Immortal-Exterminating Divine Venerable

'Another squad wiped out. Counting the first one, that should be five squads, right? Ninety-five more to go. It's still far from enough to upgrade the Bloodthirsty Sword!'

Yang Xiao put away the Bloodthirsty Sword.

He let out a soft sigh.

His figure flickered, ready to continue killing.

But just then…

…he sensed something.

His expression shifted.

His gaze instantly shot toward the distance.

There, he saw it.

Over there.

An unimaginably huge, emerald-green willow tree was sprouting branches and leaves at a speed visible to the naked eye. It grew into a colossal tree that touched the sky, its countless willow branches dancing like long, jade-green serpents.

It was ferocious, yet possessed a crystalline beauty.

'No way. This Life-taking Thousand-leaf Willow is actually this strong? If that's the case, why should I even bother upgrading the Bloodthirsty Sword? Couldn't I just scatter endless seeds of the Life-taking Thousand-leaf Willow and exterminate all the Immortal Cultivators?'

Yang Xiao's eyes suddenly lit up.

With a beat of the wings on his back, he was about to move forward.

But just then…

…the Thousand Mechanism Eye stirred.

Yang Xiao stopped in his tracks.

The moment he stopped…

…he saw, high above the giant, emerald-green willow tree…

…a massive palm suddenly appear and descend from the sky.

With a single palm strike…

…it smashed the Life-taking Thousand-leaf Willow—which had just grown manically after devouring a massive amount of Essence Blood—into smithereens.

Even the Essence Qi within was shattered and sent spilling out.

It was utterly depleted.

Branch by branch, they turned directly to nothingness.

In the end, only a small sapling was left.

It flickered with green light, trying to escape.

But the large hand snatched it once more, closing it within its palm.

"Hmph. A mere nascent life-form, a monstrous poison that hasn't even fully evolved a consciousness, dares to act up in front of me, Ye Donghuang? You're simply courting death!"

The newcomer was, of course, Ye Donghuang.

In his palm, the Power of the Void Immortal relentlessly pressed down on the Life-taking Thousand-leaf Willow's sapling, compressing it again and again, until the very end.

The sapling, too, was crushed to dust.

It turned into a wisp of black vapor.

It was none other than the Original Poison Gas.

"Hm? What is this? I've never heard of a Life-taking Thousand-leaf Willow turning into this after being killed."

Ye Donghuang looked completely baffled.

Meanwhile, Yang Xiao, who was watching from a distance, wore an extremely grim expression.

He had never expected this.

Just as he was thinking he could wreak havoc with the Life-taking Thousand-leaf Willow, he was dealt such a blow.

The Void Immortal named Ye Donghuang had beaten the Life-taking Thousand-leaf Willow back to its original form.

'This level of power…'

'…is indeed not something I can stand against right now.'

'It seems the Thousand-leaf Life-taking Willow spawned from the Original Poison Gas is indeed not as powerful as the genuine article. And, just as that guy said, its consciousness hasn't evolved. Otherwise, it would have definitely hidden itself, killing slowly, and only openly revealing itself once it had grown to an unrivaled state. Just like that one from over six thousand years ago, whose main body spread across the entire Eastern Domain. Not even a True God was its match!'

Yang Xiao's brow twitched.

He suddenly had a realization.

The Original Poison Gas produced by his Ten Thousand Poison Source Pearl could mimic the characteristics of any poison, but this transformation was, in the end, just an imitation.

Compared to the original version, it was far inferior.

For one thing, the fact that poisons manifested from the Original Poison Gas couldn't develop consciousness meant that no matter how terrifying the poison he created, its potential for growth would be severely limited.

Of course, this was all relative.

Take the Life-taking Thousand-leaf Willow before him. While it was nothing in the hands of a Void Immortal Realm expert like Ye Donghuang, it was unstoppable for others, even Daoist Tier Nine powerhouses like Ye Tianguo and Ye Chengzai.

The experts at Daoist Fifth Level and above under their command had been all but wiped out.

Only the two leading Elders were left, barely clinging to life. Their original plan to teach Yang Xiao a major lesson, even scheming to use the Gold-devouring King Insect to counter his Bloodthirsty Sword, had come to nothing.

Their losses were devastating.

And all of this was because of a single, fake Life-taking Thousand-leaf Willow seed.

Otherwise, with their deliberate plot against an unsuspecting Yang Xiao, even with his Thousand Mechanism Eye, he might not have walked into the trap, but it would have been extremely troublesome regardless.

Besides, it seemed the Thousand Mechanism Eye couldn't detect everything.

Just like now.

Yang Xiao stood there watching, not moving a muscle.

But in the distance, Ye Donghuang...

...had spotted him.

Without a second word, he raised his hand and made a grasping motion.

His figure shot directly toward Yang Xiao.

'Not good! I was careless!'

Yang Xiao's heart lurched. With a light flap of the wings on his back, he tried to fly away.

But at that very moment, terrifying auras surged in from all directions. A sweep of Yang Xiao's Spiritual Power revealed a massive group—at least three hundred people, he feared—and every single one was at Daoist Fifth Level or higher.

The combined pressure of their auras pressed down on him.

Yang Xiao found it difficult to even breathe.

Escape was out of the question.

He barely managed to dodge Ye Donghuang's grab, only to find himself completely surrounded.

Locked down by countless auras.

'I'm screwed. This is real trouble now.'

Yang Xiao managed to steady himself.

He saw Ye Donghuang and the others staring at him coldly, and his heart skipped a beat.

He knew instantly that his chances of survival were slim.

"You've killed so many elite disciples of my Ye Family. Did you really think you could escape?"

Ye Donghuang sneered.

This successful ambush was the result of his scheme against Yang Xiao.

And yet, he felt no joy in his heart.

Because the price had been far too great.

Ever since Yang Xiao had gone to wipe out the squads led by Ye Dongguo and Ye Chengzai, Ye Donghuang had hardened his heart and practically served up five teams for Yang Xiao to kill.

That was how Yang Xiao had achieved his earlier feat of easily slaying nearly three hundred people.

But it was precisely because of this that Ye Donghuang and all the Immortal Cultivators at Daoist Fifth Level and above were able to lock onto his position.

They had rushed over at top speed.

It just so happened that the Life-taking Thousand-leaf Willow attacked.

And Ye Donghuang revealed himself.

Originally, he had thought that Yang Xiao would probably flee the moment he saw him arrive.

He never imagined...

...the guy would be so audacious.

He had actually stayed right here.

That was the only reason this encirclement had been possible.

"You know, you really are audacious. You saw me, Ye Donghuang, arrive, yet you didn't flee. Now, I'd like to see just what tricks you have left to escape my grasp. If you know what's good for you, hand over the inheritance of the Northern Wilderness Sword Mansion, and maybe I'll even spare your life! Otherwise..."

"Otherwise, what? You'll kill me? If you do, I can guarantee you will never get the inheritance of the Northern Wilderness Sword Mansion."

Hearing this, Yang Xiao actually laughed.

'Now that I'm in his hands, what else is there to say?'

'The only thing left is a fight to the death.'

'Thinking I'll surrender without a fight?'

'Impossible.'

"Facing death, and you still have the nerve to talk tough! Fine! I'll take you down myself and see if your mouth is really that hard!"

Ye Donghuang, who was already displeased, instantly flew into a rage.

Without another word, he raised his hand and sent a palm strike flying toward Yang Xiao.

And this time...

...Yang Xiao was locked down and suppressed by the auras of more than three hundred Immortal Cultivators at Daoist Fifth Level or higher.

It was as if he were carrying over three hundred great mountains on his back. No matter how fast he was, it felt like being trapped in a mire. He couldn't dodge even if he wanted to; he could only meet the attack head-on.

"So what if I die? I, Yang Xiao, never yielded to the true Lord of Immortal Dao! Having been reborn into this life, how could I possibly submit to a piddling Void Immortal like you?"

Yang Xiao roared in fury.

In this desperate situation, he showed no signs of submission.

He raised a hand and threw a punch.

Meeting the attack head-on.