As the ruler of the Great Cangyun Kingdom,
What they were requesting was for
Yet Young Master Zhen's promise was to return to the Sacred Mountain a Crown Prince with supreme alchemical mastery.
What did that signify? It showed that Young Master Zhen was utterly serious—he intended to use the resources of the Peacock Sacred Mountain to cultivate Li Mai, not to fob him off at Taiyuan Pavilion as a perfunctory gesture.
Taiyuan Pavilion, though impressive, was ultimately just an alchemy shop. These days, it bore only Young Master Zhen's name—in truth, Young Master Zhen himself rarely set foot there anymore.
But when Young Master Zhen made a promise in the name of the Peacock Sacred Mountain, that was an entirely different matter. Not only would Young Master Zhen personally guide him, but the ones teaching Li Mai on a daily basis would all be Young Master Zhen's direct disciples.
Everyone knew about Young Master Zhen's direct disciples.
And the younger
If Li Mai could study the alchemical arts alongside these people, how could he possibly fail to rise to greatness?
"Young Master Zhen shows such kindness—my Li family of the Great Cangyun Kingdom will give its very lives for him! Years ago, His Majesty the Peacock Great Emperor elevated me, Li Chunyu, and now Young Master Zhen elevates my son Li Mai. The Peacock Sacred Mountain has bestowed its grace upon two generations of the Li family. This debt of gratitude, even if we must be ground to dust, we shall repay!"
This was Li Chunyu's pledge of loyalty to
The Great Cangyun Kingdom, among the thirteen major kingdoms of the Glazed Glass Royal City, ranked firmly within the top three. Standing guard over the Royal City's border, it had always been a critically important frontier power.
The Nirvana Emperor, who had been silent until now, smiled and spoke. "Brother Chunyu, I was there when Daoist Brother Peacock promoted you. You've done splendidly these years—you haven't wasted Daoist Brother Peacock's expectations."
Li Chunyu naturally recognized the Nirvana Emperor. "I'm humbled, I'm humbled. I still need guidance from all of you."
The Coiled Dragon Emperor chuckled. "We old fogeys can't teach you much of anything. But for Crown Prince Li Mai to learn even a fraction from Young Master Zhen—that alone will benefit him for life. Don't think I'm exaggerating. The fact that I, the Coiled Dragon Emperor, stand here today—put bluntly, I owe it all to Young Master Zhen."
Back when the Coiled Dragon Emperor had still been the Patriarch of the Coiled Dragon Manor, his lifespan had been nearly spent, and his position had been precarious. Every faction in the Glazed Glass Royal City at the time had believed the Coiled Dragon Manor's decline was inevitable.
Even the Coiled Dragon Emperor himself had thought there was no hope left. He had already begun paving the way for his successors.
Who could have imagined that Young Master Zhen's sudden appearance would rewrite his destiny entirely?
When it came to loyalty, the Coiled Dragon Emperor's devotion to the Peacock Sacred Mountain and to Jiang Chen was second to no one's.
He had never spoken of this before.
But now, he could no longer hold it in.
Seeing the curious gazes fixed upon him, the Coiled Dragon Emperor cupped his fists toward Jiang Chen. "Young Master Zhen, you always asked me not to speak of these things. But at this point, I feel there's no need for concealment. Everyone—I won't lie to you. Back when my lifespan was nearly exhausted and my cultivation was on the verge of dissipating at any moment, it was Young Master Zhen who appeared and used a secret technique to grant me several more years of life. Later, through a fortunate twist of fate, I obtained a natural treasure capable of extending one's lifespan, which gave me the chance to push for the Great Emperor realm. In truth, Young Master Zhen bestowed upon me a sliver of life. Without him, I'd be nothing but dried bones in a grave. What chance would I have to stand here and chat freely with all of you?"
This was the first time even the Nirvana Emperor had heard of this.
"Daoist Coiled Dragon, I never imagined there was such a story behind it all?" The Nirvana Emperor's face was filled with astonishment. "Young Master Zhen possesses a Divine Ability that can extend one's lifespan?"
Jiang Chen smiled. "It was a stroke of fortune that I learned this particular secret technique. It can only extend one's lifespan by a few years. Didn't you hear the Coiled Dragon Emperor say so? What truly granted him a long-term extension was a natural treasure."
The matter of the Pine and Crane Pill—Jiang Chen was now considering whether to reveal it.
At this point, there seemed little reason to keep it secret. On the contrary, announcing the existence of the Pine and Crane Pill at a time like this might even work in his favor.
After all, every additional measure of public goodwill was vitally important to him right now.
The Nirvana Emperor was clearly very interested and couldn't help pressing further. "Such natural treasures are exceedingly rare, aren't they? Daoist Coiled Dragon, may I ask—what sort of natural treasure was it that possessed such life-extending properties?"
Life-extending natural treasures did indeed exist. Every plane had them.
Across the myriad heavens, such spiritual resources were too numerous to count. The Immortal Peaches of the Grand Desolation, for instance—three thousand years to bloom, three thousand years to bear fruit, three thousand years to ripen. With a nine-thousand-year cycle, a single fruit could grant more than ten thousand years of life.
There was also something called the Ginseng Fruit, another treasure capable of granting ten thousand years of longevity with a single bite.
Such things were relatively rare in mortal planes. But they were by no means nonexistent. The difference was that their life-extending effects were less dramatic—perhaps a few decades, or at most a century.
Anything capable of extending life by five hundred years or more was essentially impossible to find in the mortal realm.
That was precisely why the Nirvana Emperor was so eager to know.
The Coiled Dragon Emperor glanced at Jiang Chen and smiled. "We'll have the chance to speak of that another time."
Clearly, since Jiang Chen hadn't brought it up, the Coiled Dragon Emperor didn't dare casually reveal the Pine and Crane Pill either. After all, he was bound by a confidentiality agreement.
Jiang Chen understood that the Coiled Dragon Emperor was trying to burnish his reputation, so he smiled and said, "To put it simply, it wasn't truly a natural treasure. In truth, it was two separate treasures combined together and refined into a life-extending pill."
"A pill? The Longevity Pill?" the Nirvana Emperor asked curiously.
"Not the Longevity Pill." Jiang Chen shook his head. "The Longevity Pill can only be used by those at the Sacred realm. This pill is called the Pine and Crane Pill. It can be used by those at the Imperial realm. Great Emperors can technically use it as well, though the effect will be somewhat diminished."