ISWI Chapter 1275-1276 (Patreon)

Chapter 1275: Has Master Arrived?

Nineteen months and two hundred and sixty thousand times compression of immortal energy. It was not only unprecedented; it could also be called unmatched by those who would come after. That unimaginably compressed immortal energy had pushed Ye Chen's combat strength at the Golden Immortal realm to an unimaginable height. Even for prodigy cultivators, ten thousand times was the limit. Beyond that, even if further compression remained possible, the body could not endure it and would explode on the spot. Yet this was still far from Ye Chen's limit.

Most importantly, when cultivators compressed their immortal energy, the increased quality affected their ability to mobilize and control it. Many cultivators, upon reaching the peak of Golden Immortal, found the speed at which they released spells and divine abilities slowed considerably, no longer at their peak. Only when their cultivation reached the Great Luo realm or higher could they gradually regain full control.

Ye Chen, however, even at two hundred and sixty thousand times, suffered not the slightest hindrance. He commanded it as easily as moving his own arm, circulating it with perfect freedom. Apart from the special nature of the primordial chaos spiritual energy, this was likely the benefit brought by a top-tier physique combined with a top-tier spiritual root.

Most outrageous of all, even after reaching two hundred and sixty thousand times, Ye Chen's cultivation still had not broken through to the mid-stage. He felt he would need to double it again next month, surpassing five hundred thousand times, before he could advance.

At that thought, Ye Chen could not help sighing. Perhaps this was the truth of the old saying: if you can endure hardship, you will have a lifetime of hardship to endure. His talent was simply too formidable, so he would have to remain formidable for a lifetime. It was truly helpless.

Ye Chen took a cup of immortal wine from the universe within his body and drank alone, tasting the bitterness of being too powerful.

Immortal King Tuoba frequently paid attention to Ye Chen. Seeing that Ye Chen had used even the Immortal Radiant Beast hand bone yet still failed to break through to the mid-stage left him somewhat anxious.

Ever since he had taken an interest in Ye Chen, he had already planned the youth's future. Catch this Multiverse Great Luo Dao Fruit secret realm and preferably obtain two of the fruits. After breaking through to the Great Luo realm, a series of further secret realms awaited Ye Chen.

Those secret realms required massive amounts of academy points to exchange for entry, yet Immortal King Tuoba would prepare everything for him, helping Ye Chen become the strongest Great Luo in the shortest possible time.

After that, he would break through to Ancestral Immortal and compete for a place in the campaign against the Immortal Realm. Obtaining such a place would bring countless benefits. Winning on the arena stage would bring even greater fortune.

Beyond the planning of the cultivation path, Immortal King Tuoba had also considered Ye Chen's personal development. He intended to introduce Ye Chen to the daughter of an Immortal King from the Third Realm, likewise the holder of an Immortal spiritual root.

Should they form a marriage alliance, Ye Chen could escape the origins of the Nineteenth Realm. The other party would most likely not refuse either; after all, when two Immortal spiritual roots became Dao companions, the offspring they produced would also have a certain probability of possessing Immortal spiritual roots.

In short, Immortal King Tuoba had even thought of names for Ye Chen's future children. Yet Ye Chen could not even break through to the mid-stage of Golden Immortal. This was simply…

Immortal King Tuoba felt a mild headache. If Ye Chen could not reach the peak of Golden Immortal, he would be unable to enter the secret realm and would completely miss the fast track Immortal King Tuoba had planned for him. Everything would become empty talk.

Yet he quickly made a decision. The slower Ye Chen's breakthrough, the higher his upper limit and the more worth cultivating. If Ye Chen still failed to break through next month, Immortal King Tuoba would go to Moon Arrival Immortal King once more. He knew that Moon Arrival Immortal King possessed a drop of qilin blood of the Immortal King realm.

The Qilin Clan was a top-tier great family of the Second Realm. Although qilin blood was a supreme treasure for Golden Immortals purifying and compressing immortal energy, the Qilin Clan would never tolerate such acts. Any slaughter of their clansmen or trading of their blood was regarded by them as a provocation that demanded death without end. They had even placed blood curses within the blood itself so that anyone who used it would be locked onto.

During the great calamities, the Immortal Kings of the Qilin Clan had emerged several times in force, suppressing the great powers that traded in qilin blood. They had shaken three Immortal Kings to death and intimidated the entire Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.

Thereafter, no one dared touch the matter again. Even if someone killed a member of the Qilin Clan outside, they could only destroy the corpse and erase all traces; they never dared to use the blood. Thus, people of the Immortal Realm had no way to obtain it at all.

The Qilin Clan did, however, sell their own blood free of curses. The price was simply outrageous, and the grade of blood they offered was always low. The highest one could buy was merely the blood of an Ancestral Immortal Qilin, and even that was limited in quantity. Its efficacy was not particularly strong, roughly comparable to the bones of an Immortal Radiant Beast.

The qilin blood in Moon Arrival Immortal King's possession was different. It was absolutely top-tier. With Moon Arrival Immortal King's methods, she could certainly cleanse the blood curse completely so that Ye Chen would not be detected by the Qilin Clan for having used it.

Yet the price would certainly not be small. Given Moon Arrival Immortal King's consistent style, the remaining portion of the Eight-Nine Mysterious Art Immortal King scripture that Immortal King Tuoba still held would likely be impossible to keep. Sharing an Immortal King scripture still allowed one to study it oneself, so that was not a major problem. The main issue was that once everything was given away, the things that could still attract Moon Arrival Immortal King's attention would grow fewer and fewer.

At that thought, Immortal King Tuoba could not help sighing, yet he still activated the communication jade talisman. A water curtain lit up before him.

Within the lunar palace hall, upon the composed face of the Western Empress whose brows were like ink paintings, her eyes blinked lightly, light and darkness alternating.

After observing for a full year, the Western Empress had seen far too much from countless details. The youth named Ye Chen was unlikely to be a trap. Upon him she had vaguely glimpsed the shadows of many old acquaintances: the Heavenly Emperor, the Devouring Female Immortal, and even her own great disciple Yue Yao.

Moreover, the Immortal King scripture Ye Chen cultivated was absolutely the Western Empress Scripture she herself had once created. Many of Ye Chen's everyday reactions also differed slightly from the habits of the Other Domain. Ordinary people would naturally notice nothing, yet with her insight into both realms and her deliberate attention, she could detect many traces.

The Western Empress finally deduced an astonishing conclusion. Ye Chen had come from the Immortal Realm, and he was very likely Yue Yao's disciple. The corner of her lips curved slightly, revealing a trace of curiosity. What exactly had happened later in the Immortal Realm? How had Yue Yao accepted a male disciple?

Yet the Western Empress felt no resistance at the possibility of suddenly gaining such a grand-disciple. When she had originally created the Jade Pool Holy Land and the Jade Pool Immortal Sect, it had never been because she disliked male cultivators.

She had simply seen the hardships faced by female cultivators and created a shelter for them. Even in the Other Domain, though she was unwilling to become entangled in emotions, she had still founded the Moon Arrival Holy Land to shelter some female cultivators. Under such circumstances, even if an extra male cultivator truly appeared, it posed no great problem.

"Since I have confirmed it is not a trap, after watching for so long, it is time to make contact. That this disciple of mine could come from the Immortal Realm to the Other Domain has already given me quite a few surprises. Yet he must carry great secrets. Better not to ask and simply see whether he wishes to speak of them himself."

The next instant, the Western Empress's figure vanished from the cave abode. Soon a transmission note sounded within Ye Chen's cave abode.

Ye Chen frowned slightly. Who would come looking for him so late at night? Had He Guangyan grown impatient and come to deliver himself?

Yet when Ye Chen's divine sense probed outward and sensed that tall figure, his body paused for a moment.

Why had Moon Arrival Immortal King come?

Chapter 1276: Why Should I Worry About That?

Ye Chen frowned slightly. Moon Arrival Immortal King had been paying attention to him for more than a full year, often watching him secretly at night, much like his former domineering master. Now that she had finally come to his door, what was her purpose? Had she spotted some flaw of his and come to investigate, or was there another reason?

Still, there should not be too much malice. With Moon Arrival Immortal King's strength, if she harbored ill intent, she could simply raise a hand, tear open his cave abode, and seize him.

Therefore, Ye Chen thought no further. He went straight to the entrance of the cave abode and personally opened the great doors. "Greetings, Senior. May I ask what instructions Senior has in deigning to come here?"

Ye Chen had always been polite toward seniors.

The corner of Moon Arrival Immortal King's lips curved slightly as her long legs moved. Her calm voice sounded. "You need not worry. Fellow Daoist Tuoba will not discover that I have been here. Come into the cave abode with me."

With those words, Moon Arrival Immortal King walked straight into Ye Chen's cave abode as though returning to her own home, utterly composed.

The corner of Ye Chen's mouth twitched.

Why would I worry about Immortal King Tuoba finding out? The way she spoke made it sound as though they were doing something furtive.

Nevertheless, he immediately closed the doors and followed her inside.

Having watched for so many days, Moon Arrival Immortal King was already familiar with Ye Chen's cave abode. She went straight to an immortal-artifact-grade chair and seated herself calmly. Her eyes, flickering between light and darkness, then settled upon Ye Chen as she asked evenly, "You come from the Immortal Realm?"

Ye Chen's fingertips trembled slightly. After a moment's hesitation, he still nodded. He had no intention of mentioning the Jianmu, however. That was his trump card for escape.

Moon Arrival Immortal King simply skipped over the question of how he had arrived. Interest shone in her eyes. "Are you a disciple of the Jade Pool Immortal Sect, a successor of the Heavenly Emperor, or a successor of the Devouring Female Immortal?"

At that, Ye Chen confirmed Moon Arrival Immortal King was not merely testing him. She had truly seen a great deal. He immediately put on a solemn expression. "I originated from the Cultivation World and obtained inheritances from Senior Western Empress, the Heavenly Emperor, and the Devouring Female Immortal, dipping into all of them, yet I cannot be called a true successor of any. After ascending to the Immortal Realm, however, I formally joined the Jade Pool Immortal Sect."

Hearing this, Moon Arrival Immortal King's eyes brightened slightly. Ye Chen had actually come from the Cultivation World? She nodded. "You cultivated the Western Empress Scripture when you established your foundation, yet later you switched. Before becoming an immortal, you must have been like the Heavenly Emperor, raised on the fare of a hundred schools."

The corner of Ye Chen's mouth twitched at the words. What did she mean by raised on the fare of a hundred schools? He preferred to call it broad learning and the synthesis of every school's strengths.

Seeing the twitch of Ye Chen's mouth, the smile on Moon Arrival Immortal King's face softened noticeably. She reached out and stroked the top of Ye Chen's head, asking softly, "Who is your master? Yue Yao? Or one of Yue Yao's disciples? Why has the Jade Pool Immortal Sect begun accepting male disciples? Is it no longer able to continue? Yue Yao is indecisive and too attached to old affections. She is probably thinking every day of how to revive me instead of properly developing the sect."

Being patted on the head like this left Ye Chen somewhat unaccustomed, yet he could clearly sense that the other's attitude was that of an elder toward a junior. Therefore, he did not refuse. As for Moon Arrival Immortal King's conjectures, they were simply too accurate. She truly understood Senior Sister Yue Yao.

Thus Ye Chen nodded and roughly described the current situation of the Jade Pool Immortal Sect.

Moon Arrival Immortal King listened quietly, a smile at the corner of her lips. Soon, however, she raised a brow slightly. "Yue Yao accepted a disciple in my place?"

Ye Chen nodded. "Yes."

Moon Arrival Immortal King could not help shaking her head, and the way she looked at Ye Chen changed further. "You have doubtless already guessed my identity. I am walking the path of cultivation anew in this Other Domain, yet the interior of the Other Domain is far from peaceful. The great calamities may have discarded the weak and refined the strong, yet they also brought far too much hatred and discord among the various realms.

"At the same time, many powerful figures from the destroyed worlds did not all perish and are still resisting the Other Domain. The Other Domain itself has continually carried out purges. That is why I did not approach you this past year. I never expected you would turn out to be my disciple. What experiences did you have in the Immortal Realm, and why have you come to the Other Domain?"

Moon Arrival Immortal King, or rather the Western Empress, was quite curious about this disciple of hers. Ye Chen did not conceal anything. He recounted how he had displayed his brilliance within a secret realm and wished to support the collapsing edifice, only to be targeted by the various great powers of the Other Domain, until in the end he had no choice but to leave and travel far to the Other Domain for further study.

The Western Empress listened without any anger appearing on her face. She merely shook her head. "Back then their bones were already broken. Now of course they find it difficult to stand again. As for surrendering to the Other Domain? That is truly a fool's dream. The Other Domain does not raise trash. Even if they managed to surrender, they would only become fertilizer and would be completely drained within two generations."

The Western Empress did not care about such matters. She preferred hearing about her great disciple Yue Yao. Ye Chen therefore spoke of Jade Moon Immortal Monarch's affairs. When he finally reached the point where Jade Moon Immortal Monarch, deeply ashamed at having failed to protect him, had once again gone into seclusion, the Western Empress at last let out a soft laugh.

With a casual wave of her great hand, Ye Chen flew directly into her arms and was held horizontally across them. "Yue Yao is like that, full of responsibility, yet unfortunately her talent is too poor. Back then, several of her junior sisters were stronger than she was. Yue Yao never grew jealous; she simply cultivated every day. Sometimes when I watched her work so hard all day yet achieve not the slightest result, I could not help wanting to laugh. Yet as her master, I would restrain myself, gently hold her and comfort her, just as I am doing now. I never expected she still has not changed much. When you return next time, remember to hug her for me and offer some comfort."

Ye Chen's body stiffened slightly. Being princess-carried for the first time left him somewhat unaccustomed. He recalled Huo Linglong once saying that the Western Empress loved to hold her disciples. He had not expected it to be true. He simply had not expected that she would hold male disciples as well.

Raising his head to look at the Western Empress's expression, he found his view completely blocked by a shadow and could see nothing.

The Western Empress clearly noticed. She lifted Ye Chen a little higher.

Seeing the somewhat complicated expression on his face, the corner of her lips curved. "Not used to Master holding you? If you dislike it, I shall put you down."

Ye Chen felt a little embarrassed yet still shook his head. It was not that he particularly wished to be held. He simply felt that the Western Empress wished to hold someone, and since Senior Sister Yue Yao was not present, he as the disciple could only step in and satisfy Master's longing for Senior Sister Yue Yao.

Seeing Ye Chen's manner, the Western Empress smiled faintly and spoke softly. "In every aspect, the Other Domain is indeed stronger than the Immortal Realm. Since you have come, do not miss the opportunity. Contest the resources that should be contested, and your growth will be very rapid."

Seeing the Western Empress turn to matters of education, Ye Chen recalled Immortal King Tuoba and prepared to speak so that Master could resolve the matter of Immortal King Tuoba. After all, he had already acknowledged Master. Yet just as he was about to open his mouth, a vibration sounded from the Western Empress's body.