ISWI Chapter 1225-1226 (Patreon)

Chapter 1225: Everyone, Charge with Me!

At his words, every heart in the crowd curled its lip. Only the cultivator who had joined last looked completely bewildered. How did this fellow dare? A mere Profound Immortal speaking this way to a group of Golden Immortals? Where had he found the courage?

Even the Heavenly Emperor of old, if trailed by so many Golden Immortals, would probably have trembled. He frowned as he swept his gaze over the surrounding people and privately lamented that they were all old foxes unwilling to step forward at a time like this.

He immediately raised his arm and shot into the air. "Everyone, we have followed all the way here. Are we still not going to act? Kill this fellow, and we can divide the treasures on him equally. Not to mention the Heavenly Emperor's secret vault that may be hidden inside his inner universe. How many evil deeds did the Heavenly Emperor commit in his day, and how many people did he kill? The treasures he left behind must be countless. When that time comes, every one of us can…"

His opening words still carried imposing momentum, yet the more he spoke, the more something felt wrong. Every person present, including Ye Chen, was looking at him as though he were an idiot. None of the followers moved an inch after hearing his call.

This… was not right.

The man hesitated, then flew back into the crowd.

Ye Chen merely smiled and paid no mind to having been interrupted. He simply looked at the fellow and said, "You are excellent, so your quota will be doubled."

The man paid no attention to that detail for the moment. Still half dazed, he could not help transmitting a private inquiry. At last someone willingly answered him. When he learned that top-tier Golden Immortal prodigies such as Yu Xinghan, Xiang Shan, and Gai Jiuyou—beings whose compression ratios had reached at least a thousandfold—had all been slapped to death by Ye Chen, and after seeing the scenes recorded on the image stones, his entire body began to tremble. Thinking back on his earlier performance, he could not help marveling at his own bravery. That had probably been the boldest moment of his entire life.

He stared at Ye Chen in terror. Discovering that Ye Chen had merely doubled his quota and intended to let the matter rest allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief. As for actually handing anything over?

That was out of the question. He would simply run the moment the chance arose. If Ye Chen decided to brand them, however, things would become troublesome. In the end, Ye Chen showed no intention of branding anyone.

Everyone relaxed and planned that once Ye Chen dismissed them, they would pretend to search for treasures and then flee at once. The Zhao Tianxing brothers thought the same. Only a fool would willingly be driven like cattle.

Yet Ye Chen swept his gaze across the crowd and spoke with a smile. "I have already recorded every one of your auras. I will remain here the entire time. Even after the exit of the secret realm opens, I will not leave first, but will wait until the very last moment. Unless you plan to stay here for the rest of your lives…"

He said no more, yet everyone understood. Their hearts turned cold at once. Most felt as though they had lost their parents, certain that this trip to the secret realm had been a complete waste and that they would now have to serve as beasts of burden.

A few, however, still held disdain in their hearts—such as the two from the He Clan. They planned to seek out He Ziling shortly. Ye Chen was not weak, yet He Ziling was a Great Luo and the highest bloodline of this generation of the Immortal Realm's He Clan. Killing Ye Chen would be effortless. Waiting here to block the exit? More like waiting here to die. The two coldly sneered to themselves.

Ye Chen paid no attention to the various expressions below and continued. "You will collect the treasures of the secret realm for me, and I will bestow upon you suitable treasures according to their value. From this point on, conduct yourselves wisely."

He said nothing further, merely waving a hand to dismiss them. The crowd exchanged glances. Ye Chen would not take everything for free? He would actually grant them treasures? Most did not believe it. They assumed Ye Chen was merely trying to save face and would later fob them off with worthless junk he had no use for. Yet what choice did they have?

Apart from the few who possessed powerful backers, the majority of the cultivators could only accept their fate. Remaining in the Chaos Secret Realm for a lifetime would truly be a total loss.

The Zhao Tianxing brothers left with long faces as well, feeling the same heavy loss. The thought of walking out of the secret realm empty-handed three years later only deepened their despair. When the elders asked what they had gained after the family spent such vast resources sending them in, they would only be able to answer that they had gained three years of experience as beasts of burden.

The next moment, the family elders would probably thrash them without mercy. After all, the threshold for this trial had been extremely high. The family had truly brought out its most treasured possessions simply to send both of them inside.

Ye Chen had not spoken falsely. Even if he gave them twice the equivalent value in return, he would still make a massive profit. After all, the female cultivators around him now routinely provided hundred-thousandfold feedback. Simply passing the treasures through their hands once would leave him swimming in gains.

He turned his head toward Yan Ruyu and spoke gently. "Aunt need not worry about rankings. When the time comes, I will give priority to the harvests I receive and present them to you, so that you may enter the top ten and secure a place among the Ten Outstanding Ones."

Yan Ruyu did not refuse, yet a trace of concern lingered in her heart. Would these people truly deliver any treasures?

Ye Chen noticed the worry on his aunt's face and smiled at once. "Even if they refuse to hand anything over it will not matter. We are waiting right here. Anyone who wishes to leave must pass through this place. When the time comes, we can simply have a proper discussion with the trial participants. I am sure everyone will understand. Aunt, simply cultivate in peace from now on."

With that, Ye Chen casually took from his inner world a treasure he had obtained inside the secret realm, one capable of stabilizing cultivation. His aunt's breakthroughs had come too quickly and relied entirely on external forces, unlike his own path of pure diligence and hard work. As a result, her aura remained somewhat unstable, making these treasures perfect for her.

Yan Ruyu made no polite refusals. She reached out to accept it, her smile blooming like a flower. "Thank you, Chen'er."

Walking the path of ultimate affection meant placing every thought and feeling upon the chosen companion. Body and heart, inside and out, already belonged to Ye Chen. There was no need for further formality.

In the distance, the Tianzhang Monk listened with open envy. He had no desire to run about everywhere gathering treasures either. The time saved could be used to improve himself. In that moment, while privately lamenting that Ye Chen was quite the devoted simp, he also felt deep envy toward Yan Ruyu. If only he too were a woman. Unfortunately, he was a male cultivator, so Ye Chen would never treat him that way. Yet Ye Chen was so generous. If he himself became a devoted follower of Ye Chen, might Ye Chen also lend him a hand?

A bold idea took shape in the Tianzhang Monk's mind. He did not rush to act on it, however. Instead he sat cross-legged tens of thousands of miles away from the pair and spoke in a mild tone. "The two of you may cultivate in peace from now on. I will remain here to repair the golden body that Fellow Daoist Ye accidentally injured, and I can also stand guard for you. Should any outsiders approach, I will notify the two of you at once."

The Tianzhang Monk's attitude earned a satisfied nod from Ye Chen. This fellow's sense of timing was truly excellent.

Yan Ruyu, moved by the situation, leaned lightly toward Ye Chen's ear and whispered, "Now that we have arrived, why not take some time, Chen'er, to go and chat with Wenwen?"

Listening to the prompt sounding in his mind, Ye Chen nodded. Cultivation was important, and the current situation was indeed tense, yet old acquaintances must not be forgotten. It was time to pay a visit.

Chapter 1226: You Actually Came to Offer Treasures?

It was Ye Chen's first time entering someone else's inner universe, and the experience felt quite novel. Truthfully, his aunt's inner universe already ranked among the higher tier for cultivators. Yet after a single sweep and a comparison with his own, the enormous gap became even clearer. The difference could no longer be measured by simple multiples.

Ye Chen casually raised a hand and tossed out a Great Sun Source Core, bringing true light into his aunt's inner universe. Only then did he fly toward Yan Wenwen's location.

Yan Wenwen was overjoyed upon finally seeing Ye Chen. Even without the Little Peacock King present, the two shared deep and lingering affection. Thus, a full half month passed before Ye Chen left his aunt's inner universe and began formal cultivation.

In the blink of an eye, another month went by. The Zhao Tianxing brothers obtained their first treasure, an item capable of refining one's foundation. It was precious yet not extraordinarily so; outside the secret realm, one could still acquire it with sufficient resources. For the two of them, it held considerable use.

They looked at each other, hesitation plain on their faces.

"Elder Brother, are we truly going to hand it over?" Zhao Tianxiang asked. "The family spent so much to send us here. If we fail to recover the cost, we will become sinners to the clan. The Heavenly Emperor's successor may not truly be invincible. There are still higher-level existences inside the secret realm, such as Gongsun Jin, the son of Yazi, He Wushuang of the He Clan, and several other Great Luo-level beings. The Heavenly Emperor's successor is so arrogant that he might be cut down halfway and perish outright, leaving him no chance to block us. Why not simply use it ourselves?"

Zhao Tianxing hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. "Even after the treasure is used, the divine pillar above our heads will remain. When the time comes, we will have nothing to present and will find it hard to explain. If the Heavenly Emperor's successor does not die, our end will be even worse. He may appear mild, yet when he truly acts, he has never shown the slightest mercy. Yu Xinghan, Xiang Shan, and Gai Jiuyou all had Immortal Kings behind them. Did you see him hesitate for even a moment? It is best not to use it ourselves."

Zhao Tianxiang still felt unwilling. Zhao Tianxing continued, "This item is not of great use to us anyway. Better to hand it over once and test whether the Heavenly Emperor's successor truly gives feedback as he claimed. If he merely fobs us off with junk after we present it, we will simply stay outside and never return to the core. Only when the final deadline approaches will we come back. If the Heavenly Emperor's successor is still alive then, we will resign ourselves to fate and hand everything over. If he has already perished, so much the better; we can keep what we have."

Zhao Tianxiang still felt reluctant, yet the thought of Ye Chen's formidable presence forced him to nod. He held not the slightest expectation for any feedback Ye Chen might give. Toward female cultivators, the man was generous enough to gift even a leg bone of the Immortal Radiant Beast; he was a true and thorough simp. Toward male cultivators, however, his attitude was entirely different.

The Tianzhang Monk had clearly stood on Ye Chen's side, yet Ye Chen had still deliberately shattered the man's golden body. He was a complete traitor to male cultivators, interested only in currying favor with women. Under those circumstances, what good thing could they possibly expect from him?

Zhao Tianxing, on the other hand, held a measure of anticipation. After all, Ye Chen carried the Heavenly Emperor's treasury and must possess many treasures he had no use for. If Ye Chen truly intended to secure a ranking for Yan Ruyu and was willing to bestow a few items, they might even turn a small profit. The gain might not be large, yet it was still worth a try.

Thus, amid their private complaints, the two flew toward the core.

Three days later, they formally arrived. The core region lay silent, occupied by only three people. The Tianzhang Monk, seated cross-legged in the distance, swept a glance over the pair before closing his eyes again to continue repairing his golden body. Ye Chen and Yan Ruyu sat facing each other, each immersed in cultivation.

The brothers exchanged a look and felt certain the others had all fled, waiting to see how the situation developed and harboring no real intention of offering gifts. Their own plan had been the same. When they flew before Ye Chen, he calmly raised his eyes and looked at them with a touch of surprise. You two actually returned to present a gift? How honest of you.

Truthfully, although Ye Chen had released these people, he had never expected any of them to come back of their own accord to offer treasures. He had spared them not out of kindness, but because he intended to play a long game. Killing them outright would yield only origin essence. Allowing them to gather treasures first and then killing them would yield both origin essence and the treasures themselves.

He felt not the slightest psychological burden over the matter. These people had trailed him with murderous intent and therefore deserved death. He had deliberately given them a chance, yet they still schemed against him, making them even more deserving of death. Thus Ye Chen truly had not expected anyone to come forward with an offering, and for a moment he felt mild surprise.

Although the two felt reluctant in their hearts, they still produced the treasure at once. Zhao Tianxing presented it with both hands before Ye Chen. "Ancestor Ye, my brother and I finally obtained this item amid a fierce battle. We were pursued for a full half month afterward and suffered heavy damage to our vital energy, yet in the end we did not fail our mission. Please accept it, Ancestor Ye."

Zhao Tianxing had given careful thought to the form of address. Calling him Fellow Daoist felt improper; he did not consider himself worthy. Calling him Ye Fourth would be courting death. Better to follow the generational ranking of the Jade Pool Immortal Sect.

Ye Chen raised a hand lightly and accepted the treasure, a faint smile appearing on his face. He recognized the item: the Starry Sky Condensed Essence Divine Jade, capable of helping a cultivator polish and solidify their foundation. Its effect was not top-tier, yet for his aunt it was precisely useful. Today happened to be a suitable day for gift-giving. Ye Chen immediately turned and presented it to Yan Ruyu. "Aunt, this item suits you perfectly. Accept it."

Yan Ruyu raised her eyes for a glance and did not refuse. She smiled sweetly at Ye Chen. She knew he was acting both for the sake of her cultivation and to help her secure a place among the Ten Outstanding Ones. After all, treasures from the Chaos Secret Realm left their divine pillars intact even after use. Although this particular item was not especially precious and its effect was only average, Yan Ruyu still felt deeply moved.

At the same time, a system prompt sounded in Ye Chen's mind.

"Congratulations to the host for successful gift-giving."

"Gift presented: Starry Sky Condensed Essence Divine Jade."

"One hundred fifty thousandfold feedback in progress."

"Feedback underway."

"Detected that the host…"

"Triggering maximum critical feedback."

"Triggering critical-hit feedback."

"Feedback received: Ten thousand Myriad Daos Heart-Condensing Pills."

"Myriad Daos Heart-Condensing Pill: A top-grade divine pill of the Pill Tower. It assists cultivators in polishing their foundation, elevating their state of mind, and tempering the body until the flesh approaches…"

Looking at the feedback, Ye Chen smiled. The system was truly outstanding. Three or five of these pills would likely be enough to resolve his aunt's unstable foundation completely. The system had directly returned ten thousand of them; the haul was impressive.

Ye Chen then turned his gaze toward the Zhao Tianxing brothers.