Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor

”Yun Xiao, we admit defeat, please show mercy!”

Just as Xuan Jiuding hesitated slightly and Yun Xiao started to make his move, a tense voice suddenly echoed from the high platform to the north, unmistakably coming from the King Xuan Haoran of Xuanyue Country.

Xuan Jiuding, after all, is the son whom Xuan Haoran values the most. Even if he loses this battle, Xuan Haoran does not want to see him die a wrongful death, hence he couldn’t help but speak out.

However, though Xuan Haoran spoke out loudly, he didn’t hold much confidence in his heart. Having observed Yun Xiao over this period, he realized that he knew far too little about him, especially his temperament which was not something others could easily figure out.

The words from his father, coming from afar, caused the light in Xuan Jiuding’s eyes to dim immediately, for he understood that with his father’s words, his participation in the Countries Hidden Dragon Conference had essentially come to an end.

Yet at this moment, Xuan Jiuding was not tangled up in these thoughts. Instead, he worried whether Yun Xiao, who had already raised his hand, would spare his life considering King Xuan Haoran’s words.

The final showdown of the Hidden Dragon Conference wasn’t just about admitting defeat and pleading for mercy to make the opponent stop; unless one preemptively jumped off the platform, that was the only way to escape unscathed after a defeat.

Xuan Jiuding believed, considering his previous actions towards Yun Xiao, that the young man would most likely not spare his life, thus he nervously awaited Yun Xiao’s verdict.

Listening to Xuan Haoran’s words, the right hand that Yun Xiao held up indeed paused for a moment, which brought a fleeting joy to the heart of the King of Xuanyue. But the next moment, he watched as Yun Xiao’s right hand came down, catching him off guard again.

Puff puff puff puff...

Yun Xiao’s descending right hand did not, as everyone imagined, smash Xuan Jiuding’s head with a strike but instead lightly spun around, poking numerous times in the chest and abdomen area of the Crown Prince.

Moments later, Yun Xiao withdrew his fingers, a trace of unusual satisfaction flashing in his eyes, and then he stepped back several meters, watching the Xuanyue Crown Prince with great interest.

”Yun... Yun Xiao, what... what did you do to me?”

Although he did not feel anything amiss in his body, Xuan Jiuding still asked somewhat anxiously; he was convinced that Yun Xiao’s earlier actions were not without purpose.

Moreover, Xuan Jiuding knew that with his own previous actions, Yun Xiao had no reason to so easily spare him. Thinking of certain possibilities, he even faintly felt that it was a method more terrifying than death.

”Crown Prince, you need not worry. The Meridian Technique I just used is called ’Absolute Spirit Stabilizing Pulse Hand’; it absolutely will not affect your life!”

Yun Xiao flicked his right hand and finally looked up. Although his words were warm, they only felt like falling into an ice cellar to Xuan Jiuding.

Actually, whether it’s Xuan Jiuding or the surrounding cultivators, even the high-rankers from Tenglong Continent on the northern platform, none had heard of this so-called ”Absolute Spirit Stabilizing Pulse Hand,” nor did they know its effect.

But with Yun Xiao speaking in such a tone, nobody thought it was a simple Meridian Technique. Even individuals like Qian Sanyuan and Meng Liyang guessed some clues from the name.

Seeing the confusion among the audience, Yun Xiao did not keep them in suspense. Without waiting for Xuan Jiuding to ask, he loudly clarified, ”Actually, this is a method to lock the Meridian Qi, the ’Absolute Spirit’ means to sever the path of Cultivation beyond the Spirit Vein Realm; for ones entire life, cultivation can at most reach only the Half-step Spirit Vein Realm!”

”What? There’s actually such a method!!”

Upon hearing Yun Xiao’s words, Xuan Jiuding’s face turned deathly pale in an instant, while the onlookers burst into a tumultuous uproar, their gazes filled with extreme fear towards the young man in plain clothes on the platform.

Even some geniuses from smaller empires internally marked Yun Xiao as someone not to be provoked at all. This was not only because Yun Xiao had made it to the final battle of the Hidden Dragon Conference with his battle prowess, but also due to those methods that made living worse than death.

Yes, worse than death!

If it were true as Yun Xiao stated, being subjected to his Absolute Spirit Stabilizing Pulse Hand would mean one could never break through to the Spirit Vein Realm level for their whole life, wouldn’t that be even more painful than an ordinary person who couldn’t cultivate at all?

Especially for a genius like Xuan Jiuding, who could normally break through to the Spirit Vein Realm within a year and stand on equal footing with the older generation of strong contenders.

But now, just with one use of his Meridian Technique, Yun Xiao had cruelly blocked Xuan Jiuding’s path to advancing to the Spirit Vein Realm, possibly making his pain far greater than that of an ordinary non-cultivating person.

”This kid really refuses to suffer losses. With such tactics, there probably won’t be many who dare provoke him from now on, right?”

Jade Pot Sect Master Yu Shu had a smile on his face. He had never had any good feelings towards the Xuanyue Crown Prince who planned to steal the Sect Treasure of the Jade Pot Sect, but he simply did not have any evidence to confront him directly.

What Yu Shu and several Great Elders did not know was that the very same Sect Treasure of the Jade Pot Sect, previously stolen by Xuan Jiuding, was now properly strung on Yun Xiao’s back.

In any case, this battle had immensely gratified the Jade Pot Sect, as they never imagined Yun Xiao could come this far, nearly reaching the true peak of the younger generation across the entire Hidden Dragon Continent.

It could be said that Yun Xiao, step by step, through one battle after another, was continuously rewriting the history of both the Jade Pot Sect and the entire Xuanyue Empire.

If Yun Xiao truly won the champion of this Hidden Dragon Conference, his name would likely spread across every corner of the Hidden Dragon Continent at an astounding speed, and together with it, the Jade Pot Sect would become well-known by all cultivators across the continent.

Not to mention these Jade Pot Sect members who were extremely delighted due to Yun Xiao’s victory, the explanation of Absolute Spirit Stabilizing Pulse Hand by Yun Xiao had just ended, and he nonchalantly turned his head to look at Xuanyue Country’s King, Xuan Haoran, who had spoken earlier.

”Your Majesty, considering your request, should this count as me being merciful?”

On Yun Xiao’s face, there wasn’t a trace of embarrassment, as if he was genuinely responding to Xuan Haoran’s earlier remark about ”being merciful”, and at first glance, this comment seemed flawless.

However, the expressions on everyone’s faces were quite odd; obviously, this was akin to gaining an advantage and still pretending to be virtuous. They even doubted whether they would choose the opportunity to be hit by Absolute Spirit Stabilizing Pulse Hand, given a choice between that and losing their life.

”Father, kill him! Kill Yun Xiao!”

Just as Xuan Haoran was unsure how to respond, a piercing roar suddenly came from the platform above, issued by Xuan Jiuding. After a moment of stupor, he seemed to finally realize what being stricken by Absolute Spirit Stabilizing Pulse Hand meant for him.

If it truly led to consequences as Yun Xiao had suggested, then not only would Xuan Jiuding be unable to breakthrough, but he might also need to hand over the succession of the Xuanyue Country’s leadership to someone else, never mind gaining favor from the bigwigs of Tenglong Continent.

The onlookers simply thought that Yun Xiao had cut off Xuan Jiuding’s path of cultivation; they didn’t consider the deeper impact. This was a devastating blow that sent Xuan Jiuding plunging into an abyss from which he could never recover.

Xuan Jiuding had always been ambitious and considered himself the most talented and capable person in the history of the Xuanyue Royal Family, believing that once he took over the Xuanyue Empire, he could usher it into unprecedented splendor and glory.

But now, all that had turned into an illusion; how could someone who couldn’t even break through the Spirit Vein Realm possibly take over the leadership of the Xuanyue Empire and lead the empire against enemies?

All that had come to pass was due to Yun Xiao, so the resentful and slightly panicked Xuan Jiuding, at this moment, began to speak without filter.

However, Xuan Jiuding still retained a bit of reason, knowing that in his severely injured state, he could not possibly contend with Yun Xiao, so he could only seek help from his ”all-capable” father.

Unfortunately, while the King’s words in the Xuanyue Empire carried immense weight, which no one dared to disobey, this time it happened at the site of the Hidden Dragon Conference where he was seated alongside nine other heads of Tenglong Continent, who held far more power and status than he.

”Haoran, as a crown prince, is this truly your bearing?”

Qian Sanyuan was naturally on Yun Xiao’s side, so upon hearing Xuan Jiuding’s roar, he frowned and spoke severely, and this time, he was far from being polite.

The saying goes, like father, like son; since Xuan Jiuding is a poor loser, could Xuan Haoran be the same? Qian Sanyuan pondered this in his mind.

In reality, Xuan Haoran and Xuan Jiuding’s temperaments were entirely different; perhaps one was a conqueror while the other a defender. At this moment, Xuan Jiuding’s utterly discomposed behavior was something Xuan Haoran had never witnessed before.

In front of his father Xuan Haoran, Xuan Jiuding had always presented himself as respectful and polite, even significant events unfolding within the empire couldn’t usually disturb him much; this was also why Xuan Haoran intended for Jiuding to inherit the empire.

Yet now, seeing Xuan Jiuding ranting on the platform like a shrew, as Qian Sanyuan stated, where was there any dignity like that of a crown prince? How was this different from those shameless gamblers who refused to admit their losses?

”Jiuding, get down!”

Xuan Haoran, being despondent due to his son’s locked cultivation and reproached by Qian Sanyuan, was naturally in a bad mood. His loud shout contained the Peak Meridian Qi of the Spirit Vein Realm, causing some low-level practitioners to experience ringing in their ears.

”Father...”

Xuan Jiuding was also jolted, and then turned his head incredulously towards his always affectionate father, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. At this moment, a noble figure involuntarily appeared in his mind.