Immortality Starts With Investment

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow as he listened.

The onlookers erupted in an uproar. Although the Exiled Immortal had spoken simply, everyone was filled with shock.

The Immortal Realm was already the dreamland that cultivators yearned to enter—the most powerful world they knew. Yet now they suddenly learned that the Immortal Realm was merely one of nineteen worlds in the eyes of the Other Domain.

The shock in their hearts could be imagined. For the first time, the terror of the Other Domain was made so clear to everyone. The combined accumulation of nineteen worlds was simply unimaginable.

…

Ye Chen also raised an eyebrow. The Other Domain was even more terrifying than he had thought. He had originally assumed the Other Domain was a world roughly equal to the cultivation world, and their war was fought over territory or treasures—the usual reasons. But now he finally understood what the Other Domain truly wanted.

From this, Ye Chen gained an even deeper appreciation of the Heavenly Emperor’s terror. He had once felt little reverence for the Heavenly Emperor because his own combat strength at the same realm far surpassed him, and he could probably crush him.

But now he understood just how terrifying the Heavenly Emperor truly was. Even the Other Domain, backed by the foundation of nineteen worlds, had been forcibly held back by the Heavenly Emperor. The Heavenly Emperor’s might was beyond description.

People like the Heavenly Emperor were the type who grew without limit. Just as the Holy Master Feng Baiyu had said: You might defeat the Heavenly Emperor at a certain stage, but once you were surpassed even once, you could only stare at his back forever.

Still gripping the Exiled Immortal’s neck with one hand, Ye Chen raised an eyebrow and asked, “So the Other Domain is invading the Immortal Realm to turn it into the Eleventh Earth?”

Speaking of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, even the Exiled Immortal—whose life and death were now in Ye Chen’s hands—could not help but feel a surge of pride.

The corners of his mouth curled up as he looked at Ye Chen. “Do you really think the Immortal Realm is the first world the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths encountered after they were formed?”

Ye Chen frowned. For the first time, a look of genuine shock appeared on his face.

The Exiled Immortal was very satisfied with Ye Chen’s reaction and smiled. “The Immortal Realm is the seventy-first world invaded by the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths after they were formed.”

Whoosh…

This time, the onlookers all sucked in a sharp breath of cold air.

The Immortal Realm was only the seventy-first world? What had happened to the previous seventy? Could it be…

Ye Chen also had a faint guess.

The Exiled Immortal continued with a cold, sinister smile. “As the Other Domain continued to fuse worlds, the Immortal Kings discovered that the extension of the world’s lifespan from each fusion grew shorter and shorter…

“The first fusion extended it by a million years… But as more and more worlds were fused, the extension of time became smaller and smaller. The Immortal Kings had already noticed the problem. After fusion, the number of cultivators in the Other Domain kept increasing, and their demands on the world grew larger and larger.”

“Thus, after fusing the Tenth Earth, the Immortal Kings from all the various worlds made a joint decision. From then on, they would no longer fuse worlds. They would only extract origin energy and absorb the essence of each realm’s inheritance, then directly shatter the world and merge its origin into the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.

“As for the cultivators of those worlds, except for a few top clans that surrendered at the very beginning, the rest all perished together when their world was destroyed! Ever since they stopped accepting new worlds, each shattered world basically extended the golden age of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths by three hundred thousand years… And the Immortal Realm is the seventy-first!”

The entire Eighth Realm fell into silence. Everyone knew that the cultivation world existed by relying on the Immortal Realm. The same was true for all other small worlds. When the Immortal Realm was destroyed, they would all perish along with it and return to the origin energy.

Most importantly, the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths had existed for far too long. Their history was unimaginable. Having fused so many worlds, the number and power of their Immortal Kings must be beyond ordinary comprehension. Could the Immortal Realm really withstand them?

Ye Chen frowned even deeper. To be honest, he did not particularly enjoy fighting and killing. He had walked his path carefully, working tirelessly, all for the sake of becoming an Immortal King and escaping the limit of lifespan to achieve eternal life. But hearing this news dealt him a significant blow.

Even Immortal Kings were not truly transcendent. They still depended on the existence of a world. No matter how long a world’s lifespan reached—even ten million years—it would eventually be destroyed.

Immortal Kings would still have to keep fighting and campaigning endlessly just to survive. This was completely different from the carefree transcendence Ye Chen had imagined. It could be said that this news greatly diminished his longing to go to the Immortal Realm.

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Seeing Ye Chen frown and show emotion, the Exiled Immortal revealed a smile. What he wanted was for Ye Chen to understand the terror of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths and feel fear. If he could say a few more words to lure him, once he returned to the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, Ye Chen would be dead without a doubt.

“I fell a little early, so I don’t fully understand the current situation. But at that time, only the forces of the Fifth Heaven went to the Immortal Realm, not the entire Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. Although I don’t know how the Heavenly Emperor managed to hold them back, he cannot do so forever.

“The Immortal Realm will definitely be shattered. Your talent is astonishing. You have reached a level on par with my elder brother. In the future, you will undoubtedly become an Immortal King.

“The Nine Heavens and Ten Earths welcome top prodigies like you very much. Even if you come from the Immortal Realm, they will give you a quota to enter the Other Domain. Some native powers of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths may even absorb you.

“Fellow Daoist Ye, will you perish together with this world, or will you truly obtain eternal life? It all depends on your next thought!”

The Exiled Immortal was tempting him, painting a picture of the terror of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.

Ye Chen frowned.

The forces that the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths had sent to invade the Immortal Realm were not their full strength? Only one faction among them?

This news was even more shocking.

But Ye Chen quickly spoke: “A million years have already passed, and we still exist. That means the Immortal Realm has not yet been breached… The Other Domain has no new worlds to supplement them and can only last three hundred thousand years at a time. So why have they not collapsed yet?”

This was the blind spot.

The onlookers’ eyes also brightened when they heard this. They felt there was indeed a problem. Perhaps the Exiled Immortal had exaggerated the terror of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.

However, the Exiled Immortal smiled. “The Nine Heavens and Ten Earths have existed since time immemorial. As the number of cultivators keeps increasing, their demands on the world grow larger and larger, causing the lifespan of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths to shrink faster and faster.

“In fact, some Immortal Kings have already proposed reducing the number of cultivators. But because the composition of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths is too mixed, with too many internal factions and too many entangled interests, it has been impossible to implement.

“Moreover, external plundering has always gone smoothly and can replenish resources in time, so the Immortal Kings who support reducing the number of cultivators have not pushed too hard. But if the invasion of the Immortal Realm goes poorly, then for the sake of the world’s continued existence, that plan will definitely be pushed forward.

“Although I did not witness it with my own eyes, I know that a great internal war must have occurred within the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. With the tacit approval of the Immortal Kings, the various factions will engage in a chaotic melee. Nearly half of the cultivators will perish, and even some Immortal Kings may fall. At the time, this was called the Great Tribulation Plan.”

“Once implemented, they will keep finding excuses to stir up internal wars, drawing in major factions and races until a bloody slaughter occurs, all to extend the world’s lifespan. Since the Immortal Realm has not been destroyed to this day, that means the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths have already undergone several Great Tribulations.

“I even suspect that the Immortal Realm has survived until now precisely because the Immortal Kings allowed it on purpose—just to continuously eliminate the ever-growing number of cultivators in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.”

“After all, with the foundation of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths plus the constant absorption of top experts, the Immortal Realm should not be able to resist them at all. They have no fear that internal consumption would be too great and lead to defeat.

“On the contrary, after each Great Tribulation, only the most valuable existences remain. And once the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths complete their purification through these repeated Great Tribulations, the Immortal Realm will face total catastrophe!”

Although the Exiled Immortal was only speculating, his tone was resolute and decisive.

The onlookers had already fallen silent. They felt as if they were doubting their own existence.

Facing the Immortal Realm, the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths were not in a hurry to invade. Instead, they were obsessed with internal purification. This was too terrifying. It was also too unbelievable.

But Ye Chen, upon hearing this, did not feel much sense of reality. The experience from two lifetimes told him that internal reform had always been difficult, fraught with contradictions. Only when external pressure was great enough would there be motivation to act internally.

The Nine Heavens and Ten Earths were likely the same. They were using the pressure brought by the Heavenly Emperor to end the bloated state caused by their earlier uncontrolled expansion. After several Great Tribulations, the Other Domain would undoubtedly become even more terrifying.

Ye Chen looked up at the Immortal Realm and felt a trace of melancholy. The Heavenly Emperor was still not fierce enough. If he had charged straight into the Other Domain and crushed them, then going there later would have been pure enjoyment.

Ye Chen had no interest in becoming a savior. He also felt no strong sense of belonging or desire to protect the Immortal Realm. So, regarding what he should do after entering the Immortal Realm in the future, Ye Chen felt he needed to plan carefully.

“The Nine Heavens and Ten Earths are indeed somewhat terrifying! After so many years, even though Immortal Kings are rare, their numbers must have reached a shocking level.”

Ye Chen spoke slowly, sighing at the terror of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. But the Exiled Immortal suddenly felt a strong sense of unease and widened his eyes.

Ye Chen stared straight into the Exiled Immortal’s pupils.

The Exiled Immortal did not sense even the slightest trace of fear in Ye Chen’s eyes. An overwhelming dread engulfed his heart.

The Exiled Immortal opened his mouth, wanting to say something.

However, Ye Chen tightened his grip on the Exiled Immortal’s neck, not giving him the chance to speak. Then he said indifferently, “But no matter how terrifying the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths are, you still have to die!”

In the next instant, a ferocious aura boiled up from Ye Chen’s palm.

Terrifying power roared.

The Exiled Immortal’s eyes were filled with unwillingness, confusion, and regret. But none of it mattered anymore.

In the next moment, the Exiled Immortal was completely annihilated.

Although the Other Domain was terrifying, and killing the Exiled Immortal might cause him to form a deadly grudge with a major power, how could he possibly back down just because the other party had a terrifying background?

If he did that, he would no longer be himself. What prodigy elder brother? If there were only one true prodigy in this world, it could only be him.

Ye Chen swept his gaze over the origin energy and divine soul he had deliberately left behind.

Looking at the quality of the origin energy, Ye Chen revealed a smile.

The Exiled Immortal’s origin energy was a full major realm higher than Alkaid. It could truly be called a massive harvest.

In addition, the quality of the Exiled Immortal’s divine soul was also extremely high. A formation master’s divine soul far surpassed others of the same rank and could greatly enhance his Human Emperor Banner. Not to mention the immortal artifact Heavenly Tribulation Thunder Halberd and the World-Destroying Black Lotus seed that could be gifted.

This trip had been an absolute blood profit!