Immortal-Exterminating Divine Venerable

”Li Yunxiao, Fengg Tianyi, Lin Bingyun, and Shui Yuntian—these four are all disciples of our Human Race. You can forget about Yuann Xiaotian. Heavenly Hidden God King, take my token and go to these four. Tell them that if they kill Yang Xiao for me, I, the Saint Prince, will grant them any single request.”

A single, casual sentence from Gongsun Xuan.

It sent shockwaves through the hearts of the nine Divine Kings present.

They never imagined that Gongsun Xuan would go to such great lengths to kill Yang Xiao.

Sending four of the top five experts on the Hidden Dragon List to kill a single person, Yang Xiao.

It was, quite simply,

a foolproof plan!

As for whether

they would agree?

Not a single one of the nine Divine Kings present had any doubt.

A promise from the Saint Prince.

If it were any other Saint Prince, they might, of course, refuse.

But one from Gongsun Xuan?

Forget those who hadn’t even become True Gods; even experts who had reached the True God or even Divine King Realms would find it difficult to refuse.

After all, who didn’t know?

That Gongsun Xuan was the successor to the next Human Emperor?

Who didn’t know?

That Gongsun Xuan was the most powerful among all the Saint Princes?

A promise from a man like that...

If they were patient enough, it would one day become a promise from, at the very least, a Top-tier Emperor—or perhaps even a Saint Emperor.

And whether it was a Top-tier Emperor

or a Saint Emperor,

their promises were all incomparably precious.

Take the Star Emperor, for instance.

Or Human Emperor Xuanyuan.

If either of them were to announce that they would grant a single promise to anyone who completed a task for them,

it’s likely that even other Top-tier Emperors would be tempted.

Perhaps,

it might even pique the interest of a Saint Emperor Level expert.

So what chance did people like Li Yunxiao and the others have?

And most importantly,

the task was not difficult at all.

It was practically a free promise.

Tianyuan Divine King and the others felt that,

surely, not even the biggest fool would refuse such a golden opportunity.

”Yes, Your Highness. I’ll see to it at once.”

After a moment of shock, the Heavenly Hidden God King immediately came to his senses and strode away.

Seeing him leave,

Gongsun Xuan felt a weight lift from his shoulders.

Like everyone else present, he was well aware of the allure of his promise. Had he tried to recruit Yuann Xiaotian, that Saint Prince of the Vajra Demon Ape Clan might have refused.

But the other four?

There was no way they would refuse.

Therefore, in the upcoming Hidden Dragon Secret Realm, as long as Yang Xiao dared to enter...

He was a dead man.

At this thought, Gongsun Xuan smiled faintly, but inwardly he sneered, ’Junior Brother Yang Xiao, don’t blame me. If you must blame someone, blame yourself for following the wrong Master and desiring what isn’t yours. In that case, as your Senior Brother, I can only eliminate you.’

That’s right.

From the moment he learned from the Heavenly Hidden God King that Yang Xiao had become a disciple of Human Emperor Xuanyuan—his own Master—

Gongsun Xuan

had been filled with killing intent toward Yang Xiao.

Now,

that killing intent had finally been unleashed.

Gongsun Xuan immediately put the matter out of his mind.

He felt

there was no longer any need to dwell on it.

...

「Star Emperor Dojo.」

Nangong Miexian.

Unlike the calm and collected Saint Prince of the Human Race, Gongsun Xuan, he—who saw himself as the future heir to the Nangong Race—was a picture of anxiety and restlessness.

At this very moment,

Nangong Miexian was pacing outside the Star Emperor Palace,

nervously awaiting a summons from the Star Emperor—his grandfather, who had doted on him exclusively for the past decade or so.

’This time, I will make that brat pay! I absolutely cannot let him enter the Hidden Dragon Secret Realm!’

He clenched his fists.

Even though he had already prepared his speech, one that should have been foolproof,

Nangong Miexian still felt a little nervous.

A little worried.

Others might not know,

but as the descendant the Star Emperor had favored most for over a decade, Nangong Miexian knew very well what kind of person his grandfather—an expert ranked on the Venerable List—truly was.

Despotic.

Domineering.

Eccentric.

That’s right.

If it were just a matter of being despotic and domineering, he wouldn’t be too concerned.

Because most people in power possessed such a temperament.

But ”eccentric”...

that was what made him uneasy.

’Back then, it was precisely because I figured out Grandfather’s eccentric nature that I was able to gain everything others envied, just by changing my name...’

But now,

it was precisely because Nangong Miexian knew of his grandfather’s eccentric nature

that even with what he considered a foolproof speech, he felt a sense of unease.

And consequently, he became extremely tense.

Just then,

a voice

drifted over.

”Come in.”

Hearing this voice,

Nangong Miexian’s body trembled slightly, but he immediately took a deep breath and began to walk inside.

Soon,

Nangong Miexian saw the lofty figure.

As always,

he knelt respectfully on the ground and bowed to the figure.

”How did it go? Did that boy, Yang Xiao, agree to go with you to the Hidden Dragon Secret Realm?”

The lofty figure

was none other than the Star Emperor.

And his very first words were about Yang Xiao.

This instantly soured Nangong Miexian’s mood.

Ripples disturbed the calm he had just found.

But, being someone who had always known how to restrain himself,

he immediately responded, ”Grandfather, Cousin Yang Xiao has not yet agreed to enter the Secret Realm with me. However, I invited several geniuses from the Hidden Dragon List to meet him, and a small conflict arose. Cousin Yang Xiao used a Secret Treasure to kill two of them. One was Hex Yan, the son of the Giant Spirit God King. I have come today to ask for Grandfather’s instruction on how to handle this matter.”

”Oh? He killed two geniuses from the Hidden Dragon List? The little fellow is certainly arrogant. But, since he’s the one who killed them, why are you the one coming to me for instructions?”

the Star Emperor said, his tone somewhat displeased.

Regarding Yang Xiao,

although he no longer had any killing intent,

the moment he thought of him as *that man’s* son, the Star Emperor was filled with hatred.

Even though he could sense that Yang Xiao didn’t have a trace of that man’s bloodline—only the bloodline of his own Nangong Race, or to be precise, his *own* bloodline,

just like his own legitimate sons and daughters.

But in his heart,

there was still a knot of resentment.

Some displeasure.

Hearing this, Nangong Miexian didn’t dare to be the least bit careless.

His grandfather’s temperament was simply too eccentric.

His displeasure with Yang Xiao

might not be genuine.

So, very cautiously, Nangong Miexian said, ”Although Cousin Yang Xiao was in the wrong, this incident ultimately started because of me. If I hadn’t wanted him to get to know his companions for the Hidden Dragon Secret Realm, to build some camaraderie so they could look after him inside, this would never have happened. Moreover, the Hex Family and the other deceased, Guao Han, are both backed by Divine Kings. The Hex Family, in particular, has reacted very strongly to Hex Yan’s death. It seems they’re already plotting something in secret. I’m afraid they might move against Cousin Yang Xiao, so...”

”Oh? Plotting in secret, are they? Good. Very good. I’d like to see who dares to touch my grandson!”

The Star Emperor’s expression turned frigid.

Hearing this, Nangong Miexian couldn’t help but feel a flicker of vindication.

’This grandfather of mine... he truly does value that brat.’

However...

’The more he values him, the better the opportunity this time.’

Nangong Miexian sneered inwardly.

He immediately said, ”Grandfather, the Hex Family may not be a major concern, but they seem to be on very good terms with the Li Family. And the Li Family’s Li Yunxiao is a disciple of the Longevity Emperor and number one on the Hidden Dragon List. If he were to make a move against Cousin Yang Xiao in the Hidden Dragon Secret Realm, then...”

As soon as these words were spoken,

even the Star Emperor’s expression changed.

”Li Yunxiao is number one on the Hidden Dragon List and a disciple of the Longevity Emperor. If he really decided to kill Cousin Yang Xiao, I’m afraid no one in the Hidden Dragon Secret Realm could stop him!”

”If Cousin Yang Xiao goes in, I fear his chances of survival are slim. In my opinion, it would be better not to let him enter the Secret Realm this time. As for any fortuitous encounters I have inside, I will give them all to Cousin Yang Xiao after I return. What does Grandfather think of this proposal?”

Once this speech was delivered,

Nangong Miexian felt that if the Star Emperor truly valued Yang Xiao, he would have no reason to refuse.

Of course,

this was also a test.

A test to see who was more important in his eccentric grandfather’s heart: him or Yang Xiao.

”So be it. We’ll do as you say. That disciple of old ghost Longevity is indeed extraordinary. And this time, that brat brought this upon himself. The matter of the Hidden Dragon Secret Realm is settled.”

After speaking,

the Star Emperor waved his hand.

Nangong Miexian instantly found himself back outside the palace.

Looking at the cold, desolate palace,

he felt not a trace of triumph.

Although he had succeeded in preventing Yang Xiao from entering the Hidden Dragon Secret Realm,

his grandfather hadn’t refused his earlier proposal.

In other words,

in his heart, that brat was still more important.

At this thought,

the killing intent in Nangong Miexian’s heart

blazed with incomparable intensity.

Even though he had already planned to use all sorts of excuses and reasons to avoid handing over his real gains,

the mere thought that the boy was more important than him in their grandfather’s heart

made Nangong Miexian grind his teeth in hatred.

”Hmph! The day I emerge will be the day you die! Yang Xiao, just you wait!”

Snorting coldly to himself,

Nangong Miexian’s face was grim

as he strode away.

And at that moment,

Yang Xiao, completely unaware that he had provoked two different people into plotting against him,

was hearing from Nangong Tianling’s lips

a piece of unexpected news.