Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor

”Who do you think will win today’s final battle?”

”Isn’t that obvious? It has to be Brother Yue Qi!”

”Brother Yue Qi is a peerless genius at the Mid Stage of Meridian Union Realm, how could he be possibly compared to Yun Xiao who’s made it this far by sheer opportunism?”

”But Yun Xiao has successively defeated Brother Xue Gong and Brother Bi Luo, so it’s not like he doesn’t stand a chance at all, right?”

”That’s just relying on some external luck. Brother Yue Qi even defeated Sister Mo Qing!”

”That’s true, then I’ll also support Brother Yue Qi!”

”...”

Within the Inner Sect’s Arena Hall of the Jade Pot Sect, conversations like these were everywhere. Even though some people held a glimmer of hope for Yun Xiao, they were persuaded by their fellow sect siblings to abandon such unrealistic thoughts.

Even Tan Yun’s squad of Outer Disciple prodigies, who were close to Yun Xiao, had to acknowledge this fact. Yue Qi’s strength was too formidable; even Mo Qing, who was at the Mid Stage of Meridian Union Realm like him and ranked first on the Spiritual Chick List, was no match for him. Who among the younger generation of the Jade Pot Sect could defeat Yue Qi?

To these Inner and Outer Disciples, today’s battle seemed like nothing more than a formality. Yun Xiao, who hadn’t yet broken through to the Meridian Union Realm, probably couldn’t withstand a single move from Yue Qi, could he?

Amidst the discussions, there was also mention of an odd event: last night, at some time, a roar of anger emanated from the residence of the Second Elder of the Inner Sect, seemingly filled with extreme fury.

This piece of news was spread by a disciple from the Poison Vein, creating a hint of wariness towards Yun Xiao among those with reason; regardless of his Meridian Qi Cultivation, that Poison Meridian Skill was truly terrifying.

Looking at Elder Fu Du’s anger, it seemed likely that even the Second Elder couldn’t resolve the acute poison that Bi Luo suffered from the night before. Didn’t you see the Second Elder sitting in the northern seats with a sullen face, not talking to the people beside him?

Speaking of which, this was already the second disciple of Elder Fu Du to fall at Yun Xiao’s hands. Now, all he could do was pray that Yue Qi would kill that boy outright in the arena, to soothe the resentment in his heart.

”That brat Yun Xiao, why hasn’t he shown up yet? Making so many people wait, does he think he’s that important?”

Elder Mo Li, as the Third Elder, naturally didn’t have any favorable views towards Yun Xiao. Seeing that his glance towards the Hall’s entrance brought forth a gloomy statement, his words undoubtedly resonated deeply with Elder Fu Du.

”Hehe, it’s the last match after all, what’s the big deal with waiting a little longer?”

Elder Li Shan, the Fourth Elder, took a brief look at Mo Li and expressed the exact opposite attitude; no matter how late Yun Xiao was, he fully supported him.

”Hmph, in my opinion, Yun Xiao has no chance against Yue Qi anyway, might as well not even have the final battle!”

Mo Li snorted coldly, echoing the sentiments of many Inner and Outer Disciples amassed there; the gap between Yun Xiao and Yue Qi was simply too huge.

In reality, the Elders of the Medical Pulse secretly shared the same view, but they would not publicly admit defeat. The Great Elder, with an air of confidence, said, ”The fight hasn’t started yet, who knows the result, just wait!”

Although Yun Xiao was the Direct Disciple of the Sect Master Yu Shu, now he seemed to be representing the Medical Pulse; truthfully, Lu Zhan was in a terrible mood ever since Mo Qing was defeated by Yue Qi. Despite knowing Yun Xiao’s slim chances of winning, he couldn’t help but indulge in a moment of verbal satisfaction.

”He’s here!”

As the Medical and Poison factions were engaged in their verbal skirmishes, Jia Yi, the Sect Leader of the Luoyi Sect, let out a hushed exclamation. As everyone turned their heads, sure enough, they saw several people entering through the doors of the Arena Hall—the shabbily dressed young man heading the group if not Yun Xiao, who else could it be?

Upon seeing that rustic figure, a glint of emerald flashed in Elder Fu Du’s eyes. To be honest, he really hoped that Yun Xiao wouldn’t come, lest he lose the chance to avenge his two disciples.

After failing to treat Bi Luo the night before, Elder Fu Du had called Yue Qi to his side, carefully instructing him to decisively claim Yun Xiao’s life during today’s arena battle, in a justified manner.

As for his teacher’s instructions, Yue Qi, who had a grudge with Yun Xiao since their time in the Meridian Treasure, naturally had no objections, believing that with his own power, not even Mo Qing was his match—let alone a mere Yun Xiao.

When Yue Qi, already on the arena stage, saw Yun Xiao, he suddenly felt a strange sensation. It wasn’t that he feared Yun Xiao; rather, he couldn’t comprehend why Yun Xiao would have the courage to come to a battle he knew he couldn’t win.

In Yue Qi’s eyes, the right decision for Yun Xiao was not to step onto the arena stage at all, but rather to concede directly, possibly saving his own life.

Just when Yue Qi thought Yun Xiao’s entrance into the Arena Hall was to admit defeat, the young man had already made his way through the crowd, stepping onto the central platform nonchalantly and standing before him.

”Yun Xiao, I must say, I admire your courage, but don’t blame me, your senior brother, for not warning you. Under my hands, Yue Qi, you’ll either die or be crippled. Do you really want to fight me?”

Looking at the youth whose face showed not the slightest sign of fear, Yue Qi felt an inexplicable disgust. The words he spoke were also brimming with threats.

This kid, despite being two entire realms and a Great Rank below him, why didn’t he have even a trace of fear? This made Yue Qi’s sense of superiority feel strongly challenged.

Yue Qi knew all too well that the more he said things like this, the less likely Yun Xiao would admit defeat directly. It was just a way to provoke him. Since the boy dared to step onto the arena, there was no reason for him to not accomplish the task given by his teacher.

”Hehe, Brother Yue Qi, your strength is astonishing, and I too want to witness the so-called might of the ’Demon Seal Poison Body’!”

A smile suddenly appeared on Yun Xiao’s face, but the words spoken caused a cold smirk to cross Yue Qi’s eyes, followed by a deep sense of disdain.

”With just you, also worthy of making me activate my Demon Seal Poison Body? You think too highly of yourself!”

Yue Qi sneered continuously. Indeed, it was the truth. The Demon Seal Poison Body was his last resort, which he wouldn’t have revealed in public if not for facing his old rival Mo Qing yesterday. An insignificant lad at the peak of the Meridian Rushing Realm like Yun Xiao, how could he possibly be worthy?

”Whether I’m worthy or not, we’ll know after we fight!”

As Yun Xiao’s words fell, his whole body shot out like a cannonball, taking the initiative to strike first. Seeing this, many nodded in approval, for this was indeed the right decision.

Yue Qi’s Meridian Qi Cultivation was two realms higher than Yun Xiao’s, across a vast divide of a Meridian Union Realm Great Rank. If Yue Qi were to launch an attack first, Yun Xiao probably wouldn’t even be able to handle a single move.

In the battles of the past few days, everyone had already witnessed Yun Xiao’s Physical Strength, reckoning that if Yun Xiao managed to get in close, there might be a slim chance of success. After all, the gap in Physical Strength between them was not as vast as the gap in their Meridian Qi.

Swoosh!

The speed at which Yun Xiao demonstrated at this moment caused many Spirit Vein Realm Elders in the northern seats to be taken aback. In terms of speed alone, Yue Qi might not be much stronger than Yun Xiao.

Bang!

However, just as everyone watched Yun Xiao swing a fierce punch towards Yue Qi’s face, they then clearly saw the master elder brother of the Poison Vein lineage only extend his right hand to catch Yun Xiao’s wrist.

Witnessing this, the crowd pondered; Yue Qi indeed lived up to his reputation as the supreme genius who defeated Mo Qing. No matter how fast Yun Xiao might be, or how strong, it was virtually impossible for him to inflict the slightest injury on him.

Swish!

But just as everyone thought Yue Qi would take this opportunity to counterattack, a blood-red flame suddenly burst out of Yun Xiao’s right palm, appearing not very powerful.

Yet, it was this seemingly unimpressive blood-red flame that caused Yue Qi’s expression to change slightly. He promptly released Yun Xiao’s wrist and at the same time dodged the scorching of the blood-red flame against his own palm.

It seems that Yue Qi didn’t take Yun Xiao too lightly. Yue Qi had thoroughly understood this rising talent through certain channels, especially those techniques that could pose a threat to him.

Without a doubt, this blood-red flame was one of them. Yue Qi knew that if he truly got hit by this blood-red flame, even if he could resolve it, he would likely suffer a significant loss. In front of this grand audience, where would he put his face?

Even though Yue Qi reacted extremely quickly and wasn’t burned by that blood-red flame, the motion he made to dodge couldn’t be hidden.

For a mid-stage genius of the Meridian Union Realm to be forced to retreat by a mere peak-level youth of the Meridian Rushing Realm, this was something no one could have anticipated at the start of the battle.

Some perceptive individuals began to ponder. Their gaze shifted away from the blood-red flame on Yun Xiao’s right hand, seemingly understanding the reason Yue Qi withdrew. Perhaps, that blood-red flame wasn’t as simple as it seemed.

In particular, Outer Disciples like Cao Luo and Zhao Ningshu, who had previously suffered from Yun Xiao’s blood-red flames, still had a trace of fear on their faces at this moment.

However, Cao Luo and Zhao Ningshu today, even if they were given the courage, wouldn’t dare to provoke Yun Xiao. Even with the support of their families, they would still need to weigh their options. After all, the current Yun Xiao might not even be much weaker than the Family Heads of their Zhao and Cao families.

Setting aside the thoughts of the onlooking crowd, Yun Xiao, missing his first strike, lashed out his left arm fiercely towards Yue Qi in the next moment. Yue Qi’s response was equally fast, raising his right arm just in time to block Yun Xiao’s left.

However, just as Yue Qi was about to unleash his powerful Meridian Qi, a sudden burst of Ice Cold Power rushed from Yun Xiao’s left arm, causing a layer of frost to instantly form on Yue Qi’s right arm.

”Damn, how could I forget about this!”

Yue Qi couldn’t help but curse inwardly, as he was momentarily caught off guard by the fact that Yun Xiao also possessed a Cold Ice Ancestor Vein, thus making a costly mistake.