ISWI Chapter 833-834 (Patreon)

Chapter 833: The Personal Disciple of the Seven-Crowned King!

Ye Chen turned toward his own Holy Master, wanting to ask who this arrogant figure was.

Feng Baiyu simply shook his head, indicating he didn't recognize the man. Saint Kings were far from common. Almost every major faction's Saint King had a renowned name and widespread fame. The only exceptions were people like the Heavenly Desire Ancestor—whose strength was average, who rarely ventured outside, and who had feigned death early to vanish from the world.

Feng Baiyu smiled faintly and asked: "Which faction do you belong to?"

The man lifted his chin with extreme pride.

"I come from the Dao One Holy Land!"

The moment that name was spoken, the surrounding elders of Heavenly Evolution Holy Land all raised their eyebrows, their expressions turning grave. Clearly, they had all heard of it.

The corners of Feng Baiyu's mouth curved upward as he spoke calmly: "The Dao One Holy Land is a reclusive holy land, much like the Heavenly Emperor Hall. It rarely opens its gates to the outside world and does not recruit disciples on a large scale… It follows a strict master-disciple tradition—typically only one or two successors per generation. And the Seven-Crowned King… is precisely from the Dao One Holy Land!"

Seven-Crowned King Qin Chuan?

Hearing the name, even Ye Chen raised an eyebrow. To be honest, this man was a true legend. He belonged to the era after the Heavenly Emperor. He was also the victor of the very first Immortal Path opening after the Heavenly Emperor's age.

Carrying nothing but a sapling, he had dominated with overwhelming force. He defeated every rival. Claimed a strand of Immortal Qi. Everyone later assumed he had ascended and left the mortal world. Yet when the seventh Immortal Path opened, he reappeared once more—sweeping through all opposition again.

After seizing the Immortal Qi, he vanished without a trace. Qin Chuan had emerged seven times across a span of a million years. With each appearance, his strength grew more terrifying. Yet he never ascended. The divine source could only be used to seal oneself once. Once awakened and emerged, it lost all effect. Even a True Immortal lived no more than a hundred thousand years. But Qin Chuan had stubbornly endured from the first Immortal Path all the way to the final one.

Everyone suspected the sapling in his hand was none other than the legendary World Tree. Only something like that could allow him to slumber repeatedly and traverse the long river of time. And the reason Qin Chuan could have ascended long ago but chose to wait was most likely because he was using Immortal Qi to cultivate a special technique. When he finally ascended, even in the Immortal Realm he would possess top-tier talent.

To deliberately remain stuck at Quasi-Immortal for millions of years was undoubtedly a gamble. If he had ascended early, after a million years, he might already have reached a realm far beyond True Immortal. The Celestial Prince had been crippled by the Heavenly Emperor back then—forced into a desperate self-sealing for a million years out of necessity.

Qin Chuan, however, clearly possessed astonishing confidence. He believed that once his accumulation was complete, he could reach the absolute peak even in the Immortal Realm. That was why he dared squander so many years lingering at Quasi-Immortal.

In short, whether Qin Chuan's choice proved right or wrong in the end, his combat power was beyond question. He was widely regarded as the number one Quasi-Immortal of the current era. Because of him, the Dao One Holy Land's status had risen dramatically.

Even though Seven-Crowned King Qin Chuan had always disdained attacking lower-realm cultivators, across seven Immortal Paths, he had never ambushed or assassinated any enemy midway. He always waited until the prodigies of that generation reached Quasi-Immortal and the Immortal Qi emerged—then he fought them openly. Such was Qin Chuan's pride.

Yet even so, no one dared provoke the Dao One Holy Land. Now, everyone understood why this man dared speak with such arrogance.

Ye Chen felt no particular emotion. He simply asked with mild curiosity: "Did the Seven-Crowned King Qin Chuan send you to assassinate me?"

He did hold some respect for a figure like the Seven-Crowned King. But if Qin Chuan had truly dispatched people to assassinate him, then Ye Chen would look down on him.

In Ye Chen's view, a true supreme prodigy must possess an invincible will. Their gaze should always be fixed ahead. Anyone who feared being overtaken from behind and resorted to underhanded tricks… was simply trash.

The Saint King from the Dao One Holy Land immediately shook his head.

"Ever since the Immortal Path first opened, Ancestor Qin has remained secluded in the Ninth Realm, comprehending the heavens and earth, waiting for Immortal Qi to emerge. He probably doesn't even know your name, let alone send me to act. Killing you was my own decision.

"I don't believe you will ever become a match for the Ancestor in the future, but you—with your heavy pupils and Scared Spiritual Root—along with the Celestial Prince and others… if you realize you cannot win alone and band together against him, you might actually cause the Ancestor some trouble. As a junior, it is my duty to clear obstacles for the Ancestor… But since I failed, so be it. I promise that the Dao One Holy Land will never target you again."

With an Ancestor who had existed since the very first opening of the Immortal Path, even while captured, the man carried an air of arrogance and unshakable confidence.

Feng Baiyu smiled faintly and looked toward Ye Chen, silently asking how he wanted to handle this.

Ye Chen's expression remained calm. He simply reached out and grabbed toward the man. They had come to kill him, and now they thought a few words of submission would make everything disappear? What a joke. Forget the Seven-Crowned King. Even if your family had a True Immortal hidden away, today you still die.

Seeing Ye Chen's movement and sensing the killing intent radiating from him, the Saint King was startled. He hadn't expected this. He had already invoked the name of the Seven-Crowned King. Yet the Heavenly Emperor's heir still dared to act against him.

His voice grew urgent, laced with threat: "When the Ancestor emerges this time, I was fortunate enough to meet him once and asked him a question—whether his battle power had already surpassed the limits of Quasi-Immortal. The Ancestor only told us one thing. After obtaining his second strand of Immortal Qi, in the next Immortal Path opening, at the very end of that path, the Ancestor emerged wielding an immortal artifact. He fought a newly ascended True Immortal deep in the cosmos for an entire battle…

"A newly ascended True Immortal can only remain in the cultivation world for seven days before being expelled. Seven days passed, and neither side gained the upper hand. The new True Immortal was forced to leave. Moreover, the Ancestor is not a Seven-Crowned King. He is an Eight-Crowned King.

"In one of those generations, the Ancestor never revealed his true form. He simply defeated all the Quasi-Immortals, seized the Immortal Qi, and departed. I don't know why the Ancestor needs so many strands of Immortal Qi, but I do know this: with every additional strand, his strength grows exponentially more terrifying…"

The moment those words left his mouth, an uproar swept through everyone present. After the Immortal Path opened, it was true—not every generation's victor had a famous name. In several generations, all the publicly favored prodigies had been defeated, and the Immortal Qi had been taken by mysterious powerhouses. Qin Chuan… was actually an Eight-Crowned King, possessing eight strands of Immortal Qi. And nine was the number of extremity. Clearly, Qin Chuan had been waiting for that ninth strand all along.

In short, everyone felt a chill. A Quasi-Immortal who, with only his second strand of Immortal Qi, could already fight a True Immortal to a stalemate for seven full days. Now he had eight strands. His strength had increased by who knew how much. Perhaps even a newly ascended True Immortal was no longer his match.

The pressure this fact created was immense. Yet after listening, Ye Chen's expression remained unchanged. Impressive… but not that impressive.

A Quasi-Immortal fighting a True Immortal? I could do that too. Seven days? He might have hammered several of them to death in that time.

So Ye Chen didn't hesitate for even a moment. Under the man's stunned, incredulous gaze, he tossed him straight into the cave heaven. Moments later, the corpse was spat back out.

Ye Chen's complete lack of fear left everyone present dumbfounded once more. The Heavenly Emperor's heir… wasn't the slightest bit wary of the Seven-Crowned King. He showed zero concern about provoking such a figure!

But then, everyone burst into laughter. The stronger Ye Chen's invincible will proved to be, the greater the benefits for all of them who had placed their bets on him.

With everything settled, only the female Saint King remained. Feng Baiyu asked whether Ye Chen planned to leave now.

Ye Chen shook his head. He would wait another week. After one week, he would see whether he could present the Saint King as a gift and trigger another reward.

Feng Baiyu wasn't in any hurry either. He went off to catalog the corpses, preparing to visit each faction personally and demand compensation. After all, the unspoken rule of the cultivation world was clear: the older generation was not allowed to act against the younger generation. If they were caught breaking that rule—even after the target was already dead—they would have to pay a heavy price.

Ye Chen first returned to his cave heaven. The Demon-Exterminating Great Saint was still standing obediently in the exact same spot. He hadn't dared move a single muscle, afraid that this was some kind of test from Ye Chen. Even his eyeballs remained perfectly still.

High above in the cave heaven's sky, a massive cyan stone stele had appeared at some point. Its material resembled flawless jade—smooth, translucent, and impossibly hard. It towered a full hundred meters tall. On all four sides, auspicious clouds, dragons, and phoenixes were carved in exquisite detail.

With a thought, Ye Chen instantly understood its function. As long as the target's divine soul was cast into it once, their name would be permanently inscribed upon the stele. From that moment on, betrayal became impossible. Any violation of an order would result in immediate soul annihilation—complete and irreversible death.

Moreover, once a name was recorded on the Conferred God List, escape was impossible—even if the master of the stele wished to release them. Should the name ever be erased, the person would perish along with it. Beyond enslavement, the Conferred God List could also be used as a weapon, possessing profound and mysterious power befitting an immortal artifact.

However, aside from imprinting names, Ye Chen was currently unable to access any of its other functions.

"Offer your divine soul."

Ye Chen spoke calmly to the Demon-Exterminating Great Saint.

The old man did not hesitate for even a heartbeat. He immediately released his divine soul, leaving it completely undefended.

Ye Chen willed it. The Conferred God List erupted with divine radiance.

Terror flashed across the face of the Demon-Exterminating Great Saint's divine soul. In the next instant, he was irresistibly drawn inside. Only a breath later, the old man's divine soul reappeared. And slowly, upon the surface of the stele, a new name began to form.

It was the Demon-Exterminating Great Saint's true name. He stared at the towering stele in utter shock and awe. His divine soul had already been marked; he fully understood what had just happened. This was undeniably an immortal artifact—one capable of enslaving even True Immortals. Yet he had never heard of such a thing existing in the cultivation world.

Moreover, this stele hadn't been here before. Where had the Heavenly Emperor's heir suddenly acquired another immortal artifact—one specifically designed to enslave cultivators? When had immortal artifacts become so cheap?

As shock coursed through him, the Demon-Exterminating Great Saint's reverence for Ye Chen deepened to a new level.

Ye Chen, sensing the connection through the Conferred God List, confirmed that with a single thought he could annihilate the old man's divine soul. He could even faintly perceive fragments of the Great Saint's thoughts. Only then did he fully relax.

In a calm voice, he issued his first command: "After you return, find an opportunity to assassinate the Alkaid Holy Son… Also, order the Devouring lineage to immediately cease harvesting and ambushing prodigies! For now, remain dormant. Your only task is to collect intelligence related to me and those around me."

That was Ye Chen's first order. Alkaid was far too slippery and utterly shameless in his methods. At the same time, he did not deserve to be treated as a worthy rival whom Ye Chen had to personally eliminate. If he could be dealt with early through someone else's hand, there was no need for Ye Chen to dirty his own.

Hearing the command, the Demon-Exterminating Great Saint immediately bowed his head in obedience.

Chapter 834: Bring Your Head to See Me!

"Put more effort into it! Alkaid is extremely cautious by nature. If you underestimate him even slightly, something could go wrong. You must handle it personally."

Ye Chen gave the instruction twice, deliberately. Alkaid was simply too slippery. Everyone else who had offended him had died quickly—some had even come begging to be killed. Yet Alkaid had first crossed him back when he was only at the Unity realm.

Now, Ye Chen had already reached the fourth layer of the Great Ascension realm, and that man was still alive. He warranted special attention. The only reason Ye Chen hadn't gone personally was his own laziness. Otherwise, he would have already flown over to finish the pest himself.

Still, he made sure to emphasize that the Demon-Exterminating Great Saint must act in person. He had no intention of letting this turn into some cliché from those old novels—sending a sharpening stone or a treasure-giving boy for the protagonist.

The Demon-Exterminating Great Saint smiled upon hearing the words. Alkaid did have some skill. He had watched the man grow up, after all. But no matter how capable, Alkaid was only at the peak of the Saint realm. While he himself was a Great Saint.

An entire Sixth-Heaven Saint King realm separated them. If he wanted to kill, it would take nothing more than a lift of his hand. But this was, after all, his very first mission after pledging allegiance. Of course, he had to execute it flawlessly.

"Rest assured, Young Lord. I will personally take action. Within half a year, if I cannot bring Alkaid's corpse to you, I will bring my own head to atone with my life…"

Ye Chen waved his hand dismissively, unwilling to waste more words. He flew out of the Heavenly Desire Sect once and discreetly released the Demon-Exterminating Great Saint from the cave heaven. Only then did he leisurely return to the sect.

"Holy Son…"

Fan Qinghe waited with eager, shining eyes. Standing beside her were her master, grandmaster, and ancestor. Each one resembled the most flawless silicone doll imaginable—not a single imperfection could be found. If the other women around him possessed auras of icy aloofness, cuteness, haughtiness, cold detachment, ethereal immortality, or pure desire…

Then the four generations of the Heavenly Desire Sect standing before him radiated only one thing: raw lust. Even just standing there quietly, they made one's blood surge, stirring wild, uncontrollable fantasies…

"This perfect transformation was all thanks to the Holy Son. My master and grandmaster also wish to express their gratitude to the Holy Son. You're not leaving so soon, right? Won't you give us a chance to thank you properly?"

During the earlier ceremony, none of them had used their full abilities. Now, all three were eager and restless, determined to make Ye Chen remember their goodness forever.

Ye Chen smiled at the words. A trace of reluctance flickered across his face, yet when his gaze fell on Fan Qinghe—full of doting indulgence—he sighed helplessly and nodded. He reached out and gently scraped the tip of her delicate, upturned nose.

"Fine. Just as you wish."

The sight of Ye Chen's tender indulgence toward Fan Qinghe filled the others with envy. It was only natural. A man like the Heavenly Emperor's heir would never lack women. Even for them—renowned as the peerless beauties of the Heavenly Desire Sect—this was a privilege.

Without Fan Qinghe's favor, they wouldn't even qualify to stand in the same room. The ancestral master's expression was somewhat complicated, tinged with hesitation. She knew her disciple, grand-disciple, and great-grand-disciple had already united, planning to compete for Ye Chen's affection through the combined efforts of three generations. But what about herself?

Ever since her own protector had fallen, she had taken no other man, nor had she ever walked the path of all beings. Yet hearing her descendants describe Ye Chen's terrifying prowess had awakened something in her perfect body, untouched for three thousand years.

Moreover, with her wealth of experience, she could even offer guidance. Her life was already nearing its end—purity or impurity no longer mattered. She might as well make one final contribution for the sake of her disciples. So the Heavenly Desire Ancestor had also decided to join. But Ye Chen suddenly looked up at her.

"Senior, thank you for your assistance last time. I noticed that the previous battle left you somewhat depleted. Please accept this spirit fruit as a token of my gratitude. Take it now and begin refining it."

The Heavenly Desire Ancestor was momentarily stunned. She was old, and her lifespan was nearly exhausted. Her recovery ability had long since declined sharply. The exhaustion from the earlier battle had indeed not yet fully healed. The spirit fruit in Ye Chen's hand flowed with divine radiance—clearly extraordinary. It could replenish her deficiencies and restore her condition.

But…

The Ancestor was no fool. She immediately understood. Ye Chen was sincere in giving the fruit… and equally sincere in not wanting her to join. In that instant, a wave of loss and faint self-loathing washed over her. She was six thousand years old, after all.

Of course, a young man like Ye Chen would find her repulsive. A trace of darkness flickered deep in her eyes, but she quickly covered it with a generous smile and thanked him. Yet the moment she took the spirit fruit, the Ancestor froze in astonishment.

The fruit carried the faint lingering aura of other fruits. It felt… as though it could replenish life essence itself. Just by inhaling its fragrance, she sensed a tiny, almost imperceptible increase in her nearly exhausted lifespan. The discovery made her previously dejected heart pound wildly. What had this fruit been stored alongside? Could it be… a life-extending treasure? Did Ye Chen actually possess a life-extending treasure…?

The other three women also noticed that the Ancestor had been quietly excluded from joining them. None of them spoke up. After all, the matter was delicate and hard to voice aloud. Yet the sudden look of delighted surprise on the Ancestor's face left them puzzled. Her direct disciple immediately asked: "Master, what's wrong?"

The Heavenly Desire Ancestor answered carefully, almost reverently: "I sensed the aura of a life-extending treasure on this fruit… it even stirred my life essence slightly."

At those words, the four women's expressions shifted in different directions.

Ye Chen, however, didn't bother hiding anything. He gave a faint smile.

"This fruit was previously stored together with a ginseng fruit…"

With that, he said no more. He simply flew toward Fan Qinghe's cave abode.

…

The Heavenly Desire Ancestor remained rooted in place. Anticipation, apprehension, and worry flickered through her eyes. A ginseng fruit. A single ginseng fruit that could extend life by three hundred and sixty years. If she consumed it… would she be able to hold on until Ye Chen reached the peak of the Sixth Heaven? And if so… would she then have a chance—relying on Ye Chen's terrifying capital—to undergo one final perfect transformation and touch the realm beyond the Sixth Heaven?

But Ye Chen clearly had no interest in her. The rejection had been unmistakable, tinged with faint distaste. How could she have the face to ask for more? Yet this was quite possibly her only remaining chance at extending her life. If she didn't fight for it now, she would regret it for the rest of her days—no matter how few they might be. So she turned to her disciples, grand-disciples, and great-grand-disciple, her gaze carrying a trace of pleading, a trace of sorrowful fragility.

Fan Qinghe and the others felt their hearts twist with complicated emotions. The Ancestor had always been kind to them. None of them wanted to watch her fall. But the value of a ginseng fruit was simply unimaginable. They had already cultivated the parasitic technique and received far more than they deserved. If they grew greedy again… what if Ye Chen grew tired of them?

Especially Fan Qinghe—her heart had always carried a quiet insecurity beneath Ye Chen's indulgence. She constantly feared that one day he might stop loving her. Yet Fan Qinghe had been an orphan all her life and placed immense value on family bonds.

Today, the Ancestor had emerged from seclusion and treated her with extraordinary warmth and care—looking at her as tenderly as she would a granddaughter. She had even said half her inheritance would go to Fan Qinghe.

Fan Qinghe cherished this rare feeling of four generations gathered together, like a real family. To stand by silently while the Ancestor withered away was unbearable torment. So in the moments that followed, Fan Qinghe inevitably became distracted…

The amount of honey she fed Ye Chen was noticeably less than last time. Fortunately, her master and grandmaster more than made up for it. They bustled about with tireless attentiveness, allowing Ye Chen to fully experience just how terrifying the combined efforts of three generations could truly be…