Immortal-Exterminating Divine Venerable

"Damn it! Young Master Yang, be careful!"

From within the void, Ye Dongge had planned to sense the fluctuations from Ye Changsheng's Void-Breaking Talisman and rush over immediately. But in that instant, he discovered that the damn bastard hadn't actually fled.

Instead, he was going after Young Master Yang.

"How utterly despicable!"

But Ye Dongge was powerless to intervene. Activating the Void-Breaking Talisman required time; if Ye Changsheng had been solely focused on escaping, there was no way he could have gotten away.

'Right, Young Master Yang has the Protective Talisman that girl gave him. Maybe…'

A thought occurred to Ye Dongge.

But he saw that Yang Xiao didn't seem to be activating the Protective Talisman at all. Instead, he simply raised his hand and slashed his sword toward Ye Changsheng.

"You're courting death! A mere cultivator at the Peak of Profound Tier dares to fight me, Ye Changsheng? HAHA, you're a dead man!"

Ye Changsheng roared with laughter.

But his attack only grew fiercer.

Even though his aura had weakened considerably, he unleashed his full power.

The force of his killing blow...

...would be difficult for even a Daoist Fifth Level expert at their peak to withstand.

'Damn it! Young Master Yang isn't using the Protective Talisman. He's clashing head-on with that animal…'

Seeing this, Ye Dongge's expression changed instantly.

He threw all other concerns to the wind.

And charged toward Ye Changsheng.

But he was, in the end, a step too late.

Before he could arrive...

...Yang Xiao's sword was bound to connect with Ye Changsheng first.

But, to everyone's surprise...

This sword strike...

...was incomparably brilliant.

It far surpassed the one Yang Xiao had previously unleashed.

It was as if all the bright moonlight in the sky had converged in that single instant.

Slashing toward Ye Changsheng.

This was the very move Yang Xiao had just created: Celestial Moon.

And at this moment, he also used the Heart of Time.

The combination of the two...

...made the move even more powerful.

A brilliant light flashed.

It actually shattered Ye Changsheng's Palm Force and, with the remaining momentum, sliced deep into his shoulder.

At that moment, Ye Dongge also struck.

A palm strike.

Landed squarely on Ye Changsheng's back.

A surge of Vigorous Power erupted.

This expert at the Peak of Daoist Tier Five—Ye Xuanfeng's most prized disciple aside from Ye Dongge—died instantly, right then and there.

Within the span of a breath...

...even his corpse disintegrated into nothing.

"Young Master, that move of yours... it seems to have gotten much stronger."

Ye Dongge was utterly astonished.

He had been certain that Ye Changsheng would easily shatter Yang Xiao's attack, and the subsequent Vigorous Power would either cripple or kill him outright.

But he never expected...

...that Yang Xiao's strike would be an even match for Ye Changsheng. No, it wasn't an even match—it was superior.

Seeing his astonished expression, Yang Xiao just smiled.

He didn't say a word.

This man wasn't his trusted confidant; he certainly wasn't about to expose his secrets.

'Would I tell him that the most important aspect of my Swordsmanship is borrowing and storing power? That the more power I borrow and the longer I store it, the greater its might becomes?'

'That's obviously out of the question.'

'Not unless Ye Dongge cripples his own Immortal Cultivation, recultivates the Martial Dao, and pledges his allegiance to me.'

'Otherwise, I would never tell him.'

'I would never tell him how much Evil Spirit power I consumed for that last strike, or how much I slowed time with the Heart of Time, just to achieve a blow comparable in power to the Daoist Fifth Level.'

'It's a shame. If I hadn't consumed so much energy, these guys would have been enough to raise my Bloodthirsty Sword by a full grade. But now, I'm just a little bit short. If I can just kill one more at the Daoist Fifth Level... no, any Dao Tier Immortal Cultivator will do. Then my Bloodthirsty Sword should be able to advance.'

Yang Xiao sighed inwardly.

But his face remained impassive.

To be honest, his feud with Immortal Cultivators stemmed from a past life. These people here were all puppets of the Lord of Immortal Dao, but Yang Xiao himself had no personal grudge against them.

If they hadn't insisted on appearing before him and acting against his interests...

...he probably wouldn't have been able to bring himself to kill them.

It wasn't a matter of being soft-hearted.

It was a matter of principle.

So, Yang Xiao wouldn't go out of his way to find a Dao Tier Immortal Cultivator just to empower his Bloodthirsty Sword.

If he happened to run into one, of course...

...that would be another matter entirely.

"Next, we're going to the Profound Sun Secret Realm."

Yang Xiao said calmly.

"Good idea. With so many of my fellow disciples dead, Ye Xuanfeng is sure to find out. He might even be on his way here right now. We should leave this place for the time being."

Ye Dongge was also worried. Although the Bloodthirsty Sword had absorbed all the auras in the area...

...he knew his master still had a few tricks up his sleeve.

It might not matter for the others, but people like him and Ye Changsheng had left Life Tokens with their master. Once they died, Ye Xuanfeng could trace the aura of their death and would definitely track them down.

Even if he was far away...

...and the aura dissipated quickly...

...once he locked onto the direction...

...they couldn't stay here.

Yang Xiao understood this perfectly. Without another word, he took Yue Lingxi and Ye Dongge and flew into the sky. Empowered by the Golden Roc True Body and the Heart of Time, his speed was by no means slower than Ye Xuanfeng's.

In fact, it might even be faster.

Sure enough, it wasn't long before...

...a figure tore through the void.

and appeared on the scene.

His expression turned ugly as he took in the empty surroundings, the only sign of life being the wreckage left from a battle.

"Not a single trace of aura left behind, again. But Changsheng's Life Token shattered, so he's clearly dead. It seems I truly underestimated that little thief!"

Ye Xuanfeng gritted his teeth.

At that moment, he still didn't know that it wasn't just Ye Changsheng. All the disciples who had followed him, with the sole exception of Ye Dongge, were dead.

Of course, even if he had known, he probably wouldn't have been any more upset.

In Ye Xuanfeng's eyes, among his many disciples, only Ye Changsheng and Ye Dongge were worthy of his notice. As for the others...

...their deaths meant nothing to him.

So, with Ye Changsheng dead, his thoughts immediately turned to Ye Dongge.

After a moment's hesitation, he took out a Jade Sword.

'Something has happened to Changsheng; I can't let anything happen to Dongge as well. This Ten Thousand Miles Sound Transmission Sword is precious, but there are times when it must be used.'

At this thought, Ye Xuanfeng's Heart Spirit stirred.

He activated the Jade Sword.

In addition to the message he wished to convey, he infused it with a wisp of Ye Dongge's aura.

With this wisp of aura, the Jade Sword could find Ye Dongge even if he were thousands upon thousands of miles away. It was far faster and immeasurably more precious than the ordinary Communication Talismans used to send messages back to the Profound Celestial Sect.

If Ye Dongge weren't his most valued disciple, he would never have parted with this Ten Thousand Miles Sound Transmission Sword.

He performed the technique, and with a SWISH, the Jade Sword tore through the air and shot away.

Its speed was not the least bit inferior to Yang Xiao's—in fact, it was even a little faster.

And so...

...after flying for about half an hour...

...just as Yang Xiao and the others landed...

...the Jade Sword caught up to Ye Dongge.

It landed in his hand.

Before Ye Dongge could even react...

...a brilliant light flashed.

The Spirit Will of Ye Xuanfeng contained within was about to manifest.

'This is bad! If Ye Xuanfeng's will senses Young Master Yang and the others…'

Just then, Ye Dongge, finally processing what was happening and recognizing the object, felt his face fall.

His expression became extremely grim.