ISWI Chapter 1397-1398 (Patreon)

Chapter 1397: Opportunity Favors Only the Prepared!

Overall, Ye Chen was in a pleasant mood. He merely felt a little apologetic toward his senior sister. After working so hard, she had finally wanted to rest and sleep peacefully while inhaling the lingering scent of the Western Empress, only for him to announce that he had to leave.

It was the classic behavior of a scoundrel who enjoyed himself and then departed. Yet there was nothing he could do about it. He would simply have to compensate his senior sister next time.

Shen Qingge shook her head lightly upon hearing his excuse. "It is fine. If not for me, you would not even need to enter this secret realm. Still, there truly are many enemies this time. You must be extremely careful afterward. The moment the environment stabilizes, we will reunite at once and use the divine talismans to sense each other's locations."

With Ye Chen's arrival, Shen Qingge felt much more at ease. Even so, this secret realm remained fraught with peril. Who could say how many people had come specifically for the resources on Ye Chen's person?

Not to mention the Nine Apertures Marrow Birth Crystal, whose news had suddenly spread—whether or not it was a trap remained unknown. If it was a trap, it was certainly aimed at her and would most likely involve Ye Chen as well. Therefore, this expedition was bound to involve a bloody battle that could not be avoided.

Yet Ye Chen had arrived far too late. Shen Qingge had not even finished speaking when the transmission divine light flared. Every disciple holding a token and possessing a quota was instantly enveloped by the light.

Standing within the glow, Shen Qingge's eyes held worry. Although Ye Chen had not heard everything, he understood her meaning. He simply smiled.

Perilous? Unless an Immortal King was hidden inside the secret realm, even if his father-in-law himself were concealed within it, the place would not deserve the word "perilous."

On the contrary, in Ye Chen's eyes, this would be a grand feast. Thus he merely nodded lightly, telling Shen Qingge to rest assured. The next moment everyone vanished from the spot.

Countless onlookers watched the group enter. Even though the Ancient Relic Species Secret Realm would basically require three months to conclude, they did not hurry to leave. Instead, they chatted in twos and threes, curious about who would obtain Ye Chen's resources and become the greatest winner. After all, the resources on Ye Chen's person were simply too tempting to imagine. As for Ye Chen himself, no one still believed he could survive.

What puzzled them more was why Ye Chen would still enter the secret realm when the various anti-Ye Chen alliances had made such a loud commotion. He could not possibly be unaware. With so many resources, he could simply buy whatever he wanted. Even the rarest supreme treasures would still find sellers if offered at ten times the price.

Unless Ye Chen was extremely confident in his own strength. Yet that was even more laughable. This was a secret realm for disciples of the Ancestral Immortal sequence, not the Great Luo Golden Immortals Ye Chen had once slaughtered. Did Ye Chen still think he could take on a thousand at this level?

Moreover, his opponents were a group of the most top-tier monsters of the present age. Forget Ye Chen—even the peerless Immortal Kings of the past or the monstrous prodigies of the First Realm could absolutely never accomplish such a feat.

Therefore, in their eyes, Ye Chen merely possessed a bit of talent and opportunity yet disregarded all the heroes under heaven. He failed to realize that heroes were as numerous as carp crossing the river. This time, Ye Chen was destined to be overturned because of his arrogance.

Shen Qinghuan, who had remained hidden in a high place the entire time, watched with cold eyes. Earlier, she had looked at Shen Qingge as if gazing at a dead person. As for Ye Chen, she had already instructed both He Yu and Shi Yi and the others, all of whom had readily agreed to look after him for her.

From the way Ye Chen had been swayed by her few words last time, it was clear he was someone easily influenced by others. She had already imagined the scene after Shen Qingge's death when she would effortlessly capture this simping dog named Ye Chen. Yet when that time came, she would certainly have to punish him.

After all, Ye Chen had caused her to lose so much face. Especially the way he had turned hostile and refused to acknowledge her last time still left her fury hard to extinguish. Since she had not yet reclaimed him, she would temporarily let the matter rest. Once she reclaimed him, however, she would definitely vent her anger thoroughly and torment Ye Chen first.

Shen Qinghuan thought contentedly and prepared to turn and leave. Immediately afterward, however, she spotted Shi Hu at the very back of the crowd of onlookers. Looking at Shi Hu only made her angrier. What a good-for-nothing. He had even freeloaded her Great Luo Dao Fruit.

She flew straight before him. "Why did you not enter to assist your brothers?"

Shi Hu had been watching with satisfaction as his clansmen and the Ancestral Immortal disciples ranked ahead of him all entered. A smile already tugged at his lips as he began calculating how much his ranking within the clan and the academy would rise, and by how many times the resource support he received each year would multiply starting this year.

The thought alone made him unable to suppress his delight.

Suddenly questioned, he lifted his head in surprise and then offered a bitter smile. "I am afraid of Ye Chen…"

Hearing this, Shen Qinghuan felt even greater frustration at his uselessness. "Afraid of what? I told all of you to help Ye Chen."

Shi Hu sneered inwardly. Shi Yi and the others helping Ye Chen? Help him my ass! Yet he said nothing and only lowered his head in self-abasement. "I am too weak. I truly am afraid. But why did you yourself not go, Shen Qinghuan?

"With your talent, your combat strength is absolutely no weaker than Ye Chen's. That way, whether you wish to punish him or help him, you could easily achieve your goal. You have missed this chance, but next time I suggest you enter the secret realm together with Ye Chen."

Shen Qinghuan's face darkened further at the way he addressed her by her full name. This dog of a thing had clearly forgotten his promise to teach Ye Chen and Shen Qingge a lesson and return the Great Luo Dao Fruit, yet he remembered perfectly well not to call her elder sister.

Still, she was rather satisfied with his flattery. She possessed a Longevity Bone and had never displayed her true strength. If she erupted with full power, she would certainly be no weaker than Ye Chen.

Moreover, Shi Hu's words made sense. If Ye Chen entered a secret realm again next time, she could indeed follow. But not this time. The Cycle Blood Renewal Pill her father had requested for her was almost here. Refining it, elevating her flesh and blood to the King grade, and breaking through to Origin Immortal were the most important matters.

She could not be bothered to deal with Shi Hu any longer and drifted away in high spirits. Shi Hu himself wore an expression of deep regret. Given Ye Chen's attitude toward Shen Qinghuan and the degree of hostility between her and Shen Qingge, if the two met inside the secret realm, Shen Qinghuan would certainly die.

Although she was not a member of the Shi Clan, the clan leader's and old ancestor's favoritism meant she still received a share of resources from the Shi Clan—no small share either, no less than that of the most core clansmen. If Shen Qinghuan died, that share would certainly become available. He could make use of it once he reached Origin Immortal.

Furthermore, his aunt had only this one daughter. If Shen Qinghuan died, she would certainly be heartbroken. If he cultivated a good relationship with his aunt, would he not be able to take another portion from the Shen Clan as well?

At that thought, Shi Hu immediately made a decision. From now on, he would visit his aunt more often and show her care. After all, if he only drew close after Shen Qinghuan's death, there would certainly be many competitors, and it would appear far too deliberate.

Drawing close in advance would be subtler, more like gentle rain moistening things silently, and would move the heart more deeply. Opportunity, after all, had always been reserved for those who were prepared.

Chapter 1398: Raising the Average!

Ancient Relic Species Secret Realm.

When the divine light faded, Ye Chen slowly opened his eyes and found himself already inside. Looking at the space around him that measured no more than a hundred square kilometers, he revealed an expression of understanding.

Unlike previous secret realms, the Ancient Relic Species Secret Realm did not begin as a single great world with everyone randomly scattered. Instead, each participant occupied an individual small space.

The accumulated resentment of the Ancient Relic Species Secret Realm, together with the residual souls of those ancient relic species that had revived and attached themselves to the essence of flesh and blood, transformed into special monsters one after another. Every one of these monsters possessed the combat strength of the Ancestral Immortal realm.

Only after all the monsters were slain would the individual room disappear. The essence of flesh and blood that flowed out from the slain monsters would then fuse into a single special heart. Only then would the immortals participating in the trial begin to contend for the true treasures.

Each person would receive corresponding authority according to the number of monsters they had killed and could draw forth a certain share. At that point, cultivators could choose not to fight and simply draw away their own portion according to their authority, or they could slaughter one another and seize the authority of others. Overall, it followed the principle of more work for more gain—the more one killed, the more one received—yet one might also suffer encirclement.

That was still not the most important point. The crucial matter lay elsewhere. The strength of the monsters generated within the secret realm was not fixed. It condensed according to the average combat strength of the cultivators who had entered. If a group of weaklings arrived, the monsters would be numerous yet individually weak. If a group of powerful experts arrived, the individual strength of the monsters would rise while their numbers decreased instead.

Ye Chen gazed at the first monster that appeared and raised an eyebrow. It was a colossal serpent with nine heads. The eyes of every snake head radiated cold, sinister light. The frigid aura rising from its body was even more terrifying, carrying a sense of perfection without the slightest flaw.

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow again, feeling that this monster was rather strong. Of course, that strength was measured against ordinary Ancestral Immortals. At the very least, the nine-headed serpent looked stronger than quite a few of the disciples who had entered alongside him. Could the other disciples truly defeat it?

He somewhat suspected that his own strength was simply too great and that, after averaging it out, the result had become absurd. That left him a little worried. With such power, could the other disciples withstand it? Would they simply perish on the spot? If they all died at the hands of these residual souls of the relic species, how was he supposed to harvest origin essence?

At that moment the nine-headed serpent roared with earth-shaking force. The entire space seemed on the verge of splitting apart. Within its eighteen eyes burned bone-deep hatred. Its already enormous snake heads swelled once more.

Terror-inducing devouring force gathered in their maws as though they intended to swallow the entire world, and they surged forward one after another to devour Ye Chen. By comparison, Ye Chen appeared as insignificant as an ant.

Yet Ye Chen remained largely unmoved. Even while inside the secret realm, he did not employ any of his previous inheritances. He simply raised a hand afterward and gripped toward the nine-headed giant serpent from afar. In an instant, the space surrounding the nine-headed giant serpent collapsed.

Endless Dao rhythm surged. The violent giant-headed serpent instantly revealed an expression of pure terror. Its nine heads roared madly and thrashed about. Yet everything proved useless. In the span of a single breath, the nine-headed giant serpent, together with the space around it, was compressed.

The next moment a crystalline bead appeared in Ye Chen's palm. Inside the bead, a miniature nine-headed giant serpent roared in helpless fury. Ye Chen examined it carefully for a few moments, then shook his head and reached a conclusion.

This giant serpent was not the product of his own average combat strength. After all, only about a thousand people had entered this time. Even if his combat strength were divided by a thousand, it could never be this low. Therefore, the problem did not lie with him. The difficulty of the Ancient Relic Species Secret Realm itself was simply this high.

At that thought, Ye Chen sighed with even greater emotion over the cruelty of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. Designing a secret realm to be so difficult showed they had no fear of disciples dying.

No wonder the prodigies of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths were all so powerful. Since those disciples had dared to enter, it meant they were certainly confident they could deal with these residual souls of the relic species.

No matter how strong the combat power, the monsters were ultimately incomplete, strange beasts. The secret realm had opened so many times that various methods of dealing with them must already exist. He had no need to worry on behalf of those disciples.

As for Shen Qingge, she possessed an eighty-eight-hundred-thousand-fold multiplier after all. Handling a residual soul was nothing that required his concern. With that thought, Ye Chen completely set his mind at ease.

Gazing at the nine-headed giant serpent sealed within the spatial sphere in his palm—something he could crush at will—he felt no urgency to act. He had only given a gift to Shen Qinghuan at noon the day before. That had wasted one gift opportunity, and he still had to wait several more days before the gift cooldown ended.

Under such circumstances, there was no need for him to rush to kill these residual souls of the relic species and conclude the first stage of the secret realm. Better to give the other disciples more chances to display themselves. Perhaps through hard fighting, they could advance further and improve the quality of their origin essence.

Thus, Ye Chen leisurely found a comfortable place to sit and began flicking the spatial sphere that sealed the nine-headed giant serpent as though it were a glass marble. He waited quietly for the system's cooldown to end.

In contrast to Ye Chen's leisure, the spaces assigned to the other disciples were scenes of utter chaos. Some fled in panic. Some were already heavily injured. Some fought to a standstill yet wore grave expressions.

Others managed to suppress the residual souls of the relic species by a slight margin yet still felt somewhat bewildered. There was no other reason: the residual souls they encountered possessed combat strength that was simply too terrifying.

"This is absolutely the combat strength that only someone with a top-tier Sacred Spirit Root, perfect flesh and blood, and a cultivation at the peak of the Ancestral Immortal realm could reach. How is this possible? Why is it so terrifying?"

"This is the highest combat strength residual souls in the Ancient Relic Species Secret Realm can achieve, yet it has never appeared before. Why has it appeared this time?"

"It must be because too many powerful experts came and raised the upper limit. After all, the prodigies of the He, Shi, Zhao, Qian, Sun, Li, and other top-tier great clans all arrived this time. They have basically all reached unimaginable combat strength within the Ancestral Immortal realm. Averaged out like that, the residual souls' combat strength naturally skyrocketed."

"This is bad. What am I supposed to do? I simply cannot win. This secret realm only allows voluntary exit after the second stage begins. If I die here, I will only become nourishment for the ruins!"

"This residual soul is far too terrifying. It can even unleash the bloodline divine abilities it possessed in life. How are we supposed to fight this?"

The Ancient Relic Species Secret Realm had originally been a great world that contained no human race, only a civilization of the demon race. All manner of terrifying demonic beasts within it had been simply too numerous to count, and none of them ever transformed into human form.

After that world was shattered, the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths captured many of the races for research and obtained numerous benefits. This Ancient Relic Species Secret Realm gathered the main battlefields, and several Immortal King-level demons had died within it. The races of fallen demonic beasts were even more countless.

The residual souls of the relic species whose combat strength had now reached the secret realm's upper limit were all the remnant souls of those who had died in battle back then. Now that they possessed strength once more and faced the descendants of the enemies who had destroyed their world, their killing intent naturally soared to the heavens.

For a time, within the many small spaces, blood qi surged to the skies.