Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor

Zhao Huaixian is the elder brother of Zhao Huai’an. Originally, the two brothers were not direct descendants of the Zhao Family, but merely a branch of it.

However, with their extraordinary talent, they forced their way into the Zhao Family’s inner circle, becoming two indispensable powerful elders of the Zhao Family.

Upon learning of Zhao Huai’an’s death at the bottom of Yanji Lake, Zhao Huaixian harbored a grudge, wishing to tear that little bastard Yun Xiao into pieces to quell the hatred in his heart, bringing peace to his brother’s spirit.

Now, with Yun Xiao not appearing, Zhao Huaixian had no outlet for his resentment, feeling as if his chest was about to explode, until he saw that fiery red mouse-shaped Vein Demon.

Although Chi Yan was only confronting Zhang Puti of Thunder Sound Mountain at the time, it was clear to everyone that it was Yun Xiao’s demon pet. With Zhao Ling’s reminder, Zhao Huaixian could no longer hold back.

As Yun Xiao hadn’t appeared and Yanji Lake was inaccessible, Zhao Huaixian decided to make Chi Yan his first target.

He didn’t care about rules such as bullying the weak with strength, and this attack was no different from an ambush.

With a shout, Zhao Huaixian’s mind was filled with the image of his brother, attacking with anger. He struck precisely when Chi Yan had exhausted its old force and had not yet generated new strength, delivering a punch to Chi Yan’s mouse belly with a loud sound.

Bang!

No matter how formidable Chi Yan’s physical strength was, Zhao Huai’an was indeed a legit Late Stage Earth Bending Realm expert.

Caught off guard by the ambush, Chi Yan’s entire mouse body was sent flying like a severed kite, directly into Yanji Lake.

Zhao Huaixian’s ambush was perfectly executed, severely injuring Chi Yan in an instant. Seeing this, Zhang Daohe couldn’t help but smile.

After all, it was a low-level Ninth Rank Vein Demon and Yun Xiao’s most powerful aide. If Zhao Huaixian hadn’t struck with anger, Zhang Daohe might not have been able to resist either.

Now, with the mouse-shaped Vein Demon severely injured, possibly even dead, it was equivalent to removing one of Yun Xiao’s arms. Without the help of this low-level Ninth Rank Vein Demon, the young man probably wouldn’t be able to make much of a splash.

Whoosh!

A fiery red stream of light flew backward into Yanji Lake, the massive mouse body in the air suddenly shrinking, clearly indicating Chi Yan was too seriously injured to maintain its strongest combat state.

”Hm? It’s not dead?”

But watching the mouse-shaped Vein Demon fly into the lake, Zhao Huaixian’s expression turned dark. He could sense the Vein Demon’s chaotic aura, but it showed no signs of immediate death, prompting him to make a decision.

Whoosh!

With extreme resentment in his heart, Zhao Huaixian lunged forward, tapping his toes on the lake’s surface a few times, reaching behind Chi Yan with a look of intent to finish it off.

Reaching the Late Stage of the Earth Bending Realm, although unable to fly, Water Walking was a breeze. With a foothold, they could glide on the lake, using movement techniques to linger above the water.

”You can only blame yourself for choosing the wrong master!”

Sensing the helpless mouse-shaped Vein Demon severely injured, Zhao Huaixian felt a sense of vengeance. The image of Yun Xiao seeing his beloved demon pet dead, heartbroken, flashed in his mind.

”Die!”

Zhao Huaixian raised his right palm high, with everyone watching. If that palm struck down, the low-level Ninth Rank mouse-shaped Vein Demon would die instantly.

Splash!

Suddenly, there was an unexpected change. A large splash of water erupted from the lake beneath Zhao Huaixian’s feet, a figure charging up from beneath the lake, accompanied by the aura of a Black Wood Sword.

”Is that... the Dragon Taming Sword?”

Many sharp-eyed onlookers immediately recognized the golden light emanating from a wooden sword, with a rough-clothed figure flashing in their minds, lost in thought.

They recalled that Zhao Huai’an of the Zhao Family had perished under that wooden sword in the Water and Fire Hall.

At the time, Zhao Huai’an had wielded the Qingming Sword, yet it couldn’t withstand a single strike from the Dragon Taming Sword. From then on, everyone truly appreciated the splendor of that Supreme Divine Weapon.

Now, as the Dragon Taming Sword emerged from the lake, could the rough-clothed youth named Yun Xiao be far behind?

All this happened in the blink of an eye, as the crowd recognized the Dragon Taming Sword. The tip of the wooden sword was already less than a foot away from between Zhao Huaixian’s sides.

”Elder Huai Xian, dodge quickly!”

Seeing this scene, the Zhao family’s prodigy, Zhao Ling, couldn’t help but shout out anxiously. He knew how sharp that Wooden Sword was, even Zhao Huai’an, who wielded the Qingming Sword, was cut in half by it. If Zhao Huaixian made a single careless move and got hit, wouldn’t he follow Zhao Huai’an’s fate?

In fact, if Zhao Huaixian dodged only upon hearing Zhao Ling’s warning, he might have been directly pierced by the Dragon Taming Sword.

It’s undeniable that this late stage Earth Bending Realm expert of the Zhao family was far superior in both reaction and speed compared to his brother. As soon as he sensed an unusual movement beneath him, he had already started to act.

At this critical moment, Zhao Huaixian didn’t dare confront the rodent-shaped Vein Demon first. Though he had never seen the Dragon Taming Sword, his usual vigilance made him shift to the left at the nick of time, avoiding the sudden strike.

Crash!

As the sound of water reached everyone’s ears, a figure glowing with water light emerged from Zhao Huaixian’s side. This figure wasn’t unfamiliar to the onlookers; it was the coarse-clothed youth, Yun Xiao, who had once shone brightly in the Water Palace.

Indeed, the figure breaking out of the lake was Yun Xiao. Due to his involvement in the Water and Fire Hall, he was slower than others outside. As he neared the lake surface, he sensed an extremely familiar aura.

Yun Xiao would never forget the aura of Red Flame for the rest of his life. Moreover, from that aura, he could clearly perceive that Red Flame was severely injured and facing a life-threatening crisis.

Thus, Yun Xiao acted decisively, targeting the enemy’s weak point. Unfortunately, that unexpected slash still couldn’t injure the enemy, leaving his expression somewhat gloomy.

Upon emerging from the lake, Yun Xiao didn’t bother with the equally gloomy Zhao Huaixian. Instead, he rushed forward, cradling Red Flame in his hands and placing it on his shoulder, feeling its increasingly weak state, his heart burning with fury.

”Squeak! Squeak!”

Despite being gravely injured, Red Flame extended its right front claw, pointing at the old fellow in the distance and emitting a squeaking noise indecipherable to outsiders.

”You’re saying that old fellow hurt you? Don’t worry, I’ll make him pay with his life!”

Having relied on each other for years, Yun Xiao naturally understood Red Flame’s meaning. Seeing his eyes darken as they shifted to Zhao Huaixian, his words nearly made the latter laugh in anger.

”Boy, are you Yun Xiao? Did you kill my brother?”

Even facing the coarse-clothed youth before him, whose actual cultivation as Zhao Ling indicated was somewhat different, the late stage Earth Bending Realm expert Zhao Huaixian didn’t mind too much. A gap of one realm in the Earth Bending Rank was like an insurmountable chasm.

”You mean Zhao Huai’an? I’ll soon send you to meet him!”

Though Yun Xiao didn’t know Zhao Huaixian’s identity, from Zhao Huaixian’s angry expression and the slight resemblance to Zhao Huai’an, he could guess somewhat.

”Then you’ll die!”

Provoked by Yun Xiao’s words, Zhao Huaixian’s old and new grievances surged, unwilling to waste another word with this boy. With a fierce shout, his entire form lunged towards Yun Xiao.

By the lakeside, everyone focused on this battle. Especially among them, some eagerly anticipated the clash between Yun Xiao and Zhao Huaixian, wondering who would prevail.

Most, however, favored Zhao Huaixian, considering him a notable Zhao family strongman and late stage Earth Bending Realm elder. The youth who was merely in the early stage of Earth Bending Realm a month ago shouldn’t be his match.

Even if Yun Xiao had defeated Zhao Huai’an, the disparity between realms in Earth Bending Rank was immense. Battling across two realms seemed too fantastical.

At that moment, aside from Zhao Huaixian, who nearly felt Yun Xiao’s meridian qi cultivation, no one realized Yun Xiao had progressed to the mid-stage Earth Bending Realm, subconsciously thinking he remained in the early stage.

In the Earth Bending Rank, even advancing a minor realm was arduous. Though there might be rare Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures in the Water and Fire Hall, obtaining another breakthrough in just a month seemed unlikely for the youth.

”Good move!”

On the lake, seeing Zhao Huaixian intend to crush him with physical strength, Yun Xiao’s eyes revealed a trace of coldness.

As he shouted, his left arm slowly raised, seemingly casually waving, clashing with Zhao Huaixian’s attack.

Witnessing this, not only Zhao Huaixian but also the onlooking cultivators believed Yun Xiao was overly arrogant. Under the onslaught of a late stage Earth Bending Realm expert, avoiding confrontation seemed the wiser choice.

Moreover, it appeared the youth hadn’t employed any Meridian Techniques, merely waving unimpressively, leading to an undoubtedly bleak outcome.

Bang!

Yet, the ensuing scene shattered everyone’s predictions, leaving their jaws nearly hitting the ground, contradicting their previous expectations.

A loud noise erupted as Yun Xiao’s left arm struck Zhao Huaixian’s right palm with immense force, instantly shattering the Zhao elder’s wrist.

His whole body soared backward like a kite with a broken string.