Immortal-Exterminating Divine Venerable

"Hm? This aura!"

Yue Lingxi had just finished setting up the Nine-Nine Returning Array. Before she even had a chance to test it, she felt a terrifying aura approaching from the distance.

Her expression changed instantly.

She could tell that it was an aura from someone at or above the Great Divine Power Realm.

An aura possessed only by Daoist Tier Cultivators of the Immortal Dao.

'He's probably just passing by. Otherwise, why would he be so brazen, making no effort to conceal his aura?' Yue Lingxi thought to herself.

But then, an arrogant, cold voice echoed from outside.

"Come on out! Even with the Primordial Pearl, a minor Magic Tier character and an even lesser Profound Tier one are no match for me. Come out obediently. It would be a shame if you damaged the Primordial Pearl and made me angry; that would be... unpleasant."

The condescending voice belonged to none other than Ye Dongge.

He hovered in the air, not even deigning to look directly at Yue Lingxi and Yang Xiao in the valley below.

Clearly, in Ye Dongge's eyes, the two of them were beneath notice.

But he certainly had the strength to back up his arrogance.

Peak of Daoist Tier Six.

With his special techniques, even some experts at Daoist Tier Seven might not be his match. And in this valley? There was merely a Magic Tier Two cultivator and another, even more pathetic, only at the Profound Tier. Though the latter's aura was rising, it was only approaching the Peak of Profound Tier.

'What's the use of that?'

If not for the aura of the Primordial Pearl and the array they had laid, Ye Dongge would have suspected he had come to the wrong place.

'These two killed all those people?'

'And stole the Primordial Pearl?'

'It's utterly unbelievable.'

'Still, this is a good thing, isn't it?'

A smug, arrogant smile spread across Ye Dongge's face.

'This guy! He actually dares to look down on me!'

In the valley, Yue Lingxi's face paled with anger.

She was the Holy Palace Saintess, after all. Normally, even the most talented and arrogant individuals wouldn't dare be so insolent in her presence. But this guy...

'A mere Immortal Cultivator, not even a True Immortal, dares to act so pretentiously before me? He's courting death!'

Infuriated, Yue Lingxi felt the urge to slap Ye Dongge out of existence.

But as she went to channel her power, she remembered.

Her true cultivation was sealed. All she could currently wield was the power of the Small Divine Power Second Layer. Even adding her mastery of the Sword Dao and her internal Taiyin Qi, the most she could handle was an expert at the Peak of the Small Divine Power Realm.

She could barely manage to fight an opponent at the Great Divine Power First Level.

With the newly acquired Primordial Pearl and the Nine-Nine Returning Array, she might even have a chance to kill someone at the Great Divine Power First Level. But this man...

'He's at Daoist Tier Six, comparable to the Peak of the Great Divine Power Sixth Layer!'

Yue Lingxi's heart sank.

She subconsciously glanced at Yang Xiao, who was in the middle of his breakthrough.

Biting her lip, she thought, 'No matter what, I have to hold out until Lord Xiao finishes his breakthrough. I can't let anything affect him. If it comes to it, I'll just have to use one or two of the life-saving treasures Master gave me. Compared to the Profound Sun Secret Realm, Lord Xiao's life and death are far more important.'

With this thought.

Yue Lingxi's expression grew calm again. She looked up at the condescending Ye Dongge without a word, focusing her entire being on activating the Nine-Nine Returning Array.

The Nine-Nine Returning Array was formed from eighty-one Primordial Pearls.

Its greatest feature was its ability to condense eighty-one disparate streams of power into a single point.

It was a true Super Divine Level Array.

Once truly unleashed, its power would be far greater than that so-called Primordial Qi Heaven Suppressing Array from before.

Of course, with Yue Lingxi's current strength...

...she could probably only unleash thirty percent of the Array's full power. Reaching its full potential was likely impossible for her.

'Even at just thirty percent, it should be enough to hold this guy off for a while, right? It has to be...'

Yue Lingxi wasn't so sure.

Meanwhile, high above, Ye Dongge was growing impatient.

"What? You intend to resist?"

Ye Dongge's tone was dismissive.

At the same time, a thought crossed his mind.

'Could there be someone more powerful backing them? Perhaps that's the one who stole the Primordial Pearl and killed the guards at the outpost. If I recall correctly, there were two Inner Sect Elders at the First and Second Layers of the Daoist Tier stationed there. There's no way these two could have killed them.'

With that thought.

Ye Dongge grew even more anxious to act.

"Since you refuse to do this the easy way, you'll do it the hard way! Don't blame me for being merciless. Take this—Void Celestial Flame Palm!"

With that, he raised his hand and struck, sending a crimson, fiery palm seal hurtling down toward the valley.

He intended to end this quickly.

He didn't want some other expert showing up and causing complications that would ruin his plans.

Therefore, he held nothing back with this strike.

He used his full power.

'Damn it! He's using his full power right from the start! How am I supposed to block this?'

Yue Lingxi was stunned.

However, after taking a deep breath, she resolutely activated the Nine-Nine Returning Array. Instantly, a third of the Primordial Pearls burst forth with a dazzling, dark yellow radiance.

At the same time, the power within those twenty-seven Primordial Pearls converged completely.

It formed a massive, ocher-colored fist.

BOOM! It shot upward, rushing to meet the incredibly solid Void Celestial Flame Palm Seal. The fine lines on the palm's surface, which looked like palm lines, were in fact minuscule Secret Patterns.

BANG!

The two attacks collided.

The impact sent tremors through the void.

In the end, however...

...both forces ground against each other and dissipated into nothingness at almost the same time.

'I blocked it?'

Yue Lingxi's face was a little pale, and fine beads of sweat dotted her forehead.

But seeing this...

...she sighed in relief.

Ye Dongge's expression, however, changed completely.

'She blocked my Void Celestial Flame Palm using only the power of the Primordial Pearl?'

But he quickly broke into a smile.

'That power came entirely from the Primordial Pearl. The girl's own strength was merely a catalyst; it barely played a role. Does this mean the Primordial Pearl is even more powerful than the old fossil claimed?'

Ye Dongge's eyes lit up.

His desire for the Primordial Pearl below grew even more intense.

He raised his hand and sent down another Void Celestial Flame Palm.

This time, Yue Lingxi had a bit more confidence. Though channeling the power of the Primordial Pearl was draining, she could still manage.

So once again, she converged the power of twenty-seven Primordial Pearls to strike the Void Celestial Flame Palm.

But seeing her exert herself so much...

Ye Dongge grinned slyly. "You fell for it! Void Celestial Flame Dharma Body, appear!"

With a sharp cry, a crimson light flashed from his body.

A being that looked strikingly similar to him appeared, one clearly formed from pure Fire Elemental Power. At a glance, it bore some resemblance to Yang Xiao's Fire God's Divine Split.

But the aura it exuded was incomparably terrifying.

In a flash of movement,

it bypassed the Nine-Nine Returning Array and entered the valley.

It raised its hand and reached out to grab Yue Lingxi.

'What a despicable bastard, using a Dharma Body? How shameless!'

As Yue Lingxi saw the figure advance,

the color drained from her face.

She had just expended a great deal of energy activating the Nine-Nine Returning Array to block the Void Celestial Flame Palm.

She never imagined Ye Dongge would resort to such a tactic.

Now, there was no way for her to dodge, even if she wanted to.

'What do I do?'