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Chapter 620: Life Peach Tree
🕑 Added 2025-08-01 13:00:21 +0000 UTCTianyi did not spend too much time with Mengfei. When she appeared, it was only a few months before the Divine Ascension Ceremony. Although Tianyi felt something amiss, he could always pursue it after the ceremony was over.
The Immortal Court entered a high alert. Not because they were fearful of any enemies attacking them—who would dare to attack the sole force with two divinities guarding it—but because of the importance placed upon this Divine Ascension Ceremony.
Almost every member of the Immortal Court had been mobilized. The only ones idle were the disciple-level members and those elders in charge of educating them. Even Tianyi got busy.
The first guests to arrive were the envoys from the first-rate forces in the Primordial Realm. Because of the heavy emphasis placed on it by the Immortal Court, the leaders and even grand elders, who were in secluded meditation and cared not for mundane affairs, showed up. Even when the Immortal Court held the first Divine Ascension Ceremony, they did not send so many heavyweights.
Because the Immortal Court invited so many forces, the attendance limit increased—meaning that even first-rate forces could not send too many representatives. If the first-rate forces were applied with such a harsh restriction, it was even stricter for second-rate and third-rate forces. Unranked forces could only dispatch one representative.
Although they were here to witness the ceremony, they did not come empty-handed. Each force brought gifts. Many of the gifts could not even equal the food or resources they consumed during their stay, but they still had to bring them in order to show their respect to the hegemon of the Primordial Realm.
While many immortals received the representatives of the countless forces of the Primordial Realm, many more traveled to the high-rank realms to ferry the representatives. Because the Immortal Court revealed themselves as Emperor Hall in the myriad realms and did not fight for hegemony, their envoys held a lofty and detached status. Even if a hegemon appeared in the lower realms, they would still respect Emperor Hall.
Because of the complicated distribution of power in each realm, the Immortal Court only invited the top three forces of each realm. The strongest force could send three people, while the weaker two could only dispatch two. As for how to decide who was the strongest? Emperor Hall left it up to the denizens of each realm. As long as they could come up with three forces, they didn’t care.
Because of this, turmoil erupted. It might be minor for some realms, but for others, the distribution of power changed, bringing forth a new era. The immortals cared not for the impact this brought to these lower realms and ferried the representatives to Buzhou Immortal Island.
That was only for the high-rank realms. For the intermediate and low-rank realms, the Immortal Court would choose an emissary. The emissary would be gifted with techniques beyond their birthplace, granting them unmatched power. However, this bestowment wasn’t free, and they had to act as a spokesperson and cultivate faith for the Immortal Court.
In such realms, a Foundation Establishment disciple or Core Formation master was the ceiling of power, making them invincible existences. They were invited to witness the grand event and further strengthen their beliefs. These emissaries were allowed to bring two priests or disciples.
However, the number of intermediate and low-rank realms was countless times greater than the high-rank realms. Even if the Immortal Court mobilized all its forces, it would only cover a fraction of these lower realms. Still, that paled in comparison to the unranked realms that filled the Three Thousand Immortal Realms System. That’s why Tianyi had to make a personal appearance, teleporting the emissaries and their followers to the Rites Peak of Buzhou Immortal Island.
Even with Tianyi’s countless conduits, he found it mentally draining. Don’t forget that he also had to maintain the cross-universe teleportation portals of the various systems in the True Nothingness. Because of this, he couldn’t go below a certain level of tolerance, making his speed slower.
Even for Tianyi, it took nearly several months of nonstop teleportation before he barely succeeded in bringing all the guests to Rites Peak.
Now it was time for his second task. Compared to the first task, the second task was much simpler. He only needed to stream the Divine Ascension Ceremony to all locations with an Immortal Stele through the Xiyinet.
***
“Master, is this the Immortal Realm?” a young boy of no older than sixteen asked. He had a plain appearance, with a seemingly ordinary physique. But beneath his robes was a body tempered by years of training. More important was his firm gaze. “I feel like that as long as I practice here for a month, I would be able to ascend!”
The person the boy spoke to was an elder with graying hair. He exuded a peaceful and detached aura, like immortals of legend. “Calm down, Yulong. We have more important things to do right now.”
Yulong frowned. He glanced around and saw many people who had just been transported to Rites Peak, like them. “I thought the almighty Immortal Court would be much more courteous. They didn’t even say anything and simply sent a message through the Immortal Stele. When the time came, they didn’t even say anything and transported us.”
The elder frowned. “Yulong, don’t be rude. We are simply mortals and they are high and mighty immortals. It’s our honor to be able to come here and witness the birth of a divinity.”
In fact, Yulong also regretted his words the moment he spoke. It was fine to complain in the privacy of his own mind, but where was this? The Immortal Court, where immortals were as common as clouds. As soon as he finished speaking, he felt a pressure pressing down on him.
The pressure didn’t feel malicious. In fact, it didn’t even last long and disappeared soon after appearing. Rather than a deliberate act, it was closer to a casual glance and then indifference.
Yulong turned his head away. Although he knew he should not have spoken such words, he did not feel he was wrong. And his youthful pride prevented him from apologizing. “Hmpf, if I had such a good environment, I could also easily become an immortal.”
The elder sighed. In fact, he also had similar ideas in his youth. With the cultivation method provided by the Immortal Court, he also believed he could ascend. Only, he was much less rebellious and wanted to join the Immortal Court after proving his talent. Reality proved that he overestimated himself. Even with the superior method provided by the Immortal Court, he was, just like many other cultivators, stuck at the last step.
Because of this, he had long given up and placed his hopes on his disciple. Yes, he placed his hopes on Yulong.
The two didn’t have time to talk anymore as they were rounded up by an immortal.
“Alright, enough of you have appeared. Follow me, I’ll show you to your rooms,” the immortal said. Although he didn’t deliberately do anything, his presence alone caused all the emissaries to tread lightly. This was an innate fear from a lower-level being toward a higher-level being. In addition, the immortal did not hide his aura at all. He only reined it in a little.
Even Yulong did not say anything at this time and obediently followed with the group.
The hundred groups were led to a grand palace. It seemed plain, but it exuded an ethereal and calming aura. None of the people could tell what material was used, but it looked like mutton-fat jade to their eyes. Even with their status and power, they couldn’t build a palace entirely out of the cheapest jade in their home realms.
The second thing to attract their attention was the peach tree next to the palace. Several ripened peaches hung from the branches, mixing among the flowering buds. The peach tree released a faint fragrance that could not be ignored. Anyone who smelled it would feel their fatigue disappear. Yulong’s elder even felt his old and hidden injuries lessen slightly in its presence.
“That’s the Life Peach Tree, a subroot of the Longevity Peach Tree,” the immortal explained. “If you want, you can try to pluck a fruit and eat one. Although it’s the lowest grade of the Life Peach Tree, a Year Life Peach Tree, you can still heal any old injury and extend your lifespan with a single peach.”
At his words, many of the emissaries became agitated. All of them stared at the Life Peach Tree with burning eyes, especially the older ones. If the immortal weren’t present, they would have made a mad rush for it.
The immortal clearly knew of these people’s thoughts, but he did not care. He was an immortal, a being with a lifespan longer than dynasties. “Alright, go in. Once you choose a room, just place your hand on the door and it will memorize it. Only people from the same realm can enter that room. And no, you don’t need everyone to touch it. One person from each realm is enough. You can do whatever you want. Just don’t go too far and be ready to leave once I call for you.”
With that said, the immortal turned and left. He had to bring the next batch of emissaries.
The people did not immediately enter the palace. They stared at each other before looking into the distance where the immortal had disappeared. Finally, someone gathered the courage to walk to the Life Peach Tree. His action opened the floodgates as everyone rushed to the tree.
“Master, should we?”
The elder frowned. “Let’s wait first. It’s impossible for such a treasure to be so easily obtained.”
Yulong nodded. They weren’t the only ones. Many others took a wait-and-see approach. There were not enough peaches for every one of them, but that didn’t mean the peaches weren’t plentiful. As they expected, no one could get a peach even after ten minutes.
“Let’s go inside first and choose a room in a good location. We’ll come back later,” the elder said.
Yulong obeyed and entered. “Are they baiting us? Letting us see it but never get one? How much do they want to toy with us?”
The identity of ‘they’ was left unsaid, but both disciple and master knew who Yulong was referring to.
“Enough,” the elder said. “I remember telling you not to speak such words lightly.”
Once again, Yulong bowed his head. Ever since he became his master’s disciple, he had always been treated with respect. Although he did not use his status to oppress anyone, he still felt pride. Only after coming to the Immortal Realm did he realize that they never treated him like anyone of importance. The difference made him unable to adjust.
The master and disciple found a room and placed their hands on the door. They instantly felt a connection with it. The room was plain, but much larger than expected. There was a living room with a dining table. Further back, there were two more doors which led to individual bedrooms.
“The qi here is much denser than outside,” Yulong said, marveling at everything.
The two didn’t stay inside for long and walked outside. Although the number of people trying had reduced, there were still many others attempting to pluck a fruit. The duo shared a look before joining.
Yulong discovered that his body felt heavy. The closer he got, the heavier it became. Once he reached a certain point, it felt as if he had lost all strength in his body. The only thing keeping him going was his sheer willpower, and even that seemed to be lacking. He felt that he could collapse from fatigue at any moment.
However, he persevered. His vision became blurry, and all that was left was a peach. He couldn’t tell how close he was, but he still reached out. To his surprise, he touched the peach skin. It was cool and refreshing, like cold jade. A vitality entered his body from his fingers, instantly relieving him of his fatigue.
Light returned to Yulong’s eyes. His back became straight, and he plucked a peach off. Although he already had one, his eyes stared at another. He walked forward, but all the fatigue from earlier returned. Only when he stepped back did the fatigue disappear.
Yulong looked back to see his master struggling fifty meters away from him. His master just stood there, with one foot forward. Clearly, he only needed to take another step, but it was as if a wall blocked him.
After some hesitation, Yulong did not eat the peach. Instead, he stood there and waited for his master. Hours passed, but his master only walked ten more meters before completely reaching a standstill. Then, he fainted.
“Master!” Yulong shouted. It was much easier to walk away from the peach tree than toward it. After checking, he sighed in relief when he saw that his master had only fainted.
Aware of the heated gazes on his body, he took his master and returned to the room. He didn’t think the Immortal Court would allow them to hurt or steal from each other, but he did not want to risk it. So he left before anyone could act on their evil thoughts.
When the elder awoke, he sighed.
“Master, you’re awake!”
He looked up to see his disciple’s relieved face. “Sorry for worrying you.”
Yulong wasn’t polite at all. “You really scared me to death. Master, here, eat this.”
The elder sat up and felt something cool in his hand. The old injuries in his body became less painful. He looked down to see a plump peach seemingly carved from precious crystals. “This? No, this is something you got. You should eat it yourself.”
“I already ate one, and this is the second one I got,” Yulong said with a shrug, seemingly not caring.
“Yulong, I raised you from a child. How can I not know you are lying? Enough, just take it back and eat this,” the elder said.
“Master, I really don’t need it. I’m still young and I have so many years to live. One year doesn’t matter to me, and I don’t have any injuries. It’s better for you to eat it.” Before the elder could reject, Yulong walked out. “Master, I’m going out to see if I can get another one.”
“This kid,” the elder said with a sigh. Although the Life Peach could extend one year, its effect probably didn’t only include this. It might even improve potential. For this, it was actually better for Yulong to eat it. However, the elder knew how stubborn his disciple was.
He sighed. Although he was helpless, he felt warm at the filial piety shown by Yulong. After some hesitation, he ate it. After the first bite, he felt a burst of vitality entering his body. He couldn’t stop and ate it all, leaving only the pit.
The old injuries plaguing his body emitted a painful soreness, but it was swiftly followed by a refreshing coolness. Not only that, he could feel qi exploding in his body. His cultivation, which had stagnated at the Altar Formation Stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm, surged and he entered the Crucible Formation Stage.
When the elder opened his eyes, he couldn’t help but stare at his hand in marvel. Now, he was only one step away from reaching the Core Formation Realm. The long-lost ambition reignited in his eyes.
