ISWI Chapter 1373-1374 (Patreon)

Chapter 1373: I Am Here!

In the next instant, Ye Chen appeared high above the Jade Pool Immortal Sect. The unique aura of an Ancestral Immortal erupted with explosive force. No longer concealing anything, he activated the Supreme Art and shot toward the direction sensed by the ancient talisman with thunderous speed.

The distance was great, yet he mastered the Multiverse Great Luo spatial laws and possessed top-tier divine arts. Under a full-powered eruption, his speed far exceeded anyone's imagination. He needed only half a day to arrive. In a single breath, Ye Chen vanished from the divine sense range of everyone in the Jade Pool Immortal Sect.

Huo Linglong, who had been cultivating within the divine pool, stood up in astonishment and stared blankly in the direction Ye Chen had gone. Ye Chen had actually reached the Ancestral Immortal realm? How could it have been so fast?

Moreover, the aura he had erupted with just now under full power had even made her heart palpitate. How was that possible? She was a Sacred Immortal. Was it an illusion?

A thousand thoughts flashed through Huo Linglong's mind as she stood there dazed for a long while. Only when she noticed the surrounding disciples and elders looking at her with envy, jealousy, and amazement did she recover. She immediately sank back into the water, covering that fiery figure that was as explosive as her temper.

Within Jade Moon Immortal Monarch's divine peak, Jade Moon Immortal Monarch sensed Ye Chen's aura, and her face filled with loss. "No wonder Master only meets Ye Chen and never sees me… The aura Senior Brother erupted with at the Ancestral Immortal realm is already this terrifying.

"Moreover, this breakthrough speed is truly too fast. This is a true top-tier prodigy. Receiving Master's favor is only natural. In the future, I must firmly grasp Senior Brother's thigh…"

As she spoke, Jade Moon Immortal Monarch silently lowered her head and looked at her own flawless jade-like hands.

Manjusaka's speed was extreme. For the sake of survival, she even did not hesitate to burn origin essence to increase her pace.

Although Su Yuxuan's cultivation was only at the Profound Immortal realm, she possessed many methods. Along the escape route, she left behind numerous formations and treasures that hindered the pursuers' speed.

Working together, the two of them actually managed to delay for several hours without being caught. Yet Manjusaka was ultimately only an early Golden Immortal. The Celestial Race did not rank among the top-tier races even within the Immortal Realm.

Therefore, after half a day, Manjusaka could no longer maintain extreme speed. A moment later, a cold snort sounded from behind.

In the next instant, the void around the two of them seemed to freeze, becoming as solid as bronze walls and iron barriers. Even when they poured out all their strength, they could not escape.

Manjusaka's face, already pale from excessive consumption, lost every last trace of color. She gave a bitter smile. "In the end, we were too greedy. Had we abandoned the Five-Transformation Nirvana Lotus at the time, the other party would not have pursued us so relentlessly."

Su Yuxuan also sighed and stood calmly in place, a trace of apology on her face. "I am sorry for implicating Master because of me."

Manjusaka shook her head. "What implication is there? Without you, how could I have obtained this perfect immortal body, let alone reach the Golden Immortal realm I possess today…"

While speaking, she looked at the five men flying over with cold smiles and secretly transmitted her voice.

"Later I will find an opportunity to self-detonate. If you can escape, escape as best you can… Unfortunately, the distance is truly too great. Even if Ye Chen is a Great Luo Golden Immortal, it will probably take him several days to arrive. No matter what, seize any chance of survival and grow strong in the future to avenge me."

Su Yuxuan shook her head. "Senior Brother may not need that long… Master, you must not self-detonate. If you truly self-detonate, I will not be able to escape either. If the situation becomes hopeless, we will self-detonate together and at least drag one of them down to die with us…"

Su Yuxuan was not particularly afraid. Just as Manjusaka felt she had already profited by reaching the Golden Immortal realm, she herself felt the same. Had she never met Senior Brother, she would probably have been seized by that Golden Core master long ago and would have had no future at all. Obtaining her present achievements and even reaching the Immortal Realm was pure profit. Only… how much longer would Senior Brother take to return?

Su Yuxuan silently glanced into the distance, then stood upright and composed in place, watching as the five men descended nearby. The man in the center of the five had a face as pale as Manjusaka's. Bloodshot eyes stared fixedly at the two of them.

"Two mere ants forced me to pay such a heavy price that I cannot recover for a thousand years. I will make you unable to live and unable to die…"

The expressions of the other four were also ugly. They had nearly been toyed with and had the prize snatched from a tiger's mouth by a Golden Immortal leading a Profound Immortal. The humiliation they felt was extreme.

"Run, why aren't you running anymore?"

"I have no interest in women, yet my temper is foul today and I do not mind making an exception."

"This barefoot female cultivator's face reminds me of the junior sister I first fell for. I want this one."

"First, recover the Five-Transformation Nirvana Lotus so we can report back to Chief Ye."

The four men's eyes were cold and filled with malice, as though looking at lambs they could take and use as they pleased. The pale-faced peak Great Luo Golden Immortal in the center immediately raised a hand. "Punish them however you like, but first let me secure the Five-Transformation Nirvana Lotus…"

The moment the words fell, a large hand condensed from Great Luo laws reached toward the two women. Manjusaka's body tensed. She absolutely refused to fall into the enemy's hands. The humiliation female cultivators suffered after being captured was too terrifying. She could not endure even a little of it and would rather perish together with them.

Su Yuxuan, however, showed not the slightest fear. She merely looked at the other party calmly and spoke in an even voice. "I am Ye Chen's woman of the Jade Pool Immortal Sect. My master is as well. Do you truly dare lay hands on us?"

The moment Su Yuxuan finished speaking, the reaching large hand indeed stopped.

"Ye Chen of the Jade Pool Immortal Sect?"

The pale-faced Great Luo Golden Immortal in the center revealed a look of surprise and suspicion as he stared at Su Yuxuan. Ye Chen was not in the Dao Academy, yet legends of Ye Chen had always circulated within it.

Although most people denigrated him and believed he had already been surpassed by the top few of the Dao Academy, with the gap only continuing to widen in the future, it could not be denied that simply being used for comparison already proved how powerful Ye Chen had once been.

Moreover, there was the existence of Xie Linyuan, a seed of the Dao Academy's prodigies. While everyone else praised Ye Bai as the number one prodigy under three thousand years of age in the present era, only Xie Linyuan firmly sang the opposite tune, believing that even outside the Dao Academy, Ye Chen was absolutely no weaker than Ye Bai.

Although few agreed with Xie Linyuan, the influence he created was not small. Not to mention that back when Ye Chen was still at the Golden Immortal realm, he had truly killed several Great Luo Golden Immortals. An existence of that level, even without entering the Dao Academy, was not someone outer disciples like them could casually provoke.

Outside rumors also claimed that Ye Chen was obsessed with women. The entire Jade Pool was said to be his harem; even those who already had fiancés were not spared. He would personally smash the fiancé to death and forcibly take the disciple. Even Jade Moon Immortal Monarch was said to yield to his every demand.

As for one of the soul fragments of the illustrious Seven Extremes Heavenly Maiden, she had even borne Ye Chen's child. Ye Chen did not even spare Buddhist nuns. He was said to take them all.

Now a female cultivator had suddenly appeared. Had she claimed to be the woman of some other powerhouse, they would not have believed her. Yet claiming to be Ye Chen's? Looking at the two women's looks, each beautiful in her own way, it was truly possible.

The pale-faced Great Luo Golden Immortal withdrew his large hand and revealed a hesitant expression. "How do you prove it?"

Su Yuxuan shook her head cleanly. "There is no way to prove it."

Hearing this, the man grew even more hesitant, his heart torn. Truthfully, the other party was very likely deceiving him, yet it was also possible she was telling the truth. Compared with venting his anger, however, clearly offending Ye Chen was even less acceptable.

After all, he had come out only for the Five-Transformation Nirvana Lotus and to cling tightly to Ye Bai's thigh, not to make enemies. Therefore, he suppressed his killing intent and narrowed his eyes at Su Yuxuan. "Hand over the Five-Transformation Nirvana Lotus and I will let you leave."

The moment those words left his mouth, Manjusaka immediately relaxed, sighing that Ye Chen's face truly carried weight. Even in the Immortal Realm, it could still grant them a path to survival.

Su Yuxuan felt some reluctance, yet she was not so foolish as to value wealth over life. She cleanly took the newly obtained Five-Transformation Nirvana Lotus from her inner cosmos and flicked it out with a finger.

The Five-Transformation Nirvana Lotus spun, scattering divine light, and landed in the hands of the peak Great Luo Golden Immortal in the center. The man carefully placed the lotus into a prepared jade box. Before he could even close the lid, however, a cold laugh sounded beside him.

"What of Ye Chen? He is merely a piece of trash whose Dao Academy qualification was stripped away. Who knows whether he has even become a Great Luo Golden Immortal by now. Two mere Profound Immortal ants dare to toy with us and think that raising Ye Chen's name will be useful? Ye Chen's woman? Hearing that only makes me want to touch her even more…

"Touching her is fine. This place is extremely far from the Jade Pool Immortal Sect. As long as we erase the traces afterward, who will know? Even if Ye Chen learns the truth, would he dare go to the Dao Academy to seek us out?

"You must know that among the top ten of the Dao Academy, several people already hold dissatisfaction toward Ye Chen and wish to suppress and kill him. Not to mention the Chief Ye we follow. A casual strike from him could probably kill Ye Chen."

The four men's temperaments were not as cautious as the one in the middle. They felt no particular fear toward Ye Chen. They only wanted to vent their anger and looked at Su Yuxuan and Manjusaka with sinister eyes.

The slightly relaxed expressions of Su Yuxuan and Manjusaka tensed once more.

The pale-faced Great Luo Golden Immortal in the center frowned and spoke. "Since we have completed Chief Ye's task, there is no need for us to create additional complications. Returning to report is the most important matter."

Yet the five of them had never possessed a hierarchy of status among themselves. Or rather, they had always competed for status and none submitted to the others.

At this moment, no one listened to him; some even felt a measure of contempt. His courage was far too small. Whether the women before them were truly Ye Chen's women was still uncertain. A single casual sentence from the other party and he was already this wary. It was truly humiliating.

The four men waved their large hands and prepared to seize Su Yuxuan and Manjusaka.

Su Yuxuan's eyes still held no fear as she spoke earnestly. "I have already crushed the divine talisman that contacts Ye Chen. He will arrive very soon. If the two of us die because of you, believe me, it will not only be the five of you who die. He will destroy every person or thing you care about and thoroughly erase every trace related to you."

Su Yuxuan's voice was very steady, yet the four men all laughed. One of them even burst into wild laughter. "How terrifying. Then call him once and see whether he is here…"

Su Yuxuan and Manjusaka's hearts sank. They knew that today they might truly fall.

Yet at that very moment, everyone looked up in astonishment. From a distance, a vast aura came roaring over. Accompanying the arrival of the aura was a calm yet majestic voice.

"I am here!"

Chapter 1374: This Demand Is Too Special!

A calm voice rang out, and the entire world seemed to fall silent. The five outer Great Luo Golden Immortals of the Dao Academy underwent an abrupt change of expression. From those two plain words, they felt an indescribable pressure. Countless cracks appeared across their skin as endless immortal blood flowed. Their entire bodies nearly shattered.

Their eyes were filled with disbelief. It had only been three words, and they had not even sensed any killing intent within them, yet they felt a weight they could not bear. All previous malicious thoughts dissipated. They raised their heads in terror and difficulty, looking toward the distance.

A tall, straight figure with wildly dancing black hair crushed the endless void with every movement of his hands and feet as he strode forward. Each step covered a million li. In a single breath, he already stood before them.

Their entire bodies trembled violently. During the Dao Academy selection years ago, they had been among the spectators and had seen Ye Chen with their own eyes. The person who had arrived was Ye Chen.

Yet unlike the outside rumors that claimed Ye Chen, after losing his place in the Dao Academy, had completely degenerated, curled up inside the Jade Pool Immortal Sect, and progressed slowly in cultivation, the Ye Chen before them radiated the unique aura of an Ancestral Immortal. This caused even greater waves to rise in their hearts.

Ye Chen… had actually become an Ancestral Immortal. One must know that back then Ye Chen had only been a peak Profound Immortal. Clearly, he had never entered the Dao Academy and had clearly missed so many of the Immortal Realm's top-tier opportunities and blessed lands, yet his advancement speed was even faster than that of the Dao Academy's most elite geniuses? How was that possible?

Everything Xie Linyuan had said turned out to be true. Recalling how powerful Ye Chen had been at the Profound Immortal realm and then looking at the Ancestral Immortal Ye Chen before them, just how formidable must the present Ye Chen be?

The fear and reverence in their hearts climbed to the extreme at this moment. Their eyes filled with despair. The most despairing of all was undoubtedly the peak Great Luo Golden Immortal in the center. He had truly wanted to leave at the time. He had truly not intended to do anything to Su Yuxuan and the other woman.

Yet because of these idiots, he had been implicated as well. Given the killing intent Ye Chen had previously displayed, their ending was already self-evident. Not to mention that they had still wanted to touch Ye Chen's women.

Yet Ye Chen did not even glance at those Great Luo Golden Immortals. In his eyes, they were no different from ants. He did not even need to act; a single sentence or a single look could directly shock them to death. He had simply heard their final words, so he did not wish them to die so easily…

Ye Chen's gaze fell upon the somewhat dazed Su Yuxuan, and in a single glance he detected that something was wrong with her body. Recalling that every time he met Su Yuxuan either her heart had been ruined or her golden core had been shattered, Ye Chen felt she was a little pitiful. He could not help reaching out to stroke her small head with affection. "Why do you always end up in such a miserable state? Why did you not come find me earlier?"

Su Yuxuan lowered her head and said nothing, yet her previously tense body relaxed. Senior Brother had come. Moreover, every time she met Senior Brother, he was even stronger than she had imagined. His figure heavily impacted her heart and filled her with an indescribable sense of security.

Su Yuxuan rested her small head against Ye Chen's chest. "The Immortal Realm is a complete mess. I was afraid you were also not doing well here and that going would only add to your troubles. That is why I did not want to trouble Senior Brother."

Ye Chen smiled and did not care whether Su Yuxuan's words were true or false. After all, she was Little Demoness. The mutual scheming they had once shared was ultimately a different kind of emotion and held a high place in Ye Chen's heart. Within his mind, two system prompts also sounded.

"Detected that the gift multiplier for dao companion has changed!"

"Updating: Su Yuxuan: twenty thousand times!"

"Detected that the gift multiplier for dao companion has changed!"

"Updating: Manjusaka: fifty thousand times!"

Truthfully, compared with the past, there had been some improvement; the two of them had clearly obtained opportunities within the Immortal Realm as well. Yet for the present Ye Chen, whose target was already a million times, this level of multiplier was clearly not worth looking at.

Ye Chen looked toward Manjusaka. Unlike Little Demoness, who shared a deep bond with him and could directly throw herself into his arms, although he had shared deep conversations with Manjusaka, it had felt more like simple flattery.

Therefore, Ye Chen merely nodded, treating it as a greeting.

Manjusaka also nodded stiffly. "Greetings, Senior Ye…"

Ye Chen felt amused. Recalling how this woman had once been a soul body, arrogant and hostile toward men, even implicating him in the process, he could not help smiling. He did not say much, however.

He simply drew Su Yuxuan into his embrace and, as though no one else were present, spoke. "Then tell me now what has happened over these years and what your current situation is."

Su Yuxuan lay comfortably in Ye Chen's arms, gently swinging her small feet as she spoke of her experiences over the years. In short, she could not enter the great powers and looked down on the small sects.

She had begun walking unorthodox paths and later obtained the inheritance of the Blood-Purifying Demon Lord. After that, she had worked hard to collect numerous origin treasures that could enhance the skin. And then it had come to the present.

Ye Chen listened and frowned. "Is the erosion very severe? Let me see…"

The moment the words fell, he raised a hand and erected a light screen that isolated everything. Before Ye Chen, Su Yuxuan hid nothing. She lightly raised her hands, and her dress slipped away.

The eroded flesh was instantly displayed before Ye Chen's eyes. She did not fear that Ye Chen would find her repulsive. Just as she had never doubted whether Ye Chen would come to save her and only worried whether he would arrive in time, whether it was these eyes, or the beating heart, or the golden core and origin that had already merged into every limb and bone of her body during her realm advancement, all of it was enough to make Su Yuxuan firmly believe that no matter how many women Ye Chen had, he still loved her.

Ye Chen looked and indeed showed no disgust. Instead, his eyes revealed a look of heartache. "Why choose such an unorthodox inheritance? The process is too painful."

Su Yuxuan did not play the pitiful card. On the contrary, her gaze was firm as she spoke. "My aptitude is too poor… If I want to improve, I must always pay a price. Although this Blood-Purifying inheritance is cruel, as long as I endure it, I will obtain the Blood-Purifying Immortal Body—a steady path to the Immortal Monarch realm! In anyone's eyes, this is a rare opportunity!"

Hearing this, Ye Chen said no more. The female cultivators around him each had their own path to walk, and that was not a bad thing. Or rather, this was precisely where Little Demoness's charm lay. Ye Chen spoke softly. "Then how can you endure it?"

Little Demoness had never been the courteous type. Now that she had seen Ye Chen and discovered that his circumstances were completely different from the outside rumors—he had already reached the Ancestral Immortal realm and was clearly living freely—she spoke earnestly.

"One may use the skins of certain special immortal beasts and strange creatures… One may also use numerous heavenly materials and earthly treasures that Great Luo Golden Immortals use for skin refining. Or one may directly refine the skins of certain powerhouses into origin.

"Ordinary sacred bodies are average; only the skin of a perfected sacred body will do, and I have calculated that at least several hundred thousand perfected sacred bodies would need to be refined to be enough!

"And this is only the first step. Afterward, the erosion of the flesh and blood must still be resolved… Only when both are resolved can one completely shed the old skin and bones and awaken the Blood-Purifying Immortal Body."

When she spoke of the specific numbers, even Su Yuxuan felt helpless. The inheritance of the Blood-Purifying Demon Lord was undoubtedly powerful, yet correspondingly it was truly difficult. The things that needed to be consumed were simply too many. It was not something ordinary immortals could accomplish.

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow at her words. So that was how it was?

The gaze with which he looked at Su Yuxuan suddenly changed. The female cultivators around him needed all sorts of different things, yet someone like Su Yuxuan—who from childhood had always aimed at his body parts, whether eyes, heart, or golden core—was the only one. It left Ye Chen's expression especially complicated.

The matter was not yet finished, however, so it was temporarily unsuitable for gift-giving.

Ye Chen simply stroked Su Yuxuan's small head lightly. "All right, I understand. In a moment, I will help you resolve it…"

Su Yuxuan's eyes lit up as she nuzzled her small head against Ye Chen's chest. She even already wanted to stretch out her feet. Although the skin of other places had been eroded, her hands remained perfect and flawless.

Manjusaka was also within the light screen. Watching this scene and listening to Ye Chen's words, she truly felt envy this time. Over so many years, Ye Chen had always been cleaning up after Su Yuxuan. Even now that they had reached the Immortal Realm, he still spoiled her like this, accepting even such a difficult matter without the slightest hesitation.

Although Manjusaka was also genuinely happy for Su Yuxuan and did not regret knowing her, deep in her heart she still could not help feeling a little melancholy. She recalled their first meeting. When Ye Chen saw her, he had been especially eager and wanted her to stay by his side, yet she had refused…

Only now did Manjusaka faintly understand what she had missed. Had she chosen Ye Chen rather than Su Yuxuan back then, she should not have needed so long to recover her physical body. These years should not have been so bitter…

Her feelings with Ye Chen should also have been profound rather than the present situation in which she seemed like Su Yuxuan's free gift and could only flatter Ye Chen. Manjusaka suddenly understood that saying: choice is greater than effort.

Ye Chen paid no attention to Manjusaka and therefore did not know her thoughts. He lightly moved Su Yuxuan's small feet aside. The matter was not yet finished. Although Ye Chen did not find her repulsive, under such circumstances it was clearly difficult to feel much further interest. Better to wait until Su Yuxuan recovered.

Yet it had to be said that after so many years, among so many female cultivators, still no one's small feet could compare with Su Yuxuan's. To this day, Ye Chen still remembered every pattern on Su Yuxuan's small feet.

"First, deal with the people outside… Afterward, I will begin helping you recover. The matter of the flesh and blood may have to wait until next time, but I can first help your skin become perfect again." Ye Chen spoke softly and withdrew the light screen.

Su Yuxuan's eyes lit up. The meaning of Ye Chen's words seemed to be that he intended to help her resolve it in one go. Yet… how was that possible? After all, the quantity she needed was truly enormous.

She did not doubt him in the slightest, however, and simply held Ye Chen's arm lightly. "Senior Brother, you are truly good…"

Ye Chen smiled faintly and said no more. He only placed his gaze upon the five men ahead. "Have you thought about how you wish to die?"

Although he had not paid attention to the five earlier, the space had long been sealed by Ye Chen. The five men had no chance of escape whatsoever…