Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor

Chapter 269: 269 Drunken Immortal Tang Dispute

”This... this is...”

Yun Xiao, intoxicated by the enchanting fragrance, could no longer divert his gaze. Not far in front of him was a large vine clinging to the cave wall, and on that vine, a blood-red flower was seemingly flaunting its graceful figure towards him.

Or rather, the red flower seemed to be signaling Yun Xiao to hurry and pluck it, as if time waits for no one. The moment Yun Xiao saw the red flower, his heart was filled with many emotions.

”It really is you, Drunken Immortal Tang!”

Yun Xiao’s face bore an extremely joyful smile, for as the reincarnated Long Xiao Battle God, he was familiar with most of the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures and rare medicinal herbs in this world.

Drunken Immortal Tang is a special medicinal herb that has reached the low level of the Spiritual Rank, and its medicinal properties are somewhat unique; it is the main ingredient in refining Drunken Immortal Honey.

Strictly speaking, Drunken Immortal Honey is a type of liquor, a fine wine that is highly sought after in the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud, and its value is barely less than some elixirs of Intermediate Spiritual Rank.

The reason lies in the rarity of Drunken Immortal Tang; this main ingredient for brewing Drunken Immortal Honey can only grow in certain special places, and the output is extremely low.

Yun Xiao’s excitement was not due to the brewing effect of Drunken Immortal Tang. It was because such an item, merely considered liquor in the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud, might have a completely different impact on the Hidden Dragon Continent.

As Yun Xiao knew, Drunken Immortal Honey refined from Drunken Immortal Tang could serve as a trump card against enemies within the Poison Vein lineage, and it could have an anesthetic effect when applied to the Medical Pulse lineage.

It was not just about its effectiveness after consumption; Yun Xiao, with his previous life’s techniques, could open the bottle during combat, releasing the scent and potentially causing an enemy to become drowsy and intoxicated on the spot.

In his past life, Yun Xiao was a Holy Rank Meridian Refining Master, whose practice spanned both the Poison Vein and Medical Pulse disciplines. He was neither a ruthless Poison Vein Master nor a compassionate Medical Pulse Master, but he had delved into the techniques of both schools.

So, the moment he saw Drunken Immortal Tang, Yun Xiao knew it was an opportunity. If he could refine Drunken Immortal Honey, it would add an edge to his future battles.

For instance, when facing the Family Heads of the Zhao and Cao families, even if Yun Xiao couldn’t beat them, he could use Drunken Immortal Honey to disrupt his enemies at a critical moment and gain a chance to escape.

With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Yun Xiao quickly approached, still smelling the enchanting fragrance of Drunken Immortal Tang. He took out a jade box that he had prepared in advance, ready to harvest the flower.

Whoosh...

However, just as his fingers were about to touch the stem of Drunken Immortal Tang, a sudden whooshing sound ensued, and a silhouette appeared beside him.

”Damn it!”

With Yun Xiao’s soul’s keen sensitivity, how could he not realize that a competitor had arrived? After cursing inwardly, his hands didn’t slow down in the slightest.

Yun Xiao was fast, but the newcomer was faster. Seeing the latter about to take the Drunken Immortal Tang before him, as if knowing he was a step slower, in that split-second, Yun Xiao changed his mind. His right hand, initially reaching for the Drunken Immortal Tang, now moved differently, and a blood-red flame burst forth from the middle finger.

It seemed Yun Xiao was striking at a critical point of his opponent. He believed that with his Ancestral Vein Fire, if the person did not dodge, even if they managed to get the Drunken Immortal Tang before him, they wouldn’t be able to keep their hand intact.

Sure enough, Yun Xiao’s guess was correct. As soon as the blood-red flames appeared, the intruding hand paused for a moment, and eventually retreated, not daring to take the risk.

Seizing the chance, Yun Xiao’s right arm, wielding the Ancestral Vein Fire, reached out lightly and plucked the Drunken Immortal Tang. Turning his head, he saw a very gloomy and familiar face.

”Yin Huan... Senior Brother?!”

A mixture of surprise and wariness filled Yun Xiao’s eyes because the owner of the hand that almost rendered his efforts fruitless was none other than Yin Huan, the first Inner Sect Disciple of the Jade Pot Sect he had met.

Coincidentally, after separating from Yue Qi and Bi Luo, Yin Huan had ended up entering the same cavern as Yun Xiao, leading to an unexpected encounter with the same Drunken Immortal Tang.

However, Yin Huan’s seemingly stealthy move ultimately gained him nothing, and Yun Xiao still managed to get the upper hand. Looking at the blood-red flower in the latter’s hand, Yin Huan’s expression darkened significantly.

”Yun Xiao, hand over the Drunken Immortal Tang to me, and perhaps I can spare your life!”

With a face dark as water, Yin Huan’s gaze swept around before a voice laced with threat emitted from him—it seemed he too recognized the true nature of the Drunken Immortal Tang straight away.

Though on the Hidden Dragon Continent no one could refine such fine wine as Drunken Immortal Honey, the renowned Drunken Immortal Tang was not unfamiliar to these Poison Vein Masters like Yin Huan.

Setting aside the most suitable Drunken Immortal Honey, the Drunken Immortal Tang had many uses. Should Yin Huan get his hands on it, he could exploit a certain medicinal property within the plant to refine some potent poisons that likewise possessed the effect of overcoming adversaries.

However, to refine those potent poisons, a prerequisite was to first obtain the Drunken Immortal Tang from Yun Xiao’s possession; otherwise, forget about it all. But would Yun Xiao obediently hand over something he had already acquired?

Obviously, the answer is no. Perhaps in Yin Huan’s view, as the Jade Pot Sect’s prodigy at the Middle Stage of the Meridian Rushing Realm, he stood loftily above the rest. But now Yun Xiao, who had also already broken through to the Early Stage of the Meridian Rushing Realm, was not without the strength to fight him.

Yun Xiao, at this moment, was no longer the same cultivator who, back in the Jade Pot Cave, had been driven into a corner by Yin Huan and ultimately only survived by the fluke arrival of a Strange Spirit at the peak of the Meridian Gathering Realm.

Indeed, Yin Huan was a recognized genius among the Jade Pot Sect’s younger generation, but with only a minor realm separating them, this once unchallenged genius of the Jade Pot Sect who bullied Yun Xiao in Moon Bow City was no longer a significant threat to him.

”Sorry, Senior Brother Yin Huan, if I’m not mistaken, within this Meridian Treasure, whoever finds it first owns it, right? Why should I give it to you?”

Yun Xiao, faced with someone who had always sought to put him to death, naturally did not show a pleasant face. He not only refused Yin Huan’s earlier proposal but also subtly mocked him, turning the latter’s face as dark as the bottom of a pot.

”Yun Xiao, don’t think that just because you’ve broken through to the Early Stage of the Meridian Rushing Realm, you can disregard everyone. Today your senior brother will show you that those petty tricks of yours can’t stand up to the real thing!”

The ’petty tricks’ that Yin Huan referred to might have been the tactics Yun Xiao used to defeat Feng Hang and Shen Xiao in the Outer Sect’s competition, or perhaps the way Yun Xiao had recently used hostages to subdue the Family Heads of the Zhao and Cao families and prevent them from acting rashly.

In Yin Huan’s eyes, Yun Xiao was always fond of taking shortcuts, as that time in the Jade Pot Cave, had it not been for the sudden appearance of a Fourth Rank Intermediate Strange Spirit, perhaps this fellow would have long gone to report to King Yama.

Thus, even with Yun Xiao’s breakthrough to the Early Stage of the Meridian Rushing Realm, Yin Huan never took him as a real opponent, or perhaps he remained caught in the illusion of their first encounter in Moon Bow City—the despised Shang Family youth.

Huff...

As the words faded, a gigantic green handprint appeared in front of Yin Huan, and upon taking shape, it seemed to corrode the surrounding air into a vacuum, suggesting its poison was incredibly fierce.

Within the Meridian Qi of a Poison Vein Master, due to their long exposure to lethal poisons, a special toxicity has long been integrated. Ordinary cultivators, if unprepared during combat, might fall victim to their tricks in an instant.

But what sort of person was Yun Xiao? How could he possibly overlook such details? Seeing the Meridian Qi Palm Seal lunging towards him, the tips of his right fingers suddenly burst into the Ancestral Vein Fire.

”Hmph, overestimating yourself!”

Witnessing this scene, Yin Huan sneered, and as his handprint changed, the Meridian Qi Palm Seal violently smashed towards Yun Xiao. In his eyes, Yun Xiao’s Ancestral Vein Fire at the Early Stage of the Meridian Rushing Realm was no match for him.

If it were solely a contest of Meridian Qi Cultivation, Yun Xiao was indeed inferior to Yin Huan. However, Yun Xiao was adept at avoiding his weaknesses and leveraging his strengths.

In summary, in battles against cultivators with a higher Meridian Qi Cultivation than his own, Meridian Qi was not Yun Xiao’s preferred method. For instance, at this moment, he was utilizing his powerful Ancestral Vein Fire.

Although the Ancestral Vein Fire also requires the support of Meridian Qi, when this flame touched the green Meridian Qi Palm Seal, the poison within seemed to be forcibly expelled, turning into wisps of green smoke and instantly vaporized.

Poisonousness contained within Meridian Techniques was always a Poison Vein Master’s most unique tactic. At this point, Yun Xiao’s move seemed like defanging a tiger and clipping the wings of an eagle, leaving the Meridian Qi Palm Seal no significant threat to him.

After Yun Xiao eradicated the poison within Yin Huan’s Meridian Qi Palm Seal, in the next moment, his handprint shifted, and a Meridian Qi Sword burst forth, instantly dispersing the Meridian Qi Palm Seal into oblivion.

”Damn it!”

Seeing his certain-to-win palm strike being so easily deflected by Yun Xiao, Yin Huan was practically enraged to the point of explosion. Was this still the same ant he had seen in the Shang Family of Moon Bow City? Was this still the boy he could have crushed with just one hand?

At this moment, Yin Huan suddenly realized that with time’s passage, in just over a year, it seemed he was about to be caught up by this Shang Family youth.