Sovereign of the Three Realms

As king of Bluesky Nation, Li Chunyu naturally didn’t lack perception or wits. Taiyuan Tower and Sacred Peafowl Mountain might seem closely related, but their differences couldn’t be bigger. They’d asked for an apprenticeship for Li Mai at Taiyuan Tower, but young lord Zhen promised that the Sacred Peafowl Mountain would train the prince into a pill dao extraordinaire instead.

Young lord Zhen was expressing his fullest sincerity in offering to develop Li Mai’s talents using Sacred Peafowl Mountain’s resources, instead of abandoning the crown prince at Taiyuan Tower. Taiyuan Tower was very excellent, but it was merely a pill shop in the end. Even though young lord Zhen was closely associated with the shop, it’d been a while since he even set foot in its premises.

Being invited to Sacred Peafowl Mountain was a completely different ballgame. Li Mai would receive personal pointers from young lord Zhen and be taught by the young lord’s true disciples! The royal duo were very aware who the young lord’s true disciples were. Pill King Bu and Pill King Lu Feng were some of the best ninth rank pill kings in Veluriyam Capital. The young Lin Yanyu was rumored to be an extremely talented pill dao genius as well. Li Mai would never be mediocre if he could learn from these elites. 

“Young lord Zhen, the kindness you’ve shown to us is undeserved. The Li clan of Bluesky Nation swears completely allegiance and fealty to you. Emperor Peafowl raised me into my power, and now you’ve done the same for my son. Even if our bones are ground into dust, the Li Clan solemnly swears to repay this debt of gratitude!”

This was a proclamation of his allegiance to Jiang Chen. The Bluesky Nation was ranked top three amongst Veluriyam Capital’s thirteen nations. Guarding the capital’s borders, they were one of the most influential nations.

Emperor Void broke his silence with a laugh. “Brother Chunyu, I knew that Daoist Peafowl helped you into power. You’ve done well over the years. My brother’s efforts hadn’t been in vain.”

Li Chunyu naturally recognized Emperor Void. “I’m ashamed. There’s plenty I have to improve on.”

Emperor Coiling Dragon laughed. “Us old fools no longer have any pointers to give, but the things Prince Li Mai can learn from young lord Zhen will be useful for the rest of his life. I’m not exaggerating one bit. To be frank, the reason I’m still alive and well today is all thanks to the young lord.”

When Emperor Coiling Dragon was still a great clan lord, he’d exhausted his lifespan and was on the verge of death. Many speculated that the Coiling Dragon Clan’s days were numbered.  Even the emperor himself had lost hope and had begun to pave the way for the clan’s future generations. 

However, young lord Zhen’s sudden appearance had changed his fate forever. Thus, his loyalty to the Sacred Peafowl Mountain and Jiang Chen was unrivalled. He hadn’t told a single soul about the incident, but he could no longer contain the impulse anymore.

The crowd stared at him curiously, to which he responded by giving Jiang Chen a cupped fist salute. 

“Young lord Zhen, there are some matters which you’ve ordered me not to disclose, but I believe there’s no longer a need to hide it. Everyone, my lifespan once neared its end and I was on the verge of cultivation dissipation. However, young lord Zhen suddenly appeared out of nowhere and extended my life by a few more years with a secret art. After some fortuitous encounters, I finally obtained some exotic spirit herbs and treasures that further extended my lifespan and gave me a chance to break through the great emperor realm. The young lord gave me a new lease in life. Without him, I’d be a bag of buried bones right now and wouldn’t be here talking to all of you.”

It was the first time Emperor Void had heard of this as well.

“Daoist Coiling Dragon, I hadn’t known.” Emperor Void was extremely flabbergasted. “Does young lord Zhen truly possess a lifespan extending art?”

Jiang Chen laughed. “It was a secret art that I received during a fortuitous encounter. It can only extend one’s life by a few years. Didn’t you hear what Emperor Coiling Dragon said? His lifespan was only further extended due to exotic spirit herbs and treasures.”

He was wondering if he should tell everyone about the Pinecrane Pill. There wasn’t much of a reason to keep it a secret any longer. In fact, revealing it to everyone might even benefit him. Every bit of fame was incredibly important right now.

Emperor Void displayed great interest. “Such treasures are as scarce as a hen’s teeth! Brother Coiling Dragon, forgive me if I overstep my boundaries, but what exactly is this treasure that can extend one’s lifespan?” 

Rare treasures that extended one’s lifespan really did exist and could be found on every plane. Such spirit herbs were actually a common sight in the heavenly planes. For example, a bite of a fruit from the Heavenly Peach Tree that took three thousand years to bloom, three thousand years to bear fruit, and three more thousand years to ripen would yield tens of thousands more years of life.

Another exotic herb called the Ginseng Fruit would also yield similar results. These kinds of treasures were less common in the secular world, but they definitely existed. 

At the same time, they were a lot less effective and often yielded only dozens or hundreds of years worth of lifespan. It was practically impossible to find one that could yield five hundred more years, which was why Emperor Void was so excited.

Emperor Coiling Dragon glanced at Jiang Chen and laughed. “It’s better if we leave this topic for the future.”

Without Jiang Chen’s consent, the emperor would never tell a soul about the pill. He’d solemnly promised to keep it a secret after all. The emperor was clearly trying to improve Jiang Chen’s prestige. 

“Actually, it’s not an exotic herb or treasure. I’ve merely refined two treasures into a pill that extends one’s life.” Jiang Chen said with a smile.

“A pill? The Longevity Pill?” Emperor Void asked curiously.

“No, not the Longevity Pill.” Jiang Chen shook his head. “That pill is only suitable for sage realm cultivators. The pill I’m talking about is called the Pinecrane Pill. It’s only suitable for emperor realm cultivators. Great emperors may consume it too, but its effects will be greatly reduced.

The Pinecrane Pill! The name of the pill left a deep impression in Emperor Void’s heart. The convoy of six from Bluesky Nation were completely flabbergasted by the conversation and remained slack jawed for the longest time.

“There’s actually such a miraculous pill in this world?” Li Chunyu murmured. “Young lord Zhen’s talent in pill dao truly knows no bounds! You’re a pill savant indeed!”

A look of worship flashed across Li Mai’s face. He was practically taking Jiang Chen for a god. 

Li Chunyu glanced at his subordinates sternly. “Everything you hear today must remain in this room! You’re not to spread news of this to anyone! Understood?!” 

He was being extremely cautious, but since Jiang Chen had talked about the Pinecrane Pill, that meant the young lord no longer cared if it was publicly known. There was no longer a need to keep it a secret. 

He’d also gifted it to Third Master Jing and Gu Xintang at the Tilted Moon Region. Attempting to keep the pill a secret under such circumstances was a little counterintuitive. Jiang Chen smiled. “King Chunyu, you needn’t be so nervous. It doesn’t matter if news of it spreads.”

It was merely the name of the pill anyways. Even if the ingredient list were to spread, not every Wang, Chen, and Lin could actually refine such a pill. It took a great amount of knowledge to actually achieve such a feat.

“The Pinecrane… Pill. That’s wonderful!” Emperor Void slapped his thigh. “Isn’t the pill an enormous asset to Sacred Peafowl Mountain?”

Emperor Void was very farsighted. He believed that the Pinecrane Pill would be a huge asset to the sacred mountain. Those who planned on joining Emperor Shura’s side would definitely have to think twice now. Were they really going to choose Emperor Shura over a pill dao savant like young lord Zhen? What could the emperor possibly bring to the table for Veluriyam Capital?

Young lord Zhen’s miraculous achievements were proof of what he could bring to the capital. He was the capital’s only hope of ever defeating Pillfire City and becoming the foremost pill dao faction in the Upper Eight Regions.

Emperor Shura was strong, but he was rather mediocre when compared to the rest of the Upper Eight Regions. He wasn't an overwhelmingly powerful individual like Emperor Peafowl.

There was a scale in everyone's hearts that they were using to weigh the pros and cons.

Emperor Coiling Dragon slapped his thighs with elation. “That's right! Why didn't I think of that sooner? Daoist Void, why don't we immediately spread news about the Pinecrane Pill?”

Emperor Void smiled. “As we should.”

Emperor Peerless had sat beside Jiang Chen throughout the ordeal without saying a word. As a guest and Jiang Chen's bodyguard, he didn't want to stand out. But he couldn't help but speak out after hearing the exchange between the other two great emperors. “Fellow daoists, do you mind if I add a word or two?”

Emperor Peerless was widely revered throughout the Upper Eight Regions. He wasn't on the same level as Emperor Peafowl or Emperor Pill Zenith yet, but he definitely belonged in the upper echelon.

Emperor Void and Emperor Coiling Dragon was more than glad to have him as Jiang Chen's guest and bodyguard and naturally wouldn't stop him from speaking.

“Absolutely! We wait with bated breath!” Emperor Coiling Dragon broke into a hearty laugh.

“Brother Mo, please speak your mind.” Emperor Void nodded.

Emperor Peerless nodded without any reserve. “Maybe you've heard about me before. My cultivation isn't exceptional, but I have ambitions of my own. So why do I willingly serve as younger brother Zhen’s guest?”

Why?

Emperor Coiling Dragon and Emperor Void were incredibly curious, but not as much as King Li Chunyu. They'd heard some rumors, but the actual facts had eluded them.  Since Emperor Peerless had volunteered to talk about it, they would naturally listen with ears wide open.

“The reason is very simple. Not only has young lord Zhen saved my life, but also my dao partner as well. I owe him two lives. The very thing that saved my dao partner was the Pinecrane Pill. I saw the pill work its magic with my very own eyes. Many in the Upper Eight Regions should know about my dao partner’s injuries. I believe that everyone also knows I scoured the region for a thousand years to find a cure. And now, my dao partner is now fully cured without any side effects. Isn’t the Pinecrane Pill simply miraculous?” 

The Pinecrane Pill saved the life of Emperor Peerless’ dao partner? 

The crowd could no longer keep their calm. They figured that there was a reason behind Emperor Peerless’ complete devotion to young lord Zhen, but they were still surprised by the truth.