ISWI Chapter 1281-1282 (Patreon)

Chapter 1281: Millionfold Feedback!

Once the Emperor Pass opened, the Western Empress would head to the Immortal Realm herself. That was precisely why she had established her forces in the Fifth Realm. Those forces would lead the first assault on the Immortal Realm.

By going in person, she could rescue Yue Yao and the others. After that, she would assess the situation. If circumstances allowed, she would rebel at the critical moment and battle the foreign Immortal Kings. If not, she would simply return to the Other Domain and continue waiting for another chance.

This was no empty excuse. The Other Domain was terrifying, yet its forced internal fusion, combined with several ruthless purges, left it far from stable. External enemies were countless as well.

Many powerhouses from shattered worlds had not perished. Quite a few had escaped and now wandered outside, restless and ready to strike. Should the right opportunity arise, they would flood into the Other Domain and turn it upside down.

For that reason, Ye Chen remaining in the Other Domain was the best choice. He could develop steadily over hundreds of thousands of years. One day, when his strength reached the level of He Wushuang, he could launch a fierce counterattack and give the Other Domain a genuine surprise.

It was precisely because of this consideration that the Western Empress refused to reveal her identity to Ye Chen. After the Emperor Pass opened, she might rebel and be exposed at any moment. Ye Chen's talent was far too terrifying. If he were implicated and exposed because of her, it would be an enormous waste.

Tuoba Immortal King, on the other hand, was an honest man. In many battles he held back from delivering fatal blows, always insisting that enmities were better resolved than deepened. People like him could drive one to distraction, yet as a friend or master they were reassuring. Although his strength was ordinary, he hailed from the Third Realm and possessed solid connections. Entrusting Ye Chen to him allowed her to set her mind at ease.

Therefore, the Western Empress looked down at Ye Chen in her arms and smiled. "It's good that there is no problem. When the secret realm opens later, remember to find ways to obtain as many Multiverse Great Luo Dao Fruits as possible. These are rare treasures that do not exist anywhere in the Immortal Realm. The more you acquire, the greater the benefits for your future. Prioritize those that match your strengths or the paths you wish to pursue more deeply. Being comprehensive is ideal, yet no one can achieve it. Under these circumstances, choosing what suits you best is the proper course."

She gave her instructions slowly. Ye Chen simply nodded and said nothing more. Others could not walk the comprehensive path because they lacked the opportunity. He was different. Not only did he intend to complete the Great Luo laws in full, he even harbored the ambition to master every great Dao required for becoming an Immortal King. Yet he would not speak of it. Boasting before achieving anything only invited mockery.

Once she finished speaking, the Western Empress prepared to set Ye Chen down and leave. She possessed methods to block Tuoba Immortal King's divine sense scans, yet lingering too long with Ye Chen was still unwise.

Ye Chen noticed and quickly waved a hand.

The Western Empress's lips curved as she paused. "What is it? Do you still want Master to hold you a while longer? That is not impossible, but I have lectures during the day, so half an hour is the most I can spare."

With that, she held him even tighter.

Ye Chen felt somewhat helpless. That was not what he had meant. His master had misunderstood him. He was a grown man; how could he possibly want to act spoiled and be held? Still, to spare her any awkwardness, he chose not to argue.

Ye Chen shifted slightly, took out a jade bottle, and raised it toward the figure in the shadows above.

The Western Empress gazed at the familiar bottle and arched an eyebrow. She tightened her hold and lifted him a little higher, her flickering eyes meeting his with a trace of puzzlement.

Ye Chen smiled. "Master, this item is no longer of use to me. Since you deliberately kept it before, you must have had other plans. Besides, I have never offered a proper apprenticeship gift since meeting you. Let this serve as one."

Surprise flickered in her eyes. On one hand, she was astonished that he had reached his current realm without using the Qilin Immortal King blood. His talent clearly exceeded even her earlier estimates.

On the other hand, she had not expected him to return it. The item was extraordinarily precious. Had he dared to sell it, the opportunities he could have obtained would have been beyond imagination. This disciple of hers was rather interesting.

She looked at the very Immortal King blood that Tuoba Immortal King had just traded away, now being presented as an apprenticeship gift by the disciple Tuoba had acknowledged. The peculiar relationship stirred a faint excitement in her. After a moment's thought, the corners of her mouth curved upward.

"Since it is my good disciple's filial sincerity, I will not refuse. The Qilin clan's bloodline is unique, and the blood itself carries a special inheritance. I have been studying it these years in hopes of gleaning information about realms above the Immortal King. I had originally planned to go with the flow, using Tuoba's hand to obtain it and cultivate you. I never expected it could return to its original owner in this way."

Whatever the Western Empress did, she carried herself with calm composure and easy grace. Even holding Ye Chen in a princess carry that looked somewhat odd, she made the posture seem natural and entirely reasonable. A strand of her hair drifted lightly, parting space, and the jade bottle vanished into the void in an instant.

Seeing her accept it, Ye Chen felt a surge of delight. His master was a millionfold female cultivator. Now that she had taken his gift, the return would be at least a millionfold. Pure profit.

Noticing the excitement on his face, she smiled. "You are quite the filial one, just like Yue Yao. Master will hold you a little longer then."

She tightened her embrace. Ye Chen's head rested against her with unusual comfort, a peculiar sense of security washing over him. He could not help closing his eyes to savor it.

At the same time, the system's voice finally sounded in his mind.

[Congratulations, Host. Gift successful…]

[Gifted item: Qilin Clan Immortal King Blood…]

[One-millionfold feedback in progress…]

[Detected that the gift holds some value to the recipient, triggering a subtle psychological fluctuation.]

[Critical feedback triggered…]

[Feedback: Three drops of Ancestral Qilin Essence Blood!]

[Ancestral Qilin: An existence above the Immortal King. Its essence blood contains the Qilin clan's inheritance and can also grant the qualification to enter the Qilin Emperor Heaven Ancestral Realm…]

[Only one of the two functions may be chosen.]

[If the inheritance is comprehended, the essence blood's vitality will rapidly fade and can no longer be used to enter the Qilin Emperor Heaven Ancestral Realm.]

…"

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow slightly. No maximum critical strike, no perfect hit. It was not beyond his expectations. A figure of his master's stature, standing at the pinnacle of both realms, would hardly be overly stirred by a single portion of essence blood. He even suspected the critical feedback had occurred only because she had freeloaded it from Tuoba Immortal King.

Her manner appeared calm and grand, carrying the bearing of a female emperor, yet she was not especially strict or formal. In that light, taking quiet pleasure in freeloading from Tuoba seemed rather reasonable.

Chapter 1282: A Somewhat Mischievous Master!

Honestly, Ye Chen had a vague sense that his master was not quite as magnanimous as she appeared on the surface. There seemed to be a slightly wicked streak in her nature. If he had to put a name to it, she was a bit mischievously cunning. As a disciple, however, it was improper to speculate freely, so he kept the thought to himself.

He lay quietly in her arms and calmly examined the feedback.

Ancestral Qilin essence blood? It could grant the Qilin clan's inheritance or serve as a key to enter the Qilin Emperor Heaven Ancestral Realm.

Ye Chen knew little about the Qilin clan, yet they were said to rank among the three supreme races, no weaker than the dragons or the phoenixes. The dragons had their Ancestral Dragon, the phoenixes their Phoenix Ancestor. For the Qilin to stand on equal footing meant the Ancestral Qilin could certainly share a table with them, an existence above the Immortal King realm.

Obtaining three drops of such essence blood in one go revealed just how terrifying the millionfold return truly was. And this had been only an ordinary critical hit, without a maximum strike or a perfect blow. Otherwise, Ye Chen suspected that gifting his master could have drained the Ancestral Qilin dry.

At that thought, the way he looked at her changed. A millionfold master was truly irresistible. By comparison, Tuoba Immortal King was not worth mentioning.

Because she held him rather tightly and had lifted him higher, his head rested in great comfort, yet the position left him slightly uneasy. He bent his waist a little.

The Western Empress noticed and glanced down. Her lips parted slightly.

Sensing her gaze, Ye Chen instantly felt socially dead. He truly had not done it on purpose. It had been a purely natural reaction. Discovered in such a situation, he felt that even if she did not grow angry, she would never hold him again.

Yet the next moment he froze in mild surprise. His master drew him even tighter into her embrace.

All sorts of thoughts surged through his mind. What did this mean? She had clearly noticed, yet instead of releasing him she held him closer. Was it boundless masterly affection choosing tolerance? Or had her status risen so high that she no longer cared about such things? Or was his master herself also…

In matters of this sort, Ye Chen's Dao heart was far from steady. Miscellaneous thoughts rose and fell in endless succession, yet he still could not discern her intent. Of course he could do nothing. He could only endure a rare torment, trapped in blissful suffering.

The Western Empress's lips curved faintly as she continued to hold him. Only when a look of contentment appeared on his face did she loosen her arms and set him down.

Under his dazed gaze, her tall, graceful figure rose to its full height. "Lecture time is about to begin. We should stop here. It would be troublesome if anyone discovered us."

Ye Chen: …

Standing on the ground, still slightly bent at the waist, he became even more certain that his master truly possessed a mischievous streak.

She gave him a half-amused glance. "For the time being, do not mention our relationship to outsiders, especially not to Tuoba. When I judge the moment ripe, I will announce it myself. Be sensible and obedient."

With those words, her form gradually faded, and she departed Ye Chen's cave residence in complete silence.

Left in an awkward state, Ye Chen listened to her rather mistress-like parting remarks and felt the corner of his mouth twitch. Encountering such a master left him with no real recourse.

He glanced a few times at the Ancestral Qilin essence blood provided by the system and considered briefly before deciding to store it away. The inheritance within might not be poor, yet in the Other Domain the Qilin clan held exalted status and counted many powerful experts among its ranks.

Otherwise, the entire domain would never have refrained from scheming after Qilin blood. With his present strength, obtaining the inheritance would not raise him by any great margin, while discovery would bring considerable trouble. Better to keep it for now and decide after returning to the Immortal Realm.

Thus Ye Chen cast the three drops of Ancestral Qilin essence blood from his mind and entered his inner cosmos. He simply wanted a moment of quiet.

...

"We have waited so long. The Multiverse Great Luo Dao Fruit secret realm is finally about to open. With the top-grade immortal artifact my elder brother lent me, even if many Great Luo take part in this expedition, one of the ten Dao Fruits will surely be mine. The divine abilities of my Azure Sky White Crane clan focus on space and the Great Dao of Destruction.

"I have heard that one of the Multiverse Great Luo Dao Fruits carries the attribute of Great Luo Space Law, as if prepared especially for me. With that fruit, I can swiftly break through to the peak of the Great Luo realm. I may even catch the arena battles heading to the Immortal Realm this time and crush the prodigies of the Immortal Realm."

In a side hall, dozens of cultivators had gathered to discuss the Dao. Seated at the very center, He Guangyan wore a confident expression, his eyes filled with anticipation. The other cultivators offered him every possible compliment upon hearing his words.

Although only Golden Immortals could obtain slots for the Multiverse Great Luo Dao Fruit secret realm, and the Dao Fruits yielded the best results when refined at the Golden Immortal realm for breakthrough, the War God Academy simply had too many prodigies.

Many lacked the confidence to rank among the top ten of their own realm and claim a fruit. Therefore, after securing a slot, they chose to break through to the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm first, relying on superior cultivation to increase their odds of obtaining a Dao Fruit.

Geniuses of He Guangyan's caliber, however, held such tactics in open contempt. Born with divine blood, he already possessed the strength to suppress enemies across major realms. Now that he also held a top-grade immortal artifact, his combat power had climbed still higher. Securing one Dao Fruit was a certainty.

The others voiced their envy and continued their flattery. Just as the atmosphere of praise reached its peak, someone suddenly spoke. "Brother He, I have learned which trial secret realm Ye Chen intends to enter…"

He Guangyan frowned at once, then gave a disdainful cold laugh. "A mud-legged fellow from the Nineteenth Realm has rather good timing. He knows I will be heading to the Multiverse Great Luo Dao Fruit secret realm and cannot spare the effort to kill him myself. No matter. I, He Guangyan, have countless friends. Tell me which secret realm he is going to. I will send people to ensure both his body and spirit are completely annihilated."

His eyes shone with sharp light. The informant hurriedly continued. "Brother He, the fellow is not heading to any other secret realm. Like you, he has also registered for the Multiverse Great Luo Dao Fruit secret realm. The source of his slot remains unknown."

He Guangyan narrowed his eyes. "That mud-legged fellow has already reached the peak of the Golden Immortal realm?"

The informant nodded. Without reaching the peak of the Golden Immortal realm, even possession of a slot would not grant the right to register.

He Guangyan guessed that Ye Chen's slot had most likely come from Tuoba Immortal King. Recalling Ye Chen's overbearing display during their earlier conflict, his unnatural speed of breakthrough, and the fact that an Immortal King had taken notice of him at a single glance, he knew the youth must possess many extraordinary qualities. Even with a top-grade immortal artifact in hand, He Guangyan still felt a trace of wariness.

A cold smile soon returned to his face. "The secret realm will be chaotic. If the fellow concentrates on hiding from me, I may not find him easily. Spread the word on my behalf. Inside the secret realm, anyone who can kill him for me will not only earn my personal favor but will also receive one of my He family's unique superior Crane Blood Divine Pills, which increase the chance of a Great Luo cultivator breaking through to the Ancestral Immortal realm, as an additional reward."