external battle in our quest to reach enlightenment and benefit all other beings.

"Jiu'er my love stay with me, come back to me little fox I need you. I can't let you go; I won't let you go, find your way back to me, to us.... I'm waiting for you..." Dong Hua pleading voice sounded like an echo thru the ripples of time and space, breaking through the great distance that fraught between them. Strewing deep into her inner self. His voice fainted away until she couldn't hear it no more.

Feng Jiu's soul was drifting further and further away, she felt being secluded and inaccessible to reach Dong Hua. Her subconscious was fully awake and functioning. She woke up to another dimension.

"Where am I?" She asked herself. She was in what it seems a white room surrounded by intense light. She touched her chest and found out that her wound strangely disappeared. The room carried some sense of serenity and quietness.

"Kneel." A strong voice startled her. It sounded like a roaring thunder. A cushion appeared out of nowhere in front of her.

"Where am I?" Feng Jiu asked.

"This is the Great Heavenly Council and you Bai Feng Jiu are being adjudicated."

"Am I dead?" Feng Jiu cautiously asked.

"Not exactly dead, but in between realms." The voice replied. Feng Jiu gasped, and quietly knelt understanding her predicament. It was her Judgement Day.

In an upper level hidden from Feng Jiu eyesight, a group of ancient immortals were carefully observing Feng Jiu's reactions. They could feel that she was scared but at the same time, she was tranquil. Willing to receive her sentence.

"Hmmm. This little one surely is special." The High Supreme Deity said.

"Appearances can be deceiving." responded.

"Not to me they are not. Nothing escapes my eyes. Remember that Fate. Let us begin. Let us examine her flaws and virtues first." The High Supreme Deity interjected.

"Bai Feng Jiu has always been doted ever since her birth. She grew up to be true to her character among other traits: cunning, defiant and mischievous. Getting into all sorts of troubled situations and depending on others to rescue her from punishment. She loves to push boundaries to test some sort of freedom when she is challenged to be confined. Feng Jiu is not afraid to be straightforward with others, especially her elders or people in authority in all spheres. She grew up to be apprehensive of herself and it has caused problems in her relationship with others since her youth days. And for that she has greatly suffered. However, she has always shined when faced with injustice. Always willing to sacrifice herself for the benefit of others. Her pureness of heart is her best trait. She knows what she was born for and knows her destiny. She is not afraid of death; her resilience is unshakable. Many admire her, others envy her." added.

"This little one is strong and stubborn at the same time. There are very few who can change her determination when she makes her mind for a decision. When she loves she does it with all the strength of her being, she does not put-up barriers. Her love is pure and unconditional. It is the best strength that she has shown to have." added.

"May I remind all of you that Feng Jiu was conceived against nature? She is a treat to the universe and all living things. Although she doesn't know how powerful she is or can be, she is wayward and willful. Not to mention that she married against our ruling and caused her fated husband to die unnecessarily. She doesn't care about being destined or fated. She doesn't have faith in our guide. She prefers to write her own, and that is against our code." Fate interjected.

"How love or being in love is against our divine code?" Love questioned Fate.

"She violated our heavenly decree and married an ill-fated husband defying us. Her love is stained and so is her life and marriage. We can't let her to go back. We always have set the example; we can't make any exceptions." Fate replied.

"Hmmm. Let us consider this for a moment." High Supreme Deity expressed.

"Who determined her birth? Her love life or marriage?" Destiny asked the panel.

"We did." replied.

"Precisely. So, to say that Feng Jiu was conceived against nature it is to conclude that we violated our own codes. And that is ridiculous. It is true that Feng Jiu is wayward and willful, but who doesn't show these ill traits? Even among the most powerful known entities and the most cultivated individuals have this flaw of character. Feng Jiu was born for a specific role and that is to bring balance and stability to all living things." Destiny explained.

"She acted against our protocol when she decided to marry Dong Hua Dijun!!! She needs to face the consequences for her actions. Look at all the havoc this marriage has caused. A simple defiant act rippled chaos and destruction to innocent lives. Are we going to turn a blind eye and ignore the facts now?" Fate objected.

"Why are you so eager to punish her? Do you hate her that much?" Justice asked Fate.

"I don't hate her, is just her perseverance and defiance that I find unacceptable." Fate responded.

"Perseverance, coupled with heroic courage, is the best opponent to laziness and procrastination. Feng Jiu was able to break her laziness she had in her younger years. Failure and adversity are inherent parts of life. Immortals and mortals alike will often strive for success and encounter the dark abyss of despair that is falling short of their goals. All individuals have failed at one point or another; even immortals are failing as we are here discussing Feng Jiu's future. What matters, ultimately, is the attitude toward success. One can either be self-defeating and fatalistic, or can be optimistic and resilient.

Perseverance is one's ability to recover from failure, the ability to get up, brush-off, and find a new path toward productivity and accomplishment, despite the unintended failure. Personal perseverance is immunity from embarrassment, from humiliation, from disappointment. It contributes to good and fast decision-making.

We have to be factual and consider the following areas before we pass unbiassed judgment on her case: Attitude, choices, ethical and moral values, Feng Jiu's determination and outlook in life.

Positive Attitude: A positive attitude is not fanciful; rather it is a driving force. It is the desire to move forward, to persevere when others are retreating in the face of change and hardship. This mandate is a self-fulfilling prophecy that foreshadows success when paired with conclusive choice. Feng Jiu has maintained such in all her adversities. Let us note that.

Conclusive Choice: Success does not come from passivity in most cases. An individual must choose a course and stick to it, despite any apparent unlikelihood. Decisive action requires mettle. It requires the mettle to make difficult decisions when the convenience of an easier choice entices us from beyond. Better still are choices that are guided by an ethical compass. Although Feng Jiu grew up with many insecurities, she has been able to make decisive choices. Let us note that too.

Ethical Compass: Whatever the values that are conceived as imperative, many use them as guiding stars when making decisions because they fill with the conviction of moral certainty and belief. Once the decision is made and is carried it out, you must stick to it, and this requires uncompromising resolve. So far, we have seen how Feng Jiu has carried out her convictions with unclouded resolution. Let us note that as well.

Uncompromising Resolve: Determination and persistence can be likened to omnipotence for mortals. Keep it up until you recognize that the best option is to quit, because sometimes it will be. The point here is to recognize when stopping is rational or reasonable rather than convenient or easy. Sometimes a little bit of help from others is necessary to identify that moment. That's when social backing is crucial. Feng Jiu in most cases have depend on others counsel that have influenced her determination and course of action. Furthermore, let us add this too.

She has shown her attitude in passive and active optimism. We all have seen her passive optimist side. When she assumed the world operates on the brighter side and expects positive effects will follow negative circumstances, no matter what. Feng Jiu believes in the benevolence of people and always look the good side of them.

On her active optimist side, she has shown to be more resilient in that she is emboldened against negative circumstances. It had helped her make decisions confidently with the assumption that she will prevail and triumph, irrespective of apparent difficulty. Reaching some personal success in some of her set goals. Vindicated herself by moments of success, affecting her world outcomes.

Although Feng Jiu is still young, her mental attitude toward an action correlates closely with the consequence of that outcome. Satisfying self-fulfilling prophecy. We all are aware of her role and what she is destined for.

Certain features of her active optimist's mental attitude, are less likely to accept failure, less likely to desist from a chosen course of action, less likely to flounder in determination, and is less likely to accept rejection or failure. That is why her ultimate decision-making was not easy for her.

Feng Jiu had to select from one of the myriad options and for it was challenging. She placed others before her own personal desires, especially when she didn't know from being right, just sure. By going with her instincts, she was sure about a particular outcome and acted confidently. That significantly increased her chances of success sealing Miao Lou and ending the war.

We are well aware that decisive action is also about timeliness. Opportunities arise and disappear every second. Some are grander than others. Some go to the lucky. Often, they are snatched up by the quicker. Feng Jiu quickly recognized the opportunity and acted quickly.

Interestingly, decisive action has been shown to reduce stress and empower people to rebound from adversity. Feng Jiu resisted avoidance and paralysis when others may have succumbed. Especially when she saw that others closed to her risked their lives to save hers. Feng Jiu rebounded and turned failure into an opportunity for growth took a tremendous amount of personal responsibility. She didn't get stuck on personal trauma, she moved on to fulfill her role." Justice concluded.

"Yes, but at what cost? Others suffered because of her actions." Fate objected again.

Silence fell upon the room. All of them were pondering about the different angles they just discussed.

"I have something else to add." A familiar presence entered the court. It was .

"Golden Immortal Da Lou, welcome, please come in." High Supreme Deity told her.

"As you all are aware I usually don't meddle on others affairs unless a grave injustice has been committed. I've followed Xiao Feng Huang steps closely and I believe that my words will help you guide your decision." Golden Immortal Da Lou said.

"Please enlighten us as to what 'grave injustice' against Feng Jiu you are referring to." High Supreme Deity proceeded.

"Thank you for the opportunity High Supreme Judge. Esteem Immortals." Da Lou greeted them with reverence and respect.

"As ancient immortals were are bound to take ownership of our actions, otherwise we will feel detached from them and never be fully invested. Perseverance, active optimism, decisiveness, all require the sense that your actions emanate from oneself and no one else. It is natural to displace responsibility, especially when things get tough. In these cases, we should stave off our inclinations and opt for self-reflection. Failure and adversity are fertile conditions for self-reflection. This is impossible if you do not feel personally responsible for your own actions. You won't be prompted to self-reflect and grow. It takes great courage, but it should be done, especially when acting presumptuously as an executioner in the name of so-called justice."

Everyone present was shocked upon hearing her words. They all started talking at the same time. "Please let us behave accordingly, be silent." The High Supreme Deity hit the floor with his staff silencing the room.

"Are you implying that one of us took matters in their own hands?" High Supreme Deity asked Da Lou.

"Precisely. Success is contingent upon personal attributes, but it is also contingent upon others. Without the trust of others, we are less likely to build the interpersonal support vital to success. Trust is engendered by honesty, integrity, fidelity, and ethical behavior. These are parts that make up one's moral compass. The moral compass tends to remove risk from business and personal relationships and confer predictability, which grants safety and fosters trustworthiness. If the situation is right, the trust and support of others can be crucial to success because life will present opportunities that are not able to tackled alone. This is especially true because so many outcomes and opportunities are dependent on the decisions of others, who, most of the time, have no stake in our achievements. The amazing thing about having a clear moral compass is that it aids decision-making and concurrently gains greater degrees of responsibility and confidence from the people around you. These two factors perpetuate further success. Success begets success. When I speak of persistence, therefore, I see it as not only a state of mind but a mental, emotional, and moral attitude in the face of a challenge. This is key because we sometimes need to remind ourselves of our motivations. The closer they align with our values, the easier it will be to draw courage from them. Steady persistence and relentless tenacity can look much like defiance. It is the conviction to say, "I will not give in," when opposed by people or circumstances. There is a caveat, however. Persistence and tenacity can verge on rashness and stubbornness. We must sometimes desist from our chosen ill course, despite sunken costs or effort."

"Who has chosen to do this?" The High Supreme Deity asked again.

"Someone with ill intentions that saw Feng Jiu more as a liability than an asset and took our resources dedicated to one goal and allocated them for another course. This immortal failed to recognize that success can take the form of holding back or stopping could result in self-defeat. By rejecting to hold back it forced a great injustice on an unborn child, trying to putting it to death with malicious intentions."

"Who committed such a grave thing?" Justice asked Golden Immortal Da Lou.

"The one who continues to spread doubts about Feng Jiu's character and motives in your respected minds today. This individual took the authority that it was not given to pass a sentence that it was not lawful to give. Calling herself the Hand of Heaven." Da Lou responded.

All eyes fell on Fate. "It was you, wasn't it?" Destiny scolded Fate.

"Yes, it was me. All debts need to be paid and Dong Hua Dijun incurred on a greater one and payment has not been submitted. This matter still needs to be addressed."

"To be called the Hand of Heaven without being commissioned to do so is a grave sin. Acting against an innocent life especially when is an unborn child is a greater sin. This is surely an extreme injustice." Justice interjected.

"It might be considered an extreme injustice, but we cannot forget that Dong Hua Dijun broke an oath and by our law he needs to pay with his life. Bai Feng Jiu granted him the true essence of immortality making him untouchable. So that is why I acted against his progeny." Fate defended herself.

"Without our consent!!!" High Supreme Deity shouted in disgust.

"May I add something else High Supreme Judge?" Da Lou wisely addressed the panel.

"You may."

"Thank you. According with our law when an oath is broken, the punishment for the offender is a required restitution. Since Dong Hua Dijun removed his love life from the Rock of Three Incarnations his fated wife which was originally Bai Feng Jiu, was allotted to another husband. In this case, Lord Weng Chan, who valiantly sacrificed himself dying in her place, which is the restitution of Dong Hua Dijun's debt full payment. Lord Weng Chan sacrifice granted him great merit in the eyes of this Council, paying a debt on behalf of another. For that I will request that you allow him to speak on his behalf." Golden Immortal Da Lou spoke.

"Call him in." entered the high court and reverently greeted everyone present.

"Lord Weng Chan, according with our codes of morality, you have earned the great merit to go back and live a good and long prosperous life with your fated wife Bai Feng Jiu. We willfully fulfill your wish if this is what you desire." The High Supreme Deity addressed Weng Chan.