Immortal-Exterminating Divine Venerable

'Damn it, how did those True Divine Heroic Spirits suddenly vanish one by one?'

Yue Lingxi was deeply frustrated.

Her plan had been to use the chaos of the True Divine Heroic Spirits besieging the Immortal Cultivators to launch a sneak attack, clearing away the obstacles blocking her exploration of the Profound Sun Secret Realm.

But she never expected that just as she found an opening and struck a fatal blow against one of them, the True Divine Heroic Spirit that had been leading the charge would suddenly vanish.

This left Yue Lingxi completely exposed.

Fortunately, there hadn't been just one True Divine Heroic Spirit at the time, but over a hundred.

Other True Divine Heroic Spirits were still trying to kill the cultivators.

Even though she had been discovered, Yue Lingxi felt she still had a chance.

She launched several more killing blows.

However…

To her utter surprise…

The True Divine Heroic Spirits began to vanish one after another, as if by some prearranged signal.

One would vanish, then another after a short interval.

And there was never any warning before they disappeared.

As a result, though Yue Lingxi struck out dozens of times, her chances were repeatedly foiled by a True Divine Heroic Spirit suddenly vanishing. In the end, she had only managed to kill three people.

The remaining twenty-two were still alive.

And they hated her to their very bones.

'What should I do? If this keeps up, I'm afraid I'm really going to fall into their hands.'

Yue Lingxi's face was pale.

She was powerful, yes. At the Peak of the Great Divine Power Realm, she could face any one of them. She could even handle being surrounded by two or three at once.

But here…

There were a full twenty-two of them.

How could she possibly fend them all off?

If they hadn't all sustained some injuries from the True Divine Heroic Spirits' earlier attacks, leaving them in less than peak condition, she would have been captured long ago.

Of course, Yue Lingxi still had a few life-saving trump cards.

But they were useless against such a large number of enemies.

Even if she used those trump cards, the outcome would likely be the same.

Furthermore, she had unsealed her cultivation. According to the agreement between her and her master, this meant she was forbidden from using anything beyond a few limited life-saving techniques. To do so would be considered a violation.

Her master would declare her mission a failure and forcibly recall her.

If that were to happen, Yue Lingxi could escape this predicament.

But what about Yang Xiao?

'No, I absolutely cannot leave Lord Xiao here by himself. He came here for me. If I leave him behind, he will surely become their target, and then…'

The mere thought of it sent a wave of panic through Yue Lingxi.

She couldn't accept such an outcome.

But her current predicament left her powerless to fight back.

So, at that moment, she made her decision.

She would abandon the mission, but she would wait.

She would wait for Yang Xiao to appear, and only then would she use her special means to escape this place with him.

'Lord Xiao, show yourself! Lingxi can't hold on much longer!'

Yue Lingxi pleaded inwardly.

As she struggled to hold on, her defense was flawless.

She showed no intention of counterattacking.

This, in turn, allowed the twenty-two Void Immortal Powerhouses from different factions to breathe a sigh of relief.

The last few moments had been utterly suffocating.

To have three of their number killed by a mere Martial Cultivator from the Great Divine Power Realm was an absolute disgrace.

If word of this ever got out, they would lose all face.

'Thankfully, none of the three who died were from my Zhenyou Immortal Sect.'

After his initial frustration, Zhen Dongyue, the Sect Leader of the Zhenyou Immortal Sect, felt a flicker of smug satisfaction.

He was especially pleased to see the chagrined looks on the faces of those from the factions who had lost people.

He wasn't the most powerful among the group. Jin Chengyi, the Sect Leader of the Golden Sun Immortal Sect; Qin Tianyang, the Western Domain Lord; and Yan Chihuo, the Southern Domain Lord, were all his equals in terms of strength.

However, because he had pledged allegiance to the Vast Heaven Immortal Sect early on and had taken charge of all matters concerning the Profound Sun Secret Realm, he had seized the initiative. Wielding a decree from the Vast Heaven Immortal Lord, he could command these experts, placing himself a cut above them.

Zhen Dongyue found the feeling utterly exhilarating.

Now that the Martial Cultivator before him was a spent force, his gaze shifted from Yue Lingxi to the people from the other factions.

Of all of them, he was most wary of the Golden Sun Immortal Sect.

The perpetually grinning Jin Chengyi truly put him on edge.

After him came Qin Tianyang and Yan Chihuo.

This time, however, those two were looking rather disgraced, as the Western and Southern Domains had each lost one person among the three killed by Yue Lingxi.

The last victim was from the weakest of the four, the Northern Domain.

Zhen Dongyue paid the Northern Domain no mind, as they were simply too weak.

Just as he was mulling over how to eliminate a few rivals so he could claim a larger share of the Profound Sun Secret Realm, a man with sharp, simian features and a goatee suddenly stepped forward.

He sent a quiet voice transmission to him.

"Sect Leader, this woman is only at the Peak of the Great Divine Power Realm, yet she possesses such combat power. She must have a special constitution. If you could take her as a Furnace Cauldron, you might be able to use the opportunity to break through. It's entirely possible you could become even stronger than the Vast Heaven Immortal Lord. What do you think, Sect Leader?"

As soon as he heard this, a glint appeared in Zhen Dongyue's eyes.

He instinctively glanced at Yue Lingxi.

That one glance was enough to plant an idea in his mind.

'Elder Zhou is right,' he thought. 'This woman isn't much to look at, but her constitution and cultivation are remarkable. At the Peak of the Great Divine Power Realm, she has strength comparable to someone at Demigod Peak. In a real fight, she might even be a hair stronger than me. A Furnace Cauldron like this is hard to find.'

'If I really get my hands on her, then perhaps the next Immortal Lord of the Profound Sun Continent won't be that bastard Vast Heaven, but me, Zhen Dongyue!'

At this thought, a flicker of excitement flashed in Zhen Dongyue's eyes.

He gave a slight nod to Elder Zhou, the one who had given him the idea.

Out loud, however, he said, "Everyone, I've observed that this woman's strength is extraordinary. Since she comes and goes from this Profound Sun Secret Realm as she pleases, she must know some of its secrets. Why don't we capture her alive? What do you all think?"

"Capture her alive? Absolutely not! If we don't kill this woman, will my Qin Family's Elder Qin Tianxue have died in vain?"

Qin Tianyang was the first to object.

Yan Chihuo was right behind him, his expression just as grim. "That's right. I agree completely with Domain Lord Qin Tianyang. This woman killed the City Lord of my Southern Domain's Immortal Dao City—my own younger brother, Yan Chifeng! How could I possibly let her live?"

As they spoke, the two Domain Lords renewed their assault.

Their attacks were even more ferocious than before.

The pressure on Yue Lingxi, which had just begun to ease, suddenly intensified.

Caught off guard, she took a heavy blow.

Yan Chihuo and Qin Tianyang each landed a palm strike on her.

PFT! She spat out two mouthfuls of fresh blood.

Her aura plummeted.

But Yan Chihuo, Qin Tianyang, and the others didn't stop.

They launched yet another round of attacks.

Just as he watched the woman he had mentally claimed as his Furnace Cauldron about to be killed by those two...

Zhen Dongyue finally reacted.

His face hardened. Just as he was about to use the Vast Heaven Decree to suppress the two Domain Lords, who were no weaker than him, a streak of golden light tore through the sky.

It landed before them.

It materialized into a human figure.

Shielding Yue Lingxi.

"You dare to harm someone who belongs to me, Yang Xiao? All of you... Are you seeking death?"