Immortality Starts With Investment

But the changes in Yao Yuezhi went far beyond mere height and figure. In that moment, she radiated a heart-stopping aura of raw power. A slight flex, and the surrounding void cracked relentlessly, spiderweb fissures spidering outward in a frenzy. Purple blood energy erupted skyward, leaving the onlookers gaping in horror.

If the Yao Yuezhi of before had been the girl-next-door, now she embodied the domineering female war god. From her physique to her bearing, and every ounce of strength she wielded, it all pressed with overwhelming force. Even a glance from those emerald eyes sent chills racing down spines. When had the Heavenly Demon Clan ever birthed such a divine ability?

Feng Youhuang, in her fire phoenix form, tensed with acute wariness too. This Yao Yuezhi emanated a profound sense of peril, as if one misstep might spell her doom.

"What is this?"

Feng Youhuang ignored Yao Yuezhi's taunt, her voice laced with bewilderment. Yet even as she asked, the heavens full of divine fire she unleashed blazed fiercer, intent on incinerating Yao Yuezhi.

Yao Yuezhi neither dodged nor flinched; her mere purple blood qi alone warded off the flames, keeping them at bay. As Yao Yuezhi felt the transformations ripple through her, she furrowed her brow. This was the new function she had stumbled upon in her domain—self-empowerment. It further sublimated her Heavenly Demon bloodline, propelling her into a novel, unprecedented state of might. In this form, her fleshly body elevated across the board, her battle prowess nothing short of staggering.

Yet sensing the shifts in her frame—especially how the slightest tension drew forth muscle lines—she felt a surge of distaste. "Why have my arms and legs grown so thick? And so tall? Even muscles? If Brother saw me like this, he'd surely turn away. So..."

Yao Yuezhi withdrew her self-appraising gaze, fixing Feng Youhuang with a cold smile—her eyes betraying a hint of alarm. "I need to finish you before Brother lays eyes on me!"

Her words had scarcely landed when Yao Yuezhi's form shuddered, her aura erupting in a cataclysmic wave. She shot toward Feng Youhuang like a cannonball loosed from its barrel. Wherever she passed, the endless divine fire parted automatically, carving a path before her. The Yao Yuezhi of now bore no trace of her prior fragility. Paired with this towering, voluptuous frame—brimming with power and pressure—only the word "domineering" fit.

She moved like a war deity descended, any oncoming divine ability or spell mere paper in her eyes. A casual palm sufficed to pulverize them to nothing.

Yao Yuezhi's speed proved blinding. Feng Youhuang's face twisted in dismay; she sought to evade the onslaught, retreating in haste. But just as her form shifted, Yao Yuezhi's lush red lips parted slightly, exhaling two crisp syllables: "Stasis Secret!"

In an instant, Feng Youhuang sensed Yao Yuezhi speeding up. But she knew it wasn't Yao Yuezhi growing faster—it was herself slowing down. This force felt too otherworldly, impossible to resist.

In the next breath, Yao Yuezhi's enlarged yet still adorable jade hand clamped onto Feng Youhuang's slender phoenix neck. "Submit to me, become my brother's handmaiden, and I'll spare your life!"

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The phoenix clan had always prided itself on haughty arrogance—how could they bend the knee so easily? Especially Feng Youhuang, a top prodigy of her line, her status unmatched. Even with her life gripped in Yao Yuezhi's grasp, she managed to speak.

"Celestial Prince is the Undying Celestial Emperor's own son—his bloodline noble beyond measure. He slumbered a million years in a single dream, his talent eclipsing even his father's in its day. Naturally, he deserves my service. As for the Heavenly Emperor's heir? Even if he's the Emperor's son, what of it? How dare he think himself worthy of..."

Feng Youhuang's words dripped with utter contempt.

Yao Yuezhi's eyes flashed at the slander, her restraint shattering. She clenched her fingers fiercely, unleashing a torrent of terrifying force like floodwaters bursting a dam.

With a resounding "boom," Feng Youhuang's true form exploded in a spray of countless fire sparks, scattering like fireworks in bloom. Yet Yao Yuezhi pressed on undeterred. Her emerald eyes swept the field, locking onto a flickering divine flame where a phoenix shadow lurked within.

At the sight, Yao Yuezhi's lips curled in a cold smirk. She exploded forward once more, lunging toward that flame. Sure enough, it reformed into Feng Youhuang's shape in a flash—though her face now twisted in ugly strain, her earlier arrogance vanished.

"Revive as many times as you like—I'll slay you each time."

Yao Yuezhi's killing intent boiled over as she bore down again. The battlefield's spectacle plunged the crowd into stunned silence. Had Yao Yuezhi always been this terrifying?

Yao Yuezhi's parents stood nearby, watching their daughter's transformed state with eyes wide in awe. Clearly, this was a new talent born from her domain's sublimation. Ye Chen's boundless sacrifices had forged Yuezhi's utter rebirth.

The Divine Silkworm patriarch and a few others who grasped the truth marveled at Yao Yuezhi's might, too. They knew it all stemmed from the Heavenly Emperor's heir, Ye Chen. Yet the stronger Yao Yuezhi grew now, the weaker Ye Chen must have become. After all, power conserved itself.

Ye Chen had undoubtedly poured everything into remaking her domain, catapulting her to these heights. Without question, the Heavenly Emperor's heir now languished at his most vulnerable. Seize the chance, and the rewards would flow endlessly...

...

Within the Heavenly Demon Clan's outpost, Ye Chen sat immersed in the illusory shadow of a divine furnace, surrounded by endless divine flames that roared and churned. They left his aura steaming, terrifying power coursing through the blaze to scourge and refine him.

After a long while, everything finally settled. The shadow of the Nine Transformations Heavenly Furnace faded slowly into nothingness.

Ye Chen cracked his eyes open slightly, assessing his state, a faint smile of satisfaction curving his lips. "The Nine Transformations Heavenly Furnace still holds some use for me, after all. This breakthrough to the next minor realm brought massive gains. Though it probably ties to acquiring the Primordial Cave Heaven too. And that's not all. My cultivation speed has risen faster than I expected—perhaps no need for three years; two and a half should suffice to reach Half-Saint."

Ye Chen felt nothing but contentment with this pace. His foundation ran profoundly deep, demanding vast accumulations for each step. To advance in two and a half years was counted as exceptional.

With that thought, Ye Chen glanced at the system interface, noting the cooldown had ended—perfect timing for another gift.

Yao Yuezhi at six thousandfold proved too tempting. No need to scout tails outside anymore. As for Luo Bingling? Ye Chen had all but forgotten her. But when Ye Chen emerged from his cave mansion in search of Yao Yuezhi, he found not only her absent, but her parents and brother gone from the grounds too. Where had they wandered off to?

Just as puzzlement gripped him, a handmaiden hurried over, bearing a message from Yao Yuezhi. Ye Chen's brow furrowed slightly as he heard the full account. The Undying Celestial Phoenix Clan's strongest female prodigy of this generation sought to challenge him? And Yao Yuezhi had stepped in to face her instead?