Chapter 1127: Family Crisis!
You made me wait so many years while your body remained weak. Yet the moment you broke off the engagement with me, you soared to new heights. Nangong Wan, were you playing me?
Nalan Qingxuan wished that Nangong Wan would remain stuck at the True Immortal realm for the rest of her life. He had imagined himself growing stronger, standing high above her, looking down with condescending care, and eventually taking her into his arms as his own little canary.
Instead, he was forced to watch his former fiancée surpass him. It felt like meeting an ex after a breakup—whichever one was doing worse would feel embarrassed.
In short, Nalan Qingxuan, who had never truly given up on Nangong Wan, now felt an unbearable itch in his heart.
A sharp glint flashed in his eyes. He could not let this matter end like this. Nangong Wan would not escape him.
Immediately, an idea formed in Nalan Qingxuan's mind. He would rekindle their old relationship. If Nangong Wan refused, he would suppress her with absolute strength and make her his by force.
With that thought, he slowly sat down, took out the breakthrough pills his Dao companion had given him, and prepared to advance to the Profound Immortal realm.
Once he became a Profound Immortal, he would return home.
His eyes burned with determination.
…
Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, three months had gone by.
Nangong Wan had originally planned to return home. Although she had already sent a letter, she wanted to go back in person to show her family that she had recovered, so they could finally stop worrying. She also wanted to talk to them about Fourth Ancestor.
However, almost every week, Fourth Ancestor would come to check on her condition. Each visit, he brought her cultivation resources.
The resources provided by the sect were insufficient, and she still needed to earn the rest through missions. Yet Fourth Ancestor's care was meticulous. Every time he visited, he gave her ten top-grade Heavenly Clarity Pills.
After giving her enough top-grade Heavenly Clarity Pills to last an entire year, he then used his own quota for medium-grade immortal artifacts to select an entire set suited for her.
The lower-grade immortal artifact set he had given her earlier had barely been used before it was replaced by a full medium-grade set.
Sometimes Nangong Wan felt as if she were dreaming. Medium-grade immortal artifacts were incredibly precious. Even personal disciples of major sects usually only possessed one. In the outside world, many cultivators only acquired their first medium-grade immortal artifact after reaching the Profound Immortal realm. Their value was obvious.
Yet she now owned a complete set.
Nangong Wan was not the type to accept gifts comfortably and enjoy others' benefits without feeling burdened. However, Fourth Ancestor never gave her a chance to refuse. Whenever she tried, his expression would turn stern, making it impossible for her to insist.
She had once worried about what Fourth Ancestor would do since he was giving all his cultivation resources to her. But after he broke through to the mid-stage of Celestial Immortal two days ago, her worries eased considerably. It seemed Fourth Ancestor had not lied to her—he truly had access to better pills.
Even so, she was filled with deep gratitude. Fourth Ancestor truly loved her.
Because of this, Nangong Wan felt reluctant to return home. It was not because of the gifts, but because she did not want to leave Fourth Ancestor. She was afraid that if she left, he might take a liking to someone else.
After all, Nangong Wan had realized that while Fourth Ancestor's kindness toward her was genuine, so was his fondness for beautiful women. He not only admired her long legs, but he also frequently looked at other female disciples' snowy peaks, and the larger they were, the more he seemed to enjoy looking.
Moreover, those female disciples were becoming increasingly eager to approach him.
Once, when Fourth Ancestor came to see her, her master was also present. Although Fourth Ancestor and her master did not get along and he pretended not to care about her, his gaze kept drifting to her master's jade feet, which looked like they were adorned with five little grapes.
Her master had noticed and even deliberately stretched her foot out. After the Fourth Ancestor left, her master began speaking ill of him.
But these words did not make Nangong Wan feel repelled. Instead, she only thought Fourth Ancestor was honest and straightforward. He had never tried to deceive her and always acted true to himself in front of her.
In contrast, Nalan Qingxuan was truly disgusting. He wanted both a glorious future and to keep her at the same time, always hiding his true intentions.
Moreover, on several occasions when she had taken the initiative to visit Fourth Ancestor, she had found him in the cave residences of his Dao companions. It was clear that Fourth Ancestor was very generous with his affection.
This made Nangong Wan somewhat worried. If she left for too long, with so many outstanding female cultivators in Jade Pool Immortal Sect, what if Fourth Ancestor forgot about her?
Because of this concern, she kept delaying her trip home. She had even tried several times to be more direct and offer herself, but Fourth Ancestor had rejected her each time with the reason that he was acting solely for the good of the sect.
This left Nangong Wan increasingly anxious and restless.
Today was the day Fourth Ancestor would visit, as usual. Nangong Wan had specially chosen an extremely short skirt. When she bent over slightly, a glimpse of her full, round curves could be seen. This kind of skirt could only be worn within the sect. She had summoned considerable courage to wear it, intending to win over Fourth Ancestor today.
However, at that moment, a disciple from the mountain gate arrived outside her cave residence. "Senior Sister, there is a letter from your family…"
Nangong Wan's eyes lit up. She quickly stepped out, accepted the letter, thanked the disciple, and immediately opened it.
As she read, a smile appeared on her beautiful face. Her family had already learned that she had recovered her talent and broken through to the Celestial Immortal realm. They were all overjoyed for her.
But when she reached the end, her brows furrowed slightly.
For the past two months, her family had been targeted by the other families in the city. Their businesses had suffered greatly, and their share of the market in the city's shops had been squeezed and suppressed. Their situation had become extremely difficult.
This caused Nangong Wan to frown. The Nangong family had once been a small clan in Wutan City, far from comparable to the three major families. However, after she had displayed her talent and later joined Jade Pool Immortal Sect with the hope of becoming a personal disciple—along with her engagement to Nalan Qingxuan—the three major families had voluntarily given up some benefits, allowing the Nangong family to become the fourth major clan in Wutan City.
So why were they suddenly being targeted now?
Could it be that the other three families no longer believed she had recovered her talent and become a Saint Immortal's personal disciple, and thus wanted to suppress the Nangong family and drive them into decline?
Nangong Wan gently twirled a strand of hair in front of her forehead. After a moment of hesitation, she quickly made up her mind.
She had to return home.
Although her family could not provide her with much help, both her parents and elders had always treated her well. Even during the hundreds of years when she had fallen into despair, the family had never given up on her. They had exhausted nearly all their profits to provide her with cultivation resources. If not for that, she might not have lasted until Fourth Ancestor joined the sect and changed her fate.
Now that she had finally overcome her hardships, it was time for her to repay her family.
Nangong Wan waited patiently. She planned to wait for Fourth Ancestor's arrival, inform him of the situation, report to her master, and then return directly to Wutan City.
Chapter 1128: Ye Chen's Imprint!
Unfortunately, she waited for a long time, but Fourth Ancestor still did not come.
Thinking that she would soon leave the sect, Nangong Wan changed into a white long dress. She first flew to the Punishment Main Peak to inform her master that she needed to return home for a while.
Because of the strained relationship between Fourth Ancestor and her master, Nangong Wan had not moved to the Punishment Main Peak even after becoming a personal disciple.
Huo Linglong nodded lightly upon hearing the news. "Go early and return soon."
Wutan City was not too far from Jade Pool Immortal Sect. A round trip would take only half a month. It was still within the sect's sphere of influence. As a personal disciple of Jade Pool, Nangong Wan did not need to worry much about safety. As for ambushes from other forces, such incidents had become rare. After all, everyone knew the Imperial Pass would break again in a thousand years. The younger generation faced great difficulty trying to grow strong enough within that timeframe.
Moreover, although Nangong Wan's talent was top-tier, it had not reached the heaven-defying level of an Immortal Spirit Root that could influence the overall situation once fully matured. Thus, Huo Linglong felt no real concern.
She watched Nangong Wan descend the mountain, then closed her eyes.
…
After leaving the Punishment Main Peak, Nangong Wan headed straight for Transcendence Peak.
Ye Chen had just flown out from his small world after chatting with Luo Bingling and Lu Jing, reminding them to balance work and rest. He had not forgotten about the Holy Spirit Jade either. Their spiritual connection had lasted for a long time now. Caiyu had truly become different from ordinary Holy Spirits because she had achieved immortality inside his small world. However, she still had not formally emerged.
For ordinary Holy Spirits, reaching the peak of Quasi-Immortal marked perfection. This showed just how absurdly nourished Caiyu had become from the gifts he had given her and the nourishment of his inner world.
Ye Chen felt that Caiyu's potential might be as high as the Ancestral Dragon Egg on the Jianmu Sapling. She might emerge as an Immortal King. He was in no hurry about this. After all, Caiyu's multiplier kept rising steadily. She had the potential to surpass even Wang Xuanji.
The Ancestral Dragon Egg, on the other hand, remained calm and silent. It simply absorbed energy fiercely without showing any multiplier or signs of sentience.
As for Senior Sister Dantai Xuan inside the Divine Maiden Furnace, Ye Chen had not forgotten her either. He would occasionally visit to enjoy her citrus-like sweet and sour scent. At her request, he would also help suppress the Supreme remnant soul.
Through these repeated suppressions, he had learned more information. Once Senior Sister achieved immortality, she might be able to fully suppress the Supreme remnant soul. At that point, she would be able to move freely in the Immortal Realm without worrying about the so-called Supreme Will.
Therefore, Senior Sister, who had only recently broken through to Quasi-Immortal, planned to wait until she reached immortality before formally emerging and traveling the Immortal Realm.
…
Slightly tired, Ye Chen lazily stretched his body. He felt increasingly amazed by his own terrifying talent. Although he had obtained a massive amount of top-grade Impermanence Pills through critical hits, breaking through another minor realm in just three months was still outrageous. It was mainly because his own talent was too heaven-defying. An Immortal Spirit Root alone was already valuable enough to be coveted, not to mention the Primordial Chaos Myriad Worlds Tree that rivaled a Divine Spirit Root.
Ye Chen believed he could safely remain in Jade Pool Immortal Sect until he reached the Immortal King realm, then become unrivaled. The reason he had not gone to give gifts today was simply that he had nothing suitable left to offer.
Just as he finished stretching, Ye Chen raised an eyebrow. He saw Nangong Wan, dressed in a white long dress that unusually covered her legs, flying toward him.
This amused him. He had not gone to her, yet she had come to him on her own?
Lately, Nangong Wan's advances had grown increasingly bold, with her skirts becoming shorter and shorter. It left Ye Chen somewhat helpless. These female cultivators always wanted to ruin his reputation.
"Greetings, Fourth Ancestor!"
Upon seeing Ye Chen, Nangong Wan gazed at him with soft, flowing eyes and bowed gracefully.
Ye Chen waved his hand with a smile. "Wan'er, why did you come today? Did you encounter any problems in your cultivation?"
Nangong Wan shook her head immediately. "With Fourth Ancestor's care, my cultivation has been smooth and unobstructed. I came today to bid you farewell. I need to return to my family for a while. I may stay there for some time and won't be back until a month later."
Hearing this, Ye Chen smiled. So that was the reason. It was perfect timing since he had nothing suitable to give her at the moment. It was fine for Nangong Wan to be away for a period. There was no need for him to follow her.
After a brief thought, he raised a finger. "I have a secret technique that can leave an imprint deep within your brow. If you encounter danger, you can activate it, and one of my incarnations will appear to help you. Would you like it?"
During his free time recently, Ye Chen had studied the immortal scriptures from the Heavenly Intention Holy Land and learned this technique. He planned to leave similar imprints for his master and others when he returned to the lower world next time.
This technique was not as invincible as it sounded. The imprint could only display at most one percent of his combat strength. It could not fully manifest all the Daos and laws he had mastered, only a portion of them. It could only last for one hour in battle. Most importantly, the power of the imprint would not grow stronger as his main body advanced. It required him to personally update it.
This made the technique rather mediocre for most people. However, even one percent of his strength should far surpass Nangong Wan's current level. With her two-hundred-thousand-fold multiplier, she was currently the most suitable person for him to protect.
Still, it depended on whether she was willing.
Nangong Wan's face lit up with a smile. She could feel Fourth Ancestor's concern for her. Even though she was only leaving for a month, he still worried about her safety.
There were indeed many similar imprint techniques in the Immortal Realm, but most had significant flaws and were not very practical. Since Fourth Ancestor was at the same realm as her, how strong could his imprint possibly be?
Furthermore, cultivators generally did not allow others to leave marks in their brow unless it was someone they trusted completely, such as close family or lovers.
Yet Nangong Wan did not hesitate for even a second. She nodded. Because it was the Fourth Ancestor. If it were him, she was willing to let him leave a mark anywhere, not just her brow.
She closed her eyes, stood on her tiptoes, and tilted her forehead upward. Her posture became even more slender and graceful.
Seeing how much she trusted him, Ye Chen smiled. This girl's gratitude was even longer than her legs.
He gently raised his hand and touched her jade-like brow. A pre-refined imprint immediately broke through her defenses and sank deep inside.
Nangong Wan felt a slight discomfort. No one had ever entered this place before. A feeling of swelling spread through her brow, accompanied by a faint unease. Yet along with the discomfort came a trace of strange pleasure, causing her to let out a soft, cat-like hum…
When Ye Chen finally withdrew his finger, Nangong Wan looked up at him with bright, glistening eyes. "Thank you, Fourth Ancestor! Wan'er will take her leave now. The moment I return, I will come to see you right away…"