Immortal-Exterminating Divine Venerable

A flash of light!

A dazzling golden light.

From Yang Xiao's sword.

It erupted from his body in an instant.

It formed a magnificent dome of energy, forcefully blocking all of the incoming attacks.

It was like an enhanced, larger version of the Vajra Indestructible Divine Technique's protective barrier. As the attacks landed on the dome, they seemed to be absorbed.

Vanishing without a trace.

"Wh-what's happening? Is this some kind of defensive Secret Skill? But that was a joint attack from more than a dozen Dao Tier Senior Cultivators!"

Everyone was stunned by the sight.

Even the Sect Leader of the Purple Flame Sect was no exception.

He couldn't understand.

How could a mere Martial Artist, whose aura was only at the True Tier, possess such a terrifying defense?

'Is it another treasure?'

This time, however, greed did not stir in the Purple Flame Sect Leader's heart. Instead, he felt a strange sense of unease.

Looking at the dome of light, he felt an urge to flee.

But as the leader of a sect...

How could he turn tail and run?

'I refuse to believe this kid is so uncanny. Can it be that the full might of my Purple Flame Sect isn't enough to kill him?'

A hint of killing intent flashed in the eyes of the Purple Flame Sect Leader.

Meanwhile, Yang Xiao's face was lit with pleasant surprise. 'It worked? To think that combining the Vajra Indestructible Divine Technique and Celestial Moon could actually form a Sword Dao Domain... This is an unexpected delight.'

He had only been trying it out. Even if it failed, he would have been fine thanks to his Golden Roc True Body. The barrage of attacks was dense, but far too slow; Yang Xiao could have easily dodged it.

It wasn't even a risk.

But what he hadn't expected...

...was that a sudden, casual flash of inspiration...

...had actually succeeded.

'Haha! With this, I'll never have to worry about my Celestial Moon being unable to borrow and store power again. That last barrage was quite powerful. If I were to release it all...'

Yang Xiao's eyes glinted.

He looked at the Immortal Cultivators surrounding him.

At this moment, their faces were still etched with disbelief.

A few of them...

...as if refusing to believe their eyes...

...actually dared to attack him again. Naturally, the power of their attacks was absorbed by the dome. Not only did they fail to harm Yang Xiao, but it was like they were gifting him energy, feeding their own power into his barrier.

This reinforced the dome's defenses.

At the same time, it also enhanced the power of Celestial Moon.

Now that his experiment had succeeded, Yang Xiao had no intention of holding back any longer.

He raised the sword in his hand.

Instantly, the terrifying dome of light that had been protecting him began to contract.

In the end, all of its power flowed into his sword.

"Next, I'll let you disgusting creatures see what real Swordsmanship is. Celestial Moon! Slash!"

Yang Xiao shouted.

He slashed out with his sword.

Compared to his previous strikes, this one was incomparably brilliant.

Countless rays of bright light scattered down from the sky.

Like the cold, clear light of the moon.

It was everywhere.

But the moment the men besieging Yang Xiao felt its presence, a sharp pain shot through their bodies.

In an instant, they were torn to shreds by the moon-like Sword Qi.

In the blink of an eye, seventeen Immortal Cultivators—all of them Dao Tier Senior Cultivators—were dead.

This included the two most powerful among them, Guo Batian and Qinglin.

It also included Elder Qingping, who had previously mocked Lin Zhenshan.

These three were all Late-stage Dao Tier experts. Guo Batian and Qinglin, in particular, were cultivators at the Peak of Dao Tier, not much weaker than the Purple Flame Sect Leader himself.

And yet...

...with a single slash...

...he had slain them all.

This scene, witnessed by all the other Immortal Cultivators,

...seemed like an illusion.

It was utterly unbelievable.

Even some of the Mortals stared blankly.

Although they didn't know the exact strength of the Immortal Cultivators who had attacked, their bearing suggested they were Immortal Masters of considerable power and status.

But now...

...they had all been killed by this Martial Artist who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere to save them.

It was simply incredible.

More importantly, it was changing their impression of Martial Artists.

'Could it be that what the Immortal Masters said—that all Martial Artists are Demons who eat people at a whim and feast on human flesh—is false?'

Doubt began to sprout.

Many of those who had panicked upon hearing that Yang Xiao was a Martial Artist now looked at him with a sense of guilt.

After all, this young man seemed far more approachable than those aloof Immortal Masters.

He didn't seem like the evil being the Immortal Masters described at all.

However, despite their doubts, they were too timid to dare accuse the high-and-mighty Immortal Masters. But a seed had been planted in their hearts.

With his formidable Spiritual Power, Yang Xiao could clearly sense the change in their thoughts. When he realized what Martial Artists were in their eyes...

...he was truly furious, speechless, and felt a touch of pity.

He knew that the Martial Dao was the very foundation of the Human Race.

Without the prevalence of the Martial Dao, even with Celestial Emperor Yuan Shi establishing the Human Sect to secure their destiny, the Human Race would likely be an incredibly weak race today.

'And these people actually see Martial Artists as Demons?'

'But they have merely been fooled by the Immortal Cultivators. They can't be blamed. As for these Immortal Cultivators...'

The killing intent in Yang Xiao's eyes grew even stronger.

He raised his hand.

The Void Divine Sword slashed out once more.

A few Immortal Cultivators, still reeling in shock, were slain in an instant.

This action...

...jolted the rest of them to their senses.

"Run! Run for your lives! This guy isn't a Martial Artist, he's a Demon!"

The Immortal Cultivators cried out in alarm.

They scattered in all directions.

Even the Sect Leader of the Purple Flame Sect hesitated for only a moment before turning to flee.

With his departure, the remaining twenty-some Dao Tier cultivators, who still possessed considerable strength, also fled.

The Mortals watched, dumbfounded.

Were these still the aloof, all-powerful Immortal Masters they knew?

At this moment, however, these men couldn't afford to worry about their image in the eyes of Mortals. Yang Xiao's last strike had been simply too stunning.

He had killed two Peak Dao Tier Elders and over a dozen other Dao Tier cultivators—many of whom were Late-stage experts—with a single sword strike. Even his normal attacks reaped the lives of ordinary Dao Tier cultivators as easily as slicing melons and chopping vegetables.

How could they dare not to flee?

Didn't they see that even their Sect Leader—a man said to be unrivaled below the Void Immortal realm—had fled?

Compared to their lives, what did their image in the eyes of mere Mortals matter?

'As long as I survive this, I'll have to kill a thousand—no, ten thousand—of these worthless commoners to vent my frustration! This Martial Artist... no, this Demon... is too terrifying! If I don't, I'm afraid I'll have nightmares every night...'

One of the Immortal Cultivators thought to himself.

But just as the thought crossed his mind, a cold voice suddenly sounded from behind him.

"You come and go as you please? Do you really think I, Yang Xiao, am a pushover?"

The moment the voice fell...

...the Immortal Cultivator felt a sharp pain in his chest.

THUD.

He collapsed to the ground.

A golden, feather-like strand of Sword Qi had pierced through him.

At the same time, it wasn't just him. Large numbers of Immortal Cultivators began falling from the sky like dumplings being dropped into a pot.

Yang Xiao had made his move.

Golden wings unfurled behind him, stretching over a thousand meters long. With a gentle flap, countless golden feathers shot out.

They transformed into small golden swords, striking down the Immortal Cultivators.

In an instant, a huge swath of them fell dead.

It was none other than the Golden Roc Secret Skill that Yang Xiao had used before: the Thousand Feather Sword Transformation Technique!