Chapter 539 Reward

Flames roared and churned.

The chaotic treasure of a pill furnace gleamed with an ethereal glow, wreathed in churning Primordial Power, exuding ancient mystique.

Lu Ye began tossing divine herbs into the pill furnace while weaving hand seals. The temperature of the flames inside the furnace flared violently.

One seal after another merged into the furnace.

Though the speed of his hand seals wasn’t particularly fast, the Quasi-Emperors watching found it utterly mesmerizing—this was what it meant when technique borders on the Dao.

Incredible!

Truly incredible.

Just this effortless pill-refining technique alone was enough to outclass most alchemists.

Soon, under Lu Ye’s control, another batch of pills was completed. The moment the pills emerged, divine light erupted in brilliance.

The rich, potent aroma alone made the Quasi-Emperors feel their injuries slightly healing with just a single breath.

Sweat beaded on Lu Ye’s forehead.

Those divine herbs possessed immense medicinal potency, with some even developing sentience and formidable combat abilities. Refining this batch of divine pills had drained him significantly.

But one thing was certain—the pills were of the highest quality.

After succeeding once, the process became much simpler.

Four consecutive batches of pills were produced in rapid succession, each pill distributed to the Quasi-Emperors, who immediately consumed them to recover from their injuries.

The efficacy of the pills drew gasps from the Quasi-Emperors.

That these pills worked so well for Quasi-Emperors?

It was hard to believe that Lu Ye, at the Broken Realm, could refine such peerless pills.

Was this the frightening capability of a Celestial Lord’s reincarnation?

As the Quasi-Emperors recovered, Lu Ye also began restoring his own strength.

Refining four batches of pills had consumed over half of his Primordial Power.

The days flowed by.

Within just a month, all had roused one after another.

Lu Ye allowed those who woke first to ask any questions they had, answering each in turn.

The questions they posed were child's play to him—he dispensed answers effortlessly.

If the questions veered into discussions of the Great Dao, Lu Ye asked them to wait.

After all, once a discussion on the Dao began, it could last for ages.

These Quasi-Emperors weren’t like Emperor Daohen or the Azure Dragon. If they got carried away debating and let their tempers flare, Lu Ye would likely end up catching these hands.

Let’s ease into this first.

The main question from the Quasi-Emperors is: What level must one reach to face the Emperor’s Tribulation?

What about their power level? What about their Dao comprehension?

Lu Ye provided a detailed explanation.

For a Quasi-Emperor's strength, starting with attack power, what threshold must be reached? Then, how must the Great Dao be perfected before finally achieving the Dao Fruit?

And upon reaching this level, what kind of Heavenly Trial would one face?

The explanation was very clear and thorough.

This is essentially like hitting benchmarks—just a few key requirements. As long as all the indicators meet the requirements, the chances of surviving the tribulation will greatly increase.

Since these Quasi-Emperors helped Lu Ye, he would do his best to help them meet these indicators, striving to bring them as close as possible.

With Lu Ye's clear explanation, the many Quasi-Emperors had a much clearer picture.

They increasingly felt vindicated about their earlier actions.

If they hadn’t helped Lu Ye, who would have explained these things so clearly and accurately?

Even Emperors wouldn’t claim to know these things with certainty, because when undergoing tribulation, everyone is unsure—no one dares to claim what level must be reached to pass the Heavenly Trial.

Moreover, the standards set by other Emperors for them were unrealistically high, almost impossible to achieve.

The standards Lu Ye set were indeed high too, but they actually seemed within reach.

And Lu Ye’s words were firm, unlike other Emperors who weren’t entirely certain themselves, leaving people feeling unsure.

How could Lu Ye not be certain?

The reason he could be certain was that in his past life, he had undergone the Dao-proving tribulation many times.

He underwent it himself.

And he helped his eight ex-wives undergo it.

Eight damn times! He alone underwent the Heavenly Trial nine times—he was practically a husk of a man... no, he was already a wreck.

Now their strength, those eight in his past life—how to put it?

No pushovers!

For example, Bai Qiulan, Vermilion Bird, An Li, and what’s-her-name—oh, Yin Qingcheng (he couldn’t recall if Yin Qingcheng was strong or not).

Anyway, these few, when they became Quasi-Emperors, were above-average among Quasi-Emperors thanks to their innate talents and cultivation.

But the catch was, for a Quasi-Emperor to become an Emperor, being above-average wouldn’t cut it—they had to be top-tier!

How many had reached the Seventh Heaven of Quasi-Emperor?

At least two hundred.

And how many Emperors were there?

If memory served, there were just eighteen in the entire realm!

These eighteen do not include the Dark Clan, the Six Paths of Reincarnation, the Dark Origin, or the outer realms.

Because the outer realms are vast and desolate, no one knows how many powerful beings are hidden there.

And how long is the lifespan of a Quasi-Emperor? How long is the lifespan of an Emperor?

Quasi-Emperors die off in waves, but Emperors are not so easily extinguished—only eighteen have emerged over so many years.

Thus, if Lu Ye didn’t help them survive their tribulations, they would have almost no chance of success.

This isn’t an estimate!

This is a certainty!

Because for these eight women, Lu Ye had each of them face their tribulations alone. If they could overcome them unaided, they would be true, genuine Emperors.

If he intervened, they would only be counterfeit Emperors.

Only when they truly couldn’t hold on would Lu Ye step in to assist.

But as it turned out, all of them required his help.

Eight women—Lu Ye interfered in their tribulations eight times. The worst part was that the system showed no mercy, nearly killing him.

The Nine Tribulations Indestructible Physique was honed through relentless practice by Lu Ye—no one understood divine tribulations better than him.

After answering each Quasi-Emperor’s questions one by one, the gathering transitioned to a banquet.

Truth be told, it had been a long time since Lu Ye had experienced such festivity. Having just eliminated so many powerful foes, his mood was excellent, and he drank his fill with everyone.

At the center of the banquet, stunning women in immortal gowns danced gracefully, accompanied by ethereal music.

Every time he witnessed such scenes, Lu Ye couldn’t help but sigh—this was what proper attendants were like!

His own maidservants pale in comparison.

But he reminded himself—perhaps it was precisely because he didn’t treat his maidservants as maidservants that they had become so bold.

With food and wine in abundance, Lu Ye drank until he was pleasantly buzzed.

Yet this was the perfect state for expounding the Dao.

Ascending the high platform, though traces of drunkenness lingered in his eyes, he spoke:

“Friends, since we’re all gathered here today, and all hearts are open, I shall speak of the Great Dao. Do not sober up—listening to this drunken man’s words in a pleasant haze is most fitting!”

“Today’s lecture shall be on the Dao of the Emperor!”

The Quasi-Emperors, who had initially straightened up upon seeing Lu Ye take the stage, chose to remain tipsy upon hearing his words.

“In my past life, I cultivated the Dao of Protection as my primary path. Through it, I became an Emperor and a Paragon. Yet when I sought to attain sainthood, my Dao of Protection was damaged, bringing my journey to an end. But for me, this was not entirely bad—no need to dwell on it, to spare the tears.”

Since Lu Ye was half-drunk, he spoke without filter.

“Aside from the Dao of Protection, I also delved into cultivating other Great Daos. For those who become Emperors, there are a total of 256 paths!”