Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor
Chapter 121 Strong Enemies Ahead

Chapter 121: 121 Strong Enemies Ahead

"Fire Cloud Rat? This... this is impossible!"

Yun Xiao stared at the fiery red mouse that seemed to be in deep slumber, his eyes filled with disbelief. Although he said "this is impossible," in his heart he was already somewhat certain.

Yun Xiao’s memories came from Long Xiao Battle God of the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud, who once fought wars for Emperor Canglong and saw countless mystical races, among which was a special group.

The Fire Cloud Rat hailed from this special group, or rather, it represented the lowest tier of this group. However, this did not mean that the bloodline of the Fire Cloud Rat was weak; any Fire Cloud Rat possessed the potential to reach the Holy Rank Third Realm.

Because the bloodline of the Fire Cloud Rat could evolve, if granted an exceptional opportunity, the Fire Cloud Rat could ascend to heaven in a single bound and evolve into the legendary Ancient Holy Demon: the Fiery Holy Rat!

Back in the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud, the Fiery Holy Rat lineage was indeed a very powerful race. Not only were the top fighters from this group like clouds in the sky, they could also command billions of low-rank rats, and even Emperor Canglong, the ruler of the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud, dared not provoke them lightly.

The reason Yun Xiao was so surprised and confused was that this place was the Hidden Dragon Continent, the lowest plane of the Nine Dragons Continent. Logically speaking, such a plane with sparse Heaven and Earth Energy should not have been host to a powerful lineage like the Fire Cloud Rat.

But no matter how much Yun Xiao refused to believe it, at that moment, the Fire Cloud Rat was lying quietly in the hot spring fluid. Both its appearance and the aura it emitted affirmed that his guess was not wrong at all; it was indeed a genuine Fire Cloud Rat.

"Could it be...this little fellow saved me?"

As Yun Xiao pondered fruitlessly, he suddenly thought of another fact: during the moment when his body was about to explode and perish, it was a special energy that intervened and absorbed much of the Stone Heart Marrow Energy, allowing him to narrowly escape death.

Though Yun Xiao ultimately used a Demon Core to break through and survive, had it not been for the previous energy absorption by the Fire Cloud Rat, he probably wouldn’t have lasted until the moment of breakthrough.

From this point of view, this mysterious Fire Cloud Rat indeed owed him a life-saving favor, even if this favor was based on the Fire Cloud Rat’s desire to use the Stone Heart Marrow to temper its body.

Thinking this, Yun Xiao couldn’t help but feel a bit of fondness for the Fire Cloud Rat. He detested evil fiercely but was also one to repay favor for favor. Whether the Fire Cloud Rat intended it or not, it was his life-saving benefactor, or rather, life-saving grace rat.

So, in the next moment, Yun Xiao reached out and scooped the palm-sized mouse out of the wooden barrel, knowing that the Fire Cloud Rat was in a peculiar state, and if it suffocated and died from restricted breathing, that would be too ridiculous.

The Fire Cloud Rat was very small in size. After Yun Xiao scooped it out, he only felt a patch of burning heat in his hand, indicating the innate and strong Fire Attribute energy of the Vein Demon, which was not something human cultivators who practiced Fire Attribute Techniques could compare to.

"This little fellow, seems to be still digesting the energy of the Stone Heart Marrow!"

For a time, Yun Xiao found it hard to perceive the true strength of the Fire Cloud Rat, but he knew clearly that the Fire Cloud Rat had devoured a large portion of the Stone Heart Marrow Energy in a very short time, and this digestion process would certainly not be brief.

Thus, Yun Xiao directly placed the Fire Cloud Rat in his embrace. Such a living creature could not be stored in the Waist Storage, but fortunately, due to the small size of the Fire Cloud Rat, it couldn’t be seen from outside.

"Heh, since I’ve successfully tempered my body and my Meridian Qi has also made a breakthrough, it’s time to search for that so-called Fire Spirit Crystal!"

Yun Xiao clenched his fist, feeling the abundant Meridian Qi and physical strength that had more than doubled, chuckled lightly, and then quickly turned and left.

This time Yun Xiao came to Yurong Mountain, his biggest purpose was to find the energy in the Fire Stone Heart and Stone Heart Marrow. Now that this purpose had been achieved, he naturally had some other ideas.

It was a low-level task of the Jade Pot Sect. If he failed, 500 points would be deducted, which for a new Outer Disciple like Yun Xiao was an astronomical figure, and he simply couldn’t afford it.

Thus, Yun Xiao must do everything possible to complete this task, and with his newly enhanced strength, he also had endless confidence. However, he knew nothing about the Fire Spirit Crystal, so for the time being, he could only wander aimlessly in the mountains.

Time quickly passed three more days. During these three days, the Fire Cloud Rat in Yun Xiao’s embrace never woke up while he had almost made a complete turn around the midsection of Yurong Mountain, yet he hadn’t even seen a shadow of the Fire Spirit Crystal.

Boom!

On this day’s early morning, just as Yun Xiao was becoming frustrated and troubled, he suddenly felt a powerful wave of energy erupt from the summit of Yurong Mountain, causing his heart to stir.

"Could it be that the so-called Fire Spirit Crystal is inside the volcano?"

Yun Xiao suddenly had a bold guess in his heart. Even with the memories from his previous life, he had no recollection of the name ’Fire Spirit Crystal’. With eyes cast in darkness, he had made up his mind and was already heading towards the volcanic crater at the summit.

Originally, Yun Xiao was already mid-mountain, so it only took him about two days to approach the thickly smoking volcanic crater. As he drew closer, he felt as if his eyebrows and hair were starting to curl.

Yurong Mountain was an active volcano that erupted every few decades. Luckily, it was currently in a dormant state; otherwise, if the volcanic magma had erupted, unless Yun Xiao suddenly learned to fly, he would definitely be turned into a pile of volcanic ash, forever buried here.

Protected by his Meridian Qi, Yun Xiao could still bear the intense heat. But just as he stepped towards the crater, he spotted a figure who seemed to be waiting for him.

It was a robust young figure that Yun Xiao hadn’t seen before due to being blocked by some rocks. So, it was impossible for him to avoid noticing him now, and at first glance, Yun Xiao recognized him—it was Guan Tong, with whom he had fought near the north of Jade Pot Sect.

"Heh heh, Yun Xiao, I knew you would come here. How does it feel, to walk into the trap yourself?"

When Yun Xiao spotted Guan Tong, the latter also saw him immediately, and his cold laugh laden with disdain instantly darkened Yun Xiao’s face.

"Still haunting me like a ghost!"

Although Yun Xiao’s face was grim, this time he did not flee upon seeing him. Now, he was no longer the Yun Xiao from a month ago.

"A ghost that won’t go away? Yun Xiao, this time, what helpers can you possibly find?"

It seemed that Guan Tong still couldn’t let go of that night when Yun Xiao tricked him, especially since the shadow wolf owl had given him a tough time, nearly costing him his life.

Guan Tong could by no means swallow this humiliation. As a third-ranked being of the Mortal List of the Outer Sect of the Jade Pot Sect, he had recently learned some information about the Fire Spirit Crystal. Knowing that to obtain it, one must come to the volcanic entrance atop Yurong Mountain, he decided to wait here like stalking a rabbit.

The saying goes, persistency pays off. Guan Tong’s ten-plus days of waiting were not in vain; he finally caught Yun Xiao, and in a place like this, Guan Tong had no doubt that Yun Xiao couldn’t resort to the tricky tactics he used to escape the shadow wolf owl.

As Yun Xiao had restrained his Meridian Qi, Guan Tong didn’t notice that the young man was a bit different from a month ago. Guan Tong knew that with his cultivation almost entering the Meridian Rushing Realm, defeating Yun Xiao would be more than easy.

"How did you know I would come here?"

Yun Xiao had a doubt inside him, seizing the moment Guan Tong didn’t immediately act, he directly asked, truly curious about the answer.

Indeed, as soon as Yun Xiao asked, Guan Tong, certain that this boy wouldn’t leave here alive, didn’t hide the truth: "After taking on the Fire Spirit Crystal mission, only the Fire Spirit Snake inside this volcanic crater possesses it. If not here, where else could you go?"

It seems Guan Tong had indeed done his homework. Though he acknowledged that he might not be a match for the Fire Spirit Snake, having taken a low-level Spiritual Rank mission, he didn’t rule out the chance of lucking out. After dealing with Yun Xiao, perhaps he might enter the crater to search for the Fire Spirit Crystal’s whereabouts.

"Fire Spirit Snake?"

Hearing this unfamiliar name, Yun Xiao’s face was somewhat bewildered, but he quickly came to terms with it. In the vast Nine Dragons Continent with its numerous species, even as the reincarnation of Long Xiao Battle God, it was impossible for him to recognize every creature; this Fire Spirit Snake must be one of those special beings.

However, having received the answer he wanted, Yun Xiao felt reassured that he hadn’t gone the wrong way, and with a slight move, he was already dashing towards the volcanic crater above.

"Brother Guan Tong, since we have both taken a low-level Spiritual Rank mission, let’s not waste time here. We better focus on finding the Fire Spirit Crystal!"

While Yun Xiao dashed, he voiced this seemingly reasonable statement, but at that moment, could Guan Tong allow him to easily break through into the volcanic crater?

"Kid, in this lifetime, I don’t think you’ll ever get to see what a Fire Spirit Crystal looks like!"

Hearing Yun Xiao’s words and seeing the boy’s foolhardy actions, Guan Tong could neither personally nor by Xuan Zhi’s orders let Yun Xiao go, so he immediately made his move.

Guan Tong, at the peak of the Meridian Gathering Realm and already a step into the Meridian Rushing Realm, was indeed extraordinary. He could barely gather his Meridian Qi outside his body, much stronger than ordinary peak cultivators of the Meridian Gathering Realm.

In Guan Tong’s view, that night Yun Xiao escaped easily only because he inadvertently alarmed the shadow wolf owl that was breaking through to the Fourth Rank. Otherwise, this boy would definitely not have lived till today.

Therefore, this time, Guan Tong showed no mercy in his actions. He was determined to use his most powerful methods to kill this boy who had once caused him great loss.