Immortality Starts With Investment

In the fifth realm of the Immortal Path.

Deep within a certain stretch of void, a solitary figure sat motionless. Around him, endless Chaos Qi surged and crashed like raging waves, thundering without end. Yet the man remained utterly still. Beneath the relentless battering, his body steadily underwent transformation. After an unknown span of time, he slowly opened his eyes. Within those profound pupils seemed to lie an entire world.

"The demonic body fell exactly as I anticipated. Even with a fragment of a quasi-immortal array protecting it, it could not escape destruction. I once told the Demon-Exterminating Great Saint that I would use the demonic body as the primary material to forge a supreme Extreme Dao Weapon!

"Moreover, before this feigned death, I deliberately leaked the follow-up transformation method, revealed my identity as the true inheritor of the devouring scripture, and even exposed the true cause of my elder brother's death. The heir of the Heavenly Emperor should no longer harbor any suspicion. Still… the Heavenly Emperor's heir is even more terrifying than I imagined.

"With a quasi-immortal remnant array guarding it, my demonic body could have suppressed any ordinary peak saint with a casual gesture. Yet under his full power, it still could not withstand a single blow. This child is truly fearsome!"

Even so, no trace of despair flickered in Alkaid's eyes. So what if Ye Chen was peerlessly talented? So what if the Immortal Path in this era was unimaginably difficult?

He had faked his death. In the days to come, Ye Chen would inevitably clash with the Celestial Prince and the Eight-Crowned King. Meanwhile, he would continue to grow—uninterrupted—until he reached the absolute peak.

Moreover, handing Ye Chen the method to break the restrictions of the Indestructible Heavenly Art had been part of his scheme from the beginning.

Ye Chen's comprehension was monstrous; he grasped every path and law with ease. Perhaps he truly could perfect the technique and awaken an immortal physique. When the time was right—when Ye Chen was absent—he would simply go find Yi Qingwu and claim everything for himself. And beyond that, there was the woman his demonic body had encountered today.

In this life, a Chaos Body had actually appeared. A congenital Chaos Body, no less. If he could suppress and devour her, his understanding of the Chaos Body would rise to an entirely new level.

Ambition burned fiercely in Alkaid's gaze. His possibilities were limitless. For now, however, having only just faked his death, he had no intention of acting. He would wait until Ye Chen completely lowered his guard. Then he would strike—methodically, one move after another…

Once he achieved the Chaos Immortal Body, the heir of the Heavenly Emperor would become his greatest medicine. Together with immortal qi, he would ascend to immortality.

Having planned everything clearly, Alkaid slowly closed his eyes once more. All around him, the void grew still. Only this small patch of chaos continued its endless churning.

…

"For now, let him hide. Next time, if there's still no word from the Demon-Exterminating Great Saint, I'll use the Foresight Secret to locate Alkaid's true body and obliterate him!"

Though he had seen through everything, Alkaid's mental resilience was genuinely astonishing. The demonic fetus he had nurtured as a clone was hardly weaker than his main body and could have provided immense help in the future.

Yet Alkaid had discarded it without the slightest hesitation, sending it to its death. He had even gifted away a meticulously researched technique. All to make Ye Chen drop his guard completely.

The more ruthless Alkaid proved to be, the stronger Ye Chen's killing intent grew. A mind so deep and treacherous could not be allowed to live. Still, there were more pressing matters at hand.

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Ye Chen turned his cold gaze toward Dantai Xuan. She had already lost interest in the meaningless fight and wanted to leave, but Yan Qingcheng kept her entangled.

Dantai Xuan frowned at Yan Qingcheng, then looked at Ye Chen and spoke: "I have no prior connection with Alkaid Holy Son. Just now, he only sent me a voice transmission, asking me to distract you for a moment. Since you are unharmed and Alkaid has perished, I have no intention of contending for the Heavenly Will Dao-Entrust Jade any longer. Let your woman stand down!"

Ye Chen did not care whether Dantai Xuan had been secretly colluding with Alkaid from the beginning. What mattered was that she had to be brought back.

Yet Yan Qingcheng was still fighting with relish, and Ye Chen had no intention of stopping her. Instead, he spoke gravely: "Holy Maiden, be careful with your words. Fairy Yan is not my dao companion—she is merely my fellow daoist! Whether she acts or stops is her decision alone. She has every right to do as she pleases. I have no authority to command Fairy Yan."

In any case, it was not yet time to offer a gift. The Heavenly Will Dao-Entrust Jade had not yet appeared. Ye Chen felt no urgency at all.

Hearing those words, the tension on Yan Qingcheng's face eased considerably. Ye Chen's display of strength just now had truly shaken her. She had believed herself to be fighting at roughly seventy percent of her power. But from what she had just witnessed, she was lucky to have managed thirty percent. She might not even be able to withstand a single serious exchange from him.

For someone as proud and self-assured as Yan Qingcheng, the realization came as a heavy blow. It left her feeling lost, a little fragile, which was why she had thrown herself so fiercely into suppressing Dantai Xuan—to prove something to herself. If Ye Chen had simply ordered her to stop earlier, she would have felt a flicker of resentment. But the way he had spoken—openly respecting her autonomy—swept away every last trace of that small grievance.

With her heart unburdened, Yan Qingcheng spoke up of her own accord: "At the half-saint realm, it's rare to find anyone who can truly stand as my equal in battle. I wanted to use this fight to test and confirm my own path and laws."

Ye Chen nodded at once. He even stepped back deliberately, intending to go chat with Ling Yu, who was still watching from the sidelines. No rush on his part. Let them fight. They could go on for a whole week if they wanted. Still, he offered one reminder: "Dantai Xuan is, after all, the Holy Maiden of our Heavenly Evolution Holy Land, and she shares a deep bond with my senior brother. Her current state is only the result of a problem with her cultivation technique. So please, Fairy Yan—subdue her if you must, but do not take her life."

Yan Qingcheng gave a small nod. With a sweep of her hand, she charged forward once more in a thunderous assault.

Dantai Xuan merely frowned. She had no interest in pointless exertion. In the world of cultivation, she could no longer commune with the Supreme Will. With her immortal physique incomplete, she could not bring her full strength to bear anyway.

She had no need for combat experience either. Once she reestablished her connection to the Supreme Will in the future, she would inherit the accumulated insights of generation after generation of Supremes.

Besides, because of Hua Yunfei, Ye Chen could never truly kill her, no matter the circumstances. So when Yan Qingcheng came roaring in, Dantai Xuan simply stood still. She withdrew every trace of her laws and Qi, refrained from using any divine abilities, and remained perfectly calm.

Yan Qingcheng narrowed her eyes, but she showed no mercy. Her Heavenly Emperor Fist, wreathed in Chaos Qi, lacked some of the original version's domineering aura yet carried a deeper resonance with the natural order of heaven.

One punch landed.

Dantai Xuan did not even attempt to dodge. Her body was smashed straight into the ground. When she rose again, her skin—once as smooth and lustrous as jade—now resembled shattered porcelain, covered in countless fine, spiderweb cracks.

The injuries were clearly severe. Yet her expression remained utterly indifferent. She made no effort to heal herself. She simply stood there in silence, gazing calmly at Yan Qingcheng. She had clearly resolved not to fight back. She had no intention of serving as a whetstone for Yan Qingcheng's growth. Her attitude was plain: If you want to kill me, then do it.

Yan Qingcheng frowned deeply. What she needed was a worthy opponent—someone who could push her to the limit so she could comprehend her own dao through true combat. Not a lifeless punching bag that refused to strike back. After one cold glance at Dantai Xuan, she withdrew her hand.

Meanwhile, Ye Chen gained a fresh understanding of the woman. She truly cared about nothing beyond her own objective. Knowing she would not die, she allowed herself to be pummeled without resistance.

Face, pain, humiliation—none of it mattered to her in the slightest. She had taken heartlessness and detachment to an extreme. An enemy like that was genuinely terrifying. That scripture known as the Supreme Emotionless… it really was far too aberrant.