Immortality Starts With Investment

Ye Chen savored each bite while listening to Lu Jing's cheerful chatter. She told him about all the different ingredients she had discovered. She mentioned how the elders from the Outer Affairs Hall would personally deliver anything especially delicious straight to her.

The subtle restlessness that had built up from his rapid cultivation progress gradually melted away amid these simple, completely unrelated-to-cultivation words. His mind grew calm and unhurried.

It took a full half day before Ye Chen finally tasted everything Lu Jing had prepared. Only after letting her gently wipe his mouth and tidy him up did he smile and ask, "I've been gone so long, yet your cultivation hasn't budged at all. You've poured all your energy into these things, haven't you?"

Lu Jing cultivated the Hundred Flowers Immortal Scripture, a technique renowned for its swift progress. Not to mention the astonishing spiritual density inside his cave abode.

Ye Chen had long since casually tossed her piles of pills perfectly suited to her realm. Various treasures had been supplied without restraint. If she had cultivated seriously, she would easily have matched the pace of ordinary little geniuses. Yet right now she remained stuck at the Nascent Soul stage—exactly where she had broken through the last time he had personally filled her up.

Lu Jing lowered her head in embarrassment. She truly had no interest in painstaking cultivation. Compared to training, she much preferred tending spiritual herbs and flowers, experimenting with new recipes. On idle days, she would simply gaze at the sky, quietly wondering when Ye Chen would return.

Such days never felt boring to her. As for raising her cultivation, she felt neither interest nor motivation. Living safely inside Heavenly Evolution Holy Land, she would never need to fight in her lifetime. And when the Young Master eventually ascended and left this realm, without anyone left to wait for, there would be no point in lingering for countless years.

Quietly aging and passing away felt perfectly fine. Though Lu Jing had zero drive to improve her cultivation, she looked forward with great anticipation to the way Ye Chen helped her "advance." Recalling the last time he had raised her realm, her pretty face flushed involuntarily.

Ye Chen didn't bother scolding her for slacking off anymore. He simply asked directly, "My cave heaven can now support cultivation and breakthroughs inside. Do you still want to go in and live there?"

Lu Jing nodded without the slightest hesitation. Waiting inside the cave abode was still waiting. Better to wait inside the Young Master's.

Without another word, Ye Chen opened the entrance to his cave heaven and let her step inside. Now there were two women living within. Most female cultivators would never choose to reside permanently inside a male cultivator's cave heaven. It meant surrendering all independence.

But Luo Bingling had been deeply influenced by War God Clan traditions—once married, she followed her husband completely. Plus, she was a cultivation fanatic: aside from squirting, all she cared about was training. Under those circumstances, she felt perfectly at ease living inside.

As for Lu Jing, she had completely given up on everything except her man. For a woman like her, the very last thing she needed was independence!

Ye Chen entered the cave heaven.

Under Lu Jing's shocked and admiring gaze, he settled her in comfortably. He also casually instructed Luo Bingling not to bully her.

Luo Bingling merely glanced at Lu Jing once—some trifling Nascent Soul cultivator—and couldn't be bothered to look again. The Holy Spirit sealed within the jade stone, however, furrowed her brows.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Another woman?

The thought of yet another pair of hands pressing against her husk made the Holy Spirit feel nothing but disgust.

...

With everything arranged, Ye Chen rose gracefully. He had already transmitted to the Holy Master earlier about heading to the Immortal Path. Though he had only just returned, Feng Baiyu raised no objections upon hearing the news and immediately went to summon the Supreme Elder.

Under normal circumstances, such mighty figures were extremely difficult to mobilize. But upon learning it was to protect Ye Chen's dao, the elders agreed without the slightest hesitation.

In mere moments, everything was ready.

The moment Ye Chen boarded the vessel, it shot forward with explosive momentum.

Once Ye Chen boarded the vessel, his gaze fell upon a dazzling figure, and his eyes immediately brightened. A warm, familiar smile spread across his face at once.

"Eldest Senior Brother! It's been so long! You've actually become a Saint?"

Ye Chen felt surprise, though not overwhelming surprise. He had long sensed that his Eldest Senior Brother was extraordinary.

The Moral Immortal Venerable ranked among the top ten of the human race, and unlike the Heavenly Emperor Hall—which produced successors in every generation—the Moral lineage followed an extremely selective, elite path.

Moreover, his Eldest Senior Brother was astonishingly cautious. Ye Chen sometimes felt he could rival even Alkaid in that regard. The figure before him was clearly still a clone.

Ye Chen couldn't help but wonder whether his Eldest Senior Brother's true body—which had never once appeared—might already have reached the Emperor realm, or even the Quasi-Immortal.

Regardless, Ye Chen genuinely felt close to this Senior Brother. Throughout his growth, the other had helped him countless times. Back when he had not yet matured, the pressure from the Heavenly Intention Holy Son had been immense. It was his Eldest Senior Brother who had quietly held the other side in check.

Sensing Ye Chen's warmth, Hua Yunfei's refined, jade-like features softened into a gentle smile.

"I came this time because there is something I must ask Junior Brother to help with."

Ye Chen nodded readily.

"Speak freely, Senior Brother."

Hua Yunfei's expression grew serious.

"I just learned from the Holy Master that you are heading to retrieve the Dao-Entrust Treasure. Dantai has gone there as well… She has changed so completely now—it's as though she has truly become another person. When the time comes, she will definitely try to kill you. So I must ask you to show mercy—do not slay her. If possible, suppress her and bring her out of the Immortal Path. Every time I look at her, I can't help remembering how adorable she was as a child. I cannot bear to raise a hand against her."

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow.

"The Holy Maiden has reached such a state? She no longer cares even for the bonds between fellow disciples? She would truly kill me?"

Hua Yunfei gave a bitter laugh.

"It is not that she hates anyone. She simply no longer cares about anyone. As long as you do not block her path, she will not even spare you a second glance.But if you stand between her and a treasure, she will strike without the slightest hesitation, regardless of who you are. She has already attacked me once."

Ye Chen nodded. His relationship with the Holy Maiden had always been distant. So even hearing this did not particularly bother him. As for showing mercy—for his Eldest Senior Brother's sake, that was naturally possible.

"Is there truly no way to bring her back?"

Though he felt little toward this Senior Sister, Ye Chen still found the Supreme Emotionlessness Scripture rather terrifying. To cultivate a technique and slowly become an entirely different person. It was far too overbearing.

Hua Yunfei shook his head.

"I did manage to obtain a certain dharma, but Dantai refuses to cultivate it, so there is no way to proceed…"

She refused? Then simply make her willing. And coincidentally, he seemed to have just the right tool for the job.

In Ye Chen's mind, the image of a certain cauldron immediately surfaced. Not the immortal artifact Nine Transformations Heavenly Cauldron, but the supreme Extreme Dao weapon—Divine Maiden Furnace!

This artifact possessed all sorts of profound effects, but the most outrageous was its ability to take a female cultivator, refine her inside, and cause her to lose herself temporarily—becoming utterly obedient and compliant. It was said that if one refined long enough, even an iceberg could be melted into a constant stream of flowing water. He had never needed the thing himself, so it had simply sat forgotten inside his cave heaven all this time.

Now, however, it seemed perfectly suited to the current situation. Toss Dantai Xuan inside and refine her for a while. Once she became dazed and delirious—reaching the point where she would agree to anything as long as he satisfied her—he could simply toss the dharma inside and have her cultivate it.

But his Eldest Senior Brother clearly cared deeply for Dantai Xuan—practically like a devoted simp. There was surely something between them. So he couldn't be the one to do the refining. Better to lend the furnace to his Eldest Senior Brother and let him handle it…