Immortality Starts With Investment

Seeing Wen Tailai trying to flee, the Demon-Exterminating Great Saint exploded into motion. With the Movement Secret beneath his feet, his speed became utterly inconceivable.

In his hands, the Myriad Transformations Holy Art took shape, instantly blocking Wen Tailai’s path.

In an instant, killing intent soared to the heavens inside Ye Chen’s cave heaven, divine light flashing in chaotic waves.

Wen Tailai’s identity had been exposed. He shed the black mist, no longer bothering to conceal himself. His bold, rugged face was now clouded with grim darkness. ”Do you really think I’m not your match? It seems you’re underestimating me! Besides, can Ye Chen’s cave heaven withstand the aftershocks of a battle between the two of us? Even if you stop me, Ye Chen will end up crippled. I advise you to think carefully!”

The next moment, terrifying thunder surged around Wen Tailai’s body, making his hair stand on end like a thunder god descended. He clashed head-on with the Demon-Exterminating Great Saint.

The Demon-Exterminating Great Saint gave not an inch of ground. Wen Tailai’s words did nothing to make him hesitate or hold back. Ye Chen’s cave heaven contained immortal artifacts and Immortal Spiritual Roots. Its stability far surpassed imagination. There were even many treasures inside that he himself had yet to fully comprehend. There was absolutely no need to worry about collateral damage.

The battle between the two Great Saints unfolded like the end of the world. Yet Ye Chen, the master of the cave heaven, watched casually from the sidelines. He didn’t even bother retreating, completely unconcerned about being caught in the crossfire. Whenever any aftershock came close, a golden branch above Ye Chen’s head simply swayed gently, dissolving the force into nothingness.

At that moment, voices called from outside the cave heaven.

Without a second thought, Ye Chen directly refused them entry. He had briefly considered reminding them to pay extra attention to the newly arrived Heavenly Desire Ancestor. But after a moment’s thought, he decided against it. He needed her. But she needed him even more. He couldn’t afford to appear too eager.

An opportunity offered willingly by the other party carried a completely different weight from one he had to beg for. Only when the Heavenly Desire Ancestor actively sought the chance to ”absorb” would she truly understand its value during the future ceremony—and absorb even more eagerly.

…

Boom! Boom! Boom…

The two fought fiercely, neither willing to yield. Wen Tailai’s expression grew uglier by the moment. He realized escape was truly impossible. Yet even as the cave heaven shattered in places, the spirit plants below remained perfectly unharmed.

The longer this dragged on, the harder it would be for him to leave. He had worked so hard to reach the Great Saint realm. To fall here would be unbearable. Now, only one last chance remained.

In the instant their latest clash forced both sides to recoil, Wen Tailai seized the momentum of his backward surge, burning his essence blood to turn around and charge straight toward Ye Chen with explosive force.

Capture the king first.

Ye Chen was the Heavenly Emperor’s heir, the true Devouring successor, and the Holy Evolution Holy Son. He was the hope of immortality for all three powers. If he could seize Ye Chen, even if he couldn’t demand more, he would at least have a chance to escape. And Ye Chen—a mere Half-Saint—had dared to stand so close. Utterly foolish.

Wen Tailai pushed his speed to the absolute limit, giving the Demon-Exterminating Great Saint no chance to intercept. Yet when the Demon-Exterminating Great Saint saw what Wen Tailai was doing, he simply stopped where he was. An almost speechless expression appeared on his face as he watched Wen Tailai’s retreating back. He had only acted to demonstrate his loyalty. Did this Wen Tailai not even bother to look at what was inside the cave heaven?

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

From the moment he entered Ye Chen’s cave heaven, Wen Tailai had been far too frantic to properly observe his surroundings. Now, as he drew closer and closer to Ye Chen, the man—filled with wild joy—finally caught sight of what lay behind Ye Chen, it was a floating peak.

Atop the central main peak, an immortal aura swirled thickly in the air. The sheer number of Immortal Roots growing there left Wen Tailai utterly stunned. No wonder the cultivation world couldn’t find any immortal roots anymore. They were all here—inside Ye Chen’s cave heaven. Even the Heavenly Emperor himself probably couldn’t have gathered so many.

Most likely, the Devouring lineage had spent countless years secretly collecting them as well. But what truly locked his gaze was the divine tree shining like a constellation of stars. The Fusang Divine Tree—a Quasi-Immortal with Quasi-Immortal battle power.

Though the Fusang Divine Tree had many flaws—it couldn’t move, excelled at defense rather than offense, and fell short of a true Quasi-Immortal in several respects—it was still a Quasi-Immortal. To a Quasi-Immortal, a Great Saintwas nothing more than a slightly larger ant. And now he finally understood why Ye Chen had dared stand so close.

Above Ye Chen’s head, a golden branch swayed gently.

Wen Tailai’s hair stood on end. In that instant, he tried to change direction and shoot upward. He had to escape. He absolutely had to get out. If he could just get away, whether it was Ye Chen’s identity as the true Devouring heir or the fact that he possessed eleven Immortal Roots, both would turn Ye Chen into the public enemy of the entire cultivation world.

Quasi-Immortals and Emperors would emerge without hesitation. Even the Fusang Divine Tree wouldn’t be able to protect him forever. Yet the moment he looked up at the sky, his pupils shrank to pinpricks…

The Undying Celestial Blade, the Heaven-Devouring Demon Jar, the Ghost-Face Mask, the Dao Cauldron, the Nine Transformations Heavenly Furnace, the Sea-Calming Divine Treasure…

All of these legendary immortal artifacts, famous throughout history, floated serenely above Ye Chen’s cave heaven. Each one radiated a boundless ferocious aura. And scattered among them like countless stars were an overwhelming number of Extreme Dao Weapons.

Staring at the scene, Wen Tailai finally understood why Ye Chen had acted like such a reckless spendthrift at the auction—bidding ten times the price and sweeping the entire event clean. The foundation Ye Chen controlled had already surpassed everyone’s wildest imagination. This couldn’t have been accumulated by the Heavenly Emperor alone.

Most likely, the Devouring lineage’s hidden accumulations over countless years had been poured into this place as well. How in the world had Ye Chen managed all of this? He was only at the Half-Saint realm—yet both supreme orthodoxies had handed over even their most treasured immortal artifacts to him?

Wen Tailai felt his breathing stop.

At the same moment, a golden branch appeared silently in front of him, blocking his path. An indescribable power emanated from it. Even the divine-patterned leaves caused Wen Tailai to tremble uncontrollably. Despair filled him completely. He halted in midair.

His face twisted with bitterness as he looked at Ye Chen. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but only managed a few incoherent murmurs after a long pause. Regret flooded his heart. He and Ye Chen had never truly borne any grudge. It was only his own greed that allowed the Devouring lineage to manipulate him onto this path of no return.

He didn’t beg for mercy. He knew death was inevitable today. So he simply gazed up at the bronze ancient coffin floating in the sky and spoke: ”That bronze ancient coffin… is where you bury your enemies? It occupies a position above even the immortal artifacts. It must have an extraordinary origin—perhaps it once held the remains of someone truly great. To be buried inside such a coffin after death… wouldn’t be so bad.”

Ye Chen almost laughed. Bury him in the bronze ancient coffin? He really was thinking quite highly of himself!

Without a word, Ye Chen willed it. The Fusang branch descended lightly.

Wen Tailai, the majestic Great Saint who could command wind and rain outside, who even in the Myriad Races Immortal City was treated with utmost respect and caution lest anyone offend him—Today, he simply exploded apart. Silently, without the slightest ripple of killing intent. No chance of revival.

With a casual wave of his hand, Ye Chen collected Wen Tailai’s origin and tossed it into the Heaven-Devouring Demon Jar. Even the man’s shattered divine soul wasn’t wasted—he threw it into his Human Emperor Banner. Only then did Ye Chen turn toward the Demon-Exterminating Great Saint, whose face was now covered in obvious relief…