Immortality Starts With Investment

”Put more effort into it! Alkaid is extremely cautious by nature. If you underestimate him even slightly, something could go wrong. You must handle it personally.”

Ye Chen gave the instruction twice, deliberately. Alkaid was simply too slippery. Everyone else who had offended him had died quickly—some had even come begging to be killed. Yet Alkaid had first crossed him back when he was only at the Unity realm.

Now, Ye Chen had already reached the fourth layer of the Great Ascension realm, and that man was still alive. He warranted special attention. The only reason Ye Chen hadn’t gone personally was his own laziness. Otherwise, he would have already flown over to finish the pest himself.

Still, he made sure to emphasize that the Demon-Exterminating Great Saint must act in person. He had no intention of letting this turn into some cliché from those old novels—sending a sharpening stone or a treasure-giving boy for the protagonist.

The Demon-Exterminating Great Saint smiled upon hearing the words. Alkaid did have some skill. He had watched the man grow up, after all. But no matter how capable, Alkaid was only at the peak of the Saint realm. While he himself was a Great Saint.

An entire Sixth-Heaven Saint King realm separated them. If he wanted to kill, it would take nothing more than a lift of his hand. But this was, after all, his very first mission after pledging allegiance. Of course, he had to execute it flawlessly.

”Rest assured, Young Lord. I will personally take action. Within half a year, if I cannot bring Alkaid’s corpse to you, I will bring my own head to atone with my life…”

Ye Chen waved his hand dismissively, unwilling to waste more words. He flew out of the Heavenly Desire Sect once and discreetly released the Demon-Exterminating Great Saint from the cave heaven. Only then did he leisurely return to the sect.

”Holy Son…”

Fan Qinghe waited with eager, shining eyes. Standing beside her were her master, grandmaster, and ancestor. Each one resembled the most flawless silicone doll imaginable—not a single imperfection could be found. If the other women around him possessed auras of icy aloofness, cuteness, haughtiness, cold detachment, ethereal immortality, or pure desire…

Then the four generations of the Heavenly Desire Sect standing before him radiated only one thing: raw lust. Even just standing there quietly, they made one’s blood surge, stirring wild, uncontrollable fantasies…

”This perfect transformation was all thanks to the Holy Son. My master and grandmaster also wish to express their gratitude to the Holy Son. You’re not leaving so soon, right? Won’t you give us a chance to thank you properly?”

During the earlier ceremony, none of them had used their full abilities. Now, all three were eager and restless, determined to make Ye Chen remember their goodness forever.

Ye Chen smiled at the words. A trace of reluctance flickered across his face, yet when his gaze fell on Fan Qinghe—full of doting indulgence—he sighed helplessly and nodded. He reached out and gently scraped the tip of her delicate, upturned nose.

”Fine. Just as you wish.”

The sight of Ye Chen’s tender indulgence toward Fan Qinghe filled the others with envy. It was only natural. A man like the Heavenly Emperor’s heir would never lack women. Even for them—renowned as the peerless beauties of the Heavenly Desire Sect—this was a privilege.

Without Fan Qinghe’s favor, they wouldn’t even qualify to stand in the same room. The ancestral master’s expression was somewhat complicated, tinged with hesitation. She knew her disciple, grand-disciple, and great-grand-disciple had already united, planning to compete for Ye Chen’s affection through the combined efforts of three generations. But what about herself?

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Ever since her own protector had fallen, she had taken no other man, nor had she ever walked the path of all beings. Yet hearing her descendants describe Ye Chen’s terrifying prowess had awakened something in her perfect body, untouched for three thousand years.

Moreover, with her wealth of experience, she could even offer guidance. Her life was already nearing its end—purity or impurity no longer mattered. She might as well make one final contribution for the sake of her disciples. So the Heavenly Desire Ancestor had also decided to join. But Ye Chen suddenly looked up at her.

”Senior, thank you for your assistance last time. I noticed that the previous battle left you somewhat depleted. Please accept this spirit fruit as a token of my gratitude. Take it now and begin refining it.”

The Heavenly Desire Ancestor was momentarily stunned. She was old, and her lifespan was nearly exhausted. Her recovery ability had long since declined sharply. The exhaustion from the earlier battle had indeed not yet fully healed. The spirit fruit in Ye Chen’s hand flowed with divine radiance—clearly extraordinary. It could replenish her deficiencies and restore her condition.

But…

The Ancestor was no fool. She immediately understood. Ye Chen was sincere in giving the fruit… and equally sincere in not wanting her to join. In that instant, a wave of loss and faint self-loathing washed over her. She was six thousand years old, after all.

Of course, a young man like Ye Chen would find her repulsive. A trace of darkness flickered deep in her eyes, but she quickly covered it with a generous smile and thanked him. Yet the moment she took the spirit fruit, the Ancestor froze in astonishment.

The fruit carried the faint lingering aura of other fruits. It felt… as though it could replenish life essence itself. Just by inhaling its fragrance, she sensed a tiny, almost imperceptible increase in her nearly exhausted lifespan. The discovery made her previously dejected heart pound wildly. What had this fruit been stored alongside? Could it be… a life-extending treasure? Did Ye Chen actually possess a life-extending treasure…?

The other three women also noticed that the Ancestor had been quietly excluded from joining them. None of them spoke up. After all, the matter was delicate and hard to voice aloud. Yet the sudden look of delighted surprise on the Ancestor’s face left them puzzled. Her direct disciple immediately asked: ”Master, what’s wrong?”

The Heavenly Desire Ancestor answered carefully, almost reverently: ”I sensed the aura of a life-extending treasure on this fruit… it even stirred my life essence slightly.”

At those words, the four women’s expressions shifted in different directions.

Ye Chen, however, didn’t bother hiding anything. He gave a faint smile.

”This fruit was previously stored together with a ginseng fruit…”

With that, he said no more. He simply flew toward Fan Qinghe’s cave abode.

…

The Heavenly Desire Ancestor remained rooted in place. Anticipation, apprehension, and worry flickered through her eyes. A ginseng fruit. A single ginseng fruit that could extend life by three hundred and sixty years. If she consumed it… would she be able to hold on until Ye Chen reached the peak of the Sixth Heaven? And if so… would she then have a chance—relying on Ye Chen’s terrifying capital—to undergo one final perfect transformation and touch the realm beyond the Sixth Heaven?

But Ye Chen clearly had no interest in her. The rejection had been unmistakable, tinged with faint distaste. How could she have the face to ask for more? Yet this was quite possibly her only remaining chance at extending her life. If she didn’t fight for it now, she would regret it for the rest of her days—no matter how few they might be. So she turned to her disciples, grand-disciples, and great-grand-disciple, her gaze carrying a trace of pleading, a trace of sorrowful fragility.

Fan Qinghe and the others felt their hearts twist with complicated emotions. The Ancestor had always been kind to them. None of them wanted to watch her fall. But the value of a ginseng fruit was simply unimaginable. They had already cultivated the parasitic technique and received far more than they deserved. If they grew greedy again… what if Ye Chen grew tired of them?

Especially Fan Qinghe—her heart had always carried a quiet insecurity beneath Ye Chen’s indulgence. She constantly feared that one day he might stop loving her. Yet Fan Qinghe had been an orphan all her life and placed immense value on family bonds.

Today, the Ancestor had emerged from seclusion and treated her with extraordinary warmth and care—looking at her as tenderly as she would a granddaughter. She had even said half her inheritance would go to Fan Qinghe.

Fan Qinghe cherished this rare feeling of four generations gathered together, like a real family. To stand by silently while the Ancestor withered away was unbearable torment. So in the moments that followed, Fan Qinghe inevitably became distracted…

The amount of honey she fed Ye Chen was noticeably less than last time. Fortunately, her master and grandmaster more than made up for it. They bustled about with tireless attentiveness, allowing Ye Chen to fully experience just how terrifying the combined efforts of three generations could truly be…