Immortal-Exterminating Divine Venerable

"Next, it's time to break the original owner's brand inside. Lingxi, stand back a little."

Yang Xiao's expression was grave as he picked up one of the Primordial Pearls. He turned his head and spoke to Yue Lingxi.

At this moment, Yue Lingxi was incredibly obedient.

She nodded and, without a second word, moved to a position a hundred zhang away from Yang Xiao.

This distance was neither too close nor too far.

It was far enough not to interfere with Yang Xiao as he broke the Spiritual Brand inside, yet not so far that she couldn't rush to his aid if something happened.

'This girl...'

Seeing this, Yang Xiao could only sigh and shake his head.

He felt even more pleased with her.

And he also felt increasingly guilty.

However, with serious business at hand, Yang Xiao collected himself and pushed all other thoughts aside.

Because the Treasure Array was now broken, its owner would eventually sense it, even if Yang Xiao didn't touch the Spiritual Brand. So, he had to hurry.

"Heart of Time, slow down!"

Yang Xiao drew upon the power of the Heart of Time. It was this very Power of Time that had allowed him to complete the Bloodthirsty Sword's advancement while surrounded by a horde of Immortal Cultivators from the Profound Celestial Sect.

It was precisely because of this ability that he now dared to claim these Primordial Pearls.

Undeniably, having formed the Heart of Time gave Yang Xiao a much greater advantage in everything he did.

It was an absolutely fantastic support ability.

Of course, its lethality was also considerable.

The power of the Heart of Time had also been a major factor in his ability to easily slay two Immortal Cultivators on par with the Great Divine Power Realm.

The same was true now.

After sensing that the Power of Time had truly affected the flow of time inside the pearl, Yang Xiao's Spiritual Power instantly formed a sharp spike and pierced into its interior.

The moment he made his move, the Primordial Pearl in his hand flared with brilliant light.

"What scoundrel dares lay a hand on my Treasure Weapon? The sheer audacity! Die!"

An angry roar erupted from the Primordial Pearl.

Instantly, Yang Xiao saw a middle-aged man in dark azure robes manifest. The man raised his palm, clearly intending to slap him to death with a single blow.

'So you do have the power of a cultivator at the Peak of Great Divine Power. If your main body were here, I might be wary, even turn tail and run. But you think a mere wisp of will, a single Spiritual Brand, can intimidate me? Dream on.'

Yang Xiao scoffed, refusing to back down.

His Spiritual Power instantly formed a spike and surged forward.

It directly pierced the illusory figure.

But the phantom was, after all, formed from the Spiritual Brand of an Immortal Cultivator at the Peak of Great Divine Power Realm. Even with only one-thousandth of the main body's power, it was still comparable to the Peak of Small Divine Power Realm.

Although Yang Xiao's Spiritual Power was formidable, it was obviously impossible to shatter it in a single blow.

And so, the wisp of will remained.

But Yang Xiao had already anticipated this.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have used the Power of Time.

In an instant, he launched several more Spiritual Power attacks.

In what felt like the blink of an eye, he had whittled away seventy to eighty percent of the will.

'One more time should do it!'

Yang Xiao sensed that in the outside world, only a single moment had passed.

He couldn't help but feel a little pleased with himself.

The Spiritual Brand of the Immortal Cultivator, however, was terrified. It couldn't understand why, after what felt like so long, its main body still hadn't sensed anything.

It also noticed that the space it was in felt strange.

But for the moment, it couldn't identify what was wrong.

But it did know one thing: this wisp of its will was most likely doomed.

Thinking quickly, it dropped its previous arrogance and changed its strategy.

"Young friend, we have no grievance between us. Why must we be so hostile? If you just want these Primordial Pearls, I can give them to you. I only ask that you spare my Spirit Will, alright?"

By the end, it wore a desperate, pleading expression.

But Yang Xiao just sneered. Without a word, he struck again.

And shattered it.

'Treating me like some naive kid? To think it could utter such a pathetic lie. If I'd actually believed it and left its Spiritual Brand alone, its main body would probably show up and annihilate me with a wave of its hand. What an idiot.'

Yang Xiao put away the Primordial Pearl.

He then picked up another.

He repeated the process.

With the Heart of Time, it only took him an instant to destroy each Spiritual Brand.

To an uninformed observer, it would look as if he was just casually picking up the pearls. A flash of light would appear inside, then vanish, and Yang Xiao would pick up the next one.

The speed was incredibly fast.

It was as if he didn't even need to bother with destroying the Spirit Wills inside.

In the distance, Yue Lingxi watched, her eyes filled with adoration.

Although she could tell that Yang Xiao must be using some secret technique, and even had her own suspicions based on everything that had happened before, she didn't let her mind dwell on it.

Because Yue Lingxi had no desire to pry into Yang Xiao's secrets.

Even if the secret was immense.

A secret so great it might tempt even a figure as powerful as her own master.

But she wouldn't be.

That was just the kind of understanding and considerate woman she was, after all.

In contrast to the tender scene of one person effortlessly collecting pearls while the other watched with gentle adoration, an angry roar erupted from the most magnificent palace within the mountain gates of the Eastern Domain Profound Celestial Sect, countless miles away.

"Damned junior! You dare take something that belongs to me, Ye Xuanfeng, and you even dare to destroy my Spiritual Brand? You're simply courting death."

The speaker was a middle-aged man dressed in dark azure robes.

He looked almost identical to the figure that had manifested from the Spiritual Brand Yang Xiao had seen earlier.

This was none other than the Great Elder of the Profound Celestial Sect.

A top-tier expert of the continent at the Peak of Dao Tier.

A terrifying existence comparable to the City Lord of Immortal Dao City and in no way inferior to the Sect Leader of the Profound Celestial Sect—Ye Xuanfeng.

"Master, did something happen?"

At that moment, he had been explaining a Daoist Technique to several of his disciples who had also reached the Dao Tier. Coincidentally, this particular Daoist Technique was precisely the one for condensing Primordial Qi—the very technique Ye Xuanfeng was most skilled in.

So, when his disciples saw their master suddenly fly into a rage, one of them couldn't help but step forward and ask quietly.

"Dongge, that's all for today's lesson on Daoist Techniques. There's a problem with the Array over at Celestial Cloud. I must go there now. If you wish, you may come along."

After speaking, Ye Xuanfeng flew out of the palace, his face a mask of fury.

With a single flash, his figure was already thousands of miles away, heading in the direction of Yang Xiao and Yue Lingxi.

As for the young man he had called Dongge, his aura had shockingly reached the Dao Tier, a level comparable to the Great Divine Power Realm. More than that, he was at Taoist Tier Six.

Comparable to Yang Xiao's Fire God Clone.

Yet he appeared quite young, and indeed, he was not old.

He was none other than the most outstanding True Disciple of this generation in the Profound Celestial Sect, Ye Dongge.

His gaze shifted, and he swept a glance over his somewhat bewildered martial brothers before smiling faintly. "My fellow disciples, I wonder, would you be willing to accompany me? We can see for ourselves what manner of person could provoke our master to such anger."

At his words, everyone agreed to go.

Immediately, under Ye Dongge's lead, a group of fifteen people, all of them Immortal Cultivators at or above the Dao Tier, filed out in succession.

They flew at top speed in Yang Xiao's direction.

All at once, the Barbaric Land, which the Profound Celestial Sect usually ignored, suddenly became a bustling place.

But Yang Xiao never expected that the arrival of these people would bring him a huge surprise.