Daojun, start from Penglai foundation building

Seeing her Dragon Lord's forlorn expression, the Dragon Girl didn't know what to say, and in the end, she could only let out a soft sigh.

In the past, the Four Seas Dragon Clan of the Mountain and River Realm was a renowned existence throughout the myriad realms.

Who hasn't heard of the extravagance of the East Sea? Who doesn't know the power and strength of the Dragon Palace?
The vast seas, six dragon ancestors, countless dragon lords of the upper three realms, and countless dragon sons and grandsons.
At that time, the Dragon Clan of the Mountain and River Realm was one of the most powerful beings in all the heavens and myriad realms!
In those days, among all the heavens and myriad realms, how could the East Sea Dragon Clan be absent from any banquet of immortals, gods, and Buddhas?
It's a pity.
Recalling the past is useless. The Four Seas Dragon Palace is no longer the ally of the Daoist sect, but has been completely reduced to a subordinate of the Eastern Heaven Daoist family, which can take whatever it wants and has no power to resist.

If it weren't for the Azure Dragon Ancestor suppressing the East Sea Eye back in the Mountain and River Realm, even now in the Three Realms, the Azure Dragon Ancestor would still be suppressing the sea eye to prevent the turbid, malevolent, and foul energy from the Abyss from flowing back into the East Sea.

The current pristine and vibrant East China Sea is thanks to the Azure Dragon Ancestor's suppression of the sea eye. The fact that the East China Sea Dragon Clan can still exist and continue to enjoy peace and prosperity as dragon lords in various seas is also thanks to the Azure Dragon Ancestor.

Without the immense fortune and merit of the Azure Dragon Ancestor suppressing the East Sea Eye, the East Sea Dragon Clan would have been expelled from the Eastern Heavenly Daoist School long ago.

Ao Huilongjun sighed, "If it weren't for the Azure Dragon Ancestor still suppressing the sea eye, you and I would never have the peaceful life we ​​have now. We would probably be no different from those evil dragons who have been expelled and hunted down by the Eastern Heaven Daoist, living in constant fear of the wrath of heaven."

"But the Azure Dragon Ancestor will not concern himself with the current East Sea Dragon Clan. The Ancestor's fortune and merits are to protect the East Sea Dragon Clan from extinction, and he will not care about the life or death of insignificant people like you and me."

The Dragon Girl nodded: "So my husband chose to rely on that True Lord Lingyuan in order to gain peace."

Ao Huilongjun shook his head: "It's not that I chose, I had no choice. There are so many true masters in the Eastern Heaven Daoist sect, which one of them is someone I can be worthy of?"

"As for True Lord Lingyuan, even among the True Lords personally transmitted by the Eastern Heaven, there are very few who can compare to him. Countless people want to curry favor with such a great figure. If it weren't for a bit of fate, I wouldn't even have his communication jade pendant."

"Moreover, True Lord Lingyuan is known for his preference for quiet and aversion to crowds, his dislike of fine wines and delicacies, and his abundance of rare and precious herbs and elixirs. So, what do you think we have that would make us look up to him if we were to seek refuge with him?"

As he spoke, Ao Huilongjun grew increasingly helpless; he genuinely wanted to seek refuge with Jiang Sheng to find a way out for himself.

It is obvious to anyone with discerning eyes that the Eastern Heaven Daoist School will become increasingly powerful in the future. After all, the Eastern Heaven Daoist School represents the Immortal Path and the Mysterious Gate. In all the heavens and myriad worlds, who else but the Eastern Heaven Daoist School can represent the fortune of the Mysterious Gate and the lineage of the Immortal School?
If Ao Huilongjun were to attach himself to Jiang Sheng, at least he wouldn't inexplicably lose his position in the future, or be framed for some crime and sent to the execution platform to have his dragon liver and tendons removed and served on the dinner table.

Ao Huilongjun did not have high expectations. The true dragon clan has a long lifespan, especially their Azure Dragon lineage of the East Sea, which has received the blessing of the Azure Dragon Ancestor. As long as they reach the Upper Three Realms, they can be said to live as long as the heavens. In addition, they suppress a sea area, manage the water veins and earth energy, and regulate the wind and rain of the four seasons. With continuous blessings, as long as they do not cause trouble, they can live peacefully for tens of thousands of years.

Unfortunately, Jiang Sheng was not only aloof, but also had no particularly obvious hobbies, so Ao Huilongjun had no good way to get him to join his cause.

As for relying on the little bit of fate or affinity during the Xuanmen Great Calamity, it's simply not enough to get him to join his ranks.

After much deliberation, Ao Huilongjun grew increasingly helpless. As a dignified True Dragon of the Refining Void, the Dragon Lord of the East Sea, he didn't even have a way to seek refuge with an immortal.

"Hey?!"

Suddenly, the Dragon Girl remembered something and said to Ao Hui, "Husband, I have some information that might come in handy."

Although Ao Huilongjun was somewhat skeptical, he still said, "Please speak, Madam."

The dragon girl said, "My husband, as you know, we dragon girls are usually very free. We keep in touch with each other, and I have a few close friends. They mentioned something that when the Great Calamity of the Xuanmen in the Nine Provinces ended, a group of immortals from the Upper Three Realms held a trading ceremony."

"At that trading conference, someone saw True Monarch Lingyuan buy a batch of demons."

"There are things like white carp, moon fox, and golden monkey."

At first, Ao Huilongjun didn't pay much attention, but as the dragon girl explained, a light gradually appeared in his eyes: "What does Madam mean?"

The Dragon Girl speculated, "Perhaps True Lord Lingyuan likes to raise some flowers, plants and spirits. After all, you said that True Lord Lingyuan is as indifferent as a chrysanthemum and does not like worldly interactions. So sending some exotic flowers, rare plants, spirit beasts and immortal birds might suit his taste."

Ao Huilongjun was initially delighted, but then sighed, "But with our combined strength, what kind of spirit beasts or immortal birds can we find to give to that person?"

"Does that person have any rare or valuable items?"

"Have you seen that five-tailed cat that person was holding before?"

"If I'm not mistaken, that's the life-extinction spirit cat, which has been extinct for a long time in all the heavens and myriad worlds. Everyone has that kind of rare beast, so what else do you and I have to offer?"

Unexpectedly, the Dragon Girl shook her head and said, "Husband, you are wrong. When giving gifts, you should not only look at their value, but also whether they suit the recipient's feelings."

"Even if something is very valuable, if the recipient doesn't like it, giving it away will not only fail to achieve anything but will also cause trouble."

"We may not have anything valuable or rare beasts, but we can give rare items instead of valuable ones."

strange?!

Ao Huilongjun seemed to be deep in thought.

The dragon girl said, "Husband, do you remember the North Sea Dragon Girl who visited us before?"

Ao Huilong frowned slightly, then remembered the North Sea Dragon Girl.

The North Sea Dragon Maiden was an ordinary North Sea Black Dragon, which was nothing to worry about. However, the little dragon she was leading was quite unusual. The little dragon was the North Sea Dragon Maiden's illegitimate daughter. Unlike ordinary North Sea Black Dragons, it not only had the bloodline of the East Sea Azure Dragon, but also some Yinglong bloodline.

Therefore, the little dragon looked like it was entirely dark blue with golden mane, and it was very beautiful. After transforming into human form, it was round and chubby and very obedient. Even Dragon Lord Ao Hui couldn't help but take a few more glances and found it very pleasing.

The Dragon Girl said, "Everyone says that True Lord Lingyuan has gone too far in killing dragons, but husband, think about it, apart from that incident, has True Lord Lingyuan ever expressed any dissatisfaction with the dragons, or intentionally targeted them?"

“Since other things are not presentable, let’s bring out something that no one else has given us. The ordinary East Sea Dragon Clan may not be interested, but that little dragon is entirely dark blue, which is in line with that person’s Azure Profound Method. Its mane is heavenly gold, and it has the air of nobility. That person might like it.”

Previously, Ao Huilongjun thought that if the little dragon was not an illegitimate child, she could be his son's legal wife. However, now that the dragon girl has mentioned it, Ao Huilongjun suddenly felt that instead of making the little dragon his son's legal wife, it would be better to send her to Lingyuan Zhenjun. If Lingyuan Zhenjun likes her, that would be the best. If Lingyuan Zhenjun doesn't like her, then he won't lose anything.
However, there is still a crucial issue. Ao Huilongjun hesitated and said, "That little dragon, although she is the illegitimate daughter of the North Sea Dragon Maiden, is still favored by that Dragon Maiden."

The Dragon Girl replied, "What good is it if she likes it? What matters is that True Lord Lingyuan likes it."

“Husband, I didn’t want to bring this up, but as you said, we are in a bad situation. If we can’t get on the good side of a True Lord of the Eastern Heaven, we will be suffering from both the Heavenly Court and the Eastern Heaven Daoist sect in the future.”

"If you're going to curry favor with a True Lord of the Eastern Heaven, you should curry favor with the most powerful one."

"Besides, no matter how much she likes him, what future or destiny can she have by staying by his side? If she were to stay by the side of True Lord Lingyuan, even a casual gift from True Lord Lingyuan would be something she could enjoy for a lifetime."

Ao Huilongjun nodded and gritted his teeth, saying, "In that case, I will go find Ao Qi first. Ao Qi has a past relationship with Ming An Zhenren, the personal disciple of Lingyuan Zhenjun. Let him sound out Ming An Zhenren's opinion for us. As for you, Madam, go to the North Sea and have a good talk with that dragon girl. After all, the future of that little dragon following her is uncertain, so she should be willing."

After making their decision, the couple immediately split up. Jiang Sheng, of course, had no idea what Ao Huilongjun was planning to do in order to curry favor with him. At this time, Jiang Sheng had already arrived at the Eastern Heavenly Gate through the teleportation array of Emperor Huaguang of Dongshan Haizhou.

The Heavenly Court resides in the center and governs the four cardinal directions. The four Heavenly Gates, located in the east, west, south, and north, each govern a region, through which one can travel to various realms.

However, while it is easy to travel from the Heavenly Gate to the mortal realm, it is extremely difficult to find the Heavenly Gate again from the mortal realm. If it weren't for the presence of Emperor Huaguang's Daoist temple in Dongshan Haizhou, Jiang Sheng would probably have spent more than ten years traveling to Dongsheng Shenzhou.

Having arrived at the East Heavenly Gate, and passing through the magnificent and imposing gate, Jiang Sheng went straight to the South Heavenly Gate via the teleportation array, and then teleported back to Little Penglai from the South Heavenly Gate.

After spending some time, Jiang Sheng finally returned to his own dojo.

Above Little Penglai, 12 million miles away, gazing at the seventy-two outer and thirty-six inner islands on the vast sea, watching the surging spiritual tides and mists, and the yin-yang pivot where water and fire intertwine, Zhang Xiaojiu could not hide his shock: "Master, is this your Daoist temple?!"

Jiang Sheng laughed and said, "No, this is only a part of my training ground. My true training ground is here."

After saying that, Jiang Sheng raised his hand and released a beam of mysterious light. There, the sea and sky shimmered with water and fire, the seventy-two outer islands shone with mysterious light, and the thirty-six inner islands received the light of heaven. The spiritual energy of the sun and moon spread out, revealing a rainbow path. At the end of the rainbow path was a majestic island that was full of starlight and spiritual energy.

Above, one can see hanging peaks and waterfalls, flowing springs and heavenly pools, as well as continuous palaces, green bamboos and red maples. Separate courtyards are hidden among the red clouds at the foot of the mountain, pavilions are scattered among the peaks and pines, white apes and deer play, cranes and larks fly, the essence of the sun and moon shines down overhead, countless stars illuminate the sky, and wind, thunder, water and fire crisscross in all directions, with the power of yin and yang flowing.

The spiritual energy and immortal essence here far surpasses that of the East and South Heavenly Gates and the First Heaven Realm that Zhang Xiaojiu had seen.

Jiang Sheng sensed the familiar aura in this area and felt a sense of comfort: "This is my true place of practice, the real Little Penglai."

"Greetings, Master."

Inside the Xuanqing Hall, Tian Ming'an, Qiu Buyu, Li Jianchun, Huang Ping'an, Su Yutong, Zhuang Yi, and Zhang Xiaojiu bowed to Jiang Sheng.

Jiang Sheng nodded, then said to Zhang Xiaojiu, "Xiaojiu, these are your senior brothers and sisters. In the future, you will follow them in your cultivation. If you don't understand anything, you can ask your senior brother Ming'an and senior sister Buyu."

Zhang Xiaojiu quickly bowed to Tian Ming'an and Qiu Buyu, saying, "Junior brother greets senior brother and senior sister."

Tian Ming'an smiled and said, "It's my first time meeting you, Junior Brother, so I don't have anything good to give you. You can take this as a toy."

Qiu Buyu then said, "Senior sister doesn't have anything good here, so consider this jade pendant a small gift."

Looking at the radiant magic sword and jade pendant before him, Zhang Xiaojiu quickly accepted them and expressed his gratitude.

Li Jianchun, Huang Pingan, Su Yutong, and Zhuang Yi watched this scene with smiles.

As Jiang Sheng's disciples, they were very familiar with this scene. When they first arrived at Xiaopenglai, Tian Ming'an and Qiu Buyu did the same thing.

The magic sword and the jade pendant are symbols. The magic sword symbolizes magic and will, implying a spirit of forging ahead without fear of danger or demons; while the jade pendant symbolizes the Daoist heart and enlightenment, implying a clear mind that never forgets its original aspirations and a noble and far-reaching goal.

Besides, as Jiang Sheng's disciple, it always feels like something is missing if he doesn't have a magic sword by his side.

Who could blame Jiang Sheng for not only being the renowned leader of the contemporary Xuanmen sect across all the heavens and myriad realms, but also being the illustrious Penglai Sword Immortal?

Cultivating alongside a sword immortal, the magic sword is also a symbol of status, although among Jiang Sheng's disciples, not many truly regard the magic sword as their natal magic weapon.

After everyone had gotten to know each other, Jiang Sheng said, "When I accept disciples, I always look at fate and destiny."

“Xiao Jiu and I are destined to be together. When I took Xiao Jiu in as my disciple, I had a premonition that I might take in nine disciples in my lifetime.”

"Now, including Shen Yao, I have taken in eight disciples. I may take in one more in the future, or I may not; but this is about the maximum number."

“Shen Yao is currently in Dongshan Haizhou, presiding over the Jinhua Mountain lineage. He is currently the one with the highest cultivation among my disciples, but that is his destiny. You don’t need to envy him or be jealous of him. Don’t think that your current cultivation is not as good as your junior brother’s. You should hurry up and break through to the next realm. You must not be impatient.”

“Ming’an, Buyu, it’s true that you are the senior brother and sister, but you should not compare your cultivation with others. You should take each step steadily and follow your own methods. Once you have achieved the perfect balance of Yin and Yang, then you can seek the opportunity to ascend.”

"Jian Chun and Ping An, you two are naturally unrestrained and chivalrous. The most urgent task is to reach the realm of Dharma before we talk about anything else."

"Yutong and Zhuangyi, although your cultivation levels are somewhat low, you now possess supernatural abilities. You should seek the path of the primordial spirit and solidify your foundation."

"As I always say, everyone has their own destiny and their own path. If there is anything you don't understand, you can come to me for guidance and to learn from me. But don't try to conform to me step by step."

"You can learn from my path, but you cannot imitate it. Only by forging your own path can you go far."

All the disciples bowed in unison and said, "Disciples will remember Master's teachings."

Jiang Sheng nodded: "Go and cultivate yourselves. Ming'an and Buyu, take Xiao Jiu to get acquainted with Little Penglai, and then let him show his face on the 108 islands inside and outside, so that nothing goes wrong."

"I will be practicing magic in the Xuanqing Palace for the next hundred years. If there are any matters that cannot be resolved, or any problems in cultivation, please feel free to come to me."

The disciples accepted the order and then dispersed.

After all the disciples had left, Jiang Sheng sat quietly on the futon in the empty Xuanqing Hall for a long time, and then suddenly waved his hand.

In an instant, the fortune and merit originating from the Xuanmen Great Calamity and the Mountain and Sea Realm surged forth.

During this great calamity of the Xuanmen, Jiang Sheng performed exceptionally well. Heaven and earth bestowed upon him their own fortune and merit. In addition, he repaired the Xuanhuang Realm and transmitted the Dharma to the Shanhai Realm. One by one, fortune and merit gathered together. The moment Jiang Sheng entered the Three Realms, the Three Realms bestowed upon him immeasurable fortune and merit. However, Jiang Sheng had been suppressing it within his body and had not manifested it.

At this moment, Jiang Sheng manifested his fortune and merit with a wave of his hand. Streams of golden-purple fortune and merit filled Jiang Sheng's surroundings, like golden-purple talismans, shining brightly and dazzlingly.

Around these streams of fortune and merit, wisps of mysterious yellow energy lingered, seemingly possessing a spirit, sometimes gathering and sometimes dispersing, ethereal and transparent, containing boundless profound laws and spiritual energy.

Upon closer inspection, there are twenty-four strands of golden and purple merit energy and thirty-six strands of primordial and yellow spiritual energy. This shows how much opportunity Jiang Sheng accumulated by bravely striving to promote the return of the Mountain and Sea Realm, spread the Dharma of the Mountain and Sea, and participate in the great calamity of the Xuanmen.

"Twenty-four streams of merit energy, thirty-six strands of mysterious yellow silk."

"I spent sixty years cultivating my virtues and virtuous energy, and then spent thirty years nurturing the magic treasure with mysterious and yellow energy."

"Over the course of a century, we will solidify our foundation once more, and then proceed to the banquet at the Hall of Fragrant Breeze." (End of Chapter)