Immortal-Exterminating Divine Venerable

'Golden Roc Secret Pattern... It seems that Old Hairy was really something else. To fuse two Secret Patterns so completely... even I couldn't have managed that.'

He was reflecting on the advancement of his Golden Roc True Body.

Yang Xiao couldn't help but feel a surge of complex emotions.

Back then, when he had been rivals with the ancestor of the Golden-winged Roc Clan—the very first Golden-winged Roc in all existence—he had never been able to get the upper hand.

Of course, that guy couldn't get the upper hand on him, either.

In his first life, Yang Xiao's offensive power could be said to have reached the absolute pinnacle; even a Great Emperor might not have been his match in that regard.

Likewise, the ancestor of the Golden-winged Roc—the one Yang Xiao called Old Hairy—had evolved his speed to its absolute limit, surpassing even Great Emperors.

And so, though the two of them fought for many years, neither could ever defeat the other.

Back then, Yang Xiao had been quite frustrated.

'How could that Old Hairy be so slippery, so damn fast?'

He never imagined that in this life, he would have to rely on that guy's fused Secret Pattern to escape.

At the same time, he finally understood what made the old roc truly formidable.

The fusion of Secret Patterns.

'My True Greater Yang Fire is a fusion of the Nine Yang Secret Pattern, the Star Secret Pattern, the Greater Yang Secret Pattern, and the Fire Secret Pattern. That counts as a form of Secret Pattern fusion, but it's clearly not as complete as Old Hairy's. His has already formed a completely new Secret Pattern. In that respect, I'm inferior to him.'

'However, I still have a long road ahead of me. I may be inferior now, but that won't necessarily be true in the future.'

Yang Xiao smiled faintly.

He stood up.

With a sudden WHOOSH, a pair of golden wings materialized behind him—the wings of the Golden Roc True Body, now that it had advanced to the Great Divine Power Realm.

They were filled with a profound aura.

Even without moving, the wings seemed to have already merged with the void.

With just a gentle flap,

he could probably travel thousands, even tens of thousands of miles.

At the same time, Yue Lingxi's gaze shifted to him.

Seeing the distinctly different Golden Roc Wings, her beautiful, large eyes instantly lit up with a smile.

But before she could ask,

an incredibly terrifying aura slammed into them from the outside.

It brutally bombarded the Cold Jade Divine Palace.

The Cold Jade Divine Palace, which had been relatively calm, began to shake violently.

Caught off guard, Yue Lingxi coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Her face went deathly pale.

Yang Xiao's expression changed. In a flash, he was in front of her.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm fine. They nearly shattered the Cold Jade Divine Palace's defenses, and my Heart Spirit was injured. It must have been that old scoundrel Ye Donghuang attacking again. Lord Xiao, open the Profound Sun Secret Realm now!"

Yue Lingxi's expression was urgent.

Yang Xiao nodded.

"Alright."

With that, he took out the Profound Sun Order.

The True Greater Yang Fire within his body instantly poured into it.

The Profound Sun Order began to glow brighter and brighter.

The entire Cold Jade Divine Palace was illuminated by its light.

It emitted a dazzling radiance.

Outside, the expressions of the Immortal Cultivators besieging the Cold Jade Divine Palace all changed.

This was especially true for Ye Donghuang.

Previously, with his Heart Spirit injured, he had only allowed his subordinates to attack. But without him to direct them, their power, though formidable, couldn't be focused. For a treasure like the Cold Jade Divine Palace, which was graded as a Semi-Divine Artifact, it was no threat at all.

But just a moment ago,

Ye Donghuang had healed the injury to his Heart Spirit and immediately taken action himself.

Using his own Power of the Void Immortal, he had seized control of everyone else's attacks, combining them into a terrifying torrent of Immortal Power that had nearly shattered the defenses of the Cold Jade Divine Palace.

Its might was several times greater than even his own full-powered strike.

Naturally, the Cold Jade Divine Palace could not withstand it.

He had been on the verge of shattering the damned palace and forcing its occupants out.

But then Ye Donghuang sensed that the appearance of this light caused the aura of the Profound Sun Secret Realm—which had only fluctuated faintly before—to intensify in an instant.

'Could it be? Do they really have the key to open the Profound Sun Secret Realm?'

At this thought, Ye Donghuang pulled back his raised palm.

"Hold your attack. I want to see what kind of tricks they're trying to play."

At his words, many of the surrounding Immortal Cultivators were confused.

In their minds, the best course of action was to press their advantage, force the people out, and maybe even kill them right inside the palace with the shockwaves. Why stop all of a sudden?

Only a few individuals, like Ye Taixuan and Ye Xuantian—members of the Ye Race with profound cultivation on the verge of stepping into the Void Immortal Realm—

faintly sensed a trace of the Profound Sun Secret Realm's fluctuations.

They guessed the thoughts of their ancestor, Ye Donghuang.

Naturally, they kept their mouths shut.

And since they remained silent, the Immortal Cultivators who didn't understand what was happening dared not speak a word.

Each of them waited.

Without knowing for what.

Suddenly,

a brilliant light erupted from within the Cold Jade Divine Palace.

A pillar of light shot straight into the heavens.

Then,

the entire void began to tremble.

Immediately after, a massive gateway materialized a few miles east of the Cold Jade Divine Palace, right in the very core of the dark fortress.

Everyone's expression changed at the sight of this gateway.

"The Profound Sun Secret Realm!"

someone shouted.

"It really is the Profound Sun Secret Realm! It's been seven thousand years! Ever since the main lineage of the Martial Dao was wiped out seven thousand years ago, the Profound Sun Secret Realm has been sealed. Today, it has finally opened once more!"

Another person wept, tears streaming down his aged face.

"Quick, get inside! This is a great fortune for our Ye Family, a grand opportunity for us to rise!"

Still others were overcome with excitement.

But none of them moved.

Because Ye Donghuang was there.

The strongest expert of the Ye Family had not yet spoken.

In truth, it wasn't just them; Ye Donghuang was also incredibly excited.

He gazed at the enormous Light Gate.

His eyes were filled with shock, uncertainty, and a trace of nostalgia.

'It really is the Profound Sun Secret Realm. Can my Ye Family finally restore the glory of an Emperor Race?' Ye Donghuang thought.

Just as everyone's gaze was fixed on the massive Light Gate, a brilliant golden figure suddenly shot out from the Cold Jade Divine Palace.

The moment it appeared, it shot toward the gateway with astonishing speed.

This person was none other than Yang Xiao.

In his arms, he held Yue Lingxi, who had a bashful look on her face.

At the same time, the Cold Jade Divine Palace shrank rapidly, and with a SWOOSH, it flew onto Yue Lingxi, transforming into a tiny, white jade palace.

'Dammit! They really did open it! No, I can't let them enter! This is the ancestral land of my Ye Family! How can I let outsiders in?'

Ye Donghuang was the first to react.

He raised his hand and made a grabbing motion toward Yang Xiao.

But as fast as he was, Yang Xiao was faster. In the blink of an eye, he had already reached the Light Gate and dove inside.

Ye Donghuang's hand closed on empty air.

At this, Ye Donghuang nearly exploded with rage.

Seething with fury, he let out a sharp cry.

"After them!"

He took the lead, flying toward the Light Gate.

At that moment, the rest of the Immortal Cultivators also snapped to their senses.

A vast and mighty host of what must have been several thousand cultivators.

All of them were elites of the Eastern Domain Immortal Dao.

They transformed into streaks of flowing light.

And soared inside.