Immortality Starts With Investment

”Junior Sister, you have to try this method.”

Hua Yunfei blocked Dantai Xuan’s path. The words had barely left his mouth when his body was suddenly sent flying backward. He crashed across the peak, kicking up endless dust and debris. When the cloud finally settled, Hua Yunfei coughed up blood. He lowered his head and stared at the long gash that had torn through both his dao robe and his chest. Disbelief filled his eyes.

”Dantai… you actually attacked me?”

He asked in a voice that could hardly accept the reality. Yet Dantai Xuan’s expression remained completely unchanged—still that profound, emotionless detachment.

”Do not stand in my way.”

Hua Yunfei’s heart turned to ash. The last shred of hope was shattered. He was certain now: his junior sister had been thoroughly replaced. The Dantai Xuan he once knew was truly gone. Otherwise, even if only a trace of her memories remained, she could never have raised a hand against him.

For the first time, killing intent surfaced in Hua Yunfei’s eyes. The divine wheel behind his head blazed with light. Purple qi surged outward, and the vague silhouette of a Dao Palace began to manifest, sealing off the entire area and suppressing everything within. If his junior sister was already dead, then there was no need for mercy. He would suppress this impostor and prevent her from continuing to occupy his junior sister’s body.

Let the flesh return to dust, the soul return to earth. That might be the kindest ending.

Sensing the absolute resolve radiating from him, Dantai Xuan frowned for the first time.

”I am Dantai Xuan. I remember the care you showed me when I first entered the sect… I remember the pills you refined for me… I remember when you went to the Endless Sea to slay a Unity great demon across realms just to obtain materials for my dao soldier—your clone was gravely injured and nearly destroyed… I remember every detail of the past, but I am still me. The path I walk now is the one I have chosen for myself… I can bear every consequence. Senior Brother, you should not stop me. Leave.”

Dantai Xuan spoke of their shared history in calm, measured tones. Every detail was recounted with perfect clarity. She was proving that she was still herself.

Yet the words only made Hua Yunfei’s expression darken further. She was still his junior sister—yet she had attacked him without the slightest hesitation. That hurt far more than if she had simply died.

He stared at her for a long, long time before finally letting out a heavy sigh. The divine wheel behind him dimmed. The purple qi withdrew back into his body. The illusory Dao Palace dissolved completely. Without another word, he turned and left.

Dantai Xuan’s face remained expressionless, but a single tear slipped from the corner of her eye. She frowned and wiped it away.

”There is still some remnant will that hasn’t been replaced… enough to affect the body? But it won’t be long. Once I successfully defy and sever the Great Dao, even that last trace of the former will shall scatter completely. And I… will surely transcend.”

She brushed the tear aside.

Clad in her white robes, Dantai Xuan continued walking toward the teleportation array. Returning to the Fourth Realm. Awaiting the moment her opportunity arrived.

...

Deep within the starry void.

The Heavenly Emperor Hall—untraceable to nearly everyone—floated amid boundless immortal radiance.

Its grand doors stood wide open. Two figures drifted out.

”The Heavenly Will Dao-Entrust Jade that Violet Radiance Holy Land discovered in the Fourth Realm is about to be born. Dao-Entrust Treasures are exceptionally rare. Their formation requires a wisp of Heavenly Will aura. The Heavenly Will is ethereal and elusive; traces of its aura are almost impossibly scarce. Throughout the entire history of the cultivation world, only a few hundred Dao-Entrust Treasures have ever appeared.

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”Once you perfectly sever your dao and become a Saint, the world will open wide before you. You can then walk the Immortal Realm openly as the true heir of the Heavenly Emperor. As for that Ye Chen… there is no need for him anymore!”

The golden-robed elder spoke gravely, giving earnest instructions. By the end, his tone carried a trace of awkwardness. Back then, he had misjudged Ye Chen. Though the boy had some talent, in this golden age of monstrous prodigies, he seemed little more than a stepping stone—destined to fall midway and never reach the Great Dao.

Who could have imagined Ye Chen would grow so ferocious?

The realization had gnawed at him ever since. And recently, word arrived that Ye Chen’s cultivation had soared, reaching the peak of Fourth Heaven. He had already caught up to his own daughter. That was even harder for the elder to accept.

It felt as though Ye Chen—whom he had never even met—was slapping him across the face again and again. So his daughter had to emerge. If Ye Chen continued growing unchecked like this, the ”false successor” would soon become the true one in every sense.

Beside the golden-robed elder stood Yan Qingcheng, wreathed in surging chaotic Qi. An invincible aura rolled off her in waves—utterly domineering. She resembled a female emperor, her gaze carrying supreme authority. Yet Yan Qingcheng gently shook her head and frowned at her father.

”Father, the position of Heavenly Emperor’s heir was never meant to be mine. What does it matter if it goes to Ye Chen? The Heavenly Emperor Scripture is powerful, yes, but it isn’t entirely suited to me. In the end, I must walk my own path.”

The golden-robed elder’s brows immediately furrowed. He spoke in frustration, as though scolding an unfilial child who refused to see reason.

”Don’t talk nonsense. Do you think the identity of Heavenly Emperor’s heir is only tied to our Heavenly Emperor Hall? With your Chaos Body, you are destined to ascend to immortality in this generation. Compared to you, what is that so-called Eight-Crowned King relying on a seedling of the World Tree? Or the Celestial Prince who slept for a million years just to obtain an acquired immortal physique? Or even Lan Nuo with her Sacred Spiritual Root? None of them come close.

”And Ye Chen—however dominant he seems now, how could he ever compare to you once your Chaos Body reaches perfection and you reverse-sever the Great Dao? Once you enter the Immortal Realm as the Heavenly Emperor’s heir, countless powerful figures will naturally shelter and support you…

”The Heavenly Emperor made many enemies and few fellow daoists, that’s true—but the fellow daoists he did have were all titans. That identity alone will save you thousands of years of detours in the Immortal Realm. Such an opportunity—how can you possibly give it away?”

The golden-robed elder spoke with grave solemnity.

Yan Qingcheng could feel that her father was genuinely doing everything in his power to pave the smoothest road for her future. So even though she disagreed with much of what he said, she fell silent. She simply nodded and prepared to leave.

But as she turned toward the teleportation array, the elder suddenly thought of something else. He hurriedly called after her: ”That Ye Chen has already reached the peak of Fourth Heaven. Though a mere place like Heavenly Evolution Holy Land probably hasn’t received the news yet, the boy’s luck is truly astonishing. If you really encounter him, daughter, you absolutely must not soften your heart and hand the treasure over to him.”

”The Heavenly Emperor’s heir is cunning and ruthless. Back when he learned you were the true successor, he treated you kindly and even gifted you treasures—clearly he had ulterior motives. Perhaps he’s scheming for some opportunity within our Heavenly Emperor Hall… You must not let this person deceive you.”

At those words, Yan Qingcheng truly couldn’t hold back anymore. She wanted to refute her father, to defend Ye Chen. From their last meeting, she could tell he wasn’t the scheming type at all. His gifts had been given with complete sincerity, and every single item carried no hidden dangers whatsoever.

A man forced into the role of false successor to draw fire—yet he harbored no resentment and even felt guilty for taking what should have been her opportunity. How could someone like that possibly be a bad person?

But the golden-robed elder gave her no chance to speak. He continued earnestly: ”Qingcheng, promise me—on this trip, you must obtain the Heavenly Will Dao-Entrust Jade! If Ye Chen appears, you absolutely cannot let him have it! And the gifts he gave you—never accept them without my permission.”

The elder feared his daughter might hand the Heavenly Will Dao-Entrust Jade to Ye Chen. Even more, he feared Ye Chen might use gifts to win her over entirely. When he recalled the rumors of Ye Chen’s insatiable appetite for women—even sparing no three-thousand-year-old cultivator from the Heavenly Desire Sect—the elder couldn’t help but shudder. If his daughter ended up choosing such a man as her dao companion, he feared he would suffer a qi deviation on the spot. So he had to sever every possible thread.

The golden-robed elder fixed her with an intense gaze.

”Qingcheng, promise me…”

Yan Qingcheng sighed helplessly. In the end, she still nodded.

”Fine! I absolutely will not give him the Heavenly Will Dao-Entrust Jade… and I will never accept anything Ye Chen tries to give me. If I ever do, it will only be with your explicit permission, Father!”