Journey to the West: Starting with the True Lord of the Pure Land

The palace gates gleamed with pearly light.

A figure clad in flowing colorful silk robes strode swiftly out of the palace, her golden hair ornaments trembling slightly.

It was Princess Wansheng.

Today she is dressed in a silk robe, her figure is graceful and charming, and the colorful scale on her forehead makes her eyes and brows even more bright.

At this moment, however, she could not care about maintaining a dignified demeanor and went straight to meet the figure in black at the palace gate.

"Fellow Daoist Xuanling!"

Princess Wansheng's beautiful eyes shone with undisguised joy, her words carrying a hint of reproach but seven parts sincerity:

"I originally thought you were too busy with your cultivation to come, but I never expected..."

As she spoke, her eyes darted around, scrutinizing Chen Jiao closely. Seeing that he was still dressed in black, but his aura had become even more profound and unfathomable, a slight smile involuntarily curved her lips.

She secretly guessed that, given Xuan Ling's aloof and cold nature, even with her father's invitation, he might not attend this noisy birthday banquet.

Seeing him appear in his black robes, she was overjoyed, her heart blossoming like a lotus bud, and she momentarily forgot about the many guests gathered around her.

as predicted.

Such eagerness caught the attention of the guests outside the palace gates, who were all immediately surprised.

Everyone knows that the beloved daughter of the Dragon King of Ten Thousand Saints has always been arrogant and haughty.

Normally she would show no courtesy to the talents of the world and the demon kings of various caves, but when had she ever been so proactive in greeting people?

Chen Jiao nodded slightly in return.

With a flick of his sleeve, he produced a cold jade box in his palm.

The moment the box was opened, the surrounding water elemental surged suddenly like a spring tide, and a pure and vibrant life force spread out.

This gave all the demon cultivators present a boost of spirits.

Inside the box lay a single blue lotus.

Lotus petals At the heart of the lotus, eight-colored water droplets flowed slowly, gathering into dew, filling the air with a refreshing fragrance.

Chen Jiao's voice was calm, as he was about to unleash the extraordinary power of the water element:

"This is a small gift to celebrate the Dragon King's birthday. It is a thousand-year-old evergreen lotus, which I have enhanced with..."

He hadn't finished speaking.

From the shadows inside the palace gate came a low chuckle, abruptly interrupting Chen Jiao's words.

Everyone turned to look.

Inside the palace gates, the beaded curtains swayed, and several young dragon princes and grandsons in brocade robes emerged, their brows and eyes carrying the arrogance typical of aquatic nobles.

They were clearly drawn here by the Turtle Prime Minister's greeting, wanting to see what kind of person the recently renowned Flood Dragon Demon King was.

One of the dragon princes, with a jade horn on his forehead and dressed in a blue scale robe, glanced at the blue lotus in the jade box and curled his lips.

Despite his renowned reputation, this Flood Dragon Demon King's abilities seem rather underwhelming.

"I wondered what a precious gift it was, but it turned out to be a thousand-year-old evergreen lotus."

The dragon prince's voice trailed off slightly, carrying a hint of undisguised disdain:

"This thing may be rare in the human world, but for my Bibo Pool Dragon Palace, hehe... I can probably pick up a few plants from the lotus pond in the back garden at will."

If Lord Jiao is not wealthy and is short of money, there is really no need for him to spend so much.

It's my father's birthday, and the sentiment is what matters. These ordinary gifts actually make it seem...

Before he finished speaking, a younger descendant of the dragon beside him quietly tugged at his sleeve, but the young man waved his sleeve away.

The dragon princes and grandsons who came with him also looked embarrassed and hesitated to speak.

The surrounding guests were all shrewd people, and although they found the dragon prince's words rude, they couldn't help but feel surprised.

The evergreen lotus can indeed cleanse the water realm of impurities and nourish the water element, thus benefiting water-related spiritual practices.

However, in terms of value, it was only considered ordinary at the birthday banquet of someone like the Dragon King of Ten Thousand Saints, far inferior to the rare treasures and precious items given by the previous Nascent Soul cultivators.

Yet the pure and ethereal aura of this lotus seems... different from that of ordinary evergreen lotuses. No matter when or where, Cola Novels is your most loyal reading companion. The pure aura entering the body is like sweet rain nourishing the meridians, subtly affecting the body's water element.

How strange...

Upon hearing this, Princess Wansheng's eyebrows furrowed, a chill flashed in her eyes, and her lips parted slightly, as if she were about to rebuke the arrogant dragon prince.

She was furious. It was already a rare treat that Xuan Ling had come today. How could she allow such a fool to humiliate her like this?

Chen Jiao, standing to the side, slightly raised his hand, his black sleeves fluttering like clouds, just enough to block her way.

Princess Wansheng felt a gentle breeze wafting over her and couldn't help but look to the side.

Chen Jiao's expression remained unchanged, his gaze calmly fixed on the dragon prince who had spoken.

Instead of being annoyed, he nodded slightly and spoke in a gentle tone:

"Young friend, you have a good eye."

It sounded like he was genuinely praising a younger person.

Upon hearing this, the arrogance on the blue-robed dragon prince's face instantly froze, then turned bright red, and then ashen. His lips trembled, but he couldn't utter a single word.

The princes and grandsons beside him all lowered their heads, wishing they could bury their heads in their collars.

Several suppressed snickers could be heard from the surrounding guests, and some of the female cultivators from the Water Mansion covered their heads with their sleeves, their shoulders trembling slightly.

Several young masters from the Water Mansion who were familiar with Bibo Pool shook their heads and chuckled inwardly.

This Flood Dragon King is truly formidable.

With a single, casual remark, he put the usually arrogant prince in an awkward position.

A person's authority is evident without being spoken, and their anger dissipates without being provoked.

What is the identity of the Flood Dragon Demon King?

That was a Nascent Soul Great Demon Lord who was on par with his father, the Ten Thousand Saints Old Dragon King!

It is utterly disrespectful for a mere junior from the Dragon Palace to dare to spout such nonsense here.

Now, being shut down by a simple "praise" has made him lose even more face.

Now, being shut down by a simple "praise" has made him lose even more face.

The blue-robed dragon prince stood frozen in place, caught in a dilemma.

He secretly resented this fellow for being a wild demon cultivator who only relied on his status and strength, and for bullying the dragon too much!

But he dared not say another word.

Even if a Nascent Soul Great Demon Lord were to mock him or punish him on the spot, his father would certainly not stand up for him.

Upon seeing this, Princess Wansheng's anger turned into a faint sneer, and the corners of her lips curved slightly.

Chen Jiao stopped looking at him and instead handed the jade box in his hand to Princess Wansheng.

The princess took the cold jade box. It was cool to the touch, and a faint, ethereal energy seemed to seep into her hand through the jade.

She pursed her lips, raised her eyes to look at Chen Jiao, and with a flicker of her gaze, her lips remained unspoken, her voice barely audible as she secretly transmitted her thoughts:

"Fellow Daoist Xuanling... if you need any resources for your daily cultivation, I have some saved up in my private treasury."

We've known each other for a long time, so there's no need to stand on ceremony. Consider it a loan from a friend, and you can repay it later at your leisure.

As she spoke, her wide sleeves drooped slightly, and a simple, antique-looking jade pendant with a hidden dragon pattern slid out from her sleeve.

She lifted her fingertips slightly, as if to hand it over.

The surrounding guests only saw the princess accept the congratulatory gift and exchange glances with the dragon king for a moment, unaware that in that brief moment, a silent exchange had taken place.

Upon hearing this, Chen Jiao felt a little helpless. He paused for a moment on her face and shook his head slightly.

"I appreciate the princess's kind intentions."

With a slight lift of his hand, his sleeve brushed past as if unintentionally.

He subtly pushed the jade talisman that had been handed to him back.

Princess Wansheng felt a warm sensation where his fingertips brushed against her wrist, like a gentle ripple on a still pond, and her heart skipped a beat.

She took back the jade talisman and tucked it into her sleeve, as if she could still feel the fleeting touch.

The slight disappointment caused by his refusal was instantly dispelled by a secret joy.

She lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes concealing the expression in them, and simply tightened her grip on the jade box in her arms, giving a soft reply:

"I was overthinking it."

Suddenly, the soft tinkling of jade pendants could be heard from inside the palace.