Sima Pi has been obsessed with the alchemist's art of immortality since he was a child, and he was keen on studying the method of immortality at a young age. Sima Pi worshiped Taoist priests and was fascinated by the longevity techniques they taught him. He followed the Taoist longevity cultivation method, abstained from eating grains, and also took powerful "immortality" elixirs. The ministers of the Manchu Dynasty were deeply worried about this, so Minister Gao Song advised him: "Your Majesty, taking pills indiscriminately is not the correct way to maintain health, and it should be stopped as soon as possible." Sima Pi didn't care about this and had no intention at all. Finally, in 363 AD, a disease broke out due to taking the "elixir" and he was unable to handle government affairs.
After careful conditioning, Sima Pi recovered his health. However, he still did not learn his lesson. He was still obsessed with the art of refining immortality and continued to take pills. In 365 AD, Sima Pi died of a sudden illness after taking a large amount of "elixir".
After the death of his cousin Emperor Mu of Jin, Sima Pi sat on the throne that belonged to him. During his reign, the Eastern Jin Dynasty continued to have wars and local warlords fought among themselves, and the Eastern Jin Dynasty began to decline. Sima Pi himself was keen on Taoist longevity techniques and took "elixirs" indiscriminately, which eventually led to his untimely death.