Chapter 549: Jiuxiao Pavilion

Shui Miao’s mind stirred with thoughts, and in his mind’s eye, he began to sketch out one plan of revenge after another.

Before long, Shui Miao was invited by Master Jiaogong to stand before the first sacred mountain of the Ninth Heaven—the most revered peak in all the Heavens.

According to Jiaogong, this mountain was the capital of the Nine Heavens, garrisoned with three hundred thousand celestial soldiers and over a million immortals from various sects.

Of course, that was just the count of immortals within the capital itself.

Across the entire Ninth Heaven, the number of immortals was at least no fewer than nine million.

However, very few of them had ascended from the lower realms. The Ninth Heaven was mostly populated by native immortals born and raised in the Heavens.

Looking toward the capital mountain, Shui Miao saw an incredibly massive mountain floating midair, covered with densely packed pavilions and towers, all wreathed in immortal mist. The sight was indeed awe-inspiring, majestic, and breathtaking.

To enter the immortal capital, one needed an immortal pass.

The celestial guards stationed at the capital, seeing that Shui Miao was a friend of Jiaogong, not only refrained from obstructing him but even issued him an on-site jade immortal pass, allowing him unrestricted access to the capital without interference.

It was truly advantageous to have someone to vouch for you.

Jiaogong led Shui Miao to a tavern called the Xiaoyao Palace.

From the outside, the tavern appeared to be just a modest pavilion, but once inside, it revealed an entirely different world.

Shui Miao extended his spiritual sense and discovered that the Xiaoyao Palace itself was actually a high-grade spatial immortal artifact, internally transformed into a massive establishment of sensual pleasures. At a glance, he saw countless fairies wearing gossamer silks, their alluring figures half-revealed, their seductive postures genuinely stirring the heart.

Arriving here, Shui Miao felt as if he had been transported back to ancient times, strolling through a pleasure house.

He hadn’t expected that even in the Immortal Realm, such indulgences in sensual pleasures would exist, just like in the mundane world.

However, these were fairies after all—each carried a touch of noble pride, far less vulgar than their earthly counterparts.

“Oh! Isn’t this Master Jiao? You’ve come so early today! I bet you’ve been missing our Xiao Yue, right? Hehehe…” A middle-aged fairy with lingering charm floated gracefully toward Jiaogong. Her mannerisms immediately reminded Shui Miao of the madam of a brothel he had seen on television, though she was clearly much younger and more beautiful—after all, she was an immortal.

“Hahaha!”

Jiaogong chuckled. “San Niang, I’ve brought my brother here today to support your business. You’d better give me a discount. This brother of mine is someone of great importance. Treat him well, and there will be benefits for you. Oh, and send over some new girls—preferably pretty ones. I’m reserving the Zixiang Pavilion today.”

Jiaogong was truly contradictory—demanding a discount while promising rewards. It was clearly just his way of putting on a show of generosity despite his limited means.

“Oh my! This young master here looks truly extraordinary!” San Niang’s eyes lit up as she looked at Shui Miao. But upon noticing his plain attire, she immediately realized Jiaogong was probably exaggerating. Her mind quickly shifted gears as she replied, “Master, the Zixiang Pavilion has already been reserved today. Would you like me to arrange another room instead?”

“Reserved? By whom? San Niang, don’t try to pull a fast one on me!”

Jiaogong’s eyes narrowed, and he raised his voice indignantly.

San Niang hesitated. She had initially assumed Jiaogong was just pretending to be generous, but seeing his serious expression, she realized he was genuinely insistent. Thinking quickly, she responded, “Master, room reservations are quite common. Nothing unusual about it. How about this—how about I give you the Jiuxiao Pavilion instead, and charge you the Zixiang Pavilion rate? That should be fine, right?”

“Uh, okay, okay, hahaha!”

Jiaogong, having gained an advantage, immediately broke into laughter.

San Niang led the way forward but stole several glances back at Shui Miao. She was puzzled—Jiaogong was usually quite stingy, yet today he was acting so extravagantly. Who exactly was this young man? Unable to sense any aura from Shui Miao, she became even more curious.

“This is the Jiuxiao Pavilion?”

Shui Miao entered the room and was surprised to find that it was yet another spatial artifact. The immortal energy inside was extremely dense. At a glance, he saw a lotus pond with a palace that seemed carved from jade—luxurious, magnificent, surrounded by purple mist, and filled with a delicate, fragrant aroma.

Indeed, the fragrance here was unique, invigorating the spirit.

Fang Zhentian and Fang Ze, tagging along, began greedily inhaling the immortal energy.

“San Niang, you don’t need to stay. Go, go, prepare a feast of Jiuxiao fruits for us. And bring more girls!”

Jiaogong took a deep breath and, with a delighted smile, waved at San Niang to hurry and prepare the feast.

Shui Miao felt puzzled. What was Jiaogong’s intention? Was he planning to just pacify him with some fruit?

Shui Miao assumed Jiaogong couldn’t afford to host a feast of peaches of immortality, so he didn’t hold much hope for this fruit banquet.

After San Niang left, Shui Miao, eager to resolve his confusion, took the initiative to speak.

“Brother, when I took Master Luotong as my teacher, it was in the Realm of Rakshasas. Although I heard a few things about the Immortal Realm from my master, I still don’t know much. So I have some questions…”

“Brother, feel free to ask. I understand your situation perfectly!”

Jiaogong gestured for Shui Miao to enter the palace residence.

Shui Miao nodded. “Brother, what’s the deal with the immortal energy and this fragrant aroma here?”

“Oh, this!” Jiaogong immediately explained, “Brother, you see, the reason the Jiuxiao Pavilion is so expensive is because the immortal energy here is brought in from the Second Heaven. Only Immortal Lords can go there—we can’t even get in. So the energy here is especially rare. As for this fragrance, it’s the scent of incense. Mortals burn incense to worship immortals; we in the Immortal Realm process that scent and turn it into this aroma. Oh, and there’s another benefit to this pavilion—spending one day here is equivalent to only one hour outside. Isn’t that amazing!”

So in Jiaogong’s eyes, artifacts that manipulated time were considered divine treasures!

“Amazing! Truly amazing!”

Shui Miao scratched his head, nodding in agreement. He recalled how, when he was previously deceived by the Illusionary Demon Mirror, his father had subtly hinted to him to have the Five Elders of the Zhonghai Guild build temples, gather incense offerings, and establish a sect in the Immortal Realm. He never expected that during his time in the Realm of Rakshasas, he would learn the art of forging, which was far superior to merely building temples. Such was the unpredictability of fate. If only his father were still alive, together they could have made a name for themselves in the Immortal Realm.

Thinking of his father, Shui Miao’s mood darkened with grief and anger, and he grew quiet.

The atmosphere in the room grew heavy.

Seeing Shui Miao lost in thought, Jiaogong assumed he was contemplating his words. Pausing briefly, Jiaogong suddenly noticed that Fang Ze was still holding a gift box. He hurriedly said, “Fang Ze, quickly open the boxes and take out the clothes for my younger brother to change into. Brother, since I was in a rush preparing this, just wear this for now. Later I’ll get you a better set.”

The three gift boxes contained spirit stones, a low-grade protective talisman shaped like a ball, and a set of immortal robes.

These were originally gifts from Jiaogong to Shui Miao, meant to mend their previous misunderstanding.

Now, they came in handy.

After being ravaged by the lightning tribulation, Shui Miao was still wearing the same old robes gifted by Bai Feng, mended with immortal energy. Now that he was in the Immortal Realm, the attire looked too shabby.

“Thank you, Brother!”

Shui Miao accepted the gifts with gratitude. With a thought, he activated his immortal energy and changed into the new robes.

He also accepted the crystal stones and the talisman without hesitation—after all, Jiaogong would help him forge immortal artifacts later.

“…”

Feeling the ripple of Shui Miao’s spiritual energy but unable to sense its depth, Jiaogong was taken aback. In the Immortal Realm, the hierarchy was very clear—there was no way a Celestial King could possess greater power than a Celestial Elder. A Celestial Elder should definitely be able to sense the strength of a Celestial King. Yet clearly, Shui Miao was an exception.

Just as Jiaogong was about to ask, voices of women were heard from outside.

“Master Jiao, the girls have arrived!”

San Niang entered with a group of over a dozen young fairies.

“Hmm?”

Shui Miao extended his spiritual sense and was suddenly startled. He sensed that one of the young fairies possessed an extremely high level of spiritual energy—at least no weaker than Jiaogong.

How was that possible?

How could a girl in such a place have such profound cultivation?

Could she be from the Yuxu Sect? Instantly, Shui Miao became alert and wary.