The Nine Heavens.
The clouds around the Heavenly Palace suddenly became magnificent, with flowing clouds intertwining and orange, gold, and red colors mixing and dyeing the white clouds. Colorful cranes circled and danced in the sky, occasionally letting out clear cries.
"An auspicious omen."
Such an unusual phenomenon was enough to cause everyone in the Heavenly Palace to stop what they were doing. Whether they were high-ranking immortals from various palaces or numerous lesser immortals in the Nine Heavens, they all looked on with curiosity.
Nanpu glanced at the warm sky, where twenty-four colorful cranes were a celestial phenomenon, indicating that someone had been promoted to the rank of immortal.
Twenty-four colorful cranes—this person has considerable talent in cultivation. Very few people in the Heavenly Palace have appeared with colorful cranes when they ascend to the rank of High Immortal; it's a mystery where this newly promoted High Immortal came from.
Forget it, what does it have to do with him?
Nanpu continued to bury himself in alchemy, the Samadhi True Fire burning fiercely in the furnace, filling the air with the fragrance of the elixir.
His son was undergoing tribulation in the mortal realm, and he, as the father, was strictly forbidden from helping him cheat. After being turned away twice by the Heavenly Palace Master of Fate and the Underworld Lady Meng, he had no choice but to go to the one in Penglai.
After finally persuading that little ancestor of Penglai, with one of them returning to the Ninth Heaven as an Immortal and the other to Penglai as a God, if we don't give her some good gifts, that little ancestor will surely turn the world upside down.
Pei Ju ascended to the rank of High Immortal in a single leap, walking slowly on the white marble steps. According to the rules, immortals in the Nine Heavens must report to the Jade Emperor after ascending to the rank of High Immortal.
Many immortals rushed over from other parts of the Nine Heavens. Most of the female immortals wore golden hairpins and silk skirts, their flowing robes creating soft and graceful arcs in the air. A few of them arrived gracefully, sitting on their magical artifacts.
The first fairy to arrive and offer her congratulations was Anhe, who conjured a feather fan from her palm. She gently tossed the fan into the air, and it grew dozens of times larger with the wind. Anhe stood on the fan and hurried towards the main hall of the Heavenly Palace to be the first person to offer her congratulations.
As for the male deities, they were much more casual. Some stood on auspicious clouds with their hands behind their backs, coming out of their palaces to offer their congratulations, while others rode on swords. Many others lay sprawled on magical artifacts and flew over to gossip about who had been promoted to a high immortal.
An Hexiu's beautiful face wore a sincere smile. "Congratulations, Pei Ju."
The newly ascended immortal, standing on the white marble steps, was covered in a white robe. He was tall and slender, with a calm and composed demeanor and a handsome face. Unfortunately, his expression was indifferent, giving people a sense of distance.
A white crane stood beside the man, with snow-white feathers and a bright red beak, its body radiating a spiritual aura and exuding an extraordinary ethereal quality.
The image of a man and a crane is exceptionally harmonious, truly resembling a celestial being.
Pei Ju nodded to An He, but his gaze did not linger on her. He seemed unwilling to exchange a few words with her. Those around them thought that the two were not as close as rumored.
Anhe naturally noticed the strange looks around her. She pursed her lips hard and looked at the white figure on the jade steps with resentment.
Everyone here is a deity from the Ninth Heaven. Apart from acquaintances, even those who just came to join in the fun hesitated for a moment before exchanging greetings.
After all, this Immortal Pei Ju has attracted twelve colorful cranes, and his future prospects are limitless. Even if we don't befriend him, we should try not to leave a bad impression. If Pei Ju is petty, wouldn't that just be asking for trouble for our future?
Pei Ju returned the greetings to everyone he met on the street, but remained indifferent, showing no joy whatsoever at being promoted to an immortal.
Some people were unhappy with Pei Ju's arrogant demeanor and began to belittle him behind his back.
Regardless of the whispers around him, or the whispers of the others still flying in the sky, Pei Ju remained unmoved. Becoming an immortal was not his goal, nor had he reached the endpoint he had set for himself.
He desired a higher status, one that was not limited to the Nine Heavens or any particular region, but rather encompassed the entire world.
Pei Ju stood in the main hall, where the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother sat at the head of the table. He bowed slightly in greeting.
The Jade Emperor gestured for him to stand up, "Congratulations."
The person standing below remained neither humble nor arrogant, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
The Jade Emperor's gaze swept over Pei Ju, lingering on him for a moment before he finally said, "You already hold the rank of a High Immortal and should have your own palace in the Nine Heavens. However, those High Immortals who were promoted earlier cannot choose again. Do you have a palace you prefer?"
The white crane that came in with Pei Ju nuzzled his robes with its head and let out a clear cry, as if it were discussing something with Pei Ju.
Pei Ju reached out and stroked the white crane's head, then looked at the Jade Emperor, "I like that Shattered Pear Palace."
The Queen Mother nodded, "The Broken Pear Palace is an option since it's uninhabited, but it's quite far from the main hall and Nanpu's alchemy room, making it inconvenient for you to travel there. Do you still want the Broken Pear Palace?"
The newly ascended immortal did not hesitate and nodded in agreement.
Since he doesn't care, then it doesn't matter. The Queen Mother continued, "Do you have any favorite fairies? Send them to serve you in your palace."
The white crane raised its long neck, flapped its wings irritably, and stirred up gusts of air out of thin air.
Pei Ju pressed its head down with his long fingers to stop it from behaving and to calm it down. "No need. Baihe and I both like peace and quiet and we don't need anyone to serve us. There's no need to send a little fairy."
"Then do it your way," the Queen Mother and the Jade Emperor exchanged a glance. "It's just a formality for an immortal to report their advancement. You can go back now."
After bowing, Pei Ju did not walk up the ninety-nine white marble steps as he had come. Instead, the moment he stepped out of the hall, he leaped onto the enlarged white crane, his white robe blending almost seamlessly with the crane's snow-white feathers.
The two quickly disappeared from everyone's sight.
Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, Bei Xingxiu stroked his chin, his words tinged with disdain, "His Majesty and the Queen Mother were quite polite to him."
Si Ming stood beside him, looked up and patted his shoulder, "After all, there are twenty-four colorful cranes. The last time such a sight appeared was tens of thousands of years ago."
Bei Xingxiu shrugged and brushed Si Ming's hand away. "Twenty-four colorful cranes? It's hard to say whether he can even get one with his own strength."
"Alright, stop talking!" Si Ming frowned and interrupted Bei Xing Su in a low voice, "The High God himself said he wouldn't hold it against you, so don't bring it up again and make everyone know."
“I know, I don’t intend to tell anyone,” Bei Xingxiu said, his face still grim as he recalled the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother’s attitude toward Pei Ju. “I just dislike Pei Ju because of his insignificant relationship with the High God, yet everyone in the Nine Heavens gives him a wide berth.”
Si Ming knew what he was thinking and sighed, "Don't go looking for trouble with him, lest things get out of hand and rumors reach the ears of the High Goddess and upset her."
"I can't hit him, and I can't even scold him properly. It's really frustrating."
Si Ming pulled Bei Xingxiu back to deal with the mountain of tasks, saying, "Alright, out of sight, out of mind."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
