I seek immortality by chance

Chapter 719 Tai Su Cloud Sprout? Tai Su Cloud Wood?
The Celestial Palace is located in the tenth heaven of the Heavenly Palace, in the Taiqing Heaven.

This palace is extremely magnificent, resembling the abode of a giant celestial being. A ten-thousand-foot-long cloud dragon soars amidst the rosy clouds, inhaling and exhaling the essence of immortals, its scales gleaming.

In the vast void, countless spirits and mythical beasts roam, gathering celestial dews and medicinal herbs from all directions.

There were also celestial officials from various realms, carrying numerous jade plates and spirit gourds, coming from different heavens toward the Celestial Palace.

The Immortal Salary Hall manages the salaries of immortals and is responsible for distributing various spiritual items such as immortal pills, immortal jade, immortal robes, and immortal medicines. Apart from a small amount produced by the Immortal Salary Hall itself, the rest of these spiritual items need to be supplied by many immortal halls such as the Heavenly Pill Hall.

The Tai Su Cloud Sprout is a product of the Immortal Salary Palace. All its products are refined by the palace itself, which is why it can control the immortals.

However, Gu Yuan did not indulge him today. Instead, he led a group of celestial officials in a cloud-borne carriage and entered the palace.

Although the Celestial Salary Hall manages the salaries of all immortals, it is merely a hall under the Celestial Salary Department, ranking as a fourth-grade official, the same rank as Gu Yuan. The celestial officials in the hall are only sixth-grade officials.

Gu Yuan led the celestial officials directly to the door. The officials did not dare to openly obstruct him and immediately respectfully invited Gu Yuan into the hall and served him spiritual tea.

Where is the Jade Balance Immortal?

After sitting down, Gu Yuan didn't exchange pleasantries and went straight to the point.

Yuheng Immortal is the master of the Immortal Salary Palace, and is Biyou Immortal who comes from the Heavenly Capital Immortal Lineage.

"Reporting to the Immortal, my Palace Master is in seclusion to cultivate due to important matters and will not be receiving guests for the time being. I am in charge of all matters in the Palace. If you have any important matters to discuss, please feel free to speak to me directly."

The Left Palace Envoy of the Immortal Salary Hall immediately bowed respectfully, but did not invite the Jade Balance Immortal.

"you?"

Gu Yuan glanced at the man, and without wasting words, said coldly, "I was appointed by the Immortal Hall to be in charge of the Dipper Pivot and hold the rank of a fourth-grade immortal official. I should be entitled to a fourth-grade immortal salary and have the Tai Su Cloud Sprout as my cultivation treasure. Several days have passed, why has the Tai Su Cloud Sprout not appeared yet?"

The Left Palace Envoy immediately cupped his hands and bowed repeatedly, explaining, "So that the immortals may know, it is not that our Immortal Salary Palace has withheld any, but that the last Tai Su Cloud Sprout was exchanged for with immortal merit by the Immortal Law Palace, and we simply have no stock left."

"This matter is recorded in the Immortal Register and can be verified by the immortals. If the immortals do not believe it, they can go to the Immortal Law Hall to verify it. This humble official dares not deceive you."

"When the immortal sent the order, my Immortal Salary Hall was already operating at full capacity, and I summoned ten immortal officials to refine it for the immortal. It will only take fifty years to successfully refine the Tai Su Cloud Sprout. At that time, I will personally deliver it to the Immortal Salary Hall."

These words were without any errors or omissions, and Gu Yuan knew that they were all true. Even if they investigated the case, they wouldn't find anything.

The root cause lies in the "autonomy" of the various immortal palaces. Apart from the quota, the so-called "inventory" and "efficiency" of all the outputs in the palace are determined by the palace master.

Initially, this right was intended to allow the immortals to cultivate better, and based on this, they could obtain more immortal food.

However, as it has evolved, it has become a means of "scheming and intrigue".

"We currently have no Tai Su Cloud Sprouts in stock. Do we have Tai Su Cloud Essence?"

Gu Yuan didn't pursue the matter further, but simply asked again.

The celestial official hesitated for a moment, as if following instructions, before replying, "Reporting to the immortal, the Primordial Cloud Qi is indeed available. Our celestial officials from all sides of the Immortal Palace are doing their utmost to collect and refine it to create Primordial Cloud Sprouts for you."

Upon hearing this, Gu Yuan immediately smiled and said, "Good! With the Tai Su Cloud Qi, things will be much easier. You can open the gate to the Immortal Treasury. I don't need to trouble the Immortal Salary Hall. I will enter the treasury myself and refine the Tai Su Cloud Sprouts myself!"

Upon hearing this, the celestial official was immediately stunned.

Behind the Immortal Palace, in a cloud-filled Taoist temple, two Taoists dressed in white immortal robes were also taken aback.

Before the two Taoist priests was a jade mirror, and the flowing images reflected in the mirror were the scene inside the hall.

One of the Taoist priests, with a slender, crane-like figure and a radiant, jade-like face, asked in surprise, "Senior brother, is it difficult to collect these Tai Su Cloud Sprouts? Is there such a thing in the mortal world?"

Another Taoist with silver-rimmed, starry eyes shook his head: "The Primordial Cloud Qi only existed when Yin and Yang were first created. It was born after the Heavenly Palace was established and is absolutely nonexistent in the mortal world. To collect this Qi and condense it into a sprout, one must have the secret method of my Immortal Salary Palace. Even if I collect and refine it myself, it will take ten years of effort. It is by no means an easy task."

"So, Donghua, having just entered the Heavenly Palace, wants to collect cloud sprouts on his own. Could it be that he has some kind of backing, or does Linchuan possess some kind of immortal technique?"

The Taoist priest, whose face shone with a jade-like radiance, was somewhat curious.

The Taoist with silver-rimmed, starry eyes shook his head slightly, indicating that he did not know.

He had used the Tai Su Yun Ya card to deal with no fewer than five immortals. Although each immortal eventually had a way to make him compromise, it was all due to the merits of their respective immortal lineages. This was the first time he had seen someone come directly to him wanting to collect the Yun Ya personally.

"Speaking of which, senior brother, why are you making things difficult for this person by mentioning Yun Ya?"

"This person is, after all, a direct descendant of the Linchuan Immortal Lineage, a true successor of the Xuanhuang lineage. Tai Su Yun Ya can only imprison him for a few decades at most, which is of no great use and will only make him disliked for no reason. Why do this?"

The Taoist priest, whose face shone with jade-like light, was also unaware of the reason behind this, and immediately asked in confusion.

Although there are difficulties among the immortal lineages, most of them have their reasons.

Sometimes it's to eliminate the "violations of the law" of the Immortal Law Hall, sometimes it's to exchange for specific immortal pills, and sometimes it's to vent one's anger.

The Celestial Palace has never violated the law in a thousand years, and Donghua has only recently entered the Heavenly Palace. What good things could he possibly have? And since there is no cause and effect involved, why would the Celestial Palace be willing to take action?
The Taoist with silver-rimmed eyes was the Lord of the Immortal Palace, the Jade Balance Immortal. Upon hearing this, he immediately explained, "Junior Brother, you are unaware of this matter. This is for Junior Brother Yuanming."

"Junior brother Yuan Ming?"

The Taoist priest, whose face shone with a radiant light, was immediately astonished.

Junior Brother Yuanming is also a Biyou Immortal of the Tiandu lineage, and now he is in charge of the Douyuan Hall, one of the eight halls under the Tiandou Division.

Douyuan Palace and Doushu Palace are both among the Eight Palaces, in charge of conquests beyond the realm. Could there be some inside story he doesn't know about?
"The Celestial Star Division recently searched the entire star field and discovered four large stars, on which the shadow of a true dragon is pervasive. If nothing unexpected happens, they should be stars controlled by the Dragon Clan."

"After that Supreme Being witnessed the unparalleled achievements of my Heavenly Palace, the Dragon Clan also created the world and conquered star fields. Although they were tens of thousands of years late and far from the achievements of my Heavenly Palace, they still established a foothold in the star fields."

"I thought that since the Dragon Clan had abandoned Xuanhuang, we wouldn't encounter them soon, but I didn't expect that we still met them."

Yuheng Immortal sighed slightly, his eyes filled with inscrutable emotions: "The Dragon Clan's strength is extraordinary. Although they are suppressed by my Heavenly Palace, they are, after all, descendants of the Supreme Being. If we want to conquer them, we must gather our strength."

"The eight palaces of the Heavenly Palace and the four stars of the Dragon Domain should naturally be attacked together, with the two palaces joining forces to attack."

“You know the strength of Junior Brother Yuanming. He is not very strong among the Eight Palaces of Dou Shu. This kid from the Linchuan Immortal Vein has just ascended, but he is an immortal under a thousand years old. His talent is extraordinary.”

"The dragon race is a treasure trove, far richer than the barren power of the Star Spirits. Whoever can rule the two halls can take charge of the conquest of a Star."

“The Tai Su Cloud Sprout can increase the speed of cultivation several times, and it is expected to achieve the Tai Su True Form. Delaying it for fifty years is equivalent to delaying cultivation for hundreds of years. In this way, if we compete for the power of the Second Hall, Junior Brother Yuanming will have a better chance.”

After all this, it turns out that it was all for the sake of his own direct descendant, his junior brother.

A truly sincere heart.

However, if one could truly wield the power of Dragon Star's slaughter, one would surely obtain a vast amount of immortal materials.

No wonder the Immortal Palace started planning so quickly.

The Taoist priest, whose face shone with a radiant smile, was moved but did not stop him.

After all, they were all people from his Heavenly Capital Immortal Lineage.

The stronger his immortal veins, the more benefits he would naturally receive.

"Judging from what you're saying, Senior Brother, it will take several decades to conquer Dragon Star?"

"Is this the very day that the Tai Su Cloud Sprout is being refined?"

The Taoist chuckled lightly.

"Conquering Dragon Star is a major event, decided by the eight Jade Voids of the Heavenly Dou Division. I do not yet know the specific date, but the various palaces are still outside the domain and cannot extricate themselves for the time being. By the time the matter outside the domain is settled, at least twenty or thirty years will have passed. By then, it will be the day when Tai Su Yun Ya is born."

The Jade Balance Immortal laughed.

"That's true, but now that the Lord of Dou Shu Palace has come to our door, what should we do?"

The Taoist priest frowned slightly as he looked at the bewildered celestial official in the mirror.

"Without my immortal techniques, he can forget about refining the Tai Su Cloud Sprout. Even with the Lin Chuan immortal techniques, it would definitely not be a matter of a day or two. Since he wants to refine it, I will lend him a hand."

The Jade Balance Immortal chuckled coldly, then made a slight movement of his mouth, and a faint immortal thought passed through the jade mirror and entered the immortal official's ear.

Inside the Celestial Salary Hall, the celestial official, who had been stunned and unsure how to respond, suddenly seemed to receive something, immediately reacted, and replied with a smile:

"If a celestial being has a wonderful method to refine the Tai Su Cloud Sprout on their own, our Immortal Salary Palace will naturally not stop them. However, it must be stated beforehand that the Tai Su Cloud Qi is vast and boundless, without distinction between sun and moon. Once it is refined, it cannot be stopped. Otherwise, the balance of Yin and Yang will be disrupted, the chaotic Qi will leak out, and the Immortal Treasury may be damaged, and the origin may be polluted."

"Once an immortal enters, they must complete their cultivation before they can leave." The Tai Su Cloud Qi is chaotic and vast, making it difficult for even immortals to cultivate within it. They must dedicate themselves to refining the cloud buds in order to break free from the Tai Su miasma.

In other words, once Gu Yuan entered, he was unable to cultivate and lost contact with the outside world.

Within ten years, advancing to [Jinhai Star] will still be a mission assigned by the Tiandou Division.

The celestial officials behind Gu Yuan all frowned, wanting to dissuade him.

"Without cloud buds, it will naturally not emerge."

But Gu Yuan simply waved his sleeve and agreed to the matter.

"Hall Master!"

The expressions of the celestial officials behind him immediately changed.

They naturally wouldn't stop Gu Yuan from refining the Tai Su Cloud Sprout, but if he entered the Immortal Treasury and couldn't leave, that would be a serious matter.

The Heavenly Rules are strict; if Gu Yuan does not go to [Jinhai Star] within ten years, even if he is a direct descendant of the Linchuan Immortal Lineage, he will not escape the punishment of being stripped of his position as Palace Master.

"Immortal, please follow me!"

However, the celestial official of the Celestial Palace bowed and invited Gu Yuan, leading him toward the back of the palace, as if afraid that Gu Yuan would change his mind.

Gu Yuan naturally wouldn't go back on his word and walked away leisurely.

Before long, the group stopped in front of a vast, towering cloud wall, about ten thousand feet high.

"Immortal, beyond this cloud wall lies the place where the Primordial Cloud Qi grows. This is the place where the earth, fire, water, and wind were in chaos at the beginning of the creation of the Heavenly Palace. It is quite dangerous. Only by refining cloud sprouts can you pass through the wall. Please be careful."

The celestial official of the Celestial Palace gave Gu Yuan a warning, and then cast a celestial spell, which landed on the cloud wall. In an instant, the cloud wall spun, revealing a vast vortex in the clouds.

Through that vortex, one could vaguely see countless clouds and shimmering light flowing, and earth, fire, water, and wind surging forth, like a chaotic and ethereal world.

"Hall Master!"

Upon seeing the swirling clouds, the celestial official behind Gu Yuan wanted to persuade him again, but Gu Yuan had already taken a step and disappeared.

……

……

"boom!!"

This is a strange world. The vast void has cracked open, flames are erupting, and gales are howling, creating a scene of apocalypse. However, above the sky, there are countless rays of light, auspicious clouds, and countless spiritual lights falling down, filled with endless vitality.

In this void, where the world was completely different, Gu Yuan suddenly appeared.

"Is this the Primordial Cloud?"

Gu Yuan felt a slight stirring in his heart as he sensed the strange, colorless, and formless cloud energy that blended seamlessly with the entire space.

This energy is the immortal material used to refine the Tai Su Cloud Sprout. Although this energy differs from "Tai Su Immortal Energy" by only one character, their immortal effects are worlds apart.

The primordial immortal energy exists in the dark space, the place where the Dao begins. Refining it into the body makes one's immortal power pure and allows one to progress rapidly in cultivation.

However, the Tai Su Cloud Qi is a chaotic substance, containing various impurities that need to be refined little by little by collecting the "Tai Su Cloud Essence" and condensing it into a sprout.

This is a skill that requires meticulous work; even with the secret techniques of the Immortal Palace, it's not an easy task.

At this moment, in this vast and chaotic scene, there are ten celestial officials sitting cross-legged, with clusters of gray celestial clouds around them constantly changing, being purified of impurities, and slowly condensing.

Judging from the refining speed of these ten celestial officials, even if all ten of them worked together, it would probably take decades to refine a single cloud sprout.

This is also the reason given by the Immortal Salary Palace.

But Gu Yuan came today to break with convention.

However, he did not act rashly. Instead, he slowly flew up and landed in the center of this vast space before sitting cross-legged.

All of this naturally fell into the eyes of the Jade Balance Immortal and his companion.

Both of them stared intently at Gu Yuan, eager to see what methods he would use to refine the Cloud Sprout.

This Immortal Palace is the territory of the Jade Balance Immortal. Although Gu Yuan did not sense it, he knew that the Jade Balance Immortal was definitely observing him from the shadows.

He chuckled to himself, then gently activated the "fate" within his dantian.

In an instant, a faint golden light merged into Gu Yuan's entire body, and a golden sun seemed to circulate in his eyes, causing his aura to change abruptly.

With the command entering his body, Gu Yuan now possesses a completely different destiny.

"boom!"

In an instant, a faint suction force emanated from Gu Yuan's acupoints, and the primordial cloud energy that had been motionless in the void slowly flowed into his body.

Moreover, smoke rose from Gu Yuan's body, with yin and yang energies rising and dispersing into the void.

This is a sign of refining the Primordial Cloud Qi.

Moreover, judging from its speed, it seems to be far superior to those celestial officials.

"It's actually a naturally formed acupoint where Qi can condense and sprout?"

"Such a physique still exists in this world? Wasn't it supposed to have disappeared in the great war long ago...?"

Upon seeing this, the Jade Balance Immortal frowned.

However, all of this was within his expectations.

After all, without some skill, how could one possibly enter his Tai Su Immortal Treasury?

"At this rate of refining, you won't be able to leave this Immortal Treasury for at least seventy years."

Jade Balance Immortal sneered and immediately made a hand seal. Then, a "loophole" seemed to suddenly appear in the Tai Su Immortal Treasury, and the originally abundant Tai Su cloud energy suddenly became thin.

The suction force within Gu Yuan's acupoints did not decrease, but as the Tai Su cloud energy thinned, the refining speed naturally decreased.

Gu Yuan merely chuckled, his life fire igniting in his dantian as he fully activated the Summoning Immortal Lotus.

The Fate-Requesting Lotus is not the same as a simple destiny; within the destiny lies a trace of the power of the former owner.

And those who can reflect reality and leave their mark in the long river of time are certainly not nameless.
"Today I beseech the gods to refine the primordial essence, gathering cloud buds to climb the Jade Void..."

Gu Yuan murmured to himself, and immediately a phantom figure emerged from the river of time, sat cross-legged, and merged with him.

The cyan opportunity could only slightly alter Gu Yuan's fate.

But he had already reached the realm of immortals, residing within the Heavenly Palace.

Even the slightest change in fate requires boundless power.

With this power, refining the Primordial Cloud Sprout will naturally be a piece of cake.

"boom!!"

An unprecedented suction force came, as if a cloud whale was swallowing and spitting out. Not only was the primordial cloud energy in the void completely absorbed, but the primordial cloud energy that emerged from the "hole" was also forcibly extracted and fell into Gu Yuan's body.

"boom!!"

Gu Yuan was surrounded by terrifying Yin and Yang energies that billowed like smoke, soaring straight into the sky, instantly turning countless impurities to ash.

Moreover, a phantom cloud-like shadow quietly appeared above his head.

Can that three-foot-tall, emerald-green thing that stands still in the void still be called a "bud"?

Tai Su Yun Miao? Tai Su Yun Mu?
(End of this chapter)