Immortality Starts With Investment

The moment Ye Chen flew out of Heavenly Intention Holy Land and caught sight of the Demon-Exterminating Great Saint, the corner of his mouth couldn’t help but twitch violently.

Before him stood a headless body. In its right hand dangled a head by the hair—the head of the Demon-Exterminating Great Saint himself.

The old man had really come carrying his own head. He truly understood the meaning of keeping one’s word.

”Young Lord, I have failed you. I have no face left to meet you. If not for the need to report back, I would have ended myself immediately and shattered my soul…”

The head in the Great Saint’s hand spoke with a face full of guilt and shame.

Ye Chen curled his lip.

”Hm. Then finish your report and go kill yourself.”

The Demon-Exterminating Great Saint’s mouth twitched. He hurriedly begged for mercy: ”Young Lord… is there still a chance for me?”

Ye Chen raised a hand lazily.

”Speak. What happened? You couldn’t beat him?”

The Alkaid Holy Son was only a Fifth-Heaven Saint. If he could cross two full major realms and defeat a Seventh-Heaven Great Saint, his combat power would be downright absurd.

The Demon-Exterminating Great Saint shook his head repeatedly.

”No, it wasn’t like that. When I returned, I contacted Alkaid and told him I had something to deliver. The moment I saw him, I attacked at once. But Alkaid had already set up an absolute killing array in advance. Though it couldn’t harm me, it still trapped me for several breaths. By the time I broke free, Alkaid had already fled. Later, he entered the Immortal Path and vanished without a trace.”

”Alkaid is currently in the fifth realm of the Immortal Path, but his Acquired Chaos Body is already flawless. Within the entire Devouring lineage, no one at the same realm is his match! As long as he refuses to come out, there is nothing I can do…”

At the end, the Demon-Exterminating Great Saint seethed with indignation. He had thought it would be an easy task. Yet Alkaid had been so cautious. Truly an ungrateful white-eyed wolf. After so many years of careful nurturing, after feeding him countless great medicines, the man still harbored such deep wariness toward him.

Ye Chen, however, was not particularly surprised. It seemed Alkaid did not have the strength to confront a Great Saint head-on. But his ability to hide and survive was truly exceptional. Even when meeting an elder from his own lineage, he still laid down an absolute array.

”Young Lord, give me one more chance. I will guard the entrance to the Immortal Path. The moment Alkaid emerges, I will kill him in a single strike!”

The Demon-Exterminating Great Saint spoke through gritted teeth.

Ye Chen glanced at him indifferently and waved a hand.

”First, put your head back on before you speak. If you failed once, it will only be harder next time. Have people gather information on his exact location inside the Immortal Path. I’ll find time to go there myself and suppress him. For now, the most important task is to search for information regardingthe the Dao-Entrust Treasures.”

Alkaid’s escape only deepened Ye Chen’s killing intent. But cultivation still came first. Having just broken through to the peak of Half-Saint, the next step was naturally to become a Saint. There were generally two paths to Sainthood.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

The first was the Dao-Severing method: severing one’s past to purify the self and solidify one’s Dao. This made the Dao heart firmer and battle power more terrifying. But emotions would grow colder.

It was somewhat similar to the Supreme Emotionless Scripture cultivated by Dantai Xuan, the Holy Maiden of Heavenly Evolution Holy Land. Yet it didn’t turn one into a completely different person—just more detached. Those who became Saints this way were indifferent to nearly everything in the world.

That was why, despite Ye Chen slaughtering so many prodigies, few of their elders came seeking revenge. Part of it was fear of his background. But another part was that most Saints and those above them were emotionally detached and simply couldn’t be bothered. They would shrug and say, ”Life and death are fated.”

The second path was the True-Self Sainthood method: retaining everything about oneself. But in this case, both battle power and Dao heart potential would be noticeably weaker.

However, there was actually a third method—the Dao-Entrust method. First sever the Dao, then entrust it to a Dao-Entrust Treasure. Afterward, refine and reclaim it. This combined the advantages of both paths.

Moreover, depending on the nature of the Dao-Entrust Treasure, it could even grant unique enhancements to the Dao heart. But treasures capable of serving as Dao-Entrust vessels were far too rare and precious. Even the treasury of Heavenly Evolution Holy Land possessed none. Therefore, they had to be sought out.

Of course, if no suitable Dao-Entrust Treasure could be found, Ye Chen would not force the matter. In that case, he would unhesitatingly walk the path of True-Self Sainthood. Though it might cost him some combat power, he was already monstrously strong—he could afford to lose that little bit.

But if his emotions grew indifferent, turning him into something like a robot, that was something Ye Chen could never accept. What made a person human was precisely the seven emotions and six desires.

If one day he lost interest in detoxifying Senior An, lost interest in his fiancée’s tsundere mouth and soft tongue, lost interest in his master’s domineering ways, his senior sister’s full moon, Yao Yuezhi’s green tea act, or Lan Nuo’s cuteness. Then, even if he truly became a Saint in the future, what would be the meaning of it all?

…

The Demon-Exterminating Great Saint, while reattaching his head to his neck, let out a long breath of relief upon hearing Ye Chen’s words. As long as the Young Lord still had orders for him, there was still hope. Otherwise, he truly would have had no chance left.

”Dao-Entrust Treasure? Not long ago, one of our hidden agents inside the Violet Radiance Holy Land sent word. They said that people from Violet Radiance discovered clues related to a Dao-Entrust Treasure in the fourth realm of the Immortal Path. But at that time, Alkaid had already become a Saint, so we didn’t pay it much attention.

”I’ll organize the information for you shortly, Young Lord. If the treasure hasn’t appeared yet, I’ll send people to secure it immediately and deliver it straight to your hands! And even if it has already emerged—no matter. Even if Violet Radiance Holy Land has already obtained it, I will still get it for you!

”Even if it means attacking Violet Radiance Holy Land head-on, I will not hesitate. If I fail to accomplish this task this time, I will bring my head again to atone. As for Alkaid, I will also have people investigate his exact location!”

The Demon-Exterminating Great Saint gritted his teeth inwardly. This time, he absolutely had to succeed.

Ye Chen’s mouth twitched at the words.

Please stop saying that. And you’re quite good at bragging—attacking a holy land? Aren’t you afraid their immortal artifact will shake you to death with one tremor?

Still, the news about the Dao-Entrust Treasure made Ye Chen’s eyes light up. The Devouring lineage truly had its uses, with agents planted deep in every major holy land and power.

When he had asked his own Holy Master before, even that old fox could only spread his hands helplessly. Yet the moment he mentioned it to the Demon-Exterminating Great Saint, information appeared.

Impressive.

If the treasure had not yet emerged, then he might as well make another trip into the Immortal Path. After obtaining the Dao-Entrust Treasure, he could head straight to the fifth realm, drag Alkaid out, and finish him off.

Though the man didn’t pose much real threat, Ye Chen still disliked having an enemy lurking in the shadows. Better to eliminate him early. Ye Chen was about to say more—When the Demon-Exterminating Great Saint opened his small world. A coffin of ice flew out.

”This is the gift I prepared for you, Young Lord…”

Ye Chen was stunned. The lid of the ice coffin slid open. Inside lay a woman who was clearly no longer young, mature, with snow-white skin and an astonishingly voluptuous figure. And she looked… somewhat familiar… Yet she wasn’t a corpse. She was in a sealed state of false death.

Ye Chen looked at the Demon-Exterminating Great Saint in confusion.

The old man wore an expression of proud anticipation, as if waiting for praise.

”Young Lord, I know your preferences. So I specially prepared her just for you.”

Ye Chen: ”…”