Immortal-Exterminating Divine Venerable

”Heh heh heh! I never would have thought an artifact this terrifying existed within your Sea of Consciousness! But do you really think this is enough to drive me away? How laughable!”

Countless tendrils of black mist gathered and took form.

It transformed into an exceptionally handsome man.

He had the exact appearance of the Netherworld Erosion Demon Venerable.

Unlike an ordinary Divine Soul, the Netherworld Erosion Demon Venerable’s Demon Soul was incredibly solid, nearly indistinguishable from a real physical body. As a result, his expressions were strikingly lifelike.

He looked at Yang Xiao, his face dripping with sarcasm.

Then, he turned his gaze from Yang Xiao to the Divine-Demonic Stele currently suppressing Yang Xiao’s Divine Soul.

He spoke, ”Such a magnificent Divine Artifact... why follow a mere child of the Human Race? How about you follow me instead?”

At these words,

Yang Xiao was stunned.

’This guy...’

’He’s unbelievably arrogant.’

’Trying to convince the Divine-Demonic Stele’s Artifact Spirit to surrender to him right in front of me. The nerve!’

However, Yang Xiao knew why.

’The Netherworld Erosion Demon Venerable must have realized that the Divine-Demonic Stele hasn’t truly accepted me as its master.’

’That’s why he’s acting this way.’

’Otherwise, it would be a joke to think an artifact that has already acknowledged a master could so easily switch sides.’

’A moment ago, the Divine-Demonic Stele wouldn’t even give me the time of day,’ Yang Xiao thought. ’I doubt it will pay any attention to this guy either.’

However, to his surprise...

Just as the Netherworld Erosion Demon Venerable finished speaking, an ethereal figure appeared.

’Don’t tell me it’s actually going to betray me?’

Yang Xiao froze.

The Netherworld Erosion Demon Venerable, however, laughed smugly.

”Excellent! As expected of a Spiritual Divine Artifact, you know what’s good for you. Rest assured, following me is absolutely the smartest choice you could make.”

The Netherworld Erosion Demon Venerable roared with laughter.

He acted as if this mystical stone stele was already his for the taking.

But at that very moment...

The Artifact Spirit of the Divine-Demonic Stele—the ethereal figure—

let out a disdainful laugh.

It looked at the Netherworld Erosion Demon Venerable and said coolly, ”My master must be a person of exceptional talent and astounding potential. You may be a Demon Venerable, but what is your potential? Can you break through to the level of a Demon King, or even a Demon Emperor? This boy, though weak now, possesses immense fortune in my eyes. He has a chance to reach the level of a Top-tier Emperor. Following him is a much better prospect than following you. Unless you can prove your potential is greater than his, why on earth would I follow you?”

”Demon King? Demon Emperor?”

The Netherworld Erosion Demon Venerable’s expression changed slightly.

Although he was a Demon Venerable comparable to a Top-tier Divine King, he was actually nothing special within the Dark Night Demon God Clan. Among Demon Venerables, he was considered neither powerful nor particularly talented.

The rank of Demon King was far beyond his reach.

Without some heaven-defying stroke of luck, it was nearly impossible for him to achieve that rank. As for Demon Emperor, that was completely out of the question.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, the Netherworld Erosion Demon Venerable would have flown into a rage out of humiliation.

But things were different now. A heaven-sent opportunity was right before him: Yang Xiao’s Divine-Demon Body.

This constitution, hailed as perfectly forbidden, was an irresistible temptation for the Netherworld Erosion Demon Venerable. Possessing it would allow him to break through all bottlenecks.

And with the long lifespan of the Dark Night Demon God race, a lack of bottlenecks meant he could use millions, or even tens of millions, of years to cultivate.

At that point, Demon King would be within reach, and even Demon Emperor would be a possibility.

Although it might take an extremely long time.

But so what?

At this thought, the Netherworld Erosion Demon Venerable calmed down considerably.

He looked at the Artifact Spirit of the Divine-Demonic Stele and said, ”My talent is naturally greater than this human child’s. But a thing like talent... how would you have me prove it?”

As he said this, the corners of the Netherworld Erosion Demon Venerable’s mouth lifted into a smug smirk.

’How clever I am.’

’To come up with such a retort.’

’Now, let’s see how the Artifact Spirit responds.’

However, to his surprise, the Artifact Spirit of the Divine-Demonic Stele seemed to have already thought of a way to test him.

It replied instantly, ”It’s simple. Combat Power at the same realm is often the best indicator of talent. If you can defeat this boy when you are both at the same level, I will believe you.”

At these words,

the Netherworld Erosion Demon Venerable’s expression froze.

But after a single glance at Yang Xiao’s frail Divine Soul,

his confidence returned.

”Fine, a test it is. But which realm should we choose? My Dark Night Demon Race is born as Demon Gods. If you make me fight at a level below Demon God, that’s not exactly fair to me, now is it?”

”Alright, then let’s set it at the Divine General Level. How about that?”

the ethereal figure said.

”Divine General? It’s still a bit unfair to me, but fine. Let it be.”

The Netherworld Erosion Demon Venerable reluctantly agreed.

But inwardly, he was ecstatic.

He was a Demon Venerable, equivalent to a Top-tier Divine King. Unleashing power at the Divine General Level was child’s play for him. It might feel a little unfamiliar, but that was a minor issue. In fact, because he had already reached the Demon Venerable realm, he could likely exert strength far beyond that of a true Divine General.

But this human child before him was different.

Judging by his aura, he wasn’t even a True God.

Even if you gave such a being power at the Divine General Level, how much of it could he actually wield?

So, despite his claims of it being unfair,

in reality, this competition was heavily skewed in his favor.

There was no way the Netherworld Erosion Demon Venerable would refuse.

”Since you’ve agreed, then cooperate with me.”

The ethereal figure finished speaking and, with a wave of its hand, produced two golden talismans.

One flew toward Yang Xiao, and the other flew toward the Netherworld Erosion Demon Venerable.

”These are Divine General Talismans, Magical Treasures my previous master refined in his leisure. Once inside you, your power will be locked at the Divine General Realm, provided your original strength doesn’t exceed my master’s. All you have to do is refine them.”

As soon as it finished speaking,

the Divine General Talismans arrived in their hands.

The Netherworld Erosion Demon Venerable was wary, but after a brief inspection revealed nothing amiss, he decided to take the gamble.

If he didn’t take the risk, he had no hope of possessing the human boy’s body with the mysterious stele’s interference. But if he did...

Not only would he have a chance to claim this body, but he could also obtain a Supreme Treasure.

The Netherworld Erosion Demon Venerable couldn’t possibly resist such a great temptation.

Very quickly, he refined the Divine General Talisman.

Upon refining it, he was greatly relieved to discover that he could deactivate the talisman’s effect at any time.

As for Yang Xiao,

he had no objections.

Although these two had been deciding his fate without ever once asking for his opinion, as if he didn’t even matter...

Yang Xiao knew this was an opportunity.

An opportunity to kill the Netherworld Erosion Demon Venerable.

So, he also refined the Divine General Talisman.

Upon refining it, Yang Xiao’s face lit up with joy.

’What a treasure! It can be used multiple times! As long as it has energy, I’ll have the power of a Divine General. And once the energy is used up, I just need to recharge it to use it again. This gives me another layer of security for my trip to the Star God Continent.’

Yang Xiao was ecstatic.

His gaze toward the Netherworld Erosion Demon Venerable now brimmed with confidence.

’This guy is so dead!’