ISWI Chapter 1408-1410 (Patreon)

Chapter 1408: Please Kill Shi Hu!

Seeing that Immortal King Tuoba remained silent and unable to decide, the garrison Immortal King spoke again to persuade him. "Give up. Last time, when Ye Chen entered a secret realm at the Golden Immortal stage, he also slaughtered quite a few descendants of the garrison Immortal Kings.

"Therefore, even the garrison Immortal Kings of the War God Academy would be happy to see Ye Chen fall. No one will help you. With the dean and vice dean absent, you truly cannot protect him. I understand your reluctance.

"A prodigy like Ye Chen is extremely rare even across the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. Yet the previous investment has already been lost. Sunk costs should not enter the decision, or you will only lose more and ultimately pay an even greater price."

Immortal King Tuoba's expression grew complicated as he listened. Of course, he had not been swayed. Ye Chen was his disciple. From the moment Ye Chen entered the War God Academy, he had taken a liking to him and even actively accepted him as a disciple.

Now that Ye Chen had encountered trouble, was he, as the master, simply to abandon him? He could not do it.

At the same time, a thread of hope still lingered in his heart. Although the dean and vice dean were absent and no one could clearly determine what had happened, everyone could only speculate from the shattered disciple life tokens. Perhaps the secret realm itself had suffered an accident, and the majority of the disciples' falls had nothing to do with Ye Chen.

Moreover, even if it truly was Ye Chen's doing, he still had to find a way to protect him. The most urgent matter right now, however, was to clarify exactly what had occurred inside the secret realm.

Immortal King Tuoba said no more and flew straight toward the teleportation divine peak. He would wait until Ye Chen emerged from the secret realm, clarify the situation at the first opportunity, and then make further plans.

…

In the distance, the Immortal King of the He family, one of this generation's garrison Immortal Kings of the War God Academy, wore a cold smile. "I strongly suspect this youth is a remnant of a shattered world who harbors resentment toward our Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. It was the same in the previous Golden Immortal secret realm.

"Later in the Great Luo Golden Immortal secret realm, this youth also displayed a fierce killing intent, only failing to succeed. This time, after achieving the Ancestral Immortal realm, he even deliberately bid at ten times the price in the auction, using himself as bait to attract the attention of the prodigies.

"Now he has nearly wiped out every prodigy of the Ancestral Immortal realm in one net! This is simply an attempt to destroy the future of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. This youth harbors malicious intentions and comes from unknown origins. Once he emerges, he must be subjected to a soul search."

The He family Immortal King also felt deep heartache. Several prodigies of the He family had died as well, especially He Yu and He Guangyan. Their deaths were far too regrettable, causing his killing intent toward Ye Chen to burn fiercely.

At his words, the many arriving Immortal Kings raised their eyebrows, yet soon smiled. They had roughly clarified the situation and further understood Ye Chen's talent and the path he had walked—no weaker than a Peerless Immortal King, and even more dazzling.

Killing intent appeared in their eyes.

The Nine Heavens and Ten Earths were already powerful enough, invincible in every battle, and needed no further Peerless Immortal King to divide the cake. There were already enough Immortal Kings in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. They did not wish for another supreme giant to stand above their heads. Therefore, they all smiled and nodded, expressing satisfaction with the He family Immortal King.

The Shi family ancestor spoke up instead. "Shen Qingge is Ye Chen's fiancée and may also have problems…"

At the last moment, Shi Jian had informed him of what he had done to Shen Qingge, enraging the Shi family ancestor considerably. Shen Qinghuan ultimately still carried the surname Shen. An outsider running over to dig out bones was a pure thankless effort. What benefit did it bring the Shi family? Why had he not brought the bones back?

Yet the Shi family ancestor also knew that the transplant had been possible only because Shen Qingge and Shen Qinghuan shared the same father and were linked by bloodline. An outsider would have been utterly unable to bear the Longevity Bone. Forcing the connection would only cause them to wither completely.

Even so, despite his dissatisfaction with Shi Jian's actions, the Shi family ancestor decided to intervene and conveniently crush Shen Qingge as well, sparing the family the trouble of an Immortal King with the Longevity Bone attacking the Shi family in a few years.

When the Shi family ancestor spoke, and the matter involved the Shen family, the others offered no statements of support yet showed no intention of opposing either.

The He family Immortal King gazed at Immortal King Tuoba's departing back and spoke seriously. "Tuoba has gone to the teleportation divine peak. He is Ye Chen's master and values him highly. He may try to send Ye Chen away at the first opportunity. Why don't you all accompany us there?

"The truth will naturally come to light then. If it truly was Ye Chen's doing, our War God Academy will absolutely not shelter him. A person who slaughters so freely, no matter how high his talent, must be strangled to prevent him from eventually endangering the entire Nine Heavens and Ten Earths!"

Once the He family Immortal King spoke, most of the Immortal King powerhouses garrisoning the War God Academy nodded in agreement. The external arrivals such as the Shi family ancestor naturally held no objections either.

The next moment, the group arrived above the teleportation divine peak. So many terrifying Immortal Kings gathered together that the auras they emitted nearly crushed the entire world. Countless disciples felt unable to breathe, as if someone were pressing a knee against their necks.

Immortal King Tuoba looked at the crowd, his eyes dark. He had truly planned that if it really was Ye Chen's doing, he would secretly send Ye Chen away. Yet with so many Immortal Kings watching, it was simply impossible. He could only pray in his heart that those prodigies had truly not been killed by Ye Chen. Otherwise, once Ye Chen emerged, he would face an almost certain death.

Thus the entire War God Academy fell nearly silent. Everyone waited for the Ancient Relic Species Secret Realm to end and for the final outcome.

…

Not long before, inside the Ancient Relic Species Secret Realm, Ye Chen ignored all the wails, threats, and pleas for mercy and continued harvesting until he reached the very last one—Shi Er, also of the Shi family.

Shi Er, a prodigy of his generation with an imposing presence, now knew Ye Chen would not stop and instead completely relaxed. "Ye Chen, I once discovered a Blood Net Divine Herb in a secret realm of the Third Realm, though it had not yet matured. I can give you the coordinates!"

Ye Chen showed not the slightest ripple in his expression at the words. The Blood Net Divine Herb was indeed a precious treasure that brought enormous benefits even to Immortal Monarchs. Yet did he lack such things? Besides, only a complete idiot would go to coordinates left by an enemy. If it were a trap, something would be wrong.

Seeing Ye Chen's expression, Shi Er knew he did not believe him and spoke earnestly. "I am not begging you to spare my life. I only hope that afterward you will also kill Shi Hu. Once we die, Shi Hu will nearly monopolize all the Ancestral Immortal realm opportunities within the clan alone.

"On the War God Academy side as well, the top one thousand are almost completely wiped out. With Shi Hu's combat strength, even at the early Ancestral Immortal stage, he will certainly rank among the top ten and enjoy massive resources.

"Adding the two together, Shi Hu will likely advance by leaps and bounds within ten years, reaching the peak of the Ancestral Immortal realm or even breaking through to the Origin Immortal realm. His flesh and blood grade may also rely on countless resources to reach the King level.

"The mere thought of that timid lizard obtaining the greatest benefits makes my entire body uncomfortable. I cannot rest in peace even in death. Therefore, Fellow Daoist Ye, after this, could you find an opportunity to slap Shi Hu to death?"

Chapter 1409: Has My Reputation in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths Also Been Ruined?

Ye Chen listened to Shi Er's words, and the corners of his mouth twitched. The family customs of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths truly did not suit him. The final request was actually to take his brother along as well.

"Fellow Daoist Ye, for the sake of my grandfather being Sister Qingge's stepmother, I beg you to make sure you send Shi Hu over as well…"

Shi Er pleaded sincerely, even trying to pull connections. The more he thought about it, the more wrong it seemed. How could someone as stingy as Shi Hu offer up his own share of resources just to kill Ye Chen?

He had not understood before. Now that he discovered Ye Chen was strong to a degree he could no longer comprehend, Shi Er suddenly understood. Shi Hu must have roughly known Ye Chen's strength and deliberately sent him to his death…

The thought left Shi Er uncomfortable to the extreme.

Shen Qingge's face turned cold upon hearing those words. As for Ye Chen, he simply pressed down lightly with one hand, seized Shi Er, and refined him in an instant.

Shi Hu's origin essence was no weaker than that of Shi Yi or Shi Er, so Ye Chen of course did not wish to miss it. Yet that little fellow was far too cunning and simply refused to take the bait. He would see later whether an opportunity arose.

With this harvest completely finished, Ye Chen looked at the large amount of origin essence stockpiled inside the Heaven-Devouring Demon Jar within his inner world and smiled. Although few had survived past the first stage, they were all elites. Therefore, the final harvest was quite excellent. He believed it would absolutely satisfy his fiancée.

Beside him, Shen Qingge's eyes remained dazed. Ye Chen had truly, relying on himself alone, killed every one of those many prodigies… She now genuinely felt that even after her Longevity Bone recovered, she would be unable to catch up to Ye Chen. His strength was simply too absurd. That she could meet such a man and be cherished by him—her fortune was truly excellent.

Far away, Bogu trembled more and more violently. Ye Chen had truly killed them all clean, showing just how heavy his killing nature was. Then, in the first stage, the majority of the fallen prodigies must also have been killed by Ye Chen. Encountering such a god of slaughter, what exactly should he do to survive?

At that moment, Ye Chen happened to turn his gaze toward Bogu.

Bogu trembled even harder. Suddenly, inspiration struck, and he immediately called out loudly, "Fellow Daoist Ye, I am a firm supporter of the principle that Nineteenth Realm lives matter more…

"Moreover, I have a younger sister whose talent is not much inferior to mine. If I return alive, I will send her over to serve as your maid…

"I also have an older sister. Although she already has a Dao companion, that companion fell not long ago, so she would certainly be willing to come help as well. I beg Fellow Daoist Ye to spare my life…"

Bogu directly knelt to beg for survival. He did not know why he had mentioned his younger and older sisters, yet the words had come out. The moment he finished speaking, he regretted it.

Shen Qingge was still by Ye Chen's side. Outside, it was widely said that Ye Chen was wholeheartedly devoted to Shen Qingge. Was he not simply seeking death by doing this?

On Ye Chen's side, the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.

What do you mean by that? Why plead in this manner? Could it be that the cultivation world of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths had also developed misunderstandings about him?

Ye Chen sighed. He had originally intended to spare this fellow so that he could clarify matters for him. Now he no longer wished to say more and simply waved lightly. "Once the secret realm ends, you may leave. Yet remember, after you go out, tell outsiders the truth… I only killed these people. The rest all died in the first stage."

Bogu's eyes widened in wild joy. He had not expected that offering up his older and younger sisters would truly allow him to live. He hurriedly nodded. As for Ye Chen telling him to deceive people, that was a trivial matter.

Shen Qingge paid no attention to Ye Chen, letting the man go. As for this person's older and younger sisters, she only felt that Ye Chen had probably noticed she had no maids by her side and wanted to take in two for her in passing so they could look after her.

Yet she could not help feeling some worry. Her gaze lifted as if trying to see beyond the secret realm. "Ye Chen, with so many prodigies fallen, the various great forces will never treat it as nothing. After we leave, the trouble will likely be great. Yet if I seek my father's help, he will certainly seize the chance to demand that I return to the Shen family."

Shen Qingge felt deeply troubled. Ye Chen merely smiled lightly and floated over to the massive heart that resembled a long-haired coconut. He spoke with a smile. "No matter. Since I dared to act, I naturally have a way to resolve it. Yet this heart seems quite a bit larger than the information I read described, and the power of the flesh and blood essence within it appears far denser as well."

Shen Qingge flew over too. She gazed up at the heart that was as large as a small hill for a moment before looking at Ye Chen with a complicated expression. Earlier she had still wondered whether it was because too many top prodigies had entered that the strength of the remnant species' vengeful spirits had been pushed to the extreme.

Now she understood. It had nothing to do with the others. It was solely because of Ye Chen. With his own power alone, Ye Chen had raised the strength of the vengeful spirits, causing most of the disciples to die in the first stage.

The flesh and blood of those dead disciples would all transform into essence and be absorbed by the secret realm. With so many dead, this flesh-and-blood heart could be called the densest one the secret realm had ever gathered in its history.

"This single heart is enough to elevate an Ancestral Immortal's flesh and blood to perfect Saint grade. Its efficacy far surpasses that of previous hearts," Shen Qingge explained softly.

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow, then smiled. With a casual wave of his large hand, the connection between the heart and the earth instantly severed. He compressed the heart and drew it straight into his palm. The next moment, he presented the heart before Shen Qingge. "Fairy Qingge, please accept it. This item can bring Fairy Qingge's flesh and blood to perfect Saint grade. Combined afterward with the Cycle Blood Renewal Pill, it will certainly allow you to reach King-grade flesh and blood."

Shen Qingge gazed at Ye Chen with rippling eyes. Ye Chen had entered this secret realm solely for her sake, fearing she might meet with an accident or be ambushed. Along the entire way, he alone had exerted all the effort. Yet Ye Chen still wanted nothing for himself and even intended to give her the final harvest. He had even wanted to find maids for her. He truly loved her so much!

Shen Qingge did not refuse, for she knew Ye Chen's temperament. She gently reached out to receive the heart he offered and lightly stroked the soft fur on its surface with her delicate palm as she spoke softly, "Thank you, husband…"

Ye Chen was stunned for a moment and looked at Shen Qingge in astonishment. Shen Qingge smiled faintly. "We met through a blind date and afterward grew familiar with each other. Now I feel we are familiar enough. You are the most suitable man for me in the entire Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, and the only man who can stir my heart. Under these circumstances, you are naturally my husband!"

Shen Qingge had clearly thought everything through completely. After a brief surprise, Ye Chen also smiled.

At the same time, a system notification voice transmitted through Ye Chen's mind.

"Congratulations to the host for successfully gifting…"

"Gift presented: Flesh and Blood Essence!"

"Eight hundred and eighty thousand times feedback in progress!"

"Detected that the gift presented by the host is of extreme importance to the recipient, triggering…"

"Triggering maximum critical feedback…"

"Triggering critical strike feedback…"

Chapter 1410: Making an Enemy of the Entire World!

"..."

"Feedback: Partial essence of the heart of Baxia…"

"Baxia: one of the nine sons of the Ancestral Dragon. His heart is the core essence of his entire body's flesh and blood. Refining it will elevate the grade of one's flesh and blood to the extreme, bestow dragon blood upon the body, and awaken a portion of Baxia's divine abilities…"

Looking at the introduction, Ye Chen could not help raising an eyebrow. As expected, special easter-egg rewards were extremely difficult to trigger. Without Shen Qinghuan for comparison, it was even harder.

He would have to capture her later. Keeping her by his side as a maid would not be bad either. Besides being useful when gifting to Shen Qingge, a million-fold multiplier would also be excellent for feeding back some quantity-based treasures.

Ye Chen felt that if Shen Qinghuan were present and the special easter-egg reward was added, it might even feedback a complete Baxia heart. As for the partial essence of Baxia's heart he had received now, it was certainly inferior in grade to the Mixed Origin Blood Sea Star Core he had obtained earlier. Yet for him the effect differed little; both were fully sufficient to elevate his flesh and blood to the peak.

Ye Chen said no more and directly took it into the small universe within his body. The next moment, however, his eyebrows twitched slightly. He sensed that the Ancestral Dragon egg, which had remained motionless atop the Jianmu tree inside his small world, had reacted… It trembled faintly, as if drawn by that Baxia heart essence and radiating desire.

Ye Chen immediately narrowed his eyes a little. Originally, he had still held some expectation for this Ancestral Dragon egg. After all, it would be born as an Immortal King, giving him an extra Immortal King bodyguard.

Yet as he grew stronger and stronger while the Ancestral Dragon egg showed no sign of hatching, he had gradually paid it less attention. With his current breakthrough speed, it would probably not take long to reach the Immortal King realm himself.

Under those circumstances, even one of the nine sons of the Ancestral Dragon would be of negligible help to him. If it could emerge now, though, it would not be bad. The question remained: would this thing obey once it came out?

Ye Chen could not help falling into hesitation.

…

With the heart removed, the secret realm began to evolve. One day later, the exit would appear ahead of schedule, and they would be able to leave. Yet Ye Chen did not intend to depart too early, for he still needed to present one more gift.

Standing beside Shen Qingge, Ye Chen smiled and spoke. "Qingge, you begin attempting to refine it first. I will protect you. Let us stay a few more days before leaving!"

Ye Chen still hoped Shen Qingge's breakthrough speed could be a little faster. Otherwise, she would be unable to keep up with his progress, and how could he continue gifting?

Upon hearing this, Shen Qingge did not begin cultivating at once. Instead, her beautiful eyes gazed deeply at Ye Chen as she spoke softly, "Husband, I have something important to tell you, concerning my body!"

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow slightly. He said nothing, however, and merely looked toward Bogu, who was hiding far away. Bogu was very perceptive. He immediately sealed his five senses and sank straight into an unconscious state, his entire body collapsing stiffly onto the blood-colored earth.

Shen Qingge paid Bogu no mind and gazed earnestly at Ye Chen. "Ye Chen, I previously spoke of the grievances between my mother and the Shen family… Yet in truth it goes beyond that. Not long after I was born, because of my frail body, I remained soaking in a divine pool. When I was nearly recovered, my accompanying divine ability revived and a new bone grew within my chest… It is called the Longevity Bone!"

Longevity Bone? Ye Chen indicated he had never heard of it, yet it felt quite extraordinary.

Shen Qingge then described the formidable power of the Longevity Bone to him.

"In short, once the Longevity Bone finishes growing, it will continuously nourish everything about me and restore me to my original state. Yet my new bone was discovered by Shen Qinghuan's mother. She summoned the Shi family patriarch Shi Jian, who dug out my bone and transplanted it onto Shen Qinghuan. From that moment, my body, which had only just begun to improve, was almost completely crippled."

Ye Chen was thoroughly stunned upon hearing this. He had always believed Shen Qingge's hatred toward the Shen family stemmed from her father's fickleness and irresponsibility, as well as the underhanded schemes of her stepmother and younger sister.

He had never imagined there was such a past. Forcibly digging out such a precious accompanying divine bone was a grudge countless times more severe than even the enmity of obstructing one's path. No wonder she had left so decisively.

Shen Qingge now laid everything bare before Ye Chen. "Therefore, those who hold enmity with me are not only Shen Qinghuan, but also her mother and the Shi family patriarch. Even my mother's death is absolutely inseparable from these people.

"Thus, beyond personally defeating Shen Qinghuan and digging my bone back out, I must also make her mother and Shi Jian repay blood with blood and atone with their lives. This is destined to leave no room for reconciliation with the two clans.

"Husband, if you truly become my Dao companion, you will inevitably be drawn into this matter and stand completely opposite the two clans, with not the slightest possibility of reconciliation. Under these circumstances, husband, do you truly…"

Besides being honest, Shen Qingge also wanted Ye Chen to think it through carefully. She did not wish for him to be implicated by her without clear understanding. Yet before she could finish speaking, Ye Chen already smiled.

He gently stroked Shen Qingge's soft little head and tightly embraced her full, curvaceous, alluring figure against himself. "Qingge, you have suffered these years… Since that is the case, in the future I will certainly help you destroy both families… Your father is no good either for allowing you to endure such great grievances. All of them can die for me!"

To Ye Chen, this was simply no issue at all. In his previous life, when reading novels, he had most disliked those female leads who always brought trouble to the protagonist. Now that it was his own turn, it was simply no issue… While taking revenge, he could conveniently harvest as well—a win-win.

The corners of Shen Qingge's mouth twitched… Being supported so unconditionally truly moved her deeply. Yet Ye Chen's killing nature seemed a little too heavy…

"There is no need to annihilate the entire clans. As for my father, they were after all unaware, so there is no need to kill him either. When the time comes, it will be enough to merely execute the chief culprits! There is no need to let these people cloud your Dao heart and lose yourself in the midst of revenge."

Shen Qingge hurriedly advised him. Ye Chen nodded with some regret. Shen Qingge's expression then grew solemn as she continued. "Shi Yi and the others were clearly targeting me. Combined with the earlier false information about the Nine Aperture Marrow Birth Crystal, everything indicates they have already begun to suspect me and therefore wish to strangle me in the cradle. I estimate there will still be quite a few troubles afterward."

Ye Chen, still holding Shen Qingge, gently patted her jade-like back and spoke in a voice that was not loud yet especially firm. "It does not matter. I will handle everything…"

Shen Qingge still wanted to say many things. Yet the moment Ye Chen uttered that sentence, she felt an unprecedented sense of security surging through her. Her eyes nearly brimmed with tears as her small face looked up at Ye Chen's handsome features so close at hand. She felt that even if she made an enemy of the entire world, Ye Chen would stand by her side without the slightest hesitation.

Shen Qingge raised her head and lightly delivered a cool touch to the corner of Ye Chen's lips. He truly loved her so much!