ISWI Chapter 817-818

Chapter 817: The Grandmaster Is Truly Pitiful!

To break through, the grandmaster intended to enter the Land of Fallen Immortals?

At these words, both Fan Qinghe and the sect master stood frozen in shock. The world of cultivation was full of mysteries and contained numerous forbidden zones—places so deadly that even Quasi-Immortals might not emerge unscathed. The Land of Fallen Immortals was one such zone.

Legend held that an ancient war had raged there, claiming the lives of dozens of true immortals. The laws of heaven and earth had twisted in the aftermath, turning the region unpredictable and perilous. Great opportunities lay hidden within, but so did unimaginable dangers.

Many Mahayana cultivators, facing the end of their lifespan with no path forward, chose to gamble everything by entering these forbidden lands. Yet since ancient times, most who ventured in vanished without a trace. Only a handful had ever returned. It was said to be a place of certain death. With merely peak King realm cultivation, the grandmaster would almost certainly perish inside.

The sect master immediately moved to dissuade her. But the grandmaster shook her head. "There is no need to persuade me. I have been trapped at the peak of the King realm for fifteen hundred years—my dao heart is on the verge of collapse. Even if I fall on this journey, I will go willingly."

Toward the end, her alluring, mature apricot eyes—gentle as still water—fixed on Fan Qinghe. "Qinghe, you are truly fortunate to have met the Heavenly Emperor's heir. Grasp this opportunity firmly. One day, forge the Heavenly Desire Immortal Body and completely shatter the limits of the Nirvana Scripture. I will likely never witness it, but if spirits linger beyond death, I will rejoice for you. From now on, take no disciples. Let our Heavenly Desire lineage end here. Spare others from repeating the tragedies that befell me and your master..."

As she spoke these final words, confusion, regret, and quiet relief mingled in the grandmaster's eyes.

The sect master's eyes reddened. Though something felt oddly off to Fan Qinghe, the shared sorrow of cultivating the same flawed Nirvana Scripture stirred her emotions. She could not bear to watch her grandmaster walk to certain death. Yet bringing in one more person... No matter how deeply Ye Chen loved her, he might grow angry.

Fan Qinghe still hesitated. The grandmaster rose gracefully, producing a delicate lantern crafted from pink crystal. With a gentle flick, she sent it floating toward Fan Qinghe.

"This journey will likely be my last. This Heavenly Desire Divine Lamp has been nurtured by me for countless years until it reached the high-grade Extreme Dao weapons. It resonates perfectly with our sect's techniques. It would be a shame for it to be lost to the outside world. Keep it, Qinghe. In the future, take good care of your master for me..."

At these words, tears welled in the sect master's eyes.

Fan Qinghe gazed at the small pink lamp, her heart heavy with complicated emotions and reluctance. Finally, she shook her head and spoke softly. "Grandmaster, do not leave so soon. My Protector has arrived. Perhaps he can help you complete your nirvana and advance further..."

The grandmaster smiled with warm gratification, drifting back to pull Fan Qinghe into a tight embrace. Her exaggerated figure pressed so firmly that Fan Qinghe's small face was completely buried. Only after a long moment did she speak. "I am your grandmaster—how could I possibly take your Protector from you? Besides, you are only at the First Heaven of Mahayana. Even with the vast reserves of the Heavenly Emperor's heir, pushing you to the Third Heaven and fulfilling your transformation will already be immensely difficult..."

"Of course, I am touched that you would offer... Lately, with my end perhaps nearing, I often recall the day your master first brought you back... Everyone was fair and clean, but you were like a child dipped in honey—your skin so delicate it felt like silk. I even licked your little hand once. And truly, it tasted sweet... In the blink of an eye, you have grown up—and are about to surpass me... How wonderful."

With that, the grandmaster prepared to depart once more. The memory stirred Fan Qinghe's heart further. Unable to bear it any longer, she quickly spoke up. Ye Chen's origin is extraordinarily abundant. He should be able to grant you a basic transformation while still fully meeting my needs."

At those words, a spark lit in the grandmaster's apricot eyes. Yet in the end, she shook her head. "If that is the case, then help your master instead. I am old; you two are still young... You are the flowers of the future. The path ahead belongs to you. If you can walk farther, I will smile even in the underworld."

Tears brimmed more fiercely in the sect master's eyes.

Fan Qinghe could no longer hold back. "Grandmaster, Ye Chen's origin is far more abundant than you imagine... It might bring you a pleasant surprise..."

This time, the grandmaster was genuinely tempted, though lingering concerns remained. "But he is your Protector, and I am your grandmaster. Would that not be improper? Would it not make you uncomfortable, Qinghe?"

Fan Qinghe shook her head, yet she could not promise with full certainty. "I am fine, Grandmaster! But I must ask Ye Chen's opinion first. After all, every bit of his cultivation was earned through bitter effort. So please, Grandmaster, do not leave yet. Wait until I have spoken with him."

With that, Fan Qinghe hurried to fly outward.

The grandmaster's face softened with gratified warmth, but she still cautioned, "Your own cultivation is what matters most. I will be all right. Just mention it once. If Ye Chen is unwilling, do not press the matter! Above all, do not upset the Heavenly Emperor's heir because of me..."

These words weighed even heavier on Fan Qinghe's sense of responsibility. In the blink of an eye, she shot beyond the sect gates.

The sect master gazed helplessly at her own master. "Master, are we going too far with this..."

A trace of unease flickered in the grandmaster's apricot eyes. She gave a wry, bone-melting laugh. "You must understand the agony of being trapped in a realm with no hope of a breakthrough. With opportunity right before me, how could I bear to let it slip away... Yet what I said earlier was no lie. If the Heavenly Emperor's heir refuses, I will depart as planned. I have heard that the Land of Fallen Immortals holds strange treasures capable of cleansing the restrictions of the Heart-Seed Demon Nirvana Scripture, allowing one to begin anew!"

Even Quasi-Immortals could perish in the Land of Fallen Immortals. For a mere King like her master, death was all but certain.

Unable to bear the thought of her master falling there, the sect master stared anxiously toward the mountain gate.

The grandmaster nervously twirled locks of her long hair that reached down to her hips. Whether she could advance further now hinged entirely on the Heavenly Emperor's heir's consent!

...

Beyond the mountain gate, as Ye Chen stepped from his immortal boat and descended gracefully, Fan Qinghe threw herself into his arms, her eyes shining with uncontainable joy.

Ye Chen truly loves me. The moment his cultivation reached perfection, the first thing he did was return to her.

Warmth flooded Fan Qinghe's heart. She had, of course, heard about his Sacred Spiritual Root and felt a twinge of envy. Yet no resentment stirred within her. What she had already received was more than enough. Greed might only invite his disdain. Besides, once she achieved the perfect Heavenly Desire Immortal Body in the future, her accomplishments would surely surpass even a Sacred Spiritual Root.

Ye Chen gazed down at Fan Qinghe, a smile curving his lips. It was not merely because of her voluptuous, commanding figure, nor her skin molded from honey—exquisitely smooth—or the sweet fragrance that clung to her like fresh nectar. Rather, a notification chimed from the system in his mind...

Chapter 818: His Love Brings Tears to My Eyes!

"Host has detected a change in multiplier for matched target..."

"Fan Qinghe: 4,000x!"

Ye Chen's eyes lit up at the prompt.

Fan Qinghe had reached four thousand times. Compared to the 2,500x during her Unity stage, it had risen by a full 1,500. As expected, the later transformations yielded greater gains. There remained transformations at the Third, Sixth, and Ninth Heavens—three more in total. By the end, Fan Qinghe might well reach ten thousand times.

Perfect.

Feeling Ye Chen's gaze—burning with unmistakable affection—warmth flooded Fan Qinghe's heart. She clung to him even tighter, their bodies fitting together without a single gap.

Ye Chen truly loves me.

Amid the gratitude, a trace of guilt stirred. He loved her so deeply, yet she still burdened his cultivation because of her master and grandmaster. She was not a good woman at all.

"My cultivation has reached the peak of the Third Heaven—it's becoming difficult to suppress," Ye Chen said. "I came this time precisely to help the divine maiden complete her next transformation. No sense in delaying. Let's begin at once."

He had already noticed Fan Qinghe's hesitation. His divine sense had swept over the sect, catching the anxious expressions of the sect master and grandmaster within—each more mature than the last, each figure more commanding. He could guess their thoughts.

Truth be told, it was exactly what he wanted. His foundation had grown increasingly terrifying. Last time, even the two of them together had not fully drained him. This time, with only two, they might not absorb even a third. Adding a third would be ideal.

This grandmaster of the Heavenly Desire Sect—empty and unfulfilled for fifteen hundred years—would possess astonishing suction and capacity. She would bring him delightful surprises.

Of course, Ye Chen would not mention it himself. He wanted Fan Qinghe to raise it—to plead. That way, gratitude would be maximized, triggering critical rewards. Thus, he acted as though he intended to take her straight to the cave abode for the ritual.

Recalling her grandmaster's look of utter despair, Fan Qinghe remained rooted in place. When Ye Chen turned to her with a puzzled glance, she finally spoke. "Fellow Daoist Ye, do you remember how my master joined us last time for the ritual and completed her transformation?"

Joy flickered in Ye Chen's heart. How could he forget? Mature women truly knew how to care for a man—their skill was unparalleled, offering him profound inspiration. Feigning a frown, he asked, "Does your master wish to join again this time?"

Fan Qinghe hurriedly opened her mouth, intending to clarify that it was not her master, but her grandmaster. Before she could, however, Ye Chen gazed at her with indulgent tenderness and nodded helplessly. "I know you are filial—unlike those other female cultivators. If you ignored your master, your dao heart would suffer, affecting your future path. So let her come. Do not worry about me. My aptitude is exceptional. It will merely take a little more time to recover—nothing serious..."

Hearing him agree so readily out of concern for her dao heart, and then even comfort her in return...

Such profound love brought tears to Fan Qinghe's eyes. But this time, it was not her master. It was her grandmaster.

Shame deepened within her. Yet remembering that without this chance, her grandmaster might truly venture into the Land of Fallen Immortals and perish,

Fan Qinghe lowered her head. Her voice barely rose above a whisper. "This time... it is not my master. It is my grandmaster... She has been trapped at the Third Heaven for fifteen hundred years. Her dao heart is crumbling. She plans to enter the Land of Fallen Immortals... With her cultivation, going there means certain death... So I thought..."

Her words grew fainter, confidence draining away. After all, Ye Chen was her Protector. He allowed her to draw from him only because he loved her. Yet she repeatedly abused that love with unreasonable demands. She had gone too far. She was a greedy, ungrateful woman.

Fan Qinghe kept her head lowered, afraid to meet Ye Chen's gaze. Silence stretched between them...

Before the mountain gate, an awkward hush lingered. As seconds ticked by, her heart sank bit by bit. Worry crept in, then fear. After all, she and Ye Chen were no longer equals—neither in status nor cultivation.

Like many women who feared their successful husbands might stray or abandon them, or like men insecure beside a breathtakingly beautiful partner, dreading a single wrong word might drive her away—Fan Qinghe felt the same. She even carried a trace of inferiority. Terrified of displeasing him and losing his favor.

Moreover, far too many women surrounded Ye Chen. Even her beauty, of which she had once been so proud, paled beside the likes of Lan Nuo, Yao Yuezhi, the little peacock king's mother, and others—no less stunning than herself.

Just as she steeled herself to apologize and withdraw the request, Ye Chen finally spoke. "I am utterly captivated by your beauty and figure... But what draws me most is your heart. Filial piety is a virtue—especially in this cultivation world flowing with greed, dominated by selfishness and arrogance. A filial woman like you shines like a firefly in the dark night, radiant and unmistakable...

"You only ask this to save your grandmaster. How could I ever blame you? Why not include your master as well? If we leave her out this time, she too will one day be trapped at the Third Heaven. You would suffer then—burdened with guilt... And the last thing I ever want is to see you heartbroken. So call them both. We will go to the cave abode together."

His words, tender beyond measure, shattered her composure. Tears welled and spilled down her cheeks, evoking profound pity. It was all because she was too soft-hearted.

"I'm sorry, I—"

Ye Chen gently pressed a finger to her lips and smiled. "You did nothing wrong. You are perfect. Besides, though your master and grandmaster cannot compare to your beauty, they are still extraordinary cultivators... If anyone benefits, it is I. I should be thanking you."

Tears flowed even faster. With so many supreme beauties around Ye Chen, and her master and grandmaster so much older—centuries and millennia his senior—how could he truly desire them? He would likely find it awkward, even dull. His words were only to comfort her.

She opened her mouth to protest, but Ye Chen lightly patted her shoulder. "Hurry and call them. I can hardly wait..."

Fan Qinghe pressed her lips together. He was still trying to reassure her. Saying no more, she first escorted Ye Chen into her cave abode, then went to fetch her master and grandmaster. Both women waited in nervous apprehension.

Seeing Fan Qinghe's tear-streaked face, alarm surged through them. They longed for advancement, yet they would never jeopardize her future. Had Ye Chen grown angry with her?

"Qinghe, go apologize to the Heavenly Emperor's heir at once! We will forgo it!"

"Qinghe, shall your grandmaster and I go with you to apologize? We will explain clearly—we forced you into this!"

Hearing this only brought fresh tears.

"Master, Grandmaster... come with me. He agreed!"

The two froze—not with joy, but concern that he had agreed reluctantly. If it strained the bond between him and Qinghe, they would rather abstain.

Reading their thoughts, Fan Qinghe spoke through soft sobs. "I cry only from guilt... Because... he truly loves me far too much..."