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

The clam maiden and koi standing on either side suddenly lowered their heads and knelt down, gracefully bowing in worship.

A series of deep, heavy footsteps approached from behind the beaded curtain, accompanied by the faint sound of a dragon's roar, causing the surrounding pool water to ripple slightly.

But then the beaded curtain in the inner hall fluttered open slightly.

An old man dressed in a dark blue dragon robe, with jade horns on his head, walked with a swift and powerful gait, and there was a hint of thunder between his brows.

It was none other than the host of this birthday banquet—the Dragon King of Ten Thousand Saints.

The usually dignified and smiling old Dragon King now had a somber expression, with a glint of light flashing in his eyes as he opened and closed, exuding an imposing aura without anger.

Beside the Dragon King was an old man with a profound aura and blue eyes; he was a Nascent Soul Flood Dragon.

This dragon spirit was originally an invited guest, but now it stared intently at Chen Jiao, as if trying to see what kind of demeanor this famous dragon demon king was.

Just as the Dragon King of Ten Thousand Saints was talking with several fellow Daoists in the inner hall, his trusted little demon subordinates came to report that they had learned of the commotion at the palace gates.

Knowing that his good-for-nothing son dared to speak disrespectfully to Jiao Jun Xuan Ling, he was already furious.

The Dragon King's gaze was like lightning, instantly fixing on the blue-robed dragon prince who stood frozen in place.

The anger in his eyes pressed down as if it were a physical force, causing the dragon prince to turn pale and stagger back half a step, almost falling to the ground.

"evil creature!"

The Dragon King's voice was like muffled thunder, causing the glazed tiles of the Crystal Palace to rattle and tremble.

"Fellow Daoist Xuanling is my honored guest; how dare you act so presumptuously here!"

Before the dragon prince could explain, he flicked his sleeve, and an invisible, immense force pressed down heavily!

The dragon prince was struck as if by a heavy blow. He groaned and knelt on the ground. His demonic power instantly dissipated, and he was forced to reveal half of his dragon tail, which writhed painfully on the jade brick.

The Dragon King didn't even glance at his worthless descendant. Turning to face Chen Jiao, his anger had turned to apology. He bowed deeply and said:

"The child is ignorant, arrogant and disorderly, and has offended fellow Daoists."

I, too, have failed in my duty to raise my son; I am truly ashamed!

His voice was somber, and his posture was extremely humble.

Chen Jiao's black robes twitched slightly as he stepped aside to avoid the courtesy, and he said calmly:

"Your Majesty is too kind. These are merely the words of a child; how could I possibly take them to heart?"

His tone was calm, revealing no emotion.

Upon hearing this, the Dragon King's expression softened slightly, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He then glared at the kneeling dragon prince and growled:

"Why haven't you apologized to Fellow Daoist Xuan Ling yet!"

The dragon princes were already terrified. The old dragon king had always spoiled them, and had never shown such fury before.

The dragon prince trembled violently, prostrating himself on the ground, all traces of arrogance gone, and said in a trembling voice:

"This junior was ignorant and arrogant, spoke recklessly, and offended my seniors. I deserve to die a thousand deaths..."

His voice was hoarse, and his forehead slammed heavily against the floor tiles, making a dull thud.

Chen Jiao stood still, accepting the kneeling bow, which was considered a way out for the Dragon King of Ten Thousand Saints, before calmly saying:

"The child is unruly; the Dragon King need not be too harsh on him."

Upon hearing this, the Dragon King of Ten Thousand Saints knew that he was not truly angry, but punishment was still necessary.

He immediately shouted sternly at the dragon prince:

"Since Fellow Daoist Xuanling is so lenient, your wickedness may be spared the death penalty, but you will not be spared any punishment!"

Go and reflect on your actions in seclusion. For the next hundred years, you are forbidden from stepping out of here! If you do not repent, you will not be spared!

The dragon prince froze, kowtowing repeatedly, before being lifted up by two crab generals and dragged away from the palace in a disheveled state.

Seeing Chen Jiao's calm expression, the Dragon King of Ten Thousand Saints knew that the matter was over, so he took the opportunity to ease the atmosphere and laughed loudly:

"Fellow Daoist Xuanling has come all the way from the Eastern Continent to celebrate my birthday. This sentiment is more profound than a thousand mountains."

Regardless of the size of the gift, I am already deeply grateful.

His words were sincere and his posture extremely humble, fulfilling both the proper etiquette and giving Chen Jiao ample face.

The tense atmosphere immediately eased, and all the guests smiled and agreed.

However, Chen Jiao remained calm upon hearing this.

He didn't respond to the attempt to smooth things over, but calmly took the cold jade box back from Princess Wansheng's hand.

With a light touch of his fingertips on the box, Chen Jiao looked at the Dragon King of Ten Thousand Saints, his tone calm and unwavering:

"I am here to celebrate the Dragon King's birthday, how could I bring ordinary gifts, relying solely on this gesture of friendship after such a long journey?"

Before he finished speaking, he gently pressed his thumb on the hidden clasp of the jade box.

The box lid is opened, and the blue lotus reappears.

At first glance, it looks no different from an ordinary evergreen lotus.

However, Chen Jiao flicked his finger, and a wisp of water elemental power quietly flowed into the lotus heart.

In an instant, a gentle, clear light flowed out from the box.

Upon closer inspection, the moonlight was actually divided into eight colors.

Red like flames, blue like washed water, gold like radiance, purple like rosy clouds... eight colors of water shimmered and flowed in succession, surrounding a lush and verdant lotus flower in the box.

A glimmer of light flickered at the heart of the lotus, and under the reflection of the eight-colored water, the surrounding pool was tinged with a hazy and beautiful glow.

The hall was filled with the brilliance of jewels, yet all paled in comparison to this extraordinary sight.

The palace, which had been filled with whispers, suddenly fell silent.

All eyes were drawn to the strange phenomenon inside the jade box.

Even the well-informed Dragon King Wansheng's smile froze slightly, and a look of surprise flashed in his eyes.

"Moonlight water, azure spring, twilight stream, jade pot nectar... this, this has eight colors of water radiance!"

Each time a monk called out a name, a murmur of exclamation arose from the audience.

Even the Dragon King of Ten Thousand Saints paused in mid-air, his hand stroking his beard, and his eyes flashed with a sharp light.

After the names of the eight colors have been fully explained, silence returns.

The guests were no ordinary people; how could they not know?

Although these eight types of aquatic flowers are not rare and precious treasures, many aquatic cultivators present could gather any one of them individually.

The goal is to harmonize and balance the eight different types of aquatic essences—some yin, some yang, some warm, some strong—without repulsion or conflict, perfectly condensing them into a single thousand-year-old blue lotus.

To make them coexist and prosper, transforming them into this [Eight Treasures Dew Evergreen Lotus]... Such a method can only be called the work of creation!

Let alone Golden Core cultivators, even the Nascent Soul stage experts would never possess such exquisite control and profound understanding of the essence of water.

This is no longer a simple accumulation of spiritual objects, but a great supernatural power that turns stone into gold!

Chen Jiao glanced at the astonished faces of the crowd, his expression remaining calm.

For him, collecting and blending the eight-colored water essence was merely a matter of spending some time and effort to comprehend the wonders of water elemental transformation; it was indeed not particularly precious.

However, for the aquatic cultivators of this place, this item is priceless.

Eight lotus flowers bloom together, their essence harmonious and unified.

Regardless of the type of water-based cultivation method practiced, one can comprehend the changes in water element contained within it, which is of immeasurable benefit for breaking through bottlenecks and consolidating one's foundation.

The Dragon King of Ten Thousand Saints took a deep breath, and the water in the pool rippled slightly.

His gaze toward Chen Jiao was completely different now; the subtle emotions he had felt earlier because of the Thousand-Year Evergreen Lotus had long since vanished.

Instead, I felt a deep sense of awe and gratitude.

The other guests in the hall were even more dazzled, and some old demons who had been stuck at their bottleneck for many years were breathing rapidly.

The Dragon King of Halloween disregarded all decorum and hurriedly stepped forward.

Carefully taking the cold jade box from Chen Jiao's hand, his fingertips trembled slightly when they touched the box.

"Fellow Daoist Xuanling!"

The Dragon King's voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement:

"This old man...this old man is blind! He did not recognize such a generous gift from you, fellow Daoist! This item...this item is far too precious!"

As he spoke, he gripped the jade box tightly in his hand, as if afraid someone would snatch it away, and quickly tucked it into his wide sleeves.

Although the eight-colored water light was concealed by his sleeves, the old dragon's aura could not be suppressed and rippled slightly, showing that he was extremely excited.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to remain calm, and when he looked at Chen Jiao again, his face was filled with unprecedented eagerness and respect. He stepped aside to make way and bowed to invite him:

"Fellow Daoist, please come in! Please come into the inner hall and take a seat of honor!"

Today, as I celebrate my birthday, I am deeply honored by the generous gifts from my fellow Daoist friends!

This action was not seen as laughable by the surrounding guests.

The scene of eight colors of water shining brightly together is still vivid in my mind. The true meaning of water element and the refining method contained therein have far exceeded the scope of ordinary treasures.

Not to mention the Dragon King of Ten Thousand Saints, even the other Nascent Soul True Immortals looked at Chen Jiao with completely different eyes at this moment.