ISWI Chapter 1393-1394 (Patreon)

Chapter 1393: Still Fighting!

Ye Chen bent even more awkwardly at the waist. The Western Empress seemed not to notice and held him tightly. Then she said softly, "You're planning to kill another batch, aren't you?"

Hearing this, Ye Chen realized she had already guessed his thoughts. Although she misunderstood his motives a little, her conclusion was undoubtedly correct. She understood him better than his nominal master, Tuoba Immortal King.

After a moment's thought, Ye Chen stopped pretending. He relaxed and answered quietly, "I do have something like that in mind. Mainly, the prodigies of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths are simply too strong. Looking at them makes my hands itch."

The Western Empress raised an eyebrow. "Are there no enemies of this level in the Immortal Realm?"

Ye Chen considered, then nodded and shook his head. "There might be a few, but the numbers are too small. It's hard to gather such a large group all at once."

At that, he could not help sighing. The prodigies of the Immortal Realm were ordinary yet confident. They came to deliver themselves quite readily.

Ye Chen suspected that the one named Ye Bai something-or-other might show up to die one of these days. In short, Immortal Realm prodigies were easy to hook, yet their scarcity made the effort hardly worthwhile.

The Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, by contrast, offered far greater numbers. The cultivators here had likely seen more of the world. They lacked that blind self-assurance that they alone stood supreme, so they tended to be more cautious.

The difficulty of fishing them rose several times over. Fail once, and they became even harder to catch afterward. Shi Hu, for example, struck Ye Chen as someone who would never take the bait.

A trace of melancholy appeared in the Western Empress's eyes. "Yes, the gap is truly vast. Most importantly, those inside the War God Academy are only the majority of the prodigies outside the First Realm, not all of them.

"As for the First Realm itself, I have been there. It is only more terrifying. What is even more frightening is the depth of its foundation. As the oldest world still in existence, no one knows how many powerful experts it holds or what realm its strongest have reached.

"I only know that when the First Realm first began conquering other worlds, part of the reason was that those worlds had reached the end of their lifespan and entered the Five Decays.

"Not long ago, however, I learned a secret: the strongest expert of the First Realm is said to have once reached a point where no further progress was possible. He had truly arrived at the peak of the immortal path. That was why he turned his gaze toward other worlds, seeking a way forward.

"Through countless invasions, the First Realm collected cultivation methods from innumerable worlds and gathered endless orthodoxy. No one knows whether that being ever took the next step.

"Whether he did or not, he is almost certainly the foremost figure across all the heavens and myriad realms. The Immortal Realm cannot win. No matter how many prodigies you kill, it is only a drizzle—meaningless. Better make plans early."

Listening to her, Ye Chen raised his eyebrows. That formidable? Yet earlier, when the system mentioned the shattering of the Primordial Great World and similar events, he had already suspected as much. Now he merely received confirmation from the Western Empress's own mouth. Such an existence truly resided within the First Realm.

No wonder she was holding him more tightly this time. Previously, she had probably felt the hope was slim yet not entirely gone. Upon learning this news, she must have fallen into complete despair and concluded there was no chance of victory. She was even advising him to prepare an escape route.

Ye Chen, however, felt not the slightest panic.

On one hand, he truly possessed a fallback. The world inside his body stood independent of the greater world; even the destruction of the Immortal Realm would not affect him.

On the other hand, he still had the Jianmu. Bringing those around him—or even the entire Jade Pool Immortal Sect—across would pose no real difficulty. Fleeing by such means remained only a final resort, though.

Nearly nine hundred and eighty years still remained before the foreign realms broke through the Imperial Pass and invaded the Immortal Realm. In such a long span of time, who could say what realm he might reach? Perhaps when the mood struck him, he would simply lead the Immortal Realm in a counterattack against the First Realm. There was truly no need to panic.

"Master need not feel so dejected. Nothing in this world is truly invincible. Who can say what the future holds?" Ye Chen spoke words of comfort.

At his words, the Western Empress's lips curved upward, and she held him even more tightly, nearly drawing him completely into her embrace. In her view, Ye Chen possessed formidable talent and was still in his rapid-growth stage. Naturally, he believed he would continue advancing at such a pace and resolve every problem.

Reality, however, was different. Cultivation grew harder the further one progressed. Once a person reached her level, even a single step forward became extraordinarily difficult. Only then did one truly understand the despair of standing against the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.

She had no wish to discourage him. Instead, she fell silent and simply held him, easing her own pressure. As for the slight impropriety in Ye Chen's posture, she was quite tolerant.

Thus, an entire night passed. Only then did the Western Empress release him. She even straightened his clothes for him and lightly flicked his forehead. Under Ye Chen's incredulous gaze, she rose with leisurely grace.

"In short, manage the scale yourself. Do not expose your origins, or the experts of the First Realm may grow curious about your secrets."

Ye Chen nodded, though his expression remained complicated. Seeing that she was about to leave, he remembered something. "Master, how did the battle with the Seven Extremes Heavenly Maiden turn out?"

He cared a great deal about the matter. If his master could reduce the residual soul of the Seven Extremes Heavenly Maiden to its origin essence, he could request it and give it to Senior An. Senior An would soar in strength.

Then Ye Chen could safely allow her to fuse with Long Wu and recover the child. Not only the child—Long Wu herself could be absorbed as well. Since the Seven Extremes Heavenly Maiden followed the law of the jungle, if Senior An proved stronger, she would naturally seize dominance and devour Long Wu.

The Western Empress shook her head at his question. "After fusing with one of her soul fragments, the Seven Extremes grew far stronger. My true body is still locked in battle with her, and no victor has yet emerged.

"Quite a few Immortal Kings have joined the fray one after another. After several great calamities, many of them already harbored grudges against one another, so they claim to be helping while actually coming to vent their frustrations.

"Beyond the Fifth Realm, the outer heavens have turned into complete chaos, yet deciding a true winner seems unlikely. I estimate that after another ten-odd years—or perhaps a century—of fighting the Seven Extremes, both sides will simply withdraw. You need not worry for me."

She spoke of the matter casually, showing little concern for the battle involving her true body.

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow. Immortal Kings were indeed Immortal Kings. A single fight lasting decades or even a century was a span of time he still found hard to adjust to.

Yet a spark of interest stirred within him. Once he grew a little stronger and gained the confidence to face Immortal Kings, could he not head to that battlefield, join forces with his master, and suppress the Seven Extremes Heavenly Maiden together?

Chapter 1394: Sowing Discord Already?

"Master, once I am able to take part in battles among Immortal Kings, I will come help you suppress and kill that Seven Extremes Heavenly Maiden!" Ye Chen spoke earnestly before seeing the Western Empress out.

Beyond hoping to obtain the soul fragment of the Seven Extremes Heavenly Maiden from the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths to nourish Senior An's body, he also wished to move the Western Empress a little so that she might grant him a formal status sooner.

She laughed at his words. Immortal Kings and Immortal Monarchs were already different kinds of beings. Immortal Kings commanded the authority of the Great Dao and possessed endless means far beyond the imagination of ordinary immortals.

Even someone like Shen Wanshan, a top-tier Immortal Monarch who had reached the quasi-Immortal King realm, was still no true Immortal King. At best, he could wrestle with flawed Immortal Kings whose Dao fruits were imperfect, whose flesh or souls remained incomplete, and who had forced a breakthrough yet held no hope of higher realms in this life. Against a genuine flawless Immortal King, even a quasi-Immortal King as strong as Shen Wanshan was still an ant.

Ye Chen's breakthrough speed these past years had indeed been astonishing, and he appeared steady with no sign of hollowness that might harm his potential. Even so, becoming an Immortal Monarch would take him at least a thousand years at the fastest. Reaching Immortal King would require ten thousand years as a starting point.

Even if he did become an Immortal King, he would still lack the qualifications to interfere in her battle with the Seven Extremes Heavenly Maiden. Although the Seven Extremes currently consisted of only two condensed soul fragments, her strength had already reached the level of a giant among Immortal Kings.

Flawless Immortal Kings made up the majority of ordinary Immortal Kings. Peak Immortal Kings possessed combat power far exceeding the ordinary, and Tuoba Immortal King ranked among them.

Beyond that lay the Immortal King giants. Existences at that level were basically the ancient Immortal King ancestors of the most top-tier, most ancient great clans and forces in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. The gap between Immortal Kings was equally vast. By the time she waited for Ye Chen's help, the Immortal Realm would probably have been destroyed more than a dozen times.

Although Ye Chen could not truly aid her, the Western Empress still appreciated the sentiment. The disciples she had taken over the years all possessed fine character.

A gentle smile appeared on her imposing face as she once more pulled Ye Chen into her arms of her own accord, burying his head against her front until he was completely enveloped. Only after a long while did she laugh softly, "Very well. I shall wait for my good disciple to come help me."

With that, she prepared to leave. Ye Chen, however, still had one unresolved question and spoke again. "Master, what realm has He Wushuang reached? The one who once stood equal to the Heavenly Emperor?"

At the mention of He Wushuang, a shadow passed through the Western Empress's eyes. That youth was a true monster. After being defeated by the Heavenly Emperor yet surviving, he had not fallen into decline. He had instead soared even higher. Through several great calamities, he obtained endless opportunities, rising at an unbelievable speed. He was now a true supreme giant.

The Immortal King giants of her own level were strong, yet their combat power had not reached the absolute peak. If besieged, they could still fall. In her previous life within the Immortal Realm, she had stood at that same stage and ultimately perished after being surrounded, her origin exhausted.

A supreme giant, however, no longer feared encirclement. Such existences were rare even in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths and were basically on the level of realm lords. Their terror needed no further description.

The Western Empress lowered her head seriously and met Ye Chen's eyes. "He Wushuang did indeed commit countless killings in the Immortal Realm back then. Innumerable great forces fell because of him. One of your senior sisters even died at his hands. Yet you must not think of revenge. This person is far too terrifying. Even I am no match for him."

For the first time, Ye Chen was truly surprised. He Wushuang was that formidable? His master, after two lifetimes of cultivation, still could not contend with him. What a monster.

Yet Ye Chen only marveled a few times without any real fear. Although he was no match for He Wushuang at present, as long as he was given time, surpassing He Wushuang would be no difficult matter.

The Western Empress said no more. After leaving the cave dwelling, her figure faded and vanished without a trace.

Ye Chen set the matter of He Wushuang aside as well. Whether it was being held by his master for an entire night, that outrageous forehead flick, or the final deep embrace, all of it left him somewhat overwhelmed. He had never expected the Western Empress to be a master so lacking in boundaries. Were these actions befitting a master?

His heart trembled with cold. Could the Western Empress actually be thinking of crossing the line with her disciple?

Whatever the case, her behavior still stirred an unusual feeling within Ye Chen—a restless heat. Glancing at the time, he saw that less than half a day remained before the secret realm opened. It was the perfect chance to visit his senior sister. It had nothing to do with her hands. He simply wished to share the lingering scent of his master with her.

At that thought, Ye Chen prepared at once to enter his inner world and slip back to the Immortal Realm. Just then, a graceful figure arrived. Her figure closely resembled Shen Qingge's, the only difference being that her full moons were even fuller. If Shen Qingge's were the fifteenth of the eighth month, then Shen Qinghuan's were the sixteenth—slightly more perfect—yet a touch less domineering.

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow in curiosity as he watched Shen Qinghuan approach, wondering why she had come. Had she come seeking the Cycle Blood Renewal Pill?

In midair, Shen Qinghuan had intended to speak from a habitual position of superiority. After a brief hesitation, she descended and stood before Ye Chen.

"Ye Chen, I do not blame you for what happened before. I know you were deceived by Shen Qingge. That woman is full of lies. Back in the Shen Clan, everything was given to her first. Even my mother, who suffered so much when she first married in because of Shen Qingge's birth mother, never blamed Shen Qingge for it.

"On the contrary, she treated her with the same tenderness she would have shown her own child. Yet what did my mother receive for all that kindness? Only Shen Qingge's declaration that she would personally seize everything back. One can imagine what an ungrateful wolf she is.

"From the earlier competition for the Ancestral Spirit Blessed Land quota to the way she made you bid for treasures on her behalf, it is plain she does not love you at all. She is merely using you. The moment you are no longer useful, she will kick you aside without a second thought."

Ye Chen: "???"

So that was why she had come—to sow discord. As if he did not already know whether Shen Qingge was an ungrateful wolf. No one understood Shen Qingge's sense of gratitude better than he did.

As for the internal grudges of the Shen Clan, he cared nothing for them. Whoever possessed a grateful heart was the one he would help. Thus he could not even be bothered to reply and prepared to leave at once, thoroughly uninterested.

His senior sister's hands were truly unmatched under heaven, especially when paired with those dense palm lines that flowed like stars and carried the rhythm of the Dao. They were extraordinary. Ye Chen could wait no longer. He had no time to waste on Shen Qinghuan.

Seeing his attitude, Shen Qinghuan knew he did not believe her. She was not surprised. Had Ye Chen been so easy to awaken, he would never have been so deeply devoted in the first place. In that case, why should she insist on competing for him?