Immortal-Exterminating Divine Venerable

"One, two, three... forty-eight people. Quite the reception they've prepared."

As the mortals around them trembled in fear and the man from before looked at Yang Xiao with guilt and despair, Yang Xiao himself remained perfectly composed.

He even had time for a head count.

"Junior Immortal Master, you... *Sigh*. It's too late to run now."

The man sighed.

But Yang Xiao just patted his shoulder.

He said, "I'm no Immortal Master. I'm a Martial Artist."

As soon as Yang Xiao spoke, the aura around him shifted.

'I had originally planned to charge straight into the Vast Heaven Immortal Sect, so I'd already changed my aura to mimic an Immortal Cultivator's. But from the looks of it, if all Immortal Cultivators are such inhuman monsters... '

'Then I wouldn't mind... '

'...killing my way through them one by one.'

'Besides, there's no longer any chance of a sneak attack on the Vast Heaven Immortal Sect. Since hiding my aura is pointless, why not just be open about it?'

However, what Yang Xiao hadn't expected was that when he said the words "Martial Artist"...

...he saw the man instinctively flinch.

He even took an unconscious half-step back.

This puzzled Yang Xiao.

It wasn't just the man; all the other mortals looked terrified when they heard him identify himself as a Martial Artist.

It was as if he had turned into a man-eating Great Demon.

But before Yang Xiao could ask why...

...the forty-eight powerful Immortal Dao Auras descended upon them.

They completely surrounded Yang Xiao and the mortals.

And that wasn't all. In the wake of their arrival, even more Immortal Cultivators began to swarm the area.

The sheer power of their auras terrified the mortals, who were now trembling uncontrollably.

A few of them even dropped to their knees.

Watching this, Yang Xiao's frown deepened.

"Oh? The killer is actually a Martial Artist? No wonder. Only a despicable Martial Artist would dare do something like this. Still, for lowly creatures like you to come out of your holes instead of hiding like rats... are you looking to die?"

At that moment, the leader of the forty-eight Immortal Cultivators who had arrived first merely glanced at Yang Xiao and spoke with utter contempt.

"I thought some expert from a major power was brazen enough to cause trouble for our Purple Flame Sect. To think it's just a contemptible Martial Artist. What a waste of time. Sect Leader, this is Elder Lin's territory. Why don't we just let him handle it?"

"Exactly, Sect Leader. A mere despicable Martial Artist isn't worth our time. Let's leave him to Elder Lin. The most important thing right now is dealing with that venomous creature. The Ye Family of Immortal Dao City has promised that whoever eliminates it will earn the right to establish a presence in Immortal Dao City. This is a golden opportunity to replace the Ye Family, and we of the Purple Flame Sect can't let Chixue Palace beat us to it!"

The others also looked at Yang Xiao with disdain, considering him utterly insignificant.

They were all about to leave.

But now that they were here, how could Yang Xiao possibly let them leave?

"It seems you all look down on me quite a bit."

Yang Xiao chuckled.

The moment he spoke, the expression of one of the Purple Flame Sect cultivators who had been eager to leave shifted. He snorted coldly, "A mere lowly Martial Artist. Seeing our Purple Flame Sect's Sect Leader and so many Elders here, not only do you not kneel and beg for mercy, but you dare to be so arrogant and insolent? You must be insane! Elder Lin, how about I take care of this brat for you?"

"Elder Qingping, please calm yourself. This man killed an outstanding descendant of mine, and this is my territory. Allow me."

With that, Elder Lin, who had remained silent until now but whose gaze was the darkest of all, stepped forward.

He was Lin Zhenshan, the grandfather of the purple-robed Senior Brother Lin from before. While that Senior Brother Lin wasn't his most cherished descendant, he was still the most outstanding of his grandchildren.

Now he was dead—killed right under his nose by a lowly Martial Artist, no less.

Lin Zhenshan felt he had been utterly and completely humiliated.

'If I don't tear this scoundrel to pieces with my own hands, won't I become a laughingstock?'

So Lin Zhenshan thought.

His body blurred as he strode toward Yang Xiao.

In response, Yang Xiao simply offered a faint smile, utterly unconcerned.

"I can't tell if this Martial Artist is reckless or just plain stupid. Elder Lin is a renowned expert of our Purple Flame Sect, a master at Daoist Tier Seven. And this guy, who looks to be at the level of True Tier Fourth or Fifth Layer at best, isn't even trying to run. How bizarre!"

"If he had a normal brain, he wouldn't be walking the heretical Martial Dao. That's why I say the Slaying Martial Order issued by the Vast Heaven Immortal Lord was so brilliantly wise. Those who cultivate the Martial Dao are all fools and madmen. Otherwise, who in their right mind would choose to cultivate it?"

The taunts continued endlessly.

But Lin Zhenshan felt that he, too, was being ridiculed.

As a lofty Daoist Tier Cultivator, having to personally deal with a lowly Martial Artist was, in itself, a disgrace.

Therefore, he cast aside all pretense of decorum. He raised a hand and sent a palm strike flying toward Yang Xiao.

He intended to swat him dead in a single blow.

And be done with the matter.

It was then that Yang Xiao moved.

He raised a hand, once again forming the Gathering Essence Finger.

The only difference was that when he had dealt with Zi Tian Immortal Master, he had used the True Greater Yang Fire from within his body.

This time, however, he mobilized the power of his Golden Roc True Body.

He condensed not Fire Elemental Power, but Gold Elemental Power fused with the Power of the Void.

Compared to the True Greater Yang Fire, this finger attack was less explosive and scorching, but it possessed a greater sharpness, a power that could pierce through anything.

With a HISS...

...the Finger Force pierced directly through the Palm Seal that Lin Zhenshan had unleashed. Without losing any momentum, it shot straight for Lin Zhenshan himself.

The man's expression twisted in terror.

He was too slow to dodge.

He could only watch, wide-eyed, as the Finger Force pierced the spot between his brows.

It annihilated his Divine Soul.

THUD. He collapsed to the ground.

Even in death, his face was a mask of utter disbelief.

His mouth hung slightly agape, as if he wanted to say something.

'How could a mere, lowly Martial Artist possibly kill me?'

But that was the reality.

He was already dead.

"Th-this... How is this possible?"

The surviving Immortal Cultivators were even more shocked.

They were, after all, still alive.

And thus, they found it even harder to believe what they had just seen.

Struggling to comprehend this outcome, they all turned to look at Yang Xiao again. Not a trace of contempt remained in their eyes, replaced now by grim solemnity. This was true even for the Purple Flame Sect's Sect Leader, a master at the Peak of the Dao Tier.

'To kill a Daoist Tier Seven Sect Elder with a single finger...'

'That kind of power... '

'...was enough to make even him, a powerhouse of the Immortal Dao who ranked among the top ten in the Eastern Domain, feel a sense of dread.'

But when he inspected Yang Xiao's aura closely and found it was truly only at the True Tier Fourth Level, a new thought sprang to his mind.

'Could it be... he has some kind of treasure that allows him to kill those at a higher cultivation tier?'

At this thought, a flash of greed flickered in the Purple Flame Sect Leader's eyes.

Yang Xiao was left speechless.

'These Immortal Cultivators... greedy, selfish, twisted, and utterly inhuman. Every single one of them. Is this just their true nature? Or is there some other reason?'

Involuntarily, Yang Xiao recalled the will that had appeared when he took control of that Immortal Cultivator back in the Celestial Cloud Region.

'Could they be under the influence of that will?'