Immortality Starts With Investment

The Undying Celestial Phoenix Clan held an exalted status among the myriad races. It stemmed not merely from their profound heritage, teeming with powerhouses and prodigies beyond count. But from their unique place in history.

In ancient days, they had reigned supreme, lording over all clans. Even after countless years had passed, many races still pledged fealty to the Undying Celestial Phoenix Clan.

Moreover, Celestial Prince was the direct son of the Undying Celestial Emperor, founder of their imperial dynasty. Such lineage and backing elevated him to a singular pedestal, revered in every facet of life. Few dared provoke him outright. Let alone mock him.

Though Celestial Prince had suffered defeat back then, many cultivators truly believed: could losing to the Heavenly Emperor count as a loss at all? The Emperor had been a singular enigma—potent in every realm, yet never the absolute strongest. He evoked that tantalizing sense: with a bit of luck, one might just prevail.

Yet the Emperor always triumphed over the odds, forging impossibilities and suppressing all challengers. Countless true immortals had shattered against him, perishing body and soul. An existence so utterly unique. To clash with him and survive? That alone conferred glory.

...

Under such circumstances, for someone to openly mock the Celestial Prince came as a thunderclap, stunning the crowd into stunned silence. Instinctively, heads craned upward, gazes sweeping the field—only to arch brows in surprise.

The figure who had just stepped into the arena was a woman of graceful, swaying poise. She wore a gown of verdant silk, her slender form bending like willows in the breeze, exuding a fragile air. As if a mere touch might snap her in two, stirring pity in the beholder.

Her features, too, proved breathtaking—rivaling Feng Youhuang in sheer loveliness. Yet unlike Feng Youhuang’s icy detachment, she evoked the warmth of a girl-next-door, drawing instant fondness with a single glance. Especially those exquisite willow-leaf brows, fine and gently arched, as if brimming with boundless tenderness—utterly heart-melting. The instant they spotted her, the crowd recognized Yao Yuezhi.

By now, outsiders had pieced together the full tale.

Yao Yuezhi’s talent had shone brightly too, catching the Undying Celestial Phoenix Clan’s eye; they had sought to assign her as the Celestial Prince’s handmaiden. But she had refused, deliberately drawing close to the Heavenly Emperor’s heir instead.

This had irked the clan. What followed was the infamous swindle and slaughter of three peak Half-Saints by the heir, who had rescued her. No wonder she dared mock the Celestial Prince. They had already forged enmity—she had nearly perished at their hands. She feared nothing now.

Yet the spectators’ confusion and curiosity only deepened. What standing did Yao Yuezhi hold? How could she possibly face Feng Youhuang?

Yet here she stood, ascending the arena platform. What had befallen the Heavenly Emperor’s heir? With his temperament, even if his legs had shattered, he would have crawled there. He would never let his woman shoulder the burden!

Amid the crowd’s bewilderment, Feng Youhuang’s icy gaze lifted slightly toward Yao Yuezhi. A flicker of surprise crossed her cool features as her voice rang out, frosted and sharp. ”Shouldn’t your cave heaven have shattered beyond repair? Not even the core could have survived! Yet your cultivation has returned to its peak. No—it’s stronger than before.”

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The outside world had known nothing of Yao Yuezhi’s domain’s destruction. But Feng Youhuang knew. After shattering Yao Yuezhi’s cave heaven and driving her back to the secret realm, the three had reported it to the clan. They had boasted confidently: wait just a moment, and news of Ye Chen’s death would follow. Instead, the clan waited in vain—until the three’s life plaques shattered...

Feng Youhuang still recalled the long, heavy silence that had gripped the clan then. Only the wind had howled ceaselessly...

...

Feng Youhuang’s words stunned the onlookers. They learned of this hidden truth at last. Expressions twisted in shock as curiosity burned: how had Yao Yuezhi recovered when even her core had crumbled?

Everyone knew a minor domain issue could be mended with effort. But a shattered core? That spelled certain doom. Unless... the Qiankun Cauldron!

The thought drew every eye toward a distant spot. There, the Divine Silkworm Clan’s patriarch and his cadre of powerhouses watched the proceedings. Caught in the collective stare, the patriarch’s mouth twitched, his face darkening. He pieced it together in an instant: why Ye Chen had paid such an exorbitant price for the Qiankun Cauldron. It had all been for Yao Yuezhi. He had suspected a woman lay behind it, yes—but not her.

Yao Yuezhi now topped the clan’s death list. By supplying the cauldron, his own clan had effectively opposed the Undying Celestial Phoenix Clan. If word spread, trouble would follow in droves. The patriarch’s features soured further.

”What’s it to you?”

Yao Yuezhi sneered, eyeing the woman’s breathtaking, frosted beauty. And that vulgar figure. She looked even finer than memory served. The notion of suppressing her to serve as Brother’s handmaiden suddenly felt less appealing...

Perhaps Brother didn’t need so many servants after all?

Feng Youhuang’s cool eyes swept dismissively over Yao Yuezhi. ”A mere Heavenly Demon Body. Whether betraying the Celestial Prince before or slandering him now, it’s all a capital offense. Since you court death so eagerly, I’ll grant your wish! Once you’re gone, I’ll hang your head before the Heavenly Demon outpost—see how long that Ye Chen hides then!”

Before her words could fade, Feng Youhuang’s jade hand unfurled abruptly. In that instant, endless fire phoenixes erupted like a torrent of blazing flames from her palm. They carried divine fire far more terrifying than what those three Half-Saints had unleashed before, hurtling toward Yao Yuezhi with world-shattering momentum.

Yao Yuezhi watched it all unfold, her expression serene. She stood motionless, unmoving until the fiery phoenixes roared upon her—then, unhurried, she extended a palm. One strike per phoenix, shattering them effortlessly.

The sight drew gasps from the entire crowd. When had Yao Yuezhi grown so formidable?

Feng Youhuang’s narrowed eyes flickered at the display. Her left hand conjured the True Phoenix, her right the True Dragon. She unleashed both in unison, their powers fusing in flawless harmony, surging toward Yao Yuezhi amid thunderous roars.

Yao Yuezhi arched a brow. Feng Youhuang’s insight truly bordered on the divine. She had honed both the True Dragon Treasure Technique and True Phoenix Technique to their pinnacles. Fused as they were now, the result looked the part—devastating in potency.

But Yao Yuezhi held nothing back any longer. Terror-inducing cave heaven power exploded from her body, her form blazing like a radiant sun at the arena’s heart. The battlefield quaked violently, as if gripped by a savage earthquake.

In the next breath, Yao Yuezhi drifted like a feather-light willow leaf, weaving through the onslaught of divine abilities and spells at speeds beyond comprehension. She closed in on Feng Youhuang with ease, unleashing a punch. Her petite fist, carved as if from flawless jade—adorably delicate—harbored force enough to sunder mountains and cleave seas.

Feng Youhuang’s eyes tightened; her left foot stepped upon the True Dragon, her right the True Phoenix, propelling her instant retreat. At the same time, she countered with her strongest divine ability, aiming to obliterate Yao Yuezhi. In a flash, the arena erupted in brilliant divine light, blooming like fireworks—radiance exploding in all directions.

The spectacle left every onlooker slack-jawed in disbelief.