Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor

”Heh, just because you can’t do it doesn’t mean others can’t either. A Meridian Refining Master who has reached the Earth Rank can already mobilize a trace of Earth Power. Although the temperature of magma is high, it cannot escape the category of the Earth Attribute!”

Yun Xiao had frequently encountered such ignorance among the cultivators of the Hidden Dragon Continent, which was why he bothered to explain so much. What he didn’t finish saying was that the July Flowing Fire Poison afflicting this Blood Winged Fire-Eyed Lion was, in fact, just the most rudimentary kind.

Top Poison Vein Masters at the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud Holy Rank extract July Flowing Fire Poison directly from the Heart of the Earth, and the Fire Poison contained within it is thousands of times more potent than what this lion has suffered.

”Chairman, your requested items have arrived!”

While Yun Xiao was explaining to the two, a voice came from behind. When he turned his head, he saw a familiar face—it was Zhang Quan, who had tested him for the Spiritual Rank Low Level Meridian Refining Master.

Seeing Yun Xiao here, Zhang Quan also felt a bit surprised, but he didn’t ask questions. After all, with the Chairman present, everything was decided by the Chairman.

After handing a tray to Gu Dao, Zhang Quan glanced fearfully toward a certain spot. But when he saw the normally ferocious and bully Blood Winged Fire-Eyed Lion lying motionless on the ground, a trace of curiosity surfaced on his face.

”Yun Xiao, here are the century-old Blood Yin Grass and the eighty-year Yin Chen Wood you requested!”

Once Zhang Quan had left, Gu Dao directly handed the tray in his hand to Yun Xiao. On the tray lay a small blood-red grass and a piece of wood that was so black it gleamed.

”Hmm, nice!”

Yun Xiao merely glanced at it and knew these were what he wanted. Moreover, the Yin Chen Wood was likely older than eighty years. With such items, he should be able to cure the Blood Winged Fire-Eyed Lion.

”Um... Yun Xiao, how do you plan to treat it?”

Han Santong, who had been holding back for a while, couldn’t help but speak up. He had been studying the Blood Winged Fire-Eyed Lion for a long time and was extremely curious as he hadn’t even figured out exactly what the deadly poison was.

”The Blood Winged Fire-Eyed Lion itself is a Fire Attribute Vein Demon, and after being poisoned with the July Flowing Fire Poison, it’s adding fire to fire. Its internal organs are likely scalded, which naturally makes it irritable and prone to harming others!”

Yun Xiao started with an explanation, then continued: ”To neutralize the July Flowing Fire Poison, one would typically need Blood Yin Grass of at least five hundred years and Yin Chen Wood of over three hundred years for the best effect. However, I suppose such old materials would be impossible for your Meridian Refining Master Guild to provide!”

After saying this and giving Gu Dao a glance, Yun Xiao continued: ”Although it’s only century-old Blood Yin Grass and Yin Chen Wood of around eighty to ninety years, combined with my techniques, it should be barely enough.”

”For a Fire Attribute deadly poison, using the Ice Cold Qi to dissolve it is most fitting. Both Blood Yin Grass and Yin Chen Wood are extremely cold. Do you understand now?”

Yun Xiao looked at Han Santong intently. Seeing the latter nod, he then turned his gaze to Chairman Gu Dao, implying, ”The Fire Attribute deadly poison afflicting the Blood Winged Fire-Eyed Lion and that human patient are completely different, so you need not dwell on it!”

With those words, the perplexity vanished from Gu Dao’s face, but what arose instead was a shade of embarrassment. He clearly knew to whom Yun Xiao was referring with ”that human patient.”

Previously, when Yun Xiao was testing for the Spiritual Rank Low Level Meridian Refining Master, he had cured a patient with a Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian injury, and that patient had been personally treated by Gu Dao.

The patient had been injured due to cultivating Fire Attribute Meridian Techniques, and Gu Dao thought to suppress his Fire Attribute injuries with the Ice Cold Power, not realizing that by doing so, he aggravated the injury further. If not for Yun Xiao, his reputation would have been ruined.

Gu Dao’s earlier perplexity was due to pondering over this; if the patient’s Fire Attribute ailment shouldn’t be suppressed by Ice Cold Power, why should it be done so with the Blood Winged Fire-Eyed Lion?

It was only after Yun Xiao’s explanation that Gu Dao grasped it—the body structure of Vein Demons and humans is ultimately different, and it is inappropriate to equate the two situations.

After the moment of embarrassment, Gu Dao looked at Yun Xiao differently. Had this young man’s insight been too extraordinary? Could it be that just by walking along the way, he knew that the patient bore his residual aura?

Gu Dao guessed correctly. Although Yun Xiao didn’t know that Gu Dao had treated that patient, as a Holy Rank Meridian Refining Master in a previous life, he could naturally infer a thing or two from the residual effects on the patient’s body.

Additionally, the faint Ice Cold Attribute aura on Gu Dao’s body made Yun Xiao even more certain, stating it outright.

However, Yun Xiao didn’t pay much attention to these minor issues. Even the highest-ranked Meridian Refining Masters couldn’t claim to cure all diseases. A few minor mistakes were understandable.

Under Han Santong’s inexplicable expression, Yun Xiao stopped explaining and carried the tray back to the Blood Winged Fire-Eyed Lion. He then tossed the Blood Yin Grass to the ground.

”Eat it!”

As soon as Yun Xiao said this, Han Santong couldn’t help but purse his lips, thinking to himself, Are you feeding the lion like it’s a cow eating grass? If he dared to do so, he’d probably be flung away by a single wing slap.

Yet, beneath Han Santong’s peculiar thoughts, the Blood Winged Fire-Eyed Lion, much like an obedient cow, rolled its blood-red tongue and drew the chill-emitting Blood Yin Grass into its mouth.

Boom!

As the Blood Winged Fire-Eyed Lion swallowed the broken Blood Yin Grass, a scorching Qi suddenly erupted from its body, turning its massive pupils a much bloodier red.

”Be care...”

Upon seeing this, Han Santong subconsciously started to voice a warning, but remembering the marvels displayed by Yun Xiao moments before, he forcibly swallowed the word ”ful” back.

Just as the Blood Winged Fire-Eyed Lion was about to lose its sanity again due to the violent poison of the July Flowing Fire, Yun Xiao released an invisible aura of dignity, suppressing it once more.

Yun Xiao sighed with relief, not having time to thank the Golden Snake Worm within him, when he pushed off with his feet and leaped directly onto the back of the Blood Winged Fire-Eyed Lion.

”It’s going to hurt a bit, bear with it!”

Knowing the critical moment had arrived, Yun Xiao shouted lowly, then clenched his right fist and slammed it into the space between the lion’s wings.

Bang!

A loud noise echoed, followed by a sizzling sound that reached the ears of both Gu Dao and Han Santong, who even caught the scent of roasting meat in their nostrils.

With that punch, Yun Xiao had wrapped his right fist with Ancestral Vein Fire. The fierce, blood-red Meridian Fire instantly burned a huge hole into the back of the Blood Winged Fire-Eyed Lion.

”Roar!”

Excruciating pain surged from its back, causing the Blood Winged Fire-Eyed Lion to howl and stand up abruptly, now appearing even more majestic, making Han Santong instinctively take a step back.

”Don’t move recklessly!”

Yun Xiao stood firmly, unaffected by the shaking body of the lion, not shifting even slightly, but he still shouted lowly to be safe.

Seeing that the Blood Winged Fire-Eyed Lion had calmed down a bit, Yun Xiao didn’t delay, and with his left hand holding the Yin Chen Wood, he abruptly inserted it into the wound he had just created.

The pain was unbearable, and the Blood Winged Fire-Eyed Lion let out another furious roar, nearly throwing Yun Xiao off its back, leaving the two onlookers vastly alarmed.

”This damn beast!”

Yun Xiao cursed lowly, but his feet were as if rooted to the spot, regardless of how much the lion thrashed, he did not yield a step, his left hand still gripping one end of the Yin Chen Wood.

”Cold Ice Ancestor Vein, reveal yourself!”

Sensing that the poison of the July Flowing Fire inside the Blood Winged Fire-Eyed Lion had been fully activated, Yun Xiao knew the critical moment had come. He shouted, and an extreme cold spread from his left arm, infusing directly into the Yin Chen Wood.

This was the very reason why Yun Xiao had stated that the Blood Yin Grass and Yin Chen Wood were not of sufficient age yet enough for the purpose; it was because he possessed an exceptionally powerful Ice Cold Ancestor Vein.

”Chairman, am I... am I seeing things?”

Feeling the power of Yun Xiao’s Ice Cold Ancestor Vein, Han Santong’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets, and when he turned his head to speak, his voice was somewhat hoarse.

But when Han Santong turned his head back, what he saw was a face just as shocked as his own; the Chairman was clearly as astounded by Yun Xiao’s Ice Cold Ancestor Vein Power as he was.

Yun Xiao was indeed a Meridian Refining Master, and there was no doubt about that. To become one, one must possess a Fire Attribute Ancestor Vein, but how could Yun Xiao, who already had a Fire Attribute Ancestor Vein, also possess an Ice Cold Attribute Ancestor Vein?

A Meridian Master could employ some special methods to utilize powers of the Ice Cold Attribute, like the Second Elder Fu Du of the Jade Pot Sect, who refined a Meridian Spirit, the Three-legged Ice Crystal Toad of the Ice Cold Attribute.

However, this kind of Ice Cold Power is different from an Ancestor Vein; the former is an external force, while the latter is the cultivator’s own power. How could two such fundamentally opposing forces coexist in one being?

Anyone who saw Yun Xiao’s Ice Cold Ancestor Vein for the first time would react with the same expression as Gu Dao and Han Santong, being it utterly overturned their long-held understanding of cultivation. It was just too illogical.

Originally, Gu Dao had only unintentionally discovered something special about Yun Xiao, but now, the more he got to know this young man from the Xuanyue Empire, the more interested he became.

He found that the more he interacted with this young man, the more the latter’s secrets were revealed to him, as if pulling back the curtain on the tip of an iceberg. The more you pull, the more extensive the world you find behind it.

But at that moment, Yun Xiao had no mind to pay attention to these two; the extreme power of the Ice Cold Ancestor Vein seemed to have enraged the July Flowing Fire, causing him some difficulty in maintaining control.