Immortal Venerable's Order
Chapter 454 - 448: The Mastermind Behind the Scenes

Chapter 454: Chapter 448: The Mastermind Behind the Scenes

Yun Jiuge struggled to conceal the deep-seated fear in his heart and cried out.

"I will tell you everything you ask. Just please, Brother Yan, don’t use the Soul Searching Technique on me..."

At this moment, Yun Jiuge even suspected that Yan Rufeng had never really died, but had hidden his cultivation all these years, staying out of sight with the purpose of investigating the Demon Clan’s invasion of the Immortal Domain twelve years ago...

Yan Rufeng clasped his hands behind his back, exhaling a light breath.

"Yun Jiuge, since it is so, then speak. Why did you use the Demon Clan to place me in a deadly situation twelve years ago, and now you slander me? What is your reason?"

"Brother Yan, I did it mainly to get my hands on those fifty Divine Statuses you held."

"Alas..."

Yan Rufeng sighed. "So it was still for the Divine Statuses..."

In the Immortal Domain, it is not merely by reaching the peak of cultivation that one can ascend to become a god. One must possess a Divine Status bestowed by the Divine Realm to have the qualification to ascend.

Of course, this wasn’t the main reason Yun Jiuge was after the Divine Statuses. The problem lay in the fact that the Divine Realm only bestowed five hundred Divine Statuses every ten thousand years.

Imagine an Immortal Domain so vast, with only five hundred people able to ascend every ten thousand years. It’s evident that it would be a tight squeeze, making the Divine Statuses the primary target of various sects and factions.

Due to the rarity of the Divine Statuses, open strife and covert snatching became commonplace. To prevent a large-scale war in the Immortal Domain over the Divine Statuses, for millions of years, the allocation had been managed by the Ten Great Immortal Venerables, each holding fifty slots.

Thus, within this ten thousand-year cycle when the Divine Realm bestows the Divine Statuses, there would often be conflicts among the Immortal Venerables.

However, up to this point, no one had resorted to the heinous crime of colluding with the Demon Clan to seize the Divine Statuses!

Yan Rufeng furrowed his brow, thinking, "Although in our past lives there was some conflict between me and Yun Jiuge, it shouldn’t have pushed him to collude with the Demon Clan to seize my Divine Statuses. Moreover, he wasn’t my only enemy. Could it be..."

Yan Rufeng smiled slightly. "Yun Jiuge, tell me. Who instructed you to collude with the Demon Clan?"

Yun Jiuge quickly shook his head.

"Brother Yan, all of this was a foolish mistake of mine in a moment of confusion. It has nothing to do with anyone else."

"Heh!"

Yan Rufeng chuckled, then suddenly his face turned stern.

"You won’t tell me? Then don’t blame me for using the Soul Searching Technique on you."

"Haha."

Yun Jiuge suddenly burst into laughter.

"Yan Rufeng, you really are as narrow-minded and suspicious as the rumors say. No wonder even your disciples betrayed you."

Yan Rufeng shook his head helplessly.

"Yun Jiuge, although I don’t know how you convinced Qingxiao to believe you, if Qingxiao knew you intended to kill me, I believe she would never cooperate with you."

A light beam shot out from Yan Rufeng’s hand.

"Soul Searching Technique!"

Yun Jiuge’s expression turned panicked. "Yan Rufeng, what do you intend to do?"

"What do I intend to do?"

Yan Rufeng smiled.

"Didn’t you say that I am narrow-minded and suspicious by nature? Do you think I would believe your lies?"

"You want to use the Soul Searching Technique on me?"

A chilling glint flashed in Yun Jiuge’s eyes.

"Exactly!"

"Not a chance!"

Yun Jiuge roared in anger.

Suddenly, Yun Jiuge’s body began to swell.

"Bad!"

Tang Liben shouted from a distance, "Emperor Yan, Yun Jiuge wants to self-destruct."

"Self-destruct?"

"Heh heh!"

Yan Rufeng scoffed, "Brother Tang, do you think he can succeed in front of me?"

"Absorption Immortal Technique, disperse!"

"Haha!"

"Absorption Immortal Technique!"

Yun Jiuge laughed heartily. "Yan Rufeng, you finally used your ultimate move. But with your Daluo Golden Immortal cultivation, do you think you can break through my defense?"

"Haha!"

Yun Jiuge laughed again. "Although I don’t know what’s special about your sword, even if I die today, I will take you with me."

"Buzz~"

Blinding golden light erupted, accompanied by a fierce wind.

Yan Rufeng’s Immortal Venerable Divine Soul appeared in front of Yun Jiuge.

Immortal Venerable Divine Soul!

"How is this possible?"

At that moment, Yun Jiuge despaired. He knew that under Yan Rufeng’s powerful Immortal Venerable Divine Soul, he probably wouldn’t even have the chance to self-destruct.

Within the green light barrier, a green flash pierced through Yun Jiuge’s protective barrier effortlessly.

"Broken? My Immortal Venerable’s Protective Body Divine Technique was so easily broken by Yan Rufeng?"

"What on earth caused this?"

Yun Jiuge was in utter panic; he was completely in despair.

"Yan Rufeng, I beg you. Don’t use the Soul Searching Technique on me. Don’t absorb my Immortal Essence. I don’t want to become a cripple. Just let me die with dignity."

"Swish swish~"

Yan Rufeng remained unfazed. The golden beam of light he emitted pierced through the green barrier, entering Yun Jiuge’s body.

"Buzz~"

The golden light intensified.

Yun Jiuge felt an immense surge of Immortal Yuan Qi flowing out rapidly from his Dantian.

Moments later, the light dissipated, and the world quieted down.

In the void, Yun Jiuge stood there with vacant eyes, clearly indicating that Yan Rufeng had used the Absorption Immortal Technique to drain all the Immortal Yuan Qi from his body and had performed a Soul Search on him.

"No wonder I couldn’t break through that barrier back then, so this is why..."

At this moment, Yan Rufeng had learned everything from Yun Jiuge.

Yan Rufeng’s eyes were filled with fury. The killing intent emanating from his entire being seemed ready to obliterate everything around. Even Tang Liben, standing nearby, had to activate a protective shield...

Twelve years ago, Yun Jiuge had colluded with the Demon Clan, instructing Qingxiao to lure Yan Rufeng into a pre-arranged ambush site.

As Yan Rufeng battled the Demon Clan, Yun Jiuge, along with three other Immortal Venerables, set up an array outside the Immortal Emperor Star Domain, draining Yan Rufeng’s Immortal Yuan Qi and preventing him from breaking through the barrier, ultimately forcing him to self-destruct...

"Haha..."

Yan Rufeng laughed towards the heavens.

"I, Yan Rufeng, have always acted with a clear conscience towards the heavens and the earth. Why, why?"

"Why must they treat me this way!"

Yan Rufeng almost roared.

"Emperor Yan, do you now know the truth?"

Tang Liben walked over slowly.

Yan Rufeng didn’t answer Tang Liben. His eyes, bloodshot, turned towards the black-clad men holding Tang Xiaoke and Tang Xiaodie captive.

"Release them, and I will spare your lives."

The black-clad men were already terrified out of their wits. Upon hearing Yan Rufeng’s words, they hastily released Tang Xiaoke and Tang Xiaodie and fled, disappearing without a trace in an instant.

A suffocating pressure emanated from Yan Rufeng, spreading in all directions.

"Yun Jiuge, tell me, who was the masked man?"

"Thud!"

Yun Jiuge knelt down.

"Emperor Yan, please spare me. You’ve used the Soul Searching Technique. I really don’t know who he is!"

"If that’s the case, then you can die now!" Yan Rufeng said coldly.

"Emperor Yan, I have lost all my cultivation. Please spare my life!"

Yun Jiuge kowtowed frantically.

Just as Yan Rufeng was about to activate his cultivation technique, he suddenly felt a violent surge of Immortal Yuan Qi within his body.

"Not good."

Yan Rufeng thought, "Having just absorbed all of Yun Jiuge’s Immortal Yuan Qi, I didn’t anticipate it would have been converted for immediate use. Now my cultivation has greatly increased. I must leave this place quickly to find a spot to assimilate it properly..."