Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor

”The Seventh Elder of Wuyan Palace... escaped?”

Watching Zhang Daohe’s silhouette disappear into the distance, everyone was dumbstruck. He was a prestigious Late Stage Earth Bending Realm expert, the Seventh Elder of Wuyan Palace, and yet he fled so desperately?

Perhaps only the keen-minded realized how decisive Zhang Daohe’s escape was; any further delay would have likely closed the door to survival.

Yun Xiao had just slain Zhao Huai’an and Zong Puti, not to mention the rat-shaped Vein Demon and the Demons Mountain elder, Ge Wanli. Zhang Daohe’s odds were no more than ten percent.

It was nonetheless astounding that such a renowned elder from Wuyan Palace was frightened by a mere boy.

Everyone shifted their gaze from Zhang Daohe’s disappearing figure back to Yun Xiao, feelings full of surprise. This young man could no longer be seen as a mere prodigy of the younger generation from this day forward.

”Thank you, Elder Ge, for your assistance!”

Yun Xiao cupped his fists toward Ge Wanli, recalling the elder’s assistance twice, determined to repay the kindness when he had the chance.

Now, however, Yun Xiao turned toward the water and fire-encased hall without hesitation, heading directly to the hall’s entrance without anyone impeding him.

Neither Ge Wanli nor Jia Tianshu, Wu Tong, or the ordinary cultivators dared to stop him as they watched that coarse-clothed youth approach the hall’s door.

Swoosh!

Entering the first layer of the invisible fire curtain, everyone heard only a light sound, causing no harm to him.

Whoosh, whoosh!

The water curtain and fire curtain were not far apart. As the crowd saw the coarse-clothed youth stride through, the water curtain parted to both sides, sudden realization hitting them.

”That guy indeed possesses dual attributes of water and fire!”

Given previous experiences, the crowd speculated as such. The hall encircled by water and fire curtains was such a mystery, with their power killing many cultivators.

Fire Attribute cultivators could pass through the first fire curtain but would perish in the second water one. Yun Xiao had something entirely different.

”Xiao Sheng, what should we do now?”

Having made a wrong decision earlier, Divine Enlightenment Sect Elder Jia Tianshu turned to ask the young man beside him, seeming uncertain.

”Haha, I’ve already found plenty of treasures; let Yun Xiao have whatever’s inside the hall!”

Just as Nie Xiaosheng was about to speak, loud laughter came from a certain location, revealing Demons Mountain elder Ge Wanli seated cross-legged near the hall entrance.

Everyone understood Ge Wanli’s stance. Though he’s a Beast Vein Master with a fire attribute Ancestor Vein, he’s not dual-attributed, struggling to enter.

Ge Wanli’s actions conveyed a message: that entry into the hall to compete over treasures meant enmity with Yun Xiao.

Anyone wanting to confront Yun Xiao must first gauge their ability. Zhao Huai’an, Zong Puti, and Zhang Daohe were clear warnings.

”Forget it, let’s yield to him for now!”

Seeing Ge Wanli’s action, Nie Xiaosheng sighed, turning his eyes toward Firewood Valley, where three figures sat, understanding Wu Tong’s decision.

Situations like this favored Yun Xiao even if they suspected Water Palace hid the most important treasures. No one had confidence against Yun Xiao, the terrifying young man.

Moreover, lacking the Water Attribute, Chi Yan didn’t enter the hall, thus guarding the Water and Fire Hall. Entry required overcoming the rat-shaped Vein Demon.

That Vein Demon was Ninth Rank low level; anyone beneath Earth Bending Realm wouldn’t dare claim superiority, even those in Middle Stage like Jia Tianshu and Wu Tong were uncertain.

Amid unseen deterrent forces, Yun Xiao was the only one to enter the Water and Fire Hall, aside from sparse dual-attribute cultivators, primarily due to strength’s intimidation.

When they first arrived at Yanji Lake, no one expected this outcome. Imagined fierce competition among Earth Bending Realm experts, yet Yun Xiao emerged.”

The crowd’s minds replayed Yun Xiao’s combat moves, rendering the hall’s exterior eerily quiet.

...

Just as Yun Xiao entered the hall, he saw an ordinary hall before him. Once the door closed behind him, his gaze turned to the innermost part of the hall.

”What is that?”

Yun Xiao murmured, seeing an invisible flame floating in the air. Although it was invisible, with Yun Xiao’s sensing ability, that blazing heat couldn’t be hidden.

”How peculiar!”

However, after sensing the invisible flame for a moment, Yun Xiao noticed something curious, as the flame didn’t seem purely of the Fire Attribute. It also contained a hint of... Water Attribute?

If ordinary cultivators outside knew of this thought, they would probably laugh till their teeth fell out. How could a flame contain the Water Attribute? They are mutually exclusive and can never merge!

But Yun Xiao was extremely confident in his sensing ability; he was sure he wasn’t mistaken. As he stepped forward, drawing closer to the invisible flame, his conviction only grew stronger.

”Could this be the so-called Wuyan?”

Yun Xiao recalled hearing that the Wuyan Palace had a Holy Fire No Flame, so this thought immediately came to mind. Yet he shook his head, thinking that the Holy Fire No Flame should exist in the current headquarters of Wuyan Palace. How could it appear here?

”If it’s not the Holy Fire No Flame, then what is this flame with the Water Attribute?”

Circling the invisible flame for a long time, Yun Xiao was puzzled, then suddenly felt something. He sensed a pair of extremely fiery eyes within himself.

”This is the Chaos Fire, or rather, a Chaos Sub-fire!”

The voice was naturally that of the Golden Snake Worm Xiao Wu, who hailed from a mysterious plane. His knowledge far exceeded that of Yun Xiao, the reincarnation of the Long Xiao Battle God. He spoke words that left Yun Xiao baffled.

”Chaos Fire? Chaos Sub-fire?”

Even though Yun Xiao heard these keywords clearly, he had never heard of Chaos Fire before. What benefits could such a thing bring him?

”You’re blind to treasure. Do you know how many top elites in the Li Yuan Realm desire the Chaos Fire? Even a single Chaos Sub-fire could spark wars among various factions!”

Seemingly sensing Yun Xiao’s thoughts, Xiao Wu glanced at him with disdain and said words that made Yun Xiao’s face instantly heat up.

”Legend has it that true Chaos Fire contains the Five Elements of Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth, along with other forces such as Storm, Thunder, and Darkness, each power reaching its extreme!”

Xiao Wu spoke eloquently, his words clarifying, ”The Chaos Sub-fire you see before you is likely formed from the Water Extreme. It’s still fundamentally a Water Attribute, which implies there might be other extremes, like Wood Extreme Fire or Gold Extreme Fire.”

The Golden Snake Worm Xiao Wu was indeed well-versed in these divine artifacts of the continent. His explanation immediately clarified for Yun Xiao why the invisible flame contained a Water Attribute; it was a Water Attribute Chaos Sub-fire.

”However, even if this is a Chaos Sub-fire, it seems to have been partially stripped, rendering its power imperfect. If I’m not mistaken, the Holy Fire No Flame of the Wuyan Palace is the part that was stripped away.”

Xiao Wu continued, addressing the doubts Yun Xiao had earlier. Now Yun Xiao also understood the true nature of the Holy Fire No Flame of the Wuyan Palace and realized why over the years, no palace master of the Wuyan Palace had successfully refined the Holy Fire No Flame.

In the Wuyan Palace, everyone cultivates Fire Attribute techniques. The so-called Holy Fire No Flame is actually a flame formed from the Water Extreme, and to truly refine it, one must possess a hint of Water Attribute.

Since this Water Extreme has already solidified into fire, a Water Attribute cultivator alone certainly can’t refine it. Recklessly attempting to refine it could result in being burned to nothingness by the flame’s power.

This indicates that the two water and fire curtains outside were not truly meant to kill but to prevent cultivators without Dual Attributes from entering this hall.

Since there’s only this one Chaos Sub-fire in the hall, any cultivator who enters might be unable to resist trying to refine it, leading to inevitable demise.

From this perspective, those who didn’t enter the hall are the fortunate ones. After all, refining this Chaos Sub-fire is exponentially harder than breaking through those water and fire curtains.

”Can I refine it?”

Yun Xiao seemed to be asking the Golden Snake Worm Xiao Wu or talking to himself. With those words, a touch of disdain flashed through Xiao Wu’s snake eyes.

”This is a Chaos Sub-fire. If you recklessly try to refine it, you might end up burned to nothingness!”

Xiao Wu’s snake eyes contained a trace of ridicule, and as he spoke, his tone suddenly changed with a hint of suggestion: ”But if you ask me, perhaps I could lend you a hand.”