Immortality Starts With Investment

Faced with Ye Chen’s colossal palm that blotted out the sky and threatened to annihilate everything, the two saints refused to sit idly by. Divine flames surged around the Flame Heart Saint as he transformed in an instant into a hundred-meter-tall giant, as though an ancient fire god had awakened to intimidate the heavens and earth themselves. He threw his head back and charged upward, his massive frame unleashing a thunderous punch at the descending violet-gold palm, determined to shatter it.

The Moonlight Saint’s expression turned icy. From his eyes erupted two radiant moons that hurtled forward, wrapped in endless streams of dreamlike, multicolored moonlight that poured down like a tilted galactic river.

Yet reality proved cruelly despairing. The violet-gold palm Ye Chen had summoned was simply too terrifying. Neither the Flame Heart Saint’s divine fist nor the Moonlight Saint’s twin moons lasted even an instant against it. The moment they made contact, they burst apart like fragile bubbles.

The gulf between them was an impassable chasm; they were not fighting on the same level at all. The violet-gold palm ignored all resistance and continued its descent without the slightest pause.

In the blink of an eye, it slammed down. The two saints were smashed deep into the earth, and the entire small world shuddered violently.

Lan Nuo watched the scene unfold, her eyes filled with awe. She suddenly understood why Ye Chen, despite possessing so many dazzling lines perfect for showing off, never bothered to utter them.

He didn’t need to. Raw strength was the ultimate way to proclaim one’s dominance. Without a single word, he raised his hand and suppressed two self-severed saints. Was there any sight in the world more thrilling than this? All words felt pale and superfluous in this moment.

Gazing at Ye Chen’s back, Lan Nuo’s pretty face flushed crimson. Her legs unconsciously rubbed together as though she were drunk on the spectacle. If there was any regret, it was simply that the one pulling off this magnificent display wasn’t her.

…

Deep within the distant divine peak, the woman inside the Seven-Colored Nirvana Jade had kindled a spark of hope at Ye Chen’s sudden appearance. She wondered if this might be her turning point. Now that her consciousness had awakened, she might be able to slip away amid the chaos of battle, escape this world, and find some uninhabited place to continue her gestation. Even though the jade itself was cracked and no longer flawless, every extra day inside counted.

But after feeling the sheer terror of that palm strike, all such thoughts vanished. Even the Seven-Colored Nirvana Jade stopped trembling. To be targeted by someone this overwhelmingly powerful left her no other choice. Emergence was now her only path.

At this realization, gloom filled her eyes.

Why… Why did everyone keep forcing her? If she emerged, everyone here would die!

…

After slapping the two saints into the ground with a single casual palm, Ye Chen finally turned his attention to the towering divine peak at the center of the small world.

When the Seven-Colored Nirvana Jade atop the peak came into view, a smile immediately curved his lips. As long as his Nirvana Sacred Liquid was safe, everything was fine.

But in the next moment, a system notification chimed in his mind. Ye Chen’s eyes widened in shock. Holy Spirits weren’t supposed to have flesh or blood—how could they even have gender? Then how was the system multiplier triggering?

The Seven-Colored Nirvana Jade was a supreme divine material, the key ingredient for crafting immortal artifacts, renowned for its myriad extraordinary properties. Its substance was indestructibly tough; no method could damage it.

Even Ye Chen, who had cultivated the Indestructible Scripture and forged an indestructible body, wouldn’t dare claim he could clash directly with such a divine object. When he read the full content of the system prompt, his pupils contracted sharply once more.

”Scanning for suitable gift recipient…”

”Seven-Colored Nirvana Jade: 8,000x!”

Holy shit…

This multiplier genuinely stunned Ye Chen.

Eight thousand times—what did that even mean?

Until now, the highest multiplier he had ever seen among female cultivators belonged to Yan Qingcheng, the true successor of the Heavenly Emperor: a full seven thousand times, a record no one had surpassed. Yet now, a holy spirit locked within Seven-Colored Nirvana Jade had suddenly appeared with eight thousand times.

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Most crucially, this holy spirit had not yet fully matured. If she were allowed to gestate perfectly and emerge at the Quasi-Immortal realm, what terrifying height would her multiplier reach? Ten thousand times? This truly was an unexpected windfall.

Gazing at the glaring crack now marring the Seven-Colored Nirvana Jade, Ye Chen felt a sharp pang in his heart, genuinely distressed. If it emerged prematurely, the loss would be immense. His eyes burned with concern as he stared at it.

The jade sensed the fresh aura of the holy spirit curse radiating from Ye Chen and noticed his intense fixation—clearly coveting it. This only heightened its agitation. In its mind, it roared in fury.

”I haven’t emerged yet. I just want to gestate in peace—why must you all force me? I’ll kill you. I’ll kill every last one of you!”

The Seven-Colored Nirvana Jade trembled violently, and the woman’s silhouette within seemed on the verge of breaking free and shattering the jade to emerge.

Ye Chen reacted instantly. The holy spirit, disturbed by the outside chaos, was awakening and might emerge ahead of schedule. If that happened, it truly would be a terrible waste. Though the eight-thousand-times multiplier was undeniably tempting, Ye Chen always thought long-term, preferring to invest in the future. He even suspected that a ten-thousand-times woman might trigger some unique change in the system.

Without hesitation—and unsure whether the jade could understand him at all—he hurriedly sent a voice transmission. ”Fellow Daoist, do not rush to emerge. You and I are friends, not enemies. I have long known you were concealed here, so I specially assigned people to guard the surroundings and block all external disturbances. When I heard that two holy spirits had come to provoke you, I rushed here without pause to aid you. So, Fellow Daoist, please do not act impulsively. I will handle this!”

Ye Chen was completely making it up. Yet upon hearing his words, the trembling jade gradually calmed. It naturally didn’t believe a word—after all, its consciousness had only just awakened.

Before that moment, it knew nothing of what had transpired outside. Still, it clearly sensed lingering traces of human auras. And Ye Chen hadn’t made any move to approach it.

Moreover, the two fellow clansmen had obviously been wary of Ye Chen, hesitating to attack. Instead, Ye Chen had struck decisively without provocation. Under these circumstances, his story did seem somewhat plausible.

But were there truly good people in this world? This man was undoubtedly after its extraordinary treasures. Still, if it could avoid emerging, that was infinitely preferable. Every extra second inside counted. As long as it didn’t fall for his tricks, it would be fine.

Thus, the Seven-Colored Nirvana Jade remained silent, though it continued to glare at Ye Chen with deep resentment.

Seeing the jade stop shaking, Ye Chen broke into a relieved smile.

”It seems that before a holy spirit fully awakens, even without true consciousness, it can still sense goodwill or malice. That’s valuable information.”

The Seven-Colored Nirvana Jade inwardly snarled. But she kept quiet. It was better if he didn’t know her consciousness had already formed. Only then would she have a chance to escape.

…

Meanwhile, the Flame Heart Saint and Moonlight Saint crawled out of the earth, covered in dust and utterly disheveled. Both looked utterly pitiful.

The Flame Heart Saint’s divine flame burned dimly, flickering as though it might extinguish at any moment. The Moonlight Saint was even worse off—his head had been smashed flat by Ye Chen’s palm, sacred fluid leaking out like brain matter.

Fortunately, the vitality of holy spirits defied imagination. In mere moments, they recovered fully, their eyes blazing with fury as they glared at Ye Chen. Yet deep in those eyes lurked a trace of guilt. They couldn’t win. They truly couldn’t. But this was the Lotus Emperor’s mission.

The profound origin of the Seven-Colored Nirvana Jade was crucial to the Lotus Emperor’s early emergence. No matter what, they dared not abandon it lightly.

”Heavenly Emperor’s heir, regarding the matter with Little Stone Sovereign earlier—it was indeed his fault for rashly interfering in your battle. After you slew him, our Holy Spirit Clan harbored no intent for revenge. But now, do you truly intend to become irreconcilable enemies with our entire clan? The one gestating within that Seven-Colored Nirvana Jade is a member of our Holy Spirit Clan. By obstructing us and forcing her to emerge imperfect, are you not afraid of igniting an endless war between our races?”

The Moonlight Saint threatened in an icy voice.

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow. Who said the Holy Spirit Clan was unreasonable? They were making perfect sense. Truly, prejudice was a towering mountain.

But Ye Chen smiled and pointed at the crack on the jade. ”That fissure seems to have been caused by you two.”

The Flame Heart Saint seethed with suppressed rage, unable to swallow the humiliation. He had once been a mid-stage saint. Had he not severed his cultivation, Ye Chen would have been nothing more than an insignificant ant in his eyes. To suffer such disgrace now truly felt like a tiger fallen to the plains, bullied by dogs.

His eyes bulged with fury as he fixed them on Ye Chen, gnashing his teeth. ”This matter is none of your concern. It is an internal affair of our Holy Spirit Clan. You had best not meddle. Though our clan is small in number, every member is a supreme powerhouse—even the Undying Celestial Phoenix Clan dares not provoke us! If you persist in interfering, once the ancient existences of our clan emerge, they will uproot your entire Heavenly Emperor Hall. When that day comes, no one will be able to protect you!”

Ye Chen burst into laughter upon hearing this.

”Go ahead and uproot the Heavenly Emperor Hall!”

Though Yan Qingcheng was decent enough, the Heavenly Emperor Hall held no fondness in his heart. Once he figured out who had set him up as the fake successor to take the fall, he would seal that person inside the Human Emperor Banner and torment them for ten thousand years.

The Moonlight Saint remained calmer. Despite sharing the same humiliation and anger, he was marginally more composed than the Flame Heart Saint. He knew provoking Ye Chen now would be unwise, so he forcibly suppressed his fury and spoke gravely. ”Our Holy Spirit Clan has a Quasi-Immortal presiding over the ninth realm… That predecessor is the closest existence to a true immortal in this era. We came this time under that senior’s direct orders—to escort our gestating clansman to the ninth realm. If you do not wish to draw a Quasi-Immortal’s attention, Fellow Daoist, you would do well to withdraw now and cease meddling.”