Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor

Here lies a Big Lake spanning nearly a thousand miles!

The local cultivators situated at the intersection of Xuanyin Hall, Wuyan Palace, and Demons Mountain are all familiar with this Big Lake; they know it is called Yanji Lake.

Moreover, some well-informed cultivators know that the Yanji Lake was not originally here. Numerous years ago, the place where Yanji Lake is located was once the headquarters of Wuyan Palace.

During that era, Xuanyin Hall was still a first-class force, while Wuyan Palace was the overlord of the Northern Domain, the core region of the Tenglong Continent, and no one dared provoke it lightly.

Later on, Xuanyin Hall rose strongly, and Wuyan Palace lost its initial power, forcing the headquarters to move westward. Ultimately, this ancestral land belonging to Wuyan Palace turned into a region that no one governed.

It is unknown when the countless buildings in the ancestral land of Wuyan Palace vanished, replaced by Yanji Lake.

So much so that even the old elders of Wuyan Palace rarely return to this ancestral land now because there is no trace left of the former headquarters of Wuyan Palace.

However, recently, Yanji Lake suddenly became lively. This was due to a tempestuous and unique energy wave erupting from the lake’s vicinity not long ago, drawing many cultivators here.

No one knows what that energy wave signifies, but for Yanji Lake, which has been silent for years, to suddenly undergo such a change, some cultivators naturally come to try their luck.

If it were just an ordinary Big Lake, it would be insignificant, but this was once the ancestral land of Wuyan Palace, a colossal entity. Even though it lost the extreme arrogance it had when first established, it remains one of the four top forces on the Tenglong Continent, not to be underestimated.

The cultivators looking for treasures at Yanji Lake hold a particular notion in their hearts: perhaps, when Wuyan Palace relocated, some treasure was forgotten. Maybe they could find it by luck.

Many harbored such thoughts because even if they obtained a fraction of what Wuyan Palace might have left behind, it would likely sustain them for several generations.

However, when the cultivators gathered by Yanji Lake, they found that access to Yanji Lake, once open, was now shrouded in a misty seal.

Many who entered eventually became cold corpses, washed ashore by the lake waters.

At this moment, Yanji Lake is engulfed by something, either water vapor or fog, making it impossible to see inside, and those human cultivators entering vanish swiftly.

Of course, these reasons aren’t enough to make many cultivators retreat; the terrifying part is that as time progresses, more cultivators entering Yanji Lake are washed out by the lake water.

And each of these cultivators ends up as a cold corpse, unable to divulge what occurred inside Yanji Lake.

Under such circumstances, the later-arriving cultivators around Yanji Lake hesitate to enter in search of treasure.

They are uncertain whether entering the lake will lead them to become cold corpses like those who’ve died before.

......

”Eh? Isn’t that Wu Tong Elder from Firewood Valley? Even he has come!”

”It’s said Wu Tong Elder has already broken through to the Middle Stage of Earth Bending Realm. It looks like obtaining the treasures in Yanji Lake just got even harder!”

”Beside Wu Tong Elder are Jun Tieshu and Song Jianzi, right? They’re the two major talents of Firewood Valley!”

”With these figures from Firewood Valley present, who knows if other major forces have arrived as well?”

”...”

When a group of people appeared in the northeast direction, low murmurs erupted beside Yanji Lake, but upon glancing over there, the faces of the ordinary cultivators were filled with fear and apprehension.

Firewood Valley, one of the thirteen major first-class forces on the Tenglong Continent, is most proficient in fire attribute techniques. It has been said from ancient times that they have deep research into utilizing wood qi to stimulate fire attribute power.

Even the top-ranking Wuyan Palace is sometimes wary of Firewood Valley’s fire control techniques, though in overall strength and peak power, Firewood Valley falls far behind Wuyan Palace.

Of course, this is relative to top forces like Wuyan Palace; for ordinary cultivators, Firewood Valley is still very intimidating.

Especially since many elders in Firewood Valley are Meridian Refining Masters, ordinary cultivators in the Outer Domain Northeast, unless facing life-and-death illnesses, would seek help from Firewood Valley rather than the Meridian Refining Master Guild.

In the Northern Domain of the Tenglong Continent, the most formidable is undoubtedly the Demons Mountain to the north, while the Outer Domain Northeast is occupied by the Huomu Valley and one of the three major families, the Zhaoqian Territory. As for the Outer Domain Northwest, it is also divided between the Thirteen Major Forces’ Shenxiao Sect and Thunder Sound Mountain.

If Yun Xiao were here, he would recognize the elder leading the Huomu Valley team; they had once crossed paths on the Hidden Dragon Continent. It was Elder Wu Tong, who had represented Huomu Valley in the Lower Realm to oversee the Countries Hidden Dragon Conference.

It is worth mentioning that Elder Wu Tong, who was at the Peak of Seeking Origin Realm back then, has not only broken through to the Earth Bending Realm level in just two to three years but has also reached the Middle Stage of Earth Bending Realm. He must have encountered some fortuitous events during this period.

After all, breaking through from the Peak of Seeking Origin Realm to the Middle Stage of Earth Bending Realm, even on this Tenglong Continent, ordinary cultivators would need at least ten years, while more cultivators remain stuck at this level, unable to progress throughout their lives.

As for the two young people beside Elder Wu Tong, one wouldn’t be too unfamiliar to Yun Xiao. He is the first genius of the younger generation in Huomu Valley, known as the Iron-faced Jun Tieshu, who had crossed paths with Yun Xiao in Xuanyin Hall.

The other has no significant interaction with Yun Xiao, but strictly speaking, he is associated with the Lv family where Yun Xiao is currently, because this person was once in pursuit of Lv Xiaoman, the Huomu Valley genius Song Jianzi.

Song Jianzi has a somewhat peculiar name, but his cultivation talent is second only to Jun Tieshu. When visiting the Lv family, Song Jianzi was only at the Middle Stage of the Seeking Origin Realm, but now he has become a strongman of the Origin Seeking Realm Late Stage.

Elder Wu Tong of Huomu Valley glanced at the fog-covered Yanji Lake and noticed a corpse drifting over from the lake, his eyes immediately narrowed.

The Huomu Valley is located in the Northwest of the Outer Domain of Tenglong Continent. Although it is separated by one hundred thousand eight thousand miles from Yanji Lake, they still arrived in the first moment, evidently having received news of the mutation at Yanji Lake.

It’s well known that the No Flame Palace excels in fire attributes, a trait that resonates with many aspects of Huomu Valley. Naturally, Huomu Valley is highly interested in the mutated Ancestral Land of No Flame Palace.

After receiving this news, Wu Tong was executing tasks nearby, so the Huomu Valley headquarters directly sent a Flying Letter instructing him to investigate. As for Jun Tieshu and Song Jianzi, they naturally didn’t come from the Huomu Valley headquarters.

Originally, Wu Tong had gathered information about Yanji Lake, but the lake at the moment is undoubtedly different from what he had heard. With his formidable Power of Soul, he immediately sensed that the fog covering the entire lake surface was likely not ordinary.

Furthermore, the corpses drifting from the lake appeared quite eerie, so Wu Tong restrained the two geniuses and decided not to enter Yanji Lake immediately, opting to observe the situation first.

”Hehe, Brother Wu Tong arrives early!”

Just as Wu Tong was inspecting the eerie Yanji Lake, a somewhat familiar voice suddenly came from behind, prompting the three of them to turn their heads. They then saw a not unfamiliar figure striding over with two young people.

”Zhao Family, Zhao Huai’an!”

Upon seeing the middle-aged man with a face full of a purple aura, Wu Tong’s expression turned somewhat somber, for he was not unfamiliar with this guy, although their relationship wasn’t particularly good, unlike the brotherly terms mentioned by the previous person.

Both Huomu Valley and the Zhao Family are located in the Northeast Territory of the Outer Domain of Tenglong Continent. Since their territories are adjacent, and both are among the Thirteen Major Forces, disputes over territory resources are inevitable.

Although the higher-ups of both parties have not torn apart, the mid-to-low-level cultivators or younger generation often engage in major battles, and it is commonplace for a few people to die in the process.

Over time, the enmity has deepened, and unless either party is confident they can annihilate the other in a single strike, a bloody conflict has not yet erupted in this Northeast Territory of the Outer Domain of Tenglong Continent.

”Zhao Ling!”

Jun Tieshu’s gaze shifted from Zhao Huai’an to a young man beside him and immediately recognized him as the Zhao Family’s first genius he had encountered in Xuanyin Cave, a notable figure at the Peak of Seeking Origin Realm just like himself.

”Humph, your Zhao Family hasn’t arrived much later either!”

Wu Tong naturally had no goodwill towards the Zhao Family, and right after his cold hum, a few people with majestic auras emerged, the presence of additional figures making itself known.

”These are people from the Shenxiao Sect!”

Although Jun Tieshu did not recognize the person leading that group, the young man beside them was not unfamiliar, as it was the same Shenxiao Sect’s first genius he had interacted with in Xuanyin Hall: Nie Xiaosheng!

”That old fellow must be Jia Tianshu from the Shenxiao Sect!”

Wu Tong, being a veteran, immediately spoke upon seeing the elder leading the Shenxiao Sect. He was well aware that this individual’s strength was not below him or Zhao Huai’an, being a true Middle Stage Earth Bending Realm expert.

”Hehe, with people from Huomu Valley, Shenxiao Sect, and Zhao Family present, I wonder if the Double Mountain, the Northern Domain’s overlord, will send anyone here?”