ISWI Chapter 732-733

Chapter 732: Luo Bingling's Assist!

But Ye Chen's smile flickered only briefly. He quickly schooled his features. Exiting the majestic Divine Silkworm Clan outpost, he fell silent and quickened his pace toward the Heavenly Demon Clan's grounds.

Behind him, Luo Bingling's face soured with evident displeasure. Why did Ye Chen pour so much into Yao Yuezhi? If her own cave heaven had shattered, would he value her just as dearly?

Yao Yuekong, meanwhile, brimmed with joy laced by guilt. The joy stemmed, of course, from securing the Qiankun Cauldron—his sister was saved. Even if she couldn't reclaim her former glory, at least ascending to the Saint realm lay within reach for her future.

The guilt arose from Ye Chen's extravagant outlay. Twenty high-grade Extreme Dao Weapons, plus a supreme one like the Compliant Golden-Hooped Rod. Even great clans might balk at mustering such a hoard.

In one fell swoop, Ye Chen's Heavenly Emperor treasury had likely run bone-dry. He clenched his jaw in resolve, vowing to tell his parents the full extent of Ye Chen's sacrifice upon return. They had to compensate him with every ounce of their power.

...

In short order, the pair returned to the Heavenly Demon Clan's outpost. Yao Yuekong's parents had taken Yao Yuezhi to meet the ancestors. He asked Ye Chen and Luo Bingling to wait a moment. Then he dashed off to find his parents and share the glad tidings.

On Yao Yuezhi's end, she shared her parents' profound disappointment. They had pleaded with several ancestors, but to no avail. A shattered core demanded creation spirit liquid for remaking. Yet that elixir had vanished from the world, leaving only the Qiankun Cauldron. In the end, all roads circled back to it. Given the Divine Silkworm Clan's reverence for the cauldron, even the Compliant Golden-Hooped Rod might not pry it loose.

In the courtyard, Yao Yuezhi let out a wry chuckle. She readied herself to console her downcast parents. But at that moment, Yao Yuekong burst in, his face alight with uncontained excitement. "Sister, your cave heaven's saved. Brother-in-law—our brother-in-law really swapped for the Qiankun Cauldron!"

His words landed like thunder, widening the eyes of all three present. He truly obtained it?

"Did he use the Compliant Golden-Hooped Rod in trade? Ye Chen actually parted with a supreme Extreme Dao Weapon for our daughter?"

Yao Yuezhi's parents gasped in awe.

Yao Yuekong nodded, then shook his head, his expression turning grave.

"Ye Chen first offered twenty high-grade Extreme Dao Weapons! But that Divine Silkworm Clan patriarch has eyes like a hawk—he guessed a core had shattered... and leveraged it to force Ye Chen to add the Compliant Golden-Hooped Rod!"

The revelation drew even Yao Yuezhi's pale lips agape in a sharp intake of breath. A single supreme Extreme Dao Weapon was already stunned. Twenty high-grade ones on top? Did she truly rank so high in Ye Chen's heart?

Tears of emotion welled in Yao Yuezhi's eyes, joy blooming thick and fast. Her parents' faces, too, twisted in complicated wonder. They had once quietly disdained Ye Chen for his surplus of women, but now not a shred of that lingered. They even understood him now. After all, a man so powerful and prosperous—having a few women around him only made sense. For their daughter to catch his eye? That was sheer fortune.

...

"Sister, you go ahead first. Ye Chen's waiting for you in the hall. I'll chat with Mom and Dad."

Yao Yuekong ushered Yao Yuezhi away before turning to his parents to discuss compensating Ye Chen. Her parents nodded in agreement. Ye Chen's generosity had stunned them. Though they couldn't fully repay him, they had to give it their all.

"Ye Chen's just entered the Third Heaven and newly formed his cave heaven—he'll need plenty of spirit plants to bolster its foundation. And spirit beasts, too. Our clan controls some rare ones in the Northern Domain...

"I've got a rare cave heaven flower in my domain that enhances stability. Once I process it, I'll gift it to Ye Chen. All in all, I approve of Ye Chen as our son-in-law. We can't let him think the Heavenly Demon Clan is some glutton that only takes and never gives—we have to hold up our daughter's honor...

"Mom, Dad, Ye Chen's really into those cat-eared girls. He kept staring at them the whole way here, and I noticed he favors white fur. How about I head back to the Northern Domain and snag some top ones for him? Like snow foxes?

"Ow, Dad, why'd you hit me?"

The group buzzed with fervent plans to make amends for Ye Chen. On one hand, gratitude drove them. On the other, they didn't want their daughter owing him too much. Lest she ever feel unable to hold her head high before him.

...

In the grand hall, Luo Bingling stewed in unhappiness, the disparity gnawing at her as she huffed and puffed. She even couldn't hold back from asking Ye Chen outright. "Ye Chen, what makes that Yao Yuezhi so special? Why do you value her like this? I've followed you for years, given everything, and all you handed me was one big black stick. But Yao Yuezhi? You've barely met her a handful of times. Yet you'd sooner give her the world!"

"Back at the Divine Silkworm Clan, that killing intent at the end—it was all an act, wasn't it? If it hadn't fooled them, you'd have thrown in the Heavenly Emperor Sword too, just to snag that broken cauldron for her! What gives her the right? Where do I, Luo Bingling, fall short of her? My talent outshines hers, my feet are prettier, I'm taller, my waist packs more power, my figure's got way more to offer—and as for looks? We're not even in the same league."

Luo Bingling truly fumed, ticking off her edges one by one. Ye Chen listened on, his lips curving into a smile. Women were confident creatures, after all. Luo Bingling did edge out Yao Yuezhi in some spots—bigger, broader ones, say. But Yao Yuezhi's willow waist carried its own allure. Not to mention her feet, which Ye Chen hadn't glimpsed but imagined as dainty and charming. Each had her charms, in the end.

Still, Ye Chen's mind wandered not to the woman before him. But to Yao Yuezhi. Because she had already reached the doorway, though she hadn't stepped in. Hearing this tirade—and the unflattering comparison—it would only deepen her emotion. When he later presented the Qiankun Cauldron, the critical hit would land even harder. With that thought, Ye Chen figured bringing Luo Bingling along had been a stroke of genius after all.

...

And sure enough, Yao Yuezhi soon stepped into the hall, her emerald eyes brimming with unspoken words. Red-rimmed and vulnerable, she stirred the heart to pity. She seemed not to have overheard Luo Bingling's earlier barbs, gazing at Ye Chen with a mix of overwhelming emotion and quiet self-doubt. "Brother, I don't deserve all you've sacrificed for me. Let's go back to the Divine Silkworm Clan together—we can trade those Extreme Dao Weapons back, alright? Ever since I met you, Brother, I've lost all desire for immortality and eternal life. I only want to linger in the red dust of the mortal world, by your side..."

Luo Bingling clenched her fists at those sweetly manipulative words, fury bubbling up. But she knew Ye Chen lapped up that sort of thing. Sure enough, he crossed to her and drew Yao Yuezhi into his arms, gently stroking her hair. "You deserve every beautiful thing the world holds. Anything you desire, if it's within my power to give!"

Those two simple sentences melted Yao Yuezhi's resolve, her body going limp against him. Yet once he'd spoken, Ye Chen had no wish to linger on tender intimacies. This gift-bearing errand had dragged on far too long already, leaving him faintly impatient.

"Yuezhi, say no more. Accept the Qiankun Cauldron—I've already erased every imprint within it. Go on and refine it as your core."

With that, Ye Chen extended the cauldron, pale blue as if carved from divine jade. As her gaze fell upon it, Yao Yuezhi bit her lower lip softly, her heart swelling with gratitude and emotion on the verge of spilling over.

Chapter 733: Gratitude from Yao Yuezhi!

"Brother Ye..."

Whether from Yao Yuekong's recounting of the grueling ordeal to secure the Qiankun Cauldron, or from Luo Bingling's earlier accusations, Yao Yuezhi felt Ye Chen's favoritism toward her with aching clarity. Even after all Luo Bingling had poured in, in Ye Chen's eyes, she herself remained the most cherished.

All of it moved Yao Yuezhi to her core, filling her heart with sweet bliss as she clung tightly to his frame.

"Alright, alright—hurry and refine the Qiankun Cauldron..."

Ye Chen stroked her hair with a beaming smile, his voice soft as he urged her on.

Yao Yuezhi needed to fully refine the cauldron first, fusing it with her heart's blood, before she could claim it as her cave heaven's core and begin the rebuild. That process would take time. So Ye Chen pressed her gently. After all, gifting the Qiankun Cauldron marked just the beginning. More offerings lay ahead.

Seeing how Ye Chen fretted over her damaged cave heaven even more than she did—urging her with such care—only deepened her emotion. Tears rimmed her eyes, her emerald gaze shimmering like rippling waves, though her willow brows curved in a joyful arc. She rose lightly on tiptoe and pressed her lips to his.

Only then did she lean to his ear and whisper, "Brother Ye, even after I rebuild my cave heaven, my words from before still stand. I want to bear your children, to stay by your side forever."

When a woman offered to bear your children, that was love laid bare. Yao Yuezhi's warm breath against his ear, laced with those tender vows, would stir any man's heart.

Ye Chen chuckled inwardly: Nice try!

With Yao Yuezhi's multiplier, unless she fell hopelessly behind, she'd have no shot at motherhood for him anytime soon. He gave her pert little rear a playful pat. "Off to cultivate, now!"

Yao Yuezhi nodded. Hope flickered within her, though it tempered quickly. True, the Qiankun Cauldron would restore her core. But the cave heaven's scale? That hurdle lingered. Still, reclaiming Half-Saint cultivation would be a triumph all its own. With lingering reluctance, she cast Ye Chen a few final glances before turning to leave.

Ye Chen called after her one last time. "Don't worry about the origin essence—I'll handle it all."

Yao Yuezhi smiled at that. Full restoration to her former self? Impossible. Unless they dragged Celestial Prince out from his divine source. Rumor held that the prince commanded a hundred-thousand-li cave heaven, pushed to its absolute limit. And that Seven-Crowned King likely matched it. But those figures wielded profound cultivations—some already deep in the Immortal Path, their power rivaling the ancestors of great clans. Ye Chen was mighty, yes, but such vast gaps left even him outmatched.

Yao Yuezhi voiced no doubts, merely beaming sweetly at him. "Thank you, Brother."

With those words, she slipped from his sight, soft and graceful. She headed straight into seclusion to refine the Qiankun Cauldron.

...

After sending Yao Yuezhi on her way, Ye Chen finally found a moment to check the system prompt that had chimed in his mind.

"Congratulations, host—gift delivery successful..."

"Gift: High-grade Extreme Dao Weapon, Qiankun Cauldron!"

"Five-thousand-fold feedback in progress."

"Detected: The host's gift holds extreme importance to the recipient, triggering intense psychological fluctuations..."

"Max critical hit reward activated..."

"Feedback: Immortal artifact, Nine Transformations Heavenly Furnace!"

"Feedback: Immortal artifact, Sea-Calming Divine Treasure!"

The Nine Transformations Heavenly Furnace: An immortal artifact forged from the Divine Silkworm Emperor's ninth-shed fleshly body. Cultivating within grants metamorphic enhancement to one's aptitudes! Moreover, each breakthrough achieved inside bestows transformative power, yielding higher ceilings for gains. For members of the Divine Silkworm Clan, it amplifies the Nine Transformations of the Divine Silkworm even further, easing breakthroughs and elevating post-advancement limits to greater heights...

At that sight, Ye Chen's lips curled into a sly grin. The Nine Transformations Heavenly Furnace had truly materialized as feedback.

Though Ye Chen suspected its aptitude-boosting cultivation effects would prove moot for him. After all, no matter how formidable the furnace, it remained merely an immortal artifact. But his Primordial Chaos Supreme Body had long surpassed the realm of immortal physiques. Still, the ability to raise combat ceilings on every breakthrough? That was a boon indeed. His ascensions came swiftly enough anyway. Effects would show soon.

What Ye Chen hadn't anticipated, however, was the second immortal artifact emerging alongside it. This little green tea truly justified every ounce of his heartfelt performance. She outshone Luo Bingling by miles—the one who'd received a high-grade Extreme Dao Weapon in kind but yielded only four thousand pieces in return. Yet as he eyed the name of this second immortal artifact, Ye Chen blinked in utter bafflement.

The Sea-Calming Divine Treasure: In ancient days, upon breaking through to immortality, the Victorious Fighting Emperor discarded the Compliant Golden-Hooped Rod and delved the Endless Sea's depths, unearthing divine iron. The iron had yet to fully gestate, so he etched ultimate killing divine patterns upon it, baptizing it with his boundless slaughter essence! On the day its gestation completed, it would ascend directly to immortal artifact status.

Later, the Emperor departed this realm prematurely. Clan members of the Victorious Fighting Ape Clans extracted the iron once matured. During a deathmatch with the Divine Silkworm Clan's true immortal, both perished together, and its whereabouts turned unknown.

The Sea-Calming Divine Treasure: An immortal artifact of supreme slaughter, its killing might is unrivaled among all in this world.

Ye Chen stared at the description, genuinely stunned. So, he'd tossed out the Compliant Golden-Hooped Rod. Only to reel in an immortal-grade Sea-Calming Divine Treasure? Trading the staff for this treasure? Talk about absurd.

In the end, one supreme Extreme Dao Weapon had netted him two immortal artifacts. One of them could even serve for immediate cultivation, enhancing his own growth. The other? The foremost slaughter immortal artifact in this entire world. To call it a massive windfall would be no exaggeration at all. Yao Yuezhi truly deserved every bit of his devoted effort.

As thoughts turned to the cave heaven essence he still needed to bestow upon her, Ye Chen's anticipation swelled. He might just end up with a pocket universe all his own. Who wouldn't adore a little green tea like that?

...

Meanwhile, Luo Bingling at Ye Chen's side seethed with envy, her face nearly turning green. She had just played up her woes moments ago. Failing to draw his pity was one thing. But to get shown up by Yao Yuezhi all over again? Unbearable.

Yao Yuezhi had been gone for ages now, yet she still stared dreamily at the doorway. Was she truly so worthless? Just where did she fall short of that Yao Yuezhi?

Ye Chen finally sensed Luo Bingling's agitation and snapped back to the present. He glanced her way and couldn't help shaking his head with a sigh. The multipliers between them differed by only a thousandfold. But the feedback rewards? Worlds apart.

That sigh from Ye Chen only hardened Luo Bingling's fists further. She cared little for looks or romantic dalliances, her heart fixed solely on cultivation. Yet beside Ye Chen, she always felt every other woman mattered more. The injustice of it left Luo Bingling utterly aggrieved.

At this point, the Dao Cauldron or lack thereof scarcely registered. An obsession had taken root in her heart. She wanted Ye Chen to cherish her above all, not forever outshone by the rest. She recalled how, last time, Ye Chen had pressed to take things further, to claim her completely.

Luo Bingling bit her teeth lightly. She couldn't help but ponder it seriously now. If she let Ye Chen have her fully, would she finally capture his heart for real? No longer eclipsed by anyone else? Would he even dote on her endlessly, pouring out everything for her sake?

Pride and humiliation urged Luo Bingling to yield. But the War God Clan's ancestral precepts held her back, leaving her to waver. As she gazed at Ye Chen now, her expression flickered with uncertainty!