Immortal-Exterminating Divine Venerable

"Qianfan, your grandfather is a Peak Demigod. He might be able to cure you. Let's go back first. If that really doesn't work, we can figure something else out."

As Lu Qianfan hesitated, Wang Tianyi sighed softly and spoke.

He was truly afraid this guy wasn't thinking clearly and would actually make a move on Ye Wanyu. If that happened, even if he could stop it, what would Lu Dingyuan think?

Thinking of that old man, who had once seemed incredibly loyal to the Ye Family but had spent years just using their reputation to build up his own power and hoard Cultivation Resources, made Wang Tianyi genuinely afraid something would go wrong.

His words instantly snapped Lu Qianfan back to reality.

'That's right! My grandfather is a Peak Demigod, just a step away from being a True God. What poison could possibly stump him? I was almost led into a trap by that brat. Hmph, that damn guy! I wonder if Ye Wanyu's opinion of me has dropped too much?'

He cautiously stole a glance at Ye Wanyu.

Lu Qianfan saw that the girl was just staring at him, seemingly still sizing him up. He instantly felt a wave of relief.

'She's probably still waiting for me to make a decision. What an idiot.'

Lu Qianfan smiled faintly, his expression instantly becoming one of stern righteousness. Looking at Yang Xiao, he said loudly, "Even if I were to die, I would never lay a hand on Miss Wanyu! You're lucky today. You've taken a Divine Fruit, so we can't do anything to you. We'll let you go this once. However, I, Lu Qianfan, refuse to believe your Divine Fruit will be effective forever, or that it can protect you forever!"

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that. But after hesitating for so long, you finally say something like that? Do you really think everyone else is a fool?"

Yang Xiao smiled faintly.

However, as soon as he said that, any dissatisfaction Ye Wanyu had felt toward Lu Qianfan for taking so long to speak up instantly vanished.

"No matter how bad Brother Lu is, he's a thousand times better than you, Yang Xiao! Look at you now, not only needing my sister to protect you, but also these commoners. How impressive."

At her cold words, Yang Xiao's expression changed in an instant.

"So, you want Lu Qianfan to die right now? I'd love to see if he would have said what he just did if I made him drop dead this instant!"

The moment he said it, not only was Lu Qianfan startled, but Wang Tianyi and Ye Wanyu were stunned as well.

Wang Tianyi, in particular, had a gut feeling that things were about to go south.

Disregarding their reactions, he threw up a hand, grabbed both Lu Qianfan and Ye Wanyu, and vanished in a flash.

The middle-aged man with the surname Liu saw them all leave, shot a glance at Yang Xiao, and then bolted away as well.

The four of them had arrived so aggressively.

Yet they fled in disarray because of a single sentence from Yang Xiao.

All the miners present watched this unfold, their eyes shining.

"Young Master Yang is incredible! He made those guys flee with just a single sentence."

"Tell me about it! I heard from Miss Ye that Young Master Yang is actually incredibly powerful. He just can't use his cultivation right now because of some trial. Otherwise, those guys wouldn't have stood a chance against him."

"Exactly! But even without his cultivation, Young Master Yang is still formidable. Those guys were so powerful, they could probably kill us with a single glance, but in the end, didn't they still lose to the Young Master?"

The crowd instantly erupted into fervent discussion.

Some of the things they were saying were enough to make even Yang Xiao blush.

However, after this incident, Yang Xiao noticed that they had grown closer not only to him, but also to the Martial Dao.

Before, some of them might have harbored doubts, or felt that cultivating the Martial Dao was too difficult and didn't want to pursue it.

But after Lu Qianfan and the others came to cause trouble, the miners saw for themselves just how powerful a Late Stage Martial Artist could be.

Even more powerful than the Immortal Masters they had previously envied.

The thought that they too could become powerful figures like Upper Immortals and Immortal Masters spurred many of them to begin cultivating in earnest.

As a result, Yang Xiao could clearly sense that he would soon be able to establish his first foundation.

'The first requirement for a foundation on the Path of the Human Emperor is to gather ten thousand Martial Artists. At this rate, I should reach that in a few more days. Once I get through these next few days and my Fire God Clone arrives, I won't have to be in such a pathetic state.'

Being powerless, having to rely on Pills, and most importantly, having no strong Guardian by his side—Yang Xiao was thoroughly tired of living this way.

Even though he could solve many problems with Pills, like with the Immortal Cultivators before, and like this time now, he had also been forced to back down a lot.

'A guy like Lu Qianfan... if I still had my strength, I would've just killed him and been done with it. As for Ye Wanyu, that stupid woman... even if I didn't kill her for the sake of the Ye Family, Ye Wanqing, and Grandma Ye Lio, she would still need to be taught a lesson.'

'Otherwise, heaven knows how many more stupid things she'll do.'

'Unfortunately...'

'Rules are rules.'

'If I dared to break them, Emperor Xuanyuan could strip me of my qualification to walk the Path of the Human Emperor and take away the Emperor Golden Dragon Secret Technique in an instant.'

So, no matter how annoyed Yang Xiao was, he could only endure it.

'I hope I can get through the next few days peacefully.'

Yang Xiao sighed softly.

However, he was no longer worried about his own safety.

After consuming the Desolate Divine Fruit, Yang Xiao's physical body was now in a state where time stood still. Forget a small fry like Lu Qianfan; even if a Demigod or even a True God were to appear, he would be invincible.

No one could defeat him.

But the same couldn't be said for these miners, or for Ye Wanqing.

"Yang Xiao, I'm so sorry about this. My sister is just too willful. I apologize to you on her behalf."

And just as he thought of Ye Wanqing, she appeared.

However, one look at her face told Yang Xiao she was in a terrible mood.

"Don't worry. I only said that because I wanted her to see that Lu fellow's true colors. I never actually intended for her life to be taken. You of all people should know that if I wanted to, I could have done it myself, without needing Lu Qianfan to lift a finger."

Yang Xiao sighed softly.

He knew very well that Ye Wanqing was in a bad mood. On one hand, it was definitely because Ye Wanyu had acted against him, making her feel terribly guilty.

But on the other hand, his own words from just now might have also played a part.

And sure enough, upon hearing Yang Xiao's explanation...

"Thank you!"

Ye Wanqing's expression relaxed slightly.

However, the thought of her sister's willfulness made her worry again.

But she was helpless to do anything about it.

"Don't worry. I'm here. It'll be fine," Yang Xiao said reassuringly.

And that simple sentence instantly warmed Ye Wanqing's heart.

She smiled.

She nodded at Yang Xiao.

Just then, the glow of the setting sun fell upon Ye Wanqing's exquisite face, a vision of breathtaking beauty.

The sight left Yang Xiao momentarily stunned.

And at that very moment, several more figures, each possessing a powerful aura, appeared in the sky above the Fire Cloud Mountain Mine.

Yang Xiao's brow furrowed slightly.

However, when he saw one of the newcomers, he couldn't help but smile.

'This guy really showed up at the perfect time.'

'With him here, the next few days will probably be much easier to get through.'