Immortality Starts With Investment

Chapter 742: Anyway, He’s Gotta Replenish!

The overwhelming surge of essence left Yao Yuezhi utterly numb. She lacked even the strength to speak. All she could do was watch in despair as her cave heavenʼs scale stretched ever farther along a path that defied all limits. Her own power, swelling with the domainʼs expansion, had already eclipsed her former peak.

Yet Yao Yuezhi felt no joy. Her emerald eyes, fixed on Ye Chen, brimmed with quiet pleading—as if begging him to stop. Ye Chen met her gaze with a soothing smile. Silent, he offered no words...

...

Within the Heavenly Demon Clanʼs outpost, Yao Yuezhiʼs parents and brother waited in mounting anxiety. A full day had passed—how could it still drag on? Had Yao Yuezhi truly lost all sense and drained Ye Chen dry? If so, she would prove a profound disappointment.

”If thatʼs the case, once Yuezhi emerges, Iʼll give her a proper scolding myself. Ye Chenʼs such a gem—how could she bear to take it all?”

Even her doting father clenched his fists in resolve.

Yao Yuezhiʼs mother nodded firmly. ”Exactly. A man like Ye Chen is one in a billion across the world! Heʼll surely emerge utterly spent this time. Iʼll brew a big tonic soup for him right away!”

Only Yao Yuekong held his tongue. He trusted his sister wouldnʼt repay kindness with betrayal by emptying Ye Chen. By rights, they should have finished ages ago. But they hadnʼt emerged. So, were the two tangled in something... improper inside?

Given Ye Chenʼs nature, Yao Yuekong figured it likely. He nearly voiced that his mother neednʼt bother. But on second thought, he stayed silent. After all, whichever the truth, Ye Chen might well need replenishing...

...

Meanwhile, in the Myriad Races Immortal City, gossip about Ye Chen swirled unabated. Though no one had spotted him that week, the female cultivators kept their tails on display, patiently awaiting his appearance.

The male cultivators, eyeing the tail parade filling the streets, seethed with humiliation. To see the myriad racesʼ proud female prodigies primping and posing—tails raised in eager anticipation—for a mere human?

It stung like a fresh wound. But soon, a fresh rumor swept through the city. The menʼs ire evaporated in an instant, replaced by keen anticipation. For the Undying Celestial Phoenix Clan—those three Half-Saints swindled and slain—had at last issued a statement. They were dispatching a top prodigy to the Myriad Races Immortal City to crush Ye Chen. And the envoy? Feng Youhuang!

The mere utterance of that name sent shockwaves through nearly everyone. Every myriad race cultivator had heard tales of her, knew the depths of her terror. Had it not been for the Celestial Princeʼs impending revival, Feng Youhuang would have stood unchallenged as the Undying Celestial Phoenix Clanʼs premier prodigy. Legends of her abounded in the Northern Domain. Rumor held that during her Body Fusion period, she had stumbled upon the complete True Dragon Treasure Technique by sheer fortune.

As a phoenix, she had mastered it to its absolute pinnacle. By the time she reached Mahayana, her unfathomable insight allowed her to fuse the True Dragon Treasure Technique with the True Phoenix Treasure Technique, birthing a combat prowess that defied comprehension. And then came her special opportunity. Her Innate Undying Phoenix Fire mutated into the exceedingly rare Nirvana Phoenix Fire. Such exceptional gifts granted her the power to slay foes across realms.

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One could say that, absent the Celestial Princeʼs emergence and the clanʼs deliberate suppression of her spotlight to avoid upstaging him, Feng Youhuangʼs feats would have shaken the world. Now, at the peak of Half-Saint, poised at any moment to shatter into the Saint realm, she descended personally to issue a challenge to Ye Chen. The news stunned all.

”The Heavenly Emperorʼs heir is formidable, yes—but Feng Youhuangʼs talent eclipses even that. She too boasts records of cross-realm battles and slain enemies.”

”Her Nirvana Phoenix Fire has reached a level beyond imagination.”

”Feng Youhuang hasnʼt acted in twenty years, but given her gifts, her fusion of True Dragon and True Phoenix Techniques must have perfected further.”

”This fight will force the Heavenly Emperorʼs heir to yield. The later stages widen gaps inexorably—and this time, he canʼt rely on raw strength to kill. If Feng Youhuang simply avoids his cave heaven, his arrays lose all bite.”

”The Heavenly Emperorʼs heir faces true peril now.”

”Where is he? Did he get wind of the mismatch and flee in advance?”

The crowds buzzed with speculation, all eagerly awaiting Feng Youhuangʼs arrival to humble Ye Chenʼs arrogance. To let them exhale in collective relief. To teach him that wealth bought no license for wanton indulgence in the Myriad Races Immortal City—that he couldnʼt claim any woman he fancied.

Soon, more precise intelligence arrived. Feng Youhuang had just emerged from seclusion and would reach the city in one month to duel Ye Chen. A deathmatch, no less—complete with a grand array like the one for the Holy Prince, barring all interference.

The revelation rocked the Myriad Races Immortal City anew. Male cultivators reveled in it, toasting with abandon; tavern business boomed those next two days. They all anticipated the Heavenly Emperorʼs heirʼs demise right there. The female cultivators, however, grappled with mixed emotions.

”Logically, fewer human powerhouses benefit us all—but the Heavenly Emperorʼs heir isnʼt wicked. I donʼt want him dead!”

”Right? The old Emperorʼs sins were his own—the heirʼs done nothing wrong.”

”Heʼs so kind, so generous. I was looking forward to our next encounter.”

”My colorful snake tailʼs so lovely—I hoped heʼd take a shine to it. I donʼt want the Heavenly Emperorʼs heir gone!”

”Ye Chen is Ye Chen; the Emperor, the Emperor. Donʼt lump them together. Ye Chen never antagonizes the myriad races—on the contrary, he cherishes us.”

Many female cultivators had already shifted their stance.

Feng Youhuangʼs impending arrival left them sweating bullets for Ye Chen. After all, in his last battle, he had barely lifted a finger—relying almost entirely on peerless killing arrays. The outside world had long speculated as much.

As realms widened their gaps ever further, the Heavenly Emperorʼs heir could no longer crush foes with mere dao and law as before. So this time, his true limits might finally face the test.

The prospect of an earth-shattering clash to come filled everyone with keen anticipation; they watched the Heavenly Demon Clan closely, awaiting Ye Chenʼs response.

...

Yet to the disappointment of the outer worldʼs cultivators, the Heavenly Demon Clan issued a statement: the Heavenly Emperorʼs heir remained in seclusion, his emergence date unknown. They suggested that Feng Youhuang return another day. After all, no one knew how long his retreat might last.

The news sparked suspicion among many male cultivators—had Ye Chen chosen to dodge the fight?

The timing felt far too convenient. Moreover, his cave heavenʼs secrets stood exposed now; tricking anyone further grew impossible. So, had the Heavenly Emperorʼs heir truly chickened out?

Mocking voices rose in a chorus. The female cultivators bristled with dissatisfaction. They defended him hotly.

”The Heavenly Emperorʼs heir cultivates at a blistering pace—maybe heʼs on the verge of a minor breakthrough. Isnʼt seclusion perfectly normal?”

”You think heʼs like you lot, worthless slugs who need decades for a tiny step forward?”

...

In that fashion, another week slipped by. Within the Heavenly Demon Clanʼs outpost, Yao Yuezhiʼs parents and brother wore faces etched with worry...