Immortality Starts With Investment

The Moonlight Saint had deliberately mentioned the Quasi-Immortal without revealing too many details. After all, a Quasi-Immortal Holy Spirit about to emerge—one gestated from an immortal root no less—would send shockwaves through the entire cultivation world if word got out.

Both humans and the myriad races would grow highly vigilant. Every faction would then scour the realms for the Lotus Emperor, forcing him to emerge prematurely. They might even band together to strangle him in the cradle. Thus, the Moonlight Saint could only hint and leave it at that.

Ye Chen, for his part, had grown tired of their chatter.

”A Quasi-Immortal? So what?” he snorted coldly.

With a sweep of his hand, two violet-gold palms plunged down from the Ninth Heaven, carrying overwhelming force as they reached straight for the pair. At the same time, he let out a frosty huff. ”You dared crack the Seven-Colored Nirvana Jade—you deserve death for that crime alone!”

In an instant, the two palms descended with mountain-toppling, sea-draining might.

Against Ye Chen’s current terrifying strength, neither the Flame Heart Saint nor the Moonlight Saint could react in time. They didn’t even have a chance to flee before the palms clenched around them, rendering them completely immobile. Hearing Ye Chen’s words, shock and confusion filled the trapped duo.

You’re clearly just drooling over the Nirvana Sacred Liquid inside the jade! Why are you acting like you’re its fellow clansman?

The woman within the Seven-Colored Nirvana Jade was equally stunned by Ye Chen’s actions. Was this human truly fighting for her sake? The anger he displayed over the crack in her body didn’t seem feigned.

Though still skeptical, a flicker of anticipation rose in her heart. If it were true, that would be wonderful. After all, no Holy Spirit would choose to emerge unless there was no other option.

…

Held fast in the grip of Ye Chen’s violet-gold palms, no amount of struggling helped. The threat of death loomed over them. Shock, humiliation, and despair flooded the hearts of the Flame Heart Saint and Moonlight Saint. Never in their wildest dreams had they imagined they would one day fall to a mere King Realm cultivator.

Unwilling to accept his fate, the Flame Heart Saint threw his head back and roared, ”The Lotus Emperor will avenge us! Heavenly Emperor’s heir—you’re finished!”

A venomous glint flashed in the Moonlight Saint’s eyes. ”Heavenly Emperor’s heir, you are only a King after all. Stop now, and you might still have a sliver of hope. Otherwise, you will regret this for the rest of your life!”

Ye Chen couldn’t be bothered to respond. He intended to slap them dead on the spot, absorb their origins, and harvest the divine stones that formed their bodies. Those materials were priceless treasures, after all.

But glancing back casually, he caught sight of Lan Nuo. The girl’s eyes sparkled with admiration as she gazed at him in pure worship. His heart softened instantly. He remembered his earlier promise to bring her out and let her show off in front of others. If he simply squashed these two flat, it wouldn’t quite fit the bill.

With that in mind, Ye Chen immediately circulated the Indestructible Heavenly Art.

In a flash, two profound streams of energy surged forth like massive conduits, plunging deep into the cores of the Flame Heart Saint and Moonlight Saint. Sensing their vast origin power, a smile curved Ye Chen’s lips. Then, with the Indestructible Heavenly Art operating at full force, the once-unshakable origins of the two saints crumbled like dry earth, effortlessly plundered by Ye Chen.

As they felt their origin draining away without end, both saints’ eyes bulged in fury and despair. Having lived for countless ages, they were intimately familiar with human legacies. They instantly recognized the technique as the Devouring Heaven Demon Art.

Ye Chen actually knew the Devouring Heaven Demon Art! And he planned to use them as great medicinal catalysts. No wonder this generation’s Heavenly Emperor successor was so monstrously strong.

The pair glared at Ye Chen. If not for being restrained and silenced, they would have demanded answers.

You, the grand heir of the Heavenly Emperor with your upright appearance—how can you cultivate the Devouring Heaven Demon Art, a vile and despised unorthodox method? Do you have no shame before the Heavenly Emperor? Do you have no shame before the human race?

Ye Chen gave them no chance to voice such accusations. After draining most of their origin, he watched their auras weaken steadily until he deemed it sufficient and finally stopped.

By now, the two saints’ cultivation had plummeted, leaving them at roughly mid-stage Mahayana third-heaven—the same level as Lan Nuo.

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But Lan Nuo possessed the Heavy Pupils and carried numerous treasures he had bestowed upon her. Facing two opponents at the same realm yet crippled by severe origin loss, she should have little trouble prevailing against both. Once she slew them, he could drain whatever origin remained. This way, Lan Nuo would get her moment to shine in front of others, and none of the precious resources would go to waste—a perfect outcome.

With a casual flick of his hand, Ye Chen hurled the pair toward Lan Nuo.

”Nuonuo, they’re all yours!”

Lan Nuo had been thrilled watching Ye Chen dispatch self-severed saints as easily as butchering dogs, her blood racing with excitement. Yet beneath that thrill lingered a trace of disappointment. She wanted so badly to be the one dazzling everyone. She knew her limits, though—she was no monster like Ye Chen. Defeating even one of them had seemed impossible.

But in a single effortless gesture, Ye Chen had crushed their auras until they collapsed like an avalanche, dropping in the blink of an eye to mid-stage third heaven. Then he tossed them to her like discarded toys. It took her only a moment to understand. Overwhelmed with gratitude, she gazed at Ye Chen, her eyes brimming as though tears might spill.

Thanks could wait. Business first.

In the next instant, chaotic energy swirled in her eyes as battle intent erupted.

The Flame Heart Saint and Moonlight Saint, stripped of most of their origin, now found themselves flung like sandbags to serve as someone else’s whetstone. Humiliation surged to its peak. Since their emergence, when had they ever endured such indignity?

They had always strode through the world under gazes of awe and fear. Never had they been toyed with so cruelly. Yet for all their rage, only one thought dominated their minds: escape. They needed to report this to the Lotus Emperor at once. Though he had not yet emerged, vast numbers of holy spirits had already pledged themselves to him.

Once informed, the Lotus Emperor would surely dispatch forces to ambush Ye Chen beyond the Immortal Path and make him pay dearly. But before they could act—before they could even plan their flight—Ye Chen’s voice sounded beside their ears.

”Don’t even think about running. If you can defeat Lan Nuo, I’ll let you leave.”

He wasn’t lying. Though he highly doubted the origin-crippled pair could overcome her, if some miracle occurred, he wouldn’t mind honoring his word and releasing them.

Of course, before they left, he would drain every last drop of their remaining origin. And perhaps pry a few chunks of divine stone from their bodies. Then he could let them run off to spread the news and lure even more holy spirits here for the harvest.

…

At Ye Chen’s declaration, grim expressions darkened their faces, but they had no choice. Ye Chen commanded the Movement Secret and the Kun Peng Treasure Technique. As long as he didn’t want them to escape, they never would.

”Hold true to your word,” they said.

As saints, they still clung to their pride. Even doubting him, they refused to haggle. Exchanging a glance filled with resolve, they turned coldly toward Lan Nuo and charged without further hesitation.

Deep in her heart, Lan Nuo felt both exhilaration and a touch of nerves. Holy Spirits were formidable. Even impaired, they rivaled—or surpassed due to their physiques—the greatest divine constitutions. One would have been a fair match for her. Facing two at once… wasn’t this difficulty a bit too high?

After exchanging a few blows, Lan Nuo relaxed. The two saints had clearly been drained harshly by her master. Even at third heaven, they carried the air of hollow strength—formidable on the surface, brittle within. If not for their extraordinarily resilient bodies, they would have been no better than ordinary cultivators at this level.

Her master had evidently calibrated their weakening to match her own strength. Though it felt a little like being underestimated, Lan Nuo didn’t mind in the slightest. He was simply protecting her, afraid she might get hurt—what was wrong with that?

For her, the chance to shine was enough. Everything else was unimportant. The only regret was the lack of an audience. All the lines she had prepared would go unspoken. Should she record the fight with a memory stone and ”accidentally” let it circulate later?

Her mind wandered through such random thoughts, but her hands showed no mercy. Activating her Heavy Pupils, she unleashed several beams of divine light that streaked like lightning, capable of annihilating heaven and earth as they blasted toward the pair.

At the same time, she employed the Battle Secret Art Ye Chen had taught her, weaving dazzling, devastating offensive techniques. In an instant, divine radiance filled the sky like blooming fireworks. When she sensed figures approaching the entrance of the small world, excitement surged within her. The playful, adorable expression on her pretty face grew increasingly aloof and imperious…

Shock soon appeared in the eyes of the two self-severed saints. Lan Nuo’s strength, while far below the Heavenly Emperor’s heir, vastly surpassed that of ordinary quasi-saints. Why were the humans of this generation all such monsters?

Against Ye Chen, they had felt only despair. Against Lan Nuo, however, there might still be a sliver of hope. The pair threw everything they had into the fight, battling her with desperate fury.

…

Watching Lan Nuo thoroughly enjoy herself, Ye Chen smiled. Unworried, he drifted leisurely toward the divine peak.

Sensing his approach, the Seven-Colored Nirvana Jade immediately radiated a chilling rejection, warning him to stay away.

Ye Chen merely smiled faintly, activated the Movement Secret, ignored all barriers, and arrived gracefully beside the jade.

Any gestating holy spirit naturally disliked having its vessel approached. Yet the jade knew that if it did not emerge, it could not suppress Ye Chen. If it did emerge, even if it overpowered him, it would become irrevocably flawed, with no path to recovery.

Above all, it did not want Ye Chen to discover that its consciousness had already awakened. Thus, it did nothing overt—only trembled gently with instinctive resistance.

Ye Chen gazed at the hazy, graceful silhouette within the divine stone, growing more astonished. It truly was the lithe figure of a woman.

This was far too strange. Though his knowledge of holy spirits was limited, he had never heard of them possessing gender. But the immortal realms were vast and full of wonders.

In any case, it was a boon for him. He examined the Seven-Colored Nirvana Jade from top to bottom. Soon, he found what he sought.

At the very crown of the jade, a ring of golden liquid shimmered with faint fluorescence, flowing slowly and emanating an extraordinarily unique aura…

The mere scent of it stirred restless excitement in his overburdened Heavenly Spiritual Root.

That reaction alone curved Ye Chen’s lips into a satisfied smile. This had to be the Nirvana Sacred Liquid he desired.