Immortal-Exterminating Divine Venerable

"This… you plan to use this to control me?"

Yuan Haotian's expression darkened as he looked at what Yang Xiao handed him.

"That's right. Do you dare to take it?"

Yang Xiao just smiled.

He paid no mind to the other's displeasure.

Yuan Haotian stared at him again, only to be met by the same unflinching gaze.

Finally, Yuan Haotian took the strange object.

It was a golden fruit.

It didn't look particularly special, but it seemed to house a peculiar power that drew Yuan Haotian in, making him feel as if it contained endless mysteries.

'Could this be some kind of special Divine Fruit?'

Yuan Haotian was deeply puzzled.

"What's wrong? Afraid to take it?"

Yang Xiao watched him, a slight smile playing on his lips.

The object was, of course, a Desolate Divine Fruit. Since Yang Xiao planned to subjugate this man, he certainly wasn't going to be stingy with one. After all, although Yuan Haotian was considered a rising star of the Immortal Dao—a genius—he was, in fact, already over three thousand years old.

If his cultivation were to be crippled rashly, his physical body would likely suffer the same fate as Yuan Haowen's, withering away and turning to dust.

This was clearly not an outcome Yang Xiao wished to see.

He thought of the Lord of the Immortal World's ambitions, of his terrifying power and influence.

Yang Xiao knew he couldn't possibly fight him alone.

But if Yuan Haotian could truly be made to help, with his Ultimate Grade Dao Body, he would undoubtedly become a powerful ally.

The same was true for Huang Tianling. Her Upper-Grade Peak Water Element Dao Body was a top-tier constitution. If nurtured properly, her future accomplishments might not necessarily fall short of Yuan Haotian's.

That was why Yang Xiao had passed the Water Element Scripture to her and sent her family to the Northern Wilderness Sword Mansion.

Beyond that, he was also thinking of gathering all the geniuses on the Profound Sun Continent. He had the Northern Wilderness Sword Mansion, after all. As long as he could ensure their loyalty, he would have no shortage of resources to cultivate them.

It was the legacy of a Supreme Divine King.

It was enough for Yang Xiao to establish a major power no weaker than an Emperor Race.

Of course, for the time being, Yang Xiao wouldn't give Yuan Haotian the same treatment as Huang Tianling.

After all, he had yet to ascertain the man's true character.

He could part with a Desolate Divine Fruit.

But the inheritance of the Northern Wilderness Sword Mansion was out of the question.

Hearing Yang Xiao's words, Yuan Haotian couldn't help but feel provoked, even though he knew it was a deliberate taunt.

The fruit seemed incredibly profound, and he couldn't for the life of him figure out what it was.

However, he could sense it probably wasn't the malicious item he had first imagined.

And so, spurred on by Yang Xiao's taunt,

Yuan Haotian actually swallowed it.

The moment he did, his expression changed.

"My body… what's happening? It's completely frozen!"

Yuan Haotian was stunned.

But a moment later, a realization seemed to strike him, and he stared at Yang Xiao in utter disbelief.

"Are you the successor of the Northern Wilderness Divine King?"

"Oh? You know about that?"

Yang Xiao was taken aback for a moment, then he began to laugh. The Celestial Cloud Region was likely a thorn in Yuan Haotian's side, the final stumbling block to his Immortal Dao ambitions. How could he not have investigated it?

Especially since the Profound Celestial Sect had been scheming to acquire this Divine King's legacy. As the Immortal Dao Lord, Yuan Haotian was naturally aware of it.

In fact, he likely knew far more than Yang Xiao had imagined.

Yang Xiao's guess was correct; Yuan Haotian did indeed know a great deal.

His mind was racing, too.

After his expression shifted several times, he let out a soft sigh.

"I never imagined you'd be a young man not yet thirty years of age. To possess such ability at your age… No wonder the Northern Wilderness Divine King chose you as his successor. I am truly humbled."

At that moment, Yuan Haotian genuinely felt a bit of admiration for Yang Xiao.

His words took Yang Xiao by surprise for a moment, but he quickly laughed it off.

"From the sound of it, you've been to the Northern Wilderness Sword Mansion?"

Yang Xiao asked.

Yuan Haotian nodded.

But then he shook his head.

"I went, but I couldn't enter because I was over thirty years old."

Yang Xiao could see that Yuan Haotian was somewhat dejected.

But that was to be expected.

It was, as they say, a matter of timing and fate.

Although Yuan Haotian was uniquely blessed, being born outside the Celestial Cloud Region made entering the Northern Wilderness Sword Mansion nearly impossible. The fact that he had almost made it inside, failing only because of his age, was astounding.

This alone proved he was one of the world's chosen.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been born with an Ultimate Grade Dao Body.

'But that just makes subjugating him all the more valuable. With him on my side, things will be much easier from now on.'

Yang Xiao couldn't help but feel a little smug.

An idle thought had previously led him to disguise himself as Yuan Haowen. To pull it off, the real Yuan Haowen couldn't die, otherwise Yuan Haotian would have sensed it immediately. That was why Yang Xiao hadn't killed him.

He never expected it would ultimately lead to such a wonderful surprise.

'Right, now that he's surrendered on the surface, it should be fine to ask about the Dao Seed, shouldn't it?'

Yang Xiao immediately voiced the questions that were on his mind.

And Yuan Haotian did indeed provide an explanation.

'So that's how it is. Only Preachers born from mortals have their minds twisted, while Preachers born from Immortal Cultivators don't undergo such a change? And it isn't just Preachers; even ordinary Immortal Cultivators from mortal bloodlines experience this. These Immortal Cultivators actually call it a ritual, a trial, named 'Sever the Mortal Ties'?'

Yang Xiao's expression soured.

Anyone else, perhaps even these Immortal Cultivators themselves, would likely see no problem with this, dismissing it as a traditional ritual or a coincidence.

They likely wouldn't give it a second thought, because the ones who died were merely mortals.

But Yang Xiao was different.

He knew with perfect clarity that all these Immortal Cultivators harbored the will of the Lord of Immortal Dao within them. Some wills were pure, others faint. The kind within Yuan Haotian and Huang Tianling was of the purest sort.

In others, it was far fainter. Sometimes, Yang Xiao even felt that it might not have been formed from the Immortal Dao Will of the Lord of Immortal Dao himself.

At least, not from his direct will.

'Perhaps from a clone?'

'Or an avatar of some kind.'

But whatever the case, these people were likely just pawns, doing all the hard work for the Lord of Immortal Dao's benefit, no matter what level they cultivated to or how talented they were.

Whenever he wished, he could extract everything from them.

It was just like when the Mysterious Furnace Cauldron extracted the Immortal Dao Will from their bodies—their power would gradually fade away.

Nothing would remain.

'If that's true, then how many Immortal Cultivators are there in this world? Among them are even Immortal Monarchs, beings comparable to the Divine King Level. If he were to absorb the power from all of them… just how terrifying would he become?'

The mere thought sent a shiver down Yang Xiao's spine.

For now, however, all he could do was think about it.

He had no standing to interfere. At most, he could only do as he was doing now—continuously use the Mysterious Furnace Cauldron to absorb the Immortal Dao Will from these Immortal Cultivators.

Strengthening himself while weakening his enemy.

With this realization, Yang Xiao valued the Mysterious Furnace Cauldron more than ever. It was quite possibly his greatest asset in the fight against the Lord of Immortal Dao.

With Yuan Haotian now overseeing things, the situation became much simpler.

With Yuan Haotian's power, anyone who tried to escape would only find a dead end. But if they didn't run, there was still only one path for them: the aura within their bodies would dissipate, and they would ultimately die.

Because none of them were young.

Not a single one was under two thousand years old.

Death was their only way out.

Yang Xiao didn't just stand by and watch. Every time he saw an Immortal Cultivator on the verge of death, he would go and question them. To his surprise, however, not a single one of them offered genuine surrender.

In that case, he had no choice but to let them all die.

'They may have died, but they still made a contribution. I can sense the Mysterious Furnace Cauldron brewing a storm of mysterious energy. When it's finally ready, just how strong will I become?'

Yang Xiao grew excited just thinking about it.

This was truly a massive haul.

However, after his excitement subsided, Yang Xiao's gaze couldn't help but fall upon Yuan Haotian.

He licked his lips. The one on this fellow was the best of all.