Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor

Luocheng!

Atop a multistoried and luxurious inn, a dark-complexioned middle-aged man and a plump youth were drinking and feasting on meat while watching the song and dance performances in the hall below, occasionally conversing, seemingly very contented.

These two were none other than Yun Xiao and Ling Wan in disguise. Thanks to the memories from Yun Xiao’s past life, he now looked like a gaunt middle-aged man, and even Ling Wan next to him could hardly be recognized without close inspection.

It must be said that Luocheng indeed deserves to be the first major city in the northwest of the Xuanyue Empire. Along the way, Yun Xiao and Ling Wan had stuck to remote and desolate paths, yearning for decent food, so they decided to indulge in a feast in Luocheng this time.

At the city gates of Luocheng, wanted posters announcing a search for Yun Xiao were naturally posted. But when the two walked into the city gates with their heads high, who would have known that this slim middle-aged man was the ”Great Thief” that the City Lord had been searching for many days?

This meal made both Yun Xiao and Ling Wan extremely satisfied, and the dances below were a feast for the eyes that made them linger.

”Hmm?”

However, just as Yun Xiao kept a stiff smile on his face while watching the graceful dancers below, he suddenly tensed, and quickly turned around. Unbeknownst to him and Ling Wan, a dignified middle-aged man had taken a seat across their table.

”Who are you?”

Yun Xiao was on full alert. Although he was confident in his Disguise Technique, in this world, there’s a force known as Power of Soul. If a strong Cultivator familiar with his aura sensed him from such a close distance, he probably could not escape their detection.

At Yun Xiao’s words, Ling Wan also turned around. He was unfamiliar with the middle-aged man and instantly realized that something was amiss. Moreover, the powerful aura emanating from the man was quite oppressive.

”I am Guan Rong, the City Lord of Luocheng!”

The middle-aged man was quite unceremonious. He picked up a wine cup in front of Yun Xiao, drank all the wine in it, and then introduced himself indifferently.

Upon hearing the name ”Guan Rong”, Yun Xiao obviously had no idea who it was, but his complexion greatly changed when he heard ”the City Lord of Luocheng.” He immediately grabbed Ling Wan and leapt down from the side.

”Ah!”

The sudden turn of events caused the dancers below, who had still been gracefully performing, to let out a shriek as they scattered in all directions. What followed was a loud shout from somewhere.

”The Great Thief Yun Xiao who stole the Royal Treasure has appeared, seize him for this City Lord!”

This loud shout was naturally from Guan Rong, the City Lord of Luocheng. Right after Yun Xiao and Ling Wan landed, dozens of guards wielding swords swarmed in from all directions, all of them Cultivators above the Meridian Gathering Realm.

Yun Xiao had an overwhelmingly powerful Soul, and among the guards from the City Lord’s Mansion of Luocheng, he sensed that two of them had reached the Late Stage of Meridian Rushing Realm, even higher rank than himself.

It seemed that Luocheng truly had a much deeper foundation than Ningfeng City. Not only was City Lord Guan Rong formidably strong, but even the quality of these guards was significantly superior to those Yun Xiao and others had encountered in Ningfeng City.

Still, Yun Xiao was puzzled as to how his tracks were exposed so quickly. He prided himself on his Disguise Technique being unparalleled on the Hidden Dragon Continent; Guan Rong didn’t recognize him by his appearance.

Yet, at that moment, Yun Xiao had no time to ponder such things. Being surrounded by so many guards, he felt immense pressure.

If it were only these guards, with their highest rank being Late Stage of Meridian Rushing, Yun Xiao was quite sure that he could escape. Even Ling Wan would not likely be stopped by them.

However, there was still a mid-stage Meridian Union Realm Cultivator watching them like a tiger stalking its prey from above; City Lord Guan Rong, who had obviously made preparations well in advance, must have already laid a Heaven and Earth Net in the Gathering Immortal Tower, leaving them no way to fly even with wings.

”Ling Wan, you take the chance to escape first!”

Seeing the imminent danger, Yun Xiao turned his head and spoke in a deep voice. At that moment, Ling Wan, without any pretense, understood that although he was only a minor realm below Yun Xiao, his abilities were worlds apart. Staying here would only hinder his big brother Yun Xiao.

”All guards heed my order, if any of them escape, bring me your heads!”

Just as Yun Xiao’s voice dropped and Ling Wan was about to nod in agreement, Guan Rong, from above, issued another thundering command, effectively cutting off Yun Xiao and Ling Wan’s retreat.

It appeared that because of Yun Xiao, Guan Rong was unwilling to let go of even his companion. As the Lord of a city, he would always strive for perfection in his undertakings and only then could he successfully fulfill the task given to him by the Third Prince.

Upon receiving the command from the City Lord, the dozens of guards did not hesitate any further, swarming in and shrinking the space around the Yun Xiao Spirit Pill tighter and tighter.

”Phut!”

But in the next moment, a slightly odd sound was heard; followed by the onlooking guests clearly seeing several guards charging at the chubby youth being blown away by some mysterious force, tumbling in all directions, instantly routed.

At this moment, the Spirit Pill naturally unleashed his own Mixed Element Qi with the method given to him by Yun Xiao, and those guards at the Late Stage or Peak of the Meridian Gathering Realm were certainly unable to withstand this strike.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Yun Xiao’s right arm, imbued with the Ancestral Vein Fire, was now quietly revealed, followed by two screams. The crowd clearly saw the two guards who stumbled back with shock on their faces, each of their palms wrapped in a clump of blood-red flames, extremely mystical.

Since the enemy sought his life, Yun Xiao had no intention of showing mercy. Henchmen who abet tyrants, none of them are any good.

Yun Xiao’s Ancestral Vein Fire was extremely fierce. Even cultivators a level higher than him would not dare to face it head-on, let alone these opponents of lower strength. The situatuion immediately became very dire for them.

The astounding manner in which the two attacked also caused Luocheng’s City Lord Guan Rong to show a hint of surprise on his face, thinking that perhaps only such geniuses could cause such a great loss to the Third Prince and his followers, right?

However, at this time Guan Rong still did not take action himself. Perhaps he had confidence in his guards, or perhaps the strength of Yun Xiao and Spirit Pill at the Meridian Rushing Realm simply did not warrant his intervention.

After watching Yun Xiao and Spirit Pill both burst out with power and dash several meters to the side, the two Late Stage Meridian Rushing Realm Guard Captains exchanged glances, and then both lunged forward simultaneously.

Apparently, these two were not incompetents. After seeing the strength of Yun Xiao and Spirit Pill, they knew that those guards at the Peak of Meridian Gathering Realm or say, the Early Stage of Meridian Rushing Realm, simply couldn’t stop them. It seemed that they had to take matters into their own hands.

The strength of the two Late Stage Meridian Rushing Realm Guard Captains was far beyond that of ordinary guards. On Yun Xiao’s side, things were still manageable, but Spirit Pill had already fallen into a disadvantage in an instant.

After all, Spirit Pill’s current strength was only at the Early Stage of Meridian Rushing Realm. With the opponent being a full two minor realms higher than him, even with his Mixed Element Qi physique, there were still limits.

The disparity in realms within the Meridian Rushing Realm could not be compared to the Meridian Gathering Realm level competition back in the Outer Sect days. The higher the level, the greater the gap between realms. The ability to contend against higher realms, such a heaven-defying skill, could only appear on Yun Xiao himself.

Luckily, with the boost from Mixed Element Qi, Spirit Pill, after transforming into a rolling meatball, made comical movements. However, he still managed to withstand dozens of moves from the Guard Captain. This scene, viewed by the spectators, was extremely surprising.

Looking at the other side of the battle, it was even more eye-opening. That dark-skinned man, only at the Middle Stage of Meridian Rushing Realm, was actually leisurely handling the Late Stage Meridian Rushing Realm Guard Captain, not at all at a disadvantage.

Truth be told, since advancing to the Middle Stage of Meridian Rushing Realm, facing cultivators at the Later Stage of the same realm was no longer difficult for Yun Xiao.

He had a multitude of tactics, with insights and experience that were unmatched on the Hidden Dragon Continent. Often, he could already discern the opponent’s next move as soon as the Guard Captain began to act.

”Phut phut!”

Amidst the fierce battle, two peculiar sounds suddenly rang out. The audience looked towards the sound, only to see that ”Great Thief” Yun Xiao had somehow moved behind the Guard Captain, fumbling around on the latter’s back.

”Fuxue Technique?”

There were quite a few knowledgeable people present, especially powerhouses like Guan Rong at the Meridian Union Realm, who instantly recognized the technique Yun Xiao was using.

What these people didn’t know was that although Yun Xiao was indeed using the Fuxue Technique, he was also executing a powerful Meridian Array called the Small Golden Light Pulse Array.

This Lower Level Spiritual Rank attack Meridian Array became increasingly powerful with the growth of Yun Xiao’s strength. For instance, the Small Golden Light Pulse Array he was using now was several times stronger than when it was used against Yin Huan inside the Meridian Treasure.

Although the Guard Captain was stronger by one minor realm compared to Yin Huan, Yun Xiao was not the same Yun Xiao as before. Moreover, his speed was incredibly fast, and a Lower Level Spiritual Rank Meridian Array was formed in just a moment.

Swish!

As some meridian lines on the back of the Guard Captain abruptly interconnected, the next moment a burst of dazzling golden light emerged, followed by the sight of the Guard Captain’s robe on his back being blown to pieces by a violent force.

The power of the Small Golden Light Pulse Array was indeed formidable. Through the torn robe, everyone could clearly see the Guard Captain’s back a mess of flesh and blood, suggesting he had indeed been seriously injured by this attack array.

Witnessing this scene, the onlooking crowd was somewhat stunned, silently remarking that the Great Thief Yun Xiao who dared to steal the Royal Treasure indeed possessed exceptional strength. To emerge victorious in such an over-level battle so effortlessly was something they themselves could never achieve.