Daojun, start from Penglai foundation building

Amidst the towering cliffs and precipitous cliffs, atop ancient, verdant trees.

Jiang Sheng stood above the vast sea of ​​clouds, surrounded by surging white clouds like waves, with boundless golden light shining down, not only making the vast sea of ​​clouds shimmer with golden light, but also gilding Jiang Sheng with a dazzling golden glow.

Standing atop the ancient tree canopy that pierces the sea of ​​clouds, ignoring the vast expanse of clouds all around, Jiang Sheng quietly gazes at the Heavenly Fruit containing nine colors of brilliance before him.

The position of the Heavenly Ruler of Justice is right before you.

A powerful formation to slay immortals and gods has extinguished the rivalry between the two deities.

Emperor Liuyuan and Emperor Shenxiao had already been defeated in the sword formation. Faced with the Azure Lotus Formation above their heads that obscured their fortune and karma, and the traps of slaughter set up in all directions, even the two Mahayana Emperors, Emperor Liuyuan and Emperor Shenxiao, could not escape by joining forces.

In fact, Jiang Sheng was not able to fight two opponents at once in the sixth level, but after passing the seventh and eighth levels, consuming so many immortal fruits and rare treasures, and using the Flowing Cloud Sea to stimulate the medicinal power and temper his body, Jiang Sheng already had the ability to fight two opponents at once.

In the ninth level, Jiang Sheng fought against Emperor Tianyun and Bai Ming Yaojun one after another. At the height of his magical power, he was not afraid of Emperor Liuyuan and Emperor Shenxiao joining forces.

Moreover, joining forces with Emperor Shenxiao was probably the worst decision Emperor Liuyuan ever made. With Emperor Liuyuan's fighting skills and the experience he had honed from countless battles, it would have taken Emperor Liuyuan at least several years to decide the winner in a one-on-one fight with Jiang Sheng. But with Emperor Shenxiao added to the mix, the outcome was decided in just a few moments.

In the end, Jiang Sheng was able to set up the sword formation thanks to Shenxiao Emperor's greed; otherwise, it would have taken much more effort to defeat Liuyuan Emperor and Shenxiao Emperor in one fell swoop.

The aftereffects of Emperor Liuyuan's spear and supernatural powers from that final battle seemed to still linger, but Jiang Sheng was too lazy to recall whether Emperor Liuyuan was angry or unwilling.

They are nothing but defeated opponents. If they are defeated by Jiang Sheng once, they will be defeated a second and a third time!

He raised his hand and grasped the Judicial Heavenly Lord's throne in front of him. The Judicial Heavenly Lord's seal trembled violently in Jiang Sheng's sleeve, conveying his desire to Jiang Sheng.

"I understand what you mean, but now is not the time."

"After all, so many immortals, Buddhas, and saints are watching from the Lingxiao Palace. Once this matter is settled, what is yours will be yours."

Jiang Sheng comforted the Seal of the Heavenly Lord of Justice, then raised the Heavenly Lord of Justice's throne high, looking up at the vast sky above, and through that sky at the immortals, Buddhas, and saints in the Lingxiao Palace.

"The victor of the ninth trial is Penglai Lingyuan!"

As Jiang Sheng raised the Judicial Heavenly Lord's throne, the voice of Qiongyun Daojun rang out. In the next instant, the world around them twisted and collapsed, and Jiang Sheng's feet once again stepped onto the golden jade floor of the Lingxiao Palace.

Looking around the Lingxiao Palace, one could see Jiang Sheng wearing a green crown and a black robe, with a jade belt around his waist and a green outer garment. His face was as handsome as jade, and he held the position of the Heavenly Lord of Justice in his left hand. In his right hand, the Qingping Sword was emitting sword light. Behind his head was a Dao Wheel interwoven with Yin and Yang, and his body was surrounded by heavenly light of blue, purple, vermilion and black.

He was truly elegant and spirited, with unparalleled ambition.

The immortals of the Eastern Heavenly Daoist sect could no longer contain themselves, and cheers rose and fell.

"Well done, Lingyuan!"

"Hahahaha, this is the number one in Dongtian today!"

"The Eastern Heaven Daoist family has a worthy successor. With this son, the Eastern Heaven Daoist family will have nothing to worry about for the next ten thousand years."

The immortal lords laughed heartily. Jiang Sheng looked over and saw Xuanjing Immortal Lord of Tianhe, Junxiao Immortal Lord of Qinghua, Chiyun Immortal Lord of Chixiao, and Yuzhen Immortal Lord of Yaochi.
He also had old friends and confidants such as Immortal Lord Xiangyu and Immortal Lord Huaguang, who all nodded to him repeatedly. On the high platform of the Imperial Shore, Dao Lord Chixiao, Yuanjun Jinmu, and Dao Lord Jingxuan all smiled and nodded. Even Dao Lord Qiongyun showed a smile.

In addition, the Great Sage of the Demon Emperor's Palace, Maitreya Bodhisattva of the Floating Pagoda Temple, as well as Pure Lotus Bodhisattva and Bright Light Bodhisattva, also cast admiring or benevolent glances at them.

In contrast, the expressions of the Divine Emperors and Star Lords, as well as the Venerable Ones of Buddhism, were not very pleasant. Jiang Sheng recognized these Divine Emperors; they were either acquainted with the Divine Emperor of Shenxiao or subordinates of the Divine Emperors such as the Emperor Huangtian. As for the Venerable Ones of Buddhism, they were even more conspicuous, all of whom came from the Great Lingyin Temple.

In fact, not all Buddhist venerables are like this. Venerable Xingyue of Jinchan Temple, Wangsheng Mingwang of Tianlong Temple, as well as the venerable Mingwangs of Futu Temple, Jinglian Temple, and Mingguang Temple, have no ill intentions towards Jiang Sheng. For these people, this is just a contest of magic, a competition, not a battle of lineage or a life-or-death struggle. If they lose, they lose.

Moreover, seeing the decline of Dalingyin Temple, all the Buddhist temples were quite satisfied.

As for the demon lords and demon kings of the demon race, their feelings were somewhat complicated. Bai Ming, the demon king, really wanted to compete for this position, but unfortunately he lost. Not to mention that the Seven Feathers Five Elements Fan ended up in Jiang Sheng's hands.

Kui Fang Demon Lord and Ying Tian Demon Lord did not intend to compete for the position of Judicial Heavenly Lord. One came for battle, and the other for fame. Now that they have achieved their goals, Ying Tian Demon Lord's ability to reach the final stage is enough to prove his extraordinary cultivation.

Many of the twenty-four people in the ninth level were at the Mahayana stage.

Although many veteran Fifth Tribulation and Mahayana cultivators from the myriad realms did not participate, such as Penglai, Tianhe, and Qinghua of the Eastern Heaven Daoist School, as well as Chixiao and Yaochi, none of them sent Fifth Tribulation or Mahayana cultivators. The Great Lingyin Temple only sent one Mahayana cultivator and one Fifth Tribulation cultivator. Furthermore, temples like Futu Temple and Mingguang Temple did not reveal much of their strength and only came to make up the numbers.

Even so, the Demon Lord Yingtian is still a name that can be ranked among the top in the five tribulations of the myriad realms. He is among the top twenty-four in this Fruition Banquet, and all the myriad realms must recognize him.

As one of the few Mahayana demon lords to participate in this Fruit Rank Feast and the only one to reach the ninth level, Qingyu Demon Lord's performance was lazy and casual from beginning to end, as if he was just there to go through the motions.

However, the immortals and saints had long anticipated that Jiang Sheng would make it to the end, but they did not expect him to make it so smoothly. Along the way, apart from receiving some convenience in the first level, Jiang Sheng fought his way up step by step in the subsequent levels, and his achievements were extremely dazzling.

First place winner, second place winner, third place winner, sixth place winner, seventh place winner, ninth place winner!
Of the nine trials, he was first in six and ranked in the top ten in the remaining three. With such a record before his eyes, and the Golden-haired Hou, Venerable Zhenhe, Emperor Tianyun, Emperor Liuyuan, Emperor Shenxiao, and other Mahayana cultivators who were defeated by Jiang Sheng were also in the hall, who would dare to say that Jiang Sheng's record was fake, and who would dare to say that there was any conspiracy or trickery involved?
Jiang Sheng's strength has been clearly demonstrated in these challenges. In all the heavens and myriad realms, the first person to defeat a group of fifth-level cultivators and Mahayana cultivators with the cultivation of a third-level Integration Realm cultivator has appeared.

All the immortals, Buddhas, and saints in the hall looked at Jiang Sheng, and each of them understood something: someone like Jiang Sheng, who defied the upper realms and defeated a group of Mahayana cultivators to seize the top position, might not appear again for thousands of years to come.

"The victor of this Dharma banquet has already appeared."

"Penglai Lingyuan, with its heroic spirit, profound cultivation, and extraordinary supernatural powers, has won the championship and ranked first, and deserves the position of the Heavenly Lord of Justice."

Within the Lingxiao Palace, the voice of the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor echoed throughout the universe, audible across the Three Realms.

"Penglai Lingyuan, receive the imperial decree."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Sheng stepped forward and bowed.

But then the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor said, "I hereby appoint you as the Heavenly Lord of the Three Realms, the Emperor of the Nine Heavens, who upholds the law and governs the law. Your rank is purple, and you are of the same rank as the Mahayana. You will be in charge of the laws of heaven and earth and the laws of the Three Realms."

A word spoken is as good as gold, and its power is absolute.

As the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor issued his decree, a double fortune descended upon Jiang Sheng, intertwining to form his Heavenly Duty. The position of the Judicial Heavenly Lord also merged into Jiang Sheng's body, allowing his foundation to reach the Mahayana realm. At this moment, Jiang Sheng was still dressed in a blue crown and black robe, but beyond that, one could faintly see a silver crown and brocade robe, and an imperial ceremonial robe.

Two Dao wheels hung behind Jiang Sheng's head, merging with his original Yin-Yang Calamity Extinction Dao Wheel. The three Dao wheels burst forth with brilliance, shimmering with nine-colored light, and he was adorned with a crown and imperial robes, exuding a golden and purple splendor.

The Heavenly Ruler of Justice in the Three Realms, the Emperor Who Holds the Law in the Nine Heavens.

With his divine duty established and his position bestowed upon him, Jiang Sheng has now entered the inner sanctum of the palace. Even in this Lingxiao Palace, he holds a prominent position, second only to Chunyang.

As Jiang Sheng sensed the surging divine power within him, the fortune and merit bestowed upon him by the Heavenly Dao, and the favor of the Heavenly Dao, he felt an instant sense of omnipotence.

It's as if, under the blessing of the Heavenly Dao, even a cultivator with pure Yang cultivation could put up a fight.

The thought had barely surfaced when Jiang Sheng slashed it away with his magic sword!

In an instant, Jiang Sheng's eyes cleared, and he could see a blue lotus rotating in his eyes, its clear light cleansing his mind and clearing away the dust from his spirit.

That moment of omnipotence was nothing but an illusion, a result of the blessings of Heaven and the bestowal of a position. If one were to become obsessed with this illusion and devote oneself to the divine path, thinking about incense offerings, blessings, fortune, and merit, then Jiang Sheng would ultimately be nothing more than a Mahayana practitioner, and one who could be rejected by Heaven and stripped of his divine duties at any time.

When that time comes, once he is banished to the mortal realm, Jiang Sheng will only have the cultivation of the third tribulation, and will become just another ordinary person.

That's not what Jiang Sheng wanted.

Trapped by numerous divine shackles, bound by the shackles called divine duty and divine law, this was not Jiang Sheng's intention.

In this life, I wish to be free from all constraints and live like an immortal!
What Heaven gives and what the Heavenly Court bestows can be taken back; only what you own is real and true.

After the Qingming Festival was restored, Jiang Sheng bowed again with utmost calmness: "Lingyuan, receive the decree."

After saying this, Jiang Sheng straightened up. There was no greed or infatuation in his eyes, no arrogance or pride, only calm as still water, as if neither heavenly favor nor divine gift could stir up the slightest ripple.

This scene, witnessed by all the immortals, Buddhas, and saints, made the powerful Pure Yang cultivators hold Jiang Sheng in even higher regard. Even the Bodhisattva Zhenque had to admit that Jiang Sheng's temperament was comparable to that of a Pure Yang Dao Heart. With such temperament and such talent, how could the flourishing of the Xuanmen have given birth to such a Dao Child who could be called a carrier of the Dao?!
The Golden Palace Emperor also smiled and said, "Lingyuan, since the Three Realms have been established, countless geniuses have entered the Heavenly Court, but there are not many like you."

"This time you have overpowered all others and obtained the position of the Heavenly Lord of Justice. I cannot fail to reward you."

As he spoke, under the watchful eyes of countless immortals, Buddhas, and saints in the Lingxiao Palace, the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor raised his hand and waved.

One by one, celestial officials stepped forward, each carrying a jade plate.

As the celestial officials lined up in front of Jiang Sheng, the objects on the jade plate were revealed.

Amidst the shimmering light, various magical treasures and celestial artifacts appeared before Jiang Sheng.

A silver and jade nine-flower crown, a dragon-patterned black iron armor, a cloud-swallowing lion belt, and black-soled boots with flying feathers.
A complete set of armor and robes was laid out in front of Jiang Sheng. It was dazzling and colorful, clearly a complete set of Mahayana Realm Dharma Robes and Armor.

The Heavenly Emperor of the Golden Palace laughed and said, "I bestow upon you a crown and armor, and a black robe. I hope you will not fall from the majesty of the Heavenly Court, uphold the laws and regulations of Heaven, cleanse the evil spirits of the four directions, and suppress the demons and monsters."

Before Jiang Sheng could express his gratitude, the Heavenly Emperor of the Golden Palace waved his hand, and another group of celestial officials stepped forward carrying jade boxes.

These jade boxes contained command arrows and flags, jade seals and gold talismans, and a cloud-patterned chariot.
Looking at this batch of items, all the emperors, demon lords, and venerable immortals in the hall were already showing envy, and even Jiang Sheng was taken aback.

But then the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor said, "I hereby bestow upon you command arrows and flags to mobilize heavenly soldiers and generals, as well as earth gods and mountain spirits. I also bestow upon you jade seals and golden talismans to summon the Four Dipper Star Officials and the Five Luminaries Venerables, to help you display the might of the Heavenly Court and deter rebellious villains."

"I hereby bestow upon you the Golden Moon Chariot, so that you may roam freely across the four continents and the vast oceans and the nine heavens."

"I will also bestow upon you a blessed land and divine palace in the Seventh Heaven Realm, as your sacred ground in the Heavenly Court."

The robes and armor of the Mahayana realm, the command arrows to summon heavenly soldiers and generals, the golden talismans to summon star officials and deities, and the cloud chariot and blessed lands and grotto heavens.
When the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor announced his series of rewards, not only were the Fifth Tribulation and Mahayana cultivators in the Lingxiao Palace extremely envious, but even the Pure Yang Realm immortals, Buddhas, and saints were somewhat surprised: the rewards offered by the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor this time were indeed quite high.

The position of the Heavenly Lord of Justice is, in the end, nothing more than a Mahayana position in one region. Why would he be given such a high-level reward?
However, the Heavenly Emperor of the Golden Palace seemed quite pleased with the expressions of the immortals, Buddhas, and saints in the hall: "My beloved ministers, this banquet for the attainment of official rank has selected countless talents for the Heavenly Court, and this extraordinary son has won first place. I am very pleased and shall drink this cup to the brim!"

After saying this, the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor looked at Jiang Sheng again: "Judicial Heavenly Lord, I hereby grant you permission to drink with me and my beloved ministers!"

Upon hearing this, not only the emperors, demon lords, venerable kings, and holy beings in the hall, but also all the immortals, Buddhas, and saints were even more astonished: that the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor valued Jiang Sheng of the Eastern Heavenly Daoist School so much by inviting Jiang Sheng to drink with them.

Or is it a deliberate attempt to flatter and kill?

Regardless of what the Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor meant, the immortals, Buddhas, and saints in the hall could not refuse. Dao Lord Chixiao and Yuanjun Jinmu seemed to be deep in thought, while Dao Lord Jingxuan frowned slightly as she looked at Jiang Sheng.

A celestial official presented a wine cup to Jiang Sheng, who readily accepted it without hesitation. The Golden Palace Heavenly Emperor was extremely pleased and raised his cup with a smile. Instantly, everyone in the hall, from the Pure Yang Realm immortals and Buddhas to the Mahayana and Fifth Tribulation cultivators, had no choice but to raise their cups and drink with His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor.

After finishing a cup of wine, Jiang Sheng had also put on his official hat and hat.

Jiang Sheng was wearing a silver crown and armor, with a black robe on his shoulder and a brocade belt around his waist. Command arrows and flags hung on his left, and jade seals and gold talismans floated on his right. He was majestic and dignified.

Beneath the high platform of Lingxiao Palace, in the place closest to the Pure Yang Great Power, a new seat has been arranged.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Jiang Sheng calmly took his seat. The table in front of him was already laden with delicacies from land and sea. Immortal fruits and rare flowers shone with celestial radiance, and fine wines and jade liquors glittered with starlight. Looking at the table full of delicacies and then at his own position, Jiang Sheng could sense the many envious or jealous gazes in the Lingxiao Palace, as well as the loving or scrutinizing gazes from the Pure Yang powerhouses on the high platform.

However, Jiang Sheng didn't care much about these things. He did what he wanted, and what did it have to do with others?

Within his sea of ​​consciousness, the pure radiance emitted by the Wuzha Talisman revealed a smile on Jiang Sheng's face: he was not alone; behind him stood the Eastern Heavenly Daoist School, countless senior uncles and senior masters from Penglai, Qinghua, and Tianhe, and those Pure Yang Dao Lords.

Inside the Lingxiao Palace, the atmosphere grew increasingly lively, with everyone toasting and the celestial maidens dancing and playing music without end.

Jiang Sheng gazed at the myriad expressions of the people inside the hall, his smile undiminished:

His fortune and achievements have been fulfilled and returned to the Three Realms; he fought against the nine passes with his sword and defeated all the wise men.
The Heavenly Emperor bestowed upon him a seat beside the Pure Yang, granting him the title of True Immortal who wields the law. (End of Chapter)