Daojun, start from Penglai foundation building

"Initially, I used water magic to transform the four elements; later, I subdued the three calamities to accompany me on my journey."

"Having clearly foreseen the impending calamity upon ascension, he travels throughout the heavens to establish the true scriptures;"

"The six cycles of the Jiazi cycle bring relief from hardship; the three flowers bloom at the crown of the head, and the five vital energies are complete."

"After the calamity was destroyed, the dual Dao was obtained, which was supplemented by the Jade Emperor and named Azure Mystery."

As the clear Daoist voice rang out, the Dharma image manifested above the Judicial Heavenly Lord's Palace in the seventh heavenly palace seemed to have completely awakened from a great dream. After stretching, the vast blue lotus sea transformed into drifting blue rainbow feathers and scattered in all directions, and the Dharma image also disintegrated without a trace.

In the rear hall of the Judicial Heavenly Lord's Palace, the colorful light that once filled the entire hall has disappeared without a trace. Wind, thunder, water, and fire have gathered in the four directions, and Yin and Yang have vanished into the realm of illusion and reality.

Inside the main hall, amidst the gilded and silver-inlaid jade pillars adorned with dragons and tigers, surrounded by a cluster of lamps and shimmering starlight, Jiang Sheng stretched lazily on a futon before slowly rising. As he rose, the hall doors opened by themselves, revealing the seventh heavenly palace once more before him.

Looking at the stars in all directions and the sun and moon in the heavens, Jiang Sheng brushed off the dust of five hundred years of life on his body. As Jiang Sheng took a step forward, the bronze drum on his head and the white clothes on his body immediately burst into flames and turned into ashes and disappeared.

In the next instant, a jade crown appeared on Jiang Sheng's head; immediately afterward, a dark lotus-patterned robe draped over Jiang Sheng's body; with a single step, clouds materialized into cloud-patterned shoes beneath his feet; with a flick of his sleeve, a dragon entered his bosom and transformed into a bright jade belt around his waist.
Wearing a jade crown adorned with stars, a black robe with lotus patterns, a jade belt with dragon motifs around his waist, and square shoes with cloud patterns on his feet, Jiang Sheng, dressed in perfect attire, was surrounded by a dazzling aura and a mysterious, luminous energy, making him appear like a celestial being.

Finally, Jiang Sheng opened his arms, and cranes soared through the sky, and green bamboos grew in clusters. Under the sun and moon, the cranes and bamboos melted together to form a crane's robe that covered Jiang Sheng's body. Immediately, a jade pendant hung down to Jiang Sheng's left, and a purple ribbon with a gold fish hung to his right.

Dressed in his ceremonial robes and carrying his magical artifacts, Jiang Sheng stood with his hands behind his back, about to gaze at the Seven Heavens Palace, when he saw his disciples and the True Lords of the Five Capitals arriving together. Everyone was excited to see Jiang Sheng emerge from seclusion. The gloom that had been hanging over their hearts was instantly dispelled with his appearance, as if nothing could hold them back anymore.

Amidst the excitement and exhilaration of the crowd, Tian Ming'an seemed to have been relieved of an immense burden. He stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Welcome back, Master, from seclusion."

In an instant, whether it was Qiu Buyu, Li Jianchun, Huang Ping'an, or the five capital lords, or even Zhengyang Zhenjun and others, they all offered their congratulations:
"Welcome back, Master, from seclusion."

"Congratulations on the True Lord's emergence from seclusion"

In the main hall of the Judicial Heavenly Lord's Palace, all the key figures from the Three Departments and Five Capitals were present.

A quick glance revealed four or five distinct factions within the hall: Jiang Sheng's own Little Penglai lineage, the Huaguang Emperor lineage represented by Zhengyang Zhenjun and others, the Eastern Heaven and Chixiao and Yaochi lineages represented by the Five Capitals, and Shen Yao's Shenxiao Leifu lineage.

When Jiang Sheng was in seclusion, these forces, no matter how tightly they seemed to be united, still had gaps. But as Jiang Sheng emerges from seclusion, these forces will reunite.

At this moment, everyone in the hall was no longer gloomy, and they were all in high spirits, waiting for Jiang Sheng to lead them to once again make a name for themselves in the Three Realms and resound throughout the heavens.

Inside the hall, seated at the head of the table, Jiang Sheng was looking at all the records of the Judicial Heavenly Lord's Palace over the past five hundred years, presented by Tian Ming'an.

Among those volumes of case files, Jiang Sheng precisely pinpointed a name: Zhen Tian Demon Lord.

This name appeared repeatedly in the files of the past hundred years, leaving a very deep impression on Jiang Sheng.

Without finishing reading all the files, Jiang Sheng pushed them aside, looked up at the Daoist disciples and Xuanmen True Monarchs in the hall, and asked his first question: "Is this Zhentian Demon Lord very famous in the Three Realms now?"

Upon hearing this, the hall fell silent. The five capital lords and the true disciples of the Dao Sect looked ashamed, while True Lord Zhengyang and others lowered their heads and remained silent.

Even Jiang Sheng's own people, such as Duobao and Lingyan, were hesitant and stammering at this moment.

Jiang Sheng couldn't help but laugh and asked, "What's going on here?"

“I have no intention of blaming you. After all, that self-proclaimed Demon Lord Zhentian is a Mahayana cultivator, right? Although I haven’t finished reading these documents, I can see that the world has been in turmoil for the past few hundred years. It is already remarkable that you have been able to maintain the situation for five hundred years. You can be said to have made great contributions.”

"The realm of Mahayana is not something you should try to deal with. Whether it is seeking external assistance or seeking other help, it is something I should do."

As he spoke, Jiang Sheng comforted them, saying, "You have all worked hard for the past five hundred years. Now that I have emerged from seclusion, I will take care of any matter, no matter how big. Please rest assured and go back to get some rest for a few days."

"The sky won't fall down."

Hearing Jiang Sheng's words, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and went to rest. After all, they had been under a lot of tension for years and deserved a good break. The affairs of the mortal world had tormented these true disciples of the Dao Sect.

As everyone left, Tian Ming'an stepped forward with a remorseful expression and said, "Master, I have disappointed you."

Jiang Sheng chuckled and patted Tian Ming'an on the shoulder: "What's there to be disappointed about?"

"Your ability to keep this business running for five hundred years is enough to prove your capabilities."

"Furthermore, the situation hasn't fallen apart. Although it's a bit difficult, it's still under control, isn't it?"

"You should all go back and rest first. I've made such a commotion today, and according to custom, someone might come to deliver a visiting card tomorrow. At that time, you'll have to step in."

Upon hearing this, Tian Ming'an, Qiu Buyu, Li Jianchun, and Huang Ping'an, along with Shen Yao and Duobao, dispersed.

After everyone had left, Jiang Sheng picked up the files again and examined them carefully. As he continued to look through the files, they gradually transformed into the four continents of the human world, into mountains and rivers. The seemingly chaotic files were like countless streams converging into one in Jiang Sheng's eyes, forming a continuously spreading vein.

From this line of thought, Jiang Sheng saw the branches and streams that led to the current chaotic situation in the human world, and he saw the places filled with the smoke and stench of war. For a moment, it seemed as if the entire Three Realms were reflected in his eyes.

Unbeknownst to him, Jiang Sheng's perception and vision continued to rise, ascending from the small Judicial Heavenly Lord's Palace, then enveloping the Seventh Heavenly Palace, and then the entire sky.
The stars in the four directions, the sun and moon in the heavens, the four seas and the various continents of the human world appeared clearly in Jiang Sheng's vision, and the vicissitudes of the human world over the past five hundred years were revealed one by one.

Jiang Sheng saw the malevolent aura spreading from the west of Nanxiao Continent, the rising smoke of war from the south, and streaks of calamity crashing into the Three Realms from beyond them like meteors.
As his vision returned, Jiang Sheng's spirit, which seemed to have soared to the heavens, returned to the main hall of the Judicial Heavenly Lord's Palace and back into his body.

Knock, knock, knock.
Jiang Sheng tapped his fingers lightly on the table, lost in thought: "The great calamity of the Xuanmen has just passed, and the Three Realms should be at peace. But in reality, apart from the East being relatively peaceful, the South, North, Central and West are not very calm."

"The calamities in the human world mainly originated from the Southern Continent. This was expected long ago. After all, I have already killed the Divine Emperor of Shenxiao. The Southern Heavenly Palace outside the Three Realms will inevitably be in some chaos and some mishaps. In addition, there are not only ways to enter the Three Realms through the Heavenly Gates of the Four Directions. It is normal for some demons and monsters to emerge in the human world."

"However, after I went into seclusion for two hundred years, the calamities in the human world have increased significantly, especially in the last one hundred and fifty years. The human world, especially the Southern Continent, has been plagued by disasters, which is somewhat abnormal."

"Looking at the chaos in the Southern Continent, the east is peaceful while the west is prosperous. The further east you go, the more peaceful it is, while the closer you are to the west, the more chaos there is. In addition, the beings from all the heavens and myriad realms who enter the Three Realms and Great Thousand Worlds subconsciously choose to be close to the south and the west. Could this be partly due to the current flourishing of the Xuanmen sect and the obscurity of gods and Buddhas?" Jiang Sheng pondered. Looking at the chaos in the human world over the past five hundred years, the eastern continents have obviously had the least amount of chaos, while the Southern Continent has had the most demonic calamities. Moreover, the demons on the west side of the Southern Continent are far more numerous than those on the east side. It is hard not to think of the west.

Furthermore, on the Southern Continent, the Golden Zen Temple and the Heavenly Dragon Temple, though flourishing with incense offerings, remained steadfast in their original western continental territory of the Mountain and River Realm, showing no intention of expansion or advancement. After the merging of the Cloud Realm, the True Cloud Dao Sect also only occupied a corner of the Southern Continent.

This resulted in the three Pure Yang Holy Lands occupying only a few points in the Southern Xiao Continent, with an influence range of just over 10%. In the Southern Xiao Continent, which is comparable to two or three Great Thousand Worlds, at least 80% of the mountains, rivers, deserts, and plains are under the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Court.

This situation is naturally a good thing for His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor and the Heavenly Court, but it is undoubtedly a bit of a burden for the Judicial Heavenly Lord's Palace. Moreover, the Judicial Heavenly Lord's Palace is responsible for more than just the Southern Sky Continent; the Central Heaven Continent is mainly composed of the Panfeng Realm and the Buzhou Realm. In addition, as the Three Realms reach their extreme in the Central Universe, the Three Realms and the Great Thousand Worlds are constantly expanding. Therefore, this is another continent comparable to two or three Great Thousand Worlds.

Let alone the fact that the Judicial Heavenly Lord's Palace only governs three departments and five capitals, even if it governs three hundred departments and five hundred capitals, it would be impossible to suppress these two continents, not to mention the South Sea, North Sea and other places.

Therefore, the Heavenly Court still relies on the gods of mountains and rivers, and the city gods and local deities in the human world.

This is another point that makes Jiang Sheng suspicious. Among the gods of mountains, rivers and lakes, and the city gods and land gods of Nanxiao Buzhou, there are not only those at the Refinement of Void level, but also those at the Integration level. How could the situation in Nanxiao Buzhou have deteriorated to such an extent that a demon lord has established his banner and made a name for himself in Nanxiao Buzhou, and even gathered a large number of demons and monsters?
Thinking about the name that repeatedly appeared in the case files, Jiang Sheng couldn't help but recall the shameless golden-haired beast he had encountered when competing for the position of Judicial Heavenly Lord: "Heaven-Shaking Demon Lord."

"No one has paid any attention to it for a hundred and fifty years. Could it be the mount of some powerful Pure Yang cultivator?"

"Looks like I'll have to find someone to look into it."

"I was overjoyed to see the Heavenly Lord of Justice come to my Xuan Nu Palace as soon as he came out of seclusion."

In the Xuan Nu Palace, Ye Wenshu skillfully prepared tea and served a cup of tea to Jiang Sheng.

Jiang Sheng took the tea, sipped it, and said, "It's just five hundred years of facing the wall in repentance, nothing to celebrate. Why is the Mysterious Maiden making such a fuss?"

Ye Wenshu snorted: "You made such a commotion before, with the strange phenomena of the Three Flowers and Five Qi, the mysterious blue lotus sea, and the golden light that shot straight to the Dipper. Now, in the Heavenly Court alone, there are countless invitations to your Judicial Heavenly Lord's Mansion from the Thirty-Six Departments and Fifty-Six Palaces, not to mention the four seas and various continents in the human world."

"Under these circumstances, how could I not be flattered by your arrival at my humble Xuan Nu Palace?"

As she spoke, Ye Wenshu poured herself a cup of tea, took a sip, nodded in satisfaction, then put down the cup and looked at Jiang Sheng with her almond-shaped eyes: "You don't come here without a reason. So, what brings you here?"

Jiang Sheng didn't mince words: "What is the background of that Heaven-Shaking Demon Lord from the Southern Continent of the Human Realm?"

Ye Wenshu looked at Jiang Sheng with slight surprise: "You actually asked about this?"

Jiang Sheng asked with some suspicion, "What? What kind of reckless person do you see me as?"

Ye Wenshu laughed: "The Divine Firmament Emperor, one of the fifty-six palaces of the Heavenly Court, who is in charge of the Divine Firmament Imperial Palace, the Southern Heavenly Palace and the Southern Heavenly Gate, and has many fellow Daoists and relatives, was attacked and killed on the spot without even asking His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor or any other Great Emperor's opinion."

"In this Heavenly Court, who hasn't heard that you, the Heavenly Lord of Justice, have the backing of the Eastern Heaven and the protection of three Heavenly Venerables, and thus act with impunity in this Heavenly Court?"

"Why do you treat such a mere human prodigy with such solemnity?"

The mighty Great Ascension Realm Demon Lord Zhentian was reduced to a mere little monster in Ye Wenshu's mouth, and Jiang Sheng had no intention of correcting Ye Wenshu's words: "The death of Emperor Shenxiao was his own doing. He was disobedient and made a mistake, so he was bound to die."

Ye Wenshu raised an eyebrow: "So, if the Divine Firmament Emperor hadn't sought death, even if he had competed with you for power and caused you trouble and hindered you, you still wouldn't have killed him?"

Jiang Sheng remained calm and continued sipping his tea: "Am I some kind of indiscriminate killer?"

"If he hadn't sought his own death, with His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor protecting him and the Great Emperor of Heaven as his backer, how would I, a mere Heavenly Lord of Justice, have dared to kill him?"

"At most, it's just asking him to temporarily take charge of Little Penglai for 129,600 years."

Ye Wenshu snorted. "Sitting in charge of Little Penglai?"
He'll probably be suppressed in Little Penglai for a Yuan Hui, at which point it won't make much difference whether the Divine Emperor is dead or alive.

Ye Wenshu understood Jiang Sheng's meaning. Jiang Sheng wasn't worried about the Zhen Tian Demon Lord's background; he just wanted to find a pretext to ask her for help.

After all, when it comes to background, who in the Three Realms and the entire universe has a better background than the person in front of him?

Skipping over the topic of the Divine Firmament Emperor, Ye Wenshu said, "You asked me about the Heaven-Shaking Demon Lord, are you perhaps planning to take action against him?"

Jiang Sheng nodded: "For nearly 150 years, he has raised his flag and shaken the heavens, recruiting demons and evil spirits all over the Southern Continent. Now he is causing chaos among all living beings in the Southern Continent. All the mountain gods and water gods in the human world fear his power, and the city gods and land gods are wary of his strength. He can summon wind and rain and is very powerful."

"Where has the dignity of my Judicial Heavenly Lord's Palace been placed?"

"The so-called war is a major matter, which requires strategic planning, observing the timing of the heavens, understanding the advantages of the terrain, and knowing the hearts of the people; putting aside other things, I want to know his background and origin, what magical treasures and artifacts he has, what supernatural powers he has, what his true form is, how many great demons he has gathered under his command and how many demon soldiers he has trained."

"Only in this way can we suppress it with overwhelming force and deter all sides."

"I will have Wenfeng Academy and Dongming Academy handle other matters, but I think I should ask you about their background and origins."

Ye Wenshu understood Jiang Sheng's meaning and simply said, "Don't worry, that Zhentian Demon Lord is a being from outside the Three Realms, not someone with a foundation within the Three Realms."

"Don't hold back, just kill them all."

After saying that, Ye Wenshu smiled and said, "Do you need me to coordinate with the Thunder Department and the Fighting Department for you? After all, when you hold your Dharma banquet to celebrate the completion of your union, I'll have to shamelessly ask for a drink."

Jiang Sheng waved his hand: "I will coordinate the Thunder Department and the Fighting Department myself. His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor originally allowed me to mobilize the Four Dipper Star Lords and the Five Luminaries Venerables. I also have many acquaintances in the Thunder Department."

"Let that Heaven-Shaking Demon Lord enjoy himself in the mortal realm for a few more days, until I'm done with my work here."

"Then find an opportunity to kill him." (End of Chapter)