ISWI Chapter 1363-1364 (Patreon)

Chapter 1363: Shen Qingge's Disappointment!

Shen Qingge lay somewhat blankly upon the earth. She had never expected to win and had long prepared to hold back and ultimately lose to Ye Chen. Yet she had never imagined she would lose so cleanly and decisively.

Ye Chen had casually extinguished her countless divine abilities and walked right up to her. That single palm carried no divine light and no strange phenomena. It was simply an ordinary, unadorned strike without the slightest trace of worldly power, yet it felt as though she had suffered a dimensional strike.

The immortal power and Great Luo laws throughout her body trembled, and she could not exert her full strength, let alone flee. In a daze, she had been smashed downward.

It was far too absurd.

She had heard of Ye Chen's previous deeds. Setting everything else aside, the fact that he had obtained ten Multiverse Great Luo Dao Fruits and swept up every treasure from twelve secret realms already proved he was strong.

She had simply never expected him to be strong to this degree. Perhaps only after her Longevity Bone fully recovered would she have any chance of standing on equal footing with him.

At that thought, she found her earlier ideas somewhat amusing. She had actually wanted to yield to Ye Chen. Facts had proven that if Ye Chen truly wished it, she would not even have the chance to take a single glance. Still, the final outcome had been exactly as she anticipated.

She slowly rose into the air and looked at Ye Chen with complicated eyes before offering a light curtsy. "Many thanks to Fellow Daoist Ye for showing mercy. Qingge is far from your match and willingly admits defeat."

Ye Chen had been about to speak, yet the elders outside, seeing that victory and defeat had already been decided and that Shen Qingge had conceded, simply canceled the formation supporting the small world with clean efficiency. Amid their amazement, the elders were in excellent spirits.

Tasks of supervising disciples' trials carried fine rewards. In the past, such duties often required ten days, half a month, or even three to five months to complete. This time, not even a single hour had passed before everything ended. Why would they not hurry back to cultivate?

The void around the two continuously shattered, and in an instant they returned to the greater world.

An elder stepped forward at a measured pace and looked at Ye Chen with a smile. "Great Luo Golden Immortal sequence disciple Ye Chen, you have achieved victory on the arena and stood out from among a thousand prodigy disciples. You are ranked first.

"This Blessed Land Key will allow you to activate it at any time while within the War God Academy and teleport into the Ancestral Spirit Blessed Land. The Blessed Land can admit only one person at a time, and the Dao rhythms within it will last for three years.

"During those three years, the speed at which you condense Ancestral Immortal laws will be increased by as much as a hundredfold, and the laws themselves will be even more condensed. After three years, the Blessed Land will close, and the key will automatically dissipate. I hope you will not waste your talent, cultivate diligently, and advance further in the future."

As the elder's words fell, a golden divine talisman appeared in his hand and was presented before Ye Chen. The gathered Great Luo Golden Immortal disciples watched with bright eyes full of longing. Obtaining this item and cultivating inside the Blessed Land would allow one's cultivation to advance a thousand miles in a single day. It could be said to leap directly across the Ancestral Immortal realm and reach its peak.

Regrettably, they no longer had the chance. They were thoroughly convinced that Ye Chen deserved the item. Regarding their earlier withdrawal, they felt only relief. Although Ye Chen had used great divine abilities earlier, the final strike that smashed Shen Qingge had clearly held back.

Had it been them instead? Given the killing intent Ye Chen had displayed in the Multiverse Great Luo Dao Fruit Secret Realm, not a single one of them would have survived.

Fortunately, Ye Chen was about to break through to the Ancestral Immortal realm. They would never again share the same realm with him and be forced to post lookouts outside every secret realm they entered.

Some, however, sneered coldly. Shen Qingge had shown Ye Chen no mercy in her bombardment, yet even then he had still held back. Truly a hopeless simp.

What use was temporary strength? In the end, he would still die at the hands of a woman. Once he was no longer useful, a woman like Shen Qingge would simply kick him aside.

Ye Chen looked at the glittering golden talisman, the corners of his mouth lifting. He nodded lightly. "Many thanks for the elder's guidance."

In the next moment, he took the talisman into his hand. The Great Luo Golden Immortal disciples and the surrounding spectators were already preparing to disperse.

Shen Qinghuan, though somewhat dissatisfied that Ye Chen had shown mercy and wishing he had simply smashed Shen Qingge to death, still found the outcome excellent. Shen Qingge had gained nothing.

Ye Chen now had a rift with her and would soon break through to the Ancestral Immortal realm, after which he would come to her side as a simp. Judging by the eagerness he had once shown Shen Qingge, she would only need to lie still, and Ye Chen would busy himself serving her.

Hai Yunxue's face was filled with joy. Although Ye Chen's coldness toward her left her especially sad and disappointed, seeing him grow stronger still made her happy for him. She had also worried that he might yield the quota. Only now that he had truly obtained it did she feel at ease.

As for the possibility that Ye Chen and Shen Qingge had fallen out, a small expectation stirred in her heart as well. After all, Shen Qingge's earlier performance had been truly merciless, bombarding him with divine abilities without regard for his life or death. If the two of them turned against each other, might she herself…?

The moment the thought arose, she quickly shook her head. She must not think that way. Shen Qingge was Ye Chen's fiancée. She had clearly noticed Hai Yunxue's lingering feelings for him, yet every time they met, she remained especially gentle, never showing her any cold face or harsh words. Shen Qingge was so kind. How could she think such things?

She must not become a wicked woman. Besides, only an Immortal Spiritual Root was worthy of Ye Chen. Her own aptitude was far too poor. Even if she stayed by his side, she would only hold him back and bring him shame. Her family's background was also vastly inferior to the Shen Family's and could not offer him a better future.

In short, the thoughts of the onlookers turned in countless directions, yet all of them felt particularly satisfied that Ye Chen had obtained the three-year right of use over the Ancestral Spirit Blessed Land and were happy for him.

Shen Qingge herself felt somewhat complicated. She had always intended to yield the quota to Ye Chen and was unwilling to hinder him. She had feared even more that he might hold back. In this battle, however, Ye Chen had clearly never planned to hold back and had defeated her cleanly and decisively.

That very decisiveness left a small awkwardness in her heart. It made her feel that Ye Chen did love her, yet perhaps not with the all-or-nothing devotion she had imagined. The strength of his skin, for instance, proved he had certainly used top-tier treasures, possibly even better ones than those he had given her.

The aura he had casually erupted with also showed that his Great Luo laws remained especially profound, not reduced to a single remaining fruit as outside rumors claimed.

Shen Qingge was not greedy, nor unsatisfied, nor did she feel Ye Chen had given her too little. On the contrary, the expectations he had previously created had simply been too high, making her believe he truly loved her without limit. The discoveries of this day left a slight gap and a touch of disappointment in her heart.

Chapter 1364: Beating You Is Respecting You!

Shen Qingge felt disappointment only because of the psychological gap, not because she was greedy or unsatisfied—the kind of person who, after receiving help, only resented that the other party had not given more.

The emotion lasted merely an instant. Soon she relaxed considerably. That Ye Chen cared more about his own cultivation was for the best. That he did not love her with complete single-mindedness was also good. When she finished repaying him and left in the future, she would feel less guilt, and he would suffer less sorrow.

Therefore, Shen Qingge quickly smiled, her almond eyes curving slightly as she spoke softly. "Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Ye."

Ye Chen smiled faintly in return. "Shared joy, shared joy."

In the next moment, he lightly flicked a finger. The divine talisman that had just reached his hand shot out at once and landed before Shen Qingge.

Shen Qingge, who had only just settled her mindset, instantly widened her eyes. What was this?

The scattered crowd that had already begun to leave in twos and threes was immediately drawn by the scene.

High above, the Immortal Kings who had finished their tea with little interest and were preparing to depart also revealed expressions of amusement, ready to watch the show. As for Shen Qinghuan, who had deliberately waited in order to speak with Ye Chen afterward, her previously smiling face stiffened at once. This… what was he about to do? No! Please do not let it be what she was thinking.

Shen Qingge stared blankly at the divine talisman hovering almost within reach. What was going on? On the arena earlier, Ye Chen had neither held back nor shown her any leniency, leading her to believe he was determined to obtain this item.

Now that he had defeated her and finally claimed it, why was he sending it to her? Was he intending to gift it to her? If he had wanted to give it away, why had he not simply conceded defeat at the time? If he wanted it for himself, why place the talisman before her? Simply to let her share a little of the joy?

Shen Qingge was truly at a loss and for a moment could say nothing at all.

Ye Chen had long anticipated this reaction. His actions were indeed somewhat bewildering, yet there was nothing shameful about giving a gift. Since he had chosen to do this, he naturally had prepared his explanation.

He smiled slightly. "Fairy Qingge, you have remained at the peak of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm for so long that you have already reached perfection. This Ancestral Spirit Secret Realm is naturally most suitable as a gift for you. Please accept it, Fairy."

The moment Ye Chen spoke those words, the surrounding spectators—including Shen Qingge herself—were truly stunned. An uproar erupted at once, even greater than the shock that had followed Ye Chen's display of terrifying combat strength and his one-strike defeat of Shen Qingge. Ye Chen was really going to give it away?

That was the Ancestral Spirit Secret Realm! Three years inside it could almost allow a peak Great Luo Golden Immortal to break through directly to the peak of the Ancestral Immortal realm, saving a cultivator a hundred or even several hundred years. Its preciousness needed no further explanation.

Yet Ye Chen was simply giving it away. The outside rumors had been true. This Ye Chen truly was an iron-clad simp! It seemed the stories of him gifting Multiverse Great Luo Dao Fruits and the many secret-realm treasures had not been false either.

At that thought, every face grew complicated. Something they could not even snatch for themselves was being used by Ye Chen to simp a woman. They would rather he had used it himself!

They were truly furious. Had they possessed the strength, they would have beaten Ye Chen senseless and told him to stop simping, that personal strength was the foundation and that simping women was a dead end.

Beyond the shock at how thoroughly Ye Chen could simp, there was also bewilderment. Brother, if you wanted to give a gift, why not simply withdraw at the end? Why endure half a day of bombardment only to finish with a slap? It could not be that gifting required first beating the female cultivator, could it?

Even the Immortal Kings in the sky could make no sense of Ye Chen's actions.

Ye Chen looked at the blank, puzzled, and bewildered expression in Shen Qingge's eyes and smiled at once. He lowered his head slightly to meet her gaze and spoke gently. "Did you not say you wanted me to give my all? How could I bear to refuse you? Giving my all was a sign of respect for you. Gifting you the Blessed Land Key after victory is simply my own choice."

The moment those words left his mouth, every onlooker drew a sharp breath. Was this truly something a prodigy of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths could say?

It was far too much simping. She had bombarded him so fiercely, yet not only did he hold no grudge, but he could still utter such undignified words. How had the Nineteenth Realm raised such an outrageous simp? All the simps of the entire Nine Heavens and Ten Earths combined probably could not match Ye Chen's skill.

Hai Yunxue, beyond her shock, found her eyes growing even dimmer. Ye Chen treated the woman he liked so well. Unfortunately, the one he liked was not her.

Shen Qinghuan's eyes widened to the extreme. She was so furious she nearly lost her senses. Had he gone mad? Had he gone mad?

Shen Qingge had exposed her true nature for the sake of an opportunity and nearly blasted him to death, yet instead of holding a grudge, he was giving her a gift? Ye Chen, can you stand up and stop simping? If you insist on simping, then simp me! I am standing right here. Simp however you like. Would that not be far better than simping that cheap woman Shen Qingge?

In short, seeing Ye Chen still capable of such thorough simping under these circumstances filled Shen Qinghuan's heart with regret that flooded every inch of her body. Had she known it would come to this, she would never have given that opportunity to the bitch Shen Qingge. She would have gone to the blind date with Ye Chen properly instead of ending up like this.

Shen Qingge herself also widened her eyes as endless mist gathered within them. An indescribable emotion crashed into her heart. Guilt, shock, and sorrow flashed through her one after another.

Especially the words Ye Chen had spoken. Beating you is respecting you. Gifting you is loving you. So Ye Chen had been considering her all along. She even began to think of more. Outside, there had been many doubts about her, and she had noticed them, yet she had not cared.

Clearly, Ye Chen had cared a great deal. That was why he had given her the chance to strike, letting everyone see that she was no mere vase but truly possessed strength and deserved recognition. Defeating her at the end had been to protect her dignity, so she would never feel that Ye Chen looked down on her.

As for the divine talisman now placed before her, that was Ye Chen's heavy love. She even felt that Ye Chen had participated in this trial for her sake, worried that she might lose to the others and fail to obtain the Blessed Land quota.

At that thought, her eyes grew even redder, and she pressed her lips tightly together. Ye Chen truly considered her at every moment and in every place. Yet he loved her so much. What had she been thinking just earlier?

She had doubted him, questioned his feelings, and even felt a sense of relief… She had truly wronged Ye Chen far too much. She was even less worthy of a man like him.

"Ye Chen, I am sorry… just now I…"

The guilt in her heart overflowed, and she could not help wanting to apologize.

Yet Ye Chen lightly raised a hand and at the same time reached out to stroke her soft, long hair, speaking softly to soothe her. "It is all right. No matter what happens, you never need to say sorry to me."

Even at this moment, Ye Chen remained so gentle. Shen Qingge's eyes reddened further.