ISWI Chapter 968-972 (Patreon)

Chapter 968: Even the Heavenly Emperor Is Inferior!

Celestial Prince was furious. He possessed the Undying Immortal Body and the Sacred Spirit Root. He had also cultivated the ancient immortal scripture that his father had obtained from the immortal realm.

After sleeping for a million years, he should have emerged at his peak, sweeping through everything, suppressing the universe, and ascending through the heavenly gate to the immortal realm under the awed gazes of countless people, becoming the last true immortal of this world.

But what had happened instead?

From the very day he emerged, nothing had gone smoothly. His clansmen did not trust him. The outside world ranked him only third. He even had to bring in a helper to suppress Ye Chen. And in Ye Chen's eyes, there was only the other party. From beginning to end, Ye Chen had completely ignored him.

This was a frustration Celestial Prince had never experienced before. Thus, the enraged Celestial Prince could no longer hold back. His immortal artifact awakened at that moment, raining down endless immortal light to protect him.

The three rotating divine radiances behind his head rose up and instantly transformed into three divine mountains. Each mountain nearly occupied an entire stretch of heaven and earth, brimming with boundless power as they crashed down toward Ye Chen.

"One suppresses the flesh, the second suppresses the soul, and the third suppresses the world!"

Accompanied by the Celestial Prince's cold laugh, the infinite sealing power locked down and suppressed every part of Ye Chen.

At the same time, Lotus Emperor made his move. "The struggle for immortality has nothing to do with right or wrong. Fellow Daoist Ye, forgive me!"

Boundless killing intent surged forth. Chaotic qi transformed into blooming azure lotuses that drifted down gently. Amid their breathtaking beauty, murderous intent soared.

In an instant, they filled every inch of space around Ye Chen. Although this was the first time the two had joined forces, both were top-tier existences, and their coordination was flawless.

One sealed, the other attacked. They gave Ye Chen no chance to catch his breath.

The divine mountains descended in the blink of an eye, sealing off everything and leaving no room for escape.

The endless azure lotuses exploded at the same moment.

Every single lotus contained terrifying power capable of heavily injuring an ordinary quasi-immortal. Now, countless lotuses detonated one after another, as if the entire world were about to be destroyed.

For a time, terrifying divine light flooded the heavens and earth. The horrifying fluctuations caused the usually calm Endless Sea to boil over, sending massive waves crashing into the sky. Endless voids collapsed, and black holes emerged.

It was a scene of apocalyptic destruction. Any ordinary quasi-immortal would have fallen instantly under the combined assault of the two.

Yet both Lotus Emperor and Celestial Prince remained solemn. Because when the divine light receded, Ye Chen's figure reappeared completely unharmed. He held up the divine mountain—whose weight was almost unimaginable—with one hand, showing no sign of strain.

Under the endless explosion of azure lotuses, not only had his body suffered not the slightest injury, but even the immortal robe on his body remained perfectly intact.

The corners of Ye Chen's mouth curved upward as he looked at Lotus Emperor. "The struggle for immortality indeed has nothing to do with right or wrong. There is no need for apologies!"

In the next instant, the hand that had been supporting the divine mountain turned into a fist and punched out fiercely.

Endless power of reincarnation surged. With just one punch, the divine mountain was smashed back into its original state of three-colored divine radiance.

Celestial Prince's eyes narrowed tightly, filled with shock and humiliation. It was not only because Ye Chen continued to ignore him.

More importantly, Ye Chen's Heavenly Emperor Fist had grown far more powerful than he had imagined. After his previous clone had been destroyed, he had watched Ye Chen's Heavenly Emperor Fist for seven full days, constantly thinking of countermeasures.

But seeing it again now, it was completely different from before.

Previously, the reincarnation intent within Ye Chen's Heavenly Emperor Fist had been superficial in form only. Now, it had undergone a heaven-shaking transformation.

One punch had actually reverted his divine technique back to its initial state. Even when the Heavenly Emperor had become an immortal back then, he might not have grasped the true meaning of reincarnation to such a degree.

This youth's talent was truly astonishing. Every time they met, his strength had improved dramatically. He must die!

In an instant, the three streams of divine radiance flew back and merged into the Celestial Prince's body.

Celestial Prince's killing intent surged even stronger, and his aura rose sharply once more. The immortal tower above his head shook violently. Countless divine patterns flashed with starlight, drawing in the power of the heavenly stars.

An unimaginably vast stellar force was pulled down like a galaxy descending from the ninth heaven. After being transformed by the immortal tower and his own body, it turned into heavenly fire capable of melting everything. The flames poured toward Ye Chen endlessly, as if they intended to burn the entire world to ashes.

Ye Chen gazed at the nearly infinite divine fire with a calm expression. Black holes opened around him, continuously devouring the divine fire. The suction force of the black holes was extremely powerful. The endless divine fire could not approach Ye Chen at all before it was completely swallowed up.

Celestial Prince was not surprised. He simply raised both hands, causing the starlight drawn by the immortal tower to grow even more immense, as though he had mobilized an entire galaxy.

Countless stars revolved along with the immortal tower, illuminating the heavens. The transformed heavenly fire grew increasingly fierce, dyeing the entire sky above the Great Yan Continent a blazing red.

"Ye Chen, you are ultimately only a Great Emperor. Your world and black holes have not fused. Although the black holes can devour enemy attacks, they cannot truly refine them. The heavenly fire will keep pouring in and burn your inner world. Once your inner world reaches its capacity limit, it will explode violently. Your fate is sealed!"

"Lotus Emperor, please keep this brat occupied and don't give him any chance to interrupt me!"

Celestial Prince was very confident. The gap in realms was not only about combat power but also related to the function of rules.

At the Great Emperor realm, one only possessed black holes. While they could devour the opponent's energy, they could not truly refine it. Temporarily storing it inside the inner world still had its limits.

At the quasi-immortal realm, however, the black holes fused completely with the inner world. They could devour, refine, and even convert the energy for counterattacks.

The difference was enormous.

Celestial Prince had decided to use the endless power of the stars to convert into heavenly fire and blow up Ye Chen's inner world.

Without the support of his inner world, Ye Chen would become water without a source and would find it difficult to reach his peak again.

Ye Chen was momentarily stunned by those words. He glanced inwardly at his own inner world, and the corners of his mouth immediately curved upward.

Blow up his inner world? Wasn't this fellow being a bit too confident?

Ye Chen could not be bothered to respond to the Celestial Prince and instead turned his gaze toward the Lotus Emperor.

Although Lotus Emperor had not spoken, he had already reached up, plucked the quasi-immortal artifact azure lotus from above his head, and smashed it toward Ye Chen with terrifying force.

Lotus Emperor had been nurtured by an immortal root and did not possess a hard body like those of the immortal metal holy spirits. However, as a holy spirit, his physical body was even more terrifying than theirs.

He raised the quasi-immortal artifact and slammed it down at Ye Chen.

The power of this strike was boundless, far more terrifying than the Exiled Immortal's attack when he had activated his immortal artifact against Ye Chen earlier.

Refined and wrapped in endless chaotic qi, it could annihilate any attack into nothingness and dissolve any defense into formlessness.

Chaotic qi was just that overbearing.

On Ye Chen's side, he maintained the black holes to devour the heavenly fire while raising his fist to clash directly with the Lotus Emperor.

With just one collision, Lotus Emperor's expression changed slightly.

Ye Chen's physical strength far exceeded his imagination. The force of their clash alone had caused cracks to appear on the quasi-immortal artifact in his hand, with countless lotus petals falling away. His own body had also suffered endless hidden injuries, nearly collapsing internally.

One had to know that when he wielded the azure lotus, its power was in no way inferior to any immortal artifact driven by a quasi-immortal. In fact, because it originated from the same source, it could unleash even greater might.

Yet Ye Chen had still blocked it. This showed that Ye Chen's combat strength had truly reached a level unprecedented in history and unlikely to be surpassed in the future. Even the Heavenly Emperor of the past, if he saw this, would surely sigh in admiration and admit his own inferiority.

Chapter 969: Heavenly Emperor Fist Reaches Perfection!

Despite the shock in his heart, Lotus Emperor showed no change in expression. Chaotic qi wrapped around his body along with a surge of newborn power, instantly restoring both himself and the quasi-immortal artifact.

The countless lotus petals scattered around him drew upon the rules of heaven and earth, bolstering Lotus Emperor and making his aura grow increasingly domineering as he charged forward.

Ye Chen, however, revealed a smile. Enemies capable of withstanding his punches had become extremely rare. Most quasi-immortals would likely fail to block even a single strike from him, even while wielding immortal artifacts.

Although Lotus Emperor mainly relied on the azure lotus in his hand to offset most of the force with chaotic qi and then continuously recover with newborn power, essentially depending on external aids to barely stand before him, it was still quite impressive.

This sole immortal-root holy spirit was even stronger than Ye Chen had anticipated. Since Ye Chen was currently comprehending the rules of reincarnation, he might as well use the opponent to temper his Heavenly Emperor Fist and thoroughly integrate the true meaning of reincarnation into it.

At that moment, Ye Chen swung his divine fists wildly, slaughtering in all directions. Every punch caused the earth to shake and mountains to tremble, the heavens to collapse, and the surroundings to sway violently.

Lotus Emperor's expression turned grave. More and more lotus petals danced around him, and the chaotic qi surging in his vicinity grew increasingly turbulent, almost grinding everything into dust.

Yet in the face of Ye Chen's terrifying Heavenly Emperor Fist, everything seemed futile. Every time he blocked one of Ye Chen's punches, not only did the quasi-immortal artifact suffer damage and his own body sustain heavy injuries, but even the chaotic qi was scattered by that peculiar reincarnation force and turned into nothingness.

Even though his foundation was nearly inexhaustible and the quasi-immortal artifact provided continuous replenishment, he still could not help feeling despair when confronted with the Heavenly Emperor's heir's increasingly terrifying punches.

Lotus Emperor had already realized that the Heavenly Emperor's heir was not using his full strength. The other party was using him to temper himself. And he himself could collapse and be completely blasted apart at any moment.

"Fellow Daoist Celestial Prince, I can no longer hold on. If these are all your methods, we are destined to lose!"

Lotus Emperor continued to control countless streams of chaotic qi to clash with Ye Chen, but he was clearly struggling and approaching his limit. He immediately called out to the Celestial Prince.

Celestial Prince's face turned extremely ugly. His immortal tower specialized in defense, a feature he had specifically requested back then. After all, with his noble status, as long as he did not die, he would always have another chance in the future. The reason he had escaped from the Heavenly Emperor back then was largely thanks to this immortal tower.

The tower also had the ability to draw upon the stellar power of the heavens. But he had already pushed it to the limit, and the bloodline within his body was operating at maximum capacity, converting stellar force into endless heavenly fire.

Logically speaking, this much heavenly fire should have been enough to burst apart nearly any Great Emperor. Yet Ye Chen's black holes showed no sign of weakening in their devouring power.

This made even the Celestial Prince feel anxious. Just how vast was Ye Chen's inner world? How could it accommodate so much heavenly fire without collapsing?

Celestial Prince could not understand it. Watching the overwhelming momentum of Ye Chen's clash with Lotus Emperor, regret had already begun to sprout in his heart. He should not have tried to kill Ye Chen. He should have hidden away with Lotus Emperor and only emerged to launch a sneak attack when Ye Chen fought the Eight-Crowned King.

But there was no medicine for regret in this world.

Celestial Prince also knew he could not let Lotus Emperor fall. Without the Lotus Emperor holding the front line, this battle would end immediately.

Without hesitation, the immortal tower above Celestial Prince's head shot out boundless immortal light toward Lotus Emperor.

Lotus Emperor did not dodge.

The immortal light flowed around him, forming an invisible barrier that shimmered faintly with immortal radiance. This was a divine ability contained within his immortal artifact. It could block thirty percent of incoming attacks and was quite effective.

With this technique bolstering him, Lotus Emperor indeed felt much better. He was no longer on the verge of collapse and, combined with his newborn power, could barely hold on for a while longer.

Ye Chen, however, remained completely unconcerned. He simply continued throwing punches. Without activating his physique, every full-powered strike brought him significant insight, and the improvement was tremendous.

Besides, Lotus Emperor was not particularly annoying, so Ye Chen was in no hurry to kill him. In this manner, after more than a hundred breaths of time, the Endless Sea within a radius of millions of miles around the three of them had been completely evaporated, turning the area into a desolate wasteland.

The void in this region had shattered into countless fragments.

In the distant skies, many quasi-immortal old fossils who had followed behind Lotus Emperor and Celestial Prince to watch the battle were all struck with horror. They were all quasi-immortals who had reached this realm and were once the most dazzling figures of their respective eras. Yet even among heavenly prodigies, the gap was far too vast.

The newly emerged Lotus Emperor struck with the power of an immortal artifact in every blow, nearly capable of directly killing ordinary quasi-immortals.

Celestial Prince's heavenly fire was even more terrifying, as if it could truly burn the entire world to ashes.

Together, the two of them could absolutely slaughter every quasi-immortal in the world.

However, the Heavenly Emperor's heir, who was being jointly attacked by them, remained at the mere Great Emperor realm, yet still handled the situation with ease. He used black holes to counter Celestial Prince and bombarded Lotus Emperor wildly with his Heavenly Emperor Fist.

The battle between the three truly seemed as if it would overturn the heavens and earth. The commotion was simply too great.

Those old fossils, despite being in the same realm, felt as though they were watching a battle between legendary figures.

For the first time, they truly understood what a golden great era was. And what it meant to be an unparalleled heavenly prodigy. Still, they also understood the limitations of the Great Emperor realm. Devouring alone could not convert the energy. How much longer could the Heavenly Emperor's heir last?

…

Under the gaze of countless onlookers, with every punch thrown, Ye Chen's understanding of the Heavenly Emperor Fist finally reached completion and achieved true perfection.

He looked at Lotus Emperor.

Ye Chen threw his final punch.

For the first time, Lotus Emperor's expression changed drastically. He sensed something different about this punch.

In that instant, Lotus Emperor stopped attacking and chose pure defense instead. Endless chaotic qi transformed into divine patterns that blocked in front of him. The azure lotus bloomed, radiating brilliant light. Even his holy spirit body was pushed to its absolute limit.

Lotus Emperor had a strong premonition: he had to block this punch. If he failed, he would fall.

Ye Chen paid no attention to the Lotus Emperor's actions and simply threw his punch. This fist was not particularly fast. But the moment it was unleashed, the heavens trembled with imperial might that swept across the four directions.

All enemies enveloped by this imperial pressure felt their hearts shake and their strength suppressed. Their combat power dropped to less than seventy percent of its peak. Even a pinnacle existence like Lotus Emperor saw the chaotic qi around him dim for a brief moment. When the punch fully erupted, a fist force as brilliant as a galaxy surged forth, accompanied by six solidified universes that howled through the air.

At that moment, everything else in the world seemed to lose all meaning. Only this one punch remained. Before this fist, chaotic qi, azure lotuses, holy spirit bodies, and even immortal artifact divine abilities all became insignificant.

The punch passed straight through the Lotus Emperor. Its momentum did not weaken in the slightest as it continued roaring toward the depths of the universe.

In the depths of the cosmos, anything that stood in the path of this punch—whether meteorites or great stars—exploded instantly. Unstoppable, it plunged deeper into the starry sky and vanished from everyone's sight.

A deathly silence fell over the Endless Sea. Whether it was Celestial Prince or the crowd of quasi-immortals watching from afar, all of them trembled inwardly.

This punch was truly too terrifying.

Chapter 970: You Still Claim You're Not the Heavenly Emperor's Heir!

They even wondered whether that punch had already pierced through the entire cultivation world and reached the immortal realm or some other minor world.

Who could possibly block such a punch? Only a true immortal, perhaps? Was the Heavenly Emperor's heir truly only at the Great Emperor realm? Or was he hiding his cultivation and pretending to be weak?

Everyone felt awe, amazement, and deep doubt about their own understanding of the world. It took them a long while to remember Lotus Emperor.

All eyes turned toward where he had been. There, even the void no longer existed. The area had turned into a barren wasteland, primitive and terrifying.

Yet within that desolation, a faint strand of newborn power was struggling to surge. It was extremely weak and difficult.

The other quasi-immortals were astonished. The reincarnation force within the Heavenly Emperor's heir's punch was utterly despair-inducing, suppressing almost all forms of recovery power.

Yet Lotus Emperor could still resurrect. Even though the recovery was so feeble that it would be nearly useless in battle and could be snuffed out with a casual wave of the hand, it still left everyone shocked. They could not help but sigh that he truly deserved to be called the holy spirit born from an immortal root—his vitality was simply terrifying.

…

On Ye Chen's side, he savored the feeling of that last punch for a long time before he finally regained his composure. After breaking through to the Great Emperor realm, his strength had surged dramatically. Without even needing to activate his physique, his Heavenly Emperor Fist alone was now enough to clash head-on with immortal artifacts.

If he erupted with full power, Ye Chen truly felt he might be able to pierce through this entire world. Piercing all the way to the immortal realm would probably be difficult, since the gap between a great world and minor worlds was enormous. But reaching other minor worlds should not pose much of a problem.

After letting his thoughts wander for a moment, Ye Chen turned his gaze toward the slowly recovering Lotus Emperor. Due to the suppression of the true meaning of reincarnation, the other party's recovery was very slow.

Ye Chen had a fairly good impression of Lotus Emperor and did not rush to extinguish him. If the other party could willingly hand over the Chaos Azure Lotus seed later, Ye Chen would not mind letting him go.

Lotus Emperor could be spared. Celestial Prince, however, definitely could not.

Ye Chen turned his head. With his black hair dancing wildly, he looked at the Celestial Prince with a cold smile.

…

Celestial Prince's body trembled slightly. This was the first time since their encounter that Ye Chen had truly looked at him directly. He had felt nothing but humiliation the entire time.

Yet Celestial Prince almost wished Ye Chen would continue ignoring him. The immortal tower above his head had stopped rotating. It no longer drew in starlight and instead focused entirely on protecting him. The heavenly fire had also ceased transforming. His Undying Immortal Body was fully awakened, ready for battle.

After witnessing that last punch, Celestial Prince no longer had any will to fight left. Only regret filled his heart. He even regretted emerging from seclusion so early. It would have been better to wait until the struggle for the immortal path was over and Ye Chen had left this world before coming out.

Although he could no longer become an immortal, he could still rule supreme in the cultivation world and restore the Undying Celestial Phoenix Clan to greatness once more. That would have fulfilled his father's last wish.

At this moment, Celestial Prince only wanted to leave. He wanted to hide back in the ancestral land and never emerge again unless Ye Chen and the Eight-Crowned King ended up severely injuring each other in the future.

"Heavenly Emperor's heir, what I did earlier may have been a bit impulsive… But on the immortal path, there is no right or wrong!

"Now, I am willing to withdraw from the struggle for immortality and offer compensation. The foundation of my Undying Celestial Phoenix Clan is immense. Whatever you need, feel free to ask."

With the immortal tower fully defending and the immortal light shielding him, the Celestial Prince felt a bit more secure and spoke earnestly. He did not want to fight anymore.

Ye Chen laughed upon hearing those words.

"First of all, I am not the Heavenly Emperor's heir. Yan Qingcheng is."

Ye Chen spoke calmly, clarifying his relationship with the Heavenly Emperor. Since he would soon be leaving this cultivation world, he could not let the misunderstanding continue.

The moment Ye Chen spoke, both Celestial Prince and the distant onlookers twitched at the corners of their mouths.

You wield the Heavenly Emperor Fist even more fiercely than the Heavenly Emperor himself. If you are not the Heavenly Emperor's heir, then who is?

Celestial Prince wanted to retort the most. After all, no one understood the Heavenly Emperor better than he did.

But at this moment, gripped by fear, he did not dare cause any more trouble. "Then, Fellow Daoist Ye, can we turn hostility into friendship? Cultivation is not just about fighting and killing…"

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow. "You, of course, must die. If I don't kill you, once I enter the immortal realm, won't you slaughter the Heavenly Evolution Holy Land and the Heavenly Emperor Hall the very next day to take revenge?"

Celestial Prince's mouth twitched again. Deep down, that was exactly what he had been thinking. If he could not defeat Ye Chen, could he not at least destroy the forces that supported him?

But right now, he hurriedly shook his head. "I am willing to swear a heavenly oath…"

However, Ye Chen could not be bothered to listen. He threw another punch.

With a generous opponent like Lotus Emperor, Ye Chen was willing to exchange a few more words. But against Celestial Prince, it was simply a waste of time.

The terrifying fist shadow shone brilliantly, as if it had gathered the power and laws of the Heavenly Emperor Sword into a single strike.

Facing this punch, an uncontrollable surge of fear rose in the heart.

At the same time, Celestial Prince pushed his Sacred Spirit Root and Undying Immortal Body to the limit. Endless terrifying power surged forth, driving the immortal tower to its peak and advancing its awakening even further.

Boundless immortal light poured out, blocking Ye Chen's punch.

A earth-shaking boom erupted.

After a long while, the brilliant fist force finally dissipated.

The immortal tower trembled violently but ultimately managed to withstand the blow.

Celestial Prince let out a long breath, his heart filled with relief. It was fortunate that he had chosen an immortal artifact specialized in defense back then. It was also fortunate that he possessed both the immortal physique and the Sacred Spirit Root, which could continuously support him. As long as Ye Chen could not break through the immortal artifact, he would remain undefeated.

Once he returned to the ancestral land, the grand arrays there would support the other immortal artifact of the Undying Celestial Phoenix Clan. Then he would no longer need to worry about Ye Chen at all.

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow as he looked at the immortal tower, a hint of eagerness flashing in his eyes.

Immortal artifacts were incredibly sturdy and difficult to break. Still, he wanted to test whether his Primordial Chaos Supreme Body at two-thousandths activation, combined with his perfected Heavenly Emperor Fist, could shake it and pierce through.

After a brief hesitation, Ye Chen abandoned the idea. It was possible, but unnecessary. He had an easier method. After all, who didn't have an immortal artifact?

Moreover, inside his inner world lay an immortal artifact said to possess the strongest offensive power in the entire cultivation world.

Facing the Celestial Prince's defensive immortal artifact, Ye Chen was very curious to see which one was more ferocious.

Without hesitation, Ye Chen sank his mind into his inner world. He activated the Armament Secret to mobilize a blood-red blade and slowly drew it out.

…

On Celestial Prince's side, he felt relieved.

While keeping the immortal artifact above his head, he retreated backward and spoke earnestly, "Fellow Daoist Ye Chen, since you cannot kill me, why don't we end this here?

"I am willing to swear a heavenly oath that I will never attack your companions or descendants.

"At the same time, I am also willing to offer many treasures as compensation."

Celestial Prince still feared that Ye Chen might seek revenge after reaching the quasi-immortal or even immortal realm.

Therefore, even though he no longer had to worry about falling right now, he still hoped to resolve the grudge.

Ye Chen listened with the corners of his mouth slightly raised, but he did not reply. Instead, a portal appeared in front of him.

Ye Chen reached one hand into it and slowly pulled.

This scene made Celestial Prince frown.

What was the Heavenly Emperor's heir retrieving?

The onlookers also watched with rapt attention.

The next moment, as Ye Chen withdrew his hand from the portal, a blood-red hilt appeared in everyone's sight.

The immortal artifact's aura leaking from it caused everyone's expressions to change dramatically.

The Heavenly Emperor's heir indeed possessed an immortal artifact as well. Moreover, he truly mastered the Armament Secret, allowing him to support the awakening of an immortal artifact and wield it even at the Great Emperor realm.

Originally, the onlookers had thought Celestial Prince might actually survive this encounter. But now, they no longer believed so.

Celestial Prince himself trembled, his face turning ugly. Yet the moment Ye Chen drew out half of the blade, his expression changed completely. He stared at the blood-red blade body—crafted with the exact same origin and technique as his own immortal tower—pure and flawless, radiating overwhelming killing intent.

His arm shook as he raised it, pointing furiously at Ye Chen. "That is my father's Undying Celestial Blade! You still claim you're not the Heavenly Emperor's heir?!"

Chapter 971: One Blade Severs Heaven and Earth!

"Ye Chen, you still claim you're not the Heavenly Emperor's heir!"

At this moment, Celestial Prince's roar even carried a slight tremor.

The long blade flowed with blood-colored light, yet beneath that glow it shone like pure snow, flawless and pristine. It was forged primarily from five types of immortal metal, supplemented by various divine materials.

At the junction between the blade and the hilt, there was a faint immortal bell imprint. All of this confirmed to Celestial Prince that this was his father's immortal artifact—the Undying Celestial Blade.

The Undying Celestial Blade had shattered once during a great battle in the past. His father had taken an enemy's immortal artifact, reforged it, and fused it into the blade to repair it, leaving behind that extra trace of the immortal bell imprint.

Not long after Celestial Prince entered slumber, the Heavenly Emperor achieved true immortality. His father fought him and fell in that battle. The Undying Celestial Blade had vanished without a trace ever since.

Staring at the blade now, grief flickered in Celestial Prince's eyes, but far more prominent was fear. The Undying Celestial Blade was renowned as the strongest offensive immortal artifact. In his father's hands, it had been stained with the blood of countless immortals.

The Heavenly Emperor's heir was already terrifyingly powerful on his own. Now that he wielded the Undying Celestial Blade, could the Celestial Prince's immortal tower still hold?

"Heavenly Emperor's heir, you've gone too far. Do you truly intend to fight to the death?"

Endless regret surged within the Celestial Prince's heart. Back then, he had been unwilling to start over, unwilling to take risks, unwilling to endure hardship. He also knew that his status as Celestial Prince would be worthless in the immortal realm. So he had rejected his father's proposal to bring him into the immortal world.

Instead, he chose to slumber for a million years and take a safer path. He had even been willing to let his beloved leave him. But looking back now, he had clearly made the wrong choice! This era after a million years was far more competitive than his own time.

Ye Chen raised his eyes and glanced at the Celestial Prince, too lazy to speak. This person no longer merely lacked an invincible will—his heart for seeking the Dao was not firm, and his temperament was unstable. He was less cautious than Alkaid and less courageous than the Lotus Emperor. No matter how high his talent, he would never reach the peak.

Therefore, Ye Chen did not waste any more words. He simply lowered his head and activated the Armament Secret.

Terrifying immortal artifact pressure instantly erupted, suppressing the heavens. Killing intent swept across the four directions.

The distant onlookers were almost all quasi-immortals. Yet merely being brushed by the killing aura left them covered in wounds, their hearts filled with terror.

The Undying Celestial Blade was actually in the hands of the Heavenly Emperor's heir. Who had left it behind needed no explanation.

Yet he still stubbornly insisted he was not the Heavenly Emperor's heir, clearly to make way for that Chaos Body female cultivator. The Heavenly Emperor's heir truly loved women to the point of obsession, willing to give away anything.

Still, no one dwelled on the matter for long. After all, everyone had known since his Qi Refining cultivator days that the Heavenly Emperor's heir was fond of women. This was hardly new information. What they cared about more was the scene that was about to unfold.

No one doubted the outcome anymore. Celestial Prince was destined to die. After all, even without using an immortal artifact, the Heavenly Emperor's heir had already been suppressing them. Now that he had brought out the immortal artifact, the result was set in stone.

The crowd was simply curious about one thing: how many strikes could the Celestial Prince's immortal artifact withstand?

…

Celestial Prince was clearly thinking the same thing. After his father's Undying Celestial Blade appeared, he no longer held any confidence that he could survive. At this moment, he only wanted to escape.

Seeing that the Undying Celestial Blade was still awakening, Celestial Prince did not hesitate for even a second. He transformed into his true form with a boom.

Unlike the true form of ordinary Undying Heavenly Phoenixes, Celestial Prince's true form bathed in infinite divine fire, as if he had already become the legendary immortal bird.

With the immortal tower above his head, he fled backward at extreme speed. He wanted to put as much distance as possible between them before Ye Chen could swing the first blade.

As long as he could create enough distance and block the first strike, he would be able to escape. In the future, he could use the Forsight Secret to shield himself from heavenly secrets and find a desolate land to self-seal for a hundred years.

As long as he dragged things out until Ye Chen left this world, he would still have a chance. At the very least, he could slaughter every last one of Ye Chen's descendants, disciples, relatives, and friends without leaving anyone behind.

Gritting his teeth, Celestial Prince pushed his speed to the absolute limit of his life.

Ye Chen watched with a calm expression. He simply gazed at the awakening Undying Celestial Blade in his hands. Ordinary quasi-immortals could awaken an immortal artifact to ten percent of its power. Most peak quasi-immortals could reach thirty percent. Existences like Lotus Emperor and Celestial Prince could reach a maximum of fifty percent.

Ye Chen, relying on the Armament Secret, could also reach fifty percent. But one had to remember that he was still at the peak of the Great Emperor realm, not quasi-immortal. Once he achieved the quasi-immortal realm, the power would rise to ninety percent. At that time, he would truly sweep through everything.

Ye Chen gripped the hilt with both hands and slowly raised it. With just this slight movement, the surrounding space and time collapsed, and endless laws shattered inch by inch. When he lifted the blade above his head and slashed down fiercely toward the Celestial Prince, the entire world dimmed completely.

A blood-colored blade light that seemed to span countless light-years erupted. The heavens and earth in front of Ye Chen were forcibly severed into two halves.

Celestial Prince, who had already fled millions of li away with the immortal tower above his head, suddenly froze.

The immortal tower above him let out a mournful cry.

In the next instant, endless divine blood dyed the sky red.

Celestial Prince's massive true form was abruptly split into two. Even the immortal tower itself was cut apart, its light dimming.

Ye Chen sheathed the blade and stood quietly. At this moment, the entire universe seemed to fall into dead silence.

Only the Celestial Prince's true form was still struggling.

"I am the son of the Celestial Emperor… I possess the immortal physique and the Sacred Spirit Root…

"I have the potential to become an Immortal King!

"I still have a true phoenix fiancée waiting for me in the immortal realm…

"…"

Endless undying flames surged across his body as he tried to reconnect his severed form and resurrect.

However, the Undying Celestial Blade, stained with immortal blood, was terrifying beyond measure. Its supreme killing and destructive power rendered the Celestial Prince's recovery force completely ineffective. The light in his two separated pupils gradually dimmed.

Scenes from the past flashed through his mind, leaving only regret. He regretted that in the final clash with the Heavenly Emperor, if he had not been afraid and had chosen to retreat instead, would everything have been different?

But in this world, there was no medicine for regret.

First defeated by the Heavenly Emperor, then defeated by the Heavenly Emperor's heir. His entire life had been a joke!

When death was near, many things suddenly became clear.

Celestial Prince turned his head and gazed at Ye Chen. "I have a fiancée in the immortal realm. She possesses true phoenix blood. Even if she is not yet an Immortal King, she is already close… If you ever meet her in the future, please tell her for me… that I regret not leaving with her back then."

"…"

Celestial Prince could not finish speaking. He could no longer withstand the erosion of the Undying Celestial Blade's residual aura.

The undying flames surged one last time before finally extinguishing. His massive corpse was scattered away. All that remained in this place was a vast and majestic origin, the immortal tower split into two, and a fire seed that seemed as if it would never go out.

Ye Chen paid no attention to the Celestial Prince's final words.

Pass on a message? What a joke. He had killed the man with his own hands. Running over to deliver a message would be courting death!

However, Celestial Prince's origin left Ye Chen very satisfied. It was several times stronger than that of the Exiled Immortal.

Ye Chen acknowledged the results of his million years of slumber. Besides that, the fire seed was also quite good. Perhaps he could give it to Li Feihuang to help her physique advance further.

Chapter 972: Creating a Path of His Own!

Ye Chen no longer felt like fishing for more opponents. The current cultivation world truly had no one left worth fishing for. Satisfied with the rewards Celestial Prince had provided, he reached out with a large hand and directly pulled everything back.

He sent the Undying Celestial Blade back into his inner world. Then his gaze swept toward Lotus Emperor's location.

Lotus Emperor was still recovering. Although it seemed like quite some time had passed while Ye Chen killed Celestial Prince, in reality, from the moment he brought out the Undying Celestial Blade to the moment he finished the kill, only a few breaths had elapsed.

Having gained quite a harvest, Ye Chen was in no hurry and waited patiently.

The onlookers, however, had already been shocked beyond words by that single blade strike from earlier.

Both sides had immortal artifacts. Yet Celestial Prince could not even withstand a single slash from the Heavenly Emperor's heir. Even his immortal tower had been split apart directly. It was simply outrageous. In the eyes of many, the Heavenly Emperor's heir was already no different from a true immortal.

Looking at the distant heavens and earth that had gradually calmed down, everyone felt a surge of complex emotions.

An existence like Celestial Prince, who had slumbered from ancient times until now, should have brought immense terror to the entire cultivation world and catastrophic disaster to countless human forces.

Yet he had only emerged for a few days before falling like this. A million years of slumber now seemed like a joke.

But no one found it funny. Instead, they felt even greater awe toward Ye Chen's overwhelming power. After all, Celestial Prince had truly not been weak. It was simply that the Heavenly Emperor's heir was too strong. Fighting two alone, killing one and heavily injuring the other—what kind of terror was this?

Even the Eight-Crowned King was probably in danger. If the Eight-Crowned King was willing to act at this moment, there might still be a chance. But if they waited until the Heavenly Emperor's heir also reached the quasi-immortal realm, or even the peak of quasi-immortal… Then the immortal path of this generation would likely have no more suspense… The Heavenly Emperor's heir would become the last one to achieve immortality in this era, and also the strongest one.

…

Just as everyone's hearts were filled with awe, Lotus Emperor finally finished recovering. Even though he had nearly been unable to resurrect after that single punch, he still stood tall and majestic, with black hair cascading down and deep eyes that carried an imposing aura even without anger. Only in the depths of his eyes was there a trace of regret. He looked at Ye Chen and did not attack again.

Celestial Prince was already dead. There was no point in him fighting any longer.

After a long silence, he sighed and cupped his hands toward Ye Chen. "Thank you, fellow Daoist, for waiting for me to recover…"

Without waiting for Ye Chen's reply, he raised his head and gazed at the vast, endless horizon, his eyes full of reluctance. "I first gained sentience back when I was still a longevity medicine, long before the Heavenly Emperor era…Even after gaining sentience, I could only hide and flee, constantly afraid of being discovered and consumed by others.

"The Heavenly Emperor saw me back then. He plucked a few lotus seeds and petals from me and let me go. Afterward, I hid inside a forbidden zone and kept pondering how I could truly possess power.

"While observing the nurturing of holy spirits in the forbidden zone, a sudden thought came to me: why couldn't I become a holy spirit? Why couldn't I nurture myself for endless years like a holy spirit and ultimately achieve transcendence?

"Thus, I spent ten thousand years observing the process of holy spirit nurturing, visiting countless traces left by true immortals, and comprehending the natural rhythms of the Dao. I created my own holy spirit nurturing technique.

"In the end, I succeeded. I transformed into a holy spirit, absorbed the essence of heaven and earth, was baptized by the rules, and grew continuously.

"Unfortunately, I still could not achieve immortality in the end."

As the Lotus Emperor's words fell, not only did the onlookers erupt in uproar, but even Ye Chen raised his eyebrows.

Lotus Emperor was not a natural holy spirit. He had been a longevity medicine who created his own method and transformed himself into a holy spirit?

The ability to create such a path on his own was truly astonishing. If this were spread, it would be no less shocking than creating an entire new race. His vision and ambition were terrifying.

The onlookers felt the same, even frightened. If this technique were passed on, wouldn't every plant spirit and grass sprite be able to become a holy spirit? It was simply outrageous.

Lotus Emperor paid no attention to the reactions around him. He simply looked up at the sky, resonating with heaven and earth, and declared loudly, "Today, I, Lotus Emperor, shall return the holy spirit nurturing method to the heavens and spread it across all realms… I only hope that all beings with sentience can obtain the power to protect themselves and control their own destiny…"

In an instant, countless lotus petals rose into the air. At a glance, there were at least tens of millions of them. They then flew toward every corner of the cultivation world.

A petal also drifted down in front of Ye Chen. After a moment of thought, he reached out and stored it away. It might prove useful someday.

The many powerful experts present did the same. There were quite a few beings in the cultivation world that possessed sentience but could not cultivate—weapon spirits, for example. If this method were granted to them, could they also nurture holy spirits? Holy spirits had extremely long lifespans. If they could be controlled, they could protect entire families for generations.

As everyone looked at Lotus Emperor, they could not help but feel even greater admiration. This person truly possessed a grand and majestic spirit. A longevity medicine who had transformed into a holy spirit, yet he did not hesitate to share the unique technique he had created.

It was a pity he had encountered the Heavenly Emperor. And it was also a pity that he had encountered this era where only one person could achieve immortality. Otherwise, he would surely have entered the immortal realm and grown into a terrifying existence.

…

Amid the countless azure lotuses, Lotus Emperor turned back to look at Ye Chen and revealed a smile. "Fellow Daoist, make your move!"

Ye Chen shook his head. "Just leave behind the seed of the Chaos Azure Lotus, and I can spare your life!"

Ye Chen was not a bloodthirsty person. Lotus Emperor was indeed different from the other enemies he had encountered before, and he was willing to let him go.

However, Lotus Emperor simply smiled. "I am the Chaos Azure Lotus… Only if I fall will a new lotus seed be born… There is no need for that, fellow Daoist. I have nurtured myself for a million years. After emerging, I was able to meet an unparalleled existence like you and exchange blows with you. I have no regrets…

"My only regret is that I spent my entire existence hiding and later nurturing myself in secret realms. I never got to properly see this world. But just now, when the azure lotuses flew across the sky, the entire cultivation world appeared before my eyes. I have no more regrets.

"Fellow Daoist, please make your move!"

With those final words, Lotus Emperor slowly closed his eyes, calmly accepting death.

A trace of emotion flickered across Ye Chen's face. He still nodded, then threw a punch.

When the fist force dissipated, the Lotus Emperor's figure completely vanished. All that remained in this place was a mass of origin, an azure lotus that had already transformed into a weapon, and a deep azure lotus seed brimming with vibrant life force.

A final sentence also echoed beside Ye Chen's ear: "Back then, in order to emerge earlier, I sent people to search for the Seven-colored Nirvana Jade, hoping to obtain its origin. Although I did not succeed, it still had some effect. When it is born, I hope you can apologize to it on my behalf."

Looking at these remnants, Ye Chen could not help feeling a touch of melancholy.

Lotus Emperor's life had actually only lasted these two or three days. It could be described as both extremely long and extremely short. Yet it had been brilliantly radiant. With his astonishing talent, he had even created an entirely new path. It was truly admirable.

Ye Chen waved his large hand and collected all the origin Lotus Emperor had left behind. He then began thinking about the matter of bestowing gifts afterward.

The Chaos Azure Lotus seed definitely needed to be delivered. Otherwise, if he planted it himself, even with the accelerated time flow in his inner world, it would still take a very long time.

Besides that, the Lotus Emperor had given him the Awakening Spirit Technique for holy spirits. Perhaps he could also activate the Seven-colored Nirvana Jade inside his inner world—the one he had polished clean—and bestow the gifts then.

AN: Updates would resume the day after tomorrow.