Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor
Chapter 40: Forty, I know!

Chapter 40: Forty, I know!

"Blood red... Jade?"

When questioned by the tall and thin elder, Shang Yan’s face was blank, clearly not pretending. Given his understanding of Shang Li and her son, he probably never paid attention to the pendant on Yun Xiao’s neck, right?

In fact, Yun Xiao had only been in the sight of the Shang Family for a mere ten days, and when he emerged from the Snake Nest, the physical Blood Moon Jade was already not on his neck.

There are many Jades in the Shang Family, but Shang Yan racked his brains and could not recall an image of a blood-red Moon-shaped Jade, and the next moment, he even breathed a huge sigh of relief.

In Shang Yan’s view, these menacing powerful individuals had perhaps made some mistake or perhaps that object had appeared in Moon Bow City before, hence they came to inquire—it must be a misunderstanding.

"Oh? You don’t know?"

Before Shang Yan could respond, a trace of disappointment flickered through the eyes of the tall, thin elder, and his gentle mutter clearly displayed the depth of his disappointment.

"If that is the case, then this Shang Family...is useless to keep around!"

Just as the Family Head Shang Yan breathed a sigh of relief, he suddenly heard a sentence that terrified him, though it wasn’t said with much intensity—it was as if he was discussing something extremely trivial.

Yet, this soft-spoken statement was like a bolt from the blue to Shang Yan’s ears, and he suddenly realized that perhaps he was the one who had misunderstood something. The unsolicited arrival of these guests today probably meant the Shang Family was facing a crisis of extermination.

With thoughts whirling rapidly in his mind, Shang Yan made a decisive choice, sensing the tall, thin elder up close. While he still couldn’t discern the elder’s true Cultivation, the fear he felt was extreme; he certainly did not want to remain within a meter of him.

Whoosh!

But just as Shang Yan swiftly retreated, the tall, thin elder had lightly lifted his arm, and a streak of black light shot out from the palm of his right hand, catching up with Shang Yan with incredible speed.

"Is this... Meridian Spirit?"

Of course, it was Yun Xiao, who had vast experiences, that first identified the details of this black light, and as the tall, thin elder extended his right palm, he was startled to see a black five-star mark on the back of the man’s right hand, seemingly emitting a peculiar aura.

Meridian Spirit, a technique only possessed by those who had reached the Spirit Vein Realm. At this point, the tall, thin elder unleashing the Meridian Spirit indicated that he was at least a cultivator of the Spirit Vein Realm.

And witnessing the Meridian Spirit wielded by the tall, thin elder, Yun Xiao suddenly felt this person might be significantly more formidable than Fu Du of the Jade Pot Sect whom he had seen at the Commerce Medicine Pavilion.

Not to discuss Yun Xiao’s speculation, seeing the black brilliance, Shang Yan reacted very quickly—of course, this was not in terms of physical movement, but in terms of recognizing what it was.

"Meridian... Meridian Spirit, you are a Spirit Vein Realm cultivator?"

It must be acknowledged that Shang Yan held his position as the Family Head due to his numerous encounters with strong cultivators over the years. From the aura of the black light, his reaction was not much slower than Yun Xiao’s, and upon understanding the nature of this power, his heart sank to the depths.

A cultivator of the Spirit Vein Realm was two major realms above Shang Yan, a Meridian Rushing Realm cultivator, and such a figure was hard to find in the entirety of Moon Bow City.

Shang Yan couldn’t figure out why, when he had always been cautious and never offended any cultivators stronger than him, such a disaster would come upon him.

"Hmph, Spirit Vein Realm, what’s that to fuss about?"

Just as Shang Yan exclaimed, the tall, thin elder scoffed, and his tone of disdain made Yun Xiao realize something, while Shang Yan’s face grew several shades paler.

At this moment, Shang Yan truly didn’t know what level of Cultivation this tall, thin elder held; looking down even on the Spirit Vein Realm, could it be that this person had reached the Earth Rank Third Realm?

Unfortunately, at this point, Shang Yan had no mental capacity to ponder over these confusing matters, because the tall, thin elder had unleashed his Meridian Spirit directly targeting his life; a single misstep and the Family Head of the Shang Family might fall in the Arena Hall of the Shang Family.

Luckily, as the Family Head of the Shang Family, Shang Yan did have some resources at his disposal, and the only thing that could save him now was the Ancestor Vein. Seeing him shouting loudly, Meridian Qi surged throughout his body, all pouring into the Ancestor Vein, instantly elevating his Meridian Qi Cultivation to the Middle Stage of the Meridian Rushing Realm.

"Eh? Ancestor Vein?"

Seeing Shang Yan’s power significantly increased, so much so that he could dodge an attack from a Meridian Spirit, the tall and thin old man couldn’t help but express his surprise, as he hadn’t expected someone from the small Shang Family to actually activate the Ancestor Vein.

It wasn’t that the tall and thin old man truly couldn’t kill Shang Yan in one move—it was because he had just assessed Shang Yan’s strength and didn’t want to exert too much effort, which allowed Shang Yan to escape this calamity. If there was a next time, Shang Yan would not be so lucky.

"This... Sir, let’s talk this through!"

Having narrowly escaped death, Shang Yan’s forehead was covered in cold sweat, but at that moment he had no time to wipe it off; instead, he quickly knelt on the ground after dodging, his tone reverent, which left many members of the Shang Family deep in thought.

After that dodging maneuver, Shang Yan had realized just how terrifying the tall and thin old man was. A single cultivator at the Spirit Vein Realm was already more than the entire Shang Family could handle, let alone someone whose strength might surpass that level.

If he couldn’t placate this old man, today the Shang Family really might end up with rivers of blood—something Shang Yan, as the Family Head of the Shang Family, was most reluctant to see. Compared to annihilation, what was his own dignity worth?

"Alright, I shall give you another chance!"

Having missed with his attack, the tall and thin old man seemed somewhat arrogant due to his status, and didn’t continue to pursue. Instead, he uttered a sentence that greatly relieved Shang Yan. With the old man willing to negotiate, there was still a glimmer of hope.

"Just whose among the Shang Family knows the whereabouts of that blood-red moon-shaped jade, I will spare his life!" Just as Shang Yan had just let out a sigh of relief, the next sentence from the tall and thin old man plunged his heart into the abyss again.

"Just one life?" Shang Yan was filled with disappointment. As the Family Head of the Shang Family, he wanted to preserve the entire Shang Family, not just one person’s life. If the Shang Family was gone, what use was there in preserving one life?

However, Shang Yan seemed to forget that whether it was the entire Shang Family or that one life, it all depended on knowing the whereabouts of that blood-red jade. If the whereabouts of the jade were not disclosed, the outcome would not change anyhow.

Putting aside the multitude of thoughts in Shang Yan’s heart, upon hearing the words of the tall and thin old man, Yun Xiao and his group felt uneasy, praying silently that no one inside the Shang Family knew about that curved moon pendant, hoping there might still be a ray of hope.

But as things in the world often go, the more you don’t want something to happen, the more it happens. Yun Xiao and his family had calculated everything but missed one person, and this person might just be the catalyst for their demise.

"Sir, I know!"

Just as everyone in the Shang Family was enveloped in a solemn mood, a trembling female voice suddenly came from somewhere, drawing everyone’s attention. Upon looking, people were somewhat puzzled.

To these members of the Shang Family, the appearance of this young lady in white was somewhat unfamiliar, and only a few of the younger generation prodigies like Huixu and Shang Huifeng knew that this girl was an adopted daughter that Shang Li, Yun Xiao’s mother, had picked up from the snow many years ago.

Honestly speaking, those who knew Xue Qi’s background felt complicated emotions in their eyes. A woman like her, who could betray the mother who had raised her for over a decade, was not someone to be taken into one’s confidence, because you never know when you might be betrayed.

Even for Huixu, using Xue Qi was merely exploitative—to use this woman to drive Shang Li and her sons out of the Shang Family. In fact, had it not been for the series of events that befell Yun Xiao, his plan would have already succeeded.

Compared to the other members of the Shang Family, upon hearing Xue Qi’s voice, Yun Xiao and his family’s faces turned deathly pale, cursing how they had forgotten this woman. Now it was truly helpless.

Yun Xiao knew in his heart, while the others in the Shang Family didn’t know the details of that blood-red curved moon jade, this woman who had grown up and lived with him for over a decade definitely had some impression of the blood-red curved moon jade, because it had always hung around Yun Xiao’s neck from childhood and had never been taken off.

Yun Xiao and Shang Li had not anticipated Xue Qi to be so ruthless; by speaking out now, she was clearly intending to betray them once again. In front of a cultivator potentially surpassing the Spirit Vein Realm, they had absolutely no power to resist.

"Xue Qi, shut up!"

The fiery Yun Wei’s face drastically changed, and she couldn’t help but shout out angrily, but when she saw the resolute and mocking expression on Xue Qi’s face, she knew that this time it was impossible to stop this woman.

"Sorry, I’m only trying to survive!"

Xue Qi had now reached a point of desperation, and she always believed that it was because Shang Li was hiding something, so that Yun Xiao was so formidable. Why couldn’t those good things be given to her? Shang Li was biased.

Listening to these dialogues, the tall and thin old man, who had not had much hope, suddenly brightened up. What a pleasant surprise! He said, "Girl, as long as you can tell the whereabouts of that jade, I promise not to harm you, and even give you a great fortune!"

The words of the tall and thin old man echoed in the Arena Hall of the Shang Family, and seeing that Xue Qi seemed to have made a decision, she stepped forward and knelt down in front of the tall, thin old man, uttering words that left everyone stunned.

"I don’t want any fortunes; I hope Sir can take me as a disciple!"