Immortality Starts With Investment

Hearing Luo Bingling's words, Ye Chen felt a surge of surprise. The War God Clan actually possessed a treasure capable of accelerating a Saint King's cultivation? And one far more effective than the Heavenly Position Spiritual Herb?

Curious, Ye Chen turned his gaze toward her.

Luo Bingling propped both hands on the seven-colored Nirvana Jade and stretched lazily. The faint yet perfect dimples at her waist immediately came into clear view. As she flexed what could only be called the most enchanting waist in the entire cultivation world, she continued speaking.

"Within the War God Clan lies a Heavenly Position Divine Bamboo. Every hundred thousand years, it grows one additional segment… Each segment provides immense benefits to cultivators—greatly accelerating comprehension, insight, and fusion of Heavenly Position laws, allowing rapid advancement. The effect of a single segment rivals that of a Heavenly Position Spiritual Herb, boosting a Saint King's cultivation speed by nearly fivefold.

"It far surpasses the Heavenly Position Spiritual Herb. When I left the clan, two segments still remained. But the Divine Son has already reached peak Saint King. He has most likely used one segment already… That leaves one remaining—perfect for you, Husband…"

Ye Chen listened and watched, his eyes lighting up. The Heavenly Position Spiritual Herb typically doubled cultivation speed. A Heavenly Position Sacred Herb was offered four to five times.

Yet a single segment of this Heavenly Position Divine Bamboo matched the effect of a Sacred Herb. If he presented it as a gift, the feedback would surely surpass anything the Heavenly Position Spiritual Herb could provide.

Gazing at Luo Bingling as she continued to sway her waist, occasionally letting out soft hums, Ye Chen felt a touch of emotion.

In the past, Luo Bingling had never triggered critical hits. Now the situation had completely reversed—she triggered them constantly, yet could no longer do so.

This woman was full of contradictions. She was practically the natural enemy of his system. Still, sensing her genuine concern for his benefit, Ye Chen felt his interest stir. The Heavenly Position Spiritual Herb had been left specifically for him anyway. Whether he went now or later made little difference.

Without hesitation, Ye Chen moved forward. Those two alluring waist dimples seemed tailor-made to fit perfectly beneath his thumbs…

…

Two full days had passed since the Heavenly Position Spiritual Herb appeared. Ye Chen still had not shown himself. The onlookers were growing somewhat impatient. By all logic, the Heavenly Emperor's heir should have arrived a day earlier. Could it be that he wasn't coming at all?

Even so, the thought did not spur anyone into action. The Sixth Realm had already been thoroughly cleansed by the Heavenly Emperor's heir once before. Those who lacked patience back then had all died at his hands. Who could say whether the heir had already arrived in secret, concealed within the void, silently observing them?

If they began to fight over the treasure, he might descend with overwhelming force, declare "You dare steal what is mine?" and slaughter them all. Given the murderous streak the Heavenly Emperor's heir had always displayed, it was entirely possible. So everyone remained calm and waited patiently. After all, impatience could cost them their lives…

Meanwhile, the four members of the War God Clan hidden in the void were truly beginning to grow anxious. Ye Chen had clearly entered the Sixth Realm. By rights, he should have arrived long ago. Why had he vanished midway? Had he detected the Quasi-Immortal Array?

Worry flickered across all four faces. None of them doubted Ye Chen's strength in the slightest. Without the Quasi-Immortal Array, they would not even have the courage to stand before him… Ye Chen possessed Heavy Pupils and the Movement Secret. It was entirely possible he had noticed something.

They even began to fear… What if the Heavenly Emperor's heir had already arrived long ago and was now watching them coldly from afar? Waiting for them to step outside the array's protection before delivering a thunderous strike.

At the thought, the War God Clan's Divine Son shivered. Without the Quasi-Immortal Array, a single glance from Ye Chen might be enough to make them suffer.

"Could the Heavenly Emperor's heir already be here—even aware of us?"

The other two also paled.

Logically, the Quasi-Immortal Array disc was imperceptible and blended perfectly with the natural Dao. Even a Quasi-Immortal's divine sense would struggle to detect it. Yet with the Heavenly Emperor's heir… who could be certain?

"So right now, is the Heavenly Emperor's heir the one waiting for us to leave the array?"

"Are we the prey?"

"In any case, until the Heavenly Emperor's heir appears, I won't feel at ease. I will not step half a pace outside the Quasi-Immortal Array's range!"

"Same here…"

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The group murmured among themselves, all feeling as though invisible eyes were fixed upon them, sending chills down their spines.

But the War God Clan's Divine Son soon frowned and spoke. "Lady Can, why haven't you said anything?"

The Divine Silkworm Clan Madam remained calm and composed. "Without the Quasi-Immortal Array, we would never be his match under any circumstances… Since that is the case, we simply wait patiently and compete with the Heavenly Emperor's heir in endurance. Our ceilings are already set—we have no path to immortality. If the Heavenly Emperor's heir wastes time with us, the loss is his. So we wait."

Her confidence was unshakable. The three others couldn't help but admire her temperament. Moreover, her combat power was formidable—none of the three could guarantee victory over her. What they did not know was that the Clan Madam had prepared two paths. If something unexpected occurred, she could still survive.

After all, the Heavenly Emperor's heir had shown interest in her. He had even boldly declared his desire for her in front of her own dao companion. As long as she submitted quickly enough, the Heavenly Emperor's heir would surely show her mercy.

As for the restriction left by the Exiled Immortal… With the Heavenly Emperor's heir's strength, he should be able to remove it.

The Exiled Immortal possessed immortal aptitude. So did the Heavenly Emperor's heir. And in her eyes, the Heavenly Emperor's heir was the far better choice—he treated her as a woman, while the Exiled Immortal treated her as a mere servant.

Thus, the Clan Madam remained serene and detached…

In the blink of an eye, seven full days passed. The Heavenly Emperor's heir still had not appeared.

Among the watching cultivators, a few had begun to grow restless. Their gazes lingered on the gently swaying leaves of the Heavenly Position Spiritual Herb, which shimmered with spiritual light, impossible to hide their longing.

A whole week had gone by. The Heavenly Emperor's heir still hadn't come… Was this taking too long? Could it be that he truly wasn't coming at all?

High above in the void, concealed within the Quasi-Immortal Array, the War God Clan's Divine Son and his three companions grew increasingly uneasy. Every shadow around them now seemed to conceal the Heavenly Emperor's heir, ready to unleash a beam of annihilating divine light at any moment.

The constant dread of teetering on the edge of death had left even these peak Saint Kings visibly haggard. They were supposed to be the ambushers lying in wait for Ye Chen. Yet somehow, they had become the ones tormented. It was utterly absurd.

But at that very moment, one of the onlookers finally lost patience. He was a mid-stage Saint King from a holy land. Tentatively, he began flying toward the Heavenly Position Spiritual Herb. His speed was slow, and he kept glancing around nervously.

The surrounding cultivators watched patiently, treating him as a probe. If he successfully claimed the spirit grass and the Heavenly Emperor's heir still did not appear, they could finally relax and begin the real contest. A treasure like the Heavenly Position Spiritual Herb was nothing short of a sacred object to Saint Kings. How could they simply stand by and watch someone else take it?

Inside the array, the four hidden figures' eyes lit up. The War God Clan's Divine Son immediately prepared to strike and intercept the man. But the Clan Madam raised a hand to stop him. "Let him take it. This will serve as the perfect test for whether the Heavenly Emperor's heir is truly here!"

The Divine Son nodded at once…

Thus, under countless watchful eyes, one of the supreme treasures of the cultivation world was slowly approached by a mere mid-stage Saint King…

In any other era of the cultivation world, rivers of blood would already have flowed. Yet all of this was because of the missing Heavenly Emperor's heir. His prestige had truly reached an unprecedented height.

The mid-stage Saint King drew nearer without obstruction. He even began to reach out, preparing to pluck the spirit grass whole. His heart pounded with anxiety. He knew the others were using him as a scout. If the Heavenly Emperor's heir never appeared, he would surely be mobbed.

But he had dared to act because he had his own assurance. In his possession was an ancient teleportion talisman, passed down from the Immortal Realm itself. It could instantly transport him millions of miles away to any location he chose. That was enough to guarantee his safety.

Yet just as he carefully lifted the Heavenly Position Spiritual Herb, preparing to store it away, a terrifying aura suddenly erupted from a distance.

In an instant, every onlooker revealed an expression that said "as expected," mingled with lingering relief.

High in the void, the four members of the War God Clan wiped cold sweat from their brows. The Heavenly Emperor's heir had indeed been present all along. If they had lost patience and left the array earlier, they would likely already be dead.

The cultivator clutching the spirit grass now wore a complicated expression. Panic flickered across his face, and his eyes brimmed with struggle… He still held the teleportion talisman. He could escape millions of miles in a heartbeat.

But…Recalling the Heavenly Emperor's heir's infamous deeds, an overwhelming sense of guilt washed over him.

…

With Luo Bingling's combat strength, she naturally had no right to occupy a full week of Ye Chen's time. However, she had mastered techniques from countless schools, and her arsenal of methods was vast.

Moreover, Lu Jing—who had never been serious about cultivation—had been sweetly addressed as "sister" by Luo Bingling and woken up instantly, sharing much of the burden. Only under those conditions had they managed to last the full week.

In truth, Lu Jing still had some strength left for another round. But Ye Chen decided it was time to attend to serious matters. Even if the War God Clan possessed the Heavenly Position Divine Bamboo, it didn't interfere with first securing the Heavenly Position Spiritual Herb.

The spirit grass would make an excellent gift for Lan Nuo. Yan Qingcheng, Yao Yuezhi, and the others were in roughly the same situation—having reached Saint King through the continuous bestowal of treasures of entrusting the dao, severance dao arts, sealing treasures, and crystallized cosmic origin power. They had all essentially reached Saint King.

As for the Heavenly Position Divine Bamboo—who knew whether some accident might occur? So he would secure the Heavenly Position Spiritual Herb as insurance first. Then consider everything else.

After entrusting the unsteady Luo Bingling to Lu Jing's care, Ye Chen left the Cave Heaven. He surged toward the site of the Heavenly Position Spiritual Herb's emergence at maximum speed…

When Ye Chen finally drew near, he saw a cultivator holding the spirit grass aloft. What surprised him, however, was that no one around was trying to seize it.

What was going on? Since when had cultivators become so civilized?

Ye Chen couldn't be bothered to ponder it. The Heavenly Position Spiritual Herb had been left for him. Naturally, it belonged to him. He immediately prepared to charge forward and claim it. But what happened next left him even more dumbfounded.

The cultivator who had taken the spirit grass turned toward him with a resolute expression. He bowed deeply from afar, raising both hands to present the Heavenly Position Spiritual Herb.

"Holy Son… this Heavenly Position Spiritual Herb is yours."