Immortal-Exterminating Divine Venerable

"You have a way?"

Yang Xiao didn't bother with any pretense and asked point-blank.

"Huh? What way... No, I don't. I don't know how to get near the Profound Sun Secret Realm..."

Ye Hongmei nervously denied it.

A faint smile touched Yang Xiao's lips.

"If you didn't know, how would you understand what I'm asking? You even know it's about the Profound Sun Secret Realm. It seems Ye Qinghan's condition hasn't had a deep enough impact on you."

Yang Xiao laughed coldly.

"N-no..."

Ye Hongmei was so frightened she trembled all over.

Her legs went weak.

She almost fell to her knees again.

But she still denied it.

However, the fluctuations of her Heart Spirit were intense.

One look was all it took for Yang Xiao to know she was lying.

"Looks like you won't tell the truth until I teach you a lesson."

Yang Xiao sneered. With a thought, his Heart Spirit stirred.

A tiny sliver of the Original Poison Gas inside Ye Hongmei's body split off, transforming into a seed of the Life-taking Thousand-leaf Willow and slowly traveling toward her face.

Feeling the strange sensation inside her,

Ye Hongmei instinctively tried to use the energy in her body to destroy the seed.

But as soon as that energy got close to the Life-taking Thousand-leaf Willow seed, a Devouring Power surged out and consumed it.

The seed, which had seemed so tiny, swelled in an instant, splitting into two, then three, and finally five seeds.

This change startled Ye Hongmei.

Her knowledge of the Life-taking Thousand-leaf Willow far surpassed that of an ordinary person.

But she had never heard of it changing like this.

'Isn't the Life-taking Thousand-leaf Willow only supposed to devour flesh and blood for sustenance? How could it...'

Before Ye Hongmei could finish her thought, the five seeds reached her face. Immediately after, the same itching pain that Ye Qinghan had felt appeared on her own face.

She screamed, "No, don't do this! I'll talk, I'm willing to talk!"

But it was too late.

Five willow branches burst through the skin of her face.

Her once beautiful and stunning face was now instantly adorned with five willow branches. The sight was as terrifying as one could imagine.

Ye Hongmei was stunned.

She touched her face and fell stiffly to the ground.

The light in her eyes died, replaced by the color of ash.

Her beautiful face, the thing she cared about most, was gone.

"What? Not willing to talk now?"

Yang Xiao's voice drifted over faintly.

But Ye Hongmei's heart was like dead embers; she didn't even spare him a glance.

'I might as well be dead.'

"It seems what you care about most really is your appearance. Now that it's ruined, you've lost all hope? What if I said I could restore your face? Would you be willing to talk then?"

As soon as he said this,

Ye Hongmei's eyes lit up.

Although she felt Yang Xiao might be lying, she was willing to take the gamble, even if there was only a sliver of a chance.

"Can you really restore my face?"

"Of course. But let me be perfectly clear: this was just a small lesson. If you ever think of playing lying games with me again, I'll make you wish you were dead."

Yang Xiao smiled faintly and pointed a finger.

Instantly, the five willow branches on Ye Hongmei's face dissolved into five wisps of smoke and retracted back into her body. Without those branches—which could devour not just flesh and blood, but even energy—the circulation in her body restored her skin, leaving her face as flawless as before.

She touched her perfectly restored face.

Overcome with ecstasy, she almost burst into tears.

Only after losing something do you realize how precious it truly is.

Besides, Ye Hongmei's greatest asset was her appearance. Ever since her father's death, she alone had supported her branch of the family.

And her looks were her most effective weapon.

That was why she had fallen into despair after Yang Xiao ruined her face with the Life-taking Thousand-leaf Willow.

She had lost the will to live.

Because even if she continued to live, she would no longer be able to protect her current position from those clan members who had long been plotting against her branch of the family.

They would probably swarm her at the first opportunity.

"Now, are you ready to talk?"

Yang Xiao was very satisfied with her reaction.

'The more she cares, the easier she is to control.'

"Fine. I'll talk."

Ye Hongmei composed herself and began, "Didn't I mention before that the higher-ups in the clan intended to use some disciples with poor aptitude as a Blood Sacrifice to open the Profound Sun Secret Realm?"

"Yes. Continue."

A flicker in Yang Xiao's eyes suggested he had already guessed something.

Ye Hongmei didn't hide anything and continued, "Others may not know this, but I learned from an influential Elder that the plan was already carried out. Unfortunately, it failed."

"It failed?"

Yang Xiao was a little surprised.

'Logically, a Secret Realm left by an ancestor shouldn't prevent its own descendants from entering. A Blood Sacrifice should have been enough to open it.'

'If it didn't work, something must have gone wrong.'

"Yes, it failed. The higher-ups were furious because all their efforts were for nothing. But recently, a new rumor has started to circulate."

"What rumor?"

Yang Xiao knew this had to be the key.

"Some Elders believe the Blood Sacrifice was unsuccessful because our Ye Family now cultivates the Immortal Dao, not the Martial Dao. Another point is that the original Ye Family Main Lineage has disappeared, and their bloodline is the purest."

"So you're saying your Ye Family now plans to cultivate a group of disciples in the Martial Dao, or even find the original Ye Family Main Lineage, to use as a Blood Sacrifice to open the Profound Sun Secret Realm?"

"Correct. In fact, they've already started. If you're willing, I can get you into the Profound Sun Secret Realm as a member of my branch of the family. But if you do, you must display your Martial Arts Cultivation, and there's a high chance you'll die inside."

After she finished, Ye Hongmei looked at Yang Xiao with a detached expression.

As if to see if he had the courage.

In truth, if they really did this, she would also be taking a huge risk. If anything went wrong and Yang Xiao's identity was exposed...

...then not only her, but her entire branch of the family would be implicated.

That's why, although she had considered it, she hadn't dared to mention it before.

She was afraid failure would drag her down with him.

At the same time, she was also afraid that Yang Xiao would become angry and embarrassed, not dare to try, and then blame her for it.

But now, under Yang Xiao's coercion, she had no choice but to say it.

And after saying it, she felt a sliver of malicious glee.

'Let's see what you choose!'

Ye Hongmei thought.

But to her utter surprise, Yang Xiao only thought for a moment before saying, "Fine. We'll use this method. But are you sure your people can be recommended?"

His voice was strange, as if it contained some kind of power.

The moment he finished speaking, Ye Hongmei's mind felt muddled, and she subconsciously blurted out, "Of course! My younger brother was already chosen by them. If you show up, you can also..."

She had directly revealed her hidden thoughts.

When she came to her senses, she saw Yang Xiao looking at her with a smirk. Her Heart Spirit trembled, because only now did she realize it.

She had just said the very thing she shouldn't have.

This man...

...was terrifying.

However, at this moment, she wasn't nervous.

'He still needs me,' she reasoned.

'So even though he knows I was plotting, he won't kill me.'

Unfortunately,

she was wrong again.

"You were lying again after all. So, I'm sorry, but you have to die."

As his voice fell, countless willow branches erupted madly from Ye Hongmei's body.

"No, no—"

Ye Hongmei could clearly feel that this poison's activation was different from before, and she screamed.

But Yang Xiao paid her no mind at all.

'She plotted against me time and time again.'

'Did she really think I wouldn't dare to kill her?'

With a thought, the willow branches truly activated.

They began to devour Ye Hongmei's flesh and Essence Qi. In an instant, she began to tremble violently as all of her Essence Qi vanished at a visible rate.

Her entire body started to shrivel. Soon, a perfectly healthy person was reduced to a bloody mist, which finally transformed back into Original Poison Gas and flew into the Ten Thousand Poison Source Pearl.

And Ye Hongmei's existence...

...vanished completely, without a trace.

Dead!