At this moment, Luo Bingling was truly stunned. The joy she had felt from her perfect breakthrough to the third heaven and achieving the King realm had mostly vanished. Because Ye Chen's cultivation speed was simply too outrageous. She had entered seclusion first.

Ye Chen had probably spent who-knows-how-long fooling around with women before starting his own seclusion. Yet by the time she emerged, he had already reached the mid-stage of the second heaven!

But in the next instant, her emotions shifted from shock to delight. Such rapid cultivation speed could only be achieved with the Dao Cauldron. So the Dao Cauldron was definitely in Ye Chen's hands—confirmed. And that wasn't all. Ye Chen had been able to produce multiple Dao Charm Pills. Those pills required leaves from the Enlightenment Tea Tree as their primary ingredient.

What did that mean? The Enlightenment Tea Tree was most likely in Ye Chen's possession as well. Both were divine objects capable of accelerating cultivation. With both combined, his speed suddenly didn't seem strange at all. If she could obtain both... she would have no weaknesses left. She could suppress the divine sons of her clan and contend for the chance to achieve immortality in this era.

"Did the Minor Space Technique and the Space Divine Stones help?"

Ye Chen asked curiously, wondering if the two had any synergistic effects. After all, he had a full four thousand Space Divine Stones in his possession.

Hearing this, Luo Bingling smiled and nodded. Her purple hair danced as she spoke.

"The Minor Space Technique is already profound enough. Adding Space Divine Stones does provide some benefit, but it's negligible—the increase is minimal. My cave-heaven now spans ten thousand li in both length and width. That's almost entirely thanks to the Minor Space Technique."

When she mentioned the scale of her cave-heaven, a proud look appeared on Luo Bingling's face. The size of a cultivator's cave-heaven was extremely important. A cave-heaven could devour and exhale the world's spiritual Qi, allowing the cultivator to progress faster. It could also house all sorts of spiritual plants and treasures. The higher the spiritual Qi concentration within, the more it could nourish the owner and further accelerate cultivation.

In battle, cultivators could unleash the power of their cave-heaven to suppress enemies. It vastly amplified what had once been mere domain effects in every aspect. But once formed, a cave-heaven could never be expanded again. Therefore, the larger the cave-heaven upon breakthrough, the greater the long-term benefits. A cave-heaven ten thousand li across in both directions was already unimaginable. It would grant Luo Bingling tremendous advantages in her future cultivation.

Ye Chen listened and nodded. As long as the Space Divine Stones were useful, that was enough. As for the effect being negligible? A bit wasteful? That wasn't a problem at all. He had far too many Space Divine Stones on hand.

...

Now safely within the holy land, Ye Chen had little interest in Luo Bingling. After all, a four-thousand-fold critical strike that couldn't trigger was far inferior to a one-thousand-fold that could. On his own Ascension Peak, there were even female cultivators who offered one thousand five hundred times.

So after a brief chat, Ye Chen offered his congratulations and returned to seclusion.

Luo Bingling, who had been subtly twisting her waist in hopes of summoning Ye Chen's hands, froze in place.

What was going on? How could Ye Chen suddenly show no interest in her waist? 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

This caused Luo Bingling—who deeply coveted the Dao Cauldron and Enlightenment Tea Tree—to furrow her brows tightly. Was it because she hadn't repaid him like Yi Qingwu? But last time, she had practically delivered herself to his mouth. He was the one who hadn't taken the bite!

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Luo Bingling pondered this with a deep frown. However, having just broken through, she still needed time to stabilize her cultivation. Moreover, now that she had reached the King realm, her clan would send a batch of top-tier spiritual herbs and flowers to plant in her cave-heaven, enriching its spiritual essence. So she decided she would settle everything first, then properly strategize how to win Ye Chen over. With her strength and charm, it absolutely wouldn't be difficult.

...

On the third realm of the Immortal Path.

The Holy Prince of the Victorious Fighting Ape clan still sat calmly atop the divine peak. At that moment, the monkey who had recently met Ye Chen had hurried back. It lowered its head in reverence and reported.

"Holy Prince, that Ye Chen refuses to return our clan's sacred weapon. He also said he would wait for you to go to him. His attitude was utterly fearless!"

The monkey did not exaggerate—it knew its Holy Prince had a fiery temper. The previous Holy Prince had merely shown a hint of displeasure when the Quasi-Immortal's son revived and seized all the resources. He hadn't dared say anything, only letting his expression sour. In response, the Quasi-Immortal's son had slapped his head into pieces with a single palm. Monkey brains had flown everywhere, and he had barely been saved. The monkey was terrified that if the Holy Prince grew angry, he might get a staff to the face.

Hearing the report, the Holy Prince's stern, face showed no expression. He merely nodded calmly.

"Since he doesn't know how to cherish the opportunity, I will go to him personally later. This fellow can be considered the foremost genius of the human race in this era. He is worth my personal attention! By killing him, I will suppress the prestige of the human race.

"In this lifetime, I will surely achieve immortality. Once I do, I will slaughter every human holy land and aristocratic family. Any human whose cultivation exceeds the Mahayana stage must die! This era, I will not only become an immortal—I will also force the human race back to the lowly position it occupied in history."

The Holy Prince spoke in a flat tone. Yet the monkey below him listened, and its eyes instantly lit up. Most of the myriad races had long been dissatisfied and yearned for a counterattack. If this truly came to pass—if the human race could once again be reduced to slavery—it would be utterly exhilarating.

...

But at that very moment, the divine peak trembled, and golden light burst forth. Amidst the surging mighty aura, traces of an ancient ruin leaked out. Such a commotion immediately drew numerous Kings from the third heaven, their eyes filled with eager excitement.

"Those symbols—they must belong to the ruin of Saint Boyin!"

"Saint Boyin is said to have obtained half of the Stasis Secret back then. His mastery of time laws reached the absolute pinnacle. Rumor has it that the time flow within his cave-heaven could be accelerated up to a thousandfold!"

"The Stasis Secret is the most mysterious among the Nine Secrets. Like the Foresight Secret and the Movement Secret, it involves time—but the Movement Secret governs speed, the Foresight Secret allows foresight, while only the Stasis Secret truly influences and controls time itself!"

"It's said that the complete Stasis Secret can slow or hasten an enemy's actions, even manipulate their personal time, trapping them forever in a state of grievous injury, unable to heal."

"Moreover, if all Nine Secrets are united, they can sublimate into arts beyond immortal techniques. With each secret layered upon the others, one could even traverse space-time directly. Alas, not even the Heavenly Emperor managed to gather them all..."

"A bloody storm is sure to follow!"

The onlookers buzzed with discussion, their voices filled with awe. Among the Nine Secrets, the Stasis Secret was indeed the most enigmatic. Obtaining it would bring boundless benefits for breaking through to the fourth heaven of the Mahayana realm. Many cultivators at the peak of the third heaven grew immensely tempted and drew closer. They waited for the ruin to open.

But right then, a majestic voice rang out.

"All of you, get lost. None of you are worthy of touching this dao lineage..."

The Holy Prince, who had long received word and been waiting here, rose calmly to his feet. It was a simple movement, yet the void twisted and collapsed in waves around him. One could see just how terrifyingly powerful his physical body was. His words were even more domineering—he intended to claim the entire ruin for himself. However, on the Immortal Path, who present wasn't a heaven's chosen? A mere monkey dared to act so overbearingly.

Immediately, a former human genius at the third heaven of the Mahayana realm gripped an Extreme Dao Weapon and shot forward with a thunderous roar.

"A trifling Victorious Fighting Ape—your clan was nearly exterminated by the Heavenly Emperor back then. And now you dare act so arrogantly?"

In the next instant, the man struck fiercely, intent on suppressing the Holy Prince.

The Holy Prince coldly lifted his gaze, a cruel smile curling at the corner of his mouth...