ISWI Chapter 873-874 (Patreon)

Chapter 873: Star God Origin-Gathering Cauldron!

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?

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?

Chapter 874: Old Man, Is My Car Safe Parked Outside?

The golden-robed elder's imagination ran wild: himself in secluded cultivation while that yellow-haired brat sneaked in, sweet-talked his daughter with worthless trinkets and honeyed words, and lured her away.

His blood pressure spiked instantly. But… His daughter had already agreed. What could he do?

She already seemed to harbor some misunderstandings toward him because of Ye Chen. If he kept opposing so stubbornly, he would only hurt her more.

In the end, the helpless father could only nod in resignation. "Fine. Let him come for a quick visit. Once he's seen enough, I'll personally hand him the fragment and escort him straight back to the Great Yan Continent. You won't need to worry about his safety, Daughter."

Yan Qingcheng shook her head inwardly.

They hadn't even left yet, and her father was already planning how to send Ye Chen away. Judging from the way he kept slandering and framing Ye Chen—even after Ye Chen had treated her so generously—her father still held nothing but hostility. If her father were the one escorting Ye Chen back, she would actually worry more.

Still, she had her own plans. She nodded. "All right. Let's head to the Heavenly Emperor Hall first!"

The mere thought of bringing that yellow-haired pest to the Heavenly Emperor Hall made the elder feel as miserable as if he were visiting his wife's grave. He immediately summoned his flying vessel. "Then call that yellow… call Ye Chen over. We won't use the teleportation array—we'll fly straight back…"

He had already decided: on the journey, he would isolate the vessel from the outside world so Ye Chen could never pinpoint the palace's location. If worst came to worst, he would simply relocate the Heavenly Emperor Hall again. Back when the Heavenly Emperor departed, the hall had been targeted relentlessly and moved multiple times. Relocating once more to keep Ye Chen away was no big deal.

Yet Yan Qingcheng's beautiful face broke into a smile. She nodded.

"Father, I was just thinking the same—we won't use the teleportation array. But Ye Chen has his war chariot. I'll ride with him. We'll meet you at the Heavenly Emperor Hall!"

Before the golden-robed elder could react, she had already turned and walked toward Ye Chen, who was waiting just outside Immortal City.

Seeing that she had finished speaking with her father, Ye Chen gave the elder a polite smile. Then, under countless watchful eyes, he summoned the war chariot. He climbed aboard first, and Yan Qingcheng naturally settled in right behind him.

The space between them was almost nonexistent. Once she pointed out the direction, Ye Chen thoughtfully reminded her, "I'm about to accelerate. During takeoff, you'd better hold onto my waist."

Yan Qingcheng nodded without the slightest hesitation. Among cultivators, who would fuss over such a trivial thing?

And so, under the golden-robed elder's incredulous stare, his daughter placed both hands on the yellow-haired Ye Chen's waist.

In the next instant, the chariot erupted with seven-colored divine light. It shot forward with a deafening boom…

In the blink of an eye, it vanished from the elder's line of sight.

His daughter… was gone? Just like that—with Ye Chen? Leaving her old father standing here alone?

The golden-robed elder's hands trembled. He barely registered the surrounding chatter:

"That's the Western Empress Divine Carriage! The Heavenly Emperor even hid something like that? Who knows how Jade Pool Holy Land will react…"

"Where is the Heavenly Emperor's heir taking the Chaos Body girl…?"

He immediately wanted to give chase. He could not tolerate Ye Chen being alone with his daughter. But when he tried to pursue, he realized he couldn't catch up. That war chariot was simply too fast—it had already left the range of his divine sense.

He had no choice. He would have to take the teleportation array back. Otherwise, who knew what Ye Chen might do to his daughter once they reached the Heavenly Emperor Hall?

The image of his daughter happily riding in the chariot only deepened the ache in his chest. The moment Ye Chen arrived, he would shove the immortal artifact fragment into the boy's hands, settle the debt once and for all, then kick him straight back to Great Yan Continent. And tonight—while everyone slept—he would move the entire Heavenly Emperor Hall to a new location.

Gritting his teeth, the golden-robed elder departed for the hidden teleportation array in the Central Continent that led to the Hall…

…

Though Ye Chen and Yan Qingcheng had already departed, the entire cultivation world had erupted into fervent discussion.

The emergence of the Heavenly Will Dao-Entrust Jade. The appearance of a Chaos Body. Either one alone would have been monumental news.

Yet none of it drew as much attention as the Heavenly Emperor's heir himself. Because he had given the Heavenly Will Dao-Entrust Jade to a Chaos Body.

People marveled more and more at his magnanimity. To hand over such a treasure for the sake of a woman…

Combined with the earlier rumors of his Saint-grade spiritual root, it was simply outrageous. Some even speculated half-jokingly: if the Heavenly Emperor's heir were fortunate enough to obtain immortal qi in the future, would he gift that away to a woman, too?

Most dismissed the idea outright. Once a female cultivator became an immortal, who could predict her attitude?

What if, after ascending, she severed ties with her beloved and left the Heavenly Emperor's heir behind in the mortal realm? That would be an irreparable loss. He would never gamble his path to immortality on such uncertainty. So, immortal qi, at least, would never be given away.

Meanwhile, word had also spread that the Western Empress Divine Carriage—the sacred treasure of Jade Pool—had fallen into Ye Chen's hands. He hadn't bothered to conceal it that day.

Normally, when such a holy relic resurfaced, major powers would never allow it to remain in outsider hands. Just as the Holy Prince had once sought to reclaim the Compliant Golden-Hooped Rod. Most would spare no effort to retrieve it.

Yet Jade Pool Holy Land's response had been remarkably ambiguous. First, they claimed it might not even be genuine. Then they said they would "discuss the matter" with the Heavenly Emperor's heir. Not a hint of aggression.

Surprisingly, the outside world wasn't shocked by this stance. After all, Jade Pool's current generation lacked any standout prodigies. The Heavenly Emperor's heir, on the other hand, had a real chance of becoming an immortal. Even if he failed, as long as he survived, quasi-immortal status was practically guaranteed. Under those circumstances, Jade Pool naturally had no desire to offend him over an old relic.

…

And so, amid endless waves of speculation and debate, five days passed in the blink of an eye…

Deep in the starry void, a streak of light tore across the darkness. A voice emerged from within the radiance: "You can slow down now. Just behind that massive star ahead—there's a concealed array. You'll only see it once we get closer…"

With Yan Qingcheng guiding the way, the two streaked through the cosmos like lightning, traversing rivers of stars, until at last they reached the Heavenly Emperor Hall.

Ye Chen brought the war chariot to a halt before its gates. He looked up, genuinely surprised.

The Heavenly Emperor Hall wasn't the vast hidden realm he had imagined. It was a colossal edifice, rivaling the size of a giant star itself.

Majestic and imposing, its spire soared skyward as though piercing the very firmament. While Ye Chen was still taking it in, the palace gates swung open.

The golden-robed elder strode out hurriedly, his eyes fixed anxiously on his daughter. "Qingcheng, are you all right?"

Yan Qingcheng stepped down from the chariot, smoothed her long hair, and shook her head gently. "I'm fine."

Ye Chen rose as well, polite and composed. During the journey, he had already learned the elder's identity. Yan Qingcheng's father.

Sensing the terrifying aura rolling off the man—at least Great Saint realm, perhaps even higher—Ye Chen naturally showed the utmost respect.

"Greetings, Senior."

He offered a proper cultivator's salute.

The golden-robed elder suppressed the irritation seething inside him and gave Ye Chen a curt nod. If not for his daughter standing right there, he would have slapped the boy straight back to the Great Yan Continent already.

Utterly infuriating.

"Come in! You gave Qingcheng the Heavenly Will Dao-Entrust Jade, so I've prepared a thank-you gift for you as well. Come inside and take a look. Afterward, I'll personally escort you back—wouldn't want any accidents along the way."

The golden-robed elder raised his hand and beckoned the two inside.

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow. He could sense the man's lack of warmth. Was it simply paternal protectiveness, seeing him as the yellow-haired lecher eyeing his precious daughter? Or was there another reason? Could this old man be the one who had been secretly sabotaging him all along?

It was entirely possible. After all, as Yan Qingcheng's father, he had every motive to target Ye Chen for her sake. Still, having finally arrived, Ye Chen had no intention of leaving so easily. Along the journey, Yan Qingcheng had shared plenty about the Heavenly Emperor Hall.

Ye Chen stepped down from the chariot but did not put it away. Instead, he turned to the golden-robed elder.

"Senior, does the Heavenly Emperor Hall ever get visited by unsavory types? Is it safe to leave my car out here?"

The golden-robed elder's mouth twitched. The only unsavory type here is you. And after coming all this way, you still won't store the chariot? Trying to flaunt that you have the Western Empress Divine Carriage in your possession? So what if it's a little faster? What's there to show off?

Yet Yan Qingcheng quickly explained on Ye Chen's behalf. "Father, the Western Empress Divine Carriage absorbs starlight divine power. Leaving it outside actually enhances its speed…"

Seeing his daughter so thoughtfully defending Ye Chen only made the elder's blood pressure climb higher. He waved a hand expressionlessly. "There are unsavory types around the Heavenly Emperor Hall, but not many. If you want to leave it there, go ahead. No one will touch it."

With that, he turned and strode directly into the grand hall.

Ye Chen arched a brow. Though he had not yet reached the Saint realm and could not fully grasp Heavenly Position Laws, his insight was still somewhat limited. But with the Foresight Secret protecting him, he could passively sense fortune and misfortune.

Right now, he clearly felt something. This old man harbored absolutely no goodwill toward him. From the moment they met, he had wanted to drive him away.

Ye Chen grew even more certain: this old man was the one who had been targeting him. With that thought in mind, he walked thoughtfully beside Yan Qingcheng into the depths of the Heavenly Emperor Hall.

The palace was vast. The three of them soon arrived at a grand hall. The hall was extraordinarily magnificent. Through walls of transparent divine jade, one could see countless great stars wheeling outside, rivers of stars surging past—an awe-inspiring vista.

The golden-robed elder, suppressing his irritation for his daughter's sake, personally brewed tea. He planned to observe the bare minimum of courtesy, exchange a few words, and then send Ye Chen on his way. But Ye Chen glanced at the tea and shook his head.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Senior. However, I'm not fond of ordinary tea. The only kind I can drink is Enlightenment Tea—anything else makes me cough and disrupts my cultivation…"

The golden-robed elder's hand froze mid-pour.

Only Enlightenment Tea?

Even the Heavenly Emperor himself had never been so pretentious. Worse still, Ye Chen had subtly implied that his spiritual tea was inferior.

This was intolerable. The elder was on the verge of slamming the table.

But at that moment, Yan Qingcheng spoke up.

"Father, Fellow Daoist Ye gave me the Heavenly Will Dao-Entrust Jade and even repaired the Heavenly Emperor War Chariot before gifting it to me… I am deeply grateful to him. Serving ordinary spiritual tea does feel a little perfunctory.

"Father, aren't there still two leaves of Enlightenment Tea in the palace treasury? If we don't use them soon, they'll wither away. Now is the perfect time to brew some. Afterward, Fellow Daoist Ye and I can conveniently enter seclusion here to break through…"

Ye Chen, for his part, showed no trace of politeness.

"Thank you, Fairy Yan, and thank you, Senior. My cultivation has indeed been stirring restlessly. Breaking through soon would be ideal…"

The golden-robed elder's blood surged to his head; his scalp tingled with fury. He had preserved those Enlightenment Tea leaves with the utmost care—how could they possibly wither?

There were only two leaves left. He hadn't even dared to smell them, afraid the spiritual Qi might leak away. He had been saving them for his daughter's path to immortality.

Yet now his daughter was turning her elbow outward, insisting on giving them to Ye Chen. And worst of all, Ye Chen wanted to seclude himself here?

No… Absolutely not!