Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor
Chapter 385 Black Demon Finger

Chapter 385: 385 Black Demon Finger

Certainly, it was indeed just a small loss!

As a bona fide Mortal Rank Advanced Meridian Refining Master, Yue Qi naturally possessed a Fire Attribute Ancestor Vein, which happened to be the perfect counter to the Ice Cold Attribute.

After all, Yue Qi’s Meridian Qi Cultivation was much higher than Yun Xiao’s. If the latter were facing a cultivator from either the Meridian Rushing Realm or the Meridian Gathering Realm, it is likely that the power of the Ice Cold Ancestor Vein could freeze the opponent into an ice sculpture.

Facing Yue Qi, the Poison Vein sect’s foremost talent flung his right arm, and with that, a wisp of black flame appeared atop it, enveloping the central arena with its blazing heat.

"Hmph, taste the power of my Ancestor Vein Fire!"

It appeared to be Yue Qi’s Ancestor Vein Fire. He uttered a deep shout, and in the next moment, his arm, shrouded in black flames, fiercely bombarded towards Yun Xiao. His movements surprisingly bore a resemblance to Yun Xiao’s previous attack.

This was the so-called ’using the enemy’s strategy against them.’ Yue Qi had suffered a small setback previously, and now he intended to show everyone watching that the same move would cost Yun Xiao much more than it had cost him.

The Ancestor Vein Fire was not merely the force of the physical body; it was true Meridian Qi unleashed. Clearly, this was Yun Xiao’s weakness, so instead of facing it head-on, he immediately dodged with a swift sidestep, avoiding the powerful blow.

Yun Xiao was not one to act out of false pride; he knew when to advance and when to evade and saw no reason to clash head-on when he was outmatched in terms of Meridian Qi.

What Yun Xiao did not see, however, was the smirk of successful scheming that suddenly appeared on Yue Qi’s face, as if Yun Xiao’s actions had all been within his calculations.

The arm Yue Qi swept with empowered Meridian Fire wasn’t a true trap; if Yun Xiao had not dodged, he might have been seriously injured. But Yun Xiao’s retreat played right into Yue Qi’s hands.

Because Yue Qi was aware that Yun Xiao’s greatest strengths were his physical strength and ghostly speed, forcing him away was the key to using powerful Meridian Techniques at leisure.

Once detached, a battle of Meridian Techniques was purely a contest of Meridian Qi Cultivation. Yue Qi, being the Poison Vein sect’s esteemed elder brother, was no dummy and naturally knew to play to his strengths and attack his enemy’s weaknesses.

Under the pressure of a forced retreat, leaving Yun Xiao with no other choice, Yue Qi finally created some distance between them. In the next instant, he stretched out his right hand and pointed toward Yun Xiao from afar.

"Black Demon Finger, One Finger Suppressing Mountains and Rivers!"

A deep shout came from Yue Qi’s mouth, followed by the sensation everyone felt, as if the Heaven and Earth Energy throughout the Arena Hall and centered around the main arena was drawn by some mysterious force, surging towards the index finger of Yue Qi’s right hand, seemingly gathering for something formidable.

"It’s Elder Brother Yue Qi’s signature technique, the Spiritual Rank Intermediate Meridian Technique: Black Demon Finger!"

"It seems Elder Brother Yue Qi is not taking Yun Xiao lightly, resorting to using the Black Demon Finger!"

"It is said that the Black Demon Finger can launch up to five strikes, and when the most powerful fifth finger strikes, it has the power to split mountains and boil seas!"

"If I’m not mistaken, under this one finger, the battle will come to an end, right?"

"..."

As they sensed the energy in the air and heard Yue Qi’s low shout, the many talented disciples from the Inner Sect began to vehemently discuss this formidable Meridian Technique.

As discussions progressed, they all silently mourned for Yun Xiao, knowing well the formidable power of this Spiritual Rank Intermediate technique. With the Mid Stage of Meridian Union Realm Yue Qi executing it, possibly just one finger was enough to end Yun Xiao with regretful defeat.

Under everyone’s watchful gaze, countless strands of Heaven and Earth Energy converged upon Yue Qi’s right index finger. Then, as he lifted his finger, everyone saw a gigantic, several-zhang-long black finger detach from him and swiftly press down towards Yun Xiao with tremendous speed.

"So this is the ’One Finger Suppressing Mountains and Rivers’ Black Demon Finger? Its power is indeed terrifying!"

Numerous disciples shrank back as they sensed the mighty power within the colossal black finger, and even the Elders seated in the northern area expressed admiration inwardly, commending Yue Qi as an outstanding talent the Jade Pot Sect encounters once in decades.

However, compared to Lu Zhan and Li Shan, who seemed slightly worried, Black Demon and Mo Li on the other side were having contrasting emotions, particularly Black Demon, who felt a deep sense of vengeful satisfaction at this moment.

Yun Xiao had crippled Black Demon’s secondary disciple and even killed his beloved junior disciple with a slap. Nobody would believe that Black Demon did not harbor hatred in his heart.

Yet, as a highly respected Second Elder, Black Demon could not personally deal with Yun Xiao, so he had to rely on his chief disciple, hoping for Yue Qi to justly and honorably vanquish Yun Xiao on the arena stage.

Now it seemed his wish was about to be fulfilled. Unlike the others, Black Demon understood far too well the might of the Black Demon Finger. He believed that Yun Xiao at the Peak of Meridian Rushing Realm simply could not withstand even a single strike.

Above the arena.

A huge pitch-black Meridian Qi finger, carrying a strange aura, pressed towards Yun Xiao. Yet at this moment, the boy in coarse clothes seemed as if he had been scared stiff, just staring dead at the large finger without moving an inch.

"It’s over!"

Watching Yun Xiao’s action, everyone had this thought in their hearts. However, in the next instant, they saw Yun Xiao move, and his movements at this moment were dazzling to the eye.

Just as the black finger was about to reach him, Yun Xiao’s palms fluttered, and in the blink of an eye, a pale golden Meridian Qi Shield appeared before him.

Compared to the gigantic pitch-black finger, this pale golden small shield undoubtedly seemed insignificant, like the difference between an elephant and an ant - there was no comparison in terms of size or aura.

Seeing this, the crowd all shook their heads and sighed, secretly saying that under this real crushing of Meridian Qi, Yun Xiao seemed truly at his wit’s end. This was nothing more than a final struggle.

"Hmph, is this your last card? Watch me completely crush it!"

Yue Qi, of course, thought the same. Hearing his disdainful cold snort, in the next moment, the huge pitch-black Meridian Qi finger ruthlessly pressed onto the surface of the pale golden small shield.

Yue Qi intended to use this method to thoroughly crush Yun Xiao’s last hope, and then blast the boy’s physical body into shreds, thereby completing the task assigned by his teacher.

You think this pale golden shield is your final reliance? When this last reliance is shattered, I wonder if you can still stand so proudly here?

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the huge pitch-black finger and the pale golden shield finally collided in one strike. There couldn’t possibly be a second outcome to this disproportionate clash of Meridian Techniques.

That outcome was bound to end with Yue Qi’s effortless victory, and it seemed that the next moment, Yun Xiao’s pale golden shield, which appeared to have little defensive power, would probably shatter into dozens of pieces, right?

"Huh?"

However, just as everyone had already speculated, what happened next nearly caused their eyeballs to pop out of their sockets.

The black finger, initially thought to effortlessly smash the pale golden shield, was actually blocked by the shield. A huge black finger, staunchly pressed against the pale golden shield, couldn’t advance any further, not even by an inch.

This scene undoubtedly staggered everyone, even causing a sensation like tidal waves. A young cultivator at the peak of the Meridian Rushing Realm, using a Defensive Meridian Technique, had actually blocked the attack technique of a genius at the Early Stage of Meridian Union Realm.

Is that possible?

Of course, it is possible!

Some astute minds, after a brief shock, began to conjecture an improbable reason for the current situation—there could only be one explanation.

"Could it be that the Meridian Technique used by Yun Xiao is of a high-grade Spiritual Rank or even Earth Rank?"

When this thought spread from the depths of their hearts, they involuntarily gasped in unison. No matter how much they were inclined to disbelief, this idea persisted, stubbornly lingering in their minds and hearts, like an inescapable nightmare.

Yun Xiao’s Meridian Qi Cultivation was genuine, at the peak of Meridian Rushing Realm, and theoretically, a Meridian Technique at that level could not withstand the strike of Yue Qi’s Black Demon Finger at the Mid Stage of Meridian Union Realm.

There’s only one possibility—Yun Xiao’s Defensive Meridian Technique was one to two Great Ranks higher than the level of Black Demon Finger, making it plausible.

As everyone knows, Meridian Techniques, like Cultivation Techniques, can typically only be selected and cultivated to match one’s Cultivation at a given stage. While there are some exceptionally talented individuals who can cultivate stronger Meridian Techniques across ranks, such cultivation would not allow the technique to exert its full power.

Yue Qi, at the Mid Stage of Meridian Union Realm, cultivated the Intermediate Spiritual Rank technique Black Demon Finger, which was just perfect for him. Thus, the power of Black Demon Finger could be maximized to its full potential.

Given this, even if Yun Xiao’s golden shield was an Advanced Spiritual Rank Defensive Meridian Technique, it shouldn’t have been able to withstand a strike from the Black Demon Finger. What’s more, cultivating a technique two Great Ranks higher goes against the understanding of cultivation held by everyone in the arena.

Some even thought that it might be an Earth Rank Low Level Meridian Technique, but as soon as this thought emerged, they immediately quashed it.

A cultivator of Meridian Rushing Realm cultivating an Advanced Spiritual Rank Meridian Technique across two Great Ranks is already incredibly unbelievable. If one could further cultivate an Earth Rank technique, wouldn’t their entire worldview collapse?

Earth Rank marks the transition from individual cultivation; it’s a level that can harness Earth Power. Otherwise, why would there be a distinction between the Spiritual Rank Three Realms and the Earth Rank Three Realms? They are entirely different concepts.

But regardless of how unbelievable the people inside the hall found it, regardless of their disbelief, Yun Xiao’s pale golden shield really did block Yue Qi’s Black Demon Finger, shocking everyone to the core.