Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor

”Yun Xiao! Yun Xiao!”

The Yinfeng Sect Leader, Yan Zong, paced back and forth within his room, incessantly muttering a name. His tone was a mix of grinding teeth and a hint of obscure fear, a confluence of diverse emotions.

It seemed that Yan Zong now knew the person he had encountered at the Xuanyue Imperial Family was none other than Yun Xiao. After that meeting, Xuan Haoran had cleared Yun Xiao’s name, for he was the benefactor who brought his precious son back from the brink of death.

At the time Yan Zong learned of the truth, he wasn’t particularly worried. After all, Yun Xiao was merely at the Meridian Rushing Realm back then.

Moreover, the overall strength of the Yinfeng Sect was not much weaker than that of the Jade Pot Sect. Their formidable Poison Meridian Skill was enough to deter many powerful sects from provoking the Yinfeng Sect recklessly.

But what Yan Zong never anticipated was that in just over a year, the youth who could only rely on the Imperial Family’s power to drive him out of the Imperial Palace had grown so tremendously strong.

Alone with a sword, he annihilated three major families in the Imperial City within a month, causing even the Royal Family to hesitate before breaking off relations. Such dominance, how could Yinfeng Sect possibly withstand it?

If it were just Yun Xiao’s superior Meridian Qi Cultivation Combat Power, that might be bearable. But thinking of the young man’s unparalleled Meridian Refining Technique, along with the ability to neutralize Earth Rank poisons, sent chills down Yan Zong’s spine.

The Yinfeng Sect held a vast reputation, attributed to their unassailable Poison Meridian Skill. If even this deterrence was rendered ineffective, they would be like a tiger without its teeth, unable to pose any threat.

Even with his confidence, Yan Zong could not claim his poisons were more potent than the Earth Rank ones. Since Yun Xiao could easily neutralize those, wouldn’t his Advanced Spiritual Rank poisons be effortlessly resolved, as if merely tickling?

Now, Yan Zong could only pray that Lord Yun Xiao would not hold grudges against lesser beings, and have a capacity for tolerance as vast as that of a prime minister. Perhaps then the Yinfeng Sect could rest easy.

”Hehe, to hear Yan Zong muttering my name late at night, truly I am flattered beyond expectation!”

However, just as Yan Zong’s murmur ceased, a hearty voice suddenly came from outside his room door. The voice, utterly unmasked, was clear enough for all the other Yinfeng Sect cultivators in the Yinfeng Courtyard to hear.

”Who dares to trespass into my Yinfeng Courtyard so brazenly? Do you have a death wish?”

The Elders of the Yinfeng Sect, accustomed to swaggering and acting superior daily, had developed an arrogance that looked down on everyone. Since the visitor did not announce his identity but dared to speak so boldly in the Yinfeng Courtyard, a loud shout of outrage immediately erupted.

Hearing this voice, Yan Zong’s shock was no small matter. He thought to himself, ”My Great Elder, the person speaking is an ancestor of ours, can’t you recognize the voice as familiar? This could lead the entire Yinfeng Sect into the brink of destruction.”

”Guards, why haven’t you captured this thief who sneaks into the Yinfeng Courtyard at night?”

The Great Elder of the Yinfeng Sect, seemingly oblivious to the identity behind the voice, called out again, and swiftly, from various parts of the Yinfeng Courtyard, figures with powerful auras emerged.

”Ji Tongshan, shut your mouth immediately!”

As the Great Elder led other Elders and numerous guards out to capture the intruder, a roaring shout suddenly echoed from within the Sect Leader’s room, resounding straight to the heavens, especially clear in the dark of night.

This roaring voice stopped the Great Elder Ji Tongshan and the rest of the Elders and guards in their tracks—they could recognize it as the Sect Leader’s voice. But when did the Sect Leader start referring to himself as ”old man”?

Whoosh!

The door to the Sect Leader’s room was briskly pulled open from the inside, and Yan Zong stepped out with large strides, ignoring the astonished looks from Great Elder Ji Tongshan and the guards. Instead, he bowed respectfully to a certain direction.

”Sect Leader Yu Shu and Brother Yun Xiao gracing the Yinfeng Courtyard with your esteemed presence, it is my fault for not coming out to welcome you in advance, please forgive me!”

As everyone looked on in stunned silence, Yan Zong’s respectful voice rang out once more. When one of the names reached the ears of the Yinfeng people, their complexions all turned deathly white in an instant.

”Is it... is it Yun Xiao who has come?”

Especially the Great Elder Ji Tongshan of the Yinfeng Sect, who had just vowed to capture the ”thief,” trembled uncontrollably at the thought of the young man’s ferocity, his legs so weak that he nearly knelt on the ground.

Who was that person? He was none other than the ruthless one who, armed with nothing but a sword, erased three major Imperial City families within a month, causing even the Royal Family to not act rashly. Ridiculously, Ji Tongshan had thought of apprehending such a man, wasn’t that tantamount to courting death?

Swoosh! Swoosh!

As Yan Zong’s words fell, two figures finally appeared on the empty ground in front of the Sect Leader’s room. One of them, dressed in coarse clothes, carrying a Wooden Sword on his back, was none other than Yun Xiao from the Jade Pot Sect, who had made such a deep impression during the day.

For some reason, upon seeing Yun Xiao, all the cultivators of the Yinfeng Sect, even to the point of ignoring the true Sect Leader of the Jade Pot Sect, Yu Shu, had eyes only for that monstrous youth of the Jade Pot Sect.

Unconsciously, a large space emptied around Ji Tongshan, the Great Elder of the Yinfeng Sect, who had until moments ago been at the center of attention like the moon surrounded by stars, as the elders and guards now frantically scattered as if fleeing from the plague.

They joked, if Yun Xiao, that ruthless individual, struck out because of Ji Tongshan’s words just now, wouldn’t these cultivators clustered around him suffer the fate of the innocent bystander?

The precedent set by the three major families of the Imperial City frightened the Yinfeng Sect; although powerful, their overall strength was only comparable to that of the three major families.

And setting aside the daunting Poison Meridian Skill, it’s feared their number of top experts may even fall short of that of the three major families; how could they dare compete with Yun Xiao, who had decimated those very families?

”What’s he doing at our Jade Pot Courtyard?”

Some of the more astute individuals, such as the elders of the Yinfeng Sect, all had this suspicion arise in their minds. Their gaze then shifted to Sect Leader Yan Zong, recalling an incident from over a year ago.

”Could it be because Sect Leader once offended Yun Xiao? This is troublesome!”

These elders of the Yinfeng Sect naturally knew about the incident at the Xuanyue Palace from years ago. Yan Zong, who had been expelled from the palace, bore a deep-seated hatred for Yun Xiao, once disguised as Bo Ku, and vowed to poison him to ashes.

The fact that Bo Ku was Yun Xiao became well known to these elders, so they naturally assumed Yun Xiao was here to settle old scores.

At this moment, many elders of the Yinfeng Sect held considerable resentment towards the Sect Leader, cursing inwardly for offending such a scourge. Now it seemed likely that the Yinfeng Sect might follow the same fate as the three major families of the Imperial City.

”Wow, the Yinfeng Sect really went all out to welcome us master and disciple, indeed quite a show!”

Yun Xiao, who revealed himself, showed no sense of being surrounded, his face still carried a light smile, yet his words made Sect Leader Yan Zong suddenly look somewhat embarrassed.

”What are you still standing here for? All of you back off!”

Yan Zong glared fiercely at Ji Tongshan who caused trouble, letting out a stern shout, making all guards dare not even breathe as they receded like the tide.

Those guards probably knew if Yun Xiao truly wanted to act against them, they wouldn’t last a single move, even with their advantage in numbers, but could they outmatch the three major families of the Imperial City?

”Brother Yun Xiao, my subordinates were unaware and have offended you, please be magnanimous and don’t stoop to their level!”

Sect Leader Yan Zong, with a face full of rage, turned around already wearing a full smile, changing expressions so swiftly it was breathtaking, making Yun Xiao somewhat doubt if the face he planned to borrow could possibly mimic with such likeness.

”Long time no see, Sect Leader Yan Zong, you still carry your old charm!”

Yun Xiao said with a somewhat mocking smile, uttering these seemingly nutritiousless words, before continuing, ”My disciple and I have come today with a request, and I hope Sect Leader doesn’t decline!”

As his words fell, Yun Xiao already stepped towards the Sect Leader of Yinfeng Sect’s room, and the shrewd Yan Zong immediately followed, closing the door tightly after Yu Shu also entered the room.

”Great Elder, what do you think Yun Xiao wants from Sect Leader?”

Seeing that Yun Xiao seemed to have no intention of pursuing the matter, the many elders of the Yinfeng Sect gathered again around Ji Tongshan. The Great Elder of the Yinfeng Sect, however, still seemed slightly shaken.

”How would I know?”

The unsettled Ji Tongshan cursed irritably, but his eyes also filled with curiosity as they turned towards that room door.

Given the domineering nature of Yun Xiao and the Jade Pot Sect, saying they were there to ask something of Yan Zong was something these Yinfeng Sect elders absolutely didn’t believe. If they wanted something, they could have simply forced their way, why bother asking?

This had been the modus operandi of the Yinfeng Sect in the past, yet even if you lent Ji Tongtian and the others a pluck of courage, they would not dare to eavesdrop outside Yan Zong’s room. If they irked Yun Xiao, the Yinfeng Sect might really suffer the fate of the three major families of the Imperial City.

As for Yun Xiao who entered the room, he paid no heed to Yan Zong’s attentiveness, directly walking to the table, pouring a cup of tea, and drinking it as if entering his own home.

One must remember this was the Yinfeng Courtyard; any cultivators without deep relationships who entered here wouldn’t dare to touch, let alone consume, any food or drink.

Yun Xiao’s actions were also a warning against Yan Zong playing any tricks. Compared to the Meridian Qi Cultivation Combat Power, his proficiency in the Meridian Refining Technique would likely be no less than that of the Yinfeng Sect Leader.