Immortality Starts With Investment

Chapter 857: Alkaid Self-Severed?

The words landed, and Ling Yu—whose Dao Heart had teetered on the verge of collapse—finally fell silent. A wry, bitter smile crossed his lips.

Yes… he truly was not weak. He could defeat ten Violet Radiance Holy Sons without breaking a sweat. His defeat had nothing to do with his own shortcomings. It was simply that Ye Chen was too strong.

For someone of Ye Chen's caliber, the mere fact that he had been granted the chance to stand before him and exchange blows was already something to take pride in.

Dantai Xuan remained expressionless as ever. But Yan Qingcheng's eyes lit up. From that single sentence, she sensed the boundless arrogance and grand spirit that defined Ye Chen.

A man like this would never care about bearing false blame or playing the role of a fake heir. A man like this could never be the loathsome figure painted by the rumors. Her father had truly gone too far.

…

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Ye, for showing mercy! I will leave shortly. Please accept this as a parting gift—in gratitude for teaching me that there are always people beyond people, heavens beyond heavens…"

Back in the Extreme Martial Realm, Ling Yu had stood invincible, yet a subtle arrogance had taken root in his heart. He had come to the cultivation world dreaming of rising in a single leap, suppressing every prodigy here and proving to the entire cultivation world that the Extreme Martial Realm's geniuses were second to none.

Now that faint trace of conceit had completely vanished. And true to his forthright nature, Ling Yu offered a gift without hesitation. He understood Ye Chen's terror better than anyone—he knew the other could have ended his life with ease.

Ye Chen, seeing how sensible the young man was, gave a satisfied nod. He had little interest in the gift, though. In the entire cultivation world, very few things could still catch his eye.

"This jade slip contains the Reverse Severing of the Great Dao technique created by the Martial Ancestor. When paired with the Heavenly Will Dao-Entrust Jade, the boost upon becoming a saint is far more astonishing!"

Ye Chen's heart jolted.

Reverse Severing of the Great Dao?

He had heard of it before but had never laid eyes on the actual method. Was this guy really so generous?

Little brother, you've earned my recognition. From now on, if anyone on the Immortal Path looks down on you, just drop my name.

Sensing the sudden heat in Ye Chen's gaze, Ling Yu realized the misunderstanding. He was honest to a fault—never one to deceive in his entire life. Though letting Ye Chen keep the misconception would benefit him greatly—after all, Ye Chen's talent was truly monstrous, almost preordained for immortality—Ling Yu still couldn't hold back.

He shook his head and spoke plainly.

"Fellow Daoist Ye, you've misunderstood. The Martial Ancestor's Reverse Severing of the Great Dao technique has spread throughout the entire Extreme Martial Realm. Almost every major sect, every technique or dao-arts shop carries copies. When the Martial Ancestor created it, he never kept it secret.

"However, the difficulty is extreme. Without a Dao-Entrust Treasure, it's perilous. And even with one, the risks remain immense. After all, it involves placing one's Dao body above the Great Dao itself. In the Extreme Martial Realm, several peak Half-Saints die every year attempting this technique. Its actual value isn't particularly high!"

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Ye Chen was stunned by the young man's candor. The favor he owed now was beyond measure—truly priceless. But then he laughed.

Ling Yu had become the supreme prodigy of an entire realm for good reason. If every cultivator in the world were only capable of petty scheming and backstabbing, life would be far too dull.

Ye Chen said nothing more. He simply accepted the jade slip and gave Ling Yu a nod of acknowledgment. This young man had earned his respect. Among the younger generation of male cultivators, Ling Yu was now the second—after his senior brother—to receive such recognition from him.

Ling Yu returned the nod. Having given the jade slip and with no hope left for the Dao-Entrust Treasure, he turned decisively to leave. Even without the jade, he would still attempt Reverse Severing of the Great Dao.

The danger would be far greater—nine chances of death for one of survival. Yet he brimmed with confidence, showing not the slightest fear!

Ye Chen held the jade slip in his hand, a surge of delight rising in his heart. What kind of feedback would this gift produce? Coming to the Immortal Path this time had truly been the right decision.

But just as he sank his mind into the jade slip, preparing to study the Reverse Severing of the Great Dao technique, Dantai Xuan—who had remained silent until now—suddenly moved.

In an instant, endless, chilling sword lights materialized around her. They surged from every direction with terrifying momentum. Each beam of sword light carried power equivalent to a peak Half-Saint wielding a lower-grade Extreme Dao weapon.

Utterly horrifying.

They appeared almost instantaneously—too fast to defend against, impossible to predict. Most peak Half-Saints would have fallen in that single breath.

Yet Ye Chen's expression remained completely unruffled. He merely furrowed his brow slightly. Dantai Xuan had cultivated the Supreme Emotionless Scripture, but that didn't make her a brainless automaton. She still weighed gains and losses with perfect clarity—she had simply become an extreme egoist devoid of all emotion.

Seven thousand times was impressive, but it didn't necessarily surpass the strength Ling Yu had just displayed. If she intended to strike, she should have acted while he was fighting Ling Yu. Or simply given up. Her sudden attack now felt distinctly odd.

Ye Chen narrowed his eyes. The True Dragon Treasure Technique stirred within him. A true dragon coiled around his body and let out a deafening roar. The countless razor-sharp sword beams exploded apart in an instant.

But the moment Ye Chen neutralized them, Dantai Xuan had already condensed even more divine swords. They filled the sky like a torrential rain, encircling Ye Chen and blanketing every inch of space within a hundred li.

And these sword rains were no mere random barrage. They formed intricate divine patterns, weaving together into a vast sword array that radiated murderous intent. Dantai Xuan's physical body had somehow already retreated to an extreme distance. Clearly guarding against any close-range assault from him.

She stared at Ye Chen with icy indifference and spoke softly: "Emotionless Sword Array, fall!"

In the next breath, endless sword light descended like pouring rain, crashing toward Ye Chen. The power was even greater than before. Yet every time a beam was shattered or dispersed, another would instantly regenerate within the array—as though the assault were truly inexhaustible.

Tens of thousands of sword lights rained down in every fleeting instant. Against such an onslaught, even most saints would have despaired. Either they would be overwhelmed and annihilated body and soul by the endless blades, or they would be worn down until nothing remained, trapped in a hopeless deadlock.

Yet Ye Chen stood calmly at the very center. Chaos Qi swirled in his eyes as he gazed quietly at Dantai Xuan. Around him, a true dragon and true phoenix soared together in perfect harmony, their dance of scales and feathers blocking every attack.

The Supreme Emotionless Scripture indeed had some substance. This technique was genuinely terrifying. But to Ye Chen, it was still just that—terrifying, nothing more. If this was all she had, then after witnessing his battle with Ling Yu, Dantai Xuan should never have dared to strike at him.

And right at that moment, Ye Chen slowly lifted his head. High above in the sky, a corner of the array patterns had appeared at some unknown point. Those patterns emanated an extremely peculiar fluctuation.

In the next instant, an incomparably terrifying and unique power locked onto Ye Chen. The array patterns began to glow, gathering energy at astonishing speed.

Yan Qingcheng—who had been quietly puzzled by Dantai Xuan's overconfidence—saw the array patterns and her pupils contracted sharply.

"Ye Chen, dodge! That's a fragment of an incomplete quasi-immortal array…!"

But the array charged far too quickly. In the following moment, a massive pillar of white divine light—fully ten thousand meters wide—crashed down like a heavenly column.

Within the array patterns, a figure stared coldly at Ye Chen.

Ye Chen finally saw who it was, and a trace of genuine surprise flickered in his eyes.

Alkaid… here in the fourth realm? Had he deliberately severed his own cultivation just to catch him off guard with this ambush?