Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 218 Dragon Palace (Part 1)

Lu Shang returned the greeting with clasped hands and said loudly, "Dragon Lord, how have you been?"

The man in black was none other than the Dragon Lord of the Wei River!

"All is well, all is well,"

The Dragon King of the Wei River laughed heartily, raised his hand in a gesture of invitation, and said, "Please sit down, Your Excellency. Come, have some tea."

"I am deeply humbled by the Dragon King's kind invitation,"

After Lü Shang took his seat as instructed, a water creature from the side of the hall presented him with a jade cup. The tea in the cup was emerald green, with a tea leaf shaped like a willow leaf floating on it.

Steam rose from the jade cup, condensing into the phantom of a dragon in mid-air. It circled the teacup for a moment before slowly dissipating.

Before the palace gate, the envoy Xuan Yuan bowed to the Dragon Lord of the Wei River and then silently withdrew.

"This tea,"

Lu Shang took a small sip of tea, which, upon entering his throat, transformed into a warm and gentle energy that flowed into his dantian. After merging with his internal energy, it seemed as if a dragon's roar emanated from his internal organs, echoing in his ears.

"Good tea!" His eyes lit up slightly as he savored the taste and praised it softly.

Seeing the gleam in Lü Shang's eyes, the Dragon King of the Wei River clapped his hands and laughed, saying, "Lord Lü, this 'Water Heart Purple Sprout' of mine is no ordinary plant; it is a spiritual plant born from my Wei River."

"Nurtured by the essence of water and moonlight for millennia, only three leaves are picked each year, and cooked with the jade spring water of the Dragon Palace. This is the best way to preserve the spirit and nourish the body, with endless wonderful uses,"

"Oh, preserving the spirit and nourishing the body?"

Lu Shang ran his fingertips along the rim of the jade cup. The cup was slightly cool, and it seemed as if water was flowing through it. He exclaimed in surprise, "It is truly a divine treasure from the Water Palace, wonderful beyond words!"

The Taoist Golden Elixir Path begins with nourishing essence, refining qi, preserving spirit, harmonizing the dragon and tiger, and drawing water from the Kan trigram and filling fire from the Li trigram, in order to attain the Daoist fruit of celestial immortality.

This purple bud from the water can nourish the spirit and body, and its preciousness is self-evident. For cultivators, it can be called a rare treasure.

Upon hearing this, the Dragon King of the Wei River smiled even more broadly and lightly tapped the table with his knuckles.

The next moment, the mermaid on the right of the palace played the zither, the music flowing like water over stones, carrying a clear and ancient charm.

After the music started, eight female attendants from the aquatic tribe, dressed in green, filed into the hall. Each attendant carried a jade plate, and the contents of the plates were different.

At the same time, the water inside the hall rippled gently, reflecting the dragon-patterned robe of the Dragon Lord of the Wei River, making it shimmer with light.

After summoning the female attendants, the Dragon King faced Lü Shang and said gently, "Since our last parting at the Wei River, it is gratifying to see you again today, Lord Lü. You have actually attained the status of a martial arts immortal, surpassing the mortal realm. This is truly a cause for celebration."

Lü Shang put down his teacup, cupped his hands, and replied, "Your Majesty flatters me. I have only been fortunate enough to glimpse the basics; I dare not presume to claim that I have transcended the mundane."

The Dragon King waved his hand and said, "My lord, there is no need to be modest. Although I am not skilled in martial arts, I know how difficult it is to attain the status of a martial arts immortal. Ordinary martial artists would spend their entire lives trying to even get past the threshold."

"I have lived by the Wei River for thousands of years and have seen countless heroes and great men, but those who have reached the pinnacle of martial arts at your age, Your Excellency, are few and far between throughout history."

"Your achievements are not due to any luck whatsoever,"

"You flatter me, Dragon Lord,"

Lu Shang spoke calmly, his gaze sweeping over the jade plates in the hands of the eight female servants in green.

The delicacies on the plate emitted wisps of white steam, blending with the ethereal glow of the luminous pearl on the palace ceiling, creating a hazy, dreamlike effect.

"What a pity,"

Faced with Lü Shang's humility, the dragon pattern in the eyes of the Dragon King of the Wei River flickered slightly. Suddenly, he sighed and said, "Lord Lü, if you were not a member of the imperial family of the mortal realm, burdened with too much karma, I would definitely want to take you as my son-in-law."

“A person with such a dragon-like appearance and natural talent is rare, perhaps only a handful in a thousand years. You are a truly exceptional match,” the Dragon Lord of the Wei River felt increasingly close to Lü Shang, perhaps due to the influence of the ancestral blood of the Gonggong clan within him.

This sense of closeness was inexplicable and indescribable. Even though the Dragon King of the Wei River was already a deity with great magical powers, he did not feel anything was amiss.

Lü Shang said softly, "I appreciate the Dragon Lord's kindness. However, I bear the responsibility for the Sui Dynasty and am entangled in worldly karma. I dare not presume to claim a connection with the Water Palace Immortals. I hope the Dragon Lord will forgive me."

The Dragon King of the Wei River looked at Lü Shang for a long time before laughing and saying, "Alright, I know you are a pillar of the human world, so how could I force you to do something against your will?"

"It's just a bit of a shame that someone as sage as you can't be my son-in-law,"

As he spoke, the Dragon King gestured for the maid to present the jade platter, and said, "These celestial delicacies and jade soups are all rare treasures of the aquatic realm. Your Majesty, please try them. This is my way of congratulating you on your becoming an immortal."

"The Dragon King's hospitality is truly unparalleled in the world,"

Lü Shang picked up a piece of green lotus root with his jade chopsticks. It turned into a refreshing aroma in his mouth, flowing along his meridians, and was even more mellow than the tea soup he had just drunk.

"It's nothing but a few meager items; please enjoy it to your heart's content."

The Dragon King of the Wei River picked up his teacup, saw Lü Shang's expression of enjoyment, and nodded with a smile.

As one of the eight dragon gods, the Wei River Dragon Lord, who controls the Wei River, is almost on par with the Jing River Dragon Lord, who is the chief administrator of the eight rivers and the great dragon god in charge of rain. One can imagine how wealthy the Wei River Dragon Palace is.

For ordinary earth immortals, arhats, and great demons, rare treasures such as purple ganoderma, jade grass, green lotus root, golden elixir, intertwined pear, and fire date are things that can only be encountered by chance and cannot be sought after.

But for the Dragon King of the Wei River, these celestial delicacies, however precious, were merely delicacies meant to entertain guests.

Lu Shang, who was standing to the side, did not stop eating, his eyes fixed on the third plate of delicacies on the left.

Three bright red dates lay on the plate, their skins shimmering with a golden glow.

He picked up a coin, and when it entered his mouth, there was no resistance. It was like taking a sip of warm water, which slid down his throat and slowly seeped into his limbs and bones.

"Good, good, really good,"

As Lü Shang silently savored these celestial delicacies, he also felt the changes in his physical body, bones, and even his internal organs.

During this process, his flesh and blood seemed to be soaked in a clear spring, becoming transparent and comfortable everywhere.

There are 1,296 apertures, each radiating light, and the spirits of each aperture respond to it.

Lu Shang had just attained the physical body of a human immortal, which was already as refined as steel after being tempered a hundred times. At this moment, it seemed to have been tempered by jade liquid, with a faint glassy light shining through his skin.

Within the 1,296 orifices, the originally illusory spirit became increasingly solid, as if it were about to emerge from the orifices and merge with his true form.

This kind of nourishment is even more effective than his three years of arduous cultivation.

At this moment, Lü Shang felt somewhat dazed.

After all, the Dragon Palace's treasures are readily available, and the Dragon Lord's favor is undisguised. Such a divine connection would tempt even ordinary martial artists, let alone Buddhist and Taoist masters.

If it weren't for the fact that Yang Lin and Yang Jian, uncle and nephew, treated Lü Shang so well, Lü Shang would have found it hard to let go of his worldly ties. He really wanted to become the son-in-law of the Dragon Lord of the Wei River and enjoy a life of comfort.

Lu Shang swallowed the last fire date and felt his inner energy boiling.

hum!
The light emanating from the 1,296 orifices grew increasingly intense, and the qi and blood surged and rose like the tide. With each vibration, it was as if countless streams were washing over the bones and muscles, making the foundation of his immortality even more solid.

As the music in the hall gradually subsided, the mermaid gracefully withdrew. The Dragon King of the Wei River seemed to sense something and turned his gaze back to Lü Shang, asking softly, "How are you feeling, my lord?"

(End of this chapter)