Chapter 1153: Our Child Is Gone!
"Insolent fools! Stop this at once, or I will kill you in the future!"
Feeling the fusion between herself and An Miaoli constantly disrupted, Long Wu began to panic.
At the same time, the Heavenly Emperor imprint maintaining the Six Paths of Samsara brightened. He spotted an opportunity and struck without hesitation. The punch caused the entire world to fall silent. Its strange power landed on Long Wu's head without harming her body, instead surging into her form.
The same brilliant divine light that had appeared during their fusion erupted once more. The intense radiance blinded everyone. The whole of Transcendence Peak seemed bathed in daylight.
Within the glow, the two figures split apart. One body shot straight toward Ye Chen and crashed into his arms. The familiar curves alone confirmed her identity.
It was Senior An!
They had truly succeeded in separating her. Without hesitation, Ye Chen retreated rapidly while holding her. Huo Linglong followed, shielding him from the front.
As they withdrew, Ye Chen clearly sensed an unknown power surging within An Miaoli's body before quickly subsiding. Even so, her cultivation soared dramatically. In the blink of an eye, she reached the peak Profound Immortal realm—one full major realm above Ye Chen.
Meanwhile, Long Wu in the sky also transformed. She became noticeably stronger, with seven-colored divine light flowing across her body as if she were on the verge of breaking through to the Immortal King realm.
Huo Linglong watched with deep emotion. As expected of the legendary Seven Extremes Heavenly Maiden, she was truly terrifying. Even without a complete fusion, both sides had gained immense power. She felt that Long Wu had likely reached the legendary half-step Immortal King level.
However, this sudden boost was unstable. An Miaoli's aura fluctuated noticeably, and so did Long Wu's.
When Long Wu opened her eyes, she ignored the instability entirely. Her killing intent surged wildly. "All of you must die…"
A terrifying, murderous aura flooded the entire Jade Pool Immortal Sect. She had to reclaim An Miaoli.
Huo Linglong's expression changed as she prepared to activate the Western Empress ancestor's remnant soul. Yet when she tried, she froze. She could not mobilize the array?
The next moment, a vast, illusory figure emerged above the main peak of West Queen Peak. Bathed in starlight, it spread across the entire Jade Pool Immortal Sect, repairing the destruction caused by the battle. The figure resembled an ancient moon goddess as she calmly looked toward Long Wu above Transcendence Peak.
"Fellow Daoist Long Wu, it is time for you to leave."
Her clear, cool voice carried gentleness and lacked any domineering pressure. Yet Long Wu frowned, a trace of wariness appearing on her face.
"Jade Moon Immortal Monarch… Very well… The unification of the Seven Extremes is inevitable. You may stop it for now, but you cannot stop it forever. This is destiny! In the future, I will surely destroy the orthodoxy left behind by the Western Empress."
Long Wu swept a cold gaze over everyone present, her eyes lingering on Ye Chen with murderous hatred so intense it seemed she wanted to tear him into ten thousand pieces.
Then, without another word, she flew toward the sky.
She had intended to smash through the grand array, but the figure above West Queen Peak gently raised a hand and opened a passage for her. Long Wu changed direction, punched open her own exit, and vanished into the distance.
She planned to return to the Heaven Immortal Sect to meditate and stabilize her newly awakened power. Yet the hatred in her heart toward everyone—especially Ye Chen—had not diminished in the slightest.
How dare he defile her incarnation and plant a seed inside it? The crime was unforgivable…
No one tried to stop her.
Once Long Wu departed, the illusory figure of Jade Moon Immortal Monarch raised her hand and repaired the grand array. She then looked toward Ye Chen with a trace of apology. "Junior Brother, this seclusion is extremely important to me, so I could not emerge to assist you. When I come out of seclusion, I will personally apologize."
Ye Chen shook his head gently. "Senior Sister, there is no need to be so courteous."
Jade Moon Immortal Monarch smiled softly, shook her head, and glanced at the Heavenly Emperor. A distant look appeared in her eyes as if she had recalled something. After a long moment, her figure faded away.
Once his senior sister left, Ye Chen turned to the Heavenly Emperor.
The Heavenly Emperor still stood there, radiating unmatched dominance.
Ye Chen bowed with deep gratitude. "Thank you, Senior Heavenly Emperor. Ye Chen is endlessly grateful…"
Beyond gratitude, he felt genuine shock. The Heavenly Emperor was far more powerful than he had imagined. A single imprint one minor realm lower had truly suppressed a peak Immortal Monarch like Long Wu the entire time.
The Heavenly Emperor imprint waved his hand indifferently. His form rapidly dimmed, turning faint and almost transparent. "I did not lie earlier. The Seven Extremes Heavenly Maiden's strength far exceeds imagination.
"Back then, I may have surpassed her in combat power, but killing an existence like her was never simple. She deliberately sought death at my hands, using my samsara power to split herself into seven parts for rebirth…
"As for me now, I am merely an imprint. To suppress her, I had to exhaust the remaining time of this imprint. Every force in this world demands a price.
"If she had not left just now, all of you would likely have died."
Ye Chen paused in surprise but bowed once more in thanks.
The now nearly transparent Heavenly Emperor smiled. He glanced at An Miaoli, then gave Ye Chen a thumbs-up. "I didn't expect you to reach the Celestial Immortal realm so quickly. Yet compared to your talent, I admire your courage even more!
"The Seven Extremes Heavenly Maiden… When she truly returns, you will face enormous trouble.
"I don't know how you obtained this imprint, but you may not be so lucky next time and summon me again…"
The corner of Ye Chen's mouth twitched slightly. He felt he would summon the imprint again, but he kept that to himself for now.
The Heavenly Emperor did not wait for a reply. His gaze swept across the entire Jade Pool Immortal Sect. "It is a pity I broke through too late. Otherwise, the Fellow Daoist Western Empress would not have died. What a shame…"
With a soft sigh, the Heavenly Emperor imprint faded away.
Ye Chen then turned to Huo Linglong. This time, he looked directly at her face instead of her crimson toenails and spoke earnestly. "Thank you, Huo Linglong, my dear niece. I will definitely repay you in the future."
Now that she knew Ye Chen was the Heavenly Emperor's successor, Huo Linglong's hostility toward him had lessened considerably. Still, she curled her lip. "My actions had nothing to do with you. I simply did not want the Seven Extremes Heavenly Maiden to return. Our Jade Pool's Western Empress ancestor and my master's two senior sisters all fell at the hands of the Other Domain. We share a blood feud."
Ye Chen smiled. Actions mattered more than intentions. Regardless of her reasons, she had helped him even if her contribution had not been decisive.
Huo Linglong looked at An Miaoli with concern. After all, this woman was one of the Seven Extremes Heavenly Maiden's incarnations. The trouble could be significant. What if she awakened as the Seven Extremes Heavenly Maiden one day?
She wanted to offer a warning, but An Miaoli suddenly woke up. Panic filled her face as she clutched her abdomen. "My child… Ye Chen, our child is gone…"
Chapter 1154: Regaining a Sense of Crisis!
"Our child is gone…"
The moment those words left her lips, both Ye Chen and Huo Linglong were stunned.
Ye Chen immediately placed his hand on An Miaoli's warm abdomen. His body stiffened. The abdomen that had once held the child he had checked so many times was now empty. Their child had truly vanished.
Huo Linglong saw his reaction and her own expression filled with shock. The child had clearly been there moments ago. Otherwise, the Seven Extremes incarnation Long Wu would not have shouted so furiously or glared at Ye Chen with such hatred. Yet after the separation, the child was nowhere to be found.
A child could not simply disappear without reason. That meant it must have remained inside Long Wu's body.
Huo Linglong's expression grew complicated. On one hand, Long Wu was an incarnation of the Seven Extremes Heavenly Maiden, yet she had ended up carrying Ye Chen's child. Ye Chen had now impregnated two of the Seven Extremes' incarnations. It was rather impressive. On the other hand, once the true Seven Extremes returned, she would surely want to skin Ye Chen alive.
Moreover, Long Wu had been a virgin, yet she suddenly carried a child. It was utterly absurd.
Huo Linglong reminded him at once, "It was most likely taken away by Long Wu… but I don't think she wanted it."
Her guess made sense. Given Long Wu's reaction at the time, she clearly had no desire to carry Ye Chen's child.
Ye Chen nodded immediately, agreeing with her assessment. It was probably not Long Wu's doing. Instead, their child had chosen to stay behind on its own. The offspring he had planted was naturally extraordinary. Even as an embryo, it could sense the strength of its mother. The stronger the mother, the more powerful the child could become.
Ye Chen suspected this was the embryo's instinctive choice. During the separation, it had rooted itself in Long Wu's abdomen and refused to leave.
Even though he could reason through it, Ye Chen still felt a strange sense of loss. His own child had run off with someone else. It was truly ridiculous. Fortunately, he had nourished it with the origin power of the Primordial Chaos Myriad Worlds Tree. Even an Immortal King would struggle to erase it. There was no need to worry that Long Wu would destroy the child in a fit of rage.
…
At this moment, An Miaoli was in complete panic. Tears streamed down her usually calm and serene face. Senior An was crying—a sight no one had ever seen before. Even when her remnant soul had been suppressed or when she learned she was merely an incarnation, she had never shed tears or shown such fear.
"Ye Chen, please save our child. That is our child. She will definitely hurt her…"
The normally composed Senior An had completely lost her bearings. The blow was simply too great; she cared far too much about the child she shared with Ye Chen.
Ye Chen suppressed his own heartache and gently held her. "Don't worry. She will come back. Long Wu cannot erase our child. Not even an Immortal King could. Besides, it will still be thousands of years before the child is born. Before then, I will definitely bring our child back."
An Miaoli looked at him with red-rimmed eyes. She trusted Ye Chen. Yet today's events had shaken her deeply. The brief fusion, even though quickly reversed, had unsealed part of the seal within her and caused a massive surge in strength. The mental toll was enormous. After receiving Ye Chen's promise, she finally relaxed and soon fainted again.
Ye Chen carried Senior An into the cave residence.
Huo Linglong followed with a complicated expression. She did not leave. Once Ye Chen had settled An Miaoli and stepped out of the cave, she spoke softly to comfort him. "I know you are furious, but the Seven Extremes Heavenly Maiden is truly extraordinary. She is already an Immortal Monarch and only one step away from becoming an Immortal King. So do not act rashly. When I break through to the Immortal Monarch realm in the future, Master and I will help you together to retrieve the child."
As she spoke, even Huo Linglong found the situation absurd. She had seen people fight over inheritances, treasures, and techniques throughout her long life, but this was the first time she had ever witnessed someone trying to reclaim a child.
Ye Chen's gentle smile, which he had deliberately worn while settling An Senior, finally vanished. His expression turned cold and hard.
The events of the day had dealt Ye Chen a heavy blow. When Long Wu suddenly appeared and fused with An Senior, his own strength had proven utterly insufficient to do much of anything. If not for the Heavenly Emperor's imprint, he might have truly lost An Senior.
This long-forgotten sense of powerlessness and humiliation made Ye Chen recall the cautious, weak youth he had been upon first arriving in the cultivation world at Silver Moon Market. Back then, he had moved with utmost care, focused solely on growing stronger.
But now? Perhaps the invincibility he had achieved in the cultivation world had left him complacent. Even after ascending to the Immortal Realm, that mindset had remained unchanged. He no longer devoted himself to cultivation with the same urgency, relying instead on his talent to carry him forward.
If he had been more vigilant, none of this would have happened today. He needed to rediscover his original resolve and grow stronger at the fastest possible speed.
As for Long Wu... what did it matter if she was an Immortal Monarch? Even an Immortal King would make no difference.
From now on, he would raise his cultivation as quickly as he could. Once his strength was sufficient, he would capture Long Wu. Not only would he reclaim the child from within her, but he would also shatter her completely, refining her into pure origin energy to supplement An Senior.
Huo Linglong saw Ye Chen's expression for the first time and immediately spoke up.
"The Jade Pool Immortal Sect has reduced its external interests in recent years to conserve resources, so we never fully activated the sect's grand formation...
"That is why Long Wu was able to slip inside this time. But after today, I will activate the Jade Pool Immortal Sect's defensive formations in their entirety. At that point, not even Long Wu—nor any Immortal King—will be able to infiltrate undetected.
"This incident is the responsibility of both the sect and me."
Ye Chen nodded calmly, offering no rebuke. After all, no one had anticipated this.
He simply asked in a serious tone, "When will the Great Sun Origin Core emerge?"
Huo Linglong thought for a moment. "In a little over four months, the secret realm will rise from within the Sunset Divine Mountain. I will personally escort you there."
She could tell Ye Chen had been shaken and sensed his urgent desire to grow stronger. Normally, sending a Great Luo Realm elder to guard him would have sufficed. Yet perhaps out of guilt, or concern over a possible attack from the Seven Extremes Heavenly Maiden, Huo Linglong decided to accompany him herself as compensation.
After all, Ye Chen had just lost his child.
Ye Chen nodded. "Thank you."
...
"Although we were forced to separate in the end, this trip was not without gains."
"The Great Dao and power sealed within me have loosened further. After this closed-door cultivation, I will step directly into the half-step Immortal King realm."
"Once I emerge, who in the entire Jade Pool Immortal Sect could possibly stop me? Not even the soul of the Western Empress will frighten me any longer."
Long Wu flew back toward the Heaven Immortal Sect at top speed. Sensing the changes within her body, she smiled with satisfaction.
But in the next moment, she looked down at her abdomen, and her expression changed drastically.