Immortal-Exterminating Divine Venerable

"You... you actually killed him?"

This Supreme Divine King who had suddenly appeared was, of course, a flesh-and-blood clone of Human Emperor Xuanyuan.

But right now, his face was filled with utter astonishment.

He clearly hadn't expected Yang Xiao to actually possess the power to kill Lu Changsheng, a Tier Six Divine Sect expert.

It was simply... unbelievable.

It even surpassed the limits of Breaking the Nine Prohibitions.

Although this young man had clearly advanced from the True Intent Eighth Layer Peak to the Peak of the True Intent Ninth Layer, he was still just a Mortal Martial Artist.

He hadn't yet entered the Small Divine Ability Realm.

'A Mortal Martial Artist killing a Tier Six Divine Sect expert? Is this some kind of fucking joke?'

Even Human Emperor Xuanyuan, a man who had seen it all, was completely dumbfounded—and this was despite the fact that his flesh-and-blood clone possessed the power of a Supreme Divine King.

The feat was simply too incredible to believe.

"That's my Lifebound Artifact. It's fused with Bloodthirsty Celestial Cyan! When combined with my sword techniques, it can devour any external force and convert it into a sky-shattering strike. For that last attack, I absorbed all the Protective Golden Dragons and the Power of the Emperor."

Yang Xiao explained calmly.

His gaze didn't linger long on Human Emperor Xuanyuan's clone.

Instead, it shifted to Lu Changhe in the distance.

At that moment, Lu Changhe's Divine Body was shriveled and withered, his aura barely a flicker. Yet, his face was alight with excitement as he roared, "Haha, that traitor is finally dead!"

"He's finally dead! Changkong, Changliu, and my son, Yiming... Father has avenged you!"

Two streams of tears traced paths down his cheeks.

Lu Changhe's aura was fading and tears stained his face, but anyone could see he was smiling. His heart was filled with joy.

Seeing him in this state...

Yang Xiao's heart ached.

He had killed Lu Changsheng and avenged Elder Lu Changhe, but it had cost the elder his life.

And unlike Lu Changsheng, he couldn't use a clone and a Divine Soul Brand to resurrect. Once dead, he would likely never be revived. In the future, he could only exist as a True Spirit.

"You want to save him?"

Just then, a voice spoke up.

It was the clone of Human Emperor Xuanyuan.

"Of course. Can you save him?"

Yang Xiao looked up at him and said, "If you're willing to save him, I'm willing to let the past be the past."

"The past? Alright."

The Human Emperor paused for a moment, but he quickly understood what Yang Xiao was referring to. He shook his head with a hint of resignation and agreed.

A moment later, a purplish-red fruit appeared in his hand.

"I brought this Holy Blood Fruit specifically to prevent you from being killed. It seems it's come in handy after all."

Human Emperor Xuanyuan offered the fruit to Lu Changhe with a faint smile.

Yang Xiao breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the fruit.

The Holy Blood Fruit was the ultimate divine fruit for nourishing a Divine Body. When used on a mortal, it could completely repair any physical injury.

It was a truly miraculous Divine Fruit.

With this fruit, Lu Changhe would surely be alright.

However, as the Holy Blood Fruit was offered to him, Lu Changhe hesitated.

"Elder Lu, eat this fruit. Your injuries will heal,"

Yang Xiao urged.

Lu Changhe glanced at Yang Xiao, then at Human Emperor Xuanyuan, and finally sighed.

"So be it. Since the Saint Prince has shown such kindness, I can only accept. From this day forward, my life—the life of Lu Changhe—belongs to you, Saint Prince. Whatever you ask of me, I will do it without hesitation, even if it means dying ten thousand deaths!"

Lu Changhe accepted the fruit with great solemnity.

He bowed respectfully to Yang Xiao.

In his eyes, Yang Xiao had already done him a great service by killing Lu Changsheng and eliminating the traitor from the Lu Family.

But since he was about to die, he had no way to repay this debt.

He could only let the matter rest.

But now, the Saint Prince had procured such a wondrous Divine Fruit from this obviously extraordinary expert just to save his life.

By all logic and sentiment...

Lu Changhe felt he had no choice but to pledge his loyalty to Yang Xiao.

This wasn't the loyalty he'd shown before. This was true fealty, the devotion of a servant to his master. Anything less, and his conscience would not be clear.

That was why he had made such a declaration.

Yang Xiao wasn't particularly concerned with this. He just wanted to save Lu Changhe's life, not let the man die because of him.

However, from the look on his face, Yang Xiao knew that this Tier Three True God, this elder of the Lu Family, was completely serious.

He didn't refuse.

'Let him do as he pleases.'

'My relationship with the Lu Family is already quite close, after all. Not only is Junior Brother Xuan Yang from their family, but there's also the matter of Lu Fangliang and the Greater Yang Secret Pattern I obtained from them.'

Yang Xiao couldn't just stand by and watch Lu Changhe die, so naturally, he wouldn't refuse the allegiance of a member of the Lu Family.

After all, his status was different now.

Having successfully completed the first leg of the Path of the Human Emperor, he was now the Saint Prince in everyone's eyes.

The allegiance of a True God.

He was worthy of accepting it.

"Thank you, Human Emperor Xuanyuan."

Seeing Lu Changhe consume the Holy Blood Fruit and his aura begin to recover—in fact, his vitality grew even more vigorous than before, showing signs of an impending breakthrough to Tier Four True God—Yang Xiao offered his thanks to Human Emperor Xuanyuan's clone.

'This guy may have caused me trouble, but in the end, I suppose he was fair.'

Yang Xiao wasn't holding much of a grudge.

'Besides, after I ascended the Ascension Platform, he probably wasn't feeling too great himself. Now he's even come to help me, albeit a little late.'

'But he did save Lu Changhe, so of course I should thank him.'

However, as soon as the words left his mouth, Human Emperor Xuanyuan's clone looked displeased. His face stiffened as he said, "You little brat, weren't you calling me Master just a while ago? Now you're calling me Elder? What happened to respecting your seniors? Hurry up and call me Master. Otherwise, I have every right to have your title as Saint Prince revoked, you know."

Hearing these words, which seemed half-serious and half-joking...

Yang Xiao was taken aback.

Just as he was about to speak, a voice transmission from Human Emperor Xuanyuan echoed in his mind. "Look, kid, I know you're still upset, but you have to give me—the Human Emperor—some face here. Besides, didn't you just say you'd let bygones be bygones if I saved this fellow from the Lu Family? So what's this all about? How about this: I, Gongsun Xuanyuan, swear I will never cause trouble for you again. I'll even give you my full support to become the sixth-generation Human Emperor. How does that sound?"

Hearing this, Yang Xiao grew even more perplexed.

Human Emperor Xuanyuan, however, seemed to think he'd spoken out of turn and quickly added, "Of course, my support isn't unconditional. It all depends on whether you're up to the task. If you're not, then even as a genius who can Break the Nine Prohibitions, you can't blame me if you fail to claim the Human Emperor Position and get yourself killed by someone else, can you?"

'This guy…' Yang Xiao thought with a smile. 'His personality hasn't changed a bit since he was young. Still the same old rogue.'

Yang Xiao smiled.

'But he's already put it like that. If I still refuse, it really would be a slap in the face to Human Emperor Xuanyuan.'

'After all, the guy has no idea about my identity from my second life.'

After a moment's thought, he decided to accept Human Emperor Xuanyuan's suggestion.

"Master, please accept this disciple's bow."

Yang Xiao bowed formally.

Human Emperor Xuanyuan burst into hearty laughter.

However, Yang Xiao's next words made his laughter die in his throat.

A pained expression crossed his face.

'This kid really knows how to take advantage of every opening.'