Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor

”You little creature, you really don’t let any power slip by, do you?”

After these thoughts crossed his mind, Yun Xiao came to terms with it; after all, at times, the Golden Snake Worm was essential for his survival. The stronger it became, the stronger his ability to survive.

However, Yun Xiao might be thinking too much. Given the status of the Golden Snake Worm, if it were not for the extreme importance of the Dragon Summoning Tree to it, how could it possibly lend a hand to Yun Xiao?

In fact, even if Yun Xiao wanted to monopolize all that power, it was impossible. The Golden Snake Worm, even in a dormant state, possessed a strength many times greater than his, rendering him utterly defenseless.

As the saying goes, ”What comes must be embraced.” Since there is no power to resist, Yun Xiao could only accelerate the operation of the Ancient Dragon Taming Technique, sharing as much of the mysterious power with the Golden Snake Worm as possible, hoping to achieve some breakthroughs.

Time kept passing, and the auras of Yun Xiao and the Golden Snake Worm were changing due to that mysterious power. Perhaps at some point, they both might achieve the destiny they sought.

A day and night quickly passed, and by the third day, a powerful aura finally burst forth from Yun Xiao. The energy in the air became somewhat chaotic.

Boom!

An energy fluctuation erupted, and Yun Xiao, who suddenly opened his eyes, wore a face full of joy, for he knew that he had taken another solid step on the path of cultivation—he had reached the Late Stage of the Meridian Rushing Realm.

From the point when Yun Xiao broke through to the Middle Stage of Meridian Rushing Realm inside the Meridian Treasure, only a month or two had actually passed. Achieving another breakthrough in such a short time was indeed an unexpected joy.

Yun Xiao believed that now, if he encountered Yin Huan again, he could easily defeat him without any effort, and even if he faced Bi Luo at the Peak of Meridian Rushing Realm, he would not be defenseless.

Feeling the surging Meridian Qi continuously in his internal meridians, Yun Xiao stood up. His progression to the ninth layer of the Jade Pot Cave this time had offered substantial gains, and with a breakthrough achieved, even his mood had improved significantly.

However, when Yun Xiao’s Inner Vision Eye saw the still dormant Golden Snake Worm, he felt somewhat melancholic; despite the little creature consuming so much mysterious power, it still hadn’t awakened, which undoubtedly meant he lacked a significant means of protection.

”Eh?”

Just as a hint of melancholy arose in Yun Xiao’s heart, he suddenly felt a very unique aura rising from within his body, eventually making its way to his right leg.

”Could it be that Ancestor Vein?”

This sensation immediately made Yun Xiao react. Without a moment’s hesitation, he stooped down and lifted the trouser leg on his right.

A brown meridian line from the Spring Well acupoint on the sole of Yun Xiao’s foot extended to his waist. This meridian, which was previously faint, now emanated a potent and distinct aura.

Yun Xiao had reason to believe that after his breakthrough to the Late Stage of the Meridian Rushing Realm, this Ancestor Vein, which should have appeared in the Early Stage of Meridian Rushing Realm, had finally activated, providing him with his third Ancestor Vein.

This specific Ancestor Vein was clearly of Earth Attribute, which made Yun Xiao anticipate whether the next Ancestor Veins he activated would be of Wood Attribute or Gold Attribute. If so, he could complete the collection of the Five Elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

Activation of Ancestor Veins normally occurs during major breakthroughs. However, high-rank Meridian Refining Masters can use their powerful Meridian Refining Technique to activate a cultivator’s entitled Ancestor Veins at any time.

In fact, as long as one’s ancestors were cultivators, it was possible to activate Ancestor Veins, although most were only of Low Level Mortal Rank. A monster like Yun Xiao, activating three Ancestor Veins in the Meridian Rushing Realm, was probably unprecedented even in the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud.

The complete activation of the third Ancestor Vein undeniably gave Yun Xiao a tremendous boost in combat power. If he were to utilize the power of these three Ancestor Veins during a battle, perhaps his Meridian Qi Cultivation could directly break through to the Peak of the Meridian Rushing Realm.

After sensing the Earth Attribute Ancestor Vein in his right leg briefly, an impulse struck Yun Xiao’s heart, and he shifted his gaze from his right leg to the palm of his right hand.

Raising his right palm, Yun Xiao clearly saw a crescent moon mark in his palm emitting a faint luminescent glow, as if it was conveying something to him.

”That summoning...”

At that moment, Yun Xiao realized that the previously vague summoning sensation had suddenly become clear, directing his body towards a specific direction.

”Over there!”

Feeling the message from the crescent moon mark, Yun Xiao no longer doubted nor hesitated. With a swift movement, he dashed in that direction.

Following the lead of his palm, Yun Xiao traversed the ninth layer of the Jade Pot Cave for about half a day, indicating just how vast this ninth layer was.

As Yun Xiao turned around a mountain wall and saw the scene before him, his footsteps halted abruptly, and his gaze could not be withdrawn anymore.

Just ahead was a flat clearing, and there, stood a circular stone table with an old, elongated wooden box placed on top of it.

The wooden box was about three feet long. Had it been seen anywhere else, Yun Xiao would have likely ignored it, for it appeared far too aged, making it clear that it probably held nothing of value.

But now, Yun Xiao dared not underestimate that worn wooden box because the moment his eyes fell on it, the heat from the Blood Moon Jade insignia in his palm almost seemed to sear his skin.

At this point, Yun Xiao was almost certain that the thing which had been summoning him was this dilapidated wooden box, or rather, something inside it.

With such a proximity, the feeling of being summoned was clearer than ever, and even with Yun Xiao’s incredibly strong mind, he found himself momentarily dazed.

Blood Moon Jade was the only keepsake his father left him in this life, and it was because of this very item that the Shang Family was annihilated, and his mother and sister were ”tragically killed” in that battle, at least, that’s what Yun Xiao believed.

Thus, the secret of the Blood Moon Jade was not only tied to the clue about his adoptive father but was also the sole lead to the Shang Family’s tragic end. Yun Xiao, who had always sought revenge, never missed any clues.

Even Yun Xiao’s joining the Jade Pot Sect was mainly to leverage their extensive intelligence network to find information about the catastrophe that befell his family.

And now, an extremely old wooden box somehow triggered a reaction from the Blood Moon Jade. Logically and emotionally, Yun Xiao could not forsake this opportunity.

Even if it might be the Sect Treasure of the Jade Pot Sect, at this moment, Yun Xiao couldn’t care less about such concerns, especially since Su He, who guarded the entrance to the ninth layer of the Jade Pot Cave, hadn’t said anything about not taking things from inside the cave.

With these thoughts passing through his mind, Yun Xiao finally snapped back to his senses. He immediately strode towards the circular platform; to avoid any further complications, securing the wooden box first was paramount.

Yun Xiao’s speed was incredibly fast, covering the distance in merely two breaths, now only a few feet from the platform. As he neared it, he felt the insignia in his right palm almost bursting forth.

Whoosh!

Driven by his intense emotions, Yun Xiao didn’t hesitate. However, just as he reached out to grab the worn wooden box, a powerful aura suddenly struck from behind him.

”Do not block it directly!”

Even though Yun Xiao desperately wanted to secure the wooden box first, he did not lose his sanity at this moment. His potent Power of Soul could clearly sense the terrifying nature of the aura from behind. If he attempted to block it, he might end up with shattered bones and tendons.

Though it’s common human nature to risk life for wealth, Yun Xiao, having been reborn, valued his life highly. Even if the contents of the wooden box were extremely important to him, he had to ensure his own survival first.

Thus, Yun Xiao made a split-second decision; his body eerily shifted several feet to the left, a movement that seemed bizarre, yet narrowly dodged that powerful strike.

”Ah?”

Yun Xiao’s reaction and odd movement technique seemed to shock the assailant, who let out a surprised cry after their attack missed.

”Fu Du?”

It was just a voice, but it made Yun Xiao feel a wave of familiarity. However, when he turned around with a dark expression, he saw two figures, neither of whom was Fu Du.

”Could I have heard wrong?”

Yun Xiao paused, examining the two figures—an elder and a youth. The youth was quite familiar to him, being the Third Prince Xuan Zhi of the Xuanyue Empire.

But as for the elder dressed in black, Yun Xiao had never seen him before. Yet, when he shifted his gaze to the elder’s face, he subtly noticed it was unnaturally rigid, barely capable of any expression.

Yun Xiao hadn’t seen this black-clad elder within the confines of the Jade Pot Sect, but sensing the overwhelming aura from him, he had reason to believe that the stealthy attack had indeed come from this old man.

”Hehe, Yun Xiao, who would have thought we’d meet here on the ninth layer of the Jade Pot Cave?”

The appearance of Xuan Zhi here seemed not to surprise him at all; instead, he emitted a cold laugh filled with smugness, as if he had everything under control.

Hearing Xuan Zhi’s slightly mocking words, Yun Xiao’s heart sank. Just Xuan Zhi alone was not much of a concern, but with this old man by his side, getting that worn wooden box today might not be so easy.

Yet, it was impossible for Yun Xiao to give up on something so critically important to him. He had already made up his mind that no matter what, he couldn’t let the wooden box fall into the hands of these two individuals.