Immortality Starts With Investment

The system’s feedback left Ye Chen genuinely surprised.

Cross realms at will? Did that mean he could enter the Immortal Realm directly without ascending?

If so, he wouldn’t have to scramble and fight for that single mouthful of immortal qi anymore. Once he reached the quasi-immortal realm, he could simply pilot the vessel straight through the barriers and barge into the Immortal Realm. Immortal Qi everywhere—he could gorge himself on it.

All in all, he had already known Yan Qingcheng would deliver big rewards. But this particular feedback still caught him pleasantly off guard. On top of that, the additional supreme Extreme Dao weapon—the Western Empress Divine Chariot—gave him a top-tier flying vessel to rely on right up until quasi-immortal. And it was clearly superior to the previous Heavenly Emperor War Chariot.

In short, the rewards made Ye Chen’s gaze toward Yan Qingcheng soften even further. Go ahead and be confident. With feedback like this, she more than earned the right to feel invincible.

Yan Qingcheng sensed the gentle warmth in his eyes. The resolve to return the Heavenly Emperor Hall to him grew even firmer in her heart. She was just about to open her mouth and invite Ye Chen to accompany her to the Heavenly Emperor Hall once everything here was concluded. She would guarantee his safety.

Though her father had pulled countless underhanded tricks against Ye Chen in secret, he still had some face left. He wouldn’t dare act openly against him. But before Yan Qingcheng could speak, Dantai Xuan, who had been quietly observing the two of them, finally spoke in a soft voice.

”Junior Brother, it’s been a long time.”

Ye Chen turned at the words and raised an eyebrow. Aside from the brief exchange years ago when she came asking for the war chariot, this senior sister had barely acknowledged him since. Even when he returned to the holy land, she never spared him a single word.

He knew it was because of her cultivation technique, but that didn’t make him any more inclined to engage. Still, for his senior brother’s sake, Ye Chen gave a small nod. ”Greetings, Senior Sister. Indeed, it has been quite some time.”

Dantai Xuan cut straight to the point.

”Junior Brother, I have a technique that requires the Heavenly Will Dao-Entrust Jade. We come from the same sect, and I have always regarded Hua Yunfei as an elder brother. Would you be willing to join forces with me to help me obtain the jade? If I succeed, Senior Sister will be endlessly grateful!”

As soon as her words fell, Yan Qingcheng’s brow arched slightly. She found this senior sister of Ye Chen’s rather shameless.

They were all at peak Half-Saint—who didn’t need the Heavenly Will Dao-Entrust Jade? Only you need it?

As the senior sister, she didn’t offer to yield, and now she was the first to ask outright. Given the pure kindness Ye Chen had shown so far, he would probably find it hard to refuse.

Yan Qingcheng would be delighted if Ye Chen obtained the jade himself. But this woman? She had no intention of letting her have it.

Still, Yan Qingcheng held her tongue. She had already promised Ye Chen she wouldn’t compete. If he chose to hand it over willingly, that was his decision. She closed her eyes, preferring not to witness it.

Meanwhile, Ling Yu—who had been waiting patiently for the fight to begin—widened his eyes in shock. Both of these female cultivators had such deep ties to this man?

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One was willing to gift him a high-grade Extreme Dao weapon. The other was his actual senior sister. Was he about to get ganged up on?

He was confident, but not stupid. Facing Ye Chen alone would already demand everything he had—a brutal, hard-fought battle. And the woman named Dantai Xuan also radiated an extremely terrifying aura. Her physique and talent were clearly extraordinary.

If the two of them joined forces, his only options would be retreat or escape. In his usual style, back in the Extreme Martial Realm, he would either strike immediately—denying them any chance to negotiate—or simply turn and leave, settling the score later. But Ye Chen had been courteous from the start, never once looking down on him as an outsider prodigy. And the two women were undeniably captivating.

Ling Yu didn’t want to disgrace the Extreme Martial Realm’s name. He decided to wait a little longer. If they truly teamed up against him, then they would be the ones breaking the rules. He could escape first and reclaim his dignity another day.

A heavy silence fell over the scene. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on Ye Chen, waiting for his answer.

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth curling into a faint smirk. ”You regard Senior Brother as an elder brother? And yet you still attacked him?”

He had already seen through Dantai Xuan’s true nature. She hadn’t turned into some emotionless killing machine. She was simply indifferent—nothing truly mattered to her. She weighed every choice coldly and always picked the one that benefited her most.

In Ye Chen’s eyes, that was the real meaning of heartlessness. A person like this could never trigger a critical hit. To him, she was already ruined. He’d just bundle her up with the furnace later and deliver the package straight to his senior brother.

Dantai Xuan frowned slightly at his response. ”He actually went and complained to you?”

Complain, my ass!

Ye Chen’s expression twitched, barely holding it together. ”…”

Dantai Xuan’s face quickly returned to its usual calm. ”Precisely because I still regard him as my senior brother and retain a shred of sentiment, I chose not to kill him…”

Ye Chen almost laughed out loud. His senior brother’s clone had already become a saint. As for the main body’s true level, even Ye Chen couldn’t see through it. And she hadn’t killed him? More like she couldn’t beat him.

Still, Ye Chen had no interest in arguing further with her. He simply replied indifferently, ”I need the Heavenly Will Dao-Entrust Jade as well, so I cannot yield it to Senior Sister.”

With that, he rose gracefully into the air. First, he would deal with the outsider. Then he would suppress Dantai Xuan. Once the place was quiet, and before the Dao-Entrust Treasure emerged, he could gift Yan Qingcheng a few more times. After all, opportunities to meet the true heir of the Heavenly Emperor didn’t come often. Since Destiny had brought them together, he naturally intended to land several massive critical hits.

…

Yan Qingcheng was mildly surprised to hear Ye Chen refuse, but a trace of satisfaction appeared in her eyes. The rumors outside really were false. People said the heir of the Heavenly Emperor would do anything for a woman.

Dantai Xuan might be cold, but her appearance and figure were undeniably top-tier among female cultivators. Yet Ye Chen had rejected her without the slightest hesitation. That proved he wasn’t some indiscriminate womanizer who fell for every pretty face he saw. Everything—the exaggerated reputation, the endless slander—had all been secretly fueled by her father.

Ling Yu watched Ye Chen approach, newfound respect shining in his eyes. Ye Chen could easily have teamed up with Dantai Xuan first to crush him, then sorted out the spoils afterward.

Instead, he had refused outright, showing no intention of ganging up. This top prodigy of the cultivation world truly carried himself with grand, open magnanimity. A supreme prodigy should be exactly like this!

”Entering the cultivation world and encountering an opponent like you, Fellow Daoist—it is my honor. In the battle to come, I will unleash every ounce of my strength against you! Win or lose, after this fight, I hope we can become friends. One day, when we stand at the pinnacle of the Immortal Path, we can sit together and discuss the Dao!”

Ling Yu’s voice rang out clearly, his gaze filled with genuine admiration for Ye Chen. Within his terrifying physique, his bloodline roared. The heavens and earth trembled in response. It was as though a vast river surged inside his body. Golden vital energy linked sky and ground, manifesting countless extraordinary phenomena that swirled around him!

In this moment, Ling Yu resembled an ancient dragon-elephant—bold, wild, and unstoppable. Every step he took made the void boil, as if the heartbeat of this world itself pulsed in rhythm with him. His speed was unimaginable. In the next instant, he appeared directly before Ye Chen and threw a punch…