Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor

”Jade Liquid Vine for real?”

Seeing the cyan light circulating object, Xiao Lan’s eyes brightened, but with past lessons learned, she did not reach out to take it. Instead, she turned her head and called out, ”Yun Xiao, come here and take a look!”

With the trust she had in Yun Xiao’s judgment, Xiao Lan was genuinely afraid that Gong Qizhen might be up to some mischief again, which would harm her mother and leave her in a state of utter despair.

”Mhm, this one is real!”

Yun Xiao took the Jade Liquid Vine and after careful sensing, he finally nodded and handed it to Xiao Lan. She couldn’t contain her joy; this trip hadn’t been in vain after all.

”What do you plan to do with this guy?”

Yun Xiao didn’t care much as he pointed at Gong Qizhen nearby, though his gaze shifted to the Waist Storage the man had on him. There was something there that he needed.

”I beg the two of you to show mercy. I am willing to offer up all the treasures of the Treasure Pavilion!”

Perhaps sensing the intent behind Yun Xiao’s gaze, Gong Qizhen had a stroke of enlightenment. He quickly removed his Waist Storage and handed it over with both hands. However, Yun Xiao was disdainful upon hearing his words.

He had seen the items in the Treasure Pavilion before. Eight out of ten items were fake, and there was a risk of being deceived by an imitation, just like the Jade Liquid Vine Xiao Lan had received.

Yet Yun Xiao knew there was at least one item that was useful to him. Without being coy, he took the Waist Storage and after sensing it carefully, he nodded in satisfaction.

Seeing Yun Xiao nod, Gong Qizhen finally breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he had saved his own life. Yet, he was shocked when the girl in red stepped forward, pried open his mouth, and fed him something.

”Umm... Umm...”

Mouth constrained, Gong Qizhen was terrified, only capable of making some weird noises. Then he saw the girl in red holding the Jade Liquid Vine, stretching it towards him.

”Since you are so malicious and want to harm my mother, then taste this first!”

Xiao Lan’s face revealed a trace of hatred. With a gloved right hand, she exerted a bit of force and squeezed out the marrow liquid of the Jade Liquid Vine, dripping it into Gong Qizhen’s mouth.

Gong Qizhen was terrified; the first Jade Liquid Vine he had personally picked was infested with deadly snake venom, which stopped him from daring to use it.

He didn’t expect that his scheme to trick others would end up backfiring on himself. He knew all too well the lethality of the Black Spirit Snake’s poison: even a small contact meant a painful death. Now, with so much marrow liquid forced into his mouth, his fate was sealed.

Regardless of how Gong Qizhen struggled, he couldn’t move his head an inch, and severely injured, he could only let Xiao Lan do as she pleased, swallowing all the marrow liquid.

The Black Spirit Snake’s venom, enhanced through the marrow liquid, proved to be potent. Gong Qizhen’s meaningless sounds only lasted a moment before all fell silent. His face turned pitch black, clearly succumbing to the poison.

Yun Xiao watched the entire scene with a cold eye and did not interfere. It was clear that Gong Qizhen was not a good person, and most items in the Treasure Pavilion were fakes, which had cheated countless people. Even the genuine ones must have been obtained through unjust means, so his death was well-deserved.

However, Xiao Lan’s actions made Yun Xiao reassess the nature of this red-dressed girl: she might look young, but she was no pushover. She could be ruthless when necessary – that was the true spirit of a heroine.

”You killed this man, so this Waist Storage is your trophy, but I would like one item from within. Would you be willing to part with it?”

Yun Xiao shook the Waist Storage in his hand, stating his case. Strictly speaking, it belonged to Xiao Lan, but there was one thing that he coveted deeply and did not wish to let go.

”Yun Xiao, if it weren’t for you, I might have happily taken that Jade Liquid Vine back to cure my mother. How could a single item repay such a great kindness?”

If Xiao Lan had any doubts about Yun Xiao before, Gong Qizhen’s demise had dispelled them all. If her mother, who had been seriously ill for a year, had taken such a deadly poison, she would probably have died even faster than this Pavilion Master from the Treasure Pavilion, right?

Her mother was the most important person in Xiao Lan’s heart. As she said, it didn’t matter if it was all of Gong Qizhen’s Waist Storage or her entire fortune given to Yun Xiao; if it could ensure her mother’s safety, she would not hesitate for a moment.

”In that case, I shall not refuse!”

Yun Xiao was not one to put up pretenses. Following his dialogue, he extended his Meridian Qi into the Waist Storage, and after a flash of light, a familiar-looking strange object appeared before Xiao Lan.

”What is this?”

Although Xiao Lan didn’t know what Yun Xiao was after, anything that caught the attention of someone so discerning must be extraordinary. Hadn’t he given away the Divine Clarity Jade worth three hundred thousand Gold Coins without a second thought?

In Yun Xiao’s palm appeared to be a three-foot-long green bamboo, looking somewhat similar to the Bone-breaking Bamboo they had seen on the second floor of the Treasure Pavilion, but clearly not the same thing.

Bone-breaking Bamboo is worth at most thirty or forty thousand Gold Coins, something which Yun Xiao, Little Lan understood, would definitely not catch Yun Xiao’s eye. So, what was the deep origin of this emerald bamboo?

”This is not bamboo!”

Seeming to see Little Lan’s confusion, Yun Xiao said with a smile, ”It just looks like bamboo. If I’m not mistaken, this should be the legendary ’Body Tempering Golden Crystal Silk’!”

”Body Tempering Golden Crystal Silk? You mean... this is Body Tempering Golden Crystal Silk?”

Upon suddenly hearing this name, Little Lan’s eyes widened in amazement. Seeing her like this, Yun Xiao became curious, thinking to himself that this girl must have an extraordinary background.

Body Tempering Golden Crystal Silk, as the name implies, was known for its effect of refining the physical body. It was said to be a crystal that grew from ancient stones, fused with various rare metal ores, and formed over millions of years.

However, ordinary Body Tempering Golden Crystal Silk are only the size of a hair strand, hence the name ”silk”. Therefore, no one could recognize it when it was placed at the Treasure Pavilion’s treasure identification event.

Such a treasure, ordinary people would not even have heard of, yet Little Lan appeared so agitated upon hearing its name, which was a clear indication she knew what it was.

Body Tempering Golden Crystal Silk, even in the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud, was quite rare, let alone in the Hidden Dragon Continent. Yun Xiao knew about it naturally from the memories he inherited as the Long Xiao Battle God, but for Little Lan to be aware of it, things were not so simple.

Either this girl had seen Body Tempering Golden Crystal Silk somewhere before, or it has been passed down through deep family origins. In any case, her background was definitely extraordinary. As for these things, Yun Xiao did not delve too deeply into them.

”Of course, this bamboo is not actual Body Tempering Golden Crystal Silk. The real thing is inside!”

Yun Xiao, sensing Little Lan’s confusion, smiled again. Then he extended his right hand and a blood-red flame appeared.

”Is this... Ancestral Vein Fire?”

Seeing this, Little Lan’s gaze sharpened again. Although she herself was not a Meridian Refining Master, her insight was exceptional, having recognized it as the true Ancestral Vein Fire with just one glance.

”Weren’t they saying that this guy had become useless? How is it so different from the rumors?”

Little Lan kept the thoughts deep in her heart to herself. Before, she might not have understood Yun Xiao, but after visiting the Treasure Pavilion and after the previous battle, she had come to understand quite a bit.

Whether it was his insight, demeanor, or his Cultivation and combat strength, if he were to be placed in the entire Lingtian Empire, he would surely rank among the cream of the crop. Moreover, now that he had summoned the Ancestral Vein Fire, he was very likely to be a Meridian Refining Master. If such a person were considered useless, then there probably wouldn’t be any geniuses.

Yun Xiao did not have so many thoughts. After bringing out the Ancestral Vein Fire, he directly scorched the emerald bamboo. This scorching lasted for about a thirty-minute period.

It has to be known that Yun Xiao’s Ancestral Vein Fire was extraordinary; a common piece of bamboo, or even hard stone, would likely be incinerated in an instant. Yet this emerald bamboo managed to endure for the entire thirty minutes, which even made Little Lan click her tongue in wonder.

Fortunately, the Ancestral Vein Fire was indeed formidable. After thirty minutes, the bamboo was gradually melting. As time passed, a faint glimmer of gold light suddenly flashed, brightening before Little Lan’s eyes.

”Could it really be Body Tempering Golden Crystal Silk?”

Considering this possibility, the shock in Little Lan’s beautiful eyes intensified. This guy’s insight was truly not average, he could even discern such things hidden within this unique bamboo stone. How did he do it?

Time passed again, roughly for another hour, and by this moment, Little Lan no longer harbored any doubts. The emerald bamboo had been thoroughly incinerated, revealing a golden silk thread that could no longer hide itself.

This thread was different from ordinary golden threads. Inside it, there seemed to be a glowing light shining forth, truly worthy of the name golden crystal. This was the real Body Tempering Golden Crystal Silk.

”Body Tempering Golden Crystal Silk!”

Seeing this golden thread, Yun Xiao also smiled with satisfaction, then retracted the Ancestral Vein Fire and grabbed the thread in his hand, feeling the quite familiar aura within. He knew that he had acquired a great fortune this time.

Yun Xiao had always been critical of the body he was reborn with, preventing him from using many powerful Meridian Techniques and experiences, to the point that even with the power of the Golden Snake Worms, he almost burst his body open.

Now, he’d obtained the Body Tempering Golden Crystal Silk, which would surely improve his Physical Strength even further. If he could use it to break through to the Meridian Union Realm level, he would be able to fight even a Cultivator in the Late Stage of the Meridian Union Realm.

”This place is not a good spot for Refining!”

Yun Xiao played with the golden thread in his hand while glancing around, thinking they had just experienced a great battle here. There’s no guarantee that someone would not come to investigate. It would be better to find another place.

”Come with me!”

It seemed that Little Lan had caught onto Yun Xiao’s thoughts. Aware of Yun Xiao’s identity and background, she was much more familiar with the Lingtian Empire than Yun Xiao. Finding a quiet place was not a difficult task for her.