Immortal-Exterminating Divine Venerable

"Argh! Xuanyuan Sword Emperor, you—!"

The incarnation of Yuan Yang Immortal Monarch had thought he could easily crush everything and claim the Exotic Treasure. But upon seeing the sword light slashing toward him, his expression changed dramatically as he let out an indignant roar.

But before he could finish, the sword light was upon him.

This Immortal Dao incarnation—forged from the entire Profound Sun Continent, billions of living creatures, and countless Spirit Seeds—was instantly annihilated.

And reduced to nothing.

Yang Xiao stared, utterly dumbfounded by the sight.

「Meanwhile.」

In the Daoist sanctum of Xuanfeng Emperor.

In Qingfeng Divine Hall.

The expression of Yuan Yang Immortal Monarch, who was drinking with Xuanfeng Emperor, suddenly changed.

He shot to his feet.

"Yuan Yang, what is the meaning of this?"

Xuanfeng Emperor said, his voice laced with displeasure.

Yuan Yang Immortal Monarch's expression shifted. Unlike how he had treated Fairy Mingyue at the Moon Cold Palace, he dared not show his temper here. He reined in his fury and said deferentially, "Forgive me, Great Emperor. This junior has an urgent matter to attend to. Please allow me to take my leave."

"Leaving so soon?"

Xuanfeng Emperor's brows furrowed. "Yuan Yang, this is quite disrespectful to me."

"Indeed, Yuan Yang Immortal Monarch. Xuanfeng Emperor was kind enough to invite you. How can you simply walk out?"

Another voice, pleasant yet tinged with authority, echoed in the hall. It belonged to a noble lady dressed in a magnificent black robe embroidered with the sun, moon, and stars.

At her words, Yuan Yang Immortal Monarch's expression became even more inscrutable.

Finally, he gritted his teeth and sat back down.

"An invitation from Xuanfeng Emperor is not to be taken lightly. I was indeed out of line. Thank you for the reminder, Profound Mother Emperor. I shall remember this."

He practically bit out the words "remember this."

Anyone could hear the veiled threat in his voice.

Xuanfeng Emperor's expression immediately changed.

Profound Mother Emperor, however, simply smiled faintly, as if she hadn't caught his meaning at all. "It's rare enough for a young man to heed the words of us old fossils," she said. "Oh, by the way, Xuanfeng Emperor, didn't you say that some time ago, Human Emperor Xuanyuan asked you for one of your continents?"

At her words, Xuanfeng Emperor's expression turned serious, and he nodded solemnly.

Although he, like Emperor Xuanyuan, had reached the Realm of Great Emperor—and was even considered outstanding among his peers—he was still far inferior to Emperor Xuanyuan.

This was true in terms of both power and status.

"And which continent might that be?"

Profound Mother Emperor asked lightly.

When Yuan Yang Immortal Monarch heard the name 'Human Emperor Xuanyuan,' his heart stirred once more.

It was this man who had slain his incarnation of the Immortal Dao Will on the Profound Sun Continent.

Now that Profound Mother Emperor had brought him up, he was naturally paying close attention.

He, too, turned his gaze toward them.

"Since you both seem interested, I'll get straight to the point. In fact, I invited you two Immortal Monarchs here precisely for this matter. I wonder, are either of you familiar with the Profound Sun Emperor?"

At his words, Profound Mother Emperor paused in surprise, while Yuan Yang Immortal Monarch's expression turned exceedingly grim.

He had a sinking feeling he knew where this was going.

Moreover, the name "Profound Sun" was one he had once loathed.

Hearing it now naturally filled him with displeasure.

His emotions were in turmoil.

After a moment, Profound Mother Emperor recovered and sighed. "The Profound Sun Emperor... how could I not know of him? In its day, the Nine Yang Celestial Palace was a Holy Land for the entire Divine Land World. At its zenith, it was even called the foremost Holy Land. Even the current master of Chaofeng Pavilion, His Majesty the Emperor Xi, hails from the Nine Yang Celestial Palace. It's such a pity. After the Nine Yang Supreme vanished without a trace, the Profound Sun Emperor colluded with otherworldly demons. He was abandoned by all and met a violent end. Truly tragic. Xuanfeng Emperor, why do you suddenly bring up the Profound Sun Emperor? Has something happened concerning him?"

Xuanfeng Emperor nodded slightly. "The connection isn't that significant. It's just that the continent Human Emperor Xuanyuan requested is precisely the Profound Sun Emperor's birthplace. It is now named after him, called the Profound Sun Continent. The reason I've invited you two here is because that place has become a paradise for the Immortal Dao. Human Emperor Xuanyuan wishes for your esteemed Immortal Dao to abandon that continent, and so he asked me to mediate."

"No, impossible!"

Yuan Yang Immortal Monarch cried out.

But Xuanfeng Emperor paid him no mind, ignoring his outburst completely and keeping his gaze fixed on Profound Mother Emperor.

After a brief moment of contemplation, the beautiful and noble woman replied, "Many disciples of my Immortal Dao are also of the Human Race. Now that the Human Emperor has given a command, we must naturally respect it. It is merely a single continent. Rest assured, Great Emperor. I, Profound Mother, can make the decision on this. I will have the Immortal Dao Influence withdraw from that continent. Will that satisfy you, Great Emperor?"

"If that is the case, then it is for the best."

Xuanfeng Emperor smiled.

Yuan Yang Immortal Monarch's face, however, darkened with rage.

He had gone to such great lengths, finally finding a clue to that *thing*, only to be thwarted by these two. And to make matters worse, Human Emperor Xuanyuan was involved.

Against anyone else, Yuan Yang Immortal Monarch might have dared to put up a fight.

But this was Human Emperor Xuanyuan, the last Human Emperor of the Human Race. In the million years since he proved his Dao, his influence had spread across the entire Divine Land World. Even the Four Great Sacred Lands had to show him deference. He was not a Saint Emperor, but his authority surpassed that of one.

A single word from him was enough to render someone of Yuan Yang Immortal Monarch's current standing powerless to resist.

'Do I have to ask my true self to intervene?'

The thought flashed through Yuan Yang's mind.

Just then, Xuanfeng Emperor spoke, his tone laden with meaning. "A moment ago, Yuan Yang Immortal Monarch seemed rather displeased. I wonder, do you find my hospitality lacking? Is that why you refuse to show me respect?"

"This..."

Yuan Yang Immortal Monarch was taken aback.

"It seems the Immortal Monarch truly feels my hospitality has been lacking. Profound Mother Emperor, you've seen it for yourself. A newly ascended Immortal Monarch, and he already dares to show such disrespect to my face. If I were to teach him a lesson, I trust the Immortal Dao would have no objections?"

At this, Yuan Yang Immortal Monarch's expression grew even darker.

'This bastard is openly targeting me.'

But what infuriated him was that his current strength was no match for this man.

If it were otherwise, he wouldn't have been "invited" here by force in the first place.

"Of course not," Profound Mother Emperor replied. "Yuan Yang is a rising talent of our Immortal Dao. However, the Immortal Dao itself is but a branch of the Martial Dao; we share the same origin. For Xuanfeng Emperor to be willing to guide a junior is a blessing for Yuan Yang Immortal Monarch. Yuan Yang Immortal Monarch, are you not going to thank the Great Emperor?"

Profound Mother Emperor's words almost made Yuan Yang Immortal Monarch cough up blood.

'He's about to punish me.'

'And I'm supposed to thank him for it?'

'What kind of twisted logic is that?'

But for now, he was in no position to argue.

Yuan Yang Immortal Monarch had no choice but to rise and say, "Please, Great Emperor, grant me your guidance."

"Since you've asked so sincerely, then I shall grant your wish. And seeing as you're so eager to learn, I'll be sure to 'guide' you every time we meet in the future," Xuanfeng Emperor said with a smile.

Yuan Yang Immortal Monarch was dumbstruck.

'Doesn't that just mean he's going to beat me up every time he sees me?'

'This old bastard! He's trying to sever my connection to the Profound Sun Continent! Damn it all! If my true self were here, I'd never let him get away with this humiliation!'

At that moment, Xuanfeng Emperor struck.

With none of the decorum expected of a senior, he slapped Yuan Yang Immortal Monarch directly across the face.

Sending him flying from the impact.

Poor fellow. First, his incarnation was slain, and now he was being slapped across the face.

Yuan Yang Immortal Monarch felt that this was just not his day.

Fortunately...

After landing the slap, Xuanfeng Emperor didn't strike again. He simply projected a single word into Yuan Yang Immortal Monarch's mind: "Scram." Yuan Yang Immortal Monarch felt as if he had been granted amnesty.

He fled as if his life depended on it.

But as he fled, the face of Profound Mother Emperor—who until now had been smiling and incomparably noble—suddenly transformed.

Her features shifted and changed.

Had Yang Xiao been present, he would have recognized her. The figure with the transformed face was strikingly similar—

—almost identical, in fact, to the woman whose features he could never clearly discern through his Thousand Mechanism Eye.