Immortality Starts With Investment

Chapter 352: Courting Death!

”Donʼt worry, Master! Iʼll be quick!”

Ye Chenʼs words rang out, leaving no time for Gu Yunyun to respond. Heavenly Intention Holy Landʼs prodigy, Ying Tianjing, sneered, his eyes glinting with disdain. ”Ye the Fourth, you only managed to beat that trash Yao Gu, and you dare act arrogant before me? Yao Gu was already half-crippled when I fought him. If he hadnʼt pulled out that fake Void Mirror, I wouldnʼt have bothered with a mutual loss and wouldʼve crushed him outright. You, a mere Fourth Holy Son, barely edging out Yao Gu? I could squash you with a flick of my hand!”

Ye the Fourth? Ye Chenʼs brow twitched at the nickname. He made a mental note to give Yao Gu another thrashing next time they met. That guy was definitely the one spreading this ridiculous title.

As for barely beating Yao Gu? Ye Chen couldnʼt help but chuckle. Too lazy to waste words, he turned to the Sword Sect elder in the distance. ”Elder, can we start?”

The elder frowned, hesitating. Ye Chenʼs sudden arrival had thrown things off. But after a moment, a transmitted message seemed to reach him, and he nodded. The Sword Sectʼs rule allowing dao companions to fight in the arena was bizarre, but it hadnʼt led to much outside interference. Above the sect leader, the Grand Elders ensured the sectʼs interests remained protected.

In fact, the Sword Sect, weakened by internal strife, had survived several crises thanks to the strength of the sect leaderʼs dao companions. This tradition had thus endured. A Heavenly Evolution Holy Son showing up out of nowhere wasnʼt necessarily a bad thing. If the sect leader had a Holy Son as her dao companion, it could only benefit the Sword Sect.

The elder spoke gravely. ”Since youʼve all reached an agreement, the sect leader arena battle officially begins.”

As his words fell, the arenaʼs formation roared to life, its energy surging skyward. Gu Yunyun, choosing to trust her disciple, took a step back.

Dugu Yue hadnʼt expected Gu Yunyun to have a Holy Son backing her, and panic gripped her heart.

Ying Tianjing turned to Dugu Yue. ”Step back! Iʼll crush this kid with a single move.”

Standing tall like a refined noble, Ying Tianjing hovered in midair, surrounded by flickering, endless lightning. He looked down at Ye Chen with icy disdain. ”Ye Chen, to oppose me is to defy the heavens themselves. But since youʼre a Heavenly Evolution Holy Land Holy Son, Iʼll leave you with a sliver of life.”

As his words fell, nine golden wheels materialized behind him, spinning ominously. A terrifying power brewed within them, its aura spilling out and shaking the hearts of everyone present.

”Is that the power of heavenly tribulation?” someone gasped.

”Heavenly Intention Holy Land claims to walk the will of the heavens, treating every tribulation as a divine gift they can harness for their own use.”

”Their top geniuses wield lightning techniques rivaling heavenly tribulations, carrying a destructive force that even defensive spiritual treasures struggle to withstand—theyʼd be obliterated outright.”

”Itʼs said Heavenly Intention Holy Landʼs founding ancestor established a Heavenly Court in the Immortal Realm, aiming to rule all under heaven.”

Even the Sword Sect elders, despite their Deity Transformation cultivation, felt a heavy dread as they sensed the aura. The Heavenly Intention Holy Landʼs prodigy was truly fearsome.

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Though the Heavenly Evolution Holy Son possessed the legendary Heavy Pupils—a mark of supreme talent—his cultivation was simply too low. It seemed Ying Tianjing held the upper hand.

In the instant the golden wheels appeared, nine bolts of heavenly lightning erupted from them, surging toward Ye Chen. These were no ordinary bolts. Each transformed into a colossal azure dragon, their bodies formed of crackling electricity yet appearing almost tangible. The nine dragons combined like a chain of towering mountains, sweeping through the air with the unique destructive force of a heavenly tribulation.

The dragonsʼ roars mingled with the thunderʼs rumble, resonant and overwhelming. The arena trembled under their approach, the sheer momentum awe-inspiring. The crowd watched in stunned amazement. Forget Nascent Soul cultivators—even most Deity Transformation experts would struggle to withstand such a strike.

The prodigies of these Holy Lands were simply too terrifying.

Ye Chen remained calm, unfazed by his opponentʼs technique. Though Ying Tianjingʼs Treasure Technique carried the destructive ferocity of a heavenly tribulation, it wasnʼt a true tribulation. A real tribulation couldnʼt be dodged, only endured. But Yingʼs technique lacked that inescapable lock.

Sure, its speed was too fast for most cultivators to evade, but Ye Chen, with his Kun Peng Treasure Technique, could slip away effortlessly. Yet, with his master standing behind him, dodging wasnʼt an option. And frankly, Ying Tianjingʼs level didnʼt warrant Ye Chen giving ground.

With a serene expression, Ye Chen formed hand seals. A golden radiance bloomed from his brow, and nine golden true dragons burst forth. Unlike Ying Tianjingʼs azure dragons, crackling with destructive force, Ye Chenʼs golden dragons exuded a majestic, regal aura, as if they were the sole sovereigns of heaven and earth. This was the fusion of his True Dragon Treasure Technique with the Imperial Dragon Qi from the Taihuang Scripture.

The nine true dragons let out resonant roars, charging toward the azure dragons. Their collision was cataclysmic, the arenaʼs formation teetering on the brink of collapse. Several Sword Sect elders at the Deity Transformation stage rushed to stabilize it.

The true dragons and azure dragons clashed fiercely. Though they appeared evenly matched in size, the outcome was decided in an instant. The azure dragons, meant to annihilate everything, shattered under the onslaught. Ying Tianjingʼs face paled.

In the next moment, his expression grew even graver. Ye Chenʼs nine golden dragons merged into one with astonishing speed, rushing straight toward him. Ying Tianjingʼs face hardened, and a jade stone at his chest glowed softly, attempting to block the attack.

But the Imperial Dragon Qi, renowned as the supreme killing force among immortal scriptures, paired with the True Dragon Treasure Technique, wasnʼt so easily stopped. The jade stone held for a mere moment before exploding.

Though weakened, the golden dragon pressed on, bearing down on Ying Tianjing. He unleashed several Treasure Techniques in rapid succession, his body shifting desperately to evade. But he only managed to diminish the dragonʼs power. In the end, a single claw struck, exploding with force. Ying Tianjingʼs body plummeted from the sky, crashing into the ground, shaking the entire Sword Peak.

The scene left everyone dumbfounded. Ying Tianjing, defeated in a single move? It was unthinkable. Was the Fourth Holy Sonʼs combat prowess so terrifying that he could effortlessly bridge two minor realms to crush a prodigy?

The Sword Sect members gazed at Ye Chen with awe, while their own prodigies questioned their existence. Gu Yunyun, watching Ye Chenʼs back, smiled softly. Even back in her Foundation Establishment days, sheʼd sensed her disciple surpassing her. Now, she realized just how far behind sheʼd fallen. Though a pang of loss tugged at her, she felt genuine joy for Ye Chenʼs growth.

…

Dugu Yue, standing at a distance, was stunned. The dao companion sheʼd pledged herself to couldnʼt even withstand a single strike.

On the ground, where Ying Tianjing had crashed, dust billowed, and the area was reduced to ruins. With a wave of his hand, Ying Tianjing cleared the debris, revealing his tattered robes but unblemished, alabaster skin—no trace of injury. The crowd gasped in shock.

Ying Tianjingʼs eyes blazed with fury as he glared at Ye Chen. Heʼd been a prodigy since youth, second only to his elder brother in Heavenly Intention Holy Land. When had he ever suffered such a humiliation?

A divine light flared behind his head as he snarled, ”Ye the Fourth, Iʼve changed my mind! I want you dead! As for your master, Iʼll suppress her and offer her to my brother as a plaything! Elder Luo, please hold off Ye Chenʼs Protector!”

Ye Chen, hearing this, didnʼt even flinch. Instead, he sighed, looking at Ying Tianjing with pity. ”You didnʼt have to die. Why insist on courting death?”

His words only fueled Ying Tianjingʼs rage. The divine light behind his head solidified, taking form…