Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor
Chapter 69: Sixty-nine: The Decisive Xuan Zhi

Chapter 69: Sixty-nine: The Decisive Xuan Zhi

The Purple Energy Flower Lotus could not have vanished into thin air, and the method used by Yun Xiao was certainly not some kind of sorcery. It was right at the moment when both the Meridian Fire and the Cutting Vein Technique erupted that he seized the Purple Energy Flower Lotus back with extreme speed.

All of this happened in an extremely short span of time, and Yun Xiao moved smoothly and swiftly, dazzling those watching. Even the cultivators at the Meridian Introduction Realm who were spectating were at a loss, let alone Xuan Zhi the Xuanyue Empire’s Third Prince at the Meridian Gathering Realm Middle Stage, who at this moment wore an utterly bewildered expression.

However, in the next instant, Xuan Zhi had no time to be bewildered, not even the time to burst into anger, because by then, his left forearm’s sleeve had already been reduced to naught by Yun Xiao’s Meridian Fire, which then latched onto his skin.

It was only at this moment that Xuan Zhi realized he had truly underestimated this lad at the latter stages of the Meridian Introduction Realm, or perhaps it was Yun Xiao’s Ancestral Vein Fire that he had underestimated.

Normally, a cultivator’s Ancestral Vein Fire, even if it caught on a bit, could be quickly extinguished with Meridian Qi. But at this moment, Xuan Zhi, who had believed he could easily snuff out this Meridian Fire, found that no matter how much Meridian Qi he channeled, the fire seemed to grow stronger and more vigorous.

Cao Ju, who was observing from a distance, felt a sense of empathy and also found some solace, thinking even the Third Prince Xuan Zhi of the Empire, a cultivator in the middle stages of the Meridian Gathering Realm, could not withstand this eerie Meridian Fire. His own experience of having one of his hands burned off didn’t seem so disgraceful anymore.

"Damn it, what on earth is this?"

Xuan Zhi, who was channeling Meridian Qi, shook his left arm violently, but those blood-red flames clung to his skin as if glued, and no matter how he shook, they would not come off. A sense of panic inexplicably rose in his heart.

Swish!

Yet in the next moment, Yun Xiao, who had just snatched the Purple Energy Flower Lotus, felt a chill in his heart because he saw Xuan Zhi lifting the crescent-shaped weapon in his right hand, sliding it towards the outer side of his own left forearm.

It seemed that the Third Prince Xuan Zhi of the Royal Family, despite his pampered upbringing, was far from a hedonistic young master. His swift and decisive reaction not only instilled fear among the onlooking crowd but even Yun Xiao felt a hint of wariness.

"It is not wise to linger here!"

Eyeing the blade raised by Xuan Zhi, Yun Xiao made a snap decision. With the Third Prince of the Royal Family preoccupied, he could no longer afford to stay.

Dealing with one Third Prince of the Royal Family Xuan Zhi was already enough to keep Yun Xiao busy, let alone having the Cao and Zhao families as enemies too. If these three forces were to join together, no matter how many tricks he had, he would be in over his head.

Swoosh!

With his thoughts rapidly turning, Yun Xiao did not halt his movements; he quickly stowed the Purple Energy Flower Lotus into his chest and, like a wild horse breaking free from its reins, he shot out more than ten yards in an instant.

"Ah!"

When Yun Xiao had moved ten yards away, a somewhat shrill cry finally rang out from not too far behind him. It turned out the Third Prince of the Empire was resolute and merciless; he used the crescent weapon in his right hand to carve off the patch of flesh from his left arm that had been touched by Yun Xiao’s Meridian Fire.

Xuan Zhi’s luck was indeed much better than Cao Ju’s or perhaps he was even more ruthless than Cao Ju, knowing any further delay might cost him his entire left arm. Losing only a slice of flesh was still within a tolerable limit for him.

The patch of skin with the blood-red flames attached fell to the ground, quickly incinerated into a pile of ash in the blink of an eye. Witnessing this scene, everyone began to develop some fear towards the approaching youth in coarse clothing, not even Cao Ju and Zhao Xingwu dared to stop him.

Moreover, seeing the miserable state of Xuan Zhi from afar, though he only lost a layer of flesh, it was a blow dealt by Yun Xiao to the Empire’s Third Prince, a practitioner at the middle stages of the Meridian Gathering Realm, something nobody in the crowd had ever imagined.

As for Xuan Zhi, his mood was far from calm. The excruciating pain came from his left forearm coupled with the Purple Energy Flower Lotus being snatched away made his chest feel as if it was about to burst.

"Brat, even if you run to the ends of the earth, I will find you and tear your body into ten thousand pieces!"

The voice laden with extreme venom emerged from Xuan Zhi’s mouth, allowing everyone to sense the murderous intent contained within. As the Third Prince of the Xuanyue Empire, he indeed had the privilege to make such a vow.

It’s not hard to imagine that being the Third Prince of the Xuanyue Empire, accustomed to luxury from a young age, had never suffered such a major setback. Moreover, his adversary was a youngster of a mere Mortal Rank citator who was three whole Meridian Realms below him in cultivation.

As Yun Xiao’s figure gradually disappeared into the crowd, Xuan Zhi experienced a stroke of genius and shouted again: "Stop him, catch that brat! Whomever stops him, I swear upon my identity as the Third Prince of the Xuanyue Royal Family, I shall bestow upon him a noble title and the enjoyment of supreme honor!"

It appeared that the grudge against Yun Xiao had driven Xuan Zhi to the point of disregard for anything else, and his promise of "bestowment of noble title and enjoyment of supreme honor" instantly sparked a fiery light in the eyes of some.

Although Xuan Zhi was only the Third Prince of the Xuanyue Empire, according to the intelligence gathered by the geniuses from the major family forces, it wouldn’t be long before the heir apparent to the Royal Family would ascend as the new ruler of the Xuanyue Country.

By that time, this Third Prince Xuan Zhi, who has always been in league with the heir apparent, may well fulfill such a promise.

However, these hot-blooded young geniuses who wanted to try their luck had just regained their senses when they realized that the figure in coarse clothing had already left them far behind, and it might not be possible to catch up if they tried to pursue now.

At this moment, Yun Xiao was not about to give those onlooking cultivators a chance to encircle him, so he ignored even the opportunity to greet Tan Yun and the Ling Wan group, focusing solely on escaping.

As for offending the Third Prince of the Xuanyue Empire, Yun Xiao couldn’t care less. He only knew the Purple Energy Flower Lotus was first spotted by him; what right did Xuan Zhi have to intervene?

If it were the Yun Xiao of the past, he probably wouldn’t have dared to oppose Xuan Zhi even if he were lent the courage, but what about the Long Xiao Battle God? He probably wouldn’t have much hesitation even if faced by the actual ruler of the Xuanyue Country himself, let alone the Third Prince Xuan Zhi.

Of course, the current Yun Xiao could only beat a hasty retreat. His Meridian Qi Cultivation was merely enough to contend with Xuan Zhi for a few moves. If he were to be caught, surprising the prince again would undoubtedly be impossible.

Seeing that the many onlookers were unable to stop Yun Xiao, Xuan Zhi’s expression turned as dark as if it could drip water. That kid had modest Meridian Qi Cultivation but excessively tricky methods, and his speed, from such a distance, Xuan Zhi himself admitted he couldn’t possibly catch up.

Even Yun Xiao believed he would be able to get away without mishap this time, but the affairs of the world are truly unpredictable. As he was approaching the entrance of Medicine Valley, he saw two somewhat familiar figures.

"Cao Luo, Zhao Ningshu?"

These two figures were not unfamiliar to Yun Xiao. Earlier outside Medicine Valley, he had clashed with one of them, indicating their rush from the entrance was not a good sign for him.

It seemed that after a period of combat, Zhao Ningshu and Cao Luo finally got rid of the entanglement with the Red-tailed Tiger Crocodile, hurrying towards the depths of Medicine Valley, afraid that all the treasures inside had been taken by others.

"Heh, gentlemen, you’re rather late!"

Yun Xiao’s heart sank slightly, yet he squeezed out a smile on his face, greeting them as he walked, looking like old friends reuniting after many days apart.

Just as Zhao Ningshu and Cao Luo were momentarily stunned, Yun Xiao still smiled and continued, "There are indeed many treasures inside Medicine Valley. But if you two don’t hurry, I’m afraid there won’t be any left for you!"

While Yun Xiao spoke, he got closer and closer to Cao Luo and Zhao Ningshu. He didn’t know if this sudden ploy would confuse them. He just wanted to stir their interest in the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures inside Medicine Valley, so they’d be too preoccupied to pay attention to him.

"Big brother, stop him!"

"Big brother, he has the Purple Energy Flower Lotus, stop him quickly!"

However, just as Zhao and Cao were momentarily distracted, about to let Yun Xiao slip by, two loud shouts came from afar, instantly arousing their Meridian Qi, locking onto the young man in coarse clothing.

These shouts, naturally, were from Cao Ju and Zhao Xingwu. On one hand, they harbored hatred towards Yun Xiao, and on the other, the reward promised by Xuan Zhi was too tempting, even for the Zhao and Cao families, to try their luck.

Zhao Ningshu and Cao Luo, just as Yun Xiao had thought, were eager to compete for the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures inside Medicine Valley, but as soon as the words "Purple Energy Flower Lotus" reached their ears, their eyes instantly turned blood-red.

Being Low-Level Mortal Rank Meridian Refining Masters, they knew the value of the Purple Energy Flower Lotus well and had no qualms about snatching it from an adversary they already despised.

However, Zhao Ningshu and Cao Luo didn’t know that even if they could snatch the Purple Energy Flower Lotus from Yun Xiao’s hands, it would most likely end up in the possession of the Third Prince of the Empire, Xuan Zhi, and they would get nothing.

"Alas, it’s not as simple as I imagined!"

Sensing the Meridian Qi rising from Zhao and Cao, a wry smile appeared on Yun Xiao’s face. They were genuine cultivators at the Early Stage of the Meridian Gathering Realm. Although not as strong as Xuan Zhi, if the two joined forces, it wouldn’t be as easy for him to escape as it was just now.

And at this time, figures began to stir not far behind Yun Xiao. A white-clad figure taking the lead—none other than Xuan Zhi, the Third Prince of the Xuanyue Empire. It seemed that compared to the Zhao and Cao families, his enmity towards Yun Xiao ran even deeper.

With enemies in front and behind, Yun Xiao’s situation became perilous in an instant.

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