Daojun, start from Penglai foundation building

South China Sea, Changyuan waters.

The depths of the waters in the hundreds of sea areas of the South China Sea vary, and the location of the Dragon Palace also varies from place to place.

Sea realms like the Flowing Light Sea Realm, the Moonlit Sea Realm, and the Bright Sea Realm, which are adjacent to the Southern Sky Continent, have relatively shallow waters. Even where they are adjacent to other sea areas, the deepest part is no more than 30 million miles. The dragon palaces in these sea realms are also located closer to the continents because of their proximity to the continents, and are generally situated on the seabed at a depth of 8 million miles.

Although the Changyuan Sea Realm and Zhaojue Sea Realm are not located in the depths of the South China Sea, they are not far from the Nanxiao Domain compared to the Liuguang Sea Realm and Chengyue Sea Realm. Their depths are generally over 30 million miles. Therefore, the Dragon Palace is usually located in the center of the sea area, which makes it convenient to control the entire sea area.

The Dragon Palace of Changyuan Sea Realm is located in the very center of the sea realm, about 18 million miles deep. This place is an underwater mountain range, surrounded by a ring of underwater volcanoes, warm currents, and abundant resources. Countless aquatic creatures live here, and the Dragon Palace is located at the highest point of the mountain range. It is a crystal palace built on top of sixteen flattened mountain peaks.

At this moment, in the Dragon Palace, Lord Changyuan was anxiously watching the arrangement of the main hall. More than three hundred maids were busy and orderly arranging every detail of the hall, including the location of each bronze furnace, the direction of the crane's beak, the number of pearls, and the placement of the screens.
"The Boshan censers should be uniformly placed at the four corners and shielded by people. Each row of the cascading bead curtains must be of different heights, with the higher one using twelve five-element beads and the lower one using nine three-light beads. The bronze censers with crane beaks placed on the left and right sides of the pillars must be facing each other. The ever-burning oil in the lamps should first be filled with sandalwood powder before being filled to the top."

"The screens behind the four seats cannot be the same. The Heavenly Lord of Justice, who comes from Penglai, should use the 'Three Islands of Suspended Waves' screen, while the Immortal Lord of Floating Clouds, who comes from Zhenxiao, should use the 'Soaring Clouds and Seas' screen."

Listening to his father's series of arrangements, Ao Xuan nodded without saying much. He would leave it to his father to handle. Although his father was a little nervous, the arrangements he made were correct. Ao Xuan went outside the palace to get some fresh air: This was a rare opportunity for Changyuan Sea Realm. If they didn't seize it, Changyuan Sea Realm might not have such an opportunity again.

"Xuan'er, do you think we can make it work?"

Changyuan Longjun also felt a bit stuffy and restless, so he went to the palace gate to clear his head.

Ao Xuan silently watched the endless stream of maids in the side halls on both sides. They were continuously bringing in all kinds of delicacies from land and sea, as well as spiritual teas and immortal wines, to await orders. As for the musicians, they were already in the halls, and the dancers were also waiting for orders in the small halls on the left and right.

“Father, our Changyuan Sea is not as good as Liuguang and Chengyue, which are near the mainland, nor as good as Zhaojue and Huanlang, which are far in the depths of the South China Sea.”

"In coastal areas, trade with the mainland is cheap, and there is no shortage of money or manpower; in the deep sea, it is a self-contained world with abundant resources, and there are plenty of people to search for treasures."

"We're in the most awkward position, caught between the nearshore and the deep sea. We don't have many chances left. If we can seize this opportunity, we'll make it to the top. If we can't, we might be stuck in the middle forever, forced to obey orders, toiling away without any results, and being ridiculed and driven by them."

Hearing Ao Xuan's words, Chang Yuanlongjun nodded and sighed, "I'm just afraid that those two won't be interested in what we've prepared."

"Since the Three Realms established their rule, has such a great figure ever visited the Changyuan Sea Realm? He's in the heavens; what hasn't he seen?"

Ao Xuan said, "It is precisely because they have seen everything that they can see whether we are sincere or not. They don't need our banquet; what they care about is whether we are obedient and whether we can get things done."

Just then, a dragon rushed in to report: "Dragon Lord, Your Highness, the carriage has arrived at the Changyuan Sea!"

Ao Xuan's expression hardened, and he immediately said, "Take me to the sea to greet you. Father, you wait outside the Dragon Palace. We must not let anyone think we are being impolite!"

Changyuan Longjun said, "I understand!"

South China Sea, above the Changyuan sea area.

A magnificent imperial carriage is traveling through the air above the sea of ​​clouds.

At the front of the imperial carriage were eight magnificent white horses with wings on their backs. The carriage was spacious, like a small palace, with carved beams and painted rafters, flying eaves and mythical beasts on the roof, and vermilion railings and steps outside. A circle of Taoist soldiers in full armor stood guard on the railings. In front of the imperial carriage, two strong men rode heavenly horses riding the waves. There were no heavenly soldiers clearing the way, no flag bearers, no whips or gongs, and no cloud eagles or spirit dogs on the sides of the carriage.

It looks like the kind of carriage most commonly seen in the Three Realms, used by disciples of immortal sects and scions of noble families to display their status.

However, those who know their stuff will notice that the white horse pulling the carriage is a celestial horse. There are many white horses in the Three Realms, but only the celestial horses of the Heavenly Court's Imperial Horse Administration can grow wings on their backs and are more than ten feet tall.

These celestial horses all possess dragon blood, their breath is like that of a dragon, their eyes are all dark gold vertical pupils, and when they run, their wings spread out, riding the wind and clouds, and their bodies faintly reveal dragon scales, making them extraordinary.

The imperial carriage, though seemingly ordinary and luxurious, was clearly of the standard specifications of the pillars, the types of beasts in the palace, and the roof tiles. The carriage was equipped with the same features as the Heavenly Emperor. There were also some blurry marks on the carriage shafts and railings, indicating that it belonged to at least a Mahayana Immortal Lord of the Heavenly Court.

While the true lineage of immortals and the scions of noble families are indeed wealthy, compared to the Great Ascension Emperors of the Heavenly Court, even their ancestors might not be able to meet them in person.

Although there are some cultivation sects and families in Changyuan Sea Realm, those who reach the Upper Three Realms are already rare. Moreover, none of Changyuan Dragon Lord's friends have reached the Mahayana level. Therefore, it is obvious who this chariot appearing above Changyuan Sea Realm belongs to.

Leading his shrimp soldiers and crab generals out of the sea, Ao Xuan's eyes lit up as he looked at the ceremonial carriage in the sky: "The winged dragon horse of the Heavenly Court and the Emperor's palace, the branding on both sides of that ceremonial carriage is definitely the mark of Emperor Tianhao."

"Everyone get ready, the Heavenly Judge and the Star Lord Taibai have arrived!"

Inside the palace carriage, Immortal Lord Fuyun was staring at Jiang Sheng, looking him up and down: "Brother Lingyuan, why did you insist on riding in my carriage?"

Jiang Sheng said calmly, "Because my carriages are too conspicuous. Whether it's my Green Bamboo Cloud Chariot or my Sun and Moon Chariot, they are both extremely eye-catching. I can't possibly fly down from the clouds, can I?"

"As for your imperial carriage, brother, it's rarely used, and not many people recognize it. At this crucial time, it's always better to keep a low profile."

Immortal Lord Fuyun pondered for a moment, then asked suspiciously, "Is it really because of this? Or is it because you want to take advantage of me?"

Jiang Sheng shook his head: "Of course not. Look, the people from Changyuan Haijing are already waiting down there. Let's go down."

Floating Cloud Immortal glanced out and saw the densely packed shrimp soldiers and crab generals standing on the sea surface. Although they were still thousands of miles apart, Floating Cloud Immortal could see clearly that Ao Xuan, the son of Changyuan Dragon Lord, was there: "Oh, Ao Xuan, he is quite polite."

As he spoke, Immortal Lord Fuyun pointed to the handsome dragon prince with dragon horns on his head and dressed in brocade robes at the very front of the shrimp soldiers and crab generals: "That is the son of Dragon Lord Changyuan, and the one who asked me to apologize to you, Ao Xuan."

It must be mentioned that Immortal Lord Fuyun truly delivered on his promise after paying the money. Ao Xuan's money was well spent, as Immortal Lord Fuyun had already begun identifying people for Jiang Sheng as soon as they arrived at Changyuan Sea.

As the imperial carriage descended from the sky, riding the clouds and mist, Ao Xuan also became nervous: it wasn't that he was afraid at the last minute, but facing Jiang Sheng, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.

Jiang Sheng is no ordinary immortal or god. In the Mountain and River Realm, he was a killing god who slaughtered many dragons. With the Three Realms Cauldron, he fought his way out of the chaos of the Xuanmen Tribulation where billions of immortals and gods were fighting for their lives. He also stepped on the five tribulations of all the races in the heavens and ascended to the position of the Judicial Heavenly Lord. He truly has the lives of Mahayana beings in his hands, and not just one!
It would be fine if it were anyone else, but Jiang Sheng is someone who holds the lives of many true spirits in his hands, and is also the Judicial Heavenly Lord who is in charge of the laws of heaven. Even with all his schemes and scheming, Ao Xuan still had to worry a bit in the end.

Ultimately, it's because Changyuan Haijing lacks sufficient foundation and their cultivation is inadequate, preventing them from remaining calm and composed amidst storms.

But if it were someone with profound knowledge and skill, who hasn't reached the Pure Yang realm, how many could ignore Jiang Sheng?
"The Heavenly Lord of Justice and the Star Lord of Venus have graced the Changyuan Sea Realm with their presence. The Changyuan Dragon Palace is deeply honored and has specially ordered this humble dragon to come here to welcome them."

Ao Xuan was very humble, bowing her head in front of the imperial carriage, looking obedient.

Immortal Lord Fuyun looked at Jiang Sheng: "Brother Lingyuan, what do you think?"

Jiang Sheng laughed and said, "Then let them lead the way." A voice came from inside the imperial carriage: "Lead the way ahead."

Ao Xuan, though hunched over, breathed a sigh of relief: the first hurdle had been overcome.

Immediately afterwards, Ao Xuan straightened up and looked at the shrimp soldiers and crab generals: "Set up the ceremonial guards and part the water to open the sea!"

In an instant, thousands of shrimp soldiers and crab generals stood on both sides of the palace carriage and began to stir up wind and waves. At the same time, dozens of dragons used their supernatural powers to part the waves from the sea. The wind and waves suddenly rose above Changyuan Sea, and the surging waves surged to both sides, forming a wide road leading directly to the underwater dragon palace.

Immediately, Ao Xuan personally led the way, guiding the imperial carriage to the Dragon Palace.

As the imperial carriage sank eighteen million miles, the magnificent dragon palace perched atop the underwater volcano immediately came into Jiang Sheng's view.

Before the Dragon Palace, a group of dragon princes and princesses arrived. Changyuan Dragon Lord, wearing a nine-tassel crown and a red dragon robe, stood respectfully in front of the Dragon Palace. As the imperial carriage arrived, Changyuan Dragon Lord quickly stepped forward: "Little dragon Changyuan Dragon Lord Ao Xu, respectfully welcomes the arrival of the Law Enforcement Heavenly Lord and the Venus Star Lord."

All the dragon princes and princesses bowed down in unison with their father, saying, "Welcome the Heavenly Lord of Justice and the Star Lord of Venus."

A moment later, the palace gates opened, and a pure Taoist aura wafted out. Then, a Taoist wearing a jade crown and a black robe slowly walked out. As the Taoist walked out and surveyed the entire scene, all the aquatic creatures lowered their waists even further.

Wearing a jade crown adorned with stars and a dark robe with lotus patterns, the Heavenly Court's Judicial Lord, the master of Little Penglai in the South Sea, Penglai Lingyuan, has appeared!

"Changyuan Dragon Palace is not bad."

A cheerful voice rang out, and the Floating Cloud Immortal Lord, wearing a platinum crown and a golden brocade robe, appeared with a smile. Looking at the large group of people in front of the Dragon Palace, he waved his hand and said, "Don't be so polite. We are guests. Since we are in the Dragon Palace, we should follow the host's lead."

"Lord Changyuan, how about showing us around your Dragon Palace?"

Upon hearing this, Changyuan Longjun breathed a sigh of relief and quickly stood up and stepped forward: "This little dragon will guide the Heavenly Lord and the Star Lord."

Jiang Sheng nodded, and the two of them, one with a pale face and the other with a red face, followed Changyuan Dragon Lord into the Changyuan Dragon Palace. They listened to Changyuan Dragon Lord introduce the various scenic spots and local specialties of the Dragon Palace, while Ao Xuan followed along. When Fuyun Immortal Lord stopped in front of a hundred-zhang-tall seven-colored coral and looked it over, Ao Xuan immediately said to the tortoise minister beside him: "Dig up that seven-colored coral along with the surrounding soil and put it on the palace carriage."

The Turtle Prime Minister nodded and immediately ordered someone to do it, while Ao Xuan continued to follow.

From the entrance of the Dragon Palace all the way to the main hall, Immortal Lord Fuyun would look at a seven-colored coral on the left and a precious giant clam shell on the right. Ao Xuan was also not worried at all. He would dig up this one if he liked it, and move that one if he liked it. As long as Immortal Lord Fuyun liked it, he would give it to him.

However, to Ao Xuan's dismay, Jiang Sheng remained calm and indifferent throughout, as if there was nothing that could catch his eye. But considering that Jiang Sheng possessed the Lesser Penglai Immortal Realm, which spanned twelve million miles, not to mention the Lesser Penglai that was comparable to the Heavenly Palace, the entire Liuyu Sea Realm was equivalent to this person's territory. The Liuyu Dragon Lord sent all the good things to the Lesser Penglai, so what was there that this person hadn't seen?

Finally, when they arrived at the main hall of the Dragon Palace, a dragon girl caught Jiang Sheng's attention. Although she was a red dragon from the South Sea, she had some characteristics of a white dragon from the West Sea. She had small dragon horns, red eyes, and white hair, which made Jiang Sheng take a second look.

This dragon girl looks a bit like Ao Li, the hybrid of the Black Dragon of the North Sea and the Azure Dragon of the East Sea that my family raises.

When Ao Xuan noticed Jiang Sheng's gaze, her eyes lit up: Finally, someone she could take a liking to!
Just as Ao Xuan followed Jiang Sheng's gaze and spotted his target, his heart tightened again: Dragon Girl Ao Shu, this was his own sister!
But thinking of his family's great cause, Ao Xuan gritted his teeth and said, "Chief Steward Shark, arrange for Ao Shu to perform a dance for the Heavenly Emperor at the banquet later!"

Bells and cauldrons resounded, and music filled the air, with the sounds of pipa and sheng.

Inside the main hall of the Dragon Palace, one after another, delicacies from land and sea were brought into the hall by beautiful mermaids and presented on the high platform. Changyuan Dragon Lord and Ao Xuan sat on the right, while Jiang Sheng and Fuyun Immortal Lord sat on the left. The four seats faced each other, and below, the music and dance continued.

After three rounds of drinks, Immortal Lord Fuyun spoke up: "Ao Xuan, you asked me to apologize to the Heavenly Lord of Justice that day. I have invited the Heavenly Lord of Justice to you. What do you want to say? Why don't you hurry up and say it?"

Ao Xuan's heart skipped a beat, realizing that he hadn't given the wrong gift. He quickly stood up and said, "I invited the Heavenly Lord here because I, Xiaolong, have done something wrong and am very uneasy. I must apologize to the Heavenly Lord."

As he spoke, Ao Xuan recounted the whole story: "I heard that the Heavenly Lord was traveling incognito in the Dragon Palace Market in the southern part of the Southern Xiao Domain, but was recognized by a dragon. The blame for this lies with the little dragon."

Jiang Sheng raised his head slightly. He was on an incognito visit. What a clever tongue Ao Xuan had.

Ao Xuan continued, "That dragon was a steward that Xiao Long arranged for him to work in the Dragon Palace. He was originally responsible for patrolling the outer perimeter of the Dragon Palace. In order to prevent the Dragon Palace from disturbing the nobles, the Dragon Palace gave them a jade book imprinted with the aura and appearance of the various gods and immortals of the Heavenly Court. That's why the dragon recognized the Heavenly Emperor and disturbed his enjoyment."

"After Xiaolong learned of this, he severely punished the dragon. The Heavenly Emperor is magnanimous and forgiving, and will not hold that beast accountable. However, Xiaolong cannot pretend that nothing happened and must apologize."

As he spoke, Ao Xuan drank three cups of wine in succession, and then continued to bow his head to show his remorse.

Jiang Sheng, meanwhile, silently sipped his tea, his eyelids lowered, seemingly lost in thought.

Upon hearing Ao Xuan's words, Immortal Lord Fuyun smiled enigmatically: "Where did that jade scroll in the Dragon Palace workshop come from, imprinted with the aura and appearance of the celestial gods and immortals? I don't even have such a treasure."

Ao Xuan hurriedly said, "Star Lord, I don't know about these things."

"After all, the affairs of Dragon Palace are the responsibility of various sea borders near the South Xiao Domain. Our Changyuan Sea Border is not near the sea. We are already being generous by being assigned to do odd jobs and get a share of soup. How could we dare to interfere with the affairs of those near-sea Dragon Palaces?"

Immortal Lord Fuyun feigned sudden realization: "Oh, so it's about the Dragon Palace near the sea."

"Brother Lingyuan, what do you think?"

Jiang Sheng put down his teacup, but made no mention of the Dragon Palace near the sea: "That dragon species meant well but did something wrong. I have no intention of arguing with a dragon. Let's just let this matter go."

"I have seen the sincerity of Changyuan Dragon Palace today, so let it be."

Upon hearing this, Ao Xuan felt somewhat flustered: this was different from what he had expected.

However, Ao Xuan was not without a backup plan. He quickly said, "In that case, let the dance and music continue!"

As she spoke, Ao Xuan gave the shark steward a wink, and soon a group of dragon girls stepped forward to perform a dance. Just as Jiang Sheng was getting bored with the tedious scheming between the dragon palaces and was about to leave, the white-haired, red-eyed dragon girl he had just caught a glimpse of reappeared, and she was leading the dance again.

This made Jiang Sheng temporarily suppress his intention to leave. Looking at the aloof and elegant Dragon Girl, Jiang Sheng couldn't help but fall into thought:

My Little Penglai already has a dragon with black hair and golden eyes, isn't it missing a white-haired dragon with red eyes? (End of Chapter)