Daojun, start from Penglai foundation building

The higher one's level of cultivation, the more deeply one avoids discussing the concepts of cause and effect.

Just like how cultivators treat mortals, the lower the cultivator's cultivation level, the less they treat mortals as human beings. They often regard them as pigs and sheep and slaughter them at will, driving them around like livestock. Or they feel uncomfortable and uneasy without sacrificing some human beings when refining pills or making weapons.

The higher one's cultivation level, especially after passing the barrier between immortals and mortals and reaching the upper three realms, the more important immortals, Buddhas, and saints are to the mortal world. First, they require their disciples not to wantonly harm mortals, and second, they want everything to be left to its natural course to avoid getting too tainted by mortal karma.

Although mortals are as insignificant as ants, the entanglements of countless mortals can still drag down immortals and gods. When mortals number in the vast universe, even those who have transcended the Three Realms and are not bound by the Five Elements, and who claim to have immeasurable lifespan and be indestructible through countless eons, must be wary.

The most crucial element is the concept of cause and effect.

Which deity is unafraid of cause, and which bodhisattva is unafraid of effect?
Especially since this involves the previous Yuanhui, a powerful Daoist holy land that once dominated the heavens and the cause and effect of the Pure Yang Daoist, even the Pure Yang Daoist would be afraid to come here, yet Jiang Sheng just happened to encounter it.

"You must have met quite a few people before, some of whom must have been promising talents. Did you decide on me just because I possess the Lotus Lantern and the Heart Flame?"

Jiang Sheng questioned the sword spirit named Cang Guang.

Zang Guang hummed twice, found a comfortable spot on the Lotus Lantern to sit down and lean back, arched his back and nodded in satisfaction before saying, "Those people are indeed not bad."

"The one named Shi Zhen at the beginning, if he hadn't been born in a minor world and was a rogue cultivator or beggar, he could at least have become the master of a middle world."

"There was also the Left Dao True Monarch named Fang Cheng, who was at the Refinement Void Realm. He was also quite talented and lucky, but unfortunately he was surrounded and killed outside his own Daoist temple."

"There's more to come."

Jiang Sheng listened quietly as Zang Guang recounted the various masters he had encountered, each and every one of them dying, none of them meeting a good end.

As Jiang Sheng watched Zang Guang meticulously count the tragic deaths of the chosen ones since the reappearance of the world, he suddenly felt as if endless bad luck and malice were surrounding him: This sword spirit called Zang Guang is probably a hindrance to its master!

Zang Guang, completely unaware of what was happening, recounted his experiences over the past few days, concluding, "They are indeed quite good; whether it's their natural talent or their innate abilities, they can all be considered prodigies."

"But compared to you, I am far inferior."

"Not only are you naturally gifted, but you also have the best luck of all the people I've ever met."

"With such profound fortune and such excellent natural talent, plus my help, you will surely be able to revive the Three Mysteries and restore the former glory of the Dao Sect!"

Zang Guang spoke passionately, and finally tried to entice Jiang Sheng to follow him in reviving the Three Mysteries.

Jiang Sheng then said quietly, "Do you know what day it is right now?"

Zang Guang shook his head: "I don't know."

Jiang Sheng sighed softly: "Now, it is the 2967th year of the Three Realms Calendar. More than 40,000 years have passed since the era of the Three Profound Dao Sect."

"The Three Profound Dao Sect is nothing but dust from the last Yuanhui."

Zang Guang, however, didn't seem to care: "So what if it's been forty thousand years?"

"The Three Mysteries Dao Sect has flourished for 100,000 years, why can't it flourish for another 100,000 years?"

"Moreover, the Three Profound Dao Sect knew long ago that it would decline and deliberately stored many treasures in the myriad worlds as resources for rebuilding the sect in the future."

"Rare and precious materials, cultivation techniques and supernatural abilities, spiritual herbs and immortal iron."

Do you know how huge that number is?

"Aside from the three Dao Lords, the only other place to locate these treasure vaults is among us, the spirits of artifacts."

Jiang Sheng keenly noticed the word "we" in Zang Guang's words, and looked at the seemingly harmless little man in front of him: "You? Not just you?"

Zang Guang said matter-of-factly, “Of course I’m not the only one. You wouldn’t understand how much preparation the Three Profound Dao Sect made and how desperately it worked to continue.”

Jiang Sheng suddenly became interested and decided to sit on his own lotus platform opposite Zang Guang: "Could you tell me about it?"

Zang Guang shook his head: "You have no intention of helping me rebuild the Three Mysteries Dao Sect, so why should I tell you?"

Jiang Sheng laughed and said, "I have my own sect and lineage to uphold. We met by chance. Is it too much to ask me to help you revive the Three Mysteries Dao Sect based solely on the karma of this Lotus Lantern?"

"Moreover, I am not an orphan of the Three Profound Dao Sect, nor do I understand the Three Profound Dao Sect. Even if you give me rare and precious materials, cultivation techniques, and divine weapons to help me ascend to the Pure Yang realm, is the sect I establish truly the Three Profound Dao Sect of yesteryear?"

Zang Guang laughed too: "You really don't understand."

“The Three Mysteries Dao Sect has never referred to a mountain, a plaque, or a few houses.”

"The Three Profound Dao Sect represents the ideals and lineage of three Dao Lords, the collective destiny of humanity formed by the gathering of countless disciples, and the shared pursuit of great prosperity for humanity and the Xuanmen (mystical sect) by like-minded individuals."

"As long as you are still a human, as long as you pursue the prosperity of the human race and the flourishing of the Xuanmen, as long as you have inherited the lineage of the Dao Lord, and as long as you ascend to Chunyang with the resources of my Sanxuan Dao Sect, then how can you prove that what you have inherited is not the lineage of my Sanxuan Dao Sect, and that what you have carried is not the ideals of my Sanxuan Dao Sect?"

Jiang Sheng remained silent. He was a pure human. Even though he had crossed the line between immortals and mortals, and even though he had now achieved the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top and the Five Qi Converging at the Origin, he was still of human origin, and his ideal was still the prosperity of the Xuanmen.

Jiang Sheng didn't know what the philosophy of the Three Mysterious Daoist Sect was in the previous Yuanhui, nor did he know what the Three Mysterious Daoist Sect had done in the previous Yuanhui. However, based on Zang Guang's words, Jiang Sheng guessed that the Three Mysterious Daoist Sect's philosophy of the great prosperity of the human race and the great prosperity of the Xuanmen might have been somewhat extreme. That's why, after dominating the heavens for 100,000 years, they faced a backlash from a pack of wolves devouring tigers.

After a moment's thought, Jiang Sheng said, "In that case, let's put aside the matter of ideology for now. Why don't you come with me and see this Yuanhui for yourself, and take a look at this era?"

"If you still want to rebuild the Three Profound Dao Sect, you may leave if you have someone you think is suitable. If you do not intend to follow anyone else, you may settle down here with me."

"how?"

Zang Guang asked curiously, "Haven't I already witnessed this Yuanhui?"

Jiang Sheng laughed, a laugh full of meaning: "You've only seen the tip of the iceberg."

In the center of the Judicial Heavenly Lord's Palace are three interconnected halls. The front hall is where affairs are handled and punishments are decided. The middle hall is where people discuss matters and is also Jiang Sheng's main living place. The rear hall is Jiang Sheng's bedroom, where he usually cultivates magic, refines elixirs, and makes talismans.

These three halls also have names: the front hall is called the Law Hall, the middle hall is called the Dark Azure Hall, and the rear hall is called the Lotus Light Hall.

To the left and right of these three central halls are other halls, named Water and Fire, and Wind and Thunder respectively. The two side halls are where the celestial officials and clerks of the Heavenly Lord's Palace handle their daily affairs.

Further outwards, in front lies the land of the Three Offices and the Five Capitals, divided into the Front Three Offices Hall and the Left and Right Five Capitals Halls. Behind, there are the Rear Three Halls, based on the Five Elements, Four Symbols, and Yin and Yang, as well as the two side halls for the Three Calamities and Five Disasters.

The entire Judicial Heavenly Lord's Palace, spanning eight million li, extends from these three palace complexes as its central axis, much like three giant trees extending into a series of branch areas such as military camps, finance and supplies, casting and talisman making, animal pen, and medicine garden.

The True Lords of the Three Offices and Five Capitals mostly operate in the front and middle sections of the Judicial Heavenly Lord's Palace, but Shen Yao is not among them.

Because the Divine Firmament Thunder Palace did not originally belong to the Judicial Heavenly Lord Palace, but was later merged into the Heavenly Lord Palace, Jiang Sheng specially opened up a palace within the Judicial Heavenly Lord Palace as the residence of the Divine Firmament Thunder Palace. That palace was closest to the Judicial Hall in the central main hall and was named Divine Firmament.

Anping, Yuxiu, Wangyi, Jihong, Hean, and Zhaowan, these once-promising individuals in the world of mountains and seas, after a thousand years of studying under Jiang Sheng, have finally crossed the divide between immortals and mortals and have each secured a place in the vast Three Realms.

Jiang Sheng did not forget these former disciples. Before the establishment of the Judicial Heavenly Lord's Mansion, they followed Shen Yao to guard Jinhua Mountain and shared the fortune of the immortal path of Jinhua Mountain. After the establishment of the Judicial Heavenly Lord's Mansion, Jiang Sheng completely defeated the Divine Firmament Emperor and seized the Divine Firmament Thunder Mansion. Shen Yao became the master of the Divine Firmament Thunder Mansion, and they also entered the Divine Firmament Thunder Mansion, each with their own heavenly duties.

Among all the Judicial Heavenly Lord's Palaces, the Divine Firmament Thunder Palace is unique because Jiang Sheng always felt guilty when he left Shen Yao and the others in the Mountain and Sea Realm.

Tian Ming'an and Qiu Buyu were two disciples who had followed him from the beginning and had been protected by him from the start, without encountering many setbacks.

Although Li Jianchun and Huang Ping'an suffered some setbacks, they have been living comfortably in the Southern Sky Domain since Panfeng Realm merged into the Three Realms.

As for Su Yutong and Zhuang Yi, he brought them to his side and settled them in Xiaopenglai.

Shen Yao and his group, however, were far away in the depths of chaos, single-handedly supporting the foundation of Jinhua Mountain. Zhang Xiaojiu was in an even worse situation than them.

Therefore, Jiang Sheng paid more attention to Shen Yao and Zhang Xiaojiu. This attention was not expressed in words, but whether it was the establishment of the Jinhua Mountain lineage in Dongshan Haizhou or the establishment of the Shenxiao Lei Mansion, Jiang Sheng exerted his influence.

As for Zhang Xiaojiu, Jiang Sheng placed him in Xiaopenglai to cultivate under the guidance of Su Yutong and Zhuang Yi. Once his cultivation improved further, Jiang Sheng would make arrangements for him.

In addition, there is Zhang Ling, who is still in the Fruit of the World. In fact, Zhang Ling, who inherited Jiang Sheng's Intercepting Sword Technique, is more of a successor of Jiang Sheng's lineage than the others.

Even if Zhang Xiaojiu completes his cultivation, Zhang Ling will still be born from the World Fruit. The Divine Firmament Thunder Palace is the most unique existence. It exists because of Jiang Sheng, but it does not completely depend on Jiang Sheng for its existence.

At this moment, not only Shen Yao, but also the Seven Xuanqing Sons from the past were all present in the Shenxiao Palace.

Shen Yao looked at his junior brothers and sisters and said in a deep voice, "Master said that there are rumors that Master has a background in the Dragon Palace in the south of Nanxiao Domain."

"Master wants to investigate whether it is the Dragon Palace Workshop that is boasting and using Master's prestige, or whether someone is really tarnishing Master's reputation and enriching themselves."

Ji Hong stroked his chin thoughtfully: "I have heard of Dragon Palace Market. There are only three Dragon Palace Markets in the entire Southern Sky Continent, located in the east, west, and south directions respectively. Each Dragon Palace Market is the core of land and water trade and the underground trading of gray industries, swallowing up mountains of gold and silver every day."

"If someone is really impersonating Master and collecting offerings there, the money they've swallowed over the years could probably support an entire immortal sect."

Wang Yi stood up and said, "I'll go to Longgongfang and ask around. If that doesn't work, I'll bring someone over to ask."

He An laughed and said, "Absolutely, absolutely. We are now heavenly officials of the Divine Firmament Thunder Palace. With heavenly duties, capturing someone is a piece of cake."

"When the time comes, they'll just throw you in jail and they can get anything out of you."

Yu Xiu shook her head helplessly: "Be more composed. Is this the time for you to show off your strength by fighting alone?"

"Don't they even consider what others will think when the people from the Divine Firmament Thunder Palace go to Dragon Palace Ward to arrest someone, making such a big commotion?"

"Putting everything else aside, won't people mistakenly think that something really has happened to Master?"

Wang Yi and He Anxin were dissatisfied, but they dared not directly refute Yu Xiu's words, so they could only hum in silence.

Shen Yao looked at Anping and Zhaowan: "What are your thoughts?"

Anping smiled and said, "Senior Brother, since Master has put you in charge of this matter, I will listen to you."

Zhao Wan then said, "I think what Senior Brother Wang Yi and Senior Brother He An said is not entirely useless. At least we can go to Longgongfang to check and verify the truth from another angle."

"As for the situation in Xiaopenglai, I think we can send someone to take a look."

Shen Yao asked, "What's the reason?"

Zhao Wan said, "Aren't Senior Brother Ming'an and Senior Sister Buyu in seclusion in Little Penglai? Sending them some spiritual fruits and elixirs is a good way to build a good relationship, isn't it?"

Shen Yao nodded in satisfaction: "Yu Xiu, He An, I'm leaving Longgongfang to you two to take a look. He An, listen to your senior sister Yu Xiu's instructions and don't act on your own."

"Zhaowan, you are in charge of Little Penglai. If necessary, you can ask Zhang Xiaojiu. He is also new to the Three Realms and should not have much contact with the South China Sea. You can trust him."

"Anping, take Wang Yi to the South China Sea and investigate the waters near Longgongfang to see if there are any clues."

"As for the Judicial Heavenly Lord's Palace, I will investigate it myself."

After arranging the affairs, everyone dispersed, while Shen Yao searched the Judicial Heavenly Lord's Mansion. With the jade token given to him by Jiang Sheng, the entire Judicial Heavenly Lord's Mansion was open to Shen Yao, but after searching around, Shen Yao found nothing.

Shen Yao was not surprised by this. Everything in the Judicial Heavenly Lord's Mansion was under the divine sense of his master, and no one would be foolish enough to cause trouble under Jiang Sheng's nose.

"It seems that the place most likely to have problems is still Little Penglai."

"As Master's personal disciples, Senior Brother Ming'an and the others have no shortage of cultivation techniques, supernatural abilities, pills, and magical artifacts. After all, Little Penglai has enough spiritual herbs, immortal plants, and mineral veins. They can produce their own immortal pills, magical artifacts, and talismans, and they have all kinds of cultivation techniques and supernatural abilities. As for talisman money and immortal resources, they are provided by the Judicial Heavenly Lord's Mansion. Not to mention the various allowances and materials sent by Penglai every sixty years."

"Looking at it this way, it must have been done by those who weren't directly taught by the master but still possessed some abilities?"

"Or is it that the Dragon Palace is so audacious as to actually dare to impersonate Master's name?"

The South China Sea is a jade-like paradise, a fairyland called Little Penglai.

Inside Little Penglai, a slightly rounded head with two dragon horns was faintly visible in the forest.

“Little Li, do you see that? That’s Master’s mount.”

Su Yutong pointed to the four enormous creatures not far away and said to Ao Li, who nodded repeatedly with a look of surprise.

It's not that I've never seen ordinary demonic beasts before, as a dragon, but the ones raised in Little Penglai are exceptionally unusual.

Whether it's the enormous blue ox with a body like a mountain and horns like peaks, the blue roc with wings that cover the sky and a body of azure, the six-tusked elephant with four hooves like pillars of heaven and six tusks like blades, or the red-faced blue lion with a golden face and wide mouth and fangs, each one is enormous and looks majestic and fierce, yet they don't have much demonic aura.

"They're less like mounts and more like four useless animals raised by Lingyuan."

Short and stocky, even smaller than Su Yutong and Ao Li, Duobao sat on the tree, looking disdainfully at the four creatures that ate and slept, as if they were some worthless things.

Indeed, that is the case. Compared to disciples like Tian Ming'an and Qiu Buyu who could still help Jiang Sheng, Qing Niu and the others were truly useless. Especially after Jiang Sheng crossed the gap between immortals and mortals and broke through to the Void Refinement Realm, he mainly traveled by cloud chariot or crossed the void and chaos with his own physical body. Qing Niu and the others were left only to serve as mounts for Tian Ming'an and the others.

These four creatures were utterly useless in Duobao's eyes, as they were neither capable of helping Jiang Sheng govern Xiaopenglai or handle affairs of the Heavenly Lord's Palace, nor could they assist Jiang Sheng in dealing with enemies.

"Uncle Duobao, is everything alright at the Heavenly Monarch's Mansion? You seem quite relaxed."

Su Yutong asked with some curiosity.

Duobao shook his head: "The Heavenly Monarch's Mansion is handled by Lingyuan's two clones. I'm free now, and traveling around will help me break through the barriers and reach the Integration Realm."

Ao Li didn't understand; she just thought this seemingly short True Lord was incredibly powerful.

As the three were chatting, ripples suddenly appeared outside Little Penglai. Su Yutong's spirits lifted: "The formation has been triggered!"

Duobao, however, didn't seem to care: "I sensed it a long time ago. Don't panic, they're one of our own, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to get in."

Before the words were finished, a gentle and elegant figure appeared before the three of them, bowing slightly: "Zhaowan greets True Lord Duobao and Sister Yutong. May I ask where True Lord Ming'an and True Lord Buyu are?"

Su Yutong quickly returned the greeting: "It's Sister Zhaowan. Senior Brother Ming'an and Senior Sister Buyu are both in Xuanqing Hall, while Senior Brother Jianchun and Senior Brother Ping'an are in seclusion in Qingguang Hall."

Zhao Wan nodded and asked casually, "They haven't come out for some fresh air for so long?"

Su Yutong shook her head: "The senior brothers and sisters need to stabilize their cultivation levels. It is said that Master will take them with him when he goes to the Peach Banquet, so they are all holding their breath."

Zhao Wan's heart stirred: If Tian Ming and Qiu Buyu were to attend the Peach Banquet, they would naturally not care about the trivial matters of the Dragon Palace. So, who in the entire Little Penglai is the most idle and most likely to have contact with the Dragon Palace?

Who else has the qualifications or ability to act on behalf of Master?
As she pondered, Zhao Wan's attention was drawn to the distance, where she saw four enormous monsters that ate and slept, then slept and ate again.

Suddenly, an absurd and unacceptable thought popped into Zhao Wan's mind:

Could it be these four guys?! (End of Chapter)