Immortality Starts With Investment

"At least twenty or thirty leaves, right?"

The white-haired Great Emperor was stunned. The jade box itself was incredibly precious—it blocked divine sense completely, so he could only guess by sight.

Ye Chen smiled and shook his head. "I didn't count exactly. Probably about half a catty…"

Half a catty? Enlightenment Tea leaves—and you're measuring them by the catty? Who in all of history had ever dared speak like that? Was this a joke?

Ye Chen lightly flicked his finger. One by one, the Enlightenment Tea leaves floated up from the jade box, swirling gracefully in the air. The two elders watched, dazzled. After completing a full circle, they settled back into the box.

The white-haired Great Emperor finally spoke, voice trembling with disbelief. "Four hundred leaves? Fully four hundred?"

The gold-robed elder was equally shocked.

Sensing their gazes, Ye Chen remained calm and composed. He spoke politely. "I know Senior enjoys tea, so I brought some as a small gift. Please don't stand on ceremony."

With that, he gently placed the jade box in front of the gold-robed elder.

Though inwardly thunderstruck, the elder's hands trembled slightly as he accepted it. Still, he maintained an air of calm indifference. "Ye Chen, take it back—hey, hey, hey… Fine, just this once, for my daughter's sake. But don't do this again! Your relationship with my daughter is between the two of you. I won't interfere. Trying to curry favor with me won't work!"

The white-haired Great Emperor's mouth twitched…

Ye Chen smiled and nodded obligingly. "Senior is right. I won't do it again next time. I'll take my leave now…"

Though Ye Chen didn't particularly care for this old fellow, the man had an excellent daughter. Yan Qingcheng's gratitude ran so deep it was almost excessive. So he gave the elder some face.

As for half a catty of Enlightenment Tea leaves?

To Ye Chen, it was nothing more than a splash of water. In ordinary cave heavens, the accelerated time rules had no effect whatsoever on immortal roots. Even if time flowed a hundred times faster, immortal roots would still blossom and bear fruit according to the great world's natural rhythm.

But his own cave heaven was extraordinary beyond measure. Ever since it advanced to the Primordial stage, its rank had shot straight to the absolute pinnacle. Once he reached half-Saint and gained control over the time flow, the immortal roots were directly influenced as well.

Now, in Ye Chen's winter domain, the Enlightenment Tea Tree already bore hundreds of thousands of leaves. Every year, when leaves naturally fell into the pool, Ye Chen didn't even let Lu Jing pick them up anymore—he used them directly as bath salts…

Half a catty of Enlightenment Tea leaves was utterly trivial to him. And it wasn't just the tea leaves. Ginseng Fruit Trees and other longevity herbs—he had plenty of those, too. He planned to send a few more to the old sect leader later. He wondered whether the old sect leader had finally managed to hook that fish yet.

The only pity was that longevity medicines had their limits. Take too many, and they stopped working. Otherwise, Ye Chen felt he could have achieved eternal life for himself and everyone around him just by relying on them.

After bidding farewell to the gold-robed elder, Ye Chen drifted away, heading straight for the Nether God Sect—and the Nether God Holy Land within it.

The gold-robed elder watched his departing figure with eyes full of utmost admiration. Ye Chen was simply the perfect Dao companion heaven itself had forged for Qingcheng. This son-in-law—he had decided. He was keeping him.

Beside him, the white-haired Great Emperor stared fixedly at the jade box, face twisted with envy, jealousy, and hatred. Suddenly, he thought—maybe next time he really should bring his daughter along. Let them meet, build a little connection. It couldn't hurt. As for the rest… let the children walk their own paths. No need for him to worry himself sick.

Still staring at the box without blinking, he spoke. "Is this real? It doesn't even feel real… Old Yan, brew a cup. Let me taste it for you—see if it's the genuine article?"

The gold-robed elder gave a faint smile. "With our relationship, if you want to drink, just say so. No need for all this roundabout nonsense!"

The white-haired Great Emperor naturally didn't hold back. "I want some. Start with one cup!"

Enlightenment Tea leaves were far too rare, and their effects were astonishing—from Qi Refining all the way to Quasi-Immortal, anyone who drank them would benefit. It was the supreme treasure of enlightenment. If he drank a bit more, who knew—maybe one day he'd have a sudden insight and step onto the path of Quasi-Immortal.

Yet the gold-robed elder's lips curved upward. "Sorry. My son-in-law gave these to me. If you want to drink, go ask your own son-in-law."

With those words, he patted his backside, rose gracefully, and floated back toward the Heavenly Emperor Hall. He was going to take a stroll through the palace treasury—see if there was anything suitable for his future son-in-law's cultivation.

…

Ye Chen planned to wander for a while. Once he broke through to the peak of the Saint realm, he would return to the Heavenly Emperor Hall and take another look. He was particularly looking forward to what top-tier sealing techniques the Heavenly Emperor Hall might have uncovered.

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The effects of the Heavenly Heart Imprint varied slightly depending on the sealing method used. Some emphasized concealing heavenly secrets, making it impossible for others to divine anything about the bearer.

Others focused on calculating and predicting the fates of enemies. A few could even grant faint premonitions of future fortune or misfortune.

In short, they came in all varieties—some could even trigger wondrous resonances with heaven and earth, granting peculiar powers. The more supreme the sealing technique, the stronger the effect—and in some cases, it could even influence the final grade of the imprint.

Although Ye Chen already possessed Heavenly Intent Sand, which guaranteed an immortal-grade Heavenly Heart Imprint, the impact of the sealing method might not be massive. Still, if the best was available, there was no reason to settle for anything less. He intended to blast out the absolute finest one possible.

The Heavenly Evolution Holy Land had already prepared one for him. If the Heavenly Emperor Hall had something as well, he would naturally accept it. Then he could try them separately and see which performed better.

Arriving at the Nether God Holy Land, Ye Chen planned to spend a few days with the little demoness. Thanks to Feng Baiyu's connection, the entire Nether God Holy Land now treated Ye Chen with exceptional warmth.

The moment he appeared, several Ancestors came out personally to receive him. One elder even suggested carving out an entire peak just for Ye Chen—let him hang his name on it and recruit as many female disciples or female elders as he pleased…

When Ye Chen heard the proposal and realized that every female elder greeting him was a mature cultivator—each trailed by several exquisitely beautiful, enchantingly varied female disciples—he could only sigh inwardly. His reputation had truly been ruined beyond repair by these people.

How could they possibly think of him that way?

As for the original purpose of his visit, it went unfulfilled. The little demoness Su Yuxuan was not in the holy land. Three years earlier, she had entered the Immortal Path and was said to be in seclusion. The holy land had no way to contact her. Still, through other means, they could confirm she was perfectly safe at the moment.

Ye Chen did not press the matter. After politely declining their repeated offers to establish a peak for him, he drifted away. Later, in a remote stretch of starry void, he laid down a grand formation and prepared to cultivate there until he reached the peak of the Saint realm.

With the Star God Origin-Gathering Cauldron and the Origin Sea at his disposal—even given his astonishingly vast capacity—breaking through to the Saint peak shouldn't take too long.

After informing the elders who had come to protect him, Ye Chen stepped into the formation. His figure flashed and vanished from sight. Seeing that both Luo Bingling and Lu Jing were already deep in cultivation, he did not disturb them. He lifted his gaze to the dome of stars above.

The boundless Origin Sea shimmered with silver radiance, vast and majestic like a river of galaxies. Within it floated numerous Extreme Dao weapons, quietly nourishing themselves. The immortal artifact, meanwhile, reigned supreme at the very top.

Ye Chen admired the breathtaking sight for a moment before entering the Star God Origin-Gathering Cauldron and sitting cross-legged. The instant he closed his eyes and began circulating the Heavenly Emperor Scripture, the cauldron activated on its own. Divine patterns across its surface blazed to life.

The entire Origin Sea responded at once, surging into towering waves. Endless origin energy coalesced into massive whirlwinds that roared toward the Star God Origin-Gathering Cauldron. The cauldron possessed the ability to purify and assist cultivators in refining.

But this Origin Sea had been refined by an Immortal King-level existence—rumored to have already attained immortality. Its purity had reached the absolute extreme. The cauldron required no purification at all; it only needed to accelerate Ye Chen's absorption and refinement.

And so, the already terrifying aura around Ye Chen began to climb at a speed visible to the naked eye. He quickly sank into a state of profound cultivation.

Just before fully entering that deep trance, however, Ye Chen suddenly felt as though he had forgotten something important. But cultivation had already begun, so he couldn't be bothered to dwell on it. He emptied his mind and simply immersed himself in the exhilarating surge of his rapid advancement.

…

Within the Origin Sea floated a peculiar divine furnace shaped like a reclining goddess. Though the Origin Sea itself made no sound of water, each rise and fall of the furnace sent faint ripples echoing outward.

Anyone who could peer inside the furnace would have been startled. A woman lay within, apparently having lost all awareness, her body trembling uncontrollably in violent shivers. And inside her sea of consciousness, two figures stood facing each other. They were identical in appearance yet utterly opposite in aura.

One was Dantai Xuan herself. The other was the cold, detached Supreme Dantai Xuan born from her cultivation technique. Though both existed now only as nascent spirits, their delicate faces were flushed crimson, bodies occasionally quivering. They were locked in combat.

Yet due to some peculiar discomfort, their fight lacked real intensity. It looked almost like a slow, graceful dance. If Ye Chen could have seen them, he would surely have shouted in a panic: "Stop fighting already, you two…!"

Even affected as she was, the Supreme Dantai Xuan retained her icy, indifferent expression—as though nothing in the world mattered. During their exchange of blows, she spoke coldly. "Even if you've used the Divine Maiden Furnace to gradually revive yourself and siphon away my strength bit by bit, this stalemate is already your limit…

"You cannot erase me. You cannot suppress me. Dragging this out is pointless. Lend me your power. Let me recover to my peak. I'll first sever the Divine Maiden Furnace's influence, then escape this place. We can discuss everything else afterward. I swear that once I'm free, I will leave of my own accord."

Dantai Xuan rolled her eyes. She opened her mouth to retort—only for both of them to suddenly falter at the same moment, eyes glazing over as soft, involuntary hums escaped their lips. After a brief shiver, she sneered. "Believe you? I'd sooner believe a ghost. If I give you my power, I'm afraid I'll never wake up again… As for not being able to suppress you? That's even more laughable. Just wait until my junior brother arrives. With his help, let's see if you survive or not…"

The Supreme Dantai Xuan's expression darkened. Indeed—Ye Chen loomed over her like a sword hanging above her head. His methods were too terrifying, too overwhelming. If Ye Chen entered Dantai Xuan's sea of consciousness to assist, the situation could turn disastrous for her.

Her voice turned frigid. "Aren't you the one who cares so much about chastity and reputation? Do you really want him to see you like this? And with Ye Chen's reputation… if he comes in here, he probably won't even bother checking on your divine sense first. He'll go straight for your physical body and do who-knows-what…"

Yet Dantai Xuan remained completely unmoved by the provocation. At this point, who still cared about such things?

A trace of frustration even flickered between her brows. Her own physical body in its current state was so alluring that even she felt her heart stir just looking at it. If she weren't at the peak of half-Saint, she probably would have dehydrated and died long ago. And yet her so-called junior brother had tossed her into this furnace and—despite all this—hadn't once extended his divine sense to check on her.

What was going on? Was he holding back because she was his senior sister and he felt too embarrassed to intrude?

Don't be like that, Junior Brother. You don't need to feel any restraint. Hurry up and sneak a few peeks. Figure out what's happening, then come in and help. If this drags on much longer, I really won't be able to hold out…

Lost in these thoughts, both women abruptly stopped moving at the same instant. They let out soft, synchronized hums as their delicate bodies once again began to tremble uncontrollably…