ISWI Chapter 964-965 (Patreon)

Chapter 964: Who is more beautiful?

"First, we kill the Heavenly Emperor's heir!"

After calming the dissatisfaction in his heart, Celestial Prince spoke seriously.

Lotus Emperor's handsome and imposing face showed no emotion. He simply nodded calmly. Although he had still been in the nurturing stage before, he was well aware of everything happening in the outside world.

The Heavenly Emperor's heir was indeed a great enemy. The potential he had displayed actually posed a greater threat than the Eight-Crowned King. Teaming up with Celestial Prince was, in fact, more beneficial than harmful to him.

He had personally witnessed Celestial Prince's battles in the past, and now Celestial Prince had taken the initiative to seek him out. It was enough to show that even after sleeping for ten thousand years, the Celestial Prince had not changed.

He lacked the will of an invincible expert. Once the Heavenly Emperor's heir and the Eight-Crowned King fell, his only remaining rival would be the Celestial Prince. In that case, his chances of obtaining the immortal qi and the heart of the Jianmu Tree would undoubtedly be much higher.

Moreover, the Heavenly Emperor's heir possessed the Nine Apertures Exquisite Heart. If he could obtain and refine it, he would completely make up for all the defects of a holy spirit.

In the future, whether in terms of cultivation speed or comprehension of heaven and earth, everything would become far easier. He would be no different from a true human, without any restrictions. Only then would he have greater confidence when facing the Eight-Crowned King.

There was also the Seven-colored Nirvana Jade holy spirit that had been taken away by the Heavenly Emperor's heir. Among the holy spirit race, its aptitude was undoubtedly top-tier as well. If its nurturing had not yet been interrupted by the Heavenly Emperor's heir, he should bring it into the immortal realm too.

While Lotus Emperor was deep in thought, Celestial Prince spoke again.

"Does Fellow Daoist possess an immortal artifact? The Heavenly Emperor's heir may have already reached the Great Emperor realm. With his mastery of the Armament Secret, he can activate immortal artifacts in advance, even at the Great Emperor level. Without an immortal artifact, Fellow Daoist will find it difficult to resist him."

Lotus Emperor gave a light smile. A lotus flower flew out in front of him, carrying a strange aura. It was not an immortal artifact, yet it felt extraordinarily terrifying.

Under the Celestial Prince's raised eyebrow, Lotus Emperor said calmly, "This flower has been nurtured alongside me for a million years. Although it has not yet become an immortal artifact, it has long surpassed the level of supreme Extreme Dao Weapons. It can be called a quasi-immortal artifact.

"While its power is indeed inferior to a true immortal artifact, since Quasi-Immortals cannot fully activate immortal artifacts anyway, this item is more than enough for me to handle everything. Once I become an immortal, this flower will naturally undergo the tribulation with me and become a true immortal artifact."

Lotus Emperor released his hand. The lotus floated gently above his head, rotating slowly as endless divine light flowed around it, protecting his body.

Celestial Prince's expression remained calm. He nodded and took the lead, flying toward the exit of the Ninth Realm.

Lotus Emperor's eyes were deep and sharp. He glanced once toward the depths of the Ninth Realm before following gracefully. As for the imperfect holy spirits and the elders of the Undying Celestial Phoenix Clan, neither of them brought them along. Although they were all Quasi-Immortals, the gap between them was as vast as heaven and earth.

A battle between top-tier Quasi-Immortals like themselves was not something these people could interfere with. Bringing them along would be useless and might even get them killed by the aftermath.

…

Inside the immortal city, countless cultivators were discussing the Celestial Prince's trip to the Ninth Realm. Even the news that the Alkaid Holy Land had suddenly become empty, with its higher-ups fleeing to unknown places, failed to draw anyone's attention.

Just as everyone was wondering whether Celestial Prince would fight the Eight-Crowned King, the transmission array unique to the Ninth Realm lit up.

Two figures walked out calmly.

The white-haired Celestial Prince, with his noble aura, was particularly striking and made people dare not look directly at him.

Beside him stood a middle-aged man dressed in azure robes, with azure lotus petals hovering above his head. His face was handsome, and he carried an imposing presence even without anger. His aura was in no way inferior to Celestial Prince's—perhaps even more peerless and outstanding.

Everyone's eyes widened as they stared at the middle-aged man.

Who was this person? Why had another peak Quasi-Immortal suddenly appeared on the Immortal Path? Where had he come from?

Countless people broke into an uproar, their eyes filled with awe and curiosity. After all, true top-tier experts could never hide their presence. Simply standing there, they made others feel their extraordinariness.

After the Quasi-Immortals had fallen, people had originally thought that only three individuals in this generation were qualified to compete for immortality. Yet suddenly, a fourth had appeared.

This was completely beyond everyone's expectations. Most importantly, the two figures standing there did not feel like enemies at all. Instead, they seemed more like close friends. Could they be planning to join forces?

The mere possibility sent shockwaves through the crowd, and every face paled dramatically.

Throughout history, alliances on the Immortal Path were not uncommon. There had once been a pair of brothers who possessed the extremely rare Twin Sovereign Physique. As long as one survived, the other could resurrect and fully recover even if killed.

Relying on this unique constitution, the two brothers had joined hands on the Immortal Path and swept through all their enemies. In the end, the elder brother attained immortality and brought his younger brother and their family into the Immortal Realm.

In another era, four quasi-immortals of nearly equal strength had vied for the chance at immortality. Their battle shook heaven and earth, yet none could claim victory. In the end, three of them swore oaths to the Heavenly Dao and withdrew from the competition. The remaining one attained immortality and led the other three into the Immortal Realm.

Of course, oaths to the Heavenly Dao were not absolute; they only influenced the future. Many had still broken their promises.

For example, there was the young genius from a minor sect who, after being groomed to immortality, turned his back on those who had supported him. And now, the Celestial Prince had joined forces with a mysterious peak quasi-immortal.

This development delivered an enormous shock to the entire landscape of the Immortal Path. Some among the crowd sensed that the mysterious quasi-immortal was not human. The azure lotus hovering above his head carried an aura of profound mystery and transcendent detachment.

"Is that the Chaos Azure Lotus, foremost among the Twelve Immortal Roots?"

"Could this person share a direct lineage with the Chaos Azure Lotus? Is he a holy spirit born from it?"

"A holy spirit nurtured by an immortal root?"

"The Chaos Azure Lotus governs chaos and controls rebirth. Wouldn't this holy spirit be even more terrifying than a fully matured Chaos Body?"

The moment they guessed the mysterious quasi-immortal's origin, every cultivator present drew in a sharp breath of cold air.

A perfectly born holy spirit was already fearsome enough. In past eras, such a being could have suppressed an entire age and claimed the Immortal Path for themselves.

Yet this person had been nurtured by an immortal root—moreover, the foremost among the Twelve Immortal Roots. His existence was unprecedented, and the true extent of his power was almost impossible to imagine.

For a moment, the crowd erupted into uproar.

The Celestial Prince and Lotus Emperor, however, paid no attention to the gazes fixed upon them. They rose directly from within the immortal city and flew off into the distance.

When the onlookers realized the direction the two were heading, the immortal city erupted into chaos once more.

They were flying toward the Great Yan Continent. Their purpose was obvious. They intended to join forces and suppress the Heavenly Emperor's heir.

Although the Heavenly Emperor's heir could withstand immortal artifacts head-on, facing two peak quasi-immortals was an entirely different matter. One was the son of the Heavenly Emperor, who had slumbered for a million years before undergoing nirvanic rebirth.

The other had been nurtured by an immortal root. The Chaos Azure Lotus itself had vanished from history for a million years, appearing only briefly during the Heavenly Emperor's era. The outside world had assumed the Heavenly Emperor had taken it away.

No one had expected that it had actually been nurturing a holy spirit. It was easy to imagine that a world-shaking battle was about to erupt in the Great Yan Continent.

…

Meanwhile, in the Great Yan Continent.

Ye Chen was currently inside the Heavenly Intention Holy Land. He had not entered his fiancée's cave residence—his access rights had been revoked.

While Ye Chen was still stunned, his fiancée's cold, aloof voice suddenly rang out: "Who is more beautiful, me or Yan Ruyu?"

Ye Chen's mouth twitched.

She had always been quite generous before. Why was she suddenly so concerned about this?

Chapter 965: You Don't Want Your Fiancé's Soul to Scatter Either, Do You!

In terms of appearance alone, Ye Chen had always believed his fiancée was the true pinnacle of beauty. She simply lacked Yan Ruyu's multifaceted, layered charm in temperament. Each had her own merits. But at this moment, he knew better than to play the impartial judge.

Thus, Ye Chen spoke earnestly through the cave residence door: "Qingwu, you are the most beautiful!"

A long moment passed after his words before any movement came from inside the cave. The grand doors slowly parted, revealing a narrow gap. His fiancée's breathtaking figure appeared.

The moment he saw her, Ye Chen's eyes lit up. Not only had her cultivation multiplier surged straight to seven thousand two hundred times, but chaotic qi now swirled around her body, making her resemble a Chaos Body even more than Yan Qingcheng.

Clearly, by absorbing the origin of the previous Alkaid Holy Son, she had officially awakened an Innate Chaos Body—and even surpassed it. Her attire today was particularly striking. She wore a pure white dress that accentuated her stunning beauty, her skin fairer than the fabric itself.

The sight stirred Ye Chen's heart. Yet, although Yi Qingwu had opened the cave door, she showed no intention of deactivating the array to let him inside. Instead, she spoke with cool indifference: "Today marks the anniversary of my fiancé Ying Tiansheng's death… What are you doing here? Do you still intend to humiliate me on this day? If you try anything today, I would rather die than submit. You should leave on your own!"

With those words, Yi Qingwu calmly turned and walked away. Her form-fitting white dress perfectly outlined her flawless, curvaceous figure from behind.

Ye Chen was stunned. There was even a full scene this time?

Such a test would be hard for even a quasi-immortal to resist, let alone a Great Emperor like himself. As for the array before him, it naturally posed no obstacle.

Ye Chen stepped forward at once. He crossed the array in a single stride and entered the cave residence.

"You… absolutely not today…"

"Take the demonic body and stay away from my true self!"

"Don't… my fiancé Ying Tiansheng's portrait is still here!"

"You're being outrageous. If you dare activate the imprint again…"

Ye Chen, who knew his fiancée's personality well, ignored her words entirely and simply did what she truly wanted him to do. Before long, both the mourning-clad fiancée and her demonic body were left completely powerless to resist.

A full week passed in this manner.

Ye Chen raised his hand, and a strand of origin far thicker and more profound than the Alkaid Holy Son's earlier one floated out from his palm.

"This origin comes from the Exiled Immortal of the Other Doamin. That man was exceptionally powerful. He broke through during battle and even wielded an immortal artifact. Once activated, its might is boundless. I nearly died nine times over just to bring this back for you, Qingwu!"

Ye Chen spoke with a beaming smile.

Yi Qingwu had already grown accustomed to accepting Ye Chen's vast origins. She did not refuse. Instead, she simply raised her hand to receive it and merged it directly into her body. As for Ye Chen's words, she responded with a rather cool eye roll. Traces of flushed red still lingered on her face as the corners of her lips curved into a mocking smile.

"I suppose it was nine deaths and one life just to fight for the World-Destroying Black Lotus Seed for Yan Ruyu, right? Even though Yan Ruyu rejected someone, that someone still secretly keeps an eye on her.

"As soon as he learned she was about to break through to the Great Emperor realm, he rushed to snatch the best item for condensing a black hole from the Exiled Immortal. I'm truly moved by such deep affection. If Ying Tiansheng were still alive, he probably would have treated me just as well!"

Ye Chen couldn't help but laugh.

At that moment, the only scents filling the cave residence were osmanthus and vinegar. His fiancée really seemed to care this time.

At the same time, a system notification rang out in Ye Chen's mind.

"Congratulations, host. Gift successfully presented…"

"Gift presented: Physique Origin."

"Seven thousand two hundred times feedback in progress."

"Detected that the gift is extremely important to the recipient, triggering intense emotional fluctuations…"

"Top-notch critical strike feedback activated."

"Host possesses the Primordial Chaos Supreme Body. Feedback automatically converted into Primordial Chaos Supreme Body."

"Congratulations, host. Primordial Chaos Supreme Body has advanced to two-thousandths!"

Hearing the notification, Ye Chen revealed a satisfied smile. The increase was not huge, but he was already very pleased. After all, the number had now reached the thousandths.

Previously, even a mere one-thousandth of his Primordial Chaos Supreme Body at full power had allowed him to withstand a preliminarily awakened immortal artifact head-on. Now, with another one-thousandth added, his strength had essentially doubled. The improvement to his overall power was obvious.

Yet what amused him most was his fiancée's attitude. Although she had spoken coldly and kept him at arm's length, that top-tier critical strike clearly revealed her true feelings. This fiancée of his was truly a treasure.

She had a split body, she felt gratitude, and on top of being practical, she could even provide critical strike feedback. She was quite simply the most perfect treasure in the world.

Ye Chen walked up to his still eye-rolling fiancée and spoke gently, "Yan Ruyu is indeed beautiful, but in my heart, she is not even one ten-thousandth of you… As for the World-Destroying Black Lotus Seed, I gave it to her only because I happened to have an extra one. If there had been only a single seed, I would have kept it for you without hesitation, Qingwu!"

As he spoke, a World-Destroying Black Lotus Seed appeared in his hand.

Yi Qingwu's eyes widened, and her previously icy aura instantly thawed like melting snow.

Although his fiancée was not skilled at speaking softly, the surge of emotion made it impossible for her to keep up the act any longer. For a moment, she did not know what to say.

Ye Chen, of course, understood exactly what she was thinking. He still needed roughly two more years before breaking through to the quasi-immortal realm. Spending more time with his fiancée before heading to the Northern Domain to deal with the Celestial Prince was not a problem at all.

During this free period, he could also search for traces of the Chaos Azure Lotus. Otherwise, he would have no choice but to take Senior An as his dao companion before she obtained the Seven Absolutes Immortal Physique.

The Chaos Azure Lotus had shown no trace so far. Ye Chen suspected that some holy land was hiding it. Even the Forsight Secret had failed to deduce its location. Still, it was not a big issue. As long as the Chaos Azure Lotus existed, he would definitely find it—even if he had to offer massive benefits or even an entry slot into the Immortal Realm in exchange.

Of course, those matters could wait. Right now, the most important thing to Ye Chen was to accompany his fiancée.

With a gentle flick of his sleeve, a majestic Human Emperor Banner surged with towering purple qi and righteous aura as it flew out from his inner world.

Immediately afterward, a soul body materialized atop the banner.

It was Ying Tiansheng. His eyes were dull and lifeless.

After obtaining Ying Tiansheng's soul from his fiancée back then, Ye Chen had thrown it into the Yellow Springs Water and washed it thoroughly several times to ensure not a shred of consciousness remained.

Yi Qingwu, despite constantly mentioning Ying Tiansheng, showed no expression when she actually saw his soul. She could not even be bothered to look at it more than once.

But the moment Ye Chen spoke, her attitude toward the soul changed completely.

"Qingwu, I hold your fiancé's soul in my hands. You don't want his soul to scatter and never enter the cycle of reincarnation again, do you?"

Fury immediately flashed in Yi Qingwu's beautiful eyes. Her slender jade finger trembled as she pointed at Ye Chen.

In the end, however, her hand dropped powerlessly. With a tone of humiliated surrender, she said, "I will agree to anything you want… Just please don't harm my fiancé's soul…"