ISWI Chapter 717-718

Chapter 717: Cave-Heaven Shattered!

Fourth Realm of the Immortal Path.

With the arrival of the Little Peacock King, two Heavenly Demon Semi-Saints, and Yao Yuekong, another fierce battle erupted. Though the Little Peacock King had only just broken through to early Fourth Heaven, with the five-colored divine light at his command, its effects were extraordinarily profound. Even facing a peak Semi-Saint, he held his ground without showing defeat. Every dao and law he wielded was mastered to perfection.

For a time, light of five colors flashed, explosions thundered without end. He fully displayed the bearing of a supreme genius. But while he could stall one, the two Heavenly Demon Semi-Saints could not. One mid, one late—they were completely outmatched, beaten down relentlessly. Faced with the phoenix flames that seemed to incinerate everything, they could only dodge. Death seemed imminent at any moment.

But at that instant, a portal opened at the secret realm's entrance. A delicate figure in a white dress, graceful as a willow in the wind, shot out. The girl was incredibly fast. She charged straight at the Undying Celestial Phoenix Semi-Saint about to deliver a killing blow, and threw a punch. Her fist was tiny—one slightly larger hand could completely envelop it.

Yet the Semi-Saint's expression changed drastically. He could feel the terrifying power hidden within that willow-like body. He immediately tried to evade. But she was too fast—he couldn't dodge. Then he realized what was wrong. It wasn't that he was too slow. It was that the flow of time around him had been altered.

"The Stasis Secret!"

The Semi-Saint reacted instantly. In that moment, phoenix flames covered his entire body. Divine fire surged, burning fiercely, purging the strange power affecting his surroundings. The Stasis Secret no longer influenced him. But the girl had already seized the opening. She appeared before him, and her jade-like little hand smashed down. Half the Semi-Saint's head exploded without the slightest resistance.

The scene made everyone's brows shoot up. The Heavenly Demon Body's physical strength was indeed terrifying. But in the next instant, divine flames blazed, and the Semi-Saint's head regenerated perfectly. A cold sneer appeared on his face. "That all?"

The next moment, endless divine fire transformed into a true phoenix, crashing toward the girl. The girl was, of course, Yao Yuezhi. Her expression was grave, tinged with regret. She had already gained initial mastery of the Stasis Secret. Worthy of its reputation as one of the Nine Secrets' supreme arts. It was extraordinarily powerful. But unfortunately, she only had a fragment—less than a tenth of its true effect.

The opponent's Celestial Phoenix flames easily dispelled its influence. This left Yao Yuezhi able to use the Stasis Secret only on herself, barely holding her own against a peak Semi-Saint. They wanted to escape while they still could, but discovered the entire void had been sealed. There was no way out.

The Little Peacock King was tying down one. Yao Yuezhi was stalling another. The remaining one was facing two alone. But the Undying Celestial Phoenix Clan was practically royalty among the myriad races. Their bloodline was truly apex. Even if these three weren't the clan's most terrifying geniuses, their combat power was monstrous.

The one fighting two on one quickly beheaded one of the Heavenly Demon Semi-Saints with divine fire, burning both body and soul to ash. The last remaining Heavenly Demon Semi-Saint was no match either. As for Yao Yuekong, a mere Third Heaven King, he was completely useless here.

The trio's terrifying might turned Yao Yuezhi and the others pale. They were genius. At equal realm, even against the Undying Celestial Phoenix Clan, they were confident they could win. But they were two minor realms apart. Holding on was already their limit. If the third freed himself, all hope would be lost. And now the void was sealed—they couldn't escape.

Yao Yuezhi instantly transmitted: everyone retreat into the secret realm! But at that moment, the last Heavenly Demon Semi-Saint was engulfed in divine fire, unable to flee. A heart-wrenching scream rang out as he turned to ash in the blink of an eye. Yet the now-free Undying Celestial Phoenix Semi-Saint did not join his comrades. Instead, he sneered and turned toward Yao Yuekong.

"A lowly ninth-rate clan like the Heavenly Demon Clan—before the Heavenly Emperor's era, you weren't even qualified to sit at the main table of our Undying Celestial Phoenix banquets. Let alone in the Heavenly Emperor's era, when even the Prince's attendants were princesses of various clans. Your clan was granted this honor, yet you dared refuse? Your entire race will be exterminated in the future!"

Laughing coldly, he reached out with a flaming hand toward Yao Yuekong. The gap between them was more than a major realm. If caught, Yao Yuekong would die without a doubt.

Yao Yuezhi's jade-green eyes blazed with fury. She instantly moved to save her brother. Though she had bullied him since childhood, their sibling bond was genuine.

Just as Yao Yuekong had rushed here without hesitation despite his weakness, she could not watch her brother die. She truly was grateful to Ye Chen for sparing him. But the moment she tried to rescue him, her opponent blocked her path.

Wreathed in divine flames, he guarded against her Stasis Secret, face full of mocking laughter: "If we weren't keeping you alive as bait for the Heir of the Heavenly Emperor, you'd already be dead. And you still think you can save someone else? Since you refuse to be the Prince's attendant and chose to betray him, watch closely as your brother and your entire clan perish because of you!"

Yao Yuezhi clenched her silver teeth, determination flashing in her eyes. In the next instant, a cave-heaven portal opened behind her with a boom, swallowing her opponent and temporarily trapping him. Then she pushed the Stasis Secret to its limit, her speed reaching the absolute extreme.

In the nick of time, she grabbed Yao Yuekong and hurled him into the secret realm. But Yao Yuekong, who had narrowly escaped death, felt no relief. Instead, his eyes bulged, bloodshot with horror: "Yuezhi, your cave-heaven…"

The Little Peacock King on the side panicked as well. Using one's cave-heaven to trap an enemy could buy a moment, but it risked catastrophic retaliation. If the cave-heaven shattered, Yao Yuezhi would fall back to the Second Heaven of Mahayana, her future ruined—she would never break through again.

Yao Yuezhi forced a smile. "It's fine. Inside my cave-heaven, I used the Stasis Secret stele as the core and set up a peerless killing array. I'll release it now—no damage will be done."

But the next moment, her face went deathly pale. Her cave-heaven trembled violently. Mountains collapsed, earth split, divine fire ravaged everything… Because the killing array inside her cave-heaven had never been completed. It could only hold the enemy for a few breaths.

Yao Yuezhi helped the Little Peacock King retreat into the secret realm as well, while desperately trying to recall her cave-heaven. When it finally retracted and the three hid inside the secret realm, the three Undying Celestial Phoenix Semi-Saints did not pursue. They only watched with cold sneers.

Yao Yuezhi's face was ashen. She heard the sound of collapse within her body. In the next instant, her realm—which had only just reached Semi-Saint a little over a year ago—plummeted explosively.

Chapter 718: The Qiankun Cauldron!

Sensing Yao Yuezhi's aura plummeting wildly, the three Undying Celestial Phoenix Semi-Saints outside the secret realm sneered. Undying Phoenix Fire could incinerate everything in existence. For Yao Yuezhi to dare trap one of them inside her cave-heaven was suicide. The divine flames raged within, no longer merely damaging it, but turning the entire thing into ruins.

Losing her cave-heaven also meant Yao Yuezhi's path to immortality was forever severed. But in the trio's eyes, she was already dead. Whether she had a future or not no longer mattered. The fact that she and the others had even managed to retreat into the secret realm was only because the three had held back. If not for needing to lure Ye Chen, Yao Yuezhi would never have escaped.

…

Inside the secret realm, Yao Yuezhi's face was deathly pale. Her cave-heaven had spanned ten thousand li—an extraordinary scale, top-tier even among geniuses. Yet now even its core was shattered beyond recognition. This was no longer a simple breakage.

Yao Yuekong's eyes were bloodshot. "Yuezhi, don't panic. Even if a cave-heaven is damaged, it's not incurable. The Divine Silkworm Clan possesses a high-grade Extreme Dao weapon, the Qiankun Cauldron. It's said to have been forged from Creation Spirit Liquid. The Qiankun Cauldron can absorb origin essence from other cave-heavens to repair its own. This time, when we get back, we'll go to the Divine Silkworm Clan. No matter the cost, we'll borrow it once and restore you. You can absorb my cave-heaven. My talent is ordinary anyway. Becoming a Saint is already my limit. Stalling my cultivation is no loss."

Yao Yuekong truly cherished his sister. But Yao Yuezhi looked inward, her face still bloodless, yet her voice carried a strange calm. "It's useless. Even the core of my cave-heaven is destroyed. This isn't something that can be repaired anymore. It can only be reforged. To reforge a cave-heaven requires Creation Spirit Liquid, but that has long vanished from the cultivation world. The only way is to use the Qiankun Cauldron as the new core. But how tightly does the Divine Silkworm Clan guard it? Even offering a supreme Extreme Dao Weapon, they wouldn't trade. So forget it. This is fine. Besides, our clan's Semi-Saints are nearly all dead. Who would come to save us? Whether we even survive this is unknown."

Hearing her words, Yao Yuekong's spirits sank as well. The Undying Celestial Phoenix Clan truly was terrifying. Few dared provoke them. In the Ancient Desolate Era, the Undying Celestial Emperor had suppressed true immortals of every race and founded the Celestial Emperor Divine Dynasty. That had been their most glorious age. Even after the human race rose and the dynasty collapsed, their foundation remained horrifying. And with the Undying Celestial Emperor's own son still alive, no one dared cross them. Thus, it was almost impossible for any more Semi-Saints to come to the Fourth Realm for a rescue.

Yet Yao Yuekong refused to give up. Hope shone in his eyes. "There's always a chance. Like… that brother-in-law. He once gifted you something as precious as the Stasis Secret. If he learns you're trapped, he might come to save you. If we can hold out until he arrives, we might be saved. Once we escape, I'll beg the ancestor. We'll offer any amount of resources to the Divine Silkworm Clan to borrow the Qiankun Cauldron. Your immortal path isn't necessarily over."

Hearing this, Yao Yuezhi helplessly shook her head. She had already guessed why the three Semi-Saints outside weren't attacking the secret realm. They were most likely waiting for Ye Chen. But as long as Ye Chen wasn't stupid, he would see it was a trap. And the opponents were three apex Undying Celestial Phoenix Semi-Saints. Most importantly, she and Ye Chen had only met once. Would he really come to save her? She held no hope.

On the other side, the Little Peacock King, bathed in five-colored divine light as he healed, curled his lip in a cold sneer.

"That Ye Chen definitely won't dare come. And even if he did—so what? When I last saw him, he was only late Second Heaven. Who knows if he's even reached the peak yet? He's strong, sure—he can leap realms to kill. But leaping two full heavens against peak Fourth Heaven opponents? Even if the Heavenly Emperor himself revived, he'd die if he came. So stop dreaming. Better hope my Peacock Clan sends reinforcements. I'm their once-in-a-generation genius. The patriarch won't abandon me. Yao Yuekong, you're really pathetic—'brother-in-law' rolls off your tongue so easily. Shameful."

After arrogantly finishing, the Little Peacock King returned to seriously adjusting his condition. He was different from Yao Yuekong. Back then he had only done it to survive—forced by circumstances. He had never accepted Ye Chen, never submitted. So he could still look down on Yao Yuekong for instantly crying "brother-in-law" at the first sign of trouble.

…

News of the Little Peacock King and the others being trapped spread rapidly. The Peacock Clan was shaken. But the patriarch and several clan elders ruthlessly suppressed all voices.

"The Undying Celestial Phoenix Clan must not be provoked. And that Celestial Prince may have already awakened. The coming Final Law Era—no one knows how long it will last. We must preserve our living strength and steadily accumulate power, not wage war against the Undying Celestial Emperor's clan. So, for the survival of our race. We abandon the Little Peacock King if we must. He didn't listen to advice."

The elders all nodded. To the myriad races, the Undying Celestial Phoenix Clan was the one to fear most. Without the threat of clan extermination, no one wanted conflict with them. But one elder worried, "What if Saint Yan returns and is unhappy about this?"

The patriarch waved a grand hand. "This is for the clan. I will speak with her when the time comes!"

Thus, the Peacock Clan decisively abandoned their generation's supreme genius, the Little Peacock King.

…

When the Heavenly Demon Clan received the news, they panicked even more. Yao Yuezhi's cave-heaven was suspected to be severely damaged. Yao Yuekong was useless. Most critically, the clan no longer had a single Semi-Saint left. Even if they did, it would be pointless. They couldn't keep sending people to die.

As for begging for aid? No one would offend the Undying Celestial Phoenix Clan for the Heavenly Demon Clan's sake. Thus, the Heavenly Demon Clan could do nothing. Only a crowd of experts waited anxiously at the transmitted entrance, praying for a miracle.

…

In short, the immortal city was abuzz. The area around the Immortal Path was packed with onlookers. They were all waiting for one person.

Ye Chen.

Everyone knew the Undying Celestial Phoenix Clan's style best. If they wanted to settle scores and punish, they wouldn't target only Yao Yuezhi. The Heir of the Heavenly Emperor was surely on the list too. But the question was—would he come?

And so, under the hopeful gazes of the few from the Heavenly Demon and Peacock Clans, a majestic bronze ancient war chariot, wreathed in divine flames, came to a halt outside the immortal city. A tall, dashing figure—domineering and extraordinary—stepped down from the chariot, a tiny-waisted war goddess at his side.

In that instant, the entire immortal city shook. The Heir of the Heavenly Emperor had actually come…