Immortal-Exterminating Divine Venerable

"Damn it, damn it all! How dare that bastard toy with me like this!"

Seeing Yang Xiao vanish once again, Ao Tianjue roared in fury.

Even now, he didn't think his own provocations were the reason for Yang Xiao's actions. Instead, he felt the other man was disrespecting him, making a fool of him.

However, something puzzled him.

'That guy… he's only at the True Intent Stage. How could he possibly reach the fourth tier? But the exclamations from the crowd below clearly indicated that he's already on the fourth tier. What in the world is going on? Could it be…'

Ao Tianjue's eyes suddenly lit up.

He felt as if he had just uncovered a monumental secret.

Yang Xiao was cheating.

'Lord Human Emperor must have given him something that allows him to resist the pressure here. Hmph, that must be it. I, Ao Tianjue, will definitely expose him!'

With that thought, the already overconfident Ao Tianjue instantly ascended to the fourth tier.

But this time…

He couldn't even find a trace of Yang Xiao's shadow.

The entire fourth tier was empty.

'Did he go up to the fifth tier?'

The thought had barely formed when confirming shouts rose from the crowd below.

Ao Tianjue grit his teeth and continued to the fifth tier.

But the result was the same.

He still couldn't see Yang Xiao.

And so it went.

Holding fast to the belief that he had to expose Yang Xiao to his face, Ao Tianjue climbed relentlessly upward.

But no matter how hard he tried—and he had already seen many at the Peak of Small Divine Power Realm, and even some at the Great Divine Power First Level, fail to continue—he couldn't even catch a glimpse of Yang Xiao.

Until the ninth tier.

'The pressure is terrifying! Even I, Ao Tianjue, am finding it hard to hold on! That brat… surely he hasn't gone any further?'

Though it was a struggle, Ao Tianjue's first instinct upon arrival was still to look for Yang Xiao.

The ninth tier.

This was the most crowded tier he had seen since he started climbing.

Aside from the nine candidates for Human Emperor…

Almost everyone else was here.

Including the one he hated with a passion, Yang Xiao.

'Aha, the little brat couldn't take it after all. I've finally caught you. Hmph, next, I, Ao Tianjue, will see how you can maintain your powerful facade in front of everyone!'

Ao Tianjue snorted coldly and strode toward Yang Xiao.

Yang Xiao was actually a little surprised to see the man had managed to follow him this far.

He had thought the fellow would give up and leave around the fifth and sixth tier at most.

After all, his mental fortitude was exceptionally poor.

But so what if he made it to the ninth tier?

If Yang Xiao truly wanted to focus on speed, with his strength, he would probably already be on the Thirty-Third Floor, having surpassed everyone.

However, as someone who had once reached the summit of the true Divine Ascension Platform, he was unlike these people, who only knew how to blindly climb. Instead, with every tier he ascended, he would take a moment to experience the power within the platform. This was because the Ascension Platform was an Unparalleled Divine Weapon forged by the first Human Emperor, the Golden Emperor Saint Mother, using Origin Golden Liquid. It was said to contain the Gold Element Origin Dao.

Although it was also a Dao of Origin, this Gold Element Origin Power was a level below the Heaven and Earth Origin Flame in Yang Xiao's body. Nevertheless, it was still one of the most powerful forces in the world, on par with supreme powers like the Power of the Emperor and Devouring Power.

Most importantly, Yang Xiao had hit a bottleneck with his Golden Roc Secret Pattern and had been unable to achieve a breakthrough.

If he could glean the mysteries of the Gold Element Origin Dao from this, it would definitely be a huge boost to his Golden Roc Secret Pattern.

'My Golden Roc Secret Pattern comes entirely from Golden Flame. His innate talent isn't weak—it's comparable to an Upper-Grade Dao Body—but as a Divine Beast, his cultivation advances a bit slowly. After all this time cultivating at the Northern Wilderness Sword Mansion, he's only at the Great Divine Power Seventh Layer, and the Golden Roc Secret Pattern he can manifest is only at the seventh layer as well…'

'Although I have already comprehended it, I always feel like something is missing. The key lies within the Gold Secret Pattern. If I can comprehend even a sliver of the Gold Element Origin Dao and bring my Golden Roc Secret Pattern to Perfection, then even if I lose the Golden Roc True Body, my speed advantage won't be lost. What's more, this Ascension Platform doesn't just contain the Gold Element Origin Dao, but also the Golden Emperor Saint Mother's comprehensions of other Great Daos. Experiencing them carefully will be of immense benefit to me!'

Yang Xiao thought to himself.

He closed his eyes and continued to meditate.

Ao Tianjue, however, seized the opportunity to get right in his face again.

"Heh heh, why don't you climb another tier? Pathetic. A mere True Intent Stage cultivator, acting so arrogant just because you have a treasure from the Human Emperor. You truly don't know your place!"

Hearing this, Yang Xiao, who hadn't wanted to bother with him, opened his eyes.

He looked at the man's excited and arrogant face and said coolly, "You're saying I made it here by relying on a treasure?"

"Isn't that obvious? You're not going to tell me that you, with your True Intent Stage cultivation, could have reached this place on your own strength, are you?"

Ao Tianjue's face was filled with contempt.

Yang Xiao was amused.

Especially when he saw that the others on the ninth tier had turned to look at him with doubt, apparently believing some of Ao Tianjue's words.

Furthermore, the eyes of the crowd below were also flickering with speculation.

Yang Xiao knew that many of them probably thought the same thing.

After all, his performance was nothing short of heaven-defying to them.

A True Intent Stage cultivator standing on the same level as Great Divine Power Realm Martial Arts Powerhouses—anyone would probably assume he had cheated to get here, right?

But so what?

Just because they had their doubts, did he have to explain himself?

Why should he!

Yang Xiao gave a cold smile. "If a piece of trash like you can make it to the ninth tier, why can't I?"

Then, he closed his eyes once more to immerse himself in his cultivation. On the Ascension Platform, every nine tiers represented a new level, and the ninth tier was the easiest place to comprehend the Gold Element Origin Power. Yang Xiao had no intention of missing this opportunity because of some moron.

However, his words sent Ao Tianjue into a complete rage.

"You… you dare call me trash? This is outrageous! I challenge you to a duel!"

With a roar, Ao Tianjue lunged at Yang Xiao.

However, the pressure here was already immense. He was only at the Great Divine Power Second Level and could barely stand firm. Attacking someone?

It was simply impossible.

But the man lunged forward anyway.

He was acting like a common street brawler, reaching out to grab Yang Xiao's hair and clothes.

That did it. Yang Xiao was instantly enraged.

This guy was relentless and self-righteous.

He assumed that because he couldn't do something, nobody else could either.

And now, he actually dared to attack him.

Very well!

A cold glint flashed in Yang Xiao's eyes.

"Since you're looking for death, I'll be happy to oblige!"

As his voice fell, Yang Xiao made his move!