ISWI Chapter 843-844 (Patreon)

Chapter 843: Heavenly Intention Holy Land's Return Gift!

"I'm accepting your gifts, but that doesn't mean I'm going to become your dao companion…"

Hearing his fiancée's little inequality, Ye Chen couldn't help but grin. If any other woman had said that, most men would have blown a fuse. But with Yi Qingwu, you just had to listen to the opposite of what she said. The next moment, her pretty face flushed crimson. She glared at him furiously.

"Why are you vibrating the marks?! Don't even think about using that to force me into submission!"

Ye Chen: "…"

I didn't vibrate anything?

Yi Qingwu didn't give him a chance to explain. She gathered her long, flowing hair like cascading water and tied it up, then spoke coldly: "I'm going into seclusion next. So even if you threaten me with a recording stone, this is the only time! If you dare push your luck again, we'll both perish together!"

With that, she lowered her head in grim determination.

Ye Chen: "…"

Soon enough, though, his mouth was silenced too. He couldn't get another word out.

...

Half a day later.

The two made a quick visit to the Heavenly Intention Holy Hall. Afterward, Yi Qingwu returned to her cave abode without the slightest hesitation and began her seclusion.

Ye Chen was a little surprised. Given how dramatically she had just performed, he'd half-expected her to keep up the act for ten days or half a month at least.

Yet she left just like that. What he didn't know was that his fiancée was simply in a hurry. She wanted to fully cultivate the Indestructible Heavenly Art as soon as possible, so she could nurture the divine embryo inside her body. Once it matured and broke free, she would become an entirely new version of herself.

That way she could refine her avatar sooner—and finally stop torturing herself like this. The mere thought of lying there in the future filled her with motivation.

Meanwhile, Ye Chen prepared to leave as well. His fiancée would be in seclusion for at least a year. There was no reason for him to wait here. Better to go check on Senior An.

When word spread that Ye Chen was departing, the entire Heavenly Intention Holy Land felt deep reluctance to see him go. The Heavenly Intention Holy Master personally escorted him.

At the mountain gate, the Holy Master clapped a hand on Ye Chen's shoulder.

"As for the Dao companion matter, you and Qingwu can discuss it yourselves! The gifts you gave—we at Heavenly Intention Holy Land won't interfere in the slightest. They all belong to Qingwu. But since you presented her with such extraordinarily valuable gifts, we can't possibly send you away empty-handed.

"For generations, Heavenly Intention Holy Land has nurtured young Chongming Birds, all carrying the bloodline of the divine beast Chongming Bird. In our treasury, we still preserve some ancient azure luan feathers and golden crow feathers.

"In the coming days, I'll instruct the elders to use heaven-grade silkworm silk spun by a Harmonious Dao Realm divine silkworm as the base thread, combined with azure luan feathers and golden crow feathers as the primary materials… along with a large quantity of young Chongming Bird plumage. They will craft, with utmost care, a quilt for you—an immortal blanket at the level of a low-grade Extreme Dao weapon…"

"…"

Ye Chen's brow arched at the words. An Extreme Dao weapon-level blanket? Now that was something. Heavenly Intention Holy Land really knew how to reciprocate properly.

After a few more casual words, Ye Chen boarded his personal flying vessel and drifted away into the distance. But once he was seated on the ship, after chatting idly with Feng Baiyu for a while, Ye Chen suddenly stood up straight, realization dawning. He had given his fiancée so many lavish gifts. And in return, Heavenly Intention Holy Land was giving him… one blanket?

Atop an isolated peak that pierced the clouds. A woman stood there, clad in flowing white robes, her features exquisitely refined and peerlessly beautiful, as if she had stepped out of a painting of celestial perfection. Her white dress fluttered in the wind, giving the impression that she might ascend with the next gust and vanish into the heavens. Her face was breathtaking, yet her expression carried a chilling indifference.

Not coldness, not cruelty—simply utter detachment. It was as though nothing in the world could touch her, as if the collapse of the sky or the crumbling of the earth would not stir the slightest ripple in her heart. Before her lay a purple-robed Daoist, crumpled on the summit's stone surface. Blood stained his robes, and his entire body radiated profound weakness.

Yet the holy might leaking from him made one thing unmistakable: This was a Saint. A Saint of the early Fifth Heaven.

At this moment, incredulity filled the Saint's eyes. He had long known this era was a golden age, teeming with monstrous prodigies.

The Heavenly Emperor's heir, Lan Nuo, and others possessed the terrifying ability to slay across realms. But he never imagined that this nameless woman before him could be so outrageously powerful. She was merely at the peak of Half-Saint.

Yet he—a Saint—had been utterly helpless against her. The moment she found him, within only a few breaths, he had been completely suppressed.

The woman spoke in flat, emotionless tones: "Tell me the location of the secret realm discovered by Violet Radiance Holy Land."

The purple-robed Saint's face twisted with extreme bitterness. It felt exhilarating when prodigies leaped realms to battle. But being the one surpassed? That was pure agony.

Damn it—he had only recently broken through to the Saint realm. If given a little more time, he might one day stand as her equal. And how in the world had she learned that his sect had unearthed a Dao-Entrust Treasure in the Fourth Realm?

Such a treasure was priceless—how could they possibly…

While he hesitated, the woman slowly raised her right hand. Her slender jade finger gleamed like carved alabaster. A nearly tangible, radiant divine sword materialized in her grasp. The sword stretched instantly. Its piercing tip, capable of shredding through anything, hovered a breath away from puncturing the Violet Radiance Saint's brow. The aura it exuded suggested it could annihilate not only the body but the nascent soul along with it.

The Saint shuddered violently, hesitation evaporating in an instant.

"The secret realm lies in the northern domain of the Fourth Realm. Here is the precise location!"

In his panic, fearing she might still be dissatisfied, he conjured a spell that formed a dao map in the air, clearly marking the spot. The woman gave a slight nod. Yet the divine sword did not pause. It drove straight through the Saint's skull.

Saints possessed astonishing vitality—immensely difficult to kill. But with a single thrust, the man before her perished instantly.

"The Supreme Scripture states that if a semi-saint obtains a Dao-Entrust Treasure, they can embark on the path of the Great Dao toward sainthood. It is the seed of future transcendence, the single most crucial step. I am destined to stand at the pinnacle in the days to come—how could I ever submit beneath the Heavenly Dao?"

She had slain a Saint, yet her face remained expressionless, no trace of killing intent leaking outward. Only that profound, unshakable indifference.

But at that moment, a figure arrived drifting through the air, a golden wheel crowning his head like a divine halo. It was Hua Yunfei, the foremost Holy Son of Heavenly Evolution Holy Land.

Hua Yunfei gazed at her, his expression extraordinarily complicated. He had always cared deeply for this junior sister, watching over her most of the time. Whenever she fought, he had unhesitatingly stood on her side. But lately she had grown increasingly unfamiliar. With each passing day, it felt as though another piece of her original self was slipping away.

"Junior Sister, during this time, I've sought out a certain dharma. Try circulating it—perhaps it will help you rediscover the you of before!"

The woman halted and regarded him calmly.

"I am who I am. The me of the past was me, and the me of now is still me. I have only ever been improving. Why speak of 'rediscover' the former self? I am heading to the Fourth Realm next to prepare for my ascension to Sainthood. Your clone has already become a Saint—there is no need for you to follow me any longer."

Hua Yunfei's face contorted with extreme pain. He feared that if things continued this way, Dantai Xuan would truly never return to who she once was. The helplessness of watching his junior sister slowly being replaced by someone else—it tore at him unbearably. Behind him, the divine wheel trembled. Without another word, Hua Yunfei stepped forward to block Dantai Xuan's path.

Chapter 844: The Golden-Robed Elder's Precautions…

"Junior Sister, you have to try this method."

Hua Yunfei blocked Dantai Xuan's path. The words had barely left his mouth when his body was suddenly sent flying backward. He crashed across the peak, kicking up endless dust and debris. When the cloud finally settled, Hua Yunfei coughed up blood. He lowered his head and stared at the long gash that had torn through both his dao robe and his chest. Disbelief filled his eyes.

"Dantai… you actually attacked me?"

He asked in a voice that could hardly accept the reality. Yet Dantai Xuan's expression remained completely unchanged—still that profound, emotionless detachment.

"Do not stand in my way."

Hua Yunfei's heart turned to ash. The last shred of hope was shattered. He was certain now: his junior sister had been thoroughly replaced. The Dantai Xuan he once knew was truly gone. Otherwise, even if only a trace of her memories remained, she could never have raised a hand against him.

For the first time, killing intent surfaced in Hua Yunfei's eyes. The divine wheel behind his head blazed with light. Purple qi surged outward, and the vague silhouette of a Dao Palace began to manifest, sealing off the entire area and suppressing everything within. If his junior sister was already dead, then there was no need for mercy. He would suppress this impostor and prevent her from continuing to occupy his junior sister's body.

Let the flesh return to dust, the soul return to earth. That might be the kindest ending.

Sensing the absolute resolve radiating from him, Dantai Xuan frowned for the first time.

"I am Dantai Xuan. I remember the care you showed me when I first entered the sect… I remember the pills you refined for me… I remember when you went to the Endless Sea to slay a Unity great demon across realms just to obtain materials for my dao soldier—your clone was gravely injured and nearly destroyed… I remember every detail of the past, but I am still me. The path I walk now is the one I have chosen for myself… I can bear every consequence. Senior Brother, you should not stop me. Leave."

Dantai Xuan spoke of their shared history in calm, measured tones. Every detail was recounted with perfect clarity. She was proving that she was still herself.

Yet the words only made Hua Yunfei's expression darken further. She was still his junior sister—yet she had attacked him without the slightest hesitation. That hurt far more than if she had simply died.

He stared at her for a long, long time before finally letting out a heavy sigh. The divine wheel behind him dimmed. The purple qi withdrew back into his body. The illusory Dao Palace dissolved completely. Without another word, he turned and left.

Dantai Xuan's face remained expressionless, but a single tear slipped from the corner of her eye. She frowned and wiped it away.

"There is still some remnant will that hasn't been replaced… enough to affect the body? But it won't be long. Once I successfully defy and sever the Great Dao, even that last trace of the former will shall scatter completely. And I… will surely transcend."

She brushed the tear aside.

Clad in her white robes, Dantai Xuan continued walking toward the teleportation array. Returning to the Fourth Realm. Awaiting the moment her opportunity arrived.

...

Deep within the starry void.

The Heavenly Emperor Hall—untraceable to nearly everyone—floated amid boundless immortal radiance.

Its grand doors stood wide open. Two figures drifted out.

"The Heavenly Will Dao-Entrust Jade that Violet Radiance Holy Land discovered in the Fourth Realm is about to be born. Dao-Entrust Treasures are exceptionally rare. Their formation requires a wisp of Heavenly Will aura. The Heavenly Will is ethereal and elusive; traces of its aura are almost impossibly scarce. Throughout the entire history of the cultivation world, only a few hundred Dao-Entrust Treasures have ever appeared.

"Once you perfectly sever your dao and become a Saint, the world will open wide before you. You can then walk the Immortal Realm openly as the true heir of the Heavenly Emperor. As for that Ye Chen… there is no need for him anymore!"

The golden-robed elder spoke gravely, giving earnest instructions. By the end, his tone carried a trace of awkwardness. Back then, he had misjudged Ye Chen. Though the boy had some talent, in this golden age of monstrous prodigies, he seemed little more than a stepping stone—destined to fall midway and never reach the Great Dao.

Who could have imagined Ye Chen would grow so ferocious?

The realization had gnawed at him ever since. And recently, word arrived that Ye Chen's cultivation had soared, reaching the peak of Fourth Heaven. He had already caught up to his own daughter. That was even harder for the elder to accept.

It felt as though Ye Chen—whom he had never even met—was slapping him across the face again and again. So his daughter had to emerge. If Ye Chen continued growing unchecked like this, the "false successor" would soon become the true one in every sense.

Beside the golden-robed elder stood Yan Qingcheng, wreathed in surging chaotic Qi. An invincible aura rolled off her in waves—utterly domineering. She resembled a female emperor, her gaze carrying supreme authority. Yet Yan Qingcheng gently shook her head and frowned at her father.

"Father, the position of Heavenly Emperor's heir was never meant to be mine. What does it matter if it goes to Ye Chen? The Heavenly Emperor Scripture is powerful, yes, but it isn't entirely suited to me. In the end, I must walk my own path."

The golden-robed elder's brows immediately furrowed. He spoke in frustration, as though scolding an unfilial child who refused to see reason.

"Don't talk nonsense. Do you think the identity of Heavenly Emperor's heir is only tied to our Heavenly Emperor Hall? With your Chaos Body, you are destined to ascend to immortality in this generation. Compared to you, what is that so-called Eight-Crowned King relying on a seedling of the World Tree? Or the Celestial Prince who slept for a million years just to obtain an acquired immortal physique? Or even Lan Nuo with her Sacred Spiritual Root? None of them come close.

"And Ye Chen—however dominant he seems now, how could he ever compare to you once your Chaos Body reaches perfection and you reverse-sever the Great Dao? Once you enter the Immortal Realm as the Heavenly Emperor's heir, countless powerful figures will naturally shelter and support you…

"The Heavenly Emperor made many enemies and few fellow daoists, that's true—but the fellow daoists he did have were all titans. That identity alone will save you thousands of years of detours in the Immortal Realm. Such an opportunity—how can you possibly give it away?"

The golden-robed elder spoke with grave solemnity.

Yan Qingcheng could feel that her father was genuinely doing everything in his power to pave the smoothest road for her future. So even though she disagreed with much of what he said, she fell silent. She simply nodded and prepared to leave.

But as she turned toward the teleportation array, the elder suddenly thought of something else. He hurriedly called after her: "That Ye Chen has already reached the peak of Fourth Heaven. Though a mere place like Heavenly Evolution Holy Land probably hasn't received the news yet, the boy's luck is truly astonishing. If you really encounter him, daughter, you absolutely must not soften your heart and hand the treasure over to him."

"The Heavenly Emperor's heir is cunning and ruthless. Back when he learned you were the true successor, he treated you kindly and even gifted you treasures—clearly he had ulterior motives. Perhaps he's scheming for some opportunity within our Heavenly Emperor Hall… You must not let this person deceive you."

At those words, Yan Qingcheng truly couldn't hold back anymore. She wanted to refute her father, to defend Ye Chen. From their last meeting, she could tell he wasn't the scheming type at all. His gifts had been given with complete sincerity, and every single item carried no hidden dangers whatsoever.

A man forced into the role of false successor to draw fire—yet he harbored no resentment and even felt guilty for taking what should have been her opportunity. How could someone like that possibly be a bad person?

But the golden-robed elder gave her no chance to speak. He continued earnestly: "Qingcheng, promise me—on this trip, you must obtain the Heavenly Will Dao-Entrust Jade! If Ye Chen appears, you absolutely cannot let him have it! And the gifts he gave you—never accept them without my permission."

The elder feared his daughter might hand the Heavenly Will Dao-Entrust Jade to Ye Chen. Even more, he feared Ye Chen might use gifts to win her over entirely. When he recalled the rumors of Ye Chen's insatiable appetite for women—even sparing no three-thousand-year-old cultivator from the Heavenly Desire Sect—the elder couldn't help but shudder. If his daughter ended up choosing such a man as her dao companion, he feared he would suffer a qi deviation on the spot. So he had to sever every possible thread.

The golden-robed elder fixed her with an intense gaze.

"Qingcheng, promise me…"

Yan Qingcheng sighed helplessly. In the end, she still nodded.

"Fine! I absolutely will not give him the Heavenly Will Dao-Entrust Jade… and I will never accept anything Ye Chen tries to give me. If I ever do, it will only be with your explicit permission, Father!"