What is the origin of the Heaven Pill Gate, and where did the Azure Sky Medicine Ancestor come from? The Great Emperors had no idea and dared not ask further. The one who had been beaten by Chen Xia even apologized before leaving, not daring to raise his head for fear of being struck again.
They had arrived with lofty ambitions, only to flee in disarray.
After they had gone some distance, the beaten Great Emperor straightened his disheveled robes and stopped, staring directly at the Wu Xi Great Emperor.
"What is it?" Wu Xi Great Emperor asked, puzzled.
"Do you know this... uh, this senior?" the beaten Great Emperor inquired curiously, as Wu Xi Great Emperor's earlier words had been quite telling. Upon seeing Chen Xia, he had immediately surrendered.
Wu Xi Great Emperor frowned, as if deep in thought. After a moment of hesitation, he sighed softly and said, "There are some things I really don’t know how to explain to you. The matter is quite significant, so if you truly want peace, it’s best not to ask or provoke him. This senior is actually quite reasonable—at least he didn’t kill you, right?"
The beaten Great Emperor was taken aback and retorted, "So, according to you, I should be thanking him?"
"Well, don’t you think you should?" Wu Xi Great Emperor shot back.
"Fine, I suppose I should," the beaten Great Emperor admitted, glancing toward the distant Heaven Pill Gate. He nodded reluctantly but then frowned in dissatisfaction. "But you should’ve warned me beforehand. You’re ninety-nine percent responsible for this beating!"
"What do you mean?" Wu Xi Great Emperor asked, confused. "Are you saying I’m the one who beat you? How can you shamelessly blame me for this? If you want to blame someone, blame the senior. Don’t drag me into it."
"The senior did beat me, but I could tell he wasn’t doing it out of malice. He just wanted to establish his authority. He was actually worried about killing me, which shows he cares. But you, on the other hand, are selfish and heartless. You knew the senior’s identity but didn’t tell us, forcing me to offend him. You’re like a dog ready to bite!"
"What are you trying to say? Stop speaking in riddles," Wu Xi Great Emperor snapped, his brow furrowed.
"I won’t!" the beaten Great Emperor retorted angrily, looking as though he had been the one beaten by Wu Xi Great Emperor. His expression grew increasingly furious.
As the argument seemed about to escalate, the Eighth Mountain elder waved his hand and sighed, "Enough, enough. Stop arguing. My Eighth Mountain hasn’t even said anything. First, the Ten Thousand Mountains descended, then the Divine Realm Great Emperors arrived, and now this Heaven Pill Gate has appeared. Is this still the East Jia State under the control of my Eighth Mountain?"
"Forget it. I don’t think we can even call it the East Jia State controlled by the Eighth Mountain anymore. Let the Ten Thousand Mountains, the Divine Realm Great Emperors, and this Heaven Pill Gate fight it out. Whoever wins can take control of East Jia State. Damn it, what kind of world is this? It’s all changed, completely changed. Haha, let them fight! It’d be best if they all killed each other!"
The elder’s mental state didn’t seem to be in the best shape.
The Great Emperors stopped arguing and gradually dispersed. As for the future of East Jia State, that was no longer their concern. Let others in the Immortal Realm deal with it—they were too exhausted to care.
Moreover, this wasn’t an issue that ordinary Great Emperors could handle. It would require the intervention of the Four Paths Great Emperors, and even then, they might only be able to voice their opinions. Wu Xi Great Emperor knew Chen Xia’s background—an ancient being who had lived for who knows how many years. Back in the Great Death Realm, Chen Xia had already been at the level of a Five Paths Great Emperor. After so many years, his cultivation must have advanced further. While he might not yet rival the supreme beings, he was certainly not far off.
However, Chen Xia had earlier claimed to be a Four Paths Quasi-Emperor, which seemed contradictory. Why would his cultivation have regressed?
After some thought, Wu Xi Great Emperor quickly figured it out.
He believed that the senior he had encountered earlier was likely just an avatar, which would explain the drop in cultivation level. Even so, the avatar’s combat power hadn’t diminished. Despite being a Four Paths Quasi-Emperor, it was still overwhelmingly powerful, easily defeating ordinary Great Emperors without giving them a chance to fight back.
This level of strength was at least on par with a Three Paths Great Emperor, which was unusual for a Four Paths Quasi-Emperor given the gap in cultivation realms. But considering that Chen Xia’s true form might be a Five Paths Great Emperor, it all made sense.
Wu Xi Great Emperor sighed and decided not to dwell on it. The Immortal Realm had truly become a land of chaos. The war in Treasure Ring Scale State was raging, with constant battles and even Great Emperors falling. Meanwhile, cultivators from other states were being sent to the borders to fend off invasions from the Divine Realm and the Supreme Realm, leaving resources stretched thin.
For now, East Jia State seemed relatively stable. With the Ten Thousand Mountains present, the Divine Realm dared not invade, effectively ignoring East Jia State. The Great Emperors stationed there to confront the Divine Realm forces were spared from the frontline battles, making their lives somewhat comfortable.
But this was only temporary. Once the war in Treasure Ring Scale State reached its peak, could they really avoid joining the fray?
Even if the Nine Mountains of the Immortal Realm didn’t hold them accountable, they couldn’t bring themselves to be so cold-hearted. To abandon their duties would shatter the Dao hearts they had cultivated for a lifetime, leaving them despised and scorned for generations.
They would never stoop to such actions, so they decided to let East Jia State’s fate unfold as it would. In fact, they hoped for more chaos, more factions, and more complexity. With so many forces intertwined and mutually restraining each other, no one would dare act recklessly, and East Jia State might even become more stable. After all, as the saying goes, "When there are too many lice, they stop biting."
The Eighth Mountain and the Great Emperors chose to leave the Heaven Pill Gate alone, allowing it to grow rapidly. Within just two years, ninety percent of the cultivators in East Jia State had become loyal customers of the Heaven Pill Gate.
It must be said, the Heaven Pill Gate’s benefits were truly impressive. Their monthly "Crazy Fourth Day" promotions offered affordable pills, allowing cultivators to heal, break through bottlenecks, and improve their cultivation. This earned them widespread praise, and many sayings began circulating among the cultivators:
"When it comes to pills, I only go to the Heaven Pill Gate—authentic and reliable!"
"East Jia State cannot do without the Heaven Pill Gate, just as the Immortal Realm cannot do without the Nine Mountains."
"This is a small step for the Heaven Pill Gate, but a giant leap for alchemists everywhere."
As the cultivators’ praises spread, the Heaven Pill Gate expanded its influence. Using its vast wealth, it acquired twenty percent of East Jia State’s territory. Countless sects now bore the name "Heaven Pill Gate," and Chen Xia had become the wealthiest individual in East Jia State—possibly even the entire Immortal Realm. His wealth was truly astronomical.
However, acquiring more land in East Jia State became increasingly difficult. It wasn’t that the cultivators were unwilling to sell—they were eager to do business with Chen Xia. The problem was that the Immortal Realm’s will had taken notice of him. The sudden appearance of such a powerful figure in East Jia State, coupled with his extensive connections, had not gone unnoticed. The Immortal Realm’s will began monitoring Chen Xia closely.
Upon closer observation, the Immortal Realm’s will did uncover some issues. However, it found itself powerless to act against Chen Xia due to his deep ties with East Jia State.
When a problem becomes easy to spot, it’s often because it has already grown significant.
Chen Xia was now connected to ninety percent of East Jia State’s cultivators. Expelling him would cause immense disruption to the entire state. It wouldn’t just be a case of "losing a thousand to harm eight hundred," as Chen Xia himself would suffer no real loss—he was, after all, not one to be trifled with. East Jia State, on the other hand, would bear the brunt of the damage, losing significant fortune and disrupting the lives of countless cultivators who had benefited from Chen Xia’s influence.
For now, the Immortal Realm’s will could only watch and wait. If Chen Xia made any further outrageous moves, it would expel him immediately, even if it meant sacrificing the fortunes of East Jia State. This was the Immortal Realm’s way of self-preservation.
Chen Xia had nothing to do these days. He spent his time lying on a rocking chair, staring into the unseen will of the Immortal Realm. From time to time, he would mutter, "This stalemate isn't doing anyone any good. Just let me in already. I’ll take responsibility, I promise."
Hmm.
You’d better be talking about East Jia State.