Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor

”Is this... that fiery red mouse?”

When Chi Yan spoke up, Mo Qing also recognized the Fire Cloud Rat’s identity, her gaze turned somewhat curious, but she didn’t take any notice of Chi Yan’s hostility.

Just like when she first met Sect Master Yu Shu, Mo Qing could not understand why the extremely proud Vein Demon, Chi Yan, would willingly follow a human.

Moreover, Mo Qing was clearly aware that back then at Yurong Mountain, Yun Xiao was only at the Meridian Gathering Realm Middle Stage, while this fiery red mouse that had withstood one of her strikes without perishing must have at least broken through to the Fourth Rank Low Level, which was even more enigmatic.

”Chi Yan, calm down!”

Hearing Chi Yan and Mo Qing speaking one after the other, Yun Xiao extended his left hand and gently stroked Chi Yan’s raised fur, first reprimanding it, then saying, ”This is my senior sister Mo Qing. You should be more polite to her in the future!”

With Yun Xiao’s soothing words, Chi Yan’s fur gradually softened, but the pair of small eyes that looked at Mo Qing still held a hint of wariness. Clearly, the slap from that time had left an indelible impression on it.

Yun Xiao naturally knew that Chi Yan was brooding over what happened in Yurong Volcano that day. He patiently explained again: ”Chi Yan, that incident was a misunderstanding. Senior sister Mo Qing and I have reconciled. You mustn’t be impolite.”

It wasn’t until Yun Xiao’s words fell that Chi Yan finally withdrew its aggressive gaze, eventually settling on Yun Xiao’s right shoulder, staying completely still.

”This little fellow is rather cute. Is his name Chi Yan?”

After being puzzled, Mo Qing’s heart of a young girl finally surfaced; even though she had grown accustomed to acting cold, when she saw Chi Yan’s reaction, she couldn’t help but take an interest.

”Yes, his name is Chi Yan, he is my partner through life and death. However, he can be quite childlike, so please don’t take it too personally!”

Yun Xiao nodded, but when he said this last sentence, Chi Yan was obviously dissatisfied, standing up and waved its paws towards Mo Qing, which only appeared cuter in her eyes.

”Senior sister Mo Qing, if there’s nothing else, I will leave first!”

Yun Xiao turned his head to glance at the formidable Cold Jade Hall. For some reason hearing him say this statement, a tinge of reluctance unexpectedly rose in Mo Qing’s heart, causing her to feel flustered and heart-raced.

”Also, senior sister Mo Qing!”

However, just when Yun Xiao took a few steps into the square and suddenly turned his head back, he added: ”If you have a chance, you might want to look for something called ’Ice Whisker Grass’. It is greatly beneficial for Elder Li Shan’s... and your... affliction.”

After saying these few words, Yun Xiao no longer lingered. Turning decisively, he quickly disappeared into the distance of the square and entered the Cold Jade Hall.

”Ice Whisker Grass?”

Suddenly hearing this name, Mo Qing’s face showed a hint of confusion, for she had been in the Jade Pot Sect for many years, yet she had never heard of something like Ice Whisker Grass.

Just by the name alone, it was evident that it should be a herbal material with an Ice Cold Attribute, which would help to counteract the violent backlash from Mo Qing’s Fire Attribute Technique. The connection in attributes was clear.

As for Elder Li Shan, Yun Xiao’s reference was too vague; Mo Qing only knew that the Fourth Elder was possibly afflicted with a kind of slow-acting severe poison.

No matter what, even though Mo Qing had never heard of ”Ice Whisker Grass” before, she firmly memorized the name from that moment, waiting for an opportune moment to ask her teacher for possible leads.

Returning to the Cold Jade Hall, Yun Xiao did not ponder the Ice Whisker Grass matter; it was indeed the main medicine for resolving the issues faced by Li Shan and Mo Qing. But judging by his current strength and status, obtaining such an item was somewhat challenging, as the Ice Whisker Grass had already reached the Spiritual Rank Intermediate level.

Yu Shu was still not present in the hall, so after observing for a moment, Yun Xiao went back to his room and started cultivating the Small Golden Light Pulse Array.

As for Chi Yan, ever since entering the Cold Jade Hall for the first time, it had no desire to step foot in it again; the Ice Cold Attribute clashed entirely with its Fire Attribute, making it an uncomfortable place for it to stay.

However, being new to the Jade Pot Sect’s Inner Sect, Chi Yan was not yet familiar with certain rules. Over time, it was likely to cause some unnecessary trouble.

....

Three days after Yun Xiao started researching the Small Golden Light Pulse Array in the Cold Jade Hall, many Sect Elders gathered in one of the most significant halls of the Jade Pot Sect. Even Sect Leader Yu Shu was seated at the chief seat.

This grand hall is called Yulan Hall, and within it lies Yulan Hall where important matters of the Jade Pot Sect are discussed by Sect Master Yu Shu and the elders.

Despite Yu Shu’s significant status within the Jade Pot Sect, due to the existence of both the Medical Pulse and Poison Vein, he does not wish to turn the sect into an autocracy. Most of the time, he listens to the opinions of the elders from both divisions before making the correct decisions.

This is also the key reason Yu Shu is able to maintain a balance between the Medical Pulse and Poison Vein, and by doing so, it ensures his fairness and authority.

However, the atmosphere in today’s Jade Pot Sect is noticeably heavy, whether it be the Great Elder Lu Zhan, the Sixth Elder Su He, or the Fifth Elder Yan Chun, who oversees the Jade Martial Institute – all of them wearing solemn faces, not uttering a word.

On the contrary, the usually gloomy Second Elder Fu Du’s gaze swept occasionally towards the Fourth Elder Li Shan, a green gleam flickering deep in his eyes, leaving others to wonder what he was thinking.

”Sect Master, has the Strange Spirit within the Jade Pot Cave been completely eradicated yet?”

Ultimately, it was the Great Elder Lu Zhan who first broke the silence. His question caused all eyes to unanimously turn towards the head of the table, Yu Shu, as everyone awaited a definitive answer.

The emergence of a Strange Spirit in the Jade Pot Cave was indeed a significant matter for the Jade Pot Sect. Normally, Strange Spirits could appear anywhere, but their appearance in the Jade Pot Cave made the situation particularly delicate.

Additionally, the emergence of these Strange Spirits resulted in the tragic deaths of several Inner Sect Disciples. If these detestable Strange Spirits were not completely cleared out, no young cultivator would dare to enter the Jade Pot Cave again.

Lu Zhan’s question also had another purpose; he wanted to see just how much the Fourth Elder Li Shan had neglected his duties this time. If only a single Strange Spirit was involved, there might be some leeway for resolution.

Upon hearing Lu Zhan’s question, Yu Shu finally spoke, ”We’ve been lucky; after several days of investigation with the Fourth Elder, we’ve found the Strange Spirit only on the fourth layer, although...”

Yu Shu paused then, and his expression became gravely serious as he continued, ”Of course, I cannot exclude the existence of special Strange Spirits, undetectable even to me. If that were the case, then my Jade Pot Sect is in peril!”

”Strange Spirits undetectable even by Sect Leader himself!”

The shift in Yu Shu’s rhetoric made many elders in the hall gasp in surprise; they were well aware of the Sect Leader’s strength. If there were Strange Spirits more powerful than Yu Shu, it could spell doom for the entire Jade Pot Sect.

”Hehe, Sect Leader, aren’t you being overly pessimistic? Not to mention our Jade Pot Sect, even the Xuanyue Empire or the entire Hidden Dragon Continent are unlikely to harbor Strange Spirits of such caliber,” chuckled Mo Li, the Third Elder from the Poison Vein, trying to lighten the mood. However, his remark did not find an echo, nor did it receive any responses.

Seeing this, Mo Li felt a bit embarrassed and looked somewhat dissatisfied towards the other elders of the Poison Vein division. Then, he saw the Second Elder Fu Du straighten his face and begin to speak.

”Sect Leader’s words surely have some basis, but before that, should we not first discuss how to deal with the dereliction of duty in this incident?”

Fu Du began by affirming Yu Shu’s words, then near the end, his gaze intentionally or unintentionally shifted to the Fourth Elder Li Shan. The ”derelict” he referred to was well understood by all present.

”Second Elder, what you’re saying seems somewhat improper. The appearance of this Strange Spirit was an extremely unexpected event, and I believe that even the Second Elder himself, had he been guarding the Jade Pot Cave, might not have detected the Strange Spirit right away,” retorted the Great Elder Lu Zhan to Fu Du, who always seemed to be at odds. Seeing his arch-rival’s first words aimed at Li Shan, how could he hold back his response?

As Lu Zhan said, the Strange Spirit Clan sometimes poses a threat not through strength, but through their unique skills that can catch even high-ranking human cultivators or devil cultivators off guard.

Take the Strange Spirit from this incident, for instance – it gained spiritual wisdom while cultivating from the mud and stones within the Jade Pot Cave. Even if standing right in front of it, one might not realize its presence before it made an attack.

Moreover, Jade Pot Cave has nine levels altogether, and each level is so vast. Solely depending on one individual like Li Shan, how could it be possible to cover every inch?

”The Great Elder is right. This appearance of the Strange Spirit can only be considered a mistake, not negligence. I think we should give the Fourth Elder another chance,” spoke the Sixth Elder Su He, a member of the Medical Pulse, clearly siding with Lu Zhan. However, being one of the lower-ranking elders, his words clearly didn’t carry the same weight as the Great Elder’s.

”Regardless, our Jade Pot Sect has lost several young talents due to the appearance of the Strange Spirit. From this perspective, the dereliction of duty by Elder Li Shan cannot be dismissed!” declared Fu Du, with a flash of green in his eyes, stating a fact before turning his gaze to Yu Shu and continuing in a low voice, ”I propose that we relieve Elder Li Shan from his duty as the guardian of the Jade Pot Cave and find a suitable replacement!”

”I object!”

Fu Du had barely finished speaking when the voice of the Great Elder resounded through the Yulan Hall, ”Elder Li Shan has guarded the Jade Pot Cave for many years. If we talk about understanding the Jade Pot Cave, surely no one surpasses him. To rashly change personnel during this critical time of Strange Spirit emergence is not an advisable suggestion!”