Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor

Yun Xiao grandly proclaimed his quest for the Four Dragon Flags, yet Demon Suppressing Mountain, large as it wasn’t, and small as it couldn’t quite be called, left everyone wondering—where exactly had Elder Meng Liyang of Demons Mountain hidden the Sixteen Dragon Flags?

Over the past several days, Yun Xiao had led three companions in aimless wandering through the mountains, but they hadn’t found a single Dragon Flag; instead, they encountered talented individuals from various empires.

Yet even though these talents noticed Yun Xiao and Ling Wan’s unassuming strengths, they refrained from attacking. First, they were unsure whether this group even had any Dragon Flags on them, and secondly, Yun Xiao’s impressive performance at the foot of the mountain had left them quite wary.

Before being certain of defeating their enemies, none of the geniuses who entered the second round were fools. Everything was secondary to their primary goal—finding the Dragon Flags.

Hoo-hoo...

That afternoon, Yun Xiao’s group finally arrived at a bizarre-looking cave. Worth mentioning was that from within this cave, there blew an intensely hot wind, as though there lay some blazing entity inside.

”Hey, this place is so peculiar; it indeed looks like a place where a Dragon Flag would be.”

After sensing the hot wind for a moment, an excited smile appeared on Yun Xiao’s face. He then turned to Mo Qing and proposed, ”Sister Mo Qing, given your Fire Attribute constitution, why don’t you take the lead?”

”Okay!”

Mo Qing did not refuse. Indeed, her constitution was that of the Pure Yang Immortal Body, and after being activated by Yun Xiao twice, she had faintly felt that her Meridian Qi contained a trace of the ultimate Fire Attribute.

With Mo Qing, at the Late Stage of Meridian Union Realm, leading the way, the rest followed. Once they entered, the scorching heat within the cave intensified, curling their hair and beards.

”Eh? It seems someone has got a head start!”

After about the time it takes half an incense stick to burn, Yun Xiao sensed an unusual presence and immediately cautioned the others. However, they weren’t too concerned, as running into geniuses from various empires within Demon Suppressing Mountain was as normal as it could get.

However, upon reaching the end of the cave, the group sighted no trace of outsiders. At this point, Yun Xiao’s thoughts had already shifted elsewhere.

”Sister Mo Qing, go grab that Dragon Flag!”

Yun Xiao’s eyes brightened as he pointed to a fluttering flag not far away. The flag, seemingly not too large, was embroidered with a golden thread in the pattern of a giant dragon—undoubtedly one of the Dragon Flags mentioned by Meng Liyang.

”Be careful!”

Though the Dragon Flag appeared to stand forlornly, Yun Xiao still whispered a word of caution. Besides the earlier, peculiar aura of people, he had sensed another extremely powerful presence.

Upon hearing this, Mo Qing did not hesitate. Aware that her three companions were quite reliable—and even Liu Hanyi would unlikely vie with her at this moment—she dashed towards the Dragon Flag.

”Squeak!”

Just then, a black shadow flashed out of the shadows, its gaping maw shocking even Ling Wan and Liu Hanyi.

Nevertheless, Mo Qing was well prepared, knowing the Dragon Flag would not be easily taken. She was a bona fide Meridian Refining Master, with formidable Soul Power, and over recent times, had advanced to the level of a Low Level Spiritual Rank Meridian Refiner.

The moment Mo Qing darted forward, she had sensed the presence in the shadows, her pounce a feint designed to lure out the hidden assailant.

Whoosh!

As Mo Qing advanced, her body suddenly traced a graceful arc, embodying an indescribable beauty and smoothly evading the shadowy attacker, suffering not a single scratch.

However, once Mo Qing calmed down and everyone got a clear look at the shadowy figure, their faces grew uneasy—it was a huge black snake that seemed oddly familiar to Yun Xiao.

”Unbelievable, it’s a Peak Fifth Rank Purple Crowned Black Snake, and it looks set to break through to the Sixth Rank soon!”

Yun Xiao’s face became solemn. Upon initially entering the Demon World, he had encountered a Purple Crowned Black Snake, but that one was only at the Advanced Fourth Rank and was easily dealt with.

But this snake before him, both in size and aura, was several times larger than the one at Fourth Rank. Even the purple crown on its head seemed on the verge of bursting, a clear sign of nearing a breakthrough to the Sixth Rank.

”A Vein Demon about to step into the Sixth Rank, this is troubling!”

As Mo Qing turned her head, she too sensed the Purple Crowned Black Snake’s aura. With her knowledge, she recognized the serpent’s capabilities, and her face turned exceedingly grim.

Even though Mo Qing possesses the Pure Yang Immortal Body, and even though she has already achieved a breakthrough to the Late Stage of Meridian Union Realm, facing a Vein Demon of this level, she would presumably still be far from an opponent.

The combat power of a Vein Demon, inherently, is not something equal-ranked humans can contend with, and Mo Qing is not Yun Xiao, whose capability to fight across ranks is much weaker by comparison, not to mention the enormous disparity in their Meridian Qi.

”Senior Sister Mo Qing, your goal is the Dragon Flag, not to engage in a prolonged battle with this big fellow for three hundred rounds!”

As Mo Qing harbored fear at heart, a voice suddenly came from behind, prompting a shift in her mind. She thought that getting the Dragon Flag might be much easier compared to defeating this big fellow.

If Mo Qing’s mission this time required her to slay this half-advanced Sixth Rank Vein Demon, she probably wouldn’t be able to do it, regardless of her efforts, and might even risk losing her life.

But merely getting that Dragon Flag would be much simpler. After receiving a reminder from Yun Xiao, Mo Qing made a swift decision. With a flicker of her form, she employed a strange movement technique and unexpectedly bypassed the Purple Crowned Black Snake blocking her path.

”Squeak!”

Seeing itself being disregarded by this lowly human woman, the Purple Crowned Black Snake roared in anger. Then, its massive tail was already viciously sweeping towards Mo Qing.

Although there were several helpers nearby, this time, neither Yun Xiao nor Liu Hanyi made a move. Although obtaining the Dragon Flag would allow for its distribution, unless absolutely necessary, they still hoped that Mo Qing could secure the Dragon Flag with her own strength.

How formidable a half-step Sixth Rank Vein Demon was—if its tail strike hit Mo Qing’s body, it could lightly bisect her body at the waist.

Therefore, under no circumstances could Mo Qing allow that tail to hit her. Somehow using a movement technique, she suddenly twisted out of the way, and the tail strike of the black snake missed.

Seeing this, the Purple Crowned Black Snake became even more enraged. This lowly human woman dared to disregard it so; it must teach her a harsh lesson.

After a tail swipe, the Purple Crowned Spirit Snake opened its mouth wide, immediately spraying out several streaks of pitch-black liquid. As it sliced through the air, there was a hissing sound.

”Senior Sister Mo Qing, be careful, that snake spit is extremely poisonous!”

Even Ling Wan noticed this and promptly called out a warning. However, as a Meridian Refining Master, how could Mo Qing not be on guard against such things?

However, as Mo Qing dodged the highly toxic snake spit, she found herself getting farther away from the Dragon Flag. Stealing an item from the clutches of a half-step Sixth Rank Vein Demon was indeed not that easy.

The Purple Crowned Black Snake’s venom was indeed powerful. Although it didn’t hit Mo Qing, when it struck the stalwart walls of the cave, it eroded two large holes in the wall. One could only imagine how miserable it would be if human flesh came in contact with it.

Whoosh!

However, at this moment, as the Purple Crowned Black Snake forced Mo Qing back, with its sinister snake eyes keeping the latter from acting recklessly, another sound of breaking wind came. Immediately afterward, a dark figure shot towards the Dragon Flag with the rapidity of lightning.

Sensing the change here, whether it was Mo Qing, Liu Hanyi, or Ling Wan, they all changed their expressions drastically. At this moment, how could they not understand what happened—it was someone else taking advantage of the situation.

”Damn it, how could I have forgotten this!”

Both Liu Hanyi and Mo Qing were filled with regret. In fact, Yun Xiao did remind them after entering the cave, but later on, after seeing the Dragon Flag and battling the Purple Crowned Black Snake, they naturally forgot.

If taking advantage of this moment, that despicable person got the Dragon Flag, it would be difficult to snatch it back again. But that person’s speed was so fast that even the Purple Crowned Black Snake failed to respond in time—how could they?

”Heh, couldn’t resist anymore, could you?”

Just as Liu Hanyi and Mo Qing looked grim, a chuckle suddenly came from an angle. Following that, they saw a burst of blood-red flames lighting up beside the Dragon Flag, illuminating the face of the one who tried to reap the profits, making it clear as day.

That was an extremely flushed young face. Even under the illumination of the blood-red light, the face was so red it seemed unnatural, as if the blood vessels within were about to burst open, spilling the blood in all directions.

However, upon seeing the blood-red flames, the initially smug expression on the flushed youth’s face vanished instantly because he knew if he didn’t stop now, the blood-red flames would likely assail his body.

Previously, at the foot of Demon Suppressing Mountain, Yun Xiao had used these blood-red flames. Even Li Yue, who was in the Late Stage of Meridian Union Realm, dared not take it head-on. This observation was naturally not lost on the flushed youth.

Being so cautious as to lurk aside for such a long time and only desperately striking when the optimal opportunity came, the flushed youth was naturally very careful. The Dragon Flag was certainly important, but his own life was even more so. At such a moment, it was best to prioritize self-preservation.

Whoosh!

The flushed youth was indeed quick to react. As his figure abruptly halted, he flipped in the air, and in just an instant, he was several meters away from the blood-red flames.

But by doing so, his plan to be the opportunistic ’yellow sparrow’ was unavoidably foiled. Moreover, after flipping over and seeing that the blood-red flames didn’t follow, his expression turned extremely ugly.