Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor

”You despicable brat!”

As the onlookers realized that it was Yun Xiao’s Afterimage technique, the person involved, Chang Shuo, finally became aware of it and couldn’t help but shout out in anger.

However, at this moment, Chang Shuo, having missed his strike, found his heavy weapon, the giant hammer, smashing into the ground, leaving his arms slightly numb, unable to lift the hammer.

Swoosh!

And at this time, everyone, including Chang Shuo, heard a faint sound of the wind breaking. Immediately behind Chang Shuo appeared a figure holding a peculiar Wooden Sword.

This figure was naturally Yun Xiao, and no one had seen him use the Wooden Sword that was always carried on his back, nor did they know how powerful this Wooden Sword truly was.

It was as if a gentle breeze passed by, or like a black meteor streaked across the sky. When Yun Xiao sheathed his sword and stood still, everything seemed as though nothing had happened, even a hint of confusion flashed across Chang Shuo’s face.

”You’re dead!”

Yun Xiao, standing with the sword sheathed, wore the same expression as before, but the words he uttered caused many to be puzzled, wondering where such a statement came from.

Because at this moment, Chang Shuo was still standing perfectly fine, without any sign of ”dying,” surely the rough-clothed youth was just toying with this big burly man?

”You little brat, you... glug... you...”

Even Chang Shuo himself couldn’t comprehend Yun Xiao’s words, but just as disdain appeared on his face and he wanted to say something, a salty fluid rushing up his throat rendered him speechless.

”This...”

Compared to Chang Shuo himself, the onlookers clearly saw that from the mouth of this robust man, bright red blood was flowing out, and a thin line of blood was also slowly appearing on his neck.

”He can’t survive!”

Ma Nanfeng, with the strongest sensing ability, was the first to realize the truth. After shaking his head and mumbling to himself, his gaze shifted to the rough-clothed youth, or more precisely, to the Wooden Sword he had sheathed back on his back.

”That Wooden Sword looks quite extraordinary!”

A flicker of fiery greed flashed in Ma Nanfeng’s eyes. Already coveting the Blood Erosion Intense Flame, he now had another target in mind.

Such a seemingly ordinary Wooden Sword clearly had an extremely deceptive appearance. If used unexpectedly during a battle with an enemy, even a cultivator of a higher small realm would be caught off guard?

Weapons are not the mainstream combat method on the Continent; one’s own cultivation is most important. But a weapon like the Dragon Taming Sword, which is so confusing, is something many cultivators dream of, making it impossible for Ma Nanfeng not to be tempted.

Boom!

Just as Ma Nanfeng realized the uniqueness of that Wooden Sword, Chang Shuo’s neck could no longer withstand the surge of blood within, bursting skyward, reaching a height of more than a zhang, before finally landing from exhaustion.

Below was a headless, sturdy corpse, with blood from the neck gushing out like a fountain, creating an extremely eerie and bloodthirsty scene, rendering the entire audience silent.

By this point, everyone understood what had happened. Clearly, the rough-clothed youth’s Wooden Sword had already severed Chang Shuo’s neck with a single slash.

But a seemingly ordinary Wooden Sword, just how sharp did it need to be to achieve such an effect, even allowing a person to utter a word or two after being decapitated?

Once they figured this out, their gazes became like Ma Nanfeng’s, burning bright, staring at the youth’s back and the unassuming Black Wood Sword, their minds racing with schemes.

Due to Yun Xiao’s display of the Dragon Taming Sword’s sharpness, his Meridian Qi Cultivation remained undetected, continuing to ”play the pig to eat the tiger.”

Thus, people would think Yun Xiao’s ability to defeat Chang Shuo was solely due to the advantage of the Wooden Sword, not his own cultivation prowess.

This was like a three-year-old child flaunting a gold brick in the marketplace; it was impossible not to attract covetous eyes, wasn’t it?

Even some prudent elders believed that a treasure like the Wooden Sword in the hands of a youth in his early twenties was simply a waste.

The saying goes that treasures belong to the capable. If the Dragon Taming Sword were in the hands of the Emperor Palace Supervisor Sima Nanfeng, perhaps no one would have such thoughts. But seeing such a divine weapon in the hands of a youth, it was impossible for them not to feel greedy.

”Everyone saw it; it was this guy who made the first move. It has nothing to do with me!”

Yun Xiao, who had just sheathed the Dragon Taming Sword on his back, behaved as if he had done something trivial, showing no interest in the headless corpse of Chang Shuo that had fallen nearby. Instead, he turned his gaze to Manager Zhou, as if to explain.

”Naturally, it’s not the young brother’s issue. Men, clean this place up!”

Manager Zhou, who had not stopped Chang Shuo earlier, certainly wouldn’t trouble Yun Xiao now. He called out loudly, and the guards of the Drunken Immortal Restaurant stepped forward to remove Chang Shuo’s body.

However, after this incident, Manager Zhou became even more intrigued by the youth in plain clothes. This young man had such formidable wine discerning abilities and possessed an extremely sharp divine weapon. It was hard to believe he was an unknown figure who appeared out of nowhere.

Clang!

After the restaurant guards took away Chang Shuo’s body, a resonant bell tolled, causing many to tense, and some even had grim expressions.

For they all knew, this was the bell signaling the end of the first round of the Drunken Immortal Conference. Only those who could find fine wine and explain its brewing process and ingredients before the bell rang could advance.

As for those cultivators who either didn’t find the fine wine or couldn’t correctly detail it, they were automatically eliminated. From Yun Xiao’s perspective, at least more than half of the contestants seemed to be eliminated in this first round.

After all, not everyone had the keen sight of Yun Xiao, and most of the fine wines in the Drunken Forest Garden were very well hidden. Finding them was no easy task, so it was expected that so many would be eliminated.

”Since...”

”Hold on!”

Just as Manager Zhou was about to announce the results of this first round, unexpectedly, a loud voice interrupted him.

”It is Supervisor Ma Nanfeng of the Emperor Palace!”

When everyone looked over, they saw it was Supervisor Ma Nanfeng of the Emperor Palace at Drunken Immortal Restaurant who interrupted Manager Zhou. This realization made everyone’s hearts stir.

”I wonder what advice the Lord Supervisor might have?”

Manager Zhou wasn’t irritated by the interruption but directly asked, knowing that Ma Nanfeng never spoke without purpose. He definitely had his reasons for speaking up now.

”This brother is named Yun Xiao, right? I wonder, Brother Yun Xiao, if you have any intention of transferring that bowl of Blood Erosion Intense Flame you have? I assure you, I will offer a price that satisfies you!”

Ma Nanfeng ignored Manager Zhou and focused his attention on the youth in plain clothes. His proposition left everyone feeling introspective, acknowledging that this supervisor was indeed bold and decisive.

Following the usual rules of the Drunken Immortal Conference, any fine wine found in the first round belonged to the finder. After all, wine is meant to be tasted, and it’s impractical to give someone else wine that you’ve already sampled.

However, everyone clearly saw that after Yun Xiao found the Blood Erosion Intense Flame, he hadn’t touched the wine with his lips, though it didn’t change the fact that this half bowl belonged to him.

Perhaps it’s a kind of benefit for those who love fine wine, though no one had ever found such a precious and cultivation-beneficial wine like Blood Erosion Intense Flame before, so there was no previous conflict.

Some other fire attribute cultivators naturally coveted the Blood Erosion Intense Flame as well, but since Ma Nanfeng had spoken, they dared not offend the supervisor by saying more.

As a result, the garden became a bit quiet, with everyone staring blankly at the youth in plain clothes, eager to see if he would agree to Ma Nanfeng’s purchase request.

Most people anticipated one outcome: Yun Xiao wouldn’t dare to refuse Ma Nanfeng. In Drunken Immortal City, no one had the courage to openly offend such a figure.

If earlier, Yun Xiao had only subtly undermined Ma Nanfeng’s authority by entering the inner garden first, directly refusing him now would likely incur his resentment.

”Young brother, though we have no real acquaintance, if you hand over the Blood Erosion Intense Flame in your possession to me, Ma, I can assure you that within the bounds of Drunken Immortal City, I will help you once!”

Confident, Ma Nanfeng added, further enticing with his words, causing many to look envious, wishing they could trade places with Yun Xiao.

Who was Ma Nanfeng? He was the illustrious supervisor of Drunken Immortal City Emperor Palace. His favor wasn’t given lightly. With this promise, it was unlikely anyone would dare trouble Yun Xiao easily within the city’s boundaries.

Individuals like Yu Xu, who were eager to establish connections with the Emperor Palace, flattered Ma Nanfeng numerous times but never received a smile from him, only to be reprimanded moments ago. Comparisons can be infuriating indeed.

Thus, Yu Xu’s gaze toward Yun Xiao was nearly ignited with fire. Originally, he disliked the youth due to Yun Xiao’s good relations with Lu Ye. If Yun Xiao truly gained Ma Nanfeng’s favor and protection, Yu Xu would need to reconsider any plans against him.