Daojun, start from Penglai foundation building

"The way of prosperity and decline lies in the transformation of wood energy into the essence of longevity."

"The way of burning embers is to enhance the wonder of life and death through the power of fire."

"When the liver is weakened, the body decays but the person does not die."

"The calamity of fire diminishes lifespan but does not age."

"Therefore, the liver and heart work together, and wood and fire are two forms."

"Therefore, the liver wood corresponds to the heart fire, and green and red correspond to the profound mysteries."

On the Taiyin Cloud Bed inlaid with ice crystals and jade, Jiang Sheng, whose physical body was charred black and withered like a branch, had no life force left.

At this moment, not only were Jiang Sheng's limbs and bones completely burned by the calamity fire, but his internal organs were also reduced to ashes under the raging flames, and his sea of ​​consciousness was also ravaged by the raging fire.

What turned into charred and withered remains was not just Jiang Sheng's physical body.
Even Jiang Sheng's soul was sizzling in the raging fire, gradually being burned and melted away.

Jiang Sheng had survived the tribulation of liver wood, experiencing the feeling of physical decay, internal organ emptiness, and the decay and rotting of the soul and magical power along with it.

However, this tribulation of heart fire is far more dangerous than the tribulation of liver wood. The raging fire constantly emerges from the limbs, bones, acupoints, and pores of the body, penetrating everywhere, from flesh and blood, meridians and bones to the sea of ​​consciousness and the soul, all are consumed by this raging fire.

This fire is no ordinary fire; ordinary fire cannot even burn through Jiang Sheng's flesh before it goes out.

This fire is not a celestial fire; even if a celestial fire were to fall upon Jiang Sheng, it would be avoided by his protective aura.

This fire is the fire of the laws, and also the fire of the Great Dao. It uses Jiang Sheng's lifespan as fuel, constantly burning Jiang Sheng's physical body and soul. If Jiang Sheng can withstand this fire of lifespan using himself as fuel, then Jiang Sheng can pass the second tribulation, and from then on, his lifespan will be constant, his physical body will be immortal, and his lifespan will never age.

Nearly 60 years later, Jiang Sheng's insights into the "Taiyin Hanguang Jing" and "Yuehua Suxin Jing" were transformed into essences, which he absorbed to fill his own "Yin Yang Jie Mie San Hua Wu Xing Miao Fa" and strengthen the Yin aspect within it.

With the completion of the Yin Dao and Yin Fa sections of "Yin Yang Jie Mie San Hua Wu Xing Miao Fa", Jiang Sheng was full of confidence that he would overcome this tribulation of inner fire.

"Those who cultivate themselves all pursue immortality."

"Those who possess immortality but lack eternal youth are nothing more than a rotten pile of mud."

"Having immortality without age is nothing but an empty body."

"However, immortality requires the decay of the physical body, and eternal youth requires the decline of lifespan."

"Ultimately, great destruction precedes great creation, and annihilation precedes new life. Immortals are reborn through metamorphosis, which is the profound mystery of the Taiyin Refining Form."

"However, such a process would undoubtedly be an unbearable nightmare for any cultivator."

A True Lord who has achieved enlightenment in the Upper Three Realms has experienced the invincible human realm during the Nascent Soul stage, roaming freely through heaven and earth; and the expansive universe during the Void Refining stage, visiting all corners of the world.

He gradually reached the pinnacle of the Void Refining Realm, and then broke through to merge with the body. At this point, he was full of pride and thought that immortality was within reach and the Great Dao was ahead of him. However, the decline of his physical body dealt him a heavy blow.

No matter how powerful one's supernatural abilities, how abundant one's magical power, how profound one's fortune, or how continuous one's blessings, one cannot stop the decay of one's physical body. Even if one is born in a holy land, is a chosen one of heaven, or possesses all kinds of magical treasures, there is no way to stop it. One can only watch helplessly as one's flesh and organs rot and decay, along with the dissipation of magical power, the decay of one's Dao fruit, and even the decay of one's true spirit and soul. This feeling would definitely cause any ambitious and proud Daoist to collapse.

The decline of lifespan far surpasses the decline of physical health.

If the decline of the physical body is like watching one's own body decay helplessly, then the decline of lifespan is like being able to clearly perceive that immortality is getting further and further away. As lifespan gradually diminishes, cultivators can see themselves getting closer and closer to death. That feeling of death approaching and being powerless to stop it is enough to drive any powerful immortal insane.

In order to overcome the decline of the physical body, the decline of lifespan, and the subsequent decline of the primordial spirit, ordinary immortals often rely on their sects and families to create an absolutely safe haven for themselves. They then forge immortal coffins and divine sarcophagi to seal themselves inside, condensing their own bodies to resist the decline of the physical body and the decline of lifespan with the power of long time.

This method of transcending tribulation is very safe, but it takes an extremely long time, often hundreds or even thousands of years, to slowly get through the tribulation.

Throughout the myriad realms, those who attempt to undergo the Five Tribulations of Integration generally do so in this way.

Just like when one undergoes the Three Calamities of Refining Emptiness, one must have a corresponding substitute magic weapon and protective array. The array is used to maintain oneself, and the magic weapon is used to replace oneself to undergo the tribulation and block the tribulation of wind, thunder, and yin fire.

This is arguably the most normal and orthodox method of tribulation in the entire universe, and it is the safest and most secure.

However, Jiang Sheng was not.

When Jiang Sheng was undergoing the three tribulations of the Void Refinement stage, he did not forge any substitute magic treasures, nor did he buy any tribulation-crossing magic tools. He did not even set up a protective array. He simply endured the tribulation wind, thunder, and yin fire with his own body. Facing the risk of the three tribulations coming at the same time, Jiang Sheng endured it for 120 years and tempered his physical body and soul, which far exceeded the Void Refinement stage. His Dao heart also became more and more steadfast in this tribulation.

Therefore, when Jiang Sheng was undergoing the tribulation of liver wood in Yanzhou of the Nine Provinces, he ignored the decay and rot of his physical body. Instead of sleeping like ordinary immortals and gods to wear down the tribulation, he maintained his clear mind and unchanged Dao heart. He endured the decay of his physical body for six years and reached the first tribulation of Dao cultivation.

Jiang Sheng, who forcibly underwent this tribulation, possessed cultivation and magical power comparable to a Fifth Tribulation True Monarch.

Now, Jiang Sheng remains unchanged, maintaining the clarity of his soul and spirit, and the purity of his Dao heart. Even though he clearly senses that his lifespan is constantly slipping away at a rate of decades or even centuries, and even though the fire of law burning with his lifespan as fuel is constantly scorching his physical body and soul, Jiang Sheng remains unmoved.

Jiang Sheng set a timeframe of three years for himself to overcome the tribulation of inner fire.

Jiang Sheng knew that his Heart Fire Tribulation far surpassed that of other First Tribulation True Monarchs. His cultivation and magical power were far superior to those of First Tribulation True Monarchs, making him comparable to Fifth Tribulation True Monarchs. It was just that his realm was still at the First Tribulation stage.

Therefore, the lifespan of other First Tribulation True Monarchs may be consumed year by year, but for Jiang Sheng, it is consumed every few decades or even hundreds of years. The speed at which his lifespan deteriorates far exceeds that of other First Tribulation True Monarchs. In the long run, even if Jiang Sheng is confident that he can overcome the decline of his lifespan, he will not be able to wake up in a short period of time.

At that time, no matter what changes occurred in the Xuanhuang Realm, or what kind of fortune came to the Nine Provinces Realm, he would be powerless to do anything about it.

That was a situation that Jiang Sheng would absolutely not allow.

The "Yin Yang Calamity Extinction Three Transformations Five Elements Wonderful Method" was still circulating within Jiang Sheng's body, which had been burned to a crisp. Even though his meridians had turned to ash and his internal organs had been burned to ashes, it still did not affect Jiang Sheng's circulation of Qi, nor could it cloud his Dao heart or shatter his soul.

"The physical body decays, but the true spirit does not decay."

"Even as lifespan declines, the Daoist heart remains uncorrupted."

“The spirit has been born, and so have the laws.”

"Inspiration and enlightenment, in harmony with the Dao, become true."

"The liver wood corresponds to the heart fire, and the Red Emperor of the South is born."

"The cicada sheds its skin to welcome the new, and the moon refines the true form."

Jiang Sheng's divine soul sat cross-legged on the Azure Lotus Platform. As the raging fire continuously burned his divine soul, the azure and black lotus blossoms swayed naturally in the fire of the laws, rising with specks of silver light, shimmering with wisps of coolness.

The power of the Moon and the Vast Coldness spread out, protecting Jiang Sheng's soul and Dao heart, keeping his soul clear and his Dao heart pure.

Let my lifespan fade, let the flames consume me. My heart is immortal, my fire will never be extinguished, and I will remain between heaven and earth.

Silently, within Jiang Sheng's sea of ​​consciousness, as the power of Taiyin continuously condensed, unique immortal runes and Dao marks belonging to Yin were constantly engraved and refined, transforming into a Taiyin golden seal, containing a hazy color.

Just as Jiang Sheng was breaking through the illusion of life and death in the Taiyin Illusionary Realm to overcome the decline of his lifespan, various changes also occurred in the Xuanhuang Realm.

Perhaps because Tianmo Moxuan was no match for Kaiyuan Daojun, the demons in the Xuanhuang Realm became increasingly frenzied, emerging from all directions to plunder the spiritual energy and the origin of heaven and earth of the Xuanhuang Realm.

As the scourge of demons intensified, the true disciples of various sects, led by their senior brothers such as Penglai Lingwei, Qinghua Xuanyi, Tianhe Mingxian, and Chixiao Xuyuanzi, began to spread their own lineages and protect the living beings in their respective regions.

The fame of the five sacred lands—Qinghua in the East, Chixiao in the South, Yaochi in the West, Tianhe in the North, and Penglai in the Central Region—along with the three Daoist families of the Eastern Heaven in the Three Realms and the two allied Daoist sects of Chixiao in the Cangwu Realm and Yaochi in the Kunlun Realm, has long been spread throughout the Xuanhuang Realm.

While preaching and expounding their doctrines, the true masters of each sect also dispatched their disciples with crudely trained Taoist soldiers to sweep away demons and monsters.

The five sects cooperated with each other and had a tacit understanding, and a new nascent form of Xuanmen was gradually taking shape.

Having survived this great calamity for the Xuanmen, the Yin-Yang Orthodox Sect of the Xuanhuang Realm, the Yuanyang Dao Sect of the Huayang Realm, the Dao Yi Palace of the Xuanhu Realm, the Tianyuan Holy Sect of the Tianyuan Realm, and the Qiankun, Huayun, and Kongtong Dao Sects of the Jiuzhou Realm will inevitably have their lineages destroyed.

The original structure of the Xuanmen Nine Realms and Thirteen Sects will be transformed into a five-sect structure with Penglai, Qinghua, and Tianhe of the Eastern Heavenly Daoist School as the main sects, and Kunlun Yaochi and Cangwu Chixiao as the auxiliary sects.

At this time, this new pattern has already been manifested through the intentional or unintentional cooperation of disciples from various sects in the Xuanhuang Realm.

The lineage and prestige of the Yin-Yang Orthodox School in the Xuanhuang Realm were erased in less than thirty years, replaced by disciples of the Five Sects who travel to various regions.

Besides the five sects, there is the Buddhist Pure Land of Lapis Lazuli established by Guangwen and Guanghui in the southwest, the renowned Crested Ibis Demon Lord in the southeast, the Shaobai Underworld Lord and the Four Seas True Lord who crossed the ocean, and Kongzhen and Jinqiong who protected the northeast and northwest regions.
The Xuanhuang Realm is like a huge testing ground for the true disciples of various sects. All the true disciples are giving full play to their talents and ideas within the Xuanhuang Realm, turning them into reality and setting up their own training grounds.

While the various sects' prodigies and Dao disciples were displaying their talents and perfecting their own foundations and Dao fruits, Jiang Sheng completely disappeared without a trace.

Even within the Penglai Dao Sect, apart from Jiang Sheng's disciples Tian Ming'an, Qiu Buyu, Li Jianchun, and Huang Ping'an who were still searching for him, everyone else subconsciously overlooked Jiang Sheng's safety.

Or rather, in the eyes of the true disciples of each family, even if they all encountered danger, Jiang Sheng could not possibly encounter any danger.

It was this extreme confidence in Jiang Sheng that allowed them to act independently without worrying about anything going wrong with him.

In Lin Fan's words, "As long as the moon is still hanging in the sky, Jiang Sheng will be fine, and everyone can rest assured."

Therefore, apart from Tian Ming'an and a few others, all the true disciples were undergoing their own training, while Tian Ming'an and his group had an additional task in addition to their training: to find Jiang Sheng.

After several years, Tian Ming'an and his companions finally stumbled into an unfamiliar place and found a trace of Jiang Sheng there.

The four were unwilling to miss this opportunity. Even though they knew that these traces were left by their master three or four years ago, they still went forward to explore without hesitation.

Following the sword mark that seemed to cleave the heavens and earth, Tian Ming'an and his companions crossed the glacial chasm, traversing tens of thousands of miles of glaciers, and arrived at a completely new place.

This frozen land is covered with medicinal fields, and the large medicinal plants, some withered and some turned to ashes, are like palaces that have been cut open out of thin air, and the lingering sword intent of annihilation between heaven and earth.

Sensing the conditions of this place, Tian Ming'an said, "Master must have traveled here. If we continue forward, we will surely find Master's traces!"

Qiu Buyu, Li Jianchun, and Huang Pingan all nodded and then followed Tian Ming'an deeper into the area.

In this unfamiliar world, the four of them stood out like four torches in the darkness, their bright presence as strangers. Along the way, they were either harassed by snow monsters that were neither real nor illusory, or ambushed and killed by the spirits of plants and trees lurking in the forest.

Fortunately, it seemed that a large number of these plant spirits and snow monsters had been eliminated, and those powerful spirits did not appear. The spirits encountered along the way were rare and ordinary. With the four of them being at the Dharma Aspect Realm, even if they were not able to defeat them, they could at least escape.

The four of them fled all the way to the front of the continuous palaces, where the monsters dared not approach any further, allowing them to catch their breath for a while.

Within this palace, the four finally discovered traces left behind by Jiang Sheng once again.

"Look, this is Master's handiwork!"

Hearing Li Jianchun's words, Tian Ming'an and the other two gathered around. Sure enough, in front of a palace that had been cut open, they sensed the incredibly clear sword intent of annihilation. This was clearly a trace left by Jiang Sheng's Heaven-Slaying Sword Technique.

The four ventured deep into the palace, only to find it completely empty, with nothing left. Yet, they were still incredibly excited. Finding Jiang Sheng's trail meant that continuing forward would lead them to him, or at the very least, the path ahead should be relatively safe.

Therefore, after discussing it for a while, the four of them continued on their way.

As the four ventured deeper, the unknown world grew larger and the surroundings became increasingly frigid. The Yin energy between heaven and earth became more and more concentrated. Under the influence of the Yin energy, each step forward required a great deal of mental energy, leaving the four exhausted and struggling to move forward.

Unbeknownst to them, the four of them had no idea where they were. They only felt that they were surrounded by icy flames and the world was a vast expanse of cold and desolation, which made their souls feel as if they were frozen and their bodies were covered with frost.

Just as he was on the verge of death, Li Jianchun said with a wry smile, "Senior brothers and sisters, with our meager cultivation, isn't it a bit presumptuous of us to try to follow in Master's footsteps?"

Tian Ming'an was frozen solid, his internal organs were frozen, and his body was covered in frost and snow. He was almost turned into an ice sculpture, but he still murmured, "Qinghua, Tianhe, Chixiao and Yaochi can choose not to look for Master, because they are just fellow Daoists with Master, not family."

“Uncle Lingwei, Uncle Lingyu, and Uncle Lingzhao don’t need to seek out Master because they trust Master and believe that Master can handle anything properly.”

“But you and I are Master’s disciples. We have lost contact with Master. We must search for him no matter what, whether we find him or not, we must take this step.”

"If we don't even think about danger and just stay under our master's wings and are protected by him, how can we become his helpers and how can we embark on the true path?"

Qiu remained silent, only nodding to indicate his agreement with Tian Ming'an.

Huang Ping'an shivered as he looked around at the icy flames and ice fire that, though burning, seemed to freeze one's soul. He exhaled a breath of cold air filled with icy shards: "We haven't come away empty-handed. At least we're certain that Master is ahead."

"It's just that with our combined strength, we are not capable of continuing forward."

Li Jianchun felt as if his soul was about to be frozen to pieces. He looked ahead in a daze and seemed to see a figure standing there. This made Li Jianchun laugh out loud: "Senior brother and sister, I seem to be hallucinating. I should not be able to hold on any longer."

As he spoke, Li Jianchun looked at the figure, which seemed unmoved amidst the cold flames and snow, and became increasingly clear.

He was tall and slender, wearing a jade crown made of bright pearls and cold jade, a dark robe with gold patterns, a belt with osmanthus and cold toad around his waist, and a pair of cold fungus and jade boots.

Its aura is pure and ethereal, like the bright moon, or like a detached immortal in the moon palace, looking down upon the mortal world.

As the aloof and ethereal figure of Yue Xian drew closer, Li Jianchun became increasingly confused, feeling as if he were seeing his master Jiang Sheng's face.

In a daze, as his sleeves transformed into a sack that swallowed the sky, Li Jianchun fell into a complete coma, and Tian Ming'an, Qiu Buyu, and Huang Ping'an also disappeared without a trace.

In this snow-covered world of ice and flames, only the aloof Moon Fairy remained, brushing off her moon-golden robes before vanishing without a trace. (End of Chapter)