Immortality Starts With Investment

Ye Chen was a little angry, not at Yan Ruyu. After all, she carried a staggering 7,500-times multiplier—she was already outstanding enough. What fault could she possibly have?

The blame rested entirely on the Celestial Prince. All that boasting, yet he couldn’t even keep one woman from slipping away right in front of him. Was he useless?

Ye Chen had already rehearsed in his mind how he would use Yan Wenwen as an entry point to get close to Yan Ruyu.

If she already knew about his connection with Yan Wenwen, he could put on an act: pretend he had only reluctantly accepted the older woman’s advances for Yan Ruyu’s sake, enduring the ”old cow eating tender grass” humiliation just to win her favor.

But now the person had appeared—and left again. Not a single word exchanged. All his anticipation had been for nothing. He hadn’t even caught a glimpse of Yan Ruyu’s true appearance. The classic but effective ”hero saves the beauty” routine had nowhere to be performed.

This entire trip had been completely pointless. A total waste of time.

Ye Chen glared furiously at the Celestial Prince.

At that moment, the Celestial Prince turned as well, frowning as their eyes met. He had seen plenty of Ye Chen’s ”short films” and recognized him instantly.

A flicker of surprise passed through his gaze. He was shocked that Ye Chen had dared show up here—so bold. He was also shocked that Ye Chen possessed the strength to silently erase three of his subordinates.

The boy had some real ability. Yet beyond the surprise, he felt a trace of confusion. Why did Ye Chen look at him with such raw anger?

True, he planned to suppress Ye Chen eventually. But as a supreme prodigy, Ye Chen shouldn’t be this enraged over something so minor, right?

If that really was the case, then though the youth’s talent was impressive, his temperament fell far short of the Heavenly Emperor’s back in the day. He would never go very far.

Watching Ye Chen charge toward him with earth-shaking momentum, the Celestial Prince’s lips curved into a calm smile. He raised his hand leisurely. The five-colored divine wheel behind his head flew forward, transforming into a transparent barrier that hung before him like a curtain of the heavens.

The Celestial Prince was utterly confident he could block the attack. With unruffled composure, he spoke.

”Heavenly Emperor’s heir, you actually dared come straight to me. I must admit, I’m somewhat impressed. But your temperament is too poor. You will never ascend to immortality. Women can be enjoyed, of course—but treating them as the center of your life? That will only slow your cultivation.”

”Still, I’ve suddenly come to appreciate this pure-hearted devotion of yours toward female cultivators. I’ll give you a chance. Become my servant. In the future, you may pick any of my maidservants you like—even the ones I haven’t touched yet!”

”Yan Ruyu, Yao Yuezhi, and the rest—I can grant them to you without a second thought. As long as you prove useful, in time, I might even bestow upon you a slot to enter the Immortal Realm…”

The Celestial Prince spoke with leisurely arrogance. Even as Ye Chen closed the final distance, his expression remained perfectly calm. His five-colored divine wheel was a supreme Divine Ability from the Undying Immortal Scripture. It could effortlessly neutralize any offensive technique on its own—a pinnacle defensive ability.

But the next instant, his words cut off abruptly. Because Ye Chen, now right before him, threw a single punch. The light curtain formed by the five-colored divine wheel shattered instantly.

Ye Chen’s fist met almost no resistance. It tore straight through and slammed into the Celestial Prince’s chest. The incarnation was sent flying backward. He crashed heavily into the center of the tribulation-scarred ruins where Yan Ruyu had once crossed her heavenly tribulation, kicking up endless dust and debris.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Deep in the newly formed crater, the Celestial Prince stared down at the gaping hole blasted through his chest. Disbelief filled his eyes. He—the Celestial Prince—had actually been sent flying by a single punch from Ye Chen?

This…

He had never imagined that his first battle after awakening would begin with him being blasted away. Even accounting for his own underestimation, the humiliation burned. Fortunately, all his subordinates were already dead. Otherwise, how could he ever show his face again?

Yet before the Celestial Prince could fully give in to rage, Ye Chen’s furious shout rang in his ears.

”Celestial Prince, you slept for a million years—and you can’t even stop an enemy from leaving right in front of you? You just stood there and watched her go! Are you useless? If I let a pig cultivate the immortal scripture for a million years, it would have become an immortal by now!”

For a split second, bewilderment flashed through the Celestial Prince’s eyes. Then fury surged even hotter. He burst out of the dust cloud. The shattered five-colored divine wheel reformed behind his head as he glared at Ye Chen.

”Yan Ruyu broke through to Great Saint. Once her transitional period ended, the realm itself expelled her—that was the will of heaven and earth! Even a quasi-immortal couldn’t have stopped it! Are you out of your mind?”

The Celestial Prince suddenly understood why Ye Chen had been so furious just moments ago. But the realization only made his frustration burn hotter. He—the great Celestial Prince—had actually been blasted away by a cultivator whose mind was clearly unhinged?

Ye Chen, hearing the rebuke, merely raised an eyebrow. It did seem to be the case. If even the realm’s will was expelling her, then of course the Celestial Prince couldn’t stop it. That was perfectly normal. He had misunderstood.

The thought brought a twinge of regret. If he had known earlier, he would have spent a few fewer sessions grinding with Luo Bingling and stopped deliberately keeping the old man on tenterhooks.

Then he could have at least exchanged a few words, caught a proper glimpse of her true appearance. And while he was at it, he could have verified whether her sky-high multiplier came from truly transcendent beauty or from some genuine further advancement in aptitude.

Seeing the sudden look of realization dawn on Ye Chen’s face, the Celestial Prince grew even more enraged. He ground his teeth and snarled, ”Ye Chen, you have truly infuriated me. Today I will kill you. In the future, everyone connected to you—I will send them to accompany you in death!”

He raised his hand.

Endless torrents of fire rained down like meteors, crashing toward Ye Chen. Each streak of flame measured ten thousand meters in both length and width, blotting out the sky, carrying an unbreakable lock-on intent. They were meant to annihilate him utterly.

Ye Chen, however, had already let it go. Missed opportunity? So be it. At least he had seen her once and learned her multiplier. They would meet again eventually.

For now, priorities mattered. Yan Ruyu had already broken through to Great Saint; she no longer needed the Heavenly Heart Immortal Crystal. That meant the crystal would definitely go to Yan Qingcheng.

So it was better to focus on her side for the time being. As for the Celestial Prince, death was inevitable. The man clearly had some screws loose, casually offering up his maidservants for Ye Chen to ”play with.”

But his combat power was decent enough. He had something, just not much. First suppress him, seize the Heavenly Heart Immortal Crystal, and be done with it.

Ye Chen lifted his gaze to the blazing sky filled with falling fire rain. With a casual sweep of his hand from afar, he erased it all. The heavens returned to serene clarity. Without the slightest hesitation, he closed in. He unleashed the Heavenly Emperor Fist straight toward the Celestial Prince.

The Celestial Prince’s brow shot up. Shock deepened at Ye Chen’s sheer combat strength. He had already held Ye Chen in high regard before—high enough to personally dispatch a wisp of divine sense.

Yet Ye Chen proved far more terrifying than anticipated. With a single lift of his hand, he had dispelled the assault without the slightest flourish or wasted energy. And now this Heavenly Emperor Fist made the Celestial Prince’s brows knit tightly, his pupils contracting.

Memories flooded back—of the Heavenly Emperor in the past. Back then, he had been blasted apart by that very same fist, which the Heavenly Emperor had only just comprehended on the spot. That had been his first defeat. But how could he possibly lose to the same technique twice?

Watching Ye Chen surge forward with unstoppable momentum, as though he were unleashing the full cycle of six paths of reincarnation, the Celestial Prince brought both hands together, channeling a supreme secret art.

Overwhelming power erupted. Divine light blazed for ten thousand zhang. Immortal phoenixes soared and danced through the void. This was a technique he had created in his mind after simulating that final battle against the Heavenly Emperor countless times during his long slumber. It was specifically designed to perfectly counter the Heavenly Emperor Fist…