Daojun, start from Penglai foundation building

As the Heavenly Emperor's Daoist teachings spread throughout the Three Realms, Nine Heavens, and Four Seas, all races and beings in the Three Realms could see the Heavenly Fruit of Destiny hanging high above the starry sky with just a glance.

As a position forcibly severed by the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor before the Three Realms and the Great Thousand Worlds had fully taken shape, this position is obviously much weaker, but no matter how weak it is, it is still a Mahayana position.

It is evident that it is formed by the condensation of various laws, with the external energies of Xuan and Huang intertwined, and the upper part surrounded by fortune and merit.

The position of the Heavenly Ruler of Justice!

Even though he was forcibly severed by the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor, the innate foundation of this Judicial Heavenly Lord's position was still incredibly powerful. He was in charge of the laws of the Heavenly Court, carried out punishments on behalf of Heaven, patrolled the Three Realms, enforced the Heavenly Laws, and suppressed rebellion.
It can be said that this position of the Heavenly Ruler of Justice, from the moment it was created, encompassed the authority of both the Heavenly Court's Southern Pole Divine Emperor and the Golden Book Manifestation Mysterious Lady.

The Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor looked at the Antarctic Divine Firmament Emperor: "I intend to recruit the talents of all the heavens and the three realms to compete for this position of Judicial Heavenly Lord. Firstly, it is to select talents and assess virtues for the Heavenly Court, and secondly, it is to demonstrate the power of the Heavenly Court to all the heavens and the myriad realms. Whoever can finally obtain this position will become the Judicial Heavenly Lord of the Heavenly Court."

"My dear minister, you have long held the power of the Heavenly Laws and been in charge of punishments. Do not disappoint me."

The Antarctic Divine Emperor was already at the Mahayana realm, and facing this Judicial Heavenly Lord who could be said to have completely replaced his duties, the Antarctic Divine Emperor would not miss the opportunity no matter what.

The Antarctic Divine Emperor bowed respectfully, his voice steady and firm: "Your Majesty, please rest assured, I will certainly secure the throne for Your Majesty!"

The Golden Emperor smiled with satisfaction, raised his wine cup and said, "Come, gentlemen, drink this cup to the brim!"

Inside the Xuanhua Palace, all the celestial beings and gods of the Heavenly Court raised their cups in unison: "To Your Majesty."

After finishing a cup of wine, the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor smiled and looked eastward, then at the Eastern Heavenly Daoist School: "The position of the God of Justice is impossible to attain. Even if you want the position of the Heavenly Lord of Justice, you'll have to compete with all the heavens and myriad realms for it!"

The following day, the Heavenly Court issued an edict, which was widely disseminated throughout the Three Realms and spread to all the heavens.

"It is said that when the primordial chaos was first divided, the three realms were established in order; the world has been at peace for two thousand years."

"When Heaven and Earth interact and the Dao prevails, the spirit is born and its position is established, and it is born in accordance with the mandate of Heaven."

"I, having received the mandate of Heaven, rule over the Three Realms and govern all the heavens. In the past, when I established this dynasty, I governed with integrity and merit, appointing officials based on their abilities and virtues. Now, the celestial mechanism has turned once more, and auspicious omens shine upon the Purple Palace. A new fruit has emerged, condensing the essence of the primordial chaos and the pure spirit of the void. This fruit shall become the pillar of the state and the cornerstone of the universe."

"This decree is hereby issued to all the heavens: All beings in all realms and among all races, those who possess inner virtue and talent, regardless of their mortal or immortal origins, as long as they uphold the Dao with utmost sincerity and possess extraordinary abilities, may come to the Southern Heavenly Gate to undergo trials; to be tested through tribulations and trials to observe their will, to expound the Dao and discuss the Dao to examine their wisdom, and to govern the world and benefit all beings to verify their usefulness."

"The Heavenly Path has nine cycles, awaiting only the true dragon; the Jade Terrace is a thousand fathoms high, awaiting only the colorful phoenix. When the day of success arrives, I will be granted a golden book, command the jade laws, and enjoy heavenly blessings."

As the Heavenly Court issued a decree to all the heavens, not only the Three Realms and the Great Thousand Worlds, but also the realms of gods and Buddhas, and the unorthodox demon races beyond the Three Realms and the Great Thousand Worlds, all became restless.

"Regardless of whether they are celestial or mortal, anyone who possesses a sincere Daoist heart and strategic talents may take the test."

"Doesn't this mean that anyone, whether human, god, ghost, demon, spirit, or monster, can try their luck in the Heavenly Court?"

Inside the magnificent cave, a handsome celestial demon with dragon horns on his head and wearing armor embraced a beautiful concubine with one arm and toyed with a wine cup with the other, staring at the edict that spread throughout the heavens and myriad worlds with a half-smile.

The beautiful concubine giggled and said, "Your Highness, with your abilities, wouldn't obtaining that position be a piece of cake?"

The handsome celestial demon looked at his concubine in his arms: "You little rascal, are you that confident in me, Your Highness?"

The concubine replied matter-of-factly, "In the entire Kuocang Realm, among the three generations, who is Your Highness's match?"

"Although that position is Mahayana, Your Highness's five kalpas of cultivation are enough to rival the Mahayana masters of all heavens. With Your Highness's cultivation and supernatural powers, how could the Heavenly Court not grant you that position?"

Upon hearing this, the handsome celestial demon burst into laughter, displaying his arrogance: "Hahahaha!"

After laughing, the handsome celestial demon's smile faded, his expression becoming somewhat complicated: "The Three Realms and the Great Thousand Worlds... that's where immortals, Buddhas, and saints gather from all the myriad realms. The most outstanding talents and strongest geniuses in the entire chaotic universe are all there."

"I don't really care about the position of the Heavenly Ruler of Justice. After all, even if I get this position, I will still have to suffer among the three families of immortals, gods and Buddhas."

"However, if we could take this opportunity to spar with the talents of the myriad realms and see the methods of the True Monarchs who survived the Great Calamity of the Xuanmen, I would be quite interested."

As he spoke, the handsome celestial demon slowly rose to his feet, his body, which was over ten feet tall, cracked and popped. He looked toward the Three Realms and said in a deep voice, "The Kuocang Realm cannot remain outside the myriad realms forever."

Meanwhile, in the Vermilion Realm, within the Southern Fire God Palace, the Vermilion Ibis Demon Lord was lounging on a cloud couch, listlessly munching on spiritual fruits. Beside him, the Fierce Owl Demon Lord, looking at the Heavenly Court's edict, couldn't help but ask, "Vermilion Ibis, this position of the Judicial Heavenly Lord seems to align with your Great Dao as well."

"Holding the reins of the laws of heaven and enforcing heavenly punishments should be beneficial to you, and you can also comprehend the laws and principles of the Mahayana realm ahead of time."

The Crested Ibis Demon Lord shook his head: "While the position of the Heavenly Lord of Justice is desirable, there are undoubtedly many cultivators at the Fifth Tribulation stage across the myriad realms who covet it, not to mention countless old fellows at the Mahayana stage who are eyeing it."

"Besides, if I remember correctly, there's another guy eyeing this position. You can't beat him at it."

There's a guy here?

The Fierce Demon Lord pondered for a moment: "Could it be the Penglai Spirit Abyss?"

The Crested Ibis Demon Lord nodded: "Who else could it be but him?"

"He has cultivated the Three Calamities and Tribulations. Even before the Great Calamity of the Profound Gate ended, he had already reached the Three Calamities level. Although we don't know what changes have occurred in the Three Realms this time, he is determined to obtain the position of the Judicial Heavenly Lord."

The Fierce Demon Lord said, "Even if you don't compete, it's good to go and see. So many talented people from all the heavens and myriad realms are gathered at the South Heavenly Gate. It might be beneficial to your cultivation."

The Crested Ibis Demon Lord pondered for a moment, then nodded: "That makes sense. I'll go and take a look. If I encounter someone with similar cultivation level to mine, I'll test my skills. If I encounter someone with higher cultivation level than me, I'll just admit defeat."

"Anyway, let's just treat it as a trip to have fun!"

The Great Wilderness Realm, the Blazing Plains.

"Great-grandfather, I want to go to the Three Realms!"

"I'm going to fight for the position of the Heavenly Ruler of Justice!"

Amidst the endless crimson and golden flames, the colossal Crimson Flame Suanni, spanning hundreds of millions of miles, stared at the Golden Flame Suanni before it, which was only a mere ten thousand miles in size: "You can't stay in this Blazing Plains any longer?"

The Golden Flame Lion said, "Grandfather, although the Blazing Flame Plain is good, it is only home. We Heavenly Demons must always travel through the myriad realms and measure the heroes of the world."

"I'm bored staying in the Great Wilderness Realm. I'm going to the Three Realms and the Great Thousand Worlds to compete with the most powerful people in all the heavens and myriad realms!"

After a moment of silence, the Great Sage Crimson Flame Lion slowly said, "In the vast Three Realms, immortals, Buddhas, and saints gather. Not to mention the five True Yang Realm masters, there are no fewer than twenty or thirty Dao Lords, Bodhisattvas, Great Sages, and Great Emperors at the Dao-holding Realm. You must not rely on the name of Blazing Flame Plain to act recklessly when you go there."

"But don't be afraid when you encounter trouble. As long as you are in the right and do everything in the right way, even those immortals, Buddhas, and saints will not make things difficult for you."

The Golden Flame Lion nodded repeatedly: "Grandpa, don't worry, I understand!"

Seeing his son about to leave in a hurry, the Crimson Flame Lion Great Sage suddenly said, "Wait a minute!"

"A letter has arrived from Tushan. A demon lord from Tushan is also going to the Three Realms Great Thousand World. The younger generation of that old Xuanjia from Chensha Waterfall will be traveling with him. You should go along too, so you can look out for each other." The Golden Flame Suanni thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "It should be that white-armored boy. It's good to travel with him!"

After saying this, the Golden Flame Lion couldn't wait to leave the Blazing Flame Plain and fly towards Tushan.

The Crimson Flame Lion Great Sage shook his head, and his enormous body, as vast as the world itself, lay down again and fell into a deep sleep.

The imperial edict issued by the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor truly shook the myriad realms.

Leaving aside the demon realms of Kuocang, Zhuming, and Dahuang, even among the celestial demons of Weiyu Realm and the four great saints of Jurong Realm, there are demons stirring with restless ambitions.

A great calamity in the Xuanmen has caused the power of the Three Realms to expand by an unknown amount. Furthermore, the immortal and Buddha realms have merged into the Three Realms. Now, the Three Realms can be said to have achieved their ultimate goal, and all those in the myriad realms who are of goodwill know that they cannot stop their momentum.

Therefore, taking advantage of the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor's selection of talents, people from all directions sent people into the Three Realms to observe. If they could compete for the position of the Judicial Heavenly Lord, that would be best. Even if they couldn't, they could still get a glimpse into the true nature of the Three Realms.

With this goal in mind, the demon race mobilized in all five directions of the Great Thousand Worlds.

Meanwhile, among the side realms, the Left Divine Realm and the Nine Chambers Realm have already merged into the Three Realms, while the remaining Canghai Realm, the Three True Realms, and the Nine Nether Realms are filled with unease.

The Canghai Realm was alright, at least the Four Seas True Lords had intervened in the Xuanmen Calamity, but the Sanzhen Realm stood on the opposite side of the Eastern Heaven Daoist School, which made the Sanzhen Lady of the Sanzhen Realm unable to sleep day and night. Whenever she thought of the cold and ruthless methods of Kaiyuan Heavenly Venerable, and then thought of the current strength of the Eastern Heaven Daoist School, the Sanzhen Lady felt that the fate of the Sanzhen Realm and herself was full of twists and turns.

After much deliberation, the Three True Goddesses made up their minds. Since the Eastern Heavenly Daoist family had already been offended, they might as well pledge allegiance to the Heavenly Court. Didn't you see that even though Qiongyun Daoist was a Xuanmen Daoist, he still held a high position after joining the Heavenly Court?

"Guards, spread the Heavenly Emperor's edict throughout the Three Realms. All those in the Three Realms who are qualified and have the strength to compete for the position of the Heavenly Lord of Justice may come here to receive rare and precious materials, magical treasures, and cultivation techniques."

"I will select outstanding individuals from the Three Realms to compete for the position of the Heavenly Ruler of Justice in the Great Thousand Realms!"

With the Three True Goddesses' command, the Three True Realms were shaken. Countless veteran Mahayana cultivators and rising True Lords rushed to the Three True Palace, hoping to make a name for themselves before the Three True Goddesses.

In the Canghai Realm, the Canglang Ancestor of the Canglang Holy Sect disregarded this matter.

"The status of the Heavenly Ruler of Justice?"

"Is that something you can compete for?"

"The reason why the Heavenly Emperor threw out this position was that he didn't want to fight for it, but he was also reluctant to give it up, so he simply threw it out for you to compete with the Immortals and Buddhas."

"The position of the Heavenly Ruler of Justice is not so easy to hold. Without a True Yang Master supporting him, how can he enforce the laws of Heaven and mobilize all the immortals, Buddhas, and saints under the Three Realms?"

Ancestor Canglang understood this perfectly, so he remained calm and composed, saying, "Let's just wait and see. Those fools from all the heavens and myriad realms who try to seize this position will inevitably meet a bad end."

"Sihai, do you think what the ancestor said is right?"

The Four Seas True Lord bowed respectfully: "Ancestor is right. As far as I know, the Spirit Abyss True Lord of Penglai is interested in this position."

Ancestor Canglang was stunned for a moment, then muttered to himself, "No wonder, no wonder the Heavenly Emperor would throw out this position. Those three from the Eastern Heaven wanted this position, and he probably already released it, but he didn't want to release it so easily, so he came to annoy those three from the Eastern Heaven."

"This location is truly a trap."

Thinking of this, Ancestor Canglang became interested: "In that case, you can go on a trip to the Three Realms."

Seeing the confusion of the younger generation, Ancestor Canglang said, "Don't you also want to go to the Three Realms and see the talents among the myriad worlds?"

"Just go."

"You may also participate in the competition for the position of the Heavenly Ruler of Justice, but remember, you must not win!"

"When you encounter anything beyond the Three Realms, whether it be a human, god, ghost, or demon, fight without restraint. But when you encounter the immortals, gods, or Buddhas of the Three Realms, just admit defeat."

"Go test the level of the myriad realms, but don't offend the immortals, gods, and Buddhas. No matter who ends up with the position of the Heavenly Ruler of Justice, it's none of our business."

Upon hearing this, the Four Seas True Monarch and the other members of the Upper Three Realms exchanged glances and then nodded in agreement.

The Nine Netherworld is a rather unique realm among the five unorthodox realms.

This realm seems to have emerged from the netherworld. The sky is a hazy, yellowish yellow, and the earth is shrouded in a vast, dark aura. Amidst the countless spider lilies covering the mountains and fields, a female immortal in a red dress and gauze sips her tea: "Now, of the old immortals from the previous Yuanhui, only you and I are left, aren't we?"

If Jiang Sheng were here, he would find that sitting opposite this female immortal is none other than Guanghan Yuanjun of the Taiyin Star of the Xuanhuang Realm.

Guanghan Yuanjun no longer has a physical body, only her spirit remains here, yet she still sips tea and eats spiritual fruit as if she were a real person, looking quite calm: "Yes, it's just you and me left."

"Our previous plans failed, and we almost lost everything. The Xuanmen Calamity was indeed well-deserved."

Recalling the battle between the Pure Yang cultivators in the Nine Provinces Realm, the countless Pure Yang cultivators who perished, and the mysterious gazes that lingered in the chaos, Guanghan Yuanjun felt a chill run down her spine.

The fairy in the red dress laughed and said, "Sister, you are very lucky this time. If you had run slower, you would probably have fallen into the hands of the Eastern Heavenly Daoist family and performed a dance for all the immortals, Buddhas and saints at the banquet in the Heavenly Court's Fragrant Hall."

The secrets of the Dharma banquet in the Hall of Fragrant Incense are unknown to outsiders, but the grand and extravagant scenes are widely known throughout the world.

The Moon Goddess performed a dance, the Sun God played music, and all the celestial officials and star deities performed rituals; it was truly a magnificent spectacle.

Upon hearing this, Guanghan Yuanjun felt a deep sorrow: "The dignified Lord of the Moon, who holds the reins of the Moon's power, has ended up as a geisha performing on stage. How can one not weep upon hearing this?"

The red-skirted fairy said, "The true stars of the Sun and Moon are hidden deep within the chaos and cannot be revealed except in the Ancestral Realm. Now, among all the heavens and myriad realms, who still remembers the majesty of the so-called Lord of the Sun and Lord of the Moon?"

"This time, the Heavenly Emperor has set up a platform to select the most talented and virtuous. With heroes from all the heavens and myriad realms gathering, it will surely be another fierce battle. Aren't you interested, sister?"

Guanghan Yuanjun shook her head: "The Nine Netherworld is very good. I don't want to go anywhere else now. I'll just stay here and hide."

The fairy in the red dress remained noncommittal, gazing towards the vast Three Realms, before sighing softly, "It seems I won't be meeting that person again."

The response was enthusiastic throughout the myriad realms, but in the Three Realms and the Eastern Heaven Daoist community, the atmosphere was rather subdued.

Within the vast celestial palace, Qingyan Heavenly Venerable, Mingyang Heavenly Venerable, and Kaiyuan Heavenly Venerable sat and played chess.

"The Heavenly Emperor was driven to desperation and actually swung his sword to sever the Heavenly and Earthly Fruits. The Heavenly and Earthly Fruits are equivalent to children in the Three Realms. Moreover, he severed the Pure Yang Fruit. With this one strike, the backlash from the Three Realms will be enough for the Heavenly Emperor to suffer."

"Isn't this exactly what we want? If it were truly a Pure Yang Fruit level being nurtured, that kid Lingyuan would have a hard time competing for it. But since the Heavenly Emperor has taken the initiative to offer a Mahayana Fruit level, that kid can still give it a try."

"After all, at worst we can use our luck and merits to push that position back to Pure Yang."

The three celestial beings chatted idly, exchanging glances and smiles, everything understood without a word. (End of Chapter)