Immortality Starts With Investment

While Ye Chen marveled at his senior brother's unflinching candor, on the other side, Yan Qingcheng had already spotted her father—who should have been in secluded cultivation—standing among the crowd.

She wasn't surprised in the least. Given her father's deep prejudice against Ye Chen, it was only natural that he would rush here the moment he learned Ye Chen had entered the Fourth Realm of the Immortal Path.

Still, even accounting for bias, her father had gone too far this time. She had decided to bring Ye Chen back to the Heavenly Emperor Hall, and she was determined to remove that towering mountain of misunderstanding from her father's heart.

"Father…"

Yan Qingcheng approached and offered a respectful greeting with a graceful bow.

Many eyes had already been drawn to her, everyone wondering which faction could claim such a peerless daughter. Now, hearing her voice, they turned envious gazes toward the golden-robed elder.

His aura was terrifying—neither a Supreme Yin nor Supreme Yang physique, nor a Chaos Body—yet he had given birth to a daughter who possessed one.

Truly enviable.

Feeling the surrounding stares, the golden-robed elder unconsciously puffed out his chest.

Jealous, aren't you? Chaos Body—my daughter!

He looked at her with profound satisfaction.

She was unharmed, her aura powerful and steady, and there lingered about her an aloof detachment that seemed to belong to the Heavenly Will itself—as though, with the slightest shift of her gaze, she could overlook all living beings. Clearly, she had already refined the Heavenly Will Dao-Entrust Jade into her body.

With this treasure in her possession, whether she severed her Dao to become a Saint, stepped into the Fifth Heaven, achieved Saint King, or even reached the rank of Great Saint in the future—every step would now be twice as effective with half the effort.

For the golden-robed elder, who had always dreamed of seeing his daughter ascend to immortality, this joy was almost overwhelming. He even felt the urge to hum a little tune.

But then his peripheral vision caught that flash of yellow hair. His expression darkened at once. The Heavenly Will Dao-Entrust Jade hadn't been won by his daughter through her own power—it had been given to her by Ye Chen.

Worse still, the two of them had emerged from the Immortal Path together. He knew his daughter's character all too well: her sense of morality ran deep. Having accepted such an immense gift, she would certainly feel compelled to repay the favor.

And knowing Ye Chen's insatiable appetite for women, he would surely seize the opportunity to press his advantage and make unreasonable demands. If she let her guard down even for a moment, she might be deceived.

The mere image of his daughter wrapped in the arms of that yellow-haired lecher made the golden-robed elder's scalp tingle. He spoke immediately. "Daughter, now that the Heavenly Will Dao-Entrust Jade is in your hands, let us leave at once! Once we return, you must enter seclusion immediately! It won't be long before you formally become a Saint!"

Yet Yan Qingcheng shook her head. She looked at her father with earnest eyes and spoke seriously.

"Father, I did not obtain the Heavenly Will Dao-Entrust Jade through my own strength. It was Fellow Daoist Ye who subdued powerful enemies and claimed it. Yet even though he is also at the peak of Half-Saint, he willingly gave this priceless treasure to me… How could I possibly fail to repay such kindness? That is why I wish to invite Fellow Daoist Ye to accompany us—"

The golden-robed elder's pupils shrank sharply. He knew his daughter too well; he already understood exactly what she was about to say. But he would rather she never see Ye Chen again for the rest of her life.

How could he possibly agree to invite the boy to the Heavenly Emperor Hall? That would be inviting a wolf into the house!

"Absolutely not! Out of the question!"

He cut her off at once, but seeing the frown crease her brow, he hurried to explain.

"Everyone knows Ye Chen holds the Heavenly Emperor's treasury. Who's to say he doesn't possess even better Dao-Entrust Treasures? What he gave you is probably trivial to him—he won't care about repayment at all…

"Besides, he already has so many Dao companions scattered across the Central Continent and Great Yan Continent. After spending so long in the Immortal Path, he's surely eager to reunite with his women…

"If you invite him along, aren't you just putting him in an awkward position? So perhaps we should find another way to repay the debt. I'll speak with him personally later. For now, the most important thing is your ascension to Saint—let us return at once…"

Hearing this, a trace of disappointment flickered through Yan Qingcheng's eyes. As expected, her father's prejudice against Ye Chen stood like an immovable mountain.

How precious was a Dao-Entrust Treasure? Even the Heavenly Emperor himself had never obtained one—he had relied solely on his indomitable fate to defy and sever the Great Dao. How could anything comparable exist in the Heavenly Emperor's treasury? And even if it did, would that make the gift any less valuable?

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What disappointed her even more were her father's later insinuations. The Divine Maiden of the Heavenly Evolution Holy Land had been placed inside the Divine Maiden Furnace, yet Ye Chen hadn't even spared her a second glance.

How could a man like that possibly be obsessed with women? How could he possibly rush out of the Immortal Path just to seek out his lovers?

With a hint of hurt in her voice, Yan Qingcheng said, "Father, your words this time have gone too far. Ye Chen helped me, yet you keep slandering him. Where does that leave me?"

The golden-robed elder was known for his cold, decisive demeanor in the outside world—his word was law. But toward his daughter, he could never bear to speak a single harsh sentence. Now, seeing how strongly she reacted to nothing more than a few veiled barbs against Ye Chen, his blood pressure surged. How many days had she even spent with Ye Chen? How many times had they met?

And already she was completely on his side. But what could he do when it came to his own daughter? Of course, he forced a smile and said gently, "Daughter, you've misunderstood. I didn't mean it that way—it's just what everyone outside is saying… So… how exactly do you plan to repay Ye Chen?"

Yan Qingcheng had already prepared her response. "Let Ye Chen return with us to the Heavenly Emperor Hall. He can cultivate alongside me—our location offers far superior conditions for achieving sainthood. Furthermore, we'll share the Origin Pool with him. We can both absorb its cosmic origin energy together…"

The golden-robed elder's eyes widened in shock. Not only did his daughter intend to bring Ye Chen back to the Heavenly Emperor Hall—she actually planned to share the Origin Pool with him?

Though the Origin Pool was no ordinary pond—it was a grand array that condensed the origin energy of the universe—the elder still found the idea intolerable. He already dreaded the thought of Ye Chen setting foot in the Heavenly Emperor Hall; it would send his blood pressure soaring. The notion of the two of them cultivating side by side in the Origin Pool was utterly unacceptable.

His gaze flickered. He spoke at once.

"Sainthood doesn't require any particularly special location. Our Heavenly Emperor Hall holds no overwhelming advantage in that regard. But the Origin Pool does allow for rapid advancement after becoming a Saint—that much is true and only right to share.

"However, the cosmic origin energy currently accumulated in the pool is only sufficient for one person. It would take several years of refinement, but it would carry you all the way to the peak of the Fifth Heaven.

"If the two of you split it, you'd both barely reach mid-stage after breaking through. Yet Ye Chen gave you the Dao-Entrust Jade—that is an immense kindness! So perhaps it would be more appropriate to simply gift him the immortal artifact fragment at the bottom of the Origin Pool instead…"

Once a cultivator reached the Saint realm, they began to draw in cosmic origin energy. But cosmic origin energy was not easily extracted. An ordinary Saint might linger in that realm for a thousand or two thousand years and still fail to gather enough.

The Heavenly Emperor Hall, however, possessed a fragment of an immortal artifact: the Star God Origin-Gathering Cauldron. Its original form had been an ancient immortal vessel of the Star God race, renowned for its extraordinary ability to comprehend the Great Dao and attract and condense vast amounts of origin energy.

Like the Dao Cauldron once held by the War God Clan or the Nine Transformations Heavenly Furnace of the Divine Silkworm Clan, it was universally acknowledged as one of the immortal artifacts most beneficial to cultivation.

Unfortunately, the Star God race had once stood in opposition to the Heavenly Emperor. As the chief lackeys of the Undying Celestial Phoenix Clan, they had repeatedly attempted to assassinate the Heavenly Emperor before he fully matured.

In the end, they were purged. The Star God Origin-Gathering Cauldron was shattered beyond repair. Most of it was ground to dust. Only a few fragments survived, secretly hidden away by major powers.

The founding ancestor of the Yan Clan in the Heavenly Emperor Hall had been a close brother-in-arms of the Heavenly Emperor and had participated in that great battle. He had intercepted and kept one piece.

Though only a fragment, it was still part of an immortal artifact. It had lost the full might of its original form, yet many of its divine properties remained. Most notably, it could automatically absorb and condense cosmic origin energy.

Thanks to this, every generation of Heavenly Emperor Hall Heirs had advanced at astonishing speed during the Saint realm. A few years of secluded cultivation after breaking through were enough to reach the peak of Saint.

Beyond that, the immortal artifact fragment also aided in comprehending the will of heaven at the Sixth Heaven, grasping Heavenly Position Laws, and—at the Seventh Heaven Great Saint realm—elevating one's cave heaven into a true world and gaining mastery over world power.

Thus, even a mere fragment was an invaluable treasure. Yet now the golden-robed elder was voluntarily offering to give it to Ye Chen as repayment. Even Yan Qingcheng was taken aback.

Her father's prejudice against Ye Chen ran so deep that even after Ye Chen had gifted her the Heavenly Will Dao-Entrust Jade, he remained hostile. How could he suddenly be so generous?

But she quickly understood. In ordinary times, the fragment was indeed worth far more than the Origin Pool. However, it required roughly a thousand years of accumulation to gather enough origin energy for one Saint to advance from the early stage to the peak.

At this critical final era of the Immortal Path—when rapid cultivation progress was everything—the Origin Pool, which allowed swift advancement, was actually far more valuable.

Realizing this, Yan Qingcheng's emotions grew complicated. Her father was doing all of this for her sake. Yet he was being far too harsh, too calculating toward Ye Chen.

From beginning to end, Ye Chen had given her priceless treasures without the slightest complaint or expectation. Did her father feel no gratitude at all?

…

And just as Yan Qingcheng had guessed, that was precisely what the golden-robed elder was thinking. The immortal artifact fragment was important, yes. But the cultivation world was declining.

In the future, fewer and fewer cultivators would ever reach the Mahayana stage. The value of immortal artifact fragments would only continue to fall. Moreover, it would be best if Ye Chen cultivated slowly.

On one hand, keeping his cultivation lower would weaken him and give his daughter a better chance in the future struggle for immortal qi. On the other, a significant gap in realm would prevent them from remaining in the same stage of the Immortal Path together—meaning his daughter would no longer encounter Ye Chen.

Finally, while the fragment might be slightly less valuable than the Heavenly Will Dao-Entrust Jade, the difference wasn't vast. It would serve as fair repayment for the gift. Afterward, the two sides would owe each other nothing—and never meet again.

In short, the golden-robed elder's plan was flawless. He would protect his daughter from every angle and ensure she was never led astray by Ye Chen.

Yet in the very next moment, Yan Qingcheng spoke.

"Father, what you say makes sense. But an immortal artifact fragment is no small matter—I need time to consider it. Besides, I have already promised Ye Chen that I would bring him to the Heavenly Emperor Hall for a visit. I cannot go back on my word. So let us set out first. We can discuss the details of repayment later."

The golden-robed elder's face instantly turned ashen. He did not want Ye Chen to set one foot inside the Heavenly Emperor Hall. What if that yellow-haired brat learned its location and started sneaking in to find Qingcheng in the future?