Immortal-Exterminating Divine Venerable

"No, impossible!"

After Yang Xiao sliced Yuan Haotian in two with his sword, something even stranger happened.

Yuan Haotian, who should have died—or even been completely devoured by the Bloodthirsty Divine Sword—was somehow still alive, his face a mask of terror mixed with rage as he roared furiously.

But no sound came out.

It was as if his entire being was isolated in a Different Space.

At the same time, he couldn't move an iota of his power, as if it had been frozen solid. Even his Life Force, which should have been dissipating, was now suspended in place.

'What's going on? Right, it's some unknown power. This power feels familiar... That's it! It's the power of that fruit! It can keep my body in a state of suspended time, where nothing can harm it. Is it possible? Is the power of the Divine Fruit protecting me?'

A look of pleasant surprise spread across Yuan Haotian's face.

Especially when he saw Yang Xiao's exhausted expression. It was clear he had used his final trump card to wound him this badly; there was no way he could unleash such a strike again.

'Haha, kid, you miscalculated, didn't you? Haha, I almost forgot—you were the one who gave me this fruit! What's wrong, feeling pretty bitter right now? But what can you do? You unleashed your Divine Weapon and still couldn't kill me! Haha, this is hilarious!'

In his mind, Yuan Haotian began to mock Yang Xiao wildly.

He was filled with confidence that he would survive.

After all, when trying to save his grandfather, he had once attempted to damage his own body with all his might. But no matter what he did, he remained impervious to any blade, not suffering even a scratch.

A strange power lingered on his body, setting it apart from the outside world as if it existed in a different dimension or at a different point in time. How could anyone possibly kill him?

'Even a Divine Artifact probably wouldn't work.'

That was why Yuan Haotian had been so certain he could save his grandfather.

Of course, he had miscalculated that time.

But this time...

Yuan Haotian felt...

...that he absolutely could not have miscalculated.

'This kid can't kill me.'

However, he seemed to have forgotten: since Yang Xiao was the one who had produced the fruit, would his understanding of its abilities be any less than his own?

The Power of Time, indeed, could not be destroyed by Yang Xiao's strength—not even with a full-force strike from the Bloodthirsty Divine Sword. But who ever said he needed to destroy it?

Couldn't Yang Xiao control it?

He possessed the Heart of Time, after all.

'If this guy knew I've already used up about seventy percent of the Spiritual Power belonging to the True God, Elder Tianjue, he probably wouldn't be so confident.'

Yang Xiao smiled faintly.

He was exhausted.

Yet he was still maintaining control over the power of the Heart of Time.

That was right.

This time, he had not only channeled Ye Tianjue's Spiritual Power into the Bloodthirsty Divine Sword but had also directed that same Spiritual Power into the Heart of Time.

And so,

With a single slash of the sword,

Yuan Haotian's body had been sliced in two. This was because, under the influence of the Heart of Time, the energy from the Desolate Divine Fruit on his body had completely vanished.

The reason this fellow was now under the illusion that the power still existed...

...was because Yang Xiao was still controlling the Power of Time and directing it onto his body.

This was what created the bizarre scene of Yuan Haotian, who should have died but hadn't.

Because his time had been frozen.

Stopped in the instant right before death.

And the reason Yang Xiao did this...

...was because of...

...the Seed of the Great Dao inside his body.

'Soon. Just a little longer, and I'll be able to draw it out,'

Yang Xiao sensed for a moment, and smiled again.

At this moment, Yuan Haotian also sensed that something was wrong. Although he wasn't dead, he could still feel the terrifying aura from that sword strike lingering.

It felt as if in the next moment, his body and soul would be utterly annihilated.

Even more bizarrely, the Seed of the Great Dao within him was stirring restlessly, as if about to fly out of his body, and there was nothing he could do about it.

'What is going on?'

'Am I going to be trapped in this time forever?'

His previous joy...

...vanished in an instant.

Yuan Haotian was like a beast trapped in a cage of time, silently awaiting the moment the cage opened and he would meet his doom.

'No, I don't want this feeling of just waiting to die! Right, the fruit belonged to this guy... This must have all been his scheme! I...'

Yuan Haotian was beginning to feel regret.

At this very moment,

he finally understood

just what kind of existence he had provoked.

'If... if I had known it would come to this, I really should have made a different choice back then.'

But now...

...it was clearly too late for regrets.

Without him to suppress it, and sensing its host's impending doom, the Seed of the Great Dao within his body was finally pulled away.

It entered the Mysterious Furnace Cauldron.

And Yang Xiao, who had been struggling to maintain the power of the Heart of Time, finally let out a sigh of relief.

The sword in his hand...

...promptly fell to the ground.

His entire body collapsed to the ground.

He even collapsed to the ground a step before Yuan Haotian, who was losing consciousness in that same instant.

But the expression on his face was one of satisfaction.

Because he had succeeded.

At the same time, as Yang Xiao stopped maintaining the power of the Heart of Time, Yuan Haotian met his end.

His body split completely apart, his consciousness instantly annihilated.

At the same time, all of his essence, blood, and flesh—all of his power—began to surge toward the Bloodthirsty Divine Sword.

It was absorbed in an instant.

What was even more terrifying was that...

...all Three Thousand Dao Clones he had cultivated—from the hundred or so he had just sent to suppress the God-Suppressing Coffin to the single clone guarding the Immortal Soul Hall in the distant Vast Heaven Immortal Sect—

...were, in that single moment, sucked directly into the Bloodthirsty Divine Sword, ignoring all space and distance.

Having absorbed the equivalent of three thousand Peak Void Immortal powerhouses, the Bloodthirsty Divine Sword instantly grew a few shades brighter.

However, the Bloodthirsty Divine Sword had already been promoted to a Low Grade Divine Weapon. This new power wasn't enough to upgrade it to a Middle Grade Divine Weapon, but it did increase its might considerably.

Regarding this...

...Yang Xiao had a bitter expression on his face.

Because this meant that it would become even more difficult for him to use the Bloodthirsty Divine Sword.

'I thought the remaining fifteen percent of Spiritual Power would let me activate it two more times. Now, it looks like I can probably only do it once more.'

Yang Xiao was a little frustrated.

The feedback from the Bloodthirsty Divine Sword afterward gave him an even bigger headache.

'This is so much energy, equivalent to dozens of Void Immortal Peak powerhouses... How am I supposed to handle this?'

Just as Yang Xiao was fretting over this...

...the Bloodthirsty Divine Sword seemed to sense his trouble. It trembled lightly and sucked all of the feedback power back into itself.

Just as Yang Xiao was thinking the sword wasn't playing fair, he saw it spit out another burst of power.

As feedback.

This stream of power was dozens of times weaker than the last, equivalent only to the energy of a Late-stage Void Immortal.

But Yang Xiao...

...burst out laughing.

A second refinement, and a specialized one at that.

Little Blood was simply amazing!