Immortal-Exterminating Divine Venerable

"Young Master, aren't we supposed to escape during the chaos?"

Yang Xiao's sudden move surprised even Ye Dongge, who couldn't fathom his reasoning.

"These guys are all my prey. Whether it's the Evil Spirits or these people, they're all excellent nourishment. They can help my Bloodthirsty Sword reliably advance another tier. How could I possibly let them go? Besides, if even one of them escapes, will our plan still succeed?"

However, to his surprise, Yang Xiao just gave a sinister smile.

The Bloodthirsty Sword in his hand.

He slashed out once more.

With a single slash from Yang Xiao, another junior disciple was cut in two.

He then vanished into nothingness.

Ye Dongge's expression changed at the sight.

But it was immediately followed by a cold sneer.

He understood the implications.

"Rest assured, Young Master. These people came to kill us; I won't let a single one of them escape."

The moment the words left his mouth, Ye Dongge shot out a palm strike.

His target was none other than the strongest person to have escaped the encirclement, an expert at Daoist Tier Five.

Given the nature of Evil Spirits, those with stronger auras were more likely to be attacked. However, this person had been staying on the outer edge.

He had also acted decisively. This was the very same person who had declared that if he escaped, Ye Dongge was a dead man.

That was how he had managed to be the first to escape the encirclement.

He had remained unscathed.

But now, he had been targeted by Ye Dongge.

The Void Celestial Flame Palm shot out.

The man's face fell.

"Senior Brother Dongge, have you truly forsaken all bonds of our sect?"

Ye Dongge let out a cold laugh. "Weren't you the ones just accusing me of colluding with thieves to steal the Primordial Pearl? Why are you so eager to talk about sect bonds now? If I let you go, you'll just run to that old man Ye Xuanfeng and put me to death. Do you take me, Ye Dongge, for a fool?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Ye Dongge was upon the man.

He struck with both palms.

One was scorching hot.

The other was bone-chillingly cold.

The conflicting energies tore the man apart, killing him instantly.

But he left the corpse intact, carrying it over to Yang Xiao.

"Young Master, your sword, if you please."

Ye Dongge said with a look of utter reverence.

Yang Xiao did not stand on ceremony. With a light poke from the Bloodthirsty Sword…

…the Daoist Tier Five Immortal Cultivator instantly turned into nothingness.

He was devoured completely by the Bloodthirsty Sword.

After that, the two of them held back.

Everyone else was trapped in the encirclement, locked in a desperate battle with the Evil Spirits.

They were dying and getting injured.

And as soon as they died—be they Evil Spirit or disciple of Ye Xuanfeng—they were devoured into nothingness by the Bloodthirsty Sword, becoming its sustenance.

"Ye Dongge! Are you really colluding with this vile heretic? Do you really intend to betray the sect?"

Seeing this, the leader of the group, an Immortal Cultivator at the Peak of Daoist Tier Five, roared.

He was seething with rage.

'Of all things, their opponents had to be a group of witless Evil Spirits! If it had been a pack of Demon Beasts or Barbaric Beasts, things wouldn't have ended up like this. Those two wouldn't have been able to just pick up the scraps.'

'Especially that brat at the Peak of Profound Tier! He has no real skill, yet he can kill Daoist Tier Cultivators with that terrifying Evil Demon Sword.'

'That treasure is probably no less valuable than the Primordial Pearl.'

'If I could get my hands on it, wouldn't killing Ye Dongge be child's play?'

'But now, I'm the one who's become the prey.'

'Prey caught in a trap, no less.'

'Dammit! To think that I, Ye Changsheng, a man of peerless, heaven-sent talent, am looked down upon by those old fools in the Profound Celestial Sect simply because I'm from a branch family! My talent is far greater than that idiot Ye Dongge's, yet I've had to bow and scrape, acting as his underling. Now that I finally have an opportunity, a justification... am I really going to die here at the hands of these Evil Spirits?'

Resentment was written all over Ye Changsheng's face.

Ye Dongge, however, didn't even spare him a glance.

'He had always been aware of the man's ambition.'

'Fortunately, Young Master Yang wanted them dead. No matter how ambitious he was, this was the end of the road for him.'

At this moment, Ye Dongge was suddenly overcome with a sense of relief.

'He felt that following Yang Xiao had been a truly wonderful decision.'

'Otherwise, given Yang Xiao's methods, his own fate probably wouldn't have been much better than theirs. He might have ended up as nourishment for that Treasure Sword as well.'

'From now on, I must be even more deferential to Young Master Yang. It's the only way I'll truly earn his trust.'

Ye Dongge's resolve hardened.

Before, his deference toward Yang Xiao stemmed from his inability to discern his origins; he was too mysterious, and Ye Dongge wanted to take a gamble.

But now, having witnessed his vicious methods…

…Ye Dongge wouldn't dare entertain any ill intentions toward Yang Xiao.

But just because he didn't dare…

…didn't mean someone else wouldn't.

Ye Changsheng and the others were struggling under the siege of the Evil Spirits.

Among these Evil Spirits were three that were comparable to Daoist Tier Seven. Even Ye Dongge would have been forced to flee. Though the disciples were numerous…

…the Evil Spirits were more so.

After a battle of attrition that killed over twenty Evil Spirits, only one of Ye Xuanfeng's dozen or so disciples was left standing.

Ye Changsheng.

Now, even Ye Changsheng was at his limit.

Worse, with Ye Dongge watching, he couldn't even think of escaping.

Despair welled up in his heart.

Along with a burgeoning hatred.

'My downfall today is all because of that beast, Ye Dongge! It's a travesty. My talent is peerless, yet that animal has cornered me here!'

'No, I can't let him have it so easy…'

Amid his despair, Ye Changsheng's eyes filled with venomous hatred.

His gaze flickered to Ye Dongge before settling on Yang Xiao.

'A thought stirred in his mind: 'This young man's cultivation isn't weak, but that Treasure Sword in his hand is extraordinary. What's more, the Primordial Pearl is with that woman, not Ye Dongge. From the looks of it, Ye Dongge is probably just a subordinate to those two. If I kill one of them, I wonder if it will spell disaster for Ye Dongge?''

At this thought, Ye Changsheng's eyes lit up.

With more than twenty Evil Spirits still closing in, he didn't have much time to consider.

He recalled Ye Dongge's earlier attitude toward Yang Xiao.

And made his decision in an instant.

A Jade Talisman appeared in his hand.

"Not good, it's a Blast Talisman! That kid actually earned our Master's favor and was given a Blast Talisman! Young Master, we should fall back!"

Ye Dongge cried out the moment the Jade Talisman appeared.

But before he could lead Yang Xiao away…

…Ye Changsheng produced another, cyan-colored Jade Talisman.

"Huh? He has a Void-Breaking Talisman too? This is bad, Young Master! Ye Changsheng is trying to escape! Get clear, I'll go after him! I have a Void-Breaking Talisman as well."

Ye Dongge grew anxious.

If Ye Changsheng managed to escape…

…and told Ye Xuanfeng about his alliance with Yang Xiao, his own fate would be grim indeed.

He knew that the Profound Celestial Sect had a Secret Technique for searching a person's Divine Soul for memories. When that time came, no amount of denial would do him any good.

Death would be the only outcome.

And Ye Dongge had no desire to die.

So, the moment he saw Ye Changsheng activate both the Blast Talisman and the Void-Breaking Talisman, he shot into the air and began to carefully sense his surroundings.

Meanwhile, Yang Xiao and Yue Lingxi…

…had already retreated a good distance, staying clear of the Blast Talisman's range.

It had to be said, the Blast Talisman crafted by Ye Xuanfeng was incredibly powerful. It held nearly the same destructive force as a full-powered strike from an expert at the Peak of Dao Tier. Though the twenty-odd Evil Spirits were strong…

…they had also been greatly weakened.

Caught in the talisman's explosion, they were all killed, dissolving into streams of Evil Qi.

All Yang Xiao had to do was brandish his Bloodthirsty Sword to draw it all in.

However, just as he drew the Bloodthirsty Sword, a figure appeared before him.

Face twisted in a savage snarl and radiating killing intent, the figure struck out with a palm, unhesitatingly aiming to take Yang Xiao's life.

Who else could it be but Ye Changsheng?