Immortality Starts With Investment

When the Heavenly Emperor's heir was still in the King realm, he slaughtered Half-Saints as easily as chickens or dogs. Now rumors said he had already broken through to Half-Saint. Killing a Half-Saint would be even simpler for him.

So before departing in humiliation, the Violet Radiance Holy Son couldn't resist sneering: "The Heavenly Will Dao-Entrust Jade still needs half a year to fully gestate and emerge. You, an outsider cultivator—do you really think you have a chance? Defeating me means nothing. I'm merely one of the many prodigies in the cultivation world. When the Heavenly Emperor's heir arrives, you'll finally understand what true terror feels like."

Ling Yu watched the other party retreat on his own and chose not to pursue and kill them all. Though confident, he was ultimately from an external realm. Stirring up widespread outrage would only bring trouble.

Still, hearing those words, Ling Yu laughed.

"In our Extreme Martial Realm, there is only one slot for the Immortal Path. Within the Blood Lotus Secret Realm, the sole survivor automatically claims it. In our generation, seven people stood at your level. They feared me—so the moment we entered the Blood Lotus Secret Realm, they joined forces to surround and attack me. Yet I killed them one by one and took the slot. My martial path requires true powerhouses to temper it. The Heavenly Emperor's heir? Let him come!"

Ling Yu brimmed with confidence. This generation in the Extreme Martial Realm had also seen an explosion of prodigies, each more monstrous than the last. Someone like the Violet Radiance Holy Son would normally have suppressed an entire era, unrivaled.

But in this generation, seven such figures had appeared at once. Some even surpassed him in cultivation. Yet before him, they were nothing more than dust—crushed and annihilated by his physique alone within the secret realm. Thus, he had earned the sole qualification to enter the Immortal Path.

He knew the cultivation world would have even stronger prodigies, but he felt no fear whatsoever. Every enemy was merely a stepping stone to hone his flesh. The Heavenly Emperor's heir? The Extreme Martial Realm had legends of the Heavenly Emperor, too. So Ling Yu's battle intent surged sky-high.

The Violet Radiance Holy Son's face darkened when he heard the outsider had slain seven people on his level. The humiliation was unbearable. But if he couldn't win, he couldn't win. He let out a cold snort.

"A frog at the bottom of a well. You step out from a minor world and think yourself invincible. Before the Heavenly Emperor's heir, you're nothing but an ant…"

Ling Yu had no interest in further words. In his own world, he had always preferred action over chatter. He drifted into the canyon, sensed the treasure still gestating within, and gave a satisfied nod. Indeed, it would take another half year. For him, that was nothing. He could wait in peace.

The Violet Radiance Holy Son's expression turned livid. He turned and left without another word. The group transformed into a streak of Violet Radiance and vanished. But at that very moment, a white figure floated over—clearly heading straight for the canyon as well.

The Violet Radiance Holy Son narrowed his eyes. Another blind fool daring to covet the Heavenly Will Dao-Entrust Jade?

Though he knew it no longer concerned him, rage still burned inside him. He needed an outlet. If he couldn't beat that filthy beggar outsider, surely he could crush this one. He raised his hand without hesitation. A massive purple palm condensed and slammed toward the newcomer.

As the white figure drew near, it resolved into a woman—stunningly beautiful, yet chillingly cold. Sensing the attack, she merely lifted her gaze. In an instant, two sword-like beams of light shot from her eyes.

The purple giant palm exploded with a bang. The unexpected scene caused the Violet Radiance Holy Son's expression to twist.

Who was this now? How could she be so terrifying? Another prodigy from the outside?

Before he could speak, the woman raised her hand and made a casual, diagonal slash through empty air. A heaven-shaking sword Qi infused with pure slaughter intent roared forth.

That sword Qi seemed capable of piercing through anything. Every layer of defense the Violet Radiance Holy Son raised felt like paper before it. Together with the Half-Saints of Violet Radiance Holy Land beside him, he was sliced cleanly in half. Endless blood sprayed across the void.

At this moment, the Violet Radiance Holy Son truly panicked. He—a Holy Son—had been bisected by a single strike?

This was beyond absurd. Worse, the attack carried an annihilating chill that severed nearly every healing technique. He frantically circulated Violet Radiance Holy Land's recovery arts, but they did nothing.

"Fellow Daoist, I am the Violet Radiance Holy Son! My grandfather is a Great Saint, and we have an Emperor Ancestor! Please listen—I mean no harm! I only wanted to warn you—there's a filthy…"

Seeing the woman's indifferent eyes and her jade hand rising once more, the Violet Radiance Holy Son felt the cold grip of death. He rushed to explain himself.

Yet the woman's gaze remained calm as an abyssal pool, without the slightest ripple. Her jade hand made another empty slash. Then she clenched it into a fist.

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In an instant, endless terrifying sword qi converged from every direction, as though determined to slice apart reality itself.

The next moment, not a single sound remained from the Violet Radiance Holy Land group. Not even a trace.

The woman was none other than Dantai Xuan.

Dantai Xuan swept her gaze around, confirming no one survived, then looked ahead.

Ling Yu narrowed his eyes as he watched her. A trace of wariness flickered in his gaze, along with a spark of battle intent—but mostly, sheer amazement.

Dantai Xuan, however, remained perfectly composed. Her eyes were deep and unfathomable. Slowly, she raised her jade hand.

Ling Yu's voice rang out loud and clear: "The Heavenly Will Dao-Entrust Jade still needs half a year to fully gestate and emerge. Let's save our battle for later—lest someone else takes advantage of the chaos!"

A faint ripple finally stirred in Dantai Xuan's otherwise indifferent eyes. Without a word, she chose a spot in the canyon and sat down.

Ling Yu watched her decisive action, appreciation flickering in his gaze. Such bearing and grace—he had never seen a female cultivator quite like her in the Extreme Martial Realm. The cultivation world truly was a land of hidden dragons and crouching tigers!

Soon after, another figure descended upon the canyon. Clad in azure robes, the newcomer arrived with ethereal grace. Both Dantai Xuan and Ling Yu opened their eyes.

It was a woman, shrouded in swirling chaotic Qi that obscured her features. Only her flawless, perfectly proportioned figure was visible—no excess, no flaw.

Yet her face remained hidden. A strange glint passed through Dantai Xuan's eyes, but the indifference quickly returned. Confirming the newcomer had no immediate intent to fight, she closed her eyes once more.

Ling Yu, however, was far more shocked.

"Chaos Qi? A Chaos Body—and a woman at that!"

Though the Extreme Martial Realm lacked Chaos Bodies, ancient exchanges with the cultivation world had left behind legends of them. They were the supreme physique beneath immortal physiques.

Still, Ling Yu was confident that his Martial Dao Sacred Embryo was no weaker. What truly stunned him was her gender. In his realm, very few women ever reached the absolute peak. Yet here in the cultivation world, he had already encountered two such women in a single day.

Ling Yu, who had devoted himself solely to cultivation since birth and harbored no thoughts of desire, suddenly felt that these two might have been arranged by the Heavenly Dao itself—for him.

In time, he would subdue them both with his strength. The Heavenly Will Dao-Entrust Jade would be his. And these two women would become his companions on the path to immortality in this realm.

So Ling Yu gave a slight smile and spoke first: "The Heavenly Will Dao-Entrust Jade still needs half a year to emerge, Fellow Daoist. Why not wait together with us? When it appears, we can fight fairly to decide its owner. I am Ling Yu, from the Extreme Martial Realm."

The newcomer was none other than Yan Qingcheng. There was no longer any need to conceal her physique. Hearing his words, she merely glanced at him, gave the faintest nod, and said nothing more.

Outer-realm cultivators were rare, but not unheard of across the ages. This man was strong, but Yan Qingcheng had absolute confidence. Her gaze lingered a moment longer on Dantai Xuan.

Dantai Xuan was not particularly famous in the cultivation world, and few knew her. But because of Ye Chen, Yan Qingcheng recognized her identity. For Ye Chen's sake, she decided she would go easy on Dantai Xuan when the time came.

Soon enough, Yan Qingcheng withdrew her gaze, found a spot, and sat down calmly. Chaos Qi flowed around her, completely enveloping her form!

Ling Yu sensed her aloofness and the corners of his mouth curved upward. In the Extreme Martial Realm, countless female cultivators adored him. Yet he had never been interested. Now these two barely spared him a glance—and that only made him more intrigued.

Women like them were the only ones worthy of standing beside him and ascending the immortal path together. Still, his Dao Heart remained unshaken. He quickly settled into serious cultivation.

But only a few days later, Ling Yu frowned and looked into the distance. Several figures were speeding toward the canyon. Both women were alerted and opened their eyes.

Ling Yu soon smiled.

"Two of them are on par with that Violet Radiance Holy Son—nothing more. They're not qualified to wait here with us. Fellow Daoists, no need to act. I'll handle it."

Ling Yu wanted to display his strength. With those words, he shot forward like a cannon. Soon, booming sounds echoed across the sky. But the commotion quickly subsided.

Ling Yu returned calmly, only his wildly dancing black hair and slightly unsteady aura betraying that a fierce battle had just taken place. He was certain his performance would leave the two women in awe. Yet neither Dantai Xuan nor Yan Qingcheng so much as lifted their eyelids.

Ling Yu's brow furrowed slightly, but he soon smiled confidently again. In the Extreme Martial Realm, female cultivators almost always "married up."

A woman with first-grade spirit roots, for example, would never pair with a man of the same grade. She would at minimum seek a second- or third-grade male cultivator. Top female prodigies followed the same pattern—always choosing partners stronger than themselves. These two were undoubtedly among the very best in this realm. How could they possibly be impressed so easily?

No matter. Their high-cold demeanor had successfully captured his interest. He had both the strength and the patience. There was nothing to worry about…

After the group of newcomers was wiped out, no one else dared approach the canyon.

Ling Yu tried to strike up a conversation, but neither woman bothered to respond. Thus, the canyon fell into complete silence. They waited quietly for the Heavenly Will Dao-Entrust Jade to be born.

...

Back in Heavenly Evolution Holy Land.

Under Elder Lin's deeply aggrieved stare, Ye Chen slowly stepped out from the portal.

"Alright, alright—just a little temporary business. I'll come find you again in a bit… I still prefer the peach-heart tail. Keep it just like that!"

After returning to his own holy land, aside from cultivating his Dao and techniques, Ye Chen had almost no serious matters to attend to. It had been so long since he last spent time with Elder An—he missed her terribly.

Though Elder An was usually emotionally steady and showed no overt signs of longing, she kept asking whether he wanted detoxification, whether the nether poison was tormenting him.

Clearly, she missed him too. So he had stayed with Senior An for quite a while. Only now was it Elder Lin's turn. But barely a day later, he had to leave again. Ye Chen understood Elder Lin's mood and quickly offered an explanation.

Then he drifted lightly toward the holy land's exit. He had just received a transmission from the Demon-Exterminating Great Saint, asking to meet outside the holy land.

It seemed the Dao-Entrust Treasure had been secured. After all, the Demon-Exterminating Great Saint was still a Great Saint—he couldn't possibly fail every single time.

Even though the other party was on the Conferred God List, Ye Chen felt he should offer some reward. But when Ye Chen arrived at the agreed location and saw the Demon-Exterminating Great Saint, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but twitch again…