Chapter 10: Swallowing the Immortal Pill

Jiang Wang was quite curious about the effects of the worthless pills. Saying they were useless would be an exaggeration, but to claim they had great utility was equally untrue. For Jiang Wang, who had reached the Celestial Immortal realm, these pills offered only a slight, almost negligible aid in cultivation. As for mortals... ever since his transmigration, Jiang Wang hadn’t encountered any. Consequently, he usually discarded or incinerated any worthless pills he refined. Keeping them for personal use was out of the question. After ascending to the immortal status, what mattered most was the purity of one’s cultivation—purity of celestial spiritual energy, purity of the heart devoted to the Dao, and so forth. Any disruption to this delicate balance would complicate the path of cultivation ahead. Jiang Wang had only recently entered the Celestial Immortal realm; if he frequently used these worthless pills now, the impurities within them could affect his future cultivation. Therefore, he had to prudently dispose of them, even if it meant wasting considerable materials.

Within the Heavenly Court, though immortal herbs and spiritual liquids were abundant, they belonged to the Great Immortals. The heavenly soldiers and generals were usually assigned to specific large herb gardens and a single spiritual spring, depending on their affiliations. Access to the herbs and spring water was restricted, contingent on contribution points and the closeness of one’s relationship with their commanding general. Fortunately for Jiang Wang, his assigned general was Zhao Gongming! This Zhao Gongming was the very same figure from the Investiture of the Gods era—a disciple of the Jie sect, eldest brother of the Three Celestial Maidens, immensely powerful, ultimately slain by Lu Ya, enshrined on the Investiture List, and now a principal deity of the Heavenly Court. The heavenly soldiers under Zhao Gongming were mostly power-seekers, with very few choosing pillcraft as a supplementary immortal art. Moreover, Zhao Gongming held multiple roles—commander of the Underworld’s Thunder Division, one of the Five Plague Gods, and the official God of Wealth overseeing worldly fortunes—leaving him perpetually busy. Hence, he was not overly strict with his troops, so long as they did not violate Heavenly Court regulations. For instance, picking herbs from the gardens was allowed with prior notice, as long as the quantities were modest; after all, letting the herbs go unused was wasteful. The soldier guarding the herb garden even encouraged Jiang Wang to gather more, hoping to befriend him so that when Jiang Wang mastered pillcraft, he might refine some immortal pills for him.

Jiang Wang had no objections. Thus, whenever he had free time, he went to the herb garden to collect herbs and then proceeded to pill refinement. Through this repeated practice, he had taken a small step forward in the art of alchemy. What he lacked was a good teacher or superior immortal pillcraft techniques. A teacher was out of the question. The Heavenly Court was filled with many gods, but only a handful excelled in pillcraft, and even fewer were willing to teach others. Jiang Wang was merely a South Heavenly Gate guard—a mere gatekeeper—hardly someone who could establish connections with these deities. This was also one reason why he was eager to obtain spirit stones; with spirit stones, he could activate the Fate Jade Disc to simulate cultivation methods.

Jiang Wang’s gaze fixed on the girl in the video. She glanced at the dark, worthless pill but did not frown; she swallowed it outright. Jiang Wang was not surprised by her action. Nearby lurked a fierce magical beast, as easily appeased as one eating spicy strips; encountering a lifesaving "immortal pill," she couldn’t afford to be picky, even if its appearance was unappealing or didn’t resemble an immortal pill at all. “I hope she’s alright,” Jiang Wang murmured, silently mourning the unfortunate transmigrator, then turned off the video.

At that moment, someone arrived outside the South Heavenly Gate! As the main entrance to the Heavenly Court, although other paths could lead inside, anyone still regarded the Heavenly Court as the Heavenly Court and the Jade Emperor as the sovereign of the Six Realms, would inevitably pass through the South Heavenly Gate. Entering by other means meant the Heavenly Court could not guarantee the visitor’s safety. The Jade Emperor was merciful enough to imprison trespassers, but others, like the Gou Chen Emperor, would likely order immediate execution without warning if someone intruded into their domain without permission.

“Hm?” Jiang Wang was momentarily stunned as he looked at the newcomer outside the gate. It was no human. It was a dragon. A heavenly general armed with a spear stepped forward and sternly questioned, “East Sea Dragon King, why have you come to the Heavenly Court without notifying the Great Emperor?”

The heavenly general’s tone was imposing, while the East Sea Dragon King’s demeanor was humble. The old dragon bent his body and bowed toward the Lingxiao Palace in the heavenly realm, then slowly explained, “Reporting, there are demonic dragons and eight mountain barbarians causing chaos in the East Sea. This old dragon is aged and weak; I have come to the Heavenly Court to seek the Great Emperor’s judgment.”

Jiang Wang raised his eyebrows in surprise. Since the great catastrophe involving dragons and phoenixes, the dragon clan’s strength had diminished drastically! The Four Sea Dragon Kings held only the titles of rulers of the four seas, but none of the actual authority. Even to summon rain required the Great Emperor’s approval, lest they violate heavenly decrees and be sent to the Dragon Execution Platform. Since the Investiture of the Gods, numerous dragon kings had been executed for violating Heavenly Court rules. Yet, was the East Sea Dragon King excessively humble? Jiang Wang had learned much about this world since his transmigration. Though the dragon kings were not as mighty as during the great calamity, they were still powerful. The East Sea Dragon King was a Golden Immortal, while the other three were Xuan Immortals. Rumor had it that the East Sea Dragon King was but a step away from ascending to the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm.

Regardless, their power far exceeded Jiang Wang’s—vastly so. Yet, despite their strength, they still bowed and humbled themselves before the Heavenly Court. For a moment, Jiang Wang even felt that guarding the Heavenly Court’s gate wasn’t so bad; at least under normal circumstances, it wasn’t overly dangerous.

After the old dragon’s report outside the South Heavenly Gate, the heavenly general promptly responded, “East Sea Dragon King, please wait outside the gate. I have already sent word to the Great Emperor. Await his reply.”

“Yes, this old dragon will wait here,” the dragon replied.

After some time, an elderly man with a graying beard and a golden star above his head rushed from the Upper Nine Realms with the speed of lightning. “How dare the East Sea Dragon King enter Heaven without allowing the old dragon to pay respects to the Great Emperor?” he reprimanded the heavenly general as he approached on a cloud.

Jiang Wang clearly saw the general’s face turn green instantly. The general hurriedly apologized to the old dragon, who showed no anger, merely saying, “The general is merely performing his duty. This old dragon can wait patiently.” The general lowered his head, unwilling to meet the old dragon’s gaze.

The immortal who had descended from the Upper Nine Heavens greeted the old dragon warmly, “Ah, Old Dragon King, long time no see! I have missed you terribly.”

“Indeed, indeed. Tai Bai Jinxing, when will you have time to join me in the East Sea for a few cups of strong wine?” The old dragon and the newcomer chatted and laughed amiably.

So this elder immortal was Tai Bai Jinxing—the golden star above his head was quite fitting, Jiang Wang thought. Just then, a series of notification sounds rang in his ears. Someone was seeking him in the dimensional chat group.