Immortal-Exterminating Divine Venerable

'The immersion in the Greater Yang Pool is finally over. Next up is the annual competition. We'll see then, Yang Xiao, you little brat. I'd like to see if you can still act so arrogant in front of the entire Lu Family.'

Lu Tiansheng, the Eighth Elder of the Lu Family, sneered inwardly as he watched the distant Greater Yang Pool grow noticeably dimmer than before.

The Lu Family had its rules.

Every year, they held a grand competition to test the strength and progress of all the family's disciples.

And this competition was always held right after the opening of the Greater Yang Pool. This time was no exception.

The only difference was...

This was their first year of allegiance to the Saint Prince, and as it happened, the Saint Prince himself had just been part of the Greater Yang Pool's immersion. Lu Tiansheng felt this competition was the perfect opportunity to retaliate against the arrogant Saint Prince.

At the very least, he had to make him lose face in front of everyone.

"The Greater Yang Pool is now open."

The announcement rang out as soon as the nebula within the Greater Yang Pool had completely dimmed.

Immediately after, one after another, Light Gates appeared once again.

The people soaking inside also sensed the disappearance of the Greater Yang Power. As they came to their senses, they could see the Light Gates for leaving and began to walk out one by one.

The first to emerge were, naturally, those from the worst location: the Flood Dragon Nest.

The Greater Yang Power there had been the first to dissipate.

Even before the Light Gates opened, the supply had already been cut off.

Naturally, they would be the first ones out.

Thus, Lu Fangcheng, who had been thrown into the worst Flood Dragon Nest by Yang Xiao, appeared.

Seeing him appear, Lu Tiansheng's expression flickered. He seemed to recall the humiliation from a few days prior, but he quickly put on a smile and said, "Fang Cheng, you're out? Come over to Great-Grandfather."

"Yes."

Lu Fangcheng acknowledged and obediently moved to stand behind Lu Tiansheng.

He was furious inside.

He had been stewing over it for the past few days.

But right now, he didn't dare act out of line.

The Lu Family Elders, with the exception of the Great Elder, were all present—including the Second Elder and the Patriarch. If he acted impertinently in front of them, his future in the Lu Family would be bleak.

After all, the Great Elder didn't manage clan affairs. The ones in charge of the Lu Family were the Patriarch and the Second Elder.

Naturally, Lu Fangcheng didn't want to leave a bad impression on them.

'The boy is teachable. It seems this ordeal was actually a good thing for him. He's learned restraint and isn't so brazenly sharp-edged anymore. Not bad!'

Lu Tiansheng smiled faintly.

He was very satisfied with Lu Fangcheng's current behavior.

"Great-Grandfather, that Yang Xiao…"

After a moment of silence,

Lu Fangcheng spoke.

Without turning around, Lu Tiansheng smiled faintly.

He sent a private voice transmission: "Don't worry. He won't be arrogant for much longer. This time, Great-Grandfather will make him pay the price."

At these words,

Lu Fangcheng said no more.

This incident had indeed taught him a great lesson. He was beginning to learn restraint, and being naturally cunning, he now understood more clearly than ever that it was impossible for him to get revenge with his own power.

Only his great-grandfather could do it.

Now that his great-grandfather had said as much,

he must have a plan.

'Why should I ask any more questions?'

'Good. He's become much calmer.'

Seeing him like this, Lu Tiansheng was even more pleased.

As for Yang Xiao,

he was equally confident.

After all, to ensure this matter was handled properly,

he had spent the last few days painstakingly contacting various factions. Although they were all wary of Human Emperor Xuanyuan's might and didn't dare to move against Yang Xiao openly, when they heard Lu Tiansheng's twisted account of how Yang Xiao treated the Lu Family like dogs, beating and scolding them at will and changing the rules of the Greater Yang Pool, the underlying resentment in most of the Lu Family members was stirred up.

They decided to support Lu Tiansheng.

'With so many Elders backing me, especially with the Second Elder having given his word, I'd like to see how you're going to embarrass yourself this time.'

The Lu Family wouldn't dare to kill Yang Xiao, not even if they were given ten thousand times the courage.

But insulting Yang Xiao?

Making him lose all his dignity in front of the Lu Family? That, they dared to do.

The goal was to make Yang Xiao so afraid that he would never dare to disrespect the Lu Family again—to even make him utterly deferential to them. The more Lu Tiansheng thought about the look on that arrogant Saint Prince's face, the more smug he became.

'In the Martial Arts World, the strong are revered. Those with high status but weak strength will inevitably be humiliated. When that happens, even His Majesty the Human Emperor will probably have nothing to say.'

Just as he had that thought, a figure appeared.

It immediately caught his attention.

It was none other than...

Yang Xiao.

But what puzzled him was that the Yang Xiao before him seemed no different from when he had entered. His cultivation hadn't risen, his aura wasn't stronger, and his Qi Sea was still completely empty. He hadn't even condensed a Divine Pill, which meant he couldn't be considered a true Small Divine Ability Realm expert.

He didn't have a trace of Greater Yang Power on him either.

Even stranger, the noble aura he once possessed seemed to have vanished as well.

'The Power of the Emperor! That power is unique to the Saint Prince. It's what he used to defeat Fang Cheng, who was at the Peak of Great Divine Power Realm… and is now in the Demigod Realm. But why is it gone now? Could it be that His Highness the Saint Prince not only failed to benefit from the Greater Yang Pool but actually suffered a loss?'

A look of sudden joy appeared on Lu Tiansheng's face.

If that was really the case, then it was absolutely perfect for his plan.

'It seems even the heavens are helping me.'

Although he didn't know what had happened to Yang Xiao,

Lu Tiansheng was certain that the Power of the Emperor on Yang Xiao was gone.

And it wasn't just him.

The Second Elder, the Lu Family Master, and the other high-ranking members of the Lu Family all noticed it too.

They were equally bewildered.

After all, practically everyone who entered had gained some benefit. Even Lu Fangcheng, who had entered the worst Flood Dragon Nest, had improved, though he was concealing his aura upon exiting.

But with his level of strength, he could only deceive ordinary True Gods. To these Elders, who were all Tier Seven Divine Marquises or higher, his true power was obvious at a glance.

His strength

had advanced to the Demigod Realm, which caused quite a few people to give him a second look.

After all, to have such a cultivation at his age was already outstanding. This was especially true for the high-ranking members who had agreed with Eighth Elder Lu Tiansheng's plan against Yang Xiao; they felt even more certain that they had made the right decision.

At the same time, they were also very satisfied with Lu Fangcheng's current demeanor.

'He entered the best True Dragon Nest but gained nothing at all. It seems this Saint Prince is all name and no substance.'

Someone even brazenly sent this voice transmission to the ears of many Elders.

Their tone was full of disdain for Yang Xiao.

And these seemingly insubordinate words actually received nods of approval from many of the Lu Family Elders.

This made Lu Tiansheng even more smug.

He straightened his clothes and cleared his throat.

He took a step forward.

He was about to announce the details of the grand competition.

At the same time,

it also meant that his plan against Yang Xiao was officially beginning!

But just then, a formidable aura erupted.

In an instant, it captured everyone's attention.

And when they saw who the source of this aura was, the expressions on many faces changed.

Especially Lu Tiansheng's.

His expression instantly turned grim!