Immortality Starts With Investment

"Clan Leader, I really can't! That Heavenly Emperor heir—if he glares at me with Heavy Pupils, I'm afraid I won't hold up! Let me live. In the future, I can guard the clan and safely weather the Age of Dharma's End, wouldn't that be better? After all, Clan Leader, you're getting on in years—with only two or three centuries left. The clan's future still depends on me! If someone absolutely must act, why not you, Clan Leader? That way, even if something goes wrong, the clan's loss won't be too great!"

The Divine Silkworm Clan Leader's mouth twitched violently at those words. His face instantly darkened with fury as he rebuked, "How could a Saint like me strike Ye Chen? That would break the rules, and in the end, it's our myriad races that would suffer!"

The current situation in the cultivation world was delicate. Because of the Immortal Path, humans and myriad races maintained a fragile peace. But contradictions were mounting. If an elder of the myriad races—two full realms higher—attacked a human prodigy and shattered the rules. The human race would seize the chance to ruthlessly slaughter myriad races' prodigies.

Though the myriad races weren't weak, humans currently held dominion. Without rules, the myriad races would suffer far greater losses. Thus, the myriad races benefited most from upholding the rules. They would endure as long as possible rather than break them.

Therefore, even with Ye Chen in the Myriad Races Immortal City, no Saint would lay a hand on him. It was precisely for this reason. The ancestor frowned at Shen Yu, deeply dissatisfied. A Half-Saint fearing a mere King realm cultivator to this extent—truly rare!

But he understood. Ye Chen's heaven-defying combat strength had cast too deep a shadow over this generation's myriad races prodigies. Suppressing his anger, the Divine Silkworm Clan Leader patiently explained the reasons and his deductions based on intelligence from all sides.

Yet even after hearing it all, Shen Yu remained flustered, waving his hands. "Setting aside that Clan Leader's guesses might not be accurate! Even if the Heavenly Emperor heir's strength has truly fallen, I alone might not suffice—and there's still Yao Yuezhi! Feng Youhuang couldn't beat Yao Yuezhi. Am I supposed to headbutt her? Yao Yuezhi even revealed her second form—I'm afraid one punch would kill me."

The Clan Leader's face grew increasingly grim, dark enough to drip water. Such a cowardly prodigy—his clan had the only one. Yet at this point, below the Saint realm, the only one truly usable in the Divine Silkworm Clan was the man before him. He could only swallow his rage and explain patiently once more. "Rest assured—you won't act alone. Many races have noticed something off about the Heavenly Emperor heir. When the time comes, prodigies from numerous clans will strike together. You can hold back at first, paddling on the sidelines. Only deliver the killing blow when an opening appears—and claim the spoils."

They were all clever people. Far too many had seen through the Heavenly Emperor heir's anomaly. After Feng Youhuang's fall, numerous old foxes had transmitted to him, probing obliquely about the Qiankun Cauldron—asking if it had truly been sold to the Heavenly Emperor heir.

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Clearly, they had all pinpointed the key. And slaying the Heavenly Emperor heir promised immense profit. For now, at the third heaven, he possessed his own cave heaven and many treasures carried on his person. Though immortal artifacts were hard to bear, one needed a Quasi-Immortal realm even to shift them.

But the Enlightenment Tea Tree? The outside world had long guessed it lay in Ye Chen's hands. After all, those around him practically bathed in tea daily. And the long-lost Dao Charm Pills had reemerged through the Heavenly Emperor's heir.

If Ye Chen had transplanted that Enlightenment Tea Tree into his cave heaven to deepen its foundation and vastly accelerate cultivation. Wouldn't they have a chance to claim it for themselves? Not to mention Ye Chen's astonishing generosity. Touch a tail—and receive Dragon Blood Spiritual Wood. Such conduct was staggering. Harvesting him would yield colossal gains. Likely surpassing the spoils from annihilating an ancient lineage with deep foundations.

Shen Yu nodded in agreement, feeling the Clan Leader's words made sense. Yet he still refused to go. "Even if I want the Heavenly Emperor heir dead, with so many others stepping up, one more or one less won't matter. Let's just skip it. Besides, if we lose, do you think he'll spare me just because I held back? Impossible! So better not. Why don't we stay far away, wait for them to snatch the spoils, then rob them instead?"

Shen Yu knew his own talent clearly: immortality wasn't a distant dream—it was outright impossible. Even reaching Saint King would depend on sheer luck. In that case, why chase spectacle? Better to cultivate quietly, extend his lifespan, and live in peace.

When the Age of Dharma's End arrived, he could become a carefree ancestor—wouldn't that be wonderful? Why risk death against the Heavenly Emperor heir?

Back when the Heavenly Emperor dominated the cultivation world, he loved playing weak to eat the strong—masterful beyond compare. Countless myriad races prodigies had fallen for it, rushing to their own doom. Who knew if this Heavenly Emperor heir followed the same playbook?

The Divine Silkworm Clan Leader's face turned black. He refused even that? His clan's prodigy was far too cautious! But soon he had another idea. He spoke earnestly. "There's an auction in the Immortal City in one month—featuring rare top-tier items from the Immortal Path. With the Age of Dharma's End approaching, many clans are selling off their most precious yet seldom-used treasures to amass vast resources against future crises. That true immortal ancestor who lost the Nine Transformations Heavenly Furnace—when he reached fourth heaven, he completed the eighth transformation and shed his old husk. After ascending, he refined the remnant into a treasure. Break off a portion and place it in a cave heaven to nourish it, restore some origin, and slightly boost time acceleration.

"Of course, the effect is limited—restoring only a small amount of origin and increasing time flow by roughly one percent. Now only one last small piece remains, ready for auction. If the Heavenly Emperor heir truly had his cave heaven origin drained, this item would still hold some use for him—enough to draw his interest. Then, when he tries to bid, we keep raising the price—straight to ten times its true value. If he still grits his teeth and pays that exorbitant cost! It proves his cave heaven truly was sucked dry. You won't be afraid then, right?"

Shen Yu's eyes lit up. This was a brilliant idea. An item somewhat useful, yet ultimately limited—classic case of high price for middling utility. Only a fool would overpay tenfold. The Heavenly Emperor's heir wasn't stupid. So if he still insisted on winning it, it would confirm his cave heaven was damaged—drained by that Yao Yuezhi.

Facing a weakened Heavenly Emperor heir in a coordinated ambush... Shen Yu felt a genuine spark of confidence.