Daojun, start from Penglai foundation building

The Three Realms, the Eastern Heavenly Daoist Palace.

Two lion-like beasts pulled a cloud chariot from the Heavenly Court and descended into the Penglai Heavenly Realm.

The golden lion-shaped beast treads through clouds and mist, and wherever it passes, the sea of ​​clouds surges, the glow of the sunset spreads, and auspicious clouds hang like brocade from the sky.

As the cloud chariot ventured deeper into the celestial realm, one could see cranes fluttering all around, deer carrying lingzhi mushrooms, and a babbling celestial spring flowing beside the jade steps, its splashing water droplets transforming into shimmering starlight.

A short while later, the cloud chariot passed over numerous jade palaces and stopped in front of the Heavenly Palace deep in the Heavenly Realm. Jiang Sheng alighted from the cloud chariot, and above the majestic Heavenly Palace hung a plaque that read: Xuming.

This is the Daoist temple of Qingyan Tianzun, the Xuming Heavenly Palace.

The palace walls are neither gold nor jade, but under the light of the sun, moon and stars, they shimmer with a rainbow of colors; golden bells for enlightenment hang from the eaves of the halls, and when a gentle breeze blows, the bells ring out in a clear and melodious sound, like the low chanting of the Dao.

Within the Heavenly Palace, one could see the primordial immortal energy solidified into a tangible form, resembling mist or cotton, swirling among the pavilions and towers; there were also rare herbs and flowers growing everywhere, and celestial birds and exotic beasts frolicking freely.

Nine-colored fairy deer lie on green parasol trees, feathered cranes and auspicious birds frolic by the lotus pond, and several spirit monkeys play chess under the pines and cypresses, everywhere is leisurely and otherworldly.

Jiang Sheng walked hurriedly through a series of palaces and pavilions, not in the mood to appreciate the beauty of the heavenly palace.

Upon reaching the depths of the Heavenly Palace, with Jiang Sheng's first step, the celestial palace before him vanished like a reflection in water, replaced by a vast, verdant bamboo forest. The bamboo leaves rustled, like whispered verses; from the depths of the forest, a melodious Daoist chant drifted on the wind:

"I live in seclusion by the bamboo grove, where I build a hut to refine elixirs."

"Lying on a futon, I fish amidst the clouds and the sea of ​​sky."

Jiang Sheng followed the sound, and the bamboo forest parted to form a path, at the end of which was a tranquil pool no more than ten feet in size. The water was crystal clear, yet it seemed to reflect the stars in the sky.

Sitting by the pool was an old man in a bamboo hat and hemp clothing; he was none other than the Venerable Xuming Qingyan.

He held a green bamboo pole and a hemp thread, fishing quietly with only a clump of grass beside him as a mat.

Upon seeing the Celestial Venerable's retreating figure, Jiang Sheng's anxiety subsided considerably. He straightened his clothes, calmed his mind, and stepped forward, bowing deeply. "Disciple Lingyuan greets the Ancestor."

"Sitting down here, come and keep this old man company while he goes fishing."

Jiang Sheng respectfully agreed and obediently sat down beside the Celestial Venerable. As soon as he sat down, a green bamboo fishing rod appeared in Jiang Sheng's hand. He cast the line and fished like the Celestial Venerable. Unconsciously, all the impatience in Jiang Sheng's heart had dissipated, leaving only a calm and peaceful state of mind.

Herons frolicked by the pool, and fish swam in the water. Jiang Sheng sat beside the Celestial Venerable. The two fished for a long time but didn't catch a single fish. However, Jiang Sheng's state of mind had changed dramatically compared to before he came.

After a long silence, the Celestial Venerable slowly spoke: "Have you calmed your mind?"

Jiang Sheng nodded: "I've calmed down."

The Celestial Venerable then asked, "Is the divine order settled?"

Jiang Sheng nodded again: "The spirit is settled."

The Celestial Venerable smiled and said, "Then tell me."

So Jiang Sheng fished while telling the Celestial Venerable about his experiences during this period, whether it was plotting with Yu Ming Zhenjun and the others to seize the Yu Realm, or the suspected remnants of Dao Transformation Poison appearing in the Dongyang Realm and Baiguo Realm. Finally, Jiang Sheng couldn't help but express his guess: "Celestial Venerable, this disciple has some suspicion that the remnants of Dao Transformation Poison appearing outside the Three Realms Great Thousand World are related to the Xuanmen Great Calamity of that year."

Upon hearing this, the Celestial Venerable asked, "Do you have any clues?"

Jiang Sheng shook his head: "That's right, there's a guess in the dark about it."

The Celestial Venerable laughed and said, “Lingyuan, you are now the Judicial Heavenly Lord of the Heavenly Court. The Heavenly Court governs not only the Three Realms and Nine Heavens, but also the Three Thousand Worlds beyond the Three Realms. Those Three Thousand Worlds are connected to the Three Realms and the Great Thousand Worlds by cause and effect, and are closely related. Therefore, the rise and fall of those worlds also affect the prosperity of the Three Realms.”

"As the Heavenly Ruler of Justice, your intention is to maintain the stability of the Three Realms and protect the peace of all realms. Now that ripples have appeared in the Three Thousand Worlds, the Three Realms and the Great Thousand Worlds will naturally use various means to warn and give notice to you, the Heavenly Ruler of Justice."

"Tell me, do you know what the residual poison of Dao transformation is?"

Jiang Sheng replied, "Your Majesty, this disciple understands."

"The residual poison of Dao transformation is caused by a pure Yang being sacrificing their own pure Yang life soul and Dao fruit to distort the Great Dao and pollute the laws. At best, it pollutes and destroys the Great Thousand World; at worst, it can plunge the world into the abyss."

The Celestial Venerable listened with a smile, and after Jiang Sheng finished speaking, he smiled slightly, his fishing rod trembling slightly, and a ripple spread across the surface of the pool: "You know what the residual poison of Dao transformation is, but you only know one aspect of it."

His voice was gentle, yet like a morning bell and evening drum, each word striking Jiang Sheng's mind: "The so-called residual poison of Dao transformation is formed by pure Yang cultivators using their life soul as a guide and Dao fruit as a sacrifice to distort the laws of the Great Dao. This poison not only pollutes the foundation of a realm, but also carries its own causal illusions."

Cause and effect confusion? !
Jiang Sheng was taken aback; he had never heard of the concept of cause and effect illusion before.

But the Celestial Venerable said in a low voice, "The so-called illusion of cause and effect is something that beings within the realm are so immersed in that they are completely unaware of; even those outside the realm with extraordinary cultivation find it difficult to see its trace. Even pure Yang beings, if they do not transcend this illusion of cause and effect, will be like looking at flowers through fog, unable to see their true form."

"The strangeness of this barrier lies in the fact that it is not an ordinary illusion or concealment, but is integrated into the destiny of a world, like a drop of ink being blended into a river. The ink is still there, but it is inseparable."

The Celestial Venerable's gaze was profound, seemingly piercing through layers of time and space: "Before you revealed this, even I was unaware of its existence." Jiang Sheng felt a chill run down his spine: "Even you, Ancestor..."

The Celestial Venerable smiled and shook his head: "He who controls the True Yang of the Dao is not omniscient or omnipotent."

"I only vaguely sensed that a storm was about to break out in the Three Realms, and that the source of the storm was entangled with the cause and effect of the Eastern Heaven. After deduction, although I could not see any specific traces, I saw that you were the key to breaking the deadlock. Therefore, I slightly stirred the thread of cause and effect and left this clone here to wait for you to come to me."

Delivered right to your door!

Jiang Sheng was startled. Before the Celestial Venerable had finished speaking, the surrounding scenery suddenly changed!
The bamboo forest, the pool, and the egrets all vanished like a dream, and Jiang Sheng felt a lightness in his body, as if he were in the boundless Milky Way.

Before him, the stars stretched like a sea, and the long river of time stretched across the universe like a vast scroll, its surging waves seemingly bearing the birth and death of countless worlds. And above that river, a majestic figure sat cross-legged in the void, holding a golden thread, fishing for the heavens.

That was the true form of Patriarch Qingyan!
That is the Supreme Master of the Mysterious True Yang, the Pure Evolution Heavenly Venerable!
Jiang Sheng subconsciously pulled on a golden thread hanging in front of him. In an instant, the Milky Way reversed, time flowed backward, and countless fragments of light and shadow swept past him: he saw the spiritual veins in the Eastern Yang Realm quietly wither and the world decay, and the eyes of the creatures in the Hundred Fruit Realm gradually becoming tainted with turbid and distorted laws; he also saw that during the Xuanmen Calamity, a vengeful and insane Taoist sacrificed everything at the moment of his death, and the shattered Pure Yang Dao Fruit fell into the void.
When he came to his senses, he was back by the bamboo grove and the pond, still holding the fishing line in his hand.

Although the Celestial Venerable's true form did not appear in person, the scene of seeing the Milky Way and grasping at time just now has been deeply imprinted in Jiang Sheng's Dao heart.

"Now that you have seen through the illusion, the fog before my eyes has cleared, and I have deduced seven or eight parts of the truth of this matter."

The Celestial Venerable calmly reeled in his line, the hook empty, yet it seemed as if he had caught the entire Milky Way: "This poison is indeed related to the Xuanmen Great Calamity, and it is also connected to the cause and effect of someone witnessing the opening of the Yuan and attaining true Yang during the Xuanmen Great Calamity."

As he spoke, the Celestial Venerable couldn't help but smile: "With such entanglements of cause and effect, it's no wonder that even I was temporarily deceived."

Jiang Sheng was stunned, but his heart was filled with indescribable shock: it turned out that although the Heavenly Venerable had not directly detected the residual poison of Dao Transformation, he had already seen the clues in the cause and effect of fate.

Without making a sound, he plucked the strings of fate, making himself the key to breaking the deadlock, and left a clone there early on to quietly keep potential crises out of the Eastern Heaven.

This is what is meant by "Mastering the True Yang of the Dao".

Though its form is unseen, the grand scheme of things is already within our grasp; though its poison is not observed, we trace its causes and effects to lay out our countermeasures.

"Now that we have grasped the root of the problem, there is nothing else to worry about."

The Celestial Venerable rose with a flick of his sleeve, the bamboo forest swaying gently in the wind, as if the entire world were contained within his sleeve.

“Lingyuan, whether it’s me or you, Ancestor Mingyang or Ancestor Kaiyuan, your true forms are no longer in the Three Realms.”

They're not even in the Three Realms?!

Could I really be allowed to know such a secret?
Jiang Sheng was shocked, but he also understood the deeper meaning of the Heavenly Venerable's words: the three Heavenly Venerables were no longer suitable to participate in this cause and effect!
“You are now the Heavenly Ruler of Justice, capable of supporting a whole world. There are some things you must do without hesitation.”

As they spoke, an incredibly thin, almost invisible golden thread fell into Jiang Sheng's hand.

"This line can reflect the illusion of cause and effect, and can be used to find the root of the remaining poison. Once you find the root cause, you can cut it off."

Jiang Sheng looked at the faint golden thread in his hand, which seemed to be imbued with the will of a celestial being, and bowed, saying, "Disciple obeys."

When Jiang Sheng looked up, the Heavenly Venerable's figure had already disappeared, and he himself appeared outside the Void Heavenly Palace. The two lion-like beasts were licking the spiritual spring. When they saw Jiang Sheng come out, their eyes were still filled with confusion and astonishment, as if to say: Why did you come out so quickly?
Only then did Jiang Sheng realize that his entire journey had taken less than a quarter of an hour.

"Let's go back to Heaven."

The two lion-like beasts diligently licked two more mouthfuls of the spiritual spring water, then pulled Jiang Sheng along, and the cloud chariot rode the wind away, returning to the Heavenly Court.

Meanwhile, within the boundaries of Dongyang.

Lingqiu was observing the living beings in the Eastern Yang Realm.

As soon as she and Huang Ping'an entered the Dongyang Realm, they split up. Huang Ping'an, along with Dong Zhuo and Dong Zhen, went to the depths of corruption to search for the source of the corruption, while Ling Qiu stayed in the still safe place in the human world to investigate how long the creatures of this realm could hold out.

When Lingqiu looked up, he saw that the cities were overcrowded, and outside the cities were all creatures seeking refuge. Cultivators could still find a place in the city, but ordinary people could only crowd outside the city with no shelter from the wind and rain.

Looking further into the distance, a corrupt and twisted crimson hue painted most of the sky. The mountains and rivers were barren and stagnant, and even the stars in the sky had lost their original brilliance, turning into dark stars that seemed to scatter pollution.

Pure Yang is corrupted, and the Great Way is decayed!
These two words were no longer just a light phrase, but appeared before Ling Qiu as an incredibly heavy reality, causing Ling Qiu to show a solemn expression. Looking at the mortal beings huddled helplessly outside the city, Ling Qiu sighed softly, his eyes filled with compassion: "The Great Dao is corrupted, the world is in decline, and it's one thing for cultivators to go mad, but what have these mortal beings done to deserve this?"

Looking at the few remaining pure lands in the Eastern Yang Realm, Ling Qiu could keenly sense that the corrupt land was spreading and gradually devouring the remaining pure lands of the human world.

Not only is the land being polluted at an alarming rate, but the corruption of rivers poses an even greater crisis. How long can the remaining water sources in this pristine land sustain itself? Once all the groundwater is contaminated, this remaining pristine land will immediately turn into a living hell!

Despite her worries, Lingqiu finally strengthened her resolve:

"We must inform Senior Brother Lingyuan about this matter immediately; we cannot wait any longer!"

"Dongyang Realm can't hold on any longer." (End of Chapter)