Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor

”Guards, heed my command, capture that great thief Yun Xiao who dares to steal the Royal Treasure!”

The excited Guard Captain did not hesitate at all and shouted his command, followed by his dozen or so guards taking a step closer toward Yun Xiao and Ling Wan, further constricting their surrounding space.

Seeing this, Yun Xiao’s expression turned rather unsightly. These Ningfeng City guards, at best, were only in the early stage of the Meridian Rushing Realm, and he wouldn’t take them seriously.

However, since the Royal Family had already issued an arrest warrant, there were probably more than just these dozen City Lord’s Mansion guards who wanted to capture him.

In Ningfeng City, even the Zhao Family Head had already reached the early stage of the Meridian Union Realm. Yun Xiao believed that the City Lord wouldn’t be much weaker than Zhao Huan. If he were to attract the attention of the City Lord, Yun Xiao really might find himself in a situation where even wings couldn’t help him escape.

Now, Yun Xiao was without the backup of the Golden Snake Worm. Even though he had broken through to the middle stage of the Meridian Rushing Realm, he couldn’t possibly stand a chance against a cultivator in the Meridian Union Realm.

”My apologies!”

Thus, Yun Xiao made a swift decision, not wanting to linger here any longer. As soon as the words left his mouth, he pushed Ling Wan’s back with his right palm and shouted again, ”Ling Wan, clear the way with Mixed Element Qi!”

With a push from Yun Xiao and hearing his words, Ling Wan did not dare to delay. Running his Meridian Qi, he transformed into a large round meatball under the astonished gaze of the crowd.

”Eh? Isn’t this the Zhao Family’s useless kid?”

Observing Ling Wan’s meatball form, some cultivators in Ningfeng City immediately remembered something. Ling Wan’s transformation into this meatball state was a ”unique move” in Ningfeng City, leaving a deep impression on the local cultivators.

However, in their memory, Ling Wan’s meatball form didn’t possess any offensive power. Instead, it would cause him great pain. So, seeing Ling Wan transform, a sense of bewilderment crept onto their faces.

But the scene that followed left the seasoned cultivators of Ningfeng City with their jaws nearly hitting the floor. They watched as the meatball Ling Wan shot out at an odd speed, and within an instant, the Guard Captain standing in his path met with a sad fate.

Ling Wan’s meatball state was the activated form of the Mixed Element Qi. Besides, he had now broken through to the early stage of the Meridian Rushing Realm. How could this guard of the same level withstand a collision with his Mixed Element One Qi Body?

Bang!

All the onlookers heard a loud noise, then saw the Guard Captain, like a kite with its string cut, flying far back over a dozen yards and violently hitting the city wall, slowly sliding down with nearly no breath left.

Such a display of power rendered those who thought they knew Ling Wan completely dumbfounded. They had never imagined that someone who was considered useless and a freak from birth could possess such a formidable move. It was a complete overturn of their understanding of cultivation.

There were actually quite a few cultivators at the Meridian Rushing Realm present, but even those strong enough to reach the middle stage of the Meridian Rushing Realm did not dare claim they could withstand a collision with Ling Wan after witnessing the Guard Captain’s tragic state.

Pfft!

However, after Ling Wan sent the Guard Captain flying, his actions didn’t stop there. Suddenly turning around, he aimed a certain part of his body at the remaining dozen guards. Following an odd noise, everyone was left dumbstruck.

”Is he... farting?”

Some keen-eyed individuals recognized the awkward source of the sound Ling Wan made. Their murmurs contained extreme disbelief, as this mode of attack was undoubtedly even stranger than Ling Wan sending the Guard Captain flying with a meatball collision.

Indeed, at that moment, Ling Wan had indeed let out a fart. But this fart was unlike any ordinary person’s. He had used a technique taught by Yun Xiao, expelling the Mixed Element Qi from his body, achieving the effect of harming and defeating the opponent.

Once, during a competition in the Outer Sect, Ling Wan used this move and almost knocked Shen Xiao, second on the Mortal List, off the platform. However, this ultimately provoked Shen Xiao’s vicious retaliation, nearly costing Ling Wan his life.

As Ling Wan’s Meridian Qi Cultivation improved, he became more adept at utilizing this bizarre form of attack—doubtlessly a group combat technique with evident and visible effects.

Ling Wan’s extremely peculiar ”fart” caught the dozen or so guards completely off guard. They were still immersed in the reality of their Guard Captain being blasted away and failed to regain their senses. They were sent tumbling in all directions by this ”fart,” naturally unable to stop Yun Xiao and Ling Wan any longer.

Even Yun Xiao did not expect Ling Wan’s tactics to yield such a miraculous effect. Seeing the way forward clear, he did not hesitate and quickly dashed out, soon disappearing with Ling Wan outside the East Gate of Ningfeng City.

Only after the figures of Yun Xiao and Ling Wan had been gone for quite some time did everyone come back to their senses. Some cultivators in Ningfeng City who had some impression of Ling Wan began entertaining some unusual thoughts.

”It seems that kid from the Zhao Family must have come upon some great fortune!”

Judging from Ling Wan’s performance, these people no longer called him a freak or useless. Jokingly, could someone who could injure a cultivator in the early stage of the Meridian Rushing Realm with a single hit be considered useless?

Moreover, these people also knew how young Yun Xiao was. At such an age, he already possessed such strength. Wouldn’t he become even more formidable than the Family Head of Zhao Family after some time?

As soon as they thought of the attitude of Zhao Family towards Yun Xiao, a hint of schadenfreude rose on the faces of many, and there were even some who vaguely knew about the treatment Yun Xiao received upon his return to the Zhao Family, which made their expressions even more peculiar.

Whoosh!

While the people were shocked by the strength Yun Xiao had displayed, another whooshing sound came from within the East Gate, followed by the appearance of an imposing figure.

”City Lord!”

The guards who had just been scattered by Yun Xiao recognized the person at first sight and hurried back, bowing deeply in greeting.

”What happened here?”

The gaze of Ningfeng City’s City Lord swept over the Guard Captain near the city wall, speaking in a cold voice tinged with suppressed anger.

”Reporting to the City Lord, it was... it was the Great Thief Yun Xiao who appeared!”

Despite fearing the City Lord’s aura, one of the guards still managed to speak with a trembling voice. Upon hearing this, a gleam flashed in the eyes of the City Lord.

”Great Thief Yun Xiao!”

The low shout echoed from the mouth of Ningfeng City’s City Lord, seemingly containing a trace of annoyance. It appeared he, too, was unaware of the specific meaning behind Luocheng’s issued warrant and simply considered Yun Xiao a thief who had stolen a Royal Treasure.

”My orders, all guard squads are to remain vigilant, we must find Yun Xiao!”

As thoughts whirled in his mind, the City Lord issued a stern command that made all the guards shudder, taking their orders seriously. It seemed that for the time being, their task would indeed be extremely challenging.

After the City Lord’s words, he did not linger any longer but moved swiftly, chasing after Yun Xiao outside the East City Gate. Although it was unlikely that he would catch up with the Great Thief Yun Xiao, at least it was an opportunity.

...

Outside the South Gate of Ningfeng City!

Two youthful figures were sprinting towards this side. They were none other than Yun Xiao and Ling Wan, though it was a mystery how they had appeared outside the South Gate of Ningfeng City.

”Brother Yun Xiao, why did we go to such lengths to rush from the East Gate to the South Gate?”

Ling Wan, having been raised in Ningfeng City, was exceedingly familiar with both the inside and outside of the city. After discerning the direction, he gasped for breath and asked.

Without stopping his pace, Yun Xiao turned back and, sensing no pursuers behind them, let out a sigh of relief and explained, ”We’ve already been noticed earlier; surely someone would tail us outside the East Gate to give chase, naturally we had to change direction!”

Upon hearing this explanation, Ling Wan instantly understood. Indeed, this little trick had allowed them to evade the pursuit of the City Lord of Ningfeng City. If they were caught by that Meridian Union Realm powerhouse, a fierce battle would be inevitable, and they might not be able to escape unscathed.

”It seems we’ll have to think of something else!”

Yun Xiao stretched out his hand and stroked his chin, recalling the wanted poster’s sketch in his mind. He knew that if he continued to appear as he was, the likelihood of being recognized in the future would be enormous, and entering the city would no longer be an option.

However, as the former Long Xiao Battle God, Yun Xiao had studied various esoteric arts, such as the Disguise Technique. Over several days, he searched the mountains for certain herbs, crushing them into juice and applying it to his face.

One day, Ling Wan suddenly realized the appearance of Yun Xiao, whom he had been following every day, had greatly altered from a few days ago. If it weren’t for him standing right in front of him, Ling Wan might not dare to recognize him.

It was conceivable that if even Ling Wan, who was very familiar with Yun Xiao, could barely recognize him, how could others, only with a portrait, possibly identify Yun Xiao?

This way, it became much easier for Yun Xiao and Ling Wan to carry out their activities. They no longer feared immediate recognition as the ”Great Thief” and didn’t need to exclusively travel desolate paths or avoid entering cities.

One day, when Yun Xiao and Ling Wan emerged from the mountains and saw the large city ahead, they shared a knowing smile and, side by side, walked towards the grand city, unaware of what lay ahead.

When Yun Xiao and Ling Wan arrived at the North Gate of that great city, they finally saw two black characters engraved above the city gate: Luocheng!