Immortality Starts With Investment

Chapter 420: A Touch of Grudges

"Holy Maiden, Ye Chen has fallen so low as to become the protector of that seductress from the Heavenly Desire Sect. It's said they've already completed the first nirvana, and Ye Chen's spiritual sense may have been completely drained."

"Indeed, some witnessed it firsthand. A prodigy like Ye Chen with sunken eyes and dark circles—clearly a sign of an emptied sea of consciousness."

"I think once Ye Chen leaves the city, there's no need for you to act personally, Holy Maiden. The two of us will suffice."

"Exactly. Without his spiritual sense, Ye Chen's combat strength must have plummeted. We can easily suppress him."

The two Heavenly Intention legacy disciples regained their confidence. For high-level cultivators, spiritual sense was paramount. Without it, one was as good as blind, barely able to muster a tenth of their full strength. In such a state, Ye Chen stood no chance against them.

Yi Qingwu sat calmly, her gaze lifting to meet theirs, her voice as melodious as ever. "Ye Chen is, after all, a prodigy comparable to a Holy Son. How could someone like him willingly become a furnace for another, sacrificing his path to immortality for someone else's gain?"

Her words left the two legacy disciples speechless.

Her bright eyes turned to the window as she continued, "Ye Chen is the heir of the Heavenly Emperor, with countless trump cards yet to be revealed. When he faced you two, he clearly didn't use his full strength. So, do not underestimate him. When he leaves the city, I will still deploy the peerless Twelve Stars Killing Formation, along with the Exterme Dao Weapon, the Moon Palace, to ensure he has no chance of escape. You two, keep watching him."

Yi Qingwu spoke calmly, but her regard for Ye Chen was unmistakable. Despite being a full realm above him, she refused to rely solely on her strength to crush him. Instead, she planned to use a prearranged killing formation and an Extreme Dao Weapon.

The two legacy disciples were stunned. The Twelve Stars Killing Formation was forged with the primordial spirits of twelve Deity Transformation cultivators as its core, its power equivalent to twelve late-stage Deity Transformation experts striking together. And the Moon Palace? That was even more extraordinary—an Extreme Dao Weapon passed down through the Holy Maiden's lineage, rumored to originate from the ancient Moon Palace. Its terror was unmatched.

To think the Holy Maiden would bring out the Moon Palace just to kill Ye Chen—it seemed like overkill. These measures could probably take down someone like Hua Yunfei. The two recalled how the Holy Maiden had borrowed spirit stones from the elders for this plan. Such heavy-handed tactics surely carried a hint of personal grudges.

Though they felt Ye Chen didn't warrant such measures, they kept their expressions neutral. Still, one legacy disciple couldn't help but speak up. "Ye Chen's obsession with women is well-known. His behavior mirrors that of the Heavenly Emperor from years past—leaving a trail of romantic entanglements wherever he goes. He once annihilated a woman's master and sect just to claim her. With such a temperament, it's not impossible that the seductress from the Heavenly Desire Sect ensnared him, convincing him to offer up his spiritual sense."

Yi Qingwu's exquisite face, as flawless as the world's most perfect creation, showed little change in expression at their words. She was well aware of these rumors. Reflecting carefully, she realized Ye Chen's gift last time might not have been purely meant to humiliate her. Perhaps he genuinely admired her and sought her friendship.

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But this only deepened her disdain. A true prodigy should be decisive and ruthless. Even if enamored with women, he should take what he wants and move on without hesitation. Yet, despite her contempt, Yi Qingwu's wariness of Ye Chen remained undiminished.

Her soft voice rose gently. "When the Heavenly Emperor walked the path to immortality, he too faced a calamity. The world thought he was finished. But he broke through his limits, rising stronger to slay the horde of enemies who came to strike him down. Ye Chen is his heir—who's to say he doesn't have similar means to turn the tables?"

The Heavenly Emperor's life was a mix of glory and infamy. He had rendered great service to the human race in the cultivation world but had also slain countless foes. His legend was undeniable. Even now, the mere emergence of his heir demanded respect.

The two legacy disciples fell silent, unable to argue.

But so what if Ye Chen's spiritual sense was intact? The Twelve Stars Killing Formation, combined with the Extreme Dao Weapon, the Moon Palace, would crush him. Even if Ye Chen had ten lives, they wouldn't be enough to survive. And if he somehow endured, their Holy Maiden, Yi Qingwu, was a powerhouse at the pinnacle of the Deity Transformation stage. Her raw strength alone would leave Ye Chen no chance to turn the tide.

So, the moment Ye Chen left White Emperor City, his fate was sealed—he would fall.

The thought of Ye Chen's impending demise made the two legacy disciples want to laugh. It wasn't just the grudge from being suppressed by him earlier. His role as the divine maiden's protector sparked their envy.

For now, it was only a spiritual bond, but with each subsequent nirvana, as the divine maiden absorbed more, Ye Chen would gradually claim her entirely. The thought of her breathtaking figure and silken skin drove them mad with jealousy. Thus, Ye Chen had to die.

...

A long breath escaped Ye Chen's lips, the white mist curling like a dragon in the air. When he finally opened his eyes, a flicker of black-and-white light vanished within his pupils.

This seclusion had lasted a full seven days, during which Ye Chen had painstakingly refined the explosive surge of spiritual sense that had flooded back into him. Now, that immense spiritual sense gathered within his Dao Sea, swirling and transforming into yin and yang. The transformation was profound, reshaping him entirely.

This vast and formidable spiritual sense marked the complete perfection of his Nascent Soul stage, surpassing even the requirements of the Pangu World-Opening Diagram. He was now ready to begin comprehending the visualization diagram and formally break through to the Deity Transformation stage.

But White Emperor City was a chaotic place, teeming with prying eyes and tangled factions—not ideal for such a critical breakthrough. Returning to the Holy Land would be wiser.

Still, Ye Chen felt a twinge of disappointment. In the past, before a breakthrough, someone would inevitably show up to challenge him, offering a thrilling final battle to cap his progress. This time, however, he was returning with two elders. Surely, no one would dare stir trouble now.

"How lonely it is… to be invincible…" Ye Chen mused, humming a tune as he leisurely rose and stepped out of the seclusion chamber.

The moment he emerged, a crowd of disciples swarmed forward, gazing at him with admiration. The outside world had been buzzing with rumors that the Holy Son had been drained by the seductress of the Heavenly Desire Sect, reduced to her cultivation furnace. But not a single disciple of the Heavenly Evolution Holy Land believed a word of it. Their Holy Son's spiritual sense was so terrifying—stronger even than that of a Deity Transformation cultivator, enough to make them tremble. Did that look like someone who'd been drained?

Clearly, it was the seductress who'd been taken advantage of.

The disciples marveled at their Fourth Holy Son's prowess. Truly worthy of being the Heavenly Emperor's heir, carrying on his legendary charisma.

"Holy Son, I wouldn't mind being taken advantage of by you…" He Qiu, her eyes sparkling, boldly approached with a daring remark.

Ye Chen's visit had caused quite a stir. He'd nearly slapped the Little Roc King to death with a single strike. Two Heavenly Intention legacy disciples, ganging up on him, still couldn't best him. And at the auction, he'd provoked the Heavenly Intention Holy Maiden to such fury that it took her half a day to compose herself before leaving the venue. The Holy Son was simply too dazzling.

For the female disciples, there wasn't one who didn't feel her heart stir. To be "taken advantage of" by such a man would be an honor in itself.