Immortality Starts With Investment

Ye Chen had anticipated many possible reactions from the intruder. He had already prepared to have the Fusang Divine Tree send the man on his way. A Great Saint was undeniably powerful. But the Fusang Divine Tree possessed Quasi-Immortal strength. Though it lacked agility, the gap of two full major realms made crushing a Great Saint effortless.

Yet no matter how he imagined the encounter, Ye Chen never expected the man to drop straight to his knees and call him Young Lord—with tears brimming in his eyes, as though he had truly searched for him across countless years.

Ye Chen almost wanted to give the man a thumbs-up. A Great Saint, so decisive in the face of danger—when things looked bad, he knelt without hesitation.

Impressive. Still… I believe you? Not a chance.

Ye Chen had no interest in wasting more words. He was ready to order the Fusang Divine Tree to finish the man off and then step out of the cave heaven to check on the situation outside. His main concern was that the Saint King-level Ancestor—the one from who-knows-how-many generations of Heavenly Desire Sect divine maidens—might have been killed in the chaos. If that happened, he really would mourn.

But the Demon-Exterminating Great Saint seemed to sense the rising killing intent. He hurriedly spoke again: "Young Lord, ever since the era of the Heavenly Emperor, the contemporary Devouring heir took the Heaven-Devouring Demon Jar and the Ghost-Face Mask, set out to assassinate the Heavenly Emperor, and never returned.

"Both the jar and the mask vanished along with him. For ages, our Devouring lineage has longed to recover them. And you, Young Lord, clearly cultivate the Indestructible Heavenly Art. Moreover, you possess both the Heaven-Devouring Demon Jar and the Ghost Face Mask.

"There is no doubt—you are the orthodox successor of the Devouring lineage! You are the true contemporary heir of Devouring! This is not some desperate lie to save my life. The very first moment I laid eyes on you, I faintly sensed the aura of the Indestructible Heavenly Art upon your body. I joined this assault mainly to confirm it for myself. After seeing you up close, I became completely certain. Chasing you into your cave heaven was never about killing intent. I simply wanted to find a place where no one could interfere—so I could formally recognize you!

"Young Lord, the Devouring lineage has waited for you far too long!"

After listening to the Great Saint's speech, Ye Chen's mouth twitched uncontrollably. This Great Saint had brains. In a single breath, he had already pieced together a perfectly coherent story. So the true Devouring orthodox lineage was actually here—with him? He, the fake Heavenly Emperor's heir, turned out to be the real Devouring successor?

Absolutely ridiculous. Yet Ye Chen's resolve never wavered. Kill him. If he believed a few sentences and the title "Young Lord" and just let the man go, then he would be the one with the problem.

Sensing the thickening killing intent rising from Ye Chen, the Demon-Exterminating Great Saint hurriedly continued: "Our Devouring lineage can provide immense assistance on your path of cultivation. We have members planted almost everywhere—inside every major holy land, every ancient immortal clan, even among the myriad races.

"After all, even in holy lands and great families, countless cultivators possess mediocre talent yet refuse to accept mediocrity. Very few can resist the temptation of the Devouring Heaven Demon Art. We offer them a fragmented version of the technique, helping them grow stronger until they occupy high positions. And every one of them has already paid the price—they have killed their own sectmates, friends, and kin. Since they crave the subsequent levels of the art, their loyalty is absolute.

"That is why our Devouring lineage is not only exceptionally well-informed, but we also control countless secret opportunities known only to the greatest powers. More than that, we can subtly influence the stance of every major holy land. For example, this very assault—I feared making a mistake, so I had our planted members in various holy lands stir things up, quietly assembling this powerful raiding force.

"Even the grand formation was provided free of charge by the Northern Nether Holy Land. And aside from me, every single person who acted is an outsider. Once your true identity is confirmed, Young Lord… all of them will become nourishment for your growth."

Hearing this, Ye Chen couldn't help but genuinely marvel at the terrifying reach of the Devouring lineage. No wonder they had been hunted and reviled for so many years, yet still survived. The Devouring Heaven Demon Art, capable of directly improving physique and talent, was simply too heaven-defying. No cultivator could resist it.

If Ye Chen had still possessed only third-grade spiritual roots back then, without the system, he too would have succumbed to the temptation—willingly offering his "token of allegiance" in exchange for the technique. And the influence of the Devouring lineage was indeed frightening. With just a little stirring from their planted members, they had assembled such a formidable force—and even gotten the grand formation for free. Truly outrageous.

To be honest, Ye Chen was starting to waver, just a little. The Devouring lineage had infiltrated every major top-tier family and holy land. Their influence and access to information were beyond imagination. And that wasn't even mentioning their knowledge of exclusive secret opportunities controlled by those powers. All of it held considerable appeal for Ye Chen.

Seeing the slightest softening in Ye Chen's expression, the Demon-Exterminating Great Saint hurriedly pressed on: "At the same time, though our Devouring lineage suffered heavy losses among our high-end forces during several encirclement campaigns over the past million years—mainly due to the loss of our immortal artifact—we still have an Emperor-realm existence overseeing everything.

"As for Great Saints, we have three of them. And the rest of the manpower you could command, Young Lord… is simply countless. Once I return, I will inform them of the truth and make it clear that you, Young Lord, are the genuine successor of the Devouring lineage."

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

At the end, the Demon-Exterminating Great Saint looked up with open reverence: "Our Devouring lineage has always been at odds with the Heavenly Emperor lineage. Whenever heirs from both sides appear in the same generation, a great war almost inevitably erupts."

"But you, Young Lord, are farsighted and profound. As the heir of our Devouring lineage, you actually gained recognition from the Heavenly Emperor Hall, infiltrated the enemy ranks, and became the Heavenly Emperor's heir. You have perfectly fused the advantages of both the Devouring Immortal Maiden and the Heavenly Emperor—truly reaching the pinnacle…"

Ye Chen's mouth twitched at the last part.

You've got the whole thing completely reversed. Infiltrated the enemy? What a pity you're not running a pyramid scheme.

Still, after hearing the full rundown on the Devouring lineage, Ye Chen really felt tempted. This was a massive force. If he could take control of it, many things would become far more convenient.

But a curious smile appeared on Ye Chen's face as he asked: "If I become the true Devouring heir… then what about Alkaid?"

The Demon-Exterminating Great Saint answered without the slightest hesitation: "Alkaid was prepared as your great medicine."

Ye Chen almost laughed out loud. If Alkaid ever heard those words, he'd probably break down crying. After harvesting so many others as "great medicines," he was now being stabbed in the back by his own people and reduced to one himself.

Thinking of that extremely cautious schemer, Ye Chen couldn't resist asking a couple more questions: "Why didn't Alkaid come along? Logically, an assassination attempt on me—something he's wanted for so long—he wouldn't miss it."

The Demon-Exterminating Great Saint shook his head.

"Alkaid is extraordinarily cautious. During many major battles—such as when you fought in the Myriad Races Immortal City—he has watched from afar on several occasions… But in the end, he always chose not to act and simply left."

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly at how truly cowardly Alkaid was. The man showed up every single time, yet he could still hold himself back from making a move.

As for the gazes secretly observing him, Ye Chen genuinely hadn't noticed. Not because he lacked perception, but because too many people had been sneaking peeks at him over the years—he'd long since stopped paying attention.

"What realm has Alkaid reached now?"

Ye Chen asked.

Again, the Demon-Exterminating Great Saint answered without hesitation, as though he had truly abandoned the other side: "Alkaid has already reached the late stage of the Fifth Heaven…"

Fifth Heaven—that was the Saint realm. Honestly, Alkaid's cultivation speed was frighteningly fast. Back when they were at the same level, people like Yao Yuekong were still stuck lingering around the Second or Third Heaven.

Noticing Ye Chen's surprise, the Great Saint quickly explained: "The Devouring Origin does provide a certain boost to cultivation. On top of that, our lineage possesses a great deal of information about opportunities on the Immortal Path, which allowed Alkaid to obtain many fortuitous encounters.

"Even so, his progress has been faster than we anticipated. He may have some hidden opportunities of his own. But it doesn't matter. No matter what secrets Alkaid holds, in the end, they will only serve as wedding clothes for you, Young Lord."

Hearing that, the corners of Ye Chen's mouth curved upward. Suddenly, he really wanted to see the expression on that cautious schemer's face when he learned that the true position of the Devouring heir had been snatched away by Ye Chen.

In short, right now, the Demon-Exterminating Great Saint had genuinely presented Ye Chen with a difficult choice. He studied the old man who remained kneeling, showing absolutely no sign of preparing a sneak attack. The Great Saint's eyes shone with pure loyalty and excitement, as though he had finally found the lord he was destined to serve.

For the first time, Ye Chen felt a flicker of hesitation in his heart…

Outside.

The sudden arrival of reinforcements from the Heavenly Evolution Holy Land instantly shifted the balance of the battlefield. The black shadow that had been pinning down the Heavenly Evolution Great Saint noticed another Great Saint among the newcomers. Its expression darkened. Then it glanced upward toward the sky. Over a hundred breaths had passed since that figure entered Ye Chen's cave heaven—yet he still hadn't come out. What was he doing in there?

A Great Saint killing a Half-Saint—even if the target was an unparalleled prodigy, even if the cave heaven contained top-tier killing arrays—shouldn't take this long. Could he be… looting the treasures inside Ye Chen's cave heaven?

Given the staggering wealth Ye Chen had displayed, not to mention the priceless artifacts he'd once won at auction, even a Great Saint would be tempted. The thought made the black shadow restless. It had come all this way, endured all this effort, for exactly those spoils.

If it didn't act now, everything would be too late. Even with Heavenly Evolution's reinforcements on the field, the shadow was confident it could still escape. But it absolutely refused to leave without claiming its share. That was the Heavenly Emperor's treasury. There might even be an opportunity inside for it to become an Emperor.

The next instant, the black shadow clenched its teeth. All the thunder filling the thunder domain suddenly contracted violently, forcibly tearing open a pitch-black passage in the void—deep and unfathomable, as though it connected to another world entirely.

"This is…"

The Heavenly Evolution Great Saint's face changed drastically. He seemed to recognize the technique's origin and even guessed the shadow's true identity. But there was no time to react. The passage swallowed him whole. His figure vanished from the spot, as though exiled to another realm.

The black shadow knew its own art couldn't trap the other Great Saint for long—at most a hundred more breaths before the man broke free and returned. Still, that was enough time. Enough to slip into Ye Chen's cave heaven, grab what it could, and flee.

Like a bolt of furious black lightning, the shadow streaked forward and plunged straight into the entrance of Ye Chen's cave heaven. The abrupt change stunned everyone present. The Heavenly Evolution Great Saint who had come to reinforce them also paled. Without hesitation, he rushed toward the cave heaven entrance.

They all had faith in Ye Chen. But with two Great Saints now inside his domain, even Ye Chen would likely be overwhelmed. They had to provide support… Yet just as he reached the entrance, Feng Baiyu's voice cut through the air, stopping him.

"Elder, wait—don't go in yet. Send a voice transmission and ask first…"

Two Great Saints inside could easily turn Ye Chen's cave heaven upside down. But Feng Baiyu still believed Ye Chen might have a way to handle it. Ye Chen's cave heaven held secrets. As allies, if they rushed in and saw things they weren't meant to see, it could turn a good situation into a disaster—leaving everyone in an awkward position. Better to ask first.

The reinforcing Great Saint was momentarily dumbfounded. Wasn't that obvious? Still, he halted and sent a voice transmission toward the glowing portal: "Ye Chen, do you need me to come in and assist?"

The very next moment, Ye Chen's calm voice drifted out from within: "Thank you, Elder, but there's no problem here! Please take care of the situation outside first—especially protect the people from the Heavenly Desire Sect…"

For a heartbeat, the entire battlefield fell deathly silent. Two Great Saints had gone in. And the Heavenly Emperor's heir… was saying everything was fine? The Heavenly Emperor's heir… was just that monstrous?