Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor

”Great Elder, what exactly happened to Elder Li Shan?”

Speaking was the Sixth Elder of the Jade Pot Sect, Su He, who was also a meridian master of the Medical Pulse line, mainly responsible for the affairs of the Outer Disciples or the fighting arenas. The last great competition among Outer Disciples was presided over by him.

Among the six Great Elders of the Jade Pot Sect, the Great Elder Lu Zhan, the Fourth Elder Li Shan, and the Sixth Elder Su He belonged to the Medical Pulse line. They all possessed a compassionate heart intent on saving and aiding the world.

As for the Second, Third, and Fifth Elders, they were from the Poison Vein line. The Jade Pot Sect’s Medical and Poison lines always stood against each other in equal measure, neither could suppress the other.

Especially after Elder Fu Du of the Poison Vein line had a breakthrough to the level of an Intermediate Meridian Refining Master of the Spiritual Rank, the slight advantage that the Medical Pulse line had was gone as well.

Hearing Su He’s question, Lu Zhan’s fingers, which were placed on Li Shan’s wrist pulse, finally released. After pondering for a long moment amid the expectant gazes of many Medical Pulse line powerhouses, he slowly shook his head.

”I can only detect that Elder Li Shan seems to have been poisoned by some kind of fire attribute toxin, but what exactly this toxin is, I cannot ascertain!”

As the Great Elder of the Medical Pulse line, Lu Zhan has always been pragmatic. His words caused the expressions of Su He and the others to darken somewhat.

However, if even the Great Elder, who is an Intermediate Meridian Refining Master of the Spiritual Rank, couldn’t figure out what kind of poison Li Shan was suffering from, it was pointless for them to embarrass themselves further. They all felt dejected.

Li Shan was a pillar of the Medical Pulse line; if he were to fall into a permanent coma because of such acute poisoning, it would be a huge loss to the Medical Pulse line. From then on, they might even be overshadowed by those old Poison Vein bastards.

”Great Elder, do you think it could be the work of those old folks from the Poison Vein line?”

A younger-looking Medical Pulse cultivator rolled his eyes and suggested a possibility, stirring the hearts of Su He and the others.

”We should not make baseless accusations. After all, we all belong to the Jade Pot Sect. Although we have different principles, such brutal acts against fellow sect members, especially attacking an elder, are probably beyond them!”

Lu Zhan, measuring others by his own moral standards, flatly disbelieved the statement; because this not only weakened the Medical Pulse line’s strength but also diminished the entire strength of the Jade Pot Sect.

Despite the usual squabbles between the Medical and Poison lines, they were just internal conflicts of the Jade Pot Sect. Should an outside enemy invade, they would stand united as one to first deal with the external threat.

Therefore, Lu Zhan would never believe that those old Poison Vein figures would commit such a heinous act. However, the mystery of Li Shan’s poisoning, which happened without any warning, was extremely frustrating to him.

Chastised by Lu Zhan’s rebuke, the speaker from before could only close his mouth, while the Sixth Elder Su He pondered briefly and said, ”How about we ask the Sect Leader to take a look?”

”Let’s not do that for now. The Sect Leader is currently in seclusion to break through to the Third Realm of the Earth Rank, which is a major event for our Jade Pot Sect. Let me have another look first!”

Lu Zhan’s expression first brightened and then he shook his head again. As he said, the Sect Leader was an incredibly talented and extraordinary figure, the pillar of the entire Jade Pot Sect. It’s better not to disturb him with minor matters if they can be avoided.

If the Sect Leader could truly advance to the Third Realm of the Earth Rank, not to mention within the Xuanyue Empire, even in the entire Hidden Dragon Continent, the Jade Pot Sect would be ranked at the forefront among all major sects.

Hearing Lu Zhan say this, those around him felt somewhat sentimental. They bowed to the Great Elder and exited the room, but the intense feeling of heat lingered for a long time.

Creak!

A sound of a door opening and closing came from behind Lu Zhan. He did not turn around, thinking it was caused by the other Great Elders leaving. However, after a brief moment, he suddenly felt something and caught a glimpse of a graceful black-clad young girl beside him.

”Qing’er, you’ve come. Is there any news of Yun Xiao?”

Without looking, Lu Zhan knew it was his precious disciple. He was well aware that since returning from within the Meridian Treasure half a month ago, Mo Qing visited the entrance of the Jade Pot Sect daily. He had an inkling of whom she was waiting for, which prompted his question.

Hearing her teacher’s question, Mo Qing’s heart unintentionally felt a twinge of melancholy, shaking her head gently.

But the next moment, anger surged within her as she said with hate, ”That detestable Royal Family declared Yun Xiao a thief and a plunderer. They’ve issued a warrant in the Northwest Territory, commanding all City Lords to capture Yun Xiao with all their might. They really don’t take our Jade Pot Sect seriously at all!”

It seems that some news has already reached the Jade Pot Sect, and Mo Qing, who has been inquiring about Yun Xiao day in and day out, naturally wouldn’t miss it. This discovery, atop her anger, made her even more concerned about Yun Xiao’s predicament.

Although on that day inside the Meridian Treasure, Yun Xiao suddenly burst forth with strength comparable to the Mid Stage of Meridian Union Realm, everyone from Xuan Zhi and his stern peers to Jade Pot Sect’s own Yue Qi and Mo Qing knew that power did not belong to Yun Xiao himself.

And such formidable power, feared to cause severe harm to oneself with every use, might not even be viable for future use.

Due to some inexplicable feelings that had developed for Yun Xiao, Mo Qing recently found herself with twitching eyelids, running to the entrance of Jade Pot Sect more frequently. This state of mind, indifferent to cultivation, was rather rare for her.

”We can’t intervene in this matter, we can only rely on Yun Xiao’s own fate now!”

Lu Zhan sighed. He was experienced and shrewd, how could he not see through his precious disciple’s thoughts? However, the Jade Pot Sect and the Royal Family have always maintained their separate paths, and generally, they would not completely fall out with each other.

Moreover, the reason given by Xuan Zhi for his actions is that Yun Xiao had stolen a Royal Treasure. Those who were in the know understood the trickery involved, but to outsiders, it seemed like a legitimate reason. Even if the Jade Pot Sect were to confront the Royal Family, they would be rebuked.

Additionally, with Yun Xiao’s whereabouts being unknown, it’s unclear where to start looking. As Lu Zhan said, it all depends on Yun Xiao’s fate. If he can return to Jade Pot Sect safely, the Royal Family surely would not dare to capture him at the Sect’s headquarters, as they would still need to preserve some face.

Hearing her teacher say so, Mo Qing also realized her own preoccupation. She slightly turned her slender neck, and asked softly, ”Teacher, have we still not discovered the poison affecting Elder Li Shan?”

As she said this, a hidden gleam suddenly appeared in the depths of Mo Qing’s beautiful eyes. She abruptly remembered an incident from several months ago, when a poorly-dressed youth had spoken to her.

At that time, Mo Qing had not fully trusted Yun Xiao. After all, Li Shan was a true Spirit Vein Realm expert, also a lower-level Spiritual Rank Meridian Refining Master. Poisoning him without his knowledge was an incredibly difficult feat.

But unexpectedly, Li Shan had collapsed under mysterious circumstances one day. If not for Lu Zhan coincidentally visiting the top floor of Jade Pot Cave, perhaps no one would have noticed something was wrong with Li Shan.

Ever since Li Shan fell, he had been unconscious. Over the past few days, whether it was Lu Zhan, Su He, or other Medical Pulse Elders, all had checked on Li Shan’s condition but found themselves at a complete loss.

”Alas, the poison affecting the Fourth Elder is strange. It may very well be a type of fire attribute poison we have never seen before. I still can’t figure it out!” Lu Zhan had nothing to hide from his own disciple, and he shared the frank situation.

”If we still can’t figure it out in a few days, I’m afraid we’ll have to swallow our pride and seek help from Elder Fu Du and those old folks, as they are the Poison Vein Masters who specialize in researching deadly poisons!”

Lu Zhan pondered for a moment, but his words stirred a thought in Mo Qing, who responded, ”Let’s wait a bit longer. Maybe we won’t need to beg those old poisoners if Yun Xiao comes back.”

”Yun Xiao? What could he possibly do?”

Hearing Mo Qing mention Yun Xiao, Lu Zhan couldn’t help but smile wryly. After all, if all the Medical Pulse Elders are helpless, what can a mere Meridian Rushing Realm young disciple do? Even if he has some unique methods, his capabilities are limited.

”Hehe, Teacher, have you forgotten the incidents during the competition among Outer Disciples, where Yun Xiao gave you advice twice?”

Just as Lu Zhan finished speaking, Mo Qing’s light laughter chimed in from the side, instantly reminding him of the past events, and his old eyes brightened.

To be honest, Lu Zhan had momentarily forgotten; he had naturally assumed that Yun Xiao was just an ordinary Inner Sect Disciple. But when he recalled those astonishing Meridian Arrays learned from Yun Xiao, hope genuinely started to rise in his heart.

That youngster was clearly just a younger generation at the Meridian Rushing Realm, yet sometimes, the things he demonstrated commanded respect from many Elders. It was precisely this that gave Lu Zhan a sliver of hope.

”Ah, if only we knew when that guy will return to Jade Pot Sect!”

Seeing her teacher lost in thought, Mo Qing herself became disheartened again. Her beautiful eyes gazed at Elder Li Shan, who lay motionless on the bed. Her mind was filled with images and memories of Yun Xiao, which she couldn’t shake off.

But what the teacher and disciple didn’t expect was that, as time passed another half-month, Yun Xiao still had not returned to Jade Pot Sect, and it seemed that the poison afflicting Elder Li Shan had begun to spread.

Without a trace of Yun Xiao, this intangible wait ultimately could not solve the problem. As Li Shan’s condition became increasingly unstable, Lu Zhan was reluctant to disturb the Sect Leader. In the end, he still had to summon the Poison Vein Elders in hope of saving Li Shan’s life.

However, when the three Poison Vein Elders appeared haughtily in Li Shan’s residence, Lu Zhan felt some discomfort in his heart, but at this time, he didn’t say much. He invited the three Elders into the room; after all, when seeking favors, one naturally has to be a bit more courteous.