Daojun, start from Penglai foundation building

Throughout Penglai, Ye Qian was considered one of the most arrogant and spoiled people.

His master was, after all, Lin Fan, a man who feared neither heaven nor earth, and Ye Qian himself was talented and capable, and could be described as proud and arrogant.

Even the proud and arrogant Ye Qian had to respectfully address him as "Uncle-Master Lingyuan" at this moment.

The one who could command such respect from Ye Qian was none other than Penglai Lingyuan, who was of the same generation as his master Lin Fan and was revered as the number one figure in the myriad realms of the present.

At this moment, sitting in charge of this enormous vessel was Jiang Sheng.

Ye Qian took out the national seal of Qing Kingdom and said in a deep voice, "Disciple has returned to report to Martial Uncle. Fortunately, I have not disappointed Martial Uncle. Qing Kingdom has been captured."

Jiang Sheng nodded: "Qing Kingdom has been captured. Including the neighboring countries, the west coast of Cangzhou has been wiped out."

"That's a good thing."

As he spoke, Jiang Sheng glanced at Ye Qian and smiled, "Are you feeling greatly disappointed that you couldn't accompany your master to the interior of Cangzhou?"

Ye Qian hurriedly replied, "Uncle-Master, what are you saying? You are also overseeing things from the rear, how could I dare to be disappointed?"

Just as Ye Qian said, now that the Penglai Dao Sect is managing this Cangzhou region, countless True Monarchs from the Upper Three Realms have been mobilized.

Logically speaking, in such a great battle, Jiang Sheng should have been at the forefront. Jiang Sheng is not only the number one in the contemporary Xuanmen, but also a cultivator with the cultivation level of Integration. Those below the Fourth Tribulation True Monarch are no match for Jiang Sheng.

It can be said that as long as Jiang Sheng is on the front line, he can restrain a fourth-tribulation true lord or limit three or five third-tribulation and second-tribulation true lords. This would undoubtedly create a greater advantage for Penglai Dao Sect. However, Jiang Sheng chose to stay in the rear, which is something that many people do not understand.

The reasons are actually quite simple. First, Jiang Sheng needs to calm himself down, sort out his fundamentals, and prepare for the Second Tribulation Realm. Second, there aren't many characters in the entire Cangzhou that Jiang Sheng can care about.

Within Cangzhou, the Qiankun Dao Sect now only has two or three Mahayana Immortal Lords, seven or eight Fifth Tribulation True Lords, and a group of beings at the Integration and Refinement stages.

Leaving aside other matters, the Five Tribulations Daoist Masters of the Qiankun Dao Sect will be dealt with by Uncle Yuanyi and the others, while the minor figures below the Five Tribulations will be handled by True Monarch Yuming and True Monarch Shihua. Even those at the Refining Void level will be dealt with by Lingyu and Lin Fan.

Why should Jiang Sheng compete with Lin Fan and Ling Yu for merit when dealing with these few big and small cats?
Moreover, True Lord Yuming and True Lord Shihua also needed to settle some karmic debts, so Jiang Sheng simply stayed behind to sort out his combat experiences over the past few days and make more preparations to enter the Second Tribulation Realm.

As the saying goes: "If the liver wood is already formed, what difficulty is there in the heart fire?"
As Jiang Sheng entered the Liver Wood Realm and used wood energy to ignite the heart fire, a flame was already burning in his heart, but it was still a little short of completely igniting the life-giving fire.

Jiang Sheng himself knew his own situation well. How long had it taken him to go from the peak of the Void Refining Realm to the first tribulation of cultivation?
How many years has it been since you entered the first stage of cultivation?
Let alone the orthodox Xuanmen sects, even evil cultivators and heretics don't have such outrageous speed.

The most common characteristic of so-called heretical cultivation is an extremely rapid pace of cultivation, using various methods to enhance combat power and quickly advance to higher realms at all costs.

However, all of these come at a price. Furthermore, heretical cultivation is unsystematic, and it is impossible to say whether each step will bring fortune or misfortune. Whether it is rapidly advancing in realm or forcibly increasing combat power, it will lead to instability in one's own realm and inability of one's soul and spirit to keep up. The outcome will either be a mistake in the cultivation method leading to qi deviation or direct dissipation of the soul.

The orthodox path of the Xuanmen is a systematic approach, with each step clearly and steadily laying a solid foundation and stabilizing one's realm. Every step is taken with utmost steadiness and solidity.

Cultivation is not about how big each step is, but about how solid each step is. Otherwise, even unorthodox sects would look down on heretical and heterodox practices. Although unorthodox sects are not the orthodox path, they are still systematic, just not yet incorporated into the orthodox tradition.

As for heretical cultivators and unorthodox sects, if they were truly that powerful, then the Left Divine Realm wouldn't be the only one welcoming them among the thirty-six great worlds of the myriad realms.

Jiang Sheng is currently at the Integration Realm, which is the eighth realm among the nine realms of cultivation. Each of the nine realms of cultivation is crucial, but the Integration Realm is definitely the most important.

This is because beyond this realm, one can either achieve the Pure Yang realm in one step or break through to the Great Ascension realm.

The opportunity to transcend the Three Realms and escape the Five Elements is right before our eyes, and True Monarchs at the Integration Realm cannot afford to ignore it.

For those aspiring to reach the Pure Yang realm, the Integration Realm is already the final stage in their nine cultivation realms. Only by making thorough preparations can they have the confidence to ascend to the Pure Yang realm. Even those who have no hope of reaching the Pure Yang realm and can only break through to the Mahayana realm dare not underestimate any tribulation in the Integration Realm, nor dare they rush ahead.

Don't you see that even the extraordinary genius of the Qiankun Dao Sect, True Monarch Qianxuan Lingfeng, still took five thousand years to integrate the Five Tribulations?

As for veteran Five Tribulation True Lords like Yuan Yi Zhenjun, they have spent tens of thousands of years honing their cultivation in the Integration Realm, just to repeatedly solidify their foundation and essence.

For Jiang Sheng, the Integration of Dao is the final stage among his nine realms, so he must take every step with utmost care and diligence.

In particular, this tribulation of heart fire is even more terrifying than the tribulation of liver wood.

The calamity of the liver wood element is based on the flourishing and withering of the wood energy, which ultimately boils down to the decline of the physical body.

However, the tribulation of the heart fire will actually diminish one's lifespan. The longer one's lifespan, the more difficult it is to deal with this tribulation of the heart fire, like adding fuel to the fire. Who knows what might happen then?

Looking at the young and vigorous Ye Qian, Jiang Sheng felt a pang of emotion: he was now nearly 1,800 years old. If he had been able to overcome the tribulation of the heart fire before he turned 2,000, he would have been considered an unprecedented figure in the past 40,000 years of this era.

After some thought, Jiang Sheng suppressed those thoughts and nodded at Ye Qian: "Ye Qian, I'm staying behind to oversee things. I need time to sort out my supernatural abilities and techniques, and to comprehend the laws of the Great Dao. What about you?"

"What you lack most right now is time, isn't it? Ming'an and Buyu have both told me about your background and the burdens you carry."

"Mingzhou is now in ruins, and the Battle of Mingyan Sea has come to an end. Whether it's Immortal Lord Wanxian or your enemy Xiao Xian, they have both retreated to Cangzhou."

"Nowadays, the patriarchs are all fighting against those pure Yang powerhouses in the chaotic star sea above the nine heavens."

"In this Cangzhou region, the highest level of cultivation is Mahayana. If you want revenge, you might have a chance."

revenge?!
Upon hearing that he had a chance to avenge himself against Xiao Xian, Ye Qian excitedly raised his head.

But then Jiang Sheng said, "For example, right now, I can give you this opportunity."

“I know where Xiao Xian is. You’ve accumulated quite a bit of merit, enough to exchange for something.”

"If you want revenge, I can contact your master and have Ling Zhao take action to eliminate Xiao Xian, or I can go myself. It won't take long either way. What do you think?"

It won't take much longer.

If someone else had said this, Ye Qian would have thought it was just utter nonsense: Who is Xiao Xian?
He was a genius valued by the Immortal Lord Wanxian, a prodigy of the Nine Provinces, and a chosen one of destiny. What kind of status and background did he have?
Now, Xiao Xian has reached the third realm of cultivation. As a True Monarch of the Void Refining Realm, even his master, True Monarch Lingzhao Lin Fan, has to be careful when dealing with him.

But the Martial Uncle Lingyuan in front of him was different!
Uncle-Master Lingyuan is a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator. Back when he was still in the Void Refinement Realm, his Qingping Sword had slain countless Void Refinement prodigies and Holy Land disciples. It can be said that this Uncle-Master has reached his current level by stepping on the bones of countless prodigies and disciples.

Xiao Xian was an insurmountable mortal enemy in Ye Qian's eyes, but what was he in the eyes of this senior uncle?
After all, this senior uncle of mine is now a being who has single-handedly defeated a Fifth Tribulation True Monarch!
For a moment, Ye Qian fell silent.

Jiang Sheng looked at Ye Qian with great interest. He didn't care much about Xiao Xian. Although he was bored in the Dharma Boat all day, Jiang Sheng was immersed in sorting out his past insights and filling in the gaps in the Daoist scriptures, so he didn't find it boring.

He just needed to get some fresh air, so Jiang Sheng suddenly had a whim to see what Ye Qian would do.

Ye Qian pondered for a while and then said, "Uncle Lingyuan, do you think I can take revenge on Xiao Xian by relying on my own strength?" Jiang Sheng thought for a moment and then shook his head: "I'm not trying to discourage you, but you are very fortunate. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to come to my Mountain and River Realm, let alone join my Penglai Dao Sect."

"However, luck has its limits, and your limits are far less than those of Xiao Xian."

"Otherwise, why do you think Xiao Xian was able to become a disciple of a Mahayana Immortal Lord and attain the Dao Fruit of Refining Emptiness, while you are still stuck in the Nascent Soul stage?"

Hearing Jiang Sheng's words, Ye Qian sighed, a bitter look on his face: "To be honest, Uncle-Master, I always thought I had great fortune and talent, and that I could always go against the tide and turn bad luck into good."

"Over the years, my nephew has been incredibly successful. From the Purple Mansion to the Golden Core, then to the Nascent Soul and the Deity Transformation stage, he has progressed very smoothly, always turning misfortune into good fortune."

"It seems that they must have exhausted too much of their luck at this time, leaving them unable to continue at present."

Seeing Ye Qian's dejected expression, Jiang Sheng said, "It's not that you've used up too much of your luck, nor that you haven't tried hard enough."

"If we're really talking about effort, there are countless people in the sect who are more hardworking and diligent than you, but they're only at the Purple Mansion or Golden Core stage. Are they not working hard enough?"

"The path of cultivation has its limits, but it varies from person to person."

"And calamity is a chance for people to defy fate and change their destiny. If they try to resolve their karma and seize the opportunity, they will still have a sliver of a chance to continue to rise."

"Ye Qian, you should also know about the sect's strategic plans for Cangzhou. Even if I help you, I can't buy you much time."

"Unless you can guarantee that you will ascend to the Void Refinement Realm within thirty to fifty years."

Ascending to the Void Refinement Realm within thirty to fifty years?!

Ye Qian paused for a moment, then smiled wryly: "Uncle-Master, if I could truly ascend to immortality within thirty to fifty years, that would be wonderful."

It's not that Ye Qian is being self-deprecating, but rather that his generation has only cultivated for a few years in general.

Not everyone is as prodigious as Jiang Sheng, who can break through to a higher realm in just a few decades or a hundred years. More often than not, even the most gifted geniuses need to accumulate their foundation over many years.

"Uncle-Master, please give your junior disciple some more time so that he can think it over carefully."

Ye Qian spoke sincerely, and Jiang Sheng didn't know what else to say, so he waved his hand to signal Ye Qian to go and rest.

After watching Ye Qian leave, Jiang Sheng sighed softly. No matter how unwilling Ye Qian was or how hard he tried, it would still be extremely difficult for him to catch up with Xiao Xian.

Shaking his head, Jiang Sheng flipped through the "Mysterious Method of Yin-Yang Calamity, Three Transformations, and Five Elements" that he had been constantly revising and repairing. He picked up a pen and wrote a line of small characters on the side: "Time flies like the wind, and one cannot escape the end of fate."

On the path of cultivation, missed opportunities are simply missed, but a single misstep can create an insurmountable chasm.

"The calamity of the heart fire originates in the heart, proceeds through fate, and declines with lifespan."

"Therefore, through the transformation of liver wood, the movement of heart fire arises, which increases lifespan and thus leads to longevity."

Jiang Sheng recited softly, engraving his understanding of the tribulation of the heart fire on the jade slip.

The tribulation of the liver wood signifies the decline of the physical body; if one overcomes this, one will not age and may have the hope of longevity.

The tribulation of the heart fire signifies the decline of lifespan; overcoming it leads to longevity and immortality.

After passing the dual tribulations of liver wood and heart fire, one can attain the state most often mentioned by cultivators: immortality.

Immortality and eternal youth are never separate. Immortality alone does not change the fact that the physical body decays and remains nothing but a pile of rotten flesh; eternal youth alone does not change the fact that when lifespan is exhausted, only a shell remains.

Immortality and eternal youth combined form the foundation of the Great Dao and the hope of pure Yang.

Therefore, there is the saying that wood and fire are in harmony.

After passing the tribulations of liver wood and heart fire, one must then face the tribulations of spleen earth to attain the immortal godhood.

In this way, one can achieve longevity, immortality of the physical body, and eternal life of the primordial spirit. The convergence of the three energies is the attainment of the Great Dao.

As for the Three Tribulations True Monarch, in the realm of Integration, there is already a clear distinction between the First Tribulation and the Second Tribulation. In the Pure Yang Holy Land, only those who can attain the Three Tribulations realm are considered to be Pure Yang beings in the Integration realm and can gain the attention of Pure Yang beings.

Jiang Sheng is a bit special. As someone who has broken through to the Integration Realm and attained the first tribulation of cultivation, he is capable of slaying a fifth tribulation True Monarch and fighting against a fourth tribulation True Monarch. No one believes that Jiang Sheng will not be able to overcome the Heart Fire Tribulation and the Spleen Earth Tribulation.

In the eyes of many True Lords of the Eastern Heavenly Daoist School, Jiang Sheng is actually already a Four Tribulation True Lord, only his realm is a bit lacking. However, Jiang Sheng is only 1,800 years old this year, what more could he ask for?
In the main hall of the Dharma Boat, Jiang Sheng was immersed in his pursuit of the immortal Dao fruit of immortality, and time passed quickly day by day.

Before we knew it, several months had passed in a flash.

On this day, just as Jiang Sheng was fully immersed in compiling the "Yin Yang Calamity Extinction Three Transformations Five Elements Wonderful Method", his communication jade pendant suddenly sent a rapid fluctuation.

Jiang Sheng picked up the communication jade pendant, which only displayed one sentence: "The demon race of the Great Wilderness Realm has attacked, and the situation has changed!"

Jiang Sheng frowned slightly, and his figure disappeared from the magic boat in an instant, appearing in the sky.

Beneath the vast expanse of the Nine Heavens Star Sea, Jiang Sheng stood atop the fierce winds, thunder, and fire, his hands behind his back gazing into the depths of the Cangzhou inland. In that boundless landmass, Jiang Sheng clearly saw star after star emitting a clear radiance; those were the star of the Upper Three Realms True Monarchs of the Penglai Dao Sect.

On the other side of these celestial stars, demonic stars, brimming with unbridled demonic energy and raging with ferocity, also rose into the sky, releasing their unrestrained demonic aura and wild, untamed spirit.

As Jiang Sheng gazed at those demonic stars, he seemed to see a ferocious dragon coiled in the sea of ​​stars and a giant ape standing between heaven and earth, roaring towards the sky.

"Dragon, Ape"

"In the Great Wilderness Realm, the only places that can gather such dragon and ape demon lords are the Flood Dragon Sea and the Forest of Ten Thousand Beasts, right?"

"The Golden-Winged Roc clan and its demonic bird subordinates haven't dispatched many demon lords into the Nine Provinces Realm, so why are they fighting so desperately? Have they gone mad?"

Just as Jiang Sheng was filled with doubt, three incredibly powerful demonic auras, exuding a wild and ferocious energy, roared in. Their demonic auras transformed into hideous demonic forms in mid-air, wantonly unleashing their power and might.

Gazing at the three undisguised demonic auras, Jiang Sheng narrowed his eyes, his expression utterly indifferent:
"Are you coming for me?"

"It seems they've truly gone mad." (End of Chapter)