Seeking Immortality in a Bizarre World-Chapter 563 - 558: The Ancestral Return Plan, Death Approaching?_1
Any matter concerning one’s life must be treated with caution.
Jia Ren disguised himself as Shen Siyuan, elevating his Realm’s aura from the Mid-stage of Void Refinement to the Late Stage of Void Refinement.
He left Gan Capital and traveled tens of thousands of miles away, ensuring that no one was spying on him before he finally took out Shen Siyuan’s Official Seal.
The Eighth-order Official Seal shone with a purple glow, its aura far stronger than that of the Third-order Official Seal of the Wuhu Town Abyssal Chief.
The strict internal and external prohibitions made it much more difficult to achieve his goals by trickery.
’Shen Siyuan’s’ eyes sparkled as he searched for weaknesses in the Official Seal’s prohibitions, his palm glowing faintly as he gently pointed a finger. His goal was not to destroy the prohibitions, but to open a crevice in them so that the internal aura could interact with his disguised aura. Although Ban-breaking Finger was of a low grade, finding a weak point and causing a prohibition node to momentarily fail was not a problem.
As his own aura interacted with the Official Seal’s, Jia Ren quickly re-established his connection to nature’s spiritual energy, feeling the long-missed sensation of its control.
It was not until today that he truly reached the Lianxu Stage.
"Success!"
Even with the plan’s success, he could not be reassured and deliberately buried some iron sheets nearby. In the face of danger, he could use the Five Metals Divine Escape towards this location for an easy escape.
With everything prepared, he stealthily returned to the Imperial Demon Management Bureau in Gan Capital.
Gan Capital remained unchanged from before, the protective draconic energy sensed around the city as usual.
Now that Jia Ren’s disguise was in place, he first needed to understand the Magical Beasts held by the Imperial Demon Management Bureau in Gan Capital, determining which ones could be utilized and taking them all.
Of course, the core was the Seventh-order Li Bird. This bird possessed the Phoenix Bloodline from Divine Beasts, making it extremely valuable.
Emperor Gan attached great importance to this bird; if he made a move against it, the trouble would be substantial.
Does the Imperial Demon Management Bureau use Holy Infant Breath Pills to aid it in bearing offspring?
The plan was feasible, but the problem was... once the Seventh-order Li Bird gave birth, it would surely attract Emperor Gan’s attention. Facing Emperor Gan of the Mahayana Realm, Jia Ren was not sure if he could deceive him... If successful, all would be well, but failure would bring tremendous trouble.
Jia Ren searched Shen Siyuan’s desk and soon found information about Magical Beasts recorded by the Imperial Demon Management Bureau of Gan Capital: One Seventh-order Li Bird, one Sixth-order Cloud Tiger and its two Third-rank Cloud Tiger offspring, two Sixth-order Rocs, one Third-rank Roc offspring, one Sixth-order Qing Feng Bird, one Zhu Bird...
Only the offspring of Seventh-order Demon Beasts could meet the requirements for atavistic bloodline reversion. Logically, aside from the Li Bird, the other Magical Beasts could not meet the criteria.
Jia Ren thought of the Holy Infant Breath Pill.
When Cultivators ingested the Holy Infant Breath Pill, their offspring’s potential and talents were higher. If a Sixth-Rank Magical Beast ingested the Holy Infant Breath Pill, could its offspring’s bloodline be comparable to that of a Seventh-Rank?
If this conjecture was verified, it would mean that after his own atavistic reversion, the Divine Beasts he could obtain wouldn’t be limited to just the Phoenix.
The White Tiger, Great Roc, Azure Luan, Vermilion Bird... all could successfully revert their bloodlines!
The Divine Beast Legion would witness an epoch-making surge!
Such treasures would not be tested in the Imperial Demon Management Bureau, as that would benefit others. Naturally, the best things should be kept for oneself.
Whether the plan succeeded or not, as long as he lured them into the Heaven and Earth Mountain and Sea Pearl, he could experiment slowly.
The next day, Jia Ren made a round of inspection in the Imperial Demon Management Bureau, noting the locations of several Magical Beasts and secretly leaving a Mountain and Sea Mark near their dwellings. This was a new ability of the Heaven and Earth Mountain and Sea Pearl after its ascension to a Spiritual Treasure, allowing him to open an entrance to it at any marked location, should he wish. This way, he could take the corresponding Magical Beasts without anyone being the wiser. This would make his actions even stealthier, less likely to arouse suspicion, and thus facilitate his escape.
For now, there was no rush to act; the disappearance of the Seventh-order Li Bird would surely alarm Emperor Gan. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶
To save his life, he might have to flee this world.
Before starting the plan, the Proficiency Level of the Soul-Extinction Demon Needle had to be raised, and preparations made for a quick escape afterward.
Mo Lin’s Realm was unstable. Its forced retreat and three months of wandering in the Void had caused it... to fall to the Fifth Rank. Even with the numerous tonics he had prepared for it, restoring Mo Lin to the Sixth Rank was not something that could be achieved quickly.
This meant that he would not be able to leave this world in a short time.
The awakening of Jin Sheng became crucial.
Jia Ren returned to Shen Siyuan’s residence, intending to enter seclusion to diligently cultivate the Soul-Extinction Demon Needle, but he sensed someone inside.
The door opened without a breath of wind; someone had clearly been waiting for a long time.
"Director Shen, do not do something unwise!"
A Purple-Robed Eunuch with an effeminate appearance sat before the desk, scrutinizing unsent memorials. An iron sheet was tossed before Jia Ren, the eunuch’s face bearing a mocking expression.
"Emperor Gan is furious about your intentions to flee, but fortunately, you have seen the error of your ways and returned," said the eunuch. "The Emperor has given you three months to ensure that the Li Bird bears offspring; otherwise, the Dragon-Slaying Blade will show no mercy!"
The Purple-Robed Eunuch, a high-ranking official exuding the aura of the Body Integration Realm, spoke words as bone-chilling as a winter wind.
Jia Ren gazed at the iron sheet, his complexion turning slightly pale.
Had all his actions been under Emperor Gan’s watch?
Had his true identity been revealed?!
If his true identity had been exposed, Emperor Gan would certainly know about the Kylin and would have apprehended him instead of this current approach.
Unless, the Li Bird’s offspring held a value far exceeding the Kylin in Emperor Gan’s mind.
This was impossible.
Could it be... the problem with the Eighth-order Official Seal?
Touching the prohibition tens of thousands of miles away—had Emperor Gan sensed it and thought he wanted to flee, thus sending people to apprehend him, only for him to return?
The ’surveillance’ came from an Eighth-order Official Seal?!
Not only is the Official Seal an official’s ’bridge’ to accessing nature’s spiritual energy, but it is also a sharp weapon for Emperor Gan to monitor his ministers!
Even a Mahayana Realm Cultivator couldn’t possibly know everything and perfectly command their subordinates.
Throwing out the iron sheet was a warning to him, proof that all his actions were under Emperor Gan’s control.
There was no escaping. Abandoning the Official Seal meant certain death.
The only hope for survival was to find a way to make the Li Bird produce offspring.
The Purple-Robed Eunuch didn’t care that Jia Ren didn’t kneel to receive the decree; this fellow only had three months left to live. If he failed to complete Emperor Gan’s task, with multiple charges levied against him, his only fate would be a trip to the Dragon Beheading Platform. Conversely, if he completed the task and Emperor Gan was greatly pleased, such a minor transgression wouldn’t be an issue.
"Zajia is responsible for overseeing this matter. Director Shen, please do not make things difficult for me." As the Purple-Robed Eunuch tapped his fingers on the table, his gaze carried a chill.
"I will certainly do my utmost to complete the Emperor’s task..." Jia Ren’s complexion was unsightly, but he didn’t make a move.
A cultivator at the early Body Integration Realm was indeed formidable, but only to a certain extent. Not long ago, Jia Ren had killed and sealed a Bizarre Cultivator from the Xuantiandao Sect, demonstrating that he possessed combat strength equivalent to the early Body Integration Realm.
He held a not insignificant chance of victory against this person.
Even if he couldn’t defeat him, escaping wouldn’t be a problem.
However, this person had the backing of the Daqian Kingdom and its three Mahayana Realm Cultivators, figures who were truly to be feared.
Facing such experts, the chances of escape were slim.
He would have to use a Holy Infant Breath Pill to save his life...
At worst, after the Li Bird gave birth and Jin Sheng awoke, he would take the young Li Bird and flee. He absolutely could not let Emperor Gan benefit from this.
No wonder Shen Siyuan was so distressed; anyone who knew their end was nearing would not be happy.
By taking over his identity, he had truly stepped into a minefield.
"I acquired a certain secret medicine earlier and have recently decided to enter seclusion for research. The required medicinal materials are numerous and precious. I must ask you to grant me easy access to them," Jia Ren said with a smile, his eyes darting about.
This time, though fraught with danger, was also an opportunity.
Where else in this world could be richer than Daqian’s treasury?
By seizing this chance, it wouldn’t be a problem for him to take some Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures from Emperor Gan’s treasury.
Great Eunuch Mei Tianjin seemed unfazed, his smile particularly chilling. "Director Shen, please give your orders. Zajia will do his best to fulfill them. As long as the task can be accomplished and the Emperor’s assignment completed, all other issues are trivial, a minor matter, easily resolved."
"This secret medicine requires further refinement. Please bring me all known Heavenly Earth Elixirs."
When Mei Tianjin heard Jia Ren’s outrageous request, he intended to refuse, but after hesitating for a moment, he agreed.
Emperor Gan was extremely obsessed with the matter of the Phoenix. To find the Divine Bird Phoenix, a special Seeking Phoenix Guard had been formed for this very purpose. His concern for the Imperial Demon Management Bureau’s Li Bird was profound. Any request from the bureau was granted convenient access. The rewards posted for three hundred years, which included not only official titles but also resources sufficient for cultivation up to the Body Integration Realm, amply demonstrated the importance Emperor Gan placed on this matter.
The Daqian Kingdom had vast territories, monopolizing an entire realm, and its resources were abundant. The national treasury lacked no kind of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures. If it meant Emperor Gan could obtain the Divine Bird Phoenix, then ten or even a hundred times the resources would be considered a small price to pay.
Jia Ren hadn’t expected him to agree so readily, without even consulting Emperor Gan. This was enough to prove that the Emperor had previously issued orders to fulfill all such requests.
Initially, he had considered sneaking into Gan Capital’s Zhenyuan Office, just as he had in Wuhu County, to line his own pockets.
Now he realized that the Imperial Demon Management Bureau was even better than he had expected.
Under the guise of improving the secret medicine and the pretext of inducing atavistic reversion in the Phoenix, he could line his own pockets.
"You just wait for the news!" Mei Tianjin vanished like a ghost.
Within less than an hour, Mei Tianjin had returned, accompanied by two middle-aged men who carried the scent of elixirs.
"These are two Pill Masters from the Great Court to assist you with Alchemy and preparing medicines. They are well-versed in the Dao of Pills and Medicine, understanding all medicinal theories by heart. They can help you out."
Help with Alchemy and preparing medicines?
Their true purpose was to supervise him.
One reason was to avoid a fruitless endeavor, like feeding meat buns to a dog; the other was to prevent the concocted medicine from being poisonous and harming the Seventh-order Li Bird.
The Seventh-order Li Bird was of immense importance. If someone poisoned it, Mei Tianjin could not escape responsibility.
He didn’t want to be implicated and die an ignominious death.
If it were really Alchemy, having assistants wouldn’t be bad.
The problem was that the Holy Infant Breath Pill was already a finished product and was essential to the Holy Infant Carp. With outsiders present, was he practically inviting his secrets to be exposed?
"You need not trouble yourself. My unique techniques are not for outsiders. The process of preparing medicine should not be disturbed. The two Pill Masters may take their leave. Please forgive my lack of hospitality."
Jia Ren reached for the River Mountain Bag filled with Heavenly Earth Elixirs. Mei Tianjin simultaneously grabbed the River Mountain Bag, not letting go.
"Are you trying to defy an imperial decree and deliberately sabotage His Majesty’s Divine Bird Phoenix?"
This damning accusation made Mei Tianjin’s face turn as black as the bottom of a pot, and he had no choice but to release his grasp on the River Mountain Bag.
Jia Ren ignored Mei Tianjin’s reaction and turned to leave. He adopted an air of fearlessness in the face of death, indifferent to whether he offended the powerful eunuch.
Mei Tianjin stood in place, watching Jia Ren’s retreating figure, his expression ominous and dark.
