Immortal-Exterminating Divine Venerable

"Huh? What's this?"

The moment he opened his eyes, Yang Xiao felt a soft, warm hand holding his own. A steady stream of energy flowed from it, making him feel incredibly comfortable.

For a moment, Yang Xiao had no idea what was going on.

But he quickly understood.

Their energies were blending, and they were on the verge of their Divine Intents merging.

The realization startled Yang Xiao.

He hurriedly pulled his hand away.

The sudden movement woke Huang Tianling.

"Hm?"

Seeing Yang Xiao pull his hand away and instinctively take a few steps back, she couldn't help but feel a faint sense of loss.

'It feels as if something important has just vanished.'

But when she came to her senses, she couldn't help but blush.

'How could I think such a thing? It's so embarrassing.'

Seeing the young woman's reaction, a ripple went through Yang Xiao's heart. Huang Tianling was about the same age as Yun'Er, both appearing a year or two younger than him.

Moreover, she had an exceptionally gentle and comforting aura about her, one that felt remarkably pure. Yang Xiao had sensed this the first time he saw her.

Back then, however, her Heart Spirit had been completely controlled by the black Spirit Seed, which had even warped her disposition. Coupled with her arrogant expression and harsh tone, Yang Xiao hadn't had a good impression of her at all.

But now, things were different.

He couldn't help but think of Yun'Er.

'I wonder how Yun'Er is doing at Star God Academy. Presumably, with Nangong Tianling looking after her, she should be fine.'

Yang Xiao mused.

"Benefactor, are... are you alright?"

After some time, Huang Tianling noticed Yang Xiao was lost in thought.

She asked softly.

Yang Xiao paused for a moment before snapping out of it.

'Right, what am I doing, thinking about all that?'

'What happened to that black Spirit Seed?'

'How did I suddenly wake up?'

Yang Xiao's brow furrowed. "I need to perform a thorough inspection. Can you stand guard for me?"

"Yes, Benefactor. Rest assured, I won't let anyone disturb you."

Hearing this, Yang Xiao gave Huang Tianling a slight nod, then calmed himself, focused his Heart Spirit, and began his inspection.

As soon as he began, he felt something was incredibly strange.

The black Evil Qi, which had been impossible to eliminate, had been completely drained away. It was gone without a trace. No matter how carefully Yang Xiao searched, he couldn't find the slightest hint of it.

'What's going on? Did the black Spirit Seed just disappear? Or is it lying dormant somewhere?'

At this thought, Yang Xiao grew anxious.

That black Spirit Seed was very likely transformed from the energy of the Lord of Immortal Dao. Its purpose was to control minds. Just moments ago, merely bringing it into his Sea of Consciousness had resulted in him being completely controlled.

Now it was gone.

Yang Xiao knew he had to find it.

If it was hiding somewhere, silently controlling him and turning him into what Huang Tianling had been before, that would be a fate worse than death.

He had to find it.

'But where could it possibly be?'

Yang Xiao was at a complete loss.

He could only continue his search, inch by painstaking inch.

But after a thorough search yielded nothing, he opened his eyes in frustration.

His gaze fell upon Huang Tianling.

'Could it have gone back to her?'

Yang Xiao wondered.

"Benefactor, what's wrong?"

Huang Tianling asked softly, her expression slightly tense as she took in his urgent demeanor.

Yang Xiao glanced at her without a word, instead sending his Spiritual Power directly into her Heart Spirit to scan it.

Huang Tianling's body trembled.

Her face instantly turned red again.

Yet she bit her lip and said nothing.

'It's not here? It's not in her body, either. Where in the world did it go?'

Yang Xiao was baffled.

Looking at Huang Tianling again, he couldn't help but feel his own face flush.

He had been far too presumptuous just now.

Scanning another person's Heart Spirit was an incredibly rude act.

Even between Dao companions, one was expected to give a warning beforehand.

Yang Xiao had simply been too anxious.

He hadn't even thought about it in his haste. Naturally, things were a bit awkward now.

However, he was thick-skinned enough not to dwell on it.

He brushed past the awkwardness and asked directly, "Do you happen to know the origin of the black Spirit Seed you received?"

"That one?"

Huang Tianling's body gave another slight tremble.

This time, however, it wasn't from shyness, but from fear.

Fear of the black Spirit Seed.

However, she quickly composed herself and told him everything she knew.

It turned out that on the Profound Sun Continent, although the Immortal Cultivators looked down on mortals—treating them like animals to be slaughtered at will—they would still hold a Guiding Spirit Seed ceremony every year.

This ceremony was conducted by the Spirit Seed Hall. On the Profound Sun Continent, there was a Spirit Seed Hall every thousand li, and all mortals could attend after their twelfth birthday.

Huang Tianling had attended when she was fifteen, along with her younger brother who had just turned twelve.

At the time, she had dreamed of becoming an Immortal Cultivator and lifting her parents out of poverty.

She never imagined this would be the result.

"I heard the Palace Guardian Elder who presided over the Guiding Spirit Seed ceremony say that all Spirit Seeds are divided into Upper, Middle, and Lower grades. Above even the Upper Grade are Dao Seeds. The one I received seemed to be a Dao Seed. As for whether Dao Seeds are further divided, I'm not sure."

'A Dao Seed? Could it be because of her Dao Body?'

Yang Xiao's expression flickered.

After this interaction, and especially after his forced scan, Yang Xiao understood Huang Tianling on a deeper level.

He now knew her constitution wasn't a mere Middle Grade Water Element Dao Body, but an Upper Grade Peak Level Water Element Dao Body. Such innate talent was considered peerless even on the Divine Land Continent.

If she could advance one more step to become an Ultimate Grade Dao Body, even super-factions overseen by a Saint Emperor would come vying to take her as a disciple.

Once properly nurtured, becoming a Divine King would be well within her reach.

It was only natural that talent like hers would receive special treatment.

At the same time, Yang Xiao realized that those capable of receiving a Spirit Seed were likely individuals of extraordinary talent—at the very least, they had to be Upper-Grade mortals who possessed a Spirit Body.

A chill ran down Yang Xiao's spine at the thought.

If that was the case, didn't it mean that the Immortal Dao was absorbing all the talented people in the world?

'No wonder even the Emperor's Weapon Spirit said the Immortal Dao was not to be underestimated. But right now, my priority is to find that black Dao Seed.'

With this thought, Yang Xiao's sense of urgency intensified.

He instructed Huang Tianling not to disturb him and began to inspect his body once more.

Yet again, he found no trace of the black Dao Seed anywhere in his body. It was as if it had truly vanished. Just as Yang Xiao was about to give up...

...a sudden disturbance erupted from within his Heaven and Earth Origin Fire.

Yang Xiao's eyes lit up instantly.

'How could I have forgotten about that?'