Daojun, start from Penglai foundation building

As an emperor, can you respect heaven?
These eight words were not just an exchange between Jiang Sheng and Emperor Xian, but to some extent, they also meant that Jiang Sheng wanted to see what Emperor Xian could actually do.

Judging from a series of actions taken by Emperor Xian in recent years, whether it was occupying the throne, dismissing a group of princes, or building dragon boats for seagoing, Emperor Xian did not seem like someone who would sit and wait for death.

Jiang Sheng was not afraid that Emperor Xian had any ideas, but he was afraid that Emperor Xian had no ideas.

If Emperor Xian was really willing to sacrifice himself and even his descendants for the sake of the eternal Yu Ghost Dynasty in the Netherworld, Jiang Sheng had no better solution. After all, Jiang Sheng had a lot of things to do right now and had no time to change Emperor Yu.

Not to mention the series of problems that another Emperor Yu would face. It would take countless years just to sort out the complex factions in the court system and reach a consensus among the various factions.

Instead of doing this, it is better to cooperate with Emperor Xian. After all, Emperor Xian has been on the throne for five hundred years. Almost all the people in the court are ministers promoted by Emperor Xian, and they share the same interests with Emperor Xian.

As long as Jiang Sheng can reach a certain understanding with Emperor Xian, his next plan will go more smoothly.

Emperor Xian obviously understood what Jiang Sheng meant. After thinking about it, he replied while asking Ji Hong about his experiences in Jinhua Mountain in recent years.

Listening to Ji Hong's experiences in recent years, listening to Ji Hong's description of how peaceful Lingyou Province was, how Jinhua Mountain was a paradise for immortals, and what the conditions were like in the various provinces and counties of the Yu Dynasty, Emperor Xian also had some thoughts in his mind.

In fact, as an emperor who held real power in the Yu Dynasty for more than 500 years, Emperor Xian did not have particularly strong control over the states and counties of the Yu Dynasty.

After all, each state and county in the Yu Dynasty had its own family of ghosts and gods. Those families of ghosts and gods, which had been passed down for thousands or even tens of thousands of years, were undoubtedly the real controllers of these states and counties.

Although Emperor Xian was the emperor of the Yu Dynasty, there were still one hundred and sixty or seventy emperors of the Yu Dynasty underground and in the underworld.

The long-standing ghost and god families in the prefectures and counties on this land have all served Emperor Yu for generations. Emperor Xian simply selected useful people from these families and let them control the local areas on his behalf.

The news that Emperor Xian received from various places were all what they wanted him to know, and he could do nothing about the news that they did not want him to know.

Nowadays, disasters frequently occur in various places of the Yu Dynasty, and at every turn, either mud dragons appear or the gates of hell open.

But how much of this news was reported to Emperor Xian?
Rather than saying that Emperor Xian was the emperor of the Yu Dynasty, it would be more accurate to say that he was the Son of Heaven of Yudu.

To put it simply, the Yu Dynasty was the place where the royal family of the Yu Dynasty and the families of ghosts and gods ruled together.

Emperor Xian was aware of this himself, but he discovered that Jiang Sheng saw it more clearly than he did.

Ji Hong was still talking about what he had seen and heard in Jinhua Mountain, trying to convince Emperor Xian: "Father, the True Lord is a true immortal from outer space who has come to earth. He has great supernatural powers and great magic power, and can be called the mediator of fate."

"Picking stars and taking the moon is just an ordinary method for a True Lord."

"How many people in the Yu Dynasty can compete with such a true immortal?"

"Even if the ancestors from the underground came to the human world, how many of them could come, and are they really sure they can fight against the True Lord?"

"The world is about to change, and everyone can see that a great catastrophe is coming."

"If our ancestors in the underworld cannot be relied upon, for the sake of the Yu Dynasty and our father, we must always prepare a backup plan."

Listening to Ji Hong's words, Emperor Xian suddenly looked up at Ji Hong.

For a moment, looking at his father's blurry face under the crown, the feeling of fear from the bottom of his heart made Ji Hong subconsciously close his mouth and tremble his body subconsciously.

That was the imperial power accumulated by Emperor Xian for five hundred years, that was the pressure from the superior Yuanying Zhenjun, and that was the blood suppression between father and son. The triple pressure was overwhelming, and for a moment Ji Hong seemed to have returned to the deep and empty hall. In a trance, Ji Hong felt that he was not facing Emperor Xian, but a hideous ghost dragon.

The ghost dragon bared its fangs and claws, carrying with it a monstrous ghost and dark energy, ready to devour someone.

The feeling of fear made Ji Hong subconsciously start to shrink back.

But then, Ji Hong thought of Jinhua Mountain, and thought of himself standing beside True Lord Yuchen Lingyuan, listening to the sigh of the true immortal when he looked outside Jinhua Mountain.

Suddenly, Ji Hong seemed to feel someone patting his shoulder. Ji Hong looked up and saw Jiang Sheng's kind smile.

Ji Hong then stood up, the fear on his face disappeared, his eyes were full of determination: "Father, even if you don't believe in the True Lord, you should believe in your son."

Emperor Xian looked at Ji Hong with some curiosity. This kid was obviously afraid just now, so why did he suddenly become tough at this moment?
Under the triple pressure, Emperor Xian could be said to have shown his future Dharma image to Ji Hong. The power of the ghost dragon was enough to make Ji Hong breathless. In any case, Ji Hong should not have such an expression.

Emperor Xian looked at Ji Hong carefully, and then he subconsciously looked behind Ji Hong. He didn't know when, in this heavily guarded imperial palace in Yudu, in this silent and deserted hall, in addition to Emperor Xian and Ji Hong, there was another figure.

The figure wore a green crown and a black robe, and stood quietly behind Ji Hong. When he saw Emperor Xian looking at him, he smiled and nodded slightly at him, then disappeared.

Although he had never seen that figure before, Emperor Xian recognized him. He was the lord of Jinhua Mountain, True Lord Yuchen Lingyuan.

After thinking for a while, Emperor Xian suddenly smiled and said, "It seems that I may have to change my opinion of Jinhua Mountain."

"I heard that in a few years, Jinhua Mountain will hold a large-scale ritual?"

The news that Jinhua Mountain was going to hold a ritual ceremony was no secret. Jiang Sheng informed all the cultivators in Jinhua Mountain that he was going to hold a grand Taoist ritual ceremony. Only inner sect cultivators could participate in the ceremony, and there were restrictions on the realm of cultivation. Even cultivators at the Purple Mansion realm might not be eligible to participate. Only cultivators above the Golden Core realm could qualify for the ceremony.

This ritual was regarded by many as an ascension ceremony for the immortal Jiang Sheng.

There are even rumors that Jiang Sheng will hold a ceremony to confer deities during this ritual.

The origin of this rumor is the recent series of actions taken by Xuanqing Temple.

In any case, the news of this ritual sacrifice had spread widely in the Yu Dynasty, and even in the Qian Dynasty, it had spread to a certain extent in the southwest.

Many cultivators wanted to see what the immortal ascension ceremony looked like, so they traveled thousands of miles across mountains and rivers to Jinhua Mountain.

Some people had a premonition that the world was changing, and thought that Jiang Sheng, the true immortal, was going to ascend to heaven with his disciples through the ritual, so they wanted to rush over to get a chance to ascend to heaven.
Ji Hong nodded and said, "The True Lord is indeed going to hold a ritual ceremony, but I don't know when it will be held."

Emperor Xian laughed and said, "Since I came to power, I have seen many sacrifices to ghosts and gods, but I have never seen a Taoist sacrifice."

"When you go back, tell the True Lord that when the ritual is held, be sure to inform me. I will personally visit Jinhua Mountain to watch the Taoist event."

Jinhua Mountain, Qingyang Cloud Palace.

Jiang Sheng sat cross-legged on the jade-decorated and gold-inlaid Flying Phoenix Cloud Bed, flipping through a Taoist book on formations.

As his cultivation level increased and as he visited more and more places, Jiang Sheng felt more and more that cultivation was not just about seclusion and hard work.

You have to travel thousands of miles and read thousands of books.

A higher level of cultivation not only means that you need stronger magical powers to protect yourself, but also means that you need more knowledge to fill yourself up. Whether it is the scriptures you compile or your own ideas and thoughts, you need more classics and experiences to support them.

Jiang Sheng took out this book on formations not only for the Luotian Grand Ceremony that he was going to prepare for, but also to find some formations that he could learn from.

As Jinhua Mountain's sphere of influence grew larger and Xuanqing Temple expanded accordingly, Xiangyu Immortal Lord had accumulated enough incense and faith to begin to shape a divine body in the human world.

The body created by Immortal Lord Xiangyu is not a fake ghost or god body like the one in the Shanhai Realm.

As a former Mahayana Immortal Lord, Xiangyu Immortal Lord must create a body of a righteous god recognized by heaven and earth.

The body of the righteous God of heaven and earth with its brilliant golden light and auspicious rosy clouds is different from the bodies of ghosts and gods in the underworld that are shrouded in eerie, ghostly aura and black fog.

However, in order for Immortal Lord Xiangyu to shape the body of the righteous god of heaven and earth, he still needs Jiang Sheng's help. The Luotian Grand Ceremony of Conferring Gods was actually also prepared for Immortal Lord Xiangyu.

Moreover, Xiangyu Xianjun is just the beginning of the Conferred God, the purpose is to tell the ghosts and gods of the world that if you join the Xuanqing Temple system, you can also get the heaven and earth in the future. Jinhua Mountain and Xuanqing Temple are the yin and yang sides of Jiang Sheng's preparation: if you want to become an immortal, worship Jinhua Mountain, you will have the hope of becoming an immortal; it doesn't matter if you have become a ghost or a god, join Xuanqing Temple, and you can also get a position as a true god in the future.

However, these are just flowers in the mirror and the moon in the water for now. Only after the Luotian Grand Ceremony is held, the creatures and ghosts in the mountain and sea world will completely believe that Jiang Sheng has this ability, and Jiang Sheng will be able to unite more forces.

"Alas, we still need the Luotian Grand Ceremony."

Jiang Sheng put down the formation book and rubbed his brows. It seemed that he had spent several years to build up such a great foundation in this mountain and sea world, but all of this was nothing but bubble.

Jiang Sheng was very aware of how fragile the foundation he had established was.

The most crucial thing is that Jiang Sheng doesn’t have many trustworthy people at his disposal.

"Master, the new batch of disciples entering the inner courtyard have been selected and registered."

Zhao Yanling's voice sounded outside the hall.

The door of Qingyangyun Palace opened, Zhao Yanling handed the list to Jiang Sheng, and then stood aside waiting for Jiang Sheng's instructions.

"Yu Xiu, Wang Yi."

Jiang Sheng quickly flipped through the roster, which contained more than a thousand names. Through the names, one could not only see the disciple's experience, age, cultivation, preferences, but also the disciple's appearance.

Moreover, there is a trace of the disciple's breath left as a mark on the list. If this disciple encounters any accident while outside in the future, Jinhua Mountain can also seek rescue through this trace of breath.

This list was also compiled by Jiang Sheng based on the list of disciples of Penglai Taoist Sect.

It looks like an ordinary golden book, but in fact its grade is equivalent to that of a magic weapon.

After accepting the list, Jiang Sheng turned to look at Zhao Yanling: "Yanling."

Zhao Yanling stepped forward: "Disciple is here."

Jiang Sheng smiled and said, "Don't panic."

"I have seen your efforts over the past few days."

"The order and stability of Jinhua Mountain today are due to your hard work."

"Time is running out this year. When you go back, pick a few reliable people to work for you. At the beginning of next year, I will open the cave, and you will take up a place."

Although the entire Jinhua Mountain is a beautiful place of heaven and earth, without the worldly air and the foul smell of incense, everything is clear and spiritual.

But the area below the mountainside is not on the same level as the area above the mountainside, and the area above the mountainside and the top of the mountain are another matter.

The spiritual energy of the entire Jinhua Mountain blessed land was divided into several levels by Jiang Sheng. The spiritual energy below the mountainside was used for breathing exercises for the cultivators who were practicing Qi and building their foundation, and the highest level was only for the cultivators of Purple Mansion.

On the mountainside, supplies are provided for Purple Mansion monks and Golden Core monks.

The Nascent Soul cultivators were practicing at the foot of the Left and Right Dragon Horn Peaks, and those above the Nascent Soul had not yet appeared in Jinhua Mountain.

All cultivators hope that a cultivator above the Nascent Soul stage will emerge so that they can clearly see the way forward.

The Dongtian is a unique place in Jinhua Mountain.

That is the immortal temple opened up by True Lord Yuchen Lingyuan, and all cultivators can see it when they raise their eyes.

The blue star hanging high between the left and right dragon horn peaks is where the cave is.

The cave is a truly beautiful place filled with ethereal fairy air and abundant spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

If the cultivators of Jinhua Mountain want to break through to the Golden Core stage, they can temporarily rent a cave on the Left and Right Dragon Horn Peaks. However, if they want to break through to the Nascent Soul stage or even the Divine Transformation stage, they must practice in the cave.

Moreover, once you enter the cave, you can receive personal guidance from the True Lord.

Therefore, cultivators who can enter the cave heaven are regarded by everyone as those with the potential to ascend.

There are no less than 100,000 cultivators in Jinhua Mountain now, including four to five thousand inner court disciples. However, only a few of them may be able to enter the cave to practice.

Jiang Sheng asked Zhao Yanling to enter the cave to practice next year. In a sense, he was preparing for Zhao Yanling to break through to the Nascent Soul stage.

Zhao Yanling was naturally very excited to be able to become a Nascent Soul cultivator. She immediately thanked him and then went out to prepare for her future entry into the Cave Heaven.

After Zhao Yanling left, Shen Yao was summoned by Jiang Sheng and came to Qingyang Yun Palace.

From Xuanqing Palace to Qingyangyun Palace, being able to step into this place means that Shen Yao has gained enough recognition from Jiang Sheng, and it also means Shen Yao's status in Jinhua Mountain.

He was praised by Jiang Sheng himself and was one of the first cultivators to enter the inner courtyard. He was the eldest senior brother of the inner courtyard.

Although he is only twenty years old, his strength is actually at the Golden Core level.

In just five years, even with Jiang Sheng's guidance, he was able to advance from Qi training to Golden Elixir, spanning three realms. This speed of practice was something Jiang Sheng could not catch up with even if he tried his best.

Thinking back to when Jiang was born in the world of mountains and rivers, in that vast world where Taoism flourished, he entered Penglai at the age of twelve, laid the foundation at the age of twenty, then the Purple Mansion, and finally the Golden Elixir, which took him more than thirty years.

But Shen Yao, who was born in this place where the law of mountains and seas ends, was a genius, but he achieved the golden elixir in just five years. This cannot be described as a monster.

During these years, Jiang Sheng was extremely certain that Shen Yao was the man of destiny chosen by Emperor Zixiao.

Even the shadow standing behind Shen Yao was not just Emperor Zixiao.

Otherwise it would be impossible to explain why Shen Yao could understand everything Jiang Sheng said, whether it was about alchemy formations, talismans, or sword techniques, and he could even draw inferences about other situations.

Jiang Sheng had seen geniuses before. There were countless geniuses in the Three Realms, like the fish in the sea. Jiang Sheng had seen countless geniuses, whether they were once in a hundred years or once in a thousand years.

But this was the first time Jiang Sheng had seen a monster like Shen Yao.

In a sense, Shen Yao is no longer just a person with good luck. He is more like the son of the will of heaven in the mountain and sea world.

"True Lord."

Shen Yao saluted solemnly.

Looking at Shen Yao in front of him, Jiang Sheng thought for a moment and made up his mind: "Next year, I will open another cave."

"Shen Yao, you are the eldest senior brother of Jinhua Mountain, so you have a place."

"Don't forget next year. When you come to Qingyang Cloud Palace at the beginning of the year, I will give a lecture on the method of Nascent Soul Transformation in the cave."

Shen Yao was neither sad nor happy. He thanked him and left.

Looking at Shen Yao's departing figure, Jiang Sheng's eyes flickered several times:
"Let's take another look. Let's take another look." (End of this chapter)