Chapter 1115: Things Are Looking Up!
A hush fell over Hundred Flowers Peak. None of the female cultivators had expected Ye Chen to be such a generous Ancestor.
Although it was clear he had taken a fancy to Nangong Wan, his method of pursuit was simply impossible to dislike. For a moment, everyone looked at Nangong Wan with deep envy.
Nangong Wan stared at the immortal robe, her expression complicated. "Fourth Ancestor, this…"
She thought of Ye Chen's existing Dao companions and wanted to refuse, fearing they might misunderstand. However, Ye Chen waved his hand as usual. "There is no need to say more. I am simply acting for the public good. Everything I do is for the future of the Jade Pool Immortal Sect. You only need to focus on your cultivation."
These words were the same as before, yet neither Nangong Wan nor the surrounding female cultivators believed that Ye Chen was truly acting purely out of public spirit.
After he finished speaking, Ye Chen did not give Nangong Wan any chance to refuse. He turned around and looked at the dozens of disciples and elders present.
Both the elders and disciples had shed their previous resistance. They now smiled at Ye Chen of their own accord.
Ye Chen smiled inwardly. See? Winning over the Jade Pool Immortal Sect was not difficult at all.
Among the female cultivators present, aside from Nangong Wan, their multipliers were only average. The highest was merely twenty-thousandfold. They were acceptable, but not worth Ye Chen's special attention.
With a gentle wave of his hand, streaks of golden light flew out from his palm, forming golden threads that looked like a spider web, connecting him to every female cultivator present. Of course, it only appeared that way.
Every woman there could not help but let out a soft hum. Their eyes filled with surprise and disbelief as they gazed at Ye Chen as if he were an immortal god.
Ye Chen smiled faintly and said, "This is the meeting gift this Ancestor bestows upon all of you. Even cultivators above the True Immortal realm can keep them for future generations or sell them for cultivation resources. In the future, you must cultivate diligently and not disappoint this Ancestor."
With those words, Ye Chen rose gracefully into the air and returned to Transcendence Peak.
Only after he left did the female cultivators finally speak, their voices filled with disbelief.
"Am I dreaming?"
"These are top-grade True Origin Return One Pills! The Ancestor actually gave one to each of us!"
"Heavens, what is the Ancestor's background? To treat such priceless pills as simple meeting gifts!"
"Before this, I thought Fourth Ancestor Ye came to our Jade Pool Immortal Sect to take advantage of us and might even use his position to steal resources that should belong to us. I never imagined he would give us resources instead!"
"We really misunderstood the Ancestor! He is so gentle and refined, cares for the younger generation, and acts for the public good. How could he possibly be a bad person?"
Everyone was overjoyed. With this meeting gift, the True Immortals present could quickly ascend to the Celestial Immortal realm. Even the few Celestial Immortals could sell the pills for a massive amount of resources.
All of them felt deep gratitude toward Ye Chen. Those who had once held prejudice against him no longer did. How could such a generous Ancestor be a bad person? Even if he was fond of women, he pursued them openly and honorably with lavish gifts. Who would refuse such a suitor?
Moreover, the Ancestor clearly treated Nangong Wan differently from the rest. He had specially prepared gifts for her, while they had only received them in passing. Now, they looked at Nangong Wan with nothing but envy. They too wanted to catch the Ancestor's eye.
Under the teasing gazes of the crowd, Nangong Wan blushed and quickly retreated into her cave residence.
The Ancestor was truly kind. But he already had Dao companions—more than one. Her parents, though not powerful experts, shared a deep and faithful bond. They despised promiscuous people and would never approve.
Yet she now owed the Ancestor more and more. How could she ever repay him?
Nangong Wan's heart was filled with complicated emotions. While she felt deep gratitude toward Fourth Ancestor Ye, she was also extremely confused and did not know what to do. In the end, she decided to focus on cultivation. No matter what, cultivation was the foundation. Only when she grew strong enough in the future would she have more ways to repay the Ancestor.
…
At the same time, as Ye Chen flew back to Transcendence Peak, a system notification sounded in his mind.
"Congratulations, Host, on successfully gifting the treasure."
"Gift: Low-grade immortal artifact, Clear Water Immortal Robe!"
"Ten-thousandfold feedback in progress…"
"Detected…"
"Detected…"
"Triggering maximum critical feedback!"
"Triggering perfect hit!"
"Feedback: Top-grade immortal artifact—Dominating Heaven Blade! Top-grade immortal artifact—Glory Heaven Bracelet!"
"Top-grade immortal artifacts possess boundless power and can fuse with the Thirty-Three Heavens Treasures to advance into King-grade immortal weapons…"
Ye Chen smiled as he reviewed the feedback. Two more pieces added to the set. Perfect. He now possessed six top-grade immortal artifacts in total. Once he gathered all Thirty-Three Heavens Treasures, his strength would surge dramatically.
After arriving in the Immortal Realm, this constant feeling of not being invincible had left him somewhat unaccustomed and uneasy. Back in the cultivation world, the Quasi-Immortal level Fusang Immortal Tree inside his body had served as his greatest trump card, giving him a strong sense of security. But in this Immortal Realm where even Immortal Kings could fall, he felt rather weak.
He needed to develop and accumulate more trump cards. His first small goal was to complete the full set of Thirty-Three Heavens Treasures. A single King-grade immortal weapon should make him much safer. At the same time, his own cultivation remained crucial. Immortal King scriptures were indispensable. Ye Chen felt it was time to look for opportunities to obtain some suitable Immortal King scriptures to gift.
…
In the following days, Ye Chen flew to Hundred Flowers Peak once every week under the pretext of checking on Nangong Wan's cultivation progress. Along the way, he gifted her immortal artifacts, fully equipping her from head to toe. She had transformed from a natural cultivator into a fully equipped warrior.
Of course, Nangong Wan tried to refuse every time. But as soon as Ye Chen mentioned acting for the public good and used his status as an elder to pressure her, all resistance vanished.
In just one month, Ye Chen gained another eight top-grade immortal artifacts, bringing his total to fourteen. If news of this spread, it would drive any force below the Immortal King realm into a frenzy.
In addition, he continued giving Nangong Wan many True Origin Return One Pills, urging her to consume them without hesitation.
Nangong Wan's gains were enormous. Being showered with such resources also changed the way she looked at Ye Chen.
…
Besides Nangong Wan, the entire Hundred Flowers Peak's attitude toward Ye Chen had shifted completely.
Previously, the female cultivators had avoided him like a venomous snake and were unwilling to appear before him. Even when they did, they would greet him and immediately try to leave. Now it was different. Whenever Ye Chen arrived, the female disciples would proactively come forward to greet him. If he needed anything, they would diligently handle it for him. They no longer treated him like an outsider.
Ye Chen finally experienced what it meant to be surrounded by beauty. Everywhere he looked, there was snow-white skin.
Chapter 1116: No Longer Draining Cultivation, Now It's Life-Threatening!
But Ye Chen had mostly stopped gifting the ordinary female disciples. This was a principle he had developed after years of giving gifts: one could not give too freely. If it became a habit, they would start taking it for granted. If he stopped later, it might create resentment instead.
At the same time, he could not stop giving entirely. If they knew he was wealthy but stingy and they could never get anything from him, they would not bother approaching or trying to please him.
Only by letting them see that he was rich, that they could potentially benefit, but that the rewards were not handed out casually, could he maximize their enthusiasm. This way, they would actively try to please him and catch his attention.
Therefore, Ye Chen only casually gifted a few female disciples whose personalities he liked, whose attire was pleasing, or whose temperament suited him. Even so, this was enough for the women of Hundred Flowers Peak to truly regard him as their Ancestor.
Many female disciples now visited Transcendence Peak every few days. They all liked this Ancestor very much. After all, most Ancestors in the cultivation world were lofty and unreachable. Ordinary disciples might never even see them once. Their own Ancestor, however, was generous, wealthy, and only occasionally let his eyes linger a bit longer. What was wrong with that? He was one of their own and treated them so well. It was only natural for them to show respect and filial piety to him.
They also began to treat Ye Chen's Dao companions warmly, addressing them as Martial Aunts.
…
The Jade Pool Immortal Sect had thirteen inner peaks. On the other peaks, the female cultivators were still discussing how their male Ancestor had brought so many Dao companions with him. They believed he was obsessed with women and had joined the sect specifically to build a harem. Their attitude toward him remained one of avoidance.
However, when they noticed that the women from Hundred Flowers Peak frequently visited Transcendence Peak and greeted Ye Chen with bright smiles no matter how far away they were, the other peaks grew curious. Had Hundred Flowers Peak been drugged?
When they asked for the reason, the disciples from Hundred Flowers Peak hesitated for a long time before saying that the Ancestor had helped Nangong Wan and was not a bad person.
Soon, the other peaks gathered information and learned the truth. Fourth Ancestor Ye had taken a fancy to Nangong Wan. When she was being humiliated during her engagement dissolution, he had stepped forward to support her. Since Nangong Wan was a disciple of Hundred Flowers Peak, the women there had become grateful and changed their view of him.
This truth made the women of the other peaks even more resistant. How long had Fourth Ancestor Ye been in the Jade Pool Immortal Sect? Bringing so many Dao companions was not enough—he even wanted to lay his hands on the sect's own female disciples. He really was not a good person. Even when he helped, it was driven by lust rather than public spirit.
As a result, the women from the other peaks became even more unwilling to approach Transcendence Peak, afraid of catching Fourth Ancestor Ye's eye.
However, what puzzled them was that the strength of the female cultivators on Hundred Flowers Peak seemed to have increased dramatically recently. Many True Immortals had quietly broken through to the peak. It was truly astonishing.
…
"I have a feeling… If my cultivation is no longer devoured by that mysterious force today, then the problem that has plagued me for so long will finally come to an end."
Nangong Wan sat cross-legged inside her cave residence with a serious expression. She had maintained the peak of the True Immortal realm for more than half a month now. She could clearly feel that the amount of laws being devoured each day was slowly decreasing. It was obvious that she was gradually feeding whatever strange thing was inside her body.
The day it was fully fed might be the day her talent returned. While Nangong Wan felt great anticipation, Ye Chen's face involuntarily appeared in her mind.
She had been able to feed that strange entity so quickly, entirely thanks to Fourth Ancestor. He had given her dozens of top-grade True Origin Return One Pills. Moreover, every time he came to check on her progress, he would bring additional gifts. He only stopped after he had equipped her entirely with immortal artifacts.
Nangong Wan felt that if Fourth Ancestor had mid-grade immortal artifacts, he would have given her those as well. Even so, he had fully equipped her with weapons, immortal robes, immortal shoes, hair accessories, and an immortal crown. Her combat power had increased to an unimaginable degree.
Thinking of everything Fourth Ancestor had done for her, Nangong Wan felt increasingly conflicted.
Fourth Ancestor clearly treated her differently. She could sense it clearly. He genuinely liked her.
But she was her parents' pride. If she became one of his Dao companions, how could she explain it to them in the future? Would outsiders think she had traded her body for resources? Would her parents feel ashamed because of her?
Nangong Wan's heart was in complete turmoil. Every time she accepted a gift, she struggled immensely. On one side were the many years of education from her family and parents. On the other was Fourth Ancestor, with his gentle smile and meticulous care.
All of this left her feeling lost.
In the midst of this constant inner conflict, Nangong Wan sat cross-legged the entire night without cultivating at all.
Soon, a look of wild joy appeared on her beautiful face.
An entire night had passed, yet her cultivation had not decreased in the slightest. Not a single strand of her True Immortal laws had been devoured.
What did this mean?
Her problem had truly been resolved.
At that moment, Nangong Wan wept tears of overwhelming happiness. No one could truly understand how painful it had been for a former genius like her to be trapped in the True Immortal realm for so many years, even regressing in cultivation. No one could understand the humiliation of having someone come to her door to dissolve their engagement. And no one could understand the guilt she felt toward her parents and family.
Now, the problem was finally solved. She could finally cultivate normally again. This made her incredibly happy.
Nangong Wan turned her senses inward to examine her body, hoping to see what changes had occurred. Over the years, she had hoped that something inside her was undergoing a transformation, which was why it had been consuming her True Immortal laws. Perhaps once the transformation was complete, she would receive some great benefit.
However, she was soon disappointed.
There was no change at all. Her True Immortal laws had simply been devoured for no apparent reason all these years. She had wasted so much time for nothing.
Although she comforted herself that being able to recover was enough, she still felt a sense of grievance. But that grievance did not last long, because she no longer had the luxury to feel it.
She sensed something absorbing her life force. Her vitality was being drained away bit by bit.
Nangong Wan's face changed dramatically. Anger and despair filled her eyes.
What exactly was going on? It had been draining her cultivation before, and now it wanted her life? Who had she offended?
Nangong Wan felt her life force being devoured at a rate a thousand times faster than its natural dissipation. As a True Immortal, she had a lifespan of one hundred thousand years, which was not small. But at this rate, she feared she would not even last a hundred years.
Nangong Wan's delicate face turned as pale as paper.