Chapter 277

Chapter 277: Retract Your Supernatural Powers!

“Hmm… The Chaos Divine Vine has transformed.”

Ye Xu’s gaze flickered as he noticed the Chaos Divine Vine nurtured within the boundless chaos. Upon its barren vine, a tiny flower bud had emerged.

The Chaos Divine Vine was a divine treasure he obtained in the Seven-Treasure Mystic Forest, born of chaos and nourished by chaotic energy. Yet, that wasn’t the crucial part.

The significance lay in the fact that the Human Ancestor had entrusted him with its care. Though Ye Xu did not fully grasp the intent behind it, any matter personally assigned by the Human Ancestor undoubtedly held profound importance.

“The divine vine blooms; the next step should see it bear fruit.” With a single step, Ye Xu arrived before the Chaos Divine Vine. The vine gently swayed within the chaos, emanating a profound aura.

During its last flowering and fruiting, the Chaos Divine Vine had borne four Slaying Immortal Gourds, claimed respectively by Dao King, Su Miao Zhen, Emperor Venerable Yama, and Emperor Venerable Mi Luo.

What precious treasure would its fruiting yield this time?

Ye Xu activated his Creation Divine Eyes. Divine patterns swirled within his pupils as he sought to penetrate the mysteries of the Chaos Divine Vine. Yet, looking upon it now, he could only perceive a single flower bud upon a solitary vine. A mountain was still a mountain, and water was still water – nothing appeared altered.

Ye Xu curled his lip and withdrew his gaze. This was within the Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, after all. He harbored no fear that the Chaos Divine Vine could threaten him. By now, he was certain: even System version 1.0 reigned absolutely invincible within this universe, wielding power reaching at least the transcendent realm.

…

"Heaven’s Machine Auction House"

"Junior Brother Yang."

Inside the Heaven’s Machine Auction House, Qiu Qianli and Yang Xuanzhan were discussing arrangements for the following day’s auction.

"Senior Brother," Yang Xuanzhan saluted with cupped hands, his expression calm and composed. In the past, given his Saint King level cultivation, addressing an Emperor Venerable as Senior Brother would have been unthinkable. Yet now, both served the Heaven’s Secret Pavilion as equals.

"The invitations for tomorrow’s auction have been dispatched; all major forces within the Yuan Realm have received them," Yang Xuanzhan stated. "When the time comes, your personal presence will be required to oversee the Heavenly-class auction hall."

Qiu Qianli nodded, his gaze conveying a trace of appreciation as he looked at Yang Xuanzhan.

"My lord," a strikingly beautiful maidservant bowed and reported. "A visitor seeks an audience outside. He identifies himself as the leader of the Tianyun Sect, subordinate to the Temple of Ten Thousand Paths."

Yang Xuanzhan’s eyes shifted subtly. He was fully aware of Qiu Qianli’s origins; Tianyun Sect was Qiu Qianli’s former sect.

"Usher him in," Qiu Qianli instructed, his brow slightly furrowing.

Sensing Qiu Qianli’s unease, Yang Xuanzhan inquired after the maidservant departed, "Senior Brother, is something amiss? Should I withdraw?"

Qiu Qianli gave a slight shake of his head.

A few moments later, the maidservant led in an elderly man in green robes, whose demeanor seemed untainted by earthly concerns and possessed an immortal-like grace. Behind the elderly man followed a boy and a girl attendant, both fair as jade and exceedingly endearing.

"You may leave us now," Qiu Qianli waved, dismissing the maidservant.

The elderly man in green swept his gaze past Yang Xuanzhan before settling on Qiu Qianli, a smile gracing his face. "Junior Brother, long time no see. Word has reached me you now strive for the Heaven’s Secret Pavilion. It seems fortune favors you."

"Senior Brother Leader."

Qiu Qianli clasped his hands and bowed, asking, "I do not know why you’ve come all this way, Elder Brother?"

Yang Xuanzhan’s heart stirred. Although the two came from the same sect, from their conversation, Qiu Qianli seemed unfriendly towards the elderly man in green, the leader.

"Audacious!"

The boy and girl attendants rebuked in their childish voices: "Qiu Qianli, as a disciple of Tianyun Sect, you deserted the sect without permission and joined Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, making you a traitor. That is your first crime."

"Seeing the sect master without bowing, disrespecting your superior, that is your second crime!"

"Kowtow and apologize to the sect master immediately!"

Qiu Qianli, infuriated, laughed cynically. "Two Guardians, since you have determined that I, this old man, have betrayed the sect and turned to Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, why should I bow to that old traitor Tianyun?"

"This is Heaven’s Machine Auction House, affiliated with Heaven’s Secret Pavilion. If you two wish to participate in the auction, please come back tomorrow."

"If you are here to cause trouble, do not blame me for being unkind."

"Hahaha…"

The elderly man in green, Tianyun Zi, laughed heartily. "Junior Brother, it seems your wings have hardened. You think that by joining Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, you can do whatever you please."

"I would like to see what you mean by being unkind."

"Tianyun Sect…"

Suddenly, Yang Xuanzhan, who had been silent, spoke slowly. "With the words ‘Tianyun’ as the sect’s name, if I have not guessed wrong, your sect must focus on the line of fate and divination methods, right?"

"Who are you?"

The boy attendant said crisply, his pair of eyes cold as knives, harboring killing intent.

Yang Xuanzhan continued on his own. "With your Taoist name Tianyun Zi, did you not perform a divination for yourself before coming here?"

He had already seen that Qiu Qianli and Tianyun Zi had a strained relationship, even deep-seated hatred.

Otherwise, since both came from the same sect, they would not have seemed so incompatible the moment they met.

Now that he and Qiu Qianli were colleagues, he was certainly going to protect Qiu Qianli’s interests.

"A mere Saint King dares to speak nonsense in my presence?"

The girl attendant raised her tone, her magic power erupted, and she instantly appeared before Yang Xuanzhan. Her index finger was like a sword, sword intent preceding it. For a moment, Yang Xuanzhan felt his primordial spirit might be quartered.

Buzz!

At that moment, within Heaven’s Machine Auction House, suddenly emanated a mysterious and vast aura. Divine Patterns of Creation materialized one by one out of thin air, and the domain of the Great Dao descended.

The girl attendant of Tianyun Sect stopped mid-action, her body stiffened in place, her index finger only an inch away from Yang Xuanzhan.

The moment the formation activated, inside Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, Ye Xu also sensed it.

Only, he could not be bothered to care.

A bunch of minions—the formation he left for Yang Xuanzhan was sufficient to suppress them.

Boom!

The formation activated, and the three Emperor Venerables of Tianyun Sect inside Heaven’s Secret Pavilion were all suppressed. Unable to use their magic power, they became ordinary people.

"What happened?"

The boy and girl attendants immediately panicked. Without magic power, they were truly powerless children. Their previously domineering attitude instantly underwent a great change, turning to terror.

Tianyun Zi, as the sect master, had a stronger Dao heart; he forced out a faint smile and said, "Junior apprentice brother, I was merely joking with you, but you’re truly not holding back."

"Hurry and withdraw your divine powers."

Qiu Qianli looked at Tianyun Zi with a sneering face and said, "Han Tieshan, from our youth till now, we’ve battled for tens of thousands of years. If I truly possessed such capability, even if you schemed with all your tricks, the position of sect master could never have fallen to you."

Tianyun Zi’s expression stiffened.

That was a disgraceful past memory.

"I’ve long warned you not to cause trouble at Heaven’s Machine Auction House; you brought this suffering upon yourself."

"If you don’t wish to die here, go beg Yang junior apprentice brother."

Qiu Qianli said lightly.

The control over the formation at Heaven’s Machine Auction House had originally been in Yang Xuanzhan’s grasp.

After all, Yang Xuanzhan was the first to serve Heaven’s Secret Pavilion faithfully; as Ye Xu’s confidant, the level of trust placed in him far surpassed that of Qiu Qianli.

Upon hearing this, Yang Xuanzhan understood.

Tianyun Zi and Qiu Qianli were arch-enemies with deeply rooted hatred.

The three of Tianyun Zi had come because they felt they had uncovered Qiu Qianli’s weakness and were preparing to demand an accounting.

"Yang senior apprentice brother."

Tianyun Zi looked at Yang Xuanzhan with a simpering expression and said, "The two protectors sought only to guard our sect and had no intention of offending you, senior apprentice brother. I implore you to withdraw your divine powers."

"I dare not be called senior apprentice brother."

Yang Xuanzhan teased, "I’m no more than an insignificant insect at the Saint King level."

"What kind of talk is that."

Tianyun Zi smiled stiffly, "Senior apprentice brother is a prodigal genius in his youth, kind-hearted, a once-in-an-era extraordinary talent. We were blind to your worth; please do not reproach us, senior apprentice brother."

"Truly eloquent with words."

Yang Xuanzhan replied with a half-smile, "Expected from someone who relies on words to survive."

As his words faded, Yang Xuanzhan inwardly sensed that this remark seemed slightly improper.

His own lord seemed to also depend on words for a living.

Tianyun Zi lost all trace of a smile.

"Daoist friend, what do you plan to do with us?" Tianyun Zi said with a dark expression.

"Getting angry?"

Yang Xuanzhan scoffed with disdain and mocked, "Go ask around; no one who offended Heaven’s Secret Pavilion has ever met a favorable end."

"If not for sharing the same sect as Senior Apprentice Brother Qiu, I would chop you to pieces right now."

Bang!

Yang Xuanzhan’s thoughts merged with the formation; with a surge of will, terrifying power landed on the girl; an invisible force ground the girl’s index finger to dust.

The maiden from Tianyun Sect shrieked in agony; the Path of Oblivion burrowed into her finger bone like a persistent pest, preventing her flesh from regenerating.

"What irks me most is being pointed at by fingers."

Yang Xuanzhan’s gaze was icy, and he was fully immersed in his element.

One day, he, a minor nobody at the Saint King level, could also give orders loftily before an Emperor Venerable; this sensation was simply beyond exhilarating.

The maiden was seething with resentment, yet dared not show it openly.

Tianyun Zi was both enraged and fearful, "Daoist friend, if you intend to kill us, just strike; why humiliate us so mercilessly?"

"You really wish to die?"

Yang Xuanzhan’s false smile unsettled Tianyun Zi’s heart.

"Of course he doesn’t want to die."

Qiu Qianli had long seen through Tianyun Zi’s character, "A cowardly wretch like him would never willingly abandon life."

"Junior apprentice brother!"

Tianyun Zi stared intensely at Qiu Qianli as if grasping at a final lifeline and said, "For the sake of Tianyun Sect’s ancestors, beg him to release us."

"If I perish, Tianyun Sect will sink to the bottommost tier within the Temple of Ten Thousand Paths and inevitably be swallowed by other sects."

Qiu Qianli’s expression shifted subtly.

This wasn’t entirely untrue.

The Temple of Ten Thousand Paths might be a grand alliance across six realms, seeming unified, but each faction pursued its own interests.

Originally weak, if Tianyun Zi and the two protectors were to fall and the news spread back, Tianyun Sect would be carved up cleanly in an instant.

"Spare their lives," Qiu Qianli sighed.

"Since Senior Apprentice Brother spoke, I shall honor your request."

Yang Xuanzhan stated, "Yet though death can be averted, living punishment cannot."

"I will seal away their cultivation and suspend them on the battlements of Linglong City for three days and three nights."

At these words, Tianyun Zi and the two protectors were deathly pale.

Wasn’t this utter humiliation for them?

But before they could contemplate the outcome, Yang Xuanzhan wielded the formation’s power to strip them of all cultivation temporarily; in the next moment, he strung them up on the city walls.

Disheveled in the wind, the three hung there.