Chapter 51: The Beating of the Zhou Emperor
“All the laws of the world originate from the Dao Sect.”
This saying was widely known across the Nine Provinces. Though somewhat exaggerated, it still reflected the Dao Sect’s undeniable status in the cultivation world.
Cultivators primarily relied on four external forces—elixirs, spiritual treasures, runes, and formations. The Dao Sect’s Pill Refining Peak, Artifact Refining Peak, Rune Peak, and Formation Peak were the undisputed authorities in these four fields.
If one wanted to master these arts, there was no avoiding the Dao Sect.
Jiang Li and Holy Maiden Jingxin arrived at the entrance of the Artifact Refining Peak and noticed a little girl, around seven or eight years old, standing there. Beside her were several guards. Even with their cultivation restrained, Jiang Li could still sense that the strongest among them had reached the Soul Formation Stage, while the others were all formidable cultivators in the Nascent Soul Stage.
Clearly, she was from a powerful background.
“Uncle, you can’t go in.” Just as Jiang Li was about to step inside, the little girl stopped him. “Father and Uncle Feng are refining an artifact inside. Father said no one is allowed to enter until they’re finished!”
“What a cute little girl! What’s your name?” Holy Maiden Jingxin was immediately charmed by the delicate, doll-like child and reached out to pat her head.
“Don’t touch me!” The little girl shook her head vigorously, escaping from Holy Maiden Jingxin’s hand. She placed her hands on her hips and declared, “Hmph! I am the Nineteenth Princess of Great Zhou, Ji Kongkong!”
“Oh, so your father is Ji Zhi?” Jiang Li cracked his knuckles, suddenly feeling quite interested. He hadn’t expected to run into Zhou Emperor Ji Zhi here.
After all, the Dao Sect Master Bai Hongtu wouldn’t have known Jiang Li was impersonating a Dao Sect Envoy unless Ji Zhi had tattled on him!
“Uncle, you know my father?” Ji Kongkong looked at Jiang Li’s Human Sovereign mask with admiration.
She greatly idolized the Human Sovereign Jiang Li.
How could someone who worshipped the Human Sovereign be a bad person? That was what Ji Kongkong thought.
Clearly, she had no idea what had happened to her third brother.
The guards subtly surrounded them, standing protectively around Ji Kongkong. The leading guard asked, “Do the two of you know His Majesty?”
They were on high alert. They couldn’t gauge these two individuals’ cultivation levels, which meant they were definitely Soul Formation experts. If these two had ill intentions toward the little princess, there was no way the guards could stop them.
“No need to be so tense.” Jiang Li chuckled, taking off his mask to reveal the exact same face underneath. “After all, your emperor and I are old friends.”
“The Zhou Emperor’s guards pay respects to the Human Sovereign Jiang!” Upon recognizing him, the guards immediately relaxed and hurriedly bowed.
Ji Kongkong’s jaw dropped so wide she could’ve swallowed an egg.
“Uncle, you’re the Human Sovereign Jiang?! My father told me stories about you!”
“Oh? What did he say?”
“Father said you’re the great hero of the Nine Provinces, a true immortal reborn! He told me about your difficult journey to becoming the Human Sovereign, how you protected the Nine Provinces, and how you fought alongside him against the Outer World Demons!” Ji Kongkong animatedly waved her arms, using her clumsy words to retell the bedtime stories her father had shared with her.
“Hahaha! I never thought Ji Zhi saw me that way!” Jiang Li laughed heartily. He decided to go easy on Ji Zhi later when he gave him a beating.
“Isn’t artifact refinement supposed to require silence? Ji Zhi doesn’t know how to refine artifacts—what’s he doing in there?”
Jiang Li smirked. “Did you forget about Ji Zhi’s double pupils? They’re incredibly useful for artifact refinement.”
Inside the Artifact Refining Peak, Ji Zhi and the peak master were deeply immersed in refining an artifact.
“What if we increase the firepower by ten percent in half an hour? Would that work?” The peak master scribbled furiously on paper, which was already covered in a chaotic mess of notes and corrections detailing the refinement process. He erased and rewrote, over and over.
Artifact refinement carried the risk of a furnace explosion. A single failed attempt could waste more than half of the materials. That was why the peak master meticulously calculated every step before even starting—firepower, materials, design—every factor had to be considered, making it an incredibly exhausting process.
Fortunately, Ji Zhi’s assistance made things much easier.
His double pupils deepened, exuding an air of profound mystery, as if capable of seeing through everything.
“No, it’ll still explode.” Ji Zhi saw that following this method would lead to failure.
“Hmm… What if we replace Tianshan Pure Water with Snow Mountain Pure Water?”
“No, this time the explosion would be even bigger.”
“Then…”
“No.”
“And this?”
“No.”
“What about—”
“Wait, this one will work!”
After countless trials, they finally determined a successful method. Ji Zhi was left panting from exhaustion. Even though he was skilled at seeing into the past and future, constantly using his double pupils took a heavy toll.
That was why he rarely used them unless necessary.
“Wait.” Ji Zhi’s expression suddenly turned ugly.
“What’s wrong?”
“I just saw that when I step out later… I’m going to get beaten up.”
“By who?” The peak master was curious but not particularly worried. Since Ji Zhi could see the future, he could avoid it.
“Jiang Li!”
The peak master fell silent for a moment.
No need to ask why—Ji Zhi was infamous for his loose tongue. He must’ve said something that provoked Jiang Li.
He patted Ji Zhi on the shoulder. “…I’ll go to the Pill Refining Peak and fetch a Great Rejuvenation Pill. If that doesn’t work, I have friends in the Corpse-Driving Sect.”
With that, he pushed open the door before Ji Zhi could escape.
“Your heart is as black as a furnace’s bottom!” Ji Zhi cursed. And then he saw Jiang Li step inside, smiling, and shut the door behind him.
If they were in Great Zhou, Ji Zhi might have had some confidence in dealing with Jiang Li.
But here, in the Dao Sect…
“Not the face!”
“Sure.”
After a thoroughly one-sided battle, Jiang Li left the Artifact Refining Peak in high spirits and, along with Holy Maiden Jingxin, went to visit the Pill Refining Peak Master—along with the Artifact Refining Peak Master, who had absolutely no intention of getting any healing pills.
A few days later, the highly anticipated Immortal Artifact Exhibition began.
While officially an exhibition, it was, in reality, a series of duels.
Representatives from the Human Sovereign Hall, the Six Great Sects, the Nine Great Dynasties, and the Four Seas factions sat in the viewing stands. Of course, some factions, such as the Great Wei Dynasty, did not send anyone.
Behind them stood a temporary high platform, upon which an ancient seal radiated a soft glow. At its core, two Yin-Yang fish swirled in an endless cycle.
For many, this was their first time seeing the Yin-Yang Heaven Seal. It seemed as vast as the heavens themselves, immeasurably deep, carrying a power capable of piercing the sky. At the same time, it felt like the culmination of all causes and effects, as though every fate and karma converged into this single artifact.
Some even felt as if they were destined to obtain it, as if their fate was intertwined with this seal.
Were it not for the many powerful figures present, someone might have already attempted to seize it.
This was the power of the Yin-Yang Heaven Seal—not only could it enlighten all things, but it could also attack through karma itself, making it impossible to defend against.
Immortal Changcun had once said that even in the Celestial Realm, the Yin-Yang Heaven Seal was an extraordinary artifact.
The arena was not set on the ground but suspended in the air. Battles between Soul Formation cultivators wielding immortal artifacts were too destructive. If fought on land, it would be impossible to unleash their full power.
The Dao Sect had erected a massive formation above everyone’s heads to block the battle’s aftershocks.