Immortality Starts With Investment

”You seek death?”

Though still within the Seven-Colored Nirvana Jade, her faint words echoed outward. The mysterious domain seemed gripped by an invisible hand. Light vanished, plunging everything into inky darkness.

Endless pressure surged like tangible black tides, crashing toward Flame Heart Saint and Moonlight Saint as though to drown them utterly. Storm clouds gathered. Lightning flashed, and thunder roared, as if heavenly tribulation loomed to obliterate them.

This terrifying might drew solemn expressions from the pair. They had anticipated the gestating kin’s terror, yet they never imagined that merely awakened consciousness, with her body still sealed within the Seven-Colored Nirvana Jade and isolated from the world, could summon such world-shaking phenomena.

The Seven-Colored Nirvana Jade lived up to its legendary reputation as a top-tier divine material. The scene sparked faint wariness in their eyes, though not deep. They knew well that even upon emergence, she would reach at most peak semi-saint. For two saints to self-sever for this showed ample respect.

Thus, wariness gave way to envy. For Holy Spirits, the gestation material was directly tied to strength and potential ceiling. This kin, birthed from Seven-Colored Nirvana Jade, rivaled the Lotus Emperor from Chaos Green Lotus in certain aspects. She merely suffered fate’s cruelty, born too late and missing the optimal era.

Moonlight Saint nodded toward her, as though soothing a raging beast. His voice was calm and gentle. ”Kin, calm your anger. We come with no malice. We awakened your consciousness early through supreme divine art merely to aid deeper comprehension of the heavenly dao during gestation. This opportunity benefits your future path and harms none. Our Holy Spirit Clan numbers few and remains far more united than those fractious races so fond of infighting.”

Yet Moonlight Saint’s words fell like stones into the sea. Her expression remained unchanged, cold as frost. Killing intent sharpened like tangible ice spikes, bone-piercing. The domain grew ever gloomier, like the eve of doomsday. She spoke indifferently. ”Then, having awakened me, leave at once.”

Her rejection came as no surprise. Gestating Holy Spirits resembled startled birds, wary of everything around them. Even when facing ordinary cultivators, their vigilance reached its peak.

External interference meant forced premature birth, eternal severance from the supreme dao, and lifelong stagnation. But the pair had come on the Lotus Emperor’s mission. Departure was impossible. Thus, ignoring her eviction, they exchanged glances.

Moonlight Saint continued, breaking the stalemate. ”The divine art that awakened your consciousness was created by the Lotus Emperor. He is the sole Holy Spirit in history birthed from Chaos Green Lotus, first among the twelve immortal roots. He nears perfect gestation and will soon emerge flawlessly. With perfect emergence, he would easily surpass the ancient Stone Emperor and Fire Emperor, suppress all others, and in the Heavenly Emperor’s era, even he would fall.

”You, now awakened, surely sense through heavenly affinity that this is the final Immortal Path era. Miss it, and even with a flawless Holy Spirit body, cultivation soaring to quasi-immortal peak, and a lifespan of hundreds of thousands of years, you would linger futilely in this realm with no chance to enter the immortal realm, prove dao, or ascend. Thus, the Lotus Emperor divined your gestation here in the fourth realm and sent us specially to deliver a heaven-defying opportunity.

”Upon the Lotus Emperor’s ascension, a precious immortal realm slot awaits you. He will carry this Seven-Colored Nirvana Jade into the immortal realm for continued gestation. In immortal qi nourishment, gestation shortens vastly and potential ceiling elevates immensely. Within our Holy Spirit Clan, the more gifted and powerful the individual, the longerthe gestation demands.”

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”Lotus Emperor’s consciousness emerged after seeing the Heavenly Emperor, and over a million years have passed since then. Your perfect emergence would require at least tens of thousands more years. But in the immortal realm, perhaps mere centuries would suffice for flawless birth. With consciousness already awakened now, you can better comprehend immortal dao rules and emerge directly as an immortal!”

Moonlight Saint spoke patiently, like a painter unveiling a hopeful and beautiful future scroll.

Yet the graceful woman within the Seven-Colored Nirvana Jade showed no flicker of interest. Her killing intent did not lessen; instead, it intensified, nearly solidifying. Her tone grew ever colder. ”No need!”

Her refusal drew headshakes from the pair. This kin possessed strong anti-fraud awareness. Even freshly born, she understood that nothing good came for free. But some matters were no longer her choice.

Flame Heart Saint spoke now, his voice laced with pressure as though her refusal had gone unheard. He continued on his own. ”Lotus Emperor remains in the critical gestation phase, mere centuries from final perfection. In our Holy Spirit Clan’s endless river of time, a century is but a finger snap, a grain in the ocean, gone in an instant. Yet the Immortal Path waits for no one. Lotus Emperor bears the burden of our clan’s rise. He can wait no longer.

”Fortunately, heaven favors him. With transcendent talent, he created a supreme divine art mid-cultivation. With this art, without harming normal gestation, a portion of the Holy Spirit origin force can be extracted. Irrigating him with this origin would allow the Lotus Emperor’s premature perfect emergence, catching this Immortal Path.

”Once Lotus Emperor ascends, before departure, with heaven-piercing might, he will elevate our Holy Spirit Clan to the pinnacle of this world, an object of reverence for myriad races. He will bring gifted, potential-bearing kin into the immortal realm together. This is our entire clan’s final chance to rise.”

His words fell. The small world seemed thoroughly enraged. Lightning flashed amid thunder. Endless heavenly punishment surged like furious waves. The woman’s aura within the Seven-Colored Nirvana Jade chilled to the extreme. ”Get out!”

Her fierce reaction surprised neither of them. Yet with heavy responsibility on their shoulders, they stood firm, faces earnest, persisting in persuasion.

Moonlight Saint’s voice softened. ”Kin, yielding half your Holy Spirit origin. When you enter the immortal realm in the future, Lotus Emperor will compensate you, seeking top immortal treasures to mend your loss and perhaps advancing you even further.”

Facing persuasion, she seemed deaf and remained silent. But seven-colored divine thunder raged in the skies like infuriated dragons, booming as though to rend heaven and earth. Though they had anticipated this step, they wished to avoid it and tried one final time.

Moonlight Saint’s tone gentled further. ”Kin, if you insist on remaining in this realm, even with transcendent talent, you will top out at quasi-immortal. Trapped in an invisible cage, you face lifelong stagnation. Yielding half the origin means short-term loss, yes. But with entry into the immortal realm and a true immortal safeguarding you, today’s deficit will be repaid manifold eventually. Gestation time will be vastly shortened. Ascension and ancestorhood will become imminent. Weigh the pros and cons. Benefits abound, drawbacks few. Why not consider carefully?”

Flame Heart Saint finally lost patience, like ignited gunpowder. Impatiently, he said, ”I speak more only because you are kin. Don’t be unappreciative! You remain unemerged. These trifling methods cannot harm us. If we force premature birth, even with Seven-Colored Nirvana Jade protection, you cannot withstand our combined might. We could still suppress you and extract the undissipated Holy Spirit origin.

”Kin, you wouldn’t want forced early emergence, eternal deficiency, and severance from the grand dao’s tragic end, would you? Besides, you’ve sensed the human stench here, yes? Even if we leave now, alone, humans will discover you eventually and force premature birth... Thus...”

One spoke softly, one spoke hard, like seasoned cross-talk performers. At once, their saint-exclusive terror pressure erupted like tangible black storms, scattering the dense clouds overhead. Their auras unleashed fully, like twin volcanoes on the brink of eruption. Absolute strength meant to compel submission from the Seven-Colored Nirvana Jade kin.

They had already weighed the choice for her. Yielding was the sole path to survival. They firmly believed this unemerged kin would choose wisely.

...

In the next instant, the woman seemed thoroughly enraged. Her once-indifferent voice finally carried irrepressible fury.

”My dao path—how can I yield control to others? A mere Chaos Green Lotus spawn dares proclaim this era’s ascension?

”Yield half my Holy Spirit origin and be born deficient henceforth. Perhaps forced emergence at the Great Saint realm. If he fails ascension or refuses my entry into his immortal domain, what then?

”My fate is mine, not heaven’s! Force me, and I emerge now—so be it!”