Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor
Chapter 333: Three Hundred and Thirty-Three - Getting Away

Chapter 333: Three Hundred and Thirty-Three - Getting Away

Yan Yong proved he became the Commander of the Xuantie Army with some unknown tactics indeed, and he knew the consequences of letting Yun Xiao go. At this moment, he could not afford to hold back one bit.

"Poor Yun Xiao!"

Having barely seized a slim chance to escape by executing Ghost Trace Step, Yun Xiao suddenly sensed the wind howling behind him, realizing Yan Yong had caught up. And with such a short distance, there was no way he could escape unscathed.

In fact, Ghost Trace Step, a movement technique of Meridian Techniques, was not known for speed but for its unpredictability. The gap Yun Xiao had abruptly created only allowed him to escape Yan Yong’s attack range.

But in reality, the difference between Yun Xiao and Yan Yong was almost of a Great Rank, specifically the Great Rank of the Spirit Vein Realm. After all, Yun Xiao was only at the Peak of Meridian Union Realm. If truly entangled by Yan Yong, it would still be a dead end.

Yet at this point, Yun Xiao could only execute Ghost Trace Step; those other body Meridian Techniques which could amplify speed several times over were beyond his capability of Meridian Qi Cultivation at the moment.

Moreover, Yun Xiao’s body was currently under the rampage of violent power. If he forcibly executed some powerful Meridian Techniques, perhaps his body would instantly burst open.

Therefore, when Yun Xiao sensed Yan Yong’s aura drawing closer behind him, his heart sunk to the bottom. All it would take is one strike from that guy, and his movements would inevitably slow down, making escape nigh impossible.

The situations in the world always have a turning point. Just as Yun Xiao was about to lose his mind out of frustration, a familiar voice suddenly resounded from somewhere, filling him with overwhelming joy.

"Please, hold back your forces!"

This voice emerged so suddenly that Yan Yong and the dozen or so Royal Guards were caught off guard, and immediately their expressions turned sour.

They, like Yun Xiao, were quite familiar with this voice—it belonged to Sect Master Yu Shu of the Jade Pot Sect, and this Sect Master was Yun Xiao’s mentor.

It was indeed Yu Shu. From a distance, he saw Yan Yong chasing after Yun Xiao and getting ever closer. With such a vast distance, it was too late to intervene, so he could only shout in hopes to save Yun Xiao’s life.

As for the theft of Treasure previously mentioned by Xuan Jiuding and the guard, Yu Shu wouldn’t believe it at all. He knew that his newly accepted disciple must have been set up by the Crown Prince, hence trapped in the night.

As Yun Xiao’s mentor, Yu Shu truly treated him like his own disciple. In his life, he had only accepted Yun Xiao as his sole disciple. Having no children of his own, he nearly regarded Yun Xiao as his own child.

Now, with Yun Xiao’s life hanging by a thread and unable to sense Yun Xiao’s Meridian Qi clearly, Yu Shu believed that there’s no way Yun Xiao could survive under the blow of a Spirit Vein Realm powerhouse.

In his anxiety, Yu Shu was unconscious of how much time had passed since then; why Yun Xiao had not been killed or captured. He was just instinctively worried about Yun Xiao’s safety.

However, Yu Shu, who was used to having the final word in the Jade Pot Sect, found that his shout to stop had no effect at that moment. As a Commander of the Xuantie Army, Yan Yong only took orders from the King of Xuanyue Country and that political Crown Prince; a sect’s leader held no sway over him.

Even after hearing Yu Shu’s shout, Yan Yong, fearing delays could lead to a dragged-out situation and a missed opportunity to kill Yun Xiao, suddenly increased his speed even more.

"Damn it!"

Seeing this scene, Yu Shu could not help but feel a chill in his heart. With such a distance, he could in no way prevent that first strike from Yan Yong, and if that strike hit Yun Xiao, his disciple was sure to be killed instantly – he did not believe Yan Yong would show mercy.

Bang!

What happened next nearly made Yu Shu’s eyes pop out of his sockets, for as Yan Yong delivered that powerful blow, his disciple suddenly paused, turned around, and faced the Mid-Stage Spirit Vein Realm Xuantie Army Commander head-on.

With a loud sound, Yun Xiao’s expected broken bones and torn muscles never materialized. Instead, propelled by the force of the impact, he was knocked back several meters, then spun around and floated away.

"How... Peak of Meridian Union Realm, how can this be?"

It was not until this moment that Yu Shu sensed the bursting aura of Meridian Qi from Yun Xiao as he made his escape, rendering him utterly stunned since this was completely beyond his expectations.

Yu Shu had heard about the incident in the Meridian Treasure, but at that time Yun Xiao would at most advance to the Mid Stage of Meridian Union Realm. How could it have been as miraculous as now?

But at this moment, Yu Shu simply had no time to consider the details as Yan Yong, after missing the first strike, did not slow down one bit in his pursuit to kill Yun Xiao once and for all.

However, after the first strike, Yu Shu had already closed a few dozen meters towards them, making it much more difficult for Yan Yong to strike Yun Xiao a second time.

As the Sect Master of Jade Pot Sect at the Peak of Spirit Vein Realm, Yu Shu’s strength was many times greater than Yan Yong’s. With a mere wave of his hand, the Commander of the Xuantie Army was forced retreating step by step, a dozen steps back before he could stabilize himself, his face already clouded with gloom.

"Sect Master Yu Shu, what are you doing?"

Yan Yong, whose path of pursuit was blocked by Yu Shu, was in an extremely foul mood. That was a task entrusted by the Crown Prince, which was now failed before completion. How could he explain it to the Crown Prince?

"Humph, in front of this Sect Master, you wish to kill a disciple of mine, Yu Shu? Do you think too little of my Jade Pot Sect?"

Despite Yu Shu’s usual gentle demeanor, as the Sect Master of one of the Empire’s three great sects, he was not truly a soft-hearted person. Even a Poison Vein Master like Fu Du was suppressed by him into silence, let alone Yan Yong, who was only at the Spirit Vein Realm Middle Stage.

Whoosh!

Taking advantage of the cold and angry exchange between Yan Yong and Yu Shu, Yun Xiao did not delay any longer in this place. With just a few movements, he had vanished among the distant pavilions, leaving no trace to be found.

"Hey, this kid is quite clever!"

Watching this scene, Yu Shu’s face may display severity, but his heart secretly praised. He knew that the King and the Crown Prince of Xuanyue Country would soon arrive, and if Yun Xiao still lingered here, with him alone, he could not offer protection.

Moreover, Yu Shu knew that Xuan Jiuding was meticulous in his planning, and once a scheme was set, he would definitely not leave any room for Yun Xiao to explain himself. Should there be a face-to-face confrontation, it was possible that the Royal Family might detain him, and then the situation would become unpredictable.

So, at this moment, it was most important for Yun Xiao to seize the chance to escape. Yu Shu believed that the truth would eventually come out clearly one day. Furthermore, even if Yun Xiao could not prove his innocence, with his talent, once he reached the same level of cultivation as himself, even the Royal Family would have to reconsider their stance towards him.

As the Sect Master of Jade Pot Sect, not to mention Yun Xiao did not steal any treasure, even if he did, the Xuanyue Imperial Family would need to carefully weigh the consequences of starting a war over an external object with the Jade Pot Sect.

Swish, swish, swish...

As these thoughts flashed through Yu Shu’s mind, a series of whooshing sounds approached from afar. When Yan Yong turned his head to look, he immediately felt a foreboding premonition.

The arrivals were the King of Xuanyue Country and others. It is worth mentioning that in addition to the many sect leaders from the Moon Embracing Hall earlier, some guests from the side hall also arrived here upon hearing the commotion, coming to witness the excitement.

However, as these people made their way here, they had already learned of the events taking place, and some of them couldn’t help but feel schadenfreude. After all, not all cultivators were respectful towards the Jade Pot Sect. There were many like Qingshan Sect, harboring jealousy, who would find it a delight to see the Jade Pot Sect face a setback.

"Yan Yong pays respects to His Majesty!"

Seeing the King of Xuanyue Country approaching, although the Yan brothers only had eyes for Crown Prince Xuan Jiuding, the Xuanyue Empire was still ruled by Xuan Haoran, so they did not dare to neglect, and rushed forward to bow in respect.

"Enough, what about that kid Yun Xiao? Did you catch him?"

Xuan Haoran had some impression of Yan Yong. As he waved his hand and glanced around with a somber look, upon not seeing a certain youth, he sternly inquired.

Yan Yong shuddered under the oppressive aura of the King, and then had no choice but to respectfully reply, "Your Majesty, due to Sect Master Yu Shu’s obstruction, that Treasure Thief Yun Xiao... he has escaped!"

"What a waste!"

Xuan Haoran’s expression grew even darker upon hearing this, and after cursing under his breath, he then turned his gaze towards Yu Shu, a cryptic meaning flickering in his eyes.

In fact, Xuan Haoran was not the same as Xuan Jiuding. He valued transparency and fairness, and even when resorting to tactics, only adopted open strategies rather than stooping to any means as Xuan Jiuding would to achieve his goals.

Xuan Haoran intended to capture Yun Xiao to confront Yu Shu face to face, to see whether the youth indeed planned to steal the Royal Treasure. The truth would be clear with a single question.

But now, Yun Xiao had managed to flee. As Xuan Haoran berated Yan Yong for his incompetence, he also felt an intense curiosity about this youth named Yun Xiao, whom he had never met.

Naturally, Xuan Haoran had heard of the new disciple of the Sect Master of Jade Pot Sect, which was a significant matter throughout the Xuanyue Empire. Precisely because of this, he speculated about Yun Xiao’s strength.

Even Mo Qing, the best among the young generation of Jade Pot Sect, was at best at the Early to Middle Stage of Meridian Union Realm. Yun Xiao had only recently joined the Jade Pot Sect, so it was still debatable whether he had broken through to the Meridian Union Realm.

Even if Yun Xiao had reached the Meridian Union Realm, how could he possibly escape from the hands of Yan Yong at the Middle Stage of Spirit Vein Realm? Xuan Haoran knew very well that Yu Shu was not much faster than himself, so what exactly had happened before at the Treasure Vault?

For a moment, Xuan Haoran and Yu Shu locked eyes, neither speaking, both perhaps contemplating different thoughts.