Immortality Starts With Investment

The mention of the Holy Spirit Clan drew astonished looks from everyone. Among the myriad races, the Holy Spirit Clan stood as the most peculiar branch. While other races—regardless of their bizarre forms—arose from parental conception, the Holy Spirits were different.

They were born from heaven and earth's treasure, absorbing vast spiritual qi and the essence of sun and moon over endless ages until spiritual wisdom awakened, allowing them to emerge. They might manifest as a stone etched with mysterious runes, a metal lump gleaming with cold luster, or even a pure elemental form.

In the long river of history, suspicions had arisen of Holy Spirits birthed from immortal medicines. And every Holy Spirit possessed terrifying combat prowess. Few rivals existed at the same realm; cross-realm kills were commonplace.

Before humanity's rise, a Holy Spirit nurtured in chaos from a Nine-Orifice Divine Stone had emerged at a quasi-immortal level, undefeated against all myriad races. At quasi-immortal peak, its body—impervious to myriad laws and indestructible—had outright suppressed a true immortal.

The spectacle had been utterly horrifying. Later, this Holy Spirit ascended successfully, defying the era with absolute might, earning the title of Stone Emperor.

In the Heavenly Emperor's age, a Fire Clan Holy Spirit also ascended smoothly, rivaling ancient emperors in strength, dominating the world, and cowing true immortals.

Though ultimately slain by the Heavenly Emperor—who sustained serious injuries in turn—this underscored the Holy Spirit Clan's fearsome foundation. Nearly every Holy Spirit's emergence defied the heavens.

Moreover, their lifespans were staggeringly long. For any Holy Spirit, ten thousand years marked merely the beginning. Those with especially unique materials could live hundreds of thousands of years—a jaw-dropping reality. If the Holy Spirits had one sole weakness, it was their inability to reproduce; they relied solely on heaven's natural gestation.

Yet this process brimmed with variables, easily disrupted by external forces. Premature emergence from unforeseen causes often left them defective.

At the same time, for cultivators, the Holy Spirits still gestating represented peerless treasures. Upon discovery, nearly all would ruthlessly interrupt the birth process without hesitation.

Thus, the Holy Spirit Clan remained exceedingly rare. To date, recorded members numbered barely a hundred. Those emerging intact at quasi-immortal realm? A mere three or four. Yet each had etched indelible strokes into cultivation history.

...

As astonishment rippled through the crowd, the black light that had smashed before Ye Chen slowly rose. A three-meter-tall, burly frame stood erect—like an ancient stone beast awakening from slumber—radiating an archaic, weighty aura. It regarded Ye Chen with cold indifference, its presence overwhelming. "You are the Heavenly Emperor's heir?"

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Ye Chen lifted his gaze, brow arching. This Holy Spirit resembled an enormous stone gleaming with enigmatic luster. Natural textures crisscrossed its surface like ancient runes embodying heavenly truths.

Seven orifices dotted its body, faintly leaking strange radiance and energy fluctuations. As if linked to heaven and earth by some profound, arcane bond. Its eyes shone like twin radiant gems, dark light flickering. Aura readings placed it at peak semi-saint, same as him.

A Holy Spirit, eh? No longer the naive novice fresh to cultivation, Ye Chen instantly identified the race. An intrigued smile curved his lips.

The Holy Spirit Clan was born from heaven and earth, wholly dependent on fortune. Some required a hundred thousand years—or even a million—to gestate before emerging.

Ye Chen had never expected to encounter one today. Though the figure before him bore defects from premature birth, Ye Chen could sense the astonishing potency of its origin. Yet the other had done nothing provocative. To refine it on sight would be far too demonic.

With that thought, Ye Chen nodded slightly, his expression calm. "Indeed, it is I."

The Little Stone Sovereign lowered his head, gazing at Ye Chen with indifferent eyes. His tone remained flat. "You are an entire great realm below me. Defeating you would bring no glory. I will give you one chance—leave now."

His words triggered an uproar among the crowd. In the cultivation world, it had become a common consensus that enemies needed to lead the Heavenly Emperor's heir by a full great realm merely to contend with him head-on. Even the Celestial Prince—who had burst from divine source—had required that advantage. It had been ages since anyone dared battle the heir at equal realm.

Yet this Holy Spirit clansman disdained Ye Chen's lower cultivation, unwilling to fight. Though it sounded arrogant, it revealed the bone-deep confidence innate to the Holy Spirit Clan. Truly a race favored by heaven and earth, their combat prowess transcended the ordinary. One need only recall the Fire Emperor of the Heavenly Emperor's era—who clashed with the Emperor at equal realm without falling leeward. The clan's terror was evident. Even a deficient Holy Spirit, born prematurely, remained not to be underestimated.

Ye Chen's smile widened at the words. The last to posture so brazenly before him had been the Holy Prince. If he had a grave, the grass atop it would stand meters tall by now. Yet today, another emerged.

"And if I don't wish to leave?" Ye Chen replied with a warm smile.

The Little Stone Sovereign's gem-like eyes chilled instantly. He wasted no further words. His aura erupted like a raging tide, surging to its zenith. Cold light flashed in his pupils, as though lightning streaked through. His form blurred, cloaked in boundless ferocity, charging straight at Ye Chen.

The onlookers stared wide-eyed. The Heavenly Emperor's heir possessed an invincible physique in this generation—nearly peerless. Beings like the Holy Prince had fallen before him in defeat. Yet this suddenly appearing Little Stone Sovereign of the Holy Spirit Clan inspired equal dread.

As he charged, seven divine rings manifested around his body—layering and reflecting one another. They cast him as an awakened ancient mountain god. The essence of sun, moon, mountains, and rivers in this domain cascaded like heavenly rivers piercing Ye Chen's pristine realm, pouring into his stone frame. Fusing with the orifices upon his body, flooding within!

In an instant, vast essence churned through the pristine realm—all transforming into the Little Stone Sovereign's boundless might. With every step, the pristine realm quaked as though struck by a titan. Though merely three meters tall, he now loomed like an invincible giant propping up heaven and earth. Striding forth with overwhelming momentum.

The sight left countless souls shuddering in awe. Those witnessing a Holy Spirit Clan member fight for the first time were struck with heavenly wonder. Even the great powers high in the firmament gazed upon the scene with profound emotion.