Immortal-Exterminating Divine Venerable

"Divine Fire! It's actually Divine Fire! I understand now. This place isn't some land of inheritance and treasure at all. Someone has imprisoned this Divine Fire here!"

While Yang Xiao looked joyous, Yuan San's reaction to the purple flame before him was even more exaggerated. He cried out in surprise.

At this moment, although he was in a sorry state with a weak aura and clearly in bad shape, his eyes seemed to glow.

He stared fixedly at the Divine Fire.

His expression was one of pure excitement.

So much so that he failed to notice Yang Xiao, who had already revealed himself. His entire Heart Spirit was captivated by the Divine Fire.

He was especially thrilled to sense the Divine Fire's domineering and violent nature, yet, quite rarely, detect no fluctuations of a Spirit within it.

"Perfect. It's simply too perfect! I don't know why this Divine Fire has no sentience, but if I were to refine it, I could probably advance directly to Tier Two True Immortal. What a shame... what a shame I don't have a Fire Constitution. Otherwise, reaching Tier Three True Immortal wouldn't be difficult. With this Divine Fire, even reaching Tier Four and Tier Five True Immortal would no longer be a problem in the future. If I had enough resources, I might even be qualified to ascend to the rank of Divine King one day!"

Yuan San was lost in a reverie, completely intoxicated by the thought.

It was as if he could already see his magnificent future.

But just then...

he suddenly felt a strange pulling force.

Yuan San's Heart Spirit trembled.

Then, he felt it. His cultivation, which was already at an extreme low but had faintly begun to recover, was being siphoned away in an instant.

His expression changed instantly.

He focused his Heart Spirit, forcefully trying to suppress it.

He found that although the process slowed, his cultivation was still continuously draining away.

'What's causing this?'

Yuan San's expression turned cold as he swept the area with his Immortal Sense.

It was then that he discovered Yang Xiao's whereabouts.

"Brat, it's you!"

Yuan San's face was filled with rage.

He never would have thought that after paying such a heavy price, he still hadn't managed to kill this guy. 'Just how good is he at hiding?'

'Even a Heaven-Shattering Talisman couldn't kill him!'

"It's me. What's wrong? You want this Divine Fire?"

Yang Xiao smiled faintly.

For Yuan San, a Divine Fire without sentience was absolutely perfect. And for Yang Xiao, it was the same.

At this moment, he finally understood why the Array here was composed of four seemingly mismatched formations. The Eight-direction Enemy Annihilation Array prevented others from entering. The Condensing Element Array promoted the Divine Fire's growth. The Nine Seals and Ten Elements Array trapped not only those outside but also the Divine Fire itself, sealing it here. As for the Heavenly Heart Annihilation Array... if Yang Xiao wasn't mistaken, this was the very reason the Divine Fire had no sentience.

This also explained why the Heavenly Heart Annihilation Array had previously activated, only to vanish in the end.

'The person who set this up probably intended for the Heavenly Heart Annihilation Array's main purpose to be extinguishing the Divine Fire's sentience. Dealing with enemies was just a secondary function. I wonder who went through such painstaking effort to create this arrangement.'

Yang Xiao sighed softly.

'But no matter who did it, it's all mine for the taking now.'

Of course, that was what Yang Xiao was thinking. Yuan San, however, obviously disagreed.

"You actually recognize this Divine Fire? You're more perceptive than I thought. How about this: if you're willing to submit to me, I can spare your life and even bring you into the Immortal Realm. What do you say?"

Yuan San said, his eyes darting about.

"That's not even a convincing lie. It only exposes your bluff. It seems you really are incredibly weak right now."

Yang Xiao laughed heartily.

Yuan San's expression turned foul. "Hmph! I gave you a chance, but you throw it back in my face. It seems you truly are a despicable Martial Artist who doesn't know what's good for him!"

"However, if you hadn't angered me, I never would have realized there was a Divine Fire like this here. You've come out now because you saw the Divine Fire and want to get your hands on it, don't you? A pity for you. With me here, you have no chance of obtaining it. Even if I'm extremely weak right now, a pathetic little Martial Artist like you is still no match for me. Just you wait there quietly. Watch me claim this Divine Fire, and then I'll come and deal with you!"

Yuan San retorted, his eyes filled with sneering contempt.

Originally, he had been eager to kill Yang Xiao.

But then he thought about this guy's elusive abilities. He also saw that half of Flame Mountain was destroyed, which would likely attract others soon—someone like Yuan Haotian, for instance.

He could disregard Yang Xiao, but Yuan Haotian was a different matter. Although Yuan Haotian was merely at Void Immortal Peak, he had cultivated the Three Thousand Dao Clones, and his true combat strength wasn't much less than his own.

He was heavily injured, and some strange force was continuously absorbing his Cultivation Power. Yuan San felt he couldn't afford to delay any longer.

'I need to claim this masterless Divine Fire first.'

So, Yuan San temporarily put aside the thought of dealing with Yang Xiao.

He reached out to grab the Divine Fire.

Yang Xiao, however, didn't seem to mind.

'For this guy to think he could obtain the Divine Fire right in front of me... it was simply impossible.'

'Besides, isn't it about time for the person hiding in the shadows to appear?'

Sure enough, just as Yuan San's hand was about to touch the Divine Fire, a figure suddenly appeared and blocked his path.

It brought his lunge to an abrupt halt.

"Lord Immortal Envoy, you... what happened to you?"

The figure wore a surprised expression, but when Yuan San saw who it was, his own expression changed.

Because the person before him was, to his dismay, the very one he was most wary of.

Yuan Haotian.

"Yuan Haotian, you dare disobey my command as an Immortal Envoy? You entered without permission?"

Yuan San roared.

"What you say is truly heartbreaking, Lord Immortal Envoy. Didn't I rush over because I was worried something might have happened to you? Look at your current state. I'm afraid even an ordinary Void Immortal Peak could harm you. It's better if I protect you."

Yuan Haotian, however, just laughed.

His eyes were filled with mockery.

Seeing this look on his face, especially as his gaze drifted to the Divine Fire behind him, Yuan San's expression changed.

"You!"

"Oh? There's a Divine Fire here! That's right, Lord Immortal Envoy, you cultivate Gold Element Immortal Power, don't you? Fire overcomes Gold, so this Divine Fire isn't compatible with you. I, on the other hand, cultivate Wood Element Immortal Power. As it happens, Wood feeds Fire, so they can coexist. This might even allow me to achieve a Mutated Dao Body. What do you think, Lord Immortal Envoy?"

Yuan Haotian's unabashed words made Yuan San furious, but there was nothing he could do.

In his current state, he was no match for Yuan Haotian.

'Am I just supposed to watch as he takes the Divine Fire I went through hell to get?'

Yuan San couldn't accept it.

'He had used two Protective Jade Talismans and a Heaven-Shattering Talisman to get this far. If Yuan Haotian took it...'

The mere thought made Yuan San feel unbearably frustrated.

But as things stood, he was no match for Yuan Haotian.

'What else could he do?'

'It's all that damn guy's fault! If it weren't for him, how could I have ended up in this state?'

Yuan San's gaze snapped toward Yang Xiao.

At this moment, however, Yang Xiao remained perfectly composed, as if he didn't have a care in the world.

This made Yuan San even more furious.

As for Yuan Haotian,

he also glanced at Yang Xiao.

A flash of satisfaction crossed his eyes.

'So this guy isn't dead yet. That's fine, though. In a little while, I'd love to personally see the look of shock on his face. Daring to plot against me... he's simply courting death. But for now, I'll take the Divine Fire first.'

Yuan Haotian didn't dare to delay either.

He reached out to claim the masterless Divine Fire.

He would take advantage of Yuan San's weakness to seize the Divine Fire. As long as he refined it, he could achieve a meteoric rise and become a True Immortal.

At that point, in terms of both status and strength, he would no longer need to fear Yuan San.

That was why he dared to snatch it.

However, if he dragged things out and allowed Yuan San to recover his fighting strength, things would turn ugly.

'So, a small fry like Yang Xiao can wait. I'll get the Divine Fire and refine it first.'

However, just as Yuan Haotian reached for it...

several other auras appeared at the very same moment.

Everyone's expression changed at once.