Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor

”My name is Yun Xiao!”

They say always speak only a third of your thoughts. Yun Xiao merely stated his name and then fell silent, but Xuan Jing seemed not the type to stay quiet, pondering upon hearing this.

”Last name Yun? Young brother, to my knowledge, there’s no powerful family with the surname Yun in the Xuanyue Empire. And yet, at such a young age, you’ve reached the Meridian Rushing Realm Early Stage. Your talent is indeed extraordinary.”

Based on Yun Xiao’s surname, Xuan Jing speculated quite a bit, but like his third brother, Xuan Zhi, even if he racked his brains, he could not recall any major family by the surname Yun in the Xuanyue Empire.

”I am an Inner Sect Disciple of the Jade Pot Sect!”

Yun Xiao did not want to bring up the Shang Family, or perhaps in his heart, aside from his mother and sister, he considered no one else there worthy of being called his kin, hence he only mentioned the Jade Pot Sect.

”Wow, this is big news! An Inner Sect Disciple of the Jade Pot Sect!”

Upon hearing this, Xuan Jing could not help but exclaim in surprise, a reaction that left Yun Xiao somewhat bemused. However, Yun Xiao remained unaware that joining the Inner Sect of the Jade Pot Sect at such an age implied a limitless future.

Xuan Jing clearly knew a lot about the Jade Pot Sect and understood the immense talent of its Inner Sect Disciples, which made him even more interested in Yun Xiao.

”Brother Yun Xiao, could you share with me why you and my third brother have become enemies?”

This Third Prince of the Empire was quite forward, quickly becoming overly familiar and treating him like a brother, which Yun Xiao found somewhat uncomfortable.

However, seeing that Xuan Jing did not seem fake or deliberately probing him, Yun Xiao’s guard was not so strong anymore. He chose to recount the significant events that had occurred since his meeting with Xuan Zhi, trying to gauge Xuan Jing’s true attitude through this.

In all seriousness, the conflict between Yun Xiao and Xuan Zhi was not one of deep-seated hatred like avenging a father’s death or stealing a wife; it had all started from their encounter in the Medicine Valley within the Yulin Mountain Range. It was Xuan Zhi’s pride and jealousy that had deepened their animosity.

Afterwards, when the Guan brothers both died because of Yun Xiao, Xuan Zhi became even less likely to let Yun Xiao off, joining the Poison Vein sect and colluding with Bi Luo to create numerous troubles for Yun Xiao.

”Sigh, that third brother of mine, he’s just like this, birds of a feather with his elder brother!”

After hearing Yun Xiao’s story, Xuan Jing sighed, and from his tone, Yun Xiao gained a bit of understanding about the Empire’s Crown Prince whom he had never met.

It appeared that both the Crown Prince and the Third Prince, Xuan Zhi, who were born from the same mother, were ruthless and venomous, while this Second Prince seemed to be more straightforward and upright, likely having suffered much suppression from the other two over the years.

From Xuan Jing’s mother’s status, Yun Xiao felt empathetic, remembering the hardships his mother and sister had faced at the hands of the Shang Family.

An unspoken understanding seemed to bring them a bit closer as Yun Xiao took out a Meridian Demon’s Leg from his Waist Storage again and started roasting it over the campfire, soon filling the air with delicious scents.

”Haha, delicious!”

This Meridian Demon’s Leg, Xuan Jing actually left half for Yun Xiao. After seeing him finish his half, he burst out laughing and complimented the food.

”Brother Yun Xiao, coming to such a remote place this time must be for that Intermediate Spiritual Rank Meridian Treasure, right?”

Having eaten his fill, Xuan Jing glanced in a certain direction, his question embedded with underlying meanings, indicating that he, too, was probably here for that Meridian Treasure.

”Our Jade Pot Sect has a mission!”

Yun Xiao simply stated, knowing that even if Xuan Jing and Xuan Zhi were enemies, once inside that Meridian Treasure, they might still become competitors and there was no need to be overly candid.

”Haha, if that’s the case, then I shall take my leave. Should we meet inside that Meridian Treasure, we must rely on our own abilities!”

Before Yun Xiao could voice the thoughts he had kept to himself, Xuan Jing had already spoken them, causing Yun Xiao to feel somewhat embarrassed, admitting that he indeed didn’t compare to the straightforwardness of this Empire’s Second Prince.

After he spoke, Xuan Jing stood up and disappeared into the darkness of the night, leaving only Yun Xiao in contemplation, remaining silent for a long while.

”What an odd fellow!”

After a long time, Yun Xiao, staring at the spot where Xuan Jing had vanished, finally uttered this comment. That guy had appeared and left suddenly; was it just to enjoy the meat he had cooked?

Unable to figure it out, Yun Xiao decided not to dwell on it any longer. After extinguishing the campfire with a few stomps, he stepped out in a certain direction, which seemed to emit a faint Ice Cold Qi.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

When Yun Xiao set foot in this place one morning, he couldn’t help but look up at the sky, watching the drifting snowflakes, lost in thought.

Yun Xiao knew that Ice Whisker Grass generally only grows in extremely Yin and cold places; since there might be Ice Continuation Grass in this Meridian Treasure, this place should also be a place of extreme Yin.

Along the journey in this desert, Yun Xiao has mostly seen sand swirling in the sky, and it has been a long time since he had seen such a scene of snowflakes dancing.

This discovery also gave Yun Xiao a bit more hope for finding Ice Whisker Grass inside the Meridian Treasure, so he did not pause at all in his steps, directly stepping into the world of swirling snowflakes.

...

White snow flurries!

This is a place filled with Ice Cold Qi, and at this moment, there is a blue Light Shield about dozens of meters in diameter, seemingly enveloping the land beneath it.

Even this seemingly powerful Light Shield seems unable to block the extreme cold arising from beneath the ground; this snowfall seems induced by the subterranean cold, truly wondrous.

Swoosh!

On the western side of the Light Shield, suddenly there came a sound of breaking wind, followed by the appearance of a graceful black figure. If Yun Xiao were here, he would instantly recognize this woman as Mo Qing, a genius girl from the Jade Pot Sect with whom he has a complicated relationship.

”Is this the place where the Meridian Treasure is located?”

Mo Qing looked at the blue Light Shield ahead with a somewhat muddled look in her eyes. She murmured to herself and then turned her gaze to the surroundings. Seeing no one around, she couldn’t help feeling a bit melancholic.

Due to the Illusion Array in the desert, Mo Qing and the three others who initially came together had been separated by the large array. At this moment, she wanted to see not Xue Gong or Chang Qing, but that coarse-clothed young man who held a different significance for her.

Truth be told, Mo Qing was indeed worried. The Illusion Array was formidable; even she, the top genius of Jade Pot Sect, almost didn’t make it out, let alone Yun Xiao, who was at the Meridian Rushing Realm Early Stage.

With the Intermediate Spiritual Rank Meridian Treasure, even the perimeter blocking array was so powerful; what kind of dangers would there be inside the actual Meridian Treasure?

At some moment, Mo Qing genuinely regretted bringing Yun Xiao here. Sometimes Meridian Qi Cultivation determined everything. The methods Yun Xiao used during the competitions among the Outer Sect and sometimes in the Inner Sect might not be applicable here at all.

Swoosh!

Just as Mo Qing was thoughtfully examining the blue Light Shield, another sound of breaking wind suddenly came from not far away, startling her as she looked up, immediately recognizing the newcomer.

”Yue Qi!”

Mo Qing was not at all unfamiliar with the young man dressed in a green robe. It was Yue Qi, her biggest rival within the Jade Pot Sect and the number one genius of the Poison Vein.

However, unlike Mo Qing’s cold expression, Yue Qi looked somewhat displeased upon encountering her here; in terms of reaching the Meridian Treasure, he had undoubtedly lost to Mo Qing once more.

After achieving a breakthrough during his recent seclusion, Yue Qi was extremely motivated, aiming to surpass Mo Qing in Meridian Qi Cultivation and Meridian Refining Technique, trying to reclaim the first position on the Spiritual Chick List.

But Yue Qi had set off earlier than Mo Qing, yet he still ended up being slower; this made him consistently eager to outdo Mo Qing. Now, it seemed he was still slightly lacking.

Fortunately, the energy of the Light Shield of the Meridian Treasure was still abundant. If Mo Qing entered the Meridian Treasure before him, Yue Qi would probably feel even more frustrated.

Now, everyone was back at the same starting line. When the Light Shield was eventually unsealed, whoever obtained more treasures from the Meridian Treasure would be the ultimate winner.

Swoosh! Swoosh! ...

While Mo Qing and Yue Qi were staring at each other, several more sounds of breaking wind suddenly came from two directions, drawing their attention.

From the southeastern direction, two figures emerged; the younger figure was not too unfamiliar to both Mo Qing and Yue Qi; it was Zhao Ningshu, a novice admitted to the Inner Sect of the Jade Pot Sect.

As for the figure from the northeastern direction, it was also a new Inner Sect novice, Cao Luo. If just considering these two’s Meridian Qi Cultivation, Mo Qing and Yue Qi would not take them seriously—what waves could two guys who had not yet achieved Meridian Rushing stir up?

But when Mo Qing and Yue Qi sensed the two other people’s presence beside those two, their expressions became somewhat solemn because both of them had clearly already advanced to the Early Stage of Meridian Union.

”Senior Brother Yue Qi!”

”Senior Brother Yue Qi!”

Zhao Ningshu and Cao Luo, who had come to this Meridian Treasure with their fathers, naturally saw the two here as well. They immediately called out joyfully and headed directly this way.

Zhao Ningshu and Cao Luo, both from the Poison Vein sect of the Inner Sect disciples, although they had never spoken with Yue Qi, the top genius on the Spiritual Chick List, they felt they had the right to speak to Yue Qi backed by their fathers’ support.

Since there were two strong cultivators at the Early Stage of Meridian Union present, Yue Qi couldn’t afford to be too indifferent and reluctantly managed a smile. This scene, seen by Mo Qing who was not far away, seemed to make her facial expression even colder, perhaps reflecting on something.