Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor

”Yang Qi, the lone thief of the Western Continent, killed thirty-seven members of the Jia family overnight to obtain the Wood Lattice Pearl, then set a fire to cover his tracks. Am I right?”

The young man in coarse clothes completely ignored Gong Lao Wu’s sinister threats and instead turned his gaze to Yang Qi, who was sitting beside the table. This statement caused a flash of murderous intent to pass through Yang Qi’s eyes.

Because what the young man said was entirely accurate. Originally, the Wood Lattice Pearl was obtained by a Jia-named expert at the Early Stage of the Earth Bending Realm, but somehow the news leaked out, and Yang Qi killed his way into their home, slaughtering the entire family of thirty-seven.

This incident caused an uproar in Xiangshan City, and it’s the main reason the news of the Wood Lattice Pearl spread far and wide. Such a ruthless person is truly shocking.

However, like Gong Lao Wu, the massacre of the Jia family by Yang Qi wasn’t a secret in Xiangshan City. Anyone who inquired a little could find out all about it.

Therefore, at this moment, both Gong Lao Wu and Yang Qi believed that the young man was just putting on a show of mystique, using this well-known news to create hesitation.

”You will be the thirty-eighth!”

After the young man in coarse clothes finished speaking, Yang Qi was the first to lose his patience. Being the closest to the young man and fearing that Gong Lao Wu might strike first, Yang Qi took action.

At this time, however, the young man remained still. He even took a clean wine glass and poured himself a glass of fine wine, drinking leisurely by himself.

Seeing this, a strange light flickered in Gong Lao Wu’s eyes from afar. He thought to himself that the young man seemed calm and collected, but surely Yang Qi would kill him with a single slap any moment now.

Presuming from his appearance, the young man seemed barely over twenty years old. At such an age, even if he were a peerless genius from one of the four top forces, how far could his Meridian Qi Cultivation have gone?

According to Gong Lao Wu’s knowledge, Wuyan Palace and Spirit Fighting Commerce have both been destroyed, and Xuanyin Hall was severely weakened. Even the most outstanding genius from Lianyun Mountain’s Sky Poison Institute, Ye Ku, only had a cultivation at the Late Stage of Earth Bending Realm, right?

For a moment, Gong Lao Wu seemingly forgot certain existences, or maybe in his mind, that young man shining like the midday sun and some of his formidable companions wouldn’t be confined to the younger generation anymore.

In such a lateral comparison, this young man appeared so youthful that it couldn’t possibly be more powerful than the Son of Thousand Poison, Ye Ku, right? How could he possibly survive an attack from Yang Qi, a Peak of Earth Bending Realm expert?

Swish!

But at that moment, just as Gong Lao Wu thought the young man was in deep trouble and the Wood Lattice Pearl would again fall into Yang Qi’s hands, an astonishing change occurred.

The young man still didn’t move, but a fiery red light suddenly shot in through the window, finally slicing across Yang Qi’s throat at lightning speed, leaving everyone agape.

”That... that is...”

Gong Lao Wu, albeit at the Peak of Earth Bending Realm, finally saw what the fiery red light actually was when it passed. Yang Qi’s figure froze, clutching his throat in horror, as he looked on in disbelief.

Within a breath, the fiery red light went from extreme motion to extreme stillness. Then, to everyone from the Gongming Hall, including Gong Lao Wu, a palm-sized fiery red mouse was suddenly on the table.

As for Yang Qi, beyond his face full of fright, blood continued to seep through the fingers clutched around his throat, and the force nearly strangling him couldn’t stop the blood from spurting out.

It was clear that the fiery red mouse scratched Yang Qi’s throat fatally in an instant. This Peak of Earth Bending Realm expert had no chance of survival.

As life was about to dissipate, Yang Qi finally saw the fiery red mouse emitting a blazing aura and turned his gaze to the young man in coarse clothes, who was sipping wine, as sudden realizations flashed through his mind.

”It’s... Chi Yan? So, you are... Yun Xiao?”

It’s often said that a person’s mind becomes clear before death. At that moment, Yang Qi looked at the fiery red mouse and then at the Wooden Sword behind the young man, finally speaking a truth.

”Yes, it’s me!”

For Yang Qi recognizing his identity, the young man in coarse clothes didn’t deny it. After finishing his cup of wine, he nodded. The articulation of these three words and the nod sent a wave of overwhelming regret deep into Yang Qi’s heart.

No matter what, although Yang Qi could dominate the Western Continent of Tenglong, he wasn’t completely above everything—there were still Heavenly Rank Experts beyond the Earth Bending Realm.

However, since the consecutive destruction of Wuyan Palace and Spirit Fighting Commerce, ruthless characters like Yang Qi have thrived and acted even more unscrupulously.

This was also why Yang Qi dared to slaughter thirty-seven members of the Jia family. He knew that without Spirit Fighting Commerce and Wuyan Palace, even if someone resented him, they wouldn’t dare mess with a Peak of Earth Bending Realm expert like him.

But no matter how much Yang Qi racked his brain, he couldn’t figure out how he had encountered that legendary figure, the young man named Yun Xiao before him, who had personally destroyed the Wuyan Palace and the Douling Commerce.

The fierce battles between Lianyun Mountain and Demons Mountain, and even the scene of the Douling Commerce with ten thousand demons kneeling, had been intentionally spread by the Shenxiao Sect, making countless cultivators aware.

Yang Qi did not dare to provoke the former Wuyan Palace and Douling Commerce, let alone this supreme youth who had destroyed two top powers. At this moment, Yang Qi felt endless regret in his heart.

If he had known earlier that the person in front of him was the most dazzling demon on the entire Tenglong Continent, he wouldn’t have dared to utter such provocative words, even if he borrowed Yang Qi’s courage.

As for the Fire Cloud Rat Chi Yan, who always followed Yun Xiao, it had become highly renowned on the Tenglong Continent. A dignified Heavenly Demon was absolutely not something that a Peak of Earth Bending Realm like Yang Qi could contend with.

But no matter what, Yang Qi, whose throat had been shattered by Chi Yan, was not going to live. Forcing out those few words while enduring immense pain was already his last act of persistence.

”What? Yun... Lord Yun Xiao?”

Although Yang Qi’s final words were somewhat unclear, seeing the fiery red rat, Gong the Fifth had already concluded in his mind who this plain-clothed youth was.

He was the unrivaled demon who had wiped out both Wuyan Palace and Douling Commerce, forcing the highest echelons of the Tenglong Continent to face a power shift.

Although Gong Lao Si’s Gongming Hall could dominate within the boundaries of Xiangshan City, that was its limit. In the broader Tenglong Continent, it was nothing.

This Bright Hall Master never imagined he would meet such a remarkable figure as Yun Xiao. At this moment, how could he still covet the Wood Lattice Pearl?

”Bright Hall Master Gong the Fifth, pays respects to Lord Yun Xiao!”

Seeing the fallen Yang Qi, Gong the Fifth felt a tightness in his chest, hurriedly stepped forward two steps, and knelt on the ground.

With his life at stake, titles such as Bright Hall Master or the dignity of an Earth Bending Realm Peak expert meant nothing at all.

”Blinded fools, why aren’t you kneeling before Lord Yun Xiao?”

Seeing he had knelt while the subordinates of Bright Hall still stood upright, Gong the Fifth was outraged, harshly scolding them, which finally awakened the members of Bright Hall from their stupor.

Truth be told, to these low-rank cultivators, the name Yun Xiao was almost legendary. It was somewhat understandable that they hadn’t reacted immediately.

”Do you still want this Wood Lattice Pearl now?”

The plain-clothed youth Yun Xiao held a wine cup in one hand and played with the dark-hued pearl in the other, looking at the kneeling Gong the Fifth with a teasing smile, his words causing the latter to shiver uncontrollably.

”No... we don’t want it, we dare not!”

Although Yun Xiao’s tone contained no hint of killing intent, Gong the Fifth dared not raise his head, his words a bit incoherent out of fear the young man might be displeased, leading to a fate similar to Yang Qi’s.

Gong the Fifth understood well that maybe the young man wouldn’t even need to act himself. The Fire Cloud Rat Chi Yan could easily end his life with a mere swipe, and he wasn’t done living yet; how could he die so inexplicably?

”This Wood Lattice Pearl originally belonged to the Jia Family. Yang Qi exterminated them to seize it. Naturally, I can take it from him!”

Yun Xiao spoke eloquently; with just a few words, he pointed out the survival of the fittest principle of the continent. Wasn’t Bright Hall, or the solitary great thief Yang Qi, doing the same before?

The strongest in the Jia Family was only at the Early Stage of Earth Bending Realm. Possessing such a Heavenly Rank Low-Level Wood Lattice Pearl was like a child brandishing a chunk of gold, inevitably drawing covetous eyes.

Yun Xiao’s action against Yang Qi was not driven by a desire to avenge the thirty-seven unjust souls of the Jia Family but because this Heavenly Rank Low-Level Wood Lattice Pearl was useful to him now.

For a ruthless and wicked character like Yang Qi, death was deserved. Yun Xiao felt no burden. Yet the continent was full of injustices; how could he handle them all alone?

If not for the Wood Lattice Pearl’s usefulness, Yun Xiao might not have interfered at all. Without sufficient power, one must be prepared to be killed and robbed.

Moreover, since Yang Qi sought death himself, daring to act first against Yun Xiao, his current fate was simply expected. All this stemmed from cause and effect, predetermined by fate.

As for the insightful people of Bright Hall, Yun Xiao never intended to unleash carnage. Perhaps, the existence of such people on the continent serves as an unusual form of training for certain cultivators.