Immortality Starts With Investment

Looking at Ye Chen's utterly sincere expression—even invoking the potential impact on his own breakthrough to sainthood just to convince her to accept the war chariot—Yan Qingcheng's guilt surged to an unbearable peak!

He must have realized she was about to reveal her true face and step into the world openly. That was why he had deliberately come to deliver the Heavenly Emperor War Chariot—so she could claim it with rightful legitimacy. And this chariot… compared to the dao-weapon grade she had glimpsed before, it had not merely been restored to its former glory. One could see with the naked eye the array of divine materials lavished upon it. She even sensed the unmistakable aura of Seven-Colored Nirvana Jade.

Most Extreme Dao weapons, once damaged, were far more troublesome and costly to repair than forging a new one from scratch. Yet Ye Chen had spared no expense. He had repaired it without hesitation, using even more extravagant materials—making it, in every respect, possibly stronger than the original Heavenly Emperor War Chariot.

Thinking of how long Ye Chen had been preparing for this moment, painstakingly gathering every rare divine material… Yan Qingcheng felt an ache deep in her chest. Her father had truly gone too far! Forcing Ye Chen to bear the blame, spreading slander to ruin his name, making him shoulder the inherited enmity aimed at the Heavenly Emperor…

Recalling all the injustice Ye Chen had endured—and yet how, despite everything, he still felt guilt toward her, his heart remaining so pure and kind—Yan Qingcheng could bear it no longer. When she returned this time, she would have a serious talk with her father.

The Heavenly Emperor Hall must be returned to Ye Chen. It did not belong to the Ye family. It belonged to the true heir of the Heavenly Emperor. She was the false one. If her father refused, she would simply leave the Heavenly Emperor Hall behind.

…

Shock, guilt, sorrow, and fury swirled chaotically in Yan Qingcheng's heart. For a moment, she could not find words.

Off to the side, Dantai Xuan was quietly calculating. A high-grade Extreme Dao war chariot represented an enormous boost in combat power for any cultivator. If she could obtain one, her strength would rise sharply, giving her a far better chance to seize opportunities deeper along the Immortal Path and perfect her Supreme Immortal Body. But that was secondary. The real priority was getting Ye Chen to yield the Heavenly Will Dao-Entrust Jade to her first.

Meanwhile, Ling Yu—who had been patiently waiting for the old acquaintances to finish catching up so the real battle over the treasure could begin—stared with wide eyes…

Were the prodigies of the cultivation world all this extravagant? Gifting female cultivators Extreme Dao weapons? And not just any—high-grade ones. Moreover, not ordinary armaments, but war chariots, which consumed far more resources to craft and repair.

In the Extreme Martial Realm, where resources were scarce, giving away even a single piece of divine metal material was already considered an earth-shattering gesture.

This…

Ling Yu, hailing from the Extreme Martial Realm, gained a fresh understanding of just how wealthy the cultivation world truly was. He could see clearly now: Ye Chen wasn't only here to fight for the Heavenly Will Dao-Entrust Jade. He was also staking a claim on the woman he had set his sights on.

Yet Ling Yu felt no malice rise in his heart. Instead, his battle intent burned even hotter. His grandmother had once told him: when a man wanted to win a woman's favor, gifts were merely icing on the cake. What truly mattered was his own strength. Women were born to admire the strong.

If you were powerful, you could give nothing at all and still have countless women throwing themselves at you. But if you were weak, you could pour out every resource you owned, and she would still leave. So as long as he defeated Ye Chen, even if Ye Chen gifted a supreme Extreme Dao weapon, what did it matter?

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Ling Yu calmed himself, quietly preparing for the battle to come.

…

It was a long moment before Yan Qingcheng finally spoke, her voice soft but steady.

"Fellow Daoist Ye, the position of Heavenly Emperor's heir has always belonged to you… It was I—my Yan family—who took it from you… When the Heavenly Emperor departed, he never intended to establish a formal lineage for the Heavenly Emperor Hall. He left it to Destiny. But he feared that some of his less talented descendants might later face retribution, so he permitted the creation of the Heavenly Emperor Hall."

"As for the requirements for his heir, he simply said: choose a Sacred Body if one exists; otherwise, choose a Supreme Heart. You met every criterion perfectly. Yet later, my Yan family ancestors grew selfish. They wanted their own descendants to monopolize the inheritance.

"From then on, no matter how exceptional an outsider's talent—even if a Sacred Body appeared—they refused to select anyone outside the clan. So… The Heavenly Emperor War Chariot is yours. The Heavenly Emperor Scripture should be yours alone as well. Everything you have received, you truly deserve it all! It is my Yan family, and I, who owe you an apology!"

Ye Chen immediately waved his hand, cutting her off without hesitation. "Fellow Daoist, there is no need for such words. The ancestors of the Yan family acted as close confidants of the Heavenly Emperor; their decisions carried their own logic and reason. Fairy Yan, please say no more of this. In short, if you refuse this chariot, my heart will remain unsettled. I will be unable to successfully achieve sainthood. Are you truly going to force me into this?"

A helpless, bitter smile appeared on Yan Qingcheng's breathtakingly beautiful face. She too stood at peak Half-Saint and understood perfectly well that such a minor matter could never truly obstruct Ye Chen's path to sainthood. But the very fact that he would phrase it this way proved the depth and sincerity of his resolve.

She found herself utterly unable to refuse. Very well—accept it then. After all, it was only a war chariot. Once she left the Immortal Path this time, she would repay him far more generously.

Yan Qingcheng nodded solemnly. "Since that is the case… then I must thank Fellow Daoist Ye."

With those words, she raised her hand decisively and accepted the chariot into her storage. Then she looked at Ye Chen with earnest gravity. "You have given me a war chariot, Fellow Daoist. Naturally, I cannot simply accept it without offering something in return… Later, I will no longer compete with you for the Dao-Entrust Treasure!"

This was the first step in making amends. Yan Qingcheng did not believe she was guaranteed to defeat Ye Chen, but she was confident she was not significantly weaker either. By voluntarily withdrawing, she would hand him an almost certain victory for the treasure.

But her compensation would not end there. Once this matter was concluded, she would bring Ye Chen to the Heavenly Emperor Hall and confront her father directly. For instance, the opportunity in the Origin Pool must go to Ye Chen. And the Heavenly Emperor Hall itself—it too must be returned to him.

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow at her words.

Wait—you don't actually think you can beat me, do you?

Still, considering she possessed the Chaos Body and came from the Heavenly Emperor Hall, it was understandable for her to feel such confidence. He saw no need to puncture her illusion. If it made her happy, so be it.

In any case, he had always intended to give the Dao-Entrust Treasure to Yan Qingcheng in the end. If she refrained from competing now, he could win it openly and then hand it to her afterward—for an even stronger emotional impact.

So Ye Chen smiled and nodded. "Then I must thank Fairy Yan in advance!"

Yan Qingcheng returned the smile. Yet her mind had already drifted far away, preoccupied with planning exactly how to broach the subject with her father without wounding him too deeply…

Although her father had done many wrongs to Ye Chen, everything had been for her sake. She had to choose her words carefully.

…

At that moment, a system prompt chimed in Ye Chen's mind.

"Congratulations to the host—gift successfully presented…"

"Gift: High-grade Extreme Dao Weapon, Heavenly Emperor War Chariot!"

"Processing 7,000× feedback…"

"Detected that the gifted item holds extreme significance to the recipient. Top-notch critical hit feedback triggered…"

"Feedback: Supreme Immortal Artifact—Realm Sea War Vessel!"

"Feedback: Supreme Extreme Dao Weapon—Western Empress Divine Carriage!"

"Realm Sea War Vessel: Attains the absolute limit of immortal artifact speed, possesses boundless power, and grants the ability to shatter world boundaries. Piloting this vessel allows traversal through world crystal walls, crossing realms at will, and waging war across the myriad domains…"

"Western Empress Divine Carriage: …"

Reading the rewards, Ye Chen's eyebrows lifted in genuine surprise…