Immortality Starts With Investment

The overwhelming surge of essence left Yao Yuezhi utterly numb. She lacked even the strength to speak. All she could do was watch in despair as her cave heaven’s scale stretched ever farther along a path that defied all limits. Her own power, swelling with the domain’s expansion, had already eclipsed her former peak.

Yet Yao Yuezhi felt no joy. Her emerald eyes, fixed on Ye Chen, brimmed with quiet pleading—as if begging him to stop. Ye Chen met her gaze with a soothing smile. Silent, he offered no words...

...

Within the Heavenly Demon Clan’s outpost, Yao Yuezhi’s parents and brother waited in mounting anxiety. A full day had passed—how could it still drag on? Had Yao Yuezhi truly lost all sense and drained Ye Chen dry? If so, she would prove a profound disappointment.

”If that’s the case, once Yuezhi emerges, I’ll give her a proper scolding myself. Ye Chen’s such a gem—how could she bear to take it all?”

Even her doting father clenched his fists in resolve.

Yao Yuezhi’s mother nodded firmly. ”Exactly. A man like Ye Chen is one in a billion across the world! He’ll surely emerge utterly spent this time. I’ll brew a big tonic soup for him right away!”

Only Yao Yuekong held his tongue. He trusted his sister wouldn’t repay kindness with betrayal by emptying Ye Chen. By rights, they should have finished ages ago. But they hadn’t emerged. So, were the two tangled in something... improper inside?

Given Ye Chen’s nature, Yao Yuekong figured it likely. He nearly voiced that his mother needn’t bother. But on second thought, he stayed silent. After all, whichever the truth, Ye Chen might well need replenishing...

...

Meanwhile, in the Myriad Races Immortal City, gossip about Ye Chen swirled unabated. Though no one had spotted him that week, the female cultivators kept their tails on display, patiently awaiting his appearance.

The male cultivators, eyeing the tail parade filling the streets, seethed with humiliation. To see the myriad races’ proud female prodigies primping and posing—tails raised in eager anticipation—for a mere human?

It stung like a fresh wound. But soon, a fresh rumor swept through the city. The men’s ire evaporated in an instant, replaced by keen anticipation. For the Undying Celestial Phoenix Clan—those three Half-Saints swindled and slain—had at last issued a statement. They were dispatching a top prodigy to the Myriad Races Immortal City to crush Ye Chen. And the envoy? Feng Youhuang!

The mere utterance of that name sent shockwaves through nearly everyone. Every myriad race cultivator had heard tales of her, knew the depths of her terror. Had it not been for the Celestial Prince’s impending revival, Feng Youhuang would have stood unchallenged as the Undying Celestial Phoenix Clan’s premier prodigy. Legends of her abounded in the Northern Domain. Rumor held that during her Body Fusion period, she had stumbled upon the complete True Dragon Treasure Technique by sheer fortune.

As a phoenix, she had mastered it to its absolute pinnacle. By the time she reached Mahayana, her unfathomable insight allowed her to fuse the True Dragon Treasure Technique with the True Phoenix Treasure Technique, birthing a combat prowess that defied comprehension. And then came her special opportunity. Her Innate Undying Phoenix Fire mutated into the exceedingly rare Nirvana Phoenix Fire. Such exceptional gifts granted her the power to slay foes across realms.

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One could say that, absent the Celestial Prince’s emergence and the clan’s deliberate suppression of her spotlight to avoid upstaging him, Feng Youhuang’s feats would have shaken the world. Now, at the peak of Half-Saint, poised at any moment to shatter into the Saint realm, she descended personally to issue a challenge to Ye Chen. The news stunned all.

”The Heavenly Emperor’s heir is formidable, yes—but Feng Youhuang’s talent eclipses even that. She too boasts records of cross-realm battles and slain enemies.”

”Her Nirvana Phoenix Fire has reached a level beyond imagination.”

”Feng Youhuang hasn’t acted in twenty years, but given her gifts, her fusion of True Dragon and True Phoenix Techniques must have perfected further.”

”This fight will force the Heavenly Emperor’s heir to yield. The later stages widen gaps inexorably—and this time, he can’t rely on raw strength to kill. If Feng Youhuang simply avoids his cave heaven, his arrays lose all bite.”

”The Heavenly Emperor’s heir faces true peril now.”

”Where is he? Did he get wind of the mismatch and flee in advance?”

The crowds buzzed with speculation, all eagerly awaiting Feng Youhuang’s arrival to humble Ye Chen’s arrogance. To let them exhale in collective relief. To teach him that wealth bought no license for wanton indulgence in the Myriad Races Immortal City—that he couldn’t claim any woman he fancied.

Soon, more precise intelligence arrived. Feng Youhuang had just emerged from seclusion and would reach the city in one month to duel Ye Chen. A deathmatch, no less—complete with a grand array like the one for the Holy Prince, barring all interference.

The revelation rocked the Myriad Races Immortal City anew. Male cultivators reveled in it, toasting with abandon; tavern business boomed those next two days. They all anticipated the Heavenly Emperor’s heir’s demise right there. The female cultivators, however, grappled with mixed emotions.

”Logically, fewer human powerhouses benefit us all—but the Heavenly Emperor’s heir isn’t wicked. I don’t want him dead!”

”Right? The old Emperor’s sins were his own—the heir’s done nothing wrong.”

”He’s so kind, so generous. I was looking forward to our next encounter.”

”My colorful snake tail’s so lovely—I hoped he’d take a shine to it. I don’t want the Heavenly Emperor’s heir gone!”

”Ye Chen is Ye Chen; the Emperor, the Emperor. Don’t lump them together. Ye Chen never antagonizes the myriad races—on the contrary, he cherishes us.”

Many female cultivators had already shifted their stance.

Feng Youhuang’s impending arrival left them sweating bullets for Ye Chen. After all, in his last battle, he had barely lifted a finger—relying almost entirely on peerless killing arrays. The outside world had long speculated as much.

As realms widened their gaps ever further, the Heavenly Emperor’s heir could no longer crush foes with mere dao and law as before. So this time, his true limits might finally face the test.

The prospect of an earth-shattering clash to come filled everyone with keen anticipation; they watched the Heavenly Demon Clan closely, awaiting Ye Chen’s response.

...

Yet to the disappointment of the outer world’s cultivators, the Heavenly Demon Clan issued a statement: the Heavenly Emperor’s heir remained in seclusion, his emergence date unknown. They suggested that Feng Youhuang return another day. After all, no one knew how long his retreat might last.

The news sparked suspicion among many male cultivators—had Ye Chen chosen to dodge the fight?

The timing felt far too convenient. Moreover, his cave heaven’s secrets stood exposed now; tricking anyone further grew impossible. So, had the Heavenly Emperor’s heir truly chickened out?

Mocking voices rose in a chorus. The female cultivators bristled with dissatisfaction. They defended him hotly.

”The Heavenly Emperor’s heir cultivates at a blistering pace—maybe he’s on the verge of a minor breakthrough. Isn’t seclusion perfectly normal?”

”You think he’s like you lot, worthless slugs who need decades for a tiny step forward?”

...

In that fashion, another week slipped by. Within the Heavenly Demon Clan’s outpost, Yao Yuezhi’s parents and brother wore faces etched with worry...