I'm already a Great Luo Golden Immortal, how come you're only Martial Saints?

At this moment, clear and melodious music rang out outside the hall, and auspicious clouds surged and thousands of auspicious wisps appeared.

The shrimp soldiers and crab generals guarding outside the palace shouted their greetings.

"The Heavenly Court's envoy has arrived!"

Everyone's attention was instantly drawn to him. A middle-aged Taoist priest, dressed in a purple robe and wearing a jade lotus crown, with a square face and an air of authority that exuded a sense of magnanimity, arrived on a cloud, surrounded by several celestial officials.

He held in his hands a scroll of the Jade Emperor's edict, shimmering with rosy light.

Someone with sharp eyes exclaimed in a low voice:

"It's actually Zhang Tianshi, the newly appointed Grand Master of the Thunder and Lightning Division of the Heavenly Court!"

"The Heavenly Court has actually sent Zhang Tianshi to bestow birthday gifts! The Dragon King of the West Sea certainly has a lot of influence!"

With a smile on his face, Zhang Tianshi slowly walked into the Dragon Palace Hall. His gaze swept over everyone and finally landed on Ao Run, who was bowing to him.

Zhang Tianshi unfolded the jade scroll in his hand, its surface shimmering with light, and the sound was like the clinking of gold and jade.

"Ao Run, the Dragon King of the West Sea, you have guarded the vast ocean and your blessings have spread throughout the eight wastelands. Now, on the occasion of your longevity, I hereby bestow upon you nine Purple Gold Pills, ten Ten-Thousand-Year-Old Lingzhi Mushrooms, and one hundred bushels of Heavenly River Jade Marrow as a reward..."

After he finished speaking, a celestial official beside him carried a treasure chest, which opened by itself, revealing elixirs and spiritual medicines floating in the air, illuminating the entire hall with dazzling light.

Ao Run quickly bowed to express his gratitude, and as the dragon claw lifted the jade axis, he took the opportunity to persuade the Celestial Master to stay.

"The arrival of the Celestial Master to the Dragon Palace is an honor to our humble abode. Why not have a drink before returning to Heaven to report back?"

Zhang Tianshi was a rising star in front of the Jade Emperor, but his foundation was still shallow. When the old Dragon King tried to persuade him to stay, he couldn't refuse the old Dragon King's request.

So he nodded and sat down. Just as the jade cup touched his lips, a commotion suddenly arose outside the hall.

"Who is making a commotion outside the palace?"

The Dragon King frowned and asked, and the Crab General rushed into the hall and knelt to report.

"A rogue cultivator named Zhang Qingxuan claims to be a descendant of the Zhang Celestial Master's lineage in the mortal realm and wishes to meet the patriarch!"

"Oh, Zhang Tianshi's lineage in the mortal realm, could it be the Zhengyi Sect?"

"The Zhang Tianshi lineage has branched out, and it seems there's also a sect called the Tianshi Sect!"

"Congratulations! Zhang Tianshi's lineage is flourishing, and he has become a celestial ancestor of the Taoist school!"

Amidst the whispers of the assembled immortals, Zhang Tianshi's eyes flickered slightly, and he nodded gently.

"This lineage certainly exists. We implore the Dragon King of the West Sea to grant him an audience in the palace!"

The old Taoist priest Zhang Qingxuan scrambled in, fell to his knees, and hugged Zhang Daoling's leg, tears streaming down his face.

"Master, have mercy! The Zhengyi Sect has been reduced to a few dilapidated temples by my generation, and its incense offerings are almost exhausted. My lifespan is nearing its end, and even if I were to attend the Dragon King's birthday banquet, I could only sit in the outer banquet!"

Upon hearing this, the old Dragon King's face turned pale, and he gave his subordinate, the Turtle Prime Minister, a meaningful look.

The Turtle Prime Minister understood immediately and quickly went to make the arrangements.

Zhang Tianshi helped the old Taoist priest up and comforted him with kind words.

"You've endured this alone, doing your utmost. Don't worry, don't panic. I'll pass on a talisman to you. If you face any difficulties in the future, just burn incense and report to me, and you will receive a response!"

The old Taoist priest was so excited that he kowtowed repeatedly.

"May the Patriarch have mercy! May the Patriarch have mercy!"

"What is the current state of the sect's lineage?"

Zhang Tianshi asked casually.

When this matter was mentioned, the old Taoist priest felt a sense of pride and replied.

"Fortunately, I have taken in a few unworthy disciples, thus enabling the continuation of the lineage!"

Zhang Tianshi raised an eyebrow slightly, his gaze sweeping towards the temple gate.

"Oh, did those disciples accompany you? Why don't you call them here to meet you?"

Outside the hall, Prime Minister Turtle had already brought Luo Zhantian, Tang Hao, Sun Rongrong, and the others over.

I've heard that I'm to meet the founding patriarch and the Dragon King of the West Sea!

"Oh dear, isn't this progressing too fast!"

"We're all Divine Realm cultivators, what if they notice something amiss?"

"It shouldn't be a big problem, right? Ning Chen joined the sect too!"

Luo Zhantian, Tang Hao, and the others were in a daze, their minds blank, as they stepped into the main hall.

Seeing that Tang Hao, Zhao Zhenyuan, Qian Quan, and Zhou Tao were all of decent physical condition, Zhang Tianshi had just begun to smile when he suddenly saw Luo Zhantian, with his bulging muscles, walking sideways towards him. His strong physique was completely out of place with the Taoist practice of quiet cultivation.

The Celestial Master's brows furrowed briefly, then relaxed, as he thought to himself.

"Forget it, being a guardian deity of the Taoist sect will at least be able to step in at crucial moments!"

Seeing that the patriarch's complexion was still acceptable, the old Taoist priest quickly called to the others.

"Come here and pay your respects to the Ancestral Master!"

Everyone stepped forward to pay their respects, and Zhang Tianshi helped them up one by one, bestowing upon them elixirs...

Several people held elixirs in their hands, a slight smile playing on their lips.

"Things are getting better! Things are getting better! With the elixir bestowed by the Ancestral Master, Ning Chen's dream of becoming a terrestrial immortal is no longer out of reach!"

"Hmph, Ning Chen, I will definitely catch up with you completely and surpass you mercilessly!"

When Sun Rongrong, holding Qing'er in her arms, stepped forward to pay her respects, a strange change suddenly occurred!

When Zhang Daoling saw Qing'er's face, which, though young, already possessed a beauty that could topple kingdoms, like a sculpted jade, and the red lotus-shaped birthmark on her neck, the jade cup in his hand shattered with a crack, spilling its nectar all over the ground...

He took a half step back, staring intently at Qing'er's perfect face, his face ashen.

Zhang Tianshi looked at Sun Rongrong with a hoarse voice and disbelief.

"Where did you get this baby girl?"

Sun Rongrong was puzzled. How did Zhang Tianshi know that the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes was a girl?

Did he peek?

Seeing the patriarch's expression change drastically, Zhang Qingxuan quickly and respectfully replied.

"Reporting to the Ancestral Master, this infant girl was rescued by us disciples at the ancestral temple in Louguantai. At that time, a thousand-year-old demon fox from our sect broke through the demon-locking formation, intending to take this infant as its food. Fortunately, the Immortal Ning Chen intervened in time, slaying the demon fox and saving the girl. I observed that her innate talent and spirit are truly rare, and I also pitied her orphaned and helpless state, so I took it upon myself to take her into our sect. She will be temporarily raised by my disciple Sun Rongrong, hoping that she will one day inherit the lineage of our Zhengyi Sect..."

Zhang Tianshi's pupils contracted slightly, and he opened his mouth as if to speak.

But then a loud bang came from behind everyone.

boom!

The icy cold air and the scorching heat flowed out like two wicked dragons breaking free of their restraints, instantly shattering the restrictions of the quiet room and surging into the magnificent golden hall!

The crystal floor was instantly half covered with dark blue ice crystals, and the other half was steaming with scorching white mist. The temperature inside the hall suddenly became polarized. The shrimp soldiers and crab generals with slightly lower cultivation levels cried out and retreated. In the chaos, the tables, chairs and cups clattered.

Fortunately, most of the guests in the main hall were at the immortal realm. They used their supernatural powers to suppress the torrent of ice and fire into nothingness.

All eyes turned to the source of the anomaly.

The heavy stone door to the quiet room had been reduced to dust, and a figure slowly stepped out from the swirling smoke and dust.

It was Ning Chen!

His upper body was completely burned away, revealing his naked body.

The skin's surface was clearly marked with the scorching marks left by the fusion of ice and fire.

His left chest was covered with a deep blue, icy coldness, while his right chest was red as a branding iron, radiating heat as if he were about to be roasted alive.

A trace of crimson blood remained at the corner of Ning Chen's mouth. His handsome face was pale and indifferent, revealing a hint of exhaustion.

The girl he was holding in his arms was Ao Xue, the youngest daughter of the West Sea Dragon King.

At this moment, the conflict between ice and fire on Xiaolongnu's body had completely subsided.

Her eyes were closed, her face was rosy, and she was breathing evenly and deeply as she slept soundly in Ning Chen's arms.

At this moment, she only felt the aura emanating from Ning Chen, which made her feel extremely at ease. She even rubbed her tender dragon horns against Ning Chen's chest a few times.

"Your Majesty the Dragon King, Ning Chen has successfully completed my mission!"