Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor

When these thoughts flashed through Yun Xiao’s mind, he truly felt pity for the Jade Pot Sect. That even its two Great Elders had been bought by the Royal Family; he wondered what kind of feelings their Sect Master, his teacher, would harbor upon finding out.

Although the man in black had not revealed his true face, Yun Xiao grew more and more confident that he was Elder Fu Du. However, at the moment, he had no time to concern himself with Elder Fu Du, as Yan Chun in front of him was probably the formidable enemy he needed to deal with.

”What a joke. I, Yan Chun, am originally the commander of the Xuantie Army, loyal to the Royal Family. Did you really think I cared so much about my identity as the fifth Elder of the Jade Pot Sect?”

As Yun Xiao pondered, Yan Chun interjected with a cold laugh, and upon hearing this, Yun Xiao suddenly realized something.

”So it was you. The Seven Evil Poisonous Flame that afflicted Elder Li Shan, it was you who secretly deployed it!”

Yun Xiao did not attempt to conceal his accusation, and even Lu Zhan and the man in black heard it. Compared to Lu Zhan’s shock, the man in black - indeed Elder Fu Du of the Jade Pot Sect - also showed a hint of surprise in his eyes.

This black-clothed Elder Fu Du certainly had no intention of being as reckless as Yan Chun because he still aspired to become the Sect Master of the Jade Pot Sect.

Hence, Elder Fu Du opted to disguise himself for this encounter; even if Yun Xiao guessed his identity, without proof, and given his status within the Jade Pot Sect, no one could do anything to him.

After Lu Zhan’s abrupt appearance, Elder Fu Du believed that Xuan Zhi’s plan was doomed to fail. This Third Prince of the Empire was not an opponent Yun Xiao could handle; in his heart, he was already thinking of retreat.

What Elder Fu Du did not expect, however, was that Xuan Zhi had kept some things even from him, such as Yan Chun being from the Xuantie Army of the Xuanyue Empire; Elder Fu Du had been completely unaware.

Furthermore, Elder Fu Du remembered clearly that Yan Chun had joined the Jade Pot Sect over a decade ago. Was this moment what all the years of waiting were for? If so, then the object within that worn wooden box must be incredibly significant.

Originally, Elder Fu Du did not pay much attention to the contents of that wooden box. Compared to the position of Sect Master of the Jade Pot Sect, whatever it was, even if a Spiritual Rank Advanced Heavenly Material or Earthly Treasure, seemed trivial to him.

But now, one character, as the Third Prince of the Royal Family, would risk his own safety, and another, as the commander of the Xuantie Army, had infiltrated the Jade Pot Sect for a decade and was now revealing his true identity; it signified the immense importance of that object.

As for the motives of these two individuals, Yun Xiao did not have the luxury to concern himself with them. The appearance of Yan Chun undoubtedly shifted the situation again, for this ”fifth Elder” was a genuine practitioner in the Spirit Vein Realm.

”Commander Yan Chun, kill this brat Yun Xiao for me!”

Seeing Yun Xiao’s solemn expression, Xuan Zhi felt an inexplicably immense satisfaction. He had long harbored an irreconcilable hatred toward Yun Xiao, especially the thought of the two sword scars on his cheeks filled him with a desire to tear Yun Xiao to pieces.

Placing Yan Chun within the Jade Pot Sect had indeed been a cunning move by the Crown Prince. Now that the goal was achieved, with no more need for secrecy, Yan Chun no longer had to abide by the rules of the Jade Pot Sect.

Moreover, even according to the rules of the Jade Pot Sect, fighting was not forbidden within the Jade Pot Cave; it was just that a practitioner in the Spirit Vein Realm striking a genius in the Meridian Rushing Realm seemed somewhat like bullying the weak.

Yan Chun was well aware of the grudge between Xuan Zhi and Yun Xiao, so he did not hesitate to make his move. He believed that by killing Yun Xiao, he would definitely gain higher regard from the Third Prince.

With that item in hand, the Crown Prince would see a significant increase in his strength, and his ascension as king of the Xuanyue Empire seemed imminent. Yan Chun knew that he and the Crown Prince shared the same mother. Currying favor with him was akin to currying favor with the future Xuanyue King; how could he dare to be negligent?

”Damn it!”

The power of a practitioner in the Spirit Vein Realm was truly formidable. Yun Xiao had already sustained some internal injuries earlier, and he simply could not withstand a blow from Yan Chun. At such a juncture, he had no intention of holding back any longer.

Whoo... whoo... whoo...

A series of unusual fluctuations in aura emanated from Yun Xiao’s body, and immediately after, his Meridian Qi Cultivation leapfrogged from the Late Stage of the Meridian Rushing Realm to the Peak of the Meridian Rushing Realm.

”This... what is this...”

Xuan Zhi too was a Meridian Refining Master with formidable soul power. As he sensed the sudden increase in Yun Xiao’s strength, a trace of astonishment flickered in his eyes, which then transformed into profound jealousy.

Especially when Xuan Zhi sensed the special aura on Yun Xiao’s right leg, the jealousy in his eyes intensified, for he clearly recognized it—the third Ancestor Vein of Yun Xiao.

”Why? Why can a bastard from a small family activate three Ancestor Veins in the Meridian Rushing Realm rank? I won’t accept this!”

A roar of anger rose from deep within Xuan Zhi’s heart. As the terms ’Meridian Rushing Realm’ and ’three Ancestor Veins’ surfaced in his mind, he truly felt an impulse to go mad.

Not to mention Xuan Zhi; even his brother, who was the Xuanyue Crown Prince, had only activated two Ancestor Veins so far, and the Crown Prince’s Cultivation was also far beyond Yun Xiao’s.

The Xuanyue Royal Family had a thousand-year heritage, their foundation unrivaled in the Xuanyue Empire. Speaking of activating Ancestor Veins, the direct descendants of the Royal Family could claim second place, but no one would dare to claim first.

But now, Xuan Zhi could clearly sense Yun Xiao’s third Ancestor Vein, an aura that was undoubtedly incomparable to ordinary Meridian Qi. This was something not even his Crown Prince brother could match.

Envy and jealousy roared in Xuan Zhi’s heart, and of course, Yan Chun, sensing the substantial surge in power of the youth before him, even as a warrior of the Spirit Vein Realm, felt a trace of threat at this moment.

Although Yan Chun’s encounters with Yun Xiao were few, from the very beginning of the Outer Sect competition, he kept hearing people whisper the name ”Yun Xiao” by his ears, praising how dazzling the youth was, how he overcame ranks to fight, defeating Feng Hang and Shen Xiao.

At this moment, sensing the threat emanating from Yun Xiao, Yan Chun believed that if he were not two Great Ranks higher than Yun Xiao, that if they were on the same level, he would not stand a chance against him, no matter what.

Such a threat naturally had to be nipped in the bud, and even though Yun Xiao had activated the power of three Ancestor Veins, it was still nowhere near the Spirit Vein Realm’s Yan Chun. The youth’s life would surely be taken today.

Feeling the tremendous power coursing through his body, Yun Xiao’s mood did not improve at all. Advancing one small realm had only given him a sliver more chance to save his own life. To claim he could defeat Yan Chun of the Spirit Vein Realm was simply too fantastical.

Fortunately, with the rich combat experience of the former Long Xiao Battle God, Yun Xiao managed to narrowly dodge Yan Chun’s first strike in an incredibly deft manner.

Yes, in Yan Chun’s heart, it was merely a coincidence. He refused to believe that a youngster, only brought to the Peak of Meridian Rushing Realm with the power of Ancestor Veins, could truly dodge his powerful strike based on his own strength -- he was a formidable Spirit Vein Realm warrior, after all.

However, Yun Xiao’s bizarre movements only intensified Yan Chun’s killing intent. The more tricks the youth had up his sleeve, the less he could be allowed to live on, for he would pose a significant threat.

Thus, without the slightest hesitation, Yan Chun, who had missed with his first strike, instantly changed his handprint, and a Meridian Qi Great Saber abruptly took shape, furiously cleaving down towards Yun Xiao.

Such an external release of Meridian Qi from a Spirit Vein Realm warrior was far more formidable than any Meridian Techniques used by those in the Meridian Rushing Realm. Moreover, Yan Chun didn’t stop with just summoning the Meridian Qi Great Saber.

With a sudden wave of his right hand, the Spirit Vein Realm Commander of the Xuantie Army emitted a streak of green light from his palm, which looked like a Vein Demon.

”Meridian Spirit!”

Yun Xiao was not unfamiliar with this thing, as it was the Spirit Vein Realm warrior’s signature move: Meridian Spirit. And such a technique was much more powerful than some common Meridian Techniques.

Yan Chun’s Meridian Spirit appeared to be a small, cat-shaped one. It seemed that in life, this Vein Demon must have been a formidable feline, which upon death was refined into a Meridian Spirit by Yan Chun, a Spirit Vein Realm warrior.

Now, Yun Xiao was faced with a Meridian Qi Great Saber on one side and a cat-shaped Meridian Spirit on the other, leaving him with nowhere to escape, as both attacks arrived rapidly, almost forcing him to dodge only one of them.

In that fleeting moment of choice, Yun Xiao eventually chose to sidestep the Meridian Qi Great Saber, for if it struck him, he would likely be cleaved in two instantly.

But facing the Meridian Spirit of a Spirit Vein Realm warrior was no easy feat either. As Yun Xiao dodged to the left, and the Meridian Qi Great Saber sliced past, a flash of cold light sparked, and soon after, he felt a slight pain on the left side of his cheek, as if scratched by something.

”Not good!”

As Yun Xiao felt his left cheek swiftly becoming numb and void of feeling, he knew what had scratched him - the two front paws of Yan Chun’s cat-shaped Meridian Spirit.

With his extensive experience, Yun Xiao knew that not feeling pain from the scratch meant he had been poisoned at that moment, and the ferocity of the poison seemed to rival even that of Elder Fu Du.

Yun Xiao had no doubts about Yan Chun’s proficiency in Poison Meridian Skill. Even the Seven Evil Poisonous Flame that Li Shan was afflicted with might have been Yan Chun’s doing.

One could imagine how potent the poison within the cat-shaped Meridian Spirit must be. And now, what Yun Xiao feared the most wasn’t the poison, but Yan Chun, of the Spirit Vein Realm rank. Would this old foe miss such an opportunity? The answer was clearly no.

Seizing the moment to strike when one’s enemy is down, Yun Xiao believed that with Xuan Zhi’s hatred for him, they would certainly not let this chance slip by. Perhaps what followed would be his moment of life and death. And this time, would there be anyone to suddenly appear and save him once more?