Eat, eat, eat in the primordial world

When you offer a gift, you must have something in mind.

Di Jun understood this principle very well. Jiang Yuan, as Nuwa's disciple, had come all the way to the Heavenly Court, yet instead of trying to please Xi Huang, he went to great lengths to prepare gifts for him.

If he didn't need something from them, he would have dared to write his name backwards.

"To be honest, Your Majesty, for the sake of my cultivation, I hope Your Majesty can impart to me the supreme Daoist scripture of the demon race—the 'Zhou Tian Dao Dao Jing'!"

Jiang Yuan didn't stand on ceremony and directly stated his needs.

"No, your cultivation is too weak. You've only just embarked on the path of immortality. At most, I can only teach you the Heavenly Gang Technique. As for the complete Zhou Tian Technique, you'll have to wait until you become a Great Luo Golden Immortal."

Di Jun refused without even thinking.

In fact, given Jiang Yuan's status, even without any merit, if he asked for the Zhou Tian Fa (a magical technique), Di Jun would have taught it to him. But not now, but after he had cultivated to the level of a Great Luo Golden Immortal.

Why must it be a Great Luo Golden Immortal? There are two considerations: First, the complete Zhou Tian Dao Dao Jing is too profound, and only a Great Luo Golden Immortal can learn it.

Secondly, Jiang Yuan's cultivation is too weak. What if someone steals and learns the complete Zhou Tian Dao Jing if I pass it on to him?

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The Heavenly Gang Method it is. This method is the foundational chapter of the Zhou Tian Dao Dao Jing, composed of thirty-six innate divine methods. If Jiang Yuan obtains it, it will be enough for him to cultivate to the peak of the Heavenly Immortal realm and attempt to break through to the Taiyi realm.

"Di Yuan has rendered great service; rewarding him with the Heavenly Gang Technique seems rather stingy," Donghuang said to Di Jun first, then turned to Jiang Yuan.

"I see starlight flowing around you, so your cultivation path must be related to the stars. I happen to have a Star Pearl here, a top-grade innate spiritual treasure. I have no use for it, so I'll give it to you as a reward for your meritorious service this time."

As they were talking, Donghuang indeed took out a pearl that shimmered with starlight and was about to throw it to Jiang Yuan.

But at this moment, Jiang Yuan spoke up: "If Your Majesty feels that the Heavenly Gang Method is not enough to reward me, then this disciple has another request."

Upon hearing this, Donghuang paused, looking at him with a puzzled expression, and asked, "What do you want?"

The Star Pearl is a top-grade innate spiritual treasure. Although he doesn't value it, it is still a rare treasure in the prehistoric world.

Aside from quasi-saints who each possess one, it would be considered good if even one out of ten Grand Luo Golden Immortals could have one. Jiang Yuan's continued dissatisfaction is rather greedy.

"Do your two lords still remember that you once plucked two gourds from the primordial gourd vine on Mount Buzhou?"

"What this disciple seeks is related to them. I hope to obtain a wisp of their essence from Your Majesty so that I may use it to revive the Primordial Gourd Vine."

Seeing that the opportunity was rare, Jiang Yuan reluctantly refused a top-grade innate spiritual treasure and instead asked Di Jun and Tai Yi for the essence of the innate gourd in their possession.

While top-grade innate spiritual treasures are rare, they cannot compare to the innate gourd vine. If this spiritual root could be revived, he could mass-produce top-grade innate spiritual treasures—something far beyond what a single top-grade spiritual treasure could achieve.

"Reviving the innate gourd vine?"

Di Jun, Tai Yi, and even Xi Huang all showed puzzlement in their eyes, not quite understanding Jiang Yuan's meaning.

Wasn't the innate gourd vine ruined?

They verified this themselves; the chance of survival had long been extinguished, so how could it possibly revive?

However, when Jiang Yuan took out the innate gourd vine that had regained a sliver of life, all three of them fell silent.

The facts are right before their eyes, leaving them no choice but to admit that they misjudged the situation back then; the innate gourd vine had not been completely eradicated and still had a sliver of life remaining.

Of course, the three of them would still try to justify their actions. It wasn't that they had misjudged the situation, but rather that after Nuwa became a saint, she gained a deeper understanding of the Dao of Creation, which allowed the innate gourd vine to be resurrected and given the possibility of revival.

Indeed, in the three of them's view, the revival of the innate gourd vine must have been Nuwa's doing. Otherwise, how could it have been Jiang Yuanqian's doing? This joke wasn't funny at all.

"If it can help the innate gourd vine revive, it's just a wisp of essence, nothing to be reluctant about. Consider it repayment for the karma of picking the gourd."

Coming to their senses, Di Jun and Tai Yi each took a wisp of innate essence from their own gourds and injected it into the innate gourd vines to help them recover further.

It is said that when a person dies, the debt is settled. If the original gourd vine is gone, then the person who picked the gourd from it back then will not owe it anything.

But it didn't die; it came back to life. Well, sorry, those who took the gourd back then owe it a debt of karma, and they need to help it fully recover in order to repay it.

That is why Di Jun and Tai Yi are so easy to talk to.

otherwise……

You should know that Di Jun had already refined the gourd in his hand into the Demon-Summoning Banner, a supreme treasure of the demon race. Asking him for the essence of this item is equivalent to asking the emperor for the Imperial Seal of the State in later generations. It would be considered good if he didn't beat you to death on the spot.

"One thing at a time. The repayment of vital energy was to settle the karmic debt between my brother and me and the innate gourd vine, and it has nothing to do with you. This Star Pearl is still yours."

With a wave of his sleeve, Donghuang gave the Star Pearl that he had not given away before back to Jiang Yuan.

This treasure must be given; otherwise, the karmic connection between them and the innate gourd vine cannot be resolved.

Giving away the precious pearl means that their essence was returned voluntarily, and they have already compensated the innate gourd vine, so the cause and effect naturally no longer exist.

Even if the precious pearl wasn't given, the essence was given to him at Jiang Yuan's request, and had nothing to do with the innate gourd vine. Therefore, the cause and effect couldn't be eliminated.

"Thank you, Donghuang!"

This time, Jiang Yuan did not refuse, but happily accepted the Star Pearl.

This treasure is quite valuable; it can be given to the Myriad Stars Pot to absorb, thus increasing its power. The remaining residue can then help him further condense the Star Lord's Dharma Image.

"Now that this matter is settled, I will not keep you any longer, so as not to disturb your reunion."

After giving the reward, Di Jun saw the guest off.

"Wait a minute, there is one more thing that the Heavenly Emperor has not yet made clear. After receiving the gift from Emperor Yuan, the Heavenly Emperor will definitely order people to draw a complete map of the Nine Heavens and compile a complete illustrated guide to the Nine Heavens' spiritual herbs."

"Both of these are acts of great merit, and it is only right that the Heavenly Emperor orders them to be carried out, but it wouldn't be appropriate to exclude Di Yuan, would it?"

Regardless of whether Di Jun was truly confused or pretending, Xi Huang wouldn't stand on ceremony with him and directly advocated for Jiang Yuan.

It's better to clarify this matter beforehand. If Di Jun bypasses Jiang Yuan in handling this matter, then Jiang Yuan will not get much merit in the end, not even one-thousandth.

If Emperor Jun were to assign Jiang Yuan to handle this matter, then the merit he would receive afterward would be at least one-tenth of the total.

A difference of a hundredfold, involving so much merit, could potentially create a quasi-saint. With such a huge benefit, Emperor Xi would definitely fight for it for Jiang Yuan.

The idea that Xi Huang and Nuwa were one was not just a saying; they shared everything, including their disciples. Nuwa's disciples were equivalent to Xi Huang's disciples, and vice versa.