Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor
Chapter 164: One hundred sixty-four, His Highness of my household invites you!

Chapter 164: One hundred sixty-four, His Highness of my household invites you!

Jade Pot Sect’s Outer Sect grand competition second round, in the end, still concluded.

Several were joyous while others were sorrowful; the defeated geniuses of the Outer Sect were inevitably downcast, while the faces of the few who won and advanced to the third round were not necessarily any better.

Especially those who were about to face Feng Hang and Shen Xiao in the third round, their hearts were truly conflicted: should they concede defeat proactively or, for the sake of pride, step onto the stage and fight a few moves?

To concede defeat willingly would undeniably project a lack of courage, yet to foolishly fight against opponents like Feng Hang and Shen Xiao, both ruthless and merciless, would be ill-advised.

Didn’t Song Tian and that other person who fought against Shen Xiao in the second round both end up with extremely tragic results? Even though Song Tian later turned misfortune into a blessing, who could ensure that they themselves would have such good fortune?

Between being despised and risking one’s life, perhaps those two would ultimately make the right decision, since the two slots for advancement to the Inner Sect have essentially been reserved by Feng Hang and Shen Xiao; any struggle would be futile.

One Outer Sect genius held a particularly conflicted expression, his gaze flickering as he watched the coarse-clothed youth disappear at the entrance of the Arena Hall, somehow feeling uncertain and apprehensive.

Yun Xiao, who walked out of the Arena Hall together with Tan Yun and Ling Wan, was unaware that he too had become an object of discussion; he only intended to use this night to restore his depleted Meridian Qi, to cope with tomorrow’s third round of competition.

Given the previous lesson where Xuan Zhi and Guan Tong switched draw numbers, Yun Xiao dared not guarantee that such an incident wouldn’t happen again during the third round.

If his own opponent were to switch draw numbers with Feng Hang, who was in the Early Stage of the Meridian Rushing Realm, then truly he would be in a tight spot. Although he had easily dealt with Guan Tong previously, facing a cultivator in the Early Stage of the Meridian Rushing Realm would likely yield an entirely different outcome.

Therefore, Yun Xiao must prepare early, to face the unpredictable opponent of the following day. If he could break through to the Peak of the Meridian Gathering Realm, combined with the Power of the Ancestor Vein and experience and methods from his previous life, he might not be without the strength to fight Feng Hang.

The night was cool as water!

After a whole day of clamor, the Jade Pot Sect’s Outer Sect seemed to fall into an eerie silence as darkness descended, within which, a surging undercurrent of an impending storm was continuously flowing.

Not only Yun Xiao and Ling Wan had entered a cultivation state in the small courtyard where Yun Xiao resided, but Tan Yun and the other small team of geniuses had also begun to cultivate earnestly, possibly stimulated by something.

Thump thump thump!

Silence filled the night when suddenly, the courtyard’s gate was knocked on, startling Yun Xiao, whose strong Power of Soul promptly brought him back from his cultivation state.

With a slight frown, Yun Xiao donned his clothes and opened the door, only to see that Ling Wan had already reached the gate with greater speed, drawing the bolt.

"Is it you?!"

Ling Wan, who opened the courtyard door, had a deep tone in his voice; by then, Yun Xiao had arrived behind him and could clearly see that the visitor was not a stranger to him—it was Guan Hu, the second brother of the Guan Family.

"What are you doing here?"

Yun Xiao appeared calm; having killed the Peak of the Meridian Gathering Realm, Guan Tong, how could he possibly fear Guan Hu, a lone cultivator in the Late Stage of the Meridian Gathering Realm?

However, what Yun Xiao couldn’t understand was why Guan Hu, who had been shouting about fighting him during the day, was now so composed and did not seem to have come for revenge.

Hearing Yun Xiao’s question, Guan Hu’s eyes flashed with a hidden malicious glint which he forced down before taking a deep breath and saying, "His Highness has sent for you; may I inquire if you would honor us with your presence?"

For a robust man to utter such refined words, Yun Xiao’s brow furrowed even tighter as he responded, "I am not acquainted with your Highness and have nothing to discuss; sorry!"

"Ling Wan, close the door!"

After speaking, Yun Xiao directly turned to leave; with both the Third Prince of the Royal Family and this Guan Hu before him, he held no affinity, even a bit of disgust. This sort of late-night invitation perhaps hid another cunning trap waiting for him.

Naturally, Ling Wan deferred to Yun Xiao’s lead, and was about to close the courtyard gate when Guan Hu suddenly stepped forward, blocking the gate.

"What? You want to fight?"

Now Ling Wan, a genuine late-stage Meridian Gathering Realm genius and possessor of Mixed Element Qi, held great confidence against cultivators of the same level; he certainly wouldn’t take Guan Hu seriously.

Suppressing the resentment in his heart, Guan Hu didn’t respond to Ling Wan’s challenging glare but turned towards Yun Xiao and said in a deep voice, "Yun Xiao, His Highness says if you agree to go, he might tell you the secret behind the Shang Family’s annihilation!"

"What did you say?"

The moment "the Shang Family’s annihilation" came out of Guan Hu’s mouth, the normally composed Yun Xiao abruptly shouted out loud, then stepped forward in an instant, seizing Guan Hu’s throat.

Yun Xiao was so agitated, not because of the Shang Family people who had never regarded him highly since childhood. He just wanted to know who killed his mother and sister, and what background those people had.

Moreover, from these people, Yun Xiao might be able to learn some details about the Blood Moon Jade and even gather some clues regarding his father through the threads related to Blood Moon Jade.

The reason Yun Xiao chose to join the Jade Pot Sect, risking facing the Talisman Poison Master and apprentice again, was to be able to inquire about the extermination of the Shang Family within the vast Sect.

But Yun Xiao knew that before becoming a true core disciple of the Inner Sect, the secrets of the Jade Pot Sect were absolutely not accessible to him, so during this period, his main goal was to enter the Inner Sect of the Jade Pot Sect and put the matter of the Shang Family’s extermination aside.

Who would have thought that Guan Hu would come to him in the dead of night and suddenly reveal such a deeply buried secret in Yun Xiao’s heart? Thus, at this moment, he became somewhat excited. His speed erupted, and Guan Hu, who was at the Meridian Gathering Realm Late Stage, was instantly subdued.

"His... His Highness said that the Shang Family, after all, was also a family of the Xuanyue Empire. Since learning about the extermination of the Shang Family, he inquired in many ways and finally gathered some information, so... so..."

Guan Hu was somewhat breathless. These were the words Xuan Zhi taught him to say. He had never thought that upon saying these words, it would elicit such a big reaction from Yun Xiao. Isn’t this kid always as calm as a demon typically?

These words finally allowed Yun Xiao to regain some composure. Slowly, he lowered his arms, and a few guesses had already formed in his heart. He didn’t believe that Xuan Zhi would be so kind. That guy would wish to tear him into pieces.

But on second thought, in terms of controlling information, the Xuanyue Imperial Family was probably many times stronger than the Jade Pot Sect—at least on the surface, the Xuanyue Imperial Family was still the ruler of the entire Xuanyue Empire.

"No matter what plot that guy has, I have to go and see for myself!"

With this thought, Yun Xiao made up his mind. With his current cultivation, even if Xuan Zhi and Guan Hu joined forces, they would not be his match. What was there for him to fear?

Moreover, except for Jade Pot Cave and Arena Hall, other places in the Jade Pot Sect were not places where one could kill at will. Yun Xiao believed that, even if Xuan Zhi had laid an ambush, at the very least it wouldn’t be to take his life. However, that possible piece of information, he didn’t want to miss any bit of it.

"Lead the way!"

Yun Xiao’s face showed no expression, uttering only these two words, and he waved off Ling Wan with a flick of his hand, dashing any hopes she held of following together.

For some reason, even though Guan Hu harbored resentment towards Yun Xiao in his heart, at this moment, he felt a great deal of fear towards this plainly dressed youth, perhaps due to Yun Xiao’s performance in the Outer Sect competition, or perhaps due to the burst of strength just a moment ago.

Thus, Guan Hu dared not say any further. Seeing a glint of light flash in his eyes, he had already turned and left the courtyard, leading the way in a certain direction.

"Yun Xiao, this time, His Highness will make sure you can’t return!"

With his back turned to Yun Xiao and listening to the faint footsteps behind him, Guan Hu knew that Yun Xiao was following, and he let out a big sigh of relief. This was actually a strategy by Xuan Zhi; as long as Yun Xiao dared to follow, there would certainly be no good outcome.

Before, Guan Hu was worried that Yun Xiao would be hesitant and wouldn’t follow him. But now he saw that the words taught by Xuan Zhi had been remarkably effective; the kid obediently followed as soon as he heard them, playing right into his trap.

"Are we not there yet?"

After following Guan Hu for about half a stick of incense’s time, Yun Xiao grew impatient and asked in a deep voice, causing the former’s form to shiver but daring not to reveal any slip-up.

"We’re here, just ahead!"

Guan Hu responded without turning his head back, and as he looked towards the silent courtyard ahead, the gleam in his eyes thickened a bit more because he knew that the youth behind him, who had killed his older brother, didn’t have much longer to live.

Creak!

Guan Hu, walking ahead, directly pushed open the familiar courtyard door. This was, in fact, where he and Guan Tong used to live, but now only he remained solitary.

Xuan Zhi had told Guan Hu that a fatal trap was set up inside this courtyard; should Yun Xiao dare to come, he would undoubtedly find it hard to escape. However, when Guan Hu pushed the door and entered, he found the courtyard completely dark and silent, without a hint of the expected atmosphere.

"Where’s Xuan Zhi?"

Yun Xiao, following Guan Hu into the courtyard, slightly furrowed his brows, but as soon as he voiced his question, his formidable Power of Soul had already sensed that there was definitely no third person in the courtyard. Thus, his face darkened immediately.

"Guan Hu, you dare to trick me?"

Yun Xiao was very confident in his senses, he was certain that there were no outsiders in the courtyard, and certainly no Xuan Zhi, so he immediately exploded, reaching from behind to grab Guan Hu’s neck.

"He... He..."

Who knew that as soon as Yun Xiao grabbed Guan Hu’s neck, this Meridian Gathering Realm Late Stage Outer Sect prodigy suddenly let out some meaningless sounds, and his body began to convulse in an instant.