Immortals of the End Times

Chapter 35: The Immortal Cultivation Emperor, Deer Lord's Pill Cauldron
Seeing Emperor Zhaoming again after two and a half years, and this time at a closer distance, greatly shocked Zhao Wuji.

Although the imperial physicians served the royal family exclusively, they could diagnose and prescribe medicine for the emperor.

However, he had only been promoted to the eighth-rank official in the last two years and was not yet qualified to bypass the other senior imperial physicians, court physicians, and directors of the academy to approach the emperor and treat him.

Therefore, this was only the second time he had met Emperor Zhaoming.

"Two years ago, I used acupuncture to dispel the cold from Consort Qi, and the emperor praised me and bestowed upon me the title of 'Golden Needle Brings Back Spring.' At that time, I had only seen the emperor from afar, and he certainly did not have the imposing presence he has today."

Zhao Wuji stood in a corner of the square, his mind wandering.

"Back then, the emperor still occasionally attended to court affairs. Could it be that his cultivation in the immortal path advanced by leaps and bounds in just two and a half years? Or was my strength too weak at that time, and my perception was flawed?"

Regardless of the speculation, the current emperor is clearly not the same as before.

Zhao Wuji was relieved that he had stored all his spiritual power within the Nine Yin Nine Yang Pearl.

Otherwise, if the emperor and the imperial advisor discover our presence here, it will surely bring disaster upon us.

Judging from the fact that the royal family deceived the people and that the Imperial Observatory collected many ancient books recording immortal traces from all over the world, the Xuan Kingdom royal family clearly did not want anyone to cultivate immortality, or rather, did not want anyone who was not one of them to cultivate immortality.

So what is the purpose of holding this Penglai Immortal Gathering now?

Was Emperor Zhaoming's rapid progress in cultivating immortality due to the exceptional resources available to the imperial family?

Zhao Wuji had many questions in his mind and wanted answers.

At this moment, Emperor Zhang Zhaoming, sitting on the dragon throne, said calmly, "The war in the northern border is critical, yet I am here seeking immortality. Do you all know why?"

Upon hearing this, the assembled officials felt a chill run down their spines, not understanding its meaning, and dared not respond.

Zhang Zhaoming suddenly raised his eyes, his golden light like a sword. As he swept over the assembled officials, Zhao Wuji felt the Yin-Yang Pearl tremble, and the spiritual power hidden within it receded even further. "Because if I cultivate immortality and live a long life, the Xuan Kingdom will never have a tyrannical ruler—this is the true fortune of the country."

The courtiers were speechless. Zhang Zhaoming continued, "I invited you all to the Penglai Immortal Gathering today to show you the new Han Dynasty treasures that I have discovered."

Let me show you the results of my years of spiritual practice with the Imperial Preceptor; I have not failed to achieve political success.

"By cultivating immortality and seeking the Dao, I can increase my strength, prolong my life, and become physically robust, thus enabling me to govern and build this country well."

He lightly tapped the gilded armrest with his fingertips, his voice like a dragon's roar, "Recently, I have made progress in my cultivation, and have spent three days without sleep reviewing one hundred and twenty memorials."

This is my achievement.

"Your Majesty is wise!"

"Your Majesty is absolutely right. With your good health, our country will be peaceful and prosperous."

Immediately, sycophantic ministers began to flatter and echo him in the square, including Liu Jianzheng.

Regardless of whether he's right or wrong, we should cheer and stand on the side.

Zhao Wuji thought to himself, "This old guy really knows how to talk."

He still needs to learn more from these old Dengs' emotional intelligence and shamelessness.

At this moment, Emperor Zhaoming was clearly pleased by the flattery and beckoned to the Grand Preceptor beside him, whispering something to him.

The stern-faced Imperial Advisor Fang Shiyu stepped forward, shook his nine-section jade staff, and the bronze bell hanging from the staff rang three times, instantly silencing the entire court.

"Spiritual energy fluctuations."

Zhao Wuji's eyes flashed, clearly sensing the magical power emanating from the jade staff.

rumble--

The ground beneath the plaza steps suddenly trembled, and then a bronze deer-shaped alchemy furnace rose from the white jade platform.

The lid of the cauldron was not opened, but a bluish mist seeped out from the gaps and wrapped around the legs of the cauldron like a living thing.

Imperial Advisor Fang Shiyu slowly descended the steps and stepped forward, lightly tapping the handle of the cauldron with his jade staff.

"open--"

The bronze cauldron lid was suddenly lifted, and a burst of rosy light rose up. Inside the cauldron, it seemed as if golden carp leaped into the water and transformed into the shadow of a dragon, circling the cauldron three times before dissipating.

"A miracle?!"

"Did elixirs really come to be refined in the ancient alchemy cauldron?"

Upon seeing this, all the high-ranking officials present changed color and began to murmur amongst themselves, with those skilled at flattery immediately joining in.

Zhao Wuji, however, immediately recognized that these various phenomena were merely ordinary illusions created by the Imperial Preceptor, and not unusual phenomena related to the alchemy cauldron.

This is a simple trick, but it's quite effective at setting the mood.

Seeing the lively atmosphere and knowing that his goal had been achieved, Emperor Zhaoming raised a slight smile and stood up to invite all his ministers to come forward and view the traces of alchemy residue left inside the cauldron.

The officials eagerly stepped forward to witness the divine signs, and Nan Zhixia was also intrigued, crowding around to investigate. Zhao Wuji followed closely, watching the figures of Supervisor Liu and the guard Xia Wenhe, while thinking of his mischievous friends Tao Fei and Bi Yuxiang, who must have already begun infiltrating the Imperial Observatory.

Then, his gaze fell on the Deer Venerable Pill Cauldron opposite him, and he could sense that the closer he got to the cauldron, the more restless the Yang Pearl became.

Clearly, there is a lot of yang energy inside this cauldron, and there are even remnants of dragon energy.

"No wonder it is an antique that has been handled by many emperors and alchemists."

A thought struck him, and he mingled among the courtiers, circling the cauldron to observe it, his fingers subtly brushing against its surface.

The Yang Pearl in the sea of ​​consciousness spun around and immediately absorbed several strands of Yang energy.

He did not rashly absorb the dragon energy swirling around the cauldron, lest Emperor Zhaoming become aware of it.

This act of absorbing the yang energy within the cauldron was also a test conducted among the crowd.

After circling around several times, Zhao Wuji absorbed more than ten strands of yang energy from the cauldron without attracting any attention.

His gaze fell on the remaining medicinal residue deep inside the cauldron, where he could sense a faint spiritual power hidden within it.

However, it was not appropriate to touch the dregs of the medicine at this moment, so they decided to stop while they were ahead and leave with the others who had finished watching.

At this time, some ministers began to inquire of the Grand Preceptor Fang whether it was possible to cultivate immortality.

These questions naturally attracted the attention of many people, and Zhao Wuji was also curious.

The Grand Preceptor Fang remained calm and shook his head.

"Now we are in the Dharma-ending Age, which is not as good as before. The path to immortality has been cut off. I was able to embark on the path of immortality because I received the talismanic inheritance of the Celestial Masters and had some talent."

Your Majesty, being the true dragon of destiny, inherits the fortune of the nation, and is favored by Heaven in ways no ordinary person can match.

Even the so-called Supreme Sect is nothing but a bunch of deceptive tricks to fool the world, or they use demonic methods to shorten one's lifespan for cultivation; they are not to be trusted!

Nan Zhixia's eyes turned slightly cold as she lowered her head to adjust her expression. Upon hearing this, the officials shook their heads in regret.

Some of them had already inquired about such comments and received similar answers.

But today, at the Penglai Immortal Gathering, witnessing the Imperial Preceptor perform miracles once again, I can't help but feel a sense of elation.

But regrets aside, since only His Majesty and the Imperial Preceptor can cultivate, and everyone else in the world is pretty much the same, there's nothing to be jealous of or attached to.

Just as everyone was feeling disappointed and regretful, the Grand Preceptor Fang suddenly stroked his beard and chuckled, his gaze sweeping over Emperor Zhaoming with a meaningful look.

"His Majesty and I have discussed this." He waved his sleeve lightly, his voice suddenly rising: "Next spring, we can examine the aptitudes of your children in three batches! If they truly have the destiny to become immortals, I can send them into the mountains to cultivate!"

There was an uproar in the hall.

"They're actually going to open up cultivation?"

Zhao Wuji was puzzled and observed the scene with a cold eye, noticing that the expressions of the assembled officials were all different.

There were old ministers whose beards trembled with excitement, generals who feigned cheers but whose eyes darted around, and others who quietly gripped their tablets and bowed their heads slightly.

These seasoned shrewd officials, seemingly flattering on the surface, are actually quite cunning. Even if the immortals don't know the whole story, they can still glean insights and understand the potential benefits and risks.

If the path to immortality were truly so easy to attain, why would no one have achieved immortality for thousands of years? Why are there now countless cultivators everywhere?
Zhao Wuji glanced at the smiling face of the Imperial Preceptor out of the corner of his eye and thought to himself.

The Xuan Kingdom's royal family, which appeared to be enlightened, had actually maintained a policy of prohibiting immortals through the Imperial Observatory.

What are the reasons behind this sudden recruitment of cultivators at the beginning of spring? Is it due to the pressure from the battlefield in Qian Kingdom?
But this might also be an opportunity to get closer to the royal immortal path.

If one can discern the truth from falsehood, one can obtain more resources for cultivating immortality.

"Wuji, are you tempted?" Nan Zhixia asked with a smile.

Zhao Wuji was taken aback, then laughed and said, "Of course, but we'll see when the time comes. Perhaps I don't have the aptitude for cultivation."

Nan Zhixia gave a soft "hmm" and said no more, her mind churning with thoughts.

At this moment, Minister Bu, who was not far away, circled the cauldron and asked curiously, "His Majesty once said that the remaining dregs of the cauldron inside this vessel can condense into green dew when exposed to moonlight. Is that really true?"

"If the elixir residue could truly transform into green dew, how could it have survived until today? Wouldn't it have already been obtained by Emperor Huizong of Song?"

"Haha, that's a good question, Minister Bu."

Emperor Zhaoming shook his head and said, "These remaining elixir residues can indeed condense into green dew when exposed to moonlight. Unfortunately, even if they are miraculous medicines, they are no different from deadly poison arsenic for ordinary people."

He suddenly turned his gaze to Zhao Wuji, who was inconspicuous in the corner of the crowd, and pointed at him, saying, "Imperial Physician Zhao, I've heard that you usually enjoy alchemy and seeking immortality. Is that true?"

The courtiers were surprised and followed the gaze to find Zhao Wuji, who was barely noticeable in the corner.

Zhao Wuji's heart skipped a beat; he hadn't expected the emperor to suddenly notice him.

Nan Zhixia, standing to the side, couldn't help but feel nervous. Why was the emperor suddenly concerned about whether Zhao Wuji was practicing alchemy and cultivating immortality?
Happy May Day everyone in the new month!
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(End of this chapter)