Immortality Starts With Investment

Many onlookers believed that with such decisive action, the sword child might actually manage to escape. Yet at the center of the battlefield, Ye Chen—having already collected the White Ox Saint King’s origin energy—merely gazed calmly into the distance. The fleeing sword child had already passed beyond the divine sense range of ordinary Saint Kings.

However, Heavy Pupils swirled within Ye Chen’s eyes. With a single glance, he locked onto the distant figure. Then a beam of annihilating divine light shot forth from afar.

The One Sword Holy Land’s Holy Son had been extraordinarily cautious. Even after fleeing an immense distance, the sword light he had accumulated over the years had dimmed to its weakest point. Yet he continued to flee at maximum speed.

But just as he transformed his body into sword light and prepared to pierce into the void once more, He discovered the space ahead had been completely sealed. His heart jolted. He turned to look behind him—and despair flooded his face…

The terrifying beam of destructive divine light spiraled through the endless void, carving out a perfectly straight path.

In the next instant, it struck his flesh. His body exploded. Everything vanished into nothingness—except for the origin energy Ye Chen had deliberately spared. The Saint King holy son of the One Sword Holy Land had fallen just like that.

Many of the cultivators present could not extend their divine sense far enough to witness it. But from Ye Chen’s actions and the faint disturbances echoing from the distance, they understood what had happened. Their faces paled in shock; the awe in their eyes deepened even further.

The holy son had possessed terrifying combat power and enjoyed resounding fame in the Sixth Realm. Back in Central Continent, he had once been a supreme prodigy and hegemon. Yet even after fleeing millions of miles in the blink of an eye, he had still been casually erased by a single glance from the Heavenly Emperor’s heir.

They were all Saint Kings. Yet in front of the Heavenly Emperor’s heir, they felt like nothing more than ants—too insignificant even to address him as ”fellow daoist.” Compared to when he had been at the Saint realm, the Heavenly Emperor’s heir had become countless times more terrifying.

Among those present, the cultivator who had earlier taken the Heavenly Position Spiritual Herb felt the greatest lingering fear. At the time, he had briefly considered gambling everything on his telepotation talisman.

Now, drenched in cold sweat, he felt only relief. If he had given in to greed back then, he would likely have already experienced the same fate as the Yi Sword Holy Land’s sword child. He silently thanked himself for making the right choice.

…

Under countless gazes filled with reverence, Ye Chen did not rush to collect the origin energy left behind by the Yi Sword Holy Land’s sword child. If someone was lucky enough to claim it, then so be it.

Ye Chen shifted his gaze and calmly looked toward the remaining two. One was the purple-haired, burly War God Clan Divine Son. Not his brother-in-law, of course. After all, he and Luo Bingling were not from the same generation.

As for the poised and commanding Divine Silkworm Clan Madam—her mature allure carried the air of a powerful woman—Ye Chen was quite curious. There were some questions he wanted to ask her…

The onlookers felt both awe and deep satisfaction. Though these four appeared no different from ants before the Heavenly Emperor’s heir, in their eyes, those same four had always been supreme prodigies—existences one could never afford to offend, lest they face death and dao extinction.

Watching them fall so cleanly and decisively broadened everyone’s horizons. As for the fates of the remaining two, the crowd already had their guesses. The Divine Silkworm Clan’s Clan Madam would most likely survive. After all, the Heavenly Emperor’s heir was exactly that kind of man. A man himself, yet he showed such blatant favoritism toward female cultivators—it truly made them seethe with envy.

As for the War God Clan’s Divine Son, he too shared tangled ties with the Heavenly Emperor’s heir. Everyone knew the War God Clan’s princess had betrayed him and was imprisoned inside his Cave Heaven. Some busybodies had even inquired into her fate.

Rumors said Luo Bingling’s soul lamp still burned. Perhaps even after her betrayal, the Heavenly Emperor’s heir could not bear to kill her. Even so, he probably no longer regarded Luo Bingling as a true Dao companion. It was very possible he would show no mercy to the rest of her clan!

And sure enough, under everyone’s watchful eyes, the Heavenly Emperor’s heir first turned toward the War God Clan’s Divine Son. Having witnessed the fate of the Yi Sword Holy Land’s sword child, the Divine Son harbored no thought of escape. The man who usually looked down upon the world with fearless arrogance now trembled inwardly.

Sensing Ye Chen’s gaze, he hurriedly forced an ugly smile and spoke ingratiatingly.

”Fellow Daoist Ye… Luo Bingling is the princess of our War God Clan. She is your dao companion—so naturally, we are all one family. In such circumstances, why must we fight to the death? As for this scheme, it was actually…”

The War God Clan’s Divine Son began using the woman angle to close the distance and tried to explain himself.

But Ye Chen had no interest in listening. For the sake of his connection to Luo Bingling, Ye Chen would at least grant him a proper burial.

Immediately, terrifying tribulation light erupted from Ye Chen’s chest. His Supreme Heart pounded wildly. A colossal hand of heaven—carrying the power to judge all things—shot forth from his chest, intent on grinding the War God Clan’s Divine Son into nothingness.

The Divine Son felt everything lock onto him. There was no escape; death was certain. Despair overwhelmed him. Weren’t Yao Yuekong and the Little Peacock King useless trash who had still managed to survive? Why was it different for him? Luo Bingling truly was useless—after being taken advantage of for so long, she held almost no weight in this man’s heart.

In utter desperation, he roared, ”Heavenly Emperor’s heir, please spare my life… In our War God Clan, there are still many female cultivators. If you spare me, I will return at once and present every single one of them before you—let you choose freely… For example, Luo Bingling’s mother, or even…”

The surrounding cultivators erupted in uproar. No one had expected the War God Clan’s Divine Son to become so spineless at the brink of death. He paled in comparison to the White Ox Saint King’s valiant acceptance of fate. Though the Heavenly Emperor’s heir was infamous for his appetite for women, how could he possibly accept such terms?

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Yet what shocked everyone even more was that the colossal hand of heaven—already roaring toward its target—suddenly halted.

The crowd erupted again… Could the Heavenly Emperor’s heir truly be tempted? Though he was notorious for his lust, surely even he had limits…

The onlookers muttered inwardly. The War God Clan’s Divine Son, staring at the hand of heaven that had stopped mere inches from crushing him, let out a breath of relief. He had no doubt that the moment it closed around him, he would be refined instantly—without the slightest chance to resist.

But fortunately, Ye Chen had wavered. As for the conditions he had offered, those were minor details. He was practically their ancestor now. And he had already reached peak Saint King—poised to break through to Great Saint at any moment. Though immortality remained out of reach, Quasi-Immortal was certainly within grasp. For his own survival, sacrificing a few women was nothing.

Yet just as he opened his mouth to press the advantage, Ye Chen spoke.

”Do you know why I spare you?”

The War God Clan’s Divine Son hurriedly shook his head. ”The Heavenly Emperor’s true inheritor acts according to his own principles. I would not dare speculate!”

Ye Chen laughed lightly. This one truly had the bearing of a perfect lackey. But he continued indifferently, ”Because you stole Luo Bingling’s opportunities. You stole her resources… Luo Bingling betrayed me for the sake of your War God Clan—and ended up imprisoned in my Cave Heaven. Yet your War God Clan turned a blind eye. Especially you, Divine Son—you never cared in the slightest. You are not worthy to be considered Luo Bingling’s clansman…”

Those words caused the Divine Son’s expression to change drastically. The Heavenly Emperor’s heir was speaking up for Luo Bingling? Luo Bingling actually held significant weight in his heart? He immediately realized there had been a problem with his earlier words.

And sure enough, Ye Chen continued, ”You were already doomed before. Yet now you even dare joke about Luo Bingling’s mother… So from now on, I won’t let you die so easily…”

The next moment, the hand of heaven dissipated. The despairing and terrified War God Clan’s Divine Son had his cultivation sealed by Ye Chen in an instant. Then he was tossed straight into the Cave Heaven.

Ye Chen had already sent a transmission to Luo Bingling. Let her vent her anger. Once Luo Bingling had vented enough, she could throw the Divine Son’s body into the Heaven-Devouring Demon Jar and his soul into the Human Emperor Banner.

After Ye Chen finished handling everything, the entire scene erupted in uproar once more. Everyone had assumed the Heavenly Emperor’s heir was obsessively lustful to an absurd degree.

Yet no one expected he would actually speak up on behalf of a woman who had once betrayed him. This left them stunned—and at the same time, deeply respectful. They all recalled the stories of Ye Chen’s past.

In the cultivation world, books detailing his experiences were already being sold. There had been female cultivators who treated him like a fool to be exploited—yet afterward, he bore no grudge and granted them splendid futures. There had been others who used him to seize imperial thrones, only to kick him aside once they succeeded—yet he still showed no resentment, taking them into the Heavenly Evolution Holy Land and even arranging formidable masters for them.

The Heavenly Emperor’s heir treated the women around him—evil intentions or not—with such generosity. The male cultivators present admitted they could never do the same, so they admired him. The female cultivators, meanwhile, felt their hearts tremble. They wished they could throw themselves at him right then and there to test him personally.

Among the four, only one remained.

The Divine Silkworm Clan’s Clan Madam watched with eyes that grew increasingly resolute. The Heavenly Emperor’s heir was an excellent choice. He treated even women who had betrayed him with such kindness—enough to speak up for them.

At the same time, though rumors of his killing existed, he never tortured his enemies. Yet now he had sealed the War God Clan’s Divine Son and thrown him into his Cave Heaven. Clearly, the Divine Son would pay a heavy price before dying.

A man like this held immense value. He could help her break free from the Exiled Immortal’s control. He could also pressure her former dao companion into yielding benefits. And there was even the possibility of entering the Immortal Realm.

Though Ye Chen already had many women—some surely carrying far greater weight than her—accidents happened. If those women of heavier importance were to… mysteriously disappear… Wouldn’t that open a path for her?

With that thought, the Clan Madam gazed at Ye Chen with naked heat in her eyes. Her mature allure flowed freely from every glance.

Once Ye Chen had informed Luo Bingling and dealt with the War God Clan’s Divine Son, he turned to the last remaining member of the group.

The Divine Silkworm Clan’s Clan Madam—he had heard of her long ago. In terms of beauty, she was no less than the Heavenly Feather Goddess. In maturity, she surpassed her.

Unfortunately, in scale, she fell slightly short of the Heavenly Desire Sect’s standards. Perhaps even though everyone practiced transformation techniques, the direction of transformation differed. A faint trace of dragon aura lingered on the Clan Madam.

Sensing Ye Chen’s gaze, she lifted a hand to gently smooth her cascading hair, appearing even more enchanting.

Ye Chen spoke calmly. ”Tell me—who is the one behind the scheme against me? And where did the Quasi-Immortal Array come from?”

The onlookers wore expressions that said, ”as expected.”

Earlier, when the War God Clan’s Divine Son had tried to speak, Ye Chen hadn’t even bothered to listen—he had simply interrupted with force. Yet now he gave the Clan Madam a chance to speak. Clearly, he was looking for an excuse to show leniency later and smoothly take her into his harem.

Having already made up her mind, the Clan Madam naturally held nothing back. She spoke with tender affection. ”It was the Exiled Immortal!”

The moment those words left her mouth, the crowd erupted again. The one who had schemed against the Heavenly Emperor’s heir was the Exiled Immortal?

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow, then broke into a faint smile. The Exiled Immortal. It seemed his fiancée would soon receive another top-grade origin harvest.

Ye Chen lifted his gaze, signaling for her to continue.

The Clan Madam went on. ”Back then, I was defeated by the Exiled Immortal and had a restriction placed on me. I could only obey his commands… Over a year ago, he summoned the four of us to the Eighth Realm. He gave us the Quasi-Immortal Array and instructed us to use the Heavenly Position Spiritual Herb as bait to lure you here, Ye Chen…”

”He said he did not wish to see you grow any further… At the same time, his origins are astonishing. He is not the reincarnation of an Immortal Realm immortal—he is a True Immortal from a foreign domain… Though he never stated it explicitly, I sensed… he seems to have died at the hands of the Heavenly Emperor.”

The Clan Madam revealed everything she knew.

The surrounding cultivators erupted once more. Foreign domain existences were no secret. During the Heavenly Emperor’s era—when the Jianmu Tree still stood—there had already been minor clashes with the foreign domain. Only later did the conflict escalate to full intensity.

But after the Heavenly Emperor shattered the Jianmu Tree, all contact with the upper realm ceased. The cultivators of this world only knew the foreign domain as the great enemy of the Immortal Realm. No one had expected that in this generation, not only did a true Exiled Immortal exist, but he came from the foreign domain. Even Ye Chen felt some surprise. He hadn’t expected to encounter someone from the foreign domain so soon.

Curious about the foreign domain, Ye Chen asked for more details.

The Clan Madam shook her head. She only knew its true name: the Nine Heavens Ten Earths. The name apparently carried deep significance, but she knew no more.

Ye Chen nodded and did not press further. When he eventually met this Exiled Immortal, everything would become clear. So he asked his final question.

”After your most recent transformation in the Divine Silkworm Nine Transformations Scripture, have you dual-cultivated with any other cultivator since then?”

To protect his own reputation, Ye Chen asked this via voice transmission. He did not want the onlookers to misunderstand and start adding unnecessary drama. The Clan Madam—who had been gazing at him with increasing certainty that he would keep her alive, already pondering how best to make use of him—froze instantly… Then she looked at Ye Chen with an extraordinarily complicated expression.