Immortality Starts With Investment

In the Immortal City.

On the platform flanking the Immortal Path’s teleportation array exit, figures from the Heavenly Demon Clan, the Peacock Clan, and many mere spectators all waited in anxious suspense. But their eyes brimmed with utter incredulity. For fresh tidings had just arrived from the Immortal Path.

The Heavenly Emperor’s heir had arrayed a supreme kill formation within his cave heaven, exploiting the three half-saints’ arrogance. He had lured them inside and slain them outright. This revelation stunned all. Had multiple sources not corroborated it, none would have believed. After all, those were peak half-saints.

The Undying Celestial Phoenix Clan’s bloodline exalted, their talents formidable—average combat prowess far surpassing ordinary races even at equal realms. Such beings had fallen to a mere early-Third Heaven heir. Even with a supreme kill array, the feat beggared belief.

”True or not?”

”A cave heaven pales beside a world—far more fragile. Even the grandest kill array risks self-damage. Did the heir’s cave heaven prove sturdy too?”

”With such demonic talent, his must have expanded to the realm’s absolute pinnacle—a hundred thousand li at the utmost.”

”Though he used guile, the heir’s aces truly abound!”

The three saints’ demise sparked endless chatter among the onlookers, punctuated by gasps of awe. Thus, under the hopeful gazes of Yao Yuezhi’s parents, the Little Peacock King’s mother, and others, the Immortal Path exit’s teleportation array hummed to life. Divine light flared; five figures materialized atop it. Joy lit the crowd’s faces at once.

Yao Yuezhi’s parents even surged forward. But in the next breath, astonishment wiped all expressions clean. For amid the five silhouettes emerging together rang a shout laced with utter resolve: ”Dad...”

The very sound!

All recognized the voice at once. After all, the Little Peacock King enjoyed no small fame; his timbre rang distinctive. Why did the Little Peacock King call ”Dad”? Hadn’t his father perished?

Confusion swept the onlookers as they turned, only to flash with intricate emotions; they couldn’t help stealing glances at the Little Peacock King’s mother. For the one he called ”Dad” was none other than Ye Chen.

...

Yao Yuezhi’s parents froze in place. But they were all relatives, so they pretended not to hear. After all, times had changed; the young might have their own notions. Their gazes skipped straight over Yao Yuekong, fixing on their daughter. Sensing her steady aura, they exhaled in profound relief.

Meanwhile, the Little Peacock King’s elegant, mature mother had rushed forward in haste. But upon hearing her son call Ye Chen ”Dad,” her lithe form stiffened abruptly...

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Catching the appraising glances, her noble, radiant features tightened subtly. She had long heard tales of the Heavenly Emperor heir’s boundless appetites—woman-mad, sparing none. Especially favoring the mature and curvaceous, age be damned—be it centuries or millennia his senior. Yet she never imagined his regard for her ran so deep. Not only had he saved her son. He had even earned her boy’s respect and acknowledgment—forcing out that paternal title.

With a child already, any future remarriage hinged on the boy’s stance. She never dreamed Ye Chen had considered that. Her son, so arrogant of heart, held reverence for none save his aunt—scarcely glancing at others. For Ye Chen to win such esteem must have demanded immense effort. And with two young women flanking him, no less. Truly, Ye Chen preferred the seasoned bloom. At the thought, a flush crept across the Peacock Queen Mother’s mature, bewitching visage.

...

Ye Chen himself reeled in shock. He turned to the Little Peacock King, his eyes wide with astonishment. Though he said nothing, his gaze seemed to ask: Buddy, you actually said it?

The Little Peacock King, scanning the surroundings, froze in mortification. He had meant to utter it during teleportation—unheard by all. But his timing faltered; now everyone knew. Yet spoken, no regrets lingered. Just a wager. Let any mock him—he’d drown them in five-colored divine light. After all, if he couldn’t best Ye Chen, others fell easier prey?

Thus, the Little Peacock King waved dismissively with feigned grandeur. ”No matter. I, the Little Peacock King, traverse the immortal path adored by multitudes—upheld by my word alone! Said I’d call you Dad? Dad it is!”

Ye Chen’s lip twitched. This minor uproar piqued curiosity, but none pressed further.

Yao Yuezhi found herself swarmed by her parents, basking in their tender concern.

Yao Yuekong sidled closer, hoping to bask too—while planning a covert transmission to inform his sister of her cave heaven’s ruin. But as he neared, his father booted him away. ”Scram... you useless whelp—your presence changed nothing. In the end, your sister risked all to save you, nearly perishing for it. I have no such worthless son...”

Yao Yuekong shivered in the chill.

The Little Peacock King’s mother approached her son’s side. She offered no rebuke for his insistence on rescue, which had plunged him into peril. After all, had he shied from danger, he would have lacked a prodigy’s spirit—disappointing her utterly.

”You’re back—that’s what matters!”

Her mother spoke with evident relief.

The Little Peacock King relaxed upon seeing no scolding in her eyes. But in the next moment, he heard her whisper softly, ”Do you truly admire and respect the Heavenly Emperor’s heir, Ye Chen? Does his human heritage not trouble you?”

The Little Peacock King blinked in mild surprise. He nearly spat a few depreciations. But recalling his earlier promise kept—calling ”Dad” overheard by all—belittling Ye Chen now would only invite disdain toward himself. So the Little Peacock King nodded. ”Ye Chen is indeed formidable—talent on par with mine! His grasp of myriad paths and laws borders on perfection—clearly the fruit of relentless toil, where I fall short. As for his human blood? What of it?

”The grudges between myriad races and humans date back a million years. Our Peacock Clan clashed little with the Heavenly Emperor—perhaps just one divine maiden seized back then, ransomed at great cost. Racial lines mean nothing to me—strength reigns supreme.”

Hearing her son candidly admit inferiority to Ye Chen—and dismiss his human roots without qualm—the last flicker of her mother’s reservations vanished. Her beautiful eyes flicked covertly toward Ye Chen, words hovering unspoken, carrying a hint of girlish coyness.

...

Yao Yuezhi’s parents proved ever courteous. Once assured of their daughter’s well-being, they approached Ye Chen—saints though they were—and bowed deeply in solemn gratitude. ”Fellow Daoist, for rescuing our daughter, my wife and I cannot express our thanks sufficiently! If your path allows, pray join us to the Myriad Races Immortal City henceforth. That our Heavenly Demon Clan may properly convey our appreciation. Of course, refusal harms nothing—we shall prepare a lavish gift upon our return and deliver it personally to you.”