Chapter 1150: Ye Chen, How Dare You!
As a Saint Immortal, Huo Linglong knew many secrets. In an instant, she guessed a great deal and looked at An Miaoli with newfound wariness. After a brief hesitation, she said nothing.
Senior An nodded cooperatively. Sensing Huo Linglong's unusual gaze, she offered a gentle smile. "Thank you for your trouble, Senior."
Huo Linglong remained silent.
Ye Chen had already opened the entrance to his inner universe.
But at that very moment, a cold laugh rang out.
"No need to drive me away. I'll leave on my own shortly…"
A figure stepped directly out of the void, appearing behind An Miaoli.
Huo Linglong's expression changed drastically. "I've heard she has comprehended the Space Great Dao. Get An Miaoli away immediately—do not let her be fused!"
She unleashed the full power of her Saint Immortal aura. Terrifying flames surged like a blazing prison, seeking to trap the newcomer. In her jade hand, an invisible sword condensed, radiating an aura of life and desolation, as if one strike could silence all things. The chains at her waist jingled continuously as two curved blades flew up, locking onto the sudden intruder. The might of her top-grade immortal artifacts was on full display.
Ye Chen had not expected her to arrive so quickly. The pressure of an Immortal Monarch's aura was still overwhelming for him at his current level. He immediately activated his inner universe to pull Senior An inside.
But a disdainful cold laugh sounded. "Too late…"
Ye Chen's face changed. The woman moved at an unimaginable speed, ignoring the sea of divine flames entirely. She slammed straight into An Miaoli, who was clutching her abdomen in panic and resistance.
An Miaoli was not sent flying, nor did she collapse. Instead, the woman's body seemed to merge directly into hers.
In an instant, seven-colored divine light erupted. The two figures fused together at blinding speed, becoming one.
Huo Linglong's expression shifted again. She had vaguely guessed it before, but now it was confirmed. Ye Chen's dao companion was actually another incarnation of the Seven Extremes.
Ye Chen's eyes turned bloodshot, filled with towering killing intent and unprecedented rage. A jade talisman appeared in his hand, and he crushed it without hesitation.
"Seven Extremes, return my Senior An to me! Otherwise, even if I have to search the heavens above and the underworld below, I will hunt down and destroy every single one of your incarnations. I will wipe out all your legacies in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths and erase everyone connected to you!"
Ye Chen's voice emerged as if from the depths of the nine hells, chilling to the extreme.
Huo Linglong was somewhat stunned. She had not expected this side of Ye Chen. It was clear he truly cared deeply for An Miaoli.
Yet he was only a Celestial Immortal. In front of an Immortal Monarch or Saint Immortal, he was little more than an ant. Such a threat was utterly meaningless, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
The figure enveloped in seven-colored divine light slowly rose into the air, undergoing a rapid transformation.
Long Wu's consciousness remained clear. She let out a cold, arrogant laugh filled with contempt and disdain. "You? Even the Heavenly Emperor back then wouldn't have dared speak to me like that. A mere Celestial Immortal? I'll send you on your way right now!"
The seven-colored immortal light gradually faded, revealing Long Wu's true form. She was breathtakingly beautiful, bearing no resemblance to the plain, cute appearance she had worn earlier. She had clearly shed her disguise.
Yet Ye Chen had no interest in admiring her beauty. He stared at the Seven Extremes Heavenly Maiden with surging killing intent, his heart churning with regret. He had known about the Seven Extremes but had not immediately taken Senior An into his inner universe—or sent her back to the lower realm. He had been too foolish.
Or perhaps he had grown too complacent from constant smooth sailing, losing his vigilance and underestimating everyone.
Long Wu wore a satisfied smile. "The remnant soul of this incarnation has been erased. She didn't awaken the immortal physique through instinct, but through the lower realm's Twelve Immortal Root Original Liquid? Interesting… With this incarnation, once I fully fuse with it, even if I don't become an Immortal King right away, I can still…"
Long Wu was clearly delighted. But suddenly, her eyes widened. She clutched her abdomen, staring in utter disbelief as her entire being fell into chaos. Her slender, jade-like body began to tremble, and panic overtook her.
Huo Linglong, who had been on high alert, froze in confusion. Just moments ago, the Seven Extremes Heavenly Maiden had been brimming with confidence and contempt for the world. Why had she suddenly become so flustered?
Long Wu lifted her head sharply from her abdomen and glared at Ye Chen with overwhelming killing intent. "You lowly native ant, what exactly have you done to me? You dared to plant a seed inside my body?"
Ye Chen stared back coldly. After confirming through the system that Long Wu's multiplier remained at three hundred thousand times, he felt slightly relieved. At least she had not fully fused with Senior An yet. As long as the fusion was incomplete, there was still a chance.
The usually proud, cold, and disdainful Long Wu now felt as though she could destroy the entire Immortal Realm. She was different from An Miaoli. An Miaoli had destroyed her remnant soul with Ye Chen's help. Long Wu, however, had awakened her remnant soul at a very young age while in the Immortal Realm. She essentially was the Seven Extremes Heavenly Maiden, albeit only one-seventh of her.
In her previous life, she had looked down upon the world, swept through all enemies, and reached the Immortal King realm after emerging from mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Her entire existence had revolved around cultivation, with no room for romantic entanglements.
Yet upon reclaiming this incarnation, she discovered a fetus growing inside her body. Most of its aura clearly came from the man standing before her. This wretch had not only seized her incarnation but had even dared to impregnate it. Such audacity was unforgivable.
Without hesitation, Long Wu channeled her immense power to destroy the embryo. Endless divine abilities flowed, but the fetus in her abdomen remained completely unharmed. It even grew more extraordinary, absorbing some of the power from her techniques.
Long Wu's expression changed. She realized it would be difficult to erase the child anytime soon. That shameless incarnation had already awakened the Seven Extremes Immortal Physique, and a child nurtured by it was naturally no ordinary being.
She turned her murderous gaze toward Ye Chen. "Since I cannot eliminate this bastard spawn for now, you will die first! You must die…"
An overwhelming Immortal Monarch aura surged forth. A beam of seven-colored divine light, containing countless phantom gods within it, erupted with world-destroying power and illuminated the entire Jade Pool Immortal Sect. Countless disciples paled in terror and trembled uncontrollably.
As Long Wu raised her hand, the terrifying divine light roared toward Ye Chen like a heavenly river.
Ye Chen's expression remained unchanged. He simply stared at Long Wu with icy killing intent.
Huo Linglong's face shifted dramatically. No matter how much she disliked Ye Chen, he was still her master's junior brother. She could not allow an outsider to kill him right in front of her. In this moment, she flew in front of Ye Chen and began communicating with the sect array to activate the remnant soul of the Western Empress.
But the next instant, both Huo Linglong and Long Wu changed expressions.
A majestic figure with wildly fluttering black hair had appeared before Ye Chen at some unknown moment. Facing the river-like seven-colored divine light, he made no other movements. He simply raised his hand calmly and threw a punch.
Chapter 1151: Ye Chen Is the Heavenly Emperor's Successor!
With a single punch, the heavens and earth trembled.
Even the divine peaks of the Jade Pool Immortal Sect, protected by grand arrays, shook violently. An indescribable domineering aura swept out in all directions. The first reaction of countless cultivators was to drop to their knees in worship.
The seven-colored divine light unleashed by the Seven Extremes was completely annihilated by an overwhelmingly vast power of samsara. Amid the chaotic turbulence, the black-haired man stood calmly not far in front of Ye Chen, effortlessly blocking everything.
Huo Linglong stared at the figure with wide eyes. She had been born after the previous great war with the Other Domain and had never seen the man in person. Yet she recognized him with a single glance. This was the man.
Throughout the entire history of the cultivation world, only one existence possessed such overwhelming dominance—the one who had subdued the Other Domain single-handedly, turned the tide, and saved an entire realm. Almost every cultivator had seen portraits of him.
This was the Heavenly Emperor's imprint!
So Ye Chen had inherited the Heavenly Emperor's legacy? The Heavenly Emperor had come from the lower realms, and so had Ye Chen. Everything suddenly made sense.
The murderous Long Wu, upon seeing the man before her, felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head. Her rage instantly cooled. The impression the Heavenly Emperor had left on her ran too deep.
Even back then, when she had been at a dead end and deliberately sought out a powerful enemy to help split her seven souls for complete rebirth, she had known deep down that the Heavenly Emperor had already surpassed her.
"So this boy is your successor? No wonder he dares to be so audacious! But what can you do now? You are merely a peak Saint Immortal imprint. Only an Immortal Monarch version of you would be qualified to stand before me. You cannot protect him!"
Killing intent surged from Long Wu as she locked onto the Heavenly Emperor imprint and raised her hand to erase the divine sense avatar.
The Heavenly Emperor's resolute eyes gazed at her calmly, a faint smile appearing on his face. "Fellow Daoist Seven Extremes, I didn't expect you to succeed. Uniting the Seven Extremes is indeed a path toward transcendence. If you truly merge them all, becoming an Immortal Emperor is within reach."
But when his gaze shifted downward to Long Wu's abdomen, his expression instantly turned strange. He glanced at the Seven Extremes Heavenly Maiden in surprise, then turned back to look at Ye Chen. A trace of admiration even flashed in his eyes.
Long Wu sensed the Heavenly Emperor's reaction, and her killing intent soared to the heavens. "All of you, die! Everyone must die! Once I erase the bastard spawn inside me, the entire Jade Pool Immortal Sect and the whole of Boundless Continent will perish with you!"
Ye Chen paid no attention to the Heavenly Emperor's odd expression. He bowed earnestly and said, "Senior, my dao companion was indeed one of the Seven Extremes' incarnations. This woman forcibly fused with her just now. But the fusion has only just begun—I can still sense my dao companion inside her body. Could Senior please separate them, or suppress her so I can find a way?"
All Ye Chen wanted was for Senior An to be safe. She was simply too important to him. If she disappeared, everything in his life might lose its meaning, and he would live forever in regret.
Long Wu let out a cold laugh. She did not know how Ye Chen had realized the fusion was incomplete, but she was a top-tier Immortal Monarch. In the entire cultivation world, perhaps only the Other Shore Immortal Monarch could rival her beneath the Immortal King realm. The Heavenly Emperor was monstrously talented, but the one before her was merely a peak Saint Immortal imprint—easy to deal with.
Long Wu pressed down with one hand. The sky darkened as endless laws of order descended. A single press would turn half the Jade Pool Immortal Sect into a wasteland.
Before Ye Chen, the Heavenly Emperor could not help glancing at him. He spoke with clear irritation, "The opponent is the Seven Extremes. Do you even know what kind of being she is?
"When the Other Domain invaded various realms, during one particular campaign, the Seven Extremes went alone and single-handedly slaughtered nine Immortal Kings and over two hundred Immortal Monarchs of that realm. The number of cultivators she killed at other realms was simply uncountable. She nearly wiped out an entire world by herself. Do you understand what that means?
"As for me? I am merely a peak Saint Immortal imprint. Protecting you is already the limit. You still have so many bold ideas…"
Ye Chen frowned at the words. He sensed that the Heavenly Emperor was telling the truth. He had not expected the Seven Extremes to be even more terrifying than he already knew. Still, he bowed without hesitation. "Please do your best, Senior."
The corners of the Heavenly Emperor's mouth curved upward. When he had encountered opponents of the same realm on the imprint battlefield, they had all been arrogant beyond measure. Now that this boy needed his help, he bowed his head quickly enough?
Looking into Ye Chen's earnest eyes, the Heavenly Emperor imprint suddenly recalled the woman buried deep in his own heart. Back then, he had not been strong enough to protect her either. That regret had haunted him for countless years.
The Heavenly Emperor let out a soft sigh and shook his head with a trace of melancholy. Then he threw another Heavenly Emperor Fist. The brilliant golden punch instantly illuminated the entire sky.
The palm Long Wu had pressed down exploded once more. The Heavenly Emperor's avatar charged forward. With every punch, worlds of samsara surged forth, grinding away everything in their path.
Long Wu's expression changed. Endless divine light formed a barrier before her, trying to block the imprint's assault. Yet she clearly fell into a disadvantage.
Ye Chen watched the scene and twitched the corner of his mouth. First, the Heavenly Emperor had claimed he could not win and emphasized how strong the enemy was, then he charged in and suppressed her. The Heavenly Emperor truly knew how to show off. He truly deserved his title as the strongest to emerge from the Immortal Realm.
Still, Ye Chen did not care about the posturing. All he wanted was to rescue Senior An. Even though the clash between the two powerhouses brought immense pressure upon him at the mere Celestial Immortal realm, he stood firm and waited for the outcome.
…
Huo Linglong stood frozen in place. She had originally thought that a peak Saint Immortal imprint might not be able to stop Long Wu and had prepared to summon the remnant soul of the Western Empress ancestor. Yet now…
Watching the Heavenly Emperor imprint, who seemed to command the heavens and earth as an unrivaled existence, she fell completely silent. So this was what the pinnacle of the world looked like.
Huo Linglong had always been proud. She had believed herself nearly invincible at the Saint Immortal realm. But after witnessing the destructive power and dominance the Heavenly Emperor could display at the Saint Immortal level—even as a mere imprint—she finally understood how vast the gap between them truly was.
Her thoughts then turned to Ye Chen. He had displayed an even more invincible bearing. Like the Heavenly Emperor, he could easily kill across major realms with a single imprint, often with a casual wave of his hand. Of course, she knew the gap between Celestial Immortal and Profound Immortal could not compare to the gap between Saint Immortal and Immortal Monarch. Even so, this inherited ability to fight far above one's realm was undeniable proof.
Ye Chen was the Heavenly Emperor's successor.
And recalling how the Heavenly Emperor had once received great kindness from the Western Empress, Huo Linglong felt she might have guessed the real reason Ye Chen had insisted on joining the Jade Pool Immortal Sect and acted so generously. Perhaps he had truly come to repay a debt of gratitude on his master's behalf.
Chapter 1152: Separation!
The battle continued, its world-shaking commotion spreading far beyond the Jade Pool Immortal Sect. Had the Heavenly Emperor not deliberately held back, more than half of the sect's divine peaks would have already collapsed.
The Heavenly Emperor imprint stood tall in the sky like a war god. With every exquisite divine technique he unleashed, his power seemed inexhaustible. He forced Long Wu to retreat again and again.
Disbelief filled Long Wu's peerless face. "Impossible. This is absolutely impossible… You are merely an avatar, while I am a complete Immortal Monarch. How can you possess such strength?"
The Heavenly Emperor smiled as he threw punch after punch with effortless grace. Complete, lifelike worlds manifested with each strike, resembling true cycles of samsara. These worlds continuously wore down the Seven Extremes Heavenly Maiden's power. Although she shattered each one with her divine light, the expended energy seemed to vanish permanently, impossible to recover.
Worse still, Long Wu frowned as she realized her lifespan was steadily draining away, being absorbed. This irritated her to no end. The Samsara Great Dao was truly disgusting. She had not expected the Heavenly Emperor to comprehend it to such a degree even at the Saint Immortal realm.
She no longer wished to waste time with the Heavenly Emperor imprint. Although the loss of lifespan was negligible, there was no need to continue. No matter how strong he was now, he remained only an imprint. Once his time ran out, he would naturally dissipate.
Long Wu raised her hand once more. Seven-colored divine light shattered another samsara world. She locked onto the Heavenly Emperor imprint, her cherry lips moving slightly as she uttered incomprehensible divine sounds. An indescribable spatial power enveloped everything around him, sealing the area and making escape impossible.
A cold smile curved her lips. "Exile!"
With that icy command, the space where the Heavenly Emperor imprint stood instantly emptied. Everything in that region, including the Heavenly Emperor himself, vanished as if banished beyond the Immortal Realm in a single breath.
Huo Linglong's expression changed drastically. "This is the power of a Great Dao—the most fundamental force in existence…She has nearly fully comprehended the Space Great Dao and is on the verge of becoming an Immortal King."
Ye Chen's face darkened as well. He stared coldly at the Seven Extremes Heavenly Maiden. If the situation truly became hopeless, he would immediately flee to the lower realm, change his identity, and return to the Immortal Realm later. Once he rose again, he would hunt down every one of her incarnations and make them suffer.
Long Wu turned her gaze to Ye Chen. "I didn't expect you to be the Heavenly Emperor's successor! He is indeed extraordinary. Even in my Other Domain, few can compare. Even so, you should never have planted a seed inside my incarnation…He cannot protect you."
She glanced at her own abdomen, her killing intent surging at the thought of the stubborn embryo. Seven-colored divine light flowed in her eyes as she prepared to strike.
But at that moment, a vortex appeared above her head. The tall, black-haired figure burst out from within it.
"Six Paths of Samsara…"
With a roar, six painted worlds unfolded like scrolls and trapped Long Wu inside. Each world emanated a strange fluctuation that directly sealed all of her power.
Long Wu's expression changed. "How is this possible? You should have been exiled beyond the domain. Returning would take years, and by then you would have already dissipated…"
The corners of the Heavenly Emperor's mouth curved up. "If I hadn't let myself be exiled, how could I have drawn out your weakness?"
Long Wu gritted her silver teeth. Back then, the Heavenly Emperor had always been full of schemes, finding ways to overcome stronger foes with clever tactics. She had not expected his imprint to be the same.
Yet she soon sneered. "So what? Do you dare kill me? If you kill me, she dies too! As long as you don't dare kill me, once your imprint dissipates, I can still do whatever I want!"
As her words fell, endless laws surged, attempting to break the seal.
The Heavenly Emperor let out a soft chuckle and offered no further reply. He channeled power with one hand, steadily maintaining the six painted worlds that sealed Long Wu. Then he spoke to Ye Chen.
"Inject your power into her Heart Well acupoint, Opposing Gate acupoint, Fan Gate acupoint, Capital Gate acupoint, Five Stability acupoints, and Chong Yang acupoint… Try to separate them."
Long Wu's expression changed drastically. Although she wanted nothing to do with the child in her womb and hated An Miaoli's incarnation with every fiber of her being, she could not allow it to be taken away. Each of the Seven Extremes Heavenly Maiden's incarnations carried a portion of a Great Dao and concealed part of her original power. Once she broke through to the Immortal King realm, she could awaken fully. If she completely fused and refined An Miaoli, she would step directly into the Immortal King realm and regain peak-tier combat strength, along with countless other benefits.
She struggled fiercely while glaring at Ye Chen with murderous eyes. The pressure unique to an Immortal Monarch was enough to crush an ordinary Profound Immortal to death. Yet Ye Chen showed no fear. He charged forward like lightning.
Under Long Wu's gaze that seemed ready to kill, he arrived beside her and endured the unimaginable Immortal Monarch pressure. His hands moved rapidly as he poured his power into her body at astonishing speed. Each injection required tremendous force, but Ye Chen did not slow down in the slightest.
Long Wu's resistance grew even more frantic. "If you dare interfere, I will destroy you body and soul!"
Seven-colored divine light erupted continuously. Although the Heavenly Emperor's Six Paths of Samsara blocked it, her madness was plain to see.
Her frenzied opposition filled Ye Chen with joy. The more she resisted, the more he knew he was on the right path. He pushed his speed even higher.
Even with the Heavenly Emperor deliberately protecting him and his own top-tier physique, the gap in cultivation was simply too vast. Ye Chen suffered constant injuries and coughed up blood, yet he paid it no mind.
In the distance, Huo Linglong watched the scene. Without hesitation, she flew over and arrived at Ye Chen's side. "I will help you."
She transformed her vast Saint Immortal power into immortal light and poured it into the acupoints the Heavenly Emperor had mentioned. Ye Chen glanced at her in surprise but said nothing.
Huo Linglong's reasoning was simple. No matter how much she disliked Ye Chen, he was still an ancestor of the Jade Pool Immortal Sect. So was An Miaoli. As the Punishment Elder, she could not simply stand by.
Her powerful Saint Immortal energy greatly assisted Ye Chen and accelerated their progress.
Suddenly, Long Wu grew calm. Tears shone at the corners of her eyes as she looked at Ye Chen with sorrowful tenderness. "Fellow Doaist, I'm fine. You must save our child!"
But the next instant, her expression shifted again—cold and furious. "We are one and the same. You are one of the Seven Extremes Heavenly Maiden's incarnations, a part of us! Together we will become an existence above Immortal Kings. We will achieve true transcendence, unbound by anything in this world."
Soon her face changed once more. "No… I don't want that. I only want Fellow Doaist and our child…"
As more power poured in, the cycle of shifting personalities grew faster and faster.
A look of joy appeared on Ye Chen's face. This meant the balance inside Long Wu was becoming increasingly unstable.