Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor

Crack! Crack, crack!

Amidst the shocked gazes of the crowd, the azure light shield’s cracks became increasingly numerous and denser. It looked as if it were about to shatter.

At this time, the onlookers could no longer concern themselves with the Meridian Rushing Realm Early Stage cultivator who had been encased in ice like a sculpture, as their eyes were fervently fixed on the cracks in the light shield, preparing to be the first to enter the Meridian Treasure. Undoubtedly, this would greatly increase their chances of obtaining treasures.

”Everyone be cautious!”

At a certain location, Mo Qing, with her powerful Power of Soul radiating outwards, had a somewhat solemn expression as she softly spoke to the two martial brothers beside her. She herself was already fully prepared.

On the other hand, the expression on Yue Qi’s face from the Poison Vein faction was no less tense, but he remained silent, staying on high alert and not even bothering with Bi Luo and Yin Huan beside him.

The Family Heads of the Zhao and Cao families each protected their precious sons behind them, showing that even they had no idea what might happen when the Sealing Light Shield broke.

Whoosh!

Under the varied thoughts of everyone present, the cerulean Sealing Light Shield, seemingly unable to withstand the dense web of cracking, finally burst open with a rumble.

”The seal is broken, let’s rush in!”

The well-prepared crowd, as soon as one voice called out, saw a dozen figures move even faster than the shout, almost simultaneously with the explosion of the shield, they had already made their move.

”Not good, retreat quickly!”

”Quickly, retreat!”

At the same time, from two different directions, a deep voice arose, and immediately after, two talented individuals from the Jade Pot Sect slightly shifted their bodies, not advancing but retreating instead, quickly pulling back a distance of several tens of meters.

Boom!

Just then, from within the shattered Sealing Light Shield, an intense cold blast emerged all of a sudden, a visibly blue Ice Cold Qi spread in all directions along with the seal fragments, covering a radius of thirty meters almost instantly.

As a result, the dozen plus cultivators who had tried to get ahead, no matter if they were at the Peak of Meridian Gathering or at the Early Stage of Meridian Rushing, including even two cultivators at the Middle Stage of Meridian Rushing, were hit by the sudden outbreak of the cold blast.

Luckily, not everyone present was reckless. People like Mo Qing and Yue Qi, as well as the Family Heads of the Zhao and Cao families, were not only powerful but also had quick reflexes; they were not affected by the formidable cold Qi.

As some cultivators from the Meridian Rushing Realm hastily retreated, an extreme cold blast whistled past them, causing them to break out in a cold sweat. They secretly thought had they retreated just a bit slower, they might have met a tragic fate.

Only after the rampage of the cold Qi had subsided did everyone look towards the closest spot to where the Sealing Light Shield once was, and they couldn’t help but take a sharp intake of breath, secretly glad they had kept a bit of sense about them.

At that spot, there were now over a dozen ice sculptures of varying shapes. These ice sculptures, akin to the early Meridian Rushing Realm cultivator who had rushed out first, were vividly lifelike though in different postures.

This was the power of the extreme cold Qi. Witnessing this scene, even Early Stage cultivators of the Meridian Union Realm, like the Family Heads of the Zhao and Cao families, felt a lingering fear, because they were not certain whether they could come out unscathed under such cold Qi.

”It seems that it’s the cold Qi that has been condensing within that seal for many years, bursting out all at once, which caused such immense power!”

Mo Qing, with her keen insights and judgment, withdrew her gaze from the ice sculptures after just a moment, and focused on the shattered Sealing area, explaining out loud.

Just as Mo Qing stated, the master of this Intermediate Spiritual Rank Meridian Treasure was clearly someone who had profoundly studied the Ice Cold Power, and it was unknown what cold and strange items were within the Meridian Treasure, resulting in the sky above being filled with heavy snow as a consequence of the cold Qi.

Due to the protection of the Light Shield, the internal Ice Cold Qi couldn’t erupt fully, causing it to condense within the shield over a long period.

Originally, this Ice Cold Qi might have been fatal only to those at the Meridian Gathering Realm or perhaps the Early Stage of Meridian Rushing, but as it accumulated more within the shield, quantity eventually led to a qualitative change, resulting in that recent spectacle.

Mo Qing knew that such an incident would only occur once; those dozen or so cultivators were simply unlucky, or perhaps too hasty, and thus were struck by the one-time explosive force of the extreme Ice Cold Qi, becoming permanent ice sculptures.

Among the crowd, there were quite a few with clear-headed thoughts like Mo Qing. As she reacted and moved, on the other side, Yue Qi and the Family Heads of the Zhao and Cao families all made their moves at the same time.

Yue Qi and the others must have realized this by now. After the burst of condensed ice cold Qi, the remaining coldness no longer posed a great threat to them. Prioritizing entry into the Meridian Treasure was of utmost importance.

Boom!

And just as these people began to make their moves, the shattered Sealing Light Shield underwent yet another change. They saw the ground crack open, and from beneath it, a crystalline gate slowly emerged, exuding an air of profound mystery.

A moment later, this towering gate, several tens of feet high, was fully revealed. Through the gate, it seemed that everyone could glimpse a pitch-black cave, which appeared to be the entrance to the Intermediate Spiritual Rank Meridian Treasure.

While everyone was slightly stunned, the Cao Family Head’s speed was astonishingly fast; his gaunt body swept out like a zombie, even outpacing Yue Qi in both reaction and velocity by a slight edge.

Whoosh!

Just as Cao Family Head Cao Kong was about to be the first to enter the Meridian Treasure, a sound of cutting wind suddenly arose, and then everyone saw a lean figure shooting towards the entrance like an arrow from a bowstring.

”It’s Yun Xiao!”

Chang Qing, with sharp eyes, recognized the details of the young figure at a glance. Upon his exclamation, the expressions on the faces of Mo Qing and Xue Gong beside him varied.

Following this outcry, many disciples from the Jade Pot Sect immediately recognized the figure, with Cao Luo and Zhao Ningshu’s eyes emitting a glint filled with hatred.

”Father, he’s Yun Xiao, the one who killed our third brother, stop him!”

Cao Luo’s reaction was equally swift. Upon recognizing Yun Xiao and seeing his father closest to the latter, he could not help but shout loudly.

Once this shout reached Cao Family Head Cao Kong’s ears, a vengeful malice instantly appeared on his fleshless face. Clearly, from Cao Luo’s cry, he now knew who this youngster trying to beat him into the Meridian Treasure was.

Cao Family Head Cao Kong fathered three sons, all of whom possessed exceptional talent. They were among the finest of the younger generation in Luoxing City.

Hence, Cao Kong had his three sons join the Jade Pot Sect, but little did he expect that this decision would lead to the tragic death of his third son, Cao Jun, in the Jade Pot Cave, and even his second son, Cao Ju, losing a hand.

When Cao Luo, the eldest of the Cao family, brought this news back, Cao Kong was so furiously heartbroken he nearly went mad. From that moment on, he knew he would never forget the name Yun Xiao.

The loss of Cao Ju’s hand and the death of Cao Jun were both caused single-handedly by Yun Xiao. Cao Kong came to the Meridian Treasure this time, and half his purpose was to avenge his sons.

Upon hearing from Cao Luo, Cao Kong knew Yun Xiao had also taken on the Meridian Treasure mission, and that if people died during such missions, the Jade Pot Sect would not blame the Cao family.

Cao Kong was aware that the missions issued by the Jade Pot Sect were meant to temper the disciples’ spirits and strength. If they died in the outside world, it only meant they were not strong enough.

Of course, despite this rule, when Jade Pot Sect Inner Sect Disciples were on missions, as long as there wasn’t a major vendetta, cultivators of the Xuanyue Empire would typically show some respect.

But now, with his son’s killer right before his eyes, if Cao Kong could turn a blind eye, he would be undeserving of the title of Family Head. Thus, he made a decisive move. As soon as Cao Luo’s words fell, Cao Kong aimed a furious palm strike at the youth beside him, whose appearance he hadn’t even made out clearly yet.

”You old geezer, you dare!”

Seeing Cao Kong’s palm filled with immense power from afar, Mo Qing’s spirit tightened, and she immediately shouted angrily, hoping her status as the Jade Pot Sect’s number one talent would deter the Cao Family Head.

It should be noted that Cao Kong was an Early Stage of Meridian Union Cultivator while Yun Xiao was merely at the Early Stage of Meridian Rushing Realm. With a whole Great Rank difference between them, if the strike hit, it was feared that Yun Xiao would instantly meet his end.

For some unknown reason, the thought of Yun Xiao possibly dying under this palm strike caused an unexplained tremor in Mo Qing’s heart. However, given the sheer distance, she could only try to stop it by shouting, knowing it was too late for her to intervene personally.

Mo Qing’s shout reached Cao Kong, but at this moment, his mind was filled with his deceased youngest son and the severed hand of his second son. Thus, he showed no mercy in his blow and was not swayed by Mo Qing’s cry in the slightest.

The lean young man who had just appeared was indeed Yun Xiao. In fact, he had already hurried over earlier but did not reveal himself immediately because of the numerous enemies present.

Yun Xiao knew that even with Mo Qing’s protection, the moment he showed himself, the family heads of Zhao and Cao would certainly not spare him. So why bother looking for unnecessary trouble?

It wasn’t until the Sealing Light Shield shattered and the entrance to the Ice Crystal Gate appeared that Yun Xiao thought to sneak into the Meridian Treasure unexpectedly. Little did he know that Cao Kong would react so swiftly, his extremely fast palm strike exerting tremendous pressure on him.

This was Yun Xiao’s first time in this life facing off against an Early Stage Meridian Union Cultivator, feeling the power and Meridian Qi within the palm strike. Yun Xiao had no intention of taking it head-on; he knew all too well that the consequence of doing so would likely be his demise right at the doorstep of the Meridian Treasure.