Chapter 1144: The Seven Extremes Heavenly Maiden's Incarnation!
While Senior An and Ye Chen were inside the cave residence, carefully checking on the child's growth, something was happening far away in Infinite Continent, one of the three thousand Dao Continents.
At the Heaven Immortal Sect, atop the central divine peak, a figure floated gracefully in the air. She radiated a pure, holy light, like the bright moon hanging high in the night sky, her sacred aura washing over everything around her.
When the hazy glow around her dissipated and her true appearance was revealed, the sight became even more breathtaking. Her beauty was unparalleled, the epitome of a peerless immortal maiden.
If Ye Chen had seen her, he would have been surprised. Her features bore a striking resemblance to Senior An, yet their temperaments were completely different.
When the woman opened her eyes, her gaze was so cold it seemed to freeze the void itself. Her expression radiated supreme arrogance and disdain, along with absolute confidence in her ability to control everything.
She slowly raised her head and looked at the cloudless sky, the corners of her mouth curving into a faint smile.
"The incarnation I sent to the lower realm has finally ascended and become an immortal…"
"However, it seems her original consciousness was suppressed, and the new life's will has taken dominance. Interesting…"
"Once I devour this incarnation, I should be able to step directly into the Immortal King realm."
"When the Seven Extremes fully return, I will surpass all Immortal Kings. At that time, even the Heavenly Emperor will be nothing."
"The reason my true self was defeated was merely to use you to separate the seven souls!"
With that, the woman flew upward. The grand protective array of the Heaven Immortal Sect lit up, but she simply extended a slender hand. Cracks instantly spread across the array. She tore through it and vanished without a trace.
Such a massive disturbance naturally drew the attention of many in the Heaven Immortal Sect. Yet when they saw that graceful figure, everyone fell silent in fear.
The woman had never hidden her identity as the Seven Extremes Heavenly Maiden. Ever since the Heaven Immortal King took her as a disciple, many geniuses of the sect had tried to approach her, hoping to become her dao companion and gain favor. They dreamed that when she returned to the Other Domain, they could follow her and become true inhabitants of that realm.
But the Seven Extremes Heavenly Maiden was ice-cold by nature and held the native cultivators of the Immortal Realm in utter contempt. Anyone who got too close was slapped to death without hesitation. She had even killed the son of another Immortal King who tried to approach her incarnation, hanging his corpse in the sky for all to see. That Immortal King had remained silent, pretending nothing had happened, clearly too afraid to seek revenge.
The fact that she could intimidate an Immortal King into inaction showed just how terrifying she was. Although her current strength was not yet at its peak, everyone knew that once the Seven Extremes Heavenly Maiden fully returned, she would become even more fearsome.
After that incident, no one dared approach her incarnation again. Outsiders regarded her with nothing but awe and dread.
Inside the main hall on the sect's central peak, an overwhelmingly powerful existence sat calmly. His presence was so intense that it could not be looked at directly with the naked eye. Four colored immortal swords orbited around him, forming a strange sword array that continuously drew in mysterious power from beyond the universe.
The Sect Master of the Heaven Immortal Sect stood before him with his head bowed in respect, gazing at the four immortal swords with deep reverence. Each sword was a top-grade immortal artifact. When combined, they formed the Immortal Execution Sword Array, a king-grade immortal weapon. This was the main reason their ancestor had been able to dominate a region during the great Other Domain tribulation without anyone daring to provoke him. The array's power was truly terrifying—it could slay Immortal Kings.
Looking at the cracks in the mountain gate array above, the Sect Master frowned and spoke. "Ancestor, this Seven Extremes Heavenly Maiden does not seem like someone who values old favors. We have poured everything into helping her incarnation grow. When she truly returns, will she really repay us and fully support the Heaven Immortal Sect, helping us enter the Other Domain?"
The hall remained silent for a long time.
The Heaven Immortal King did not open his eyes. He spoke calmly, yet every word carried the weight of mountains, pressing down on the Immortal Monarch Sect Master so heavily that he nearly coughed blood.
"It doesn't matter. This is simply a gamble. If everything goes smoothly and we enter the Other Domain, that would be ideal. But even if we fail, it is of no consequence. I have already prepared a retreat for the Heaven Immortal Sect. Even if this universe is completely destroyed and reduced to its origin, our sect will remain safe and sound."
Hearing his ancestor's words, the Sect Master breathed a long sigh of relief. He had always felt uneasy about the Seven Extremes Heavenly Maiden. She was too arrogant and never treated others as equals. As the Sect Master, he believed she should at least show him some respect, yet she gave none. She had even displayed clear killing intent on several occasions—not mere threats, but genuine readiness to act.
She treated the entire Heaven Immortal Sect as nothing more than a resource vault for her recovery, showing zero respect. This left him with no sense of security at all.
That was why he had sent the monstrous genius Xie Linyuan from the younger generation to the Supreme Hall as a backup plan. If the Heaven Immortal Sect was abandoned, they could join forces with the Supreme Hall to resist the Other Domain.
The Other Shore Immortal Monarch would surely become an Immortal King within a thousand years, and one who controlled the Samsara Great Dao at that. Such an existence was well worth allying with.
He had not expected his ancestor to have prepared a contingency as well. This finally put the Sect Master at ease, and a smile appeared on his face.
...
While Ye Chen and Senior An carefully examined the child inside the cave residence, it was still only an embryo. After confirming for several days that everything was fine, he finally left in a relaxed manner.
Ye Chen planned to enter closed-door cultivation. Once he broke through to the peak Celestial Immortal realm and used the Great Sun Origin Core to elevate his inner universe, advancing to the Profound Immortal realm, he would gift Nangong Wan another Profound Immortal-level imprint. He believed that by then, he would certainly obtain an Immortal Monarch imprint through critical feedback.
He no longer wanted another Heavenly Emperor imprint, however. He hoped for a female cultivator's imprint instead. The Western Empress, an ancestor of his own sect, would be excellent. Devouring Immortal King would also be acceptable. In any case, either would do. Ye Chen was not picky.
Time passed in the blink of an eye. A full year went by.
Inside Ye Chen's cave residence, a powerful aura surged.
Meanwhile, two major events occurred in the Boundless Continent.
First, the Great Sun essence within the Sunset Mountain Range began to stir. A Great Sun Origin Core aura emanated from the secret realm, appearing roughly a hundred years earlier than usual. This caused a huge stir among the major powers of the Boundless Continent. They all began selecting their strongest disciples with suitable cultivation and age to compete for the Great Sun Origin Core.
Forces from neighboring Continents were also paying close attention and planned to send their experts. Ever since the Supreme Hall lost its former dominance, many treasure lands had to be shared. Past contributions no longer mattered. In the cultivation world, no one willingly gave up benefits simply because of previous merits.
The second event was even more shocking: an Immortal Monarch had fallen in the Boundless Continent. The ancestor of a major power nearly as strong as the current Jade Pool Immortal Sect had been ruthlessly slain by a female cultivator. The entire Continent was shaken.
Beings at the Immortal Monarch level possessed countless methods and often grasped portions of Great Daos. While they might lose a fight, their survival abilities were terrifying. Yet according to reports, this Immortal Monarch ancestor had been reduced to a rain of blood in mere moments, dyeing millions of miles of mountains and rivers red. It was utterly horrifying.
Once the female cultivator's identity was revealed, the shock within the Boundless Continent grew even more intense.
Chapter 1145: Huo Linglong Wanted to Hit Someone!
A powerful surge filled the air as Ye Chen's cultivation advanced another major step after a year in seclusion.
"Too fast. It really is too fast…"
Ye Chen felt the abundant laws in his body that were nearly overflowing and could not help shaking his head. Top-grade Impermanence Pills provided outrageous benefits to ordinary disciples, but for him they were not nearly as effective. His Immortal Spiritual Root and the Primordial Chaos Myriad Worlds Tree were like an eight-cylinder and twelve-cylinder engine respectively; they refined laws as easily as drawing water. Adding pills was like upgrading from 95-octane to 98-octane gasoline—helpful, but not dramatically so.
Still, every little bit helped. With his physique, he did not need to worry about pill toxins, so he simply consumed them aggressively. In total, it had taken him two and a half years to advance from the early Celestial Immortal realm to the peak.
Ye Chen stretched lazily and decided to visit the Jade Pool Immortal Sect's treasury to see if there were any materials better than the Fire Spirit Stone for elevating his inner universe. If he found something suitable, he would gift it once more. As the Fourth Ancestor who had contributed so much to the sect, taking some materials was perfectly reasonable.
Of course, he was a principled man. He would add something of his own when taking items, which made things even simpler. Even Huo Linglong would have nothing to complain about.
Speak of the devil. The sound of jingling waist chains rang out, and a figure appeared before him.
Ye Chen had grown accustomed to looking people over from bottom to top. The visitor wore immortal sandals that resembled delicate slippers. Her feet were exquisitely shaped with smooth, flowing lines, plump yet firm, as if carved from congealed fat—looking soft and supple. What caught his eye most were the ten fire-red toenails on each foot, making her already delicate toes look as tempting as ripe red grapes.
Although Ye Chen was not particularly into feet, he had to admit these were top-tier, comparable to the little demoness. His gaze traveled upward along her legs…
But at that moment, a furious voice filled with explosive anger rang out. "Ye… Fourth Ancestor, what exactly are you looking at?"
Ye Chen regretfully withdrew his gaze, abandoning his habit of identifying people by body parts. He skipped past the long, tempestuous legs, the beautiful waist chain, and the endless crimson… and finally looked up at that fiery face.
"I just broke through after closed-door cultivation, so my neck is a bit stiff and slow to lift. Is something the matter, Linglong my dear niece?"
Ye Chen spoke with a perfectly straight face.
Huo Linglong gritted her silver teeth, suppressing the urge to stomp the lying man beneath her foot. She said irritably, "I have something to discuss with the Fourth Ancestor…"
Ye Chen knew it could not be anything good, so he immediately shook his head. "I actually have something to ask you as well, my dear niece. Does the sect's treasury have any treasures better than the Fire Spirit Stone? I'm about to break through to the Profound Immortal realm and need to prepare."
Huo Linglong hated hearing the word "niece," especially from Ye Chen's mouth. But when she heard his question, she finally looked at him properly and her eyes widened in shock.
Only then did she notice that Ye Chen had already reached the peak Celestial Immortal realm.
How long had it been? From the early True Immortal realm when he joined the sect to the peak Celestial Immortal realm now—it had not even been five full years. Two major realms in that short time? This was ridiculous.
Even with top-grade True Origin Return One Pills, top-grade Impermanence Pills, and what seemed to be an Immortal Spiritual Root, this progress was far too absurd. Could Ye Chen actually be an old monster in rebirth?
If so, many things suddenly made sense: why a man from the lower realms was so wealthy and generous. An old monster who had prepared in advance would naturally stockpile resources for his reincarnated self. With enough age and experience, accumulating large quantities of Impermanence Pills was entirely possible.
His insistence on joining the Jade Pool Immortal Sect also had a plausible explanation. He might have harbored a grudge against the sect in his previous life—perhaps having been defeated by the Western Empress ancestor. This life, he had returned as an Immortal King to seek revenge…
Everything clicked into place.
Huo Linglong grew even more vigilant, but she still answered, "I refined the Fire Spirit Stone with my Red Lotus Karmic Flame for a full two hundred years. The sect treasury has nothing better than it."
Even as she spoke, she recalled how Ye Chen had given that very Fire Spirit Stone to Nangong Wan, and her expression grew complicated. She continued, "There is a Heavenly Moon Stone in the treasury. While not as good as the Fire Spirit Stone, it can still be used. After your inner universe evolves into a cosmos, it can produce a crescent moon…I'll have someone deliver it to you later."
Ye Chen shook his head. "There's no need. Although I am an ancestor, I shouldn't throw my weight around. I'll go get it myself."
Huo Linglong raised an eyebrow. She had previously suspected that Ye Chen possessed something better and had therefore given the Fire Spirit Stone to Nangong Wan. But now it seemed that was not the case. Could it be that Ye Chen genuinely liked Nangong Wan and had not simply used some worthless item to placate her?
Moreover, since becoming the Fourth Ancestor, Ye Chen had indeed never acted arrogantly or ordered people around. The only time he ever asserted his status was when he gave gifts to the female disciples. If they tried to refuse, he would sternly declare that a gift from an elder could not be declined.
With some confusion in her heart, Huo Linglong took the lead. Her hostility toward Ye Chen softened slightly as she began to wonder whether he might truly be a good person.
But when they reached the treasury and she watched Ye Chen repeatedly check the inventory with the treasury elder, inquire about the uses of various divine materials, and ask several times whether the Heavenly Moon Stone was truly the best treasure for elevating one's inner universe, the curved blades beside Huo Linglong's legs flew up on their own. Her exquisite waist chain jingled noisily.
Ye Chen was not someone who refrained from throwing his weight around. He simply did not trust her. She was a Saint Immortal whose every word carried immense weight—how could she possibly deceive him?
Huo Linglong's fists tightened and her toes curled. She wanted nothing more than to stomp on that face which clearly did not belong to a good person.
…
A long while later, Ye Chen left the treasury with a face full of disappointment. He still took the Heavenly Moon Stone, however. Since he had come all this way, he might as well. He could always gift it to someone later and use the resulting feedback to further increase the disciples' goodwill.
Ye Chen had a small goal: to make every female disciple and elder across all realms in the Jade Pool Immortal Sect adore him.
When he noticed the fiery pepper fuming with anger, her already impressive chest rising noticeably and deepening the valley between them, he immediately understood why she was upset.
Although he now possessed a Heavenly Emperor imprint and dealing with the big pepper would pose no problem, they were all family. There was no need to summon the Heavenly Emperor for such matters. Harmony was best.
Thus, Ye Chen spoke with perfect naturalness. "I searched for quite a while because I wanted to find the one most suitable for me. After all, something good is not necessarily the right fit. I didn't expect my dear niece to have such discerning eyes and directly recommend the most suitable treasure for me. As expected of the sect's second strongest expert—your insight is truly impressive!"
Huo Linglong shot him a sideways glance, her smile not reaching her eyes as she twitched the corners of her mouth. She had no desire to engage with him and wanted to turn and leave immediately. However, she did have actual business to discuss…