Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor

”Chi Yan, be polite to the guests. There’s nothing here for you anymore, go play on your own!”

Seeing Chi Yan’s actions, Yun Xiao’s face looked somewhat unnatural as he waved his hand; then, that little one waved its claws at Mo Qing again before disappearing into the distance.

”This little thing sure holds a grudge, huh!”

Mo Qing’s face also looked a bit awkward. She seemed to be thinking about something, and the words she spoke were very different from her usual cold demeanor.

”Hehe, Sister Mo Qing coming early in the morning, it shouldn’t just be about caring for Chi Yan, right?” Yun Xiao turned his head back, not continuing the topic, but asked straight to the point.

Hearing this, Mo Qing nodded and followed up, ”The day after you left, my teacher refined the Ice Continuation Pill at the fastest speed. Elder Li Shan’s severe poison has been completely expelled. If he were able to get out of bed, he would have wanted to thank you in person!”

Yun Xiao shook his head and said, ”I just provided the method, the real thanks should go to the Sect Master and the Great Elder. Without them, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything despite having a way!”

Hearing Yun Xiao’s words, Mo Qing felt a bit strange and thought to herself why he still referred to the Sect Master informally, not knowing that in his previous life, Yun Xiao was the Long Xiao Battle God, whose status was much higher than Yu Shu, sometimes simply not reacting in time.

”Oh right, if the Great Elder is available, ask him to refine an Ice Continuation Pill for you as well. It has a certain effect on suppressing the rampant Fire Attribute in your body, so you won’t have to run to Yurong Volcano every month!”

Yun Xiao remembered one thing; he had asked Mo Qing to find Ice Whisker Grass not only because of the Fire Poison that Elder Li Shan suffered from, but also because the Fire Attribute Technique that Mo Qing cultivated was too overbearing and needed to be suppressed with the Ice Continuation Pill.

However, with Yun Xiao’s current Meridian Refining Technique, he simply couldn’t refine an Intermediate Spiritual Rank Ice Continuation Pill, so he had to ask the Great Elder, an Intermediate Rank Meridian Refining Master, to do it.

”Okay!”

When Yun Xiao mentioned ”Yurong Volcano,” Mo Qing’s face couldn’t help but turn a bit rosy, probably recalling the scene at the hot springs of Yurong Mountain back then.

For some reason, Mo Qing, who had shouted and screamed at Yun Xiao for seeing her body back then, felt a touch of warmth deep in her heart at this moment. Subtly, her feelings for Yun Xiao were growing stronger.

Mo Qing, whose thoughts were spinning, accidentally caught Yun Xiao staring blankly at her, which startled her. She quickly adjusted her expression and shifted the topic.

”Ahem... there’s another matter, I must congratulate you!”

Mo Qing lightly coughed to settle her own feelings, and then spoke a sentence that left Yun Xiao somewhat puzzled, his expression also carrying a questioning look.

”Considering that you cured Elder Li Shan, which has significant meaning to our Jade Pot Sect, the Sect Master has decided to make an exception and allow you three days’ access to the ninth layer of Jade Pot Cave as an encouragement!”

As Mo Qing spoke these words, her tone still contained a hint of disbelief. In fact, this was the real reason she came to find Yun Xiao today.

The Jade Pot Cave could be said to be the most important location of the Jade Pot Sect, and even the founding of the Sect was likely because of the cave. There, many Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures were present. Every disciple or elder who entered the Jade Pot Cave had more or less gained something.

Even due to some reason, the Jade Pot Cave would intermittently produce some Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, rare to find elsewhere. If one could obtain them, whether trading them in the Sect for considerable points or taking them to outside auction houses, both would bring substantial wealth.

But the Jade Pot Cave was divided into nine layers, each requiring different points for entry and guarded by powerful protectors. Only by overcoming the guardians could one truly enter the next layer.

Perhaps these guardians were there to protect some less capable disciples, preventing them from overestimating their abilities and entering higher layers of the Jade Pot Cave, only to be injured by the Vein Demons inside.

But as a cultivator, who wouldn’t covet the treasures in the higher layers of the Jade Pot Cave? It’s just that if one’s strength is insufficient to defeat the guardians, naturally, they couldn’t progress to the next layer.

Yun Xiao guessed that with his current strength, he could at most bypass the guardian of the fourth layer of the Jade Pot Cave and enter the fifth layer, where the Vein Demons would probably be at the Fourth Rank Intermediate level, which would still be somewhat challenging for him.

However, now, Yun Xiao never imagined that he would have a chance to directly enter the ninth layer, a place that even some Spirit Vein Realm sect powerhouses didn’t have the qualifications to enter.

”Hehe, although some things were exposed this time, being able to enter the ninth layer of the Jade Pot Cave is truly worth it!”

Yun Xiao let out a comforting laugh in his heart, but his words carried some worry, ”With my strength, if I enter the ninth layer of the Jade Pot Cave alone, I might be instantly torn to pieces by those Vein Demons, right?”

This indeed was a concern for Yun Xiao; back when he was on the fourth floor of the Jade Pot Cave, he had already encountered a Fourth Rank Low Level Vein Demon, as well as a Fourth Rank Intermediate Strange Spirit. The thought of the power of the Vein Demons on the ninth layer was terrifying.

Generally, only those who had reached the Late Stage or Peak of the Spirit Vein Realm dared to enter, indicating that the Vein Demons on the ninth layer could have already reached the Sixth Rank Advanced level.

With Yun Xiao currently only in the Middle Stage of the Meridian Rushing Realm, let alone Sixth Rank Vein Demons, even the Fifth Rank ones would be too much for him to handle, far more powerful than human cultivators at the Meridian Union Realm.

”It seems you don’t quite understand the Jade Pot Cave’s ninth floor; there are no Vein Demons there!”

No sooner had Yun Xiao finished asking than Mo Qing gave a charming smile, like glow emanating from fine jade, and continued, ”The ninth layer of the Jade Pot Cave is special. There are no Vein Demons there, only a special force that rapidly enhances a cultivator’s cultivation!”

Seeing Yun Xiao listening intently, Mo Qing added, ”Of course, this special force doesn’t usually manifest itself. It can only be activated by the cultivator entering the ninth layer. If one’s luck is poor, it might not be activated at all, which is also a possibility!”

”Such a force exists?”

Hearing this, Yun Xiao pondered, for even in the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud, he had never heard of such marvels. At most, some large families could rely on their ancestral bloodline to activate some familial forces, but those were traceable.

However, the Jade Pot Sect was not a lineage-transmitted family, its disciples came from all over the Xuanyue Empire, and their bloodlines were different. Even the Sect Elders were not from the same family.

But still being able to occasionally activate such a mysterious force to enhance their cultivation, Mo Qing’s explanation indeed aroused Yun Xiao’s interest in the ninth layer of the Jade Pot Cave further.

However, the source of Yun Xiao’s excitement came from the two times he entered the Jade Pot Cave, both times he sensed a mysterious aura deep within the cave calling to him.

That aura, Yun Xiao guessed, was probably related to his Blood Moon Jade, so he had always been eager to explore this secret, as it may uncover a clue about his father.

”Can we go now?”

Thinking of these things, Yun Xiao became somewhat impatient. After he spoke, Mo Qing’s smile grew even deeper, a sight that would seem incredibly bewildering to an outsider.

Mo Qing did not dilly-dally, or perhaps she knew that upon hearing this news, Yun Xiao would make a decision immediately. She raised her hand and beckoned toward a spot in the sky, and soon two massive Wolf Hawks swooped down, stirring up a wild wind.

Yun Xiao was already well-versed in riding on the back of a Wolf Hawk; at that moment, the two of them rode the wind and clouds, speeding towards the most important Jade Pot Cave of the Jade Pot Sect.

...

Poison Vein!

Inside a dark green hall stood two figures, an old and a young one. If Yun Xiao were here, he would instantly recognize them both.

The elder was the Second Elder Fu Du of the Jade Pot Sect. Although he had replaced Li Shan as the guardian of the Jade Pot Cave, he wasn’t as devoted to his duties, usually just ordering others to guard the cave instead.

Fu Du only wanted the guardian position of the Jade Pot Cave as it would facilitate his actions, and the young man standing before him was the Third Prince Xuan Zhi, who had influenced some of his decisions.

”Second Elder, the residual poison from Li Shan has not been cleared, and the Sect Master has suffered backlash injuries that haven’t healed. This is our best opportunity; we must not miss it!”

Xuan Zhi’s fingers twitched slightly, a spark of brilliance flashed in his eyes as he spoke, making Fu Du’s figure tremble slightly without immediately responding, lost in thought.

It was only after a long while that Fu Du took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, ”Your Highness Xuan Zhi, this matter involves great risk for me. I could even lose my position as the Second Elder. The promises made by the Crown Prince, I need a hundred percent guarantee!”

It seemed that Fu Du was no fool. The contents within the Jade Pot Cave were the Sect Treasure of the Jade Pot Sect. If he helped and it fell into the hands of the Royal Family, once the conspiracy was uncovered, just as he had said, even his position as Second Elder might not be secured, and things could get even more severe.

”Heh, Second Elder, just be assured, once my elder brother obtains that item, he will surely make our father abdicate the throne in his favor. Then, my brother will be the Emperor of the Xuanyue Empire, and you will be the new Sect Master of the Jade Pot Sect!”

Xuan Zhi looked up, staring at Fu Du’s aged face with a smile emerging, and the prospect outlined for Fu Du undoubtedly made the heart of the Second Elder of the Jade Pot Sect race.

Fu Du harbored great ambition, especially since his Meridian Refining Technique had broken through to the Spiritual Rank Intermediate, his ambition had uncontrollably expanded, even coveting the position of the Sect Master of the Jade Pot Sect.

However, with just Fu Du’s own power, even including the other Elders from the Poison Vein, it was impossible to shake Yu Shu’s position, thus he needed to rely on external help.