Immortality Starts With Investment

The Great Saint of the Devouring lineage stared at the hazy living imprint battlefield deep within the tribulation clouds, feeling as though his worldview had shattered. The earlier thunder had already been terrifying enough. When the nine thousand nine hundred ninety-ninth bolt finally fell, even he—a Great Saint—had felt a chill run through his bones. Yet the Heavenly Emperor’s heir had endured it all without a scratch.

Was his physical body truly so monstrous? And now, witnessing the figures that appeared on the living imprint battlefield, his shock deepened into bewilderment. Because it was not a single figure that emerged…

It was a group.

Given the unparalleled talent the Heavenly Emperor’s heir had displayed, encountering any one ancient supreme prodigy would have been unsurprising.

But a group? This was simply unheard of.

Most alarmingly, among those indistinct silhouettes, he recognized several. The Heavenly Emperor himself stood at the forefront. Clad in bronze battle armor, his physique radiating wild ferocity, gripping a war sword with black hair whipping in the storm—it was unmistakably the standard image of the Heavenly Emperor.

Beside him stood the familiar outline of a woman. Her figure was flawless, ethereal as an exiled immortal. Though her face and skin remained obscured, the aura of peerless beauty was unmistakable.

Merely tracing her silhouette, the Great Saint could confirm her identity. It was the Devouring Female Immortal. In the ancestral land of the Devouring lineage, he had seen her portrait countless times. It matched perfectly with the graceful shadow standing at the Heavenly Emperor’s side.

Another figure emanated violet qi stretching thirty thousand li—doubtless the imprint of the Moral Heavenly Venerable. Another wielded a blood-colored heavenly blade. There was even the shadow of a non-flesh-and-blood Holy Spirit, wreathed in divine flames—likely the Fire Emperor himself.

Why so many? What did this mean? Had the Heavenly Dao already judged that the Heavenly Emperor’s heir was so overwhelmingly powerful that only a collective assault from these ancient supreme prodigies could provide meaningful tempering?

This felt almost absurd. Yet it was not only the Great Saint who was stunned. Every hidden onlooker stood speechless. Though the living imprint battlefield was shielded, making details unclear from outside, the few recognizable silhouettes alone were enough to terrify. To summon so many creators of invincible lineages all at once— was the Heavenly Emperor’s heir truly defying the heavens?

Amid the shock, killing intent surged even fiercer. Whatever the reason, the monstrous degree of his talent far exceeded imagination. The Heavenly Emperor’s heir had to die. Otherwise, the Immortal Path of this generation would become his personal stage alone.

Far away, the Alkaid Holy Son narrowed his eyes. When he had crossed his own Half-Saint tribulation, he had faced the imprint of the Chaotic Ancient True Immortal. Though Chaotic Ancient’s reputation carried a peculiar tinge, his combat strength had never been weak. Later generations spread some exaggerated tales.

Chaotic Ancient had lost repeatedly, but only to the absolute top existences of his era. Not just anyone could defeat him. Moreover, surviving every defeat proved the depth of his methods. Even after ascending to immortality, he ranked within the top hundred of the human race—a testament to his extraordinary caliber.

The Alkaid Holy Son had battled for several days before finally erasing the imprint of Chaotic Ancient at the same realm. He had taken considerable pride in that victory. Yet now, the Heavenly Emperor’s heir—Ye Chen—faced an onslaught of far more terrifying imprints.

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A sense of foreboding rose in the Alkaid Holy Son’s heart. This ambush might fail to bring about Ye Chen’s fall.

”Return, shed the demonic body, condense the divine body once more, and use the supreme secret art to refine the discarded demonic body into my clone. My combat power will rise to another level. Then I will begin experiments with the subsequent scriptures I created—testing whether a physique can be transformed from acquired to innate… or even further.”

After one last deep glance at the living imprint battlefield, the Alkaid Holy Son turned and left without hesitation.

After Ye Chen entered the Heavenly Desire Sect, the mighty figures from the Heavenly Evolution Holy Land followed Feng Baiyu inside to rest. It was purely rest. Standing deep within the sect and watching Ye Chen undergo his tribulation, they felt a surge of emotions—pride swelling in every chest.

The Great Saint ancestor of their lineage smiled warmly. ”Truth be told, I have never seen anyone with such heaven-defying talent. Little Bai, your judgment is excellent. Ye Chen may truly ascend to immortality. Since you value him so highly and personally accompany him every time, you might even secure a spot to enter the immortal realm alongside him. After all, the young man is good-hearted and knows how to repay kindness.”

The Great Saint could not stop praising Ye Chen. It was hard to say whether the immortal medicine Ye Chen had previously gifted him played no part in this enthusiasm.

Feng Baiyu merely twitched the corner of his mouth. Ye Chen was indeed generous. But immortal realm slots were limited. With so many women already around Ye Chen, the chance of Feng Baiyu getting one was practically nonexistent.

Not that he cared. Feng Baiyu had no interest in such things. His gaze remained fixed on the living imprint battlefield, brows deeply furrowed.

Noticing his expression, the Great Saint assumed Feng Baiyu was worried for Ye Chen and chuckled reassuringly. ”Though it is unprecedented for so many ancient supreme prodigies at the same realm to appear together, this also proves that the Heavenly Dao acknowledges Ye Chen’s strength. He surely has the power to fight them. There is no need to worry excessively!”

Feng Baiyu shook his head. ”I am not worried about that. What I mean is—if so many ancient existences have left their imprints, why is there no sign of Chaotic Ancient True Immortal? He too left an imprint when breaking through to Half-Saint! So many gathered here—how could Chaotic Ancient be missing? He is absolutely on par with them!”

At these words, the Great Saint burst into laughter.

”Chaotic Ancient? What level is he to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with these figures? Little Bai, I know you are Chaotic Ancient’s successor and hold special feelings toward him. But look at those imprints—who are they? The Heavenly Emperor, the Devouring Female Immortal, the Moral Heavenly Venerable, the Undying Celestial Emperor, the Dao Venerable… Each one dominated and astonished an entire era, leaving an indelible mark on posterity.

”And Chaotic Ancient True Immortal? He fought countless battles in his life, yet the victories he claimed could be counted on one hand. Even his immortal scripture was copied. Chaotic Ancient True Immortal truly falls short. But do not feel down. The technique itself is not so important—it is the person who matters. Since you inherited his legacy, you will surely surpass him!”

Feng Baiyu’s lips twitched.

You really know how to comfort someone.

Never mind. A mere Great Saint—how could he understand the affairs of true immortals? His words were not worth taking to heart.

Yet as Feng Baiyu gazed at those hazy imprints on the battlefield, a faint melancholy flickered in his eyes. Some of these figures had once fought side by side.

Most had fallen. A few lay in deep slumber, gravely wounded. Others had turned traitor. Their losses had been catastrophic, their vitality severely damaged.

Meanwhile, the foreign domain had suffered only minor setbacks—their gates destroyed, nothing more. It would not be long before they returned in force. Even before that full resurgence, mighty figures had already laid countless plans—not only in the immortal realm.

Traces of their schemes had already appeared in this cultivation world. For instance, the aura of a certain woman from the foreign domain lingered on Ye Chen’s dao companion surnamed An—an Immortal King whom even Feng Baiyu had failed to defeat back then.

And then there was Ye Chen’s senior martial sister. In the foreign domain stood a Supreme Immortal King. Though that figure had not appeared during the previous great war, Feng Baiyu always sensed that the Supreme Emotionless Scripture was merely a long-buried foreshadowing…

Thus, looking at Ye Chen, Feng Baiyu felt a quiet sorrow. Perhaps, in terms of talent, Ye Chen had truly surpassed the Heavenly Emperor of old. But unfortunately… it was too late.