ISWI Chapter 802-803

Chapter 802: Let Lan Nuo Have Some Fun!

The Moonlight Saint had deliberately mentioned the Quasi-Immortal without revealing too many details. After all, a Quasi-Immortal Holy Spirit about to emerge—one gestated from an immortal root no less—would send shockwaves through the entire cultivation world if word got out.

Both humans and the myriad races would grow highly vigilant. Every faction would then scour the realms for the Lotus Emperor, forcing him to emerge prematurely. They might even band together to strangle him in the cradle. Thus, the Moonlight Saint could only hint and leave it at that.

Ye Chen, for his part, had grown tired of their chatter.

"A Quasi-Immortal? So what?" he snorted coldly.

With a sweep of his hand, two violet-gold palms plunged down from the Ninth Heaven, carrying overwhelming force as they reached straight for the pair. At the same time, he let out a frosty huff. "You dared crack the Seven-Colored Nirvana Jade—you deserve death for that crime alone!"

In an instant, the two palms descended with mountain-toppling, sea-draining might.

Against Ye Chen's current terrifying strength, neither the Flame Heart Saint nor the Moonlight Saint could react in time. They didn't even have a chance to flee before the palms clenched around them, rendering them completely immobile. Hearing Ye Chen's words, shock and confusion filled the trapped duo.

You're clearly just drooling over the Nirvana Sacred Liquid inside the jade! Why are you acting like you're its fellow clansman?

The woman within the Seven-Colored Nirvana Jade was equally stunned by Ye Chen's actions. Was this human truly fighting for her sake? The anger he displayed over the crack in her body didn't seem feigned.

Though still skeptical, a flicker of anticipation rose in her heart. If it were true, that would be wonderful. After all, no Holy Spirit would choose to emerge unless there was no other option.

…

Held fast in the grip of Ye Chen's violet-gold palms, no amount of struggling helped. The threat of death loomed over them. Shock, humiliation, and despair flooded the hearts of the Flame Heart Saint and Moonlight Saint. Never in their wildest dreams had they imagined they would one day fall to a mere King Realm cultivator.

Unwilling to accept his fate, the Flame Heart Saint threw his head back and roared, "The Lotus Emperor will avenge us! Heavenly Emperor's heir—you're finished!"

A venomous glint flashed in the Moonlight Saint's eyes. "Heavenly Emperor's heir, you are only a King after all. Stop now, and you might still have a sliver of hope. Otherwise, you will regret this for the rest of your life!"

Ye Chen couldn't be bothered to respond. He intended to slap them dead on the spot, absorb their origins, and harvest the divine stones that formed their bodies. Those materials were priceless treasures, after all.

But glancing back casually, he caught sight of Lan Nuo. The girl's eyes sparkled with admiration as she gazed at him in pure worship. His heart softened instantly. He remembered his earlier promise to bring her out and let her show off in front of others. If he simply squashed these two flat, it wouldn't quite fit the bill.

With that in mind, Ye Chen immediately circulated the Indestructible Heavenly Art.

In a flash, two profound streams of energy surged forth like massive conduits, plunging deep into the cores of the Flame Heart Saint and Moonlight Saint. Sensing their vast origin power, a smile curved Ye Chen's lips. Then, with the Indestructible Heavenly Art operating at full force, the once-unshakable origins of the two saints crumbled like dry earth, effortlessly plundered by Ye Chen.

As they felt their origin draining away without end, both saints' eyes bulged in fury and despair. Having lived for countless ages, they were intimately familiar with human legacies. They instantly recognized the technique as the Devouring Heaven Demon Art.

Ye Chen actually knew the Devouring Heaven Demon Art! And he planned to use them as great medicinal catalysts. No wonder this generation's Heavenly Emperor successor was so monstrously strong.

The pair glared at Ye Chen. If not for being restrained and silenced, they would have demanded answers.

You, the grand heir of the Heavenly Emperor with your upright appearance—how can you cultivate the Devouring Heaven Demon Art, a vile and despised unorthodox method? Do you have no shame before the Heavenly Emperor? Do you have no shame before the human race?

Ye Chen gave them no chance to voice such accusations. After draining most of their origin, he watched their auras weaken steadily until he deemed it sufficient and finally stopped.

By now, the two saints' cultivation had plummeted, leaving them at roughly mid-stage Mahayana third-heaven—the same level as Lan Nuo.

But Lan Nuo possessed the Heavy Pupils and carried numerous treasures he had bestowed upon her. Facing two opponents at the same realm yet crippled by severe origin loss, she should have little trouble prevailing against both. Once she slew them, he could drain whatever origin remained. This way, Lan Nuo would get her moment to shine in front of others, and none of the precious resources would go to waste—a perfect outcome.

With a casual flick of his hand, Ye Chen hurled the pair toward Lan Nuo.

"Nuonuo, they're all yours!"

Lan Nuo had been thrilled watching Ye Chen dispatch self-severed saints as easily as butchering dogs, her blood racing with excitement. Yet beneath that thrill lingered a trace of disappointment. She wanted so badly to be the one dazzling everyone. She knew her limits, though—she was no monster like Ye Chen. Defeating even one of them had seemed impossible.

But in a single effortless gesture, Ye Chen had crushed their auras until they collapsed like an avalanche, dropping in the blink of an eye to mid-stage third heaven. Then he tossed them to her like discarded toys. It took her only a moment to understand. Overwhelmed with gratitude, she gazed at Ye Chen, her eyes brimming as though tears might spill.

Thanks could wait. Business first.

In the next instant, chaotic energy swirled in her eyes as battle intent erupted.

The Flame Heart Saint and Moonlight Saint, stripped of most of their origin, now found themselves flung like sandbags to serve as someone else's whetstone. Humiliation surged to its peak. Since their emergence, when had they ever endured such indignity?

They had always strode through the world under gazes of awe and fear. Never had they been toyed with so cruelly. Yet for all their rage, only one thought dominated their minds: escape. They needed to report this to the Lotus Emperor at once. Though he had not yet emerged, vast numbers of holy spirits had already pledged themselves to him.

Once informed, the Lotus Emperor would surely dispatch forces to ambush Ye Chen beyond the Immortal Path and make him pay dearly. But before they could act—before they could even plan their flight—Ye Chen's voice sounded beside their ears.

"Don't even think about running. If you can defeat Lan Nuo, I'll let you leave."

He wasn't lying. Though he highly doubted the origin-crippled pair could overcome her, if some miracle occurred, he wouldn't mind honoring his word and releasing them.

Of course, before they left, he would drain every last drop of their remaining origin. And perhaps pry a few chunks of divine stone from their bodies. Then he could let them run off to spread the news and lure even more holy spirits here for the harvest.

…

At Ye Chen's declaration, grim expressions darkened their faces, but they had no choice. Ye Chen commanded the Movement Secret and the Kun Peng Treasure Technique. As long as he didn't want them to escape, they never would.

"Hold true to your word," they said.

As saints, they still clung to their pride. Even doubting him, they refused to haggle. Exchanging a glance filled with resolve, they turned coldly toward Lan Nuo and charged without further hesitation.

Deep in her heart, Lan Nuo felt both exhilaration and a touch of nerves. Holy Spirits were formidable. Even impaired, they rivaled—or surpassed due to their physiques—the greatest divine constitutions. One would have been a fair match for her. Facing two at once… wasn't this difficulty a bit too high?

After exchanging a few blows, Lan Nuo relaxed. The two saints had clearly been drained harshly by her master. Even at third heaven, they carried the air of hollow strength—formidable on the surface, brittle within. If not for their extraordinarily resilient bodies, they would have been no better than ordinary cultivators at this level.

Her master had evidently calibrated their weakening to match her own strength. Though it felt a little like being underestimated, Lan Nuo didn't mind in the slightest. He was simply protecting her, afraid she might get hurt—what was wrong with that?

For her, the chance to shine was enough. Everything else was unimportant. The only regret was the lack of an audience. All the lines she had prepared would go unspoken. Should she record the fight with a memory stone and "accidentally" let it circulate later?

Her mind wandered through such random thoughts, but her hands showed no mercy. Activating her Heavy Pupils, she unleashed several beams of divine light that streaked like lightning, capable of annihilating heaven and earth as they blasted toward the pair.

At the same time, she employed the Battle Secret Art Ye Chen had taught her, weaving dazzling, devastating offensive techniques. In an instant, divine radiance filled the sky like blooming fireworks. When she sensed figures approaching the entrance of the small world, excitement surged within her. The playful, adorable expression on her pretty face grew increasingly aloof and imperious…

Shock soon appeared in the eyes of the two self-severed saints. Lan Nuo's strength, while far below the Heavenly Emperor's heir, vastly surpassed that of ordinary quasi-saints. Why were the humans of this generation all such monsters?

Against Ye Chen, they had felt only despair. Against Lan Nuo, however, there might still be a sliver of hope. The pair threw everything they had into the fight, battling her with desperate fury.

…

Watching Lan Nuo thoroughly enjoy herself, Ye Chen smiled. Unworried, he drifted leisurely toward the divine peak.

Sensing his approach, the Seven-Colored Nirvana Jade immediately radiated a chilling rejection, warning him to stay away.

Ye Chen merely smiled faintly, activated the Movement Secret, ignored all barriers, and arrived gracefully beside the jade.

Any gestating holy spirit naturally disliked having its vessel approached. Yet the jade knew that if it did not emerge, it could not suppress Ye Chen. If it did emerge, even if it overpowered him, it would become irrevocably flawed, with no path to recovery.

Above all, it did not want Ye Chen to discover that its consciousness had already awakened. Thus, it did nothing overt—only trembled gently with instinctive resistance.

Ye Chen gazed at the hazy, graceful silhouette within the divine stone, growing more astonished. It truly was the lithe figure of a woman.

This was far too strange. Though his knowledge of holy spirits was limited, he had never heard of them possessing gender. But the immortal realms were vast and full of wonders.

In any case, it was a boon for him. He examined the Seven-Colored Nirvana Jade from top to bottom. Soon, he found what he sought.

At the very crown of the jade, a ring of golden liquid shimmered with faint fluorescence, flowing slowly and emanating an extraordinarily unique aura…

The mere scent of it stirred restless excitement in his overburdened Heavenly Spiritual Root.

That reaction alone curved Ye Chen's lips into a satisfied smile. This had to be the Nirvana Sacred Liquid he desired.

Chapter 803: Hurry Into My Cave Heaven!

The golden Nirvana Sacred Liquid flowed slowly, flecked with countless sparkling motes that shimmered like stars. Amid the shifting radiance, faint divine patterns seemed to flicker. A single whiff penetrated straight to the depths of the soul.

Ye Chen's spirit surged with vitality. The Heavenly Spiritual Root within him grew even more frenzied, as though it were shouting at him: I want it! I want it!

The Nirvana Sacred Liquid was a byproduct formed while the Seven-Colored Nirvana Jade gestated its holy spirit. Most importantly, it did not reside inside the jade itself but circulated outside it.

Normally, it ringed the jade's surface, seemingly serving some mysterious purpose. Now, it had retreated to the pool at the very crown. This made things infinitely easier for Ye Chen. He could harvest it without damaging the Seven-Colored Nirvana Jade at all.

There was, however, one complication. Before emergence, the Holy Spirit's consciousness remained muddled. Instinct alone would treat the Nirvana Sacred Liquid as part of itself. Any attempt to take it would register as mortal danger, prompting the spirit to emerge prematurely. That was the problem.

Yet Ye Chen did not dwell on it overlong. For him, the liquid's value far outweighed that of an eight-thousand-times holy spirit. He urgently needed a superior spiritual root to accelerate his growth.

As for this eight-thousand-times spirit—if allowed to continue gestating, its multiplier would indeed climb higher in the future. But by then, eight thousand or even ten thousand times might mean little to him. Thus, he had to claim the Nirvana Sacred Liquid.

The holy spirit itself was optional. Even if it forced the spirit's premature emergence, he would still take the liquid. Still, the jade's earlier response to his voice transmission gave him hope. Amid its chaos, the gestating spirit might vaguely sense his goodwill.

A few gentle words could convince it that he bore no malice, preventing its emergence altogether. Then he could place the entire jade into his cave heaven. There, gestation might even proceed faster—a form of compensation.

With that in mind, Ye Chen gently touched the Seven-Colored Nirvana Jade, feeling its faint tremor and resistance. He spoke as softly as he could.

"Fellow Daoist, I harbor no hostility toward you! On the contrary, I wish only the best for you. This place has already been discovered. I have prepared a far superior haven for your gestation. It will benefit you greatly. In the future, I will spare no cost to repair the crack in your body. But I face my own difficulty—my cultivation advances too slowly.

"I need your sacred liquid to enhance my spiritual root and hasten my progress. After all, the liquid is merely a derivative of yours, useless to you. If I take it to strengthen myself, I will grow more powerful and better able to protect you—ensuring no external threat ever disturbs you again…"

Holy spirits born from Seven-Colored Nirvana Jade were exceedingly rare. Thus, few in the world truly understood the Nirvana Sacred Liquid.

Directly touched on its main body, the Seven-Colored Nirvana Jade felt profoundly unsettled. Though the outer layer was merely a gestational shell that would eventually slough away, being caressed like this made it feel as though Ye Chen were stroking her directly. A strange, twisting discomfort surged through it, intensifying its rejection.

His words only fueled its disdain. This small world had been birthed by the heavens themselves—the most perfect place for its gestation.

How could anywhere else possibly be better?

Liar.

And by the end, it was utterly convinced. This human was simply coveting its body.

Moreover, who told him the Nirvana Sacred Liquid was useless to it? It was vital—immensely so!

Upon emergence, the liquid would fully form. During the tribulation of its birth, it would evolve into a sacred weapon perfectly attuned to it. If its foundation proved deep enough, the liquid might even directly transform into an immortal artifact. Such priceless Nirvana Sacred Liquid ranked among the cultivation world's supreme treasures.

Yet this human dared claim it held no value to it and that he could take it without issue. Had he no shame?

Compounding its fury, Ye Chen's hand never stopped moving. Enraged to the extreme, the holy spirit caused its body to tremble even more violently…

…

Meanwhile, Ye Chen continued gently stroking the jade, doing his utmost to convey goodwill to the chaotic spirit within. Noticing the increasing amplitude of the tremors, he smiled. Holy spirits truly possessed remarkable sensitivity. It must be responding to his kindness.

He spoke at once. "If you are willing to gift me the Nirvana Sacred Liquid, keep shaking… If you are unwilling, then stop!"

The instant his words fell, the man-high jade—its interior so profoundly hazy that even Heavy Pupils could not pierce it—grew perfectly still. It did not quiver in the slightest, as steady as a pillar anchoring the seas.

Now Ye Chen was genuinely astonished by its spiritual acuity. Without an awakened consciousness, it had still instinctively grasped his meaning.

The only pity was that it couldn't yet comprehend more complex speech. He had said to keep shaking if willing, but it had misunderstood and stopped instead. Still, Ye Chen paid no mind to such details. As long as the spirit inside was agreeable, all was well!

Grinning warmly, he produced a top-grade jade vial and spoke softly. "In that case, my thanks."

In the next moment, he carefully guided the Nirvana Sacred Liquid upward, drawing it into the vial. The Seven-Colored Nirvana Jade sensed every bit of this and nearly shattered from shock.

Watching drop after drop of the liquid vanish into Ye Chen's possession, its heart bled. That was its future immortal weapon! Overwhelmed by emotion, it nearly abandoned the pretense and roared at him: I clearly stopped—how can you still take it?!

If its divine sense had not yet awakened, instinct alone would have driven the spirit to emerge and slaughter him on the spot. But with consciousness awakened by divine arts, it could now weigh pros and cons—and thus hesitated deeply. The heartache was real. The reluctance was real.

Yet compared to the integrity of its gestational body, those feelings paled. If this human only took the sacred liquid and nothing more, it could perhaps endure the loss. At worst, upon emerging in the future, it would simply hunt him down and exact vengeance.

But if it revealed its awakened consciousness now, escaping later would become far harder. Therefore, though the jade fiercely trembled as if to widen the crack and emerge, it ultimately gritted its metaphorical teeth and endured. It watched helplessly as Ye Chen siphoned away its sacred liquid, drop by precious drop. So wronged it nearly wept…

Moments later, Ye Chen gripped the jade vial, a satisfied smile spreading across his face. Acquiring the Nirvana Sacred Liquid had proven almost effortless. He would gift it to Lan Nuo shortly. The reward she yielded would surely not disappoint. This was in the bag. He glanced back toward the distant battlefield.

Lan Nuo dominated the two holy spirits, unleashing a dazzling barrage. Her performance radiated sheer elegance and overwhelming presence. High in the sky, she bombarded them until cracks spiderwebbed across their bodies; they teetered on the brink of utter annihilation.

By now, others had entered the small world. The moment they arrived, the sight of Lan Nuo single-handedly overwhelming two self-severed saints left them stunned. Those were self-severed saints. Even in their diminished state, their combat prowess far exceeded ordinary peak quasi-saints.

As these newcomers had hurried here, they had debated whether the Heavenly Emperor's heir or the two saints would prove stronger. None had imagined the one fighting would be Lan Nuo. She had reduced two self-severed saints to origin-crippled wrecks, their cultivation plummeting, on the verge of complete eradication.

Were they dreaming? Did Lan Nuo truly possess strength rivaling the Heavenly Emperor's heir? Or had he merely held back because he found her beautiful?

For a moment, everyone stared in utter shock. Yet some soon noticed the scene atop the divine peak. When they spotted Ye Chen and the man-high Seven-Colored Nirvana Jade before him—its interior holding a faint, illusory silhouette—their eyes widened in disbelief.

A Seven-Colored Nirvana Jade gestating a holy spirit?

Many present were disciples of great sects, well-read and experienced. They instantly recalled the jade's companion treasure, and greed flashed in their eyes. The gestation of a holy spirit meant the birth of Nirvana Sacred Liquid, capable of forging a Sacred Spiritual Root!

It was the sole treasure in existence that could elevate a spiritual root to the sacred grade. Few items in the entire cultivation world could compare. A Sacred Spiritual Root—what did that entail?

It was the absurd lineage that, across two lifetimes, had produced two immortals. Practically a guaranteed pass to immortality. And it had appeared in this era?

In that instant, every informed cultivator's eyes burned red with desire. Whoever obtained it would never hold it in peace; a storm of blood would inevitably follow. Everyone craved it.

The last time Nirvana Sacred Liquid had surfaced predated even the Heavenly Emperor's age. Immortals had clashed over it, several falling in the carnage. Legend claimed blood rain drenched the heavens for years. This era might lack true immortals, yet once word spread, even Quasi-Immortals would emerge for it. Its importance was beyond measure.

But when their bloodshot gazes shifted to Ye Chen's calm, smiling sweep over them, the redness instantly faded. Reason returned. They gnashed their teeth in bitter regret.

Outside, even if they couldn't defeat Ye Chen, they could call for reinforcements. The liquid's value was enough to shatter all conventions—everyone would gamble their sect's full heritage, pitting ancestral might against ancestral might.

Here, however, they were on the Immortal Path, in the fourth realm. Only quasi-saints and those below could enter. Not even Quasi-Immortals could take a single step inside. No matter how many elders backed them, none could lend aid. They were on their own.

And yet, Lan Nuo alone toyed with two self-severed saints. How terrifying, then, must the still-untouched Heavenly Emperor's heir be?

In the fourth realm, he was invincible. Even if every last one of them attacked together, it would be futile. Still, excitement pulsed uncontrollably through them, emotions churning wildly.

Ye Chen paid their stares no mind. If any grew reckless and acted on greed, they would simply contribute another harvest of origin. As for the Nirvana Sacred Liquid, he had no intention of carrying it out. He would give it to Lan Nuo right here and have her consume it on the spot. Once the pure liquid was used, the outside world would naturally lose interest in it.

Of course, such a massive chunk of Seven-Colored Nirvana Jade would still draw countless covetous forces. And Ye Chen had deliberately let them see it—precisely to bait the hook.

You want it? Then come into my cave heaven!

Thus, under the gaze of all present, Ye Chen opened the portal to his cave heaven and prepared to draw the Seven-Colored Nirvana Jade inside.

"Fellow Daoist, this is a wonderful place—do not resist!"

"I'll reserve the finest spot within my cave heaven just for you!"

"Hurry into my cave heaven…"