I have Immortality In The Cultivation World

Chapter 206: Chapter 199: The Human Kunlun

xianjing.

shangyang palace.

early morning court session.

three shouts of "long live the emperor".

emperor tai shi's eyes were bloodshot, and his gaze swept over the ministers in the hall, his presence erupting like a volcano.

"more than thirty years have passed, yet kunlun mountain has not been found. what use do i have for you all?"

"your servants deserve death!"

the officials knelt and did not rise, feeling as if a mountainous pressure was bearing down on them, trembling uncontrollably.

emperor tai shi had sought spiritual objects from buddhism and taoism to refine into immortal pills which he consumed, and his regular imperial meals consisted of soups brewed from century-old ginseng and fleeceflower roots, amassing the essence of cloud continent. it took him merely a decade to condense a blood pill.

with a wave of his hand, the wind stirred, and his bellowing voice was like thunder.

"those who err my path to everlasting life, even dying ten thousand times would not suffice!"

emperor tai shi's eyes turned to one of the individuals, his expression easing slightly, "liu aiqing, how is the compilation of the cultivation novels progressing?"

"i have gathered all colleagues from the hanlin academy to burn the midnight oil and write twelve new volumes, all of which are masterpieces. they will be sent to kunlun palace after court disperses."

hanlin liu flattered, "the new volumes are the work of great effort. i guarantee their quality with my own head, your majesty will surely be satisfied!"

"very good."

upon hearing this, emperor tai shi felt the intense flame in his heart slightly extinguished, "all my loved officials, rise."

the officials had barely stood up when an imperial censor stepped forward to speak.

"your majesty, i have to report that hanlin liu yi, in the course of compiling novels, has embezzled and filled his own coffers with 137,000 taels of silver, the evidence of which has been substantiated."

liu yi's face turned pale. with little backing, he had been promoted solely due to his knack for writing novels and was puzzling over how to defend himself.

"such a matter exists, but i cannot listen and believe only one side. let the imperial bodyguard thoroughly investigate this case."

emperor tai shi covered up the matter with a single statement and waved his hand to prevent the imperial censor from speaking further, his gaze turning to daoist xu, "daoist xu, have you made any progress in alchemy recently?"

"reporting to your majesty, the supply of spiritual medicine has been cut off for several months, and with no herb, it is difficult to make a stew!"

before daoist xu could finish speaking, he sensed an icy killing intent swirling around him and hastily recited his prepared defense, "i am agonized that i cannot refine pills for your majesty and burn with impatience. after scouring the classics, i have finally found a clue."

emperor tai shi nodded slightly, "speak."

"from the annals, i have learned that there is an immortal island in the sea."

daoist xu stated, "i am willing to lead the naval forces and voyage into the deep sea. there are countless immortal islands in the eastern sea, and i am certain i can find spiritual medicine to refine life-extending spirit pills!"

"granted."

emperor tai shi did not trust daoist xu, but since he knew from kunlun mountain's scripture pavilion that the former site of greenwave pond's earth fire palace originated from the eastern sea, he ordered, "command the naval forces to build a hundred large ships and take three divisions into the eastern sea to seek spiritual medicine!"

the minister of revenue stepped forward to advise, "this will exhaust the people and drain the treasury, your majesty, please think thrice!"

"i have been restless and have thought it over countless times, not just thrice," emperor tai shi said somberly, "there truly is a kunlun, and i am a disciple of kunlun. i wish to cultivate immortality, i want everlasting life!"

when he left kunlun mountain, emperor tai shi did not hesitate, believing that the power and dominance of the throne were more attractive. however, as he grew older and death loomed closer, nothing in the world compared to the desire for the immortality of the daoist path.

the officials in the hall had varying expressions upon hearing this.

liu yi and daoist xu, having just escaped death, quickly agreed, "your majesty has great fortune and is destined for everlasting immortality!"

the loyal subjects who remained knelt down and advised, "your majesty, the pursuit of immortality is but an illusion, please do not fall prey to sycophants!"

the crown prince observing the proceedings bowed his head and dared not speak. he wanted to give counsel but feared to do so, with only one thought in his mind.

my father has gone mad!

this thought was shared by everyone, whether they were loyal officials or treacherous ones. all believed that emperor tai shi's obsession with eternal life had driven him to a state of madness. what kunlun mountain, what immortal cultivation—were they not all delusions of a maddened emperor?

the more the two talked, the more they hit it off, combining what they knew about mount kunlun and the immortal to gain a clearer understanding.

it wasn't until emperor tai shi spoke about the scripture pavilion of mount kunlun and the life of xuan xiao did he learn that the two religions of buddhism and taoism slandered the daojun.

"i promised the immortal that i would clear the daojun's name. now there is not a single false scripture left in cloud continent. qing kingdom just needs to continue prospering for another three to five hundred years, and the daojun will be exonerated, becoming a revered patriarch of the way," he declared.

"xuan xiao daojun was actually slandered by the demon head..."

lin fan was no longer a naíve man of the jianghu. after leaving the mountains and attracting the attention of sword casting hall, to protect his sister's family from being bullied, he single-handedly defeated all the experts of spirit sword city with his sword.

now he realized that the formidable master of sword casting hall was only at the realm of condensed aperture.

how could an ordinary person at the realm of condensed aperture compare to lin fan? naturally gifted with the physique for swordsmanship, strong in qi-blood after consuming spirit rice, and having inherited celestial sword techniques, he defeated the master with just three strikes.

after the misunderstandings were cleared up, lin fan became the sword saint of spirit sword city. naturally, while perusing the books in sword casting hall, he came across the story of xuan xiao.

"senior brother, i know what i need to do now!" lin fan said.

"hmm?"

emperor tai shi, with his lucid understanding, said, "do you need my help? qingzhou is a tiny state; ten thousand of daqing's cavalry could annihilate it!"

lin fan shook his head and replied, "such slaughter would be excessive. qingzhou venerates the way of the sword, so i shall surpass everyone with my sword and then reveal the truth."

emperor tai shi pondered for a moment and earnestly advised,

"little brother, if the immortal seeks you out again, please say some kind words for your senior brother. when i re-enter mount kunlun and step onto the path of everlasting immortality, i will not forget this great kindness."

lin fan furrowed his brows. ever since he arrived in qing kingdom, he kept hearing the people say that the emperor had gone mad.

"little brother, i'm not mad," emperor tai shi said. he needed someone of his kind to understand him: "you know, there really is a mount kunlun!"

lin fan, feeling helpless, nodded and agreed.

"if fate allows me to see the immortal again, i will surely pass on the message for senior brother."

...

ten thousand mountains.

greenwave pond.

zhou yi held the taoist scriptures in hand, leisurely fishing by the lakeside.

suddenly,

the old man from jin jing landed beside him. the two of them had been getting along quite well for half a year.

one farming and fishing, the other fishing and reciting scriptures.

"in a few days, it will be golden god's birthday. moyun city is holding a totem worship celebration, and this old man has to go back and preside. would master zhu be interested in attending the ceremony?"

jin jing held great respect for zhu gang. he considered himself a top martial artist in the world and sought opportunities to test the waters, but the other party easily resolved them all, making it impossible to discern his depth.

"the golden god's birthday?" zhou yi was slightly startled. he had nearly forgotten his own birthday, and a quick calculation with his fingers revealed its origin—likely the day when he first arrived at mo cloud cave.

"nothing better to do, and since i can't find any trace of the true dragon, i might as well join the excitement," he said.

"at this rate, who knows how many years or decades it will be?" jin jing said, laughing. "those fish aren't legendary fish monsters. they have a simple intelligence and don't know how to repay kindness."

"well, that's uncertain," said zhou yi, who had fished upon obtaining a favorable divination earlier that day, indicating good luck.

before the words faded,

bubbles burst forth on the water surface, and a large, five- or six-foot-long blue fish emerged halfway from the lake, spitting out a round dark shadow at zhou yi.

zhou yi reached out his hand, drew the object toward him, and discovered it was a black pearl the size of a pigeon's egg, perfectly round and flawless. to ordinary people, it was already worth a fortune.

jin jing was stunned, scratching his head like a child, eager to ask about this mysterious animal training method. with just one grain of rice, he had induced the blue fish to spit out a pearl in gratitude.

"what a pity, this is not what i sought after," zhou yi said, using his mana to meticulously investigate the pearl, which bore no traces of formations and had nothing to do with the dragon palace of old.

"it's been less than a year anyway. no hurry!"