Immortal-Exterminating Divine Venerable

'This place is truly wondrous.'

The Lu Family Eighth Elder had stormed off, his heart filled with malice, but Yang Xiao paid the man's hatred no mind. Having entered the Celestial Venerable True Dragon Nest, he was too busy looking around with fascination.

After passing through the Light Gate, he found himself in a world of breathtaking splendor. Before him was an exquisitely crafted pool, and churning within it was a substance that looked like a river of stars.

But unlike what he'd seen from the outside, this river of stars exuded a rich and powerful Greater Yang Power.

The sight was utterly wondrous.

The black stone of the pool's basin contained the resplendent liquid, locking it tightly within.

Strange patterns flowed across the pool's basin, looking incredibly profound.

Yang Xiao's eyes lit up.

But his gaze was mostly fixed on the Greater Yang Pool itself.

He took a moment to sense it carefully.

An expression of deep satisfaction appeared on his face.

'This Greater Yang Pool... It really does look like a pool filled with the essence of countless lesser suns, all of them Supreme Yang and intensely fierce.'

Yang Xiao knew full well that there were many kinds of stars in the cosmos.

The most dominant among them were the Supreme Yang Stars, also known as suns. Mortals might believe there was only one sun in the sky, but Yang Xiao, who had once stood at the pinnacle of the world, knew better. He knew that besides the one great sun, there were many other stars that were, in essence, just like it, only smaller or much farther away.

They, too, contained Greater Yang Power.

These were known as the lesser suns.

The liquid in this pool seemed to be composed of those very lesser suns, and the pool itself was sealed with endless Secret Patterns, a sight that would make anyone marvel.

'Legend has it that in Ancient Times, the world consisted of a single landmass, the Divine Land Continent. The sky held only two celestial bodies: the Greater Yang and the Taiyin. But during the Ancient Era, a war between Divine Demons shattered the Divine Land, giving birth to innumerable continents and the Domain of the Endless Abyssal Sea. The Greater Yang and the Taiyin were caught in the cataclysm and exploded into countless fragments, which then became the myriad stars that fill the heavens today.'

As these thoughts crossed his mind, he stepped into the Greater Yang Pool without a hint of hesitation.

The moment he stepped in, a supremely potent and fierce Greater Yang Power surged wildly toward him.

It forcefully poured directly into Yang Xiao's body.

In an instant, he felt as if the sheer density of the Greater Yang Power was about to make him explode from within.

His expression flickered.

'Such dense Greater Yang Power! Thankfully, I've already condensed the Heart of the Greater Yang. I'll use this power to refine my Greater Yang Divine Pill!'

Yang Xiao's Heart Spirit stirred.

He instantly released the Twelve Heavenly Forbidden Techniques.

Within his Qi Sea, the thirteen Divine Pills that had been sealed and hidden instantly materialized. One of them, radiating a terrifying True Greater Yang Fire, immediately began absorbing the vast amount of Greater Yang Power inside Yang Xiao's body the moment it appeared.

In an instant, the aura of the Divine Pill surged dramatically.

It seemed poised to break through its limits and shatter its own shackles.

But just as quickly, a mysterious power from the world itself descended, forcefully suppressing the nascent breakthrough.

Even so, the Greater Yang Divine Pill was no longer the same as before.

Its iridescent light patterns, which had once made it resemble a small sun, now shone with even greater brilliance, making it look like a true sun in miniature.

Anyone who tried to probe it with their Heart Spirit would feel as if they were being scorched.

'Excellent! In just a moment, its power has been pushed to the absolute limit. Before, the Greater Yang Divine Pill was powerful, but it couldn't compare to the Time Divine Pill, let alone the Heaven and Earth Origin Fire Divine Pill. But after this refinement, my Greater Yang Divine Pill is now on par with the Heaven and Earth Origin Fire Divine Pill! The True Greater Yang Fire it contains is even more extraordinary—it's already reached the Fifth Grade!'

Yang Xiao's eyes lit up.

'A Fifth Grade True Greater Yang Fire is truly exceptional. And the Greater Yang Power out here is still so dense... If I keep refining it, I might be able to forge Greater Yang Divine Fire directly.'

'If that happens, it will be an incredibly dominant power.'

'What's more, once I successfully condense the Greater Yang Divine Fire, it will likely be even more fearsome than the Divine Fire I collected from Flame Mountain. Then, I'll have collected five of the six Supreme Yang Flames I need for the Cyan Flame Realm, leaving just one to go.'

The more Yang Xiao thought about it, the more excited he became.

But soon, his expression changed.

He had just realized that while his plan was perfect, reality was incredibly harsh.

'It shouldn't be hard to raise the grade of the True Greater Yang Fire with this much Greater Yang Power available. The problem is that it's all surging in at once, and it's completely uncontrollable.'

Yang Xiao could hold on for a short time.

But if this continued for too long, he would be overwhelmed.

'My physical body has those mysterious patterns, so it can hold up, but what about everything else? My spirit, my aura... and apart from the Greater Yang Divine Pill, my other twelve Divine Pills probably can't withstand such dense Greater Yang Power. My only option would be to circulate the Emperor Golden Dragon Secret Technique and merge their powers for protection. But if I do that, while the Greater Yang Power won't be able to corrode them, the Greater Yang Divine Pill will be shielded as well. I won't be able to refine the Greater Yang Divine Fire. What would be the point of being in this Greater Yang Pool then?'

Yang Xiao sighed internally.

His Spiritual Power was still too weak. If it were stronger, he could control the influx of Greater Yang Power.

As things stood... 'I can only grit my teeth and hold on for as long as possible. If it really becomes too much, I'll have no choice but to give up.'

It was a frustrating situation.

Especially since Yang Xiao was so hopeful that he could refine Greater Yang Divine Fire here.

But given the circumstances, even he couldn't last for long.

The surrounding Greater Yang Power was simply too intense.

Still, this was to be expected. After all, this was the finest location within the Greater Yang Pool: the Celestial Venerable True Dragon Nest.

Typically, in the Lu Family, only those at the Elder Level or higher were permitted to enjoy this place; it was rare for anyone below that rank to gain entry. The fact that all of them could benefit from being here spoke volumes about its effectiveness.

Just as Yang Xiao was gritting his teeth and pushing on, hoping to squeeze out more benefits—or at the very least, to raise his already Fifth Grade True Greater Yang Fire by another grade or two—

「Elsewhere on the Profound Sun Continent」

A figure suddenly appeared.

The figure's aura was so concealed it was as if they weren't there at all.

Or perhaps, as if they existed in another dimension entirely.

The moment he set foot on the continent, his expression changed.

He seemed to have discovered something, and he muttered to himself, "So a new Saint Prince has appeared, just as the Prince predicted. There had to be a reason for His Majesty the Human Emperor to come here personally. But His Highness already foresaw this and sent me. Therefore, this new contender is a dead man! Hmph. Daring to compete with the Prince for the throne... He truly doesn't know his own limits!"

Suddenly, the man began to laugh.

His eyes were filled with self-assurance.

'I am a Top-tier Divine King. Dealing with someone who just became a Saint Prince will be...'

'...all too easy!'