Immortality Starts With Investment

One the true heir of the Heavenly Emperor, the other a false one. The two chatted casually about the Heavenly Emperor for a while before quickly reaching the same conclusion. It was impossible for the Heavenly Emperor's character to actually be decent.

"Fellow Daoist, why not place her in the Divine Maiden Furnace first?" Yan Qingcheng suggested. "The sooner the treatment begins, the sooner she can recover."

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow and glanced at her. For a moment, he wondered whether Yan Qingcheng was taking petty revenge for Dantai Xuan's earlier refusal to fight back properly. But he quickly dismissed the thought and shook his head.

"It wouldn't be appropriate for me to handle this. After all, she is still my senior sister. Better to let my senior brother or one of the elders take care of it. My reputation is already in ruins. It would be far too easy for people to misunderstand."

Hearing that, fresh guilt surged in Yan Qingcheng's heart. Ye Chen's tarnished name was entirely her father's doing. She spoke up at once to comfort him: "Pay no mind to the gossip and slander outside. Even if the entire world refuses to believe in you, I will always believe in you."

Ye Chen was mildly surprised.

I don't even believe in myself, and you do?

He had no idea where her unwavering trust came from. Still, he raised his hand and summoned the Divine Maiden Furnace. He could simply hand both the woman and the furnace over to his senior brother later.

In an instant, the jade-beauty-like vessel appeared before Yan Qingcheng. She showed neither embarrassment nor disgust. Instead, she examined it with genuine curiosity, discussing with Ye Chen the principles of human desire woven into its design. Once their conversation wound down, Ye Chen withdrew the Heavy Pupil Pure Land.

Inside the Divine Maiden Furnace lay a small sacrificial altar. With a thought, Dantai Xuan was drawn directly onto it. Sensing the aura of human desire permeating the space, she frowned slightly. But then she let out a cold laugh. Even though Ye Chen's seal prevented her from using any cultivation techniques or arts, her disdain remained unshaken.

"A mere supreme Extreme Dao Weapon—how could it possibly affect me? Nothing but wasted effort!"

With those words, she closed her eyes and sat cross-legged in meditation.

Ye Chen said nothing. He simply channeled his divine power slowly, inscribing Dantai Xuan's name onto the altar. Instantly, the boundless power of human desire boiled up and surged toward her.

Dantai Xuan's body shuddered once. Yet she quickly regained her composure, as though completely unaffected.

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow. Could the Divine Maiden Furnace actually be useless?

But Yan Qingcheng spoke up: "The scripture she cultivates is extraordinarily terrifying. It may not be so easy for her to be influenced. Still, she has not reached perfection without flaw. As long as she remains immersed in the Divine Maiden Furnace long enough for refinement, sooner or later, a crack will appear in her defenses. Then we can drive straight through and see whether we can awaken even a trace of her original will."

Ye Chen found the reasoning sound and nodded. He then replaced the furnace lid. Now they could only wait for time to reveal the answer. With her sealed inside the furnace, there was also no risk of Dantai Xuan glimpsing the secrets within his cave heaven.

Ye Chen casually lifted his hand and stored the entire Divine Maiden Furnace inside his cave heaven. The Heavenly Will Dao-Entrust Jade had not yet appeared. His gift cooldown had not yet ended. So he and Yan Qingcheng simply continued talking—about cultivation, about the Heavenly Emperor Scripture, about all manner of ancient events and legends. Their shared topics were endless.

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Meanwhile, the onlookers who had previously kept their distance—already unnerved after Alkaid Holy Son's fall—now dared not approach at all. They spread the news far and wide while watching from afar.

Soon enough, someone recognized the peerless woman Ye Chen had subdued and sealed away. The Holy Maiden of Heavenly Evolution Holy Land—Ye Chen's own senior sister.

What could have happened to turn them against each other? Could it be that the Heavenly Emperor's heir had been rejected in his pursuit?

While the crowd speculated, they watched Ye Chen produce a crystalline, jade-like vessel radiating the might of a supreme Extreme Dao Weapon.

The moment male cultivators laid eyes on its subtle, alluring curves, their gazes widened.

Was this not the Divine Maiden Furnace—the supreme ultimate weapon every man in the cultivation world dreamed of possessing? And it was actually in the hands of the Heavenly Emperor's heir?

Unbelievable.

Back in his day, the Heavenly Emperor had captured Holy Maidens from every major holy land and clan, making enemies of the entire world. To quell the outrage, he had been forced to shatter the Divine Maiden Furnace in public.

Yet now it appeared he had never truly destroyed it. Understandable, really—no man could bear to part with such a treasure.

Then, in the next moment, the onlookers' eyes bulged even wider. The Heavenly Emperor's heir had just thrown his own senior sister inside the furnace. Some were shocked by his audacity—sparing not even his sect's Holy Maiden.

But when they recalled the rumors surrounding Ye Chen… The man who had openly declared his affair with the Divine Silkworm Clan Leader's wife right in front of the clan leader himself… Going after his own sect's Holy Maiden suddenly didn't seem so surprising.

In this way, all kinds of sensational news flooded out of the fourth realm of the Immortal Path. The entire cultivation world erupted in uproar.

Alkaid Holy Son had actually been the true inheritor of the devouring lineage?

Many forces whose peerless prodigies had died mysteriously on the Immortal Path immediately marched to Alkaid Holy Land, demanding answers. Yet Alkaid Holy Land publicly insisted it was all a baseless rumor. Their Holy Son was currently in secluded cultivation within the sect. They urged the broader cultivation world not to believe or spread falsehoods. Privately, however, word leaked out that the life lamp Alkaid Holy Son had left behind in the sect had already been extinguished.

Meanwhile, news of the Divine Maiden Furnace in the Heavenly Emperor successor's possession—and his actions against his own sect's Holy Maiden—spread like wildfire. Countless old tales about the Heavenly Emperor were dragged back into the light and hotly debated once more!

…

Inside the Heavenly Emperor Hall.

The golden-robed elder had been in secluded cultivation. When the news reached him, his eyes flew wide. That brat Ye Chen had actually gone through with it. And he even had the Divine Maiden Furnace in his possession? With his daughter traveling alongside Ye Chen, would she be safe?

He abandoned his cultivation at once. Face dark with worry, he stepped onto the teleportation array and headed straight for Immortal City. His heart burned with anxiety. Yet he could not enter the fourth realm of the Immortal Path. All he could do was wait in torment outside the entrance, desperately reassuring himself: "I raised my daughter well. She knows how to protect herself. Even if she can't win, there's no way she'll be captured! As for the Heavenly Will Dao-Entrust Jade—let it go if need be! Qingcheng, come back quickly!"

The anguished father waited in torment at the gates of the Immortal Path.

…

Meanwhile, back in the fourth realm.

Ye Chen had already set Dantai Xuan aside in his mind. He continued conversing freely with Yan Qingcheng. When he noticed that his gift cooldown had finally ended, a faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. Without hesitation, he retrieved the Martial Ancestor's Dao-severing technique that Ling Yu had once given him.

"Talking with Fairy Yan has been truly refreshing—my mind and body feel at ease. I almost forgot the important matter at hand. Fairy Yan, you yourself are on the verge of becoming a saint. This Dao-severing technique from the Extreme Martial Realm—I resolved the moment I obtained it that I would share it with you. Now I have made a complete copy. Please accept the original as my gift to you, Fellow Daoist."

Ye Chen presented the Martial Ancestor's Dao-severing technique to Yan Qingcheng without the slightest reluctance.

At the sight, Yan Qingcheng's pupils contracted sharply. She too had enjoyed their conversation immensely and gained many insights. Especially Ye Chen's profound understanding of the Heavenly Emperor Scripture—it far exceeded anything she had expected. His talent and comprehension were genuinely astonishing.

The guilt in her heart deepened even further. The true Heavenly Emperor inheritance truly belonged to Ye Chen. She had also heard of the Martial Ancestor. The Heavenly Emperor Hall held records: though the Martial Ancestor hailed from a minor world, even in the Immortal Realm, he had been a terrifying figure.

The Dao-severing technique he left behind was extraordinary beyond measure. If auctioned, it would fetch an astronomical price. Yet Ye Chen had wanted to share it with her from the very moment he acquired it.

This really…