Immortality Starts With Investment

When Alkaid arrived at the Eighth Realm, the area became even more sparsely populated. After all, even though the cultivation world had a nearly uncountable population, Great Emperors—nearly the pinnacle of existence—were still few enough to be counted on one’s fingers.

Most ordinary forces did not even have a single Great Emperor. Only the Holy Lands could boast Great Emperor-level existences. It was said that there were fewer than forty Great Emperors in the entire Eighth Realm of the Immortal Path. Just how rare they were could be imagined.

Alkaid calmly formed hand seals and continued deducing. With almost every attempt, his face grew a shade paler. Yet he paid it no mind.

Soon, the sky darkened.

A cold, extremely arrogant, and lofty voice descended from above the clouds: ”Ant, who gave you the courage to deduce me?”

Terrifying pressure descended. It slammed violently against Alkaid’s body.

Alkaid’s face turned even paler, but his eyes remained resolute. ”Greetings, Exiled Immortal. I have come this time only to deliver one piece of information to you. The Heavenly Emperor’s heir has smashed through the Quasi-Immortal array.

”Moreover, he has obtained the Heavenly Position Bamboo Root. His breakthrough speed will far exceed everyone’s imagination. He may reach Great Saint in less than ten years. And his cave heaven is known to all for its extremely deep origin. After it advances into a world, he might directly skip the early and middle stages of Great Saint and reach the late stage or even the peak the moment he breaks through!

”Back then, the Heavenly Emperor himself stepped into the late Great Saint realm the instant he broke through. One can imagine how much stronger the Heavenly Emperor’s heir will become the further he advances.”

A figure descended from the firmament.

”So what? By then, I will already be a Quasi-Immortal! I can still suppress him with a single hand!”

The Exiled Immortal still had not shown himself. His voice remained indifferent.

Alkaid shook his head. ”Except for the Eight-Crowned King, no one can defeat the Heavenly Emperor’s heir at the same realm! Not even you, Exiled Immortal.”

The moment Alkaid’s words fell, a surge of fury erupted. Endless pressure boiled. Inside Alkaid’s body came the continuous sound of bones shattering. His flesh tore apart, golden blood flowing out.

In the void, countless chains interweaved. It was clear the Exiled Immortal was enraged. He was the reincarnation of a True Immortal from the Other Domain. This native actually dared to claim that he was not the Heavenly Emperor’s heir’s match at the same realm. He even placed that Eight-Crowned King above him.

This was humiliation. Utterly intolerable.

Yet Alkaid showed no fear and continued, ”I have reliable information. During his heavenly tribulation, the Heavenly Emperor’s heir encountered the Heavenly Emperor himself and defeated him. Later, he also encountered the Devouring Female Immortal and the Undying Celestial Emperor inside the tribulation… Although they were merely imprints, it says a great deal!”

By the time he finished speaking, the anger had clearly lessened. The chains interweaving through heaven and earth slowly dissipated.

The Exiled Immortal was still sullen, but he suddenly found Alkaid’s words credible. After all, no one understood the Heavenly Emperor’s terror better than he did. At that time, the Heavenly Emperor had not even become an Immortal King.

As for the Devouring Female Immortal, he had never seen her. Because by then, she had already been an Immortal King. Before his death, he had only known that one Immortal King of the Nine Heavens and two of the Ten Earths had died at the Devouring Female Immortal’s hands. If the Heavenly Emperor’s heir could suppress such existences at the same realm…Then at the same realm, he himself might truly not be a match.

”Then why have you come to see me? Are you trying to tell me you can kill the Heavenly Emperor’s heir? You are merely a Great Saint. You cannot even go to the sixth layer. Even if you could, you would most likely still be no match. A mere incomplete Chaos Body is completely useless!”

Recalling the fear of death, the Exiled Immortal had no choice but to admit it. Yet in his foul mood, he sneered and belittled this lower-realm native.

Alkaid nodded in acknowledgment. ”The current me cannot… But if the Exiled Immortal helps me obtain the Innate Chaos Body… And also bestows upon me a Quasi-Immortal array, I am confident I can lure the Heavenly Emperor’s heir to the Seventh Realm and kill him there!”

On the clouds, the Exiled Immortal, who looked like a heavenly god, raised an eyebrow, showing a trace of interest. ”How will you make him come to the Seventh Realm to find you?”

Alkaid had already prepared his answer. ”Yan Ruyu is at the Seventh Heaven. She is the number one female cultivator of the myriad races, with peerless beauty. The Heavenly Emperor’s heir is especially enamored with her. When the Celestial Prince’s clone tried to suppress her, he rushed over to rescue her at all costs! If I make a move against Yan Ruyu, the Heavenly Emperor’s heir will definitely come the moment he receives the news.”

”At the same time, to be safe, I will also have someone spread false information that Yan Wenwen is coming to the Seventh Realm to look for Yan Ruyu. The Heavenly Emperor’s heir has an extremely strong protective instinct toward the women who are already his. If I scheme against his woman, he will come without hesitation even if he knows it is a trap. And if I obtain the Innate Chaos Body, my cultivation will surely reach the late Great Saint realm as well. With the Quasi-Immortal array on top of that, I will definitely be able to kill him.”

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Hearing this, the Exiled Immortal immediately frowned. ”Such underhanded methods—truly despicable. Lower-realm natives lack resources and indeed have low character. However, even with the Innate Chaos Body and a Quasi-Immortal array, it is still not enough! His Heavenly Emperor Fist is too ferocious. It made me…”

The Exiled Immortal did not finish. In truth, he had also seen the recording stone of Ye Chen. Ye Chen’s Heavenly Emperor Fist had made him feel as if he were facing the Heavenly Emperor himself.

Back then, the Heavenly Emperor had killed him with a single punch. That was why, after learning of the failure, the Exiled Immortal had not made any moves. In short, he was not optimistic about Alkaid’s plan.

A Chaos Body was not bad. Even in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, it was enough to be called a genius. But compared to the Heavenly Emperor’s heir, it was truly not enough. At the very least, the Exiled Immortal himself could not see through the Heavenly Emperor’s heir’s physique. He guessed it might be some kind of immortal body he had never encountered before.

…

Hearing this, Alkaid’s face showed hesitation for the first time. A moment later, sensing the Exiled Immortal’s growing impatience, he let out a soft sigh. His immortal robe slid down, exposing his upper body. He slowly reached out. The flesh on his chest parted at once, revealing a vividly red, beating heart.

The Exiled Immortal raised an eyebrow and looked closely.

Alkaid gripped the heart with his right hand and squeezed hard.

The heart exploded instantly.

Yet Alkaid’s expression did not change in the slightest. Because the next moment, a heart that looked like the purest jade in the world emerged inside his chest cavity.

The heart was crystal-clear and flawless in appearance, yet it was not perfect. Nine apertures arranged in the ultimate numerical sequence pierced through it. Countless divine patterns and endless Dao rhythms flowed within, and boundless blood qi boiled and burned with every beat.

The Exiled Immortal’s eyes widened. For the first time, genuine surprise appeared on his face.

”This is… the Nine Apertures Exquisite Heart?”

The Nine Apertures Exquisite Heart was extremely rare even in the Other Domain. There were many bloodline divine abilities related to the heart. There were also many types of Exquisite Hearts, from one aperture to nine.

But one to eight apertures were hardly worth mentioning. Their abilities and effects were too ordinary and not worth a second glance. Even an eight-aperture heart would not qualify for exemption from entrance exams into the academies of the Other Domain; one would still have to undergo a series of assessments.

Nine apertures, however, were completely different. They were not on the same level as the previous eight. It was a transformation from mortal to immortal, comparable to an immortal-grade ability!

Possessing the Nine Apertures Exquisite Heart granted extreme perception—one could sense everything and refine all foreign energies. Cultivation speed became astonishing. At the same time, the comprehension and deduction abilities of a Nine Apertures Exquisite Heart cultivator also reached the pinnacle. Even without becoming an immortal, one could complete fragmented immortal scriptures. Any technique could be mastered in an instant and brought to perfection in an extremely short time.

Moreover, the Nine Apertures Exquisite Heart provided powerful nourishment and reinforcement to the soul, making one’s soul force far surpass others of the same realm. When using soul techniques, there was also a special fluctuation that made them even more powerful.

But the most terrifying aspect was its enhancement to the physical body and constitution. Blood qi flowed almost endlessly, never drying up, always at its peak. It could also further amplify the power of one’s constitution.

The Exiled Immortal knew of a genius in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths who possessed an immortal body—not particularly rare by itself. Yet that person also had the Nine Apertures Exquisite Heart. With its enhancement, he could contend against top immortal bodies using only an ordinary immortal body. One could imagine how powerful it was.

The Exiled Immortal was amazed, but a trace of killing intent also rose in his heart.

Alkaid sighed inwardly as well. When he was born, he had indeed possessed a mortal body.

It was only after being chosen by the Devouring lineage, undergoing trials, and cultivating the Heaven Devouring Demon Art to absorb his first enemy that he discovered the difference in his heart and unearthed its abilities.

He had kept it hidden all this time. If possible, he had wanted to conceal the Nine Apertures Exquisite Heart until he became an immortal. Relying on it, he had deduced half of the subsequent parts of the Indestructible Heavenly Art, allowing him to advance to the Innate Chaos Body.

He had also perfectly mastered seven of the Nine Secrets, missing only the Front Secret and the Foresight Secret. He had always wanted to collect the remaining two and then use the Nine Apertures Exquisite Heart to attempt fusing all Nine Secrets into one.

With that technique, he might even be able to contend against the Eight-Crowned King’s World Tree that contained eight strands of Immortal Qi. In short, he had hoped to stay low-profile until the very end. Unfortunately, a momentary carelessness had caused Ye Chen to notice him. He was forced to reveal it ahead of time.

Alkaid could sense the Exiled Immortal’s killing intent, but he remained fearless and spoke seriously, ”The Nine Apertures Exquisite Heart is powerful, but before the Heavenly Emperor’s heir, it still amounts to nothing. His physique, his bloodline, his talent, and divine abilities all far exceed imagination. The further he advances, the harder he will be to kill!

”I implore the Exiled Immortal to help me achieve the Innate Chaos Body as soon as possible. Once I return to the Seventh Realm, I will slay him…The sooner the better. Every breakthrough the Heavenly Emperor’s heir makes brings a massive increase in strength.

”If he reaches the peak of Saint King, then even if I obtain the Innate Chaos Body, with the enhancement of the Nine Apertures Exquisite Heart and a Quasi-Immortal array, victory will still be uncertain!

”The Heavenly Emperor’s heir is the real threat. As for me, even if I truly become a Quasi-Immortal in the future and cause trouble for the Exiled Immortal, I believe you have the confidence to suppress me!”

Alkaid analyzed the pros and cons for the Exiled Immortal slowly and clearly.

The Exiled Immortal narrowed his eyes. Only after a long while did he speak, ”Why not capture the person and bring him to the Eighth Realm? With me there, even if he reaches the peak of Saint King, he will still die!”

He wanted both Alkaid and Ye Chen to die together.

Alkaid smiled and shook his head. ”He will not come. I can sense that he and I are the same kind of person. He will only come if he is confident he can kill me—just like when he charged at the Celestial Prince’s clone…

”I have watched that recording stone over a thousand times. The Heavenly Emperor’s heir’s injuries at that time were real, but who caused them is not certain! He knows you are in the Eighth Realm. In a situation where death is certain, he will absolutely not deliver himself.

”On the contrary, he will become even more vigilant. He will cultivate all the way to Quasi-Immortal, then kill us all to avenge his women!”