Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor

”Are you sure you want to do this?”

Yun Xiao did not immediately strike, as he had no grudge against these people. They had come from afar, and if they knew to step aside wisely, he could overlook their earlier disrespect.

However, these obstructing individuals were numerous and a notch above in strength. How could they possibly take Yun Xiao seriously?

As the man before had said, though they hailed from different empires, they supported each other in the Demon Realm. If they allowed this youngster to pass, they would lose a spot. How could they give it up so easily?

”Since you refuse to see reason, don’t blame us for being unkind!”

Seeing that the youngster had no intention of backing down, the leader’s anger fueled his courage. With a grand gesture of his hand, one of the geniuses who had just reached the Mid Stage of Meridian Union Realm lunged forward.

This person was named Tao Hua, from a remote empire whose overall power paled in comparison to the Xuanyue Empire. Yet he was this empire’s greatest talent—neither the Royal Family nor any major Sect came close to his ability.

Tao Hua, who once stood high and mighty in his own empire, realized at the Countries Hidden Dragon Conference that he was just a frog in the well. When compared to super talents like Shen Wannian and Ye Shimei, he wasn’t even qualified to carry their shoes.

Tao Hua, who had luckily met this group by chance, managed to reach the foot of Demon Suppressing Mountain, just one step away from advancing to the second round.

Tao Hua was the weakest among the group. He knew that if he let this young man in rough clothes reach the destination first, one spot would inevitably be lost. And he might very well be the one to be eliminated.

So, for both emotional and rational reasons, Tao Hua needed to be the first to step forward. He had no impression of the young man before him and knew this was not any of the top talents, so he was somewhat confident.

However, Tao Hua and his backers failed to notice the disdainful looks and undisguised sneers that their action had provoked.

”How ridiculously overconfident!”

Whether it was Mo Qing and Liu Hanyi, who had a deep friendship with Yun Xiao, or Xu Hongzhuang, whose ongoing feud with him was well known, or even Nie Qianqiu and Xuan Jiuding, who held grudges against him, their looks toward Tao Hua were filled with mockery.

Because at that moment, they could all sense the aura emanating from Yun Xiao—it was truly that of someone in the Mid Stage of Meridian Union Realm. It seemed this fellow had delayed his arrival quite a bit due to this breakthrough.

Yun Xiao, the person in question, saw the genius in the Mid Stage of Meridian Union Realm coming at him in anger and couldn’t help but shake his head ruefully, inwardly thinking that ignorance truly knows no fear.

Bang!

Yun Xiao took a leisurely step, and suddenly everyone’s vision blurred. Tao Hua was sent flying backward as if riding a cloud, and ended up collapsing several feet before a white line, unable to get up.

That white line represented the end point to pass the first round of the competition. Crossing that line meant successfully getting through the first round and entering the second round of the Countries Hidden Dragon Conference.

Regrettably, once the number of people crossing the line reached one thousand, all the other talents of the Hidden Dragon Continent would lose any hope. Thus, this line could truly be considered the line of hope for all geniuses.

For Tao Hua, it was the same. He didn’t faint after falling, but he couldn’t muster the strength to rise, as though his last bit of energy was only enough to stare at the white line before him.

His last glimpse of hope kept Tao Hua from giving up, yet as he struggled to move his body, reaching just a foot away from the line, he finally couldn’t hold on any longer and fainted, a sight many found regrettable.

Of course, the ones who felt regret were only the talents who had already crossed into the safety of the line. Tao Hua’s peers even revealed a hint of joy—his fainting meant one less competitor, didn’t it?

However, when their eyes turned to the slowly approaching figure in rough clothes, they could not help but feel a surge of shock. Such a casual move had knocked Tao Hua unconscious with precise control. This youngster was not as simple as he appeared.

”Let’s all attack together. I don’t believe that a kid in the Mid Stage of Meridian Union Realm can defy us all!”

The first person to speak seemed to be rallying spirits and, with another loud shout, bolstered everyone’s courage. After all, they were all Cultivators in the Mid Stage of Meridian Union Realm, and there was no reason to lose when working together.

Moreover, everyone knew that Tao Hua was merely the weakest among them. He was the first to go up and was unfamiliar with the youngster’s strength, which led to his downfall. As long as they were careful, they would certainly not repeat Tao Hua’s mistakes.

The individuals who thought they had figured out how to deal with Yun Xiao did not notice the fleeting sneer in Yun Xiao’s eyes. These people were really insensible, weren’t they? Hadn’t that one strike been enough to show something?

Since they were so clueless, let them all be taken care of. Such shortsighted individuals didn’t deserve to advance to the second round of the Countries Hidden Dragon Conference.

Boom, boom, boom!

The fact was that under absolute strength, having the numerical advantage was not always effective. In battles among equals, Yun Xiao truly dominated, dispatching almost ten people after merely a few moves, leaving them lying behind him.

And now there were fewer than five obstructers left. The person who had spoken first no longer bore that proud look; instead, his face was etched with fear, as if he finally realized that something was terribly wrong.

Apart from the remaining five, behind the white line, the faces of many talents were full of complex emotions. Among them, a red-dressed girl looked very conflicted, her thoughts unclear.

”This kid, isn’t he too arrogant?”

Seeing Yun Xiao showing his might before even crossing the white line and overshadowing many talents from the Hidden Dragon Continent, the Xuanyue Crown Prince, Xuan Jiuding, frowned slightly and murmured meaningfully.

”Your Highness, let me take care of that kid. I’ve calculated that there are only five spots left. If I hold Yun Xiao back and let those five in, we can stop Yun Xiao from entering the second round!”

Just as Xuan Jiuding murmured to himself, a violent aura suddenly burst forth from Li Yue beside him. Staring at the young man who was showing off not far away, his face was filled with intense hatred.

Before the commencement of the Countries Hidden Dragon Conference, Li Yue had many concerns, but now that they were at the site of the competition, he, who had never admitted to be less talented than Yun Xiao, naturally had no need for concerns.

”Oh?”

Hearing this, Xuan Jiuding was intrigued and nodded slowly. He couldn’t stand Yun Xiao hogging the limelight because, as the Crown Prince of the Xuanyue Empire, he should be the most dazzling figure.

Swoosh!

Having received Xuan Jiuding’s consent, Li Yue didn’t waste any time, fearing that the few nobodies would be dealt with by Yun Xiao if he delayed.

On the battlefield, Yun Xiao no longer paid any attention to the expressions of those five people. As long as they stopped obstructing him, there was no need to be ruthless.

”Hm?”

However, just as Yun Xiao was passing by those pale-faced men, a familiar figure appeared in front of him. As he looked up, he instantly recognized who it was.

”Li Yue?!”

Yun Xiao was by no means unfamiliar with this figure. Ever since the King’s birthday celebration, he had borne a grudge against this top talent from the Qingshan Sect.

Later, when the Qingshan Sect came to provoke the Jade Pot Sect, hoping to intimidate them, they were caught off-guard by Yun Xiao’s timely return and suffered the loss of two major players. For the Countries Hidden Dragon Conference, Li Yue became the only talent left from their sect.

It was said that foes are particularly resentful when they meet. Li Yue wasn’t going to blame his own sect for what happened; he only knew that it was the kid in front of him who had foiled his sect’s plans, and now it was time to make him pay.

”You idiots, what are you staring at?”

Seeing that the five people on the other side seemed a bit dazed, Li Yue felt they were hopeless and could only remind them with a shout, causing them to perk up, their faces lighting up with joy.

They could sense that this was a late-stage Meridian Union Realm super talent, much stronger than themselves. They couldn’t understand why such an extraordinary and unacquainted talent would suddenly come to their aid.

However, with the opportunity to advance to the next round before them, they did not dare to delay. They were originally destined to eliminate one amongst themselves, but now they could all advance together, which was a joy for everyone.

They hurriedly rushed in without thinking too much about the implications, and Yun Xiao did not stop them, as he already had a clear idea that there was only one spot left.

”Since this guy has come out on his own, let him regret it for life!”

A cold sneer flashed in Yun Xiao’s eyes. He never had a good impression of this talent from the Qingshan Sect. Now that he had advanced to the Mid Stage of Meridian Union Realm, dealing with this guy probably wouldn’t take much effort at all.

But Li Yue had no idea how foolish it was to force himself into the spotlight. He only knew that as the number one talent of the Qingshan Sect and a genuine late-stage Meridian Union Realm cultivator, with all his skills utilised, Yun Xiao stood no chance against him.

Aside from Li Yue, the interested parties such as Shen Wannian and Ye Shimei watching the standoff were also showing an intrigued expression. They wanted to see what real skills this young man, who once had dealings with them, possessed.

After all, back in Moon Cool City, Yun Xiao only managed to make them retreat by leveraging the Vein Demon and the Jing Yu Army. Now without external aid, his true capabilities should become apparent, right?