Immortal-Exterminating Divine Venerable

"Lord Xiao, what's wrong?"

Seeing Yang Xiao staring at her in a daze, Yue Lingxi grew shy and her face flushed red.

"N-no, it's nothing…"

Yang Xiao averted his gaze.

He pretended to inspect the spoils before him.

He sighed inwardly.

'In the end, I still can't bring myself to trust Yue Lingxi completely. It's not that I doubt her feelings for me, but her identity… it's not as pure as Xue Yi's, Yang Ziling's, or Bing Xin's.'

'If she were to learn my deepest secrets, there would undoubtedly be problems.'

'So, even though this captivating woman has made me open my heart, made me want to accept her, in the end, I have to hold back. I'm just not ready yet.'

"Oh. Well, I'll go see if I can take that Array with us."

The disappointment in Yue Lingxi's eyes was fleeting.

She kept a smile on her face as she began to inspect the Primordial Qi Heaven Suppressing Array.

Yang Xiao was also very interested in this Array.

An Array that could suppress him and Yue Lingxi to the point where they were nearly helpless, leaving them at the mercy of several Magic Tier—and even True Tier—Immortal Cultivators, would be a huge prize if he could claim it for himself.

So, after a quick scan of the Storage Rings revealed nothing of particular value, Yang Xiao emptied them of their Magical Artifacts and Spirit Weapons, feeding them all to the Bloodthirsty Sword. He even had it devour some of the raw minerals and materials.

Only items like Spirit Medicines, Pills, and Cultivation Techniques were kept and placed into a separate Storage Ring.

In a flash, he appeared by Yue Lingxi's side.

"Lord Xiao, look! That's the core of the Array. This whole set is actually made of eighty-one spherical beads. It's extraordinary! I'd say it qualifies as a Treasure Array at the Peak of Ultimate Grade."

Having discerned some of its secrets, Yue Lingxi waved her hand, and at once, nearly a hundred faintly glowing orbs materialized in the void. She spoke with a look of astonishment.

"You're right, it is indeed a Treasure Array!"

Yang Xiao was also rather surprised.

Each of the eighty-one dark yellow beads was a Magical Artifact on par with a Treasure Weapon. When brought together, they were comparable to a Treasure Weapon at the Peak of Ultimate Grade.

In fact, in terms of value, it was even greater.

At the very least, Yang Xiao was certain he wouldn't trade it, not even for a Low Grade Daoist Weapon.

"Lord Xiao, you should take it. This Array can suppress any cultivator below the Great Divine Power Realm."

Yue Lingxi was visibly delighted.

With her experience, she could naturally see that this one Treasure Array was worth far more than all their other spoils combined.

An Ultimate Grade Treasure Array—and a formation type at that—was comparable to the very best Low Grade Daoist Weapon. Even for someone like Yue Lingxi, an item like this was worthy of notice.

However, she wouldn't ask for it.

Instead, she wanted Yang Xiao to have it.

She was wholeheartedly looking out for him.

"No, I've already taken the other spoils. You take this. Besides, with my current cultivation, I wouldn't be able to unleash much of its power anyway."

But Yang Xiao simply shook his head.

'Yue Lingxi may not have exerted much effort in this battle, but without her, things wouldn't have been this easy. What's more…'

'…she treats me with such sincerity.'

'How could I possibly take all the spoils for myself?'

'Not to mention, it really would be of little use to me.'

'This isn't a Lifebound Magical Artifact that I refined myself. To use it effectively, one would have to at least reach the Small Divine Ability Realm to unleash its power.'

'As for Lingxi… though I can't see her true cultivation, based on the power she's shown, she is more than capable of unleashing the might of this Treasure Array.'

"Very well. I'll hold onto it for you for now."

Yue Lingxi thought for a moment and didn't refuse.

A sweet feeling welled up in her heart.

"A Treasure Array like this isn't something those people could have possessed. It must have another owner. We need to be careful with these beads and collect them one by one!"

Yang Xiao pulled Yue Lingxi behind him.

He raised his hand and flicked a finger, striking one of the Treasure Pearls.

Instantly, the Treasure Pearl was knocked out of the Array. With a heavy THUD, it landed on the ground, carving out a large crater.

"So heavy! Judging by the sound, each of these dark yellow Treasure Pearls must weigh as much as a massive mountain! Primordial Qi… I understand. These Treasure Pearls must be Primordial Beads, forged by fusing Earth Vein Qi and Heavenly Phenomena Qi. Otherwise, why would it be called Primordial Qi?"

Yue Lingxi grew even more astonished.

A trace of admiration appeared in her eyes as she looked at Yang Xiao. She knew that if he hadn't acted first, knocking a single Treasure Pearl aside to demonstrate its terrifying nature, she would have carelessly tried to seize all the Primordial Pearls at once.

If she had, even with the protective artifacts on her person, she feared she would have been smashed to pieces by the automatic counterattack of the eighty-one beads.

"They are indeed Treasure Weapons forged by mixing Earth Vein Qi and Heavenly Phenomena Power. Each of these Primordial Pearls weighs an incredible amount. Even without forming an Array, just throwing a single bead would rival the power of a Low Grade Treasure Weapon."

Yang Xiao picked up the Treasure Pearl he had just knocked aside, and his heart sank.

'With something this powerful, how strong must its owner be?'

'They're probably at least at the Great Divine Power Eighth or Ninth Layer, maybe even at the Peak of the Great Divine Power Realm. A figure like that would be on par with my Fire God Clone.'

'The moment they realize their Treasure Weapon has been taken, it would take them no time at all to get here. And with my and Lingxi's current strength, we'd have no hope of dealing with an expert like that.'

"Lord Xiao, maybe we should just leave? There are too many of these beads. The moment we touch one, it's bound to alert their owner. By the time we could collect all eighty-one… I'm afraid they'd already be here."

Yue Lingxi had obviously reached the same conclusion.

Hearing this, Yang Xiao shot her an appreciative glance.

'This woman… she's really quite something.'

'Not only is she thoughtful and considerate of me in every way…'

'…she also understands the bigger picture.'

'She knows how to prioritize and understands the wisdom of making sacrifices.'

'She truly is good material for a Dao companion.'

'It's a shame her background is so mysterious.'

"Lord Xiao, a Treasure Array is wonderful, but if it's too dangerous, we have to let it go. If… if you really want one, I promise I'll find you an even better one in the future."

Yue Lingxi, however, thought Yang Xiao was unwilling to let it go.

After a moment's thought, she couldn't help but try to persuade him.

At this, Yang Xiao just smiled.

"Perhaps for anyone else, the best course of action would be exactly as you said—to let it go and avoid arousing the owner's suspicion. But for me, that's completely unnecessary. Just you watch how I'm going to claim these Treasure Pearls."

Yang Xiao finished speaking with confidence.

As he raised his hand, he shot out a rapid succession of finger strikes.

The remaining eighty Primordial Pearls were struck one after another and sent tumbling down.

The Primordial Qi Heaven Suppressing Array, originally so powerful it could suppress anyone beneath the Great Divine Power Realm, was dismantled in an instant.

Yue Lingxi watched, completely mesmerized.

She had all but forgotten about the Treasure Array's original owner.

All she could think was that the sight of Yang Xiao dismantling a terrifying Treasure Array with a mere wave of his hand was just so incredibly cool.