Chapter 329

Chapter 329: The Phoenix’s Rebirth! Still Not an Immortal!

At the Formation Peak, the mood was somber.

The Peak Master, Elder Chen, was a fair and upright individual who had earned the affection of everyone at the summit.

Now, seeing him in such a state, everyone felt disheartened.

“Walking the path of cultivation is truly perilous. Even someone as strong as Elder Chen, a Nascent Soul cultivator, has met such a calamity.”

“However, the Sacred Land has done so much for him, providing countless treasures and even sending him to Mingwang Province for treatment.”

“Indeed, the Sacred Land’s actions give me confidence. It assures me that even if something happens to me, the Sacred Land will not abandon us.”

“Unfortunately, Elder Chen’s injury involves his origin. No amount of treasures can heal him.”

“How many brilliant geniuses have ended their lives in regret due to such injuries?”

“This is the world of cultivation. You never know if tomorrow or disaster will come first!”

“I’ve decided to purchase at least an Earth-grade defensive technique from the Immortal Net Sutra Pavilion.”

“I think it’s better to invest in a top-tier escape technique.”

“With the upcoming mountain-sealing period, and the elders promising no reduction in resources, this is actually a rare chance for focused cultivation for us.”

“By the way, what was that terrifying aura earlier? The moment it appeared, my heart stopped beating. If it hadn’t dissipated so quickly, I, a Golden Core cultivator, might have been directly crushed to death.”

Amid these murmurs, a group of streaks of light descended upon the peak’s summit.

The elder overseeing the summit’s rotation stepped forward but, upon recognizing the arrivals, immediately lowered his head.

“Greetings, Saint Master!”

“Greetings, Supreme Elder!”

“Greetings, elders!”

The Saint Master had emerged from seclusion!

That terrifying aura earlier was most likely from the Saint Master.

No wonder it was so overwhelming.

Ye Chen’s gaze shifted toward Elder Chen’s residence.

Before he could speak, the door to the residence opened from within.

Elder Chen stepped out, his expression warm as he looked at Ye Chen and the other elders.

He hadn’t been truly in seclusion. His worsening injuries had made cultivation impossible.

Unwilling to face others’ pitying gazes, he used “seclusion” as an excuse.

“Greetings to the Saint Master, Supreme Elder, and fellow Daoists,” Elder Chen said with a smile, his demeanor unchanged from before.

However, his once jet-black hair had turned streaked with white, and an air of frailty was impossible to conceal.

It was clear that Elder Chen’s life force was steadily ebbing away.

“I just exited seclusion and came to check on Elder Chen,” Ye Chen said warmly.

He admired Elder Chen, whose excellent mindset promised a brighter future once healed.

Elder Chen felt a warmth in his heart.

In other sects or forces, someone in his condition — deemed beyond saving — would have long been neglected.

After all, a cultivator with no future and a deteriorating cultivation base was as good as a cripple.

But their Saint Master was different.

Even after Elder Chen was declared incurable, the Saint Master didn’t abandon him.

Instead, he continued to provide resources and treasures, including Life Extending Pills.

The trip to Mingwang Province alone had cost the Sacred Land at least 100,000 high-grade spirit stones.

This level of care and effort was unparalleled across the cultivation world.

Thus, Elder Chen felt nothing but gratitude as he respectfully saluted Ye Chen.

“Thank you, Saint Master, for your concern.

“However, I have some matters to report to the Saint Master.”

Ye Chen smiled gently. “Please, Elder Chen, speak.”

Elder Chen looked at his own frail body and let out a bitter laugh.

“After my origin was injured, I did hold onto a sliver of hope, thinking perhaps I might be different and could be cured.

“But after two years, despite the Sacred Land spending tens of thousands of high-grade spirit stones, my condition hasn’t improved in the slightest.

“I’ve come to terms with it and am ready to let it go. I plan to spend the remainder of my days with my Dao companion and, in my spare time, help teach disciples of the Sacred Land.

“As for my position as Formation Peak Master, I must ask the Saint Master to select someone more suitable.

“Additionally, the benefits and resources allocated to me can stop. There’s no need to waste them on me anymore.”

Elder Chen’s voice was steady, but the atmosphere turned heavy.

It was clear he had given up, preparing to quietly await the end.

The elders present all looked sorrowful, and many disciples and attendants of the peak — those who had been guided by Elder Chen — had reddened eyes.

The mood was overwhelmingly mournful.

Ye Chen, however, remained calm as he responded to Elder Chen’s words.

“As for the medical benefits, we’ll follow your suggestion and pause them for now.

“But as for resigning as the Peak Master of the Formation Peak, I won’t approve it for the time being.

“Once I’ve healed your injuries, if you still wish to step down, I won’t stop you.”

Hearing that Ye Chen had agreed to pause the medical benefits, Elder Chen showed a faint smile.

Reallocating those resources to other talented individuals for the betterment of the Sacred Land was a good thing.

But when he heard the latter part of Ye Chen’s statement, he froze.

Several moments of stunned silence passed before Elder Chen smiled bitterly in gratitude.

“Thank you, Saint Master, for your concern. But you’ve already done more than enough. There’s no need to waste further effort on someone like me.” Elder Chen was filled with appreciation, but he also understood the reality of his injury.

An origin injury was incurable — any further effort would only be futile.

The elders who arrived together shared the same thoughts.

Even in ancient times, cultivators suffering from origin injuries could only be saved through extraordinary fortune, influential backing, or by having an immortal intervene to defy fate.

Otherwise, they could only watch as their path to immortality was severed.

Although their Saint Master seemed capable of anything and cultivated at a speed surpassing even the legendary Heavenly Descendants, he was, ultimately, not an immortal.

Ye Chen smiled faintly, offering no explanation, and said simply, “We’ll know if we try!”

In the Sacred Land, Ye Chen’s word was absolute.

Seeing his determination, Elder Chen no longer refused.

“Trying won’t hurt,” he thought.

A genius like their Saint Master, destined to restore the Sacred Land to its ancient glory, shouldn’t waste time on someone like him.

Perhaps, after this failure, the Saint Master would finally let him go.

“Where would the Saint Master like to perform the treatment? How should I cooperate…” Before Elder Chen could finish speaking, Ye Chen raised a hand and pointed at his forehead.

Elder Chen’s eyes widened in shock.

He felt an endless surge of life origin pour into his brow, quickly spreading throughout his body.

The vitality that had been steadily ebbing away suddenly returned, dispelling all traces of decay.

Feeling the incredible transformation in his body, Elder Chen’s heart, previously resigned, reignited with hope.

“What secret technique is the Saint Master using? It’s producing such miraculous effects!”

The life force he had been losing due to his origin injury was actually replenished.

Could it be that even my origin injury might be cured?

His heart began to race uncontrollably.

Despite his outward calm, as a former genius and now an elder of the Sacred Land, he couldn’t truly accept the end of his cultivation path.

With bated breath, he focused his mind inward, examining his origin.

But when he saw its state, his heart sank again.

His origin remained unchanged, still shattered.

His vitality, cultivation, and even lifespan continued to dissipate.

Origin injuries were, after all, incurable.

The greater the hope, the deeper the disappointment.

That was why Elder Chen had given up before. Each failure only deepened his despair.

Ye Chen retracted his hand, signaling the end of the treatment.

Elder Chen sighed bitterly.

“Thank you, Saint Master. I feel much better now. At least my realm won’t fall to the Golden Core Realm anytime soon. But my origin injury remains as it was.

“No one in the cultivation world can resolve such an injury. Please, Saint Master, don’t trouble yourself further on my behalf.”

Elder Chen’s reaction caused the other elders to sigh inwardly.

They had held a sliver of hope, seeing the Saint Master’s confidence.

But now it seemed even his secret techniques were ineffective against an origin injury.

Yet Ye Chen was not disheartened.

His gaze remained on Elder Chen, and he said calmly, “Don’t rush!”

Elder Chen was startled.

The Saint Master still hadn’t given up?

“But…”

Thɪs chapter is updated by Novᴇl_Fire(.)net

Before he could speak further, his body underwent a sudden transformation.

The gentle life origin Ye Chen had imbued instantly turned into golden flames.

Profound and mysterious symbols danced within the fire.

The flames surged and coalesced, forming a golden phoenix that let out a cry resonating through heaven and earth.

In the next moment, the phoenix dove into Elder Chen’s origin.

Endless celestial flames burned fiercely, and his shattered origin began to transform.

Meanwhile, outside, the elders watched in astonishment as golden flames erupted from Elder Chen’s body.

“What’s happening?” they wondered.

Elder Chen’s expression shifted rapidly — from joy to shock to disbelief.

His aura stabilized, then began to climb.

This extraordinary development left the elders questioning reality.

“How is this possible?”

“Could it be… the Saint Master’s technique truly works?”

“But origin injuries are a domain only immortals can touch!”

Their minds raced, but no one dared to speak, their eyes fixed on Elder Chen.

In front of Elder Chen, Ye Chen remained calm, satisfied with the effects of the Secret of the Person Character technique.

The Secret of the Person Character was a supreme holy art inspired by the phoenix’s rebirth, created by one of humanity’s top experts.

Unlike conventional healing techniques that focused on restoration, this technique simulated rebirth, allowing the body to return to its peak state.

That was why Ye Chen was confident it could heal Elder Chen.

However, the Secret of the Person Character’s wonders extended far beyond healing.

If cultivated to its peak, it could restore a person from even a single drop of blood to their strongest state in an instant, making it a nightmare for any enemy.

Most remarkably, each rebirth through the Secret of the Person Character could bring transformation, potentially increasing one’s combat strength.

This was the true terror of the Secret of the Person Character.

Of course, for Ye Chen, who had only just begun mastering the technique, those higher-level effects were still far off.