Immortal-Exterminating Divine Venerable

BOOM!

The moment Yang Xiao set foot on the final step.

Before he could even get a clear look at his new surroundings.

He felt an endless, terrifying pressure bear down on him from all directions.

It was completely unbearable.

With a single POP!

He exploded.

That's right.

Upon reaching the final step of the Ascension Platform, Yang Xiao's entire body instantly blew apart.

He turned into a mist of blood.

It spread across the very top of the Ascension Platform.

The scene was identical to what had happened to those who had overestimated their abilities and tried to ascend the platform before.

In that instant, the crowd below the platform was stunned.

"Wh-what's going on?"

"The Saint Prince is dead?"

"Th-that's impossible! He's the Saint Prince..."

No one could process what had just happened. They had all been eagerly watching, expecting Yang Xiao to reach the top and conquer the Ascension Platform created by the Human Emperor.

But in the blink of an eye, the Saint Prince, Yang Xiao, was dead?

"Haha, some Saint Prince! He was just a piece of trash! And now he's dead. I say, it would be better if I became the Saint Prince instead!"

Suddenly, someone shouted.

Everyone turned to look.

The speaker was an extremely young man.

This man's aura was surprisingly profound. Someone even recognized him, noting that he seemed to have arrived with Zou Wuchang.

However, when Zou Wuchang had stepped out to cause trouble earlier, this person had not been present.

He had, in fact, taken a step back.

He had clearly sensed something but chose not to warn Zou Wuchang.

"That's the Zou Family's true genius, Zou Wushuang! I heard he's already at the Peak of Great Divine Power Realm, just a step away from the Demigod Realm! He's even stronger than the Zou Family Patriarch!"

Someone who recognized him shouted out.

Zou Wushuang paid them no mind and stepped forward, laughing heartily.

"Now that Yang Xiao is dead, who can possibly compete with me, Zou Wushuang? In a moment, I'll ascend the platform myself. As long as I achieve even a remotely good result, Lord Human Emperor will have no one else to choose, will he? He'll have to pick me! And with Lord Human Emperor's support, everything that once belonged to Yang Xiao will become mine! Even that True Divine Powerhouse will have to submit to me. I am the true Saint Prince! Haha!"

Zou Wushuang laughed with smug satisfaction.

'I'm so brilliant,' he thought.

'I knew to hide myself early on and not compete with those fools. Otherwise, how could such a wonderful opportunity have fallen into my lap?'

But he had barely taken half a step forward.

When a voice rang out.

"Are you so sure that my main body is dead?"

Zou Wushuang froze at these words.

He looked over.

The speaker was none other than the Fire God Clone, with his purple hair and blue eyes.

He didn't seem worried in the slightest, merely watching Zou Wushuang with a faint, mocking smile.

He said, "I originally thought that even though the Zou Family betrayed me once, it was probably just a few dissenters. But now it seems, with traitors emerging one after another, that your entire Zou Family is full of restless backstabbers. In that case... Purple-scaled Blood Horned Flood Dragon! Relay my orders! All disciples of the Zou Family who harbor dissent shall be killed without mercy! They will serve as a perfect Blood Sacrifice to the heavens!"

At these words, those who had been harboring their own ambitions trembled.

Zou Wushuang's appearance had indeed given them ideas.

After all, the Saint Prince, Yang Xiao, was supposedly dead.

It was hard not to feel tempted.

With Zou Wushuang taking the lead, the more ambitious among them were eager to make their move. But now, with a single declaration, the Fire God Clone had sealed the fate of thousands in the Zou Family.

Whatever ambition they held in their hearts was immediately extinguished.

More importantly, Saint Prince Yang Xiao's clone was perfectly fine. Had his main body really died?

The moment that thought occurred to them, all rebellious notions vanished completely.

Even the deeply calculating Zou Wushuang's expression changed.

"Impossible! You're not Yang Xiao's clone! I see now, you're just like me, trying to take Yang Xiao's place, aren't you? Too bad you can't stop me! Watch me ascend the platform!"

Zou Wushuang let out a low roar.

His figure instantly vanished.

When he reappeared, he was already on the Ascension Platform.

But just as his expression relaxed, he saw a man with red hair and blue eyes appear before him, watching him with that same faint, mocking smile.

"N-no, impossible! You're a Demigod! How can you..."

Just moments ago, Zou Wushuang had clearly seen the Qin Family Head ascend the platform, but the five Demigods were helpless to follow. He had assumed that those at or above the Demigod level simply couldn't set foot on the Ascension Platform.

That was why, once he was on the platform, he thought he had escaped to safety and secured all the glory. It was the only reason he had dared to be so arrogant.

He never imagined this would be the outcome.

"Die! Now that I've flushed you out, I doubt anyone else will dare to rebel, will they?"

The Fire God Clone raised a hand, and with a single palm strike, he froze Zou Wushuang solid.

Then, Zou Wushuang turned to nothingness.

The Clone wielded a yin-aspected, ultimate-cold fire—a terrifying power.

Killing a cultivator at the Peak of Great Divine Power Realm was effortless for him.

And as he made his move, the order to execute members of the Zou Family was carried out in various locations.

In that instant, not just at the Ascension Platform, but in every direction where a sacrificial altar stood, members of the Zou Family—and anyone connected to them or previously confirmed to be disloyal—were targeted.

They were all cut down.

In just a few moments, nearly a hundred thousand people lost their lives.

Slaughtered as a Blood Sacrifice to the heavens.

The result was that those with only one part loyalty now had three, or even more. Those with five parts loyalty no longer dared to harbor the slightest thought of defiance.

In that same instant, the hearts and minds of the people converged.

Upon the top tier of the Ascension Platform.

Yang Xiao's aura reappeared.

This time, the aura of his Emperor Dao was even richer.

So rich it was terrifying.

And Yang Xiao's figure coalesced once more.

A slight smile touched the corner of his mouth. "After the Blood Sacrifice, the people's hearts have truly gathered as one, without a trace of impurity. The Power of the Emperor has finally stabilized within me. However..."

He scanned his surroundings.

The pressure was still immense.

His newly-reformed body, it seemed, was not strong enough to withstand such tremendous pressure.

Seeing this, Human Emperor Xuanyuan let out a soft sigh. 'Is he still forcing it, in the end? It seems Xuan'Er also failed at this very step back then.'

He was a little crestfallen.

He had thought a successor would finally appear who could truly reach the summit, but the result was someone merely on par with Gongsun Xuan. Naturally, he felt a bit disappointed.

'It seems Xuan'Er is still the most suitable candidate for the Human Emperor Position. After all, he is superior to Yang Xiao in every aspect.'

But just as this thought surfaced in his mind,

the situation on the Ascension Platform changed once again.

Yang Xiao's expression instantly lit up with joy.

"The heavens are truly on my side! To succeed at this very moment! Haha! The three hundred and thirty-third step of the Ascension Platform... I, Yang Xiao, will conquer it!"

As his voice fell,

the aura around Yang Xiao surged violently.

An endless power erupted from within him.

This immediately caused the previously disappointed Human Emperor Xuanyuan's eyes to go wide.

Lu Changhe and Lu Changsheng also sensed something.

Their eyes filled with disbelief.

As they watched the change in Yang Xiao's aura,

they felt it was impossible.

"This aura..."