Chapter 35: The Eight Divisions of the Heavenly Court, the Most Formidable Ministry of Thunder

There was a touch of nobility hidden within that allure.

Although this was his first time crafting Tushan Fox Pills, the quality of the elixir was exceptional. Jiang Wang channeled his divine power, causing the immortal pill to hover in mid-air. After observing it carefully from all angles, he nodded with satisfaction. Truth be told, in terms of quality, this pill was nearly flawless.

The only slight drawback was the materials. After all, it was merely an immortal pill refined from the most common immortal herbs mixed with a tiny drop of Tushan fox blood. To have achieved such potency with these ingredients was already quite remarkable.

"Not bad. The Creation Jade Disc is indeed an ancient divine treasure; the alchemy methods it deduced are highly compatible with my own."

"The quality of this batch is very high. I hadn't expected that a mere drop of Tushan fox blood could refine four pills. I wonder to what extent this medicine will be able to enhance Hu Liena's Martial Soul."

Jiang Wang stored the immortal pill within his magical artifact. Hu Liena had yet to transfer the ten spirit stones, so he could not give her the pill just yet. He hoped she would hurry; the chat group's store appeared to be on the verge of closing. Furthermore, Jiang Wang did not believe Hu Liena could, like him, consistently earn one hundred points every time she checked in. He was an immortal, bolstered by the Creation Jade Disc, which made his ability to earn a hundred points understandable—but what did Hu Liena have to achieve such a feat? Thus, he believed her streak of luck could not last long.

Speaking of points, Jiang Wang actually had many ideas, but he had been unable to implement them. So far, the chat group provided no way to earn points other than checking in. This struck Jiang Wang as odd. It was unlikely that the Dimensional Chat Group would simply hand out points to members for free, allowing them to splurge in the store. That would essentially be encouraging the members to exploit the system. Jiang Wang did not believe the chat group existed merely for chatting and freebies; it must have other purposes, though they had yet to be revealed.

For the next few days, Jiang Wang had no time to idle in the chat group. The Heavenly Court was preparing to interrogate the Dragon Maiden Yancai, and as for the specifics of the trial... Jiang Wang was not entirely sure. Because he was the heavenly soldier who had captured the Dragon Maiden, he had been granted special permission to observe the proceedings. Due to his status as an auditor, he had no time to engage in the chat group. It wasn't that he particularly cared about the interrogation of the Dragon Maiden.

The Dragon Maiden Yancai was merely a passing acquaintance, someone he knew only by sight. There was no reason for him to concern himself with her fate. The primary reason he did not lurk in the chat group was the status of the presiding officials and other observers at the trial. For reasons unknown, the presiding official for the interrogation of Yancai was the Great Heavenly Venerable himself. The observers included the Grand Supreme Elder, the Heavenly Enforcer, and a host of other great deities.

How lofty was the status of the Great Heavenly Venerable? He transcended the six realms and was the veritable sovereign of all six. As for the Grand Supreme Elder and the Heavenly Enforcer, they were the absolute elite of the Heavenly Court. In terms of status, Jiang Wang could not hope to catch up to these great deities even if he were to ride a horse; after all, he was merely a heavenly soldier. In terms of power, it went without saying. Therefore, as an observer, Jiang Wang could not afford to make any strange movements. If any of those great deities were to notice something amiss, he would be unable to clear his name even if he jumped into the Yellow River.

Thus, Jiang Wang remained silent throughout the entire trial, never uttering a word nor making a single suspicious move. Finally, when the sun star cast its brilliance upon the mortal realm for the fifth time, the interrogation of the Dragon Maiden Yancai concluded. Regarding her, the Great Heavenly Venerable’s judgment was to have her serve as a Rain Goddess in the Heavenly Court, bringing rain to the mortal world for five hundred years without a moment of negligence, or else face harsher punishment.

To this verdict, Jiang Wang could only say it was essentially no punishment at all. The dragon race was naturally gifted at stirring up wind and rain; they already held official posts in the Ministry of Thunder in the Heavenly Court. Speaking of the Ministry of Thunder, that was actually the department Jiang Wang most wished to be promoted to!

The Ministry of Thunder was, without question, the most powerful of the eight ministries of the Heavenly Court. It not only governed the weather—wind, rain, clouds, and thunder—but also held the authority to supervise the three realms and judge good and evil. Whether they were immortals, demons, monsters, or Buddhas, all who violated heavenly laws or committed grave sins could not escape the heavenly thunder punishment of the Ministry of Thunder.

While there might be some exaggeration in that claim, generally speaking, the Ministry of Thunder was indeed the strongest in the Heavenly Court; it could be said to be the law enforcer of the six realms. The leader of the ministry was the Nine Heavens Responding Thunder Universal Transformation Heavenly Venerable, an incarnation of the Antarctic Immortal Emperor—a disciple of the Primordial Heavenly Venerable—and the strongest thunder god since the great god of Leize. Under his jurisdiction were the Eight Emperors of the Divine Firmament, the Five Directional Thunder Kings, the Thirty-Six Thunder Lords, the Twenty-Four Heavenly Guardians of Clouds and Rain, the Wind Masters, and the Rain Masters... a host of formidable deities whose combined strength was off the charts.

As for the other seven ministries—the Ministry of Stars, the Ministry of Fire, the Ministry of Water, the Ministry of Wealth, the Ministry of Pestilence, the Ministry of Smallpox, and the Ministry of Taisui—aside from the vast influence of the Ministry of Stars, only the Ministry of Wealth held a high status. There was no other reason for this than the fact that the head of the Ministry of Wealth was Jiang Wang’s own negligent superior, Zhao Gongming. Since Zhao Gongming also held an official post as a righteous god in the Ministry of Thunder, the high status of the Ministry of Wealth was essentially tied to it.

In any case, the Great Heavenly Venerable’s judgment on Yancai was practically non-existent. It felt more like a reward. How many heavenly soldiers and generals had broken their heads trying to join the Ministry of Thunder without ever getting the chance? Jiang Wang was puzzled by this, but he harbored no other thoughts.

After the interrogation ended, he quickly returned to his own palace. Being surrounded by so many great deities was an unsettling feeling; he always felt as if he were being watched. Back in his quarters, Jiang Wang sat cross-legged on a prayer mat, silently reciting immortal incantations to calm his agitated heart.

After a long while, Jiang Wang opened his eyes and nodded with satisfaction. Perhaps it was the immense pressure exerted by those great deities, but in just five days, his cultivation level had seen a significant improvement, and his foundation had become much more solid. At that moment, someone seemed to be calling to him from the chat group. He sank his consciousness into it.

"Martial Soul Hall's Golden Generation: @Guard of the Southern Heaven Gate, My Lord Immortal, I have transferred the tenth spirit stone to you."

Within the Martial Soul Hall, Hu Liena felt anxious and uneasy. She did not know if it was right to rashly trust an entity from another world. But at first, she had been unaware of the wonders of points, and after exchanging the first spirit stone with that immortal, she found she could not stop.

"I hope the Immortal Lord is not deceiving me." Thinking of the alchemy process she had witnessed earlier, Hu Liena could not help but clench her small fists.

Jiang Wang’s consciousness entered the Dimensional Chat Group. Seeing Hu Liena's message, he smiled slightly. Without saying a word, he sent a red packet directly to her.

[Ding! A highly valuable item has been detected within the red packet! A transfer fee of ten points is required! Would you like to pay?]

Jiang Wang was stunned. When the other members had transferred spirit stones to him, there had been no mention of a "transfer fee." Could it be... that when the value exceeded a certain limit, the chat group began to charge fees?