Immortality Starts With Investment

”Emotionless…”

The Supreme Dantai Xuan, who had remained silent until now, suddenly struck. With a lift of her hand, she unleashed a terrifying divine art from the Supreme Emotionless Scripture. It could erase and obliterate an enemy’s divine soul.

The entire sea of consciousness trembled violently—its power was unmistakable.

In truth, the moment Ye Chen had burst in, she had already made her decision. She would seize the chance to suppress Ye Chen’s divine soul, then use it as leverage to escape the Divine Maiden Furnace.

Once free, she could reseal the true self and continue drawing on her power for herself. Bit by bit, through gradual transformation, she would erase the other completely and claim everything.

That was why the Supreme Dantai Xuan radiated killing intent. The Supreme Emotionless Scripture specialized in divine soul cultivation—its strength was unparalleled. She still had a chance…

The true self narrowed her eyes and immediately prepared to assist. Yet before the world-destroying tremor of the sea of consciousness, Ye Chen merely lifted his gaze and swept it across the incoming divine art.

The terrifying technique disintegrated instantly, vanishing into nothingness. The sea returned to perfect calm, as though nothing had happened at all.

This impossible scene left the Supreme Dantai Xuan stunned.

How could this be? How could Ye Chen’s divine soul be so overwhelmingly dominant?

This was her own sea of consciousness—yet the moment he glared, even her divine soul origin quaked in fear.

No—this was her last chance.

Unwilling to give up, the Supreme Dantai Xuan retreated sharply and prepared another divine art.

But before she could act, Ye Chen had already summoned a massive golden hand condensed purely from divine soul power. The hand crashed downward like the hand of heaven itself, seizing the Supreme Dantai Xuan in its grip.

She struggled fiercely, but it was futile. She was like a mayfly pinched between human fingers—utterly powerless.

Watching the Supreme Dantai Xuan suppressed in an instant, the true self was shocked. She and the Supreme had always been evenly matched. Yet in front of Ye Chen, the other seemed pitifully weak. Just how terrifying was her junior brother?

The Supreme Dantai Xuan, however, accepted reality quickly. She stopped struggling and simply stared at Ye Chen. ”Why is your divine soul power so overwhelmingly strong?”

Ye Chen gave a faint smile and didn’t bother replying. He simply transformed his divine soul power into golden ropes, binding the Supreme Dantai Xuan completely and suspending her in midair. There was no chance of escape.

After admiring his handiwork for a moment, Ye Chen turned to the dumbfounded true self. ”Senior Sister, what should we do next?”

The true self was still reeling. She was shocked by Ye Chen’s sheer power—and equally shocked by his method. The ropes started from the neck and wrapped all the way down to the ankles, accentuating every key curve in a way that felt… decidedly improper. It looked exactly like something the Heavenly Desire Sect would do. Her junior brother really seemed to be an expert in this sort of thing.

Seeing the Supreme Dantai Xuan bound like that made the true self feel as though she herself were the one restrained. A wave of shame washed over her. If Ye Chen were to bind her the same way—maybe even tighter—would that mean…

Dantai Xuan shook her head sharply, flinging the strange thought away. She must still be muddled from the Divine Maiden Furnace’s influence. Right now, business came first.

Dantai Xuan’s true self spoke gravely. ”Then I’ll have to trouble Junior Brother to erase her completely…”

For years, she had been asleep, growing weaker and weaker. Even when she occasionally woke, she couldn’t control her body at all. The sensation of being slowly replaced by another was pure despair. So now, she only wanted to obliterate the Supreme split soul. Even if it cost her half her divine soul power, she was willing.

Ye Chen understood. Without another word, he activated the Foresight Secret. The Foresight Secret could foresee the future, strengthen the divine soul, and included numerous soul-attacking techniques. It was the perfect choice here.

Ye Chen condensed the Foresight Secret and struck toward the Supreme Dantai Xuan.

The moment the power poured into her divine soul body, the bound Supreme Dantai Xuan’s form went rigid. Her feet arched taut. The ropes only emphasized her curves further. A pained hum escaped her lips. Her divine soul body visibly dimmed—proof of how gravely she had been wounded. Yet her face remained utterly indifferent. As though it wasn’t her own existence being erased.

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But behind Ye Chen came another pained hum. He turned and saw that the true self’s soul body had also faded. She swayed unsteadily, nearly collapsing to the ground.

Ye Chen frowned slightly and quickly caught her. ”Senior Sister, what’s wrong with you…?”

The true self’s eyes were filled with shock. Ye Chen’s attack had clearly targeted the Supreme—yet she had felt every bit of it. Half the damage had transferred to her.

At that moment, the Supreme Dantai Xuan spoke, a cold smile on her lips. ”I told you—we are already one…”

”…”

The true self found it hard to accept. ”Why? Before this, you could seal me away, devour me bit by bit, erase me completely… Why can’t I do the same to you?”

The Supreme Dantai Xuan didn’t answer. She only spoke calmly. ”Everything you’re doing is futile... Tell your junior brother to give up. I promise—I will no longer try to erase you. Once I achieve immortality, my divine sense will leave your body and return to the Supreme.

”At that time, your body will become the Supreme Immortal Body—one that ranks among the very top of all Immortal Bodies… We both have bright futures ahead. Why must we destroy each other here?”

”…”

Ye Chen listened, one eyebrow slowly rising. The Supreme Immortal Body? It sounded incredibly powerful. So his senior sister actually had such an extraordinary opportunity awaiting her?

Yet Dantai Xuan’s true self only sneered. ”I’d rather die together with you than believe a single word you say ever again…”

The Supreme Dantai Xuan replied calmly, ”I can swear a heavenly oath… even a great dao oath!”

The true self shook her head without hesitation. ”I don’t believe you! Besides, do you really think there’s nothing I can do to you?”

With those words, she turned to Ye Chen with utmost seriousness. ”There’s only one path left now. I must ask for Junior Brother’s help…”

Ye Chen nodded, listening attentively as she explained.

”My physical body has already reached the peak of half-Saint and is on the verge of severing the dao. And in her possession is the Supreme Severing Dao Technique. If successful, it will produce the seed of a Heavenly Heart Imprint. As long as I am the one who performs the severing and claims that seed… I will regain full control over this body…”

Dantai Xuan slowly laid out her plan.

Ye Chen listened and nodded thoughtfully. It was feasible. Since they couldn’t erase the Supreme for now, seizing control of the body first was a solid alternative.

”Then how can I assist Senior Sister?”

After learning that Dantai Xuan had the chance to achieve an Immortal Body—one ranked among the very highest, no less—Ye Chen suddenly felt far more patient. He genuinely wanted to help.

Dantai Xuan sensed the sincerity in his emotions and felt even closer to this junior brother. Once this matter was settled, she would repay him properly.

After a few soft hums and a brief tremble in her legs, she continued at once. ”The Supreme Severing Dao Technique isn’t with me—it’s with her. So first, Junior Brother, please help me obtain the severing technique!

”And once we have it, I ask that you seal her away with your methods! That way, I can take control of the body, begin my breakthrough, and complete the Dao severing to condense the seed. Once the seed is mine, I will hold the absolute advantage. The physical body will belong entirely to me!”

…

The Supreme Dantai Xuan narrowed her eyes but said nothing. Ye Chen listened carefully to the detailed plan. Sealing her for a period wouldn’t be difficult. He possessed the Minor Sealing Technique. It should be effortless.

But extracting the Supreme Severing Dao Technique from her mind—that was the real challenge. For an existence like her, soul-searching techniques were basically useless. If she refused to reveal it willingly, there was almost no way to force it out. And clearly, since she and the true self were one, threats held no power over her. Coercion or inducement seemed equally impossible.

Yet the fact that the true self had proposed this method meant she already had an idea in mind. She fixed her gaze steadily on Ye Chen. ”Junior Brother, you’re so skilled at binding female cultivators. I’ve heard you’re quite close with the Heavenly Desire Divine Maiden as well. Surely you also know the Heavenly Desire Sect’s soul communion technique?”

Ye Chen: ”???”

What did she mean by ”so skilled at binding female cultivators”? That was just something he did casually, alright? But the soul communion technique… yes, he did know it.

Seeing that Ye Chen didn’t deny it, Dantai Xuan’s true self continued. ”I possess a secret art that can steal fragments of divine sense and consciousness. As long as the target’s divine sense fluctuates violently, I can extract their thoughts bit by bit.

”The method I used to seize control was something I slowly pieced together over these three years inside the Divine Maiden Furnace—when she was repeatedly battered by the path of human desire, her divine sense fluctuated wildly, and I stole scraps of information little by little…

”But the fluctuations caused by the Divine Maiden Furnace alone weren’t strong enough. If we continue stealing bit by bit… Mmm… It might take decades to obtain the Supreme Severing Dao Technique. Therefore, I must ask Junior Brother to use the soul communion technique on her!”

At those words, Ye Chen’s eyes widened. This was the strangest request he had ever heard. Dantai Xuan’s true self seemed a little embarrassed as well. After swaying for a moment, she hurried to explain further: ”Though she lacks emotion and acts like a tool spirit, she hasn’t reached the absolute pinnacle yet. Three years inside the Divine Maiden Furnace, constantly suppressing everything—she must already be at her limit.

”And at such a moment, if Junior Brother—with your overwhelmingly powerful divine soul—were to come at her full force, her mental defenses would surely collapse. Her divine sense would fluctuate to the extreme… Then I could easily steal her thoughts and quickly obtain the Supreme Severing Dao Technique!”

Dantai Xuan’s explanation was logical and reasonable. Ye Chen felt it made sense—yet something about it still felt off. Moreover, the Supreme Dantai Xuan was still part of the true self. And the true self could sense everything.

Wouldn’t doing this mean she would feel it all too? Wasn’t this essentially a form of violation? How would they ever face each other as senior sister and junior brother afterward?

As though sensing his hesitation, Dantai Xuan’s true self waved her hand magnanimously. ”Junior Brother, there’s no need to worry about such things… We are cultivators. Aside from the path to immortality, everything else can be discarded. You already have so many Dao companions—surely you won’t mind.

”As for me, regaining my original state and seizing control of my body is the only thing that matters. In this situation, Junior Brother, please have no reservations at all. Use the full power of your divine soul and assault her head-on!”

Ye Chen frowned, clearly reluctant, but he saw no other way. After all, she was his senior sister. As a fellow disciple, how could he stand by and let her perish?