, or let the two of them resolve it internally?"

The Jade Emperor and Lao Jun exchanged a glance, both giving that 'you know what I mean' smile.

Lao Jun, leisurely sipping his tea, said: "This is an internal matter of Heaven; we cannot interfere, but…"

"You, however, could."

"Indeed, it's just that we want to watch the fun, see where he runs and where."

Yu Lin stood up: "Alright, I won't disturb you then."

"You two take a break, ha, farewell."