Immortality Starts With Investment

”Don’t worry, Master! I’ll be quick!”

Ye Chen’s words rang out, leaving no time for Gu Yunyun to respond. Heavenly Intention Holy Land’s prodigy, Ying Tianjing, sneered, his eyes glinting with disdain. ”Ye the Fourth, you only managed to beat that trash Yao Gu, and you dare act arrogant before me? Yao Gu was already half-crippled when I fought him. If he hadn’t pulled out that fake Void Mirror, I wouldn’t have bothered with a mutual loss and would’ve crushed him outright. You, a mere Fourth Holy Son, barely edging out Yao Gu? I could squash you with a flick of my hand!”

Ye the Fourth? Ye Chen’s brow twitched at the nickname. He made a mental note to give Yao Gu another thrashing next time they met. That guy was definitely the one spreading this ridiculous title.

As for barely beating Yao Gu? Ye Chen couldn’t help but chuckle. Too lazy to waste words, he turned to the Sword Sect elder in the distance. ”Elder, can we start?”

The elder frowned, hesitating. Ye Chen’s sudden arrival had thrown things off. But after a moment, a transmitted message seemed to reach him, and he nodded. The Sword Sect’s rule allowing dao companions to fight in the arena was bizarre, but it hadn’t led to much outside interference. Above the sect leader, the Grand Elders ensured the sect’s interests remained protected.

In fact, the Sword Sect, weakened by internal strife, had survived several crises thanks to the strength of the sect leader’s dao companions. This tradition had thus endured. A Heavenly Evolution Holy Son showing up out of nowhere wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. If the sect leader had a Holy Son as her dao companion, it could only benefit the Sword Sect.

The elder spoke gravely. ”Since you’ve all reached an agreement, the sect leader arena battle officially begins.”

As his words fell, the arena’s formation roared to life, its energy surging skyward. Gu Yunyun, choosing to trust her disciple, took a step back.

Dugu Yue hadn’t expected Gu Yunyun to have a Holy Son backing her, and panic gripped her heart.

Ying Tianjing turned to Dugu Yue. ”Step back! I’ll crush this kid with a single move.”

Standing tall like a refined noble, Ying Tianjing hovered in midair, surrounded by flickering, endless lightning. He looked down at Ye Chen with icy disdain. ”Ye Chen, to oppose me is to defy the heavens themselves. But since you’re a Heavenly Evolution Holy Land Holy Son, I’ll leave you with a sliver of life.”

As his words fell, nine golden wheels materialized behind him, spinning ominously. A terrifying power brewed within them, its aura spilling out and shaking the hearts of everyone present.

”Is that the power of heavenly tribulation?” someone gasped.

”Heavenly Intention Holy Land claims to walk the will of the heavens, treating every tribulation as a divine gift they can harness for their own use.”

”Their top geniuses wield lightning techniques rivaling heavenly tribulations, carrying a destructive force that even defensive spiritual treasures struggle to withstand—they’d be obliterated outright.”

”It’s said Heavenly Intention Holy Land’s founding ancestor established a Heavenly Court in the Immortal Realm, aiming to rule all under heaven.”

Even the Sword Sect elders, despite their Deity Transformation cultivation, felt a heavy dread as they sensed the aura. The Heavenly Intention Holy Land’s prodigy was truly fearsome.

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Though the Heavenly Evolution Holy Son possessed the legendary Heavy Pupils—a mark of supreme talent—his cultivation was simply too low. It seemed Ying Tianjing held the upper hand.

In the instant the golden wheels appeared, nine bolts of heavenly lightning erupted from them, surging toward Ye Chen. These were no ordinary bolts. Each transformed into a colossal azure dragon, their bodies formed of crackling electricity yet appearing almost tangible. The nine dragons combined like a chain of towering mountains, sweeping through the air with the unique destructive force of a heavenly tribulation.

The dragons’ roars mingled with the thunder’s rumble, resonant and overwhelming. The arena trembled under their approach, the sheer momentum awe-inspiring. The crowd watched in stunned amazement. Forget Nascent Soul cultivators—even most Deity Transformation experts would struggle to withstand such a strike.

The prodigies of these Holy Lands were simply too terrifying.

Ye Chen remained calm, unfazed by his opponent’s technique. Though Ying Tianjing’s Treasure Technique carried the destructive ferocity of a heavenly tribulation, it wasn’t a true tribulation. A real tribulation couldn’t be dodged, only endured. But Ying’s technique lacked that inescapable lock.

Sure, its speed was too fast for most cultivators to evade, but Ye Chen, with his Kun Peng Treasure Technique, could slip away effortlessly. Yet, with his master standing behind him, dodging wasn’t an option. And frankly, Ying Tianjing’s level didn’t warrant Ye Chen giving ground.

With a serene expression, Ye Chen formed hand seals. A golden radiance bloomed from his brow, and nine golden true dragons burst forth. Unlike Ying Tianjing’s azure dragons, crackling with destructive force, Ye Chen’s golden dragons exuded a majestic, regal aura, as if they were the sole sovereigns of heaven and earth. This was the fusion of his True Dragon Treasure Technique with the Imperial Dragon Qi from the Taihuang Scripture.

The nine true dragons let out resonant roars, charging toward the azure dragons. Their collision was cataclysmic, the arena’s formation teetering on the brink of collapse. Several Sword Sect elders at the Deity Transformation stage rushed to stabilize it.

The true dragons and azure dragons clashed fiercely. Though they appeared evenly matched in size, the outcome was decided in an instant. The azure dragons, meant to annihilate everything, shattered under the onslaught. Ying Tianjing’s face paled.

In the next moment, his expression grew even graver. Ye Chen’s nine golden dragons merged into one with astonishing speed, rushing straight toward him. Ying Tianjing’s face hardened, and a jade stone at his chest glowed softly, attempting to block the attack.

But the Imperial Dragon Qi, renowned as the supreme killing force among immortal scriptures, paired with the True Dragon Treasure Technique, wasn’t so easily stopped. The jade stone held for a mere moment before exploding.

Though weakened, the golden dragon pressed on, bearing down on Ying Tianjing. He unleashed several Treasure Techniques in rapid succession, his body shifting desperately to evade. But he only managed to diminish the dragon’s power. In the end, a single claw struck, exploding with force. Ying Tianjing’s body plummeted from the sky, crashing into the ground, shaking the entire Sword Peak.

The scene left everyone dumbfounded. Ying Tianjing, defeated in a single move? It was unthinkable. Was the Fourth Holy Son’s combat prowess so terrifying that he could effortlessly bridge two minor realms to crush a prodigy?

The Sword Sect members gazed at Ye Chen with awe, while their own prodigies questioned their existence. Gu Yunyun, watching Ye Chen’s back, smiled softly. Even back in her Foundation Establishment days, she’d sensed her disciple surpassing her. Now, she realized just how far behind she’d fallen. Though a pang of loss tugged at her, she felt genuine joy for Ye Chen’s growth.

…

Dugu Yue, standing at a distance, was stunned. The dao companion she’d pledged herself to couldn’t even withstand a single strike.

On the ground, where Ying Tianjing had crashed, dust billowed, and the area was reduced to ruins. With a wave of his hand, Ying Tianjing cleared the debris, revealing his tattered robes but unblemished, alabaster skin—no trace of injury. The crowd gasped in shock.

Ying Tianjing’s eyes blazed with fury as he glared at Ye Chen. He’d been a prodigy since youth, second only to his elder brother in Heavenly Intention Holy Land. When had he ever suffered such a humiliation?

A divine light flared behind his head as he snarled, ”Ye the Fourth, I’ve changed my mind! I want you dead! As for your master, I’ll suppress her and offer her to my brother as a plaything! Elder Luo, please hold off Ye Chen’s Protector!”

Ye Chen, hearing this, didn’t even flinch. Instead, he sighed, looking at Ying Tianjing with pity. ”You didn’t have to die. Why insist on courting death?”

His words only fueled Ying Tianjing’s rage. The divine light behind his head solidified, taking form…