80: It's just a holy pill, something for our ancestors to eat like candy!
Under the Imperial Decree of the Yaochi Empress,
the entire Yaochi Holy Land was in an uproar.
A magnificent Divine Ark, laden with rare resources from the Undying Sea,
sailed grandly towards the Jiang Family, personally escorted by the Yaochi Holy Master, a Quasi-Emperor.
These resources were nominally the dowry bestowed upon Saintess Qin Mengyao by the Yaochi Empress.
As soon as the news broke, the entire Emperor Immortal Great World was once again ignited.
"What? The Yaochi Empress has awakened? And she's allied with the Jiang Family?"
"Not just allied, haven't you heard? The Yaochi Holy Land sent their entire share of the congratulatory gifts from the Undying Sea, not a single coin less, as dowry to the Jiang Family Imperial Son Palace!"
"My heavens... what kind of Immortal figure is this Jiang Family Imperial Son? First, he destroyed a Life Forbidden Zone as a congratulatory gift, and now even an Empress who has been dormant for hundreds of thousands of years awakens for him, and even gives a dowry?"
"Does that even need asking? It must be that Imperial Son's Saint Physique at work! The Jade Pool Saintess becoming his Dao Companion has even brought good fortune to her own Old Ancestor!"
"You guys think maybe the Yaochi Empress also..."
"Bold! That's the Empress! How dare you insult her!"
Countless Cultivators discussed animatedly,
their words filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred for Jiang Yuan.
When Jiang Yuan returned to the main hall of the Emperors Son Palace,
his uncle, Jiang Zhan, had already been waiting for a long time.
The moment he saw Jiang Yuan,
even though he had witnessed it many times, he couldn't help but be surprised.
"One realm per day, huh."
"Too exaggerated, truly too exaggerated."
Jiang Zhan walked around Jiang Yuan twice, clicking his tongue in wonder, his face full of shock and pleasant surprise.
"Uncle, calm down."
Jiang Yuan lazily reclined on the main seat, casually picked up an Immortal Fruit presented by a maid, and took a bite.
"Standard procedure, no need to make a fuss."
Jiang Zhan's mouth twitched again.
Standard procedure?
You call this standard procedure?
From a Mortal who couldn't Cultivate to the current Seventh Realm, Unity Realm, how long has it been, all told?
Less than two months!
Who would believe such a Cultivation speed if it were spoken aloud?
Even those Immortals who Reincarnated, as recorded in ancient texts, probably weren't this outrageous!
"You brat, you really are getting a bargain and still acting coy." Jiang Zhan shook his head helplessly.
However, he had come to Jiang Yuan for a serious matter.
"The Spirit Ascension Pill? I've already given it to Mengyao. Whether she wants to send it back to the Yaochi Holy Land or consume it herself, it's up to her."
Hearing this, Jiang Zhan nodded, not objecting.
This was an internal matter of the Jade Pool,
and their Jiang Family generally didn't interfere.
"The resources captured from the Undying Sea have been distributed to the Yaochi Holy Land, Saint Demon Sect, and Heavenly Sound Sect according to Yuaner's wishes. The shares for the Saint Demon Sect and Heavenly Sound Sect are still en route.
Over at the Great Yan Divine Dynasty, Emperor Yan is still considering the proposal, but he didn't forget to collect the resources. As for the Wang Family... they also accepted, but returned a similar amount, which seems to indicate they neither refused nor opposed."
"Then don't worry about it."
Jiang Yuan waved his hand.
"In this Golden Great Era, one step slow means every step is slow."
"This Imperial Son has given her a chance, but she didn't seize it. My path will not stop for anyone who hesitates."
"A mere second place on the Physique ranking... I don't care for it. This world never lacks Geniuses; what it lacks even more are those who know how to adapt."
"Hmm,"
Jiang Zhan also agreed with Jiang Yuan's handling of the matter.
What was their Jiang Family's status?
An Immortal Imperial Clan, with seven Emperors in the current era.
Moreover, Jiang Shouzhuo was currently in seclusion in the Ancestral Land, attempting to Breakthrough to Great Emperor.
Soon, there would be eight Great Emperors.
With such status, why would they care about the choice of a mere Wang Family?
Suddenly, Jiang Zhan seemed to remember something, and his expression became strange.
"Speaking of which, there's another matter. The Yaochi Holy Land just sent someone with a heavy gift."
"They returned the betrothal gift you sent, Yuaner, completely untouched, and even added a lot, saying it was... the Empress awakening and adding to their Saintess's dowry."
"Oh? The Yaochi Empress has awakened?"
Jiang Yuan raised an eyebrow.
It was a bit unexpected.
Thinking of that legendary Empress,
he was truly curious about her appearance.
And to become an Empress,
her Aptitude wouldn't be low, would it?
At least 99, right?
"I'll have to ask Uncle to take me to visit that Empress sometime."
Jiang Yuan thought to himself, "As a Junior, it's perfectly reasonable to visit an Empress Senior, right?"
"Oh, right, Uncle, are all the Old Ancestors in the Ancestral Land now?"
"Yes."
Jiang Zhan nodded.
"Except for the Sixth Ancestor, who revived and whose whereabouts are unknown, the other five Ancestors are all in the Ancestral Land protecting the Third Elder. Do you need the Old Ancestors for something?"
"Hmm, I have a small experiment I want the Old Ancestors to try."
"Experiment?"
...Jiang Family Ancestral Land.
When Jiang Yuan entered, led by Jiang Zhan, he immediately sensed
the gazes cast by blurry yet majestic figures on the Immortal Mountain.
"Yuaner? What brings you here?"
A gentle and ancient voice rang out; it was the First Ancestor.
He seemed unsurprised by Jiang Yuan's arrival.
"Grandson greets all Old Ancestors."
Jiang Yuan respectfully bowed.
He was truly grateful from the bottom of his heart to these Old Ancestors who loved and protected him.
Without them,
where would his happiness in the latter half of his life come from?
He then got straight to the point, directly stating his intention.
"Grandson is here to present all Old Ancestors with a heaven-sent fortune!"
As he spoke, he spread his palm, and the two iridescent saint spirit pills appeared in his hand.
"This is... a saint spirit pill?"
"He got two more?"
"Indeed."
Jiang Yuan nodded, then said something astonishing.
"Grandson wants to invite two Old Ancestors to consume these two Medicinal Pills and see... if they can evolve a Supreme Sacred Body!"
As soon as these words were uttered,
the entire Ancestral Land fell into a deathly silence.
The five Great Emperor Old Ancestors were all stunned.
Their minds, which had been as calm as an ancient well for countless eons,
were now stirred by monstrous waves.
Even with their vast experience and composure,
Jiang Yuan's wild idea
left them speechless for a long time.
Give Great Emperors... saint spirit pills?
This kid, he really dared to think it.
The five Great Emperor Old Ancestors, seated on the Immortal Mountain,
just silently watched Jiang Yuan, none of them speaking.
But that invisible pressure
caused the surrounding Chaos Qi to stop flowing.
Jiang Yuan stood there, smiling, calm and unhurried,
as if he had just mentioned a trivial matter like "the weather is nice today."
"Nonsense!"
Finally, a thunderous voice, filled with anger, exploded.
It was the Jiang Family's Fourth Ancestor who spoke.
He had the most fiery temper.
At this moment, Emperors Might surged around his blurry figure, and Laws wailed.
"Yuaner, you know how precious the saint spirit pill is. This is a Heaven-Defying divine item that can 100% create a Prodigy with the strongest Saint Physique! Each pill concerns the future Luck of my Jiang Family!"
The Fourth Ancestor's voice was filled with deep anguish.
"It would be fine to give such a divine item to a Quasi-Emperor, to a Saint, or to Juniors, but to use it on us old fellows is truly a waste of a heavenly treasure."
On the other side, the Fifth Ancestor also slowly spoke, his voice relatively gentle but also carrying a hint of disapproval.
"Yuaner, we understand your intentions, but a Great Emperor's body has long since merged with the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, receiving the Heavenly Heart of the Heavenly Dao, forming a self-contained entity, impervious to all Laws. Although the medicinal power of the saint spirit pill is strong, for us, it probably... won't have any effect."
"At that time, it would only be a waste of two saint spirit pills, a loss greater than the gain."
Although the Second Ancestor and Third Ancestor did not speak,
their silent attitude already indicated their stance.
Disapproval.
The risk was too great, the benefit unknown; it was entirely a gamble.
Jiang Yuan listened to the Old Ancestors' words, his smile unchanging.
He had anticipated this reaction.
If they had readily agreed, that would have been strange.
"All Old Ancestors, please calm your anger."
Jiang Yuan spoke unhurriedly, his voice clearly echoing throughout the entire Ancestral Land.
"Grandson naturally knows the preciousness of the saint spirit pill, but precisely because it is precious, it must be used where it matters most."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the Immortal Mountains.
"May I ask all Old Ancestors, now that the Golden Great Era has begun, various monsters and demons have appeared, and the Life Forbidden Zones are stirring, the future will surely be a bloody battle sweeping across all heavens.
In this great war, what will determine the ultimate fate of my Jiang Family: a few more Saint Physique Prodigies, Saint Physique Quasi-Emperors, or... a few more Great Emperors with Saint Physiques?"
This question was extremely sharp.
The Fourth Ancestor choked, wanting to retort but finding no words.
Yes, no matter how many Prodigies there were, or how strong their Physiques, they were ultimately just future potential.
Without several hundred years, it would indeed be difficult to convert potential into combat power.
The Supreme's hundred-year curse remained unbroken to this day.
And Great Emperors were the top combat power of the Jiang Family, and even the entire Emperor Immortal Great World, the cornerstone that suppressed everything!
A Saint Physique Great Emperor and a non-Saint Physique Great Emperor,
while not causing a qualitative change, still provided a significant improvement in combat power.
Seeing this, Jiang Yuan struck while the iron was hot.
"Grandson also knows that a Great Emperor's body is impervious to all Laws, and the saint spirit pill might be ineffective, but..."
Jiang Yuan paused, then waved his large sleeve.
A surge of heroic spirit swept forth, leaving the five Old Ancestors and one Family Head speechless.
"It's just a saint spirit pill, isn't it? Just munch on it like candy, for the Old Ancestors to have a taste."