ISWI Chapter 1242-1243 (Patreon)

Chapter 1242: All Dead? Then It's Fine!

In the great hall, an Immortal Monarch from the Demon Domain sat upright.

Immortal King Yazi had not come in person, so he had sent this Immortal Monarch to protect Li Ren and deliver him here.

At this moment, the Immortal Monarch drained a cup of immortal wine. Looking at the several dark-faced figures, he wore an expression of open disdain. Falling after entering a secret realm was perfectly normal. These human forces could not even accept a lost wager. It was laughable beyond measure, far inferior to the demon race.

Yet in the next instant, his face changed. He lowered his head and saw that the divine jade carved with the image of a wolf god at his chest had shattered. The wisp of will sealed within it had been extinguished outright.

The Demon Domain Immortal Monarch's expression turned extremely ugly. He rose with a violent surge of aura. Such a disturbance naturally drew every eye.

All frowned and looked over, only to see the Immortal Monarch sweeping the surroundings with savage fury.

"Who dares kill Li Ren!"

The words caused an uproar throughout the hall.

Li Ren was dead? That was the true son of Yazi, one of the Ancestral Dragon's nine sons, carrying the Ancestral Dragon's bloodline and ranking among Yazi's most important offspring. His cultivation had already reached the Great Luo realm. How could such a being have fallen?

Everyone's gaze immediately turned toward the Gongsun Clan and the He Clan. In the secret realm, only the prodigies of these two houses possessed the strength to slay Li Ren.

The Immortal Monarch clan master of the Gongsun Clan frowned, unwilling to provoke Demon King Yazi. As a son of the Ancestral Dragon, Yazi was truly formidable. Better that Gongsun Jin had not been the one to strike.

Meanwhile, the He Clan master curved his lips in a slight smile. He felt it was most likely the work of their own He Ziling. As for making an enemy of Yazi, that posed little problem. Yazi was already doomed.

The Other Domain also possessed a son of the Ancestral Dragon, one who had undergone slaughter and fusion. His power was unimaginable, a world-lord-level existence among the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. Under such circumstances, Yazi could not escape being devoured. His death was certain. There was no need for concern.

Yet in the next moment, the Gongsun Clan master also shot to his feet, shock and killing intent flooding his face.

"Our Gongsun Jin has fallen as well…"

He fixed a deadly stare upon the He Clan master.

The hall erupted once more.

Gongsun Jin had also fallen? How short a time had passed? Had He Ziling truly become so invincible that he could easily erase two such figures by himself?

Every eye now turned toward the He Clan master. Many marveled at the strength of foreign bloodlines. Some even reflected in their hearts that the Other Domain far surpassed the Immortal Realm in bloodline power. The Immortal Realm truly had no future left.

The He Clan master, locked by hostile gazes, paid them no mind. These were merely natives of the Immortal Realm. The Other Domain was about to arrive. Who would dare lay a hand on him?

He lightly raised his wine cup and spoke with leisurely ease.

"Life and death are fated. Wealth and honor rest with heaven. Since one seeks opportunities, one should be prepared to fall… That you cannot even accept defeat shows how fragile your state of mind truly is! It truly makes me…"

He spoke without the slightest restraint, openly mocking them. Yet he had only reached the midpoint when his hand trembled, and wine splashed across his face.

He rose abruptly, killing intent so dense it reached the extreme. His eyes, icy beyond measure, swept across everyone present.

"Ziling has fallen…No matter which force it was, I will make you all pay the price."

The declaration caused another uproar.

He Ziling was dead as well? The three Great Luo prodigies had all been wiped out? How was that possible? Which house had hidden so deeply and still concealed such a terrifying existence?

For a moment, everyone was shocked to the extreme.

The three houses of the Myriad Laws Immortal Sect suddenly felt much better. The expressions of the Gongsun Clan and the Demon Domain Immortal Monarch also improved considerably. Yet the more they thought, the more wrong it all seemed.

The Immortal Monarch of the He Clan looked coldly toward the depths of the Heavenly Secrets Hall.

"Ziling carried the divine blood of the Azure Sky White Crane. His invincibility was no weaker than that of the top prodigies of the Other Domain. Within the secret realm, no one should have been able to stand against him, let alone strike him down.

"I strongly suspect this secret realm is flawed, that someone is manipulating events from the shadows to wipe out the prodigies of my He Clan. I have already informed our Immortal King ancestor! Your Heavenly Secrets Hall must give my He Clan an explanation!"

Though he was only an Immortal Monarch, the Immortal King behind him and the backing of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths filled the He Clan master with absolute confidence.

The Gongsun Clan master and the Demon Domain Immortal Monarch both showed agreement. Something was indeed amiss. The three had clearly died together. What kind of prodigy could single-handedly slay all three? Was the Heavenly Secrets Hall truly not stirring trouble behind the scenes?

Thus, the two of them also immediately notified the Immortal Kings behind them. In an instant, the atmosphere within the hall shifted completely.

Everyone else's expressions grew complex as well. This secret realm expedition was clearly meant to select prodigies, yet the most outstanding few had all fallen. It was a catastrophe of the highest order. Once the secret realm ended, endless waves would certainly follow.

The Nine Dragons of the Wang Clan were among those present, their faces equally complicated. They worried whether Wang Xuanji had been the one responsible. After all, she possessed the World Tree. If she had broken through to the Great Luo realm inside the secret realm, striking down the three was not entirely impossible.

Yet if that proved true, the trouble would be enormous. Most important of all, how could she have killed a member of the He Clan? After killing one of them, how could they still seek refuge with the Other Domain in the future? At this moment, they only hoped Wang Xuanji had cleaned up thoroughly and left no traces.

The Heaven Immortal Sect side felt a measure of worry as well. Though unlikely, what if Xie Linyuan had somehow erupted with power?

Yet the most panicked person in the crowd was undoubtedly Huo Linglong. No matter how she reasoned it, Ye Chen should not have possessed such strength. Still, a faint premonition told her that all of this was Ye Chen's doing—not only the He Clan, the Gongsun Clan, and the son of Yazi, but also Yu Xinghan, Xiang Shan, and Gai Jiuyou. She felt Ye Chen had killed them all.

Looking at these people and the Immortal Kings behind them, Huo Linglong could not help but feel a splitting headache. If that were truly the case, Ye Chen had poked a hole straight through the heavens. She could not protect him. She truly could not. She might not even manage to protect herself and could easily be dragged down with him. Ye Chen was such a troublemaker.

After long hesitation, however, Huo Linglong still chose not to flee. Instead, she focused her mind and, with gritted teeth, crushed a jade token inside her inner cosmos. It was the token left by her master, Jade Moon Immortal Monarch, to be broken only in moments of absolute crisis to summon her. Though she felt her master's arrival might not help much, she truly could not handle this alone. Even if her master was in seclusion, she had no choice but to disturb her.

Soon, a lazy voice sounded within Huo Linglong's mind. It was Jade Moon Immortal Monarch. Somewhat surprised, Huo Linglong nevertheless quickly conveyed everything that had happened here, along with her own suspicions.

A trace of astonishment entered the lazy voice of Jade Moon Immortal Monarch. Then she sighed lightly.

"This junior brother of mine truly knows how to stir up trouble…Yet since we have already taken him in, what else can we do?"

"Our Jade Pool Immortal Sect is not so weak that we cannot protect our own people!"

"Linglong, you need not worry. When the secret realm ends, I will take action…"

Chapter 1243: Brother, You're Too Good!

When Jade Moon Immortal Monarch's voice faded, Huo Linglong fell briefly silent.

Could her master truly manage it?

The Jade Pool Immortal Sect had survived to this day largely because of the remnant soul of their ancestor. Yet the remnant soul of the Western Empress could not be taken outside the sect. Without that residual power bolstering her, was her master capable?

Huo Linglong felt worried. Deep down, she still hoped the culprit was not Ye Chen. Even if her master arrived and somehow managed to save him, what about afterward? Having made mortal enemies of so many great forces, the Jade Pool Immortal Sect would not be far from destruction.

At this thought, she especially hoped Ye Chen would prove a little weaker.

Thus, a deathly silence filled the Heavenly Secrets Hall. Everyone present harbored their own thoughts.

Soon, every hair on their bodies stood on end. They sensed terrifying auras descending into the depths of the palace, and not merely one. Wave after wave arrived in succession. Everyone exchanged glances. The Immortal Kings had truly come.

If the Heavenly Secrets Hall truly had been scheming behind the scenes, the heavens themselves would be torn open. If it were not the palace, and some top-tier prodigy had truly appeared, that prodigy would most likely not survive either. Provoking so many Immortal King forces left almost no power capable of resisting, save for those few reclusive families who formed worlds of their own and remained detached from worldly affairs.

In short, everyone quieted down. No longer did they chat casually in small groups. Instead, they waited patiently, curious to learn whose prodigy it had been.

Their gazes swept across the limited number of major forces in the Immortal Realm: Shaolin Temple, Heaven Immortal Sect, the Wang Clan, the Supreme Hall… Especially when they looked at the Nine Dragons of the Wang Clan, they grew more suspicious. If a truly supreme prodigy had emerged, why had all nine dragons come together? Could it really have been the Wang Clan's doing?

Some gazes also swept past Huo Linglong. Yet when they recalled that Heavenly Emperor's successor who had only just reached the Profound Immortal realm, they shook their heads. For someone of that level, merely to enter and come out alive would already be fortunate. Him as the killer? Impossible!

…

Outside, the winds of change shifted, and the atmosphere grew strange. Within the Chaos Secret Realm, however, everything remained exceptionally peaceful.

Every gaze directed at Ye Chen was calm and filled with admiration, without the slightest hostility. Among the onlookers were quite a few cultivators who had once trailed after him and received missions targeting him.

Seeing his outrageous battle record now, their faces changed drastically. They had waited for Ye Chen to die, yet instead, the powerhouses they regarded as strong had all fallen. That meant if Ye Chen simply blocked the exit of the Chaos Secret Realm until the final moment, those who failed to meet their mission quotas would truly be unable to leave.

Some wore reluctant expressions, yet still decided to hand over what they owed. Spending an entire lifetime trapped here was simply not worth it. Others, however, looked dark and gloomy. Their treasures had already been exchanged for rather fine items, and some had even consumed them. Now they had nothing left. What could they possibly offer?

While everyone felt their scalps tingle, Ye Chen finished sorting the treasures his aunt had returned. Ignoring the shifting expressions on Wang Xuanji's face, he turned his gaze toward Xie Linyuan.

"Little Xie, what were you about to tell me earlier?"

Ye Chen remembered the matter and asked.

Xie Linyuan's mouth twitched. He spoke at once.

"I was going to tell you that the Jade Pool Immortal Sect cannot protect you. You have provoked far too many people this time. Once you leave the secret realm, major forces, even Immortal Kings, may move against you. The Jade Pool Immortal Sect does not even possess an Immortal King.

"But the Supreme Hall is different. Other Shore Immortal Monarch is comparable to an Immortal King, and the foundation of the Hall far surpasses that of the Jade Pool. When we leave the secret realm later, it would be best for you to join the Supreme Hall directly and become my master's personal disciple!

"I will also inform our Immortal King ancestor of your talent. If I persuade him further, he may be willing to invest in you and provide protection when the time comes…"

Xie Linyuan spoke earnestly.

Ye Chen listened in a daze, looking at Xie Linyuan with entirely different eyes.

Brother, when did the two of us become this close? With you acting like this, I can no longer hold a grudge or continue squeezing you dry! Could it be because of Long Wu?

At the thought of Xie Linyuan's attitude toward Long Wu, Ye Chen's pupils contracted.

Could this Xie Linyuan secretly admire Long Wu and thus extend that affection to him as the child's father? If that were truly the case, then Little Xie, you really were a bit…

Ye Chen, who had originally planned to make Xie Linyuan work like an ox or a horse, found himself momentarily speechless. Only after a long while did he wave a hand.

"Fine, I understand! But I have my own plans…"

After speaking, Ye Chen looked toward the Tianzhang Monk, Zhao Tianxing, and the others.

"Do you want to exchange anything?"

Hearing this, the two glanced at the many people around them and hesitated. They did not wish outsiders to discover their channel, so both intended to wait until the crowd dispersed before speaking. Yet just as they prepared to shake their heads, Ye Chen spoke again.

"I have already collected nearly enough… After today, any further exchanges will only be worth half the previous value."

Ye Chen of course understood their thoughts. In truth, he did not mind how much the two earned as middlemen. After all, no one earned more than he did. The problem was that their exclusive focus on their own interests had already seriously hindered his collection of items. For Ye Chen, the more people who knew the news, the better.

Both men's faces changed at his words, yet they quickly understood. Ye Chen's spendthrift behavior had all been for the sake of Yan Ruyu obtaining a place among the Ten Outstanding.

Now that the top powerhouses had essentially all died, Yan Ruyu's success was all but certain. Under such circumstances, it was perfectly normal for Ye Chen to lower the prices afterward. If things dragged on even longer, he might continue cutting prices or simply stop collecting altogether.

At this realization, the two set aside their earlier hesitation and immediately stepped forward to Ye Chen. The Tianzhang Monk first brought out his treasures one by one and presented them before Ye Chen.

Xie Linyuan, still puzzled by Ye Chen's earlier words, frowned slightly. What exchange? Exchange for what? The next moment, he watched the Tianzhang Monk deliver every hard-won treasure to Ye Chen. The divine pillar above the monk's head emptied completely.

Xie Linyuan immediately guessed that the Tianzhang Monk must have offended Ye Chen earlier and was now being forced to work like a beast of burden. He himself had once endured similar treatment in the Sunset Secret Realm.

The thought stirred a sense of shared misery. Remembering how the Tianzhang Monk had even been driven to collect treasures from him at a high premium, Xie Linyuan could not help feeling pity. Moreover, the monk was a decent person. He wanted to speak a few words on the monk's behalf and offer some advice.

Yet just as he prepared to open his mouth, Ye Chen spoke.

"The quantity this time is indeed substantial. What do you wish to exchange for?"

Xie Linyuan froze slightly. Then he heard the Tianzhang Monk begin listing items as though reading from a menu.

"Fellow Daoist Ye, this time I would like to exchange for ten Myriad Dao Condensing Heart Pills, twenty Profound Origin Body Refining Pills, fifteen…"

Ye Chen nodded calmly at the words.

"Agreed…"

The moment the reply fell, he flicked his fingers and a mass of pills appeared.

In that instant, every eye widened.

Xie Linyuan's pupils contracted to the extreme. Looking at the pills, then at the Tianzhang Monk's dignified and respected appearance, his fists clenched hard at once…