Immortal-Exterminating Divine Venerable

"What in the world? What did I just see? That Sword Qi..."

Outside the Battle Space, everyone was utterly dumbfounded.

The scene unfolding before them was simply unbelievable, utterly incomprehensible.

A single sword strike, one that had looked utterly feeble, was unleashed. In an instant, it annihilated the overwhelmingly powerful offensive that Qin Qian and the other seven had formed by combining the Three Great Sect's Ultimate Skills.

If that were all, it would have been one thing.

But what came next was even more terrifying. After annihilating their attack, the Sword Qi didn't vanish. Instead, it continued on, its momentum unabated, and swept toward the eight combatants themselves. Its pace was neither hurried nor slow.

Yet it was a speed from which they could not escape.

It struck them down directly.

In an instant, seven of them were sliced in two, their auras instantly dissipating.

Their bodies died, their Daos vanished.

The members of the Three Hidden World Powers, along with all the onlookers, stared at the scene, unable to believe their eyes.

It was simply too incredible to be real.

'To slay seven of Heaven's chosen with a single strike... just what kind of power did this young man possess?'

As for the people from the Three Hidden World Powers, their eyes were splitting with rage. This was especially true for the direct elders of the seven slain prodigies, every one of whom had eyes burning with Red fury.

They wished for nothing more than to charge in and annihilate Yang Xiao.

But just then, a calm voice spoke up.

"This young man is truly worthy of the Lord Human Emperor's favor. With such combat prowess, I fear even I would not be his match."

The one who said this was not just anyone.

It was the strongest expert present: the Qin Family Ancestor, a cultivator at the Demigod Peak.

His words sent a jolt through the hearts of all those who had been clamoring for Yang Xiao's death.

They fell silent.

'If even the Qin Family's Ancestor, a master at the Demigod Peak, admits he might not be Yang Xiao's match, what chance do we stand?'

'Besides, he's someone the Lord Human Emperor has taken an interest in. If we, as seniors, were to bully a junior, what would the consequences be? Would the Lord Human Emperor truly stay his hand?'

Instantly, all but a few of them abandoned the idea of taking revenge on Yang Xiao right away.

They suppressed the killing intent simmering in their hearts.

At the very least, they no longer planned to act against him for the time being.

Only the Qin Family Head remained, his face a mask of tension.

His eyes were fixed on the sole survivor within the Battle Space.

The one who had survived that devastating sword strike was none other than the strongest of the eight, the one with the most promising future: Qin Qian.

The Qin Family Head's own son.

When the sword strike had descended, a hazy, precious light had flared up from Qin Qian's body. It had barely managed to block the attack—an attack that possessed only an eighth of the original strike's power, perhaps even less. Even so, the precious light around him had dimmed instantly, a clear sign that he had suffered a grievous wound.

The last vestiges of the attack's power had invaded his body, wreaking havoc on his internal organs.

Even for someone at the Great Divine Power Eighth Layer Peak like him...

...he was in excruciating pain.

His entire body felt as if it were being pierced by needles, and he found he couldn't even circulate his energy.

He could only stare at Yang Xiao in abject terror.

His mind was reeling with disbelief.

'He had been certain that their combined attack would be enough to kill Yang Xiao.'

But now, seven of his companions had been slain by a single sword strike. The reversal was so absolute that it felt like a nightmare from which he couldn't awaken.

'He refused to believe it.'

But when Yang Xiao's gaze fell upon him...

...his heart began to tremble violently.

His body instinctively tried to retreat.

But the slightest movement sent waves of endless agony through him.

His expression twisted into one of ultimate dread.

He opened his mouth, wanting to beg for his life, but the words wouldn't come.

Outside, the Qin Family Head was equally wrought with tension.

But he was utterly helpless.

He could only pray silently that Yang Xiao would spare his son.

'But was that even possible?'

"I'm surprised someone actually survived. Oh, but you had to go and destroy a Protective Treasure Artifact. It seems the Qin Family really does value you, doesn't it?"

Yang Xiao spoke calmly upon seeing that Qin Qian was still alive.

'But so what if he's still alive?'

As far as Yang Xiao was concerned, his Gold Element Origin Power was one of his strongest and most incisive attacks. There was a saying he was fond of: there was no problem below the Demigod level that a single strike of Gold Element Origin Sword Qi couldn't solve.

And if there was, he would just use two.

So, Yang Xiao raised his hand, ready to deliver another.

"No, don't! You can't kill me! If you kill me, you'll die too! My Qin Family Ancestor is a Peak Demigod, a Quasi True God! You can't kill me!"

At the brink of life and death, Qin Qian finally screamed.

Unfortunately for him, Yang Xiao was completely unmoved.

He raised his hand and unleashed his sword.

Instantly, another stream of Sword Qi, forged from Gold Element Origin Power, shot forth. With no Treasure Artifact to protect him, Qin Qian was killed in an instant.

"NO!"

Outside, the Qin Family Head let out a furious roar.

His eyes turned Red with rage.

He whirled around to look at the Qin Family Ancestor.

His mouth hung open, as if about to demand that the Ancestor avenge his son.

But at that moment, to his surprise, members of the Qin Family had already surrounded him.

They stared at him with predatory eyes.

Among them were three Demigod Level masters.

"Qin Tianjun, where is the Black Dragon Armor?"

Hearing this, the Qin Family Head's Heart Spirit trembled.

But then, he broke into a maniacal laugh.

"Haha, you want the Black Dragon Armor? Didn't you see it? The protective light that flared around my dear Qian... did you not recognize it?"

"Just as I feared. You really did give the Black Dragon Armor to your son in secret. Qin Tianjun, your selfishness is profound! You are no longer fit to be the Patriarch of the Qin Family. Today, in front of everyone, I will cripple your cultivation and strip you of your title to serve as a warning!"

The Qin Family Ancestor's eyes were filled with disappointment.

When Yang Xiao had mentioned that Qin Qian survived thanks to a Protective Treasure Artifact, the Ancestor knew something was amiss.

The entire Qin Family possessed only a single Protective Treasure Artifact: the Black Dragon Armor. This armor was the treasured heirloom of the Qin Family's Martial Arts Lineage. It was kept in the family's sacred vault, a place only the Demigod Peak Ancestor and the Qin Family Head could enter.

However, using it required the approval of the entire clan's Elder Council.

Otherwise, not even the Qin Family Ancestor, a cultivator at Demigod Peak, could mobilize it.

Until now, the Qin Family Ancestor had held onto a sliver of hope that the Qin Family Head hadn't secretly deployed the artifact.

But he never imagined this would actually happen.

What was even more infuriating was that the Protective Treasure Artifact had been destroyed in the process.

If he didn't punish the Qin Family Head now, he feared the entire family's morale would collapse.

Hearing the Qin Family Ancestor's verdict, however, Qin Tianjun just smiled eerily. "You want to cripple my cultivation? Hah! Maybe in your next life. Right now, I'm going to avenge my dear Qian. As for the rest of you, stay out of my way."

As his voice faded, the Qin Family Head vanished.

He reappeared on the first floor of the Ascension Platform.

He then began to ascend, one floor at a time, at a speed that no ordinary person could comprehend. His target: the Ninety-nine Floors where Yang Xiao stood.

Seeing this, the Qin Family Ancestor's expression changed drastically.

'That fool is actually going to try and kill Yang Xiao! He's going to bring disaster upon the Qin Family!'